(ktla.com) - Investigators in Kansas said they suspect a father fed his 7-year-old to pigs after beating him to death.
According to local television station KCTV, Michael A. Jones, 44, was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated battery and child abuse. His bond was set at $10 million.
Police were called to a home on Wednesday after receiving a report that Jones was attacking his wife and firing a gun at her. During the investigation, officers received a tip telling them to check for the decomposed body of a missing 7-year-old boy.
On the second day of the investigation, human remains were discovered near a barn on the property.
Two women who used to babysit the couple’s children told KCTV that the living conditions in the home were deplorable. One of the former babysitters told investigators she fears that the child was fed to pigs after being beaten to death.
The pigs were added to the barn this fall and the 7-year-old went missing sometime between May 1 and Sept. 28, according to KCTV.
An anonymous police source told the station investigators are looking into the possibility that the remains resulted from the child being fed to the pigs.
Jones was expected to make his first appearance in Wyandotte County District Court on Monday. (FULL TEXT)
Monday, November 30, 2015
Burkina Faso Elects 1st New Leader in Decades
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — A former prime minister who has served in several high-ranking government positions emerged early Tuesday as the winner of the presidential election here, the first time the nation has had a new leader in nearly three decades.
The former prime minister, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, resoundingly won the vote in nearly 75 percent of precincts throughout the country and was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The election, which took place Sunday, represented the first free and competitive vote in Burkina Faso in decades. About three million people cast ballots, many of them celebrating as they crowded into polling stations to choose a leader after 27 years under President Blaise Compaoré.
Supporters gathered at the headquarters of Mr. Kaboré’s party to watch results on a large-screen television. Several of Mr. Kaboré’s more than one dozen competitors, including Zéphirin Diabré, a leading contender, showed up to concede and congratulate him. Celebrations were expected to be cut short; a curfew for early Tuesday morning was in place.
Mr. Compaoré was toppled in October 2014 after protests against his attempts to change the nation’s Constitution and extend his time in office. A security regiment loyal to Mr. Compaoré staged a brief coup in September and has since been disbanded. (Full Text)
Friday, November 27, 2015
Black Friday crowds thin in subdued start to U.S. holiday shopping
- America's annual Black Friday shopping extravaganza was short on fireworks this year as U.S. retailers' discounts on electronics, clothing and other holiday gifts failed to draw big crowds to stores and shopping malls.
Major retail stocks including Best Buy and Wal-Mart closed lower while Target, picked out by one analyst for its promotion strategy, saw its shares tick up.
Bargain hunters found relatively little competition compared with previous years. Some had already shopped Thursday evening, reflecting a new normal of U.S. holiday shopping, where stores open up with deals on Thanksgiving itself, rather than waiting until Black Friday.
- Retailers "have taken the sense of urgency out for consumers by spreading their promotions throughout the year and what we are seeing is a result of that," said Jeff Simpson, director of the retail practice at Deloitte. Traffic in stores was light on Friday, while Thursday missed his expectations, he said.
As much as 20 percent of holiday shopping is expected to be done over the Thanksgiving weekend this year, analysts said. But the four days are not considered a strong indicator for the entire season. A slow start last year led to deeper promotions and a shopping rush in the final ten days of December.
Steve Bratspies, chief merchandising officer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), told Reuters he was not surprised that a store would see thinner crowds on Friday after it kicked off Black Friday deals on Thursday night.
Suntrust Robinson Humphrey analysts were more blunt, calling Thursday a "bust". "Members of our team who went to the malls first had no problem finding parking or navigating stores," he wrote in a note.
The Macy's store at Water Tower Place mall on a rainy Chicago morning saw thin crowds in the early hours of Friday. Later in the morning, more than 1,000 protesters clogged Chicago's Magnificent Mile shopping corridor.
Nia Darrell, a 23-year-old student, was shopping for coats and handbags at the store with two friends.
"I shopped online yesterday and picked up most of what I wanted," she said." I'm out because Black Friday is more like a tradition, but the discounts are similar even online this year."
While Black Friday may be losing some appeal in the United States, British shoppers have taken to the concept enthusiastically, with reports of large crowds at big stores and malls in the UK.
Shares of Target Corp (TGT.N) gained 0.4 percent, but J.C. Penney (JCP.N) wad down 0.7 percent, and Macy's and Best Buy lost about 1 percent. Wal-Mart dipped 0.6 percent, while Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) was down 0.3 percent.
A broad retail index .DJUSGT was down 0.15 percent in abbreviated trading.
Traffic was better at some retailers. Analysts at Cowen & Co said Target stood out with its "innovative promotions," and teen retailer American Eagle Outfitters Inc (AEO.N) saw more traffic due to store-wide discounts of 40 percent.
Read more at - Reuters.com
Major retail stocks including Best Buy and Wal-Mart closed lower while Target, picked out by one analyst for its promotion strategy, saw its shares tick up.
Bargain hunters found relatively little competition compared with previous years. Some had already shopped Thursday evening, reflecting a new normal of U.S. holiday shopping, where stores open up with deals on Thanksgiving itself, rather than waiting until Black Friday.
- Retailers "have taken the sense of urgency out for consumers by spreading their promotions throughout the year and what we are seeing is a result of that," said Jeff Simpson, director of the retail practice at Deloitte. Traffic in stores was light on Friday, while Thursday missed his expectations, he said.
As much as 20 percent of holiday shopping is expected to be done over the Thanksgiving weekend this year, analysts said. But the four days are not considered a strong indicator for the entire season. A slow start last year led to deeper promotions and a shopping rush in the final ten days of December.
Steve Bratspies, chief merchandising officer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), told Reuters he was not surprised that a store would see thinner crowds on Friday after it kicked off Black Friday deals on Thursday night.
Suntrust Robinson Humphrey analysts were more blunt, calling Thursday a "bust". "Members of our team who went to the malls first had no problem finding parking or navigating stores," he wrote in a note.
The Macy's store at Water Tower Place mall on a rainy Chicago morning saw thin crowds in the early hours of Friday. Later in the morning, more than 1,000 protesters clogged Chicago's Magnificent Mile shopping corridor.
Nia Darrell, a 23-year-old student, was shopping for coats and handbags at the store with two friends.
"I shopped online yesterday and picked up most of what I wanted," she said." I'm out because Black Friday is more like a tradition, but the discounts are similar even online this year."
While Black Friday may be losing some appeal in the United States, British shoppers have taken to the concept enthusiastically, with reports of large crowds at big stores and malls in the UK.
Shares of Target Corp (TGT.N) gained 0.4 percent, but J.C. Penney (JCP.N) wad down 0.7 percent, and Macy's and Best Buy lost about 1 percent. Wal-Mart dipped 0.6 percent, while Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) was down 0.3 percent.
A broad retail index .DJUSGT was down 0.15 percent in abbreviated trading.
Traffic was better at some retailers. Analysts at Cowen & Co said Target stood out with its "innovative promotions," and teen retailer American Eagle Outfitters Inc (AEO.N) saw more traffic due to store-wide discounts of 40 percent.
Read more at - Reuters.com
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Thanksgiving not popular for all Americans, especially the original inhabitants
But, Black Thursday!
As they have for decades, hundreds of people participated in a “National Day of Mourning” in Plymouth, Mass. on Thursday afternoon near where the first Thanksgiving is thought to have taken place. Not everyone wants to hear that message while gorging on turkey and filling Facebook with thanks for friends, families and good lives.
“Sometimes we’re told to go back where we came from, which is pretty ironic,” said Mahtowin Munro, co-leader of United American Indians of New England, which organizes the annual protest march.
Some of the frustration centers around what some Native Americans see as their relegation to supporting players at that first celebration, rather than people with long-existing culture, knowledge and government. History puts the first thanksgiving in 1621 at Plymouth, between Pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag tribe.
"They are depicted as nameless, faceless, generic “Indians” who merely shared a meal with the intrepid Pilgrims. The real story is much deeper, richer, and more nuanced,” says the National Museum of the American Indian, which this year released a guide for teachers covering Thanksgiving. "For the English, interaction with the Wampanoags enabled their colony’s survival. Although the English were interlopers, the Wampanoags shared their land, food, and knowledge of the environment.”
The museum suggests that teachers help students understand that Native Americans haven’t vanished from American life, even through many were forcibly resettled from their traditional lands onto reservations in far less desirable areas, to make room for European-style farming and villages.
Munro said her objection to Thanksgiving is the cultural whitewashing that allows most Americans to ignore what happened to the native population. She said most people are taught a “fantasy history” that ignores or downplays the widespread slaughter of her people and the theft of their traditional lands, the damming of their rivers, and the deliberate slaughter of bison. For them, the Thanksgiving holiday remains an affront.
