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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
October 3, 2012
Published on Oct 2, 2012 by RussiaToday
The lawyer for whistleblowing US soldier Bradley Manning has demanded all charges be dropped. He says Manning's case is being deliberately protracted. The trial will only start in February, while according to US court martial rules, it should've begun over two years ago.
Keep It Quick? Whistleblower Manning trial drawn out indefinitely
Published on Oct 2, 2012 by RussiaToday
The lawyer for whistleblowing US soldier Bradley Manning has demanded all charges be dropped. He says Manning's case is being deliberately protracted. The trial will only start in February, while according to US court martial rules, it should've begun over two years ago.
October 3, 2012
from the Working Life blog:
Fiscal Cliffs: Can We Drive The Rich Over One, Leave The People Safe?
Posted on 03 October 2012.
People complain a lot about Congress not working hard enough. For my money, and the money and pocketbooks of millions of people, Id be happy to give the entire lot of them say a year off. Then, maybe, we could enroll them in an advanced political recovery program and wean them off this idiotic obsession with the non-existent debt and deficit crisis.
Here come the serious people in Congress, aided and abetted by their willing transcribers of press releases (formerly known as journalists), clamoring about the mythical fiscal cliff:
If you read the entire article youd probably think you missed the part quoting, or simply referencing, the opinion that there is no fiscal cliff or debt or deficit crisis an opinion held by a variety of capable people such as Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Well, no, you didnt miss that info because it just wasnt there.
Because the entire political and media conventional wisdom universe simply accepts the phony crisis as fact. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.workinglife.org/2012/10/03/fiscal-cliffs-can-we-drive-the-rich-over-one-leave-the-people-safe/
Fiscal Cliffs: Can We Drive The Rich Over One, Leave The People Safe?
from the Working Life blog:
Fiscal Cliffs: Can We Drive The Rich Over One, Leave The People Safe?
Posted on 03 October 2012.
People complain a lot about Congress not working hard enough. For my money, and the money and pocketbooks of millions of people, Id be happy to give the entire lot of them say a year off. Then, maybe, we could enroll them in an advanced political recovery program and wean them off this idiotic obsession with the non-existent debt and deficit crisis.
Here come the serious people in Congress, aided and abetted by their willing transcribers of press releases (formerly known as journalists), clamoring about the mythical fiscal cliff:
Senate leaders are closing in on a path for dealing with the fiscal cliff facing the country in January, opting to try to use a postelection session of Congress to reach agreement on a comprehensive deficit reduction deal rather than a short-term solution.
enate Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on the details, and House Republicans continue to resist any discussion of tax increases. But lawmakers and aides say that a bipartisan group of senators is coalescing around an ambitious three-step process to avert a series of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts.
First, senators would come to an agreement on a deficit reduction target likely to be around $4 trillion over 10 years to be reached through revenue raised by an overhaul of the tax code, savings from changes to social programs like Medicare and Social Security, and cuts to federal programs. Once the framework is approved, lawmakers would vote on expedited instructions to relevant Congressional committees to draft the details over six months to a year.
If those efforts failed, another plan would take effect, probably a close derivative of the proposal by President Obamas fiscal commission led by Erskine B. Bowles, the Clinton White House chief of staff, and former Senator Alan K. Simpson of Wyoming, a Republican. Those recommendations included changes to Social Security, broad cuts in federal programs and actions that would lower tax rates over all but eliminate or pare enough deductions and credits to yield as much as $2 trillion in additional revenue.
If you read the entire article youd probably think you missed the part quoting, or simply referencing, the opinion that there is no fiscal cliff or debt or deficit crisis an opinion held by a variety of capable people such as Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Well, no, you didnt miss that info because it just wasnt there.
Because the entire political and media conventional wisdom universe simply accepts the phony crisis as fact. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.workinglife.org/2012/10/03/fiscal-cliffs-can-we-drive-the-rich-over-one-leave-the-people-safe/
October 3, 2012
(Bloomberg) Chelsea Clinton says she left her career on Wall Street three years ago to find more purpose.
Intellectually, I loved my job, but I didnt get any meaning from it, says Clinton, 32, who worked from 2006 to 2009 as an associate at Avenue Capital Group LLC, a New York- based hedge fund firm. I didnt fundamentally become re- motivated every day in the way that I do now.
