June 19th, 2016 • 3h 8m
Shownotes
Every new episode of No Agenda is accompanied by a comprehensive list of shownotes curated by Adam while preparing for the show. Clips played by the hosts during the show can also be found here.
TODAY
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Shut Up Slave!
Soon Your Doctor Will Check Your Tweets For Signs You're Depressed | Fast Company | Business + Innovation
Thu, 16 Jun 2016 13:41
"im rly depressed and im feeling insecure and its just so exhausting why is life like this."
"Feeling low but too lazy to get out of bed to check my BG [blood glucose]. I'll go back to sleep instead."
"I wouldn't say I'm suicidal. I don't want to die. I just really don't want to wake up anymore. . ."
I recently overheard people making remarks like these. But they weren't telling me because I'm a behavioral psychologist in the Department of Family Medicine at UCLA. They were telling the entire world on Twitter.
Social media, it turns out, is a new vital sign, and it's one that health providers are learning how to read.
Monitoring Tweets Alongside Blood PressurePsychologists and computer scientists can now read between the lines of social media to interpret and predict how people feel and what they'll do.People don't just use social media to talk about celebrity sightings or joke about why TSA agents take so long to search them. They're also using it to publicly tell the world about health issues that they often don't even tell their doctors. They'll share openly on Facebook and elsewhere about their feelings, their plans to do healthy things like exercise, and their intentions to do unhealthy things like use drugs.
Users post videos showing whether they're anxious and how fast their hearts are beating. They don't always share this information explicitly, but it can be inferred'--these days, with ever greater accuracy. Together, psychologists and computer scientists can now read between the lines of social media to interpret and predict how people feel and what they'll do. They can even tell from people's posts whether they're telling the truth, whether they're gay, and whether they're stressed out.
Health providers will soon be able to use social media as a powerful tool to monitor patients outside of healthcare settings. In the clinic, most health providers measure physiological vital signs like blood pressure and heart rate, but the best doctors also notice psychological vital signs, like observing whether a patient is anxious or sad, or reluctant to take medication.
The Real-Time EdgeBut how do health providers observe patients when they can't see them? Smartwatches and self-monitoring devices can track vital signs like heart rate and blood pressure, but they don't monitor psychological vital signs. If health providers could detect when their patients were sad, or why they were reluctant to take medications, for example, they could provide real-time interventions to improve health care. That's where social media comes in.
Take depression, the world's top cause of disability. It affects approximately 8% of Americans every year, costs the U.S. health care system approximately $200 billion annually, and leads to other negative health outcomes like reduced medication adherence and suicide. Although real-time monitoring of depression could save money and lives, it has been virtually impossible to track depression outcomes when patients are outside of a clinic. Until now.
Teams of psychologists and computer scientists are working together to analyze the words and images that people organically share on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. They're developing technologies that learn to think like a large team of psychologists. Working side-by-side with psychologists and public health experts, these machines can quickly learn to identify psychological patterns from millions of social media texts and images and use that information to predict people's emotions and behaviors. The tools incorporate advanced computer science approaches like "sentiment analysis indicators," and "behavioral insights on big data."
For example, in our research, we've used these methods to learn to monitor stress, anxiety, and depression levels among UCLA students, and have even been able to intervene and provide psychological services to a student we found expressing suicidal intentions. Health systems will be able to use social media data to monitor and predict a broad range of health issues, like diabetes self-management and medication adherence, and public health departments can use them to predict and address regional trends, like planning the number of vaccinations needed for an upcoming flu season.
Upsides And Obstacles To Putting Social Data To UseThe practical implications of this approach are clear, actionable, and stand to significantly improve health care. Apps and health monitoring tools that incorporate social media vital signs will soon be available for health systems nationwide. Armed with them, health providers will be able to gain real-time knowledge of when patients show unhealthy psychological behavior.
They'll be able to know whether patients are experiencing prolonged sadness and when they're not taking medications. They'll be able to use this information to diagnose clinical disorders and request patients to come for follow-up appointments. If health providers receive an alert that a patient's social media posts suggest she's self-medicating her depression, for instance, they could immediately contact her and intervene.
Whether we use social media as a vital sign shouldn't be based on whether it's convenient for health providers; it should be based on whether it improves patient health.Implementing these tools won't require additional time from doctors, but we will need to rethink our current medical approach, as few health systems are equipped to deal with remote patient monitoring. That leaves to big questions unanswered: First, will doctors want to have access to more information about their patients? And second, will they be required to act on it? Today, when doctors receive information about patients' vital signs, they have a medical responsibility to respond based on that information if need be. If health providers would be required to act on social media vital-sign information, then some might prefer to not receive it at all.
But the answer to whether we use social media as a vital sign shouldn't be based on whether it's convenient for health providers; it should be based on whether it improves patient health. If social media is as valuable a resource as research is suggesting, then we need to start talking about how to restructure our health systems to incorporate this new approach.
Tools for analyzing social data are already successfully being used in other fields like consumer behavior, education, and crime prediction. Incorporating social media as a medical vital sign is an investment in the future well-being of our society. Big Brotherish as it might sound, studies nevertheless show that patients will willingly share this publicly available information with the world if it can be used to improve their health.
What's more, we won't need expensive infrastructure to implement this approach. A growing number of tools like Google's Deep Mind and IBM's Watson are already being applied to health care and will soon be ready for wide-scale use by medical professionals. It's time that health care providers and health technologists start discussing how to incorporate social media into clinical care. Our lives depend on it.
Sean Young, PhD, is a UCLA medical school professor in the Department of Family Medicine and the executive director of the University of California Institute for Prediction Technology (UCIPT).
Ministry of Truth
MINISTRY OF TRUTH-Text - H.R.5181 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act of 2016 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 04:32
H. R. 5181
To counter foreign disinformation and propaganda, and for other purposes.
To counter foreign disinformation and propaganda, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,SECTION 1.Short title.
This Act may be cited as the ''Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act of 2016''.
SEC. 2.Sense of Congress.
It is the sense of Congress that'--
(1) foreign governments, including the Governments of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, use disinformation and other propaganda tools to undermine the national security objectives of the United States and key allies and partners;
(2) the Russian Federation, in particular, has conducted sophisticated and large-scale disinformation campaigns that have sought to have a destabilizing effect on United States allies and interests;
(3) in the last decade disinformation has increasingly become a key feature of the Government of the Russian Federation's pursuit of political, economic, and military objectives in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, the Balkans, and throughout Central and Eastern Europe;
(4) the challenge of countering disinformation extends beyond effective strategic communications and public diplomacy, requiring a whole-of-government approach leveraging all elements of national power;
(5) the United States Government should develop a comprehensive strategy to counter foreign disinformation and propaganda and assert leadership in developing a fact-based strategic narrative; and
(6) an important element of this strategy should be to protect and promote a free, healthy, and independent press in countries vulnerable to foreign disinformation.
SEC. 3.Center for Information Analysis and Response.
(a) Establishment.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and other relevant departments and agencies, establish a Center for Information Analysis and Response (in this section referred to as the ''Center''). The purposes of the Center are'--
(1) to lead and coordinate the collection and analysis of information on foreign government information warfare efforts, including information provided by recipients of information access fund grants awarded under subsection (e) and other sources;
(2) to establish a framework for the integration of critical data and analysis on foreign propaganda and disinformation efforts into the development of national strategy; and
(3) to develop, plan, and synchronize, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and other relevant departments and agencies, whole-of-government initiatives to expose and counter foreign information operations directed against United States national security interests and proactively advance fact-based narratives that support United States allies and interests.
(b) Functions.'--The Center shall carry out the following functions:
(1) Integrating interagency efforts to track and evaluate counterfactual narratives abroad that threaten the national security interests of the United States and United States allies.
(2) Collecting, integrating, and analyzing relevant information, including intelligence reporting, data, analysis, and analytics from United States Government agencies, allied nations, think-tanks, academic institutions, civil society groups, and other nongovernmental organizations.
(3) Developing and disseminating fact-based narratives and analysis to counter propaganda and disinformation directed at United States allies and partners.
(4) Identifying current and emerging trends in foreign propaganda and disinformation, including the use of print, broadcast, online and social media, support for third-party outlets such as think tanks, political parties, and nongovernmental organizations, and the use of covert or clandestine special operators and agents to influence targeted populations and governments in order to coordinate and shape the development of tactics, techniques, and procedures to expose and refute foreign misinformation and disinformation and proactively promote fact-based narratives and policies to audiences outside the United States.
(5) Facilitating the use of a wide range of technologies and techniques by sharing expertise among agencies, seeking expertise from external sources, and implementing best practices.
(6) Identifying gaps in United States capabilities in areas relevant to the Center's mission and recommending necessary enhancements or changes.
(7) Identifying the countries and populations most susceptible to foreign government propaganda and disinformation.
(8) Administering the information access fund established pursuant to subsection (e).
(9) Coordinating with allied and partner nations, particularly those frequently targeted by foreign disinformation operations, and international organizations and entities such as the NATO Center of Excellence on Strategic Communications, the European Endowment for Democracy, and the European External Action Service Task Force on Strategic Communications, in order to amplify the Center's efforts and avoid duplication.
(c) Composition.'--
(1) COORDINATOR.'--The Secretary of State shall appoint a full-time Coordinator to lead the Center.
(2) STEERING COMMITTEE.'--
(A) COMPOSITION.'--The Secretary of State shall establish a Steering Committee composed of senior representatives of agencies relevant to the Center's mission to provide advice to the Secretary on the operations and strategic orientation of the Center and to ensure adequate support for the Center. The Steering Committee shall include the officials set forth in subparagraph (C), one senior representative designated by the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director of National Intelligence, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
(B) MEETINGS.'--The Steering Committee shall meet not less than every 3 months.
(C) CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMEN.'--The Steering Committee shall be chaired by the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. A senior, Secretary of State-designated official responsible for digital media programming for foreign audiences and a senior, Secretary of Defense-designated official responsible for information operations shall serve as co-Vice Chairmen.
(D) EXECUTIVE SECRETARY.'--The Coordinator of the Center shall serve as Executive Secretary of the Steering Committee.
(E) PARTICIPATION AND INDEPENDENCE.'--The Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall not compromise the journalistic freedom or integrity of relevant media organizations. Other Federal agencies may be invited to participate in the Steering Committee at the discretion of the Chairman of the Steering Committee and with the consent of the Secretary of State.
(d) Staff.'--
(1) IN GENERAL.'--The Chairman may, with the consent of the Secretary and without regard to the civil service laws and regulations, appoint and terminate a Director and such other additional personnel as may be necessary to enable the Center to carry out its functions. The employment of the Director shall be subject to confirmation by the Steering Committee.
(2) COMPENSATION.'--The Chairman may fix the compensation of the Director and other personnel without regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relating to classification of positions and General Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of pay for the executive director and other personnel may not exceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of that title.
(3) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.'--Any Federal Government employee may be detailed to the Center without reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil service status or privilege.
(4) PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTERMITTENT SERVICES.'--The Chairman may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of that title.
(e) Information access fund.'--
(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.'--There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State for fiscal years 2017 and 2018 $20,000,000 to support the Center and provide grants or contracts of financial support to civil society groups, journalists, nongovernmental organizations, federally funded research and development centers, private companies, or academic institutions for the following purposes:
(A) To support local independent media who are best placed to refute foreign disinformation and manipulation in their own communities.
(B) To collect and store examples in print, online, and social media, disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda directed at the United States and its allies and partners.
(C) To analyze tactics, techniques, and procedures of foreign government information warfare with respect to disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda.
(D) To support efforts by the Center to counter efforts by foreign governments to use disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda to influence the policies and social and political stability of the United States and United States allies and partners.
(2) FUNDING AVAILABILITY AND LIMITATIONS.'--All organizations that apply to receive funds under this subsection must undergo a vetting process in accordance with the relevant existing regulations to ensure their bona fides, capability, and experience, and their compatibility with United States interests and objectives.
SEC. 4.Inclusion in Department of State education and cultural exchange programs of foreign students and community leaders from countries and populations susceptible to foreign manipulation.
When selecting participants for United States educational and cultural exchange programs, the Secretary of State shall give special consideration to students and community leaders from populations and countries the Secretary deems vulnerable to foreign propaganda and disinformation campaigns.
SEC. 5.Reports.
Not more than one year after the establishment of the Center, the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress a report evaluating the success of the Center in fulfilling the purposes for which it was authorized and outlining steps to improve any areas of deficiency.
SEC. 6.Termination of Center and Steering Committee.
The Center for Information Analysis and Response and the Steering Committee shall terminate ten years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Text - H.R.4445 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Truth in Advertising Act of 2016 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 15:51
H. R. 4445
To direct the Federal Trade Commission to submit to Congress a report on the consumer harm arising from the use, in advertisements and other media for the promotion of commercial products and services, of images that have been altered to materially change the appearance and physical characteristics of the faces and bodies of the individuals depicted.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Deutch, Mr. Takano, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Lewis, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Cartwright, and Mr. Gallego) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
To direct the Federal Trade Commission to submit to Congress a report on the consumer harm arising from the use, in advertisements and other media for the promotion of commercial products and services, of images that have been altered to materially change the appearance and physical characteristics of the faces and bodies of the individuals depicted.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,SECTION 1.Short title.
This Act may be cited as the ''Truth in Advertising Act of 2016''.
SEC. 2.Findings.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Advertisers regularly alter images used in print and electronic media to sell products and services, materially changing the appearance and physical characteristics of models' faces and bodies, including by altering the models' size, proportions, shape, and skin color and removing signs of ageing.
(2) Such altered images can create distorted and unrealistic expectations and understandings of appropriate and healthy weight and body image.
(3) Decades of academic evidence links exposure to such altered images with emotional, mental, and physical health issues including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, especially among children and teenagers.
(4) In 2011, the American Medical Association adopted a policy encouraging advertising associations to work with public and private sector organizations concerned with child and adolescent health to develop guidelines for advertisements, especially those appearing in teen-oriented publications, that would discourage the altering of photographs in a manner that could promote unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image.
(5) Despite the shift in modern advertising to rely primarily on imagery, the Federal Trade Commission continues to focus on linguistic elements of advertising, even as some advertisers use unfair or deceptive images to promote their products to consumers.
(6) The Federal Trade Commission has not made any significant revisions to its policies for identifying unfair or deceptive visual imagery in advertisements since at least 1983, well before the digital revolution in modern advertising.
SEC. 3.Report by Federal Trade Commission.
(a) In general.'--Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Trade Commission shall submit to Congress a report that contains'--
(1) an assessment of the prevalence, in advertisements and other media for the promotion of commercial products and services in the United States, of images that have been altered to materially change the appearance and physical characteristics of the faces and bodies of the individuals depicted;
(2) an evaluation of the degree to which the use of such altered images in advertisements and other media for the promotion of commercial products and services may constitute an unfair or deceptive act or practice (within the meaning of section 5(a)(1) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 45(a)(1)));
(3) clear guidelines for advertisers regarding how the Commission determines whether the use of such altered images in advertisements and other media for the promotion of commercial products and services constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice; and
(4) recommendations reflecting a consensus of the stakeholders and experts described in subsection (b) to reduce the consumer harm arising from the use of such altered images in advertisements and other media for the promotion of commercial products and services.
(b) Input of external stakeholders and experts.'--In preparing the report required by subsection (a), the Federal Trade Commission shall solicit input from external stakeholders and experts on the data and recommendations required to be included in such report. The Commission, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, shall ensure that input is obtained from an appropriate number of stakeholders and experts and, to the extent practicable, from stakeholders and experts that are geographically and culturally diverse and that include stakeholders and experts from the physical and mental health, business, consumer advocacy, and advertising industry communities.
Elections 2016
Top Donors data for Hillary Clinton, 2016 Cycle | OpenSecrets
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 14:34
This table lists the top donors to this candidate in the 2016 cycle. The money came from the organizations' PACs; their individual members, employees or owners; and those individuals' immediate families. At the federal level, the organizations themselves did not donate, as they are prohibited by law from doing so. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.
Why (and How) We Use Donors' Employer/Occupation Information
NOTE: Federal-level numbers are for the 2016 election cycle and based on Federal Election Commission data released electronically on Monday, May 23, 2016.
Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: info@crp.org
F-Russia
51 U.S. Diplomats Urge Strikes Against Assad in Syria - NYTimes.com
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 15:11
WASHINGTON '-- More than 50 State Department diplomats have signed an internal memo sharply critical of the Obama administration's policy in Syria, urging the United States to carry out military strikes against the government of President Bashar al-Assad to stop its persistent violations of a cease-fire in the country's five-year-old civil war.
The memo, a draft of which was provided to The New York Times by a State Department official, says American policy has been ''overwhelmed'' by the unrelenting violence in Syria. It calls for ''a judicious use of stand-off and air weapons, which would undergird and drive a more focused and hard-nosed U.S.-led diplomatic process.''
Such a step would represent a radical shift in the administration's approach to the civil war in Syria, and there is little evidence that President Obama has plans to change course. Mr. Obama has emphasized the military campaign against the Islamic State over efforts to dislodge Mr. Assad. Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, led by Secretary of State John Kerry, have all but collapsed.
But the memo, filed in the State Department's ''dissent channel,'' underscores the deep rifts and lingering frustration within the administration over how to deal with a war that has killed more than 400,000 people.
The State Department set up the channel during the Vietnam War as a way for employees who had disagreements with policies to register their protest with the secretary of state and other top officials, without fear of reprisal. While dissent cables are not that unusual, the number of signatures on this document, 51, is extremely large, if not unprecedented.
The names on the memo are almost all midlevel officials '-- many of them career diplomats '-- who have been involved in the administration's Syria policy over the last five years, at home or abroad. They range from a Syria desk officer in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs to a former deputy to the American ambassador in Damascus.
While there are no widely recognized names, higher-level State Department officials are known to share their concerns. Mr. Kerry himself has pushed for stronger American action against Syria, in part to force a diplomatic solution on Mr. Assad. The president has resisted such pressure, and has been backed up by his military commanders, who have raised questions about what would happen in the event that Mr. Assad was forced from power '-- a scenario that the draft memo does not address.
The State Department spokesman, John Kirby, declined to comment on the memo, which top officials had just received. But he said Mr. Kerry respected the process as a way for employees ''to express policy views candidly and privately to senior leadership.''
Robert S. Ford, a former ambassador to Syria, said, ''Many people working on Syria for the State Department have long urged a tougher policy with the Assad government as a means of facilitating arrival at a negotiated political deal to set up a new Syrian government.''
Mr. Ford, who is now a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, resigned from the Foreign Service in 2014 out of frustration with the administration's hands-off policy toward the conflict.
