Can they call foul on fa$ci$t tyranny?
"The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association plans to cover the costs of the program — estimated at $280,000 to $320,000 for the first year — by charging officials $35 to $40 per screening. The association plans to hire a Utah-based company, Peopletrail, to conduct the checks, which will include reviews of federal, state, and county criminal records, as well as sex offender registries, and databases dedicated to tracking terrorism and drug trafficking suspects."
Well, I need to go take a drive to get to tonight's girl's tournament basketball game so that looks like it for today. I've now got some hot-button derogatory terms that may get to the the ref if he calls a lousy game.
UPDATE:
It was a wonderful basketball game I saw tonight, and I had intended to come back and blog some more; however, Gandhi is on at 10:15 so I will be calling it a night.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Good Garsh!
How quickly they forget:
"Judge in Hernandez trial described as tough but fair" by Maria Cramer, Globe Staff February 25, 2015
Judge E. Susan Garsh, 67, who was born in Fall River, is the daughter of a Russian-American mother and a German father who fled the Nazis. She was elevated to the bench after a career that included a one-year stint as a journalist in apartheid-era South Africa and time as a partner in a white-shoe Boston firm.
A former media lawyer, she has frustrated reporters in the courtroom by holding sidebar conversations with lawyers without explanation.
Recently, she abruptly suspended testimony for more than a day because of scheduling issues, further delaying a trial that has already been postponed because of snow. Garsh did not elaborate on the issues. She declined to comment for this story through a trial court spokeswoman. Judges rarely comment to the media on ongoing cases.
The no-crying command to the homicide victim’s mother came earlier this month. When Ursula Ward, the mother of Odin L. Lloyd, took the stand to identify a picture of her son’s body, Garsh coolly told her to “retain control of your emotions and not to cry.”
Tina Chery, president of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, which is named after her son who was killed in gang crossfire, was among those who signed the letter to the Globe. Chery said the incident highlighted the need to train judges to be more sensitive to victims’ families.
“Imagine if a judge, if this judge, made that statement to the survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing. What do you think would happen?” she said. “People forget that the justice process is very overwhelming and confusing. . . . That family is already devastated by the murder and can barely function during the trial.”
Garsh gave the instruction after Ward wept at the sight of a photo, produced by prosecutors, showing her dead son’s body on a medical slab.
Lawyers who know Garsh’s courtroom demeanor say she was trying to prevent undue emotion from swaying the jury.
“To a layperson, it looks like it’s cold,” said Stephen J. Weymouth, a Boston criminal defense lawyer who has argued cases before Garsh. “Obviously, when someone looks at a picture of a child, they’re going to be upset. But this isn’t a place for emotion.”
More broadly, Garsh’s tight control over the courtroom and flow of information reflects a desire to keep a sensational case from descending into chaos, said Kevin Reddington, a Brockton lawyer who has defended clients accused of murder in front of Garsh.
“These things can very easily erupt and get out of control and turn into a circus,” he said.
But....
--more--"
Related:
"Also Tuesday, jurors heard from Brian McDonough, an athletic trainer with whom Hernandez had arranged to meet on June 17, 2013, to begin a workout regimen before the start of Patriots training camp. Lloyd was killed about eight hours before the scheduled session. Hernandez did not show up for the session, McDonough said, but later apologized via text message and rescheduled for the following day. “I’m already behind, so we gotta get after it!” Hernandez texted to McDonough on the night of June 17, according to a transcript of the messages shown on courtroom monitors. “See u tomorrow and honestly didn’t mean to leave u hang in.” But the following day, Hernandez canceled again, hours before police searched his home for the first time. “Ill jus call u when I’m back around which should be soon but ill b in touch!” Hernandez texted, later adding, “I truly am sorry for hassle but something serious came up.” McDonough, who works regularly with professional athletes, testified that he never heard from Hernandez again. Hernandez was arrested several days later. During cross-examination by Fee, McDonough said he believed Alex Guerrero, a trainer and business partner of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, had referred Hernandez to him. McDonough also said that Hernandez sent polite texts when he canceled their workout session. “He’s a gentleman,” McDonough said. Also Tuesday, another witness, Jessica Robidoux, a civilian State Police analyst, testified."
Also see:
Snow delays in Hernandez case pose risk, allow prep
Aaron Hernandez fiancee gets immunity
Aaron Hernandez trial loses another juror
Let the trial begin!
Detective describes initial visit to Aaron Hernandez’s home
Video shows Aaron Hernandez dismantling cell phone
Hernandez sad to lose sponsors, jury is told
Clothing, drugs, evidence presented at Aaron Hernandez trial
Video evidence focus of Aaron Hernandez trial
Cleaners saw guns in Hernandez home
Ballistics expert testifies on casings in Aaron Hernandez trial
Video shows carefree Aaron Hernandez night before Lloyd murder
I have a simple motto when it comes to jury service and verdicts: if the government is shit, you must acquit.
NDU: Jurors shown texts from Aaron Hernandez before Odin Lloyd’s death
"Judge in Hernandez trial described as tough but fair" by Maria Cramer, Globe Staff February 25, 2015
Judge E. Susan Garsh, 67, who was born in Fall River, is the daughter of a Russian-American mother and a German father who fled the Nazis. She was elevated to the bench after a career that included a one-year stint as a journalist in apartheid-era South Africa and time as a partner in a white-shoe Boston firm.
A former media lawyer, she has frustrated reporters in the courtroom by holding sidebar conversations with lawyers without explanation.
Recently, she abruptly suspended testimony for more than a day because of scheduling issues, further delaying a trial that has already been postponed because of snow. Garsh did not elaborate on the issues. She declined to comment for this story through a trial court spokeswoman. Judges rarely comment to the media on ongoing cases.
The no-crying command to the homicide victim’s mother came earlier this month. When Ursula Ward, the mother of Odin L. Lloyd, took the stand to identify a picture of her son’s body, Garsh coolly told her to “retain control of your emotions and not to cry.”
Tina Chery, president of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, which is named after her son who was killed in gang crossfire, was among those who signed the letter to the Globe. Chery said the incident highlighted the need to train judges to be more sensitive to victims’ families.
“Imagine if a judge, if this judge, made that statement to the survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing. What do you think would happen?” she said. “People forget that the justice process is very overwhelming and confusing. . . . That family is already devastated by the murder and can barely function during the trial.”
Garsh gave the instruction after Ward wept at the sight of a photo, produced by prosecutors, showing her dead son’s body on a medical slab.
Lawyers who know Garsh’s courtroom demeanor say she was trying to prevent undue emotion from swaying the jury.
“To a layperson, it looks like it’s cold,” said Stephen J. Weymouth, a Boston criminal defense lawyer who has argued cases before Garsh. “Obviously, when someone looks at a picture of a child, they’re going to be upset. But this isn’t a place for emotion.”
More broadly, Garsh’s tight control over the courtroom and flow of information reflects a desire to keep a sensational case from descending into chaos, said Kevin Reddington, a Brockton lawyer who has defended clients accused of murder in front of Garsh.
“These things can very easily erupt and get out of control and turn into a circus,” he said.
But....
--more--"
Related:
"Also Tuesday, jurors heard from Brian McDonough, an athletic trainer with whom Hernandez had arranged to meet on June 17, 2013, to begin a workout regimen before the start of Patriots training camp. Lloyd was killed about eight hours before the scheduled session. Hernandez did not show up for the session, McDonough said, but later apologized via text message and rescheduled for the following day. “I’m already behind, so we gotta get after it!” Hernandez texted to McDonough on the night of June 17, according to a transcript of the messages shown on courtroom monitors. “See u tomorrow and honestly didn’t mean to leave u hang in.” But the following day, Hernandez canceled again, hours before police searched his home for the first time. “Ill jus call u when I’m back around which should be soon but ill b in touch!” Hernandez texted, later adding, “I truly am sorry for hassle but something serious came up.” McDonough, who works regularly with professional athletes, testified that he never heard from Hernandez again. Hernandez was arrested several days later. During cross-examination by Fee, McDonough said he believed Alex Guerrero, a trainer and business partner of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, had referred Hernandez to him. McDonough also said that Hernandez sent polite texts when he canceled their workout session. “He’s a gentleman,” McDonough said. Also Tuesday, another witness, Jessica Robidoux, a civilian State Police analyst, testified."
Also see:
Snow delays in Hernandez case pose risk, allow prep
Aaron Hernandez fiancee gets immunity
Aaron Hernandez trial loses another juror
Let the trial begin!
Detective describes initial visit to Aaron Hernandez’s home
Video shows Aaron Hernandez dismantling cell phone
Hernandez sad to lose sponsors, jury is told
Clothing, drugs, evidence presented at Aaron Hernandez trial
Video evidence focus of Aaron Hernandez trial
Cleaners saw guns in Hernandez home
Ballistics expert testifies on casings in Aaron Hernandez trial
Video shows carefree Aaron Hernandez night before Lloyd murder
I have a simple motto when it comes to jury service and verdicts: if the government is shit, you must acquit.
NDU: Jurors shown texts from Aaron Hernandez before Odin Lloyd’s death
Dumb Dobelle
What's stupid is wasting time on this $hitter:
"Lawyers seek to drop Evan Dobelle" by Andrea Estes, Globe Staff February 25, 2015
Lawyers for former Westfield State University president Evan S. Dobelle, embroiled in federal and state lawsuits, are looking to drop him as a client over “fundamental disagreements” and his failure to pay their bills.
The Hartford firm, Shipman & Goodwin, has been representing Dobelle since his lawsuit against state education officials was filed in October 2013, shortly before Dobelle resigned amid allegations of extravagant spending. But “despite numerous notices of his substantial arrears . . . most of the fees and expenses remain unpaid,” Ross Garber wrote in a motion asking federal magistrate judge Katherine Robertson to let him and two other lawyers from his firm withdraw from the case.
“Although counsel and plaintiff have made numerous efforts to resolve these fundamental disagreements, all attempts at resolution have proven fruitless and effective communication has irretrievably broken down,” Garber wrote.
Dobelle “does not consent” to Garber’s motion, the lawyer informed the judge. Also seeking to drop Dobelle is Darrell Mook, a Boston lawyer who has served as his local counsel, advising his out-of-state lawyers on Massachusetts law.
Dobelle filed suit against Westfield State’s trustees, accountants, and lawyers, as well as state higher education commissioner Richard Freeland, after a series of Globe articles detailed his lavish spending. He claimed they violated his civil and contractual rights by forcing him to retire.
In the suit, Dobelle said he was a casualty of Freeland and the trustees’ “guerilla war” for control of the school, he said.
A self-described visionary, Dobelle, 69, argued that his “long-celebrated career” was “swiftly, unjustly and perhaps irreparably damaged.”
But for months, Dobelle has refused to be deposed by lawyers for the defendants. Each time a meeting has been scheduled, Dobelle has canceled, saying he was out of state and unavailable, lawyers for the attorney general wrote in court papers filed last week.
Robertson ordered Dobelle to be deposed either this week or next. If the judge grants Garber’s request to withdraw from the case, Dobelle will have to hire new lawyers, or represent himself.
In an e-mailed statement, Dobelle didn’t comment on his lawyers’ move to drop him as a client, but said the school is obligated to pay his legal fees. “This has been shockingly blocked by the trustees, and continues as a subject of legal action in state court,” he wrote.
He downplayed the suggestion that he has delayed the litigation, saying a deposition date has been scheduled and that since his retirement he has been busy consulting and traveling.
Dobelle, who served as Westfield’s president for six years, is the defendant in a separate lawsuit filed last August by then-attorney general Martha Coakley. Mook alone has represented Dobelle in this case, and has not yet filed a motion to withdraw, the attorney general’s office said.
In the suit, Coakley alleged that Dobelle misspent nearly $100,000 in university resources on personal expenses, including family trips to Cuba, expensive meals, and frequent visits to an exclusive men’s retreat near San Francisco. He then filed false reports, she said, to cover up the spending.
If the attorney general’s office wins the case, Dobelle could be required to repay triple the $98,000 he allegedly misspent.
The lawsuit came after state Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha in July issued a scathing report accusing Dobelle of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in school funds on personal expenses as well as wasteful and lavish public expenses.
Related:
"Former Westfield State University president Evan S. Dobelle improperly used hundreds of thousands of dollars from school accounts to pay for such things as frequent personal trips, electronic equipment for personal use, and a portrait of himself, then covered his tracks by filing false reports, according to a scathing new report by the state inspector general."
Related: Former Westfield State president seeking $1.6m in damages
Un-flipping-real!
Dobelle is Done
Dobelle, who earned more than $240,000 a year, apparently tapped the school’s resources when he began running into his own credit card problems, Cunha found. By the end of his first year at the school in 2008, he had five personal credit cards that were almost at their limits, with an outstanding balance of more than $47,000.
What is it with money junkie $cum anyway?
The attorney general’s office, in its own investigation, found that Dobelle put hundreds of personal purchases on university-related credit cards, often charging thousands of dollars to the school in a single month.
While Dobelle eventually repaid many of the expenses, the payments were often made months or even years late and were made with backdated checks to make the repayments appear timely.
