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<p>Sudan has been accused of gross human rights abuses in recent weeks in South Kordofan state, which borders the newly independent country of South Sudan.</p>
<p>Now Sudan President Omar al-Bashir announced <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14632513" type="external">a two-week ceasefire</a> in South Kordofan state, where fighting since June has displaced 70,000 people from their homes.</p>
<p>"I declare a unilateral two-week ceasefire," said Bashir on state radio, according to AFP.</p>
<p>Bashir's government says the conflict began when government forces tried to disarm ethnic Nuban fighters after elections in the state that borders newly independent South Sudan.</p>
<p>But many sources in South Kordofan charge that the government actions included mass killings of Nubans. Bashir's Khartoum government denies those accusations of ethnic cleansing against pro-southern Nubans.</p>
<p>Fighting has decreased in South Kordofan this month because of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.</p>
<p>It has been very difficult to get accurate information about what is going on in South Kordofan, because journalists and diplomats are barred from the disputed province and the UN is also restricted in the area.&#160;</p>
<p>Bashir announced the ceasefire during a surprise visit to South Kordofan's provincial capital Kadugli.</p>
<p>Although there is an urgent need for humanitarian relief in South Kordofan, Bashir said that foreign aid organizations would not be allowed into South Kordofan and that any aid would be delivered only through the Sudanese Red Crescent organization, Reuters news agency reports. There are charges that the Sudan Red Crescent has carried out abuses against the Nuban people, according to the Satellite Sentinel Project.</p>
<p>A United Nations report published this month warned that war crimes may have been committed in South Kordofan.</p>
<p>The U.N. said that atrocities had been committed on both sides, but it charged the army's actions were "especially egregious" and included to summary executions, aerial bombardments and the shelling of civilian neighborhoods.</p> | Sudan: Ceasefire in South Kordofan state | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-08-23/sudan-ceasefire-south-kordofan-state | 2011-08-23 | 3left-center
| Sudan: Ceasefire in South Kordofan state
<p>Sudan has been accused of gross human rights abuses in recent weeks in South Kordofan state, which borders the newly independent country of South Sudan.</p>
<p>Now Sudan President Omar al-Bashir announced <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14632513" type="external">a two-week ceasefire</a> in South Kordofan state, where fighting since June has displaced 70,000 people from their homes.</p>
<p>"I declare a unilateral two-week ceasefire," said Bashir on state radio, according to AFP.</p>
<p>Bashir's government says the conflict began when government forces tried to disarm ethnic Nuban fighters after elections in the state that borders newly independent South Sudan.</p>
<p>But many sources in South Kordofan charge that the government actions included mass killings of Nubans. Bashir's Khartoum government denies those accusations of ethnic cleansing against pro-southern Nubans.</p>
<p>Fighting has decreased in South Kordofan this month because of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.</p>
<p>It has been very difficult to get accurate information about what is going on in South Kordofan, because journalists and diplomats are barred from the disputed province and the UN is also restricted in the area.&#160;</p>
<p>Bashir announced the ceasefire during a surprise visit to South Kordofan's provincial capital Kadugli.</p>
<p>Although there is an urgent need for humanitarian relief in South Kordofan, Bashir said that foreign aid organizations would not be allowed into South Kordofan and that any aid would be delivered only through the Sudanese Red Crescent organization, Reuters news agency reports. There are charges that the Sudan Red Crescent has carried out abuses against the Nuban people, according to the Satellite Sentinel Project.</p>
<p>A United Nations report published this month warned that war crimes may have been committed in South Kordofan.</p>
<p>The U.N. said that atrocities had been committed on both sides, but it charged the army's actions were "especially egregious" and included to summary executions, aerial bombardments and the shelling of civilian neighborhoods.</p> | 400 |
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<p>SANTA FE, N.M. — The theft of a donation jar for kids to attend a Summer Rock Camp at a Santa Fe music store, has gone viral after the store provided photos of the thief posted on the Santa Fe Police Department’s FaceBook page.</p>
<p>A man grabbed the jar, containing maybe $50, off the counter of The Candyman Strings &amp; Things store on St. Michael’s Drive on Oct. 13, said store co-owner Cindy Cook. Several people called to say they recognize the culprit and Cook said she will be meeting with Santa Fe police this afternoon.</p>
<p>“The jar is just so clearly marked, you know what it’s for,” said Cook. The store has held the camps for children aged eight to 18 since 2010 and they started putting the donation jar out last year so the community could help contribute to the $500 cost of holding the two-week sessions. The store has provided scholarships for children and we</p>
<p>don’t want to turn anyone away, said Cook.</p>
<p>The store holds&#160; three summer sessions instructing children to play rock instruments.”We have so many repeats (children repeating the camp). Some of the kids do the camp over and over ….it became an alternative hang out for them,” said Cook.</p>
<p>“There is no excuse for stealing in this community,” said Cook. “This person did not look desperate … he kept looking at the jar.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Music camp donation jar stolen in Santa Fe | false | https://abqjournal.com/484963/music-camp-donation-jar-stolen-in-santa-fe.html | 2least
| Music camp donation jar stolen in Santa Fe
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<p>SANTA FE, N.M. — The theft of a donation jar for kids to attend a Summer Rock Camp at a Santa Fe music store, has gone viral after the store provided photos of the thief posted on the Santa Fe Police Department’s FaceBook page.</p>
<p>A man grabbed the jar, containing maybe $50, off the counter of The Candyman Strings &amp; Things store on St. Michael’s Drive on Oct. 13, said store co-owner Cindy Cook. Several people called to say they recognize the culprit and Cook said she will be meeting with Santa Fe police this afternoon.</p>
<p>“The jar is just so clearly marked, you know what it’s for,” said Cook. The store has held the camps for children aged eight to 18 since 2010 and they started putting the donation jar out last year so the community could help contribute to the $500 cost of holding the two-week sessions. The store has provided scholarships for children and we</p>
<p>don’t want to turn anyone away, said Cook.</p>
<p>The store holds&#160; three summer sessions instructing children to play rock instruments.”We have so many repeats (children repeating the camp). Some of the kids do the camp over and over ….it became an alternative hang out for them,” said Cook.</p>
<p>“There is no excuse for stealing in this community,” said Cook. “This person did not look desperate … he kept looking at the jar.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 401 |
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<p>The dean of the University of New Mexico’s libraries has created a position in his department that is tailor-made for his wife, who also will get first shot at it.</p>
<p>Rick Clement was hired last year at a $195,000 salary. As part of the hiring process, he openly negotiated a “spousal accommodation” giving his wife a preferential spot in the university’s hiring process so long as she was deemed qualified for the position in question.</p>
<p>After Clement came on board in July, he elevated a vacant collections librarian position to director of collections. Steven Harris, who left UNM two years ago, did the work previously but did not receive a stipend for the responsibility. However, according to Clement, the new position will carry a $10,000 stipend on top of the salary.</p>
<p>Clement’s wife, Suzanne, will be the first and only candidate for the new job to be considered in round one. She would be hired if a search committee considers her qualified and if the library staff vote to support her, absent competition from any other candidates for the post.</p>
<p>Rick Clement came to UNM from Utah State University, where he was dean of libraries and adjunct professor of history. His wife was a tenured associate professor and head of cataloging there. Clement says there’s no conflict because his wife would not answer directly to him – although anyone else hired for this position presumably would – and he would not participate in the hiring process. Clement acknowledged he would have prefered it if his wife had been able to find another job.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Though Clement is seeking only what UNM promised him when he was hired, UNM’s filling this job without competition smacks of favoritism.</p>
<p>While offering jobs to spouses is not uncommon in academia, perhaps it’s time for the entrenched university culture to take another look at this practice. UNM is, after all, a public institution supported by taxpayers who prefer fair competition to insider perks.</p>
<p>This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.</p>
<p /> | Editorial: Sweet deal for UNM spouse | false | https://abqjournal.com/549972/sweet-deal-for-unm-spouse.html | 2least
| Editorial: Sweet deal for UNM spouse
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<p />
<p>The dean of the University of New Mexico’s libraries has created a position in his department that is tailor-made for his wife, who also will get first shot at it.</p>
<p>Rick Clement was hired last year at a $195,000 salary. As part of the hiring process, he openly negotiated a “spousal accommodation” giving his wife a preferential spot in the university’s hiring process so long as she was deemed qualified for the position in question.</p>
<p>After Clement came on board in July, he elevated a vacant collections librarian position to director of collections. Steven Harris, who left UNM two years ago, did the work previously but did not receive a stipend for the responsibility. However, according to Clement, the new position will carry a $10,000 stipend on top of the salary.</p>
<p>Clement’s wife, Suzanne, will be the first and only candidate for the new job to be considered in round one. She would be hired if a search committee considers her qualified and if the library staff vote to support her, absent competition from any other candidates for the post.</p>
<p>Rick Clement came to UNM from Utah State University, where he was dean of libraries and adjunct professor of history. His wife was a tenured associate professor and head of cataloging there. Clement says there’s no conflict because his wife would not answer directly to him – although anyone else hired for this position presumably would – and he would not participate in the hiring process. Clement acknowledged he would have prefered it if his wife had been able to find another job.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Though Clement is seeking only what UNM promised him when he was hired, UNM’s filling this job without competition smacks of favoritism.</p>
<p>While offering jobs to spouses is not uncommon in academia, perhaps it’s time for the entrenched university culture to take another look at this practice. UNM is, after all, a public institution supported by taxpayers who prefer fair competition to insider perks.</p>
<p>This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.</p>
<p /> | 402 |
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<p>In case you missed it (or are simply, and understandably, a bit maxed out on the whole debate thing), The Largest Minority’s John Harrison has done his civic duty in lining up complete footage of the Democratic presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday. This way, you can fast-forward through the boring bits!</p>
<p>Watch the debate clips <a href="http://www.jwharrison.com/blog/2007/10/31/russert-uses-the-%e2%80%9cgiggle-factor%e2%80%9d-to-dismiss-dennis/#more-1854" type="external">here</a>.</p> | Relive the Magic: The Democratic Debate in Philly | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/relive-the-magic-the-democratic-debate-in-philly/ | 2007-11-01 | 4left
| Relive the Magic: The Democratic Debate in Philly
<p>In case you missed it (or are simply, and understandably, a bit maxed out on the whole debate thing), The Largest Minority’s John Harrison has done his civic duty in lining up complete footage of the Democratic presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday. This way, you can fast-forward through the boring bits!</p>
<p>Watch the debate clips <a href="http://www.jwharrison.com/blog/2007/10/31/russert-uses-the-%e2%80%9cgiggle-factor%e2%80%9d-to-dismiss-dennis/#more-1854" type="external">here</a>.</p> | 403 |
<p />
<p>The spill of an estimated 210,000 gallons of crude oil in South Dakota on Thursday from TransCanada's Keystone Pipeline is one of the 20 largest onshore oil or petroleum product spills since 2010. Here are the top 20 spills during that period as reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The list ranks them by size and includes the date, gallons spilled, commodity, company name, city or county and state of spill and estimated costs including property and environmental damages.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>— July 29, 2013: 865,200 gallons, crude oil, Tesoro High Plains Pipeline Co., MountRail County, North Dakota, $17,755,766</p>
<p>— July 25, 2010: 843,444 gallons, crude oil, Enbridge Energy, Marshall, Michigan, $927,270,213</p>
<p>— December 5, 2016: 529,830 gallons, crude oil, Belle Fourche Pipeline Co., Billings County, North Dakota, $11,334,049</p>
<p>— June 4, 2011: 513,618 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC, Chico, Texas, $1,472,079</p>
<p>— October 11, 2010: 428,400 gallons, crude oil, Centurion Pipeline LP, Levelland, Texas, $70,748</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>— January 19, 2017: 420,378 gallons, crude oil, Tallgrass Pony Express Pipeline, Logan County, Colorado, $345,554</p>
<p>— April 13, 2011: 378,000 gallons, gasoline, Marathon Pipe Line, Dansville, Michigan, $38,661,147</p>
<p>— December 8, 2014: 369,600 gallons, gasoline, Plantation Pipe Line Co., Belton, South Carolina, $3,951,634</p>
<p>— August 29, 2016: 361,200 gallons, crude oil, Sunoco Pipeline LP, Sweetwater, Texas, $4,017,900</p>
<p>— October 23, 2016: 319,326 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC, Cushing, Oklahoma, $7,818,638</p>
<p>— September 9, 2010: 316,596 gallons, crude oil, Enbridge Energy, Romeoville, Illinois, $52,284,683</p>
<p>— September 9, 2016: 309,540 gallons, gasoline, Colonial Pipeline Co., Helena, Alabama, $66,234,072</p>
<p>— January 27, 2011: 290,262 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC, Iola, Texas $4,834,962</p>
<p>— August 31, 2017: 240,072 gallons gasoline, Magellan Terminals Holdings LP, Galena Park, Texas, $1,340,026</p>
<p>— March 9, 2013:235,200 gallons, crude oil, Lion Oil Trading and Transportation, Inc., Magnolia, Arkansas, $3,538,062</p>
<p>— August 31, 2017: 221,424 gallons, gasoline, Magellan Terminals Holding LP, Galena Park, Texas, $1,292,026</p>
<p>— January 30, 2017: 210,000 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline, Anna, Texas, $2,346,925</p>
<p>— November 16, 2017: 210,000 gallons, crude oil, TransCanada Corp, Marshall County, South Dakota, Cost not yet known</p>
<p>— October 13, 2014: 189,378 gallons, crude oil, Mid-Valley Pipeline Co., Mooringsport, Louisiana, $12,049,280</p>
<p>— October 31, 2016: 186,669 gallons, gasoline, Colonial Pipeline Co., Helena, Alabama, $16,844,292</p> | Top 20 onshore US petroleum spills since 2010 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/11/17/top-20-onshore-us-petroleum-spills-since-2010.html | 2017-11-18 | 0right
| Top 20 onshore US petroleum spills since 2010
<p />
<p>The spill of an estimated 210,000 gallons of crude oil in South Dakota on Thursday from TransCanada's Keystone Pipeline is one of the 20 largest onshore oil or petroleum product spills since 2010. Here are the top 20 spills during that period as reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The list ranks them by size and includes the date, gallons spilled, commodity, company name, city or county and state of spill and estimated costs including property and environmental damages.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>— July 29, 2013: 865,200 gallons, crude oil, Tesoro High Plains Pipeline Co., MountRail County, North Dakota, $17,755,766</p>
<p>— July 25, 2010: 843,444 gallons, crude oil, Enbridge Energy, Marshall, Michigan, $927,270,213</p>
<p>— December 5, 2016: 529,830 gallons, crude oil, Belle Fourche Pipeline Co., Billings County, North Dakota, $11,334,049</p>
<p>— June 4, 2011: 513,618 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC, Chico, Texas, $1,472,079</p>
<p>— October 11, 2010: 428,400 gallons, crude oil, Centurion Pipeline LP, Levelland, Texas, $70,748</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>— January 19, 2017: 420,378 gallons, crude oil, Tallgrass Pony Express Pipeline, Logan County, Colorado, $345,554</p>
<p>— April 13, 2011: 378,000 gallons, gasoline, Marathon Pipe Line, Dansville, Michigan, $38,661,147</p>
<p>— December 8, 2014: 369,600 gallons, gasoline, Plantation Pipe Line Co., Belton, South Carolina, $3,951,634</p>
<p>— August 29, 2016: 361,200 gallons, crude oil, Sunoco Pipeline LP, Sweetwater, Texas, $4,017,900</p>
<p>— October 23, 2016: 319,326 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC, Cushing, Oklahoma, $7,818,638</p>
<p>— September 9, 2010: 316,596 gallons, crude oil, Enbridge Energy, Romeoville, Illinois, $52,284,683</p>
<p>— September 9, 2016: 309,540 gallons, gasoline, Colonial Pipeline Co., Helena, Alabama, $66,234,072</p>
<p>— January 27, 2011: 290,262 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC, Iola, Texas $4,834,962</p>
<p>— August 31, 2017: 240,072 gallons gasoline, Magellan Terminals Holdings LP, Galena Park, Texas, $1,340,026</p>
<p>— March 9, 2013:235,200 gallons, crude oil, Lion Oil Trading and Transportation, Inc., Magnolia, Arkansas, $3,538,062</p>
<p>— August 31, 2017: 221,424 gallons, gasoline, Magellan Terminals Holding LP, Galena Park, Texas, $1,292,026</p>
<p>— January 30, 2017: 210,000 gallons, crude oil, Enterprise Crude Pipeline, Anna, Texas, $2,346,925</p>
<p>— November 16, 2017: 210,000 gallons, crude oil, TransCanada Corp, Marshall County, South Dakota, Cost not yet known</p>
<p>— October 13, 2014: 189,378 gallons, crude oil, Mid-Valley Pipeline Co., Mooringsport, Louisiana, $12,049,280</p>
<p>— October 31, 2016: 186,669 gallons, gasoline, Colonial Pipeline Co., Helena, Alabama, $16,844,292</p> | 404 |
<p>Money keeps pouring in for the private driving service Uber. The company closed a financing round of $1.2 billion on Thursday with investors putting their value at around $40 billion, according to a <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/uber-files-to-sell-1-8-billion-in-new-shares/" type="external">New York Times</a>&#160;report.</p>
<p>Uber will add that cash to the $1.5 million they previously raised, and even more money may head Uber’s way. They could potentially sell another $600 million in stock. In addition, Uber, in conjunction with Goldman Sachs, is working to possibly sell another $1 billion in debt to private well-off clients of the Wall Street firm. According to <a href="http://fortune.com/2014/12/04/uber-files-to-sell-1-8-billion-of-new-stock/" type="external">Forbes</a>, this could bring the final figure close to $1.8 billion.</p>
<p>Travis Kalanick, Uber CEO, says that the money will be put toward an expansion of San Francisco-based Uber in Asia and for “strategic investments,” according to <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/12/04/uber-funding/19890677/" type="external">USA Today</a>. Kalanick also mentioned the rapid progress the company has made.&#160; He claimed that more than a million jobs will become available across the globe by next year.</p>
<p>Uber’s rise is one of the most accelerated in recent years, according to NY Times. Uber was simply an app that enabled consumers to get a personal driver at the push of a smartphone button just five years ago. In those five years, Uber has grown so much that it has passed members of Silicon Valley’s exclusive 11-digit club (start-ups who are valued at more than $10 billion).</p>
<p>Although the additional money is paving the way for Uber’s success in the future,&#160; major criticism has surfaced with it. Customers and lawmakers expressed their concerns about privacy following a report that revealed that an Uber executive tracked a journalist’s ride without permission, according to USA Today.</p>
<p>A tool named “God View” that allows Uber executives to track driver and rider data prompted Uber to update their privacy policies and create stricter rules. Kalanick stated that in the coming months, Uber will be a more humble company that will “set new standards in data privacy,” according to Forbes.&#160;The criticism has not lessened investors’ enthusiasm about Uber.</p>
<p>Uber is planning on raising more money in an effort to become the best service for transporting people quickly and painlessly. Kalanick plans for Uber to eventually reach a point where it is not only a transportation system, but it is a delivery system for everything and anything (even groceries). To reach that goal, serious amounts of capital will be needed.</p>
<p>Uber has made the largest footprint in the ride-sharing start-up industry. It has broadened its services to more than 250 cities in 50 countries in the past year. Uber posted on their blog that the company is six times as large as it was last year and it continues to grow and expand, reported NY Times.</p>
<p>Although Uber has had rapid success, it does face some tough competition. Lyft is a ride-service that offers similar services and is also backed by big investors. Lyft recently appointed new head executives in an effort to drive customers and drivers away from Uber. Uber is also facing Hailo, which has a similar app for calling taxis, that is seen throughout Europe. In Southeast Asia, a company called GrabTaxi is already booming with more than 60,000 drivers.</p>
<p /> | Uber adds $1.2 billion in latest financing round | false | http://natmonitor.com/2014/12/05/uber-adds-1-2-billion-in-latest-financing-round/ | 2014-12-05 | 3left-center
| Uber adds $1.2 billion in latest financing round
<p>Money keeps pouring in for the private driving service Uber. The company closed a financing round of $1.2 billion on Thursday with investors putting their value at around $40 billion, according to a <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/uber-files-to-sell-1-8-billion-in-new-shares/" type="external">New York Times</a>&#160;report.</p>
<p>Uber will add that cash to the $1.5 million they previously raised, and even more money may head Uber’s way. They could potentially sell another $600 million in stock. In addition, Uber, in conjunction with Goldman Sachs, is working to possibly sell another $1 billion in debt to private well-off clients of the Wall Street firm. According to <a href="http://fortune.com/2014/12/04/uber-files-to-sell-1-8-billion-of-new-stock/" type="external">Forbes</a>, this could bring the final figure close to $1.8 billion.</p>
<p>Travis Kalanick, Uber CEO, says that the money will be put toward an expansion of San Francisco-based Uber in Asia and for “strategic investments,” according to <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/12/04/uber-funding/19890677/" type="external">USA Today</a>. Kalanick also mentioned the rapid progress the company has made.&#160; He claimed that more than a million jobs will become available across the globe by next year.</p>
<p>Uber’s rise is one of the most accelerated in recent years, according to NY Times. Uber was simply an app that enabled consumers to get a personal driver at the push of a smartphone button just five years ago. In those five years, Uber has grown so much that it has passed members of Silicon Valley’s exclusive 11-digit club (start-ups who are valued at more than $10 billion).</p>
<p>Although the additional money is paving the way for Uber’s success in the future,&#160; major criticism has surfaced with it. Customers and lawmakers expressed their concerns about privacy following a report that revealed that an Uber executive tracked a journalist’s ride without permission, according to USA Today.</p>
<p>A tool named “God View” that allows Uber executives to track driver and rider data prompted Uber to update their privacy policies and create stricter rules. Kalanick stated that in the coming months, Uber will be a more humble company that will “set new standards in data privacy,” according to Forbes.&#160;The criticism has not lessened investors’ enthusiasm about Uber.</p>
<p>Uber is planning on raising more money in an effort to become the best service for transporting people quickly and painlessly. Kalanick plans for Uber to eventually reach a point where it is not only a transportation system, but it is a delivery system for everything and anything (even groceries). To reach that goal, serious amounts of capital will be needed.</p>
<p>Uber has made the largest footprint in the ride-sharing start-up industry. It has broadened its services to more than 250 cities in 50 countries in the past year. Uber posted on their blog that the company is six times as large as it was last year and it continues to grow and expand, reported NY Times.</p>
<p>Although Uber has had rapid success, it does face some tough competition. Lyft is a ride-service that offers similar services and is also backed by big investors. Lyft recently appointed new head executives in an effort to drive customers and drivers away from Uber. Uber is also facing Hailo, which has a similar app for calling taxis, that is seen throughout Europe. In Southeast Asia, a company called GrabTaxi is already booming with more than 60,000 drivers.</p>
<p /> | 405 |
<p>The number of cases and arrests related to child pornography is rising steadily in India, <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Child-pornography-rising-in-India/articleshow/9799477.cms" type="external">reports the Times of India</a>.</p>
<p>Across the country, there were 99 cases of child pornography in 2007, 105 in 2008 and 139 in 2009, the paper cited&#160;minister of state for home M Ramachandran as saying in an address to parliament.</p>
<p>Over the same period, there were 86 arrests in 2007, 90 in 2008 and 141 in 2009, Ramachandran said.</p>
<p>The states of Kerala and Maharashtra accounted for most of the cases, with 27, 17 and 25 child pornography cases in Maharashtra for the tree years in question and 20, 39 and 44 cases in Kerala.</p> | Child pornography arrests increasing in India | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-08-31/child-pornography-arrests-increasing-india | 2011-08-31 | 3left-center
| Child pornography arrests increasing in India
<p>The number of cases and arrests related to child pornography is rising steadily in India, <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Child-pornography-rising-in-India/articleshow/9799477.cms" type="external">reports the Times of India</a>.</p>
<p>Across the country, there were 99 cases of child pornography in 2007, 105 in 2008 and 139 in 2009, the paper cited&#160;minister of state for home M Ramachandran as saying in an address to parliament.</p>
<p>Over the same period, there were 86 arrests in 2007, 90 in 2008 and 141 in 2009, Ramachandran said.</p>
<p>The states of Kerala and Maharashtra accounted for most of the cases, with 27, 17 and 25 child pornography cases in Maharashtra for the tree years in question and 20, 39 and 44 cases in Kerala.</p> | 406 |
<p />
<p>Procter &amp; Gamble, maker of Ariel detergent and Gillette razors, reported an 8.3 percent fall in third-quarter profit, citing a slowdown in market growth, geopolitical uncertainty and a stronger dollar.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Net income attributable to the Cincinnati, Ohio-based company declined to $2.52 billion, or 93 cents per share, in the three months ended March 31, from $2.75 billion, or 97 cents per share, a year earlier.</p>
<p>P&amp;G, whose iconic brands include Tide, Pampers, Head-and-Shoulders and Vicks, said net sales fell about 1 percent to $15.61 billion - the thirteenth straight quarter of declines.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Richa Naidu in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh)</p> | P&G's 3Q Profit Declines 8.3% | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/04/26/procter-gamble-reports-mixed-3q-results.html | 2017-04-26 | 0right
| P&G's 3Q Profit Declines 8.3%
<p />
<p>Procter &amp; Gamble, maker of Ariel detergent and Gillette razors, reported an 8.3 percent fall in third-quarter profit, citing a slowdown in market growth, geopolitical uncertainty and a stronger dollar.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Net income attributable to the Cincinnati, Ohio-based company declined to $2.52 billion, or 93 cents per share, in the three months ended March 31, from $2.75 billion, or 97 cents per share, a year earlier.</p>
<p>P&amp;G, whose iconic brands include Tide, Pampers, Head-and-Shoulders and Vicks, said net sales fell about 1 percent to $15.61 billion - the thirteenth straight quarter of declines.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Richa Naidu in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh)</p> | 407 |
<p>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Using a drone to spy on neighbors, drop drugs into prisons or harass cows could lead to criminal charges under a new bill Nebraska lawmakers will consider later this year.</p>
<p>The measure would impose new safety and privacy rules on the remote-control flying machines that are now used for dozens of jobs throughout the state.</p>
<p>Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue said she introduced the bill to protect the public without overregulating drones, the kind of technology she said is critical to the state's economic growth. The Federal Aviation Administration already oversees drones, but Blood said the agency hasn't addressed all of the public safety concerns.</p>
<p>"We want to make sure we have laws that tell people what our expectations are when they use technology," she said.</p>
<p>If the measure passes, Nebraska would join 40 other states with laws regulating drones, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The laws often address how law enforcement agencies and the general public can use the devices.</p>
<p>The Nebraska bill would create a variety of new restrictions for drone users. Pilots who use drones to peep inside homes without permission could face a misdemeanor charge, and so could sex offenders who use drones to violate a protection order.</p>
<p>Drone users who fly lower than 300 feet over private property after receiving a trespass notice could also be charged, as could pilots who fly too close to a prison or cordoned-off crime scene. The bill would prohibit pilots from strapping weapons to their drones or harassing livestock.</p>
<p>The legislation also would shield police officers and firefighters from lawsuits if they damage a drone while performing their official duties and believed it was interfering with their work. Law enforcement agencies could use information from drones with a warrant or in certain emergencies and situations.</p>
<p>A Nebraska Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman said the agency has had no confirmed drone sightings over a state prison but was aware of incidents in other states where pilots used them to deliver contraband.</p>
<p>Blood stressed that the bill wouldn't apply to drone pilots who have a property owner's permission. She said she has spent the past year researching the issue and working with drone pilots, law enforcement, city officials and others to reach a compromise that wouldn't infringe on anyone's rights.</p>
<p>"People are worried about being overregulated," she said. "I keep assuring them that if they're responsible, this won't affect them in any way."</p>
<p>Even so, the bill will likely generate debate among drone users and their supporters. David Silchman, who owns an Omaha-based flight school, said he hadn't seen the proposal but questioned whether state laws are necessary given the current federal licensing and registration requirements.</p>
<p>Silchman said drones have become increasingly important in a variety of fields, such as agriculture and real estate. Railroad and utility companies frequently use them to inspect their infrastructure.</p>
<p>"Every day, people find more and more uses for them," he said.</p>
<p>Drones have also proven invaluable to some Nebraska law enforcement agencies, despite past efforts to curtail their use. In 2013, lawmakers considered legislation to ban law enforcement agencies from using drones, but the bill never advanced out of committee.</p>
<p>La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten said drones have helped his department photograph crime scenes without a helicopter and scout homes before serving high-risk search warrants. Officers recently relied on a drone to locate children who had run away from home, he said. In October, they used it to reconstruct a crash involving a cement mixer that overturned and killed two Omaha men.</p>
<p>"There are a lot of different uses," he said. "We want to be able to utilize the technology, but do it without infringing on anyone's civil rights."</p>
<p>Many ranchers see drones as a helpful tool to check wells and fences and search for lost cattle amid the state's workforce shortage, said Jessie Herrmann, the Nebraska Cattlemen Association's director of legal and regulatory affairs.</p>
<p>But Herrmann said her group's members are also concerned that animal rights groups will fly drones over their property without permission. Earlier this year, she said one animal rights group flew a drone over the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center near Clay Center, Nebraska, and may also have photographed a feedlot.</p>
<p>"There's going to be a lot of interest" in the bill, Herrmann said. "It's a pretty big issue that a lot of people are concerned about."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte</p>
<p>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Using a drone to spy on neighbors, drop drugs into prisons or harass cows could lead to criminal charges under a new bill Nebraska lawmakers will consider later this year.</p>
<p>The measure would impose new safety and privacy rules on the remote-control flying machines that are now used for dozens of jobs throughout the state.</p>
<p>Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue said she introduced the bill to protect the public without overregulating drones, the kind of technology she said is critical to the state's economic growth. The Federal Aviation Administration already oversees drones, but Blood said the agency hasn't addressed all of the public safety concerns.</p>
<p>"We want to make sure we have laws that tell people what our expectations are when they use technology," she said.</p>
<p>If the measure passes, Nebraska would join 40 other states with laws regulating drones, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The laws often address how law enforcement agencies and the general public can use the devices.</p>
<p>The Nebraska bill would create a variety of new restrictions for drone users. Pilots who use drones to peep inside homes without permission could face a misdemeanor charge, and so could sex offenders who use drones to violate a protection order.</p>
<p>Drone users who fly lower than 300 feet over private property after receiving a trespass notice could also be charged, as could pilots who fly too close to a prison or cordoned-off crime scene. The bill would prohibit pilots from strapping weapons to their drones or harassing livestock.</p>
<p>The legislation also would shield police officers and firefighters from lawsuits if they damage a drone while performing their official duties and believed it was interfering with their work. Law enforcement agencies could use information from drones with a warrant or in certain emergencies and situations.</p>
<p>A Nebraska Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman said the agency has had no confirmed drone sightings over a state prison but was aware of incidents in other states where pilots used them to deliver contraband.</p>
<p>Blood stressed that the bill wouldn't apply to drone pilots who have a property owner's permission. She said she has spent the past year researching the issue and working with drone pilots, law enforcement, city officials and others to reach a compromise that wouldn't infringe on anyone's rights.</p>
<p>"People are worried about being overregulated," she said. "I keep assuring them that if they're responsible, this won't affect them in any way."</p>
<p>Even so, the bill will likely generate debate among drone users and their supporters. David Silchman, who owns an Omaha-based flight school, said he hadn't seen the proposal but questioned whether state laws are necessary given the current federal licensing and registration requirements.</p>
<p>Silchman said drones have become increasingly important in a variety of fields, such as agriculture and real estate. Railroad and utility companies frequently use them to inspect their infrastructure.</p>
<p>"Every day, people find more and more uses for them," he said.</p>
<p>Drones have also proven invaluable to some Nebraska law enforcement agencies, despite past efforts to curtail their use. In 2013, lawmakers considered legislation to ban law enforcement agencies from using drones, but the bill never advanced out of committee.</p>
<p>La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten said drones have helped his department photograph crime scenes without a helicopter and scout homes before serving high-risk search warrants. Officers recently relied on a drone to locate children who had run away from home, he said. In October, they used it to reconstruct a crash involving a cement mixer that overturned and killed two Omaha men.</p>
<p>"There are a lot of different uses," he said. "We want to be able to utilize the technology, but do it without infringing on anyone's civil rights."</p>
<p>Many ranchers see drones as a helpful tool to check wells and fences and search for lost cattle amid the state's workforce shortage, said Jessie Herrmann, the Nebraska Cattlemen Association's director of legal and regulatory affairs.</p>
<p>But Herrmann said her group's members are also concerned that animal rights groups will fly drones over their property without permission. Earlier this year, she said one animal rights group flew a drone over the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center near Clay Center, Nebraska, and may also have photographed a feedlot.</p>
<p>"There's going to be a lot of interest" in the bill, Herrmann said. "It's a pretty big issue that a lot of people are concerned about."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte</p> | Bill seeks to stop drone use to spy on people, harass cows | false | https://apnews.com/amp/3ec967603590495c870f5dd2065a218a | 2018-01-07 | 2least
| Bill seeks to stop drone use to spy on people, harass cows
<p>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Using a drone to spy on neighbors, drop drugs into prisons or harass cows could lead to criminal charges under a new bill Nebraska lawmakers will consider later this year.</p>
<p>The measure would impose new safety and privacy rules on the remote-control flying machines that are now used for dozens of jobs throughout the state.</p>
<p>Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue said she introduced the bill to protect the public without overregulating drones, the kind of technology she said is critical to the state's economic growth. The Federal Aviation Administration already oversees drones, but Blood said the agency hasn't addressed all of the public safety concerns.</p>
<p>"We want to make sure we have laws that tell people what our expectations are when they use technology," she said.</p>
<p>If the measure passes, Nebraska would join 40 other states with laws regulating drones, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The laws often address how law enforcement agencies and the general public can use the devices.</p>
<p>The Nebraska bill would create a variety of new restrictions for drone users. Pilots who use drones to peep inside homes without permission could face a misdemeanor charge, and so could sex offenders who use drones to violate a protection order.</p>
<p>Drone users who fly lower than 300 feet over private property after receiving a trespass notice could also be charged, as could pilots who fly too close to a prison or cordoned-off crime scene. The bill would prohibit pilots from strapping weapons to their drones or harassing livestock.</p>
<p>The legislation also would shield police officers and firefighters from lawsuits if they damage a drone while performing their official duties and believed it was interfering with their work. Law enforcement agencies could use information from drones with a warrant or in certain emergencies and situations.</p>
<p>A Nebraska Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman said the agency has had no confirmed drone sightings over a state prison but was aware of incidents in other states where pilots used them to deliver contraband.</p>
<p>Blood stressed that the bill wouldn't apply to drone pilots who have a property owner's permission. She said she has spent the past year researching the issue and working with drone pilots, law enforcement, city officials and others to reach a compromise that wouldn't infringe on anyone's rights.</p>
<p>"People are worried about being overregulated," she said. "I keep assuring them that if they're responsible, this won't affect them in any way."</p>
<p>Even so, the bill will likely generate debate among drone users and their supporters. David Silchman, who owns an Omaha-based flight school, said he hadn't seen the proposal but questioned whether state laws are necessary given the current federal licensing and registration requirements.</p>
<p>Silchman said drones have become increasingly important in a variety of fields, such as agriculture and real estate. Railroad and utility companies frequently use them to inspect their infrastructure.</p>
<p>"Every day, people find more and more uses for them," he said.</p>
<p>Drones have also proven invaluable to some Nebraska law enforcement agencies, despite past efforts to curtail their use. In 2013, lawmakers considered legislation to ban law enforcement agencies from using drones, but the bill never advanced out of committee.</p>
<p>La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten said drones have helped his department photograph crime scenes without a helicopter and scout homes before serving high-risk search warrants. Officers recently relied on a drone to locate children who had run away from home, he said. In October, they used it to reconstruct a crash involving a cement mixer that overturned and killed two Omaha men.</p>
<p>"There are a lot of different uses," he said. "We want to be able to utilize the technology, but do it without infringing on anyone's civil rights."</p>
<p>Many ranchers see drones as a helpful tool to check wells and fences and search for lost cattle amid the state's workforce shortage, said Jessie Herrmann, the Nebraska Cattlemen Association's director of legal and regulatory affairs.</p>
<p>But Herrmann said her group's members are also concerned that animal rights groups will fly drones over their property without permission. Earlier this year, she said one animal rights group flew a drone over the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center near Clay Center, Nebraska, and may also have photographed a feedlot.</p>
<p>"There's going to be a lot of interest" in the bill, Herrmann said. "It's a pretty big issue that a lot of people are concerned about."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte</p>
<p>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Using a drone to spy on neighbors, drop drugs into prisons or harass cows could lead to criminal charges under a new bill Nebraska lawmakers will consider later this year.</p>
<p>The measure would impose new safety and privacy rules on the remote-control flying machines that are now used for dozens of jobs throughout the state.</p>
<p>Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue said she introduced the bill to protect the public without overregulating drones, the kind of technology she said is critical to the state's economic growth. The Federal Aviation Administration already oversees drones, but Blood said the agency hasn't addressed all of the public safety concerns.</p>
<p>"We want to make sure we have laws that tell people what our expectations are when they use technology," she said.</p>
<p>If the measure passes, Nebraska would join 40 other states with laws regulating drones, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The laws often address how law enforcement agencies and the general public can use the devices.</p>
<p>The Nebraska bill would create a variety of new restrictions for drone users. Pilots who use drones to peep inside homes without permission could face a misdemeanor charge, and so could sex offenders who use drones to violate a protection order.</p>
<p>Drone users who fly lower than 300 feet over private property after receiving a trespass notice could also be charged, as could pilots who fly too close to a prison or cordoned-off crime scene. The bill would prohibit pilots from strapping weapons to their drones or harassing livestock.</p>
<p>The legislation also would shield police officers and firefighters from lawsuits if they damage a drone while performing their official duties and believed it was interfering with their work. Law enforcement agencies could use information from drones with a warrant or in certain emergencies and situations.</p>
<p>A Nebraska Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman said the agency has had no confirmed drone sightings over a state prison but was aware of incidents in other states where pilots used them to deliver contraband.</p>
<p>Blood stressed that the bill wouldn't apply to drone pilots who have a property owner's permission. She said she has spent the past year researching the issue and working with drone pilots, law enforcement, city officials and others to reach a compromise that wouldn't infringe on anyone's rights.</p>
<p>"People are worried about being overregulated," she said. "I keep assuring them that if they're responsible, this won't affect them in any way."</p>
<p>Even so, the bill will likely generate debate among drone users and their supporters. David Silchman, who owns an Omaha-based flight school, said he hadn't seen the proposal but questioned whether state laws are necessary given the current federal licensing and registration requirements.</p>
<p>Silchman said drones have become increasingly important in a variety of fields, such as agriculture and real estate. Railroad and utility companies frequently use them to inspect their infrastructure.</p>
<p>"Every day, people find more and more uses for them," he said.</p>
<p>Drones have also proven invaluable to some Nebraska law enforcement agencies, despite past efforts to curtail their use. In 2013, lawmakers considered legislation to ban law enforcement agencies from using drones, but the bill never advanced out of committee.</p>
<p>La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten said drones have helped his department photograph crime scenes without a helicopter and scout homes before serving high-risk search warrants. Officers recently relied on a drone to locate children who had run away from home, he said. In October, they used it to reconstruct a crash involving a cement mixer that overturned and killed two Omaha men.</p>
<p>"There are a lot of different uses," he said. "We want to be able to utilize the technology, but do it without infringing on anyone's civil rights."</p>
<p>Many ranchers see drones as a helpful tool to check wells and fences and search for lost cattle amid the state's workforce shortage, said Jessie Herrmann, the Nebraska Cattlemen Association's director of legal and regulatory affairs.</p>
<p>But Herrmann said her group's members are also concerned that animal rights groups will fly drones over their property without permission. Earlier this year, she said one animal rights group flew a drone over the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center near Clay Center, Nebraska, and may also have photographed a feedlot.</p>
<p>"There's going to be a lot of interest" in the bill, Herrmann said. "It's a pretty big issue that a lot of people are concerned about."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte</p> | 408 |
<p>Two years ago, I was a highly decorated NASA engineer. I was awarded their highest medal, for Exceptional Achievement — something that is usually reserved for senior managers — because of my expertise.</p>
<p>I was a safety engineer.</p>
<p>I was removed from my GS-13 position, as an internationally-recognized authority on hypergolic propellants and explosives, and forced off the Kennedy Space Center. At gunpoint.</p>
<p>Their excuse was that I had “abused government equipment.” Because I sent a friend an e-mail joke.</p>
<p>The reality was that I wouldn’t play their “political ball.”</p>
<p>I F-ING WARNED THEM.</p>
<p>I told them that the technicians and engineers were overworked. I told them that there were too many managers and too many meetings and “dog-and-pony” shows. I told them that their senior “face time” play games, while they spent all their time plotting how to give each other pay raises, and left the guys on the floor to struggle day to day with obsolete and overpriced and unqualified equipment, was going to result in another Challenger.</p>
<p>I was there for Challenger.</p>
<p>I saw the same exact conditions happening again. Overpaid, lazy, irresponsible managers concerned solely with their climbing up their ladders.</p>
<p>I told them they were skimping on inspections. I told them that the ground crews were asleep on their feet from exhaustion. I made as much noise as I knew how to make about the top-heavy bureaucracy sitting around in their fancy panelled offices, giving whorish press interviews in their smugness, while they did not have a clue what was going on in the real world where I was working.</p>
<p>They fired me. They fired a GS-13 civil servant, with an Exceptional Service medal and ten dozen commendations. For sending an e-mail joke.</p>
<p>In reality, for objecting to political fat-cats sitting on their fat rear ends and failing to do their jobs.</p>
<p>Like Challenger, those who are most guilty are the ones who will attempt to make the most political capital out of it. But the blame for Columbia lies entirely and totally with the NASA administrators. They should all be investigated for their criminal negligence. They should all serve time in jail.</p>
<p>I warned them. They did their best to destroy me, because I warned them.</p>
<p>It’s too bad that innocent astronauts paid with their lives for NASA managers greed and political ass-kissing.</p>
<p>But I am not surprised.</p>
<p>Two years ago, I warned them.</p>
<p>DIAN HARDISON <a href="http://ltp.arc.nasa.gov/women/bios/dh.html" type="external">served as an engineer at NASA</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | The Shuttle Crash Didn’t Have to Happen | true | https://counterpunch.org/2003/02/01/the-shuttle-crash-didn-t-have-to-happen/ | 2003-02-01 | 4left
| The Shuttle Crash Didn’t Have to Happen
<p>Two years ago, I was a highly decorated NASA engineer. I was awarded their highest medal, for Exceptional Achievement — something that is usually reserved for senior managers — because of my expertise.</p>
<p>I was a safety engineer.</p>
<p>I was removed from my GS-13 position, as an internationally-recognized authority on hypergolic propellants and explosives, and forced off the Kennedy Space Center. At gunpoint.</p>
<p>Their excuse was that I had “abused government equipment.” Because I sent a friend an e-mail joke.</p>
<p>The reality was that I wouldn’t play their “political ball.”</p>
<p>I F-ING WARNED THEM.</p>
<p>I told them that the technicians and engineers were overworked. I told them that there were too many managers and too many meetings and “dog-and-pony” shows. I told them that their senior “face time” play games, while they spent all their time plotting how to give each other pay raises, and left the guys on the floor to struggle day to day with obsolete and overpriced and unqualified equipment, was going to result in another Challenger.</p>
<p>I was there for Challenger.</p>
<p>I saw the same exact conditions happening again. Overpaid, lazy, irresponsible managers concerned solely with their climbing up their ladders.</p>
<p>I told them they were skimping on inspections. I told them that the ground crews were asleep on their feet from exhaustion. I made as much noise as I knew how to make about the top-heavy bureaucracy sitting around in their fancy panelled offices, giving whorish press interviews in their smugness, while they did not have a clue what was going on in the real world where I was working.</p>
<p>They fired me. They fired a GS-13 civil servant, with an Exceptional Service medal and ten dozen commendations. For sending an e-mail joke.</p>
<p>In reality, for objecting to political fat-cats sitting on their fat rear ends and failing to do their jobs.</p>
<p>Like Challenger, those who are most guilty are the ones who will attempt to make the most political capital out of it. But the blame for Columbia lies entirely and totally with the NASA administrators. They should all be investigated for their criminal negligence. They should all serve time in jail.</p>
<p>I warned them. They did their best to destroy me, because I warned them.</p>
<p>It’s too bad that innocent astronauts paid with their lives for NASA managers greed and political ass-kissing.</p>
<p>But I am not surprised.</p>
<p>Two years ago, I warned them.</p>
<p>DIAN HARDISON <a href="http://ltp.arc.nasa.gov/women/bios/dh.html" type="external">served as an engineer at NASA</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 409 |
<p>NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A New Orleans man accused of beating a man to death earlier this month has turned himself in to police.</p>
<p>NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune <a href="http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2018/01/man_accused_in_fatal_beating_o.html" type="external">reports</a> that court records show 25-year-old Garrett Ward was booked Wednesday morning and charged with second-degree murder for the Jan. 6 beating in New Orleans of 60-year-old Arnold Jackson, who died from his injuries on Jan. 18.</p>
<p>Ward was charged with second-degree battery and released on bond earlier this month. After Jackson died, authorities got an arrest warrant for Ward on a count of second-degree murder.</p>
<p>The New Orleans Advocate reports second-degree murder convictions come with a mandatory life sentence.</p>
<p>It's unclear if Ward has an attorney.</p>
<p>NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A New Orleans man accused of beating a man to death earlier this month has turned himself in to police.</p>
<p>NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune <a href="http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2018/01/man_accused_in_fatal_beating_o.html" type="external">reports</a> that court records show 25-year-old Garrett Ward was booked Wednesday morning and charged with second-degree murder for the Jan. 6 beating in New Orleans of 60-year-old Arnold Jackson, who died from his injuries on Jan. 18.</p>
<p>Ward was charged with second-degree battery and released on bond earlier this month. After Jackson died, authorities got an arrest warrant for Ward on a count of second-degree murder.</p>
<p>The New Orleans Advocate reports second-degree murder convictions come with a mandatory life sentence.</p>
<p>It's unclear if Ward has an attorney.</p> | New Orleans man accused of fatal beating turns himself in | false | https://apnews.com/amp/80ac7cc15ceb4346881e7cf674c7e031 | 2018-01-25 | 2least
| New Orleans man accused of fatal beating turns himself in
<p>NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A New Orleans man accused of beating a man to death earlier this month has turned himself in to police.</p>
<p>NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune <a href="http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2018/01/man_accused_in_fatal_beating_o.html" type="external">reports</a> that court records show 25-year-old Garrett Ward was booked Wednesday morning and charged with second-degree murder for the Jan. 6 beating in New Orleans of 60-year-old Arnold Jackson, who died from his injuries on Jan. 18.</p>
<p>Ward was charged with second-degree battery and released on bond earlier this month. After Jackson died, authorities got an arrest warrant for Ward on a count of second-degree murder.</p>
<p>The New Orleans Advocate reports second-degree murder convictions come with a mandatory life sentence.</p>
<p>It's unclear if Ward has an attorney.</p>
<p>NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A New Orleans man accused of beating a man to death earlier this month has turned himself in to police.</p>
<p>NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune <a href="http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2018/01/man_accused_in_fatal_beating_o.html" type="external">reports</a> that court records show 25-year-old Garrett Ward was booked Wednesday morning and charged with second-degree murder for the Jan. 6 beating in New Orleans of 60-year-old Arnold Jackson, who died from his injuries on Jan. 18.</p>
<p>Ward was charged with second-degree battery and released on bond earlier this month. After Jackson died, authorities got an arrest warrant for Ward on a count of second-degree murder.</p>
<p>The New Orleans Advocate reports second-degree murder convictions come with a mandatory life sentence.</p>
<p>It's unclear if Ward has an attorney.</p> | 410 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service has added soul singer Ray Charles to its “Music Icons Forever” stamp series.</p>
<p>Postal officials say the agency released a stamp featuring the Albany, Ga., native on Monday along with one of the artist’s previously unreleased songs.</p>
<p>Charles was a singer and songwriter who pioneered the soul and rhythm-and-blues genres. He died in 2004.</p>
<p>Events were planned in Atlanta and Los Angeles to celebrate Charles’ inclusion in the series.</p>
<p>R&amp;B singer Ashanti and the Morehouse College Glee Club are scheduled to perform at the Atlanta school’s Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. And Chaka Khan is headlining an event at the Grammy Museum.</p>
<p>The U.S. Postal Service honors music legends each year by featuring them on limited-edition stamps.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | USPS honors Ray Charles with limited-edition stamp | false | https://abqjournal.com/268205/usps-honors-ray-charles-with-limited-edition-stamp.html | 2013-09-24 | 2least
| USPS honors Ray Charles with limited-edition stamp
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service has added soul singer Ray Charles to its “Music Icons Forever” stamp series.</p>
<p>Postal officials say the agency released a stamp featuring the Albany, Ga., native on Monday along with one of the artist’s previously unreleased songs.</p>
<p>Charles was a singer and songwriter who pioneered the soul and rhythm-and-blues genres. He died in 2004.</p>
<p>Events were planned in Atlanta and Los Angeles to celebrate Charles’ inclusion in the series.</p>
<p>R&amp;B singer Ashanti and the Morehouse College Glee Club are scheduled to perform at the Atlanta school’s Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. And Chaka Khan is headlining an event at the Grammy Museum.</p>
<p>The U.S. Postal Service honors music legends each year by featuring them on limited-edition stamps.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 411 |
<p>DENVER (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks were savoring a rare win during a tough season. The Denver Nuggets were lamenting a missed opportunity to improve their postseason hopes.</p>
<p>Dennis Schroder had 19 points and 10 assists, Taurean Prince scored 16 and the Hawks beat Denver 110-97 on Wednesday night, ending a 10-game road losing streak.</p>
<p>Atlanta wrapped up a five-game trip with its first road win since Dec. 2 at Brooklyn.</p>
<p>“It feels good to win a game — period,” guard Malcolm Delaney said. “We’ve been battling. It’s been tough for us, losing a lot of close games. Just to pull one out and finish how we did feels pretty good.”</p>
<p>Kent Bazemore scored 14 points and Ersan Ilyasova had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Hawks, who never trailed after the first quarter.</p>
<p>Atlanta (11-30) has the worst record in the NBA and entered the night tied for the fewest road wins. The Hawks posted their fourth road victory this season.</p>
<p>Denver had won 11 of 13 home games since early November and now has its first three-game losing streak of the season.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to use the word embarrassing because that would be disrespectful to Atlanta. You’ve got to give them credit,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “They came in here and beat us. But for us to come out with the lack of energy, lack of a sense of urgency, was really disappointing. At the end of the day I put this loss on me.”</p>
<p>The Hawks had twice lost by one point during their Western Conference swing. They closed out this win by outscoring Denver 28-19 in the fourth quarter, forcing five turnovers in the period.</p>
<p>Gary Harris had 25 points but was the only Denver player to shoot well from the field. Nikola Jokic had nine points, 12 rebounds and seven assists but was 4-of-21 shooting and missed all eight of his 3-pointers.</p>
<p>“It was probably just a little bit of one of those nights for him,” Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He’s normally going to make a few more of those shots, so he had a little bit of an off night.”</p>
<p>Denver trailed by 10 in the third and got within two late in the period but missed its first six shots of the fourth. The Hawks extended the lead to 93-81 on a layup and jumper by Delaney. He also assisted on Ilyasova’s 3-ponter that sparked an 11-3 run to start the fourth.</p>
<p>The Nuggets made a small run to get within eight but Atlanta responded with a 9-2 surge to lead 102-87 with 3:29 left. Denver never got closer than nine the rest of the way.</p>
<p>The loss dropped the Nuggets to 21-20.</p>
<p>“It’s not about them, it’s about us,” Harris said. “We know what we’ve got to do. If we come out there and play hard, that doesn’t happen.”</p>
<p>Denver shot just 6 of 24 on 3-pointers in the first half and 37.3 percent from the field overall. Atlanta took advantage and led by as many as 10 and 54-46 at halftime.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Hawks: Schroder has 3,994 career points. ... Prince, who came in second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game, has not scored 20 in consecutive games. ... Atlanta had six players score in double figures and two more finish with nine points.</p>
<p>Nuggets: Denver finished 9 of 37 from 3-point range. ... F Paul Millsap had the cast removed from his left wrist. Millsap had surgery in November to repair ligament damage in the joint, and Malone said the target date for his return is “right around the All-Star break. It could be a while after that. Who knows?” ... Denver Broncos LB and Super Bowl MVP Von Miller sat near center court.</p>
<p>200 AND COUNTING</p>
<p>The win was Budenholzer’s 200th as a head coach — all with Atlanta. He led the Hawks to the postseason in each of his first four seasons but they appear headed to the lottery this year.</p>
<p>That hasn’t diminished his enjoyment.</p>
<p>“I feel very fortunate to have had a lot of great players, including this group,” he said. “I love coaching them, and very fortunate to be where I am. Hopefully there’s a lot more to come.”</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Hawks: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.</p>
<p>Nuggets: Host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more NBA coverage: <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball</a></p>
<p>DENVER (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks were savoring a rare win during a tough season. The Denver Nuggets were lamenting a missed opportunity to improve their postseason hopes.</p>
<p>Dennis Schroder had 19 points and 10 assists, Taurean Prince scored 16 and the Hawks beat Denver 110-97 on Wednesday night, ending a 10-game road losing streak.</p>
<p>Atlanta wrapped up a five-game trip with its first road win since Dec. 2 at Brooklyn.</p>
<p>“It feels good to win a game — period,” guard Malcolm Delaney said. “We’ve been battling. It’s been tough for us, losing a lot of close games. Just to pull one out and finish how we did feels pretty good.”</p>
<p>Kent Bazemore scored 14 points and Ersan Ilyasova had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Hawks, who never trailed after the first quarter.</p>
<p>Atlanta (11-30) has the worst record in the NBA and entered the night tied for the fewest road wins. The Hawks posted their fourth road victory this season.</p>
<p>Denver had won 11 of 13 home games since early November and now has its first three-game losing streak of the season.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to use the word embarrassing because that would be disrespectful to Atlanta. You’ve got to give them credit,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “They came in here and beat us. But for us to come out with the lack of energy, lack of a sense of urgency, was really disappointing. At the end of the day I put this loss on me.”</p>
<p>The Hawks had twice lost by one point during their Western Conference swing. They closed out this win by outscoring Denver 28-19 in the fourth quarter, forcing five turnovers in the period.</p>
<p>Gary Harris had 25 points but was the only Denver player to shoot well from the field. Nikola Jokic had nine points, 12 rebounds and seven assists but was 4-of-21 shooting and missed all eight of his 3-pointers.</p>
<p>“It was probably just a little bit of one of those nights for him,” Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He’s normally going to make a few more of those shots, so he had a little bit of an off night.”</p>
<p>Denver trailed by 10 in the third and got within two late in the period but missed its first six shots of the fourth. The Hawks extended the lead to 93-81 on a layup and jumper by Delaney. He also assisted on Ilyasova’s 3-ponter that sparked an 11-3 run to start the fourth.</p>
<p>The Nuggets made a small run to get within eight but Atlanta responded with a 9-2 surge to lead 102-87 with 3:29 left. Denver never got closer than nine the rest of the way.</p>
<p>The loss dropped the Nuggets to 21-20.</p>
<p>“It’s not about them, it’s about us,” Harris said. “We know what we’ve got to do. If we come out there and play hard, that doesn’t happen.”</p>
<p>Denver shot just 6 of 24 on 3-pointers in the first half and 37.3 percent from the field overall. Atlanta took advantage and led by as many as 10 and 54-46 at halftime.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Hawks: Schroder has 3,994 career points. ... Prince, who came in second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game, has not scored 20 in consecutive games. ... Atlanta had six players score in double figures and two more finish with nine points.</p>
<p>Nuggets: Denver finished 9 of 37 from 3-point range. ... F Paul Millsap had the cast removed from his left wrist. Millsap had surgery in November to repair ligament damage in the joint, and Malone said the target date for his return is “right around the All-Star break. It could be a while after that. Who knows?” ... Denver Broncos LB and Super Bowl MVP Von Miller sat near center court.</p>
<p>200 AND COUNTING</p>
<p>The win was Budenholzer’s 200th as a head coach — all with Atlanta. He led the Hawks to the postseason in each of his first four seasons but they appear headed to the lottery this year.</p>
<p>That hasn’t diminished his enjoyment.</p>
<p>“I feel very fortunate to have had a lot of great players, including this group,” he said. “I love coaching them, and very fortunate to be where I am. Hopefully there’s a lot more to come.”</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Hawks: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.</p>
<p>Nuggets: Host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more NBA coverage: <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball</a></p> | Schroder, Hawks beat Nuggets 110-97 to end 10-game road skid | false | https://apnews.com/ad40a65743c34f21ba92fe689a722d25 | 2018-01-11 | 2least
| Schroder, Hawks beat Nuggets 110-97 to end 10-game road skid
<p>DENVER (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks were savoring a rare win during a tough season. The Denver Nuggets were lamenting a missed opportunity to improve their postseason hopes.</p>
<p>Dennis Schroder had 19 points and 10 assists, Taurean Prince scored 16 and the Hawks beat Denver 110-97 on Wednesday night, ending a 10-game road losing streak.</p>
<p>Atlanta wrapped up a five-game trip with its first road win since Dec. 2 at Brooklyn.</p>
<p>“It feels good to win a game — period,” guard Malcolm Delaney said. “We’ve been battling. It’s been tough for us, losing a lot of close games. Just to pull one out and finish how we did feels pretty good.”</p>
<p>Kent Bazemore scored 14 points and Ersan Ilyasova had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Hawks, who never trailed after the first quarter.</p>
<p>Atlanta (11-30) has the worst record in the NBA and entered the night tied for the fewest road wins. The Hawks posted their fourth road victory this season.</p>
<p>Denver had won 11 of 13 home games since early November and now has its first three-game losing streak of the season.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to use the word embarrassing because that would be disrespectful to Atlanta. You’ve got to give them credit,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “They came in here and beat us. But for us to come out with the lack of energy, lack of a sense of urgency, was really disappointing. At the end of the day I put this loss on me.”</p>
<p>The Hawks had twice lost by one point during their Western Conference swing. They closed out this win by outscoring Denver 28-19 in the fourth quarter, forcing five turnovers in the period.</p>
<p>Gary Harris had 25 points but was the only Denver player to shoot well from the field. Nikola Jokic had nine points, 12 rebounds and seven assists but was 4-of-21 shooting and missed all eight of his 3-pointers.</p>
<p>“It was probably just a little bit of one of those nights for him,” Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He’s normally going to make a few more of those shots, so he had a little bit of an off night.”</p>
<p>Denver trailed by 10 in the third and got within two late in the period but missed its first six shots of the fourth. The Hawks extended the lead to 93-81 on a layup and jumper by Delaney. He also assisted on Ilyasova’s 3-ponter that sparked an 11-3 run to start the fourth.</p>
<p>The Nuggets made a small run to get within eight but Atlanta responded with a 9-2 surge to lead 102-87 with 3:29 left. Denver never got closer than nine the rest of the way.</p>
<p>The loss dropped the Nuggets to 21-20.</p>
<p>“It’s not about them, it’s about us,” Harris said. “We know what we’ve got to do. If we come out there and play hard, that doesn’t happen.”</p>
<p>Denver shot just 6 of 24 on 3-pointers in the first half and 37.3 percent from the field overall. Atlanta took advantage and led by as many as 10 and 54-46 at halftime.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Hawks: Schroder has 3,994 career points. ... Prince, who came in second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game, has not scored 20 in consecutive games. ... Atlanta had six players score in double figures and two more finish with nine points.</p>
<p>Nuggets: Denver finished 9 of 37 from 3-point range. ... F Paul Millsap had the cast removed from his left wrist. Millsap had surgery in November to repair ligament damage in the joint, and Malone said the target date for his return is “right around the All-Star break. It could be a while after that. Who knows?” ... Denver Broncos LB and Super Bowl MVP Von Miller sat near center court.</p>
<p>200 AND COUNTING</p>
<p>The win was Budenholzer’s 200th as a head coach — all with Atlanta. He led the Hawks to the postseason in each of his first four seasons but they appear headed to the lottery this year.</p>
<p>That hasn’t diminished his enjoyment.</p>
<p>“I feel very fortunate to have had a lot of great players, including this group,” he said. “I love coaching them, and very fortunate to be where I am. Hopefully there’s a lot more to come.”</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Hawks: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.</p>
<p>Nuggets: Host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more NBA coverage: <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball</a></p>
<p>DENVER (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks were savoring a rare win during a tough season. The Denver Nuggets were lamenting a missed opportunity to improve their postseason hopes.</p>
<p>Dennis Schroder had 19 points and 10 assists, Taurean Prince scored 16 and the Hawks beat Denver 110-97 on Wednesday night, ending a 10-game road losing streak.</p>
<p>Atlanta wrapped up a five-game trip with its first road win since Dec. 2 at Brooklyn.</p>
<p>“It feels good to win a game — period,” guard Malcolm Delaney said. “We’ve been battling. It’s been tough for us, losing a lot of close games. Just to pull one out and finish how we did feels pretty good.”</p>
<p>Kent Bazemore scored 14 points and Ersan Ilyasova had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Hawks, who never trailed after the first quarter.</p>
<p>Atlanta (11-30) has the worst record in the NBA and entered the night tied for the fewest road wins. The Hawks posted their fourth road victory this season.</p>
<p>Denver had won 11 of 13 home games since early November and now has its first three-game losing streak of the season.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to use the word embarrassing because that would be disrespectful to Atlanta. You’ve got to give them credit,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “They came in here and beat us. But for us to come out with the lack of energy, lack of a sense of urgency, was really disappointing. At the end of the day I put this loss on me.”</p>
<p>The Hawks had twice lost by one point during their Western Conference swing. They closed out this win by outscoring Denver 28-19 in the fourth quarter, forcing five turnovers in the period.</p>
<p>Gary Harris had 25 points but was the only Denver player to shoot well from the field. Nikola Jokic had nine points, 12 rebounds and seven assists but was 4-of-21 shooting and missed all eight of his 3-pointers.</p>
<p>“It was probably just a little bit of one of those nights for him,” Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He’s normally going to make a few more of those shots, so he had a little bit of an off night.”</p>
<p>Denver trailed by 10 in the third and got within two late in the period but missed its first six shots of the fourth. The Hawks extended the lead to 93-81 on a layup and jumper by Delaney. He also assisted on Ilyasova’s 3-ponter that sparked an 11-3 run to start the fourth.</p>
<p>The Nuggets made a small run to get within eight but Atlanta responded with a 9-2 surge to lead 102-87 with 3:29 left. Denver never got closer than nine the rest of the way.</p>
<p>The loss dropped the Nuggets to 21-20.</p>
<p>“It’s not about them, it’s about us,” Harris said. “We know what we’ve got to do. If we come out there and play hard, that doesn’t happen.”</p>
<p>Denver shot just 6 of 24 on 3-pointers in the first half and 37.3 percent from the field overall. Atlanta took advantage and led by as many as 10 and 54-46 at halftime.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Hawks: Schroder has 3,994 career points. ... Prince, who came in second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game, has not scored 20 in consecutive games. ... Atlanta had six players score in double figures and two more finish with nine points.</p>
<p>Nuggets: Denver finished 9 of 37 from 3-point range. ... F Paul Millsap had the cast removed from his left wrist. Millsap had surgery in November to repair ligament damage in the joint, and Malone said the target date for his return is “right around the All-Star break. It could be a while after that. Who knows?” ... Denver Broncos LB and Super Bowl MVP Von Miller sat near center court.</p>
<p>200 AND COUNTING</p>
<p>The win was Budenholzer’s 200th as a head coach — all with Atlanta. He led the Hawks to the postseason in each of his first four seasons but they appear headed to the lottery this year.</p>
<p>That hasn’t diminished his enjoyment.</p>
<p>“I feel very fortunate to have had a lot of great players, including this group,” he said. “I love coaching them, and very fortunate to be where I am. Hopefully there’s a lot more to come.”</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Hawks: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.</p>
<p>Nuggets: Host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more NBA coverage: <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball</a></p> | 412 |
<p />
<p>Sturm, Ruger &amp; Co. (NYSE:RGR) expects gun sales to continue to flourish during President Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House, pushing back against the notion that a pro-gun administration would dampen consumer demand.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>During a conference call Thursday, one Wall Street analyst suggested that Trump would have a negative impact on the consumer firearms market, citing record-breaking sales during eight years of the Obama administration. In recent years, sales spiked when consumers sensed an elevated threat of new gun-control measures. Trump has been a vocal advocate for the gun industry, and his choice of Neil Gorsuch to join the Supreme Court calmed fears that existing gun rights could be curbed.</p>
<p>Ruger CEO Michael Fifer said other factors, such as owners buying multiple firearms, will keep the industry going strong.</p>
<p>“I think that’s kind of a pretty harsh one to say that the levels will revert back to 2008,” Fifer told analysts on Ruger’s fourth-quarter earnings call. “Firearms ownership is much more socially acceptable. It’s much wider than it was before. There are more states that have adopted laws enabling concealed carry.”</p>
<p>Fifer also said media criticism of police officers is causing crime rates to spike in some cities, thus driving Americans to purchase guns because “they want to defend themselves.” He added that firearms are more widely available, and gun makers such as Ruger are offering “exciting new products.”</p>
<p>“There are more reasons to have guns now than ever before. And so, I’m not going to read too much into the current situation,” Fifer said.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Ruger’s fourth-quarter sales rose 6.2% to $161.8 million. Earnings climbed 22% to $20.8 million.</p>
<p>For the full year, Ruger booked a 21% increase in sales.</p>
<p>Investors, however, are bracing for a slowdown in gun sales. While the broader market has rallied, shares of Ruger and its competitors have declined since Trump’s victory in November. Ruger is down 22% since the election, while American Outdoor Brands (NASDAQ:AOBC), the renamed parent company of Smith &amp; Wesson, is down 32%.</p>
<p>Cabela’s (NYSE:CAB), the hunting and outdoor megastore,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">saw gun sales taper off at the end of 2016</a>.</p> | Ruger CEO: Gun Sales Can Thrive Under Trump | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/02/23/ruger-ceo-gun-sales-can-thrive-under-trump.html | 2017-02-23 | 0right
| Ruger CEO: Gun Sales Can Thrive Under Trump
<p />
<p>Sturm, Ruger &amp; Co. (NYSE:RGR) expects gun sales to continue to flourish during President Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House, pushing back against the notion that a pro-gun administration would dampen consumer demand.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>During a conference call Thursday, one Wall Street analyst suggested that Trump would have a negative impact on the consumer firearms market, citing record-breaking sales during eight years of the Obama administration. In recent years, sales spiked when consumers sensed an elevated threat of new gun-control measures. Trump has been a vocal advocate for the gun industry, and his choice of Neil Gorsuch to join the Supreme Court calmed fears that existing gun rights could be curbed.</p>
<p>Ruger CEO Michael Fifer said other factors, such as owners buying multiple firearms, will keep the industry going strong.</p>
<p>“I think that’s kind of a pretty harsh one to say that the levels will revert back to 2008,” Fifer told analysts on Ruger’s fourth-quarter earnings call. “Firearms ownership is much more socially acceptable. It’s much wider than it was before. There are more states that have adopted laws enabling concealed carry.”</p>
<p>Fifer also said media criticism of police officers is causing crime rates to spike in some cities, thus driving Americans to purchase guns because “they want to defend themselves.” He added that firearms are more widely available, and gun makers such as Ruger are offering “exciting new products.”</p>
<p>“There are more reasons to have guns now than ever before. And so, I’m not going to read too much into the current situation,” Fifer said.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Ruger’s fourth-quarter sales rose 6.2% to $161.8 million. Earnings climbed 22% to $20.8 million.</p>
<p>For the full year, Ruger booked a 21% increase in sales.</p>
<p>Investors, however, are bracing for a slowdown in gun sales. While the broader market has rallied, shares of Ruger and its competitors have declined since Trump’s victory in November. Ruger is down 22% since the election, while American Outdoor Brands (NASDAQ:AOBC), the renamed parent company of Smith &amp; Wesson, is down 32%.</p>
<p>Cabela’s (NYSE:CAB), the hunting and outdoor megastore,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">saw gun sales taper off at the end of 2016</a>.</p> | 413 |
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<p>LONDON — Northern Ireland is no longer riven by sectarian violence, but its deeply divided politics have thrown Britain’s Brexit plans into disarray.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May’s government was holding talks Tuesday with its Northern Irish political ally in a bid to salvage an agreement with the European Union ahead of a deadline next week.</p>
<p>Britain and the EU came close Monday to agreeing on key divorce terms, including how to maintain an open Irish border after the U.K. — including Northern Ireland — leaves the EU. But the agreement was scuttled at the last minute when the Democratic Unionist Party — which props up May’s minority government — warned it would not support a deal it saw as undermining Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The party’s leader in Parliament, Nigel Dodds, said the proposed deal was “clearly unacceptable in its current form.”</p>
<p>May characterized the problem as a minor hiccup, saying neogotiations with the EU had made progress but “there are still a couple of issues we need to work on.” She said talks would reconvene by the end of the week.</p>
<p>Britain and the EU have only days to make a deal before a Dec. 14-15 EU summit that will decide whether Brexit talks can move on to future relations and trade. The lack of progress so far has raised concerns that Britain may not have a deal by the time it officially leaves on March 29, 2019.</p>
<p>EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the bloc would restart talks as soon as Britain was ready.</p>
<p>“The show is now in London,” he said.</p>
<p>The crisis is a sharp reminder of the fraught and delicate politics of Northern Ireland, which has left behind decades of Catholic-Protestant violence but not the conflicting allegiances and identities that drove the “Troubles.” Almost 3,700 people were killed in nearly four decades of violence.</p>
<p>After Britain leaves the bloc, the currently invisible 310-mile (500-kilometer) frontier between Northern Ireland and Ireland will be the U.K.’s only land border with the EU. A generation ago, the border was marked by military watchtowers and checkpoints, and many crossings were blocked to stop the movement of militants and smuggled goods.</p>
<p>Customs controls were abolished when the EU single market was established in 1993, and security checks began to disappear after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement peace accord. Today the border has no customs posts or other infrastructure, and thousands of people live on one side and work, shop or go to school on the other.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The last 20 years have nearly erased it out of our mentality,” said John Sheridan, whose Northern Ireland farm abuts the border with the south.</p>
<p>Like many, Sheridan worries that any hardening of the border could undermine that progress and renew old tensions between pro-British Unionists and Irish nationalists. Sheridan also sends his cattle and sheep cross the border, and says tariffs would devastate his business.</p>
<p>Britain says it wants to maintain a “frictionless” flow of people and goods with no border posts after Brexit. But Ireland and the other EU nations are demanding to know how that will work if Britain is outside the EU’s borderless single market and its tariff-free customs union, a looser trading bloc that includes non-EU states like Turkey.</p>
<p>Negotiators were discussing an agreement that would commit Britain to maintaining “regulatory alignment” between Northern Ireland and Ireland after Brexit in order to keep the border transparent for trade, without customs posts or other obstacles.</p>
<p>That language alarmed the DUP, a Protestant Unionist party that opposes any special deal to keep Northern Ireland’s economy closely aligned with the Republic of Ireland.</p>
<p>The DUP’s Dodds said Dublin politicians “are flexing their muscles … in a reckless and dangerous way that is putting at risk years of good Anglo-Irish relations.”</p>
<p>The DUP has only 10 seats in Britain’s Parliament but May relies on its support to stay in power. If she ignores the party’s wishes her government could fall, triggering a new election with the opposition Labour Party ahead in the polls.</p>
<p>The party’s intransigence has been seized on by British supporters of “soft Brexit,” who want to maintain a close relationship with the EU. Some suggested that if Northern Ireland was given special status, Scotland, Wales or even London could seek the same. They suggested that the solution was to keep all of the U.K. inside the single market and customs union.</p>
<p>The government has ruled that out, but Labour Party Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said it should reconsider.</p>
<p>“If the price of the prime minister’s approach is the break-up of the Union and reopening of bitter divides in Northern Ireland, then the price is too high,” Starmer said.</p>
<p>Starmer said the Conservative government’s fantasies about Brexit had collided with “brutal reality.”</p>
<p>“Yesterday the rubber hit the road,” he said, adding: “The DUP tail is wagging the Tory dog.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Raf Casert in Brussels contributed to this report.</p> | UK scrambles to salvage Brexit deal after Irish border hitch | false | https://abqjournal.com/1102144/uk-scrambles-to-salvage-brexit-deal-after-irish-border-hitch.html | 2017-12-05 | 2least
| UK scrambles to salvage Brexit deal after Irish border hitch
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>LONDON — Northern Ireland is no longer riven by sectarian violence, but its deeply divided politics have thrown Britain’s Brexit plans into disarray.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May’s government was holding talks Tuesday with its Northern Irish political ally in a bid to salvage an agreement with the European Union ahead of a deadline next week.</p>
<p>Britain and the EU came close Monday to agreeing on key divorce terms, including how to maintain an open Irish border after the U.K. — including Northern Ireland — leaves the EU. But the agreement was scuttled at the last minute when the Democratic Unionist Party — which props up May’s minority government — warned it would not support a deal it saw as undermining Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The party’s leader in Parliament, Nigel Dodds, said the proposed deal was “clearly unacceptable in its current form.”</p>
<p>May characterized the problem as a minor hiccup, saying neogotiations with the EU had made progress but “there are still a couple of issues we need to work on.” She said talks would reconvene by the end of the week.</p>
<p>Britain and the EU have only days to make a deal before a Dec. 14-15 EU summit that will decide whether Brexit talks can move on to future relations and trade. The lack of progress so far has raised concerns that Britain may not have a deal by the time it officially leaves on March 29, 2019.</p>
<p>EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the bloc would restart talks as soon as Britain was ready.</p>
<p>“The show is now in London,” he said.</p>
<p>The crisis is a sharp reminder of the fraught and delicate politics of Northern Ireland, which has left behind decades of Catholic-Protestant violence but not the conflicting allegiances and identities that drove the “Troubles.” Almost 3,700 people were killed in nearly four decades of violence.</p>
<p>After Britain leaves the bloc, the currently invisible 310-mile (500-kilometer) frontier between Northern Ireland and Ireland will be the U.K.’s only land border with the EU. A generation ago, the border was marked by military watchtowers and checkpoints, and many crossings were blocked to stop the movement of militants and smuggled goods.</p>
<p>Customs controls were abolished when the EU single market was established in 1993, and security checks began to disappear after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement peace accord. Today the border has no customs posts or other infrastructure, and thousands of people live on one side and work, shop or go to school on the other.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The last 20 years have nearly erased it out of our mentality,” said John Sheridan, whose Northern Ireland farm abuts the border with the south.</p>
<p>Like many, Sheridan worries that any hardening of the border could undermine that progress and renew old tensions between pro-British Unionists and Irish nationalists. Sheridan also sends his cattle and sheep cross the border, and says tariffs would devastate his business.</p>
<p>Britain says it wants to maintain a “frictionless” flow of people and goods with no border posts after Brexit. But Ireland and the other EU nations are demanding to know how that will work if Britain is outside the EU’s borderless single market and its tariff-free customs union, a looser trading bloc that includes non-EU states like Turkey.</p>
<p>Negotiators were discussing an agreement that would commit Britain to maintaining “regulatory alignment” between Northern Ireland and Ireland after Brexit in order to keep the border transparent for trade, without customs posts or other obstacles.</p>
<p>That language alarmed the DUP, a Protestant Unionist party that opposes any special deal to keep Northern Ireland’s economy closely aligned with the Republic of Ireland.</p>
<p>The DUP’s Dodds said Dublin politicians “are flexing their muscles … in a reckless and dangerous way that is putting at risk years of good Anglo-Irish relations.”</p>
<p>The DUP has only 10 seats in Britain’s Parliament but May relies on its support to stay in power. If she ignores the party’s wishes her government could fall, triggering a new election with the opposition Labour Party ahead in the polls.</p>
<p>The party’s intransigence has been seized on by British supporters of “soft Brexit,” who want to maintain a close relationship with the EU. Some suggested that if Northern Ireland was given special status, Scotland, Wales or even London could seek the same. They suggested that the solution was to keep all of the U.K. inside the single market and customs union.</p>
<p>The government has ruled that out, but Labour Party Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said it should reconsider.</p>
<p>“If the price of the prime minister’s approach is the break-up of the Union and reopening of bitter divides in Northern Ireland, then the price is too high,” Starmer said.</p>
<p>Starmer said the Conservative government’s fantasies about Brexit had collided with “brutal reality.”</p>
<p>“Yesterday the rubber hit the road,” he said, adding: “The DUP tail is wagging the Tory dog.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Raf Casert in Brussels contributed to this report.</p> | 414 |
<p>Hawa Allan’s verses breathe life and empathy into <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article103920086.html" type="external">headlines</a> about the travails Haitian migrants face as they cross from Brazil to Mexico, and onward to the United States. According to recent records, about 40,000 Haitians are attempting the 7,000-mile journey through Latin America and into the U.S. as their home country stagnates politically, socially and economically.</p>
<p>Listen to Allan recite her poem and read along with her below.</p>
<p>And so it ends, that journey of seven thousand miles— with a single step.</p>
<p />
<p>Ferried by swollen feet, having clutched at the underbelly of cargo trucks,</p>
<p>head inches above a blur of tar and dust.</p>
<p>Dirt-washed from ancient lands where war is weather and weather is war,</p>
<p>you have survived the arbitrary blunt force of history.</p>
<p>And now you seek the asylum of my quiet desperation.</p>
<p>So take a single step, a quantum jump into a higher order of worlds,</p>
<p>and find that you are always arriving at the border.</p>
<p>A wall of tongues, impenetrable ears, a fortress of detention locked by unscalable bond.</p>
<p>Step into the land of the relatively free,</p>
<p>a home that is braved.</p>
<p>Come, walk in shackled to this new state.</p>
<p>Welcome to our adverse cities.</p>
<p>As you file in numbers, know that we are here waiting to see you.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 'A Single Step': A Poem on 'Treacherous Journey' From Haiti to the U.S. | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/single-step-poem-treacherous-journey-haiti-u-s/ | 2017-10-04 | 4left
| 'A Single Step': A Poem on 'Treacherous Journey' From Haiti to the U.S.
