719: The List

In the Morning!

Sir Pants has asked me to create a podcast consisting of No Agenda's coverage of the 2016 Presidential candidates so he can share it with friends and colleagues when they insist that some douchbag politician is Just Great. Naturally, other producers can use it in the same fashion. I'm doing it weekly so each episode consists of clips from the previous two shows. The episodes right now are between 14 and 33 minutes but I'm sure they will get longer as we get more into the election cycle. We have the hosting and domain name for 5 years so we can use it for posterity (for a little while). I told him this would chew up significant man hours and he said he didn't care, he wants it done. So, hopefully, this initiative won't peter out like many do.

The website is:

The RSS feed is:

The iTunes link is:

If you could let the FOLKS know and maybe link it in the shownotes, I'd be eternally grateful.

I'm also working this week and next on the next set of No Agenda CDs and I'm also putting together an evergreen clip show like I have done in the past so you two can have it in your back pockets in case anything goes wrong or one of you needs a vacation.

Keep up the great work,

Sir Ramsey Cain

P.S. Apple suggests some other podcasts similar to No Agenda 2016 such as Serial or Real Time with Bill Maher. Big data.

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Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed

Mon, 04 May 2015 21:31

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

May 04, 2015

NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY AND NATIONAL TEACHER

APPRECIATION WEEK, 2015

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

In America, every child is born with limitless promise, and each deserves a chance to achieve their dreams. A world-class education can unlock a young person's full potential and empower them with the knowledge and skills to reach their highest aspirations. As a Nation, we must provide every girl and boy in America with such an opportunity, and this cannot happen without great teachers. On National Teacher Appreciation Day and during National Teacher Appreciation Week, we honor America's outstanding teachers and the vital role they play in the lives of our children and the success of our country.

In classrooms across America, talented and hardworking teachers are nurturing a new generation of thinkers, doers, and dreamers. They teach the subjects and skills that will fuel the next century of growth and innovation, as well as the virtues and values -- like character, compassion, creativity, and resilience -- that will prepare their students to take on the challenges of the future. Our best teachers are role models who show our kids how to work hard and pursue a brighter tomorrow. They encourage our children's passions, inspire their imaginations, and help them realize the best versions of themselves.

Teaching is an all-encompassing commitment, and teachers make enormous sacrifices to support their students. My Administration is dedicated to promoting excellence in teaching and ensuring all teachers have the resources, support, and tools necessary to succeed in their classrooms. We are working to strengthen the ways we prepare, develop, support, and advance America's teachers. And as part of this effort, I have called for an all-hands-on-deck approach to prepare an additional 100,000 teachers in the important fields of science, math, engineering, and technology -- a STEM Master Teacher Corps -- to serve as beacons of excellence in teaching as well as leaders and mentors for their colleagues. Additionally, through the Teach to Lead initiative, the Department of Education is empowering teachers to have a voice in what happens in their schools and their profession without leaving the classroom. And we are working with States to implement best practices that will help more of our best teachers -- across all disciplines -- reach the communities and children who are most in need.

Great teachers make a lasting impact on their students' lives. When a young person learns from an exceptional teacher, they are more likely to graduate, attend college, and succeed later in life. Teachers lift up the next generation and enrich our Nation, and they deserve our gratitude and thanks. This week, as we remember the teachers who touched our lives and shaped our futures, let us recommit to supporting those who serve in America's classrooms. By investing in our Nation's teachers, we can build a world where every girl and boy can dream big, hope deeply, and realize a brighter future.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 5, 2015, as National Teacher Appreciation Day and May 3 through May 9, 2015, as National Teacher

Appreciation Week. I call upon students, parents, and all Americans to recognize the hard work and dedication of our Nation's teachers and to observe this day and this week by supporting teachers through appropriate activities, events, and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

BARACK OBAMA

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Tue, 05 May 2015 22:57

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

May 04, 2015

NATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOLS WEEK, 2015

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

In today's global economy, a high-quality education is one of the best investments we can make in a child's future, and it is central to the promise that in America, where you start should not determine how far you can go. No matter who they are or where they come from, all children deserve the best education possible. During National Charter Schools Week, we recognize the role public charter schools play in providing America's daughters and sons with a chance to reach their fullest potential, and we recommit to strengthening our Nation's classrooms for all.

Innovation and experimentation are essential to bolstering our education system for the 21st century. As independent public schools, charter schools are able to try new models of learning and methods that encourage academic excellence and set students on a path to success. They are laboratories of learning and incubators for the ideas of tomorrow, but this flexibility comes with high standards and accountability. When a charter school does not measure up -- when one is underperforming and not improving -- we must make the tough decision to shut it down. But when charter schools are successful, they can help spur systemic reform, and their approaches can be replicated in classrooms across America. Today, especially in some of our Nation's most disadvantaged communities, successful charter schools are an important partner in increasing access to a high-quality education and closing the achievement gap.

I am dedicated to providing every child access to a complete and competitive education, and harnessing the power of American ingenuity has been vital to this commitment. My Administration has challenged States to raise education standards, improve teacher effectiveness, and adopt new strategies to help struggling schools. As part of this unprecedented effort, we have expanded support for high-performing public charter schools and given States the opportunity to embrace new ideas that improve all our Nation's classrooms. Our comprehensive approach to education reform has demonstrated that innovation yields results that benefit all students, that progress is possible, and that a world-class education can be within reach for all our young people. As President, I will continue to build on this success and work to ensure all children receive an education worthy of their potential.

Today, our Nation's very best charter schools are gateways to higher education and endless possibilities, lifting up students of all backgrounds and empowering them to achieve a brighter future. This week, we honor the parents, educators, and civic leaders who make the vision of charter schools a reality, and we continue our work to safeguard the promise that an education -- one that expands horizons, challenges minds, and inspires a new generation of thinkers, doers, and dreamers -- is within the reach of every girl and boy.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 3 through May 9, 2015, as National Charter Schools Week. I commend our Nation's charter schools, teachers, and administrators, and I call on States and communities to support high quality public schools, including charter schools, and the students they serve.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

BARACK OBAMA

NDAA and Overturning of Smith-Mundt Act

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA) allows for materials produced by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to be released within U.S. borders and strikes down a long-time ban on the dissemination of such material in the country.[14][15][16]

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Sun, 21 Sep 2014 15:00

Propaganda in the United States is propaganda spread by government and media entities within the United States. Propaganda is information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to influence opinions. Propaganda is not only in advertising; it is also in radio, newspaper, posters, books, and anything else that might be sent out to the widespread public.

Domestic[edit]World War I[edit]The first large-scale use of propaganda by the U.S. government came during World War I. The government enlisted the help of citizens and children to help promote war bonds and stamps to help stimulate the economy. To keep the prices of war supplies down, the U.S. government produced posters that encouraged people to reduce waste and grow their own vegetables in "victory gardens." The public skepticism that was generated by the heavy-handed tactics of the Committee on Public Information would lead the postwar government to officially abandon the use of propaganda.[1]

World War II[edit]During World War II the U.S. officially had no propaganda, but the Roosevelt government used means to circumvent this official line. One such propaganda tool was the publicly owned but government funded Writers' War Board (WWB). The activities of the WWB were so extensive that it has been called the "greatest propaganda machine in history".[1]Why We Fight is a famous series of US government propaganda films made to justify US involvement in World War II.

In 1944 (lasting until 1948) prominent US policy makers launched a domestic propaganda campaign aimed at convincing the U.S. public to agree to a harsh peace for the German people, for example by removing the common view of the German people and the Nazi party as separate entities.[2] The core in this campaign was the Writers' War Board which was closely associated with the Roosevelt administration.[2]

Another means was the United States Office of War Information that Roosevelt established in June 1942, whose mandate was to promote understanding of the war policies under the director Elmer Davies. It dealt with posters, press, movies, exhibitions, and produced often slanted material conforming to US wartime purposes. Other large and influential non-governmental organizations during the war and immediate post war period were the Society for the Prevention of World War III and the Council on Books in Wartime.

Cold War[edit]During the Cold War, the U.S. government produced vast amounts of propaganda against communism and the Soviet bloc. Much of this propaganda was directed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under J. Edgar Hoover, who himself wrote the anti-communist tract Masters of Deceit. The FBI's COINTELPRO arm solicited journalists to produce fake news items discrediting communists and affiliated groups, such as H. Bruce Franklin and the Venceremos Organization.

War on Drugs[edit]The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, originally established by the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988,[3][4] but now conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy under the Drug-Free Media Campaign Act of 1998,[5] is a domestic propaganda campaign designed to "influence the attitudes of the public and the news media with respect to drug abuse" and for "reducing and preventing drug abuse among young people in the United States".[6][7] The Media Campaign cooperates with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and other government and non-government organizations.[8]

Iraq War[edit]In early 2002, the U.S. Department of Defense launched an information operation, colloquially referred to as the Pentagon military analyst program.[9] The goal of the operation is "to spread the administrations's talking points on Iraq by briefing ... retired commanders for network and cable television appearances," where they have been presented as independent analysts.[10] On 22 May 2008, after this program was revealed in the New York Times, the House passed an amendment that would make permanent a domestic propaganda ban that until now has been enacted annually in the military authorization bill.[11]

The Shared values initiative was a public relations campaign that was intended to sell a "new" America to Muslims around the world by showing that American Muslims were living happily and freely, without persecution, in post-9/11 America.[12] Funded by the United States Department of State, the campaign created a public relations front group known as Council of American Muslims for Understanding (CAMU). The campaign was divided in phases; the first of which consisted of five mini-documentaries for television, radio, and print with shared values messages for key Muslim countries.[13]

NDAA and Overturning of Smith-Mundt Act[edit]The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA) allows for materials produced by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to be released within U.S. borders and strikes down a long-time ban on the dissemination of such material in the country.[14][15][16]

Ad Council[edit]The Ad Council, an American non-profit organization that distributes public service announcements on behalf of various private and federal government agency sponsors, has been labeled as "little more than a domestic propaganda arm of the federal government" given the Ad Council's historically close collaboration with the President of the United States and the federal government.[17]

International[edit]Through several international broadcasting operations, the US disseminates American cultural information, official positions on international affairs, and daily summaries of international news. These operations fall under the International Broadcasting Bureau, the successor of the United States Information Agency, established in 1953. IBB's operations include Voice of America, Radio Liberty, Alhurra and other programs. They broadcast mainly to countries where the United States finds that information about international events is limited, either due to poor infrastructure or government censorship. The Smith-Mundt Act prohibits the Voice of America from disseminating information to US citizens that was produced specifically for a foreign audience.

During the Cold War the US ran covert propaganda campaigns in countries that appeared likely to become Soviet satellites, such as Italy, Afghanistan, and Chile.

Recently The Pentagon announced the creation of a new unit aimed at spreading propaganda about supposedly "inaccurate" stories being spread about the Iraq War. These "inaccuracies" have been blamed on the enemy trying to decrease support for the war. Donald Rumsfeld has been quoted as saying these stories are something that keeps him up at night.[18]

Psychological operations[edit]The US military defines psychological operations, or PSYOP, as:

planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence the emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.[19]

The Smith-Mundt Act, adopted in 1948, explicitly forbids information and psychological operations aimed at the US public.[20][21][22] Nevertheless, the current easy access to news and information from around the globe, makes it difficult to guarantee PSYOP programs do not reach the US public. Or, in the words of Army Col. James A. Treadwell, who commanded the U.S. military psyops unit in Iraq in 2003, in the Washington Post:

There's always going to be a certain amount of bleed-over with the global information environment.[23]

Agence France Presse reported on U.S. propaganda campaigns that:

The Pentagon acknowledged in a newly declassified document that the US public is increasingly exposed to propaganda disseminated overseas in psychological operations.[24]

Former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved the document referred to, which is titled "Information Operations Roadmap." [22][24] The document acknowledges the Smith-Mundt Act, but fails to offer any way of limiting the effect PSYOP programs have on domestic audiences.[20][21][25]

Several incidents in 2003 were documented by Sam Gardiner, a retired Air Force colonel, which he saw as information-warfare campaigns that were intended for "foreign populations and the American public." Truth from These Podia,[26] as the treatise was called, reported that the way the Iraq war was fought resembled a political campaign, stressing the message instead of the truth.[22]

See also[edit]References[edit]^ abThomas Howell, The Writers' War Board: U.S. Domestic Propaganda in World War II, Historian, Volume 59 Issue 4, Pages 795 - 813^ abSteven Casey, (2005), The Campaign to sell a harsh peace for Germany to the American public, 1944 - 1948, [online]. London: LSE Research Online. [Available online at http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/archive/00000736] Originally published in History, 90 (297). pp. 62-92 (2005) Blackwell Publishing^National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 of the Anti''Drug Abuse Act of 1988, Pub.L. 100''719, 102 Stat. 4181, enacted November 18, 1988^Gamboa, Anthony H. (January 4, 2005), B-303495, Office of National Drug Control Policy '-- Video News Release, Government Accountability Office, footnote 6, page 3 ^Drug-Free Media Campaign Act of 1998 (Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999), Pub.L. 105''277, 112 Stat. 268, enacted October 21, 1998^Gamboa, Anthony H. (January 4, 2005), B-303495, Office of National Drug Control Policy '-- Video News Release, Government Accountability Office, pp. 9''10 ^Drug-Free Media Campaign Act of 1998 of the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999, Pub.L. 105''277, 112 Stat. 268, enacted October 21, 1998^Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006, Pub.L. 109''469, 120 Stat. 3501, enacted December 29, 2006, codified at 21 U.S.C. § 1719^Barstow, David (2008-04-20). "Message Machine: Behind Analysts, the Pentagon's Hidden Hand". New York Times. ^Sessions, David (2008-04-20). "Onward T.V. Soldiers: The New York Times exposes a multi-armed Pentagon message machine". Slate. ^Barstow, David (2008-05-24). "2 Inquiries Set on Pentagon Publicity Effort". New York Times. ^Rampton, Sheldon (October 17, 2007). "Shared Values Revisited". Center for Media and Democracy. ^"U.S. Reaches Out to Muslim World with Shared Values Initiative". America.gov. January 16, 2003.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 05:04

CNN ''New Day'' anchor Chris Cuomo drew plenty of Twitter ire Wednesday after saying that hate speech is not protected under the Constitution.

Twitter user Brett MacDonald tweeted at the ''too many people are trying to say hate speech =/= free speech,'' to which Cuomo replied, ''it doesn't. hate speech is excluded from protection. don't just say you love the constitution'...read it.''

As the Twitter masses descended, Cuomo defended himself, citing the 1942 Supreme Court ruling Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, which described ''fighting words'' that ''by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace'' and the punishment of which is not considered a First Amendment violation.

Cuomo's response to one user included a specific reference to the shooting that occurred at a Muhammed cartoon drawing contest in Garland, Texas, in which he acknowledged the event was ''easily [within the] law.''

From the breaking news you need to know to the hottest trends circling the Web, TheBlaze has it all. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Periscope.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 05:05

CHAPLINSKY v. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. 06 May 2015. .

CHAPLINSKY v. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, http://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1949/1941/1941_255 (last visited May 6, 2015).

"CHAPLINSKY v. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE," The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, accessed May 6, 2015, http://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1949/1941/1941_255.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 02:39

Robert Bruce Spencer (born February 27, 1962) is an American author and blogger best known for his criticism of Islam and jihad.

As of 2014[update], he has published twelve books, including two New York Times best-selling books.[citation needed] In 2003 he founded and has since directed Jihad Watch, a blog which he describes as containing "news of the international jihad, [and] commentary"[1] which is dedicated to "bringing public attention to the role that jihad theology and ideology plays in the modern world, and to correcting popular misconceptions about the role of jihad and religion in modern-day conflicts".[2]

He has also co-founded Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) and the Freedom Defense Initiative with blogger Pamela Geller, with whom he also co-authored a book, The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America. His viewpoints have been described as anti-Islamic or Islamophobic.[3] The UK Home Office has barred Spencer and Geller from travel to the UK for "making statements that may foster hatred that might lead to inter-community violence".[4]

BackgroundSpencer is a member of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, the Eastern Catholic counterpart of the ancient Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch.[5][6] It is a sui iuris church of the Catholic Church whose adherents are, according to Spencer, "mostly concentrated in Lebanon and Syria, also in Jordan and the Palestinian territories."[1] His grandparents were forced to emigrate from an area that is now part of Turkey because they were Christians.[1] According to a 2010 interview in New York magazine, Spencer's father worked for the Voice of America during the Cold War, and in his younger days, Spencer himself worked at Revolution Books, a Communist bookstore in New York City founded by Robert Avakian.[7]

Spencer received an M.A. in 1986 in religious studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His masters thesis was on Catholic history.[8] He has said he has been studying Islamic theology, law, and history since 1980.[1][9] He worked in think tanks for more than 20 years,[7] and in 2002''2003 did a stint as an adjunct fellow with the Free Congress Foundation, an arm of the Heritage Foundation.[10][11] Spencer named Paul Weyrich, also a Melkite Catholic, as a mentor of his writings on Islam. Spencer writes, "Paul Weyrich taught me a great deal, by word and by example '' about how to deal both personally and professionally with the slanders and smears that are a daily aspect of this work."[11]

CareerSpencer's first book on Islam was published in 2002.[citation needed]

Spencer has given seminars to various law enforcement units in the USA.[12]

Views on IslamSpencer does not believe that traditional Islam is "inherently terroristic" but says he can prove that "traditional Islam contains violent and supremacist elements", and that "its various schools unanimously teach warfare against and the subjugation of unbelievers".[13] However, he rejects the notion that all Muslims are necessarily violent people.[13] He has said that among moderate Muslims, "there are some who are genuinely trying to frame a theory and practice of Islam that will allow for peaceful coexistence with unbelievers as equals."[14] Spencer has also said that he would welcome any Muslim who renounces jihad and dhimmitude to join him in his "anti-jihadist efforts",[15] but feels that anyone pursuing his called-for reforms will face a difficult task, because "the radicals actually do have a stronger theoretical, theological, and legal basis within Islam for what they believe than the moderates do."[16] He has also argued that many so-called reformers are not interested in genuine reform, but instead are aiming to deflect scrutiny of Islam.[14][16]

Spencer co-founded Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) and the Freedom Defense Initiative (FDI) with Pamela Geller in 2010. Both organizations are designated as hate groups by the Anti-Defamation League[17] and the Southern Poverty Law Center.[18][19][20]

Spencer has expressed criticism of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and numerous other Muslim advocacy groups that he claims are closely tied to allegedly jihadist organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood.[21] He has also criticized CAIR for having employed persons who were later convicted of terrorism-related charges.[22]

He has appeared with Ayn Rand Institute speakers on several occasions.[23] In an interview with The Washington Post he was "...asked if he was being deliberately combative and provocative, Spencer chuckled. "Why not?" he asked. "It's fun."[24]

Qur'an critic and secularist author Ibn Warraq has said that Spencer "tells the truth that few in the U.S. or Europe wish to face".[25]Michelle Malkin says that Spencer "tells truths about jihadists that no one else will tell."[25] Conservative radio talk show host Dennis Prager has called JihadWatch, "one of the most honorable Web sites that I know of monitoring jihad in the world today."[26]

Opus Dei Father C. John McCloskey called him: ''Perhaps the foremost Catholic expert on Islam in our country.''[27]

Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto accused Spencer of "falsely constructing a divide between Islam and West". She said he was using the Internet to spread hatred of Islam by presenting a "skewed, one-sided, and inflammatory story that only helps to sow the seed of civilizational conflict".[28] Spencer stated that the passage Bhutto cited was written by Ibn Warraq.[29]

Karen Armstrong has criticized Spencer's work as showing "entrenched hostility" towards Islam, and his citations of Islamic scripture as cherry-picked,[30] stating among other examples that "Spencer never cites the Koran's condemnation of all warfare as an 'awesome evil', its prohibition of aggression or its insistence that only self-defence justifies armed conflict..." She concludes that "His book is a gift to extremists who can use it to 'prove' ... that the west is incurably hostile to their faith." Spencer responds: "Yet the verse she quotes (2:217) actually says only that warfare during the 'sacred month' is an 'awesome evil', and adds: 'Persecution is worse than killing.'" Spencer accuses Armstrong of context-dropping by omitting the fact that this was a defense for Muhammad's war in response to his persecution.[31]

Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called Spencer and Geller American anti-Muslim writers because their writings "promote a conspiratorial anti-Muslim agenda under the pretext of fighting radical Islam. This belief system parallels the creation of an ideological '-- and far more deadly '-- form of anti-Semitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries." He continued, "we must always be wary of those whose love for the Jewish people is born out of hatred of Muslims or Arabs."[32][33] The Institute on Religion and Democracy said about him: ''Spencer's comprehensive understanding of his Christian faith and Islam along with lucidly insightful writing give the lie to his international notoriety as a bigoted 'Islamophobe.'''[34]

Dinesh D'Souza, of the Hoover Institution, wrote that Spencer downplays the passages of the Quran that urge peace and goodwill to reach one-sided opinions. He contends that Spencer applies a moral standard to Muslim empires that could not have been met by any European empire.[35]

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) listed Spencer as a "Smearcaster" in an article in 2008, stating that "by selectively ignoring inconvenient Islamic texts and commentaries, Spencer concludes that Islam is innately extremist and violent".[36]

ControversiesOn December 20, 2006, the government of Pakistan announced a ban on Spencer's book, The Truth About Muhammad, citing "objectionable material" as the cause.[37]

In 2009, Spencer was asked to participate in an information session about Islam and Muslims designed for ethnic and multicultural librarians entitled "Perspectives on Islam: Beyond the Stereotyping", at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Library Association, which was sponsored by the ALA's Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT). After objections were raised by ALA members and the general public, the three other panelists withdrew in protest and the session was ultimately canceled.[38]

In April 2010, the US Patent & Trademark Office rejected the trademarking attempt of Robert Spencer's organization "Stop Islamization of America" to trademark SIOA because their application for a trademark disparages all Muslims as terrorists. The US Trademark Examining attorney refuted Spencer's claims by offering proof with articles found in the LexisNexis databases which document how the majority of Muslims view terrorists as illegitimate adherents of Islam.[39][40]

In August 2010 The Washington Post cited Spencer, along with Pamela Geller, as conservative bloggers who have been influential in challenging the construction of the Park51 project, which he calls the "Ground Zero mosque".[41] Spencer and Geller's organization Stop Islamization of America launched their first public protest outside of the Park51 location on June 6, 2010. See Park51 controversy article.

In September 2010, on ABC's This Week show, Reza Aslan said that SIOA is an offshoot of SIOE, which he said had been referred to as a Neo-Nazi organization by the European Union.[42] Spencer later challenged Aslan to produce any evidence of his claim.[43]

During Operation Protective Edge, Spencer was accused of spreading an anti-Palestinian misinformation video, originally published by Pamela Geller, by inaccurately claiming a video of an Egyptian die-in protest from Egyptian newspaper El Badil was a video of Hamas faking the number of casualties killed by Israel. Robert Spencer wrote ''as Muhammad said, 'War is deceit.' And so here is more 'Palestinian' victimhood propaganda unmasked. Not that the international media and the world 'human rights community' will take any notice. Video thanks to Pamela Geller.'' After El Badil had the video removed from Geller's YouTube account due to copyright infringement, El Badil wrote that Spencer and Geller's inability to distinguish a die-in protest from an Islamic funeral either makes them "incompetent to speak on Islam or they are professional liars."[44][45]

In an October 2010 news article, an investigative report by The Tennessean described Spencer as one of several individuals who "...cash in on spreading hate and fear about Islam." Tennessean investigation concluded "IRS filings from 2008 show that Robert Spencer earned $132,537 from the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and Horowitz pocketed over $400,000 for himself in just one year".[46][47]

Spencer was first invited to be a speaker at the Catholic Men's Conference of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester on March 16, 2013.[48] The Bishop Robert Joseph McManus then decided to recind the invitation.[49]

Ban from entering the UKOn June 26, 2013, Spencer and Pamela Geller were banned from entering the UK.[50] They were due to speak at an English Defence League march in Woolwich, south London, where Drummer Lee Rigby was killed. Home SecretaryTheresa May informed Spencer and Geller that their presence in the UK would "not be conducive to the public good".[51]

A letter from the UK Home Office stated[52] that this decision is based on Spencer's statement that:

"....It [Islam] is a religion and is a belief system that mandates warfare against unbelievers for the purpose for establishing a societal model that is absolutely incompatible with Western society because media and general government unwillingness to face the sources of Islamic terrorism these things remain largely unknown."[53]

The decision, which they cannot appeal, will stand for between three and five years. The ban followed a concerted campaign by the UK anti-extremism and civil rights organization Hope not Hate,[54] which said it had collected 26,000 signatures for a petition to the Home Secretary.[55]

Bruce Bawer said about his banning from Great Britain: "It should be a matter of national shame for Britain that when its government banned Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller from its shores, it was doing the bidding of the counter-counterjihadists of Hope Not Hate '' who, despite their manifestly Stalinist methods and sympathies, are treated by U.K. authorities as reliable ideological gatekeepers, even as the truth-telling Spencers and Gellers are tagged as anathema."[56]

BibliographyBest sellersOther booksNot Peace But a Sword: The Great Chasm Between Christianity and Islam. Catholic Answers. March 25, 2013. ISBN 978-1938983283. Pamela Geller; Robert Spencer (July 27, 2010). The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America. Threshold Editions. ISBN 978-1-4391-8930-6. The Complete Infidels' Guide to the Koran. Regnery Press. September 21, 2009. p. 260. ISBN 978-1-59698-104-1. Did Muhammad Exist?: An Inquiry Into Islam's Obscure Origins, ISI Books, March 2012. ISBN 978-1-61017-061-1Stealth Jihad: How Radical Islam is Subverting America without Guns or Bombs. Regnery Press. October 28, 2008. ISBN 978-1-59698-556-8. Religion of Peace?: Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't, Regnery Publishing, 2007, ISBN 1-59698-515-1The Myth of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims (editor), Prometheus Books, 2005. ISBN 1-59102-249-5Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West, Regnery Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-89526-100-6(with Daniel Ali) (2003). Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics: 100 questions and answers. Ascension Press. p. 197. ISBN 0-9659228-5-5. Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World's Fastest Growing Faith. Encounter Books. October 25, 2002. p. 202. ISBN 1-893554-58-9. Robert Spencer (2014-04-14). The Arab Winter Comes to America: The Truth about the War We're In. Regnery Publishing, Incorporated, An Eagle Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-62157-204-6. See alsoReferences^ abcd"Robert Spencer Jihad Watch, Director Q & A with Brian Lamb". CSpan. August 20, 2006. Retrieved November 30, 2014. ^"Why Jihad Watch?". Jihad Watch. Retrieved June 17, 2011. ^"EDL Anti-Muslim Speakers Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer Banned from Britain by Theresa May". Ibtimes. 26 June 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2015. ^http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/06/britain-capitulates-to-jihad.html^"About Robert Spencer". Jihad Watch. Retrieved October 29, 2010. ^Spencer, Robert (October 26, 2010). "Pope must condemn demonizing of Israel". Spero News. ^ abMark Jacobson (August 22, 2010). "Muhammad Comes to Manhattan". New York. Retrieved November 1, 2010. ^"The monophysite in the mirror, by Robert Bruce Spencer". Davis Library Thesis, Religion, 1986. UNC-CH Libraries. ^"Marines gather to honor, celebrate". Trib.com. 2005-10-26. Retrieved 2010-11-01. ^"About Robert Spencer". Jihad Watch. Retrieved 2010-11-25. ^ abRobert Spencer (December 19, 2008). "A Tribute: Paul Weyrich Has Died". Catholic Online. Retrieved December 16, 2010. ^Anti-Muslim speakers still popular in law enforcement training^ ab"The Last Patriot: Worse than Spencer's books!". www.jihadwatch.org. July 7, 2008. ^ abRobert Spencer (January 14, 2006). "What is a moderate Muslim?". Jihad Watch. ^"About Robert Spencer". Jihad Watch. ^ abJohn Hawkins. "An Interview With Robert Spencer". Right Wing News. ^"Backgrounder: Stop Islamization of America (SIOA)". Extremism. Anti-Defamation League. March 25, 2011 [August 26, 2010]. Retrieved February 16, 2012.^Pam Geller On 'Hate Group' Label: 'A Badge of Honor' | TPMMuckraker^"Pamela Geller & Stop Islamization of America". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 27 June 2011. ^Steinback, Robert (Summer 2011). "Jihad Against Islam". Intelligence Report, Issue #142. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved June 27, 2011. ^"CAIR "unindicted co-conspirator" in Hamas funding case". Jihad Watch. June 4, 2007. ^Robert Spencer (May 27, 2008). "Cair's Continuing Mystery". Human Events. ^"Birds of a Feather". Ariwatch.com. Retrieved 2010-11-01. ^Boorstein, Michelle (2010-08-18). "In flap over mosque near Ground Zero, conservative bloggers gaining influence". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-12-15. ^ abThe politically incorrect guide to ... - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2010-11-01. ^Paula Zahn (July 31, 2007). "Koran in the Toilet: Hate Crime?; Political Bedtime Stories". CNN. ^C.J.McCloskey (July 6, 2013). "The Christian-Muslim Gulf". National Catholic Register. ^Benazir Bhutto, Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West, Harper, 2008, pp. 245-6^"Parting Words from Benazir Bhutto". ^Armstrong, Karen (April 27, 2007). "Balancing the Prophet". Financial Times. ^Spencer, Robert (May 5, 2007). "Book adheres to historical record". Financial Times. Retrieved March 6, 2012. ^"ADL: Norwegian Terrorist Motivated By Growing Extremist Ideology In Europe And The U.S.". Retrieved May 8, 2012. ^Foxman, Abraham H. (July 29, 2011). "Norwegian attacks stem from a new ideological hate". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 8, 2012. ^Cutting through Theological Confusion: Robert Spencer's Not Peace but a Sword Distinctly Divides Christianity from Islam^Dinesh D'Souza (March 2, 2007). "Letting Bin Laden Define Islam". Archived from the original on March 4, 2007. ^"Smearcasters: Robert Spencer". Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. ^"Pakistan: Book Closed on Muhammad". ^Raya Kuzyk; Norman Oder (July 11, 2009). "ALA Conference 2009: Panelists Quit Session Featuring 'Islam Basher'". Library Journal. Retrieved June 11, 2011. ^http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn77940879&docId=XSS20100420180730^http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/05/us-government-rejects-sioa-trademark----it-offends-islam.html^Michelle Boorstein (August 19, 2010). "In flap over mosque near Ground Zero, conservative bloggers gaining influence". The Washington Post. ^"Should Americans Fear Islam? pt.3". Retrieved June 18, 2011. ^Spencer, Robert (October 4, 2010). "Why is Reza Aslan taken seriously?". Jihad Watch. Retrieved June 18, 2011. ^Pamela Geller is transmitting hate against Palestinians by spreading misinformation, El Badil, (2014). http://elbadil.com/2014/08/24/pamela-geller-transmitting-hate-palestinians-spreading-misinformation/^Conservative Post, Gaza 'Corpses' Caught Moving When They Forget Cameras Are On Them, August 19, 2014 http://conservativepost.com/gaza-corpses-caught-moving-when-they-forget-cameras-are-on-them/^"Anti-Muslim crusaders make millions spreading fear". October 24, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010. ^"David Horowitz Freedom Center's IRS Form 990"(PDF). June 3, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2011. ^Catholic speakers: Conference disinvites Islam expert^Catholic Men's Conference opens ticket sales^"US bloggers banned from entering UK". BBC. June 26, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013. ^Rawlinson, Kevin (June 26, 2013). "Anti-Ground Zero Mosque campaigners Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer barred from entering Britain to speak at an EDL rally". The Independent (London). Retrieved June 27, 2013. ^http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/06/britain-capitulates-to-jihad.html^http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHdUgc6gxDI^"Anti-Muslim pair banned from UK". Daily Express (UK). June 26, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013. ^Lowles, Nick. "Geller and Spencer Banned". Hope not Hate. Retrieved June 27, 2013. ^Notes on 'Counterjihad'^Best Sellers '' Hardcover Nonfiction '' NYT^Paperback Nonfiction '' NYTExternal linksPersondataNameSpencer, RobertAlternative namesShort descriptionAmerican political writerDate of birthFebruary 27, 1962Place of birthDate of deathPlace of death

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Thu, 07 May 2015 02:17

The Negro Family: The Case For National Action (the 1965 Moynihan Report) was written by Assistant Secretary of Labor[1]Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a sociologist and later U.S. Senator. It focused on the deep roots of black poverty in America and concluded controversially that the relative absence of nuclear families (those having both a father and mother present) would greatly hinder further progress toward economic and political equality.

Moynihan argued that the rise in single-mother families was not due to a lack of jobs but rather to a destructive vein in ghetto culture that could be traced back to slavery and Jim Crow discrimination. Though black sociologist E. Franklin Frazier had already introduced the idea in the 1930s, Moynihan's argument defied conventional social-science wisdom. As he wrote later, "The work began in the most orthodox setting, the U.S. Department of Labor, to establish at some level of statistical conciseness what 'everyone knew': that economic conditions determine social conditions. Whereupon, it turned out that what everyone knew was evidently not so."

Background[edit]While "The Negro Family: The Case For National Action" was being written, Moynihan was employed at the U.S. Department of Labor. While analyzing various statistics concerning black poverty he noticed something unusual:[2] Rates of black male unemployment and welfare enrollment '-- instead of running parallel as they always had '-- started to diverge in 1962 in a way that would come to be called "Moynihan's scissors."[3]

When Moynihan wrote, in 1965, on the coming destruction of the black family, the out-of-wedlock birthrate was 25 percent among blacks.[4]

Contents[edit]According to the book Representing: Hip hop culture and the production of black cinema by S. Craig Watkins:

The report concluded that the structure of family life in the black community constituted a 'tangle of pathology ... capable of perpetuating itself without assistance from the white world,' and that 'at the heart of the deterioration of the fabric of Negro society is the deterioration of the Negro family. It is the fundamental source of the weakness of the Negro community at the present time.' Further, the report argued that the matriarchal structure of black culture weakened the ability of black men to function as authority figures. This particular notion of black familial life has become a widespread, if not dominant, paradigm for comprehending the social and economic disintegration of late twentieth-century black urban life. (pp. 218''219)

Moynihan generally concluded in the report: "The steady expansion of welfare programs can be taken as a measure of the steady disintegration of the Negro family structure over the past generation in the United States".[5]

The Contents of the Moynihan Report, 1965, was given to the United States Department of Labor by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, hence the name of the report. In the introduction of his report, Moynihan states that "the gap between the Negro and most other groups in American society is widening."[6] He also states that due to the failure of the family structure in the lower class that the gap between possibilities for Negroes and other groups will persist in being in-equal, and in favor of other groups. This was based on the continued existence of racism within society, despite the victory that Negroes had won within the context of Civil Rights.[7]

Importance[edit]The Moynihan Report has had long-lasting and important implications. Writing to President Lyndon Johnson, then-Assistant Secretary of Labor Patrick Moynihan argued that, without access to jobs and the means to contribute meaningful support to a family, black men would become systematically alienated from their roles as husbands and fathers. This would cause rates of divorce, abandonment and out-of-wedlock births to skyrocket in the black community (a trend that had already begun by the mid-1960s)'--leading to vast increases in the numbers of female-headed households and the high rates of poverty, low educational outcomes, and inflated rates of abuse that are associated with them.

Moynihan made a compelling contemporary argument for the provision of jobs, job programs, vocational training, and educational programs for the Black community. Modern scholars, including Douglas Massey, now consider the report one of the more influential in the construction of the War on Poverty.

Sam Tanenhaus wrote that Moynihan's fights with the New Left over the report were a signal that Great Society liberalism now had political challengers both from the right and from the left.[8]

Reception and following debate[edit]From the time of its publication, the report has been sharply attacked by Black-American and civil rights leaders as examples of white patronizing, cultural bias, or even racism. The report has, at various times, been condemned or dismissed by the N.A.A.C.P., Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton. Among the complaints lodged at the "Moynihan Report" are the stereotyping of the black family and black men, inferences of inferior academic performance by Black-Americans, portrayals of endemic crime and "pathology" in the black community, and a failure to recognize both cultural bias and racism in standardized tests.[9] The report was criticized for threatening to undermine the place of civil rights on the national agenda, leaving "a vacuum that could be filled with a politics that blamed blacks for their own troubles."[10]

In 1987, scholar Hortense Spillers used the Moynihan Report as an starting point in her essay "Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: An American Grammar Book." In the essay, Spillers criticizes the Moynihan Report for its use of "matriarchy" and "patriarchy" when describing the African-American family. She argues that the terminology used to define white families cannot be used to define African-American families because of the way slavery has impacted the African-American family. She goes through the history of Africans in America, starting with the first time European and African met, and tracing the history of the slave trade. She argues that a slave is divested of his or her gender and becomes nothing more than a body. This also divests the slave of his or her name, lineage, and means the slave family can be broken at any moment. Due to this loss, the idea of patriarchy no longer applies to the African-American family because patriarchy is defined by the ability to pass down a family name through the line of men. Motherhood becomes a means of reinforcing and reproducing the slavery system and the father disappears entirely. Due to this loss of gender identity and the severing of mother and child, Spillers says that the female slave is in a category of her own, outside of what we think of as traditional female gendering. Therefore, we cannot define the African-American family as a matriarchy either, such as the Moynihan Report does.[11]

African-American economist and writer Walter E. Williams has praised the report for its findings. He has also added in response, "The solutions to the major problems that confront many black people won't be found in the political arena, especially not in Washington or state capitols."[5]

Political commentator Heather MacDonald wrote for National Review in 2008, "Conservatives of all stripes routinely praise Daniel Patrick Moynihan's prescience for warning in 1965 that the breakdown of the black family threatened the achievement of racial equality. They rightly blast those liberals who denounced Moynihan's report".[12]

Sociologist Stephen Steinberg explained in 2011, that the Moynihan report was condemned "because it threatened to derail the black liberation movement."[10]

View that Moynihan was attempting to divert responsibility[edit]Psychologist William Ryan coined the phrase "blaming the victim" in his 1971 classic book Blaming the Victim,[13] specifically as a critique of the Moynihan report. He said it was an attempt to divert responsibility for poverty from social structural factors to the behaviors and cultural patterns of the poor.[14][15]

Feminist critique[edit]Feminists argue the Moynihan Report presents a "male-centric" view of social problems. A central concern is that Moynihan did not consider basic rational incentives for marriage; he did not account for the possibility that women had historically engaged in marriage in part out of need for material resources, such as adequate wages, otherwise denied via cultural traditions excluding women from most jobs outside the home. With the social revolution of the mid-1900s, women gained better access to government resources meant to ease family and child poverty.[16] Women also increasingly gained access to the workplace.[17] One result of these social changes was that more women were able to subsist independently.[18][19]

Counter-response[edit]Declaring Moynihan "prophetic," Ken Auletta, in his 1982 The Underclass, proclaimed that "one cannot talk about poverty in America, or about the underclass, without talking about the weakening family structure of the poor." Both the Baltimore Sun and the New York Times ran series on the black family in 1983, followed by a 1985 Newsweek article called "Moynihan: I Told You So" and a 1986 CBS documentary, The Vanishing Black Family, produced by Bill Moyers, a onetime aide to Lyndon Johnson, who had supported the Moynihan report.[20]

Moynihan responded to criticism in a 2001 interview with PBS, where he said: "My view is we had stumbled onto a major social change in the circumstances of post-modern society. It was not long ago in this past century that an anthropologist working in London '' a very famous man at the time, Malinowski '' postulated what he called the first rule of anthropology: That in all known societies, all male children have an acknowledged male parent. That's what we found out everywhere. ... And well, maybe it's not true anymore. Human societies change."[21]

See also[edit]References[edit]^"I was Assistant Secretary for Policy Planning and Research." First Measured Century: Interview: Daniel Patrick Moynihan^Social Disruptions '' Ben Wattenberg, in The First Measured Century (PBS)^The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies -Kay S. Hymowitz^Daniel P. Moynihan, The Negro Family: The Case for National Action, Washington, D.C., Office of Policy Planning and Research, U.S. Department of Labor, 1965.^ abWalter E. Williams (18 November 2006). ""Black Progress" Through Politics?". Capitalism Magazine. ^Moynihan, Daniel. "The Negro Family: The Case For National Action". United States Department of Labor. Retrieved 1 May 2014. ^Moynihan, Daniel. "The Negro Family: The Case For National Action". United States Department of Labor. Retrieved 1 May 2014. ^Tanenhaus, Sam (2009-09-01). The Death of Conservatism. Random House Publishing Group. pp. 71''72. ISBN 9781588369482. Retrieved 18 October 2013. ^Patterson, Freedom Is Not Enough: The Moynihan Report and America's Struggle Over Black Family Life From LBJ to Obama (2010).^ abStephen Steinberg, "Poor Reason - Culture still doesn't explain poverty",Boston Review, January 13, 2011.^Spillers, Hortense. "Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: An American Grammar Book." Diacritics 17.2 (1987): 64''81. JSTOR. Web.^Heather MacDonald (April 14, 2008). "The Hispanic Family: The Case for National Action". National Review. Retrieved January 30, 2011. ^George Kent (2003). "Blaming the Victim, Globally". UN Chronicle online (United Nations Department of Public Information) XL (3). Archived from the original on Dec 24, 2003. ^Illinois state U. archives.^Ryan, William (1976). Blaming the Victim. Vintage. ISBN 0-394-72226-4. ^Jill Quadagno (1994). The Color of Welfare. Oxford University Press. pp. 119''120. ^Esping-Andersen, Gosta (2009). The Incomplete Revolution. Polity Press. pp. 20''25. ^Fuchs, V. (1988). Women's Quest for Economic Equality. Harvard University Press. ^McLanahan, S. and L. Casper, "Growing diversity and inequality in the American family", in R. Farley (ed.), State of the Union: America in the 1990s, New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1995, pp. 1''45.^The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies '' Kay S. Hymowitz in City Journal^"Daniel Patrick Moynihan Interview". PBS.Further reading[edit]Geary, Daniel. "Racial Liberalism, the Moynihan Report, and the Daedalus Project on 'The Negro American.'" Daedalus, 140 (Winter 2011), 53''66.Massey, Douglas S., and Robert J. Sampson, "Moynihan Redux: Legacies and Lessons," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 621 (Jan. 2009), 6''27.Patterson, James T. Freedom Is Not Enough: The Moynihan Report and America's Struggle Over Black Family Life From LBJ to Obama (Basic Books; 2010) 264 pages.Wilson, William Julius, "The Moynihan Report and Research on the Black Community," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 621 (Jan. 2009), 34''46.External links[edit]Book review of Ryan's Blaming the Victim: [1]Office of Policy Planning and Research, United States Department of Labor (March 1965) "The Negro Family: The Case For National Action"Office of Policy Planning and Research, United States Department of Labor (March 1965) "The Negro Family: The Case For National Action" '' Moynihan Report hosted by Department of LaborKristol, Irving (August 1971) "The Best of Intentions, the Worst of Results" The Atlantic - discusses Moynihan and his criticsHymowitz, Kay S. (Summer 2005) "The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies" City Journal '' this article argues that early rejection of the Moynihan Report caused untold, needless misery in inner city communities.Ferguson, Roderick A. (2004) Aberrations in Black: Toward a Queer of Color Critique University of Minnesota Press. In chapter 4, Ferguson analyzes the Moynihan Report as a coalition of sociological canons, black nationalism, the civil rights movement, neoconservative resentment, and neo-racist tendencies to initiate a trend that sought to reaffirm heteropatriarchal normativity by suggesting that the problems that plagued nonwhites of the US are sourced primarily in their departures from hetero- and patriarchal- norms.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 02:03

This threat illustrates the savagery and barbarism of the Islamic State. They want me dead for violating Sharia blasphemy laws. What remains to be seen is whether the free world will finally wake up and stand for the freedom of speech, or instead kowtow to this evil and continue to denounce me. What's really frightening and astonishing about this threat is that the media in denouncing me is essentially allying with and even cheering on the Islamic State. I expected this from jihadists. I never expected it from my fellow Americans in the mainstream media.

Bismillah Ar Rahman Ar Raheem

''The New Era''

To our brothers and sisters fighting for the Sake of Allah, we make dua for you and ask Allah to guide your bullets, terrify your enemies, and establish you in the Land. As our noble brother in the Phillipines said in his bayah, ''This is the Golden Era, everyone who believes'... is running for Shaheed''.

The attack by the Islamic State in America is only the beginning of our efforts to establish a wiliyah in the heart of our enemy. Our aim was the khanzeer Pamela Geller and to show her that we don't care what land she hides in or what sky shields her; we will send all our Lions to achieve her slaughter. This will heal the hearts of our brothers and disperse the ones behind her. To those who protect her: this will be your only warning of housing this woman and her circus show. Everyone who houses her events, gives her a platform to spill her filth are legitimate targets. We have been watching closely who was present at this event and the shooter of our brothers. We knew that the target was protected. Our intention was to show how easy we give our lives for the Sake of Allah.

We have 71 trained soldiers in 15 different states ready at our word to attack any target we desire. Out of the 71 trained soldiers 23 have signed up for missions like Sunday, We are increasing in number bithnillah. Of the 15 states, 5 we will name'... Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, California, and Michigan. The disbelievers who shot our brothers think that you killed someone untrained, nay, they gave you their bodies in plain view because we were watching.

The next six months will be interesting, To our Amir Al Mu'mineen make dua for us and continue your reign, May Allah enoble your face.

May Allah send His peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhummad and all those who follow until the last Day.

''Abu Ibrahim Al Ameriki

Stay on top of what's really happening. Follow me on Twitter here. Like me on Facebook here.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 01:59

Pamela Geller (born June 14, 1958)[5] is an American political activist[6] and commentator. She is known for her anti-Islamic positions and opposition to Islamic activities and causes, such as the proposed construction of an Islamic community center near the former site of the World Trade Center. Her viewpoints have been described as anti-Islamic[7] or Islamophobic.[1][8] She says her blogging and campaigns in the United States are against what she terms "creeping Sharia" in the country. She is described as a critic of radical Islam[9] and self-described as opposing political Islam.[1]

She is currently the president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative which she co-founded with Robert Spencer.[10][11] The American Freedom Defense Initiative has been designated an anti-Muslim hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization known for tracking hate groups.[12] The British government designated Geller's organizations hate groups and barred Geller's entry into the UK in 2013.[7] She and Spencer co-authored the book The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America in 2010.[4]

The Huffington Post has called her "far right", as have other media sources[1] while others, such as the BBC contrast her right-wing support for small government with her socially liberal positions.[13]

Personal lifeGeller is the third of four sisters born to the Jewish[14] family of Reuben, a textile manufacturer, and Lillian Geller.[1] She grew up in Hewlett Harbor, in New York's Long Island.[15] She helped out in her father's business, where she learned to speak fluent Spanish.[16] Two of her sisters became doctors, and the third became a teacher.[1]

Geller attended Lynbrook High School and Hofstra University, though she left before completing her degree.[1]

She was married to Michael Oshry from 1990 until the couple divorced in 2007, and is the mother of four children.[1] As of April 2013[update] she was living in Hewlett, New York.[17]

CareerGeller spent most of the 1980s working at the New York Daily News, first as a financial analyst and then in advertising and marketing.[18] Subsequently she was associate publisher of The New York Observer from 1989 through 1994.[19]

In a Village Voice interview, Geller attributed the advent of her political consciousness to the 9/11 attacks.[20] She created a blog called Atlas Shrugs in 2004. The blog gained thousands of readers in 2006 when Geller reprinted the controversial cartoons of Muhammad originally published in the Jyllands-Posten.[1] In 2007, her campaign against an Arabic-language public school in Brooklyn played "an important role" in the resignation of its principal, Debbie Almontaser.[1]

In 2010 Geller co-founded the American Freedom Defense Initiative organization (FDI) with Robert Spencer.[1] She also co-authored a book with Spencer, The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America (published in July 2010).[4] The book criticizes the Obama administration's treatment of the free-market system, freedom of speech, and foreign policy. She is also a contributor to the conservative magazine Human Events.[21]

Speaking on jihad at the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Geller criticized the Pentagon's report on the 2009 Fort Hood shooting for failing to talk about the religious motivations behind the attack.[22] Geller, who had spoken at the annual CPAC convention four years previous, was forbidden to appear in 2013.[23] Geller attributed her exclusion from the event to her having accused CPAC board members Grover Norquist and Suhail Khan of being "members of the Muslim Brotherhood and secret Islamist agents."[24] Reacting to CPAC's decision to exclude Geller, Mark Steyn called her a "fearless fighter on free speech" and said that he took the board's action "personally."[25]

In April 2013, Rabbi Michael White and Jerome Davidson, denouncing Geller as an anti-Muslim bigot, opposed her presentation on Sharia law at a Long Island synagogue, which was eventually canceled due to security concerns.[26] Israeli journalist Caroline Glick argued that White and Davidson were wrong; Geller opposes jihadists, not all Muslims.[27]

In May 2013, the Jewish Defense League of Canada invited Pamela Geller to speak in Toronto, Canada. Initially, Geller was invited by Rabbi Mendel Kaplan to speak at Chabad@Flamingo. Because Kaplan was a chaplain with the York Regional Police, the police's Hate Crimes Unit stated that Kaplan's invitation conflicted with "our long-held position of inclusivity". Kaplan consequently uninvited Geller, and she spoke at the Toronto Zionist Centre.[28]

She is a supporter of the English Defence League (EDL) saying: "I share the EDL's goals ... We need to encourage rational, reasonable groups that oppose the Islamisation of the west."[29] In June 2013, Geller was scheduled to speak at an EDL rally,[6] but was barred from entering Britain by a Home Office ruling that describes her as having established "anti-Muslim hate groups".[7] Cited as evidence for the ban were statements categorizing al-Qaeda as "a manifestation of devout Islam" and stating that jihad requires Jews as an enemy.[30] Geller called the decision "a striking blow against freedom ... The nation that gave the world the Magna Carta is dead." Hope not Hate, which led a campaign to ban her, applauded the decision as a proper limit to "unfettered free speech".[7]

ViewsGeller opposes both political Islam[1] and radical Islam.[31] Geller has said of herself that she has "no problem with Islam. I have a problem with political Islam."[1] In particular, she says jihadism is a threat to civilization.[14] After expressing her anti-jihad views in controversial subway ads[32] she was called an anti-Muslim bigot and racist by Muneer Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.[33][34] Geller responded to such charges by noting that the ads weren't directed at all Muslims but "only those who engaged in what she characterises as 'Jihad'."[35]

She was mentioned in Anders Behring Breivik's manifesto, however it later came to light that Breivik had intentionally portrayed himself as a counterjihadist and Zionist in order to trick the media into attacking these very people, and to cover up his true allegiance to ''nordicists'' and ''ethnocentric nationalists'' (i.e. neo-Nazis).[36] In a 2014 letter,[37] he stated "The idea was to manipulate the MSM [Main Stream Media] and others so that they would launch a witchhunt and send their media-rape-squads against our opponents. It worked quite well."