The lawsuit alleged that Dobelle attempted to disguise personal expenditures by filing false statements. On these reports, he claimed to be attending conferences, raising money, or doing other university business when he was primarily on personal business.
In one case, Dobelle took his wife and friends on a trip to Cuba, charging the university $3,640. He also charged the school for multiple personal trips to California to attend events at the Bohemian Grove, a private men’s club in Monte Rio, of which he was a member, the suit said.
So he's a member of that sexist group of Satanists, 'eh?
Westfield State has been hit with its own legal bills — so far totaling $1.36 million — related to investigations of Dobelle’s conduct, according to spokeswoman Molly Watson.
--more--"
Also see: Evan Dobelle withdraws lawsuit against Westfield State
He finally smartened up!
"Lawyers seek to drop Evan Dobelle" by Andrea Estes, Globe Staff February 25, 2015
Lawyers for former Westfield State University president Evan S. Dobelle, embroiled in federal and state lawsuits, are looking to drop him as a client over “fundamental disagreements” and his failure to pay their bills.
The Hartford firm, Shipman & Goodwin, has been representing Dobelle since his lawsuit against state education officials was filed in October 2013, shortly before Dobelle resigned amid allegations of extravagant spending. But “despite numerous notices of his substantial arrears . . . most of the fees and expenses remain unpaid,” Ross Garber wrote in a motion asking federal magistrate judge Katherine Robertson to let him and two other lawyers from his firm withdraw from the case.
“Although counsel and plaintiff have made numerous efforts to resolve these fundamental disagreements, all attempts at resolution have proven fruitless and effective communication has irretrievably broken down,” Garber wrote.
Dobelle “does not consent” to Garber’s motion, the lawyer informed the judge. Also seeking to drop Dobelle is Darrell Mook, a Boston lawyer who has served as his local counsel, advising his out-of-state lawyers on Massachusetts law.
Dobelle filed suit against Westfield State’s trustees, accountants, and lawyers, as well as state higher education commissioner Richard Freeland, after a series of Globe articles detailed his lavish spending. He claimed they violated his civil and contractual rights by forcing him to retire.
In the suit, Dobelle said he was a casualty of Freeland and the trustees’ “guerilla war” for control of the school, he said.
A self-described visionary, Dobelle, 69, argued that his “long-celebrated career” was “swiftly, unjustly and perhaps irreparably damaged.”
But for months, Dobelle has refused to be deposed by lawyers for the defendants. Each time a meeting has been scheduled, Dobelle has canceled, saying he was out of state and unavailable, lawyers for the attorney general wrote in court papers filed last week.
Robertson ordered Dobelle to be deposed either this week or next. If the judge grants Garber’s request to withdraw from the case, Dobelle will have to hire new lawyers, or represent himself.
In an e-mailed statement, Dobelle didn’t comment on his lawyers’ move to drop him as a client, but said the school is obligated to pay his legal fees. “This has been shockingly blocked by the trustees, and continues as a subject of legal action in state court,” he wrote.
He downplayed the suggestion that he has delayed the litigation, saying a deposition date has been scheduled and that since his retirement he has been busy consulting and traveling.
Dobelle, who served as Westfield’s president for six years, is the defendant in a separate lawsuit filed last August by then-attorney general Martha Coakley. Mook alone has represented Dobelle in this case, and has not yet filed a motion to withdraw, the attorney general’s office said.
In the suit, Coakley alleged that Dobelle misspent nearly $100,000 in university resources on personal expenses, including family trips to Cuba, expensive meals, and frequent visits to an exclusive men’s retreat near San Francisco. He then filed false reports, she said, to cover up the spending.
If the attorney general’s office wins the case, Dobelle could be required to repay triple the $98,000 he allegedly misspent.
The lawsuit came after state Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha in July issued a scathing report accusing Dobelle of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in school funds on personal expenses as well as wasteful and lavish public expenses.
Related:
"Former Westfield State University president Evan S. Dobelle improperly used hundreds of thousands of dollars from school accounts to pay for such things as frequent personal trips, electronic equipment for personal use, and a portrait of himself, then covered his tracks by filing false reports, according to a scathing new report by the state inspector general."
Related: Former Westfield State president seeking $1.6m in damages
Un-flipping-real!
Dobelle is Done
Pen$ion in tow, of cour$e.
Dobelle, who earned more than $240,000 a year, apparently tapped the school’s resources when he began running into his own credit card problems, Cunha found. By the end of his first year at the school in 2008, he had five personal credit cards that were almost at their limits, with an outstanding balance of more than $47,000.
What is it with money junkie $cum anyway?
The attorney general’s office, in its own investigation, found that Dobelle put hundreds of personal purchases on university-related credit cards, often charging thousands of dollars to the school in a single month.
While Dobelle eventually repaid many of the expenses, the payments were often made months or even years late and were made with backdated checks to make the repayments appear timely.
The lawsuit alleged that Dobelle attempted to disguise personal expenditures by filing false statements. On these reports, he claimed to be attending conferences, raising money, or doing other university business when he was primarily on personal business.
In one case, Dobelle took his wife and friends on a trip to Cuba, charging the university $3,640. He also charged the school for multiple personal trips to California to attend events at the Bohemian Grove, a private men’s club in Monte Rio, of which he was a member, the suit said.
So he's a member of that sexist group of Satanists, 'eh?
Westfield State has been hit with its own legal bills — so far totaling $1.36 million — related to investigations of Dobelle’s conduct, according to spokeswoman Molly Watson.
--more--"
Also see: Evan Dobelle withdraws lawsuit against Westfield State
He finally smartened up!
FTC Bugaboo
Might want to check your watch:
"FTC files complaint over anti-insect wrist bands
NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint against a company that makes wrist bands intended to repel insects, saying there is no evidence they work.
Online listings say the Viatek Bugband10 repels mosquitoes and other pests up to five days. The FTC says the company doesn't have reliable scientific evidence supporting those claims and calls its marketing deceptive.
This coming from a government spewing global warming garbage in the midst of record-obliterating cold that frankly, I'm f***ing sick of at this point. It's almost MARCH!
Viatek did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Bugband10 could not be found on Viatek's website but the product was available online at retailers including Amazon and Wal-Mart, where a 10-pack of bands was listed at $19.99. The listing says the band is "scientifically proven" to repel mosquitoes, ticks, flies and other insects with a "vapor barrier" that extends up to five feet.
The FTC says the bands contain mint oil.
The FTC's complaint names Viatek Consumer Products Group and its president, Lou Lentine. The agency says Lentine is violating an order from 2003 that involved a device that was supposed to keep insects, mice and rats away using electromagnetic waves.
Viatek is headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It sells pest control devices, anti-barking products for dogs, personal grooming products, and home goods like mops and buckets.
--more--"
Related: Wasp species named in honor of Bruins’ Tuukka Rask
Seeing that lead my Metro bugs me.
"FTC files complaint over anti-insect wrist bands
NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint against a company that makes wrist bands intended to repel insects, saying there is no evidence they work.
Online listings say the Viatek Bugband10 repels mosquitoes and other pests up to five days. The FTC says the company doesn't have reliable scientific evidence supporting those claims and calls its marketing deceptive.
This coming from a government spewing global warming garbage in the midst of record-obliterating cold that frankly, I'm f***ing sick of at this point. It's almost MARCH!
Viatek did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Bugband10 could not be found on Viatek's website but the product was available online at retailers including Amazon and Wal-Mart, where a 10-pack of bands was listed at $19.99. The listing says the band is "scientifically proven" to repel mosquitoes, ticks, flies and other insects with a "vapor barrier" that extends up to five feet.
The FTC says the bands contain mint oil.
The FTC's complaint names Viatek Consumer Products Group and its president, Lou Lentine. The agency says Lentine is violating an order from 2003 that involved a device that was supposed to keep insects, mice and rats away using electromagnetic waves.
Viatek is headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It sells pest control devices, anti-barking products for dogs, personal grooming products, and home goods like mops and buckets.
--more--"
Related: Wasp species named in honor of Bruins’ Tuukka Rask
Seeing that lead my Metro bugs me.
Microsoft in a Bond
This blog is in a bind:
"Microsoft plans its largest bond sale ever" by Elliott Stam and Cordell Eddings, Bloomberg News February 10, 2015
NEW YORK — Microsoft Corp. is planning its biggest bond sale on record, taking advantage of investor demand for the highest-rated corporate debt.
The company will issue $10.8 billion of securities in six parts, including $2.25 billion of 40-year debt, said a person with knowledge of the transaction. Those bonds are being offered with a yield that’s 153 basis points more than for 30-year Treasuries, said the person, who asked not to be identified.
The company increased the size of its sale after earlier marketing $7 billion of debt.
Microsoft, one of only a handful of companies with top AAA ratings, is benefiting from demand for the safest debt as global growth and inflation remain stagnant. Companies with the highest credit rating have seen their borrowing costs fall to 2.36 percent, about 63 percent of the average over the past decade, according to the Bank of America Merrill Lynch AAA US Corporate Index.
“In this environment, a company like Microsoft will always get a certain level of demand that other companies won’t be able to get,” said Jody Lurie, a corporate credit analyst at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC in Philadelphia. “It’s clear investors are looking to put cash to work. Microsoft has tons of cash, but it doesn’t want to risk losing this opportunity.”
How about putting some people to work instead if sitting on cash to pay investors?
Microsoft last issued bonds in December 2013, when it sold $8 billion of securities in dollars and euros, its previous record offering.
Proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include capital expenditures, stock repurchases, acquisitions and debt repayments, according to a regulatory filing on Monday.
Looks like a $hell game to me.
In addition to the 40-year bond, the company is offering issues maturing in five, seven, 10, 20, and 30 years, the person said.
A Microsoft spokesman did not respond to a telephone call and e-mail seeking comment.
Microsoft’s second-quarter sales and profit exceeded analysts’ estimates as the world’s largest software maker benefited from growth in cloud services and a resurgent Xbox One game console. Profit excluding certain costs was 77 cents a share. Revenue rose 8 percent to $26.5 billion.
How come I'm not told how much they actually made?
--more--"
"Microsoft plans its largest bond sale ever" by Elliott Stam and Cordell Eddings, Bloomberg News February 10, 2015
NEW YORK — Microsoft Corp. is planning its biggest bond sale on record, taking advantage of investor demand for the highest-rated corporate debt.
The company will issue $10.8 billion of securities in six parts, including $2.25 billion of 40-year debt, said a person with knowledge of the transaction. Those bonds are being offered with a yield that’s 153 basis points more than for 30-year Treasuries, said the person, who asked not to be identified.
The company increased the size of its sale after earlier marketing $7 billion of debt.
Microsoft, one of only a handful of companies with top AAA ratings, is benefiting from demand for the safest debt as global growth and inflation remain stagnant. Companies with the highest credit rating have seen their borrowing costs fall to 2.36 percent, about 63 percent of the average over the past decade, according to the Bank of America Merrill Lynch AAA US Corporate Index.
“In this environment, a company like Microsoft will always get a certain level of demand that other companies won’t be able to get,” said Jody Lurie, a corporate credit analyst at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC in Philadelphia. “It’s clear investors are looking to put cash to work. Microsoft has tons of cash, but it doesn’t want to risk losing this opportunity.”
How about putting some people to work instead if sitting on cash to pay investors?
Microsoft last issued bonds in December 2013, when it sold $8 billion of securities in dollars and euros, its previous record offering.
Proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include capital expenditures, stock repurchases, acquisitions and debt repayments, according to a regulatory filing on Monday.
Looks like a $hell game to me.
In addition to the 40-year bond, the company is offering issues maturing in five, seven, 10, 20, and 30 years, the person said.
A Microsoft spokesman did not respond to a telephone call and e-mail seeking comment.
Microsoft’s second-quarter sales and profit exceeded analysts’ estimates as the world’s largest software maker benefited from growth in cloud services and a resurgent Xbox One game console. Profit excluding certain costs was 77 cents a share. Revenue rose 8 percent to $26.5 billion.
How come I'm not told how much they actually made?
--more--"
Cop Holloway Would Be a Lousy Husband
"Former Boston police official charged with assaulting girlfriend" by Catalina Gaitan, Globe Correspondent February 19, 2015
Former Boston Police superintendent Bruce Holloway pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges that he beat his girlfriend in Newton overnight, officials said.
Holloway, 58, of Boston, was arraigned in Newton District Court on charges of assault and battery on a family or household member, said the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan, in a statement. He was ordered to remain in custody until his next hearing on Monday.
According to Ryan’s office, a woman arrived at the Newton Police Department just after 1 a.m. on Thursday and reported that Holloway had shouted and sworn at her before pushing her against a wall and striking her on the forehead. Newton police obtained an emergency restraining order against Holloway and arrested him at his Boston home, officials said.
“While the allegations against this defendant are troubling in many ways, it is a particular concern that this violence may have occurred in front of a child,” Ryan said in the statement.
Boston police would not comment on the charges and Holloway’s former attorney could not be reached Thursday night.
Holloway was placed on administrative leave in October 2012 for a second time as the department investigated allegations against him from a former girlfriend.
It was not clear on Thursday if the new charges involved the same woman.
