February 22, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kalamazoo-shooting-uber-driver-jason-brian-dalton-motive-still-unknown/

Uber riders recount behavior of alleged Kalamazoo shooter
CBS NEWS
February 22, 2016, 6:51 AM

Play VIDEO -- Kalamazoo chief gives details on Jason Dalton's capture
Play VIDEO -- Shooting rampage in Michigan leaves six dead
Related -- Kalamazoo just latest in string of mass shootings in U.S.


Several hundred mourners gathered at a church Sunday night to pray for the victims of a shooting rampage in Kalamazoo by an Uber driver.

Jason Brian Dalton allegedly shot eight people Saturday night, killing six. He is expected to be arraigned Monday on murder charges, but his motive is still unknown.

Before Saturday, Dalton had no criminal history and passed an Uber background check. Investigators described the Uber driver as "unemotional," and said he may have picked up at least one client during the shooting spree, which lasted nearly five hours, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner.

The rampage began just before 6 o'clock Saturday night. According to Michigan state police, Dalton first shot a woman multiple times in the parking lot of a Kalamazoo townhouse complex. Then more than four hours later, investigators believe he gunned down a father and son at a car dealership eight miles away.

Less than 20 minutes later, police say Dalton shot five more people in a Cracker Barrel parking lot, killing four women and critically injuring a 14-year-old girl. At 12:30 on Sunday morning, police said the 45-year-old father of two was pulled over and arrested, after leaving a downtown Kalamazoo bar parking lot. Authorities found a gun in his car. Authorities believe he chose his victims at random.

"Our common denominator here is him. I don't have connections between him and any of the victims.," said Kalamazoo County's prosecuting attorney Jeff Getting. "These were very matter-of-fact killings. They weren't rushed, they weren't hurried."

Surveillance footage from the Seelye Ford Kia dealership and Cracker Barrel helped Kalamazoo authorities quickly identify the suspect.

"My buddy Scott actually said to him, 'This isn't the HHR, you aren't the guy, are ya?' and he kinda just said no," said Mark Dunton, an Uber passenger.

Dunton and two of his friends said they may have been Dalton's last customers Saturday night.

"It's crazy to think that someone could have gone out and just done all these horrible things and came to work straight-faced -- like he's just coming to work doing his job and just didn't say much at all," Dunton said.

Dalton allegedly drove other customers that night after the shootings, including a couple who wished to remain anonymous.

"And I halfheartedly joked at him and said... 'You're not the shooter are you?' And he said 'No... and I said 'Are you sure?' And he said 'No, I'm just really tired,'" a man said. "He had a weapon in the car that he had just killed people with," his partner said.

In a statement Sunday, Uber said they're "heartbroken" and that they've "reached out to the police to help with their investigation..."

Mya Hoke was a classmate of 17-year-old Tyler Smith, a high school senior who died alongside his father at the car dealership.

"Just a really good person," Hoke said at the vigil. "It's just really heartbreaking. It definitely brings our community together but it will be a long time before we move on."



"Our common denominator here is him. I don't have connections between him and any of the victims.," said Kalamazoo County's prosecuting attorney Jeff Getting. "These were very matter-of-fact killings. They weren't rushed, they weren't hurried." Surveillance footage from the Seelye Ford Kia dealership and Cracker Barrel helped Kalamazoo authorities quickly identify the suspect. …. "My buddy Scott actually said to him, 'This isn't the HHR, you aren't the guy, are ya?' and he kinda just said no," said Mark Dunton, an Uber passenger. “And he said 'No, I'm just really tired,'" a man said.”


I’d like to know more about his psychiatric history. Sociopaths are said to be “matter of fact” about their shootings, often telling the police about it in detail with no remorse or sympathy with the victims. Sociopaths are usually able to cover up their insanity and appear normal, which is one of the most dangerous things about them. Dalton strikes me as such a man. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The closing of so many of our permanent housing hospitals for the criminally insane, is a basic mistake. Supposedly it’s their civil right to refuse medical treatment under any condition. I agree with that if it’s cancer or some other purely medical condition, but these people are permanently, not temporarily, “a danger to themselves or others.” I was also angry at the nurse in the US who brought Ebola in from Africa, and then refused to be kept in isolation at the hospital. I don’t believe she had that “right.” All of our rights should have logical limitations.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/global-growth-concerns-slowdown-us-economy/

Global clouds darken U.S. economic outlook
By ALAIN SHERTER MONEYWATCH
February 22, 2016, 6:00 AM

I haven’t clipped this article, simply because it is too long, but I suggest that those who follow economic matters should go to cbsnews.com and read it. The article isn’t written as though a panic like 1929 is immediately expected, but world affairs in general are in decline. It isn’t happy news.

The rise today of a new wave of anti-Semitism and other hate philosophies in the US, Europe, the Middle East, and perhaps other places, reminds me of the Worldwide Depression of 1929 and the thirties and the ruinous inflation preceding it, during which Germany became economically endangered, and the people turned to hatred and power through Hitler. I do hope that kind of scenario isn’t about to happen again, and will be resisted strongly by the good people around the world. I hope that even "conservatives" learned a lesson from Hitler.

