Source: variety.com --- Monday, July 22, 2013
When the 34th Durban Intl. Film Festival scheduled his film as opening-night attraction, director Jahmil XT Qubeka knew he would be in the spotlight. But he had no idea how intense and heated that spotlight would turn out to be. On July 22, four days after the uproar began when the opening was cancelled, Qubeka... Read more ? ...
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Source: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10151560270809327&id=344753819326
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The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged a man in Texas named Trendon T. Shavers with "defrauding investors in a Ponzi scheme involving Bitcoin," to the tune more than $4.5 million.
Investors were apparently unperturbed by the fact that Shaver's company, Bitcoin Savings and Trust, offered and sold Bitcoin-denominated investments online under the monikers ?Pirate? and ?pirateat40.? Perhaps because Shavers adamantly insisted that buying and selling Bitcoin was booming opportunity that posed no risk at all:
Shavers posted general solicitations on a website dedicated to Bitcoin discussions, and he misled investors with such false assurances about his investment opportunity as ?It?s growing, it?s growing!? and ?I have yet to come close to taking a loss on any deal,? and ?risk is almost 0.?
Contrary to what he told investors, however, Shavers wasn't actually trading the virtual currency, as much as he was running a regular 'ole U.S. dollar-based Ponzi scheme, only with Bitcoin:
The SEC alleges that Shavers promised investors up to 7 percent weekly interest based on BTCST?s Bitcoin market arbitrage activity, which supposedly included selling to individuals who wished to buy Bitcoin ?off the radar? in quick fashion or large quantities. In reality, BTCST was a sham and a Ponzi scheme in which Shavers used Bitcoin from new investors to make purported interest payments and cover investor withdrawals on outstanding BTCST investments. Shavers also diverted investors? Bitcoin for day trading in his account on a Bitcoin currency exchange, and exchanged investors? Bitcoin for U.S. dollars to pay his personal expenses.
The value of Bitcoin has dropped considerably since the fervor in April, when it skyrocketed to more than $237. (It's currently trading at around $93.) However, Shaver's investments were bought and sold between 2011 and 2012.
So just imagine what shenanigans will come to light when the feds catch up to 2013.
To contact the author of this post, please email nitasha@gawker.com.
[Image via Getty]
RelatedBitcoin finally crashed! And then it didn't. After two weeks in the spotlight, the anonymous techno-libertarian dweeb-currency rocketed past? Read?
RelatedSource: http://gawker.com/bitcoin-ponzi-schemer-duped-investors-it-s-growing-i-884285574
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Every weekday?s end, we collect just about everything you ought to care about or ought not miss.
Cars partially submerged during flooding on the Don Valley Expressway on July 8th.
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Source: http://torontoist.com/2013/07/extra-extra-flood-insurance-mad-magazine-and-jenny-mccarthy/
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OTC Disclosure & News Service
Sydney, NSW, Australia
This release includes additional documents. Select the link(s) below to view.
KRL?Announcement?-?Further?Update?On?Legal?Proceedings?19.7.2013.pdf
The above news release has been provided by the above company via the OTC Disclosure and News Service. Issuers of news releases and not OTC Markets Group Inc. are solely responsible for the accuracy of such news releases.
Source: http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/WECFY/news?id=66201
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Source: pocketnow.com --- Monday, July 22, 2013
Most new-device launches go the same way: usually the press gets review units before they’re widely available, and we get to use them for a few days -or a week if we’re lucky- as we work on our review. Then press day arrives. The embargo on media coverage lifts, and everyone posts their reviews and videos at the same time. It’s a huge frenzy, commenters go nuts, and it’s a giant explosion of frantic opinion-sharing activity. For about … a day. And then it all goes away. Sure, there’s followup coverage as people find bugs and hidden features, but after that initial blast, not ... Continue reading ? The post Sony Xperia ZL ? After The Buzz, Episode 020 (Video) appeared first on Pocketnow . ...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pocketnow/~3/H43iFN9m_xE/sony-xperia-zl-after-the-buzz
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Hundreds of new residents have been buying condos and renting new apartments along the phase one route of the Cincinnati Streetcar, but office tenants are also starting to flock to the line, according to a story from the Business Courier this week.
Randy Simes reports that the owners of Over-the-Rhine?s historic Hanke Building have seen an uptick in occupancy rates, over the past three years, from 28% in 2010 to 84% now! These owners don?t just own the Hanke Building, but a collection of four other buildings in the Main Street area, and say that they are excited for the streetcar?s arrival.
