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unian--2019-06-03--Reuters Oil prices extend drops as trade wars fan fears in financial markets

unian

Reuters: Oil prices extend drops as trade wars fan fears in financial markets

In a typical move for financial markets during times of uncertainty, gold on Monday rose to its highest level in over two months. Oil prices fell more than 1% on Monday, extending losses of over 3% from Friday, when crude markets slipped to their biggest monthly losses in six months amid stalling demand and as trade wars fanned fears of a global economic slowdown. Front-month Brent crude futures were at $61.12 at 0444 GMT, Reuters said. That was 87 cents, or 1.4%, below Friday's close. Read alsoReuters: Oil set for biggest monthly fall since November as trade conflicts spread U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $52.91 per barrel, down 59 cents, or 1.1% from its last settlement. The drops followed price slumps of more than 3% on Friday, which made May the worst-performing month for crude futures since last November. "Oil prices slid on fresh trade worries after U.S. President Donald Trump stoked global trade tensions by threatening tariffs on Mexico, which is one of the largest U.S. trade partners and a major supplier of crude oil," said Mithun Fernando, investment analyst at Australia's Rivkin Securities, in a note on Monday. In a typical move for financial markets during times of uncertainty, gold on Monday rose to its highest level in over two months as investors pulled out of risky assets like oil and parked money in perceived safe havens like the precious metal. Edward Moya, senior market analyst at futures brokerage OANDA in New York, warned "oil remains vulnerable" because of a weakening demand outlook for crude. "The U.S.-China feud remains most critical to the global growth outlook, but the addition of trade tensions between the U.S. and Mexico raised the slower demand picture for the Americas," he said. Barclays bank said in a note published last Friday that U.S. March oil consumption "declined significantly year-on-year for the first time since September 2017 ...(as) petroleum demand fell almost 370,000 barrels per day (bpd) year-on-year on weak consumption across the barrel."

https://www.unian.info/economics/10572156-reuters-oil-prices-extend-drops-as-trade-wars-fan-fears-in-financial-markets.html

2019-06-03 06:00:00+00:00

economy, business and finance

market and exchange

unian--2019-08-05--Reuters Oil prices drop as US-China trade war fuels growth concerns

unian

Reuters: Oil prices drop as U.S.-China trade war fuels growth concerns

Both crude benchmarks fell last week, with Brent dropping 2.5% and U.S. crude falling 1%. Oil prices fell on Monday amid renewed global economic growth concerns after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to escalate the trade war with China with more tariffs, which would likely limit fuel demand in the world's two biggest crude consumers. Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell 73 cents, or 1.2%, to $61.16 a barrel by 0458 GMT, Reuters said. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 dropped 62 cents, or 1.1%, to $55.04 a barrel. Both crude benchmarks fell last week, with Brent dropping 2.5% and U.S. crude falling 1%. Trump last week said he would impose a 10% tariff on $300 billion of Chinese imports starting on Sept. 1 and said he could raise duties further if China's President Xi Jinping failed to move more quickly towards a trade deal. The announcement extends U.S. tariffs to nearly all imported Chinese products. China on Friday vowed to fight back against Trump's decision, a move that ended a month-long trade truce. On Monday, China let the yuan tumble beyond the key 7-per-dollar level for the first time in more than a decade, in a sign Beijing may tolerate further currency weakness because of the trade dispute. The 1.4% drop in the yuan came after the People's Bank of China (PBOC) set the daily mid-point of the currency's trading band at its weakest level since December 2018. A lower yuan would raise the cost of China's dollar-denominated oil imports. It is the world's biggest crude oil importer. Signs of rising oil exports from the United States also pressured prices on Monday. U.S. shipments surged by 260,000 barrels per day (bpd) in June to a monthly record of 3.16 million bpd, U.S. Census Bureau showed on Friday.

https://www.unian.info/economics/10640400-reuters-oil-prices-drop-as-u-s-china-trade-war-fuels-growth-concerns.html

2019-08-05 06:00:00+00:00

economy, business and finance

market and exchange

unian--2019-08-06--Reuters Oil climbs on short-covering US-China trade war caps gains

unian

Reuters: Oil climbs on short-covering, U.S.-China trade war caps gains

Oil prices may find some support later this week with a preliminary Reuters poll showing U.S. crude oil inventories were expected to fall for an eighth consecutive week. Oil prices rose more than 1% on Tuesday as traders betting on falling prices bought back contracts to lock in profits after declines over the last three sessions due to the escalating trade tensions between China and United States. Brent prices plunged more than 8% in the three sessions from their close on July 31, with U.S. President Donald Trump vowing to impose new tariffs on Chinese imports, and China making further moves against U.S. agricultural imports, Reuters said. The United States also responded to a decline in the Chinese yuan on Monday by branding the country a currency manipulator later in the day. Brent fell more than 3% on Monday as traders worried the ongoing trade dispute between the world's two biggest oil buyers would dent demand, helping to prompt Tuesday's short-covering. International benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc1 climbed 61 cents, or 1%, to $60.42 a barrel by 0544 GMT on Tuesday after earlier dipping to $59.07, the lowest since January 14. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures rose 56 cents, or 1%, to $55.25 per barrel. The United States accused Beijing of manipulating its currency after China let the yuan drop to its lowest in more than a decade. The weaker yuan would support Chinese exports by making them cheaper, but it would also raise oil-import costs for the world's biggest importer. The People's Bank of China's firmer-than-expected yuan fixing on Tuesday helped pull the currency away from the recent lows, as did an announced bond sale in the offshore market. Concerns that the U.S.-China trade conflict has entered a phase of retaliatory action was weighing on sentiments in the oil market, which for the moment is taking less notice of tensions in the Middle East, analysts said. Iran on Monday said it will no longer tolerate "maritime offences" in the Strait of Hormuz, a day after it seized a second oil tanker that it accused of smuggling fuel. Oil prices may find some support later this week with a preliminary Reuters poll showing U.S. crude oil inventories were expected to fall for an eighth consecutive week.

https://www.unian.info/economics/10641717-reuters-oil-climbs-on-short-covering-u-s-china-trade-war-caps-gains.html

2019-08-06 06:00:00+00:00

economy, business and finance

market and exchange

unian--2019-08-07--Reuters Oil slumps 5 to seven-month low on trade tensions surprise US stock build

unian

Reuters: Oil slumps 5% to seven-month low on trade tensions, surprise U.S. stock build

Prices have lost more than 20% since hitting their 2019 peak in April. Oil prices tumbled up to 5% on Wednesday to a fresh seven-month low, extending recent heavy losses following an unexpected build in U.S. crude stockpiles and fears of lower crude demand due to deepening U.S.-China trade tensions. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down $2.38, or 4%, at $56.56 a barrel by 10:36 a.m. CDT (1536 GMT), setting a fresh seven-month low. Prices have lost more than 20% since hitting their 2019 peak in April, Reuters said. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were down $2.66, or 5%, at $50.97. Oil extended losses after government data showed U.S. crude stockpiles rose last week by 2.4 million barrels. Analysts had expected a decrease of 2.8 million barrels. At 438.9 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 2% above the five-year average for this time of year. Gasoline inventories rose by 4.4 million barrels, with U.S. Gulf Coast gasoline stocks hitting the highest on record for this time of year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed. Brent has plunged more than 12% after U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he would slap a 10% tariff on a further $300 billion in Chinese imports from Sept. 1, sending global equity markets into a tailspin.

https://www.unian.info/economics/10644099-reuters-oil-slumps-5-to-seven-month-low-on-trade-tensions-surprise-u-s-stock-build.html

2019-08-07 17:25:00+00:00

economy, business and finance

market and exchange

unian--2019-09-06--Reuters Oil rises set for weekly gain amid hopes for end to US-China trade war

unian

Reuters: Oil rises, set for weekly gain amid hopes for end to U.S.-China trade war

Brent crude was up 17 cents, or 0.3%, at $61.12 a barrel by 0408 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 16 cents, or 0.3%, at $56.46 a barrel. Oil prices edged higher on Friday, with crude benchmarks poised for multi-week gains amid a sharp drawdown in U.S. crude inventories, while trade tensions eased after Washington and Beijing agreed to hold high-level talks next month. Brent crude was up 17 cents, or 0.3%, at $61.12 a barrel by 0408 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 16 cents, or 0.3%, at $56.46 a barrel, as reported by Reuters. Brent is set to mark its fourth weekly gain, while U.S. crude is headed for a second weekly rise. Read alsoReuters: Oil prices slip after surprise build in U.S. inventories Beijing and Washington on Thursday agreed to hold high-level talks in early October in Washington, cheering investors hoping for an end to the trade war between the world's two biggest economies that has brought tit-for-tat tariff hikes, chipping away at economic growth. The prolonged dispute had a dampening effect on oil prices, although they have risen over the year, helped by production cuts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, including Russia, to drain inventories. "Upside potential for crude oil futures will remain limited, however, as strong U.S. production and demand-side concerns cap bullish gains for the current term," said Benjamin Lu, commodities analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore. He also cited "subdued economic momentum, global trade uncertainties and rising market risks" for reasons to expect that U.S. crude would be range-bound between $55-$60 over the third quarter. U.S. crude and product inventories fell last week, with crude drawing down for a third consecutive week despite a jump in imports, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. Crude stocks dropped 4.8 million barrels, nearly double analysts’ expectations, to 423 million barrels, their lowest since October 2018. Oil prices on Thursday soared more than 2% after the EIA report, although they gradually trimmed gains as investors are not entirely convinced that the Sino-U.S. trade talks will yield results.

https://www.unian.info/economics/10675431-reuters-oil-rises-set-for-weekly-gain-amid-hopes-for-end-to-u-s-china-trade-war.html

2019-09-06 06:00:00+00:00

economy, business and finance

market and exchange

unian--2019-10-09--Reuters: Oil prices dip for third day as U.S.-China trade doubts grow

unian

Reuters: Oil prices dip for third day as U.S.-China trade doubts grow

U.S. crude production is expected to rise by 1.27 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2019 to a record 12.26 million bpd, slightly above its previous forecast for a rise of 1.25 million bpd. Oil prices slipped for a third consecutive session on Wednesday as tensions escalated between the United States and China prior to this week's trade talks, raising uncertainties for global economic growth and oil demand. U.S. industry data showing a bigger-than-expected rise in stockpiles at the world's top oil producer also depressed prices. Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell 24 cents, or 0.4%, to $58.00 a barrel by 0442 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was at $52.39, down 24 cents or 0.5%, Reuters said. Negotiators from the world's top two economies will meet in Washington on Thursday and Friday in the latest effort to hammer out a deal aimed at ending a long-running trade dispute that has slowed global economic growth. But tensions between the pair rose this week after the United States imposed visa restrictions on Chinese officials for the detention or abuse of Muslim minorities, while a row escalated over comments by a leading U.S. National Basketball Association official in support of protests in Hong Kong. The issues have set markets on a risk-aversion course, said Howie Lee, an economist with Singapore's OCBC bank, even though the global oil market remains in a supply deficit that should in theory support prices at above $60 a barrel. The concerns have overshadowed the threat of OPEC-member Ecuador losing a third of its oil supply due to anti-government protests that have seriously affected oil output. In the United States, meanwhile, crude stockpiles rose by 4.1 million barrels in the week ended October 4 to 422 million, data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute showed on Tuesday. Analysts had expected an increase of 1.4 million barrels, a Reuters poll showed. The weekly U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report is due at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. The EIA said on Tuesday U.S. crude production is expected to rise by 1.27 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2019 to a record 12.26 million bpd, slightly above its previous forecast for a rise of 1.25 million bpd. Output in 2020 is forecast to rise by 910,000 bpd to 13.17 million bpd, it said, below its previous estimate of a rise of 990,000 bpd to 13.23 million bpd.

https://www.unian.info/economics/10713486-reuters-oil-prices-dip-for-third-day-as-u-s-china-trade-doubts-grow.html

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 09:00:00 +0300

economy, business and finance

market and exchange

westernjournal--2019-01-18--Global stocks rise on hopes for US trade progress

westernjournal

Global stocks rise on hopes for US trade progress

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal. BEIJING (AP) — Global stocks rose Friday after investors saw signs of possible progress toward a resolution of the U.S.-Chinese tariff war. Shares in China posted solid gains. KEEPING SCORE: In early trading, London’s FTSE 100 gained 0.7 percent to 6,882.48 and Germany’s DAX advanced 0.3 percent to 10,931.24. France’s CAC 40 shed 0.3 percent to 4,839.03. On Thursday, the FTSE 100 slide 0.4 percent, the CAC 40 lost 0.3 percent and the DAX retreated 0.1 percent. On Wall Street, the future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3 percent and that for the Standard & Poor’s 500 index was up 0.2 percent. ASIA’S DAY: The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1.4 percent to 2,596.01 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.2 percent to 27,082.01. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.3 percent to 20,666.07 and Seoul’s Kospi added 0.8 percent to 2,124.28. Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 was 0.5 percent higher at 5,879.60 while India’s Sensex shed 0.1 percent to 36,319.31. Benchmarks in Taiwan, New Zealand and Southeast Asia also advanced. US-CHINA TRADE: China announced its economy czar, Vice Premier Liu He, will visit Washington for talks on Jan. 30-31 aimed at ending the tariff war sparked by U.S. complaints about Beijing’s technology ambitions. Business groups and economists were looking for Liu and his American counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, to take part in talks as a sign lower-level negotiations earlier in Beijing made progress. The Wall Street Journal reported Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was willing to roll back U.S. tariff hikes on Chinese goods, though it said Lighthizer and other officials opposed that idea. ANALYST’S COMMENT: Asian markets welcome “the latest indication of further interest from the U.S. to resolve the U.S.-China trade uncertainty,” said Jingyi Pan of IG in a report. “While skepticism may well persist, and worries build ahead of Chinese growth figures next week, the driving force for intraday market action belongs to trade.” TRENDING: Dem Presidential Hopeful Gillibrand Flip-Flops to the Left a Day After Announcing 2020 Plans JAPAN INFLATION: Inflation in December came in weaker than expected, putting the central bank farther from its target of 2 percent. Prices rose 0.3 percent, down from November’s 0.8 percent, as tumbling food costs offset a rise in energy prices. ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude gained 43 cents to $52.50 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 24 cents on Thursday to close at $52.07. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 45 cents to $61.63 per barrel in London. It lost 14 cents the previous session to $61.18. CURRENCY: The dollar advanced to 109.48 yen from Thursday’s 109.24 yen. The euro gained to $1.1391 from $1.1388. The Associated Press contributed to this report. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

AP Reports

https://www.westernjournal.com/ap-global-stocks-rise-on-hopes-for-us-trade-progress/

2019-01-18 08:42:07+00:00

economy, business and finance

market and exchange

westernjournal--2019-03-01--Asian markets rise on China-US trade prospects

westernjournal

Asian markets rise on China-US trade prospects

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal. SINGAPORE (AP) — World markets were lifted Friday by suggestions that the U.S. could endorse a trade deal with China in the coming weeks, after the country’s nuclear talks with North Korea ended abruptly with no agreement. According to Bloomberg, U.S. officials are preparing a final trade deal ahead of a summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which could take place as soon as mid-March. It cited unnamed sources close to the matter. In Europe, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.6 percent to 5,273.05 and the DAX in Germany was 0.9 percent higher at 11,622.83. Britain’s FTSE 100 picked up 0.6 percent to 7,119.41. Wall Street was positioned for early gains, with futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.4 percent at 26,022.00. That for the broad S&P 500 index also advanced 0.4 percent to 2,796.70. Traders hope that a tariffs battle waged by the world’s two largest economies would be called off if a deal is reached. Trump and Xi agreed to a 90-day ceasefire in December after raising import taxes on billions of dollars of each other’s goods. The U.S. was set to hit China with a fresh wave of tariffs once the agreement expires on Saturday. TRENDING: Cohen Admits To Speaking with Democratic Party Before Testifying Against Trump While progress on issues like Washington’s unhappiness over Beijing’s technology policy has been slow, Trump said he will postpone the tariffs to give the countries more time to talk. He did not say for how long. On Thursday, Trump’s talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended two hours early because they could not agree on terms for the lifting of U.S. sanctions. “Sometimes you have to walk,” Trump said. Both sides have since promised further negotiations. “In terms of implications for markets, this does not represent any immediate escalation either and would likely return us to a waiting game,” Jingyi Pan of IG said in a market commentary. Buying in Asia was supported by an announcement by MSCI, a leading provider of indexes and analytics. MSCI said it will quadruple the weight of Chinese A shares in its global indexes by November. It will also add more Chinese stocks to its Emerging Markets Index, giving the country’s foreign inflows a much-needed boost. A private survey also added to Chinese growth hopes. The Caixin manufacturing purchasing manager’s index, which measures growth in the sector, jumped to 49.9 in February, from 48.3 in the previous month. The index is on a 100-point scale, with 50 separating contraction from growth. This comes after China’s official manufacturing PMI fell 0.3 points to 49.2 in February, a three-year low. ASIA’S DAY: Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rebounded 1 percent to 21,602.69 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.6 percent to 28,812.17. The Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.8 percent to 2,994.01 and Australia’s S&P ASX/200 was up 0.4 percent at 6,192.70. Shares rose in Singapore and Indonesia but fell in Malaysia. South Korean and Taiwanese markets were closed for a holiday. ENERGY: U.S. crude added 38 cents to $57.60 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It finished 28 cents higher at $57.22 a barrel overnight. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 37 cents to $66.68 a barrel. The contract gave up 27 cents to $66.31 in London. CURRENCIES: The dollar strengthened to 111.91 yen from 111.39 yen on Thursday. The euro eased to $1.1363 from $1.1371. The Associated Press contributed to this report. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

AP Reports

https://www.westernjournal.com/ap-asian-markets-rise-on-china-us-trade-prospects/

2019-03-01 06:45:45+00:00

economy, business and finance

market and exchange

abcnews--2019-01-29--NOAA appears to dispute Trump tweet casting doubt on global warming

abcnews

NOAA appears to dispute Trump tweet casting doubt on global warming

A tweet from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate account on Tuesday has raised questions about whether the government agency was taking aim at a statement by President Donald Trump that seemed to deny the existence of global warming. The NOAA tweet appeared just hours after Trump tweeted his reaction to the series of winter weather systems slamming the Midwest with record-breaking cold. "In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded," Trump said. "In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Warming? Please come back fast, we need you!" The NOAA Climate account tweeted a post Tuesday morning that featured a cartoon drawing and a link to a 2015 post debunking claims by climate change deniers who have pointed to winter storms as proof that global warming is a myth. "Winter storms don't prove that global warming isn't happening," the tweet said. Many Twitter users began to argue that the tweet amounted to a government agency 'subtweeting' its own chief executive. In response to an inquiry from ABC News, however, NOAA’s Director of Public Affairs Monica Allen disputed that the tweet was intended to send a message to Trump. “With the blast of severe winter weather affecting the U.S., we often get asked about the relationship between cold weather and climate change," Allen said. "We routinely put this story out at these times. Our scientists weren't responding to a tweet." The White House did not immediately respond to ABC’s request for comment. The president has repeatedly cast doubt on the existence of global warming in response to cold weather events dating back as far as 2013 and has described it as a "hoax" cooked up by the Chinese. It wouldn't be the first time Trump's beliefs about global warming have contradicted data affirmed by his own government. Last November, Trump said he didn't "believe" a report on climate change from the U.S. Global Change Research Program that showed dire predictions related to the potential long term economic impact of climate change on the U.S.

Alexander Mallin

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/noaa-appears-dispute-trump-tweet-casting-doubt-global/story?id=60707788

2019-01-29 21:08:57+00:00

environment

climate change

bbc--2019-01-31--Polar vortex Whatever happened to global warming

bbc

Polar vortex: Whatever happened to global warming?

As a third of the US grapples with brutally cold weather, scientists are assessing how much this might be down to long-term changes to our climate. So whatever happened to global warming? That's certainly what President Donald Trump wanted to know when he tweeted this a couple of days ago: There is no question the Midwest is cold - very cold. Just check the advice from the US National Weather Service. It has warned that the current low temperatures could easily "freeze the flesh off your bones". Don't leave home if you can avoid it, the NWS in Iowa urged, and if you do have to go out, "avoid taking deep breaths; minimise talking". Meanwhile the internet is heaving under images of snow and ice. My favourites include the icy steam pouring off lake Lake Michigan and the thousands of people who have been doing the "hot water challenge". But this wonderfully surreal image of a fork frozen in a cascade of noodles wins for me. So, is this brutal cold snap evidence that global warming is faltering? Sadly, the answer is no, as one of the president's own agencies quickly pointed out in an apparent response to his tweet. "Winter storms don't prove that global warming isn't happening" tweeted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA included a link to an article which suggests that severe snowstorms may even become more likely as the world warms. You have probably already heard that the current brutal weather is thanks to something called the "polar vortex". The polar vortex is a great gyre of air that forms each winter and circulates above the North Pole, way up in the stratosphere. It is like a whirlpool which holds icy polar air within a wall of powerful circular winds. There's a great graphic illustrating how it works at the New York Times. Sometimes the vortex breaks down, splitting up and spilling cold air out from the polar regions. That is reckoned to have happened on the 3 January this year. The frigid air from the polar vortex warps the jet stream - another powerful air current, but much lower in the atmosphere - making it bulge down southwards. It is this bulging of the jet stream that brought the merciless cold to the US this week, and the so-called Beast from the East to Europe last year. There is much debate within the world of meteorology about whether or not this breakdown of the polar vortex is becoming more common. Some studies suggest that it is, and some researchers say they suspect that this is down to climate change. Jennifer Francis is a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Centre, which studies climate change impacts and solutions. She argues that melting sea ice in the Arctic may be linked to changes in the polar vortex. The dark, open ocean absorbs more heat than reflective ice, causing a hot spot, she told the New York Times. She argues this hot spot, along with changes in the jet stream driven by climate change, could cause the polar vortex to break down. But this is controversial stuff. Tim Woolings, a climate physicist at Oxford University, is not persuaded we are seeing a significant change. The atmosphere is, he says, "a very noisy system" and "there is no convincing evidence that these events are happening more often". The important thing is to look at long-term average temperatures. The current bone-cracking cold in Chicago is "weather" not "climate". The rule of thumb is that weather is what is happening outside your house now; climate is what happens over many years. So, it can be very cold where you live but the world as a whole could still be getting warmer. And be in no doubt, says Tim Woolings, the world is continuing to warm. As Chicago freezes, wildfires are raging in Australia which is in the grip of yet another blistering summer. The 20 warmest years on record have all been in the past 22 years, with 2015 to 2018 making up the top four, according to the World Meteorological Organization. And if that does not persuade you, check out these seven charts. This will be cold comfort for those of you shivering in the Midwest but, says Tim Woolings, the icy air that engulfed you this week would have been at least a degree colder had it not been for the warming that has already raised average winter temperatures in the arctic.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47078054

2019-01-31 17:22:01+00:00

environment

climate change

bbc--2019-03-15--Global warming Childrens climate strike spreads worldwide

bbc

Global warming: Children's climate strike spreads worldwide

Thousands of schoolchildren worldwide have abandoned classrooms for a day of protest against climate change. India, South Korea, Australia and France are among the countries where teenagers are already on strike. The day of action is expected to embrace about 100 countries. They are inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who protests weekly outside Sweden's parliament. Scientists say tougher measures are needed to cut global warming. The Paris climate agreement of 2017 committed nearly 200 countries to keeping global temperatures "well below" 2.0C (3.6F) above pre-industrial times and to striving for a maximum of 1.5C. The globally co-ordinated children's protests - promoted through posts on Twitter and other social media - have been going on for several months. In January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the 16-year-old told top executives and politicians that "on climate change, we have to acknowledge that we have failed". Ministers in some countries have voiced concern about children skipping classes. Australia's Education Minister Dan Tehan said "students leaving school during school hours to protest is not something that we should encourage". UK Education Secretary Damian Hinds echoed that concern, and the government said the disruption increased teachers' workloads and wasted lesson time. But Environment Secretary Michael Gove backed the protesting children, saying in a video: "Dear school climate strikers, we agree." "Collective action of the kind you're championing can make a difference, and a profound one," he said. If you can't see the chatbot above tap on this link. Is there a question about climate change you'd like us to answer? Tell us by using the form below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-47581585

2019-03-15 10:24:14+00:00

environment

climate change

bbc--2019-08-08--Diet shift can help fight global warming - UN

bbc

Diet shift 'can help fight global warming' - UN

Switching to a plant-based diet can help fight climate change, UN experts have said. A major report on land use and climate change says the West's high consumption of meat and dairy produce is fuelling global warming. But scientists and officials stopped short of explicitly calling on everyone to become vegan or vegetarian. They said that more people could be fed using less land if individuals cut down on eating meat. The document, prepared by 107 scientists for the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), says that if land is used more effectively, it can store more of the carbon emitted by humans. It was finalised following discussions held here in Geneva, Switzerland. Climate change: Where we are in seven charts "We're not telling people to stop eating meat. In some places people have no other choice. But it's obvious that in the West we're eating far too much," said Prof Pete Smith, an environmental scientist from Aberdeen University, UK. The report calls for vigorous action to halt soil damage and desertification - both of which contribute to climate change. It also warns that plans by some governments to grow trees and burn them to generate electricity will compete with food production unless carried out on a limited scale. The Earth's land surface, and the way it is used, forms the basis for human society and the global economy. But we are re-shaping it in dramatic ways, including through the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. How the land responds to human-induced climate change is a vital concern for the future. Climate change poses a threat to the security of our food supply. Rising temperatures, increased rain and more extreme weather events will all have an impact on crops and livestock. But food production also contributes to global warming. Agriculture - together with forestry - accounts for about a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock rearing contributes to global warming through the methane gas the animals produce, but also via deforestation to expand pastures, for example. The environmental impact of meat production is important to many vegetarians and vegans. A UK-based group called #NoBeef lobbies caterers to take beef and lamb off student menus. In the US, vegan burger patties are made from plant-based meat substitutes said to taste like the real thing thanks to an iron-rich compound called heme. Peter Stevenson, from Compassion in World Farming, said: "A reduction in meat consumption is essential if we are to meet climate targets." But in some parts of the world, such as China, beef consumption is growing. This is despite attempts by the Chinese central government to promote traditional diets. The authors of the report encourage action to stop wasting food - either before or after its sale to consumers. Waste food can sometimes be used as animal feed or, if suitable, redirected to charities to feed people in need. One organisation here in Switzerland called Partage takes in unsold food discarded by shops and distributes it to local families. It also collects stale bread and turns it into biscuits, dries fruit, and cans vegetables. All of this helps reduce the CO2 emissions involved in producing food. Hungry nations add the least to global CO2 The extra carbon that humans have put into the atmosphere is nourishing the growth of forests - especially in the Northern Hemisphere. This can help to mitigate climate change, but it all comes down to a balance of factors. Experts say this effect on forests will be negated if the Earth heats up too much. In fact, the report says areas near the equator may already be losing vegetation through heat stress. Dr Katrin Fleischer, from the Technical University of Munich, Germany, warned that in some places a shortage of phosphorus in soil - a key ingredient for plant growth - would also hinder tree growth. She said: "This would mean that the rainforest has already reached its limit and would be unable to absorb any more carbon dioxide emissions. "If this scenario turns out to be true, the Earth's climate would heat up significantly faster." Soil is sometimes neglected as part of the climate system. But it's the second largest store of carbon after the oceans. Plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and lock the carbon away in the soil. But deforestation and poor farming practices can damage its ability to do this. When soil is degraded, carbon is released back into the atmosphere as CO2, while further plant growth is compromised. Climate change is expected to speed this process up. Higher temperatures can help break down the organic matter in soil, boosting greenhouse emissions. The report says reducing and reversing soil damage provides immediate benefits to local communities. Better land management, including controlled grazing by animals and tree planting, can boost soil fertility, helping to reduce poverty and boost food security. "It's really clear that the land's being degraded through over-exploitation - and that's making climate change worse," said Prof Smith. "The land is part of the problem but if we wise up about the way we use it, it can part of the climate solution." Changing the way humans use the land surface is a daunting challenge, especially as it will entail a major shift in farming methods. Nevertheless, scientists say people need to: But one practice touted as a climate change solution - bioenergy - has been treated with caution by IPCC experts. To some countries, it appears to be an attractive option because CO2 emissions from the process can be captured. Interactive tool: How much warmer is your city? Select from 1,000 major cities around the world The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts bioenergy will outpace solar, wind and hydropower in the next five years. But the authors of the IPCC report say converting land to bioenergy could deprive countries of soil to grow much-needed crops. They advise limits on the amount of land used for biofuels.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49238749

2019-08-08 08:00:07+00:00

environment

climate change

breitbart--2019-08-24--Nolte Marthas Vineyard Home Proves Obama Knows Global Warmings a Hoax

breitbart

Nolte: Martha's Vineyard Home Proves Obama Knows Global Warming's a Hoax

Do you want to know the very last thing a true believer in Global Warming would ever do…? Move to an island and invest $15 million in a home with a — no joke — ocean view. But… According to various news reports, Barry and Michelle are doing exactly that, and I do mean exactly that… Here’s a photo of the estate, all 7,000 square feet of the mansion and the surrounding property… You see all that blue stuff off to the right…? That’s the Atlantic Ocean, y’all… Now, some might see an awful lot of hypocrisy in a Global Warming believer like Obama purchasing a massive estate that will create an equally massive carbon footprint. But that only proves Barry’s a hypocrite, not that he’s a Global Warming Denier. Investing some $15 million to live on an island home that sits right on the Atlantic Ocean…? You want to know what this is… That is not just the actions of a hypocrite; what we have here is a full-blown Global Warming Denier, a Climate Denier, someone who is so sure the sea levels will never rise, he’s backing up that certainty with $15 million. Barry said that about ten years before he spent $15 million for a home on … the coastline. Barry said that about ten years before he spent $15 million for a home on … the coastline. Barry said that about seven years before he spent $15 million for a home on  … the ocean. The Obamas are literally investing $15 million in the fact that Global Warming is a hoax. What’s more, he is only 58 years old. He’s got at least another 25 to 30 years. Regardless of his age, if Global Warming were real, this would be a terrible investment under any circumstance. As this dumb 12-year deadline counts down, it should be property along the coastlines that lose the most value, while inland property rates skyrocket due to overcrowding by leftists fleeing to safety… right? But leftists are not leaving the coast, and the value of coastline property continues to rise. If you want to know what people truly believe, don’t listen to what they say they believe… No, you have to watch what they actually do… And the very same people who are bullying us to give up our cars and beef and grills — because if we don’t, the oceans will rise and destroy the coasts!! —  are the very same people living on … the coast. Maybe they would rather drown, rather lose everything than live among us deplorables, but there are plenty of blue cities in flyover country… Why don’t these bigots move there? Because they know it’s all bullshit. And Obama knows it’s bullshit. And the media surely know it’s bullshit because the media are doing the exact same thing Obama’s doing… While far-left CNN dehumanizes anyone who doesn’t believe in Global Warming, the fake news network is moving its primary base of operations from inland Atlanta to right on — again, no joke — the water in Manhattan, the very same Manhattan the media said would be underwater already. If Barry and Michelle Obama don’t believe in Global Warming, why should I? Why should anyone? Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.