For a very interesting and informative article on this see: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2011/09/14/140419140/the-economic-catastrophe-that-germany-cant-forget, The Economic Catastrophe That Germany Can't Forget, Updated September 16, 2011 11:38 AM ET, Published September 14, 20113:29 PM ET, CAITLIN KENNEY, ZOE CHACE.


For troubled European countries, the European Central Bank could be like a giant ATM.

After all, the ECB has the unique ability to print unlimited amounts of euros. It could lend that money to the governments in need.

The problem with this idea? Europe's biggest economy hates it.

Cue inflation-fearing, deep-pocketed Germany. The thought of hitting up a central bank's ATM would send many Germans fleeing in panic.

To understand why Germany is so freaked out about a central bank lending money to troubled governments, you need to go back nearly 100 years — to when the German central bank did just that.

After World War I, Germany was deep in debt. Soldiers back from the war needed money for pensions. War widows needed compensation. Reparations to France and Britain were enormous. And no other country would lend it money.

So Germany's central bank printed a bunch of money and loaned it to the government. The result was possibly the most destructive case of inflation in history.

During the Weimar inflation, people carted money around in wheelbarrows to do their shopping. At one point, it cost a million marks to mail a letter. The currency was so worthless it was used as wallpaper in German bathrooms. Money started losing value by the second:

"There's this famous example that somebody sits in a pub and orders a beer," says historian Carl Ludvig-Holtfrerich. "Immediately, when the waiter carries the beer to his table, he orders the second one. The waiter says, 'Well, you haven't finished!' And he says, 'Yes, but if I don't order now, prices will be double by the time I finish my first beer!' "

This is Weimar humor. But the result of the hyperinflation was an economic catastrophe.

Many Germans believe it helped lay the groundwork for the rise of the Nazi party — a belief that has left the nation with a profound fear of inflation.

"This historical experience tells every policy maker: You don't mess around with inflation," says Klaus Frankenberger, an editor in Frankfurt. "Never. You don't do this."

Fast forward 70 years from Germany's inflation nightmare to 1992. European countries are setting up the euro, and the new currency needs a new central bank.

In 1992, Germany was the biggest economy in Europe, and it had a lot of influence over the shape of the new European Central Bank.

So it's no surprise that the ECB wound with its headquarters in Frankfurt, and with a single mission: Keep inflation in check.

That's it.

The ECB is not supposed to be bailing out governments, according to many Germans. It's not supposed buy the bonds of troubled countries.

But for more than a year now — ever since Greece first put up its hand and said, "We need help" — that's exactly what the ECB been doing.

The ECB says it's not just printing money to buy the bonds of Greece and other troubled countries. When the bank buys the bonds of Germany and other troubled countries, it takes an equivalent of money out of circulation.

But Germans are not impressed.

Just last week, Jurgen Stark, the top ranking German at the ECB, resigned. The official line is that he resigned for personal reasons. But it's no secret that he hated the bond buying program.

When Stark resigned, the markets freaked out. His resignation — and the market reaction — was a reminder that there's still deep opposition in Germany to the ECB's tactics in fighting the debt crisis. And in the long run, the ECB needs Germany's support.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly quoted a former Bundesbank president as criticizing the bond buying program of the European Central Bank. In fact, he was criticizing the bond buying program of the US Federal Reserve.



http://www.npr.org/2016/02/20/467499878/the-city-of-ferguson-and-department-of-justice-battle-on

The City Of Ferguson And Department Of Justice Battle On
JASON ROSENBAUM
Updated February 21, 201611:09 AM ET
Published February 20, 20165:01 PM ET


The city of Ferguson, Missouri, is preparing to fight the U.S. Department of Justice in court rather than abide by the costly terms of the DOJ's recent order to reform the city's government.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Now we want to check in on the ongoing efforts to address police and community relations in Ferguson, Mo. A federal investigation of police practices there led to a 131-page agreement between the Justice Department and the city. But last week, Ferguson council members rejected aspects of the deal and sought to renegotiate with the Justice Department. In response, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the city. As St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum reports, much of the disagreement comes down to what it will cost to change Ferguson's government.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Hey, what's going on?

JASON ROSENBAUM, BYLINE: On a foggy Monday morning in Ferguson, customers trickle in and out of Sam's Meat Market. They pick up soda pop and snacks. The small grocery store reopened last summer after being looted three times and set on fire during riots over Michael Brown's shooting death. Shop owner Muhammad Yaacoub says business can get very slow. Empty lots and abandoned buildings surround his business on West Florissant Avenue. Yaacoub worries higher taxes will be needed if the city signs a consent decree with the federal government.

MUHAMMAD YAACOUB: And more taxes, more expensive, more - that's going to hurt the businesses. It supposed to be helping the businesses, I think. We decided to open the store again, but I hope it's not a big mistake.

CASSANDRA BUTLER: It is difficult bringing the city along to do what's in our best interests when we're divided as we are.