“As indigenous people, we’ve been taught by our elders to give thanks every day,” she said. "We are a people who have survived genocide. People able to gather with our families is very important to us.” (Full Text)
(usatoday) - As millions of Americans sit down to celebrate Thanksgiving today, some Native Americans are pushing back, urging the country to remember the implications of white settlement on indigenous cultures.
As they have for decades, hundreds of people participated in a “National Day of Mourning” in Plymouth, Mass. on Thursday afternoon near where the first Thanksgiving is thought to have taken place. Not everyone wants to hear that message while gorging on turkey and filling Facebook with thanks for friends, families and good lives.
“Sometimes we’re told to go back where we came from, which is pretty ironic,” said Mahtowin Munro, co-leader of United American Indians of New England, which organizes the annual protest march.
Some of the frustration centers around what some Native Americans see as their relegation to supporting players at that first celebration, rather than people with long-existing culture, knowledge and government. History puts the first thanksgiving in 1621 at Plymouth, between Pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag tribe.
"They are depicted as nameless, faceless, generic “Indians” who merely shared a meal with the intrepid Pilgrims. The real story is much deeper, richer, and more nuanced,” says the National Museum of the American Indian, which this year released a guide for teachers covering Thanksgiving. "For the English, interaction with the Wampanoags enabled their colony’s survival. Although the English were interlopers, the Wampanoags shared their land, food, and knowledge of the environment.”
The museum suggests that teachers help students understand that Native Americans haven’t vanished from American life, even through many were forcibly resettled from their traditional lands onto reservations in far less desirable areas, to make room for European-style farming and villages.
Munro said her objection to Thanksgiving is the cultural whitewashing that allows most Americans to ignore what happened to the native population. She said most people are taught a “fantasy history” that ignores or downplays the widespread slaughter of her people and the theft of their traditional lands, the damming of their rivers, and the deliberate slaughter of bison. For them, the Thanksgiving holiday remains an affront.
“As indigenous people, we’ve been taught by our elders to give thanks every day,” she said. "We are a people who have survived genocide. People able to gather with our families is very important to us.” (Full Text)
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Is The U.K. Seriously Afraid Of Russia?
(Forbes.com) British Prime Minister David Cameron made his case to Parliament for an extra 12 billion pounds ($18 billion) in defense spending on Monday, looking for extra cash to fight…Russia.
Heavy equipment is being revved up in the fight against terrorism and Russian submarines, apparently, while the more useful police forces there brace for more cuts. Cameron is clearly opting to side with Washington’s view that Syria will be taken care of by American foreign policy, not Russian. The latest Russia threat news comes a day before a Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down a Sukhoi SU-24 for invading its airspace near Syria. Russia is running bombing raids of Islamic State and other anti-government forces in the country. As a result of the shoot-down, the Russia political risk dial got cranked to 10 on Tuesday.
The Market Vectors Russia (RSX) exchange traded fund reacted by falling 2.7%. Russian bond spreads rose by around 9 basis points. The move was not significant, despite being the biggest expansion in spreads over Treasurys today.
Whereas just a week ago it looked like Russia would be a welcome force in the fight against jihadis in Syria, it now looks like the Western powers prefer to isolate Russia instead, with Cameron singling them out in the need for more defense spending. This does not bode well for sanction removal or relief to the Ukraine crisis, as Russia could lash out against the West as it weighs the possible narratives working against it, both real and imagined.
Investors are taking as much note of Russian relations with the West as the foreign policy wonks.
It used to be that sovereign risk contributed over half of the risk factors in emerging markets. Economic and cyclical factors were the next largest components. But over the last three years, political risk has rapidly become an issue with Europe being the star performer. Sentiment drives short-term trades on stocks and bonds. Electoral events are becoming more radicalized, political parties are becoming more strident, and nationalism is gaining momentum in Europe. Recent events in Syria point to the difficulties of combining national and international interests.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Maine Wants To Ban Soda, Sweets From Food Stamp Sales
- Maine would like to stop poor people from using food stamps to buy candy and soda, the latest gambit in Republican Gov. Paul LePage's ongoing crusade to make safety net programs a little less giving.
States don't have the power to change rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, so Maine is asking the federal government for a waiver.
"If we’re going to spend millions on nutrition education for food stamp recipients, we should stop giving them money to buy candy and soda," Mary Mayhew, commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, said in a press release. The waiver request essentially resurrects Republican legislation that failed to pass the Maine Legislature this year.
"Maine is facing an obesity epidemic, especially among its low-income population, and we should be solving that problem rather than enabling it," Mayhew said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees food stamps, did not immediately comment on Maine's request. The agency has rejected a handful of similar requests from other states over the past several years.
Mayhew's agency said in a statement that 88 percent of Maine's SNAP recipients also receive Medicaid benefits, and that Medicaid has spent more than $1.5 million on obesity-related medical claims in Maine over the past year.
Food stamp recipients do tend to be heavier than the general population, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, though their diets are hardly different from everyone else's. More than 45 million Americans receive monthly SNAP benefits, which can be redeemed at grocery stores for any type of food except hot prepared meals.
The USDA has pointed out that restricting benefits to "healthy" foods would be difficult because no clear standard exists for declaring which items count as healthy. Would a ban on soda, for example, encompass other sugar-sweetened beverages? Cranberry juice, for instance, has more sugar than Coca-Cola. And banning SNAP purchases of certain products wouldn't stop SNAP recipients from using their own money for those products.
Maine's request comes not long after the state imposed an asset test on some SNAP recipients, with LePage saying hardworking Mainers are tired of seeing jet skis in their welfare-abusing neighbors' hards. The state has also instituted drug screening for beneficiaries of the much smaller Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. (Full Text)
States don't have the power to change rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, so Maine is asking the federal government for a waiver.
"If we’re going to spend millions on nutrition education for food stamp recipients, we should stop giving them money to buy candy and soda," Mary Mayhew, commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, said in a press release. The waiver request essentially resurrects Republican legislation that failed to pass the Maine Legislature this year.
"Maine is facing an obesity epidemic, especially among its low-income population, and we should be solving that problem rather than enabling it," Mayhew said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees food stamps, did not immediately comment on Maine's request. The agency has rejected a handful of similar requests from other states over the past several years.
Mayhew's agency said in a statement that 88 percent of Maine's SNAP recipients also receive Medicaid benefits, and that Medicaid has spent more than $1.5 million on obesity-related medical claims in Maine over the past year.
Food stamp recipients do tend to be heavier than the general population, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, though their diets are hardly different from everyone else's. More than 45 million Americans receive monthly SNAP benefits, which can be redeemed at grocery stores for any type of food except hot prepared meals.
The USDA has pointed out that restricting benefits to "healthy" foods would be difficult because no clear standard exists for declaring which items count as healthy. Would a ban on soda, for example, encompass other sugar-sweetened beverages? Cranberry juice, for instance, has more sugar than Coca-Cola. And banning SNAP purchases of certain products wouldn't stop SNAP recipients from using their own money for those products.
Maine's request comes not long after the state imposed an asset test on some SNAP recipients, with LePage saying hardworking Mainers are tired of seeing jet skis in their welfare-abusing neighbors' hards. The state has also instituted drug screening for beneficiaries of the much smaller Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. (Full Text)
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Putin says seeks global anti-terrorism fight after 19 killed in Mali attack
(Reuters) 11/22/15 - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he wanted global cooperation to combat terrorism after Islamist militants killed 19 people, including six Russians, in an attack on a luxury hotel in Mali
Friday's assault came a week after militants killed 130 people in gun and bomb attacks in Paris claimed by Islamic State, and three weeks after a Russian airliner was downed over Egypt by what Moscow and Western governments say was a bomb, killing all 224 people aboard.
The bloodshed at the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali, a former French colony, evoked the problems French troops and U.N. peacekeepers face in restoring security and order in a West African state that has battled rebels and militants in its weakly-governed desert north for years.
Jihadist groups Al Mourabitoun and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the attack, which ended when Malian commandos stormed the building and rescued 170 people, many of them foreigners.
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said two militants were killed in the commando operation.
His government increased security at strategic points around Bamako at the start of a declared 10-day state of emergency.
"Mali will not shut down because of this attack. Paris and New York were not shut down and Mali won't be. Terrorism will not win," Keita said during a visit to the hotel on Saturday.
Six employees of Russian regional airline Volga-Dnepr were killed, Russia's foreign ministry said, while six others were rescued.
Putin sent a telegram of condolences to Keita and said "the widest international cooperation" was needed to confront global terrorism, according to a statement by the Kremlin.
On Tuesday, Putin pledged to hunt down militants responsible for blowing up the airliner, as well as intensified air strikes against militants in Syria, after the Kremlin concluded a bomb had destroyed the plane.
Putin and French President Francois Hollande also spoke by phone on Tuesday and agreed to boost coordination of their military actions in fighting jihadist militants in Syria.
Chinese President Xi Jinping condemned the "cruel and savage" attack, whose dead included three Chinese executives of a state-run railway firm.
