text: « Return to Search Massa. Eye and Ear's John Fernandez Selected to Chair the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals May 15, 2011 Contact: John Erwin Ph.: 617-723-6100 or 617-312-5233 Boston - (May 15, 2011) – John Fernandez, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, has been selected to Chair the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals (COBTH). COBTH is an organization of fourteen Boston area teaching hospitals that work together to advance policies critical to their missions of medical education, research and serving vulnerable populations. With more than 20 years of experience, Fernandez is an established leader in healthcare. During his tenure, Fernandez has led major construction projects, improved services and operations, and achieved aggressive volume and financial goals for two of Boston's most prestigious teaching hospitals. Fernandez succeeds Dr. James Mandell, Chief Executive Officer of Children's Hospital Boston, as COBTH Chair, and will lead COBTH's board and help set direction for the organization. "With national health reform moving forward and Massachusetts embarking on payment reform, the role of teaching hospitals in education, research and providing specialized services has never been more important. Massachusetts has some of the finest teaching hospitals in the nation. We will play a pivotal role in developing new ways of delivering care while maintaining access, enhancing quality and controlling costs," said Fernandez. COBTH's fourteen member hospitals are important to the local and regional economy, employing nearly seventy thousand people and attracting more than $1 billion in federal research funding which is critical to the larger life sciences industry in Massachusetts. "At such a critical time nationally and here in Massachusetts, I am thrilled that John will be leading the organization. He brings a wealth of healthcare experience and civic involvement to the position," said Dr. Mandell. The Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals (COBTH) is the coalition of 14 Boston area hospitals, all of which are teaching institutions. COBTH exists to maximize the Boston teaching hospitals' visibility on the issues that are fundamental to their unique missions of teaching and research. COBTH educates opinion leaders at all levels about the contributions of its members to the area's health and economy. In coalition with business organizations, COBTH advocates for policies favorable to academic medicine and the economy of the Commonwealth. COBTH is committed to addressing the public health needs of the City of Boston through cooperative efforts with other health care providers and agencies. Founded in 1824, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary is an independent specialty hospital providing patient care for disorders of the eye, ear, nose, throat, head and neck. Mass. Eye and Ear is an international leader in Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology research and a teaching partner of Harvard Medical School. For more information, call 617-523-7900 or visit http://www.masseyeandear.org/.


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US concerns over last year's questionable municipal elections in Nicaragua could be strong enough to cause leftist President Daniel Ortega, a cold-war nemesis of the US, to lose $64 million in development aid.
In a Wednesday meeting with the board of directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an international development initiative started during the Bush administration, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will discuss whether to cancel the remaining portion of a $175 million compact awarded in 2006.
In December, the US government froze new aid after expressing serious concern about "the government of Nicaragua's manipulation of municipal elections and a broader pattern of actions inconsistent with the MCC eligibility criteria."
Those concerns haven't diminished with time, as Mr. Ortega refuses to address the electoral issue and thumbs his nose at those who question his government. The situation has MCC officials feeling exasperated.
"I mean, these guys stole the elections," says Rodney Bent, chief executive officer of the MCC.
Mr. Bent says the MCC was initially willing to "suspend judgment" of Ortega because the US "really wanted to prove that we could make it work." The MCC, which considered its Nicaraguan project exemplary, urged Ortega to find a "Nicaraguan solution" to the electoral problem so they could continue building roads, providing assistance to small farmers, and push forward on a project to title property.
'Freer' without the aid?
Instead, Ortega wrote off the MCC, saying the suspended aid made Nicaragua feel "freer" and that any aid canceled by the US will be replaced by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, whose list of promises to Nicaragua grows longer all the time.
Bent and the MCC team, including a Nicaraguan staff that's working with more than 5,000 small producers in the northern Pacific agricultural region, can only shake their heads at Ortega's willingness to blow off aid to the second poorest country in the hemisphere. The situation, according to one MCC insider in Nicaragua who refused to be named, is like a "family gathering getting ruined when the drunken uncle shows up."
Nicaragua is not the only country to have trouble complying with the MCC's basic democratic eligibility criteria. There are 14 "threshold" countries that don't quite qualify for MCC programs, but are receiving smaller assistance packages aimed at working toward specific areas of compliance so they can eventually apply for a full MCC grant.
But with the exception of Madagascar, which recently had its MCC program canceled following a coup, Nicaragua is one of the few countries moving away from eligibility criteria, rather than working toward it.
"In the case of Nicaragua, where you see really a huge variation from the norm of good governance, we say 'Hold the phone, is this a partner who we can do good stuff with?' " says Bent.
