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White City Officials Conspired To Rid The Racine Downtown Of Minority Tavern Owners And Patrons

John Dickert, Kurt S. Wahlen, Joseph G. Legath, Mary Osterman and Devin P. Sutherland

Black, Hispanic and Thai tavern owners and their patrons were targeted and discriminated by White Racine city officials, a federal civil lawsuit claims.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 26, 2014

Racine, WI - On Tuesday, Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) broke the story when it learned that both law firms, Kohler and Hart S.C. from Milwaukee and Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney Ltd. from Chicago had filed a federal civil discrimination lawsuit with the U.S. District Court of Eastern Wisconsin against the City of Racine and city officials including Mayor John Dickert, the city's former and current members of the Common Council and former Racine Police Department Chief Kurt S. Wahlen. The lawsuit claims, that Mayor Dickert conspired with former and current city Common Council members, former Police Chief Wahlen and other influencial (powerful) individuals, including the Racine Tavern League to clear or "rehabilitate,  cleanup" the downtown of Afro-American (Black), Hispanic and Thai tavern owners and their patrons to allow the proliferation of White tavern establishments and their patrons by promoting White owned taverns and businesses in the downtown area.
Some of the plaintiffs were forced to close due to "a pattern and practice of discriminatory treatment on the basis of race has deprived the Plaintiffs of their right to equal protection of the law and their right to equal privileges and immunities under the law," according to the 50-page lawsuit.
The lawsuit allegedly claims, that Mayor Dickert took illegal contributions from the Racine Tavern League and in return awarded White members with liquor licenses taken away from minority tavern owners that had been revoked in the downtown area. Dickert also hired some members of the tavern league to work for the City of Racine, according to the lawsuit.
In 2009, Dickert ran for Racine Mayor on a campaign to revitalize or clean up the downtown area. When elected, Dickert began to conspire with city Common Council members to create city policies to eventually get rid of minority tavern own businesses from the downtown area and replace them with White owned tavern or nightclub establishments. Dickert was instrumental in attracting more White patrons to the area at the cost of closing down minority establishments. 
The Plaintiffs include, Cerafin C. Davalos from Cera's Tequila Bar, Jose and Maria Maldonado from the Cruise Inn, former Racine Alderman Otha Keith Fair prior owner of Place on Sixth, Pythaphone Khampane and Omjai Nueakeaw from Ginger's Lounge, Wilbur Jones from Viper's Lounge and Thomas J. Holmes, the former owner of Park 6.
The Defendants include, current Mayor John Dickert, former Mayor Gary E. Becker; Racine Downtown Corporation, including its executive director Davin P. Sutherland and manager of the Racine Downtown Business Improvement District 1; the Racine City Tavern League, Inc.; Kurt S. Wahlen, former Racine Police Chief; the following Racine Aldermen, Jeffrey A. Coe, James Kaplan, Raymond Dehahn, Gregory T. Helding, David L. Maack II, Aron M. Wisneski and Robert E. Mozol; Mark L. Levine, chairman of the Downtown Business Improvement District 1; Joseph G. Legath, member of the Racine City Tavern League and board member of the Downtown Business Improvement District 1; Douglas E. Nicholson, member of the Racine City Tavern League; Monte G. Osterman; Mary Osterman, Treasurer of Mayor John Dickert's election campaign; and Gregory S. Bach, Assistant to Mayor John Dickert.

Black, Hispanic and Thai tavern owners lawsuit

Joaquín Guzmán Loera "El Chapo" Alive And Isolated From Other Inmates At The Altiplano Prison

Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, aka, "El Chapo" and Emma Coronel

El Chapo is alive, doing well, has been isolated from other inmates and being held at a secured section at the Altiplano prison, disputing any reports that he had been killed by Zetas on Monday, according to the PGR.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 26, 2014

