News – Page 619

Ukraine and Russia Presidents Talk 'Cease Fire'

October 14, 2020 | News | No Comments

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday has offered an outline of a 14-step peace plan process designed to end the months long violence and political upheaval in Ukraine following a late night telephone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders spoke Tuesday night and Poroshenko says the first step will be a complete “cease fire” in the eastern regions of the country that could begin within days.

“The plan will begin with my order for a unilateral cease-fire,” Poroshenko was quoted as saying by various news outlets. “Immediately after this, we need very quickly to get support for the peace plan … from all participants.”

The conversation and announced plan comes less than two days after Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine on Monday. Amid months of recent violence and regional tensions, Moscow and Kiev have been in a battle over outstanding payment for Russian gas owed by the Ukrainian government. Energy resources, especially over natural gas pipelines, are seen as a key sticking point in the long-term prospects for better relations between the two countries that share a long and complicated history.

As Agence France-Presse reports:

On the proposed peace agreement now on the offer, Reuters reports the deal would include “amnesty for separatist fighters who lay down arms, and tighter controls over Ukraine’s border with Russia.”

Meanwhile, in the city of Donetsk on Wednesday, thousands of Ukrainians marched against the military aggression of the Kiev-controlled Ukraine Army in recent weeks and once again declared their autonomy and independence.

___________________________________

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Click Here: Rugby league Jerseys

By Tncse

New Day, Street Profits swap WWE Raw & SmackDown Tag Team titles

October 14, 2020 | News | No Comments

The men’s WWE Tag Team title situation regarding both sets of champions was made clear in a segment tonight on Raw.

During tonight’s show, WWE official Adam Pearce met with Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, the SmackDown Tag Team champions who were drafted to Raw, and The Street Profits, Raw Tag Team champions who were drafted to SmackDown. Pearce said he cleared it with WWE and the solution to the problem was to exchange titles — The Street Profits would be recognized as the SmackDown Tag Team champions and vice versa. The two teams agreed, and the switch was made.

The New Day were drafted during the first night of the draft on SmackDown this past Friday. Both Kingston and Woods returned that night, defeating Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro to win the SmackDown Tag team titles. However, it was announced immediately after that title match that Kingston and Woods were being drafted to Raw, while Big E would stay SmackDown, splitting the trio apart for the first time since 2014.

Click Here: NRL Telstra Premiership

By Tncse

Study: 'Shocking' Water Loss in Western U.S.

October 14, 2020 | News | No Comments

The drought-stricken Colorado River Basin has experienced rapid and significant groundwater depletion since late 2004, posing a greater threat to the water supply of the western United States than previously thought, according to a new study by NASA and University of California, Irvine.

The research team used data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission to track changes in the mass of the Colorado River Basin, which is the water source for more than 30 million people and 4 million acres of farmland. The satellites showed the basin lost nearly 53 million acre feet (about 17 trillion gallons) of freshwater between 2004-2013 — almost double the volume of the nation’s largest reservoir, Nevada’s Lake Mead, which itself recently fell to its lowest level since the 1930s. More than three-quarters of the total water loss in the Colorado River Basin was from groundwater. The basin has been experiencing the driest 14-year period in the last 100 years.

“We don’t know exactly how much groundwater we have left, so we don’t know when we’re going to run out,” said Stephanie Castle, a water resources specialist at the UC-Irvine and lead author of the study. “This is a lot of water to lose. We thought that the picture could be pretty bad, but this was shocking.”

Because pumping from underground aquifers is regulated by individual states and is often not well documented, it is difficult to quantify how groundwater reserves are affected by drought. But the NASA/Irvine study, which measured gravitational attraction as a way to assess rising and falling water levels, reveals that a crucial water source for seven basin states and Mexico has been compromised. The study also indicates that declines in the snowpack that feeds the river and population growth could further compound the problem.

“We thought that the picture could be pretty bad, but this was shocking.”
—Stephanie Castle, UC-Irvine”The Colorado River Basin is the water lifeline of the western United States,” said senior author Jay Famiglietti. “With Lake Mead at its lowest level ever, we wanted to explore whether the basin, like most other regions around the world, was relying on groundwater to make up for the limited surface-water supply. We found a surprisingly high and long-term reliance on groundwater to bridge the gap between supply and demand.”

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

Last year, the Pacific Institute found that about 70 percent of the Colorado River Basin water supply goes toward irrigated agriculture.

In a blog for Science, Eric Hand writes:

To that end, several Western states are implementing or considering groundwater management plans. And earlier this month, the Boulder-based Western Resource Advocates joined with American Rivers in releasing a new report that identified municipal conservation, grey water treatment and reuse, and irrigation efficiency as ways to mitigate “Western water shortages stemming from the over-taxed and stressed Colorado River.”

Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.

