President Vladimir V. Putin and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they would proceed with a natural-gas pipeline under the Black Sea. Credit Emrah Gurel/Associated Press
Both Mr. Putin and Mr. Erdogan have had recent troubles with Washington. Putin has been accused of war crimes in Syria for killing hundreds of civilians. Erdogan is killing Kurds and escalating the conflict, whereas the US is relying on Syrian Kurds to stem the Isis tide.
On December 19, 2016 the Russian Ambassador, Andrei Karlov, was shot and killed as he gave a speech at an embassy-sponsored exhibit in Ankara. Eye-witnesses were reported to have heard eight shots. The gunman shouted out: ‘‘Don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria!’’ referring to the Syrian city where Russian bombardments have helped drive rebels from areas they had occupied for years during the war. He also shouted ‘‘Allahu akbar,’’ the Arabic phrase for ‘‘God is great’’ and continued in Arabic: ‘‘We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad.’’ The attacker also smashed several of the framed photos hung for the exhibition and an additional three people were injured during the attack.
‘We consider this to have been a terrorist attack,’’ Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. ‘‘Terrorism will not pass. We will fight it decisively.’’
The attack comes a day before a meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defense ministers in Moscow to discuss Syria. Russia and Iran have backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nearly six-year conflict, while Turkey has supported Assad’s foes. The Kremlin suggested Turkey, Russia and Iran should come together for a solution, initially over Aleppo, but which could also be enlarged to include other parts of Syria, Reuters quoted a Turkish official as saying.
Melih Gokcek, the mayor for Ankara, told reporters outside the exhibition center that the ‘‘heinous’’ attack aimed to disrupt newly-re-established relations between Turkey and Russia.
Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan have co-sponsored the evacuation of civilians and rebels from Aleppo and also discussed the prospect of organizing a new round of peace talks in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. Now this incident threatens to derail the evacuations of civilians from Aleppo.
The last time a diplomat was killed in Turkey was in an attack in 1971. Israel’s consul-general to Istanbul, Efraim Elrom. Until recently Turkey has been considered a relatively safe place for diplomats. This streak has been broken after the assassination of Ambassador Karlov, however, in view of the fact that the Erdogan administration is entirely dependent on Russian energy, relations will continue among the governments. Recent instability in Turkey and the fact that it is dangerous to be there has severely curtailed the tourist trade. Revenue from tourism fell by 32.7 percent to $8.28 billion in the third quarter of the year.
Despite the death of the Russian’ Diplomate we expect Putin to continue to guide Erdogan’s foreign policy.
Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has been characterized as increasingly undemocratic marked by attacks on freedom of expression. Despite outlawing competitive political parties, and a declining economy, he seems popular among the rural undereducated Turks. Turkey will stay in close collaboration with Russia for many years to come, despite their “hot-headed” relationship. Erdo?an is completely dependent on Russia for natural gas. Over the past 30 years the imports of natural gas from Russia into Turkey have nearly doubled. After Germany, Turkey is Russia’s second-largest natural gas client in Europe.
Gas imports into Turkey, Natural Gas World
According to Natural Gas World: “After the European Union’s stance about competition on Russia and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russia declared its intention to diversify its demand route by creating a new direct pipeline that runs through Turkish territory. The construction of the Turkish Stream pipeline was first discussed between Gazprom and BOTAS in December 2014. With an annual capacity of 63 billion m3, this pipeline will replace the South Stream, since the construction was suspended over the European Union’s stance about competition. According to initial plans, the Turkish Stream will extend from Russia, through Turkey and stop at the Greek border, giving Russia access to the southern European market. 14 billion m3 natural gas was planned to be consumed in Turkey.” (full article)
Putin and Abe meet about Japan / Russia Relationships
Japan and Russia’s world leader meeting promises to foster close European-Asian economic and cultural ties.
Putin announces in a press release through his TASS new agency that the meeting Abe was a great success:
“Russia and Japan signed more than 60 various deals in which Japan will invest over $2.5 billion during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the country, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported citing a senior Japanese government official. Abe said he and Putin had agreed the two countries have “unlimited opportunities for development of relations in all areas in case of common effort.”
The talks between the officials reiterated their commitment to continue discussions about economic cooperation on the four Kuril islands that both countries claim. However Russia will still call the shots. According to Peter Shelakhaev, the head of the Russian Far East Investment and Export Agency, Japan is expected to pay taxes and fees for any money earned on the four islands that are in dispute since the end of the war.
After World War II in 1945 Russia seized four Japanese islands as they call it the “spoils of war.” Japan has tried to have these islands returned ever since then. Now Abe and several of his Russia-Japan Relations experts have decided that after 60 years of occupation it is time to accept reality with a new perspective.
Nobuo Shimotomai, Russia-Japan expert at Hosei University in Tokyo, recommended: “Getting the four islands back was a Cold War slogan for the Japanese, but after 60 years, we need a new approach towards Moscow. It could be some kind of shared sovereignty.”
Trans-Siberian Railroad courtesy Daily Mail (full article)
Economic, Scientific and Cultural ties will be supported by the Trans-Siberian Railroad
The Japan Times informs that the areas of cooperation between Russia and Japan will include the fields of the countries’ health ministries in the fields of medicine and health care; expanded cooperation on development and production in the energy sector, including oil and gas; cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear power; cooperation in promoting diversity and raising productivity in Russian industry; cooperation in promoting industry in the Russian Far East and turning it into a base for exports to the Asia-Pacific; Cooperation in the fields of information and communications and postal services; Enhanced cooperation in agriculture and fisheries; Cooperation between the countries’ patent offices on industrial property rights; and hygiene standards for Russian livestock farms exporting products to Japan. (full article)
This is one of the most expansive cooperation between Russia and Japan since the 19th Century. One of the most life changing and culturally interesting developments is that Russia agreed to expand the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Japan. If both countries follow through, these new agreements will usher a new historic era that will impact the world economy and political landscape for many decades to come.
“Somebody had to do it,” Roof said of the slayings. He added that “black people are killing white people everyday… What I did is so minuscule compared to what they do to white people every day.” He researched Charleston, scouted the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and then acted alone. Yes this time there is a guilty verdict by the jury of the avowed white supremacist, Dylann Roof, on his federal hate crimes on 33 charges of federal hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion and firearms violations.
Meanwhile in North Carolina, Pat McCrory, a renowned right-wing GOP governor rolls back laws and passes laws that will prevent his democratic follower from ruling the state. The Right Wing agenda is to wall in and to fortify their absolute power legally. He and his fellow lawmakers, who control the General Assembly, introduced measures to end the governor’s control over election board’s requiring State Senate approval of any new governor’s cabinet members and to strip his power to appoint University of North Carolina trustees. This is right-wing agenda in action to ease their white supremacist agenda. If you can’t strip the people of their right to vote, we all know they tried.
A press release in November 2016 states:
"NCGOP leaders will discuss final Get Out The Vote efforts and encouraging Republican gains in final Early Voting numbers when compared to 2012. Republicans historically vote in far greater numbers on Election Day itself, these great strides in Early Voting when compared to 2012 show evidence of underestimated statewide ground game and deep volunteer base. Chairman Robin Hayes:“I am encouraged by the excitement and work ethic of our volunteers and the numbers don't lie—the Republican ground game is showing that motivated statewide volunteers and extensive ground game are better indicators of electoral success than the number of candidate-specific offices one has.
Despite this effort and one before to change local laws that the federal court deemed illegal, North Carolina GOP Gov. Pat McCrory, who signed the 2013 voter-ID law which a federal court rolled back this year for illegally suppressing African-American votes, claimed in November 2016 that massive voter fraud in his state swung the 2016 election against him, as McCrory’s campaign continues to challenge Democrat Roy Cooper’s thin lead two weeks after Election Day.
