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Category Archives: conflict
On Monday, a nurse in Spain was the first person to be diagnosed outside the outbreak zone in West Africa, raising further concerns across the globe, according to the Associate Press, New concern worldwide as nurse in Spain gets Ebola. In the U.S., President Barack Obama said the government is weighing an order for more careful screening of airline passengers arriving from he region. In dealing with potential Ebola cases, Obama said, "we don't have a lot of margin for error." Already hospitalized in the U.S., a critically ill Liberian man, Thomas Duncan, has received an experimental drug in Dallas as another American video journalist who returned from Liberia arrived Monday at the Nebraska Medical Center for treatment has shown signs of improvement. Ashoka Mukpo, 33, was able to walk off the plane before being loaded on a stretcher and taken to an ambulance, and his father said his symptoms of fever and nausea appeared mild. The Spanish nurse had been part of a team that treated two missionaries flown home to Span after contracting Ebola in West Africa. The nurse only showed signs of fever, but the infection was confirmed by two tests, according to Spanish health officials. She was being treated in isolation, while authorities drew up a list of people she had had contact with. Medical workers in Texas were among Americans waiting to find out whether they had been infected by Duncan, the African traveler. In Washington, the White House continued to rule out any blanket ban on travel from West Africa. People leaving the outbreak zone are checked for fevers before they're allowed to board airplanes, but the disease's incubation period is 21 days and symptoms could arise later. Nancy Castles, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles International Airport, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has had employees on site at more than a dozen major international airports in the U.S. like LAX for many years. Screening of passengers starts with Customs and Border Protection agents, who work with CDC when they have a case they are concerned about. Obama said the U.S. will be "working on protocols to do additional passenger screening both at the source and here in the United States." The Obama administration maintains that the best way to protect Americans is to end the outbreak in Africa. To that end, the U.S. military was working Monday on the first of 17 promised medical centers in Liberia and training up to 4,000 soldiers this week to help with the Ebola crisis. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, "The tragedy of this situation is that Ebola is rapidly spreading among populations in West African who don't have that kind of medical infrastructure." The virus has taken a heavy toll on health care workers in a region where shortages of doctors and nurses before Ebola were rampant and so far the disease has killed or sickened more than 370 in the hardest hit countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Airlines have dealt with previous epidemics, such as the 2003 outbreak in Asia of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. The U.S. didn't ban flights or impose extra screening on passengers during the SARS outbreak or the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Both of those were airborne diseases that spread more easily than the Ebola virus, which is spread by contact with bodily fluids. The SARS death rate was about 10 percent, higher for older patients. Its new relative MERS, now spreading in the Middle East, appears to be more deadly, about 40 percent. About half of people infected with Ebola have died in this outbreak. The Ebola outbreak this year has killed more than 3,400 people in West Africa, the World Health Organization estimates, and it has become an escalating concern to the rest of the world. Mukpo is the fifth American sick with Ebola brought back from West Africa for medical care. The others were aid workers – three have recovered and one remains hospitalized. On Tuesday, Reuters reports, More cases of Ebola in Europe unavoidable: WHO, the World Health Organization believes more cases Ebola will likely occur in Europe but the continent is well prepared to control the disease. Speaking to Reuters just hours after Europe's first local case of Ebola infection was confirmed in a nurse in Spain, the WHO's European director, Zsuzsanna Jakab, said further such events were "unavoidable". Spanish health officials said four people had been hospitalized to try and stem any further spread of Ebola there after the nurse became the first person in the world known to have contracted the virus outside of Africa. Jakab told Reuters via phone interview for her Copenhagen office: "Such imported cases and similar events as have happened in Spain will happen also in the future, most likely. It is quite unavoidable … that such incidents will happen in the future because of the extensive travel both from Europe to the affected countries and the other way around." Several countries in the WHO's European region, including France, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Norway and Spain, have treated patients repatriated after contracting the disease in West Africa, where Ebola has been raging through Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since March. Cases have also been imported into Nigeria, Senegal and the United States. Jakab said that within Europe, health workers caring for repatriated Ebola patients, as well as their families and close contacts, were most at risk of becoming infected. With case numbers in the West Africa rising exponentially, experts say it is only a matter of time before Ebola spreads internationally, but they stress the chances of sporadic cases leading to an outbreak in Europe, the United States or elsewhere beyond Africa are extremely low. Jakab added, "If they see any need for support or advice, we are always behind them. We are well prepared. I really don't think that at this stage we should be worried about these particular cases. This was to be expected. We expected it in other parts of the region – and it came in Spain, but it did not come totally as surprise."
While it seems the threat of Ebola can be controlled through a coordinated effort, the threat of ISIS seems far from under anyone's control as the group captures new territory raising concerns for Turkey. On Monday Daren Butler reports, Islamic State raises flag in eastern Kobani, Kurds say town has not fallen, the Islamic State after a three week assault has raised its flag on a building on the outskirts of the Syrian frontier town of Kobani, but the town's Kurdish defenders said its fighters had not reached the city center. A black flag was visible from across the Turkish border atop a four story building close to the scene of some of the most intense fighting in recent days. American and Gulf State warplane air strikes have failed to halt the assault on Kobani which it has surrounded on three sides and pounded with heavy artillery. Local sources inside Kobani confirmed that the group had plants its flag, but Kurdish forced had repelled further advances. Ismail Eskin, a journalist in the town, said, "ISIL have only planted a flag on one building. That is not inside the city, it's on the eastern side. They are not inside the city. Intense clashes are continuing. The bodies of 25 (Islamic State) fighters are there." Despite the presence of Turkish tanks along the border and within sight of the town, Kurdish please for more effective military help have gone unanswered. Islamic State also fought intense battles over the weekend for control of Mistanour, a strategic hill overlooking Kobani. Beheadings, mass killings and torture have spread fear of the group across the region, with villages emptying at their approach and an estimated 180,000 people fleeing into Turkey from the Kobani region. Turkish hospitals have been treating a steady stream of wounded Kurdish fighters being brought across the frontier. Esmat al-Sheikh, head of the Kobani Defense Authority, said via phone early Monday: "If they enter Kobani, it will be a graveyard for us and for them. We will not let them enter Kobani as long as we live. We either win or die. We will resist to the end." Last Week, the co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) told Reuters that Islamic State had a large arsenal from its de facto capital Raqqa to assault Kobani. Asya Abdullah said, "If (Islamic State) is defeated here in Kobani, it will be defeated in Raqqa and throughout Syria. We are happy about the U.S. air strikes. But really, this is not enough. We need more air strikes to be effective against (Islamic State) weapons, to eradicate and destroy (them)." On Monday, Kurdish politicians confirmed that the PYD's other co-chair, Saleh Muslim, had met Turkish officials to urge them to allow weapons into Kobani from Turkey, although no further details were available. Over the weekend, President Tayyip Erdogan vowed to retaliate if Islamic State attacked Turkish forces, and on Monday Turkish tanks deployed along the border for the second time in a week, some with guns pointing towards Syria, apparently in response to stray fire. Last month, the Islamic State group released 46 Turkish hostages and a parliamentary motion last week renewed a mandate to allow Turkish troops to cross into Syria and Iraq leasing many to believe Ankara may be planning a more active role. According to Butler: "For three decades, Ankara has fought an armed insurgency by its own Kurdish PKK militants demanding greater autonomy in Turkey's southeast. Analysts say it is now wary of helping Syrian Kurdish forces near Kobani as they have strong links with the PKK and have maintained ambiguous relations with Assad, to whom Turkey is implacably opposed. Against that are warnings from the leaders of Turkey's Kurds that allowing Syria's Kurds to be driven from Kobani would spell the end of Erdogan's delicately poised drive to negotiate an end to his own Kurdish insurgency and permanently disarm the PKK." Ryan Gorman reports, 'Boots in the air': US combat troops engage ISIS rebels as Canada deploys soldiers to Iraq, the U.S. military has begun to fight ISIS in Iraq despite Obama's promise to not put boots on the ground as Canada sends reinforcements to help in the fight. On Sunday, Army attack helicopters began an assault on insurgent positions outside Baghdad, according to Central Command announced. Early Monday, Canadian officials announces that an advanced team of hundreds of soldiers is also on its way to Iraq. This strike changes the U.S. strategy in Iraq from one of using drones and fighter jets for targeted air strikes to combat troops directly engaging the militants. News of the escalation by the Army came shortly before Canada announced plans to send an advance team of 600 soldiers to Iraq, according to the CBC. Previous reports suggested the Canadian military would not send ground combat troops abroad. But it was also previously reported the U.S. would not engage ISIS in ground combat. Turkey's president on Tuesday said the Islamic State is about to capture the Syrian border town of Kobani where the Kurdish forces are outgunned and struggle to repel the extremists with limited aid from U.S. led coalition airstrikes, the Associate Press reports, Turkey: Syrian border town about to fall to IS. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the coalition air campaign launched last month would not be enough to halt the Islamic State advance and called for greater cooperation with the Syrian opposition, which is fighting both the Islamic State and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad. Erdogan told Syrian refugees in the Turkish town of Gaziantep, near the border: "Kobani is about to fall. We asked for three things: one, for a no-fly zone to be created; two, for a secure zone parallel to the region to be declared; and for the moderate opposition in Syria and Iraq to be trained and equipped." Erdogan said more than 200,000 people have fled the fighting in and around Kobani in recent weeks. Their flight is among the largest single exoduses of the three-year Syrian conflict. The Observatory, which relies on a network of activists across Syria, said Tuesday that 412 people have been killed since the Kobani fighting began.
As disease, war and famine are running rampant in much of the world and little justice can be found, the Supreme Court of the United States have finally done the best thing it could of possibly done…absolutely nothing. By the Supreme Court declining to review petitions from lower courts whose jurisdiction covers nearly a dozen states, the highest court in the land has made same sex marriage legal Monday in 11 additional states. Even though the decision was announced quietly, the resulting shock waves have reverberated across the nation, according to Ryan Gorman, Supreme Court effectively legalizes same-sex marriage in 11 more states. The court validated three federal appeals covering Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, according to Bloomberg. By declining to hear the petitions brought forth from the jurisdictions, the Supreme Court left intact appeals courts decisions to strike down same-sex marriage bans in the locales. Couples in those states should soon be able to obtain marriage licenses and be legally wed. The announcement led a large group of same-sex marriage supporters gathered outside the court to celebrate. They cheered, waved flags, hugged each other and embraced the landmark decision. Supreme Court and #SSM (a same-sex marriage hashtag) immediately shot to the top of trending topics in the United States on Twitter. A case can only be reviewed it at least four of the nine sitting justices want to hear it. The justices also did not signal if they would be willing to hear a same-sex marriage case in the future. No reason was given for the decision. The court has previously showed support for gay marriage when it struck down a federal law last year denying benefits to same-sex married couples. Refusing to hear an appeals on lower court decisions to strike down same-sex marriage bans sets a precedent. The remaining 20 states banning gay marriage will likely also be bound to appeals courts decisions should their bans be overturned. The unions are now legal in a total of 30 states, plus the District of Columbia. Same-sex couples in multiple states across America are getting married after Monday morning's landmark Supreme Court decision to not hear same-sex marriage cases. Wyoming's justification for not recognizing the marriage license applications is on the grounds it's state constitution clearly defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The stipulation was originally made during the state's founding in order to prevent polygamy. Legal experts believe an injunction will have to be granted by a federal court in order for same-sex marriages in the state to proceed. Monday's non-decision came 16 years to the day that Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old college student, was tortured in Wyoming for being gay. He died six days later. It is not clear when marriage licenses will be issued to couples in the other states, while the remaining 20 states have constitutional bans on the unions. The Associate Press reports, Status of gay marriage in all 50 states, the number of states where the practice is legal has skyrocketed from 19 to 30, in addition to Washington, D.C. Here's the legal status of gay marriage in all 50 states:
WHERE GAY MARRIAGE IS LEGAL (And when it was legalized):
– CALIFORNIA (2013)
– COLORADO (Oct. 6, 2014) – Pueblo and Larimer counties began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples Monday, although official guidance from state Attorney General John Suthers is still pending.
– CONNECTICUT (2008)
– DELAWARE (2013)
– HAWAII (2013) – The state Legislature legalized gay marriage last year. Meanwhile, an appeal is pending of a federal court ruling that upheld Hawaii's previous ban.
– ILLINOIS (June 2014)
– INDIANA (Oct. 6, 2014) – Gov. Mike Pence reaffirmed his commitment to traditional marriage but said people are not free to disobey the Supreme Court decision to reject an appeal of a ruling striking down Indiana's gay marriage ban. County clerks issued a few licenses to same-sex couples.
– IOWA (2009)
– KANSAS (Oct. 6, 2014) – The American Civil Liberties Union says the Supreme Court decision in the 10th Circuit cases affects Kansas because it's in that circuit; the group plans to seek a federal court ruling to block Kansas' constitutional ban on gay marriage. Gov. Sam Brownback was defiant, saying he swore to uphold the constitution, and some same-sex couples who applied for marriage licenses were turned away.
– MAINE (2012)
– MARYLAND (2013)
– MASSACHUSETTS (2004) – The first state to legalize gay marriage.
– MINNESOTA (2013)
– NEW HAMPSHIRE (2010)
– NEW JERSEY (2013)
– NEW MEXICO (2013)
– NEW YORK (2011)
– NORTH CAROLINA (Oct. 6, 2014) – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina says it will seek an immediate ruling in federal court overturning the state's ban. North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has previously said he wouldn't challenge such a ruling.
– OKLAHOMA (Oct. 6, 2014) – The Tulsa County Court Clerk's Office issued a marriage license Monday to Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin, the couple who successfully challenged the state's ban on gay marriage. Several other Oklahoma counties also issued same-sex marriage licenses.
– OREGON (May 2014)
– PENNSYLVANIA (May 2014)
– RHODE ISLAND (2013)
– SOUTH CAROLINA (Oct. 6, 2014) – A lawyer for a gay couple seeking to overturn the state's ban on gay marriage said she will ask a federal judge to immediately rule in their favor. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said he will continue to fight to uphold the ban.
– UTAH (Oct. 6, 2014) – Gay couples in Utah began applying for marriage licenses, and a handful of same-sex weddings occurred in Salt Lake County after Gov. Gary Herbert directed state agencies to recognize the marriages Monday.
– VERMONT (2009) – The first state to offer civil unions, in 2001.
– VIRGINIA (Oct. 6, 2014) – Gay couples started marrying in Virginia. Thirty-year-old Lindsey Oliver and 42-year-old Nicole Pries received the first same-sex marriage license issued from the Richmond Circuit Court Clerk's office then were married by gay-rights advocate The Rev. Robin Gorsline.
– WASHINGTON, D.C. (2010)
– WASHINGTON STATE (2012)
– WEST VIRGINIA (Oct. 6, 2014) – Attorney General Patrick Morrisey was studying the implications for the state in light of the Supreme Court decision.
– WISCONSIN (Oct. 6, 2014) – County clerks began accepting applications from gay couples for marriage licenses which, by Wisconsin law, can't be issued until after a five-day waiting period. In Milwaukee and Dane counties, where most of the roughly 500 same-sex weddings took place this summer before a federal judge's decision was put on hold, a few couples applied for licenses.
– WYOMING (Oct. 6, 2014) – A state case, scheduled for a court hearing Dec. 15, is similar to gay marriage cases in federal court but Wyoming supporters weren't ready Monday to declare unconditional victory. They say same-sex marriage could be legal in the state by year's end.
WHERE GAY MARRIAGE IS NOT LEGAL AND CASES ARE PENDING:
– ALASKA
– ARIZONA – In a ruling that called into question Arizona's gay marriage ban, a U.S. District Court judge handed a victory Sept. 12 to a gay man denied death benefits after losing his spouse to cancer.
– ARKANSAS – A state judge in May struck down the state's ban. The state Supreme Court brought marriages to a halt and is weighing state officials' appeal. Same-sex couples are also suing the state in federal court. The attorney general's office has asked that proceedings in both cases be put on hold while the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to take up a case from Utah.
– FLORIDA – A federal judge declared the state's ban unconstitutional in mid-August, joining state judges in four counties. He issued a stay delaying the effect of his order, meaning no marriage licenses would be issued immediately issued for gay couples.
– IDAHO – State officials are appealing a federal judge's decision to overturn the state's ban. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in San Francisco heard arguments Sept. 8 along with appeals from Hawaii and Nevada.
– KENTUCKY – Two Kentucky cases were among six from four states heard in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Aug. 6. Rulings are pending on recognition of out-of-state marriages, as well as the ban on marriages within the state.
– LOUISIANA – A parish judge ruled Sept. 22 that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional; the attorney general has appealed to the state's Supreme Court.
– MICHIGAN – The state's ban was overturned by a federal judge in March following a rare trial that mostly focused on the impact on children. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati heard arguments Aug. 6, and a ruling is pending.
– MISSISSIPPI
– MISSOURI – Attorney General Chris Koster announced Monday he wouldn't appeal a state court order that Missouri recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other states. But two other same-sex marriage cases are pending in Missouri. One is a federal challenge in Kansas City; the other is a St. Louis case that focuses on city officials who issued marriage licenses to four same-sex couples to trigger a legal test of the ban.
– NEBRASKA
– NEVADA – Eight couples are challenging Nevada's voter-approved 2002 ban, which a federal judge upheld a decade later. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel heard arguments Sept. 8, along with appeals from Hawaii and Idaho.
– NORTH DAKOTA
– OHIO – Two Ohio cases were argued Aug. 6 in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and a ruling is pending. In one, two gay men whose spouses were dying sued to have their out-of-state marriages recognized on their spouses' death certificates. In the other, four couples sued to have both spouses listed on their children's birth certificates.
– SOUTH DAKOTA
– TENNESSEE – The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Aug. 6 on an appeal of a federal judge's order to recognize three same-sex couples' marriages while their lawsuit against the state works through the courts. A ruling is pending.
– TEXAS – A federal judge declared the state's ban unconstitutional, issuing a preliminary injunction. The state is appealing to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which is soon expected to set a date for arguments.
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Tagged Canada ISIS, Canadian troops Iraq, CDC, Duncan Ebola, Ebola, Ebola Liberia, Ebola Nebraska, Ebola Spain, Ebola Spread, Ebola U.S., Ebola West Africa, Iraq airstrikes U.S., Isil, Isis, Islamc State Syria, Islamic State, Islamic State Iraq, Islamic State Kobani, marriage equality, Same Sex Marriage, Supreme Court Defense Of Marriage Act, Supreme Court DOMA, Supreme Court Gay Marriage, Supreme Court same sex marriage, Texas Ebola, Turkey Erdogan Islamic State, Turkey ISIS, U.S. Syria airstrikes, U.S. Troops Iraq, Who Ebola
September 26, 2014 by craftymcclever
American Business and Politics: With Liberty and Justice for Some