Mexico City -  José Luis Manjarrez from the Mexican federal Attorney General's Office (PGR) on Tuesday confirmed that Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, 56, aka, "El Chapo" is alive and reports of his death are false, according to El Dario. The initial death of El Chapo was posted by Tierra del Narco dot com (TDN), which Manjarrez says is not true.
Guzmán Loera is isolated from other inmates and is in a 24-hour watch in a secured cell block near an Altiplano prison administration section.
The TDN posted on its website that the federal Mexican government was investigating the crime scene at the Altiplano federal prison where El Chapo's body was discovered on early Monday. 
The Zetas were being blamed for his alleged homicide. El Chapo's death went viral, but has now been confirmed by Manjarrez it was a false report by TDN.
Guzmán Loera was attributed for the demise of Los Zetas, according to intelligence. He provided key names to the DEA and Mexican federal law enforcement agencies to help break a Zeta stronghold in Mexico-U.S. border towns that managed major multi-million drug routes in competition with the Sinaloa Cartel.
Last Saturday, Emma Coronel, 24, and her two 2-year-old daughter's were with Sinaloa Cartel druglord  Guzmán Loera when he was taken into custody on Saturday at the Miramar Hotel room 401 in Mazatlán, according to Mexican federal authorities. Coronel was not taken into custody or her babysitter who was also in the room when Mexican Marines broke into the room to take Guzmán Loera into custody.
Mexico doesn't charge people or family members for aiding and abetting or hiding a felon as in the U.S.. The U.S. government is seeking extradition for Guzmán Loera for federal charges stemming from drug trafficking, murder, conspiracy and money laundering. 
A former head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in El Paso, Texas, Phil Jordan told Univision that he had seen intelligence that confirmed Guzmán Loera had contributed large sums of money to President elect Enrique Peña Nieto's campaign and that he was surprised that Nieto's PRI Party would allow his capture. Jordan could produce any evidence, but admitted that documents of intelligence from the DEA showed that El Chapo did in fact contributed to the PRI Party to elect Neito. Did El Chapo attempt to buy his protection from being extradited to the U.S. and will Neito keep him a Mexican prison? 
Alfredo Guzmán's Twitter account posting says, that all the Mexican government officials that El Chapo bought will pay for turning against his father. Alfredo's Twitter has not been confirmed, if in fact it is administered by El Chapo's actual son.
Nieto has not publicly denied the allegation made by Jordan. The PRI Party has not determined, if Guzmán Loera actually donated funds to Neito's campaign or whether the funds would be returned to El Chapo. 

Federal Discrimination Lawsuit Filed Claiming The Racine Mayor, City Council And Police Targeted Black, Hispanic And Thai Tavern Owners For Closure



John Dickert, Kurt S. Wahlen, Joseph G. Legath, Mary Osterman and Devin P. Sutherland

Former Black, Hispanic and Thai tavern owners filed a federal lawsuit against the Racine Mayor John Dickert, the city's former and current members of the Common Council and former Police Department Chief Kurt Wahlen, claiming that they were discriminated and targeted for business closures.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 25, 2014

Racine, WI - On Tuesday, Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) has learned that a Chicago and a Milwaukee law firm have both filed a 50-page federal discrimination lawsuit at the U.S. District Court of Eastern Wisconsin shortly after 4:00 p.m. in behave of former Afro-American (Black), Hispanic and Thai tavern owners from Racine against the Racine Mayor John Dickert, the city's former and current members of the Common Council and former Racine Police Department Chief Kurt Wahlen. The plaintiffs claimed that the Racine officials named in the lawsuit intentionally discriminated against the plaintiffs and targeted minority tavern owners to basically minimize tavern ownership by Blacks, Hispanics and Thai in the City of Racine.
Mayor Dickert allegedly took illegal contributions from the Racine Tavern League and in return awarded White members with liquor licenses taken away from minority tavern owners that had been revoked. Dickert also hired some members of the tavern league to work for the City of Racine, the lawsuit claims.
The Plaintiffs include, Cerafin C. Davalos from Cera's Tequila Bar, Jose and Maria Maldonado from the Cruise Inn, former Racine Alderman Otha Keith Fair prior owner of Place on Sixth, Pythaphone Khampane and Omjai Nueakeaw from Ginger's Lounge, Wilbur Jones from Viper's Lounge and Thomas J. Holmes, the former owner of Park 6.
The Defendants include, current Mayor John Dickert, former Mayor Gary E. Becker; Racine Downtown Corporation, including its executive director Davin P. Sutherland and manager of the Racine Downtown Business Improvement District 1; the Racine City Tavern League, Inc.; Kurt S. Wahlen, former Racine Police Chief; the following Racine Aldermen, Jeffrey A. Coe, James Kaplan, Raymond Dehahn, Gregory T. Helding, David L. Maack II, Aron M. Wisneski and Robert E. Mozol; Mark L. Levine, chairman of the Downtown Business Improvement District 1; Joseph G. Legath, member of the Racine City Tavern League and board member of the Downtown Business Improvement District 1; Douglas E. Nicholson, member of the Racine City Tavern League; Monte G. Osterman; Mary Osterman, Treasurer of Mayor John Dickert's election campaign; and Gregory S. Bach, Assistant to Mayor John Dickert.
The Racine city officials are expected to be served with the federal lawsuit by Wednesday. The Milwaukee law firm involved in the filing is Kohler and Hart S.C. and Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney Ltd. from Chicago.
The minority tavern owners lawsuit is expect to be one of the major lawsuits to hit Racine city officials and is expected to ask for an unspecified amount in damages, according to the lawsuit filing.