Clinton has since earned a Masters degree in public health from Columbia University, where she teaches a course in cross- national health policy, and is working on a PhD in international relations from Oxford University. Shes on the boards of IAC/Interactive Corp, the School of the American Ballet and Weill Cornell Medical College, and is a special correspondent for Comcast Corp.s NBC television network.
She spoke about her Wall Street job in an interview at the Clinton Global Initiatives annual meeting last week, fresh from a discussion about the future of Haiti. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-03/chelsea-clinton-exited-wall-street-to-seek-career-with-meaning.html
Chelsea Clinton Exited Wall Street to Seek Career With Meaning
(Bloomberg) Chelsea Clinton says she left her career on Wall Street three years ago to find more purpose.
Intellectually, I loved my job, but I didnt get any meaning from it, says Clinton, 32, who worked from 2006 to 2009 as an associate at Avenue Capital Group LLC, a New York- based hedge fund firm. I didnt fundamentally become re- motivated every day in the way that I do now.
Clinton has since earned a Masters degree in public health from Columbia University, where she teaches a course in cross- national health policy, and is working on a PhD in international relations from Oxford University. Shes on the boards of IAC/Interactive Corp, the School of the American Ballet and Weill Cornell Medical College, and is a special correspondent for Comcast Corp.s NBC television network.
She spoke about her Wall Street job in an interview at the Clinton Global Initiatives annual meeting last week, fresh from a discussion about the future of Haiti. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-03/chelsea-clinton-exited-wall-street-to-seek-career-with-meaning.html
October 3, 2012
(Bloomberg) Rachael Wright had culinary training, a bachelors degree in nutrition and a dream of putting her education to work. After a couple of years waiting tables and trying to launch her career, Wright finally went where the jobs are: quick-service food.
In September, she started at Protein Bar, a Chicago-based eatery specializing in low-sugar, high-fiber menus. The company says it seeks to marry fresh ingredients with convenience: Food is served in easy-to-carry bowls so customers can nosh while they walk. After multiple interviews, Wright landed an assistant manager job at the companys new store in Washington.
........(snip)........
Fast-food chains including Wendys Co. (WEN), snack-and-beverage shops such as Starbucks Corp. (SBUX), and a newer crop of eateries like Protein Bar and Nandos Peri-Peri, which offer made-to-order meals, are leading the growth.
Outlets Flourishing
Such outlets are flourishing even as total restaurant traffic remains stuck below pre-recession levels. Americans stepped out to eat 61 billion times in the 12 months ending July 31, down from 62 billion visits four years ago, according to market researcher NPD Group in Port Washington, New York. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-03/employment-rise-on-restaurants-in-u-s-doing-quick-service-jobs.html
U.S. Quick Service Restaurants Drive Employment Gain
(Bloomberg) Rachael Wright had culinary training, a bachelors degree in nutrition and a dream of putting her education to work. After a couple of years waiting tables and trying to launch her career, Wright finally went where the jobs are: quick-service food.
In September, she started at Protein Bar, a Chicago-based eatery specializing in low-sugar, high-fiber menus. The company says it seeks to marry fresh ingredients with convenience: Food is served in easy-to-carry bowls so customers can nosh while they walk. After multiple interviews, Wright landed an assistant manager job at the companys new store in Washington.
........(snip)........
Fast-food chains including Wendys Co. (WEN), snack-and-beverage shops such as Starbucks Corp. (SBUX), and a newer crop of eateries like Protein Bar and Nandos Peri-Peri, which offer made-to-order meals, are leading the growth.
Outlets Flourishing
Such outlets are flourishing even as total restaurant traffic remains stuck below pre-recession levels. Americans stepped out to eat 61 billion times in the 12 months ending July 31, down from 62 billion visits four years ago, according to market researcher NPD Group in Port Washington, New York. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-03/employment-rise-on-restaurants-in-u-s-doing-quick-service-jobs.html
October 3, 2012
from the Working Life blog:
Fiscal Cliffs: Can We Drive The Rich Over One, Leave The People Safe?