“For the most part, it’s pretty common for people who are abusers to do it on a consistent and repetitive basis for a long time,” said Sarah Perry, executive director at The Second Step, a domestic violence support center based in Newton. “And typically when they get out of one abusive relationship they quickly get into another.
“That’s the problem with abusers; they can be very charming, and they’re often very skilled at manipulation and control.”
According to a police spokeswoman and Holloway’s attorney in 2012, Timothy M. Burke, he was placed on leave with pay on Oct. 24, 2012. Holloway was the superintendent in charge of the Bureau of Investigative Services, which placed him as the chief of 280 detectives.
Burke said Holloway had dated the woman involved in the 2012 incident for about a year and broke up with her in August. He declined comment then, however, on the reason Holloway was placed on paid leave a second time.
--more--"
Related:
"A guard at a maximum security state prison who allegedly held a gun to his girlfriend’s head and threatened to kill her has been held without bail. Not-guilty pleas were entered on behalf of Jaime Fuentes, of Worcester, at his arraignment Wednesday on charges including assault with intent to murder. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that he was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Monday. Prosecutors said Fuentes, 48, a guard at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, threatened his live-in girlfriend during an argument Tuesday in which he accused her of being unfaithful. A lawyer for Fuentes said he ‘‘absolutely denies the allegations.’’ (AP)."
Former Boston Police superintendent Bruce Holloway pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges that he beat his girlfriend in Newton overnight, officials said.
Holloway, 58, of Boston, was arraigned in Newton District Court on charges of assault and battery on a family or household member, said the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan, in a statement. He was ordered to remain in custody until his next hearing on Monday.
According to Ryan’s office, a woman arrived at the Newton Police Department just after 1 a.m. on Thursday and reported that Holloway had shouted and sworn at her before pushing her against a wall and striking her on the forehead. Newton police obtained an emergency restraining order against Holloway and arrested him at his Boston home, officials said.
“While the allegations against this defendant are troubling in many ways, it is a particular concern that this violence may have occurred in front of a child,” Ryan said in the statement.
Boston police would not comment on the charges and Holloway’s former attorney could not be reached Thursday night.
Holloway was placed on administrative leave in October 2012 for a second time as the department investigated allegations against him from a former girlfriend.
It was not clear on Thursday if the new charges involved the same woman.
“For the most part, it’s pretty common for people who are abusers to do it on a consistent and repetitive basis for a long time,” said Sarah Perry, executive director at The Second Step, a domestic violence support center based in Newton. “And typically when they get out of one abusive relationship they quickly get into another.
“That’s the problem with abusers; they can be very charming, and they’re often very skilled at manipulation and control.”
According to a police spokeswoman and Holloway’s attorney in 2012, Timothy M. Burke, he was placed on leave with pay on Oct. 24, 2012. Holloway was the superintendent in charge of the Bureau of Investigative Services, which placed him as the chief of 280 detectives.
Burke said Holloway had dated the woman involved in the 2012 incident for about a year and broke up with her in August. He declined comment then, however, on the reason Holloway was placed on paid leave a second time.
--more--"
Related:
"A guard at a maximum security state prison who allegedly held a gun to his girlfriend’s head and threatened to kill her has been held without bail. Not-guilty pleas were entered on behalf of Jaime Fuentes, of Worcester, at his arraignment Wednesday on charges including assault with intent to murder. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that he was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Monday. Prosecutors said Fuentes, 48, a guard at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, threatened his live-in girlfriend during an argument Tuesday in which he accused her of being unfaithful. A lawyer for Fuentes said he ‘‘absolutely denies the allegations.’’ (AP)."
Briefly Now
Unloading this stuff before the turn of the month:
"I-84 stop leads to trafficking charges
A New York man pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking after State Police found more than 1,000 oxycodone pills in his car, officials said. Amaury Pena, 28, was arraigned Tuesday in Dudley District Court, said Tim Connolly, a spokesman for the Worcester district attorney’s office. Pena was arrested just after midnight Monday on Interstate 84 East in Sturbridge when a trooper noticed the license plate on his 2006 Acura was covered in snow, State Police said in a statement. The trooper searched the car and found 1,249 oxycodone pills, State Police said."
"Man convicted in fatal 2013 accident
A Deerfield man has been found guilty of motor vehicle homicide for a 2013 accident that killed an 83-year-old Montague woman. The Recorder reported that Aaron Stark was convicted of vehicular homicide by reckless operation and being a minor in possession of liquor, but he was acquitted of manslaughter in the weeklong bench trial. Stark’s sentencing was postponed pending the results of a presentencing evaluation. Prosecutors said Stark’s car crossed the center line in Deerfield on Nov. 4, 2013, and struck a car driven by Celia Allen, who was pronounced dead at the scene (AP)."
Related: Bernardston crash kills 24-year-old
"Woman, 19, killed in crash in Mass. Pike
A 19-year-old woman was killed Thursday when her car crashed into oncoming traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike in West Springfield, officials said. The woman, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene, State Police said in a statement. The woman was driving eastbound at 12:36 p.m. when her car struck a box truck driven by Christopher Perry, 39, of Chicopee, State Police said. Perry was not injured. The woman’s car then swerved into the high-speed lane of westbound traffic, where she was struck by a tractor-trailer truck driven by Joshua Lawrence, 23, of Maine. He suffered minor injuries, State Police said."
"Mystery donor leaves hats, scarves
With several feet of snow on the ground and temperatures in the single digits, a mystery Worcester altruist is helping city residents keep warm. During Monday’s snowstorm, people in one city neighborhood found hats and scarves hung on utility poles with a note attached, saying they were not lost. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that the notes, in sealed plastic bags to keep them dry, read: “If you need this to stay warm, please take it.” The note then urged people to pay it forward. The anonymous do-gooder or do-gooders responsible for the garments remained unknown through Tuesday afternoon (AP)."
"40 arrested in Conn. cockfighting raid; 58 sought
Police say 40 people were arrested in a law enforcement raid on a large illegal cockfighting operation in East Windsor on Saturday night. State Police spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vance said officers found 54 fighting birds at the scene, including four that were dead. He said more than 100 people were at the site, which had the same address as an auto sales shop. Officers seized more than $100,000 in gambling proceeds, along with a firearms, records, and ‘‘implements of cockfighting.’’ Vance said the 40 arrested were charged with animal cruelty and one was also charged with professional gambling. They were released on bond to appear in Enfield Superior Court. Arrests warrants will be sought for the other 58 people present. Agriculture agents took custody of the birds."
"ACLU report highlights racial disparities in Rhode Island
A recent report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island indicates that black residents are disproportionately suspended from school, profiled by police and incarcerated, a pattern referred to as the ‘‘school-to-prison pipeline.’’ The report released Thursday contains data collected over the past decade by sources including the ACLU, Northeastern University, and the Prison Policy Initiative indicating that people of color in Rhode Island are subject to discrimination by educators and law enforcement. ACLU policy associate Hillary Davis said the report takes a ‘‘big-picture’’ look at racial disparities over a person’s lifetime and demonstrates how these issues are interconnected. She said looking at the data now is important as the country talks about racial disparities and how to move forward."
"Wesleyan students treated for suspected Molly overdoses
Wesleyan University said at least 11 students were hospitalized with symptoms of overdoses on the drug known as Molly. Dean Michael Whaley, vice president of student affairs, said in a letter to the campus that a sophomore was in critical condition at Middlesex Hospital on Sunday. Middletown police said two patients at Hartford Hospital had been elevated to critical condition, and two were in serious condition. The university says it is aware of 11 students being treated for overdose symptoms consistent with the use of Molly, a stimulant psychoactive drug also known as methylone. Whaley said Middletown police, university police and residence officials are investigating. He asked students to check on their friends."
Check the frat houses and see what you will find (photos 1-3 made my Globe).
All good kids, I guess.
"EPA tells Vermont to get tougher on lake cleanup
A top Vermont environmental official said it could cost more than $300 million to upgrade sewage treatment plants in more than 40 cities and towns if the state does not pursue another plan for reducing phosphorus in Lake Champlain. Environmental Conservation Commissioner David Mears said waste-water treatment plants probably would be a top focus of federal efforts to clean the lake if the Environmental Protection Agency was put in charge. State officials, including Governor Peter Shumlin, have been trying to avoid that, saying Vermont has a more cost-effective plan to reduce phosphorus in the lake by focusing on reducing runoff from farms, roads, and parking lots. Officials at the EPA regional office in Boston said they are encouraged by a cleanup bill under review in the Vermont State House."
"Springfield’s bishop says Catholic high schools to merge
Springfield’s bishop said the Cathedral and Holyoke Roman Catholic high schools will be merged for their long-term financial stability, but the location of a new school has not been decided. Bishop Mitchell Rozanski made the announcement Monday as the Western Massachusetts diocese considers whether to rebuild at the Springfield site where Cathedral High was severely damaged in a 2011 tornado. Many supporters, including Springfield’s mayor, are urging that the school be rebuilt there. Rozanski said the location is among those being considered. He hopes a new school can be built within 2½ years using insurance money and federal disaster aid."
Also see:
Gardner Museum offering free admission Thursday
Water main breaks on Mass Ave.
Plumber’s torch eyed as cause of fire that damaged condos
No new trial for man who fatally stabbed firefighter
Driver faces charges after truck plummets off I-93
NEC plans 1st new building in 56 years
Senator suggests defibrillators in all middle, high schools
Businessman acquitted in grave ransacking case
Boy, 5, distressed after birthday gifts disappear
Group to sue campaign finance office over union contributions
Deval Patrick to speak at Harvard commencement
Two small earthquakes reported within minutes
All those briefs might as well be dead and buried to me. Sorry.
"SJC reinstates man’s conviction for drugs
A Chelsea man’s conviction of possession of PCP was reinstated Tuesday by the state Supreme Judicial Court, according to the Suffolk district attorney’s office. Tim Cullity, 59, was found guilty in Chelsea District Court on Nov. 16, 2011, after a police officer found the hallucinogenic drugs during a motor vehicle stop a year earlier, the district attorney’s office said in a statement. The Massachusetts Appeals Court overturned the decision in 2014 on grounds that the evidence in the lower court was insufficient. But the SJC disagreed and reinstated the conviction. Cullity will not have to serve jail time after completing a probationary period of one year."
"Suspect in Yale doctor killing faces mental review
A former doctor charged with killing a Yale University physician will undergo a psychological review to see if he remains competent to represent himself at trial. New Haven Superior Court Judge Thomas O’Keefe Jr. said Tuesday he will hold a competency hearing in early April in the case of Lishan Wang, 49, a Chinese citizen, after Wang meets with mental health specialists. Wang is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Dr. Vajinder Toor outside Toor’s Branford home in April 2010. Police said the shooting stemmed from a dispute the men had two years earlier while working together at a New York City hospital (AP)."
UPDATE: "A team at a Connecticut hospital has asked a judge for an extension in their evaluation of a former doctor charged with killing a Yale University physician and deemed unfit for trial. The New Haven Register reports Superior Court Judge Thomas O’Keefe Jr. is expected to grant the Connecticut Valley Hospital team’s request for a 90-day extension. A competency hearing for 49-year-old Lishan Wang scheduled for Monday has been canceled. O’Keefe ruled in April that Wang wasn’t competent to stand trial after two mental health experts testified Wang is unable to rationally understand criminal proceedings or assist in his defense. The judge also will decide whether Wang is competent to continue acting as his own attorney. Wang is charged with murder in the shooting of Dr. Vajinder Toor outside Toor’s Branford home in April 2010 (AP)."
"Former teacher convicted of child rape
A former Massachusetts middle school teacher has been sentenced to up to 18 years in prison for raping a young girl. James Parks, 56, was convicted Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court of several charges, including three counts of child rape aggravated by age difference. The judge said she gave arks a severe sentence because ‘‘he clearly took advantage of a very young, very vulnerable child.’’ Parks, of Southampton, is a former science teacher at West Springfield Middle School. The victim was not a student. Parks assaulted her when she was between 12 and 15 (AP)."
"Police seek 6’7” 340-pound bank robbery suspect
As far as bank robbery suspects go, the guy police say hit a Central Massachusetts credit union last week is hard to miss. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Joseph Naylor, 28, who is suspected of robbing the Leominster Credit Union on Feb. 12. Police said Naylor is 6-foot-7 and weighs 340 pounds. He is believed to be homeless. A suspect described by witnesses as ‘‘very large’’ handed a teller a note demanding money and after being given an undisclosed amount of cash, quickly walked out. He was identified through surveillance images. Lieutenant Michael Goldman told The Sentinel & Enterprise that Naylor is ‘‘well-known to us.’’ (AP)."
Related: Ex-convict seeks return to prison
Also see: Boston Cops Busted Burglar Barry Bartel
"Drowning victim wore sweat pants
Authorities said a 17-year-old boy wearing sweat pants drowned while swimming in an Attleboro apartment complex’s Olympic-size indoor pool on Wednesday. Prosecutors said that New York City resident Ibrahim Iqbal had been swimming for some time at the Crystal Village Apartments, where he was staying with relatives. They said his cousin was nearby but was not swimming. Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the Bristol district attorney’s office, said Iqbal started swimming to the bottom of the 9-foot deep end, touching the bottom and coming back up for air. The teen’s cousin said he did this several times before failing to come back up. Authorities said the cousin called a building manager and a resident to help pull out Iqbal, who was pronounced dead at a hospital."