John Nolte

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/breitbart/~3/BECLlD4EbSw/

2019-08-24 17:41:07+00:00

environment

climate change

dailymail--2019-05-28--Trump moves to de-fang global warming science with climate review panel

dailymail

Trump moves to de-fang global warming science with 'climate review panel'

President Donald Trump and his administration are planning an attack on the science upon which climate change policy rests, it was revealed on Tuesday. Leading the charge will be the administration's new climate review panel led by a 79-year-old Princeton physicist who has become famous for defending the use of carbon dioxide - even comparing its demonization to the treatment of Jews under German dictator Adolf Hitler. 'The demonization of carbon dioxide is just like the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler,' said William Happer, who serves on the National Security Council as the president's deputy assistant for emerging technologies, to The New York Times. Happer is backed by National Security Adviser John Bolton, who brought him on board and supports the new climate panel. The two men are also backed by Robert and Rebekah Mercer, the ultra-conservative billionaire and his daughter who have funded efforts to debunk climate science. But some administration officials - such as economic adviser Larry Kudlow - have advised the president not to follow Happer's recommendations as it would be seen as an attack on science. Former White House counselor Stephen Bannon, known for his far-right views, is even against it. 'The very idea will start a holy war on cable before 2020,' he told the newspaper. 'Better to win now and introduce the study in the second inaugural address.' But Trump is reported to be unpersuaded by their comments. Additional steps the administration is taking include cutting back on reporting about the future effects of the rapidly warming planet. James Reilly, the White House-appointed director of the United States Geological Survey, has ordered that scientific assessments produced by his office use only computer-generated climate models that project the impact of climate change through 2040, rather than through the end of the century, as had been done previously, the Times reported. Scientists argue that is misleading because the biggest effects of climate change will be felt after 2040. 'What we have here is a pretty blatant attempt to politicize the science - to push the science in a direction that's consistent with their politics,' said Philip Duffy, the president of the Woods Hole Research Center, to the Times. 'It reminds me of the Soviet Union,' he noted. Trump has rolled back Obama-era climate regulations since he took office. He also withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Accord. And he's personally show plenty of skepticism about global warming. In January, as winter storms hit the Midwest, Trump tweeted: 'Wouldn't be bad to have a little of that good old fashioned Global Warming right now!' And, a few days later, he tweeted: 'What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!' In March he tweeted a comment from a climate skeptic, Patrick Moore, who was identified by Fox News as a co-founder of Green Peace - although the organization said that is incorrect. 'Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace: 'The whole climate crisis is not only Fake News, it's Fake Science. There is no climate crisis, there's weather and climate all around the world, and in fact carbon dioxide is the main building block of all life.' @foxandfriends Wow!,' Trump tweeted on March 12. As Trump and his administration have pushed their climate views, reports from his government have been used to debunk some of those claims. It was reported earlier this year that the National Climate Assessment - a report produced of 13 government agencies - found the U.S. economy could lose hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century because of climate change. That 2018 report also showcased the dire effects of climate change and warned they could get worse. The National Climate Assessment report is now under target from the Trump administration. The next report, which is expected to come out in 2021 or 20222, will not have the worst-case scenario projections that were automatically included in previous editions. Trump has expressed skepticism about the report, telling The Washington Post in a November 2018 interview: 'One of the problems that a lot of people like myself, we have very high levels of intelligence but we're not necessarily such believers.' 'As to whether or not it's man-made and whether or not the effects that you're talking about are there, I don't see it,' he added. And White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told the Post of the report: 'We think that this is the most extreme version and it's not based on facts. It's not data-driven. We'd like to see something that is more data-driven. It's based on modeling, which is extremely hard to do when you're talking about the climate. Again, our focus is on making sure we have the safest, cleanest air and water.' The climate policy changes from the Trump administration come among a heated Democratic presidential primary contest where voters name climate change one of their top issues. A CNN poll in April found that 82 percent of registered voters who identified as Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents named climate change as a 'very important' priority in the primary contest. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has offered a detailed climate change proposal as has Beto O'Rourke. Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to announce his plan by the end of the month. Climate change is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is the result of the burning of fossil fuels, which trap the planet's heat. Since the Industrial Revolution, the average temperature of Earth has increased by one degree Celsius.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7078237/Trump-moves-fang-global-warming-science-climate-review-panel.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

2019-05-28 15:55:37+00:00

environment

climate change

drudgereport--2019-12-01--'Global Warming' 'Climate Change' to Get Rebranding?

drudgereport

'Global Warming' 'Climate Change' to Get Rebranding?

Climate change alarmists are pushing for a change in vocabulary to scare people into taking global warming more seriously, starting with terms like “global meltdown” and “climate collapse.” Writing for AdAge this week, Aaron Hall argues that in order to get people to “take action” against climate change, “rebranding” is crucial, since people have gotten too used to the idea that climate is changing and need to be shocked into the notion that the world as we know it is ending. “Is there a better way to convey the urgency of the situation, while also encouraging folks to take action? Could the tools of branding and brand naming create a more resonant, powerful name?” Mr. Hall asks. What he and his marketing team came up with was a series of much more frightening labels to stick on climate change in the hope of jolting people into meaningful engagement. The terms “Global Meltdown” or “Global Melting,” for instance, deliver a more negative image than mere “Global Warming,” he contends. “The names signal that ice caps are melting, but also create a more visceral image in the mind — that real feeling of ‘melting’ when it’s too hot outside. A meltdown is a disastrous event that draws from the ultimate terror of a nuclear meltdown, an apt metaphor for global destruction.” “Climate Collapse” and “Climate Chaos,” on the other hand, “instill a clear message or even a direct call to action,” Hall notes, adding that “there’s nothing neutral about collapse or chaos.” To up the rhetoric even more, Hall proposes the weaponized term “Scorched Earth.” “Sometimes a brand name needs to be hyperbolic to truly capture hearts and minds. If we don’t take massive action now, Earth will be uninhabitable — an irreversible barren wasteland,” he insists. “‘Scorched Earth’ paints the direst picture of what’s to come and what we must avoid and is likely the edgiest brand name from our exploration.” “Whatever we call it, impending climate doom is upon us if we don’t act quickly,” Hall concludes. “Perhaps a new name will shift the needle, even if just a little.” Mr. Hall’s contention that it does not matter if what is said is true as long as it elicits the necessary response is reminiscent of similar assertions by leaders of the Extinction Rebellion (XR) movement. Spokespersons of the movement have acknowledged that their claims that billions of people are going to die from climate change have no basis whatsoever in scientific fact but are necessary to provoke the kind of response that is needed to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions. Pressed last month on what the basis was for predictions of mass deaths, XR spokesperson Zion Lights acknowledged there is no real ground for these predictions, but contended that such incendiary language is necessary to motivate people, confessing that “alarmist language works.” While it is clearly true that “alarmist language works” in some cases, it is also true that people tend to resent being lied to and manipulated. Like Aesop’s fable of the Boy Who Cried Wolf, climate alarmists may wake up one fine day to find that nobody believes them anymore. Such is the price of lying.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DrudgeReportFeed/~3/ObstV40uGO0/

Sun, 01 Dec 2019 00:16:38 GMT

environment

climate change

fortruss--2019-09-02--ARCTIC Effects of Global Warming in Russias North VIDEO

fortruss

ARCTIC: Effects of Global Warming in Russia’s North (VIDEO)

Arctic, Russia – Today, Russia officially expanded its northern borders. New lands discovered in the Arctic were added to the Russian Federation. These are islands in the Kara Sea. There are five newly discovered islands in total. The largest of them is as big as two Red Squares. The smallest is just 900 square meters (9,600 sq feet). It’s about 1/10 of a football field. The process is more important than the size of the land discovered because the new territories were discovered three years ago from a satellite. However, on-site reconnaissance was conducted just now. Still, Russia isn’t only gaining territories. Global warming is causing the glaciers to melt, thus contributing to the rise of sea level. This process is causing coastal areas to shrink very slowly, but gradually. The effects have been negative but in some cases even positive, as in some areas of Russia, the permafrost gave way to arable land.

Drago Bosnic

https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/09/arctic-effects-of-global-warming-in-russias-north-video/

2019-09-02 15:50:52+00:00

environment

climate change

france24--2019-04-14--Seychelles President Danny Faure warns of rising sea levels due to global warming

france24

Seychelles President Danny Faure warns of rising sea levels due to global warming

There remain few unexplored frontiers left on planet earth but one is the depths of the Indian Ocean. This is the site of a scientific mission that's underway off the coast of the Seychelles. More than 200 metres underwater, the Nekton mission is going where no one has gone before, exploring an area that's already reeling from the effects of global warming. Seychelles President Danny Faure has visited Nekton's research vessel and called on all nations to take urgent action to protect our oceans.

Mairead DUNDAS

https://www.france24.com/en/f24-interview/20190414-danny-faure-seychelles-president-ocean-indian-climate-change-nekton

2019-04-14 13:44:11+00:00

environment

climate change

freedombunker--2019-02-15--Al Gores Global Warming

freedombunker

Al Gore’s Global Warming

There is a serious question that no one wants to address. How did Al Gore create the global warming scare and earn hundreds of millions of dollars in the process? Before Al Gore, science was worried deeply about what we are experiencing today — global cooling. On April 28, 1975, Newsweek magazine published an article in which they sounded the alarm bell and proposed solutions to deliberately melt the ice caps: “Climatologists are pessimistic that political leaders will take any positive action to compensate for the climatic change, or even to allay its effects. They concede that some of the more spectacular solutions proposed, such as melting thearcticc ice cap by covering it with black soot or diverting arctic rivers, might create problems far greater than those they solve. But the scientists see few signs that government leaders anywhere are even prepared to take the simple measures of stockpiling food or of introducing variables of climate uncertainty into economic projections of future food supplies.” This sounds very similar to today’s proposed solution of putting particles in the atmosphere to deflect the sunlight to reduce global warming.  Indeed, TIME magazine’s January 31, 1977, cover featured the cover story, “The Big Freeze.” They reported that scientists were predicting that Earth’s average temperature could drop by 20 degrees fahrenheit. Their cited cause was, of course, that humans created global cooling. Then suddenly the climate cycles shifted and it began to warm up. There was this core group of people who seemed to enjoy all the attention they were gathering by predicting the end of civilization caused by humans. As the temperatures began to warm, suddenly they had to switch the dire forecasts from global cooling caused by humans to global warming caused by humans. Al Gore came to the rescue. Global cooling meant that government should stockpile food for everyone, but that would cost money. Switching to global warming would create a different agenda that they were familiar with. Like smoking, they could tax it to HELP people. Of course, when they did stop and tax revenues began to decline, they introduced taxes on e-cigarettes and didn’t try to deter people from smoking. With global warming, they could tax everyone for things they did every day from driving a car to heating and cooling their homes. Suddenly, global warming was a lot more profitable for government than global cooling. The alarm bell stopped ringing that warned of a continued global cooling, seen between 1945 and 1968, that was creating a new Ice Age. Al Gore took the position of Vice President under President Bill Clinton. In that capacity, with Bill Clinton chasing women, Hillary became the de facto President and Al Gore was given free rein. No other Vice President enjoyed that power until Dick Cheney under George Bush, Jr. Gore set out to enact policies that would alter government and our future by placing humankind in harm’s way. Gore directed all funding to ensure that the climate change agenda became a top priority for the United States Government. Gore created the President’s Council on Sustainable Development. The Charter was revised on April 25, 1997, and the “Scope of Activities” was dramatically altered. Gore directed that the agenda was to be EXCLUSIVELY a global warming agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He claimed there would be NO DEBATE regarding the science behind the new agenda. Gore deliberately silenced all opposition. The President’s Council on Sustainable Development was to focus EXCLUSIVELY on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by adopting the U.S. economy to his agenda. The Council shifted from economic development to environmental development even though it would reduce economic development. Gore flipped the purpose of the Council to a global warming and then set about his agenda to create a crisis to increase government control and power. That can only happen when there is a crisis, which Gore then manufactured. To pull off the new agenda, Gore’s strategy set out to purge the government of anyone who disagreed or opposed his agenda in any way. He instilled, not the fear of God, but the fear of Gore throughout the high-ranking government officials in the agencies that included the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, Department of Education, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Their funding would be cut unless they adopted Gore’s agenda. When physicist Dr. William Happer, who was the Director of Energy Research at the Department of Energy, testified before Congress in 1993 in disagreement with Al Gore, he was instantly fired. Harper would later comment: “I had the privilege of being fired by Al Gore since I refused to go along with his alarmism. I did not need the job that badly.” Al Gore’s propaganda machine has been amazing. From the position of vice president, he changed the entire world while Bill was preoccupied with the line of girls waiting for their turn in the White House. His net worth exploded from $2 million to an estimated $300 million. His movie, An Inconvenient Truth, even made him $24 million with its apocalyptic forecasts that are an embarrassment today. He went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, which is awarded not for peace, but whatever agenda they want to push at any given moment. He was awarded that prize jointly with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.” What is really astonishing is that Al Gore is neither a scientist nor a climatologist. Yet, Gore is considered the leading expert despite the fact that Gore’s climate change agenda was nothing but a fraud and deliberately imposed to increase government power. The post Al Gore’s Global Warming appeared first on LewRockwell.

Martin Armstrong

http://freedombunker.com/2019/02/14/al-gores-global-warming/

2019-02-15 04:01:00+00:00

environment

climate change

bbcuk--2019-09-08--Thousands complain about solar panels

bbcuk

Thousands complain about solar panels

Thousands of people who bought solar panels have complained to a financial watchdog that they are not bringing them the returns they were promised. Many people took out loans to pay for panels on the promise they would save thousands of pounds in electricity costs and make money generating power. They say they have not had the expected savings, and the Financial Services Ombudsman has had 2,000 complaints. Barclays Bank has put aside £38m to deal with potential claims. Brian Thompson from Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, told BBC Inside Out he was contacted by a salesman for PV Solar UK but told him he did not want to take a loan on as he was preparing for retirement. He said he was told the move would provide money towards his pension, which persuaded him, and he took out a loan with Barclays of more than £10,000 over 10 years. Mr Thompson said the payments he was getting back from the power his solar panels sent to the National Grid did not correspond with what he was told. "I had to dip into my savings which I was putting away for retirement to pay the loan off. To me it was lies," he said. An independent survey of Mr Thompson's system showed even after 20 years the income from the panels would not cover the cost of the loan. Barclays offered him some compensation but Mr Thompson said it was not enough. PV Solar UK went into liquidation in 2017. Robert Skillen, who was the director of the firm when Mr Thompson bought his system, said Mr Thompson's panels would make him money. Mr Skillen is now in business claiming to help people who have been missold solar panels. He did not want to be interviewed. Tony Walch, from Bolton, was told he would be better off by £30,000 over 20 years when he bought solar panels from MyPlanet. He said: "They were very, very persuasive. Everything they said was plausible. It was a no-brainer." He took out a loan of £15,000 but he said the panels did not generate the amount of electricity he was promised. They also overheated, damaging the equipment, and he believed they had cost him more than £500 a year. MyPlanet went into liquidation in 2016. Former director Mark Bonifacio said all calculations had been made using strict methodology, and the performance of the systems was impossible to predict because of different factors affecting performance. He said MyPlanet installed more than 15,000 systems, and customers would be getting free electricity. Debbie Enever, from the Financial Ombudsman Service, said: "We have got about 2,000 complaints about solar panels at the moment and more coming through every week." Loans for solar panels were taken out through Barclays Bank, which said: "We always seek to ensure customers are satisfied with our financial products. Where customers have cause to complain we will review each case individually." You can see more on this story on Inside Out North East & Cumbria on Monday 9 September at 19:30 BST.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49566130

2019-09-08 23:02:12+00:00

environment

natural resources

breitbart--2019-08-21--Lawsuit Tesla Solar Panels Caused Fires on Walmart Roofs

breitbart

Lawsuit: Tesla Solar Panels Caused Fires on Walmart Roofs

MarketWatch reports that retail giant Walmart Inc. is suing Elon Musk’s company over a number of roof fires at multiple Walmart stores which the firm alleges were caused by Elon Musk’s solar panels. Walmart is suing for breach of contract and is alleging “gross negligence” on Tesla’s part. Walmart is alleging that fires on the rooftops of stores in California, Maryland, and Ohio were the result of Tesla solar panels. The complaint filed on Tuesday states: “To state the obvious, properly designed, installed, inspected, and maintained solar systems do not spontaneously combust, and the occurrence of multiple fires involving Tesla’s solar systems is but one unmistakable sign of negligence by Tesla.” Tesla purchased SolarCity in 2016 for $2.6 billion. At the time of the acquisition, SolarCity was the largest installer of home-solar-panels in the United States. Tesla CEO Elon Musk was the chairman and largest shareholder of both companies at the time of purchase. SolarCity was founded by two of Musk’s cousins who have since left the firm. Tesla shareholders sued over the acquisition of SolarCity and that case is due to go to trial in March 2020. In the complaint, Walmart’s lawyers criticized the acquisition stating: “On information and belief, when Tesla purchased SolarCity to bail out the flailing company (whose executives included two of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s first cousins), Tesla failed to correct SolarCity’s chaotic installation practices or to adopt adequate maintenance protocols, which would have been particularly important in light of the improper installation practices.” The complaint states that the affected Walmart stores were among more than 240 Walmart businesses which had leased or licensed roof space to Tesla to install the solar panels. The complaint states that Tesla presented the panels a “safe, reliable” and an environmentally conscious way for Walmart to reduce energy costs. However, it was  “clear that Tesla had breached its contractual obligations,” and the firm was asked to disconnect the systems which Tesla did. However, another fire still took place at a Walmart store in Yuba City, California. A total of seven Walmart stores have experienced fires due to faulty solar panels according to the complaint. Tesla shares dropped by 1.1 percent following the news, with the stock dropping by a total of 32 percent this year alone. Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com

Lucas Nolan

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/breitbart/~3/RJ2aaZ4sbgk/

2019-08-21 16:40:49+00:00

environment

natural resources

dailyheraldchicago--2019-12-26--District 158 solar panels will be operational by spring

dailyheraldchicago

District 158 solar panels will be operational by spring

Workers have begun installing solar panels on Huntley Community School District 158's campuses -- expected to be three of the largest installations at Illinois public schools. The arrays are expected to be operational by spring, district spokesman Dan Armstrong said Thursday. The district is partnering with California-based Forefront Power to install solar panels with 5.6 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity on roughly 20 acres across its campuses in Algonquin, Huntley and Lake in the Hills. The ground-mounted installations are expected to save the district $4.2 million over 20 years while offsetting 12.3 million pounds of carbon emissions, officials said. District 158 currently pays roughly 11 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity, and its yearly energy cost is more than $1 million. Forefront will design, permit, finance, install and maintain the solar installations for the 20-year term. The project is estimated to cost about $8 million. District 158 would then pay for the electricity generated by the system at a lower price than its existing utility rate. Officials anticipate between 10% and 30% in savings on energy costs drawing power from the solar installations. Nationally, K-12 schools spend more than $6 billion yearly on energy, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. And at least a quarter of that could be saved through smarter energy management, improvements to existing buildings and building smarter new schools, the agency reports. Installations are underway at District 158's Square Barn Road and Reed Road campuses. Work hasn't yet begun at the Harmony Road campus housing Huntley High School. Armstrong said ground-mounted arrays are preferable to rooftop installations, which are more complicated and require a lot of preparation work and more maintenance. The installations will be visible at all three campuses, but will not be obtrusive, he added. "We worked with the villages and other entities on siting these in terms of maximum efficiency and also being good neighbors," Armstrong said. "We have land at each of our campuses that is suitable for this use, so we are putting it to good use. It was not really a concern of ours to try to hide these away from passersby or visitors to our campuses. We want people to know we are leading this effort in environmental sustainability as well as fiscal responsibility." Forefront offers free solar energy curriculum to partner school districts. Students can observe and analyze system production using a monitoring platform and lesson plans are based on Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. The company provides guest speakers for classroom visits, assemblies, guided walk-throughs of installations and technical presentations. District 158 also will be working with two other providers -- Schools Power and Legends of Learning -- to develop its solar energy curriculum. Schools Power provides school districts and community colleges with a renewable energy curriculum package, while Legends of Learning offers a game-based learning platform, Armstrong said.

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191226/district-158-solar-panels-will-be-operational-by-spring

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 12:54:52 -0500

environment

natural resources

latimes--2019-07-31--California farmers are planting solar panels as water supplies dry up

latimes

California farmers are planting solar panels as water supplies dry up

Jon Reiter banked the four-seat Cessna aircraft hard to the right, angling to get a better look at the solar panels glinting in the afternoon sun far below. The silvery panels looked like an interloper amid a patchwork landscape of lush almond groves, barren brown dirt and saltbush scrub, framed by the blue-green strip of the California Aqueduct bringing water from the north. Reiter, a renewable energy developer and farmer, built these solar panels and is working to add a lot more to the San Joaquin Valley landscape. “The next project is going to be 100 megawatts. It’s going to be five times this size,” Reiter said. Solar energy projects could replace some of the jobs and tax revenues that may be lost as constrained water supplies force California’s agriculture industry to scale back. In the San Joaquin Valley alone, farmers may need to take more than half a million acres out of production to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which will ultimately put restrictions on pumping. Converting farmland to solar farms also could be key to meeting California’s climate change targets. That’s according to a new report from the Nature Conservancy, an environmental nonprofit. Working with the consulting firm Energy and Environmental Economics, the conservancy tried to figure out how California could satisfy its appetite for clean energy without destroying ecologically sensitive lands across the American West. The report lays out possible answers to one of the big questions facing renewable energy: Which areas should be dedicated to solar panels and wind turbines, and which areas should be protected for the sake of wildlife, outdoor recreation, farming and grazing? One takeaway from the report, released this week: California will need hundreds or maybe thousands of square miles of solar power production in the coming decades — and it would make sense to build one-third to one-half of that solar capacity on agricultural lands, mostly within the state. In part, that’s because the Central Valley is more ecologically degraded than California’s inland deserts, where bighorn sheep, desert tortoises and golden eagles still roam across vast stretches of largely intact wilderness. The San Joaquin Valley is home to two dozen threatened and endangered species, but the landscape was almost totally reshaped by agriculture long ago. California has plenty of farmland that could be converted to solar panels without harming the state’s $50-billion agriculture industry, clean energy advocates say. A previous report identified 470,000 acres of “least-conflict” lands in the San Joaquin Valley, where salty soil, poor drainage or otherwise less-than-ideal farming conditions could make solar an attractive alternative for landowners. At least 13,000 acres of solar farms have already been built in the valley, said Erica Brand, director of the Nature Conservancy’s California energy program and a coauthor of the newly released “Power of Place” report. “It’s a region with tremendous opportunity to advance multi-benefit solar projects,” Brand said. For an increasing number of farmers, solar makes economic sense. At Maricopa Orchards — a major Fresno-based grower of almonds, oranges and other crops — Reiter hatched a plan to build solar panels on thousands of acres of agricultural land in Kern County. He worked with local officials to create a 6,000-acre habitat conservation plan, which allows solar panels on 4,000 acres of the company’s land and sets aside 2,000 additional acres for environmental mitigation. The mitigation lands are now reverting back to habitat for San Joaquin kit foxes, blunt-nosed leopard lizards, burrowing owls and other at-risk species. Reiter’s vision is a work in progress: So far, only 160 acres have been developed with solar. The 20-megawatt Maricopa West solar project was built by the German company E.ON and sold to Dominion Energy of Virginia, on land adjacent to almond orchards. But Reiter, who served as Maricopa Orchards’ chief executive until earlier this year and is now a senior adviser to the company, said he’s negotiating with three developers looking to build seven more solar projects. Part of the benefit of the habitation conservation plan, Reiter said, is that Maricopa can offer solar companies “shovel-ready” construction sites with permits and mitigation lands ready to go, saving them time and money. Endangered species also stand to benefit from the habitat plan. “There’s going to be artificial dens, movement corridors and things of that nature. The idea is that it’s going to help them survive,” Reiter said. Other Central Valley agricultural powerhouses have their own plans for solar. Wonderful Co. — which grows tree nuts and owns Pom Wonderful, Fiji Water and Justin Wines — is aiming to power its operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2025. Wonderful opened its first solar project in 2007 and this year signed a contract with Florida-based developer NextEra Energy for a 23-megawatt solar installation, to be built on 157 acres of fallow farmland. Wonderful sees “tremendous potential for siting solar on agricultural land,” said Steven Swartz, the company’s vice president of strategy. Wonderful, owned by Beverly Hills billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick, can make about as much money producing solar power over a 30-year period, Swartz said, as it can growing almonds and pistachios, two of the most lucrative crops grown in California and also two of the most water-intensive. “In one case we’re growing an agricultural product that has value, and in another case we’re producing electrons that have value,” Swartz said. Swartz added that he expects “relatively limited competition” between solar and agriculture because there’s already so much farmland that isn’t in production in the Central Valley. Wonderful has 10,000 acres it’s keeping fallow, he said, due either to poor soil conditions or insufficient water. In 2015, at the height of California’s most recent drought, Central Valley farmers kept about 1 million acres idle all year, NASA scientists estimated. The biggest solar project being planned in the Central Valley is Westlands Solar Park, where construction of the first 670 megawatts is scheduled to begin in the next few months, said Daniel Kim, vice president of regulatory and government affairs for the developer, Golden State Clean Energy. The project could eventually grow to 2,700 megawatts of power across 20,000 acres, which is larger than any solar power facility in the world today. The massive solar project will be built on “drainage-impaired” farmlands served by Westlands Water District, where the soil has become loaded with crop-killing salts — and toxic selenium — because clay layers beneath the dirt prevent irrigation water from percolating down into the underground aquifer. “If you continue to farm these types of lands, you continue to make the drainage problems worse and worse,” Kim said. Poor drainage and groundwater restrictions aren’t the only reasons farmers are looking to solar power. Surface water supplies also have become increasingly unreliable, in part because of environmental regulations that limit how much water can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The Nature Conservancy’s “Power of Place” report doesn’t look only at farmland. The report examines 61 scenarios for achieving California’s climate targets. They’re based on different assumptions about how much land is protected from development across 11 Western states, how many homes add rooftop solar panels, how much lithium-ion battery prices fall, and whether California continues to require that most of its solar and wind power be produced within the state. One of the report’s conclusions is that switching from fossil fuels to clean energy gets more expensive as more land is shielded from development. For instance, annual electricity costs could be around $110 billion if most of California’s renewable energy is produced in-state and only legally protected areas such as national parks and wildlife refuges are off-limits to developers. Statewide electricity costs could rise to $125 billion if development were prohibited on other lands, such as critical habitat for endangered species and important bird areas. But if California utilities were allowed to buy more renewable energy from other Western states, annual costs would drop to $113 billion even under the most restrictive land-use rules, the report estimates. Easing land-use rules slightly would bring electricity costs down to $106 billion — cheaper than trying to build everything in-state, even if hardly any lands are off-limits. “That West-wide scenario is the best-case scenario,” said Arne Olson, a senior partner at the consulting firm Energy and Environmental Economics and a co-author of the Nature Conservancy’s report. The “Power of Place” report doesn’t capture every force that could shape California’s energy future. It assumes no development of offshore wind power, despite enormous potential for turbines off the Pacific coast. It also doesn’t account for other states’ renewable energy needs, which could be substantial. Still, clean energy advocates say the document could help California officials balance development with ecosystem protection as they plan for 100% climate-friendly electricity by 2045, the target adopted by lawmakers last year. In 2018, California received 31% of its electricity from renewables including solar and wind, and 20% from zero-carbon nuclear and large hydropower facilities. The Nature Conservancy’s report “appears to outline thoughtful options for how to site the projects we need to meet the climate crisis,” said Shannon Eddy, executive director of the Large-Scale Solar Assn., a Sacramento trade group. It’s gotten more difficult to build solar in recent years, Eddy said, as conservationists have fought projects in wilderness areas and rural residents have fought projects near their communities. In February, San Bernardino County, California’s largest by area, banned the construction of large solar and wind farms on more than 1 million acres of private land. The price of continuing with business as usual, Eddy said, “is basically losing the battle on climate change.” “We can no longer afford to fight about this. We need all the power we can get as fast as we can get it,” she said. Kim Delfino, California program director for Defenders of Wildlife, is hopeful the Nature Conservancy’s findings will help forestall the kinds of ecological conflicts that have slowed clean energy development in the California desert. During the renewable energy “gold rush” of the late 2000s, developers proposed dozens of solar and wind farms in unprotected desert areas, fueling hard-fought battles with conservationists that continue today. “We’re going to have another renewable energy boom. It’s inevitable,” Delfino said. “This will give us an opportunity, perhaps, to make better choices.” Wind Wolves Preserve, which is owned by the nonprofit Wildlands Conservancy, offers a unique perspective on those choices. Spanning 93,000 acres at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, in the heart of the San Emigdio Mountains, the preserve is a refuge for wildlife that once roamed throughout California’s heartland, before the region became an agricultural mecca. Two decades ago, 19 tule elk were reintroduced at the site, part of an effort to restore a population that once numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Today, more than 300 elk call the preserve home. Wind Wolves has also been planting Bakersfield cactuses, building up what staff say is now the third-largest population of the endangered plant species. On a recent summer evening, preserve manager Melissa Dabulamanzi drove up a narrow, winding dirt road toward Tule Elk Overlook, which provides a sweeping view of the San Joaquin Valley floor. Sitting in the back seat was Abby Hart, who leads the Nature Conservancy’s California agriculture project. “This kind of shrub-land habitat is largely what the valley should be looking like,” Dabulamanzi said At Tule Elk Overlook, they got out of the car and looked out over the valley, admiring the landscape as the sun disappeared behind distant mountains. Hart said solar companies, farmers and conservationists will need to work together to build a sustainable future for this region of California. “There’s so little remaining excellent habitat like this,” Hart said, referring to the preserve. “If we can get that solar development to happen on already disturbed lands ... that’s so much better than having it touch down in areas that are either already protected or are already serving as excellent habitat.”

Sammy Roth

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-agriculture-farmlands-solar-power-20190703-story.html

2019-07-31 11:00:12+00:00

environment

natural resources

thetelegraph--2019-01-14--Wind turbines could be painted green to blend in with landscape

thetelegraph

Wind turbines could be painted green to 'blend in with landscape'

New wind turbines earmarked to be built off the Kent coast should be painted green to "blend in" with the landscape, councillors have said. Kent County Council members warned plans by Swedish energy firm Vattenfall to expand Thanet Wind Farm with an additional 34 turbines by 2021 threatened to harm tourism in the area. The current structures, thought to be around 100 white turbines standing at 115m tall, have been branded a "monstrosity". Councillors claimed the coastal district is being "degraded" by the structures as they urged Vattenfall to paint any new turbines dark brown or dark green, suggesting it could be added as a condition in future planning applications. Cllr Sean Holden said: "It would be nice if the wind towers could be painted any colour but white to help the environment and, quite frankly, tourism. "I would like to see them a different colour. Painting them would mean they would not stick out so unnaturally. The quality of the landscape is really important for tourism. "If it's degraded then it puts the local tourism economy at risk and they have degraded it. "Changing the colour should be considered. I also think having a colour which blends in with the landscape should be included as a condition in future planning applications for wind turbines."

Telegraph Reporters

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/14/wind-turbines-built-kent-coast-should-painted-green-blend-landscape/

2019-01-14 14:04:20+00:00

environment

natural resources

dailyheraldchicago--2019-09-11--Arlington Heights church sees religious meaning in adding solar panels

dailyheraldchicago

Arlington Heights church sees religious meaning in adding solar panels

With its installation of 272 solar panels set to be complete in a week, Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights is making significant strides in its efforts to be more green. For church leaders like Operations Officer Jim Valentine, the work has not only financial benefits, but also religious significance. "We've done this because of our overall emphasis on caring for God's earth, of being an example for all of the Arlington Heights community," Valentine said. The project follows Our Savior's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and move to renewable energy. The church has transitioned to LED fixtures exclusively and replaced all its appliances with Energy Star products. Its members recycle not only typical paper waste but also items like toothpaste dispensers, cosmetic containers and cereal bags. The solar panels going up on the church's roof are the "icing on the cake," Valentine said. The solar panel project will cost about $200,000, some of which was obtained through a fundraiser allowing donors to purchase panels. Half the cost will be paid through solar renewable energy credits over five years. Valentine said energy savings -- about 50 percent current costs -- will make the panels worth it. They also will help reduce the church's carbon footprint by 80 tons a year, he said.

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190910/arlington-heights-church-sees-religious-meaning-in-adding-solar-panels

2019-09-11 04:21:36+00:00

environment

natural resources

bbc--2019-09-10--Can solar power shake up the energy market

bbc

Can solar power shake up the energy market?

