September 22, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/turing-pharmaceuticals-ceo-martin-shkreli-defends-5000-percent-price-hike-on-daraprim-drug/

CEO: 5,000-percent drug price hike "not excessive at all"
CBS NEWS
September 22, 2015


When Turing Pharmaceuticals bought the 62-year-old drug called Daraprim in August, the company immediately raised the price of one pill from $13.50 to $750. The increase drew protests in the medical community from those concerned that many patients will no longer be able to afford the drug. According to Turing CEO Martin Shkreli, however, the move is simply a smart business decision.

"Why was it necessary to raise the price of Daraprim so drastically?" CBS News correspondent Don Dahler asked Shkreli.

"Well, it depends on how you define so drastically. Because the drug was unprofitable at the former price, so any company selling it would be losing money. And at this price it's a reasonable profit. Not excessive at all," Shkreli responded.

Daraprim was developed in 1953 as a treatment for toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by a parasite. It comes from eating under-cooked meat or drinking contaminated water, and affects those with compromised immune systems, like AIDS and cancer patients.

When Turing Pharmaceuticals raised the price of Daraprim to $750 per tablet, the average cost of treatment for patients rose from about $1,130 to $63,000. For certain patients, the cost can go as high as $634,000.

While Shkreli acknowledged that the move might look "greedy," he said there are "a lot of altruistic properties to it."

"This is a disease where there hasn't been one pharmaceutical company focused on it for 70 years. We're now a company that is dedicated to the treatment and cure of toxoplasmosis. And with these new profits we can spend all of that upside on these patients who sorely need a new drug, in my opinion," he added.

Oncologist and CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus disagreed.

"Patients shouldn't be taxed and charged for future research and development. Patients should pay for the drug they're getting and what they need in the situation that they are" Agus said.

"It's predatory practice and it's inappropriate," he added.

The topic entered the political debate on Monday, with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeting: "Price gouging like this in the specialty drug market is outrageous."

Her rival Bernie Sanders sent a letter to Shkreli demanding information on the price increase and called the rate hike "...the latest in a long list of skyrocketing price increases for certain critical medications."

Sanders and Congressman Elijah Cummings have been investigating drugs that have seen jumps in prices.

"Right now it's out of control, and so we as a country, as a government, as individuals, as doctors all have to get together and say, we need to make pricing appropriate," Agus said.

But according to Shkreli, the new cost of Daraprim is appropriate.

"There's no doubt, I'm a capitalist. I'm trying to create a big drug company, a successful drug company, a profitable drug company," he said. "We're trying to flourish, but we're also -- our first and primary stakeholders are patients, there's no doubt about that."

Hillary Clinton says she will lay out a plan Tuesday about how to take on what she calls price gouging in the specialty drug market. The increased scrutiny on this practice has already led Rodelis Therapeutics that sells tuberculosis drug Cycloserine to rescind a major price hike enacted just last month.




"Why was it necessary to raise the price of Daraprim so drastically?" CBS News correspondent Don Dahler asked Shkreli. "Well, it depends on how you define so drastically. Because the drug was unprofitable at the former price, so any company selling it would be losing money. And at this price it's a reasonable profit. Not excessive at all," Shkreli responded. …. When Turing Pharmaceuticals raised the price of Daraprim to $750 per tablet, the average cost of treatment for patients rose from about $1,130 to $63,000. For certain patients, the cost can go as high as $634,000. While Shkreli acknowledged that the move might look "greedy," he said there are "a lot of altruistic properties to it." "This is a disease where there hasn't been one pharmaceutical company focused on it for 70 years. We're now a company that is dedicated to the treatment and cure of toxoplasmosis. …. Oncologist and CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus disagreed. "Patients shouldn't be taxed and charged for future research and development. Patients should pay for the drug they're getting and what they need in the situation that they are" Agus said. "It's predatory practice and it's inappropriate," he added. …. Sanders and Congressman Elijah Cummings have been investigating drugs that have seen jumps in prices. "Right now it's out of control, and so we as a country, as a government, as individuals, as doctors all have to get together and say, we need to make pricing appropriate," Agus said.”

“Hillary Clinton says she will lay out a plan Tuesday about how to take on what she calls price gouging in the specialty drug market. The increased scrutiny on this practice has already led Rodelis Therapeutics that sells tuberculosis drug Cycloserine to rescind a major price hike enacted just last month.” Thank you Sen. Sanders and Hillary Clinton. It is clear that if someone with a lot of swat puts up a fight, a drug company CAN drop its prices and survive. This article shows not only the high cost of a necessary item for simple, humble folks in this country who don’t really have much “discretionary spending” available. I know some poor people do spend money on street drugs or gambling rather than being frugal, and they certainly shouldn’t, but that’s no reason for businessmen to gouge the prices like this.

It also illustrates how “Capitalists” think. “Because the drug was unprofitable at the former price, so any company selling it would be losing money. And at this price it's a reasonable profit. Not excessive at all," Shkreli responded.” This worship of “the almighty dollar” is frightening, and we need to curb those practices, especially on health needs. Unregulated capitalism is not “good for the economy” or for our country. Civilized nations take care of their people when that is needed, and the idea that businesses will operate in a “principled” manner without being forced to is not based in fact. That’s just as important a role of government as is the federal funding of our “national security,” especially when so many of our foreign policy decisions have turned out to be disasters. Removing Saddam Hussein from power wasn’t a miracle cure for our national security, because the radical Islamic groups came in and took over. What we have now is ISIS. Are we better off?

