Friday, September 14, 2018

In the news, Saturday, August 18, 2018


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AUG 17      INDEX      AUG 19
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from BBC News (UK)
LEFT-CENTER BIAS

Kofi Annan, former UN chief, dies at 80
Kofi Annan, the only black African to become UN secretary-general, has died. The 80-year-old "passed away peacefully on Saturday after a short illness", the foundation named after him said.

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from The Boston Globe
Publisher in Boston, Massachusetts

Taylor Usry’s routine work trip in July began like any other. She chose a comfy dress and sandals to ease her travel anxiety, and arrived early at the airport, where she passed through security — her body scanned, searched, and patted, her belongings swabbed and sent through an X-ray machine. She had no idea she was being watched during her humble meal — watched the entire time, in fact. A team of armed federal air marshals was shadowing her every move — recording whether she touched her face or sweated, where she went, how she looked, and other seemingly minor details as she made her way through the Charlotte airport. The air marshals even flew with Usry, closely watching her until she left the Tampa airport, according to records reviewed by the Globe. The documents show that Usry was swept up in the Transportation Security Administration’s Quiet Skies program that morning, one of roughly 5,000 US citizens subjected this year to extensive monitoring under a controversial domestic surveillance initiative designed to catch potential or unknown terrorists. Since the Globe first reported on the program last month, TSA officials have repeatedly asserted that Quiet Skies doesn’t monitor ordinary travelers. Usry, a mother of two from Williamsburg, Va., was targeted because she had recently flown to Turkey for an arts-and-crafts course, a country that is a focal point of the program, according to documents and air marshals with direct knowledge of Quiet Skies.

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

Elizabeth Warren's Big Power Grab
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has introduced legislation that would radically overhaul corporate governance in America, requiring that the largest (over $1 billion) companies obtain revocable charters from the federal government to do business, instituting rules reminiscent of German-style co-determination under which workers would be entitled to at least 40 percent representation on boards of directors, placing directors under a fiduciary obligation to serve “stakeholders” as opposed to owners as currently, prohibiting political expenditures by corporations unless approved by at least 75 percent of directors and shareholders, and restricting directors and officers from reselling incentive stock within five years. Not only has it failed every time it's been tried, it's also most likely unconstitutional.

Thanos, Like Malthus, Is Wrong about Population Control
Advocates of population control keep wrongly predicting doom, from 18th-century economist Thomas Malthus to the Stanford professors who wrongly predicted "The Population Bomb" in the 1960s, to the villain in Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos. Thanos is just the latest in a long line of population growth alarmists, and he's just as wrong as they were.

The Link Between Economic Liberty and National Prosperity
With the possible exception of a few extreme environmentalists, everyone agrees that robust long-run growth is a key to a better society. The lesson is not that nations need perfect policy (even Hong Kong has some statism). Instead, the message is that governments should strive to increase economic liberty—hopefully in big ways but even small reforms are helpful—so that there’s more “breathing room” for the economy’s productive sector.

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from The Heritage Foundation
RIGHT BIAS, MIXED, think tank in Washington, D.C

Omarosa Acted Dishonorably by Recording Confidential White House Conversations, but Here’s the Bigger Problem
Even if you strongly oppose President Donald Trump and want to see him defeated in 2020 or impeached before then, you should hope his presidential campaign succeeds with its legal action against Omarosa Manigault Newman alleging she violated a nondisclosure agreement. And if she broke any laws, you should want her prosecuted. Manigault Newman—a fired presidential aide and earlier a member of the Trump campaign staff—has set a dangerous precedent by her secret recording of conversations with Trump and White House and campaign aides. The New York Times reported Thursday that Manigault Newman “is believed to have as many as 200” recordings of such conversations.

With Criminal Justice Bills Pending, Sen. Warren Wrongly Calls System "Racist"
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was right to backpedal from her speech last week at Dillard University in New Orleans in which she said, “Our criminal justice system” is “racist … front to back.” But her clarifying remarks at a town hall meeting, following criticism from law enforcement officials in her home state and the U.S. Justice Department, still missed the mark.

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from HumanProgress.org  Education Website

How Humanity Won the War on Famine
In his 1968 book The Population Bomb, biologist Paul Ehrlich from Stanford University wrote that “The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now.” That year, food supply in 34 out of 152 countries surveyed amounted to less than 2,000 calories per person per day. That was true of only 2 out of 173 countries surveyed in 2013. Today famines have all but disappeared outside of war zones.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan dies at age 80
Kofi Annan, a charismatic global diplomat and the first black African to become United Nations secretary-general who led the world body through one of its most turbulent periods, died early Saturday at age 80.

To grow old in your home, renovate accordingly
Planning to stay in your home well into your golden years? Doing some renovations before you retire can help make your house more accessible and safe for your life ahead.

Guest Opinion: Spokane cannot afford the City Council’s energy mandate
In October 2017, a group of activists formed a work group to draft a proposal mandating that the city of Spokane source 100 percent of our energy from renewables by 2030. On Monday, the Spokane City Council plans to rush its proposal into law.

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from Sputnik
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, Broadcasting & Media Production Company out of Moscow, Russia

Death Toll From Collapse of Motorway Bridge in Genoa Rises to 43 – Reports
The number of victims of the recent collapse of a section of Morandi motorway bridge in Genoa increased to 43 people on Saturday, as one of those severely injured has passed away at a hospital, RaiNews24 reported. A part of Ponte Morandi in the Italian northwestern city collapsed on Tuesday, with at least 30 cars plunging hundreds of feet to the ground. Death toll previously stood at 42 people, while 10 injured had been remaining in hospitals.

Genoa Bridge Tragedy: Morandi CEO Apologizes After Viaduct Collapse
CEO of Autostrade per l'Italia, which manages and maintains most of Italy's toll roads, including the collapsed Morandi bridge in the city of Genoa, apologized on Saturday for the tragedy for the first time since it has happened. A large section of Ponte Morandi collapsed on Tuesday, with at least 30 cars plunging hundreds of feet to the ground. According to the latest data, 43 people were killed in the incident. On Wednesday, Italian Minister of Economic Development, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, placed all the responsibility for the bridge collapse on Autostrade per l'Italia. On Friday, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Danilo Toninelli said that his ministry had officially initiated the procedure for the cancellation of the state's concession agreement with Autostrade per l'Italia.

The Drop: Global Finance Downgrades Turkey to Below Investment Grade
Turkey's credit rating plunged deeper into junk territory after a significant downgrade from world markets on Friday. Credit ratings for Turkey under the current administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have plunged sharply over the last 24 hours, as global financial services, including Moody's and S&P, have downgraded the largest economy in the Middle East to below investment grade, according to Bloomberg.

Clinton Saga Continues: Watchdog Publishes New Batches of Hillary’s Emails
The email scandal continues to haunt Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and ex-Democratic presidential nominee, as Judicial Watch, a non-profit conservative organization, has unearthed two new batches of Clinton's emails and called for a new investigation into her mishandling of classified government data. It seems that Hillary Clinton's email saga is far from being over: Judicial Watch, a government watchdog, has uncovered five more confidential emails circulated among the ex-secretary of state's team through her private and unsecure email server.

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