On Thursday, Attorney General Eric Holder, the country's first African American AG, announced he was leaving the Department of Justice after five and half years in the role, Ryan Gorman reports, US Attorney General Eric Holder to step down. The 63 year old will remain with the Justice Department until his successor is named, but is certain about his departure , according to NPR. While the Obama administration wanted him to stay the full eight years, the final decision was Holder's to make. According to the source who told NPR, Holder is leery about remaining much longer over fears he "could be locked in to stay for much of the rest of President Obama's second term." The decision was made over the Labor Day weekend by Holder and Obama. Possible successors include former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler and Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, according to the Wall Street Journal. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's name has also been mentioned in reports. Holder is the 82nd AG and worked as the deputy attorney general under President Clinton in the 1990s. His troublesome tenure, the fourth longest in history, was riddled with political infighting and racial divided across the nation, culminating with the Michael Brown shooting last month in Ferguson, Missouri. The AG was dispatched directly to the St. Louis suburb to handle he inquiry into the unarmed black teen's death at the hands of white police officer Darren Wilson. Nedra Pickler reports, Holder resigning: Attorney general backed rights, in an emotional ceremony at the White House, Obama said Holder did a superb job and credited him with driving down both the nation's crime and incarceration rate for the first time in 40 years. Obama said, "He believes as I do that justice is not just an abstract theory. It's a living and breathing principal. It's about how our laws interact with our daily lives." In a speech earlier this week, Holder described the dual personal perspective he brought to the job and how it applies to the Ferguson shooting. He said he has the utmost respect for police as a former prosecutor and the brother of an officer, but added, "As an African-American man who has been stopped and searched by police in situations where such actions were not warranted, I also carry with me an understanding of the mistrust that some citizens harbor." Holder told the Associated Press in an interview that he's not sure whether the Justice Department will finish its investigation into the shooting before he leaves. Holder said "I don't want to rush them" and once out of office, he will direct attention to "issues that have animated me" during his tenure, including criminal justice and civil rights. Holder said his biggest regret was "the failure to pass any responsible and reasonable gun safety legislation after the shootings in Newtown and thought after the Connecticut shooting that the nation would embrace change that was "not radical but really reasonable" on gun ownership. As the article reports: "He was a lightning rod for conservative critics and faced a succession of controversies over, among other things, an ultimately abandoned plan to try terrorism suspects in New York City, a botched gun-running probe along the Southwest border that prompted Republican calls for his resignation, and what was seen as a failure to hold banks accountable for the financial system's near-meltdown. Stung by criticism that the department hadn't been aggressive enough in targeting financial misconduct, Holder in the past year and a half secured criminal guilty pleas from two foreign banks and multibillion-dollar civil settlements with American banks arising from the sale of toxic mortgage-backed securities. Even then, critics noted that no individuals were held accountable." Jim Kuhnhenn sums up the legacy of the nation's first black attorney general and one of President Barack Obama's longest servicing Cabinet member in his article Holder's legacy: counterterrorism to civil rights:
"Holder declared that waterboarding was torture, ordered a review of CIA interrogations, and defended the use of drone strikes overseas. His Justice Department successfully prosecuted terrorism suspects, including Osama bin Laden's son-in-law. He was widely criticized by Republicans and some Democrats for his plan to try professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other alleged co-conspirators in New York, a plan he ultimately dropped."
"He fought against voter ID laws, urged federal prosecutors to shy away from seeking mandatory minimum prison sentences for nonviolent criminals, introduced new clemency criteria and backed proposals to give leniency to certain drug convicts. He also advanced legal protections for gay couples, declaring in 2011 that the Justice Department no longer would defend the constitutionality of a 1996 law that prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage."
"Though not a proponent of the death penalty, Holder approved pursuing capital punishment in numerous federal cases. But in the aftermath of a botched execution earlier this year in Oklahoma, Obama asked Holder to study the protocols used by states in applying the death penalty. The Justice Department already was reviewing practices used by the Bureau of Prisons and had placed a moratorium on federal executions."
"Holder became the administration's point man in the federal response to the police shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri. He ordered a civil rights investigation into the Ferguson Police Department. In the shooting's aftermath, Holder also enlisted a team of criminal justice researchers to study racial bias in law enforcement."
"Holder became the first Cabinet member to be held in contempt of Congress amid a dispute over document production in a long-running congressional investigation of a flawed law enforcement gun-smuggling probe along the Southwest border."
MEDIA CRACKDOWN
"Under Holder's watch, the Justice Department cracked down on news media reporting on national security matters. The department secretly subpoenaed phone records from Associated Press reporters and editors and used a search warrant to obtain some emails of a Fox News journalist as part of a separate leak investigation."
While Obama has received several blows in recent years to his Cabinet that ended with resignations, the fight for fairness and accountability in America seems to be on an upswing regarding business practices in the public and private sector. Janet McConnaughey reports, Businesses won't have to return BP spill payouts, a federal judge Wednesday said that the oil giant BP must stand by its agreement with companies to compensate them for losses blamed on the 2010 Gulf oil spill. BP argues that the flawed funding formula enabled nearly 800 businesses to overestimate their spill related claims. Attorney Kevin Downey argued about 150 claimants should return a total of $185 million and overpayments to the rest haven't been calculated. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier agreed weeks ago to change the compensation formula for any future payments, but ruled Wednesday that a deal is a deal when it comes to the money BP has already paid out. Under that deal, claimants agreed not to sue, and BP agreed that no future court action could change their payments. Company spokesman Geoff Morrell said, "BP disagrees with today's decision and will appeal it. We asked the Court, as a matter of equity and fairness, to order the return of excessive payments." Barbier said he would rule later on the issue of compensation for cleanup workers whose chronic medical problems weren't diagnosed until after the deal's cutoff date of April 16, 2012. The settlement entitled cleanup workers with chronic conditions including rashes and breathing problems to receive up to $60,700 if the problems first surfaced within days of their cleanup work. Pavel Molchanov, an energy analyst for Raymond James, said, "In 2010 and 2011, BP was willing to cut any deal necessary with anyone to reduce its legal risk. Now the company is taking a more assertive approach." The judge's ruling this month that BP showed gross negligence and willful misconduct added a new level of uncertainty around BP's spill-related expenses, reducing its market value by $9 billion in a single day. BP's total potential liabilities now include up to $18 billion in fines and penalties that could be imposed for violating federal pollution laws, and more than $27 billion BP says it has already paid to restore the coast and settle damage claims. The claims office said it has paid $4.1 billion to more than 50,700 people and businesses as of Wednesday, and it's not done yet – the settlement fund is not capped. Meanwhile, the U.S. must pay $554 million to the Navajo Nation for mismanaging reservation resources and leaving the largest Native American tribe in the country at incredible disadvantages for decades, according to the AOL article, U.S. Will Pay $554M Settlement to Navajo Nation. The payout negotiated earlier this year is the largest payout to a tribe in U.S. history and tribal leaders say the payout is much needed, reports Ben Shelly via YouTube. Spread across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, the Navajo Nation has more than 300,000 members. The region is rich with natural resources like oil, gas and coal, other resources like water and agriculture land are scarce, the Navajo Tourism Department state. In a video via Indian Country Today, the Navajo lawsuit from 1946 to 2012 said the U.S. didn't negotiate the best deals from companies mining natural resources from the region and didn't make sure the Navajos were compensated properly. A CCTV investigation in 2012 found that more than 40 percent of the nation's members lived without running water or electricity. This is another in a long line of settlements by the Obama administration with Native Americans, who had tried in vain for generations to battle government practices and a system that dated back to the 1800s. The Washington Post reports many tribes with pending litigation wrote to President Obama in 2009 asking the administration to expedite settlements instead of going to court. On the minimum wage front, Claire Zillman reports, 101-year-old law puts minimum wage at heart of Wisconsin governor's race, a complaint filed with thew state's department of workplace development Wednesday, by 100 low wage workers and the group Wisconsin Jobs Now, argues that the state's $7.25 minimum wage violates a 1913 law unique to Wisconsin that requires that the state minimum wage "shall not be less than a living wage," which is defined as one that ensures "reasonable comfort, reasonable physical well-being, decency, and moral well-being." The filing is an attempt to force the hand of Governor Scoot Walker on the state's minimum wage and by law required the administration's department of workplace development, whose secretary was appointed by Walker, must determine if there's a basis for a minimum wage hike within 20 day. The timing of the filing comes amidst a fierce race between Walker, who opposes a minimum wage hike, and his opponent in the race for governor, Democrat Mary Burke. A Marquette Law School poll from late August showed Walker leading narrowly by three points. In a statement to Fortune, Walker's office said the workplace development department is reviewing the complaint: "Governor Walker wants jobs in Wisconsin that pay two or three times the minimum wage. He is focused on finding ways to help employers create jobs that pay far more than the minimum wage or any other proposed minimum." While the "living wage" law is unique to Wisconsin, there are four other states—California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts—that give the governor the power to increase the minimum wage, according to NELP. On Thursday, Tom Huddleston Jr. reported, Dow Jones plunges more than 260 points amid massive market sell-off, all 30 Dow companies lost value making it one of the worst trading days this year amid investor concern about global instability and the possibility of higher interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 264 points, or 1.5%, to close below the 17,000-point mark at 16,945.80. All 30 companies on the blue-chip index saw their shares drop. JPMorgan Chase JPM and UnitedHealth Group UNH saw the biggest declines among Dow Jones companies, dropping 2.4% and 2.3%, respectively. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq fell 1.6% and 1.9%, respectively, as each index has now declined in four of the past five days of trading. The reason for the fall as Huddleston Jr. reports is due the Obama administration announcement of regulations aimed at fighting corporate tax inversions and the U.S.-led airstrikes conducted in Syria. In addition, reports of a leadership change in China's central bank and the announcement on Thursday by Richard Fisher, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, that the U.S. Federal Reserve could start raising interest rates in spring 2015 sooner than expected has created uncertainty among investors.
While big names in the political and business arena suffered minor set back this week, the people in the trenches so to speak have been dealt an even bigger blow only adding to the already heightened racial tensions and well deserved criticism of the justice system. CNN reports, No indictment in police shooting death of Ohio man carrying air rifle, the grand jury in Ohio has decided not to indict police officers for an August shooting death of a 22 year old man carrying an air rifle at a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio. On Wednesday, prosecutor Mark Piepmeier said, "The grand jury listened to all the evidence, voted on it and decided that the police officers were justified in their use of force that day." In a statement, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the U.S. Justice Department will review the shooting of Cincinnati resident John Crawford III: "Now that the state criminal investigation has finished, it is an appropriate time for the United States Department of Justice to look into whether any federal laws were violated during this shooting." In a statement, Michael Wright, attorney representing the Crawford family, said: "It makes absolutely no sense that an unarmed 22-year-old man would be killed doing what any American citizen does every day: Shopping at a Walmart store. The Crawford family is extremely disappointed, disgusted and confused. They are heartbroken that justice was not done in the tragic death of their only son. The Crawford family feels they have been victimized all over again and once again request that the U.S. Department of Justice conduct an independent investigation into the tragic death of John H. Crawford, lll." According to the report: "Crawford was shot and killed by police at a Walmart in Beavercreek on August 5 while carrying an air rifle through the store. Police responded to the scene after a witness called 911 and told dispatchers that Crawford was walking around with a rifle and 'waving it back and forth.' According to police, when officers arrived, Crawford did not comply with their commands to drop his weapon. He was shot twice, once in the elbow and once in the torso, Piepmeier said. Crawford died shortly after being transported to a nearby hospital. His death was ruled a homicide by gunshot wound to the torso, according to the local coroner's office." Prosecutors showed surveillance video from inside the store, which was made public on Wednesday. The two police officers involved, Sgt. David Darkow and Officer Sean Williams, have been on paid administrative leave after the shooting, but Darkow returned to active duty, according to Beavercreek city attorney Stephen McHugh. Williams will be assigned to administrative desk duty until a federal review of the circumstances surrounding Crawford's death is complete, according to a statement. Wright said Walmart surveillance video and eyewitness accounts prove Williams "shot and killed Mr. Crawford while his back was turned and without adequate warning." Beavercreek City Manager Michael Cornell and Police Chief Dennis Evers have requested that the FBI review the case to determine whether there were civil rights violations, the statement said. The nine-member grand jury, which convened on Monday, heard from 18 witnesses. An indictment on charges of murder, reckless homicide or negligent homicide would have required seven votes, Piepmeier said. Meanwhile, Ryan Gorman reports, White SC Trooper faces 20 years in prison for shooting unarmed black male, a newly released video shows a white South Carolina A State Trooper shooting an unarmed black male who was reaching for his driver's license. Lance Corporal Sean Groubert, 31, was fired from the force and has been charged with a felony in the wrongful shooting of Levar Jones, who luckily survived the incident. Groubert pulled Jones over September 4 for a seat belt violation and shot the man without any provocation, according to The State. The former cop faces 20 years in prison if convicted. Jones was not armed and showed no aggression toward Groubert. Luckily, Jones was shot in the hip, but not seriously hurt and was released from the hospital by the time Groubert was fired last Friday. The disgraced officers was arrested Wednesday and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature with a bond set at $75,000, records showed. Unfortunately, the incident comes on the heels of other high profile cases that involved the shooting of unarmed black men by police this summer, most notably the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
As for the Ferguson, Missouri case, 47 days after the incident, Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson has apologized to the parents of the unarmed black teen shot dead by one of his cops, Ryan Gorman reports, Ferguson police chief apologizes for Michael Brown shooting — 47 days later. During a Thursday morning press conference, according to St. Louis television station KMBC, Jackson said, "I'm truly sorry for the loss of your son. I'm also sorry that it took so long to remove Michael from the street." He added his investigators had to secure the crime scene and collect evidence, but the four hours Brown's body laid in the street was unacceptable. Jackson ended by saying that the investigating officers meant no disrespect to the Brown family, the African American community or the people of Canfield, where Brown lived and was shot. The aftermath of the Brown shooting brought national attention as civil rights leaders and protesters took the streets to express their anger and clashed with police in the process. Regarding this matter, Jackson apologized for the inadequate protection for peaceful protesters as riots raged around them. He said, "The right of the people to peacefully assemble is what the police are here to protect. If anyone was exercising that right and is upset or angry, I feel responsible." Things had calmed down in the weeks after Brown was laid to rest, however, flared again this week when his memorial caught fire. This lead to violence as protestors armed with guns, rocks and bottles attacked police, according to reports. Thieves vandalized and looted stores with one store was almost set on fire with gasoline. On Thursday, several protestors were arrested after Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson began marching with he crowd and a scuffle broke out near him, CNN and St. Louis television station KMOV reported. Carey Gillam reports, Police, protesters clash at rally in Ferguson, protestors have pledged continued civil unrest until Wilson is arrested and charged in Brown's death, while a grand jury in St. Louis County is examining the case and the U.S. Justice Department. Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Brown's parents, declined to comment on Jackson's apology. Brown's parents were in Washington on Thursday calling for federal legislation requiring police officers to wear body cameras to document their activities.
Posted in 2014, activism, black and white, business, civil rights, community, conflict, congress, controversial, crime, democracy, economy, finances, goverment, human rights, law, lawmakers, minimum wage, news, politics, shooting, tragedy, United Nations, United States, US, violence, white house, world, world financial crisis
Tagged american justice system, Attorney General Eric Holder, Attorney General Resigns DOJ, BP oil spill, BP oil spill settlement, cop shooting, Dow Jones plummets 2014, Eric Holder DOJ, Eric Holder resigns, Fast and Furious Holder, Ferguson and Civil Rights Protests, Ferguson Police Michael Brown, Ferguson Protests, Holder Congress, Holder Legacy, Holder Obama, Holder resigns, minimum wage law, Navajo U.S. government settlement, Ohio police shooting, Pennsylvania prison rape case, prison rape case, race related cop shootings, SC police shooting, SC trooper indictment, Stock Market 2014, Wisconsin Law, Wisconsin minimum wage
Obama Defends Syria Strikes as the Stock Market Drops, While Turkey and France Defend Their Roles in the Fight Against ISIS
On Tuesday, President Bashar Assad of Syria said he supports any international effort against terrorism as he tries to position his government on the side of the U.S. led coalition conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria, Albert Aji and Ryan Lucas report, U.S.-Led Airstrikes Kill At Least 10 Civilians In Syria: Activists. One Syrian activist group reports dozens of Islamic state fighter were killed in the pre-dawn strikes, while several activist also reported at least 10 civilians killed. Some rebels fighting against Assad welcomed the American led airstrikes, but many expressed frustration that the coalition is only targeting the Islamic State group and not the Syrian government. In a statement posted to Twitter, Harakat Hazm, a rebel faction who has received U.S. made advanced weapons, said, "The only party benefiting from the foreign intervention in Syria is the Assad regime, especially in the absence of a real strategy to bring it down." The air campaign also hit al-Qaida's branch in Syrian, the Nusra Front, which has fought against the Islamic State group. Washington considers it a terrorist group threatening the U.S., although Western-backed Syrian rebel groups frequently cooperate with Nusra Front fighters on the battlefield. State news agency SANA reports, In an meeting Tuesday with an Iraqi envoy, Assad voiced his support and Syria is ""decisively continuing in the war it has waged for years against extremist terrorism in all its forms." He also stressed that all nations must commit to stop support for terrorism — an apparent reference to countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar who are strong backers of Syrian rebels, whom the Syrian government calls terrorists. Though Damascus required permission before an international strike on Syrian soil could occur in recent weeks, the United States has ruled out any coordination with Assad's government. Damascus said Syria "stands with any international effort to fight terrorism, no matter what a group is called — whether Daesh or Nusra Front or something else." In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States informed Syria through the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. of its intent to take action, but did not request the Assad government's permission or coordinate with Damascus. The Lebanese Shiite militant Hezbollah group, which has dispatched fighters to Syria to bolster Assad's forces, condemned the strikes along with Syria's allies, Iran and Russia. In a televised speech, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said, "We are against an international coalition, whether it is against the regime … or whether it is against Daesh. This is an opportunity, pretext, for America to dominate the region again." According to the report: "The strikes, conducted by the U.S., Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, hit Islamic State training compounds and command centers, storage facilities and vehicles in the group's de facto capital, Raqqa, in northeastern Syria, and the surrounding province, U.S. officials said. They also struck territory controlled by the group in eastern Syria leading to the Iraqi border. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 70 Islamic State group fighters were killed and more than 300 wounded. Rami Abdurrahman, the Observatory head, said about 22 airstrikes hit Raqqa province in addition to 30 in Deir el-Zour province. Farther west, the strikes hit the village of Kfar Derian, a stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front."