Get the full details by checking out the story online!
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WHAS11.com
Posted on July 19, 2013 at 5:32 PM
Updated yesterday at 5:41 PM
La Grange, Ky. (WHAS11) -- It started with a whole lot of painting with the help of many of our sponsors like Active Heroes and Home Depot.
And so was the family of Bryan who lost part of his leg to an IED. His wife Emily, and even their daughter, 5-year-old Brenya, picked up a brush.
This room was selected for a makeover to give Bryan a retreat to help him adjust after such trauma.
Emily Florence says the room will be his sanctuary and a getaway. Bryan Florence says it?s an honor, so honored so many people care about him.
There are countless people caring and helping. On Great Day Live Angie Fenton was ready to show our audience the finished room and Bryan?s family was already inside enjoying it!
Bryan actually slept on it Thursday night because he was so excited.
But more sponsors of ours including: Sam's Club, U.S. Bank and Ashley Furniture were not done yet. There was another big announcement for the Florence family on Great Day Live.
Troy Yocum with Active Heroes says they will now tackle the kitchen and landscaping.
Tears were flowing after that announcement and not just for Bryan and Emily, but their families who nominated them.? Their families stood by them during the rough patches.
And we can't leave out a shopping spree for $500 for Emily and little Brenya ?who says she loves to shop.
This military makeover is the first of 11 makeovers that WHAS11 and the sponsors mentioned above are giving to Kentuckiana families.
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Source: http://www.whas11.com/news/local/Local--216216661.html
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/0TdttLHe_uQ/130719083912.htm
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The most heated financial regulation debate of the moment is over the creation of a European Financial Transaction Tax (FTT). Beginning with 11 EU member states the FTT would tax financial shares, bonds and derivatives, intended to create financial stability against further crises and raise considerable revenue. But the European Central Bank is now taking a key role in the development of the tax. The heavy influence of the financial lobby opposed to the FTT in the ECB could mean that the bank's participation may fatally undermine the new tax.
At first sight, the ECB's involvement might appear constructive.?Speaking at a?European Parliament?hearing on the 8th of July,?President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi claimed his institution shares?the objectives of the Financial Transaction Tax?"in principle". However, his stress that it has "many undesirable implications?for?our monetary policy"?and?the ECB is working with the Commission to "repair these aspects of the FTT" sounds a warning alarm.
Bringing in?the leadership of the Bank as?"repair"?men is hardly?a?dream scenario for those who have campaigned for years to have the tax adopted in Europe. First, because Draghi's vague commitment to the tax?obscures?the fact that?what he and his institution wants?is to reduce the scope and possibly the size of the tax considerably. Secondly, because ECB involvement in the design of the tax?may?be or may become?a Trojan horse manoeuvre?by?the financial lobby which has?a?forceful?presence in?ECB?advisory groups. The financial lobby is using all means available to defeat the tax;?having the ECB act on their behalf could turn out to be their most effective weapon at this point.
The financial lobby already has the upper hand, it seems. Since the Commission launched its proposal in early February, big banks, investment funds, law firms, consultancies, and financial lobby associations have intensified their scaremongering campaign (see box?1) and seem to be pulling all strings available to them.
Indeed,?the EU Tax Commissioner Algirdas Semeta calls them "probably the most powerful lobby in the world"?for good reason. There are clear signs of a worrying retreat from within the governments of the 11 EU member states who adopted the tax in the hope that others would join at a later stage. (The 11 are Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Slovenia, Slovakia, Portugal and Estonia.)?In late May, there were many reports that inside the group of?these?11 member states, negotiators are?displaying?increasingly cold feet. Most prominently, the French government is rallying other governments to its cause???to cut the size of the tax and reduce its scope. While the proposal of the Commission is to tax sales of bonds and shares at 0,1 percent, and the more speculative and more complex financial instruments (called derivatives) at 0,01 percent, it is now?seriously?considering?going?for just a tenth of those percentages.
A French attempt ? with the support of the Italian and Spanish governments ??to free most derivatives from taxation is no less worrying. The whole point?of?the FTT in its original form?is to reduce the number of transactions, considered a source of instability and predatory speculation, and this would?be?unlikely to succeed if the bulk of?them, the?derivatives,?were?exempt.?At the same time, the Belgian and Austrian governments are trying to exempt pension funds from the tax altogether.