<p>Hawa Allan’s verses breathe life and empathy into <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article103920086.html" type="external">headlines</a> about the travails Haitian migrants face as they cross from Brazil to Mexico, and onward to the United States. According to recent records, about 40,000 Haitians are attempting the 7,000-mile journey through Latin America and into the U.S. as their home country stagnates politically, socially and economically.</p>
<p>Listen to Allan recite her poem and read along with her below.</p>
<p>And so it ends, that journey of seven thousand miles— with a single step.</p>
<p />
<p>Ferried by swollen feet, having clutched at the underbelly of cargo trucks,</p>
<p>head inches above a blur of tar and dust.</p>
<p>Dirt-washed from ancient lands where war is weather and weather is war,</p>
<p>you have survived the arbitrary blunt force of history.</p>
<p>And now you seek the asylum of my quiet desperation.</p>
<p>So take a single step, a quantum jump into a higher order of worlds,</p>
<p>and find that you are always arriving at the border.</p>
<p>A wall of tongues, impenetrable ears, a fortress of detention locked by unscalable bond.</p>
<p>Step into the land of the relatively free,</p>
<p>a home that is braved.</p>
<p>Come, walk in shackled to this new state.</p>
<p>Welcome to our adverse cities.</p>
<p>As you file in numbers, know that we are here waiting to see you.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 415 |
<p>It was a weird — and slightly gross — source of a Wall Street “aha!” moment: a seriously unsanitary BLT wrap.</p>
<p>Patrick Quade, then at Morgan Stanley, says he bought the dubious sandwich at a deli in Lower Manhattan. The results were, well, Technicolor.</p>
<p>But Quade’s bout of food poisoning gave him an idea for our age: Why not crowd-source customer complaints at U.S. restaurant chains, not just for health, but for stock-market profits?</p>
<p>Enter <a href="https://iwaspoisoned.com/about" type="external">iwaspoisoned.com,</a> which Morgan Stanley’s former global head of interest-rates trading-market structure founded in 2009.</p>
<p>This week his site <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-18/chipotle-declines-after-outbreak-forces-it-to-close-restaurant" type="external">compiled complaints</a> from a single Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. restaurant that promptly sent the <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/finance/quotes/multi-channel-module/?qm_page=11073" type="external">burrito chain’s stock price</a> into a tailspin.</p>
<p>Asked about the site,&#160;Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said, “overall, this kind of data may be useful, but the integrity of the data matters and, absent clinical validations, it’s hard to know how revealing the data may be.”</p>
<p>Quade is trying to sell a souped-up version of his database, dinesafe.org, to hedge funds and brands that want to sniff out trouble in the food industry. The price? $5,000 a month. So far he’s landed about two dozen clients, all industry businesses.</p>
<p>“Funds are interested in bespoke data sources.” he says, adding that he’s urged some interested hedge funds “to get on with it, as it seemed a trading opportunity was inevitable.”</p>
<p>Whether he can make a go of it is anyone’s guess. But Chipotle, at least, is on double-probation with investors after its food-borne problems two years ago. This year, iwaspoisoned.com has received no fewer than 15,000 complaints involving every major restaurant brand in the U.S. and Canada.&#160;So far, Chipotle, Quade says, is the “highest profile case” of a stock getting drubbed after reports of illness.</p> | How Ex-Banker's Food Poisoning Led to the Latest Chipotle Plunge | false | https://newsline.com/how-ex-bankers-food-poisoning-led-to-the-latest-chipotle-plunge/ | 2017-07-20 | 1right-center
| How Ex-Banker's Food Poisoning Led to the Latest Chipotle Plunge
<p>It was a weird — and slightly gross — source of a Wall Street “aha!” moment: a seriously unsanitary BLT wrap.</p>
<p>Patrick Quade, then at Morgan Stanley, says he bought the dubious sandwich at a deli in Lower Manhattan. The results were, well, Technicolor.</p>
<p>But Quade’s bout of food poisoning gave him an idea for our age: Why not crowd-source customer complaints at U.S. restaurant chains, not just for health, but for stock-market profits?</p>
<p>Enter <a href="https://iwaspoisoned.com/about" type="external">iwaspoisoned.com,</a> which Morgan Stanley’s former global head of interest-rates trading-market structure founded in 2009.</p>
<p>This week his site <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-18/chipotle-declines-after-outbreak-forces-it-to-close-restaurant" type="external">compiled complaints</a> from a single Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. restaurant that promptly sent the <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/finance/quotes/multi-channel-module/?qm_page=11073" type="external">burrito chain’s stock price</a> into a tailspin.</p>
<p>Asked about the site,&#160;Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said, “overall, this kind of data may be useful, but the integrity of the data matters and, absent clinical validations, it’s hard to know how revealing the data may be.”</p>
<p>Quade is trying to sell a souped-up version of his database, dinesafe.org, to hedge funds and brands that want to sniff out trouble in the food industry. The price? $5,000 a month. So far he’s landed about two dozen clients, all industry businesses.</p>
<p>“Funds are interested in bespoke data sources.” he says, adding that he’s urged some interested hedge funds “to get on with it, as it seemed a trading opportunity was inevitable.”</p>
<p>Whether he can make a go of it is anyone’s guess. But Chipotle, at least, is on double-probation with investors after its food-borne problems two years ago. This year, iwaspoisoned.com has received no fewer than 15,000 complaints involving every major restaurant brand in the U.S. and Canada.&#160;So far, Chipotle, Quade says, is the “highest profile case” of a stock getting drubbed after reports of illness.</p> | 416 |
<p>Brazil, the world’s fifth-largest country in terms of population and Latin America’s most expansive state, is in political turmoil. The left-leaning Workers Party, PT (as it is known by its Portuguese acronym), is facing an existential crisis after 14 years in power. Accusations of corruption from opposition parties and the glare of a right-wing media empire could hand the reins of government to conservative forces. Mass street protests drawing tens of thousands of mostly white, upper-middle-class families with slick props and coordinated, simplistic messaging offer a convincing backdrop of popular political will for change. It is a familiar script in Latin America—one that has played out in Venezuela, Ecuador, Honduras and elsewhere. Will Brazil succumb to this new model of right-wing coups?</p>
<p>The PT swept into power on the wings of the once-beloved President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lula—as he is still affectionately known—was succeeded by his onetime chief of staff, Dilma Rousseff. Both Lula and President Rousseff now face serious accusations stemming from their former affiliation with the Brazilian energy company Petrobras. Rousseff faces impeachment proceedings that have been brought against her by opposition officials with support from the judiciary.</p>
<p>Rousseff <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35877230" type="external">has remained defiant</a>, saying, “I have committed no irregularity. I will never resign.” And thus far there has been no proof of wrongdoing on her part. Still, the calls for her resignation are relentless. There have also been no charges against Lula, despite a swirl of rumors and three hours of questioning during his recent detention by police that some characterized as a kidnapping. Lula has stated he will run for president again in 2018, which may be part of what the right fears.</p>
<p>Meleiza Figueroa, an American doctoral student at the University of California at Berkeley and an occasional Truthdig contributor, is currently living in Brazil and conducting research in the Amazon. <a href="http://www.risingupwithsonali.com/brazils-ruling-party-in-disarray-after-attempt-to-shield-lula/" type="external">In a Skype interview</a> from the municipality of Santarém in the state of Pará, she described what is unfolding in Brazil as “a naked power grab on the part of the right-wing elites.”</p>
<p />
<p>But among conservative or even mainstream media, one word is bandied about as a catchall to indict PT officials: corruption. For example, one author characterizes <a href="http://mironline.ca/?p=9872" type="external">the ubiquitous protest sign “Fora Dilma”</a> (which translates to “Out Dilma”) as “A People’s Quest to End Corruption.” But, as Figueroa noted, Brazil’s political system is based on low levels of corruption through local patronage systems that have existed for centuries, not just since the PT assumed power. The PT’s mistake was to not “overturn the old order … instead they tried to work within the existing system and allied themselves with some of the people that engaged in this type of political culture,” she explained. On the flip side, “The PT, more than any other government, has prosecuted officials for corruption.”</p>
<p>The Brazilian federal police have named their investigation into the allegations of government corruption “ <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35725415" type="external">Operation Car Wash</a>.” But according to Figueroa, critics point out that “the people who are investigating Operation Car Wash are the people who are even more dirty.”</p>
<p>Manufactured political crises often require the prominent role of media in whipping up public indignation and frenzy. To that end, aiding Brazil’s right-wing opposition parties is the popular television network Globo, which has been airing wall-to-wall coverage of the mass anti-government mobilizations across the country. Speaking to teleSUR, media critic Sylvia Moretzsohn explained that Globo acts to “create the conditions for a coup. They want make it so the public is in favor of the ouster of Dilma, but always in the name of a noble cause: the fight against corruption.” Globo recently leaked intercepted calls between Lula and Rousseff discussing responses to their detractors—which generated a predictable level of public outrage.</p>
<p>Globo is covering the anti-PT mobilizations in a way it has never done for left-wing actions, said Figueroa. Footage of the protests shows largely white, well-dressed crowds, similar to the opposition seen in Venezuela. Figueroa cited an <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35824122" type="external">image that went viral</a> because of the racial politics it represents: “a white couple going to a protest with their dog, and their black maid following them with a stroller carrying their two daughters.” The BBC wrote that the photo “became a symbol of how polarized Brazil is over the current protests,” and cited one individual’s online observation that “What the picture says, between the lines, is that you are asking for a better world for yourself as a white employer, and for your perfect family, while the black nanny continues to be a maid.”</p>
<p>Eerily echoing the sentiment of Donald Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” are Brazilian protesters who say they “want their country back,” a parallel thread to right-wing American anger. Sections of Brazil’s middle and upper classes are seething with resentment over the perceived notion that liberal government forces have coddled poor people and ruined class distinctions. Of course, impoverished classes in Brazil and the U.S. never receive government subsidies big enough to fully lift them out of poverty.Sadly, the PT is not helping its own cause. Over the past several years, the party has adopted austerity measures and environmentally disastrous policies that have alienated its base of working-class communities. Figueroa cited mass demonstrations in 2013 as an expression of anger that lower-middle-class Brazilians felt over the nation’s economic downtown. During that era of upheaval, she said, “There were two sides. There was a left wing that was demanding more services, more redistribution, more help for people.” But “[t]here was [also] a right wing which took this anti-corruption narrative and ran with it, aided by Globo.”</p>
<p>Conservatives were able to exploit public anger so well that the last congressional elections yielded huge wins for opposition parties. Among them was the “Ruralistas,” a bloc representing land-owning elites, which has directly targeted redistribution policies and the rights of indigenous communities.</p>
<p>PT supporters have taken to the streets in counterprotests to defend the party’s stated adherence to policies that benefit poor and working-class Brazilians. Despite the PT’s recent failures, there is an understanding that conservatives want to roll back the decade and a half of progressive reforms. One protester <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/police-fire-tear-gas-protests-against-brazils-president-023854502.html" type="external">defending Lula and Rousseff</a> told Agence France-Presse, “This is a coup by the right.”</p>
<p>Liberal parties like the PT face a conundrum in Latin American democracies—one that Venezuela’s Bolivarian revolution has had to navigate time and again—and that is that liberalism and its tolerance for political activity offer openings to right-wing parties that have no qualms about exploiting democratic expression (such as a free press, the right to assemble publicly, etc.) in order to quash democracy.</p>
<p>The stakes are high, especially in Brazil, where climate policies can have a global impact. Already, Figueroa is noticing that in the Brazilian Amazon, “As soon as this political crisis began, there was a push to run over all of the regulations and the governmental protections that have been put into place for the rain forest.” Indigenous groups and environmental activists had managed, among other things, to institutionalize curbs on deforestation through the PT. But in the past year, rates of deforestation, which had been declining, jumped back up.</p>
<p>The BBC <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35831833" type="external">characterized the situation</a> with a headline that read, “Brazil tumbles like ‘House of Cards’ in crisis.” Figueroa does not think this is an overstatement. “What the right wing seeks is the complete destruction of the Workers Party, the real gains that the population has made, and the remaining barriers to unfettered capitalist development,” she said. Unless the PT and its supporters can stave off the attacks, Brazil may indeed go the way of Ecuador and Honduras.</p> | ‘This Is a Coup’: Brazil's Workers Party Faces Its Greatest Test | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/this-is-a-coup-brazils-workers-party-faces-its-greatest-test/ | 2016-03-24 | 4left
| ‘This Is a Coup’: Brazil's Workers Party Faces Its Greatest Test
<p>Brazil, the world’s fifth-largest country in terms of population and Latin America’s most expansive state, is in political turmoil. The left-leaning Workers Party, PT (as it is known by its Portuguese acronym), is facing an existential crisis after 14 years in power. Accusations of corruption from opposition parties and the glare of a right-wing media empire could hand the reins of government to conservative forces. Mass street protests drawing tens of thousands of mostly white, upper-middle-class families with slick props and coordinated, simplistic messaging offer a convincing backdrop of popular political will for change. It is a familiar script in Latin America—one that has played out in Venezuela, Ecuador, Honduras and elsewhere. Will Brazil succumb to this new model of right-wing coups?</p>
<p>The PT swept into power on the wings of the once-beloved President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lula—as he is still affectionately known—was succeeded by his onetime chief of staff, Dilma Rousseff. Both Lula and President Rousseff now face serious accusations stemming from their former affiliation with the Brazilian energy company Petrobras. Rousseff faces impeachment proceedings that have been brought against her by opposition officials with support from the judiciary.</p>
<p>Rousseff <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35877230" type="external">has remained defiant</a>, saying, “I have committed no irregularity. I will never resign.” And thus far there has been no proof of wrongdoing on her part. Still, the calls for her resignation are relentless. There have also been no charges against Lula, despite a swirl of rumors and three hours of questioning during his recent detention by police that some characterized as a kidnapping. Lula has stated he will run for president again in 2018, which may be part of what the right fears.</p>
<p>Meleiza Figueroa, an American doctoral student at the University of California at Berkeley and an occasional Truthdig contributor, is currently living in Brazil and conducting research in the Amazon. <a href="http://www.risingupwithsonali.com/brazils-ruling-party-in-disarray-after-attempt-to-shield-lula/" type="external">In a Skype interview</a> from the municipality of Santarém in the state of Pará, she described what is unfolding in Brazil as “a naked power grab on the part of the right-wing elites.”</p>
<p />
<p>But among conservative or even mainstream media, one word is bandied about as a catchall to indict PT officials: corruption. For example, one author characterizes <a href="http://mironline.ca/?p=9872" type="external">the ubiquitous protest sign “Fora Dilma”</a> (which translates to “Out Dilma”) as “A People’s Quest to End Corruption.” But, as Figueroa noted, Brazil’s political system is based on low levels of corruption through local patronage systems that have existed for centuries, not just since the PT assumed power. The PT’s mistake was to not “overturn the old order … instead they tried to work within the existing system and allied themselves with some of the people that engaged in this type of political culture,” she explained. On the flip side, “The PT, more than any other government, has prosecuted officials for corruption.”</p>
<p>The Brazilian federal police have named their investigation into the allegations of government corruption “ <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35725415" type="external">Operation Car Wash</a>.” But according to Figueroa, critics point out that “the people who are investigating Operation Car Wash are the people who are even more dirty.”</p>
<p>Manufactured political crises often require the prominent role of media in whipping up public indignation and frenzy. To that end, aiding Brazil’s right-wing opposition parties is the popular television network Globo, which has been airing wall-to-wall coverage of the mass anti-government mobilizations across the country. Speaking to teleSUR, media critic Sylvia Moretzsohn explained that Globo acts to “create the conditions for a coup. They want make it so the public is in favor of the ouster of Dilma, but always in the name of a noble cause: the fight against corruption.” Globo recently leaked intercepted calls between Lula and Rousseff discussing responses to their detractors—which generated a predictable level of public outrage.</p>
<p>Globo is covering the anti-PT mobilizations in a way it has never done for left-wing actions, said Figueroa. Footage of the protests shows largely white, well-dressed crowds, similar to the opposition seen in Venezuela. Figueroa cited an <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35824122" type="external">image that went viral</a> because of the racial politics it represents: “a white couple going to a protest with their dog, and their black maid following them with a stroller carrying their two daughters.” The BBC wrote that the photo “became a symbol of how polarized Brazil is over the current protests,” and cited one individual’s online observation that “What the picture says, between the lines, is that you are asking for a better world for yourself as a white employer, and for your perfect family, while the black nanny continues to be a maid.”</p>
<p>Eerily echoing the sentiment of Donald Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” are Brazilian protesters who say they “want their country back,” a parallel thread to right-wing American anger. Sections of Brazil’s middle and upper classes are seething with resentment over the perceived notion that liberal government forces have coddled poor people and ruined class distinctions. Of course, impoverished classes in Brazil and the U.S. never receive government subsidies big enough to fully lift them out of poverty.Sadly, the PT is not helping its own cause. Over the past several years, the party has adopted austerity measures and environmentally disastrous policies that have alienated its base of working-class communities. Figueroa cited mass demonstrations in 2013 as an expression of anger that lower-middle-class Brazilians felt over the nation’s economic downtown. During that era of upheaval, she said, “There were two sides. There was a left wing that was demanding more services, more redistribution, more help for people.” But “[t]here was [also] a right wing which took this anti-corruption narrative and ran with it, aided by Globo.”</p>
<p>Conservatives were able to exploit public anger so well that the last congressional elections yielded huge wins for opposition parties. Among them was the “Ruralistas,” a bloc representing land-owning elites, which has directly targeted redistribution policies and the rights of indigenous communities.</p>
<p>PT supporters have taken to the streets in counterprotests to defend the party’s stated adherence to policies that benefit poor and working-class Brazilians. Despite the PT’s recent failures, there is an understanding that conservatives want to roll back the decade and a half of progressive reforms. One protester <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/police-fire-tear-gas-protests-against-brazils-president-023854502.html" type="external">defending Lula and Rousseff</a> told Agence France-Presse, “This is a coup by the right.”</p>
<p>Liberal parties like the PT face a conundrum in Latin American democracies—one that Venezuela’s Bolivarian revolution has had to navigate time and again—and that is that liberalism and its tolerance for political activity offer openings to right-wing parties that have no qualms about exploiting democratic expression (such as a free press, the right to assemble publicly, etc.) in order to quash democracy.</p>
<p>The stakes are high, especially in Brazil, where climate policies can have a global impact. Already, Figueroa is noticing that in the Brazilian Amazon, “As soon as this political crisis began, there was a push to run over all of the regulations and the governmental protections that have been put into place for the rain forest.” Indigenous groups and environmental activists had managed, among other things, to institutionalize curbs on deforestation through the PT. But in the past year, rates of deforestation, which had been declining, jumped back up.</p>
<p>The BBC <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35831833" type="external">characterized the situation</a> with a headline that read, “Brazil tumbles like ‘House of Cards’ in crisis.” Figueroa does not think this is an overstatement. “What the right wing seeks is the complete destruction of the Workers Party, the real gains that the population has made, and the remaining barriers to unfettered capitalist development,” she said. Unless the PT and its supporters can stave off the attacks, Brazil may indeed go the way of Ecuador and Honduras.</p> | 417 |
<p />
<p>In their biggest plunge in just over a year, shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) tumbled more than 7% Tuesday morning as investors fret over the tech titan’s <a href="" type="internal">lower-than-expected iPhone sales</a> and cautious guidance.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The focus on iPhone sales and guidance for the fiscal second quarter overshadowed a solid earnings beat for the consumer-electronics giant.</p>
<p>Still, Apple’s results prompted a slew of analysts to trim their price targets on the company’s shares as concerns persist about heavy competition in the smartphone market.</p>
<p>Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) cut its valuation range on Apple to between $505 and $575, down from $536 to $581 previously. The bank also revised down its earnings estimates on Apple for the next two fiscal years.</p>
<p>Reporting after Monday’s closing bell, Apple said it shipped a record 51 million iPhones last quarter, up from 47.79 million the year before. However, analysts had hoped the recent deal with China Mobile would nudge sales up to 54.6 million.</p>
<p>Well Fargo analyst Maynard Um said the disappointing iPhone shipments missed the firm’s estimates by 5 million units, “leaving questions about end demand (since there was no supply issues).”</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Apple, long known for its conservative guidance, projected fiscal second-quarter revenue of $42 billion to $44 billion. Even the high end of that range would come in well below the Street’s view of $46.12 billion.</p>
<p>Um notes that guidance for the past four quarters have been “within a realistic range,” suggesting there may be “limited upside to its below-Street” guidance this time around.</p>
<p>Wells Fargo also cited commentary from Apple indicating that wireless providers are enforcing stricter upgrade policies.</p>
<p>"There are early industry signs of the balance of power shift back to wireless operators from handset vendors," Um wrote.</p>
<p>Other analysts maintained optimism on Apple.</p>
<p>Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) kept its “buy” rating on the stock, though its 12-month price target was cut to $610 from $635.</p>
<p>Goldman analyst Bill Shope cited Apple’s “solid” cash flow that “leaves room for substantial increases in capital allocation in coming months.” He also pointed to hopes for incremental iPhone growth through China Mobile, platform enhancements such as on mobile payments and expectations for further enterprise momentum later this year.</p>
<p>Some analysts also noted investors should be relieved CEO Tim Cook confirmed Apple remains on pace to unveil new product categories this year. Speculation has centered on possible TV and watch products.</p>
<p>Shares of Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple fell 6.75% to $513.38 Tuesday morning, leaving them more than 8% in the red so far this year.</p>
<p>This marks Apple's biggest selloff since January 24, 2013, when the company tumbled 12.3% after guiding quarterly revenue lower.</p>
<p>Apple’s selloff impacted the broader markets as well due to the company’s enormous market capitalization of roughly $491 billion.</p>
<p>Apple has a huge 12.34% weighting in the Nasdaq 100, which is a capitalization-weighted index that tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies in the Nasdaq Composite. Apple also has a 3.12% weighting in the S&amp;P 500.</p> | Bruised by iPhone Sales, Apple Dives 7% | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2014/01/28/bruised-by-iphone-sales-apple-dives-7.html | 2016-03-06 | 0right
| Bruised by iPhone Sales, Apple Dives 7%
<p />
<p>In their biggest plunge in just over a year, shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) tumbled more than 7% Tuesday morning as investors fret over the tech titan’s <a href="" type="internal">lower-than-expected iPhone sales</a> and cautious guidance.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The focus on iPhone sales and guidance for the fiscal second quarter overshadowed a solid earnings beat for the consumer-electronics giant.</p>
<p>Still, Apple’s results prompted a slew of analysts to trim their price targets on the company’s shares as concerns persist about heavy competition in the smartphone market.</p>
<p>Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) cut its valuation range on Apple to between $505 and $575, down from $536 to $581 previously. The bank also revised down its earnings estimates on Apple for the next two fiscal years.</p>
<p>Reporting after Monday’s closing bell, Apple said it shipped a record 51 million iPhones last quarter, up from 47.79 million the year before. However, analysts had hoped the recent deal with China Mobile would nudge sales up to 54.6 million.</p>
<p>Well Fargo analyst Maynard Um said the disappointing iPhone shipments missed the firm’s estimates by 5 million units, “leaving questions about end demand (since there was no supply issues).”</p>
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<p>Apple, long known for its conservative guidance, projected fiscal second-quarter revenue of $42 billion to $44 billion. Even the high end of that range would come in well below the Street’s view of $46.12 billion.</p>
<p>Um notes that guidance for the past four quarters have been “within a realistic range,” suggesting there may be “limited upside to its below-Street” guidance this time around.</p>
<p>Wells Fargo also cited commentary from Apple indicating that wireless providers are enforcing stricter upgrade policies.</p>
<p>"There are early industry signs of the balance of power shift back to wireless operators from handset vendors," Um wrote.</p>
<p>Other analysts maintained optimism on Apple.</p>
<p>Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) kept its “buy” rating on the stock, though its 12-month price target was cut to $610 from $635.</p>
<p>Goldman analyst Bill Shope cited Apple’s “solid” cash flow that “leaves room for substantial increases in capital allocation in coming months.” He also pointed to hopes for incremental iPhone growth through China Mobile, platform enhancements such as on mobile payments and expectations for further enterprise momentum later this year.</p>
<p>Some analysts also noted investors should be relieved CEO Tim Cook confirmed Apple remains on pace to unveil new product categories this year. Speculation has centered on possible TV and watch products.</p>
<p>Shares of Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple fell 6.75% to $513.38 Tuesday morning, leaving them more than 8% in the red so far this year.</p>
<p>This marks Apple's biggest selloff since January 24, 2013, when the company tumbled 12.3% after guiding quarterly revenue lower.</p>
<p>Apple’s selloff impacted the broader markets as well due to the company’s enormous market capitalization of roughly $491 billion.</p>
<p>Apple has a huge 12.34% weighting in the Nasdaq 100, which is a capitalization-weighted index that tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies in the Nasdaq Composite. Apple also has a 3.12% weighting in the S&amp;P 500.</p> | 418 |
<p>NewsdayArthur Sulzberger Jr. says companies like Tribune and the Washington Post "are making less of themselves" by going after young people with quick-read tabloids. "For us, we believe it makes sense to expand our college efforts by bringing The New York Times newspaper to more campuses, not a lesser product," the New York Times publisher tells James T. Madore. Washington Post Co. boss Donald E. Graham says of the Post's Express tabloid: "We're off to a good start, but it will be two or three years before we can spell out for you whether we think [Express] worked." &gt; <a href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/editorandpublisher/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2049099" type="external">Gannett to launch four more youth-aimed weeklies in '04 (E&amp;P)</a></p> | NYT's Sulzberger doesn't think much of youth-aimed tabloids | false | https://poynter.org/news/nyts-sulzberger-doesnt-think-much-youth-aimed-tabloids | 2003-12-11 | 2least
| NYT's Sulzberger doesn't think much of youth-aimed tabloids
<p>NewsdayArthur Sulzberger Jr. says companies like Tribune and the Washington Post "are making less of themselves" by going after young people with quick-read tabloids. "For us, we believe it makes sense to expand our college efforts by bringing The New York Times newspaper to more campuses, not a lesser product," the New York Times publisher tells James T. Madore. Washington Post Co. boss Donald E. Graham says of the Post's Express tabloid: "We're off to a good start, but it will be two or three years before we can spell out for you whether we think [Express] worked." &gt; <a href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/editorandpublisher/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2049099" type="external">Gannett to launch four more youth-aimed weeklies in '04 (E&amp;P)</a></p> | 419 |
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<p />
<p>Did you think I was talking about someone else?</p>
<p>People are going to want “The Young Pope” to be a lot of things. The series has already been a Twitter meme, and once it begins airing this weekend, there will be rushes to compare Pius to President-elect Donald Trump, or to draw parallels between Pius’ battles with Cardinal Voiello (Silvio Orlando) and Netflix’s remake of “House of Cards.”* I suspect that people who insist on those readings will find “The Young Pope” unsatisfying and not merely because it’s the kind of show that involves a papal kangaroo, hippie ghosts and dance breaks involving the prime minister of Greenland.</p>
<p>What are we to make of Pius, who before he chose his papal name was known as Lenny Belardo?</p>
<p>He drinks Cherry Coke for breakfast and smokes in the residences where it’s forbidden; he insists on seeing the gifts sent to him, which include the aforementioned kangaroo and a cigarette lighter; among his first priorities as pope is buying back the tiara of Pope Paul VI; he wears white track suits, which along with the Cherry Coke is one of the more American items on this list.</p>
<p>He’s also an orphan, raised by Sister Mary (Diane Keaton), who he brings to the Vatican as soon as he assumes his office; he refuses to pose for photos or to allow the creation of new papal memorabilia, and when he sends Sister Mary to meet with the press, it’s only to tell them that he wishes “to inform you of my indifference”; he was elected as a blank slate but turns out to be a radically conservative figure; he confides in his confessor, Don Tommaso (Marcello Romolo), rather than playing Vatican politics.</p>
<p>But, as is the case with the papacy, the man is subordinate to the office. And while “The Young Pope” has been marketed as a story about what an American might bring to an institution that’s international but still highly Italian, the series is at its most powerful when it’s something far stranger than that.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Sorrentino excels at keeping viewers off-base in the way Cardinal Voiello feels constantly. He composes ghostly, graceful images of nuns at work and play. He knows that choosing simple clothes is one way to convey humility and a distaste for worldly things, but that casually smoking a cigarette while dressed in the grandest possible imperial regalia goes beyond distaste to contempt. You can read things like that kangaroo, or a scene that uses the music of LMFAO as pretentious, but then, taste is one way of designating a zone in which we’re comfortable.</p>
<p>Which is not to say that the questions “The Young Pope” asks are not relevant to us. A sex-abuse scandal hangs in the background of the early episodes, but “The Young Pope” largely concerns itself with more philosophical matters.</p>
<p>What does it mean for a man to not merely cloister himself away from the world, but to withdraw into the innermost sanctum of that cloister? How would an ordinary man respond when others believe he has been the agent of a miracle? What sort of fortitude would it require for a man to conceal his intentions for decades? How might that silence change his character, and how might he behave when he is given the opportunity to begin acting on those intentions? And most of all, how might skilled practitioners of ordinary politics respond to a figure who so thoroughly confounds their expectations, playing by rules they cannot fathom?</p>
<p>The only thing “The Young Pope” has in common with “House of Cards” is that it’s a story about what might happen if Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), who has a few things in common with Cardinal Voiello, found himself playing not politics but an obscure form of intergalactic chess.</p>
<p>“Mystery is a serious matter,” Pius’ mentor, Cardinal Michael Spencer (James Cromwell) warns his pupil. “It’s not some marketing strategy.” I can’t say that “The Young Pope” sincerely gets to the heart of any great mystery. But it’s an uneasy show for uneasy times. Spending a little time with Pius XIII might be decent preparation for our journey into the unknown.</p> | Unlike ‘House of Cards,’ ‘The Young Pope’ actually understands politics | false | https://abqjournal.com/926443/unlike-house-of-cards-the-young-pope-actually-understands-politics.html | 2017-01-12 | 2least
| Unlike ‘House of Cards,’ ‘The Young Pope’ actually understands politics
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<p />
<p>Did you think I was talking about someone else?</p>
<p>People are going to want “The Young Pope” to be a lot of things. The series has already been a Twitter meme, and once it begins airing this weekend, there will be rushes to compare Pius to President-elect Donald Trump, or to draw parallels between Pius’ battles with Cardinal Voiello (Silvio Orlando) and Netflix’s remake of “House of Cards.”* I suspect that people who insist on those readings will find “The Young Pope” unsatisfying and not merely because it’s the kind of show that involves a papal kangaroo, hippie ghosts and dance breaks involving the prime minister of Greenland.</p>
<p>What are we to make of Pius, who before he chose his papal name was known as Lenny Belardo?</p>
<p>He drinks Cherry Coke for breakfast and smokes in the residences where it’s forbidden; he insists on seeing the gifts sent to him, which include the aforementioned kangaroo and a cigarette lighter; among his first priorities as pope is buying back the tiara of Pope Paul VI; he wears white track suits, which along with the Cherry Coke is one of the more American items on this list.</p>
<p>He’s also an orphan, raised by Sister Mary (Diane Keaton), who he brings to the Vatican as soon as he assumes his office; he refuses to pose for photos or to allow the creation of new papal memorabilia, and when he sends Sister Mary to meet with the press, it’s only to tell them that he wishes “to inform you of my indifference”; he was elected as a blank slate but turns out to be a radically conservative figure; he confides in his confessor, Don Tommaso (Marcello Romolo), rather than playing Vatican politics.</p>
<p>But, as is the case with the papacy, the man is subordinate to the office. And while “The Young Pope” has been marketed as a story about what an American might bring to an institution that’s international but still highly Italian, the series is at its most powerful when it’s something far stranger than that.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Sorrentino excels at keeping viewers off-base in the way Cardinal Voiello feels constantly. He composes ghostly, graceful images of nuns at work and play. He knows that choosing simple clothes is one way to convey humility and a distaste for worldly things, but that casually smoking a cigarette while dressed in the grandest possible imperial regalia goes beyond distaste to contempt. You can read things like that kangaroo, or a scene that uses the music of LMFAO as pretentious, but then, taste is one way of designating a zone in which we’re comfortable.</p>
<p>Which is not to say that the questions “The Young Pope” asks are not relevant to us. A sex-abuse scandal hangs in the background of the early episodes, but “The Young Pope” largely concerns itself with more philosophical matters.</p>
<p>What does it mean for a man to not merely cloister himself away from the world, but to withdraw into the innermost sanctum of that cloister? How would an ordinary man respond when others believe he has been the agent of a miracle? What sort of fortitude would it require for a man to conceal his intentions for decades? How might that silence change his character, and how might he behave when he is given the opportunity to begin acting on those intentions? And most of all, how might skilled practitioners of ordinary politics respond to a figure who so thoroughly confounds their expectations, playing by rules they cannot fathom?</p>
<p>The only thing “The Young Pope” has in common with “House of Cards” is that it’s a story about what might happen if Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), who has a few things in common with Cardinal Voiello, found himself playing not politics but an obscure form of intergalactic chess.</p>
<p>“Mystery is a serious matter,” Pius’ mentor, Cardinal Michael Spencer (James Cromwell) warns his pupil. “It’s not some marketing strategy.” I can’t say that “The Young Pope” sincerely gets to the heart of any great mystery. But it’s an uneasy show for uneasy times. Spending a little time with Pius XIII might be decent preparation for our journey into the unknown.</p> | 420 |
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<p />
<p>The satellite, appropriately, is called Trailblazer. It is small: a four-inch by four-inch by four-inch cube, also known as a CubeSat. It is one of 28 CubeSats, many of which were built at other universities.</p>
<p>In a sense, Trailblazer will go where no satellite has gone before. While it may be small, its mission is complex. It aims to prove that off-the-shelf component parts are possible for larger Air Force satellites. Until now, satellites have contained specially designed parts that need to be tested individually to assure they can operate in the hostile environment of outer space. It is a costly process.</p>
<p>Trailblazer is the first satellite that fully relies on “space plug-and-play architecture,” meaning every part of the satellite is integrated with its central computer system. In the same way a personal computer can read a mouse plugged into it, Trailblazer’s system is able to read all of its components and, therefore, has the ability to control those parts.</p>
<p>The satellite is also the first to have electronic parts printed from a 3-D printer, a process in which a solid object of any shape can be created from a digital model. The University of Texas at El Paso created the 3-D printed parts for the satellite.</p>
<p>Trailblazer launched from the Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Development of this CubeSat involved many students who worked on elements of the satellite and the sustained efforts of the research and development team at COSMIAC,” said Christos Christodoulou, director of COSMIAC, the Configurable Space Microsystems Innovations and Applications Center.</p>
<p>The UNM research center is focused on space electronics.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Satellite built at UNM goes into orbit | false | https://abqjournal.com/304461/satellite-built-at-unm-goes-into-orbit.html | 2least
| Satellite built at UNM goes into orbit
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<p />
<p>The satellite, appropriately, is called Trailblazer. It is small: a four-inch by four-inch by four-inch cube, also known as a CubeSat. It is one of 28 CubeSats, many of which were built at other universities.</p>
<p>In a sense, Trailblazer will go where no satellite has gone before. While it may be small, its mission is complex. It aims to prove that off-the-shelf component parts are possible for larger Air Force satellites. Until now, satellites have contained specially designed parts that need to be tested individually to assure they can operate in the hostile environment of outer space. It is a costly process.</p>
<p>Trailblazer is the first satellite that fully relies on “space plug-and-play architecture,” meaning every part of the satellite is integrated with its central computer system. In the same way a personal computer can read a mouse plugged into it, Trailblazer’s system is able to read all of its components and, therefore, has the ability to control those parts.</p>
<p>The satellite is also the first to have electronic parts printed from a 3-D printer, a process in which a solid object of any shape can be created from a digital model. The University of Texas at El Paso created the 3-D printed parts for the satellite.</p>
<p>Trailblazer launched from the Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Development of this CubeSat involved many students who worked on elements of the satellite and the sustained efforts of the research and development team at COSMIAC,” said Christos Christodoulou, director of COSMIAC, the Configurable Space Microsystems Innovations and Applications Center.</p>
<p>The UNM research center is focused on space electronics.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 421 |
|
<p />
<p />
<p>Reports from a senior official indicate that North Korea will continue to test its missiles despite international condemnation and growing military tensions with the US. Vice-Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol told the BBC that North Korea will be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis.</p>
<p />
<p>The official warned that an all-out war would result if the US took military action. The US Vice-President Mike Pence warned North Korea not to test the US. Pence emphasized that the United States' era of strategic patience with North Korea was over.</p>
<p />
<p>The Vice-President arrived in Seoul on Sunday hours after North Korea carried out a failed missile launch. The tensions have been escalating on the peninsula, with heated rhetoric from both North Korea and the US.</p>
<p />
<p>The Vice-Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol told BBC that if the US is planning a military attack against North Korea, they will react with a nuclear pre-emptive strike by their own style and method.</p>
<p />
<p>The world is concerned over North Korea's accelerated nuclear and missile tests in recent years, despite international condemnation and UN sanctions.</p>
<p />
<p>North Korea aims at putting a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach targets around the world, including the US.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>US President Donald Trump has held his cards to his chest on North Korean solution. Mr. Trump said that North Korea will not achieve its ambitions on putting a warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile, he also stepped up pressure on the isolated North.</p>
<p />
<p>President Donald Trump has sent a navy strike group&#160;towards the Korean Peninsula, and the US and South Korea are moving ahead with the early deployment of a controversial missile defense system.</p>
<p>Despite the tension, North Korea may carry out a sixth nuclear test soon.</p>
<p />
<p>Sundays missile test exploded within seconds of launch after the grand military parade on Saturday. Mr. Pence, who was speaking alongside South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn on Monday, warned North Korea not test US President Donald Trump. Mr. Pence said that the world has already witnessed the strength and resolve of the new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Mr. Pence reiterated US support for South Korea, telling South Korea that the U.S has the South's back 100%. The US&#160;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson&#160;had also warned that pre-emptive military action was on the table.</p>
<p />
<p>The U.S. is also collaborating with China, which is North Korea's main ally. China has tried to pressure the regime to stop nuclear and missile tests. The United States policy appears to persuade China to contain North Korea while keeping the economic and military pressure on.</p>
<p />
<p>In response, North Korea's Vice-Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol told the BBC that North Korea believed its nuclear weapons protect it from the threat of US military action.</p>
<p />
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39623882" type="external">bbc.com/news/world-asia-39623882</a></p> | Trump Will Hold His Cards To His Chest On North Korean Solution | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/2336-Trump-Will-Hold-His-Cards-To-His-Chest-On-North-Korean-Solution | 2017-04-17 | 0right
| Trump Will Hold His Cards To His Chest On North Korean Solution
<p />
<p />
<p>Reports from a senior official indicate that North Korea will continue to test its missiles despite international condemnation and growing military tensions with the US. Vice-Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol told the BBC that North Korea will be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis.</p>
<p />
<p>The official warned that an all-out war would result if the US took military action. The US Vice-President Mike Pence warned North Korea not to test the US. Pence emphasized that the United States' era of strategic patience with North Korea was over.</p>
<p />
<p>The Vice-President arrived in Seoul on Sunday hours after North Korea carried out a failed missile launch. The tensions have been escalating on the peninsula, with heated rhetoric from both North Korea and the US.</p>
<p />
<p>The Vice-Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol told BBC that if the US is planning a military attack against North Korea, they will react with a nuclear pre-emptive strike by their own style and method.</p>
<p />
<p>The world is concerned over North Korea's accelerated nuclear and missile tests in recent years, despite international condemnation and UN sanctions.</p>
<p />
<p>North Korea aims at putting a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach targets around the world, including the US.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>US President Donald Trump has held his cards to his chest on North Korean solution. Mr. Trump said that North Korea will not achieve its ambitions on putting a warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile, he also stepped up pressure on the isolated North.</p>
<p />
<p>President Donald Trump has sent a navy strike group&#160;towards the Korean Peninsula, and the US and South Korea are moving ahead with the early deployment of a controversial missile defense system.</p>
<p>Despite the tension, North Korea may carry out a sixth nuclear test soon.</p>
<p />
<p>Sundays missile test exploded within seconds of launch after the grand military parade on Saturday. Mr. Pence, who was speaking alongside South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn on Monday, warned North Korea not test US President Donald Trump. Mr. Pence said that the world has already witnessed the strength and resolve of the new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Mr. Pence reiterated US support for South Korea, telling South Korea that the U.S has the South's back 100%. The US&#160;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson&#160;had also warned that pre-emptive military action was on the table.</p>
<p />
<p>The U.S. is also collaborating with China, which is North Korea's main ally. China has tried to pressure the regime to stop nuclear and missile tests. The United States policy appears to persuade China to contain North Korea while keeping the economic and military pressure on.</p>
<p />
<p>In response, North Korea's Vice-Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol told the BBC that North Korea believed its nuclear weapons protect it from the threat of US military action.</p>
<p />
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39623882" type="external">bbc.com/news/world-asia-39623882</a></p> | 422 |
<p>Women backing Donald Trump rally at the Utah state CapitolAP Photo/Rick Bowmer</p>
<p />
<p>Among the many ways the electoral map got scrambled as Donald Trump’s poll numbers tanked this summer and fall, perhaps the most intriguing was the possibility that Trump might lose Utah. Polls showed a neck-and-neck race in the state that voted overwhelmingly for the Republican candidate in 2012. Mormons, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/mormons-vs-trump?utm_term=.rfDdKPDRY#.vqrA92GDo" type="external">news stories said</a>, were deeply offended by the boorish GOP nominee, who was everything they detested: a mean, philandering, sexist, immoral lout who had the nerve <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-mitt-romney-election-choke-2016-4" type="external">to make fun of</a> their beloved Mitt Romney. State leaders, including Republican Sen. Mike Lee, declared their opposition to him. The Deseret News, owned by the LDS church, <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865664336/In-our-opinion-Donald-Trump-should-resign-his-candidacy.html?pg=all" type="external">called on Trump</a> to drop out of the race last month.</p>
<p>But while it made for an interesting political drama, Trump—who has outperformed expectations around the country and may be closing in on a victory—was never likely to lose Utah. And that’s partly because the main alternative, Hillary Clinton, was a woman.</p>
<p>Utah can be a difficult place to be a woman. The patriarchal culture of the state’s dominant religion is strong. Women aren’t allowed to be ordained as leaders in the LDS church, and they’re taught to be subordinate to men. The religious viewpoint is reflected in the state’s politics. No woman holds statewide office in Utah. Only 15 percent of the state Legislature is female, compared with 24 percent nationally and 42 percent in neighboring Colorado.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.utahchildren.org/images/pdfs/2015/GenderGap.pdf" type="external">pay gap</a> between men and women in Utah is the fourth-highest in the nation, with women making only 70 cents for every dollar made by a man. Utah has one of the worst gender gaps in the country in college graduation rates, and the depth of the education gap may be further masked by all the bachelor’s degrees given out by church-owned Brigham Young University in “ <a href="https://familylife.byu.edu/" type="external">family and consumer sciences,</a>” with college courses like “Preparation for Marriage,” interior design, and food preparation in the home—classes dominated by women.</p>
<p>The state has extensive abortion restrictions, and until just recently BYU made a practice of <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/29/health/brigham-young-university-rape/" type="external">punishing students who were the victims of sexual assault</a>, with collusion from the local Provo police department, which reported them to the school. It’s not a place where women were likely feeling empowered to be “with her.”</p>
<p>“I think that internalized misogyny is what will ultimately lead Mormon women to vote against their best interests,” predicted Utah activist Kate Kelly when I spoke with her last month. Kelly is a Mormon feminist who was ex-communicated from the church in 2014 for advocating the ordination of women, so she has some experience in this department. “They won’t say, ‘I’m not voting for Hillary because she’s a woman.’ They’ll use coded language. ‘She’s deceitful, she’s too shrill, she’s immoral.'”</p>
<p>The education deficit between men and women in the state may have reduced the likelihood that the state’s women would vote for Clinton, given Trump’s success with less educated voters. One of the reasons Trump lagged in the polls nationally is that women deserted him in droves, with Clinton <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/election-update-women-are-defeating-donald-trump/" type="external">leading among women</a>, at various points, by between 15 and 33 points. That wasn’t the case in Utah, where <a href="https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/MonmouthPoll_UT_110316/" type="external">polls heading into the election</a> showed a small gender difference, with 40 percent of men and 33 percent of women backing Trump.</p>
<p>Clinton put Utahans, particularly Mormon women, in a genuine bind. “It’s this interesting conundrum, where we can’t vote for Trump because he’s an unmitigated slimeball, but we can’t vote for Hillary because she’s everything we’re taught not to be,” says Kelly. “She’s the opposite of the pedestal paradigm that Mormon women are told to strive for. She works outside the home. She doesn’t cook. She talks powerfully and stridently about important high-level issues. All of these things are very frowned upon by Mormon women, and in a way, they’re afraid of them.” And in the end, Kelly says, to vote for Clinton, Mormon women might have to take a hard look at their own faith. “If women can’t be leaders in our church but they can be the leader of the free world,” she said, “what does that say about our church?”</p>
<p /> | Hillary Clinton Was Never Going to Win Utah | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2016/11/why-hillary-lost-utah/ | 2016-11-09 | 4left
| Hillary Clinton Was Never Going to Win Utah
<p>Women backing Donald Trump rally at the Utah state CapitolAP Photo/Rick Bowmer</p>
<p />
<p>Among the many ways the electoral map got scrambled as Donald Trump’s poll numbers tanked this summer and fall, perhaps the most intriguing was the possibility that Trump might lose Utah. Polls showed a neck-and-neck race in the state that voted overwhelmingly for the Republican candidate in 2012. Mormons, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/mormons-vs-trump?utm_term=.rfDdKPDRY#.vqrA92GDo" type="external">news stories said</a>, were deeply offended by the boorish GOP nominee, who was everything they detested: a mean, philandering, sexist, immoral lout who had the nerve <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-mitt-romney-election-choke-2016-4" type="external">to make fun of</a> their beloved Mitt Romney. State leaders, including Republican Sen. Mike Lee, declared their opposition to him. The Deseret News, owned by the LDS church, <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865664336/In-our-opinion-Donald-Trump-should-resign-his-candidacy.html?pg=all" type="external">called on Trump</a> to drop out of the race last month.</p>
<p>But while it made for an interesting political drama, Trump—who has outperformed expectations around the country and may be closing in on a victory—was never likely to lose Utah. And that’s partly because the main alternative, Hillary Clinton, was a woman.</p>
<p>Utah can be a difficult place to be a woman. The patriarchal culture of the state’s dominant religion is strong. Women aren’t allowed to be ordained as leaders in the LDS church, and they’re taught to be subordinate to men. The religious viewpoint is reflected in the state’s politics. No woman holds statewide office in Utah. Only 15 percent of the state Legislature is female, compared with 24 percent nationally and 42 percent in neighboring Colorado.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.utahchildren.org/images/pdfs/2015/GenderGap.pdf" type="external">pay gap</a> between men and women in Utah is the fourth-highest in the nation, with women making only 70 cents for every dollar made by a man. Utah has one of the worst gender gaps in the country in college graduation rates, and the depth of the education gap may be further masked by all the bachelor’s degrees given out by church-owned Brigham Young University in “ <a href="https://familylife.byu.edu/" type="external">family and consumer sciences,</a>” with college courses like “Preparation for Marriage,” interior design, and food preparation in the home—classes dominated by women.</p>
<p>The state has extensive abortion restrictions, and until just recently BYU made a practice of <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/29/health/brigham-young-university-rape/" type="external">punishing students who were the victims of sexual assault</a>, with collusion from the local Provo police department, which reported them to the school. It’s not a place where women were likely feeling empowered to be “with her.”</p>
<p>“I think that internalized misogyny is what will ultimately lead Mormon women to vote against their best interests,” predicted Utah activist Kate Kelly when I spoke with her last month. Kelly is a Mormon feminist who was ex-communicated from the church in 2014 for advocating the ordination of women, so she has some experience in this department. “They won’t say, ‘I’m not voting for Hillary because she’s a woman.’ They’ll use coded language. ‘She’s deceitful, she’s too shrill, she’s immoral.'”</p>
<p>The education deficit between men and women in the state may have reduced the likelihood that the state’s women would vote for Clinton, given Trump’s success with less educated voters. One of the reasons Trump lagged in the polls nationally is that women deserted him in droves, with Clinton <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/election-update-women-are-defeating-donald-trump/" type="external">leading among women</a>, at various points, by between 15 and 33 points. That wasn’t the case in Utah, where <a href="https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/MonmouthPoll_UT_110316/" type="external">polls heading into the election</a> showed a small gender difference, with 40 percent of men and 33 percent of women backing Trump.</p>
<p>Clinton put Utahans, particularly Mormon women, in a genuine bind. “It’s this interesting conundrum, where we can’t vote for Trump because he’s an unmitigated slimeball, but we can’t vote for Hillary because she’s everything we’re taught not to be,” says Kelly. “She’s the opposite of the pedestal paradigm that Mormon women are told to strive for. She works outside the home. She doesn’t cook. She talks powerfully and stridently about important high-level issues. All of these things are very frowned upon by Mormon women, and in a way, they’re afraid of them.” And in the end, Kelly says, to vote for Clinton, Mormon women might have to take a hard look at their own faith. “If women can’t be leaders in our church but they can be the leader of the free world,” she said, “what does that say about our church?”</p>
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<p>The Taos County manager, Adam Baker, plans to resign early next year, <a href="http://www.taosnews.com/articles/2010/10/21/news/doc4cc07d7dec96f892715054.txt" type="external">The Taos News</a> reported.</p>
<p>The newspaper said the move was announced after county commissioners met in executive session at their meeting on Tuesday (Oct. 19).</p>
<p>Baker, who was hired in March to a one-year, $110,000 contract, could not be reached for comment, according to The News.</p>
<p>Commission Chairman Dan Barrone told the newspaper Thursday that Baker would remain in the position until the end of January.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Baker had served as assistant county attorney, county attorney and interim county manager before becoming county manager replacing Sammy Pachecho, who retired in December 2009, The News reported.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Taos County Manager Plans To Resign | false | https://abqjournal.com/9895/taos-county-manager-plans-to-resign.html | 2least
| Taos County Manager Plans To Resign
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<p>The Taos County manager, Adam Baker, plans to resign early next year, <a href="http://www.taosnews.com/articles/2010/10/21/news/doc4cc07d7dec96f892715054.txt" type="external">The Taos News</a> reported.</p>
<p>The newspaper said the move was announced after county commissioners met in executive session at their meeting on Tuesday (Oct. 19).</p>
<p>Baker, who was hired in March to a one-year, $110,000 contract, could not be reached for comment, according to The News.</p>
<p>Commission Chairman Dan Barrone told the newspaper Thursday that Baker would remain in the position until the end of January.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Baker had served as assistant county attorney, county attorney and interim county manager before becoming county manager replacing Sammy Pachecho, who retired in December 2009, The News reported.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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<p>Ukraine's ousted president Viktor Yanukovych on Friday condemned Western powers as "irresponsible" and accused them of "pandering to" the 'Euromaidan' protesters who occupied central Kiev.</p>
<p>In his <a href="" type="internal">first public appearance since fleeing Ukraine</a>, he said the deaths in last week's clashes were "consequences of a political crisis."</p>
<p>"This is the result of irresponsible policies of the West," the defiant ex-president told reporters at a news conference in neighboring Russia. "But Ukraine is a strong country and we will get out."</p>
<p>He said opposition groups had reneged on a Feb. 21 deal that had been witnessed by witnessed by the foreign ministers of three European nations.</p>
<p>As a result, he said, Kiev was "taken over by armed people who… robbed and beat people on the streets.”</p>
<p>He also described as “illegal” the May 25 elections proposed by Ukraine’s interim rulers, calling instead for constitutional reforms followed by a poll in December.</p>
<p>He added that the separatist demonstrations in Crimea were an “absolutely natural reaction” to what he described as “nationalist bandits in Kiev.”</p>
<p>Yanukovych said he chose Rostov-on-Don "because an old friend of mine lives nearby" and he wanted find temporary shelter.</p>
<p>His appearance in Russia came despite <a href="" type="internal">Ukraine's General Prosecutor Office calling on Russia to extradite him</a> to face charges of corruption and for his role in the death of protesters in Kiev.</p> | Yanukovych Blames ‘Irresponsible’ West for Backing Protesters | false | http://nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/yanukovych-blames-irresponsible-west-backing-protesters-n41011 | 2014-02-28 | 3left-center
| Yanukovych Blames ‘Irresponsible’ West for Backing Protesters
<p>Ukraine's ousted president Viktor Yanukovych on Friday condemned Western powers as "irresponsible" and accused them of "pandering to" the 'Euromaidan' protesters who occupied central Kiev.</p>
<p>In his <a href="" type="internal">first public appearance since fleeing Ukraine</a>, he said the deaths in last week's clashes were "consequences of a political crisis."</p>
<p>"This is the result of irresponsible policies of the West," the defiant ex-president told reporters at a news conference in neighboring Russia. "But Ukraine is a strong country and we will get out."</p>
<p>He said opposition groups had reneged on a Feb. 21 deal that had been witnessed by witnessed by the foreign ministers of three European nations.</p>
<p>As a result, he said, Kiev was "taken over by armed people who… robbed and beat people on the streets.”</p>
<p>He also described as “illegal” the May 25 elections proposed by Ukraine’s interim rulers, calling instead for constitutional reforms followed by a poll in December.</p>
<p>He added that the separatist demonstrations in Crimea were an “absolutely natural reaction” to what he described as “nationalist bandits in Kiev.”</p>
<p>Yanukovych said he chose Rostov-on-Don "because an old friend of mine lives nearby" and he wanted find temporary shelter.</p>
<p>His appearance in Russia came despite <a href="" type="internal">Ukraine's General Prosecutor Office calling on Russia to extradite him</a> to face charges of corruption and for his role in the death of protesters in Kiev.</p> | 425 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />It’s 2003 all over again, as Iraq “experts” who promoted the 2003 invasion are back on TV screens offering expert analysis about what to do next. And we take a look at some of the revealing language US reporters are employing to frame Iraq as a place that keeps forcing the US to attack it.</p>
<p>Plus, NBC‘s “news” division promotes its corporate cousins over at Universal.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Watch:</p>
<p />
<p /> | FAIR TV: War Pundits Time Warp, Framing Iraq, NBC Self-Promotion | true | http://fair.org/blog/2014/06/20/fair-tv-war-pundits-time-warp-framing-iraq-nbc-self-promotion/ | 2014-06-20 | 4left
| FAIR TV: War Pundits Time Warp, Framing Iraq, NBC Self-Promotion
<p><a href="" type="internal" />It’s 2003 all over again, as Iraq “experts” who promoted the 2003 invasion are back on TV screens offering expert analysis about what to do next. And we take a look at some of the revealing language US reporters are employing to frame Iraq as a place that keeps forcing the US to attack it.</p>
<p>Plus, NBC‘s “news” division promotes its corporate cousins over at Universal.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Watch:</p>
<p />
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<p>Fans dressed as movie Star Wars characters pose as they cerebrate the Star Wars Day in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. May 4 is known as Star Wars Day to fans worldwide since the date is similar to the franchise's slogan, "May the Force Be With You." (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)</p>
<p>It's not a national holiday, yet it might be an intergalactic one.</p>
<p>May the Fourth, as in "May the Fourth Be With You" has become a day to celebrate all things Star Wars, especially following last year's revival of the series with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."</p>
<p>One the stars of the current Star Wars trilogy, Daisy Ridley, appeared in a YouTube video surrounded by some of the series' characters to deliver well wishes from the cast of "Star Wars: Episode VIII," which is set for release next year.</p>
<p>Like many Star Wars characters, "May the Fourth" comes with an interesting origin story. One of the earliest known references to the day followed the May 4, 1979, election of Margaret Thatcher as Britain's prime minister, according to a post on the official Star Wars website. Thatcher's party took out an ad in the London Evening News with the message, "May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations," the website said, adding that the day took off once the Internet began connecting fans.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The day has been a trending topic on social media. Comedy Central's "@midnight" got things started by launching a #StarWarsSongs hashtag, asking fans to come up with Star Wars themed song titles. Some of the responses include "Whiskey in the Jar Jar" and "When You Wish Upon a Death Star."</p>
<p>NASA got in on the fun with a blog comparing real planets to the ones depicted in Star Wars, including Saturn's moon, Mimas, which has become known as the "Death Star" moon thanks to its distinctive crater.</p>
<p>Retailers are trying to turn fan enthusiasm into a profit. Many, including Wal-Mart, Target and Toys "R" Us are offering promotions on Star Wars related items this week.</p> | It's Star Wars Day: May the 4th be with you | false | https://abqjournal.com/768148/its-star-wars-day-may-the-4th-be-with-you.html | 2least
| It's Star Wars Day: May the 4th be with you
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<p>Fans dressed as movie Star Wars characters pose as they cerebrate the Star Wars Day in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. May 4 is known as Star Wars Day to fans worldwide since the date is similar to the franchise's slogan, "May the Force Be With You." (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)</p>
<p>It's not a national holiday, yet it might be an intergalactic one.</p>
<p>May the Fourth, as in "May the Fourth Be With You" has become a day to celebrate all things Star Wars, especially following last year's revival of the series with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."</p>
<p>One the stars of the current Star Wars trilogy, Daisy Ridley, appeared in a YouTube video surrounded by some of the series' characters to deliver well wishes from the cast of "Star Wars: Episode VIII," which is set for release next year.</p>
<p>Like many Star Wars characters, "May the Fourth" comes with an interesting origin story. One of the earliest known references to the day followed the May 4, 1979, election of Margaret Thatcher as Britain's prime minister, according to a post on the official Star Wars website. Thatcher's party took out an ad in the London Evening News with the message, "May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations," the website said, adding that the day took off once the Internet began connecting fans.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The day has been a trending topic on social media. Comedy Central's "@midnight" got things started by launching a #StarWarsSongs hashtag, asking fans to come up with Star Wars themed song titles. Some of the responses include "Whiskey in the Jar Jar" and "When You Wish Upon a Death Star."</p>
<p>NASA got in on the fun with a blog comparing real planets to the ones depicted in Star Wars, including Saturn's moon, Mimas, which has become known as the "Death Star" moon thanks to its distinctive crater.</p>
<p>Retailers are trying to turn fan enthusiasm into a profit. Many, including Wal-Mart, Target and Toys "R" Us are offering promotions on Star Wars related items this week.</p> | 427 |
|
<p>TOP STORIES</p>
<p>Wheat Futures Pop on Plains Drought</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A drought in the Great Plains sparked a rally in wheat prices Tuesday.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that the condition of the hard red winter wheat crop, primarily grown in southern Plains states like Kansas, dropped sharply as farmers in the region struggle through dry conditions.</p>
<p>Drought Dampens South Africa's 2018 Corn Plantings -- Market Talk</p>
<p>1544 GMT -- South African corn farmers have slashed plantings for the 2018 season as Africa's top producer of the grain grapples with drought, says the government's Crop Estimates Committee. Plantings likely will drop 12% to 2.3 million hectares as the dry spell pressures growers in the main producing region in the country's west. Plantings for white corn--a regional staple--are down 22% while acreage for yellow corn--used mainly in animal feeds--is 4% higher on year. It is a reversal of fortunes for a country that posted a record crop of 16.7 million tons last year, more than double the 7.8 million tons produced in 2016 after rains aided a recovery from the 2015-2016 drought fueled by El Nino. (Nicholas.Bariyo@wsj.com;@Nicholasbariyo)</p>
<p>STORIES OF INTEREST</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>USDA Says 132,000 Tons of Corn Sold to Spain in 2017-18</p>
<p>WASHINGTON--Private exporters reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture export sales of 132,000 metric tons of corn for delivery to Spain during the 2017/2018 marketing year.</p>
<p>The marketing year for corn began Sept. 1.</p>
<p>Value Meals Drive McDonald's Sales - 2nd Update</p>
<p>McDonald's Corp. gained sales again by luring core customers to its cheapest meals and drinks.</p>
<p>The burger giant attributed U.S. sales growth in the fourth quarter to a "McPick 2" meal deal and low-price beverages, as well as to higher-priced Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. The chain introduced a new nationwide value menu this month with items priced at $1, $2 and $3, hoping consumers drawn in for cheap sodas and burgers will also order more expensive items.</p>
<p>THE MARKETS</p>
<p>Live Cattle Futures Ease</p>
<p>Cattle futures were mixed Tuesday, easing off multimonth highs.</p>
<p>The futures market started the week by hitting a two-month high, after cash prices for physical cattle rose more than expected. But analysts say futures bumped up against selling pressure after falling from those highs, with chart signals suggesting to traders that prices were headed lower.</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>January 30, 2018 17:52 ET (22:52 GMT)</p> | Grain Highlights: Top Stories of the Day | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/28/grain-highlights-top-stories-day.html | 2018-01-30 | 0right
| Grain Highlights: Top Stories of the Day
<p>TOP STORIES</p>
<p>Wheat Futures Pop on Plains Drought</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A drought in the Great Plains sparked a rally in wheat prices Tuesday.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that the condition of the hard red winter wheat crop, primarily grown in southern Plains states like Kansas, dropped sharply as farmers in the region struggle through dry conditions.</p>
<p>Drought Dampens South Africa's 2018 Corn Plantings -- Market Talk</p>
<p>1544 GMT -- South African corn farmers have slashed plantings for the 2018 season as Africa's top producer of the grain grapples with drought, says the government's Crop Estimates Committee. Plantings likely will drop 12% to 2.3 million hectares as the dry spell pressures growers in the main producing region in the country's west. Plantings for white corn--a regional staple--are down 22% while acreage for yellow corn--used mainly in animal feeds--is 4% higher on year. It is a reversal of fortunes for a country that posted a record crop of 16.7 million tons last year, more than double the 7.8 million tons produced in 2016 after rains aided a recovery from the 2015-2016 drought fueled by El Nino. (Nicholas.Bariyo@wsj.com;@Nicholasbariyo)</p>
<p>STORIES OF INTEREST</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>USDA Says 132,000 Tons of Corn Sold to Spain in 2017-18</p>
<p>WASHINGTON--Private exporters reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture export sales of 132,000 metric tons of corn for delivery to Spain during the 2017/2018 marketing year.</p>
<p>The marketing year for corn began Sept. 1.</p>
<p>Value Meals Drive McDonald's Sales - 2nd Update</p>
<p>McDonald's Corp. gained sales again by luring core customers to its cheapest meals and drinks.</p>
<p>The burger giant attributed U.S. sales growth in the fourth quarter to a "McPick 2" meal deal and low-price beverages, as well as to higher-priced Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. The chain introduced a new nationwide value menu this month with items priced at $1, $2 and $3, hoping consumers drawn in for cheap sodas and burgers will also order more expensive items.</p>
<p>THE MARKETS</p>
<p>Live Cattle Futures Ease</p>
<p>Cattle futures were mixed Tuesday, easing off multimonth highs.</p>
<p>The futures market started the week by hitting a two-month high, after cash prices for physical cattle rose more than expected. But analysts say futures bumped up against selling pressure after falling from those highs, with chart signals suggesting to traders that prices were headed lower.</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>January 30, 2018 17:52 ET (22:52 GMT)</p> | 428 |
<p>(Screenshot via YouTube)</p>
<p>“King Cobra” director Justin Kelly doesn’t think James Franco is gay-baiting to help his career.</p>
<p>Franco has recently <a href="" type="internal">opened</a>up about his views on sexuality in his work and own life, calling himself “a little gay” speaking with New York magazine.</p>
<p>In an interview with <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/24/james-franco-s-gay-muse.html" type="external">The Daily Beast</a>, Kelly says Franco, who starred in “I Am Michael,” hasn’t received a positive reaction talking about his interest in gay culture.</p>
<p>“Before ‘I Am Michael’ he had already done a slew of gay-themed films. So before I ever met him or worked with him, I heard the conversation from within the gay community, which was typically very negative and skeptical. That he’s taking roles from gay actors, or what have you,” Kelly told The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>Franco, who has said he enjoys putting gay content in his films, stars in the upcoming “King Cobra,” a film about the 2007 murder of adult entertainment director Bryan Kocis.</p>
<p>Kelly says what Franco is doing isn’t hurting the gay community.</p>
<p>“But at this point I find myself being very defensive. Because honestly what he’s doing is more progressive and far more helpful to the gay community than—I’m going to put my foot in my mouth so I’m going to stop there,” Kelly continued.</p>
<p>Kelly also says Franco’s&#160;interest in making gay films isn’t calculated to earn gay fans.</p>
<p>“But for an actor of his caliber to say that he picks roles based on character and story, and sexuality is secondary, to keep playing gay characters, is a good thing. It’s wildly progressive. I don’t really understand [the conversation] because the whole point of what I feel like the gay community’s goal, to be quote-unquote ‘normal’ is having actors do what he does,” Kelly says.</p>
<p>“Even people will question his sexuality because he plays gay, it’s backwards to me. Why are you assuming that he’s gay because he keeps playing gay characters? And does that mean that gay actors can’t play straight characters? It goes both ways,” Kelly continued.</p>
<p>“King Cobra” also stars Keegan Allen, Garrett Clayton, Christian Slater and Molly Ringwald.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">James Franco</a> <a href="" type="internal">Justin Kelly</a> <a href="" type="internal">Keegan Allen</a> <a href="" type="internal">King Cobra</a> <a href="" type="internal">The Daily Beast</a></p> | ‘King Cobra’ director says James Franco isn’t gay-baiting fans | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2016/04/25/king-cobra-director-says-james-franco-isnt-gay-baiting/ | 3left-center
| ‘King Cobra’ director says James Franco isn’t gay-baiting fans
<p>(Screenshot via YouTube)</p>
<p>“King Cobra” director Justin Kelly doesn’t think James Franco is gay-baiting to help his career.</p>
<p>Franco has recently <a href="" type="internal">opened</a>up about his views on sexuality in his work and own life, calling himself “a little gay” speaking with New York magazine.</p>
<p>In an interview with <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/24/james-franco-s-gay-muse.html" type="external">The Daily Beast</a>, Kelly says Franco, who starred in “I Am Michael,” hasn’t received a positive reaction talking about his interest in gay culture.</p>
<p>“Before ‘I Am Michael’ he had already done a slew of gay-themed films. So before I ever met him or worked with him, I heard the conversation from within the gay community, which was typically very negative and skeptical. That he’s taking roles from gay actors, or what have you,” Kelly told The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>Franco, who has said he enjoys putting gay content in his films, stars in the upcoming “King Cobra,” a film about the 2007 murder of adult entertainment director Bryan Kocis.</p>
<p>Kelly says what Franco is doing isn’t hurting the gay community.</p>
<p>“But at this point I find myself being very defensive. Because honestly what he’s doing is more progressive and far more helpful to the gay community than—I’m going to put my foot in my mouth so I’m going to stop there,” Kelly continued.</p>
<p>Kelly also says Franco’s&#160;interest in making gay films isn’t calculated to earn gay fans.</p>
<p>“But for an actor of his caliber to say that he picks roles based on character and story, and sexuality is secondary, to keep playing gay characters, is a good thing. It’s wildly progressive. I don’t really understand [the conversation] because the whole point of what I feel like the gay community’s goal, to be quote-unquote ‘normal’ is having actors do what he does,” Kelly says.</p>
<p>“Even people will question his sexuality because he plays gay, it’s backwards to me. Why are you assuming that he’s gay because he keeps playing gay characters? And does that mean that gay actors can’t play straight characters? It goes both ways,” Kelly continued.</p>
<p>“King Cobra” also stars Keegan Allen, Garrett Clayton, Christian Slater and Molly Ringwald.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">James Franco</a> <a href="" type="internal">Justin Kelly</a> <a href="" type="internal">Keegan Allen</a> <a href="" type="internal">King Cobra</a> <a href="" type="internal">The Daily Beast</a></p> | 429 |
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<p>You’ve got to hand it to Finland: in its centennial year, the country enjoys “strong brand recognition” and “positive brand sentiment” — to use the kind of corporate-speak that’s in vogue with much of Finland’s contemporary political class.</p>
<p>Judging by the international news stories circulating on social media, our native country is&#160; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/books/review/nordic-theory-of-everything-anu-partanen.html" type="external">a veritable Shangri-La</a>. Its citizens&#160; <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/worlds-happiest-countries/finland0/" type="external">are</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.euronews.com/2015/07/02/finland-tops-european-countries-in-latest-happiness-survey" type="external">ecstatically</a>&#160; <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/16/travel/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations/" type="external">happy</a>&#160;— perhaps because we&#160;are a mysterious people&#160;“ <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/sports/hockey/finnish-soul-is-reflected-in-goalies.html" type="external">of quiet strength and pride</a>,” or because we’ve uncovered&#160;the “ <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/07/the-secret-to-finlands-success-with-schools-moms-kids-and-everything/277699/" type="external">Secret to Success With Schools, Moms, Kids .&#160;.&#160;.</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/bernie-sanders-nordic-countries/473385/" type="external">Everything</a>.” Finns&#160;aren’t just&#160; <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-17/sweden-gains-south-korea-reigns-as-world-s-most-innovative-economies" type="external">technologically</a>&#160;but&#160; <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/19/basic-income-finland-low-wages-fewer-jobs" type="external">socially</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/finland-basic-income-globalization_us_588155a0e4b096b4a230eea8" type="external">innovative</a>.&#160; <a href="http://bigthink.com/articles/the-universal-basic-income-why-finland-is-giving-away-free-money" type="external">Everyone</a>&#160;is&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/finland-universal-basic-income-trial-pilot-scheme-unemployed-stress-levels-reduced-a7724081.html" type="external">taken care of</a>,&#160; <a href="https://qz.com/895548/finlands-baby-boxes-are-making-their-debut-in-new-jersey-to-help-new-parents-and-prevent-sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids/" type="external">from</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2017/01/26/new_jersey_the_finland_of_the_eastern_seaboard_is_offering_baby_boxes_to.html" type="external">the cradle</a>&#160;to the grave, by a&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-38105231" type="external">friendly</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-17/santa-claus-preparing-for-christmas-at-finland-home/8129160" type="external">Santa Claus</a>&#160; <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/05/finlands-basic-income-experiment-is-already-making-people-feel-better-after-just-4-months" type="external">state</a>:&#160; <a href="http://www.collective-evolution.com/2017/04/04/finland-to-become-the-first-country-in-the-world-to-get-rid-of-all-school-subjects/" type="external">even as we speak</a>, Finland is&#160; <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/09/where-sixth-graders-run-their-own-city/498257/" type="external">pushing</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/10/the-joyful-illiterate-kindergartners-of-finland/408325/" type="external">the</a>&#160; <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/finnish-education-chief-we-created-a-school-system-based-on-equality/284427/" type="external">boundaries</a>&#160;of its&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-30146160" type="external">already</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/education-37716005" type="external">stellar</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-25131576" type="external">public education</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://time.com/4737956/universal-basic-income/" type="external">social</a>&#160; <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/02/news/economy/finland-universal-basic-income/" type="external">welfare</a>&#160; <a href="https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-05-06/finlands-guaranteed-basic-income-working-tackle-poverty" type="external">systems</a>. The country is&#160; <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/finnish-pm-offers-home-asylum-seekers-150905110149687.html" type="external">welcoming</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-31709454" type="external">egalitarian</a>, with free&#160; <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/internations-countries-with-the-best-quality-of-life-in-the-world-for-expats-2017-1" type="external">health care for all</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-31709454" type="external">high speeding tickets for millionaires</a>. It’s&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-31601739" type="external">inclusive</a> and&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03g0d35" type="external">progressive</a>; last in&#160; <a href="http://nordic.businessinsider.com/these-9-countries-are-the-best-in-the-world-at-fighting-corruption-2017-1/" type="external">corruption</a>, number one in&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27060533" type="external">homoerotic postage stamps</a>.</p>
<p>But here’s a more urgent story you aren’t likely to see: much of what once made Finland an exceptional place to live is being systematically dismantled. Finland should not be held up as a beacon of equality and progress. All the media hype and myths notwithstanding, there is no secret Nordic formula for social justice. The famed Finnish welfare state, while still much more generous than the US’s, mirrors the trajectory of other industrialized nations, from its advancement after World War II to its current erosion. And with the curtailment of the welfare state, political space is opening up for the far right.</p>
<p>So how did we get here?</p> | Finland, We Hardly Knew Ye | true | https://jacobinmag.com/2017/08/finland-welfare-state-true-finns-centennial | 2018-10-02 | 4left
| Finland, We Hardly Knew Ye
<p>You’ve got to hand it to Finland: in its centennial year, the country enjoys “strong brand recognition” and “positive brand sentiment” — to use the kind of corporate-speak that’s in vogue with much of Finland’s contemporary political class.</p>
<p>Judging by the international news stories circulating on social media, our native country is&#160; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/books/review/nordic-theory-of-everything-anu-partanen.html" type="external">a veritable Shangri-La</a>. Its citizens&#160; <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/worlds-happiest-countries/finland0/" type="external">are</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.euronews.com/2015/07/02/finland-tops-european-countries-in-latest-happiness-survey" type="external">ecstatically</a>&#160; <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/16/travel/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations/" type="external">happy</a>&#160;— perhaps because we&#160;are a mysterious people&#160;“ <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/sports/hockey/finnish-soul-is-reflected-in-goalies.html" type="external">of quiet strength and pride</a>,” or because we’ve uncovered&#160;the “ <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/07/the-secret-to-finlands-success-with-schools-moms-kids-and-everything/277699/" type="external">Secret to Success With Schools, Moms, Kids .&#160;.&#160;.</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/bernie-sanders-nordic-countries/473385/" type="external">Everything</a>.” Finns&#160;aren’t just&#160; <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-17/sweden-gains-south-korea-reigns-as-world-s-most-innovative-economies" type="external">technologically</a>&#160;but&#160; <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/19/basic-income-finland-low-wages-fewer-jobs" type="external">socially</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/finland-basic-income-globalization_us_588155a0e4b096b4a230eea8" type="external">innovative</a>.&#160; <a href="http://bigthink.com/articles/the-universal-basic-income-why-finland-is-giving-away-free-money" type="external">Everyone</a>&#160;is&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/finland-universal-basic-income-trial-pilot-scheme-unemployed-stress-levels-reduced-a7724081.html" type="external">taken care of</a>,&#160; <a href="https://qz.com/895548/finlands-baby-boxes-are-making-their-debut-in-new-jersey-to-help-new-parents-and-prevent-sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids/" type="external">from</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2017/01/26/new_jersey_the_finland_of_the_eastern_seaboard_is_offering_baby_boxes_to.html" type="external">the cradle</a>&#160;to the grave, by a&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-38105231" type="external">friendly</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-17/santa-claus-preparing-for-christmas-at-finland-home/8129160" type="external">Santa Claus</a>&#160; <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/05/finlands-basic-income-experiment-is-already-making-people-feel-better-after-just-4-months" type="external">state</a>:&#160; <a href="http://www.collective-evolution.com/2017/04/04/finland-to-become-the-first-country-in-the-world-to-get-rid-of-all-school-subjects/" type="external">even as we speak</a>, Finland is&#160; <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/09/where-sixth-graders-run-their-own-city/498257/" type="external">pushing</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/10/the-joyful-illiterate-kindergartners-of-finland/408325/" type="external">the</a>&#160; <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/finnish-education-chief-we-created-a-school-system-based-on-equality/284427/" type="external">boundaries</a>&#160;of its&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-30146160" type="external">already</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/education-37716005" type="external">stellar</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-25131576" type="external">public education</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://time.com/4737956/universal-basic-income/" type="external">social</a>&#160; <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/02/news/economy/finland-universal-basic-income/" type="external">welfare</a>&#160; <a href="https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-05-06/finlands-guaranteed-basic-income-working-tackle-poverty" type="external">systems</a>. The country is&#160; <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/finnish-pm-offers-home-asylum-seekers-150905110149687.html" type="external">welcoming</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-31709454" type="external">egalitarian</a>, with free&#160; <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/internations-countries-with-the-best-quality-of-life-in-the-world-for-expats-2017-1" type="external">health care for all</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-31709454" type="external">high speeding tickets for millionaires</a>. It’s&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-31601739" type="external">inclusive</a> and&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03g0d35" type="external">progressive</a>; last in&#160; <a href="http://nordic.businessinsider.com/these-9-countries-are-the-best-in-the-world-at-fighting-corruption-2017-1/" type="external">corruption</a>, number one in&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27060533" type="external">homoerotic postage stamps</a>.</p>
<p>But here’s a more urgent story you aren’t likely to see: much of what once made Finland an exceptional place to live is being systematically dismantled. Finland should not be held up as a beacon of equality and progress. All the media hype and myths notwithstanding, there is no secret Nordic formula for social justice. The famed Finnish welfare state, while still much more generous than the US’s, mirrors the trajectory of other industrialized nations, from its advancement after World War II to its current erosion. And with the curtailment of the welfare state, political space is opening up for the far right.</p>
<p>So how did we get here?</p> | 430 |
<p>TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ These New Jersey lotteries were drawn Sunday:</p>
<p>5 Card Cash</p>
<p>QD-KH-6D-8H-8S</p>
<p>(QD, KH, 6D, 8H, 8S)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $92 million</p>
<p>Pick 3</p>
<p>1-4-2, Fireball: 2</p>
<p>(one, four, two; Fireball: two)</p>
<p>Pick 4</p>
<p>7-5-8-7, Fireball: 2</p>
<p>(seven, five, eight, seven; Fireball: two)</p>
<p>Cash 5</p>
<p>02-11-13-29-33, Xtra: 2</p>
<p>(two, eleven, thirteen, twenty-nine, thirty-three; Xtra: two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $75,000</p>
<p>Midday Pick 3</p>
<p>2-9-4, Fireball: 7</p>
<p>(two, nine, four; Fireball: seven)</p>
<p>Midday Pick 4</p>
<p>6-9-1-1, Fireball: 7</p>
<p>(six, nine, one, one; Fireball: seven)</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $63 million</p>
<p>TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ These New Jersey lotteries were drawn Sunday:</p>
<p>5 Card Cash</p>
<p>QD-KH-6D-8H-8S</p>
<p>(QD, KH, 6D, 8H, 8S)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $92 million</p>
<p>Pick 3</p>
<p>1-4-2, Fireball: 2</p>
<p>(one, four, two; Fireball: two)</p>
<p>Pick 4</p>
<p>7-5-8-7, Fireball: 2</p>
<p>(seven, five, eight, seven; Fireball: two)</p>
<p>Cash 5</p>
<p>02-11-13-29-33, Xtra: 2</p>
<p>(two, eleven, thirteen, twenty-nine, thirty-three; Xtra: two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $75,000</p>
<p>Midday Pick 3</p>
<p>2-9-4, Fireball: 7</p>
<p>(two, nine, four; Fireball: seven)</p>
<p>Midday Pick 4</p>
<p>6-9-1-1, Fireball: 7</p>
<p>(six, nine, one, one; Fireball: seven)</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $63 million</p> | NJ Lottery | false | https://apnews.com/691f6350ba7349fd9dfb4930c39cbc76 | 2018-01-22 | 2least
| NJ Lottery
<p>TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ These New Jersey lotteries were drawn Sunday:</p>
<p>5 Card Cash</p>
<p>QD-KH-6D-8H-8S</p>
<p>(QD, KH, 6D, 8H, 8S)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $92 million</p>
<p>Pick 3</p>
<p>1-4-2, Fireball: 2</p>
<p>(one, four, two; Fireball: two)</p>
<p>Pick 4</p>
<p>7-5-8-7, Fireball: 2</p>
<p>(seven, five, eight, seven; Fireball: two)</p>
<p>Cash 5</p>
<p>02-11-13-29-33, Xtra: 2</p>
<p>(two, eleven, thirteen, twenty-nine, thirty-three; Xtra: two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $75,000</p>
<p>Midday Pick 3</p>
<p>2-9-4, Fireball: 7</p>
<p>(two, nine, four; Fireball: seven)</p>
<p>Midday Pick 4</p>
<p>6-9-1-1, Fireball: 7</p>
<p>(six, nine, one, one; Fireball: seven)</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $63 million</p>
<p>TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ These New Jersey lotteries were drawn Sunday:</p>
<p>5 Card Cash</p>
<p>QD-KH-6D-8H-8S</p>
<p>(QD, KH, 6D, 8H, 8S)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $92 million</p>
<p>Pick 3</p>
<p>1-4-2, Fireball: 2</p>
<p>(one, four, two; Fireball: two)</p>
<p>Pick 4</p>
<p>7-5-8-7, Fireball: 2</p>
<p>(seven, five, eight, seven; Fireball: two)</p>
<p>Cash 5</p>
<p>02-11-13-29-33, Xtra: 2</p>
<p>(two, eleven, thirteen, twenty-nine, thirty-three; Xtra: two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $75,000</p>
<p>Midday Pick 3</p>
<p>2-9-4, Fireball: 7</p>
<p>(two, nine, four; Fireball: seven)</p>
<p>Midday Pick 4</p>
<p>6-9-1-1, Fireball: 7</p>
<p>(six, nine, one, one; Fireball: seven)</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $63 million</p> | 431 |
<p>courtesy of American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal">The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity</a>, an astroturf <a href="http://www.cleancoalusa.org/about-us/members" type="external">front for a group</a> of big coal, railroads and power companies, is <a href="http://www.cleancoaltechnologyworks.org/" type="external">on tour</a> with a 42-foot “mobile classroom” bus. The bus is mostly traveling in coal communities throughout West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, wending its way through <a href="http://www.cleancoaltechnologyworks.org/" type="external">university campuses</a> and <a href="http://www.nbc29.com/story/13224842/clean-coal-campaign-stops-in-charlottesville" type="external">community gatherings</a>.</p>
<p>The bus features exhibits <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/americaspower" type="external">demonstrating</a>why coal is getting cleaner and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/americaspower#p/u/9/PTc9ScQbVJ4%20" type="external">reminds</a> the locals that moving towards clean coal preserves jobs. Scientific proof of coal’s cleanliness comes in the form of a video interview with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/americaspower#p/search/0/yliciJiaVIo%20" type="external">Dr. David Bayless</a>, director of the industry-sponsored <a href="http://www.ohio.edu/ohiocoal/links/partners.cfm%20" type="external">Ohio Coal Research Center</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>The bus isn’t the first of ACCCE’s educational campaigns. Last year, the coalition <a href="" type="internal">targeted kids with coloring books</a> that featured lumps of coal getting “clean” in the shower, and then <a href="" type="internal">ended the year</a> with little coal Christmas carolers.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | Hey, Kids! All Aboard the Clean Coal Bus! | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2010/10/big-coal-sponsors-clean-coal-bust-tour/ | 2010-10-07 | 4left
| Hey, Kids! All Aboard the Clean Coal Bus!