Meanwhile, after a second day of U.S. strikes in Syria, addressing the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. President Barack Obama called for united action to confront violent extremist Wednesday, according to CNN, More airstrikes against ISIS as Obama urges action at U.N. against extremism. Airstrikes were carried out overnight Tuesday into Wednesday against five more targets: four in Iraq and one in Syria, the U.S. Central Command said. Speaking in New York, Obama said, "It is no exaggeration to say that humanity's future depends on us uniting against those who would divide us along fault lines of tribe or sect; race or religion. This is not simply a matter of words. Collectively, we must take concrete steps to address the danger posed by religiously motivated fanatics, and the trends that fuel their recruitment." According to Obama, the world must focus on four areas to defeat ISIS: First, ISIS must be degraded and ultimately destroyed; Second, it is time for the world to explicitly reject the ideology of al Qaeda and ISIS; Third, the world must address the cycle of conflict, including sectarian conflict, that creates the conditions that terrorists thrive on; And fourth, Arab and Muslim countries must focus on the potential of their people, especially youths. Obama warned, "Already, over 40 nations have offered to join this coalition. Today, I ask the world to join in this effort. Those who have joined ISIL should leave the battlefield while they can. Those who continue to fight for a hateful cause will find they are increasingly alone. For we will not succumb to threats; and we will demonstrate that the future belongs to those who build, not those who destroy." Obama's call for action comes as he faces questions about his decision to bomb terror groups in Syria without approval from the U.N. Security Council or U.S. Congress. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom's lawmakers will soon debate whether their country will join the U.S. and France in conducting airstrikes in Iraq. British Prime Minister David Cameron has recalled Parliament early to discuss the possibility. Parliament will meet Friday to "debate the UK's response to the request from the Iraqi government for airstrikes to support operations against (ISIS) in Iraq," a Downing Street representative said Wednesday. A U.S. law enforcement official with knowledge of the warning told CNN that concerns over possible backlash from terror groups over the U.S. strikes has prompted Homeland Security to warn law enforcement agencies of lone wolf terror attacks on American soil. On Wednesday, CNN reports, U.N. Security Council passes anti-terror resolution, U.N. Security Council members unanimously passed a draft anti-terror resolution to address the growing threat of foreign terrorist fighters. U.S. President Barack Obama said the resolution requires nations to "suppress the recruiting, organizing, transporting, equipping" and financing of "foreign terrorist fighters." Regarding Syria specifically, Obama said, "The only lasting solution to Syria's civil war is political: an inclusive political transition that responds to the legitimate aspirations of all Syrian citizens, regardless of ethnicity or creed. Cynics may argue that such an outcome can never come to pass. But there is no other way for this madness to end, whether one year from now or 10. I can promise you America will remain engaged in the region, and we are prepared to engage in that effort. I can promise you that the United States of America will not be distracted or deterred from what must be done…We are heirs to a proud legacy of freedom, and we are prepared to do what is necessary to secure that legacy for generations to come."
President Barack Obama took his call for world cooperation against terror, climate change, Ebola and a host of other issues to the United Nations Wednesday, saying the world stands at a crossroads "between war and peace; between disorder and integration; between fear and hope." Besides the growing threat of ISIS, Obama also addressed a variety of other international crises currently facing the global community. Obama said regarding Ukraine that the country represents "a vision of the world in which might makes right — a world in which one nation's borders can be redrawn by another, and civilized people are not allowed to recover the remains of their loved ones because of the truth that might be revealed (referring to Malaysia airline Flight 17 shot down in Ukraine)." Obama stated that if Russia rolls back its involvement, then the U.S. "will lift our sanctions and welcome Russia's role in addressing common challenges." In the fight against Ebola, while the U.S. has promised to send medical workers and the military to build treatment centers in Africa, the President called for a "broader effort to stop a disease that could kill hundreds of thousands, inflict horrific suffering, destabilize economies, and move rapidly across borders." As far as the Iranian nuclear program, Obama addressed it by saying, "We can reach a solution that meets your energy needs while assuring the world that your program is peaceful." Regarding global poverty, Obama said, "We will do our part — to help people feed themselves; power their economies; and care for their sick," he said. "If the world acts together, we can make sure that all of our children can enjoy lives of opportunity and dignity." As far as climate change, Obama said the United States will work on the isue within its own borders, but "we can only succeed in combating climate change if we are joined in this effort by every major power. That's how we can protect this planet for our children and grandchildren."
While France has definitively joined the fight against the extremist group, Turkey is still mulling over the idea as it considers its options. According to Aomar Quali and Paul Schemm, France Won't Stop Fight Against Islamic State Militants Despite Kidnapping, IN a video posted Monday, the group calling itself the Jund al-Khilafah said it would kill Frenchman Herve Gourdel in 24 hours unless France ended its participation in airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq. Speaking to reporters at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, French President Francois Hollande said he had "plenty of confidence" in Algerian security forces that "everything will be done so that we can recover our compatriot." He added, "As grave as the situation is, we will give in to no blackmail, no pressure, no ultimatum. No terrorist group can in any way influence France's position, will, and freedom. I repeat it here … we will continue to provide our support to the Iraqi authorities." That would include weapons deliveries to those fighting the Islamic State group and continued air support for Iraqi troops and Kurdish peshmerga forces. French forces on Friday joined the U.S. in carrying out airstrikes against extremists who have overrun large areas of Syria and Iraq. Herve Gourdel, a mountaineering guide from Nice, was taken Sunday night while driving through the Djura Djura mountains in Algeria's rugged Kabylie region, which remains one of the last active areas of operation for al-Qaida in Algeria. He was taken with four Algerian companions who were later released. The U.S. embassy in Algiers renewed its travel warning for Algeria Tuesday, urging Americans traveling there to "exercise vigilance" in their movements. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports, Turkey Mulls Military Role Against ISIS, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Turkish reports in New York he is considering expanding support for Western and Arab operations against the Islamic State group to include military involvement following only hours after the U.S. and Arab allies launched airstrikes against the Islamic State targets in Syria. Erdogan spoke as a sideline to the annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations a day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he expected Turkey to play a bigger role in the fight against ISIS after Ankara secured the release of 49 Turkish hostages being held by the group. Turkey is a main backer of Syrian rebels trying to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, and has allowed thousands of foreign fighters cross into Syria along their common border.
Posted in 2014, activism, al-Qaida, bombing, conflict, congress, controversial, crime, death, goverment, human rights, insurgency, international, Iran, Iraq War, Islamic State, militants, military, news, peace, politics, religion, terrorism, tragedy, United Nations, United States, US, violence, war, white house, world, world financial crisis
Tagged Airstrikes Syria, Airstrikes United Nations, Assad Syria Strikes, Australia ISIS, Bashar Assad, Civilian Deaths Syria, Erdogan, France, France ISIS, Hollande Islamic State, Iraq, Iraq Airstrikes, Iraq Crisis, Isil, Isis, Isis France, Isis Iraq, Isis United Nations, Islamic State, Islamic State France, Islamic State Hostages, Islamic State Terror Group, NATO, Obama UN ISIS, Obama UN speech, Stock Market Drop, Syria, Syria Airstrikes Drop Market, Syria Civilian Deaths, Syria US Airstrikes, Syria US Airstrikes Iraq, Turkey Erdogan Isis, Turkey Erdogan Islamic State, Turkey Iraq, Turkey ISIS, Turkey Islamic State, Turkey Nato, Turkey Prime Minister, Turkey Syria, UN anti terrorism, UN General Assembly, UN ISIS, Unga, US Airstrikes, US Airstrikes Syria
The Ever Growing Threat of Ebola, U.S. and Allies Bombard Syria and Iraq As ISIS Steps Up Attacks and Climate Change Takes Center Stage
A report issued on Tuesday by the U.S. Centers from Disease Control and Prevention estimates that between 550,000 and 1.4 million people in West Africa could be infected with the Ebola virus by January 20, 2015 if nothing changes, Reuters reports, Ebola cases could rise to 1.4 million by January, CDC says. According to the report: "The top range of the estimate, 1.4 million, assumes that the number of cases officially cited so far, 5,864 according to the count kept by the World Health Organization, is significantly underreported, and that it is likely that 2.5 times as many cases, or nearly 20,000, have in fact occurred." CDC says the projection is based on data available in August and an epidemiological model taking into account how many people each Ebola patient could infect and does not factor in the recent U.S. government Ebola relief effort that included 3,000 members of the armed forces to Ebola stricken areas. In a statement, the CDC said: "Extensive, immediate actions – such as those already started – can bring the epidemic to a tipping point to start a rapid decline in cases."
While the world fights to contain the Ebola virus and eliminate the spread by containment, the U.S. and several of its allies try to fight a social disease that has spread throughout the world…extremism specifically the Islamic State also know as ISIS. Llazar Semini and Nicole Winfield reports, Pope denounces perversion of religion for violence, Pope France, on Sunday in Albania, denounced that extremist around the world are using religion to justify violence. The Vatican insisted no special security measures were taken even with the threat of ISIS , but Francis' interaction with the crowd were reduced compared to his previous foreign trips. Albania's Interior Ministry promised "maximum" protection from 2,500 police forces and beefed-up patrols at border crossings. In his opening speech, Francis told President Bujar Nishani, Albanian officials and the diplomatic corps that Albania's inter-religious harmony was inspiring: "This is especially the case in these times in which authentic religious spirit is being perverted by extremist groups, and where religious differences are being distorted and instrumentalized. Let no one consider themselves to be the 'armor' of God while planning and carrying out acts of violence and oppression!" It was Francis' first visit to a majority Muslim nation since the Islamic State crackdown on Christians in Iraq, with members of religious minorities being killed, persecuted or forced to flee their homes by militants. The Vatican has voiced mounting concern about the exodus of faithful from lands where Christian communities have existed for 2,000 years. Albania's president, Nishani, thanked Francis: "There is no intolerance, extremism among us but reciprocal respect inherited from generation to generation," he said. "From an atheist country, we have turned into a country of religious freedom." In his homily, Francis paid his respect to those who sacrificed their lives for religious freedom: "Recalling the decades of atrocious suffering and harsh persecutions against Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims, we can say that Albania was a land of martyrs. Do not forget your wounds, but don't avenge them. Go forward, flying on the hopes of a great future."
While the optimism for a religiously free world spreads , the Islamic State continues to advocate violence in the name of religion. The Associated Press reports, Islamic State group calls for attacking civilians, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani's 42 minute audio statement sounds like a call to arms in response to Barack Obama's coalition formation. A spokesman for the group, al-Adnani, said their fighters are ready for battle and encourage Muslims to attack at home and abroad. In addition, he said the group welcomes the possibility of a ground war with the U.S. and called on Muslims to kill civilians of nations that joined the coalition. In a statement released Sunday, al-Adnani said: "Oh, believer, do not let this battle pass you by wherever you may be. You must strike the soldiers, patrons and troops of the tyrants. Strike their police, security and intelligence members. If you can kill a disbelieving American or European – especially the spiteful and filthy French – or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that joined a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be." Militants in Algeria seized a French citizen on Sunday and later issued a statement saying it was in response to al-Adnani's appeal. In a video that appeared on social media, a masked member of an al-Qaida splinter organization calling itself Jund al-Khilafah, or Soldiers of the Caliphate, said he would kill his captive within 24 hours if France did not withdraw from the coalition seeking to destroy the Islamic State group. Perhaps tapping into fears among Americans of the mission broadening, al-Adnani vowed the U.S. would be "drawn and dragged" into a ground war. "It will come down to the ground and it will be led to its death, grave, and destruction. … Know that our knife is sharp and hard. It cuts off the hands and strikes the necks." Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Bram Janssen report, Clashes Between Iraqi Soldiers And Islamic State Leave Dozens Dead And Missing, Sunday that Islamic State militants in Iraqi army uniforms and driving stolen Humvees killed 40 Iraqi soldiers at Camp Saqlawiyah near the town of Sijir and captured another 68 in western Anbar province where the United States recently broadened their airstrikes, according to Gen. Rasheed Fleih. After the attacks, the Iraqi military withdrew 700 more troops stationed in the area, he said. Iraq's new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement Monday that his government is committed to reinforcing military and police forces in Anbar and will increase airstrikes to target the pockets of militant fighters across the province. On Monday, the U.S. military said the airstrikes on Islamic State targets southwest of oil rich Kirkuk destroyed two military vehicles and a tank and damaged a Humvee. With the U.S. airstrikes, Iraqi and Kurdish forces have retaken several small towns and strategic Mosul Dam, but the Islamic State fighters operate from cities with large civilian populations such as Fallujah and Mosul. In northern Iraq, Helgurd Hikmet, general director of the ministry overseeing the Kurdish forces, said that France, Italy and Germany were among countries providing training in the use of the new machine guns, mortars, rockets and demining robots the Kurdish fighters have received. Last week, the French joined in the aerial campaign, and a number of European countries have committed to arming the Kurds and providing humanitarian support for more than a million people displaced by the onslaught of the Islamic State group. Meanwhile, Turkey's Prime deputy Prime Minster Numan Kurtulmus said Turkey is ready for the worst case scenario should more refugees steam in as the number of fleeing Syrians from the Islamic state group to turkey grew in the last four days since Thursday to 130,000, according to Desmond Butler and Suzan Fraser, Syria refugee flood to Turkey hits 100,000. The Islamic State in recent days has advanced into the Kurdish regions of Syria that border Turkey, where fleeing refugees on Sunday reported atrocities that included stonings, beheadings and the torching of homes. UNHCR spokeswoman Selin Unal said most of those coming across the border are Kurdish women, children and the elderly. She urged the international community to step up its aid for Syrian refugees in Turkey. Meanwhile in Monday night raids, the U.S. and five Arab nations attacked the Islamic State group headquarters in eastern Syria by land and sea based U.S. aircraft and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from two navy ships in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, according to Lolita C. Baldor and Robert Burns, Joint chiefs chair: 'No safe haven' for militants. U.S. officials said five Arab nations either participated in the airstrikes or provided unspecified support. They were Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Several hours after the Pentagon announced the airstrikes against Islamic State targets, U.S. Central Command said American warplanes also launched eight airstrikes "to disrupt the imminent attack plotting against the United States and Western interests" by a network of "seasoned al-Qaida veterans" – sometimes known as the Khorasan Group – who have established a haven in Syria. Central Command said that separate bombing mission was undertaken solely by U.S. aircraft and took place west of the Syrian city of Aleppo. It said targets included training camps, an explosives and munitions production facility, a communication building and command and control facilities. Syria's Foreign Ministry said the U.S. informed Syria's envoy to the U.N. that "strikes will be launched against the terrorist Daesh group in Raqqa." The statement used an Arabic name to refer to the Islamic State group. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told The Associated Press, "There is confirmed information that there are casualties among Islamic State group members." He added that missiles also targeted the towns of Tabqa, Ein Issa and Tel Abyad, as well as the village of Kfar Derian, which is a base for the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, a rival of the Islamic State group. Another activist, Mohammed al-Dughaim, based in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, confirmed that several airstrikes hit Kfar Derian in the early hours of Tuesday. He said there were civilians among the casualties.
While much of the world seems focused on the growing threat of pandemic Ebola and of equal threat ISIS, world leaders and activists took their concern over climate change to the street pushing for change now before its too late. Verena Dobnik and Michael Sisak report, Thousands march in NYC, around globe over climate, tens of thousands of activists walked through Manhattan Sunday to bring attention to and warn that climate change is destroying the earth with demonstrators around the world urging policy makers to take quick action. According to the report: "Organizers said more than 100,000 marched in New York, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Evangeline Lilly. They were joined in midtown Manhattan by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former Vice President Al Gore and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. On Tuesday, more than 120 world leaders will convene for the United Nations Climate Summit aimed at galvanizing political will for a new global climate treaty by the end of 2015. De blasio said, "My sense is the energy you see on the streets, the numbers that have amassed here and in other cities around the world, show that something bigger is going on, and this U.N. summit will be one of the ones where we look back and say it was a difference maker." Ban agreed saying, "Climate change is a defining issue of our time and there is no time to lose. There is no Plan B because we do not have planet B. We have to work and galvanize our action." The New York march was not the only one as similar event tool place around the world to raise awareness on climate change. In London, organizers said 40,000 marchers participated, while a small gathering in Cairo featured a huge art piece representing wind and solar energy. In Rio de Janeiro, marchers at Ipanema Beach had green hearts painted on their faces. Celebrities in London including actress Emma Thompson and musician Peter Gabriel joined thousands of people crossing the capital's center, chanting: "What do we want? Clean energy. When do we want it? Now." In New York, people from tornado ravaged Moore, Oklahoma where 24 people were killed last year and hundreds of people affected by Superstorm Sandy participated in the march. In Australia, the largest rally was in Melbourne, where an estimated 10,000 people took to the streets with banners and placards calling on their government to do more to combat global warming. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was a particular target of the protesters. Abbott's center-right coalition has removed a carbon tax and has restricted funding for climate change bodies since coming to power last year. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary John Kerry on Monday opened a week of climate change talks in New York hopeful that the discussions will set the tone for upcoming negotiations on an international agreement, Michael Pearson reports, Kerry: New York climate summit to set agenda. Addressing business and government leaders attending Climate Week NYC that coincides with the U.N. summit Tuesday, Kerry said: "It's about time that world leaders come to the United Nations to recognize this threat in the way that it requires and demands. And it gives me hope that this global summit may actually produce the leadership that is necessary to try to come together and move the needle, to take advantage of the small window of time — and I mean that — the small window of time that we have left in order to be able to prevent the worst impacts of climate change from already happening." He urged participants to use their influence to steer world leaders toward committing to greater action on climate change in time for discussions on an international climate change agreement to be held in Lima, Peru, in December and in Paris in 2015. Some 125 countries will attend the session, according to the Climate Group, which is organizing Climate Week NYC. Ryan Gorman reports, Global warming likely to cause colder and snowier winters, scientists say, scientists now believe global warming is to blame for extreme cold snaps in North America during the winter months and will keep happening. The "polar vortex" that plunged Canada and the U.S. into historical cold last winter is said by researchers to have occurred because melting polar ice changes weather patterns, according to a study published earlier this month. A team of Korean and American scientist assert in a new study that the melting ices has caused the northern jet stream or upper level air flow to shift south and bring polar air with it. The article explains: "The polar ice is melting because warmer water is riding the Gulf Stream (ocean currents) from tropical regions of the Atlantic Ocean to an area north of Scandinavia. This causes masses of warm air to destabilize the normally strong polar air mass and send brutally cold air right at Canada and the U.S., according to Slate. As the atmosphere continues to warm, and ocean water temperatures rise, this effect will only become more pronounced, researchers argue. The surprising result of global warming, or climate change, will be colder, snowier winters across both countries. The Eurasian supercontinent also experiences this cooling effect, according to study co-author Seong-Joon Kim."
Posted in 2014, abuse, activism, al-Qaida, bombing, conflict, congress, controversial, crime, death, democracy, disease, goverment, health, hostage, human rights, insurgency, international, Iran, Iraq War, Islamic State, militants, military, news, peace, people, politics, Pope Francis, protest, rally, religion, terrorism, tragedy, United Nations, United States, US, violence, war, wellness, white house, world, world financial crisis, world health
Tagged Blair airstrikes, Brazil no deforestation, CDC Ebola, CDC Ebola 2014, Climate Change, climate change march NYC global, Eath's population explosion, Ebola Crisis, Ebola Death Toll, Ebola Outbreak Africa, Ebola West Africa, Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, global climate change march, Iraq, Iraq Clashes, Iraq Military, Iraq Violence, Iraqi forces ISIS, Isil, Isis, Isis Clashes, Islamic State Syria Iraq, Kerry climate change summit, Kurds ISIS, Obama Isis, Peshmerga, Pope Francis, Pope Francis no violence, Syrian Refugees Turkey, U.S. Barack Obama, U.S. Iraq Airstrikes, U.S. Syria airstrikes, Vatican ISIS, Who Ebola, Who Ebola 2014, Yemen, Yemen's prime minister resigned