The classical Greek philosopher Socrates believed the ideal house should be warm in winter and cool in summer. With clarity of thought like that, it's easy to see how the great man got his reputation. At the time, such a desire was easier to state than to achieve, yet many pre-modern civilisations designed buildings to capture sunlight from the low-hanging winter sun, while maximising shade in the summer. All very elegant but that's not the sort of solar power that will run a modern industrial economy. And millennia went by without much progress. A Golden Thread, a history of our relationship with the sun published in 1980, celebrates clever uses of solar architecture and technology across the centuries, and urged modern economies wracked by the oil shocks of the 1970s to learn from the wisdom of the ancients. For example, parabolic mirrors - used in China 3,000 years ago - could focus the Sun's rays to grill meat. Solar thermal systems used winter sun to warm air or water that could reduce heating bills. Such systems now meet about 1% of global energy demand for heating. It's better than nothing, but hardly a solar revolution. A Golden Thread only briefly mentions what was, in 1980, a niche technology: the solar photovoltaic (PV) cell, which uses sunlight to generate electricity. The photovoltaic effect isn't new. It was discovered in 1839 by French scientist Edmond Becquerel, when he was just 19. In 1883, American engineer Charles Fritts built the first solid-state photovoltaic cells, and then the first rooftop solar array which combined different cells, in New York city. These early cells - made from a costly element named selenium - were expensive and inefficient. The physicists of the day had no real idea how they worked - that required the insight of a fellow named Albert Einstein in 1905. 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy highlights the inventions, ideas and innovations that helped create the economic world. It is broadcast on the BBC World Service. You can find more information about the programme's sources and listen to all the episodes online or subscribe to the programme podcast. But it wasn't until 1954 that scientists at Bell Labs in the US made a serendipitous breakthrough. By pure luck, they noticed that when silicon components were exposed to sunlight, they started generating an electric current. Unlike selenium, silicon is cheap - and Bell Labs' researchers reckoned it was also 15 times more efficient. These new silicon PV cells were great for satellites - the American satellite Vanguard 1 was the first to use them, carrying six solar panels into orbit in 1958. The Sun always shines in space, and what else are you going to use to power a multimillion-dollar satellite, anyway? Yet solar PV had few heavy-duty applications on Earth itself: it was still far too costly. Vanguard 1's solar panels produced half a watt at a cost of countless thousands of dollars. By the mid-1970s solar panels were down to $100 (£81) a watt - but that still meant $10,000 for enough panels to power a light bulb. Yet the cost kept dropping. By 2016 it was 50 cents a watt and still falling fast. After millennia of slow progress, things have accelerated very suddenly. Perhaps we should have seen this acceleration coming. In the 1930s, an American aeronautical engineer named TP Wright carefully observed aeroplane factories at work. He published research demonstrating that the more often a particular type of aeroplane was assembled, the quicker and cheaper the next unit became. Workers would gain experience, specialised tools would be developed, and ways to save time and material would be discovered. Wright reckoned that every time accumulated production doubled, unit costs would fall by 15%. He called this phenomenon "the learning curve". Recently, a group of economists and mathematicians at Oxford University found convincing evidence of learning-curve effects across more than 50 different products from transistors to beer - including photovoltaic cells. Sometimes the learning curve is shallow and sometimes it is steep, but it always seems to be there. In the case of PV cells, it's quite steep: for every doubling of output, cost falls by over 20%. And this matters because output is increasing so fast: between 2010 and 2016 the world produced 100 times more solar cells than it had before 2010. Batteries - an important parallel technology for solar PV - are also marching along a steep learning curve. The learning curve creates a feedback loop that makes it harder to predict technological change. Popular products become cheap and cheaper products become popular. And any new product needs somehow to get through the expensive early stages. Solar PV cells needed to be heavily subsidised at first - as they were in Germany for environmental reasons. More recently China seems to have been willing to manufacture large quantities in order to master the technology. This led the administration of previous US President Obama to complain that, rather than being too expensive, imported solar panels had become unfairly cheap. Solar panels are particularly promising in poorer countries with underdeveloped and unreliable energy grids and plenty of sunshine during the day. When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, for example, he announced ambitious plans to build large utility-scale solar farms - but also to establish tiny grids in rural villages with little or no access to the main grid. But now that solar PV has marched along the learning curve, it is competitive even in rich, well-connected areas. As early as 2012, PV projects in the sunny US states were signing deals to sell power at less than the price of electricity generated by fossil fuels. That was the sign that solar power had become a serious threat to existing fossil fuel infrastructure, not because it's green but because it's cheap. In late 2016 in Nevada, for example, several large casino chains switched from the state utility to purchase their power from largely renewable sources. This wasn't a corporate branding exercise: it was designed to save them money, even after paying $150m (£122m) as a severance fee. The Sun does not shine at night, and winter storage remains a big challenge. As Socrates warned us: the wisest people understand that they know nothing. But the learning curve tells us that the ultimate triumph of solar PV seems likely: it is getting cheaper as it gets more popular, and more popular as it gets cheaper. Socrates notwithstanding, that sounds like a recipe for success. The author writes the Financial Times's Undercover Economist column. 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy is broadcast on the BBC World Service. You can find more information about the programme's sources and listen to all the episodes online or subscribe to the programme podcast.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49344595

2019-09-10 23:38:39+00:00

environment

natural resources

tass--2019-12-26--JA Solar will Supply modules for Huanghe Hydropower Development's UHV Transmission Project

tass

JA Solar will Supply modules for Huanghe Hydropower Development's UHV Transmission Project

BEIJING, Dec. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- JA Solar, a leading manufacturer of high-performance photovoltaic products, announced that it won the bid for supplying 490MW of high-efficiency modules for Huanghe Hydropower's ultra-high voltage (UHV) Transmission Project in Qinghai Province. The project, with a scale of 3.1GW, is the world's leading UHV demonstration project. This is also of great significance for the application of new technologies and exploration of deploying renewable energy projects with UHV. JA Solar will supply its mono PERC 9BB half-cell bifacial double-glass modules for the project, facilitating the integration of advanced solar products and the UHV power grid. With a mass production output power of 410W and conversion efficiency of 20.4%, this advanced product incorporates some of the leading technologies, including bifacial cell, 9BB, half-cell and double-glass structure. Specifically, 9BB technology decreases resistance loss; half-cell technology enables better performance in shaded conditions; and the double glass structure allows better adaptability to different environments. Additionally, gallium doping technology is applied to the silicon wafers for effectively mitigating light induced degradation (LID). All of these technologies ensure that the module optimizes power-generating performance. With its strong reliability and environmental adaptability, JA Solar's advanced module has passed the testing of TUV Nord and Intertek, and is ideal for reducing balance of system (BOS) cost and LCOE. Mr. Jin Baofang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of JA Solar, stated, "Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd is a large comprehensive energy company under the State Power Investment Corporation. It has 20-year experience in the construction and development of photovoltaic power stations and has maintained a long-term cooperative relationship with JA Solar. We are honored to cooperate with Huanghe Hydropower on the pioneering project, and will continue to work with our cooperative partners to promote the large-scale application of high-efficiency products to enable the industry to reach grid parity globally."

https://tass.com/press-releases/1103717

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 09:00:00 +0300

environment

natural resources

themanchestereveningnews--2019-03-18--The hydropower scheme on Irlam Locks that will generate electricity for nearly 400 homes

themanchestereveningnews

The hydropower scheme on Irlam Locks that will generate electricity for nearly 400 homes

A hydropower scheme that could generate renewable electricity for up to 380 homes will be built on Irlam Locks. Energy company Renewables First will construct a hydropower turbine and accompanying turbine house on the eastern bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, after winning planning approval from Salford and Trafford councils. The site falls on the border of the two authorities, which is why approval was needed approval from both town halls. Planning documents show that the scheme is expected to generate approximately 1.4 gigawatt hours per year - enough to power around 380 homes - and provide an equivalent carbon saving of more than 700 tonnes of CO2 per year. Developers argue there would be no ‘significant impact’ on resident amenity, ecology, fisheries, heritage, landscape - including green belt - or flood risk. “No protected species or habitat will be affected by the development or operation of the scheme,” they add. They say that while the power house will be visible from nearby green belt land, any ‘harm’ it would cause would be outweighed by the ‘significant’ benefits of the scheme. No objections were made against the plans, according to a Salford town hall report. The scheme was approved by Trafford’s town hall in January before getting the green light from a Salford council officer earlier this month. The project is expected to run for at least 40 years, although planning documents say that some hydroelectric schemes work for up to 100 years. The locks themselves are made up of two ship locks and five 'sluice' gates which control the water levels for the Ship Canal.

Mari Eccles

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/hydropower-scheme-irlam-locks-generate-15994659

2019-03-18 21:36:31+00:00

environment

natural resources

rferl--2019-04-21--Clashes Erupt In Georgias Pankisi Gorge Over Construction Of Hydropower Plant

rferl

Clashes Erupt In Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge Over Construction Of Hydropower Plant

Clashes broke out on April 21 in Georgia’s northeastern Pankisi Gorge region between police and residents protesting the construction of a hydropower plant. The protesters threw stones at police, who used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them. A local TV station showed several residents with minor injuries from rubber bullets and said some police officers were also hurt. The situation is reported to remain tense. Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who arrived in Pankisi following the clashes, said 15 officers had been injured in the clashes. The residents of Pankisi oppose the construction of the Khadori-3 hydropower plant, saying it could harm the environment in the mountainous region and force them to leave their homes. Construction work -- originally launched in March 2018 -- was restarted recently amid a promise by the government to address people’s concerns. Local activists say construction of the plant must be halted. Several protests have previously been held in the region against the hydropower project.

https://www.rferl.org/a/clashes-erupt-in-georgia-s-pankisi-gorge-over-construction-of-hydropower-plant/29894682.html

2019-04-21 12:56:24+00:00

environment

natural resources

bbc--2019-09-05--Smiles as Princess Charlotte starts school

bbc

Smiles as Princess Charlotte starts school

Princess Charlotte is "very excited" about starting school, the Duke of Cambridge said as he dropped her off for her first day. Walking across the playground with both parents and her brother, Princess Charlotte smiled as she met the head of the lower school at Thomas's Battersea. Prince George has attended the private school in south west London since 2017. He began his first day of year two - his final year in the lower school before he moves to the middle school. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a photograph of Princess Charlotte and Prince George taken outside Kensington Palace before they left for St Thomas's. And as she arrived at the school, Princess Charlotte, four, was photographed by the press meeting head teacher Helen Haslem. Her uniform includes a navy pleated skirt and cardigan, white socks and black shoes. The duchess carried her daughter's backpack, which was decorated with a pink key-ring in the shape of a pony's head. She smiled as she greeted Ms Haslem and asked about her summer holidays. Ms Haslem bent down to shake hands with both George and Charlotte, who is fourth in line to throne. The duke and duchess accompanied Charlotte to her classroom before saying their goodbyes. Prince William, who drove the family to the school, said: "First day - she's very excited." Prince George was also photographed on his first day at Thomas's Battersea, a preparatory school located a few miles from the family residence in Kensington Palace, in September 2017. He, too, was greeted by Ms Haslem, after Prince William drove him through the school gates. The Duchess of Cambridge missed the occasion as she was not well enough to take him. The school has around 560 pupils between the ages of four and 13. It charges £6,429 per term for a family's eldest child and £6,305 for their second eldest child throughout reception, year one and year two, according to its website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49592340

2019-09-05 15:41:58+00:00

education

school

abcnews--2019-01-18--Pence defends wifes teaching job at school that bars gays

abcnews

Pence defends wife's teaching job at school that bars gays

Vice President Mike Pence says the criticism of Christian education in America should stop. Pence is responding to media reports of his wife returning to teach at a school that says it can refuse to employ gay and lesbian teachers or enroll children with gay or lesbian parents. Karen Pence is teaching at Immanuel Christian School in northern Virginia. The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights advocacy group, criticized the move as an example of the Pences showing their public service "only extends to some." But Pence says on the Catholic news network EWTN in an interview that aired Thursday that America has a rich tradition of religious education and that "to see major news organizations attacking Christian education is deeply offensive to us."

The Associated Press

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/pence-defends-wifes-teaching-job-school-bars-gays-60457551

2019-01-18 15:21:46+00:00

education

school

abcnews--2019-01-18--Pence defends wifes teaching job at school that bars gays

abcnews

Pence defends wife's teaching job at school that bars gays

Vice President Mike Pence says the criticism of Christian education in America should stop. Pence is responding to media reports of his wife returning to teach at a school that says it can refuse to employ gay and lesbian teachers or enroll children with gay or lesbian parents. Karen Pence is teaching at Immanuel Christian School in northern Virginia. The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights advocacy group, criticized the move as an example of the Pences showing their public service "only extends to some." But Pence says on the Catholic news network EWTN in an interview that aired Thursday that America has a rich tradition of religious education and that "to see major news organizations attacking Christian education is deeply offensive to us."

The Associated Press

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/pence-defends-wifes-teaching-job-school-bars-gays-60457551

2019-01-18 15:21:46+00:00

education

religious education

abcnews--2019-03-11--Trump administration proposes 71 billion funding decrease to Education Department

abcnews

Trump administration proposes $7.1 billion funding decrease to Education Department

The Trump administration is looking to decrease the Education Department’s funding by $7.1 billion compared to what it was given last year, as part of next year’s proposed budget. The budget proposal suggests eliminating 29 programs, including after-school and summer programs for students in high-poverty areas, among other things. The budget proposal is unlikely to pass through Congress – especially with Democrats in control of the House, however, it is a glimpse into the Trump administration’s priorities going into the next fiscal year. In a statement on Monday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the proposed cuts show “commitment to spending taxpayer dollars wisely and efficiently by consolidating or eliminating duplicative and ineffective federal programs.” She also said the “budget at its core is about education freedom,” an apparent nod to the issue of school choice – something DeVos has attempted to champion during her time as head of the department. The proposed budget includes DeVos’ school choice platform by asking for an increase in $60 million for the Charters Schools Program. The budget also requests $700 million for school safety measures from multiple agencies, including the Education Department, the Justice Department and Health and Human Services. “After the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, the President established the Federal Commission on School Safety to assess and develop Federal, State, and local policy recommendations to help prevent violence in schools,” the 2020 budget proposal reads. “The Budget provides approximately $700 million, an increase of $354 million compared to the 2019 Budget, in Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services grants to give States and school districts resources to implement the Commission’s recommendations, such as expanding access to mental healthcare, developing threat assessments, and improving school climate.” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued a statement responding to the proposed cuts, criticizing the DeVos’ leadership at the department. “Rather than increase funding for kids with special needs or for those who live below the poverty line in both rural and urban America, or addressing the issues raised in their own safety report, DeVos once again seeks to divert funding for private purposes in the name of ‘choice,’” Weingarten said. The statement continued: “However, if they listened to parents, they would hear that, overwhelmingly, parents want well-funded public schools as their choice.” Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, also criticized the budget’s Education Department proposals, saying it showed “how wildly out of sync” DeVos is. “Secretary DeVos is proposing gutting investments in students, teachers, public schools, and even school safety—all to make ro for her extreme privatization proposal that no one asked for. This is not a serious budget proposal, and I am going to once again work with Republicans in Congress to ensure every student has access to a quality public education in their neighborhood,” Murray’s statement said.

Sophie Tatum

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-proposes-71-billion-funding-decrease-education/story?id=61609098

2019-03-11 22:25:45+00:00

education

school

abcnews--2019-10-16--Chicago teachers to strike in nation's 3rd largest district

abcnews

Chicago teachers to strike in nation's 3rd largest district

Chicago parents and community groups are scrambling to prepare for a massive teachers' strike set to begin Thursday, prompting the city to preemptively cancel classes in the nation's third-largest school district. The Chicago Teachers Union confirmed Wednesday night that its 25,000 members would not return to their classrooms Thursday after months of negotiation between the union and Chicago Public Schools failed to resolve disputes over pay and benefits, class size and teacher preparation time. The strike is Chicago's first major walkout by teachers since 2012 and city officials announced early Wednesday that all classes had been canceled for Thursday in hopes of giving more planning time to the parents of more than 300,000 students. "We want this to be a short strike with an agreement that will benefit our schools and our teachers. We have a ways to go," Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey said during a union news conference. "We actually want to see improvement on all the issues we are talking about here." Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she was disappointed by the union's decision to strike. "We are offering a historic package on the core issues — salary, staffing and class size," she said Wednesday night at her own news conference, adding that school district negotiators will remain at the bargaining table and that she hopes the union does, too. During the 2012 strike, the district kept some schools open for half days during a seven-day walkout. District officials said this time they will keep all buildings open during school hours, staffed by principals and employees who usually work in administrative roles. Breakfast and lunch will be served, but all after-school activities and school buses are suspended in the district serving more than 300,000 students. Janice Jackson, the district's CEO, encouraged parents to send their children to the school that they normally attend, however they will be welcome in any district schools. "We've put together a really comprehensive plan for the students," Jackson said. "We will make sure they are safe and they have a productive day." Also striking will be 7,000 support staffers, whose union also failed to reach a contract agreement. Before the strike announcement, June Davis said if teachers walked out, she would likely send her 7-year-old son, Joshua, to his usual elementary school — Smyth Elementary on the city's South Side where almost all students are low-income and minority. Davis, 38, said she would otherwise have to take her son to his grandmother's in a southern suburb, requiring an hourlong trip on a regional bus line. "Everybody's hoping they will come to some kind of agreement, find some compromise," Davis said. Lightfoot preemptively announced that classes on Thursday would be canceled, saying she wanted to give parents more time to plan. A clearly frustrated Lightfoot said the city had not only offered a 16% pay raise over the five-year contract, but the city also had agreed to put language in the contract addressing "enforceable targets" on class size and increasing staffing levels for positions such as nurses, librarians and social workers — items the union said were critical. She said the union's demands would cost an unaffordable $2.5 billion per year. Union leaders disputed Lightfoot's characterization of the city's willingness to concede to their demands on several issues, including class sizes. "CPS' current class size offer falls far short of what's needed to address the sweeping scale of the problem," they said in a statement. Lightfoot said the city agreed to make substantial changes on some of the union's top priorities, but its negotiators responded by issuing additional demands, including some she deemed unacceptable. "The union is still demanding to shorten instructional time by 30 minutes in the morning," she said. "We won't do that. We will not cheat our children out of instructional time." Before heading into a downtown law firm for bargaining talks Wednesday morning, union vice president Stacy Davis Gates said there is a "gross disconnect" between Lightfoot's comments and what negotiators have put in writing. "To say that you have offered a proposal that respects what we are asking for, to say you've bent over backward ... it's absolutely ridiculous," Davis Gates said. Community organizations have been preparing for days to welcome students, ranging from a $100 per day camp for elementary school kids at the Shedd Aquarium to all-day programs run by the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago and accessible for a $20 annual membership fee. Mimi LeClair, president of the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago, said a strike is particularly difficult for single parents and those whose jobs have inflexible schedules. "It's a horrendous dilemma, deciding between likely losing their job or having their paycheck docked when they rely on every penny or leaving their children home alone," LeClair said. The city's public libraries also are planning programs for students, along with a network of churches and community centers that are part of the city's Safe Haven program intended to give kids a safe place during the summer months particularly on the city's South and West sides. The YMCA of Metro Chicago expects highest demand for its all-day programs for children between the ages of 5 and 12, who are too young to stay home alone but whose parents may oppose sending them to schools unstaffed by teachers. "Real life still happens," said Man-Yee Lee, a spokeswoman for the organization. "Parents still need to go to work and their kids still need somewhere to go."

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/classes-canceled-threat-chicago-teacher-strike-looms-66317593

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 21:30:15 -0400

education

school

abcnews--2019-10-16--Chicago teachers' contract talks about more than money

abcnews

Chicago teachers' contract talks about more than money

Chicago's public schools will be closed Thursday as the city's 25,000 teachers are set to go on strike . A strike in the nation's third-largest school district would mean no classes for more than 300,000 students. Like most workers threatening to walk off the job, the teachers want a raise. But money is only part of the story. Here are some of the issues behind the school district's second strike in seven years: WHAT KIND OF MONEY ARE THE TEACHERS LOOKING FOR AND WHAT KIND OF RAISE IS THE CITY OFFERING? The city has offered 16% raises for the teachers over a five-year contract and calls for the teachers' health care costs not to increase for three years. The city says that's a pretty good deal for teachers, whose starting annual salary of just under $53,000 is higher than the salary for teachers in any other school district in the state. But the union, which is asking for a 15% raise over three years, says its analysis shows teachers at the end of the contract will make about $15,000 less than the city says they will. The union also said the contract leaves unclear just how much health care costs will increase during the final two years. WHY DON'T TEACHERS JUST TAKE THE MONEY? At first blush, it seems like a pretty good deal: a 16% raise over five years. But the teachers' union sees a potential trap. Teachers say if they take the raise, they lose negotiating leverage as they demand more school nurses, social workers, librarians and smaller classrooms because those are not the kinds of things they can legally strike over. The union knows about the city's vow to add at least 200 social worker positions and at least 250 full-time nurse positions but has made it clear that the only way to make sure the city follows through on its promises is to put it in writing in the next contract. WHY NOT JUST INCLUDE STAFFING REQUIREMENTS IN THE CONTRACT? Until this week, the city wanted nothing to do with adding staffing requirements to the collective bargaining agreement, saying it would make it tougher for principals to run their individual schools because it would require them to use a chunk of their budgets to fill those positions at the expense of the "needs and desires of the local community or school." But this week the CPS and city announced a willingness to write into the contract language that would address class sizes and staffing issues. That's potentially good news to the union, which has made it clear that any deal must address staffing shortages and overcrowded classrooms. JUST HOW CROWDED ARE THE CLASSES? It depends on who you ask. The school district contends that 80% of the kindergarten to third-grade classes made the 28-student maximum and 90% of the fourth- to eighth-grade classes met the 31-student maximum. The union estimates that a quarter of the city's elementary school students are in overcrowded classrooms. That disagreement is partly why the union wants a contract provision that calls for teachers to receive an extra $5 a day per student whenever their classes exceed the mandated size limit. The union also is pushing for smaller class sizes. The district says that would require the hiring of another 1,150 teachers and 1,000 teacher assistants at a cost of at least $225 million annually. WHY ARE NURSES, LIBRARIANS, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND COUNSELORS SUCH A STICKING POINT? There is no disputing the fact that the school district needs more people on those jobs. According to the union, about one-fifth of the district-run schools have librarians. And as scarce as they are citywide, the union says they are even harder to find in schools where most students are black. As for nurses, both the union and the school district agree many more are needed, though they can't agree on how many are currently working in the district. The union wants contract language that spells out that people will only be asked to do the jobs for which they are hired. It also has expressed concern about the number of students currently assigned to counselors and about various roles counselors are expected to fill, including as substitute teachers and lunchroom help. WHAT IS THE DEBATE OVER AFFORDABLE HOUSING ABOUT? Chicago is an expensive place to live and the way the union sees it, too expensive for some teachers and way too expensive for teaching assistants, clerks and other support staff. Like other city employees, teachers are required to live in Chicago and the union said that if police officers and firefighters receive housing subsidies, they should also get them. They want language in the contract that would call for the school district to provide housing assistance for new teachers and others, and to help students' families who are at risk of losing their housing. Mayor Lori Lightfoot agrees affordable housing is an important issue but a collective bargaining agreement between the teachers and the city isn't the place to solve it.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/chicago-teachers-contract-talks-money-66319578

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 21:39:43 -0400

education

school

abcnews--2019-11-03--Former President Jimmy Carter is back teaching Sunday school

abcnews

Former President Jimmy Carter is back teaching Sunday school

Former President Jimmy Carter taught a Bible lesson on life after death Sunday less than two weeks after breaking his pelvis in a fall. Using a walker, the 95-year-old Democrat slowly entered the crowded sanctuary at Maranatha Baptist Church in the southwest Georgia town of Plains. "Morning, everybody," he said cheerfully. With help, Carter sat on a motorized lift chair at the front of the room to teach a 45-minute lesson based on the Old Testament book of Job. Referring to a cancer diagnosis that resulted in the removal of part of his liver in 2015, Carter said he was is "at ease" with the idea of dying and believes in life after death. More than 400 people were on hand in the main hall and smaller, overflow rooms where the lesson was shown on television. Carter was briefly hospitalized and has since been recovering at home since fracturing his pelvis on Oct. 21. He also fell shortly before that and needed stitches above his left eye. Carter is the oldest U.S. ex-President ever and has been teaching Bible lessons since he was in his teens. He missed one Sunday school class after the pelvis fracture. Rev. Tony Lowden said Secret Service agents, relatives and fellow church members all discouraged Carter from teaching because of the injury, but he insisted. "He is pouring out that you might see Christ while he is suffering," Lowden told the crowd. Carter remained for the worship service after teaching, sitting in a pew beside his wife, Rosalynn, and singing hymns with the congregation. Referring to the former president and Jesus Christ by their initials, Lowden gave thanks for Carter in prayer. "The greatest thing I've learned as a pastor here is watching J.C. follow J.C.," Lowden said.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/president-jimmy-carter-back-teaching-church-66723995

Sun, 03 Nov 2019 19:44:23 -0500

education

religious education

abcnews--2019-11-06--Report: Teacher broke rule, caused student injury

abcnews

Report: Teacher broke rule, caused student injury

A Georgia high school teacher presenting a flashy demonstration to get her students excited about chemistry made a mistake that caused a fire to burn "out of control" and seriously injure a teenager in the front row, a school district report released Wednesday by the student's lawyers says. Malachi McFadden, 16, suffered third-degree burns on his face, neck and torso and was hospitalized after his chemistry teacher bungled the "burning money demonstration" at Redan High School, just outside Atlanta, on the second day of his junior year, his lawyers said. On Wednesday, they released a report prepared by an investigator for the DeKalb County school system that uses witness statements from students and teachers to piece together what happened Aug. 6. Teacher Bridgette Blowe wrote in a statement included in the report that she's successfully done the demonstration — lighting an accelerant-soaked bill on fire — in previous years and for two other classes this year. In this particular class, the flame didn't burn out completely, Blowe wrote, "so I attempted to extinguish the flame with water, but I reached for the alcohol instead, by mistake." The report dated Oct. 21 says Blowe violated district standards and that Regional Superintendent Sean Tartt recommended Blowe be fired, but Principal Janice Boger recommended she be suspended and receive training on classroom safety. The school district didn't immediately answer a question Wednesday about Blowe's employment status. In a letter included in the report, Boger called Blowe a good teacher who, in this case, "made an awful mistake." L. Chris Stewart, a lawyer for McFadden, said they will likely end up suing for damages to cover his pain and suffering, as well as past and future medical costs, including plastic surgery. "The only thing for them to do is to accept responsibility for it," Stewart said of the school district. The demonstration Blowe was attempting is popular on the internet and the premise is simple: Soak paper money in a mixture of water and alcohol, light it and amaze your friends when the bill comes through unharmed. But numerous videos also show the experiment going horribly wrong. Blowe had tried to do the experiment the first day of classes using a mixture of water and alcohol, but it didn't work, according to witness statements. She tried the demonstration again the next day using a mixture of water and ethanol. After soaking a $5 bill and lighting it, she put it in a bowl and "added more ethanol to make the flame bigger," the investigator concluded. That "caused the flame to become out of control," spread across the lab table and burn McFadden, who had his head down. Blowe said the glassware was mislabeled, but the report says it was unclear whether she was trying to put the fire out or "trying to make the flames larger so that students could see the flame." The investigator wrote that it was "inconclusive as to whether or not Ms. Blowe's use of water or alcohol was accidental." McFadden told The Associated Press in a September interview that his hands still hurt constantly and he misses playing baritone saxophone in the band along with playing football and basketball. He hopes to return next semester. He likes math and wants to be an engineer but has never really liked science. He'll have to take chemistry next year to graduate but said he feels nervous about that. News outlets across the country have reported about students injured in chemistry class demonstrations in recent years, including one at a Manhattan high school that caused burns over about 31% of a student's body in 2014. In July, a jury awarded that student nearly $60 million in damages for past and future pain and suffering. The problem isn't new, said Ken Roy, chief safety compliance adviser for the National Science Teaching Association. There's no national database that tracks such accidents, but Roy said he has anecdotal knowledge of at least 30 since the late 1990s that have ended up in court after students were seriously injured. It may seem like there are more now because word spreads quickly on social media. That has prompted professional associations to step up their efforts to disseminate warnings and provide safety information for educators, Roy said. "A science laboratory is a dangerous place," Roy said. "There's always going to be accidents, but of course you can make it safer to dramatically reduce that." Blowe, 36, had worked at Redan since August 2016 and had previously worked as a science teacher at two other DeKalb County high schools from August 2007 through June 2013, according to school system employment records obtained by the AP through an open records request. The system declined to release performance reviews because they are confidential under state law. While a student at Georgia Southern University, she worked as a teaching assistant in the chemistry department, according to an employment application. Among the responsibilities she listed: "Made sure all laboratory procedures were run safely and properly."

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/report-teachers-actions-broke-rule-caused-student-injury-66797099

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 17:19:11 -0500

education

school

abcnews--2019-11-06--Strike plans unclear, Little Rock teachers hold 'walk-ins'

abcnews

Strike plans unclear, Little Rock teachers hold 'walk-ins'

Little Rock teachers have given few clues on whether they'll strike because of Arkansas' decision to no longer recognize their union, but they're staging other demonstrations aimed at drawing attention to the end of their collective bargaining rights and the state's ongoing control of the local school district. Teachers, parents, students and other community members held "walk-ins" around the 23,000-student district on Wednesday, entering school buildings together before classes started to show their support for the union. The move follows other demonstrations that have included a sick-out organized by students last week and some teachers participating in a "work to rule" action where they don't work extra hours. The Little Rock Education Association's contract with the district expired on Thursday following the state Board of Education's decision to no longer recognize the union as the district's sole bargaining agent. "We feel that this is a symbolic statement that if we can all walk in together, we can all walk out together," Teresa Knapp Gordon, president of the 1,800-member association, said. Gordon said the union hasn't ruled out a strike and has other actions planned. Tensions have been high since the state Board of Education's vote against the union last month. Arkansas has run the district since January 2015, when it was taken over because of low test schools at several schools. The state board voted to return the district to a local school board that will be elected in November 2020, but with the state maintaining some control. Aside from a return of collective bargaining rights, the union is also calling for an immediate return to full local control. "I'm ready for us to have our school district back," Fran Carter, who was among dozens of parents who gathered in the rain for a walk-in at Little Rock Central High School. "Our whole community has been frustrated for five years. Nobody feels like they have a say." Little Rock school officials have been lining up hundreds of substitute teachers and telling parents that schools will remain open even if there's a strike. Superintendent Michael Poore said he viewed the walk-ins as a positive thing and a way to encourage even more involvement in the schools. Poore praised the teachers and staff, who he said have kept a positive learning environment despite the uncertainty. "To the best of my knowledge, we have gone on and done the job we're supposed to do over the last several weeks, and we've had good learning environments," he said. Before the contract expired, Little Rock was the only district in the state that had a teachers' union with collective bargaining power. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who appointed eight of the board's nine members, has said he didn't think Little Rock should be an exception. Supporters of the board's decision have said more teachers will be represented by a "personnel policy committee" that will be set up in the district. Earlier demonstrations prompted the state board to back off an initial plan that would have divided up control of the district — an effort that critics said would split Little Rock schools along racial lines 62 years after Central High's desegregation. Businesses and homes have been displaying "One LRSD" signs in support of the district regaining local control. The Little Rock demonstrations follow actions by teachers elsewhere, including in other conservative states such as Oklahoma and West Virginia, that have gained widespread support. One expert said the key to any action in Little Rock is presenting the issue as broader than just union recognition or benefits. "Only when teacher unions are able to frame their efforts as efforts to promote the common good are they really able to break out of that straight jacket," said Joseph McCartin, a history professor at Georgetown University who specializes in labor history. "You already see in Little Rock ways of doing that."

