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"Hostile Takeover" Author David Sirota: How Corporate Interests Conquered American Democracy
In the following interview with BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com, author and political strategist David Sirota talks about his alarming new book, Hostile Takeover, which takes a look at how corporate interests have conquered American democracy. In this interview, Sirota describes how ordinary Americans have been sold out by a corrupt political system and explains what citizens can do to fight back.
Question: In a nutshell, what is your new book, Hostile Takeover about?
Sirota: It is about how Big Money interests now fully control America's government. There is no longer any distinction between these Big Money interests and the political system that purports to represent us. To really understand American politics we have to see that most of our politicians are acting as spokespeople for the Big Money interests that fund their campaign. Once we see that, we can understand why so many public policies not only do nothing to solve America's problems - but actually make those problems worse.
What was your motivation for writing this book?
Sirota: My motivation was to help educate citizens about exactly how deep corruption really runs in our political process. Most people understand that there's something gravely wrong in our political system right now. But most people are not following politics on a day-to-day basis. That's not surprising - as our economy has crushed the middle class, fewer people have discretionary time to follow politics very closely. My book is designed to cut through the B.S. and give folks a handy users guide so that when they do key in every once and a while, they can flip to the relevant section of the book and see how they are being B.S.'d.
Many Americans would argue that Big Money interests took over the levers of power in this nation long ago. If this is the case, then what would you say is any different about today's situation?
Sirota: What's different about today than previous years is how brazen the corruption is. Pay-to-play politics is no longer hidden from view. It's right out in the open for all to see. That is a sign of just how our government is more owned today by Big Money interests than ever before. That has been allowed to happen because we no longer have just one Big Money party in America. We have about one and a quarter or one and a third, and that has allowed the entire political process to shift radically.
What was the starting point for the hostile corporate takeover of America as we're seeing it today? What triggered this hostile takeover?
Sirota: It's hard to pinpoint an exact "start" of the hostile takeover. That said, I believe it came with Big Business's understanding over the last thirty years that it wasn't enough for them to own one political party (the Republicans). Over the last three decades - and particularly in the last 15 years - Big Money interests have bought a chunk of the Democratic Party. That chunk has decimated the forces that protect ordinary citizens in the political arena.
In Hostile Takeover you take the Democrats to task, as well as the Republicans. Is a third party the only way Americans can their country back?
Sirota: There are some tremendously inspiring third party movements out there, such as the Progressive Party in Vermont and the Working Families Party in New York. However, I still believe that the Democratic Party is the biggest, most powerful and most promising vehicle for real change. The party is in the throes of a battle for its soul - and I think we are seeing signs that that battle is going to be won by the courageous populists who are finally putting their feet down and saying, enough is enough, its time for our party to go back to its roots and stop selling out.
There's been a lot of speculation that perhaps the Democrats can take back the Congress in November and then start the ball rolling on impeaching Bush. Are you optimistic about the Dems' prospects in November and about the possibility that the nation could see real change for the better as a result?
Sirota: I am optimistic about Dems' prospects, but I am not as optimistic that Dems winning would bring real change because, so far, the Democratic Party has not run a campaign representing real change on major issues - only a change in who is running the show.
The likes of ExxonMobil and Wal-Mart wield vast power in our political system today. What can ordinary citizens do to stop the hostile takeover of America by these behemoths?
Sirota: There's no easy answer to this question. I spend a whole chapter in my book discussing this very question. As a preview, I will give you one idea: we need to focus far more locally. The media leads us to believe that the only place to focus our political activism is on the White House, when in fact ordinary citizens can have a far greater impact in the state, local and municipal arenas. This is why I helped found the Progressive States Network.
Overall, are you optimistic or pessimistic, long-term, that the hostile takeover of our nation can be halted or reversed?
Sirota: I tell people that if I wrote this book 10 years from now, the subtitle would not include "how we take it back" because I think there would be no way to do that. But I think right now we have a big opportunity to take our government back. The silver lining of the recent corruption scandals is that citizens are more outraged than ever about the corruption that is ruining our democracy. The question is whether any party or political movement has the guts to harness that outrage into action. I am optimistic that the progressive movement will - that's why I wrote this book.
Who Should We Blame In The Massacre Of Civilians By U.S. Marines In Haditha, Iraq?
I came across this powerful and moving piece by Robert Koehler about the savage massacre of civilian men, women and children by the U.S. Marines in Haditha, Iraq, and I'll let it speak for itself:
As we stare with sudden revulsion at the apparent cold-blooded murder of Iraqi civilians in Haditha — at least 15, maybe twice that number, killed by Marines avenging a buddy, including a 3-year-old girl, and men shoved into a closet, and a man kneeling in prayer — let us have the wit not to feign shock.
The massacre in this farming town on the Euphrates, about 150 miles northwest of Baghdad, may not be precisely part of Operation Iraqi Freedom's official mission, but neither is it an aberration. Indeed, it is, as Iraq vet Charlie Anderson said to me, a "foreseeable consequence" of an occupation that from day one was clumsy, brutal and clueless. As it grinds into its fourth year, with thousands of GIs caught by stop-loss orders in a tour of duty without end, and with all claims of noble purpose long since abandoned by our government like burned-out tanks in the desert, the frustrations and hatreds generated by our presence continue to intensify.
What happened in Haditha six months ago — two days after Rep. John Murtha introduced his brave, lonely resolution to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq — shatters every argument of the stay-the-course crowd and throws the dithering cowardice of Congress into stark relief. The longer we force our exhausted troops to stay not the "course" but the lie, the more dangerous the occupation becomes, for the Iraqis, for us, for the world.
Last Nov. 19, a Marine convoy was hit by an IED as it drove through Haditha; one soldier was killed. The Marines initially claimed the roadside bomb also killed the Iraqis, but thanks to Time magazine's investigative work (rare indeed from the embedded U.S. media) we know this isn't true. Video footage and 28 eyewitness reports "made an extremely strong case that the Marines of Kilo Company went on a vengeance rampage," according to a statement by Iraq Veterans Against the War. In their armed grief, the Americans kicked in the doors of civilian homes and wasted at least 15 Iraqis, including children and grandparents. See the rest of the article here.
Who should we Americans blame in the Haditha massacre? The Marines who pulled the trigger? I think it's important here to recall the words of Noam Chomsky, commenting about the My Lai massacre in Vietnam (from his recent book, Imperial Ambitions):
My Lai was a minor footnote to the war in Vietnam. It was part of a major military operation, Operation Wheeler--which was directed by guys like us, in ties and jackets, sitting in air-conditioned offices and targeting B-52 raids on villages. This was one of the many operations that killed who knows how many people. But in one particular spot, some educated poor GIs in the field, who were scared out of their wits, lost it and killed a couple of hundred people. That's the crime. And yet the criterion is that they're not like us. You get poor, uneducated people who are in the midst of conflict and have every reason to be scared. If they commit a crime, that's horrible. If nice, educated folk like us, sitting in comfort and protection, commit massive crimes---in particular, ordering these crimes--that doesn't matter. By contrast, Nuremberg worked the opposite way. The prosecution didn't go after the soldiers in the field; it went after the civilian commanders.
Glenn Beck Knows His Fan Base -- And Them Necks Is Mighty Red
By MANIFESTO JOE
Glenn Beck's new CNN show appears to be the network's latest pathetic bid to compete with Fox as a source of crypto-fascist pseudo-news. And, Beck hasn't wasted any time reaching out to the redneck fan base.
Beck devoted a segment of his May 15 show to trashing Natalie Maines and The Dixie Chicks, who have already endured much graylisting and some death threats since Maines told a London audience 3 years ago that she was ashamed that George W. Bush is from her home state.
In the first place, it's an insult to CNN's more serious viewers to put a one-man commentary program on in this time slot (6 p.m. CST). This is a time when relatively serious viewers are looking for real news, not a rabies case with a Rush Limbaugh-style, omnipotent format.
But, to the point -- in trashing Maines and The Chicks, the TV Beck went straight for the hate-radio fan base. Basically saying Maines is condescending to country-music fans, he self-righteously explained that this musical genre is "about values."
Being from a part of the world where country is "king," I felt I had to comment. Sorry, Glenn, but it's really more about culture -- or, if you've heard the country numbers that push right-wing politics, perhaps the lack thereof.
This is not to say there haven't been many fine country-Western artists. I'm not much of a fan, but I find a surprising number of C&W classics very listenable. Names like Johnny Cash, Charley Pride, Merle Haggard (right-wing jingo songs excepted), Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Bob Wills, Jimmie Rodgers, Kris Kristofferson, Ronnie Milsap, and even Ernest Tubb (though a little goes a long way) come to mind.
Nor is this to say that all culture need be highbrow. A good way to torture me would be to lock me in a room with nothing but the sterile, mathematical monotony of baroque-style classical.
But in C&W, artists like the aforementioned are exceptional. Growing up in Texas, I was exposed to my share of C&W radio during the heyday of "The Nashville Sound." Between the occasional patriotic opus or gospel-influenced number, I learned one hell of a lot about honky-tonkin', alcoholic, ignorant-and-proud-of-it men and women who cheat on each other and wreck their livers to an interminable soundtrack of weepy, affected hokiness. A whole lot of this stuff was musically juvenile and just damn depressing. You know -- cry in your (cheap-ass) beer stuff.
Family values? Well, maybe -- if your family is beer-guzzling trailer trash. Culture? Sometimes, yes -- but this is one of the easiest musical genres to outgrow.
For many of us, life is too short to listen to Darryl Worley putting Bush disinformation to music. (Worley's 2003 hit, "Have You Forgotten," links the Iraq war with 9-11, despite clear proof that this is false.) This jingoism is old-hat in country. Ever since I can remember, the emergence of any foreign villain spawns several "We Gonna Kick Their Ass" novelty songs on the country charts.
And then there's the longtime double standard on morals. When Keith Whitley, Hank Williams Sr., or Elvis (a rockabilly patriot) drink or dope themselves to death, it's a tragedy. Don't say that about Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix -- them wuz just skanky hippies.
I seriously wonder if Glenn Beck is a country music fan -- but he plays one on TV. And it's a calculated move, because he knows his target audience. He's perfect for much of country music's fan base. His tirade against Maines, complete with carefully selected and slightly distorted soundbites from the "60 Minutes" interview (I saw the whole interview) was Limbaugh-inspired bashing at its worst. The Chicks-hating Bubbas love it.
But hey, Maines isn't the only left-leaning country star around, Glenn. Willie and Kris are rumored to be lefties. Could it be that they really understand more about the problems of common folks than you do?
MANIFESTO JOE IS AN UNDERGROUND WRITER LIVING IN TEXAS.
Posted by Marc McDonald at 1:07 AM 13 comments
U.S. Ill-Prepared For What Forecasters Say Will Be Another Brutal Year For Hurricanes
The 2006 hurricane season officially kicks off in June. Forecasters predict it will be harsh. And despite what George W. Bush says, the U.S. is ill-prepared.
Weather data company MDA EarthSat reports that this year, the U.S. could again face storms as strong as Hurricane Katrina, which killed over 1,400 people and destroyed most of New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast.
Granted, it's only a forecast---but recall that last year's hurricane season was more devastating than forecasters had predicted. Forecasters had anticipated eight to nine hurricanes in 2005. In reality, the U.S. was slammed by 13 hurricanes, the most ever.
In addition, 2005 saw an unprecedented three hurricanes reach Category 5 status. It was almost as if Mother Nature was saying "Screw You!" to those Republicans who doubt the existence of global warming.
If we're indeed facing a repeat of the devastating 2005 hurricane season, this is grim news for Americans. After all, victims of Katrina's devastation are still digging out of the rubble. Over 1,300 people are still missing.
And New Orleans' levees still have not been rebuilt to withstand a hurricane of even less strength than Katrina. Indeed, two teams of independent experts recently reported that large rebuilt sections of the levees will be substantially weaker than before Katrina hit.
Anyone looking for answers about why the U.S. remains ill-prepared for the upcoming hurricane season needs to look no further than the Bush White House's recent report on Katrina. The 228-page report, released in February, was nothing more than a transparent cover-up that held no government officials accountable and proposed no sanctions of any kind.
Anyone who has followed the tragic incompetence of the Bush White House for the past five years can't be feeling confident as we head into another hurricane season. Bush's staggering incompetence as Katrina roared toward the U.S. was demonstrated in the release of video footage that showed desperate disaster officials warning Bush that the storm could breach levees and put lives at risk. As the tapes show, Bush didn't ask a single question and then lied as he assured soon-to-be-battered state officials: "We are fully prepared."
I get the feeling that things won't be much different this summer, as Bush retreats to his Crawford ranch for his annual five-week vacation. If history has taught us anything, it's that Bush doesn't learn from his mistakes---and time and time again, it's the American people who suffer the consequences.
Why Is CNN Dignifying Glenn Beck, A Bigot Who Called Cindy Sheehan A "Slut"?
Cindy Sheehan is a woman who I greatly admire. Since she lost her son to Bush's immoral, illegal invasion of Iraq, Sheehan has become an eloquent and outspoken anti-Iraq War activist.
Of course, the Kool-Aid-drinking fanatical brownshirt Bush supporters haven't been happy with Sheehan. They've called her all kinds of names.
One particularly sick and twisted right-winger called Sheehan a "slut."
So what did CNN do? It turned around and gave this right-wing asshole, Glenn Beck, his own hour-long program, so he could spew his hate speech every day to unsuspecting viewers.
We're not talking about Fox News here. We're talking about CNN.
Actually, most of us progressives never took CNN much more seriously than Fox News. After all, CNN pretty much serves up the same corporate pabulum as Fox News. During the build-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, CNN was every bit the jingoistic cheerleader that Fox News was.
But hiring Beck is a new low for CNN.
Actually, Beck (who often prides himself on his "outspoken" taboo-breaking style) likely had second thoughts about calling Sheehan a "slut" after he used that vile, sexist, woman-hating term on his nationally syndicated radio program on Aug. 15, 2005. A few days later, he claimed that he'd actually called Sheehan a "pimp."
Now "pimp" is bad enough. But the word "slut" is way over the line. It's a degrading term for women and, let's face it, it's used by men who hate women.
Deep down, I'm sure Beck realizes this. And I'm sure he now wishes that this issue would go away. And to some extent, he's succeeded. By constantly misquoting himself on the original reference, Beck has made a lot of people forget that he originally called Sheehan a "slut." Even the outstanding media watchdog site, Media Matters, (which has done a great job of monitoring Beck's hate speech) omits the "slut" reference in its roundup of Beck's racist, bigoted, sexist quotes.
One has to wonder what exactly prompted Beck to viciously attack Sheehan in the first place.
Beck constantly portrays himself as a big supporter of the troops in Iraq. But it wasn't Sheehan who was responsible for the deaths of 2,425 U.S. soldiers in Iraq. It was Beck's hero, Bush, who lied America into a reckless, illegal, immoral war.
Sheehan lost her son to Bush's evil war that was based on lies. She understandably is seeking answers to why her son died. Along the way, she's become an eloquent speaker, who has written a number of moving, informative articles about the war.
In fact, one can read a handful of Sheehan's writings and learn more about America's misadventure in Iraq than one could from watching a year's worth of CNN.
Incidentally, if Beck really is such a big supporter of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, I can't help but wonder why he doesn't enlist in the military himself. After all, the U.S. military these days is running short on its recruitment drives and is accepting enlistees well into their 40s. Beck (who is in his early 40s) would be welcomed with open arms at his local recruiting office.
But you can bet that a scumbag coward like Beck will avoid signing up to go serve in combat (just as his hero, Bush, found a way to avoid serving in combat when his nation was at war in Vietnam). No, it's much easier for Beck to sit here in America, living his comfortable millionaire's lifestyle and calling the mother of a fallen soldier a "slut." He is truly a sick, despicable man and CNN's desperate bid to boost its ratings will certainly backfire as repelled viewers abandon that network in droves after they're exposed to Beck's hate-spewing program.
Labels: Cindy Sheehan, Glenn Beck
Gas Tax Rebate Scheme: Sleazy Republican Johns Think Voters Are Stupid Hookers
In its latest folly, now scrapped, America's self-proclaimed party of fiscal responsibility tried yet another insulting hustle on prospective voters: a $100 gasoline tax rebate.
With this sleazy solicitation, the Republican "johns" in Congress apparently regard voters as they would whores -- and cheap, dumb ones at that.
Maybe they're right about some voters. Plenty fell for that $300-per-taxpayer cut enacted in 2001, which provided cover for those bonanza breaks for the rich. But $300 is at least what a midgrade escort would expect. A lousy $100 is for streetwalkers, crack whores.
This year, many voters won't be bribed, or fooled, I'll bet.
Which political party has it been that, over many decades, scuttled projects to develop alternative energy sources? Gave the oil companies huge tax breaks and subsidies? Repealed windfall profits taxes? Balked at fuel economy standards? Had Big Oil in the White House, practically writing energy policy? Ridiculed a Democratic president (Carter) who tried, perhaps in all innocent sincerity, to set a personal example for energy conservation? Have had a revolving-door relationship with Big Oil so incestuous that our current "president and vice president" and the party's previous president, all had very close ties to an industry notorious for profiteering and campaign largesse?
Hey, congressional Republicans: Some of us have memories. And even the ones who don't are likely to vote against whomever seems to be making them uncomfortable at the moment. Gas at $3 a gallon isn't going over well with naive swing voters.
It will be such a pleasure to see you get the beating you deserve this November.
It's The Exploitation, Stupid: Key Issue Few Are Discussing In Immigration Debate
The debate about illegal immigration has focused largely on cost-benefit analysis, with people citing conflicting studies about the effects on wages, taxes, jobs, health care, education costs, etc.
What few seem to be talking about is that this issue stems from two things: Mexico's corrupt, oligarchic system; and, increasingly, our own.
What is the effect on wages? According to Harvard economists George J. Borjas and Lawrence F. Katz, from 1980 to 2000, immigration reduced the average annual earnings of U.S.-born men by nearly 4 percent. The poorest 10 percent of the work force suffered worse, they wrote, with a 7.4 percent reduction. Among high school dropouts, it was 8.2 percent.
What is the effect on jobs? It's been long argued that illegal immigrants take jobs that Americans won't. That seemed largely true in the 1980s, but less so now. In Texas, where I live, it's easy to see how this has changed. Just walk up to any construction site and find out how many of the skilled tradesmen there are equally skilled in English.
But Borjas and Katz point out that such effects are mitigated -- for example, certain types of businesses (hand car washes and landscapers) would not even exist without the cheap labor of illegal immigrants.
Borjas wrote in an April 18 op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal: "A larger pool of competing workers lowers relative wages. This does not imply that immigration is a net loss for the economy. After all, the wage losses suffered by workers show up as higher profits to employers and, eventually, as lower prices to consumers. Immigration policy is just another redistribution program. In the short run, it transfers wealth from one group (workers) to another group (employers). Whether or not such transfers are desirable is one of the central questions in the immigration debate."
It is amusing to see some conservatives who take a hard line on immigration latching onto the Borjas-Katz study. I never noticed that these union-busting, Wal-Mart-shopping types were ever concerned about low wages in the past. Their stand is more likely rooted in right-wing xenophobia, not concern for U.S. workers.
This brings us to the Republican Party's great divide on this issue: the bigots versus the exploiters. Among the more "moderate" elitist Republicans, they don't want to lose their gardeners or their cleaning women -- they work so cheap.
It also brings us to the reason all these millions of Mexican nationals come here illegally, often at great risk: The Mexican economy, mismanaged for decades by a corrupt, oligarchic government, can't provide jobs for its large peasant class. And this may be somewhat by design.
The history of the PRI, or Institutional Revolutionary Party, in Mexico tells the sordid tale of how the 1910-20 revolution was betrayed. In addition to the phony, occasionally murderous one-party "democracy" it operated for 71 years, the PRI eventually gutted many progressive reforms pushed through by legendary President Lazaro Cardenas in the 1930s. It so mismanaged the economy that by the late 1970s and early 1980s, wealthy Mexicans were reinvesting assets abroad because they had little confidence in their own economy. And so, even fewer jobs were created in Mexico. And even when times were better, wealth was hoarded, not shared.
In 2004, the World Bank reported that Mexico, which is considered a middle-income nation as a whole, had a 50 percent poverty rate. Corruption remains endemic, and the country's rich seem more than happy to encourage the jobless poor to cross the U.S. border by the millions.
After fraudulent presidential elections, including one in 1988 that was stolen from Cardenas' son Cuauhtemoc, the voters finally got to throw the PRI out.
But the PAN administration that came to power after the 2000 election has proved to be the Fox in charge of the henhouse. For Mexico's poor, life has improved little, if any, under conservative President Vicente Fox.
And NAFTA's "liberalization" of agriculture in Mexico has been a disaster for peasant farmers there, throwing them into direct competition with more mechanized and heavily subsidized U.S. farming operations.
And still the future looks bleaker. Mexico's leftist hopeful for president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has fallen behind the conservative PAN candidate in a recent poll. And in America, our own steady movement toward a corrupt, Mexican-style oligarchy continues unabated under the sleazy administration of George W. Bush.
So, expect millions more illegal immigrants, and thousands more scofflaw U.S. employers who will gladly hire them. They work cheap; they don't make waves; they can't form unions; they will often work off the books, for cash; and if they get hurt on the job, they can't sue.
Forget about the Cro-Magnon Republican idea to make them felons. This is a government that couldn't handle a Category 3 hurricane in New Orleans. How is it going to round up and deport 12 million illegal immigrants?
Expect this debate to go on a long time. But let's get past peripheral questions of how much it costs to educate the immigrants' kids and provide charity health care, how much in taxes they do or don't pay, how much money they spend here or send back to Mexico.
It's the exploitation, stupid -- there, and here.
Immigration: A 'Form of Reverse Foreign Aid' for the U.S.
The May Day immigration rights demonstrations inspired two feelings in me: amusement and anger.
Amusement at how the Bush administration has its hands tied on this issue since it takes all of its marching orders directly from the business lobby. The GOP has long been the master of selling policies that benefit only the rich to working-class idiots who vote Republican ("trickle-down" tax cuts, for one thing). But try as they may, the Bush people will never be able to sell immigration rights to their base of angry, frustrated white supporters.
For me, the demonstrations also triggered feelings of anger. Why can't all working Americans take a lesson from this action and organize a nationwide general strike? Average wages in America have been in steady decline now for a quarter of a century---a period that has also seen a gigantic explosion in the pay of CEOs and other ultra-rich people, as well as a relentless crackdown on organized labor.
Leave it to the brilliant investigative reporter Greg Palast to tell the full story of immigration:
Immigration is simply good business. In fact, it's the deal of the millennium, says Dr. Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute, a think tank founded by big name Republicans.
"It's a form of reverse foreign aid. We give less than $20 billion in direct aid to Third World nations and we get back $30 billion a year in capital assets."
By "assets" he means workers raised, fed, inoculated and educated by poorer countries, then shipped at the beginning of their productive lives to the United States (the average age of immigrants is twenty-eight).
The Cato Institute reckons that the United States "imports" about $25 billion a year in "capital goods." "It is the lubricant to our capitalistic economy," said Moore (as I eschewed thoughts of the film Modern Times in which Charlie Chaplin gets squeezed through giant gears), "giving U.S. companies a big edge over European competitors."
American industry saves a bundle due to its access to an army of low-skill, low-wage foreign workers who can be hired, then dumped, in a snap. U.S. industry also siphons off other nations' best and brightest, trained at poor nations' expense.
The habit of brain-napping other countries' high-skilled workers, let me note, permits America's moneyed classes to shirk the costly burden of educating America's own underclass.
"Hostile Takeover" Author David Sirota: How Corpor...
Who Should We Blame In The Massacre Of Civilians B...
Glenn Beck Knows His Fan Base -- And Them Necks Is...
U.S. Ill-Prepared For What Forecasters Say Will Be...
Why Is CNN Dignifying Glenn Beck, A Bigot Who Call...
Gas Tax Rebate Scheme: Sleazy Republican Johns Thi...
It's The Exploitation, Stupid: Key Issue Few Are D...
Immigration: A 'Form of Reverse Foreign Aid' for t...