The example of voter suppression is right here. Despite that it is perfectly legal to vote if you are temporarily absent. If a piece of mail with an out-of-state address is not returned before the vote that vote does not qualify. If there is another person with the same or similar name at an out-of-state address on Facebook, your vote no longer counts in North Carolina. If you put your vote into the voting box, instead of giving it to a racist woman who deems you as rude, your vote no longer counts. If there is a dead person of the same name in another county, your vote no longer counts. Check out this real document with these types of feeble attempts to change the voting results.
Now despite this arduous effort to control and influence the North Carolina voting results, the Democrat Roy Cooper won the election as governor. Now the White Supremacist Offensive goes on the full on offensive. The current General Assembly held an emergency meeting and stripped Governor Rye Copper of the powers to govern. It affects and takes away his ability to govern the State Board of Elections, State Ethics Commission, State Board of Education and the regulation functions of the Secretary of State, and the choice to appoint the head of the Industrial Commission. It is a well-known fact that the Koch Brothers aim to make North Carolina a model state of the private takeover of a government.
Rep. Nelson Dollar, a Republican from Cary, disputed the portrayal by opponents of the GOP strategy to cut the governor’s authority as a “coup.” It is a coup and it is only the first of many in States that have a strong element of white supremacists.
We can learn a lot from North Carolina about how a Democracy can be demolished with a few strokes of the pen by white supremacist lawmakers. Perhaps it is high time to read For Whom the Bell Tolls again.
The Investment Bankers, Energy Industry Execs and Politicians have always marched in lock step. These days the “old guard” is fighting the “new guard” and while it is obvious to many that the “new guard” is winning, the old guard is going through a “fight to the death” thingy. In a recent interview between Ezra Klein the CEO of Stripes, Patrick Collison, stated that the US Election was kind of a Primal Scream for the old guard.
It is unfortunate the older infrastructure companies are fighting innovation so much, despite the fact that it and always has been the best way to strengthen a society. It doesn’t have to be that way. But old men, especially old men who grew up wealthy and thought they would always be in charge, be the captain of their ship, their city, their country and yes, the world, they just have a hard time understanding that the Industrial Era is over. Kaputt. Finished. So to say. The factories and the financiers that brought their grandfathers such amazing wealth, so much wealth that they are still spending that money today, have been moved to countries that have a more affordable life style to allow people to “live off” menial labor.
Car Manufacturing Plant in 2016
Neither Change nor Letting Go is easy
All the posturing will not change the fact that this change from manual labor to robots guided by computers with fabulous microchips and brilliant software has happened. Anger about it will not roll back time. The old men who used their daddy’s and granddaddy’s money, which sometimes was earned by bankrolling energy deals to fund the enemy during wars, like the Scaife Mellon Money, or building Factories for Hitler like the Koch Brothers are not willing to bend their will to meet the needs of the middle classes nor the environment. Full Article
Despite dubious histories, some people adapted and learned, like young Ford. His granddad helped Hitler set up car manufacturing in Germany, but he decided to work with the American people and for the people. Ford was the only America Automaker firm that didn’t really need to be bailed out by the Obama administration. Full Article
Corporate Social Responsibility is in and it is good for business
Apple, Google and Microsoft are part of the top 10 global firms and they are in the top 15 of Corporate Social Responsibility ranking as per Forbes. Why is it that companies that have a higher level of Corporate Social Responsibility grow faster and better than companies in older industries where they lost the entrepreneurial spirit decline?
Psychological Mindset of the Wealthy
Why are the children of these very wealthy people so intent on damaging society by pushing their personal philosophies on them? The Scaife, DeVos, Koch Brothers? Is it because they have low self-esteem? Do they not feel loved by their fathers or mothers? Most likely that is indeed the cause according to a detailed article written by Suniya Luthar, of Columbia University, published in the PMC :
Children of affluence are generally presumed to be at low risk. However, recent studies have suggested problems in several domains—notably, substance use, anxiety, and depression—and 2 sets of potential causes: pressures to achieve and isolation from parents. Recognizing the limited awareness of these issues, the objectives in this paper are to collate evidence on the nature of problems among the wealthy and their likely causes. The first half of the paper is focused on disturbances among affluent children and the second half is focused on characteristics of their families and neighborhoods. Widespread negative sentiments toward the rich are then discussed, and the paper concludes with suggestions for future work with families at the upper end of the socioeconomic spectrum. PMC
Maybe they are trying to make up for their guilt on how their parents obtain their staggering wealth and are trying to make it okay by vehemently agreeing that they are inspired by god, thinking that only they are meant to have access to the tree of knowledge, and only they have a right to decide who lives or dies. Just like their grand parents.
Superpowers need Bankers, Oil Barons and Industrialists
Christopher Higham, a British Author of History book, explained in Trading with the Enemy:
"Here is the extraordinary true story of the American businessmen and government officials who dealt with the Nazis for profit or through conviction throughout the Second World War: Ford. Standard Oil, Chase Bank and members of the State Department were among those who shared in the spoils. Meticulously documented and dispassionately told, this is an alarming story. At its centre is 'The Fraternity', an influential international group associated with the Rockefeller or Morgan banks and linked by the ideology of Business as Usual.
Higham starts with an account of the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland - a Nazi-controlled bank presided over by an American, Thomas H. McKittrick, even in 1944. While Americans were dying in the war, McKittrick sat down with his German, Japanese, Italian, British and American executive staff to discuss the gold bars that had been sent to the Bank earlier that year by the Nazi government for use by its leaders after the war. This was gold that had been looted from the banks of Austria, Belgium, and Czechoslovakia or melted down from teeth fillings, eyeglass frames, and wedding rings of millions of murdered Jews.
In the Past Oil-based fuels determined who ruled the sky and who could be a Superpower
As a highly developed industrial state, Germany was dependent even in peacetime on external sources for an adequate supply of oil. Even though Germany’s 1938 oil consumption of little more than 44 million barrels was considerably less than Great Britain’s 76 million barrels, Russia’s 183 million barrels, and the one billion barrels used by the United States, in wartime Germany’s needs for an adequate supply of liquid fuel would be absolutely essential for successful military operations on the ground and, even more so, in the air.For Germany, it was precisely the outbreak of the war in 1939 and the concurrent termination of overseas imports that most endangered its ability to conduct mobile warfare. Full Article
The Koch Empire
In the past old industrialists who ruled with wealth and provided access to large amount of money were in charge. The onset of the digital age changed that power and clearly infuriated the old guard.
In 2004 the Koch Brothers founded and funded Americans for Prosperity, a right-wing political advocacy group and by 2009 it become a political powerhouse which funded and launched the Tea Party. The brothers have a very strong and ideological commitment to world domination. Their father was in construction and built a major oil refinery in Nazi Germany which was approved by directly Adolf Hitler in person. While the Koch Brothers make a half-hearted attempt to deny this, there is a rather detailed book by Jane Meyer Dark Money. And Hitler himself wanted to try Mellon Bank for Treason for going back on some of their promises toward the end of the war. Ironically it was one of the Mellons who negotiated a deal with the Allies that American Companies should not loose all their assets in Germany, but instead Germany should be bailed out. Clearly this banker had a lot of pull with the US, UK and French governments.
Their new effort to “take over the world” perhaps rooted in the principles with which they were raised by their successful and highly disciplined father have prepared them. According to the Center for Public Integrity, Americans for Prosperity spent a $122 million as it unsuccessfully attempted to defeat President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats in 2012. $83 million was spent on communications, ads, and media. Clearly the Koch Brothers commitment to spend money to influence Americans has rapidly increased since their humble beginnings in 2004.
In a Mother Jones article we find that the Koch Brothers’ meddling with the US Government, Education, the Election, Health Care has grown to an over $400 Million dollar endeavor.