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/strike-plans-unclear-rock-teachers-hold-walk-ins-66801857

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:57:26 -0500

education

school

abcnews--2019-11-06--Student offers teacher his birthday cash, cites her pay rate

abcnews

Student offers teacher his birthday cash, cites her pay rate

A Florida third-grader gave his teacher an unexpected surprise: $15 and a note saying he didn't think teachers are being paid enough. Shortly before Halloween, Mary Hall Chambers opened a folder in her classroom at Gorrie Elementary School in Tampa. Inside was a note from 9-year-old Parker Williams, along with cash in a zip-top baggie. "I don't think that teachers get paid enough for what they do so will you except this gift?" he wrote in black ink. He added, "My own money" and drew an arrow to the baggie below. Chambers was charmed by his kind gesture. She later found out that the $15 came from his birthday money. "I've had sweet gestures from students in the past but never money," said Chambers, who has been an elementary school teacher for 16 years. "I can't accept this, but appreciate the gesture, Parker," she wrote back. "Students like you are the reason I teach." She said his parents saw her note and told her that they didn't know Parker had sent her money. The average starting teacher in Hillsborough County makes around $19 an hour. More experienced teachers make close to $25 an hour.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/student-offers-teacher-birthday-cash-cites-pay-rate-66802507

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:37:41 -0500

education

school

abcnews--2019-11-11--Little Rock teachers to go on strike over district's control

abcnews

Little Rock teachers to go on strike over district's control

Little Rock teachers will go on strike for one day this week over an Arkansas panel's decision to strip their collective bargaining power and complaints about state control of the 23,000-student district, union officials said Monday. The strike that will take place Thursday will be only the second time teachers have walked out of the job in Little Rock history. The Little Rock Education Association's announcement comes after the state Board of Education in October voted to no longer recognize the union when the contract expired Oct. 31. The union has been calling for the state to give them back their bargaining power. Before the contract ended on Oct. 31, the Little Rock School District had been the only one in Arkansas where a teachers union had collective bargaining power. But union leaders said Thursday's strike was focused more broadly on returning full local control to the district. Arkansas has run Little Rock's schools since the state board took over the district in January 2015 because of low test scores at several schools. The state board has voted to put the district under a local board that will be elected in November 2020, but with limits on its authority. The strike will occur the day the state panel is expected to vote on establishing the zones for the new local board. "As educators, we would rather be in the classroom with our students, not on the picket line," Teresa Knapp Gordon, the union's president, said at a news conference outside Little Rock Central High School. "However, this community and the passionate, dedicated educators of this district will do what is necessary to protect the futures of our students." While the union billed it as a one-day strike, Gordon left open the possibility of it stretching beyond Thursday if the panel doesn't return full local control. "No options are off the table at this point," she said. The only other teachers strike in the district was in 1987, when Little Rock students missed six days of school before a new two-year contract was approved. Little Rock Superintendent Michael Poore said the district's schools will remain open and buses will continue to run, though some classes may have to be combined. In anticipation of the strike, school officials have been lining up hundreds of substitute teachers and said between 250 and 300 district and state employees can also work as educators. "We are going to try to have as normal of a day as we possibly can," Poore told reporters. Poore said officials don't know how many teachers will join the strike. The state Board of Education last month backed off a plan to divide control of the school district after critics said it would return Little Rock to a racially segregated system 62 years after nine black students integrated all-white Central High School. The union, however, criticizes the latest plan because the state would still maintain some authority. State Education Secretary Johnny Key and Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who appointed eight of the nine state board members, said they were disappointed with the strike decision. "I am disappointed that the union has chosen to lead a strike that encourages teachers to walk out on their students," Hutchinson said in a statement. "Superintendent Mike Poore has made it clear we are going to continue classes and continue education and that we will not let a strike stop the education of our students. We all desire local control and next year's school board election is a major step approved by the state Board of Education." A teachers strike in Little Rock would follow similar actions elsewhere. A strike in Chicago, the nation's third-largest school district, canceled 11 days of classes for more than 300,000 students before a contract deal was reached on Oct. 31. And teachers in several states, including Oklahoma, West Virginia and Kentucky, protested last year at state capitols over wages and other issues. Those in support of ending the Little Rock union's recognition have said more teachers will be represented by the district setting up a personnel policies committee made up of teachers that would offer advice on salaries and other issues. The state board also voted to reinstate employee protections for teachers in the district that it had waived in December. Wendy Sheridan, a Little Rock parent, said she and her two children will join teachers at the picket line on Thursday before going to the state board meeting. "While as parents we want what's best for our children, and that's to be in school, at this point what's best for our children is to support our educators and support others who are trying to do what's right for them in the long run," she said. This story has been corrected to reflect that that 1987 was the last time a strike was held in the district, not the state, and that the announcement was made Monday.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/rock-teachers-union-hold-day-strike-66912325

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:13:02 -0500

education

school

birminghammail--2019-01-13--The worst primary schools in Birmingham according to Ofsted

birminghammail

The worst primary schools in Birmingham, according to Ofsted

These are the worst primary schools in Birmingham, according to Ofsted. Four primary schools in the city are rated 'inadequate' or requiring 'special measures'. School inspectors have said that urgent improvements need to be made at these schools. One is an academy, another is an independent and the other two are regular primary schools. This is what their latest Ofsted reports say - and the schools' responses to them ... What the Ofsted inspector said: “Provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is inadequate. “Teachers do not accurately check pupils’ attainment and progress. Because of this they do not plan work which is matched well enough to their abilities. Consequently, pupils make poor progress, especially in reading and mathematics. “Teachers do not provide challenge for the most able pupils. They have low expectations of what these pupils can achieve, which prevents them from reaching the standards they should. Where teaching is ineffective, some learning is disrupted by poor behaviour. However the Ofsted report did say the new head teacher has an accurate understanding of the school’s weaknesses and her decisive and swift actions are already leading to improvements across the school. Also, pupils’ progress and behaviour has improved over the last year. What the school says A spokesman for Nechells E-ACT Academy said: " We are deeply disappointed by the outcome of the Ofsted inspection. However, a comprehensive plan of action is already in place and we are already seeing significant improvements across the academy. "We have every confidence in our recently appointed head teacher, who has devised clear and robust plans to improve teaching and learning, assessment and behaviour, whilst at the same time setting the very highest standards for all staff. "We are already seeing significant improvements in pupil attendance, which currently stands at 96.4 per cent - a 3 per cent increase on this time last year. "Pupil behaviour has also improved, with a significant reduction in the number of recorded behaviour incidents at the academy. "In their report, Ofsted acknowledge that the academy's curriculum has been entirely redeveloped, describing it as 'purposeful, broad and balanced’. "E-ACT’s support, leadership and guidance is also highlighted by inspectors, who describe Nechells’ close partnership with Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rated Mansfield Green E-ACT Academy as having accelerated improvements in teaching. " We remain absolutely committed to turning Nechells E-ACT Academy around, and with the support of the entire academy community, we want to provide every one of our pupils with the quality of education they deserve." What the Ofsted inspector said: “Unstable senior leadership since the school opened has hampered improvement. Leaders and governors have not done enough to improve teachers’ performance and pupils’ achievement in key stage 3. “Leaders and governors do not make accurate assessments of the school’s effectiveness and the quality of teaching. “The differences between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and others are too great in some classes and are not decreasing quickly enough. “There are too many inconsistencies in teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve in key stage 3. Teachers are not using assessment information well enough to offer pupils the right level of challenge in lessons. “Although most pupils behave well, the behaviour of some pupils in key stage 3 lessons is not acceptable.” However, a Section 48 Oftsted Inspection took place in November 2018, where the effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a Christian school was rated as good. The inspector said: "The emphasis on appropriate educational attainment as an expression of the school’s Christian foundation is now much more evident and signs of improvement, especially since the Ofsted report of May 2018, are in place. "The board of directors has been reconstituted with a very clear and effective focus on attainment and progress, senior leaders are now ensuring consistent approaches to teaching and learning and are supporting staff well in delivering improvements. "In keeping with the school’s Christian and inclusive vision there is a broad curriculum offer, high aspirations, and increasingly focused teaching and learning in evidence." What the school says A spokesman said: "King Solomon International Business School is one of the few all-through schools in the country (providing primary and secondary education). "Unfortunately, despite the fact Ofsted rated one of the two phases of the school as ‘Good’ the one phase which was 'Inadequate' affected the overall judgement. "Since the Ofsted Inspection in May 2018, the school has made rapid improvement in the phase of the school that needed improvement. This is reflected in our most resent Section 48 Inspection (November 2018) where we were rated overall 'Good'; including in leadership and management. "For the first time in three years, the school is now in a building which is fit for purpose allowing students and staff to access state of the art facilities and focus on our core educational offer. "The schools Post Ofsted Action Plan has been approved by Ofsted and the school are on track for meeting our improvement targets. "It is unfortunate that the Ofsted inspection did not reflect the fact that for the past three years our students and staff were working in a less than ideal environment with limited space and educational facilities. "There were significant delays in the completion of our school building, which was signed over to us ‘only’ two weeks before the Ofsted Inspection. "These mitigating circumstances which adversely affected the overall performance of students and staff should have been taken into consideration in the Ofsted inspection. "Two weeks before the Ofsted inspection new Senior Leadership was appointed; since that time the school has made significant changes which have led to improved academic attainment. "We are confident that with the improvements being made, the school is well on the way to moving out of Special Measures." What the Ofsted inspector said: “Leaders and governors have not taken sufficient action to address the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. Governors have not robustly challenged how the school has spent the additional pupil premium funding. The reports given by leaders to governors on the impact of pupil premium spending are inaccurate. “Disadvantaged pupils across the school do not make enough progress from their starting points. “Teachers in most classes do not plan lessons that build on pupils’ previous knowledge, skills and understanding. Teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. Attendance is too low, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.” However the Ofsted report does add that pupils’ personal development and well-being is good, teaching in Year 6 is a strength of the school and support staff work well to help SEND pupils make progress in lessons. BirminghamLive contacted the school but the staff declined to comment. What the Ofsted inspector said: “Leaders and directors have not ensured that all of the independent school standards are met. The quality of teaching is too inconsistent, and a minority of pupils in Years 5 and 6 do not make the progress of which they are capable, especially in mathematics. “The curriculum has not been fully adapted to meet the needs of all pupils, including those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, the most able and lowerability pupils. “Some teachers do not use the information on pupils’ needs and aptitudes to plan lessons effectively. As a result, some pupils’ work is either too easy or too hard.” However, according to the Ofsted report, the teaching of phonics and reading is effective, staff have high expectations of how pupils should behave and pupils enjoy school, attend regularly and take their learning seriously. It also said that leaders are developing an exciting new curriculum that provides rich opportunities for pupils to engage in new experiences. BirminghamLive contacted the school but the staff declined to comment. Make sure you don't miss the deadline to apply for your child's primary school. * To keep updated on school news and family things to do in Birmingham, like our Brummie Mummies and What’s On Facebook pages. You can also sign up to our weekly Brummie Mummies email newsletter

Zoe Chamberlain

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/worst-primary-schools-birmingham-according-15638912

2019-01-13 05:30:00+00:00

education

school

abcnews--2019-01-17--Second lady to teach art at Christian school that bans LGBT teachers families

abcnews

Second lady to teach art at Christian school that bans LGBT teachers, families

The White House has announced that Second Lady Karen Pence will teach art classes twice a week at a Northern Virginia’s Immanuel Christian Elementary School through the end of May. But the announcement has been drawn into focus the school’s policies seen as hostile to the LGBT community, including a ban on any students and teachers, and a policy that reserves the right to remove students who are children of LGBT parents. According to a copy of the school’s employment application, aspiring faculty must pledge they will “strive to live a personal life of moral purity,” and notes that should include an understanding that “the term “marriage” has only one meaning; the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive covenant union." The school also asks applicants to commit to not engage in "moral misconduct," which it says includes “homosexual or lesbian activity… transgender identity, [and] any other violation of the unique roles of male and female.” A separate agreement required for parents to sign notes that the school reserves its right to “refuse admission to an applicant or to discontinue enrollment of a student” if conduct in the home is “in opposition to… a biblical lifestyle" – which it says includes “participating in, supporting, or condoning sexual immorality, homosexual activity or bi-sexual activity. Vice President Mike Pence faced similar scrutiny during the 2016 campaign for his past promotion of policies that were seen as hostile to the LGBT community. In the 1990s, Pence’s congressional campaign website included a statement that raised questions whether he advocated for “conversion therapies” for gay youths. “Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior,” the website said. But a spokesperson for Pence after the website comments surfaced said he was merely calling for federal funds to “be directed to groups that promoted safe sexual practices” and that he was not a proponent of conversion therapy. The Vice President's office did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on the school's policies. The Second Lady's office in its announcement said that Karen Pence had previously taught art for 12 years at Immanuel Christian School, as well as 13 years at public and private schools in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Alexander Mallin

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lady-karen-pence-teach-school-ban-lgbt-students/story?id=60428528

2019-01-17 00:46:14+00:00

education

religious education

abcnews--2019-12-03--US scores above average in math, science, still lags in math

abcnews

US scores above average in math, science, still lags in math

American students may not be reading any better, but they’re moving up in rankings of educational achievement worldwide because many of their peers in other countries are performing worse. And while their math performance may not be declining, 15-year-olds in the United States still lag the scores of their peers in dozens of other countries. Overall, the latest global snapshot of achievement shows American students scoring above average in reading and science, but below average in math. The 2018 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, shows several Asian school systems at the top. The best-performing across all three measures was a group of four Chinese provinces — Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. PISA seeks to test not only what students know, but whether they can apply that knowledge to solve problems. About 600,000 15-year-old students in nearly 80 nations and educational systems took part in the two-hour computer-based test last year. The test is based on a 1,000-point scale. — In reading, the U.S. average score was 505, above the international average of 487. — In math, the U.S. average score was 478, below the international average of 489. — In science, the U.S. average score was 502, above the international average of 489. Average U.S. scores didn’t change significantly in any of those subjects since 2015. Average U.S. scores are also basically unchanged since when the test was first given in 2000 for reading and in 2003 for math. American science scores are up since 2006, thanks to improvements in earlier years. Across the globe, American students were significantly outperformed by their counterparts in eight jurisdictions in reading, by 30 jurisdictions in math and by 11 jurisdictions in math. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a statement that students need “the freedom to pursue different options and a more personalized educational experience.” She has been promoting proposals for federal tax credits for donations made to groups offering scholarships for private schools, apprenticeships, school vouchers and greater reliance on privately run charter schools. “The bottom line is there has not been a single study that shows American education is improving enough,” DeVos said. “Scores have flatlined for a decade. Worse yet, scores for our most vulnerable students continue to decline.” Peggy Carr, the associate commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics, told reporters Monday that the U.S., by holding steady in reading scores, rose in comparison with other countries. “It’s not exactly the way you want to improve your ranking, but nevertheless our ranking is improved,” Carr said. However, she noted the U.S. is “clearly struggling” in math. Like recent results on another major nationwide test — the National Assessment of Educational Progress — U.S. results showed the highest performing students were doing better in reading and math, while lower-performing students didn’t improve. “It’s another red flag that this is something to think about,” Carr said. Tom Loveless, an educational researcher near Sacramento, California, said the Chinese provinces that were tested saw a substantial increase in their scores. It’s not clear that that group of students is representative of China at large, with Carr repeatedly telling reporters Monday that the four large cities are more affluent than China as a whole. The Chinese region displaced the 2015 frontrunner, the Asian city-state of Singapore. “It’s the only country where they allow the national government to select the provinces that are tested,” Loveless said. “It still makes it very difficult to interpret the Chinese scores.” Loveless describes the United States’ overall performance as mediocre. “The U.S. is basically doing what it’s done since PISA started, which is hanging around the middle of the pack,” Loveless said. Others, though, are deeply concerned about U.S. scores, especially in math. Marc Tucker, the founder of the National Center on Education and the Economy, said the United States must improve if it is to remain economically competitive with China. “China is now poised to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy. It is hard to see how the United States can compete with a far larger country that has a much better educated workforce that charges much less than we do for labor,” Tucker said. A mixture of multiple-choice and open-ended questions, the test is coordinated every three years by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. Schools in each country are randomly selected, and OECD says the selection of schools is kept as inclusive as possible so that student samples are drawn from a broad range of backgrounds and abilities.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-scores-average-math-science-lags-math-67455782

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 05:30:09 -0500

education

school

activistpost--2019-02-06--5 Ways to Teach Liberty to Young Children

activistpost

5 Ways to Teach Liberty to Young Children

If you believe that liberty is important for the future, you probably wonder how today’s kids are learning about it. You might quiz young children in your life to determine what they know. You could scan their social studies texts to see how liberty is described. Ultimately, you will probably decide you should instruct them about liberty yourself. But how? Elementary and middle school-aged children are not developmentally ready to debate the border wall, the minimum wage, or the war on drugs. Much of the discussion about liberty that engages adults would confuse or even distress young children. When it concerns liberty, what is appropriate to teach young children? How can it be explained? Can learning about liberty be engaging for five- to twelve-year-olds? As a parent and teacher, these are the questions I pondered. I created the website Kids Learn Liberty to answer them. If you have ever tried to teach a young child, you know that you must build on the child’s current knowledge one small step at a time. Care must be taken to avoid using words the learner does not comprehend. Since liberty is an abstract concept, children’s grasp of it is strengthened with narratives and hands-on projects. Keeping all that in mind, here is a sample of topics from Kids Learn Liberty. Explaining that government generally uses violence to pursue its goals would be unsuitable for young children. It would encourage fear and mistrust. However, children can learn to distinguish between cooperation and coercion. Both involve people interacting. Cooperation is voluntary. Coercion involves threats or actual harm. After learning about, and hearing examples of, cooperation and coercion, children can listen to the story The Queen of the Frogs by Davide Cali, which explores the issue of rulers vs. ruled, and The Arabolies of Liberty Street, by Sam Swope, which pits the forces of sameness against the joys of individuality. Both will set the stage for thought and discussion about cooperation and coercion. To make cooperation and coercion more personal, children can write examples of human interactions on index cards and sort them into their proper categories. As world events and family and personal experiences present more examples, these can be added to the deck. When they are ready, children can learn—or better still, figure out for themselves—that most government activities are coercive. The dangers and difficulties of their journeys show the importance of freedom to them. Immigration is an appropriate and interesting topic for five- to twelve-year-olds. Most immigrants move from less free to more free locations, which demonstrates liberty’s widespread appeal. Kids first need to know what immigration means and that troubles like war, oppression, and poverty are the reasons people relocate. The dangers and difficulties of their journeys show the importance of freedom to them. Many outstanding children’s books describe immigrant experiences. Some are factual, such as L is for Liberty by Wendy Cheyette Lewison. A chapter book suitable for middle schoolers, Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse, weaves a compelling narrative about a Russian immigrant girl. The immigrant experience can be made personal for young children by sharing with them the stories, photos, and heirlooms of their own immigrant ancestors. Children can also visit Meet Young Immigrants on the Scholastic website to hear the words of present-day immigrant children. Kids love heroes. Introduce young children to real people who championed liberty. Founders like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson come to mind. Others can be even more powerful. The beautifully illustrated book Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass by Lesa Cline-Ransome will astonish kids as they follow the twisting path Douglass trod to learn how to read. The Picture Book of Harriet Tubman by David Adler conveys the horrors of slavery and the risks people took to escape it. Tubman’s words describing how she felt to be free are breathtaking. Consider also Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai, a living young person who stood up for her freedom to learn. Something as commonplace as a grocery store produce department abounds with interesting examples of exchange. Though the mathematics of economic freedom would lull young children to sleep (not a bad thing if you are an exhausted parent), adults can help generate kids’ interest in the economic activity happening around them. Farmers are plowing in their fields. Construction workers are putting up new buildings. Consider taking the children in your life on a tour of a local factory. The tag inside a new pair of sneakers will tell where they were produced. Why not help their new owner find that place on a world map? Trains and delivery vehicles are loaded with products heading to customers. What are they carrying? Where might they be going? Something as commonplace as a grocery store produce department abounds with interesting examples of exchange. Tomatoes from local farms, apples from Washington state, and grapes from Chile are all products of trade. A surprising number of children’s books have economic freedom as a theme. Some are explicit, such as the classic story “I, Pencil” by Leonard Read. It cleverly describes how, without central direction, many specialists from all over the world work together to produce an everyday object. One Hen by Kate Smith Milway explains how entrepreneurship helped an African community become more prosperous. A powerful way to demonstrate the importance of liberty is to contrast free and unfree countries. Unfortunately, most nonfiction books for young children about nations such as North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela fail to explain the oppression and privation suffered by their citizens. Stories about developing nations focus on the ways that children all over the world are alike. Though this is good for nurturing understanding, getting children from wealthy countries to make the connection between liberty and lifestyle will probably require explanation. The story The Water Princess by Susan Verde describes a young African girl’s daily walks to obtain water for drinking and washing. Children with indoor plumbing will benefit from hearing that dependable tap water is a benefit of living in a free and prosperous community. Narratives are what make the realities of lack of freedom come to life. For example, truthful stories about life in North Korea (N is for North Korea by Trevor Eissler) and Afghanistan (Nasreen’s Secret School by Jeanette Winter) describe the lives of oppressed children. Hearing explanations, reading powerful narratives, and making personal connections will help young children comprehend and appreciate liberty. Then they will be better prepared for the onslaught of historic and political perspectives they will encounter in high school and beyond. The best way to preserve liberty for posterity is to make sure that those going into the future understand its importance. For more concepts, dozens of literature suggestions, plus links and family activities for teaching liberty to children, go to the website kidslearnliberty.com. This article was sourced from FEE.org

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/02/5-ways-to-teach-liberty-to-young-children.html

2019-02-06 20:09:25+00:00

education

teaching and learning

activistpost--2019-03-28--Scientists Begin Teaching AI Robots To Evolve Reproduce

activistpost

Scientists Begin Teaching AI Robots To Evolve & Reproduce

Evolutionary roboticists have decided to begin teaching artificial intelligence powered robots to evolve and reproduce.  Why should humans go to the trouble of building more robots when a robot could do it instead? According to Futurism, this is known as high-tech Darwinism. The researchers’ ultimate goal is to design artificial intelligence and robots that can analyze their own source code and mate with others by combining bits and pieces of their code with that of other robots. This would to create “offspring,” much like organic life, Futurism reported.  But it isn’t actually anything like organic life, actually. But evolutionary roboticists who have this new goal have high-tech Darwinism to the extreme. Apparently, just like biological life evolves to fill ecological niches, these robots’ offspring might be better adapted to their environments that their architects specifically built them for. An interesting future awaits once high-tech Darwinism becomes successful. And Wired reported that some scientists are well on their way to making this technology a reality. David Howard, one of the scientists on the project, told Wired that there’s a positive spin to all of this. “It gives you a lot of diversity, and it gives you the power to explore areas of a design space that you wouldn’t normally go into.” But others see this as a way to permanently force human beings into extinction. “One of the things that makes natural evolution powerful is the idea that it can really specialize a creature to an environment,” Howard told Wired. But natural evolution doesn’t sound anything like robot evolution.  Humans are making themselves obsolete and our two cents is that this will not end well for humanity. Click here to subscribe: Join over one million monthly readers and receive breaking news, strategies, ideas and commentary. You can read more from Mac Slavo at his site SHTFplan.com

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/03/scientists-begin-teaching-ai-robots-to-evolve-reproduce.html

2019-03-28 16:34:45+00:00

education

teaching and learning

aljazeera--2019-01-05--Ukraine churchs historic split from Russia granted by patriarch

aljazeera

Ukraine church's historic split from Russia granted by patriarch

The recently established Orthodox Church of Ukraine has been granted independence, formalising an historic split from the Russian Church after more than 300 years of alignment. Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and Head of the global Orthodox Church Bartholomew I signed the "Tomos" independence decree in a ceremony in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Metropolitan Epifaniy, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, were present at the event. Bartholomew I said the move would grant Ukrainians "the sacred gift of emancipation, independence and self-governance", adding they would be "free from every external reliance and intervention". Poroshenko, for his part, thanked Bartholomew I "for the courage to make this historic decision" and said that "among the 15 stars of the Orthodox churches of the world a Ukrainian star has appeared," referring to the updated number of churches that don't answer to an external authority. "I want to thank the millions of Ukrainians around the world who responded to my appeal to pray for the church to be established," Poroshenko added in a speech at the ceremony. Bartholomew I will officially hand the decree to the new Ukrainian church at a mass in Istanbul on Sunday, Russia's state-owned TASS news agency reported. Vladimir Legoida, a spokesman for the Moscow church, denounced the decree as "a document that is the result of irrepressible political and personal ambitions", the AFP news agency reported. It had been "signed in violation of the canons and therefore not possessing any canonical force", Legoida said in a statement. The independence decree will force Ukrainian clerics to pick sides between the Moscow-backed Ukrainian churches and the new church as fighting persists in eastern Ukraine between government forces and rebels backed by Russia. It came after Bartholomew I revoked a 1686 ruling that placed Ukraine under the patriarchate in Moscow in October. The move was largely boycotted by Ukraine's biggest church, which is loyal to Russia. Moscow and the Russian church, meanwhile, severed ties with Istanbul, the centre of the Orthodox world. Ukrainian Orthodox leaders approved the creation of a new, unified church split from the Moscow Patriarchate last month, however. Ukraine and Russia have been at loggerheads since 2014 when Kiev street protests urging Ukrainian integration with Europe led to the ousting of pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych. Russia subsequently annexed Crimea and has supported Russian-speaking separatists in Ukraine's east in a conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people. Ukraine imposed martial law in November, citing the threat of a full-scale invasion after Russia captured three of its vessels in the Kerch Strait, a narrow sea passage close to the Crimean peninsula that separates the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Poroshenko announced the end of the measure last month, saying military rule had to be lifted on account of an upcoming presidential vote scheduled to be held on March 31.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/ukraine-church-historic-split-russia-granted-patriarch-190105165210785.html

2019-01-05 17:25:09+00:00

education

religious education

cnsnews--2019-01-18--Pence To See Major News Organizations Attacking Christian Education Is Deeply Offensive To Us

cnsnews

Pence: 'To See Major News Organizations Attacking Christian Education Is Deeply Offensive To Us'

(CNSNews.com) - Vice President Mike Pence, defending both his wife and his Christian faith, spoke Thursday about the liberal backlash resulting from Karen Pence's decision to return to a Christian school as a volunteer art teacher. "To see the mainstream media...criticize my wife because she's choosing to return to the classroom of an elementary Christian school is wrong," Pence told "Washington Watch." CatholicVote.org gathered some of the offensive comments and headlines from "anti-Christian bigots" in the "left-wing media," as follows: -- “Karen Pence’s Bigoted New School" (Huffington Post) -- CNN reporter Kate Bennett tweeted: "So let me get this straight, the second lady of the United States has chosen to work at a school that openly discriminates against LGBT adults and children.” -- Lois Romano, The Washington Post: “How can this happen in America in 2019?” My wife and I have been in the public eye for quite a while. We're used to the criticism. But I have to tell you, to see major news organizations attacking Christian education is deeply offensive to us. We have a rich tradition in America of Christian education, and frankly, religious education broadly defined. We celebrate it. The freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution prohibits a religious test for holding public office. We'll let the other critics roll off our back, but this criticism of religious education in America should stop. Immanuel Christian school, located in Northern Virginia, says on its website: "We are, first of all, a Christian school and as such establish the biblical basis from which we will teach a Christian world and life view. While we recognize that not all parents will agree with every item in this statement, it is necessary that the parents agree to support the premise that their child will be taught from the perspective provided in our statement of belief." What outraged some on the left is the school's policy against "moral misconduct," which includes "heterosexual activity outside of marriage (e.g., premarital sex, cohabitation, extramarital sex), homosexual or lesbian sexual activity, polygamy, transgender identity, any other violation of the unique roles of male and female, sexual harassment, use or viewing of pornographic material or websites.” The Huffington Post reported on Thursday that an LGBTQ advocacy group "has sent Immanuel Christian 100 copies of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a children’s book about a boy bunny who falls in love with another boy bunny. Included with the books is 'a heartfelt note that encourages the school’s leaders to accept LGBTQ young people,' the group said." In an essay on Thursday, the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins said the fury directed at Karen Pence for simply volunteering at a Christian school should serve as a warning for all Christians: Three years after the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal, Perkins wrote, "all of the lies about 'love' and 'tolerance' have been eclipsed by the court cases, articles, and editorials demonizing people of faith. What Americans see now is the truth: the Left is coming for our freedom. And they have no intention of letting up," he continued: Like Joe Biden's wife, Karen Pence spent years in the classroom. When Mike was in Congress, she taught art at Immanuel Christian School in Virginia -- and no one batted an eye. Of course, that was back in the early 2000s, when the Left's charm offensive on same-sex marriage was still in full swing. We'll be accommodating, they said. We just want to co-exist, they said. Our relationships won't affect you, they said. A handful of years later, "affected" doesn't begin to describe to what happens to conservatives who think differently than the totalitarian Left. Of course, the Pences are not strangers to the other side's viciousness. Every time the media is reminded about the family's faith, they become hysterical all over again -- a scene that played out this week when Karen announced she'd be volunteering at Immanuel Christian this spring. "I am excited to be back in the classroom and doing what I love to do," she said in a statement. "I have missed teaching art, and it's great to return to the school where I taught art for 12 years." She can't go back there, LGBT activists raged! They reject homosexuality! Yes, well, that's what orthodox Christian schools do. (Not to mention Jewish and Muslim ones too.) Would it have been headline news if Jill Biden taught at a Roman Catholic school? Probably not. Yet, the Left and their media chums are hurling profanity at the Pences for something that, even five years ago, wouldn't have been controversial. Frankly, the only thing that would have been shocking is if Karen worked at a Christian school that didn't act like a Christian school. Perkins said the left's "real problem" isn't that Karen Pence is working at a Christian school; the real problem is that evangelical schools exist at all. "There used to be a consensus in this country that religious liberty was for everyone. When the Religious Freedom Restoration Act came before Congress, only three members voted against it. Over time, some liberals tried to isolate faith -- to churches, Christian schools, or family rooms. You've heard me say before that the Left's hope is to quarantine religion within the four walls of the church. Now, it's becoming clear -- even that won't satisfy them."

Susan Jones

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/vp-pence-see-major-news-organizations-attacking-christian-education-deeply

2019-01-18 12:26:43+00:00

education

religious education

westernjournal--2019-01-15--Karen Pence teaching art at religious school in Virginia

westernjournal

Karen Pence teaching art at religious school in Virginia

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal. Mrs. Pence began teaching art to elementary students at Immanuel Christian School in Northern Virginia on Tuesday. Mrs. Pence accepted the job in December and was to have rebooted her teaching career on Monday. But classes were canceled after a heavy weekend snowfall across the Washington region. Her office says she’ll teach twice a week until May. Mrs. Pence was a teacher for 25 years, including 12 teaching art at Immanuel Christian School, before then-U.S. Rep. Mike Pence was elected Indiana’s governor. Mrs. Pence’s immediate predecessor, Jill Biden, wife of former Vice President Joe Biden, taught English twice a week at a Northern Virginia community college during his two terms. The Associated Press contributed to this report. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

AP Reports

https://www.westernjournal.com/ap-karen-pence-teaching-art-at-religious-school-in-virginia/

2019-01-15 21:21:10+00:00

education

religious education

aljazeera--2019-01-24--Kenya court overturns ruling on wearing hijab in schools

aljazeera

Kenya court overturns ruling on wearing hijab in schools

Kenya's top court has overturned a 2016 Court of Appeal ruling that allowed Muslim students to wear hijab in non-Muslim schools. In Thursday's ruling on the petition filed by the Methodist Church of Kenya, the Supreme Court said every school has a right to determine its own dress code. The hijab is a headscarf worn by many Muslim women who feel it is part of their religion. The 2016 ruling came after a church-run school banned female students from wearing the hijab, saying that it sowed discord. Kenya has had a long-running dispute over the role of the hijab at Christian schools, with some of them banning the hijab outright in the past. Around 10 percent of the Kenyan population practices Islam, while 84 percent follows Christianity, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Some Kenyans took to social media to criticise the decision, especially as the ruling comes after the country's Ministry of Education allowed turbans in schools for students of different religions which require head coverings, including Rastafarians. Others believe that by pursuing this, the church was not sticking to its main principles. "The church that talks about love your neighbours as you love yourself, peace, respect, and tolerance took the Muslims to court to force us not wear hijabs if we want to be part of their school community," Zahra Ubah, a student, told Anadolu news agency. Mohamed Bamursal, a social activist, criticised the ruling, saying: "Totally out of order! This is against the tenets of our constitution. Freedom of worship, Hijab is an act of Worship. It's a wakeup call! Take your daughters to schools owned by Muslims!"