Black, Hispanic and Thai tavern owners lawsuit

NYFW Day7- when fashion meets art-


bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,


bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,
bittersweet colours, colorful coats, cooee, floral prints, graphic prints, Lie Sang Bong, Lincoln Center NYFW, neoprene coat, New York, Nine West, NYFW, nyfw F/W 2014, nyfw street style, Zatchels,



Here I am with one last look from my journey to NYFW and let me tell you that it was a very special look for me. I had the pleasure to connect with a creative designer/ artist and his team: Lie Sang Bong, and to be dressed with some creative pieces from a previous collection for his show. More photos from his showroom, behind the scenes and also from the show will follow in the next post.
As you can see I chose to wear a neoprene printed coat in white/ royal blue color, neoprene pants and a beautiful top with flower prints. To complete the look in the same bold matter I added  a pair of red pumps, minimalist baby blue bag and red lips.
I find this outfit very me, artistic, but in the same time minimalist and very easy to wear.
Definitely Lie Sang Bong is a designer to watch and can't wait to see his journey here in USA.






                                                                                Coat: Lie Sang Bong /more scuba coats Here  and Here
                                                                                Top: Lie Sang Bong
                                                                                Pants: Lie Sang Bong / more scuba pants Here and Here 
                                                                                Bag: c/o Zatchels/ Here 
                                                                                Bangle bracelets: c/o Cooee/ Here 
                                                                                Shoes: Nine West/ option Here  




Two New York Men Facing Charges For Sexually Molesting And Abusing Herkimer Farm Cows

Reid A. Fontaine and Michael H. Jones

One suspect video taped the attempted sexual encounter of the other suspect with a cow at a Herkimer farm, according to the New York State Police.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 25, 2014

Herkimer, N.Y. - On Friday, New York State Police reported that both Reid A. Fontaine, 31, and Michael H. Jones, 35, were taken into custody and are facing one misdemeanor count each for sexual misconduct in connection with sexually abusing several cows from a Herkimer farm. The owner of the Herkimer farm had noticed that the cows seemed anxious and stopped producing milk, so he installed a video surveillance camera at the barn where the cows were located.
When the farmer review the footage, both Fontaine and Jones were seen molesting the cows. The farmer called State Police when noticed the cows were sexually abused by both suspects who were then taken into custody. 
State Police say, Jones agreed to video tape Fontaine as he attempted to have sex with several cows. It's is not clear, if both suspects were video taping their sexual acts with cows as a fetish or for beastiality porno.
Fontaine resigned from his job at the Farmington School District after it was learned of his arrest. Fontaine worked as an IT network specialist for six months and voluntarily resigned on Friday night, but Fontaine had no contact with students, according to Kathleen Greider, the Farmington School District Superintendent. Greider also says, the Farmington Police Department was notified of Fontaine's arrest.
Both Fontaine and Jones were released on a signature bond and promised to appear in court at a later date.

The Great BITCOIN CRASH

BITCOIN BAGHOLDERS!




Customers Lose $100's of MILLIONS

The money just disappeared

Is that why BITCOIN is called VIRTUAL CURRENCY?

:-)

Mt. Gox on the run

Could it be BrotherJohnF and DavinciJ15 are criminals?  

Who else in the "truther community" is involved in this scam?

We will find out...

http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2014/02/bad-news-for-bitcoin-exchanges.html

These TRUTHERS that have left their GOLD and SILVER pump to pump BITCOINS have told us in the past that "if you don't hold it, you don't own it."  Well how about that?  That seems to be the situation with BITCOIN here below.  So then, look out below. :-) 

The first person I remember to pump these BITCOINS was this guy called "DavinciJ15" on YOU TUBE.  After that a number of these TRUTHERS started promoting bitcoin including SGTbull07 and others and especially this BrotherJohnF YOU TUBE channel.  BrotherJohnF gave up on his silver pumping to push his paid subscription to watch all of his YOU TUBE BITCOIN UPDATES and some other related website that is a fee for service subscription.  