<p>courtesy of American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal">The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity</a>, an astroturf <a href="http://www.cleancoalusa.org/about-us/members" type="external">front for a group</a> of big coal, railroads and power companies, is <a href="http://www.cleancoaltechnologyworks.org/" type="external">on tour</a> with a 42-foot “mobile classroom” bus. The bus is mostly traveling in coal communities throughout West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, wending its way through <a href="http://www.cleancoaltechnologyworks.org/" type="external">university campuses</a> and <a href="http://www.nbc29.com/story/13224842/clean-coal-campaign-stops-in-charlottesville" type="external">community gatherings</a>.</p>
<p>The bus features exhibits <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/americaspower" type="external">demonstrating</a>why coal is getting cleaner and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/americaspower#p/u/9/PTc9ScQbVJ4%20" type="external">reminds</a> the locals that moving towards clean coal preserves jobs. Scientific proof of coal’s cleanliness comes in the form of a video interview with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/americaspower#p/search/0/yliciJiaVIo%20" type="external">Dr. David Bayless</a>, director of the industry-sponsored <a href="http://www.ohio.edu/ohiocoal/links/partners.cfm%20" type="external">Ohio Coal Research Center</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>The bus isn’t the first of ACCCE’s educational campaigns. Last year, the coalition <a href="" type="internal">targeted kids with coloring books</a> that featured lumps of coal getting “clean” in the shower, and then <a href="" type="internal">ended the year</a> with little coal Christmas carolers.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | 432 |
<p>Illustration: Stephen Savage</p>
<p />
<p>IN 1985, THE FORBES 400 were worth $221 billion combined. Today, they’re worth $1.13 trillion—more than the GDP of Canada.</p>
<p>THERE’VE BEEN FEW new additions to the Forbes 400. The median household income has also stagnated—at around $44,000.</p>
<p>AMONG THE FORBES 400 who gave to a 2004 presidential campaign, 72% gave to Bush.</p>
<p>IN 2005, there were 9 million American millionaires, a 62% increase since 2002.</p>
<p>IN 2005, 25.7 million Americans received food stamps, a 49% increase since 2000.</p>
<p>ONLY ESTATES worth more than $1.5 million are taxed. That’s less than 1% of all estates. Still, repealing the estate tax will cost the government at least $55 billion a year.</p>
<p>ONLY 3% OF STUDENTS at the top 146 colleges come from families in the bottom income quartile; only 10% come from the bottom half.</p>
<p>BUSH’S TAX CUTS GIVE a 2-child family earning $1 million an extra $86,722—or Harvard tuition, room, board, and an iMac G5 for both kids.</p>
<p>A 2-CHILD family earning $50,000 gets $2,050—or 1/5 the cost of public college for one kid.</p>
<p>THIS YEAR, Donald Trump will earn $1.5 million an hour to speak at Learning Annex seminars.</p>
<p>ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION, the federal minimum wage has fallen 42% since its peak in 1968.</p>
<p>IF THE $5.15 HOURLY minimum wage had risen at the same rate as CEO compensation since 1990, it would now stand at $23.03.</p>
<p>A MINIMUM WAGE employee who works 40 hours a week for 51 weeks a year goes home with $10,506 before taxes.</p>
<p>SUCH A WORKER would take 7,000 years to earn Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s yearly compensation.</p>
<p>ELLISON RECENTLY posed in Vanity Fair with his $300 million, 454-foot yacht, which he noted is “really only the size of a very large house.”</p>
<p />
<p>ONLY THE WEALTHIEST 20% of Americans spend more on entertainment than on health care.</p>
<p>THE $17,530 EARNED by the average Wal-Mart employee last year was $1,820 below the poverty line for a family of 4.</p>
<p>5 OF AMERICA’S 10 richest people are Wal-Mart heirs.</p>
<p>PUBLIC COMPANIES spend 10% of their earnings compensating their top 5 executives.</p>
<p>1,730 BOARD MEMBERS of the nation’s 1,000 leading companies sit on the boards of 4 or more other corporations—including half of Coca-Cola’s 14-person board.</p>
<p>THE BIDDER who won a round of golf with Tiger Woods for $30,100 at a 2004 Buick charity auction could deduct all but about $200.</p>
<p>TIGER MADE $87 million in 2005, all but $12 million from endorsements and appearance fees.</p>
<p>THE 5TH LEADING philanthropist last year was Boone Pickens, in part due to his $165 million gift to Oklahoma State University’s golf program.</p>
<p>WITHIN AN HOUR, OSU invested it in a hedge fund Pickens controls. Thanks to a Katrina relief provision, his “gift” was also 100% deductible.</p>
<p>LAST YEAR 250 COMPANIES gave top execs between $50,000 and $1 million worth of wholly personal flights on corporate jets.</p>
<p>THIS PERK is 66% more costly to companies whose CEO belongs to out-of-state golf clubs.</p>
<p />
<p>THE U.S. GOVERNMENT spends $500,000 on 8 security screeners who speed execs from a Wall Street helipad to American’s JFK terminal.</p>
<p>UNITED HAS CUT the pensions and salaries of most employees but promised 400 top executives 8% of the shares it expects to issue upon emerging from bankruptcy.</p>
<p>UNITED’S TOP 8 execs will also get a bonus of between 55% and 100% of their salaries.</p>
<p>IN 2002, “turnaround artist” Robert Miller dumped Bethlehem Steel’s pension obligation, allowing “vulture investor” Wilbur L. Ross to buy steel stock and sell it at a 1,000% profit.</p>
<p>IN 2005, DELPHI HIRED Miller for $4.5 million. After Ross said he might buy Delphi if its labor costs fell, Miller demanded wage cuts of up to 63% and dumped the pension obligation.</p>
<p>10 FORMER ENRON directors agreed to pay shareholders a $13 million settlement—which is 10% of what they made by dumping stock while lying about the company’s health.</p>
<p>POOR AMERICANS spend 1/4 of their income on residential energy costs.</p>
<p>EXXON’S 2005 PROFIT of $36.13 billion is more than the GDP of 2/3 of the world’s nations.</p>
<p>CEO PAY AMONG military contractors has tripled since 2001. For David Brooks, the CEO of bulletproof vest maker DHB, it’s risen 13,233%.</p>
<p>AT THE $10 MILLION bat mitzvah party Brooks threw his daughter last year, guests got $1,000 gift bags and listened to Aerosmith, Kenny G., Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, and 50 Cent—who reportedly sang, “Go shorty, it’s your bat mitzvah, we gonna party like it’s your bat mitzvah.”</p>
<p>FOR PERFORMING IN the Live 8 concerts to “make poverty history,” musicians each got gift bags worth up to $12,000.</p>
<p>OSCAR PERFORMERS and presenters collectively owe the IRS $1,250,000 on the gift bags they got at the 2006 Academy Awards ceremony.</p>
<p>A DOG FOOD COMPANY provided “pawdicures” and other spa treatments to pets of celebrities attending the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.</p>
<p>ONE OF MADONNA’S recent freebies: $10,000 mink and diamond-tipped false eyelashes.</p>
<p>PARIS HILTON, who charges clubs $200,000 to appear for 20 minutes, stiffed Elton John’s AIDS benefit the $2,500-per-plate fee she owed.</p>
<p>ACCORDING TO Radar magazine, Owen Wilson was paid $100,000 to attend a Mercedes-Benz-sponsored Hamptons polo match. When other guests tried to speak with him, he reportedly said, “That’s not my job.”</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Sources</a></p>
<p>See <a href="" type="internal">How the Poor Get Poorer</a>.</p>
<p /> | A Look at the Numbers: How the Rich Get Richer | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2006/05/look-numbers-how-rich-get-richer/ | 2018-05-01 | 4left
| A Look at the Numbers: How the Rich Get Richer
<p>Illustration: Stephen Savage</p>
<p />
<p>IN 1985, THE FORBES 400 were worth $221 billion combined. Today, they’re worth $1.13 trillion—more than the GDP of Canada.</p>
<p>THERE’VE BEEN FEW new additions to the Forbes 400. The median household income has also stagnated—at around $44,000.</p>
<p>AMONG THE FORBES 400 who gave to a 2004 presidential campaign, 72% gave to Bush.</p>
<p>IN 2005, there were 9 million American millionaires, a 62% increase since 2002.</p>
<p>IN 2005, 25.7 million Americans received food stamps, a 49% increase since 2000.</p>
<p>ONLY ESTATES worth more than $1.5 million are taxed. That’s less than 1% of all estates. Still, repealing the estate tax will cost the government at least $55 billion a year.</p>
<p>ONLY 3% OF STUDENTS at the top 146 colleges come from families in the bottom income quartile; only 10% come from the bottom half.</p>
<p>BUSH’S TAX CUTS GIVE a 2-child family earning $1 million an extra $86,722—or Harvard tuition, room, board, and an iMac G5 for both kids.</p>
<p>A 2-CHILD family earning $50,000 gets $2,050—or 1/5 the cost of public college for one kid.</p>
<p>THIS YEAR, Donald Trump will earn $1.5 million an hour to speak at Learning Annex seminars.</p>
<p>ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION, the federal minimum wage has fallen 42% since its peak in 1968.</p>
<p>IF THE $5.15 HOURLY minimum wage had risen at the same rate as CEO compensation since 1990, it would now stand at $23.03.</p>
<p>A MINIMUM WAGE employee who works 40 hours a week for 51 weeks a year goes home with $10,506 before taxes.</p>
<p>SUCH A WORKER would take 7,000 years to earn Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s yearly compensation.</p>
<p>ELLISON RECENTLY posed in Vanity Fair with his $300 million, 454-foot yacht, which he noted is “really only the size of a very large house.”</p>
<p />
<p>ONLY THE WEALTHIEST 20% of Americans spend more on entertainment than on health care.</p>
<p>THE $17,530 EARNED by the average Wal-Mart employee last year was $1,820 below the poverty line for a family of 4.</p>
<p>5 OF AMERICA’S 10 richest people are Wal-Mart heirs.</p>
<p>PUBLIC COMPANIES spend 10% of their earnings compensating their top 5 executives.</p>
<p>1,730 BOARD MEMBERS of the nation’s 1,000 leading companies sit on the boards of 4 or more other corporations—including half of Coca-Cola’s 14-person board.</p>
<p>THE BIDDER who won a round of golf with Tiger Woods for $30,100 at a 2004 Buick charity auction could deduct all but about $200.</p>
<p>TIGER MADE $87 million in 2005, all but $12 million from endorsements and appearance fees.</p>
<p>THE 5TH LEADING philanthropist last year was Boone Pickens, in part due to his $165 million gift to Oklahoma State University’s golf program.</p>
<p>WITHIN AN HOUR, OSU invested it in a hedge fund Pickens controls. Thanks to a Katrina relief provision, his “gift” was also 100% deductible.</p>
<p>LAST YEAR 250 COMPANIES gave top execs between $50,000 and $1 million worth of wholly personal flights on corporate jets.</p>
<p>THIS PERK is 66% more costly to companies whose CEO belongs to out-of-state golf clubs.</p>
<p />
<p>THE U.S. GOVERNMENT spends $500,000 on 8 security screeners who speed execs from a Wall Street helipad to American’s JFK terminal.</p>
<p>UNITED HAS CUT the pensions and salaries of most employees but promised 400 top executives 8% of the shares it expects to issue upon emerging from bankruptcy.</p>
<p>UNITED’S TOP 8 execs will also get a bonus of between 55% and 100% of their salaries.</p>
<p>IN 2002, “turnaround artist” Robert Miller dumped Bethlehem Steel’s pension obligation, allowing “vulture investor” Wilbur L. Ross to buy steel stock and sell it at a 1,000% profit.</p>
<p>IN 2005, DELPHI HIRED Miller for $4.5 million. After Ross said he might buy Delphi if its labor costs fell, Miller demanded wage cuts of up to 63% and dumped the pension obligation.</p>
<p>10 FORMER ENRON directors agreed to pay shareholders a $13 million settlement—which is 10% of what they made by dumping stock while lying about the company’s health.</p>
<p>POOR AMERICANS spend 1/4 of their income on residential energy costs.</p>
<p>EXXON’S 2005 PROFIT of $36.13 billion is more than the GDP of 2/3 of the world’s nations.</p>
<p>CEO PAY AMONG military contractors has tripled since 2001. For David Brooks, the CEO of bulletproof vest maker DHB, it’s risen 13,233%.</p>
<p>AT THE $10 MILLION bat mitzvah party Brooks threw his daughter last year, guests got $1,000 gift bags and listened to Aerosmith, Kenny G., Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, and 50 Cent—who reportedly sang, “Go shorty, it’s your bat mitzvah, we gonna party like it’s your bat mitzvah.”</p>
<p>FOR PERFORMING IN the Live 8 concerts to “make poverty history,” musicians each got gift bags worth up to $12,000.</p>
<p>OSCAR PERFORMERS and presenters collectively owe the IRS $1,250,000 on the gift bags they got at the 2006 Academy Awards ceremony.</p>
<p>A DOG FOOD COMPANY provided “pawdicures” and other spa treatments to pets of celebrities attending the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.</p>
<p>ONE OF MADONNA’S recent freebies: $10,000 mink and diamond-tipped false eyelashes.</p>
<p>PARIS HILTON, who charges clubs $200,000 to appear for 20 minutes, stiffed Elton John’s AIDS benefit the $2,500-per-plate fee she owed.</p>
<p>ACCORDING TO Radar magazine, Owen Wilson was paid $100,000 to attend a Mercedes-Benz-sponsored Hamptons polo match. When other guests tried to speak with him, he reportedly said, “That’s not my job.”</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Sources</a></p>
<p>See <a href="" type="internal">How the Poor Get Poorer</a>.</p>
<p /> | 433 |
<p>Many of America’s leaders in politics and other fields have forced themselves on women, their deeds often masked by a sanctimonious decorum. To Donald J. Trump goes the distinction of having been caught in verbal flagrante—bragging about his attacks on women as he bantered off-camera—so he thought—with an accommodating interviewer. Despite the chorus of victims who confirmed his boasts, Americans elected him president.</p>
<p>Males have lorded it over females for millennia. Men of every race, religion, and party have abused women.&#160; Now we &#160;like to think that moral standards have been raised.&#160; We take it for granted that gender exploitation is a violation of basic human rights.&#160; Accordingly, Democrats have pressed Senators John Conyers and Al Franken to leave the Senate under the shadow of gender-abuse scandals.</p>
<p>In sharp contrast, the Republican responses to scandal leave us uncertain who we really are.. Despite Roy Moore’s reputation as a pedophile, his Senate candidacy was backed by Trump and the Republican National Committee. Moore’s ambiguous denial of the charges (“I don’t remember… dating any girl without the permission of her mother.”) was supposed to exonerate him.&#160; Most Republicans in Congress (as well as the White House) demonstrated their readiness to jettison their vaunted principles to get one more yes vote (for a bill that, along with&#160; other cruelties, hurts women.)</p>
<p>As with Moore, so Trump: &#160;most Republicans appear deaf, dumb, and blind to the president’s predatory past, his use of office for his own profit-making, his peculiar links to Putin’s Russia, his attacks on the FBI and the U.S. intelligence community, and his various trespasses against the Constitution.</p>
<p>What explains Republican apathy to amoral or, rather, immoral behavior in high places? Is age a factor?&#160; Trump is 71; Moore, 70; The average age in the House is now 58 and the Senate 62.&#160; Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is 75; senior Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, &#160;67. (Speaker of House Paul Ryan is a spring chicken at 47.). Have older men abandoned their ideals—or has hypocrisy always ruled the day?</p>
<p>On the other hand, the distaff side of Congress is not resigned to male bullying. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (herself age 77) and many of the 89 women in the House and 21 in the Senate do care. Pelosi is one of many women who pressured Conyers and Franken to resign.</p>
<p>Republican attitudes toward gender abuse is part of a larger indifference to basic morality and to patriotic love of country. Here is their version of the Ten Commandments (quite different from the one Judge Moore claimed to revere):&#160; Greed more than age would explain this syndrome.</p>
<p>+ Jigger the tax system to reward donors to our party regardless the impact on national debt and collateral damage to health, welfare, and education. Subvert comprehensive medicine by removing any obligation to buy health insurance. Remove tax exemptions for graduate student tuition grants and university endowments, because most educated people oppose our policies. We don’t need experts to guide policy but Trump loyalists</p>
<p>+ Gut any restrictions on oil, coal, gas, and chemical industries.&#160; Tear down environmental protection rules that favor alternative energy or protect public lands and water&#160; (How many votes can Navajos, Sioux, Eskimos, and polar bears muster?) Ignore and throttle science that warns about global warming, pollution, or perils of nuclear war..</p>
<p>+ Knowledge: Denounce mainstream media as “fake news” because they often question our policies and the motives behind them. Tear down net neutrality and let the biggest companies rule the air waves. Remove Obama-era efforts to protect learners from for-profit colleges like the erstwhile Trump University. Support charter schools including the many that teach creationism and say nothing about pollution and global warming.</p>
<p>+ Raise walls against immigration—especially by Muslims, blacks, and Latinos. Get rid of DACA protections.&#160; Many of migrants, especially those with education, &#160;will support our political foes.</p>
<p>+ Back white supremacists and weaken “black lives matter” and other forms of protest by non-whites. Do not punish racist police actions or alt-right demonstrators.</p>
<p>+ Question the patriotism and honesty of any courts that rule against us.&#160; Appoint judges &#160;who share our “values.”</p>
<p>+ Tear down consumer, investor, and work-place protections; let free enterprise and the market do their thing.</p>
<p>+ “America First!”—material interests above “values.” &#160;Downplay our traditional alliances with democracies and work with strong, if authoritarian, partners such as Saudi Arabia and Russia,&#160; Downsize the State Department.&#160; Diplomats are superfluous: it’s the president who makes policy.</p>
<p>+ Degrade arms control restraints and transfer at least one trillion dollars to industry to modernize our strategic and other arms. Fight any restraint on gun sales at &#160;Legislate to permit carrying&#160; loaded weapons in every state.</p>
<p>+ Our all-encompassing rule is this: Never mind what might be good for the country and most of its people. Do whatever helps us retain and use power in Washington and across the country.</p>
<p>Walter C. Clemens is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Boston University and Associate, Harvard University Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. He wrote Complexity Science and World Affairs (SUNY Press, 2013) and North Korea and the World (University Press of Kentucky, 2016). &#160;</p>
<p>Stephen H. &#160;Advocate is &#160;a social psychologist &#160;in New Haven, CT.&#160;</p> | The Amoral Code of America’s Dirty Old Men | true | https://counterpunch.org/2017/12/15/the-amoral-code-of-americas-dirty-old-men/ | 2017-12-15 | 4left
| The Amoral Code of America’s Dirty Old Men
<p>Many of America’s leaders in politics and other fields have forced themselves on women, their deeds often masked by a sanctimonious decorum. To Donald J. Trump goes the distinction of having been caught in verbal flagrante—bragging about his attacks on women as he bantered off-camera—so he thought—with an accommodating interviewer. Despite the chorus of victims who confirmed his boasts, Americans elected him president.</p>
<p>Males have lorded it over females for millennia. Men of every race, religion, and party have abused women.&#160; Now we &#160;like to think that moral standards have been raised.&#160; We take it for granted that gender exploitation is a violation of basic human rights.&#160; Accordingly, Democrats have pressed Senators John Conyers and Al Franken to leave the Senate under the shadow of gender-abuse scandals.</p>
<p>In sharp contrast, the Republican responses to scandal leave us uncertain who we really are.. Despite Roy Moore’s reputation as a pedophile, his Senate candidacy was backed by Trump and the Republican National Committee. Moore’s ambiguous denial of the charges (“I don’t remember… dating any girl without the permission of her mother.”) was supposed to exonerate him.&#160; Most Republicans in Congress (as well as the White House) demonstrated their readiness to jettison their vaunted principles to get one more yes vote (for a bill that, along with&#160; other cruelties, hurts women.)</p>
<p>As with Moore, so Trump: &#160;most Republicans appear deaf, dumb, and blind to the president’s predatory past, his use of office for his own profit-making, his peculiar links to Putin’s Russia, his attacks on the FBI and the U.S. intelligence community, and his various trespasses against the Constitution.</p>
<p>What explains Republican apathy to amoral or, rather, immoral behavior in high places? Is age a factor?&#160; Trump is 71; Moore, 70; The average age in the House is now 58 and the Senate 62.&#160; Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is 75; senior Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, &#160;67. (Speaker of House Paul Ryan is a spring chicken at 47.). Have older men abandoned their ideals—or has hypocrisy always ruled the day?</p>
<p>On the other hand, the distaff side of Congress is not resigned to male bullying. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (herself age 77) and many of the 89 women in the House and 21 in the Senate do care. Pelosi is one of many women who pressured Conyers and Franken to resign.</p>
<p>Republican attitudes toward gender abuse is part of a larger indifference to basic morality and to patriotic love of country. Here is their version of the Ten Commandments (quite different from the one Judge Moore claimed to revere):&#160; Greed more than age would explain this syndrome.</p>
<p>+ Jigger the tax system to reward donors to our party regardless the impact on national debt and collateral damage to health, welfare, and education. Subvert comprehensive medicine by removing any obligation to buy health insurance. Remove tax exemptions for graduate student tuition grants and university endowments, because most educated people oppose our policies. We don’t need experts to guide policy but Trump loyalists</p>
<p>+ Gut any restrictions on oil, coal, gas, and chemical industries.&#160; Tear down environmental protection rules that favor alternative energy or protect public lands and water&#160; (How many votes can Navajos, Sioux, Eskimos, and polar bears muster?) Ignore and throttle science that warns about global warming, pollution, or perils of nuclear war..</p>
<p>+ Knowledge: Denounce mainstream media as “fake news” because they often question our policies and the motives behind them. Tear down net neutrality and let the biggest companies rule the air waves. Remove Obama-era efforts to protect learners from for-profit colleges like the erstwhile Trump University. Support charter schools including the many that teach creationism and say nothing about pollution and global warming.</p>
<p>+ Raise walls against immigration—especially by Muslims, blacks, and Latinos. Get rid of DACA protections.&#160; Many of migrants, especially those with education, &#160;will support our political foes.</p>
<p>+ Back white supremacists and weaken “black lives matter” and other forms of protest by non-whites. Do not punish racist police actions or alt-right demonstrators.</p>
<p>+ Question the patriotism and honesty of any courts that rule against us.&#160; Appoint judges &#160;who share our “values.”</p>
<p>+ Tear down consumer, investor, and work-place protections; let free enterprise and the market do their thing.</p>
<p>+ “America First!”—material interests above “values.” &#160;Downplay our traditional alliances with democracies and work with strong, if authoritarian, partners such as Saudi Arabia and Russia,&#160; Downsize the State Department.&#160; Diplomats are superfluous: it’s the president who makes policy.</p>
<p>+ Degrade arms control restraints and transfer at least one trillion dollars to industry to modernize our strategic and other arms. Fight any restraint on gun sales at &#160;Legislate to permit carrying&#160; loaded weapons in every state.</p>
<p>+ Our all-encompassing rule is this: Never mind what might be good for the country and most of its people. Do whatever helps us retain and use power in Washington and across the country.</p>
<p>Walter C. Clemens is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Boston University and Associate, Harvard University Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. He wrote Complexity Science and World Affairs (SUNY Press, 2013) and North Korea and the World (University Press of Kentucky, 2016). &#160;</p>
<p>Stephen H. &#160;Advocate is &#160;a social psychologist &#160;in New Haven, CT.&#160;</p> | 434 |
<p>No, you do not have a right to not be offended. Concomitantly, we need to stop using “offended” as a synonym for “structural harm” or “oppression” in everyday political discourse.&#160;</p>
<p>It has to be one of the most significant rhetorical own-goals of the Left since the 1960s: allowing the word “offend” to become the go-to way of describing the harms of prejudice. “This content offends me,” “your words are offensive,” “his conduct gave offence to x,” etc. What this has always facilitated is the commonplace reactionary response to such moral injunctions, defending some imagined noble right to give offense lardered with <a href="http://theshake.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/offended.jpg" type="external">smug Stephen Fry image macros</a>. Cue “free speech” arguments ad nauseam that resolve into garrulous nothingness.</p>
<p>We saw this play out in dramatic and unsettling fashion in <a href="" type="internal">the wake of the massacre</a> of many of Charlie Hebdo’s staff in Paris last month, where many rallied around the newspaper’s “offensive” tradition and stood tall on the graves of the fallen, pencils raised in the air to announce that “offensiveness” was the cornerstone of a free press and our shared right to free expression, crowding out discussion of how the French media can promote hateful&#160;stereotypes that deepen the country’s struggles with racism.</p>
<p>This word, “offense,” is the devil in every detail of every argument and it needs to go. To use it to describe acts of prejudice is to cede much of a hotly contested epistemic field to those only too happy to make the discussion entirely about speech rights rather than material harm.</p>
<p>Loathsome as such arguments are, they do contain a basic truth: there is no way to guarantee that one will never be offended, and individual offense ought not be the yardstick by which we measure civil rights and liberties. But then, virtually no one on the feminist or anti-racist Left has been calling for that in the first place. When we discuss being “offended” we are, more often than not, talking about people being hurt in material ways.</p>
<p>This is not to dismiss the importance of emotion, of course. There is a parallel problem with our culture worshipping at wanton offensiveness’ bonfire, which is that it can coarsen our discourse and cheapen the currency of offensiveness itself during those times when its barbs need to cut most deeply (such as when one is offending those in power). To acknowledge that it is impossible and even undesirable to control everyone’s feelings is not the same as arguing that offense is harmless, or that it should be done for its own sake, or that every offensive word and deed should be celebrated as some grand strike for Enlightenment values. There remains something pathetically immature and irresponsible about such ideas.</p>
<p>But we must distinguish this set of issues from the question of material harm. Being made to fear for your life is not the same as feeling hurt by speech. Losing your job as a result of stereotypes or harassment contained in speech is not the same as feeling personally offended by that speech. Being shot by the police because of ideas about your skin color transmitted through discourse is not the same as merely being offended by it. Being outed against your will is not the same as having your feelings hurt by it. It is the deeds that flow from words which concern us, and which cannot be contained by the concept of offensiveness.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>***</p>
<p>Part of the reason we are drowning in a discourse of offendedness has to do with the triumph of an individualist, un-structural reading of history in the wake of the 1960s civil rights movements which interpreted phenomena like racism as expressions of loud, individual derangement. To be a racist was to speak like Bull Connor, and thus in an offensive and hurtful register, rather than to be part of sustaining a system that gives those words power.</p>
<p>This is why, as a whole society, we only condemn racism vociferously when an individual like Donald Sterling says the n-word out loud, while&#160;Fox News can get away with “polite” race-baiting for ages because they studiously avoid “offensive” language. This ensures people apologize for “coarse language” rather than a hateful idea likely to cause violence. Similarly, in transphobic discourse, the T-word is often silent and therefore such speech is considered inherently less offensive and thus not prejudiced. This is the trap that orienting our discussion of oppression around “offense” leads us straight into.</p>
<p>“Offense” discourse encourages every fallacious false-equivalence under the sun. The idea that calling a white person a “cracker” is racist stems from this discourse; if “offense” is your only yardstick for measuring prejudice, then yes, surely hurting feelings with that word is racist. But in the real world actual racism is not about hurt feelings. It’s about being incarcerated, harassed, strip-searched, stalked, murdered, denied career advancement or an education, or being at risk of the foregoing and then having someone rub in one’s face the slurs and stereotypes that animate it all. Against all this, the psychic paper cut&#160;of “cracker” surely pales.</p>
<p>We respond to prejudice in pointillist fashion: this individual said something that hurt this other individual; therefore “offense” is the best way to describe that harm. But the reality is that when we talk about something like, say, misgendering a trans woman or using her old name in public, what is happening in those situations transcends the individual offense felt by the woman in question. That is part of her experience of the event, and part of the harm, but it is not in itself a political matter. What is political, in no uncertain terms, is the way such words and ideas are the spearpoint of&#160;violence against trans women, <a href="http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/06/03/watch-suspect-atlanta-beating-invokes-trans-panic-defense" type="external">used to justify it and all but ensure such crimes will be repeated</a>. That is what so many transphobes on the internet deliberately access when they employ transmisogynist hate speech, and that is what takes it above the level of mere offensiveness.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">So many of our slain sisters</a> died hearing their murderers misgender them; those who survive could, for instance, tell tales of angry men throwing bottles at them shouting “that’s a man!”</p>
<p>To speak of the offensiveness of the words alone does violence to understanding the full scope of what is actually happening in such cases and gives in to the inertia of abstract debate.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Last year in the wake of the Isla Vista shooting I wrote an essay entitled “ <a href="http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2014/05/28/words-become-bullets-elliot-rodger-patriarchal-id/" type="external">When Words Become Bullets</a>”&#160;to demonstrate how echo-chamber discourse metastasizes into very physical violence. Hurt feelings were not the primary crime committed by Eliot Rodger’s words; it was how he&#160;contributed to a culture of violent misogyny and racism that ultimately motivated him to take six lives that interested feminists. When we talk about the many excesses of online discourse, be it in online harassment, or in extremists like the men’s rights movement <a href="http://jezebel.com/a-man-is-making-bizarre-terrifying-youtube-videos-abou-1683221832" type="external">or GamerGate</a>, we are not primarily discussing how they hurt peoples’ feelings and asking for protection from that offense.&#160; <a href="http://www.bustle.com/articles/63466-im-brianna-wu-and-im-risking-my-life-standing-up-to-gamergate" type="external">We are discussing</a> how <a href="http://ohdeargodbees.tumblr.com/post/107838639074/august-never-ends" type="external">they destroy lives</a>.</p>
<p>Words and ideas shape and justify inflicting harm on marginal others; just as they impel men like Rodger or Anders Bering Brevik to murder, they also serve to inspire and justify campaigns of online harassment that can drive people from their homes, impose difficult working conditions on them, force them from jobs or other sources of income, and open them and their families up to physical violence — be it from people threatening to kill them directly, or through deceiving the police into swatting their target. The prejudicial ideas that make all this justifiable to the masses of perpetrators are not merely “offensive,” though in their shallow ignorance and painful stupidity they are most certainly that. They are outright dangerous to people’s well being. Ignoring that is what allows, for instance, a cadre of angry young gamers to pretend <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/224400/Gamers_dont_have_to_be_your_audience_Gamers_are_over.php" type="external">“Gamers are Over”</a> is a parallel prejudice to the ongoing harassment of women, queer people, and allies in the gaming world.</p>
<p>With that, let us retire “that’s offensive” from our discourse and start saying what we mean.</p> | “I find this offensive”: How “offense” discourse traps us into inaction | true | http://feministing.com/2015/02/12/i-find-this-offensive-how-offense-discourse-traps-us-into-inaction/ | 4left
| “I find this offensive”: How “offense” discourse traps us into inaction
<p>No, you do not have a right to not be offended. Concomitantly, we need to stop using “offended” as a synonym for “structural harm” or “oppression” in everyday political discourse.&#160;</p>
<p>It has to be one of the most significant rhetorical own-goals of the Left since the 1960s: allowing the word “offend” to become the go-to way of describing the harms of prejudice. “This content offends me,” “your words are offensive,” “his conduct gave offence to x,” etc. What this has always facilitated is the commonplace reactionary response to such moral injunctions, defending some imagined noble right to give offense lardered with <a href="http://theshake.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/offended.jpg" type="external">smug Stephen Fry image macros</a>. Cue “free speech” arguments ad nauseam that resolve into garrulous nothingness.</p>
<p>We saw this play out in dramatic and unsettling fashion in <a href="" type="internal">the wake of the massacre</a> of many of Charlie Hebdo’s staff in Paris last month, where many rallied around the newspaper’s “offensive” tradition and stood tall on the graves of the fallen, pencils raised in the air to announce that “offensiveness” was the cornerstone of a free press and our shared right to free expression, crowding out discussion of how the French media can promote hateful&#160;stereotypes that deepen the country’s struggles with racism.</p>
<p>This word, “offense,” is the devil in every detail of every argument and it needs to go. To use it to describe acts of prejudice is to cede much of a hotly contested epistemic field to those only too happy to make the discussion entirely about speech rights rather than material harm.</p>
<p>Loathsome as such arguments are, they do contain a basic truth: there is no way to guarantee that one will never be offended, and individual offense ought not be the yardstick by which we measure civil rights and liberties. But then, virtually no one on the feminist or anti-racist Left has been calling for that in the first place. When we discuss being “offended” we are, more often than not, talking about people being hurt in material ways.</p>
<p>This is not to dismiss the importance of emotion, of course. There is a parallel problem with our culture worshipping at wanton offensiveness’ bonfire, which is that it can coarsen our discourse and cheapen the currency of offensiveness itself during those times when its barbs need to cut most deeply (such as when one is offending those in power). To acknowledge that it is impossible and even undesirable to control everyone’s feelings is not the same as arguing that offense is harmless, or that it should be done for its own sake, or that every offensive word and deed should be celebrated as some grand strike for Enlightenment values. There remains something pathetically immature and irresponsible about such ideas.</p>
<p>But we must distinguish this set of issues from the question of material harm. Being made to fear for your life is not the same as feeling hurt by speech. Losing your job as a result of stereotypes or harassment contained in speech is not the same as feeling personally offended by that speech. Being shot by the police because of ideas about your skin color transmitted through discourse is not the same as merely being offended by it. Being outed against your will is not the same as having your feelings hurt by it. It is the deeds that flow from words which concern us, and which cannot be contained by the concept of offensiveness.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>***</p>
<p>Part of the reason we are drowning in a discourse of offendedness has to do with the triumph of an individualist, un-structural reading of history in the wake of the 1960s civil rights movements which interpreted phenomena like racism as expressions of loud, individual derangement. To be a racist was to speak like Bull Connor, and thus in an offensive and hurtful register, rather than to be part of sustaining a system that gives those words power.</p>
<p>This is why, as a whole society, we only condemn racism vociferously when an individual like Donald Sterling says the n-word out loud, while&#160;Fox News can get away with “polite” race-baiting for ages because they studiously avoid “offensive” language. This ensures people apologize for “coarse language” rather than a hateful idea likely to cause violence. Similarly, in transphobic discourse, the T-word is often silent and therefore such speech is considered inherently less offensive and thus not prejudiced. This is the trap that orienting our discussion of oppression around “offense” leads us straight into.</p>
<p>“Offense” discourse encourages every fallacious false-equivalence under the sun. The idea that calling a white person a “cracker” is racist stems from this discourse; if “offense” is your only yardstick for measuring prejudice, then yes, surely hurting feelings with that word is racist. But in the real world actual racism is not about hurt feelings. It’s about being incarcerated, harassed, strip-searched, stalked, murdered, denied career advancement or an education, or being at risk of the foregoing and then having someone rub in one’s face the slurs and stereotypes that animate it all. Against all this, the psychic paper cut&#160;of “cracker” surely pales.</p>
<p>We respond to prejudice in pointillist fashion: this individual said something that hurt this other individual; therefore “offense” is the best way to describe that harm. But the reality is that when we talk about something like, say, misgendering a trans woman or using her old name in public, what is happening in those situations transcends the individual offense felt by the woman in question. That is part of her experience of the event, and part of the harm, but it is not in itself a political matter. What is political, in no uncertain terms, is the way such words and ideas are the spearpoint of&#160;violence against trans women, <a href="http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/06/03/watch-suspect-atlanta-beating-invokes-trans-panic-defense" type="external">used to justify it and all but ensure such crimes will be repeated</a>. That is what so many transphobes on the internet deliberately access when they employ transmisogynist hate speech, and that is what takes it above the level of mere offensiveness.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">So many of our slain sisters</a> died hearing their murderers misgender them; those who survive could, for instance, tell tales of angry men throwing bottles at them shouting “that’s a man!”</p>
<p>To speak of the offensiveness of the words alone does violence to understanding the full scope of what is actually happening in such cases and gives in to the inertia of abstract debate.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Last year in the wake of the Isla Vista shooting I wrote an essay entitled “ <a href="http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2014/05/28/words-become-bullets-elliot-rodger-patriarchal-id/" type="external">When Words Become Bullets</a>”&#160;to demonstrate how echo-chamber discourse metastasizes into very physical violence. Hurt feelings were not the primary crime committed by Eliot Rodger’s words; it was how he&#160;contributed to a culture of violent misogyny and racism that ultimately motivated him to take six lives that interested feminists. When we talk about the many excesses of online discourse, be it in online harassment, or in extremists like the men’s rights movement <a href="http://jezebel.com/a-man-is-making-bizarre-terrifying-youtube-videos-abou-1683221832" type="external">or GamerGate</a>, we are not primarily discussing how they hurt peoples’ feelings and asking for protection from that offense.&#160; <a href="http://www.bustle.com/articles/63466-im-brianna-wu-and-im-risking-my-life-standing-up-to-gamergate" type="external">We are discussing</a> how <a href="http://ohdeargodbees.tumblr.com/post/107838639074/august-never-ends" type="external">they destroy lives</a>.</p>
<p>Words and ideas shape and justify inflicting harm on marginal others; just as they impel men like Rodger or Anders Bering Brevik to murder, they also serve to inspire and justify campaigns of online harassment that can drive people from their homes, impose difficult working conditions on them, force them from jobs or other sources of income, and open them and their families up to physical violence — be it from people threatening to kill them directly, or through deceiving the police into swatting their target. The prejudicial ideas that make all this justifiable to the masses of perpetrators are not merely “offensive,” though in their shallow ignorance and painful stupidity they are most certainly that. They are outright dangerous to people’s well being. Ignoring that is what allows, for instance, a cadre of angry young gamers to pretend <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/224400/Gamers_dont_have_to_be_your_audience_Gamers_are_over.php" type="external">“Gamers are Over”</a> is a parallel prejudice to the ongoing harassment of women, queer people, and allies in the gaming world.</p>
<p>With that, let us retire “that’s offensive” from our discourse and start saying what we mean.</p> | 435 |
|
<p>InterContinental Hotels Group PLC said Thursday that it is working with nonprofit organization The Humane League on a plan to source 100% cage-free eggs throughout operations in the U.S., Canada and Europe. This is part of a broader goal to source cage-free eggs across the globe by 2025. InterContinental brands include Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza. InterContinental shares are down 2.1% in early Thursday trading, but up 20.4% for the year to date. The S&amp;P 500 index is up 7.6% for 2016 so far.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2016 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | InterContinental Hotels To Source Cage-free Eggs By 2022 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/01/intercontinental-hotels-to-source-cage-free-eggs-by-2022.html | 2016-12-01 | 0right
| InterContinental Hotels To Source Cage-free Eggs By 2022
<p>InterContinental Hotels Group PLC said Thursday that it is working with nonprofit organization The Humane League on a plan to source 100% cage-free eggs throughout operations in the U.S., Canada and Europe. This is part of a broader goal to source cage-free eggs across the globe by 2025. InterContinental brands include Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza. InterContinental shares are down 2.1% in early Thursday trading, but up 20.4% for the year to date. The S&amp;P 500 index is up 7.6% for 2016 so far.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2016 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | 436 |
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<p>WASHINGTON — These should be heady times for the GOP as the nation’s governors prepare to gather for their winter meeting in Washington, D.C. Republicans hold 33 governorships, compared with just 16 for Democrats, and the GOP has full control of the legislatures in two-thirds of the states.</p>
<p>But there is a sense of unease for Republican governors in Democratic-leaning states. They criticize President Donald Trump gently, picking their spots to appease the Democratic and independent voters they need to remain in office. At the same time, they don’t want to alienate Trump supporters.</p>
<p>For some, the best strategy is to avoid mentioning Trump at all.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Democrats sense an opening ahead of the 2018 elections and are taking any opportunity to link Republican governors to the president. Republicans will be defending 27 of the 38 governorships up for election this year and next. Nine of the GOP governors are in states Hillary Clinton carried last year.</p>
<p>“I think what the Trump administration has done, it has really made every Republican governor out there — especially a moderate Republican governor in a Democratic state — it has made them very vulnerable,” said Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat and chairman of the National Governors Association.</p>
<p>Republican governors who face re-election next year in states that voted for Clinton are Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Larry Hogan of Maryland, Bruce Rauner of Illinois, Phil Scott of Vermont and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. Four other states that voted for Clinton have governors who will be forced out by term limits: Chris Christie in New Jersey; Paul LePage in Maine; Susana Martinez in New Mexico; and Brian Sandoval in Nevada.</p>
<p>Sandoval, vice chairman of the governors association, said he is comfortable being the face of moderate GOP governors across the country. He has urged caution on Trump’s pledges to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Sandoval said he believes he and other moderates can work productively with Trump and his Cabinet.</p>
<p>“We’re five weeks into the administration, so I think it’s really premature to start drawing conclusions now, with regard to what the implication could be in future elections,” he said.</p>
<p>Heading into the upcoming governors’ races, the Republican Governors’ Association is better-funded, having raised $60.7 million in 2016, compared with $39 million by the Democratic Governors’ Association. The RGA has tried to paint Democratic challengers as too liberal and out of touch with mainstream America.</p>
<p>This weekend’s bipartisan governors’ gathering includes an audience with Trump and leading Republicans in Congress. Governors of both parties are concerned with a full range of proposals that could affect state budgets, including possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, reforms to Medicaid, immigration enforcement and spending for infrastructure.</p>
<p>Republican governors in Democratic-leaning states are especially vulnerable if policies put forward by Trump and the GOP Congress are disruptive in the states.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Baker, a moderate with high approval ratings in a state politically dominated by Democrats, has distanced himself from Trump since early in the presidential campaign. He said he left his presidential ballot blank.</p>
<p>After the election, the Massachusetts governor promised to forge constructive ties between the state and the new administration. But he has not hesitated to criticize White House policies, including the travel ban aimed at seven majority-Muslim nations that sowed confusion in the U.S. and abroad. He publicly backed the state’s attorney general, a Democrat, when her office filed a lawsuit to block Trump’s action.</p>
<p>During the women’s march after the presidential inauguration, Baker was just blocks away as protesters flooded Boston Common. Defending his absence, he said he was working on time-sensitive matters and said it was not an intentional snub.</p>
<p>In Maryland, Hogan — who has enjoyed approval ratings higher than 70 percent — also said throughout the presidential campaign that he would not vote for Trump. On his presidential ballot, he wrote in the name of his father, a former congressman.</p>
<p>Since the president took office, he has continually sidestepped questions about Trump. Even in a friendly interview on a Baltimore rock radio station, he made clear he was weary of the subject.</p>
<p>“I’m focused on solving Maryland problems,” Hogan said. “I have 31 different policy proposals and a real agenda to turn our state around, and the only questions we get (are) ‘Why aren’t you protesting Donald Trump?’ and ‘Why didn’t you go to BWI (Airport) to do this or that?’ I don’t see that as my role.”</p>
<p>Democrats, who control the Legislature and enjoy a 2-to-1 advantage in voter registration, went against Hogan’s wishes when they voted to expand the attorney general’s powers in response to Trump. And they’re not nearly as shy about mentioning the president.</p>
<p>“The governor seems unwilling to stand up to Mr. Trump, and so that will fall to the Democrats,” state Sen. Jim Rosapepe said.</p>
<p>As with the other governors, Rauner in Illinois said he is focusing on his state — or at least he’s trying to. He went to great lengths not to stake a clear position on Trump during the campaign — refusing to comment on the race, who he was voting for or even to say Trump’s name. Since the election, he has continued to avoid taking a clear position on the administration’s policies.</p>
<p>His strategy is clearly intended to avoid alienating voters in Chicago, the suburbs and other urban areas who supported Hillary Clinton in November, or those in rural counties that went overwhelmingly for Trump. But avoidance also comes with some peril: Democrats, who control the Illinois Legislature, called the Republican governor cowardly for meeting with billionaire donors out of state while refugees were stranded at Chicago’s O’Hare airport after the president’s travel-banning executive order.</p>
<p>Rauner already has a slim margin for error after a two-year budget stalemate has tanked his approval ratings.</p>
<p>Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, senses a change after recent elections went overwhelmingly in the Republicans’ favor.</p>
<p>“Clearly, the wave was against Democrats in ’10 and it was against Democrats to some extent in ’14, but I suspect it’s going to be against Republicans just as strongly,” Malloy said. “Can you overcome that? Absolutely, you can overcome that, but you have to overcome that by separating yourself (from Trump).”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago, Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Bob Salsberg in Boston and Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland, contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APBenNuckols .</p> | Best tactic for some governors is to avoid mention of Trump | false | https://abqjournal.com/956537/trump-puts-moderate-gop-governors-in-awkward-spot.html | 2017-02-24 | 2least
| Best tactic for some governors is to avoid mention of Trump
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>WASHINGTON — These should be heady times for the GOP as the nation’s governors prepare to gather for their winter meeting in Washington, D.C. Republicans hold 33 governorships, compared with just 16 for Democrats, and the GOP has full control of the legislatures in two-thirds of the states.</p>
<p>But there is a sense of unease for Republican governors in Democratic-leaning states. They criticize President Donald Trump gently, picking their spots to appease the Democratic and independent voters they need to remain in office. At the same time, they don’t want to alienate Trump supporters.</p>
<p>For some, the best strategy is to avoid mentioning Trump at all.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Democrats sense an opening ahead of the 2018 elections and are taking any opportunity to link Republican governors to the president. Republicans will be defending 27 of the 38 governorships up for election this year and next. Nine of the GOP governors are in states Hillary Clinton carried last year.</p>
<p>“I think what the Trump administration has done, it has really made every Republican governor out there — especially a moderate Republican governor in a Democratic state — it has made them very vulnerable,” said Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat and chairman of the National Governors Association.</p>
<p>Republican governors who face re-election next year in states that voted for Clinton are Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Larry Hogan of Maryland, Bruce Rauner of Illinois, Phil Scott of Vermont and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. Four other states that voted for Clinton have governors who will be forced out by term limits: Chris Christie in New Jersey; Paul LePage in Maine; Susana Martinez in New Mexico; and Brian Sandoval in Nevada.</p>
<p>Sandoval, vice chairman of the governors association, said he is comfortable being the face of moderate GOP governors across the country. He has urged caution on Trump’s pledges to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Sandoval said he believes he and other moderates can work productively with Trump and his Cabinet.</p>
<p>“We’re five weeks into the administration, so I think it’s really premature to start drawing conclusions now, with regard to what the implication could be in future elections,” he said.</p>
<p>Heading into the upcoming governors’ races, the Republican Governors’ Association is better-funded, having raised $60.7 million in 2016, compared with $39 million by the Democratic Governors’ Association. The RGA has tried to paint Democratic challengers as too liberal and out of touch with mainstream America.</p>
<p>This weekend’s bipartisan governors’ gathering includes an audience with Trump and leading Republicans in Congress. Governors of both parties are concerned with a full range of proposals that could affect state budgets, including possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, reforms to Medicaid, immigration enforcement and spending for infrastructure.</p>
<p>Republican governors in Democratic-leaning states are especially vulnerable if policies put forward by Trump and the GOP Congress are disruptive in the states.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Baker, a moderate with high approval ratings in a state politically dominated by Democrats, has distanced himself from Trump since early in the presidential campaign. He said he left his presidential ballot blank.</p>
<p>After the election, the Massachusetts governor promised to forge constructive ties between the state and the new administration. But he has not hesitated to criticize White House policies, including the travel ban aimed at seven majority-Muslim nations that sowed confusion in the U.S. and abroad. He publicly backed the state’s attorney general, a Democrat, when her office filed a lawsuit to block Trump’s action.</p>
<p>During the women’s march after the presidential inauguration, Baker was just blocks away as protesters flooded Boston Common. Defending his absence, he said he was working on time-sensitive matters and said it was not an intentional snub.</p>
<p>In Maryland, Hogan — who has enjoyed approval ratings higher than 70 percent — also said throughout the presidential campaign that he would not vote for Trump. On his presidential ballot, he wrote in the name of his father, a former congressman.</p>
<p>Since the president took office, he has continually sidestepped questions about Trump. Even in a friendly interview on a Baltimore rock radio station, he made clear he was weary of the subject.</p>
<p>“I’m focused on solving Maryland problems,” Hogan said. “I have 31 different policy proposals and a real agenda to turn our state around, and the only questions we get (are) ‘Why aren’t you protesting Donald Trump?’ and ‘Why didn’t you go to BWI (Airport) to do this or that?’ I don’t see that as my role.”</p>
<p>Democrats, who control the Legislature and enjoy a 2-to-1 advantage in voter registration, went against Hogan’s wishes when they voted to expand the attorney general’s powers in response to Trump. And they’re not nearly as shy about mentioning the president.</p>
<p>“The governor seems unwilling to stand up to Mr. Trump, and so that will fall to the Democrats,” state Sen. Jim Rosapepe said.</p>
<p>As with the other governors, Rauner in Illinois said he is focusing on his state — or at least he’s trying to. He went to great lengths not to stake a clear position on Trump during the campaign — refusing to comment on the race, who he was voting for or even to say Trump’s name. Since the election, he has continued to avoid taking a clear position on the administration’s policies.</p>
<p>His strategy is clearly intended to avoid alienating voters in Chicago, the suburbs and other urban areas who supported Hillary Clinton in November, or those in rural counties that went overwhelmingly for Trump. But avoidance also comes with some peril: Democrats, who control the Illinois Legislature, called the Republican governor cowardly for meeting with billionaire donors out of state while refugees were stranded at Chicago’s O’Hare airport after the president’s travel-banning executive order.</p>
<p>Rauner already has a slim margin for error after a two-year budget stalemate has tanked his approval ratings.</p>
<p>Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, senses a change after recent elections went overwhelmingly in the Republicans’ favor.</p>
<p>“Clearly, the wave was against Democrats in ’10 and it was against Democrats to some extent in ’14, but I suspect it’s going to be against Republicans just as strongly,” Malloy said. “Can you overcome that? Absolutely, you can overcome that, but you have to overcome that by separating yourself (from Trump).”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago, Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Bob Salsberg in Boston and Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland, contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APBenNuckols .</p> | 437 |
<p>JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Towering over downtown Johannesburg is a huge cylindrical skyscraper, a red banner at its crown with one word printed in white, ‘Vodacom’—the name of the largest telecommunications company in South Africa. The tower reminds onlookers of the importance the telecommunications sector plays in this nation of 53 million citizens, where there are more active mobile SIM cards then there are people.</p>
<p>The dominance of mobile technology is hard to miss in South Africa. The country has one of the highest mobile subscriber penetrations in sub-Saharan Africa. Advertisements for companies like Vodacom litter the airwaves and online. In a city like Johannesburg, there are few residents who aren’t connected to the rest of the world through a cellphone.&#160;</p>
<p>For South Africans, having a cellphone means more than just socializing. It also means having a portal to access information and connect with health services.</p>
<p>Young Africa Live, a mobile platform designed to facilitate discussions among young South Africans on sex, relationships and HIV/AIDS, is just one example of a program geared to improving health outcomes using mobile technology in the country. The project has over 1.8 million users.&#160;</p>
<p>Young Africa Live is part of a broader global effort called ‘mHealth,’ which uses cell phones for projects ranging from monitoring stock supplies of medicine in rural areas to sending test results to health workers from labs. According to GSMA mHealth Tracker, a project launched by a London-based global telecommunications industry trade group, there are nearly 100 mHealth projects in South Africa—the country has one of the highest concentrations of mHealth projects in the world.</p>
<p>The key to understanding the popularity of these programs in South Africa, and elsewhere around the world in the health sector, is the changing social dynamics behind what is making them possible, said Ananya Raihan, executive director of Dnet, a non-profit organization in Bangladesh committed to tackling poverty through technological innovations. Raihan was in Johannesburg this month for a <a href="http://www.who.int/pmnch/about/governance/partnersforum/pf2014/en/index1.html" type="external">global conference</a> on maternal health. And while his work in the mHealth field is in Bangladesh, his perspective holds true for South Africa as well.&#160;</p>
<p>In Bangladesh, he said, the promise and spread of technology reach even the most remote villages, where people transport car batteries and use solar power to charge their phones. A smartphone can cost $65 USD, he said, which can be a whole months salary in Bangladesh. But people are willing to prioritize that purchase over other life necessities such as having food three times per day, he said.&#160;In the capital&#160;city, <a href="http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/05/31/36894" type="external">news reports</a> show that sales of smartphones have reached around&#160;40 percent in mobile phone shops.</p>
<p>Raihan said this kind of tradeoff happens in many countries across the global south, including South Africa. For this reason, the public health community has been aggressive in its effort to leverage mobile technology for health.&#160;</p>
<p>But just because people have phones and are connected to mHealth projects, it does not necessarily mean the health projects are effective. While reporting in Johannesburg, I’ve discovered that one of the primary issues facing the mHealth community is proving that the projects actually work and bringing them to scale.&#160;</p>
<p>Many mHealth projects boast of how many people have signed up for the program, but fall short in evidence on whether those people behind those numbers have had their health improve. One of the problems is that gathering evidence often takes long periods of time, according to Smisha Agarwal, an associate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In the case of mHealth, sometimes the technology advances at a quicker pace than researchers are able to study them. According to some people I spoke with, the projects are also not well-integrated into the broader health efforts across the country.&#160;</p>
<p>“There are so many initiatives and no coordination between them,” said Thembeka Gwagwa, general secretary of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, a national trade union. Local stakeholders, like her trade union, are often not consulted before projects are launched, she said.&#160;</p>
<p>Even some of the biggest proponents of the mHealth sector agree. Patricia Mechael, executive director of the mHealth Alliance, a coalition of organizations aimed at advancing mHealth programs around the world, told me that there are thousands of mHealth projects globally, but many of these fail, never reaching a point where they are brought to scale. To Mechael, who was also in town for the maternal health conference, working in the mHealth field "like flying and building a plane at the same time."&#160;</p>
<p>“MHealth is still such a new field that when you start to engage these programs at a larger scale, and integrate them with larger health systems, it’s not always clear from the outset what is going to work, how it is going to work and why it is going to work,” she said.&#160;</p>
<p>On one of my last days in the country, I spent the day with Sikhomzile Sibanda, a young mother of two who received text message support during her pregnancy and post-pregnancy through one of these mHealth projects, called MAMA. As we sat in Sibanda’s one-bedroom apartment she began reading to me some of the messages she had recently received.&#160;</p>
<p>“There is this one. It says: ‘Think about what to take with you when you give birth. You may need things like sanitary pads, pajamas, toiletries and clothes for the baby,’” she told me. “I like that one.”&#160;</p>
<p>Sibanda had her child seven weeks ago, and had brought all the recommended items to the hospital.&#160;</p>
<p>Gwagwa’s and Mechael’s words of caution linger in my mind. But in my two weeks of reporting here I’ve seen that mHealth, for the time being, is a way to reach mothers like Sibanda.&#160;</p>
<p>After spending an entire day with her, I saw that there were just a few things she kept glued to her side: her two sons and her cell phone, which she continuously wiped out of her pocket, checking for updates from family and friends. &#160;</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/global-pulse/texts-deliver-health-advice" type="external">Mother's helper? Text messages deliver health advice to South African women</a></p> | Mobile health unproven but not without potential in South Africa | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-08-04/mobile-health-unproven-not-without-potential-south-africa | 2014-08-04 | 3left-center
| Mobile health unproven but not without potential in South Africa
<p>JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Towering over downtown Johannesburg is a huge cylindrical skyscraper, a red banner at its crown with one word printed in white, ‘Vodacom’—the name of the largest telecommunications company in South Africa. The tower reminds onlookers of the importance the telecommunications sector plays in this nation of 53 million citizens, where there are more active mobile SIM cards then there are people.</p>
<p>The dominance of mobile technology is hard to miss in South Africa. The country has one of the highest mobile subscriber penetrations in sub-Saharan Africa. Advertisements for companies like Vodacom litter the airwaves and online. In a city like Johannesburg, there are few residents who aren’t connected to the rest of the world through a cellphone.&#160;</p>
<p>For South Africans, having a cellphone means more than just socializing. It also means having a portal to access information and connect with health services.</p>
<p>Young Africa Live, a mobile platform designed to facilitate discussions among young South Africans on sex, relationships and HIV/AIDS, is just one example of a program geared to improving health outcomes using mobile technology in the country. The project has over 1.8 million users.&#160;</p>
<p>Young Africa Live is part of a broader global effort called ‘mHealth,’ which uses cell phones for projects ranging from monitoring stock supplies of medicine in rural areas to sending test results to health workers from labs. According to GSMA mHealth Tracker, a project launched by a London-based global telecommunications industry trade group, there are nearly 100 mHealth projects in South Africa—the country has one of the highest concentrations of mHealth projects in the world.</p>
<p>The key to understanding the popularity of these programs in South Africa, and elsewhere around the world in the health sector, is the changing social dynamics behind what is making them possible, said Ananya Raihan, executive director of Dnet, a non-profit organization in Bangladesh committed to tackling poverty through technological innovations. Raihan was in Johannesburg this month for a <a href="http://www.who.int/pmnch/about/governance/partnersforum/pf2014/en/index1.html" type="external">global conference</a> on maternal health. And while his work in the mHealth field is in Bangladesh, his perspective holds true for South Africa as well.&#160;</p>
<p>In Bangladesh, he said, the promise and spread of technology reach even the most remote villages, where people transport car batteries and use solar power to charge their phones. A smartphone can cost $65 USD, he said, which can be a whole months salary in Bangladesh. But people are willing to prioritize that purchase over other life necessities such as having food three times per day, he said.&#160;In the capital&#160;city, <a href="http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/05/31/36894" type="external">news reports</a> show that sales of smartphones have reached around&#160;40 percent in mobile phone shops.</p>
<p>Raihan said this kind of tradeoff happens in many countries across the global south, including South Africa. For this reason, the public health community has been aggressive in its effort to leverage mobile technology for health.&#160;</p>
<p>But just because people have phones and are connected to mHealth projects, it does not necessarily mean the health projects are effective. While reporting in Johannesburg, I’ve discovered that one of the primary issues facing the mHealth community is proving that the projects actually work and bringing them to scale.&#160;</p>
<p>Many mHealth projects boast of how many people have signed up for the program, but fall short in evidence on whether those people behind those numbers have had their health improve. One of the problems is that gathering evidence often takes long periods of time, according to Smisha Agarwal, an associate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In the case of mHealth, sometimes the technology advances at a quicker pace than researchers are able to study them. According to some people I spoke with, the projects are also not well-integrated into the broader health efforts across the country.&#160;</p>
<p>“There are so many initiatives and no coordination between them,” said Thembeka Gwagwa, general secretary of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, a national trade union. Local stakeholders, like her trade union, are often not consulted before projects are launched, she said.&#160;</p>
<p>Even some of the biggest proponents of the mHealth sector agree. Patricia Mechael, executive director of the mHealth Alliance, a coalition of organizations aimed at advancing mHealth programs around the world, told me that there are thousands of mHealth projects globally, but many of these fail, never reaching a point where they are brought to scale. To Mechael, who was also in town for the maternal health conference, working in the mHealth field "like flying and building a plane at the same time."&#160;</p>
<p>“MHealth is still such a new field that when you start to engage these programs at a larger scale, and integrate them with larger health systems, it’s not always clear from the outset what is going to work, how it is going to work and why it is going to work,” she said.&#160;</p>
<p>On one of my last days in the country, I spent the day with Sikhomzile Sibanda, a young mother of two who received text message support during her pregnancy and post-pregnancy through one of these mHealth projects, called MAMA. As we sat in Sibanda’s one-bedroom apartment she began reading to me some of the messages she had recently received.&#160;</p>
<p>“There is this one. It says: ‘Think about what to take with you when you give birth. You may need things like sanitary pads, pajamas, toiletries and clothes for the baby,’” she told me. “I like that one.”&#160;</p>
<p>Sibanda had her child seven weeks ago, and had brought all the recommended items to the hospital.&#160;</p>
<p>Gwagwa’s and Mechael’s words of caution linger in my mind. But in my two weeks of reporting here I’ve seen that mHealth, for the time being, is a way to reach mothers like Sibanda.&#160;</p>
<p>After spending an entire day with her, I saw that there were just a few things she kept glued to her side: her two sons and her cell phone, which she continuously wiped out of her pocket, checking for updates from family and friends. &#160;</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/global-pulse/texts-deliver-health-advice" type="external">Mother's helper? Text messages deliver health advice to South African women</a></p> | 438 |
<p>Jan. 25 (UPI) -- First lady <a href="" type="internal">Melania Trump</a> visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., on Thursday after canceling a trip to Davos with the president.</p>
<p>Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/956564285274181633" type="external">shared photos</a> of herself at the museum during the trip, which was arranged to honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Saturday.</p>
<p />
<p>"Thank you Holocaust Museum for a powerful and moving tour that honors the millions of innocent lives lost, and educates us on the tragedies and effects of the Holocaust," she wrote on Twitter.</p>
<p>Trump was not accompanied by media and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2018/01/25/first-lady-melania-trump-skips-davos-goes-holocaust-memorial-washington/1065391001/" type="external">issued a statement</a> saying she wished to pay respect to the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust and to the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.</p>
<p>"My thoughts and prayers are with the people whose lives and families were broken by the horrors of the Holocaust," she said. "Yet it is also through our shared humanity that we come together now in commemoration, strength, and love. My heart is with you, and we remember."</p>
<p>Trump <a href="http://people.com/politics/melania-trump-holocaust-museum-canceling-davos-trip/" type="external">took a tour of the museum</a>, participated in a moment of silence at the eternal flame in the Hall of Remembrance and lit a candle at the museum's prayer wall.</p>
<p>She was originally scheduled to accompany her husband President <a href="" type="internal">Donald Trump</a> on his trip to Davos Switzerland for the World Economic Forum but <a href="" type="internal">canceled the trip</a> on Tuesday, citing scheduling and logistical problems.</p>
<p>The president arrived in Davos Thursday, where he <a href="" type="internal">criticized Palestinian leaders</a> after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister <a href="" type="internal">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>.</p> | Melania Trump visits Washington Holocaust Memorial Museum | false | https://upi.com/Top_News/US/2018/01/25/Melania-Trump-visits-Washington-Holocaust-Memorial-Museum/2441516914327/ | 2least
| Melania Trump visits Washington Holocaust Memorial Museum
<p>Jan. 25 (UPI) -- First lady <a href="" type="internal">Melania Trump</a> visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., on Thursday after canceling a trip to Davos with the president.</p>
<p>Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/956564285274181633" type="external">shared photos</a> of herself at the museum during the trip, which was arranged to honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Saturday.</p>
<p />
<p>"Thank you Holocaust Museum for a powerful and moving tour that honors the millions of innocent lives lost, and educates us on the tragedies and effects of the Holocaust," she wrote on Twitter.</p>
<p>Trump was not accompanied by media and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2018/01/25/first-lady-melania-trump-skips-davos-goes-holocaust-memorial-washington/1065391001/" type="external">issued a statement</a> saying she wished to pay respect to the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust and to the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.</p>
<p>"My thoughts and prayers are with the people whose lives and families were broken by the horrors of the Holocaust," she said. "Yet it is also through our shared humanity that we come together now in commemoration, strength, and love. My heart is with you, and we remember."</p>
<p>Trump <a href="http://people.com/politics/melania-trump-holocaust-museum-canceling-davos-trip/" type="external">took a tour of the museum</a>, participated in a moment of silence at the eternal flame in the Hall of Remembrance and lit a candle at the museum's prayer wall.</p>
<p>She was originally scheduled to accompany her husband President <a href="" type="internal">Donald Trump</a> on his trip to Davos Switzerland for the World Economic Forum but <a href="" type="internal">canceled the trip</a> on Tuesday, citing scheduling and logistical problems.</p>
<p>The president arrived in Davos Thursday, where he <a href="" type="internal">criticized Palestinian leaders</a> after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister <a href="" type="internal">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>.</p> | 439 |
|
<p>GO ASK ALEX by Jeffrey St. Clair; COCKBURN’S PROMONTORY by Peter Linebaugh; RIDICULING THE CELEBRATED; CELEBRATING THE RIDICULED by Frank Bardacke; ON SOCIALISM, CAPITALISM AND PEOPLE’S LIVES by Robert Pollin; DINER WITH ALEX AND GORE VIDAL by Ben Tripp; GATHERER OF WORLDS by JoAnn Wypijewski; CONNOISSEUR OF TRAILING EDGE TECHNOLOGY by Pierre Sprey; ALEX THE PHILOSOPHER by Michael Neumann; AN AUDACIOUS MAN by Rep. Dennis Kucinich; ALEX GOES CAMPING by Doug Peacock; A GREAT AMERICAN by Paul Craig Roberts; PARTISAN OF THE WORKING CLASS by Jack Heyman; TROPICAL UTOPIAS by Susanna Hecht; AN INDIAN ADVENTURE by P. Sainath; SATANIC SEX PANIC by Debbie Nathan and Michael Snedecker; JOY IN THE MORNING by Daisy Cockburn; and many more…</p> | SPECIAL 32-PAGE TRIBUTE ISSUE FOR ALEXANDER COCKBURN | true | https://counterpunch.org/2012/09/12/special-32-page-tribute-issue-for-alexander-cockburn/ | 2012-09-12 | 4left
| SPECIAL 32-PAGE TRIBUTE ISSUE FOR ALEXANDER COCKBURN
<p>GO ASK ALEX by Jeffrey St. Clair; COCKBURN’S PROMONTORY by Peter Linebaugh; RIDICULING THE CELEBRATED; CELEBRATING THE RIDICULED by Frank Bardacke; ON SOCIALISM, CAPITALISM AND PEOPLE’S LIVES by Robert Pollin; DINER WITH ALEX AND GORE VIDAL by Ben Tripp; GATHERER OF WORLDS by JoAnn Wypijewski; CONNOISSEUR OF TRAILING EDGE TECHNOLOGY by Pierre Sprey; ALEX THE PHILOSOPHER by Michael Neumann; AN AUDACIOUS MAN by Rep. Dennis Kucinich; ALEX GOES CAMPING by Doug Peacock; A GREAT AMERICAN by Paul Craig Roberts; PARTISAN OF THE WORKING CLASS by Jack Heyman; TROPICAL UTOPIAS by Susanna Hecht; AN INDIAN ADVENTURE by P. Sainath; SATANIC SEX PANIC by Debbie Nathan and Michael Snedecker; JOY IN THE MORNING by Daisy Cockburn; and many more…</p> | 440 |
<p>OK, here we go: <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/11/05/ask-the-blogger-how-about-that-election.html" type="external">the prediction column</a>. Yes, I am predicting that <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/11/05/much-of-the-media-is-calling-the-presidential-race-for-barack-obama.html" type="external">Barack Obama will win</a>, but since I need to get a whole column out of this, let me build slowly and methodically toward the dramatic conclusion.</p>
<p>First, let me start with this somewhat astonishing (I think) observation. The numbers I’m about to give you? I could have given you this exact same Electoral College prediction in June. Or March. Or January. Or probably even last year. For all the twists and turns, all the debates, all the news developments expected and unexpected, the basic math of this election hasn’t changed barely a whit to my eye. It was always close and still is. The electoral map always favored Obama and still does. It’s almost as if we could have had this election months ago, sparing the nation billions of dollars and a lot of agita.</p>
<p>Another point I want to make before starting. It’s worth bearing in mind in several cases, as I show below, that Obama won by some pretty big margins in some important states in 2008, so he can afford drop-offs of 7 or 8 percent in some states, or at least 5 percent, and still win them. You might want to look back over some of those 2008 margins before you settle into your easy chair tonight.</p>
<p>Now, I <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/11/03/the-states-that-matter.html" type="external">begin with the states</a> that are automatic Democratic states—states where neither candidate is even contesting matters. Those states add up to 201 electoral votes (yes, George Will, this includes Minnesota).</p>
<p>Then let’s take three states that are being contested this time but have been voting Democratic at least since Bill Clinton. These are Pennsylvania (Democratic since 1992), Michigan (also since 1992), and Wisconsin (since 1988). Some Republicans are hoping to snare at least one of these states.</p>
<p>Are these states really in play? Granting that nobody knows anything until the votes are counted, I’d have to say it’s highly unlikely. States that have been voting one way for nearly a generation could flip from this column to that. But generally speaking they do so only in a real wave election. This is not a wave election, or at least it certainly doesn’t feel and smell like it is. There is no strong momentum right now in one direction or the other. This race now is just two big lumbering dinosaurs pushing against each other.</p>
<p>Now, if unemployment were still 9 percent and the most recent jobs number was 50,000, then I could totally see it. It would be a wave election, and that wave would sweep Obama away. There’s no question that these states will be a lot closer this time—in 2008, Obama won Michigan by more than 16 points, Wisconsin by around 14, and Pennsylvania by 10. We’re more likely looking at margins of less than half those. They may all be within five points. But it doesn’t smell like we’re in an election that actually shifts them.</p>
<p>So put these two categories, the automatic and the pretty strong leaners, together. They lift Obama to 247.</p>