In?fact, at the moment it seems the European FTT pioneering project could be reduced to a mere repetition of the "stamp duty" on shares and bonds sales now at work in the UK and France. The name may?be the same, but it will have little to do with the?FTT as it was?originally?intended. It will be a small tax on selected transactions, and as such it will not have the effect?the FTT is supposed to: to discourage a large number of trades in order to bring the total number of transactions down considerably. Rather than an FTT, it would be a TTFFT ? a Tiny Tax on a Few Financial Transactions (see box 1 on the FTT).
But the battle is far from over. While struggling to downsize the FTT on other accounts, the French would like to see currency transactions included???which were not included in the Commission's proposal. Also, the German?Government?has been somewhat?silent and will probably continue to be until after the German elections in September. And according to a deal struck with the Social?Democrats in that country, that party and the Green party would support the so-called Fiscal Compact imposing strict budgetary discipline?on?most EU member states, provided?the German government?works?towards?the FTT. Should the FTT not become a reality it will presumably be a major embarrassment to the two parties, and a blow to their strategy on EU crisis policy.
At this delicate moment, central bankers are placing themselves into the centre of?the debate, and their agenda is certainly not to?strengthen?the proposal.?Central bankers?(and members of the ECB governing council) spearheaded by?Governor of the Bank of France?Christian Noyer and Jens Weidman of the Bundesbank, and members of the ECB?Executive?Board Peter Praet, Yves Mersch and?Beno?t C?ur?, have all voiced criticism of the FTT in public.
Their?weighing in on?the debate confirms what Sir Mervyn King, until recently?Governor of the Bank of England, stated at a press conference in May: "Within Europe, I can't find anyone in the central banking community?who thinks it's a good idea."
In that light, Draghi's?stated?support?for?the "principles of the transaction tax"?begins to sound unlikely. Could it be that Sir Mervyn King is not aware of Draghi's position? Hardly. Both of them have been members for many years of the Group of Thirty, an exclusive club of central bankers? and CEOs from Wall Street banks???a group that includes King's replacement, Mark Carney. Carney in turn shares a past?at?Goldman Sachs with the?President of the ECB. As?with?both King and Carney, Draghi belongs to a family of central bankers for whom the line between a central bank and a big private bank is a rather fine one. And as?President he takes utter care to maintain a close dialogue with the big players of the financial world. They know what each other stand for, and their views on financial regulation are of the same strain.
So rather than taking Draghi's statement at face value, it would be a more plausible explanation that his alleged support is?a?siren?song?by?the ECB to?lure people into a false sense of security, as all the while?his?staff make their way into the real negotiations on the tax?in order to?scuttle or sink it.
In his words to the European Parliament, Draghi was careful to stress the ECB would approach the FTT on issues strictly within?the Bank's?mandate: monetary policy. This could mean?the ECB will?focus?on exempting bond purchases and?'repos'?(repurchasing agreements which enables a trader to sell e.g.?a bond with an agreement to buy it back shortly after) from the scope of the tax. This in itself would be a substantial change as repos make up a considerable part of financial transactions ? with a total value of contracts at 5,6 trillion euro in December 2012, for instance. These are all topics in the remit of financial regulation, and as such?are?not necessarily within the ECB?s mandate. But the question is whether the ECB will?stop there, or if it will continue?to?go for more exemptions.
For the criticism?of the tax?from within the ECB seems to be broader,?for example?Board Member?Beno?t C?ur?, who told the Financial Times: ?We?re willing to engage constructively with governments and the European Commission to ensure that the tax has no negative impact on financial stability.?
The statement is ironic because the proponents of the FTT have?intended?financial stability?to be?its?heart from the very beginning.?It's?also?telling that?it?touches on financial regulation in general, which is not in the mandate of the ECB, supposedly restricted to monetary matters.?Ralph Atkins of the?Financial?Times?who?reports?on?the financial lobby, not least on their opposition to the FTT,?reveals the real agenda when he writes that?the ECB's "offer to?'engage constructively'?in the design of?the tax suggests that, privately, it has deep reservations about its impact on financial markets and the real economy."
The involvement of the ECB in the design of the FTT is good news?for?the financial lobby in another way,?and a move they've been working on for months. This can be seen in the minutes of several of the advisory groups???or?"contact groups" as they're called???to?the ECB, made up entirely of representatives of financial corporations, most of whom are vocal in their opposition to the FTT.