Long elegant earrings made of Turquoise translucent glass and Teal Dichroic glass with small hammered plated silver decorative discs.
The earrings measure approx. 6cm x 0.8cm from the top of the Sterling Silver earwires. They're made of two layers of glass. A layer of Turquoise translucent glass topped with a layer of Teal Dichroic glass.
The decorative hammered plated silver discs are 1cm in diameter.
The earrings come in a Black or Silver card gift box.


At Barro's Pizza, our pizza can only be described as a combination of thick and fluffy crust, paired with a perfected tangy and sweet, spiced sauce—the Barro family secret. Add generous amounts of the highest quality mozzarella for the flawless trifecta of pizza ingredients.
The Barro's Pizza family recipe goes back to when Grandma Angelina Barro was making pizza and pasta in her own home back in Italy. Her recipes were passed down through the generations and are now used in the family business today.
Grandma Angelina Barro is born in Sarconi, Italy.
Angelina Barro moves to Chicago, Illinois.
The first Barro family restaurant is opened in Chicago by Angelina's sons after they learn the secrets of the recipe behind their mother's perfect pizza.
Angelina moves to Southern California and opens a Barro's location with her sons, Angelo & John.
The Barro Family moves to Arizona and opens their first location in Mesa at Alma School Rd. & Guadalupe Rd.
The Barro Family opens their second location at 7th St. and Coral Gables Dr. It is still owned by Mike Barro today!
The Barro family opens their third location at Brown Rd. & Gilbert Rd. It is still owned by Bruce Barro today!
The Barro Family begins their partnership with St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance to create the Doran Barro Holiday Hunger Fight. On the first Tuesday of every December, all proceeds from store sales are given to St. Mary's to help diminish the number of Arizonans battling hunger during the holidays.
The Barro Family begins their partnership with the Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children. Every June proceeds from lunch specials go to help Arizona families and children affected by pediatric cancer.
Barro's Pizza now has over 40 locations across Arizona with tens of thousands of loyal customers who can't seem to get enough of the secret family recipe. As Barro's has continued to grow and expand throughout the years, the family has also been presented with many awards and accolades. Below are many of the awards the family has received for their spectacular customer service and family friendly environment.
Thank you for helping us surpass $1 million!