A few months ago there was an article about “forced changes” of prescribed medication that occur when a pharmaceutical company decides to make an “improved” product – not necessarily very much improved either – and arbitrarily takes the older form of the drug completely off the market. That doesn’t always involve research costs either, because it is often only a change of dosage. What it really is, is a pretext for raising the price, and it is legal. It’s a “loophole.” We need some strong laws on the books to prevent drug companies from doing these things. Our physical health is not an unnecessary or luxurious thing that we could easily just “do without” if we can’t afford the cost.

The insurance companies are also involved in this. My doctor recently prescribed a type of stomach medication called Prilosec that works by a new – and very “popular” way. It stops the stomach from producing ANY acid. It made me instantly nauseous and I was vomiting. I went off it after three days and asked for an old style drug called Zantac. It turns out that my insurance company had removed Zantac from the list of meds that it will pay for because of one of these “forced changes.” I called them and complained vociferously, and they told me that the doctor had to use the generic name and a higher dosage in order for them to pay for it. We finally got it adjusted between us all, and the doctor changed his prescription instructions. That was a close call for me because I have chronic stomach problems.





POLITICS AND THE POPE – THREE ARTICLES


http://www.cbsnews.com/media/a-primer-on-pope-francis-politics/

A primer on Pope Francis' politics
STEPHANIE CONDON CBS NEWS
September 22, 2015

Photograph -- The U.S. flag flies in front of a mural of Pope Francis on the side of a building in midtown Manhattan on August 28, 2015. BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS
Play VIDEO -- Scott Pelley meets Pope Francis
Play VIDEO -- Obama: Pope Francis has power to "shake people's conscience"


When CBS News' Scott Pelley asked Pope Francis whether he plans to address issues like immigration in America this week, the pope answered, "I shall talk about what the Holy Spirit shall inspire me to say."

While the pope's visit is first and foremost a spiritual one, his words and actions this week will surely have some political influence. The pope is, after all, the head of a sovereign state (albeit a small one) and will be the first pope ever to address the U.S. Congress. And as head of the Catholic Church, the pope stakes out the church's positions on issues morality collides with public policy -- that covers everything from abortion and marriage to climate change and poverty.

Some liberals have praised this pope for taking the church's focus off of issues like marriage and abortion. Conservatives, meanwhile, are mindful that a shift in tone and focus doesn't mean the pope is changing church dogma.

With that in mind, here's a refresher on what Pope Francis has said on some key political issues:

Abortion

Pope Francis made headlines earlier this month when he announced that, for a temporary period starting later this year, it will be easier for women to receive absolution for the sin of abortion.

Specifically, under the pope's decree, any priest can absolve a woman for the sin of abortion from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016, during what's known as the Jubilee year of Mercy. Francis wrote in a letter to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, head of Jubilee initiatives, "I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal."

The decree aligns with Francis' remarks early in his papacy that the church needs to "to find a new balance" that puts less focus on issues like marriage and abortion, or risk driving the faithful away.

Even so, Roman Catholic canon law still considers abortion a "reserved sin." That means that having an abortion results in automatic excommunication -- banning a person from all Catholic sacraments. Under normal circumstances, only bishops are allowed to absolve a woman for the sin of abortion.

And while Francis is sympathetic to the moral questions women face about abortion, he has still spoken out critically about it. Last year, he called sanctioned abortion evidence of a "throwaway culture" that poses a threat to world peace.

Marriage, sexuality

In keeping with his promise to take the church's focus off of issues like sexuality and abortion, Pope Francis in 2013 told reporters that "you can't marginalize" people because of their sexual orientation. "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" he said.

The pope has reiterated that point of view -- but he hasn't backed away from the Catholic Church's teachings about marriage. In January of this year, he told a crowd in the Philippines that the traditional family was being "threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage." A Vatican spokesman confirmed the pope's words did refer, at least in part, to gay marriage advocacy. Meanwhile, in May, the Vatican called the Irish public's vote legalizing same-sex marriage "a defeat for humanity."

Pope Francis has also weighed in on the unions of heterosexual couples. Earlier this month, he announced changes to the Catholic marriage annulment process, making it faster, easier and less expensive. "People who started a new union after the defeat of their sacramental marriage are not at all excommunicated, and they absolutely must not be treated that way," Francis said a month prior.

Climate change

Earlier this year, Pope Francis issued a 184-page encyclical -- the most authoritative teaching document the pope can issue -- on climate change. While past popes have stressed the importance of environmental stewardship, Francis' focus on the subject is unprecedented -- which is perhaps to be expected from a pope who took his name from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment.

The encyclical was decidedly political. It declared that global warming is "mostly" due to human activity and the burning of fossil fuels, and that it is a problem that disproportionately impacts the poor. Francis blamed the problem on a "structurally perverse" economic system where the rich exploit the poor, turning Earth into an "immense pile of filth."