Formally, these groups are set up to "facilitate dialogue" and provide a "discussion forum" between the ECB and the financial sector, but statements made by private bankers, as well as ECB staff, make it clear that there is a close working relationship between them. In February this year,?ECB executive board?member?Peter Praet?in a speech to an audience of financial lobbyists?said?that the ECB ?strives to ensure that regulatory reform do not impose restrictions which may hinder the efficient functioning of markets or impair their liquidity?, and underlined the bank?s intention to consult with the financial sector, not least via its own contact groups. Also, reports from interest groups and associations?such as the International Capital Market Association, reveal that the contact groups are involved in very specific debates over?the design of EU financial regulation. They have such a high standing that even the financial press sometimes see the members as "officials".
A look at the minutes from the meetings for the past months, reveals that there has been?intensive discussion between ECB officials and financial corporations?about?the FTT in?the contact groups:
?? At a meeting on the 18th of March this year?representatives of some of the biggest banks in Europe,?members of the "Monetary Market Contact Group", voiced comprehensive criticism of the FTT?far beyond?the?remit of the?advisory body.
?? At its meeting on the 9th of April, the Bond Market Contact Group (this too dominated by the biggest banks) also?suggested far-reaching changes to the FTT proposal, including major exemptions and a removal of the principle that would enable taxation of transactions formally traded outside the FTT zone, but related to traders or assets in the area.
?? Later, the Operations Managers Contact Group discussed?the FTT at a meeting on the 12th of June.
?? Finally, the?Foreign Exchange Contact Group (FXCG), had a similar discussion two days later. Here too, members used the opportunity to fire all guns against the FTT, attacked?its?core principles?and ended up "listing proposals" to improve definitions. In the framework of an ECB advisory group, it is hard to understand such proposals as anything else than?getting?the ECB?on board?in changing the remit of the FTT.
Interestingly, the members of these groups are the biggest banks and?the fiercest opponents of the FTT.?An ECB role in the design of the FTT can only be welcomed?by these group?members?as a further inroad to influence, and a further tool to undermine the tax.
Only two months ago, representatives of the ECB stated the Bank had no position?on the FTT, and that it would not be part of the debate due to limits to its mandate. In late May, however, the ECB openly offered its "help". And today, President Draghi reveals the?Bank is indeed working with the Commission to refine the proposal.??
How should campaigners on the FTT respond to this challenge? A first?step?would be to warn the public?about?the?antagonistic?position?the ECB is bound to take. As British tax expert Richard Murphy stated: ?The ECB is for these purposes just another bank with all a bank?s prejudices about the free flow of capital???which they see FTTs impeding.?16
There are at least three?more key?points that need to be raised in this respect:
The involvement of the European Central Bank is a clear and present danger that the purpose of the tax once named after?Robin Hood is in danger of being stolen away.
| BOX 1:?What is the FTT? |
The ?Robin Hood Tax? is about the money, but it?s not just about the money The Financial Transaction Tax (or FTT) is a small tax imposed on every trade with a financial product. A tax of 0,1 percent on all trades is a standard proposal. It doesn?t sound much, but bear in mind that millions of trades take place every day, and that many traders on financial markets sell and buy in?milliseconds. So, even a small tax can lead to substantial revenues. Campaigners in favour of an FTT demand?that revenues should be spent on fighting climate change, on development aid and welfare. Since the money comes from the wealthy financial corporations, the tax is often called ?the Robin Hood Tax?. The FTT discussed in the EU at the moment, however,?has not?marked?revenues?for these purposes. The German government,?though, has?signalled?it is prepared to increase its development aid when the FTT is instated. The Commission repeatedly states the FTT is about making the financial sector pay ?its fair share? of the costs of the financial crisis. That may be contested, though. The bailouts of banks alone have cost member states the equivalent of 50 years income from an FTT such as the one proposed. But actually, the key objective with the FTT is not the revenue, but the effect it is bound to have on financial markets. Even with a tiny tax, many of the millions or billions of trades will be discouraged, because they are about speculation in tiny margins of profit. Removing many of these trades, which do not make sense to the real economy or may even be detrimental, will increase stability. |
BOX 2: Opportunistic scaremongering |