Posted on 03 October 2012.
People complain a lot about Congress not working hard enough. For my money, and the money and pocketbooks of millions of people, Id be happy to give the entire lot of them say a year off. Then, maybe, we could enroll them in an advanced political recovery program and wean them off this idiotic obsession with the non-existent debt and deficit crisis.
Here come the serious people in Congress, aided and abetted by their willing transcribers of press releases (formerly known as journalists), clamoring about the mythical fiscal cliff:
If you read the entire article youd probably think you missed the part quoting, or simply referencing, the opinion that there is no fiscal cliff or debt or deficit crisis an opinion held by a variety of capable people such as Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Well, no, you didnt miss that info because it just wasnt there.
Because the entire political and media conventional wisdom universe simply accepts the phony crisis as fact. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.workinglife.org/2012/10/03/fiscal-cliffs-can-we-drive-the-rich-over-one-leave-the-people-safe/
Fiscal Cliffs: Can We Drive The Rich Over One, Leave The People Safe?
from the Working Life blog:
Fiscal Cliffs: Can We Drive The Rich Over One, Leave The People Safe?
Posted on 03 October 2012.
People complain a lot about Congress not working hard enough. For my money, and the money and pocketbooks of millions of people, Id be happy to give the entire lot of them say a year off. Then, maybe, we could enroll them in an advanced political recovery program and wean them off this idiotic obsession with the non-existent debt and deficit crisis.
Here come the serious people in Congress, aided and abetted by their willing transcribers of press releases (formerly known as journalists), clamoring about the mythical fiscal cliff:
Senate leaders are closing in on a path for dealing with the fiscal cliff facing the country in January, opting to try to use a postelection session of Congress to reach agreement on a comprehensive deficit reduction deal rather than a short-term solution.
enate Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on the details, and House Republicans continue to resist any discussion of tax increases. But lawmakers and aides say that a bipartisan group of senators is coalescing around an ambitious three-step process to avert a series of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts.
First, senators would come to an agreement on a deficit reduction target likely to be around $4 trillion over 10 years to be reached through revenue raised by an overhaul of the tax code, savings from changes to social programs like Medicare and Social Security, and cuts to federal programs. Once the framework is approved, lawmakers would vote on expedited instructions to relevant Congressional committees to draft the details over six months to a year.
If those efforts failed, another plan would take effect, probably a close derivative of the proposal by President Obamas fiscal commission led by Erskine B. Bowles, the Clinton White House chief of staff, and former Senator Alan K. Simpson of Wyoming, a Republican. Those recommendations included changes to Social Security, broad cuts in federal programs and actions that would lower tax rates over all but eliminate or pare enough deductions and credits to yield as much as $2 trillion in additional revenue.
If you read the entire article youd probably think you missed the part quoting, or simply referencing, the opinion that there is no fiscal cliff or debt or deficit crisis an opinion held by a variety of capable people such as Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Well, no, you didnt miss that info because it just wasnt there.
Because the entire political and media conventional wisdom universe simply accepts the phony crisis as fact. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.workinglife.org/2012/10/03/fiscal-cliffs-can-we-drive-the-rich-over-one-leave-the-people-safe/
October 3, 2012
Michael Moore speaks to his own experiences with censorship, his friendship with Kurt Vonnegut and reads from "Slaughterhouse-five"
Michael Moore @ KVML Banned Books Week 2012
Michael Moore speaks to his own experiences with censorship, his friendship with Kurt Vonnegut and reads from "Slaughterhouse-five"
October 3, 2012
http://247wallst.com/2012/10/03/analyst-suggests-banks-abandon-new-york/
from 24/7WallStreet:
Infamous bank analyst Dick Bove believes that banks are treated so badly by the State of New York that they should abandon the location and move to alternate places. After the New York Attorney General filed suit against J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. on issues of the sales of mortgage-backed paper, Bove, who works at Rochdale Securities, wrote:
The financial services sector is already bleeding jobs in New York City. In the unlikely event that they take Boves advice, that would worsen.