Catholic Republican congressman will boycott Pope Francis' address. “It is not enough to balance, in the medium term, the protection of nature with financial gain, or the preservation of the environment with progress," he wrote. "Halfway measures simply delay the inevitable disaster. Put simply, it is a matter of redefining our notion of progress."

The pope isn't just talking about climate change but also actively working to mobilize local leaders on the issue. After Francis issued the encyclical, the Vatican held a two-day conference on the climate change, bringing about 60 mayors from around the world to Vatican City to discuss ways to address the problem.

Francis has clearly irked some conservatives, who say the pope's encyclical is too political. At least one conservative congressman, Rep. Paul Gosar, is boycotting Pope Francis' historic address before a joint session of Congress on Thursday because of the pope's stance on climate change. The pope also plans to address climate change at the United Nations when he's in New York on Friday.

Poverty, income inequality

Pope Francis has made it quite clear that he believes capitalist systems keep poor nations and people under the thumb of the rich. In his climate change encyclical, he slammed the "structurally perverse" economic systems that let the rich exploit the poor.

In a speech in Bolivia in July, Francis warned that "colonialism, both old and new... reduces poor countries to mere providers of raw material and cheap labor, engenders violence, poverty, forced migrations and all the evils which go hand in hand with these." He added that "new colonialism" is a threat that takes many forms: "At times it appears as the anonymous influence of mammon: corporations, loan agencies, certain 'free trade' treaties, and the imposition of measures of 'austerity' which always tighten the belt of workers and the poor," he said, according to a transcript from the Vatican.

In 2013, he told Vatican ambassadors that growing income inequality is leading to "a new, invisible and at times virtual, tyranny.

Rejecting the trappings of consumerism, Francis has appealed to people to live simply and does so himself. Rather than live in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope, Francis has opted to live in the more modest Vatican hotel. He also takes time to meet with the poor. After he addresses Congress on Thursday, Pope Francis plans to meet with a group of homeless people in Washington, D.C.

Immigration

Pope Francis has repeatedly stressed the plight of migrants, including those crossing over the U.S.-Mexico border.

Earlier this year, Francis responded to a group of Arizona high school students, who wrote to him about the immigrants they assist at the southern border. In his letter back to the students, the pope thanked them for sharing the story of those "who live daily the immigration phenomenon that generates all sorts of inhumane consequences."

Immigration will be a key focal point in the pope's tour of the U.S. On Friday, he'll meet with immigrant families at a school in New York City. On Saturday, he'll deliver a major speech focusing largely on immigration in Philadelphia. To ensure there is a diverse audience, tickets are being distributed to Philadelphia parishes with large immigrant communities.


Meanwhile, in his address to Congress on Thursday, a senior Vatican official told CBS News' Anna Matranga, the pope "will talk about the vision of the pioneers who created the new nation of the United States, principles like religious freedom and open arms to immigrants. He will definitely encourage being open to immigrants."

Pope Francis has also urged Europeans to "renew their praiseworthy commitment of solidarity" toward migrants.




“The pope isn't just talking about climate change but also actively working to mobilize local leaders on the issue. After Francis issued the encyclical, the Vatican held a two-day conference on the climate change, bringing about 60 mayors from around the world to Vatican City to discuss ways to address the problem. Francis has clearly irked some conservatives, who say the pope's encyclical is too political. At least one conservative congressman, Rep. Paul Gosar, is boycotting Pope Francis' historic address before a joint session of Congress on Thursday because of the pope's stance on climate change. The pope also plans to address climate change at the United Nations when he's in New York on Friday.” …. In a speech in Bolivia in July, Francis warned that "colonialism, both old and new... reduces poor countries to mere providers of raw material and cheap labor, engenders violence, poverty, forced migrations and all the evils which go hand in hand with these." …. Rejecting the trappings of consumerism, Francis has appealed to people to live simply and does so himself. Rather than live in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope, Francis has opted to live in the more modest Vatican hotel. He also takes time to meet with the poor. After he addresses Congress on Thursday, Pope Francis plans to meet with a group of homeless people in Washington, D.C.”

This pope is probably aware that there are people in the US and other places who would willingly try to assassinate him over his political and social beliefs. A Congressman is boycotting his speech to the legislature because in talking about climate change he is being “too political.” I do hope that no such attack on the Pope happens, and that he can continue to speak out on these issues until the citizenry rejects this “new colonialism,” extreme income and social inequality, and proceeds to follow his recommendation that we live more “simply.” It is a fact that every adult and child in the US do not NEED a new “smart phone” every year, a million dollar house, and on and on.