ROSENBAUM: That's Ferguson resident Cassandra Butler. She's worried that an ensuing court battle with the Department of Justice will make it harder for her city to come together. The negotiated decree would have made big changes to Ferguson's Police Department, such as providing officers with body cameras and additional training. But city officials balked at parts of the deal, including refusing to pay officers more money. That refusal caused the Department of Justice to sue. Asked why his city would want to pick a fight with the Justice Department, Ferguson mayor James Knowles responds...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JAMES KNOWLES: We've been put in a situation where to sign the consent decree costs more than to fight for a better deal.

ROSENBAUM: City finance officials say the agreement would cost roughly between $2 to $4 million a year. That's compared to their estimate of $4 to $8 million to go to court.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KNOWLES: We're not fighting reform, we're already embraced reform and we're already making reforms. What we're fighting is to keep from having additional onerous costs lumped onto the city that really have nothing to do with constitutional policing.

ROSENBAUM: University of Michigan law professor Margo Schlanger says cost is often a concern for cities that sign consent decrees. But she noted that Ferguson enlisted a nationally known law firm to negotiate the decree and that firm reportedly charges $1,300 an hour.

MARGO SCHLANGER: When they plead poverty as a reason not to sign the decree, observers should, you know, think pretty carefully about that argument.

ROSENBAUM: Nick Kasoff agrees. He's a property owner and landlord. He says part of the reason the city is in a budget hole is that fewer people are being pulled over and that the city no longer automatically tickets people for running red lights. Ferguson took in roughly 13 percent of its revenues from fines during the 2013 fiscal year.

NICK KASOFF: There can be no mistake about it - had Mike Brown not been killed, these practices would continue to this day.

(APPLAUSE)

KASOFF: People would still be losing jobs, families would still be losing their homes because we would still be locking up poor people and demanding that they die over dollars.

ROSENBAUM: Ferguson officials insist they are making big changes, including boosting training for police officers. But the decision to reject the Justice Department's entire deal means the city and the federal government are headed for a legal collision course that will be expensive regardless of the outcome. For NPR News, I'm Jason Rosenbaum in St. Louis.



“As St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum reports, much of the disagreement comes down to what it will cost to change Ferguson's government. …. Empty lots and abandoned buildings surround his business on West Florissant Avenue. Yaacoub worries higher taxes will be needed if the city signs a consent decree with the federal government. …. We've been put in a situation where to sign the consent decree costs more than to fight for a better deal. ROSENBAUM: City finance officials say the agreement would cost roughly between $2 to $4 million a year. That's compared to their estimate of $4 to $8 million to go to court. …. . But she noted that Ferguson enlisted a nationally known law firm to negotiate the decree and that firm reportedly charges $1,300 an hour. MARGO SCHLANGER: When they plead poverty as a reason not to sign the decree, observers should, you know, think pretty carefully about that argument. …. He says part of the reason the city is in a budget hole is that fewer people are being pulled over and that the city no longer automatically tickets people for running red lights. Ferguson took in roughly 13 percent of its revenues from fines during the 2013 fiscal year. …. KASOFF: People would still be losing jobs, families would still be losing their homes because we would still be locking up poor people and demanding that they die over dollars.”


The city official quoted above says, mysteriously, that the agreement would cost more than a court trial, but then the article gave specifics figures which directly contradict that statement. The law firm alone charges $1,300 an HOUR. I wonder what is really going on here. Is it racist push back? I’m sorry if stopping that illegal and immoral practice of writing an exorbitant number of tickets to make money for the town brings in 13% of its revenues, but it is clear to me that they just need a better plan. Besides, 13% isn’t a very high proportion. The pain is not worth the pleasure, I would think.

Directly because of that practice, our neighboring “speed trap” of Waldo, FL had its’ entire police department disbanded by the state about a year ago. If you need a policeman you have to call nearby Starke instead. Waldo had a terrible reputation outside the state. I heard of them years before I even came to Florida. The tourist industry is really big in FL, so maybe the state thought Waldo was a liability rather than otherwise.

Jacksonville keeps raising taxes on our property owners, partly because the State of Florida has no income tax, and I have never had a ticket here, so they don’t do much of that. The most intelligent and legitimate way for a city to bring in money is through taxation. So, we should keep our taxation on property owners and add a sales tax on as many things as possible. Gasoline and cigarettes are often heavily taxed, but they are, after all, luxuries for most users. People who don’t live in town and can’t ride a bus to work do have to drive, of course. Whatever, Ferguson needs to find some other ways to finance things. There’s no point in their fighting the Feds over an issue in which they are, ethically, totally in the wrong.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/damning-study-finds-a-whitewashed-hollywood/