The MouseStateBase type exposes the following members.
Initializes a new instance of the MouseStateBase class.
Gets a value indicating whether this instance is left button pressed.
Gets a value indicating whether this instance is middle button pressed.
Gets a value indicating whether this instance is right button pressed.
Gets or sets a value indicating whether mouse is visible.
Gets the scroll wheel value.


Test Prep Works, LLC, was founded to provide effective materials for test preparation. Its founder, Christa Abbott, has been a test prep coach for over a decade. She specializes in helping students prepare for private school exams and her students now attend some of the most prestigious schools in the country. She spent years looking for effective materials for the private school entrance exams but came up empty-handed. She developed her own materials that are now available to other tutors, tutoring companies, and schools through Test Prep Works. LLC.
As an independent tutor, Christa knows what materials tutors need and also what parents are looking for. Each of her books is designed for the specific test that students will be taking as well as the specific level. This attention to detail runs throughout Test Prep Works' materials. There are not example problems in the lower level books that use words that would only show up on the upper level. There are not open-ended practice problems when the test will be entirely multiple choice. There ARE a lot of questions of each problem type so that students can truly master the material. There are plenty of practice sets that can be assigned as independent homework.
Test Prep Works is designed to be of service to companies both large and small. After paying a low set up fee, companies can order only the books that they need. Also, because printing is done as books are ordered, Test Prep Works can be constantly improving upon its materials. We also provide a newsletter so that you can stay on top of changes to the tests and available materials so that you are up to date and ready to provide your clients with accurate, timely information.
Most importantly, Test Prep Works is a responsive company that listens to what our clients need. Do you find that your students need more average problems than a book provides? Let us know and we can help you out. Are you discovering that more vocabulary practice would be helpful? This is exactly the kind of information that Test Prep Works wants to hear so that we can better serve our clients.