Related: 17-year-old drowns in indoor pool
"Worcester man charged with stealing credit cards from gym
Police say a Worcester man stole credit and debit cards from customers at a Concord gym and used them to make thousands of dollars in purchases. Pablo Rafael Rivera was arrested Wednesday at the Beede Center Gym. Police said it was the third time he had gone there and employees recognized him as the suspect from the previous thefts. He faces 27 charges in two separate thefts Feb. 11 and 19, including multiple counts of larceny and identity theft. Police said Rivera had a stolen card on him when he was apprehended."
Also see: Roofer Allegedly Robs Two Bedford Homes
"Firefighter died after tank ran out of air, officials say
A Hartford firefighter who lost his life battling a house fire in October died because his tank ran out of air, the Connecticut medical examiner’s office said. The medical examiner Thursday ruled the death of Kevin Bell an accident. Bell, 48, was a six-year veteran of the department and the first Hartford firefighter to die in the line of duty in 40 years. The Hartford Courant reported that an inspection of his engine company’s equipment before the deadly fire found safety issues including empty air tanks. The breathing apparatus that Bell was wearing has been sent to its manufacturer for testing."
I've run out of air regarding this post.
"I-84 stop leads to trafficking charges
A New York man pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking after State Police found more than 1,000 oxycodone pills in his car, officials said. Amaury Pena, 28, was arraigned Tuesday in Dudley District Court, said Tim Connolly, a spokesman for the Worcester district attorney’s office. Pena was arrested just after midnight Monday on Interstate 84 East in Sturbridge when a trooper noticed the license plate on his 2006 Acura was covered in snow, State Police said in a statement. The trooper searched the car and found 1,249 oxycodone pills, State Police said."
"Man convicted in fatal 2013 accident
A Deerfield man has been found guilty of motor vehicle homicide for a 2013 accident that killed an 83-year-old Montague woman. The Recorder reported that Aaron Stark was convicted of vehicular homicide by reckless operation and being a minor in possession of liquor, but he was acquitted of manslaughter in the weeklong bench trial. Stark’s sentencing was postponed pending the results of a presentencing evaluation. Prosecutors said Stark’s car crossed the center line in Deerfield on Nov. 4, 2013, and struck a car driven by Celia Allen, who was pronounced dead at the scene (AP)."
Related: Bernardston crash kills 24-year-old
"Woman, 19, killed in crash in Mass. Pike
A 19-year-old woman was killed Thursday when her car crashed into oncoming traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike in West Springfield, officials said. The woman, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene, State Police said in a statement. The woman was driving eastbound at 12:36 p.m. when her car struck a box truck driven by Christopher Perry, 39, of Chicopee, State Police said. Perry was not injured. The woman’s car then swerved into the high-speed lane of westbound traffic, where she was struck by a tractor-trailer truck driven by Joshua Lawrence, 23, of Maine. He suffered minor injuries, State Police said."
"Mystery donor leaves hats, scarves
With several feet of snow on the ground and temperatures in the single digits, a mystery Worcester altruist is helping city residents keep warm. During Monday’s snowstorm, people in one city neighborhood found hats and scarves hung on utility poles with a note attached, saying they were not lost. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that the notes, in sealed plastic bags to keep them dry, read: “If you need this to stay warm, please take it.” The note then urged people to pay it forward. The anonymous do-gooder or do-gooders responsible for the garments remained unknown through Tuesday afternoon (AP)."
"40 arrested in Conn. cockfighting raid; 58 sought
Police say 40 people were arrested in a law enforcement raid on a large illegal cockfighting operation in East Windsor on Saturday night. State Police spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vance said officers found 54 fighting birds at the scene, including four that were dead. He said more than 100 people were at the site, which had the same address as an auto sales shop. Officers seized more than $100,000 in gambling proceeds, along with a firearms, records, and ‘‘implements of cockfighting.’’ Vance said the 40 arrested were charged with animal cruelty and one was also charged with professional gambling. They were released on bond to appear in Enfield Superior Court. Arrests warrants will be sought for the other 58 people present. Agriculture agents took custody of the birds."
"ACLU report highlights racial disparities in Rhode Island
A recent report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island indicates that black residents are disproportionately suspended from school, profiled by police and incarcerated, a pattern referred to as the ‘‘school-to-prison pipeline.’’ The report released Thursday contains data collected over the past decade by sources including the ACLU, Northeastern University, and the Prison Policy Initiative indicating that people of color in Rhode Island are subject to discrimination by educators and law enforcement. ACLU policy associate Hillary Davis said the report takes a ‘‘big-picture’’ look at racial disparities over a person’s lifetime and demonstrates how these issues are interconnected. She said looking at the data now is important as the country talks about racial disparities and how to move forward."
"Wesleyan students treated for suspected Molly overdoses
Wesleyan University said at least 11 students were hospitalized with symptoms of overdoses on the drug known as Molly. Dean Michael Whaley, vice president of student affairs, said in a letter to the campus that a sophomore was in critical condition at Middlesex Hospital on Sunday. Middletown police said two patients at Hartford Hospital had been elevated to critical condition, and two were in serious condition. The university says it is aware of 11 students being treated for overdose symptoms consistent with the use of Molly, a stimulant psychoactive drug also known as methylone. Whaley said Middletown police, university police and residence officials are investigating. He asked students to check on their friends."
Check the frat houses and see what you will find (photos 1-3 made my Globe).
All good kids, I guess.
"EPA tells Vermont to get tougher on lake cleanup
A top Vermont environmental official said it could cost more than $300 million to upgrade sewage treatment plants in more than 40 cities and towns if the state does not pursue another plan for reducing phosphorus in Lake Champlain. Environmental Conservation Commissioner David Mears said waste-water treatment plants probably would be a top focus of federal efforts to clean the lake if the Environmental Protection Agency was put in charge. State officials, including Governor Peter Shumlin, have been trying to avoid that, saying Vermont has a more cost-effective plan to reduce phosphorus in the lake by focusing on reducing runoff from farms, roads, and parking lots. Officials at the EPA regional office in Boston said they are encouraged by a cleanup bill under review in the Vermont State House."
"Springfield’s bishop says Catholic high schools to merge
Springfield’s bishop said the Cathedral and Holyoke Roman Catholic high schools will be merged for their long-term financial stability, but the location of a new school has not been decided. Bishop Mitchell Rozanski made the announcement Monday as the Western Massachusetts diocese considers whether to rebuild at the Springfield site where Cathedral High was severely damaged in a 2011 tornado. Many supporters, including Springfield’s mayor, are urging that the school be rebuilt there. Rozanski said the location is among those being considered. He hopes a new school can be built within 2½ years using insurance money and federal disaster aid."
Also see:
Gardner Museum offering free admission Thursday
Water main breaks on Mass Ave.
Plumber’s torch eyed as cause of fire that damaged condos
No new trial for man who fatally stabbed firefighter
Driver faces charges after truck plummets off I-93
NEC plans 1st new building in 56 years
Senator suggests defibrillators in all middle, high schools
Businessman acquitted in grave ransacking case
Boy, 5, distressed after birthday gifts disappear
Group to sue campaign finance office over union contributions
Deval Patrick to speak at Harvard commencement
Two small earthquakes reported within minutes
All those briefs might as well be dead and buried to me. Sorry.
"SJC reinstates man’s conviction for drugs
A Chelsea man’s conviction of possession of PCP was reinstated Tuesday by the state Supreme Judicial Court, according to the Suffolk district attorney’s office. Tim Cullity, 59, was found guilty in Chelsea District Court on Nov. 16, 2011, after a police officer found the hallucinogenic drugs during a motor vehicle stop a year earlier, the district attorney’s office said in a statement. The Massachusetts Appeals Court overturned the decision in 2014 on grounds that the evidence in the lower court was insufficient. But the SJC disagreed and reinstated the conviction. Cullity will not have to serve jail time after completing a probationary period of one year."
"Suspect in Yale doctor killing faces mental review
A former doctor charged with killing a Yale University physician will undergo a psychological review to see if he remains competent to represent himself at trial. New Haven Superior Court Judge Thomas O’Keefe Jr. said Tuesday he will hold a competency hearing in early April in the case of Lishan Wang, 49, a Chinese citizen, after Wang meets with mental health specialists. Wang is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Dr. Vajinder Toor outside Toor’s Branford home in April 2010. Police said the shooting stemmed from a dispute the men had two years earlier while working together at a New York City hospital (AP)."
UPDATE: "A team at a Connecticut hospital has asked a judge for an extension in their evaluation of a former doctor charged with killing a Yale University physician and deemed unfit for trial. The New Haven Register reports Superior Court Judge Thomas O’Keefe Jr. is expected to grant the Connecticut Valley Hospital team’s request for a 90-day extension. A competency hearing for 49-year-old Lishan Wang scheduled for Monday has been canceled. O’Keefe ruled in April that Wang wasn’t competent to stand trial after two mental health experts testified Wang is unable to rationally understand criminal proceedings or assist in his defense. The judge also will decide whether Wang is competent to continue acting as his own attorney. Wang is charged with murder in the shooting of Dr. Vajinder Toor outside Toor’s Branford home in April 2010 (AP)."
"Former teacher convicted of child rape
A former Massachusetts middle school teacher has been sentenced to up to 18 years in prison for raping a young girl. James Parks, 56, was convicted Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court of several charges, including three counts of child rape aggravated by age difference. The judge said she gave arks a severe sentence because ‘‘he clearly took advantage of a very young, very vulnerable child.’’ Parks, of Southampton, is a former science teacher at West Springfield Middle School. The victim was not a student. Parks assaulted her when she was between 12 and 15 (AP)."
"Police seek 6’7” 340-pound bank robbery suspect
As far as bank robbery suspects go, the guy police say hit a Central Massachusetts credit union last week is hard to miss. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Joseph Naylor, 28, who is suspected of robbing the Leominster Credit Union on Feb. 12. Police said Naylor is 6-foot-7 and weighs 340 pounds. He is believed to be homeless. A suspect described by witnesses as ‘‘very large’’ handed a teller a note demanding money and after being given an undisclosed amount of cash, quickly walked out. He was identified through surveillance images. Lieutenant Michael Goldman told The Sentinel & Enterprise that Naylor is ‘‘well-known to us.’’ (AP)."
Related: Ex-convict seeks return to prison
Also see: Boston Cops Busted Burglar Barry Bartel
"Drowning victim wore sweat pants
Authorities said a 17-year-old boy wearing sweat pants drowned while swimming in an Attleboro apartment complex’s Olympic-size indoor pool on Wednesday. Prosecutors said that New York City resident Ibrahim Iqbal had been swimming for some time at the Crystal Village Apartments, where he was staying with relatives. They said his cousin was nearby but was not swimming. Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the Bristol district attorney’s office, said Iqbal started swimming to the bottom of the 9-foot deep end, touching the bottom and coming back up for air. The teen’s cousin said he did this several times before failing to come back up. Authorities said the cousin called a building manager and a resident to help pull out Iqbal, who was pronounced dead at a hospital."
Related: 17-year-old drowns in indoor pool
"Worcester man charged with stealing credit cards from gym
Police say a Worcester man stole credit and debit cards from customers at a Concord gym and used them to make thousands of dollars in purchases. Pablo Rafael Rivera was arrested Wednesday at the Beede Center Gym. Police said it was the third time he had gone there and employees recognized him as the suspect from the previous thefts. He faces 27 charges in two separate thefts Feb. 11 and 19, including multiple counts of larceny and identity theft. Police said Rivera had a stolen card on him when he was apprehended."
Also see: Roofer Allegedly Robs Two Bedford Homes
"Firefighter died after tank ran out of air, officials say
A Hartford firefighter who lost his life battling a house fire in October died because his tank ran out of air, the Connecticut medical examiner’s office said. The medical examiner Thursday ruled the death of Kevin Bell an accident. Bell, 48, was a six-year veteran of the department and the first Hartford firefighter to die in the line of duty in 40 years. The Hartford Courant reported that an inspection of his engine company’s equipment before the deadly fire found safety issues including empty air tanks. The breathing apparatus that Bell was wearing has been sent to its manufacturer for testing."
I've run out of air regarding this post.
More Morning Munchies
I see you didn't like yesterday's at all, so I'll start you with the last two days of NBC appetizers as I logged on:
'Top Guns' on Alert Amid Fears of Putin Push
In light of admitted torture by AmeriKa?
Not if the NSA is collecting them.
Roaring Start: Icy Temps Grip Nation into March
Yeah, the stench is real funny.
Why don't you guys go take a long walk off a short pier, as we used to say?
I may have to dig deeper than the cursory look I gave so many of those articles; however, I'm sure a couple of those war-mongering pieces of propaganda were rejected by the Globe.
'Top Guns' on Alert Amid Fears of Putin Push
In light of admitted torture by AmeriKa?