Damning study finds a "whitewashed" Hollywood
AP February 22, 2016, 9:56 AM

Photographs -- The Best Actor Nominees (from top left): Bryan Cranston, "Trumbo"; Matt Damon, "The Martian"; Leonardo diCaprio, "The Revenant"; Michael Fassbender, "Steve Jobs"; and Eddie Redmayne, "The Danish Girl." Best Actress nominees (from bottom left): Cate Blanchett, "Carol"; Brie Larson, "Room"; Jennifer Lawrence, "Joy"; Charlotte Rampling, "45 Years"; and Saoirse Ronan, "Brooklyn." CBS NEWS
33 PHOTOS -- Oscars 2016: The nominees
Play VIDEO -- Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee to boycott Oscars
Play VIDEO -- Sylvester Stallone on #OscarsSoWhite: Academy needs to change


NEW YORK -- In one of the most exhaustive and damning reports on diversity in Hollywood, a new study finds that the films and television produced by major media companies are "whitewashed," and that an "epidemic of invisibility" runs top to bottom through the industry for women, minorities and LGBT people.

A study to be released Monday by the Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism offers one of the most wide-ranging examinations of the film and television industries, including a pointed "inclusivity index" of 10 major media companies - from Disney to Netflix - that gives a failing grade to every movie studio and most TV makers.

Coming just days before an Academy Awards where a second straight year of all-white acting nominees has enflamed an industry-wide crisis, the report offers a new barrage of sobering statistics that further evidence a deep discrepancy between Hollywood and the American population it entertains, in gender, race and ethnicity.

"The prequel to OscarsSoWhite is HollywoodSoWhite," said Stacy L. Smith, a USC professor and one of the study's authors, in an interview. "We don't have a diversity problem. We have an inclusion crisis."

The study, titled the Comprehensive Annenberg Report on Diversity, examined the 109 films released by major studios (including art-house divisions) in 2014 and 305 scripted, first-run TV and digital series across 31 networks and streaming services that aired from September 2014 to August 2015. More than 11,000 speaking characters were analyzed for gender, racial and ethnic representation and LGBT status. Some 10,000 directors, writers and show creators were examined, as was the gender of more than 1,500 executives.

The portrait is one of pervasive underrepresentation, no matter the media platform, from CEOs to minor characters. "Overall, the landscape of media content is still largely whitewashed," the study concludes.

In the 414 studied films and series, only a third of speaking characters were female, and only 28.3 percent were from minority groups - about 10 percent less than the makeup of the U.S. population. Characters 40 years or older skew heavily male across film and TV: 74.3 percent male to 25.7 percent female.

Just 2 percent of speaking characters were LGBT-identified. Among the 11,306 speaking characters studied, only seven were transgendered (and four were from the same series).

"When we start to step back to see this larger ecology, I think we see a picture of exclusion," said Smith. "And it doesn't match the norms of the population of the United States."

Behind the camera, the discrepancy is even greater. Directors overall were 87 percent white. Broadcast TV directors (90.4 percent white) were the least diverse.

Just 15.2 percent of directors, 28.9 percent of writers and 22.6 percent of series creators were female. In film, the gender gap is greatest: Only 3.4 percent of the films studied were directed by women, and only two directors out of the 109 were black women: Ava DuVernay ("Selma") and Amma Asante ("Belle").

Following a request made in May by the American Civil Liberties Union (which cited previous USC studies, as well as those by UCLA and the Directors Guild in claiming women have been "systematically excluded" from directing jobs), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year began investigating gender discrimination in Hollywood.

The federal investigation is just one element of growing scrutiny for the industry. But for protesters, finding a target for what some consider a systematic problem isn't easy. Even many of those, like Spike Lee, who have criticized the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, have insisted the issue goes far deeper than Oscar nominees. When academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs recently announced dramatic steps to diversify the overwhelmingly white and male film academy, she said: "The academy is going to lead, and not wait for the industry to catch up."

USC's study, which the school has been publishing in various forms for the last 10 years, also seeks to add a new metric in the conversation. The "inclusivity index" is a report card for the performances of 21st Century Fox, CBS, NBC Universal, Sony, the Walt Disney Co., Time Warner, Viacom, Amazon, Hulu and Netflix. Those companies encompass all the broadcast networks, most major cable channels, all of the major movie studios and three of the dominant streaming services.

Each was rated by their percentage of female, minority and LGBT characters; and of female writers and directors. None of the six major studios rated better than 20 percent overall; Time Warner fared poorest of all with a score of zero. The report concludes that the film industry "still functions as a straight, white, boy's club."

Disney, Sony, Paramount, Fox, Universal and Warner Bros. didn't immediate comment Sunday night.

Some of the same companies, however, scored better when their TV and digital offerings were evaluated. Disney, the CW, Amazon and Hulu all scored 65 percent and above.

"When we turn to see where the problem is better or worse, the apex to this whole endeavor is: Everyone in film is failing, all of the companies investigated," said Smith. "They're impervious to change. But there are pockets of promise in television. There is a focus that change is possible. The very companies that are inclusive - Disney, CW, Hulu, Amazon to some degree - those companies, if they're producing and distributing motion pictures, can do this. We now have evidence that they can, and they can thrive."

USC researchers also, for the first time, added analysis of those 10 companies' executives. Researches didn't have racial or ethnic background information, but found that women represent about 20 percent of corporate boards, chief executives and executive management teams.