"China will strengthen cooperation with the international community, resolutely crack down on violent terrorist operations that devastate innocent lives and safeguard world peace and security," the Beijing Foreign Ministry quoted Xi as saying in a statement on its website.
American public health specialist Anita Datar was killed and Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said two Belgians died. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he was not aware of any French nationals killed.
An Israeli national was also killed, Israeli media said. There was no confirmation from the foreign ministry.
FLEEING IN TERROR
The attack began at 7 a.m. on Friday when gunmen killed guards at the entrance of the hotel and barged inside. (FULL TEXT)
Friday, November 20, 2015
More Mexican immigrants leaving U.S. than entering: Pew
CHICAGO (Reuters) - More Mexicans are leaving the United States than entering it according to a report released on Thursday, at a time when some Republicans, including presidential candidate Donald Trump, have taken a hard line on illegal immigration.
Most Mexicans leaving the United States are doing so voluntarily to reunite with their family or to start one, the report by the Pew Research Center showed.
From 2009 to 2014, more than one million Mexicans and their families left the United States for Mexico, while more than 865,000 entered the United States, Pew said. The figures include unauthorized immigrants.
An increasing share of Mexicans says life north of the border is neither better nor worse than life in Mexico, Pew said.
The overall flow of Mexican immigrants between the two countries is at its smallest since the 1990s, Pew said. (Full Text)
Most Mexicans leaving the United States are doing so voluntarily to reunite with their family or to start one, the report by the Pew Research Center showed.
From 2009 to 2014, more than one million Mexicans and their families left the United States for Mexico, while more than 865,000 entered the United States, Pew said. The figures include unauthorized immigrants.
An increasing share of Mexicans says life north of the border is neither better nor worse than life in Mexico, Pew said.
The overall flow of Mexican immigrants between the two countries is at its smallest since the 1990s, Pew said. (Full Text)
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Modern men tend to overeat like cavemen as a way of showing off to women say researchers
Happy International Men's Day!
(Washingtonpost) - Maybe it's due to our evolution from the era of cavemen when the strongest and fastest hunters would have the biggest bounty to eat. Or maybe it's just another example of the male perception of what women like gone awry.
Cornell University researchers have found that men tend to eat significantly more — nearly double — when in the presence of the fairer sex and that this excess may be "motivated by a hardwired male urge to demonstrate prowess."
The study, published this month in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science, involved observing diners at an all-you-can eat Italian buffet. Men who were dining with at least one woman consumed 93 percent more pizza (the equivalent of 1.44 more slices) and 86 percent more salad than those who were exclusively in the company of other men.
"The findings suggest that men tend to overeat to show off," lead author Kevin Kniffin, a visiting assistant professor in applied economics and management, said. "Instead of a feat of strength, it's a feat of eating."
The authors theorized that the overconsumption may be an unconscious way to signal their biological fitness — something that might have made sense in the distant past but that doesn't make as much sense in a wealthy, modern day society obsessed with slim, fit bodies.
There's been a lot of previous work into the role of sexual selection in eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia among women which presumes males tend to select mates who are slim. But there's been significantly less on what's known as "disordered eating" — such as binge eating contests that reward people for eating as many hot dogs or steaks as possible — in men and what drives this.
"Analogous to the view that women 'eat lightly' in order to respond to men's mating preferences, the intersexual or mate-choice hypothesis that we test presumes that men 'eat heavily' in response to women's mating preferences," the researchers wrote. They explained:
Heroes who might have been warriors, princes, or knights in earlier tales are described today as CEOs, oil magnates, and corporate raiders. The common thread of these roles is that they each occupy a relatively high position in their respective social contexts. In our case, just as no one would expect an evolutionary basis per se for why women should prefer men who are adept at balancing a firm’s quarterly earnings to exceed Wall Street expectations, the hypothesis that women will tend to prefer men who can eat conspicuously or competitively does not need a direct evolutionary basis beyond the fact that eating represents an avenue through which men can distinguish themselves as relatively superior.
But what do the women dining with these men think?
The study found that women eating with men reported that they felt rushed during the meal and that they were the ones who ate too much — even though researchers found there was no evidence they overdid it. (Source)
The study found that women eating with men reported that they felt rushed during the meal and that they were the ones who ate too much — even though researchers found there was no evidence they overdid it. (Source)
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Spain ‘issues arrest warrant’ for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu over 2010 Gaza flotilla attack
(independent.co.uk) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and seven other former and current government officials are at risk of arrest if they set foot in Spain, after a Spanish judge effectively issued an arrest warrant for the group, it has been reported.
According to the Latin American Herald Tribune, Spanish national court judge Jose de la Mata ordered the police and civil guard to notify him if Mr Netanyahu and the six other individuals enter the country, as their actions could see a case against them regarding the Freedom Flotilla attack of 2010 reopened.
The other men named in the issue are former defence minister Ehud Barak, former foreign minister Avigdor Leiberman, former minister of strategic affairs Moshe Yaalon, former interior minister Eli Yishai, minister without portfolio Benny Begin and vice admiral maron Eliezer, who was in charge of the operation.
The case – which was put on hold by Judge de la Mata last year – was brought against the men following an attack by Israeli security forces against the Freedom Flotilla aid ships in 2010, which was trying to reach Gaza.
It concerns the Mavi Marmara ship, the main civilian vessel in a fleet of six that were attempting to break an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. The six ships were carrying around 500 passengers, humanitarian aid and construction materials. The Israeli Defence Force stormed the ship in a raid that left nine human rights activists dead. A tenth activist died later that month due to wounds sustained in the raid.
The Israeli Prime Minister and other officials now face charges in the case, should it be reopened.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nachshon told the Jerusalem Post: “We consider it to be a provocation. We are working with the Spanish authorities to get it cancelled. We hope it will be over soon.” (FULL TEXT)
According to the Latin American Herald Tribune, Spanish national court judge Jose de la Mata ordered the police and civil guard to notify him if Mr Netanyahu and the six other individuals enter the country, as their actions could see a case against them regarding the Freedom Flotilla attack of 2010 reopened.
The other men named in the issue are former defence minister Ehud Barak, former foreign minister Avigdor Leiberman, former minister of strategic affairs Moshe Yaalon, former interior minister Eli Yishai, minister without portfolio Benny Begin and vice admiral maron Eliezer, who was in charge of the operation.
The case – which was put on hold by Judge de la Mata last year – was brought against the men following an attack by Israeli security forces against the Freedom Flotilla aid ships in 2010, which was trying to reach Gaza.
It concerns the Mavi Marmara ship, the main civilian vessel in a fleet of six that were attempting to break an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. The six ships were carrying around 500 passengers, humanitarian aid and construction materials. The Israeli Defence Force stormed the ship in a raid that left nine human rights activists dead. A tenth activist died later that month due to wounds sustained in the raid.
The Israeli Prime Minister and other officials now face charges in the case, should it be reopened.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nachshon told the Jerusalem Post: “We consider it to be a provocation. We are working with the Spanish authorities to get it cancelled. We hope it will be over soon.” (FULL TEXT)
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
These Retailers Are the Worst Offenders Pushing Thanksgiving Day Store Hours
If you hate Thanksgiving shopping, here's where to focus your anger.
(Time) If there’s one clear trend in the 2015 retail holiday season landscape, it’s that most stores seem to have come to the realization that it’s dumb to keep opening earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving Day.
Once upon a time, Black Friday sales actually started on Friday—perhaps as early as 4 a.m., but hey, at least it was technically Friday. Then some store opened the door to midnight openings on Thanksgiving night, which was followed up the next year with sales that launched at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving, and so on, until retailers like Macy’s and Target were opening at 6 p.m. and Best Buy and Toys R Us decided they needed to open an hour earlier, at the prime Thanksgiving dinner hour of 5 p.m. Michael's has been opening on Thanksgiving at 4 p.m.—because, you know, it’s unconscionable that people might be deprived of crafts and all on the afternoon of a national holiday.
But the so-called “Black Thursday” trend, which has drawn boycott threats and online campaigns among people who want to protect Thanksgiving as a sacred day for family time unencumbered by rampant consumerism, has mostly plateaued this year. All of the retailers mentioned above are opening on Thanksgiving Day at the same times they did on the holiday last year, rather than expanding holiday store hours like they have in the past. Taking the backlash a step further, the outdoor specialty store REI is staying closed on Black Friday and Thanksgiving alike, and Staples decided to remain shut on Thanksgiving, after being open on the holiday in prior years.
Then again, if you’re agitated that stores insist on encroaching on Thanksgiving, it’s not much of a victory that most big-box retailers will still be open at a time traditionally reserved for pumpkin pie, touch football, and perhaps a nap on the couch. What’s more, some major retailers (notably, the ones below) are continuing on with their traditions for having especially long store hours on the holiday.