Not if the NSA is collecting them.
Roaring Start: Icy Temps Grip Nation into March
Yeah, the stench is real funny.
Why don't you guys go take a long walk off a short pier, as we used to say?
- American Blogger Murdered in Bangladesh
- Dad: Unmasking Jihadi John Not Important
- NYC Couple Kidnaps, Tortures Housekeeper
- Third Charged in Copenhagen Shooting
I may have to dig deeper than the cursory look I gave so many of those articles; however, I'm sure a couple of those war-mongering pieces of propaganda were rejected by the Globe.
"Two-thirds of smokers will die early from cigarette-triggered illness unless they choose to kick the habit, according to new research from Australia. health-care costs for smokers tend to be, on average, 40 percent higher. Policymakers have long wondered how to get Americans to quit the habit."
After $ub$idizing it for decades!
They only reason the government cares now is because it is costing them and industry money and profits.
They only reason the government cares now is because it is costing them and industry money and profits.
The smoke just reached down under I gue$$? WTF?
"Fruits and vegetables get a star-studded marketing push" by Candice Choi, Associated Press February 27, 2015
NEW YORK — What if cauliflower got the same type of marketing firepower as candy bars and potato chips?
A campaign launched Thursday plans to put that premise to the test by enlisting celebrities including actress Jessica Alba and NBA star Stephen Curry to shill for fruits and vegetables.
Time too change the channel.
The campaign was announced by the Partnership for a Healthier America, which works with private companies and was created in conjunction with Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to get families to eat better and exercise.
Related: No School Lunch Today
I would skip it if I were you, and what private companies are we talking about here?
The push is being called ‘‘FNV,’’ which is intended to be a catchier way to refer to ‘‘fruits and vegetables.’’
How sad is it that the propagandists think all they have to do is wrap a $lick public relations campaign around $hit and that it will $ell?
‘‘We were inspired by the big brands and, can we do what they’re able to do?’’ said Lawrence Soler, CEO of the Partnership for a Healthier America.
Uh-oh.
To start, the campaign will primarily be on social media networks like Twitter, where short videos featuring Alba and NFL quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton will be posted.
Additional videos will be released in coming days starring Curry, New York Giant Victor Cruz and others.
To give a hint of what’s to come, a teaser video for the broader campaign was posted online Thursday. The spot features stars with fruits and vegetables set to music.
Over time, Soler said the idea is to expand the campaign more broadly, although plans haven’t been pinned down.
Just a way to funnel money to well-connected friends for an agenda-pu$hing purpo$e -- at least, that's what this $mells like.
The campaign for FNV was created by the ad agency Victors & Spoils, which lists clients including Coca-Cola and General Mills on its website.
Among those providing financial and other support for FNV are Bolthouse Farms, which makes premium juices and bagged carrots and is owned by Campbell Soup, and the Produce Marketing Association, a trade group whose members include Sunkist, Dole, Walmart, and Chick-fil-A.
Do I really need to say anything el$e regarding the alleged objectivity of my corporate new$paper?
--more--"
You know, I just wasn't hungry for that piece-- as the Globe continues to pu$h the pizza and $hill for the seafood that has been poisoned by who knows what.
You smell something funny, readers?
"D.C., Congress in battle over marijuana" by Ben Nuckols, Associated Press February 27, 2015
WASHINGTON — The new mayor of the nation’s capital was hoping to get along fine with Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Instead, they’ve threatened her with prison and she has accused them of acting like bullies in a showdown over legal marijuana that could end up costing District of Columbia residents dearly.
Then put it out.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, defied threats from Congress by implementing a voter-approved initiative on Thursday, making the city the only place east of the Mississippi River where people can legally grow and share marijuana in private. But Congress still has the final say over the city’s budget and laws, and the Republicans in charge seem determined to make Bowser pay.
I love AmeriKan "democracy!"
‘‘We provide half a billion dollars [annually] to the District. One would think they would be much more compliant with the wishes of Congress,’’ Representative Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican and one of the most vocal marijuana opponents, said in an interview Thursday.
You know, like you would if you were dealing with an a$$hole extortionist or mob bo$$.
Actually, the District received more than $670 million in federal funding last year to support its $11 billion budget. The federal money is earmarked for specific programs — including the city’s court system.
Republicans will ‘‘find some areas where perhaps we have been very generous with the citizens of the District. That will all come with time,’’ Harris warned.
Even top advocates of city autonomy are preparing for tough times on Capitol Hill.
Then secede.
‘‘I do believe it’s likely this is a short-lived victory,’’ said Kimberly Perry, executive director of D.C. Vote. ‘‘Members of the House are going to come after D.C. with a vengeance on appropriations for 2016.’’
Before Bowser announced that she was not backing down, she spoke with the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Representative Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah, and reiterated that her goal is not to defy Congress, but to honor the will of the voters, said her spokesman, Michael Czin.
Someone must be smoking something because I laughed when I read that.
‘‘A lot of reasonable people have a different view of this issue,’’ Bowser said Wednesday. ‘‘We believe that we’re acting lawfully.’’
Chaffetz said Congress does not want the District to become ‘‘a haven for smoking pot.’’
Yeah, heaven forbid!
But Bowser has emphasized that the change to the marijuana law is limited in scope.
While possession of up to 2 ounces of marijuana or up to three mature plants for use in the home is legal, buying or selling the drug remains illegal, along with smoking in public and possessing marijuana on federal property. The main difference is that city police will no longer be handing out $25 civil fines for possession.
When Republicans are in charge on Capitol Hill, their priorities often clash with leaders of the reliably liberal city, where three out of four registered voters are Democrats.
For example, Congress has prohibited the District from spending any money on abortion, except for a two-year stretch when Democrats controlled the House and Senate as well as the White House. When the abortion restriction was restored in 2011, then-mayor Vincent Gray led a sit-in outside the Capitol and was arrested.
Bowser, then a D.C. Council member, also was arrested in that protest, but she complained that it did not accomplish anything and pledged a more collaborative, less headline-grabbing approach.
What she is finding, though, is that collegiality also depends on who runs the committees.
Gray had a cordial relationship with the previous oversight committee chairman, Representative Darrell Issa. He supported what District leaders call ‘‘budget autonomy,’’ allowing the city to spend its local tax revenue without authorization by Congress.
But Chaffetz and other Republicans say Bowser could face prison for violating a federal law barring agencies from spending any unappropriated money.
--more--"
Now I'm hungry!!
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Boston Cops Busted Burglar Barry Bartel
"Boston police watch serial thief for 2 days, then pounce" by Laura Crimaldi, Globe Staff February 19, 2015
Barry Bartel has a criminal history going back to 1989 and more than 125 court arraignments on his record, but Wednesday night he was a free man walking through the Back Bay and eyeing tony spots like the Valentino clothing store, according to police officials.
Nearby, however, were Boston police officers from the Special Investigations Unit, who had been watching Bartel for two days after learning he was a suspect in recent larcenies and break-ins.
They watched him unsuccessfully try the door at the Galerie d’Orsay art gallery and then lost sight of him for about five minutes, a police report said. When he reemerged at 10:30 p.m., police say, Bartel had forced his way into the James Perse clothing boutique on Arlington Street and made off with a black plastic trash bag filled with nearly $8,000 worth of pants and shirts.
He tried to flee in a taxicab that he had hailed, but was arrested after a struggle, the police report said.
****************
Bartel’s arrest came as officers target property criminals who are trying to take advantage of the recent onslaught of snow and how it has distracted people, police said. Property crimes tend to creep up during extreme weather, while violent offenses decline, Police Commissioner William B. Evans said Thursday.
“The criminals think they can hide behind the snow,” he said. “We step up our patrols.”
Do they really think that?
Footprints in snow lead to robbery suspect
You gotta cover up those tracks!
Bartel, 42, who is listed as homeless in a police report, appeared in Boston Municipal Court Thursday to answer new charges including breaking and entering in the nighttime, larceny over $250, and resisting arrest. Not-guilty pleas were entered on his behalf....
He's a bum!
--more--"
Barry Bartel has a criminal history going back to 1989 and more than 125 court arraignments on his record, but Wednesday night he was a free man walking through the Back Bay and eyeing tony spots like the Valentino clothing store, according to police officials.
Nearby, however, were Boston police officers from the Special Investigations Unit, who had been watching Bartel for two days after learning he was a suspect in recent larcenies and break-ins.
They watched him unsuccessfully try the door at the Galerie d’Orsay art gallery and then lost sight of him for about five minutes, a police report said. When he reemerged at 10:30 p.m., police say, Bartel had forced his way into the James Perse clothing boutique on Arlington Street and made off with a black plastic trash bag filled with nearly $8,000 worth of pants and shirts.
He tried to flee in a taxicab that he had hailed, but was arrested after a struggle, the police report said.
****************
Bartel’s arrest came as officers target property criminals who are trying to take advantage of the recent onslaught of snow and how it has distracted people, police said. Property crimes tend to creep up during extreme weather, while violent offenses decline, Police Commissioner William B. Evans said Thursday.
“The criminals think they can hide behind the snow,” he said. “We step up our patrols.”
Do they really think that?
Footprints in snow lead to robbery suspect
You gotta cover up those tracks!
Bartel, 42, who is listed as homeless in a police report, appeared in Boston Municipal Court Thursday to answer new charges including breaking and entering in the nighttime, larceny over $250, and resisting arrest. Not-guilty pleas were entered on his behalf....
He's a bum!
--more--"
Don't Nowsch Much About Nevada Murder
"Suspect held in Nev. driver’s death" Associated Press February 20, 2015
LAS VEGAS — Police arrested a neighborhood teenager Thursday in the killing of a Las Vegas mother that was originally blamed on road rage but has subsequently been cloaked in mystery.
Erich Nowsch, 19, was arrested on suspicion of murder after SWAT teams surrounded his home a block away from the residence of Tammy Meyers, the woman killed.
Authorities believe Nowsch was the gunman, Las Vegas police Captain Chris Tomaino said. He has not been formally charged. Police were still looking for another suspect.
Tammy Meyers, 44, knew Nowsch and was a mentor of sorts, giving him money and food, her husband, Robert, said.
Police initially said Tammy Meyers was shot by an angry driver who followed her home after she gave her teenage daughter a driving lesson. She was removed from life support on Valentine’s Day, and donations for funeral costs poured in to a fund-raising site.
Sympathy became skepticism after police revealed Meyers had dropped off her daughter and picked up her son, 22, armed with his 9mm handgun, to find and confront the other driver.
Meyers was shot in the head during a shootout at the family’s home.
--more--"
LAS VEGAS — Police arrested a neighborhood teenager Thursday in the killing of a Las Vegas mother that was originally blamed on road rage but has subsequently been cloaked in mystery.
Erich Nowsch, 19, was arrested on suspicion of murder after SWAT teams surrounded his home a block away from the residence of Tammy Meyers, the woman killed.
Authorities believe Nowsch was the gunman, Las Vegas police Captain Chris Tomaino said. He has not been formally charged. Police were still looking for another suspect.
Tammy Meyers, 44, knew Nowsch and was a mentor of sorts, giving him money and food, her husband, Robert, said.
Police initially said Tammy Meyers was shot by an angry driver who followed her home after she gave her teenage daughter a driving lesson. She was removed from life support on Valentine’s Day, and donations for funeral costs poured in to a fund-raising site.
Sympathy became skepticism after police revealed Meyers had dropped off her daughter and picked up her son, 22, armed with his 9mm handgun, to find and confront the other driver.
Meyers was shot in the head during a shootout at the family’s home.
--more--"
Surprising Kander in Missouri
Didn't see it, did you?
"Democrat Kander to challenge GOP US Sen. Blunt in Missouri" by DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander launched a Democratic challenge Thursday to U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, criticizing the Republican's long political career and asserting that "it's time for a new generation of leaders" in Washington.
Kander, a former Army captain who served in Afghanistan, highlighted his military experience while announcing his candidacy in an online video and said in an interview with The Associated Press that Blunt is often "on the extreme edge of a lot of issues."
Kander, 33, is Blunt's first prominent opponent for the 2016 election. If Kander is elected, he would be one of the youngest U.S. senators — an attribute that he said should be a positive during a campaign.
"Missouri has a senator who's been in Washington for nearly 20 years and has been running for one political office or another for over 40 years. For too long, he's been a part of the problem," Kander said in his video announcement.
He added: "I believe it's time for a new generation of leaders, who have come of age at a time of unprecedented challenges and threats to our country, and who are committed to bringing people together and doing what's right, no matter what the personal cost."
Blunt won election to the Senate in 2010 after serving for 14 years in the U.S. House and is vice chairman of the Senate Republican caucus. He was Missouri's secretary of state from 1985-1993 and the Greene County clerk from 1973-1985.
Kander was elected as secretary of state in 2012 after serving four years in the Missouri House. He was in the Army for eight years and said he was spurred to join by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. While working as an Army intelligence officer, Kander said he volunteered to be deployed to Afghanistan in 2006. He filmed his candidacy announcement from a passenger waiting area at the Kansas City airport, where he said he departed for his service in Afghanistan.
That's where the Boston Globe print ended.