"As prestige or power of the title increases, we see fewer women at the top," said Katherine Pieper, who co-authored the study with Smith and Marc Choueiti. "Film still has a prestige to it, so we see fewer women filling those positions."

The research offers the chance for comparison between mediums. Do streaming services adhere to the established patterns of traditional television or deviate from them?

In some cases, they do, but in many, they don't. Netflix (20 percent on the inclusion index) scored about the same as NBC Universal, CBS and Fox. There were far fewer female directors working in digital series (11.8 percent) than in broadcast (17.1 percent), in the shows studied. Broadcast, cable and steaming [sic] series also all revel in sexualized female characters and nudity more than movies do.

But some of the study's most troubling finds are simply absences. Roughly 50 percent of the examined content didn't feature one Asian or Asian-American character; 20 percent didn't include one black character. Researchers argue for change beyond "tokenism," including making target goals public and creating a system of checks and balances in storytelling decisions.

"People are still erased. It's 2016 and it's time for a change," said Smith. "We've laid out concrete actionable steps because we don't want to do this again in 10 years."



“The study, titled the Comprehensive Annenberg Report on Diversity, examined the 109 films released by major studios (including art-house divisions) in 2014 and 305 scripted, first-run TV and digital series across 31 networks and streaming services that aired from September 2014 to August 2015. More than 11,000 speaking characters were analyzed for gender, racial and ethnic representation and LGBT status. Some 10,000 directors, writers and show creators were examined, as was the gender of more than 1,500 executives. The portrait is one of pervasive underrepresentation, no matter the media platform, from CEOs to minor characters. …. "When we start to step back to see this larger ecology, I think we see a picture of exclusion," said Smith. "And it doesn't match the norms of the population of the United States." Behind the camera, the discrepancy is even greater. Directors overall were 87 percent white. Broadcast TV directors (90.4 percent white) were the least diverse. Just 15.2 percent of directors, 28.9 percent of writers and 22.6 percent of series creators were female. In film, the gender gap is greatest: Only 3.4 percent of the films studied were directed by women, and only two directors out of the 109 were black women: Ava DuVernay ("Selma") and Amma Asante ("Belle"). …. Following a request made in May by the American Civil Liberties Union (which cited previous USC studies, as well as those by UCLA and the Directors Guild in claiming women have been "systematically excluded" from directing jobs), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year began investigating gender discrimination in Hollywood. The federal investigation is just one element of growing scrutiny for the industry. But for protesters, finding a target for what some consider a systematic problem isn't easy. Even many of those, like Spike Lee, who have criticized the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, have insisted the issue goes far deeper than Oscar nominees. When academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs recently announced dramatic steps to diversify the overwhelmingly white and male film academy, she said: "The academy is going to lead, and not wait for the industry to catch up." …. None of the six major studios rated better than 20 percent overall; Time Warner fared poorest of all with a score of zero. The report concludes that the film industry "still functions as a straight, white, boy's club." Disney, Sony, Paramount, Fox, Universal and Warner Bros. didn't immediate comment Sunday night. Some of the same companies, however, scored better when their TV and digital offerings were evaluated. Disney, the CW, Amazon and Hulu all scored 65 percent and above.” …. Researchers argue for change beyond "tokenism," including making target goals public and creating a system of checks and balances in storytelling decisions. "People are still erased. It's 2016 and it's time for a change," said Smith. "We've laid out concrete actionable steps because we don't want to do this again in 10 years."


I tend to think that this sort of thing is due not only to the simple-minded prejudices of the Older White Males who are in charge, but to the right leaning political trend in our country overall. Christians have been complaining about immorality and dangerous ideas that are found in movies ever since I can remember, and now they dominate. From a business standpoint, if the ruling OWMs believe that most of our population is much more culturally conservative, from religion to sexism and racism, they will probably choose stories that do not include blacks or lesbians or Jewish people. They will also avoid the economic gap. After all, people who live in poverty are just lazy. What I think they are missing in their viewpoint, is that there is a moderate group of citizens who are still very much interested in other races, sexual differences and economic/class differences, though they themselves are white and straight, and many of them write blogs and movie reviews.

Women in general have a greater tendency to look at the world more broadly and gently, though of course there are women on the far right as well. Most of the Trump following are angry, old, blue collar males, but many of Sanders’ audience are women and young people of all types, and while Trump gets most of the press, Sanders is admired by many for his social courage and vision.

Personally, all my favorite movies have included strong cultural issues and showed a good diversity of actors and characters. I do want them to be well written and not stereotyped in the way the characters are written or directed. I actively dislike most “action” films unless there is a strong human story involved. I’m not a fan of Star Wars, but I am of Star Trek. Any of you who have watched both will know the differences between them. Star Wars is exciting and full of interesting tech – what could be better than a “light sword”? – but Star Trek is funny, humane, challenges our culture’s conservative ideas, foresees a long and technologically advanced future, and explores gender and racial issues with deep thought and sensitivity. The acting could be better, but the stories are often actually profound.