Click Here: camiseta seleccion argentina

By Tncse

From 'Front-Lines of Climate Crisis,' Gathering Calls for New Economy

October 14, 2020 | News | No Comments

“Power without pollution. Communities united for a just transition.”

That is the theme of an international gathering that kicked off Wednesday in Richmond, California, bringing together hundreds of people on the front-lines in the fight against environmental destruction and social inequality to tackle the ambitious question: how do we build an economy that works for people and the planet?

“Our growth-driven, global economy is about to crash the planet… Now we are in a moment of transition, but what is not clear is whether justice will be part of that transition.”
–Michelle Mascarenhas-Swan, Climate Justice Alliance

Under the banner of a campaign called “Our Power,” participants hail from dozens of organizations representing indigenous peoples, people of color, and working-class white communities that collaborate through the Climate Justice Alliance. Three days of conversations and strategizing will conclude Saturday with a day of action to highlight local alternatives to fossil fuel dependence.

This is the first national gathering of Our Power and, according to organizers, builds from an intense season of mobilization, including a gathering of youth and young adults that took place in Detroit in June, as well as ongoing preparation for the the Peoples Climate March and Summit, to take place in September in New York. Those convened in Richmond are ultimately shooting for a big goal: connecting local, national, and international struggles of the marginalized and dispossessed to chart a “just transition” to a new economy.

“Our growth-driven, global economy is about to crash the planet. Communities on the front-lines of this crisis have been feeling that for a long time,” Michelle Mascarenhas-Swan, co-director of Climate Justice Alliance, told Common Dreams. “Now we are in a moment of transition, but what is not clear is whether justice will be part of that transition. It is critical for communities on the front-lines to be leading the transition so solutions don’t throw anyone under the bus. No community, place, or home is a sacrifice zone.”

The gathering takes place in a Bay Area city that is under threat of becoming such a zone, facing long-term pollution and poverty that devastate public health, including a fire in 2012 at a 112-year-old ever-expanding refinery owned by oil giant Chevron that sent 15,000 nearby residents to the hospital. But Richmond is also the site of long-term environmental justice organizing by grassroots groups including the Richmond Environmental Justice Coalition, which is co-hosting the gathering.

“Why us? We live every day on the front-lines of the climate crisis, with illnesses and the danger of explosions—and on the front-line of the economic crisis, when we can’t keep money and jobs in our city,” said Mey Saechao, an Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) member who lives on the border of Richmond and San Pablo.

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

Participants represent groups spanning the globe, including the Black Mesa Water Coalition in Arizona, which is comprised of indigenous communities, and according to an organizational statement, “dedicated to preserving and protecting Mother Earth and the integrity of Indigenous Peoples’ cultures” and organizing for safe, clean water and alternatives to coal-fired power plants. Topics range from organizing for food security on the local level to building a movement of mass transit riders and creating effective strategies for defeating climate change on a global scale.

“These are communities that are traditionally viewed as less politically powerful. So we are talking about a shift in power, not just saving our own communities.”
–Will Copeland, East Michigan Environmental Action Council

Organizers say that key groups—Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Cooperation Jackson of Jackson, Mississippi, and Southwest Workers Union of San Antonio, Texas—will play a role in helping focus the alliance’s work on the U.S. south, particularly Gulf Coast communities.

“What we are talking about is the leadership of communities of color, of poor communities,” Will Copeland, youth director for the East Michigan Environmental Action Council, told Common Dreams. “These are communities that are traditionally viewed as less politically powerful. So we are talking about a shift in power, not just saving our own communities.”

Copeland said that the gathering bolsters his community’s organizing in Detroit to demand “the human right to water” in the face of mass water shut-offs and organize on the state level against a trash incinerator that is damaging public and environmental health. “By coming together, we can not just take on issues one by one individually, but really call for a new economy and new way of making our livelihood, which is why the ‘just transition’ really resonates in Detroit,” said Copeland. “We are looking for a new way where people won’t get polluted at work and in their neighborhoods, where we won’t have to stay in unhealthy jobs.”

Scientists have confirmed that people already facing socioeconomic inequalities are more severely impacted by climate change, with countries in the global south hardest hit. The gathering builds on decades of organizing among communities of color in the United States to bridge the gap between environmental and social justice movements by highlighting the links between environmental destruction, displacement, racism, and poverty.

Click Here: Putters

“We are here to connect our struggles for food sovereignty, zero waste, clean community power, and finding ways for people to stay rooted in neighborhood,” said Mascarenhas-Swan. “It takes roots to weather a storm, and the storm is here.”

Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.

By Tncse

'Unbalanced Recovery': Wages Falling, Low-Paid Jobs Rising Across US

October 14, 2020 | News | No Comments

While wages have declined across all sectors in the years following the financial crash of 2008, low-paid workers have been hit the hardest, the National Employment Law Project (NELP) reported this week.