Europeans also considering canceling funds
There could be much more at stake for Nicaragua than just $64 million in MCC development aid. Nicaragua's Budget Support Group, a group of nine European donor countries plus Canada, last year suspended about $70 million in aid over similar concerns about last year's mayoral elections, in which the Sandinistas are accused of stealing some 40 municipal races.
The European donors have been similarly frustrated by attempts to discuss last year's elections with Sandinista officials and will be watching closely as the MCC makes its precedent-setting decision.
"If the United States is not going to continue with its programs, that is a very important signal for Nicaragua, and one that we will also take very seriously," says Dutch Ambassador Lambert Grijns, of the European Union's Budget Support Group.
Nicaraguan opposition leaders worry that the MCC decision could be the first domino to fall.
"June 10 looms like D-Day, as in 'donors' day' for Nicaragua," said Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC) lawmaker Francisco Aguirre, of the national legislature's Budget Commission. "Other traditional donors, as opposed to Venezuela and Iran, – Ortega's new friends – have similar concerns and will no doubt be influenced by the decision taken in Washington."
Adds opposition political leader Edmundo Jarquín, a former ambassador and analyst for the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington: "The democratic standards of European countries are no less than those of the United States, so the decision by the American government will have consequences in other countries."
For small Nicaraguan farmers who have benefited from MCC aid, it's unimaginable that any politician would willingly let it go.
"Maybe Ortega doesn't need the help, but the poor do and we're thankful for it," says cassava farmer Luis Salazar, who credits MCC assistance for helping him turn his farm around and save it from the brink of ruin in 2007. "Without this help, I would be in the same situation today as I was before."

subset: commoncrawl


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Arrrgh! Where to begin? Not to pick on Steve, but his latest post really got my blood boiling. I really love it when the experienced and credible wine writers rush to the defense of Napa Cabs, for too long, they have been overlooked. It's a good thing that Steve Heimoff is bringing these wines to parties, my invite to the next soiree is in the mail. Here is my point by point takedown:
- I haven't reviewed too many, so it can't be that great-I'll give credit where credit is due, Qupé has always made great wine, and Ojai is a no brainer, but a handful of others? You are clearly living and reviewing in a vacuum. I'm sure this has everything to do with the fact that arguably the 2 best (or certainly most syrah-foucsed) regions on the West Coast for Syrah are the 2 furthest from your offices (Columbia Valley and Santa Barbara). FYI-Your competition placed 19 syrahs in their top 100 wines of the year, more than any other variety.
- Cheap Cab is better than cheap Syrah-Yes and no. If any value winery devoted more than an afterthought to producing some solid versions, I think you'd change your mind, witness, some very good Shirazs from down under
- Australia's cheap image and the assumption that people know that Shiraz is Syrah-People may not know that Syrah is Shiraz, but the presence of Shiraz really confuses them. They largely assume that Syrah is a misspelling of Shiraz, and many try to pronounce it Shirah. Try working a big retail store on a Saturday before a holiday, that will get you in touch with the proletariat.
- "At its best, Syrah is slightly soft, with velvety, ultra-refined tannins and a chocolate-biscuit taste to the berry fruit flavors, which can range from red cherries and currants through blueberries and blackberries, all the way into cassis." To his credit, Heimoff does mention cool climate can coax out additional flavors. How about this: Syrah has the very unique ability to bring out Umami, that savory mysterious, subtle quality. Few wines, if any, have the ability to highlight subtle, earth toned dishes like syrah. The complexity, nuanced savory quality is exactly what is so appealing in this grape. I understand you prefer tongue scraping tannins, and probably prefer oak to black olives in wine, but understand that this quality exists. Syrah has the ability to hit practically every berry note, fresh or dried along with pork (smoked, cured and roasted), lamb, herbs (mint, sage, rosemary), cedar and black olives, and there's probably a dozen additional appropriate descriptors.
- Cabernet is THE Noble variety-This is a completely wrong assertion. Noble refers to varietal wines. Wines that are bottled without the need for blending i.e. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and SYRAH. Last I checked, the predominance of Merlot blended into Cabernet essentially wrote the varietal labeling laws setting them at 25% non-labeled varietal in the blend. Coincidentally, the approx cuvée of left bank Bordeaux, the greatest Cabs in the world, often runs about 75% Cab. Side note, Syrah is considered by many winemakers to be the most sophisticated and versatile grape because it can stand alone, take on other grapes in the blend (even white grapes), or help shore up other wines with just a touch added.
- American's attention span wanes after Cab, Merlot, Pinot Noir and um zinfandel?- Malbec, you forgot Malbec. I want to know how you left out the fastest growing varietal in the US, that by most accounts, is the 4th (out of 5) best variety in Bordeaux and is twice as expensive to grow as Syrah. I'd be flat out giddy if Syrah grew to half the sales of Malbec next year.