Perhaps REAL MONEY instead of VIRTUAL MONEY is still a better alternative after all?  I think so:








INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
FOR MORE BITCOIN NEWS





 ...developing...

WINDOWS XP Support Ends April 8, 2014

WINDOWS XP Support Ends April 8, 2014

CINCINNATI, Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Windows XP support will end April 8 and many organizations have not yet decided how to address the problem. IGEL Technology recommends a painless and highly cost-effective solution: the IGEL UDC2 software thin client.

TO READ MORE CLICK BELOW:





The IGEL Universal Desktop Converter 2 (UDC2) software turns PCs, laptops, and the thin clients of other manufacturers into IGEL Linux thin clients allowing all of these devices to come under user-friendly, central management. Rather than investing IT budget in new hardware, companies can set up a virtual infrastructure and use the UDC2 to standardize their existing hardware. The UDC2 will install IGEL's Linux 5 operating system on almost any PC hardware, including desktop and mobile PC's. Additionally, the UDC2 can be installed as a Live USB stick to run IGEL Linux 5 on a temporary basis and still provide access to a Windows operating system.

Significant cost reduction

The low cost of the UDC2 represents significant savings for organizations seeking a solution to replace Windows XP. The software comes with IGEL's Universal Management Suite (UMS), the industry's leading device management platform, which enables user-friendly, centralized deployment and administration of an organization's thin client inventory. With total device management in one location, the administrative cost of maintaining end points falls markedly. Extending the life of existing hardware also frees IT budget to be invested in other projects.

"IGEL's software thin client has become increasingly popular," notes Jeff Kalberg, General Manager of IGEL Technology America. "Many organizations still have a large number of PC's running Windows XP, and they are looking for a way to move away from the unsupported Windows XP platform while minimizing the drain on their budgets a forklift upgrade would mean. Our software thin client really is the ideal solution. Not only does the UDC2 equate to lower capital expenditure, which in many cases could be classified as an operating expense, but the time and effort saved by standardizing the operating system on a wide variety of existing PC hardware, as well as bringing everything under a truly enterprise-class, centralized, remote management system, is tremendous. No more support calls dealing with individual PC's. All administration happens remotely. For IT support staff, the prospect is huge!"



About IGEL Technology

A world leader in thin client solutions, IGEL Technology helps organizations improve the agility, efficiency, and security of their virtual desktop and application delivery systems. IGEL produces one of the industry's widest range of thin clients, based on Linux and Microsoft Windows, allowing customers to access a broad spectrum of server-based infrastructures and applications. IGEL also offers a powerful and intuitive management software for easy deployment and administration of thin clients throughout any size organization. Partnerships with industry leaders like Red Hat, Citrix, VMware, and Microsoft ensure that IGEL provides the most up-to-date technology and trustworthy security to clients in industries that include Healthcare, Education & Research, Public Sector, Financial, Insurance, Retail, Logistics, and Manufacturing. IGEL has offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, Germany, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore and is represented by partners in over 50 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit www.igel.com

SOURCE IGEL Technology

Are you a VICTIM of WORKPLACE BULLYING?

Are you a VICTIM of WORKPLACE BULLYING?

Targets of WORKPLACE BULLYING lost their jobs 61% of the time

Serious health-harming abuse

BELLINGHAM, Wash., Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) defined workplace bullying as "abusive conduct that is threatening, intimidating, humiliating, work sabotage or verbal abuse" in its 2014 national survey. Key results: 27% of all adult Americans have directly experienced it, 21% have witnessed it, 56% of perpetrators are bosses, 68% of perpetrators are men, and 60% of targets (recipients) are women.

Since WBI introduced workplace bullying to the country in 1997 public awareness has risen to 72% according to the new survey. Similarly positive is that the percentage of bullies who are bosses has declined over the years.
Employers do little to stop workplace bullying. The majority (72%) reacted to complaints in inappropriate ways: 25% did not investigate, 31% either discounted it as not serious or considered it routine, 11% defended bullies, and 5% actively encouraged the abuse.