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/kenya-court-overturns-ruling-wearing-hijab-schools-190124142110267.html

2019-01-24 16:57:58+00:00

education

religious education

bbcuk--2019-06-29--Donmar chief Michael Longhurst begins tenure with play about Europe

bbcuk

Donmar chief Michael Longhurst begins tenure with play about Europe

Michael Longhurst, the new artistic director of London's Donmar Warehouse, explains why he is beginning his tenure with a 25-year-old play. Michael Longhurst had never encountered Europe by David Greig until he pulled it off a shelf in a New York bookshop. "I sat and read it and it just screamed off the page at me," he remembers. Written in 1994, the play is set in an unimportant railway station in an unnamed central European country. Few trains call and it's clear the town it serves is in decline. An engaging double act develops between the station master (played by Ron Cook) and a refugee who camps out on his platform (Kevork Malikyan), while a romance develops between Adele and Katia (Faye Marsay and Natalia Tena). Otherwise, the play takes a grim view of economic neglect and its consequences. "The speech about a geographical border being a magic money line made me think about the lack of investment in places outside London," says Longhurst. "And the bits of the play about what happens to a town when a big factory closes... all that was prophetic in 1994 and it absolutely speaks to us now." Born in 1981, Longhurst is one of the UK's leading freelance directors and was named as one of the 1,000 most influential Londoners by the Evening Standard in 2015. His recent shows include the musical Caroline, or Change; Amadeus at the National Theatre; and Florian Zeller's The Son, shortly to transfer to the Duke of York's in London. Having taken over the 251-seat Donmar, though, he knows he has wider responsibilities. "As a freelancer I was allowed just to care about the production," he explains. "Now I have to care about the building, the cultural strategy and the position of theatre in the landscape. But that's part of the job of an artistic director." Longhurst says he did not hesitate to start his time at the Donmar with a play revival. "What I want to do at the Donmar is make sure we're telling the most important, relevant stories in the most exciting way," he explains. "Having come across David's play it seemed impossible not to put it front and centre. "Obviously it wasn't written about Brexit, but through the play we can understand more about why feelings are what they are." Longhurst wants what's on the Donmar's stage to address the big issues. Its next production will be Appropriate by US writer Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. First staged in New York in 2014, it takes the form of a classic American family drama set in a home on the site of a former slave plantation. "It's a play about legacy and inherited trauma, but Branden has appropriated the forms of family drama to make us look at where we are now," Longhurst continues. "What I want the Donmar to do is to choose stories which challenge where we're at now and speak to today's concerns. Some will be new plays and some won't be." Concerns have been raised at the increasing cost of buying tickets at subsidised theatres, an issue on which Longhurst will now need to have an opinion. The highest ticket prices at the Donmar don't usually exceed £40. But he says he's aware of the need to keep prices low. "The Donmar has always worked hard to make seats available at low cost," he tells the BBC. "I know that in some theatres the top ticket prices have been going up, but I think that's to subsidise the bottom prices. "There have been 26,000 people who've come to see shows at the Donmar totally free and that's an incredible thing. But we must keep doing it. "We have to share the platform and the privilege we have to make theatre and share it as widely as we can. "We need to shout loudly about what we're offering and make theatre that people care about." Just around the corner for Longhurst is a challenge unique in the Donmar's history. The theatre is scheduled to close in 2021 so that much of the building's structure can be rebuilt and revamped. Shows will continue either in traditional West End houses or in found spaces. When the Donmar reopens, though, Longhurst says there won't be major changes to the auditorium itself. "The Donmar house is a precious space," he explains. "There's an intimacy those dimensions create and a connection to the performance. We're not going to change that." Europe runs at the Donmar Warehouse until 10 August. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48784835

2019-06-29 23:11:40+00:00

education

religious education

cnsnews--2019-01-18--Vice President Pence Attacks on Christian Education Must End

cnsnews

Vice President Pence: ‘Attacks on Christian Education Must End’

(CNSNews.com) -- In a Jan. 17 interview with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on Perkins’ radio program, “Washington Watch,” U.S. Vice President Mike Pence called out the media for their “attacks on Christian education,” saying these attacks “must end.” Pence’s wife, Karen Pence, has been facing harsh criticism from the liberal press for her decision to return to teaching at Immanuel Christian School, a private elementary school that promotes Biblical values, and that asks its employees to live a lifestyle free from homosexual activity. On Tuesday, Jan. 15, Pence announced her intention to resume teaching art at the school, where she previously taught for 12 years. After her announcement, critics said Pence’s decision promotes discrimination against LGBT people. The Huffington Post, for instance, ran a headline describing the school as a “Discriminatory School.”   The New York Times expressed much concern about what the school teaches about evolution. In the interview with Perkins, Vice President Pence defended his wife and insisted upon an end to attacks on Christian education. “Karen and I have been in and around public life for almost two decades, and so, to be honest with you, we’re used to the criticism,” Pence began. “But the attacks on Christian education by the mainstream media have got to stop.” Pence also emphasized the importance of religious freedom in the United States. “We cherish the freedom of religion in this country,” he said. “This administration stands foursquare for the freedom of religion of people of all faiths, and to see the mainstream media criticize my wife, because she’s choosing to return to the classroom of an elementary Christian school, is wrong. Again, attacks on Christian education must end.”

Emily Ward

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/emily-ward/vice-president-pence-attacks-christian-education-must-end

2019-01-18 15:33:25+00:00

education

religious education

cnsnews--2019-03-12--Rev Graham The Gloves Are Off The Radical Left Is Trying To Crush All Who Hold to a Biblica

cnsnews

Rev. Graham: 'The Gloves Are Off ... The Radical Left' Is Trying 'To Crush All Who Hold to a Biblical Worldview'

In a commentary about how the liberal media attacked Karen Pence for teaching at a Christian school, evangelical leader Franklin Graham said the "progressive" left is poisoning the nation and seeking to "harshly punish and completely silence" those who adhere to a "Biblical worldview." "The hostility, bias, and ridicule of Biblical morality is blatant and obvious," he said. "I promise that I will raise my voice each and every day against such injustice and wicked behavior." In the piece, We Must Not Remain Silent, published in the March issue of Decision magazine, Rev. Graham explains that Karen Pence, wife of Vice President Mike Pence, used to teach at an evangelical Christian school (for 12 years) and had decided to return to teaching at the institution. However, when the liberal press found out, they excoriated her and the school because it had the temerity to actually teach traditional Christian morality. The Immanuel Christian School in Virginia affirms "traditional, Biblical marriage between one man and one woman, with clear definitions of sexual identity according to Scripture," said the reverend.  "These are the solid, moral foundations that have undergirded civilizations for millennia." The Washington Post exclaimed, "Karen Pence, America’s second lady, is teaching at a Virginia Religious School that bans LGBTQ students and employees.” The BBC complained, “Vice President’s wife to teach at anti-LGBT school” and CNN huffed, “Karen Pence to teach at school that bans gay students, teachers." "The hostility, bias, and ridicule of Biblical morality is blatant and obvious," said Graham. The liberal media focused solely on "the fact that the sexual mores of the school were not aligned with the new immoral mantra of the radical left." "This is the point to which we have come," said Graham. "The war against Biblical values and those who embrace them is full on. The gloves are off, and the radical left would like to crush all who hold to a Biblical worldview." Graham, son of famed evangelist Billy Graham (1918-2018), then discussed the recently passed extreme abortion law in New York, which allows abortion up to the moment of birth. He also noted a proposed (but failed) measure in Virginia that would not only allow abortion when a pregnant woman is dilating but also permit a baby that survives an abortion to be left to die on a table. That is "infanticide," said Graham. "While followers of the Lord Jesus Christ should never resort to violence, we must do all we can to resist evil." "We can’t stick our heads in the sand and pretend these forces of evil are dormant," he said. "They are not, and if we remain silent, then our children and grandchildren will pay a tremendous price for our inaction." Rev. Graham continued, "I promise that I will raise my voice each and every day against such injustice and wicked behavior. I cannot and will not stand idly by. By God’s grace and with God’s help, I will 'fight the good fight,' trusting in the sovereign hand of the Lord to work in the hearts and lives of His people to embolden them." In conclusion, the reverend said, "With God’s help, we will pray, we will stand boldly for God’s truth, and we will never compromise with a godless culture that defies and despises the principles of Scripture." "We stand," he said, "knowing that in the end, God will judge all those who are opposed to Him, and He will establish His perfect will and Kingdom on earth just as it is in Heaven. "May that day come soon."

Michael W. Chapman

https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/rev-graham-gloves-are-radical-left-trying-crush-all-who-hold-biblical

2019-03-12 21:11:01+00:00

education

religious education

21stcenturywire--2019-03-29--Lawyers tasked with derailing internal Syrian peace process and the failure of international justic

21stcenturywire

Lawyers tasked with derailing internal Syrian peace process and the failure of ‘international justice’

Historian John Laughland explains why the International Criminal Court’s attempt to indict President Assad of Syria reveals its dictatorial and warmongering tendencies. The announcement that “a group of Syrian refugees and their London lawyers” have found “a neat legal trick” to press for an indictment against Syrian President Bashar Assad by the International Criminal Court demonstrates, yet again, the dangerous corruption of international justice, against which I have been warning for over a decade. The Syrian war is nearly over, thanks to the military successes of the Syrian army and its Russian and Iranian allies. Exhaustion on both sides has probably helped. Diplomatic overtures have started to re-integrate Syria into the international system, starting at the regional level: the United Arab Emirates have re-opened their embassy in Damascus; the Sudanese president, Assad’s near namesake, Omar Al-Bashir, has visited Syria, as have senior Egyptian officials; Syrian officials have attended pan-Arab summits; even Israel is maintaining its dialogue with Russia over Syria. In short, the situation is being slowly normalised as Syria herself embarks on the painful search for internal peace. The attempt to get Assad prosecuted is an attempt to stamp out these seedlings of peace before they take root. Any prosecution against Assad would scupper, or at least severely damage, this slow acceptance that the Syrian president is part of the solution. When even the British government has accepted that Assad is here to stay, and that peace must be made with him, his implacable enemies fear that their prize is about to slip out of their grasp. They do not want peace, if that means keeping Assad. We know that the goal is to sabotage any peace process because this kind of indictment is old hat in international criminal law. At the end of the Bosnian Civil War in 1995, indictments were issued against the Bosnian Serb leaders, especially Radovan Karadzic, specifically in order to remove them from the Dayton peace talks. Antonio Cassese, then president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said in 1995, just after the indictment was issued against Karadzic, that it had been issued for that reason: “The indictment means that these gentlemen will not be able to participate in peace negotiations” (quoted in the Italian daily L’Unità, 26 July 1995). Incidentally, Cassese had himself encouraged the prosecutor to bring these prosecutions even though he, as a judge and president of the tribunal, was supposed to be neutral. The “legal trick” is designed to overcome the fact that Syria is not a state party to the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court and therefore not subject to its jurisdiction. Assad’s enemies are seeking to sidestep the fact that Syria is beyond the ICC’s reach by seeking to apply to Syria a principle which, unfortunately, the ICC itself applied to Burma last year. In September, the ICC judges agreed that a case could be brought against Myanmar (Burma), even though that country is not a state party to the Rome statute, because the crimes it had allegedly committed – deportation – had caused people to flee into Bangladesh, which is a state party. By analogy, Syria’s enemies hope that the presence of Syrian refugees in Jordan, a state party to the ICC statute, will enable them to go after Assad. They seem not to care that this is the first time anyone has ever mentioned “deportation” in Syria, although Damascus has been accused of all manner of other crimes. The ruling on Myanmar and Bangladesh illustrates everything that is wrong with international justice. Not only did the decision to apply jurisdiction to the Burmese authorities break the fundamental principles of international law, as expressed in the “treaty on treaties,” the 1969 Vienna Convention, which says that the principle of free consent is “universally recognized” and whose Article 34 says, “A treaty does not create either obligations or rights for a third state without its consent,” it also broke an even more fundamental principle by specifically claiming the right to define its own powers (referred to, in English texts, with the French and German expressions la compétence de la compétence and Kompetenz-Kompetenz). The Court described this as “a well-established principle of international law according to which any international tribunal has the power to determine the extent of its own jurisdiction.” In reality, it is no such thing. On the contrary, the powers of all organisations are determined by law. Even sovereign governments are restricted by national laws in their powers. The idea that an international organisation has the legal right to determine its own powers, and to extend its jurisdiction to states that have not accepted it, is about as blatant a violation of the rule of law as one can imagine. In the past, such claims were equivalent to declarations of war, because a claim like this can only be settled by force. For example, on July 23 1914, Austria demanded the right for its police to carry out investigations inside Serbia for the assassination of the Archduke Franz-Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 29. It sent an ultimatum to Belgrade to this effect, which Serbia refused. The result was the First World War, launched by Vienna in the name of the right to punish the perpetrators of that crime. The ICC has already discredited itself massively after the Laurent Gbagbo fiasco. Having collaborated in the politically-motivated indictment of the president of Côte d’Ivoire in 2011 – a collaboration which gave legitimacy to the French military operation to oust him, just as it gave legitimacy to the NATO attack on Libya by also indicting Colonel Gaddafi at the same time – the Court was forced to acquit Laurent Gbagbo eight years later, in January of this year. By seeking to extend its lamentable rule to Syria, and thereby to disrupt a barely embryonic peace there, the ICC risks destroying its reputation even further. For the rules limiting the jurisdiction of international organisations to states which have consented to accept them are not some arcane technicality of international law. Instead, they reflect the most basic principle of politics, which is that those who wield power need to be constitutionally linked to those over whom they wield it. International organisations which are not based on such consent violate that very basic principle flagrantly, and therefore start to resemble the very dictatorships they pretend to combat.

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/03/29/lawyers-tasked-with-derailing-internal-syrian-peace-process-and-the-failure-of-international-justice/

2019-03-29 09:45:45+00:00

crime, law and justice

judiciary

21stcenturywire--2019-05-10--Julian Assange The UK Sweden and the Illusion of Justice

21stcenturywire

Julian Assange: The UK, Sweden and the ‘Illusion of Justice’

Whistleblower and political prisoner Chelsea Manning has been released from Alexandria Detention Centre in the US state of Virginia.  This follows the appeal made by her lawyers that continued detention would be a violation of law as it would be to punish her and not to ‘purge her contempt’ given her principled conviction in not cooperating.  She was held in contempt in March in relation to a grand jury investigation into the highly dubious, if not fabricated charges against WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange.  She is now facing the prospect of further detention as she has been subpoenaed to a different grand jury next week and by all accounts will continue refusing to cooperate.  At the same time Assange is fighting extradition from the UK to the US where it is likely he will face degrading treatment for the politically-driven charges against him.  The US and the UK, and Sweden in the case of Assange, have abused their legal systems to create a facade of  both ‘rule of law’ and ‘freedom through choice’, behind which Assange and Manning are persecuted. As an army intelligence analyst,  Manning leaked documents to WikiLeaks which led to the exposure of horrific war crimes by the US,  including the  Collateral Murder cockpit video of the slaughter of unarmed civilians in Iraq in 2007.   For this Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2010, commuted to 7 in 2017.  While outraged by Assange for his role in publishing leaks, the Trump government has also now gone after Manning.  Manning believes this to be about revenge, and the discrediting of truth-tellers and whistleblowers who dare hold governments to account, as she expressed in a statement just prior to release: “I believe this grand jury seeks to undermine the integrity of public discourse with the aim of punishing those who expose any serious, ongoing, and systemic abuses of power by this government, as well as the rest of the international community. Therefore, participating in this fishing expedition – which potentially exposes other innocent people to the grand jury process – would constitute an unjustifiable and unethical action. Now, after sustaining serious psychological injury from my current confinement, I don’t wish to expose any other person to the trauma and exhaustion of civil contempt or other forms of prison or coercion.” The personal toll this has taken on Manning is immense: “Without committing a federal crime, and after exhaustive testimony at a trial several years ago, I am again ripped from my life by a vindictive and politically motivated investigation and prosecution.” Manning faces continued detention because she won’t surrender.  Assange is probably still alive and fighting because he has not surrendered.  For Assange this meant that while in the Ecuadorian embassy he could only access urgent medical help by risking arrest and extradition to the US, which could have meant the death sentence or a life prison sentence.  Surrender or death.  Death or death.  The illusion of choice hid persecution.  Manning makes this very point: The illusion Assange had a choice is also essential for the British government  to carry off that he was a criminal fugitive hiding from justice: “…Assange is in the embassy of his own choice...” – Alan Duncan, Foreign Office It is now evident that this was a lie.  Choice was an illusion for the public.  Assange would have risked the death sentence or life in prison by leaving the embassy.  This is what he could now face if extradited following his arrest on 11th April.  The British government lied.  What has now become apparent is that law is the government’s weapon of choice. On 12th April, the day after Assange was arrested by the British police,  Labour MP Stella Creasey, with backing from over 70 MPs, wrote to the Home Secretary asking for Assange to be extradited to Sweden if its authorities re-opened the investigation into sexual allegations for which Sweden had requested Assange’s extradition in 2010.  This was based on no new claim of evidence, or due process, and could easily be seen as political interference to put pressure on the Swedish authorities.  The case itself has been condemned as trumped-up, a and violation of law.  Meanwhile, the Swedish authorities were not even  aware of the plan to arrest Assange: “This is news to us too, and we haven’t yet processed the information…We don’t know why he has been arrested.”  – Sweden’s chief prosecutor, Ingrid Isgren Creasey seemed to think this was about procedural oversight: “The decision to rescind the political asylum of Mr Assange by the Ecuadorian authorities seems to have been something of which both the UK and US authorities were made aware in advance.” How remiss of the UK government to forget the sexual allegations made by two Swedish women they seemed to care about for so many years.  Or perhaps the UK and US no longer needed the women:  extradition to the US could now be through the UK.  The sexual allegations, the initial vehicle for getting Assange to the US via Sweden, were presumably viewed as surplus to requirements on 11th April.  After years of hunting Assange on the pretext he was a ‘rapist evading justice,’ the U.K. government, like that of Sweden, a liberal champion of women’s rights, is exposed as fake,  exploiting sexual allegations for political agenda: in this case subservience to Washington’s attack on journalism and freedom of speech. Millions were thrown at surveillance on Assange, a bounty the Crown Prosecution Service considered priceless, shown in a 2013 email to the Swedish prosecutor: “I do not consider costs are a relevant factor in this matter.” The statement made by  Women Against Rape in 2012 should help Creasey and Co. to understand why the British government did not notify the Swedes of Assange’s arrest but invested so much in these sexual allegations: “Once again women’s fury and frustration at the prevalence of rape and other violence, is being used by politicians to advance their own purposes. The authorities care so little about violence against women that they manipulate rape allegations at will, usually to increase their powers, this time to facilitate Assange’s extradition or even rendition to the US.” The illusion of ‘unavailability in the Ecuadorian embassy’ And now that Sweden has today announced it will decide next week whether to reopen the case for yet a third time, it is continuing its media circus tactics around Assange,  as previously pointed out by journalist John Pilger: “For Assange, his only trial has been trial by media. On August 20, 2010, the Swedish police opened a “rape investigation” and immediately – and unlawfully – told the Stockholm tabloids that there was a warrant for Assange’s arrest for the “rape of two women”. This was the news that went round the world.” Is the Swedish government creating a launching pad for reasserting itself as champion of women?  An opportunity for some face-saving for the calculated use of its prosecution services that took being dragged to the Swedish Supreme Court by Assange’s legal team before it would progress the preliminary investigation, while countless offers by both the Ecuadorian government and Assange’s lawyers for him to be interviewed were not taken up? As pointed out by former Foreign Secretary of Ecuador, Gillaume Long: “There was no need for the Swedish authorities to delay for over 1,000 days before agreeing to carry out this interview, given that the Swedish authorities regularly question people in Britain and received permission to do so on more than 40 occasions in recent years.” But should they decide to reopen the case, and have the case internationally scrutinised, an unlikely scenario according to Assange’s Swedish lawyer Per E Samuelson, it would mean all attention would then be on Sweden. This would remove it from the UK – convenient for the UK government to wash its hands of Assange and not be the betrayer of international law and of journalists and whistle blowers everywhere.  Sweden could take that title. Creasey’s letter embodies the anti-human rights narrative that rejects the decision of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) that Assange has been subjected to arbitrary detention. It is this anti-human rights narrative the British government is using to continue persecuting Assange by keeping him in stark prison conditions after years of confinement, while he now fights extradition. To justify sentencing him to 12 months inside high-security Belmarsh prison for skipping bail seven years ago,  the court rejected his defense of asylum, despite the risk of persecution to Assange being more obvious than ever, vindicating his asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy.   We have an anti-human rights government in power and some courts are standing in line behind it giving away their independence and integrity to serve the war criminals hunting Assange. MPs used the withdrawal of his Ecuadorian citizenship and asylum rights, an act recognised as unconstitutional and in violation of international law, as an opportunity to extradite Assange to Sweden from where he would be extradited to the US.  Once there he would face inhumane treatment, as warned by the UN rapporteur on torture.  This was a cowardly act by the MPs.  They have undermined asylum and human rights laws,  Creasey herself being a campaigner for asylum rights in Britain.   What’s more, they exploited the emotive progressive political and feminist outrage to ride rough shod over due process for Assange, while they stayed silent on the government’s use of sexual allegations for political gain, ‘a violation of law.’  Such are the “champions of action.” The integrity of two individuals, publisher and whistleblower, has rocked the foundations of the most powerful who thought they were untouchable.  Their resilience against the uncivilised US beast and its supine servants puts to shame our liberal ‘progressive’ politicians who daren’t stray from mainstream narratives, no matter how corrupt or fake, through fear of disapproval. “Whatever one might make of my principles and decisions, I shall continue to make hard choices and sacrifices rather than relinquish my ethical positions in exchange for mere trinkets of personal gain or self-pleasure in the form of being released.” – Chelsea Manning MPs should demand an investigation into: Author Nina Cross is an independent writer and researcher, and contributor to 21WIRE. To see more of her work, visit her Nina’s archive.

Nina Cross

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/05/10/julian-assange-the-uk-sweden-and-the-illusion-of-justice/

2019-05-10 15:49:25+00:00

crime, law and justice

judiciary

21stcenturywire--2019-05-26--Assange Indictment US Department of Justice Declares War on Journalism

21stcenturywire

Assange Indictment: US Department of Justice Declares ‘War on Journalism’

This week, Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, was indicted on 17 new counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917, for his role in obtaining and publishing classified US military and diplomatic material in 2010. It appears the current Trump Administration has crossed over a Constitutional red line which previous US presidents couldn’t or wouldn’t do, and which now has profound implications regarding the First Amendment. According to former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger: “The Espionage Act was a panic measure enacted by Congress to clamp down on dissent or “sedition” when the US entered the First World War in 1917. In the subsequent 102 years it has never been used to prosecute a media organisation for publishing or disseminating unlawfully disclosed classified information. Nobody prosecuted under the act is permitted to offer a public interest defence.” Despite the obvious constitutional breach, the United States Department of Justice has declared war on the practice of journalism, and are colluding with their proxies in the UK, Ecuador and Sweden to claim global jurisdiction whereby they will be able to prosecute any person on the planet for publishing documents pertaining to government war crimes and corruption. But there is hope, as media watchdog and rights groups are now pushing back against the new DOJ leveled against Assange. The debate is heating up. Watch: . READ MORE ASSANGE NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Assange/Wikileaks Files SUPPORT 21WIRE – SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/05/26/assange-indictment-us-doj-trump-declare-war-on-journalism/

2019-05-26 13:00:56+00:00

crime, law and justice

judiciary

21stcenturywire--2019-07-21--SUNDAY SCREENING MH17 Call for Justice 2019

21stcenturywire

SUNDAY SCREENING: ‘MH17: Call for Justice’ (2019)

The investigative team from Bonanza media comprises of independent journalists and media professionals, all of who undertook a ground-breaking forensic inquiry into the downing of MH17 in eastern Ukraine. It includes exclusive interviews with political leaders and also one of the suspects of the downing of MH17. They also spoke with the Malaysian prime minister and the colonel who collected black boxes, and much more. This is an eye opening documentary containing key testimonies from witnesses, and irrefutable evidence from experts. The results will surprise you. Exclusive footage shot in Malaysia, The Netherlands, and at the crash area in Ukraine. This film marks the five year anniversary of this controversial event. Watch: . SEE MORE DOCUMENTARY FILMS HERE

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/07/21/sunday-screening-mh17-call-for-justice-2019/

2019-07-21 15:58:18+00:00

crime, law and justice

judiciary

21stcenturywire--2019-08-28--Julian Assange Deprivation of Justice and Double Standards in Belmarsh Prison

21stcenturywire

Julian Assange: Deprivation of Justice and Double Standards in Belmarsh Prison

A TALE OF TWO PRISONERS: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and right-wing personality Tommy Robinson, are being treated very differently inside HM Belmarsh Prison. Nina Cross 21st Century Wire Alfred de Zayas, former UN Rapporteur, has described the actions of the British authorities in pursuit of Assange as “… contrary to the rule of law and contrary to the spirit of the law.”  What we see on the surface is an illusion of British justice, masking a political agenda behind it. Britain’s notorious Belmarsh Prison is now being presented as beacon of good governance, indicative of a fair and just society which equitable but firm with perpetrators. After carefully reviewing the case of Julian Assange though, there can be little doubt that placing the award-winning journalist in such a facility is nothing but the latest vehicle for his rendition to the US. So far, Belmarsh has been fulfilling that state agenda. Belmarsh as the state’s next weapon of choice Judge Deborah Taylor sent Assange to category A Belmarsh prison for a bail-skipping offense, even though he’d demonstrated that he had good reason to skip bail. It is difficult not to conclude that the category A assignment was done so that he would be weak and vulnerable.  In essence, Assange was sent to Belmarsh for 50 weeks for failing to turn up at a police station.  There was no ongoing court case; he had no prior offenses; there were no charges; the Swedish investigation had been dropped.  So skipping police bail was all the British government had. It should also be pointed out that Judge Taylor made a series of mistakes during the sentencing on 1st May, referring to rape charges in Sweden, which Assange corrected and which she then acknowledged were wrong.  This indicates that Judge Taylor went into court at least uninformed, set in her mind that Assange had somewhere, somehow been charged with rape. This would seem to explain some of the reasoning behind Judge Taylor’s cruel sentencing, described by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention as ‘disproportionate’ but also as furthering the arbitrary deprivation of Assange’s liberty.  What’s more, it has been pointed out how several thousand people in the UK skip bail each year and are in now way subject to such harsh punishment. Clearly, Judge Taylor had used narratives provided by the state in order to send Assange to a category A penitentiary, even though these narratives have been thoroughly debunked.  One of the false story lines promulgated by the British state and its mainstream media adjuncts, was that Swedish authorities had dropped its sex allegations case against Assange because it ‘could not progress with it’ while he was holed-up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.  This piece of disinformation was false, shown by the fact that Swedish authorities had already carried out no less than 44 video link or in-person interviews with persons of interest and thus were more than capable of interviewing Assange too. As for the case itself, the question has now become: what case?  Opened then shut, then opened again, then shut, then opened, and yet – Sweden’s office of Public Prosecutions still said at the time that, ‘an interview is not on the cards’. Not surprisingly then, Swedish authorities appear to be leaving the case hanging, as they have for years.  With the Swedish courts having recently thwarted the prosecutor’s attempts to extradite him to Sweden, is the reopened case now simply a crowd control tactic?  Perhaps they have opened it for a third time because closing the books permanently on the increasingly disingenuous ‘rapist’ narrative risks attracting increased support from those members of the public (and the government) who had been previously unsure about whether Assange was entitled to any moral support.  We wait to see when the Swedish prosecutor might decide whether a ‘interview is on the cards’ after hanging the label of rapist over Assange for nearly a decade already. And so with all the might the British establishment could muster behind a police bail skipping offence, it has Assange trapped inside Belmarsh prison. On cue, HM Belmarsh Prison’s high security regime has so far proved crippling for Assange’s hopes of mounting a legal defence.  It is now public knowledge that government officials at Belmarsh have imposed restrictions which effectively deny Assange sufficient legal visits, deny him the ability to speak to his US lawyers, deny him access to and possession of legal documents, and deny him the basic means through which to prepare for his legal defence, namely, a laptop computer. For those readers who may not be versed in legalese, the following points passages will demonstrate how one can measure Belmarsh’s treatment of Assange against recognised protections and guidelines, such as: Article 6.3 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which is of particular significance for prisoners (Assange clearly qualifies a political prisoner) and states that detainees must: “… have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of their defence…” The Council of Europe (CoE) has produced a definition of what this means in a guide on Article 6 of the ECHR: NOTE: During Assange’s US extradition court hearing in June, Assange himself was adamant that he had not even received the text of the US indictment against him and said that he had to have essential legal documents posted to him. His legal team also reiterated that preparation for his defense was being impeded and that access to their client was being restricted by the British government. It is difficult to argue that this strategy is not intentional. The CoE human rights guidelines have also set out in its European Prison Rules that: 23.6    Prisoners shall have access to, or be allowed to keep in their possession, documents relating to their legal proceedings. “A person facing criminal charges must have the time and facilities to prepare a defence. This right exists at all stages of the proceedings and encompasses the right to documents, files, and information as well as a guarantee of confidential communication with counsel.” In May 2019, Nils Melzer, UN Rapporteur on Torture, reported that Assange had restricted access to legal documents in his cell. More recently award-winning journalist John Pilger also reported how Assange was not permitted access to documents to prepare his defence: In regard to Assange’s request for a laptop computer, the UK’s  Access to Justice guidelines shows this is a reasonable request and Assange’s case would seem to encapsulate the exact conditions covered by it: “The guidance does say that laptops should be given to people who could not prepare for their case properly without it, but should not be given if it would just make things more convenient.” The CoE’s guide on Article 6.3 also legitimises the request: Following his assessment of Assange in May inside Belmarsh prison, Nils Melzer issued a statement detailing the conditions of dentention. Melzer was accompanied by two medical experts who specialize in the examination of possible victims of torture as well as the documentation of symptoms, both physical and psychological.  On examining Assange Melzer observed the following: “Most importantly, in addition to physical ailments, Mr. Assange showed all symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma.“ In addition to these concerns, reports also indicate Assange is being medicated. Melzer has also explained that the piling-up of multiple legal proceedings is adding to Assange’s stress and inability to cope with the demands of preparing for his defence. Watch: . It is important to note that Assange’s legal preparations in this case have nothing to do with the spurious bail skipping charges for which Assange was initially apprehended and detained by the British government. Rather, his legal defence involves fighting what could become a defining legal precedent for this generation – an US extradition case where a non-US citizen faces charges under Espionage Act of 1917 for his role (as a journalist) in disclosing war crimes and crimes against humanity by the US government – all published by a non-US media outlet. Therefore, it can be rightly argued that by restricting Assange’s access to a proper legal defence in such a high-profile and historic case, the British government is acting against the public interest, not only domestically, but internationally as well. Despite all this, Belmarsh appears to have ignored or dismissed concerns about Assange’s inability to access the courts for his defence and is denying him “facilities.” Belmarsh’s restrictions on Assange’s ability to meet his lawyers, and its refusal to allow him to speak to his US lawyers would seem to undermine the very basis of Article 6, which, according to the CoE guide: “… guarantees the right of an accused to participate effectively in a criminal trial.” In recognition of Article 6, the UK government website provides guidance on the right of all prisoners to contact their lawyer: “Prisoners have rights, including … being able to get in contact with a solicitor.” Prisoners’ rights are also supported by the UK’s own Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB), which provides an advisory service to all prisoners.  The following summarises prisoners’ rights in the particular areas where Assange has requested access to justice but has been denied or restricted such access by Belmarsh.  These are as follows (emphasis added): It becomes clear, therefore, that Assange is being denied prisoner rights regarding access to justice.  The result of these restrictions on Assange is that he cannot effectively participate in the legal proceedings against him.  Belmarsh’s current restrictions appear to undermine all of his attempts to access each and every avenue of justice, as well as the means required to participate in his legal defence since the time he entered the prison. Such infringements of rights and denial of access to justice are often blamed on shortages, system problems and inefficiencies, and even justified by security and institutional practice. However, all of the British system’s shortcomings in this case could easily be avoided or corrected by prison officials. In Assange’s case it means his legal team is forced to waste time and resources attempting to gain legal access to justice, including possibly taking legal action against Belmarsh and the British government. It is easy to imagine why authorities are quite happy for that to happen: it’s eating into the time, is draining his legal team’s resources, and causing more litigation to pile up.  There are only so many battles that can be fought; Assange’s appeal against the Belmarsh bail jumping sentence has already been dropped. And while certain restrictions will be less harsh while Assange is likely to be on remand fighting extradition, common sense tells us that the impact of the restrictions in place before then will be highly detrimental to his defence. ‘Access to justice’ has been described by the ECHR as: “Access to justice enables individuals to protect themselves against infringements of their rights, to remedy civil wrongs, to hold executive power accountable and to defend themselves in criminal proceedings.  It is an important element of the rule of law…” If we believe that barriers to Assange’s ability to defend himself against extradition are justified on the criteria given by a ‘overstretched and underfunded’ high-security prison system, then we are merely consenting to the erosion of law and accepting in its place rules imposed by the administrators of the state’s institutions – at the expense of an individual’s liberty. These justifications for denying Assange his basic legal right to justice are convenient pretexts for Belmarsh which, on cue, has been co-opted by a political agenda which seeks to enable his rendition to the US. Double Standards: the Belmarsh ‘prison experience’ according to the governor Belmarsh is also the state’s prison of choice for Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), the controversial right-wing personality and founder of the English Defence League.  Robinson was convicted for breaching contempt of court laws for streaming the trial of a sex trafficking grooming gang on Facebook Live outside Leeds court in 2018, and was later convicted as a civil prisoner. IMAGE: Robinson famously entered the prison wearing a T-shirt which reads, “Convicted of journalism.” Unlike Assange who was placed within the general prison population before being placed in healthcare, Robinson’s special placement appears to fall within the Belmarsh category of prisoner who is “requiring specific management arrangements because of their public and media profile” and thus has been isolated from all other prisoners.  As a result, he is held in the high security unit inside Belmarsh.  Civil prisoners are treated the same as convicted prisoners  with some exceptions, one of these being greater visiting rights.  According to one of his recent visitors, Ezra Levant, head of the Canada-based media outlet The Rebel Media, which Robinson has been employed by, he is receiving visitors three or four times a week. Levant also stated that the prison governor, Rob Davis OBE, visits Robinson daily, noting that, “.. the governor of the prison, the warden as we call it in North America, actually visits him every day even, just for a moment just to say ‘how’s it going.’ I thought that was very interesting. Not only is the is the warden making himself available to Tommy but he’s inspecting to make sure things are well done. I found that very interesting and relieving.” Another visitor from The Rebel Media, Jessica Swietoniowski, reported that Robinson is allowed to make unlimited phone calls between 9am and 11am each morning, stating: “… from 9:00 until 11:00 he can be out of his cell, so his cell opens from 9:00 in the morning until 11:00, 11:00 [he] gets back into the cell. So during that time he can exercise and pretty much make as many phone calls as he wants, which is good news.” It should be noted here that Robinson’s ability to have unfettered access to phone calls is likely because he is a civil prisoner. However, it does demonstrate the gulf in access to resources from one prisoner to the next, and what relatively little facilities Assange is allowed in comparison while attempting to prepare for his legal defence. Swietoniowski also said that Belmarsh’s governor had “made it an exception for me” to visit Robinson during a Friday August 15th morning visitation session, and that the prison governor was working with “us” (The Rebel Media) to ensure their visits to Belmarsh as “positive as possible.”   This is explained in The Rebel’s ‘prison reports‘ which document their visits to Belmarsh. It should also be noted that if the governor has made a decision to make a special exception for a media outlet which has employed Robinson and that can reach Robinson’s followers – it is bound to result in positive public relations for Belmarsh, and any by extension any British government officials involved in the process.  Perhaps it is hoped that Belmarsh’s efforts to be supportive might resonate with his followers and help to appease threats of unrest feared by the government. Likewise, in the eyes of Robinson’s right-wing support base, Belmarsh’s overall positive treatment of Robinson could reflect positively on the new Tory government and cabinet led by Boris Johnson as Parliament heads towards a coming general election. It is reasonable to regard this as a likely outcome of the governor’s publicly supportive treatment of Robinson. Are we seeing the state, through Belmarsh, attempting to placate the followers of one individual while another is denied access to justice?  Is this the guileful agenda now being played out through a politicised prison system? The stark contrast between the prison’s treatment of two high-profile figures, Robinson and Assange, is certainly evident. While Robinson is being treated fairly and lawfully, Assange is not. According to John Pilger, the prison governor had also failed to respond to the letter sent by Assange’s lawyer, Gareth Peirce, on 4th June, roughly three months ago, about restrictions placed on Assange’s legal access entitlements. All the indications strongly suggest that the British state through Belmarsh, seem to be imposing a lawless regime upon Assange, who finds himself yet again fighting for his basic human rights and due process in Britain.