In the memo, the State Department officials wrote that the Assad government's continuing violations of the partial cease-fire, known as a cessation of hostilities, will doom efforts to broker a political settlement because Mr. Assad will feel no pressure to negotiate with the moderate opposition or other factions fighting him. The government's barrel bombing of civilians, it said, is the ''root cause of the instability that continues to grip Syria and the broader region.''
''The moral rationale for taking steps to end the deaths and suffering in Syria, after five years of brutal war, is evident and unquestionable,'' it said. ''The status quo in Syria will continue to present increasingly dire, if not disastrous, humanitarian, diplomatic and terrorism-related challenges.''
The memo acknowledged that military action would have risks, not the least further tensions with Russia, which has intervened in the war on Mr. Assad's behalf and helped negotiate a cease-fire. Those tensions increased on Thursday when, according to a senior Pentagon official, Russia conducted airstrikes in southern Syria against American-backed forces fighting the Islamic State.
The State Department officials insisted in their memo that they were not ''advocating for a slippery slope that ends in a military confrontation with Russia,'' but rather a credible threat of military action to keep Mr. Assad in line.
Once that threat was in place, the memo said, Mr. Kerry could undertake a diplomatic mission similar to the one he led with Iran on its nuclear program.
The expression of dissent came a week after Mr. Assad showed renewed defiance of the United States and other countries, vowing to retake ''every inch'' of his country from his enemies. The cease-fire, which Mr. Kerry helped negotiate in Munich last winter, has never really taken hold. Mr. Assad has continued to block humanitarian convoys, despite a warning that the United Nations would begin airdrops of food to starving towns.
''There is an enormous frustration in the bureaucracy about Syria policy,'' said Andrew J. Tabler, a Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near Eastern Policy. ''What's brought this to a head now is the real downturn in the negotiations, not just between the U.S. and Russia, but between Assad and the opposition.''
Last month, Mr. Kerry rejected the suggestion that the United States and its allies would never use force to stop the bombings or enforce humanitarian access. ''If President Assad has come to a conclusion there's no Plan B,'' he said, ''then he's come to a conclusion that is totally without any foundation whatsoever and even dangerous.''
Still, Mr. Obama has shown little sign of shifting his focus from the campaign against the Islamic State '-- a strategy that probably acquired even more urgency after the mass shooting Sunday in Orlando, Fla.
In the memo, the State Department officials argued that military action against Mr. Assad would help the fight against the Islamic State because it would bolster moderate Sunnis, who are necessary allies against the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
While the State Department has a tradition of being open to dissent '-- in the 1990s, Secretary of State Warren Christopher met with Foreign Service officers who had written a 30-page dissent on the Clinton administration's Balkans policy '-- Mr. Christopher and his successors have been frustrated when these classified memos become public.
In this case, the memo mainly confirms what has been clear for some time: The State Department's rank and file have chafed at the White House's refusal to be drawn into the conflict in Syria.
During a debate in June 2013, after the Assad government had used chemical weapons against its own people, Mr. Kerry brandished a State Department report that argued that the United States needed to respond militarily or Mr. Assad would view it as ''green light for continued CW use.''
Three years later, the sense of urgency at the State Department has not diminished. The memo concludes, ''It is time that the United States, guided by our strategic interests and moral convictions, lead a global effort to put an end to this conflict once and for all.''
MIC
What Is Sapient Exactly? And Why Is Publicis Spending $3.7 Billion On It? - CMO Today - WSJ
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 11:38
You'd be forgiven if you read about Publicis Groupe SA's $3.7 billion deal to acquire Sapient and wondered, isn't that a digital agency? Don't they own lots of those already? And, is any agency really worth $3.7 billion?
Well, for starters, let's look at what Sapient is and isn't.
The company consists of three pieces. There's SapientNitro, the digital agency and marketing consulting unit, the business that Publicis is most interested in getting its hands on.
There's also Sapient Global Markets, which provides technology and analytics for people in the capital and commodity markets, and Sapient Goverment Services, which provides tech and services to entities like the Marines and the Library of Congress.
The SapientNitro business has been actively trying to position itself as a next-generation agency''one that can create and buy digital ads (much like DigitiasLBi or Razorfish), but also offer marketers a range of technology and services that are more along the lines of what consulting firms like Deloitte and Accenture do. That has Publicis opening up its checkbook.
Sapient's pitch is that it can be a one-stop shop for a brand '-- designing its website, buying ads to drive traffic there, and also building and managing its e-commerce functionality. The agency might also design such a brand's mobile apps and even help influence the design of its stores.
Plus, SapientNitro says, it has the technology and expertise to make sure that all the back-end systems talk to each other, so that Marks and Spencer (a Sapient client) knows that a person who visits its mobile app has recently purchased outerwear and lives in a particular region, for example.
''We are actually the people who build the site and the systems integration that pull all tech together to make it work,'' said Alan Herrick, Sapient's President and CEO.
That's markedly different from what a classic agency is tasked with.
''Their core is not making or buying digital ads, it's about helping marketers transform their business to go digital,'' said Jay Sampson, vice president of global partner sales at Adobe, which works frequently with SapientNitro. ''The real play here is not ad creation or buying, it's managing a marketer's full experience.''
''If you think about a consumer, they now have all these touchpoints with marketers,'' Mr. Sampson added. ''So all of the data they generate needs to be tied together, and brand content they consume needs to look and feel the same. Those experiences have to tie into one overall experience. That's really where the agency of future has to play.''
Sarah Sikowitz, principal analyst at Forrester, said SapientNitro has spent the last 18 months setting itself up for that future through a series of acquisitions. It nabbed the market research firm Iota Partners, which is working on helping marketers collect data from everyday objects via digital sensors (the whole Internet of Things trend). The company has also acquired Second Story, which specializes in digital in-store experiences, as well as the social creative shop Campfire and (m)phasize, which promises to help marketers allocate media budgets.
''They've been trying to create more holistic offerings for brands, and they are known for[their ability to handle] large scale implementation,'' Ms. Sikowitz said. ''They've done a really good job of [building a] consulting firm and agency.''
Meanwhile, when it comes to digital, ''Publicis has been scrambling,'' said Ms. Sikowitz. ''As they are trying to make sense of their assets, this gives them a really strong offering. It's a really smart move.''
A move worth $3.7 billion and a 44% premium? That's open for debate.
Mr. Herrick sees Sapient''and all digital agencies, for that matter''fighting for the same marketing budgets as consulting firms going forward. That is why Sapient is attractive to Publicis, he believes.
''This is all driven by consumers' changing habits,'' he said. ''We are building a deep consulting business with our industry base. And Publicis wants to expand that.''
About Us | Sapient Government Services
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 11:36
Sapient Government Services, part of Publicis.Sapient, is a global consulting company dedicated to leading those in the public sector through digital and business transformation. We partner with government, health, nonprofit, and educational organizations to create positive social change through strategy, creativity and technology. SGS uses consumer insights and expertise gained from working with the world's best-known brands to solve the public sector's toughest problems.
Brexit
EU referendum odds and what the bookies say about Brexit | Hull Daily Mail
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 14:45
Comments (6)The countdown is on to one of the biggest vote in the UK's history as the country prepares to vote on a referendum on whether to stay in the European Union.
The polls show the race between Remain and Leave is narrower than ever and both camps are pushing hard before the poll next Thursday (June 23).
The latest poll suggests the Leave campaign is pulling in more support as the vote approaches. The Ipsos MORI poll for the Evening Standard has Leave with 53 per cent of the vote and Remain on 47 per cent cent. Just a week ago Leave was 10 points lower and Remain 10 higher.
But what do the bookies say? They have been studying the campaigns closely and today show Leave narrowing the odds gap on Remain - but still place Remain as an odds on favourite to win.
Related news: How will your MP vote for Brexit?
All 22 bookies on online site Oddschecker, have Remain favourite with seven quoting odds of 4/7. And although the Leave campaign is gathering pace, it is still a an outsider with all bookies with 5/4 the most popular odds with six bookies. Best odds for Remain are 2/3 with Sky Bet and 11/8 for Leave with Ladbrokes.
Slightly more bets (56 per cent) and being made on Remain compared to 44 per cent for Leave.
Related news: Take our Brexit quiz and see how you might vote
LGBBTQQIAAP
Jamie Shupe becomes first legally non-binary person in the US | World news | The Guardian
Thu, 16 Jun 2016 23:06
Jamie Shupe: 'I'm not male. I'm not female.' Photograph: Natalie Behring for the Guardian
When an Oregon judge declared Jamie Shupe could legally shed the designation of male or female, Shupe felt free.
''I have my life back,'' Shupe said. ''I'm not a male. I'm not a female.''
Related:I am the first official genderless person in the United States | Jamie Shupe
Shupe appears to be the first person in the United States who has successfully petitioned for a non-binary gender classification, according to Hayley Gorenberg, deputy legal director for Lambda Legal, a New York-based gay rights organization.
''Classic gender markers don't fit everybody,'' Gorenberg said, calling the petition significant for helping people ''exist without labels that don't accurately describe them''.
At a recent support group meeting in Portland, where Shupe lives, a young woman tearfully thanked Shupe for broadening the conversation about gender classifications. Shupe, a former army sergeant assigned male at birth and listed as female in discharge papers, told the woman, ''I didn't do this just for myself.''
Shupe, who prefers the pronoun ''they'', grew up in southern Maryland, in a family with eight children. Shupe recalls feeling like an outcast, being admonished for acting like a ''sissy'' and without any role models, struggling to articulate feelings of a gender mismatch. At age 49, retired from the military, married to a woman and raising a daughter, Shupe began to unravel.
''I felt like I was at a breaking point,'' Shupe said, ''like I was trapped.''
With a supportive spouse, Shupe moved to a secluded cabin in the woods and began taking hormones.
''I figured I was a transgender woman. My thinking was, well, I'm not a male,'' Shupe said.
Sandy Shupe said the transition was difficult at times.
''This is the person I've spent most of my adult life with,'' she said. ''We have a child together. I have always said, old age and rocking chairs. That's still my thought, old age and rocking chairs. When you love someone, you want them to be at peace with themselves.''
Jamie Shupe with their spouse Sandy Shupe. Photograph: Natalie Behring for the GuardianLater, Shupe realized the female designation also didn't feel right.
''No amount of hormones is going to make me look like a female,'' Shupe said, taking off a headscarf to reveal a bald head. Shupe doesn't have plans or the desire to undergo surgery.
''Now, I'm suddenly telling my spouse I'm the same thing she is? It didn't make sense to me. I didn't have the intricate knowledge like I do now that I could be other things.''
Shupe wanted another option, a third classification, and found an ally in Portland lawyer Lake Perriguey.
''I knew the law well enough to know there is no exclusion, it's not a complicated statute,'' Perriguey said. ''It's two lines. People change their names, the process to change your sex identity is the same as changing your name.''
Perriguey said initially he didn't realize the historic significance of the case.
''Not being a person of transgender experience, I didn't realize how confining the legal limit on your gender identity could be,'' he said.
Shupe understood there are others with similar struggles and felt compelled to take the case to court, steeling for a long-drawn-out fight.
Instead, the petition was granted swiftly.
Multnomah County circuit court judge Amy Holmes Hehn granted the petition last week, writing: ''The sex of Jamie Shupe is hereby changed from female to non-binary. Notice of this legal change shall be posted in a public place in Multnomah County as required by law.''
Shupe's legal tab was $1,056.
Now, at 52 years old, Shupe said, the petition ''gives me a place to exist''.
The gay rights movement could take on the NRA '-- and actually win - The Washington Post
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 18:32
It's an all-too-familiar routine for Americans: mass shooting, dramatic calls for change, inaction. It happened when 20 schoolchildren were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School. When a dozen people were killed in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater. When almost three dozen were slaughtered at Virginia Tech.
But this time, things might be different. Not because of the record number of people killed in Orlando or because this heinous act was a terrorist attack, a hate crime and a mass shooting. It's because the victims were part of a social movement with infrastructure and political know-how largely unmatched within the gun-control movement. It's because the attack targeted gays '-- and their community is organized.
Today's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer coalition is made up of powerful groups able to mobilize at a moment's notice, including the NOH8 Campaign, the Human Rights Campaign and PFLAG. This robust and multifaceted apparatus is one of the most effective political movements in recent American history. It has faced down obscene public indifference to gay lives (peaking with the AIDS epidemic), violence against LGBTQ people (who suffer more hate crimes than any other protected group), laws that criminalized gay sex (Bowers v. Hardwick was overturned only in 2003) and widespread intolerance.
After the largest mass shooting in U.S. history, mourners in Orlando tell leaders and lawmakers in the nation's capital what the country needs to stop the next tragic event. (McKenna Ewen/The Washington Post)
To attack these issues, queer people have focused not on transforming laws but on transforming culture. In the 1960s, gay rights groups organized ''sip-ins'' at bars that refused to serve ''disorderly'' homosexuals. Other picketers staged ''zaps,'' splashy, media-friendly protests that called attention to homophobic behavior. ''Homophile organizations'' sprung up around the country to fight for queer-only spaces. Their efforts led to the establishment of hundreds of pride parades, lesbian clubs and gay bathhouses '-- institutionalized ''safe spaces'' where people could meet and organize.
[What the gay marriage movement tells us about the prospects for gun reform]
After Stonewall, activists shifted their focus, working to build sympathy and support among straight Americans. They called on gay people to ''come out'' to family and friends, a social ritual that personalized the political (something gay rights groups learned from feminists). Organizers also broadened their message on important gay rights issues, selling things like same-sex marriage as the right to love. Efforts such as ''kiss days'' at businesses opposing LGBTQ rights have linked discriminatory policies to more relatable notions of romance and relationships.
It's worked. According to Gallup polls, in the past 20 years, Americans' support for marriage equality has jumped from 30 percent to 60 percent. Many people said they softened their attitudes because they knew a member of the LGBTQ community '-- what social scientists call the ''contact hypothesis.'' Today, gay groups have the organizational, financial and cultural resources to exploit political opportunities as they arise.
A similar cultural shift undergirds the country's gun politics. Over the last 50 years, the National Rifle Association has convinced many Americans that gun ownership is a vital tool for self-defense and the key to serving as a responsible ''citizen-protector.'' The organization brought this galvanizing rhetoric to the national stage through its lobbying arm. But it exerted cultural pressure, too. Its ads, magazines and political paraphernalia reach millions. And the organization's training courses '-- attended by hundreds of thousands of Americans each year '-- present defensive gun use as a civic duty and the NRA as a service organization.
Today, many Americans see a gun as something to be carried alongside a wallet or a cellphone. A majority say firearms enhance public safety. The shift is as striking as the change in sentiment on same-sex marriage: Over the past 15 years, the belief that guns make a home safer jumped from 35 percent to 63 percent. Even Americans who don't own guns agree that they are objects of safety.
[The FBI was right not to arrest Omar Mateen before the shooting]
The gun lobby and the LGBTQ movement both understand that political change requires fundamental cultural shifts. It requires deep organizational ties and the ability to connect an issue not just to a set of beliefs, but to a sense of identity. Right now, gun control advocates lack these tools. If they can mobilize gay rights against gun rights, the NRA may have finally met its match.It won't be easy. The NRA has a track record of galvanizing a committed block of voters in key states. Meanwhile, the LGBTQ movement has largely focused on changing hearts and courts. In terms of electoral politics, it is unclear whether it can match the influence of the NRA to set national political agendas, especially in presidential campaigns. And those deep pockets of the NRA really are deep. The organization's budget is more than seven times that of the Human Rights Campaign.
It's also not clear that gay rights groups will take on gun control. Many gun proponents see gay rights as part and parcel of a broader libertarian cause. Meanwhile, some LGBTQ activists have vigorously embraced gun rights as a way to protect gay lives. The Pink Pistols group, under the slogan ''pick on someone your own caliber,'' explicitly advocates the exercise of Second Amendment rights for self-protection, especially against hate crimes. The LGBTQ community is highly diverse, and attempts to ally gay rights activists with gun-control proponents may undermine the diversity that defines the movement.
Still, some Democrats, gun-control supporters and gay rights advocates are already making the link. Actor, activist and author George Takei has described the fight for gun control as ''the next chapter of LGBT history.'' Many LGBTQ groups cheered the Democratic-led Senate filibuster this past week in favor of gun reforms. This outcry makes sense. This hate-motivated killing in Orlando is but one example of the broad culture of violent intolerance that LGBTQ people face. Until now, the NRA '-- not just because of its sheer organizational strength and financial backing, but also because of its cultural ingenuity '-- has been able to define the terms of the gun debate and the terrain of the struggle. The LGBTQ movement might just be able to change that.
The Fix is In!
Curry throws a tantrum in NBA Finals as Warriors lose Game 6
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 13:30
Steph Curry lost his temper and threw his mouth guard at a fan as the Golden State Warriors lost Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
The league's MVP scored 30 points for the Warriors, but was ejected in the fourth quarter after picking up his sixth foul in the 115-101 loss to the Cavaliers.
He launched the mouth piece at a supporter in the front row as he argued the call and was thrown from the court for the first time in his storied career.
Curry apologized to the fan he hit before leaving as Cleveland fans cheered.
After the game, Curry's furious wife Ayesha accused the game of being 'rigged for money'.
She quickly backtracked and deleted the tweet, but only after it had already been shared 84,000 times.
Scroll down for video
Steph Curry lost his temper and threw his mouth guard at a fan as the Golden State Warriors lost Game 6 of the NBA Finals. He is pictured arguing with one of the officials
The NBA MVP was then ejected from the game for the first time in his storied career
Curry is seen launching the mouth piece at a member of the crowd sitting in the front row. He quickly apologized to the supporter after the rare moment of frustration
She then claimed her father had been racially profiled and threatened with arrest at the Quicken Loans Arena.
At the post-game press conference, her husband tried to explain his rare outburst.
He said: 'It was obviously frustrating fouling out in the fourth quarter of a clinching game and not being out there with my teammates.
'So it got the best of me, but I'll be all right for next game.
'It hasn't gone our way the last two,' he added. 'But I like our chances in Game 7.'
NBA FINALSGame 1: Golden State 104-89 Cleveland
Game 2: Golden State 110-77 Cleveland
Game 3: Cleveland 120-90 Golden State
Game 4: Cleveland 97-108 Golden State
Game 5: Cleveland 112-97 Golden State
Game 6: Golden State 101-115 Cleveland
It was just one of many things that did not go Golden State's way on a night that they were hoping would have a champagne-soaked ending.
LeBron James scored 41 points in the victory.
The Cavaliers are now one victory away from becoming the first team to win an NBA championship after falling behind 3-1 in the Finals
Cleveland used an explosive first half in which they led by as many as 22 points to set the tone and never allowed the usually sharp-shooting Warriors to settle into a rhythm or get any closer than seven points the rest of the way.
The King can create history if they upset the odds, and win the Ohio city's first championship in any sport in 52 years.
'One more game left,' James said, 'and we're going to give it all we got and live with the results. I'll play it anywhere.'