NELP analyzed five groups of median wages in its report, titled (pdf). Since 2009, while higher-income sectors saw a drop between 2.1 and 2.5 percent, workers in the three lowest-paid groups were hit much harder, with wage declines between 3.6 and 4.6 percent. Some of the hardest-hit professions within the three lowest-paid groups were maids, housekeepers, home health and personal care aides, and restaurant workers, whose wage decline ranged from 5.8 to 8.3 percent.

The study also found that low-paid jobs are on the rise. Despite the stagnant or diminished level of wages more people found work in lower-paid occupations than in any other industry in the past year. Low-wage and mid-wage jobs constituted a combined 67 percent of job growth from July 2013 to July 2014.

As Think Progress points out, the simultaneous rise of employment rates and decline of wages in the same industries is “troubling”:

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

“These real wage declines mean that workers in mid – and low – wage jobs are falling further and further behind,” said NELP’s executive director Christine Owens. “These losses are part of an alarming trend toward greater inequality and a shrinking share of the economic pie going to workers’ wages, especially low – and mid – wage workers . Policymakers in Washington and in our state capitals need to adopt solutions that begin to straighten out our economic priorities and reduce these economic disparities. Raising the minimum wage, which will reverse the declining real value of that critical wage floor, and supporting the right of workers to stick together and negotiate for better pay and working conditions, are good places to start.”

Robert Kuttner, writing for the American Prospect, notes that “[o]ne manifestation of job insecurity is extremes of inequality as corporations, banks, and hedge funds capture more than their share of the economy’s productive output at the expense of workers.”

“The shift in labor markets, from an economy where regular payroll employment is the norm, to one where more of us are performing odd jobs, or have regular jobs with indeterminate schedules, ought to be the top domestic political issue,” Kuttner writes.

NELP, an nonpartisan organization that has been fighting for a higher national minimum wage, has analyzed job growth data twice since 2009 and found that the trend has been consistent every year: real median hourly wages had declined by 2.8 percent last year, on average, across all occupations, with the greatest losses hitting the exact same groups — mid- and low-wage workers, particularly maids, housekeepers, care aides, and restaurant cooks.

Over the next decade, one in four American workers is expected to work a low-wage job.

Click Here: cheap sydney roosters jersey

Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.

By Tncse

Canadian Beekeepers Launch Class Action Suit Against Pesticide Makers

October 14, 2020 | News | No Comments

Beekeepers in the Canadian province of Ontario have launched a class action lawsuit against makers of a class of pesticides linked to the decline of bees.

The claim (pdf) filed Tuesday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice seeks $450 million in damages going back to 2006 for the “chronic effects of the use of the Neonicotinoids […] felt by Canada’s Beekeepers annually.”

The effort targets agribusiness giants Bayer and Syngenta, whom the claims states were “negligent in permitting or failing to prevent the damages caused by the Neonicotinoids to the Beekeepers.”

The claim, led by two Ontario-based honey producers and filed by Siskinds LLP, charges that agribusiness giants Bayer and Syngenta’s “continued production, marketing and sale of the Neonicotinoids” poses “ongoing” damage. “Beekeepers have suffered, and will continue to suffer, devastating economic hardships as a result of the continued use of Neonicotinoids,” it states.

The damages they say are caused by these pesticides, also known as neonics, include: bee deaths; impaired reproduction; immune suppression; behavioral abnormalities resulting in hive loss ; reduced honey production; impacts on the quality of honey; contamination of hive equipment; loss of Queen Bees; breeding stock; and difficulties fulfilling honey product or pollination contracts.

John Bennett, National Program Director of the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, called the launch of the lawsuit “historic news,” and explained the lead-up to the suit:

The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA), which is not directly involved in the suit, welcomed to effort. “This Action puts the blame where it belongs — on the pesticide manufacturers,” the organization’s Vice President, Tibor Szabo, said in statement.

Click Here: New Zealand rugby store

The Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) reported that Ontario’s average level of wintering loss of honey bee colonies over the past winter was 58 percent, far higher than the 15 percent winter loss beekeepers in the country consider an acceptable level.

CAPA’s latest annual colony loss report (pdf) adds: “There are concerns amongst some beekeepers, particularly in Ontario and Quebec, that exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides during the spring and summer may lead to increased stress to colonies contributing to winter loss.”

The U.S.-based environmental group Beyond Pesticides stated Thursday that the class action suit “demonstrates the desperation of beekeepers everywhere.” The group writes:

Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.

By Tncse

Top 15 Democratic presidential candidates in 2020

October 13, 2020 | News | No Comments

Democrats grappling with the shock of Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhite House accuses Biden of pushing ‘conspiracy theories’ with Trump election claim Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE’s loss to Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE are also beginning to turn their attention to 2020, and pondering who could defeat Trump as he vies for reelection.

Here are The Hill’s initial rankings of where the potential candidates stand.

1. Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names MORE (Mass.)

How would the 2016 election have panned out had Warren challenged Clinton in the primary? That’s one of the great unknowables of Democratic politics. But now, there is little doubt that the Massachusetts senator is the leading contender for the 2020 nomination.

Warren, a former Harvard Law School professor, has been beloved by the left throughout her late-blooming political career, largely because of her no-punches-pulled attacks on banks and the financial industry. She got under Trump’s skin via Twitter during the 2016 campaign too.

The recent news that Warren will join the Senate Armed Services Committee in January has stoked speculation that she is looking to bolster her foreign policy and national security credentials in advance of a presidential run. Warren would be 71 by the time of the next election, but she is three years younger than Trump.

2. Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.)

Sanders came from semi-obscurity in the Senate to give Clinton a serious run for her money in the battle for the Democratic nomination this year.

He won 23 contests and amassed more than 13 million votes. He also fired the enthusiasm of young voters and progressives, two pillars of the Democratic base that Clinton struggled to charm.

The Vermonter’s focus on income inequality and his broader point that the system is rigged against working Americans resonated. Sanders’s main problem when it comes to a 2020 run could be his age. He will be 79 next Election Day. Still, Sanders might well be tempted to try one more time — especially if Warren stood aside.

3. Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.)

Booker raised eyebrows earlier this month when it emerged that he would join the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when the new Congress convenes. As with Warren and the Armed Services panel, his decision was interpreted as an effort to burnish his resume for a potential presidential run.

Booker is just 47, and he is one of only two African-Americans in the Senate for now. (That number will rise to three in January when California’s Kamala Harris will be sworn in.)

He is also one of the most media-savvy members in the upper chamber — a trait that has been apparent since the start of his career, when his first, failed bid to become mayor of Newark was captured in a sympathetic documentary, “Street Fight.”

Booker is far from the most liberal member of the caucus. During the 2012 presidential campaign, he criticized an Obama campaign ad that hit Mitt Romney’s business record, insisting on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, “I’m not about to sit here and indict private equity.”

An optimistic view is that he could bridge the gap between the progressive and center-left strands of the party. Skeptics will question whether he is a little too corporate-friendly for the tastes of Democratic primary voters.

4. Sen. Amy KlobucharAmy KlobucharHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Democrats demand Republican leaders examine election challenges after Georgia voting chaos Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk MORE (Minn.)

Klobuchar has already appeared on several shortlists of likely contenders for the nomination, and it’s not hard to see why.

The New Yorker called her, “popular, practical, appealing [and] progressive.” She is from a state where the currents of labor and progressivism run strong. But the no-nonsense, affable Klobuchar could also plausibly appeal to Rust Belt voters whom her party needs to win over.

One issue for Klobuchar right now is that she does not have a high profile outside of her native state and the Beltway. There is plenty of time to change that if she wants to run and win in 2020. But she could be eclipsed by higher-wattage candidates.

5. Sen. Kirsten GillibrandKirsten GillibrandWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Warren, Pressley introduce bill to make it a crime for police officers to deny medical care to people in custody Senate Dems press DOJ over coronavirus safety precautions in juvenile detention centers MORE (N.Y)

Gillibrand followed in Clinton’s footsteps when she replaced her as a New York senator in 2009. Could she do the same at the presidential level — but actually win the White House?

It’s certainly possible. Gillibrand’s profile has risen in tandem with her making the prevention of sexual assaults in the military a signature issue. Representing New York, she has easy access to the national media and to powerful Democratic fundraising networks.

But Gillibrand’s similarities with Clinton, superficial though they may be, could go against her. It’s just not clear Democrats would roll the dice again, as soon as 2020, on another prominent female nominee from New York.

Critics also charge that Gillibrand emphasized more centrist positions as a congresswoman from a somewhat conservative district than she does as a senator from a liberal state.

6. First lady Michelle ObamaMichelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaThe Hill’s Morning Report – Treasury, Fed urge more spending, lending to ease COVID-19 wreckage Budowsky: Michelle Obama or Tammy Duckworth for VP Michelle Obama urges class of 2020 to couple protesting with mobilizing, voting MORE

If the first lady exhibited even a slight inclination to run, she would be ranked near the top of this list.

There is no figure in public life, with the possible exception of her husband, who has so strong a hold on liberal hearts and minds.

Obama has become more comfortable with her public role over the years. Her two major speeches during the 2016 campaign — one at the Democratic convention, another excoriating Trump for “hurtful, hateful language about women” — were among the most powerful delivered during the cycle.

The first lady insists that she won’t run, citing the effect such an effort would have on her two daughters among other factors. But Malia and Sasha Obama will be 22 and 19, respectively, by the time of the next election. When it comes to the first lady’s future plans, many Democrats still cling to the audacity of hope.