Nina Cross

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/08/28/julian-assange-deprivation-of-justice-and-double-standards-in-belmarsh-prison/

2019-08-28 14:02:23+00:00

crime, law and justice

judiciary

21stcenturywire--2019-11-17--Episode #302 – ‘American-Style Justice’ with guest George Szamuely, Andre Vltchek and more

21stcenturywire

Episode #302 – ‘American-Style Justice’ with guest George Szamuely, Andre Vltchek and more

Episode #302 of SUNDAY WIRE SHOW resumes on Nov 17, 2019 with host Patrick Henningsen, broadcasting LIVE on the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR)… 5pm-8pm UK Time | 12pm-3pm ET (US) | 9am-12pm PT (US) This week the SUNDAY WIRE broadcasts LIVE on ACR with host Patrick Henningsen covering the top stories in the US, Europe and Internationally. This week we’ll look at the concept of “American-style justice” both at home and abroad, as we discuss last week’s US-backed coup in Bolivia, along with two momentous judicial circuses which took place in Washington over the weekend, the #UkraineGate Impeachment Hearings and the Show Trial of Roger Stone – both completely politicized exhibitions that would sure make even Uncle Joe Stalin wince. We’ll also be joined in he first hour by international intrepid correspondent Andre Vltchek who is on the ground in South America to give insight on the historic uprising in Chile, and more. In the second hour, we’ll also be joined by author and international political commentator, George Szamuely, to breakdown Washington’s Impeachment fiasco and why this just may be a real historic low for US politics, media and society in general. Later in the final hour, we’ll talk with SUNDAY WIRE roving correspondent for Culture & Sport, Basil Valentine, to talk about Epstein pal Prince Andrew’s BBC debacle, the increasingly macabre UK Election pantomime and more . All this and much more. Enjoy the show… *NOTE: THIS EPISODE MAY CONTAIN STRONG LANGUAGE AND MATURE THEMES*

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/11/17/episode-302-american-style-justice-with-guest-george-szamuely-andre-vltchek/

Sun, 17 Nov 2019 14:42:34 +0000

crime, law and justice

judiciary

abcnews--2019-01-07--As Supreme Court returns will Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg take her seat

abcnews

As Supreme Court returns, will Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg take her seat?

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recovering from surgery to remove two cancerous legions from her left lung, has never missed a day of oral arguments in her 25-year career on the high court bench. On Monday court-watchers will learn if Ginsburg's record will continue unbroken. The justices will convene their first public session of the year to hear arguments in two cases. It is not clear whether Ginsburg will take her seat beside the chief justice. Monday's oral arguments come 17 days after surgeons at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City performed a pulmonary lobectomy on Ginsburg, cutting out cancerous tissue in her lung. The court said last month that doctors found no evidence of any remaining disease and planned no further treatment. Ginsburg spent four days in the hospital following the procedure and spent the remainder of the court’s winter recess recovering at home. The court’s oldest justice at 85, Ginsburg has shown dogged determination to participate in the court's proceedings over the years, despite three serious bouts of cancer, several other health scares and personal setbacks, including the death of her husband in 2010. In just the past two months, Ginsburg was hospitalized twice –- first after suffering broken ribs from a fall in her office in November, then the December surgery to remove tumors –- nevertheless participating, uninterrupted, in court business, a spokesperson for the court said. On Nov. 9, two days after being treated for the broken ribs, Ginsburg was unable to attend the formal investiture ceremony for Justice Brett Kavanaugh but did participate in conference while working from home, a court spokeswoman said at the time. Doctors contacted by ABC News said Ginsburg's resilience is an example for all Americans facing a cancer diagnosis. “Lung cancer suffers from pessimism, stigma, nihilism, but here’s a patient where lung cancer was caught early,” said Dr. Geoff Oxnard, a thoracic oncologist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “There is room for hope. We can change the story here. Patients need to ask themselves, ‘How can I be like Ruth Bader Ginsburg? How can I catch it early?’”

Devin Dwyer

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/supreme-court-returns-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-seat/story?id=60160648

2019-01-07 09:30:44+00:00

crime, law and justice

judiciary

abcnews--2019-01-07--Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg misses Supreme Court session due to cancer recovery

abcnews

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg misses Supreme Court session due to cancer recovery

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recovering from surgery to remove two cancerous lesions from her left lung, will not attend oral arguments Monday -- the first time she has missed a scheduled public session due to illness in her 25-year career on the high court bench, a court spokeswoman said. Monday's oral arguments come 17 days after surgeons at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City performed a pulmonary lobectomy on Ginsburg, cutting out cancerous tissue in her lung. She has been working from home as she recovers. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said Ginsburg still planned to "participate" in the cases by reading the briefs, filings and transcripts from Monday's session. It was not immediately clear whether Ginsburg would return to the bench later this week. The court said last month that doctors found no evidence of any remaining disease and planned no further treatment. Ginsburg spent four days in the hospital following the procedure and spent the remainder of the court’s winter recess recovering at home. The court’s oldest justice at 85, Ginsburg has shown dogged determination to participate in the court's proceedings over the years, despite three serious bouts of cancer, several other health scares and personal setbacks, including the death of her husband in 2010. In just the past two months, Ginsburg was hospitalized twice –- first after suffering broken ribs from a fall in her office in November, then the December surgery to remove tumors –- nevertheless participating, uninterrupted, in court business, a spokesperson for the court said. On Nov. 9, two days after being treated for the broken ribs, Ginsburg was unable to attend the formal investiture ceremony for Justice Brett Kavanaugh but did participate in conference while working from home, a court spokeswoman said at the time. Doctors contacted by ABC News said Ginsburg's resilience is an example for all Americans facing a cancer diagnosis. “Lung cancer suffers from pessimism, stigma, nihilism, but here’s a patient where lung cancer was caught early,” said Dr. Geoff Oxnard, a thoracic oncologist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “There is room for hope. We can change the story here. Patients need to ask themselves, ‘How can I be like Ruth Bader Ginsburg? How can I catch it early?’”

Devin Dwyer

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/supreme-court-returns-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-seat/story?id=60160648

2019-01-07 14:48:46+00:00

crime, law and justice

judiciary

abcnews--2019-01-09--Former Guantanamo Bay commander indicted for obstructing justice in 2015 death

abcnews

Former Guantanamo Bay commander indicted for obstructing justice in 2015 death

The former commander of the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay has been indicted on federal charges of obstruction of justice related to the January, 2015 death of a base employee who had confronted the officer with allegations that he was having an affair with his wife. Christopher Tur was found drowned in the waters of Guantanamo Bay two days after confronting Captain John Nettleton about the alleged affair. Nettleton was arraigned Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida exactly four years to the day that Tur disappeared following the confrontation and subsequent fight between the two men. At the time, Nettleton was the commander of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Nettleton’s command did not include the detention facility at the base that is overseen by a one-star flag or general officer. Tur was a civilian employee of the commissary on the base. According to the indictment, on the night of January 9, 2015 Tur confronted and yelled at Nettleton at a party at the Officers’ Club with allegations that the Naval officer had had an affair with his wife, Lara. A short time later Tur went to Nettleton’s nearby residence and the two men engaged in a physical altercation that left Tur injured. Investigators found texts from Nettleson's daughter, the only other person in the residence at the time, describing a loud commotion in the house. When she went to investigate she saw an unknown man hovering above her father, who was lying on the floor, attempting to use a cellphone. The person that Tur phoned told investigators that Tur had told him he was "at the Skipper's house" and "just knocked out the Skipper." Nettleson's daughter's texts described loud arguing and fighting that lasted for another half hour. The next day Navy personnel went looking for Tur after he had not returned home. Tur's body was found on January 11 floating in Guantanamo Bay after an intensive search at the base. An autopsy determined he had drowned but had suffered fractured ribs and a laceration on his head. From the moment the search for Nettlson began and throughout the subsequent investigation he did not mention to base personnel, investigators or his superior officer that Tur had last been seen at his home. He falsely claimed that he had last ween Tur at the Officers Club. He also did not disclose that Tur had accused him of engaging in an affair with his wife, engaged in a physical fight at his home and that Tur had been injured. Investigators later determined through DNA testing that blood stains found at Nettleson's home belonged to Tur. They also determined that Nettleson and Lara Tur had engaged in an affair in 2014. Three weeks after Tur's disappearance Nettleson was relieved of command and placed in an administrative job in Jacksonville pending the results of a joint Naval Criminal Investigative Division and Justice Department investigation. ABC News cited a U.S. official who said information had come to light during the investigation into Tur’s death that led the Navy to relieve Nettleton of command. The official said the investigation found that Nettleton had allegedly been having an affair with Tur’s wife Lara, the director of the Fleet and Family Services Center at the base.

Luis Martinez

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/guantanamo-bay-commander-indicted-obstructing-justice-2015-death/story?id=60268299

2019-01-09 23:34:46+00:00

crime, law and justice

judiciary

abcnews--2019-01-11--Supreme Court says Justice Ginsburgs recovery is on track

abcnews

Supreme Court says Justice Ginsburg's recovery is 'on track'

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's recovery from surgery to remove malignant nodules from her left lung is "on track," a Supreme Court spokesperson said Friday, but she will continue to work from home and miss oral arguments at the court next week. "Her recovery from surgery is on track. Post-surgery evaluation indicates no evidence of remaining disease, and no further treatment is required," said spokesperson Kathy Arberg. In November, Ginsburg was hospitalized after suffering fractured ribs from a fall in her office at the court. Tests done during that trip to the hospital led to the incidental discovery of the nodules on her lung, which were removed in December. She was discharged less than a week after the pulmonary lobectomy, which she underwent at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and was home on Christmas Day. She didn't attend oral arguments immediately following the surgery, marking the first time she missed a scheduled public session due to illness in her career over a quarter of a decade on the high court bench, a court spokeswoman said. The update from the court comes amid reports that the White House is looking into potential candidates for President Donald Trump to nominate to the court in the event Ginsburg retires.

Cheyenne Haslett

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/amid-speculation-supreme-court-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburgs/story?id=60314528

2019-01-11 19:04:37+00:00

crime, law and justice

judiciary

abcnews--2019-03-11--2 Department of Justice officials dispute double standard over Mueller documents

abcnews

2 Department of Justice officials dispute 'double standard' over Mueller documents

Two senior Justice Department officials are privately dismissing claims by House Democrats that refusing to share special counsel Robert Mueller's final report and other investigative materials with Congress would amount to a "double standard." The circumstances that led the Justice Department to disclose investigative information in other recent, high-profile cases now being cited by Democrats are "just not the same" as the circumstances surrounding the Mueller probe, one senior department official insisted to ABC News, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about it. That official and another high-ranking Justice Department insider both pointed to what they see as one big difference: former FBI director James Comey. In past cases, the officials alleged, Comey's public statements undercut the Justice Department's ability to argue that certain investigative materials should remain private. And, they said, the department only shared documents when investigations were finished or couldn't be impacted by the release of those documents. Long-standing department policy prohibits the disclosure of information that could influence ongoing probes or harm people who haven't been charged. But powerful Democrats in Congress worry the Trump administration could stretch that policy to execute "a cover up," as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., recently put it. And two weeks ago, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., accused the Justice Department of a "double standard" for turning over "substantial amounts of investigative material" when Republicans were in control of Congress last year and the year before. In fact, the Justice Department gave lawmakers access to 880,000 pages of documents related to the FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she served as secretary of State. And the Justice Department offered lawmakers access to a wide array of documents from the FBI's investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign, including information related to Americans targeted in the probe. In a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr three weeks ago, Nadler, Schiff and the Democratic chairs of four other House committees insisted that "precedent" leads them to "expect" access to Mueller's report and other investigative material. On Friday, they introduced a congressional resolution reiterating their stance. Democrats fear that even if Mueller fails to find evidence of criminal wrongdoing, he could find evidence of misconduct that the public might never see. "People are entitled to know it, and Congress is entitled to know it," Nadler told ABC News last week. "It's our job to hold the president accountable." But two weeks ago, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein assailed what he called the "knee-jerk reaction" calling on the government to share its secrets. "If we aren't prepared to prove our case beyond a reasonable doubt in court, then we have no business making allegations against American citizens," Rosenstein said. In May 2017, just days before Comey's firing, Rosenstein wrote a letter to Trump blasting Comey for publicly airing criticisms of Clinton a year earlier. On July 5, 2016, inside FBI headquarters, Comey announced that — even though Clinton and her aides shouldn’t be charged — they were "extremely careless" in handling classified information. For 15 minutes, Comey detailed what his team found and contemplated. Without those public comments, the Justice Department could have withheld documents on the basis that they reflected internal deliberations. But "from the get-go we had a very, very weak litigating position because" Comey had in effect waived that privilege, one senior Justice Department official said. In addition, the Clinton email probe was "over and closed" when lawmakers were granted access to materials, the other official noted. Asked whether the Justice Department would share what Mueller found about allegations of obstruction of justice — since that inquiry would likely be closed when Mueller issues his report — the officials declined to answer. Nevertheless, in Mueller's case there are ongoing investigations and prosecutions to still protect, the officials said. "The tentacles of [Mueller's probe] are going to continue being investigated for some unforeseen period of time in the future," according to one official. "[And] we do not give over to the Hill any material that could negatively impact an ongoing investigation." That didn’t stop the Justice Department, however, from disclosing pivotal materials from the FBI’s Russia probe while Mueller’s investigation was underway. When Republicans were accusing the FBI of abusing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to target President Donald Trump's associates, dozens of lawmakers were eventually granted access to four top-secret FISA applications, which after being approved by a federal court allowed the FBI to intercept the communications of former Trump adviser Carter Page, who at the time was suspected of being a Russian spy. Key lawmakers were also able to review thousands of pages of internal emails and other classified materials. Those accommodations "potentially" provide Democrats with their best argument to gain access to Mueller’s findings, the two Justice Department officials acknowledged to ABC News. But — once again — the officials blamed Comey for opening the door for Congress, saying his public statements on the Russia probe had "a lot" to do with their decisions. In early 2017, Comey took the rare step of publicly confirming the FBI launched an investigation into Trump's associates and reviewed the so-called "dossier," which by then had been published online by news outlets and detailed allegations against Page that were ultimately included in the FISA applications. Then, in coordination with the White House, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., drafted and released a memo citing substantial portions of the FISA applications. So two months later, based on what had already become public, the Justice Department made what it called the "extraordinary" decision to let the entire House and Senate intelligence committees review the FISA applications. "[But] we really didn't give them the keys to the kingdom," one of the officials said. In fact, the Justice Department did refuse to comply with several Russia-related requests. And in a letter to Congress at the time, Rosenstein said the "voluminous" production of documents was done "in a manner that does not harm the integrity of any ongoing investigation." In Mueller's probe, the department will similarly "protect the integrity of ongoing investigations" and "apply" privileges when appropriate, the two Justice Department officials told ABC News. "We have to actually pick our battles, which we're going to do," one of them said. Mueller could send his final report to Barr in the coming days. It is not expected to detail the findings of spin-off investigations that Mueller referred to prosecutors around the country to pursue separately. Barr has publicly promised lawmakers that he will then send his own "report" on Mueller's probe to Congress. It's unclear how extensive that document will be. Nadler and Schiff have said they will sue the Trump administration for Mueller’s evidence if necessary. Spokespeople for Nadler and Schiff did not respond to requests seeking comments for this article.

Mike Levine

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/department-justice-officials-dispute-double-standard-mueller-documents/story?id=61544902

2019-03-11 18:41:18+00:00

crime, law and justice

judiciary

abcnews--2019-11-30--Officials: Boy, 9, killed by father in hunting accident

abcnews

Officials: Boy, 9, killed by father in hunting accident

Officials say a 9-year-old boy was accidentally killed by his father while hunting in South Carolina on Thanksgiving. News outlets report Colton Williams was fatally shot Thursday in Springfield in Orangeburg County. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources says relatives told investigators that Williams was out rabbit hunting with his dad and a family friend when his father accidentally shot him. Williams was a fourth-grader who went to Kelly Edwards Elementary School in Williston. The school district wrote on its Facebook page that counselors will be at the school Monday and will be available throughout the week and longer if needed.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officials-boy-killed-father-hunting-accident-67395000

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 00:53:36 -0500

disaster, accident and emergency incident

accident and emergency incident

tass--2019-08-07--Russians injured in accident in Turkish mountain trip

tass

Russians injured in accident in Turkish mountain trip

/TASS/, August 7. Six Russian citizens have been injured in an accident that took place in the mountainous region near the Turkish resort town of Alanya on August 6, the official Facebook account of the Russian embassy in Turkey said on Wednesday. "Six Russian citizens were hospitalized in the province [of Alanya] with injuries of varying severity after the accident. All our citizens are conscious, no one is in critical condition," the embassy said. The diplomatic mission also pointed out that Russian diplomats are planning to visit the Russians soon. "Our staff also requested that the law enforcement agencies provided information regarding the incident and its investigation," the embassy added. Earlier, the Haberturk TV channel reported that seven foreign tourists, including two Russians, had been injured in the accident in Turkey. The incident took place on Tuesday in the mountainous region not far from the town of Alanya. The tourist group was heading for a safari tour in the Sapadere Canyon. The driver lost control of the car, which they were in, and the vehicle flipped over.

https://tass.com/emergencies/1072269

2019-08-07 07:34:45+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

accident and emergency incident

tass--2019-07-18--Moldovan president hopes to secure Russian gas discount at meeting with Putin

tass

Moldovan president hopes to secure Russian gas discount at meeting with Putin

CHISINAU, July 18. /TASS/. Moldovan President Igor Dodon expects to secure a discount on Russian gas at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that may take place in the near future, the president stated upon his return from Moscow, where he had discussed the issue with the top management of Russia’s Gazprom company and Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Trade and Economic Relations with Moldova Dmitry Kozak. "Today, I sent an official letter to the Russian authorities, asking them to consider the possibility of granting Moldova a gas discount for the period between September 1 and January 1. The final decision will be made soon at a meeting with Putin," Dodon commented following Thursday’s meeting of Moldova’s Supreme Security Council. The Moldovan president said earlier in an interview with TASS that he was concerned about the possible termination or reduction of Russian gas transit via Ukraine. According to him, it would negatively affect Moldova’s revenue from transit services and could also reduce or even end Russian gas supplies to the country. Dodon pointed out that the Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline, designed as an alternative route for transporting gas from the neighboring Romania and sponsored by the EU, had not been completed yet. At the same time, it was unclear where gas for reverse supplies would come from, Dodon added. Moldova purchases gas from Gazprom in accordance with a contract that was signed in 2008 and has been extended every year since then. The contract links gas prices for Moldova to the global market price. During his visit to Moscow in February 2019, Dodon asked Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller to give Moldova a 25% gas discount. Following a meeting with Miller on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the Moldovan leader announced that an agreement had been reached to launch negotiations on new gas supply conditions and gas transit for the period starting on January 1, 2020. Last year, Gazprom supplied 2.9 bln cubic meters of gas to Moldova, which is 8.4% more compared to 2017.

https://tass.com/economy/1069266

2019-07-18 13:21:53+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

accident and emergency incident

tass--2019-07-18--Seven killed in traffic accident in Tyva

tass

Seven killed in traffic accident in Tyva

Moscow should ensure that rights of Russians on detained tanker are observed — official The Stena Bulk company earlier confirmed to TASS that three Russian citizens were on board the Stena Imperio tanker detained by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz

https://tass.com/emergencies/1069354

2019-07-18 17:43:44+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

accident and emergency incident

sottnet--2019-09-09--Morocco floods kill 11 in bus accident

sottnet

Morocco floods kill 11 in bus accident

Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it. Because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.

https://www.sott.net/article/420040-Morocco-floods-kill-11-in-bus-accident

2019-09-09 11:01:06+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

accident and emergency incident

sottnet--2019-09-19--30 civilians killed in accidental airstrike in Afghanistan 20 killed in Taliban car bombing - 140

sottnet

30 civilians killed in 'accidental' airstrike in Afghanistan, 20 killed in Taliban car bombing - 140 wounded overall

At least 50 people have been killed in an air strike and a car bombing in Afghanistan, as U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad prepares to brief U.S. lawmakers on his peace talks with the Taliban.The September 19 incidents come after the collapse of negotiations between Washington and the militants and just days ahead of a presidential election.Officials said, in eastern Afghanistan, whilein the war-wracked country's south.The air strike was aimed at destroying a hideout used by Islamic State militants, but itnear a field, three government officials said.Sohrab Qaderi, a provincial council member in eastern Nangarhar Province, said a drone strike killed 30 workers in a pine-nut field and at least 40 others were injured.Attullah Khogyani, a spokesman for Nangarhar's governor, told RFE/RL the air strike occurred in the Khogyani district. "There are fears civilians are among the dead, and we are carrying out an investigation to identify the bodies," he said.The Afghan Defense Ministry confirmed the strike, but refused to share casualty details immediately. U.S. forces were not immediately available for comment.Meanwhile, officials said a Taliban car-bomb attack in Zabul Province killed at least 20 people and wounded 97 on September 19., Rahmatullah Yarmal, the provincial governor, told RFE/RL.Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Taliban, said his group was responsible for the attack.Officials told Tolo News that "ambulances have also been called from Kandahar city to transfer the wounded to hospitals in Kandahar Province. Most of the victims have been taken to private hospitals."Two recent attacks claimed by the militants killed at least 48 people in Afghanistan, although Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's chief negotiator, told the BBC on September 18 that the "doors are open" to a resumption of talks to end the 18-year war.Taliban negotiators have refused to talk directly with the government in Kabul, labeling them as "puppets" of the West.Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, is due to brief a House of Representatives committee on peace negotiations.The House Foreign Affairs Committee said that Khalilzad will hold a classified briefing for the entire panel early on September 19.

https://www.sott.net/article/420672-30-civilians-killed-in-accidental-airstrike-in-Afghanistan-20-killed-in-Taliban-car-bombing-140-wounded-overall

2019-09-19 17:44:02+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

accident and emergency incident

sputnik--2019-01-06--6 Killed 50 Injured in Tour Bus Accident in Central Thailand PHOTOS

sputnik

6 Killed, 50 Injured in Tour Bus Accident in Central Thailand (PHOTOS)

Those injured have been sent to a local hospital but police are still looking for a driver who could be among those admitted to a hospital, the newspaper Bangkok Post reported. The eyewitnesses told the Bangkok Post that the driver suddenly hit the brakes to avoid hitting a car in front of the bus, causing the vehicle to overturn.

https://sputniknews.com/asia/201901061071251403-thailand-bus-accident-casualties/

2019-01-06 04:12:00+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

accident and emergency incident

sputnik--2019-08-21--Oops Landing Accident on US Aircraft Carrier Damages Four Super Hornet Jets

sputnik

Oops! Landing Accident on US Aircraft Carrier Damages Four Super Hornet Jets

When an E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft was attempting to land on the Lincoln on August 9, it missed the arresting wire used to stop the plane on the flight deck in a situation known in naval parlance as a “bolter,” the Navy Times reported. Forced to blast off the front of the ship and come around for another landing attempt, the Hawkeye struck several other airplanes on the deck along the way. The plane, known for its turboprop engines and big radome on top, only “made slight contact” with two Hornets sitting on the deck, US 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Joshua Frey said in a statement, but debris from the impact damaged two others sitting nearby. "The landing aircraft was diverted and arrived safely at the divert location. No personnel were injured," he said. “All aircraft involved are currently being repaired in order to return the aircraft to mission readiness.” However, the incident was classified as a Class A mishap, which involves either multiple fatalities, damage totaling $2 million or more, or the complete loss of an aircraft, Military.com noted. The Navy Times noted this was the eighth Class A mishap the Navy had suffered since October 1. Just days later, two more Super Hornets were damaged when the Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration team was rehearsing for an air show in Chicago. The two jets made momentary mid-air contact on August 14 while performing the complex “Diamond 360” maneuver, during which four aircraft fly in a tight diamond formation just inches from each other. No one was injured in the incident, but one Hornet left a big scratch on the other’s canopy. A more serious incident in 2016 saw another E-2 attempting to land on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower nearly plunge into the sea after the arresting cable snapped. Eight sailors were injured and required medical evacuations, the Navy Times reported. According to 2017 US Department of Defense data, an F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet costs $70.5 million.

https://sputniknews.com/military/201908211076604418-oops-landing-accident-on-us-aircraft-carrier-damages-four-super-hornet-jets/

2019-08-21 20:17:20+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

accident and emergency incident

sputnik--2019-08-31--Pilot Killed Child Injured in Airplane Accident Near Moscow - Emergency Services

sputnik

Pilot Killed, Child Injured in Airplane Accident Near Moscow - Emergency Services

"A light airplane made a hard landing near the Minino village in the Klinsk city district. A pilot and a 12-year-old child were on board. The pilot was killed and the child is being examined by medics," a representative from the agency said. The girl was then taken to a local hospital, where medics fear she may have a spinal fracture due to the accident. Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case to determine whether the pilot was adhering to safety regulations during his operation of the aircraft. According to the emergency services, the airplane has been totalled from the hard landing and cannot be restored.

https://sputniknews.com/russia/201908311076689983-pilot-killed-child-injured-in-airplane-accident-near-moscow---emergency-services/

2019-08-31 11:31:05+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

accident and emergency incident

sputnik--2019-09-29--Nearly 20 People Killed 17 Injured in Road Accident in Bolivia Photos

sputnik

Nearly 20 People Killed, 17 Injured in Road Accident in Bolivia – Photos

At least 18 people died and 17 more were injured as a result of a road accident in southern Bolivia, national media reported. ​​Those injured were reportedly sent to nearby hospitals. According to preliminary data, the incident was caused by the high speed of the truck.

https://sputniknews.com/latam/201909291076918732-nearly-20-people-killed-17-injured-in-road-accident-in-bolivia--photos/

2019-09-29 17:05:27+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

accident and emergency incident

21stcenturywire--2019-04-12--Crash and Burn Israels Moon Shot Ends in Disaster

21stcenturywire

Crash and Burn: Israel’s Moon Shot Ends in Disaster.

With the settler state more divided than ever, and tensions between the native Palestinians as high as ever, this event was meant to be Israel’s “unifying moment” that would bring all Israelis (but not its Arab residents) and globally Jewry together with a shared purpose for one glorious moment. The attempted moon landing by the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet was broadcast live last night, on the side of the spacecraft read the slogan, “Small country, big dreams.” However, the Jewish state’s lunar dream crashed and burned, in spectacular fashion, as one of the craft’s main engines blew up on its final descent, crashing into the Moon. The explosion is said to have marked the end of Israel’s fledgling satellite industry, effectively denying the Jewish state a seat in the elite global club of countries who’ve executed successful lunar landings. The timing of this grand process – culminating at the exact moment when the Israeli election results were announced – was perhaps too much a coincidence for even the most ardent non-skeptic. Somewhat poetically, Israel’s shallow 2019 election campaign ended as it deserved: A farce. Noa Landau from Haaretz summed the irony up as follows: “This is why the loss of communications with the spacecraft, just a moment before the anticipated landing, and just a moment before the announcement of the final election vote results, which at the very last moment went awry – exactly like the landing – felt like one big metaphor. Like the country that could have been, but we have missed out on. In the high-tech superpower filled with traffic jams and embarassing trains, where it’s impossible to receive a package in the mail, and votes can’t be correctly counted, everything is so close, but not quite.” Beresheet’s engine stopped working around 10 kilometers from the surface, with the vehicle crashing into the Moon at a speed of over 130 meters per second. The blunder occurred on a live feed in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, who arrived at the control center for the occasion. However, the space explorers didn’t seem shaken by the setback as they all chanted a solemn song to show that getting so close to the goal was an achievement in itself. Netanyahu has already promised that an Israeli spacecraft will be back to the Moon in the next two or three years. Beresheet, which is Hebrew for the biblical phrase “in the beginning,” could have also become the first private spacecraft to land on the Moon. It was constructed by Israeli nonprofit space venture SpaceIL and state-owned defense contractor Israel Aerospace Industries. The $100 million needed for the ambitious project came from private investors. Only Russia, the US, and China have so far managed to perform controlled “soft” landings on the lunar surface.

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/04/12/crash-and-burn-israels-moon-shot-ends-in-disaster/

2019-04-12 17:42:50+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

21stcenturywire--2019-04-18--Rouhani US Should Suspend Sanctions Because of Iran Flooding Disaster

21stcenturywire

Rouhani: US Should Suspend Sanctions Because of Iran Flooding Disaster

Undoubtedly, this latest flooding crisis in Iran reveals the highly vicious nature of the current U.S. Administration with regards to the application of collective punishment of a target nation. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has lashed out at the US sanctions regime, stating how punitive economic sanctions have hampered the international flood relief effort meant to bolster humanitarian relief operations in his country. Speaking on Iranian state TV on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the US ought to have suspended sanctions against Iran for a year because of the humanitarian crisis that severe flooding has caused in the country. Rouhani said it was “inhumane and filthy” for the US to block cash support to the Iranian Red Crescent. US sanctions are reported to have prevented considerable international aid to save flood victims. Estimates are that around 80 people have been killed by the flooding, which hit the majority of Iranian provinces. The estimate is also that it did around $2.5 billion in property damage across the country. It is highly unlikely that the US will make any changes to the sanctions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo previously denied that the sanctions would impact humanitarian aid. US sanctions are intended not to cover such remittances, but the US is so aggressive and arbitrary with enforcement that anything remotely Iran related scares banks off from financing it.