<p>Romney’s automatic total is 191. Then I guess we throw him North Carolina. I actually don’t believe it’s at all insane to think Obama could pull an upset there. All depends on turnout. But the Democratic Party in the state is in pretty weak condition right now. I’m being a tad generous here since many polls show this within the margin of error, but generous is the kind of guy I am, as you well know, so I’ll put Romney’s automatic plus lean total at 206.</p>
<p>That leaves seven states that combine to 85 electoral votes: Florida (29), Ohio (18), Virginia (13), Colorado (9), Iowa (6), Nevada (6), and New Hampshire (4). These are where the game will be decided. From the math, you can see that Obama needs just 23 of these 85, while Romney needs 64 of them.</p>
<p>Let’s start with the easier ones. It appears from most of what I’m seeing that Nevada is banked in Obama’s column, and that Iowa is close to banked. So that gets Obama up to 259, just 11 electoral votes away.</p>
<p>I will give Florida to Romney. It’s totally up in the air, I think, and could go either way. But until it’s proven otherwise, I say that the weight of most polls is probably pretty accurate, and the aggregate of Florida polls seems to me to lean very slightly toward Romney. So that gets him to 235. Four states to go.</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p>I’ll toss New Hampshire into Obama’s column. It’s not so different from Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, except that it did go for George W. Bush in 2000. Again, I look at 2008 margins. Obama won it by 10 percent, so he has a cushion here as well. Polls suggests he should be able to eke out a win of three points or so. That’s four more EVs, or 263.</p>
<p>We are left with Colorado, Virginia, and Ohio. I’m going to give Colorado to Romney by a very slim margin. Obama has tended to lead there, but I’m just going to do it, for two reasons. First, I think Colorado swing voters are probably a little more libertarian than Eastern swing voters, which means a few more Romney votes from them. Second, I just don’t think Obama has quite enough momentum that everything is going to tumble his way. That gets Romney to 244.</p>
<p>And that’s where he stops. Obama takes Ohio and Virginia. In Ohio, I think he’s pretty clearly ahead. It’s what the polls say. Virginia is more mixed, but it’s my hunch.</p>
<p>So: Obama 294, Romney 244. No Floridas, no hanging chads, no Supreme Courts. A lot of states will be close, but I think it will be clear enough. Popular vote will be Obama by maybe 1.8 percent, something a shade under 2 percent.</p>
<p>Mind you I lowballed Obama in 2008, for whatever that’s worth. I didn’t give him North Carolina or Indiana, so I have a history of humility on these matters, you could say.</p>
<p>You can watch my Guardian video of my 2008 prediction <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2008/nov/03/uselections2008-obama-mccain-electoral-tomasky" type="external">here</a>. And <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/video/2011/apr/29/us-elections-2012-republicans" type="external">here</a> you can watch my predictions about the 2012 race that were made in April 2011, when I left the Guardian and came to the Beast. This was my last Guardian video. In it, I said Obama would win reelection with “just above” 300 electoral votes, which will end up being right if he wins Colorado. I confess that I also said the GOP ticket would be Tim Pawlenty and Marco Rubio. Win some, lose some.</p>
<p>You can look at the <a href="http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html" type="external">2008 results here</a>, and so you can come up with your own results <a href="http://270towin.com" type="external">here</a>. And post them below, please. If I’m going to be held to account, you people should be too.</p> | Michael Tomasky Makes His Election 2012 Predictions | true | https://thedailybeast.com/michael-tomasky-makes-his-election-2012-predictions | 2018-10-06 | 4left
| Michael Tomasky Makes His Election 2012 Predictions
<p>OK, here we go: <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/11/05/ask-the-blogger-how-about-that-election.html" type="external">the prediction column</a>. Yes, I am predicting that <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/11/05/much-of-the-media-is-calling-the-presidential-race-for-barack-obama.html" type="external">Barack Obama will win</a>, but since I need to get a whole column out of this, let me build slowly and methodically toward the dramatic conclusion.</p>
<p>First, let me start with this somewhat astonishing (I think) observation. The numbers I’m about to give you? I could have given you this exact same Electoral College prediction in June. Or March. Or January. Or probably even last year. For all the twists and turns, all the debates, all the news developments expected and unexpected, the basic math of this election hasn’t changed barely a whit to my eye. It was always close and still is. The electoral map always favored Obama and still does. It’s almost as if we could have had this election months ago, sparing the nation billions of dollars and a lot of agita.</p>
<p>Another point I want to make before starting. It’s worth bearing in mind in several cases, as I show below, that Obama won by some pretty big margins in some important states in 2008, so he can afford drop-offs of 7 or 8 percent in some states, or at least 5 percent, and still win them. You might want to look back over some of those 2008 margins before you settle into your easy chair tonight.</p>
<p>Now, I <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/11/03/the-states-that-matter.html" type="external">begin with the states</a> that are automatic Democratic states—states where neither candidate is even contesting matters. Those states add up to 201 electoral votes (yes, George Will, this includes Minnesota).</p>
<p>Then let’s take three states that are being contested this time but have been voting Democratic at least since Bill Clinton. These are Pennsylvania (Democratic since 1992), Michigan (also since 1992), and Wisconsin (since 1988). Some Republicans are hoping to snare at least one of these states.</p>
<p>Are these states really in play? Granting that nobody knows anything until the votes are counted, I’d have to say it’s highly unlikely. States that have been voting one way for nearly a generation could flip from this column to that. But generally speaking they do so only in a real wave election. This is not a wave election, or at least it certainly doesn’t feel and smell like it is. There is no strong momentum right now in one direction or the other. This race now is just two big lumbering dinosaurs pushing against each other.</p>
<p>Now, if unemployment were still 9 percent and the most recent jobs number was 50,000, then I could totally see it. It would be a wave election, and that wave would sweep Obama away. There’s no question that these states will be a lot closer this time—in 2008, Obama won Michigan by more than 16 points, Wisconsin by around 14, and Pennsylvania by 10. We’re more likely looking at margins of less than half those. They may all be within five points. But it doesn’t smell like we’re in an election that actually shifts them.</p>
<p>So put these two categories, the automatic and the pretty strong leaners, together. They lift Obama to 247.</p>
<p>Romney’s automatic total is 191. Then I guess we throw him North Carolina. I actually don’t believe it’s at all insane to think Obama could pull an upset there. All depends on turnout. But the Democratic Party in the state is in pretty weak condition right now. I’m being a tad generous here since many polls show this within the margin of error, but generous is the kind of guy I am, as you well know, so I’ll put Romney’s automatic plus lean total at 206.</p>
<p>That leaves seven states that combine to 85 electoral votes: Florida (29), Ohio (18), Virginia (13), Colorado (9), Iowa (6), Nevada (6), and New Hampshire (4). These are where the game will be decided. From the math, you can see that Obama needs just 23 of these 85, while Romney needs 64 of them.</p>
<p>Let’s start with the easier ones. It appears from most of what I’m seeing that Nevada is banked in Obama’s column, and that Iowa is close to banked. So that gets Obama up to 259, just 11 electoral votes away.</p>
<p>I will give Florida to Romney. It’s totally up in the air, I think, and could go either way. But until it’s proven otherwise, I say that the weight of most polls is probably pretty accurate, and the aggregate of Florida polls seems to me to lean very slightly toward Romney. So that gets him to 235. Four states to go.</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p>I’ll toss New Hampshire into Obama’s column. It’s not so different from Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, except that it did go for George W. Bush in 2000. Again, I look at 2008 margins. Obama won it by 10 percent, so he has a cushion here as well. Polls suggests he should be able to eke out a win of three points or so. That’s four more EVs, or 263.</p>
<p>We are left with Colorado, Virginia, and Ohio. I’m going to give Colorado to Romney by a very slim margin. Obama has tended to lead there, but I’m just going to do it, for two reasons. First, I think Colorado swing voters are probably a little more libertarian than Eastern swing voters, which means a few more Romney votes from them. Second, I just don’t think Obama has quite enough momentum that everything is going to tumble his way. That gets Romney to 244.</p>
<p>And that’s where he stops. Obama takes Ohio and Virginia. In Ohio, I think he’s pretty clearly ahead. It’s what the polls say. Virginia is more mixed, but it’s my hunch.</p>
<p>So: Obama 294, Romney 244. No Floridas, no hanging chads, no Supreme Courts. A lot of states will be close, but I think it will be clear enough. Popular vote will be Obama by maybe 1.8 percent, something a shade under 2 percent.</p>
<p>Mind you I lowballed Obama in 2008, for whatever that’s worth. I didn’t give him North Carolina or Indiana, so I have a history of humility on these matters, you could say.</p>
<p>You can watch my Guardian video of my 2008 prediction <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2008/nov/03/uselections2008-obama-mccain-electoral-tomasky" type="external">here</a>. And <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/video/2011/apr/29/us-elections-2012-republicans" type="external">here</a> you can watch my predictions about the 2012 race that were made in April 2011, when I left the Guardian and came to the Beast. This was my last Guardian video. In it, I said Obama would win reelection with “just above” 300 electoral votes, which will end up being right if he wins Colorado. I confess that I also said the GOP ticket would be Tim Pawlenty and Marco Rubio. Win some, lose some.</p>
<p>You can look at the <a href="http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html" type="external">2008 results here</a>, and so you can come up with your own results <a href="http://270towin.com" type="external">here</a>. And post them below, please. If I’m going to be held to account, you people should be too.</p> | 441 |
<p>For Roman Catholics, marriage is forever. It's a sacrament, "until death do us part."&#160;</p>
<p>Catholics in the US still get divorced at about the same rate as non-Catholics.&#160;But for those seeking to get remarried in the church, the process just got a bit easier.&#160;</p>
<p>Pope Francis has paved the way for divorced Catholics to go through the process of getting an annulment a lot faster. It will also be&#160;free of charge.</p>
<p>The Vatican, of course, still considers marriage to be a sacrament&#160;and it will maintain its ban on divorce. The way&#160;an annulment works is that it grants&#160;religious dispensation for someone who's been&#160;divorced and wants to&#160;get remarried. In essence, an annulment is a religious&#160;ruling&#160;that says the marriage was not valid in the first place, for one of several possible reasons.&#160;</p>
<p>"Therefore, the person can get married a second time," says Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and senior analyst with the National Catholic Reporter. "In fact, in the church's eyes, the person is getting married for the first time."</p>
<p>In the past, annulments were&#160;obtained through a tribunal process that required two levels of approval. That process can now be handled at the level of each archdiocese, with bishops having the responsibility to set up tribunals, who must be clergy, or act as judges themselves. Critics of the old rules&#160;long complained that the process could be time-consuming, frustrating and costly. The changes will go into effect in early December, out of "concern for the salvation of souls."</p>
<p>Recommendations to streamline the annulment process came from Catholic bishops&#160;who called for&#160;changes at a meeting last year in Rome.&#160;“A great number of synod fathers emphasized the need to make the procedure in cases of nullity more accessible and less time-consuming,”&#160;reads a final document <a href="http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/09/08/pope-francis-streamlines-process-for-granting-annulments/" type="external">produced from the meeting</a>.&#160;&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>"[Pope Francis] wants the Church to be more like a field hospital, rather than a bureaucracy," Reese says. "A field hospital that gathers the wounded, binds the wounds, cares for people with compassion and love and sensitivity. And doesn't yell at people because they're wounded."&#160;</p>
<p>"He wants us to be more like Jesus and less like bureaucrats."</p> | Pope Francis is speeding up the process for Catholics to get an annulment | false | https://pri.org/stories/2015-09-08/pope-francis-speeding-process-catholics-get-annulment | 2015-09-08 | 3left-center
| Pope Francis is speeding up the process for Catholics to get an annulment
<p>For Roman Catholics, marriage is forever. It's a sacrament, "until death do us part."&#160;</p>
<p>Catholics in the US still get divorced at about the same rate as non-Catholics.&#160;But for those seeking to get remarried in the church, the process just got a bit easier.&#160;</p>
<p>Pope Francis has paved the way for divorced Catholics to go through the process of getting an annulment a lot faster. It will also be&#160;free of charge.</p>
<p>The Vatican, of course, still considers marriage to be a sacrament&#160;and it will maintain its ban on divorce. The way&#160;an annulment works is that it grants&#160;religious dispensation for someone who's been&#160;divorced and wants to&#160;get remarried. In essence, an annulment is a religious&#160;ruling&#160;that says the marriage was not valid in the first place, for one of several possible reasons.&#160;</p>
<p>"Therefore, the person can get married a second time," says Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and senior analyst with the National Catholic Reporter. "In fact, in the church's eyes, the person is getting married for the first time."</p>
<p>In the past, annulments were&#160;obtained through a tribunal process that required two levels of approval. That process can now be handled at the level of each archdiocese, with bishops having the responsibility to set up tribunals, who must be clergy, or act as judges themselves. Critics of the old rules&#160;long complained that the process could be time-consuming, frustrating and costly. The changes will go into effect in early December, out of "concern for the salvation of souls."</p>
<p>Recommendations to streamline the annulment process came from Catholic bishops&#160;who called for&#160;changes at a meeting last year in Rome.&#160;“A great number of synod fathers emphasized the need to make the procedure in cases of nullity more accessible and less time-consuming,”&#160;reads a final document <a href="http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/09/08/pope-francis-streamlines-process-for-granting-annulments/" type="external">produced from the meeting</a>.&#160;&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>"[Pope Francis] wants the Church to be more like a field hospital, rather than a bureaucracy," Reese says. "A field hospital that gathers the wounded, binds the wounds, cares for people with compassion and love and sensitivity. And doesn't yell at people because they're wounded."&#160;</p>
<p>"He wants us to be more like Jesus and less like bureaucrats."</p> | 442 |
<p>ANALYSIS/OPINION:</p>
<p>President-elect Donald Trump is already getting so much done so seamlessly that he’s conveying the attitude of Reese Witherspoon’s character, Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde,” when she informs a skeptic that she’s been admitted to Harvard Law School: “What, like it’s hard?”</p>
<p>We have been told over and over again — by the bipartisan ruling class that protected its power by shrouding issues and process in mystery — that certain problems were simply too vexing to solve. They struggled with them every day, they said, but they were intractable. We’d just have to live with the status quo, they warned, and woe be to those who tried to change it.</p>
<p>They also told us that globalization is an irreversible trend, that it’s therefore impossible to rescue manufacturing jobs, that the economy and the world are in a certain order and that only the foolish or naive would seek to overturn it.</p>
<p>Then Mr. Trump arrived on the scene.</p>
<p>For a new hire who doesn’t start work for another six weeks, he has been a whirling dervish of decision-making, deal-making and status quo-busting.</p>
<p>The man hasn’t even clocked in yet, and he’s already saving American jobs, reassuring allies, striking fear and anxiety in our enemies and standing for freedom and free enterprise.</p>
<p>He began by leveraging the power of the presidency to negotiate a deal with Carrier to keep approximately 1,100 jobs in the United States rather than transfer them to Mexico as the company had planned. He and vice president-elect Mike Pence, who also serves as the governor of Indiana where the Carrier facility in question is located, offered a mix of state-based tax and other incentives to convince the company to retain the American workers.</p>
<p>Criticism of the deal from the right (charges of interference in the free market) and from the left (charges of hypocrisy toward those who opposed President Obama’s economic interventions) were muted. And for good reason.</p>
<p>To the working class, making America great again was always about restoring respect and validity to their lives and livelihoods. In striking the deal with Carrier to keep those jobs in the United States, Mr. Trump delivered on the core promise of his campaign: that he sees these hardworking Americans, hears them, respects them and will deliver for them. He has already demonstrated that he will put their interests on par with — or even ahead of — those of the rich, powerful and influential.</p>
<p>They now believe that the soon-to-be most powerful person in the world is on their side.</p>
<p>That is economic and political dynamite.</p>
<p>In fact, a Morning Consult/Politico poll released this week shows just how big a win it was. A whopping 60 percent of voters said Mr. Trump’s intervention with Carrier made them view him more favorably. “Rarely do we see numbers that high when looking at how specific messages and events shape public opinion,” Kyle Dropp, Morning Consult co-founder and chief research officer, told Politico.</p>
<p>Further, Mr. Trump’s favorability rose across party lines: four out of 10 Democrats said they now view him more favorably, as do 54 percent of independents. Even 32 percent of Hillary Clinton voters said the deal improved their view of Mr. Trump.</p>
<p>More good news for Mr. Trump and his economic approach: 56 percent of voters said it’s appropriate for the president to negotiate directly with companies on a case-by-case basis, and 62 percent said they would approve of the president offering tax breaks and incentives to individual businesses if it means retaining American jobs.</p>
<p>Less than a week after the Carrier pronouncement, Mr. Trump struck a deal of a different kind. After he met with the CEO of Japanese tech company SoftBank, the company announced that it will invest $50 billion in the United States, creating up to 50,000 new jobs. The dealmaker at work.</p>
<p>Mr. Trump’s economic plan is designed to make the country more competitive by implementing policies that apply to all companies: cutting taxes, including the corporate tax rate, repealing and rolling back stifling regulations, including the biggest of them all, Obamacare and those clobbering the energy sector, renegotiating trade deals such as NAFTA, and killing off the nascent Trans-Pacific Partnership. Through Mr. Trump’s leadership and initiative, he’s already started resuscitating manufacturing and leveling the playing field by putting American workers first.</p>
<p>No wonder Democrats are panicked. Mr. Trump is winning over the working class, perhaps permanently, by honoring their work enough to save their jobs — something politicians have constantly said was impossible to do.</p>
<p>The intangible part of an economy is having people believe in that economy. Half of the president’s job is to advance a pro-growth economic agenda that creates real wealth and prosperity for the American worker. The other half of his job is to sell the agenda with a sense of optimism to create the psychological environment for growth and prosperity.</p>
<p>Mr. Trump isn’t even president yet, and he’s already doing both.</p>
<p>“What, like it’s hard?”</p>
<p>• Monica Crowley is editor of online opinion at The Washington Times.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC. <a href="https://goo.gl/forms/xGjXcUKYsKxMeCUl1" type="external">Click here for reprint permission</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Donald Trump and the art of getting it done | true | http://washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/7/donald-trump-and-the-art-of-getting-it-done/ | 2016-12-07 | 0right
| Donald Trump and the art of getting it done
<p>ANALYSIS/OPINION:</p>
<p>President-elect Donald Trump is already getting so much done so seamlessly that he’s conveying the attitude of Reese Witherspoon’s character, Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde,” when she informs a skeptic that she’s been admitted to Harvard Law School: “What, like it’s hard?”</p>
<p>We have been told over and over again — by the bipartisan ruling class that protected its power by shrouding issues and process in mystery — that certain problems were simply too vexing to solve. They struggled with them every day, they said, but they were intractable. We’d just have to live with the status quo, they warned, and woe be to those who tried to change it.</p>
<p>They also told us that globalization is an irreversible trend, that it’s therefore impossible to rescue manufacturing jobs, that the economy and the world are in a certain order and that only the foolish or naive would seek to overturn it.</p>
<p>Then Mr. Trump arrived on the scene.</p>
<p>For a new hire who doesn’t start work for another six weeks, he has been a whirling dervish of decision-making, deal-making and status quo-busting.</p>
<p>The man hasn’t even clocked in yet, and he’s already saving American jobs, reassuring allies, striking fear and anxiety in our enemies and standing for freedom and free enterprise.</p>
<p>He began by leveraging the power of the presidency to negotiate a deal with Carrier to keep approximately 1,100 jobs in the United States rather than transfer them to Mexico as the company had planned. He and vice president-elect Mike Pence, who also serves as the governor of Indiana where the Carrier facility in question is located, offered a mix of state-based tax and other incentives to convince the company to retain the American workers.</p>
<p>Criticism of the deal from the right (charges of interference in the free market) and from the left (charges of hypocrisy toward those who opposed President Obama’s economic interventions) were muted. And for good reason.</p>
<p>To the working class, making America great again was always about restoring respect and validity to their lives and livelihoods. In striking the deal with Carrier to keep those jobs in the United States, Mr. Trump delivered on the core promise of his campaign: that he sees these hardworking Americans, hears them, respects them and will deliver for them. He has already demonstrated that he will put their interests on par with — or even ahead of — those of the rich, powerful and influential.</p>
<p>They now believe that the soon-to-be most powerful person in the world is on their side.</p>
<p>That is economic and political dynamite.</p>
<p>In fact, a Morning Consult/Politico poll released this week shows just how big a win it was. A whopping 60 percent of voters said Mr. Trump’s intervention with Carrier made them view him more favorably. “Rarely do we see numbers that high when looking at how specific messages and events shape public opinion,” Kyle Dropp, Morning Consult co-founder and chief research officer, told Politico.</p>
<p>Further, Mr. Trump’s favorability rose across party lines: four out of 10 Democrats said they now view him more favorably, as do 54 percent of independents. Even 32 percent of Hillary Clinton voters said the deal improved their view of Mr. Trump.</p>
<p>More good news for Mr. Trump and his economic approach: 56 percent of voters said it’s appropriate for the president to negotiate directly with companies on a case-by-case basis, and 62 percent said they would approve of the president offering tax breaks and incentives to individual businesses if it means retaining American jobs.</p>
<p>Less than a week after the Carrier pronouncement, Mr. Trump struck a deal of a different kind. After he met with the CEO of Japanese tech company SoftBank, the company announced that it will invest $50 billion in the United States, creating up to 50,000 new jobs. The dealmaker at work.</p>
<p>Mr. Trump’s economic plan is designed to make the country more competitive by implementing policies that apply to all companies: cutting taxes, including the corporate tax rate, repealing and rolling back stifling regulations, including the biggest of them all, Obamacare and those clobbering the energy sector, renegotiating trade deals such as NAFTA, and killing off the nascent Trans-Pacific Partnership. Through Mr. Trump’s leadership and initiative, he’s already started resuscitating manufacturing and leveling the playing field by putting American workers first.</p>
<p>No wonder Democrats are panicked. Mr. Trump is winning over the working class, perhaps permanently, by honoring their work enough to save their jobs — something politicians have constantly said was impossible to do.</p>
<p>The intangible part of an economy is having people believe in that economy. Half of the president’s job is to advance a pro-growth economic agenda that creates real wealth and prosperity for the American worker. The other half of his job is to sell the agenda with a sense of optimism to create the psychological environment for growth and prosperity.</p>
<p>Mr. Trump isn’t even president yet, and he’s already doing both.</p>
<p>“What, like it’s hard?”</p>
<p>• Monica Crowley is editor of online opinion at The Washington Times.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC. <a href="https://goo.gl/forms/xGjXcUKYsKxMeCUl1" type="external">Click here for reprint permission</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 443 |
<p>BMW is recalling nearly 49,000 motorcycles in the U.S. and Canada because flanges that hold the rear wheel can crack if bolts are too tight.</p>
<p>The recall covers multiple models including certain 2005-2010 R1200GS and R1200RT motorcycles, as well as the 2006-2010 R1200GS Adventure and the 2007-2010 R1200R, 2007 R1200S and K1200R Sport. Also included are the 2005-2007 R1200ST, the 2008-2009 HP2 Megamoto, the 2006 HP2 Enduro, the 2008-2010 HP2 Sport, and the 2005-2008 K1200S, 2006-2008 K1200R and K1200GT. The recall also covers the 2009-2011 K1300S, 2010-2011 K1300R, and the 2009-2010 K1300GT.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>BMW says if bolts that hold the rear wheels to a flange are over-tightened, the flange can crack. If that happens, the bolts can loosen and the wheel may not stay secured to the bike.</p>
<p>The problem was discovered after a 2004 motorcycle crashed in Spain last August. BMW says the rider and passenger were bruised and scraped.</p>
<p>The recall is expected to begin April 21. Dealers will replace the aluminum flange with a steel one at no cost to owners.</p> | BMW recalls nearly 49,000 motorcycles; rear wheel flange can crack and wheels can come loose | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/03/27/bmw-recalls-nearly-4000-motorcycles-rear-wheel-flange-can-crack-and-wheels-can.html | 2016-03-05 | 0right
| BMW recalls nearly 49,000 motorcycles; rear wheel flange can crack and wheels can come loose
<p>BMW is recalling nearly 49,000 motorcycles in the U.S. and Canada because flanges that hold the rear wheel can crack if bolts are too tight.</p>
<p>The recall covers multiple models including certain 2005-2010 R1200GS and R1200RT motorcycles, as well as the 2006-2010 R1200GS Adventure and the 2007-2010 R1200R, 2007 R1200S and K1200R Sport. Also included are the 2005-2007 R1200ST, the 2008-2009 HP2 Megamoto, the 2006 HP2 Enduro, the 2008-2010 HP2 Sport, and the 2005-2008 K1200S, 2006-2008 K1200R and K1200GT. The recall also covers the 2009-2011 K1300S, 2010-2011 K1300R, and the 2009-2010 K1300GT.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>BMW says if bolts that hold the rear wheels to a flange are over-tightened, the flange can crack. If that happens, the bolts can loosen and the wheel may not stay secured to the bike.</p>
<p>The problem was discovered after a 2004 motorcycle crashed in Spain last August. BMW says the rider and passenger were bruised and scraped.</p>
<p>The recall is expected to begin April 21. Dealers will replace the aluminum flange with a steel one at no cost to owners.</p> | 444 |
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<p />
<p>The case concerns immigrants who either were found to have a credible fear of persecution if returned to their home country or expressed such a fear. They were then released from immigration custody pending deportation proceedings, but according to their lawyers were not told about the deadline.</p>
<p>The Department of Homeland Security argued that even if they missed the deadline, the asylum seekers could still ask an immigration judge for permission to apply. But U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez said Tuesday that’s not good enough, because the law gives them a right to seek asylum within a year.</p>
<p>“Plaintiffs allege that … they must now rely on an immigration judge to find, in his or her discretion, that either changed circumstances or extraordinary circumstances justified their delayed filings,” Martinez wrote. “If Plaintiffs’ allegations are true, they have lost the statutory right to apply for asylum.”</p>
<p>The lawsuit alleges that due to severe backlogs in the U.S. immigration system, the asylum seekers often aren’t scheduled to appear in immigration court for more than a year after their arrival, and thus often don’t find out about the deadline until it’s too late. There’s also no standard procedure for how to apply for asylum, it argues.</p>
<p>Among the immigrants named in the case is Elmer Geovanni Rodriguez Escobar, 37, a resident of the Seattle suburb of Burien who came to the U.S. from Honduras in 2014. He wasn’t informed about the deadline, and immigration officials have rejected his attempts to file for asylum, his lawyers say.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Another is Lidia Margarita Lopez Orellana, a 37-year-old who arrived in Eagle Pass, Texas, from Guatemala in 2014 with her two youngest children in tow. Now living in Austin, she says that despite checking in with immigration authorities regularly as required, she didn’t learn about the deadline until December 2015, when she met with a lawyer. She filed an asylum petition the next month.</p>
<p>One of the plaintiffs’ lawyers, Matt Adams, legal director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, said the judge’s decision gives them leverage to push for system-wide reform.</p>
<p>“All of our plaintiffs were in this situation where more than a year after the fact they find out about this deadline,” he said. “It creates a big fight to see if they can get in the door to apply.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Gene Johnson at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle</p> | US judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit over asylum claims | false | https://abqjournal.com/978226/us-judge-refuses-to-dismiss-lawsuit-over-asylum-claims.html | 2least
| US judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit over asylum claims
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The case concerns immigrants who either were found to have a credible fear of persecution if returned to their home country or expressed such a fear. They were then released from immigration custody pending deportation proceedings, but according to their lawyers were not told about the deadline.</p>
<p>The Department of Homeland Security argued that even if they missed the deadline, the asylum seekers could still ask an immigration judge for permission to apply. But U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez said Tuesday that’s not good enough, because the law gives them a right to seek asylum within a year.</p>
<p>“Plaintiffs allege that … they must now rely on an immigration judge to find, in his or her discretion, that either changed circumstances or extraordinary circumstances justified their delayed filings,” Martinez wrote. “If Plaintiffs’ allegations are true, they have lost the statutory right to apply for asylum.”</p>
<p>The lawsuit alleges that due to severe backlogs in the U.S. immigration system, the asylum seekers often aren’t scheduled to appear in immigration court for more than a year after their arrival, and thus often don’t find out about the deadline until it’s too late. There’s also no standard procedure for how to apply for asylum, it argues.</p>
<p>Among the immigrants named in the case is Elmer Geovanni Rodriguez Escobar, 37, a resident of the Seattle suburb of Burien who came to the U.S. from Honduras in 2014. He wasn’t informed about the deadline, and immigration officials have rejected his attempts to file for asylum, his lawyers say.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Another is Lidia Margarita Lopez Orellana, a 37-year-old who arrived in Eagle Pass, Texas, from Guatemala in 2014 with her two youngest children in tow. Now living in Austin, she says that despite checking in with immigration authorities regularly as required, she didn’t learn about the deadline until December 2015, when she met with a lawyer. She filed an asylum petition the next month.</p>
<p>One of the plaintiffs’ lawyers, Matt Adams, legal director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, said the judge’s decision gives them leverage to push for system-wide reform.</p>
<p>“All of our plaintiffs were in this situation where more than a year after the fact they find out about this deadline,” he said. “It creates a big fight to see if they can get in the door to apply.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Gene Johnson at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle</p> | 445 |
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<p />
<p>With interest rates still at historically low levels in most developed economies, the hunt for yield can be a challenging endeavor for investors. Fortunately, there are some high-quality businesses that currently offer dividend yields of more than 3% -- a sizable bounty in a world where interest rates paid by bank deposit accounts and short-term government bonds are often measured in basis points. In this regard, here are two excellent high-yield stocks worthy of your consideration.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Image source: Anheuser-Busch InBev.</p>
<p>In the world of beer,Anheuser-Busch InBev(NYSE: BUD) is as dominant as they come. After its recent $100 billion acquisition of its former No. 1 competitor, SABMiller, AB InBev now commands nearly 30% of the global beer market. The combined company has a portfolio of more than 500 beers, including seven of the top 10 global beer brands and 18 brands that generate more than $1 billion in retail sales.</p>
<p>AB InBev is now the world's first truly global brewer with operations in virtually every major beer market. And while growth in beer consumption has recently been sluggish in developed markets such as the U.S., the merger with SABMiller gives AB InBev a stronger position in high-growth developing regions, particularly in Africa.</p>
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<p>AB In Bev has also been <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/16/anheuser-busch-inbev-sa-shows-a-growing-appetite-f.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">snatching up craft beer brands Opens a New Window.</a> to expand its presence in this fast-growing segment of the massive U.S. market. Although this is still a small portion of its business, it makes the craft beer craze less of a threat than the bears would have you believe. In fact, higher-priced craft beer has made it easier for AB InBev to raise prices for its popular macrobrews, which has helped the company's revenue growth outstrip volume growth in recent years.</p>
<p>But where the beer king really excels is in wringing profits out of each beer it sells. 3G Capital -- the Brazilian group that runs AB InBev -- has a strong track record of helping acquired businesses slash costs and boost profits, and investors should expect more of the same in the coming years. In fact, in its <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/03/02/anheuser-busch-inbev-polishes-off-a-tough.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">fourth-quarter earnings release Opens a New Window.</a>, management increased its guidance for synergies and cost savings related to the SABMiller merger to $2.8 billion, up from previous estimates of $2.45 billion. The company has already delivered on more than $800 million of that goal, and it expects to realize the remaining $2 billion over the next three to four years.</p>
<p>During that time, management will be (wisely) prioritizing debt repayment, so AB InBev's dividend increases may be modest for the next few years. But its current yield is already sizable, at 3.6%, and the dividend should be well secured by the more than $20 billion in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) the company expects to achieve once SABMiller is fully integrated.</p>
<p>Even better, with its shares <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/19/after-falling-20-ab-inbev-is-a-fantastic-buy-for-s.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">down about 20% Opens a New Window.</a> from their 52-week highs due largely to some macroeconomic related -- and likely short-term -- struggles in Brazil, AB InBev's stock is currently trading at about 24 times analysts' earnings estimates for 2017 and 21 times 2018's estimates. That's quite a bargain for such a dominant company that's expected to grow earnings by more than 24% over the next half decade. As such, investors may wish to consider taking a sip of AB In-Bev stock today.</p>
<p>Like AB InBev, Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) offers investors the potential for solid income generation and capital appreciation. The telecom giant's subscription-based, utility-like business generates strong and stable cash flow that it's then able to pass on to shareholders in the form of a steadily rising -- and currently 4.7% -- cash dividend stream.</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/VZ" type="external">VZ</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Verizon's wireless network consistently <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/12/09/verizon-rootmetrics-lead-2016/" type="external">ranks Opens a New Window.</a> as the best in the industry, even as rivals such as T-Mobile US (NASDAQ: TMUS) and Sprint (NYSE: S) claim that they're chipping away at Verizon's lead. That ha helped Verizon continue to <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/01/26/verizon-communications-q4-results-remain-stable.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">add Opens a New Window.</a> postpaid wireless subscribers -- who are generally the most profitable and sought-after customers -- despite heavy promotions from T-Mobile, Sprint, and other competitors.</p>
<p>Moreover, after largely ignoring the competition's heavy promotions and competing almost solely on the reputation of its best-in-class wireless network, Verizon has recently moved to meet its challengers head on. The company announced an unlimited data plan that's likely to prove popular with consumers and that could win some customers away from its rivals. At the very least, it should help to preserve Verizon's high customer retention.</p>
<p>Verizon is also making moves to diversify its revenue streams. One exciting area of focus is the Internet of Things space, where Verizon is <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/11/27/verizon-is-transforming-itself-into-an-iot-and-med.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">acquiring assets Opens a New Window.</a> to strengthen its technology and service offerings. The company's IoT ambitions appear promising, with revenue growth from Verizon's IoT services rising 21% year over year on a comparable basis -- and 60% when including acquisitions -- to $243 million in the fourth quarter. Although the business is currently small (by Verizon's standards), the <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/12/12/our-3-favorite-stocks-to-invest-in-the-internet-of.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">massive potential Opens a New Window.</a> of the Internet of Things could help this segment grow to become a significant portion of Verizon's revenue and profits in the years ahead.</p>
<p>Verizon is also rumored to be considering beefing up its pay-TV assets. Cable giant Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) is one company that's rumored to be a <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/01/31/comcast-shouldnt-fear-a-verizon-charter-merger.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">potential acquisition target Opens a New Window.</a>, but I'd rather see Verizon snatch up Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH). With a market cap of less than $30 billion (compared to nearly $87 billion for Charter), Dish would be much less expensive and likely easier to integrate. Dish's popular <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/12/19/is-sling-worth-20-a-month.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Sling TV product Opens a New Window.</a> is a gem that could help Verizon advance its beachhead in the rapidly growing Internet TV market and expand its popular " <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/26/verizon-would-rather-sell-you-a-skinny-bundle-than.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">skinny bundle Opens a New Window.</a>" offerings. Moreover, obtaining Dish Network's <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/02/04/3-reasons-dish-network-is-buying-up-wireless-spect.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">valuable spectrum Opens a New Window.</a> as part of the deal would be an added sweetener for Verizon.</p>
<p>Regardless of whether any of these rumored acquisitions come to fruition, Verizon's core wireless business -- and more than $40 billion in annual EBITDA -- should allow the telecom titan to continue to do what it has done consistently over the past decade: reward its shareholders with steadily growing dividend income. And with its stock trading at only about 12 times forward earnings -- a significant discount to the S&amp;P 500's forward P/E of 18 -- investors can buy this dividend dynamo at a fantastic price today.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Verizon CommunicationsWhen 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=a06c29eb-71d8-4f82-a4ba-70aa3013f064&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 Verizon Communications 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=a06c29eb-71d8-4f82-a4ba-70aa3013f064&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 February 6, 2017.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGuardian/info.aspx" type="external">Joe Tenebruso Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool recommends T-Mobile US. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 2 Stocks to Buy With Dividends Yielding More Than 3% | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/03/15/2-stocks-to-buy-with-dividends-yielding-more-than-3.html | 2017-03-17 | 0right
| 2 Stocks to Buy With Dividends Yielding More Than 3%
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<p>With interest rates still at historically low levels in most developed economies, the hunt for yield can be a challenging endeavor for investors. Fortunately, there are some high-quality businesses that currently offer dividend yields of more than 3% -- a sizable bounty in a world where interest rates paid by bank deposit accounts and short-term government bonds are often measured in basis points. In this regard, here are two excellent high-yield stocks worthy of your consideration.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Image source: Anheuser-Busch InBev.</p>
<p>In the world of beer,Anheuser-Busch InBev(NYSE: BUD) is as dominant as they come. After its recent $100 billion acquisition of its former No. 1 competitor, SABMiller, AB InBev now commands nearly 30% of the global beer market. The combined company has a portfolio of more than 500 beers, including seven of the top 10 global beer brands and 18 brands that generate more than $1 billion in retail sales.</p>
<p>AB InBev is now the world's first truly global brewer with operations in virtually every major beer market. And while growth in beer consumption has recently been sluggish in developed markets such as the U.S., the merger with SABMiller gives AB InBev a stronger position in high-growth developing regions, particularly in Africa.</p>
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<p>AB In Bev has also been <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/16/anheuser-busch-inbev-sa-shows-a-growing-appetite-f.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">snatching up craft beer brands Opens a New Window.</a> to expand its presence in this fast-growing segment of the massive U.S. market. Although this is still a small portion of its business, it makes the craft beer craze less of a threat than the bears would have you believe. In fact, higher-priced craft beer has made it easier for AB InBev to raise prices for its popular macrobrews, which has helped the company's revenue growth outstrip volume growth in recent years.</p>
<p>But where the beer king really excels is in wringing profits out of each beer it sells. 3G Capital -- the Brazilian group that runs AB InBev -- has a strong track record of helping acquired businesses slash costs and boost profits, and investors should expect more of the same in the coming years. In fact, in its <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/03/02/anheuser-busch-inbev-polishes-off-a-tough.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">fourth-quarter earnings release Opens a New Window.</a>, management increased its guidance for synergies and cost savings related to the SABMiller merger to $2.8 billion, up from previous estimates of $2.45 billion. The company has already delivered on more than $800 million of that goal, and it expects to realize the remaining $2 billion over the next three to four years.</p>
<p>During that time, management will be (wisely) prioritizing debt repayment, so AB InBev's dividend increases may be modest for the next few years. But its current yield is already sizable, at 3.6%, and the dividend should be well secured by the more than $20 billion in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) the company expects to achieve once SABMiller is fully integrated.</p>
<p>Even better, with its shares <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/19/after-falling-20-ab-inbev-is-a-fantastic-buy-for-s.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">down about 20% Opens a New Window.</a> from their 52-week highs due largely to some macroeconomic related -- and likely short-term -- struggles in Brazil, AB InBev's stock is currently trading at about 24 times analysts' earnings estimates for 2017 and 21 times 2018's estimates. That's quite a bargain for such a dominant company that's expected to grow earnings by more than 24% over the next half decade. As such, investors may wish to consider taking a sip of AB In-Bev stock today.</p>
<p>Like AB InBev, Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) offers investors the potential for solid income generation and capital appreciation. The telecom giant's subscription-based, utility-like business generates strong and stable cash flow that it's then able to pass on to shareholders in the form of a steadily rising -- and currently 4.7% -- cash dividend stream.</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/VZ" type="external">VZ</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Verizon's wireless network consistently <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/12/09/verizon-rootmetrics-lead-2016/" type="external">ranks Opens a New Window.</a> as the best in the industry, even as rivals such as T-Mobile US (NASDAQ: TMUS) and Sprint (NYSE: S) claim that they're chipping away at Verizon's lead. That ha helped Verizon continue to <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/01/26/verizon-communications-q4-results-remain-stable.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">add Opens a New Window.</a> postpaid wireless subscribers -- who are generally the most profitable and sought-after customers -- despite heavy promotions from T-Mobile, Sprint, and other competitors.</p>
<p>Moreover, after largely ignoring the competition's heavy promotions and competing almost solely on the reputation of its best-in-class wireless network, Verizon has recently moved to meet its challengers head on. The company announced an unlimited data plan that's likely to prove popular with consumers and that could win some customers away from its rivals. At the very least, it should help to preserve Verizon's high customer retention.</p>
<p>Verizon is also making moves to diversify its revenue streams. One exciting area of focus is the Internet of Things space, where Verizon is <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/11/27/verizon-is-transforming-itself-into-an-iot-and-med.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">acquiring assets Opens a New Window.</a> to strengthen its technology and service offerings. The company's IoT ambitions appear promising, with revenue growth from Verizon's IoT services rising 21% year over year on a comparable basis -- and 60% when including acquisitions -- to $243 million in the fourth quarter. Although the business is currently small (by Verizon's standards), the <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/12/12/our-3-favorite-stocks-to-invest-in-the-internet-of.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">massive potential Opens a New Window.</a> of the Internet of Things could help this segment grow to become a significant portion of Verizon's revenue and profits in the years ahead.</p>
<p>Verizon is also rumored to be considering beefing up its pay-TV assets. Cable giant Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) is one company that's rumored to be a <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/01/31/comcast-shouldnt-fear-a-verizon-charter-merger.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">potential acquisition target Opens a New Window.</a>, but I'd rather see Verizon snatch up Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH). With a market cap of less than $30 billion (compared to nearly $87 billion for Charter), Dish would be much less expensive and likely easier to integrate. Dish's popular <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/12/19/is-sling-worth-20-a-month.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Sling TV product Opens a New Window.</a> is a gem that could help Verizon advance its beachhead in the rapidly growing Internet TV market and expand its popular " <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/26/verizon-would-rather-sell-you-a-skinny-bundle-than.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">skinny bundle Opens a New Window.</a>" offerings. Moreover, obtaining Dish Network's <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/02/04/3-reasons-dish-network-is-buying-up-wireless-spect.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">valuable spectrum Opens a New Window.</a> as part of the deal would be an added sweetener for Verizon.</p>
<p>Regardless of whether any of these rumored acquisitions come to fruition, Verizon's core wireless business -- and more than $40 billion in annual EBITDA -- should allow the telecom titan to continue to do what it has done consistently over the past decade: reward its shareholders with steadily growing dividend income. And with its stock trading at only about 12 times forward earnings -- a significant discount to the S&amp;P 500's forward P/E of 18 -- investors can buy this dividend dynamo at a fantastic price today.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Verizon CommunicationsWhen 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=a06c29eb-71d8-4f82-a4ba-70aa3013f064&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 Verizon Communications 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=a06c29eb-71d8-4f82-a4ba-70aa3013f064&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 February 6, 2017.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGuardian/info.aspx" type="external">Joe Tenebruso Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool recommends T-Mobile US. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 446 |
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<p>AMERICAN PURPOSE has not been hesitant to criticize those voices in the American religious community whose approach to “work for peace” has seemed to us deficient. It’s only fair, therefore, to note the good news, too. Roman Catholic Archbishop J. Francis Stafford of Denver issued a pastoral letter this past May that could help set a new standard for the religious debate over America’s right role in world affairs.</p>
<p>Archbishop Stafford’s letter, “This Home of Freedom,” is an extended reflection on the importance of building a community of civic virtue in the United States; but that enterprise, the archbishop suggests, has implications for U.S. foreign policy as well:</p>
<p>“The American third century will involve a testing of our ability to act wisely in the world for peace, freedom, and justice. Americans have traditionally been a people discontent with the burdens and responsibilities of international leadership. That discontent is an indulgence we can no longer afford. While America cannot unilaterally determine the course of peace, security, freedom, and justice in the world, the role played by the world’s principal democratic power will have much to do with the course of history.</p>
<p>“The Bicentennial of the Constitution, the instrument by which we have ordered our liberties so that they serve the common good, affords a unique angle of vision on America’s world responsibilities. In a 1963 reflection on Pope John XXIII’s great encyclical, Pacem in Terris, John Courtney Murray observed that the pope’s ‘. . . acute sense of the basic need of the age is evident in the word that is so often repeated in the encyclical and that sets its basic theme. I mean the word “order.” This does seem to be the contemporary issue. The process of ordering and organizing the world is at the moment going forward. The issue is not whether we shall have order in the world; the contemporary condition of chaos has become intolerable on a worldwide scale…. The question is, then, on what principles is the world going to be ordered?’ As we read the daily papers, the truth of Pope John’s, and Murray’s, observation is made ever more clear, and usually in a tragic or threatening way.</p>
<p>“The American people bring to this central world problem their own experience—imperfect, to be sure—of building community amidst plurality. We bring the experience, not merely the theory, of law and politics as nonviolent means of resolving conflict. We demonstrate in our national life that political community can be sustained and developed among peoples of every race and creed. We illustrate, in short, that the classic Catholic understanding of peace as ‘the tranquillity of order’ (in St. Augustine’s famous phrase), today involves democratic political community. Americans instinctively know the truth of the teaching of John Paul II when he writes that ‘Respect for… human rights constitutes the fundamental condition for peace in the modem world: peace both within individual countries and societies and in international relations.’</p>
<p>“I am not a specialist in foreign policy, nor is it the business of the Church to devise foreign policy for the United States. But it is the Church’s right and duty to insist that all political decisions, be they domestic or foreign in impact, have an irreducible moral component. Political reasoning is moral reasoning, according to the classic tradition of the West. And thus I suggest a moral focus for America’s action in the world: we must be a leader for ordered liberty, in and among nations. Where democrats struggle to replace tyrants of either the traditional or modem totalitarian stripe, there America’s support should be felt. Where nations work to resolve their differences through the democratic processes of negotiation, arbitration, law, and political persuasion, there America’s support should be felt as well. That support can be expressed through various means, and the calculus involved in the morality of means is complex indeed. But about ends we should be clear. One evidence that humanity is not meant for Hobbesian brutishness, for a ‘war of all against all,’ is our own national experience. The American people have shown that conflict need not lead to mass violence, when democratic law and politics provide credible alternatives for resolving conflict. Here is one expression of what Pope John Paul II called for in his 1982 address at Hiroshima: a ‘major step forward in civilization and wisdom.’ The Holy Father, preaching at Hiroshima, knew the full and terrible danger posed by nuclear weapons. But he also taught us that a transcendent hope, not secular survivalism, is the key to facing both the threat of nuclear war and the threat of totalitarian tyranny in a world striving to make the painful transition from anarchy to community. Peace and freedom, in the classic Catholic heritage and in the catechesis of John Paul II, go together.</p>
<p>“In its third century, then, let America bear witness for ordered liberty in the world. Here is where the American experience, American interests, and American purpose coincide. Here, too, is where, as the Second Vatican Council taught, the ministry of the laity in the world is exercised. As the Council fathers wrote, ‘On the national and international planes the field of the apostolate is vast; and it is there that the laity more than others are the channels of Christian wisdom.’… Let there be, then, vigorous and wise lay Catholic leadership in the inseparable causes of peace, freedom, and justice in and among nations.”</p>
<p>Readers interested in the full text of “This Home of Freedom,” a document with implications ranging far beyond the Roman Catholic community, may obtain a copy by writing the Public Affairs Office of the Archdiocese of Denver at 200 Josephine Street, Denver, CO 80206.</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> | Archbishop Stafforad Oim | false | https://eppc.org/publications/archbishop-stafforad-oim/ | 1right-center
| Archbishop Stafforad Oim
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>AMERICAN PURPOSE has not been hesitant to criticize those voices in the American religious community whose approach to “work for peace” has seemed to us deficient. It’s only fair, therefore, to note the good news, too. Roman Catholic Archbishop J. Francis Stafford of Denver issued a pastoral letter this past May that could help set a new standard for the religious debate over America’s right role in world affairs.</p>
<p>Archbishop Stafford’s letter, “This Home of Freedom,” is an extended reflection on the importance of building a community of civic virtue in the United States; but that enterprise, the archbishop suggests, has implications for U.S. foreign policy as well:</p>
<p>“The American third century will involve a testing of our ability to act wisely in the world for peace, freedom, and justice. Americans have traditionally been a people discontent with the burdens and responsibilities of international leadership. That discontent is an indulgence we can no longer afford. While America cannot unilaterally determine the course of peace, security, freedom, and justice in the world, the role played by the world’s principal democratic power will have much to do with the course of history.</p>
<p>“The Bicentennial of the Constitution, the instrument by which we have ordered our liberties so that they serve the common good, affords a unique angle of vision on America’s world responsibilities. In a 1963 reflection on Pope John XXIII’s great encyclical, Pacem in Terris, John Courtney Murray observed that the pope’s ‘. . . acute sense of the basic need of the age is evident in the word that is so often repeated in the encyclical and that sets its basic theme. I mean the word “order.” This does seem to be the contemporary issue. The process of ordering and organizing the world is at the moment going forward. The issue is not whether we shall have order in the world; the contemporary condition of chaos has become intolerable on a worldwide scale…. The question is, then, on what principles is the world going to be ordered?’ As we read the daily papers, the truth of Pope John’s, and Murray’s, observation is made ever more clear, and usually in a tragic or threatening way.</p>
<p>“The American people bring to this central world problem their own experience—imperfect, to be sure—of building community amidst plurality. We bring the experience, not merely the theory, of law and politics as nonviolent means of resolving conflict. We demonstrate in our national life that political community can be sustained and developed among peoples of every race and creed. We illustrate, in short, that the classic Catholic understanding of peace as ‘the tranquillity of order’ (in St. Augustine’s famous phrase), today involves democratic political community. Americans instinctively know the truth of the teaching of John Paul II when he writes that ‘Respect for… human rights constitutes the fundamental condition for peace in the modem world: peace both within individual countries and societies and in international relations.’</p>
<p>“I am not a specialist in foreign policy, nor is it the business of the Church to devise foreign policy for the United States. But it is the Church’s right and duty to insist that all political decisions, be they domestic or foreign in impact, have an irreducible moral component. Political reasoning is moral reasoning, according to the classic tradition of the West. And thus I suggest a moral focus for America’s action in the world: we must be a leader for ordered liberty, in and among nations. Where democrats struggle to replace tyrants of either the traditional or modem totalitarian stripe, there America’s support should be felt. Where nations work to resolve their differences through the democratic processes of negotiation, arbitration, law, and political persuasion, there America’s support should be felt as well. That support can be expressed through various means, and the calculus involved in the morality of means is complex indeed. But about ends we should be clear. One evidence that humanity is not meant for Hobbesian brutishness, for a ‘war of all against all,’ is our own national experience. The American people have shown that conflict need not lead to mass violence, when democratic law and politics provide credible alternatives for resolving conflict. Here is one expression of what Pope John Paul II called for in his 1982 address at Hiroshima: a ‘major step forward in civilization and wisdom.’ The Holy Father, preaching at Hiroshima, knew the full and terrible danger posed by nuclear weapons. But he also taught us that a transcendent hope, not secular survivalism, is the key to facing both the threat of nuclear war and the threat of totalitarian tyranny in a world striving to make the painful transition from anarchy to community. Peace and freedom, in the classic Catholic heritage and in the catechesis of John Paul II, go together.</p>
<p>“In its third century, then, let America bear witness for ordered liberty in the world. Here is where the American experience, American interests, and American purpose coincide. Here, too, is where, as the Second Vatican Council taught, the ministry of the laity in the world is exercised. As the Council fathers wrote, ‘On the national and international planes the field of the apostolate is vast; and it is there that the laity more than others are the channels of Christian wisdom.’… Let there be, then, vigorous and wise lay Catholic leadership in the inseparable causes of peace, freedom, and justice in and among nations.”</p>
<p>Readers interested in the full text of “This Home of Freedom,” a document with implications ranging far beyond the Roman Catholic community, may obtain a copy by writing the Public Affairs Office of the Archdiocese of Denver at 200 Josephine Street, Denver, CO 80206.</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> | 447 |
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<p>ANNISTON, Ala. (AP) — Authorities in Alabama say four teenagers have been arrested after a family awakened to gunfire coming into their home.</p>
<p>Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade <a href="http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/01/ex-boyfriend_3_more_teens_jail.html" type="external">told Al.com</a> the family was awakened to gunfire Monday around 4:30 a.m. at their home. Wade says several rounds hit appliances and other household items.</p>
<p>The homeowner suspected his teenage daughter's ex-boyfriend was involved in the shooting. Authorities say a 15-year-old admitted he shot into the residence as a favor for the former boyfriend.</p>
<p>The boy was arrested for shooting into an occupied dwelling. Investigators arrested three more 15-year-olds.</p>
<p>Authorities say the former boyfriend is charged with conspiracy to shoot into an occupied dwelling. A second juvenile is charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, and a third is charged with a probation violation for hiding the firearm at the scene.</p>
<p>ANNISTON, Ala. (AP) — Authorities in Alabama say four teenagers have been arrested after a family awakened to gunfire coming into their home.</p>
<p>Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade <a href="http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/01/ex-boyfriend_3_more_teens_jail.html" type="external">told Al.com</a> the family was awakened to gunfire Monday around 4:30 a.m. at their home. Wade says several rounds hit appliances and other household items.</p>
<p>The homeowner suspected his teenage daughter's ex-boyfriend was involved in the shooting. Authorities say a 15-year-old admitted he shot into the residence as a favor for the former boyfriend.</p>
<p>The boy was arrested for shooting into an occupied dwelling. Investigators arrested three more 15-year-olds.</p>
<p>Authorities say the former boyfriend is charged with conspiracy to shoot into an occupied dwelling. A second juvenile is charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, and a third is charged with a probation violation for hiding the firearm at the scene.</p> | Ex-boyfriend, 3 more teens jailed for shooting in home | false | https://apnews.com/amp/809733f5ec0d401dabc11d9de6862f78 | 2018-01-24 | 2least
| Ex-boyfriend, 3 more teens jailed for shooting in home
<p>ANNISTON, Ala. (AP) — Authorities in Alabama say four teenagers have been arrested after a family awakened to gunfire coming into their home.</p>
<p>Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade <a href="http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/01/ex-boyfriend_3_more_teens_jail.html" type="external">told Al.com</a> the family was awakened to gunfire Monday around 4:30 a.m. at their home. Wade says several rounds hit appliances and other household items.</p>
<p>The homeowner suspected his teenage daughter's ex-boyfriend was involved in the shooting. Authorities say a 15-year-old admitted he shot into the residence as a favor for the former boyfriend.</p>
<p>The boy was arrested for shooting into an occupied dwelling. Investigators arrested three more 15-year-olds.</p>
<p>Authorities say the former boyfriend is charged with conspiracy to shoot into an occupied dwelling. A second juvenile is charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, and a third is charged with a probation violation for hiding the firearm at the scene.</p>
<p>ANNISTON, Ala. (AP) — Authorities in Alabama say four teenagers have been arrested after a family awakened to gunfire coming into their home.</p>
<p>Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade <a href="http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/01/ex-boyfriend_3_more_teens_jail.html" type="external">told Al.com</a> the family was awakened to gunfire Monday around 4:30 a.m. at their home. Wade says several rounds hit appliances and other household items.</p>
<p>The homeowner suspected his teenage daughter's ex-boyfriend was involved in the shooting. Authorities say a 15-year-old admitted he shot into the residence as a favor for the former boyfriend.</p>
<p>The boy was arrested for shooting into an occupied dwelling. Investigators arrested three more 15-year-olds.</p>
<p>Authorities say the former boyfriend is charged with conspiracy to shoot into an occupied dwelling. A second juvenile is charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, and a third is charged with a probation violation for hiding the firearm at the scene.</p> | 448 |
<p />
<p>Fortunes shift in every industry, and the winners in one era often struggle in the next. That's been the story for Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), both of which have had to deal with changing trends in their respective industry niches that have threatened their once-dominant business models. Whole Foods has faced increased competition in organic and natural foods as its competitive advantage has proven to be fragile, while Wal-Mart has had to deal with rising costs and online competition that have hampered its ability to offer the lowest prices possible. Value-oriented investors see opportunities in both stocks, but they want to know which one looks better right now. Below, we'll compare Whole Foods and Wal-Mart using a number of metrics designed to reveal which is the more attractive stock right now.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Neither Whole Foods nor Wal-Mart has produced huge returns recently, but Wal-Mart has done slightly better. The big-box department store has given investors a 9% total return since February 2016, compared to just 3% for the natural and organic grocer during the same period.</p>
<p>Image source: Wal-Mart.</p>
<p>Yet even though Whole Foods hasn't done as well lately, investors still give it a much higher valuation than they give Wal-Mart. Looking at trailing earnings, Whole Foods stock trades at 22 times what the grocer has brought in on the bottom line over the past 12 months. Wal-Mart carries a lower trailing earnings multiple of just 15. Moreover, given the relatively downbeat expectations for future earnings growth from the two companies, looking at forward-earnings-based metrics doesn't change the picture much. Wal-Mart still has the lead with a forward multiple of 16 compared to Whole Foods' 23. On valuation, Wal-Mart ends up the winner.</p>
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<p>Wal-Mart also has the more impressive record on the dividend front. In terms of current dividend yield, Wal-Mart has a lead of a full percentage point, weighing in at 2.8% compared to Whole Foods' 1.8%.</p>
<p>Wal-Mart has demonstrated a greater commitment to dividends and payout growth over its long history. For 44 straight years, Wal-Mart has increased the annual amount it pays in dividends to its shareholders, with its most recent 2% boost coming earlier this month. The pace of Wal-Mart's dividend increases has slowed in recent years, but the payout has still almost doubled since 2009.</p>
<p>By contrast, Whole Foods has been less reliable with its dividends. The company suspended payouts from mid-2008 to 2010, and increases have been relatively modest, including a $0.005 per share rise in January to $0.14 per share quarterly. Whole Foods simply hasn't been as clear as Wal-Mart has about its commitment to dividends and the importance they have to investors.</p>
<p>Both Wal-Mart and Whole Foods have struggled, but both are trying to bounce back. In its most recent quarter, Wal-Mart managed to post sales growth of 1%, even though net income fell by more than a sixth from year-ago levels. Comparable sales in its U.S. stores climbed 1.8%, with traffic growth accounting for most of the rise, and Wal-Mart's efforts to boost its online presence paid off with a 29% jump in e-commerce sales domestically. The retailer's guidance for the coming year was conservative, with expected revenue growth of 2% to 3% and more or less flat earnings per share compared to the just-completed fiscal year. Yet as Wal-Mart keeps aiming on the online retail space and works at managing its extensive inventory more effectively, investors hope that the retail giant will find ways to use its size and experience to woo shoppers both to its stores and to its mobile app and online portal.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Whole Foods is still trying to figure out where the bottom of its recent downturn might be. In its most recent quarter, the grocer posted a 2% rise in revenue, but comparable-store sales dropped by 2.4% as traffic fell sharply. Whole Foods had to admit that it would see negative comps throughout the fiscal year, and it now thinks sales growth overall could be as little as 1.5%. The company is closing underperforming stores, and even though it's trying to refocus on its best customers, Whole Foods has conceded that it no longer believes that its store network will grow to the 1,200 mark that the company used to pursue. Early results from the 365 store concept, which features more attractive price points for certain shoppers, haven't proven to be the panacea that some investors had hoped to see. For investors, the future remains uncertain for Whole Foods, and more patience will be required to see where the store ends up.</p>
<p>Wal-Mart looks like the better buy right now on all fronts. With a more attractive dividend, cheaper valuation, and clearer growth prospects, Wal-Mart should retain an edge over Whole Foods until the natural and organic specialist figures out how to bounce back from its huge setbacks recently.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Wal-Mart StoresWhen 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=2722b052-fc68-4a29-bab0-cd40fb12ba8e&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 Wal-Mart Stores 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=2722b052-fc68-4a29-bab0-cd40fb12ba8e&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 February 6, 2017</p>
<p>John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. <a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGalagan/info.aspx" type="external">Dan Caplinger Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Whole Foods Market. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Whole Foods Market. 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> | Better Buy: Whole Foods Market, Inc. vs. Wal-Mart | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/02/24/better-buy-whole-foods-market-inc-vs-wal-mart.html | 2017-03-16 | 0right
| Better Buy: Whole Foods Market, Inc. vs. Wal-Mart
<p />
<p>Fortunes shift in every industry, and the winners in one era often struggle in the next. That's been the story for Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), both of which have had to deal with changing trends in their respective industry niches that have threatened their once-dominant business models. Whole Foods has faced increased competition in organic and natural foods as its competitive advantage has proven to be fragile, while Wal-Mart has had to deal with rising costs and online competition that have hampered its ability to offer the lowest prices possible. Value-oriented investors see opportunities in both stocks, but they want to know which one looks better right now. Below, we'll compare Whole Foods and Wal-Mart using a number of metrics designed to reveal which is the more attractive stock right now.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Neither Whole Foods nor Wal-Mart has produced huge returns recently, but Wal-Mart has done slightly better. The big-box department store has given investors a 9% total return since February 2016, compared to just 3% for the natural and organic grocer during the same period.</p>
<p>Image source: Wal-Mart.</p>
<p>Yet even though Whole Foods hasn't done as well lately, investors still give it a much higher valuation than they give Wal-Mart. Looking at trailing earnings, Whole Foods stock trades at 22 times what the grocer has brought in on the bottom line over the past 12 months. Wal-Mart carries a lower trailing earnings multiple of just 15. Moreover, given the relatively downbeat expectations for future earnings growth from the two companies, looking at forward-earnings-based metrics doesn't change the picture much. Wal-Mart still has the lead with a forward multiple of 16 compared to Whole Foods' 23. On valuation, Wal-Mart ends up the winner.</p>
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<p>Wal-Mart also has the more impressive record on the dividend front. In terms of current dividend yield, Wal-Mart has a lead of a full percentage point, weighing in at 2.8% compared to Whole Foods' 1.8%.</p>
<p>Wal-Mart has demonstrated a greater commitment to dividends and payout growth over its long history. For 44 straight years, Wal-Mart has increased the annual amount it pays in dividends to its shareholders, with its most recent 2% boost coming earlier this month. The pace of Wal-Mart's dividend increases has slowed in recent years, but the payout has still almost doubled since 2009.</p>
<p>By contrast, Whole Foods has been less reliable with its dividends. The company suspended payouts from mid-2008 to 2010, and increases have been relatively modest, including a $0.005 per share rise in January to $0.14 per share quarterly. Whole Foods simply hasn't been as clear as Wal-Mart has about its commitment to dividends and the importance they have to investors.</p>
<p>Both Wal-Mart and Whole Foods have struggled, but both are trying to bounce back. In its most recent quarter, Wal-Mart managed to post sales growth of 1%, even though net income fell by more than a sixth from year-ago levels. Comparable sales in its U.S. stores climbed 1.8%, with traffic growth accounting for most of the rise, and Wal-Mart's efforts to boost its online presence paid off with a 29% jump in e-commerce sales domestically. The retailer's guidance for the coming year was conservative, with expected revenue growth of 2% to 3% and more or less flat earnings per share compared to the just-completed fiscal year. Yet as Wal-Mart keeps aiming on the online retail space and works at managing its extensive inventory more effectively, investors hope that the retail giant will find ways to use its size and experience to woo shoppers both to its stores and to its mobile app and online portal.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Whole Foods is still trying to figure out where the bottom of its recent downturn might be. In its most recent quarter, the grocer posted a 2% rise in revenue, but comparable-store sales dropped by 2.4% as traffic fell sharply. Whole Foods had to admit that it would see negative comps throughout the fiscal year, and it now thinks sales growth overall could be as little as 1.5%. The company is closing underperforming stores, and even though it's trying to refocus on its best customers, Whole Foods has conceded that it no longer believes that its store network will grow to the 1,200 mark that the company used to pursue. Early results from the 365 store concept, which features more attractive price points for certain shoppers, haven't proven to be the panacea that some investors had hoped to see. For investors, the future remains uncertain for Whole Foods, and more patience will be required to see where the store ends up.</p>
<p>Wal-Mart looks like the better buy right now on all fronts. With a more attractive dividend, cheaper valuation, and clearer growth prospects, Wal-Mart should retain an edge over Whole Foods until the natural and organic specialist figures out how to bounce back from its huge setbacks recently.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Wal-Mart StoresWhen 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=2722b052-fc68-4a29-bab0-cd40fb12ba8e&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 Wal-Mart Stores 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=2722b052-fc68-4a29-bab0-cd40fb12ba8e&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 February 6, 2017</p>
<p>John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. <a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGalagan/info.aspx" type="external">Dan Caplinger Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Whole Foods Market. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Whole Foods Market. 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> | 449 |