One episode was especially interesting, in that the “creature” from another planet had one side of his face black and the other side white. Other than that, he looked like a human. He was in a perpetual war with another from his planet who’s face looked almost identical, except that the sides of their faces which were black or white were reversed. Over that issue, they were trying to kill each other.

That was a simple, but imaginative way of dramatizing our modern day racial issues, and of course one of the prevailing flaws among so many whites. Star Trek was not afraid of controversial presentations, and as a result is still on the air in reruns Star Trek used primarily imagination, whereas Star Wars uses technology and dramatic filming. Star Wars is okay, but I never went to see another of their long, long series of films. Part of the reason for that is that I watch very few “sagas.” James Bond movies are the same way – too completely oriented toward masculine tastes. Adventure is fine up to a point, but it can get monotonous. New and deep thoughts hold my interest much more.

If the “whitewashed” Hollywood film industry will follow this Star Trek pattern, I think they will, not only clean up a racial and gender problem that is getting lots of unwanted media attention; but they will make more money rather than less. If profit is the goal of all businesses, then that should please them. Besides, I don't think they want to see a black led boycott like the bus boycott of 50 or so years ago.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/22/467652376/cdc-says-it-underestimated-cancer-risk-from-lumber-liquidators-flooring

CDC Says It Underestimated Cancer Risk From Lumber Liquidators Flooring
Updated February 22, 20162:27 PM ET
Published February 22, 20162:06 PM ET
JIM ZARROLI


U.S. health regulators acknowledged they miscalculated the amount of formaldehyde emitted from some of Lumber Liquidators' laminated floor products. Shares of the company fell sharply Monday on the news.

The Centers for Disease Control And Prevention says the risk of cancer is three times higher than it previously estimated, and it strongly urged Lumber Liquidators customers to take steps to reduce exposure to the substance. The company no longer sells the Chinese-made, laminate products.

The agency said its "indoor air model used an incorrect value for ceiling height. As a result, the health risks were calculated using airborne concentration estimates about 3 times lower than they should have been."

The higher levels "could cause increased frequency of asthma symptoms and other respiratory issues for people with asthma and COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]."

Last March, a report on 60 Minutes said laminate floor products made in one of the retailer's Chinese factories had unsafe levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. At the time, the company disputed the allegations, saying they were driven by short-sellers who stood to benefit when the stock price fell.

On Feb. 10, the CDC issued a report estimating that the risk of cancer presented by the products was two to nine cases per 100,000 people. The agency subsequently learned that the risk was six to 30 cases.

The error occurred because the CDC neglected to convert feet to meters in some calculations in the first reports, according to 60 Minutes.

The CDC said the acknowledgement of the error had not changed its fundamental recommendations to customers dealing with the contaminated products:

"Our recommendations will likely remain the same — we strongly stress taking steps to reduce exposures, which should alleviate respiratory and eye, nose and throat irritation. These steps should also reduce the cancer risk."

The company said it supports the recommendations and is "encouraged" that the agency is reviewing its calculations, according to Bloomberg News:

"The company also repeated that it has strengthened its quality-assurance procedures, suspended sales of Chinese laminate and offered free air tests to customers.

" 'We remain committed to operating with integrity and delivering quality flooring to our customers,' the Toano, Va.-based company said in an e-mailed statement."

Last year, the company pleaded guilty to charges of making false declarations on import documents about the source of some of its flooring, and it agreed to a $10 million settlement with the Justice Department


“The agency said its "indoor air model used an incorrect value for ceiling height. As a result, the health risks were calculated using airborne concentration estimates about 3 times lower than they should have been." The higher levels "could cause increased frequency of asthma symptoms and other respiratory issues for people with asthma and COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]." Last March, a report on 60 Minutes said laminate floor products made in one of the retailer's Chinese factories had unsafe levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. At the time, the company disputed the allegations, saying they were driven by short-sellers who stood to benefit when the stock price fell. On Feb. 10, the CDC issued a report estimating that the risk of cancer presented by the products was two to nine cases per 100,000 people. The agency subsequently learned that the risk was six to 30 cases. The error occurred because the CDC neglected to convert feet to meters in some calculations in the first reports, according to 60 Minutes. …. The company said it supports the recommendations and is "encouraged" that the agency is reviewing its calculations, according to Bloomberg News: "The company also repeated that it has strengthened its quality-assurance procedures, suspended sales of Chinese laminate and offered free air tests to customers.”