7. Gov. John Hickenlooper (Colo.)

Hickenlooper presides over a state that is considered a key battleground, even though it has become more solidly Democratic in recent years. Colorado has gone for the Democratic nominee in the past three presidential elections and Clinton won the state by five points.

Hickenlooper, who has a politically effective down-to-earth persona, could potentially boost the party’s appeal in the heartlands. He has enjoyed solid approval ratings during his time in office.

One problem? While his chances are talked up among Beltway pundits, he is almost unknown in the nation at large.

8. Sen. Chris MurphyChristopher (Chris) Scott MurphyState, city education officials press Congress for more COVID-19 funds The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Trump takes victory lap in morning news conference Pelosi demands Trump clarify deployment of unidentified law enforcement in DC MORE (Conn.)

Murphy has come to the fore on the issue of gun control. He can speak with moral authority on the issue: In his state, a gunman killed 20 young children, as well as six adults, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. President Obama has called that moment the worst day of his presidency.

Politically speaking, Murphy would need to display more policy breadth and heighten his national profile if he is to be a genuine contender. For the moment, he’s one to watch.

9. Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE

The vice president could have definitively ruled himself out of the running, but hasn’t. He joked with reporters about the possibility earlier this month, and then sought to clarify by saying he had “no intention” of running.

Biden would clearly have loved to run in 2016, were it not for the fact that he was still grieving the loss of his son, Beau. Biden’s age is a real issue, however. He would be 77 by next Election Day. If he won, he would turn 78 before being inaugurated.

For all his political skills, his two previous runs for the presidency, in 1988 and 2008, ended in failure.

10. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (N.Y.)

On paper, Cuomo looks like a strong candidate. He is the governor of a huge, liberal state and hails from a well-established political family. Cuomo’s late father, Mario, served as governor of the Empire State for three terms.

No one doubts the younger Cuomo’s ambition, but whether he is the right fit for the times is a tougher question. In a party where the left is ascendant, he has positioned himself as a centrist foil to New York City’s liberal mayor, Bill de Blasio. It’s not clear what Cuomo’s power base would be for a primary fight.

11. Sen.-elect Kamala Harris (Calif.)

Harris is one of the bright spots for Democrats who are dismayed by their failure to retake the Senate. She will succeed the retiring Sen. Barbara BoxerBarbara Levy BoxerPolls show big bounce to Biden ahead of Super Tuesday Sanders poised for big Super Tuesday Establishment Democrats rallying behind Biden MORE in January.

Harris has been seen as a rising star in the party for some time, her fans including President Obama, who once praised her in imprudent terms.

Harris, a leading lawyer before shifting into politics, is the daughter of an Indian-American mother and a Jamaican-American father. It’s not clear she has any presidential ambitions and, if she ran in 2020, she would face criticism about her relative lack of political experience. But she would be as experienced as then-Sen. Obama was when he began his 2008 White House run.

12. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Could she run again? It’s possible. Many people thought Clinton’s electoral ambitions had ended in 2008, with her devastating loss to Obama in the Democratic primary. That turned out not to be the case.

There is still a large, wealthy circle of Clinton loyalists, who would back any future run. But, even if she had the appetite for a 2020 bid, she would have enormous hurdles to overcome.

One of the biggest would be the question of how she lost the presidency to Donald Trump. Beyond the hardline Clintonistas, there aren’t many Democratic insiders who were wowed by her campaign. In a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released earlier this month, 62 percent of Democrats and independents said Clinton should not run again.

13. Former Gov. Deval Patrick (Mass.)

Patrick has considerable political skills and was once talked up as a potential inheritor of President Obama’s mantle. David Axelrod, one of the aides closest to Obama, worked with Patrick as well, and both Patrick and Obama adopted “Yes We Can!” as a campaign slogan.

But Patrick left office in 2015, and it’s just not clear whether he could — or would want to — come off the sidelines for 2020. He also joined Bain Capital, which is hardly the ideal launching pad for a quest to win over liberal activists.

14. Sen. Tim KaineTimothy (Tim) Michael KaineWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Senate panel passes amendment to bar using troops against protesters Defense bill turns into proxy battle over Floyd protests MORE (Va.)

Kaine achieved a new national prominence when Clinton named him as her 2016 running mate. But his performance was a mixed bag.

The Virginia senator gave some energetic speeches on the campaign trail, defying his reputation for dullness. On the other hand, his showing in his sole debate with his counterpart, Indiana Gov. Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PencePence posts, deletes photo of Trump campaign staff without face masks, not social distancing Pence threatens to deploy military if Pennsylvania governor doesn’t quell looting Pence on Floyd: ‘No tolerance for racism’ in US MORE, was uneven at best.

15. Oprah Winfrey

Trump proved how powerful a currency celebrity can be — and there may be no more trusted celebrity in America than Oprah. Having steered largely clear of partisan politics for most of her career, Winfrey became an enthusiastic backer of Obama when he looked a long shot to beat Hillary Clinton to the 2008 nomination.