<p>NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, 27, and songstress Ciara, 30, reportedly canceled their set wedding plans in North Carolina over the "transgender bathroom laws."</p>
<p>According to Mindy Weiss, the couple's wedding planner, Wilson and Ciara were set to be married in the Tar Heel state before they "called it off" over the supposedly discriminatory bathroom bill, House Bill 2.</p>
<p>"They were first getting married in North Carolina, but they called it off due to the transgender bathroom laws," Weiss <a href="http://www.theknotnews.com/mindy-weiss-ciara-russell-wilson-wedding-exclusive-12390" type="external">told</a>The Knot.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2015E2/Bills/House/PDF/H2v4.pdf" type="external">HB2</a> was signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory in direct response to the city of Charlotte's ordinance mandating private and public entities to change bathroom and locker-room policies to allow transgender men and women the use of facilities which corresponded to their “gender identity” as opposed to the sex listed on their birth certificate.</p>
<p>The law, wrongfully and intentionally painted as discriminatory by the media and leftist politicians, simply acts to overturn the ordinance and reaffirm the state's original policy regarding public bathrooms and locker-rooms. Furthermore, if private businesses would like to change their bathrooms policies accordingly, HB2 allows them that freedom, whereas the Charlotte ordinance forced private entities to adhere to their new guidelines.</p>
<p>Allegedly, Wilson, an outspoken Christian, and Ciara still viewed the law as discriminatory.</p>
<p>"I did the whole thing — three times," Weiss lamented the continuous wedding delays. The couple finally decided on Liverpool, England in July for their secret nuptials after seriously considering Paris, she added.</p>
<p>"It ended up being [Couture] Fashion Week," Weiss continued. "And it was really difficult."</p>
<p>"They wanted to be away. And we found a castle that was an hour out of Liverpool and they had about 110 guests," she said. "It was kind of short notice because they kept switching around, but they had a lot of people show up."</p>
<p>The couple made news last July after the two took a <a href="http://www.people.com/article/ciara-russell-wilson-talk-remaining-abstinent" type="external">vow of celibacy</a> pending marriage. Predictably so, the couple's choice to hold off on sex was mercifully ridiculed by <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/khloe-kardashian-backtracks-after-ciara-celibacy-comments-w166923" type="external">liberals</a>and the leftist <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/08/russell-wilson-and-ciara-s-no-sex-vow-fetishizing-abstinence-in-pop-culture.html" type="external">media</a>.</p> | Russell Wilson and Ciara Reportedly Cancelled Wedding In NC Over ‘Transgender Bathroom Laws' | true | https://dailywire.com/news/8585/russell-wilson-and-ciara-reportedly-cancelled-amanda-prestigiacomo | 2016-08-23 | 0right
| Russell Wilson and Ciara Reportedly Cancelled Wedding In NC Over ‘Transgender Bathroom Laws'
<p>NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, 27, and songstress Ciara, 30, reportedly canceled their set wedding plans in North Carolina over the "transgender bathroom laws."</p>
<p>According to Mindy Weiss, the couple's wedding planner, Wilson and Ciara were set to be married in the Tar Heel state before they "called it off" over the supposedly discriminatory bathroom bill, House Bill 2.</p>
<p>"They were first getting married in North Carolina, but they called it off due to the transgender bathroom laws," Weiss <a href="http://www.theknotnews.com/mindy-weiss-ciara-russell-wilson-wedding-exclusive-12390" type="external">told</a>The Knot.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2015E2/Bills/House/PDF/H2v4.pdf" type="external">HB2</a> was signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory in direct response to the city of Charlotte's ordinance mandating private and public entities to change bathroom and locker-room policies to allow transgender men and women the use of facilities which corresponded to their “gender identity” as opposed to the sex listed on their birth certificate.</p>
<p>The law, wrongfully and intentionally painted as discriminatory by the media and leftist politicians, simply acts to overturn the ordinance and reaffirm the state's original policy regarding public bathrooms and locker-rooms. Furthermore, if private businesses would like to change their bathrooms policies accordingly, HB2 allows them that freedom, whereas the Charlotte ordinance forced private entities to adhere to their new guidelines.</p>
<p>Allegedly, Wilson, an outspoken Christian, and Ciara still viewed the law as discriminatory.</p>
<p>"I did the whole thing — three times," Weiss lamented the continuous wedding delays. The couple finally decided on Liverpool, England in July for their secret nuptials after seriously considering Paris, she added.</p>
<p>"It ended up being [Couture] Fashion Week," Weiss continued. "And it was really difficult."</p>
<p>"They wanted to be away. And we found a castle that was an hour out of Liverpool and they had about 110 guests," she said. "It was kind of short notice because they kept switching around, but they had a lot of people show up."</p>
<p>The couple made news last July after the two took a <a href="http://www.people.com/article/ciara-russell-wilson-talk-remaining-abstinent" type="external">vow of celibacy</a> pending marriage. Predictably so, the couple's choice to hold off on sex was mercifully ridiculed by <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/khloe-kardashian-backtracks-after-ciara-celibacy-comments-w166923" type="external">liberals</a>and the leftist <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/08/russell-wilson-and-ciara-s-no-sex-vow-fetishizing-abstinence-in-pop-culture.html" type="external">media</a>.</p> | 450 |
<p>SAN DIEGO (ABP)—African Christians tend to understand and appreciate the Old Testament far better than their Western counterparts, author Philip Jenkins told a group of evangelical scholars.</p>
<p>Jenkins, a professor of religious studies and history at Pennsylvania State University, spoke in San Diego to fellow members of the Evangeli-cal Theological Society. His speech was one of several addresses and papers presented during the body's 59th annual meeting.</p>
<p>Many ideas about Christianity that are most difficult to convey to a contemporary Western audience make intuitive sense to many indigenous African audiences, as well as some Asian audiences, Jenkins asserted.</p>
<p>Cultures that espouse tribal identities and are intimately acquainted with animal sacrifice, dietary restrictions, polygamy, sacred rocks and the like are well-equipped to read and identify with the Hebrew Bible's stories, Jenkins said.</p>
<p>“Teaching people (in the developing world) to obey the Bible if it means the Old Testament is not difficult,” he said. “In fact, for many of the new Christians in the world today the big problem is … telling people that the old law must be made subordinate, must be treated as inferior, to the new law.”</p>
<p>In Africa, Jenkins continued, Western missionaries often must convince people the Old Testament is not the only or primary revelation of God's work. If Martin Luther hated it, he joked, it goes down great in Africa.</p>
<p>In light of that cultural context, Jenkins said, the fundamental task of Christian believers should be to determine how much of the old religion has to be done away with in order to bring in the faith of Christ and to teach hearers to obey the things Jesus commanded.</p>
<p>On the up side, Jenkins said, African and Asian tribes easily recognize and understand aspects of the traditional religion of the Old Testament as shaping what they should practice in light of the New Testament. And they often understand those aspects better than Christians in the Western world.</p>
<p>The idea of atonement, for instance, is difficult to describe to someone who does not come from a culture that embraces animal sacrifice. But it is easy to talk of the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus with someone who understands sacrificial rituals as “a continuing reality,” he said.</p>
<p>Most evangelicals never have seen an animal sacrifice or even a harvest, Jenkins said. “Now imagine that ideas like this are part of the fabric of your mind!”</p>
<p>Another aspect of the New Testament that connects easily with many indigenous African and Asian cultures, he added, involves Jesus' subversion of his society's class markers. Just as in Jesus' culture, one of the clearest markers of class is what—and with whom—wealthy or powerful people are allowed to eat.</p>
<p>Jesus' inclination to share meals with low-caste people like prostitutes, or his tendency to touch or spend time with people that his society considered unclean, make him an even more striking figure in African and Asian cultures than in Western ones, Jenkins said.</p>
<p>“Look at so many of the passages that we are used to in the West and that we don't even read any more and which are the most explosive,” Jenkins said.</p>
<p>“Look at the passages which carry the most weight for women's groups reading the Bible in the global South. Think of the story of the woman with the issue of blood. Now imagine reading that story in a society that believes in blood contamination (and) that believes in blood impurity.”</p>
<p>After receiving the faith of Jesus, churches should “cauterize the culture” that has grown out of Christianity over the past two millennia and leave the core message, Jenkins concluded. But that is something, he said, the new Christian communities must do for themselves.</p>
<p>“It is not for outsiders, for Westerners, to tell rising African and Asian churches what to do in this regard,” Jenkins said. “The best example of teaching to obey is by teaching to read—teaching to think and absorb and make relevant.”</p> | Need help understanding the Old Testament? Ask an African Christian | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/needhelpunderstandingtheoldtestamentaskanafricanchristian/ | 3left-center
| Need help understanding the Old Testament? Ask an African Christian
<p>SAN DIEGO (ABP)—African Christians tend to understand and appreciate the Old Testament far better than their Western counterparts, author Philip Jenkins told a group of evangelical scholars.</p>
<p>Jenkins, a professor of religious studies and history at Pennsylvania State University, spoke in San Diego to fellow members of the Evangeli-cal Theological Society. His speech was one of several addresses and papers presented during the body's 59th annual meeting.</p>
<p>Many ideas about Christianity that are most difficult to convey to a contemporary Western audience make intuitive sense to many indigenous African audiences, as well as some Asian audiences, Jenkins asserted.</p>
<p>Cultures that espouse tribal identities and are intimately acquainted with animal sacrifice, dietary restrictions, polygamy, sacred rocks and the like are well-equipped to read and identify with the Hebrew Bible's stories, Jenkins said.</p>
<p>“Teaching people (in the developing world) to obey the Bible if it means the Old Testament is not difficult,” he said. “In fact, for many of the new Christians in the world today the big problem is … telling people that the old law must be made subordinate, must be treated as inferior, to the new law.”</p>
<p>In Africa, Jenkins continued, Western missionaries often must convince people the Old Testament is not the only or primary revelation of God's work. If Martin Luther hated it, he joked, it goes down great in Africa.</p>
<p>In light of that cultural context, Jenkins said, the fundamental task of Christian believers should be to determine how much of the old religion has to be done away with in order to bring in the faith of Christ and to teach hearers to obey the things Jesus commanded.</p>
<p>On the up side, Jenkins said, African and Asian tribes easily recognize and understand aspects of the traditional religion of the Old Testament as shaping what they should practice in light of the New Testament. And they often understand those aspects better than Christians in the Western world.</p>
<p>The idea of atonement, for instance, is difficult to describe to someone who does not come from a culture that embraces animal sacrifice. But it is easy to talk of the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus with someone who understands sacrificial rituals as “a continuing reality,” he said.</p>
<p>Most evangelicals never have seen an animal sacrifice or even a harvest, Jenkins said. “Now imagine that ideas like this are part of the fabric of your mind!”</p>
<p>Another aspect of the New Testament that connects easily with many indigenous African and Asian cultures, he added, involves Jesus' subversion of his society's class markers. Just as in Jesus' culture, one of the clearest markers of class is what—and with whom—wealthy or powerful people are allowed to eat.</p>
<p>Jesus' inclination to share meals with low-caste people like prostitutes, or his tendency to touch or spend time with people that his society considered unclean, make him an even more striking figure in African and Asian cultures than in Western ones, Jenkins said.</p>
<p>“Look at so many of the passages that we are used to in the West and that we don't even read any more and which are the most explosive,” Jenkins said.</p>
<p>“Look at the passages which carry the most weight for women's groups reading the Bible in the global South. Think of the story of the woman with the issue of blood. Now imagine reading that story in a society that believes in blood contamination (and) that believes in blood impurity.”</p>
<p>After receiving the faith of Jesus, churches should “cauterize the culture” that has grown out of Christianity over the past two millennia and leave the core message, Jenkins concluded. But that is something, he said, the new Christian communities must do for themselves.</p>
<p>“It is not for outsiders, for Westerners, to tell rising African and Asian churches what to do in this regard,” Jenkins said. “The best example of teaching to obey is by teaching to read—teaching to think and absorb and make relevant.”</p> | 451 |
|
<p />
<p>As a Jacobin article reminds us, “American workers did contribute at least one lasting legacy to the international movement for working-class liberation – a workers’ holiday, celebrating the ideal of international solidarity, and eagerly anticipating the day when workers might rise together to take control of their own lives and provide for their own well-being.” But “that holiday is May Day,” writes Jonah Walters. “Not Labor Day.”</p>
<p>Tracing Labor Day’s conservative roots, we’re reminded that the holiday was established in 1894, by President Grover Cleveland “as a way to de-escalate class tension following the Pullman Strike, during which as many as ninety workers were gunned down by thousands of US Marshals serving at the pleasure of railway tycoon George Pullman, one of the time’s most hated industrial barons.”</p>
<p>Walters explains:</p>
<p />
<p>In an impressive display of working-class solidarity, more than 150,000 railroad workers in 27 states joined the strike in the weeks that followed, refusing to switch, signal, or service trains pulling Pullman cars. Suddenly, with all trains at a standstill, the railway system was under the control of the American Railroad Union, then led by Eugene V. Debs.</p>
<p>President Cleveland conveniently invoked the executive responsibility to deliver mail to claim the strike was illegal and unjustified because the US Postal Service relied on train travel. He mustered a heavily armed force of more than 14,000 US Marshals, soldiers, and mercenaries to break the strike. After days of fighting and more than 30 workers killed, the strikers were dispersed and trains began to move.</p>
<p>The Pullman Strike was one of the most catalyzing moments in American history, leading working people all over the country to draw revolutionary conclusions — including Debs, who read Marx for the first time while imprisoned for his role in organizing the strike.</p>
<p>Cleveland was wary of the response to his actions. He signed Labor Day into law a mere six days after busting the strike.</p>
<p>Convincing American workers to accept such a transparently disingenuous maneuver was a hard sell. But Cleveland found an effective ally in Samuel Gompers, the president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), a conservative coalition of skilled workers that had opposed the strike.</p>
<p>Gompers immediately endorsed the president’s holiday — Cleveland even presented him with the pen used to sign the holiday in law. Gompers later wrote a superlative column in the New York Times praising Labor Day as the harbinger of “a new epoch in the annals of human history.” He made the absurd claim that Labor Day “differs essentially from some of the other holidays of the year in that it glorifies no armed conflicts or battles of man’s prowess over man,” and wrote scathingly about the “dark side of the labor movement” represented by the Pullman strikers.</p>
<p>Although previous Septembers had seen small workers celebrations in many states observing the end of summer, the first federally protected Labor Day was marked in 1894 with an AFL-supported parade.</p>
<p>Debs still sat in jail with seventy-one others arrested during the Pullman action. Around the same time, the American Railway Union — previously the most powerful union in the country — was forcibly disbanded after the AFL denied its appeal.</p>
<p>Labor Day marks our historic defeat, not our triumph.</p>
<p>May Day celebrates the historic power of the working class to oppose its oppression and fundamentally alter society. Though it’s a welcome break from work for many of us, Labor Day is just another legacy of worker defeat.</p>
<p>Read the rest <a href="https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/09/labor-day-may-first-american-labor-movement-haymarket/" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>–Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Roisin Davis</a></p> | Why the Real Labor Day Is May 1 | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/why-the-real-labor-day-is-may-1/ | 2015-09-07 | 4left
| Why the Real Labor Day Is May 1
<p />
<p>As a Jacobin article reminds us, “American workers did contribute at least one lasting legacy to the international movement for working-class liberation – a workers’ holiday, celebrating the ideal of international solidarity, and eagerly anticipating the day when workers might rise together to take control of their own lives and provide for their own well-being.” But “that holiday is May Day,” writes Jonah Walters. “Not Labor Day.”</p>
<p>Tracing Labor Day’s conservative roots, we’re reminded that the holiday was established in 1894, by President Grover Cleveland “as a way to de-escalate class tension following the Pullman Strike, during which as many as ninety workers were gunned down by thousands of US Marshals serving at the pleasure of railway tycoon George Pullman, one of the time’s most hated industrial barons.”</p>
<p>Walters explains:</p>
<p />
<p>In an impressive display of working-class solidarity, more than 150,000 railroad workers in 27 states joined the strike in the weeks that followed, refusing to switch, signal, or service trains pulling Pullman cars. Suddenly, with all trains at a standstill, the railway system was under the control of the American Railroad Union, then led by Eugene V. Debs.</p>
<p>President Cleveland conveniently invoked the executive responsibility to deliver mail to claim the strike was illegal and unjustified because the US Postal Service relied on train travel. He mustered a heavily armed force of more than 14,000 US Marshals, soldiers, and mercenaries to break the strike. After days of fighting and more than 30 workers killed, the strikers were dispersed and trains began to move.</p>
<p>The Pullman Strike was one of the most catalyzing moments in American history, leading working people all over the country to draw revolutionary conclusions — including Debs, who read Marx for the first time while imprisoned for his role in organizing the strike.</p>
<p>Cleveland was wary of the response to his actions. He signed Labor Day into law a mere six days after busting the strike.</p>
<p>Convincing American workers to accept such a transparently disingenuous maneuver was a hard sell. But Cleveland found an effective ally in Samuel Gompers, the president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), a conservative coalition of skilled workers that had opposed the strike.</p>
<p>Gompers immediately endorsed the president’s holiday — Cleveland even presented him with the pen used to sign the holiday in law. Gompers later wrote a superlative column in the New York Times praising Labor Day as the harbinger of “a new epoch in the annals of human history.” He made the absurd claim that Labor Day “differs essentially from some of the other holidays of the year in that it glorifies no armed conflicts or battles of man’s prowess over man,” and wrote scathingly about the “dark side of the labor movement” represented by the Pullman strikers.</p>
<p>Although previous Septembers had seen small workers celebrations in many states observing the end of summer, the first federally protected Labor Day was marked in 1894 with an AFL-supported parade.</p>
<p>Debs still sat in jail with seventy-one others arrested during the Pullman action. Around the same time, the American Railway Union — previously the most powerful union in the country — was forcibly disbanded after the AFL denied its appeal.</p>
<p>Labor Day marks our historic defeat, not our triumph.</p>
<p>May Day celebrates the historic power of the working class to oppose its oppression and fundamentally alter society. Though it’s a welcome break from work for many of us, Labor Day is just another legacy of worker defeat.</p>
<p>Read the rest <a href="https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/09/labor-day-may-first-american-labor-movement-haymarket/" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>–Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Roisin Davis</a></p> | 452 |
<p />
<p>I missed <a href="http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/about/newsroom/pressrelease/pr06092005_appropriations.cfm" type="external">this</a> when it popped up last week, but it deserves, even in retrospect, a resounding “What the f—?”</p>
<p />
<p>Today [June 9th], 11 anti-choice Republican members of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees spending for health, labor and education programs voted against a proposal offered by Rep. David Obey (D-WI) aimed at making it economically easier for low-income and vulnerable women to choose to carry pregnancies to term.</p>
<p>I never thought the obvious needed to be stated, but apparently so. Rep. Obey’s measure would have, in all certainty, reduced the number of abortions in America by making it easier for women to carry their pregnancies to term. No matter what delusions Republicans seem to be laboring under, many women abort not because they’re frivolous people or don’t respect the “culture of life,” but because they respect it all too well, and understand that it’s cruel to bring a child into the world that can’t be provided for properly. That’s not a difficult concept to grasp. Or it shouldn’t be. But really, what’s the use arguing here? These House Republicans don’t care. The point of pregnancy and birth, for them, isn’t about creating life or raising children or sustaining a healthy society. The point seems to be nothing more than making sure that women, as pseudo-Adrienne <a href="http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2005/06/10/just-goes-to-show-you-that-theyre-pro-birth-not-pro-life/" type="external">put it</a>, “fulfill their biological duties.” Charming, all of them.</p>
<p>On a related note, I can’t imagine there are many people who haven’t read <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/13/82551/6958" type="external">this post</a> yet, but if not, it deserves a read.</p>
<p>UPDATE: Hm, after doing a little searching around, it seems that many of the health and education cuts Obey was railing against were <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=26044" type="external">made necessary</a> by the need to free up some $900 million, in order to help pay for George Bush’s 2003 Medicare bill. Which, as we know, extended that all-important helping-hand to those pharmaceutical companies that were trampled on, oppressed, and otherwise down on their luck. Life is hard, you know.</p>
<p /> | “Culture of Life” Indeed | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2005/06/culture-life-indeed/ | 2005-06-14 | 4left
| “Culture of Life” Indeed
<p />
<p>I missed <a href="http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/about/newsroom/pressrelease/pr06092005_appropriations.cfm" type="external">this</a> when it popped up last week, but it deserves, even in retrospect, a resounding “What the f—?”</p>
<p />
<p>Today [June 9th], 11 anti-choice Republican members of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees spending for health, labor and education programs voted against a proposal offered by Rep. David Obey (D-WI) aimed at making it economically easier for low-income and vulnerable women to choose to carry pregnancies to term.</p>
<p>I never thought the obvious needed to be stated, but apparently so. Rep. Obey’s measure would have, in all certainty, reduced the number of abortions in America by making it easier for women to carry their pregnancies to term. No matter what delusions Republicans seem to be laboring under, many women abort not because they’re frivolous people or don’t respect the “culture of life,” but because they respect it all too well, and understand that it’s cruel to bring a child into the world that can’t be provided for properly. That’s not a difficult concept to grasp. Or it shouldn’t be. But really, what’s the use arguing here? These House Republicans don’t care. The point of pregnancy and birth, for them, isn’t about creating life or raising children or sustaining a healthy society. The point seems to be nothing more than making sure that women, as pseudo-Adrienne <a href="http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2005/06/10/just-goes-to-show-you-that-theyre-pro-birth-not-pro-life/" type="external">put it</a>, “fulfill their biological duties.” Charming, all of them.</p>
<p>On a related note, I can’t imagine there are many people who haven’t read <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/13/82551/6958" type="external">this post</a> yet, but if not, it deserves a read.</p>
<p>UPDATE: Hm, after doing a little searching around, it seems that many of the health and education cuts Obey was railing against were <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=26044" type="external">made necessary</a> by the need to free up some $900 million, in order to help pay for George Bush’s 2003 Medicare bill. Which, as we know, extended that all-important helping-hand to those pharmaceutical companies that were trampled on, oppressed, and otherwise down on their luck. Life is hard, you know.</p>
<p /> | 453 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>City officials said a catastrophe was narrowly avoided in an up-and-coming area near AT&amp;T Park, home of the Giants.</p>
<p>"I think we're very lucky that the fire didn't jump anymore," Mayor Ed Lee said.</p>
<p>The exact cause of the blaze - one of the largest in the city in recent years - was under investigation. Fire officials were looking into preliminary reports that workers at the block-long site were doing torch work shortly before the fire was reported around 5 p.m. Tuesday, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said.</p>
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<p>"It's too early to determine a cause at this point," Fire Department Battalion Chief Kirk Richardson said. "Our arson investigators still have a lot of material they have to look at."</p>
<p>Two firefighters suffered minor injuries. One of them suffered burns while battling the fire from above but didn't realize he was injured for hours, said firefighter Stephen Maguire, whose crew was among the first to arrive.</p>
<p /> | Welding work examined as possible cause of massive San Francisco fire | false | https://abqjournal.com/367600/welding-work-examined-as-possible-cause-of-massive-san-francisco-fire.html | 2least
| Welding work examined as possible cause of massive San Francisco fire
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>City officials said a catastrophe was narrowly avoided in an up-and-coming area near AT&amp;T Park, home of the Giants.</p>
<p>"I think we're very lucky that the fire didn't jump anymore," Mayor Ed Lee said.</p>
<p>The exact cause of the blaze - one of the largest in the city in recent years - was under investigation. Fire officials were looking into preliminary reports that workers at the block-long site were doing torch work shortly before the fire was reported around 5 p.m. Tuesday, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>"It's too early to determine a cause at this point," Fire Department Battalion Chief Kirk Richardson said. "Our arson investigators still have a lot of material they have to look at."</p>
<p>Two firefighters suffered minor injuries. One of them suffered burns while battling the fire from above but didn't realize he was injured for hours, said firefighter Stephen Maguire, whose crew was among the first to arrive.</p>
<p /> | 454 |
|
<p>The European Parliament has adopted a resolution, which calls for an EU-wide embargo on arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the alleged war crimes it has committed in Yemen. The resolution also criticizes EU members selling arms to the Gulf kingdom.</p>
<p>The EU parliament “condemns in the strongest terms the ongoing violence in Yemen and all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, which constitute war crimes,” the resolution passed on Thursday <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+TA+P8-TA-2017-0473+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN" type="external">says</a>. It goes on to say that “dozens of Saudi-led airstrikes have been blamed for indiscriminately killing and wounding civilians in violation of the laws of war, including through the use of internationally banned cluster munitions.”</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/410762-saudi-precision-weapons-raytheon-boeing/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The document particularly says that the European lawmakers “deplore” the blockade of Yemen established by the Saudi-led coalition and specifically condemns “the indiscriminate coalition-led airstrikes leading to civilian casualties, including children, and destruction of civilian and medical infrastructure.” It adds that they equally condemn the actions of the Houthi rebels resulting in civilian casualties, including the missile attacks on the Saudi cities.</p>
<p>The MEPs then renewed their call on the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, to launch “an initiative to impose an EU arms embargo against Saudi Arabia” in the view of the serious allegations of it committing war crimes in Yemen. The motion, which is, however, non-binding, was adopted by a vast majority as 539 MEPs supported it while only 13 of them voted against and 81 abstained.</p>
<p>The resolution also calls on Mogherini to “urgently propose an integrated EU strategy for Yemen” as well as urged all parties to the conflict to “urgently agree on a cessation of hostilities” and to return to peace negotiations.It then goes on to slam the EU member states for selling arms to the Saudis in spite of numerous allegations of war crimes committed by the coalition.</p>
<p>“EU Member States have continued to authorize transfers of arms to Saudi Arabia since the escalation of the conflict, in a violation of Council Common Position … on arms export control,” the document says. It then goes on to say that an EU arms embargo against Saudi Arabia would “effectively promote compliance” of the member states with the relevant EU guidelines and eventually with the international humanitarian law.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/409249-arms-sales-yemen-saudi/" type="external" /></p>
<p>This is not the first time the EU parliament had called for an arms embargo against the Saudis. A similar appeal to the EU authorities was included into another its resolution on the situation in Yemen adopted in February 2016.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, some EU states continue to actively supply the Saudis with weapons and military equipment despite the Kindgom’s involvement in the war in Yemen. In mid-November, the German government revealed that the total value of its arms sales to Saudi Arabia has grown fivefold in the third quarter of 2017 comparison to the same period of the previous year.</p>
<p>While Germany supplies the Kingdom with military trucks and patrol boats, according to the disclosed documents, the UK is selling the Saudis various munitions, including bombs and missiles. And the UK arms sales to the Saudis also jumped by almost 500 percent, a November report said.</p>
<p>In September, an NGO said that the UK sold the Saudis £6 billion ($8 billion) worth of weapons since the war in Yemen began. It was also recently revealed that up to 50 British military personnel were teaching battlefield skills to Saudi officers engaged in the Yemeni conflict.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/409879-german-arms-export-saudi-arabia/" type="external" /></p>
<p>However, the oil-rich Kingdom enjoys support not only of its European partners. In late November, it was reported that the Saudis were purchasing $ 7 billion worth of precision arms from the US manufacturers, which is almost equal to the total worth of the British arms sales to the Saudi Arabia over the entire period of the Yemeni conflict. The purchase came as part of the mammoth $110-billion deal earlier brokered by the US President Donald Trump during his visit to Riyadh.</p>
<p>Since 2015, the Sunni monarchy has been waging a war against Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, which pushed one of the Arab world’s poorest countries to the brink of famine and left some 4,800 Yemenis killed, according to UN that says most of the civilian casualties were caused by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, though Riyadh consistently denied the reports.</p>
<p>According to the UN, some 20.7 million people in Yemen are currently in need of humanitarian assistance while a cholera outbreack, which is considered to be one of the worst in the world, affected more than 900,000 people there. At the same time, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also called the humanitarian situation in Yemen the “largest food-security emergency in the world.”</p> | EU resolution calls for arms embargo against Saudi Arabia, accuses it of war crimes | false | https://newsline.com/eu-resolution-calls-for-arms-embargo-against-saudi-arabia-accuses-it-of-war-crimes/ | 2017-12-01 | 1right-center
| EU resolution calls for arms embargo against Saudi Arabia, accuses it of war crimes
<p>The European Parliament has adopted a resolution, which calls for an EU-wide embargo on arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the alleged war crimes it has committed in Yemen. The resolution also criticizes EU members selling arms to the Gulf kingdom.</p>
<p>The EU parliament “condemns in the strongest terms the ongoing violence in Yemen and all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, which constitute war crimes,” the resolution passed on Thursday <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+TA+P8-TA-2017-0473+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN" type="external">says</a>. It goes on to say that “dozens of Saudi-led airstrikes have been blamed for indiscriminately killing and wounding civilians in violation of the laws of war, including through the use of internationally banned cluster munitions.”</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/410762-saudi-precision-weapons-raytheon-boeing/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The document particularly says that the European lawmakers “deplore” the blockade of Yemen established by the Saudi-led coalition and specifically condemns “the indiscriminate coalition-led airstrikes leading to civilian casualties, including children, and destruction of civilian and medical infrastructure.” It adds that they equally condemn the actions of the Houthi rebels resulting in civilian casualties, including the missile attacks on the Saudi cities.</p>
<p>The MEPs then renewed their call on the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, to launch “an initiative to impose an EU arms embargo against Saudi Arabia” in the view of the serious allegations of it committing war crimes in Yemen. The motion, which is, however, non-binding, was adopted by a vast majority as 539 MEPs supported it while only 13 of them voted against and 81 abstained.</p>
<p>The resolution also calls on Mogherini to “urgently propose an integrated EU strategy for Yemen” as well as urged all parties to the conflict to “urgently agree on a cessation of hostilities” and to return to peace negotiations.It then goes on to slam the EU member states for selling arms to the Saudis in spite of numerous allegations of war crimes committed by the coalition.</p>
<p>“EU Member States have continued to authorize transfers of arms to Saudi Arabia since the escalation of the conflict, in a violation of Council Common Position … on arms export control,” the document says. It then goes on to say that an EU arms embargo against Saudi Arabia would “effectively promote compliance” of the member states with the relevant EU guidelines and eventually with the international humanitarian law.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/409249-arms-sales-yemen-saudi/" type="external" /></p>
<p>This is not the first time the EU parliament had called for an arms embargo against the Saudis. A similar appeal to the EU authorities was included into another its resolution on the situation in Yemen adopted in February 2016.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, some EU states continue to actively supply the Saudis with weapons and military equipment despite the Kindgom’s involvement in the war in Yemen. In mid-November, the German government revealed that the total value of its arms sales to Saudi Arabia has grown fivefold in the third quarter of 2017 comparison to the same period of the previous year.</p>
<p>While Germany supplies the Kingdom with military trucks and patrol boats, according to the disclosed documents, the UK is selling the Saudis various munitions, including bombs and missiles. And the UK arms sales to the Saudis also jumped by almost 500 percent, a November report said.</p>
<p>In September, an NGO said that the UK sold the Saudis £6 billion ($8 billion) worth of weapons since the war in Yemen began. It was also recently revealed that up to 50 British military personnel were teaching battlefield skills to Saudi officers engaged in the Yemeni conflict.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/409879-german-arms-export-saudi-arabia/" type="external" /></p>
<p>However, the oil-rich Kingdom enjoys support not only of its European partners. In late November, it was reported that the Saudis were purchasing $ 7 billion worth of precision arms from the US manufacturers, which is almost equal to the total worth of the British arms sales to the Saudi Arabia over the entire period of the Yemeni conflict. The purchase came as part of the mammoth $110-billion deal earlier brokered by the US President Donald Trump during his visit to Riyadh.</p>
<p>Since 2015, the Sunni monarchy has been waging a war against Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, which pushed one of the Arab world’s poorest countries to the brink of famine and left some 4,800 Yemenis killed, according to UN that says most of the civilian casualties were caused by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, though Riyadh consistently denied the reports.</p>
<p>According to the UN, some 20.7 million people in Yemen are currently in need of humanitarian assistance while a cholera outbreack, which is considered to be one of the worst in the world, affected more than 900,000 people there. At the same time, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also called the humanitarian situation in Yemen the “largest food-security emergency in the world.”</p> | 455 |
<p />
<p>Image source: Inteliquent.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shares of Inteliquent Inc. (NASDAQ: IQNT) were up 35.1% as of 1 p.m. EDT Thursday after the voice and messaging interconnection services specialist agreed to be acquired.</p>
<p>More specifically, yesterday after the market close, Inteliquent revealed it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of private equity firm GTCR LLC for $23 per share. That's good for a 37% premium to Tuesday's closing price, and values the company at roughly $800 million.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Inteliquent CEO Matt Carter explained the reasons for the acquisition:</p>
<p>Following the acquisition -- which has no financing condition associated with it and is expected to close in the first half of 2017 -- Inteliquent will be merged with a subsidiary of communications technology services specialist Onvoy LLC.</p>
<p>"We look forward to working with the Inteliquent team to continue the network expansion and to empower innovation for our shared customer base," stated Onvoy CEO Fritz Hendricks.</p>
<p>As it stands, the deal still requires approval from Inteliquent shareholders, and its terms allow the company 30 calendar days to solicit alternative proposals. But given the gravity of today's pop, which brought shares within pennies of the proposed acquisition price -- and assuming holding until closer to the acquisition's close won't result in more favorable capital gains tax treatment -- I think Inteliquent investors would be wise to take their profits off the table and put them to work elsewhere.</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=2668&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">just click here Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFSymington/info.aspx" type="external">Steve Symington Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Why Inteliquent Stock Skyrocketed 35% Today | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/11/03/why-inteliquent-stock-skyrocketed-35-today.html | 2016-11-03 | 0right
| Why Inteliquent Stock Skyrocketed 35% Today
<p />
<p>Image source: Inteliquent.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shares of Inteliquent Inc. (NASDAQ: IQNT) were up 35.1% as of 1 p.m. EDT Thursday after the voice and messaging interconnection services specialist agreed to be acquired.</p>
<p>More specifically, yesterday after the market close, Inteliquent revealed it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of private equity firm GTCR LLC for $23 per share. That's good for a 37% premium to Tuesday's closing price, and values the company at roughly $800 million.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Inteliquent CEO Matt Carter explained the reasons for the acquisition:</p>
<p>Following the acquisition -- which has no financing condition associated with it and is expected to close in the first half of 2017 -- Inteliquent will be merged with a subsidiary of communications technology services specialist Onvoy LLC.</p>
<p>"We look forward to working with the Inteliquent team to continue the network expansion and to empower innovation for our shared customer base," stated Onvoy CEO Fritz Hendricks.</p>
<p>As it stands, the deal still requires approval from Inteliquent shareholders, and its terms allow the company 30 calendar days to solicit alternative proposals. But given the gravity of today's pop, which brought shares within pennies of the proposed acquisition price -- and assuming holding until closer to the acquisition's close won't result in more favorable capital gains tax treatment -- I think Inteliquent investors would be wise to take their profits off the table and put them to work elsewhere.</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=2668&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">just click here Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFSymington/info.aspx" type="external">Steve Symington Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 456 |
<p />
<p>The railroad industry has been under some pressure in recent years, and Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) has had to navigate changes in economic conditions that have presented some challenges to its business. Recently, though, railroad stocks have rebounded, and Union Pacific saw its stock climb above the $100-per-share mark last month for the first time since mid-2015. Some investors automatically think that a company will consider a stock split when its share price climbs into triple digits, and so it's natural to wonder whether Union Pacific will be splitting its stock soon. Below, we'll look more closely at Union Pacific's stock split history to try to get some hints about whether another split is likely to come.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Union Pacific has done several stock splits during its history, as you can see below:</p>
<p>Data source: Union Pacific investor relations.</p>
<p>Ordinarily, stock splits before the 1970s are hard to analyze, because price information is hard to retrieve. In Union Pacific's case, however, the company actually provides its own pricing data, and that is helpful in assessing what motivated the railroad company to do stock splits.</p>
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<p>Union Pacific has changed the way it assesses stock splits throughout its history. Early on, the company allowed its stock price to climb well above levels that prompted many of its peers in the stock market to do stock splits. In 1948, the stock price was $190 per share before the stock split took effect, and the 1956 split occurred with the share price at about $172.50. The big 5-for-1 split in 1956 gave Union Pacific plenty of room for growth without needing to consider further splits for a couple of decades.</p>
<p>Image source: Union Pacific.</p>
<p>By the 1970s, however, Union Pacific had adopted a more conventional approach to stock splits. The 1977 move happened with the stock at $97 per share, preventing the company's shares from reaching sustained triple-digit levels. The railroad was even faster on the draw in 1980, splitting with the stock at around $75 per share, and the 1991 split involved shares at prices between $94 and $95. Based on that part of its history, it would be natural to think Union Pacific might consider a split now.</p>
<p>However, within the last decade, Union Pacific has reverted to its former strategy of allowing its stock to climb well past the $100-per-share mark before doing splits. In May 2008, Union Pacific traded at almost $160 at its high, and it had been above $100 per share throughout 2007 and early 2008 before the railroad made its move. After that, the financial crisis hit, sending Union Pacific's stock down sharply and taking several years to recover.</p>
<p>Yet by late 2011, Union Pacific was once again trading in triple digits. The railroad waited two-and-a-half years before splitting, letting the stock hit the $200 per share mark before doing the split.</p>
<p>It therefore seems very unlikely that Union Pacific will split again in the near future. It's only because of the downturn in the railroad industry that the stock fell back below the $100 per share mark at all immediately follow the previous split. That indicates that the railroad is comfortable with a triple-digit share price, or else it would have chosen a different split ratio than 2-for-1.</p>
<p>Given that Union Pacific did its last split just over two years ago, there's no reason for investors to think that the company will be in a hurry to do another one. It will likely take another 50% to 100% move higher for Union Pacific share prices from current levels to justify the next split for the railroad's stock.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Union Pacific 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=113463df-ddd0-4b58-b772-1a3b681e7294&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 Union Pacific 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=113463df-ddd0-4b58-b772-1a3b681e7294&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of Nov. 7, 2016</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGalagan/info.aspx" type="external">Dan Caplinger Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Union Pacific Stock Split: Is Another Split Coming Soon for the Railroad? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/07/union-pacific-stock-split-is-another-split-coming-soon-for-railroad.html | 2016-12-07 | 0right
| Union Pacific Stock Split: Is Another Split Coming Soon for the Railroad?
<p />
<p>The railroad industry has been under some pressure in recent years, and Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) has had to navigate changes in economic conditions that have presented some challenges to its business. Recently, though, railroad stocks have rebounded, and Union Pacific saw its stock climb above the $100-per-share mark last month for the first time since mid-2015. Some investors automatically think that a company will consider a stock split when its share price climbs into triple digits, and so it's natural to wonder whether Union Pacific will be splitting its stock soon. Below, we'll look more closely at Union Pacific's stock split history to try to get some hints about whether another split is likely to come.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Union Pacific has done several stock splits during its history, as you can see below:</p>
<p>Data source: Union Pacific investor relations.</p>
<p>Ordinarily, stock splits before the 1970s are hard to analyze, because price information is hard to retrieve. In Union Pacific's case, however, the company actually provides its own pricing data, and that is helpful in assessing what motivated the railroad company to do stock splits.</p>
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<p>Union Pacific has changed the way it assesses stock splits throughout its history. Early on, the company allowed its stock price to climb well above levels that prompted many of its peers in the stock market to do stock splits. In 1948, the stock price was $190 per share before the stock split took effect, and the 1956 split occurred with the share price at about $172.50. The big 5-for-1 split in 1956 gave Union Pacific plenty of room for growth without needing to consider further splits for a couple of decades.</p>
<p>Image source: Union Pacific.</p>
<p>By the 1970s, however, Union Pacific had adopted a more conventional approach to stock splits. The 1977 move happened with the stock at $97 per share, preventing the company's shares from reaching sustained triple-digit levels. The railroad was even faster on the draw in 1980, splitting with the stock at around $75 per share, and the 1991 split involved shares at prices between $94 and $95. Based on that part of its history, it would be natural to think Union Pacific might consider a split now.</p>
<p>However, within the last decade, Union Pacific has reverted to its former strategy of allowing its stock to climb well past the $100-per-share mark before doing splits. In May 2008, Union Pacific traded at almost $160 at its high, and it had been above $100 per share throughout 2007 and early 2008 before the railroad made its move. After that, the financial crisis hit, sending Union Pacific's stock down sharply and taking several years to recover.</p>
<p>Yet by late 2011, Union Pacific was once again trading in triple digits. The railroad waited two-and-a-half years before splitting, letting the stock hit the $200 per share mark before doing the split.</p>
<p>It therefore seems very unlikely that Union Pacific will split again in the near future. It's only because of the downturn in the railroad industry that the stock fell back below the $100 per share mark at all immediately follow the previous split. That indicates that the railroad is comfortable with a triple-digit share price, or else it would have chosen a different split ratio than 2-for-1.</p>
<p>Given that Union Pacific did its last split just over two years ago, there's no reason for investors to think that the company will be in a hurry to do another one. It will likely take another 50% to 100% move higher for Union Pacific share prices from current levels to justify the next split for the railroad's stock.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Union Pacific 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=113463df-ddd0-4b58-b772-1a3b681e7294&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 Union Pacific 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=113463df-ddd0-4b58-b772-1a3b681e7294&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of Nov. 7, 2016</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGalagan/info.aspx" type="external">Dan Caplinger Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 457 |
<p />
<p>Large-cap U.S. stocks have been stalwarts, but smaller companies and exchange traded funds that track the small- and mid-cap categories are beginning to race ahead.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Over the past three months, the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Diwm&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=yGFqSTqxM4ppDia4vb9sCqpICAH8MxTS6zVchb0kN1k&amp;e=" type="external">IWM Opens a New Window.</a>) rose 11.1%, SPDR S&amp;P MidCap 400 ETF (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dmdy&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=IVYZxkKy_SINnrlJ2ZJT2HTfIEMvkaLsUmAspwcMqTs&amp;e=" type="external">MDY Opens a New Window.</a>) gained 11.3% while the SPDR S&amp;P 500 (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dspy&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=dZrchH_hndCjh2BgvVAJK1JCsEE7yyMu1b5jVFZStP8&amp;e=" type="external">SPY Opens a New Window.</a>) returned 7.6%. Mid-caps have also been a standout asset category, with MDY rising 6.5% year-to-date, whereas SPY advanced 3.2%.</p>
<p>Small-caps have been gaining momentum in recent months, capitalizing off the risk-on sentiment after the Fed stated it would only raise interest rates two times later this year, downwardly revised from the four hikes it expected back in December. The extended low-rate environment also benefited smaller companies that have taken on cheap debt in their balance sheets.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, small-caps can still navigate through a slowly rising rate environment. Smaller companies, which cater toward U.S. domestic markets, are less exposed to a stronger U.S. dollar as rates rise, which would more negatively weigh on large-caps with a global footprint. Additionally, periods of rising rates also coincide with expanding economies, which often benefit smaller companies.</p>
<p>The lower reliance on multinational sales has also supported mid-caps. Additionally, the mid-cap segment has provided favorable acquisition targets when cash-heavy large-cap companies are shopping around.</p>
<p>Moreover, middle-capitalization stocks may offer a suitable middle ground between more volatile small-caps and less mobile large-caps. Mid-cap companies are slightly more diversified than their small-cap peers, which allows many of the companies to generate more consistent revenue and cash flow and provide more stable stock prices. Additionally, they are not so big that their size would slow down growth. Consequently, mid-caps have generated historically higher returns than large-caps, with higher volatility and higher beta, but at a lower ratio of return-to-risk than small-caps.</p>
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<p>Among the best recent small-cap performers, the PowerShares Russell 2000 Equal Weight Portfolio (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Deqws&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=RSPbdrwkHUUrj2Pb9u5W5HJxMB0XxgACw5l-FzdZ9XI&amp;e=" type="external">EQWS Opens a New Window.</a>) increased 3.6% and Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dscha&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=BmXott4iSl2ujCXdekmrBB3C532pxUm_B0RnTmqJ920&amp;e=" type="external">SCHA Opens a New Window.</a>) rose 2.8%.</p>
<p>EQWS takes an equal-weight position on the Russell 2000. Compared to the benchmark Russell 2000, the equal-weight methodology has a much lower financial tilt at 10.9% and smaller information technology position at 13.3%. The indexing methodology also makes the fund overweight micro-caps at 62.7% of the portfolio.</p>
<p>SCHA tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index, which also includes some mid-cap and fewer micro-cap stocks than in the Russell 2000. The Schwab offering is also the cheapest on the block, with a 0.08% expense ratio.</p>
<p>Additionally, the Guggenheim Mid-Cap Core ETF (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dcza&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=jSVBPLzc19K3KU9iUlv2KRglC4IpHAQIlZwCDHihEkU&amp;e=" type="external">CZA Opens a New Window.</a>) and ProShares S&amp;P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dregl&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=icb4yM1MAcVMRYY-0Aw-qW_z5skEnYBNQTlhe5-Yk_4&amp;e=" type="external">REGL Opens a New Window.</a>) are among the best performing mid-cap ETFs this quarter, rising 4.5% and 3.1%, respectively.</p>
<p>CZA tries to reflect the performance of the Zacks Mid-Cap Core Index, which targets companies with superior risk-return profiles as determiner by Zacks Investment Research. However, due to its indexing methodology, the fund is more focused that the benchmark S&amp;P MidCap 400. For instance, St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) makes up 2.7% of CZA's portfolio, and the ETF includes a hefty 32.8% tilt toward financials and 17.1% to industrials. Moreover, CZA includes a 11.6% position in large-cap names.</p>
<p>REGL tracks the S&amp;P MidCap Dividend Aristocrats Index, which only includes a targeted 46 dividend paying companies that have raised payouts for 15 consecutive years. The indexing methodology makes the tilt toward the value style and quality names. The ETF also comes with a slightly more attractive 1.54% 12-month yield.</p>
<p>This article was provided by our partners at <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=7OIIR04K_KOWmr-VETgx2EImQSRuGoQrV3-h9FWDVHw&amp;e=" type="external">etftrends.com Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Time to Celebrate Small Cap Stocks | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/05/27/time-to-celebrate-small-cap-stocks.html | 2016-05-27 | 0right
| Time to Celebrate Small Cap Stocks
<p />
<p>Large-cap U.S. stocks have been stalwarts, but smaller companies and exchange traded funds that track the small- and mid-cap categories are beginning to race ahead.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Over the past three months, the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Diwm&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=yGFqSTqxM4ppDia4vb9sCqpICAH8MxTS6zVchb0kN1k&amp;e=" type="external">IWM Opens a New Window.</a>) rose 11.1%, SPDR S&amp;P MidCap 400 ETF (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dmdy&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=IVYZxkKy_SINnrlJ2ZJT2HTfIEMvkaLsUmAspwcMqTs&amp;e=" type="external">MDY Opens a New Window.</a>) gained 11.3% while the SPDR S&amp;P 500 (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dspy&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=dZrchH_hndCjh2BgvVAJK1JCsEE7yyMu1b5jVFZStP8&amp;e=" type="external">SPY Opens a New Window.</a>) returned 7.6%. Mid-caps have also been a standout asset category, with MDY rising 6.5% year-to-date, whereas SPY advanced 3.2%.</p>
<p>Small-caps have been gaining momentum in recent months, capitalizing off the risk-on sentiment after the Fed stated it would only raise interest rates two times later this year, downwardly revised from the four hikes it expected back in December. The extended low-rate environment also benefited smaller companies that have taken on cheap debt in their balance sheets.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, small-caps can still navigate through a slowly rising rate environment. Smaller companies, which cater toward U.S. domestic markets, are less exposed to a stronger U.S. dollar as rates rise, which would more negatively weigh on large-caps with a global footprint. Additionally, periods of rising rates also coincide with expanding economies, which often benefit smaller companies.</p>
<p>The lower reliance on multinational sales has also supported mid-caps. Additionally, the mid-cap segment has provided favorable acquisition targets when cash-heavy large-cap companies are shopping around.</p>
<p>Moreover, middle-capitalization stocks may offer a suitable middle ground between more volatile small-caps and less mobile large-caps. Mid-cap companies are slightly more diversified than their small-cap peers, which allows many of the companies to generate more consistent revenue and cash flow and provide more stable stock prices. Additionally, they are not so big that their size would slow down growth. Consequently, mid-caps have generated historically higher returns than large-caps, with higher volatility and higher beta, but at a lower ratio of return-to-risk than small-caps.</p>
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<p>Among the best recent small-cap performers, the PowerShares Russell 2000 Equal Weight Portfolio (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Deqws&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=RSPbdrwkHUUrj2Pb9u5W5HJxMB0XxgACw5l-FzdZ9XI&amp;e=" type="external">EQWS Opens a New Window.</a>) increased 3.6% and Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dscha&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=BmXott4iSl2ujCXdekmrBB3C532pxUm_B0RnTmqJ920&amp;e=" type="external">SCHA Opens a New Window.</a>) rose 2.8%.</p>
<p>EQWS takes an equal-weight position on the Russell 2000. Compared to the benchmark Russell 2000, the equal-weight methodology has a much lower financial tilt at 10.9% and smaller information technology position at 13.3%. The indexing methodology also makes the fund overweight micro-caps at 62.7% of the portfolio.</p>
<p>SCHA tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index, which also includes some mid-cap and fewer micro-cap stocks than in the Russell 2000. The Schwab offering is also the cheapest on the block, with a 0.08% expense ratio.</p>
<p>Additionally, the Guggenheim Mid-Cap Core ETF (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dcza&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=jSVBPLzc19K3KU9iUlv2KRglC4IpHAQIlZwCDHihEkU&amp;e=" type="external">CZA Opens a New Window.</a>) and ProShares S&amp;P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NYSE: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dregl&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=icb4yM1MAcVMRYY-0Aw-qW_z5skEnYBNQTlhe5-Yk_4&amp;e=" type="external">REGL Opens a New Window.</a>) are among the best performing mid-cap ETFs this quarter, rising 4.5% and 3.1%, respectively.</p>
<p>CZA tries to reflect the performance of the Zacks Mid-Cap Core Index, which targets companies with superior risk-return profiles as determiner by Zacks Investment Research. However, due to its indexing methodology, the fund is more focused that the benchmark S&amp;P MidCap 400. For instance, St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) makes up 2.7% of CZA's portfolio, and the ETF includes a hefty 32.8% tilt toward financials and 17.1% to industrials. Moreover, CZA includes a 11.6% position in large-cap names.</p>
<p>REGL tracks the S&amp;P MidCap Dividend Aristocrats Index, which only includes a targeted 46 dividend paying companies that have raised payouts for 15 consecutive years. The indexing methodology makes the tilt toward the value style and quality names. The ETF also comes with a slightly more attractive 1.54% 12-month yield.</p>
<p>This article was provided by our partners at <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_&amp;d=DQMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=5SCG5s-hoQmDUcH1v_SdwLjILB-vT9ErXN_FsS9myoI&amp;s=7OIIR04K_KOWmr-VETgx2EImQSRuGoQrV3-h9FWDVHw&amp;e=" type="external">etftrends.com Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 458 |
<p>Richard Shiro/AP</p>
<p />
<p>On Monday, Rand Paul pledged his campaign would outlast <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/28/politics/rand-paul-donald-trump-staying-power/" type="external">“this clown”</a> Donald Trump, and swore he was having no trouble fundraising. Today, he got some bad news. The head of Purple PAC, one of three super-PACs devoted to supporting his candidacy, told Politico that he was holding off on spending any more money for Paul’s election until the Kentucky senator’s campaign “corrects its problems.”</p>
<p>Purple PAC was established by former Cato Institute head Ed Crane two years ago to generally support libertarian candidates. But after raising $1.2 million in the first half of this year, Crane <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/07/27/libertarian-donors-put-up-6-million-for-rand-paul-gop-bid" type="external">announced</a> the super-PAC was all in for Paul. The super-PAC’s website changed its motif and still features a heavily pro-Paul message. But on Tuesday, Crane <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/rand-paul-superpac-purplepac-dark-214221" type="external">told Politico</a> that as long as the campaign continues to languish in the polls without a more resonant message, he’s not going to spend or raise any money on Paul’s behalf.</p>
<p>The libertarian views that catapulted Paul to national prominence had “disappeared,” Crane said, leaving many of Paul’s longtime backers miffed.</p>
<p>“I want to grab Rand by the lapels and say, ‘What are you doing?'” Crane said. “I’m a big fan of Rand Paul. But whatever motivates his campaign, I don’t get it.”</p>
<p>In an email to Mother Jones, Crane said, “I still support Rand. We’ve stopped raising money until Rand starts emphasizing his libertarian positions, e.g., NSA, a more rational approach to Middle East, which we expect him to do.”</p>
<p>Earlier this year, one Purple PAC contributor told Mother Jones that donors trusted Crane to make calls about supporting candidates, and it’s not clear how much of the decision to cease fundraising for Paul is driven by the donors. Crane’s outfit has relied heavily on one particular donor—Jeffrey Yass, the founder of investment firm Susquehenna International Group—who has also donated generously to the other pro-Paul super-PACs and is the largest single donor backing Paul’s candidacy. If Yass has soured on Paul, that raises questions about the candidate’s ability to continue in the race.</p>
<p>Yass, who did not respond to a request for comment, donated $1 million of the nearly $1.2 million raised by Purple PAC this year. He also donated $1 million to America’s Liberty PAC, a super-PAC specifically endorsed by Paul. His contribution forms one-third of that PAC’s total fundraising haul. A third pro-Paul PAC, Concerned American Voters, has raised $1.8 million, of which Yass has kicked in $250,000. Combined, Yass has given more than $2.2 million, or roughly one-third of the total raised by pro-Paul super PACs.</p>
<p>A Paul aide brushed off the news that Purple PAC was suspending its support for the Kentucky senator: “This PAC, as far as I can tell, has spent no money—zero—in support of Rand. For this and other reasons, this won’t impact Rand at all.”</p>
<p>The only activity the PAC seems to have taken so far is promoting a contest <a href="http://purplepac.org/contest/" type="external">offering $10,000 in prizes</a> for the five best ideas on how to promote Paul. No winner has been announced.</p>
<p>America’s Liberty PAC, the other major recipient of Yass’ largesse, was run by two political operatives with close ties to the Paul family’s political operation, Paul’s nephew-in-law Jesse Benton and John Tate, <a href="" type="internal">both of whom have been indicted</a> on campaign finance charges stemming from their involvement with the Ron Paul campaign in the 2012 presidential race. The trial for Benton, Tate, and a third man is scheduled to begin on Monday.</p>
<p /> | A Super-PAC Just Halted Its Support for Rand Paul | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2015/09/rand-paul-super-pac-halts-support/ | 2015-09-29 | 4left
| A Super-PAC Just Halted Its Support for Rand Paul
<p>Richard Shiro/AP</p>
<p />
<p>On Monday, Rand Paul pledged his campaign would outlast <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/28/politics/rand-paul-donald-trump-staying-power/" type="external">“this clown”</a> Donald Trump, and swore he was having no trouble fundraising. Today, he got some bad news. The head of Purple PAC, one of three super-PACs devoted to supporting his candidacy, told Politico that he was holding off on spending any more money for Paul’s election until the Kentucky senator’s campaign “corrects its problems.”</p>
<p>Purple PAC was established by former Cato Institute head Ed Crane two years ago to generally support libertarian candidates. But after raising $1.2 million in the first half of this year, Crane <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/07/27/libertarian-donors-put-up-6-million-for-rand-paul-gop-bid" type="external">announced</a> the super-PAC was all in for Paul. The super-PAC’s website changed its motif and still features a heavily pro-Paul message. But on Tuesday, Crane <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/rand-paul-superpac-purplepac-dark-214221" type="external">told Politico</a> that as long as the campaign continues to languish in the polls without a more resonant message, he’s not going to spend or raise any money on Paul’s behalf.</p>
<p>The libertarian views that catapulted Paul to national prominence had “disappeared,” Crane said, leaving many of Paul’s longtime backers miffed.</p>
<p>“I want to grab Rand by the lapels and say, ‘What are you doing?'” Crane said. “I’m a big fan of Rand Paul. But whatever motivates his campaign, I don’t get it.”</p>
<p>In an email to Mother Jones, Crane said, “I still support Rand. We’ve stopped raising money until Rand starts emphasizing his libertarian positions, e.g., NSA, a more rational approach to Middle East, which we expect him to do.”</p>
<p>Earlier this year, one Purple PAC contributor told Mother Jones that donors trusted Crane to make calls about supporting candidates, and it’s not clear how much of the decision to cease fundraising for Paul is driven by the donors. Crane’s outfit has relied heavily on one particular donor—Jeffrey Yass, the founder of investment firm Susquehenna International Group—who has also donated generously to the other pro-Paul super-PACs and is the largest single donor backing Paul’s candidacy. If Yass has soured on Paul, that raises questions about the candidate’s ability to continue in the race.</p>
<p>Yass, who did not respond to a request for comment, donated $1 million of the nearly $1.2 million raised by Purple PAC this year. He also donated $1 million to America’s Liberty PAC, a super-PAC specifically endorsed by Paul. His contribution forms one-third of that PAC’s total fundraising haul. A third pro-Paul PAC, Concerned American Voters, has raised $1.8 million, of which Yass has kicked in $250,000. Combined, Yass has given more than $2.2 million, or roughly one-third of the total raised by pro-Paul super PACs.</p>
<p>A Paul aide brushed off the news that Purple PAC was suspending its support for the Kentucky senator: “This PAC, as far as I can tell, has spent no money—zero—in support of Rand. For this and other reasons, this won’t impact Rand at all.”</p>
<p>The only activity the PAC seems to have taken so far is promoting a contest <a href="http://purplepac.org/contest/" type="external">offering $10,000 in prizes</a> for the five best ideas on how to promote Paul. No winner has been announced.</p>
<p>America’s Liberty PAC, the other major recipient of Yass’ largesse, was run by two political operatives with close ties to the Paul family’s political operation, Paul’s nephew-in-law Jesse Benton and John Tate, <a href="" type="internal">both of whom have been indicted</a> on campaign finance charges stemming from their involvement with the Ron Paul campaign in the 2012 presidential race. The trial for Benton, Tate, and a third man is scheduled to begin on Monday.</p>
<p /> | 459 |
<p><a type="external" href="" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/067473713X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=democjourn-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=067473713X&amp;linkId=bbe5bde1567fba24e4130da3337ddfcc" type="external">Global Inequality: A New&#160;Approach&#160;For&#160;The Age Of Globalization</a> by&#160;Branko Milanovic • Harvard University Press • 2016&#160;• $20.95</p>
<p>Any economist interested in inequality knows CUNY professor Branko Milanovic as one of the most authoritative experts on the subject, particularly on global income inequality. This subject has gained great prominence in public debate in the United States and elsewhere in recent years, abetted by the Piketty phenomenon and subsequently by Bernie Sanders’s focus on the issue in his electrifying (although doomed) presidential campaign challenge to the status quo.</p>
<p>The success of Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century was surely due in part to one of the three related changes noted in Milanovic’s important new book: the stagnation of incomes among the middle classes of the developed world. The carefully collated data for the years 1988 to 2011 that form the evidence on which Global Inequality is based reveal that members of this group—not the richest 10 percent of the world population but the next tenth down—remain well off in global terms. But they have seen smaller (almost non-existent) income gains compared to any other group in the world, and they are described by Milanovic on Twitter as the “decile of discontent.”</p>
<p>Milanovic notes two other momentous changes: the rise of a “global middle class,” most of them urban dwellers in China and other Asian countries, although with some in Latin America and Africa; and the emergence of a global plutocracy, the infamous 1 percent. Global Inequality argues that these trends have causes and consequences related to the interplay of economics and politics. In contrast to Piketty’s explanation—the famous technical expression r &gt; g, which in plain English means a return to capital greater than the economic growth rate—Milanovic’s argument is a richer and more plausible account of changes in inequality as the outcome of political and social dynamics.</p>
<p>This richness of analysis means Milanovic does not propose easy fixes for the disturbing degree of inequality, but neither does he see the present trends as inevitable. While observing that the twentieth century was the only time in history when inequality diminished as average incomes rose, he argues that political choices over taxation, education, and capital ownership could achieve the same again. The unspoken conclusion is that if politics does not distribute the gains of economic growth more fairly, the consequences could be dire.</p>
<p>Milanovic argues that, within their own borders, countries follow cycles of the narrowing and widening of income distribution. He has a term for this dynamic: “Kuznets waves,” named after the pioneer of this kind of analysis, the American economist Simon Kuznets. In his work in the 1950s, Kuznets suggested that distribution followed a hump-shaped pattern: Inequality increased as countries moved from poor to middle income, reflecting the early success stories of economic development, and decreased as they progressed to developed status, when progressive taxation started to fund education and social transfers for the masses. This was an empirically robust observation until the late 1980s, when inequality started increasing once again in rich countries like the United States.</p>
<p>Milanovic’s new Kuznets waves incorporate the same drivers of change in inequality, but he distinguishes between stagnant and growing economies, giving several historical examples. In stagnant economies—say, Europe before the Industrial Revolution or some poor countries now—inequality cycles up and down depending on the mortality of the population (and hence size of the labor force) and events such as wars or the discovery of resources. On average, life remains miserable.On the other hand, in economies that escape the poverty trap and have rising average incomes, higher inequality is made possible simply because there is more headroom, so incomes at the top can grow over time without causing starvation at the bottom. This occurred in economies like the United States and the UK in the nineteenth century and is occurring again today. New technologies reward small groups of skilled workers, reinforced by pro-rich policies enacted by governments, as those who benefit learn to leverage their economic power into political action.</p>
<p>But in the historical examples, two mechanisms have kicked in, tending to reduce inequality within growing economies. One is the original, “benign” Kuznets mechanism of tax-funded provision of public goods and redistribution, education that increases the supply of relevant skills, and political participation. Another is Piketty’s “malign” mechanism of war, which reduces inequality; it levels down by destroying property, harming more those who have the most assets to lose (he was referring only to the big European wars). In contrast to Piketty, Milanovic sees war as a potential consequence of great inequality, as part of the dynamic rather than an external lightning bolt. “Rising inequality indeed sets in motion forces, often of a destructive nature, that ultimately lead to its decrease but in the process destroy much else,” he writes. “A very high inequality eventually becomes unsustainable, but it does not go down by itself; rather, it generates processes, like wars or social revolutions, that lower it.”</p>
<p>What does the Kuznets wave mechanism imply for the present? After setting out the recent changes in the global inequality data, the book considers in turn the trends in inequality both within and between countries.</p>
<p>Prior to 1988 there had been a significant reversal in the determinants of an individual’s position in the global income distribution. In the early nineteenth century, this ranking depended on class: 80 percent of global inequality was explained by differences between rich and poor within countries. By the mid-twentieth century, 80 percent of the global income gap depended on income differences between countries. Milanovic attributes this switch to colonialism: Exploitation enabled the wages of workers in colonial powers to rise. The “country premium” on incomes probably peaked around 1970.</p>
<p>Yet class has been returning as an explanatory factor. Thanks to the catch-up by some Asian economies, especially China, inequality between countries has narrowed, while inequality within countries has widened since 1988.</p>
<p>Still, he writes: “The world where location has the most influence on one’s lifetime income is still the world we live in.” And the premium is huge. Compared to the poorest country, Congo, the premium for being American is 9,200 percent, for Brazilians 1,300 percent, and even for Yemenis it’s 300 percent. The premium for a good location is also greater the lower you go down the income distribution, so one of the poorest American citizens is even more than 9,200 percent better off than the poorest Congolese.&#160;</p>
<p>No wonder international migration seems to be heading inexorably upward. The book considers the implications of migration at some length, noting, “The pent-up demand for migration is many times the actual rate.” Milanovic cites estimates that perhaps 10 percent of the world’s population would like to migrate to another country, compared to the 3 percent of the world’s population who have already migrated to date. He suggests that, as there is little chance of reducing the flow, rich recipient countries need to manage the consequences for their own citizens and budgets, for example by adopting discriminatory policies such as guest worker programs or reduced legal protections for immigrants.</p>
<p>The final chapters turn to the future of global inequality and some reflections on policy. Milanovic argues that even if emerging economies like China and Brazil see slower growth, they will continue to grow faster than the old West, and so their income catch-up will remain one of the contributors to global distributional trends. The overall global pattern will largely depend on what happens to inequality within the two biggest countries, China and the United States. Here, he is more cautious about forecasting. The original Kuznets pattern of wider access to education and opportunity would tend to reduce inequality within China, and on balance he suggests this will outweigh any effects of corruption or internal conflict and break-up.</p>
<p>On the other hand, he portrays America as trapped in a “perfect storm” of rising inequality. Technological change and investment in automation will continue to increase the share of income going to owners of capital. The same people are likely to be also those most able to earn very high incomes. There is a pattern of the high-earning marrying the fellow high-earning, so inequality is further embedded between households. And—above all—the rich are continually reinforcing their political power and dismantling pro-poor policies such as progressive taxation and funding for public education and infrastructure. “It is hard to see where any forces might come from that could counter rising income inequality in the United States,” he concludes.</p>