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/04/18/rouhani-us-should-suspend-sanctions-because-of-iran-flooding-disaster/

2019-04-18 05:37:25+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

abcnews--2019-01-11--House GOP urges Trump not to redirect disaster relief money to fund border wall

abcnews

House GOP urges Trump not to redirect disaster relief money to fund border wall

Ahead of a potential announcement by President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency and reallocate billions of dollars to pay for a border wall, House Republicans representing congressional districts that are still recovering from hurricanes say they’re opposed to the plan. “Our district is still recovering from Hurricane Harvey,” Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, told ABC News. “I hope that they can get those [funds] from somewhere else.” Rep. Buddy Carter said that there’s “no question” Georgians are still recovering from Hurricane Michael, and urged the president not to redirect any disaster relief money from the Peach State to cover the border wall. “As a result of Hurricane Michael, in southwest Georgia in particular, we’ve had devastating impact on our crops and in order for the farmers to recover and to start planning for the next cycle, then they need that disaster relief as soon as possible,” Carter, R-Georgia, said. “There’s a need for disaster relief. No question about it.” Another Texas Republican, Rep. Roger Williams, defended the House’s constitutional power of the purse and urged congressional leaders to negotiate an agreement with the president. “I’m not for that idea right now. I’m for getting back to negotiations,” Williams said. “I think Congress should have a hand in it. I represent Fort Hood, the largest military base in the country, and we’re doing a lot of great things down there with our motor pools, with our runways, with our barracks that sorely need to be done to, you know, create an environment for our soldiers. So I don’t want any money taken from there. We’ve got a lot of momentum going there, so I would hope that we could negotiate this thing.” Rep. John Rutherford, R-Florida, said it “remains to be seen” whether Trump has the authority to fund the wall without congressional approval, but he is also “very supportive of getting that wall built.” Carter also agreed there is “some question” as to whether Trump has the power to reprogram disaster relief to pay for the border wall. “I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Carter said. “I hope that we can get this worked out and that we can fulfill our obligation and that is to secure our borders.” While he’d like Trump to pursue alternate funding options, Babin – who is refusing his congressional salary until the government reopens – stressed that the president is “doing the right thing” by refusing to reopen government over his $5.7 billion demand. “I’ll tell you, we need to have border security. That is something else that is pressing hard on the state of Texas right now,” he said. “It is a crisis beyond most people’s imaginations and we’ve got to have some relief there.” Williams, who served as secretary of state of Texas prior to his election to Congress, said that border patrol has told him that they need a physical barrier at the border to control illegal immigration. “We have a real, real problem, okay?” Williams said. “They need some sort of barrier to improve what’s going on.” “I’m total[ly] for border security. It’s a real thing. If you live in Texas, you get it. We want people to realize the American dream, but they need to do it legally,” Williams continued. “A lot of things can happen there, but I totally support the president on border security.” Carter said he’s visited the southern border and believes a solution will require additional border security measures beyond a physical barrier. “It’s going to take more than just the wall, more than just a fence,” Carter said. “A fence works perfect in some areas, such as San Diego, but in other areas like Arizona, you need boots on the ground, you need technology. You need blimps, drones. All those types of things.” The money for the wall could possibly be drawn from the Army Corps of Engineer's Long Term Disaster Recovery Investment Plan Construction Account, which totals about $13.9 billion and is comprised from more than 50 projects – mainly from Puerto Rico, as well as Texas, Florida, California – and to a lesser degree projects in Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. The White House has specifically asked the Army Corps of Engineers to examine what funds could be redirected to the border wall from an emergency supplemental that passed in February 2018. One U.S. official said the money could be used to build as much as 315 miles of border wall under the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers.

John Parkinson

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-gop-urges-trump-redirect-disaster-relief-money/story?id=60311793

2019-01-11 22:24:02+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

abcnews--2019-11-12--Officials: Death of San Diego State student was accidental

abcnews

Officials: Death of San Diego State student was accidental

The death of a college freshman in California who was hospitalized after attending a fraternity party was accidental, a medical examiner ruled Tuesday. Dylan Hernandez, 19, suffered injuries to his head when he fell from his bunk bed in the dorm at San Diego State University, authorities said. A toxicology report is pending. Hernandez's roommate helped put him back into his bunk after the fall early Thursday but later that morning found him unresponsive and called 911, according to the report by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office. School officials said Hernandez had gone to the party Wednesday night. University police were investigating the circumstances. The Daily Aztec reported that Hernandez was pledging to the Phi Gamma fraternity. It was among 14 fraternities suspended indefinitely following his hospitalization. The university said the decision was made "given the severity of this incident, and as the safety and wellbeing of students is a primary concern of the university." University president Adela de la Torre noted that all but three of the 14 Interfraternity Council-affiliated organizations were already under suspension or investigation before Hernandez died. Evidence for a suspension can include discrimination, disorderly behavior, alcohol being served at sponsored events, drug use, lack of insurance at a major event, and other violations of the student code. The university said de la Torre factored that information into her decision. In an email to students, faculty and staff, de la Torre said the university was forming two task forces to review fraternity and sorority life and the use of alcohol and drugs on campus. The task forces will include students, faculty and others and present findings before the end of next summer. "This is part of a larger issue facing college and university campuses nationwide and we want to ensure SDSU is leading the conversation regarding student safety and well-being," she wrote. "To do that, we are launching this process to identify and adopt best practices for the benefit of all of us."

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/autopsy-finds-san-diego-state-students-death-accidental-66956706

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 20:44:45 -0500

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

aljazeera--2019-01-30--Brazil dam disaster Dead or alive we just want to know

aljazeera

Brazil dam disaster: 'Dead or alive, we just want to know'

Brumadinho, Brazil - Rose Silva sat patiently in a crowded makeshift rescue centre in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais. She was waiting for news about her cousin Wesley. He was one of the 272 people still missing after a dam collapsed in this northeastern Brazilian town last week. At least 84 people are dead. "He was having lunch right at the bottom at the dam when it collapsed, so were hundreds of others," Silva told Al Jazeera. She had been here for days, sitting in a plastic lawn chair, hoping to find her cousin every time a new list came out as more bodies were found and identified. "Dead or alive, we just want to know. I just want to know if he's well. If he's already in God's hands," she said without any emotion. The Brumadinho dam was serving the Corrego do Feijao mine, run by mining giant Vale. When it collapsed on Friday, it unleashed 12 million cubic metres of mud and debris engulfing houses, cars, buses and hundreds of workers, including Wesley, who was eating in the cafeteria at the time. "This is a revenge from nature, you know. We messed with her, now she messes with us," Silva said. Leticia Lucimeri was also waiting at the shelter for news about her boyfriend, 29-year-old Cleyton Silva. Lucimeri is among many who blame Vale for the accident, saying that working conditions were "inhumane" and that "they knew this would happen". "Just a few weeks ago they did some repairs on the dam and they did a drill on the event of a dam collapse," she told Al Jazeera, adding that no one from the company had spoken to the victims' families directly. In an emailed statement, Vale said it was "collaborating fully with the authorities. It will continue to help with investigations to find out the facts, along with its unconditional support to the affected families." The Brazilian Ministry for the Environment ordered Vale to pay a $58m fine, and the state government of Minas Gerais is suing the company for $25m. The government also froze around $1.3bn of the company's assets. On Monday, Vale promised to pay $25,000 to each family affected. A day later, it said it was closing 19 dams in the area and temporarily suspending all operations in Minas Gerais. Its offices were raided by Brazilian officials and five engineers were arrested, according to local media sources. Meanwhile, family members and residents have been left to cope with the devastation left behind by the mudslide. The road linking the centre of Brumadinho to Corrego do Feijao used to be a short one, crossing a lush green valley. Now it has disappeared under a sea of red clay and debris. From Celso Gomes's porch in Brumadinhdo, a few metres from the area, there was a constant flow of police cars and firefighters drenched in mud, with helicopters hovering overhead. "My cousin is missing, our neighbour's daughter is missing - she was a nurse at Vale - and that lady's husband is also missing," said Gomes, pointing to the people sitting in his living room. "There's people with five, seven, family members missing." Although he was employed by another company, Gomes also worked in Vale's mine, cleaning the wagons. "I was supposed to be there that day," he told Al Jazeera. "Luckily they changed my shift for an overnight one. But I was still going there to fill out some papers, right at that time. My cousin convinced me to stay here and go swim in the river. That's saved me," he said. "That was God's hands for sure." None of Gomes' family or friends has been contacted by Vale yet. His father shook his head: "Nothing, nothing from Vale." The 20 year-old said it was hard to feel grateful about having escaped. "When I think about my luck, I also think about all those men who are still under there, including my cousin," he said. "I believe he is still alive somewhere. If God's willing, he's still alive." As the days passed, Pedro Aihara, spokesman for the local fire department said it was hard to keep the morale of the rescue teams up as the chances of finding survivors were grim. "The mud fills every little space and then hardens," he told Al Jazeera. "Textbook rule says is virtually impossible to find survivors of a mudslide after 48 hours and we are now 72 hours in. That would be a speck outside the lines," he said earlier this week. "We are at least trying to find the bodies so the families can bury them with dignity. But on [during] the next few days we'll start using machinery to remove the mud." For many such as Silva, that would mean that the possibility of finding survivors would be slimmer. "I know they will find him, I know," she said more in hope than actual belief. For others, like Lucimeri, it would be the beginning of a battle for justice. "We are such a small town, everyone knows each other and everyone knew what was happening with the dam," she said. "No one reported it because they were afraid of losing their jobs, we are going through a crisis, we have to work." Vale has yet to address the causes of the Bento Rodrigues dam collapse in 2015, which was co-owned with BHP at that time. The collapse, which spilt more than 60 million cubic metres of mining waste onto the nearby city of Mariana is considered Brazil's biggest environmental disaster. Three years after it happened, several Vale executives were charged with murder but never arrested, and the company was ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages. According to local reports, however, less than four percent has been paid out. The minister of environment estimates that there are some 4,000 dams, owned by companies across Brazil, that are considered to have a "high risk" of collapsing or have "high damage potential". According to CNN, the one which collapsed on Friday was recently deemed "low risk" by the country's National Mining Agency, raising questions about Brazil's assessment process. Pointing to the 2015 collapse and the one last week, Leticia said she feared the pattern of devastation might repeat itself. "There are people who are still alive, still working on these mines and they need more care and safety," she said. "How many times will this happen again?"

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/brazil-dam-disaster-dead-alive-190130175714119.html

2019-01-30 20:28:06+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

aljazeera--2019-02-01--Death toll in Brazil dam disaster rises to 110

aljazeera

Death toll in Brazil dam disaster rises to 110

The death toll from a tailings dam collapse in the Brazilian city of Brumadinho has jumped to 110, according to an official and rescue workers at the site. Lieutenant Flavio Godinho, an official at the Minas Gerais state civil defence agency, told the AP news agency that 238 people were still listed as missing on Thursday. No one has been found alive since Saturday, but the Minas Gerais Fire Department said it does not want to stop the search for victims. The dam that held back iron-ore waste, owned and operated by mining giant Vale, collapsed on last Friday, unleashing 12 million cubic metres of mud and debris that buried buildings adjoining the dam and several parts of the small southeastern city of Burmadinho. The high numbers of dead and missing may make the tailings dam failure Brazil's deadliest-ever mine disaster. Rescue workers told Reuters news agency 71 bodies recovered from the mud have been identified so far. On Thursday, state labour courts froze more than 800 million reais ($219m) of Vale's assets as compensation for victims. That followed court orders over the weekend freezing 11.8 billion reais ($3.1bn) in assets to cover rescue efforts and damages. The company had around 24 billion reais ($6.5bn) in cash and equivalents at the end of the third quarter. On Monday, Vale promised to pay 100,000 reais ($25,000) to the family of each victim. A day later, it said it was closing 19 dams in the area and temporarily suspending all operations in Minas Gerais. The dam collapse in Brumadinho occurred three years after a similar disaster at another of its sites in the same region. The 2015 rupture of the Bento Rodrigues dam had killed 19 people and caused what was considered the worst environmental catastrophe Brazil had seen. Several Vale executives were charged with murder but they were never arrested, and the company was ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages. But according to local media reports less than four percent was paid out.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/death-toll-brazil-dam-disaster-rises-100-190201080443323.html

2019-02-01 10:14:47+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

aljazeera--2019-02-20--Japan Fukushima operator told to pay over 2011 nuclear disaster

aljazeera

Japan, Fukushima operator told to pay over 2011 nuclear disaster

A court in Japan has awarded nearly $4m in new damages to 152 residents forced to flee their houses after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown eight years ago, the world's most serious nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. The Yokohama district court on Wednesday ordered the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) to pay 419.6m yen ($3.8m) to the residents, a court spokeswoman told AFP news agency. Triggered by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake, a tsunami crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in March 2011, overwhelming reactor cooling systems, causing multiple meltdowns and sending radiation over a large area that forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Nearly 19,000 people were killed or went missing and 160,000 lost their homes and livelihoods in the massive earthquake and tsunami. Presiding judge Ken Nakadaira said the government and TEPCO "could have avoided the accident if they had taken measures" against the tsunami, according to public broadcaster NHK. The verdict was the fifth time the government has been ruled liable for the disaster in eastern Japan. In March last year, a court in Kyoto, western Japan, ruled that both the government and TEPCO were responsible and ordered them to pay 110m yen ($992,300) to 110 residents. However, in a separate case in September 2017 in Chiba near Tokyo, the court ruled that only the operator was liable. Around 12,000 people who fled after the disaster due to radiation fears have filed various lawsuits against the government and TEPCO. Cases have revolved around whether the government and TEPCO, both of whom are responsible for disaster prevention measures, could have foreseen the scale of the tsunami and subsequent meltdown. Dozens of class-action lawsuits have been filed seeking compensation from the government.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/japan-fukushima-operator-told-pay-2011-nuclear-disaster-190220043222469.html

2019-02-20 04:49:59+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

aljazeera--2019-03-13--Social disaster South Korea steps up fight against pollution

aljazeera

'Social disaster': South Korea steps up fight against pollution

South Korea on Wednesday ramped up its firepower in its battle against pollution, passing a set of bills that designate the problem a "social disaster" and which could unlock emergency funds to tackle the issue. Pollution in Asia's fourth-largest economy has been exacerbated by factors including coal-fired power generation and high vehicle emissions, sparking widespread concern among the public and weighing on President Moon Jae-in's approval ratings. Designating the issue a disaster allows the government to use parts of its reserve funds to help respond to any damage or emergency caused by polluted air. The country's reserve funds stand at up to 3 trillion won ($2.65bn) this year. Other bills that were passed included mandating that every school classroom should have an air purifier and removing a limit on sales of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles, which typically produce less emissions than gasoline and diesel. The latest bills follow previous steps to battle pollution such as capping operations at coal-fired power plants. South Korea's air quality was the worst among its peers in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as of 2017, according to data from the group. Its average annual exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) of less than 2.5 micrometres was 25.1 micrograms per cubic metre, slightly more than double the OECD average of 12.5. The World Health Organization recommends that air quality standard should be no more than 10 micrograms in terms of PM 2.5 levels. For six consecutive days in early March, high levels of concentrated pollutants enveloped most parts of South Korea. According to a weekly poll by Gallup Korea released on March 8, President Moon's approval rating was down by 3 percentage points from a week earlier at 46 percent. Unless any objections are raised, it should take around 15 days for the bills to become law. The nation's regional neighbour China has also been fighting pollution as it tries to reverse damage from over three decades of untrammelled economic growth.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/disaster-south-korea-steps-fight-pollution-190313070310149.html

2019-03-13 07:58:18+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

aljazeera--2019-03-14--Timeline Major air disasters

aljazeera

Timeline: Major air disasters

# Timeline: Major air disasters A recap of the worst air crashes in civilian aviation since the turn of the century.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2010/07/201072862011375754.html

2019-03-14 04:19:56+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

aljazeera--2019-03-22--Families demand justice as toll in Mosul boat disaster hits 103

aljazeera

Families demand justice as toll in Mosul boat disaster hits 103

Grief-stricken residents in Iraq's northern city of Mosul are demanding justice after the sinking of a ferry packed with families killed more 100 people, including children. The vessel, which was carrying people celebrating both the Nowruz holiday and Mother's Day, capsized on Thursday in Tigris River. "The number of casualties has risen to 103, while an estimated 50 more remain missing," Ghazwan al-Daoudi, a member of Nineveh's provincial council, told Anadolu Agency on Friday. "We believe the ferryboat was carrying about 200 passengers when it sank," he added. In the early hours of Friday, local authorities said 55 survivors had been pulled from the river near Mosul, the regional capital of Nineveh province. According to al-Daoudi, the council will convene an emergency session later in the day in which "all those involved in the incident" would be present. Earlier on Friday, relatives of the victims went to local hospitals to collect bodies of their loved ones in advance of funerals. Some chanted: "No to corruption!" and "They are all thieves." "How can a ferry sail with no means of rescue available," asked Dalia Mahmoud, a woman who was standing outside the coroner's office. At the scene of the accident, where prayers were held for the dead, many said the disaster could have been avoided. "We want those responsible to be brought to justice," said Mohammed Adel, 27, whose father was among those who died. He accused officials of failing to enforce safety standards. Although no official statements have been issued regarding the cause of the accident, local residents have attributed it to overcrowding, saying the ferry only had a 50-passenger capacity. After visiting the scene of the accident alongside President Barham Saleh, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi declared three days of national mourning. He said the justice system "must do its job and the investigation must produce results on the reasons for this shipwreck". According to a statement released late Thursday by Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, nine people have been detained so far in connection with the incident. Meanwhile, witnesses told Anadolu Agency that angry local residents, including several relatives of the victims, chanted slogans and hurled shoes at Nineveh Governor Nofal al-Akoub following his arrival to the site of the ferryboat accident. As al-Akoub's convoy attempted to flee the scene, two people - both relatives of the victims - were run over in the confusion, according to witnesses. The extent of their injuries remains unknown. The spiritual leader of Iraq's Shia majority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for accountability for those responsible for the sinking and urged officials whose ministries were linked to the tragedy to resign. Al-Sistani's message was delivered by his representative Ahmed al-Safi in the Shia holy city of Karbala. Meanwhile, Pope Francis sent a telegram of condolences to Iraqi authorities, expressing his "prayerful solidarity" with all those who lost loved ones. The sinking of the ferry was a tragic blow to Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city that is still struggling to overcome the devastation wreaked by ISIL. The armed group, also known as ISIS, captured Mosul it in the summer of 2014, making the city its main stronghold in Iraq. After US-backed Iraqi forces retook it three years later, in July 2017, much of Mosul was left in ruins. "We lost a lot because of Daesh and we will not accept to lose more," said Mahmoud, using an Arabic name to refer to ISIL.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/families-demand-justice-toll-mosul-boat-disaster-hits-103-190322140900440.html

2019-03-22 15:46:21+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

aljazeera--2019-03-23--Death toll from Iraqs ferry disaster rises to 120

aljazeera

Death toll from Iraq's ferry disaster rises to 120

The full extent of the ferry disaster in the Iraqi city of Mosul is becoming clearer. Civil Defence says the number of dead is now at least 120, while 100 people are still missing. Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi is formally requesting a local governor be sacked over the incident.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/death-toll-iraqs-ferry-disaster-rises-120-190323113535614.html

2019-03-23 11:35:35+00:00

disaster, accident and emergency incident

emergency response

21stcenturywire--2019-01-13--Post-2020 India to Outpace US as Worlds Second Most Powerful Economy

21stcenturywire

Post-2020: India to Outpace US as World’s Second Most Powerful Economy

By 2030, seven of the world’s top 10 economies will be current emerging markets, according to the latest report by London-based multinational banking and financial service company Standard Chartered. The long-term projection shows that India is likely to become larger than the US, while neighboring China will reportedly steal the crown of world’s most powerful economy (currently held by the US) as soon as 2020. At the same time, Indonesia may break into the top five economies. “India will likely be the main mover, with its trend growth accelerating to 7.8 percent by the 2020s partly due to ongoing reforms, including the introduction of a national goods and services tax (GST) and the Indian Bankruptcy Code (IBC),” says the report, as quoted by Quartz. The GST, one of the largest tax reforms to be implemented by Delhi, was rolled out in 2017. The measure is aimed at simplifying the country’s cumbersome tax regime. The IBC, launched in 2016, consolidates the bankruptcy and insolvency laws in India. The UK firm noted that the aging population is set to have a significant impact on global growth, but India, which is currently ranked as the world’s sixth biggest economy, will remain unfazed, as the country has the world’s largest group of young people. Nearly half of the Indian population is under the age of 25. “The rising aspirations of a young population will continue to support consumerism in India’s economy,” according to the report. Standard Chartered also said that the country would need to create 100 million new jobs in the manufacturing and service sectors by 2030 to cope with demand for massive employment. “India needs to train circa 10 million people annually, but currently has the capacity to train just 4.5 million,” the report reads. Source: Market Screener via 2019 Qatar Tribune. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info)., source Middle East & North African Newspapers READ MORE FINANCIAL NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Financial Files

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/01/13/post-2020-india-to-outpace-us-as-worlds-second-most-powerful-economy/

2019-01-13 07:01:06+00:00

economy, business and finance

economy

21stcenturywire--2019-08-24--Trumps Tweets and China-Baiting Distracts from Fundamentally Poor US Economy

21stcenturywire

Trump’s Tweets and China-Baiting Distracts from Fundamentally Poor US Economy

Stocks fell rapidly on Wall Street at closing on Friday after Trump responded to China’s tariff threat against American imports – pushing the market to its fourth-straight week of losses. The reaction from the US Federal Reserve Bank will be telling. Will the Fed try and halt the bleeding on Wall Street with more aggressive interest rate cuts? Trump tweeted, criticizing Fed chief Jerome Powell for the Fed’s lack of action, and then brazenly asks “who is a bigger enemy,” the Fed chairman or the president of China? However, amid all the drama and fascination with Trump’s tweets and incessant China-baiting, few in the mainstream media seem keen on tackling asking the really important question: ten years on from the economic collapse of 2008, just how healthy is the US economy? Upon closer inspection, the fundamentals are not looking good at all. Dagny Taggart from the Organic Prepper offered this analysis… Despite what some “experts” would like you to believe, the US is on shaky financial ground. Several indicators suggest things are far worse than many think. Let’s take a look at them now. More than half of families in the US live in “asset poverty.” A recent study found that more than 63 percent of American children and 55 percent of Americans live in “asset poverty”. This means they have few or no assets to rely on in the event of a financial emergency such as a job loss, a medical crisis, recessions, or natural disasters. In a press release, study co-author David Rothwell, an assistant professor in OSU’s College of Public Health and Human Sciences, explained that when families lack assets such as vehicles, homes, savings accounts or investments, surviving a financial crisis is very difficult. “This is a dimension of financial security that we don’t think about that much, and it’s pretty high. The findings highlight the extent of financial insecurity among American families. These shocks ripple through the family and down to the children,” Rothwell said. The study was published in the journal Children and Youth Services Review earlier this year. Co-authors are Timothy Ottusch of the University of Arizona and Jennifer Finders of Purdue University. Living in poverty can have devastating impacts on children, as the press release explains: Rent is becoming unaffordable for many Americans. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, renting is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many Americans. In its latest “Out of Reach” report, the organization explains that the struggle to find affordable housing is not limited to those earning minimum wage or the unemployed. The report’s central statistic is the Housing Wage, which is an estimate of the hourly wage a full-time worker must earn to rent a home without spending more than 30 percent of income on housing costs. For 2019, the Housing Wage is $22.96 and $18.65 for a modest two and one-bedroom apartment respectively based on the “fair market rent”. The average renter’s hourly wage is $1.08 less than the Housing Wage for a one-bedroom rental and $5.39 less than a two-bedroom rental. That means that an average renter in the U.S. has to work a 52 hour week. To put this in perspective, a median-wage worker in eight of the country’s largest ten occupations does not earn enough to afford a one-bedroom apartment. An employee earning the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) would have to work 127 hours every week (equivalent to more than two full-time jobs) to afford a two-bedroom apartment. This is not just a regional issue. There isn’t a single state, metro area, or county in the U.S. where a full-time employee earning the minimum wage can afford to rent a two-bedroom property. To explore data for your area, enter your zip code in the box below the map on this page: Out of Reach 2019. According to the report, the ten jobs that are expected to see the biggest growth over the coming decade are those that pay less than the wage needed to afford housing – and that is likely to result in an even greater disparity between wages and housing costs by 2026, as this infographic from Statista illustrates: Food is about to become more expensive. Massive, damaging floods in the Midwest have been occurring since this past March. To make a bad situation worse, the potential for more floods in key agricultural states looms in front of us as more rain is predicted for the rest of this spring. So far, heavy flooding has impacted important agricultural states, including Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. The economic impacts of the flooding are likely to be devastating, as Cat Ellis explained in Midwest Flooding Will Cause Shortages of THESE FOODS: “Whatever your situation is, start thinking about what you eat and how to store those items,” Ellis wrote. Here’s how to get started building that stockpile. Purchasing power is the value of a currency expressed in terms of the amount of goods or services that one unit of money can buy. In other words, it is how much your money buys you. Purchasing power is important because, all else being equal, inflation decreases the amount of goods or services you are able to purchase. Inflation reduces the value of a currency’s purchasing power. In the article America’s Concealed Crisis: Fifty Years of Economic Decline, 1969 to 2019, Charles Hugh Smith explains how the loss of purchasing power has pushed the middle class into the working class: Although our income is higher than it was 40 years ago, we can’t buy much with it, Smith says: Evidence that the economy has already entered a downturn is mounting. A few days ago, Michael Snyder summed up some of the signs the US economy is starting to deteriorate rapidly in the article The Pain Of This New Economic Downturn Is Starting To Show Up All Over The Country: On Tuesday we got some more new numbers, and they were just as bad as we thought they might be. \ But even before today’s numbers all of the data were telling us the exact same thing. The New York Fed’s Empire State manufacturing index just suffered the worst one month decline in U.S. history, Morgan Stanley’s Business Conditions Index just suffered the largest one month decline that we have ever seen, global trade numbers are the worst they have been since the last recession, and just last week I detailed the complete and utter “bloodbath” that we are witnessing in the U.S. trucking industry right now. So considering what we already knew, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that new home sales in the U.S. were down a whopping 7.8 percent during the month of May. (source) In addition, an economic indicator that has preceded every recession over the past five decades occurred a few days ago, reports NPR: It is known among economists and Wall Street traders as a “yield curve inversion,” and it refers to when long-term interest rates are paying out less than short-term rates. That curve has been flattening out and sloping down for more than a year, raising worries among some analysts that investors’ long-term view of the market is not positive and that an economic downturn is looming. But on Sunday, an inauspicious milestone was achieved: The yield curve remained inverted for three months, or an entire quarter, which has for half a century been a clear signal that the economy is heading for recession in the next nine to 18 months, according to Campbell Harvey, a Duke University finance professor who spoke to NPR on Sunday. His research in the mid-1980s first linked yield curve inversions to recessions. “That has been associated with predicting a recession for the last seven recessions,” Harvey said. “From the 1960s, this indicator has been reliable in terms of foretelling a recession, and also importantly, it has not given any false signals yet.” (source) The economy has not recovered much since the 2008 recession. Many refer to stock market valuation and the “official” unemployment rate as indicators of an improving economy, but the truth is that they “paint a deceiving picture of the true state of the American economy,” as economist Antony P. Mueller outlines in Phony Economic Growth Stats Conceal Deep Problems on Main Street: In the conclusion of that piece, Dr. Mueller states: Here’s what you can do to prepare for a financial crisis. If you are skeptical about the warning signs of the impending economic disaster that I have outlined in this brief article, here’s a great resource to refer to as you monitor current events: 10 Recession Warning Signs You Need To Know. “As much as one would like to believe that the American economy has bucked the cycle of boom and bust that has defined every market economy since the dawn of time, that’s probably not the case. In spite of a booming stock market and rock-bottom unemployment, history would dictate that the good times will be coming to an end — probably sooner rather than later,” writer Joel Anderson warns. In the article, he describes economic behaviors that point to the possibility of a looming recession… Continue this story at the Organic Prepper READ MORE ECONOMIC NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Financial Files

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/08/24/trumps-tweets-and-china-baiting-distracts-from-fundamentally-poor-us-economy/

2019-08-24 11:45:33+00:00

economy, business and finance

economy

abcnews--2019-12-12--Airport van service SuperShuttle going out of business

abcnews

Airport van service SuperShuttle going out of business

LOS ANGELES -- SuperShuttle, the shared van service that has carried passengers to and from airports across the U.S. and in Latin America, Canada, Europe and Asia, is going out of business, according to a newspaper report Thursday. A letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times from the company to a Los Angeles-area franchisee says: “SuperShuttle plans to honor all reservations and walk-up requests for service” through Dec. 31. Founded in 1983 to serve Los Angeles International Airport, SuperShuttle has lost ground to competitors such as Uber and Lyft. In recent weeks it has pulled out of airports serving many cities, including Phoenix, Baltimore and Minneapolis, the Times said. Attempts by the newspaper to reach Mark Friedman, identified as general manager in the letter’s signature line, were unsuccessful Thursday. SuperShuttle executives could also not be reached for official comment. But two SuperShuttle reservations agents reached by telephone confirmed to the Times that the company was going out of business, as did a company executive who was not authorized to speak publicly. SuperShuttle is one of the few services that can still pick up riders curbside at LAX after the airport’s recent changes to help ease congestion. In November, Lyft, Uber and taxis were relegated to a pickup lot next to Terminal 1. Travelers can either walk to the lot or wait for an airport shuttle to ferry them. The letter to the franchisee cited “a variety of factors” for the company’s closure, “including increasing costs and changes in the competitive and regulatory landscape” that “have called into question the economic and operational viability of the company’s operations.” The company stopped operations at Hollywood Burbank Airport at the end of November, terminating the contract with the airport’s authority, airport spokeswoman Lucy Burghdorf wrote in an email Thursday. SuperShuttle is owned by an affiliate of Blackstreet Capital Holdings, a private investment firm based in Bethesda, Maryland, court documents show. Blackstreet describes itself as specializing in acquiring small or mid-size firms “that are in out-of-favor industries or are undergoing some form of transition.” Blackstreet acquired SuperShuttle in September from Transdev on Demand Inc., which is part of the Transdev Group of France, according to a lawsuit Transdev filed against Blackstreet this month in Delaware Chancery Court in a dispute over some terms of the transaction. Officials at Blackstreet could not immediately be reached for comment on SuperShuttle’s suspended services or on how SuperShuttle’s services are divided between company-owned operators and franchisees. SuperShuttle’s website shows that the firm provided service to more than 80 airports worldwide, including those in Southern California, before the firm began suspending services in many locations.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/airport-van-service-supershuttle-business-67700482

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 18:28:50 -0500

economy, business and finance

economy

abcnews--2019-12-17--Employers post more jobs in October in sign of solid economy

abcnews

Employers post more jobs in October in sign of solid economy

WASHINGTON -- The number of available jobs jumped in October after hitting an 18-month low the previous month, a sign the job market remains strong. The Labor Department said Tuesday that the number of available positions rose 3.3% to nearly 7.3 million. That suggests that businesses remain confident enough in the economic outlook to create more jobs. The figures provide the latest evidence that employers have largely shrugged off the uncertainties surrounding the U.S.-China trade war and slowing global growth. While the number of open jobs has declined from a record high of 7.6 million a year ago, they are still at a historically high level. For roughly a year and a half there have been more job postings than unemployed people. The figures follow a healthy jobs report earlier this month that showed a surprisingly robust gain of 266,000 jobs while the unemployment rate fell to a 50-year low of 3.5%. “The numbers should calm worries that employer demand for workers is drying up,” said Julia Pollak, labor economist at ZipRecruiter. “Rather than falling substantially, job openings now appear to have remained fairly stable for over a year.” The number of Americans who quit their jobs also rose, though that figure remains below the peak reached in July. Quits are a good sign for the economy because most workers quit jobs for new, usually higher-paying, positions. Data compiled by the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank show that workers who switch jobs are seeing larger wage gains than those who stay. More quits can also push companies to pay more to retain their staffs. Job openings jumped 125,000 in the retail sector, likely reflecting strong demand for temporary workers for the holiday season. The government seeks to seasonally adjust the data for those fluctuations but isn't always able to do so perfectly. October's gain was the largest increase in retail job openings since April 2018. Manufacturers also posted slightly more open jobs after several months of decline. Finance and insurance firms and health care also posted more available positions.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/employers-post-jobs-october-sign-solid-economy-67776295