Critics believe she crosses the line from a focused criticism of Islamism to a broader hostility towards Islam in general. When she called for an official classification of Islam as "a political movement ... authoritarian and supremacist ... as well as a religion," the ADL responded that "[w]hile the threat of Islamic extremism is a legitimate concern, such a simplistic initiative fails to distinguish between the general Muslim population and extremists motivated by radical interpretations of Islam."[38] Geller repeatedly denies that she is categorically anti-Muslim.[1][17][39][40][41]Charles Jacobs says that Geller takes aim at "radical Islam," comes to the defense of victims of honor killings, and deals with Islamist antisemitism which the ADL and SPLC fail to address.[14] She has been described as "far right" by The Huffington Post, British newspaper The Guardian, investigative journalist Gary Weiss, and human rights activist Leonard Zeskind.[42][43] Zeskind also classified Geller as a radical right ideologue, racist, and Islamophobic.[44][45]

Geller has said that "Islam is the most antisemitic, genocidal ideology in the world." [46][47][48][49] She holds the view that radical Islam is a bona fide variant of Islam, which she describes in a number of ways: "Muslim terrorists were practicing pure Islam, original Islam."[40][41] Terrorists don't spring from "perversions of Islam but from the religion itself"[1] "I believe in the idea of a moderate Muslim. I do not believe in the idea of a moderate Islam. ... I think a moderate Muslim is a secular Muslim."[1] She quotes the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "... there is no moderate Islam; there is no extreme Islam; Islam is Islam."[50] She argues that Islam must be secularized from within: "I believe most Muslims are secular. I don't believe that most Muslims subscribe to devout fundamentalist Islam by any stretch of the imagination. And we need the secular Muslims to win the battle for the reformation of Islam."[50]

In economics she favors "right-wing" "small government" fiscal policies of cutting taxes and reducing budgets.[13][44] She is "socially liberal" in her support of abortion legalization[1][2][20] and same-sex marriages[13][20] but she believes drug legalization goes "too far."[51]Gary Weiss writes that Ayn Rand's philosophy of individualism is a major influence in her thought and life.[52] Unlike Rand, Geller is a theist who defends the Judeo-Christian ethical tradition.[53] In her rhetorical style, she shares Rand's "verbal excesses" accompanied by a "willingness to provoke and offend."[54]

She encouraged Israel to "stand loud and proud. Give up nothing. Turn over not a pebble. For every rocket fired, drop a MOAB. Take back Gaza. Secure Judea and Samaria. Stop buying Haaretz. Throw leftists bums out."[55] She is an ardent Zionist.[39] She regards much of the Israeli media as "Jewicidal" and the kibbutz movement as a failed idea and a variety of slavery.[56]

Stop Islamization of AmericaGeller and Robert Spencer co-founded Stop Islamization of America.[11] Geller is a co-founder of Stop Islamization of Nations, an umbrella organization that includes Stop Islamization of America and Stop Islamisation of Europe.[57][58] Both SIOA and FDI are described as exhibiting anti-Muslim bigotry by the Anti-Defamation League.[26][59] The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies them as hate groups.[60] According to the Center, Geller is the "anti-Muslim movement's most visible and flamboyant figurehead. She's relentlessly shrill and coarse in her broad-based denunciations of Islam."[61] Geller has dismissed the SPLC as an "uber left" organization,[62] and in 2015 stated "Who designated the SPLC as a legitimate authority? They are a radical leftist group who targets patriots, vets and even GOP presidential candidates. They have never named a jihadi group as a hate group."[63]

Park51In May 2010, they began a campaign against the proposed Park51 Islamic community center and mosque, which Geller called the "Ground Zero Mega Mosque".[64][65] She says that Park51 is viewed by Muslims as a "triumphal" monument built on "conquered land",[50] and said, "I'm not leading the charge against the Islamic center near Ground Zero. The majority of Americans'--70%'--find this deeply insulting, offensive. To call it anti-Muslim is a gross misrepresentation and to say that I'm responsible for all this emotion, again a gross misrepresentation".[66]

When asked in an August 17, 2010, interview on CNN whether she agreed "that the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 were practicing a perverted form of Islam, and that is not what is going to be practiced at this mosque", she responded "I will say that the Muslim terrorists were practicing pure Islam, original Islam."[40]

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, criticized Geller, stating:

People say don't give her too much credit, she's a fringe character, but she is a fringe character who every day is on CNN, Fox, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. She is the driving force behind the Islamic center campaign. I would say that she is the queen of the Muslim bashers, I see her rise and the rise of these anti-Islam hate groups going hand in hand.[18]

Eric Boehlert, a senior fellow at progressive[67] watchdog group Media Matters for America, concurred with Hooper, remarking that "she's been instrumental, she has whipped up hatred in the right-wing blogosphere and now that's spilled out into the wider community"[18] while Andrew C. McCarthy, writing in the conservative[68] magazine National Review, criticized Hooper's remarks on the matter, citing his controversial comments about Islamism and the United States.[41] Media Matters said "Geller's history of outrageous, inflammatory and false claims, particularly when it comes to issues related to Islam, demonstrate that she cannot be expected to make accurate statements and should not be rewarded with a platform on national television."[69]

Paid ads on public transitStop Islamization of America has sponsored ads which carry messages such as "Fatwa on Your Head?" and "Leaving Islam?" in several cities, including New York City and Miami, pointing readers to a website called RefugefromIslam.com.[18][70] Geller said the ads were meant to provide resources for Muslims who were afraid to leave the religion.[70]

Geller and FDI/SIOA paid to run ads on the transit systems of New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. The ad approved to run on the New York City Subway and San Francisco buses read: "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad."[71]

New York's MTA initially refused to display the ads in the New York City Subway system.[72] The authority's decision was overturned in July 2012, when Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that the ad was protected speech under the First Amendment, and that the MTA's actions were unconstitutional.[73][74][75] The judge held in a 35-page opinion that the rejected ad was "not only protected speech '-- it is core political speech ... [which as such] is afforded the highest level of protection under the First Amendment."[75][76]

Opponents argue that the ad implies Muslims are savages.[33][34] Others argue the opposite, that it is insulting to assume Muslims will identify with violent jihadi.[77][78] Some moderate Muslims argue that Geller's use of the word jihad is identical to Islamic extremists' and too common in general American usage. Some moderates seek to focus on the notion of jihad as a striving, but find "rebranding" difficult in today's culture.[79]

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs called the ad "bigoted, divisive", and JCPA President Rabbi Steve Gutow said, "The fact that ads have been placed in the subway attacking Israel does not excuse the use of attack ads against Muslims".[80] Israel Kasnett, editor for the Jerusalem Post, argued that Geller is right in her description of violent jihad.[81][82] Jewish groups such as the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Anti-Defamation League "successfully persuaded the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to donate proceeds from the ads to the city's Human Rights Commission".[83]

In 2013, Geller purchased ad space at 39 New York City Subway stations for a new ad that "links Islam to terrorism".[84] Prompted by an ad critical of Israel on the subway, Geller said she is exercising her freedom of speech by showing a picture of the burning World Trade Center with a quote from the Koran. The ads went up in January 2013 and ran about a month.[85]

In the fall of 2014, Geller paid $100,000 for a series of ads to run on the MTA again. They link Islam to the Islamic State, Hamas, Adolf Hitler, and the beheading of James Foley; the MTA is legally required to run the ads, but objected to it at first, prompting a lawsuit by Geller.[86] RT.com (formerly Russia Today, opined "Islamophobic Hitler ads appear on San Francisco buses."[87] In April 2015, the MTA banned these ads.[88]

Curtis Culwell Center attackGeller helped to organize a "Draw the Prophet" cartoon contest on May 3, 2015, at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, the same site where a Muslim group held a "Stand With the Prophet" event in January 2015 after the Charlie Hebdo shooting.[10][89] The same day, shots were fired at the event in Garland, resulting in the death of two suspects and the injury of one Garland Independent School District (ISD) police officer.[90]

Atlas Shrugs blogGeller's blog, Atlas Shrugs, is named in homage to novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged.[1][66] Rand's writings had a seminal influence on her thought.[1][2][20][66] Geller was a frequent and prolific commenter on the blogLittle Green Footballs when, encouraged by a fellow commenter, she started her own blog in late 2004.[1][38] She refers to her blog as "my living room and kitchen '-- a place where she can kick back and yell, like some people shout at their TV" in contrast to her books and published articles which are "more studied and more measured."[2]

Her first "spike" in traffic came in early 2006. When thousands of Muslims worldwide protested '' sometimes violently '' over cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad printed in a Danish newspaper,[91] Geller posted the cartoons on her blog.[1][92] Consequently her hits increased dramatically to tens of thousands.[1] By September 2010 she was attracting 184,000 visitors per month.[1]

During the 2008 Presidential campaign she posted a number of critical articles on Barack Obama, including a campaign donation story that was picked up by the national media.[93] She also published many controversial claims, some of which she later distanced herself from, including that Obama's mother was involved in pornography, that his "spiritual father" was a child rapist, that Obama "was involved with a crack whore in his youth", and that Malcolm X had impregnated his mother.[18][20][94][95][96]

Critics say that many other claims that Geller has published in her blog are outrageous.[66][97][98] For example, she has published articles that said black South Africans are engaging in a "genocide" against whites;[66][98][99] that argued the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, one of Islam's holiest sites, should be removed;[100] and that defended Slobodan MiloÅević and Radovan Karadžic, perpetrators of the Bosnian War and genocide against Bosnian Muslims and Croats, denying the existence of Serbian concentration camps and arguing that the many Muslim war victims were murdered by their own people in order to bring condemnation on the Serbs.[66][101] She denies supporting MiloÅević but has expressed skepticism of some accounts of the camps.[102]

Media responseAccording to Cord Jefferson, writing in the American Prospect, "the media often craves controversy over substance" and paid "disproportionate attention" to the Park51 story. Citing Salon writer Justin Elliot as evidence that "the controversy was kicked up and driven by Pamela Geller ... whose sinister portrayal of the project was embraced by Rupert Murdoch's New York Post." Jefferson concludes that "... a small-time political blogger with an obsession was able to hijack the news cycle for months."[103] The story was erroneously labeled "The Ground Zero Mosque" by "multiple conservative media outlets such as Fox News and drew national attention.[104]

William McGurn, writing in the Wall Street Journal on the subway ads, says they were meant to provoke by being ambiguous. There were immediately taken as many as hateful and "racist". McGurn says "most Americans probably read it the way it is written: Israel is a civilized nation under attack from people who do savage things in the name of jihad." He points out that the word "jihad" is taken in a benign spiritual sense or as a violent militant sense. He finds the media is too quick to assume the ad is an attack on the religion and all Muslims.[32]

The blog has been criticized by progressiveMedia Matters for America,.[69][105] She was called "extreme" by Chris McGreal of The Guardian.[66] Conversely, it has been praised by Caroline Glick, managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, who hailed the blog's coverage of Muslim "honor killings" and called her "an intrepid blogger".[106][107]

WorksBooksSee alsoReferences^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabBarnard, Anne; Feuer, Alan (October 8, 2010). "Outraged, and Outrageous". The New York Times.^ abcdChandler, Doug (September 1, 2010). "The Passions (And Perils) Of Pamela Geller". The Jewish Week. Retrieved September 14, 2010. ^"'Islamic Apartheid' Ads Submitted To MTA By Pamela Geller in Response To Pro-Palestinian Ads". Huffington Post. March 28, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013. ^ abcGeller, Pamela; Spencer, Robert (July 2010). The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-8930-6. ^U.S. Public Records Index Vol 1 & 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010.^ abJessica Elgot (June 20, 2013). "Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer To Speak At EDL Rally In Woolwich, Campaigners Call For UK Entry Ban". The Huffington Post (London). ^ abcdKevin Rawlinson (June 26, 2013). "Anti-Ground Zero Mosque campaigners Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer barred from entering Britain to speak at an EDL rally". The Independent (London). ^"Pamela Geller". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 10 April 2015. ^Terry Davidson (May 1, 2013). "York Regional Police threaten rabbi's role as chaplain over Pamela Geller speech". Toronto Sun. Retrieved May 5, 2013. ^ abMike Stone; Lisa Maria Garza (4 May 2015). "Police shoot dead 2 gunmen at Texas exhibit of Prophet Mohammad cartoons". Reuters. ^ ab"Contact". Stop Islamization of America. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010. ^Yan, Holly (May 4, 2015). "Garland shooting: What is the American Freedom Defense Initiative?". CNN. Retrieved 4 May 2015. ^ abc"Pamela Geller: America's 'bigoted blogger'". BBC news. 5 May 2015. ^ abcCharles Jacobs (May 10, 2013). "Pamela Geller, Jewish heroine". The Jewish Advocate. Geller thinks Radical Islam is a threat to Western civilization and that our politically correct leaders who persist in being willfully blind are endangering us all. Having this view attracts detractors. Expressing it daily, with no holds barred, with gory photos of the victims of jihad and outrageous details of how our leaders betray us, has earned Pamela a baying herd of defamers. ^Gary Weiss, Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden Struggle for America's Soul, Macmillan, 2012 p. 136.^"Papa". Atlas Shrugs. June 21, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2010. ^ abBart Jones (April 8, 2013). "Blogger involved in 'Ground Zero mosque' controversy to speak in Great Neck". Newsday. Retrieved February 21, 2014. ^ abcdeBurke, Daniel (May 25, 2011) [2010]. "Pamela Geller, 'Queen Of Muslim Bashers,' At Center Of N.Y. 'Mosque' Debate". The Huffington Post. Religion News Service. Retrieved January 12, 2012. ^"New Editor Named for Observer". The New York Times. May 10, 1994. Retrieved September 14, 2010. ^ abcdeGreg Howard (November 28, 2012). "Pamela Geller's War". Village Voice. The 9/11 attack was the most evil thing Geller could imagine. She felt we were at war with a group of people who played by a different set of rules. Savages. She had to do something. So she learned about Islam, jihad, and sharia, the religion's code of law. Growing up, she was largely apolitical but always championed women's rights. She was particularly disturbed by women under sharia who were treated as second-class citizens. She read about women and young girls alike being beaten, raped, murdered. But the more she studied the religion, the more social issues took a backseat to her belief that Islam itself needed to be defeated. ^"Pamela Geller". Human Events. Retrieved February 16, 2012. ^Berger, Judson (April 7, 2010). "CPAC Session on Jihad, Free Speech Attracts Complaints". Fox News. Retrieved October 12, 2010. When nowhere in that document was Islam or Jihad mentioned, then Houston, we have a problem. People need to understand what is the motivation. ^Alex Seitz-Wald (March 4, 2013). "Anti-Muslim activist Pam Geller turned away from CPAC". Salon. ^Alex Seitz-Wald (March 16, 2013). "Pam Geller: CPAC board member is "worse" than Anwar al-Awlaki". Salon. ^Mark Steyn (March 4, 2013). "CPAC Tentwatch". National Review. ^ ab"L.I. Synagogue Cancels Controversial Pamela Geller Speech". CBS New York. April 10, 2013. ^Caroline B. Glick (April 13, 2013). "Moral relativism and jihad". Jerusalem Post. ^"Pamela Geller's Invitation to Speak in Toronto Angers Board of Rabbis". The Forward. 2013-05-13. ^Townsend, Mark (October 10, 2010). "English Defence League forges links with America's Tea Party". The Observer. Retrieved February 28, 2014. ^"American right-wing activists banned from entering UK". 4 News (UK). July 26, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013. ^^ ab"Call a Terrorist a 'Savage'? How Uncivilized, An anti-jihad message is 'hate speech' by today's topsy-turvy standards.". Wall Street Journal. Oct 1, 2012. ^ abKaren Matthews (September 20, 2012). "Anti-jihad 'savage' ads going up in NYC subway". Associated Press. ^ abMatt Flegenheimer (September 18, 2012). "Ad Calling Jihad 'Savage' Is Set to Appear in Subway". The New York Times. ^Hannah Thomas-Peter (September 20, 2012). "Anti-Jihad Adverts To Run In New York Subway". Sky News. ^http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/21/the-story-the-msm-missed-nordic-terrorist-claims-he-embraced-counterjihadists-in-manifesto-to-discredit-them-protect-neo-nazi-allies/^http://gatesofvienna.net/2014/01/breiviks-double-psychology/^ ab"Stop the Islamization of America"(PDF). Anti-Defamation League. March 2011. p. 6. ^ ab"Anti-Muslim activist barred from speaking at Jewish Federation headquarters". Jewish Journal. June 25, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2013. ^ abcKaye, Randi (August 17, 2010). "Firestorm Grows Over Islamic Center Near Ground Zero". Anderson Cooper 360° (CNN). Retrieved August 26, 2010. ^ abcMcCarthy, Andrew C. "Re:SPLC on Geller". National Review. ^http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/1.646770^http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/26/far-right-bloggers-banned-entering-uk^ abGary Weiss, Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden Struggle for America's Soul, Macmillan, 2012 p. 137. "It was a blogger who represented the intersection of Objectivism with far-right Islam-baiting politics."^Zeskind, Leonard (2014). "The Tea Party Movement at the Crossroads of Nation and State". In Paul Jackson and Anton Shekhovtsov. The Post-War Anglo-American Far Right: A Special Relationship of Hate. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 110. ISBN 9781137396204. The Anglo-American far-right... So although broadly speaking we can say that a common set of far-right, racist, Islamophobic and anti-immigrant ideas do exist across the Atlantic Ocean, epitomised by a figure such as Geller... ^"NY TIMES CON JOB: "DAISY KHAN HAD NEVER SEEN SO MANY JEWS IN HER LIFE."". atlasshrugs.com. 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2014-03-02. ^"Under tight security, Geller addresses crowd of hundreds at Chabad". theislandnow.com. 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2014-03-02. ^"Confronting Pamela Geller (Updated With Response)". huffingtonpost.com. 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2014-03-02. ^"Confronting the #Huffington Post". pamelageller.com. 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2014-03-02. ^ abc"Pamela Geller: "This Is a Clash of Civilizations"". PBS. September 27, 2011. ^Gary Weiss, Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden Struggle for America's Soul, Macmillan, 2012 p. 130.^Gary Weiss, Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden Struggle for America's Soul, Macmillan, 2012 pp. 129''137.^Gary Weiss, Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden Struggle for America's Soul, Macmillan, 2012 p.134.^Gary Weiss, Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden Struggle for America's Soul, Macmillan, 2012 pp. 133''4.^Geller, Pamela; Saxon, Eliza (May 11, 2008). "Op-Ed: Indomitable Israel". Beit El: Arutz Sheva. Retrieved September 14, 2010. ^Weiss, p.133.^"International Freedom Organizations Unite to Create Stop Islamization of Nations" (Press release). Stop Islamization of America. January 17, 2012. ^John K. Press (September 16, 2012). "A Plan to Stop the Islamization of the World is at Hand". American Thinker. ^"Backgrounder: Stop Islamization of America (SIOA)". Extremism. Anti-Defamation League. March 25, 2011 [August 26, 2010]. Retrieved February 16, 2012.^Lach, Eric (March 1, 2011). "Pam Geller On 'Hate Group' Label: 'A Badge of Honor'". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved February 16, 2012.^http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/13/texas-draw-the-prophet-_n_6679256.html^Siemaszko, Corky (February 25, 2011). "Southern Poverty Law Center lists anti-Islamic NYC blogger Pamela Geller, followers a hate group". Daily News (New York). Retrieved February 25, 2011. ^"Garland shooting: What is the American Freedom Defense Initiative?". CNN. 4 May 2015. ^"How the "ground zero mosque" fear mongering began '' Park51, Muslim Community Center in Lower Manhattan". Salon. August 16, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010. ^"The Seeker: Untold story behind the so-called 'Ground Zero mosque'". Chicago Tribune. August 20, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010. ^ abcdefgMcGreal, Chris (August 20, 2010). "The US blogger on a mission to halt 'Islamic takeover'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 21, 2010. ^Hogue, Ilyse (May 23, 2012). "Getting rid of census survey is wasteful". CNN.^Advertising Media Kit, National Review Online.^ ab"Memo to media: Pamela Geller does not belong on national television". Media Matters for America. July 14, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2010. ^ abMail Foreign Service. "'Fatwa on your head?' Controversial adverts that help Muslims abandon Islam appear on New York buses", Daily Mail, May 27, 2010.^http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/25/anti-muslim-subway-posters-nypd-increase-security_n_1912239.html^"Controversial 'Defeat Jihad' ad to appear in NYC subways". CNN. September 19, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2014. ^"Controversial 'Defeat Jihad' ad to appear in NYC subways". CNN. September 19, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2014. ^[1]^ abTed Mann. "Court Rejects MTA's Ban Against 'Demeaning' Transit Ads". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 1, 2014. ^[2]^"A shocking assumption". New York Post. Sep 29, 2012. ^Petra Marquardt-Bigman (September 27, 2012). "Mona Eltahawy Defends Jihad: We are all Proud Savages Now!". The Algemeiner. ^Alex Seitz-Wald (January 9, 2013). "Can "jihad" survive Pam Geller?". Salon. ^"JCPA Condemns Bigoted, Divisive, and Unhelpful Anti-Muslim Ads". Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Retrieved September 21, 2012. ^Israel Kasnett (September 30, 2012). "Support the civilized man". Jerusalem Post. ^April Fehling (September 24, 2012). "New Yorkers Rush By As Embattled Anti-Jihad Ads Hit The Subway". NPR. ^Pine, Dan. "New ad on Muni buses in S.F. has disturbing imagery, calls Israel an apartheid state."J Weekly. May 16, 2013.^Peter Donohue (January 8, 2013). "Group's ads link Islam to terrorism: Controversial American Freedom Defense Initiative paid $77,000 to quote Koran with flaming Twin Towers". Daily News (New York). ^"More Ads With Inflammatory Messages About Islam Appear In NYC Subway". CBS News. January 8, 2013. ^Jennifer Fermino (September 19, 2014). "Shocking anti-Islam ad campaign coming to MTA buses, subway stations". New York Daily News. ^"Islamophobic Hitler ads appear on San Francisco buses". rt.com. 2015-01-15. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-01-28. ^Emma G. Fitzsimmons (29 April 2015). "M.T.A. Board Votes to Ban Political Ads on Subways and Buses". New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2015. ^Liam Stack (3 May 2015). "Texas Police Kill Gunmen at Exhibit Featuring Cartoons of Muhammad". New York Times. ^"Two gunmen shot dead by cops after opening fire outside controversial 'Prophet Muhammad' art exhibit in Texas". New York Daily News. May 3, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015. ^"Muslim cartoon fury claims lives". BBC News. February 6, 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2011. ^Geller, Pamela (January 29, 2006). "The Danes Wont Deign, But Will the UN?". Atlas Shrugs. Retrieved September 24, 2011. ^"Illegal Campaign Donations Spur Calls For Change". NPR. October 31, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2010. ^Geller, Pamela (August 1, 2009). "CNN Tells, Sells More Lies About Palin '' it's Time to Expose the truth about Obama". Atlas Shrugs. Retrieved August 22, 2010. ^"Ann Dunham Soetoro". snopes.com. Retrieved September 14, 2010. ^"How could Stanley Ann Dunham have delivered Barack Hussein Obama Jr. in August 1961 in Honolulu, when official University of Washington Records show her 2680 miles away in Seattle attending classes that same month?". Atlas Shrugs. October 24, 2008. Archived from the original on October 31, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2010. ^"Attention TV networks: Pam Geller is lying to your viewers". Media Matters for America. August 19, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2010. ^ abGoldberg, Jeffrey (October 18, 2010). "Pamela Geller Supports English Pogromists, South African Fascists". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 28, 2010. ^Geller, Pamela. "Genocide in South Africa", The American Thinker, reprinted in Atlas Shrugs, April 16, 2010.^Geller, Pamela (September 27, 2009). "Erev Yom: Muslims Riot, Attack Jews in Jerusalem '' Policemen wounded in Temple Mt. riots". Atlas Shrugs. Retrieved August 22, 2010. ^Geller, Pamela. "The Real Criminals Presiding over the International Criminal Court Part II of Nuremberg II". Atlas Shrugs. Retrieved 30 October 2010. ^Pamela Geller. "Rebuttals to False Charges". Retrieved February 13, 2014. ^Cord Jefferson (April 2011). "The Right Messengers: Can the Media Responsibly Cover Race? Only with the Guidance of a More Diverse Audience". The American Prospect. ^Barbie Zelizer; Stuart Allan (2002). Journalism After September 11. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415288002. ^"Attention TV networks: Pam Geller is lying to your viewers". Media Matters for America. August 19, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2010. ^"Political Messiah in the Holy Land". National Review. July 25, 2008. ^"Our World: The feminist deception"Jerusalem Post. December 14, 2010.External linksPersondataNameGeller, PamelaAlternative namesOshry, PamelaShort descriptionAmerican blogger, author, political activist, and commentatorDate of birthJune 14, 1958Place of birthHewlett Harbor, New York, U.S.Date of deathPlace of death

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Mon, 04 May 2015 19:34

Where do America's most racist people live? "The rural Northeast and South," suggests a new study just published in PLOS ONE.

The paper introduces a novel but makes-tons-of-sense-when-you-think-about-it method for measuring the incidence of racist attitudes: Google search data. The methodology comes from data scientist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. He's used it before to measure the effect of racist attitudes on Barack Obama's electoral prospects.

[Data suggest Republicans have a race problem]

"Google data, evidence suggests, are unlikely to suffer from major social censoring," Stephens-Davidowitz wrote in a previous paper. "Google searchers are online and likely alone, both of which make it easier to express socially taboo thoughts. Individuals, indeed, note that they are unusually forthcoming with Google." He also notes that the Google measure correlates strongly with other standard measures social science researchers have used to study racist attitudes.

This is important, because racism is a notoriously tricky thing to measure. Traditional survey methods don't really work -- if you flat-out ask someone if they're racist, they will simply tell you no. That's partly because most racism in society today operates at the subconscious level, or gets vented anonymously online.

For the PLOS ONE paper, researchers looked at searches containing the N-word. People search frequently for it, roughly as often as searches for "migraine(s)," "economist," "sweater," "Daily Show," and "Lakers." (The authors attempted to control for variants of the N-word not necessarily intended as pejoratives, excluding the "a" version of the word that analysis revealed was often used "in different contexts compared to searches of the term ending in '-er'.")

[An entrenched racial slur is now more prevalent than ever]

It's also important to note that not all people searching for the N-word are motivated by racism, and that not all racists search for that word, either. But aggregated over several years and several million searches, the data give a pretty good approximation of where a particular type of racist attitude is the strongest.

Interestingly, on the map above the most concentrated cluster of racist searches happened not in the South, but rather along the spine of the Appalachians running from Georgia all the way up to New York and southern Vermont.

[Three quarters of whites don't have any non-white friends]

Other hotbeds of racist searches appear in areas of the Gulf Coast, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and a large portion of Ohio. But the searches get rarer the further West you go. West of Texas, no region falls into the "much more than average" category. This map follows the general contours of a map of racist Tweets made by researchers at Humboldt State University.

So some people are sitting at home by themselves, Googling a bunch of racist stuff. What does it matter? As it turns out, it matters quite a bit. The researchers on the PLOS ONE paper found that racist searches were correlated with higher mortality rates for blacks, even after controlling for a variety of racial and socio-economic variables.

"Results from our study indicate that living in an area characterized by a one standard deviation greater proportion of racist Google searches is associated with an 8.2% increase in the all-cause mortality rate among Blacks," the authors conclude. Now, of course, Google searches aren't directly leading to the deaths of African Americans. But previous research has shown that the prevalence of racist attitudes can contribute to poor health and economic outcomes among black residents.

"Racially motivated experiences of discrimination impact health via diminished socioeconomic attainment and by enforcing patterns in racial residential segregation, geographically isolating large segments of the Black population into worse neighborhood conditions," the authors write, summarizing existing research. "Racial discrimination in employment can also lead to lower income and greater financial strain, which in turn have been linked to worse mental and physical health outcomes."

[White people are winning the 'war on whites']

Christopher Ingraham writes about politics, drug policy and all things data. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 14:04

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Thu, 07 May 2015 14:50

May 6, 8:31 p.m. update: $122 tickets are back in circulation on Ticketmaster.

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May 6, 5:58 p.m. update: Employees of Royal Farms Arena would not comment on sales figures or projections at this time. Based on our own searching of ticketmaster.com, it appears the first two tiers of tickets ($22, $122) have sold out. Other tickets ($197, $497) are still available.

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May 6, 4:51 p.m. update: Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation, has listed the price range for tickets: $22-$497 before fees. Tickets for the concert '-- which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Sunday according to the Royal Farms Arena website '-- go on sale at 5 p.m.

Other ticket information to keep in mind:

' There is a two-ticket limit per household.

' Tickets are only available through ticketmaster.com and livenation.com. No tickets will be sold at the arena's box office, per Royal Farms Arena's website.

' There are only two delivery options for tickets: "Print at Home" or via "Mobile." No tickets will be left at will call.

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Prince will play a surprise "Rally 4 Peace" concert at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore on Sunday, following the unrest last week over the death of Freddie Gray.

Other music stars are expected to join Prince and his 3RDEYEGIRL band at the Mother's Day concert, which they hope will be a "catalyst for pause and reflection following the outpouring of violence that has gripped Baltimore and areas throughout the U.S.," the announcement said.

Tickets for the show, which was announced Tuesday night, go on sale at LiveNation.com Wednesday at 5 p.m.

"As a symbolic message of our shared humanity and love for one another, attendees are invited to wear something gray in tribute to all those recently lost in the violence," the announcement said.

According the press release, Prince will also take this opportunity to give back to the city hosting him. "A portion of the proceeds will be directed to the benefit of local Baltimore based youth charities," according to the announcement.

Prince is expected to debut his protest song, written last week, titled "Baltimore." The song has not been released, but the lyrics were posted online.

cmcampbell@baltsun.com

twitter.com/cmcampbell6

Copyright (C) 2015, The Baltimore Sun

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Archived Version

Mon, 04 May 2015 22:41

SAN FRANCISCO '-- Dave Goldberg, the chief executive of SurveyMonkey and husband of Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, died of head trauma Friday night after he collapsed at the gym at a private resort in Mexico, according to a Mexican government official.

Mr. Goldberg, 47, was on vacation with family and friends at the Four Seasons Resort near Punta Mita, close to Puerto Vallarta in southwest Mexico, according to a spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Nayarit State. Mr. Goldberg left his room around 4 p.m. on Friday, collapsed while exercising and died of head trauma and blood loss, said the spokesman. His brother, Robert Goldberg, found him on the floor of the gym at the resort at around 7 p.m., with blood around him. The spokesman said it appears ''he fell off the treadmill and cracked his head open.''

Mr. Goldberg was transported to Hospital San Javier in Nuevo Vallarta, with weak vital signs, and died there, said the spokesman, who added that the incident appeared to be an accident. Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook and a friend of the family, had said the death occurred while Mr. Goldberg was on vacation with Ms. Sandberg.

Mr. Goldberg's death was announced by his brother and by SurveyMonkey on Saturday, but no cause or details of where it occurred were disclosed at that time. The lack of information prompted a wave of speculation about what happened to Mr. Goldberg, who was well regarded as an entrepreneur and mentor and was the less famous half of one of Silicon Valley's most prominent power couples.

Ms. Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, has made no public statements about her husband's death.

The family is planning an invitation-only celebration of Mr. Goldberg's life on Tuesday at Stanford Memorial Auditorium. Men planning to attend were urged not to wear ties ''in keeping with Dave's lifelong hatred of ties,'' according to an emailed invitation sent to friends of the couple. The invitation added, ''Out of respect for the family, please do not take pictures or post to social media'' from the event.

The Walt Disney Company said it would move the time of its second-quarter earnings release on Tuesday so executives could attend the funeral. Ms. Sandberg is a Disney board member.

Mr. Goldberg, who had worked at Yahoo and at a venture capital firm before running SurveyMonkey, lived with Ms. Sandberg in Menlo Park, Calif. They have two children. He is also survived by his mother, Paula Goldberg.

SurveyMonkey, a start-up that makes web survey technology, has not yet named an interim successor to Mr. Goldberg. Selina Tobaccowala is the company's president, and Tim Maly is its chief operating officer and chief financial officer.

Vindu Goel reported from San Francisco and Randal C. Archibold from Mexico City. Paulina Villegas contributed reporting from Mexico City and Jodi Kantor contributed reporting from New York.

Correction: May 4, 2015

An earlier version of this article misstated the Mexican state represented by a prosecutor's office spokesman who gave details of Mr. Goldberg's death. It is Nayarit, not Jalisco.

Vindu Goel reported from San Francisco and Randal C. Archibold from Mexico City. Paulina Villegas contributed reporting from Mexico City and Jodi Kantor contributed reporting from New York.

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Archived Version

Tue, 05 May 2015 01:51

First of all, let me say that I feel really bad for everyone who is losing Dave Goldberg in their life. I feel bad that he will not get to see his two kids grow up. His death is very sad. I have not had a spouse die or a parent die and I'm sure the experience is more awful than I could even imagine.

Still. I can't help but wonder how he died. It is completely standard in journalism to report the cause of death when the announcement is made. After the initial, cursory announcement of death, major publications frequently run an obituary when a famous person dies, yet the Wall St. Journal and the New York Times ran formal obituaries and still mention nothing of the cause of death.

If there were suspicion of murder, there would be a police report.

If there were some sort of complicated condition that Dave kept a secret, the death announcement could follow a time-honored tradition of being vague and uninformative, like saying ''heart condition'' or ''muscular complication'' or even ''degenerative disease''.

Let's say he has a terrible disease, like the one in Still Alice, where he will die early and so will his children. And let's say his children do not know and the family has chosen not to tell them. Fine. The announcement could use that same, vague language.

If the family does not want to talk about the cause of death, it seems that the most logical thing to do would be to announce some sort of vague cause that would stop people from asking questions. But surely the family knows there will be questions if they say nothing. Dave and Sheryl are the most vocal couple on the planet about how to have a dual-career marriage, and one half of that marriage is gone. Of course people will ask questions. The best way to stop the questions is to give a vague, boring cause of death.

So the only explanation I can see for being totally quiet on this topic is that he killed himself.

Why is this important? Why do I get to ask the personally invasive question about his death?

Because Sheryl Sandberg, who was married to him, is not only Facebook's COO, but she is also the author of the book Lean In. That book tells women that they should have a career like Sheryl's. And, most significantly for this post, that women should pick a spouse like Dave.

Sheryl has said over and over again that it is because of her spouse that she is able to Lean In (which, loosely translated, means work insanely long hours and have kids and have a great marriage).

I want to know, how can someone Lean In as a single parent? I wonder how someone will Lean In when there is no other parent to comfort a sad child.

If this sounds spiteful and ugly it is. But I think it is also appropriate, and whoelsewouldsayitbesidesme?

Most people have something in their life that prevents them from leaning in. I don't actually even think this is a gender thing. I coach hundreds of men whose earning power plateaus because they won't relocate or they won't work weekends, or they want to be home for spring break. It's not that we are victims of life, it's that at some point in most of our lives there comes a time when something else is more important than Leaning In.

I don't have any evidence that it was a suicide. All I have is someone notable died and no one is saying how. And however Sheryl's husband died is news, since she has been news for three years telling women their husband is instrumental into the process of Leaning In.

But really, I just want to know how Dave died. Because I think he killed himself. And if he did, this might tells us a lot about what happens when both people in marriage Lean In.

Update: A few hours after I published this post news outlets started reporting various other causes of death. Here is my response to those reports: Do we still have to lean in if Dave Goldberg is dead?

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Tue, 05 May 2015 02:43

Rivers E. Approach to the patient with shock. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds.Cecil Medicine

Spaniol JR, Knight AR, Zebley JL, Anderson D, Pierce JD. Fluid resuscitation therapy for hemorrhagic shock.J Trauma Nurs

Jones AE, Kline JA. Shock. In: Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, et al, eds.Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice

Tarrant AM, Ryan MF, Hamilton PA, Bejaminov O. A pictorial review of hypovolaemic shock in adults.Br J Radiol

den Uil CA, Klijn E, Lagrand WK, Brugts JJ, Ince C, Spronk PE, Simoons ML. The microcirculation in health and critical disease.Prog Cardiovasc Dis

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Tue, 05 May 2015 02:25

What Is Hypovolemic Shock?Hypovolemic shock, also called hemorrhagic shock, is a life-threatening condition that results when you lose more than 20 percent (one-fifth) of your body's blood or fluid supply. This severe fluid loss makes it impossible for the heart to pump sufficient blood to your body. Hypovolemic shock can cause many of your organs to fail. The condition requires immediate emergency medical attention in order to survive.

Learn How to Bike Safely and Avoid Injury

What Causes Hypovolemic Shock?Hypovolemic shock results from significant blood and/or fluid losses in your body. Blood loss of this magnitude can occur because of:

bleeding from cuts or woundsbleeding from blunt traumatic injuries due to accidents or seizure activityinternal bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract or ruptured ectopic pregnancyIn addition to actual blood loss, the loss of body fluids can cause a decrease in blood volume. This can occur in cases of:

excessive diarrheasevere burnsprotracted and excessive vomitingexcessive sweatingWhen heavy bleeding occurs, there is not enough blood flow to the organs in your body. Blood carries oxygen and other essential substances to your organs and tissues. When these substances are lost more quickly than they can be replaced, organs in the body begin to shut down. As your heart shuts down and fails to circulate an adequate amount of blood through your body, symptoms of shock occur. Blood pressure plummets and there is a massive drop in body temperature, which can be life threatening.

According to the Mayo Clinic, hemorrhagic shock is the leading cause of death in people with traumatic injuries. (Mayo Clinic)

What are the Symptoms of Hypovolemic Shock?The symptoms of hypovolemic shock vary with the severity of the fluid and/or blood loss. However, all symptoms of shock are life threatening and should be treated as a medical emergency. Internal bleeding symptoms may be hard to recognize until symptoms of shock appear. However, external bleeding will be visible. Symptoms of hemorrhagic shock may not appear immediately. Older adults may not experience these symptoms until the shock has progressed significantly.

Symptoms include:

anxietyblue lips and fingernailslow or no urine outputprofuse sweatingshallow breathingdizzinessconfusionchest painloss of consciousnesslow blood pressurerapid heart rateweak pulseThe sign of external hemorrhaging is bleeding profusely at the site of injury.

Signs of internal hemorrhaging include:

abdominal painblood in the stoolblood in the urinevaginal bleeding (heavy, usually outside of normal menstruation)vomiting bloodchest painabdominal swellingIf you have any signs of hemorrhaging or of hemorrhagic shock, seek medical attention immediately. Have someone drive you to the hospital or call 911. Do not drive to the hospital on your own if you are bleeding profusely or if you have any symptoms of shock.

Emergency Care and First AidBecause hypovolemic shock is a medical emergency, call 911 immediately if you observe a person experiencing shock symptoms. Until responders arrive:

have the person lie flat with his or her feet elevated about 12 inchesrefrain from moving the person if a head, neck, or back injury is suspectedkeep the person warmrefrain from giving the person fluids by mouth because of the risk of chokingDo not elevate their head. Remove any visible dirt or debris from the injury site. DO NOT remove embedded glass, a knife, stick, arrow, or any other object stuck in the wound. If the area is clear of debris and no visible object is protruding from it, tie fabric around the site of injury such as a shirt, towel, or blanket to minimize blood loss. Apply pressure to the area. If you can, tie or tape the fabric to the injury.

What Complications are Associated with This Condition?Untreated hypovolemic shock will lead to death. A lack of blood and fluid in your body can lead to the following complications:

damage to organs such as your kidney or braingangrene of the arms or legsheart attackThe effects of hypovolemic shock depend on the amount and speed at which you are losing blood and/or fluids. The extent of your injuries can also determine your chances for survival. If you have chronic medical conditions such as diabetes or heart, lung, or kidney disease, these conditions can increase the likelihood you will experience more complications from hypovolemic shock.

How Is the Condition Diagnosed?There are often no advance warnings of shock. Instead, symptoms tend to arise only when you are already in the throes of the condition. A physical examination can reveal signs of shock, such as low blood pressure and rapid heartbeat. The person may also be less responsive when asked questions by the emergency room doctor.

While heavy bleeding is immediately recognizable, internal bleeding sometimes isn't found until someone shows signs of hemorrhagic shock.

In addition to physical symptoms, your physician may use a variety of testing methods to confirm you are experiencing hypovolemic shock. These include:

blood testing to check for electrolyte imbalances and kidney functionCT scan or an ultrasound to visualize body organsechocardiogram to measure heart rhythmendoscopy to examine the esophagus and other gastrointestinal organsright heart catheterization to check how blood is circulatingurinary catheterization to measure the amount of urine in the bladderOther tests may be ordered based on your symptoms.

How Is the Condition Treated?Once at a hospital, a person suspected of having hypovolemic shock will be given fluids and/or blood products via an intravenous line. Medications that increase the heart's pumping abilities also may be administered. These include dopamine, dobutamine, epinephrine, and/or norepinephrine.

Close cardiac monitoring, as well as monitoring of kidney function, will be done to determine the effectiveness of treatment.

Long-Term OutlookYour outlook will depend on the amount of blood you lost and the type of injury you sustained. The outlook is best in healthy patients who haven't had severe blood loss. Common complications of hemorrhagic shock include:

kidney damageother organ damagedeathSome people may also develop gangrene due to decreased circulation to the limbs. This infection may result in amputation of the affected limbs.

Get the Basics About Bleeding

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Show Sources

Duchesne, J. (2010, October). Hypovolemic shock. Tulane University. Retrieved July 16, 2012, from tulane.edu/som/departments/.../Hemorrhagic-Shock11-2010.pptHemorrhagic Shock. (n.d). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved June 21, 2012, fromhttp://www.mayoclinic.org/medicalprofs/managing-hemorrhagic-shock-put1011.htmlHemorrhagic Shock. (2002, June). The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Retrieved June 21, 2012, fromhttp://www.sogc.org/guidelines/public/115E-CPG-June2002.pdfHypotension and shock. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved July 16, 2012, from http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/micu/hypotension.htmHypovolemic shock. (2012, January 8). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved July 16, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001220/Shock: First Aid. (2012, April 10). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-shock/FA00056Strickler, J. Traumatic hypovolemic shock: Halt the downward spiral. Nursing. October 2010. 40(10). pp 34-39. Retrieved July 16, 2012, from http://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2010/10000/Traumatic_hypovolemic_shock__Halt_the_downward.12.aspxUnderstanding the Progression of Ankylosing Spondylitis

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Tue, 05 May 2015 02:18

MEXICO CITY - A Mexican state official says SurveyMonkey CEO David Goldberg died of severe head trauma in an exercise accident.

The official says Goldberg was found lying next to a treadmill on Friday at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita near Puerto Vallarta.

The official said family members went to look for him after he didn't return from exercising about 6:30 p.m. He was still alive when discovered and taken to a hospital, where he died.

The official said the cause of death was severe head trauma and hypovolemic shock, or bleeding.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak to the press.

By E. Eduardo Castillo, The Associated Press

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Archived Version

Tue, 05 May 2015 16:04

Sheryl Sandberg's husband, SurveyMonkey CEO Dave Goldberg, reportedly died in a Mexican hospital this weekend after falling off a hotel gym treadmill and hitting his head.

According to the New York Times, Goldberg was on vacation with Sandberg and his brother at a Four Seasons in Punta Mita, Mexico, where he was discovered collapsed on the ground near a treadmill Friday.

Via the AP:

The official said he left his room at about 4 p.m. to exercise, and family members went to look for him after he didn't return. He was found at about 6:30 p.m. in one of the resort's gymnasiums lying by a treadmill in a pool of blood, with a blow to the lower back of his head. He apparently had slipped on the treadmill and hit the machine, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak to the press.

The official said Goldberg still had vital signs when he was discovered, but later died at a hospital in Nuevo Vallarta.

Goldberg's official cause of death was reportedly listed as severe head trauma and hypovolemic shock.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, treadmills cause more accidents than any other type of gym equipment, resulting in around 19,000 emergency room visits in 2009.

[image via AP]

Contact the author of this post at gabrielle@gawker.com

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Tue, 05 May 2015 07:03

Mon May 4, 2015 7:22pm EDTSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - SurveyMonkey Chief Executive Dave Goldberg died Friday from a head injury while exercising at a hotel gym in Mexico, the local prosecutor's office said Monday.

Goldberg, the husband of Facebook Inc (FB.O) Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, fell off a treadmill at the Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita and hit his head, the prosecutor's spokesman said.

Goldberg's brother found him on the floor of the gym showing signs of life, the spokesman said. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

No criminal investigation is planned as there were no signs of violence, the spokesman said.

The Four Seasons hotel at Punta Mita denied the reports.

The general manager at the Four Seasons said that Goldberg had not been a guest and that the accident had not taken place at the Four Seasons.

Goldberg's brother announced his death on Saturday morning via a Facebook post, and SurveyMonkey also put out a short statement.

One of Silicon Valley's most admired entrepreneurs, Goldberg was known for his low-key demeanor and the grace and good humor with which he handled being married to one of the nation's most recognizable executives.

Under his leadership, privately held poll-taking company SurveyMonkey grew into a $2 billion business.

A memorial service for Goldberg will be held on Tuesday at Stanford University, according to friends of the family.

(Reporting by Sarah McBride, Simon Gardner and Michelle Conlin; Editing by Richard Chang, Bernard Orr)

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Thu, 07 May 2015 00:26

Popular Silicon Valley executive Dave Goldberg did not die while exercising at a Four Seasons Resort in Mexico '-- nor was he even a guest there, hotel officials said.

It was reported early Monday that Goldberg, who was the husband of Facebook second-in-command Sheryl Sandberg, had died after ''he fell off a treadmill and cracked his head open'' while working out at the private resort.

But the 47-year-old tech veteran had actually been exercising inside a gym at the Palmasola, which is a private resort next door to the Four Seasons Punta Mita, according to a spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Nayarit state.

Officials had told the New York Times that Goldberg died after he lost grip on the railings of a treadmill he was using at the Four Seasons, fell backward and hit his head. The local prosecutor's office then said that the accident happened in a workout room in the Palmasola, which they thought was owned by the Toronto-based resort.

Guests who stay in one of their nine adjacent beachfront villas are also granted full access to the Four Seasons' facilities, a spokesman said.