It is also a fact that spending time in learning, contemplation, or simply a quiet walk in a natural setting will take up the time that we might otherwise have spent on shopping just for fun, endlessly playing video games that are often violent, and destructive pastimes such as gambling. The popularity of dog fighting, often among the poor, appalls me; it is expensive because they always gamble on the dogs, and it totally destroys that peaceful and gentle turn of mind that a walk in the woods would bring. If we were to “live simply,” we would have more money for our real needs and would have better mental and physical health. We have become a very shallow and selfish people. I’m sorry that “conservative” politicians are against the Pope. He is saying what needs to be said, and truly cares about people. I approve of him highly.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/catholic-republican-congressman-will-boycott-pope-francis-address/

Catholic Republican congressman will boycott Pope Francis' address
By/ Stephanie Condon/ CBS News
September 18, 2015

Photograph -- Pope Francis gestures to journalists during a press conference on July 13, 2015, onboard a plane on his way back to Rome from Paraguay, the final stop of his South America tour.
/ VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images
Play Video -- Cardinal Dolan: "Pope Francis is a champion in speaking the truth with love"


Rep. Paul Gosar, a Republican congressman from Arizona who describes himself as a "proud Catholic," is boycotting Pope Francis' historic address before a joint session of Congress next week.

"If the Pope plans to spend the majority of his time advocating for flawed climate change policies, then I will not attend," Gosar wrote in an op-ed on the conservative website Town Hall. "When the Pope chooses to act and talk like a leftist politician, then he can expect to be treated like one.

It's unclear what the pope will talk about when he speaks on Capitol Hill on Thursday, making him the first pope ever to formally address the U.S. Congress. Francis, however, has put unprecedented emphasis on environmental matters. Earlier this year, he issued a 184-page encyclical -- the most authoritative teaching document the pope can issue -- on climate change.

In his op-ed Gosar dismisses climate change concerns, noting the climate has been changing "since first created in Genesis."

"To promote questionable science as Catholic dogma is ridiculous," he wrote of the pope's encyclical.

The congressman said the pope should instead focus on issues like "the persecution and execution of Christians and religious minorities... the heinous and senseless murders committed by ISIS and other terrorist organizations... [and] the condoned, subsidized, intentionally planned genocide of unborn children by Planned Parenthood and society."

Pope Francis has condemned the persecution of Christians, as well as abortion, so it's possible he could address these and other issues on Thursday.

It's unclear whether other conservatives will follow Gosar's lead and boycott the pope's appearance.

However, a handful of Republicans are in fact following the pope's lead and promising better stewardship of the environment. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-New York, announced Thursday that he and 10 other Republicans are introducing a resolution calling for better environmental stewardship through "economically viable, and broadly supported private and public solutions to study and address the causes and effects of measured changes to our global and regional climates."

Gibson, who is Catholic, noted in a press release that the resolution aligns with Pope Francis' visit. Gibson and his 10 colleagues, the release said, worked with faith-based leaders, as well as environmental, business, national security and community leaders, to develop their resolution.




"If the Pope plans to spend the majority of his time advocating for flawed climate change policies, then I will not attend," Gosar wrote in an op-ed on the conservative website Town Hall. "When the Pope chooses to act and talk like a leftist politician, then he can expect to be treated like one. …. However, a handful of Republicans are in fact following the pope's lead and promising better stewardship of the environment. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-New York, announced Thursday that he and 10 other Republicans are introducing a resolution calling for better environmental stewardship through "economically viable, and broadly supported private and public solutions to study and address the causes and effects of measured changes to our global and regional climates."

This may be a subtle sign that moderate Republicans are becoming less afraid to speak up for intelligent and ethical causes even if the Koch brothers don’t like it. See the following article on Chris Gibson and the others.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chris-gibson-climate-change_55f9cc33e4b08820d9171aa3

This Republican Wants To Restore Some Sanity In His Party On Climate Change
Rep. Chris Gibson is circulating a resolution calling for action.
Kate Sheppard
Posted: 09/16/2015
Edited: 09/17/2015

Photograph -- Mike Groll/Associated Press -- Rep. Chris Gibson and other House Republicans are calling for action on climate change.


WASHINGTON -- An insurgent group of House Republicans is pushing for action on climate change.

Rep. Chris Gibson (N.Y.) is leading the effort on a resolution calling for attention to be paid to climate change and released the measure Thursday. National Journal reported earlier this week that the resolution was forthcoming.

"This is a call for ac­tion to study how hu­mans are im­pact­ing our en­vir­on­ment and to look for con­sensus on areas where we can take ac­tion to mit­ig­ate the risks and bal­ance our im­pacts," Gib­son told the magazine.

"[I]f left unaddressed, the consequences of a changing climate have the potential to adversely impact all Americans," the resolution states, "hitting vulnerable populations hardest, harming productivity in key economic sectors such as construction, agriculture, and tourism, saddling future generations with costly economic and environmental burdens, and imposing additional costs on State and Federal budgets that will further add to the long-term fiscal challenges that we face as a Nation."

If passed, it would commit the House to "working constructively" to "create and support economically viable, and broadly supported private and public solutions" to climate change.

So far, 10 other House Republicans have joined him: Ry­an Cos­tello (Pa.), Car­los Cur­belo (Fla.), Robert Dold (Ill.), Mike Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Richard Hanna (N.Y.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), Pat Mee­han (Pa.), Dave Reich­ert (Wash.), Ileana Ros-Le­htin­en (Fla.) and Elise Stefanik (N.Y.).

"As an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster for many years," Dold said, "I know firsthand why we must all work to strengthen conservation programs and other policies that promote public health, protect our environment and keep our air clean. Climate change is occurring and human contributions to this change are important to acknowledge and understand. Protecting the environment is not a partisan issue, which is why we must work together to find a sensible path forward that improves our planet for future generations."