-- Douglas A. McIntyre
NY AG prosecutes banksters for mortgage fraud; Analyst says banks should move their HQs
http://247wallst.com/2012/10/03/analyst-suggests-banks-abandon-new-york/
from 24/7WallStreet:
Infamous bank analyst Dick Bove believes that banks are treated so badly by the State of New York that they should abandon the location and move to alternate places. After the New York Attorney General filed suit against J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. on issues of the sales of mortgage-backed paper, Bove, who works at Rochdale Securities, wrote:
Management should consider the benefits of moving their headquarters elsewhere. Shareholders should not be forced to pay for continuous lawsuits because these banks are in New York.
If the industry was located in Charlotte, North Carolina it would not be facing constant hostility, it would be supported by a government that wants its business.
The financial services sector is already bleeding jobs in New York City. In the unlikely event that they take Boves advice, that would worsen.
-- Douglas A. McIntyre
October 3, 2012
from truthdig:
An Impossible France?
Posted on Oct 2, 2012
By Alexander Reed Kelly
A bold experiment is under way in the worlds fifth-largest economy: As part of a recovery plan aimed at plugging a $48 billion hole in the French budget, leftist President Francois Hollande announced last week a 75 percent tax on the personal incomes of anyone earning more than $1.3 million a year, effective for two years beginning in 2013.
The decision has some of the countrys top earners, led in the media by cosmetics tycoon Jean-Paul Agon, suggesting that the new rules will make France inhospitable to commerce, and implying that the impending blow to their bank accounts may compel executives to take their moneymaking activities elsewhere.
If there is such a new tax rule, the LOreal CEO said in an interview before the figure was confirmed Friday, its going to be very, very difficult to attract talent to work in France, almost impossible.
Agons warning reflects an attitude among the rich that is older than capitalism itself. If you tax us too much, the thinking goes, then the cost of providing the goods and services society requires will become too high. We wont be able to pay the wages our workers deserve, and our talents for enterprise will find more favorable conditions elsewhere. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/an_impossible_france_20121002/
An ‘Impossible’ France?: Experiment Could Deliver Blow to One of Capitalism's Biggest Myths
from truthdig:
An Impossible France?
Posted on Oct 2, 2012
By Alexander Reed Kelly
A bold experiment is under way in the worlds fifth-largest economy: As part of a recovery plan aimed at plugging a $48 billion hole in the French budget, leftist President Francois Hollande announced last week a 75 percent tax on the personal incomes of anyone earning more than $1.3 million a year, effective for two years beginning in 2013.
The decision has some of the countrys top earners, led in the media by cosmetics tycoon Jean-Paul Agon, suggesting that the new rules will make France inhospitable to commerce, and implying that the impending blow to their bank accounts may compel executives to take their moneymaking activities elsewhere.
If there is such a new tax rule, the LOreal CEO said in an interview before the figure was confirmed Friday, its going to be very, very difficult to attract talent to work in France, almost impossible.
Agons warning reflects an attitude among the rich that is older than capitalism itself. If you tax us too much, the thinking goes, then the cost of providing the goods and services society requires will become too high. We wont be able to pay the wages our workers deserve, and our talents for enterprise will find more favorable conditions elsewhere. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/an_impossible_france_20121002/
October 3, 2012
(Bloomberg) Four years ago today, President George W. Bush signed into law the biggest corporate rescue in American history. Even as U.S. unemployment has remained above 8 percent for 43 months, the countrys biggest banks are making almost as much as they ever have.
The combined $63 billion in profit reported by the six largest U.S. lenders over the four quarters through June is more than they earned in any calendar year since the peak in 2006.
Bank of America Corp. made more in the 12-month period than Walt Disney Co. and McDonalds Corp. combined. Citigroup Inc. (C), which like Bank of America took $45 billion in taxpayer funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, earned more than Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) and Boeing Co. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), the largest U.S. bank by assets, had profits of more than $17 billion even after reporting a $5.8 billion trading loss.
Still, Wall Street isnt enjoying its good fortune.