But officials at the Four Seasons eventually clarified that they do not in fact own the Palmasola '-- and shot down the possibility that Goldberg could have used a gym on their property.

''Four Seasons would like to clarify that, contrary to some media reports, the tragedy did not take place at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita,'' a spokesman said in a statement. ''I am able to confirm that the tragedy did not occur on-site at Four Seasons and that Mr. Goldberg was not in the Four Seasons gym.''

The resort added, ''Mr. Goldberg was not a registered guest at our resort, villas or residences.''

Goldberg, who was the CEO of the website SurveyMonkey, is said to have died from head trauma and blood loss at a hospital in Nuevo Vallarta. There will not be a criminal investigation as there were no signs of violence, the prosecutor's office said.

Photo: Getty Images

Meanwhile, President Obama recalled Tuesday how Goldberg touched the hearts and lives of so many people before his tragic death on Friday.''David Goldberg embodied the definition of a real leader '-- someone who was always looking for ways to empower others,'' he wrote on the White House's Facebook page, in a message signed ''bo.''

''He was generous and kind with everybody, and cared less about the limelight than making sure that the people he worked with and loved succeeded in whatever they did,'' Obama added. ''His skills as an entrepreneur created opportunity for many; his love for his family was a joy to behold, and his example as a husband and father was something we could all learn from. We're heartbroken by him leaving us far too soon '' but we celebrate a remarkable legacy.''

The post struck a chord with Goldberg's friend and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who replied, ''Thank you for this beautiful tribute.''

With Post Wires

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Archived Version

Thu, 07 May 2015 00:23

After days of silence and misreporting, the Mexican resort where Sheryl Sandberg's late husband allegedly died in an exercise fatality has deleted this photo of its treadmill facility.

As of this morning, the website of the Palmasolaresort'--which states it is located ''at the Four Seasons'' in Punta Mita, Mexico'--hosted this photo, apparently taken on its premises:

It's unclear whether this is the exact treadmill upon which David Goldberg reportedly sustained a fatal head injury, but it is a photo of a treadmill nonetheless. A photo that is now completely gone:

We reached out to the Palmasola for comment and we will update if we hear back.

Update: I received this email from a Palmasola rep:

Unfortunately we've been made aware that a few media outlets used this photo without permission and in a way which we felt was insensitive to the family. Out of respect to the family we have removed the image from our website.

Contact the author at biddle@gawker.com.

Public PGP keyPGP fingerprint: E93A 40D1 FA38 4B2B 1477 C855 3DEA F030 F340 E2C7

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Thu, 07 May 2015 00:23

Late yesterday, the New York Times reported that David Goldberg, SurveyMonkey CEO and late husband of Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, had been killed after he slipped on a Four Seasons treadmill in Mexico. That's a strange way to go'--but even stranger is that the resort is now denying it.

Dave Goldberg, Silicon Valley Executive, Died of Head Trauma, Mexican Official SaysDave Goldberg, Silicon Valley Executive, Died of Head Trauma, Mexican Official SaysDave Goldberg, Silicon Valley Executive, Died of HThe chief of SurveyMonkey, who was married to Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, collapsed while'...Read more Read more

The Times report cited an anonymous Mexican state prosecutor, who specified the resort where Goldberg died (the Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita), along with other details:

Mr. Goldberg left his room around 4 p.m. on Friday, collapsed while exercising and died of head trauma and blood loss, said the spokesman. His brother, Robert Goldberg, found him on the floor of a gym at around 7 p.m., with blood around him. The spokesman said it appeared ''he fell off the treadmill and cracked his head open.''

But a Reuters article on Goldberg's death includes a denial from this resort:

The Four Seasons hotel at Punta Mita denied the reports.

The general manager at the Four Seasons said that Goldberg had not been a guest and that the accident had not taken place at the Four Seasons.

An AP report echoes Reuters:

The Four Seasons, however, issued a statement saying the incident did not happen on any of its properties and that David Goldberg was not registered as a guest in any of the resort's rooms, villas or residences.

It's of course possible that this chain of super-luxe hotels and resorts wants to distance itself from a high-profile death involving its gym equipment, but to state outright that Goldberg was never even staying there is bizarre. Then again, so is not listing any cause in a high-profile death to begin with.

Update: The Times added this to their article from yesterday:

Correction: May 5, 2015

An earlier version of this article misstated Mr. Goldberg's location at the time of his death. He was at a private villa near the Four Seasons Resort, not at the Four Seasons itself

Photo: Getty

Contact the author at biddle@gawker.com.Public PGP keyPGP fingerprint: E93A 40D1 FA38 4B2B 1477 C855 3DEA F030 F340 E2C7

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Wed, 06 May 2015 16:35

PALO ALTO (CBS SF) '-- Autopsy results offer a different idea about how SurveyMonkey CEO David Goldberg died.

According to CBS News, Goldberg had a heart arrhythmia that may have contributed to his death.

The 47-year-old died after a treadmill accident while on vacation with his family in Mexico.

Authorities in the Mexican state of Nayarit, where the villa is located, said an autopsy had ruled out foul play in Goldberg's death. They noted he suffered a blunt-force injury and a cut on the head but there was no sign of struggle.

There were 24,400 injuries in the U.S. associated with treadmill accidents last year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which said there had been 30 reported deaths from 2003 to 2012.

VIDEO: David Goldberg's Tragic Death Calls Attention To Dangers Of Treadmills

On Tuesday, people from Silicon Valley and beyond gathered at a Stanford auditorium for a private tribute to honor him.

U2 vocalist Bono sang before an audience of some 1,500 mourners that included Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, film director George Lucas and a host of tech company founders, executives and financiers.

Afterward, mourners emerged teary-eyed from Stanford University's Memorial Auditorium, many wearing Minnesota Vikings paraphernalia to commemorate the NFL team loved by Goldberg, a Minneapolis native.

Goldberg was the CEO of online startup Survey Monkey and the husband of Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook.

''Dave was my rock,'' Sandberg wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. ''We had 11 truly joyful years of the deepest love, happiest marriage and truest partnership that I could imagine.''

Sandberg also said that as heartbroken as she is, she's grateful for every minute they had. And if someone told her that this day would come just 11 years after they married, she still would have walked down that aisle.

TM and (C) Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 07:36

Dave Goldberg is the CEO of SurveyMonkey. As an entrepreneur, venture capitalist and industry executive, he has led and grown several online consumer businesses. Dave founded LAUNCH Media Inc. in 1994 and led the company through its acquisition by Yahoo! in 2001. Following the sale, Dave served as vice president and general manager of Yahoo! Music, where he directed the company's global music operation and built it into the Internet's most visited music destination. In 2006, Dave was named one of Billboard Magazine's top power players in digital music. From 2007 until he joined SurveyMonkey in 2009, Dave served as an entrepreneur-in-residence with Benchmark Capital, where he evaluated investment opportunities for the firm and advised portfolio companies. Earlier in his career, Dave was director of marketing strategy and new business development at Capitol Records in Los Angeles. Currently, Dave serves on the board of directors at Dashbox, Graham Holdings Company (formerly The Washington Post Co.) and the nonprofit New Schools Venture Fund. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and government.

Rob has spent many years building ideas into companies. He is currently the founder and CEO of Fresno Inc., a digital content studio. Prior to the creation of Fresno, Rob was the GM of Topps Digital Services, a business unit that was created when he sold the company he founded, GMG Entertainment, to the Topps Company in 2011. Prior to GMG Entertainment, Rob was the CEO of the entertainment marketing firm Gold Marketing Group. He spent seven years as an executive growing LAUNCH Media before it was sold to Yahoo! to become Yahoo! Music. Rob's entrepreneurial spirit began early when at age 22 he became founder and CEO of the llizwe Trading Company, a footwear and apparel company based in Cape Town, South Africa. Currently, Rob is an angel investor, and he and his wife are active supporters of several nonprofit organizations including OPCC and BringChange2Mind. Rob has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/creative writing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Outstanding Alumni Recipient List

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Tue, 05 May 2015 07:25

Jun 9, 2015 - Jun 10, 201510:00am - 8:00pmAll across Silicon Valley, Mountain View, California, United StatesDuring 2 days visit inside 60+ of Silicon Valley's most inspirational companies such as Google, LinkedIn, GoPro, Wealthfront and many more.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 01:59

Last Updated On:October 21, 2014Filed On:October 2, 2012By:Victor MirandaReported Customer Loss =$1,190.00

A company by the name of Survey Monkey sent me a check for 1490.00, which I deposited into my account, waited two days to clear, on Monday the bank had cleared the funds of $1490, I than conducted my first assignment, which was to survey Western Union, there actions, knowledge, customer service skills, etc, and one of the task was to use the funds that they sent me to do a transaction, sending $1065.00 to a Joseph Emmanuel, pick up in Italy, Europe, transaction # 119-829-3048, on the 2nd of Oct my bank had called me and told me that the check was returned, and I had a zero balance, which money was also used to pay my rent, etc, tried to contact the company no answer, now Im in the position of over draft fee, insufficient funds, etc. person dealt with at that company was Lisa Ford

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Tue, 05 May 2015 02:08

We have another update in the decade-plus-long litigation drama involving several animal rights groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, involving their alleged racketeering scheme against Feld Entertainment, owner of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

You may recall that in late 2009, animal rights groups saw their legal offensive against the circus tossed out of federal court by United States District Judge Emmet Sullivan of the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, Feld filed a suit against the animal rights groups alleging injuries under the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), the same law that's been used to bust mobsters. Very saucy. On July 9, Sullivan denied most of the requests for a motion to dismiss brought by the defendants. Feld's RICO suit will move forward.

Feld first took on the animal rights bullies when they found a plaintiff to sue Feld back in 2000. Tom Rider, a former Feld trainer, alleged elephant abuse by Feld in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The basis of Feld's RICO suit is that the plaintiffs in the ESA lawsuit, the animal rights groups that are now defendants, were aware that Rider wasn't telling the truth. Feld also alleges that improper payments were made to Rider, the star witness and named plaintiff in the ESA action. The payments of $1,000 every two weeks added up to $190,000 in Rider's pocket, which was, as the court later found, Rider's ''sole source of income.''

Feld's other RICO allegations involve violations of the federal mail and wire fraud statutes and false testimony by Rider.

In 2009, almost a decade after the initial filing, Judge Sullivan threw out the ESA lawsuit, finding that the animal rights plaintiffs lacked legal standing to sue, and further finding that that Rider was ''essentially a paid plaintiff and fact witness who is not credible'' whose testimony was given no weight by the court. Again, Rider received a whopping $190,000 from the animal rights groups. All the while, Rider made claims that he had a ''personal attachment'' to the elephants and that he suffered ''aesthetic injury'' from the way they were abused'--claims that a judge found to be totally lacking credibility. The Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal. (The full opinion is here.)

What's been alleged here is an incredibly elaborate scheme, one that constitutes racketeering under federal law.

So where does HSUS stand in this legal mess?

First, you need to know that the Fund for Animals (FFA) was one of the original plaintiffs in the suit against Feld back in 2000. FFA has been accused of concealing payments to Rider and working with the other activist organizations to do so.

So why do FFA's actions matter? Feld alleges that HSUS and FFA acted as the same group after HSUS obtained most of FFA's assets in 2005, which, as the judge found here, could make HSUS liable for FFA's actions under a theory of de facto merger that gives the successor company liability. On top of that, Feld also alleges that the FFA/HSUS merged entity still participated in the improper payments to Rider. Because of this, Judge Sullivan denied the HSUS motion to dismiss the RICO lawsuit.

But let's not forget about two other defendants in this lawsuit: Jonathan Lovvorn and Kimberly Ockene. At the time of the original suit against Feld, Lovvorn and Ockene were partners at Meyer Glitzenstein and Crystal, the law firm that helped funnel money to Rider, according to Feld's suit. Today, Lovvorn and Ockene are attorneys for HSUS. The court found that both might be held jointly and severally liable for the actions of the partners and the firm.

Feld also claims that Lovvorn is directly liable for his alleged knowledge and discussion of payments to Rider and that he participated in at least some of the payments that FFA/HSUS made to Rider. Feld also claims that as a partner leading the ESA litigation, he may be liable as a controlling member of the RICO scheme. As for Ockene, Feld alleges that she might be indirectly liable for racketeering based on her ''provid[ing] misleading and/or false interrogatory answers in order to cover up the payments to Rider, and defend[ing] a deposition in which the deponent gave false testimony about the Rider payments.'' On all of these allegations, the court refused to dismiss these charges against them.

Legally speaking, this ruling merely clears the way for the case to move forward. A motion to dismiss is a typical action of any defendant. The standard of review for this motion is to assume that everything that the plaintiff alleges is correct, so there is a high bar that defendants must meet in order to stop the suit. Feld only missed that mark in a few instances, so the majority of the suit can still go forward.

As for the original suit that we updated you about in April: A quick look at PACER shows that Feld is still hoping to recover $20 million in attorney's fees, while the attorneys from both sides snipe at each other over their claims.

The RICO defendants now have until August 7 to respond to Feld's complaint, and so, barring an extension, we'll be able to give you an update next month.

When you really consider the assault on circuses, whether it's from Congress or from animal rights lawyers, it's a wonder that any group can survive. Thanks to Feld, others can now see that it is worthwhile to fight back and defend yourself. Unfortunately, it may be donors to HSUS'--who probably thought their money was going to help dogs and cats'--who end up paying Feld's legal bills or treble damages under RICO.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 02:05

We're disappointed to see that SurveyMonkey, a web survey company, has given over $400,000 to the deceptive and manipulative Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Also disappointing has been the company's corporate-speak response, thus far, to inquiries.

For background, here's how SurveyMonkey works: Clients can hire SurveyMonkey to get people to take questionnaires about consumer products or some other topic. SurveyMonkey then offers an incentive to respondents: SurveyMonkey will donate 50 cents for each survey they take to a nonprofit of their choice. (If you sign up a profile from one of the emails HSUS sends to its communication lists begging people to take surveys at SurveyMonkey, your automatic choice is HSUS, though this can be changed.)

The problem is that HSUS isn't a reputable group to be a charity partner, for several reasons.

The American Institute of Philanthropy finds that HSUS spends as little as half of its budget on programs, blowing the rest on overhead'--which earns HSUS a ''D'' grade.HSUS is trying to end all animal agriculture, employing radical activists, including one former PETA activist who has absurdly compared farms to Nazi concentration camps.While polls show that the general public'--and HSUS's own donors'--think that money given to HSUS largely goes to pet shelters, only 1 percent of the money raised by HSUS goes to local shelters, and HSUS doesn't run a single pet shelter'--despite HSUS's deceptive advertising.HSUS and two of its employees are in federal court defending against a lawsuit brought under anti-racketeering (RICO) statutes.HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle has said ''I don't love animals or think they are cute'' and ''I don't want to see another cat or dog born.'' Pacelle also signed at least one check implicated in the scheme outlined in the RICO lawsuit.Congressmen have called for a federal investigation of HSUS for possible violation of its tax-exempt status.Does SurveyMonkey know how its money is being used? How about the survey takers?

SurveyMonkey raised over $700,000 for charity in the past year, with more than half of that going to HSUS. That's unfortunate given that there are other animal charities on SurveyMonkey's program, such as PetFinder, a website where users can look for adoptable animals near their location, or Red Rover, which performs animal rescue.

SurveyMonkey has two alternative choices already and more charities that it could partner with. There's no reason to keep HSUS on the roll.

Posted on 09/20/2013 at 4:42 pm by Humane Watch Team.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 04:38

The huge earthquake in Nepal has caused a lot of damage and suffering. Thousands of people are hurt and homeless. If you want to help the Nepalese, Charity Navigator has a list of screened charities that you can give to. A lot of people also want to help the animals in Nepal, whether personal pets, street ['...]

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Tue, 05 May 2015 04:37

Big-hearted people tend to have warm and truly fuzzy thoughts about the Humane Society of the United States.

This is, after all, the organization that operates shelters nationwide and saves hundreds of thousands of animals. This is the selfless organization that stands up for the voiceless and abused. Although there are countless alternatives, this is the charity you should be sending your money to if you care about pets. Right?

Wrong. This is a complete crock.

First of all, the Humane Society of the United States -- the HSUS -- has no connection whatsoever to your local Humane Society: the one that runs your local shelter. Second, even those local Humane Societies aren't generally all that humane: most operate high-kill shelters that routinely slaughter healthy dogs and cats. Third, although the HSUS does make a great show of standing up for abused animals -- and sometimes accomplishes good things, and sometimes very much the opposite -- there's nothing remotely selfless about this behavior. Why? Because, fourth, the HSUS just isn't all that charitable. Bear with me, and we'll hold a magnifying glass to their generosity, including their recent sorry report card from CharityWatch.

In fact, if you care about dogs, and cats, and bunnies -- as opposed to lobbyists -- it's your duty to toss a water balloon, mischievously, at this outfit. Preferably a water balloon the size of a small planet. One that initiates a tsunami, floats this pernicious organization out to sea -- safely, of course -- and strands them on a barren island, completely devoid of animal life, where they can do no harm.

Let's begin by addressing some popular misconceptions.

The Humane Society of the United States doesn't run any shelters. It has no veterinary clinics. That abused puppy whose photo they've published widely in an urgent bid for donations? That puppy was almost certainly rescued by someone else. It's certainly being cared for by someone else. And it won't see a penny of your donation. Okay, perhaps one penny out of every dollar. (Literally.)

But that doesn't stop the HSUS from working the cute puppy angle. Even though less than one percent of their budget goes to shelter animals, a full 85 percent of their fundraising propaganda features shelter animals. Cute ones.

The HSUS has a whole program aimed at kids. It also targets the people who influence kids: clever. I urge you to visit their web page, entitled "Resources for Parents & Educators." The first word at the top of the page is "DONATE," but that's perhaps a coincidence. Let your eyes wander down. Check out the not-very-random iconography. Let's see: a kid hugs a cute kitten in the banner. Another feeds a cute puppy next to the headline. A cartoony thumbnail advertises Kind News magazine: "Teach kids to be kind to animals with Kind News, our magazine for K-6 students."

"Kind" is an acronym for "Kids in Nature's Defense." That's sweet: They're hoping to seed a whole new generation of lobbyists. I assume this, because they're not much good at anything else. "Defense" -- for the HSUS -- is overwhelmingly a legal process.

Now, I have nothing against lobbyists in general. Or lawyers (since half of my DNA was supplied by one.) My issue is with lobbyists and lawyers who represent themselves as something else.

As a lobby, the HSUS have in fact done some good. They have made real strides in pushing anti-cruelty legislation (although this has been seriously undercut by their CEO's willingness to pal around with the most notorious animal abuser in the nation: see below.) Their efforts to prevent such activities as cockfighting are laudable. They've worked towards eliminating cruel farming practices. This is all work being done by other groups as well, who don't pay themselves HSUS-level salaries, but any contribution here is welcome.

On the other hand, much of what they do -- and much of what drives them -- is sickening.

Especially nauseating -- given how casually they lean on children's love of pets -- is that their CEO, Wayne Pacelle, has suggested that he would be happy to see pets wiped off the face of the earth: "We have no problems with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding." Pacelle has admitted to this quotation, but -- always suave and reasonable -- he insists that he said this a long time ago, and that it has been taken out of context and distorted. He was referring to "rare livestock breeds." Funny that he doesn't address another comment made the same year: "In fact, I don't want to see another dog or cat born."

Rare livestock breeds indeed: the dog; the cat. Now, his thoughts on these matters, he insists, have become "more nuanced." Great. I don't want nuance when it comes to extinction. I want to see a complete repudiation of an utterly revolting proposition.

Keeping all of this in mind, let's enjoy some more Kind News, shall we?

More pictures: kids hugging dogs, touching foreheads with a bird, and -- yes -- a smiling educator holding a kittycat. She looks as if she's just taken one of their special "online courses." Or perhaps a "certificate program." All of which is naturally free of charge, because the HSUS has a budget of 131 million dollars, funded mostly through donations. Oh, it's not free? Over a thousand dollars for a 3-credit course? Yes, it appears they make money even from training people to indoctrinate kids. (For what it's worth, Harvard charges this much for an online course. Which is four credits. And Harvard.) Do these guys do anything out of charity?

Not much, according to the people who track such things. CharityWatch has given the HSUS a grade of 'D'. This means what a D generally means: unsatisfactory.

Now, you can find all sorts of easy-going charity evaluators, who give high marks to even the worst delinquents. Just as you can purchase a really swank degree from the right people, even if you were kicked out of high school for cheating. CharityWatch, on the other hand -- which is the name now used by the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) -- is famously rigorous: the most stringent and neutral of the watchdog groups.

What you get from CharityWatch is what you deserve. And a 'D' from these guys is utterly damning. The Mafia could probably manage better than a 'D.' I joke. Okay, I sort of joke. Jim Matthews at Outdoor News Service writes:

In a little-reported ruling by a judge in the District of Columbia earlier this month, the HSUS is going to court to face charges under RICO statutes on racketeering, obstruction of justice, malicious prosecution and other charges.

Those are, yes, the statutes designed to facilitate the prosecution of organized crime: "RICO" stands for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The federal suit was filed by Feld Entertainment. If they get an 'F' in court, then Matthews suggests we may finally see the end of them: "This future lawsuit could easily bankrupt HSUS and put it out of business."

So. A 'D' in Charity. We can only wonder about their marks for "Faith" and "Hope" -- but let's at least hope that your children get better grades than this. Even an A+ kid can be swayed, however, by photos of her peers snuggling mountains of cuteness. You can see why a good, Kind-hearted child would be moved to send in her allowance.

One friend of mine admitted to me: "I actually did send them two dollars once, decades ago, in memory of a pet who had died. My birthday money from my grandmother. Back when two bucks was like $20 today." To be fair, back then the Humane Society may well have deserved her birthday money. They've changed a lot over the years.

Meanwhile, these days, Little Cindy's not sending the precious pennies from her birthday or her lemonade stand to the underfunded shelter workers around the corner; she's sending her donation to a massively wealthy organization composed of well-paid lawyers and lobbyists and fundraisers. And the HSUS isn't keen on sharing. As I've mentioned, local shelters dealing with real live animals see a bit less than one percent of it. Even if little Cindy's too young to do the percentage thing, she'll probably find this, conceptually, kind of gross.

A much greater proportion of Cindy's money goes towards fundraising. Not funds for abused puppies, but funds for the HSUS. Their budget for fundraising is staggering: they spend 39 percent of their yearly budget on filling the coffers. Explain to little Cindy that 39 percent of 131 million is 51 million dollars.

As far as manipulating children goes, this is slightly less appalling than PETA's "Your Daddy Kills Animals" garbage, but it's still just a bit heartbreaking. Kids in fact care about animals. A lot. They don't generally have strong feelings for lobbyists. They don't cry themselves to sleep over lawyers and fundraisers. I expect they wouldn't donate money to an organization that sees an abused puppy as little more than a photo op.

Frankly, I expect most adults wouldn't send in their donations, if they knew what the Humane Society of the United States actually was. In this sense, the HSUS is very much like PETA: a good deal of their funding comes from people who don't have the slightest idea of their real agenda.

The HSUS was a bit more open about their true nature until recently: They were "registered with the Secretary of the Senate as a 'Lobbying Organization' up until August of 2006."

Discerning agenda is a problem with both the HSUS and its enemies. Their most outspoken opponent is HumaneWatch, Richard Berman's organization, which tends to conceal its link to Big Agriculture. I try to avoid quoting them, not because they're inaccurate -- if they were, they'd be sued into dust -- but because they offer a facile ad hominem argument to HSUS apologists: "That can't be true; it comes from the meat lobby."

Now, I'm no vegan. Nevertheless, my allegiance is to shelter animals, not to cattlemen; and this is true of the No Kill movement in general, with which I'm explicitly aligned (a full disclosure offered proudly). I've made this abundantly clear in my writing about PETA.

You'll almost certainly find that some of what I say leads back to Berman: it's unavoidable -- he's everywhere. That, however, is not a refutation. A refutation requires proving that something is wrong. Having triple-checked everything, I am confident that you won't.

Meanwhile, the seriousness of the "Humane" bait-and-switch cannot be overstressed. Local Humane Societies have in fact been known to change their names to prevent the HSUS from luring away donations that should rightly be going to shelters.

As I say, local Humane Societies are often less than saintly, but they are the ones who run those shelters: They're the ones who see actual animals. And not one of them has anything to do with the Humane Society of the United States. The HSUS, which depends upon shelter porn for donations, doesn't really want you to know this.

One of the ugliest examples of this sleight-of-hand involved Fay, a pit bull rescued in a vast sting that exposed dogfighting rings in eight states. About 500 dogs were rescued, and Fay was a particularly harrowing case: she required reconstructive surgery to recreate her lips; the bone in her jaw was in such bad shape that her teeth were falling out. The photos alone made you want to reach for your wallet.

Which many did.

The HSUS sent out a newsletter: "Faye's a lucky survivor: She now sleeps in a warm bed in a safe place. To help save thousands of animals just like her in the new year, we're doing something we've never done before, and it's BIG: We're hoping to raise a million dollars online by December 31 for our 2010 Animal Survivors Fund."

Big is right. That's a lot of money. The problem was this: the dog's name was Fay, not "Faye." And the Humane Society caring for Fay was not the HSUS, but an entirely separate organization: The Humane Society of Missouri.

The HSUS, whose name is helpfully vague, was indeed trying to raise money by exploiting the efforts of a completely different Humane Society: one with a bona fide shelter. Yes, this title trick is pernicious. But it gets worse.

The organization trying to place Fay in a permanent home was Mutts-n-Stuff, a pit-bull rescue now called Phoenix Pack, and dedicated to the "loving memory of Fay." The HSUS, far from caring for Fay or any of the dogs involved in the sting, had been outspoken in its efforts to kill rescued pit bulls. Their attempt to have Michael Vick's pit bulls slaughtered ("euthanized") were notorious. Doubly so now that a supposedly reformed Michael Vick appears in HSUS propaganda, after a fund set up by the Philadelphia Eagles gave the HSUS a $50,000 grant. (I'll expand upon this charming non-transaction in a coming article.)

To recap -- the HSUS, a lobbying group, raised money by exploiting the misery of an abused dog: one that they hadn't rescued, and weren't caring for. An abused dog whose name they didn't even get right. The HSUS hoped that this repulsive tactic would bag them a million dollars. Chump change for these nice people, but still.

And they pulled this disgraceful stunt despite their stated preference, just a couple of years previously, for the slaughter of rescued pit bulls.

Let's put this in perspective, shall we? Young Cindy Lou Who has saved twenty dollars of her chore money, over the course of six months, and really wants to put it towards helping puppies in distress. Ads drenched in pathos, featuring dogs like Fay, inform her that the major player in the business of helping abused puppies -- the very Michael Vick of canine salvation -- is the Humane Society of the United States.

Cindy Lou, as well as her mom and dad, mistakenly assume that this big national Humane Society has something to do with those local shelters dotting the nation, since many of them are called "Humane Societies." Is the HSUS perhaps an umbrella group? National headquarters? The mothership?

Nobody tells them that this wealthy outfit has absolutely nothing to do with these not-very-wealthy shelters. Nothing whatsoever. Nada.

And so Cindy Lou's twenty dollars goes to the guy in rented Santa garb (which carefully conceals a bespoke pinstripe suit), instead of to the people who urgently need it: the ones in overalls doing their desperate best to save animals. Funny, huh? Thigh-slapping, really. Poor little Cindy Lou Sap, huddled over her Kind News magazine.

Stories of this sort, however, sometimes have a surprisingly happy ending. As far as justice goes, I have faith that there is hope for this charity. That judge, who has given the green light to "racketeering and conspiracy" claims against the HSUS and its allies? He has made an especially fair decision: the alleged victims can include "members of the public who may have been improperly induced to make donations."

In short, Cindy.

Copyright (C)2015 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc."The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 04:29

Founded1954 (as National Humane Society)FounderFred Myers, Helen Jones, Larry Andrews, Marcia GlaserType501(c)(3)[1]53-0225390FocusAnimal protection, Animal rights, Cruelty to Animals, Humane education, Animal Ethics, Animal law, wildlife conservationLocationCoordinates38°54'²14'"N77°02'²49'"W>> / >>38.904°N 77.047°W>> / 38.904; -77.047Methodpublic education, science-based analysis, training and education, grant-making,litigation, legislation, public policyKey people

Wayne Pacelle, Andrew Rowan, Michael Markarian, Holly Hazard, Roger KindlerRevenue

$125,763,492 (2012)[2]Slogan"Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty"Websitehumanesociety .orgThe Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), based in Washington, D.C., is an American nonprofit organization founded by journalist Fred Myers and three others in 1954, to address what they saw as animal-related cruelties of national scope, and to resolve animal welfare problems by applying strategies beyond the resources or abilities of local organizations.[3] In 2013, the Chronicle of Philanthropy identified HSUS as the 136th largest charity in the United States in its Philanthropy 400 listing, up from 145 in 2011.[4][5] In 2011, HSUS was rated the number one high impact animal organization by 169 experts in the field, in a survey by Philanthropedia.[6] The group's current major campaigns target five issues: factory farming, animal fighting, the fur trade, puppy mills, and wildlife abuse.[7] The organization works on a full range of animal issues, including companion animals, wildlife, farm animals, horses and other equines, and animals used in research, testing and education.[8]

The HSUS reported its revenue as US$125,763,492 and its net assets at over US$195 million for 2012.[9]

HSUS pursues its global work through an affiliate, Humane Society International, which listed staff members in 17 nations for 2013.[10] Other affiliated entities include the Doris Day Animal League, founded by the actress Doris Day, and the Fund for Animals, founded by the social critic Cleveland Amory. Together with its affiliate, the Fund for Animals, HSUS operates animal sanctuaries in five states.[11]

The HSUS does not run local shelters or oversee local animal care and control agencies, but promotes best practices and supports such entities throughout the country with a range of services.[12] In 2014, it claimed more than 11 million Americans among its members and supporters.[citation needed]

Overview[edit]The HSUS formed after a schism surfaced in the American Humane Association over pound seizure, rodeo, and other issue of policy. The incorporators of HSUS included four people'--Larry Andrews, Marcia Glaser, Helen Jones, and Fred Myers'--all of whom were active in the leadership of existing local and national groups, who would become its first four employees. They believed that a new kind of organization would strengthen the American humane movement, and they set up HSUS as the "National Humane Society," in Washington, DC to ensure that it could play a strong role in national policy development concerning animal welfare. HSUS's guiding principle was ratified by its national membership in 1956: "The Humane Society of the United States opposes and seeks to prevent all use or exploitation of animals that causes pain, suffering, or fear."[13][14][15][16][17][18]

Rationale[edit]The values that shaped HSUS's formation in 1954, came in some degree from the humane movement that originated in the 1860s in the United States. The idea of kindness to animals made significant inroads in American culture in the years following the Civil War. The development of sympathy for creatures in pain, the satisfaction of keeping them as pets, and the heightening awareness about the relationship between cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence strengthened the movement's popular appeal.[19]

The most immediate philosophical influence on 1950s-era advocates, including those associated with HSUS, was the reverence-for-life concept advanced by Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer included a deep regard for nonhuman animals in his canon of beliefs, and animal advocates laboring to give their concerns a higher profile were buoyed by Schweitzer's 1952 Nobel Peace Prize speech, in which he noted that "compassion, in which ethics takes root, does not assume its true proportions until it embraces not only man but every living being."[20]

Myers and his colleagues found another exemplar of their values in Joseph Wood Krutch (1893''1970), whose writings reflected a deep level of appreciation for wilderness and for nonhuman life. With The Great Chain of Life (1957), Krutch established himself as a philosopher of humaneness, and in 1970, HSUS's highest award was renamed in his honor.[21]

The growing environmental movement of the early 1970s also influenced the ethical and practical evolution of HSUS. The burgeoning crisis of pollution and wildlife-habitat loss made the public increasingly aware that humans needed to change their behavior toward other living things. By that time, too, the treatment of animals had become a topic of serious discussion within moral philosophy.

The debate spilled over into public consciousness with the publication of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation (1975). Singer's book sought to recast concern for animals as a justice-based cause like the movements for civil rights and women's rights.[22]

Much of what Singer wrote concerning the prevention or reduction of animals' suffering was in harmony with HSUS's objectives. Singer's philosophy did not rest upon the rights of animals, and he specifically rejected the framework of rights in favor of a utilitarian assessment that focused on animal sentience. His principal concern, like that of HSUS, was the mitigation and elimination of suffering, and he endorsed the view that ethical treatment sometimes permitted or even required killing animals to end their misery.[22][23]

The 1980s witnessed a flourishing of concern about animals and a proliferation of new organizations, many influenced by the emergence of a philosophy holding that animals had inherent rights. Those committed to the purest form of animal rights rejected any human use of animals. In this changing context, HSUS faced new challenges. As newer animal organizations adopted more radical approaches to achieve their goals, the organization born in anti-establishment politics now found itself identified - and sometimes criticized - as the "establishment" group of record.[24]

History[edit]In 1954, HSUS's founders decided to create a new kind of animal organization, based in the nation's capital, to confront national cruelties beyond the reach of local societies and state federations. Humane slaughter became an immediate priority and commanded a substantial portion of the organization's resources. Myers and his colleagues also viewed this first campaign as a vehicle for promoting movement cohesion.

Humane slaughter legislation[edit]In 1958, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act passed, which required the proper use of humane slaughter methods at slaughterhouses subject to federal inspection.[25] Only four years after HSUS's formation, Myers pointed out that the movement had united, for the first time in eighty-five years,[25] to achieve enactment of federal legislation that would affect the lives of tens of millions of animals. He was encouraged that "hundreds of local societies could lift their eyes from local problems to a great national cruelty."[3]

Regulation of experimentation upon animals[edit]HSUS also made the use of animals in research, testing, and education an early focus. In the post''World War II era, an increasingly assertive biomedical research community sought to obtain animals from pounds and shelters handling municipal animal control contracts. Local humane societies across the nation resisted. HSUS sought to bolster the movement's strong opposition to pound seizure, believing that no public pound or privately operated humane society should be compelled by law to provide animals for experimental use.[26]

HSUS took the position that animal experimentation should be regulated, and in the 1950s it placed investigators in laboratories to gather evidence of substandard conditions and animal suffering and neglect.[27] The HSUS was not an anti-vivisection society, Myers explained in 1958. Rather, it stood for the principle that "every humane society '... should be actively concerned about the treatment accorded to such a vast number of animals."[3]

Beginning in the 1990s, HSUS board member David O. Wiebers, a medical doctor associated with the Mayo Clinic, undertook efforts to lessen tensions between animal protection organizations and the scientific community, and to seek to identify areas of common agreement.[28]

Companion animals and shelters[edit]Service to local animal shelters, with a special focus on solving problems and challenges of importance to every one of the nation's humane societies, was an early priority for HSUS. Its first brochure, "They Preach Cruelty," focused on the tragedy of animal overpopulation.[29] HSUS and its state branches operated animal shelters in Waterford, Virginia, Salt Lake City Utah, and Boulder, Colorado, and elsewhere, during the 1960s, and part of the 1970s.[30] From the early 1960s onward, HSUS worked to promote the most humane methods possible for euthanasia of animals in shelters, using its Waterford, Virginia animal shelter as a model for best practices in this area.[31]

Under Phyllis Wright, HSUS was a driving force behind the shift to use of sodium pentobarbital for animal euthanasia, in opposition to the use of gas chambers and decompression, the standard shelter killing methods until the early 1980s.[32]

In 1984, a General Accounting Office report confirmed HSUS allegations of major problems with puppy mills in the United States, setting the stage for proposed legislation to regulate mills in the 1990s.[33]

Exposure of cruelty in the dog trade[edit]In 1961, HSUS investigator Frank McMahon launched a probe of dog dealers around the country to generate support for a federal law to prevent cruelty to animals destined for use in laboratories. The five-year investigation into the multilayered trade in dogs paid off in February 1966 when Life published a photo-essay of a raid conducted on a Maryland dog dealer's premises by McMahon and the state police.[34][35] The Life spread sparked outrage, and tens of thousands of Americans wrote to their congressional representatives, demanding action to protect animals and prevent pet theft. That summer the U.S. Congress approved the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act (later renamed the "Animal Welfare Act of 1966"), only the second major federal humane law passed since World War II.[36]

Goals and expansion[edit]Other broad goals during this time included a reduction in the U.S.'s homeless dog and cat population, the reform of inhumane euthanasia practices, and to regulate pet shops and to end the commercial pet breeding trade. HSUS and its state branches operated animal shelters in Waterford, Virginia, Salt Lake City Utah, and Boulder, Colorado, and elsewhere, during the 1960s, and part of the 1970s.[30] Today, HSUS operates five animal sanctuaries in the states of California, Florida Massachusetts, Oregon, and Texas.[37]

HSUS also worked, from the 1960s, to promote humane education of children in the schools. Much of this work was carried out under the auspices of an affiliate, the National Association for the Advancement of Humane Education. In the 1980s, HSUS sponsored several validation studies designed to demonstrate the value of humane education.[38][39]

Relationship to animal rights[edit]While HSUS welcomed and benefited from growing social interest in animals, it did not originally embrace the language and philosophy of animal rights. Rather, HSUS representatives expressed their beliefs that animals were "entitled to humane treatment and to equal and fair consideration."[40] Like many of the organizations and individuals associated with humane work, HSUS did try to come to terms with the shift toward rights-based language and arguments. In 1978, attorneys Robert Welborn and Murdaugh Stuart Madden[41] conducted a workshop at the HSUS annual conference, "Can Animal Rights Be Legally Defined?", and assembled constituents passed a resolution to the effect that "animals have the right to live and grow under conditions that are comfortable and reasonably natural... animals that are used by man in any way have the right to be free from abuse, pain, and torment caused or permitted by man... animals that are domesticated or whose natural environment is altered by man have the right to receive from man adequate food, shelter, and care."[42] In 1980 the notion of rights surfaced in an HSUS convention resolution which, noting that "such rights naturally evolve from long accepted doctrines of justice or fairness or some other dimension of morality," called for "pursuit on all fronts... the clear articulation and establishment of the rights of animals"[43]

In 1986, HSUS employee John McArdle declared that "HSUS is definitely shifting in the direction of animal rights faster than anyone would realize from our literature".[44] The HSUS fired McArdle shortly thereafter, he alleged, for being an "animal rights activist.".[45] At about the same time, former HSUS president John Hoyt stated that "this new [animal rights] philosophy has served as a catalyst in the shaping of our own philosophies, policies, and goals."[46]

Position against the use of violence[edit]Since 1990 at least, HSUS has expressed a clear opposition to "the use of threats and acts of violence against people and willful destruction and theft of property."[47][48][49] In 2008, HSUS offered a reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of parties involved with the firebombing of two University of California animal researchers.[50]

Recent history[edit]In the spring of 2004, the HSUS board appointed Wayne Pacelle as CEO and president. A former executive director of The Fund for Animals and named in 1997 as "one of America's most important animal rights activists,"[51] the Yale graduate spent a decade as HSUS's chief lobbyist and spokesperson, and expressed a strong commitment to expand the organization's base of support as well as its influence on public policies that affect animals.[52] Under Pacelle's leadership, HSUS has undertaken several dozen ballot initiative and referendum campaigns in a number of states, concerning issues like unsporting hunting practices, cruelty in industrial agriculture, greyhound racing, puppy mill cruelty and animal trapping.[53][54][55] In August 2014, Pacelle was again named to the NonProfit Times' "Power and Influence Top 50" for his achievements in leading HSUS, the fourth time he has been so recognized.[56]

Since Pacelle's appointment, HSUS has claimed successes such as the adoption of "cage-free" egg-purchasing policies by hundreds of universities and dozens of corporations;[57] the exposure of an international trophy hunting scam subsequently ended through legislative reform;[58] a number of successful congressional votes to outlaw horse slaughter; progress in securing legislation at the state and federal level to outlaw animal fighting and the interstate transport of fighting implements;[59] the enactment of internet hunting bans in nearly all of the states;[60] announcements by Wolfgang Puck and Burger King that they would increase their use of animal products derived under less abusive standards;[61] and an agreement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin enforcement of federal laws concerning the transportation of farm animals.[62]

Animal Protection Litigation section[edit]HSUS launched an animal protection litigation section in 2005. The section works with several thousand pro bono attorneys around the country to pursue its docket of cases. Under section leader Jonathan Lovvorn, the animal protection litigation group has won approximately three dozen cases in its first decade of existence, taking a practical approach, which Lovvorn explained in a 2012 interview. "We look at cases that are going to have a concrete impact on animals but are winnable. You won't see us out asking for courts to declare animals persons. Or to file habeas corpus requests on behalf of animals, or other things that require judges to go way beyond what they're comfortable with." In 2010, the section estimated that it had filed more than 50 legal actions in 25 states, and won 80% of its cases, while booking 10,000 hours of pro bono attorney time for a total in-kind contribution of $4 million.[63][64][65][66]

Canadian seal cull campaign[edit]Once launched in 2005, The HSUS's campaign to end the hunting of seals in Canada secured pledges to boycott Canadian seafood from 300 restaurants and companies, plus 120,000 individuals.[67] By 2014, the campaign claimed more than 6,500 restaurants, grocery stores and seafood supply companies were participants the Protect Seals campaign.[68]

Corporate expansion[edit]The corporate expansion forged by Pacelle included mergers with The Fund for Animals (2005), founded by social critic and author Cleveland Amory and the Doris Day Animal League (2006), founded by screen actress and singer Doris Day. This made possible the establishment of a separate campaigns department, an equine issues department, a litigation section, the enhancement of signature programs likes Pets for Life[69] and Wild Neighbors,[70] and an expanded range of hands-on care programs for animals.[71] During the first 2½ years of Pacelle's tenure, overall revenues and expenditures grew by more than 50 percent.[72] In early 2008, HSUS re-organized its direct veterinary care work and its veterinary advocacy under a new entity, the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, formed through an alliance with the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR).[73]

Corporate Social Responsibility Outreach[edit]Engagement with major corporations in an effort to persuade them to press for reforms in their supply chains has been a significant priority for HSUS in the last decade, and as a result of its efforts, more than 60 major food suppliers have used their leverage to change production level practices in the pork industry.[74]

Shareholder resolutions play a part in HSUS campaigns to generate corporate reform.[75]

Faith Outreach[edit]In 2007, HSUS launched a program designed to advance relationships and awareness within the American faith community at all levels. The program provides speakers, produces videos and other materials, and works with faith leaders to lead discussion of animal issues within the broader religious community.[76][77][78]

Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy[edit]The Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy (HSISP), founded in 2010, supports the application of scientific and technical analysis and expertise to animal welfare issues and policy questions worldwide. and HSISP is sustained by HSUS's own core group of academic, scientific, and technical experts in animal welfare, as well as outside scientists. HSISP is the manager of the Animal Studies Repository, a digital collection of academic and scientific resources related to animal studies and to animal welfare science. HSISP has held three conferences, the first on purebred dogs and genetic defects,the second on outdoor cats and associated management issues, and the third on sentience as a factor in determining animal welfare policy.[79][80][81]

Hurricane Katrina animal rescue[edit]In September 2005, when thousands of animals were left behind as people evacuated during Hurricane Katrina, HSUS joined other organizations in a massive search-and-rescue effort that saved approximately ten thousand animals, and raised more than $34 million for direct relief, reconstruction, and recovery in the Gulf Coast region. HSUS led the campaign that culminated in the federal passage of the PETS Act in October 2006, requiring all local, state, and federal agencies to include animals in their disaster planning scenarios.[82] HSUS published updates on its spending for a number of years following the disaster; the last appeared in 2011.[83] On the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, HSUS reported that it had spent or committed $7.3 million on direct response and efforts to reunite people and lost pets, $8.3 million on reconstruction grants for 54 humane societies in the Gulf Coast region, and $2.3 million on reimbursement grants to 130 humane societies from around the country that assisted in the response. The society also reported that it had committed $800,000 and $900,000, respectively, to shelter-medicine programs at the veterinary schools of Louisiana State University and Mississippi State University, and $600,000 to the construction of an emergency overflow shelter at the Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson, Louisiana. HSUS reported that it had directed $2.76 million in in-kind contributions to the relief effort, and collected another one million dollars from other donors in grants to Gulf Coast societies.[84] In August 2008, Pacelle appeared with Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell at a press conference marking the enactment of a law prohibiting cockfighting in Louisiana, the last state to do so. The prohibition resulted from a longtime campaign led by HSUS.[85] The HSUS remains active in the Gulf region, funding a number of projects aimed at reducing the area's pet overpopulation problem, and improving access to pet care for the Gulf Coast residents.[86] In August 2014, The Louisiana SPCA announced that it had received a grant of $250,000 from HSUS for continuing expansion of its New Orleans headquarters.[87]

Investigation into "faux" fur[edit]In late 2006, HSUS broke the story of its investigation into the sale of coats trimmed with real fur but labeled "faux" or fake. Laboratory testing found that the fur came from purpose-bred raccoon dogs in China that were sometimes beaten to death and skinned alive. The story of fur animals beaten to death and skinned alive is disputed by a fur industry trade group.[88] The investigation reportedly prompted several retailers including Macy's and J.C. Penney to pull the garments from the sale floor. Legislation was introduced in the U.S. Congress to require that all fur jackets be properly labeled, and to ban raccoon dog fur.[89]

In 2014, HSUS accused Kohl's department store of selling a men's jacket made with real animal fur as "faux," and issued a warning to consumers.[90]

Investigation of Westland Meat Packing Company[edit]In February 2008, after an undercover investigation conducted by HSUS at the Westland Meat Packing Company alleged substantial animal abuse, the USDA forced the recall of 143 million pounds of beef, some of which had been routed into the nation's school lunch program.[91] HSUS had been a longtime advocate for the elimination of downer animals from the nation's food supply, and the undercover investigation led to the USDA adopting the policy.[92] In November 2013, the Justice Department reached a $155 million settlement with the firms that operated the plant.[93]

Petland puppy mills campaign[edit]In the fall of 2008, HSUS also launched a campaign to expose the reliance of the pet store chain Petland on puppy mills where animals are raised under inhumane conditions.[94] However, Jessica Mitler from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the government agency that regulates dog breeders,[95] provided the following response to the HSUS investigation: "The agency has received no complaints from the Humane Society about a particular kennel or Petland; so they have not investigated this specifically."[96] On November 24, 2008, Petland responded to the HSUS campaign video footage of the Petland investigation[97] by stating: "Petland is outraged that HSUS would intentionally use video footage of unrelated kennels in the report to try to mislead the general public into believing these facilities have a connection to Petland."[98] In another statement dated February 19, 2009, Petland stated they turned over death threats and threats of kidnapping generated from the HSUS campaign against Petland to the proper authorities for further investigation. Petland continued by asking HSUS to cease and desist in any actions that may promote malicious intent (directly or indirectly).[99]

On March 17, 2009, HSUS launched a class action suit against Petland on behalf of patrons who allegedly purchased sick animals from the chain, under the alleged pretense that the animals had come from the nation's finest breeders.[100] On August 8, 2009, the case was dismissed by a United States District Judge for lack of facts concerning the case.[101] Petland responded to the dismissal by stating: "The Humane Society of the United States touted the lawsuit in furtherance of its fundraising and media campaign seeking to end the sale of animals through pet stores. Petland denied that it had done anything unlawful, and it believes strongly that consumers have the right to purchase and keep pets."[102] The HSUS does not oppose the ownership of pets, but maintains that the desire for profit in commercial pet stores undermines proper care of companion animals.[103]

Political and legislative initiatives against animal abuse and cruelty[edit]During 2013, HSUS helped to pass 109 animal protection laws at the state level.[104] In 2006, HSUS helped to secure the passage of 70 new state laws on behalf of animals. Two successful November 2006 ballot initiatives conducted with its support outlawed dove hunting in Michigan and, through Proposition 204, abusive livestock-farming practices in Arizona.[105] In 2008, HSUS helped to pass 91 state animal-welfare laws, including Proposition 2 in California.[106] HSUS was a leader in the Proposition 2 campaign in California, which gained eight million votes on Election Day 2008, more than any other initiative on the ballot. The measure, which prohibits certain intensive confinement practices in agriculture beginning in 2015, passed by a 63.3 to 36.7 percent margin, winning in 46 of 58 counties, and gaining support throughout the state's urban, suburban, and rural areas. It garnered votes from Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike, as well as among Caucasians, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Latinos. Nearly 800,000 Californians signed petitions to place the measure on the ballot.[107]

HSUS was also a participant in a ballot initiative campaign focusing on inhumane treatment of farm animals in Ohio. The livestock-agriculture initiative was withdrawn from the ballot after a compromise was brokered between HSUS, Ohioans for Humane Farms, the Ohio Farm Bureau, and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.[108][109]

HSUS led a campaign against puppy mill cruelty in Missouri in 2010. The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, known as "Prop B", was narrowly passed by Missouri voters.[110]