Kmart: 6 A.M. Opening
The bulk of Kmart’s Black Friday doorbuster specials will go on sale in stores at 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving evening, including select Star Wars toys for 50% off, Procter Silex kitchen appliances for $3 (normally $10), 6-foot Dakota Spruce artificial Christmas trees for $15 (list price: $50), and poinsettias for just 89¢ (normally $2.99 and up). But stores will actually be open starting at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. A separate round of deals for early birds kicks off then, including 50% off Christmas decorations, classic board games for $2.99 (normally $5.99 and up), and 88¢ for 2-liter Pepsi beverages.
If you’re upset that Kmart will be open all day on Thanksgiving starting at the wholly unnecessary hour of 6 a.m., you’ll be even more disappointed with the way the retailer is apparently treating its workers. As Think Progress reported very recently, “In a survey of 40 self-identified Kmart employees in 18 states conducted by Coworker.org and shared with ThinkProgress, 95 percent said they still don’t know their schedules for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, and 70 percent say their managers haven’t even told them what the store’s hours will be.”
Meijer: 6 A.M. Opening
A different series of deals is launching on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the Saturday that follows at retailer Meijer. The particulars of each day’s sale haven’t been released yet, but we do know that each day stores will open at 6 a.m., including Thanksgiving Day.
Dollar General: 7 A.M. Opening
According to the ad leaked to TheBlackFriday.com, Dollar General stores will feature deals like $1 outdoor mini holiday lights, $7 jeans, $1 cans of Campbell’s Chunky soup, and $34 portable DVD players starting at 7 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning.
J.C. Penney: 3 P.M. Opening
Unlike competitors like Macy’s and Target, which are sticking with the same Thanksgiving hours as last year, J.C. Penney feels compelled to open at 3 p.m., two hours earlier than in 2014—and smack in the heart of what many consider the optimal time to commence Thanksgiving feasts.
Walmart: Open 24/7, including Thanksgiving
This year, Walmart has downplayed Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day deals, opting instead to post longer-lasting sales that start earlier in the season (most are live now) and stick around for weeks. Most of its Thanksgiving-Black Friday specials are in fact available online at 12:01 a.m.on Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving), and the in-store doorbusters won’t be launched until 6 p.m. that day. This would all seem to negate any reason for shoppers to hit Walmart during the middle of the day on Thanksgiving—thereby also eliminating any reason for Walmart to be open then. Nonetheless, as usual, most Walmarts are open 24/7, even on holidays like Thanksgiving. (Walmart is closed on Christmas, though, and stores generally shut down at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve.) (Source)
Monday, November 16, 2015
Sunday, November 15, 2015
‘Poverty Pay’ Leads Wal-Mart Employees to Steal Lunches From Co-Workers
(Via truthdig.com) 11/14/2015 Wal-Mart’s workers are so poor they’re skipping lunch, sharing the food of others or stealing from co-workers, some of them said as they announced a 15-day fast aimed at raising the company’s wages.
On Friday, more than 100 Wal-Mart employees involved in the workers organization Our Walmart began a fast to draw attention to the company’s “poverty pay.” Roughly 1,000 of their supporters joined them, and some took their fast to the doorstep of company heiress Alice Walton’s New York City apartment.
Earlier this year, Wal-Mart announced it would raise wages for about half a million of its employees to $9 an hour, $1.75 above the federally mandated minimum wage. The company said it would further increase the workers’ pay to $10 an hour next year.
The protesters say that’s still not enough to support them and demand to be paid $15 an hour and be given full-time schedules. The fasters are calling their protest the Fast for 15.
The Guardian reports:
Tyfani Faulkner, a former Walmart customer service manager from Sacramento, California, who worked for company for about five years, will be one of those fasting in protest.
“Every day there are associates who go to work with no lunch, or an unhealthy lunch, because that’s all they can afford. I have seen instances where some would eat another associate’s lunch from the refrigerator because they have nothing to eat,” said Faulkner.
“One of the things I remember most from working at Walmart was my friends and I emptying our pockets to scrape together one meal we all could share for lunch. One of my coworkers put in a dollar, another two dollars, and with my two, we could together buy chicken from Walmart’s deli to split between us. That was lunch; I don’t know if they had dinner.”
Read more here.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
N.M. man gets 18 years for using semen in squirt gun for attack on kids
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A New Mexico man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for spraying children with a squirt gun loaded with his semen.
Kevin Jaramillo, 35, pleaded no contest to charges stemming from two indictments, including child abuse without great bodily harm, criminal sexual contact and sexual exploitation, in an Albuquerque, New Mexico, courtroom Friday.
Under the plea agreement, Jaramillo must serve 18 years. Jaramillo initially faced going to prison for more than 57 years.
Jaramillo approached numerous children around Albuquerque in March 2014 to film them getting squirted with the water gun.
They say his victims ranged in age from 9 to 18.
Robert Cooper, Jaramillo's attorney, indicated there was some discussions with his client whether to accept the plea.
"I do think it's a unique legal issue whether sperm being squirted is child abuse," he told Second Judicial District Judge Stan Whitaker. "It's one of the things we talked about."
Jaramillo apologized to his victims in court, blaming his behavior on drugs, alcohol and mental illness.
The father of one victim said Jaramillo took away his daughter's innocence. (Full Text)
Kevin Jaramillo, 35, pleaded no contest to charges stemming from two indictments, including child abuse without great bodily harm, criminal sexual contact and sexual exploitation, in an Albuquerque, New Mexico, courtroom Friday.
Under the plea agreement, Jaramillo must serve 18 years. Jaramillo initially faced going to prison for more than 57 years.
Jaramillo approached numerous children around Albuquerque in March 2014 to film them getting squirted with the water gun.
They say his victims ranged in age from 9 to 18.
Robert Cooper, Jaramillo's attorney, indicated there was some discussions with his client whether to accept the plea.
"I do think it's a unique legal issue whether sperm being squirted is child abuse," he told Second Judicial District Judge Stan Whitaker. "It's one of the things we talked about."
Jaramillo apologized to his victims in court, blaming his behavior on drugs, alcohol and mental illness.
The father of one victim said Jaramillo took away his daughter's innocence. (Full Text)
Friday, November 13, 2015
Paris terrorist attacks leave more than 140 dead, and France reeling
(washingtonpost.com) PARIS — France declared a state of emergency and secured its borders Friday night after attackers unleashed a coordinated wave of explosions, gunfire and hostage-taking in Paris that left over 140 people dead and generated scenes of horror and carnage.
Taken together, the assaults represented the deadliest day of attacks in France since World War II and one of the worst terrorist strikes on Western soil since Sept. 11, 2001. At sites across Paris — a soccer stadium, restaurants, a concert hall — the attackers carried out suicide bombings, hurled grenades and shot hostages dead in a frenzy of violence that paralyzed the city. Late into the night and early Saturday morning, heavily armed security forces flooded the streets while panicked residents and tourists sought safety indoors.
Friday was the second time this year that the City of Light has been a scene of mass murder; in January, Islamist gunmen attacked the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket, leaving a total of 17 dead. The latest violence will only heighten the tension on a continent that is already on edge from the accumulated strain of a historic migration crisis, growing Islamist extremism and increasingly polarized politics.
World leaders rushed to condemn the attacks, and French President François Hollande vowed revenge, though there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
“We are going to lead a war which will be pitiless,” Hollande said outside the Bataclan concert hall, scene of the most bloodshed. “Because when terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities, they must be certain that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite sorrow.”
The attacks were quickly celebrated online by backers of the Islamic State and other extremist groups. The scale and sophistication of the attacks will be likely to prompt questions about how the planning for such an operation evaded the scrutiny of French intelligence services. (FULL TEXT)
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Walmart workers group plans 15-day protest leading to Black Friday
#retailproblems
(Reuters) - A Wal-Mart Stores Inc worker group that has pushed the retailer to raise pay and benefits is launching a 15-day protest leading up to Black Friday to rekindle the fight for a $15.00 per hour minimum wage and more opportunities to work full time.
The retailer has been a major target of the national movement to increase wages, and its decision earlier this year to raise wages to $9.00 an hour has rippled through the retail industry. Walmart has said the wage increase was not a response to the protests but an effort to improve conditions.
The new protest will test the organizing abilities of workers since OUR Walmart, the Organization United for Respect at Walmart, split in two in September.
The group organizing the protests ahead of Black Friday, traditionally the biggest shopping day in the United States, is led by a former United Food and Commercial Workers International Union employee but no longer has the union's financial backing.
Roughly 1,000 people across all 50 states will participate, and more than 100 workers will fast and organize outside stores, offices and executive homes, according to the group, which has led nation-wide protests on Black Friday in previous years.
Tyfani Faulkner, an OUR Walmart member and former Walmart customer service manager in Sacramento, California, said she will fast for all 15 days and that some participants will do a liquid fast or might not fast all days.