A spokeswoman said Thursday that Blunt had no comment about Kander's announcement and referred questions to the Missouri Republican Party. GOP Chairman Ed Martin issued a written statement calling Kander a "dyed-in-the-wool liberal in lock-step with the failing Obama Agenda."
Kander sought to draw distinctions both with Blunt and President Barack Obama.
He told the AP he would have "demanded some changes" before voting on Obama's health care law, adding that it now "must be fixed and improved." Kander said consumers should be offered cheaper health insurance plans through a federal website and that employees should be allowed to work more hours before being counted as full-time for businesses trying to comply with the health care law's requirements.
Blunt has said the health law should be repealed and replaced, but Kander said "the Republican approach to tear down this law and leave no protections in place would be harmful to many Missourians."
Kander said Obama "made a mistake" by issuing an executive order seeking to shield more than 4 million immigrants living in the country illegally from deportation, without giving the Congress that took office in January a chance to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.
Blunt has co-sponsored legislation that would block funding for the Department of Homeland Security to implement Obama's immigration policy.
Last week, Blunt was one of just five senators who voted against Obama's nominee for defense secretary, Ash Carter, citing concerns that he would implement Obama's "flawed agenda."
See: Obama's SILLI War Bill
Kander cited that vote as evidence that "Blunt is part of the problem" in Washington.
"I think that, certainly, he is on the extreme edge of a lot of issues," Kander said.
--more--"
"Democrat Kander to challenge GOP US Sen. Blunt in Missouri" by DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander launched a Democratic challenge Thursday to U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, criticizing the Republican's long political career and asserting that "it's time for a new generation of leaders" in Washington.
Kander, a former Army captain who served in Afghanistan, highlighted his military experience while announcing his candidacy in an online video and said in an interview with The Associated Press that Blunt is often "on the extreme edge of a lot of issues."
Kander, 33, is Blunt's first prominent opponent for the 2016 election. If Kander is elected, he would be one of the youngest U.S. senators — an attribute that he said should be a positive during a campaign.
"Missouri has a senator who's been in Washington for nearly 20 years and has been running for one political office or another for over 40 years. For too long, he's been a part of the problem," Kander said in his video announcement.
He added: "I believe it's time for a new generation of leaders, who have come of age at a time of unprecedented challenges and threats to our country, and who are committed to bringing people together and doing what's right, no matter what the personal cost."
Blunt won election to the Senate in 2010 after serving for 14 years in the U.S. House and is vice chairman of the Senate Republican caucus. He was Missouri's secretary of state from 1985-1993 and the Greene County clerk from 1973-1985.
Kander was elected as secretary of state in 2012 after serving four years in the Missouri House. He was in the Army for eight years and said he was spurred to join by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. While working as an Army intelligence officer, Kander said he volunteered to be deployed to Afghanistan in 2006. He filmed his candidacy announcement from a passenger waiting area at the Kansas City airport, where he said he departed for his service in Afghanistan.
That's where the Boston Globe print ended.
A spokeswoman said Thursday that Blunt had no comment about Kander's announcement and referred questions to the Missouri Republican Party. GOP Chairman Ed Martin issued a written statement calling Kander a "dyed-in-the-wool liberal in lock-step with the failing Obama Agenda."
Kander sought to draw distinctions both with Blunt and President Barack Obama.
He told the AP he would have "demanded some changes" before voting on Obama's health care law, adding that it now "must be fixed and improved." Kander said consumers should be offered cheaper health insurance plans through a federal website and that employees should be allowed to work more hours before being counted as full-time for businesses trying to comply with the health care law's requirements.
Blunt has said the health law should be repealed and replaced, but Kander said "the Republican approach to tear down this law and leave no protections in place would be harmful to many Missourians."
Kander said Obama "made a mistake" by issuing an executive order seeking to shield more than 4 million immigrants living in the country illegally from deportation, without giving the Congress that took office in January a chance to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.
Blunt has co-sponsored legislation that would block funding for the Department of Homeland Security to implement Obama's immigration policy.
Last week, Blunt was one of just five senators who voted against Obama's nominee for defense secretary, Ash Carter, citing concerns that he would implement Obama's "flawed agenda."
See: Obama's SILLI War Bill
Kander cited that vote as evidence that "Blunt is part of the problem" in Washington.
"I think that, certainly, he is on the extreme edge of a lot of issues," Kander said.
--more--"
Hahn's Con
"California Rep. Hahn won’t run in 2016, will seek local post" Associated Press February 19, 2015
WASHINGTON — US Representative Janice Hahn of California became the first Democrat in the new Congress to announce she won’t seek re-election next year, citing frustration with Washington’s partisan gridlock and saying she would seek local office in Los Angeles.
Related: Last Lame Duck Se$$ion
Tho$e $ame intere$ts will $till be $erved, if you know what I mean.
In a statement Wednesday, Hahn said she would run for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which directs social, justice, and transportation programs for the county’s 10 million residents. Her late father, Kenneth, served on that board for four decades.
‘‘Washington is broken, it’s increasingly mired in political gridlock, and there’s virtually zero cooperation between the two parties,’’ Hahn said. ‘‘That’s not the kind of government I grew up with, and it’s precisely why I know I can do more for the Los Angeles region on the board of supervisors.’’
While Democrats dominate the five-member Los Angeles board, they have scant prospects for capturing a House majority soon.
Republicans have a 245-188 House edge, with two vacancies in what were GOP-held seats. Democrats would need to gain 30 seats to take House control in the 2016 elections, a longshot.
--more--"
WASHINGTON — US Representative Janice Hahn of California became the first Democrat in the new Congress to announce she won’t seek re-election next year, citing frustration with Washington’s partisan gridlock and saying she would seek local office in Los Angeles.
Related: Last Lame Duck Se$$ion
Tho$e $ame intere$ts will $till be $erved, if you know what I mean.
In a statement Wednesday, Hahn said she would run for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which directs social, justice, and transportation programs for the county’s 10 million residents. Her late father, Kenneth, served on that board for four decades.
‘‘Washington is broken, it’s increasingly mired in political gridlock, and there’s virtually zero cooperation between the two parties,’’ Hahn said. ‘‘That’s not the kind of government I grew up with, and it’s precisely why I know I can do more for the Los Angeles region on the board of supervisors.’’
While Democrats dominate the five-member Los Angeles board, they have scant prospects for capturing a House majority soon.
Republicans have a 245-188 House edge, with two vacancies in what were GOP-held seats. Democrats would need to gain 30 seats to take House control in the 2016 elections, a longshot.
--more--"
Rahm's Run-Off
"Emanuel is forced into runoff election" by Sophia Tareen, Associated Press February 25, 2015
CHICAGO — Mayor Rahm Emanuel failed to capture a majority of the vote in Tuesday’s municipal election, an embarrassment for the former White House chief of staff because it forces him into a runoff this spring against Cook County Commissioner Jesus ‘‘Chuy’’ Garcia.
The result exposed possible vulnerability for an incumbent who has widespread support from business leaders, national name recognition, and millions of dollars in his campaign fund. He participated in a half-dozen debates and forums and received a last-minute boost from President Obama.
Maybe it wasn't a boost after all (think November 2014).
Still, he was not able to capture the more than 50 percent necessary to avoid an April runoff against Garcia, who finished far below Emanuel’s vote total but far above the other three challengers.
Emanuel’s challengers — which included Garcia, Alderman Bob Fioretti, businessman Willie Wilson, and perennial candidate William Walls — had hoped to capitalize on resident discontentment over Emanuel’s handling of schools and city violence.
On the campaign trail, Emanuel said his first term saw some tough decisions and payoffs, including budgets that did not rely on property tax increases, drawing business to the city, getting a longer school day, and raising the minimum wage.
But his critics pointed to some of more tumultuous parts of his time in office, including the city’s first teachers’ strike in 25 years. The following year in 2013, he pushed for the closure of dozens of schools to save money, which angered parents and activists throughout the city’s neighborhoods.
The Chicago Teachers Union — whose fiery leader had once considered a bid to challenge Emanuel — backed Garcia during the race. The former state lawmaker enjoyed support from other unions and neighborhood groups.
Didn't end well for them, did it?
The nonpartisan election on Tuesday also featured contests for a new city treasurer, aldermen, and advisory-style ballot questions on campaign finance and an elected school board.
Emanuel won his first mayoral race without a runoff four years ago after the retirement of Richard M. Daley, who held the job for more than two decades.
Garcia, born in Mexico and raised in Chicago, served two terms as a senator followed by a stint as a community activist before he was elected Cook County commissioner in 2009.
--more--"
For the record, Rahm was the Israeli mole inside the Clinton White house, and for that reason (and it being Obummer's hometown) I have suspected the next monster false flag will in fact occur in Chicago.
State is in good hands though:
"Illinois’ new GOP governor calls for billions in budget cuts" by Sara Burnett and Kerry Lester, Associated Press February 19, 2015
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois’ new governor called Wednesday for deep spending cuts to Medicaid, pensions, and other programs to fix the state’s budget mess without raising taxes — a pitch met with quick opposition from Democrats who control the Legislature.
Delivering his first budget address since winning office last fall, Governor Bruce Rauner, a Republican, said his plan would end ‘‘the irresponsible and reckless practices of the past.’’
He said lawmakers must be willing to make politically unpopular decisions to close a more than $6 billion budget hole next year.
And I thought we had it bad here.
‘‘This is our last, best chance to get our house in order,’’ Rauner said.
According to budget documents released Wednesday afternoon, Rauner is recommending $1.5 billion in Medicaid cuts, along with other reductions.
Rauner’s budget blueprint is among the first concrete tests of whether the Republican first-time officeholder can begin to bring the change he has promised to one of the last Democratic strongholds in the Midwest.
The multimillionaire former private equity investor follows other Republican governors who’ve taken over states and attempted to make them more business-friendly by shrinking government and taxes.
But Rauner, who won the governor’s office in Barack Obama’s home state, faces an even greater challenge in a post-recession state where Democrats have super-majorities in both chambers.
No wonder they are so broke.
They criticized Rauner’s plan as disproportionately hurting working families while leaving corporate tax ‘‘loopholes’’ in place.
‘‘He’s putting lives and livelihoods in jeopardy by treating our state’s most vulnerable people like burdens,’’ said state Senator Mattie Hunter, a Chicago Democrat.
Many Democrats want to raise Illinois’ income tax rate, which dropped on Jan. 1 from 5 percent to 3.75 percent, to avoid some spending cuts. House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, said he believes the state needs a mix of spending cuts and new revenue. He also renewed a call for an additional tax on incomes over $1 million.
The bleak budget picture has led credit agencies to give Illinois the worst credit rating of any state.
So? they told us MBS were AAA.
It also has the nation’s worst-funded public pension system, with a shortfall of $111 billion.
Where did all the money go?
--more--"
NDUs:
Gitmo in Chicago
Activist Alert: Help Shutdown Chicago's Secret Detention Center
New Study Reveals Obama’s Military Regularly Torturing People In Afghanistan – Including Children
I took those three right off the top of my roll and yet see not one word in the Globe.
Instead I get this:
"Obama foundation hints at library’s likely Chicago site" by Josh Lederman, Associated Press February 27, 2015
WASHINGTON — The foundation developing Barack Obama’s future presidential library has commissioned polling in Chicago to determine whether residents support building it on the South Side, people close to the foundation said, in the clearest sign to date that the library likely will go to the University of Chicago.
Two Chicago schools and one each in New York and Honolulu are in the running for the library and presidential museum, and Obama is set to pick a winner within weeks. But recently, the focus has shifted decidedly to the University of Chicago’s bid — and a public spat with a conservation group over the elite school’s proposal to build on city park property.
Aiming to counter the vocal opposition from park advocates, the Barack Obama Foundation earlier this month enlisted a prominent Democratic pollster who worked on both of Obama’s presidential campaigns. Cornell Belcher of the polling firm Brilliant Corners surveyed more than 600 Chicagoans on the South Side to gauge their opinion on the library and the use of park land, said the individuals, who weren’t authorized to discuss the poll publicly and requested anonymity.
Now they are going to try and $ell you on the idea of having his library legacy there.
There were no indications the Obama foundation polled in the other three communities being considered, driving further speculation that the competition is a done deal for the University of Chicago, where the first lady worked and the president once taught law.
In late December, the Obama foundation let it be known publicly that it had serious concerns about the University of Chicago’s bid — in particular, the school’s failure to prove it could secure the Chicago Park District land on which it was proposing to build.
That set off a scramble by university officials and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and earlier this month, the park district’s board voted unanimously to transfer 20 acres to the city, to be leased to the foundation if the University of Chicago gets the library.
Obama’s foundation said the move had improved Chicago’s bid, in yet another indication that the University of Chicago was on track to win the library.
However, a small but outspoken group of opponents, led by the nonprofit Friends of the Parks, has continued to argue that officials have yet to prove the Obama legacy project is worth the land-grab from city park-goers.
Why not? That's all his health program is, except there it is a ca$h grab.
Individuals familiar with the survey said it showed that appeals to Chicago’s pride for Obama and desire to be a part of his legacy were particularly compelling. Arguing that the library would improve young people’s quality of life by driving economic growth was also effective, the poll found.