United Egg Producers[edit]For several years, HSUS cooperated with the United Egg Producers to secure federal legislation to phase out barren battery cages for all laying hens in the United States. Discussion between HSUS and the United Egg Producers concerning a national standard for egg production began with a meeting between Jerry Crawford, an Iowa resident with ties to the egg production industry, and HSUS's Wayne Pacelle. Crawford recommended a further meeting with the United Egg Producers' Chad Gregory. The context for the meeting was HSUS's commanding win in Proposition 2 in California, and a shared belief that open warfare would serve no one's purposes. Additional negotiations produced the agreement to pursue federal legislation, the Egg Products Inspection Act of 2013, to support a shift to cage-free housing systems for laying hens, like enriched colony cages. The proposal failed in the Congress, and was not taken up in the 2014 Farm Bill, as a result of opposition by livestock production groups concerned over the precedent of federally-mandated standards for housing. Hog producers in particular recognized their vulnerability in reference to gestation crates[111][112][113][114]

Positions and Program Work[edit]Animal fighting[edit]In July 2007, HSUS led calls for the National Football League to suspend Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in the wake of allegations that he had been involved with dog fighting activity.[115] Vick was prosecuted and convicted under state and federal laws.[116] HSUS has backed upgrades of the federal laws concerning animal fighting in 2007, 2008, and in relation to the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, from 2011 to the present.[117][118][119]

Animals in research, testing, and education[edit]In 1988, HSUS played a role in the revision of the Holt, Rinehart and Winston laboratory manual, Modern Biology, so that it would include information on alternatives to dissection.[120] In 1990, HSUS and the Animal Legal Defense Fund sued the USDA to compel inclusion of mice, rats, and birds used in research within the protective orbit of the Animal Welfare Act.[121]

Beginning in the 1990s, HSUS board member David O. Wiebers, a medical doctor associated with the Mayo Clinic, undertook efforts to lessen tensions between animal protection organizations and the scientific community, and to seek to identify areas of common agreement.[28] The announcement by the NIH that it would no longer fund experiments that relied on Class B dealers marked the end of a long campaign by HSUS and other organizations to halt this channel for the supply of animals [122]

Animals in sports and entertainment[edit]HSUS opposes greyhound racing, animal fighting, and works to limit the use and abuse of animals in certain display and spectacular contexts like zoos, circuses, aquariums, and roadside zoos.[123]

HSUS has been active in anti-greyhound racing campaigns in Florida.[124]

HSUS has long opposed the keeping of marine mammals in captivity and played a key longterm role in the campaign to end captive orca performance at SeaWorld.[125][126] HSUS opposed the Georgia Aquarium's application to the National Marine Fisheries Service to import 18 beluga whales from Russia, an application the NMFS denied.[127]

Animals used for food[edit]Basic Policy[edit]HSUS opposes cruelty in the raising and slaughter of animals used for food, and has done so since its inception in 1954. HSUS's policy of the 3 Rs encourages its constituents to reduce their consumption of meat and to choose products from humanely raised animals instead of factory farm products.[128][129]

Support for humane farmers and farms[edit]Former chief executive officer John Hoyt once declared, "We are not a vegetarian organization, and as a matter of policy do not consider the utilization of animals for food to be either immoral or inappropriate -- a position that, as you might expect, earns us a great deal of criticism from various animal rights organizations."[130] In the 1990s, HSUS published a guide to the purchase of humanely raised meats.[131] HSUS is a supporter of Certified Humane, managed by Humane Farm Animal Care, one of the programs that aims to certify that farm animals have been humanely treated.[132][133] HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle is a board member of the Global Animal Partnership, which recognizes humane producers with an animal welfare ratings standard that measures and rewards commitment to high welfare approaches.[134] Pacelle frequently speaks with the agricultural press to reinforce HSUS's criticism of contemporary factory farming and related issues.[135] Pacelle has toured family farms operating on humane principles as part of building solidarity against factory farming interests.[136]

In recent years, HSUS has sought to build bridges with small farmers raising animals under humane conditions.[137] One of those farmers is Joe Maxwell, who has worked for HSUS as vice president for rural affairs. In recent years, farmers committed to raising animals in humane conditions have received greater attention and public support. Via Maxwell and other staff members, HSUS has also forged ties with the global Slow Food Movement in connection with discussion of the sustainability of contemporary meat production.[138][139][140]

Proposition 2 in California[edit]HSUS was involved in the ballot initiative campaign to enact California Proposition 2 (2008), enacted as the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, a law requiring that eggs sold in California be laid by hens raised in cage-free settings.[141][142] An HSUS-led coalition also pressed for the passage of a California foie gras band that took effect in mid-2012.[143]

Gestation crate campaign[edit]In January 2014, in response to a long-running HSUS campaign to end the use of gestation crates in the pork industry, Smithfield and Tyson both announced their commitment to relevant reforms.[144] These announcements by major industry players came after a year in which dozens of other entities had pledged to remove pork from gestation crates in their supply chains.[145] In a January 2014 letter to the National Pork Board, Pacelle challenged that entity to end its resistance to reforms relating to pig housing and to the use of blunt force trauma to kill piglets.[146] In the summer of 2014, HSUS announced its success in helping to influence Heinz, Nestle, and Unilever in their decisions to make substantial commitments to animal welfare, in the form of shifts to cage-free egg purchases and a move away from gestation crates in their supply chains.[147]

Ag Gag legislation[edit]With other animal groups, HSUS played a role in the defeat of Ag-gag, anti-whistleblower laws in a number of states during 2013.[148][149][150]

King Amendment to Farm Bill in 2014[edit]HSUS also fought against passage of the King Amendment to the farm bill, promoted by Representative Steve King of Iowa. The King Amendment was struck from the compromise bill considered by the U.S. Congress in late January 2014. The Wall Street Journal credited HSUS as having led the campaign to defeat the King Amendment, with arguments that it would nullify dozens of state laws addressing animal welfare and other concerns.[141][142][151][152]

Veal calf investigation[edit]a 2009 HSUS investigation resulted in the USDA's closing of a Vermont slaughtering plant at which days-old dairy (bob veal) calves were dragged, kicked, shocked and cut by workers.[153]

Downed animals[edit]HSUS has also worked on the plight of the so-called Downer (animal), an animal unable to walk. In early 2014, HSUS revealed the results of its undercover investigation of a Collingswood, New Jersey slaughtering plant, which resulted in the operation's immediate suspension by the USDA. HSUS called for the closure of a regulatory loophole that permits the slaughter of "downed" calves, those too weak or ill to walk on their own.[154]

Koster lawsuit[edit]In October 2014, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by six states, initiated by Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, challenging California's ban on the sale of eggs laid by hens housed in cages smaller than those approved by California's electorate in a 2008 referendum. The ballot measure, Proposition 2, setting standards for the treatment of farm animals in California, has also survived three legal challenges by California egg producers.[155] On October 14, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to California's ban on foie gras, made by restauranteurs who argued that the law violated the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause. The Supreme Court let stand the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' rejection of that argument. HSUS, which supported the original ban in 2004, filed a brief in the case.[156][157] A DesMoines Register article noted that the rejection of the Koster and foie gras challenges should give agricultural producers pause to reconsider the value of litigation and to embrace instead legislative solutions aiming for national, uniform standards ike those embodied in the failed HSUS/United Egg Producers agreement to seek passage of the Egg Products Inspection Act of 2013, scuttled in the U.S. Congress by beef and pork producers.[158][159]

Perdue legislation[edit]October 2014 was also the month in which Perdue Farms and HSUS settled litigation in which HSUS accused the chicken producer of using the term "humanely raised" in a misleading way on its Harvestland product packing. Perdue rejected the allegations but agreed to drop its use of the phrase, which HSUS dropped the two lawsuits it had filed in the matter.[160]

Antibiotics in animal agriculture[edit]As a member of the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition, HSUS campaigns against the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture out of concern for its possible effects on the use of antibiotics in human medicine.[161]

Meatless Monday[edit]HSUS is a supporter of the Meatless Monday campaign.[162]

Whistleblower reward program[edit]In 2014, HSUS launched a whisteblower reward program, to incentivize the reporting of incidents of cruelty and neglect at livestock auctionsin slaughtering plants, and at sites of intensive animal farming.[163]

2014 lawsuit on feed additives[edit]In November 2014, HSUS joined the Center for Food Safety, and the United Farm Workers of America in suing the United States Food and Drug Administration to vacate its approval of several livestock feed products widely used to add weight to farm animals. The groups claimed that beta-agonists based on ractopamine are dangerous to animals, workers, wildlife, and American waterways.[164]

Bear Baiting[edit]HSUS has long opposed the baiting and killing of bears over bait, most recently through a ballot initiative, Maine Question 1, 2014, in the state of Maine. Question 1 seeks to end the baiting, trapping, and hound hunting of bears.[165][166][167]

Chimpanzees[edit]In March 2008, HSUS released the results of a nine-month undercover investigation of the NIRC laboratory in Louisiana, alleging widespread mistreatment of chimpanzees and other primates. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack ordered an immediate investigation of the facility.[168]

In 2013, HSUS worked closely with the Arcus Foundation and other partners in the successful effort to persuade the U.S. government to transfer the remaining chimpanzees it owns to sanctuary over time, and for an end to chimpanzee use in research, testing, and education.[169] Since 2007, HSUS has pressed corporations still using chimpanzees in research to commit to policies of non-use. In 2011, the Institute of Medicine, part of the United States National Academies, recommended the curtailment of chimp use in testing. The IOM said that while genetic similarity made chimps valuable for medical research, such research raised ethical issues and carried a "moral cost." In 2014, Merck, the world's third largest pharmaceutical company, became the largest multinational corporation to make such a commitment.[170][171]

Companion Animals[edit]The HSUS has an entire department devoted to pets, and to services for companion animals.[172] It also has sections working to end dog-fighting, and to provide rescue and emergency services to animals at risk in animal fighting, hoarding, puppy mill enterprises and disasters.[173] The HSUS Pets for Life program uses community-level outreach in a number of American cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia,to raise retention levels and to improve the lives of companion animals and those who care for them, by providing veterinary services in zones where convenient and low-cost care is lacking.[174][175][176] The HSUS is a strong supporter of "pets in the workplace" programs.[177]

HSUS publishes Animal Sheltering, a bi-monthly magazine for animal sheltering professionals.[178] HSUS distributed the magazine to more than 450,000 people in 2009.[9] It also operates the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, which provides free veterinary services for animals in impoverished communities.[179]

In 2013, The HSUS gave its Henry Spira Corporate Progress Award to the Consumer Specialty Products Association to recognize the antifreeze manufacturing industry's commitment to add a bittering agent to products so that animals would not die poisonous deaths, the subject of a long-running campaign by The HSUS.[180]

HSUS believes that, in general, wild animals are not suitable as pets, and opposes the general traffic in wild animals.[181]

Exotic pets[edit]HSUS, in addition to its ongoing lobbying against the pet industry, has taken a strong stance against the private ownership of any exotic pet, regardless of species.[182][183] It has campaigned for legislation banning ownership of exotic pets in the few states that have not yet made it illegal. In the summer of 2011, the HSUS negotiated with Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and leaders of 8 agricultural commodity organizations in the state for improved animal welfare legislation. One of the points in the law that was passed prohibits owning exotic pets.[184][unreliable source?] The HSUS also heavily lobbied for the passing of HB 4393 in West Virginia,[185] which generated a large amount of controversy when its restricted animal list was originally drafted and made illegal the private ownership of common and harmless exotic pets, such as hamsters, hedgehogs, turtles, tortoises, pufferfish, sugar gliders, salamanders, alpacas and domestic hybrid cat breeds, among several other species.[186][187]

In recent years, HSUS has expressed a clear opposition to the keeping of constrictor snakes by private citizens, pressing for laws to limit possession of such animals to zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and sanctuaries accredited by the Global Federation of Sanctuaries (GFAS).[188] In December 2013, the United States Association of Reptile Keepers, a reptile trade group and opponent of the HSUS, sued the federal government to overturn its national ban on the importation and interstate transportation of five large constrictors species, specifically Python bivittatus; Python natalensis; Python molurus; Python sebae and Eunectes notaeus, as the government labels these reptiles a threat to the ecosystem of the Florida Everglades, and is a ban HSUS supports.[189][190][191] (See below.)

Feral cats[edit]While initially opposed to Trap-Neuter-Return programs,[192] HSUS reversed its position in March, 2006, endorsing "community-based Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs with on-going responsible management as the most viable, long-term approach available at this time to reduce feral cat populations.".[193] The HSUS offers many resources to individuals, organizations and public officials, for helping feral cats and ultimately reducing their numbers in the community.[194] The Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy convened a conference on outdoor cat issues in December 2012, bringing together stakeholders from a range of interested perspectives.[195]

Horse racing[edit]HSUS has taken a careful but critical stance concerning practices commonly found in the horse racing industry.[196] On occasion, HSUS has taken a position against particular practices associated with horse racing, such as the use of corticosteroids.[197]

Horse slaughter[edit]HSUS has long opposed the use of horses for food, and campaigned against their slaughter via litigation and public policy approaches.[198] It has pursued both legislative and litigation channels as part of its campaign to prevent horse slaughter plants in the United States from resuming their operations.[199]

Horse soring[edit]HSUS has campaigned against the soring of horses since its earliest years. In recent years, it has made the end of soring a priority for investigation, public awareness.[200][201][202]

In 2013, in the aftermath of an investigation carried out by HSUS, former hall of fame Tennessee Walking Horse trainer Jackie McConnell pleaded guilty in a Tennessee circuit court to 22 counts of animal cruelty after being caught on tape beating horses with wooden sticks and shocking them with electric cattle prods. McConnell was prohibited from owning or showing horses for twenty years[203]

Marine mammal protection[edit]Since the 1970s, The HSUS or its international affiliate Humane Society International has campaigned against commercial whaling by Iceland, Japan, Norway, and other parties.[204] Humane Society International works within the International Whaling Commission and other entities to defend the global moratorium on commercial whaling.[205]

Pigeon shoots[edit]The HSUS has fought for many years to secure legislation to prohibit pigeon shoots in Pennsylvania, without success.[206]

Puppy mills[edit]HSUS has been an active opponent of the domestic and global puppy mill industry, and helped law enforcement agencies to confiscate more than 35,000 animals from purported puppy mills since 2007. HSUS has also pressed anti-puppy mill bills in states like Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The number of dog breeders licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture declined from 3,486 in 2009 to 2,205 in 2011.[143]

HSUS led the effort to secure adodption of a United States Department of Agriculture rule to prohibit the importation into the United States of dogs from foreign countries for resale unless the animals were in good health, vaccinated and at least 6 months old.[207]

Dog breeders opposed another measure supported by HSUS, to regulate the sale of dogs over the Internet.[208]

Shark Finning[edit]Through its efforts in the United States, and globally through its affiliate Humane Society International, HSUS has helped to achieve prohibitions on shark finning in state and national legislatures and through administrative action here and abroad.[209][210][211]

Wildlife[edit]HSUS opposes the hunting of any living creature for fun, trophy, or sport. HSUS only supports killing animals for population control when carried out by officials and does not oppose hunting for food or subsistence needs.[212] As a practical matter, HSUS has generally campaigned against abuses found in the treatment of wildlife. Its ballot initiatives focus on things like shooting bear over bait, hunting with hounds, and other forms of hunting the organization believes are unsporting.

Together with its global affiliate, Humane Society International, HSUS has waged a decade-long fight to end the Canadian seal hunt. In late 2013, the World Trade Organization upheld the European Union ban on trade in products of commercial seal hunts, rejecting the Canadian and Norwegian challenge.[213]

Wildlife contraception[edit]HSUS is a funder and supporter of contraceptive research for use in regulating animal populations. In 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency approved an immunosterilant contraceptive for wild horses called ZonaStat-H, developed with funding from HSUS.[143]

Wild horses[edit]HSUS is critical of the Bureau of Land Management's horse roundups, and has called for reforms within the agency and a stronger commitment to fertility control technologies.[214]

Wildlife exclusion[edit]In June 2007, HSUS launched Humane Wildlife Services, a program to encourage and provide humane wildlife-removal services when wild animals intrude on human dwellings.[215]

Wolves[edit]HSUS has waged campaigns on behalf of wolves since the 1970s. In recent years, HSUS has campaigned against the killing of wolves via ballot initiatives, and'--with other partners'--in litigation.[216][217][218]

Zoos[edit]HSUS first took a policy position on zoos in 1975, its board of directors concluding that it would be neither for nor against zoos, but would work against roadside menageries and regular zoos that could not improve. In 1984, HSUS adopted a policy that animals should not be taken from the wild for public display in zoos.[219]

Governance and expenses[edit]A nonprofit, charitable organization, HSUS is funded almost entirely by private membership dues, contributions, foundation grants, and bequests. HSUS is governed by a 27-member, independent board of directors. Each director serves as a volunteer and receives no compensation for service. For 2012, HSUS reported its revenue as $125,763,658.[2] In late 2013, a Rolling Stone article reported HSUS's annual budget to be $181 million.[220]

For 2012, HSUS's program expenses composed 75% of its budget, fundraising expenses 22% of its budget, and management and general costs 3% of its budget.[221] Such financial efficiency ratios exceed the BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBBWGA) standards which require that program expenses as a percentage of total expenses be 65% or greater. HSUS meets all 21 BBBWGA financial and administrative standards,[222] and all 20 of the BBB's Standards for Charity Accountability.[223] HSUS is a 2014 top-rated nonprofit by GreatNonprofits.[224] In 2010, Worth Magazine named The HSUS as one of the 10 Most Fiscally Responsible Charities.[225] In 2012, President and CEO Wayne Pacelle received $347,675 in compensation.[226]

Grantmaking[edit]HSUS gave grants to 260 other organizations in the U.S. and abroad during 2011, totaling $6.5 million.[143]

According to its IRS Form 990, HSUS makes grants to organizations that meet its mission criteria, and typically to those groups which it has researched, with which it has an existing relationship, or with which its staff members have interacted at events and through other channels. HSUS lists all grants of $500 or more, with details, although the IRS Schedule F requires only that grants surpassing $5000 need be reported.[227]

Affiliated and related entities[edit]Humane Society International[edit]Founded in 1991, Humane Society International (HSI) seeks to expand The HSUS's activities into Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. HSI's Asian, Australian, Canadian, and European offices carry out field activities and programs.[228]

Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association[edit]The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) formed in 2008 to encompass both veterinary advocacy and veterinary clinical services work conducted by The HSUS, and to provide a political alternative to the American Veterinary Medical Association for veterinarians of a strong animal welfare orientation.[229]

Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust[edit]As an affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States since 1993 HSWLT, alone or in partnership with other conservation groups, has participated in the protection and enhancement of more than 3.6 million acres of wildlife habitat in 38 states and nine foreign countries. HSWLT has taken both large and small properties under its protection, through title donations, consrevation easements, and formal agreements, to provide sanctuaries for a variety of animal species.[230][231] In recent years, HSWLT has also sponsored anti-poaching awards as part of its commitment to public awareness and law enforcement work.[232][233] Its website, http://www.hswlt.org/, carries press releases and updates about its sanctuary, conservation partnerships, and anti-poaching work.

Doris Day Animal League[edit]The Doris Day Animal League, established in 1987 by the actress Doris Day, is a 501(c)(4) organization that focuses the spaying and neutering of companion animals and the development of national, state and local legislation that will minimize the inhumane treatment of animals. The League launched its annual observance of Spay Day USA in 1994, to bring attention to the pet overpopulation problem in the United States.

The Fund for Animals[edit]The Fund for Animals, founded by the social critic Cleveland Amory in 1967,worked for many years on wildlife issues. Today, it is an entity that manages animal care facilities as an affiliate of HSUS. Its sanctuaries include the Ramona Wildlife Facility, the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, the Duchess Horse Sanctuary, and the Cape Wildlife Center.[234]

The South Florida Wildlife Center[edit]The South Florida Wildlife Center provides direct care to owls, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, ducks, reptiles and other indigenous South Florida wildlife, injured or orphaned.[235]

Humane Society Legislative Fund[edit]The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization formed in 2004. The group supports the passage of animal protection laws at the state and federal levels, educates the public about animal protection issues, and supports humane candidates for office. In the 2014 cycle, the Humane Society Legislative Fund has endorsed 38 Republicans and 240 Democrats in races across the country [236]

Board members[edit]HSUS board members of prominence have included:

Leslie Alexander (businessman)

Cleveland Amory

Amanda Blake

Roger Caras

Raºl H(C)ctor Castro

Doris Day

Jane Goodall

Denis Hayes

Amanda Hearst

Franklin M. Loew

John Mackey (businessman)

Patrick McDonnell

Charles Thomas McMillen

Gaylord Nelson

Richard L. Neuberger

Maurice Strong

Persia White

Headquarters and regional offices[edit]The Humane Society's national headquarters are in Washington, D.C. For 2012, it reported having 684 employees, with field representatives in 44 states.[237] Its international arm, Humane Society International (HSI), has offices in half a dozen nations and a broad range of international animal protection programs. HSI focuses on international treaties, animal birth control, humane slaughter education, and an end to the Canadian seal hunt.[238][239][240]

Celebrity supporters[edit]Colbie Caillat

Ellen DeGeneres

Danny DeVito

Jenna Elfman

Kesha

Bill Maher

Wendie Malick

Ali MacGraw

Mary Tyler Moore

Pauley Perrette

Charlotte Ross

Alicia Silverstone

Carrie Underwood

Michael Vartan

Gretchen Wyler

Critics[edit]Center for Consumer Freedom[edit]The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), an organization that lobbies on behalf of the food and beverage industry, has criticized HSUS for many years. Experts on non-profit law question CCF's non-profit status.[241][242] while commentators from Rachel Maddow to Michael Pollan have characterized CCF as an astroturfing group.[243][244] CCF's founder Richard Berman refuses to disclose its funders, and in 2013 Charity Navigator issued a donor advisory concerning the group.[245] CCF has produced several advertising campaigns alleging various improprieties by HSUS and accusing HSUS of misrepresenting itself to supporters and donors. HSUS has rejected CCF's accusations as "falsehoods and distortions" by "a flack agency and industry front group for tobacco, alcohol, and agribusiness interests."[246] Non-profit groups operated by Mr. Berman's public relations firm paid Berman and Company $15 million from 2008 to 2010, an arrangement that may violate Internal Revenue Service rules that prohibit executives from profiting off of the non-profit entities they run.[247] CCF carries out its attacks on HSUS via advertisements and direct mail campaigns targeting HSUS donors and supporters.[248] CCF takes this approach in criticizing HSUS: in 2009, HSUS reported assets of over US$160 million,[9] despite only 1% of their budget going to shelters.[249][250][250][251]

Nathan Winograd[edit]Nathan Winograd, a No Kill advocate, has been critical of HSUS. He has accused the organization of aiding animal abusers by thwarting legislation designed to curtail abuse. He made such claims in a Huffington Post article entitled: "Putting Abusers Before Animals Is Business as Usual at the HSUS."[252] Winograd's general claims concerning HSUS and animal sheltering work have been disputed or qualified by other parties.[32]

Protect the Harvest[edit]Protect the Harvest is an organization founded by trucking magnate Forrest Lucas, of Lucas Oil who uses the group to defend industrial animal agriculture and puppy mills, on whose behalf he has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in Missouri.[253][254][255] Protect the Harvest is a 501(c)(4) organization explicitly engaged in political action, and in 2014, announced its plan to form the Protect the Harvest Political Action Committee, to elect and defeat candidates for office.[256] Executive Director Brian Klippenstein has singled out HSUS as a target of his organization's political activities and as treasurer of Protect the Harvest PAC he and Lucas campaign against candidates the two groups consider aligned with HSUS.[257][258]

The United States Association of Reptile Keepers[edit]The United States Association of Reptile Keepers, or USARK, is a 501(c)(6) organization, founded by Andrew Wyatt and currently operated by CEO Phil Goss, that lobbies on behalf of the captive bred reptile industry, which is made up of both pet owners and professional breeders of captive reptiles, as well as supporting zoos and sanctuaries.[259] USARK has argued against a national ban that HSUS has lobbied for since its writing in 2009, which was originally intended to ban the import and interstate transport of nine constrictor snake species.[260] However, due to pressure from the reptile keepers association, the U.S. government lessoned the ban to include only four of the original nine species. As a response, Wayne Pacelle wrote on his blog in response that "these large constricting snakes are not suitable as pets," continuing with "they suffer from capture in the wild and long-distance transport for trade; they can injure and kill people who possess or interact with them; and they can wreak havoc on our natural resources as an invasive species, killing native wildlife, including endangered animals." [261]

In the summer of 2014, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service reopened its admission of comments on whether to list the five remaining species of snakes on the Lacey Act, including Boa constrictors. The HSUS then called upon its proponents to send in replies and letters to support further restriction of the trade in the reptiles.[262] In response, USARK has accused the HSUS of directly telling its advocates to lie to the U.S. government: the reptile keepers association stating on their website that "HSUS President Wayne Pacelle is even asking HSUS followers to join in and lie to the U.S. Government by sending their sample letter." They continue their argument with "Their deceptive campaign continues because there is not valid, peer-reviewed science to support their claims. They lack credible arguments and instead focus on sensationalized propaganda."[263] HSUS has always been against the keeping of snakes in captivity, stating that they are a "threat to public safety" and that the welfare of the snakes themselves are at risk, as they "[require] specialized expertise and care." [264] The HSUS is also against the keeping of other reptiles in captivity, such as turtles[265] and iguanas,[266] which is in direct opposition of USARK's interests.[267]

Specific criticism[edit]Allegations of misappropriation of donations for Hurricane Katrina rescues[edit]In 2006, the Attorney General of Louisiana opened an inquiry into the American Red Cross and HSUS after complaints about the misuse of funds raised in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.[268] This inquiry was part of a wide-ranging effort to ensure that charities providing relief for the victims of the hurricane did not profit from the incident.[269] Neither Attorney General Charles Foti nor his successor Buddy Caldwell took any action, and the inquiry focusing on HSUS ended in early 2008. AR-HR's analysis of the HSUS's 2005, 2006, and 2007 tax returns claimed that 48% of the $34.6 million donated to the HSUS for the purposes of helping animals after Hurricane Katrina was then unaccounted for.[270] For a number of years, HSUS published updates on its Gulf Coast spending, the last of which appeared in in 2011.[271]

Allegations of misleading fundraising materials[edit]Critics including the CCF, AR-HR, and Nathan Winograd have accused HSUS of misleading donors into thinking that their donations directly support local animal shelters, when HSUS has no affiliation with or control over local humane societies. HSUS states on its website that it is not affiliated with local animal shelters,[272] and that the organization's role is to supplement and support the work of local shelters, not duplicate them. The fundraising materials of HSUS do not make the claim that HSUS runs local shelters, or that donations will be applied directly to local animal shelters.

Allegations of financial malfeasance[edit]According to the "Pennies for Charity" report issued by the New York State Attorney General, of the $1.95 million raised in 2008 by fundraisers, only 5.29% went to HSUS. The average return for charities in the report was 39.5%. HSUS actually incurred a net loss of $5,358 (-0.32%) in 2007. Those figures in 2006 and 2005 numbers were more positive, with 7.27% and 19.99% of contributions going to HSUS.[273]

Animal rights agenda[edit]USA Today, The International Herald Tribune and The San Francisco Chronicle have described HSUS as devoted to "animal rights", as opposed to "animal welfare".[274][275][276] Shortly after Wayne Pacelle joined HSUS, he stated in an interview with the Animal People newspaper that his goal was to build "a National Rifle Association of the animal rights movement".[277] The IHT describes HSUS as the "least radical" of animal rights groups.[278]Feedstuffs, an agribusiness newspaper, has leveled the charge that HSUS is pursuing a vegetarianism and veganism agenda instead of animal welfare.[279] In 2010, one journalist in Oregon also claimed that HSUS "primarily works on animal rights legislation."[280]

Charity Navigator[edit]In June 2014, Charity Navigator replaced its rating of HSUS with a "Donor Advisory" citing a $15.75 million settlement of a lawsuit.[281] A Charity Navigator representative told The Washington Examiner that a Donor Advisory indicates "extreme concern."[282]

Charity Watch[edit]The American Institute of Philanthropy, now called Charity Watch, has been critical of the HSUS. Charity Watch gave the HSUS a "C-" in 2013.[283] Charity Watch believes that HSUS spends an insufficient percentage of donations on programs, and an inordinately high percentage on fundraising. Using different estimates of fundraising expenses and efficiency, the American Institute of Philanthropy AIP's rating system heavily penalizes charities for possessing large assets or maintaining more than three years' operating expenses in reserve.[284] Only Charity Watch among all charity evaluation groups believes that organizations should not write off some of their fundraising costs as program expenses. Other evaluators agree with the approach taken under Generally accepted accounting principles, which permit such joint allocation of expenses.

Feld Entertainment litigation[edit]Feld Entertainment sued HSUS and other animal-rights advocates and advocacy groups under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Feld asserted HSUS wrongdoing in relation to litigation brought by animal rights activists against Feld alleging abuse of animals in the circus. This litigation was dismissed in 2009, with the judge finding that animal-rights groups had paid the key witness, a former Feld employee, at least $190,000. HSUS's merger and combination with The Fund for Animals drew HSUS into the case. In December 2012, the ASPCA settled the Feld suit and agreed to pay $9.3 million.[285] In May 2014, HSUS and the remaining co-defendants (which included two HSUS employees, the HSUS affiliate Fund for Animals, and parties unaffiliated with HSUS) agreed to pay $15.75 million to settle the litigation.[286]

IRS complaint[edit]In November 2013, a complaint was filed with the Internal Revenue Service against HSUS by the Center for Consumer Freedom. According to Bloomberg News, the IRS complaint alleges that HSUS "violated IRS rules by listing as contributions the $17.7 million value of air time for its public service announcements to promote pet adoption. The net effect is to raise the ratio of program expenses to total expenses, which the independent assessor Charity Navigator uses to rank the effectiveness of charities." According to Bloomberg News, a tax attorney claims that the ''Humane Society shouldn't count the public service air time as contributions.''[287]

Meat packing investigation[edit]US Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer questioned the way HSUS handled its Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Company investigation, stating that HSUS "sat on four months of production that went out into the marketplace that's now being recalled".[288] More recently, the debate over forcing animal welfare organizations to release information about cruelty within a specified period of time has prompted criticism from editorial boards and journalists skeptical of the motivations for such calls.[289]

Michael Vick controversy[edit]The football player Michael Vick was sentenced to prison for running a dogfighting ring; he was found to have buried dogs alive, drowned them, beaten them to death, and pulled out their teeth without anesthetic. After he had completed his sentence, Vick offered to volunteer his time to an HSUS campaign against dogfighting.[290] Pacelle's acceptance of Vick's offer and willingness to appear in public and be photographed alongside Vick caused outrage and led one organization with the words "Humane Society" in its name to stress its non-affiliation with the HSUS.[291]Sports Illustrated magazine published a major investigative cover story about Michael Vick's dogs, and what happened to them after they were seized. The writer, Jim Gorant, was highly critical of the HSUS's immediate call for the pit bulls to be euthanized. Gorant went on to document the animals' rehabilitation, and how one went on to become a therapy dog in a hospital.[292] In 2010, during an interview, Wayne Pacelle pointed out that Vick could own a dog "two or three years down the line"[293] after his sentence was completed. Pacelle toured schools with Vick, in the HSUS campaign against dogfighting, and was quoted as saying, "I have been around him a lot, and feel confident that he would do a good job as a pet owner."[294] Vick's sentence did not include a lifetime ban on owning pets, and Pacelle issued a blog post explaining his stance on Vick as a potential dog owner.[295] In October 2012, Michael Vick acquired a pet dog, purchased from a breeder.[296][297] Additional controversy surrounded the report that HSUS had received a $50,000 grant from Michael Vick's team, the Philadelphia Eagles.[298] The Eagles' donation was made as part of the 2009 launch of its "Treating Animals With Kindness" (TAWK) program, which provides grants to animal welfare organizations to protect animals: HSUS received a $50,000 grant, used to launch anti-dogfighting and community intervention programs in Philadelphia. In April 2011, Vick joined HSUS in denouncing the android App "Dog Wars," which involved a simulation of animal fighting.[299] In July 2011, he lobbied on Capitol Hill for passage of the Animal Fighting Spectator Provision Act.[300] Animal fighting experts generally agree that since the Vick case, there has been a significant strengthening of anti-cruelty laws at the state level,making it easier to prosecute wrongdoers.[301]

Some have accused HSUS of a misleading fundraising pitch in relation to the Michael Vick dog fighting case.[302] Fundraising material on HSUS's website one day after Vick's indictment states that donations will be used to "help the Humane Society of the United States care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case" and that donations would be "put to use right away to care for these dogs."[303] It was later revealed that the dogs were not in the care of HSUS and that the group recommended the dogs be euthanized.[304] The donation pitch was altered to remove references to caring for Vick's dogs one week after the initial pitch.[305]

Misrepresentations of Canadian seafood boycott participation[edit]In 2006, CCF conducted an informal poll of restaurants listed as boycotting Canadian seafood in protest of the slaughter of seals. CCF claims that 62% of the chefs and restaurant managers they spoke to on the phone were unaware that their companies were listed as "boycotters" on the HSUS website. In its report, CCF excluded those restaurants that were boycotting Canadian seafood prior to the HSUS boycott, and restaurants that serve any Canadian seafood (regardless of the type or quantity), and drew the conclusion that 78% of the interviewees were not actively participating in the boycott.[306] CCF quotes Loyola Hearn, Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, as saying: "Some animal rights groups have been misleading the public for years... it's no surprise at all that the richest of them would mislead the public with a phony seafood boycott."[307]

Oklahoma Attorney General Issues Alert[edit]In March 2014 Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt issued a consumer alert regarding HSUS and other national animal organizations.[308] Pruitt stated that his office had received complaints about HSUS misleading donors following a May 2013 tornado disaster.[309]

Position on horse slaughter[edit]Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW)[310] and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) have criticized HSUS and other organizations who lobbied for an end to horse slaughter in the United States, stating that instead of making things better "horses are being abandoned in the United States or transported to Mexico where, without U.S. federal oversight and veterinary supervision, they are slaughtered inhumanely."[311][312]

Other criticisms[edit]1% of the group's budget goes directly to shelters,[249][250] and in recent years, HSUS has taken criticism for not dispersing enough money, in ratio to what it receives from memberships and donations, to local humane societies and shelters for which it claims to be an umbrella organization.[citation needed] and is the largest nonprofit organization advocating animal rights in the world.[citation needed][a] Unlike its founding vision which strictly revolved around animal welfare, HSUS has evolved to work towards establishing a broad range of animal rights legislation, including those involving companion animals, wildlife, farm animals, horses and other equines, and animals used in research, testing and education.[citation needed]

See also[edit]^The organization's policy statements make clear that The HSUS does not oppose all uses of animals, so it does not fit within the strict animal rights category of organizations from either a philosophical or a practical perspective; rather, it is classified that way by some parties because in everyday parlance, those individuals and groups that advocate for more protections for animals are described as supporting animal rights or being animal rights advocates.[313][314]References[edit]^"About Us: Overview : The Humane Society of the United States". Humanesociety.org. Retrieved 2011-03-30. ^ ab"Form 990"(PDF). Humane Society of the United States. 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2014. ^ abcUnti, Bernard (February 16, 2005). "Fred Myers: Co-Founder of The HSUS". Washington, D.C.: The Humane Society of the United States. Retrieved April 19, 2011. After The HSUS formed on November 22, 1954, Myers and the other co-founders'--Larry Andrews, Marcia Glaser, and Helen Jones'--moved quickly to fulfill their goal of engaging cruelties of a national scope. ^"Form 990"(PDF). Humane Society of the United States. 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2014. ^http://www.interaction.org/member/humane-society-international^http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=10322^http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1998-01-13/news/1998013110_1_humane-society-rural-legacy-legacy-program^http://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_west_times_and_news/news/west-county-wildlife-area-gets-permanent-protection-former-retreat-acquired/article_e30a1ccc-9c9e-11e2-bd7f-0019bb2963f4.html^http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/164237^http://audubonportland.org/pressroom/press-releases/trap-reward-oct12^http://www.cbs8.com/story/24128739/the-fund-for-animals-wildlife-center-born-to-be-wild^http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local/delray-photographer-chronicles-animals-return-to-h/nhM7m/^http://burlcogop.org/tom-macarthur-endorsed-by-humane-society-legislative-fund/^"Form 990, Part I, line 5, Part III, line 4a"(PDF). Humane Society of the United States. 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2014. ^"Animal People". Humane Society of the United States. July''August 2004. Retrieved April 8, 2012. ^[2][dead link]^"Pew Whale Conservation Project". The Pew Charitable Trusts. December 31, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2012. ^Preston, Caroline (March 11, 2010). "Nonprofit Group Attacks Humane Society Over Spending of Donations"(PDF). The Chronicle Of Philanthropy. ^http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-02/union-busting-by-profiting-from-non-profit-may-breach-irs.html^http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY6qYqSc-OY^Pollan, Michael (June 4, 2006). "Attacks on the 'Food Police'". New York Times, the opinion pages. ^Michael Kranish. May 19, 2013. Corporations anonymously fund attacks and influence Washington policy through nonprofit groups. The Boston Globe^The HSUS Responds to CCF HSUS, Nov 16, 2009^Drajem, Mark and Brian Wingfield. Nov 1, 2012. Union Busting by Profiting From Non-Profit May Breach IRS Bloomberg^Beall, Pat. Jan. 18, 2014. Taking on the popular: 'Dr. Evil' targets Humane Society. The Palm Beach Post^ abThe Humane Society of the United States and Pet Shelter Giving. HumaneWatch^ abcHSUS is Not Your Local Humane Society. HumaneWatch^Douglas Anthony Cooper, 01/23/2014 "Will the HSUS Make a Killing Off Hurricane Sandy?" The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com)^Winograd, Nathan J. (May 13, 2013). "Putting Abusers Before Animals Is Business as Usual at the HSUS". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 17, 2014. ^http://www.lucasoil.com/articles1-4237/FORRESTANDCHARLOTTELUCASTAKEASTANDAGAINSTMISSOURISPROPOSITIONB Forrest And Charlotte Lucas Take A Stand Against Missouri's Proposition B : Lucas Oil][dead link]^"Our Mission: Inform, Protect, Respond". Protect the Harvest. Retrieved 2014-07-14. ^Ken Hough - http://www.houghandwood.com/ContactKenHough.asp (2011-08-04). "Missouri Pork Association's Press Release". Mopork.com. Retrieved 2014-07-14. ^http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/05/29/14846/radical-animal-rights-movement-gets-new-foe^http://www.farmandranchguide.com/news/livestock/protect-the-harvest-taking-the-fight-to-radical-animal-rights/article_61cb82be-548e-11e4-9676-5f102c46d19d.html^http://theiowarepublican.com/2014/protect-the-harvest-pac-ad-highlights-bruce-braleys-lack-of-respect-for-iowa-farm-families/^http://usark.org/about/ 'The Reptile Nation'^http://bigcatrescue.org/senate-panel-approves-large-constrictor-snake-trade-ban/^http://blog.humanesociety.org/wayne/2012/01/constrictor-snake-news.html 'The Way Washington Works'^http://blog.humanesociety.org/wayne/2014/06/constrictor-snakes-2.html 'Time to Tighten Grip on Imports of Constricting Snakes' 6.24.2014^http://usark.org/2014-blog/hsus-wants-americans-to-lie-to-the-u-s-government 'HSUS wants Americans to Lie to the U.S. Government' 07.02.2014^http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/exotic_pets/facts/dangerous-exotic-pets-constrictor-snakes.html^http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/exotic_pets/facts/thinking_of_getting_turtle_012609.html 'Thinking of Getting a Pet Turtle?' 8.20.14^http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/iguanas/^http://usark.org/position-statements/mission/ usark.org Mission statement^Salmon, Jacqueline L. (March 26, 2006). "Red Cross, Humane Society Under Investigation". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 8, 2012. ^"Louisiana attorney general launches HSUS investigation". American Veterinary Medical Association. June 1, 2006. Retrieved April 8, 2012. ^"Money Mysteries Part 1: Hurricane Katrina HSUS Fundraising". Retrieved April 20, 2013. ^http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2011/08/six_years_after_katrina_hsus.html^"Common Questions about Animal Shelters : The Humane Society of the United States". Humanesociety.org. Retrieved 2014-07-14. ^""Pennies for Charity" - The Attorney General's Report on Fundraisers in New York". Retrieved December 9, 2009. ^"Canadian seal hunt begins amid protests". USA Today. March 25, 2006. Retrieved May 4, 2010. ^Squatriglia, Chuck (April 1, 2003). "Dolphins hunt for mines in gulf waters / Trained animals helping Navy clear vital port of Umm Qasr". The San Francisco Chronicle. ^"Search - Global Edition - The New York Times". International Herald Tribune. 2009-03-29. Retrieved 2011-03-30. ^Humane Society of the United States Activistcash.com^Severson, Kim. "Animal advocates' new weapon: Video sharing - The New York Times". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2011-03-30. ^"6-5-06 pg 26.qxp"(PDF). Retrieved 2011-03-30. ^Courtesy of the Humane Society (2010-01-05). "Lynne Terry, The Oregonian". Oregonlive.com. Retrieved 2011-03-30. ^"Charity Navigator Donor Advisory - The Humane Society of the United States". Charitynavigator.org. Retrieved 2014-07-17. ^Richard Pollack. "Animal rights groups that paid circus $15.7 million file suit against insurers who cancelled them in 2010". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2014-07-17. ^Texas (October 4, 2013). "HumaneWatch: HSUS nonprofit rating improves to "C-"". Cattlenetwork.com. Event occurs at 04:43 PM. Retrieved 2014-07-14. ^Daniel Borochoff. "How American Institute of Philanthropy Rates Charities". Charitywatch.org. Retrieved 2011-03-30. ^""Animal rights group pays settlement in circus elephant case," Tom Watkins, CNN, December 28, 2012". Cnn.com. 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2014-07-14. ^MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press (2014-05-16). ""Animal-rights groups to pay Ringling circus $16 million," Matthew Karakat, The Associated Press, May 16, 2014". Stltoday.com. Retrieved 2014-07-14. ^"Latest Salvo in Feud Targets Humane Society's Accounting". Bloomberg News. 11/7/2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21. ^"Humane Society blasted for late release of video in beef recall - CNN.com". CNN. February 21, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2010. ^Agriculture reporting bill more harmful than helpful (2014-01-15). "Agriculture reporting bill more harmful than helpful - SentinelSource.com: Editorial". SentinelSource.com. Retrieved 2014-07-14. ^"Michael Vick to work with Humane Society on its campaign against dogfighting". Los Angeles Times. 2009-05-20. Retrieved April 20, 2013. ^"Nevada Humane Society responds to Michael Vick inquiries". Retrieved April 20, 2013. ^"What Happened to Michael Vick's Dogs". CNN. 2008-12-23. Retrieved April 20, 2013. ^"Humane Society president open to Michael Vick owning dogs again". CNN. 2010-12-21. Retrieved April 20, 2013. ^"Dog advocates disagree about whether Vick would be a good owner". Retrieved December 15, 2013. ^"Michael Vick and Having a Pet - Wayne Pacelle: A Humane Nation | HSUS President & CEO". Hsus.typepad.com. 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2014-07-14. ^"I understand the strong emotions by some people about our family's decision to care for a pet. As a father, it is important to make sure my children develop a healthy relationship with animals," Vick's reasoning for getting another dog according to Philly.com. "Vick on family dog: 'Our pet is well cared for'". Retrieved April 20, 2013. ^Mosbergen, Dominique (2012-10-11). "Michael Vick: Yes, I Have A Dog". Huffington Post. ^"Animal rights activists mixed on Vick move". Retrieved April 20, 2013. ^Associated Press. 26, 2011 Michael Vick: Dogfighting Android app is wrong. CBS News^Paul Courson. July 19, 2011. Michael Vick backs bill targeting dog fight spectators. Cable News Network^Williamson, Eric. Oct. 25, 2012 Animal Abuse Laws Stronger After Vick Prosecution, But Still Not Ideal, Experts Say. University of Virginia School of Law^Humane Society of the United States Misled Americans With Fundraising Pitch: Animal Rights Group Falsely Claimed It Would "Care For" Michael Vick's Dogs Center for Consumer Freedom press release^"Put an End to Animal Fighting". Consumer Freedom. Retrieved April 8, 2012. ^Schmidt, Michael S. August 1, 2007. Government Makes a Case, and Holds Dogs as Evidence. The New York Times.^[3][dead link]^"An Investigation of the Canadian Seafood "Boycott" Promoted By the Humane Society of the United States"(PDF). Consumerfreedom.com. March 2006. Retrieved 2011-10-01. ^"Humane Society of the United States Promotes Phony Canadian-Seafood Boycott". Consumerfreedom.com. March 23, 2006. Retrieved 2011-10-01. ^""AG Pruitt Warns Oklahomans of Misleading Solicitations by National Animal Welfare Organizations," Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General, March 12, 2014". Oag.ok.gov. Retrieved 2014-07-14. ^""State AG's office issues alert against Humane Society of the United States," Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World, March 12, 2014". Tulsaworld.com. Retrieved 2014-07-14. ^"About Us". Veterinarians for Equine Welfare. Retrieved April 8, 2012. ^Cruel Deaths in Mexico a Result of Closing U.S. Horse Processing Plants AVMA press release. October 4, 2007^U.S. horse slaughter exports to Mexico increase 312% JAVMA News. January 15, 2008^Our Policies : The Humane Society of the United States^Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka, Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights, 19.Further reading[edit]Amory, Cleveland, Man Kind? Our Incredible War on Wildlife (1974).Balcombe, Jonathan, The Use of Animals in Higher Education: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations (2000).Donaldson, Sue and Will Kymlicka, Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights (2012).Donahue, Jesse, and Erik Trump, The Politics of Zoos: Exotic Animals and their Protectors (2006).Hadidian, John A., Wild Neighbors: The Humane Approach to Living With Wildlife 2007.Hoyt, John A., Animals in Peril 1994.Irwin, Paul, Losing Paradise: The Growing Threat to Our Animals, Our Environment, and Ourselves (2000).McGiffin H., and N. Brownley, eds., Animals in Education: The Use of Animals in High School biology Classes and Science Fairs (1980).Morse, Mel, Ordeal of the Animals (1970).Pacelle, Wayne, The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them (2009).Russell, William S., and Rex Burch, The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique (1959).Scully, Matthew, Dominion: The Power of Man, The Suffering of Animals, and The Call to Mercy (2003).Stephens, Martin L.,Alternatives to Current Animal Use in Research, Safety, Testing and Education(1986).Unti, Bernard. Protecting All Animals: A Fifty-Year History of The Humane Society of the United States (2004).Unti, Bernard, and Andrew Rowan. "A Social History of Animal Protection in the Post''World War Two Period." In State of the Animals 2001, edited by Deborah J. Salem and Andrew N. Rowan. Washington, D.C.: Humane Society of the United States, 2001.External links[edit]

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Tue, 05 May 2015 04:26

Feb. 17, 2014

February 17, 2014

David Goldberg, Chief Executive OfficerSurveyMoney285 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 500Palo Alto, CA 94301

Dear Mr. Goldberg:

Our association recently became aware of SurveyMonkey's relationship with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) from our Pork industry contacts. We are disappointed in your ongoing support of the organization through the SurveyMonkey Contribute program.

You may or may not be aware that HSUS portrays itself in television ads as supporting local pet shelters, but in reality, spends less than 1% of its funding with local shelters. In reality, HSUS spends a majority of funding on their administration and a well orchestrated smear campaign against agricultural food production systems of today- systems that are based in family farmers who work really hard to provide safe, affordable food.

Businesses and organizations are defined by the company they keep. SurveyMonkey has made a distinct choice in aligning charitable giving with an essentially anti-agriculture organization. SurveyMonkey clearly makes a choice as to which charities it will feature and which ones it will not. We urge you to do your own research and evaluate your HSUS choice. We believe you will be surprised. We also believe that if your customers understood the true nature of the HSUS, they, too, would reconsider their support.

You have a great survey tool and we have used SurveyMonkey for many years, but with your donation to HSUS, we are no longer interested in using your services. We hope, as you re-evaluate your SurveyMonkey Contribute program giving to HSUS, that we will be able to once again utilize your services.

Sincerely,

Roger Zylstra, President Iowa Corn Growers Association

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Thu, 07 May 2015 14:45

Great- I will plan on it- just let me know where is best.