While bankers, corporations and politicians are necessarily tied with each other, it will be a good idea for us to watch carefully, regularly and attentively who is meddling in unison. Trump’s appointment of the CEO of Exxon, Betsy DeVos, the wife of Eric Prince, to the Department of Education, the appointment of an admitted Neo Nazi, Steve Bannon, combined with Michael Flynn’s relationship with Putin is of grave concern.
In the end this effort to overthrow the democracy will not work since the new economy and the American people are going to deal with this challenge successfully. No one will succeed in selling America out to the Russians, Chinese or any other aspiring super power.
First Republic Bank’s Motto is that it is a privilege to serve their customers.
First Republic Bank (NYSE:FRC), today announced it has acquired Gradifi Inc., a Boston-based student loan repayment technology platform to assist the nation’s 44 million student loan borrowers.
Gradifi pioneered the SLP PlanTM (Student Loan Paydown), a technology and service platform used by employers to make direct contributions to employees’ student loans, reducing their overall repayment time and lowering the total cost of the loan. This employee benefit is becoming increasingly popular among employers to help attract and retain key talent, particularly Millennials who are now the largest generation in the workforce and are uniquely burdened by student debt. Gradifi operates a very user-friendly and secure online platform to handle such benefit programs.
Gradifi serves many employer clients from small businesses to PricewaterhouseCoopers, Natixis Global Asset Management, and Penguin Random House.
“We completely support Gradifi’s mission in assisting with the country’s student loan challenge,” said Jim Herbert, Chairman and CEO of First Republic Bank. “They have become a market leader with their outstanding team, innovative repayment programs, and state-of-the-art technology. As education costs and student loan debt continue to rise, offering a student loan repayment benefit for employees is increasingly valuable. Companies are realizing the power of a student loan repayment assistance benefit for both recruiting and retaining employees. As such, Gradifi has a terrific opportunity to assist companies and their employees.”
First Republic is committed to helping individuals and families manage student debt through both innovative refinance and repayment solutions. Earlier this year, First Republic implemented a student loan repayment assistance benefit for its employees, utilizing the Gradifi platform. The response has been overwhelmingly positive from employees, and First Republic has since increased the value of the benefit even further.
“First Republic is the perfect partner to help Gradifi meet the growing demand for our student loan repayment solutions,” said Gradifi Founder and CEO Tim DeMello. “In addition to its commitment to help manage student debt, First Republic’s focus on extraordinary client service aligns with our approach. With client satisfaction ratings that are on par with the world’s most respected brands, First Republic has the commitment to service and entrepreneurial culture, plus the financial resources, to power our growth strategy.”
Gradifi, a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Republic Bank, will continue to operate under the Gradifi brand. Founder Tim DeMello will remain the company’s Chief Executive Officer, with extended employment contracts in place for him and several other senior management members. As part of this acquisition, Gradifi will remain headquartered in Boston and have employees based in New York, Los Angeles, Palo Alto and San Francisco.
The transaction was funded by First Republic Bank with cash on hand. Impact to earnings or capital is currently not material, and further terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Greenhill & Co. served as financial advisor to First Republic on the transaction.
First Republic Honored for Addressing Income Inequality
“NAAC is pleased to honor First Republic and Rosana Han for thinking outside the box in addressing income and wealth inequality,” said NAAC Executive Director Faith Bautista. “First Republic cares for the underserved community. Working in partnership with the NAAC and National Diversity Coalition, First Republic has helped expand home ownership in areas where no bank will make loans. First Republic has also been instrumental in supporting micro businesses and nonprofits, such as NAAC.”
First Republic is different than most banks
The business model at First Republic is distinctly different from most other companies. While they certainly want to grow and make a profit, they also realize that the best way to do that is through hard work and exceptional client service. Because of this operating philosophy, they are driven by a core set of values that define what they must do every day to best serve th clients.
Fitness and Health by TenReps.com expert James Griffing
The gift of virtual and online coaching by Mr. Kansas himself, now known as Mr. Ten Reps.
As the holiday approach instead of staring in the mirror wondering how to keep off the 6 pounds we usually gain, consider this. Train and consult with Coach Griffing who is known as the most qualified fitness expert in the Bay Area. He now offers his training over skype or facebook messenger phone to you no matter where you live. Or, if you live in the East Bay (Walnut Creek) you can visit the gyms in which his offers his training in person.
He prescribes the most effective program for specific goals and current level of fitness. James avoids gimmicky workouts or unnecessarily painful and ineffective exercises. He creates a custom program of proven exercises designed to specific training goals. As we progress he redesigns the program to meet new needs based on the new capabilities. Everything is scaled to the level of conditioning and evolved at the rate of progress achieved. James is well known for his compassion and supportive attitude.
Choose a personal coach who is highly qualified
Griffing earned both a bachelors degree in Exercise Science and a Masters degree in Kinesiology from Kansas State University. At Kansas State University, he instructed ‘Practicum In Fitness Settings’ (KIN520) for 3.5 years (7 semesters); training, and supervising Exercise Science Students in both community and corporate fitness settings.
Griffing is also the author and founder of ExRx.net, a free web resource for exercise professionals and fitness enthusiasts since 1999. Many professional organizations have endorsed ExRx.net including leading certifying organization, medical groups, and universities. Wyle Laboratories consulted with Griffing when they were contracted to upgrade the NASA Astronaut Fitness Manual. His resources have also been used by NYPD, US Dept. of Defense, and The Army Physical Fitness Research Institute and many ladies and men here in the Bay Area.
Why not check out www.tenreps.com and give a subscription of consulting session to yourself or to someone you love.
Jim Dennis invites you to his Annual Holiday Sales at Jim Dennis Photography
Jim Dennis studied under Ruth Bernard, the master of light and shades
As a young boy Jim Dennis was discovered by Ruth Bernard, the world famous photography who belonged to a young group of photographers that included Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. He had the good fortune of training with her at a young age. The way he uses shadows and light is reminiscent of these masters.
Come visit the gallery, shop for wonderful gifts of classic art and join up with other Art Collectors and Jim Dennis admirers for a celebration of the Holiday Season and the Beaux Arts.
When: Sunday December 18, 2016 from 2PM - 8PMWhere: Jim Dennis Photography Studio and Gallery
4300 Horton St, Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 595-8634www.jimdennisphotography.com
Jim Dennis is a world renowned Bay Area Photographer whose work has spanned over thirty years, with exhibits ?at a variety of artful venues across the nation including: ?Kodak Gallery, New York, New York,? Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois?, The Oakland Museum, Oakland, California. ?Jim Dennis, a native of San Francisco recognized at an early age that he was visually oriented and ?was excited to discover that he could capture on film, elements that provoked thought and stirred emotion.
Jim Dennis Interview with an historic overview of many of his art pieces.
Jim Dennis loves music and enjoys to portray musicians. He has an amazing collection of photos of classic musicians, including Miles Davis, Lou Rawls, Pete Escovedo, Sarah Vaughn, Sheila E. and many more. He has photos of famous politicians and famous people including Willie Brown Jr., Barbara Lee, Dalai Lama, Princess Christina and too many to mention.
Stanley Jordan, Rolando Morales, Ranie Smith and Lloyd Gregory
As a young staff photographer with Eastman Kodak, Dennis photographed people and places across the world:?the Taj Mahal in India; life in Morocco; cultural portraits in Turkey. He also photographed the Indy 500 and Grand Prix Races, a cattle round-up in Wyoming and the Ringling Bros. Circus, Barnum, and Bailey Circus. His personal extensive travels have provided him with opportunities to capture exciting photographic images in such places as Haiti, Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii, France, Italy, Britain, the Bahamas, Brazil, Costa Rica and the Ivory Coast.