Whether the?financial lobby reports the?revenues will be enormous or?tiny, depends on?they?want?to achieve with their PR campaigns. Over the past year, any big bank and any financial lobby association which could be affected?by?the FTT has?issued a report that warns legislators against supposedly dire consequences of imposing a tax on financial transactions. Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, ISDA, ICMA, AFME, IIF, FOA, AIMA etc.?The list is a "who's who" of financial markets and the financial lobby.?The reports foresee different kinds of market collapses, and most try to convince legislators that a tax will have a damaging effect on the real economy???an argument used ad nauseam for years and refuted by considerable evidence, but which the financial lobby?is?now trying?to revive. Though the financial lobby prefers to stand united,?its dire predictions vary widely.?. A good example is the research from Goldman Sachs and Deutsche B?rse Group respectively, into the actual revenue a tax would yield.?In an attempt to alarm the financial sector?about?the frightful tax burden ahead?Goldman Sachs says it will amount to 170 billion euro,?according to an article in its research newsletter titled "Financial Transaction Tax: how severe?", ?a?figure far?higher than the Commission's estimate?of?34 billion euro annually. Deutsche B?rse Group, on the other hand,?tries a different tactic. In?its?pamphlet?"Will the Financial Transaction Tax reach its objectives"???clearly intended to show legislators their dream of considerable income is in vain???the group claims the revenue will hardly?amount to?more than 12 billion euro.?"It is unlikely that the financial transaction tax will be able to meet the financial expectations that have been placed on it. Empirical studies have concluded that by moving financial transactions beyond the scope of the tax?s applicability its potential revenue will be lower by up to two thirds than expected," Deutsche B?rse Group states. |
Photo by Robin Hood (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
Source: http://corporateeurope.org/news/robbing-robin-hood-tax-european-central-bank-weighs
BOSTON (AP) ? New research boosts the "use it or lose it" theory about brainpower and staying mentally sharp. People who delay retirement have less risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, a study of nearly half a million people in France found.
It's by far the largest study to look at this, and researchers say the conclusion makes sense. Working tends to keep people physically active, socially connected and mentally challenged ? all things known to help prevent mental decline.
"For each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2 percent," said Carole Dufouil, a scientist at INSERM, the French government's health research agency.
She led the study and gave results Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston.
About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer's is the most common type. In the U.S., about 5 million have Alzheimer's ? 1 in 9 people aged 65 and over. What causes the mind-robbing disease isn't known and there is no cure or any treatments that slow its progression.
France has had some of the best Alzheimer's research in the world, partly because its former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, made it a priority. The country also has detailed health records on self-employed people who pay into a Medicare-like health system.
Researchers used these records on more than 429,000 workers, most of whom were shopkeepers or craftsmen such as bakers and woodworkers. They were 74 on average and had been retired for an average of 12 years.
Nearly 3 percent had developed dementia but the risk of this was lower for each year of age at retirement. Someone who retired at 65 had about a 15 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to someone retiring at 60, after other factors that affect those odds were taken into account, Dufouil said.
To rule out the possibility that mental decline may have led people to retire earlier, researchers did analyses that eliminated people who developed dementia within 5 years of retirement, and within 10 years of it.
"The trend is exactly the same," suggesting that work was having an effect on cognition, not the other way around, Dufouil said.
France mandates retirement in various jobs ? civil servants must retire by 65, she said. The new study suggests "people should work as long as they want" because it may have health benefits, she said.
June Springer, who just turned 90, thinks it does. She was hired as a full-time receptionist at Caffi Plumbing & Heating in Alexandria, Va., eight years ago.
"I'd like to give credit to the company for hiring me at that age," she said. "It's a joy to work, being with people and keeping up with current events. I love doing what I do. As long as God grants me the brain to use I'll take it every day."
Heather Snyder, director of medical and scientific operations for the Alzheimer's Association, said the study results don't mean everyone needs to delay retirement.
"It's more staying cognitively active, staying socially active, continue to be engaged in whatever it is that's enjoyable to you" that's important, she said.
"My parents are retired but they're busier than ever. They're taking classes at their local university, they're continuing to attend lectures and they're continuing to stay cognitively engaged and socially engaged in their lives."
__
AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner in Chicago contributed to this report.
___
Online:
Alzheimer's info: http://www.alzheimers.gov
Alzheimer's Association: http://www.alz.org
___
Follow Marilynn Marchione on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-later-retirement-may-help-prevent-dementia-124022246.html
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PRIORITIZING: Young people showed more interest in conserving resources and a bit more concern about their fellow human beings, according to an analysis of high school students in the wake of the Great Recession.
CHANGING ATTITUDES: Compared with youths who were surveyed a few years before the recession hit, more of the Great Recession group also was less interested in big-ticket items such as vacation homes and new cars, researchers at San Diego State University and UCLA found.