The company, which has spent $1 billion this year on the wage increase to $9 an hour, will raise that number to $10 for current employees by February next year. Department store managers, which currently make $13 an hour, will receive a increase to $15 next year.
“False attacks and media stunts from the unions have become an annual tradition this time of year," the company said in a statement, adding that it will continue to invest $2.7 billion in wages going into next year.
The company said last month that raising worker wages would hurt profits, contributing to three-quarters of an expected 6 percent to 12 percent drop in earnings per share next year. (Full Text)
(Reuters) - A Wal-Mart Stores Inc worker group that has pushed the retailer to raise pay and benefits is launching a 15-day protest leading up to Black Friday to rekindle the fight for a $15.00 per hour minimum wage and more opportunities to work full time.
The retailer has been a major target of the national movement to increase wages, and its decision earlier this year to raise wages to $9.00 an hour has rippled through the retail industry. Walmart has said the wage increase was not a response to the protests but an effort to improve conditions.
The new protest will test the organizing abilities of workers since OUR Walmart, the Organization United for Respect at Walmart, split in two in September.
The group organizing the protests ahead of Black Friday, traditionally the biggest shopping day in the United States, is led by a former United Food and Commercial Workers International Union employee but no longer has the union's financial backing.
Roughly 1,000 people across all 50 states will participate, and more than 100 workers will fast and organize outside stores, offices and executive homes, according to the group, which has led nation-wide protests on Black Friday in previous years.
Tyfani Faulkner, an OUR Walmart member and former Walmart customer service manager in Sacramento, California, said she will fast for all 15 days and that some participants will do a liquid fast or might not fast all days.
The company, which has spent $1 billion this year on the wage increase to $9 an hour, will raise that number to $10 for current employees by February next year. Department store managers, which currently make $13 an hour, will receive a increase to $15 next year.
“False attacks and media stunts from the unions have become an annual tradition this time of year," the company said in a statement, adding that it will continue to invest $2.7 billion in wages going into next year.
The company said last month that raising worker wages would hurt profits, contributing to three-quarters of an expected 6 percent to 12 percent drop in earnings per share next year. (Full Text)
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Obesity Rises Despite All Efforts to Fight It, U.S. Health Officials Say
(nytimes.com) WASHINGTON — Despite years of efforts to reduce obesity in America, including a major push by Michelle Obama, federal health officials reported Thursday that the share of Americans who were obese had not declined in recent years, and had edged up slightly.
About 38 percent of American adults were obese in 2013 and 2014, up from 35 percent in 2011 and 2012. Researchers said the increase was small enough that it was not statistically significant. But to many in public health, it was surprising and disheartening.
“The trend is very unfortunate and very disappointing,” said Marion Nestle, a professor in the department of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. “Everybody was hoping that with the decline in sugar and soda consumption, that we’d start seeing a leveling off of adult obesity.”
And compared with a decade ago, the increase was significant: In 2003 and 2004, about 32 percent of adults were obese, said the report’s lead author, Cynthia L. Ogden.
Health experts had hoped that gradual improvements in the American diet in recent years might have moved the needle on obesity. Consumption of full-calorie soda has dropped by a quarter since the late 1990s, and there is evidence that calorie intake has dropped for adults and children. Obesity began rising in the 1980s, but the rate flattened in the 2000s, and declinesamong young children in some cities had lifted expectations that the epidemic might be easing.
Obesity among young people was unchanged in 2013 and 2014 from the previous period, the report found. Seventeen percent of Americans ages 2 to 19 were obese, the same as in 2003 and 2004. Experts pointed out that far more work had been done to fight obesity in children, including changes in school lunches and the removal of sugar-sweetened beverages from some school systems.
The figures are from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the gold standard for federal health data, released every two years. For smaller slices of the American population — for example, women or blacks — researchers used four years of data, from 2011 through 2014, for the most reliable results.
Some of the most striking numbers were among minorities. About 57 percent of black women were obese from 2011 to 2014, the highest rate of any demographic. Next highest were Hispanic women, at 46 percent, and Hispanic men, at 39 percent. About 36 percent of white women were obese, and 34 percent of white men. The prevalence of obesity was lowest among Asians, who had a combined rate of about 12 percent. (FULL TEXT)
About 38 percent of American adults were obese in 2013 and 2014, up from 35 percent in 2011 and 2012. Researchers said the increase was small enough that it was not statistically significant. But to many in public health, it was surprising and disheartening.
“The trend is very unfortunate and very disappointing,” said Marion Nestle, a professor in the department of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. “Everybody was hoping that with the decline in sugar and soda consumption, that we’d start seeing a leveling off of adult obesity.”
And compared with a decade ago, the increase was significant: In 2003 and 2004, about 32 percent of adults were obese, said the report’s lead author, Cynthia L. Ogden.
Health experts had hoped that gradual improvements in the American diet in recent years might have moved the needle on obesity. Consumption of full-calorie soda has dropped by a quarter since the late 1990s, and there is evidence that calorie intake has dropped for adults and children. Obesity began rising in the 1980s, but the rate flattened in the 2000s, and declinesamong young children in some cities had lifted expectations that the epidemic might be easing.
Obesity among young people was unchanged in 2013 and 2014 from the previous period, the report found. Seventeen percent of Americans ages 2 to 19 were obese, the same as in 2003 and 2004. Experts pointed out that far more work had been done to fight obesity in children, including changes in school lunches and the removal of sugar-sweetened beverages from some school systems.
The figures are from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the gold standard for federal health data, released every two years. For smaller slices of the American population — for example, women or blacks — researchers used four years of data, from 2011 through 2014, for the most reliable results.
Some of the most striking numbers were among minorities. About 57 percent of black women were obese from 2011 to 2014, the highest rate of any demographic. Next highest were Hispanic women, at 46 percent, and Hispanic men, at 39 percent. About 36 percent of white women were obese, and 34 percent of white men. The prevalence of obesity was lowest among Asians, who had a combined rate of about 12 percent. (FULL TEXT)
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Heil Hitler: Kansas racial supremacist sentenced to death for three murders
(Reuters) - A judge on Tuesday issued the death penalty for the white supremacist convicted of shooting to death three people at two Jewish centers in Kansas last year.
Johnson County District Court Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan sentenced Frazier Glenn Cross, 74, to die by lethal injection.
A jury in early September convicted Cross, a former senior member of the Ku Klux Klan, of the murders and recommended that he be put to death. Cross also was convicted of three counts of attempted murder for shooting at three other people.
The jury found Cross guilty of killing Reat Underwood, 14, and his grandfather, William Corporon, 69, outside the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, and Terri LaManno, 53, outside a Jewish retirement home, both in Overland Park, Kansas.
After the judge announced his decision, Cross gave the "Heil Hitler" salute and was forcibly removed from the courtroom.
On the way out, Cross said, "One day my spirit will rise from the grave and you'll know I was right. I'm a happy man."
Cross said in court on Tuesday, as he did during the trial, that he wanted to kill Jews because he believes they control the media, financial institutions and the government.
"Jews are destroying the white race," he said, calling himself a patriot. None of those he killed were Jewish.
In court statements before the sentencing, several relatives of victims denounced Cross for his views and spoke of their painful losses. Cross, a military veteran, sat at a court table in a wheel chair, sometimes glancing up at those who spoke at the podium.
Will Corporon, son of William Corporon, glared at Cross as he talked.
"You are a coward," he said. "You are not a patriot. You are a disgrace to the uniform you wore."
Cross, representing himself in court, said on Tuesday he should be released because he was justified in trying to kill Jews.
"I wanted to kill Jews, not Christians and I do regret it," Cross said. During the trial he faulted the victims for associating with Jews by going to Jewish centers.
Melinda Corporon, wife of William Corporon, told Cross he has never known love.
“We are here today to make sure this voice of evil is silenced permanently,” she said.
Kansas restored the death penalty in 1994; no one has been executed in the state since 1965. (Source)
Police chiefs urge stores to cancel Black Friday as Asda abandons flash sale
Big brands such as Tesco, John Lewis, Morrison’s, Argos and Sainsbury’s have confirmed they will be taking part in Black Friday
(Telegraph.co.uk) November/10/2015 - Police chiefs have urged stores to cancel Black Friday after Asda became the first retailer in the UK to abandon the one-day sales event.
Britain’s leading retailers faced criticism from shoppers, MPs and the police after last year’s flash sale descended into chaos.
The websites for Tesco, John Lewis, Currys and Argos all crashed and officers were called to supermarkets across the UK as shoppers fought for discounted products.
Asda, credited with introducing the event to the UK in 2013, announced it would not be part of Black Friday 2015 due to “shopper fatigue”.
The store, owned by Walmart, said customer feedback was behind its decision to invest in £26 million of savings for consumers across the season rather than a one-off day of sales.
But big brands such as Tesco, John Lewis, Morrisons, Argos and Sainsbury’s have confirmed they will be taking part in Black Friday, which falls on November 27.