Gibson is seeking more Republican support for the measure.

The resolution comes ahead of Pope Francis' address to Congress next week, where he is expected to touch on climate change, and his recent encyclical on the environment. Gibson, a third-term congressman, is Catholic. He has been working to get his colleagues to acknowledge climate change for some time.

"I still think we can bring for­ward con­ser­vat­ive solu­tions to this, ab­so­lutely, but we have to re­cog­nize the real­ity," Gibson told National Journal last year.

Republican leaders in the House have been generally hostile to even acknowledging climate change and have worked to undermine the Obama administration's efforts to address it.

This post has been updated to include portions of the resolution, a statement from Rep. Robert Dold and a mention of Rep. Frank LoBiondo.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-will-have-6000-additional-guardian-angels-nypd-commissioner-bill-bratton-says/

NYPD chief: Pope will "have 6,000 additional guardian angels"
CBS NEWS
September 22, 2015

Play VIDEO -- Historic security precautions to surround Pope Francis in U.S.


The New York Police Department is facing an unprecedented security challenge starting Thursday, as Pope Francis visits New York City at the same time as 170 other world leaders.

New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told "CBS This Morning" Tuesday that there are no known threats against Francis but said his force would be prepared to assist the pope's own security detail.

"He's gonna have 6,000 additional guardian angels around him," Bratton said. "But I'm assuming he's bringing a few of his own so we'll take all the help we can get."

Bratton said that the NYPD was coordinating with officials in Philadelphia and Washington, the two other stops on the pope's U.S. tour, in order to create a "seamless operation between the three cities."

While there are no credible threats against the pope, last week, Pennsylvania police warned of people impersonating officers to carry out an attack. And last month a 15-year-old in New Jersey was arrested, who investigators say may have been communicating with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as part of a plan to build a bomb and carry out an attack against a visiting diplomat or the pope.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said that officials in New York, Philadelphia and Washington have reviewed the "threat picture" from ISIS, al Qaeda and other terror groups. He said they have even reviewed every attempt on every pope's life going back to the late 1970s.

"We wanted to remind everybody on these details in all three cities about the way these things have happened in the past, the different ways they've been put together and when you look at," Miller said.

Miller said that one of the biggest challenges for intelligence officials is that terror threats are now Internet-driven.

"In terms of the threat picture and that means if the conspiracy is just between a glowing laptop screen in someone's dark bedroom and their mind, that's very difficult to penetrate from an intelligence standpoint," Miller said.

Bratton said that despite the security challenges, the three cities' police forces are "tightly coordinated" with the FBI and Secret Service to provide security for Francis.

"It's a celebratory event for everybody else," Bratton said. "For us, this is a security event, one of the highest level."




“The New York Police Department is facing an unprecedented security challenge starting Thursday, as Pope Francis visits New York City at the same time as 170 other world leaders. New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told "CBS This Morning" Tuesday that there are no known threats against Francis but said his force would be prepared to assist the pope's own security detail. "He's gonna have 6,000 additional guardian angels around him," Bratton said. "But I'm assuming he's bringing a few of his own so we'll take all the help we can get." …. While there are no credible threats against the pope, last week, Pennsylvania police warned of people impersonating officers to carry out an attack. And last month a 15-year-old in New Jersey was arrested, who investigators say may have been communicating with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as part of a plan to build a bomb and carry out an attack against a visiting diplomat or the pope. …. "In terms of the threat picture and that means if the conspiracy is just between a glowing laptop screen in someone's dark bedroom and their mind, that's very difficult to penetrate from an intelligence standpoint," Miller said. Bratton said that despite the security challenges, the three cities' police forces are "tightly coordinated" with the FBI and Secret Service to provide security for Francis. "It's a celebratory event for everybody else," Bratton said. "For us, this is a security event, one of the highest level."

“Between a glowing laptop screen in someone’s dark bedroom and their mind” would make a great title for a thriller. This is the problem with catching such a person before he kills. People who are deluded, obsessed and otherwise disturbed may look “blank” or even happy rather than angry. The thoughts they harbor don’t occur to many normal people or “make sense,” so their behavior and expressed “reason” for why they killed all five of their children in the bathtub is too bizarre to predict or interpret, even if they do express it, and so often they don’t say anything. They are silent and withdrawn. This precise kind of person can become completely involved with something like killing the Pope, either because they hate Catholics, as a certain minority of Protestants do, have joined a hate group which encourages violence, perhaps they hate authority figures, or maybe they were molested by a priest as a child. In the case above a suspect who was under the influence of ISIS was plotting to kill a high profile figure such as Francis. I do hope that between the FBI, Secret Service and the police departments involved in this visit, his stay here will be happy rather than tragic. In fact, it probably will be. He is generally very well-like by people. He is such a warm person that he attracts most everyone.





http://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-seeks-unlikely-ally-u-043700867.html

China seeks out unlikely ally: U.S. tech firms
As U.S. readies cybertheft sanctions against China, President Xi to meet with heads of tech firms
The Wall Street Journal
By Christopher Mims
September 21, 2015