From: Lynton, Michael [mailto:Michael_Lynton@spe.sony.com]Sent: Monday, August 18, 2014 4:52 PMTo: Dave GoldbergCc: Diamond, DavidSubject: Re: Music strategy-confidential

11th is my anniversary so that would be tough, but breakfast on the 12th works perfectly.

On Aug 18, 2014, at 3:50 PM, Dave Goldberg wrote:

Would dinner on Sept 11th or breakfast on the 12th work for you?

Dave

From: Lynton, Michael [mailto:Michael_Lynton@spe.sony.com]Sent: Monday, August 18, 2014 6:59 AMTo: Dave GoldbergSubject: Re: Music strategy-confidential

Dave

Many thanks. It is going to be a bit of a rush this week. We have to get to Chicago etc. Next week works except Monday. And then I am wide open

M

On Aug 17, 2014, at 3:45 PM, "Dave Goldberg" wrote:

I am so sorry to hear that. Please give Jamie my condolences.

We can find a time when you get settled- no rush.

Best,Dave

From: Lynton, Michael [mailto:Michael_Lynton@spe.sony.com]Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2014 2:37 PMTo: Dave GoldbergSubject: Re: Music strategy-confidential

Jamie's dad just passed away so I have to go to Chicago this week for the memorial. Let me check when and come right back. It looks like this will make the 19th tough.

On Aug 12, 2014, at 11:32 AM, "Dave Goldberg" wrote:

Just checking back on this- I can also look at dates in September if next week doesn't work.

Best,Dave

From: Dave GoldbergSent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 11:38 PMTo: Lynton, Michael Subject: RE: Music strategy-confidential

Great- let me know if the evening of Aug 19th would work in LA and I can make that happen.

From: Lynton, Michael [mailto:Michael_Lynton@spe.sony.com]Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 3:00 PMTo: Dave GoldbergSubject: Re: Music strategy-confidential

I am still east on those days. Back August 18 and good any time after that except the 25th. Yeah the only person who can really scare me is Jamie and with good reason.

On Jul 31, 2014, at 4:22 PM, "Dave Goldberg" wrote:

You don't get scared easily!

I am happy to have the longer discussion. Is dinner the best time for you? I could come down and do dinner in LA on either Aug 12th or 13th if either of those worked for you.

Best,

Dave

From: Lynton, Michael [mailto:Michael_Lynton@spe.sony.com]Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 8:58 AMTo: Dave GoldbergSubject: Re: Music strategy-confidential

Dave,

This is hugely helpful. Many many thanks for taking the time. This will remain between us, and I would love to discuss this further with you. Great to see you and lets try and get together very soon.

Warmly,

Michael

On Jul 25, 2014, at 3:48 PM, Dave Goldberg wrote:

Michael,

As we discussed Saturday, I thought I would send you a longer email with my thoughts about the strategy, what the risks are with it and the reasons it hasn¹t been done to date. I obviously don¹t have access to any internal data but I think Sony is close enough to WMG or EMI (where I have seen the data) to make reasonable assumptions.

If you still want to discuss this after you digest this, I am happy to find a time to come down to talk about it more. I think this amount of reinvention has rarely been done inside a public media company and it would be tough for Sony as a company to stomach the complaints from artists, employees and related parties (RIAA budget would be slashed, as an example). We would have to really decide if it was possible if you agreed with my thesis. I would also want to do a lot of actual work prior to implementing to validate the data behind the assumptions and understand the sequencing. I think it is a two-three year project to shrink the company down to the end state with a lot of noise in that period.

Best,

Dave

Core strategic assumptions:

Music is becoming a purely digital product. A digital- only recorded music company will be a much more profitable one after one-off restructuring costs. It will have lower revenue and higher margins. Its revenue will be very stable and grow with the overall digital music market growth. It will be a much more valuable company with its revenue base solidly coming from subscription and ad revenue. It will be valued like music publishing companies or cable channels, not like recorded music companies today. Margins for recorded music should eventually be above 40% on that lower but growing revenue base.

Catalog provides 50% of the revenue and 200% of the profits of recorded music. This has generally been the case for the other recorded music companies when the analysis was correctly done. The correct analysis requires including reissues, live albums, greatest hits releases in catalog. Catalog needs to be defined much more broadly to include all music that hasn¹t been created in the last 2 years- EMI used to call the Beatles releases ''new music'' even though they clearly weren¹t under a new album contract. In addition, streaming revenues tend to be more heavily weighted to catalog. Pandora and Spotify are probably 65% catalog under this definition. Licensing and synch revenue are mostly catalog as well. Therefore, if Sony Recorded Music (ex-Japan) is doing $250MM in EBITDA today, catalog is probably generating approximately $500 MM and the new release business, which is 98% of the headcount, is losing $250MM per year. The catalog is also primarily generating this revenue off ''deep'' catalog that is at least 5 years old or older. The great classics of pop music are stable earners, much like the consistent songs that generate most of the music publishing revenues.

With catalog providing the base profits, new releases need to be cut back dramatically to the point where the new business either breaks even or loses a small amount of money (justified by the long term catalog income stream of those songs). Thus, if the new release business is oriented towards building new deep catalog, it changes the entire process from trying to pick big hits to safely getting some good music out that has longevity. This will bias new releases to genres like rock and country that typically have had strong catalog. These also happen to be the genres that don't have expensive producers so more music can be created for the same A&R dollars. The record company needs to act like a music publisher for new releases- putting up very little money but not trying to hold artists for long contract periods or to keep as much of the revenue. Advances would be $50k with a 40% revenue share after the advance. Losses in new releases are generally driven by expensive fixed headcount and built-in marketing costs for new releases that don't pay off. The new release business budget, employees and capital need to be ring-fenced from the catalog so that it stands on its own with a Lifetime Value assessment of the capital deployed. Most fixed headcount in new releases will need to be eliminated, artists will need to be paid quickly and transparently, deals will need to be simple and fair and catalog replenishment is the only goal of the new release business. Artist contracts that have large fixed marketing costs will need to be restructured or sold off as there will no longer be headcount to do the work. New releases will be tested on consumers before added money is spent to ensure that it isn't wasted. In short, the new release business will become like an independent label. Publishing and recorded music A&R should be combined to ensure that all recorded music releases had a combined publishing deal and that you can capture the publishing value from the catalog you create. Not all new publishing writers would be on recorded music contracts but all new recorded music contracts should be combined with publishing.

Physical distribution is going away- it doesn't need to be eliminated prematurely but it needs to follow digital and not drive it. The record company will want to milk the physical CD business but not worry about supporting retailers with credit to make quarterly numbers. Jamming product into the channel needs to be eliminated and the digital business needs to be the priority.

Internationally, most local repertoire will probably have to be eliminated. The record company will want to sell off the local repertoire or spin out the local labels and focus on English language repertoire globally, unless there is some country that has managed to be profitable on its local repertoire (i.e.Japan). This is a huge part of the cost base with very little value. Digital distributors do not need local new release labels to work with as they are all regional or global players. International local publishing repertoire will need to be evaluated but much of that cost and infrastructure shouldn't continue either.

Digital licensing strategy needs to change dramatically. The record company and the publishing company need to understand the economics and the ecosystem of the DSPs and work to help them grow profitably but also to ensure that there are multiple providers. Pandora should be incentivized to build a subscription business, Spotify to enter the radio space, new entrants to have an advantage in the beginning and much more international access to digital content. The simplest way to start would be to offer Pandora, Spotify, Google, Amazon and others a new three year deal. This would be a 10-15% premium over their expected payment for the 3 years but they would get unlimited use of the music during that period. This would incent them to heavily invest in growing their user and revenue bases because they would see improved margins on each incremental sub. Additionally, the record company would make licenses transparent and simple for all new entrants while removing the price setting constructs from on-demand subscription. If Netflix wanted to pay 200 MM per year to give all of its 40MM subs a music subscription- that should be encouraged, not scoffed at. The goal for digital is for subscription and ad based services to become the predominant means for people to access music. These services need margin to attract capital to make the investment to grow their user bases. This should help build more stable long-term revenue streams for both recorded music and publishing.

Publishing needs to extract itself from the tax of the PROs (ASCAP, BMI). The technology is available today to enable direct licensing of public performances for radio and TV- if the costs of the PROs was shared equally between broadcasters and publishers, this could result in an incremental 7%-9% revenue increase to publishers on the same base of content. In addition, record companies should be able to get a US performance right for analog radio by pushing hard to move as many listeners to digital radio as quickly as possible.

Headcount reductions will take time but after the restructuring period, it should be possible to run Recorded Music with a few hundred people and the same for publishing. More investment will be needed in technology for royalties, reporting and licensing content and revenue will certainly come down on the recorded music side but the absolute and relative margin improvements should make up for it.

It should be easy to double margins without much change- Warner now has an 18% OIBDA margin on a lower revenue and publishing based compared to Sony's 11%. But the goal is to get to a 40% margin on the combined Sony Music business, albeit on lower revenue. This should be a growth business that grows with the digital business and gets a substantial premium on its valuation because of the margin, the stability of the cash flow and the growth. If the whole business had $587MM of OIBDA on $5.4 B of revenue last year, it should get to $1.6B of OIDBA on $4B of revenue in 3 years. This would be an almost 3X improvement in absolute earnings but would be a 4-5x increase in valuation because of the margins and the growth tied to digital. The new business would be growing 10-20% annually with high margins.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 00:34

The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience. This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

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Tennessee Personal Injury Lawyers at Gilreath & Associates offer free and personal consultation to help you evaluate your legal options.Our attorneys are dedicated to helping you recover financially from an injury stemming from someone else's negligence.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 00:33

Despite the national media attention over the strangulation of boxer Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter by a treadmill cord, an Inland expert said child injuries involving exercise equipment are rarely fatal.

Dr. Lance Brown, chief of pediatric emergency medicine at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, said he seldom sees children who have been injured by exercise equipment, probably because most injuries are rather minor.

"I cannot recall a single time in my career that I've encountered a child who died from exercise equipment," Brown said by phone.

Tyson's daughter, Exodus, died Tuesday after being strangled by a cord connected to a treadmill in her Phoenix home. The machine was not running at the time, authorities have said.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission does not have any data on fatalities related to treadmills, but about 2,600 children younger than age 5 are injured by treadmills each year in the United States, spokeswoman Arlene Fleche said. The majority of the accidents occurred while the parent was using the treadmill, she said.

"Usually there are cuts and bruises to the fingers or toes," Fleche said by phone.

Dr. Rodney Borger, chairman of the emergency department at Arrowhead Regional Medical Department in Colton, said children sometimes put their hands behind or underneath the treadmill.

"They get a bad burn or crush injury. That's something we see several times a year," he said by phone. "I haven't ever seen a strangulation injury."

Some studies have reported burns are so severe that children needed skin grafts and even plastic surgery.

The Australian state of New South Wales has introduced a new safety standard -- that will take effect today -- requiring all new treadmills to carry a prominent sticker warning parents to keep children away from the machines when they are in use.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled a number of treadmills over the years, but mainly for hazards to the treadmill operator -- such as unexpected acceleration -- rather than hazards to children specifically, according to a review of commission records.

Although manufacturers have added safety features to children's toys, cribs and household items such as window blinds, exercise equipment don't have those features, Brown said. But the Tyson case could prompt changes, he said.

In the meantime, the product safety commission recommends that parents create a safe zone around exercise equipment so children can't get at it when it is being operated, Fleche said. When not in use, parents should store or lock the equipment in a secure location, she said.

Parents can set up protective barriers around the equipment to keep out toddlers who haven't learned to walk yet, Brown said. But those would not keep a 4-year-old out, he said.

Brown questioned the storing or locking up of treadmills, noting that they are furniture-size equipment that might require another room.

"Most of us don't have those kinds of resources," he said. "It's really impractical."

Instead, parents could create certain areas in the household that are free for children to roam about, Brown said, and place other areas off-limits.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 08:20

GMG ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES EXCLUSIVE GAMESCAMPUS AND TOPPS COMPANY, INC FREE COLLECTIBLECARD OFFER IN TARGET STORES NATIONWIDELOS ANGELES, CA - February 18, 2010

GMG Entertainment, the leading publisher of digital currency cards for the digital gaming and online entertainment industries, announced today an exclusive promotion with the free-to-play games portal GamesCampus and the internationally recognized creator of collectible trading cards and entertainment products, Topps Company, Inc. Through the promotion, consumers who purchase a $10 GamesCampus prepaid card between February 14 and March 27, 2010 at a participating Target retail location will receive a free package of Topps baseball cards. The announcement was made today by GMG Entertainment Founder and CEO, Rob Goldberg.

''By bringing the online popularity and engagement of GamesCampus properties together with Topps' sought after cards, we are offering consumers a chance to supplement their entertainment experiences. This promotion is a terrific way to bridge the online and offline worlds of play in a truly unique way,'' said Goldberg.

Chris Ahn, Marketing Specialist for GamesCampus, stated, ''We believe this joint promotion is a great event for our avid baseball fans that play GamesCampus games. The new baseball season is just around the corner, and our baseball game is better than ever to match the excitement of the upcoming 2010 season.''

GMG Entertainment's content partners appeal to a wide-range of consumers. In November 2009, the company announced the launch of ''The Biggest Loser Club'' card, offering discounted membership to the online weight-loss club. Additionally, among many other offerings, GMG's prepaid cards may be used to enhance game play or upgrade a premium user with access to the site's special features.

About GMG EntertainmentGMG Entertainment is the leading currency card publisher in the virtual goods marketplace, an industry expected to earn $1.6 billion in revenue in the United States in 2010. Founded by CEO Rob Goldberg in 2002, GMG works on behalf of the leading online games and entertainment creators to grow their revenue and build their brands through individually branded products sold at the world's top retailers. In doing so, GMG delivers one of a kind entertainment-based ideas and experiences for end users and digital content creators through traditional retail sales and consumer marketing.

About GamesCampusGamesCampus.com is a thriving Free-to-Play games portal, operated by OnNet USA serving the western gaming market. Based in California, OnNet USA was founded in 2006 with the launch of its highly successful golf simulation game, Shot Online. Games Campus' diverse game portfolio includes MMOs ranging from sports titles such as Shot Online and MLB Dugout Heroes, to fantastic fantasy MMOs and 3rd person shooting games like Asda Story and Manga Fighter. All of GamesCampus.com titles are completely free to play, and can be accessed at http://gamescampus.com.

About ToppsFounded in 1938, Topps is a leading creator and marketer of sports and related cards, entertainment products, and distinctive confectionery. Topps entertainment products include Major League Baseball, UFC, NHL and other trading cards, sticker album collections, and collectible games. The Company's confectionery brands include "Bazooka" bubble gum, "Ring Pop," "Push Pop," "Baby Bottle Pop" and "Juicy Drop Pop" lollipops. For additional information, visit www.topps.com.

'—Š Source: Official Press Release

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Tue, 05 May 2015 15:33

Topps, the company known for the trading cards from childhood, is expanding into digital goods with the purchase of GMG Entertainment, the gift card provider for Facebook.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

GMG is a publisher of digital currency cards and works closely with Facebook to manage, distribute, market and manufacture the cards.

The cards, which are sold at major retailers including Best Buy, RadioShack, Target and GameStop, are good for Facebook Credits, which is the digital currency used inside all games on the social network.

The digital currency market is growing as more games are played online for free and give players the option of buying virtual goods inside the game. Rather than having to enter a credit card number online, game cards can be conveniently purchased in cash and redeemed online. Another big player in the industry is Atlanta-based InComm.

Topps, which was acquired and taken private by Michael Eisner's Tornante Company and Madison Dearborn Partners in 2007, says it will leverage the acquisition to enter the digital currency market, while bringing manufacturing, design and collectibility skills to digital currency cards.

Rob Goldberg, the CEO of GMG, will become the VP and general manager of the digital currency business, reporting to Topps CEO Ryan O'Hara. GMG will represent the company's third business division in addition to trading cards and confections, such as Bazooka bubble gum.

GMG's other executives, Tim Pechmann and Jeff Mickeal, will also join Topps.

GMG works with about 45 clients, including the NFL and game companies like THQ.

Tagged with: Bazooka, Best Buy, digital currency, Facebook, Facebook Credits, GameStop, gift cards, GMG Entertainment, Jeff Mickeal, Madison Dearborn Partners, Michael Eisner, NFL, RadioShack, Rob Goldberg, Ryan O'Hara, Target, THQ, Tim Pechmann, Topps, Tornante Company, trading cards

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Tue, 05 May 2015 07:45

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to LeadbySheryl Sandberg78,958 ratings, average rating, 7,644 reviewsOpen PreviewSee a Problem?We'd love your help. Let us know what's wrong with this preview of Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 19:39

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Exposing the ''Nazi'' Epithet '' Who started it, why, how, and ...justice4germans.com/.../exposing-the-nazi-epithet-who-started-it-why-ho...Apr 16, 2013 - So to deny that there was ever such thing as a ''Nazi'', to most ... a ''Nazi'', but also a lunatic, because after all, ''everyone knows Hitler .... the number of those who thus relapsed became lost to their country. ..... they know about Hitler, the NSDAP and WWII history is upside down, and that the opposite is true.The Original Flag of the German People vs the False Flag of ...justice4germans.com/.../the-original-flag-of-the-german-people-vs-the-fa...Mar 13, 2013 - Of course the propaganda war against Germany has also never stopped. ... This is tolerated because the German people have been subjected to massive .... Ursprungs'' which was printed in 1912 by Thule Society and had a Swastika on it. ..... tricolour (an upside-down version of the modern German flag), ...What is the story behind the swastika (Hindu symbol)? Is its ...www.quora.com 'º ... 'º Asia 'º South Asia 'º India 'º Historical IndiaThe Nazi swastika's resemblance to Hindu symbol is no accident. The Nazis had ... He assumed that he was leading a just war. See: Nazi leader .... There are some people who lost there family members in Nazi movement. They shudder and .... Did Hitler know that he was using the Swastika upside down? What is the story ...Flag of Germany - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_GermanyWith the formation of the Weimar Republic after World War I, the tricolour was ..... of a gold-red-black tricolour (an upside-down version of the modern German flag) , .... the same colours as Imperial Germany, because in Hitler's opinion they were ... An off-centred disk version of the swastika flag was used as the civil ensign ...Nazi Germany - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_GermanyGermany at the height of World War II success (September to December, 1942) ... Nazi Germany or the Third Reich was the period in the history of Germany .... after the end of World War I, partly because of reparations payments required ..... and by the end of 1943 the Germans had lost most of their territorial gains in the east ...Exorcist: The Beginning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcist:_The_BeginningAfter World War II, Merrin is an archaeologist in Cairo, when he is ... In addition, Merrin learns that the diggers are disappearing or leaving in droves because the local ... on the cross in an upside-down position, which is considered a desecration. ... he discovers Bession has carved a swastika on his chest and is speaking ...13 - Reclaim The Swastika : Your Sayreclaimtheswastika.com/swastika/your-say/comment-page-13/The true spiritual meaning of the swastika symbol is far from the nazi ideology for ... later here before nazism, perhaps can we reabilitated this symbol, to print it upside down ? .... And 2, I believe the Nazis lost because they used the Swastika too much. ... on houses etc, I belive that's what made those Nazi idiots lose the war.Black Nazi Cab Driver Defends Wearing Swastika Armband - Godlike ...www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message2552051/pg1

May 18, 2014 - The world is truly upsidedown. ... "What level do you think YOU will have in Nazi ideaology" .... National Socialist Germany is evil because they lost the war, while Communism and Stalin are the greatest thing since sliced ...Seriously, what is with the swastikas? | Page 13 | Forum | Gaia Onlinewww.gaiaonline.com 'º ... 'º Gaia Community DiscussionJul 8, 2005 - 15 posts - 'Ž9 authors

You know that Germany doesn't even teach it's children about WWII in ..... on Germany, simply because he didn't want another war (he lost his son in .... the same way an upside down cross or an upside down pentagram are ...

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Thu, 07 May 2015 05:34

What's This?

Bob Welch, standing at left, and Jim Dillon, hold a sign at a public hearing about the Jade Helm 15 military training exercise in Bastrop, Texas, Monday April 27, 2015.Image: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman/Associated Press

By Megan Specia2015-05-06 19:54:49 UTC

Everything's bigger in Texas '-- including conspiracy theories.

One such theory has gained steam online; it says the U.S. military is about to invade the state. The rumors began in March and center around a planned military training operation set to take place in Texas over the summer, dubbed Operation Jade Helm 15.

Critics of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott say he added fuel to the conspiracy fire when he ordered Texas State Guard troops to monitor the military exercises in the state this summer throughout the eight-week simulation in order to protect Texans' "civil liberties."

''During the training operation, it is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed," Abbott wrote to Maj. Gen. Gerald Betty, asking for "regular updates on the progress and safety of the operation."

Conservative bloggers, too, have added to the far-fetched story, while other prominent voices, including state officials and even 75-year-old martial artist Chuck Norris, have added their voices to the mix.

But what, if anything, is the basis for the claims, and more importantly, what is Operation Jade Helm 15?

What the conspiracy theorists are sayingSome on the far right believe the military operation is a front for introducing martial law in Texas. Blogger Dave Hodges wrote extensively on what he believes is the link between the military operation, the closure of several Wal-Marts in the area, and the imminent federal take over of the state.

Much of the speculation comes from the map below, that has been circulating online since at least mid-March, around the time the operation was first announced. It shows several southern states involved in the operation, including Texas, labeled with "hostile," apparently for training purposes.

Some say it is proof of impending martial law to "ensure compliance by the population regarding the unpopular policies currently being applied and executed by the United States government." Others have extended the conspiracy even further to include a series of underground tunnels and the use of recently closes Wal-Marts across the area as staging sites for an invasion.

Though he has since clarified that the guard will be present only to monitor the military exercises, why the governor lent credence to the claims by deploying it remains unclear.

What the Pentagon is sayingThe eight week-long exercise, which begins in July and ends in September, across seven states '-- Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi '-- is meant to provide training for covert operations in "hostile" territories using simulations. It was announced by the U.S. Army Special Operations in March.

The Pentagon has been clear that the operation is unique in its scale, and will aim to replicate the situations special forces officers encounter overseas.

While multi-state training exercises such as these are not unique to the military, the size and scope of Jade Helm sets this one apart. To stay ahead of the environmental challenges faced overseas, Jade Helm will take place across seven states. However, Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) will only train in five states: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. The diverse terrain in these states replicates areas Special Operations Soldiers regularly find themselves operating in overseas.

The exercises will be carried out on private and public land, with the permission of the private landowners, and from state and local authorities, according to the Pentagon, and reiterated throughout their initial statement on the operation that local officials would be kept up to speed on Jade Helm 15. The military framed the operation as advantageous for locals.

"The most noticeable effect the exercise may have on the local communities is an increase in vehicle and military air traffic and its associated noise," read the statement. "There will also be economic gain: an increase in the local economy, in fuel and food purchases and hotel lodging."

The Pentagon could not be immediately reached by Mashable for comment on Wednesday, but a spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday that the operation did not put anyone's civil liberties at risk.

"Jade Helm is a long planned and coordinated exercise," Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren said. "We are not taking over anything."

Officials '-- and Chuck Norris '-- weigh inThe conspiracy has been driven in part by the prominent voices calling for scrutiny of the exercises. Norris, an outspoken advocate for conservative causes, wrote in a column on WorldNetDaily

"The U.S. government says, 'It's just a training exercise.' But I'm not sure the term 'just' has any reference to reality when the government uses it," wrote Norris.

Norris also took the opportunity to voice his opinion on the limited information provided to local officials.

"It's pretty sad and bad when major military ops are ordered in a large, fiery state like Texas and not even the governor or its senators know the specifics," wrote Norris. "It's neither over-reactionary nor conspiratorial to call into question or ask for transparency about Jade Helm 15 or any other government activity," wrote Norris.

On the other end of the spectrum, former Texas Governor Rick Perry criticized Abbott for his response to the planned operation, calling out the governor's questioning of the trustworthiness of the U.S. military.

''It's OK to question your government. I do it on a regular basis," said Perry, who is expected to throw his hat into the ring for the 2016 presidential election. "But the military is something else. Our military is quite trustworthy. The civilian leadership, you can always question that, but not the men and women in uniform.''

Former Republican state lawmaker Todd Smith, meanwhile, was less diplomatic in his response, and slammed the governor for "pandering to idiots" in a letter.

On Monday, the governor walked back the fear-mongering to some extent. "We have been provided assurances by the special operations forces that there is nothing for the public to worry about," he told reporters. He did not, however, rescind the order for the Texas State Guard to monitor the exercises.

That same day, Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, attempted to tamp down the fears of those who likened the presence of the U.S. military in Texas to "Nazi Germany."

''You may have issues with the administration. So be it. But this institution right here has been with you for over 200 years,'' he said in a community meeting in Bastrop, Texas. ''I've worn this uniform across five different administrations for 27 years.''

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Topics: chuck norris, military training, texas, U.S., World

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Thu, 07 May 2015 05:46

Benjamin Franklin said, ''Distrust and caution are the parents of security.'' He also said, ''Security without liberty is called prison.'' Both apply to what I want to share with you today in my culture warrior column.

Last Friday evening in Houston, my wife, Gena, and I were overjoyed to host the 22nd annual gala for our foundation, KICKSTART KIDS, or KSK, which seeks to build character through karate in students in Texas public middle schools. We were equally honored to have as our special guests at the event Texas Gov. and Mrs. Gregg Abbott and Marcus Luttrell, a former United States Navy SEAL who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in June 2005 facing Taliban fighters during Operation Redwing. It was an amazing night and gala!

On behalf of KICKSTART KIDS, we are doubly blessed this May also to be receiving the 2015 Safe School Crime Stoppers Award, an award given to any individual or group that has made a significant contribution towards keeping schools safe and enhancing education. What an honor it is, too!

Speaking of awesome patriotic fighting machines, Crime Stoppers USA is the national Crime Stoppers organization that spans the United States to create a network of local programs that work together to prevent and solve crimes in communities and schools across the nation, as its official website explains.

You can fight right where you are by supporting or joining the local Crime Stoppers organization in your area by visiting its website. You can even submit crime tips and review top criminals in the U.S. there. And if you want further training, then attend its 5th Annual Training Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, on Aug. 16-19, 2015, where stimulating and productive training classes are offered.

As I think about Crime Stoppers, Gov. Abbott, and former Navy SEAL Luttrell, I am reminded again of how true patriots need to continue to fight for freedom wherever we are. At 75 years old, I'm still fighting. If you're reading this column, odds are you are, too.

Chuck Norris provides real solutions to our county's problems and a way to reawaken the American dream in his best-seller, ''Black Belt Patriotism.''

While out on a run in 1984, Gov. Abbot was struck by a falling oak tree that crippled his legs for life but not his heart, mind and passion. He not only went on to become attorney general for the Lone Star State but also its 48th and current governor.

In announcing his candidacy in July 2013, Gov. Abbott's true grit showed when he said, ''Some politicians talk about having a steel spine. I actually have one. I will use my steel spine to fight for Texas values every single day.'' He's led a life of perseverance to prove it.

Last week, I laughed as some progressives in the mainstream media tried to mock Gov. Abbott for telling the Texas State Guard to monitor the Pentagon's Jade Helm 15 military ops that are occurring this summer in seven states, including California and Texas.

If you haven't heard about Jade Helm 15, you need to. It is multi-state training mission for special operations soldiers scheduled over an eight-week period in July and August, with most of the activity happening on private property but some public, too. The official website press release from March 24 admits: ''While multi-state training exercises such as these are not unique to the military, the size and scope of Jade Helm sets this one apart.''

Gov. Abbot was right in writing Maj. Gen. Gerald Betty, ''During the training operation, it is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed.'' Abbott is demanding ''regular updates on the progress and safety of the Operation.''

Concerned Texans and Americans are in no way calling into question our brave and courageous men and women in uniform. They are merely following orders. What's under question are those who are pulling the strings at the top of Jade Helm 15 back in Washington. The U.S. government says, ''It's just a training exercise.'' But I'm not sure the term ''just'' has any reference to reality when the government uses it.

''Well, I'm not trusting what we're being told,'' said Mike Hightower, an affable antique store owner and real-estate agent in the very small town of Smithville, Texas, where some Jade Helm 15 exercises will take place. He added, ''I think there's something a little more involved than what they're telling us.''

If Washington wants to cool the embers of controversy, then it should quit stoking the fire, as with the posting of a map of Jade Helm 15 ''just'' exercises that label some areas of the country, including Texas, as ''hostile,'' according to KHOU 11 News in Houston and verified by the Washington Post.

I have an idea: If the government insists on running expanded military ops across seven Southwest states, why doesn't it move all that ''military training'' south and protect our borders at the same time?!

Whatever Jade Helm 15 actually is, I think it is more than coincidental that the FBI director just confessed in February that the presence of ISIS can be felt in all 50 states of the U.S. and that the Pentagon is suddenly running its biggest military training exercise with every branch of the military across seven Southwestern states. Whether deterrence, display of power or something more covert or devious, let's not come with any patronizing nonsense of impotence and simplicity when its origin is in Washington.

I'm glad Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is asking the tough questions of the Pentagon about Jade Helm 15, particularly because its ''exercises'' come too near to my ranch's backdoor as well, at least according to the map. It's pretty sad and bad when major military ops are ordered in a large, fiery state like Texas and not even the governor or its senators know the specifics.

It's neither over-reactionary nor conspiratorial to call into question or ask for transparency about Jade Helm 15 or any other government activity. To those who merely think we should check our brains at the door of the White House and trust what the government does, I would reiterate to you the words of one of our government's primary founders, Benjamin Franklin, who said, ''Distrust and caution are the parents of security.'' Again, he also said, ''Security without liberty is called prison.'' But then again, I'm sure some today would accuse Franklin of being conspiratorial, too!

As a friend, a law-abiding and loyal retired California Highway Patrol officer, said to me, ''In God We Trust; all others we search.'' Or as the maxim President Reagan cited, ''Trust but verify.''

Friends, when it comes to freedom, we must question, verify and vet everyone and everything. As Thomas Jefferson told his nephew, Peter, in 1787: ''Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.''

We must never check our brains or blindly trust, especially the government. Rather, we must fight until our dying breaths for liberty, especially when it appears those in power are trying to knock down Old Glory.

Former Navy SEAL Luttrell couldn't have said it better: ''I will never quit. My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.''

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Thu, 07 May 2015 05:39

CSUSA Profile

Copyright (C) 2015 | Crime Stoppers of the United States of America | All Rights Reserved

Our VisionTo establish Crime Stoppers as the Premier Community Based Crime SolvingProgram in the United States.Our MissionTo develop innovative resources and partnerships that promote Crime Stoppersthroughout the United States.About CSUSALocal Crime Stoppers programs are non-profit organizations led by citizensagainst crime. Some Crime Stoppers programs offer cash rewards of up to $1000to persons providing anonymous information that leads to the felony arrest ofcriminals and fugitives. Information is received through anonymous CrimeStoppers tips that are received through a secure tips line or through a secure webconnection manned by a professional program coordinator. Each caller isassigned a code number for the purpose of ensuring anonymity.Crime Stoppers is based on the principal that someone other than the criminal hasinformation that can solve a crime and was created to combat the three major problems faced by law enforcement in generating that information:'Fear of REPRISAL'An attitude of APATHY'Reluctance to get INVOLVEDCrime Stoppers resolves these problems by:'Offering ANONYMITY to people who provide information about crimes.'Paying REWARDS when the information supplied leads to arrest.Crime Stoppers was the brainchild of a young Albuquerque detective who was concerned by the number of unsolved cases he and fellow detectives wereworking, and was particularly frustrated that all possible leads had been exhausted regarding the murder of a young college student. He felt information thatwould solve the crime was available from someone other than the criminal. That principal led to the major factors that needed to be addressed so individualswould come forward.Members of the local community, media and law enforcement, came together in partnership to begin the effort to provide crime-solving assistance to lawenforcement, and the first Crime Stoppers program was born on September 8, 1976.A cash reward was offered to individuals that provided anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers with information which would lead to the arrest of the person(s)responsible for the crime. The local media publicized the first ''Crime of the Week'' and the phone number to call with the information. A call received by theprogram resulted in the arrest of three men, within 72 hours, who had been involved in the homicide of the young college student that had occurred 4 monthsearlier.Today, community and student Crime Stoppers programs reach around the world and are represented by the Nation/Regions of the United States, Canada,Caribbean and Latin America, Europe, Australia, and the South/Western Pacific.The Crime Stoppers program has enjoyed great success with the information received which has led to the arrest and indictment of those responsible forcommitting felony offenses, boasting an average conviction rate of approximately 95% on cases solved by a tip to the program.Crime Stoppers is a partnership between the Community, the Media and Law Enforcement.CommunityCitizens are responsible for forming a Crime Stoppers non-profit corporation, whose directors establish policy, determine amount and method of rewardpayments, work closely with law enforcement and the media and generally oversee the program. The directors are also responsible for fund raising, and allvolunteer service. The program is supported by the public through tax deductible donations from businesses, corporations, individuals, and serviceorganizations.MediaCrime Stoppers is publicized on a regular basis by all media outlets including print, broadcast and web-based partners. Special attention is given to unsolvedcrime re-enactments, ''Crimes of the Week'', cold cases, narcotics activity, wanted fugitives, and suspected terrorist and gang activity.Law EnforcementLocal law enforcement agencies receive and process the anonymous tips received through Crime Stoppers, and solve the crimes. If the information leads to anarrest, the caller will be paid up to $1,000.00 for their information.OFFICERSChairmanJohn Lamb '' Crime Stoppers of Bartlesville & Washington County (OK)Vice ChairmanNguyet Do - Los Angeles Crime Stoppers (CA)SecretaryChris Cameron '' Kent County Silent Observer (MI)TreasurerJames Chambers III '' Roseville Community CS (CA) BOARD OF DIRECTORSDirector At-LargeDet. Kevin Boehm - Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers (MO)Director At-LargeSteve Dubois - Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana (IN)Director At-LargeRobert Mooney '' Delaware State Crime Stoppers (DE)Director At-LargeRichard (Rich) Parrish - Crime Stoppers of Mesa County, Inc. (CO)Director At-LargeTroy Daniels - Champaign County Crime Stoppers (IL)Director At-LargeBarb Bergin - Central Florida Crime Line (FL)Immediate Past ChairmanK. Scott Abrams - CS of Racine County (WI) LEGAL SERVICESDirector of Legal ServicesJudge Richard Carter (Ret) REGIONAL DIRECTORSRegion 1 (CT, NH, MA, ME, NY, RI, VT)Elaine Cloyd - Reno County Crime Stoppers (KS)Region 2 (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA)Darlene Cusanza - New Orleans Crime Stoppers (LA)Region 3 (NC, VA, WV)James Mounce - Charlotte Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers (NC)Region 4 (FL, GA, SC, PR, USVI)Karla Baldini - Atlanta Crime Stoppers (GA)Region 5 (AL, LA, MS)Sgt. James Taliaferro - Crime Stoppers of Shreveport/Caddo Parish (LA)Region 6 (AR, KY, TN)Frank Boyd '' CS of Jackson/Madison County (TN)Region 7 (IL, IN, MI, OH)Loren Hamilton - CS of Morgan / Scott Counties (IL)Region 8 (IA, MN, WI)Margaret Jones - Great Kansas City Crime Stoppers (MO)Region 9 (KS, MO, NE, OK)Charles Taraboletti - Crime Stoppers of Bartlesville & Washington (OK)Region 10 (TX)Estela Quintanilla '' Laredo Crime Stoppers (TX)Region 11 (AZ, CO, NM, UT)John Koncilja - Pueblo Crime Stoppers (CO)Region 12 (MT, ND, SD, WY)Susan Rogers - Odessa Crime Stoppers (TX)Region 13 (CA, HI, NV, MP, GU, AS)Kim Buffett - Crime Stoppers Honolulu (HI)Region 14 (AK, ID, OR, WA)Randy Luffberry - Mat-Su Crimestoppers (AK) COMMITTEE CHAIRSTechnologyKevin AndersonNominationsMargaret JonesByLaws & GovernanceJames ChambersFinanceJames ChambersTraining & EducationJohn KinsellaResource DevelopmentTroy DanielsMembershipRich ParrishPR /Marketing ExecutiveCharlie TarabolettiExecutive CommitteeJohn LambAdvisoryScott AbramsLong Range PlanningScott AbramsTelecommunicationsScott Abrams2015 CSUSA ConferenceJames Chambers2016 CSUSA ConferenceJohn KinsellaLaw EnforcementBarb BerginNewsletterEstela QuintanillaSocial Media Scott AbramsWebsiteCharlie TarabolettiLegislative Troy DanielsAwardsMargaret JonesOTHERSpecial ProjectsJohn BroadParliamentarianJames Chambers III

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Mon, 04 May 2015 18:58

Posted on May 4, 2015 by willyloman

by Scott Creighton

UPDATE: Turns out, both were killed by the same traffic cop. One gun killed both guys who were armed with assault rifles and wearing body armor? When all the other cops finally ran over to the scene, it was all over and the two guys were dead.

''Two men exited the dark color sedan, both of them had assault rifles, and came around the back of the car and started shooting at the police car,'' he said. He said officers from around the center converged on the scene within seconds, but by then the traffic officer had already killed the gunmen'... He said that one police officer, whom he did not name, returned fire with his pistol, killing both gunmen.''

'--'--'--

The two assailants in the Garland Texas shooting incident never even got close to the building. In fact, they weren't even on the grounds of the Curtis Culwell Center where the Pam Geller hate-fest contest was taking place when they were shot and killed.

Here's a picture of the scene from Fox4. Notice the debris on the ground? That happened when they blew up the car for fear there might be some explosives in it (no checking for fingerprints now)

Here's a picture of the two guys lying dead on the road last night after being shot by officers on the scene. Notice the car hadn't been blown up at that point. Also notice what side of the car the two men are on.

Here is a map showing the location of the car in relation to the contest location.

Here's a screen-shot of the location. Notice how far away the venue is? According to the story, they jumped out to attack the conference and started shooting immediately. Why did they do that way over here away from the building?

One clue might be if you go to the Google maps page showing this location and use the street view function you'll notice there is nothing around from quite a distance. Very isolated.

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Filed under: American Gladio, Garland Texas shooting, Scott Creighton

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Mon, 04 May 2015 23:54

''FBI Tried to Put Texas Shooter on No-Fly List in 2010,'' by Frances Martel, Breitbart, May 4, 2015:

The FBI has confirmed Phoenix native Elton Simpson, a Muslim convert from Phoenix, Arizona, as one of the shooters responsible for attacking a Draw Muhammad Contest in Garland, Texas on Sunday. Simpson had been previously convicted of lying to the FBI about his jihadist intentions in 2010. Simpson made multiple pro-Sharia statements then that led the FBI to request, unsuccessfully, that he be placed on a no-fly list.

Simpson had been indicted in January 2010 on charges of lying to the FBI. He was subsequently convicted of lying to law enforcement, but not of planning to engage in violent terrorist activity abroad.

The indictment chronicles recorded conversations from 2005-2010 with an FBI informant named Dabla Deng, who introduced himself to Simpson as someone looking to learn more about Islam. Simpson was not shy about his beliefs, praising those who ''fight'' for Islam and encouraging Deng to renounce the West.

''They trying to bring democracy over there man, they're trying to make them live by man-made laws, not by Allah's laws. That's why they get fought. You try to make us become slaves to man? No we slave to Allah [sic], we going to fight you to the death,'' Simpson told Deng on one of the tapes.

Simpson spoke often of Somalia, and a desire to go there. He told Deng in recorded audio that he was considering traveling to a madrassa in South Africa and making his way up to Somalia to join the terrorist group Al Shabaab. While Al Shabaab has been an Islamist threat for many years, they are most popularly known today for an attack that killed 147 Christian students at Garissa University, Kenya in April, and a 2013 attack on Westgate Mall in the same nation, which brought them to international prominence. Experts warned in April that Al Shabaab is evolving from a local to a ''transnational'' jihadist threat.

The Court document notes that his repeated references to getting ready to ''bounce'' to Africa and join the ''brothers'' prompted FBI officials to attempt to place Simpson on a no-fly list. They failed: ''Because the Defendant was being deceptive about the possibility of traveling to Somalia, however, the FBI became concerned that Mr. Simpson in fact did intend to go Somalia to engage in violent jihad. As a result, the agents attempted to prevent or disrupt the Defendant's travels. The FBI tried, unsuccessfully,to place Mr. Simpson on the no-fly list.''

It is not clear why the application to place Simpson on the no-fly list was rejected. Concerns about Muslims traveling out of the West and into Islamist war zones were lower in 2010, however, at a time when the Islamic State was still an off-shoot of Al Qaeda (they split in 2014).

Simpson was eventually arrested and plainly claimed to have never discussed this issue, the crime for which he was convicted. The court found him guilty of lying about discussing support of jihad, but not of plotting to join or aid a terrorist organization.

The Court writes that ''the Government did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Defendant's discussions about traveling to Somalia were related to the political situation Agent Hebert described.'' Agent Herbert explained previously in the document how Al Shabaab had developed into a militarized terrorist force in the chaotic Somalian political landscape.

The Court also argues that Simpson's statements were ambiguous:

It is true that the Defendant had expressed sympathy and admiration for individuals who ''fight'' non-Muslims as well as his belief in the establishment of Shariah law, all over the world including in Somalia. What precisely was meant by ''fighting'' whenever he discussed it, however, was not clear. Neither was what the Defendant meant when he stated he wanted to get to the ''battlefield'' in Somalia.

The official number of Americans who have joined jihadist groups are believed to be in the dozens, particularly the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Read the full Court case against Simpson here:

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Thu, 07 May 2015 14:49

A 'message to the crusaders' was posted on social media today, supposedly from ISIS terrorist Abu Ibrahim Al Ameriki, naming 5 target states, and saying they have 71 members ready to attack Americans.

Here's the account that posted it on Twitter:

And here's the full message:

Bismillah Ar Rahman Ar Raheem''The New Era''To our brothers and sisters fighting for the Sake of Allah, we make dua for you and ask Allah to guide your bullets, terrify your enemies, and establish you in the Land. As our noble brother in the Phillipines said in his bayah, ''This is the Golden Era, everyone who believes'... is running for Shaheed''.

The attack by the Islamic State in America is only the beginning of our efforts to establish a wiliyah in the heart of our enemy. Our aim was the khanzeer Pamela Geller and to show her that we don't care what land she hides in or what sky shields her; we will send all our Lions to achieve her slaughter. This will heal the hearts of our brothers and disperse the ones behind her. To those who protect her: this will be your only warning of housing this woman and her circus show. Everyone who houses her events, gives her a platform to spill her filth are legitimate targets. We have been watching closely who was present at this event and the shooter of our brothers. We knew that the target was protected. Our intention was to show how easy we give our lives for the Sake of Allah.

We have 71 trained soldiers in 15 different states ready at our word to attack any target we desire. Out of the 71 trained soldiers 23 have signed up for missions like Sunday, We are increasing in number bithnillah. Of the 15 states, 5 we will name'... Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, California, and Michigan. The disbelievers who shot our brothers think that you killed someone untrained, nay, they gave you their bodies in plain view because we were watching.

The next six months will be interesting, To our Amir Al Mu'mineen make dua for us and continue your reign, May Allah enoble your face.

May Allah send His peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhummad and all those who follow until the last Day.

'' Abu Ibrahim Al Ameriki

Just today ISIS claimed that the shooting in Garland, Texas was their operation, but if it was then let's hope they keep targeting Texas, because they're gonna get cut down like dogs in the middle of the street.

Here's more on Abu Al Ameriki:

Little is known about Abu Ibrahim Amriki, a US-born terrorist who was seen in this propaganda video released by a group calling itself the ''German Taliban Mujahideen,'' which is based in Pakistan's tribal areas. Amriki appears to be a leader or a popular figure; he is seen raising an AK-47 assault rifle while standing on the back of a truck, apparently addressing a crowd. The German Taliban Mujahideen is actually the Islamic Jihad Group, an offshoot of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The US killed Najmuddin Jalalov, the leader of the Islamic Jihad Group, in a Predator strike on Sept. 14.

UPDATE: A good friend doubts the veracity of the report.

WELCOME Gateway and Drudge readers! Thanks for visiting, please check out my other posts!!

Muslims Praise Shooting in GarlandDon't be a racist! SHARE this post!

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Tue, 05 May 2015 18:35

Reading about the Sunday attack outside of a community center in Garland, Texas, where two men opened fired and were killed by police, you might come away with the impression that the community center was hosting an event primarily dedicated to upholding the ideals of free speech.

The event's organizers, after all, implied that the point of the event was to support the American vision of freedom of speech, including the right to say or publish things that others find offensive.They called the event the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest; they solicited drawings of the Prophet Mohammed, which most Muslims consider taboo and offensive.

But this was not principally a free speech event; it was an anti-Muslim hate event. Pamela Geller is not principally a free speech advocate; her activism has rather focused on curbing the rights, including the speech rights, of Muslims in the United States. The Garland event's most famous attendee and keynote speaker, the Dutch far-right political leader Geert Wilders, has taken similar positions, for example calling forbanning the Koran.

There is of course zero '-- zero '-- justification for the two attackers, who shot a security guard in the ankle (read more on the attackers here) before they were killed. No amount of hate speech justifies a violent retaliation, nor does it explain why these two men turned to violence.

But before we elevate Geller and the event's attendees to free speech heroes akin to the cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo, we should understand what the event was really intended to support: hatred and marginalization of Muslims.

There's a difference between an event that is protected by free speech and one that actually supports free speech. It is true that America's broad free speech protections extend to anti-Muslim hate events; that does not make them "free speech events." Elevating Geller and her cause to something they are not doesn't just obfuscate this distinction; it legitimizes and spreads her group's ideas, which are hateful, destructive, and dangerous.

What the event's organizers really want: it's not free speech

Geert Wilders speaking at a 2013 event in Australia (Ryan Pierse/Getty)

Pamela Geller is a far-right anti-Muslim activist who leads a group called Stop Islamization of America, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has described as a hate group. PayPal at one point blocked donations to her organization on the grounds that it was a hate group.

Geller has argued, for example, that President Obama is a foreign-born Muslim and a "love child" of Malcolm X. She has accused the State Department of being run by "Islamist supremacists" and famously campaigned, in 2010, to block the development of an Islamic cultural center in lower Manhattan. According to a New York Times report at that time, her group's lawyer, "David Yerushalmi, has sought to criminalize the practice of Islam, when defined as adherence to Shariah, Islamic religious law."

The Anti-Defamation League, which also classifies Geller's organization as a hate group, has described its goals as "promot[ing] a conspiratorial anti-Muslim agenda under the guise of fighting radical Islam" and "seek[ing] to rouse public fears by consistently vilifying the Islamic faith and asserting the existence of an Islamic conspiracy to destroy 'American' values."

In Geller's paranoid worldview, not only are all Muslims allied in a vast and secret campaign to destroy freedom, but they also have allies everywhere who are bent on helping them. As Geller wrote in explaining the necessity of her event in Garland, "There should have been Cartoon Exhibits all over the free world, to show the jihadists and their stealth allies in groups that are doing all they can to intimidate the West into abandoning the freedom of speech that we will not kowtow to violent intimidation."

The keynote speaker at the event was Geert Wilders, who is the head of a far-right Dutch political party that is the fourth-largest in the Netherlands parliament, and is a leading figure among European anti-Muslim activists. "Islam is the Trojan Horse in Europe," he has said. And, separately, "There is a battle going on and we have to defend ourselves."

Wilders has called for banning the Koran, comparing it to Mein Kampf, and was briefly barred from visiting the United Kingdom for his views. He has called Islam the "ideology of a retarded culture" and called for taxing women who wear headscarves. He has demanded that Muslims should "tear out half of the Koran if they wished to stay in the Netherlands."

Wilders has used his narrative of a civilizational war with Islam not just to argue for reducing the rights of Muslims, but for pushing them out of the Netherlands en masse '-- an act, essentially, of ethnic cleansing.

Robert Spencer, Geller's longtime ally and a fellow organizer of the event, produces faux-scholarly work meant to back up Geller's assertions of a worldwide Muslim conspiracy. As Matt Duss, the president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, wrote in 2013 when Spencer and Geller were briefly barred from entering the UK to give an anti-Muslim presentation:

Their words fuel hatred. While they don't bear direct responsibility, Spencer's writing alone was cited 162 times in the manifesto of Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in Oslo in July 2011 in the hopes of setting off a war against Muslims, and stopping the "Islamization" of Europe.

These are not free speech advocates '-- they are anti-Muslim advocates. What sort of pro-free-speech activist invites a keynote speaker who has advocated banning a religious text, or taxing someone for wearing the wrong piece of clothing? Someone for whom "free speech" only applies to people with the right demographic background, and must be conditional or outright stripped for people from the wrong demographic background.

The Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest was an anti-Muslim hate eventWhen about 150 people gathered in Garland on Sunday for the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest, what they saw was a cartoon contest '-- dozens of submissions portraying the Prophet Mohammed as a vile, bloodthirsty killer '-- and a series of speeches by far-right anti-Muslim activists.

Geller described the event as intended to defend free speech and to call attention to what she sees as a Muslim threat to America. She told Breitbart News, "At a time when American Muslim groups in the US should have stood up for free speech and showed the world the way forward, they chose to stand with the Hebdo jihadists."

Geller's statement, of course, is false '-- Muslim groups widely condemned the Charlie Hebdo attacks. (Just as troubling as Geller's lie, though, is her implication that if any Muslim does not condemn terrorism, then he or she is probably sympathetic, that Muslims are considered guilty of extremism until proven innocent.) Her claim is in line with her broader worldview, in which all Muslims are an undifferentiated mass committed to the destruction of Western society and the establishment of a totalitarian Islamist state.

The event organizers portrayed the event as a continuation of the work done by French satirical magazineCharlie Hebdo'-- theterror attackon its stafferswas frequently cited.

But the cartoons displayed and awarded at the event, which you can seehere, are not satirical like Hebdo's. Rather, they are straightforward portrayals of Mohammed as a vile monster with a clear, non-satirical message of anti-Islam hate.

Hebdo was often careful to distinguish its targeting of religious extremism from religion as a whole: Mohammed was often portrayed as a victim of Islamist extremists, and Hebdo staffers stressed that extremism rather than Islam itself was their target. This nuance was entirely absent from Geller's event, which made clear that it saw no distinction between the tiny minority of violent Islamist extremists and the billion-plus peaceful Muslims worldwide.

Further, the event's organizers explicitly positioned it as "sounding the alarm about Muslim encroachment into Europe and America, and its potential impact on American culture,"according to Breitbart.

The event in Garland wasn't about freedom of speech; it was about war with IslamThe event's actual aim becomes clearer when you read Geller's explanation of its purpose. While she begins by framing the event as a defense of free speech, she quickly pivots to something else:

We choose freedom. Which is why we are holding our free speech event in the same venue, in the same city and state as the Muslim sharia event. Freedom lovers must stand up for free speech and not submit to savagery, supremism and tyranny, now. The jihadists mean to bring this war to our streets.

In fact, the "Muslim sharia event," held in January, had invited nearby Muslim-American families to discuss religious tolerance, pluralism, and anti-extremism (it was called "Stand with the Prophet against terror and hate") and to raise money for a cultural center to promote tolerance. In other words, if Geller sought to curb Islamist extremism, then she should have loved this event.

Geller helped organize a large protest outside of the January event, in which hundreds of people waved anti-Muslim signs and American flags. Muslim-American families were forced to walk through a gauntlet of hate. One sign read "Go home and take Obama with you." A woman at the protests told a local TV reporter, of Muslims, "We don't want them here." Geller reportedly told the crowd that they were "soldiers in the battle for America," according to Breitbart's paraphrase.

It's worth pausing to ask how we might view this event in Garland if, rather than espousing hatred and fear of Muslims, it had targeted a different group.

The experience of Muslims and Jews in the world is far from analogous, of course. But as a thought experiment, it is instructive to imagine how we might talk about this event if it had depicted Jews like this, if it warned that Jews were a fifth-column enemy within that was pulling the strings of power and sought the country's destruction, if its keynote speaker had called for taxing Jews and for expelling them from Europe.

In this scenario, we would of course not one iota lessen our condemnation of the two gunmen who opened fire outside the event '-- and rightly. But neither would we describe their meeting a free speech event or its participants as free speech champions. We would call them what they are, and what rights groups already call them: figures of hate.

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Sun, 03 May 2015 14:55

PhotoFrench rescue workers at the crash site of the Germanwings plane near Seyne-les-Alpes, France.Credit Yves Malenfer/French Interior MinistryPARIS '-- The co-pilot of the German airliner that crashed into the French Alps last month accelerated as he deliberately guided the aircraft toward the ground, France's air accidents investigation body said Friday, based on data from the plane's second so-called black box.

Based on an initial reading of the plane's flight data recorder, which was recovered from the crash site on Thursday, the Bureau of Investigations and Analyses, known by its French abbreviation B.E.A., said the data showed that the 27-year-old co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had used the autopilot to direct the plane to descend to an altitude of 100 feet.

Then, ''several times during the course of the descent, the pilot adjusted the automatic pilot so as to increase the speed of the plane as it descended,'' the B.E.A. said in a brief statement.

The latest disclosure from the investigation adds to the mounting evidence in the days since the crash that Mr. Lubitz, who German prosecutors said had a history of depression, crashed the plane intentionally after locking the captain out of the cockpit, killing himself and 149 others aboard the Germanwings flight to D¼sseldorf, Germany, from Barcelona, Spain, on March 24.

PhotoThe damaged flight data recorder, which was found Thursday, yielded more information about the Germanwings crash.Credit ReutersProsecutors in Germany revealed on Thursday that an iPad seized from Mr. Lubitz's apartment in D¼sseldorf showed that he had searched the Internet in the days immediately before the crash for information about how to commit suicide as well as the security measures for cockpit doors.

Investigators have been scouring Mr. Lubitz's recent and distant past in an effort to understand what he did and to determine whether someone could have stopped him. A person with knowledge of the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that at least half a dozen doctors from around D¼sseldorf had come forward after the crash to say that they had treated him.

The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday that Mr. Lubitz's medical certification had a notation about his earlier depression and a warning that if his symptoms returned his license would be terminated. The magazine, citing an investigation summary, said that the offices of five doctors had been searched and Mr. Lubitz's medical files taken as part of the inquiry, including neurologists and psychologists.

While German medical-privacy laws provide significant protections to patients, doctors can come forward if they believe that a patient poses an imminent danger to others. ''If the doctor is aware of a likely criminal act then he can break through his patient confidentiality,'' said Hans Lilie, professor of criminal and medical law at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

For Germanwings and its parent company, Lufthansa, the question is whether anyone knew about his medical problems and should have pulled him from the cockpit. Airline representatives have repeatedly said that they had no knowledge of his recent difficulties.

PhotoAndreas Lubitz, the co-pilot, in 2009.Credit Foto Team Mueller/Agence France-Presse '-- Getty ImagesSeparately, French officials said Thursday that cockpit audio recordings retrieved last week revealed that a speed warning signal sounded and was deactivated twice, indicating that Mr. Lubitz was most likely conscious during the plane's descent. Previously, investigators had confirmed that he could be heard breathing on the recordings.

Aviation analysts said the accumulation of evidence that has so far emerged from both the German and the French investigations into the crash appeared to point strongly to an act of pilot suicide rather than any sort of technical failure of the plane.

''Everything points in that direction, and at the moment, there is nothing that points in another direction,'' said David Learmount, an editor and specialist in air safety at Flightglobal, an aviation journal based in London.

''There is no question there is enough to prosecute,'' Mr. Learmount said. ''But the question is, is it inevitable that you have to prosecute someone?''

France is one of a handful of countries that routinely seek criminal indictments in transportation accidents, regardless of whether there is clear evidence of criminal intent or negligence. Those criminal investigations, conducted by government prosecutors, are independent of the technical investigations done by the B.E.A., whose role is limited to determining the cause of a crash but not to apportion responsibility for it.

It was not immediately clear whether Brice Robin, the French prosecutor in charge of the criminal investigation, would seek to build a criminal case in France. In the past, French prosecutors have pursued individuals, as well as airlines, over fatal crashes.

Such cases do not always result in convictions, however. In 2012, a French appeals court overturned an involuntary manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for its role in the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde jet outside Paris. A French court in 2006 also acquitted five former aviation officials and a former Airbus executive of all charges linked to the 1992 crash of a passenger jet in the mountains near the German border that killed 87 people.

Nicholas Kulish contributed reporting from D¼sseldorf, Germany.

A version of this article appears in print on April 4, 2015, on page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: New Data Show Co-Pilot Accelerated Plane Toward Demise.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 14:39

Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz is known to have suffered depression in the past The co-pilot of the Germanwings plane that crashed in the French Alps in March appears to have practised a rapid descent on a previous flight, a report by French investigators says.

The report said Andreas Lubitz repeatedly set the same plane for an unauthorised descent earlier that day.

Lubitz is suspected of deliberately crashing the Airbus 320, killing all 150 people on board.

He had locked the flight captain out of the cockpit.

Lubitz appears to have practised programming a rapid descent on the outbound leg of the flight - from Duesseldorf to Barcelona on 24 March - the preliminary report by accident investigation agency BEA said.

It added that on several occasions - again with the captain out of the cockpit - the altitude dial was set to 100ft (30m), the lowest possible reading, despite instructions by air traffic control in Bordeaux to set it to 35,000ft and then 21,000ft.

It was also reset on one occasion to 49,000ft, the maximum altitude.

The changes apparently happened over a five-minute period at about 07:30 starting 30 seconds after the captain left the cockpit.

Analysis: Richard Westcott, BBC Transport correspondentWhen you hear that Lubitz was feeding in extreme altitude settings of 100ft to 49,000ft, you may have an image of the aircraft zig-zagging up and down while he pushes and pulls on the joystick.

How then, could the captain and passengers in the back not notice something was wrong?

Well it doesn't work like that. All Lubitz would have been doing was twisting a dial on a computer in front of him.

Pilots say that just quickly turning that dial wouldn't have led to dramatic changes on board. In fact, the aircraft would have just kept descending as per instructions from air traffic control.

That's why the other pilot didn't notice. And Lufthansa said a while ago that this was the same pilot flying with Lubitz on the aircraft he later decided to crash. Clearly, he didn't notice anything odd about his colleague's behaviour.

What happened in the final 30 minutes of Flight 4U 9525?

Who was Andreas Lubitz?

Six cases of suspected pilot suicide

"I can't speculate on what was happening inside his head - all I can say is that he changed this button to the minimum setting of 100ft and he did it several times," BEA director Remi Jouty told Reuters news agency.

It was on the return leg on the same day - from Barcelona to Duesseldorf - that the fatal crash occurred.

Five minutes on the outbound Duesseldorf-Barcelona flight07:19:59 - Noises corresponding to captain leaving cockpit

07:20:29 - Plane told by air traffic control to descend to 35,000ft

07:20:50 - Selected altitude changed to 100ft, increased to 49,000ft then returned to 35,000ft

07:21:10 - Plane told to descend to 21,000ft

07:22:27 - Selected altitude changes to 100ft several times

07:24:29 - Noises corresponding to captain returning to cockpit

The co-pilot is known to have suffered depression in the past. Last month German prosecutors revealed that Lubitz had researched suicide methods and the security of cockpit doors.

Lufthansa, Germanwings' parent company, twice refused to renew his medical certificate in 2009 due to depression, the BEA's preliminary report says.

When it was revalidated, a note was attached requiring aeromedical doctors to contact the pilot licensing authority before renewal.

The BEA report also discloses more detail of what happened on board in the minutes before the crash.

The flight data recorder appears to show Lubitz, 27, increasing the aircraft's speed from 273 knots (505km/h, 314mph) to 345 knots on its descent.

On 14 occasions, air traffic control and French air defence tried to contact the plane.

The cabin intercom, knocking on the cockpit door and then "noises similar to violent blows" are heard on the voice recorder as the captain tries to re-enter the cockpit.

BEA is expected to release its final report in a year, with the focus on "systemic failings" and cockpit security.

Were you on the outbound Duesseldorf to Barcelona flight in March? Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.ukwith your comments.

Or Whatsapp +44 (0) 7525 900 971

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Wed, 06 May 2015 19:22

LONDON'--Accident investigators probing the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 may face barriers in reconstructing conclusively what actions the co-pilot may have taken to keep others out of the cockpit as key information may not be available on one of the black boxes.

The locking and unlocking of the cockpit door is generally not one of the parameters stored on Airbus A320 jetliner flight data recorders, one of two black boxes used on...

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Wed, 06 May 2015 19:22

The flight data recorder from last month's Germanwings jet crash in the French Alps has been found, French authorities said Thursday. The device is expected to provide crucial evidence about what happened in the final moments before Flight 9525 crashed. Investigators believe the plane was intentionally brought down by co-pilot Andreas Lubitz.

Separately, German prosecutors said Lubitz appeared to have researched suicide methods in the days before the plane crash that killed 150 people.

German prosecutors in Duesseldorf, the flight's intended destination, said investigators found a tablet computer at Lubitz's apartment that also showed searches on cockpit doors and related safety precautions.

Last week French prosecutors said they believed Lubitz appeared to want to ''destroy the plane'' and locked the captain out of the cockpit before steering the Airbus A320 into its fatal descent.

Prosecutors' spokesman Ralf Herrenbrueck said in a statement issued Thursday that search terms on Lubitz's computer included medical treatment and suicide methods. On at least one day the co-pilot looked at search terms involving cockpit doors and security measures related to them, Herrenbrueck said.

Meanwhile, authorities are hoping the technical data recovered in the device found Thursday can provide vital insights.

The cockpit voice recorder, found the same day as the crash, recorded conversations between Lubitz and the pilot and showed that Lubitz was alone in the cockpit at the time of the crash.

The plane smashed into the mountains at 430 miles an hour, instantly killing all 150 people on board '-- half of them German and more than 50 from Spain.

According to prosecutors, the voice recorder suggested that the passengers were unaware of what was going to happen to them until the very last seconds, when screams were heard.

Rescue workers have since been sifting through the wreckage trying to identify body parts and victims using their DNA. The search for evidence has been hampered by the extremely difficult mountain terrain.

Al Jazeera and wire services

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Tue, 05 May 2015 15:50

April 29, 2015

MILPITAS, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/29/15 -- FireEye, Inc. (NASDAQ: FEYE), the leader in stopping today's advanced cyber attacks, today announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has certified FireEye's Multi-Vector Virtual Execution' (MVX') engine and Dynamic Threat Intelligence' (DTI') cloud platform under the SAFETY Act. Certification is the highest level of liability protection available under the SAFETY Act. Customers of these certified FireEye technologies now have protection under the SAFETY Act from lawsuits or claims alleging failure of the technologies to prevent or mitigate an act of cyber terrorism. FireEye is the only cyber security company with products, technologies or services certified under the SAFETY Act.

The SAFETY Act -- or the "Support Anti-Terrorism By Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002" -- is a DHS liability management program aimed at encouraging the development and deployment of security products and services that will enhance the protection of the United States. DHS has designated over 700 products, technologies and services since the SAFETY Act was enacted in 2002, but FireEye's MVX and DTI offerings are the first pure cyber security products, technologies or services to receive Certification. The liability protections provided by the SAFETY Act encourage more effective security deployments by automatically limiting the types of liability claims companies using certain products may face following a terrorist event.

"FireEye is proud to earn this first-ever SAFETY Act Certification in the cyber security space, bringing a new level of liability protection for our customers," said David DeWalt, CEO and Chairman of the Board, FireEye. "This Certification validates our position as the leader in the advanced cyber security market, and is further evidence that our visionary work continues to represent the cutting edge of cyber defense."

In circumstances where the SAFETY Act is triggered under Federal law, claims that arise out of, or relate to the use of, the MVX engine or the DTI cloud would be limited or eliminated for FireEye customers. FireEye also benefits, as when the SAFETY Act is triggered, all covered third party claims related to the MVX engine and DTI cloud platform product will presumptively be dismissed.

"With this Certification, FireEye can offer the growing number of organizations that choose our MVX engine and DTI cloud platform even greater confidence that they are receiving not only best-in-class technology, but also an opportunity for unmatched liability protections in the unfortunate event of litigation," said DeWalt.

About FireEye, Inc.FireEye has invented a purpose-built, virtual machine-based security platform that provides real-time threat protection to enterprises and governments worldwide against the next generation of cyber attacks. These highly sophisticated cyber attacks easily circumvent traditional signature-based defenses, such as next-generation firewalls, IPS, anti-virus, and gateways. The FireEye Threat Prevention Platform provides real-time, dynamic threat protection without the use of signatures to protect an organization across the primary threat vectors and across the different stages of an attack life cycle. The core of the FireEye platform is a virtual execution engine, complemented by dynamic threat intelligence, to identify and block cyber attacks in real time. FireEye has over 3,100 customers across 67 countries, including over 200 of the Fortune 500.

(C) 2015 FireEye, Inc. All rights reserved. FireEye, Multi-Vector Virtual Execution, MVX, Dynamic Threat Intelligence and DTI are registered trademarks or trademarks of FireEye, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other brands, products, or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

Source: FireEye

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Tue, 05 May 2015 15:55

Fundamental security insight to help you minimize risk and protect your organization

Page 2 of 2

What about product updates? Finch offered an outline for that as well:

When a company makes 'generational' changes to a product or service, such as slightly improved hardware or updates to software that while improving performance and effectiveness but do not radically change the device or service, those changes are automatically included.Part of the reason why those changes are automatically included is that as part of the application process, the applicant is required to explain how they make such changes (in other words what is their 'continuous improvement process'). DHS anticipates and expects that a product or service will not remain static, and that as time goes on lessons learned will be incorporated into the technology/service. Indeed if you don't have a process for explaining how you will improve their product, I dare say you will have a hard time earning SAFETY Act protections.If you make a revolutionary change to the product or service (let's say you go from gasoline propulsion to all electric or from punch card computing to the latest iOS operating system), that type of 'revolutionary' change will be considered 'material' by DHS and requires you to notify the SAFETY Act Office. Depending on the circumstances of the change, the awardee will either have to 'modify' the award to reflect that change or file a completely new application.The key factor is whether the change is 'material' '' that drives whether you notify DHS of the change. And even more specifically, where a company could encounter serious issues is if the 'material' change impacts the performance or efficacy of the product or service in a negative way. DHS will be most concerned if a change somehow alters the ability of the product/service to counter threats, or if the change so fundamentally alters the product that it is no longer the 'same' it initially reviewed.So how are customers protected? Where does their liability shield come from, and how can it be applied under the SAFETY Act?

"Customers are protected in the following way: technically when a SAFETY Act ''Designation'' or ''Certification'' award is made, the seller of the approved product or service is the only proper defendant claims out of or related to said product/service," Finch said.

"Therefore any claims made against the customer alleging that the product/service didn't work, was defective, etc. etc. are not allowed under federal law, and must therefore be dismissed. So essentially the customer can have any and all claims (when the SAFETY Act is triggered under federal law) related to the approved product/service that arise out of the cyber-attack in question immediately dismissed. That's a very nice protection for the customer."

There was an additional question asked that didn't receive an answer before this article was published. It centers on what happens to the liability protection if the customer doesn't implement the product properly, or there are errors with configuration. If an answer is given, this story will be updated.

So if a cyber-attack can be placed under the conditions of the SAFETY Act, then FireEye's customers are shielded. So how does the SAFETY Act define an act of terrorism?

"An act meets the requirements of this subparagraph if the act- (i) is unlawful; (ii) causes harm to a person, property, or entity, in the United States, or in the case of a domestic United States air carrier or a United States-flag vessel (or a vessel based principally in the United States on which the United States income tax is paid and whose insurance coverage is subject to regulation in the United States), in or outside the United States; and (iii) uses or attempts to use instrumentalities, weapons or other methods designed or intended to cause mass destruction, injury or other loss to citizens or institutions of the United States."

Given the definition, it's a bit of a stretch to see attacks such as those against Sony or Anthem classed as terror acts, but not impossible. Yet, it would require some serious arguments in Washington.

But if that happens, is it in the best interest for those operating in the public and private sectors? Would we then see any attack that causes significant losses and harm to a firm (e.g. Sony / Anthem / Home Depot) that's traced to a foreign actor tagged as terrorism?

For now, there is plenty of room for debate on the topic, and everyone is encouraged to comment below or email their thoughts directly. If new information on this topic surfaces, such as responses to FOIA requests, you'll see it here first.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 15:54

David DeWaltChairman of the Board and CEODave has served as FireEye Chief Executive Officer since November 2012 and as Board Chairman since May 2012. Before joining FireEye, Dave was President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of McAfee, Inc. from April 2007 until February 2011, when McAfee was acquired by Intel Corporation. Before McAfee, Dave held various positions at EMC Corporation, a company specializing in information infrastructure technology, as well as Documentum. Along with his executive duties, Dave has served on the board of directors for several organizations, including Delta Air Lines, Inc., Polycom, Inc., and Jive Software, Inc. He holds a B.S. in computer science from the University of Delaware.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 15:53

William M. Coughran Jr.Partner, Sequoia CapitalBill has served as a member of the board of directors since July 2012. He has been a member of Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm, since October 2011. He currently serves on the board of directors of multiple private companies, and he served on the board of directors of Clearwell Systems, Inc. from March 2005 to June 2011, when it was acquired by Symantec, Inc. Prior to joining Sequoia Capital, Bill held a number of roles at Google Inc. from April 2003 to September 2011, including senior vice president of engineering. At Google, he was responsible for security efforts as well as serving on the executive committee and as an advisor to the founders and Eric Schmidt. Prior to Google, Bill co-founded Entrisphere, Inc., a telecom equipment vendor, and served as its initial chief executive officer and in other roles from November 1999 to December 2002. From 1980 to 1999, Bill held a number of roles at Bell Labs, Inc. (originally part of AT&T, Inc. and then Lucent Technologies, Inc.), including vice president of the Computing Sciences Research Center. Bill has held adjunct and visiting faculty roles at Stanford University, Duke University, and ETH Z¼rich. He has a B.S. and M.S. in mathematics from California Institute of Technology and an M.S. and Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University.

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Wed, 06 May 2015 15:57

The Freightliner ''Inspiration Truck'' will be the first autonomous commercial truck to drive on American roads. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and Daimler Chairman Wolfgang Bernhard just bolted on its Autonomous Vehicle license plate to prove it's the real deal, and it's already been spotted in action.

Big rigs might seem a little old-school in an era where everything travels by carrier drone'' oh wait, it doesn't. The American Trucking Associations says trucks moved 68.5 percent of all domestic freight tonnage in 2012 and Bernhard thinks current road freight volumes will triple by 2050.

In a Q&A session going on right now, Bernhard has explained that the Inspiration Truck will still have a driver, but that person's purpose will be solely to monitor the truck's systems and intervene in the event of a malfunction.

The truck requires no special hypothetical infrastructure, and it's able to read road signs and traffic signals on its own.

Freightliner has not revealed anything about the truck's power, efficiency, economics, or a long-term production scheme but the Inspiration Truck will allegedly be revealed in more detail May 5th at 11PM EST and demonstrated on the road the following day. The company's Twitter page and #inspirationtruck has been blowing up with updates.

Hat tip to Bozi! Images via Freightliner/Daimler

Andrew P. Collins is Jalopnik's off-road and adventure guy. Shoot him an email atandrew@jalopnik.com or hit him up on Twitter @andr3wcollins to talk trucks.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 14:51

This post comes via Know More, Wonkblog's social media site.

Quoctrung Bui of NPR's Planet Money has mapped the most common job in each state based on U.S. Census Bureau data. The results might surprise you: Beyond a few farmers, secretaries, customer service people and computer analysts, America basically looks like a nation of truck drivers.

Why does truck driving dominate the map? It's partially because of how the Census Bureau categorizes its data. First, Planet Money excluded two categories from the map because they are incredibly broad and vague '' ''managers not elsewhere classified'' and ''salespersons not elsewhere classified.'' So it's possible that the U.S. is actually a nation of vaguely defined salespeople.

In addition, the way the government counts truck drivers makes them a relatively large category. All truck drivers and delivery people are counted together, whereas primary school teachers and secondary school teachers are split into separate groups, for example.

But beyond methodology, the dominance of the truck driver reveals a few interesting things about the American economy. First, truck driving is more immune to the pressures that have affected American jobs in past decades, since driving can't be outsourced or automated (at least not yet).

Second, regional specialization has been on the decline around the U.S., meaning the jobs that are needed everywhere in the country '' like truck driving and school teaching '' are moving up in the state rankings.

The map shows a few other fascinating (and somewhat tragic) trends. You can see the number of secretaries decline around the US with the adoption of the personal computer, and manufacturing jobs disappear due to globalization and technological change. The number of farmers also falls substantially, due to the increasing mechanization of agriculture.

You can see the full Planet Money post and animated map going back to 1978 here.

Check out Know More's home page, Twitter or Facebook for the best and most interesting visuals, videos and data hits from around the Web.

Ana Swanson writes for Know More and Wonkblog.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 14:38

The fabulously wealthy may call their servants by ringing a little bell. In the lifestyles of the geeky and lazy, one can now summon a household staff just by tapping on a smartphone.

I've got a maid, masseuse, doctor, chef, valet, personal shopper, florist and bartender. Each has his own app and can arrive at my door in as little as 10 minutes.

Yes, this sounds ridiculous. But it might also be the future of how busy nonbillionaires get all kinds of chores done.

A concierge economy is sprouting up on phones, and no place more so than in my city of San Francisco, the capital of Internet La La Land. These startups like to say they're just like Uber, the car service that has upended transportation, because they use phones to connect customers with nearby workers on demand.

There's an Uber for everything now. Washio is for having someone do your laundry, Sprig and SpoonRocket cook your dinner and Shyp will mail things out so you don't have to brave the post office. Zeel delivers a massage therapist (complete with table). Heal sends a doctor on a house call, while Saucey will rush over alcohol. And by Jeeves, cutesy names are part of the schtick'--Dufl will pack your suitcase and Eaze will reup a medical marijuana supply.

There are so many more. It's hard to know how seriously to take these apps at a glance, so I've been living off a dozen of them for the past week. (Yes, my rigorous testing included mimosas and a massage.)

Life sure is easy when you let your apps do the walking, but I learned they're not only for the lazy. Most provided great service and, to my surprise, some have ingenious new business models that actually saved me money. It's just not clear how many will make sense outside dot-com Camelots like San Francisco'--or even still be in business in a year.

My favorite service is Luxe. A marvel of the logistics only possible in a smartphone world, Luxe uses GPS to offer a personal parking valet. It's magical. When you first get in your car, you open the Luxe app to tell it where you're going. Then Luxe tracks your phone as you make your way, so that one of its valets meets you at your destination just in the nick of time.

Last Friday, my Luxe valet Kevin'--dressed in a blue uniform and fully vetted, trained and insured'--greeted me at my office in San Francisco's Financial District around 8:45 a.m. I handed him my keys and he whisked away my car.

At 6 p.m., I pulled up the Luxe app again and requested my car be returned in a different part of town. No problem. In under 10 minutes, a valet named Ross was there with my car, along with his foldable scooter, and a ukulele, in my trunk. The scooter is for getting up and down the hills of San Francisco, he says, and the ukulele fills time between jobs.

What's most remarkable is that this service cost me just $15 plus a $3 tip. Paying for a parking spot in my own building would have cost $35. How is that possible? Luxe's CEO Curtis Lee told me he negotiates favorable rates with underused parking garages and passes some of the savings along. (Luxe's rates vary by time and location, but across the five cities where it's now available, the fee tops out at around $15 a day.)

Only once did Luxe leave me in the lurch: On Sunday, it closes at 6 p.m., so I couldn't use it to park for a concert. (Other nights it is open until 11 p.m. or midnight.)

Like most of these on-demand apps, Luxe relies on temporary workers who get paid by the interaction'--how many cars they can flip. The app tells them which parts of town have the most potential for business. On a busy day, they could make $20 to $30 per hour, but if nobody wants to park one day, it's instant noodles for dinner.

That's the big idea behind on-demand apps, says Venky Ganesan, managing director at venture-capital firm Menlo Ventures, which has invested in Uber, Munchery (food delivery), UrbanSitter (baby sitting) and Rover (dog sitting), among others. By making it much easier to create a trustworthy marketplace, he says, apps take advantage of previously underused resources, including both temporary workers and things like empty parking spots. This can make an on-demand concierge economy both convenient and efficient, he says.

The best of the people-powered apps I tried did save me money, or at least didn't charge me any extra for their convenience. Shyp picked up'--and even packed up'--a package for $5. But the service didn't end up costing more because they negotiate bulk rates with carriers. (Shyp charged $48 to pack and FedExFDX1.19% my package across the country, about the same I would have paid had I schlepped it over to the FedEx shop myself.)

Both Push for Pizza, which gets local pizzerias to deliver large pies in a few taps, and Saucey, which has drivers pick up and deliver from liquor stores, say their retail partners give them a cut for sending them business. Getting a delivery doesn't cost you more than if you'd gone to the store yourself'--except perhaps for a tip, which you can usually add in the app.

Make no mistake, it takes an entitled mind-set to use many of these apps. The Heal app sent an excellent Stanford-trained doctor to my door to check out an injury in under an hour, but I paid $99 for the convenience. (My insurance wasn't accepted.) Washio charged me $1.60 per pound of laundry plus a delivery fee; I could have done it for a little less by bringing the hamper to a wash and fold, or a lot less by doing it myself.

Postmates delivered four mint mojito iced coffees, but I paid nearly $30 for the luxury. The delivery fee, which can be as little as $5, was $8.50 because I requested the drinks from my favorite spot a few miles away.

All of these prices could go down if services became popular, but that's a big if.

Many food apps are trying to invent new business models beyond just delivery. Sprig and SpoonRocket, which are trying to one-up fast food, cook up their own limited menus, then dispatch vehicles packed with $8 to $15 entrees. Software tells cars which neighborhoods to hang out in to optimize speedy delivery.

Both were able to bring me a pretty tasty lunch in under 10 minutes. SpoonRocket tries to be even more efficient by making you grab your meal out of the window of its delivery car, like an ice-cream truck.

Can tech companies really offer better experiences than the taqueria, flower shop or dry cleaner down the street, while taking a cut for themselves? Not necessarily. Quality control is a challenge when the supervisor is just software. While I didn't have any major problems, I've heard horror stories from readers and colleagues who have tried shipping and laundry apps. And these apps have been coming and going quickly: At least two on-demand carwash services have already gone defunct in San Francisco.

There are big questions about whether these apps will be allowed to call their workers contractors, instead of employees who get benefits and overtime pay. Many of them offer basically minimum-wage work and a lot of risk, which might make it hard to keep a stable staff. One notable exception is Zeel, which sends you a vetted, licensed massage therapist for between $100 and $130 an hour. Since nobody has to pay for the overhead (or cucumber water) of a spa, the therapist makes two to three times as much money.

And fundamentally, how much does using your phone as a concierge make sense beyond Silicon Valley, New York City and Los Angeles? It's a question of both supply of willing part-time app workers and demand for a concierge lifestyle.

Some services seemed like they could work in South Carolina, where I grew up. Push for Pizza is a no-brainer: It gives you something you already want, but even more easily'--that's just evolution.

But from a South Carolina perspective, ordering from Postmates feels like throwing money away. While it's nice that it can bring me food from stores that don't ordinarily deliver, it makes little sense in a land of broad streets, supermarkets and plentiful parking.

Still, everyone values time differently. One way to measure a service app's value is by the hassle it replaces. Paying an $8 premium to have Postmates deliver a gourmet family dinner might seem a small price to a harried parent. And Postmates is available in 14 states'--far more than most other services I tried.

What's a luxury anyway? Nobody calls Uber a ''limousine service'' anymore'--they just call Uber. A lot.

Write to Geoffrey A. Fowler at geoffrey.fowler@wsj.com or on Twitter @geoffreyfowler.

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Mon, 04 May 2015 20:44

I have seen many grim predictions regarding robots taking away human jobs, but one of the most dire predictions comes from a study commissioned by ING-Diba.

The study claims that 59 percent of Germany's work force could be replaced by machines and software in the coming decades.

The Local asks Robots About to Take Away 18 Million Jobs?

The results of the [ING-Diba] study paint an almost doomsday-esque scenario for Germany.

Almost two thirds of its workforce will be unemployed. Of the 30.9 million people currently in full or part-time employment in Germany, 18 million will be made redundant by improved technology, the report claims.

Although the study looked into the effect that advancing technology will have on the work place in several European countries including Finland and the Netherlands, it was Germany that came out the worst.

This, argues the report, is the price Germany will pay for its strong industrial sector. Factory workers and the administrative army behind global giants such as Volkswagen and BMW will soon become superfluous as advanced algorithms and sophisticated machinery are developed which can do their jobs faster and more efficiently.

Administrative workers such as secretaries are set to have their positions almost entirely taken over by computer algorithms. Eighty-six percent of them could lose their jobs to advancing technology, the study suggests.

The news is almost as bad for mechanics, machine drivers and mechanical technicians, over two thirds of whom are set to have their jobs taken are from them.

For the educated classes the story is quite different.

Doctors are particularly irreplaceable. In the academic classes, of the almost 4 million currently in employment, less than half a million need fear a certified robot taking over their practice.

The story is similar for business leaders. Of the 1.4 million people who occupy this elite sector, only 160,000 would be threatened with redundancy.

''The takeover has already begun,'' Carsten Brzeski, head of economics at ING-Diba, who co-authored the report, told Die Welt.

''There are already some industrial sectors which have been completely taken over by robots.''

In Asia for example, progress on robot technologies is particularly advanced.

Toshiba have already developed human-looking secretarial robots which went to work in April in Tokyo, welcoming customers at an information desk at the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi main store.

Machine becomes master

It is not all bad news, though. The take over of machines will create new jobs, the report authors claim, as humans will be needed to maintain the machines and to make sure that they work in an optimal environment.

''Technological progression will create room for the development of new tasks and activities for humans,'' Inga Burk, co-author of the report, told Die Welt.

Not All Bad News18 million jobs vanish but it's not all bad news because "machines will create new jobs". OK, how many new jobs will be created?

The answer cannot be many because the study claims "Almost two thirds of Germany's workforce will be unemployed".

Does Technology Create Jobs? Let's make an optimistic assumption that over time technology creates jobs, simply because it always has. To assume otherwise is to assume "It's different this times."

The sewing machine, the reaper, the cotton gin, the assembly line, radio, the phone, PC, mobile phones, and the internet all created jobs.

Those technologies had one thing in common: they were price deflationary.

Role of the Central Bank

Today we live in a world where central banks insist prices rise. That is the real source of the problem, not the technology itself.

The sorry state of affairs right now is central bank inflationary policies have accelerated the trend to robots while crushing everyone on a fixed income and everyone priced out of a job.

It may come down to this grim question: Which comes first, technology that creates another wave of jobs or a huge global war over resources, prices, and wages?

Mike "Mish" Shedlockhttp://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

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Tue, 05 May 2015 01:26

A couple of years ago in the Svensson case, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) made it clear (finally) that merely linking to content is not infringement. That was a case involving a news aggregator linking to official sources. However, in a new case that has been referred to the CJEU, the court will examine if links to unauthorized versions of content is infringing as well. The excellent IPKat has the details of the case which involves a blog that linked to some pre-publication Playboy photos in the Netherlands. A lower court had said that it wasn't copyright infringement, but still broke the law, by facilitating access. On appeal, the court found that the free speech concerns outweighed the copyright concerns. From the description by the lawyer representing the blogger ("Geen Stijl news"):We lodged an appeal on behalf of Geen Stijl on a few grounds which was successful: the Court of Appeal had misapplied the 'quotation' exception in copyright law and did not sufficiently balance the freedom of speech versus copyright protection, as it indicated that 'only in exceptional circumstances' would the freedom of speech outweigh copyright protection, as freedom of speech concerns are taken into account in the law, in particular in the exceptions. The Supreme Court followed our reasoning that copyright is a fundamental right, but that the same goes for the freedom of speech, and that they thus should be considered on equal footing. The Court of Appeal should therefore have considered all relevant circumstances (among which is whether this is commercial speech or a news item) and not only exceptional circumstances. Never before has the freedom of speech been given so much weight in The Netherlands.

That's the good news. On the flip side, Sanoma, the Dutch publisher of Playboy, has appealed on its own, and that's the question that is going to the CJEU. It basically asks how to apply that earlier ruling saying linking is not infringing to a case in which the content being linked to is not authorized -- and whether it matters if the linker knew or should have known the content was infringing.Given the scenario, this could become a rather important copyright case in Europe, considering how frequently people may end up linking to content that may be infringing.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 15:57

Protests against the new surveillance measures have been held in Paris New rules to provide help for France's intelligence services trying to prevent Islamist attacks have been approved by parliament.

The law on intelligence-gathering comes nearly four months after three days of attacks in Paris in January, in which 17 people were killed.

The Socialist government says the law is needed to take account of changes in communications technology.

But critics say it is a dangerous extension of mass surveillance.

They argue that it gives too much power to the state and threatens the independence of the digital economy.

Main provisions of the new law: The government says it needs better surveillance to combat the terrorist threat Define the purposes for which secret intelligence-gathering may be usedSet up a supervisory body, the National Commission for Control of Intelligence Techniques (CNCTR), with wider rules of operationAuthorise new methods, such as the bulk collection of metadata via internet providersSurveillance law prompts unease in France

Paris attacks: Three days of terror

The government says it wants to bring modern surveillance techniques within the law rather than outside any system of control.

There will be a new watchdog to keep an eye on the intelligence services, which will have broader powers to look at classified material and handle complaints from the public.

But none of this has satisfied the critics, who range from civil liberties groups to major internet providers.

Their main worry is the way French intelligence agencies will be able to collect massive amounts of metadata from the internet - the detail of communications such as times and places rather than content.

Critics say this amounts to a mass intrusion of privacy, which in the hands of an unscrupulous government could have worrying consequences.

The law passed through parliament by 438 votes to 86. Apart from some dissident voices, both the governing Socialists and opposition centre-right were in favour.

Those opposed to the proposed new law say that it will allow the government to keep a record of innocuous conversations Analysis by Hugh Schofield, BBC, ParisIt has been an unusual debate. Many in the Socialist Party who would normally have spoken out against the new powers have instead kept quiet. In the wake of the January attacks, there is little political mileage in raising doubts about the intelligence services.

Meanwhile on the right, with its clearer law-and-order tradition, most MPs support the Socialist bill. But some are opposed on points of principle. Irony of ironies, some of the harshest criticism has come from the Front National.

The consensus means that the powerful civil liberties arguments have had little of an airing in the National Assembly. In some sessions there were no more than a handful of deputies in attendance.

But the opposition from outside the chamber has been vocal. Not necessarily from the public at large (who by and large sympathise with the government's argument) but from rights groups, the press, and Internet companies.

Surveillance law prompts unease in France

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Source: VK:Voorpagina

Thu, 07 May 2015 00:57

'Fuck de koning, fuck de koningin. Dit is de Nederlandse democratie.' Doe het af als 'een hoogst ordinaire opmerking', zoals Eberhard van der Laan, de burgemeester van Amsterdam. Kwalificeer het als 'weinig verheffende woorden', aldus PvdA-senator Ruud Koole. Of verpak het algemener, zoals de koning zelf. 'Protesten tegen het koningshuis moeten kunnen', zei Willem-Alexander in 2013 vlak voor zijn kroning in een interview met de NOS en RTL.

Door: Huib Modderkolk 6 mei 2015, 21:00'Maar het is geen grond om iemand te vervolgen', verwoordt senator Koole. Van der Laan twijfelde openlijk, afgelopen zaterdag tijdens het Festival van het Vrije Woord: 'De vraag is of het strafbaar moet zijn'.

Het OM oordeelt daar anders over; dat ziet in de woorden van de activist Abulkasim Al-Jaberi aanleiding hem te vervolgen wegens majesteitsschennis, een begrip dat in 1881 in de wet werd gezet.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 00:50

De Duitse minister van Binnenlandse Zaken Thomas de Maizi¨re (CDU) zegt dat hij persoonlijk geen details kreeg over medewerking van de Duitse BND aan de Amerikaanse spionagedienst NSA in 2008. Hij gaf toen leiding aan de kanselarij van bondskanselier Angela Merkel.

De Maizi¨re kwam in het nauw toen vorige week bekend werd dat de BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst) de NSA had geholpen bij het jarenlang afluisteren van bevriende landen en ondernemingen. Hij gaf woensdagavond antwoord op vragen van de toezichthouder op de geheime dienst. Volgens de minister heeft hij toen juist de vraag van de VS voor meer samenwerking op een ander gebied van de geheime dienst afgewezen.

De Amerikaanse dienst leverde vele zoekdata aan de BND en vroeg de Duitse dienst die te gebruiken voor spionage-activiteiten. Het ging bijvoorbeeld om telefoonnummers en IP-adressen. De BND zou de kanselarij al in 2008 op de hoogte hebben gebracht van deze verzoeken van de Amerikanen. De Maizi¨re verklaarde dat hij niets heeft meegekregen van 'zoekbegrippen van Amerikaanse zijde' voor spionage van het bedrijfsleven in Duitsland.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 06:56

TEHRAN (Tasnim) '' An American investigative journalist and historian in an article explains why US politics demands the government to consider Iran as an enemy of the United States.

Gareth Porter, who specializes in US national security policy, has written the following article in Al Jazeera's website on Iran-US relations and the complexities underlying the ties:

Since the start of the US nuclear negotiations with Iran, both Israeli and Saudi officials have indulged in highly publicized handwringing over their belief that such a nuclear deal would represent a fundamental strategic shift in US policy towards the region at the expense of its traditional alliances with Israel and Saudi Arabia.

But the Obama administration is no more likely to lurch into a new relationship with Iran than were previous US administrations. The reason is very simple: The US national security state, which has the power to block any such initiative, has fundamental long-term interests in the continuation of the policy of treating Iran as an enemy.

Some in the Israeli camp have spun elaborate theories about how the Obama administration's negotiations with Iran represent a strategic vision of partnership with the Iranian regime.

Typical of the genre is former Bush administration official Michael Doran's speculation in February that US President Barack Obama based his policy of outreach to Tehran on the assumption that Tehran and Washington are ''natural allies''.

The Saudi response to the negotiations has been, if anything, even more extreme. Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former head of Saudi intelligence, who speaks more candidly in public than any other Saudi public figure, told an audience at London's Chatham House last month, ''The Americans and Iranians have been flirting with each other. Now it seems each side is anxious to get over the flirtation and get to the consummation.''

Behind the sexual metaphor lie Saudi fears of a ''grand bargain'' under which Iran would forgo nuclear weapons in return for ratification of Iranian hegemony over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and the (Persian) Gulf.

But these Israeli and Saudi imaginings are divorced from the reality of the Obama administration's actual Iran policy. Far from the Nixon-like fundamental strategic revision, as the Netanyahu camp and the Saudis have suggested, the Obama administration's diplomatic engagement with Iran over its nuclear program represents a culmination of a series of improvised policy adjustments within an overall framework of coercive diplomacy towards Iran.

Despite Obama's embrace of diplomatic engagement with Iran as a campaign issue in 2008, when he entered the White House his real Iran policy was quite different. In fact, Obama's aim during his first term was to induce Iran to accept an end to its uranium enrichment program.

Even as Obama was offering ''unconditional talks'' with Iran in a letter to Supreme Leader (Ayatollah) Ali Khamenei in 2009, he was already pursuing a strategy of multiple pressures on Iran to agree to that US demand.

Obama's strategy of coercive diplomacy involved plans for more intrusive and punishing economic sanctions, a secret NSA program of cyber-attacks against the Natanz enrichment facility and political/diplomatic exploitation of the threat of an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities by the Netanyahu government in Israel.

Obama made no serious effort to negotiate with Iran until 2012, when he believed the new sanctions that were about to take effect would force Iran to agree to suspend enrichment indefinitely. He dropped that demand in 2013, only because Iran had increased the number of centrifuges in operation from 4,000 to 10,000 and had begun enriching to 20 percent.

Since the beginning of the negotiations, moreover, senior administration officials have repeatedly affirmed the policy of treating Iran as a state sponsor or terrorism and a ''troublemaker'' and destabilizing factor in the Middle East.

In his April 7 interview with National Public Radio Obama said, ''I've been very forceful in saying that our differences with Iran don't change if we make sure that they don't have a nuclear weapon '' they're still going to be financing Hezbollah, they're still supporting Assad dropping barrel bombs on children, they are still sending arms to the Houthis in Yemen that have helped destabilize the country.''

At a deeper level, the most important factor in determining the policy of the US towards Iran is domestic electoral and bureaucratic politics '' not Obama's personal geopolitical vision of the Middle East. The power of the Israeli lobby obviously will severely limit policy flexibility towards Iran for many years. And the interests of the most powerful institutions in the US national security state remain tied to a continuation of the policy of treating Iran as the premier enemy of the US.

Since 2002 the US Department of Defense has spent roughly $100bn on missile defense, most of which goes directly to its major military contractor allies. That bonanza depends largely on the idea that Iran is intent on threatening the US and its allies with ballistic missiles.

But an even bigger bonanza for the US arms industry is at stake. Saudi Arabia and other (Persian) Gulf regimes in the anti-Iran alliance have been pouring big money into Pentagon arms contractor coffers for years. A deal with Saudi Arabia for fighter planes and missile defense technology first announced in 2010 was expected to yield $100-150bn in procurement and service contracts over two decades. And that tsunami of money from the Gulf depends on identifying Iran as a military threat to the entire region.

These sales are now integral to the health of the leading US military contractors. Lockheed, for example, now depends on foreign sales for as much as 25-33 percent of its revenue, according to the Times story.

So the Israeli and Saudi fear of a supposed Obama shift in alliances doesn't reflect fundamental domestic US political realities that are not likely to change for the foreseeable future.

ByTasnim News Agency

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Tue, 05 May 2015 06:28

Staff and wire reports9:38 p.m. EDT May 4, 2015

Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. testifies on Capitol Hill. President Obama will nominate Dunford as next Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman.(Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

President Obama will nominate Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, choosing a widely respected, combat-hardened commander who led the Afghanistan war coalition during a key transitional period during 2013-2014, sources confirmed Monday.

"I can confirm that General Joseph F. Dunford, who is currently serving as Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, will be nominated to serve as the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," a White House official told Military Times. "...A formal announcement will be made at the White House [Tuesday]."

The move cuts short Dunford's service as the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, a job he began last October. But the rapid promotion is one of several that have marked Dunford's fast-tracked military career, which saw him leap from a one-star general to four stars in about three years.

The official also said Obama will tap Gen. Paul J. Selva, a top Air Force officer and pilot, to serve as vice chairman. Selva, who piloted transport and refueling aircraft, is currently the head of U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly ahead of the announcement.

DEFENSE NEWS

Signs Point to Dunford as Next JCS Chairman

Dunford began his career as an infantry officer and has commanded at all levels. He served nearly two years in Iraq, including as head of the Marines' 5th Regimental Combat Team during the 2003 invasion, where he earned the nickname "Fighting Joe."

Dunford is well-connected internationally, often meeting with NATO and other coalition leaders. His selection signals that even as the U.S. puts more focus on Asia and looks ahead to high-tech cyber and space threats, the administration still believes a strong ground force commander is needed to work through the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and across the Middle East and Africa.

He has been a leading contender for the chairman's job for months, and his time in the commandant's post was critical. Generally, to be considered for the chairman's job an officer must serve as the head of one of thePentagon's combatant commands or as chief of one of the military services.

Dunford's most visible role came in 2013 when he was chosen to take over the job as top U.S. militarycommander in Afghanistan. During his 18 months there, Dunford oversaw the ongoing drawdown of U.S. troops, the transition to Afghan military lead in combat operations, and the tumultuous Afghan elections that dragged on and stalled efforts to reach an agreement on the U.S. military's future presence in the country.

He left Afghanistan last August, preparing to take on his new role as commandant.

Dunford's rise through the ranks has been rapid, particularly compared to many of his peers, who would normally spend several years at each rank before getting promoted.

In December 2007, he was nominated for a second star, and the rank of major general. But just two months later, before he actually got the formal promotion, he got the nod for a third star and was appointed the deputy Marine Corps commandant, effectively skipping the two-star grade entirely. He held the rank of lieutenant general (three stars) for about two years, until President Barack Obama appointed him as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps in October 2010, earning him a fourth star.

Dunford, 59, is a Boston native and holds master's degrees in government from Georgetown University and international relations from Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read or Share this story: http://militari.ly/1Ia3pCS

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Tue, 05 May 2015 06:25

In 1978, Dunford served in the 1st Marine Division as a platoon and company commander in 3rd Battalion 1st Marines and a company commander in 1st Battalion 9th Marines until 1981. He served as the aide to the commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force for a year, then transferred to the Officer Assignment Branch at Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C.. He reported to the 2nd Marine Division in June 1985 and commanded L Company of 3rd Battalion 6th Marines. In 1987, he was reassigned to 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company as the Operations, Plans, and Training Officer.

From 1988-1991, Dunford was assigned as the Marine Officer Instructor at the College of the Holy Cross and Officer Candidates School at Marine Corps Base Quantico. In 1992, he was assigned to HQMC as a member of the Commandant's staff group and subsequently as the Senior Aide to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. In 1995, he joined the 6th Marine Regiment as the executive officer, then went on to command 2nd Battalion 6th Marines from 1996 until 1998.