In cases where bullying ended, targets lost their jobs 61% of the time — either terminated, forced to quit (constructively discharged), or voluntarily quit.

"Unfortunately the victims of this serious health-harming abuse are the ones asked to stop it," says WBI director Dr. Gary Namie, "If there were a law as in Canada and other industrialized nations, employers would have to protect workers."
According to the survey an overwhelming majority of Americans (93%) supported enactment of a new law that would protect all workers from repeated abusive mistreatment at work. Only 1% strongly opposed such a measure.

Complete results can be downloaded at: http://www.workplacebullying.org/wbiresearch/wbi-2014-us-survey/

WBI commissioned Zogby Analytics to conduct the survey of a national representative sample of all adult Americans (MOE ± 3.2%). Major funding from OnLock Digital Authentication LLC.

WBI is the first and only U.S. organization dedicated to the eradication of workplace bullying that combines help for individuals, research, books, public education, training for professionals-unions-employers, legislative advocacy, and consulting solutions for organizations. workplacebullying.org

Contact: Gary Namie, PhD, Workplace Bullying Institute, 360-656-6630

SOURCE The Workplace Bullying Institute

Reality deniers are a stubborn lot; hold their beliefs no matter what

 Reality deniers are a stubborn lot; hold their beliefs no matter what
Commentary by James Shott

The number of notable people who behave as if they are endowed with special insight about the environment is an interesting element in the ongoing saga.

The most recent example of this is Secretary of State John Kerry, who fell off the diplomatic wagon and insulted millions of Americans he represents to the world who don’t agree with his narrow view of environmental issues by calling them members of the Flat Earth Society.

Arrogance of this magnitude from a public employee is not unheard of, but arrogance wasn’t Mr. Kerry’s only sin. He expressed the asinine belief that climate change is “the world's largest weapon of mass destruction, perhaps even, the world's most fearsome weapon of mass destruction.”

Tell that to the victims and their families of true terrorism, like the 9-11 attacks and in the Boston Marathon bombing.

President Barack Obama also asserts with absolute certainty that global warming/climate change is “settled science.”

Misters Obama and Kerry are no better than the rest of us non-scientists: they have chosen to believe one side of the argument about global warming, now renamed “climate change,” since the catastrophic warming trend we were warned about ad infinitum unexpectedly disappeared.

Some might expect that President Obama is better informed than everyone else. However, given the number of rather important events that he said he learned about from the media – the IRS abuse of non-profit applicants, the capture of the Boston Marathon bomber – he probably gets his environmental news there, like the rest of us.

But Mr. Kerry’s madness and Mr. Obama’s misplaced certainty aside, real scientists understand and will tell you that science is never settled. There may be general acceptance of a particular theory, but the possibility that someone will come across something that disproves an existing theory always exists.

On that subject Charles Krauthammer – who as a medical doctor has much deeper understanding of the scientific method than either Mr. Obama or Mr. Kerry – offers this example: “Newton’s laws were considered settled for 200 years until a patent clerk [Albert Einstein] in Switzerland turned them over with a single paper in 1903 — and that was pretty settled science. The idea that this is all settled is absurd.”

Saying that science is settled is simply a way to try to suffocate dissent, says columnist George Will. “When a politician, on a subject implicating science – hard science, economic science, social science – says the debate is over, you may be sure of two things: the debate is raging, and he is losing it.”

When scientists say science is settled, they are guilty of the same sin as journalists often are: allowing their political ideology to overpower their integrity and displace professional principles. And scientists often have the added motivation of filthy lucre: federal money to fund their research, totaling $68 billion from 2008 to 2012.

There are lots of scientists, climate scientists and others, who disagree with the manmade climate change theory, but that’s something Mr. Obama won’t learn from the media, because most of the agenda media don’t report much on topics that don’t fit their leftist ideals, like man-caused climate change.

Reality deniers ignore inconvenient evidence and cling to their views. Evidence like the email scandal from November 2009, where emails between International Panel on Climate Change participants suggesting conspiracy, collusion in exaggerating warming data, possibly illegal destruction of information, organized resistance to disclosure, data manipulation, and private admissions of flaws in their public claims, were exposed. A second round of email revelations occurred in 2011.

And the “hockey stick” graph created in 1998 purporting to show a dramatic increase in global temperatures in the 20th century, and was a major piece of evidence supporting manmade global warming. It was created by Penn State University’s Dr. Michael Mann.