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Recently a good friend and I did a typical weekend wander through one of our local farmers markets. This particular market isn't very large, but the diversity and quality of produce is really worth the trip. We ended up buying some ridiculous number of pounds of heirloom tomatoes with the sole intention of making fresh Bloody Mary's out of them. We juiced the tomatoes. We juiced lemons. We juiced garlic and fennel and onions. We juiced as if it were the only appliance in the kitchen. We did add a little bit of V8 to round out the flavors, add a little consistency to the texture and give it a salt kick. Well, and of course there was the vodka. Honestly, I have can only think a few other examples where I have had a fully homemade version that is so VASTLY superior to the normal thing that they are almost not even the same thing. All I can say is this. Quick! Get thee to the market. Buy a ton of the most colorful, crazy looking tomatoes you can find. Break your juicer out of hiding (you know you have one somewhere) and be one with the mixology. Experience the intensity of flavor, smell, and the incredible visual treat that the foamy multicolored juice delivers.
It is worth it like you just can't believe. Our recipe was inspired by the classic version from Cook's Illustrated:
Cindy's Summer Bloody Mary's
- 2 cups freshly squeezed heirloom tomato juice (this includes however much garlic, onion, and fennel you included in the juice)
- 1 cup V8 juice
- 1 1/2 cup vodka
- 1 tablespoon worcheshire sauce (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (although freshly grated root would add only good things to this recipe)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- salt and black pepper to taste
- pickle juice (completely optional and definately to individual taste)
- squirt of Sriracha (again, completely optional and definately to individual taste)
- celery sticks, carrots, pickles, olives – to taste – for garnish
Serve over ice and drink on the patio with friends. Remark how you will never look at Bloody Mary's the same way again. Then make another batch.
Other uses for the fresh mix…marinade for steaks or chicken….add cream to the mix (if the vodka hasn't already been added) and freshly sliced basil for a spectacular fresh tomato soup.
Points here? Just for the actual vodka…so adjust accordingly.


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Oracle's Advice for 6th February 2019
Oracle's Advice - Tomorrow
Things to Be Careful About
Auspicious Activies to Do
6th February 2019
2nd February 2019
Fuk Luk Sau: Auspicious Trinity
Fuk Luk Sau, commonly referred to as the Gods of Blessings, Prosperity and Longevity are one of the most popular gods/deities in Chinese history. There are countless legends of the Fuk Luk Sau aiding and bestowing kindness on worthy mortals throughout the lands. Technically, they were originally astrological stars (hence the original name of Fuk Luk Sau were the Three Star Gods) which showed the traditional culture of the Chinese people who long ...
Fuk Luk Sau in Full
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Remember That $83 Billion Bank Subsidy? We Weren't KiddingBy
Remember That $83 Billion Bank Subsidy? We Weren't KiddingBy
Our calculation, in a Feb. 21 editorial, showing that the top 10 U.S. banks receive a taxpayer subsidy worth $83 billion a year has generated some, um, discussion. It's a big number, and the subsidy is a big issue for the banks.
How did we get there? To recap, the largest banks can borrow money at a lower rate because creditors assume the government, on behalf of taxpayers, will rescue them in an emergency. In a 2012 study, two economists -- Kenichi Ueda of the International Monetary Fund and Beatrice Weder di Mauro of the University of Mainz -- estimated the value of that too-big-to-fail subsidy at about 0.8 percentage point. We multiplied that number by the top 10 U.S. banks' total liabilities to come up with $83 billion a year.
Some said that we shouldn't have used total liabilities in the calculation. A lot of those liabilities are customer deposits, the argument went. Since these are explicitly guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., why would the subsidy apply to them?
Here's how Matt Levine, of the Dealbreaker blog, put it:
The biggest problem ... is Bloomberg's claim that "the discount applies to all their liabilities, including bonds and customer deposits." I can't find any support for that in Ueda and di Mauro's paper, which in fact says the exact opposite: that the 80bps uplift applies in the case of "issuing a five-year bond."
And Bloomberg's unsupported interpretation is counterintuitive. Bank deposits in the U.S. are (largely) explicitly insured by the federal government; it makes no sense that an implicit TBTF premium on top of the explicit FDIC insurance would make your deposit any safer, or make you charge a lower rate for that deposit. Also, the notion that TBTF banks are paying eighty basis points less for FDIC insured demand deposits than other banks is sort of facially absurd: if you're getting 0.8% interest on your checking account at a little bank, let me know and I'll move my money there.