So it wasn't so much a poll as it was a propaganda effort to find out to what buzzwords you stooped Chicagoans would respond.
I'm surprised they didn't hire Frank Luntz.
--more--"
FLASHBACK:
"Alternatives for Obama library offer test of ideals" by Josh Lederman, Associated Press January 02, 2015
HONOLULU — President Obama has preached economic opportunity and equal access to education as cornerstones of the legacy he wants to leave. But in the contest to host his presidential library this week, the Obama foundation let it be known that it was displeased with Chicago’s proposals — still, the blunt warning through the media appeared designed mainly to light a fire under the University of Chicago to fill holes in its proposal.
At the University of Illinois Chicago, student trustee Danielle Leibowitz said, ‘‘If he wants to be consistent with the message he’s given throughout his presidency, it really only makes sense to give it to us. To suddenly hand over your legacy to a private institution seems rather hypocritical.’’
--more--"
Also see: Undercover 'Chicago P.D.' Job Gone Wrong
That came from Comcast and NBC News -- but at least they are not O'Reilly and Fox, right?
Only giving "us" what we want, right?
CHICAGO — Mayor Rahm Emanuel failed to capture a majority of the vote in Tuesday’s municipal election, an embarrassment for the former White House chief of staff because it forces him into a runoff this spring against Cook County Commissioner Jesus ‘‘Chuy’’ Garcia.
The result exposed possible vulnerability for an incumbent who has widespread support from business leaders, national name recognition, and millions of dollars in his campaign fund. He participated in a half-dozen debates and forums and received a last-minute boost from President Obama.
Maybe it wasn't a boost after all (think November 2014).
Still, he was not able to capture the more than 50 percent necessary to avoid an April runoff against Garcia, who finished far below Emanuel’s vote total but far above the other three challengers.
Emanuel’s challengers — which included Garcia, Alderman Bob Fioretti, businessman Willie Wilson, and perennial candidate William Walls — had hoped to capitalize on resident discontentment over Emanuel’s handling of schools and city violence.
On the campaign trail, Emanuel said his first term saw some tough decisions and payoffs, including budgets that did not rely on property tax increases, drawing business to the city, getting a longer school day, and raising the minimum wage.
But his critics pointed to some of more tumultuous parts of his time in office, including the city’s first teachers’ strike in 25 years. The following year in 2013, he pushed for the closure of dozens of schools to save money, which angered parents and activists throughout the city’s neighborhoods.
The Chicago Teachers Union — whose fiery leader had once considered a bid to challenge Emanuel — backed Garcia during the race. The former state lawmaker enjoyed support from other unions and neighborhood groups.
Didn't end well for them, did it?
The nonpartisan election on Tuesday also featured contests for a new city treasurer, aldermen, and advisory-style ballot questions on campaign finance and an elected school board.
Emanuel won his first mayoral race without a runoff four years ago after the retirement of Richard M. Daley, who held the job for more than two decades.
Garcia, born in Mexico and raised in Chicago, served two terms as a senator followed by a stint as a community activist before he was elected Cook County commissioner in 2009.
--more--"
For the record, Rahm was the Israeli mole inside the Clinton White house, and for that reason (and it being Obummer's hometown) I have suspected the next monster false flag will in fact occur in Chicago.
State is in good hands though:
"Illinois’ new GOP governor calls for billions in budget cuts" by Sara Burnett and Kerry Lester, Associated Press February 19, 2015
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois’ new governor called Wednesday for deep spending cuts to Medicaid, pensions, and other programs to fix the state’s budget mess without raising taxes — a pitch met with quick opposition from Democrats who control the Legislature.
Delivering his first budget address since winning office last fall, Governor Bruce Rauner, a Republican, said his plan would end ‘‘the irresponsible and reckless practices of the past.’’
He said lawmakers must be willing to make politically unpopular decisions to close a more than $6 billion budget hole next year.
And I thought we had it bad here.
‘‘This is our last, best chance to get our house in order,’’ Rauner said.
According to budget documents released Wednesday afternoon, Rauner is recommending $1.5 billion in Medicaid cuts, along with other reductions.
Rauner’s budget blueprint is among the first concrete tests of whether the Republican first-time officeholder can begin to bring the change he has promised to one of the last Democratic strongholds in the Midwest.
The multimillionaire former private equity investor follows other Republican governors who’ve taken over states and attempted to make them more business-friendly by shrinking government and taxes.
But Rauner, who won the governor’s office in Barack Obama’s home state, faces an even greater challenge in a post-recession state where Democrats have super-majorities in both chambers.
No wonder they are so broke.
They criticized Rauner’s plan as disproportionately hurting working families while leaving corporate tax ‘‘loopholes’’ in place.
‘‘He’s putting lives and livelihoods in jeopardy by treating our state’s most vulnerable people like burdens,’’ said state Senator Mattie Hunter, a Chicago Democrat.
Many Democrats want to raise Illinois’ income tax rate, which dropped on Jan. 1 from 5 percent to 3.75 percent, to avoid some spending cuts. House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, said he believes the state needs a mix of spending cuts and new revenue. He also renewed a call for an additional tax on incomes over $1 million.
The bleak budget picture has led credit agencies to give Illinois the worst credit rating of any state.
So? they told us MBS were AAA.
It also has the nation’s worst-funded public pension system, with a shortfall of $111 billion.
Where did all the money go?
--more--"
NDUs:
Gitmo in Chicago
Activist Alert: Help Shutdown Chicago's Secret Detention Center
New Study Reveals Obama’s Military Regularly Torturing People In Afghanistan – Including Children
I took those three right off the top of my roll and yet see not one word in the Globe.
Instead I get this:
"Obama foundation hints at library’s likely Chicago site" by Josh Lederman, Associated Press February 27, 2015
WASHINGTON — The foundation developing Barack Obama’s future presidential library has commissioned polling in Chicago to determine whether residents support building it on the South Side, people close to the foundation said, in the clearest sign to date that the library likely will go to the University of Chicago.
Two Chicago schools and one each in New York and Honolulu are in the running for the library and presidential museum, and Obama is set to pick a winner within weeks. But recently, the focus has shifted decidedly to the University of Chicago’s bid — and a public spat with a conservation group over the elite school’s proposal to build on city park property.
Aiming to counter the vocal opposition from park advocates, the Barack Obama Foundation earlier this month enlisted a prominent Democratic pollster who worked on both of Obama’s presidential campaigns. Cornell Belcher of the polling firm Brilliant Corners surveyed more than 600 Chicagoans on the South Side to gauge their opinion on the library and the use of park land, said the individuals, who weren’t authorized to discuss the poll publicly and requested anonymity.
Now they are going to try and $ell you on the idea of having his library legacy there.
There were no indications the Obama foundation polled in the other three communities being considered, driving further speculation that the competition is a done deal for the University of Chicago, where the first lady worked and the president once taught law.
In late December, the Obama foundation let it be known publicly that it had serious concerns about the University of Chicago’s bid — in particular, the school’s failure to prove it could secure the Chicago Park District land on which it was proposing to build.
That set off a scramble by university officials and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and earlier this month, the park district’s board voted unanimously to transfer 20 acres to the city, to be leased to the foundation if the University of Chicago gets the library.
Obama’s foundation said the move had improved Chicago’s bid, in yet another indication that the University of Chicago was on track to win the library.
However, a small but outspoken group of opponents, led by the nonprofit Friends of the Parks, has continued to argue that officials have yet to prove the Obama legacy project is worth the land-grab from city park-goers.
Why not? That's all his health program is, except there it is a ca$h grab.
Individuals familiar with the survey said it showed that appeals to Chicago’s pride for Obama and desire to be a part of his legacy were particularly compelling. Arguing that the library would improve young people’s quality of life by driving economic growth was also effective, the poll found.
So it wasn't so much a poll as it was a propaganda effort to find out to what buzzwords you stooped Chicagoans would respond.
I'm surprised they didn't hire Frank Luntz.
--more--"
FLASHBACK:
"Alternatives for Obama library offer test of ideals" by Josh Lederman, Associated Press January 02, 2015
HONOLULU — President Obama has preached economic opportunity and equal access to education as cornerstones of the legacy he wants to leave. But in the contest to host his presidential library this week, the Obama foundation let it be known that it was displeased with Chicago’s proposals — still, the blunt warning through the media appeared designed mainly to light a fire under the University of Chicago to fill holes in its proposal.
At the University of Illinois Chicago, student trustee Danielle Leibowitz said, ‘‘If he wants to be consistent with the message he’s given throughout his presidency, it really only makes sense to give it to us. To suddenly hand over your legacy to a private institution seems rather hypocritical.’’
--more--"
Hone$tly, what el$e is new with this admini$tration?
Also see: Undercover 'Chicago P.D.' Job Gone Wrong
That came from Comcast and NBC News -- but at least they are not O'Reilly and Fox, right?
Only giving "us" what we want, right?
Monumental Post
"Obama to designate 3 national monuments" Associated Press February 19, 2015
WASHINGTON — President Obama is designating three places as national monuments for protection as historic or ecologically significant sites, including the Pullman neighborhood in Chicago where African-American railroad workers won a historic labor pact.
The White House said Obama will be in his hometown Thursday to announce the Pullman National Monument. The South Side neighborhood was built by industrialist George Pullman in the 19th century for workers to build luxurious railroad sleeping cars. The neighborhood was crucial in the African-American labor movement.
Obama also is expected to announce designation of Honouliuli National Monument in Hawaii, the site of an internment camp where Japanese-American citizens and prisoners of war were held during World War II; as well as Browns Canyon National Monument in Colorado, a 21,000-acre site along the Arkansas River popular for whitewater rafting.
And one day a president will designate U.S. government torture centers.
The White House said the three monuments ‘‘help tell the story of significant events in American history and protect unique natural resources for the benefit of all Americans.’’
The sites bring to 16 the number of monuments Obama has created under the 1906 Antiquities Act, which grants presidents broad authority to protect historic or ecologically significant sites without congressional approval.
Some Republicans have complained that Obama has abused his authority, and they renewed their complaints over the new designations, especially the Colorado site, the largest in size by far among the three new monuments.
Designating Browns Canyon as a national monument could have a devastating effect on grazing rights and water rights in the area, said Representative Doug Lamborn, Republican of Colorado.
--more--"
Smells like Agenda 21 to me.
Related: Surveyors determine new height for Washington Monument
Cutting him down to size, are they?
WASHINGTON — President Obama is designating three places as national monuments for protection as historic or ecologically significant sites, including the Pullman neighborhood in Chicago where African-American railroad workers won a historic labor pact.
The White House said Obama will be in his hometown Thursday to announce the Pullman National Monument. The South Side neighborhood was built by industrialist George Pullman in the 19th century for workers to build luxurious railroad sleeping cars. The neighborhood was crucial in the African-American labor movement.
Obama also is expected to announce designation of Honouliuli National Monument in Hawaii, the site of an internment camp where Japanese-American citizens and prisoners of war were held during World War II; as well as Browns Canyon National Monument in Colorado, a 21,000-acre site along the Arkansas River popular for whitewater rafting.
And one day a president will designate U.S. government torture centers.
The White House said the three monuments ‘‘help tell the story of significant events in American history and protect unique natural resources for the benefit of all Americans.’’
The sites bring to 16 the number of monuments Obama has created under the 1906 Antiquities Act, which grants presidents broad authority to protect historic or ecologically significant sites without congressional approval.
Some Republicans have complained that Obama has abused his authority, and they renewed their complaints over the new designations, especially the Colorado site, the largest in size by far among the three new monuments.
Designating Browns Canyon as a national monument could have a devastating effect on grazing rights and water rights in the area, said Representative Doug Lamborn, Republican of Colorado.
--more--"
Smells like Agenda 21 to me.
Related: Surveyors determine new height for Washington Monument
Cutting him down to size, are they?
Morning Munchies
These will get you started:
"Why you crave Twinkies after smoking marijuana" by Brady Dennis, Washington Post February 19, 2015
WASHINGTON — Researchers from Yale University believe they have deciphered the neurological mechanism that causes the ‘‘munchies,’’ that inexplicable urge to eat that has led generations of marijuana users to consume untold numbers of nachos, Twinkies, and Doritos.
That's all they eat? What gives with the stereotypes, WaPo?
Beyond merely figuring out the neurological mystery behind the munchies, Tamas Horvath, the study’s lead author and a Yale professor and neurobiologist, and other scientists are hoping that a clearer understanding of the appetite triggers in the brain could lead to an array of practical uses. For instance, it could lead to new medications, perhaps even a pill, to jump-start hunger in cancer patients who often lose their appetite during chemotherapy.
You can chew on the rest if you like. What is clear is they don't want you smoking it despite the medical marijuana evidence and testimony. Gotta turn it into a pill so some pharmaceutical can cash in instead.
--more--"
Can you guess what I'm thinking now or are you too stoned?