James added 11 assists, eight rebounds and again outplayed Curry.
The Cavaliers built a 24-point lead in the third that looked like it might spell the end for the Warriors but the reigning champions finally closed out the quarter on a 10-0 run to pull within nine points.
After the game, Curry's wife Ayesha accused the game of being 'rigged for money'. She deleted the tweet after it was shared 84,000 times
She quickly apologized after taking down the post and blamed the heat of the moment after the Warriors' Game 6 loss
She then said her father had been racially profiled and threatened with arrest at the Quicken Loans Arena
LeBron James scored 41 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers during a 115-101 victory, forcing a Game 7 showdown in Oakland on Sunday
Curry throws his hands into the air with a towel on his head after sitting on the bench
But the Cavaliers managed to hang on for the win and keep alive their hopes of a maiden NBA championship.
After falling behind 2-0 in the series, the Cavs were left for dead by many impartial observers who expected the top-seeded defending champion Warriors to run away with the series.
Some were even calling for a four-game sweep.
But after splitting the next two games, the resurgent Cavs used a sparkling Game Five performance to shift momentum in their favor and, perhaps, place a seed of doubt in the minds of the Warriors.
The Cavaliers are now just the third team to force a Game Seven after falling behind 3-1, joining the 1951 New York Knicks and the 1966 Los Angeles Lakers.
A win on Sunday would result in Cleveland's first professional sports championship since the 1964 Cleveland Browns of the NFL.
James looks at Curry as he argues with the official following his sixth foul
Warriors coach Steve Kerr felt the officiating was biased against Curry, who had never been tossed before.
'He gets six fouls called on him, three of them were absolutely ridiculous,' Kerr said. 'As the MVP of the league, we're talking about these touch fouls in the NBA Finals. I'm happy he threw his mouthpiece.'
Curry walked off the floor smiling before making the long walk to the locker room.
'I didn't think I fouled either Kyrie or LeBron,' said Curry, recounting fouls No. 5 and 6. 'It was obviously frustrating fouling out in the fourth quarter of a clinching game and not being out there with my teammates. So it got the best of me, but I'll be all right for the next game. I had some stuff I wanted to get off my chest tonight after the way the game went.'
On Wednesday, James called Game 7, 'the two best words ever.'
He'll live them once more, thanks to a spell-binding effort '-- the two-time champion had a hand in 27 consecutive points and 35 of 36 during a stretch in the second half '-- and put away the Warriors after they trimmed a 24-point deficit to seven in the final period. James scored 14 in the fourth before checking out to a thunderous ovation in the final minutes as Cleveland fans chanted, 'Cavs in 7!' and 'See you Sunday!'
'It's LeBron being LeBron,' Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. 'He's one of the greatest of all-time. Our back was against the wall and he took it upon himself, him and Kyrie, they put us on their backs. They've got us to where we wanted to be '-- and that's Game 7.'
The pair jostle for the ball during the 115-101 victory for the Cavaliers on Thursday night
James can't wipe the smile off his face as he jobs back to his side of the court during the second half
The King of the NBA showed some frustration at one point during the tense battle
Beyonce and Jay Z sat courtside at the Quicken Loans Arena in Ohio as the Cavaliers defeated the Warriors
The celebrity power couple shared a joke as the action unfolded on the court
EuroLand
Austerity Kills! Bank Of Greece Admits "Greeks' Health Deteriorating, Life Expectancy Shrinks" | Zero Hedge
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 14:10
Via KeepTalkingGreece.com,
The economic crisis and the strict austerity bound to the Greek bailout agreement kills. They kill Greeks. The Bank of Greece may not write it in such a melodramatic way on its Monetary Policy Report 2015-2016. However, the conclusions in the chapter about ''Reforms in health, economic crisis and impact on the health of population'' are shocking and confirm what we have been hearing and reading around from relatives and friends in the last years: that the physical and mental health of Greeks has been deteriorating '' partly due to economic insecurity, high unemployment, job insecurity, income decrease and constant exposure to stress. Partly also due to economic problems that have patients cut their treatment, partly due to the incredible cuts and shortages in the public health system.
The Report notes that ''while it takes longer to record the exact effect, trends show a deterioration of the health of Greeks in the years of loan agreements and austerity cuts.''
The BoG states:
'' Suicides increased. ''The risk of suicidal behavior increases when there are so-called primary risk factors (psychiatric-medical conditions), while the secondary factors (economic situation) and tertiary factors (age, gender) affects the risk of suicide, but only if primary risk factors pre-exist.
'' Infant mortality increased by nearly 50%, mainly due to increase of deaths of infants younger than one year, and the decline of births by 22,1%. Infant mortality increase: 2.65% in 2008 and 3.75% in 2014
'' Increase of parts of population with mental illness, especially with depression. Increase: 3.,3% in 2008 to 6.8% in 2009, to 8.2% in 2011 and to 12.3% in 2013. In 2014, a 4.7% of the population above 15 years old declared it suffered form depression '' that was 2.6% in 2009.
-Increase of chronic diseases increased by approximately 24%.
The BoG notes that ''the large cuts in public expenditure have not been accompanied by changes and improvement of the health system in order to limit the consequences for the weakest citizens and vulnerable groups of the society.''
The report of the Governor of the Bank of Greece reckons surveys conducted by Greek Statistic Authorities (ELSTAT) and according to which:
a significant increase of 24.2% of people aged 15+ suffering from chronic health problem or chronic disease.increase of more than 15% of people who limited their activitiesdue to health problems in 2014.percentage of low-weight (below 2.5 kg) births increased by 19% in 2008-2010, and that this is associated with long-term negative effects on the health and the development of children.Citing OECD data of 2013, the BoG underlines that 79% of the population in Greece was not covered with insurance and therefore without medical and medicine due to long-term unemployment, while self-employed could not afford to pay their social contributions.
A survey conducted in 2014 by ELSTAT showed that part of population above 15 years old was in need of medical help but did not receive it due to lack of financial means:
13% of population did not receive medical care or treatment
15.4% of population did not receive dental care of treatment
4.3% of population did not receive mental health care services
11.2% did not take the prescription medicine prescribed by doctors.
The same survey shows a decrease in private hospital admissions and increase in public hospital with the effect that public hospitals are not able to cope with the increase demands due to austerity budget and personnel cuts. Public hospital admission in 2009 were 1.6 million, and 2.5 million in 2014.
According to the survey, percentage of population that needed to receive medical-nursing care and received it in delay or not at all was:
13.1% due to long waiting list
6.1% due to long distance or transportation problems
9.4% due to lack of specialized doctors and health personnel.
The BoG report warns that the economic crisis and the devaluation of the health sector threaten to shrink the life-expectancy.
Everyone who lives in Greece knows very well the drug with the long waiting lists in to get an appointment for an medical examination or a diagnostic checks in public hospitals. In some cases the next appoint for a simple check may take up to a year. Due to merging of hospitals and primary health centers, people may need to travel even 120 km to find the doctor they need. Just a couple of days ago, KTG posted about the dramatic situation in Ierapetra town in south Crete and the people in their despair would rather seek the help of a local veterinarian than a doctor for humans.
However, the crisis does not affect the patients only. It affects the health personnel as well. It was just two days ago, when a friend of mine, a doctor specialized in vascular diseases was telling me that while he was always keeping the necessary distance to patients he has started to be affected because people are really suffering due to the economic crisis. ''There is a lot of drama out there, and I cannot close my eyes to it.'' he said.
One of the neighborhood pharmacists has been telling me on and off about the dramatic number of patients who cannot afford the self-participation in prescription medicine. Many of his clients cut their treatment into half '' like 1 tablet for cholesterol not daily but every other day basis '' and that some have given up the whole treatment. ''For some people the choice is: either have treatment or food.''
And this has been going on since 2012, when then Greek Health Minister adopted the German model of ''self-participation in prescription medicine, laboratory tests'' and cut some primary health services but forgot to adopt also that aspect of the German model that provides that patients would not spend more than 2% of their income for medical services and medication.
But I've written many times about this in the past, haven't I? I thought to give a break to the ''Greek drama'' but reality is stronger than the blogger's wishes and plans.
Source: Bank of Greece Report, other details here, here
P.S. life-expectancy will shrink? I suppose the creditors would be more than happy about it as people will die, pensions will not be paid and insurance funds will be saved.
Finland: 73-Year-Old Kills Police Officer, Wounds Another - NYTimes.com
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 18:07
COPENHAGEN, Denmark '-- A 73-year-old man has shot a police officer to death with an automatic weapon and seriously wounded another after they approached a remote countryside property where gunfire had been reported, Finnish police said Saturday.
Police in Vihti, northwest of Helsinki, dispatched several officers to the property late Friday. They were targeted by gunfire as they approached the house and one shot fatally wounded a 30-year-old policeman and seriously wounded another. The condition of the wounded policeman was not immediately known.
The shooter eventually committed suicide, possibly by shooting himself, police told a news conference.
President Sauli Niinisto said Saturday the Nordic country was "upset" and Interior Minister Petteri Orpo wrote on Twitter that he was "shocked."
Since Finland's independence from Russia in 1917, 130 police officers have been killed while on duty, according to Finnish police. Finnish broadcaster YLE said the last time that happened was in 2007.
Cancel the planned referendum on Britain's continued membership of the EU. - Petitions
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 18:40
Cancel the planned referendum on Britain's continued membership of the EU. - PetitionsAccording to the BBC (as at the 26th February 2016) 444 MPs of (almost) all parties have declared their support for Britain staying a member of the European Union on the basis of the reform package negotiated by the Prime Minister, David Cameron.
More details
Constituting more than 68% of the votes in the House of Commons, this represents a rare and overwhelming cross-party Parliamentary majority. If it is the settled will of such a large majority in the House of Commons, Parliament should now rise to the occasion and assert the very sovereignty Brexit campaigners claim it has lost. Parliament should ratify the agreement reached by the Government with the European Union and confirm Britain's membership of the European Union on that basis.
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DPRK
North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un Dead After Apparent Suicide Attack | East Asia Tribune
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 18:03
A report filed by North Korean state media earlier today announced that Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Worker's Party of Korea and supreme leader of the DPRK, was killed in an explosion in Pyongyang which was believed to have been carried out by a female suicide bomber. Few details have been confirmed by North Korea's state-owned media outlets, and the lack of foreign journalists based in Pyongyang makes corroborating the story hard. However, at this point the following facts have been revealed by KCTV (ì°ì ì¤ìí
--ë ë¹ì£¤):
The attack on Kim Jong-un was carried out at around 14:00 local time in the Potonggang District of Pyongyang. Mr Kim was attending the commemoration of a new state built on the banks of the Potong River when a female spectator burst past security barricades and sprinted in his direction. Mr Kim's bodyguards drew their weapons, but before they had a chance to fire upon the female, she detonated a device which is believed to be a suicide belt. The ensuing blast seriously wounded Mr Kim, and despite being rushed to a nearby hospital he was pronounced dead on arrival. State media has been completely silent on the topic of who among the DPRK's remaining leadership may succeed Mr Kim, who held the post of supreme leader after his father, Kim Jong-il, passed away in late 2011. There exists a power vacuum among North Korea's elite, with the younger Kim conducting a series of purges aimed at consolidating his power in recent times. Foreign media outlets have speculated that Kim's sister, Ms Kim Yo-jung, who currently holds the position of deputy director of the Korean Worker's Party, is a leading candidate. ''Some analysts claim that during Kim Jong-Un's lengthy absence from the public eye in 2014, that she may have been running the country.''
The identity of the female suicide bomber remains a mystery, and few details have emerged that shed any light on her identity. Witnesses to the blast were interviewed on Korean state media but were mostly too consumed by grief to share any useful information. One exception was a younger North Korean man who was interviewed, who reported that the female bomber was 'exceptionally beautiful'. ''She had half the men in the crowd watching her,'' he commented, before his interview was abruptly terminated by KCTV. There has been speculation by some North Korean experts that the woman involved in the suicide attack could have been earlier rescued from a secret brothel operating to service Pyongyang's elite.
Orlando Shooting
Police Admit Officers May Also Be Responsible For Gunning Down Orlando Nightclub Patrons '' The Free Thought Project
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 12:19
Orlando, FL '' New details have emerged that may shed more light on the extreme casualty count in the Orlando nightclub killings. On Monday, Orlando Police Chief John Mina intimated that some of the victims may have been killed by officers trying to perform a rescue operation.
''I will say this, that's all part of the investigation,'' Mina said. ''But I will say when our SWAT officers, about eight or nine officers, opened fire, the backdrop was a concrete wall, and they were being fired upon.''
A confidential law enforcement source close to the investigation said a crowd of up to 300 people within the club '-- combined with the complex layout of the structure '-- may have resulted in numerous patrons being struck by gunfire from officers, according to WFAA-ABC 8.
Mina stood by his decision to employ a tactical strike amidst the rising likelihood that a number of the dead were the result of ''friendly fire'' from officers.
''It was a hard decision to make, but it was the right decision,'' he said. ''Our No. 1 priority is on saving lives, and it was the right decision to make.''
Details of the investigation are a being pieced together by local, federal and state investigators, as they continue to process the gruesome scene from a number of law enforcement mobile command units.
Authorities have determined that Mateen, 29, walked to the club at 2:02 a.m. armed with a semi-automatic long rifle and a Glock handgun.
An off-duty police officer working security at the club was outside investigating an underage drinker when he heard gunshots inside the club. The off-duty officer then proceeded to run inside the club and exchange gunfire with Mateen, with three additional officers soon arriving to back up the off-duty cop, law enforcement sources told WFAA-ABC 8. As the officers fired at Mateen, he retreated into a bathroom toward the rear of the club with a number of hostages.
''Those additional officers made entry while the suspect was shooting,'' Mina said. ''They forced him to stop shooting and retreat to the bathroom where we believe he had several hostages.''
While in the bathroom Mateen called 911 three times, pledging his allegiance to the Islamic State during one of the calls, although currently he has no known affiliation with any specific terrorist group. Mateen has been linked with American suicide bomber Moner Abu-Salha '-- who drove 16 tons of explosives into a Syrian government facility on behalf of Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front in late May of that year. The men had also attended the same Eastern Florida mosque.
It has since come to light that he was a regular at the gay club, which raises serious questions about the credibility of his Islamist ''terrorist'' connection, and raises the possibility that Mateen suffered from severe identity issues that manifested in violence. The FBI confirmed that Mateen had been on their radar and had been interviewed on 3 separate occasions.
''He was in one bathroom fortified with hostages,'' Mina said. ''There were people in the opposing bathroom, about 15 or 20 people. And the details are unknown, they're part of the investigation.''
Orlando police crisis negotiators that spoke with Mateen said he remained calm during the talks, but that he intimated that he intended to kill more people, Mina said.
''Based off statements made by the suspect and based on information we received by the suspect and from the hostages and the people inside,'' Mina said, ''we believe further loss of life was imminent. I made the decision to commence the rescue operation and do the explosive breach.''
The SWAT team attempted to topple the exterior wall leading to the bathroom that held 15 to 20 people, but failed, so Mina decided to use a Bearcat to break a hole in the wall. The vehicle rammed the wall, creating a small opening '-- about 3 feet wide and 2 feet off the ground '-- that captives could use to escape.
''We were able to rescue dozens and dozens of people who came out of that wall,'' Mina said. ''The suspect came out of that hole himself with a handgun and a long gun and engaged in a gunbattle with officers where he was ultimately killed.''
Mateen engaged officers immediately, striking one of them in his helmet, as officers returned fire striking the assailant several times.
The exterior concrete wall where the siege occurred is dotted with dozens of bullet holes, evidence of a shootout that included dozens of rounds fired by officers that likely hit and killed many hostages.
The final exchange of gunfire Mateen had with law enforcement occurred at 5 a.m., ending the three-hour ordeal. Officers then walked into the nightclub and found the dead bodies of club patrons strewn about the club, with more bodies found in a nearby bathroom.
There is a strong likelihood that we will never find out how many of the victims were ultimately killed by ''friendly fire''.
Document: Omar Mateen GAVE HOUSE TO RELATIVES for $10 BEFORE JIHAD MURDER '-- Wife Noor Salman Witnessed Transfer | Pamela Geller
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 18:32
His wife knew. His family knew. They should all be charged with capital murder.
''Exclusive: Orlando Terrorist Signed Over Home To Brother-in-Law Just Before Attacks,'' By Paul Sperry, Counter Jihad | June 17, 2016
The transfer to his Afghanistan-born brother in law also lists Mateen's wife as a witness.
Several weeks before he massacred 49 at an Orlando gay nightclub, Muslim terrorist Omar Seddique Mateen transferred over his interest in his Florida home to his older sister and Afghan brother-in-law, property records show '-- an indication the family possibly had some knowledge of his martyrdom plans.
Authorities say the fatally shot Mateen clearly was prepared to die in a gun battle with police during the June 12 attack, the deadliest act of terrorism on U.S. soil since 9/11.
On April 5, Mateen ''quit-claimed'' the deed on his Port St. Lucie, Fla., house, signing it over to his sister, Sabrina Abasin, and his brother-in-law Mustafa Abasin according to county property records. The records list his wife Noor Salman as a witness in the curious real estate transaction.
Mateen's wife, who is expected to be charged as an accessory in her husband's attack, reportedly has told authorities Mateen began casing targets as early as April. He was regularly training with firearms well before April.
Mateen by Breitbart News
Earlier this week, the mysterious brother-in-law '-- Mustafa Abasin, aka Mustafa Aurakzai '-- escorted the widowed Salman, who wore a hoodie to shield her face from cameras, to the Port St. Lucie home to collect belongings. Florida state records indicate he was born in Afghanistan.
The 43-year-old Abasin has been questioned by federal investigators. In fact, the entire family is under investigation. FBI agents have expanded the investigation overseas to include family connections in Afghanistan.
Abasin is listed on state articles of incorporation papers as a founding director of a pro-Taliban nonprofit group set up by Mateen's father, Seddique Mir Mateen. Abasin's wife, Sabrina Seddique Abasin, also sits on its board.
An Afghan immigrant, the senior Mateen founded the The Durand Jirga Inc. in 2010 to support the Taliban and the tribal region it controls along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
In a recent video posted on the Web, Mateen expresses gratitude toward the Afghan Taliban, who stone homosexuals to death and launch terrorist attacks on U.S. soldiers, calling them ''our warrior brothers.'' He has criticized U.S. actions in Afghanistan, and complained about American and other Western ''foreigners'' in his home country.
Abasin, also active in Afghan politics, has echoed that criticism.
In a paper he recently posted in Farsi, Abasin criticizes Afghans who have adopted American culture, according to an English translation by CounterJihad.com. He also rails against tribal chiefs who do not speak out against democracy in Afghanistan.