Scientists are supposed to be meticulously accurate in what they do, even if it is a tedious process. I wonder if they have active oversight of their work at the CDC, a supervisor, in other words, rather than merely peer review, which could miss a detail like yards and meters. I ran into that when looking at archaeological information years ago. The article said that a house was “three meters” across, which sounded totally impossible to me. A meter, however, is roughly equivalent to a yard rather than a foot. A house 9 feet across in Iron Age Britain would still be small by our standards, but a conceivable dwelling. In the fact that it would retain heat from the central fireplace more effectively, it was probably an advantage. The good news in this story is that the CDC discovered their error and had the courage to report it, knowing they will get criticism.



http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/02/22/467372666/first-u-s-factory-okd-for-cuba-aims-to-plow-path-into-the-21st-century

First U.S. Factory OK'd For Cuba Aims To Plow Path Into The 21st Century
February 22, 20163:21 PM ET
MELISSA BLOCK

Photograph -- Horace Clemmons (left) and Saul Berenthal hope to start assembling their Oggun tractor in Cuba in early 2017. Courtesy of Horace Clemmons; Gerry Broome/AP
Photograph -- Shown here in the 1980s, Horace Clemmons (left) and Saul Berenthal have been business partners for decades. They are now pairing up to build the first U.S. factory in Cuba since the 1960 embargo. Courtesy of Horace Clemmons
PARALLELS -- U.S. Businesses Look To Cuba, But See Limited Opportunities So Far
PARALLELS -- With A New Trade Zone, Cuba Reaches Out To Investors
Photograph -- Saul Berenthal (far right) and his father (center) upon arrival in Miami from Cuba in 1960. They are carrying Cuban cigars.
Courtesy of Saul Berenthal


When President Obama travels to Cuba next month — the first visit by a sitting U.S. president in nearly 90 years — it will mark a historic step on the path to normalizing relations with the island nation.

While he's in Havana, two U.S. businessmen are hoping the president might spend some time with them — or even take a seat on a prototype of the tractor they plan to assemble and sell in Cuba.

Being Cuban, I said, 'This is the path to get Cuba into the 21st century.'
Saul Berenthal

Horace Clemmons of Paint Rock, Ala., and Saul Berenthal of Raleigh, N.C., have just received approval by the Obama administration to build the first U.S. factory in Cuba since the 1960 embargo. They plan to make tractors for small farms, and have given their model a name any Cuban will recognize: Oggun. That's the name of a deity in the Santeria religion, the god of metal.

As their business, Cleber LLC, gears up, they keep in mind some encouraging words they heard from a Cuban who visited their booth at a trade fair in Havana. He told them, "You guys are doing something for the forgotten people of Cuba."

Clemmons, 72, and Berenthal, 71, have been business partners for decades. They worked for IBM for many years, and then started their own software companies.

"I'd probably retire," says Clemmons, "but Saul keeps pokin' me: 'Let's go do this, and let's go do that.' "

Their new tractor business ties together the two men's life experience.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker (in blue jacket), visits the container port at the Special Enterprise Zone in Mariel, Cuba, on Oct. 6. Cuba is creating the zone to encourage trade and foreign investment. Some foreign companies are eager to move in, though the Pritzker said Cuba's commitment to free trade was not year [sic] clear.

Berenthal is Cuban-born, the son of Jews who fled Eastern Europe during the Holocaust. He and his family left Cuba for the United States in 1960, when he was 16.

"[I] came over to the U.S. after the revolution," he says proudly, "learned to be a capitalist and made the American dream."

When Berenthal first heard the news about the diplomatic opening to Cuba, announced in December 2014, he recalls, "Being Cuban, I said, 'This is the path to get Cuba into the 21st century.' "

And when the U.S. loosened some trade restrictions on agriculture, Berenthal and Clemmons saw their opportunity. Clemmons grew up in rural Alabama, and knows his way around a family farm.

"My grandfather farmed 40 acres with two mules and eight kids, and I often say, the kids did more work than the mules," he jokes. "I have drug an 8-foot cotton sack down the row pickin' cotton by hand. I have walked behind mules to farm."

The partners have seen farmers in Cuba struggling to till their land with shovels and hoes, or livestock. They know that Cuba needs food; the country has to import more than 70 percent of what it consumes. They figure as tourism expands in Cuba, the demand for locally produced food will only be greater.

With parts manufactured in Alabama, they will assemble the Oggun tractor at the port of Mariel, in the new special development zone there.

The Oggun is small, like a jacked-up go-kart, with the engine mounted behind. If it looks old-school, that's because it is. It's based on the old Allis-Chalmers Model G tractor, which was revolutionary when it was introduced, back in the 1940s. It was discontinued in 1955 when many U.S. farms outgrew its size.

Berenthal admits that he and Clemmons did hear skepticism about their plan to bring a 60-year-old tractor design to Cuba.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker (left)talks with students in Havana in October. Pritzker led a delegation of U.S. officials who met their Cuban counterparts and businessmen to explore expanding ties. While restrictions are being removed, increased business links between the countries are limited so far.

"One of the comments that was made to me," he says, "was, 'Do you think people in Cuba are going to fall for this old American trick of bringing an old technology here and selling it and making money on it?' "

To that, they respond that they've updated the engineering, putting new technology in that old frame. The tractor will be easy to assemble and, with an open source manufacturing model, will be easy to fix and maintain.

Clemmons says their "make it live longer" model sets them apart from other equipment companies who use patented, proprietary components.