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Inaugural Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl features Oregon St, Utah St
Craig Thompson, Mountain West Conference commissioner, stands next to Utah State quarterback Logan Bonner (1) who kisses the trophy after defeating San Diego State during an NCAA college football game for the Mountain West Conference Championship, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
(John McCoy / Associated Press)
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl: Utah State (10-3) at Oregon State (7-5), Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. EST (ABC)
Line: Oregon State by 7 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
Series record: Oregon State leads 3-0.
The Beavers will try to cap their first winning season since 2013 with a bowl victory, which would represent an exclamation point on the steady improvement the program has made in four years under coach Jonathan Smith. The Aggies return to Southern California two weeks after a dominant showing to capture the Mountain West title trying to tie the school record for wins in a season.
KEY MATCHUP
Utah State WR Deven Thompkins vs. Oregon State DB Rejzohn Wright. Thompkins ranks second in the FBS with a school-record 1,589 yards receiving. Despite his diminutive stature at 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, Thompkins has a knack for attacking the ball in the air. Wright is tied for the team lead in interceptions (2) and pass breakups (8). Ahead of his decision whether to declare for the NFL draft, Wright should relish the chance to try and shut down an elite offensive weapon.
Utah State: QB Logan Bonner followed coach Blake Anderson out west after five seasons together at Arkansas State and threw for 3,560 yards and 36 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. The unexpected turnaround culminated with a 46-13 rout of San Diego State to win the conference championship game, with Bonner completing 29 of 42 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns against one interception.
Oregon State: RB B.J. Baylor led the Pac-12 with 1,258 yards rushing. A first-team all-conference selection, Baylor's ability to churn out yardage with a heavy workload was crucial in opening up play-action passes for QB Chance Nolan. Baylor is also effective at the goal line, with 10 of his 13 touchdown runs coming in goal-to-go situations.
Utah State is one of four teams in FBS history to win 10 games after recording a single victory the previous season, joining Stanford in 1940, Miami (Ohio) in 2010 and Fresno State in 2017. … Beavers LB Avery Roberts led the Pac-12 in tackles for the second straight season. He has 128 tackles this season after posting 69 during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. … The Aggies are facing a Power 5 opponent in a bowl game for the second time. They lost 24-9 to Baylor in the 1961 Gotham Bowl. … Oregon State is 2-0 playing in Los Angeles under Smith, who grew up in Pasadena. That includes a 45-27 win at USC this season, the Beavers' first win there since 1960. … Utah State RB Calvin Tyler Jr. played at Oregon State for four seasons before transferring. Tyler leads the Aggies with 764 yards rushing and six touchdowns. … The Beavers allowed 10 sacks, the fewest in the Pac-12, and surrendered multiple sacks in only one game.
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP's college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25
Peter Kiss had 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead Bryant to an 82-52 rout of St. Francis of Pennsylvania
Brock Nelson and Casey Cizikas scored less than three minutes apart in the second period and the New York Islanders beat Philadelphia 4-1, handing the Flyers their eighth straight loss
Tyler Herro scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler got a triple-double in the game's final moment and the Miami Heat held off the Toronto Raptors 104-99
CJ McCollum scored 16 points in his first game back from a collapsed lung, Jusuf Nurkic added 21 points and a season-best 22 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Orlando Magic 98-88
Te-Hina Paopao scored 22 points as Oand eight rebounds as Oregon beat No. 9 UConn 72-59 on Monday.
Jenna Staiti scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as No. 13 Georgia became the first visiting team to earn a win at Missouri this season, using a strong finish to post a 72-62 victory
Column: Once again, this Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is empty
Column: Packers' Rodgers is MVP ... best player on the best team
Shaun White moves closer to Olympic selection with third place in Swiss event
Von Oelhoffen's clutch 3-pointer sparks Oregon State women
Giants end first-round interviews for GM with 2 SF execs