In recent social media posts, Abasin blames guns for his brother-in-law's shooting, calls presumptive GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump a ''racist'' for wanting to restrict Muslim immigration, and says he's involved with working with ''refugee camps.'' It's not clear if the refugees include the displaced Syrian nationals the Obama administration is resettling in U.S. cities.
Abasin's occupation is listed as health insurance broker, while his wife Sabrina is listed as a cosmetologist. A Facebook page lists Abasin as an ''independent broker'' with Allianze, and a member of the Association of Pakistani-Americans of Central Florida and the Iranian Cultural Society of Greater Miami-ICS.
Neither he nor his wife responded to requests for comment.
Sabrina, like her late brother Omar Mateen, is a registered Democrat. Federal campaign records show their father gave money to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last year.
Abasin appears to be obsessed with AIDS.
Earlier this year, he searched and downloaded an article, ''How to prevent the transmission of HIV AIDS virus,'' and just days before his brother-in-law attacked the gay club in Orlando, he tweeted out a complaint about CNN's series about the 1980's decade, arguing it focuses too much on AIDS and the gay community.
''Eighties is an interesting TV show, @tomhanks is executive of the TV show, but why did he speak about AIDS? It was out of the topic,'' he wrote on June 9.
CLIPS AND DOCS
VIDEO-Dissent channel: Will toppling the Syrian govt benefit ISIS? 17 June 2016 - YouTube
VIDEO-CIA Director: We haven't reduced ISIS terror reach and capability, it remains 'formidable adversary' - YouTube
VIDEO-Saturday Night Amusing Video: CBS's King Creates New Demographic Group for Hillary | MRCTV
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 13:49
Rejoicing in Hillary Clinton becoming the ''presumptive'' Democratic presidential nominee, Gayle King, co-host of CBS This Morning, came up with a new name for a demographic group '' to which she belongs '' who are excited about Hillary Clinton.
On CBS's Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday, June 10, King championed Hillary Clinton: ''What she has accomplished is amazing and I do celebrate that as a ---- ------.'' She was so proud of her phraseology that she used the term twice.
>> This video clipped to illustrate a post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog
VIDEO-You won't believe what gets an email flagged at Goldman: CNBC has the list
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 13:41
a sure {bet}|{thing}
adjust your account|losses|profits
against my expressed[?] wishes
answer {your}|{the} %ANY%[0\,3] phone
are {not responsive}|unresponsive
bad to worse
charge in excessive amount
charged {too much}|{excessively}
close|end|terminate my %ANY% [1\,5] relationship with GS|Goldman|{this firm}
Clowns {managing|running} the fund|show|portfolio|account|{my money}
concern* %ANY% [1\,5] safety of my money|fund|account
cover {your}|{our} losses
didn't authorize the sale
didn't|didnt|{did not} explain to me|us
disturbs|troubles me|us
don't worry i'll take care of it
don't you f*cking understand
done|{did this} without %ANY% [1\,5] calling|emailing|contacting me|us|anyone
embezzled the account
extremely|really|quite|very unhappy|disappointed
failed to execute {our}|{my}instructions
fix the {trade}|{trades}|{commissions}
fix|adjust|change the trade*|commission*
formally|formal complain|complaint
found numerous|several errors|mistakes
give you a piece of {the}|{my} commission
how could this happen again[?]
How could you|GS|Goldman possibly[?] lose so|this|that much
I %ANY% [0\,4] {losing}|{lost} patience with {you}|{GS}|{Goldman}
I am not a happy camper
I didn't {authorize}|{agree}
I expect {a|an|your}[?] {answer*|response} {today|now|asap}
I|we have lost|{run out of}|{ran out of} confidence|faith|trust|patience
I have raised %ANY% [1\,5] at least %ANY%[1\,3] times
I have raised %ANY% [1\,5] so many times
I lost {exorbitant|enormous amounts of}|{so|too much} money
I told you %ANY% {days|weeks|months} ago
I told you %ANY%[0\,1] {days|weeks|months} ago
i want the %ANY%[0\,2] trade reversed
I wanted out of %ANY%[3] {stock | {hedge fund} | fund | account | position}
I won't|wont|{will not} pay for the|this trade
I {don't}|{dont}|{do not} understand
I {trusted}|{believed in}|{had faith in} you
"I {was|am} extremely[?]{pissed|angry|concerned|upset|agitated|bothered|distressed|perturbed|worried|vexed|confused|flustered|discouraged|rattled|daunted|demoralized|disheartened|dismayed|distraught|unnerved}}."
I {would appreciate}|want {a|an} {call|email}
if this {doesn't} | {does not} get resolved|fixed soon|immediately|{right now}
incompetent|inept fund|account management
increasingly|really getting[?] frustrated
it is your | goldmans | {goldman's} job to make sure
I|we demand
I|we will not pay
lack of care|attention %ANY% [1\,5] my money|account*|fund*
let me remind you
losing confidence|faith|trust|patience
mad|angry|frustrated as hell|f*ck
make it up to you
my repeated {requests}|{request}
no longer be doing business
No one {called|emailed|contacted}
no one {{gave you}|{had} permission}|{said you could}
not %ANY%[0\,1] reasonable
not even one phone[?] {call} | {email} | {word} from {you | goldman}
not made aware
not {heard {back[?]} from you}|{what we agreed}
Paying fees {through|thru} the {nose|a--|butt}
phone {calls}|{call}e-mail{have}|{has} not been answered
piece of sh*t
pissed|pisses me off
poor|terrible|crappy {fund|account|portfolio}[?] results|performance
really %ANY%[0\,2] pissed|{PO'd}
rebate|refund my|your loss*
rebate|refund what I lost
register that|this as a complaint
remedy the situation
report the matter to the {sec}|{nasd}|{nyse}
reverse the commissions
reverse {this}|{the} %ANY%[0\,5] {trade}|{transaction}
screw*|f*ck* it up
so frustrat*
something {went}|{is really}|{will go} wrong
split the difference
statement complaint
still have not received
stock will {fly}|{soar}|{dive}|{tank}
supposed to be the top|best financial company
surprised|concerned|frustrated|angry that you didn't|{did not} contact|call|email me
take care of any fees|commissions
taken advantage of {{the exemption in Financial Reporting Standard} | {the following exemptions on the first time adoption} | {any of the relaxed hedge accounting requirements} | {passport\\, this will still be subject to}ºLSE%}[?]
That's not what I {said}|{told you}
the {deal | account | fund | trade | trades} {was | were} not handled properly
there is a %ANY%[0\,3] problem
there is|are|{appears to be} a|several mistake*
there was an|a error|mistake
These managers give me a really[?] bad feeling
this is %ANY%[0\,5] totally[?] unacceptable|{not acceptable}
this is not fair
this won't|{will not} happen again
this {is not}|isn't|wasn't|{was not} the %ANY% amount|{correct price}|price|stock|{correct stock}
This {part of the}[?] portfolio is[?] completely[?] sucks|stinks|f*cked up|{messed up}
time to dump
trades could|should be cancelled|reversed
transfer my {account}|{funds}immediately
troubles|disturbs|{disturbing to} me how long follow-up has taken
undo|break the trade
way too f*cking much
what happened to %ANY%[0\,5] money
What happened to my {money}|{account}|{trade}|{funds}?
what i f*cking said
what the hell|f*ck|heck {are|is} {you|GS|Goldman} doing with my|this|the {money|account|trade|funds|savings|portfolio}
what the {f*ck}|{hell}|{heck} {happened}|{is going on}|{is happening} with|to my|the|this {account|money|trade|fund*|savings|portfolio
Where did my {money}|{funds}|{account} go
where the {f*ck}|{hell} are you
who can I escalate the|this matter|issue|problem
who the {f*ck}|{hell}|{heck} said you could
who the {heck}|{f*ck}|{hell} do you think you are
who {supervises}|{manages} you
why should I|we pay
why {haven't}|{didn't} you {return}|{returned} my {call}|{calls}
won't be doing business with you|GS|Goldman
worst investment
wrong amount|price|{number of shares}|stock
You didn't follow my {instructions}|{wishes}|{plans}|{objectives}
You didn't {tell me}|{say} that
You never {told me}|{said} that
you said you would {redeem|sell}
You stole from {me}|{my account}
you told me there {was no}|{wasnt any}|{wasn't any} {downside risk}|{risk involved}
you were not up front
you werent|weren't|{were not} authorized
you {didn't}|{did not} | {didnt} {%ANY%[?] listen}|{supervise}
you {didn't}|{did not}|{didn't} {answer the question} | {reply}
you {f*cked}|{messed}|{screwed} up
you {have to}|{must} buy this stock
your|Goldman's failure to comply|respond
you|GS|Goldman failed to comply|respond
{Call the SEC} {%precededby% {{Please. 20549}|{Please. D.C.}ºLSE%}[?] } | {{{at 1-800-sec-0330} ºlse%}[?]}
{contact}|{call the} {appropriate[*]} {authorities}|{regulators}|{nasd}|{nyse}|{sec}
{did not}|{didnt}|{didn't} have permission to {buy}|{sell}|{trade}|{exchange}
{do not}|don't have the confidence|faith|trust|patience to continue
{does not}|doesn't|don't respond|reply to my calls|emails
{don't}|{dont}worry about the losses
{have|has} not received {the paperwork} | {any calls}
{I am}|I'm {%ANY%[0\,2]} {pissed off}|furious|irate|livid|incensed|upset|angry
{I am}|I'm|Im {not satisfied}|unsatisfied|dissatisfied
{i promise this time}|{this time i promise}
{i'll}|{I will} fix {everything}|{it}
{i'll}|{I will} work it out
{i've been trying}|{i've tried} to reach you
{i've}|{I have} been {unable}|{unsuccessful}trying to reach you
{i've}|{I have} contacted {my}|{an}|{your} attorney
{It's|it is} %ANY%[0\,2] impossible to understand what|{what is} {{going on}|happened|occurred}
{I}|{Goldman Sachs}|{the firm}|{we} will make up the losses
{I}|{Goldman Sachs}|{the firm}|{we} {guarantee*}|{promis*}|{swear*} that[?] this won't|{will not}|{will never} happen again
{I}|{we} will sue {you}|{your firm}|{Goldman}|{GS}
{I}|{we} will take you to court
{misrepresent}|{misrepresented}|{misrepresenting}|{misrepresents}
{regarding}|{concerning} your problem
{should have}|should've been bought|sold|done %ANY% [1\,5] ago
{transactions}|{transaction}|{trade} {was}|{were} never executed
{transfer|sale} still {hasn't}|{has not} {happened|occurred}
{where have you been}|{where the {f*ck}|{hell}|{heck} have you been}
{who is}|{i want the name of} your {supervisor}|{manager}
{you're}|{you are} a piece of sh*t
{your|these}{behavior|actions} are %ANY%[0\,1] {unacceptable|{not acceptable}}
{You}|{Goldman Sachs}|{the firm} were|was not authorized
{you}|{Goldman Sachs}|{your firm} personally guaranteed
{you}|{Goldman Sachs}|{your firm} will be hearing from my {attorney}|{lawyer}
{you}|{Goldman Sachs}|{your firm} {messed}|{screwed} up
{you}|{Goldman Sachs}|{your firm} {won't}|{will not} get away with this
{mistake|error} on {your|GS|Goldman*} part
receiv* a|any|no response to my {email}|{call}|{inquir*}|{question*}|{complaint*}
{I}|{we} {did not}|{did'nt}|{didnt} receive|get a response
negatively affected by this|these %ANY%[0\,5] change*|error*|mistake*
{please let me}|{allow me to} address your {concerns}|{confusion}|{problem}
missing money|funds
{not happy}|unhappy|dissatisfied with the {way}|{manner} in which this is being handled|addressed|resolved
not happy|satisfied|content with the way GS|Goldman|you is|are handling|resolving|addressing this
GS|Goldman is really upsetting|frustrating me
{I don't think this is}|{this is not}|{this isn't} the type of customer service I deserve|expect*
avoid this kind|type of error|mistake|fumble|misstep|slipup|{foul up}|stumble
{please let me}|{allow me to} provide %ANY%[0\\,5] a|an reason|explanation
{I have}|{i've} been {unhappy}|{displeased}|{unsatisfied} with the {firm's attitude}|{attitude of the firm}
I am {unhappy}|{displeased}|{unsatisfied} with the {firm's attitude}|{attitude of the firm}
{I have}|{I've} found the {direction|attitude} of the firm {troubling|worrisome|disturbing|concerning|demoralizing|aggravating|perturbing|distressing|discomforting|disconcerting|demoralizing}
{I|we} find the {direction|attitude} of the firm {troubling|worrisome|disturbing|concerning|demoralizing|aggravating|perturbing|distressing|discomforting|disconcerting|demoralizing}
{my|our} {low|unsavory} view of {GS|goldman|{the firm}}
Not For[?] Communicat*|Distribut*|send*|delive* Outside %any%[\,2] Firm|GS|{goldman sachs}|goldman
for internal use in the offices of
internal only
internal u.s.e. only
{internal use only} { {%precededby% { {private|your | { for and confidential deemed is message this in } }ºlse%}} | {{%any%[\\,2] {to be completed by} | {checking account number} }ºlse%} | {%any%[0\\,5] SMARTPlus}ºlse% }[?]
{social security}|{soc sec}|soc|ss{{no|number|#}[*]}%#\d\d\d\p\d\d\p\d\d\d\d%
{account|acct|acc|act}{{no|number|#}[?]}{%#\d\d\d\p%[?]}{%#\d\d\d\d\d%}{%#\p\d%[?]}
'-- CNBC's Mark Fahey contributed to this report.
VIDEO-AUDIO-Investigation Of American Red Cross Finances Finds 'Fundamental Concerns' : NPR
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 13:34
Haitians outside a Red Cross field hospital in Carrefour, Haiti, on Dec. 14, 2010, 11 months after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the country's capital, Port-au-Prince. Thony Belizaire/AFP/Getty Imageshide caption
toggle captionThony Belizaire/AFP/Getty ImagesHaitians outside a Red Cross field hospital in Carrefour, Haiti, on Dec. 14, 2010, 11 months after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the country's capital, Port-au-Prince.
Thony Belizaire/AFP/Getty ImagesThe American Red Cross spent a quarter of the money people donated after the 2010 Haiti earthquake '-- or almost $125 million '-- on its own internal expenses, far more than the charity previously had disclosed, according to a report released Thursday by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley.
This story was reported in partnership between NPR News Investigations and ProPublica, an investigative journalism organization.
The report also says the charity's top officials stonewalled congressional investigators and released incomplete information about its Haiti program to the public. It concludes "there are substantial and fundamental concerns about [the Red Cross] as an organization."
The report follows a nearly yearlong investigation by the Iowa Republican and his staff, launched after coverage by NPR and ProPublica of the Red Cross' Haiti response. The venerated charity raised nearly $500 million after the disaster, more than any other nonprofit, but an ambitious plan to build housing resulted in just six permanent homes, NPR and ProPublica found.
Other findings in Sen. Grassley's report:
The charity insisted to congressional investigators that $70 million spent on "program expenses" included funds to oversee and evaluate its Haiti programs. But Grassley's office found that the charity "is unable to provide any financial evidence that oversight activities in fact occurred."Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern told Grassley's office the charity "gave [the Government Accountability Office] everything that they asked for" during an earlier review. The report, however, says the organization did not provide everything requested, "contrary to Ms. McGovern's multiple claims that it did."The Red Cross has kept the charity's own internal investigations and ethics unit "severely undermanned and underfunded," the report says, and the charity "appears to be reluctant to support the very unit that is designed to police wrongdoing within the organization."Red Cross officials defended the charity's work in a statement responding to the Grassley report, calling the organization's spending "entirely justifiable given the size and complexity of the Haiti program." They also noted that the Red Cross receives favorable ratings for accountability from charity watchdog groups.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, arrives for a committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Feb. 23. J. Scott Applewhite/APhide caption
toggle captionJ. Scott Applewhite/APSen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, arrives for a committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Feb. 23.
J. Scott Applewhite/APGrassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in an interview that even after a year of back-and-forth with the Red Cross, "we did not get satisfactory answers '-- like pulling teeth, it was very difficult."
The Red Cross, including McGovern, repeatedly has told the public that all but 9 percent of donations spent go to humanitarian programs. But Grassley's office found that 25 percent of donations sent to Haiti '-- or nearly $125 million '-- were spent on fundraising and management, a contingency fund and the catchall category the Red Cross calls "program expenses."
The Red Cross sent the bulk of the remaining donated money to other nonprofits to do the work on the ground. Those other nonprofits then took their own cuts '-- as high as 11 percent '-- for their own expenses.
"The most important thing [from the report] is an unwillingness to level with the people exactly where the money went," Grassley says. "There's too many questions in regard to how the money was spent in Haiti ... it gives me cause to wonder about other money being donated for other national disasters."
"One of the reasons that they don't want to answer questions is it's very embarrassing," Grassley adds.
In its statement, the American Red Cross notes that it has not yet seen Grassley's report, but that the organization and McGovern have been transparent, and that donors' money was properly spent. The statement also notes "the scale of the destruction and the challenging and sometimes dangerous conditions of working in Haiti."
The Red Cross, created by a congressional charter more than a century ago, receives a range of special benefits from the U.S. government.
Here are more details from the report:
The Red Cross Didn't Explain How Money Was Spent
In general, the Red Cross itself doesn't know how much money it spent on each project in Haiti because of a "complex, yet inaccurate" accounting system, the report found.
The report echoes the confidential findings of consultants hired by the Red Cross, which previously were reported by NPR and ProPublica. One internal evaluation of one of the group's water and sanitation projects found there was "no correct process for monitoring project spending." Another assessment found that the group's figures on how many people were helped by a hygiene project were "fairly meaningless."
Documents provided by the Red Cross suggest that the charity sometimes spent large sums of money on management costs even when it enlisted other organizations to run relief operations.
In 2010, the American Red Cross wrote a check for $4.3 million to its sister organization the International Federation of the Red Cross for disaster preparedness work. On top of the $4.3 million, according to budget figures the charity provided to Grassley, the American Red Cross spent another $2 million on its own to manage the grant. That's after it already took out hundreds of thousands of dollars in administrative fees.
Partners like the IFRC typically take out their own overhead and administrative costs before using the money to help Haitians.
When asked what the $2 million was used for, the Red Cross said it covered the costs "incurred to ensure accountability, monitoring and evaluation of work performed and ensure our partners meet their contractual requirements."
"It's sort of a shocking amount of money," said Jake Johnston, a research associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, who has spent years digging into the Red Cross' finances. "Maybe a little bit more than half that ends up going to a project."
Investigators' Questions Go Unanswered
The report lists eight examples of things the Red Cross declined to provide to government investigators working for the GAO as part of an inquiry that began in 2014. Those include descriptions of the charity's internal oversight processes, as well as interviews with chapter officials involved in the response to Superstorm Sandy.