In 1999, Dunford was the executive assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (under both Generals Joseph Ralston and Richard Myers) and as Chief, Global and Multilateral Affairs Division (J-5) until 2001. He next served in the 1st Marine Division where he was assigned to command the 5th Marine Regiment, then as the division's chief of staff and assistant commander. During this time, he served 22 months in Iraq.[4] During his command of RCT-5 in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he earned the nickname "Fighting Joe" under James Mattis.[5]

From 2005-2007, Dunford returned to Headquarters Marine Corps to serve as the Director of the Operations Division of the Plans, Policies and Operations staff, and eventually became the Vice Director for Operations (J-3) at the Joint Staff in 2008.[6] In December 2007, Dunford was nominated for promotion to the rank of major general.[7] In February, Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates announced that PresidentGeorge W. Bush had nominated Dunford for promotion to lieutenant general and appointment as Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations, to succeed LtGen Richard F. Natonski.[7] In April 2008, his appointment to the permanent rank of major general was confirmed by the United States Senate, and simultaneously appointed in the grade of lieutenant general for his new assignment.

Dunford served a dual role in his assignment as Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations:[8]

''Is the Operations Deputy (OpsDep) for the Commandant on all Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) matters. Serves as the focal point for the interface between the Marine Corps (as one of the four Services) and the joint and combined activities of the JCS and the unified Commanders-in-Chief, and various allied and other foreign Defense agencies.Is responsible for coordinating the development and execution of service plans and policies related to the structure, deployment, and employment of Marine Corps forces in general.''On May 1, 2009, the Pentagon announced that President Barack Obama had appointed Dunford to serve as the commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Forces Central Command.[9]

Less than a year into that assignment, Dunford was nominated by Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates to succeed James F. Amos as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, who had been nominated to succeed James Conway as Commandant.[10][11] President Obama approved his promotion and Dunford assumed the duties and new rank on 23 October 2010.[12]

On October 10, 2012, General Dunford was nominated by President Barack Obama to lead U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.[13] After an investigation into inappropriate communications from the then-current commander in Afghanistan, General John R. Allen, was opened, Secretary Panetta requested that General Dunford's nomination be acted on promptly.[14] Dunford assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) from General Allen,[2] who had since been cleared in the Pentagon's investigation involving his e-mails in the Petraeus scandal, on February 10, 2013, .[15]

On June 5, 2014, General Dunford was nominated by President Obama to be the 36th Commandant of the Marine Corps. His nomination was confirmed by the Senate on July 23, 2014, and he became Commandant on October 17, 2014.[16] On January 23, 2015 General Dunford released the 36th Commandant's Planning Guidance http://www.hqmc.marines.mil/Portals/142/Docs/2015CPG_Color.pdf

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Mon, 04 May 2015 02:42

The MITRE Corporation (stylized as MITRE) is an American not-for-profit organization based in Bedford, Massachusetts and McLean, Virginia. It manages Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) supporting the Department of Defense (DOD), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on behalf of the Federal Judiciary, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).

History[edit]Under the leadership of C. W. Halligan, MITRE was formed in 1958 to provide overall direction to the companies and workers involved in the US Air ForceSAGE project. Most of the early employees were transferred to MITRE from the Lincoln Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where SAGE was being developed. In April 1959, a site was purchased in Bedford, Massachusetts near Hanscom Air Force Base, to develop a new MITRE laboratory, which MITRE occupied in September 1959.[2]

After the SAGE project ended in the early 1960s, the FAA selected MITRE to develop a similar system to provide automated air traffic control. The result of the project formed the National Airspace System (NAS), that is still in use today. To support the NAS project and continual operations with the US Department of Defense at the Pentagon, MITRE opened a second "main office" in McLean, Virginia.

Through the 1960s, MITRE developed and supported military Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I) projects, including the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). MITRE also worked on a number of projects with ARPA, including precursors to the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). Since the 1960s, MITRE has developed or supported most DoD early warning and communications projects, including the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) and the Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS).

During the 1980s, the German hacker Markus Hess used an un-secured MITRE Tymnet connection as an entry point for intrusions into US Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and NASA computer networks.[3]

On July 10, 1985, mitre.org was the first .orgdomain name registered, and it remains in use by the company today.[4]

On October 1, 1990, the FAA selected MITRE to operate its FFRDC, the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD).[5]

On January 29, 1996, MITRE divided into two entities: The MITRE Corporation, to focus on its FFRDCs for DoD and FAA; and a new company, named Mitretek Systems (now called Noblis), to assume non-FFRDC work for other US Government agencies.[6]

In July 1998, the Internal Revenue Service selected MITRE to manage its FFRDC, the Center for Enterprise Modernization (CEM).[7]

In 2005, a team from MITRE competed in the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, and qualified in 23rd place for the final race.[8]

On March 6, 2009, the Department of Homeland Security selected MITRE to operate the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HS SEDI).[9]

On December 2, 2010, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts selected MITRE to operate the Judiciary Engineering and Modernization Center (JEMC) FFRDC.[10]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services selected MITRE to operate an FFRDC in October 2012.[11]

On September 24, 2014, The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) selected MITRE to support the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE).[12]

Organization[edit]FFRDCs and research program[edit]MITRE is organized as follows:[13]

The National Security Engineering Center (NSEC) FFRDC is sponsored by the Department of Defense and focuses on national security issues.[14]The Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) FFRDC is sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration and focuses on air traffic management.[15]The Center for Enterprise Modernization (CEM) FFRDC supports enterprise modernization within the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs.[16]The Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HS SEDI) FFRDC supports the Department of Homeland Security and its mission partners to safeguard people in the United States against terrorist threats, aid the flow of legal commerce and immigration, and recover swiftly from natural disasters and other national emergencies.[17]The Judiciary Engineering and Modernization Center (JEMC) FFRDC supports the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on behalf of the federal judiciary.[18]The CMS Alliance to Modernize Healthcare FFRDC is sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).[19]National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) FFRDC sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).Internal research and development explores new technologies and ways to apply existing tools and technologies.[20]Corporate governance[edit]Chief executive officers[edit]1958''1966: C.W. Halligan[7]1966''1969: Dr. John L. McLucas1969''1986: Robert R. Everett1986''1990: Charles A. Zraket[21]1990''1996: Barry M. Horowitz1996''2000: Victor A. DeMarines2000''2006: Martin C. Faga2006''present: Alfred GrassoBoard of Trustees[edit]Awards, honors, and accomplishments[edit]Over the years, MITRE has received awards for corporate achievements as well as for achievements of its scientists, researchers, and engineers.[23] A sampling includes

In 2015, Forbes Magazine named MITRE one of America's Best Employers.[24]In 2013, MITRE was named a 2013 CSO40 Award winner by the International Data Group's CSO Magazine. The CSO40 Awards recognize 40 organizations for security projects and initiatives that demonstrate outstanding business value and thought leadership.[25]In 2011 and 2012, InformationWeek named MITRE to its InformationWeek 500, an annual ranking of the nation's most innovative users of business technology.[26]In 2011, for the second time, MITRE's knowledge management successes have earned the corporation a North American Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) award, which recognizes organizations for exceptional knowledge management and knowledge sharing practices.[27]In June 2008, MITRE was presented with the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service for "significant contributions in communications, command and control decision-making, intelligence, cyberspace, and warfighter field support, as well as research and development."[28]In July 2008, MITRE was awarded the Air Force Association's Theodore Von Karman award for "the most outstanding contribution in the field of engineering and science."[29]In July 2008, MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), as part of an ADS-B team of 26 public and private sector groups, was selected for the 2007 Collier Trophy for its efforts in conceptualizing, developing, and implementing a fundamental, so-called "cornerstone capability" for the future of the national airspace system.MITRE has been included on annual lists of several magazines:Glassdoor.com has named MITRE one of the ''50 Best Places to Work'' for five consecutive years;[30]The Boston Globe has named MITRE to its ''Top Places to Work'' list for four years;[31]Fortune included MITRE in its "100 Best Companies to Work For" for ten consecutive years[32]Computerworld included MITRE in its "100 Best Places to Work in IT" list, for eight consecutive years.[33]MITRE employees have created more than 30 technologies available for licensing, generated more than 60 packages of downloadable software, and been granted more than 110 US patents.[34]

References[edit]External links[edit]

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Mon, 04 May 2015 02:43

MITRE is a not-for-profit organization that operates research and development centers sponsored by the federal government.

We operate FFRDCs'--federally funded research and development centers'--which are unique organizations that assist the United States government with:

Scientific research and analysisDevelopment and acquisitionSystems engineering and integrationWe also have an independent research program that explores new and expanded uses of technologies to solve our sponsors' problems.

MITRE is chartered to work in the public interest. We have no commercial interests. We have no owners or shareholders, and we can't compete for anything except the right to operate FFRDCs. This lack of commercial conflicts of interest forms the basis for our objectivity. We also have the ability to acquire sensitive and proprietary information from the government and industry to inform our work. These organizations are able and willing to share data because they know we won't use it for a competitive advantage.

Moreover, because we operate multiple FFRDCs, we foster a culture of knowledge sharing. We apply what we learn from addressing one sponsor's challenges to similar issues faced by other federal agencies. This means when sponsors engage with us, they have access to all the minds of MITRE.

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Mon, 04 May 2015 02:44

Advancing Science and Technology in the Public Interest'--From the Dawn of the Information Age to Today

MITRE's roots began in the computer laboratories of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during World War II. Throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, MIT's scientists developed the first large-scale digital computer, dubbed Whirlwind I. A group of engineers working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory's Division 6 continued to expand its capabilities. When the Air Force needed a framework on which to build an advanced air-defense system, it chose Whirlwind I.

In July 1958, the U.S. Congress chartered The MITRE Corporation as a private, not-for-profit corporation to provide engineering and technical guidance for the federal government'--with an initial focus on defense needs. Following the closure of Division 6, most of the research staff joined MITRE to support the Air Force's air-defense mission.

The new company took on the task of developing SAGE'--the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment pioneering continental air-defense system. SAGE's complexity demanded an organization that could reach across traditional boundaries among the military, industry, and academia.

Our role integrating SAGE's many elements established us as a leader in the new discipline of systems engineering. That was just the beginning.

In the decades since, we've earned an international reputation for technical excellence and innovation for military and civil agencies. The company and our employees have received many awards recognizing our achievements in aviation, defense, cybersecurity, and much more.

We're proud to have served the public interest for more than 50 years. We look forward to continuing to serve.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 03:14

WHITE HOUSE '' Top White House officials had an hour-long meeting with a group of scholars and activists calling for the inclusion of girls of color in President Obama's signature racial justice program known as My Brother's Keeper.

The meeting included the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has championed MBK, and top activists and academics who signed a letter criticizing the initiative for focusing on boys and young men of color without a corollary for girls of color.

Sharpton, reached via e-mail, described the meeting as ''constructive.''

A White House official sent She The People this readout from the meeting:

Today, Valerie Jarrett, Tina Tchen and Broderick Johnson met with a group of stakeholders to discuss how they could work more closely with the White House Council on Women and Girls (CWG) to increase opportunities for girls and young women of color. During the meeting, the officials walked through the Administration's accomplishments on issues critical to women and girls of color. The group also discussed ways in which stakeholders could become more engaged with the CWG and My Brother's Keeper. At the conclusion of the meeting, everyone agreed to continue the productive discussion and to work together to provide opportunity for all young people of color.

Announced in February, MBK is a $200 million dollar public-private partnership, that will direct resources and attention to boys of color, who statistically have high incarceration and drop-out rates. The White House released a 60-page task force detailing some of the barriers and difficulties young men of color often face. Obama first announced his intention to address the social problems of young men of color in the wake of the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case, which sparked anger among many, particularly African Americans. (read more)

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Thu, 07 May 2015 03:08

President Barack Obama won't be involved in setting fundraising rules for a new nonprofit organization he unveiled Monday to help minority boys and young men.

The celebrities and corporate executives serving on the board of the My Brother's Keeper Alliance, which Obama announced during an event at Lehman College in the Bronx, will determine if foreign governments or registered lobbyists can contribute to the project, the White House said.

''The Obama administration will have no role in deciding how donations are screened and what criteria they will set at the alliance,'' White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters traveling aboard Air Force One to New York.

''I'll be done being president in a couple of years and I'll still be a pretty young man.''

President Barack Obama

My Brother's Keeper Alliance suggests a post-presidency career for the nation's first black president: steering money and resources into poverty-stricken urban communities. While the nonprofit is born from a White House program Obama began about a year ago, Earnest said he didn't know the extent to which the president will be involved after he leaves office.

The group, inspired by a White House task force, will ensure that the work of trying boost educational and economic opportunities for minority youths can continue ''long after I've left office,'' Obama said at the rollout.

Baltimore ProtestsThe unveiling of the nonprofit group was scheduled before the unrest in Baltimore following the death of a black man from injuries he suffered while in police custody. Obama made reference to the protests and violence there as well as in other cities after the deaths of black men in encounters with police.

''There's a tragic history in this country that's made it tougher for some,'' Obama said. ''Those opportunity gaps begin early, often at birth, and they compound over time, becoming harder and harder to bridge.''

Obama also paid tribute to police officers who face deadly risks on the job, including a 25-year-old New York officer who died Monday after being shot while on duty over the weekend.

''They've got a tough job,'' Obama said of police officers, adding that they are being asked to solve deep-seated and long-festering problems in many communities.

$80 MillionMy Brother's Keeper Alliance will be headed by Joe Echevarria, the former chief executive at Deloitte LLP, and has already received $80 million in commitments from firms including American Express Co., Ariel Investments LLC, and PepsiCo Inc., according to the White House.

Corporate donations will fund some of its early initiatives, including as much as $7 million in grants for programs to support troubled youths and $3 million to build infrastructure in as many as nine communities, according to a White House statement. The White House's My Brother's Keeper Task Force will continue while Obama's in office.

The organization is drawing on star power for its board, including singer John Legend and former NBA star Alonzo Mourning. Corporate leaders including the chief executives of BET Holdings LLC, Sprint Corp., Prudential Group Insurance, Sam's Club, the Libra Group and Legendary Entertainment will also be part of the alliance's leadership.

Earnest said many of the board members helping to steer the alliance ''are well aware of the priority the president has placed on transparency.''

Clinton's QuestionsHillary Clinton, Obama's former secretary of state and the leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, is facing questions about donations to her and her husband's philanthropy, the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

''It's a hard tightrope to walk,'' said Aaron Dorfman, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, a watchdog group in Washington.

The president, who will be 55 when he leaves office, already has the Barack Obama Foundation, which was created in January 2014, to prepare for the philanthropic work that he and first lady Michelle Obama plan to pursue. During his second term, Obama has put an emphasis on helping minority youths stay in school, find jobs and avoid violence.

''This will remain an issue for me and for Michelle, not just for the remainder of the presidency but for the rest of my life,'' Obama said.

In the twilight of his presidency, Obama faces a country in which income inequality and violence in urban communities increasingly dominate public discourse, punctuated by protests and sometimes unrest in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore and New York City.

Obama also is burnishing his political legacy while in New York, raising money for the Democratic National Committee at two events. He'll meet about 60 supporters contributing $10,000 each at the home of Loida Lewis, the widow of financier Reginald Lewis. A second event at the home of Advent Capital Management CEO Tracy Maitland will raise as much as $33,400 each from about 30 donors.

He also is taping an appearance on CBS's ''Late Show with David Letterman.''

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Thu, 07 May 2015 03:06

President Obama speaks at an event at Lehman College launching the My Brothers Keeper Alliance, a new nonprofit group, in New York.

Corporate donors and foundations have already committed over $85 million to My Brother's Keeper Alliance, the new nonprofit spinoff of President Obama's My Brother's Keeper effort to support young minority males. President Obama formally announced the new effort May 4.

Companies including American Express, Deloitte, Discovery Communications, and News Corp. have pledged support. The first round of grants will include $7 million for intervention programs supporting troubled youths and a grants competition offering up to $25 million in awards to as many as nine communities for infrastructure development.

Other groups are also mobilizing around the president's call to action.

Jobs for the Future, a grantee of the Social Innovation Fund, and the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions will together award $6 million to organizations working to improve education and employment for young people ages 16 to 24 who are neither enrolled in school nor participating in the labor market.

Other notable new grants compiled by The Chronicle include:

Sam's Club and the Sam's Club Giving ProgramThe retailer and its charitable arm awarded a total of $13.6 million to eight national nonprofit organizations that support small-business growth among underserved communities including women, minorities, and veterans.

The grants kick off Sam's Club's Small Business Economic Mobility program, a five-year investment that seeks to promote small businesses by providing education about lending process and increasing access to capital.

Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty CorporationThe nonprofit college-readiness and -affordability group awarded $4.2 million in total grants to nine Midwestern programs that will provide two years of extra instruction in math and English to prepare more than 800 high-school juniors for college courses.

Recipients include Prepare2Nspire, a Saturday math program at The University of Minnesota that seeks to boost ACT scores, and the Precollege Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence, a tutoring program at the University of Wisconsin.

Northrop Grumman FoundationThe foundation is accepting submissions for its Fab School Labs contest, which will award grants of up to $100,000 to five public middle schools to help build state-of-the-art STEM science labs. The goal is to drive students' interest in science through access to the latest learning technologies.

Teachers, principals, and school administrators can apply online for their schools through June 12.

Texas Instruments FoundationThe foundation awarded a $2.2 million grant to Educate Texas, a public-private effort of Communities Foundation of Texas, to support the development of Lancaster Independent School District as a STEM district.

This is the second grant from the foundation for the district's STEM efforts. In 2012, the foundation awarded $4.8 million to increase students' awareness and exposure to STEM college and career paths.

Citi FoundationThe foundation announced a $2.6 million commitment to promote economic advancement for young people in New York City. The grants, which are part of the foundation's $50 million Pathways to Progress career-readiness program, will focus on creating summer jobs and promoting entrepreneurship, mentorship, and service by supporting local partners, including the AmeriCorps Vista program.

The effort includes $500,000 to create the New York City Center for Youth Employment as part of a collaboration with Mayor Bill de Blasio and first lady Chirlane McCray. The center aims to connect 100,000 young New Yorkers to summer jobs, mentorships, and internships each year by 2020.

John Templeton Foundation The foundation awarded two grants totaling $4.5 million to the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago to support training for hospital chaplains. The money is going to the center's Training Research-Literate Chaplains as Ambassadors for Spirituality and Health project, which includes a paid fellowship for 16 chaplains to complete a two-year master of science or master of public health degree.

The foundation also awarded $3.5 million to Fenggang Yang, a sociology professor at Purdue University, who will study religion in China.

Hildebrand FoundationThe grant maker pledged $10 million to the Houston Parks Board for its $220 million Bayou Greenways 2020 project, a public-private partnership that will add 1,500 acres of park space in the city and 80 miles of hiking and biking trails.

The project is being funded by $100 million in city bonds and $120 million in private funds.

Read more about the trend of giving to parks and public spaces.

Chronicle of Philanthropy subscribers also have full access to GrantStation's searchable database of grant opportunities. For more information, visit our grants page.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 03:05

Today, I will join President Obama as he travels to Lehman College in the Bronx, NY to speak about the importance of expanding opportunity and to applaud a new private-sector entity '-- the My Brother's Keeper Alliance.A group of private-sector leaders and other prominent private citizens, led by Joe Echevarria (the former CEO of Deloitte LLP) have come together to form this new, independent non-profit. Joined by a diverse range of philanthropic, community, and private-sector partners, leaders of the Alliance are pledging to work to expand opportunity for youth, strengthen the American workforce, and fortify the economic stability of communities across America.The Alliance will join other private-sector organizations all across America to focus on expanding opportunity and tearing down barriers facing our youth so that we can truly say the American Dream is available to all.

Meanwhile, at the White House, the work of the President's My Brother's Keeper (MBK) Task Force, which it is my honor to chair, will continue to move forward on the work the President has charged us with. We will continue '-- with great urgency '-- to disseminate best practices, strengthen federal policy, and implement strategies to support communities in their efforts to expand opportunity for all youth.

When President Obama first announced the My Brother's Keeper initiative from the East Room of the White House in February 2014, he framed it as a call to action for every American to recognize that ''my neighbor's child is my child'' '-- that each of us has an obligation to give every child the same chance this country has given so many of us.

Over the past year, foundations, corporations, small business owners, educators, philanthropies, law enforcement, artists, athletes, and all levels of government from across the country have responded with remarkable energy and resolve, and they have announced an array of fresh initiatives to attack the challenges facing our youth in new ways.

Over the course of the Administration, we have made consistent progress on important goals, such as reducing high school dropout rates and lowering unemployment and crime.

Yet persistent gaps in employment, educational outcomes, and career skills remain, barring too many youth from realizing their full potential, and creating harmful social and economic costs to our nation.

Over the past year, we already have made progress addressing the central goals originally laid out by the President's MBK Task Force to ensure that all young people enter school ready to learn, all young people are reading at grade level by the third grade, all youth are graduating from high school ready for college and career, all youth are completing postsecondary education or training, all young people are successfully entering the workforce, and all young people are safe from violence and provided the second chances they deserve.

Here are some examples on how we are working to achieve these goals:

Beyond the work of the President's MBK Task Force, there are now more than 200 communities that have accepted the President's My Brother's Keeper Community Challenge, committing to launching Local Action Plans with bold goals and strategies to produce results that will bridge opportunity gaps.

And, since the President's call to action in February 2014, nearly $500 million in grants and in-kind resources have been independently committed by the private sector to attack the challenges facing our youth in new ways and expand opportunity, including a $100 million announcement just last week from Equal Opportunity Schools and its partners to increase enrollment of low-income and minority students in advance courses.

For so many of us, the My Brother's Keeper initiative is deeply personal. As a proud son of Baltimore, this week's announcement comes at a time of unique and special resonance for me.

As the country reflects on our shared responsibility to ensure that opportunity reaches every young person, I urge everyone to look at their own capacity to make a difference. Whether it's taking time to mentor, tutoring young people in your neighborhood, or creating new internship or apprenticeship opportunities for young people in your community '-- everyone can play a role in building a brighter future.

The President's My Brother's Keeper Initiative is about recognizing that our young people are not the problem, but rather the solution. And it's about each of us seeing our neighbor's child as our own. Their futures as individuals, and as members of a shared community and economy, are forever tied together.

As we move further into the fourth quarter of President Obama's time in office, our entire team is following his lead and preparing to accomplish as much as we possibly can with the MBK Task Force. And as leaders like Joe Echevarria, MBK Alliance honorary chair John Legend, and their colleagues take initiative to respond to the challenges facing our youth in new ways '-- big and small, locally and nationally '-- I share the President's confidence that we will begin to see a future come into focus that is increasingly inclusive, empowering, and rich with opportunity for all Americans.

We welcome the newly organized My Brother's Keeper Alliance to this work, and look forward to the progress they will help build.

Broderick Johnson Chair, My Brother's Keeper Task Force The White House

Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House

The White House ' 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW ' Washington, DC 20500 ' 202-456-1111

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Thu, 07 May 2015 02:57

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

February 27, 2014

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

SUBJECT: Creating and Expanding Ladders of Opportunity for Boys and Young Men of Color

Over the course of my Administration, we have made consistent progress on important goals such as reducing high school dropout rates and lowering unemployment and crime. Yet as the Congress, State and local governments, research institutions, and leading private-sector organizations have all recognized, persistent gaps in employment, educational outcomes, and career skills remain for many boys and young men of color throughout their lives.

Many boys and young men of color will arrive at kindergarten less prepared than their peers in early language and literacy skills, leaving them less likely to finish school. Labor-force participation rates for young men of color have dropped, and far too many lack the skills they need to succeed. The disproportionate number of African American and Hispanic young men who are unemployed or involved in the criminal justice system undermines family and community stability and is a drag on State and Federal budgets. And, young men of color are far more likely to be victims of murder than their white peers, accounting for almost half of the country's murder victims each year. These outcomes are troubling, and they represent only a portion of the social and economic cost to our Nation when the full potential of so many boys and young men is left unrealized.

By focusing on the critical challenges, risk factors, and opportunities for boys and young men of color at key life stages, we can improve their long-term outcomes and ability to contribute to the Nation's competiveness, economic mobility and growth, and civil society. Unlocking their full potential will benefit not only them, but all Americans.

Therefore, I am establishing the My Brother's Keeper initiative, an interagency effort to improve measurably the expected educational and life outcomes for and address the persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color. The initiative will help us determine the public and private efforts that are working and how to expand upon them, how the Federal Government's own policies and programs can better support these efforts, and how to better involve State and local officials, the private sector, and the philanthropic community.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct the following:

Section 1. My Brother's Keeper Task Force. (a) There is established a My Brother's Keeper Task Force (Task Force) to develop a coordinated Federal effort to improve significantly the expected life outcomes for boys and young men of color (including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans) and their contributions to U.S. prosperity. The Task Force shall be chaired by the Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary. In addition to the Chair, the Task Force shall consist of the following members:

(i) the Attorney General;

(ii) the Secretary of Agriculture;

(iii) the Secretary of Commerce;

(iv) the Secretary of Defense;

(v) the Secretary of Education;

(vi) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;

(vii) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;

(viii) the Secretary of the Interior;

(ix) the Secretary of Labor;

(x) the Secretary of Transportation;

(xi) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

(xii) the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers;

(xiii) the Director of the Office of Personnel Management;

(xiv) the Administrator of the Small Business Administration;

(xv) the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service;

(xvi) the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement;

(xvii) the Director of the Domestic Policy Council;

(xviii) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy;

(xix) the Director of the National Economic Council; and

(xx) the heads of such other executive departments, agencies, and offices as the Chair may, from time to time, designate.

(b) A member of the Task Force may designate a senior-level official who is from the member's department, agency, or office, and is a full-time officer or employee of the Federal Government, to perform the day-to-day Task Force functions of the member. At the direction of the Chair, the Task Force may establish subgroups consisting exclusively of Task Force members or their designees under this subsection, as appropriate.

(c) The Deputy Secretary of Education shall serve as Executive Director of the Task Force, determine its agenda, convene regular meetings of the Task Force, and supervise its work under the direction of the Chair. The Department of Education shall provide funding and administrative support for the Task Force to the extent permitted by law and within existing appropriations. Each executive department or agency shall bear its own expenses for participating in the Task Force.

Sec. 2. Mission and Function of the Task Force. (a) The Task Force shall, consistent with applicable law, work across executive departments and agencies to:

(i) develop a comprehensive public website, to be maintained by the Department of Education, that will assess, on an ongoing basis, critical indicators of life outcomes for boys and young men of color (and other ethnic, income, and relevant subgroups) in absolute and relative terms;

(ii) assess the impact of Federal policies, regulations, and programs of general applicability on boys and young men of color, so as to develop proposals that will enhance positive outcomes and eliminate or reduce negative ones;

(iii) create an Administration-wide, online public portal to identify and disseminate successful programs and practices that improve outcomes for boys and young men of color;

(iv) recommend, where appropriate, incentives for the broad adoption by national, State, and local public and private decisionmakers of effective and innovative strategies and practices for providing opportunities to and improving outcomes for boys and young men of color;

(v) consistent with applicable privacy laws and regulations, provide relevant Federal data assets and expertise to public and private efforts to increase opportunities and improve life outcomes for boys and young men of color, and explore ways to coordinate with State and local governments and non-governmental actors with useful data and expertise;

(vi) ensure coordination with other Federal interagency groups and relevant public-private initiatives;

(vii) work with external stakeholders to highlight the opportunities, challenges, and efforts affecting boys and young men of color; and

(viii) recommend to the President means of ensuring sustained efforts within the Federal Government and continued partnership with the private sector and philanthropic community as set forth in this memorandum.

(b) The Task Force shall focus on evidence-based intervention points and issues facing boys and young men of color up to the age of 25, with a particular focus on issues important to young men under the age of 15. Specifically, the Task Force shall focus on the following issues, among others: access to early childhood supports; grade school literacy; pathways to college and a career, including issues arising from school disciplinary action; access to mentoring services and support networks; and interactions with the criminal justice system and violent crime.

(c) Within 30 days of the date of this memorandum, each member of the Task Force shall provide recommended indicators of life outcomes for the public website described in subsection (a)(i) of this section, and a plan for providing data on such indicators.

(d) Within 45 days of the date of this memorandum, each member of the Task Force shall identify any relevant programs and data-driven assessments within the member's department or agency for consideration in the portal described in subsection (a)(iii) of this section.

(e) Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Task Force shall provide the President with a report on its progress and recommendations with respect to the functions set forth in subsection (a) of this section. Additionally, the Task Force shall provide, within 1 year of the date of this memorandum, a status report to the President regarding the implementation of this memorandum.

Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law or Executive Order to an agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d) The Secretary of Education is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA

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Thu, 07 May 2015 02:52

New York '-- In a deeply personal response to outbreaks of racially motivated protests, President Barack Obama on Monday blamed a lack of opportunity in minority communities and harsher treatment of black and Hispanic men by police for fueling a sense of "unfairness and powerlessness."

The country's first black president called for a nationwide mobilization to reverse inequalities and said the cause will remain a mission for the rest of his presidency and his life. "There are consequences to indifference," Obama said.

Helping launch a foundation to assist young minorities, Obama said the catalysts of protests in Ferguson, Mo., and in Baltimore were the deaths of black young men and "a feeling that law is not always applied evenly in this country."

But he said a broader sense of hopelessness is at the root of the periodic eruptions in poor communities.

"We ask police to go into communities where there is no hope," he said. "Eventually, something happens because of the tension between society and these communities, and the police are just on the front lines of that."

The new organization, My Brother's Keeper Alliance, is an outgrowth of Obama's year-old My Brother's Keeper initiative, which has focused on federal government policies and grants designed to increase access to education and jobs.

As The Christian Science Monitor reported in February 2014:

From the earliest days of his presidency, Barack Obama has faced high expectations from African-American leaders '' and a persistent question: What about a black agenda?

High unemployment. High incarceration rates. High dropout rates. These and many other pathologies have long plagued communities of color. But for the nation's first African-American president, dealing with the ''black'' issue has been tricky. ''I'm not the president of black America,'' President Obama has said many times. ''I'm the president of the United States of America.''

But increasingly, Mr. Obama has been addressing minority issues more directly. On Thursday, he will focus on the challenges of young black and Latino men when he unveils ''My Brother's Keeper'' '' an initiative named for a biblical phrase he uses regularly, conveying a belief that society must help those facing challenges. It aims to keep young minority men out of what is often called the ''school-to-prison pipeline.''

While the Brother's Keeper effort predates the tensions in Baltimore that erupted after the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, the significance of the new private-sector alliance has been magnified by the spotlight the riots in the city placed on low-income neighborhoods.

Over the past year, Obama has been called on to respond to what he last week referred to as the "slow-rolling crisis" of police relations with minority communities. The friction has been highlighted by Gray's death last month and Michael Brown's death last summer in Ferguson. Gray died after sustaining a spinal cord injury while in the custody of Baltimore police. Six police officers were charged last week in connection with his death.

Still, he praised police officers for putting their lives on the line and singled out Brian Moore, a 25-year-old New York City police officer shot in the head over the weekend while attempting to stop a man suspected of carrying a handgun.

"He came from a family of police officers," Obama said. "And the family of fellow officers he joined in the NYPD and across the country deserve our gratitude and our prayers, not just today but every day. They've got a tough job."

Obama alluded to his own youth raised by a single mother and said the plight of young minority men is personal to him.

"I grew up without a dad. I grew up lost sometimes and adrift, not having a sense of a clear path," he said, noting that he was lucky because he had an environment where people cared for him.

"Really that's what this comes down to, do we love these kids?" he said.

With high-profile names and an ambitious focus, the alliance is a possible building block for Obama's post-presidential pursuits. With less than two years left in Obama's presidency, the new institution would likely sustain its work well after he leaves the White House. But White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the new alliance wouldn't necessarily be the vehicle for what Obama chooses to do.

Earnest said decisions about who could give to the group and the reporting of donations would be made by the board of directors. He was responding to a question about whether the group's financing might spark some of the same controversies surrounding Bill and Hillary Clinton's family foundation.

"The White House will not be involved in determining what their fundraising policies should be," Earnest said. He said that the board would be "well aware of the priorities the president has placed on transparency."

The new alliance will be led by Joe Echevarria, the former chief executive of Deloitte, the giant accounting and consulting firm. The alliance already has obtained financial and in-kind commitments of more than $80 million from such companies as American Express, Deloittte, Discovery Networks, and Fox News parent company News Corp., the White House said.

The alliance board is a who's who of the sport, corporate and entertainment world. Singer songwriter John Legend is the alliance's honorary chairman; former Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning is a member of the board. The alliance's advisory council will include former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Attorney General Eric Holder and Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, the mayors of Indianapolis, Sacramento and Philadelphia, as well as former NFL player Jerome Bettis and former basketball standout Shaquille O'Neal.

While in New York, Obama was also taping an appearance on The Late show with David Letterman and attending Democratic Party fundraisers.

___

Kuhnhenn reported from Washington D.C.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 02:49

During a speech made at the launch of the "My Brother's Keeper Alliance" in New York, President Obama talked about how protests in Ferguson and Baltimore stemmed beyond the tragic deaths of two young men, but the sense of "unfairness" and "powerlessness" felt by the members of those communities. (WhiteHouse.gov)

NEW YORK '-- President Obama on Monday announced the formation of a corporate-backed nonprofit organization to help boys and young men of color, describing it as a group that will outlast his presidency and advance his administration's goal of achieving greater racial and social justice.

The organization will focus on improving early childhood education, keeping black and Latino boys out of the criminal justice system, and on preparing young men to be more successful when entering the workforce, he said.

Speaking a week after riots scarred Baltimore, Obama said decades of disadvantage had sowed discontent in minority communities. Righting those conditions, he said, will take a ''sustained'' effort far exceeding the 20 months he has left in office.

''These kids are all our kids. We will profit by or pay for whatever they become,'' Obama said. ''This will remain a mission for me and for [first lady Michelle Obama], not just for the rest of my presidency, but for the rest of my life.''

[Obama's trip offers hint at post White House life]

The organization, My Brother's Keeper Alliance, follows a public-private partnership by almost the same name that Obama has used to attract more than $300 million in donations over the past year. That group, he said, has studied key points in the lives of young black men at which greater engagement could make the biggest difference. That's where the alliance will focus, he said.

On Monday, the White House announced a lengthy list of corporate donors, including the chief executives of Sam's Club, Deloitte Consulting, PepsiCo and Sprint, who would be founding members of the board and had committed $80 million in ''in-kind and financial donations'' to get the alliance off the ground.

Also in attendance on Monday were the board's honorary chairman, singer John Legend, and board member and former NBA star Alonzo Mourning.

Before the alliance's first board meeting, however, the White House on Monday faced a growing list of questions about how the administration would keep transparent its work on behalf of the organization '-- and vice versa '-- and how the companies that underwrite the president's favored initiative would not gain special access or favor during the remainder of his term.

[Obama's My Brother's Keeper group raises $300 million]

The launching of the alliance comes as questions continue to mount over whether contributions to the foundation created by former president Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, influenced her work and advocacy efforts as secretary of state.

Asked about the potential pitfalls of the relationship, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama would not be on the organization's board and would not be involved in decisions about contributions, or the alliance's policies regarding them.

''The Obama administration will have no role in deciding how donations are screened and what criteria they will set at the alliance for donor policies because it is an entirely separate entity,'' Earnest said.

He cast Obama's work in helping the alliance as a ''different way the president can wield his authority,'' Earnest said. ''The president has a pretty substantial platform to advocate for the kind of changes that he would like to see in the country.''

''This is one example of, essentially, the president using his phone to mobilize the business community in support of national priorities,'' Earnest said.

Earnest cast it as no different from the first lady's ''Let's Move!'' campaign, or job training efforts sought by the administration that businesses have volunteered to implement.

Regardless, My Brother's Keeper Alliance seems certain to play a large part in Obama's life after the White House.

[Obama launches My Brother's Keeper]

Standing on a stage at a mostly minority college in the Bronx on Monday, Obama repeated a call he made last week for national ''soul searching'' on the issues of racial and social justice after the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore.

Citing the unrest again Monday evening at a $10,000-a-plate Democratic fundraiser at a private home on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Obama said, ''this is not a project that stops after a certain point in office. .'‰.'‰. This is something we have to sustain.''

But it will be corporations that fund the work, not government.

Speaking before Obama took the stage in the Bronx, Joe Echevarria, the interim head of the alliance and the recently retired chief executive of Deloitte LLP, applauded the businesses that agreed to help launch the organization.

''The companies that have agreed to contribute and participate are all sitting in this room; there is a press kit that tells you who they are,'' Echevarria said. ''Those people not only bring their money, their brand, their persons, but they also bring their passion.''

Aaron Davis covers D.C. government and politics for The Post and wants to hear your story about how D.C. works '-- or how it doesn't.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 06:24

Na het goederenvervoer ligt nu ook een groot deel van het personenvervoer op het Duitse spoor stil. Vannacht hebben veel machinisten het werk op de passagierstreinen van Deutsche Bahn neergelegd.

Als het aan machinistenvakbond GDL ligt duurt deze staking tot zondagochtend. Dat zou dan de langste spoorwegstaking in Duitsland sinds 1994 betekenen. De machinisten eisen onder meer een hoger loon en een kortere werkweek.

Deutsche Bahn heeft een vervangende dienstregeling in het leven geroepen. De vervoerder hoopt dat een derde van de intercitytreinen en 15 tot 60 procent van de stoptreinen kan blijven rijden.

Vooral in het oosten van Duitsland zullen reizigers last hebben van de staking. In het westen blijven enkele duizenden treinbestuurders gewoon aan het werk. Niet alle machinisten zijn aangesloten bij vakbond GDL.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 06:23

Amsterdam - Er dreigt een stroom faillissementen onder advocaten, notarissen en accountants, als ze verdienmodellen niet snel aanpassen. 'žZij moeten de echte klappen nog krijgen.''

Dat zegt ABN Amro-sectorbankier Han Mesters, die zich richt op deze branches. Het kost advocaten, notarissen en accountants moeite om mee te gaan met trends als automatisering en globalisering, stelt hij.

'žDe impact van die trends wordt onderschat. Deze groepen gaan er bovendien vaak vanuit dat conjuncturele verbeteringen de omzet tillen tot pre-crisisniveaus'', stelt hij. 'žDe tekenen van economisch herstel zetten hen op het verkeerde been.''

De bank is om deze redenen terughoudender geworden in het verstrekken van leningen aan deze groepen, vooral rond partnerfinancieringen.

Een van de verwijten van Mesters betreft de salarissen. Veel advocaten verdienen te veel, stelt hij. 'žZij gaan bij het bepalen van de salarissen van partners uit van pre-crisisniveaus. Dat past niet meer bij de huidige realiteit.''

Lees het hele verhaal in DFT Avond: 'Kantoor op bedrijventerrein in plaats van statige panden met een BMW voor de deur'

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Thu, 07 May 2015 01:02

While officials have begun their own versions of capital controls by raiding pension funds, confiscating local government cash, and surcharges on withdrawals (and transfer ceilings); it appears the market participants themselves have now imposed their own share of capital controls. As Bloomberg reports, international securities firms are curtailing trading with major Greek banks - pulling credit lines and restricting FX trading limits - as fear of Grexit looms.

Bloomberg reports,

Greek banks are increasingly being hampered from trading currencies, one of most liquid markets, as international dealers cut back credit lines and costs soar, according to people with knowledge of the trades.

International securities firms are curtailing trading with Greece's major lenders that may expose them to the risk of a default by the nation and the possible use of capital controls to stem outflows from banks, the people said, asking not to be named because they are not authorized to speak publicly. Those threats are adding to concern that the euro would decline in the event of a default or a Greek exit from the currency region, leaving counterparties exposed to multiple risks, said the people.

A months-long impasse on Greece's bailout talks with creditors has prompted depositors to withdraw funds from the nation's lenders, leaving banks no choice but to rely on emergency funds for liquidity. The ECB on Wednesday raised the limit on Emergency Liquidity Assistance, people familiar with the matter said, a sign the financial system remains under strain.

''The latest sign the market is attempting to fortify itself against a Greek default is playing out in the FX market,'' said Mark Williams, a former bank examiner for a Federal Reserve bank and now a lecturer at Boston University's Questrom School of Business. ''The market has increasingly become aggressive in preparing for a Greek default and in protecting itself from the potential financial impact.''

* * *

While they're still in a position to trade in the currency market, Greek banks are assuming additional risk as they struggle to hedge some of their positions and dealing costs have risen, said the people.

On some transactions, the bid-offer spread is as much as 50 percent higher than it was a year ago, said one person. Limited access to interbank trading has forced Greek banks to hoard an additional 5 billion euros to 6 billion euros in liquidity because they need to maintain higher buffers of cash, according to a Greek banking official.

One London-based FX sales trader said his bank continues to provide credit lines to Greek counterparties, but these are to just cover day-to-day foreign exchange needs, accommodating transactions on tenors that are no longer than a week, on a case-by-case basis.

Officials for National Bank of Greece SA, Alpha Bank AE and Piraeus Bank SA declined to comment; officials for Eurobank Ergasias SA didn't immediately return calls

A central bank official in Athens said he didn't have a comment.

And all this happens an hour after the ECB announced it has boosted total Greek ELA by another '‚¬2 billion to '‚¬78.9 billion. Considering total Greek household and corporate deposits were '‚¬131 billion as of the end of March, the unspoken message to Greeks is that should they push too hard, the ELA gets yanked leading to an immediate 60% haircut in Greek deposits.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 00:52

Nicola Sturgeon's Scottish National Party has rebounded from the referendum defeat to emerge as the likely third-biggest party and kingmaker in the UK parliament. AAP/Newzulu/Brian DuffyScotland's independence referendum last September captured the international imagination. Ultimately, Scotland's electorate voted 55% to 45% to stay in the United Kingdom, but this is clearly not the end of the story.

Mainstream politics have been shaken up, especially in Scotland, and the political elite now has to confront a bigger issue: the ongoing evolution of its political landscape and the lingering confusion over the UK's constitutional make-up.

Referendum's legacies live onOne of the largest impacts and successes of the referendum was the mass mobilising of a political conversation at grassroots level. Certainly the guiding compass of the debate earned plaudits for being centred on a civic national question, not an ethnic one.

Arguably this debate, with the exception of its extremes, was not about nationalism at all. Rather, it was about a contemporary internationalism and a new settlement between nations (the UK is a collection of nations after all).

Certainly, there was to be no simple disappearing of ''Britain'' with independence. For example, the monarchy would have remained. Unless a separate referendum on a republic was held, the monarchy is British (that is, there is technically no Queen of England), made from a union of the Scottish and English crowns.

Importantly, much of the referendum debate centred on issues of social justice and social democracy outcomes, on protecting the National Health Service from privatisation and starting to unhitch from the neo-liberal economic agenda of mainstream Westminster. Oh, and Trident '' there is a strong anti-nuclear weapons edge to the Scottish electorate's concerns, as the UK nuclear arsenal is housed in deep water on the west coast of Scotland.

Social media massively aided this grassroots engagement with politics. The Yes camp was particularly active and successful in this regard, and did so across traditional party lines '' to mobilise for a movement and not for a specific party (the SNP). In the end, 45% voting for independence probably surprised many people. It was a very close call.

The vote may well have been more like a 50-50 result had the Westminster leaders not all high-tailed it to Scotland in the final week of the referendum campaign. They campaigned hard to reinforce their relatively negative strategy of focusing on the economic risks of leaving the UK and some hasty promises on further devolution for Scotland.

'Business as usual' approach failsNevertheless, the referendum outcome has not led to a return to the status quo '' at least, not as much as the mainstream Westminster UK parties had hoped for. In fact, the Westminster response and ''business as usual'' approach has been perceived as an obdurate dismissal of the Scottish electorate's concerns.

For example, after promising in the wake of the referendum to deliver more on Scotland's concerns for devolution, the Westminster and media debate quickly gravitated to discussion on a perceived democratic deficit and a stoking up of Scotland versus England rhetoric. This included debates over the democratic deficit for English voters, with the Conservatives and UK Independence Party (UKIP) playing on petty nationalist fears by proposing EVEL (English Votes for English Laws) at Westminster.

Therein lies the conceit because there is a default assumption that Westminster is a de facto English parliament, which it is not: it is a British parliament and responsible to represent all of the UK's constituent interests. So confusion reigns, with strategies of playing on the fears and misapprehension of voters as a mode of realpolitik due to the small matter of the UK general election on May 7 (and the need to shore up English confidence in Westminster).

The front pages of the UK and Scottish editions of The Sun (a Murdoch instrument) '' one endorsing the Conservatives, the other the SNP '' neatly sum up the aspirations of both the paper and the Conservatives in terms of keeping Labour out of office. The Sun newspaper headlines for the UK and Scottish editions.

Nevertheless, and to his credit, Labour leader Ed Miliband has pushed back against the stirring of petty nationalism in England, recognising that the Conservative strategy is to divide and rule.

SNP reshapes electoral calculusThe problem for Labour is that the party is on the verge of a wipe-out in Scotland, and Labour has always depended on a significant swathe of Scottish seats to form a government in Westminster. Indeed, Labour may well still depend on Scottish seats but with SNP MPs sitting in them.

The SNP is widely predicted to win around 55 of Scotland's 59 seats come the morning of May 8. The party currently has only six seats and in UK terms has been relatively insignificant. Not any more.

Yet mis-direction is freely available; not least due to the highly complex nature of UK constitutional arrangements and its election process. If you were to go by the BBC poll tracker below, then you'd really have no sense that the SNP is not only a credible political force but on the verge of being the third-largest political party in the UK, where it may well remain for a generation.

A screenshot from the BBC's online Election 2015: Poll Tracker

Going by this poll, UKIP appears in a strong position but can only really expect to win a few seats. The SNP is not even on the chart (but mixed in with ''Others'') and yet can feasibly win between 54 and 59 seats. The SNP membership has surged and is the third-largest party membership in the UK '' well over 100,000 and only just short of the Conservative's membership numbers '' so the party is also becoming wealthy.

Establishment politics under challengeIt is the current system that has both caused confusion and enabled this political shift, and the establishment is doing its best to shout it all down as if it's some sort of undemocratic revolution. Of course, they don't want the challenge to appear to be a legitimate threat to their own party-political rhetoric on democracy.

It is clear that a shift is happening. One of the most edifying outcomes of election is the prominence of woman politicians in the shape of the leaders of the Greens (Natalie Bennett), Plaid Cymru (Leanne Wood) and the SNP (Nicola Sturgeon). All have performed with and inspired confidence.

Sturgeon has performed particularly well to a UK audience, with voters in England even wondering if they could vote for her or the SNP. In fact, she is not even standing for Westminster election and the SNP (as you might expect) is not contesting any seats outside Scotland.

What is certain is that after May 7 it is out of the electorate's hands. Come May 27, a party or coalition must win the confidence of the House of Commons to deliver the Queen's speech to form a government.

Confusion reigns? To quote Francis Urquhart from the original House of Cards: you might very well think that, but of course, I couldn't possibly comment.

You can read more of The Conversation's comprehensive UK election coverage here.

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RepublishTagsUKIP, Conservative party, Labour Party, Ed Miliband, Scottish National Party, Scotland Decides 2014, Nicola Sturgeon, UK General Election 2015

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Wed, 06 May 2015 19:36

With power comes responsibility. Duane Jones Cheshire1963/flickr, CC BYDepending on the electoral arithmetic, the next 48 hours could be a real test of how broadcast journalists interpret public perceptions towards any post-election coalition deals. If, as polls continue to suggest, a hung parliament is imminent, the debate will almost exclusively focus on which party can (or should) lead a coalition government over the next five years.

Already, the question of forming a coalition is not just about which political party can gain a working majority in parliament, and successfully pass a new programme of laws in the Queen's speech. It's also about whether the combination of parties seeking power will be viewed as ''legitimate'' by voters.

As it stands, an ICM poll shows the public favour in almost equal measure either a Conservative/Liberal Democrat or a Labour/SNP coalition. But crucially, a fifth of people surveyed indicated that they didn't know which coalition to back.

Where does legitimacy come from?The Cabinet Manual '' written in 2010 after the last coalition negotiations '' makes clear it is parliamentary legitimacy which is crucial in allowing a government to function. But whichever party leader attempts to form a government will also need to reflect on public support.

So how broadcast journalists interpret ''public'' legitimacy could be crucial in policing the boundaries of negotiations between parties, in the post-election period. Since most people have yet to cast their vote, at this point in time it is difficult to interpret where any ''public'' illegitimacy towards possible coalition deals is emanating from.