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Home > Summer Olympics > Events > Wrestling > Freestyle Wrestling > 63 - 72KG
Freestyle Wrestling (63 - 72KG)
Latest Member Blog Articles on Freestyle Wrestling (63 - 72KG)
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text:
The Ballads of Global Jihad
by raffaellopantucci | Aug 7, 2012 | Monitor |
A longer post for a new outlet, the blog of my excellent English publisher, Hurst. Draws on material that I have gone into in much more depth in the text of my book, and touches upon the theme of Shabaab's use of media for recruitment that I have written about before (and am working on a bit at the moment as well).
When 17-year old Saajid Badat first moved to London in 1997 he was given a cassette tape – still a popular medium then – by some new friends he had made in Tooting. Called 'In the Hearts of Green Birds' and produced by Azzam Publications, the tape relayed the stories of jihadist warriors who had fallen fighting for the Muslim ummah in Bosnia. An impressionable young man who had attained the status of hafiz (memorised the Koran) by the time he was twelve, Badat was moved by the stories he heard on the tape and 'tried to meet with different people with similar view in respect of jihad.' Within a year, he used these same contacts to go and train, setting him down a path which in 2001 led him to agree to be deployed by al Qaeda as one half of a 'shoe bomb' suicide mission targeting transatlantic flights. In the event, Badat backed out at the last minute, while his co-conspirator Richard Reid attempted to bring down a Paris-Miami flight.
Stories and myths have always been important in the history of Britain's jihad, be they delivered by cassette, video or in written form. In the 1990s at Abu Hamza's Finsbury Park mosque, young men would crowd around and watch videos from the front in Algeria or Chechnya. Up in Beeston, young Waheed Ali, who later attended a training camp in Pakistan with Mohammed Siddique Khan (one of the four men who carried out the 7th July 2005 London bombings), recalled getting videos of fighting from a friend at the Iqra bookshop in Beeston and taking them round to his friend Shehzad Tanweer's house. 'Watching the brothers fighting in Chechnya against the Russians…was really inspirational.' As he later told a courtroom, 'it really brought a sense of brotherhood to a different level [….] if you get a Chechen Muslim or you get a Russian civilian you can't tell the difference, they both look the same and you're getting one people who are annihilating another people and you're getting Muslims from all round the world, Arabs, you're getting Pakistanis, you're getting Africans going to Chechnya, a foreign land, to help their Muslim brothers and it was unbelievable. I couldn't believe it. I thought 'this is beautiful'. Ali was eventually jailed for trying to return to a training camp in Pakistan in 2007.
Others found motivation in books, like that written by Dhiren Barot, a convert who in the mid 1990s left his job working for an airline in London to go and fight alongside Kashmiri jihadists. He later wrote up his experience in a book called The Army of Madinah in Kashmir that has featured repeatedly among the collections of men jailed for terrorism in the UK. Clearly impressed by the author's experiences, the anonymous editor Abu Umamah tells readers in the preface, 'what is most unusual about this book is the author himself. It is so rare for people in our age to take on the struggle for the sake of Allah. So imagine someone who comes from a non-Muslim background, struggling first against himself, then those around him from friends and family to take on the most noble of duties in Allah's cause'.
The importance of these narratives has not shrunk and extremist groups abroad have become adept at producing accessible material that tell glorious hagiographies and of a united ummah fighting against oppression. Al-Shabaab has become particularly good at this, producing videos that look professionally made, highlighting what the group has achieved in Somalia. Most recently, they released what promises to be the first in a series called 'The Life under the Shade of Islamic Sharia in Somalia.' Produced by al-Khataib (which translates as the person who delivers the sermon), the film was made in the style of a documentary about what life was like under sharia law in Baidoa, a city Shabaab used to control. In the film we see the English-speaking narrator (with a slight foreign accent, but clearly someone who has spent considerable time in the UK), acting like a documentary narrator on the BBC 'travelling back to find out' more about how Baidoa fared under al-Shabaab rule. He talks to the camera, poses against the backdrop of scenes of battles he is describing, and conducts on-screen interviews with citizens. Preceding his trip to Baidoa with a brief history lesson, we hear about dictator Siad Barre whose socialist republic collapsed in 1991, leading to a period in which, he tells us, the country descended into tribal conflicts and warlordism with Ethiopian funding.
Animosity towards Ethiopia is something that pervades the video and the more general Shabaab narrative; a majority Christian country that is repeatedly accused of being a crusader army come to oppress Somalia's Muslim community – either with outside support or simply for its own nefarious reasons. Talking to a Somali social worker in Ealing on the topic of Shabaab a few years ago, I was surprised to hear first-hand about the strength of the Ethiopian invasion as a narrative that spurred anger among young Somalis. The importance of this narrative to Shabaab in particular can be seen in a recorded telephone conversation from August 2010 between two Somali-Swede's accused of fundraising and recruiting for the group: 'the diaspora helped us before, when the Ethiopians came, so that we could drive them away…because they hated Ethiopia so much…when they left, then came the Ugandans….but they hate the Ethiopians more than the Ugandans…they have never heard of the Ugandans…and now we get no help because they do not know what the war is about.' Without this narrative to tap, the men were having difficulty raising money from the community in Scandinavia.
Hence the need to produce videos explaining their narrative and highlighting successes, and the narrator's trip to sharia-governed Baidoa to show what Shabaab are achieving. In the video, he goes around like a reporter interviewing shop owners (one of whom breaks off during the interview to go to prayer) and asking locals what they think of sharia rule. We visit madrassas filled with eager children learning the Koran and see teams of religious police wandering around the city during prayer time to make sure everyone has closed business and gone to pray. At other times we see a bustling city apparently thriving under the group's control with markets and new construction sites, all courtesy of foreign investment that has supposedly come to the city in the wake of the stability al-Shabaab had brought. A big point is made of talking about the role that women play in the markets – in supposed contrast to the evil democratic narrative that says they are oppressed under sharia – though at no point are we shown any women's faces.
This particular narrative may be new and unique to the Somali situation, but there are universal elements in the video and other Shabaab productions that hearken back to earlier videos. The Chechen and Bosnian videos were infamous for their depiction of butchered civilians and while the Shabaab videos are not quite as gruesome, we see a Shabaab warrior showing us a selection of skulls that are purportedly civilians beheaded by Ethiopian soldiers. In contrast to the earlier Chechen videos, however, these ones are less bloodthirsty. In 'Russian Hell' – also an Azzam production – it is relatively common to see mujahedeen fighters cutting the throats of Russian prisoners and executing them for the camera. Shabaab chooses a tamer version of the violence, something likely learned from the experiences of other groups where the excessively visible spilling of blood had a negative effect on the general perception of the group.
We also see clips of heroic fallen fighters – Abu Ayyub, Britain's first suicide bomber in Somalia, is venerated in the video and we see a clip from the film he recorded prior to driving a truck bomb into an Ethiopian checkpoint in October 2007. And throughout the documentary we see footage of fighters talking to the camera, some of whose names are followed up with 'may Allah accept him.' This is an almost exact replica of earlier videos and cassettes where we see and hear footage of fallen fighters with a brief description of where they are from and their victorious actions. Supposedly the first in a series, the film is one of a number the group has produced, though it is of unusually high quality.
But heroes are not only conjured through film. In much the same way that Dhiren Barot wrote his story as a warrior in Kashmir, young American Omar Hamammi wrote an autobiography which he self-published online. Telling his life story as a young American in Alabama who found religion and then ran away to Egypt with his Canadian-Somali wife and then on with a friend to Somalia, the book is intended as an inspiration to others to follow in his path. He does not stint from telling about the difficulties encountered, but it is all painted in the manner of an exciting adventure in which our intrepid hero gets by on his wits. At the end of the text (which promises sequels by calling itself 'The story of an American Jihaadi Part One'), Hammami undertakes an interview with a fellow extremist looking in some depth at some of the questions raised in the text and the justifications of what he is doing. He also reveals himself during the book to be a prolific strategist, claiming to be 'Abu Jihad al-Shami,' the author of four previous texts about jihad in Somalia.
The impact of these narratives is hard to judge in absolute terms. Looking back at the 1990s and the impact of the videos from Algeria, Bosnia and Chechnya, it is easy to see the influence they had in helping inspire young men to go and find out what jihad was about and how they could participate. Bosnia in particular had a transformative effect on the British Muslim narrative. Nowadays the narrative of jihad and fighting for the Muslim community in faraway lands is fairly well known, with most having at least a cursory knowledge of what it is about simply by looking in the media. But stories with heroic figures are important and showing potential fighters that what they are signing up for is a righteous adventure in a foreign land rather than an anonymous death by drone strike is essential if these groups are to maintain the flow of support and attention from the affluent west.
The importance of such material was highlighted recently in a series of cases in the London where Shabaaz Hussain from Stepney pled guilty to sending more than £9,000 to a group who had gone to fight in Somalia. According to the prosecution, his home was 'practically dripping' with radical material, including jihadist manifestos, speeches by Osama bin Laden and recordings of hook-handed preacher Abu Hamza. A pair of identical twins, Mohammed Shabir Ali and Mohammed Shakif Ali, were later convicted on similar charges. They had sent £3,000 to Somalia through Hussain. For these two, the narrative of what was going on in Somalia was particularly personal, as their brother Shamim Ali had gone to fight in Somalia in 2008. Among their possessions was a recording of a call he had made to them from abroad appealing for money – according to the prosecutor, he told them 'the need is relayed by their brother for fighters to dedicate their lives to jihad, and if needs be to sacrifice life.' Ali is believed to still be in Somalia, while his two brothers face another year of incarceration for sending him money to fight the war. The story of jihad in Somalia appealed to these men, something reinforced in the twin's case through the direct involvement of their brother.
The threat from new battlefields like Somalia is one that keeps British security services awake at night. As MI5 head Jonathan Evans put it in June, 'al Qaeda affiliates in Yemen, Somalia and the Sahel have become more dangerous as al Qaeda in Pakistan has declined….in back rooms and in cars and on the streets of this country there is no shortage of individuals talking about wanting to mount terrorist attacks here.' These individuals are motivated and inspired by stories from the battlefields, either as books, videos or recordings. In the religious conflict these groups see themselves at the vanguard of, epic stories and myths are essential to maintain support and draw others into the fray. And while the stories may come from new locations, their underlying intention remains the same and their impact can be measured in the continuing arrests and convictions we see in Europe and North America. As long as jihadi stories find an audience, radical groups will find a voice and weave mythical legends for young Britons to emulate. Stories will remain a crucial part of the British jihad.