In its statement, the Red Cross says that "at no point did the Red Cross refuse to provide requested information." But Grassley's report calls that claim "contrary to the documentary evidence."
McGovern has portrayed the Red Cross as a beacon of openness. "We made a commitment that we want to lead the effort in transparency," she said at the National Press Club in 2011.
American Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern attends a roundtable with President Obama regarding the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans on Aug. 27, 2015. Andrew Harnik/APhide caption
toggle captionAndrew Harnik/APAmerican Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern attends a roundtable with President Obama regarding the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans on Aug. 27, 2015.
Andrew Harnik/APGrassley also says that, as NPR reported last year, McGovern tried to kill the GAO investigation '-- and that while the Red Cross couldn't kill the investigation, its "lack of cooperation led GAO to modify its scope."
In meetings and email correspondence over several months, Red Cross General Counsel David Meltzer questioned GAO's legal authority to look at the Red Cross.
The Red Cross argued that investigators' "requests for internal decision-making, internal oversight, and internal funding allocation are outside of GAO's authority," according to the GAO's account.
The Red Cross Undercut Its Own Ethics Unit
The Red Cross has about 20,000 employees, but its ethics office '-- which investigates waste, fraud and abuse '-- is composed of three people, according to the Grassley report. That is down from roughly 65 staffers after Hurricane Katrina a decade ago, the report says.
The Office of Investigations, Compliance and Ethics was left so "understaffed and underfunded" that it is "unable to perform its primary function; namely, to perform investigations, ensure compliance, and maintain ethical standards," the report found.
The report doesn't explain why the size of the office was slashed, but it does note that the Red Cross sometimes relies on outside law firms to conduct internal investigations.
One of the three remaining employees, the "compliance coordinator," performs only intakes and triages and does not actually do investigations. Another, the chief investigator, is based in New York, away from Red Cross headquarters in Washington.
Requests by the head of the unit, Teala Brewer, for more staff have gone unfulfilled, the report says.
VIDEO-Aangirfan: JO COX CONSPIRACY
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 05:08
Anna Lindh, Swedish foreign minister and supporter of the Palestinian cause, who was assassinated in Stockholm.In 2003, four days before the Swedish referendum on joining the Eurozone, Anna Lindh, a pro-Euro Swedish MP, was stabbed to death in a public place.
The man later convicted of the killing claimed to have no idea why he had acted as he had.
Many people predicted that the death would have a massive effect on the results.
Jo Cox's husband is Brendan Cox (above), who once worked as an adviser to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
In 2015, Brendan Cox left Save The Children after various women's complaints of 'inappropriate behaviour'.Save The Children executive quits after complaints of 'inappropriate behaviour'.
Brendan Cox was chief strategist at Save The Children.
SAVE THE CHILDREN - FRONT FOR CIA? / CHARITIES RUN BY THE SPIES? /CHARITIES, ORGIES AND SPOOKS
...
Above we see a FAKE shooting in Paris.
Jo Cox studied at the London School of Economics,[7] which has been a recruiting ground for spies.
She once worked for Oxfam, said to be a front for MI6.
...
Above we see Corrine Sawers, daughter of the former boss of MI6 Sir John Sawers, singing an anti-Brexit song.
Jo CoxDid the alleged killer, Tommy Mair, shout "Britain First"?
Britain First is a right wing organisation run by Paul Golding.Tommy Mair
Tommy Mair "was shouting Britain First when he was doing it," said 38-year-old Graeme Howard.Clarke Rothwell, who runs a cafe near the murder scene, added: "He was shouting 'put Britain first'. He shouted it about two or three times."
Part of the Jo Cox incident.
Jo Cox had been a high profile campaigner for the rights of Syrian refugees and was fighting to force the Government to take in more asylum seekers."
Jo Cox dead: Labour MP fatally shot and stabbed outside constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire | Crime ....
Tweet by Charlie Skelton on 31 May 2016:
"I'll not be surprised if there's a big, noisy security/terror scare just pre-referendum..."
Jo Cox, n(C)e LeadbeaterJewish community expresses shock and sadness at killing of Jo Cox
Comments:
1. Anonymous16 June 2016 at 16:31
Jo Cox opposing Israeli war crimes:
"The MP was [an] advocate for Palestinian rights and statehood ... [She] advocated on behalf of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, as well. When a proposed BDS ban was brought to Parliament, Cox said, 'I believe that this is a gross attack on democratic freedom ...'"
"[Jo Cox], who has visited the West Bank and Gaza, said: 'Like many I am deeply concerned about the large loss of life in Gaza, now into triple digits and rising by the day.'"
http://www.arabamerica.com/british-mp-advocate-syria-palestine-dies/
http://passionislam.com/articles.php?articles_id=366
2. brabantian 16 June 2016 at 16:38
MP Jo Cox murder
Witness on video denies having heard the words 'Britain First' (the name of a pro-Brexit organisation), which media said were spoken by Jo Cox's killer
Ms Jo Cox had been asking uncomfortable questions about why the UK government is so indulgent of the alleged 'Islamic State'
Tweet of Charlie Skelton on 31 May:
"I'll not be surprised if there's a big, noisy security/terror scare just pre-referendum that's best dealt with by the UK being in the #EU."
...
Witness denying he heard the words 'Britain First', on video (0m45sec) entitled
'Britain First' Myth of the Jo Cox False Flag >>
Arrested suspect Tommy Mair "has a history of mental illness" ... "He was not aggressive or anything. He wasn't frightening" ... But his brother Scott has been "in jail for half his life"
Mentally impaired people can be particular subjects for mind control
Tommy Mair: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Eyewitness tells reporters he didn't hear anyone shout "Britain first", saying: "Never heard that":
https://twitter.com/Jamin2g/status/7434643520664535043. Anonymous 16 June 2016 at 13:03
Jo Cox murder suspect Thomas Mair is 52 years of age, reportedly.
Exchange on Sky News:
[begins at 3:24]
Interviewer Kay Burley: "I just wondered if you could maybe tell us anything more...about the person that looks to have carried out this, this attack"
Eyewitness: "The person, the person it looks like is - er - and he's 60 perhaps, maybe 65, 70, something like that ..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnx-Oj3WVQ8&feature=youtu.be
4. Anonymous 16 June 2016 at 12:48
Eyewitness tells reporters he didn't hear anyone shout "Britain first", saying: "Never heard that":
https://twitter.com/Jamin2g/status/743464352066453504
VIDEO-State Department Official: Cocaine Consumption Down More Than 50 Percent, 'But Heroin Abuse Is Exploding' | MRCTV
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 23:04
William Brownfield, assistant secretary of State of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday that while the U.S. has made "great progress" on cocaine consumption, "heroin abuse is exploding."
VIDEO-GMA Allows 18 Seconds to 'Unprecedented' Revolt Against Obama's Foreign Policy | MRCTV
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 22:56
[See NewsBusters for more.] Although NBC and CBS on Friday covered the ''unprecedented,'' ''deep frustration'' that diplomats at the State Department have for Barack Obama's Syria policy, ABC's Good Morning America allowed a scant 18 seconds to the move against Obama. This is despite allowing 14 minutes to a Demi Lovato rock concert, clearly not as important a topic. Here is the total of GMA's coverage on Friday from news anchor Amy Robach: ''President Obama's policies in the Middle East coming under fire. This time from diplomats at the State Department. More than 50 diplomats have signed a memo urging the President to launch air strikes against Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad, claiming little progress in five years of war.''
VIDEO-NBC's Today Ignores CIA Director's 'Stark Warning' About ISIS | MRCTV
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 22:54
More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.
On Friday, NBC's Today skipped any mention of CIA Director John Brennan detailing Obama administration failures in the fight against ISIS while testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The morning show ignored the major story despite Thursday's NBC Nightly News devoting a nearly two-minute segment to the topic.
On Nightly News, anchor Lester Holt declared: ''Now to a stark warning here at home from the director of the CIA over the threat from ISIS. John Brennan told Congress today efforts to defeat ISIS on the battlefield have not put a dent in the group's ability to carry out terror attacks. And he warns they're already planning more carnage in the west.''
VIDEO-Loretta Lynch Vows to Prosecute Those Who Use 'Anti-Muslim' Speech That 'Edges Toward Violence' | Daily Wire
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 22:48
The day after a horrific shooting spree by what appears to be a radicalized Muslim man and his partner in San Bernardino, California, Attorney General Loretta Lynch pledged to a Muslim advocacy and lobbying group that she would take aggressive action against anyone who used "anti-Muslim rhetoric" that "edges toward violence."
Speaking to the audience at the Muslim Advocates' 10th anniversary dinner Thursday, Lynch said her "greatest fear" is the "incredibly disturbing rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric" in America and vowed to prosecute any guilty of what she deemed violence-inspiring speech.
"The fear that you have just mentioned is in fact my greatest fear as a prosecutor, as someone who is sworn to the protection of all of the American people, which is that the rhetoric will be accompanied by acts of violence," she said.
"Now obviously this is a country that is based on free speech, but when it edges towards violence, when we see the potential for someone lifting that mantle of anti-Muslim rhetoric'--or, as we saw after 9/11, violence directed at individuals who may not even be Muslims but perceived to be Muslims, and they will suffer just as much'--when we see that we will take action," said Lynch.
After touting the numbers of "investigations into acts of anti-Muslim hatred" and "bigoted actions" against Muslims launched by her DOJ, Lynch suggested the Constitution does not protect "actions predicated on violent talk" and pledged to prosecute those responsible for such actions.
''I think it's important that as we again talk about the importance of free speech we make it clear that actions predicated on violent talk are not America," said Lynch. "They are not who we are, they are not what we do, and they will be prosecuted."
Assuring the pro-Muslim group that "we stand with you," Lynch said she would use her Justice Department to protect Muslims from "violence" and discrimination.
"My message not just to the Muslim community but to all Americans is 'We cannot give in to the fear that these backlashes are really based on,'" said Lynch.
It is painfully clear that, like her predecessor Eric Holder, Lynch is far more concerned with promoting the social justice agenda than protecting the Constitutional rights of American citizens. What exactly is speech that "edges toward violence"? What exactly are "actions predicated on violent talk"? In the end, it is whatever she decides it to mean.
At a press conference Thursday, Lynch termed the San Bernardino shootings a "wonderful opportunity" to change the nature of police work. "We're at the point where these issues have come together really like never before in law enforcement thought and in our nation's history and it gives us a wonderful opportunity and a wonderful moment to really make significant change," she told reporters.
UPDATE: After strong backlash against her comments on speech that "edges toward violence," Lynch seemed to, as Politico puts it, "recalibrate" her language in a press conference Monday, underscoring that her department would only prosecute "deeds not words."
Partial transcript via BuzzFeed. This article has been updated and expanded to include more statements from Lynch.
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VIDEO-Poland's controversial reforms threaten human rights: Council of Europe | euronews, world news
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 22:23
Poland's ongoing judicial and media reforms undermine the rule of law and threaten human rights, the Council of Europe has warned, urging the government to change course.
The warning by the prominent human rights body, which is not an EU institution, comes just as Brussels is investigating whether Poland is breaching the bloc's democratic standards.
Poland's right-wing and Eurosceptic Law and Justice party, which took office in October, has made sweeping changes to the country's institutions and pushed for an overhaul of the constitutional court that critics say will erode checks and balances on government powers.
''Lawmakers and the government should urgently change course,'' Council of Europe Commissionner Nils Muiznieks said in a statement accompanying a report which followed a visit to Poland in February.
The commissioner said he was particularly concerned by the ''prolonged paralysis'' of the constitutional court: ''I have not encountered a similar situation elsewhere in Europe, where a key element of the balance of powers and key a element for human rights proofing legislation has been paralysed by the action of the government. So I take that with grave seriousness.''
Muiznieks said Poland was passing legislation too quickly and needed to slow down to give the ombudsman, civil society and international partners time to engage.
The Polish government called these new findings biased. It said the commissioner's report, which touches on issues such as the judicial system, media freedom, women's rights and gender equality, ''lacks symmetry'' and displays ''selectivity.''
Leaders in Warsaw have criticized the EU's probe as undue meddling in its national affairs and the government shrugged off a Wednesday deadline to respond to the European Commission's concerns about the state of democracy in Poland.
VIDEO-Switzerland ends bid to join European Economic Area '' after 24 years | euronews, world news
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 22:18
A week ahead of the UK referendum on EU membership, Switzerland has done some clarification of its own on its relationship with Europe.
Never an EU member state, Switzerland has nonetheless officially withdrawn its long dormant application to join the European Economic Area (EEA), the precursor to the European Single Market.
Membership of the EEA is open to European Union members but also members of the European Free Trade Association. Norway and Iceland are both signatories because of their membership of the latter group.
The Swiss upper house of parliament voted on Wednesday to cancel the process that started in 1992.
It follows an earlier decision of the lower house.
EEA members must follow the rules of the European Single Market, with exclusions in some areas and in return share privileged access to each others' markets.
The next step, the Swiss foreign minister told local media, will be to officially inform Brussels that the application is dead.
VIDEO-Rio's governor declares state of financial emergency | euronews, world news
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 21:58
The governor of Olympic host city Rio has declared a financial emergency.
He has asked for federal funds to help avoid a total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management.
The Brazilian city is expecting 500,000 visitors during the games which start on August 5.
Brazil is struggling with its worst recession in decades and a political crisis that last month led to the suspension of President Dilma Rousseff.
The country's interim president said his government would ensure the games are a success.
VIDEO-Putin slams Russian athletes Rio Olympics doping ban | euronews, world news
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 21:55
Vladimir Putin has condemned the decision by the world athletics' governing body to uphold a ban on Russia for systematic doping, thereby excluding its track and field competitors from this summer's Rio Olympics.
''Of course, it is unfair,'' Putin told editors from leading international news agencies at a supper on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Denouncing the sanction as collective punishment, he said: ''There are common acceptable principles of rights, one of which is that responsibility should be personalised.''
He went on: ''If someone in your family has committed an offence, is it fair to prosecute all the family members '... the people who have no relation to the violations '' why should they suffer for others?''
Putin is now seeking intervention from the International Olympic Committee despite its Vice President John Coates slamming Russia's anti-doping and athletics authorities as ''rotten to the core''.
Russia, a superpower of track and field, had lobbied furiously to avert the prospect of a Summer Olympics athletics programme taking place without its athletes, and argued that it was taking all the steps required of it to dispel charges of state-sponsored drug abuse.
But on Friday, IAAF boss Sebastian Coe acknowledged that while some progress had been made by the Russians, it was not enough.
Russian former drugs cheat Yulia Stepanova, whose whistle blowing revelations helped expose the massive doping problem in her country, welcomed the ongoing ban.
''It is good. It is good news for me,'' said the 800-metres runner, who went into hiding after her bombshell expos(C).
For while no athlete is set to compete in Rio under a Russian flag, a door has been left open for those who can now prove they are clean to take part as neutral competitors.
VIDEO-'Situation under control', says Belgian PM after Euro 2016 anti-terror raids | euronews, world news
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 21:47
Three months after bombers caused carnage in Brussels in the name of political Islam, Belgian police have arrested 12 suspects in a major overnight operation '' it's thought over security alerts linked to the Euro 2016 football tournament.
Those detained were among 40 people taken in for questioning.
The raids took place notably in the districts of Molenbeek, Schaerbeek and Forest, three areas which those who planned the Brussels and Paris attacks had used as bases.
Belgian media suggest an attack was being planned in Brussels, possibly on fan zones.
The government's security council met on Saturday morning '' including the ministers of defence, justice, home affairs and foreign affairs.
Afterwards the prime minister addressed a news conference.
''We considered on the basis of the crisis centre advice that we had to maintain the events and I want to recall again what I have said many times, we want to continue living normally. Let's live normally. The situation is under control. The work of the investigators is functioning properly. You've seen that searches took place which enabled investigators to do their work in the fight against terrorism to prevent attacks,'' Charles Michel told the assembled journalists.
As Belgian fans partied in Bordeaux before the team's match against Ireland, the private Flemish broadcaster VTM said those arrested were suspected of planning an attack in Brussels.
Citing a security source, the Le Soir newspaper said crowded areas including places where fans watch matches were potential targets.
No details have been released about the identities of those in custody or any items seized after the overnight raids.
However no arms or explosives are said to have been recovered.
ISIL suicide bombings in Brussels in March killed 32 people at its airport and in a metro station.
VIDEO-Rep Tulsi Gabbard talking to Wolf Blitzer about the Orlando Attack - YouTube
VIDEO-Learning Words with Adam and John - No Agenda - YouTube
VIDEO-BREAKING: Putin Reveals ISIS Funded by 40 Countries, Including G20 Members '' The Free Thought Project
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 18:23
Antalya, Turkey '' Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he has shared intelligence with the other G20 member states, which reveals the 40 countries from which ISIS finances the majority of their terrorist activities. The list reportedly included a number of G20 countries.
''I provided examples based on our data on the financing of different Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) units by private individuals. This money, as we have established, comes from 40 countries and, there are some of the G20 members among them,'' Putin told reporters.In addition to discussing the need to stop the flow of donor money to ISIS, Putin also reiterated the need to stop the illegal oil trade by ISIS.
''I've shown our colleagues photos taken from space and from aircraft which clearly demonstrate the scale of the illegal trade in oil and petroleum products,'' he said.''The motorcade of refueling vehicles stretched for dozens of kilometers, so that from a height of 4,000 to 5,000 meters they stretch beyond the horizon,'' Putin said.The Islamic State makes an estimated $50 million a month from selling crude from captured oilfields in Iraq and Syria, according to Iraqi intelligence and U.S. officials.According to a report by Business Insider:
Oil sales '-- the extremists' largest single source of continual income '-- are a key reason they have been able to maintain their rule over their self-declared ''caliphate'' stretching across large parts of Syria and Iraq. With the funds to rebuild infrastructure and provide the largesse that shore up its fighters' loyalty, it has been able to withstand ground fighting against its opponents and more than a year of bombardment in the U.S.-led air campaign.
It's worth noting that within the past 24 hours the U.S. has launched its first strike against an ISIS oil convoy. Prior to Monday, the United States had refused to strike the over 1,000 ISIS controlled tanker trucks out of a stated concern about causing civilian casualties, a dubious assertion at best.
The NY Times reported:
Intensifying pressure on the Islamic State, United States warplanes for the first time attacked hundreds of trucks on Monday that the extremist group has been using to smuggle the crude oil it has been producing in Syria, American officials said.
According to an initial assessment, 116 trucks were destroyed in the attack, which took place near Deir al-Zour, an area in eastern Syria that is controlled by the Islamic State.
The airstrikes were carried out by four A-10 attack planes and two AC-130 gunships based in Turkey.