The theory has come under suspicion for data manipulation. It is a complex story, but here’s a brief version: The graph relied heavily upon data taken from 252 trees on the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia. It used data from 12 trees that showed a warming trend, while a subset of 34 different trees showed no significant warming. Further, temperatures in the Middle Ages were missing from the Mann data. So, even if there was warming, temperatures from hundreds of years before the industrial revolution were warmer than those in the 20th century.

As a result, several individuals and publications challenged the veracity of the research, and Dr. Mann sued a number of his detractors for libel. However, it appears that the suits will not go forward because Dr. Mann refuses to release the details of his research, which is necessary for him to show the defendants actually defamed him.

These things cry out for attention, but are instead explained away.

Many people don’t know much about science, a point proven by a National Science Foundation study, which shows that one in four Americans believes the sun orbits the Earth, rather than the other way around.

So, many Americans trust scientists and elected officials to tell them the truth about important matters, and when they manipulate data, or sell a particular concept as “settled science,” many believe them anyway.

Cross-posted from Observations

Deep pocketed Gay Lobby bullying Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to sell out the religious freedom of Arizona businesses



Don’t fall for the deception that a new bill passed by the Arizona legislature allows Arizona businesses to discriminate against t Gays.  That’s a false premise!   What this bill does is protects the religious freedom of people of faith against confrontational lawsuits filed by Gay activists to move their agenda forward.  That’s the real reason the Gay Mafia is upset.  

Yahoo Newsreports Jan Brewer faced intensifying pressure Monday from CEOs, politicians in Washington and state lawmakers in her own party to veto a bill that would allow business owners with strongly held religious beliefs to deny service to gays and lesbians.

Senate Bill 1062 has set off a political firestorm since the Arizona Legislature passed it last week, with critics denouncing the measure as blatantly discriminatory and embarrassing to the state.

The chorus of opposition has grown each day, and on Monday, three state senators who voted in favor of the bill changed course and said they oppose it. U.S. Sen. John McCain asked Brewer to veto the measure, as did Apple Inc. and the CEO of American Airlines Group Inc.

More here


Like I said in prior posts, Gay activists purposely target faith businesses for the sole purpose of filling lawsuits to move their agenda forward.  There is no shortage of other business in Arizona that will service Gays.  This bill protects the religious freedom of owners who the right to service what their faith tells them. 