Those billions of dollars in profits arent enough, according to interviews with more than a dozen bank executives and analysts. The lowest leverage in a decade, return on equity at a third of 2006 levels, higher capital requirements, shares trading below book value, declining bonuses, job cuts, the European sovereign-debt crisis and a backlash against bankers have damped the joys of profit, they said. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-03/no-joy-on-wall-street-as-biggest-banks-earn-63-billion.html
Despite record profits, the Banksters are glum about their future
(Bloomberg) Four years ago today, President George W. Bush signed into law the biggest corporate rescue in American history. Even as U.S. unemployment has remained above 8 percent for 43 months, the countrys biggest banks are making almost as much as they ever have.
The combined $63 billion in profit reported by the six largest U.S. lenders over the four quarters through June is more than they earned in any calendar year since the peak in 2006.
Bank of America Corp. made more in the 12-month period than Walt Disney Co. and McDonalds Corp. combined. Citigroup Inc. (C), which like Bank of America took $45 billion in taxpayer funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, earned more than Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) and Boeing Co. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), the largest U.S. bank by assets, had profits of more than $17 billion even after reporting a $5.8 billion trading loss.
Still, Wall Street isnt enjoying its good fortune.
Those billions of dollars in profits arent enough, according to interviews with more than a dozen bank executives and analysts. The lowest leverage in a decade, return on equity at a third of 2006 levels, higher capital requirements, shares trading below book value, declining bonuses, job cuts, the European sovereign-debt crisis and a backlash against bankers have damped the joys of profit, they said. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-03/no-joy-on-wall-street-as-biggest-banks-earn-63-billion.html
October 3, 2012
from the Detroit Metro Times:
Activists vs. bureaucrats
Lawsuits part of effort to get state officials to comply with medical marijuana law
By Larry Gabriel
Published: October 3, 2012
Medical marijuana laws generally get bureaucratic pushback from administrators, politicians and law enforcement unhappy with the changes made by citizens' initiatives. Michigan medical marijuana activists claim that is the case with the Michigan Bureau of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), which oversees the Michigan Medical Marihuana program (MMMP).
LARA has definitely been remiss in processing applications and issuing registration cards to patients and caregivers in the past. Although Rae Ramsdell, director of LARA's Bureau of Health Professions, claims to have caught up on a backlog of applications since buying new card-printing machines, complaints about receiving cards late still circulate among activists.
In addition, LARA has not convened a review panel to consider adding qualifying conditions to the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program registry as required by the law passed in November 2008. After nearly four years, that still hasn't happened.
On Sept. 19, the Detroit-based law office, Cannabis Counsel PLC, filed a lawsuit in Ingham County against LARA Director Steven H. Hilfinger and Ramsdell on the behalf of plaintiff Martin Chilcutt, a nearly 80-year-old U.S. Navy veteran who founded the group Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access. The suit requests a court order that would force the officials to follow the law. ........(more)
The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/mmj/activists-vs-bureaucrats-1.1382149
Lawsuits part of effort to get state officials to comply with (MI) medical marijuana law
from the Detroit Metro Times:
Activists vs. bureaucrats
Lawsuits part of effort to get state officials to comply with medical marijuana law
By Larry Gabriel
Published: October 3, 2012
Medical marijuana laws generally get bureaucratic pushback from administrators, politicians and law enforcement unhappy with the changes made by citizens' initiatives. Michigan medical marijuana activists claim that is the case with the Michigan Bureau of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), which oversees the Michigan Medical Marihuana program (MMMP).
LARA has definitely been remiss in processing applications and issuing registration cards to patients and caregivers in the past. Although Rae Ramsdell, director of LARA's Bureau of Health Professions, claims to have caught up on a backlog of applications since buying new card-printing machines, complaints about receiving cards late still circulate among activists.
In addition, LARA has not convened a review panel to consider adding qualifying conditions to the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program registry as required by the law passed in November 2008. After nearly four years, that still hasn't happened.
On Sept. 19, the Detroit-based law office, Cannabis Counsel PLC, filed a lawsuit in Ingham County against LARA Director Steven H. Hilfinger and Ramsdell on the behalf of plaintiff Martin Chilcutt, a nearly 80-year-old U.S. Navy veteran who founded the group Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access. The suit requests a court order that would force the officials to follow the law. ........(more)
The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/mmj/activists-vs-bureaucrats-1.1382149
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit, MI
Member since: Fri Oct 29, 2004, 12:18 AM
Number of posts: 77,067