The global appetite for Canada's new 10-year visas appears insatiable, especially in China.
More than three million people from countries with which Canada has long had travel restrictions have obtained the 10-year, multiple-entry visas since the program began in 2014.
With almost half the 10-year visas being handed out in Mainland China, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government this year opened seven new visa offices, the province of B.C., more than anywhere in Canada, has experienced a surge of visitors.
Immigration specialists say the 10-year visas are having multiple effects on Canada.
They've markedly boosted tourism. And they've helped re-connect globally far-flung families for extended periods.
But they have also been vulnerable to abuse by rich trans-nationals with families in Canada who seek to avoid paying Canadian income taxes on their global income.
More than 1.4 million Mainland Chinese have gone through the vetting process to obtain Canada's 10-year visa, which allows visits of up to six months at a time.
More than 716,000 people from India have also obtained multiple-entry visas, followed by 273,000 from Brazil and 140,000 from the Philippines.
The federal government says Mainland China visitors now spend $1 billion a year in Canada. Travel from that country has soared and China has become Canada's third largest source of visitors after the U.S. and the U.K.
George Lee, a Burnaby immigration lawyer who was born in China, says Metro Vancouver hotels, retailers and restaurants are responding to the swelling stream of Chinese visitors by hiring more Mandarin-speaking employees and even making sure their staff "serve Coca-Cola warm," the custom in China.
In addition, Lee said wealthy Mainland Chinese visitors are increasingly buying hotels, resorts and residential real estate in B.C., particularly in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island.
Immigration lawyer Sam Hyman believes the 10-year visas not only help boost tourism from China, India, Brazil and elsewhere; they also help far-flung relatives reunite for extended periods of time in Canada — without having to go through the process of applying for permanent resident status.
For instance, Hyman has worked with many Latin American families who immigrated to Canada in the past couple of decades. Their offshore parents and other relatives, he said, have been applying for 10-year visas to come to Canada as "seasonal visitors," staying for months at a time.