(Answer: I'm thinking now of all the hungry people across this nation on food stamps or starving and wonder how many of them are stoned and eating junk food)
Speaking of which:
"Global consumption of junk food rising" Associated Press February 20, 2015
LONDON — There may be more fruit, vegetables, and healthy options available than ever before, but the world is mostly hungry for junk food, according to a study of eating habits in nearly 190 countries. International researchers found that even though people are eating more healthful foods, there has been an even bigger jump in the amount of junk food eaten....
Must be the marketing -- or people are hungry for whatever they can get their hands on.
--more--"
I suppose the app that makes home delivery of beer and wine as easy as ordering a pizza isn't going to help. Just another Drizly in the Globe, I gue$$.
There is certainly one AmeriKan entity with a voracious appetite:
"Panel suggests tax on sugary sweets; Fighting obesity a priority; rules aid school lunches" by Alan Bjerga and Doni Bloomfield, Bloomberg News February 20, 2015
WASHINGTON — Americans should pay taxes on sugary sodas and snacks as a way to cut down on sweets, though they no longer need to worry about cholesterol, according to scientists helping to revamp dietary guidelines as US obesity levels surge.
Why would that be, and why believe a word government $cienti$ts say anymore?
So where are all the taxes on corporations and banks so they can cut down on obscene profits and pay?
Hello? But gotta have that carbon tax, gotta have that sugar tax, gotta have that health tax, gotta have that tax tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax. That's all this goddamn government (at all levels) knows to do.
The recommendations Thursday from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee also call for Americans to reduce meat consumption and to take sustainability into account when dining.
The panel released its report as the Obama administration seeks ways to fight obesity, which now affects more than one-third of American adults and 17 percent of children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
‘‘What we’re calling for in the report in terms of innovation and bold new action in health care, in public health, at the community level, is what it’s going to take to try to make a dent on the epidemic of obesity,’’ committee chairwoman Barbara Millen of Millennium Prevention in Westwood, Mass., said in a telephone interview.
Suggestions by the nonpartisan panel of academics and scientists help shape school lunch menus and the $6-billion-a-year Women, Infants, and Children program, which serves more than 8 million Americans buying groceries.
Yeah, how are those working out for you?
The recommendations were sent to the two agencies that later this year will issue the final guidelines that are used to create the government’s icon for healthy diets, currently a dinner plate, which replaced the widely used food pyramid.
About half of all US adults have one or more preventable chronic diseases relating to poor diets and physical inactivity such as hypertension, diabetes, and diet-related cancers, according to the government. More than two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of youth are overweight or obese.
In what would be the panel’s first target on ‘‘added sugars’’ from food processing. The recommendation comes after studies tied snacks and sugary beverages to high obesity rates.
With the most obese, of course, being the politicians preaching to you about health while their taxpayer-funded buffets are just fine, thank you.
Local governments have deemed sugars a public health threat.
Every time you turn around.... WhereTF is the FDA?
US obesity nearly tripled from the 1960s to 2010, as Americans consumed more sugar. Efforts to encourage better diets, from raising taxes on sodas to imposing limits on super-size beverages — backed by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP — have failed at ballot boxes and in courtrooms.
Still, Berkeley, Calif., voters overwhelmingly approved the nation’s first tax on sodas last year, an approach in which the panel finds promise. Soda taxes are worth exploring, potentially as a way to subsidize healthier foods, the panel said.
‘‘Higher sugar-sweetened beverage taxes may encourage consumers to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption,’’ according to the advisory panel.
And down goes the GNP!
‘‘Using the revenues from the higher sugar-sweetened beverage taxes for nutrition health promotion efforts or to subsidize fruits and vegetables could have public health benefits,’’ the panel said.
Doesn't and won't, but whatever gets you a bite of.... you gue$$ed it.... TAX!
--more--"
I'm thinking the government and the Globe need to get off the $ugar high, if you know what I mean.
Or at least only take a few packets:
"Boston man accused of breaking into Hyannis restaurant, making fake 911 calls" by Aneri Pattani, Globe Correspondent February 20, 2015
A Boston man was arrested on Cape Cod on charges that he broke into a restaurant early Friday and then made a false 911 call hoping to “lure officers away” as they searched for him, police said.
Kurry Sutton, 38, was arrested and accused of breaking into Friendly’s Restaurant on Iyannough Road in Hyannis, Barnstable police said in a statement.
Officers responded to an alarm that went off at the restaurant at 2:23 a.m. K-9 units helped locate Sutton, who was hiding in some bushes, police said.
During the search, police received a 911 call for a person shot in the area of Route 28 in Hyannis. Police said that Sutton made the call in an attempt to distract the officers searching for him.
Sutton faces numerous charges, including breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, unarmed robbery, larceny under $250, and misleading a police officer.
Officers found two other buildings in the area that had been broken into. They discovered that the back door to an apartment on Iyannough Road had been forced open while the residents were sleeping. The residents did not know anyone had entered, police said.
Another building on the street had been entered through a second-story office window, police said.
--more--"
Once again, the Globe plate has left me wanting.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to go grab some chow before taking a smoke:
"Accord reached in Fla. tobacco lawsuit; $100m set to be distributed among plaintiffs" by Curt AndersonAssociated Press February 26, 2015
MIAMI — A $100 million settlement has been reached among three major tobacco companies and hundreds of people who sued them for smoking-related deaths and illnesses in Florida federal court.
The lawsuits stemmed from a 2006 Florida Supreme Court decision, known as Engle v. Liggett Group, which threw out a $145 billion class-action verdict against cigarette makers.
That decision let stand findings that the companies knowingly sold dangerous products and hid smoking hazards, meaning future juries could consider that as proven fact.
Yes, conspiracies and cover-ups do in fact exist.
But the ruling also required smokers and their families to pursue individual wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits based on cigarette use.
The settlement Wednesday, which requires final approval from a federal judge, would end the federal cases that would have taken years had they gone to trial.
‘‘Whenever people are suffering, we always welcome serious, fair offers that may more quickly resolve their claims and help them move on with their lives as best they can,’’ said Joe Rice, cofounder of the South Carolina-based Motley Rice law firm and a chief negotiator for the plaintiffs....
(cough)
--more--"
Wait until the weed lawsuits start growing.
"Why you crave Twinkies after smoking marijuana" by Brady Dennis, Washington Post February 19, 2015
WASHINGTON — Researchers from Yale University believe they have deciphered the neurological mechanism that causes the ‘‘munchies,’’ that inexplicable urge to eat that has led generations of marijuana users to consume untold numbers of nachos, Twinkies, and Doritos.
That's all they eat? What gives with the stereotypes, WaPo?
Beyond merely figuring out the neurological mystery behind the munchies, Tamas Horvath, the study’s lead author and a Yale professor and neurobiologist, and other scientists are hoping that a clearer understanding of the appetite triggers in the brain could lead to an array of practical uses. For instance, it could lead to new medications, perhaps even a pill, to jump-start hunger in cancer patients who often lose their appetite during chemotherapy.
You can chew on the rest if you like. What is clear is they don't want you smoking it despite the medical marijuana evidence and testimony. Gotta turn it into a pill so some pharmaceutical can cash in instead.
--more--"
Can you guess what I'm thinking now or are you too stoned?
(Answer: I'm thinking now of all the hungry people across this nation on food stamps or starving and wonder how many of them are stoned and eating junk food)
Speaking of which:
"Global consumption of junk food rising" Associated Press February 20, 2015
LONDON — There may be more fruit, vegetables, and healthy options available than ever before, but the world is mostly hungry for junk food, according to a study of eating habits in nearly 190 countries. International researchers found that even though people are eating more healthful foods, there has been an even bigger jump in the amount of junk food eaten....
Must be the marketing -- or people are hungry for whatever they can get their hands on.
--more--"
I suppose the app that makes home delivery of beer and wine as easy as ordering a pizza isn't going to help. Just another Drizly in the Globe, I gue$$.
There is certainly one AmeriKan entity with a voracious appetite:
"Panel suggests tax on sugary sweets; Fighting obesity a priority; rules aid school lunches" by Alan Bjerga and Doni Bloomfield, Bloomberg News February 20, 2015
WASHINGTON — Americans should pay taxes on sugary sodas and snacks as a way to cut down on sweets, though they no longer need to worry about cholesterol, according to scientists helping to revamp dietary guidelines as US obesity levels surge.
Why would that be, and why believe a word government $cienti$ts say anymore?
So where are all the taxes on corporations and banks so they can cut down on obscene profits and pay?
Hello? But gotta have that carbon tax, gotta have that sugar tax, gotta have that health tax, gotta have that tax tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax. That's all this goddamn government (at all levels) knows to do.
The recommendations Thursday from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee also call for Americans to reduce meat consumption and to take sustainability into account when dining.
The panel released its report as the Obama administration seeks ways to fight obesity, which now affects more than one-third of American adults and 17 percent of children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
‘‘What we’re calling for in the report in terms of innovation and bold new action in health care, in public health, at the community level, is what it’s going to take to try to make a dent on the epidemic of obesity,’’ committee chairwoman Barbara Millen of Millennium Prevention in Westwood, Mass., said in a telephone interview.
Suggestions by the nonpartisan panel of academics and scientists help shape school lunch menus and the $6-billion-a-year Women, Infants, and Children program, which serves more than 8 million Americans buying groceries.
Yeah, how are those working out for you?
The recommendations were sent to the two agencies that later this year will issue the final guidelines that are used to create the government’s icon for healthy diets, currently a dinner plate, which replaced the widely used food pyramid.
About half of all US adults have one or more preventable chronic diseases relating to poor diets and physical inactivity such as hypertension, diabetes, and diet-related cancers, according to the government. More than two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of youth are overweight or obese.
In what would be the panel’s first target on ‘‘added sugars’’ from food processing. The recommendation comes after studies tied snacks and sugary beverages to high obesity rates.
With the most obese, of course, being the politicians preaching to you about health while their taxpayer-funded buffets are just fine, thank you.
Local governments have deemed sugars a public health threat.
Every time you turn around.... WhereTF is the FDA?
US obesity nearly tripled from the 1960s to 2010, as Americans consumed more sugar. Efforts to encourage better diets, from raising taxes on sodas to imposing limits on super-size beverages — backed by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP — have failed at ballot boxes and in courtrooms.
Still, Berkeley, Calif., voters overwhelmingly approved the nation’s first tax on sodas last year, an approach in which the panel finds promise. Soda taxes are worth exploring, potentially as a way to subsidize healthier foods, the panel said.
‘‘Higher sugar-sweetened beverage taxes may encourage consumers to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption,’’ according to the advisory panel.
And down goes the GNP!
‘‘Using the revenues from the higher sugar-sweetened beverage taxes for nutrition health promotion efforts or to subsidize fruits and vegetables could have public health benefits,’’ the panel said.
Doesn't and won't, but whatever gets you a bite of.... you gue$$ed it.... TAX!
--more--"
I'm thinking the government and the Globe need to get off the $ugar high, if you know what I mean.
Or at least only take a few packets:
"Boston man accused of breaking into Hyannis restaurant, making fake 911 calls" by Aneri Pattani, Globe Correspondent February 20, 2015
A Boston man was arrested on Cape Cod on charges that he broke into a restaurant early Friday and then made a false 911 call hoping to “lure officers away” as they searched for him, police said.
Kurry Sutton, 38, was arrested and accused of breaking into Friendly’s Restaurant on Iyannough Road in Hyannis, Barnstable police said in a statement.
Officers responded to an alarm that went off at the restaurant at 2:23 a.m. K-9 units helped locate Sutton, who was hiding in some bushes, police said.
During the search, police received a 911 call for a person shot in the area of Route 28 in Hyannis. Police said that Sutton made the call in an attempt to distract the officers searching for him.
Sutton faces numerous charges, including breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, unarmed robbery, larceny under $250, and misleading a police officer.
Officers found two other buildings in the area that had been broken into. They discovered that the back door to an apartment on Iyannough Road had been forced open while the residents were sleeping. The residents did not know anyone had entered, police said.
Another building on the street had been entered through a second-story office window, police said.
--more--"
Once again, the Globe plate has left me wanting.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to go grab some chow before taking a smoke:
"Accord reached in Fla. tobacco lawsuit; $100m set to be distributed among plaintiffs" by Curt AndersonAssociated Press February 26, 2015
MIAMI — A $100 million settlement has been reached among three major tobacco companies and hundreds of people who sued them for smoking-related deaths and illnesses in Florida federal court.
The lawsuits stemmed from a 2006 Florida Supreme Court decision, known as Engle v. Liggett Group, which threw out a $145 billion class-action verdict against cigarette makers.
That decision let stand findings that the companies knowingly sold dangerous products and hid smoking hazards, meaning future juries could consider that as proven fact.
Yes, conspiracies and cover-ups do in fact exist.
But the ruling also required smokers and their families to pursue individual wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits based on cigarette use.
The settlement Wednesday, which requires final approval from a federal judge, would end the federal cases that would have taken years had they gone to trial.
‘‘Whenever people are suffering, we always welcome serious, fair offers that may more quickly resolve their claims and help them move on with their lives as best they can,’’ said Joe Rice, cofounder of the South Carolina-based Motley Rice law firm and a chief negotiator for the plaintiffs....
(cough)
--more--"
Wait until the weed lawsuits start growing.
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