PAYING THE PIPER: The Great Recession group was still most likely to want jobs where they could make a "significant" amount of money, but the study authors say that may simply be attributable to the ever-rising cost of day-to-day expenses.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news-summary-recession-changes-youth-attitudes-201202098.html
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By Kay Henderson
DES MOINES (Reuters) - An Iowa dentist did not discriminate against a female assistant he fired for being "too attractive," the Iowa Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Friday in its second decision in the case.
In December, the all-male court ruled that Dr. James Knight did not discriminate in firing dental hygienist Melissa Nelson after more than 10 years' service because he found her too attractive and his wife saw her as a threat.
Nelson had argued she would not have been fired if she were a man, and her attorney, Paige Fiedler, argued in seeking a second hearing that their decision was a setback for gender equality in the workplace.
In late June, the justices decided to reconsider the case.
"We ultimately conclude the conduct does not amount to unlawful sex discrimination in violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act," Justice Edward Mansfield wrote.
Knight had hired Nelson in 1999 and on several occasions in the 18 months before he fired her in early 2010, he complained that her clothing was too tight, revealing and distracting, the decision said. She denied wearing anything inappropriate.
Nelson and Knight began texting each other in 2009, the opinion said. Most messages were work-related or otherwise innocuous, but some were more suggestive, including one in which Knight asked Nelson how often she had an orgasm, the opinion said. Nelson did not answer that text.
"The fact of the matter is Nelson was terminated because of the activities of her consensual personal relationship with her employer, not because of her gender," Chief Justice Mark Cady wrote in a separate special concurrence.
In late 2009, Knight's wife, Jeanne Knight, learned that her husband had been texting with Nelson while he was on an out-of-state vacation with their children and she insisted he fire her, saying "she was a big threat to our marriage," the opinion said.
Knight read Nelson a statement when he fired her that said in part that their relationship had become a detriment to both of their families.
Nelson's attorney, Fiedler, said Friday she was "beyond distressed at the lack of awareness and understanding this decision demonstrates.
"Women already have to balance on the very fine line of being respected, professional and well-liked in the workplace without having their perceived charm or attractiveness garner unwanted sexual advances, harassment and discrimination," Fiedler said in a statement.
Todd Pettys, associate dean for faculty in the University of Iowa College of Law, said it was unclear why the court decided to rehear the case, given that the justices did not change their positions from December to July.
"It appears to me what they really wanted to do was take another shot at explaining why they were reaching the conclusion that they did, understanding that they had come under some criticism for that conclusion."
(Reporting by Kay Henderson in Des Moines; Editing by David Bailey, Leslie Gevirtz and Kenneth Barry)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sacking-attractive-assistant-legal-says-iowa-supreme-court-193152136.html
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? The Democratic senator whose filibuster helped derail tough new Texas abortion restrictions weeks ago is giving closing remarks in the latest special session.
Sen. Wendy Davis was speaking late Friday night, with the Senate poised to vote on the measure after weeks of protests.
The same bill was derailed three weeks ago by Davis' marathon filibuster and angry protests. This time, Democrats say they have little chance of stopping the bill.
Republicans are expected to pass it and send it to Republican Gov. Rick Perry. He's said he'll sign it.
But Democratic senators on Friday had sought to soften the bill and enter into the legislative record material that could help in a court battle.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/davis-giving-closing-remarks-abortion-bill-043739109.html
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By Larry Keene, NSSF
Mike Bloomberg is rushing to the rescue of the single Senator who seems as obsessed as Bloomberg with revisiting the votes cast in the U.S. Senate on April 17 ? Joe Manchin.??Bloomberg is throwing a fete for Manchin at his opulent Manhattan mansion?to shower him with the only resource at Bloomberg?s disposal ? cold hard cash.
The curious news comes in the wake of?Manchin and others deriding Bloomberg?s massive investment in attack ads?against other Democrats who voted down the Bloomberg/Obama gun control agenda.? Manchin?s dismay with Bloomberg?s tactics apparently dissipates when the subject is raising money directly for his own re-election.
Manchin, of course, has spent more than $100,000 from his campaign kitty to try and repair the damage to his reputation in West Virginia from aggressively embracing the Obama/Bloomberg agenda, so perhaps it?s only fitting for Bloomberg to assist in replenishment.??In the ad,?Manchin defensively claims that ?I haven?t changed!? while parading to and fro with a bolt-action rifle.