text:
Joseph Vann (1798-1844)
N. Michelle Williamson, Rome,
Joseph Vann was a Cherokee leader who owned a plantation (as well as many slaves), taverns, and steamboats that he operated on the Arkansas, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers.
Born on February 11, 1798, in Murray County in northwest Georgia, Vann was the son of Chief James Vann and Margaret "Peggy" Scott. His grandfather was Clement Vann, a Scottish trader who moved from Charleston, South Carolina, to the Cherokee lands in northwest Georgia and married Wa-wli, a Cherokee Indian. Wa-wli was baptized by Moravian missionaries, and they changed her name to Mary Christiana.
Vann's father amassed a fortune through his trading post and tavern business. He was equally successful in the political sphere. By 1800 Vann's father was the dominant chief in the Cherokee tribe's councils.
In 1808 Vann's father killed his brother-in-law in a duel. A year later, at a tavern near his home, Vann's father was murdered, presumably in retaliation. Vann was eleven years old at the time and was present in the tavern when his father was shot and killed.
At his death Chief Vann left behind an impressive house on 400 acres at Spring Place Plantation in Murray County. (The house, which still stands, is today known as the Chief Vann House.) The elder Vann stated in his will that he wanted Spring Place Plantation to be passed on to his son Joseph. However, Cherokee law stipulated that the home go to his wife, Peggy, while his possessions and property were to be divided among his children. Eventually, Vann did inherit the house and property.
Vann possessed his father's talent for shrewd trading. He accumulated great wealth in trade, and the two-story mansion at Spring Place made him the envy of many settlers. Among the visitors to the Vann house was U.S. president James Monroe, who in 1819 spent the night at Spring Place during a trip from Augusta to Nashville, Tennessee.
Chief Vann House, 1934
1827 Vann secured his political place in the Cherokee Nation. He was a successful candidate for the National Council, the lower house of the Cherokee legislature. However, neither Vann's power among the Cherokees nor the respect he enjoyed among whites could protect him from losing his property. In 1834 the Georgia Guard evicted Vann from his property under the pretext that Vann had broken a state law that prohibited whites from working for Indians. (Vann had hired a white man as overseer of his plantation.) This eviction was permitted under the dictates of the Georgia land lottery, which led to the final removal of the Cherokees from the state in 1838. Vann filed a lawsuit over the dispossession of his property and was eventually awarded $19,605 for the loss of Spring Place Plantation.
After the eviction Vann moved his family to Tennessee, where he owned a large plantation on the Tennessee River near the mouth of Ooltewah Creek. In 1836 Vann again moved west, this time to Webbers Falls on the Arkansas River. He died on October 6, 1844, when his ferryboat exploded during a race near Louisville, Kentucky.
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Henry Thompson Malone, Cherokees of the Old South: A People in Transition (Athens: University of Georgia Press, [1956]).
William McLoughlin, Cherokee Renascence in the New Republic (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1986).
Theda Perdue, "The Conflict Within: The Cherokee Power Structure and Removal," Georgia Historical Quarterly 73 (fall 1989): 467-91.
Williamson, N. M.. "Joseph Vann (1798-1844)." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 21 November 2013. Web. 16 July 2019.
Georgia State Parks: Chief Vann House Historic Site
Digital Library of Georgia: Letter Regarding Vann Property
Digital Library of Georgia: Letter Regarding Cherokee Council
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The interior of the 34 Sport is notable for its first class commodities. A double bed, a couch, and fully equipped powder room including a sink and a shower, can be found within the hull of this boat. All interiors can be refinished to your pleasures. The exterior includes a kitchen stove and sink a refrigerator and freezer. All upholstery is customizable for your tastes in colour and material.