Thank you to all for a great first week of school. I've had many good conversations this week with parents about their perceptions of a great start to the school year and their excitement to be part of the BCS family. I could not agree more. Let me also take this time to again thank you for the opportunity to be part of your families' life as well. I am looking forward to a great year with many exciting things to report to you.
Students in 1st through 5th grade will be tested in the STAR Reading Program next week in order to provide a baseline for their reading range for this school year. The results will enable us to assist them when choosing books that will best help them to grow in their reading. Reports will be sent home on Monday, August 26th. When you receive the report, please take special note of the ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development), which is the reading range for your child.
If your child reads books from home or from the public library, you can easily find the reading level of those books by using the website www.arbookfind.com and typing in the title of the book. Be sure to compare the author's name as well, since many books have the same title.
Carline: I ask that you continue to have patience with carline drop-off and pick-up process. We have seen a significant increase in our enrollment this year, making for a more congested time at the beginning and end of each school day. To aid in the push of traffic through the circle, I ask that you not park your car in carline from 7:00 to 8:00 AM or 2:00 to 3:30 PM.
If you have multiple children with different pick-up times, I ask that you circle the Worship Center to re-enter the carline or park in the front or rear lots to meet your children. Please do not park and wait while the lines are in movement. Your cooperation with this detail is greatly appreciated.
Also, please consider that the public school system begins classes on Monday morning, which will add considerable congestion to our local roads each morning. Please give yourself additional travel time from home to school to prevent a tardy situation with your child.
The 2014 Enjoy the City Coupon Books go on sale this coming Monday, August 19th, 2013. Additional information will come home with your children on Monday. The books sale for $20 each, with $10 going to the BCS general fund. I have attached a link below that will allow you to get a firsthand look at this year's book.
If you utilize Aftercare each afternoon, please be reminded that all parents or guardians authorized for pick up must present their ID at the sign-out table. Family members not listed on the RenWeb emergency contacts list are not allowed to pick your child up. Please give ample time when adding family to that list. Thank you for your cooperation with this very important matter.
Two special events worthy of mention for next week are the PAWS Breakfast on Tuesday, August 20th at 8:15 AM in the Cafeteria. All K5-6th grade parents interested in participating in the planning of student events on our campus are encouraged to attend. We also have a planning meeting for the Senior Costa Rica Trip on Thursday, August 22nd at 6:30 PM in room 500. All senior parents are encouraged to attend.


