damnedifIknow
damnedifIknow's JournalUS business groups join forces to pledge action on climate change
London/Washington: Goldman Sachs and Bank of America have joined 11 other large US companies to make a series of climate change pledges that the White House says could lead to at least $140 billion (Dh514.2 billion) in new green investments.
Apple, Google and Berkshire Hathaway are among the groups backing an Obama administration initiative to highlight business support for efforts to seal a global climate deal at a UN meeting in December.
The move is part of the administration’s ongoing push to deliver a lasting legacy on climate change in the final stretch of Barack Obama’s presidency.
Obama is hoping to capitalise on the momentum he has created in recent months to bolster his case that the US must continue to take decisive action to combat global warming, even as the issue remains politically divisive at home.
More than 1.6 gigawatts of renewable energy generating capacity would be built if the 13 US companies’ climate promises were met, the White House said, enough to power nearly one million homes.
*Berkshire Hathaway plans to invest up to $15 billion more in renewable energy, while Alcoa, the aluminium giant, will pledge to halve its US greenhouse gas emissions within 10 years, compared with their 2005 levels.
Walmart, Microsoft, PepsiCo and UPS are also taking part in the initiative, which the White House said would be followed up with another round of corporate pledges later in the year."
http://gulfnews.com/business/economy/us-business-groups-join-forces-to-pledge-action-on-climate-change-1.1557322
Climate Change Causing Ocean Acidification, Low Oxygen
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Climate change is turning ocean water more acidic and creating low-oxygen "dead zones" – issues that have serious implications for the entire oceanic ecosystem.
That's the subject of a Wednesday workshop in Sacramento on the findings of the West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel. According to Jenn Phillips, project manager with the Ocean Protection Council – an arm of the state government that advises policymakers on marine science issues – the problem affects the entire west coast.
Studies have shown much of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere eventually dissolves into seawater, making the ocean more acidic. Scientists believe this weakens some marine species – including corals, crabs and sponges – and is often accompanied by giant pools of low-oxygen water that drive away fish populations.
Phillips says these stressors can have a ripple effect.
"Acidification and hypoxia may affect one organism, but what does that then mean for the rest of the food chain?" she asks. "It can have really far-reaching, ecosystem-wide effects, especially when you layer this on top of a warming ocean, also from climate change."
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2015-07-28/environment/climate-change-causing-ocean-acidification-low-oxygen/a47423-1
University cops expanding role off campus, Washington Post says
CINCINNATI -- Two weeks before a University of Cincinnati police officer shot an unarmed black motorist to death off campus, a Washington Post blog article revealed a rise in the number of shootings by campus police and warned that university and college forces across the country have been "quietly expanding their scope and reach off campus."
The Post noted that there have been more than a dozen controversial officer-involved shootings since 2003 – mostly involving unarmed, intoxicated students.
More than 70 percent of college and university police agencies now exercise off-campus jurisdiction, and 35 percent have policing powers that extend statewide, the Post reported, citing Bureau of Justice Statistics.
*Ohio State University and other campus police have armed themselves with military weapons provided by the federal government. At Ohio State, the campus SWAT team acquired a 19-ton mine-resistant ambush vehicle.
> Racial profiling by police has recently been alleged at several schools – including Yale, UCLA and Minnesota.
> In many states, campus police operate under secrecy protected by state law. Only three states -- Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia -- have laws forcing transparency on campus cops."
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/colleges/uc-news/campus-police-gone-wild-university-cops-expanding-role-off-campus-washington-post-says
Appeals Court Revives Excessive-Force Claims Against Ferguson Officers
A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived excessive-force claims against police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, accused of beating a man while he was “subdued and compliant” in jail.
Although the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed the dismissal of claims against individual officers, the three-judge panel agreed with a lower court judge that the city of Ferguson—which became a national symbol of tensions between African-Americans and police after the fatal shooting last year of Michael Brown—could not be held responsible for a 2009 altercation between police and the plaintiff, Henry Davis.
*Davis’ lawyer, James Schottel of Schottel & Associates in St. Louis, said that he “had hoped for different results on the municipality claim against Ferguson, but it’s a very, very tough burden.” The Eighth Circuit, he said, was known to be "conservative" on those types of issues, so he was not surprised by the outcome.
“Overall, I think there was some very good language regarding excessive-force claims moving forward. That was the heart of the case,” Schottel said.
*Ferguson police brought Davis to jail after he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. The officers’ accounts of what happened differ from Davis’ version of events, but the appeals court said it was undisputed that “a short, bloody fight ensued” and there was evidence that multiple officers “beat or kicked Davis after he was handcuffed and subdued on the floor of the cell.”
http://www.nationallawjournal.com/home/id=1202733273946&back=law
Cowardly Cops and us..all of us..Who is Troy Goode ?..