<p>And the book concludes with a yet more pessimistic turn. Milanovic argues that capitalism (an economy based on the profit motive and privately owned capital) will survive, but democracy might not. Democracy is being hollowed out along with the middle class. Populism is the political vehicle for this process, the function of the “culture war” being to “mask the real shift of economic power toward the rich.” There is a section in the final chapter titled, “How can inequality in rich welfare states be reduced?,” but it covers just six pages; Milanovic’s heart is not really in providing a list of practical measures to reduce inequality and save democracy. Indeed, he quotes Machiavelli’s Discourses on Livy at the start of the chapter:</p>
<p>If you tender your advice with modesty and the opposition prevents its adoption and, owing to someone else’s advice being adopted, disaster follows, you will acquire very great glory. And although you cannot rejoice in the glory that comes from disaster which befalls your city or your prince, it at any rate counts for something.</p>
<p>It is clear he is inclined to predict disaster, suspecting the world is in for the malign mechanisms redressing inequality to kick in. “The short twentieth century is the only sustained period in history when rising mean incomes have been accompanied by decreasing income inequality,” he writes. That does not augur too well for the twenty-first century, given that it took the cataclysms of the Great Depression and World War II to create the conditions for post-war redistributive policies. At present there is little evidence of a political consensus for pro-equality policies, for all the surprising success of populists like Bernie Sanders.</p>
<p>But there is a paradox in Milanovic’s pessimism, for he is arguing that in countries such as the United States and the U.K., the benign forces that reduce inequality are in reverse to such an extent that the malign political reaction of violent conflict might kick in; yet he also asserts that the Asian countries will continue their catch-up, so global inequality will continue its historic reduction. Good news is bad news. To pile on the paradox, the economic globalization that has enabled Asia’s rise is also driving migration to such a scale that it threatens to push the United States and Europe in a more xenophobic direction.</p>
<p>The pessimism is tempting. Even though data for the United States and the U.K. suggest inequality of incomes in these two countries narrowed a bit after the financial crisis, the populism on the march on both sides of the Atlantic is certainly fed by rage against the elites. Great wealth looks like it has bought politics.</p>
<p>There are two significant caveats to Milanovic’s argument about the near-inexorable forces driving inequality upward.</p>
<p>One is the extent to which the malign trends are specifically American. Inequality certainly rose in most OECD countries after 1988, and it rose fastest in some of the more equal societies, such as Sweden. The forces of technology and globalization are global. However, politics is local. There are important differences among countries in their policy responses to inequality, and there will probably be different consequences. Some have fought harder than others to offset the divergence in market incomes with redistributive taxes and public spending or higher minimum wages.</p>
<p>Indeed, taking the global income distribution as a whole, most of the people in the decile of discontent, the 10 percent of the world population whose incomes have not risen for the past 20 years, are from the bottom half of the income distribution in the United States, Germany, and to some extent Japan. Because America is so large, most of these individuals are Americans. And fully half the people in the global top 1 percent are American (with most of the rest from Western Europe, Japan, and Australasia—not the Russian and Chinese plutocrats who so easily leap to mind).</p>
<p>Milanovic’s pessimism about the absence of any political correctives to inequality refers almost entirely to the United States. We Western Europeans have had a populist backlash too, but there are some signs that politicians are responding. The tough EU limits on bankers’ bonuses, a large increase in the U.K. minimum wage, and the cooperation of most European nations on limiting the ability of multinationals to dodge taxes and generally behave like buccaneers rather than corporate citizens all count as evidence for this. It might be too little, too late, and the EU often seems to be in self-destruct mode in the face of slow growth and mass immigration, but there is something running counter to the malign mechanism of Milanovic’s Kuznets wave.</p>
<p>The other caveat is that there may also be corrective economic forces to limit and ultimately reverse high income inequality. As Milanovic details, technological innovations are one of the drivers of growing inequality. Economists such as David Autor and co-authors Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz largely agree on the importance of digital technologies in raising the wage premium for the highly educated, in increasing the demand for low-skilled workers doing jobs the machines cannot, and in reducing employment and earnings in the kinds of routine jobs in the middle of the income distribution. The workers who held these jobs prior to the 1990s are the members of the decile of discontent.</p>
<p>Millions of people have been automated out of their jobs many times in the past, and their prospects are always grim. No government has found a good way to help people who are technologically redundant. On the contrary, unemployment and poverty become embedded in formerly prosperous places such as America’s Rust Belt or Britain’s northern towns and cities. Yet other jobs are created, and ultimately well-paying ones too. The mechanism is the provision of education and training to replace redundant skills—made obsolete by machines—with new skills that complement the machinery. This takes a long time—a generation probably.</p>
<p>But as a recent book, James Bessen’s Learning by Doing: The Real Connection Between Innovation, Wages, and Wealth, spells out in detail, this process has happened time and again with new technologies. He begins with the example of cotton in the Industrial Revolution. Skilled engineers who could install and maintain the new looms and spinning machines earned a high wage premium while the masses were immiserated. But over time the skills needed to work with the machinery were standardized and widely learned, along with time keeping and other disciplines of industrial work. Wages for the many then climbed. The same pattern has been observed with subsequent technological waves, and there is no reason not to expect it in the digital era.</p>
<p>A generation is a long time to wait, and perhaps too long to avert the malign political reaction to inequality. So I wish Milanovic were not so halfhearted about faster policy responses. He advocates wider access to good education, and also wider ownership of financial assets, but he oozes doubt about whether these are politically feasible (who will campaign for higher inheritance taxes?) or if they would make much difference. There are other possibilities, though. Anthony Atkinson’s recent book, Inequality: What Can Be Done?, has a long list of suggestions—15, in fact, though they are specifically for the UK— and a discussion of their practicality. The ideas include stronger enforcement of anti-trust policy to reduce monopoly power—and earnings—in key sectors like finance; an increase in the minimum wage (already announced by the Conservative Chancellor George Osborne); a lifetime tax on capital receipts; and more progressivity in income tax.</p>
<p>While any of these might seem impossible in the American political context, they are feasible-to-likely in Europe. Indeed, dysfunctional American politics pose the biggest hurdle across the Atlantic too, as some steps—for example, on multinational taxation or financial regulation and reward—require international agreement.</p>
<p>I have no wish to be a Pollyanna about future political and economic prospects. Milanovic is surely right to point to the unsustainability of income inequality at current levels, and—as the unsustainable is never sustained—to worry therefore about what mechanisms will reduce it in the next Kuznets wave.</p>
<p>The continuing, albeit slower, growth of China and other Asian countries means the West will continue in relative decline, the United States seemingly eager to be in the vanguard. Our middle class “decile of discontent” is paying the costs of adjusting to an economic structure based on the spread of digital technologies and automation. We should be thinking hard about how to assist the people affected (with citizen incomes, retraining, or guaranteed public jobs), about educating the next generation appropriately, and about ensuring the plutocrats are not allowed to float in their own sphere, utterly separate from their fellow citizens.</p>
<p>As Milanovic concludes, “The gains from globalization will not be evenly distributed.” Nor will incomes stay so unequally distributed; but how exactly the reversal happens is up to all of us to determine.</p> | Everyone’s Problem | true | http://democracyjournal.org/magazine/41/everyones-problem/ | 2016-06-20 | 4left
| Everyone’s Problem
<p><a type="external" href="" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/067473713X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=democjourn-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=067473713X&amp;linkId=bbe5bde1567fba24e4130da3337ddfcc" type="external">Global Inequality: A New&#160;Approach&#160;For&#160;The Age Of Globalization</a> by&#160;Branko Milanovic • Harvard University Press • 2016&#160;• $20.95</p>
<p>Any economist interested in inequality knows CUNY professor Branko Milanovic as one of the most authoritative experts on the subject, particularly on global income inequality. This subject has gained great prominence in public debate in the United States and elsewhere in recent years, abetted by the Piketty phenomenon and subsequently by Bernie Sanders’s focus on the issue in his electrifying (although doomed) presidential campaign challenge to the status quo.</p>
<p>The success of Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century was surely due in part to one of the three related changes noted in Milanovic’s important new book: the stagnation of incomes among the middle classes of the developed world. The carefully collated data for the years 1988 to 2011 that form the evidence on which Global Inequality is based reveal that members of this group—not the richest 10 percent of the world population but the next tenth down—remain well off in global terms. But they have seen smaller (almost non-existent) income gains compared to any other group in the world, and they are described by Milanovic on Twitter as the “decile of discontent.”</p>
<p>Milanovic notes two other momentous changes: the rise of a “global middle class,” most of them urban dwellers in China and other Asian countries, although with some in Latin America and Africa; and the emergence of a global plutocracy, the infamous 1 percent. Global Inequality argues that these trends have causes and consequences related to the interplay of economics and politics. In contrast to Piketty’s explanation—the famous technical expression r &gt; g, which in plain English means a return to capital greater than the economic growth rate—Milanovic’s argument is a richer and more plausible account of changes in inequality as the outcome of political and social dynamics.</p>
<p>This richness of analysis means Milanovic does not propose easy fixes for the disturbing degree of inequality, but neither does he see the present trends as inevitable. While observing that the twentieth century was the only time in history when inequality diminished as average incomes rose, he argues that political choices over taxation, education, and capital ownership could achieve the same again. The unspoken conclusion is that if politics does not distribute the gains of economic growth more fairly, the consequences could be dire.</p>
<p>Milanovic argues that, within their own borders, countries follow cycles of the narrowing and widening of income distribution. He has a term for this dynamic: “Kuznets waves,” named after the pioneer of this kind of analysis, the American economist Simon Kuznets. In his work in the 1950s, Kuznets suggested that distribution followed a hump-shaped pattern: Inequality increased as countries moved from poor to middle income, reflecting the early success stories of economic development, and decreased as they progressed to developed status, when progressive taxation started to fund education and social transfers for the masses. This was an empirically robust observation until the late 1980s, when inequality started increasing once again in rich countries like the United States.</p>
<p>Milanovic’s new Kuznets waves incorporate the same drivers of change in inequality, but he distinguishes between stagnant and growing economies, giving several historical examples. In stagnant economies—say, Europe before the Industrial Revolution or some poor countries now—inequality cycles up and down depending on the mortality of the population (and hence size of the labor force) and events such as wars or the discovery of resources. On average, life remains miserable.On the other hand, in economies that escape the poverty trap and have rising average incomes, higher inequality is made possible simply because there is more headroom, so incomes at the top can grow over time without causing starvation at the bottom. This occurred in economies like the United States and the UK in the nineteenth century and is occurring again today. New technologies reward small groups of skilled workers, reinforced by pro-rich policies enacted by governments, as those who benefit learn to leverage their economic power into political action.</p>
<p>But in the historical examples, two mechanisms have kicked in, tending to reduce inequality within growing economies. One is the original, “benign” Kuznets mechanism of tax-funded provision of public goods and redistribution, education that increases the supply of relevant skills, and political participation. Another is Piketty’s “malign” mechanism of war, which reduces inequality; it levels down by destroying property, harming more those who have the most assets to lose (he was referring only to the big European wars). In contrast to Piketty, Milanovic sees war as a potential consequence of great inequality, as part of the dynamic rather than an external lightning bolt. “Rising inequality indeed sets in motion forces, often of a destructive nature, that ultimately lead to its decrease but in the process destroy much else,” he writes. “A very high inequality eventually becomes unsustainable, but it does not go down by itself; rather, it generates processes, like wars or social revolutions, that lower it.”</p>
<p>What does the Kuznets wave mechanism imply for the present? After setting out the recent changes in the global inequality data, the book considers in turn the trends in inequality both within and between countries.</p>
<p>Prior to 1988 there had been a significant reversal in the determinants of an individual’s position in the global income distribution. In the early nineteenth century, this ranking depended on class: 80 percent of global inequality was explained by differences between rich and poor within countries. By the mid-twentieth century, 80 percent of the global income gap depended on income differences between countries. Milanovic attributes this switch to colonialism: Exploitation enabled the wages of workers in colonial powers to rise. The “country premium” on incomes probably peaked around 1970.</p>
<p>Yet class has been returning as an explanatory factor. Thanks to the catch-up by some Asian economies, especially China, inequality between countries has narrowed, while inequality within countries has widened since 1988.</p>
<p>Still, he writes: “The world where location has the most influence on one’s lifetime income is still the world we live in.” And the premium is huge. Compared to the poorest country, Congo, the premium for being American is 9,200 percent, for Brazilians 1,300 percent, and even for Yemenis it’s 300 percent. The premium for a good location is also greater the lower you go down the income distribution, so one of the poorest American citizens is even more than 9,200 percent better off than the poorest Congolese.&#160;</p>
<p>No wonder international migration seems to be heading inexorably upward. The book considers the implications of migration at some length, noting, “The pent-up demand for migration is many times the actual rate.” Milanovic cites estimates that perhaps 10 percent of the world’s population would like to migrate to another country, compared to the 3 percent of the world’s population who have already migrated to date. He suggests that, as there is little chance of reducing the flow, rich recipient countries need to manage the consequences for their own citizens and budgets, for example by adopting discriminatory policies such as guest worker programs or reduced legal protections for immigrants.</p>
<p>The final chapters turn to the future of global inequality and some reflections on policy. Milanovic argues that even if emerging economies like China and Brazil see slower growth, they will continue to grow faster than the old West, and so their income catch-up will remain one of the contributors to global distributional trends. The overall global pattern will largely depend on what happens to inequality within the two biggest countries, China and the United States. Here, he is more cautious about forecasting. The original Kuznets pattern of wider access to education and opportunity would tend to reduce inequality within China, and on balance he suggests this will outweigh any effects of corruption or internal conflict and break-up.</p>
<p>On the other hand, he portrays America as trapped in a “perfect storm” of rising inequality. Technological change and investment in automation will continue to increase the share of income going to owners of capital. The same people are likely to be also those most able to earn very high incomes. There is a pattern of the high-earning marrying the fellow high-earning, so inequality is further embedded between households. And—above all—the rich are continually reinforcing their political power and dismantling pro-poor policies such as progressive taxation and funding for public education and infrastructure. “It is hard to see where any forces might come from that could counter rising income inequality in the United States,” he concludes.</p>
<p>And the book concludes with a yet more pessimistic turn. Milanovic argues that capitalism (an economy based on the profit motive and privately owned capital) will survive, but democracy might not. Democracy is being hollowed out along with the middle class. Populism is the political vehicle for this process, the function of the “culture war” being to “mask the real shift of economic power toward the rich.” There is a section in the final chapter titled, “How can inequality in rich welfare states be reduced?,” but it covers just six pages; Milanovic’s heart is not really in providing a list of practical measures to reduce inequality and save democracy. Indeed, he quotes Machiavelli’s Discourses on Livy at the start of the chapter:</p>
<p>If you tender your advice with modesty and the opposition prevents its adoption and, owing to someone else’s advice being adopted, disaster follows, you will acquire very great glory. And although you cannot rejoice in the glory that comes from disaster which befalls your city or your prince, it at any rate counts for something.</p>
<p>It is clear he is inclined to predict disaster, suspecting the world is in for the malign mechanisms redressing inequality to kick in. “The short twentieth century is the only sustained period in history when rising mean incomes have been accompanied by decreasing income inequality,” he writes. That does not augur too well for the twenty-first century, given that it took the cataclysms of the Great Depression and World War II to create the conditions for post-war redistributive policies. At present there is little evidence of a political consensus for pro-equality policies, for all the surprising success of populists like Bernie Sanders.</p>
<p>But there is a paradox in Milanovic’s pessimism, for he is arguing that in countries such as the United States and the U.K., the benign forces that reduce inequality are in reverse to such an extent that the malign political reaction of violent conflict might kick in; yet he also asserts that the Asian countries will continue their catch-up, so global inequality will continue its historic reduction. Good news is bad news. To pile on the paradox, the economic globalization that has enabled Asia’s rise is also driving migration to such a scale that it threatens to push the United States and Europe in a more xenophobic direction.</p>
<p>The pessimism is tempting. Even though data for the United States and the U.K. suggest inequality of incomes in these two countries narrowed a bit after the financial crisis, the populism on the march on both sides of the Atlantic is certainly fed by rage against the elites. Great wealth looks like it has bought politics.</p>
<p>There are two significant caveats to Milanovic’s argument about the near-inexorable forces driving inequality upward.</p>
<p>One is the extent to which the malign trends are specifically American. Inequality certainly rose in most OECD countries after 1988, and it rose fastest in some of the more equal societies, such as Sweden. The forces of technology and globalization are global. However, politics is local. There are important differences among countries in their policy responses to inequality, and there will probably be different consequences. Some have fought harder than others to offset the divergence in market incomes with redistributive taxes and public spending or higher minimum wages.</p>
<p>Indeed, taking the global income distribution as a whole, most of the people in the decile of discontent, the 10 percent of the world population whose incomes have not risen for the past 20 years, are from the bottom half of the income distribution in the United States, Germany, and to some extent Japan. Because America is so large, most of these individuals are Americans. And fully half the people in the global top 1 percent are American (with most of the rest from Western Europe, Japan, and Australasia—not the Russian and Chinese plutocrats who so easily leap to mind).</p>
<p>Milanovic’s pessimism about the absence of any political correctives to inequality refers almost entirely to the United States. We Western Europeans have had a populist backlash too, but there are some signs that politicians are responding. The tough EU limits on bankers’ bonuses, a large increase in the U.K. minimum wage, and the cooperation of most European nations on limiting the ability of multinationals to dodge taxes and generally behave like buccaneers rather than corporate citizens all count as evidence for this. It might be too little, too late, and the EU often seems to be in self-destruct mode in the face of slow growth and mass immigration, but there is something running counter to the malign mechanism of Milanovic’s Kuznets wave.</p>
<p>The other caveat is that there may also be corrective economic forces to limit and ultimately reverse high income inequality. As Milanovic details, technological innovations are one of the drivers of growing inequality. Economists such as David Autor and co-authors Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz largely agree on the importance of digital technologies in raising the wage premium for the highly educated, in increasing the demand for low-skilled workers doing jobs the machines cannot, and in reducing employment and earnings in the kinds of routine jobs in the middle of the income distribution. The workers who held these jobs prior to the 1990s are the members of the decile of discontent.</p>
<p>Millions of people have been automated out of their jobs many times in the past, and their prospects are always grim. No government has found a good way to help people who are technologically redundant. On the contrary, unemployment and poverty become embedded in formerly prosperous places such as America’s Rust Belt or Britain’s northern towns and cities. Yet other jobs are created, and ultimately well-paying ones too. The mechanism is the provision of education and training to replace redundant skills—made obsolete by machines—with new skills that complement the machinery. This takes a long time—a generation probably.</p>
<p>But as a recent book, James Bessen’s Learning by Doing: The Real Connection Between Innovation, Wages, and Wealth, spells out in detail, this process has happened time and again with new technologies. He begins with the example of cotton in the Industrial Revolution. Skilled engineers who could install and maintain the new looms and spinning machines earned a high wage premium while the masses were immiserated. But over time the skills needed to work with the machinery were standardized and widely learned, along with time keeping and other disciplines of industrial work. Wages for the many then climbed. The same pattern has been observed with subsequent technological waves, and there is no reason not to expect it in the digital era.</p>
<p>A generation is a long time to wait, and perhaps too long to avert the malign political reaction to inequality. So I wish Milanovic were not so halfhearted about faster policy responses. He advocates wider access to good education, and also wider ownership of financial assets, but he oozes doubt about whether these are politically feasible (who will campaign for higher inheritance taxes?) or if they would make much difference. There are other possibilities, though. Anthony Atkinson’s recent book, Inequality: What Can Be Done?, has a long list of suggestions—15, in fact, though they are specifically for the UK— and a discussion of their practicality. The ideas include stronger enforcement of anti-trust policy to reduce monopoly power—and earnings—in key sectors like finance; an increase in the minimum wage (already announced by the Conservative Chancellor George Osborne); a lifetime tax on capital receipts; and more progressivity in income tax.</p>
<p>While any of these might seem impossible in the American political context, they are feasible-to-likely in Europe. Indeed, dysfunctional American politics pose the biggest hurdle across the Atlantic too, as some steps—for example, on multinational taxation or financial regulation and reward—require international agreement.</p>
<p>I have no wish to be a Pollyanna about future political and economic prospects. Milanovic is surely right to point to the unsustainability of income inequality at current levels, and—as the unsustainable is never sustained—to worry therefore about what mechanisms will reduce it in the next Kuznets wave.</p>
<p>The continuing, albeit slower, growth of China and other Asian countries means the West will continue in relative decline, the United States seemingly eager to be in the vanguard. Our middle class “decile of discontent” is paying the costs of adjusting to an economic structure based on the spread of digital technologies and automation. We should be thinking hard about how to assist the people affected (with citizen incomes, retraining, or guaranteed public jobs), about educating the next generation appropriately, and about ensuring the plutocrats are not allowed to float in their own sphere, utterly separate from their fellow citizens.</p>
<p>As Milanovic concludes, “The gains from globalization will not be evenly distributed.” Nor will incomes stay so unequally distributed; but how exactly the reversal happens is up to all of us to determine.</p> | 460 |
<p>“Political adviser Karl Rove and other high-ranking figures in the Bush White House played a greater role than previously understood in the firing of federal prosecutors almost three years ago, according to newly obtained e-mails that shed light on a scandal that led to mass Justice Department resignations and an ongoing criminal probe,” reports the Washington Post.</p>
<p><a href="http://politicalwire.com" type="external">[via Political Wire]</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/30/AR2009073002023.html?hpid=topnews" type="external">Link</a></p>
<p /> | New Light on Rove's Role in U.S. Attorney Scandal | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/new-light-on-roves-role-in-u-s-attorney-scandal/ | 2009-07-31 | 4left
| New Light on Rove's Role in U.S. Attorney Scandal
<p>“Political adviser Karl Rove and other high-ranking figures in the Bush White House played a greater role than previously understood in the firing of federal prosecutors almost three years ago, according to newly obtained e-mails that shed light on a scandal that led to mass Justice Department resignations and an ongoing criminal probe,” reports the Washington Post.</p>
<p><a href="http://politicalwire.com" type="external">[via Political Wire]</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/30/AR2009073002023.html?hpid=topnews" type="external">Link</a></p>
<p /> | 461 |
<p />
<p>Soldiers from Battery A, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment fired the howitzers on their M109A6 Paladins during the first-ever firing of the Modular Artillery Charge System in the combat zone by an entire Paladin battery March 13, 2011 on Camp Taji, Iraq. The MACS is a newly refined propellant that pushes projectiles out of the barrel of the howitzers. US Army <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/6165811677/in/photostream" type="external">photo</a> by Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs.</p>
<p /> | We’re Still at War: Photo of the Day for September 22, 2011 | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2011/09/were-still-war-photo-day-september-22-2011/ | 2011-09-22 | 4left
| We’re Still at War: Photo of the Day for September 22, 2011
<p />
<p>Soldiers from Battery A, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment fired the howitzers on their M109A6 Paladins during the first-ever firing of the Modular Artillery Charge System in the combat zone by an entire Paladin battery March 13, 2011 on Camp Taji, Iraq. The MACS is a newly refined propellant that pushes projectiles out of the barrel of the howitzers. US Army <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/6165811677/in/photostream" type="external">photo</a> by Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs.</p>
<p /> | 462 |
<p>WPA photo from Depression-era soup kitchen.Flickr/&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pingnews/"&gt;pingnews&lt;/a&gt;</p>
<p />
<p>Among the latest attacks on President Obama’s policies are claims that his economic stimulus created few jobs, and at exorbitant cost to taxpayers: <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-s-economists-stimulus-has-cost-278000-job_576014.html" type="external">$278,000 per job</a>, to be exact. Fuzzy math aside, what his foes fail to mention is that the stimulus, like all else these days, operated under the conservative creed that everything must be done through the private sector. This ethos, which Obama has <a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/06/11/Obama-Private-sector-key-to-jobs-growth/UPI-37351307786400/" type="external">firmly embraced,</a> prevents the federal government from taking the far more efficient route of simply employing people, which might have created many more good jobs at the same cost.</p>
<p>Had Obama had heeded FDR’s experience during the Great Depression, we could have put unemployed people to work rebuilding American infrastructure—bridges, tunnels, railroads, roads—not to mention restoring and shoring up wetlands and carrying out other environmental projects. That’s what <a href="http://unsilentgeneration.com/2010/01/27/2630/" type="external">Roosevelt&#160;famously did</a>with his Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation&#160;Corps.</p>
<p>Such an initiative might have been possible, on some scale, prior to the midterm elections. But with the gridlock in Congress and diminishing confidence in the president and government, that course now is hard to imagine. Instead, the austerity imposed by the <a href="" type="internal">debt deal</a> will further impede any chance of real job growth—as <a href="http://articles.philly.com/2011-08-04/news/29850997_1_government-spending-job-growth-jobs-crisis" type="external">Roosevelt discovered</a> in 1937 when he briefly adopted austerity measures, only to see a falling unemployment rate spike once again.</p>
<p>But even at this dismal stage, there remain a handful of realistic projects that ought to appeal to some fiscally minded conservatives, and Democrats as well.</p>
<p>Jonathan Alter, a journalist and historian of FDR’s New Deal, is <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-22/a-smart-jobs-creation-idea-both-parties-can-love-jonathan-alter.html" type="external">promoting an idea</a> that would allow states to “convert their unemployment insurance payments from checks sent to the jobless into vouchers that can be used by companies to hire workers.” The amount of the checks would in effect become subsidies to the employers, so that “for instance, a position paying $40,000 might cost employers only $20,000, thereby encouraging them to hire…If a mere 10 percent of unemployed Americans persuaded employers to accept such vouchers, more than a million people would find work with no new spending beyond some administrative costs.”</p>
<p>Alter thinks this plan, first suggested by Alan Khazei, a Democratic candidate for the Senate in Massachusetts, might appeal to “a Republican House that loves the concept of vouchers.” But so far there’s been no interest from Congress or the Obama administration.</p>
<p>Another option is the already much-discussed German experience with short work weeks. As Kevin A. Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute <a href="http://www.aei.org/article/101282" type="external">explained this scheme</a> back in 2009:</p>
<p>Firms that face a temporary decrease in demand avoid shedding employees by cutting hours instead. If hours and wages are reduced by 10 percent or more, the government pays workers 60 percent of their lost salary. This encourages firms to use across-the-board reductions of hours instead of layoffs. Here’s how the program works.</p>
<p>A firm facing the challenges of the recession cuts Angela’s hours from 35 to 25 per week, thus reducing her weekly salary to 714 euros from 1,000 euros. Angela does not work for the firm during those hours. As part of its short-work program, the government now pays Angela 171 euros—60 percent of her lost salary. Most important, she still has a job. Effectively, the government is giving her unemployment insurance for the 10 hours a week that she is not employed.</p>
<p>Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) have put this program into legislation that so far has gone nowhere, with only a handful of cosponsors. This despite the fact, per <a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/work-sharing-the-quick-route-back-to-full-employment" type="external">Dean Baker</a> of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, that “21 states (including California and New York) already have short-time compensation as an option under their unemployment insurance system. In these states, a governmental structure already exists to support work sharing, although there would have to be changes to make the system more user friendly so as to increase take-up rates.”</p>
<p>In the Washington Post last week, Steven Pearlstein <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/steven-pearlstein-the-global-economy-comes-to-the-end-of-its-string/2011/08/04/gIQAa2zEvI_story.html" type="external">pointed to another way</a> of immediately putting people to work, which harkens back to the idea of rebuilding the nation’s crumbling infrastructure:</p>
<p>Over the next decade, the federal government is slated to spend hundreds of billions of dollars building roads, schools, airports, trolley lines and airport terminals, modernizing the air traffic control system, replacing computer systems and buying planes, ships, tanks, trucks and cars. Moving up some of that spending from years 8, 9 and 10 to years 1, 2 and 3 won’t cost any more in the long run, or increase the long-term deficit any more, but could sure help put a floor under the economy in the short run. For those worried about pork, the actual spending decisions could be left to an independent Infrastructure Bank.</p>
<p>To spur private investment in equipment and research, the government could immediately allow companies of all sizes to deduct 100 percent of such expenses made in the next three years, rather than “depreciating” them over many years. That incentive to invest now will increase the deficit in the short run but have little or no impact on the long-term deficit.</p>
<p>As former MoJo reporter <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/how-can-washington-help-create-jobs/2011/08/03/gIQAz7JTsI_blog.html" type="external">Suzy Khimm writes</a> in the Post, “The question of infrastructure funding will come up as soon as Congress returns from its August recess,” since “a bill reauthorizing spending on surface transportation—which would help build roads, highways, and the like—is set to expire in September. There’s a big gap between the House GOP proposal, which would slash federal spending to 35 percent less than Fiscal 2009 levels, and Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer’s two-year plan to spend $55 billion a year. Boxer’s proposal would require revenue beyond what’s in the Highway Trust Fund, which receives money from the gas tax, promising yet another fight over which will be better for the economy—reducing the deficit or Keynesian spending on infrastructure.”</p>
<p>We all know how that fight is likely to turn out. And as Alter notes, even these modest approaches to job creation call for an attitude of what Roosevelt called “bold, persistent experimentation”—and the leadership to back it up. And as we’ve seen all too clearly, Obama is no FDR.</p>
<p /> | Brother, Can You Spare a Job? | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2011/08/obama-boehner-debt-jobs/ | 2011-08-09 | 4left
| Brother, Can You Spare a Job?
<p>WPA photo from Depression-era soup kitchen.Flickr/&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pingnews/"&gt;pingnews&lt;/a&gt;</p>
<p />
<p>Among the latest attacks on President Obama’s policies are claims that his economic stimulus created few jobs, and at exorbitant cost to taxpayers: <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-s-economists-stimulus-has-cost-278000-job_576014.html" type="external">$278,000 per job</a>, to be exact. Fuzzy math aside, what his foes fail to mention is that the stimulus, like all else these days, operated under the conservative creed that everything must be done through the private sector. This ethos, which Obama has <a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/06/11/Obama-Private-sector-key-to-jobs-growth/UPI-37351307786400/" type="external">firmly embraced,</a> prevents the federal government from taking the far more efficient route of simply employing people, which might have created many more good jobs at the same cost.</p>
<p>Had Obama had heeded FDR’s experience during the Great Depression, we could have put unemployed people to work rebuilding American infrastructure—bridges, tunnels, railroads, roads—not to mention restoring and shoring up wetlands and carrying out other environmental projects. That’s what <a href="http://unsilentgeneration.com/2010/01/27/2630/" type="external">Roosevelt&#160;famously did</a>with his Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation&#160;Corps.</p>
<p>Such an initiative might have been possible, on some scale, prior to the midterm elections. But with the gridlock in Congress and diminishing confidence in the president and government, that course now is hard to imagine. Instead, the austerity imposed by the <a href="" type="internal">debt deal</a> will further impede any chance of real job growth—as <a href="http://articles.philly.com/2011-08-04/news/29850997_1_government-spending-job-growth-jobs-crisis" type="external">Roosevelt discovered</a> in 1937 when he briefly adopted austerity measures, only to see a falling unemployment rate spike once again.</p>
<p>But even at this dismal stage, there remain a handful of realistic projects that ought to appeal to some fiscally minded conservatives, and Democrats as well.</p>
<p>Jonathan Alter, a journalist and historian of FDR’s New Deal, is <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-22/a-smart-jobs-creation-idea-both-parties-can-love-jonathan-alter.html" type="external">promoting an idea</a> that would allow states to “convert their unemployment insurance payments from checks sent to the jobless into vouchers that can be used by companies to hire workers.” The amount of the checks would in effect become subsidies to the employers, so that “for instance, a position paying $40,000 might cost employers only $20,000, thereby encouraging them to hire…If a mere 10 percent of unemployed Americans persuaded employers to accept such vouchers, more than a million people would find work with no new spending beyond some administrative costs.”</p>
<p>Alter thinks this plan, first suggested by Alan Khazei, a Democratic candidate for the Senate in Massachusetts, might appeal to “a Republican House that loves the concept of vouchers.” But so far there’s been no interest from Congress or the Obama administration.</p>
<p>Another option is the already much-discussed German experience with short work weeks. As Kevin A. Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute <a href="http://www.aei.org/article/101282" type="external">explained this scheme</a> back in 2009:</p>
<p>Firms that face a temporary decrease in demand avoid shedding employees by cutting hours instead. If hours and wages are reduced by 10 percent or more, the government pays workers 60 percent of their lost salary. This encourages firms to use across-the-board reductions of hours instead of layoffs. Here’s how the program works.</p>
<p>A firm facing the challenges of the recession cuts Angela’s hours from 35 to 25 per week, thus reducing her weekly salary to 714 euros from 1,000 euros. Angela does not work for the firm during those hours. As part of its short-work program, the government now pays Angela 171 euros—60 percent of her lost salary. Most important, she still has a job. Effectively, the government is giving her unemployment insurance for the 10 hours a week that she is not employed.</p>
<p>Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) have put this program into legislation that so far has gone nowhere, with only a handful of cosponsors. This despite the fact, per <a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/work-sharing-the-quick-route-back-to-full-employment" type="external">Dean Baker</a> of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, that “21 states (including California and New York) already have short-time compensation as an option under their unemployment insurance system. In these states, a governmental structure already exists to support work sharing, although there would have to be changes to make the system more user friendly so as to increase take-up rates.”</p>
<p>In the Washington Post last week, Steven Pearlstein <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/steven-pearlstein-the-global-economy-comes-to-the-end-of-its-string/2011/08/04/gIQAa2zEvI_story.html" type="external">pointed to another way</a> of immediately putting people to work, which harkens back to the idea of rebuilding the nation’s crumbling infrastructure:</p>
<p>Over the next decade, the federal government is slated to spend hundreds of billions of dollars building roads, schools, airports, trolley lines and airport terminals, modernizing the air traffic control system, replacing computer systems and buying planes, ships, tanks, trucks and cars. Moving up some of that spending from years 8, 9 and 10 to years 1, 2 and 3 won’t cost any more in the long run, or increase the long-term deficit any more, but could sure help put a floor under the economy in the short run. For those worried about pork, the actual spending decisions could be left to an independent Infrastructure Bank.</p>
<p>To spur private investment in equipment and research, the government could immediately allow companies of all sizes to deduct 100 percent of such expenses made in the next three years, rather than “depreciating” them over many years. That incentive to invest now will increase the deficit in the short run but have little or no impact on the long-term deficit.</p>
<p>As former MoJo reporter <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/how-can-washington-help-create-jobs/2011/08/03/gIQAz7JTsI_blog.html" type="external">Suzy Khimm writes</a> in the Post, “The question of infrastructure funding will come up as soon as Congress returns from its August recess,” since “a bill reauthorizing spending on surface transportation—which would help build roads, highways, and the like—is set to expire in September. There’s a big gap between the House GOP proposal, which would slash federal spending to 35 percent less than Fiscal 2009 levels, and Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer’s two-year plan to spend $55 billion a year. Boxer’s proposal would require revenue beyond what’s in the Highway Trust Fund, which receives money from the gas tax, promising yet another fight over which will be better for the economy—reducing the deficit or Keynesian spending on infrastructure.”</p>
<p>We all know how that fight is likely to turn out. And as Alter notes, even these modest approaches to job creation call for an attitude of what Roosevelt called “bold, persistent experimentation”—and the leadership to back it up. And as we’ve seen all too clearly, Obama is no FDR.</p>
<p /> | 463 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Three descansos were relocated to the northeast corner of the frontage road of I-25 and San Antonio, to make way for the Paseo del Norte/I-25 reconstruction. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — This is where they left us, where they breathed their last, or nearly so, their lives gone in a crush of metal and mistakes and very bad timing.</p>
<p>The roadside markers, or descansos, mark their deaths along New Mexico highways, memorials to who and what was lost, reminders of how quickly life ends with the fatal turn of a wheel or twist of a tire.</p>
<p>The markers include the “ghost bikes,” painted white and entwined with flowers, a newer form of roadside memorial that signifies the place where a cyclist was killed.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Most descansos, though, are crude crosses of wood or steel or stone, adorned with fabric flowers or rosaries or weather-beaten toys, mementos of what that person loved. New Mexico has thousands of them, not just because our roads are so deadly – because they can be, given their rural nature and our continued battle with drunken driving – but because here, unlike in many states, descansos are held as sacred, traditional.</p>
<p>“New Mexico celebrates its markers,” according to the website RoadsideAmerica.com. “And local newspapers report when a new one goes up.”</p>
<p>Which is not to say they are permitted. They’re not. But state agencies and contractors tend to look the other way when possible out of deference for the dead.</p>
<p>“We respect them,” said Phil Gallegos, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. “We leave them alone as much as we can as long as they are not safety hazards.”</p>
<p>At the northwest embankment of the San Antonio exit off northbound Interstate 25 in Albuquerque, three crosses have stood sentinel for years. One of them was placed there shortly after a June 12, 2001, crash that killed Eddie Naranjo, a 30-year-old photo technician at the Journal who went out on his evening meal break and never came back.</p>
<p>Another one – a white wooden cross with a Harley-Davidson sticker and a spray of white fabric roses at the base – honors Danny O’Daniel, who was 59 when he met his fate Nov. 11, 2011, at the San Antonio exit.</p>
<p>It’s hard to tell whom the third descansos commemorates. There are no names or dates visible. It’s made of thick, industrial metal chain welded in the shape of a cross, tipped in orange paint, adorned with black crepe and flowers and accompanied by solar lights.</p>
<p>On occasion, flowers are refreshed. This time of year, luminarias appear.</p>
<p>This embankment along I-25 and San Antonio, the former location of three descansos, has been excavated for the Paseo del Norte/I-25 reconstruction. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>But sometime after construction began in October on the nearby Paseo del Norte interchange, the descansos disappeared, the sandy embankment of ragged sage and residual weed groomed and graded over, wiped clean of any vegetation or structure.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>As part of the $93 million overhaul of the I-25 corridor, the bridge above San Antonio will be widened and the northbound freeway entrance ramp – which abuts the northwest embankment – will be eliminated. The grading of the embankment is part of the process of closing off the entrance.</p>
<p>But soon after the descansos disappeared, they re-emerged on the northeast embankment, below a Denny’s parking lot, mirror images of what they had looked like across the frontage road.</p>
<p>It’s not entirely clear who moved the crosses, who took such care and reverence to reposition these reminders of lives lost, but the Department of Transportation’s Gallegos said the contractor – in this case, Kiewit New Mexico – is responsible for removing and replacing items found in the construction zone.</p>
<p>Calls left with Kiewit were not returned.</p>
<p>“It’s pretty common procedure,” Gallegos said.</p>
<p>He recalled a project that required grading in the medians where several descansos were situated. The contractor placed concrete barriers around them as protection from the tractors.</p>
<p>During major construction work on U.S. 550 – peppered with numerous descansos northwest from Bernalillo – contractor E.L. Yeager surveyed, removed, boxed up every cross, flower and teddy bear and replaced them once construction was completed.</p>
<p>“They do go to certain lengths to keep things as is,” Gallegos said.</p>
<p>The custom of marking the spot where someone died is deeply rooted in our Southwestern culture. The term descansos roughly translates to “resting place” and refers to those days when coffins were transported by horse and cart or the strength of several men to a final destination. When the caravan paused along their journey, they erected markers made of stacked stones.</p>
<p>They are part of who we are, part of who they were. They are reminders that our journeys here on the road of life do not go on forever.</p>
<p>Thanks to conscientious road crews and contractors, these markers just may.</p>
<p>UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, <a href="" type="internal">jkrueger@abqjournal.com</a> or follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jolinegkg" type="external">@jolinegkg</a>. Go to <a href="" type="internal">abqjournal.com/letters/new</a> to submit a letter to the editor.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Descansos survive Paseo rebuild – so far | false | https://abqjournal.com/327140/descansos-survive-paseo-rebuild.html | 2least
| Descansos survive Paseo rebuild – so far
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Three descansos were relocated to the northeast corner of the frontage road of I-25 and San Antonio, to make way for the Paseo del Norte/I-25 reconstruction. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — This is where they left us, where they breathed their last, or nearly so, their lives gone in a crush of metal and mistakes and very bad timing.</p>
<p>The roadside markers, or descansos, mark their deaths along New Mexico highways, memorials to who and what was lost, reminders of how quickly life ends with the fatal turn of a wheel or twist of a tire.</p>
<p>The markers include the “ghost bikes,” painted white and entwined with flowers, a newer form of roadside memorial that signifies the place where a cyclist was killed.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Most descansos, though, are crude crosses of wood or steel or stone, adorned with fabric flowers or rosaries or weather-beaten toys, mementos of what that person loved. New Mexico has thousands of them, not just because our roads are so deadly – because they can be, given their rural nature and our continued battle with drunken driving – but because here, unlike in many states, descansos are held as sacred, traditional.</p>
<p>“New Mexico celebrates its markers,” according to the website RoadsideAmerica.com. “And local newspapers report when a new one goes up.”</p>
<p>Which is not to say they are permitted. They’re not. But state agencies and contractors tend to look the other way when possible out of deference for the dead.</p>
<p>“We respect them,” said Phil Gallegos, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. “We leave them alone as much as we can as long as they are not safety hazards.”</p>
<p>At the northwest embankment of the San Antonio exit off northbound Interstate 25 in Albuquerque, three crosses have stood sentinel for years. One of them was placed there shortly after a June 12, 2001, crash that killed Eddie Naranjo, a 30-year-old photo technician at the Journal who went out on his evening meal break and never came back.</p>
<p>Another one – a white wooden cross with a Harley-Davidson sticker and a spray of white fabric roses at the base – honors Danny O’Daniel, who was 59 when he met his fate Nov. 11, 2011, at the San Antonio exit.</p>
<p>It’s hard to tell whom the third descansos commemorates. There are no names or dates visible. It’s made of thick, industrial metal chain welded in the shape of a cross, tipped in orange paint, adorned with black crepe and flowers and accompanied by solar lights.</p>
<p>On occasion, flowers are refreshed. This time of year, luminarias appear.</p>
<p>This embankment along I-25 and San Antonio, the former location of three descansos, has been excavated for the Paseo del Norte/I-25 reconstruction. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>But sometime after construction began in October on the nearby Paseo del Norte interchange, the descansos disappeared, the sandy embankment of ragged sage and residual weed groomed and graded over, wiped clean of any vegetation or structure.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>As part of the $93 million overhaul of the I-25 corridor, the bridge above San Antonio will be widened and the northbound freeway entrance ramp – which abuts the northwest embankment – will be eliminated. The grading of the embankment is part of the process of closing off the entrance.</p>
<p>But soon after the descansos disappeared, they re-emerged on the northeast embankment, below a Denny’s parking lot, mirror images of what they had looked like across the frontage road.</p>
<p>It’s not entirely clear who moved the crosses, who took such care and reverence to reposition these reminders of lives lost, but the Department of Transportation’s Gallegos said the contractor – in this case, Kiewit New Mexico – is responsible for removing and replacing items found in the construction zone.</p>
<p>Calls left with Kiewit were not returned.</p>
<p>“It’s pretty common procedure,” Gallegos said.</p>
<p>He recalled a project that required grading in the medians where several descansos were situated. The contractor placed concrete barriers around them as protection from the tractors.</p>
<p>During major construction work on U.S. 550 – peppered with numerous descansos northwest from Bernalillo – contractor E.L. Yeager surveyed, removed, boxed up every cross, flower and teddy bear and replaced them once construction was completed.</p>
<p>“They do go to certain lengths to keep things as is,” Gallegos said.</p>
<p>The custom of marking the spot where someone died is deeply rooted in our Southwestern culture. The term descansos roughly translates to “resting place” and refers to those days when coffins were transported by horse and cart or the strength of several men to a final destination. When the caravan paused along their journey, they erected markers made of stacked stones.</p>
<p>They are part of who we are, part of who they were. They are reminders that our journeys here on the road of life do not go on forever.</p>
<p>Thanks to conscientious road crews and contractors, these markers just may.</p>
<p>UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, <a href="" type="internal">jkrueger@abqjournal.com</a> or follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jolinegkg" type="external">@jolinegkg</a>. Go to <a href="" type="internal">abqjournal.com/letters/new</a> to submit a letter to the editor.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 464 |
|
<p><a href="http://wp.me/p3bwni-lYI" type="external">21st Century Wire</a> says…</p>
<p>HOUR 1: Join us as we go on the ground in the Middle East,&#160;connecting with Syrian-American investigative writer <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/search?q=Steven+sahiounie&amp;x=12&amp;y=13" type="external">Steven Sahiounie</a> to discuss his latest story on <a href="" type="internal">NATO-backed death squads</a> in Syria, as well as the “rebel” sabotage and <a href="https://southfront.org/water-supply-in-damascus-turned-off-at-main-after-rebels-polluted-it-with-diesel/" type="external">poisoning of the Damascus city water</a> supply, and also the situation reports from both Latakia and Aleppo.</p>
<p>Listen to this clip from our recent&#160;Sunday Wire show…</p>
<p>[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/301745634″ params=”auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]</p>
<p>. SEE MORE SUNDAY WIRE SHOWS <a href="" type="internal">HERE</a></p>
<p>SUPPORT 21WIRE – SUBSCRIBE &amp; BECOME A MEMBER&#160; <a href="https://21wire.tv/membership/plans/" type="external">@ 21WIRE.TV</a></p> | Syria SITREP: Journalist Steven Sahioune talks to 21WIRE | true | http://21stcenturywire.com/2017/01/10/syria-sitrep-journalist-steven-sahioune-talks-to-21wire/ | 2017-01-10 | 4left
| Syria SITREP: Journalist Steven Sahioune talks to 21WIRE
<p><a href="http://wp.me/p3bwni-lYI" type="external">21st Century Wire</a> says…</p>
<p>HOUR 1: Join us as we go on the ground in the Middle East,&#160;connecting with Syrian-American investigative writer <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/search?q=Steven+sahiounie&amp;x=12&amp;y=13" type="external">Steven Sahiounie</a> to discuss his latest story on <a href="" type="internal">NATO-backed death squads</a> in Syria, as well as the “rebel” sabotage and <a href="https://southfront.org/water-supply-in-damascus-turned-off-at-main-after-rebels-polluted-it-with-diesel/" type="external">poisoning of the Damascus city water</a> supply, and also the situation reports from both Latakia and Aleppo.</p>
<p>Listen to this clip from our recent&#160;Sunday Wire show…</p>
<p>[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/301745634″ params=”auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]</p>
<p>. SEE MORE SUNDAY WIRE SHOWS <a href="" type="internal">HERE</a></p>
<p>SUPPORT 21WIRE – SUBSCRIBE &amp; BECOME A MEMBER&#160; <a href="https://21wire.tv/membership/plans/" type="external">@ 21WIRE.TV</a></p> | 465 |
<p>Aug. 18 (UPI) — Strategic assets of the U.S. military, including an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, may not be deployed during the upcoming joint exercises on the Korean peninsula.</p>
<p>South Korean television network SBS reported Friday the United States canceled plans to deploy the strategic assets during the drill set to begin next week, and the move is taking place a week after tensions spiked between Washington and Pyongyang.</p>
<p>The United States and South Korea originally planned to deploy two U.S. aircraft carriers, a nuclear-powered submarine and a strategic bomber to the peninsula.</p>
<p>A South Korean government source who spoke to SBS anonymously said Seoul agreed with the proposal to scale back.</p>
<p>But Chung Kyung-doo, South Korean President <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Moon-Jae/" type="external">Moon Jae</a>-in’s appointee for chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told South Korean parliamentarians this week there will be no reduction in the scale of the exercise.</p>
<p>“I am not considering that right now,” Chung said, in response to a question from conservative lawmaker Chung Jin-suk on whether the military was looking into reducing or suspending the joint drills.</p>
<p>Chung also said he is unequivocally opposed to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Korean peninsula.</p>
<p>The exercises known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian came under verbal attack from <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/North_Korea/" type="external">North Korea</a> this week, when <a href="http://intranet2.upi.com/wdb/cms/upi_en/manage/publish.php?storyid=8051503064343&amp;st_year=2017&amp;q_s=1" type="external">Pyongyang warned of</a> a “second Korean War” should Seoul and Washington go ahead with the drills.</p>
<p>After a week of high tensions, Pyongyang <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/08/14/KCNA-Kim-Jong-Un-briefed-on-Guam-missile-tests/4281502761322/?utm_source=sec&amp;utm_campaign=sl&amp;utm_medium=2" type="external">also stated</a> leader <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kim_Jong_Un/" type="external">Kim Jong Un</a> would “monitor” the United States before taking unprecedented measures against Guam, the location of a key U.S. air force base.</p>
<p>The drill is an annual exercise set to begin on Monday.</p> | Report: U.S. scales back deployment to Korea for drills | false | https://newsline.com/report-u-s-scales-back-deployment-to-korea-for-drills/ | 2017-08-18 | 1right-center
| Report: U.S. scales back deployment to Korea for drills
<p>Aug. 18 (UPI) — Strategic assets of the U.S. military, including an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, may not be deployed during the upcoming joint exercises on the Korean peninsula.</p>
<p>South Korean television network SBS reported Friday the United States canceled plans to deploy the strategic assets during the drill set to begin next week, and the move is taking place a week after tensions spiked between Washington and Pyongyang.</p>
<p>The United States and South Korea originally planned to deploy two U.S. aircraft carriers, a nuclear-powered submarine and a strategic bomber to the peninsula.</p>
<p>A South Korean government source who spoke to SBS anonymously said Seoul agreed with the proposal to scale back.</p>
<p>But Chung Kyung-doo, South Korean President <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Moon-Jae/" type="external">Moon Jae</a>-in’s appointee for chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told South Korean parliamentarians this week there will be no reduction in the scale of the exercise.</p>
<p>“I am not considering that right now,” Chung said, in response to a question from conservative lawmaker Chung Jin-suk on whether the military was looking into reducing or suspending the joint drills.</p>
<p>Chung also said he is unequivocally opposed to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Korean peninsula.</p>
<p>The exercises known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian came under verbal attack from <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/North_Korea/" type="external">North Korea</a> this week, when <a href="http://intranet2.upi.com/wdb/cms/upi_en/manage/publish.php?storyid=8051503064343&amp;st_year=2017&amp;q_s=1" type="external">Pyongyang warned of</a> a “second Korean War” should Seoul and Washington go ahead with the drills.</p>
<p>After a week of high tensions, Pyongyang <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/08/14/KCNA-Kim-Jong-Un-briefed-on-Guam-missile-tests/4281502761322/?utm_source=sec&amp;utm_campaign=sl&amp;utm_medium=2" type="external">also stated</a> leader <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kim_Jong_Un/" type="external">Kim Jong Un</a> would “monitor” the United States before taking unprecedented measures against Guam, the location of a key U.S. air force base.</p>
<p>The drill is an annual exercise set to begin on Monday.</p> | 466 |
<p>TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the New Jersey Lottery's "5 Card Cash" game were:</p>
<p>JC-10C-6D-9D-10D</p>
<p>(JC, 10C, 6D, 9D, 10D)</p>
<p>TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the New Jersey Lottery's "5 Card Cash" game were:</p>
<p>JC-10C-6D-9D-10D</p>
<p>(JC, 10C, 6D, 9D, 10D)</p> | Winning numbers drawn in '5 Card Cash' game | false | https://apnews.com/amp/084c9ffcd50b45099691d6b321c08e07 | 2017-12-28 | 2least
| Winning numbers drawn in '5 Card Cash' game
<p>TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the New Jersey Lottery's "5 Card Cash" game were:</p>
<p>JC-10C-6D-9D-10D</p>
<p>(JC, 10C, 6D, 9D, 10D)</p>
<p>TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the New Jersey Lottery's "5 Card Cash" game were:</p>
<p>JC-10C-6D-9D-10D</p>
<p>(JC, 10C, 6D, 9D, 10D)</p> | 467 |
<p>There is some new cutting edge science helping plants grow stronger and faster, and it all stems from worm poop, o <a href="http://local12.com/news/offbeat/worm-poop-and-marijuana-how-a-man-from-junction-city-found-a-niche-in-the-fertilizer-game" type="external">ur affiliate KVAL reports.</a></p>
<p>It's now being primarily used in the marijuana industry in Eugene, Oregon and soon could be used all over the Pacific Northwest.</p>
<p>Joseph Walker has spent more than 4,000 hours perfecting his worm poop fertilizer formula. Along the way, he has won several awards and is getting national attention.</p>
<p>"I never thought I would make my living off worm poop, but you just never know," said Walker. "You just have to take what comes to you and run with it."</p>
<p>He is a 22-year-old entrepreneur, student and worm guru. Walker is the founder and CEO of Omni Earth, an organic worm-castings fertilizer company.</p>
<p>The Brigham Young University student initially started his research while working for a lawn care company, seeing drastic results from this fertilizer.</p>
<p>"I read books on the subject, research articles from all over the world, interviewed PhD's of biology, of world sciences," said Walker. "I even took two part time jobs as a soil analysis technician to really dig deep, pun intended."</p>
<p>"On average, each client saved about 80,000 gallons of water per lawn, which, as a visual, that is a standard size swimming pool," said Walker.</p>
<p>At that time, Walker began to start thinking of what markets could benefit from an organic fertilizer, immediately thinking of his home state of Oregon and the rapidly growing marijuana market.</p>
<p>Doron Fletcher is a marijuana grower consultant, and has been using the product for a few months now.</p>
<p>"It's the best thing that we have found so far that is morally on the right page, and gets great results," said Fletcher.</p>
<p>Walker thinks he's just begining to tap into a real niche. "I'm really hoping the flood gates will break open and as the worms keep doubling their population, I will really start to provide some pretty large suppliers," Walker said.</p>
<p>The Omni Earth CEO will be flying to Texas next year to compete for the "Global Student Entrepreneur Award" against other students around the country.</p> | Worm poop and marijuana: How a man found a niche in the fertilizer game | false | https://circa.com/story/2017/12/27/whoa/worm-poop-and-marijuana-how-a-man-found-a-niche-in-the-fertilizer-game | 2017-12-27 | 1right-center
| Worm poop and marijuana: How a man found a niche in the fertilizer game
<p>There is some new cutting edge science helping plants grow stronger and faster, and it all stems from worm poop, o <a href="http://local12.com/news/offbeat/worm-poop-and-marijuana-how-a-man-from-junction-city-found-a-niche-in-the-fertilizer-game" type="external">ur affiliate KVAL reports.</a></p>
<p>It's now being primarily used in the marijuana industry in Eugene, Oregon and soon could be used all over the Pacific Northwest.</p>
<p>Joseph Walker has spent more than 4,000 hours perfecting his worm poop fertilizer formula. Along the way, he has won several awards and is getting national attention.</p>
<p>"I never thought I would make my living off worm poop, but you just never know," said Walker. "You just have to take what comes to you and run with it."</p>
<p>He is a 22-year-old entrepreneur, student and worm guru. Walker is the founder and CEO of Omni Earth, an organic worm-castings fertilizer company.</p>
<p>The Brigham Young University student initially started his research while working for a lawn care company, seeing drastic results from this fertilizer.</p>
<p>"I read books on the subject, research articles from all over the world, interviewed PhD's of biology, of world sciences," said Walker. "I even took two part time jobs as a soil analysis technician to really dig deep, pun intended."</p>
<p>"On average, each client saved about 80,000 gallons of water per lawn, which, as a visual, that is a standard size swimming pool," said Walker.</p>
<p>At that time, Walker began to start thinking of what markets could benefit from an organic fertilizer, immediately thinking of his home state of Oregon and the rapidly growing marijuana market.</p>
<p>Doron Fletcher is a marijuana grower consultant, and has been using the product for a few months now.</p>
<p>"It's the best thing that we have found so far that is morally on the right page, and gets great results," said Fletcher.</p>
<p>Walker thinks he's just begining to tap into a real niche. "I'm really hoping the flood gates will break open and as the worms keep doubling their population, I will really start to provide some pretty large suppliers," Walker said.</p>
<p>The Omni Earth CEO will be flying to Texas next year to compete for the "Global Student Entrepreneur Award" against other students around the country.</p> | 468 |
<p>On Tuesday, two armed men who <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-co-retirement-party-robbery-20170830-story.html#nws=true" type="external">apparently have double-digit IQs</a> decided to hold up a bar near Baltimore.</p>
<p>Here’s how you know they weren’t exactly Phi Beta Kappa: the bar was across the street from a police precinct station.</p>
<p>Sure enough, a group of Baltimore County officers had gathered at Monaghan's Pub for a retirement party for David Neral, a veteran sergeant who had worked with the department since 1988. The masked men entered the bar at roughly 5:30 p.m. According to Monaghan's owner Jack Milani, the men demanded cash from the employee at the carryout counter, then fled.</p>
<p>Some off-duty officers at the party chased the robbers and arrested them, according to the police department. The masked men were identified as Joseph McInnis III, 21, and Tyree McCoy, 22; they were charged with armed robbery, theft and related offenses, department spokesman Cpl. Shawn Vinson reported.</p>
<p>Milani pointed out that the robbers should have known better; police in squad cars often visit the bar during their shift changes. He said that many of the officers are regular customers, adding, “It’s kind of odd you would even attempt it. (Officers) are always in here. There was a decent amount of them.”</p>
<p>Baltimore County police officer Jennifer Peach <a href="http://www.wbaltv.com/article/armed-suspects-rob-pub-full-of-police-officers-attending-party/12149896" type="external">said</a>, "I'm sure that they weren't planning on there being a large room filled with police officers.”</p> | GENIUS: Masked Men Attempt Robbery At Bar Filled With Policemen | true | https://dailywire.com/news/20474/genius-masked-men-attempt-robbery-bar-filled-hank-berrien | 2017-08-31 | 0right
| GENIUS: Masked Men Attempt Robbery At Bar Filled With Policemen
<p>On Tuesday, two armed men who <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-co-retirement-party-robbery-20170830-story.html#nws=true" type="external">apparently have double-digit IQs</a> decided to hold up a bar near Baltimore.</p>
<p>Here’s how you know they weren’t exactly Phi Beta Kappa: the bar was across the street from a police precinct station.</p>
<p>Sure enough, a group of Baltimore County officers had gathered at Monaghan's Pub for a retirement party for David Neral, a veteran sergeant who had worked with the department since 1988. The masked men entered the bar at roughly 5:30 p.m. According to Monaghan's owner Jack Milani, the men demanded cash from the employee at the carryout counter, then fled.</p>
<p>Some off-duty officers at the party chased the robbers and arrested them, according to the police department. The masked men were identified as Joseph McInnis III, 21, and Tyree McCoy, 22; they were charged with armed robbery, theft and related offenses, department spokesman Cpl. Shawn Vinson reported.</p>
<p>Milani pointed out that the robbers should have known better; police in squad cars often visit the bar during their shift changes. He said that many of the officers are regular customers, adding, “It’s kind of odd you would even attempt it. (Officers) are always in here. There was a decent amount of them.”</p>
<p>Baltimore County police officer Jennifer Peach <a href="http://www.wbaltv.com/article/armed-suspects-rob-pub-full-of-police-officers-attending-party/12149896" type="external">said</a>, "I'm sure that they weren't planning on there being a large room filled with police officers.”</p> | 469 |
<p>CNBC‘s Joe Kernan interviewing climate denialist EPA chief Scott Pruitt.</p>
<p>If the public rollout of the Trump administration’s new EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, is any indication, the Earth’s climate will suffer even greater, irreversible damage during the next four years. And the corporate media’s coverage of it may only make it worse.</p>
<p>For example, in one of his first public appearances, on CNBC’s morning show (Squawk Box, <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/epa-chief-scott-pruitt.html" type="external">3/9/17</a>), Pruitt set an ominous precedent for the Trump administration’s climate change policy by outright lying. In response to host Joe Kernan’s question about the role of human-generated carbon dioxide in warming the planet, Pruitt responded:</p>
<p>I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there’s tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it’s a primary contributor to the global warming that we see.</p>
<p>Pruitt added: “We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis.”</p>
<p>Pruitt’s comments are, by now, recognized as among the standard rhetorical tools of climate deniers (Guardian, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2013/sep/16/climate-change-contrarians-5-stages-denial" type="external">9/15/13</a>). He boldly mischaracterizes as “tremendous disagreement” what is, in fact, an <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/" type="external">overwhelming scientific consensus</a> about the link between humanity’s greenhouse gases and global warming. Then he disingenuously calls for more “debate” and “analysis” of the topic, while at the same time the Trump administration is proposing <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-administration-seeks-big-budget-cuts-for-climate-research/" type="external">massive budget cuts</a> of the federal agencies that would conduct this research and analysis.</p>
<p>That this White House would embrace climate change denial, of course, comes as no surprise. The current president has a well-documented history of promoting right-wing conspiracy theories about climate change, calling it on numerous occasions an <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/408983789830815744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">“expensive hoax”</a> that was <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/265895292191248385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">“created by the Chinese.”</a> During the 2016 campaign, Trump told a right-wing radio host, <a href="http://www.hughhewitt.com/donald-trump-returns/" type="external">“I’m not a big believer in man-made climate change,”</a> promising to abandon the landmark Paris Agreement on climate action President Obama signed in 2016. During the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlI5l41Hpww" type="external">first presidential debate</a>, Trump did deny having ever called climate change a hoax, but the public record obviously proves otherwise.</p>
<p>Pruitt, a dogged opponent of the EPA while Oklahoma attorney general, is cut from the same climate denial cloth, minus the outrageous tweets. A trove of 6,000 emails released via court order by an Oklahoma judge last month (New York Times, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/us/politics/scott-pruitt-environmental-protection-agency.html" type="external">2/22/17</a>) revealed that Pruitt had colluded for years with oil and gas companies, as well as the Koch brothers’ political arm, to lobby against EPA greenhouse gas regulations. He even &#160;secretly used drafts of oil company talking points in his correspondence to the federal government.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the selection in December of a hard-right climate denier like Pruitt to run the agency <a href="https://twitter.com/reedfrich/status/806620055140270081" type="external">upset a phony media narrative</a> that had begun just a few weeks after the election. Thanks to a few <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/us/politics/donald-trump-visit.html" type="external">casual comments</a> by Trump to the Times editorial staff in November, much of the pundit class had convinced itself that the new president was pivoting to a more moderate position. The prospect of four more years of this same media credulity and deference to power does not bode well for future climate change coverage.</p>
<p>CNBC’s Kernan, in his interview with Pruitt, provided a sneak preview of what this next four years of media obsequiousness may look like. Not satisfied with merely letting Pruitt lie unchallenged, Kernan felt compelled to back him up. “That’s the whole point of science, is to keep asking questions,” Kernan disingenuously added in his wrap-up. “I don’t want to be called a denier, it scares me. It’s a terrible thing. Administrator Pruitt, I know you don’t want to be called it either.” Before throwing the segment back to a studio host, Kernan didn’t give time for Pruitt to agree. Then again, why even bother?</p>
<p>To be fair, CNBC is not a cable TV network known for its trenchant climate change reporting. And one can safely assume that Pruitt’s climate change denials on Fox News will be met with a “fair and balanced” tongue bath likely to put Kernan’s to shame. But subtle changes in so-called straight reporting and coverage matter too. That’s why the online story ( <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/epa-chief-scott-pruitt.html" type="external">3/9/17</a>) accompanying Kernan’s interview is a better, more ominous barometer of how the corporate media might respond to the Trump administration’s climate policy.</p>
<p>Overall, the CNBC article, by energy reporter Tom DiChristopher, sanded off almost all of Kernan’s overt sycophancy. However, the story still trafficked in classic <a href="" type="internal">false equivalence</a>. When comparing Pruitt’s evidence-free claims to the vast amount of climate data and overwhelming scientific consensus supporting anthropogenic climate change, CNBC notably chose to characterize the latter as merely “the opinion” of NASA and NOAA: “Pruitt’s view is also <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-data-show-2016-warmest-year-on-record-globally" type="external">at odds with the opinion</a> of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”</p>
<p>Recent history offers numerous examples of the corporate media succumbing to the temptation of parroting White House talking points, no matter how disconnected from reality. Recall that, for years, major news organizations, including the New York Times, felt compelled to echo the <a href="http://harpers.org/blog/2009/05/the-timess-torture-hypocrisy/" type="external">Bush administration’s “enhanced interrogation” euphemisms</a> for what had previously been recognized as acts of torture (Extra!, <a href="" type="internal">5–6/08</a>). Now that climate denialism has become de facto US policy, it will become almost impossible for journalists to both maintain traditional “ <a href="" type="internal">objectivity</a>” while also reporting scientific reality to the public. They have a clear choice to make.</p>
<p>As the long indictment of flawed climate change coverage by Robert Eshelman (CJR, <a href="http://archives.cjr.org/essay/the_danger_of_fair_and_balance.php" type="external">5/1/14</a>) can attest, corporate media have not always chosen wisely. Time and again, it has demonstrated that it can be successfully gamed by denialists operating little more than a propaganda campaign. Asks Eshelman in his insightful essay:</p>
<p>Journalists…wouldn’t have provided “balance” to a debate on gravity, giving equal time to someone asserting that it doesn’t exist; why would they for climate change?</p>
<p>But now that climate change lies have the imprimatur of the president of the United States, we may find that scientific facts and the fundamental laws of physics are subject to even more media distortion.</p>
<p>Reed Richardson is a media critic and writer whose work has appeared in The Nation, AlterNet, Harvard University’s Nieman Reports and the textbook Media Ethics (Current Controversies). You can follow him on Twitter at: <a href="https://twitter.com/reedfrich/status/494961718561611776" type="external">@reedfrich</a>.</p>
<p>You can send a message to CNBC <a href="http://cnbcllca.custhelp.com/app/ask" type="external">here</a> (or via Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/CNBC" type="external">@CNBC</a>). Please remember that respectful communication is the most effective.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | With White House Embracing Climate Denial, Will Corporate Media Treat It as Science? | true | http://fair.org/home/with-white-house-embracing-climate-denial-will-corporate-media-treat-it-as-science/ | 2017-03-10 | 4left
| With White House Embracing Climate Denial, Will Corporate Media Treat It as Science?