The last time Dan Johnson stepped into the ballpark at Haymarket Park it was as a hitter for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2001. On Thursday night he was a 36-year-old knuckleball pitcher who delivered his finest outing of his career. Johnson tossed 7.0 shutout innings and the St. Paul Saints took down the Lincoln Saltdogs, in a battle of first place teams, 8-1. The win improved the Saints to 45-21 and increased their lead in the North to 9.0 games on the idle Winnipeg Goldeyes.
Johnson looked like he was in for a shaky night when he gave up a one out single to Luis Alen in the first and then hit the next two batters. Perhaps the turning point in his evening was when he got Jon Smith to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning keeping the Saints up 1-0 after an inning of play.
In the third Johnson gave up a one out double to Robby Kuzdale and, with two outs, walked Brandon Jacobs, but Rene Leveret popped out to end the inning.
In the fourth Johnson walked the leadoff man Smith before retiring the next three hitters. It was part of 11 consecutive hitters retired by Johnson.
In the seventh Johnson retired the first two hitters before giving up back-to-back singles to Ryan Wiggins and Dainer Moreira, but Kuzdale struck out on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning. Johnson went 7.0 shutout innings allowing four hits while walking two and striking out three as he picked up his second win of the season. It was the longest outing in his young knuckleball career.
The Saints got him run support from the beginning as they faced former Major Leaguer Shairon Martis. Alonzo Harris led off the game with a single to left, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. He would score on a single by Tony Thomas to give the Saints a 1-0 lead.
In the fourth Thomas doubled off the left field wall and, two batters later, Trever Adams made it 3-0 with a two-run homer, his fourth of the season.
The Saints then took advantage of some shaky Saltdogs defense. In the fifth Aaron Gretz led off with a single. Sam Maus sacrificed him to second and reached when Martis' throw went down the right field line which also sent Gretz to third. A sacrifice fly from Harris made it 4-0 Saints.
In the sixth Thomas reached on a throwing error by the shortstop Moreira. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and scampered to third when the throw by the catcher Wiggins went into centerfield. An infield single by Angelo Songco scored Thomas to make it 5-0.
The Saints got back-to-back bases loaded walks to Tony Caldwell and Tanner Vavra in the eighth to make it 7-0 and finished the scoring with an RBI double from Breland Almadova in the ninth.
The same two teams meet Friday night at Haymarket Park in game two of the four game series. Saints RHP Robert Coe (8-2, 4.40) attempts to break the franchise record for wins as he goes to the mound against Saltdogs RHP Casey Barnes (3-4, 5.19). The game can be heard on Club 1220 KLBB.


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text:
Power outages, travel delays, blizzards hammer U.S. | will it snow in florida
January 16, 2023 D.Demir is it going to snow in florida 2022 0
A family walks during a winter storm in Flint, Mich. on Dec. 23. Photo: Katie McTiernan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The extreme winter storm and Arctic outbreak hammering swaths of North America have left many parts of the U.S. facing frigid temperatures and travel nightmares.
The big picture: Much of the country woke up on Christmas Day to cold temperatures, power outages, travel delays and dangerous weather conditions that have left several people dead. It was weakening overnight, but still remained a threat to some areas, notably Buffalo, New York.
Photo: National Weather Service/Twitter
At least 34 people have died in the massive storm and officials warned that toll was expected to rise, AP reports.
State of play: "Weather conditions that caused the significant lake effect snow even downwind of the Great Lakes is weakening," the National Weather Service said in an update early Monday.
"In the West, an atmospheric river event will bring heavy rain that could cause flash flooding, heavy high elevation snow, high winds, and areas of significant icing in parts of eastern Washington," the NWS added.
"Light accumulations of a wintry mix will be possible in the Mid-South to the Ohio Valley."
Of note: The city of Buffalo, New York, was in the midst of its worst blizzard on record, which has brought record-breaking snowfall and zero visibility.
Power outages across the U.S.
Zoom in: Nearly 260,000 customers across the U.S. woke up without power on Christmas Day, according to PowerOutage.us.
By early Monday, that number had dropped to just over 70,000, with nearly 33,000 of those in Maine.
New York had the second-highest number with almost 14,000 customers experiencing outages.
Flight delays and cancellations amid holiday travel
Travel problems were happening across the U.S. as many Americans tried to reach friends and family for Christmas. There were thousands of flight delays and cancellations on Saturday and Sunday, with more expected throughout the busy holiday weekend.
"The life-threatening cold temperatures and in combination with dangerous wind chills will create a potentially life-threatening hazard for travelers that become stranded, individuals that work outside, livestock and domestic pets," the NWS said Sunday.
"In some areas, being outdoors could lead to frostbite in minutes. Ensure outdoor animals and livestock have sufficient shelter," the NWS added.
Winter storm freezes U.S.
Areas ranging from the Plains to the Gulf Coast and Midwest saw historic temperature drops. By Friday morning, more than 350 million Americans were under some type of winter weather warning, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes.
Winter storm endgame
Most areas should begin to thaw Monday as the winter weather rushes through the Northeast.
"By Christmas night into Monday, the next low-pressure system coming from the Pacific will deliver the next surge of moisture toward the Pacific Northwest and then into northern California," the NWS said.
More from Axios:
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details about weather conditions.
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Want to Upgrade to a New CMS?
There are a lot of issues to consider when upgrading your website. Most often it seems the organization looking for the change focuses mostly on the new design of the site. Design is just one element and it usually isn't the most critical one to your new site's success.
It makes sense that when people want to launch a new site that they will also launch a new design. This is generally a good idea as often converting a design to a new content management system will be nearly as difficult as creating a new design in the first place. Remember that the design is just a presentation layer and although it is very important to your new site's success, it must be considered apart from the content layer. Your website should also match your organizations existing branding initiatives - consistency is good.
One of the biggest questions is what are you going to do with your existing content. Do you want it to be migrated for you or do you want to review the content and the site's hierarchy manually as you are creating a new site. For both static and dynamic sites there are going to be concepts which are not easily upgraded and which will need someone familiar with both sites to review. Don't expect complete automation! You will also have to consider how you deal with the old internal links, as the old CMS has a different format than the new one does. Issues like images and attachments will also likely be problematic.
What functional elements do you need to migrate over. It may be quite expensive to replicate the exact functionality from your old site, so it is important to be flexible unless you've got a large budget to customize the new code base. In setting up a new CMS, it is easy to get lost in the range of options that are out there. Remember to start small and expand as you have the resources to support your new site's functionality. Don't install all of the modules that could be useful, rather stick to those that you know will support your site.
It is useful to know how people are presently coming to your site and what you can do to optimize your search engine results so that your traffic increases after the upgrade. Watch the web stats/trafic before and after so that you can measure how people are coming to your website. You will want to optimize your site for search engines from the start and monitor changes in activity.
With a good Content Management System like Drupal you can also look at changing your work-flow within your organization. These tools can have a profound effect on your communications with and between members. Work-flow within an organization can be decentralized and formalized as the tools get easier to use. Electronic Newsletters can help bring your supporters back to your site. Student wings or regional volunteers could be allowed to post information right to the web site. Blogs are often a good place to do this as they are seen as being more informal and also help with search engine placement.