West Virginia gun owners might disagree, since some of them no doubt recall his campaign vows to fight against new gun control.? And in case they don?t,?the NRA is reminding them of Manchin?s vow with a statewide mailing?that includes a copy of Manchin?s answers and signature on the NRA?s detailed candidate questionnaire.
Manchin?s verbatim response on the questionnaire was ?I support current laws and oppose further regulation.? Gun sales by private citizens who are not engaged in an ongoing firearms business should not be subject to federal background check requirements, whether the sales take place at a gun show or elsewhere.??? Yet the Manchin-Toomey amendment would have mandated such checks not only at gun shows, but for all private firearm transactions that have been publicized in any fashion, even a simple ?for sale? notice at the local gun club.
But Manchin continues to claim that ?I haven?t changed,? despite the clear evidence to the contrary in black and white.?? But the real victims in his world of make-believe are the economically depressed citizens of West Virginia.??Last week, Beretta announced that it was ruling out West Virginia as a potential relocation site,? due to company executives? concerns over Manchin?s positions.?The ?pffft? sound you?re hearing is the potential for several hundred good-paying manufacturing jobs disappearing from West Virginia.
But no matter ? Joe?s still going to get his piece of the action, courtesy of Bloomberg and his big city pals in Manhattan.? It?s no wonder that Manchin has fallen into Bloomberg?s arms to raise campaign cash.? When West Virginia voters make their own decision about whether he?s changed, he?s going to need it.
Larry Keane is senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at?@lkeane.
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Members of the New York City Council wear hoodies on the steps of New York City Hall on March 28, 2012?and accomplished this all by themselves, without the help of the Justice Department.
Photo by Mike Segar/Reuters
If last night you failed to watch the Fox News family of cable channels, you missed one hell of a scoop. Sean Hannity informed his audience of a story that was broken hours earlier by the legal watchdogs/gadflies (depending on your politics) at Judicial Watch. ?A little-known unit of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Community Relations Service (CRS), was deployed to Sanford, FL, following the Trayvon Martin shooting,? reported Judicial Watch. Its mission: ?to help organize and manage rallies and protests against George Zimmerman.?
Hannity was shocked. ?We learned today that [President Obama?s] Justice Department got involved in this case through their own Community Relations Service,? he told Pat Buchanan. ?What does that say about the administration? Should they have been involved??
?They should not,? pronounced Buchanan.
Over on the Fox Business Channel, another sage of interracial politics was fulminating about this ?little-known unit? and its meddling.
?Instead of following their stated mission of preventing racial and ethnic tensions,? said Lou Dobbs, ?they allegedly helped to organize anti-Zimmerman demonstrations. We have talked and reported to you a great deal on this broadcast about the politicization of the Justice Department, but I don't think anyone covering this story anticipated such a thing as what we have just reported to you.?
How did Dobbs know that the Justice Department had betrayed its mission? Well, he didn?t, and so far no one speculating about what the ?little-known unit? did seems to possess much expertise about it. That?s almost immaterial. We?re one day out from jury deliberations in George Zimmerman?s case, and there?s considerable, reality-based worry that a ?not guilty? verdict would spark violence in Sanford or Miami. That?s inspired conservatives to look back at how this became a national story in the first place?an inquest that leads them to Eric Holder?s doorstep.
Let?s fix the ?little-known? problem first. The Community Relations Service was created 49 years ago, by the Civil Rights Act, at a time of steady conflict between the government and local law enforcement and white citizens groups. Its original mission was to swoop in and mediate when communities start roiling over ?actions, policies, and practices that are perceived to be based on race, ethnicity, or national origin.?
This has only occasionally been controversial. The CRS?s budget request for 2013 was only $12,036,000, and no politician from either party made hay about cutting it. And that request was made after this ?organizing anti-Zimmerman demonstrations? story was broken in conservative media, mostly by Breitbart.com?s Lee Stranahan and TheBlaze.com?s Erica Ritz. On April 17, 2012, Ritz reported that ?a little-known? (that phrase again!) Justice Department outlet ?has apparently been helping protesters angry over the Trayvon Martin shooting.?
Ritz?s revelation came after reading the Orlando Sentinel, which during that churn of daily Martin stories had profiled the ?league of secretive peacemakers? working in Sanford and Miami. ?In their Navy blue windbreakers, polo shirts and dark sunglasses, they look like federal agents,? reported Arelis Hernandez. The agents, according to local civil rights leaders, ?helped set up a meeting between the local NAACP and elected officials that led to the temporary resignation of [Sanford] police Chief Bill Lee.?