<p>CNBC‘s Joe Kernan interviewing climate denialist EPA chief Scott Pruitt.</p>
<p>If the public rollout of the Trump administration’s new EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, is any indication, the Earth’s climate will suffer even greater, irreversible damage during the next four years. And the corporate media’s coverage of it may only make it worse.</p>
<p>For example, in one of his first public appearances, on CNBC’s morning show (Squawk Box, <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/epa-chief-scott-pruitt.html" type="external">3/9/17</a>), Pruitt set an ominous precedent for the Trump administration’s climate change policy by outright lying. In response to host Joe Kernan’s question about the role of human-generated carbon dioxide in warming the planet, Pruitt responded:</p>
<p>I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there’s tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it’s a primary contributor to the global warming that we see.</p>
<p>Pruitt added: “We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis.”</p>
<p>Pruitt’s comments are, by now, recognized as among the standard rhetorical tools of climate deniers (Guardian, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2013/sep/16/climate-change-contrarians-5-stages-denial" type="external">9/15/13</a>). He boldly mischaracterizes as “tremendous disagreement” what is, in fact, an <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/" type="external">overwhelming scientific consensus</a> about the link between humanity’s greenhouse gases and global warming. Then he disingenuously calls for more “debate” and “analysis” of the topic, while at the same time the Trump administration is proposing <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-administration-seeks-big-budget-cuts-for-climate-research/" type="external">massive budget cuts</a> of the federal agencies that would conduct this research and analysis.</p>
<p>That this White House would embrace climate change denial, of course, comes as no surprise. The current president has a well-documented history of promoting right-wing conspiracy theories about climate change, calling it on numerous occasions an <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/408983789830815744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">“expensive hoax”</a> that was <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/265895292191248385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">“created by the Chinese.”</a> During the 2016 campaign, Trump told a right-wing radio host, <a href="http://www.hughhewitt.com/donald-trump-returns/" type="external">“I’m not a big believer in man-made climate change,”</a> promising to abandon the landmark Paris Agreement on climate action President Obama signed in 2016. During the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlI5l41Hpww" type="external">first presidential debate</a>, Trump did deny having ever called climate change a hoax, but the public record obviously proves otherwise.</p>
<p>Pruitt, a dogged opponent of the EPA while Oklahoma attorney general, is cut from the same climate denial cloth, minus the outrageous tweets. A trove of 6,000 emails released via court order by an Oklahoma judge last month (New York Times, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/us/politics/scott-pruitt-environmental-protection-agency.html" type="external">2/22/17</a>) revealed that Pruitt had colluded for years with oil and gas companies, as well as the Koch brothers’ political arm, to lobby against EPA greenhouse gas regulations. He even &#160;secretly used drafts of oil company talking points in his correspondence to the federal government.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the selection in December of a hard-right climate denier like Pruitt to run the agency <a href="https://twitter.com/reedfrich/status/806620055140270081" type="external">upset a phony media narrative</a> that had begun just a few weeks after the election. Thanks to a few <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/us/politics/donald-trump-visit.html" type="external">casual comments</a> by Trump to the Times editorial staff in November, much of the pundit class had convinced itself that the new president was pivoting to a more moderate position. The prospect of four more years of this same media credulity and deference to power does not bode well for future climate change coverage.</p>
<p>CNBC’s Kernan, in his interview with Pruitt, provided a sneak preview of what this next four years of media obsequiousness may look like. Not satisfied with merely letting Pruitt lie unchallenged, Kernan felt compelled to back him up. “That’s the whole point of science, is to keep asking questions,” Kernan disingenuously added in his wrap-up. “I don’t want to be called a denier, it scares me. It’s a terrible thing. Administrator Pruitt, I know you don’t want to be called it either.” Before throwing the segment back to a studio host, Kernan didn’t give time for Pruitt to agree. Then again, why even bother?</p>
<p>To be fair, CNBC is not a cable TV network known for its trenchant climate change reporting. And one can safely assume that Pruitt’s climate change denials on Fox News will be met with a “fair and balanced” tongue bath likely to put Kernan’s to shame. But subtle changes in so-called straight reporting and coverage matter too. That’s why the online story ( <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/epa-chief-scott-pruitt.html" type="external">3/9/17</a>) accompanying Kernan’s interview is a better, more ominous barometer of how the corporate media might respond to the Trump administration’s climate policy.</p>
<p>Overall, the CNBC article, by energy reporter Tom DiChristopher, sanded off almost all of Kernan’s overt sycophancy. However, the story still trafficked in classic <a href="" type="internal">false equivalence</a>. When comparing Pruitt’s evidence-free claims to the vast amount of climate data and overwhelming scientific consensus supporting anthropogenic climate change, CNBC notably chose to characterize the latter as merely “the opinion” of NASA and NOAA: “Pruitt’s view is also <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-data-show-2016-warmest-year-on-record-globally" type="external">at odds with the opinion</a> of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”</p>
<p>Recent history offers numerous examples of the corporate media succumbing to the temptation of parroting White House talking points, no matter how disconnected from reality. Recall that, for years, major news organizations, including the New York Times, felt compelled to echo the <a href="http://harpers.org/blog/2009/05/the-timess-torture-hypocrisy/" type="external">Bush administration’s “enhanced interrogation” euphemisms</a> for what had previously been recognized as acts of torture (Extra!, <a href="" type="internal">5–6/08</a>). Now that climate denialism has become de facto US policy, it will become almost impossible for journalists to both maintain traditional “ <a href="" type="internal">objectivity</a>” while also reporting scientific reality to the public. They have a clear choice to make.</p>
<p>As the long indictment of flawed climate change coverage by Robert Eshelman (CJR, <a href="http://archives.cjr.org/essay/the_danger_of_fair_and_balance.php" type="external">5/1/14</a>) can attest, corporate media have not always chosen wisely. Time and again, it has demonstrated that it can be successfully gamed by denialists operating little more than a propaganda campaign. Asks Eshelman in his insightful essay:</p>
<p>Journalists…wouldn’t have provided “balance” to a debate on gravity, giving equal time to someone asserting that it doesn’t exist; why would they for climate change?</p>
<p>But now that climate change lies have the imprimatur of the president of the United States, we may find that scientific facts and the fundamental laws of physics are subject to even more media distortion.</p>
<p>Reed Richardson is a media critic and writer whose work has appeared in The Nation, AlterNet, Harvard University’s Nieman Reports and the textbook Media Ethics (Current Controversies). You can follow him on Twitter at: <a href="https://twitter.com/reedfrich/status/494961718561611776" type="external">@reedfrich</a>.</p>
<p>You can send a message to CNBC <a href="http://cnbcllca.custhelp.com/app/ask" type="external">here</a> (or via Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/CNBC" type="external">@CNBC</a>). Please remember that respectful communication is the most effective.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 470 |
<p>A Florida man collapsed and died after eating dozens of roaches and worms in a quest to win an exotic $850 python.&#160;</p>
<p>Edward Archbold, 32, vomited after downing more than 20 giant bugs during a "Midnight Madness" event at a reptile store in Deerfield Beach, Fla.,&#160; <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/09/us/florida-roach-eating-death/index.html" type="external">reports CNN.</a></p>
<p>Minutes later he collapsed in front of the store and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/09/us-usa-florida-roach-idUSBRE8980QH20121009" type="external">according to Reuters.&#160;</a></p>
<p>Ben Siegel, the owner of the store, told the Miami Herald that Archbold seemed like the life of the party.</p>
<p>"He seemed like kind of a wild guy - he was wearing a bandanna, wrist bands and a shirt that said "Event Staff,"? Siegel said.</p>
<p>"He was brought there by his friend, and he was trying to win the snake for him."</p>
<p>According to a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/reptileshop2" type="external">Facebook post from Ben Siegel Reptiles</a>, Archbold called 911 himself and was given CPR.&#160;</p>
<p>Siegel's lawyer&#160;Luke Lirot wrote that the insects eaten were "safely and domestically raised".</p>
<p>"All participants in the contest were entirely aware of what they were doing and that they signed thorough waivers accepting responsibility for their participation in this unique and unorthodox contest," Lirot wrote.</p>
<p>According to contest rules posted in an online forum, the prize python would go to "the guy or gal that eats the most bugs in 4 minutes without vomiting."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/09/3040873/man-dies-after-winning-roach-eating.html#storylink=cpy" type="external">The Miami Herald reports</a> that the grand prize has been put aside in his name and will be given to his estate.&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Florida man dies after roach-eating contest | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-10-09/florida-man-dies-after-roach-eating-contest | 2012-10-09 | 3left-center
| Florida man dies after roach-eating contest
<p>A Florida man collapsed and died after eating dozens of roaches and worms in a quest to win an exotic $850 python.&#160;</p>
<p>Edward Archbold, 32, vomited after downing more than 20 giant bugs during a "Midnight Madness" event at a reptile store in Deerfield Beach, Fla.,&#160; <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/09/us/florida-roach-eating-death/index.html" type="external">reports CNN.</a></p>
<p>Minutes later he collapsed in front of the store and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/09/us-usa-florida-roach-idUSBRE8980QH20121009" type="external">according to Reuters.&#160;</a></p>
<p>Ben Siegel, the owner of the store, told the Miami Herald that Archbold seemed like the life of the party.</p>
<p>"He seemed like kind of a wild guy - he was wearing a bandanna, wrist bands and a shirt that said "Event Staff,"? Siegel said.</p>
<p>"He was brought there by his friend, and he was trying to win the snake for him."</p>
<p>According to a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/reptileshop2" type="external">Facebook post from Ben Siegel Reptiles</a>, Archbold called 911 himself and was given CPR.&#160;</p>
<p>Siegel's lawyer&#160;Luke Lirot wrote that the insects eaten were "safely and domestically raised".</p>
<p>"All participants in the contest were entirely aware of what they were doing and that they signed thorough waivers accepting responsibility for their participation in this unique and unorthodox contest," Lirot wrote.</p>
<p>According to contest rules posted in an online forum, the prize python would go to "the guy or gal that eats the most bugs in 4 minutes without vomiting."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/09/3040873/man-dies-after-winning-roach-eating.html#storylink=cpy" type="external">The Miami Herald reports</a> that the grand prize has been put aside in his name and will be given to his estate.&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 471 |
<p>Israel’s embattled prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, lashed out at the media and his political opponents in an animated speech to hundreds of enthusiastic supporters on Wednesday, seeking to deliver a powerful show of force as he battles a slew of corruption allegations that have threatened to drive him from office.</p>
<p>Netanyahu’s Likud Party organized Wednesday’s rally in response to a swirling police investigation into suspected corruption, bribery and fraud by the longtime Israeli leader.</p>
<p>Party leaders described the gathering as an attempt to counter what they believe is a campaign by a hostile media and overzealous police and prosecutors. But the gathering was also seen as a test of Netanyahu’s popularity and control over his party. For now, Likud appears to be firmly behind its leader, and any internal opposition remains in check.</p>
<p>Addressing the packed convention hall, Netanyahu accused the “leftist” media and political opposition of pushing for an indictment to topple him because they cannot defeat him at the ballot box. Some estimated the crowd numbered at least 2,000.</p>
<p>“The left and the media, and they’re the same thing, you know, they are mustering an obsessive, unprecedented hunt against me and my family to carry out a regime change,” he said.</p>
<p>Netanyahu also blamed the media for ousting two right-wing Israeli governments in the 1990s and held them responsible for the “disaster” of the Oslo Accords signed with the Palestinians in 1993, suicide bombings on public buses in the 1990s, and the second intifada in the early 2000s.</p>
<p>“Their aim is to apply illegitimate and nonstop pressure on law enforcement so they file an indictment at any price, with no connection to the truth, with no connection to justice,” he said.</p>
<p>The speech resorted to a familiar strategy to Netanyahu. During a three-decade political career, he has frequently attacked the media, political opposition, Israel’s Arab minority and the Palestinians in an attempt to rally Likud and portray himself as a victim.</p>
<p>Former prime minister Ehud Barak, one of the targets of Netanyahu’s sniping, rebuffed Netanyahu’s comments saying “there’s no hunt, there’s corruption.”</p>
<p>Yair Lapid, a former finance minister under Netanyahu who heads the Yesh Atid party, tweeted after the prime minister’s speech that it “crossed every line.”</p>
<p>“What we saw this evening wasn’t a rally of support for Netanyahu but a rally in support of corruption,” Lapid said.</p>
<p>Netanyahu made no mention of the police or prosecutors handling the investigation. But he warned the Palestinians against hoping for his political demise. Palestinian leaders “will be disappointed too, because it won’t happen,” he said.</p>
<p>Likud leaders put heavy pressure on party activists to attend the rally. The gathering had a festive, at times raucous atmosphere, with activists hoisting Israeli flags, banners criticizing the media and chanting “Bibi, King of Israel,” using his nickname. One banner read, “enough with the putsch attempt” and a second decried the “fake news” with an English expletive.</p>
<p>Netanyahu, the second-longest serving leader in Israeli history, is engulfed in a series of scandals relating to alleged financial misdeeds and supposed illicit ties to executives in media, international business and Hollywood.</p>
<p>Israeli police investigators say they suspect Netanyahu of being involved in bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a pair of cases.</p>
<p>Netanyahu’s former chief of staff and longtime confidant, Ari Harow, recently signed a settlement connected to a separate case in which he agreed to testify against his former mentor. This has raised speculation that Netanyahu could be indicted soon, and has sparked opposition calls for him to step down.</p>
<p>Netanyahu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and called the accusations a witch hunt.</p>
<p>David Bitan, Likud’s parliamentary whip and a close Netanyahu ally, said some 1,500 people were signed up for Wednesday’s event and he hoped even more would attend — including all the party’s top officials and ministers.</p>
<p>No one in the party has come out against Netanyahu yet — reflecting both loyalty and the fear of crossing him.</p>
<p>Internal criticism has emerged only from those outside of politics. Limor Livnat, a former Likud Cabinet minister, has condemned the attacks on the police and prosecution and said that Netanyahu should step aside if indicted.</p>
<p>Israel’s justice minister has said Netanyahu would not have to step down even if he is indicted. That means his short-term future will likely depend on whether he can maintain political and public backing.</p>
<p>Avraham Diskin, a political scientist at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, said there is no immediate threat and the goal of Wednesday’s rally was to quash any thoughts of trying to challenge him.</p>
<p>“Netanyahu is tightening the bolts and exerting his authority,” he said. “The whole point it to scare any of the ‘pretenders’ against getting ideas in their head. He’s conveying that he is still powerful and everyone should keep their knives holstered.”</p>
<p>Netanyahu has escaped several scandals before, but the scope of the latest accusations appears to pose his stiffest challenge yet.</p>
<p>One investigation involving Netanyahu, dubbed by police as “File 1000,” reportedly concerns claims he improperly accepted lavish gifts from wealthy supporters, including Australian billionaire James Packer and Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.</p>
<p>The second investigation, “File 2000,” reportedly concerns Netanyahu’s alleged attempts to strike a deal with publisher Arnon Mozes of the Yediot Ahronot newspaper group to promote legislation to weaken Yediot’s main competitor in exchange for more favorable coverage of Netanyahu by Yediot.</p>
<p>A third investigation, “File 3000,” relates to a possible conflict of interests involving the purchase of German submarines, in which Netanyahu’s cousin and personal attorney represented the German firm involved in the deal.</p>
<p>Netanyahu has dismissed the suspicions as “background noise” and vowed to push forward.</p> | Netanyahu Rips Media, Opposition in Face of Corruption Case | false | https://newsline.com/netanyahu-rips-media-opposition-in-face-of-corruption-case/ | 2017-08-09 | 1right-center
| Netanyahu Rips Media, Opposition in Face of Corruption Case
<p>Israel’s embattled prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, lashed out at the media and his political opponents in an animated speech to hundreds of enthusiastic supporters on Wednesday, seeking to deliver a powerful show of force as he battles a slew of corruption allegations that have threatened to drive him from office.</p>
<p>Netanyahu’s Likud Party organized Wednesday’s rally in response to a swirling police investigation into suspected corruption, bribery and fraud by the longtime Israeli leader.</p>
<p>Party leaders described the gathering as an attempt to counter what they believe is a campaign by a hostile media and overzealous police and prosecutors. But the gathering was also seen as a test of Netanyahu’s popularity and control over his party. For now, Likud appears to be firmly behind its leader, and any internal opposition remains in check.</p>
<p>Addressing the packed convention hall, Netanyahu accused the “leftist” media and political opposition of pushing for an indictment to topple him because they cannot defeat him at the ballot box. Some estimated the crowd numbered at least 2,000.</p>
<p>“The left and the media, and they’re the same thing, you know, they are mustering an obsessive, unprecedented hunt against me and my family to carry out a regime change,” he said.</p>
<p>Netanyahu also blamed the media for ousting two right-wing Israeli governments in the 1990s and held them responsible for the “disaster” of the Oslo Accords signed with the Palestinians in 1993, suicide bombings on public buses in the 1990s, and the second intifada in the early 2000s.</p>
<p>“Their aim is to apply illegitimate and nonstop pressure on law enforcement so they file an indictment at any price, with no connection to the truth, with no connection to justice,” he said.</p>
<p>The speech resorted to a familiar strategy to Netanyahu. During a three-decade political career, he has frequently attacked the media, political opposition, Israel’s Arab minority and the Palestinians in an attempt to rally Likud and portray himself as a victim.</p>
<p>Former prime minister Ehud Barak, one of the targets of Netanyahu’s sniping, rebuffed Netanyahu’s comments saying “there’s no hunt, there’s corruption.”</p>
<p>Yair Lapid, a former finance minister under Netanyahu who heads the Yesh Atid party, tweeted after the prime minister’s speech that it “crossed every line.”</p>
<p>“What we saw this evening wasn’t a rally of support for Netanyahu but a rally in support of corruption,” Lapid said.</p>
<p>Netanyahu made no mention of the police or prosecutors handling the investigation. But he warned the Palestinians against hoping for his political demise. Palestinian leaders “will be disappointed too, because it won’t happen,” he said.</p>
<p>Likud leaders put heavy pressure on party activists to attend the rally. The gathering had a festive, at times raucous atmosphere, with activists hoisting Israeli flags, banners criticizing the media and chanting “Bibi, King of Israel,” using his nickname. One banner read, “enough with the putsch attempt” and a second decried the “fake news” with an English expletive.</p>
<p>Netanyahu, the second-longest serving leader in Israeli history, is engulfed in a series of scandals relating to alleged financial misdeeds and supposed illicit ties to executives in media, international business and Hollywood.</p>
<p>Israeli police investigators say they suspect Netanyahu of being involved in bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a pair of cases.</p>
<p>Netanyahu’s former chief of staff and longtime confidant, Ari Harow, recently signed a settlement connected to a separate case in which he agreed to testify against his former mentor. This has raised speculation that Netanyahu could be indicted soon, and has sparked opposition calls for him to step down.</p>
<p>Netanyahu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and called the accusations a witch hunt.</p>
<p>David Bitan, Likud’s parliamentary whip and a close Netanyahu ally, said some 1,500 people were signed up for Wednesday’s event and he hoped even more would attend — including all the party’s top officials and ministers.</p>
<p>No one in the party has come out against Netanyahu yet — reflecting both loyalty and the fear of crossing him.</p>
<p>Internal criticism has emerged only from those outside of politics. Limor Livnat, a former Likud Cabinet minister, has condemned the attacks on the police and prosecution and said that Netanyahu should step aside if indicted.</p>
<p>Israel’s justice minister has said Netanyahu would not have to step down even if he is indicted. That means his short-term future will likely depend on whether he can maintain political and public backing.</p>
<p>Avraham Diskin, a political scientist at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, said there is no immediate threat and the goal of Wednesday’s rally was to quash any thoughts of trying to challenge him.</p>
<p>“Netanyahu is tightening the bolts and exerting his authority,” he said. “The whole point it to scare any of the ‘pretenders’ against getting ideas in their head. He’s conveying that he is still powerful and everyone should keep their knives holstered.”</p>
<p>Netanyahu has escaped several scandals before, but the scope of the latest accusations appears to pose his stiffest challenge yet.</p>
<p>One investigation involving Netanyahu, dubbed by police as “File 1000,” reportedly concerns claims he improperly accepted lavish gifts from wealthy supporters, including Australian billionaire James Packer and Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.</p>
<p>The second investigation, “File 2000,” reportedly concerns Netanyahu’s alleged attempts to strike a deal with publisher Arnon Mozes of the Yediot Ahronot newspaper group to promote legislation to weaken Yediot’s main competitor in exchange for more favorable coverage of Netanyahu by Yediot.</p>
<p>A third investigation, “File 3000,” relates to a possible conflict of interests involving the purchase of German submarines, in which Netanyahu’s cousin and personal attorney represented the German firm involved in the deal.</p>
<p>Netanyahu has dismissed the suspicions as “background noise” and vowed to push forward.</p> | 472 |
<p>Photo from <a href="http://www.laizquierdadiario.cl/Chile" type="external">La Izquierda Diario, Chile</a></p>
<p>Marcelo Lepe Parraguez was training to become a "transformista" [roughly translates to drag queen] in the circus of San Bernardo. Some time ago, he told relatives that for months he was being harrassed by his neighbors.</p>
<p>On February 17, Marcelo went out with his mother to buy groceries, when two female neighbors started to hurl insults at him for being gay. He was defended by his mother, who then began to receive blows by the two women. Marcelo, who was trying to defend himself was intercepted by two men who started to kick him on the ground. The mother and son started to retreat from the scene. Unfortunately, this horrible story doesn't end here. Marcelo Vega, partner of the victim, states that one of the female aggressors started to yell, "?Kill the damn faggot, kill the bastard."? At that moment, one of the aggressors, Juan Carlos Altamirana Mattus, shot him close to his neck, missed, and fired again, hitting him in the thorax. This was the bullet that led to Marcelo's death.</p>
<p>The Santiago district attorney's office has detained Juan Carlos Altamirana, but the other three accomplices remain free. Among them is the woman with the nickname, "?The Russian,"? who according to family, has contacted them offering money to put an end to the investigations.</p>
<p>During the wake and the funeral, his family and neighbors held signs demanding justice for Marcelo Lepe.</p>
<p>We, the Pan y Rosas Teresa Flores organization, demand a trial and effective punishment with jail time for Marcelo Lepe's attackers. We also declare that the antidiscrimination law created by authorities following the case of Daniel Zamudio as an insufficient measure for all the violence and discrimination faced by the LGBT community. This is a result of Chile's homophobic inheritance from the military dictatorship, still conserved today by all sectors of the right and the church.</p>
<p>This is an adaptation of an <a href="http://www.laizquierdadiario.com/Brutal-asesinato-a-joven-homosexual-de-20-anos" type="external">article</a> originally published in La Izquierda Diario - Chile.</p>
<p>Related</p>
<p><a href="Pan-y-Rosas" type="external">Pan y Rosas</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="Chile" type="external">Chile</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="LGBT" type="external">LGBT</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="Latin-America" type="external">Latin America</a></p> | Gay Youth Brutally Murdered in Chile | true | https://leftvoice.org/Gay-Youth-Brutally-Murdered-in-Chile | 2016-02-23 | 4left
| Gay Youth Brutally Murdered in Chile
<p>Photo from <a href="http://www.laizquierdadiario.cl/Chile" type="external">La Izquierda Diario, Chile</a></p>
<p>Marcelo Lepe Parraguez was training to become a "transformista" [roughly translates to drag queen] in the circus of San Bernardo. Some time ago, he told relatives that for months he was being harrassed by his neighbors.</p>
<p>On February 17, Marcelo went out with his mother to buy groceries, when two female neighbors started to hurl insults at him for being gay. He was defended by his mother, who then began to receive blows by the two women. Marcelo, who was trying to defend himself was intercepted by two men who started to kick him on the ground. The mother and son started to retreat from the scene. Unfortunately, this horrible story doesn't end here. Marcelo Vega, partner of the victim, states that one of the female aggressors started to yell, "?Kill the damn faggot, kill the bastard."? At that moment, one of the aggressors, Juan Carlos Altamirana Mattus, shot him close to his neck, missed, and fired again, hitting him in the thorax. This was the bullet that led to Marcelo's death.</p>
<p>The Santiago district attorney's office has detained Juan Carlos Altamirana, but the other three accomplices remain free. Among them is the woman with the nickname, "?The Russian,"? who according to family, has contacted them offering money to put an end to the investigations.</p>
<p>During the wake and the funeral, his family and neighbors held signs demanding justice for Marcelo Lepe.</p>
<p>We, the Pan y Rosas Teresa Flores organization, demand a trial and effective punishment with jail time for Marcelo Lepe's attackers. We also declare that the antidiscrimination law created by authorities following the case of Daniel Zamudio as an insufficient measure for all the violence and discrimination faced by the LGBT community. This is a result of Chile's homophobic inheritance from the military dictatorship, still conserved today by all sectors of the right and the church.</p>
<p>This is an adaptation of an <a href="http://www.laizquierdadiario.com/Brutal-asesinato-a-joven-homosexual-de-20-anos" type="external">article</a> originally published in La Izquierda Diario - Chile.</p>
<p>Related</p>
<p><a href="Pan-y-Rosas" type="external">Pan y Rosas</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="Chile" type="external">Chile</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="LGBT" type="external">LGBT</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="Latin-America" type="external">Latin America</a></p> | 473 |
<p>“Tolerance, like any aspect of peace, is forever a work in progress, never completed, and, if we’re as intelligent as we like to think we are, never abandoned.”</p>
<p>Octavia Butler</p>
<p>The first thing I thought when I heard of Octavia Butler’s passing, just two weeks ago, is that her loss is insupportable. At fifty-eight years old and after having published in October her fourteenth book, <a href="" type="internal">Fledgling</a>, Butler had many more thrilling tales of reason and self-consciousness in her and she was getting better and better at it. The loss of her knocked me down and, while writing these words in her memory, it’s been hard to get up again.</p>
<p>In many ways, Fledgling was a new departure: a “vampire” book that had returned her to the supreme pleasures of storytelling. I was in the audience at a “lecture” she gave at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in November, a few weeks after Fledgling’s release. There she admitted to everyone that writing Fledgling was fun, that she hadn’t experienced this kind of joy in writing a novel for a very long time. In her most recent interviews, she was calling the new novel “light,” yet this playful description was meant in direct comparison to her previous novels, which are utopian in the heaviest sense you can imagine.</p>
<p>I put “lecture” in quotation marks because all Butler wanted to do that night in New York was have conversation with the members of her audience. She refused to lecture. In their questions, many of her readers proved to be just as perspicacious as their writer-hero up there on stage lounging comfortably, as if this particular spot was for Butler no different than being at home in her reading chair. I remember thinking that these questions from the audience substantiate well the claim that every artist deserves the audience they end up getting.</p>
<p>This particular audience was simply brilliant, in a laid-back kind of way. It was a hard-earned cool, a self-ironic knowingness based on the fact that they have been reading, and rereading, books written not for the market or for a clique of like-minded people but rather for the genuine love of our abused humanity.</p>
<p>The line at the end of the lecture to have Butler sign the books they had brought with them was endlessly long and was not moving. I had brought several of my favorites for her to sign ( <a href="" type="internal">Patternmaster</a>, Dawn, and the Parable series) as well as my entire English class, who at the time was reading and studying <a href="" type="internal">Parable of the Sower</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Parable of the Talents</a>. But the line’s lack of progress deterred me from joining, so I went home. The next day, when I asked my students how long they had had to wait, many shot me disapproving glances. Had it been necessary, they would have waited all night long.</p>
<p>It turns out the line didn’t move well because Butler insisted on answering every question asked of her, including an intriguing one posed by a student of mine. He related to me and his classmates that he had asked her when his turn came why she made Lauren’s “hyper-empathy syndrome”-one of the main plot devices of the Parable series-so ambiguous, that is, biological, psychological, and socio-economic at the same time? Butler had paused, set down her pen and explained patiently to him her rationale.</p>
<p>From the beginning, Butler’s genius was impossible to deny and nobody undertook what would have taken strenuous effort the attempt to do it. In the early 1980s she won the Hugo and Nebula Awards, which are science fiction’s most coveted prizes, and in 1995 she won the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. But you could still not find an official Octavia E. Butler web site, because one did not exist, on purpose, and never would. And forget about catching her on C-Span’s Booknotes or on Charlie Rose. She was an unapologetic, self-declared hermit yet I had suspected, which was confirmed for me while in her presence last November in New York, that she had a good political reason for always staying on the down low. She deliberately avoided celebrity status because it requires an end to thought, and that’s all her books do-think.</p>
<p>Writing about one’s favorite writer, especially when that writer has without any notice up and died on you, should be short and to the point, because this exercise can lead into a long, drawn-out self-therapy session. I could use to talk about what Octavia Butler has meant to me, how she saved me more than a few times from cynicism, and more importantly how she has constantly enlivened my classrooms for the last sixteen years. But that would be for me, not for her. To her, I’d like to say three simple things.</p>
<p>Thank you for weathering the storm of American irrationalism. The degradation of thinking and writing over the last twenty years in this society is hardly believable. If visited by another solar species-a storyline you made famous in your Xenogenesis trilogy ( <a href="" type="internal">Dawn</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Adulthood Rites</a>, and <a href="" type="internal">Imago</a>)-the conclusion they are compelled to draw is that the human species is unusually cute and often cuddly, and it continues to produce a lot of cute and cuddly art and literature, but its lethal and highly toxic fatal flaw has never been dealt with rationally, honestly, openly and systematically, and as a consequence we are now closer than ever to doing ourselves in, albeit in a really cute, cutting-edge, fashionable way.</p>
<p>You called this fatal flaw our “hierarchical tendencies,” a pattern of species-specific behavior that is completely transparent to anyone who takes a moment to observe humans from outside their pre-programmed pro-corporate consciousness. How else can we keep missing it? All the genocidal wars of conquest and mass extermination, almost always for higher profit margins and therefore higher placement on the planet’s human-made, market-driven totem pole; the everyday assaults on each other’s vulnerable humanity; the unspeakable vengeance and spite. The frightening lack of historical consciousness and the idiotic denials of the root of the real chaos causing all the weak denials in the first place. The incessant and seemingly inexplicable exact repetitions of past blunders. A blind following of leaders who are absolutely not fit to rule, and the odd religious conservativeness in a species secular and often revolutionary in its actual possibilities; the familiar preference for easy comforts and solutions, for instant gratification over long-range planning, self-criticism, self-sacrifice, and rational experimentation with forethought and care.</p>
<p>The second thing is that your books have encouraged the best feature of humanity, intellectual curiosity. Your books never close the door; instead they broaden current horizons and open up new ones. They make people want to go to the library and search out for themselves rational and scientific explanations for the opaque world in which we live. You have showed people that the thickness of reality can be penetrated through focused and persistent intellectual effort. You termed this type of mental labor a “positive obsession,” this trying to survive whole.</p>
<p>The third thing is you have unsettled the minds of a lot of people who otherwise might have gone on thinking their shit don’t stink, people who think of themselves as morally-sound, broad-minded, liberal, and tolerant. You have in every book of yours flipped the script on them by showing they are very tolerant indeed, of racism and stupidity, illiteracy, hunger, preventable and treatable disease, the scapegoating, bullying, and persecution of the poor and the politically defenseless, legal theft and official lying, the wholesale deforestation of the planet and the capitalist single-minded pillaging of what remains of our earthly paradise, megalomania and self-seeking, and a lock-step obedience to irrational and discredited authority.</p>
<p>In one of your last interviews, you put it tersely and profoundly as was your style. This style led many people to call you an oracle, a label that always made you chuckle. The interviewer had asked you if you’re pessimistic or optimistic about the future of the United States.</p>
<p>“At the present,” you answered, “I feel so unhopeful. I recognize we will pay more attention when we have different leadership. I’m not exactly sure where that leadership will come from. But that doesn’t mean I think we’re all going down the toilet, I just don’t see where that hope will come from. I think we need people with stronger ideals than John Kerry or Bill Clinton. I think we need people with more courage and vision. It’s a shame we have had people who are so damn weak.”</p>
<p>Your own strengths as a writer and an intellectual, expressed always with a determined humility and without any fear of what those in power might say about it, will remain in all your novels. So we mourn not the loss of your words but of your future words and how they could have straightened out our thinking by focusing it on the root causes of all the purposefully fabricated and contrived confusions and controversies. It seems to me this is the whole lesson of your Parable books. Lauren created this new communist community you called Earthseed to save herself, but her great intention was for us readers to keep planting it deep in the ground of every place we live, work, and educate.</p>
<p>JONATHAN SCOTT is Assistant Professor of English at the City University of New York, Borough of Manhattan Community College. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:jonascott15@aol.com" type="external">jonascott15@aol.com</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | The Genius and Courage of Octavia Butler | true | https://counterpunch.org/2006/03/11/the-genius-and-courage-of-octavia-butler/ | 2006-03-11 | 4left
| The Genius and Courage of Octavia Butler
<p>“Tolerance, like any aspect of peace, is forever a work in progress, never completed, and, if we’re as intelligent as we like to think we are, never abandoned.”</p>
<p>Octavia Butler</p>
<p>The first thing I thought when I heard of Octavia Butler’s passing, just two weeks ago, is that her loss is insupportable. At fifty-eight years old and after having published in October her fourteenth book, <a href="" type="internal">Fledgling</a>, Butler had many more thrilling tales of reason and self-consciousness in her and she was getting better and better at it. The loss of her knocked me down and, while writing these words in her memory, it’s been hard to get up again.</p>
<p>In many ways, Fledgling was a new departure: a “vampire” book that had returned her to the supreme pleasures of storytelling. I was in the audience at a “lecture” she gave at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in November, a few weeks after Fledgling’s release. There she admitted to everyone that writing Fledgling was fun, that she hadn’t experienced this kind of joy in writing a novel for a very long time. In her most recent interviews, she was calling the new novel “light,” yet this playful description was meant in direct comparison to her previous novels, which are utopian in the heaviest sense you can imagine.</p>
<p>I put “lecture” in quotation marks because all Butler wanted to do that night in New York was have conversation with the members of her audience. She refused to lecture. In their questions, many of her readers proved to be just as perspicacious as their writer-hero up there on stage lounging comfortably, as if this particular spot was for Butler no different than being at home in her reading chair. I remember thinking that these questions from the audience substantiate well the claim that every artist deserves the audience they end up getting.</p>
<p>This particular audience was simply brilliant, in a laid-back kind of way. It was a hard-earned cool, a self-ironic knowingness based on the fact that they have been reading, and rereading, books written not for the market or for a clique of like-minded people but rather for the genuine love of our abused humanity.</p>
<p>The line at the end of the lecture to have Butler sign the books they had brought with them was endlessly long and was not moving. I had brought several of my favorites for her to sign ( <a href="" type="internal">Patternmaster</a>, Dawn, and the Parable series) as well as my entire English class, who at the time was reading and studying <a href="" type="internal">Parable of the Sower</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Parable of the Talents</a>. But the line’s lack of progress deterred me from joining, so I went home. The next day, when I asked my students how long they had had to wait, many shot me disapproving glances. Had it been necessary, they would have waited all night long.</p>
<p>It turns out the line didn’t move well because Butler insisted on answering every question asked of her, including an intriguing one posed by a student of mine. He related to me and his classmates that he had asked her when his turn came why she made Lauren’s “hyper-empathy syndrome”-one of the main plot devices of the Parable series-so ambiguous, that is, biological, psychological, and socio-economic at the same time? Butler had paused, set down her pen and explained patiently to him her rationale.</p>
<p>From the beginning, Butler’s genius was impossible to deny and nobody undertook what would have taken strenuous effort the attempt to do it. In the early 1980s she won the Hugo and Nebula Awards, which are science fiction’s most coveted prizes, and in 1995 she won the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. But you could still not find an official Octavia E. Butler web site, because one did not exist, on purpose, and never would. And forget about catching her on C-Span’s Booknotes or on Charlie Rose. She was an unapologetic, self-declared hermit yet I had suspected, which was confirmed for me while in her presence last November in New York, that she had a good political reason for always staying on the down low. She deliberately avoided celebrity status because it requires an end to thought, and that’s all her books do-think.</p>
<p>Writing about one’s favorite writer, especially when that writer has without any notice up and died on you, should be short and to the point, because this exercise can lead into a long, drawn-out self-therapy session. I could use to talk about what Octavia Butler has meant to me, how she saved me more than a few times from cynicism, and more importantly how she has constantly enlivened my classrooms for the last sixteen years. But that would be for me, not for her. To her, I’d like to say three simple things.</p>
<p>Thank you for weathering the storm of American irrationalism. The degradation of thinking and writing over the last twenty years in this society is hardly believable. If visited by another solar species-a storyline you made famous in your Xenogenesis trilogy ( <a href="" type="internal">Dawn</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Adulthood Rites</a>, and <a href="" type="internal">Imago</a>)-the conclusion they are compelled to draw is that the human species is unusually cute and often cuddly, and it continues to produce a lot of cute and cuddly art and literature, but its lethal and highly toxic fatal flaw has never been dealt with rationally, honestly, openly and systematically, and as a consequence we are now closer than ever to doing ourselves in, albeit in a really cute, cutting-edge, fashionable way.</p>
<p>You called this fatal flaw our “hierarchical tendencies,” a pattern of species-specific behavior that is completely transparent to anyone who takes a moment to observe humans from outside their pre-programmed pro-corporate consciousness. How else can we keep missing it? All the genocidal wars of conquest and mass extermination, almost always for higher profit margins and therefore higher placement on the planet’s human-made, market-driven totem pole; the everyday assaults on each other’s vulnerable humanity; the unspeakable vengeance and spite. The frightening lack of historical consciousness and the idiotic denials of the root of the real chaos causing all the weak denials in the first place. The incessant and seemingly inexplicable exact repetitions of past blunders. A blind following of leaders who are absolutely not fit to rule, and the odd religious conservativeness in a species secular and often revolutionary in its actual possibilities; the familiar preference for easy comforts and solutions, for instant gratification over long-range planning, self-criticism, self-sacrifice, and rational experimentation with forethought and care.</p>
<p>The second thing is that your books have encouraged the best feature of humanity, intellectual curiosity. Your books never close the door; instead they broaden current horizons and open up new ones. They make people want to go to the library and search out for themselves rational and scientific explanations for the opaque world in which we live. You have showed people that the thickness of reality can be penetrated through focused and persistent intellectual effort. You termed this type of mental labor a “positive obsession,” this trying to survive whole.</p>
<p>The third thing is you have unsettled the minds of a lot of people who otherwise might have gone on thinking their shit don’t stink, people who think of themselves as morally-sound, broad-minded, liberal, and tolerant. You have in every book of yours flipped the script on them by showing they are very tolerant indeed, of racism and stupidity, illiteracy, hunger, preventable and treatable disease, the scapegoating, bullying, and persecution of the poor and the politically defenseless, legal theft and official lying, the wholesale deforestation of the planet and the capitalist single-minded pillaging of what remains of our earthly paradise, megalomania and self-seeking, and a lock-step obedience to irrational and discredited authority.</p>
<p>In one of your last interviews, you put it tersely and profoundly as was your style. This style led many people to call you an oracle, a label that always made you chuckle. The interviewer had asked you if you’re pessimistic or optimistic about the future of the United States.</p>
<p>“At the present,” you answered, “I feel so unhopeful. I recognize we will pay more attention when we have different leadership. I’m not exactly sure where that leadership will come from. But that doesn’t mean I think we’re all going down the toilet, I just don’t see where that hope will come from. I think we need people with stronger ideals than John Kerry or Bill Clinton. I think we need people with more courage and vision. It’s a shame we have had people who are so damn weak.”</p>
<p>Your own strengths as a writer and an intellectual, expressed always with a determined humility and without any fear of what those in power might say about it, will remain in all your novels. So we mourn not the loss of your words but of your future words and how they could have straightened out our thinking by focusing it on the root causes of all the purposefully fabricated and contrived confusions and controversies. It seems to me this is the whole lesson of your Parable books. Lauren created this new communist community you called Earthseed to save herself, but her great intention was for us readers to keep planting it deep in the ground of every place we live, work, and educate.</p>
<p>JONATHAN SCOTT is Assistant Professor of English at the City University of New York, Borough of Manhattan Community College. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:jonascott15@aol.com" type="external">jonascott15@aol.com</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 474 |
<p>By day,&#160;Jared Rutledge and Jacob Owens were the unassuming owners of&#160;Waking Life Espresso in Asheville, North Carolina. By night, or weekend, however, they were the anonymous hosts of a blog, Twitter account and podcast called–try not to gag–“Holistic Game,” in which they gave terrible and incredibly misogynistic “pick-up” advice, and also said and <a href="https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2015/09/20/west-asheville-coffee-brewed-outrage/72536502/" type="external">wrote&#160;incredibly horrible things</a> about all the women they managed to sleep&#160;with, as well as women in general! Not to mention their sad, sad ambitions to have “harems.”</p>
<p>Here are just a few of their greatest hits!</p>
<p>Both Rutledge and Owen consider themselves “Red Pillers.” If you aren’t familiar with the term, it’s basically just a weird/sad “manosphere” thing. Here is the definition, from <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=the+red+pill" type="external">Urban Dictionary</a>, should you feel like having a good laugh:</p>
<p>Signifies the recognition of the true nature of female behavior, including her attraction to traits of dominance, preference for men with status, attraction to men who have been pre-selected by other women, and hypergamous nature. Red Pill men are aware that women are strongly influenced by the culture and that their attraction cues are often outside of their conscious awareness. Increasingly, modern women, and especially Western women, indulge in one-night stands and short-term relationship in their 20s with alpha males, followed by seeking out a beta male provider in their late 20s and early 30s. Red Pill men are aware of this phenomenon and develop a sexual strategy to benefit from a woman’s promiscuity as well as avoid the financial peril of marriage. Married men can also be Red Pill, as their awareness helps them handle female shit tests and maintain attraction with their partner.</p>
<p>A man who has taken the Red Pill is committed to self-improvement and adapting to the reality of female behavior whether that be through the application of game in his relationships and/or withdrawing from LTRs.</p>
<p>However, a wrench was thrown in their “game” when someone figured out their secret identities and <a href="https://jaredandjacobsaid.wordpress.com" type="external">exposed them on a blog</a>, enraging the both women mentioned on their posts and podcasts, and pretty much anyone else with an ounce of decency.</p>
<p>Several businesses in the Asheville area have since cancelled their orders with Waking Life Espresso and pulled the product from the shelves. One business donated their remaining bottles to another store, which will be donating $50 to a rape crisis center for each bottle sold. Members of the community have rallied to protest outside the shop, with signs saying “We like our women like we like our coffee–not at Waking Life.”</p>
<p>One post on the “Holistic Game” blog (tagline: “Putting sweet D in the tender V since 2013″), titled “ <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150514232038/https://holisticgame.wordpress.com/2015/03/19/a-breakdown-of-all-my-lays/" type="external">A Breakdown of All My Lays</a>,” details the 50 women Rutledge claims to have had sex with since learning “game”– how he met them, how the sex went, and, perhaps most pathetically, his personal views on their prospects for future relationships.</p>
<p>After being exposed, both&#160;Jared Rutledge and Jacob Owens wrote long-ass apologies for their behavior, with Jared primarily blaming his behavior on his Christian upbringing and “insecurities,” and Jacob primarily blaming Jared. <a href="http://ashevilleblog.com/waking-life-espresso-is-under-fire/" type="external">You can read those here</a>, if you are into that sort of thing.</p>
<p>However, we here at The Frisky are more concerned with the women mentioned in the posts, and how they feel after being betrayed in this manner.</p>
<p>I spoke to one of the women on the list, and this is what she had to say:</p>
<p>I was mortified when I realized I was listed. Complete shock. At a loss for words. I am half surprised the list exists. During the time I dated him, there was no indication that he was a sociopath simply looking to get laid. He demonstrated genuine feelings, and was disappointed when I decided to end things because I felt he wasn’t done dating other girls and getting a feel for what was out there.</p>
<p>On the other hand, he was over analytical and really got in his own head, so the syntax used specifically in the “Breakdown of My Lays” post articulates his thought process on dating accurately.The apology is a bunch of a crap. They’re sorry they got caught. There is no doubt in my mind (based on the Tweets and blog posts) they would continue with their “game.”</p>
<p>Another woman, who identifies herself as being the first woman on the “Breakdown of My Lays” post, has this to say:</p>
<p>To those on the Waking Life list and those who love them,</p>
<p>I vouched for him. For his character, for his business. Like many of us out there, I could not have predicted that my relationship with him would end here.</p>
<p>I was in an awful place when I met him, in the wake an abusive relationship, and he made me feel like he was a safe harbor, someone I could share a bourbon with and vent to. I felt that my physical relationship was separate from my friendship with him– we had a meaningful platonic connection after our intimate relationship, and it’s unimaginable to me that he would say these things about someone he considered a friend.</p>
<p>I was shocked that he would write these things about me, when I had given him compassionate advice and comfort in the past, after he confided very personal information to me. I thought of Jared as an equal, someone who suffered like I did- like any person in this world– and I thought he felt the same about me.</p>
<p>Obviously, everything I believed about him was wrong. And even though I’m appalled and hurt by his actions, I’m elated by the response of the Asheville community. After moving from a city where I had few female friends, I feel like I’m in the world’s toughest girl gang, part of a group of the ultimate bad bitches. I know you ladies are here for me, and PLEASE know that I have your back, always.</p>
<p>This weekend has been hellish for some of us, but we’re coming together to make the coming weeks amazing for all of us. I love you all so, so very much– I love you, Asheville.</p>
<p>Even with their apologies, I think it is fair to say that it is pretty unlikely that either of these fellas is going to be getting laid anytime soon. At least not by any woman capable of using Google.</p>
<p>[ <a href="http://ashevilleblog.com/waking-life-espresso-is-under-fire/" type="external">AshevilleBlog</a>] [ <a href="https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2015/09/20/west-asheville-coffee-brewed-outrage/72536502/" type="external">Citizen-Times</a>] [ <a href="https://jaredandjacobsaid.wordpress.com/page/5/" type="external">Jared And Jacob Said</a>]</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | These Misogynistic Asheville Coffee Shop Owners Will Probably Never Get Laid Again | true | http://thefrisky.com/2015-09-21/these-asheville-coffee-shop-owners-will-probably-never-get-laid-again/?utm_source%3Dsc-fb%26utm_medium%3Dref%26utm_campaign%3Dmisogynists | 2018-10-07 | 4left
| These Misogynistic Asheville Coffee Shop Owners Will Probably Never Get Laid Again
<p>By day,&#160;Jared Rutledge and Jacob Owens were the unassuming owners of&#160;Waking Life Espresso in Asheville, North Carolina. By night, or weekend, however, they were the anonymous hosts of a blog, Twitter account and podcast called–try not to gag–“Holistic Game,” in which they gave terrible and incredibly misogynistic “pick-up” advice, and also said and <a href="https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2015/09/20/west-asheville-coffee-brewed-outrage/72536502/" type="external">wrote&#160;incredibly horrible things</a> about all the women they managed to sleep&#160;with, as well as women in general! Not to mention their sad, sad ambitions to have “harems.”</p>
<p>Here are just a few of their greatest hits!</p>
<p>Both Rutledge and Owen consider themselves “Red Pillers.” If you aren’t familiar with the term, it’s basically just a weird/sad “manosphere” thing. Here is the definition, from <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=the+red+pill" type="external">Urban Dictionary</a>, should you feel like having a good laugh:</p>
<p>Signifies the recognition of the true nature of female behavior, including her attraction to traits of dominance, preference for men with status, attraction to men who have been pre-selected by other women, and hypergamous nature. Red Pill men are aware that women are strongly influenced by the culture and that their attraction cues are often outside of their conscious awareness. Increasingly, modern women, and especially Western women, indulge in one-night stands and short-term relationship in their 20s with alpha males, followed by seeking out a beta male provider in their late 20s and early 30s. Red Pill men are aware of this phenomenon and develop a sexual strategy to benefit from a woman’s promiscuity as well as avoid the financial peril of marriage. Married men can also be Red Pill, as their awareness helps them handle female shit tests and maintain attraction with their partner.</p>
<p>A man who has taken the Red Pill is committed to self-improvement and adapting to the reality of female behavior whether that be through the application of game in his relationships and/or withdrawing from LTRs.</p>
<p>However, a wrench was thrown in their “game” when someone figured out their secret identities and <a href="https://jaredandjacobsaid.wordpress.com" type="external">exposed them on a blog</a>, enraging the both women mentioned on their posts and podcasts, and pretty much anyone else with an ounce of decency.</p>
<p>Several businesses in the Asheville area have since cancelled their orders with Waking Life Espresso and pulled the product from the shelves. One business donated their remaining bottles to another store, which will be donating $50 to a rape crisis center for each bottle sold. Members of the community have rallied to protest outside the shop, with signs saying “We like our women like we like our coffee–not at Waking Life.”</p>
<p>One post on the “Holistic Game” blog (tagline: “Putting sweet D in the tender V since 2013″), titled “ <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150514232038/https://holisticgame.wordpress.com/2015/03/19/a-breakdown-of-all-my-lays/" type="external">A Breakdown of All My Lays</a>,” details the 50 women Rutledge claims to have had sex with since learning “game”– how he met them, how the sex went, and, perhaps most pathetically, his personal views on their prospects for future relationships.</p>
<p>After being exposed, both&#160;Jared Rutledge and Jacob Owens wrote long-ass apologies for their behavior, with Jared primarily blaming his behavior on his Christian upbringing and “insecurities,” and Jacob primarily blaming Jared. <a href="http://ashevilleblog.com/waking-life-espresso-is-under-fire/" type="external">You can read those here</a>, if you are into that sort of thing.</p>
<p>However, we here at The Frisky are more concerned with the women mentioned in the posts, and how they feel after being betrayed in this manner.</p>
<p>I spoke to one of the women on the list, and this is what she had to say:</p>
<p>I was mortified when I realized I was listed. Complete shock. At a loss for words. I am half surprised the list exists. During the time I dated him, there was no indication that he was a sociopath simply looking to get laid. He demonstrated genuine feelings, and was disappointed when I decided to end things because I felt he wasn’t done dating other girls and getting a feel for what was out there.</p>
<p>On the other hand, he was over analytical and really got in his own head, so the syntax used specifically in the “Breakdown of My Lays” post articulates his thought process on dating accurately.The apology is a bunch of a crap. They’re sorry they got caught. There is no doubt in my mind (based on the Tweets and blog posts) they would continue with their “game.”</p>
<p>Another woman, who identifies herself as being the first woman on the “Breakdown of My Lays” post, has this to say:</p>
<p>To those on the Waking Life list and those who love them,</p>
<p>I vouched for him. For his character, for his business. Like many of us out there, I could not have predicted that my relationship with him would end here.</p>
<p>I was in an awful place when I met him, in the wake an abusive relationship, and he made me feel like he was a safe harbor, someone I could share a bourbon with and vent to. I felt that my physical relationship was separate from my friendship with him– we had a meaningful platonic connection after our intimate relationship, and it’s unimaginable to me that he would say these things about someone he considered a friend.</p>
<p>I was shocked that he would write these things about me, when I had given him compassionate advice and comfort in the past, after he confided very personal information to me. I thought of Jared as an equal, someone who suffered like I did- like any person in this world– and I thought he felt the same about me.</p>
<p>Obviously, everything I believed about him was wrong. And even though I’m appalled and hurt by his actions, I’m elated by the response of the Asheville community. After moving from a city where I had few female friends, I feel like I’m in the world’s toughest girl gang, part of a group of the ultimate bad bitches. I know you ladies are here for me, and PLEASE know that I have your back, always.</p>
<p>This weekend has been hellish for some of us, but we’re coming together to make the coming weeks amazing for all of us. I love you all so, so very much– I love you, Asheville.</p>
<p>Even with their apologies, I think it is fair to say that it is pretty unlikely that either of these fellas is going to be getting laid anytime soon. At least not by any woman capable of using Google.</p>
<p>[ <a href="http://ashevilleblog.com/waking-life-espresso-is-under-fire/" type="external">AshevilleBlog</a>] [ <a href="https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2015/09/20/west-asheville-coffee-brewed-outrage/72536502/" type="external">Citizen-Times</a>] [ <a href="https://jaredandjacobsaid.wordpress.com/page/5/" type="external">Jared And Jacob Said</a>]</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 475 |
<p>By Bob Allen</p>
<p>The European Baptist Federation council pledged solidarity with persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East in a resolution approved at a Sept. 24-27 gathering in Bucharest, Romania.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.ebf.org/failid/File/resources/council_resolutions/EBF%20Council%202014%20Resolution%20on%20the%20Middle%20East.pdf" type="external">resolution</a> “deplores as evil the aggression and actions of extremist groups and prays for an end to all current violence and hatred throughout the Middle East.” It says the path to achieving peace and freedom from extremism “is through justice, development, human rights and rule of law.”</p>
<p>One of the six regions of the Baptist World Alliance, the EBF is comprised of approximately 770,000 Baptists in 52 unions and conventions and seven affiliated churches and networks across Europe and in the Middle East.</p>
<p>The EBF, founded in 1949 to unite European Baptists as Europe emerged from the devastation of World War II, also passed a <a href="http://www.ebf.org/failid/File/resources/council_resolutions/EBF%20Council%202014%20Resolution%20World%20War%201%20Centenary%20.pdf" type="external">resolution</a> recalling “with sorrow” the 100th&#160;anniversary of “the sacrifice, slaughter and human suffering which was a result of the First World War.” The resolution challenged Baptists in all regions of the world “to work for peace under the lordship and rule of Jesus Christ.”</p>
<p>The council also adopted a Baptist World Alliance&#160; <a href="http://www.ebf.org/failid/File/resources/council_resolutions/EBF%20Council%202014%20Resolution%20on%20Ukraine%20and%20Russia.pdf" type="external">resolution</a> adopted in Izmir, Turkey, at its annual gathering in July on the current political crisis in Ukraine.</p>
<p>It encouraged the work of Ukrainian Baptists in reaching out to those most affected by the conflict and urged “the leaders and churches of the Baptist unions of Ukraine and Russia to overcome prejudice and misunderstanding in the situation, to seek to ‘speak the truth in love’ (Ephesians 4:15) to each other, and to continue to work together in partnership toward a common vision of mission and the growth of the Kingdom of God in their region.”</p> | European Baptists lament violence in Mid-East, Ukraine | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/european-baptists-lament-violence/ | 3left-center
| European Baptists lament violence in Mid-East, Ukraine
<p>By Bob Allen</p>
<p>The European Baptist Federation council pledged solidarity with persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East in a resolution approved at a Sept. 24-27 gathering in Bucharest, Romania.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.ebf.org/failid/File/resources/council_resolutions/EBF%20Council%202014%20Resolution%20on%20the%20Middle%20East.pdf" type="external">resolution</a> “deplores as evil the aggression and actions of extremist groups and prays for an end to all current violence and hatred throughout the Middle East.” It says the path to achieving peace and freedom from extremism “is through justice, development, human rights and rule of law.”</p>
<p>One of the six regions of the Baptist World Alliance, the EBF is comprised of approximately 770,000 Baptists in 52 unions and conventions and seven affiliated churches and networks across Europe and in the Middle East.</p>
<p>The EBF, founded in 1949 to unite European Baptists as Europe emerged from the devastation of World War II, also passed a <a href="http://www.ebf.org/failid/File/resources/council_resolutions/EBF%20Council%202014%20Resolution%20World%20War%201%20Centenary%20.pdf" type="external">resolution</a> recalling “with sorrow” the 100th&#160;anniversary of “the sacrifice, slaughter and human suffering which was a result of the First World War.” The resolution challenged Baptists in all regions of the world “to work for peace under the lordship and rule of Jesus Christ.”</p>
<p>The council also adopted a Baptist World Alliance&#160; <a href="http://www.ebf.org/failid/File/resources/council_resolutions/EBF%20Council%202014%20Resolution%20on%20Ukraine%20and%20Russia.pdf" type="external">resolution</a> adopted in Izmir, Turkey, at its annual gathering in July on the current political crisis in Ukraine.</p>
<p>It encouraged the work of Ukrainian Baptists in reaching out to those most affected by the conflict and urged “the leaders and churches of the Baptist unions of Ukraine and Russia to overcome prejudice and misunderstanding in the situation, to seek to ‘speak the truth in love’ (Ephesians 4:15) to each other, and to continue to work together in partnership toward a common vision of mission and the growth of the Kingdom of God in their region.”</p> | 476 |
|
<p>A US businessman may have succeeded in toppling Olmert, as he is the key prosecution witness in the latest corruption case against the Prime Minister. The businessman claims he gave Olmert envelopes stuffed with tens of thousands of dollars and he says Olmert used the money for vacations and loan payments. Olmert says he used the money as campaign funds. Today Olmert's Defense Minister demanded Olmert step down one way or another. He called on Olmert's party, Kadimah, to pull him. Analysts say it's only a matter of time before Olmert has to step down. But that's not the word from Olmert. Still the jockeying for Olmert's job have begun, and this analyst says a number of people from his own Kadimah Party are lobbying for the job, and are hoping to avoid elections, but Netanyahu, the head of the Likuud Party, is calling for elections. Netanyahu has already been Prime Minister once before and polls suggest his rightist party would win in an election. Olmert has said he plans to fight any charges.</p> | Israel premier urged to step down | false | https://pri.org/stories/2008-05-28/israel-premier-urged-step-down | 2008-05-28 | 3left-center
| Israel premier urged to step down
<p>A US businessman may have succeeded in toppling Olmert, as he is the key prosecution witness in the latest corruption case against the Prime Minister. The businessman claims he gave Olmert envelopes stuffed with tens of thousands of dollars and he says Olmert used the money for vacations and loan payments. Olmert says he used the money as campaign funds. Today Olmert's Defense Minister demanded Olmert step down one way or another. He called on Olmert's party, Kadimah, to pull him. Analysts say it's only a matter of time before Olmert has to step down. But that's not the word from Olmert. Still the jockeying for Olmert's job have begun, and this analyst says a number of people from his own Kadimah Party are lobbying for the job, and are hoping to avoid elections, but Netanyahu, the head of the Likuud Party, is calling for elections. Netanyahu has already been Prime Minister once before and polls suggest his rightist party would win in an election. Olmert has said he plans to fight any charges.</p> | 477 |
<p>BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Leandro Granato considers himself the creator of the "eye painting" technique, by which he drips and squirts paint made of vegetable dyes from his tear ducts to produce composed, colorful works of art. "I’m not a freak and this isn’t a freak show," he says. "When I was 19 I lost my grandfather to cancer, and this made me take up art as a form of therapy." But his methods are decidedly unconventional.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 60 Seconds on Earth: This man makes incredible art by squirting paint from his eyes (VIDEO) | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-08-17/60-seconds-earth-man-makes-incredible-art-squirting-paint-his-eyes-video | 2014-08-17 | 3left-center
| 60 Seconds on Earth: This man makes incredible art by squirting paint from his eyes (VIDEO)
<p>BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Leandro Granato considers himself the creator of the "eye painting" technique, by which he drips and squirts paint made of vegetable dyes from his tear ducts to produce composed, colorful works of art. "I’m not a freak and this isn’t a freak show," he says. "When I was 19 I lost my grandfather to cancer, and this made me take up art as a form of therapy." But his methods are decidedly unconventional.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 478 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Department of Public Safety says a DPS detective fatally shot a driver who drove toward the detective and another DPS detective during a traffic stop.</p>
<p>The identity of the man killed during the Thursday incident in Tucson wasn’t immediately released.</p>
<p>According to DPS, the detective fired when the man’s car accelerated toward the two detectives approaching the man’s car on foot after the man drove into the parking lot of a business on East Speedway Boulevard.</p>
<p>DPS says the detectives stopped the man for reckless driving and failure to obey a traffic control device and that it appeared he was trying to evade the detectives when he drove to the rear of the business’ parking lot.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | DPS: Man fatally shot as he drove car toward detectives in Tucson | false | https://abqjournal.com/1103961/dps-man-fatally-shot-as-he-drove-car-toward-detectives-in-tucson.html | 2least
| DPS: Man fatally shot as he drove car toward detectives in Tucson
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Department of Public Safety says a DPS detective fatally shot a driver who drove toward the detective and another DPS detective during a traffic stop.</p>
<p>The identity of the man killed during the Thursday incident in Tucson wasn’t immediately released.</p>
<p>According to DPS, the detective fired when the man’s car accelerated toward the two detectives approaching the man’s car on foot after the man drove into the parking lot of a business on East Speedway Boulevard.</p>
<p>DPS says the detectives stopped the man for reckless driving and failure to obey a traffic control device and that it appeared he was trying to evade the detectives when he drove to the rear of the business’ parking lot.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 479 |
|
<p>By Ross Kerber</p>
<p>BOSTON (Reuters) – The rush of money into big index funds has raised concerns about whether they would still prove attractive in a downturn, an issue taking on more importance especially for industry leader Vanguard Group Inc as its passive products soar in scale.</p>
<p>A common view is that while passive funds would face loses in declining markets, active managers could be better prepared because of factors like cash holdings or farsighted stock selection.</p>
<p>Greg Davis, named chief investment officer of Vanguard in July, acknowledged some active funds would fare better. But many active managers, especially in bond funds, have taken on more risk to boost returns and make up for their higher costs, thus setting themselves up for problems, he said.</p>
<p>“You could actually see them underperform by even more than what you would expect,” Davis said.</p>
<p>Davis spoke with Reuters just after the company held a rare shareholder meeting for fund investors in Scottsdale, Arizona last week.</p>
<p>For the 12 months ended Sept. 30 its passive funds took in $335 billion, easily beating rivals, according to Morningstar. Another $6.4 billion went into Vanguard’s own active funds, and its total assets are approaching $5 trillion, the most of any mutual fund firm.</p>
<p>Helping Vanguard and other passive fund managers has been the fact that 88 percent of large-cap active managers underperformed their benchmarks over the five years ending Dec. 31, 2016, according to S&amp;P Jones Indices. Mid-cap and small-cap managers fared even worse.</p>
<p>Passive fund performance generally tracks market indexes. At times both fund types decline in value: In 2008 when the S&amp;P index fell over 38 percent in its worst year ever, actively managed large-cap equity funds on average fell by 38.35 percent, according to Morningstar. Index funds fared little better that year, falling 37.67 percent.</p>
<p>Active proponents still make a case for stock-picking. Benchmarks used by passive funds can overweight risky holdings, favoring active managers in down markets, wrote Morgan Stanley (NYSE:) Wealth Management’s head of investment and portfolio strategies Lisa Shalett in a paper earlier this year. Faster growth or more volatility could also help.</p>
<p>“Active managers may soon have an edge,” she wrote.</p>
<p>Morningstar found 49 percent of active U.S. stock funds beat their benchmark for the 12 months ended June 30, up from 26 percent for the 12 months ended Dec. 31.</p>
<p>Ben Johnson, a Morningstar research director, said the uptick reflects active managers benefiting from factors like buying high-performing stocks outside their benchmarks, gaining from what he called “stylistic messiness.”</p>
<p>But some active funds have taken on more risk along the way, Johnson said, echoing points made by Vanguard’s Davis. While about 85 percent of intermediate-term bond funds outperformed for the 12 months ended June 30, Johnson said many did so by holding sub-investment grade credit not present in some index funds. That debt that could be hard to sell in tough times.</p>
<p>It could be a while before an actual economic downturn guides the debate. Davis said it is hard to predict when U.S. economic growth might end and said, “We don’t see any catalysts that would cause a recession in the next 12 to 18 months.”</p> | Vanguard's Davis makes case for index funds even in tough times | false | https://newsline.com/vanguard039s-davis-makes-case-for-index-funds-even-in-tough-times/ | 2017-11-22 | 1right-center
| Vanguard's Davis makes case for index funds even in tough times
<p>By Ross Kerber</p>
<p>BOSTON (Reuters) – The rush of money into big index funds has raised concerns about whether they would still prove attractive in a downturn, an issue taking on more importance especially for industry leader Vanguard Group Inc as its passive products soar in scale.</p>
<p>A common view is that while passive funds would face loses in declining markets, active managers could be better prepared because of factors like cash holdings or farsighted stock selection.</p>
<p>Greg Davis, named chief investment officer of Vanguard in July, acknowledged some active funds would fare better. But many active managers, especially in bond funds, have taken on more risk to boost returns and make up for their higher costs, thus setting themselves up for problems, he said.</p>
<p>“You could actually see them underperform by even more than what you would expect,” Davis said.</p>
<p>Davis spoke with Reuters just after the company held a rare shareholder meeting for fund investors in Scottsdale, Arizona last week.</p>
<p>For the 12 months ended Sept. 30 its passive funds took in $335 billion, easily beating rivals, according to Morningstar. Another $6.4 billion went into Vanguard’s own active funds, and its total assets are approaching $5 trillion, the most of any mutual fund firm.</p>
<p>Helping Vanguard and other passive fund managers has been the fact that 88 percent of large-cap active managers underperformed their benchmarks over the five years ending Dec. 31, 2016, according to S&amp;P Jones Indices. Mid-cap and small-cap managers fared even worse.</p>
<p>Passive fund performance generally tracks market indexes. At times both fund types decline in value: In 2008 when the S&amp;P index fell over 38 percent in its worst year ever, actively managed large-cap equity funds on average fell by 38.35 percent, according to Morningstar. Index funds fared little better that year, falling 37.67 percent.</p>
<p>Active proponents still make a case for stock-picking. Benchmarks used by passive funds can overweight risky holdings, favoring active managers in down markets, wrote Morgan Stanley (NYSE:) Wealth Management’s head of investment and portfolio strategies Lisa Shalett in a paper earlier this year. Faster growth or more volatility could also help.</p>
<p>“Active managers may soon have an edge,” she wrote.</p>
<p>Morningstar found 49 percent of active U.S. stock funds beat their benchmark for the 12 months ended June 30, up from 26 percent for the 12 months ended Dec. 31.</p>
<p>Ben Johnson, a Morningstar research director, said the uptick reflects active managers benefiting from factors like buying high-performing stocks outside their benchmarks, gaining from what he called “stylistic messiness.”</p>
<p>But some active funds have taken on more risk along the way, Johnson said, echoing points made by Vanguard’s Davis. While about 85 percent of intermediate-term bond funds outperformed for the 12 months ended June 30, Johnson said many did so by holding sub-investment grade credit not present in some index funds. That debt that could be hard to sell in tough times.</p>
<p>It could be a while before an actual economic downturn guides the debate. Davis said it is hard to predict when U.S. economic growth might end and said, “We don’t see any catalysts that would cause a recession in the next 12 to 18 months.”</p> | 480 |
<p>Published time: 22 Sep, 2017 15:46</p>
<p>Seven bronze busts depicting top Soviet leaders have been added to the Boulevard of Rulers memorial in Moscow that already hosts the portraits of Russian tsars, emperors and empresses as well as legendary founders of the Russian state.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/politics/402473-bill-setting-legal-grounds-for/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The total number of busts on the Boulevard of Rulers is now 40, all made by Zurab Tsereteli – the sculptor who also made the towering monument to Peter the Great near the Moskva River. Other works by Tsereteli include monuments to Christopher Columbus in Puerto Rico and Spain and the gigantic “Tear of Grief” monument in New Jersey dedicated to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.</p>
<p>The seven new busts depict Soviet leaders from Vladimir Lenin who headed the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, to the first and only President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev.</p>
<p>Deputy Culture Minister Aleksandr Zhuravskiy, who took part in the opening ceremony on Friday, said that in his opinion it was right to put all heads of the Russian state together. He noted that there could be various appraisals of the lives and legacy of such figures as Lenin and Stalin, but all of them were parts of history that should not be forgotten.&#160;</p>
<p>“The Boulevard of Rulers is a symbol of the continuity and succession of our history, the history without erased names or forgotten events and historical periods. The continuity of this boulevard is spreading to eternity and I want to believe that it would get new additions for many centuries, until our history is alive,” the official said.</p>
<p>“Struggle against monuments is absolutely useless, people should know history in all its diversity,” he added.&#160;</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/politics/399284-hardcore-stalinists-target-monument-to/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Mikhail Gorbachev, who is the only living person with a personal monument on the Boulevard of Rulers, has also said that he could not oppose any of the statues there. “Such installations are totally within the rights of the public. If I had anything against it I would say so. It is possible that we are not ready for such steps, but in any case this decision should be taken by society as a whole,” Gorbachev said in comments to RBC news agency earlier this month.</p>
<p>However, at least one new bust on the boulevard still caused some protests. After the bust of Joseph Stalin was unveiled, one of the women from the audience approached it and unveiled a poster with a poem by 20th century poet Anna Akhmatova in which all advocates of Stalin were called “sweet lovers of torture,” and “experts in orphan-making.”</p>
<p>While monument controversies do not happen very often in Russia, there have been several that were notable. Recently a group of activists who had sought to install a monument to Stalin in the Russian city of Novosibirsk complained to the authorities that a monument to Tsar Nicolas II in the city violates rules on protecting historical sites. Also, earlier this month the government rejected a bill ordering the burial of Vladimir Lenin’s remains, launched by the nationalist-populist party LDPR. However, the government experts gave a technical reason for their rejection – they said that the authors of the draft did not mention the sources of funding for the reinternment.</p> | Stalin, Khrushchev and Gorbachev stand aside on Moscow’s Boulevard of Rulers | false | https://newsline.com/stalin-khrushchev-and-gorbachev-stand-aside-on-moscows-boulevard-of-rulers/ | 2017-09-22 | 1right-center
| Stalin, Khrushchev and Gorbachev stand aside on Moscow’s Boulevard of Rulers
<p>Published time: 22 Sep, 2017 15:46</p>
<p>Seven bronze busts depicting top Soviet leaders have been added to the Boulevard of Rulers memorial in Moscow that already hosts the portraits of Russian tsars, emperors and empresses as well as legendary founders of the Russian state.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/politics/402473-bill-setting-legal-grounds-for/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The total number of busts on the Boulevard of Rulers is now 40, all made by Zurab Tsereteli – the sculptor who also made the towering monument to Peter the Great near the Moskva River. Other works by Tsereteli include monuments to Christopher Columbus in Puerto Rico and Spain and the gigantic “Tear of Grief” monument in New Jersey dedicated to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.</p>
<p>The seven new busts depict Soviet leaders from Vladimir Lenin who headed the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, to the first and only President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev.</p>
<p>Deputy Culture Minister Aleksandr Zhuravskiy, who took part in the opening ceremony on Friday, said that in his opinion it was right to put all heads of the Russian state together. He noted that there could be various appraisals of the lives and legacy of such figures as Lenin and Stalin, but all of them were parts of history that should not be forgotten.&#160;</p>
<p>“The Boulevard of Rulers is a symbol of the continuity and succession of our history, the history without erased names or forgotten events and historical periods. The continuity of this boulevard is spreading to eternity and I want to believe that it would get new additions for many centuries, until our history is alive,” the official said.</p>
<p>“Struggle against monuments is absolutely useless, people should know history in all its diversity,” he added.&#160;</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/politics/399284-hardcore-stalinists-target-monument-to/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Mikhail Gorbachev, who is the only living person with a personal monument on the Boulevard of Rulers, has also said that he could not oppose any of the statues there. “Such installations are totally within the rights of the public. If I had anything against it I would say so. It is possible that we are not ready for such steps, but in any case this decision should be taken by society as a whole,” Gorbachev said in comments to RBC news agency earlier this month.</p>
<p>However, at least one new bust on the boulevard still caused some protests. After the bust of Joseph Stalin was unveiled, one of the women from the audience approached it and unveiled a poster with a poem by 20th century poet Anna Akhmatova in which all advocates of Stalin were called “sweet lovers of torture,” and “experts in orphan-making.”</p>
<p>While monument controversies do not happen very often in Russia, there have been several that were notable. Recently a group of activists who had sought to install a monument to Stalin in the Russian city of Novosibirsk complained to the authorities that a monument to Tsar Nicolas II in the city violates rules on protecting historical sites. Also, earlier this month the government rejected a bill ordering the burial of Vladimir Lenin’s remains, launched by the nationalist-populist party LDPR. However, the government experts gave a technical reason for their rejection – they said that the authors of the draft did not mention the sources of funding for the reinternment.</p> | 481 |
<p>We need to be clear on what is about to happen in the Iraqi city of Falluja, about 64 kilometres west of Baghdad and a key centre of Sunni population in Iraq. This city has for many months held out as a centre of Sunni-based political-military resistance, refusing to accept the authority either of the former US-led occupying authority nor, since July, of the interim Iraqi administration led by the Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi.</p>
<p>Falluja is now to be brought to heel by overwhelming military power. As I write this, the US attack on the city has begun. The message to Falluja from the US armed forces in Iraq and from Allawi was brutally simple: submit now to Baghdad’s authority or face attack.</p>
<p>It is still possible that resistance in Falluja will melt away in the face of US attack. While this would be a more optimistic scenario, I think it more likely at this point that the insurgents will fight, because too much is at stake politically for them to accept a bloodless Allawi victory. I look here at the–in my judgement, now more likely–scenario that Falluja insurgents will dig in and defy the invasion force.</p>
<p>What I believe is then likely to be done to Falluja will be a war crime and crime against humanity, morally indefensible by any civilised standard or for that matter, by the Statute of the International Criminal Court (to which, conveniently, neither the US nor Iraqi Government adheres).</p>
<p>This will be no neat, surgical strike. To get the measure of this, think of the Warsaw rising in 1944, or the Russian Army’s destruction of the Chechen capital, Grozny. In 1999 this already battered city (of originally 400,000 people) was finally destroyed by massive Russian bombardment. Today, insurgents still fight it out with Russian troops among the ruins.</p>
<p>Eighteen months ago, before the US-led invasion of Iraq, Falluja was a living city of 300,000 people. Now–depopulated of most of its civilians by intimidation and fear–what is left looks like it is about to be blasted out of existence, simply as a demonstration of overwhelming US power in Iraq.</p>
<p>Of course, the US Army has been for weeks “humanely” encouraging women and children to leave the encircled city through checkpoints while there is still time to save their lives.</p>
<p>The Russians did the same before and during the destruction of Grozny. In a few days, as the battle and the flight of civilians expands, there may be tens of thousands of new refugees in tent cities, and tens of thousands of women left without husbands, and children left without fathers.</p>
<p>If this attack goes ahead as appears inevitable, it will obviously breach the laws of war and the Geneva conventions. First, it will grossly exceed proportionality in terms of ends and means. What intended political or military objective could justify so much death, the creation of so many new refugees, and wholesale destruction of homes?</p>
<p>What threat does the city of Falluja pose to the Iraqi state at this point? Allawi has claimed that free elections cannot take place unless Falluja is subdued. What a spurious argument.</p>
<p>The truth is that this city, which has become a symbol of Sunni-Iraqi political resistance to the occupiers, is to be made an example of, to deter others. The message the siege of Falluja sends is brutally simple: resist us and we will destroy you. It is the same message that the Wehrmacht sent in Warsaw in 1944, and the Russian Army in Grozny in 1999.</p>
<p>This attack will also violate the rules of war and the Geneva conventions in having grossly indiscriminate effects on civilians and civilian homes and infrastructure. America’s largely untrained in battle but over-armed forces will start their attack “humanely”, but as they inevitably take numbers of lethal casualties, their tactics will quickly escalate to indiscriminate bombing and shelling of the city using their WMD armouries.</p>
<p>Eventually, the attackers will flatten the city and kill everyone that still resists in it. Falluja will be the Iraqi people’s Masada, and it will sow seeds of deep anti-Western hatred in the Middle East for decades to come.</p>