Jim Dennis’ technical skills in photography were honed at Eastman Kodak where he collaborated with engineers ?developing state-of-the-art photographic equipment and products. He regularly attends professional development seminars and workshops to stay abreast of new developments in the photography world and has taught technical skills in photography to students at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. Additionally, he studied with the famed San Francisco photographer Ruth Bernhard in developing his creative skills.
In addition to his personal clients, present corporate clients include: Pacific Bell, Pacific Gas and Electric, American Airlines, San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, East Bay AIDS Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco Unified School District, City of Oakland, Oakland Unified School District, Walter Katz Foundation, World Savings Bank, KTVU-Channel 2, Highland Hospital and the Port of Oakland.
Come visit the gallery, shop for wonderful gifts of classic art and join up with other Art Collectors and Jim Dennis admirers for a celebration of the Holiday Season and the Beaux Arts.
When: Sunday December 18, 2016 from 2PM - 8PMWhere: Jim Dennis Photography Studio and Gallery
4300 Horton St, Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 595-8634www.jimdennisphotography.com
Trump’s website declares: “Mr. Trump will stop China from stealing our jobs, renegotiate NAFTA, cut unneeded regulations and make America the best place in the world to do business and hire workers. Putting America First — and not globalism — will keep jobs and wealth in America.”
The Obama Whitehouse website explains: “The rules-based international economic system has helped to propel China’s unprecedented economic growth over the past 35 years, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. The United States has also benefited from the emergence of a global middle class that, by 2030, is projected to include more than 3 billion consumers in Asia alone. U.S. exports of goods and services supported approximately 12 million jobs in the United States in 2014. China has a strong stake in the maintenance and further strengthening and modernization of global financial institutions, and the United States welcomes China’s growing contributions to financing development and infrastructure in Asia and beyond.” Full Article
Trump will stop China from “taking” jobs from the US.
Trading Floor in China
China Experts at the Brookings institute let us know that China is now the economic superpower they set out to become in the early 90s. They hold the world by the proverbial financial purse strings. Their strategy has been to provide amazingly affordable goods and thus wipe out competition in many countries the world over. With the money they made they have purchased raw materials and have a corner on several core commodities. For instance the Wall Street Journal reported that during the first four months in 2016 the trading volume on the Shanghai and Dalian exchanges had more than doubled over the year before. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics. Dalian-traded iron and ore futures generated approximately the same dollar volume as gold futures in New York. Full Article
Trump now is pursuing an extreme protectionist strategy that puts the U.S. commitment to open trade severely in doubt. There is already the widespread view in China that the United States is withdrawing from the global economy. China and investors all around the world believe that the US is in decline economically and this is borne out in reality. The Balance reported in October 2016: “China’s economy produced $19.5 trillion in 2015 (based on purchasing power parity). It’s the world’s largest economy. The European Unionis second, at $19.1 trillion. The United States fell to third place, producing $17.9 trillion.” The US produces the value of $56,300 per person per year which is roughly four times as much as China produces with $14,300 per person per year.
China has 1.37 billion people as to compared to 325 Million people in the US. Even though 1 half of the Chinese people live very impoverished lives in the country side, there are over 1 Billion more Chinese than Americans. That will not change anytime soon.
The Middle Class in China is growing steadily, it is actually a rather small fraction of the Chinese population. In 2013, China accounted for 35 percent of the world’s total online shopping. By 2018, it is estimated that China’s spending will exceed the rest of the world’s combined, and will account for one in every five yuan spent in China, according to Bloomberg. This is not because the lifestyle in China is higher than it is in the US, but it is due to the fact that there are so many people. And there are so many unmarried men who can spend all their money to make up for their loneliness, created by the questionable 1 Child Policy the Chinese government had pursued. There are 33% more men than women in China. So how does Trump plan to assist American firms to out-maneuver the highly sophisticated and highly educated middle class from China?
So far Trump wants to dismantle our already faltering education system even further. Most jobs these days require superior math skills and all the tariffs in the world that Trump and his team want to impose on China, will not change the fact that China outperforms the US in math and science skills by a HUGE MARGIN. The 2012 PISA study shows: “Percentages of top performing 15-year-old students (those scoring at level 5 or above) in mathematics literacy ranged from 55 percent in Shanghai-China. In the United States, 9 percent of 15-year-old students scored at proficiency level 5 or above, which was lower than the OECD average of 13 percent.” China on a percentage basis out performs the US by a margin of 6. And when you add the fact that China has so 4 times as many people than the US, the US is simply no longer competitive and will not become competitive unless it starts to focus on repairing the education gap. Tariffs don’t make people more educated.
If the US due to the fact that the current administration is terrible in math, cannot realize that if they add tariffs, Chinese products will get more expensive. This means that the products US manufacturers produce with Chinese parts will get more expensive. The end result is that the US manufacturers may loose the few jobs they were able to keep. The world is a competitive market and all countries compete. Wishing it were not so will not change that fact. Even Trump agrees and he purchases his products all around the world and uses the underpaid and unemployed American Consumer as customers while providing the earning capacity to countries who have a better educated workforce.
Americans suffer due to lack of education, due to lack of health care and due to the fact that their hard earned taxes are used in wars all around the world instead of on infrastructure and basic human needs at home. Trump promised he will fix this situation. He claimed he is the “only one” who can fix it. So far he brought in DeVos who plans to ruin the rest of the countries education the way she ruined it in Michigan. He has tasked Paul Ryan with is pet project of robbing the American people of what is left of their Medicare payments, and he wants to abolish Affordable Health Care.
He has empowered Pharma companies to raise their pricing to completely irresponsible levels that surely will end up literally killing the lower income people. He has brought in more military personnel than any previous administration since the Civil War. We are still waiting for him to provide us with signs that he is intent on following through any any one of his promises. Making America Great Again? What does that even mean? The media never received an answer from him. Unfortunately we will find out very soon and the damage will last a long time.
Built on Willis Carrier’s invention of modern air conditioning in 1902, Carrier is the world leader in heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions. Their corporate websites informs us: “We create comfortable and productive environments, regardless of the climate. We safeguard the global food supply by preserving the quality and freshness of food and beverages. We ensure health and well-being by enabling the proper transport and delivery of vital medical supplies under exacting conditions. We provide solutions, services and education to lead the green building movement.” Carriers Corporation is one of the United Technologies companies which employs 197,200 Employees, brings in an adjusted net sales volume of $56.5B*, pays out $6.3* an adjusted diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations $3.9B. UTC’s Total R&D investment includes company- and customer-funded around the world. The US government and other governments around the world are included in these pre-sales earnings.
From what we can tell the company is doing great work in India for instance. They are working hard on assisting companies reduce their food waste, which is a worldwide issue indeed. Food Waste is a major issue in a world where so many people go hungry every day, and it is also known to be a major contributor to Green House Gases. Pence and Trump who don’t believe in protecting the environment, are planning to donate even more money to United Technologies, Carriers Corporation.
Let’s celebrate the positive when we can.
We know that United Technologies has “supported” to create a study that will allow Carriers Corporation sell their products in India. BIO Intelligence Service for the Global Food Cold Chain Council (“GFCCC”) with support from United Technologies (“UTC”). This Report presents an assessment of the potential of the cold chain sector to reduce GHG emissions through food loss and waste reduction. The report educates:
"In monetary terms, the most recent global food loss estimate is a staggering $1 trillion in retail value, or about twice the gross domestic product of Norway 2 , equivalent to the Gross Domestic Product of Switzerland. Further, such loss aggravates food insecurity and malnutrition in a context of growing population and increasing food demand3 . And finally, this food wastage represents a missed opportunity to mitigate environmental impacts and use of resources from food chains. The carbon footprint of food produced and not eaten is estimated to be 3.3 Gtonnes of CO2 equivalent: food loss and waste would rank as the third top GHG emitter after USA and China if it were a country. This amount is more than twice the total GHG emissions of all USA road transportation in 2010."