Photograph -- Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the U.S. starts Tuesday with meetings with tech executives in Seattle rather than government officials in Washington, but politics will still be front and center.
Photographs -- View gallery China's President Xi attends a signing ceremony King of Jordan Abdullah II (not picture …

Related Stories:
China is hosting a big meeting of American tech execs Fortune
Alibaba’s Ma to Attend U.S. Meeting With China Internet Minister Bloomberg
China's Complicated Relationship With U.S. Tech Firms Benzinga
Chinese president to come to Seattle, meet with tech leaders including Bill Gates American City Business Journals


Mr. Xi’s goal, according to a number experts on U.S. and China relations, will be to cajole American tech chief executives into helping him persuade the Obama administration not to retaliate against China for years of alleged hacking and theft of intellectual property, which the Chinese government has repeatedly denied.

He will try to accomplish this by convening a private meeting with 15 CEOs from U.S. firms—including Tim Cook, head of Apple Inc., and Satya Nadella, head of Microsoft Corp.—and 15 CEOs from their Chinese counterparts.

What’s at stake is everything from whether or not U.S. companies currently banned from doing business in China will be allowed in, to whether the Obama administration will follow through on its threat of import restrictions against China. Those sanctions are an attempt to stop the theft of an estimated $300 billion a year of intellectual property, much of it accomplished by hacking into the most sensitive systems of U.S. firms, according to a report from Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property.

The Chinese Embassy didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Google Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai wasn’t invited, a person familiar with the situation said. Given how much symbols matter in public diplomacy, this is perhaps telling, since in 2010 Google very publicly pulled out of China rather than accede to censorship requirements, and for about the past year has been trying to stealthily get back in.

Facebook Inc. declined to say whether Mark Zuckerberg was invited or is attending, but if he does show up he may be the only CEO present whose company is banned from doing business in China. Along with International Business Machines Corp. CEO Virginia Rometty, who was reportedly invited but whose attendance IBM wouldn’t confirm, Mr. Zuckerberg may be treated to a bit of statecraft that goes something like this.

“The companies who are all there are going to be able to hear from Tim Cook,” says Alec Ross, former technology adviser to Hillary Clinton during her years as secretary of state. “Xi will turn to Tim Cook and say ‘We are so pleased you are doing business in our country.’ And what Apple represents is that American companies can enter the consumer market in China and win.”

Indeed, Mr. Cook said at an Apple event in September that last quarter, growth in sales of iPhones shot up 75% in China from the previous year. In a letter to CNBC host Jim Cramer last month, Mr. Cook said, “I continue to believe that China represents an unprecedented opportunity over the long term.”

Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.

That’s the kind of opportunity American tech companies would like to take advantage of, especially as they seek growth outside of developed-world markets. There are a number of barriers in the way, including China’s demands that U.S. companies host their data inside the country as well as submit to China’s laws about giving the government unfettered access to that data.

But another barrier looms: The Obama administration is ready to get serious about inflicting economic pain on China if the country doesn’t stop hacking into U.S. companies and stealing all their hard-won secrets—technologically-enabled piracy.

The problem, says Mr. Ross, is that China fundamentally views this kind of hacking as a commercial matter. As such, it’s necessary for the continuing growth and profitability of China’s state-owned and state-affiliated companies, and therefore key to maintaining China’s engine of growth, which the party also views as essential to maintaining order in a country of 1.3 billion people.

The U.S., on the other hand, views it as a matter of national security, Mr. Ross says.

Convening a meeting of technology companies that are both hugely dependent on China for manufacturing—like Apple—and for their future growth—like Apple, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft and Google—is a way to remind the Obama administration that any sanctions or import bans could lead to a loss of opportunity and direct consequences for some of the crown jewels of America’s innovation economy.

“The timing of this meeting is a baller move, the location of it is a baller move—the mere act of convening it was a baller move,” says Peter Singer, a scholar of international relations, describing the meeting as bold almost to the point of arrogance. “Diplomacy is not merely about action, it’s about signaling and creating or disrupting coalitions and alliances.”

In this case, it’s an unlikely alliance between China’s head of state and many of the companies that have been victims of cyberattacks, arrayed against those in Washington who are determined to stop China’s alleged theft of intellectual property.

Not everyone agrees with this assessment of the meeting. One scholar, Kenneth Lieberthal of the Brookings Institution, says it’s the mere continuation of previous meetings of the U.S.-China Internet Industry Forum, and that is exactly how this meeting is being officially billed.

These meetings have always brought together Chinese officials and U.S. tech companies, although never before have they included the premier of China and so many prominent CEOs.

Mr. Lieberthal also believes that the U.S. and China might issue a statement about a joint agreement not to use cyberweapons in ways that would damage critical infrastructure like power plants, although such an agreement wouldn’t address the kinds of hacking for commercial gain that appear to be ongoing.

Whatever China’s delegation intended to signal, it appears that the message that has been received is both exciting and ominous: China is ready to let in more U.S. tech companies—if they are willing to play by China’s rules.

Owing to that symbolism, says Mr. Singer, “this meeting is a success for China before it even happens.”