In the Sentinel, this was a human interest story; online, it looked like a smoking gun. How could one branch of the Justice Department be investigating the case while another branch was shuttling activists to rallies? ?Is the DOJ?s presence, seemingly in a supportive role of the protesters, working to undercut the very mission of the organization?? asked Ritz. The question answered itself.
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Tampa, Florida --?EventFest, Inc. and Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla announce reserved tickets for the 2014 Children's Gasparilla Parade, Gasparilla Invasion Brunch and Gasparilla Parade of the Pirates go on sale Monday, July 1, 2013.
The 2014 Children's Gasparilla Parade, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014, is a signature component of the Gasparilla Extravaganza, an alcohol-free, family event which annually launches the Gasparilla festival season in Tampa.
This parade takes place along Bayshore Boulevard and gives pint-sized pirates the opportunity to stroll, march and ride up part of the same route as the historic Gasparilla Parade of the Pirates.
The following tickets are available for the Children's Gasparilla Extravaganza:
* Reserved bleacher seating tickets are $28 per person, tax included.?
* "First Mate" Reserved Chair Parade Seating is the parade's Extremely Limited First Mate reserved chair seating.?The price for the Children's Gasparilla Parade on January 18 is $40.00 per ticket, tax included.
* Scully's Family Hospitality Experience --?Tickets are $99 per adult and $79 per child, tax included.
The following tickets are available for the Gasparilla Pirate Fest:
* The 2014 Gasparilla Invasion Brunch, scheduled for Saturday, January 25, 2014. Reserved Tickets for the 2014 Gasparilla Invasion Brunch are $75 per adult and $65 per child, tax included.
The 2014 Gasparilla Parade of the Pirates, presented by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, will begin at 2 p.m. on Jan. 25, 2014, and is a key component of Tampa's premier community celebration - Gasparilla Pirate Fest.
The parade boasts approximately 130 units including colorful floats, bands, and of course, Jose Gaspar's appropriately costumed swashbuckling pirates.
The parade will continue its start at Bay to Bay and Bayshore and march up the northbound lanes (eastside) of Bayshore Boulevard and cross into downtown Tampa over the Brorein Street Bridge. The parade will turn left (northbound) at Ashley Drive, and conclude at Ashley Drive and Cass Street, with the pirates bringing their "piratical" revelry into the heart of the newly defined cultural arts district in Downtown Tampa.
Tickets to the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates are as follows:
* Reserved bleacher seating tickets for the 2014 Gasparilla Parade of the Pirates are $38 per person, tax included.
* A COMBO Ticket will be offered again in 2014 for Gasparilla Pirate Fest guests that wish to purchase tickets for both the Gasparilla Invasion Brunch and the Parade of the Pirates. COMBO tickets are $109 per adult and $99 per child, tax included.
* "First Mate" Reserved Chair Parade Seating is our Extremely Limited First Mate reserved chair seating, located on the water side of Bayshore Boulevard, between Ardson and Carolina. The price for the Parade of the Pirates is on Jan. 25 is $48.00 per ticket, tax included.
* Scully's Family Hospitality Experience is on a first come, first serve basis. This ticketed and reserved hospitality area will be just north of Howard Avenue on Bayshore Blvd. and will include a reserved bleacher seat in an exclusive, reserved area and a buffet-style lunch prior to the Parade of the Pirates.?
NOTE: A Charity Beer Garden is adjacent to Scully's Parade of the Pirates Hospitality Experience, for those guests (over the age of 21 with a valid state/photo i.d.) interested in enjoying the festivities (responsibly) with an ice-cold Budweiser! Tickets are $109.00 per adult and $89.00 per child, tax included.
All Gasparilla tickets include tax, plus a $5 handling charge per ticket, not to exceed a maximum of $30 handling per order.
For additional information or to purchase Gasparilla Invasion Brunch, Gasparilla Parade tickets and/or officially licensed Gasparilla merchandise, please log on to www.GasparillaTreasures.com. Tickets can also be ordered over the phone by calling EventFest's Gasparilla Ticket Reservation Line at (813) 251-8844.? A ticket representative will be available between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday - Friday.
Source: http://southtampa.wtsp.com/news/news/364822-2014-gasparilla-parade-tickets-sale-july-1
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