United Technologies, and by extension Carrier, seemingly is doing a great job reducing food waste in India. Full Report
How is support of this international conglomerate “Making America Great Again?
Every day at United Technologies, nearly 200,000 people across the globe help move the world forward. In Europe they are quite competitive in the aerospace industry and in environmentally refrigeration units.
United Technologies and their brands Otis, Pratt & Whitney, UTC Aerospace Systems and UTC Climate, Controls & Security have recently initiated a $1.5 billion multiyear restructuring plan to improve our competitiveness in the global market. In 2015 they returned approximately $12 billion to shareholders in dividends and share buyback, including a $6 billion accelerated share repurchase program. In February 2016, Carrier announced it would close its Indianapolis factory due to ongoing cost and pricing pressures and to take advantage of and Carrier’s existing infrastructure and a strong supplier base in Mexico. They also initiated a $1.5 billion multiyear restructuring plan to improve competitiveness in the global market. They already operate out of Belgium, Canada, China, Israel, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey, UK aside of their seven corporate offices in the US. The UTC companies conduct operations in more than 160 locations in 26 countries. Most of the manufacturing and parts businesses are outside the US already. Location
In the letter to the shareholders UTC President and CEO elaborates on his commitment to partake in the Middle Class growth in China, India and the Middle East. He is particularly interested in aviation as the middle class in Asia will nearly double the air travel industry in terms of carriers. Letter Aside of making air travel in Asia great again, UTC is a major supplier and repair contractor for the US Military. The company has enthusiastically agreed to a commitment to reduce greenhouse gases and is in the process of moving their core business to the aviation industry. Otis is still and will stay involved with elevators and escalators.
Announcement of Carriers plant shut down in February 2016.
In July Carrier and the United Steelworkers (USW) came to a generous agreement that the any of the 1,400 people who may be loosing their jobs, as they closed down old technology manufacturing lines. They would get a severance package and support with a scholarship fund to get retrained. It seems the company is planning to get out of the HVAC business as they have had lot’s of trouble with leaky freon. The CDC explains that the colorless, odorless gases released when freon leaks cause problems to skin, heart, central nervous system, cardiovascular system. The symptoms include: irritation skin, throat, drowsiness, dermatitis; central nervous system depression; In Animals: cardiac arrhythmias, narcosis.
Consumer Affairs is full of costumer reviews who are not at all pleased with the damage caused by Carrier products, i.e.: “I have two top of the line Carrier Furnaces. Both have been serviced annually. Both crapped out requiring major repairs after 6 years. Both were sold with 10 year parts warranties as they were high-end models. Now however, Carrier refuses to honor the warranty – even for parts. They claim a legal technicality buried in tiny fine print. Customer service was not responsive in any way. Both for reliability reasons and because of their unwillingness to honor their warranty, I would join the chorus of voices suggesting to avoid Carrier.” And another: “I replaced 13 year old Trane units that performed flawlessly for two Carrier Inverter units top of the line for top efficiency with the promise of quiet and reliable and an overall install cost of 50K. In year two one unit’s outdoor inverter caught fire and was backorder for nearly a month. While they paid for the part I had to pay $1200 of labor not covered and was without AC for a month. Then the second unit failed who was installed a year later with some freeze thermostat malfunction and a bill of 1400. Again labor not covered and a month delay on getting parts. So all the energy savings and huge investment barely pay for the repair bills. Clearly Carrier does not stand behind its products and I would never buy their units again. Additionally seeing the pictures of how the unit was burned to a crisp was very troubling and when the dealer said it happens sometimes, I lost faith in Carrier. The people who invented air conditioning forgot that customers have choices. Our family will never buy Carrier again.”
According to a July 2016 article Carrier was planning to eliminate 2,378 jobs as well as 1,400 jobs during a plant closure. “The decision to cut 2,100 manufacturing jobs across the state was financial, according to a statement from Carrier, which will begin eliminating its Indianapolis workforce in 2017 and continue the layoffs through 2019.” Full Article
According the recent reports there will be 1,000 jobs “saved” in 2017. What exactly does that mean? Does they mean they will be laid off in 2018 and 2019 as was already planned anyway. Or, will the jobs be saved for good and the long term? Neither the Trump/Pence team, nor Carrier have been very precise in their reports. If indeed manufacturing jobs would be saved for good at the current payment level that would be a major win for the Trump team. Service sector jobs pay an average of $39,338 a year, compared with $59,029 in manufacturing. Or it may be a misinformation campaign. The provide millions of free dollars to a multi-billion dollar company that moves forward anyway with the lay-offs as negotiated with the Steel Workers Union in July 2016. And, unless the quality of the furnaces improves and/or they are redesigned, it may just be a PR stunt for both the company and the new governmental administration, who are counting on the short memory of the public and the media alike. Perhaps the company may be doing it primarily to hold on to those Boing contracts. This is an exciting story to watch unfold. So far it sounds more like a PR stunt.
KTLA reported: “United Technologies collects about $5.6 billion in annual revenue from U.S. government contracts, according to company filings, which is equal to about 10 percent of its overall revenue. The government also pays for nearly $1.5 billion of the company’s annual research and development spending.” full story
All that said, the retraining programs that United Technologies offers their ex-employees are exemplary. Carrier offers their own private HVAC “University.” They donate money to their ex-employees (tax write-off) who are able to sign up online with their non profit company (low to no taxes) for a fee and instead of having the multi-billion dollar company pay for training, they charge the soon to be or already laid-off employees. Now if they could update the curricula to more modern and usable jobs that would be great. A well managed multi-billion dollar operation now receives even more money for keeping out-dated jobs that create unpopular products that leak toxic gases. (Consumer Affairs)
Their government sponsored (see paragraph above) commitment to move into new technologies that are environmentally friendly should not go unnoticed. Even though they help Europe, Singapore, India and China more than the US. We are going to stay tuned and report on how the Trump / Pence team will “Make America Great Again.” They get an A for media relations so far. Hope real jobs will follow in a verifiable way soon.
Mill Valley Artist Sudha Irwin creates timeless pieces of art to wear.
Sudha Irwin has chosen metal arts as her medium of expression for inspirations she derives from the natural world that surrounds her in Mill Valley, California and from her travels around the world. She has been working in silver, gold, and precious and semiprecious stones for over a decade. Sudha has travelled the world and written about natural beauty as a journalist for major magazines. After raising her kids, she now raises our standards for grace and beauty. Her timeless objects and art to wear will surely turn into heirlooms. Enjoy your visit www.sudhairwin.com
Rolando Morales will appear at Barone’s December 2, 2016
Hola, Mi Gente!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I enjoyed mine. I drove down to So Cal in time to be with my Mom on her birthday last week. It was really important to me that I spend that precious time with her and make her smile. I stayed through Thanksgiving and drove back up the following day in time to get into a small car accident on Black Friday night in Dublin on the way home, work all night wrestling with a failing “Mail” program with AT&T tech until 2am, and hit a private gig. I think everything is finally up and running in time for a heavy December schedule.
This week in addition to my private shows, I’m happy to be returning to Barone’s Restaurant in Pleasanton this Friday night for a solo show at a first rate establishment. I always enjoy the patrons and staff at this warm, welcoming venue. Details below.
And on Saturday December 3, I return to The Vine at Bridges in Danville for a nice Latin Holiday version of my sound. I’ll have my buddy Edgardo Cambon along to add his fire on Latin Percussion and vocals. This might be my last appearance at The Vine for several months, so don’t miss it! Details below.
Rolando Morales Duo at The Vine at Bridges featuring Edgardo Cambon
Know, too, that I’m returning for our annual Christmas “La Posada” Celebration for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Thursday December 8 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Rafael. It’s a great opportunity for dining, networking, dancing and grooving to my music. All the details are below.