As content marketing continues to evolve, so too does the way content is created, formatted and promoted. One example is in the use of visual elements within blog posts: A majority of marketers (53 percent) currently incorporate visuals into between 91 and 100 percent of their content.
That's a lot to look at!
If you're looking to get in on the game, some of the most effective visuals to include in your blogs are social media posts. If your prospects love seeing elements like videos, illustrations and graphics in the content they read, they'll love social media even more. So why not combine the two to make your content really stand out and grab their attention?
Below, we offer up some of the best practices for embedding social posts from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram into your blogs to take your content strategy to the next level.
Facebook is the most widely used social network in the world. There are currently over 1 billion active users who access the platform daily. Basically, you can't afford not to take advantage of the marketing benefits that Facebook offers.
But just because so many people like to use Facebook, it doesn't mean you can slap any old post from the site into your blog and see results. Aim to incorporate posts that feature videos, graphics or photos that are relevant to your topic and audience.
If you attend an industry event or conference and create a blog about it, use Facebook updates, photos and videos – either from your own page or those of other experts who also attended – to showcase the meeting.
When you're talking about one of your products or services, include a video, review or picture. This helps to build trust and establish authority, both of which are vital at creating successful relationships with potential leads and customers.
Although not as popular a platform as Facebook, Twitter has made a name for itself in the social media sphere. With 319 million monthly active users, this microblogging tool allows people to easily share and retweet messages that are perfect for embedding.
For marketers, incorporating Tweets into your blogs is a great way to highlight industry thought leaders and build relationships with them. Using insight from other professionals in your sector not only helps to support your topic, but also boosts your own social media presence.
If you feature a Tweet from an industry expert, reach out directly to that person and let them know. Chances are they'll retweet your blog out to their own followers, giving your brand more exposure and possibly more leads.
Tweets also help to break up the stock image monotony that many companies fall into. Sure, there are some nice and interesting stock images out there, but after a while, they get boring and predictable. Spice up your visual strategy by inserting a Tweet that features a video, graph or picture that supports your message.
Instagram has exploded in use over the past few years – on a daily basis, there are approximately 400 million active users. The app's popularity continues to grow as it launches new features.
One of these features is the ability for users to now add multiple photos or videos per post. Much like Twitter, Instagram helps marketers break up – or get rid of entirely – stock imagery. With this new tool, inserting Instagram posts means you can have a slideshow of up to 10 photos or videos within your blog. Prospects can scroll through the Instagram post without needing to leave your content or site.
Another benefit of inserting Instagram posts is you can use your influencers. The app has become the best way for companies to work with influential figures in all industries to feature their products and services. Highlighting a post from one of these individuals in your content showcases your offerings to prospects, giving them a better view of how well your products are made, used and reviewed.
You may not think of YouTube as a social media network, but it actually is, and it's an incredibly important one at that. Individuals between 18 and 49 years old are more likely to watch YouTube videos than cable network programming.
This makes the video sharing network an ideal channel for reaching your prospects, and you can increase your chances of getting their attention by incorporating YouTube videos in your blogs.
These videos, either from your company or from other industry experts, can serve as stepping stones for your topic, helping to introduce or explain it. Or you can use them to expand upon a certain subject and provide more insight in a format that is easier to digest.
Incorporating social media posts into your blogs is a surefire way to increase engagement, but be sure you are using them the right way.
Don't overload your visitors with too many visual elements. Sure, social posts help to break up the content, but using too many makes your blog hard to read, and your message can easily get lost in between those Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagram photos and YouTube videos. Keep an eye on how many social features you're using, and analyze how well the blogs are performing to see how your readers are responding.
Also, be sure to introduce the social posts within your content. Including them without providing any context leaves your prospects wondering how they tie back to your message and company, so don't risk leaving them confused.
Embedding social media posts into your content doesn't just make your blogs more engaging and enticing for readers – it exposes your brand to new audiences who may not have otherwise known about your social presence.


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New World Development applies for compulsory sale of State Theatre Building with a view to conserve
Photo(s): 1
Relevant companies of New World Development Company Limited ("New World Group", "the Group"; Stock Code: 17.HK) today made an application to the Lands Tribunal for a compulsory sale order in respect of State Theatre Building, a commercial and residential property located at 277-291 King's Road, North Point. The application is made with a view to unifying the ownership of the building for redevelopment purpose.
A New World Group spokesperson said State Theatre Building consists of residential, commercial and the former State Theatre, and added that the Group has a view to conserve relevant part of the building being the former State Theatre. Yet, as legal proceedings for compulsory sale are onfoot, the Group is not in a position to confirm any development plan until it has acquired 100% ownership and conducted thorough inspection of the present condition and structure.
The New World Group has a long-standing interest in promoting arts and culture. In the case of State Theatre Building, although it is premature to discuss any future development plan at this stage, the Group will actively consider how to preserve the essence of the former State Theatre after it has successfully unified the ownership.
To work with community groups to collect oral history on North Point and the former State Theatre
With the aim to increase public understanding of the history of North Point, as well as of the former State Theatre's historical significance and cultural value, New World Development announced that it would co-ordinate with community groups to carry out a series of community programs to collect the collective memories of Hong Kong people. The Group has specially invited the following advisors for the community programs: Prof Ho Puay-peng J.P., former Antiquities Advisory Board member and former chairman of The Lord Wilson Heritage Trust, Dr Ng Chun Hung, a Hong Kong popular culture scholar, Prof Joseph Ting, former Chief Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of History, Dr Fredric Mao, former Director of Hong Kong Repertory Theatre and Ms Wendy Ng, an architectural conservationist.
The Group will co-ordinate with community groups to organize a series of talks and guided tours, as well as activities to collect oral history and memories of North Point and the former State Theatre. These activities will explore and promote the cultural history of North Point, as well as the history, special features and cultural value about the former State Theatre. Schools, groups and members of the public will be invited to participate in these activities.
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Series Review: Daredevil — Fangirling!
Well, let me start with the strong point, which might be surprising: this isn't that bad of a legal show. Sure, things happen way faster than in reality, but this is a show based on the threat of gentrification of Hells Kitchen after aliens and a Norse god destroyed half of New York, so I'm willing to suspend disbelief. Unbelievable elements aside, as a lawyer type myself, I really enjoyed that our main heroes were lawyers who maintained the same idealism that most of us lost in law school - the belief that the law can be used to make the world a better place. Charlie Cox is at his best when he's showing Matt Murdock's more idealistic and protective side, and Eldon Henson as Foggy Nelson is actually one of the better and most accurate portrayals of a defense attorney I've seen in a long time. Working in the law is arduous and gritty, but it's nice to be reminded that a lot of us got into it to be heroes.
Speaking of 'gritty.' while this series isn't on the same level of depressing darkness as say, The Dark Knight (and to me that's a good thing), it's certainly more grounded in a more familiar reality than many other Marvel properties. There's a strong element of film noir to Daredevil that I really liked. Hell's Kitchen is full of dark corners and double crosses, and the series maintains a great foreboding atmosphere throughout that's very engrossing.
Overall the artistry of the film-making on Daredevil is topnotch. The series revels in the contrast of dark and light, of shots dominated by black, red and white and fantastic lighting that is an extension of the storytelling. The fight sequences amazing, Not only is the fight choreography stellar, but the camera work in these sequences in particular is awesome. Throughout the series we are treated to several long, uncut shots that are simply incredible - though the best and most effective use of this is in the epic fight sequence that serves as the climax of episode two.
In terms of a lot of the performances as well, there was a lot on screen to love. Vondie Curtis-Hall was a standout for me. He brought such depth and sincerity to the character of reporter Ben Urich. I also loved Toby Leonard Moore as the impeccably cool Westey and Bob Gunton was deliciously snarky as Owlsley. Deborah Ann Woll did a fantastic job portraying a huge range f emotions - from terror to determination to affection and righteousness as Karen Page. As Henson as Foggy is completely lovable and steals a lot of the show. And then there's Cox, who's been given an incredibly hard job as an actor by having to convey alot of emotion without using his eyes. He pulls it off pretty well, making Matt Murdock both scary, conflicted, sweet and brutal in turns.
The performance and character I personally didn't like very much was that of Wilson Fisk, played by Vincent D'Onofrio. I wasn't sure if we were supposed to be repulsed by Fisk or feel some modicum of sympathy for him, as we were intrduced to his vulnerabilities before his murderousness. D'Onofrio was a bit too over the top for me, and the storyline that Fisk had lost his edge (which we never saw to begin with) because he fell in love was tedious and just a mite bit confusing. Most confusing of course was that a seemingly sane, classy woman like Vanessa (played by Ayelet Zurer) would wilingly get involved with a man who shows himself to be a dangerous psychopath/crime lord on their second date.
Which brings me to the fangirl feminist perspective on thing, which isn't as rosy. I've heard from some other viewers that the violence against women which happens a lot in the show was too much for them. I'm willing to give that a pass, as the series was brutally violent to just about evey character regardless of gender. The more annoying thing was the limited characterizations for women. Aside from Karen Page, who was a really fantastic character who showed human vulnerability and tenaciousness and completely avoided falling into the Strong Female Character trope, the women of Daredevil nearly all serve as props or foils to the men of the show, and in conventionally feminine roles - nurses, mothers, lovers - that tend to completely define them.
I'm not saying that I didn't like Characters like Rosario Dawson's tough nurse Claire, but I would have liked to see a few more ladies sprinkled in who were characters who just happened to be women. There was of course Madam Gao, a powerful Chinese drug lord, er, lady - but she was in danger of falling into a mystical Asian trope, which was almost as bad. Seriously, every Asian character seemed to be a Ninja or a dispensary of fortune cookie wisdom which was disappointing. The portrayal of other minorities was a bit better, as we had one African American main cast member in Hall, as well as Dawson who appeared in five episodes. I wish there had been any queer representation at all, especially given showrunner Stephen DeKinght's great track record with queer characters in the past.
So, what's the final verdict? Well, Daredevil is certainly very entertaining (especially if you're looking for little Marvel Easter eggs). The writing is sharp, the acting in generally great and it gives you a hero you can root for...until you start looking a bit more carefully at things. So, I guess the secret to best enjoying the show is to turn a blind eye and enjoy the ride, but not to forget that there are other perspective of importance.