Charmaine Noronha is the acting lifestyle reporter and editor for HuffPost Canada Lifestyle.
And not just for Earth Day but every day.
"No decisions have been taken about future roles."
Eggs symbolize fertility and resurrection.
Or Har-Gil is combining her family customs with new ideas to align with her values.
He'll thankfully be returning to host the game show in September.
"These cultural messages appeared to augment women's gut-level feeling that 'thin' is good and 'fat' is bad."
Fresh apple and pear purée, anyone?
"I think it'll be emotional for everyone."
The campaign subverts the racist insult with a positive twist.
"The paparazzi go to increasingly dangerous lengths..."
Charmayne Parks went from having two siblings to seven.
She tells Vogue magazine they're "in a pretty good place with it."
Harry posted on Instagram that he's "incredibly proud" to be working with Oprah on the series.
It's an uber Canadian throw-down.
Brienne of Tarth, Arya and Khaleesi are just a few of the badass leads.
The frequent offender is back at it.


Following on from the success of UB40 who played at Castle Howard last summer, LPH Concerts & Events, in conjunction with Solo, are delighted to have confirmed Ronan to play.
This year sees Ronan Keating starting his 26th year in the music industry, making him something of an anomaly in the world of pop music, with more than 16 top five singles with Boyzone, to huge solo success, which saw him go straight to the top of the charts with When You Say Nothing at All from the hit movie Notting Hill.
Ronan went on to sell 4.4m copies of his album around the world and firmly established himself as an artist in his own right.
Support acts will be announced shortly.
Ronan Keating follows the spectacular Castle Howard Proms concert, held in the stunning grounds on Saturday August 3, creating a weekend of musical entertainment like no other.


Haven't decided on a hotel yet? You can look at other available hotels in the regions Piedmont and Lombardy with Booking.com.
Lombardy takes its name from the Lombard tribe that invaded the region in 568 AD. It's geography determined its historic fate, as Charlemagne, the Franks, the Austrian Habsburgs, and Napoleon conquered in turn. More akin to northern Europe in pace and work ethic, Lombardy is Italy's richest and most industrialized region.
Neighboring Piedmont leans a bit toward France in culture in style. Beginning in the 11th century, the feudal French Savoy family dominated the region off and on for several hundred years. Napoleon's army (and relatives) had a go as well.
Piedmont's landscape is dotted with castles near the Valle d'Aosta, which makes a natural corridor for armies from the north to enter Italy.
Milan If you're traveling about northern Italy, sooner or later you'll pass through this sprawling, industrial city. Spend a day or two to visit the cathedral (Duomo), which is one of the largest in the world. Construction began in 1386 and finished in 1809 under order of Napoleon. Housed in a palace, the Brera Picture Gallery (Pinacoteca di Brera) is rich in works by Mantegna, Raphael, Bellini, Rembrandt, Goya, and Caravaggio. The Church of St. Mary of Grace (Santa Maria delle Grazie) is home Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. Opera aficionados always enjoy a few hours at the La Scala Theatre Museum (Museo Teatrale alla Scala), a fascinating look back into the history of La Scala.
The Lake District One of Italy's most glorious regions, the Italian Lakes evoke romantic, fairytale-like vistas of blue waters at the foot of noble mountains, aristocratic villas, and terraced gardens overflowing with brilliant flowers. Each lake exudes a different atmosphere: Lake Como boasts precious, flower-filled villages, dreamy gardens, and castles and villas; Lake Maggiore, known for its legendary beauty, has an extraordinary variety of lush vegetation and exclusive lakeside villas; Lake Orta, one of the smallest of Italy's lakes, enjoys a mild climate, while the shores of Lake Garda, the largest, are covered with vineyards, cypresses, citrus, olive, and palm trees.
Lombardy's Renaissance Cities Surrounded by 16th-century Venetian walls, the Upper Town of Bergamo is filled with architectural treasures. Off the Piazza Vecchia, the Palazzo della Ragione is the oldest communal palace in Italy, dating from 1199.
Aldous Huxley called Mantua the most romantic city in the world (well, perhaps an exaggeration), but the Ducal Palace (Museo di Palazzo Ducale), with its 500 rooms and 15 courtyards, should appeal to subscribers of the "more is better" lifestyle.
Finally, Cremona, known as the home of the world's most exquisite violins—the Stradivarian Museum is a good start—also hosts a magnificent cathedral (Duomo) with its Torrazzo, a beautiful campanile that is the tallest in Italy.
Turin (Torino) Site of the 2006 Winter Olympics, this gracious city also plays host to the famous Shroud of Turin, which is tucked away in the Cattedrale di San Giovanni and seldom shown. The world-class Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio and Galleria Sabauda) has an outstanding collection of Egyptology second only to Cairo and London, while the Galleria houses the extensive art collection of the House of Savoy.
Gourmet Delicacies! Foodies should make the pilgrimage to Alba and indulge in its delicious tartufi bianchi (white truffles) and wild mushrooms.
Ski Resorts In this region of Italy, you'll find ski resorts galore with some 400 km of slopes. Among the best are Sestriere, Claviere, Sansicario, Cesano Torinese, and Sauze d'Oulx.