“Mr. Xi’s goal, according to a number experts on U.S. and China relations, will be to cajole American tech chief executives into helping him persuade the Obama administration not to retaliate against China for years of alleged hacking and theft of intellectual property, which the Chinese government has repeatedly denied. He will try to accomplish this by convening a private meeting with 15 CEOs from U.S. firms—including Tim Cook, head of Apple Inc., and Satya Nadella, head of Microsoft Corp.—and 15 CEOs from their Chinese counterparts. What’s at stake is everything from whether or not U.S. companies currently banned from doing business in China will be allowed in, to whether the Obama administration will follow through on its threat of import restrictions against China. …. Google Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai wasn’t invited, a person familiar with the situation said. Given how much symbols matter in public diplomacy, this is perhaps telling, since in 2010 Google very publicly pulled out of China rather than accede to censorship requirements, and for about the past year has been trying to stealthily get back in. Facebook Inc. declined to say whether Mark Zuckerberg was invited or is attending, but if he does show up he may be the only CEO present whose company is banned from doing business in China. …. That’s the kind of opportunity American tech companies would like to take advantage of, especially as they seek growth outside of developed-world markets. There are a number of barriers in the way, including China’s demands that U.S. companies host their data inside the country as well as submit to China’s laws about giving the government unfettered access to that data. But another barrier looms: The Obama administration is ready to get serious about inflicting economic pain on China if the country doesn’t stop hacking into U.S. companies and stealing all their hard-won secrets—technologically-enabled piracy. The problem, says Mr. Ross, is that China fundamentally views this kind of hacking as a commercial matter. …. The U.S., on the other hand, views it as a matter of national security, Mr. Ross says. Convening a meeting of technology companies that are both hugely dependent on China for manufacturing—like Apple—and for their future growth—like Apple, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft and Google—is a way to remind the Obama administration that any sanctions or import bans could lead to a loss of opportunity and direct consequences for some of the crown jewels of America’s innovation economy.”

We should be somewhat gentle in criticizing others of spying, intellectual or technical. We do it all the time. It hasn’t been long since the US government got caught spying on Angela Merkel’s phone conversations. Some years back Israel was caught spying on America. Spying is a way of getting vital information, and it prevents our being taken by surprise. The trick is not to get caught.

There was a great old satirical magazine called Mad Magazine which my older sister would bring in every now and then. It was hysterically funny. My favorite of all the sections was called “Spy vs. Spy.” The cartooning was a truly weird rendering of the “spies” to the point that they were barely human in their appearance. One was black and the other was white – no other colors. I believe this was to show the utter difference between the two – our side and your side, you see -- and perhaps delineating good and evil.

That was in the Cold War days, and reports of spies both on our side and on theirs were in the news several times that I can remember. One American couple Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of passing American secrets on the nuclear bomb over to Russia, and were executed in 1953. In my last dating years my guy was connected to the Rosenbergs through his father, who had been friends with them. It’s a small world.

The term “baller move” mystified me, so I went to my trusty friend Mr. Google.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/author.php?author=thug4life

“baller move’’ / “baller”

A thug that has "made it" to the big time. Originally refered ball players that made it out of the streets to make millions as a pro ball player, but now is used to describe any thug that is living large.

Pain is a part of the game when you're a baller.

by thug4life September 28, 2002


thug 

As Tupac defined it, a thug is someone who is going through struggles, has gone through struggles, and continues to live day by day with nothing for them. That person is a thug. and the life they are living is the thug life. A thug is NOT a gangster. Look up gangster and gangsta. Not even CLOSE, my friend.

"That boy ain't a gangsta, fo'sho'. Look at how he walks, he's a thug. life. That's the saddest face I've seen in all my life as a teen."

by thyung March 19, 2005







http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dog-stands-watch-over-trapped-canine-companion-for-7-days/

Dog stands watch over trapped canine buddy for 7 days
By JENNIFER EARL CBS NEWS
September 18, 2015

Photograph -- A dog named Tillie (left) stands by the side of her trapped friend Phoebe (right), awaiting a life-saving rescue. AMY CAREY/VASHON ISLAND PET PROTECTORS


A desperate plea for help, two lost dogs and one happy ending. That sums up the story of canine friends, Tillie and Phoebe, perfectly.

The two dogs ran away from their Washington state home last week without a trace.

Five days after their disappearance, the Vashon Island Pet Protectors (VIPP) -- a non-profit organization that runs a lost and found operation to reunite lost animals with their guardians -- stepped in to help their distraught owner.

Amy Carey, a VIPP volunteer whose the first to respond to a lost dog call, made it her mission to find the canines. She was hoping someone, somewhere would see them.

Little did she know, Tillie would lead the way.

"We received a call from a community member reporting that for the past few days a 'reddish' dog had been coming up to them when they were out on their property and then promptly heading back into a ravine," Carey reported on Facebook Monday.

So, with "a needle in the haystack hope," Carey and her rescue crew made their way into the ravine. When Tillie's name was called, the group could hear a faint one-woof response.

After following the sound of her barks, Carey spotted Tillie laying beside an old cistern with poor Phoebe stuck inside.