And the National Police Chiefs’ Council's Business and Retail Crime unit has written to retailers, urging store managers to reconsider the disorder that comes with a one-day sale.
Deputy Chief Constable Sue Fish, from the NPCC, called to extend the sales period to a week-long event and cancel the Friday pandemonium.
“The police will intervene if necessary to protect public order and safety,” she said. “But we should be the service of last resort, not a substitute for carefully-considered in-store security plans.
“Having to deploy officers to deal with the fallout of highly-marketed but under-staffed sales in shops diverts valuable resources from other areas of policing and is in most cases avoidable through advance planning.
"I would encourage marketing departments to make store security staff and any business crime partnerships they may be members of aware of any changes in opening times designed to extend sales periods.
“I would also encourage stores to consider, as I know some retailers are, extending the Black Friday period to commence on November 23 rather than just the Friday of that week, thereby allowing Christmas shoppers an extended opportunity to avail themselves of the bargains.
“I have written to retailers to reinforce these points.”
In a call for a nationwide boycott earlier this year, two MPs argued that Black Friday should never happen again in Britain.
The event in 2014 led to "scenes of disorder" and placed "unnecessarily high demands" on police resources, according to Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland and Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley.
In January, they urged support from the rest of the Commons, tabling a motion that criticised retailers that "chose to adopt the American retail custom”. (FULL TEXT)
(Telegraph.co.uk) November/10/2015 - Police chiefs have urged stores to cancel Black Friday after Asda became the first retailer in the UK to abandon the one-day sales event.
Britain’s leading retailers faced criticism from shoppers, MPs and the police after last year’s flash sale descended into chaos.
The websites for Tesco, John Lewis, Currys and Argos all crashed and officers were called to supermarkets across the UK as shoppers fought for discounted products.
Asda, credited with introducing the event to the UK in 2013, announced it would not be part of Black Friday 2015 due to “shopper fatigue”.
The store, owned by Walmart, said customer feedback was behind its decision to invest in £26 million of savings for consumers across the season rather than a one-off day of sales.
But big brands such as Tesco, John Lewis, Morrisons, Argos and Sainsbury’s have confirmed they will be taking part in Black Friday, which falls on November 27.
And the National Police Chiefs’ Council's Business and Retail Crime unit has written to retailers, urging store managers to reconsider the disorder that comes with a one-day sale.
Deputy Chief Constable Sue Fish, from the NPCC, called to extend the sales period to a week-long event and cancel the Friday pandemonium.
“The police will intervene if necessary to protect public order and safety,” she said. “But we should be the service of last resort, not a substitute for carefully-considered in-store security plans.
“Having to deploy officers to deal with the fallout of highly-marketed but under-staffed sales in shops diverts valuable resources from other areas of policing and is in most cases avoidable through advance planning.
"I would encourage marketing departments to make store security staff and any business crime partnerships they may be members of aware of any changes in opening times designed to extend sales periods.
“I would also encourage stores to consider, as I know some retailers are, extending the Black Friday period to commence on November 23 rather than just the Friday of that week, thereby allowing Christmas shoppers an extended opportunity to avail themselves of the bargains.
“I have written to retailers to reinforce these points.”
In a call for a nationwide boycott earlier this year, two MPs argued that Black Friday should never happen again in Britain.
The event in 2014 led to "scenes of disorder" and placed "unnecessarily high demands" on police resources, according to Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland and Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley.
In January, they urged support from the rest of the Commons, tabling a motion that criticised retailers that "chose to adopt the American retail custom”. (FULL TEXT)
Monday, November 9, 2015
The continuing Soviet collapse
(Reuters.com) 11/09/2015 It’s commonly believed that Russia is diving head-first into an ever-deeper authoritarianism. The ideology is no longer Marxism Leninism: instead, it’s an amalgam of resurgent imperialism, Eurasian exceptionalism and a deepening, and popular, hatred of the United States and Europe.
It’s not common, yet, to see Ukraine, with which Russia wages a frozen, part covert, semi-war, as on the same trajectory. But, like Russia, it’s strengthening what’s become known as the “power vertical” — a post-Soviet system of governance in which the formal institutions are subverted. Despite democratic trappings, the central structure is severely hierarchical, with effective power vested in the presidency and the presidential administration.
Two leading political scientists, one Russian and one Ukrainian, have produced important essays on the current situation in their respective states. Both speak to the despair engendered in both liberal-minded Russians and a broader swathe of Ukrainians over the failure of the projects and promises of democracy. In Ukraine, that disillusionment is both sharper and wider, as the hope of a more democratic and “European-style” politics diminishes. Instead, there is political infighting, continuing control by the wealthy oligarchs, unchecked corruption and fears of renewed warfare.
In the first essay, Mikhail Minakov, president of the Foundation for Good Politics in Kiev, writes that Ukraine remains in thrall to wealthy oligarchs, despite a democratic façade. He believes that in spite of the 2014 Maidan Square revolution that toppled Moscow ally President Victor Yanukovych, the system remains configured for continued authoritarian rule. The barely concealed struggle between Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk and current President Petro Poroshenko; the shadowy control the oligarchs exercise on politics and on the judiciary; the supine state of the opposition parties – all leave the way open, Minakov believes, for a strengthening of the presidential-dominated “power vertical.
Regional elections last week were poorly attended, and showed continuing low support for Poroshenko in eastern — mainly Russian-speaking — regions of the country. In September, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt made an unusually pointed charge, in a speech to business executives in the ultra-corrupted port of Odessa, that the Prosecutor-General’s Office in Kiev was an “obstacle” to anticorruption reforms. The office had failed to “successfully fight internal corruption… rather than supporting Ukraine’s reforms and working to root out corruption, corrupt actors within the Prosecutor-General’s Office are making things worse by openly and aggressively undermining reform,” he said.
Anders Aslund, the most prominent economic expert on Ukraine, has estimated the loss to the country’s GDP over 2014 and 2015 as 16 percent. That number is comprised of 7 percent in lost production in Eastern Ukraine, 6 percent from Russian trade sanctions and 3 percent in lost foreign investment. He has called, repeatedly, for urgent Western assistance.
Ukraine has, however, been of immense use to Russian President Vladimir Putin — according to the Russian commentator Andrei Kolesnikov, a former deputy editor of the opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta. In an essay he says that “following the annexation of (the Ukrainian province of) Crimea in March 2014, the Russian public has embraced an increasingly conservative and nationalistic ideology… and have thrown their support behind the commander of the fortress, President Vladimir Putin.”
Kolesnikov shows that hostility to both Europe and the United States has increased steeply since the invasion of Crimea — a rise similar to the increase in inflation over the same period. Over that period, too, those seeing Josef Stalin (architect behind the death of many millions) as playing a “positive” role also grew strongly — an opinion shared, at the beginning of this year, by just over half the respondents to a Levada Center poll. The Russian Orthodox Church has resumed its role as an important but faithful supporter of the Russian ruler. Both “ideology and the Russian Orthodox Church,” writes Kolesnikov, “‘sanctify’ this political system, which closely resembles a corporate state… the state legally enshrines concepts such as “foreign agent” and “undesirable nongovernmental organization” among others, which gives it plenty of tools to exert complete control over real civil society.”
Both Minakov and Kolesnikov argue that change can come. “Sooner or later,” writes the Russian, “both those on top and those on the bottom will create the demand for a pragmatically formulated, liberal economic ideology.” For the moment, however, the strongly nationalistic and militaristic trend in Russia and the weakness of, and disillusion with, the Ukrainian government, combine to make change in a benign direction highly unlikely.
Together, these two states made up over two thirds of the population of the Soviet Union. With much smaller Belarus to Ukraine’s north, these were the core of the Soviet state, the Russians seeing the other two — with some condescension — as both little brothers and big buffers against an always-feared (and often suffered) Western invasion. Ukraine’s efforts to claw its way to the West represents, for Putin, an inadmissible lèse majesté, a move he has sought with present success to kill by weakening the country to the point where its very statehood is put at risk.
In Vladimir Nabokov’s story “Conversation Piece 1945,” a former White Guard colonel, anti-communist and Christian, says that in spite of his views, he puts Stalin on a par with Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great as a mighty leader. “Today, in every word that comes out of Russia, I feel the power, I feel the splendor of Old Mother Russia. She is again a country of soldiers, of religion and true Slavs.” Such views, writes Kolesnikov, “can still be heard in Moscow’s conservative quarters, corporate backrooms, luxury apartments.” It is the privileging of power and national glory over peaceful co-existence: the need to subdue those within its boundaries who rebel against the national imperative.
Both the EU and the United States encouraged Ukraine to “come west, young nation.” That they may not have thought through the consequence of the invitation doesn’t relieve their responsibility to deal with it.