The last public highlight happens on Saturday December 17 when I perform a special dinner show at RaeSet in Napa. They’ll provide a special 3-course Asian fusion meal with paired beers, and I’ll do a show for each of two seatings. All the details are below in the calendar. Definitely make your reservations soon as seating is limited. See www.raeset.com and order on line. Details below in the Calendar.
So check out your new December Calendar, come out and say Hey. See you at the show!
Ciao,
Rolando
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES DECEMBER 2016
Friday Dec 2, Barone’s Restaurant, 475 St. John St., Pleasanton CA, approx 7:30-10:30pm. Rolando returns to one of Pleasanton’s premier dining establishments. Enjoy exquisite meals, libations and Rolando’s vast repertoire in the Cocktail Lounge for a great night out. See www.baronespleasanton.com, (925) 426-0987.
Saturday Dec 3, Vine at Bridges, 480 Hartz Avenue, Danville, approx 8-11pm. The Rolando Morales Duet returns to this cool winery and nightspot. Enjoy a wonderful selection of wines, superb dinners and munchies while grooving to this powerful duet. Tonight Rolando reunites with the wonderful Latin percussionist/vocalist from Uruguay who leads Candela, the great Edgardo Cambón; and on guitar, voice and his pedal board of magic, the passionate Rolando Morales.This is only the second time they’re playing at this venue this year, so don’t miss it! www.thevineatbridges.com, (925) 820-7210.
Thursday Dec 8, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Marin Annual Christmas “La Posada” Celebration, Embassy Suites Hotel, 101 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael CA, 5:30 to 9:30pm. Cecilia Zamora, President of this fine organization, has invited Rolando to play for this fun celebration with members and non-members interested in this influential body of community leaders. Enjoy Rolando performing on solo guitar and voice as you unwind to cocktails and hors d’ouvres, your included dinner and then the presentation of three annual prestigious awards. Then Rolando will play a spirited set for dancing to close the evening. You will emerge having made meaningful connections and sharing new insights. $50 members/$65 non-members. RSVP and purchase online: http://www.tinyurl.com/XMASLaPosada2016. For info call (415) 721-9686 or email hccmarin@um.att.com.
Thursday Dec 15, Piacere, 727 Laurel Street, San Carlos, CA 9070, 8-11 pm. After 2 years away, Rolando finally returns to this fine Peninsula restaurant that takes you on a culinary tour of Italy. Rolando will take you on a sensory tour of the Americas and beyond on solo guitar and voice. Come along for the ride. www.piacererestaurant.com, (650) 592-2040.
Saturday Dec 17, RaeSet, 3150B Jefferson Street, Napa CA 94558, Two Dinner Seatings: 5 to 6pm and 7:15 to 8:15pm. Two Shows: approx 6 to 7:15 and 8 to 9:15pm. Rolando debuts at this local Napa Asian Fusion casual dining room which pairs great food, great beer and great music. Tonight they offer two seatings for a special 3-course Asian-inspired dinner. Rolando will serve up his own unique blend of international flavors on solo guitar and voice, tailoring his sound to the moment. $50 includes show, 3-course dinner and a tasting of Almanac beers. Limited seating! Reserve now at (707) 666-2475, www.raeset.com.
Thursday Dec 29, Piacere, 727 Laurel Street, San Carlos, CA 94070, 8-11 pm. Rolando returns to this fine Peninsula restaurant that takes you on a culinary tour of Italy. Rolando will take you on a sensory tour of the Americas and beyond on solo guitar and voice in the fun, lively bar area. www.piacererestaurant.com, (650) 592-2040.
Friday Dec 30, Don Pico’s Mexican Bistro, 461 El Camino Real, San Bruno, 6 to 9 pm. Rolando returns to this popular dining spot for the last time this year on solo guitar and voice in the intimate Restaurant Room.(650) 589-1163 and see www.donpicosbistro.com.
All other shows are private. Why not hire Rolando for your own private event? He’s available for corporate shows, weddings, parties, concerts and festivals. The Rolando Morales group is available as sextet, quintet, quartet, trio and duo depending on your entertainment needs and budget.
Fuente brings your hair’s natural beauty to life. Tell your favorite hairdresser.
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The lava-based clay consists mainly of minerals with a high content of silicon dioxide, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium which are magnetized to create a natural hair care product that enchants international hair stylists and especially their customers. When using Rhassoul Mousse Shampoo and the Mask Treatment hair begins to shine without becoming heavy like they do with oil treatments.
At the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra in Andalusia, one of the most beautiful and pristine landscapes in Spain, today’s Managing Director and company owner Paul Warmerdam found the first inspiration for a groundbreaking concept of create all natural products originally used all around the world. He discovered Rhassoul which as been used for hundreds of years in Marocco famous for the long shiny smooth hair of their beautiful Maroccan women.
Paul Warmerdam, Fuente's owner, explains the secret: "It can be compared with the adhesion of crystallized sugar and powdered sugar to the skin. If you hold your finger in crystal sugar, the crystals will almost all fall off again. The larger particles are first sliced by a device and then split. As soon as they are less than 1 mm, they are too small for the usual method and can not be reduced any further. Fuente allows the particles to be reduced to one hundredths or even one thousandths of a millimeter."
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Stephen Bannon and the people he promotes in Breitbart want to bring the Nazi Era back
Slave labor was celebrated by the Nazi’s and the US prison system is already overloaded. The Colorado support for Slavery, literally and legally, is a bad omen.
To simply assume that “Labor Prison Camps” can’t happen in the US is the easy way out, since there are already exist today and have since forever. For instance, in a CNN Money report we found that Barrett, 36, sued the Florida Department of Corrections for negligence after an mentally ill prison mate gouged out one of his eyes. The department responded with a “cost of incarceration lien” of $54,750 — the total cost of Barrett’s 1,095 day stay in the prison at $50 a day. “They charged me for me being in prison,” Barrett said. “Yeah I was surprised.” Dee Taylor, was released after serving a three-year bid in various Florida prisons, he also got a bill for around $55,000 from the Florida Department of Corrections. A recent report from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law found that these types of fees, where inmates can be charged for room and board, have been authorized in at least 43 states. In 2014, for example, an appellate court in Illinois ruled that a Chicago inmate named Johnnie Melton would have to pay nearly $20,000 to the Illinois Department of Corrections for the cost of his incarceration.
In Arizona, an inmate’s friends and family can be charged $25 just to visit them. In 35 states, facilities can charge inmates for medical services. Some of these charges can be taken directly out of a prisoner’s commissary account while the person is still incarcerated. In some cases, the commissary account itself is subject to fees. CNN
Why should we care?
Currently prisoners in Colorado work for 60 cents a day, clearly way below the minimum wage. This is legal in Colorado, in fact they could work for no pay, since slavery inside a prison is still legal in Colorado, and confirmed in the November 2016 election.
This is breaking families apart because some children have to pay $1/minute to talk to an incarcerated parent. Why? Because prisons and jails profit by granting monopoly telephone contracts to the company that will charge families the most. In Colorado for $55 a night, the wives, mothers and children of Prison Valley inmates often stay at the Riviera motel in Florence. Dabrowska is a gentle house mother to families in need — for women like one named Joy, who for years came to visit Kaczynski until she died of cancer. Prisons are big business for instance in a security advertisement by Securus it is stated that investing in Prison Services is great business. Echelon was founded in 1996 started in the first year with $0.1 profit and when public in 2006 with a profit of $41 Million. This telephone company that overcharged the poorest of the poor – namely the families that are left behind by prisoners was sold in 2007 for $708 Million dollars. Not bad for 10 years of work. Now Robert E. Pickens is expanding his reach as president of Securus. Securus has 2,600 customers (prisons) in 46 states. They recruit investors by explaining that they are in a recession proof $78 Billion dollar industry. They explain that their EBITDA (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) grew by 274% from 2007 to 20014. Amazing growth or earnings indeed! They promise that they will experience organic growth through numerous initiatives that are already underway.
