Friday, March 17, 2017

In the news, Friday, February 24, 2017


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FEB 23      INDEX      FEB 25
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from Asia Times Online

Indonesia could be just what Australia prime minister needs
The potential smoothing of diplomatic tensions with Indonesia comes as Mr Turnbull faces increasing pressure and critics on the home front.

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from Bill Moyers
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

How to Fight the War on Science and Win
Attacks on science will affect all of us, in every aspect of our lives, whether or not we're scientists.

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from Breitbart
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from CNSNews.com (& MRC & NewsBusters)
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Russian Foreign Ministry Defends Its ‘Fake News’ Project Targeting U.S. Media
Russia’s foreign ministry has launched an initiative to brand as “fake news” media reports with which it disagrees, but critics are mocking the name-and-shame effort, which at this stage includes no evident fact-checking of the identified articles. Labeled with a big red stamp on the official foreign ministry website are five Western news reports – one each from the New York Times, Bloomberg, Daily Telegraph, NBCNews.com and Santa Monica Observer.

CNN's Cuomo Blames 'Intolerant' Parents for Girls Wanting to Change in Female Only Locker Rooms
After President Trump reversed an Obama order Wednesday, that forced schools to allow transgender students to use whatever bathroom and locker room they wished, the media went nuts, decrying the reversal as “cruel” discrimination. New Day anchor Chris Cuomo went on a Twitter tirade Thursday, arguing with conservatives over the bathroom order, even blaming parents for being “intolerant” because they want their daughters to change in female-only locker rooms at school.

Will Court Ruling Against Christian Florist Prompt Trump to Action on Religious Freedom?
America’s promise of freedom forbids the government from marginalizing people, or depriving them of opportunities, because of their religious beliefs or identities. Yet the Washington Supreme Court has declared Barronelle Stutzman, a 72-year-old floral artist, unfit to work in the wedding industry because of her religious beliefs about marriage. And now, barring intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court, Barronelle stands to lose everything she owns, including personal assets like her home, life savings, and retirement funds.

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from Competitive Enterprise Institute

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers petitioned Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt this week to re-evaluate greenhouse gas emission standards for new cars that were adopted in the final days of the Obama administration. The standards, for model years 2022 through 2025, were originally adopted in a joint rulemaking with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2012, with the understanding that they would receive a “mid-term” review before they went into effect. Instead of conducting that review properly, however, agency officials rushed the process so that they could be finalized before President Obama left office in January.

Failure to Renounce Paris Climate Deal Would Create Major White House Policy Conflict
On the campaign trail, presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would “cancel” U.S. participation in the Paris Agreement, a climate treaty largely conceived and aggressively promoted by the Obama administration. Trump now appears to be back-pedaling. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, and Trump’s daughter Ivanka “intervened to strike language” critical of the pact from a forthcoming executive order on climate policy.

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from Conciliar Post

This is the second in my series “In Defense of”. As a deacon in a small Anglican parish in Lynchburg, Virginia, one of the highlights of my week is getting to serve Communion to those who are sojourning with us. Serving people the Blood of Christ while pronouncing, “The Blood of Christ, the Cup of Salvation” is an immense privilege. In some Anglican circles, ours included, there is no First Communion for children as in Roman Catholicism. Instead, some parishes choose to allow any and all baptized members of the Family of God to partake in Communion on a weekly basis. If serving Communion is one of my favorite moments, the pinnacle is when I get to give the Cup to a the younger members of our congregation (the youngest one who receives the Cup is about three years old).  But not everyone sees this as beautiful. In fact, some may find it quite problematic. After all, this three year old girl does not fully understand what’s happening at Communion, which is why some other Sacramental traditions delay First Communion until after some catechetical training. Beyond that, those who may identify with the Baptist tradition may have a problem with her being considered a member of the Church because she has not reached the age of accountability yet. Some of these issues are unresolvable in an article this size but these observations do serve as a springboard to the question: “Why do it?”

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from EUobserver

Hungary should set alarm bells ringing in Brussels
Unless the EU and other European institutions support civil society groups under attack in Hungary, all of Europe will be the poorer.

The crisis we face in the Lake Chad Basin
With no end in sight to this crisis, humanitarian actors must call for concerted engagement of political, developmental and security actors to help stabilise the region, writes the head of the UN migration agency.