text:
package eluvio.lmdb.map;

import java.util.Set;

public interface LMDBSet<T> extends Set<T>, LMDBCollection<T> {

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Salem Season 3 Returns Next Week; Two Promo Videos Promise New Scares!
by Debi Moore October 26, 2016, 11:28 am
We're just a week away from the return of "Salem" to WGN America, and to help get you ready for the new scares to come in Season 3, we have a pair of promo videos to share.
The fun kicks off on Wednesday, November 2, with live tweeting promised from the cast and crew; but if you live in or near Los Angeles, you can see the premiere episode a day earlier at a special screening on Tuesday, November 1, at The Paley Center in LA. Fans in Georgia can see it even earlier during the Savannah Film Festival on Friday, October 28, with Shane West, Elise Eberle, Joe Doyle, and Brannon Braga in attendance.
You'll find more details below.
Everything in "Salem" has gone to hell when WGN America's hit supernatural thriller returns Halloween Week on Wednesday, November 2, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. In advance of the premiere, the network has released a riveting new trailer featuring a gruesome twist on "Cat's Cradle."
The devil has arrived in "Salem," and everything he promised the witches is a lie! He has his own plans that will bring nothing but death and destruction, and there's only one person on earth that can stop him. The only problem is—she's dead. Or is she? In the most twisted season yet, legendary recording artist Marilyn Manson guest stars as the bloody barber surgeon Thomas Dinley.
In the premiere episode, written by series creators Brannon Braga and Adam Simon and directed by Nick Copus, John Alden (Shane West) is forced to bury his love, Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery); and her mysterious servant Tituba (Ashley Madekwe), now with the abilities of the seer, has a horrifying vision of hell on earth. She knows the only person who can stop this evil and beat the devil (Oliver Bell) is the very witch that birthed him, his mother, Mary Sibley.
Meanwhile, Isaac (Iddo Goldberg) takes it upon himself to attempt to clean up Knocker's Hole and get revenge against Mercy (Elise Eberle), who has found her calling running the brothel. Still struggling with her new powers, Anne Hale (Tamzin Merchant) continues to imprison her husband, Cotton Mather (Seth Gabel), using her familiar, Brown Jenkins. With the help of Baron Sebastian Marburg (Joe Doyle) and his old ally and fallen angel, The Sentinel (Samuel Roukin), the devil is planning a massive attack and war with God that will culminate in the ultimate showdown between good and evil!
Salem fans, #Heathens, are invited to "tweet up" with the cast and creative team as they live tweet the premiere episode on Wednesday, November 2 (9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT), @SalemWGNA, #SalemWGN. Tweet to @SalemWGNA during the "live tweet" for a chance to win exclusive "Salem" promotional items.
"Salem" will celebrate Season 3 with a world premiere event advance screening and conversation at The Paley Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 1, at 7:00 p.m. PT. Creators and executive producers Brannon Braga and Adam Simon will join series stars Janet Montgomery, Shane West, Ashley Madekwe, Elise Eberle, and Iddo Goldberg for a captivating conversation following the Season 3 premiere screening.
Leading up to the premiere, the spellbinding series has unveiled first looks, extended sneak peaks and surprised hundreds of fans at standing room only panel discussions at the two biggest pop-culture conventions in the country, San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con. The series will also host a special screening at the prestigious Savannah Film Festival, on Friday, October 28, with Shane West, Elise Eberle, Joe Doyle, and Brannon Braga.
Heralding the witchy holiday, WGN America will air the series pilot episode for fans to relive the magic on Halloween night, Monday, October 31 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Created and written by Brannon Braga and Adam Simon, "Salem" is executive produced by Braga, Simon, Kelly Souders, Brian Peterson, and The Firm's Jeff Kwatinetz and Josh Barry. The series is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios.
Previous article Groblins Ready to Spew Their Fizmo this Halloween
Next article New SiREN Trailer Beckons
Written by Debi Moore
I'll see you on the other side...
#SDCC15: Salem Renewed for a Third Season; Hear from the Cast and Co-Creator!
Go Behind the Scenes of this Clip from Salem Season 2
Groblins Ready to Spew Their Fizmo this Halloween
New SiREN Trailer Beckons

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
ATM, Contracts, Daily News, NCR - July 20, 2015
NCR shares surge on $9bn PE buyout rumours
Thoma Bravo has been speaking to some of its largest private equity investors about putting together a bid for NCR Corp that could value the ATM maker at around $9 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.
Thoma Bravo is also in advanced talks with close to a dozen banks about securing
Blackstone and Carlyle prep $10bn NCR offer
debt financing for a bid for NCR that could come in the next few days, the people said this week. The deal would be this year's largest leveraged buyout – report Reuters.
NCR has been exploring options in recent months in light of shareholder pressure
Last month, Blackstone Group and Carlyle Group, the world's two largest private equity firms, joined forces to outbid other buyout firms in an effort to acquire NCR, sources told Reuters at the time.
While Blackstone and Carlyle remain interested in NCR, they have carried out further due diligence and are now skeptical over whether they can offer enough for a successful bid, according to the sources.
Thoma Bravo is seeking to borrow around 6.5 times NCR's annual earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, one of the people said. Thoma Bravo would have to raise more than $2 billion in equity for its offer, the people added.
In April, Thoma Bravo completed raising a $1.1 billion "top off" fund that it can tap for deals together with the remaining capital from its previous $3.7 billion buyout fund. If Thoma Bravo succeeds in its bid for NCR, it would be its largest deal by far.
NCR has been trying to expand into the software space. It recently launched a cloud-based software system for ATM machines called Kalpana that is meant to replace outdated PC software on ATMs and help ATM owners cut costs. It also makes self-checkout machines.
Retailers, which are some of NCR's biggest customers, have been cutting back on spending, which hurt NCR's revenue in the first quarter, NCR executives said on their last earnings call.
The post NCR shares surge on $9bn PE buyout rumours appeared first on Payments Cards & Mobile.


Police in Los Angeles are looking for a man who was captured on video Saturday fatally punching two women at a hot dog stand.
Reports said that the incident took place in Downtown Los Angeles.
A tweet by LAPD said Tuesday: "Someone knows him, and we would like to be one of those people."
According to witnesses , the suspect argue with a vendor about a 6$ hot dog, and was captured in the released video surrounded by people before running away after punching the two women who overhearded the argument at the stand, police said.


Calling rowers who value the support of the rowing "family" around the world. Would you kindly help out with a donation? Rowperfect tries to be the locus of connection between rowers and when we read about Di Binley's work striving to help Helene, we wanted to support too.
At the time of writing £6825 has been raised from a target of £19,000.
Can we count on you to support Helene who has given us so much pleasure to watch as an athlete? She needs our help.
A heart-felt JustGiving personal fundraising appeal has been created to help Paralympian Gold Medallist Helene Dyson get a new wheelchair.
Helene Dyson (nee Raynsford) from Wokingham won Great Britain's first women's rowing Paralympic GOLD in the 2008 Olympics and has also been BBC South Sportswoman of Year twice.
Helen said: "For me an all-terrain wheelchair, with a small footprint, is the best of both worlds to combine life, hopefully, back in the office but also having some down-time with my DogAID assistance dog Amber. Fun walks are usually down to my husband so to go into the woods or on the beach would be just incredible!
Helene suffered an injury at university, aged 21, which left her in a wheelchair but undeterred she took up wheelchair basketball and was part of 2003-2006 GB squad winning two Paralympic Cup silver medals.
only women's single sculls (1x). In 2008 when rowing was introduced to the Paralympic Games in Beijing, she won GOLD in ASW1x with 12 seconds over the silver medallist.
Helene fought back from cardiac problems to qualify to race at the 2010 World Championships in New Zealand but a back injury and spinal surgery eventually ended her career and sadly, in 2013 Helene was then diagnosed with breast cancer. Although she is now in remission from cancer, Helene has required further surgery on her spine this year and now needs a more suitable wheelchair.
Helene is desperate to stay involved in sport though and even chaired the IPC's Inclusion Summit at the Rio 2016 Games looking at how the stakeholders of the games can bring greater opportunities for people with disabilities in sport, travel, transport, employment challenging health inequalities.
"As an elite athlete Helene deserves a chair with a profile emphasising ability, not disability. It's her dream chair and will allow her to get out and about in the UK doing what she loves.
"We are hoping that a 'Genny Segway' wheelchair will give Helene independence again. It folds down small enough to fit in the boot of a family car, it can be used indoors and in shops etc. but it also has off-road wheels so she can take her assistance dog, Amber, on long muddy walks too.
Helene summed up: "I am absolutely blown away with how a conversation with my lovely friend Di has turned into this! When she first put up the JustGiving page I didn't think it would go anywhere but then to have raised so much in such a short time is just staggering! As soon as I am up and about post-surgery I will be getting in touch with everyone who has been so generous. Thank you, I am quite overwhelmed".
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