From a press release from Securus from April 30, 2014 we learn:
“Richard A. (“Rick”) Smith, current President and Chief Executive Officer announced today the promotion of Robert E. Pickens, Chief Operating Officer to President of Securus Technologies effective May 1, 2014. Mr. Smith will retain the Chief Executive Officer title. “I have worked with Mr. Pickens for over 15 years – in the telecommunications, telecom systems, and high tech government services sectors and he possesses the positive attributes of commitment to the firm, a high level of business integrity, business intellect, and the ability to get results over long periods of time,” said Smith. Mr. Smith continued, “At Securus, Mr. Pickens held the positions of Vice President of Marketing and Chief Operating Officer, and also held these same positions at the previous company Eschelon Telecom, Inc. – a Minneapolis, Minnesota competitive local exchange carrier where he and I worked together for approximately nine (9) years. Because of our tenure working together, I am sure that Mr. Pickens will continue to deliver good results as a higher level executive. “We have completed nine (9) strategic acquisitions of assets, patents, technologies, and companies over the last twenty-four (24) months – and Mr. Pickens represents a perfect match for effectively managing this expanded set of entities and assets along with his classic Securus responsibilities.” Securus Technologies, Inc. is one of the largest providers of detainee communications, parolee tracking, and government information management solutions, serving approximately 2,600 correctional facilities in 46 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and Mexico, and more than 1,000,000 inmates. A recognized leader in providing comprehensive, innovative technical solutions and responsive customer service, Securus’ sole focus is the specialized needs of the corrections and law enforcement communities. Securus is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, including four regional offices in the Dallas metro area as well as one in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information please visit the Securus website at www.securustech.net.
Peter Wagner an expert on the prison system tells us: “There are 3,283 jails in America, yet jails receive scant attention. The legislative, judicial and executive decisions that have fueled the explosion of our state prison populations are becoming well-known; but the myriad of subtle policy decisions that have sent our jail populations upwards are off the public’s radar.
For instance do you know that capturing innocent people, keeping them in jail for a while before giving them a hearing, after which they are released is BIG, BIG business? In the U.S., which has the largest pretrial detention population in the world, 20 percent of detainees eventually had their case dismissed or were acquitted. According to American Quarterly. Being imprisoned often comes with a very high price. The U.S. has estimated that at least 13 percent of inmates have been sexually assaulted. Too often, jails and prisons across the Americas have become warehouses for individuals who are undereducated, unemployed, addicted to controlled substances, and/or have medical or mental health needs.
Racial Bias in the Prison System is now computerized
The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 was introduced in the United States Congress and both Republican and Democratic senators backed the ambitious bill. A proposed program instructs the U.S. attorney general to establish what the bill calls a “post-sentencing risk- and needs-assessment system” for federal prisoners, which would assign inmates a low, moderate, or high score based on their likelihood of recidivism. “Dynamic risk factors”—including “indicators of progress and improvement, and of regression, including newly acquired skills, attitude, and behavior changes over time”—would determine the ratings. The language of the bill indicates that an inmate’s score will affect housing assignments, telephone and visitation privileges, and be consulted in making assignments to anti-recidivism programs like vocational training, faith-based programming, and drug- and alcohol-recovery classes. Those who are considered low-risk inmates are eligible for reduced sentences would receive 10-days credit for every 30 days of successful participation, while other “high-risk” inmates receive only 5 days credit.
The very concept of predicting crime challenges the presumption of innocence, a central tenet of the American criminal-justice system.
Police still patrol streets and knock on doors, but computers, rather than humans, decide which streets and which doors. Essentially, this is crime forecasting: Police are trying to stay ahead of potential criminals, who may or may not be about to violate the law.
The trouble with this bill is that it has racial bias built into a system that is sure to create the proof of this racial bias. “The categorical exclusion of over half the prison population is unwarranted, and would have a disparate impact on African American and Native American inmates. Risk factors correlate with socioeconomic class and race, and studies show that African Americans are more likely to be misclassified as high risk than White or Hispanic offenders. The exclusion is also contrary to the goal of increasing public safety. Many of the excluded inmates have the greatest need to participate in programming, but would have no meaningful incentive to do so. With or without time credits, they will serve lengthy sentences and then be released. By failing to encourage them to participate in programs shown to reduce recidivism before releasing them to the community, S. 467 fails to promote the stated goal of enhancing public safety. ” Federal Defender Analysis Report Source: Atlantic Monthly
If you can’t afford bail you will be rated worse than if you can, even if you are innocent.
Incarceration Front Door Statistics, Vera Institute for Justice
Prisoners who are let go due to the fact that they are innocent still get charged the cost of incarceration fee.
Currently3 out of every 5 peoplein jail areunconvicted and are presumed innocent, they are there becausethey are too poor to post bailwhile they await their trial.
The Prison and Labor Camp Industry is thriving
The LA Times reported in 2015 that in the place known as Prison Valley, Colorado is home to 11 state and federal lockups, more than 7,500 inmates do time near two communities that have the feel of college towns — an odd coupling that can create tension and conflict perhaps found nowhere else in America. Fremont County (population 46,000) has Colorado’s biggest per capita population of prison inmates, a rate that’s also one of the nation’s highest.
The United States Holocaust Museum tells us:
From its rise to power in 1933, the Nazi regime built a series of detention facilities to imprison and eliminate so-called “enemies of the state.” Most prisoners in the early concentration camps were German Communists, Socialists, Social Democrats, Roma (Gypsies), Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, and persons accused of “asocial” or socially deviant behavior. These facilities were called “concentration camps” because those imprisoned there were physically “concentrated” in one location.
Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its allies established more than 40,000 camps and other incarceration sites. The perpetrators used these sites for a range of purposes, including forced labor, detention of people thought to be enemies of the state, and mass murder. The total number of sites is based upon ongoing research in the perpetrators’ own records.
Millions of people were imprisoned and abused in the various types of Nazi camps. Under SS management, the Germans and their collaborators murdered more than three million Jews in the killing centers alone. Only a small fraction of those imprisoned in Nazi camps survived.
We live in a new world so learn the basics about cyber attacks.
Here are examples of cyber criminals favor schemes to defraud the public.
To good to be true schemes
Advanced Fee Schemes: Clever con artists will offer to find financing arrangements for their clients who pay a “finder’s fee” in advance. They require their clients to sign contracts in which they agree to pay the fee when they are introduced to the financing source. Victims often learn that they are ineligible for financing only after they have paid the “finder” according to the contract. Such agreements may be legal unless it can be shown that the “finder” never had the intention or the ability to provide financing for the victims. They use lawyers and it will be very, very difficult to proof that they are frauds, since you don’t know where they are located and you signed the agreement.
So be wary of businesses that operate out of post office boxes or mail drops and do not have a street address. Also be suspicious when dealing with persons who do not have a direct telephone line and who are never in when you call, but always return your call later.
So don’t trust strangers even if they are on the internet with flowers and hearts. Especially then. Remember what Reagan said: “Trust but Verify“. Make a habit of visiting the FBI’s website for tips. They keep up to date for us on the latest tricks and tax payers pay good money for that service. However unless we use their knowledge it is wasted on us, for all the tips visit. FBI Advance Fee Tips
Business Fraud
Unless you know the company don’t buy from them. Even if you do know the company you should check Yelp.com, google the company and the product and check out how many complaints come up. Read reports online about them.
Purchase merchandise from reputable dealers or establishments. Before you make a buy, obtain a physical address rather than simply a post office box and a telephone number, and call the seller to see if the telephone number is correct and working, check if their email is working.