<p>The UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, understands all this, in pleading for a negotiated solution. And as usual, Washington is summarily ignoring his pleas.</p>
<p>As a military ally with our troops in Iraq, Australia is morally implicated in this. While Australian former SAS commanders, the Governor-General, Major-General Michael Jeffery, and the Australian Christian Lobby’s executive chairman, Brigadier Jim Wallace, moralise about abortions and gay marriages, Australia’s military ally is about to destroy a living city and its families.</p>
<p>An unnamed US military commander in the tightening military ring around Falluja proudly boasted (as heard on ABC Radio yesterday) that this battle will go down in US military history as another Hue. Indeed it will–who can forget the wholesale artillery destruction of that sacred, historic Vietnamese city? “We had to destroy it in order to save it” was the line at the time. Now it looks like our military ally in Iraq is about to do it all over again in Falluja.</p>
<p>What are Australian political leaders–Government or Opposition–saying to Washington at this point? Are they saying anything at all? We reap what we sow.</p>
<p>TONY KEVIN, a former Australian diplomat, is a visiting fellow at the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra.</p>
<p>This column originally appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Fallujah and the Making of a War Crime | true | https://counterpunch.org/2004/11/09/fallujah-and-the-making-of-a-war-crime/ | 2004-11-09 | 4left
| Fallujah and the Making of a War Crime
<p>We need to be clear on what is about to happen in the Iraqi city of Falluja, about 64 kilometres west of Baghdad and a key centre of Sunni population in Iraq. This city has for many months held out as a centre of Sunni-based political-military resistance, refusing to accept the authority either of the former US-led occupying authority nor, since July, of the interim Iraqi administration led by the Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi.</p>
<p>Falluja is now to be brought to heel by overwhelming military power. As I write this, the US attack on the city has begun. The message to Falluja from the US armed forces in Iraq and from Allawi was brutally simple: submit now to Baghdad’s authority or face attack.</p>
<p>It is still possible that resistance in Falluja will melt away in the face of US attack. While this would be a more optimistic scenario, I think it more likely at this point that the insurgents will fight, because too much is at stake politically for them to accept a bloodless Allawi victory. I look here at the–in my judgement, now more likely–scenario that Falluja insurgents will dig in and defy the invasion force.</p>
<p>What I believe is then likely to be done to Falluja will be a war crime and crime against humanity, morally indefensible by any civilised standard or for that matter, by the Statute of the International Criminal Court (to which, conveniently, neither the US nor Iraqi Government adheres).</p>
<p>This will be no neat, surgical strike. To get the measure of this, think of the Warsaw rising in 1944, or the Russian Army’s destruction of the Chechen capital, Grozny. In 1999 this already battered city (of originally 400,000 people) was finally destroyed by massive Russian bombardment. Today, insurgents still fight it out with Russian troops among the ruins.</p>
<p>Eighteen months ago, before the US-led invasion of Iraq, Falluja was a living city of 300,000 people. Now–depopulated of most of its civilians by intimidation and fear–what is left looks like it is about to be blasted out of existence, simply as a demonstration of overwhelming US power in Iraq.</p>
<p>Of course, the US Army has been for weeks “humanely” encouraging women and children to leave the encircled city through checkpoints while there is still time to save their lives.</p>
<p>The Russians did the same before and during the destruction of Grozny. In a few days, as the battle and the flight of civilians expands, there may be tens of thousands of new refugees in tent cities, and tens of thousands of women left without husbands, and children left without fathers.</p>
<p>If this attack goes ahead as appears inevitable, it will obviously breach the laws of war and the Geneva conventions. First, it will grossly exceed proportionality in terms of ends and means. What intended political or military objective could justify so much death, the creation of so many new refugees, and wholesale destruction of homes?</p>
<p>What threat does the city of Falluja pose to the Iraqi state at this point? Allawi has claimed that free elections cannot take place unless Falluja is subdued. What a spurious argument.</p>
<p>The truth is that this city, which has become a symbol of Sunni-Iraqi political resistance to the occupiers, is to be made an example of, to deter others. The message the siege of Falluja sends is brutally simple: resist us and we will destroy you. It is the same message that the Wehrmacht sent in Warsaw in 1944, and the Russian Army in Grozny in 1999.</p>
<p>This attack will also violate the rules of war and the Geneva conventions in having grossly indiscriminate effects on civilians and civilian homes and infrastructure. America’s largely untrained in battle but over-armed forces will start their attack “humanely”, but as they inevitably take numbers of lethal casualties, their tactics will quickly escalate to indiscriminate bombing and shelling of the city using their WMD armouries.</p>
<p>Eventually, the attackers will flatten the city and kill everyone that still resists in it. Falluja will be the Iraqi people’s Masada, and it will sow seeds of deep anti-Western hatred in the Middle East for decades to come.</p>
<p>The UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, understands all this, in pleading for a negotiated solution. And as usual, Washington is summarily ignoring his pleas.</p>
<p>As a military ally with our troops in Iraq, Australia is morally implicated in this. While Australian former SAS commanders, the Governor-General, Major-General Michael Jeffery, and the Australian Christian Lobby’s executive chairman, Brigadier Jim Wallace, moralise about abortions and gay marriages, Australia’s military ally is about to destroy a living city and its families.</p>
<p>An unnamed US military commander in the tightening military ring around Falluja proudly boasted (as heard on ABC Radio yesterday) that this battle will go down in US military history as another Hue. Indeed it will–who can forget the wholesale artillery destruction of that sacred, historic Vietnamese city? “We had to destroy it in order to save it” was the line at the time. Now it looks like our military ally in Iraq is about to do it all over again in Falluja.</p>
<p>What are Australian political leaders–Government or Opposition–saying to Washington at this point? Are they saying anything at all? We reap what we sow.</p>
<p>TONY KEVIN, a former Australian diplomat, is a visiting fellow at the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra.</p>
<p>This column originally appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 482 |
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<p>PORTLAND, Maine — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said on Wednesday she’s open to using a subpoena to investigate President Donald Trump’s tax returns for potential connections to Russia.</p>
<p>Collins, a Republican who has served as a U.S. senator from Maine since 1997, sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. She appeared on Maine Public radio to talk about issues including the investigation.</p>
<p>Collins was asked if the committee would subpoena Trump, who’s also a Republican. She said she hopes for “voluntary cooperation” but is open to using a subpoena if necessary.</p>
<p>“This is a counter-intelligence operation in many ways. That’s what our committee specializes in,” she said during the radio appearance. “We are used to probing in depth in this area.”</p>
<p>Trump’s refusal to disclose his tax returns is a break with presidential tradition. He has said he would be happy to release them after the completion of an Internal Revenue Service audit.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Using a subpoena to get access to the tax returns would be a more aggressive move than members of Congress have taken on the subject so far. House and Senate leaders have thus far shown no interest in taking such a step.</p>
<p>Last week, House Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats to use an obscure law to obtain the tax returns from the IRS. Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee tried to frame the issue as a matter of national security, questioning whether Trump has any investments in Russia.</p>
<p>Collins also said during the radio appearance that she and other intelligence committee members will call for former national security adviser Michael Flynn to testify before the committee. Flynn resigned following reports that he had misled officials about his contacts with Russia.</p>
<p>Collins said the committee is in the midst of a “broad investigation” about Russian interference and it’s too early to speculate about the results.</p>
<p>She touted the “bipartisan” nature of the committee’s probe and pledged: “We will get to the bottom of this.”</p> | Republican US senator: I’m open to subpoena of Trump’s taxes | false | https://abqjournal.com/955328/republican-us-senator-im-open-to-subpoena-of-trumps-taxes.html | 2017-02-22 | 2least
| Republican US senator: I’m open to subpoena of Trump’s taxes
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>PORTLAND, Maine — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said on Wednesday she’s open to using a subpoena to investigate President Donald Trump’s tax returns for potential connections to Russia.</p>
<p>Collins, a Republican who has served as a U.S. senator from Maine since 1997, sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. She appeared on Maine Public radio to talk about issues including the investigation.</p>
<p>Collins was asked if the committee would subpoena Trump, who’s also a Republican. She said she hopes for “voluntary cooperation” but is open to using a subpoena if necessary.</p>
<p>“This is a counter-intelligence operation in many ways. That’s what our committee specializes in,” she said during the radio appearance. “We are used to probing in depth in this area.”</p>
<p>Trump’s refusal to disclose his tax returns is a break with presidential tradition. He has said he would be happy to release them after the completion of an Internal Revenue Service audit.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Using a subpoena to get access to the tax returns would be a more aggressive move than members of Congress have taken on the subject so far. House and Senate leaders have thus far shown no interest in taking such a step.</p>
<p>Last week, House Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats to use an obscure law to obtain the tax returns from the IRS. Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee tried to frame the issue as a matter of national security, questioning whether Trump has any investments in Russia.</p>
<p>Collins also said during the radio appearance that she and other intelligence committee members will call for former national security adviser Michael Flynn to testify before the committee. Flynn resigned following reports that he had misled officials about his contacts with Russia.</p>
<p>Collins said the committee is in the midst of a “broad investigation” about Russian interference and it’s too early to speculate about the results.</p>
<p>She touted the “bipartisan” nature of the committee’s probe and pledged: “We will get to the bottom of this.”</p> | 483 |
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" />That’s just wonderful.</p>
<p>Once part of one of the most brutal dictator’s army in the Middle East, over 100 former members of Saddam Hussein’s military and intelligence officers are now part of <a href="http://mol-hsk-cc4.andweb.dmgt.net:3110/news/isis/index.html" type="external">ISIS</a>.</p>
<p>Now they make up the complex network of ISIS’s leadership, helping to build the military strategies which have led the brutal jihadi group to their military gains in <a href="http://mol-hsk-cc4.andweb.dmgt.net:3110/news/syria/index.html" type="external">Syria</a> and Iraq.</p>
<p>The officers gave ISIS the organization and discipline it needed to weld together jihadi fighters drawn from across the globe, integrating terror tactics like suicide bombings with military operations.</p>
<p>While attending the Iraqi army’s artillery school nearly 20 years ago, Ali Omran remembers one major well. An Islamic hard-liner, he once chided Omran for wearing an Iraqi flag pin into the bathroom because it included the words ‘God is great.’</p>
<p>‘It is forbidden by religion to bring the name of the Almighty into a defiled place like this,’ Omran recalled being told by Maj. Taha Taher al-Ani.</p>
<p>Omran didn’t see al-Ani again until years later, in 2003. The Americans had invaded Iraq and were storming toward Baghdad. Saddam Hussein’s fall was imminent.</p>
<p>At a sprawling military base north of the capital, al-Ani was directing the loading of weapons, ammunition and ordnance into trucks to spirit away. He took those weapons with him when he joined Tawhid wa’l-Jihad, a forerunner of al-Qaida’s branch in Iraq.</p>
<p>Now al-Ani is a commander in the Islamic State group, said Omran, who rose to become a major general in the Iraqi army and now commands its 5th Division fighting IS.</p>
<p>He kept track of his former comrade through Iraq’s tribal networks and intelligence gathered by the government’s main counter terrorism service, of which he is a member.</p>
<p>They have been put in charge of intelligence-gathering, spying on the Iraqi forces as well as maintaining and upgrading weapons and trying to develop a chemical weapons program.</p>
<p>Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case officer who has served in Iraq, said Saddam-era military and intelligence officers were a ‘necessary ingredient’ in the Islamic State group’s stunning battlefield successes last year, accounting for its transformation from a ‘terrorist organization to a proto-state.’</p>
<p>‘Their military successes last year were not terrorist, they were military successes,’ said Skinner, now director of special projects for The Soufan Group, a private strategic intelligence services firm.</p>
<p>The group’s second-in-command, al-Baghdadi’s deputy, is a former Saddam-era army major, Saud Mohsen Hassan, known by the pseudonyms Abu Mutazz and Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, according to the intelligence chief.</p>
<p>Hassan also goes by Fadel al-Hayali, a fake name he used before the fall of Saddam, the intelligence chief, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.</p>
<p>During the 2000s, Hassan was imprisoned in the notorious U.S.-run Bucca prison camp, the main detention center for members of the Sunni insurgency, where al-Baghdadi also was held.</p>
<p>The prison was a significant incubator for the Islamic State group, bringing militants like al-Baghdadi into contact with former Saddam officers, including members of special forces, the elite Republican Guard and the paramilitary force called Fedayeen.</p>
<p>In Bucca’s Ward 6, al-Baghdadi gave sermons and Hassan emerged as an effective organizer, leading strikes by the prisoners to gain concessions from their American jailers, the intelligence chief said.</p>
<p>Former Bucca prisoners are now throughout the IS leadership. Among them is Abu Alaa al-Afari, a veteran Iraqi militant who was once with al-Qaida and now serves as the head of IS’s ‘Beit al-Mal,’ or treasury, according to a chart of what is believed to be the group’s hierarchy provided to the AP by the intelligence chief.</p>
<p>Al-Baghdadi has drawn these trusted comrades even closer after he was wounded in an airstrike earlier this year, the intelligence chief said.</p>
<p>He has appointed a number of them to the group’s Military Council, believed to have seven to nine members – at least four of whom are former Saddam officers. He brought other former Bucca inmates into his inner circle and personal security.</p>
<p>Saddam-era veterans also serve as ‘governors’ for seven of the 12 ‘provinces’ set up by the Islamic State group in the territory it holds in Iraq, the intelligence chief said.</p>
<p>Iraqi officials acknowledge that identifying IS leadership is an uncertain task. Besides al-Baghdadi himself, the group almost never makes public even the pseudonyms of those in its hierarchy.</p>
<p>Read more: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3190314/The-secret-ISIS-s-success-100-former-Saddam-Hussein-era-officers-run-jihadi-group-s-military-intelligence-operations-Iraq-Syria.html#ixzz3iEmFKwiE" type="external">dailymail.co.uk</a></p>
<p />
<p /> | THE SECRET TO ISIS’S SUCCESS: Over 100 Ex Saddam Hussein Officers are Running the Jihadi Camps | true | http://girlsjustwannahaveguns.com/the-secret-to-isiss-success-over-100-ex-saddam-hussein-officers-are-running-the-jihadi-camps/ | 0right
| THE SECRET TO ISIS’S SUCCESS: Over 100 Ex Saddam Hussein Officers are Running the Jihadi Camps
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" />That’s just wonderful.</p>
<p>Once part of one of the most brutal dictator’s army in the Middle East, over 100 former members of Saddam Hussein’s military and intelligence officers are now part of <a href="http://mol-hsk-cc4.andweb.dmgt.net:3110/news/isis/index.html" type="external">ISIS</a>.</p>
<p>Now they make up the complex network of ISIS’s leadership, helping to build the military strategies which have led the brutal jihadi group to their military gains in <a href="http://mol-hsk-cc4.andweb.dmgt.net:3110/news/syria/index.html" type="external">Syria</a> and Iraq.</p>
<p>The officers gave ISIS the organization and discipline it needed to weld together jihadi fighters drawn from across the globe, integrating terror tactics like suicide bombings with military operations.</p>
<p>While attending the Iraqi army’s artillery school nearly 20 years ago, Ali Omran remembers one major well. An Islamic hard-liner, he once chided Omran for wearing an Iraqi flag pin into the bathroom because it included the words ‘God is great.’</p>
<p>‘It is forbidden by religion to bring the name of the Almighty into a defiled place like this,’ Omran recalled being told by Maj. Taha Taher al-Ani.</p>
<p>Omran didn’t see al-Ani again until years later, in 2003. The Americans had invaded Iraq and were storming toward Baghdad. Saddam Hussein’s fall was imminent.</p>
<p>At a sprawling military base north of the capital, al-Ani was directing the loading of weapons, ammunition and ordnance into trucks to spirit away. He took those weapons with him when he joined Tawhid wa’l-Jihad, a forerunner of al-Qaida’s branch in Iraq.</p>
<p>Now al-Ani is a commander in the Islamic State group, said Omran, who rose to become a major general in the Iraqi army and now commands its 5th Division fighting IS.</p>
<p>He kept track of his former comrade through Iraq’s tribal networks and intelligence gathered by the government’s main counter terrorism service, of which he is a member.</p>
<p>They have been put in charge of intelligence-gathering, spying on the Iraqi forces as well as maintaining and upgrading weapons and trying to develop a chemical weapons program.</p>
<p>Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case officer who has served in Iraq, said Saddam-era military and intelligence officers were a ‘necessary ingredient’ in the Islamic State group’s stunning battlefield successes last year, accounting for its transformation from a ‘terrorist organization to a proto-state.’</p>
<p>‘Their military successes last year were not terrorist, they were military successes,’ said Skinner, now director of special projects for The Soufan Group, a private strategic intelligence services firm.</p>
<p>The group’s second-in-command, al-Baghdadi’s deputy, is a former Saddam-era army major, Saud Mohsen Hassan, known by the pseudonyms Abu Mutazz and Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, according to the intelligence chief.</p>
<p>Hassan also goes by Fadel al-Hayali, a fake name he used before the fall of Saddam, the intelligence chief, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.</p>
<p>During the 2000s, Hassan was imprisoned in the notorious U.S.-run Bucca prison camp, the main detention center for members of the Sunni insurgency, where al-Baghdadi also was held.</p>
<p>The prison was a significant incubator for the Islamic State group, bringing militants like al-Baghdadi into contact with former Saddam officers, including members of special forces, the elite Republican Guard and the paramilitary force called Fedayeen.</p>
<p>In Bucca’s Ward 6, al-Baghdadi gave sermons and Hassan emerged as an effective organizer, leading strikes by the prisoners to gain concessions from their American jailers, the intelligence chief said.</p>
<p>Former Bucca prisoners are now throughout the IS leadership. Among them is Abu Alaa al-Afari, a veteran Iraqi militant who was once with al-Qaida and now serves as the head of IS’s ‘Beit al-Mal,’ or treasury, according to a chart of what is believed to be the group’s hierarchy provided to the AP by the intelligence chief.</p>
<p>Al-Baghdadi has drawn these trusted comrades even closer after he was wounded in an airstrike earlier this year, the intelligence chief said.</p>
<p>He has appointed a number of them to the group’s Military Council, believed to have seven to nine members – at least four of whom are former Saddam officers. He brought other former Bucca inmates into his inner circle and personal security.</p>
<p>Saddam-era veterans also serve as ‘governors’ for seven of the 12 ‘provinces’ set up by the Islamic State group in the territory it holds in Iraq, the intelligence chief said.</p>
<p>Iraqi officials acknowledge that identifying IS leadership is an uncertain task. Besides al-Baghdadi himself, the group almost never makes public even the pseudonyms of those in its hierarchy.</p>
<p>Read more: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3190314/The-secret-ISIS-s-success-100-former-Saddam-Hussein-era-officers-run-jihadi-group-s-military-intelligence-operations-Iraq-Syria.html#ixzz3iEmFKwiE" type="external">dailymail.co.uk</a></p>
<p />
<p /> | 484 |
|
<p />
<p>The historic stock bull market that grew out of the ashes of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression officially turns five years old this weekend.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>While sophisticated investors continue to count their gains from the second best bull run in the post-war period, many battle-scarred retail investors feel left out of the party.</p>
<p>Ironically, the lack of retail participation during much the '09-'14 run may have helped keep it alive, preventing valuations from getting out of whack with mediocre fundamentals.</p>
<p>“Bull markets come to an end when everybody has bought in. People tend to sell at the same time, but they buy in at staggered times,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at S&amp;P Capital IQ.</p>
<p>Since bottoming out at 6547 on March 9, 2009, the Dow Industrials have ripped off nearly 10,000 points as the collapse of the financial system was averted and economic growth eventually returned.</p>
<p>A bull market is typically defined as an advance of 20% after a decline of 20% or more that lasts a minimum of six months. Through Thursday’s close, the S&amp;P 500 has surged 181% since bottoming at the scary level of 666 in March 2009.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Strong Market, Mediocre Economy</p>
<p>According to Capital IQ, of the six bull markets since World War II that lived to celebrate their fifth birthday, the current run is second only to the incredible 225% advance that began in 1982. The next closest bull market performance through five years was the 111% rally for the streak that began in 1949.</p>
<p>Impressively, the current market also took just five years to get back to breakeven, compared with the 25 years before stocks recovered from the Great Crash of ’29.</p>
<p>"The big story about the five-year anniversary is all of the investors who haven’t participated because they were scarred by 2008."</p>
<p>The tremendous advance on Wall Street has been fueled by the return of economic growth, albeit at a slower pace than desirable, and incredibly easy money policies from the Federal Reserve.</p>
<p>“This whole cycle has been notable for its anemic fundamental gains, but sharp price rebound,” said Bruce McCain, who helps oversee more than $20 billion as chief investment strategist at KeyCorp’s (NYSE:KEY) Key Private Bank.</p>
<p>Job growth has returned, though not as strong as hoped for. Profits have surged, but a large chunk is attributed to cost cutting. U.S. companies are struggling to grow revenues organically and remain reluctant to reinvest profits in job-creating projects.</p>
<p>Shattered Confidence Hurts Participation</p>
<p>Despite the duration of the bull market, it’s clear the battle scars of 2007-2009 have not healed.</p>
<p>“It was brutally painful. On a purely gut level, it was terrifying,” said Peter Kenny, co-chairman and CEO of financial technology firm The Clearpool Group who correctly called the market bottom in March 2009.</p>
<p>Kristina Hooper, U.S. investment strategist at Allianz Global Investors, said: “We had seen institutions crumble. There was this incredible tension in the marketplace and a lack of confidence that investors hadn’t seen in decades.”</p>
<p>“Much of that mood has persisted for years. The big story about the five-year anniversary is all of the investors who haven’t participated because they were scarred by 2008,” she said.</p>
<p>Just two months ago, Wall Street was buzzing about how 2014 looked like a repeat of 1929. Those fears and subsequent pullback (5% or more decline) were driven by concerns about emerging markets like <a href="" type="internal">China</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Argentina</a>, but they were underpinned by the memories of 2008.</p>
<p>Panicked <a href="" type="internal">investors yanked $6.4 billion from emerging-market stock funds</a> in a single week, the most in almost three years.</p>
<p>“Whenever there are tremors in the market there have been significant flows out of them as well,” said Hooper.</p>
<p>No Melt Up...Yet</p>
<p>Those investors who were understandably spooked ended up missing out on a rebound on Wall Street that carried stocks to fresh all-time highs just weeks later.</p>
<p>“Investors aren’t willing to move in and stay in. Treat this as a permanent allocation or you will miss out on some of the best moves in the market. You have to be in it all the time,” said Hooper.</p>
<p>Of course, if retail investors had gone all in, the current bull market likely would have died already.</p>
<p>That’s because valuations would have gotten ahead of the so-so fundamentals, causing a melt up followed by a meltdown.</p>
<p>“There is this sense that we’ve all learned a lesson we don’t ever want to forget. It is precisely because of that sense of caution that the market has continued to find room to move higher,” said Kenny.</p>
<p>Sixth Birthday Ahead?</p>
<p>The question is whether it’s too late for investors to jump back into equities five years into the bull run.</p>
<p>Stovall said that while 85% of the bull markets that celebrated their fourth birthdays went on to see their fifth, only 60% of those that lasted five years celebrated their sixth birthday.</p>
<p>“The sixth birthday becomes a little bit more challenging. Everybody has to meet their maker one of these days,” he said.</p>
<p>Still, Stovall said he believes equities have a “good chance” of extending their run another year, but warns the price gain will likely be more “subdued” than the average surge of 26% in all sixth years since World War II.</p>
<p>For another year of green, he said the U.S. economy must accelerate to 3% by the end of 2014, earnings growth needs to stay on track and valuations need to stay within historic norms.</p>
<p>“At the end of the day, I do think retail investors will come back, but they will never forget what happened to them, their future and their hard earned money in that market rout that ended five years ago,” said Kenny.</p> | Crisis Scars Linger Even as Bull Market Turns Five | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2014/03/07/crisis-scars-linger-even-as-bull-market-turns-5.html | 2016-03-06 | 0right
| Crisis Scars Linger Even as Bull Market Turns Five
<p />
<p>The historic stock bull market that grew out of the ashes of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression officially turns five years old this weekend.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>While sophisticated investors continue to count their gains from the second best bull run in the post-war period, many battle-scarred retail investors feel left out of the party.</p>
<p>Ironically, the lack of retail participation during much the '09-'14 run may have helped keep it alive, preventing valuations from getting out of whack with mediocre fundamentals.</p>
<p>“Bull markets come to an end when everybody has bought in. People tend to sell at the same time, but they buy in at staggered times,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at S&amp;P Capital IQ.</p>
<p>Since bottoming out at 6547 on March 9, 2009, the Dow Industrials have ripped off nearly 10,000 points as the collapse of the financial system was averted and economic growth eventually returned.</p>
<p>A bull market is typically defined as an advance of 20% after a decline of 20% or more that lasts a minimum of six months. Through Thursday’s close, the S&amp;P 500 has surged 181% since bottoming at the scary level of 666 in March 2009.</p>
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<p>Strong Market, Mediocre Economy</p>
<p>According to Capital IQ, of the six bull markets since World War II that lived to celebrate their fifth birthday, the current run is second only to the incredible 225% advance that began in 1982. The next closest bull market performance through five years was the 111% rally for the streak that began in 1949.</p>
<p>Impressively, the current market also took just five years to get back to breakeven, compared with the 25 years before stocks recovered from the Great Crash of ’29.</p>
<p>"The big story about the five-year anniversary is all of the investors who haven’t participated because they were scarred by 2008."</p>
<p>The tremendous advance on Wall Street has been fueled by the return of economic growth, albeit at a slower pace than desirable, and incredibly easy money policies from the Federal Reserve.</p>
<p>“This whole cycle has been notable for its anemic fundamental gains, but sharp price rebound,” said Bruce McCain, who helps oversee more than $20 billion as chief investment strategist at KeyCorp’s (NYSE:KEY) Key Private Bank.</p>
<p>Job growth has returned, though not as strong as hoped for. Profits have surged, but a large chunk is attributed to cost cutting. U.S. companies are struggling to grow revenues organically and remain reluctant to reinvest profits in job-creating projects.</p>
<p>Shattered Confidence Hurts Participation</p>
<p>Despite the duration of the bull market, it’s clear the battle scars of 2007-2009 have not healed.</p>
<p>“It was brutally painful. On a purely gut level, it was terrifying,” said Peter Kenny, co-chairman and CEO of financial technology firm The Clearpool Group who correctly called the market bottom in March 2009.</p>
<p>Kristina Hooper, U.S. investment strategist at Allianz Global Investors, said: “We had seen institutions crumble. There was this incredible tension in the marketplace and a lack of confidence that investors hadn’t seen in decades.”</p>
<p>“Much of that mood has persisted for years. The big story about the five-year anniversary is all of the investors who haven’t participated because they were scarred by 2008,” she said.</p>
<p>Just two months ago, Wall Street was buzzing about how 2014 looked like a repeat of 1929. Those fears and subsequent pullback (5% or more decline) were driven by concerns about emerging markets like <a href="" type="internal">China</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Argentina</a>, but they were underpinned by the memories of 2008.</p>
<p>Panicked <a href="" type="internal">investors yanked $6.4 billion from emerging-market stock funds</a> in a single week, the most in almost three years.</p>
<p>“Whenever there are tremors in the market there have been significant flows out of them as well,” said Hooper.</p>
<p>No Melt Up...Yet</p>
<p>Those investors who were understandably spooked ended up missing out on a rebound on Wall Street that carried stocks to fresh all-time highs just weeks later.</p>
<p>“Investors aren’t willing to move in and stay in. Treat this as a permanent allocation or you will miss out on some of the best moves in the market. You have to be in it all the time,” said Hooper.</p>
<p>Of course, if retail investors had gone all in, the current bull market likely would have died already.</p>
<p>That’s because valuations would have gotten ahead of the so-so fundamentals, causing a melt up followed by a meltdown.</p>
<p>“There is this sense that we’ve all learned a lesson we don’t ever want to forget. It is precisely because of that sense of caution that the market has continued to find room to move higher,” said Kenny.</p>
<p>Sixth Birthday Ahead?</p>
<p>The question is whether it’s too late for investors to jump back into equities five years into the bull run.</p>
<p>Stovall said that while 85% of the bull markets that celebrated their fourth birthdays went on to see their fifth, only 60% of those that lasted five years celebrated their sixth birthday.</p>
<p>“The sixth birthday becomes a little bit more challenging. Everybody has to meet their maker one of these days,” he said.</p>
<p>Still, Stovall said he believes equities have a “good chance” of extending their run another year, but warns the price gain will likely be more “subdued” than the average surge of 26% in all sixth years since World War II.</p>
<p>For another year of green, he said the U.S. economy must accelerate to 3% by the end of 2014, earnings growth needs to stay on track and valuations need to stay within historic norms.</p>
<p>“At the end of the day, I do think retail investors will come back, but they will never forget what happened to them, their future and their hard earned money in that market rout that ended five years ago,” said Kenny.</p> | 485 |
<p>Growth in U.S. consumer credit cooled in September as households appeared to use their credit cards more sparingly, Federal Reserve data showed on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Consumer credit grew $11.36 billion in September, just above the median forecast in a Reuters poll of analysts. But the reading was lower than the $18.39 billion in credit growth registered the prior month, according to revised figures.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Revolving credit, which mostly measures credit-card use, dropped $2.90 billion in September. Nonrevolving credit, which includes student and auto loans, rose $14.27 billion.</p>
<p>Credit has been expanding almost continuously since mid-2010 as the country recovered from the 2007-09 recession. Overall consumer credit has expanded in eight of nine months this year.</p>
<p>Growth in revolving credit has been more choppy. The decline in September marked the third drop in four months. (Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Neil Stempleman)</p> | Consumer Credit Growth Cools | true | http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2012/11/07/consumer-credit-growth-cools.html | 2016-03-03 | 0right
| Consumer Credit Growth Cools
<p>Growth in U.S. consumer credit cooled in September as households appeared to use their credit cards more sparingly, Federal Reserve data showed on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Consumer credit grew $11.36 billion in September, just above the median forecast in a Reuters poll of analysts. But the reading was lower than the $18.39 billion in credit growth registered the prior month, according to revised figures.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Revolving credit, which mostly measures credit-card use, dropped $2.90 billion in September. Nonrevolving credit, which includes student and auto loans, rose $14.27 billion.</p>
<p>Credit has been expanding almost continuously since mid-2010 as the country recovered from the 2007-09 recession. Overall consumer credit has expanded in eight of nine months this year.</p>
<p>Growth in revolving credit has been more choppy. The decline in September marked the third drop in four months. (Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Neil Stempleman)</p> | 486 |
<p>Courtesy of Michael Steele for US Senate</p>
<p />
<p>Courtesy of <a href="http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/06/michael-steele-i-am-almost-confident.html" type="external">Joe.My.God</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ThinkProgress2" type="external">ThinkProgress</a>, here’s an awesome video of Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele trying to set the record horribly crooked on Dubya and job creation:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Is Steele right?&#160;There was a net gain of 3 million jobs over GWB’s eight-year tenure. But no, that’s not a lot. What Steele fails to note is, that’s the worst year-over-year output of any presidential administration since the government started recording job creation. Even Gerald Ford stumbled through a single term of economic stagnation and managed to create almost 2 million jobs. His dad, George H.W. Bush, created 2.5 million in a four-year period, during a recession. (Bill Clinton created 23.1 million.)&#160;And Dubya’s record also doesn’t take into account continued job losses after he left office, which are largely attributable to an economic crisis his administration precipitated.</p>
<p>Refutations of Steele’s misrememberings are here&#160;(at that bastion of lefty socialism, the Wall Street Journal):</p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/" type="external">Bush on Jobs:&#160;The Worst Track Record on Record</a></p>
<p>and here:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2004/04/b43958.html" type="external">Bush Jobs Record Still Worst Since President Hoover</a></p>
<p /> | (VIDEO) Steele: “George Bush Created a Lot of Jobs” | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2010/06/video-michael-steele-george-bush-created-jobs-republican/ | 2010-06-22 | 4left
| (VIDEO) Steele: “George Bush Created a Lot of Jobs”
<p>Courtesy of Michael Steele for US Senate</p>
<p />
<p>Courtesy of <a href="http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/06/michael-steele-i-am-almost-confident.html" type="external">Joe.My.God</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ThinkProgress2" type="external">ThinkProgress</a>, here’s an awesome video of Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele trying to set the record horribly crooked on Dubya and job creation:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Is Steele right?&#160;There was a net gain of 3 million jobs over GWB’s eight-year tenure. But no, that’s not a lot. What Steele fails to note is, that’s the worst year-over-year output of any presidential administration since the government started recording job creation. Even Gerald Ford stumbled through a single term of economic stagnation and managed to create almost 2 million jobs. His dad, George H.W. Bush, created 2.5 million in a four-year period, during a recession. (Bill Clinton created 23.1 million.)&#160;And Dubya’s record also doesn’t take into account continued job losses after he left office, which are largely attributable to an economic crisis his administration precipitated.</p>
<p>Refutations of Steele’s misrememberings are here&#160;(at that bastion of lefty socialism, the Wall Street Journal):</p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/" type="external">Bush on Jobs:&#160;The Worst Track Record on Record</a></p>
<p>and here:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2004/04/b43958.html" type="external">Bush Jobs Record Still Worst Since President Hoover</a></p>
<p /> | 487 |
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<p>“An autopsy was conducted today (Friday) &#160;but we still can’t tell how he died,” Gutierrez said.</p>
<p>“It will be some time before we can resolve finger prints and dental records to see if we can identify him,’ he added.</p>
<p>The body was lying in a ravine off I-25 near mile marker 318 south of Santa Fe, Gutierrez said.</p>
<p>The body was transported to the office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The case is being treated as a suspicious death, he said.</p>
<p>“This is still an ongoing investigation,” he added.</p>
<p>Gutierrez said the media in coming days and weeks may be asked to help in efforts to identify the man and to determine a cause of death.</p> | Body found in Ravine south of Santa Fe | false | https://abqjournal.com/241200/body-found-in-ravine-south-of-santa-fe.html | 2013-08-02 | 2least
| Body found in Ravine south of Santa Fe
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<p>“An autopsy was conducted today (Friday) &#160;but we still can’t tell how he died,” Gutierrez said.</p>
<p>“It will be some time before we can resolve finger prints and dental records to see if we can identify him,’ he added.</p>
<p>The body was lying in a ravine off I-25 near mile marker 318 south of Santa Fe, Gutierrez said.</p>
<p>The body was transported to the office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The case is being treated as a suspicious death, he said.</p>
<p>“This is still an ongoing investigation,” he added.</p>
<p>Gutierrez said the media in coming days and weeks may be asked to help in efforts to identify the man and to determine a cause of death.</p> | 488 |
<p>Have Christians Replaced The Jews As God's Chosen People? How Replacement Theology Has Corrupted The Church</p>
<p>And his own received him not - We all know the story fairly well by this point. For over a 1,000 years, the Old Testament foretold the coming of the Messiah. And it was very precise as to who this Messiah would be. Here are a few of the OT prophecies concering Messiah:</p>
<p>They call it 'Replacement Theology' Here is a good definition of Replacement Theology: "We believe that the international Church has superseded for all times national Israel as the institution for the administration of divine blessing to the world." <a href="javascript:;" type="external">source - Kenneth Gentry</a> And this from Randall Price: "a theological perspective that teaches that the Jews have been rejected by God and are no longer God's Chosen People. Those who hold to this view disavow any ethnic future for the Jewish people in connection with the biblical covenants, believing that their spiritual destiny is either to perish or become a part of the new religion that superseded Judaism." <a href="javascript:;" type="external">source - Randall Prince</a> Get the idea? Jews and Israel are out, Christians are in, end of story. Only, that's not the end of the story. In fact, it's not the story at all. At least not from how God see it.</p> | Have Christians Replaced The Jews As God's Chosen People? | true | http://nowtheendbegins.com/pages/israel/is-replacement-theology-true.htm | 0right
| Have Christians Replaced The Jews As God's Chosen People?
<p>Have Christians Replaced The Jews As God's Chosen People? How Replacement Theology Has Corrupted The Church</p>
<p>And his own received him not - We all know the story fairly well by this point. For over a 1,000 years, the Old Testament foretold the coming of the Messiah. And it was very precise as to who this Messiah would be. Here are a few of the OT prophecies concering Messiah:</p>
<p>They call it 'Replacement Theology' Here is a good definition of Replacement Theology: "We believe that the international Church has superseded for all times national Israel as the institution for the administration of divine blessing to the world." <a href="javascript:;" type="external">source - Kenneth Gentry</a> And this from Randall Price: "a theological perspective that teaches that the Jews have been rejected by God and are no longer God's Chosen People. Those who hold to this view disavow any ethnic future for the Jewish people in connection with the biblical covenants, believing that their spiritual destiny is either to perish or become a part of the new religion that superseded Judaism." <a href="javascript:;" type="external">source - Randall Prince</a> Get the idea? Jews and Israel are out, Christians are in, end of story. Only, that's not the end of the story. In fact, it's not the story at all. At least not from how God see it.</p> | 489 |
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<p>SANTA FE, N.M. — Female, human remains found Christmas Day in the Three Peaks area near Taos, are being being investigated as a homicide until information shows otherwise, newly-elected Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe said Tuesday.</p>
<p>According to a news release from the sheriff, “On December 25th a person hiking with their dog in the Three Peaks area near the Carson community found and reported what appeared to be a human leg bone that was above ground and near what appeared to be a grave site that had been partly dug up by animals.&#160; Deputies responded and found partial tattered clothing near the grave site as well.&#160; Upon confirming the remains were human they secured the area and initiated and investigation calling upon the Office of Medical Investigator to assist.</p>
<p>Working in conjunction with the Office of Medical Investigator, deputies excavated the sight by hand and a decomposed human remains were collected from the sight.&#160; OMI retained possession of the body for autopsy, their report has not been released and is part of the ongoing investigation. We do know the remains are that of a female and the grave site appears to be at least several months or years old. Once NM OMI completes their examination as to the cause of death the remains will be sent to a Forensics lab in Texas for additional examination and possible identification through the National DNA database and dental records.</p>
<p>Right now we do not know the identity of this person or the exact cause of death,&#160; nor do we know if the person was placed there as result of a criminal act or perhaps it could be the burial of a loved one.&#160; So, as with any case of this nature when there is an absence of information as to the cause of death or identity it is being investigated as a homicide until the facts direct the investigation toward another direction.&#160; If forensics can make and identification then we will be able to determine kinship and learn more, we will also look into missing persons cases locally and nationally once we have definitive descriptors of the deceased age, height, weight, etc.</p>
<p>In the meantime if anyone has information about this case they are asked to contact Detective Robert Salazar of the Taos County Sheriff’s Office.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Female human remains found near Taos | false | https://abqjournal.com/522040/female-human-remains-found-near-taos.html | 2least
| Female human remains found near Taos
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<p>SANTA FE, N.M. — Female, human remains found Christmas Day in the Three Peaks area near Taos, are being being investigated as a homicide until information shows otherwise, newly-elected Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe said Tuesday.</p>
<p>According to a news release from the sheriff, “On December 25th a person hiking with their dog in the Three Peaks area near the Carson community found and reported what appeared to be a human leg bone that was above ground and near what appeared to be a grave site that had been partly dug up by animals.&#160; Deputies responded and found partial tattered clothing near the grave site as well.&#160; Upon confirming the remains were human they secured the area and initiated and investigation calling upon the Office of Medical Investigator to assist.</p>
<p>Working in conjunction with the Office of Medical Investigator, deputies excavated the sight by hand and a decomposed human remains were collected from the sight.&#160; OMI retained possession of the body for autopsy, their report has not been released and is part of the ongoing investigation. We do know the remains are that of a female and the grave site appears to be at least several months or years old. Once NM OMI completes their examination as to the cause of death the remains will be sent to a Forensics lab in Texas for additional examination and possible identification through the National DNA database and dental records.</p>
<p>Right now we do not know the identity of this person or the exact cause of death,&#160; nor do we know if the person was placed there as result of a criminal act or perhaps it could be the burial of a loved one.&#160; So, as with any case of this nature when there is an absence of information as to the cause of death or identity it is being investigated as a homicide until the facts direct the investigation toward another direction.&#160; If forensics can make and identification then we will be able to determine kinship and learn more, we will also look into missing persons cases locally and nationally once we have definitive descriptors of the deceased age, height, weight, etc.</p>
<p>In the meantime if anyone has information about this case they are asked to contact Detective Robert Salazar of the Taos County Sheriff’s Office.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 490 |
|
<p />
<p>In an attempt to scare the public regarding the Dem’s <a href="" type="internal">health reform</a> bill, Republican leaders have been pushing <a href="http://www.copytaste.com/0l3231qu" type="external">this chart</a>. (That’s not all they’ve <a href="" type="internal">released</a>. Oh, and remember Harry and Louse? <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019121.php" type="external">They’re baaaack!</a>)</p>
<p>Liberal watchdog group <a href="" type="internal">Media Matters for America</a> struck back yesterday with <a href="http://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/images/item/healthcare_flowchart_900.jpg" type="external">this attempt</a> to scare the public regarding the GOP’s easy media manipulation.</p>
<p>So who wins? Gotta say, my money is on the GOP. It’s easy to <a href="" type="internal">sit back and do nothing</a> except <a href="http://www.healthbeatblog.com/2009/07/truth-squad-fearmongers-ignores-risks-.html" type="external">scare people</a> about changing our current healthcare system, which, by god, is the thing people need to be scared of.</p>
<p>As far as <a href="" type="internal">the media</a> is concerned, well, I’d say the public is already <a href="" type="internal">pretty jaded</a>.</p>
<p>Follow Michael Mechanic on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/MichaelMechanic" type="external">Twitter</a>.</p>
<p /> | Chart Wars: Media Watchdog vs GOP | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2009/07/chart-wars-media-watchdog-vs-gop/ | 2009-07-17 | 4left
| Chart Wars: Media Watchdog vs GOP
<p />
<p>In an attempt to scare the public regarding the Dem’s <a href="" type="internal">health reform</a> bill, Republican leaders have been pushing <a href="http://www.copytaste.com/0l3231qu" type="external">this chart</a>. (That’s not all they’ve <a href="" type="internal">released</a>. Oh, and remember Harry and Louse? <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019121.php" type="external">They’re baaaack!</a>)</p>
<p>Liberal watchdog group <a href="" type="internal">Media Matters for America</a> struck back yesterday with <a href="http://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/images/item/healthcare_flowchart_900.jpg" type="external">this attempt</a> to scare the public regarding the GOP’s easy media manipulation.</p>
<p>So who wins? Gotta say, my money is on the GOP. It’s easy to <a href="" type="internal">sit back and do nothing</a> except <a href="http://www.healthbeatblog.com/2009/07/truth-squad-fearmongers-ignores-risks-.html" type="external">scare people</a> about changing our current healthcare system, which, by god, is the thing people need to be scared of.</p>
<p>As far as <a href="" type="internal">the media</a> is concerned, well, I’d say the public is already <a href="" type="internal">pretty jaded</a>.</p>
<p>Follow Michael Mechanic on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/MichaelMechanic" type="external">Twitter</a>.</p>
<p /> | 491 |
<p />
<p>Fresh Kills on Staten Island is the world’s largest landfill, providing a repository for the garbage of New York City. Covering 4 square miles and more than 100 feet deep, it contains 2.9 billion cubic feet of trash, including 100 million tons of newspaper, paint cans, potato peels, cigarette butts, chicken bones, dryer lint, and an occasional corpse. New Yorkers dump 26 million pounds of trash at Fresh Kills daily. By the time it closes in 2001, it will be the tallest hill on the Eastern seaboard. But as massive as Fresh Kills is, it takes in just .02 percent of the waste generated in the United States. Every day, Americans dispose of an additional 5,300 times as much waste elsewhere.</p>
<p>Americans, who have the largest material requirements in the world, each directly or indirectly use an average of 125 pounds of material every day, or about 23 tons per year. This consumption consists of fuels in the form of gas, coal, and oil; quarried materials such as stone, gravel, and sand; industrial minerals such as phosphate, cement, and gypsum; industrial metals such as copper and aluminum; forestry products such as sawed timber, pulpwood for paper, and firewood; and agricultural products such as milk, meat, eggs, grain, hay, and produce.</p>
<p>Americans waste more than 1 million pounds per person per year. This includes: 3.5 billion pounds (920 million square yards) of carpet sent to landfills, 25 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, and 6 billion pounds of polystyrene. Domestically, we waste 28 billion pounds of food, 300 billion pounds of organic and inorganic chemicals used for manufacturing and processing, and 700 billion pounds of hazardous waste generated by chemical production. If you count the waste developed in extracting gas, coal, oil, and minerals, that would add another 34 trillion pounds per year.</p>
<p>Furthermore, domestic figures for material flows do not account for the waste generated overseas on our behalf. For example, the <a href="/news/feature/1996/09/bryce.html" type="external">Freeport-McMoRan gold mine</a> in Irian Jaya annually dumps 66 pounds of tailings and toxic waste into Indonesian rivers for every man, woman, and child in the United States. Only a tiny fraction of the 125,000 tons of daily waste material comes to the United States as gold. The rest remains there.</p>
<p>Total wastes, excluding wastewater, exceed 50 trillion pounds a year in the United States. (A trillion is a big number. To count to 50 trillion at the rate of one numeral per second would require the cumulative and total lifetimes of 23,000 people.) If you add wastewater, the total flow of American waste equals at least 250 trillion pounds. Less than 5 percent of the total waste stream actually gets recycled — primarily paper, glass, plastic, aluminum, and steel.</p>
<p>We are far better at making waste than at making products. For every 100 pounds of product we manufacture in the United States, we create at least 3,200 pounds of waste. In a decade, we transform 500 trillion pounds of molecules into nonproductive solids, liquids, and gases.</p>
<p /> | Resource Waste | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/1997/03/resource-waste/ | 2018-03-01 | 4left
| Resource Waste
<p />
<p>Fresh Kills on Staten Island is the world’s largest landfill, providing a repository for the garbage of New York City. Covering 4 square miles and more than 100 feet deep, it contains 2.9 billion cubic feet of trash, including 100 million tons of newspaper, paint cans, potato peels, cigarette butts, chicken bones, dryer lint, and an occasional corpse. New Yorkers dump 26 million pounds of trash at Fresh Kills daily. By the time it closes in 2001, it will be the tallest hill on the Eastern seaboard. But as massive as Fresh Kills is, it takes in just .02 percent of the waste generated in the United States. Every day, Americans dispose of an additional 5,300 times as much waste elsewhere.</p>
<p>Americans, who have the largest material requirements in the world, each directly or indirectly use an average of 125 pounds of material every day, or about 23 tons per year. This consumption consists of fuels in the form of gas, coal, and oil; quarried materials such as stone, gravel, and sand; industrial minerals such as phosphate, cement, and gypsum; industrial metals such as copper and aluminum; forestry products such as sawed timber, pulpwood for paper, and firewood; and agricultural products such as milk, meat, eggs, grain, hay, and produce.</p>
<p>Americans waste more than 1 million pounds per person per year. This includes: 3.5 billion pounds (920 million square yards) of carpet sent to landfills, 25 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, and 6 billion pounds of polystyrene. Domestically, we waste 28 billion pounds of food, 300 billion pounds of organic and inorganic chemicals used for manufacturing and processing, and 700 billion pounds of hazardous waste generated by chemical production. If you count the waste developed in extracting gas, coal, oil, and minerals, that would add another 34 trillion pounds per year.</p>
<p>Furthermore, domestic figures for material flows do not account for the waste generated overseas on our behalf. For example, the <a href="/news/feature/1996/09/bryce.html" type="external">Freeport-McMoRan gold mine</a> in Irian Jaya annually dumps 66 pounds of tailings and toxic waste into Indonesian rivers for every man, woman, and child in the United States. Only a tiny fraction of the 125,000 tons of daily waste material comes to the United States as gold. The rest remains there.</p>
<p>Total wastes, excluding wastewater, exceed 50 trillion pounds a year in the United States. (A trillion is a big number. To count to 50 trillion at the rate of one numeral per second would require the cumulative and total lifetimes of 23,000 people.) If you add wastewater, the total flow of American waste equals at least 250 trillion pounds. Less than 5 percent of the total waste stream actually gets recycled — primarily paper, glass, plastic, aluminum, and steel.</p>
<p>We are far better at making waste than at making products. For every 100 pounds of product we manufacture in the United States, we create at least 3,200 pounds of waste. In a decade, we transform 500 trillion pounds of molecules into nonproductive solids, liquids, and gases.</p>
<p /> | 492 |
<p />
<p>To understand how Microsoft can learn all about you, visit one of the company’s new city-guide Web sites, known as <a href="http://www.sidewalk.com" type="external">Sidewalk</a>. There are now 10 of them, including Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Sydney (Australia), with more on the way, and they’re chock-full of information about restaurants, movies, and other ways to spend your leisure time. If you have a fondness for topless bars, those are listed; if you’re curious about gay bars, you can find those as well. You can even customize a site to update with new activities that fit your interests. It is undeniably convenient.</p>
<p>But at the very bottom of Sidewalk New York’s opening page, there is a small, almost unnoticeable blurb that reads “Terms of Use.” It begins rather murkily:</p>
<p />
<p>This Web site is offered to the user conditioned on the user’s acceptance without modification of the terms, conditions, and notices contained herein. By accessing and using this Web site, the user is deemed to have agreed to all such terms, conditions, and notices.</p>
<p>That’s a little weird: After all, the instant you land on the site, you’ve accessed and used it, thereby agreeing to Microsoft’s terms before you even know what they are. Then, if you scroll farther down, you come to a line simply titled “Use of Information.” It reads:</p>
<p />
<p>By being a user of this Web site, the user agrees that Microsoft may share with other parties both aggregate information, individual information, and locator information gathered by Microsoft in the course of the user’s continuing individual use of this Web site.</p>
<p>That seems inoffensive enough, until you come to the part about “locator information.” Locator information, according to Microsoft, “consists of a user’s name, e-mail address, physical address, and/or other data about the user that enables the recipient to personally identify the user.”</p>
<p>If this line doesn’t stop you in your cybertracks, well, then Microsoft loves you for it. After all the hard-to-find legalese, Microsoft’s intentions become bluntly clear: You are giving Microsoft permission to collect specific, highly personal information on who you are and what you do—collected as you surf. Microsoft learns your taste in film, culture, politics, sex. And then it can do whatever it wants with that information.</p>
<p>Microsoft can preserve such data indefinitely, for its own use, until you die. And it’s a safe bet that, sooner or later, Microsoft will sell it to other businesses because such information is a valuable commodity. Microsoft could sell it to a direct-marketing company; it could sell it to your health insurer or your employer; it could, theoretically, give it to the FBI, which is conducting a background check on you. Or Microsoft could simply use the data for its own commercial purposes, collecting as much information about you as, say, the government does—but with far less oversight.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be a privacy rights fanatic to find such information collection alarming. “Microsoft has the ability to automate data collection in a way that no one else does,” says Paul Saffo, a director at the <a href="http://www.iftf.org" type="external">Institute for the Future</a> in Menlo Park, California. Lauren Weinstein, the moderator of the Web site <a href="http://www.vortex.com/privacy.htm" type="external">Privacy Forum</a>, adds, “Consumers feel that Microsoft takes a parental attitude: ‘Trust us, we know what’s best, we’ll take good care of you.'”</p>
<p>Saffo and Weinstein say that what Microsoft can do isn’t qualitatively different from what, for example, banks and credit card companies try to do. But “because Microsoft has such a wide reach,” Weinstein explains, “the amount of potential power and the amount of potential problems are multiplied.” Admits Megan Bowman, Microsoft’s government affairs manager: “We’re hard to compare to some of the other actors just because of the breadth of our business.”</p>
<p>The inevitable domination of its Internet Explorer browser means that Microsoft has another way of gathering information about you: The browser can keep track of your stopping points along the Web—your “clickstream”—and that information could be transferred to Microsoft when you visit one of its Web sites. Given the lack of government Internet oversight, it’s completely legal. In a new ad campaign, Microsoft describes I.E. 4 as a “faster, more personalized Web browser” and promotes “content that can only be viewed with Internet Explorer 4.” It’s a seamless horizontal ladder: You use Windows to open Explorer to access, say, Carpoint, Microsoft’s online car-buying service, and details of the sites you’ve visited previously can be sent to Microsoft—like a pipeline from your brain to Redmond.</p>
<p>This, of course, can all sound a little paranoid. But Microsoft has given experts who follow privacy issues ample reason to worry in the past.</p>
<p>Most notorious is the Windows 95 “Registration Wizard.” Back when Microsoft was releasing early versions of the operating system, it introduced a rather remarkable feature: To register your software, the system calls up Microsoft via modem. During the process, Windows asks whether it can send Microsoft information about your computer. If you agree, Windows, exploring your computer, will tell the company what other products you use.</p>
<p>But savvy users pointed out that Windows doesn’t just send back information about Microsoft programs on your hard drive; it will also send back data about competitors’ programs. After furious protests by developers, Microsoft defended the program, saying it was for the consumer’s benefit: If you have a compatibility problem, Microsoft will know what software you have and can help you diagnose the problem.</p>
<p>The company has still another means of accessing information from your computer: Internet Explorer contains a “File Upload” feature, which allows users to send information to Web sites. But the feature also reportedly can allow Web servers to upload files from your hard drive without your knowledge. (To be fair, Netscape used it first, in Navigator.)</p>
<p>And then there are “cookies,” small text files that a Web site can write onto your hard drive. The cookie can retain information about whatever you do on that Web site, such as using your credit card to buy a magazine subscription. The next time you visit that site, the cookie enables the Web site’s owner to determine who you are and sometimes even what other sites you’ve been visiting. (Due to complaints—and probably to fend off government regulation—Netscape and Microsoft built tools into their browsers that let you block cookies.)</p>
<p>The likelihood of Microsoft becoming a major information clearinghouse grows with the number of services it provides. In addition to Sidewalk, Microsoft also operates Slate, an online magazine; Expedia, an Internet travel business; Investor, a financial services site; and Carpoint.</p>
<p>“The only sensitivity they have about privacy is that it could present obstacles to some business venture,” says James Love, director of Ralph Nader’s <a href="http://www.essential.org/cpt/" type="external">Consumer Project on Technology</a>.</p>
<p>Says Microsoft’s Bowman: “A lot of the promise of the Internet is in personalization. When people understand what value they get for providing information, and that that information is protected, they will feel quite comfortable providing it.”</p>
<p>So how does Bowman, who says Microsoft does not now sell user information, explain Sidewalk’s Terms of Use, which can also be found on Microsoft’s other online services? “The language is just designed to be fairly open to anticipate a number of ways in which we might provide you with more information and benefits,” she says.</p>
<p>Consider, for example, the different ways Slate learns about its readers. The magazine recently posted and e-mailed to registered Slate readers an extremely detailed survey.</p>
<p>An accompanying note from Rogers Weed, Slate‘s publisher, downplays any privacy concerns: “Contrary to what some people believe, we in cyberspace do not secretly scan your hard drive while you surf Slate.” And many of the questions seem fairly standard (What is your total household income? Do you read your newspaper’s editorial page?). But the information also helps Microsoft understand the potential for new online markets, possibly to develop future Web sites, and allows the company to integrate itself into your life, so that you find it as hard to live without Microsoft as, say, to extricate Explorer from Windows.</p>
<p>For Microsoft, there is a massive amount of valuable information out there, and little standing in its way. As Love puts it, “From a privacy point of view, Microsoft is a very big deal—and a lot of what’s a big deal hasn’t even happened yet.”</p>
<p>Richard Blow is a Mother Jones contributing writer and a senior editor at George magazine.</p>
<p /> | Lock Your Windows | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/1998/01/lock-your-windows/ | 2018-01-01 | 4left
| Lock Your Windows
<p />
<p>To understand how Microsoft can learn all about you, visit one of the company’s new city-guide Web sites, known as <a href="http://www.sidewalk.com" type="external">Sidewalk</a>. There are now 10 of them, including Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Sydney (Australia), with more on the way, and they’re chock-full of information about restaurants, movies, and other ways to spend your leisure time. If you have a fondness for topless bars, those are listed; if you’re curious about gay bars, you can find those as well. You can even customize a site to update with new activities that fit your interests. It is undeniably convenient.</p>
<p>But at the very bottom of Sidewalk New York’s opening page, there is a small, almost unnoticeable blurb that reads “Terms of Use.” It begins rather murkily:</p>
<p />
<p>This Web site is offered to the user conditioned on the user’s acceptance without modification of the terms, conditions, and notices contained herein. By accessing and using this Web site, the user is deemed to have agreed to all such terms, conditions, and notices.</p>
<p>That’s a little weird: After all, the instant you land on the site, you’ve accessed and used it, thereby agreeing to Microsoft’s terms before you even know what they are. Then, if you scroll farther down, you come to a line simply titled “Use of Information.” It reads:</p>
<p />
<p>By being a user of this Web site, the user agrees that Microsoft may share with other parties both aggregate information, individual information, and locator information gathered by Microsoft in the course of the user’s continuing individual use of this Web site.</p>
<p>That seems inoffensive enough, until you come to the part about “locator information.” Locator information, according to Microsoft, “consists of a user’s name, e-mail address, physical address, and/or other data about the user that enables the recipient to personally identify the user.”</p>
<p>If this line doesn’t stop you in your cybertracks, well, then Microsoft loves you for it. After all the hard-to-find legalese, Microsoft’s intentions become bluntly clear: You are giving Microsoft permission to collect specific, highly personal information on who you are and what you do—collected as you surf. Microsoft learns your taste in film, culture, politics, sex. And then it can do whatever it wants with that information.</p>
<p>Microsoft can preserve such data indefinitely, for its own use, until you die. And it’s a safe bet that, sooner or later, Microsoft will sell it to other businesses because such information is a valuable commodity. Microsoft could sell it to a direct-marketing company; it could sell it to your health insurer or your employer; it could, theoretically, give it to the FBI, which is conducting a background check on you. Or Microsoft could simply use the data for its own commercial purposes, collecting as much information about you as, say, the government does—but with far less oversight.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be a privacy rights fanatic to find such information collection alarming. “Microsoft has the ability to automate data collection in a way that no one else does,” says Paul Saffo, a director at the <a href="http://www.iftf.org" type="external">Institute for the Future</a> in Menlo Park, California. Lauren Weinstein, the moderator of the Web site <a href="http://www.vortex.com/privacy.htm" type="external">Privacy Forum</a>, adds, “Consumers feel that Microsoft takes a parental attitude: ‘Trust us, we know what’s best, we’ll take good care of you.'”</p>
<p>Saffo and Weinstein say that what Microsoft can do isn’t qualitatively different from what, for example, banks and credit card companies try to do. But “because Microsoft has such a wide reach,” Weinstein explains, “the amount of potential power and the amount of potential problems are multiplied.” Admits Megan Bowman, Microsoft’s government affairs manager: “We’re hard to compare to some of the other actors just because of the breadth of our business.”</p>
<p>The inevitable domination of its Internet Explorer browser means that Microsoft has another way of gathering information about you: The browser can keep track of your stopping points along the Web—your “clickstream”—and that information could be transferred to Microsoft when you visit one of its Web sites. Given the lack of government Internet oversight, it’s completely legal. In a new ad campaign, Microsoft describes I.E. 4 as a “faster, more personalized Web browser” and promotes “content that can only be viewed with Internet Explorer 4.” It’s a seamless horizontal ladder: You use Windows to open Explorer to access, say, Carpoint, Microsoft’s online car-buying service, and details of the sites you’ve visited previously can be sent to Microsoft—like a pipeline from your brain to Redmond.</p>
<p>This, of course, can all sound a little paranoid. But Microsoft has given experts who follow privacy issues ample reason to worry in the past.</p>
<p>Most notorious is the Windows 95 “Registration Wizard.” Back when Microsoft was releasing early versions of the operating system, it introduced a rather remarkable feature: To register your software, the system calls up Microsoft via modem. During the process, Windows asks whether it can send Microsoft information about your computer. If you agree, Windows, exploring your computer, will tell the company what other products you use.</p>
<p>But savvy users pointed out that Windows doesn’t just send back information about Microsoft programs on your hard drive; it will also send back data about competitors’ programs. After furious protests by developers, Microsoft defended the program, saying it was for the consumer’s benefit: If you have a compatibility problem, Microsoft will know what software you have and can help you diagnose the problem.</p>
<p>The company has still another means of accessing information from your computer: Internet Explorer contains a “File Upload” feature, which allows users to send information to Web sites. But the feature also reportedly can allow Web servers to upload files from your hard drive without your knowledge. (To be fair, Netscape used it first, in Navigator.)</p>
<p>And then there are “cookies,” small text files that a Web site can write onto your hard drive. The cookie can retain information about whatever you do on that Web site, such as using your credit card to buy a magazine subscription. The next time you visit that site, the cookie enables the Web site’s owner to determine who you are and sometimes even what other sites you’ve been visiting. (Due to complaints—and probably to fend off government regulation—Netscape and Microsoft built tools into their browsers that let you block cookies.)</p>
<p>The likelihood of Microsoft becoming a major information clearinghouse grows with the number of services it provides. In addition to Sidewalk, Microsoft also operates Slate, an online magazine; Expedia, an Internet travel business; Investor, a financial services site; and Carpoint.</p>
<p>“The only sensitivity they have about privacy is that it could present obstacles to some business venture,” says James Love, director of Ralph Nader’s <a href="http://www.essential.org/cpt/" type="external">Consumer Project on Technology</a>.</p>
<p>Says Microsoft’s Bowman: “A lot of the promise of the Internet is in personalization. When people understand what value they get for providing information, and that that information is protected, they will feel quite comfortable providing it.”</p>
<p>So how does Bowman, who says Microsoft does not now sell user information, explain Sidewalk’s Terms of Use, which can also be found on Microsoft’s other online services? “The language is just designed to be fairly open to anticipate a number of ways in which we might provide you with more information and benefits,” she says.</p>
<p>Consider, for example, the different ways Slate learns about its readers. The magazine recently posted and e-mailed to registered Slate readers an extremely detailed survey.</p>
<p>An accompanying note from Rogers Weed, Slate‘s publisher, downplays any privacy concerns: “Contrary to what some people believe, we in cyberspace do not secretly scan your hard drive while you surf Slate.” And many of the questions seem fairly standard (What is your total household income? Do you read your newspaper’s editorial page?). But the information also helps Microsoft understand the potential for new online markets, possibly to develop future Web sites, and allows the company to integrate itself into your life, so that you find it as hard to live without Microsoft as, say, to extricate Explorer from Windows.</p>
<p>For Microsoft, there is a massive amount of valuable information out there, and little standing in its way. As Love puts it, “From a privacy point of view, Microsoft is a very big deal—and a lot of what’s a big deal hasn’t even happened yet.”</p>
<p>Richard Blow is a Mother Jones contributing writer and a senior editor at George magazine.</p>
<p /> | 493 |
<p>North Korea after decades of effort has a missile potentially capable of reaching the continental United States, but analysts say Pyongyang has yet to show the ICBM can inflict serious damage once it gets there.</p>
<p>U.S. and South Korean experts on Tuesday said Japanese video footage capturing the Hwasong-14’s re-entry vehicle shortly before it crashed into the sea suggests it failed to survive the extreme heat and pressure after re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere following its launch from northern North Korea on Friday.</p>
<p>Analysts say the North will likely conduct more flight tests of the Hwasong-14 missile to obtain a successful re-entry vehicle, which is needed to return a warhead to the atmosphere from space so it can hit its intended target.</p> | Analysts Doubt North Korea's ICBM Re-Entry Capability | false | https://newsline.com/analysts-doubt-north-koreas-icbm-re-entry-capability/ | 2017-08-01 | 1right-center
| Analysts Doubt North Korea's ICBM Re-Entry Capability
<p>North Korea after decades of effort has a missile potentially capable of reaching the continental United States, but analysts say Pyongyang has yet to show the ICBM can inflict serious damage once it gets there.</p>
<p>U.S. and South Korean experts on Tuesday said Japanese video footage capturing the Hwasong-14’s re-entry vehicle shortly before it crashed into the sea suggests it failed to survive the extreme heat and pressure after re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere following its launch from northern North Korea on Friday.</p>
<p>Analysts say the North will likely conduct more flight tests of the Hwasong-14 missile to obtain a successful re-entry vehicle, which is needed to return a warhead to the atmosphere from space so it can hit its intended target.</p> | 494 |
<p>The Bush administration <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060905/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_terrorism" type="external">released an assessment</a> of its terrorism-combatting efforts to date. It takes credit for thwarting several attacks, but acknowledges many challenges, including an Al Qaeda network far more decentralized and media-savvy than pre-Sept. 11 — and thus much more elusive and dangerous.</p>
<p>AP:</p>
<p>The Bush administration proclaimed significant progress in the war on terror Tuesday but said the enemy has adjusted to U.S. defenses and that “America is safer but we are not yet safe.”</p>
<p>Releasing an updated counterterrorism strategy in advance of a speech that President Bush was to deliver later in the day, the White House said: “The United States and our partners continue to pursue a significantly degraded but still dangerous al-Qaida network.”</p>
<p />
<p>“Yet the enemy we face today in the war on terror is not the same enemy we faced on Sept. 11,” said the 23-page terrorism strategy update. “Our effective counterterrorist efforts in part have forced the terrorists to evolve and modify their ways of doing business.”</p>
<p>The White House also rejected Democrats’ calls for replacing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. “It’s not going to happen,” presidential spokesman Tony Snow said. “Creating Don Rumsfeld as a bogeyman may make for good politics but would make for very lousy strategy at this time.”</p>
<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060905/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_terrorism" type="external">Link</a></p> | White House: U.S. Safer but Not Yet Safe | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/white-house-u-s-safer-but-not-yet-safe/ | 2006-09-05 | 4left
| White House: U.S. Safer but Not Yet Safe
<p>The Bush administration <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060905/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_terrorism" type="external">released an assessment</a> of its terrorism-combatting efforts to date. It takes credit for thwarting several attacks, but acknowledges many challenges, including an Al Qaeda network far more decentralized and media-savvy than pre-Sept. 11 — and thus much more elusive and dangerous.</p>
<p>AP:</p>
<p>The Bush administration proclaimed significant progress in the war on terror Tuesday but said the enemy has adjusted to U.S. defenses and that “America is safer but we are not yet safe.”</p>
<p>Releasing an updated counterterrorism strategy in advance of a speech that President Bush was to deliver later in the day, the White House said: “The United States and our partners continue to pursue a significantly degraded but still dangerous al-Qaida network.”</p>
<p />
<p>“Yet the enemy we face today in the war on terror is not the same enemy we faced on Sept. 11,” said the 23-page terrorism strategy update. “Our effective counterterrorist efforts in part have forced the terrorists to evolve and modify their ways of doing business.”</p>
<p>The White House also rejected Democrats’ calls for replacing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. “It’s not going to happen,” presidential spokesman Tony Snow said. “Creating Don Rumsfeld as a bogeyman may make for good politics but would make for very lousy strategy at this time.”</p>
<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060905/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_terrorism" type="external">Link</a></p> | 495 |
<p>&gt; <a href="http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/comment/investing/10262174.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&amp;cm_cat=FREE&amp;cm_ite=NA" type="external">Is Dow Jones a better investment after the management change? (TSC)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001880734" type="external">Cincinnati Post staffers angry about latest round of buyouts (E&amp;P)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06018/639600.stm" type="external">Mellon rep says Tribune-Review editorial is "beneath response" (PP-G)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001845403" type="external">Illinois newsman files 1,500 FOIA requests for tenure probe (E&amp;P)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.dailybusinessreview.com/news.html?news_id=37449" type="external">Fla. politico wants to make it harder to win privacy invasion suits (DBR)</a></p> | Additional items for January 18, 2006 | false | https://poynter.org/news/additional-items-january-18-2006 | 2006-01-18 | 2least
| Additional items for January 18, 2006
<p>&gt; <a href="http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/comment/investing/10262174.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&amp;cm_cat=FREE&amp;cm_ite=NA" type="external">Is Dow Jones a better investment after the management change? (TSC)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001880734" type="external">Cincinnati Post staffers angry about latest round of buyouts (E&amp;P)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06018/639600.stm" type="external">Mellon rep says Tribune-Review editorial is "beneath response" (PP-G)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001845403" type="external">Illinois newsman files 1,500 FOIA requests for tenure probe (E&amp;P)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.dailybusinessreview.com/news.html?news_id=37449" type="external">Fla. politico wants to make it harder to win privacy invasion suits (DBR)</a></p> | 496 |
<p>Four people, including a baby boy, were killed Friday night when a plane carrying 10 people crashed near the remote western Alaska village of Saint Mary's.</p>
<p>The plane <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/us/alaska-plane-crash.html?_r=0" type="external">went down shortly after 6:30 p.m. local time</a>, about four miles from its destination. It had taken off from Bethel, Alaska, about 400 miles west of Anchorage.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/united-kingdom/131129/police-helicopter-crashes-roof-glasgow-pub-video" type="external">At least 8 dead in police helicopter crash onto Glasgow pub roof (VIDEO)</a></p>
<p>"We have found a crash site and are working on identifying what needs to be done with the passengers that are there," said Megan Peters, a spokeswoman for the Alaska state troopers. "There are survivors and we are working our best to get them help."</p>
<p>The dead were identified as <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/30/alaska-plane-crash_n_4363682.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003" type="external">&#160;pilot Terry Hansen and three passengers</a>: Rose Polty, Richard Polty and the infant, Wyatt Coffee.</p>
<p>There was no immediate word on the condition of the six survivors, but an airline spokeswoman said they were injured.</p>
<p>They were identified as Melanie Coffee, Pauline Johnson, Kylan Johnson, Tonya Lawrence, Garrett Moses and Shannon Lawrence.</p>
<p>Troopers and an air ambulance responded to the scene after&#160;an emergency locator beacon signal helped pinpoint the crash site.</p>
<p>The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but two investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were being sent to the scene Saturday.</p> | Alaska plane crash kills 4, including baby boy | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-11-30/alaska-plane-crash-kills-4-including-baby-boy | 2013-11-30 | 3left-center
| Alaska plane crash kills 4, including baby boy
<p>Four people, including a baby boy, were killed Friday night when a plane carrying 10 people crashed near the remote western Alaska village of Saint Mary's.</p>
<p>The plane <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/us/alaska-plane-crash.html?_r=0" type="external">went down shortly after 6:30 p.m. local time</a>, about four miles from its destination. It had taken off from Bethel, Alaska, about 400 miles west of Anchorage.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/united-kingdom/131129/police-helicopter-crashes-roof-glasgow-pub-video" type="external">At least 8 dead in police helicopter crash onto Glasgow pub roof (VIDEO)</a></p>
<p>"We have found a crash site and are working on identifying what needs to be done with the passengers that are there," said Megan Peters, a spokeswoman for the Alaska state troopers. "There are survivors and we are working our best to get them help."</p>
<p>The dead were identified as <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/30/alaska-plane-crash_n_4363682.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003" type="external">&#160;pilot Terry Hansen and three passengers</a>: Rose Polty, Richard Polty and the infant, Wyatt Coffee.</p>
<p>There was no immediate word on the condition of the six survivors, but an airline spokeswoman said they were injured.</p>
<p>They were identified as Melanie Coffee, Pauline Johnson, Kylan Johnson, Tonya Lawrence, Garrett Moses and Shannon Lawrence.</p>
<p>Troopers and an air ambulance responded to the scene after&#160;an emergency locator beacon signal helped pinpoint the crash site.</p>
<p>The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but two investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were being sent to the scene Saturday.</p> | 497 |
<p />
<p />
<p>Do you like Sushi?</p>
<p>Well, if you are not into uncooked fish, you may not. Or if you are an enthusiastic animal lover, you may be against any type of killing of "any living creature".</p>
<p />
<p>So here is Faux Fish Sushi.</p>
<p>While "Meatless burger" is already getting very popular in some large cities in the US, it is very "natural" to develop "fishless fish". Please note that "imitation crab meat" is made from fish.</p>
<p />
<p>The method of how to make "Faux Fish" is obviously intellectual property, but regarding the CEO of the company, it seems to be made from Tomato (!).</p>
<p />
<p>Yuck? I don't know.</p>
<p />
<p>You may be more interested in the fact that this thing has raised $600,000 in private investment.</p>
<p />
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.eater.com/2017/10/19/16500162/faux-fake-fish-sushi-ahimi-whole-foods-nyc-los-angeles" type="external">eater.com/2017/10/19/16500162/faux-fake-fish-sushi-ahimi-whole-foods-nyc-los-angeles</a></p> | Sushi Made From Faux Fish | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/9976-Sushi-Made-From-Faux-Fish | 2017-10-19 | 0right
| Sushi Made From Faux Fish
<p />
<p />
<p>Do you like Sushi?</p>
<p>Well, if you are not into uncooked fish, you may not. Or if you are an enthusiastic animal lover, you may be against any type of killing of "any living creature".</p>
<p />
<p>So here is Faux Fish Sushi.</p>
<p>While "Meatless burger" is already getting very popular in some large cities in the US, it is very "natural" to develop "fishless fish". Please note that "imitation crab meat" is made from fish.</p>
<p />
<p>The method of how to make "Faux Fish" is obviously intellectual property, but regarding the CEO of the company, it seems to be made from Tomato (!).</p>
<p />
<p>Yuck? I don't know.</p>
<p />
<p>You may be more interested in the fact that this thing has raised $600,000 in private investment.</p>
<p />
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.eater.com/2017/10/19/16500162/faux-fake-fish-sushi-ahimi-whole-foods-nyc-los-angeles" type="external">eater.com/2017/10/19/16500162/faux-fake-fish-sushi-ahimi-whole-foods-nyc-los-angeles</a></p> | 498 |
<p>Yale University says two undergraduate students were sexually assaulted at the same weekend party held at a fraternity house located outside of campus.</p>
<p>Spokesman William Hathaway said on Saturday that the alleged incident occurred on Feb. 8 and he did not know if anyone has been arrested.</p>
<p>Yale Police Chief Ronnell A. Higgins issued campus-wide alert Friday, saying his department received an anonymous report that day that an acquaintance assaulted a second student. <a href="http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Yale-Police-Investigate-Report-of-Sex-Assault-at-Fraternity-House-246243531.html" type="external">Police reported the first assault earlier this week</a>.</p>
<p>The alleged assailants are Yale students, according to Higgins. The alleged assaults occurred at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house on High Street in New Haven.</p>
<p>New Haven police they are not investigating because no victim has come forward.</p>
<p>Still, Yale says these reports are extremely troubling and it is taking the matters seriously and pursuing them actively.</p>
<p>Anyone who has been the victim of an assault or who has information about either incident is urged to contact Yale Police at 203-432-4400.</p> | Yale: 2 Students Sexually Assaulted at Fraternity Party | false | http://nbcnews.com/news/us-news/yale-2-students-sexually-assaulted-fraternity-party-n36351 | 2014-02-22 | 3left-center
| Yale: 2 Students Sexually Assaulted at Fraternity Party
<p>Yale University says two undergraduate students were sexually assaulted at the same weekend party held at a fraternity house located outside of campus.</p>
<p>Spokesman William Hathaway said on Saturday that the alleged incident occurred on Feb. 8 and he did not know if anyone has been arrested.</p>
<p>Yale Police Chief Ronnell A. Higgins issued campus-wide alert Friday, saying his department received an anonymous report that day that an acquaintance assaulted a second student. <a href="http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Yale-Police-Investigate-Report-of-Sex-Assault-at-Fraternity-House-246243531.html" type="external">Police reported the first assault earlier this week</a>.</p>
<p>The alleged assailants are Yale students, according to Higgins. The alleged assaults occurred at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house on High Street in New Haven.</p>
<p>New Haven police they are not investigating because no victim has come forward.</p>
<p>Still, Yale says these reports are extremely troubling and it is taking the matters seriously and pursuing them actively.</p>
<p>Anyone who has been the victim of an assault or who has information about either incident is urged to contact Yale Police at 203-432-4400.</p> | 499 |