While the U.S. claims these new operations were planned well in advance of the terrorist attacks in Paris, one can't help but be suspicious of the timing of the U.S. change in tactics. It seems that the U.S. is being forced closer to the Russian position in the wake of the attacks in France.
During the press conference, Putin went on to stress that an international coalition is needed to more effectively counter the terrorist group, noting Russia's readiness to support the fight against ISIS.
''Some armed opposition groups consider it possible to begin active operations against IS with Russia's support. And we are ready to provide such support from the air. If it happens it could become a good basis for the subsequent work on a political settlement,'' Putin said.''We really need support from the US, European nations, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran,'' the Russian president added.In the wake of the claimed ISIS attacks in Paris, perhaps the NATO contingent involved in Syria will now realize that removing Assad is not the primary goal, and that fighting ISIS is the actual mission.
The Russian intelligence analysis of the 40 nations funding the ISIS terror machine were relayed to diplomats attending the G20 summit '' but were not released to the media, nor the general public. We will keep you updated if/when the names of the ISIS supporting states are leaked.
Jay Syrmopoulos is an investigative journalist, free thinker, researcher, and ardent opponent of authoritarianism. He is currently a graduate student at University of Denver pursuing a masters in Global Affairs. Jay's work has been published on Ben Swann's Truth in Media, Truth-Out, AlterNet, InfoWars, MintPress News, as well as many other sites. You can follow him on Twitter @sirmetropolis, on Facebook at Sir Metropolis and now on tsu.
VIDEO-ISIS VS ISIL-KT Mcfarland, Dave Smith, Julie Roginsky, Matt Welch on Red Eye 06-13-2016 - YouTube
VIDEO-Trailer for Oliver Stone's documentary "Ukraine on Fire" - YouTube
VIDEO-Seth Meyers bans Donald Trump from show in solidarity with Washington Post June 15
Thu, 16 Jun 2016 23:04
Meyers banned the presidential candidate from his show on Tuesday night in solidarity with the Washington Post. Trump revoked the newspaper's press access at his campaign events earlier this week.
"We here at 'Late Night' believe in freedom of the press so therefore have decided to stand in solidarity with them," Meyers said during his "Closer Look" segment.
The NBC host and former "Saturday Night Live" cast member did concede that Trump was probably never going to come on the show anyway.
Meyers and Trump have a history with one another.
Related: NBC signs Seth Meyers as 'Late Night' host through 2021
Meyers lambasted Trump when he hosted the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2011.
"Donald Trump has been saying that he's running for president as a Republican," Meyers said at the time. "Which is surprising since I just assumed he was running as a joke."
Trump, who was at the dinner, later told the New York Times that Meyers had no talent and that his "delivery was so bad that he hurt himself."
Meyers took over as host of NBC's "Late Night" from Jimmy Fallon in February 2014.
The "Late Night" host has not held back from lampooning Trump since the former reality star and mogul started his campaign for president.
Meyers has done long segments on Trump regarding Trump University, his comments on abortion, and his stance on the Iraq War.
The host mocked Trump again on Tuesday night comparing him to Joseph McCarthy, the Cold War era senator famous for fueling the blacklisting of people suspected of being communists.
"He's like if Joseph McCarthy was exposed to gamma radiation and became a racist orange Hulk, but with tiny hands," Meyers said.
CNNMoney (New York)First published June 15, 2016: 3:37 PM ET
Raw
Father of Paris attacks victim sues social media companies
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 13:44
NEW YORK (AP) '-- The father of a young woman killed in the Paris massacre last November is suing Google, Facebook and Twitter, claiming that the companies provided "material support" to extremists in violation of the law.
Reynaldo Gonzalez, whose daughter Nohemi was among 130 people killed in the Paris attacks, filed the suit on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California. The suit claims the companies "knowingly permitted" the Islamic State group, referred to in the complaint as "ISIS," to recruit members, raise money and spread "extremist propaganda" via their social-media services.
The Gonzalez suit is very similar to a case brought against Twitter in January by the widow of a contractor killed in an attack in Jordan. It includes numerous identical passages and screenshots, although the lawyers in the cases are different.
In statements, Facebook and Twitter said Wednesday the Gonzalez lawsuit is without merit, and all three companies cited their policies against extremist material. Twitter, for instance, said that it has "teams around the world actively investigating reports of rule violations, identifying violating conduct, and working with law enforcement entities when appropriate."
Facebook's statement read, in part, that if the company sees "evidence of a threat of imminent harm or a terror attack, we reach out to law enforcement."
Google, meanwhile, said it won't comment on pending litigation, but noted that that it has "clear policies prohibiting terrorist recruitment and content intending to incite violence and quickly remove videos violating these policies when flagged by our users."
Under U.S. law, internet companies are generally exempt from liability for the material users post on their networks. Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act provides a legal "safe harbor" for companies like Twitter and Facebook; it states that "no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider."
But it isn't clear if that legal defense will suffice in this case. Ari Kresch, a lawyer with 1-800-LAW-FIRM who is part of the Gonzalez legal team, said in an email that the lawsuit targets social media companies because of the behavior they enabled, not what they published.
"This complaint is not about what ISIS's messages say," he wrote. "It is about Google, Twitter, and Facebook allowing ISIS to use their social media networks for recruitment and operations." The Gonzales complaint also alleges that Google's YouTube shared revenue with IS from ads that ran with its videos.
Benjamin Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, agrees that the legal "safe harbor" might not shelter social-media companies in such cases. Twitter may not succeed in quashing the similar lawsuit filed in January on those grounds, Wittes argues. But he said Twitter could still prevail because the causal link between its alleged support for extremists and the attack is very weak.
__
AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima contributed to this story from Los Angeles.
Hollande threatens to ban demos as French anti-labor law protests grow '-- RT News
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 13:43
President Francois Hollande has proposed to ban demonstrations in France, according to his presidential spokesman, who said that at a time when the country is plagued by terrorism, the conditions are not in place to protect ''personal or public property."
"At a time when France is hosting the Euro 2016 [football tournament], when it is faced with terrorism, demonstrations can no longer be authorized if property, people and public property cannot be safeguarded," Hollande told a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to his spokesman Stephane Le Foll, AFP reported.
''The conditions under which a manifestation is authorized is a subject of discussion between the organizers and the authorities representing the state,'' Le Foll said.
"If the conditions are not in place to protect personal or public property, and as things stand now they are not, decisions are currently being made case-by-case not to allow the protests," he added.
Read more
On Tuesday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Paris, shouting slogans against the new labor law being imposed by the government and carrying placards that read: ''For new rights.'' Some protestors torched a police car at the Place de la Republique in the heart of Paris. Staff working at the Eiffel Tower announced the closure of the city's iconic landmark, saying they ''would join the protest.'' They also warned that sites near it would be unsafe.
A group of black-clad demonstrators allegedly vandalized the Necker Children's Hospital, where a three-year-old child, whose mother and father, a policeman, were stabbed to death by an Islamic State militant Monday evening outside their home near Paris, is currently staying.
At least 40 people, including 29 officers, were injured as protesters clashed with police in the center of the French capital. Police made at least 58 arrests and deployed tear gas and water cannons against the demonstrators. Health Minister Marisol Touraine called the damage "shameful" and its perpetrators "hooligans."
Similar demonstrations were held across the whole of France. Nearly 20,000 gathered in the city of Toulouse, according to the demonstration's organizers. In Nantes, protesters gathered in the streets, despite a recently-imposed ban on rallies.
Despite mass protests, Prime Minister Manuel Valls has vowed to stand firm behind the unpopular labor law.
"The government will not change a text which is already the outcome of negotiations with the unions,'' Manuel Valls told France Inter radio, adding: ''It's a text that is good for employees, for companies that create new rights.''
The unpopular law, initiated by Labor Minister Myriam El Khomri, forces employers to pay only 10 percent of an overtime bonus, instead of the current 25 percent. The bill technically maintains the 35-hour working week, but says that in case of ''exceptional circumstances,'' employees can be asked to work up to 60 hours a week.
Anti-labor law protests in France have grown into something more far-reaching and long-lasting, with people saying they are rallying against capitalism, intolerance and French government policies on the whole. The protests' slogans seem very similar to the Occupy movement, which first started in the US and eventually spread globally.
Controversy over naming of UCC building after scientist who...
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 13:27
UCC students and staff have criticised the decision to name a new campus building after controversial scientist James Watson.
Dr Watson, who co-discovered the structure of DNA, opened the building at a ceremony in the university on Wednesday.
Two elected members of UCC's governing board criticised the move in a joint statement, saying they wished to ''formally disassociate'' themselves from the decision.
''Professor Watson is an eminent scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962, with Professor Francis Crick, for describing the double-helix structure of DNA.
''However, he has been responsible for unfounded, unscientific and inaccurate statements of a racist and misogynistic nature,'' Dr Angela Flynn and Dr Piaras Mac inr said.
''In the circumstances, we do not believe that it is appropriate to honour Professor Watson by naming a building after him.
''Moreover, we believe that such a decision is grossly disrespectful, in particular, to women and ethnic minority members of staff and the student community.''
The naming of the building, which forms part of UCC's Brookfield medical campus, also drew ire from student representatives.
Irish heritage
The head of UCC Students' Union, Aidan Coffey, said in a letter to the university's president that the decision seemed to have been made by ''a relatively small management group, with little consultation or openness''.
''It is our opinion that a character who professed views regarding race, gender and sexuality so out of keeping with the standards and expectations of us in the university should not be recognised with one of the highest honours that this institution can confer,'' he said.
''Of course, exceptional scientific records and achievements should be celebrated and acknowledged in their own right and in their own sphere.
''The awarding of a Nobel prize should be adjudicated against the requisite scientific standard.
"We in UCC should set different standards for our own honours, and we have the freedom and indeed the responsibility to decide the point at which racial prejudice overshadows scientific prowess ...
''Each and every building on our fine campus should reflect and echo an ethos of respect to which each and every student, staff member and visitor should aspire to. The naming of this building falls far short of this.''
UCC said in a statement that Dr Watson is a scientist of world renown who is responsible for ''one of the most profound discoveries'' of the 20th century.
A spokesperson for the university said: ''In naming this facility after [him], we are building on his contribution to science and recognising his strong association with UCC as an honorary doctorate alumnus and scientific advisor to many UCC researchers.
''Dr Watson's grandmother was from Co Tipperary and he is proud of his Irish ancestry - his genome sequencing confirmed his dominant Irish genes.
''The decision to name the building was made within the recognised university processes and the president informed governing body of this decision.''
Dr Watson sparked outrage in 2007 when he claimed black people are genetically inferior to white.
In a much-criticised newspaper interview, the American academic was quoted as saying he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours '' whereas all the testing says not really".
Dr Watson added that while he hoped races could be equal in intelligence, ''people who have to deal with black employees find this not true''.
The remarks led to his retirement as chancellor of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York.
They were not his first brush with controversy, however. In 2003, he said of genetic engineering: "People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great.''
Nicaragua expels three US officialsThe Tico Times
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 13:20
''No canal, no law'' reads graffiti painted on a wall during a June 2015 protest against the construction of an interoceanic canal in Juigalpa, Nicaragua.
The U.S. State Department said Thursday that Nicaragua had expelled three U.S. government officials earlier this week, condemning what it called an ''unwarranted'' move that could damage bilateral ties.
''The expulsion of three U.S. government officials from Nicaragua on the 14th of June did occur,'' said State Department spokesman John Kirby.
''We believe it was unwarranted and inconsistent with the positive and constructive agenda that we seek with the government of Nicaragua.''
Washington has lodged a formal protest with Nicaragua's ambassador in the United States, Francisco Campbell.
Kirby said the three officials were on ''temporary duty status'' in Nicaragua and had just arrived in the Central American country.
''Such treatment has the potential to negatively impact U.S. and Nicaraguan bilateral relations, particularly trade,'' Kirby said.
One of the officials was identified as Evan Ellis, a professor on Latin America studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, according to the Nicaraguan newspaper El Confidencial. A source confirmed the same to AFP.
Ellis was said to have been in Nicaragua on official assignment to research a transoceanic canal a Chinese company based in Hong Kong has said it plans to build to rival the one in Panama.
El Confidencial quoted Ellis saying that uniformed Nicaraguan officials had taken him from his hotel to the airport for a flight out of the country, less than 24 hours after his arrival.
Nicaragua later confirmed that two U.S. officials had been expelled. It was not clear why it did not mention three officials.
''Our government has been forced to remove two people who, being United States government officials with official passports, carried out in Nicaragua without the knowledge of or coordination with our authorities tasks that are the purview of the Nicaraguan government,'' the press service of President Daniel Ortega said.
Ortega's left-wing government criticized the United States but the U.S. is Nicaragua's top trading partner, and the two countries cooperate in the areas of health, fighting natural disasters and combating drug smuggling.
Ortega, 70, is a former rebel whose Sandinista movement in 1979 toppled U.S.-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza.
He has been in office since 2006 and before that also had a 1985-1990 stint as president.
JO COX/BREXIT: the petition every Brexiteer has been expecting gets a media surge'...allegedly | The Slog.
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 12:58
THE INDEPENDENT, THE MAIL & THE TELEGRAPH UNITED AT LAST'.....BY BOLLOCKS'...
'.....& AN ESTABLISHMENT UNITED IN GRIEF RELIEFA gentleman called Christopher McGinty lodged an e-petition on the Parliament website last February 29th. Since the murder of Jo Cox MP, the site signatures 'have surged' according to yesterday's Independent. It was at 20,000 when the Indie published its existence. As of this morning, it's at 34,000. Clearly, although campaigning in the EU referendum has been 'suspended', the work of attaching blame for the murder firmly upon Brexiteers continues unabated. The Slog investigates.
The Independent '' one of the most consistent finger-pointers at a so-called (but non-existent) link between Tommy Mair and the Leave campaign '' led with this yesterday:
Further down '' a long way further down '' the piece mentioned that the chances of the petition being debated before polling day were zero. However, the Indie features this little wheeze'....upon which The Slog posted twelve days ago:
Well, just fancy that. And this petition was lodged 3 months ago. ''Independent creates self-fulfilling prophecy as previously obscure petition surges after Independent points people at it.''
Christopher McGinty (left) comes from Glasgow. He's a child care worker, likes footie and seems to be a decent sort of bloke. There seems nothing sinister about him at all: good looking partner and cute kid. My only query here is why The Independent offered details of his petition and tied it into an article about Jo Cox. As I posted previously, there seems to be a campaign afoot to soften voters up for MPs overruling the Brexiteer majority '' if it actually materialises.
Suspension of the Referendum stump or not, the media disinformation barrage continues. Here are two more classic IABATOs from the Mail today:
On the left, same old story rubbished here yesterday'....there is no Brexit link at all. To the right, Mail condemns bloke who thinks the Referendum should continue, points out he wants UK to leave and is covered in swastikas. But he is NOT an official VoteLeave activist, and he is NOT a member of UKip. Also note how Mair is a loner one minute, and a Brexit activist the next.
Having covered its entire Friday front page with a 100% untrue 'Brexit gunman' smear, The Star continues to peddle untruths with this gem today:
It is now common knowledge that Mair made the purchase in 1999'....so obviously, all that wicked whipping up of hatred for Muslims and migrant workers finally tipped him over the edge 17 years later. It really is the most unutterable crap. Disappointingly, Craig Murray also blames 'Islamophobia' for the rise and rise of hate in the UK, asserting that it is now 'official' cps policy that 'only Muslims are charged as terrorists'. As Tommy Mair isn't a Muslim, and has been charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act '' it's a claim that doesn't hold water'...but will without doubt be repeated elsewhere.
I say that because, for example, the Torygraph continues the DIY gun 'story''...
'.....but fails to point up the 17-year gap between purchase and alleged use; however, it does manage to slip this bit in with it to suggest that media mendacity is having its hoped-for outcome:
The Mirror's pro-Brexit editorial goes a step further and splashes with
'....gushing beneath the header that 'ComRes analysts were amazed when the results coming in after 2pm began to show a marked change of heart from Brexit to Remain'. It'd be a very good story were it not for the fact that it's completely untrue. This table shows what really happened over the week:
Yup, Remain down two points, Leave up three.
Looking through Twitter last night, it has been fascinating to watch all those bourgeois 'progressive' Mail-haters now gleefully reposting everything that confirms their id(C)e fixe about ''whipping up hate'' in the very same paper'....you know, the one that was written by 'scum' only two weeks ago. It still is written by lazy bigots of course: but now they're the Left's lazy bigots, everything is just dandy.
It's a hate landslide, people. And hate is uniting Left and Right. How profoundly depressing that is.
IABATO! IT'S ALL BOLLOCKS AND THAT'S OFFICIALLike this:LikeLoading...
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New smartphone-based eye-tracking system can help detect mental illness | ET Telecom
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 12:48
NEW YORK: Researchers led by an Indian-origin scientist have developed a software that can turn any smartphone into an eye-tracking device, a discovery that can help in psychological experiments and marketing research.In addition to making existing applications of eye-tracking technology more accessible, the system could enable new computer interfaces or help detect signs of incipient neurological disease or mental illness.
Since few people have the external devices, there's no big incentive to develop applications for them.
"Since there are no applications, there's no incentive for people to buy the devices. We thought we should break this circle and try to make an eye tracker that works on a single mobile device, using just your front-facing camera," explained Aditya Khosla, graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Khosla and his colleagues from MIT and University of Georgia built their eye tracker using machine learning, a technique in which computers learn to perform tasks by looking for patterns in large sets of training examples.
Currently, Khosla says, their training set includes examples of gaze patterns from 1,500 mobile-device users.
Previously, the largest data sets used to train experimental eye-tracking systems had topped out at about 50 users.
To assemble data sets, "most other groups tend to call people into the lab," Khosla says.
"It's really hard to scale that up. Calling 50 people in itself is already a fairly tedious process. But we realised we could do this through crowdsourcing," he added.
In the paper, the researchers report an initial round of experiments, using training data drawn from 800 mobile-device users.
On that basis, they were able to get the system's margin of error down to 1.5 centimetres, a twofold improvement over previous experimental systems.
The researchers recruited application users through Amazon's Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing site and paid them a small fee for each successfully executed tap. The data set contains, on average, 1,600 images for each user.
The team from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the University of Georgia described their new system in a paper set to presented at the "Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition" conference in Las Vegas on June 28.
Flash - Erdogan vows to forge ahead with contested Gezi Park project - France 24
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 12:47
(C) Turkish Presidential Press Office/AFP/File | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, pictured on May 13, 2016, said that a controversial redevelopment of Gezi Park in central Istanbul will go ahead
ISTANBUL (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that a controversial redevelopment of an Istanbul park that sparked major anti-government protests in 2013 would go ahead, despite opposition from secular Turks.
"A project that we need to address in a courageous manner is (that of) Gezi park in Taksim. We will build this historic structure," he said in a speech in Istanbul.