Naturally, we thought about this when we did the calculation. Let's deal with the "facial" aspect first. The purpose of our analysis, and the study, is to estimate the long-term value of the too-big-to-fail discount. So Levine's observation that current deposit rates are too low to allow for a 0.8 percentage point subsidy (aka 80 basis points, or bps) doesn't apply. Looking at the latest retail deposit rates doesn't do the trick, either. Interest rates fluctuate.
On the broader point, it's true that including deposits might skew the results. Problem is, so would excluding them. Just because deposits are guaranteed by the FDIC doesn't mean they're subsidy-free. Also, the guarantee doesn't cover all deposits. The threshold stood at $100,000 per account before the crisis and $250,000 after.
As it happens, two FDIC economists recently estimated the funding advantage that too-big-to-fail banks enjoy on deposits. They compared interest rates offered by small and large banks on money-market deposit accounts with balances exceeding the FDIC guarantee, from 2005 through 2010. For banks with assets greater than $100 billion, they found the deposit funding advantage to be worth 0.45 percentage point. For banks with assets greater than $200 billion -- a group that would include all the institutions involved in our calculation -- the advantage came to 1.2 percentage points.
In other words, if we want to know the full value of subsidies received by these banks, including deposits is probably going to get us closer to the right answer. And that's not even accounting for the fact that the FDIC guarantees are taxpayer-backed. Creditors would put a much smaller value -- and demand higher interest rates -- on FDIC protection if it relied solely on bank contributions to the insurance fund, with no government backing.
Oh, and we did contact one of the study's authors to clarify its implications, which were consistent with our approach.
Levine offered another criticism regarding our method of quantifying funding advantages -- our "blind use of the midpoint of the effect on funding costs."
Here is how Ueda and di Mauro describe the funding advantage of a three-notch ratings uplift: "5-8bp for an A rated bank, 23 bp for a BBB rated bank, 61 bp for a BB rated bank, and 128 bp for a B rated bank." Then it uses the midpoint and gets 66.5bps, which becomes 80bps for the 4-ish notches of uplift that banks get in 2009. Fine whatever.
Bloomberg applies this 80bps funding uplift to JPMorgan (Fitch holdco rating of A+), BofA (A), Citi (A), Wells Fargo (AA-), and Goldman Sachs (A). See the problem? As Ueda and di Mauro note, "government support is more 'valuable' at lower rating levels." My best guess is that the paper supports about a 31bps funding uplift for those banks (equivalent to going from BBB- to A), not 80bps.
OK, we really didn't want to get this far down in the weeds. Our experience with such calculations has taught us that the simple approach typically gives you pretty much the same answer as the complicated approach. But here goes.
Until recently, Fitch provided an individual rating for each bank that reflected its creditworthiness without external support (meaning without government support in the case of the big U.S. banks). For the largest five U.S. banks in 2009 -- the latter period covered by the Ueda-di Mauro study -- the average individual rating, weighted by assets, was the rough equivalent of a BBB-. The weighted average long-term default rating, which includes the effect of government support, was close to AA-.
So the top banks got a too-big-to-fail boost of about 6 notches -- much larger than the average for all banks. This makes sense: Bigger, scarier institutions can be more certain of government support in an emergency, so their ratings boost should be larger.
How much is a six-notch lift worth? Using the same scale that Ueda and di Mauro employed in their study, which is based on bond yields constructed from default data for the years 1920 to 1999, the rating gain would be worth roughly 0.50 percentage point.
Because we're focusing on the U.S. and because the experience of the 1920s isn't necessarily a good indicator of what will happen in the coming years, we might want to use a more relevant measure. Consider the difference between two Bank of America Merrill Lynch indexes that track the yields on actual AA and BBB bank debt in the U.S. Over the 10 years through early 2008, the average gap was 1.13 percentage points. From this perspective, our blind use of 0.8 looks conservative.
The point isn't that our critics are wrong. There's no ideal way to do the analysis. Any approach will be subject to debate. The best we can do is find the one that seems most reasonable and be transparent about it.
Others may come up with different numbers, but the conclusion is the same: Banks get a very big subsidy from taxpayers. This subsidy distorts markets and encourages banks to become a threat to the economy.
To contact the author on this story:
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Today's great news is that Veenwaters, a Finnish design bottled water brand, will be sold exclusively in England at Harrods Knightsbridge. Veenwaters' new 0,33l new bottle VEEN Long John 33 will be the only water sold at all of Harrods restaurants and Harrods Food Halls.
This is really a remarkable news for a small Finnish company that launched their first design water just under two years ago. Veenwaters' first bottle, designed by Antti Eklund, have won numerous awards icluding "The Good Design" award.