"[The other companies'] business model is, plan for obsolescence: build a new, better widget and make 'em buy the new, better widget," he says. By putting their Oggun design in the public domain, "We're just going completely opposite from that."

The partners will invest about $5 million to get their factory built and into production. They hope to start assembling tractors in the first quarter of 2017. They expect to build some 100 tractors a year to start, and ramp up to a thousand, not just for Cuba, but also for export to other countries in Latin America.

The tractors will sell for about $8,000 to $10,000: a steep price for a small farmer in Cuba. Clemmons and Berenthal expect that Cuban relatives overseas will help chip in. They say the Cuban government may help with loans. They've also had inquiries from tourist resorts expressing interest in buying tractors so that farmers can supply more food for their guests.

It's possible that the next U.S. president could undo the Obama administration's moves and reverse normalization to Cuba, and put their tractor business in peril. Berenthal and Clemmons shrug that prospect off. "We don't let fear get in the way of what is possible," Clemmons says.



“When President Obama travels to Cuba next month — the first visit by a sitting U.S. president in nearly 90 years — it will mark a historic step on the path to normalizing relations with the island nation. While he's in Havana, two U.S. businessmen are hoping the president might spend some time with them — or even take a seat on a prototype of the tractor they plan to assemble and sell in Cuba. …. Clemmons says their "make it live longer" model sets them apart from other equipment companies who use patented, proprietary components. "[The other companies'] business model is, plan for obsolescence: build a new, better widget and make 'em buy the new, better widget," he says. By putting their Oggun design in the public domain, "We're just going completely opposite from that." The partners will invest about $5 million to get their factory built and into production. They hope to start assembling tractors in the first quarter of 2017. They expect to build some 100 tractors a year to start, and ramp up to a thousand, not just for Cuba, but also for export to other countries in Latin America.”


This story is great in a number of ways. First, I remember the fear when I heard President John Kennedy stating that he was invading Cuba over the possibility of a nuclear matter. One of the main things which was already in the news repetitively at that time was the many voices expressing fear of a nuclear war, and Cuba of course was a very short distance from Florida.

There was also the issue of Russia actually establishing a presence there. Double bad news! Of course the final result was that Russia pulled out and we began to boycott Cuba. A mortal enemy one or two hundred miles from our shore isn’t good. Now, thank goodnesss, many, many things have changed in this country and in Cuba. For one thing Fidel Castro has retired and a younger and milder brother has taken over. I think we can probably work with him, and I also think that the hysteria over Communism is wearing off in this country.

I look forward to peace, and to success in this very practical business for the small farmer – a “small” tractor. I wonder if it looks like our “Bobcats” in the US. I was startled, but delighted, that the new tractor manufacturers are NOT following the vile US trend of the last 40 or so years -- planned obsolescence. They’re going to build quality products that can be repaired when it’s needed, and which a small farmer can actually afford to buy. That is my old fashioned idea of what “good business” looks like!



NOT NEWS, BUT INTERESTING. GO ALSO TO “ANDY GRIFFITH YOUTUBE” ON GOOGLE FOR HIS CLASSIC TALL TALES”

http://www.outerbanksvacations.com/blog/2014/2/outer-banks-throwback-andy-griffith-in-the-lost-colony-in-1952

No named writer, website of outerbanksvacations
Thursday, February 27, 2014

Photograph -- Queen Elisabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh, and others
Photograph -- program_1952_lost_colony_andy_griffith_sir_walter_raleigh

Frequent vacationers of the Outer Banks may have been to The Lost Colony play on Roanoke Island once or twice before, but you may not be aware that one of the area’s most famous figures, Andy Griffith, used to have a part in the play.

During his four years at Mount Airy High School located in Northwestern North Carolina, Griffith obtained an interested in the arts, and was active in his school’s drama program. When he graduated in 1944, he was thrilled when he was offered a role in The Lost Colony play. He performed as a cast member of the play for several years and worked his way up to playing Sir Water Raleigh – one of the leading roles of the outdoor drama.

The well-known actor Andy Griffith who started his acting career playing Sir Walter Raleigh (pictured above) in the nation’s longest running outdoor drama "The Lost Colony" liked the area so much, he decided to move here full time.

Griffith performed at Waterside Theater from 1947 to 1953 enjoyed the laid back lifestyle most area residents take for granted. The black and white photo of Griffith above was taken in 1952 and is from the North Carolina Collection at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library.

At approximately 7:00 a.m. on July 3, 2012, Griffith passed away at age 86 from a heart attack in his mansion located near the western end of Roanoke Island. He was buried in the family cemetery on the island within five hours of his passing.

The nation’s longest-running symphonic drama started in 1937 and was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green. The production has won numerous awards during its over 80 year tenure including a Tony Award in 2013.

The show runs from late-May to mid-August and you can purchase tickets to see the play online. Seeing The Lost Colony outdoor drama at least once should be on every Outer Banks vacationers bucket list.

Thanks for checking out this week’s Throwback Thursday post and be sure to check back next week for another retro Outer Banks photo.


Thursday, February 27, 2014