We in America have a big problem. Something is happening here. Sandra Bland, coverups and daily abuse by people who are sworn to protect and serve, I get angry over another incident.
While reading comments about the looped video I refreshed my computer. I saw on the front page of MSN, another headline. This headline is taken from a story that just hit from the Guardian. I decided to look on Facebook and sure enough it was the same man who had been hogtied by police.
Looking around on Facebook, I see this young man appears to be a liberal as has many friends who support our Dem candidates. He is white but according to the Guardian another fellow just recently died with this same Police force was black. Maybe the death does not care of political persuasion , then again, the ones dying seem to be for equality. They are not the ones showing up armed at tea parties.
Goode’s is the second death in police custody to occur in Mississippi this month, according to The Counted, an ongoing investigation into officer-involved deaths in the United States.
Jonathan Sanders, a 39-year-old unarmed black man, died after reportedly being placed in a 20-minute chokehold by a Stonewall police officer. The medical examiner has provisionally ruled Sanders died of asphyxiation, according to attorneys."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/07/22/1404519/-Cowardly-Cops-and-us-all-of-us-Who-is-Troy-Goode-Just-hit-news
Know Your Rights With The Police
Keep your license, registration and proof of insurance in an easily accessible place, like your sun visor. When pulled over by a police officer stay in the car and keep your hands on the steering wheel. Sit still, relax and wait for the officer to come to you. Any sudden movements or ducking down could get you shot.
Don’t forget during traffic stops the police are videotaping you, this is why you must NOT talk to the police officer. Police officers like to ask the first question and that’s usually “do you know why I stopped you today or do you know how fast you were going?” The police officer is trying to get you to do two things, admit that you committed a traffic violation and to get you to “voluntarily” start a conversation. Remember the police officer is not your friend and should not be trusted! The only thing you need to say is “I’m going to remain silent.”
The police officer might start asking you personal questions such as “where are you going, where have you been and who did you see, ect.” At that point it’s the perfect time to exercise your rights by asking the police office “am I free to go?” There’s NO legal requirement that American citizens provide information about their comings and goings to an American police officer.
Here’s a secret during a traffic stop a good time to ask “am I free to go” is after the police officer has given you a “warning or a ticket” and you have signed it. Once you have signed the ticket the traffic stop is legally over says the U.S. Supreme Court. There’s no law that requires you to stay and talk to the police officer or answer any questions. After you have signed the ticket and have your license you may roll up your window, start your car and leave. If you’re outside the car ask the police officer, “AM I FREE TO GO?” If he says yes then get in your car and leave."
More: http://www.policecrimes.com/2015/07/
FBI’s warning of white supremacists infiltrating law enforcement nearly forgotten
Americans are wondering, “What’s wrong with our police?” Remarkably, one of the most compelling but unexplored explanations may rest with a FBI warning of October 2006, which reported that “White supremacist infiltration of law enforcement” represented a significant national threat."
Several key events preceded the report. A federal court found that members of a Los Angeles sheriffs department formed a Neo Nazi gang and habitually terrorized the black community. Later, the Chicago police department fired Jon Burge, a detective with reputed ties to the Ku Klux Klan, after discovering he tortured over 100 black male suspects. Thereafter, the Mayor of Cleveland discovered that many of the city police locker rooms were infested with “White Power” graffiti. Years later, a Texas sheriff department discovered that two of its deputies were recruiters for the Klan.
In near prophetic fashion, after the FBI’s warning, white supremacy extremism in the U.S. increased, exponentially. From 2008 to 2014, the number of white supremacist groups, reportedly, grew from 149 to nearly a thousand, with no apparent abatement in their infiltration of law enforcement.
This year, alone, at least seven San Francisco law enforcement officers were suspended after an investigation revealed they exchanged numerous “White Power” communications laden with remarks about “lynching African-Americans and burning crosses.” Three reputed Klan members that served as correction officers were arrested for conspiring to murder a black inmate. At least four Fort Lauderdale police officers were fired after an investigation found that the officers fantasized about killing black suspects."
http://thegrio.com/2015/05/12/fbi-white-supremacists-law-enforcement/
Chicago Just Fired An Investigator Trying To Hold Cops Accountable For Unjustified Shootings
The independent agency tasked with policing Chicago cops hasn’t released findings on several unjustified police shootings, and its leaders are more concerned with protecting officers than investigating citizen complaints, a fired employee said.
Lorenzo Davis, an Independent Police Review Authority supervisor who was fired this month, said Chief Administrator Scott Ando asked him to change his findings in three police shootings in which he had determined officers committed wrongdoing.