Erdogan was referring to hotly contested plans to rebuild an Ottoman-era barracks on the land occupied by Gezi Park, one of the few green spaces in central Istanbul, next to Taksim Square.
The redevelopment, which included plans for a mosque, triggered mass protests in May-June 2013 that snowballed into a wave of public anger against the Islamic-rooted government of then premier Erdogan.
Eight people were killed and thousands injured in the protests which were brutally suppressed by the police. All demonstrations in Taksim Square, a traditional rallying point for Istanbul residents, have since been banned.
Erdogan presented the project in the heart of the European side of Turkey's biggest city as key to preserving the country's heritage.
"If we want to preserve our history we must rebuild this historic structure, we will rebuild it," he said.
In the wake of the 2013 unrest Turkey's top administrative court blocked the redevelopment but last year it reversed its decision, following an appeal by the municipality of Istanbul.
(C) 2016 AFP
Brexit: Google data shows more searches for 'leave' than 'remain' | V3
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 12:47
UK citizens appear to be more interested in finding out about leaving the European Union than staying in it, according to search query data from Google.
Google looked at millions of searches in the UK and found that more people searched for 'Leave the EU' than 'Stay in the EU' between 8 and 13 June.
The data also shows that only in nine of the 256 districts in England did people make more searches for terms relating to 'Remain' than to 'Leave'.
It is important to note that people searching for information on a possible Brexit may not necessarily vote to leave, as many would simply have been looking for information about leaving or remaining in the EU to better inform their decision in the referendum on 23 June.
The questions most people asked Google with regards to the EU referendum between 8 and 13 June were 'What is Brexit?', followed by 'When is the EU referendum?', 'How do I vote in the EU referendum?' and 'How do I register to vote in the EU referendum?'.
The top five EU referendum issues in Google's weekly search results between 14 February and 5 June were immigration, the NHS, the economy, sovereignty and national security. The economy and the NHS were the top weekly searches on several occasions during this period.
The top questions that start with 'How will Brexit affect ...' concerned the euro, the pound, house prices, immigration and the stock market.
Google's data also shows that the most popular question in the UK related to the referendum and David Cameron during the period was 'Will Cameron step down?' followed by 'Why did David Cameron call a referendum?', while the top question in the UK related to Brexit and Boris Johnson was 'Will Boris Johnson be the next prime minister?'.
Further reading
Roger Clinton's Dogged Effort for Drug Trafficker - NYTimes.com
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 06:19
Roger Clinton was hacking his way through a friendly game of golf in 1999 when his foursome was interrupted by a visitor who drove up on a cart and, after a brief conversation, handed Mr. Clinton a box containing a Rolex watch.
The encounter near the 10th hole of the Rancho Park golf course in Los Angeles might have been forgotten but for a few salient details. Current and former federal government officials say the young man who delivered the watch was Tommy Gambino, son of a convicted heroin trafficker serving a 45-year sentence. And, unknown to Mr. Clinton, his partners included two Air Force intelligence officers who reported the incident and said that Mr. Clinton had said he was ''helping'' Tommy Gambino's father, Rosario Gambino.
In late September 1999, two agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation walked up the driveway of Mr. Clinton's home in Redondo Beach, Calif., to ask him about his relationship with Rosario Gambino, who prosecutors have repeatedly said is an associate of the Gambino crime family and a distant relative of Carlo Gambino, the late crime boss.
Mr. Clinton, the half-brother of the former president, acknowledged that he had lobbied the United States Parole Commission for the early release of Rosario Gambino, according to the bureau's account of the interview.
Mr. Clinton said that Tommy Gambino had told him ''we will take care of you'' if he won Rosario Gambino's release from prison, according to the agents' notes, and Mr. Clinton said he understood that meant he would be financially rewarded. ''I'm not stupid,'' he told the agents, according to their notes.
Two years later, Roger Clinton is the subject of Congressional and federal investigations of influence peddling and other possible illegalities in last-minute pardons granted by President Bill Clinton.
Shortly before President Clinton left office, Roger Clinton assured Tommy Gambino that his father was a ''lock'' for a pardon, a person close to Tommy Gambino has said in an interview. Rosario Gambino's name was on a list sent by the White House to the Justice Department in late January for possible clemency, but no pardon was granted.
In an unrelated case, a felon has told prosecutors that he paid Roger Clinton $225,000 to lobby for a pardon and complained that Mr. Clinton did little or nothing in return. A close look at Mr. Clinton's effort to help Rosario Gambino secure early release from prison, based on interviews and documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, portray him in a different light: a tireless, if inept, advocate whose persistent pleas annoyed and worried parole commission officials.
Nearly two years before President Clinton left office, the F.B.I. was suspicious enough of Roger Clinton's efforts to free Rosario Gambino that agents tried a sting operation that involved parole commission officials. It failed.
Roger Clinton's campaign on Mr. Gambino's behalf was persistent and inventive, documents and interviews show. He made at least four visits to the parole commission's headquarters in Chevy Chase, Md., a Washington suburb.
He tried to exploit his ties to an Arkansas parole commissioner. He invoked his brother's authority. He produced listings from a Sicilian telephone book to show that Gambino was a common Italian name and, thus, not every Gambino was tied to the New York crime family.
''Every time the phone rang, you thought, 'Oh, no, is it Roger Clinton again?' '' recalled Thomas C. Kowalski, a top parole commission staff member.
Roger Clinton's lawyer Bart H. Williams said he was not surprised to hear that Mr. Clinton's brand of advocacy stirred consternation at the parole commission. ''That's the kind of guy Roger is,'' Mr. Williams said. ''Once he is engaged in something, he's a pretty passionate guy.''
Mr. Clinton, a sometime rock singer, told the F.B.I. agents in the 1999 interview that he felt a bond with Tommy Gambino, a Californian in his late 20's who runs a company, Progressive Telecom, which sells pay phones to restaurants and stores.
According to the F.B.I. account of the interview, Mr. Clinton said the two men were introduced at a club in Beverly Hills, Calif., by an acquaintance in the music business. Mr. Clinton said he identified with the younger Gambino's struggle to get through life without a father while being judged by his family name.
Federal law enforcement officials were scrutinizing Tommy Gambino's activities long before he crossed paths with Roger Clinton.
''They've never proven anything,'' said Duncan DeVille, a former federal prosecutor who until February served on the organized crime strike force in Los Angeles. ''But Tommy was under investigation for a long period of time for his alleged connections to organized crime.''
James D. Henderson, a Los Angeles lawyer who represents Tommy Gambino and his father, said the suspicions about the son were groundless. ''I've never seen anything that indicates Tommy is involved in any illegal activity,'' Mr. Henderson said.
The legal case that drew together Tommy Gambino and Roger Clinton dates to 1984, when a federal judge sentenced Rosario Gambino to 45 years in prison for his role in a heroin smuggling ring. His first parole hearing was in 1995, 11 years after his conviction. The request was denied.
It is not clear when Roger Clinton took up the case, but parole commission documents dated January 1996 report that he had repeatedly approached one of the commission's regional offices requesting a meeting with officials who had jurisdiction in the Rosario Gambino case.
That posed a bit of a problem.
Under the commission's rules, officials with final say over parole decisions must avoid contact with interested parties outside the public hearing process. The potential problem was not confined to the regional office. A member of the parole commission at its Chevy Chase headquarters, Michael J. Gaines, who had worked for Bill Clinton when he was governor of Arkansas, knew the Clinton family, including Roger. The regional officials warned Mr. Gaines that Roger Clinton was headed his way, too.
Parole commission memorandums show Mr. Gaines called the White House counsel's office and warned that the president's half-brother was lobbying on behalf of an inmate, even before had he received a call from Roger Clinton.
Yet Roger Clinton called Mr. Gaines on Jan. 30, 1996, the first of many such approaches. The secretary who took the message scribbled a note that Roger Clinton had a ''very important'' matter to discuss and that his ''brother recommended meeting,'' according to her notes.
Mr. Gaines asked Michael A. Stover, the commission's general counsel, to return the call. Mr. Stover's notes state that Roger Clinton said that his brother ''is completely aware of my involvement'' and had recommended that he meet with Mr. Gaines, ''a friend of ours'' from Arkansas.
Mr. Stover's notes say that he informed Roger Clinton that he was not permitted to meet with a commissioner on a specific case and urged him to submit his views in writing. The president's half brother, Mr. Stover wrote, expressed ''bewilderment'' that President Clinton was ignorant of the commission's rules, and, ''He stated that he would have to inform his brother that his brother had been wrong.''
Mr. Stover's notes concluded that ''the commission should be shielded if at all possible from the unwelcome intrusion of a man who would appear to have nothing to contribute to the commission's deliberations in the Gambino case but a crude (and I hope unauthorized) effort to exercise political influence.''
The pressure continued.
President Clinton promoted Mr. Gaines to chairman of the parole commission in 1997, and memorandums show Roger Clinton soon tried to contact him again. Mr. Gaines asked Marie Ragghianti, his newly appointed chief of staff, and Mr. Kowalski, the top commission staff member, to hear out Mr. Clinton.
Ms. Ragghianti had her own national reputation for integrity. She was the woman who brought down Gov. Ray Blanton of Tennessee over a cash-for-clemency scandal when she headed the Tennessee Board of Pardons and Paroles in the 1970's. She had been the subject of a book, ''Marie,'' by Peter Maas and a movie of the same name, in which Sissy Spacek played her character.
Ms. Ragghianti said she was not particularly on guard about an interview with Roger Clinton, adding, ''I just assumed nobody in their right mind would come to me to ask for something out of line.''
Mr. Clinton met with Ms. Ragghianti and Mr. Kowalski at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 23, 1997, according to commission memorandums. He told them that Rosario Gambino had at least two job opportunities waiting for him. He argued that the man was not an organized-crime figure but at most was on the fringes of organized crime.
Commission officials were unmoved. In a memorandum dated Dec. 30, Mr. Kowalski wrote that ''documents in the file clearly depict the subject as an individual deeply involved in organized criminal activity.''
In 1998, Mr. Clinton got two more meetings with Ms. Ragghianti and Mr. Kowalski. At one, Mr. Kowalski said, Roger Clinton brandished pages from a Sicilian phone book to convince them that Gambino was a common name and did not prove any link to the late crime boss Carlo Gambino.
''I was very professional,'' Mr. Kowalski said. ''I didn't laugh.''
The commission's ethics officer, Sharon Gervasoni, saw nothing funny in Roger Clinton's lobbying either. His meetings with the staff, she wrote in a memorandum in September 1998, ''seem to me designed to influence the decision-making process outside of the official record.''
On Oct. 26, Ms. Ragghianti faxed a letter to Mr. Clinton at his home asking that all future communication be in writing.
Mr. Clinton left a message for her, apologizing if anyone ''thought he was asking for something inappropriate.'' He also asked Ms. Ragghianti to call him back. She did not.
''The man never gave up,'' she said.
Four days later, on Oct. 30, it appeared that Rosario Gambino might be headed for freedom. A parole hearing examiner announced he would recommend a release date of Jan. 15, 1999, for Mr. Gambino.
When Roger Clinton got word of the recommendation, he did not seem to understand that was far from the last word. On Nov. 17, he dashed off a handwritten letter thanking the commission ''from the bottom of my heart.''
''I have marked that date on my calendar as a day of celebration,'' he wrote.
In January 1999, the commission again denied parole.
Soon after, on Jan. 22, an F.B.I. agent arrived to question commission officials about Roger Clinton. As the agent waited in the offices, Mr. Clinton placed two more calls to the commission.
The F.B.I. wanted commission staff members to help the agency lure Mr. Clinton to a nearby Holiday Inn for a meeting, which an undercover agent would attend, according to interviews with federal officials and parole commission memorandums. The staff members balked.
The F.B.I. instead installed a listening device in one of the commission's conference rooms and Mr. Kowalski, the chief of staff, agreed to ask Roger Clinton open-ended questions like ''What do you want me to do?'' Mr. Clinton showed up soon after but commission officials say the conversations led to no improprieties.
There is no record of any further lobbying of the commission by Roger Clinton.
Nonetheless, in April of that year, the chairman of the commission, Mr. Gaines, recused himself from matters concerning the Gambino request, explaining in an interview that he wanted to avoid any hint of impropriety. In May the commission voted again to deny Mr. Gambino parole.
The F.B.I. did not give up. On Sept. 30 1999, after the encounter on the golf course, two F.B.I. agents walked up Mr. Clinton's driveway and questioned him about his relationship with the Gambinos.
Asked whether he had accepted any gifts from the Gambinos, notes of the interview show Roger Clinton initially said no.
He then said, according to the notes, ''I was shown a Rolex watch once but it was not given to me.'' Tommy Gambino had taken him to a pawn shop in Beverly Hills to look at watches, he said, but that they left without buying.
A little later in the interview, Roger Clinton amended his account, saying he had received a watch from Tommy Gambino, who informed him it was an ''Italian custom'' to give such tokens of appreciation. Mr. Clinton said he disposed of it when he heard it was a fake.
A little later he amended that statement, too, saying he did keep the watch because it was a gift but that he never wore it because it was ''gaudy.''
He acknowledged in the interview accepting plane tickets to Washington and expense money from Tommy Gambino and said Mr. Gambino had ''offered to loan'' him money for a house. At the time of the interview, bank records show, Tommy's sister Anna had already signed a check for $50,000 for Roger Clinton.
Standing in the driveway with the bureau agents, Roger Clinton provided them with a sweeping account of his life as first brother. He told them he and his band had toured about a dozen countries, performing at the invitation of foreign leaders. He said he was often plied with gifts for himself and the president. On his earliest trips, Roger Clinton said, he sometimes even accepted money for the president and had to be told to send it back.
On President Clinton's last day in office, he issued pardons and commutations for 177 people. Those recommended by Roger Clinton were not among them.
Phone records show that Roger Clinton made a lot of telephone calls that afternoon, to those he had recommended for clemency. One of the first, lasting seven minutes, was to a California number belonging to Tommy Gambino.
150 Canadians, mostly women, named on ISIS 'kill list,' feds investigating | Globalnews.ca
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 05:57
Canadian authorities say they are aware of a report on a ''kill list'' linked to the so-called Islamic State that includes the names of roughly 150 Canadians.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a U.S. media monitoring organization, said the list was created by the pro-ISIS hacking group the Caliphate Cyber Army and two affiliate groups.
WATCH: ISIS 'kill list' includes 150 Canadians, mostly women.
Global News has obtained a copy of the list, which includes the names, email and street addresses of more than 8,300 people from around the world. Of the approximately 150 Canadians on the list, most of them are women.
READ MORE: ISIS working to send operatives to the West for further attacks, says U.S. spy chief
Speaking in Ottawa Thursday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the federal government is treating the threat with ''with the gravity it demands.''
''We take that matter and all matters related to international terrorism extremely seriously,'' he said. ''You can be assured that the police and security authorities of Canada are taking this matter with the gravity it demands.''
WATCH: Ralph Goodale says government is treating ISIS kill list 'with the gravity it demands'
Goodale would not comment on the credibility of threat, but reiterated the response by security agencies was ''robust.''
A spokesperson for the RCMP said they are working with domestic and international law enforcement partners to assess the information and notify Canadians on the list.
''Because of the sensitive nature of this matter, we will not be providing further comment,'' said Sgt. Harold Pfleiderer. He added there was no information linking the list to the shooting at an Orlando, Fla., nightclub that killed 49 people.
READ MORE: Orlando shooter made Facebook posts before, during attack: US Senate
Elliot Zweig, MEMRI's deputy director, said his organization was happy to have found the list and provide it to law enforcement. They first discovered the list on June 7.
''We hope that law enforcement and the individuals [named in the list] will make their best determination as to the seriousness of the threat,'' Zweig told Global News. He said the list was found on a ''legitimate'' social media sites linked to ISIS, including the Telegram messaging application.
WATCH: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to reports of an ISIS ''kill list'' on Thursday
''However, both the size of it as well as the apparently semi-random nature of the individuals on it means that it is mostly likely a less focused threat,'' he said.
Zweig said past ''kill lists'' have included military personnel, government officials or more prominent names.
The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group has documented several ''kill lists'' liked to ISIS hacker groups containing thousands of names of individuals that have been released in recent months. In April a list of 3,600 New York residents' names and personal information, accompanied by the message ''We Want Them #Dead'' was published.
''Jihadi kill lists are not at all a new thing,'' said SITE director Rita Katz, in a report released last week. ''However, lists released by pro-Islamic State hacking groups are quickly forming a genre of their own, especially when noting the differences in which types of targets they identify.
Due to privacy and safety concerns Global News will not be publishing the names of Canadians included on the list.
(C) 2016 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
JO COX: the undercurrents beneath a rush to poor judgement. | The Slog.
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 05:44
As is so often the case, the media obsession with 'breaking news' and pushing agendas hides the real complexity (and unexplained elements) of the Jo Cox tragedy.
Tommy Mair downloaded the DIY gun manual'....in 1999. Jo was a student at the time. In 1999, the word Brexit didn't exist.Witnesses can't make their minds up whether they're shopkeepers, plumbers or local hairdressers.Police have yet to find reliable testimonial evidence of the ''Britain First'' cry.Perhaps more worrying still, the entire incident may be the result of internecine grudges between different far-right elements.This latter point is of interest. Britain First was a breakaway from the BNP. The witness most voluble about having heard the BF yell is a member of the BNP. Several witnesses describe a man watching events from a nearby graveyard who ran off when approached.
The motives remain unclear, and minds should remain open.
But the Left has already decided: Farage and Brexit are to blame. ''I'm proud to hate racist scum'' said one tweeter yesterday. You solve a problem by curing what caused it, not by hate: hate is just an ecalator. The Left never learns.
Why do the BNP and BF exist? Because the Establishment ignored working class cultural concerns for forty years. Discuss.
In the meantime, keep digging. And fire the editor of the Daily Star.
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EgyptAir Flight 804: Second black box found
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 05:25
Searchers have recovered the flight data recorder from EgyptAir Flight 804, Egypt's Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Committee said Friday, potentially a key step in helping unravel the mystery of what caused the plane to plunge into the Mediterranean Sea almost a month ago.
The Airbus A320 crashed into the Mediterranean early on May 19 on its way from Paris to Cairo.
"The analysis might take weeks", depending on the condition of the recorders' memory units, the committee said.
The findings are an important breakthrough in helping the Egyptian investigation committee determine the cause of the crash and if the flight broke apart mid-air or if it stayed intact till it hit water, reports said. The two so-called "black boxes" were tucked into the plane's tail.
Like the cockpit voice recorder, the flight data recorder was damaged, but searchers were able to recover the crucial memory unit from the device, the committee said.