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Protectionism Makes Great Countries Poor Again
Today Donald Trump will sign an executive order directing federal agencies to implement the "Buy American, Hire American" rhetoric of his campaign. Behind this mirage of restored American “greatness,” American workers and consumers will be poorer than they have to be, making goods at higher costs and with less productive efficiency than a free and open participation in a free market-based global division of labor would have offered to all in the world, including those Americans whose economic welfare President Trump claims to be so concerned about.

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from The Guardian (UK)
[Information from this site may be unreliable.]

Wend along the Wensum: an off-beat walk through Norwich
The first of a new occasional series on city walks follows a quiet path along the Wensum – rather than main streets – to discover Norwich’s architectural treasures and rich history.

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from The Heritage Foundation

Coast Guard Seized Record Amount of Drugs in 2016. Here’s How It Can Do Even More.
While Coast Guard drug busts reached an all-time high in 2016, it only stopped a small fraction of attempted drug imports.

This School Meal Policy May Not Have Served the Neediest Kids
A Washington Post article argues that a recently implemented federal school meals policy, the Community Eligibility Provision, is largely responsible for increased participation of low-income children in the school breakfast program. In reality, the Community Eligibility Provision turns welfare on its head by making it possible for children from middle-class and wealthy families to receive free school meals.

Fairness in the Federal Tax Treatment of Health Insurance: The Linchpin of Real Reform
Federal tax policy is the most important factor shaping America’s health insurance markets. When Congress addresses Obamacare’s punitive and disruptive “Cadillac tax” on more expensive employer-based plans, it should not do so without beginning to address the inequity inherent in the federal tax treatment of health insurance. Congress should repeal the Cadillac tax and set a simple cap on the employer exclusion while also creating individual tax relief that is available to everyone.

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from Intellihub
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Bill Gates: ‘Bioterror is far scarier than nuclear war and a bigger threat’
Billionaire and founder of Microsoft Bill Gates briefed world leaders and others at the Munich Security Conference last Saturday on emerging megatrends which Gates said could lead to the demise of the human race. Gates told Vice President Michael Pence and other attendees that bioterrorism would be far more deadly than a nuclear war by comparison. All in all, Gates said that there has never been a better time for both governments and individuals to prepare. The bottom line is that the elites are preparing to do something big, they are losing their power and will do anything to regain it!

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from LifeZette (& PoliZette)

Vatican Walks Fine Line by Welcoming Palestinians
Pope Francis and Israel — a delicate and political dance
Pope Francis walked a tightrope earlier this month by welcoming Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican and inaugurating the new Palestinian embassy to the Holy See. The move is controversial for a number of reasons — and it is worth examining what is going on from a political standpoint.

Texas Governor Threatens Jail for ‘Sanctuary’ Sheriff
Abbott says bill would put Travis County official behind 'bars that she has tried to release people from'

Clinton Mega-Donor Suggests Bizarre Bathroom Protest
Potential Democratic candidate for governor tells men to use women's restrooms to defy Trump
After President Donald Trump revoked his predecessor’s federal guidelines stipulating that transgendered students could use the bathroom of their gender identity Wednesday, Democratic mega-donor J.B. Pritzker called for “everyone” to “use the other gender’s bathroom” Thursday in retaliation. Pritzker, who reportedly is considering a challenge to incumbent Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2018, was swiftly rebuked by liberals for veering off-message.

Exclusive: Border Surveillance Shows Vulnerability of Fencing
Pickup trucks caught on tape breaching existing barriers lend credence to case for wall

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from Mises Institute
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Trump to States with Recreational Pot: Drop Dead
In the days following the 2016 election, there were already worrying signs that the Trump administration didn't merely view the War on Drugs as a useful source of rhetoric to please some Conservatives. With the appointment of Jeff Sessions — who appears to be a true believer in the War on Drugs — the threat to federalism, states's rights, and local control was all too real. The fears continue to be stoked by the administration itself, and yesterday White House spokesman Sean Spicer announcing that "I do believe that you'll see greater enforcement of [federal law against marijuana]." 

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from New Statesman
"The leading voice of the British left, since 1913."

How the Democratic National Committee Chair contest became a proxy war
The two leading candidates represent the Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders factions.

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from The Spokesman-Review

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from Vox
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Meet the 16-year-old Canadian girl who took down Milo Yiannopoulos
This is the real story of how the video that took down Milo surfaced.

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