Winfrey has said she “couldn’t breathe” after Trump won in November. She softened her stance later, but could she be tempted into a race to defeat the president-elect?

Click Here: Fjallraven Kanken Art Spring Landscape Backpacks

By Tncse

Facing Cuts to Take-Home Pay, Uber Drivers Protest in Los Angeles

October 13, 2020 | News | No Comments

Drivers for the ride-sharing app Uber protested in Los Angeles earlier this week, claiming the company, valued at $18 billion, has slashed their rates to an untenable level.

Click Here: geelong cats guernsey 2019

“I’ve experienced four cuts since I started,” driver Aya Valilar, who has been working with the company a year-and-a-half, told CBS2/KCAL9. “It was $2.50 a mile when I started a year and a half ago, and now we are at $1.10 a mile. You can’t make a living off of that.”

Uber takes a 20 percent commission on each ride, and drivers must pay for their own gas, car maintenance, insurance, and amenities such as water, gum, and phone chargers that clients have come to expect. While many customers assume that tips are factored into Uber rates, in fact no part of the fare is considered a tip.

In response, Uber issued a statement that read, in part: “Drivers are making more money now due to higher demand than they did before the price cut. We will continue to work with them individually to ensure their small businesses thrive.”

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

The protest comes as Uber drivers are engaged in a larger fight for better working conditions. Last week, the California App-Based Drivers’ Association (CADA) met in El Monte, just east of Los Angeles, to formalize its affiliation with Teamsters Local 986.

“We look forward to working with CADA to help the drivers win fairness in the workplace and help them get recognized for the work they do making Uber and other app-based companies successful,” said Chris Griswold, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 986 in South El Monte. “These app-based companies need to start treating their professional drivers with the respect and dignity that they deserve.”

Joseph DeWolf Sandoval, CADA Leadership Council Member, told Common Dreams that Uber’s rate cuts make it “extremely difficult to earn a living wage.” He dismissed Uber’s justification — that a higher volume of calls makes up for lower rates — as a “standard talking point” that doesn’t bear out when you run the numbers.

“Uber is playing very fast and loose with their claims and calculations,” Sandoval said, suggesting that the only way to maintain a living wage, under the new conditions, is to drive more than is legally allowed for a commercial driver. CADA is also critical of Uber’s lack of meaningful communication with drivers — the company has flat-out refused to meet with CADA, and drivers don’t feel comfortable voicing grievances at Uber’s recently established “office hours” — and what Sandoval described as a “biased rating system” that “hangs over drivers’ heads like a sword on a slender thread.”

Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the ride-sharing app is hugely popular, it has recently encountered some stumbling blocks. A similar protest over rates took place in Seattle last month. And on Tuesday, Germany took the unprecedented step of banning Uber nation-wide, saying the lack of licenses and insurance constituted a violation of the country’s competition law.

Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.

By Tncse

USDA's Greenlighting of 'Agent Orange' Crops Sparks Condemnation

October 13, 2020 | News | No Comments

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision this week to approve two new genetically engineered crops is being denounced by watchdog groups as a false solution to herbicide-resistant weeds and a move that threatens human and environment safety alike.

The crops are Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist corn and soybeans, engineered to be resistant to its Duo herbicide, which contains 2,4-D, a component of the notorious Agent Orange. 2,4-D has been linked to Parkinson’s, birth defects, reproductive problems, and endocrine disruption. Dow states that the new system will address the problem of weeds that have become resistant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s widely-used Roundup.

Food and environmental safety groups, however, say that it speaks to the failure of the genetically engineered crops strategy that fosters herbicide expansion—profitable for the chemical companies—and ignores the paradigm shifted needed in the industrial agriculture system.

“With this approval comes millions of more pounds of toxic herbicides dumped onto our land; it’s an unacceptable outcome,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director for Center for Food Safety. His group noted that the USDA analysis acknowledges that the crops could lead to as much as a 7-fold increase in agricultural use of 2,4-D by 2020, and this, Kimbrell stated, “will only spur the evolution of yet more herbicide-resistant weeds.”

Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association and its Mexico affiliate, Vía Orgánica, issued a similar warning, stating, “The USDA’s approval of these crops is proof that today’s destructive, industrial agriculture model, based on a system of genetically engineered mono-crops, is a failure.”

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

“Farmers have been sold the lie that they can increase yields and prevent crop failure from weeds by buying Monsanto’s and Dow’s GMO seeds and dousing them in toxic poisons, also manufactured and sold by Monsanto and Dow,” Cummins continued. “But just as scientists predicted, these ‘miracle’ crops are evolving to resist the poisons thrown on them, causing the USDA and the EPA to approve increasingly toxic poisons to fight increasingly resistant weeds. Where does the escalation end?”