I had a chat with their CEO Tomi Grönfors last week, and there are so many good things coming from there.
Attaching the whole press release here, read yourself.
Harrods has chosen VEEN as its house water brand. A brand new, smaller 0,33L edition will recieve its global launch at the world famous department store later this month. The award winning
spring water will be available in the store's restaurants in the designer 0.33l and 0,66L bottles, as well as continuing to retail exclusively in the Food Halls.
Exceptional taste and quality
VEEN comes from a free flowing spring in the natural wilderness of Finnish Lapland, one of the least populated areas of Europe, resulting in exceptionally low nitrate levels. The low minerality
in the Lappish soil creates a unique, smooth taste. "VEEN's smooth taste pairs well with excellent food and wine, we are delighted that diners at Harrods restaurants will now be able to appreciate the match." Says Tomi Grönfors the MD of VEEN Waters Finland Ltd.
VEEN LongJohn
The crystal clear Extra Flint Glass was the natural choice for VEEN bottles to protect the taste and quality of the water as well as to ensure recyclability for sustainable product development. The clear Scandinavian design form of the new LongJohns bottle is a brand signature, with the "LongJohn" embossing bringing a contemporary twist. The name comes from the design's continuous wallpaper pattern that resembles the classic underwear design used in Finland.
The bottle is created and manufactured in close co-operation with Owens-Illinois.
VEEN Waters Finland Oy
VEEN Waters Finland Lts. is a privately owned company located in the town of Ylitornio in Finnish Lapland. The company was established 2006 December. VEEN is sold worldwide in selected outlets. VEEN Waters Finland Ltd, is a marketing, development and production company that is challenging the big multi-nationals with entrepreneurial spirit and Finnish flair.


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Willis and Towers Watson have merged. Visit willistowerswatson.com
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Thanks to Insider BrokenParadox for sending this in. If you have something you would like to see as our picture of the day, submit it here...
Thanks to Insider BrokenParadox for sending this in. If you have something you would like to see as our picture of the day, submit it here...
Co-Host, The Glenn Beck Program
As we move along this endless primary season, we implement our first major adjustments to our power rankings model. Because of all the changes on the model itself, we'll keep the write ups short this week so that we can get an update posted before we hit the second round of debates.
There are now 40 separate measures of candidate performance which are summarized by the 0-100 score that helps us makes sense out of this chaos.We also have a new style of graphs, where the section highlighted in blue will show the progress (or lack thereof) made by each candidate over the life of their campaign.
In this update, we have our first campaign obituary, a couple of brand new candidates (when will it ever stop) and plenty of movement up top.
Let's get to it.
In case you're new here, read our explainer about how all of this works:
The 2020 Democratic primary power rankings are an attempt to make sense out of the chaos of the largest field of candidates in global history. Each candidate gets a unique score in at least thirty categories, measuring data like polling, prediction markets, fundraising, fundamentals, media coverage, and more. The result is a candidate score between 0-100. These numbers will change from week to week as the race changes. The power rankings are less a prediction on who will win the nomination, and more a snapshot of the state of the race at any given time. However, early on, the model gives more weight to fundamentals and potentials, and later will begin to prioritize polling and realities on the ground. If you're like me, when you read power rankings about sports, you've already skipped ahead to the list. So, here we go.
See previous editions here.
Campaign Obituary #1
The Eric Swalwell Campaign
California State Congressman
April 8, 2019 - July 8, 2019
Lifetime high: 20.2
Lifetime low: 19.5
I ended my initial profile on Eric Swalwell with this:
"There's a certain brand of presidential candidate that isn't really running for president. That's Eric Swalwell."amp only placement
It's now more true than ever that Swalwell isn't running for president, because he has officially dropped out of the race.
To any sane observer, Swalwell never had a chance to win the nomination. This was always about raising his profile with little downside to deter him from taking money and building a list of future donors.
In one of many depressing moments in his FiveThirtyEight exit interview, he noted that one of his supporters told him he definitely thought he'd eventually be president, but it wasn't going to happen this time. (This supporter was not identified, but we can logically assume they also have the last name Swalwell.)
Swalwell did outline a series of reasons he thought his ridiculous campaign might have a chance.
It was on point number three where Swalwell made his last stand. In an uncomfortably obvious attempt to capture a viral moment that would launch his fundraising and polling status, Swalwell went after Joe Biden directly.
"I was 6 years old when a presidential candidate came to the California Democratic Convention and said it's time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans. That candidate was then-Senator Joe Biden." This pre-meditated and under-medicated attack, along with Swalwell's entire campaign future, was disassembled by a facial gesture.
Biden's response wasn't an intimidation, anger, or a laugh. It was a giant smile that somehow successfully communicated a grandfathery dismissal of "isn't that just adorable."