Many business scams happen that you pay and they never ship the product, or you get a large refund from an Eastern Block country, that gets returned for overpayment, and then it turns out the original payment was fake, but your repayment was not fake – money gone. This even happens with fake non profit companies or fake copies of legitimate companies. Watch out and beware. Especially seniors are targeted by Cyber Criminals who often hide in “legitimate” business.
Joan Serioux-Forde, 72, thought that she couldn’t feel more devastated after her husband, Christopher, died last year. Then, roughly a month after the funeral, she received a letter from Generation Mortgage, a reverse mortgage lender, informing her that unless she paid $293,000, she would lose her home in San Bernardino, Calif. Ms. Forde said she was never informed that if she wasn’t on the reverse mortgage deed, she would have virtually no right to stay in her home unless she bought it outright. “It’s a nightmare,” she said. Generation Mortgage declined to comment.NYT
Reverse mortgage scams are engineered by unscrupulous professionals in a multitude of real estate, financial services, and related companies to steal the equity from the property of unsuspecting senior citizens or to use these seniors to unwittingly aid the fraudsters in stealing equity from a flipped property. For the other numerous tips on how not to fall victim to fraud scan the FBI popular fraud schemes.
Protect your Kids
Drug dealers put on parties, human traffickers kidnap kids and sell them to child molesters, kids are recruited by gangs, and kids are bullied.
Gwen, the product of a broken home (her mom, caught up in an abusive relationship, did not allow her to know her father) in a lily-white Vermont village, had met Paris in an irregular fashion. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she had been sold to him, for $1,200, in a package deal with her best friend, Alicia. The vendor was Brian Forbes, a six-foot-five-inch, 40-year-old bodybuilder, whom local law enforcement understood to be employed in the bail-bond business.
Dennis Paris remitted Forbes $1,200, and the girls, court documents show, were his. Buying girls like livestock is not unusual. Cheryl, a gems girl, at about 14 was sold by one pimp, “Love,” to another pimp, “Junior,” for $600. The New York City Police detective Wayne Taylor—convicted in July 2008 for the attempted kidnapping of a 13-year-old—purchased his thrall for $500 from a Brooklyn “pimp partner.” In fact, the price for an adolescent female slave is far lower than it was in the mid–19th century, when, adjusted to today’s dollar, the going rate was roughly $40,000, the price of a car.
Full article Vanity Fair
Most importantly, be aware and involved with your kids and stay educated together with them.
Monitor your children’s use of the Internet; keep your Internet computer in an open, common room of the house.
Tell your kids why it’s so important not to disclose personal information online.
Check your kids’ profiles and what they post online.
Read and follow the safety tips provided on the sites.
Report inappropriate activity to the website or law enforcement immediately.
Explain to your kids that once images are posted online they lose control of them and can never get them back.
Only allow your kids to post photos or any type of personally identifying information on websites with your knowledge and consent.
Instruct your kids to use privacy settings to restrict access to profiles so only the individuals on their contact lists are able to view their profiles.
Remind kids to only add people they know in real life to their contact lists.
Encourage kids to choose appropriate screen names or nicknames.
Talk to your kids about creating strong passwords.
Visit social networking websites with your kids, and exchange ideas about acceptable versus potentially risky websites.
Ask your kids about the people they are communicating with online.
Make it a rule with your kids that they can never give out personal information or meet anyone in person without your prior knowledge and consent. If you agree to a meeting between your child and someone they met online, talk to the parents/guardians of the other individual first and accompany your kids to the meeting in a public place.
Encourage your kids to consider whether a message is harmful, dangerous, hurtful, or rude before posting or sending it online, and teach your kids not to respond to any rude or harassing remarks or messages that make them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and to show you the messages instead.
Educate yourself on the websites, software, and apps that your child uses.
Don’t forget cell phones! They often have almost all the functionality of a computer.
Get your kids to join you to regularly visit the FBI website and together stay up to date on what could happen to avoid it from happening. FBI Protect your Kids.
Enjoy the holidays with your friends and family, without the trauma of falling victim to cyber crime.
Trump has recently decided that a number Global Warming skeptics and people hostile to protecting the environment should be part of his new “Making America Great Again” administration. Just great!
The Plan is to Shut Up all the People who care
Scientific American wrote about Jeff Sessions the Alabama politicians that wants to join the “Making America Great Again” team.
“Sessions has also sought to restrict the Justice Department’s investigations of people who oppose the mainstream science on climate change. In May, he signed a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch along with four other Republican senators—Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas, David Perdue of Georgia and David Vitter of Louisiana—arguing that inquiries into private companies about climate change violate First Amendment rights to free speech.” Article
This is downright funny in its audacity.
The Missoulan reported that corporations in Montana have a long history of being supported by the state to pollute as much as they wish. It sais: “Certainly Montana has a long record of doing so – excusing industries while they’re operating and bending over backwards to keep the jobs going. But then, as with Smurfit-Stone, a corporate board makes a decision to shut down the operation and Montanans are left with the toxic mess and the inevitably expensive cleanups which may or may not actually clean up the sites. For the good of future generations, it’s time to quit listening to corporate polluters and stop the damage before it happens. Either we realistically regulate polluting industries or, as at Smurfit-Stone, the EPA will step in after the fact and use its Superfund authority to try and remediate our ongoing environmental disasters.” Article
What does Myron Ebel stand for?
Trump chose Myron Ebel to head up the certain ruination of our environment. Myron Ebel has devoted decades to fight legitimate efforts to hold corporate polluters accountable. He is director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and chairs the Cooler Heads Coalition, which comprises representatives from more than two dozen non-profit organizations based in the United States and abroad that challenge global warming alarmism and oppose energy rationing policies. He proudly defended the Automotive Industry’s right to pollute. He believes that the public land belongs to rangers and should be able to use it in anyway they see fit without any concern for the public and their right to have endangered species of plants, birds and animals protected. Ebel’s organization CEI also proudly states on its website: “Yesterday CEI filed a lawsuit against New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman for refusing to disclose the legal agreements his office made with other state attorneys general and environmental activists as part of his “AGs United for Clean Power” campaign against climate skeptics.”
Myron Ebel is know to say: “Carbon pollution is CO2, and that’s really not a pollutant. It’s a plant food, and it doesn’t really harm anybody except that it might include temperature increases,” he said in a 2015 hearing of the Environment and Public Works Committee, where he mocked EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. The links above will allow you to read Myron Ebel’s attitudes in his own words and those of his hirelings at CEI.
The earth is still here for the moment and not all is lost
The Economist frames their reaction by stating: “Even if Mr Trump honors America’s commitment to the Paris accord, it is unlikely that his administration will galvanize action. Many in the Republican establishment think that climate deals are examples of global regulatory over-reach. The world has relied on American Leadership for too long. China’s carbon emissions may already have peaked. Improvements in cars’ fuel efficiency cut oil consumption by 2.3m barrels a day in 2015, even when petrol was cheap. China, India, the European Union, Canada and others have strong incentives to embrace cleaner technologies. If they work together they can make a difference—with or without the United States.” Economist Full Article
Not all countries around the world have sold their soul to the “Mighty Mammon” the way so many US politicians and US corporations have over the past 30 years. In case you don’t remember what that means. It originated in England in the 19th Century where in various publications it is described as: “An intense spirit of selfishness that pervade the entire system of society.” or “Every man for himself and the devil may take the hindmost.” or as in the Cambridge and Oxford Review: “But Mammon had penetrated the country side, where cottage destroying land lords denied that they were their brother’s keepers.”
So hopefully The Economist is correct and as the US will go through a few years of decadent self loathing and irresponsibility the rest of the world will pick up the slack.
To read Myron Ebel’s latest musings and misbegotten “Mighty Mammon” rationalizations that there aren’t any environmental problems and that to say so would take coal out of the bathrooms of poor people you can read it in his own words. click here.
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