“We need a new direction for our agricultural system, not increased reliance on chemicals.” Kimbrell added.

The Center for Food Safety and the Pesicide Action Network added that their groups would pursue legal options to stop the crops’ threats to communities.

The Enlist Duo herbicide meant to be used in combination with the new crops is still waiting for approval from the EPA. Despite widespread outcry, Dow said in a press statement that the approval “is expected in the near future.”

Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.

Click Here: Cheap Chiefs Rugby Jersey 2019

By Tncse

Josh Barnett's Bloodsport 3 live results: Moxley, Lawlor, Smith Jr.

October 13, 2020 | News | No Comments

The third edition of Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport emanates lives from Indianapolis, IN, Sunday night with the debut of AEW World Champion Jon Moxley headlining the show.

Originally scheduled to face Barnett at Bloodsport in April, the ardent MMA fan will face Chris Dickinson instead. Dickinson headlined the second show in a losing effort to Barnett. Unless there is a surprise, the show’s namesake will not be in action.

In another featured match, former MLW Champion and MMA fighter “Filthy” Tom Lawlor will look to pick up his first Bloodsport win when he faces the debuting Homicide. Lawlor has lost to Davey Boy Smith Jr. and WALTER at previous shows.

Smith Jr. will also be in action and will look to go 3-0 when he faces The North’s Josh Alexander, making his Bloodsport debut.

The show will also feature regulars Simon Grimm vs. Matt Makowski, Calvin Tankman vs. Alexander James; Erik Hammer vs. Kal Jack, and a four woman tourney featuring Killer Kelly vs. Allysin Kay and Lindsay Snow vs. Leyla Hirsch.

Matches can only end in knockout or submission and are done in a ring with no ropes or turnbuckles.

The show begins at 8 PM Eastern.

**********

The show kicked off with the entire card being brought out one by one with Jon Moxley, clad in all black and wrestling shoes, and Homicide getting huge pops as you might expect. Barnett came out and did a quick speech before we got into the show.

For some reason, the ring announcer’s mic can only be heard through the camera mic which made it hard to hear what Barnett said. I’m not sure why indie shows can’t figure out how to patch that through.

Simon Grimm (1-2) def. Matt Makowski (2-1) by knockout

Grimm came into this looking for his first Bloodsport win (0-2) while Makowski was looking to go to 2-0 after knocking out Rory Gulak at the second event.

Overall, this was a very even match with both guys looking good. Makowski is a former MMA fighter while Grimm has been committed to this new style since he parted ways with WWE. It wasn’t much on flash but it did have substance.

This was a bit of a surprise ending as Grimm hit a half and half suplex that apparently briefly knocked out Makowski so the ref called it. Unfortunately, there was no replay.

Women’s Tourney Semifinals: Allysin Kay (2-0) def. Killer Kelly (0-1) by submission

Kay knocked out Nicole Savoy in her first Bloodsport appearance while this was Kelly’s first match. This is only the third women’s match in Bloodsport history.

These two had good intensity, especially Kelly who had an especially crazed look with her mouthpiece. Overall, this was a a really good match that went two minutes too long.

In one spot, Kelly snuck out the back door and had a rear naked choke on Kay that nearly saw hier submit, but Kay went straight back to try to escape and the two eventually wanted to go on the feet. They had plenty of striking exchanges throughout the match that also helped add to the intensity.

The end came when Kay essentially figure four’d Kelly’s head to get the submission, made even better by Kelly’s wide eyes as it was happening. Again, no replays which is disappointing.

I’m always curious what first time Bloodsport viewers think of this format since it’s so a change of pace.

Women’s Tourney Semifinals: Lindsay Snow (1-1) def. Leyla Hirsch (0-1) by submission

This marked Hirsch’s debut as she’s an amateur wrestler fro Russia who has really made a name for herself on the indies in the last year while Snow was looking for her first win after losing to Sumie Sakai in the first ever women’s Bloodsport match.

This one ended surprisingly quickly. While Hirsch held her own for a while, Snow’s size was too much for Hirsch, ensnaring her in a heel hook for the tap following a Karelin lift. I would have loved to see a few minutes from Kay/Kelly get added to this one. That means Snow vs. Kay is set for the finals.

Calvin Tankman (1-0) def. Alexander James (0-1) by knockout

This was the Bloodsport debut for both men and the story was that Tankman went into this with no relevant experience while the wXw veteran James went into this with an advantage.

The match was meh, but the fans were really into Tankman from the start, especially as he got back into the match after James grounded him for so long. The end came when the two got into a striking battle and Tankman hit a right hand that knocked James down followed by some ground and pound for the stoppage. Given the reaction here, I’m looking forward to seeing how Tankman, who signed with MLW during the pandemic, will progress over the next year.