Bitcoin..744,000 bitcoins were "missing due to malleability-related theft",

Bitcoin..744,000 bitcoins were "missing due to malleability-related theft",




(Reuters) - Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchange, looked to have essentially disappeared on Tuesday, with its website down, its founder unaccounted for and a Tokyo office empty bar a handful of protesters saying they had lost money investing in the virtual currency.
The digital marketplace operator, which began as a venue for trading cards, had surged to the top of the bitcoin world, but critics - from rival exchanges to burned investors - said Mt. Gox had long been lax over its security.
It was not clear what has become of the exchange, which this month halted withdrawals indefinitely after detecting "unusual activity." A global bitcoin organization referred to the exchange's "exit," while angry investors questioned whether it was still solvent.
A document circulating on the internet, and purporting to be a crisis plan for the exchange, said more than 744,000 bitcoins were "missing due to malleability-related theft", and noted Mt. Gox had $174 million in liabilities against $32.75 million in assets. It was not possible to verify the document or the exchange's financial situation.
Tokyo investors in the frontier electronic currency, who have endured a volatile ride in the value of the unregulated cyber-tender, said the problem was with Mt. Gox, not with the revolutionary bitcoin itself.
Mt. Gox officials did not answer the telephone or respond to email requests for information. The concierge at the home of the chief executive, Mark Karpeles - an upscale apartment in the Shibuya district - said he was not answering his intercom. His mailbox was so stuffed with mail that the flap would not close.
The Mt. Gox homepage was not loading, although no error message appeared. Its source code contained a line saying, "put announce for mtgox acq here."
"VERY ANGRY"
"I'm very angry," said Kolin Burges, a self-styled "crypto-currency trader" and former software engineer who came from London for answers after Mt. Gox failed to tell him what had happened to his bitcoins, which at one point were worth
$300,000.
"It looks like that's disappeared," said Burges, one of six protesters outside the Mt. Gox office, which was as deserted as a nearby cafe that had formerly accepted bitcoins as payment. In a statement last week, Mt. Gox said it had moved office because of security issues.
Some protesters carried signs saying, "Mt. Gox, where's our money?" and "Mt. Gox, are you solvent?"
"They prolonged this and kept telling people everything was OK," Burges said. "A lot of people did believe that, and it's very annoying what they've done to me and up to a million others."
Six leading bitcoin exchanges - which allow users to trade bitcoins for U.S. dollars and other currencies - distanced themselves from the Tokyo-based exchange.
"This tragic violation of the trust of users of Mt. Gox was the result of one company's actions and does not reflect the resilience or value of bitcoin and the digital currency industry," the companies - Coinbase, Kraken, Bitstamp, BTC China, Blockchain and Circle - said in the statement. "As with any new industry, there are certain bad actors that need to be weeded out, and that is what we're seeing today."
On Sunday, Karpeles resigned from the board of the Bitcoin Foundation, in a blow to the digital currency. Mt. Gox had once been the largest exchange handling bitcoins.
Karpeles told Reuters last week, "We know there are all kinds of criticisms made against Mt. Gox, but we believe we are doing all we can to solve problems as quickly as possible having our customers in mind."
His resignation from the foundation, the cyber currency's trade group, followed a number of technical issues, including a massive cyber attack from unknown sources that has been spamming bitcoin exchanges.
Mt. Gox was a founding member and one of the three elected industry representatives on the board of the foundation. Mt. Gox, a bitcoin exchange since 2010, is a relatively old player, having grown quickly when there were few alternatives.
"TEETHING PROBLEMS"
Bitcoin has had a rocky ride, its dollar value soaring and crashing more like a highly speculative investment than a store of value. And oddly for a tradable instrument, its value varies greatly depending on the exchange.
The Mt. Gox bitcoin, which traded at $828.99 before February 7, when the exchange halted withdrawals, has since plunged 83.7 percent to $135. By contrast, coins at Bitstamp, another large exchange, have fallen 40.5 percent over the same period to $400.
While bitcoin globally has taken a beating to its value and reputation, users say the problem is with Mt. Gox, not with the virtual currency itself.
"I think the community will remain very tolerant of teething problems, or whatever you want to call them," said a Tokyo-based investor who noted he had a "negligible" amount of bitcoins with Mt. Gox. "The whole structure is still in its infancy, so there's just certain things that come with the territory as long as you keep people in the loop."
The Bitcoin Foundation said in a statement, "Mt. Gox is one of several exchanges, and their exit, while unfortunate, opens a door of opportunity. This incident demonstrates the need for responsible individuals and members of the bitcoin community to lead in providing reliable services."
A commenter on the Reddit site, identified as evorhees, proudly defended bitcoin as an epochal development in finance.
"We are building a new financial order and those of us building it, investing in it and growing it will pay the price of bringing it to the world," he wrote. "This is the harsh truth. We are building the channels, the bridges, and the towers of tomorrow's finance, and we put ourselves at risk in doing so."

REGULATORY RETICENCE
Japan's financial regulators, by contrast, have largely given bitcoin a shrug.
"Bitcoin is not a currency; it is an alternative to currencies, like gold," said a spokesman for the Financial Services Agency. "We are only responsible for currencies and therefore bitcoin is not subject to our regulatory oversight."
Finance Ministry officials also said they are not in charge of regulating the virtual currency. A Bank of Japan spokesman said the central bank had nothing to add to remarks that Governor Haruhiko Kuroda made in December, when he said he was "very interested in bitcoin".
"In one sense, it is similar to electronic-funds transfers and the spread of electronic money," Kuroda said then. "But there are also some differences and the price is somewhat volatile. I think each country's central bank is watching this ... but as of now I have nothing specific to report."
Other jurisdictions have been more proactive.
In the United States, Alabama's securities regulator said he will issue an alert on Tuesday, cautioning consumers and investors to stop trading on bitcoin exchanges or adding to their accounts if they are having trouble redeeming the digital currency or cashing out.
Karpeles himself, while insisting on his own exchange's reliability, has made no secret that bitcoin is, as he told Reuters last April, a "high-risk investment".
"If you buy bitcoins, you should buy keeping in mind that the value could be zero the day after."

(Additional reporting by Chris Peters in Bangalore, Cheng Herng Shinn, Stanley White and Noriyuki Hirata in Tokyo; Writing by William Mallard; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)