Of course, headlines like this didn't help either:
Eric Swalwell is going to keep comparing the Democratic field to 'The Avengers' until someone claps
The campaign of Eric Swalwell was pronounced dead at the age of 91 days.
Other headlines:
Eric Swalwell ends White House bid, citing low polling, fundraising
Republicans troll Swalwell for ending presidential campaign
Eric Swalwell Latest 'Cringe' Video Brags About Omar Holding his 'White' Baby
Eric Swalwell's message to actor Danny Glover is 'the cringiest thing I've ever seen in a hearing'
Eric Swalwell's 'I Will Be Bold Without The Bull' Bombs
Joe Sestak is a former three-star admiral who served in Congress for a couple of years in the late 2000s. Besides his military service, his most notable achievement is figuring out a way to get Pat Toomey elected in a purple state.
With Arlen Specter finally formalizing his flip from Republican to Democrat in 2009, he was expected to cruise to reelection. However, Sestak went after him in the primary, and was able to knock him off in the by eight points. Sestak then advanced to face Republican Pat Toomey in the general election. He lost by two points during the Tea Party wave election of 2010.
Needless to say, losing to the former president of the fiscally conservative Club For Growth isn't exactly an accomplishment that is going to help Sestak in the Democratic presidential primary.
Unfortunately, with the current state of the party— his distinguished service in the Navy probably isn't helpful either.
Other headlines:
Joe Sestak on the issues, in under 500 words
Joe Sestak, latest 2020 candidate, says it's not too late for him to gain traction
Sestak aims to 'heal the soul of America' with presidential bid
Joe Sestak Would Move the US Embassy 'Back Out of Jerusalem'
Gravel was able to get celebrities and other candidates to send out pleas to raise funds in effort to get above 65,000 donations and qualify for the second debate.
We may never know if it was grift or incompetence, but Gravel probably should have known that crossing this line made no difference. He'll still be yelling at the TV when the debate starts.
Other headlines:
Gravel meets donor threshold to qualify for Democratic primary debate
Gravel spends a bit of cash to run an ad against Joe Biden in Iowa
Mike Gravel: Why the American People Need Their Own Legislature
Messam has made no impact in this race so far, and has fundraising numbers that don't even get into the six digits, let alone seven. He's not really running a campaign at this point, so there's no real downside in staying in for now.
Other headlines:
Wayne Messam: Money Kept Me Out of the First Democratic Debate. Will It Keep Me Out of the Second?
Seth Moulton is the invisible man on the campaign trail. Most people don't even know who he is when they're talking to him. His appeal to the Democratic party is heavily flavored with his military service and appeal to patriotism.
Good luck with that Seth.
Other headlines:
Moulton: Buttigieg Was a Nerd at Harvard
Moulton: Democrats shouldn't go on 'moral crusade' against Trump
Moulton talks reclaiming patriotism from Trump, Republicans
Moulton: 'Trump is going to be harder to beat than many Democrats like to believe'
Tim Ryan's first debate performance was so bad he lost about a quarter of his score with this update. He's not without a plan to get that support back though. He wants to bring hot yoga to the people.
Other headlines:
Tim Ryan on CNN: Trump 'clearly has it out for immigrants'
Williamson is not going to be the nominee for the Democrats, but if you throw a debate watch party, she might supply the most entertainment. So much so, Republicans have started to donate to her campaign to keep her in future debates.
Other headlines:
"I call her a modern-day prophet": Marianne Williamson's followers want you to give her a chance
Williamson Uses Anime to Explain 2020 Candidate's Holistic Politics
What Marianne Williamson and Donald Trump have in common
Marianne Williamson's Iowa director joins John Delaney's 2020 campaign
Hickenlooper has been shedding campaign advisors at a relatively furious pace as he admits "there's just a bunch of skills that don't come naturally to me" when it comes to campaigning.
Probably best to pick another line of work.
Other headlines:
Hickenlooper defends campaign fundraising to The Onion: 'The race is wide open'
WP: 'You are who?' The lonely presidential campaign of John Hickenlooper
Gary Hart Warns John Hickenlooper Against Campaigning On Bipartisanship Message
Hickenlooper refuses to condemn protesters who hoisted Mexican flag at ICE facility
Michael Bennet is a bit of a boring no name, but give him credit for actually trying to differentiate himself from the field. He's one of the only candidates willing to criticize his socialist opponents from the center, calling out the open borders crowd and student debt. Obviously this has no chance of success in the democratic party, but at least he's trying.