Erik Hammer (2-0) def. “Grizzly” Kal Jak (0-1) by submission

Hammer is the top student of Barnett so the story was the pressure was on him to perform here even though he went into this 1-0 in his Bloodsport career. This was the debut for Jak, the former NXT talent known as Cal Bishop.

Hammer, who looked like a light heavyweight version of Ox Baxer with a shaved head and fu manchu, was fundamentally sound throughout the bout with Jak staying in the game with big suplexes. Hammer submitted Jak with a double wristlock to end a perfectly fine match.

“Filthy” Tom Lawlor (1-2) def. Homicide (0-1) by submission

Like Tankman, Homicide came into this with no formal training while Lawlor has a podcast on this website and has teamed with Bryan Alvarez. He went into this looking for his first win after losses to WALTER and Davey Boy Smith.

These two were into it early, flipping each other off, spitting, and slapping each other. Lawlor was landing a slew of elbows standing which eventually knocked Homicide on his ass. He attempted to finish him off with a sliding dropkick, but Homicide grapped his leg and turned it into an STO in a cool spot.

Homicide made a good accounting for himself, mixing in his street fighting style in a way that made sense. One such moment was when Homicide started stomping flush on Lawlor’s head which was almost a stoppage. Lawlor got fired up and locked in a front choke that almost submitted him before he hit an exploder suplex.

Homicide went for the Cop Killer, but Lawlor escaped, working into a seated half crab for the submission to end a really, really fun match.

Lenny Leonard, flying solo on the announcing, is very good. This is a much better audio experience than the second show.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. (3-0) def. Josh Alexander (0-1) by knockout

Alexander, the former Impact Tag Team Champion with Ethan Page, was making his Bloodsport debut against DBS who was looking to remain undefeated at Bloodsport.

Smith always looks physically in shape and that was certainly the case here. He got Alexander in trouble twice at the edge of the mat, once in an armbar that Alexander was able to escape and later in a sharpshooter that got broken up.

The end came when Smith landed two really hard looking forearms to Alexander’s jaw that dropped him, followed by a stiff kick to the gut and a Liger Bomb for the knockout in a very quick match. Smith was dominant and surprisingly so. This was basically a squash.

Women’s Tourney Finals: Lindsay Snow (2-1) def. Allysin Kay (2-1) by submission

Not only do both women have distinct looks, but they are very skilled with this form of wrestling which added to the quality. Most of this was spent on the mat with varying holds and very few strikes. Like a lot of the matches, the end came quickly as Snow got Kay in a heel hook for the quick tap, the tourney win, and Kay’s first Bloodsport loss. I could see them running this back at the next show as a Bloodsport rivalry of sorts. This was fine, but I would have liked to see it go a few more minutes with at least one good striking exchange.

Jon Moxley (1-0) def. Chris Dickinson (1-3) by submission

This was Moxley’s first Bloodsport appearance after he was supposed to fight Barnett at the canceled Bloodsport show in April. As expected, Moxley didn’t come out with the AEW belt and came out to Hole’s “Violet”. Dickinson went into this at 1-2 with losses to Dan Severn and Barnett and a win over “The Butcher” Andy Williams.

The announcer put over how Dickinson was supposed to have a ton of big matches in April but the pandemic ruined it. However, with a win here tonight over a champion in two of the biggest wrestling companies in the world, he could write his own ticket.

This was pretty competitive throughout. In one of the bigger spots of the night, Moxley pushed Dickinson into the ring post but since there were no ring ropes, he fell all the way to the floor, giving him a brief edge. Later, he did a sliding shoulderblock to knock Dickinson outside the rig once again.

I realized halfway through the match that Moxley is wrestling live in a few days on the Dynamite show, adding to the physical risk of taking this book so close to AEW’s anniversary show.

Dickinson regained control with a dragon screw legwhip and when after Moxley’s left leg with kicks and a deadlift German suplex. The two did a great exchanged of forearms strikes, chops and a Moxley headbutt, but Dickinson roared back with two belly to back suplexes and a high kick that looked to knock the champion out. Dickinson landed some ground and pound and went for an armbar, but Moxley fought out.

Moxley got a front facelock into a double arm suplex, transitioning from a rear naked choke into the bulldog choke for the submission to end a very good and entertaining match.

Click Here: All Blacks Rugby Jersey

Afterward, Moxley did a promo that was hard to understand because of the aforementioned microphone issue. He put over Dickinson, the other talents in the back, indie wrestling, and the fans in attendance.

Final Thoughts:

This was a very well-paced and entertaining show at two hours and fifteen minutes, the best of the Bloodsport events I have seen. The Lawlor-Homicide match was my favorite, followed by Moxley-Dickinson. This style is hard to do a lot of matches with as there’s often not enough variance to make each match feel different. They largely succeeded tonight with a very good show.

By Tncse

Recent News

Category: News