Ukraine will need very large financial assistance for some years if it’s not to slip deeper into a corrupt authoritarianism — and from there, it would be only a step back to return to the embrace of “Old Mother Russia.” (Full Text)
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Myanmar votes in first democratic election in years
RANGOON, MYANMAR — Hundreds of thousands of residents voted Sunday in Myanmar’s first democratic election in years, a historic event that could mark a new era for the country and pave the way to power for the longtime opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Around the country, voters lined up before the polls opened at 6 a.m. and waited in the hot sun for hours to cast their ballots. Some polls were open after the 4 p.m. closing time because of demand. Afterward, many went on Facebook and posted photos of their ink-stained pinky fingers, the equivalent of an “I voted” sticker in Burma, also known as Myanmar.
By nightfall, hundreds of supporters of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party had gathered on the street in front of the party headquarters, waving red balloons, dancing, chanting and watching local election results on big-screen TVs. They cheered every time a yellow ballot was unfurled with a stamp next to a golden peacock, the symbol for the NLD. Some preliminary results might be known Monday, but the final official results could take days.
“We have been suffering for 25 years. Today we change the old system and bring in a new one,” said Theingi, a housewife and mother of two at the rally. She uses only one name.
Suu Kyi’s party was poised to make a strong showing in the Southeast Asian nation of 51 million, which was isolated from the world for more than half a century under a military dictatorship.
But the path to victory is hardly clear. Party members appear confident they will get the majority needed to govern. But the military will still control 25 percent of the seats in parliament and key ministries. A constitutional provision bars Suu Kyi, called “Mother Suu,” from becoming president. And the country has more than 90 parties, smaller groups that support Myanmar’s ethnic minorities that will also play a factor in forming a new government. (FULL TEXT) via washingtopost.com
* * * *
Related: Myanmar ruling party concedes as Suu Kyi heads for poll landslide (Reuters)
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Junk Food Isn't To Blame for America's Obesity Epidemic
- According to a study by Cornell.
(fortune.com) (11/06/2015) Soda and sweets aren’t making Americans fat. In fact, underweight Americans consume more junk food than those who are morbidly obese.
In a new study in the journal Obesity Science & Practice, Cornell professors analyzed the food intake of about 6,000 people, according to MarketWatch. The study found that consuming more fast food, candy and soda was not correlated with higher body mass indexes—“While a diet of chocolate bars and cheeseburgers washed down with a Coke is inadvisable from a nutritional standpoint, these foods are not likely to be a leading cause of obesity.”
The trick, the professors say, is portion control. Eliminating the junk food that gets so much bad attention won’t make a difference unless it is paired with a generally improved diet and exercise. “If you want to try and prevent obesity, or want to create policy that is going to help people, simply addressing the availability of junk foods and sodas isn’t going to do it,” professor David Just said in a Cornell post. “This isn’t the difference between fat people and skinny people. It’s other things.”
The researchers did find one significant eating difference between those who were morbidly obese, and everyone else: french fries. Those whose BMIs surpassed 44.9 and were considered morbidly obese at 50% more french fries than the average person. (Full Text)
Friday, November 6, 2015
Leaders of China, Taiwan to meet for first time in six decades
(Reuters) - Leaders of political rivals Taiwan and China will meet on Saturday for the first time in more than 60 years for talks that come amid rising anti-Beijing sentiment on the self-ruled democratic island and weeks ahead of elections.
The talks between China President Xi Jinping and Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, the first such meeting since China's civil war ended in 1949, are to be held in the neutral venue of Singapore.
They also come ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections on Taiwan in which the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is favored to win, something Beijing is desperate to avoid.
The Nationalists, also known as the Kuomintang (KMT), retreated to Taiwan after losing the civil war to the Communists, who are still in charge in Beijing.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring what it considers a breakaway province under its control.
But while bilateral trade, investment and tourism have blossomed - particularly since Ma and his KMT took power in 2008 - there is deep suspicion on both sides and no progress has been made on any sort of political settlement.
"I am here to promise to everyone, we must be doing our best to reach the goal that we set previously, making the Taiwan Strait more peaceful, making the two sides more cooperative," Ma told reporters before boarding his flight to Singapore.
No agreements are expected in what is seen as a highly symbolic get-together at a luxury hotel in Singapore, a largely ethnic Chinese city-state that has maintained good ties with both for decades.
But the handshake sure to take place comes as Xi hopes to cement his place among China's pantheon of great leaders and Ma, stepping down next year due to term limits, tries to shape his legacy marred by growing anti-Beijing feeling in Taiwan.
"At this historic juncture of a meeting between leaders from both sides of Taiwan Strait, we genuinely hope that both sides can show sincerity, demonstrate goodwill, meet each other half way and confront their difficulties," China's official People's Daily wrote on Saturday.
While China is laudatory, concerns have been raised in Taiwan.
"(Ma) cannot sell out and sacrifice Taiwan's interests," said Chao Tien-lin, director of the department of China affairs of the DPP.
"He must meet the expectations of democracy and public opinion in Taiwan. This is what we care most about."
Ma and Xi meet in the afternoon. Both sides will hold news conferences after a short closed-door meeting, followed by dinner before Ma flies back to Taiwan the same day.
"It will be of huge symbolic importance, but will not be a 'game-changer', as Taiwanese voters are wary of the mainland's rising influence over the island", Yoel Sano, head of political risk with BMI Research, said of the meeting. (FULL TEXT)
The talks between China President Xi Jinping and Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, the first such meeting since China's civil war ended in 1949, are to be held in the neutral venue of Singapore.
They also come ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections on Taiwan in which the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is favored to win, something Beijing is desperate to avoid.
The Nationalists, also known as the Kuomintang (KMT), retreated to Taiwan after losing the civil war to the Communists, who are still in charge in Beijing.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring what it considers a breakaway province under its control.
But while bilateral trade, investment and tourism have blossomed - particularly since Ma and his KMT took power in 2008 - there is deep suspicion on both sides and no progress has been made on any sort of political settlement.
"I am here to promise to everyone, we must be doing our best to reach the goal that we set previously, making the Taiwan Strait more peaceful, making the two sides more cooperative," Ma told reporters before boarding his flight to Singapore.
No agreements are expected in what is seen as a highly symbolic get-together at a luxury hotel in Singapore, a largely ethnic Chinese city-state that has maintained good ties with both for decades.
But the handshake sure to take place comes as Xi hopes to cement his place among China's pantheon of great leaders and Ma, stepping down next year due to term limits, tries to shape his legacy marred by growing anti-Beijing feeling in Taiwan.
"At this historic juncture of a meeting between leaders from both sides of Taiwan Strait, we genuinely hope that both sides can show sincerity, demonstrate goodwill, meet each other half way and confront their difficulties," China's official People's Daily wrote on Saturday.
While China is laudatory, concerns have been raised in Taiwan.
"(Ma) cannot sell out and sacrifice Taiwan's interests," said Chao Tien-lin, director of the department of China affairs of the DPP.
"He must meet the expectations of democracy and public opinion in Taiwan. This is what we care most about."
Ma and Xi meet in the afternoon. Both sides will hold news conferences after a short closed-door meeting, followed by dinner before Ma flies back to Taiwan the same day.
"It will be of huge symbolic importance, but will not be a 'game-changer', as Taiwanese voters are wary of the mainland's rising influence over the island", Yoel Sano, head of political risk with BMI Research, said of the meeting. (FULL TEXT)
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Target announces 13 U.S. store closures
#retailproblems
(cnnmoney) - Target is closing the doors to 13 of its stores.
On Wednesday, Target (TGT) confirmed that the locations across the U.S. would be closing by January 31, 2016.
A Target spokesperson said "the decision to close a Target store is not made lightly."
She added that before the company decides to make a closure, a store's financial health is evaluated over a long period of time. "Typically, a store is closed as a result of seeing several years of decreasing profitability," she said.
"Eligible" employees will be given the choice of transferring to another store. Target has 1,799 U.S. stores.
Several distraught customers responded to the news on social media and Minnesota residents even started their own Facebook and Twitter campaigns to save their beloved New Ulm store.
The full list of affected stores is below:
Austin North East in Austin, TX;
Suncoast Pasco County in Odessa, FL;
Casa Grande, AZ;
Victorville, CA;
East Flint in Flint, MI;
Columbus Southwest in Columbus, OH;
Springfield, OH;
Northridge in Milwaukee, WI;
Superior, WI;
New Ulm, MN;
Ottumwa, IA;
Anderson, IN;
Dixie Highway in Louisville, KY
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Justin Trudeau sworn in as Canada's Prime Minister
Change!
(CNN) 11/04/2015 Once again, after a more than three-decade interlude, Canada is being led by a Trudeau.
Justin Trudeau was sworn in Wednesday as Canada's 23rd Prime Minister, bringing both fresh blood and an established pedigree to his country's top job given that his late father, Pierre, held the same position for all but a few months from 1968 to 1984.