For example, it could be that broadcasters are responding to newspaper coverage of public perceptions, rather than relying on more reliable ways of assessing the public mood, such as opinion polls.

CaptionTwitter

The right-wing press has already swung into action and sought to delegitimise any prospect of the Labour party winning the second largest number of seats and governing with the support of the SNP. A Daily Telegraph headline this week read: ''Nightmare on Downing Street'', with a picture of SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon prominently placed.

But the mood music of what constitutes an ''acceptable'' coalition government has been playing for some time among right wing papers. According to a search of the newspaper database Nexis, articles discussing ''legitimacy'' in the context of the general election have increased in recent weeks. Most of these encourage readers to think the largest seat-winning party should be the one entitled to govern.

A heated debateOf course, the question of which parties will share power after the election is a legitimate point for debate. While partisan newspapers are free to pursue whatever editorial angle they please, broadcasters have strict impartiality requirements.

Our research shows the major evening bulletins '' including Channel 5 at 5pm, Channel 4 at 7pm, and at 10pm on BBC, ITV and Sky News '' have increased the amount of airtime spent discussing post-election deals. In the first and second week of the official campaign, total election airtime covering coalition deals amounted to 4.3% and 1.1%, respectively. From April 13 to May 1, however, it increased substantially to between 13.4% and 14.3%.

Despite Ed Miliband's regular insistence his party would not enter into a coalition alliance with the SNP '' most memorably on the BBC leaders' question time debate '' the overwhelming focus in TV coverage has been about a possible Labour and SNP coalition deal. Other parties have made the prospect of an SNP minority government central to their election campaigns; especially the Conservatives.

In more recent days, there has been some speculation about a possible deal between the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats, UKIP or the DUP. But the role of the SNP as a potential kingmaker in the next government has clearly been the dominant coalition narrative over the election cycle in TV and print coverage, as well as being hotly debated on social media.

Broadcasters, bewareIf the vote is a close as predicted, parties will inevitably squabble between themselves about who ''won''. But the public will rely on journalists to mediate. And since TV news remains by far the most widely used source of news for general and detailed information about the election, the impartiality of broadcast journalists will be put under the spotlight.

This puts a huge amount of responsibility on broadcast journalists interpreting the results as they come in, during the early hours of Friday morning. Tired but full of adrenaline, broadcast journalists may well be influenced by the pace of the news cycle and the pressure to call out a ''winner''. No doubt many of the partisan newspapers '' most of whom have endorsed the Conservative party '' will be seeking to sway readers in their Friday and Saturday editions.

As public attitudes are formed over the next 48 hours, broadcast journalists will therefore need to be careful in how they interpret the ''public legitimacy'' of the election results and any possible coalition deals, in light of their impartiality requirements.

Republish this articleWe believe in the free flow of information. We use a Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivatives license, so you can republish our articles for free, online or in print.

RepublishTagsCoalition, Public broadcasting, Broadcasting, UK coalition, UK General Election 2015

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Fri, 01 May 2015 20:47

Duitsland moet erover nadenken wat het kan doen om de massaslachtingen van de Tweede Wereldoorlog te compenseren, heeft president Joachim Gauck gezegd. Het is een handreiking aan Griekenland. Dat eist compensatie van Duitsland, maar de regering van bondskanselier Angela Merkel weigert dat.

In een interview met de krant S¼ddeutsche Zeitung zegt Gauck: 'We zijn niet alleen de mensen die we vandaag zijn, maar ook de nazaten van de mensen die in de Tweede Wereldoorlog een spoor van verwoesting door Europa hebben getrokken, onder andere in Griekenland, waarover we beschamend lang weinig hebben geweten.' Hij voegt eraan toe: 'Het is goed wanneer een land met historisch bewustzijn, zoals het onze, uitzoekt welke mogelijkheden er zijn voor 'Wiedergutmachung'.'

Griekenland wil in totaal bijna 279 miljard euro vergoeding voor de bezetting door nazi-Duitsland tussen 1941 en 1944. Zo zou er 28 miljoen euro moeten worden uitgekeerd aan nabestaanden van een bloedbad in het plaatsje Distomo in 1944. Duitse militairen vermoordden toen in twee uur tijd 218 mannen, vrouwen en kinderen.

Belangrijkste geldschieterDuitsland is de belangrijkste geldschieter van de noodlijdende Griekse regering. In ruil daarvoor moet Athene flink bezuinigen, maar het nieuwe kabinet wil dat niet meer. Onderhandelingen verlopen heel stroef en Griekenland haalt om de haverklap uit naar Berlijn.

De S¼ddeutsche Zeitung publiceert het interview met Gauck morgen, maar heeft een deel ervan vanavond al naar buiten gebracht.

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Sun, 03 May 2015 12:52

Minister van Defensie Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert en haar Duitse collega Ursula von der Leyen hebben tijdens een ontmoeting in Den Haag benadrukt dat het verbeteren van de gezamenlijk Europese defensie-inspanningen hoge prioriteit verdient.

"Een Europees leger is ons gezamenlijk doel, maar waarschijnlijk zal dat nog heel lang duren", aldus Ursula von der Leyen. "Dat zullen mijn kinderen mogelijk ooit meemaken", zei de bewindsvrouw tegen Bild am Sonntag. "Het gaat er nu om dat we stap voor stap de Europese Defensie-samenwerking op de rails zetten. Ook de Verenigde Staten willen dat Europa een sterke kracht wordt binnen de NAVO. Omdat te bereiken moet een aantal landen in Europa op het gebeid van Defensie beter samenwerken en hun krachten bundelen. En dat doen Nederland en Duitsland al."

Volgens Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert: "In de NATO onbreekt het nu aan balans. De Amerikanen nemen het meeste werk voor hun rekening. Daarom moeten Europese landen samenwerken. En daarbij is tempo gewenst. De inzetbaarheid van de legers van de Europese landen moet worden verbeterd."

"In crisissituaties moeten we snel kunnen ingrijpen. Kijk, bijvoorbeeld naar de uitbraak van Ebola en de dreiging van IS. Daar had Europa sneller moeten ingrijpen", aldus Von der Leyen. "De afgelopen tientalllen jaren hebben Europese landen erg veel bezuinigd op Defensie. Het materiaal en de systemen waren niet up-to-date. Tot slot moeten we ook meer samenwerken en op elkaar vertrouwen. Om dat te bewerkstelligen zullen in de komende maanden eenheden van het Duitse leger onder Nederlands commando worden geplaatst", aldus de minister.

sjors.offeringa op 3-5, 12:39graag op de maan,ik wil het startschot wel geven !!

RVHB op 3-5, 12:38Weer zo'n onzinnig plan wat gedoemd is om te mislukken. En als we ze "er op mogen afrekenen" zijn ze plots verdwenen....jaja

herk op 3-5, 12:38Eindelijk, drinkt hier het besef dat dit absoluut nodig is. Putin is, ook qua strategie, een Hitler, individuele landen aanpakken, terwijl de rest denkt dat het hen niet overkomt! Zie geschiedenis tweede wereldoorlog en die van Nederland het bijzonder! Ik ben zuinig met complimenten, maar deze minister verdient er een!

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Tue, 05 May 2015 22:36

Posted by Alex Gawley, Director of Product ManagementWith the proliferation of mobile phones and greater access to technology, it should be easy to get things done quickly and effortlessly. That's why with tools like Gmail, Inbox, Calendar and Docs, we've built smart features to help you organize your life and take the work out of work'--Inbox makes it easy to get started on your to-do list, Calendar automatically adds events from your Gmail, and Search gives you simple, concise answers about information that's important to you.

But even as these tools have simplified our lives, we're still inundated with too many updates, information and everyday tasks. And we still have to do a lot of logistical work ourselves'--like deciding to what time exactly we should snooze that Reminder in order to get it done in time for Mom's birthday, or figuring out when to work on that presentation so that it's ready for next week's sales pitch.

Today we're excited to announce that Timeful, Inc. is joining the Google family to help make getting things done in your life even easier.

The Timeful team has built an impressive system that helps you organize your life by understanding your schedule, habits and needs. You can tell Timeful you want to exercise three times a week or that you need to call the bank by next Tuesday, and their system will make sure you get it done based on an understanding of both your schedule and your priorities. We're excited about all the ways Timeful's technology can be applied across products like Inbox, Calendar and beyond, so we can do more of the work for you and let you focus on being creative, having fun and spending time with the people you care about.

Welcome Timeful!

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Tue, 05 May 2015 22:33

We're thrilled to announce that we've joined Google! See here for the announcement. Exciting times are ahead. You will start to see the unique features you've come to expect from Timeful - and much more - available in Google Apps.

What does this mean for you?You can continue to download and use the Timeful app, but moving forward the team's attention will be on new projects at Google.

You can always export your data out of Timeful (see here for instructions).If you have any questions, support.timeful.com continues to be your best resource.

And, finally, big thanks are in order.Thanks to our investors: Keith at Khosla Ventures, Bing at Kleiner Perkins, John at Greylock, Matt at Data Collective, Chemi at Pitango, Ashton at AGrade, and others.

Thanks to our advisors: Bill Grundfest, David Kadavy, Dan Clancy, Brian Frank, Ted Zagat, and Jocelyn Goldfein.

And above all, a HUGE THANKS to you, our users, who gave us your time, all manner of feedback, and your trust. We hope to retain your engagement going forward, and to provide you great value in return.

As a final gesture as a standalone company, we'd like to offer you some insight into our product creation process.

Enjoy!

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Tue, 05 May 2015 23:39

If a friend told you that we were all living in a giant hologram, you'd probably tell him to lay off the kush. But incredibly, physicists across the world are thinking the same thing: That what we perceive to be a three-dimensional universe might just be the image of a two-dimensional one, projected across a massive cosmic horizon.

Yes, it sounds more than a little insane. The 3D nature of our world is as fundamental to our sense of reality as the fact that time runs forward. And yet some researchers believe that contradictions between Einstein's theory of relativity and quantum mechanics might be reconciled if every three-dimensional object we know and cherish is a projection of tiny, subatomic bytes of information stored in a two-dimensional Flatland.

''If this is true, it's a really important insight,'' Daniel Grumiller, a theoretical physicist at the Vienna University of Technology, told me over the phone. Grumiller, along with physicists Max Riegler, Arjun Bagchi and Rudranil Basu, recently published the very first study offering evidence that the so-called ''holographic principle'''--that certain 3D spaces can be mathematically reduced to 2D projections'--might describe our universe.

''If you asked anyone twenty years ago how many dimensions our world has, most of us would answer 'three spatial dimensions plus time,'" he said. "The holographic principle would mean that this is actually a matter of perspective.''

The holographic principle was first postulated over 20 years ago as a possible solution to Stephen Hawking's famous ''information paradox.'' (The paradox is essentially that black holes appear to swallow information, which, according to quantum theory, is impossible.) But while the principle was never mathematically formalized for black holes, theoretical physicist Juan Maldacena demonstrated several years later that holography did indeed hold for a theoretical type of space called anti-de Sitter space. Unlike the space in our universe, which is relatively flat on cosmic scales, anti-de Sitter space as described by mathematicians curves inward like a saddle.

If this depiction of space is correct, then like any computer, there is an inherent limit to the universe's data storage and processing capacity.''Anti-de Sitter space is not directly relevant to our universe, but it allows us to perform calculations that would otherwise be very difficult if not impossible,'' Grumiller said.

Within this theoretical space, Maldacena showed that two sets of physical equations mapped perfectly onto each other: The equations of gravitational theory, and those of quantum field theory. This correspondence was totally unexpected, because while gravity is described in three spatial dimensions, quantum field theory requires only two. That the laws of physics produced identical results two or three dimensions pointed to anti-de Sitter-space's holographic nature.

''This was the first instance where somebody explicitly showed how holography works,'' Grumiller told me. ''But given that our universe is not anti-de Sitter space'--it's approximately flat at large scales'--it's interesting to ask whether the holographic principle applies to flat space, as well.''

Depiction of anti-de Sitter space. Image: Wikimedia

To demonstrate that our universe can indeed be seen as a hologram, physical quantities would have to be calculated using both quantum field theory and gravitational theory in ''flat'' space, and the results would have to match. Grumiller decided to see whether one key feature of quantum mechanics'--quantum entanglement'--could be replicated using gravitational theory.

When two quantum particles are entangled, they cannot be described individually, but instead form a single quantum ''object,'' even if they're far apart. There is a measure that describes how entangled a quantum system is, known as the ''entropy of entanglement.'' After several years of work, Grumiller and his colleagues managed to show that this entropy takes on exactly the same value when calculated in gravitational theory and quantum field theory for spaces like our universe.

"This calculation affirms our assumption that the holographic principle can also be realized in flat spaces,'' said Riegler in a press release. ''It is evidence for the validity of this correspondence in our universe."

Fermilab scientist Aaron Chou, left, and Vanderbilt University graduate student Brittany Kamai check on the Holometer device used to test whether the universe is a 2D hologram. Image: Fermilab

If the holographic principle does indeed describe our universe, it could help resolve many inconsistencies between relativistic physics and quantum physics, including the black hole information paradox. It would also offer researchers a way to solve some very tough quantum problems using relatively simple gravitational equations. But before we can be sure that we're living in the Matrix, there's still a lot of work to be done.

''We did this calculation using 3D gravitational theory and 2D quantum field theory, but the universe actually has three spatial dimensions plus time,'' Grumiller said. ''A next step is to generalize these considerations to include one higher dimension. There are also many other quantities that should correspond between gravitational theory and quantum field theory, and examining these correspondences is ongoing work.''

Beyond the theoretical considerations, there's the entirely different matter of pulling back the illusion and experimentally observing the holographic nature of reality. As it happens, physicists at the Department of Energy's Fermilab are now trying to do just that.

As Motherboard reported last year, Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics Director Craig Hogan recently hypothesized that our macroscopic world is like a ''four-dimensional video display'' created from pixel-like bits of subatomic information 10 trillion trillion times smaller than atoms. To our macroscopic eyes, everything around us appears three-dimensional. But just as moving your face toward the TV screen will cause pixels to come into focus, if we stare deeply enough into matter on a subatomic level, the bitmap of our holographic universe might reveal itself.

So. If this depiction of space is correct, then like any computer, there is an inherent limit to the universe's data storage and processing capacity. What's more, that limit should bear telltale signatures'--so-called ''holographic noise'''--that we can measure.

As Hogan explained to Motherboard's Jason Koebler, if we are indeed living in a hologram, "the basic effect is that reality has a limited amount of information, like a Netflix movie when Comcast is not giving you enough bandwidth. So things are a little blurry and jittery. Nothing ever just stands still, but is always moving a tiny bit."

Reality's bandwidth fuzz, if you will, is exactly what Hogan's lab is now trying to measure, using an instrument called the Holometer, which is basically a really big and powerful laser pointer.

''We are specifically trying to determine if there is a limit to the precision with which we can measure the relative positions of large objects,'' postdoctoral researcher Robert Lanza told me in an email. ''This would represent a fundamental limit in the actual information that the universe stores.''

Top-down view of the Holometer, the instrument that will determine if we're living in a giant hologram. Image:Fermilab

The actual experiment that will decipher this involves measuring the relative positions of large mirrors separated by 40 meters, using two Michelson laser interferometers with a precision 1 billion times smaller than an atom. If, as according to the holographic noise hypothesis, information about the positions of the two mirrors is finite, then the researchers should ultimately hit a limit in their ability to resolve their respective positions.

''What happens then?'' Lanza said. ''We expect to simply measure noise, as if the positions of the optics were dancing around, not able to be pinned down with more precision. So in the end, the experimental signature we are looking for is an irreducible noise floor due to the universe not actually storing more information about the positions of the mirrors.''

The team is currently collecting and analyzing data, and expects to have their first results by the end of the year. Lanza told me they are encouraged by the fact that their instruments have achieved by far the best sensitivity ever to gravitational waves at high frequencies.

''The physics of gravitational waves is unrelated to holographic noise, however, the gravity wave results demonstrate that our instrument is operating at top notch science quality, and we are now poised to experimentally dig into the science of holographic noise,'' Lanza said.

So, it seems that for now, we'll have to wait for the physicists doing the hard math and shooting the lasers to tell us whether our lives are just a very sophisticated illusion. In the meanwhile, the big question on my mind is, how the heck will such a revelation affect us?

''This knowledge won't impact our everyday lives, in the same way that knowing about the Big Bang or other galaxies does not change our everyday lives,'' Grumiller said.

''But in the same way that knowing that the universe started with a Big Bang has profoundly changed our view of the universe, knowing that the universe is like a big hologram is a profound insight.''

Lanza agrees. ''It would force us to fundamentally alter our perception of reality, in a way that many of us, myself included, would have a hard time wrapping our heads around," he said.

Indeed, it sort of untethers the definition of ''simulation'' entirely. If we are living in a giant hologram, can we really say that all the sim worlds and MMOs we've built aren't as real as our universe's planets, star clusters and galaxies, all of which boil down to quantum dots on a cosmic bitmap?

Perhaps the only thing we can say with any certainty is this: If our universe is a simulation, it's probably as close to a perfect one as we can ever hope to achieve. In that sense, living in the Matrix doesn't sound so bad, after all.

Perfect Worlds is a series on Motherboard about simulations, imitations, and models. Follow along here.

Worried about killer robots? Maybe you should be. Watch Motherboard's documentary Inhuman Kind.

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Sun, 03 May 2015 14:16

David Germain, chief of Morse code training on Fort Huachuca, Ariz., explains the history of the course and the transfer of the training to Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas.

Morse code training equipment from various eras of instruction are displayed on Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

Air Force Airmen Bryce Hatler and Seth Jones practice their Morse code skills. Both Airmen are enrolled in the last Morse code training class on Fort Huachuca, Ariz., which began April 24, 2015.

FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. (April 27, 2015) -- It is the end of an era on Fort Huachuca. The last manual Morse code class began here, April 27. In the future, the course will be taught by the Air Force on Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas.

National Morse Code Day is celebrated on what would have been its founder's 224th birthday. Samuel F. B. Morse dispatched the first telegraph message in Morse code, May 24, 1844. The message, "What Hath God Wrought?" was dispatched from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to Alfred Vail at a railroad station in Baltimore.

The military first used Morse code during the Crimean War. Both the Union and Confederate armies heavily relied on Morse code during the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln utilized it to receive military intelligence, as well as command and control his generals in the field.

Even in the increasingly high-tech world, there is still a need for this old-school mode of communication, said David Germain, chief of Morse code training and sole remaining civilian Morse code instructor at the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion.

"We train [for] Morse code because the adversary still uses Morse code," said Germain, who, along with another course instructor, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joshua Henrichs, are training two airmen to serve as Morse code instructors in Texas.

Air Force Tech Sgt. Ryan Kilcrease agrees there is a continued need for Morse code training. "It remains the cheapest and most reliable means of communication."

Senior Airman James Gosnell, also training to become a new instructor, learned Morse code on Fort Huachuca and upon completion of his training was assigned to Osan Air Force Base, South Korea, for two years. He said the assignment was challenging. "It took me nearly two months to get up to speed learning to keep up with some of the fastest transmitters in the world," he said.

In a memo signed April 5, 1985, the Army became the executive agency for conducting the Morse code course on Fort Devens, Massachusetts. A few years later, Fort Devens consolidated Morse code training into a joint learning environment by providing training to Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.

In 1993, the Morse code course moved to Fort Huachuca, where it continued to be trained in a joint environment. The Army celebrated 30 years of being the executive agency to conduct Morse code training, April 5.

Throughout the years, the Navy and Marines reversed the training pipeline and started to send their students to Pensacola, Florida, and then to Fort Huachuca to attend Morse code training. In 2006, the Air Force followed suit.

In late 2004, early 2005, the Department of Defense sent out a message stating there was no longer a need or requirement for operators trained in only Morse code. Based on that message, the Navy no longer sent their students to Fort Huachuca to be trained - deciding instead to conduct its training in Pensacola. By 2007, the Marines also stopped attending Morse code training on Fort Huachuca.

That same year, the training consolidated two separate courses - the basic Morse code training course and the advanced Morse code training course from 22 weeks to 16 weeks. The cut in training time for the Army was due to the course not being considered as a primary military occupation specialty, but as a secondary training for three Army specialties. In 1991, the course trained an average 1,600 students annually for all the military services.

The current Morse code course is self-paced and requires 81 days for completion. However, a student successfully completed it in a record 27 days.

Master Sgt. Adella Creque, superintendent, 316th Training Squadron, said the course is hard because a student has to master one segment before moving on to the next and may fail several times before advancing.

In 2012, the Army stopped enrolling students in the Morse code course since it no longer has a requirement to train Soldiers. A cooperative agreement between the Air Force and Army allowed the training to continue on Fort Huachuca until now.

"I think [Morse code] will always be out there," Germain said. "It's cheap, easy, effective and reliable to use. There will always be a need for it."

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Mon, 04 May 2015 19:36

The hipster beard revolution may still be a thing '-- but a shocking new study has warned that facial hair could be dirtier than a toilet bowl.

According to a group of microbiologists in New Mexico, the rancid bacteria that beards collect could be putting owners' health at risk.

Microbiologist John Golobic, of Quest Diagnostics, swabbed a number of beards searching for bacteria for the study and found that some of the bacteria ''are the kind of things that you find in feces.''

''I'm usually not surprised, and I was surprised by this,'' he said. ''There would be a degree of uncleanliness that would be somewhat disturbing.''

Apparently the key to a poo-free beard is to make sure you wash your hands regularly and avoid playing with and twirling the hair.

''Try to keep your hands away from your face, as much as possible,'' Golobic added.

This article originally appeared on News.com.au.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 13:08

Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world.

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Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world.

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4555234

Two days before the Baltimore police department concluded its investigation into the death of Freddie Gray, Marilyn Mosby, the Maryland state's attorney for the city, gave a fiery speech in which said she planned to ''pursue justice by any and all means necessary.''

Mosby entered the national spotlight on Friday after she announced charges against six Baltimore cops involved in Gray's April 12 arrest. Many believe that Gray, who died on April 19, was the victim of police brutality or negligence.

''[The criminal justice system] has historically and disproportionately affected so many communities of color, and what we're seeing right now when we turn on the news and we open up the newspaper is that frustration,'' Mosby told the Multicultural Prayer Movement group during a brief speech Tuesday morning.

The night before saw widespread rioting, looting and arson in Baltimore sparked by outrage over Gray's death.

Mosby, 35, did not mention Gray by name during her remarks, but the prayer group described her as speaking about ''stepping forward with the Freddie Gray Case.''

''And it's not just Baltimore City,'' Mosby continued. ''That's every urban city across America. We're seeing the frustration of this system, and recognizing that'...I couldn't listen to the naysayers.''

Seemingly hinting at what course of action she would take in a surprise announcement three days later, Mosby told the audience of local clergy: ''We will pursue justice by any and all means necessary.''

Mosby echoed that sentiment during her press conference on Friday, less than 24 hours after police concluded their investigation.

''To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for 'No justice, no peace,''' she said. ''Your peace is seriously needed as I seek to deliver justice to this young man.''

''As young people, our time is now,''she added.

Mosby slapped Caesar Goodson Jr., a black officer who drove Gray from the arrest site to central booking, with the toughest charges. He faces a second-degree depraved-heart murder charge and manslaughter charges. Three other officers face involuntary manslaughter and other charges. The two officers who helped arrest Gray face second-degree assault charges. (RELATED: Baltimore Police Release Mugshots Of Six Officers Charged In Freddie Gray Case)

Mosby's decision was denounced as a ''rush to judgement'' by the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police. And a report from the Baltimore Sun published on Saturday described police investigating Gray's death as ''stunned'' that Mosby had determined charges less than a day after being handed the case. (RELATED: Law Professor: Baltimore Officers Were Overcharged, Charges Will Likely Be Dropped)

While Mosby has captured the hearts of many because of the aggressive charges and her tough talk, she has also been accused of bias for both her political relationships and her social justice activism.

Mosby's husband is Nick Mosby, a Baltimore city councilman who represents the area where Gray was arrested. The Fraternal Order of Police expressed concern that Nick Mosby's position would put pressure on his wife to throw the book at the officers.

Mosby, who is the youngest state's attorney of any major city in the U.S., said on Friday that Gray's arrest was illegal and that he was not properly restrained in the police van. She also alleged that the officers did not provide Gray with medical attention even though he asked for it.

Other alleged conflicts of interest include the $5,000 in campaign contributions Mosby received from Billy Murphy Jr., the attorney representing Gray's family. Mosby appointed Murphy Jr. to her transition committee after being voted into office. (RELATED: Marilyn Mosby Accused Of Conflicts Of Interest)

Mosby, who ran on a tough-on-crime and police reform platform to unseat incumbent Gregg Bernstein, has been outspoken about other high-profile cases involving young black men.

She rallied in protest of the July 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman. She also criticized how St. Louis Co. prosecutor Bob McCulloch handled the grand jury process in the case of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot Michael Brown last August.

In a homecoming speech last October at her alma mater, Tuskegee University, Mosby lamented that Wilson had not been indicted for killing the 18-year-old Brown, who she said was ''a boy.''

During her remarks Tuesday, Mosby slammed commentators who had used the word ''thugs'' to describe the rioters and looters who tore up parts of the city the night before.

''Our young people, I know that they're called 'thugs,''' Mosby said, her cadence rising. ''Those are young people crying out. There's a sense of hopelessness in this city.'' (RELATED: Obama Refers To Baltimore Rioters As 'Criminals And Thugs')

While many others criticized the use of the word ''thugs'' to describe rioters '-- they claimed it had racist connotations '-- the two most high-profile officials to do so are black. Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake used the word on Monday. President Obama, to the surprise of many, used it on Tuesday.

''Our time to do it, and I've been saying this for the past two years, this is a bubbling up, a culmination of that hopelessness.''

Mosby did not respond to The Daily Caller's request for comment.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 03:25

More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.

In an interview with Bill Clinton aired on Monday's NBC Today, correspondent Cynthia McFadden pressed him on the scandal swirling around the Clinton Foundation, but she quickly moved on to gush over the "heartwarming stories"of the charity's work in Africa.

McFadden, traveling with former president in Africa, began the segment by declaring: "Bill Clinton is making no apologiesas he tours some of the African programs his foundation has raised billions to help fund." Clinton proclaimed: "I don't think there's anything sinister in trying to get wealthy people and countries that are seriously involved in development to spend their money wisely in a way that helps poor people and lifts them up."

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Thu, 07 May 2015 03:19

Former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien, now CEO of Starfish Media Group and a correspondent for Al Jazeera America, on the May 4 Reliable Sources:

''Listen, I think what the Baltimore city councilman, Carl Stokes, was trying to tell Erin Burnett is that thug is a proxy, it is a word we use instead of the N-word. And I think that's really true. I can't think of a situation where there's ever been a headline or someone has called a white young person who's in the middle of a violent protest, demonstration, whatever, a 'thug.' We use it all the time when we're talking about people in the inner city.''

>> This video clipped to illustrate the May 4 "Mainstream Media Scream" for WashingtonExaminer.com

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Thu, 07 May 2015 03:17

Video cross-posted here at NewsBusters. In the wake of an attempted mass shooting at a free speech event hosted by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) over the weekend, on Monday MSNBC's Thomas Roberts hosted Mark Potok of the far left Southern Poverty Law Center and allowed him to equate them with a ''Klan group that decides to hold a cartoon contest satirizing black people.''

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Thu, 07 May 2015 02:42

[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]

On the 5 May 2015 edition of CNN's At This Hour, John Berman wondered if American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), which organized the Muhammad cartoon conference that was attacked by two Islamists on Sunday, was only provoking more terrorist violence by planning to hold similar events in the future. Berman asked AFDI vice president Robert Spencer, "By holding more events, then, I suppose you could continue to say, are you looking for more violence to keep on making this point?"

Co-anchor Kate Bolduan also spotlighted how "the question has been posed...if the intent was to serve as bait, it worked. Is that what you guys were intending?" However, to her credit, Bolduan later underlined that she didn't want to "debate...if you have a right to be holding this event. You have the right to be holding this event. We're not going to debate here...if violence is okay in light of this event. Absolutely not! I don't even want to debate...the line between free speech and provocation."

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Thu, 07 May 2015 02:12

Read more at NewsBusters | Taking a classic blame-the-victim posture on his May 4 Hardball program, host Chris Matthews joined terrorism expert Evan Kohlmann in blaming The American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) for the would-be terror attack at the Garland, Texas, event on Sunday.

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Thu, 07 May 2015 01:38

Video cross-posted here at NewsBusters. During an interview on Wednesday's Good Morning America to discuss his newly formed presidential campaign, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee detailed to George Stephanopoulos, Bill Clinton's former communication director, how he will be able to defeat the Clinton machine.

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Wed, 06 May 2015 23:33

Feds To Enforce 1965 Highway Beautification Act, Could Deny NYC $90 Million In FundingMay 5, 2015 6:23 PM

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) '-- You can call it a bureaucratic blunder '... or a Washington blooper.

But any way you slice it a move by the federal government to make the city remove Times Square's iconic billboards falls in the category of ''whose bright idea is this?''

It is known as the ''Crossroads of the World,'' the ''Center of the Universe'' and ''the Great White Way,'' but Times Square could become like the ''Black Hole of Calcutta'' if the federal government has its way, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported Tuesday.

The feds say many of Times Square's huge and neon-lit billboards must come down or the city will lose about $90 million in federal highway money.

Obama Administration: Times Square's Iconic Billboards Must Be Removed Or Else''We're going to let outsiders who sit in a cramped room and have nothing to do with our city as far as partaking in it on an everyday basis change something that means something to the whole entire world? That makes total sense, just like everything else the federal government does,'' said Keith Watson of Flushing.

The edict comes from a 2012 law that makes Times Square an arterial route to the national highway system. And that puts it under the 1965 Highway Beautification Act, which limits signs to 1,200 square feet. It took the feds until now to realize that Times Square was included, Kramer reported.

''I love the signs. I think they're just fantastic and they're a part of New York. It would be really, really bad for New York if they were down,'' Midtown resident Fran Weisfeld said.

New York residents and tourists alike say highway beautification shouldn't apply to Times Square, where the innovative, in-your-face billboards personify New York City, itself.

City Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg agrees.

''The signs in Times Square are wonderful. They're iconic. They're not only a global tourist attraction, they're important to the economy,'' Trottenberg said.

She said she's not going to let it happen.

''We're not going to be taking down the billboards in Times Square. We're going to work with the federal government and the state and find a solution,'' Trottenberg said.

There are some who say that if the feds really wanted to beautify Times Square they might try getting rid of some of the Elmos, Kramer reported.

Among the options the city is considering is to attempt to get an exemption from the federal government, Kramer reported.

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Wed, 06 May 2015 19:41

Video cross-posted here at NewsBusters. On Tuesday night's Hannity, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke slammed the''liberal mainstream media'' for''propagating this false narrative about how law enforcement treats black males and people in the black community'' in places like Baltimore and Ferguson.

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Wed, 06 May 2015 19:09

Continue reading the main storyVideoPlay Video|0:47Co-Pilot Found to Have Rehearsed Dive

Co-Pilot Found to Have Rehearsed DiveR(C)mi Jouty, the director of the French Bureau of Investigations and Analyses, discussed the findings of the preliminary report into the crash of the Germanwings Airbus A320.

By AP on Publish Date May 6, 2015.Photo by Yves Malenfer/Agence France-Presse '-- Getty Images.PARIS '-- Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot suspected of deliberately flying a German airliner into the French Alps, appears to have rehearsed the plane's fatal dive during an earlier flight on the day of the crash, the French authorities said in a preliminary report published on Wednesday.

The initial findings by the Bureau of Investigations and Analyses, known by its French abbreviation B.E.A., show that the co-pilot repeatedly set the Germanwings plane's altitude to 100 feet during its outbound flight to Barcelona, Spain, from D¼sseldorf, Germany, on March 24.

The maneuvers, which were captured by the plane's flight data recorder, took place while the flight's captain had left the cockpit temporarily.

''To us, it is clear that this was some kind of rehearsal,'' R(C)mi Jouty, the director of the B.E.A., said in a telephone interview. ''We see the same actions being taken in the same circumstances, at a moment when the co-pilot was alone in the cockpit.''

The new information contained in the 29-page report provides further evidence suggesting that the 27-year-old co-pilot crashed the Airbus A320 intentionally after locking the captain out of the cockpit, killing himself and 149 others, on its return leg to D¼sseldorf.

Continue reading the main storyDocument: Preliminary Report on the Germanwings Flight 9525 CrashAn initial analysis of a cockpit audio recording retrieved from one of the plane's so-called black boxes just days after the crash led a French prosecutor to declare that Mr. Lubitz had acted deliberately.

Investigations by the German police later revealed that Mr. Lubitz had a history of severe depression dating from at least 2009, and that he had scoured the Internet for methods of committing suicide in the days before his final flight.

The French report indicates that Mr. Lubitz's trial run was so fleeting that it went undetected by air traffic controllers, who had already given instructions for a moderate descent to 35,000 feet from 37,000 feet. The flight's captain, Patrick Sondenheimer, also apparently did not notice the maneuvers, which occurred about 20 minutes into the flight and while the captain was out of the cockpit for roughly five minutes.

The report says that the co-pilot selected a target altitude of 100 feet ''several times'' for durations ranging from a few seconds to up to three minutes during the captain's absence.

French investigators did not try to explain Mr. Lubitz's actions, but they were unambiguous about his role in the crash.

''We cannot presume what was going on in his mind,'' Mr. Jouty said. ''But based on all the information that we have gathered so far, we can affirm, categorically, that this crash was the result of an intentional act, a series of steps that, taken together, all point in the same direction.''

The report notes similarities between his control inputs on the two flights and, in its analysis of the second, ill-fated flight, supports the French prosecutor's initial conclusions. The co-pilot ''intentionally modified the autopilot instructions to order the airplane to descend until it collided with the terrain,'' according to the report.

''He did not open the cockpit door during the descent, despite requests for access made via the keypad, the cabin interphone and knocks on the door,'' it said.

In the wake of the crash, Germany established a task force of aviation, medical and government experts to study the circumstances that led to the fatal descent and how it might have been averted.

Continue reading the main storyMapMaps and timeline of what is known about the crash.

Last month, two working groups met to discuss possible changes to cockpit door security systems and to review the standards for monitoring pilots' mental health. The group expects to publish its initial findings before the summer.

The European Commission in Brussels is also expected in the coming days to announce the formation of a high-level working group that will propose rules intended to prevent similar disasters. Although Mr. Lubitz is the highest-profile example of pilot suicide, his was not an isolated case. Over the past two decades, a series of fatal airline crashes have been attributed to deliberate actions by the pilot.

The B.E.A. investigation is limited solely to determining the facts of the case and to making recommendations to safety regulators with the intent to reduce the risk of a similar episode. Unlike the separate criminal inquiry being conducted by French prosecutors, it will not seek to apportion legal responsibility for the crash.

France is one of a handful of countries that routinely seek criminal indictments in air accidents, regardless of whether there is clear evidence of criminal intent or negligence. Such indictments typically target the airline, legal experts said, but they can include individuals.

Any criminal case against Germanwings and its parent company, Lufthansa, will hinge on whether prosecutors can prove that the airline was negligent in its oversight of Mr. Lubitz.

Evidence uncovered by German prosecutors after the crash indicates that Mr. Lubitz had sought treatment for psychological issues in the months before the flight, but that he had hidden his illness from his employer.

Lufthansa has admitted that Mr. Lubitz informed the company of a previous episode of severe depression, which had led him to interrupt his pilot training for several months in 2009. Mr. Lubitz was reinstated after an evaluation by a flight doctor found him fit to return to the cockpit. But the airline does not appear to have imposed any special monitoring of him beyond the minimum required for any pilot who had a flagged health issue.

The French report says that Mr. Lubitz started his basic training at the Bremen campus of Lufthansa's prestigious flight school in September 2008, but suspended it just two months later for ''medical reasons.''

He did not resume his training until late August 2009.

PhotoAndreas LubitzCredit Foto Team Mueller, via Agence France-Presse '-- Getty ImagesDuring his absence, Lufthansa's flight doctors twice refused to certify Mr. Lubitz as fit to fly, citing his depression and the medicine that had been prescribed to treat it.

According to the French report, a Lufthansa doctor informed Germany's Federal Aviation Office, which licenses pilots, that Mr. Lubitz had been denied medical clearance on July 14, 2009.

But two weeks later, he received a valid ''Class 1'' medical certificate that noted that he had a medical condition, although it did not specify whether it was related to a psychological issue. The flag instructed flight doctors to contact the aviation office before evaluating Mr. Lubitz for his required annual physical.

Barbara Sch¤dler, a Lufthansa spokeswoman, declined to comment on the French report. A spokeswoman for the German regulator did not immediately respond to telephone calls or emails requesting comment.

Because of Germany's strict privacy laws, the details of Mr. Lubitz's condition and of his treatment were never shared with Lufthansa managers. Flight doctors who examined him after his reinstatement reported no signs that his depression had returned '-- something that would have set off an alert to the airline and to German regulators.

But documents made public last week showed that Mr. Lubitz's depression did catch the attention of American regulators. The Federal Aviation Administration raised questions about his fitness to fly in 2010, when he sought a student pilot's license to continue his training at a Lufthansa-owned flight school in Arizona.

According to the documents, the F.A.A. ultimately granted Mr. Lubitz a license after a doctor in Germany certified that he had recovered fully and was no longer taking antidepressants.

The French report indicates that Mr. Lubitz was in Arizona for four months, from November 2010 until March 2011, before returning to Germany. He continued his flight training while also working under contract as a Lufthansa flight attendant for another two years, significantly longer than the 11 months that the airline had previously disclosed, before being hired by Germanwings.

He did not become a fully licensed commercial pilot until February 2014, barely more than a year before he crashed the plane into a mountainside.

Given the worldwide attention the crash has received, French prosecutors are widely expected to move ahead with a criminal indictment, despite some diplomatic pressure to transfer the case to a German court. Brice Robin, the prosecutor in Marseille who is in charge of the investigation, is expected to reach a formal decision about whether to proceed before the summer.

''I cannot imagine that the prosecutor would close this case,'' said St(C)phane Gicquel, secretary general of Fenvac, a French association that represents the families of accident and disaster victims. ''It is too high-profile.''

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Wed, 06 May 2015 17:19

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During a discussion on the blurry line between free speech and hate speech in the wake of the Garland, Texas shooting of Muhammad Art contest, Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski said that even in America ''there are certain things you can't say,'' and proved it by not saying them.

''There are certain things you're not allowed to do even though it's free speech,'' Brzezinski said. ''There are certain words you can't say, there are certain things you can't do, that you would be kicked out of society if not more would happen to you. And so where is the line?''

Bloomberg Politics editor John Heilemann took exception to that. ''There are things you're not supposed to say ''''

''No, there are things you can't say, Heilemann,'' Brzezinski insisted.

''There really aren't,'' Heilemann said.

''Yeah, there are, and I can't say them,'' Brzezinski said. ''I'll perhaps share it with you in the break. They will get you into very big trouble.''

''They will get in you in trouble,'' Heilemann said. ''But we had a case in Skokie, Illinois where Nazis marched through Skokie and Supreme Court said that's protected speech, you're allowed to do that. Can people you at you, yes; can people be upset with you, yes; can you be castigated, can you be spurned, yes. But we allow that to happen. It's the glory of the freedom of speech, which is that people can do the most offensive things and not be thrown in jail.''

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Tue, 05 May 2015 07:57

May 2, 2013, 4:47 PM8,493SurveyMonkey CEO Dave Goldberg told us about how he manages work life balance, and what it's like being married to Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's COO.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 05:53

With the school year winding down around the United States, John Oliver dedicated a segment of Sunday's Last Week Tonight to exposing the insanity of standardized tests, "the fastest way to terrify any child with five letters outside of just whispering the word 'clown.'"

Sidebar20 Things You Learn Hanging Out With John Oliver >>The host opens the segment by highlighting schools' absurd methods of pumping up students for the exams '' from test-hyping parody songs to pep rallies (like one in Texas that featured the Funky Monkey mascot). But nobody's laughing about standardized tests, which often put unfair pressure on teachers and students.

The anxiety is so real that "official instructions for test administrators specify what to do if a student vomits on his or her test booklet," Oliver says. "And something is wrong with our system when we just assume a certain number of kids will vomit. Tests are supposed to be assessments of skills, not a rap battle on 8 Mile road. Eminem, why did your mom make you spaghetti? She knew tonight was rap battle night."

The standardized test explosion dates back to the Nineties and early 2000s. On his third day in office, George W. Bush announced his No Child Left Behind program, which "increased the number of federally mandated tests from six to 17." President Obama campaigned that he would de-emphasize the heavy testing '' but he's pushed his own initiatives like Race to the Top, which emphasizes the Common Core state standards. These concepts are sound in principle but difficult to implement, leading to many states using "value-added analysis," which ties teacher pay to student test scores.

The system is flawed in every aspect. Many of the tests are impossibly challenging, fail to reflect ability in a practical sense, include error-laden questions and are graded with shady scoring tactics. "At this point, you have to ask yourself: If standardized tests are bad for teachers and bad for kids, who exactly are they good for?" Oliver says. The tests are operated by companies like Pearson Education, which had 40 percent of the testing market cornered as of 2012. "The only test they have no hand in is the HPV test you might take in college," the host jokes.

The U.S. has seen over a decade of standardized testing, but studies prove the achievement gap hasn't been narrowed. Don't worry, though '' Oliver has the cure. "If all this pressure is making you feel nauseous, like you might vomit at any second, then don't worry," he says, bringing in everyone's favorite standardized test mascot. "I've got four words for you that will make you feel better: Here comes the monkey!"

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Tue, 05 May 2015 00:31

Treadmills are the single most popular piece of exercise equipment. More than 50 million Americans use them, up nearly 40 percent in the last ten years.

But "Early Show" consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen cautions that you can run into some pretty serious risks on treadmills.

According to federal statistics, they're the single most dangerous piece of exercise equipment.

Julie Osborne knows.

She never imagined that her daily workout could be hazardous to her health.

"I've never experienced any kind of pain like that before," she told CBS News.

Julie was running on her home treadmill when she hopped off to grab her water. The belt was still rolling when she tried to get back on.

"I lost my balance, put my hand down to try and stabilize myself, and my three fingers got stuck between the frame and the running track," she recalls.

The belt rolled over her hand and sheared off skin.

"When my hand came out, I could actually see exposed bone," she says.

Eight-year-old Annabelle Ford was on her family's treadmill when she was seriously injured...

Her mother, Cindi Ford, told CBS News, "Her hand was caught under the mat, and as it kept going around, it kept scraping off skin and burning her fingers."

Annabelle suffered severe burns and a broken middle finger.

CBS News found plenty of videos on YouTube of people falling on treadmills. They crash into walls. They hit their heads - hard.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says treadmills sent an estimated 19,000 people to the emergency room in 2009, including almost 6,000 children. Among the injuries: broken bones, amputated fingers, and concussions. In 2009, former boxer Mike Tyson's four-year-old daughter died after being strangled by a cord on a treadmill in his home.

"A moving belt is like falling off a bicycle at 10 miles an hour," points out fitness and treadmill expert Ed Trainor. "A treadmill requires focus and responsibility."

"So we think it's so easy to be on a treadmill," Koeppen said, "but just talking to you, I've noticed I stepped off the belt a couple times."

"It's the distractions that occur while you're on the treadmill that cause most injuries," Trainor noted.

Osborne still suffers from pain in her right hand. Annabelle is healing, and her mom says they've learned a lesson.

"It's important to know," Cindi Ford stresses, "that these things can cause some serious damage."

The Sporting Goods Manufacturers' Association told CBS News treadmills are safe, but they "deserve 100 percent attention, focus, and concentration" when they're being used."

(C) 2011 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Tue, 05 May 2015 00:19

Here's what jihadists sought to destroy out last night. Truth and freedom.

Much thanks to Mark Campbell and United West for footage

Stay on top of what's really happening. Follow me on Twitter here. Like me on Facebook here.

DisclamerComments at Atlas Shrugs are unmoderated. Posts using foul language, as well as abusive, hateful, libelous and genocidal posts, will be deleted if seen. However, if a comment remains on the site, it in no way constitutes an endorsement by Pamela Geller of the sentiments contained therein.

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Mon, 04 May 2015 21:02

When you stop to think about the divisions in this nation, you realize that the issue of color is one of the most heated and most divisive. There's people protesting in Baltimore, the town known internationally by just its first name of ''Ferguson'', and more and more dissension popping up every day.

But down in Florida, there is a Sheriff who has something he wants to say. Sheriff David Morgan oversees the county of Escambia, Florida, where his words ring strong and true in a culture that is suffering from so much division.

Morgan says that its not OK to use the term ''African American'' because we're all just Americans and those sorts of terms are divisive in nature. He says on record that this is ''not a racist nation.''

''We must work the right end of the problem. The right end of the problem, I will tell you as a law enforcement officer, is not to build larger jails; it's not to hire more law enforcement officers; it's to get into our families, our school systems, and yes, our churches and start to bring back the training of character and integrity into our communities. Because we have raised an asocial generation.''

Bravo Sheriff Morgan. You are a great patriot and we thank you for speaking out and working to bring more unity, peace, and safety to our country!

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Mon, 04 May 2015 19:34

In an interview with NBC News, former president Bill Clinton defended taking millions in foreign cash for his foundation.

He argued that the Clinton Foundation has ''never done anything knowingly inappropriate'' with the foreign money.

''There is no doubt in my mind that we have never done anything knowingly inappropriate in terms of taking money to influence any kind of American government policy,'' he said. ''That just hasn't happened.''

Mr. Clinton noted that, if his wife Hillary is elected President in 2016, he would consider stepping down as head of the charity.

''If it's the right thing to do, I will," he said. "I might if I were asked to do something in the public interest that I had an obligation to do. Or I might take less of an executive role.''

''But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it,'' Clinton added.

One thing he won't stop doing if Mrs. Clinton is elected is giving speeches. He justified charging $500,000 for his speeches as a necessity to pay the bills.

''I gotta pay our bills,'' Clinton said. ''And I also give a lot of it to the foundation every year.''

He insisted that the high price point is reasonable because he spends hours researching and practicing:

''I work hard on this. I spend a couple of hours a day just doing the research,'' Clinton said. ''People like to hear me speak.''

''We do our best to vet them,'' Clinton said of the groups that pay for his talks. ''And I have turned down a lot of them. If I think there's something wrong with it, I don't take it.''

Similarly, he said that he has, on occasion, turned down money offered to their charity:

''Since I turned it down, I don't need to talk about it,'' Clinton said. ''We've got over 300,000 donors and 90 percent of them have given $100 or less.''

On the controversy surrounding his wife and their foundation's undisclosed donations from foreign governments, Bill Clinton said he trusts that the American people will "figure it out" that critics are simply practicing ''politics'' and ''selective nondisclosure.''

''People should draw their own conclusions. I'm not in politics,'' the former president said.

''All I'm saying is the idea that there's one set of rules for us and another set for everybody else is true.''

''The people who have attacked the foundation have practiced selective nondisclosure,'' Clinton argued.

''I really trust the American people to figure it out. I always have. And so far, I haven't been disappointed.''

Unapologetic for their wealth, their charity taking in foreign donations, and their charging half a million in fees per speech, Clinton defended his and his wife's work as impactful and life-saving:

''The lives we save and the impact we've had, I'm proud of it,'' Bill Clinton said.

To watch the interview, check out the video below.

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Mon, 04 May 2015 13:49

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Mon, 04 May 2015 00:19

What's This?

By Adario Strange2015-05-04 00:00:29 UTC

Following the brief display of an Edward Snowden statue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn last month, a new Snowden statue has popped up in Berlin.

But this time, Snowden's statue is accompanied by statues of WikiLeaks' Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning.

Created by Italian sculptor Davide Dormino, the life-size, bronze statues were unveiled on Friday in the Alexanderplatz public square in Berlin, Germany.

The statues are part of an art project Dormino calls "Anything To Say." Each figure is standing on a chair, while a fourth chair sits empty, which the artist says "is for you [the public]." On the website for the project, a message states:

"Thanks to Assange, Snowden and Manning, you know the limits of freedom. You know you are spied on every hour of every day. You know how governments kill and torture alleged enemies'... We will honour their courage by erecting a monument'..."

However, the mobile display is not permanent. The statues will begin touring other areas soon, with the next stop being Dresden, Germany.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Topics: art, Berlin, Chelsea Manning, Chelsea Manning, edward snowden, germany, julian assange, Politics, privacy, World, WikiLeaks

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Sun, 03 May 2015 22:32

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Thu, 07 May 2015 03:47

May 6, 2015Elton John and Rick Warren were among the four witnesses at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on State Department global health programs.

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*The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.

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