A handout picture provided on June 16, 2016, by Deep Ocean Search Ltd (DOS) shows the John Lethbridge research vessel moored in the port of Alexandria on June 9, 2016, after it arrived in Egypt to begin searching the Mediterranean for the wreck of the EgyptAir Airbus A320 that crashed on May 19. Search crews had earlier found small floating pieces of debris and some human remains.
Sources at the Egypt-led investigative committee said the results will not be announced to the media before the investigative authorities, including the prosecution, are informed. On Thursday, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board also said it is sending an investigator and a recorder specialist to Cairo. Investigators also hope the black boxes will offer clues as to why there was no distress call.
Shortly before it vanished, the aircraft had been cruising normally at 38,000 feet when it turned 90 degrees to the left.
Egypt's civil aviation minister, Sherif Fathi, has said terrorism is a more probable cause than equipment failure or some other catastrophic event.
The crash came nearly six months after a Russian passenger jet broke up midair shortly after take-off from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. But the plane's Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, which sends maintenance notes to Airbus, mentioned cockpit windows, "lavatory smoke" and "avionics smoke" in the final three minutes of messages.
Lame Cherry: The Move to Steal Brexit
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 04:52
As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
Just yesterday everyone in liberal media was shocked that the execution of Jo Cox caused a surge in Brexit support, but suddenly the public is now being brainwashed into "Remain" has surged to a 3 point lead.
Sir Thomas Mair, is being lynched in the English foul press as Joan of Arc was by the same traitors of King Henry!!!
I can tell you from this vantage point, that the criminals in charge of this enslavement of the English and their plotting to genocide the Anglo Saxons by Muslim rape cock invasion, are setting this up to steal the Brexit vote by 3 points, as THE VOTES HAVE ALREADY BEEN COUNTED.
Each of you is being told exactly what is being plotted by your masters
We will see if the plot being exposed will bugger it up for the conspirators behind this.
This is not an election in England, more than in Austria. This is the genocide of the Anglo Saxon Race by the aristocracy and financiers drunk on blood soaked, Islamic terror money drained from American veins.
If this is not exposed at this moment, the only sane man in England, Sir Thomas Mair, will have joining him the entire British People, as the "postal vote" has already been collected against Brexit as was the case in Austria.
Postal voting is open to fraud on an "industrial scale" and is "unviable" in its current form, a top judge has said. Richard Mawrey QC, who tries cases of ...The full extent of the massive electoral fraud perpetrated by Third World immigrants in Britain during last week's election has started to emerge as police forces ...Is this Vote Rigging we see in Edinburgh during the Sky News Coverage of the UK General Election 2015?Scottish referendum: Suspected electoral fraud in ... Media caption The BBC's Aileen Clarke explains how the fraudulent voting ... UK. UK Home; England;In the run up to local government elections in England in May, there are fresh calls for on demand postal voting to be scrapped. agtGAls eine andere Lame Kirsche exklusiv in der Materie Antimaterie.
gestern jeder gerade in liberalen Medien war schockiert, dass die Hinrichtung von Jo Cox einen Anstieg der Brexit Unterst¼tzung verursacht, aber pl¶tzlich die ffentlichkeit jetzt gehirngewaschen wird in "Remain" zu einem 3-Punkte-Vorsprung stieg hat.
Sir Thomas Mair, wird in der englischen Presse Foul gelyncht als Jeanne d'Arc durch die gleichen Verr¤ter von K¶nig Heinrich war !!!
Ich kann Ihnen von diesem Standpunkt aus sagen, dass die Verbrecher verantwortlich f¼r diese Versklavung der Engl¤nder und ihre Plotten die Angelsachsen von muslimischen Vergewaltigung Hahn Invasion zu V¶lkermord, setzen diese die Brexit Abstimmung um 3 Punkte zu stehlen oben, wie die AbstimmungenEs wurden bereits gez¤hlt.
Jeder von Ihnen wird gesagt, genau das, was von Ihrem Meister aufgetragen wird
Wir werden sehen, ob das Grundst¼ck f¼r den Verschw¶rern hinter diesem nach oben wird hau ausgesetzt zu sein.
Dies ist nicht eine Wahl in England, mehr als in sterreich.Dies ist der V¶lkermord an den angels¤chsischen Rasse von der Aristokratie und Finanziers betrunken auf Blut durchtr¤nkt, islamischen Terror Geld von amerikanischen Venen entleert.
agtG
Comme autre cerise Lame exclusive dans la mati¨re anti-mati¨re.
Hier tout le monde dans les m(C)dias lib(C)rale a (C)t(C) choqu(C) que l'ex(C)cution de Jo Cox a provoqu(C) une pouss(C)e l'appui Brexit, mais tout coup le public est maintenant un lavage de cerveau en Reste>> a bondi 3 points d'avance.
Sir Thomas Mair, est lynch(C) dans la presse immonde anglais comme Jeanne d'Arc a (C)t(C) par les mªmes tra®tres du roi Henry !!!
Je peux vous dire de ce point de vue, que les criminels responsables de cet esclavage de l'anglais et leur trac(C) au g(C)nocide les Anglo-Saxons par musulman invasion viol coq, mettent en place ce pour voler le vote Brexit de 3 points, comme LES VOTESsont d(C)j compt(C)s.
Chacun de vous est racont(C)e exactement ce qui est trac(C)e par vos ma®tres
Nous allons voir si la parcelle expos(C)e va enculer vers le haut pour les conspirateurs derri¨re tout cela.
Cela ne veut pas une (C)lection en Angleterre, plus en Autriche.Ceci est le g(C)nocide de la race anglo-saxonne par l'aristocratie et financiers ivres de sang imbib(C), l'argent de la terreur islamique drain(C) des veines am(C)ricaines.
agtG
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First Brexit Poll After Jo Cox Death Reveals Stunning Result | Zero Hedge
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 04:46
Before the assassination of British MP Jo Cox, the "Leave" campaign had been surging in recent polls...
This was before The IMF unleashed their own version of "we are all doomed" and before Ms. Cox was murdered.
The sad death of pro-EU British MP Jo Cox prompted a buying spree in Sterling that carried on through today as hope sprung eternal that her assassination (and the efforts to politicize the actions of a mad man) would lead to either a delayed vote or sympathetic pro-EU "Remain" swing. JPMorgan hinted before the close that was not the case and now, as USA Today reports, the first post-Cox poll reveals a shocking swing in "Remain" voters...
British support for remaining in the European Union has weakened in the wake of the murder of the pro-EU politician Jo Cox, according to an online research company Friday.
Qriously, a London-based technology start-up that gathers data and intelligence about consumers through mobile phone apps, found that backing among likely voters for Britain's EU membership has dropped to 32% from 40% before her death.
The poll was based on 1,992 British adults surveyed on June 13-16, and then 1,002 on June 17 '-- the day after Cox was shot and killed in northern England. The start-up claims to have held the first such survey on the topic since the lawmaker's slaying. Most of Qriously's surveys are done for corporate brands and it has not been previously conducted an EU referendum poll.
Respondents were asked: "Imagine the EU referendum were held today. Would you vote for the U.K. to remain a member of the European Union, or leave the European Union?" They were given three options: "Remain in the EU," "Leave the EU," or "Don't know."
While liquidty is extremely thin, Cable has slid a little on the news in late trading...
With news that The Times newspaper has come out in support of the "Remain" campaign (while The Sun, The Spectator, and The Telegraph all support "Leave"), the fact that Qriously found that 52% will vote to leave the bloc in a national referendum on June 23 (unchanged from before the parliamentarian's death) is telling to the social divide in Britain, but the weakening support for remaining in the EU coincided with a large move toward "Don't know," which leaped to 16% from 9% before Cox's assassination.
The major British polling firms, including YouGov, were expected to release their first EU opinion surveys following Cox's murder over the weekend.
* * *
In a surprisingly late release - one can only imagine in response to the poll above - BMG/Herald has released poll which - surprise, surprise - shows a big lead for "Remain"...
*UK PHONE POLL ON EU SHOWS ~7 PT LEAD FOR REMAIN: BMG/HERALDCompletely out of line with all recent polls... But digging into the numbers, we get a different picture...
Vluchteling in je achtertuin: 'een prachtige oplossing' | Utrecht | AD.nl
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 04:42
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Jo Cox's death sparks EU referendum poll surge for Remain as tragedy changes opinion - Mirror Online
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 04:37
Voters became more inclined to want to stay in the EU after MP Jo Cox was shot.
The astonishing finding comes in a ComRes poll for the Sunday Mirror.
And it shows the murder of the 41 year old mum of two could have a direct effect on Thursday's result.
Our pollsters were asking questions on the EU referendum at the exact time news broke of the attack on the Batley and Spen Labour MP at 2pm on Thursday.
ComRes analysts were amazed when the results coming in after 2pm began to show a marked change of heart.
EU referendum pollComRes
Before Ms Cox was shot 45 per cent of those polled said they would be ''delighted'' if the UK voted to leave the EU.
Read more:Jeremy Corbyn and David Cameron unite in Birstall to pay powerful joint tribute to Jo Cox
That dropped to 38 per cent after it - and the Remain camp got an astonishing nine point boost from those saying they would be delighted if we stayed.
Labour's Jo Cox delighted after being elected as MPComRes chairman Andrew Hawkins said this could indicate a major change in campaign fortunes.
He told the Sunday Mirror: ''All it requires is for a marginal change to swing the vote from leave to remain.''
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The number of people who said they would be ''relieved'' if Britain stayed in the EU was running at 35 per cent before the incident in Birstall, Leeds and rose to 45 per cent after it.
Delighted to RemainCom Res
Those who said they would be ''disappointed'' if Britain voted to leave rose to 40 per cent from 32 per cent.
Disappointed if Britain leaves EUComRes
Those who said they were ''anxious'' about leaving went up six points to 47 per cent,.
Those who said they would be ''upset'' to be out of the EU went up five points. while those who said the same about staying went down six points.
Mr Hawkins added: ''What is significant is that it all points in the same direction. That tells me we picked up a change in public mood.''
Thomas Mair (centre) at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, where he appeared charged charged with the murder of Labour MP Jo CoxComRes polled a total of 2,046 people between Wednesday June 15 at 9pm on Thursday.
Most people had answered our questions before Ms Cox was gunned down on Thursday afternoon, but 192 answers came in afterwards.
Mr Hawkins said: ''The figures should be treated with a degree of caution given the sample size.''
Jo Cox parents' pay tributes to the tragic MPBut he said he was surprised just how much opinion changed.
The ComRes report to us said: ''Across ALL factors reaction to Leave vote is more negative post-2pm. Across ALL factors reaction to Remain vote is more positive post 2pm.''
Disappointed if we RemainComRes
With all the results in 44 per cent said they would be ''delighted'' if Britain decided to leave compared to 28 per cent who would be pleased to remain.
Labour MP Jo Cox's death is having a profound effect on the EU Referendum debateMore than two infive said they would be ''disappointed'' if Britain voted to stay against a third who would feel the same if we left.
When asked to rate the importance of referendum arguments in helping them make a decision nearly eight in 10 voters say the side that is best for future generations.
This is closely followed by around three quarters saying the side best for Britain's economy and the side that will be best for the NHS.
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Six in ten say the side they think will be best at reducing immigration is important in helping them make a decision.
On voting intention the Tories are down two points at 34 per cent, Labour down one at 29 per cent and Ukip up two points at 19 per cent.
Labour voters are crucial to the decision and internal party polling now shows seven in ten will vote to stay in.
Flowers and tributes are piled in remebrance against a photograph of slain Labour MP Jo CoxJohn Mills of the Labour Leave campaign said: ''We believe Labour voters voting to leave to be as high as 50 per cent.''
A YouGov poll for ITV's Good Morning Britain today (Sun) will show Brexit leading on 44 per cent with 42 per cent saying they will vote to remain.
Nearly one in ten voters were undecided.
Labour MP Jo Cox killed1of 13
St. Kate's cuts off ties to events business after protests over 'rape culture' | Star Tribune
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 04:24
See more of the storySt. Catherine University has cut ties with an event organizer, Heartland Inc., after protesters accused both the school and the company's owners of being insensitive to rape survivors.
On Monday, student demonstrators denounced what they called a ''toxic rape culture'' at the St. Paul campus, where 97 percent of the undergraduates are women.
About two dozen protesters marched on the main gate with signs saying ''Rape culture is here'' and ''We will not be silenced.'' They demanded, among other things, that the school distance itself from Heartland and its founders, Craig and Patricia Neal, whose son is in prison for rape.
Initially, the university released a brief statement expressing compassion for all sides in the Neal case. But after an outcry from students, Sister Andrea Lee, the president of the Catholic university, issued another statement vowing ''unwavering support for victims of sexual violence,'' and announcing that ''we have discontinued our association with Heartland.''
The Neals, who have held annual workshops at the college since 2012, say they ''are saddened by the decision from St. Catherine.'' In a written statement, they said: ''As longtime nonviolence advocates, we abhor and condemn all criminal violence, including that perpetrated by our son.''
The furor began on June 10, when Heartland held a seminar on women in leadership at St. Catherine.
That morning, a woman named Sarah Super led a small group of protesters on the edge of campus, drawing attention to the rape case involving the Neals' son, Alec. Super, 27, has publicly identified herself as the woman raped at knife point by Neal, who pleaded guilty last year and is serving a 12-year-prison term.
Super said the protest was inspired in part by the recent public uproar over the Brock Turner sexual assault case at Stanford University. The case drew headlines after Turner's victim released an impassioned statement opposing his family's attempts to win him leniency.
''Turner's family rallied around Brock in ways that are pretty similar to my perpetrator's family,'' said Super. She criticized, in particular, a letter-writing campaign attesting to Alec Neal's character before his sentencing. Her goal, she said, was to show how that affects victims. ''Brock Turner's case lit the flame for the conversation.''
The Neals, though, say they never attempted to minimize their son's crime. ''We are heartbroken over the suffering Sarah has experienced,'' they wrote. ''There wasn't a single letter that suggested Alec shouldn't be held accountable for his actions or that expressed anything but compassion and concern for Sarah.''
Two protests, two statements
In response to Super's June 10 protest, at least one other organization, called Pollen, has announced it is cutting ties with Heartland. On its website, the nonprofit posted a ''public apology'' for co-sponsoring the St. Catherine event, adding: ''We stand with Sarah Super.''
The university, meanwhile, posted a statement on its website June 10 saying: ''Our St. Catherine values of compassion and mercy must extend first, of course, to the victim and her family, but also to the family of the offender and even to the offender himself.''
That statement ''sparked the second protest,'' said Halimat Alawode, a 20-year-old St. Catherine student who helped organize Monday's demonstration. ''It felt like they were giving more compassion to the rapist, in all honesty,'' she said, calling the response ''tone deaf.''
Students promptly organized the protest for Monday afternoon and created a Facebook page, ''End Rape Culture at St. Catherine University,'' to promote it.
After the protest, Lee apologized for the initial statement. ''Standing in solidarity with victims of sexual assault always has been and always will be an unequivocal commitment of our University,'' she wrote June 13. ''In light of recent events, we have discontinued our association with Heartland.''
University officials declined to be interviewed for this story. But Lee issued a statement saying, ''St. Catherine University does not support rape culture. Through programming and dialogue, the St. Kate's community continually works to promote and sustain a safe and inclusive environment.''
In defense of Heartland
Heartland's supporters, meanwhile, have leapt to the Neals' defense. Jina Penn-Tracy, a Minneapolis investment adviser who has attended their workshops, wrote on Facebook: ''I am very sorry for what Sarah suffered, but as a multiple rape survivor, I object to the families of offenders being targeted for attack and boycott '... This is not justice, but vendetta.''
In an interview, Penn-Tracy, 48, said she understands Super's anger, ''but attacking their business, trying to drive them out of business, is an aggression, and I don't think it's going to bring healing.''
Patricia Weaver Francisco, a Hamline University professor who has written a memoir of her own rape and recovery, said it's unfair to compare the Neals to the Stanford case, where the perpetrator's family seemed dismissive of the crime. In his most controversial remark, Turner's father stated that jail time would be a ''steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action.''
The Neals, by contrast, are ''deeply thoughtful and caring people'' who were ''devastated for Sarah,'' said Francisco. ''I've literally never heard them say a thing about Sarah that is anything other than concern.''
At St. Catherine, students say the protest has had an impact. In addition to cutting off ties with Heartland, Lee agreed to create a task force to address larger concerns, according to Alawode.
Super said she, too, was pleased with Lee's response. ''She made a really wonderful initiative to meet with me and express her support,'' she said. ''I thought that was a wonderful step in the right direction.''
Super says she has no plans to continue to protest Heartland. ''Absolutely not, no no no,'' she said. ''I don't want anything to be done out of anger or vengeance.''
Maura Lerner ' 612-673-738
Report on Mateen's psychological exam corrected - Sun Sentinel
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 04:18
A Sun-Sentinel article that ran online Wednesday and on Page 1A Thursday incorrectly identified Carol Nudelman as the psychologist who administered a test to Omar Mateen, the killer in the Orlando shootings.
State records erroneously identified Nudelman on Mateen's application for a license to carry firearms as a security guard in 2007. G4S, the company that provided his signed character certification form to the state, said Friday that information reported was incorrect and blamed a ''clerical error.''
Nudelman said Friday that she had ceased doing work for the company on Jan. 1, 2006, more than a year before Mateen was reported to have been tested. She had moved out of the state by then, never tested Mateen and had no knowledge of any testing of him that might have been done.
Psychologist: I Never Evaluated Omar Mateen | NBC4 Washington
Sun, 19 Jun 2016 04:16
NEWSLETTERSReceive the latest national-international updates in your inboxOmar Mateen's employer, G4S, acknowledged the psychological evaluation form had a ''clerical error.''
The global security firm that employed Orlando shooter Omar Mateen is facing additional scrutiny over whether it adequately screened his fitness to be a gun-carrying licensed security guard, this time from a psychologist who says she never administered a key mental health evaluation of him when he was hired in 2007.
Dr. Carol Nudelman's name appears on the document G4S Secure Solutions USA submitted to the state of Florida, which cleared the Orlando shooter to carry a firearm as a private security guard. Mateen shot and killed 49 people last Sunday in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Nudelman said in a statement to NBC News she never administered the test to Mateen and was not even practicing in Florida at the time when G4S ordered the evaluation.
The company called the discrepancy a "clerical error" and said that Mateen, who was a G4S employee for 9 years, had been evaluated by a different psychologist.
Published at 4:47 PM EDT on Jun 18, 2016
Living in tents inside ex Athens' international airport | euronews, Aid Zone
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 22:22
A sea of tents has been installed inside Elliniko airport, abandoned in 2001. The structure had an official capacity of 11 million passengers per year, and today it has become a temporary home for 1,200 refugees who live among the old departure gates. Monica Pinna visited the site while filming Aid Zone. Watch the full report.