"Canadians from all across this country sent a message that it is time for real change, and I am deeply honored by the faith they have placed in my team and me," Trudeau said immediately after his swearing in.
"Canadians chose a positive and optimistic plan for the future, and we will immediately begin implementing our plan for a strong middle class."
The younger Trudeau's ascent comes 16 days after his Liberal party scored an absolute majority in the general election, a decisive victory that ended Stephen Harper's nearly 10 years as Prime Minister. (Full Text)
(CNN) 11/04/2015 Once again, after a more than three-decade interlude, Canada is being led by a Trudeau.
Justin Trudeau was sworn in Wednesday as Canada's 23rd Prime Minister, bringing both fresh blood and an established pedigree to his country's top job given that his late father, Pierre, held the same position for all but a few months from 1968 to 1984.
"Canadians from all across this country sent a message that it is time for real change, and I am deeply honored by the faith they have placed in my team and me," Trudeau said immediately after his swearing in.
"Canadians chose a positive and optimistic plan for the future, and we will immediately begin implementing our plan for a strong middle class."
The younger Trudeau's ascent comes 16 days after his Liberal party scored an absolute majority in the general election, a decisive victory that ended Stephen Harper's nearly 10 years as Prime Minister. (Full Text)
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Pew study: More Americans reject religion, but believers firm in faith
(washingtonpost.com) 11/03/2015 - Americans as a whole are growing less religious, but those who still consider themselves to belong to a religion are, on average, just as committed to their faiths as they were in the past — in certain respects even more so.
The 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Study, released Tuesday (Nov. 3) by the Pew Research Center, also shows that nearly all major religious groups have become more accepting of homosexuality since the first landscape study in 2007.
The new study may provide some solace to those who bemoan the undeniable rise in America of the “nones” — people who claim no religious affiliation.
“People who say they have a religion — which is still the vast majority of the population — show no discernible dip in levels of observance,” said Alan Cooperman, director of religion research at Pew.
“They report attending religious services as often as they did a few years ago. They pray as often as they did before, and they are just as likely to say that religion plays a very important role in their lives,” he continued. “On some measures there are even small increases in their levels of religious practice.”
More religiously affiliated adults, for example, read Scripture regularly and participate in small religious groups than did so seven years ago, according to the survey. And 88 percent of religiously affiliated adults said they prayed daily, weekly or monthly — the same percentage that reported such regular prayer in the 2007 study.
“We should remember that the United States remains a nation of believers,” said Gregory A. Smith, Pew’s associate director of research, “with nearly 9 in 10 adults saying they believe in G-d.”
That said, overall, belief in God has ticked down by about 3 percentage points in recent years, driven mainly by growth in the share of “nones” who say they don’t believe in G-d. But even among Christians — 98 percent of whom say they believe in G-d — fewer believe with absolute certainty: 80 percent in 2007 compared to 76 percent in 2014.
And now 77 percent of adults surveyed describe themselves as religiously affiliated, a decline from the 83 percent who did so in Pew’s 2007 landscape study. (FULL TEXT)
Monday, November 2, 2015
Russia and the Curse of Geography
(theatlantic.com)- Vladimir Putin says he is a religious man, a great supporter of the Russian Orthodox Church. If so, he may well go to bed each night, say his prayers, and ask God: “Why didn’t you put mountains in eastern Ukraine?”
If G-d had built mountains in eastern Ukraine, then the great expanse of flatland that is the European Plain would not have been such inviting territory for the invaders who have attacked Russia from there repeatedly through history. As things stand, Putin, like Russian leaders before him, likely feels he has no choice but to at least try to control the flatlands to Russia’s west. So it is with landscapes around the world—their physical features imprison political leaders, constraining their choices and room for maneuver. These rules of geography are especially clear in Russia, where power is hard to defend, and where for centuries leaders have compensated by pushing outward.
Western leaders seem to have difficulty deciphering Putin’s motives, especially when it comes to his actions in Ukraine and Syria; Russia’s current leader has been described in terms that evoke Winston Churchill’s famous 1939 observation that Russia “is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside of an enigma.” But it’s helpful to look at Putin’s military interventions abroad in the context of Russian leaders’ longstanding attempts to deal with geography. What if Putin’s motives aren’t so mysterious after all? What if you can read them clearly on a map?
For Russia, the world’s largest country by landmass, which bestrides Europe and Asia and encompasses forests, lakes, rivers, frozen steppes, and mountains, the problems come by land as well as by sea. In the past 500 years, Russia has been invaded several times from the west. The Poles came across the European Plain in 1605, followed by the Swedes under Charles XII in 1707, the French under Napoleon in 1812, and the Germans—twice, in both world wars, in 1914 and 1941. In Poland, the plain is only 300 miles wide—from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Carpathian Mountains in the south—but after that point it stretches to a width of about 2,000 miles near the Russian border, and from there, it offers a flat route straight to Moscow. Thus Russia’s repeated attempts to occupy Poland throughout history; the country represents a relatively narrow corridor into which Russia could drive its armed forces to block an enemy advance toward its own border, which, being wider, is much harder to defend. (Full Text)
If G-d had built mountains in eastern Ukraine, then the great expanse of flatland that is the European Plain would not have been such inviting territory for the invaders who have attacked Russia from there repeatedly through history. As things stand, Putin, like Russian leaders before him, likely feels he has no choice but to at least try to control the flatlands to Russia’s west. So it is with landscapes around the world—their physical features imprison political leaders, constraining their choices and room for maneuver. These rules of geography are especially clear in Russia, where power is hard to defend, and where for centuries leaders have compensated by pushing outward.
Western leaders seem to have difficulty deciphering Putin’s motives, especially when it comes to his actions in Ukraine and Syria; Russia’s current leader has been described in terms that evoke Winston Churchill’s famous 1939 observation that Russia “is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside of an enigma.” But it’s helpful to look at Putin’s military interventions abroad in the context of Russian leaders’ longstanding attempts to deal with geography. What if Putin’s motives aren’t so mysterious after all? What if you can read them clearly on a map?
For Russia, the world’s largest country by landmass, which bestrides Europe and Asia and encompasses forests, lakes, rivers, frozen steppes, and mountains, the problems come by land as well as by sea. In the past 500 years, Russia has been invaded several times from the west. The Poles came across the European Plain in 1605, followed by the Swedes under Charles XII in 1707, the French under Napoleon in 1812, and the Germans—twice, in both world wars, in 1914 and 1941. In Poland, the plain is only 300 miles wide—from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Carpathian Mountains in the south—but after that point it stretches to a width of about 2,000 miles near the Russian border, and from there, it offers a flat route straight to Moscow. Thus Russia’s repeated attempts to occupy Poland throughout history; the country represents a relatively narrow corridor into which Russia could drive its armed forces to block an enemy advance toward its own border, which, being wider, is much harder to defend. (Full Text)
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Australia PM scraps knighthood honours, shows republican colours
(Reuters.com) 11/02/2015- Australia's pro-republic Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Monday scrapped knights and dames from the nation's honours system, less than a year after a furore sparked by the award of a knighthood to Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, a staunch monarchist, reintroduced the antiquated honours in 2014, provoking criticism that he was out of touch with public sentiment. Abbott was ousted by Turnbull in a party coup in September.
The politically disastrous decision to give Prince Philip the nation's highest honour, Knight of the Order of Australia, on Australia Day, has been cited as the beginning of the end for Abbott.
The decision to scrap the honours by Turnbull, a former head of the national republican movement, may be interpreted as a signal of his willingness to revisit the thorny question of Australia's relationship with the monarchy.
"The prime minister announced today that Her Majesty the Queen has agreed to the government’s recommendation to remove knights and dames from the Order of Australia," Turnbull said in a statement.
"The Cabinet recently considered the Order of Australia, in this its 40th anniversary year, and agreed that knights and dames are not appropriate in our modern honours system."
Others who received the honours were governors general Quentin Bryce and Peter Cosgrove, former air chief marshal Angus Houston and New South Wales state governor Marie Bashir, which Turnbull has said they will retain.
Queen Elizabeth is Australia's largely ceremonial head of state, but has the power to approve the abolition of parliament, which last happened in the controversial 1975 toppling of Gough Whitlam's government.
Australia's sometimes strained relationship with the British crown came to a head in a 1999 national referendum, when almost 55 percent of Australians voted against breaking with the monarchy, defeating Turnbull's republicans.
A poll this year on behalf of the Australian National University showed that public support for a republic has fallen further since the referendum, while the royals' popularity has risen.
Support for a republic stood at 54 percent, down from 66 per cent in 1998, according to the telephone poll of 1,200 people conducted by the Social Research Centre in March, before Turnbull took office.
But Turnbull's move into the leadership has buoyed the hopes of republicans eager to revisit the issue in a fresh referendum, despite his ranking of the faltering economy, not the monarchy, as his government's top priority.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are expected to receive a warm welcome when they visit Australia and New Zealand next week. (SOURCE)
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