Other headlines:
George Will touts Bennet to beat Trump in 2020
Bennet: America doesn't know what the Democratic Party stands for
Bullock's biggest moment of his campaign, and quite possibly his only important moment , will come in this round of debates. He missed the first round, but squeaks in for round two after Eric Swalwell decided to take his zero percent and go home.
Bullock has a theoretical argument that doesn't look half bad on paper, but it seems impossible for another "moderate*" to make noise with Biden still hanging around.
(*-None of these moderates are actually moderate.)
Other headlines:
For Democratic presidential hopeful Steve Bullock, it's all about the 'dark money'
Steve Bullock hates 'dark money.' But a lobbyist for 'dark money' donors is helping his campaign.
Steve Bullock looking to introduce himself as someone who won in Trump country
Bullock said he's not one to eliminate all student-loan debt
Steve Bullock raises $2 million for 2020 bid in second quarter, campaign says
De Blasio is still the least popular Democrat in the field, but his complete lack of shame allows him to shine in a debate format.
In round two, expect Bill to attack Biden head on and look for the viral moment that could rocket him to a solid one or two percent in the polls.
Other headlines:
De Blasio blasts Biden over Obama administration's deportation record
Bill de Blasio has a 'Waterloo' moment as blackout hits New York City — while he's campaigning in Iowa
Gov. Cuomo swipes at NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio for being absent when power outage hits
De Blasio's 2020 campaign is spending 'pennies' on digital ads
De Blasio shouts that he 'hates' charter schools at campaign event
De Blasio: Require equal pay for national sports teams
Bill De Blasio Is A Big Headed Hypocrite On The Gender Pay Gap
'This is Swalwell cringe levels': Bill de Blasio debate prep Tweet
The power ranking model likes Delaney more than voters seem to like him. He continues to pour his own money into the race and at some point you have to believe someone in his life stops him from setting his cash on fire.
He did steal a key advisor from Marianne Williamson's campaign, which doesn't seem like a path to success.
Other headlines:
Delaney: "Non-Citizens Are Not Covered By My 'Better Care' Plan, But…"
Delaney says he opposes decriminalizing border crossings
Undaunted by low polling, John Delaney keeps his show on the road
Delaney presidential campaign theme: fix what's broken, keep what works
Before the campaign started, if you would have said Yang would be in the middle of the pack at this point, he probably would be happy with that result. His embrace of quirky issues like banning robocalls, giving everyone free cash, and spending $6 billion to fix the nations malls is enough to keep him in the news.
His fundraising was decent, and he remains an interesting and thoughtful candidate. But, Yang has a better chance of dropping out and running on a third party ticket than winning in this Democratic Party.
You do have to wonder how long it will be before the word "Math" moves from his campaign slogan to the reason he needs to drop out.
Other headlines:
Andrew Yang Is Targeting The 'Politically Disengaged' To 'Win The Whole Election'
You can't turn truck drivers into coders, Andrew Yang says of job retraining
Yang's plan to give $1000 a month to everyone is popular with young, poor Democrats
Expect Inslee to capture the king-czar-chancellor role of the new climate police or whatever draconian nightmare the actual Democratic nominee creates if they win.
In the meantime, he should try to avoid cringe inducing nonsense like this.
Other headlines:
Presidential hopeful Jay Inslee says Trump's immigration policies will 'end his presidency'
Crowd roars for Elizabeth Warren, Jay Inslee follows to tepid applause
Inslee on listening to Carole King, wanting an anchor tattoo
Tulsi Gabbard really wants to be Joe Biden's vice president. Or, at least, she wants to hold an important role in his cabinet, like Secretary of Defense.
Gabbard has been running interference for Biden, aggressively going after Kamala Harris for her very successful but substance free bussing attack, while hammering Harris as not qualified to be President. These have been among the harshest criticisms levied by any candidate in the race so far, and there is definitely a purpose to all of it. Her presence in the same debate as Biden and Harris should be something Harris prepares herself for. Expect incoming fire.
Along with Yang, Gabbard remains among the most interesting Democratic candidates to Republicans and Libertarians, which is not helpful to her chances of actually winning the Democratic party nod.
Other headlines:
Gabbard says Harris used "political ploy" to "smear" Biden on raced
Which U.S. Wars Were Justifiable? Tulsi Gabbard Names Only World War II
Tulsi Gabbard Says It's A 'Good Thing' Trump Met With Kim Jong Un
Gabbard Sympathizes With Amash, Says the Two-Party System Sucks
Tulsi Gabbard Files Bill To Study Hemp's Uses For Just About Everything
Gabbard: '14-year-old girl hacked into a replica of Florida's election system'
Tom Steyer is a Democratic billionaire that has spent millions plastering his face all over MSNBC for the past two years begging people to consider impeaching Donald Trump.