"Every breath was held and every doggie prayer offered that the peek over the rim would somehow find her safe," Carey recalled in a Facebook post.

Luckily, she was -- and the two dogs slowly made their way back home, safe and sound.

"This is an amazing story about Tillie being a true friend and heroine," Carey told CBS News. "But it's also about the importance of not giving up."

Carey is using the dog's powerful story to give owners of lost pets a reminder: When trying to find a missing dog, us two leggers need to pay attention to even the smallest clues.

"If you have a lost pet and are not getting regular sighting reports, there is a high chance that they are stuck somewhere be it over a slope, in a building or in this case -- in a cistern," Carey warned.

Thousands of people shared the story of Phoebe and Tillie.

"True loyalty," one Facebook user commented.

"Such an amazing story. Love the happy ending," another replied.

It truly is a story that shows "a true friend and a humbling example of the power of love," Carey said.




This story is about a dog having several of the “finer feelings,” such as love and loyalty. She also figured the problem out – she couldn’t get her friend out, nobody was there to help in the situation, so she had to try to bring someone over to lend a hand. After several Lassie-like maneuvers (“Go get help, Lassie!”), she caught the attention of a neighborhood woman by repeatedly coming up and then running back into the ravine. That nice lady called VIPP and reported the strange encounters, causing VIPP’s Amy Carey to come to the ravine and search for the two dogs. When she called out the dog’s name, she heard a dog bark in response, and the crew went toward the sound. From that point, all was well.

There is a progression of intelligence up the scale of life-forms, from the very simplest. A flatworm can learn to come to the top of the fish tank to get food and of course fish can, too. Chickens in Skinner boxes can learn to peck the touchscreen at the proper spot to show their reasoning ability, thus pecking the correct “answer” to a problem. For that they get a kernel of corn, and they get very good at that. The problems are simple, but until I took that psych course so many years ago I had no idea that chickens could do any kind of reasoning. Monkeys, apes, dogs and cats have also been tested, with more impressive results. Penny Patterson the well-known owner of Koko the Gorilla once gave her a human IQ test and she passed it with a score in the 80s. That’s not a high score for a human, but I think it’s darned good for a gorilla! It is my opinion that basic intelligence is as important in the survival of the fittest as physical brawn and agility. Life presents problems that require some reasoning in order to procure food, escape enemies, find shelter, mate, and remember past experiences.

See the following article on my favorite type of animal from Animal Planet:


http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/cat-intelligence/

Feline Intelligence
DCL

Pet owners love to boast about the cleverness of their furry companions. Dog and cat lovers, in particular, seem to relish unending debates over which animal is "smarter." Dog owners often cap their arguments with the fact that dogs have the ability to perform tricks, while cat people counter with the claim that their pets are too intelligent to perform on command. In truth, such methods of pet comparison are futile animal-world versions of mixing apples and oranges. Dogs are pack animals, motivated by a strong need to follow and please the pack's "top" dog (or a human master) in order to receive praise. The solitary cat answers to no one and is motivated by the need to survive. And while trainability may not be the feline's forte, cleverness and adaptability certainly are.

Incredibly resourceful and self-reliant, the species has survived thousands of years in radically different environments and living conditions. Even domestic cats will show a crafty, strong-willed and versatile nature.

Practice Makes Perfect

Many of the cat's remarkable mental and physical abilities are dismissed as simply instinctive. However, just as humans are born with innate communication skills but must learn over time to master a language, cats refine many of their inborn abilities through practice. The widely-held belief that they learn through observation and imitation of their mother or other cats is now being called into question. Cats do learn, but in a different way than do humans or dogs; they have a special kind of intelligence.

A Cat Never Forgets

Once attained, even if by accident or trial and error, most knowledge is retained for life, thanks to the cat's excellent memory. Even hunting techniques buried under years of neglect in the well-fed house cat's brain will be recalled with ease should the feline, for some reason, ever have to fend for itself.

Easily frightened, a cat will retain very strong memories of any incident that it considers threatening. All it takes is one face-to-face encounter with a growling dog to convince a feline that the entire canine species is best avoided forever. However, positive experiences are just as easily stored and recalled, particularly if they have to do with food or play.

As any cat owner knows, domestic felines respond well to familiar sounds, such as can openers, the rattling of their dry-food bags or the crinkly noise of a favorite toy. Many of them also have an uncanny ability to know the hour of their regular breakfast time, waking up their owner if he or she tries to sleep in.

Training and Tricks

As the feline psyche has become better understood, animal handlers have had more success in training felines to perform in film and television, once the exclusive domain of the dog. Although they won't perform for pats on the head and "good-cat" praise from their owners, some felines, if properly motivated, can be trained to do a wide variety of tricks, from opening doors and jumping through hoops to turning on lights. In what psychologists call operant conditioning, a cat will repeat a behavior for a food reward. This is best achieved if the desired behavior is fun for the cat, even more so if the person doing the training is its usual food provider. More amenable to rewards of food than domestic felines, large wildcats such as lions and tigers have performed in circuses for centuries. Sadly, there were times when unspeakably cruel punishment was used interchangeably with rewards of fresh meat to "tame" these unpredictable and potentially dangerous wild felines into performing desired tricks.