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 16:52:17 -0500

economy, business and finance

economy

activistpost--2019-01-18--Imagine if the Media Had as Much Sympathy for Small Business Owners as it Does for Federal Employees

activistpost

Imagine if the Media Had as Much Sympathy for Small Business Owners as it Does for Federal Employees

During this partial government shutdown, it’s become nearly impossible to avoid news articles, and segments on television and radio outlining the many ways that federal employees are apparently suffering financially as a result of the partial government shutdown. The stories are very diverse in topic. Some take a “human interest story” angle, simply looking at how the daily lives of some of these employees have been affected. Others look at the apparent injustice of the fact that some workers are “being told to work without pay.” Still other suggest that the lack of federal paychecks will drive down economic growth figures. The number of ways to cover the story is quite large, and editors and journalists are apparently looking to see how many different options they can explore. In truth, of course, virtually no one is working “without pay” since Congress has already approved a plan to provide nearly all affected workers with back pay. Nor is is mentioned that, on average, federal workers earn 17 percent more than private sector workers of similar education levels. Also not mentioned is the fact that the unemployment rate is at a historically low level — and thus changing careers is easier now than usual. None of this, of course, is emphasized in the many media stories on the topic. Indeed, the usual slant of the articles is that federal workers somehow suffer more greatly than private sector workers. Just imagine, though, if the media took a similar interest in small business owners and the self-employed in general. Would we then hear about the struggles of how the local Subway franchisee struggles to make payroll in the face of government regulations and taxes? Would we hear about how the local courier company with 23 employees had to cut wages — and thus lose some of his best employees — because tariffs (i.e., taxes) on autos has driven up his costs? Would we hear about how a new increase in the minimum wage forced the local mom-and-pop hardware store to increase prices, thus driving down revenues? Here are some of the news leads we might see see if this were the case: EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Small business owners have cut back hours and laid off workers as the result of new minimum wage requirements that went into effect last week. Lisa Cooper, a single mother of three who opened Bob’s Bar and Grille six years ago noted she’ll have to lay off some staff and raise prices on some menu items. “It will definitely take a cut out of our revenues,” Cooper said. “It looks like I’ll have to cancel music lessons for the kids this year.” Do You Want to Learn How to Become Financially Independent, Make a Living Without a Traditional Job & Finally Live Free? SEATTLE, Wash. (AP) — Mandatory paid family leave mandates have left some local business owners scrambling for ways to cover employee absences. New mandates passed by the state legislature went into effect last month. Rob Hunnicut, the broker-owner of Oak Realty is unsure how his employees will react. “This is a burden that will fall on all my employees,” Hunnicut said, after a staff meeting Thursday morning. “When some employees take paid family leave, that means everyone else in the office has to pitch in to do the same amount of work. Even worse, since we have to keep paying the employees on leave, we can’t afford to bring in temp workers.” Hunnicut noted he has often provided paid leave in the past when business was brisk. “But now things are different,” Hunnicut said. “With these rigid mandates, everyone who’s left in the office, including me, will just have to do with less, including those of us who already have small children at home.” You get the idea. Other possibilities for stories might include: This isn’t to say that the media never covers these topics. But it is fairly safe to say that beyond publications intended specifically for business readers, ordinary media outlets have rarely showed much interest in examining the plight of small business owners in a way similar to how they’ve been covering the effect of the current shutdown on federal workers. Rarely does mainstream coverage emphasize the daily problems that small business owners face in providing payroll for workers (and themselves), meeting customer demands, and keeping the lights on. Moreover, business owners face these sorts of problems daily — and every time a government hands down a new regulation tax or mandate — while federal employees rarely face the sorts of uncertainties over income that are common in the private sector.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/01/imagine-if-the-media-had-as-much-sympathy-for-small-business-owners-as-it-does-for-federal-employees.html

2019-01-18 18:24:13+00:00

economy, business and finance

economy

activistpost--2019-11-17--Tech Can Help Overcome the Pitfalls of Starting a Small Business

activistpost

Tech Can Help Overcome the Pitfalls of Starting a Small Business

For the better part of the last 20 years I’ve chosen small business endeavors over a 9-5 corporate routine. My short time spent in the corporate world wasn’t terrible, but I felt that my more creative impulses and need for variety would be stifled if I stayed in that atmosphere for any length of time. Since then, I believe that I have seen enough through my participation in more than 10 small businesses of varying styles and degrees of success and failure to offer a few observations. I won’t cover each business, but instead will offer what I hope are some helpful generalizations to prepare yourself for the high-risk high-reward world of entrepreneurship in small business. A key component of any business, especially over the 10-15 years, has been the many ways that technology has transformed the tools we use to communicate with our customers, manage our day-to-day activities, and enhance what we are able to offer. I began my small business journey in the retail sector with an entirely inventory-based business with a single partner who fortunately had some experience with what we were selling. However, this was nearly two decades ago ago and his experience dated back even further, which put him firmly in a manual mindset for business management. Whether it was accounting, bill payments, payroll or marketing, things moved at a tedious snail’s pace. New tools had been developed such as invoice templates and computer accounting packages like Quicken. Coupled with this were the burgeoning online offerings that could expand the range of brick-and-mortar businesses through websites and e-mail that could enable newsletter delivery, special offers and event scheduling. I remember how the integration of all of these technologies gave us a feeling that we were a much bigger presence than our 2,000-square feet of anchored space. After 10 years in retail with 10-12 hour days, virtually no real vacation and certainly no holidays, I became increasingly interested in the many new technologies that empowered people to work from home. We sold our brick-and-mortar shop, went our different ways and I embarked upon the path that led me to where I am today — writing from home where I can deliver information and earn income from an array of diverse online small businesses that I am involved with. To be sure, the online businesses of today are still fraught with the many perils faced by brick-and-mortar businesses depending on the scope of the offering, which leads small businesses to have extremely high failure rates regardless of their positioning. However, the technology of today greatly minimizes risk if a few key areas are addressed. From my experience, the number one pitfall (among many smaller ones) is over-investing — and this can happen at any stage of a small business’s trajectory. In the brick-and-mortar world, this is incredibly easy to do even with the most frugal of mindsets. All of the start-up considerations such as property purchases or rent, decoration, signage, business cards, business equipment and more can put a business into an insurmountable hole of debt right out of the gate. Moreover, inventory-based businesses such as the one I had were a constant balancing act to keep from overextending month to month. The main challenge here is that it often takes years to understand traffic and sales numbers so that ordering products can be done with precision and top profitability. If these products are perishable, it adds a further layer of complexity and punishment for miscalculation. These aspects of product management and accurate profit calculation are so much easier in the online world where virtual stores can be created to offer a massive array of products without ever needing to physically build anything, or ever even hold products. Built-in profit tracking and customer analytics make this a breeze compared to the trial-and-error cycle normally required. Stores can be built fully online, and items today can be ordered and dropshipped with services like Amazon and Shopify. Sites like eBay and Craigslist have further enabled anyone to dip their toes into product sales and business management with very little risk. The digital media side of modern small business – such as this website I’m currently writing for – can offer the utmost in flexibility, portability and adaptability. It’s a feeling of freedom that in my experience is unsurpassed — the knowledge that I can open a laptop from anywhere in the world that has an internet connection and earn a living. Writing articles, creating videos, building social media, offering ebooks and newsletters, and sharing information with millions of people is almost taken for granted in this day and age but is incredibly liberating once the basic (and often free) tools are understood. Yes, my current days working from home can often be equally as long as my former retail days; and, yes, all businesses can succumb to unpredictable external forces no matter their size and scope. But the technology of today can keep a business right where it needs to be in order to create the best conditions for success: lean and mean, and quick and nimble. There has also never been a better time in history to utilize the many tools of technology to minimize the inherent risks of small business, maximize profits and ensure long-standing success while remaining as free as possible while doing it. Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and Steemit. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/11/tech-can-help-overcome-the-pitfalls-of-starting-a-small-business.html

Sun, 17 Nov 2019 00:45:30 +0000

economy, business and finance

economy

activistpost--2019-12-17--Consumers Are Likely Running Out Of Cash And Available Credit To Power The Economy

activistpost

Consumers Are Likely Running Out Of Cash And Available Credit To Power The Economy

The rampant consumerism in our society is what many say is driving the economy right now. But according to data points, many consumers are running out of available cash and credit to continue to prop it up for much longer. While consumers have been dubbed the backbone of the American economy, their spending is waning compared to last year. After big increases in spending in the spring and summer, households appear to be cutting back. Sales at U.S. retailers, for example, rose a disappointing 0.2% in November, reported Market Watch. This is a sign that consumers are either running out of cash, available credit, or both. It could also mean that since prices have continued to increase, many have had to curb their unnecessary spending in order to buy necessities. The growth in retail sales over the past 12 months has slowed incredibly to a modest 3.4% pace from a seven-year high of 6.5% just a year and a half ago. But others say that consumption is still high enough to provide a boost to the overall economy and could pick up more steam in the coming week as we approach Christmas. Consumer spending, which is vital for the U.S. economy has been especially important this year considering the escalation in tensions over trade policy with China. The trade was discouraged business spending and slowed the economic growth globally. U.S. exports fell, investment tanked, and manufacturing activity contracted for the first time since 2016. And U.S. households paid for the tariff increases. “Unless there is a surge in December, it doesn’t look as if fourth-quarter consumer spending will grow anywhere near the 2.9% posted in the third quarter,” said economist Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors. The Trump administration has taken steps to ease the trade tensions with China, and will hopefully let up on the tariffs to provide at least some relief to the wallets of Americans. A strong labor market is propelling much of the spending and some other economists don’t expect that to change any time soon. “It is unlikely that the consumer sector will sour anytime soon,” said senior economist Ben Ayers at Nationwide. This article was sourced from SHTFPlan.com Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and Steemit. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/12/consumers-are-likely-running-out-of-cash-and-available-credit-to-power-the-economy.html

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 16:36:47 +0000

economy, business and finance

economy

aljazeera--2019-01-13--Lebanons protesters angry over worsening economy

aljazeera

Lebanon's protesters angry over worsening economy

Protesters are calling for reforms, but the country hasn't had a working government for eight months. The high cost of living makes it hard to make ends meet for many. Civilians and some politicians believe little will change as the same political elite remains in charge.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/lebanons-protesters-angry-worsening-economy-190113061319077.html

2019-01-13 06:13:19+00:00

economy, business and finance

economy

aljazeera--2019-02-28--How EU-reliant small British businesses are preparing for Brexit

aljazeera

How EU-reliant small British businesses are preparing for Brexit

London, United Kingdom - In an industrial park in north London, artisans from Poland, Italy, England, Mauritius, and elsewhere painstakingly stitch mattresses for Savoir Beds, a British luxury brand. Like the craftsmen and women, most of the materials are from the European Union or from around the world via Europe: plywood from Latvia, wool from Spain, horsetail from South America via Switzerland. Savoir Beds only makes about 900 mattresses a year, with customers willing to pay an average of £14,000 ($18,300) - and up to £150,000 ($197,000) - for their custom-made products. To avoid disrupting the supply chain of materials because of border delays, should there be a no-deal Brexit, the manufacturer has stockpiled £250,000 ($328,400) worth of the materials it needs to ensure production doesn't grind to a halt. It is feared that should the UK quit the EU without a deal, or without an agreement that is useful for small businesses, there would be additional red tape and transport restrictions. "None of this would normally be here," said Alistair Hughes, the company's owner and managing director, pointing to large white sacks of curled horsetail lined up in the warehouse. Over in the next aisle, the shelves are stacked with plywood boards and cashmere rolls worth thousands of pounds. "Back in October, we had to begin thinking: What are we going to do?" Hughes continued. "It's money that we normally use elsewhere in the business. We're lucky because we have that money. But of course, everything we do is a choice." Savoir Beds was established 114 years ago and was able to invest in its Brexit contingency plans. Other SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in the UK are not as fortunate. He has serious concerns about how Brexit will impact the company. While Vieve is manufactured in the UK, most of its ingredients are sourced from countries in the EU. "We do not have the funds to afford to stockpile goods and rely on ingredients to arrive just in time for our production runs," Rozenson told Al Jazeera. Hardly a day goes by without a business announcing relocation to the EU, or warning of how dangerous Brexit would be for the UK economy. These have included aerospace firm Airbus, which employs more than 14,000 people in the UK. Electronics multinationals Sony and Panasonic have both moved their European headquarters from the UK to the Netherlands, while financial services company JP Morgan announced 4,000 of its staff could be moved from London in the event the UK crashes out of the EU. While multinational firms have sufficient capital and resources to plan and pivot, just over a month before the UK is due to leave the EU, most smaller businesses can only wait and hope. "In order to continue operating in the EU, we need to set up an EU base and have an EU address on our packaging," Rozenson explained, "this means incurring additional costs of running two offices." Brexit uncertainty surrounding tariffs has already taken a toll on the business, which relies heavily on exports to the EU as well as the Middle East, which together account for 70 percent of its sales, says Rozenson. "We've had three major distributors in the Netherlands, Sweden and Iceland who have postponed or cancelled our launch due to Brexit," Rozenson told Al Jazeera, "if tariffs are applied to our products we will become uncompetitive." If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, it will default to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. According to Rozenson, the pullouts have cost Vieve nearly a third of their projected income for 2019, which he said could be "devastating for a small business like ours". According to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), only one in seven of their members had begun preparations for a no-deal Brexit by the end of 2018, and that figure is unlikely to have changed much. "We think there is another 40 percent who would be affected by a no deal who haven't, and they told us they don't have the reserves. They can't afford to," Craig Beaumont, head of external affairs at the FSB, told Al Jazeera. "For a small business, it costs money to prepare," Beaumont added. The British parliament had rejected a withdrawal agreement - negotiated over 18 months by Prime Minister Theresa May - on January 15. Under pressure from backbench conservative MPs, May has returned to Brussels to renegotiate the agreement. She is seeking legally binding changes to the backstop, the insurance policy to avoid a hard border in the island of Ireland, which hard Brexiters see as a way of tying the UK to the EU's trade rules indefinitely. But the EU is unwilling to grant May the changes she needs to appease the hard wing of her party, while in recent days the British prime minister faced defections from moderate MPs. The EU negotiates trade deals on behalf of its member states, and the UK currently relies on 36 free trade agreements covering more than 60 countries worldwide, amounting to 11 percent of total UK trade. Ministers have been scrambling to ensure the continuity of those deals, and have so far secured just over a quarter of them, according to a government update. Amid a global economic slowdown, industrial production shrank by 0.9 percent in the Eurozone in December. The UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy witnessed its weakest annual growth rate in six years in 2018. Research by the University of St Andrews found innovative, high-tech and export-oriented small companies to be the most concerned about Brexit. While innovation may be stifled by a lack of investment, small companies also find it harder to target alternative markets. "Big companies can move production, people around," Ross Brown, who led the research, told Al Jazeera. "They have the capability to target different markets. When small companies export, they focus on neighbouring markets, there's a higher level of psychic distance."

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/eu-reliant-small-british-businesses-preparing-brexit-190226064356993.html

2019-02-28 07:12:27+00:00

economy, business and finance

economy

aljazeera--2019-04-11--Turkey promises reforms to revive economy

aljazeera

Turkey promises reforms to revive economy

The Turkish government has promised financial reforms to revive its ailing economy. In the past year, Turkey has faced high inflation and recession, while the national currency, the lira, has plunged nearly 30 percent in value. Many consumers are now finding it difficult to afford imported goods.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/turkey-promises-reforms-revive-economy-190411124048772.html

2019-04-11 12:40:48+00:00

economy, business and finance

economy

aljazeera--2019-04-15--Indonesia elections Candidates focus on economy

aljazeera

Indonesia elections: Candidates focus on economy

Indonesia's president's main challenger says the country needs to change its economic direction. Prabowo Subianto is up against incumbent Joko Widodo, who has overseen solid economic growth in his first term. But his rival in Wednesday's election says many Indonesians aren't seeing the benefits.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/indonesia-elections-candidates-focus-economy-190415084214262.html

2019-04-15 08:42:14+00:00

economy, business and finance

economy

activistpost--2019-12-21--Day 10: Technocracy And Education

activistpost

Day 10: Technocracy And Education

Technocrats have long since hijacked the American education system for their own agenda. What once was a system of actual education of students, has now become a system to produce nothing more than conditioned Technocrat workers. When this is understood, modern education programs like President George Bush’s education policy of “No Child Left Behind”, President Barack Obama’s program establishing Common Core Education Standards, and President Donald Trump’s Administration signing a UN agreement that states “We commit to facilitating the internationalization of education”, will become crystal clear. When the Technocracy Study Course was written in 1934 by M. King Hubbert and Howard Scott, it was literally intended to be the “bible” of Technocracy. It contained all of the basic elements of societal construction along with rules and principles for living. One of the pillar service sectors of Technocracy was education. On page 232, “The end products attained by a high-energy social mechanism on the North American Continent” are listed as: • an educational system to train the entire younger generation indiscriminately as regards all considerations other than inherent ability—a Continental system of human conditioning. (emphasis added) William Akin elaborated on this in his book, Technocracy and the American Dream (1978, pg. 142) A continental system of human conditioning will have to be installed to replace the existing insufficient educational methods and institutions. This continental system of general education will have to be organized as to provide the fullest possible conditioning and physical training… It must educate and train the student public so as to obtain the highest possible percentage of proficient functional capacity. Since the basic need of society was technical expertise, their education system would abolish the liberal arts, which addressed outmoded moralistic solutions to human problems. It would essentially replace the humanities with the machine shop. In the process, members of society would be conditioned to think in terms of engineering rationality and efficiency. Man, in short, would then be conditioned to assume the character of machines, to accept “a reality understood in terms of machine-like function. Early Technocrats, thoroughly captivated by the vain religion of Scientism, believed that truth about man and the universe could only be discovered through science. As a result, the pioneer of behavioral psychology, B.F. Skinner, was a principal contributor to Technocrat understanding of human conditioning. It was a theory that they eagerly embraced and applied to their utopian model of Technocracy. Skinner’s association with the Technocracy movement has been well documented in academic literature. Alexandra Rutherford, for instance, wrote B.F. Skinner and Technology’s Nation: Technocracy, Social Engineering, and the Good Life in 20th-Century America in the History of Psychology and stated, The balance of Rutherford’s paper detailed the “several philosophical and structural similarities between the Technocrats’ and Skinner’s social visions.” The Technocracy Study Course is thoroughly dependent on this line of thinking, and every chapter stresses the importance of and need for “conditioning” of all members of society in order for Utopia to materialize. Of course, this goes well beyond just education, but early conditioning of young students was of paramount importance: Although the modern drift of education toward Technocratic conditioning started in the early 1980s, it is not the purpose of this paper to present details that others have presented over the years. Rather, I will skip forward to the latest program called the Common Core Education Standards Initiative (CCESI) that has swept the American education system over the last 10 years. CCESI was sponsored by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), both of which are non-governmental organizations. CCSSO is a progressive advocacy organization that focuses on “education workforce; information systems and research; next generation learners; and standards, assessment, and accountability.” The NGA’s membership is exclusively the Governors of each state and territory, but it presents itself as a political organization. It is important to note that both the NGA and CCSSO are completely independent of any government authority or accountability. Did funding for CCESI come from the federal government? No! Instead, the primary financier was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that is controlled by Microsoft pioneer Bill Gates – a Technocrat. In fact, over a 10-year period, Gates provided almost $500 million to various organizations to develop the curriculum according to his own personal vision of education. Furthermore, according to its own website, the resulting copyright for CCESI is tightly held by these same organizations: Parents today wonder why the nature and focus of education has changed so radically over the last 10 years. The simple reason is that it has been hijacked by private Technocrat-oriented organizations and funded by Technocrats like Bill Gates. To call this a monumental coup would be an understatement. Of course, they had help and cooperation from the federal government to distribute it to the individual states, but that only demonstrates how deep the Technocrat influence runs within our political structures. In sum, Akin’s observation of Technocracy’s “Continental system of human conditioning” has proven correct: “It would essentially replace the humanities with the machine shop.” You can read more from Patrick Wood at his site Technocracy News & Trends, where this article first appeared. Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and Steemit. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/12/day-10-technocracy-and-education.html

Sat, 21 Dec 2019 17:25:16 +0000

education

parent organisation

aljazeera--2019-03-29--The European far right has its eye on education

aljazeera

The European far right has its eye on education

Today, the Thirteenth World Congress of Families will kick off in Verona, under the patronage of the Italian regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Marco Bussetti, the Italian education minister, will be among a number of high-level officials to speak at the event. That Bussetti will be rubbing shoulders with ultraconservative activists and politicians from Italy, Hungary, Moldova, Russia, Uganda and Malawi at an event that purports to "the natural family as a fundamental unit of society" should not come as a surprise. Education has never been politically neutral and has always been shaped by a particular vision of society. With a right-wing ethnocentric world view becoming more appealing to western electorates and far-right parties, strengthening their representation in political and administrative institutions, they are naturally trying to imprint their views on culture and education. This includes the right in Italy, which has its eye on the education sector under the current populist government. In fact, the current political environment in Italy which appears quite favourable to nurturing far-right activism has attracted even foreign far-right ideologues. Earlier this month, the media zoomed in on an educational project former Trump campaign strategist Steve Bannon set up in an old monastery in Italy. The so-called "modern gladiator school" will aim to give its students the necessary tools to defend "the Judeo-Christian West" and its values. The news came as a shock to many who did not expect this controversial alt-right extremist and his supporters to be investing in education. However, despite the demagoguery and anti-intellectualism that define some of far right's contemporary reincarnations, its interest in founding elite education institutions to raise a highly skilled vanguard, as well as shaping mass education to influence large segments of the population, is nothing new. Far-right intellectuals in Europe have been advocating for the establishment of right-leaning elite institutes with vehemence for decades. They have long argued that "the leftist indoctrination" propagated in universities across the continent has rendered necessary the establishment of education hubs which would follow an alternative right-wing curriculum to train a new, and different, intellectual and political elite. Neo-conservative institutions in the US, such as the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and the Young Americans for Freedom, have served as their main source of inspiration. With his new project, Bannon wants to establish an elitist school that would work towards cultivating the future thought leaders of the far-right movement. This idea seems to be, at least partially, inspired by Julius Evola, the Italian fascist philosopher who promoted the formation of a hierarchical society run by a spiritually superior caste - a small elite of "warriors". Evola viewed progress and equality as poisonous illusions and rejected the liberal democratic order. His anti-democratic ideology remained popular in far-right circles for decades after his death and today, it is embraced by a diverse bunch of right-wingers - from Bannon to the Greek Golden Dawn, from the US alt-right to the Russian far right as well as other extremists opposing markets-led globalisation, liberalism and multiculturalism. While Bannon's Evola-inspired vision of providing high-quality, traditionalist right-wing education to select few elites is undoubtedly supported by many ultraconservatives, others have concentrated their focuses on shaping mass education along their views. Education delivered through compulsory state-controlled schooling can indeed reach much more people than the small number of already sympathetic elites targeted by "gladiator academies" like Bannon's, and could potentially be more influential in the long-term. Different far-right movements in Europe have approached this in different ways. Bussetti, the Italian education minister, for example, recently decided to exclude history from the exit exam for high schoolers, thus decreasing its importance in the curriculum. This move is part of the plan of the far-right League party, which is part of Italy's governing coalition, to give more prominence to vocational subjects over humanities in high schools. The party hopes a high school education focused on skills necessary to perform specific jobs and basic citizenship duties would reduce university attendance rates and probably expose fewer young people to leftist and liberal ideas in institutions of higher education. The Italian far right has also pressed forward with its educational agenda at the regional level. In Udine, for example, the city council recently voted to ban all references to "other cultures" in the local kindergarten. Children are now supposed to only cuddle dolls, play instruments, and read books that are deemed culturally Italian. In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is seeking to rewrite the history syllabus. Its Saxony-Anhalt chapter, for instance, has called for history lessons to be redesigned so they promote among students "a fundamentally positive relationship to their country and a consolidated national identity". The AfD chapter also claims there is a need for an "education policy that orients itself again towards the pure ideal of the German history of thought". It supports the re-introduction of the "Heimatkunde" (knowledge about the homeland) - a subject that they believe would help German pupils connect with their roots and "gain orientation in a globalised world". A few regional AfD organisations have also targeted teachers who, it asserts, use their lessons for "leftist indoctrination". They have set up websites in which pupils can denounce left-leaning teachers, promising to send these cases "to the highest institutional level". With AfD representatives strengthening their presence and power in parliaments and the Lander's education boards, teachers' associations have expressed their worries for retaliation. Education has evidently become a battleground for the conservative and far-right forces. This is both because it is a topical issue that many people care about and that can be used to reach wider audiences, and because it can help shape society according to far-right social and political values. In the past, educational systems have often demonstrated a strong resilience towards radical political shifts. However, history also shows that they can become a powerful tool to indoctrinate citizens at the hands of autocratic and fascist forces. This is certainly the dream of the contemporary far right - which, when in power, tries to systematically undermine the progressive and cosmopolitan values of education. If Europe does not want to go back to the dark age of fascism, it should stand up to the far right and fight to preserve the values of liberalism, pluralism, and critical thinking in European education. The views expressed in this article are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/european-eye-education-190318160929891.html

2019-03-29 13:39:53+00:00

education

parent organisation

breitbart--2019-11-30--Pope Francis Tells Schoolchildren to Build a ‘Global Village’ of Education

breitbart

Pope Francis Tells Schoolchildren to Build a ‘Global Village’ of Education

ROME — Pope Francis told a group of schoolchildren Saturday that they are called to build a “global village” of education, which is “the best medicine against all forms of discrimination, violence, and bullying.” In this great global village, “education becomes a bearer of fraternity and a creator of peace among all the peoples of the human family, and also of dialogue among their religions,” the pope told participants in the Children’s Global Summit, a three-day event taking place in Rome. Some 4,000 schoolchildren between the ages of six and 16 from more than 60 different countries took part in the program, many accompanied by their parents. “We are all called to build a ‘global village of education.’ What a beautiful expression! A global village of education, whose inhabitants generate a network of human relations, which are the best medicine against all forms of discrimination, violence and bullying,” Francis said. “In this great village, education becomes the bearer of fraternity and creator of peace among all the peoples of the human family, and also of dialogue between their religions,” he said. In his address to the group, the pope said that adults need to learn from children, particularly when it comes to the protection of nature, since they are at the “forefront” of the environmental movement. The pope has been vocal in his praise of young people like Greta Thunberg who agitate against global warming. Last August, Francis said that he was worried about the future of the planet, calling climate change a “global emergency” that can lead to “the death of humanity.” At the same time, the pope said he was greatly encouraged by the involvement of young people in the battle against climate change. There are signs of hope for the environment “especially in the movements of young ecologists, such as the one led by Greta Thunberg, ‘Fridays for Future.’” Francis said. “I saw one of their signs that struck me: ‘We are the future!’” he said. The pope had congratulated the young Swedish activist last April, when she met him briefly in the Vatican. At that time, the pope urged Thunberg to continue her crusade against climate change, during a meeting at the end of his general audience Wednesday. On that occasion, the pope approached the 16-year-old activist, who was seated in the VIP section in St. Peter’s Square, and recognized her, exclaiming in Spanish “La famosa!” before congratulating her for her advocacy work.

Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/breitbart/~3/jfJ8VIS_oXk/

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 17:44:11 +0000

education

parent organisation

cbsnews--2019-11-29--David Rubenstein says it's time to give Americans a proper history education

cbsnews

David Rubenstein says it's time to give Americans a proper history education

Millions are bracing for the impact of dangerous weather

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/david-rubenstein-says-its-time-to-give-americans-a-proper-history-education/

Fri, 29 Nov 2019 20:14:36 +0000

education

parent organisation

cnsnews--2019-01-10--Walter Williams A Glimmer of Hope for Black Education

cnsnews

Walter Williams: A Glimmer of Hope for Black Education

In reference to efforts to teach black children, the president of the St. Petersburg, Florida, chapter of the NAACP, Maria Scruggs, said: "The (school) district has shown they just can't do it. ... Now it's time for the community to step in." That's a recognition that politicians and the education establishment, after decades of promises, cannot do much to narrow the huge educational achievement gap between Asians and whites on the one hand and blacks on the other. The most crucial input for a child's education cannot be provided by schools or politicians. Continued calls for higher education budgets will produce disappointing results, as they have in the past. There are certain minimum requirements that must be met for any child, regardless of race, to do well in school. Someone must make the youngster do his homework — and possibly help him with it. Someone must ensure that he gets eight hours of sleep. Someone must feed him wholesome meals, including breakfast. Finally, someone must ensure that he gets to school on time, behaves in school and respects the teachers. If these minimum requirements are not met — and they can be met even if a family is poor — all else is for naught. Scruggs says that it's time for the black community to accept part of the blame. Part of the problem is the lack of parents' involvement in their children's education — for example, their not attending parent-teacher nights. Having children's books around the house and reading to preschoolers is vitally important. According to Mariah Evans, who headed a 20-year worldwide study that found "the presence of books in the home" to be the top predictor of whether a child will attain a high level of education, "one of the things that is most striking ... about it is that the book's effect appears to be even larger and more important for children from very disadvantaged homes." By the way, one doesn't have to be rich to have books around the house. Plus, there are libraries. One vital measure for community involvement in black education is that of preventing youngsters who are alien and hostile to the educational process from making education impossible for everybody else. That can be accomplished by ignoring politicians and the liberal vision that restricts schools from removing students who pose severe disciplinary problems. The problem goes beyond simple misbehavior. An article in Education Week last year, titled "When Students Assault Teachers, Effects Can Be Lasting," reported: "In the 2015-16 school year, 5.8 percent of the nation's 3.8 million teachers were physically attacked by a student. Almost 10 percent were threatened with injury, according to federal education data." Given the huge educational achievement gap between blacks and whites, one might ask whether black people can afford to allow students who have little interest in being educated to make education impossible for others. Students who assault teachers ought to be summarily removed from the school. One might ask, "Williams, what are we going to do with those expelled students?" I do not know, but I do know one thing for sure: Black people cannot afford to allow them to remain in school and sabotage the educational chances of everyone else. The educational achievement gap between blacks and whites is hidden from black students and their families. All too often, a black student with a high school diploma cannot read, write or compute at a sixth- or seventh-grade level. This tends to make high school diplomas held by blacks less valuable in the eyes of employers. As such, it sparks racial division where it otherwise would not exist. There have been complaints that police and fire departments and other civil service jobs don't have many black employees. The problem is that to get hired in the first place — and get promoted if hired — one needs to pass a civil service exam. If one's high school diploma is fraudulent — meaning he has not mastered the 12th-grade levels of all subjects — he is seriously handicapped. I say hats off to the vision being promoted by the NAACP's Maria Scruggs. She and her supporters have their work cut out for them, but it's doable. Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

Michael Morris

https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/walter-e-williams/walter-williams-glimmer-hope-black-education

2019-01-10 14:11:44+00:00

education

parent organisation

coloradopeakpolitics--2019-06-14--SEE YOU NEXTWHAT Democrat and Enviro Head Drops C-Word on Secretary of Education

coloradopeakpolitics

SEE YOU NEXT…WHAT? Democrat and Enviro Head Drops C-Word on Secretary of Education

Not a day goes by when we aren’t reminded of the hypocrisy rampant in the Democratic Party and far-left wing in Colorado – especially around women. The most recent example comes to us in the form of Leo McKinney, the former Mayor of Glenwood Springs and current president of the environmental organization, Glenwood Springs Citizens Alliance, which claims to educate the public about the benefits of securing permanent protection of the area within and surrounding the city of Glenwood Springs from mineral extraction and development. In other words, they want to keep it in the ground. We won’t even add the tweet here but you can see for yourself  in a post from the Colorado Transparency Project, McKinney was recently busted for sinking as low as possible and dropping the See You Next Tuesday (are you really going to make us spell it out?) slander on Education Secretary Betsy Devos. Woah. That escalated quickly. That’s right folks, McKinney doesn’t always call women the c-word , but when he does he likes to do it as publicly as possible on social media. Besides the admission that he likes to use this offensive word, it’s another yet reminder that Democrats aren’t the party of women. We haven’t seen any apology from McKinney yet, or heard if the Glenwood Springs Citizens Alliance will ask him to resign, but both actions would seem to be appropriate in this situation. It’s not a good look to have a misogynist as the president of your organization.

ColoradoPeakPolitics

https://coloradopeakpolitics.com/2019/06/14/see-you-next-what-democrat-and-enviro-head-drops-c-word-on-secretary-of-education/

2019-06-14 21:50:52+00:00

education

parent organisation