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Q: YA book, maybe through Scholastic, girl transported to fantasy world to save princesses, helped by dwarf I know I've found this book before. I read it somewhere in the late 1980s to the early 1990s. It was short, maybe 30 pages or so, and involved a young girl on the bus, on her way to school, who I think has to write a story for an assignment, but can't think of anything. While looking out at the trees, they start to look a bit strange, then she suddenly realizes she's in a carriage. When it lets out, she's in a medieval fantasy world where she is destined to help retrieve the royal family who have been abducted by magic. She's helped out by a dwarf who is also the court jester. I remember she acquires a magic rope (I want to say that it's bright yellow) that's highly elastic and one end can magically stick to a surface, which she uses to get through a window. She's attacked by flying monsters during the story, who I think turn out to be the missing princesses, with the dwarf being revealed to be a transformed prince. At the end of the story, she's sent back on the same carriage, and suddenly finds herself on the bus, unsure if she dreamed the whole thing, but also happy that she has her story to write.
The cover was done in a semi-realistic style (it didn't look like a photograph, but it was not cartoony) with the girl (maybe in modern clothes) standing in a stone-walled place with the dwarf more in the foreground, in mid-caper, while one of the flying creatures seen through the window in the background, or maybe in the middle of attacking the girl, who is fending it off.

A: After the word "harpies" popped into my head for the flying creatures, I did a search for fantasy novel girl princesses harpies dwarf and it came up with a familiar cover for The Seventh Princess by Nick Sullivan, published in 1983 by Scholastic.

When her school bus becomes a princess's carriage, Jennifer finds herself transported to a strange place where she is the Princess Miranda, the next victim of the evil Duke Rinaldo.

This review has a bit more fleshing out:

Jennifer is on her way to school looking out the window at the forest, daydreaming when suddenly she is inside a horse drawn carriage, taken to a palace and everyone is calling her Princess Miranda. She quickly makes friends with the dwarf Jester, Samson, and it doesn't take her more than a few minutes to realize that the High Chancellor is an evil man. She finds out that her fate here is doomed, but also that the fate of Elandria itself is in peril and she is given the secret on how it may be possible to save not only herself but the whole country from evil.

The "yellow rope" was apparently used by Samson, not Jennifer.

He looked again at the smooth yellow rope. It was amazing stuff. Soldiers had used it in the olden days, Prospero had said, when wizardry was stronger and such articles were commonplace. It would stick to anything, but it was made especially to stick to cold stone. There was nothing like it for storming an enemy castle or for scaling a cliff. You just tossed up one end and it would stick fast and bear as much weight as the rope itself until you willed it to let go.
Samson had hardly believed it would work, even when he threw himself desperately into the empty air as the harpy Julia crossed the outer parapets of Swenhild's castle, flinging the grapple-cord at the stone wall as he fell. Yet it had held, and the natural stretchiness of the rope had taken up much of the shock as he was suddenly brought up short at the other end. Then it had been a simple, if nerve-wracking, matter of working his way to a window, climbing hand over hand along the rope.

The book was longer than I remembered, 107 pages.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Large modern square meeting table that seats up to eight people. Hard wearing solid laminate top comes in white or black and base finishes include white, black or bleached oak. Matching round table and rectangular meeting table. Table comes flat and can be assembled on site quickly by our trained fitters. Please contact for more information on our delivery and fitting service.


New FHA policy requires a minimum credit score of 500 to buy a home. In the old days FHA did not require any credit score. These changes went in to effect in 2010.
Borrowers with credit score above 580 require a 3.5% down payment. The funds can be the borrower's own funds or can be a gift from a family member. FHA allows the seller to pay up to 6% of the purchase price for your closing cost.
If you have credit scores below 580 new FHA changes require a 10% down payment. The funds can be the borrower's own funds or can be a gift from a family member. FHA allows the seller to pay up to 6% of the purchase price for your closing cost.
FHA minimum credit score is 500. Most FHA lenders require a minimum credit score of 640, we don't!


This vice block allows safe mounting of the lower receiver into a vice. Perfect for cleaning , service, or weaponry assembly. Fits into magazine housing from either the top or bottom. Used to prevent damage of your firearm's receiver.
Used on 2 builds and hate to say its worth it, but it is for sure. Better than ruining a 30 round mag in a vise and holds the lower rock steady. Do the job right and get the right tools!


We're growing thanks to our clients, now we are open 6 days a weeks.
Our Digestive Centre has really increased the amount of clients we have helped over the years. I have to send a great "thank you" for our clients who have shown confidence in our services. We have expanded to have additional therapists allowing our centre to extend our hours for easier client booking.
Suzanne is still involved running the day to day the centre, booking clients and doing consultations. My time has been freed up so I can spend some time writing and managing our social media. My new business child is a book called "Cleanse Easily" This book is going to be a great resource for our clients on how to effectively detoxify your body. My goal is also to explain how to use colon therapy to make sure your toxins are released out of the body and don't recirculate.
Our centre has two Digestive/Colon Therapists and one Reflexologist to serve you better. We now can offer our services 6 days a week for your connivence.
Photo and details on Rose's background will be updated soon.
Photo and details on Ashley with be updated soon.


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News > Medscape Medical News > Conference News > Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) 42nd Critical Care Congress
Advanced Age, COPD Risk Factors for Colectomy Mortality
Nancy A. Melville
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Older patients and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at the greatest risk for death, according to the largest series of colectomies performed for Clostridium difficile.
The results were presented here at the Society of Critical Care Medicine 42nd Critical Care Congress.
According to the lead investigator, the risk associated with COPD was unexpected.
"One of the surprising findings of the study was the association of COPD with mortality," David Lee, MD, from the Institute for Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery at St. Luke's–Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, told Medscape Medical News. "The finding...suggests that patients with decreased pulmonary reserves have a difficult time recovering from an emergency subtotal colectomy," he said.
The multivariate analysis involved 335 patients from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database who received emergency open colectomies. The researchers found an overall mortality rate of 33%, with a median time to death of 8 days.
Patients 80 years and older had the highest mortality risk within 30 days, with a 9-fold increase in the odds of death (95% confidence interval, 3.0 - 13.0).
Other leading factors associated with an increased risk for mortality after COPD were preoperative shock, dialysis, and contaminated wounds.
Risk Factors for Death After Colectomy
Risk Factor Odds Ratio 95% Confidence Interval
COPD 3.7 2.0 - 7.1
Preoperative shock 2.8 1.6 - 5.4
Dialysis 2.3 1.1 - 4.8
Class III wound 2.1 3.0 - 13.0
Patients with thrombocytopenia (platelet count, <150 × 10³/mm³), coagulopathy (international normalized ratio, >2.0), and renal insufficiency (blood urea nitrogen, >40 mg/dL) also had higher mortality rates.
Dr. Lee pointed out that the incidence of and mortality from C difficile colitis are, in general, on the rise.
More Fatal Cases of Colitis
"The rise is probably due to the increase in antibiotic usage," Dr. Lee said. "Fulminant C difficile colitis requiring colectomy or ICU admission occurs in 1% to 8% of patients," he reported.
The study's findings could be useful in guiding decision making in such cases, Dr. Lee noted.
"This study confirms that patients who are in multiorgan failure, who are elderly, and who have severe COPD are not good operative candidates," he explained. "Before these patients are offered surgery, a careful discussion needs to take place between the family and the medical team."
Roy Brower, MD, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, who was asked by Medscape Medical News to comment on the study, said that age as a predictor of mortality is no surprise and, considering the gravity of the surgery, COPD as a predictor also makes sense.
"I guess it's a little surprising that the COPD odds ratio is as high as 3.7, but it's no surprise that COPD is associated with a bad outcome," he said. "When you have a person with a bad disease like C difficile colitis that is out of control, having a chronic breathing condition like COPD makes it very difficult to go into an operation," he noted.
"The patient has to go on a ventilator for the operation. With COPD, it can take longer to get off the ventilator, increasing the risk for complications, such as pneumonia or blood clots," he said.
Dr. Brower pointed out, however, that there are few options other than surgery.
Surgery Last Resort
"A surgeon usually won't recommend surgery for C difficile unless the patient really is on the verge of a very bad outcome and likely can't survive without it," he noted. "The only alternative to surgery is usually to stick with the antibiotics and hope the patient can turn around despite the odds."
Dr. Brower agrees that the study's findings are valuable in providing clinicians with the ability to counsel patients and families about the risk associated with surgery.
"In some cases, patients who are told of the high risk related to age or COPD may indeed find that information valuable and opt to say, 'Thanks, but I want to be with my family and am accepting death'."
The study had no outside funding. Dr. Lee and Dr. Brower have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) 42nd Critical Care Congress: Abstract 40. Presented January 20, 2013.
Cite this: Advanced Age, COPD Risk Factors for Colectomy Mortality - Medscape - Jan 21, 2013.
Nancy A Melville
Nancy A. Melville is a freelance writer for Medscape.
Disclosure: Nancy A. Melville has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
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