The authority was formed in 2007 amid mounting frustration with the city’s handling of police misconduct cases. The agency, independent from the police department and staffed by civilians, handles all allegations of misconduct against officers.
Davis said the authority is failing its mission to maintain “the highest level of integrity while conducting objective, thorough investigations, striving to reach a sound and just conclusion.
*Davis said that during his seven years at the agency, he and his team submitted findings on 13 police shootings, and found six of those unjustified.
According to Davis, three of those cases have not been completed by Ando and one has been assigned to a new supervisor and investigator. In the remaining two cases, Davis said Ando disagreed with the findings.
Davis alleged he was told to change findings to exonerate officers in at least three investigations, which he said he resisted. He said he could not discuss specifics of each case, as they are considered confidential.
Davis started at IPRA in 2008. He supervised a team of five investigators when he was fired. Previously, he was a Chicago police officer for two decades.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chicago-independent-police-review-authority-ipra_55b2a104e4b0074ba5a49c78?
America’s mass incarceration system: Freedom’s next frontier
As the nation examines details about how a minor traffic stop of a young black woman in a Texas town ended in her death in a jail cell three days later, major questions again focus on the racial bias of the U.S. judicial system. This was the topic President Barack Obama tackled head-on in his speech to the NAACP national convention last week.
Obama delivered the equivalent of a Hail Mary completion when he called for sweeping judicial reform of the nation’s mass-incarceration policies. He laid out the tragic costs in lost opportunity of America’s carceral state. It marked a progressive turn for this president.
*The president’s “mass incarceration” speech was remarkable, for two simple reasons. First, he used the term “mass incarceration.” This may seem like a low bar for such an urgent policy issue, but it has been set by the obstacle-ridden legislative government, within which the Obama administration has had to operate.
Second, he eloquently explained the opportunity costs of America’s incarceration sickness. For the $80 billion a year that the United States spends on mass imprisonment, Obama explained (and many have now cited) the nation could instead fund such vital initiatives as pre-kindergarten for all children ages 3 to 4, forgive tuition costs for all U.S. public universities or double the salary of every public high school teacher in the nation.
*Yet even though Obama is late, he is welcome at the end-mass-incarceration party. In this last quarter of his presidency, Obama is increasingly showing signs that he is taking cues from his left. He has spoken directly and powerfully about race. He has described the structural and systemic nature of racism in our nation. He has used his executive powers to back up some of what he says, and he is also talking about policies that could help move forward aspects of his more progressive agenda.
These are positions that the president’s critics on the left have been pushing him to embrace since he took office. Although this Obama may have been a long time coming, his arrival is surely a victory for those who have been calling for criminal-justice reform."
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/07/23/americas-mass-incarceration-system-freedoms-next-frontier/
Spare me your crocodile tears, Governor Jindal, you've got the blood from this massacre all over you
This is an awful night for Lafayette, an awful night for Louisiana, an awful night for the United States,' said Governor, and presidential candidate, Bobby Jindal at the scene of America’s latest mass shooting.
His voice wobbled, his lips trembled and his eyes welled up as he dug deep into the reservoirs of statesmanlike emotion.
All fine words, of course.
Exactly what a Governor should say when people in his state have just been murdered and maimed as they watch a movie.
But Jindal’s rhetoric made me want to vomit, coming as they did from a man who’s on record as saying: 'In Louisiana we love us some guns.'
Louisiana is ground zero for America’s gun violence epidemic.
An official report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a year ago revealed that 45 per cent of Louisiana residents have a gun in their homes.
This compares, as the local Louisiana Weekly newspaper pointed out, to 13 per cent for Rhode Island.
The State ranks fifth for weakest gun laws in the country, according to data researched by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Louisiana has twice the national average of gun deaths, with 18 per 100,000 residents.
This is the second-highest rate in America.
After the hideous annihilation of 20 children in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, more than 100 new gun laws were passed by state legislatures.
But Louisiana actually LOOSENED restrictions on guns, making it easier for people who wanted to carry concealed weapons to stay anonymous.
Jindal is primarily responsible for all this.
This is a guy awarded an A+ rating from the NRA – meaning they absolutely love him for his pro-gun speeches and legislative behavior.
*What happened in his state last night is what happens when the people charged with governing a state fail in their central duty to protect their citizens.
So spare me all your crocodile tears, Governor.
You’ve got the blood of those victims all over your A-star-rated, NRA-loving, 'we love us some guns in Louisiana' hands."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3173327/PIERS-MORGAN-Spare-crocodile-tears-Governor-Jindal-ve-got-blood-massacre-NRA-approved-hands.html
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