The campaign power ranking model loves Steyer's potential because of his unlimited money and theoretical ability to put together a serious campaign team.
All of this is theory at this point though, as the millions spent so far has lead to a giant pile of zilch. If he's serious enough, he should be able to buy his way into the low single digits, and squeak his way into a debate or two.
Steyer's billionaire status isn't an obvious fit as the party of inequality attempts to take down Donald Trump. But, he does have legitimate movement credibility, tons of cash to buy support, and a long developed immunity to embarrassment—so the sky is the limit.
Other headlines:
Tom Steyer on the issues, in under 500 words
Tom Steyer announces 2020 bid, reversing course
Why We're Not Treating Tom Steyer As A 'Major' Candidate (Yet)
There is probably no candidate that enters the second round of debates more clearly in do-or-die mode than Gillibrand. With headlines like "The Ignoring of Kirsten Gillibrand" lighting up her feed, she needs something big to happen, and fast. Her performance in the first debate wasn't actually horrible, but still went unnoticed.
She has zero percent in lots of polls, and that includes all of the benefits she says she's received from white privilege. Imagine if she didn't have that going for her.
Other headlines:
Gillibrand: I'd Tell Concerned Coal Miner the Green New Deal Is 'Just Some Bipartisan Ideas'
Struggling in White House bid, Democrat Gillibrand seeks bump in Trump country
The free fall continues for Betomania.
When campaigns show signs of death, reporters start to write long profiles that aim to tell the story of the demise, or launch the amazing comeback.
Politico's headline (What Beto O'Rourke's Dad Taught Him About Losing) probably wasn't all that helpful.
Beto did secure Willie Nelson's vote though, meaning he can now count on 2 votes, assuming his "Republican" mother votes for him.
Other headlines:
Welcome to America—It's a Hell Hole!
A desperate Beto O'Rourke goes for broke, claims America was founded on white supremacy
Beto O'Rourke finds 'personal connection' to slavery, argues for reparations to unite 'two Americas'
Beto boldly vows not to prosecute people for 'being a human being'Rebooto O'Rourke
Fact Checker: Has Beto O'Rourke visited the most Iowa counties? No.
Beto O'Rourke: Let's Forgive All Student Loan Debt For Teachers
Klobuchar has been a massive underachiever so far, but is still sticking around in that third tier of candidates. Along with Beto, Booker, and maybe Castro— they aren't exactly eliminated, but can't seem to catch fire. Or even get warm.
Klobuchar would serve herself well to focus on the fundamentals and avoiding desperate pleas for attention if she wants to remain in the Biden VP sweepstakes. Or she could totally shake things up by throwing binders at her opponents in the debate.
Other headlines:
Klobuchar: I Don't Support Open Borders Like Warren, Castro
Deportation raids are about distracting from issues: Amy Klobuchar
Klobuchar hoping 'nice' finishes first
Sports bookmakers put Klobuchar as "heavy underdog" in presidential race
Castro is a good example of how overblown debates can be. His first debate performance was quite solid, but did more to sink Robert Francis O'Rourke than actually help his own candidacy.
One more good debate performance should be enough to get him into the next round of debates, as he has already passed the donor threshold. Polling, however, has been elusive. Perhaps there is a swath of America that is uncomfortable voting for a Castro for president, like say, all of south Florida?
Still, in a field of a zillion candidates that have shown no potential, he stands out as a long shot with a punchers chance to make some noise. This is reflected with a nice bump in his score for this update.
Other headlines:
Julián Castro Doubles Down On Decriminalizing Migration: Repeal Felony For Reentry, Too
Julian Castro: 'Instead of breaking up families, we should break up ICE'
Bill Maher rips Julián Castro for remark about abortion for trans women
Julián Castro declines to hold baby
Julián Castro can't speak Spanish
Julian Castro wants to solve homelessness by 2028
A consulting firm made specifically to prevent sexual harassment is providing Castro and other 2020 campaigns advice and training
Cory Booker hates the word "realistically." This is supposed to communicate his big picture mindset and ability to strive for the impossible.
Realistically, it's just another cringeworthy try-too-hard moment in a campaign that is notable only for hanging around long enough to show how bad the field is.
Other headlines:
Cory Booker was the only Democrat at the first debate who didn't commit to rejoining the Iran deal
Cory Booker's Brother Got Top N.J. Education Job After Poor Tenure Leading Charter School
Green New Deal and Medicare for All Supporter Cory Booker Says He Hates the Word 'Realistically'
Home means Nevada to Cory Booker
Booker says he uses 'Star Wars' and 'the Force' to make decisions
Pro-Booker super PAC launches black voter push
Cory Booker uses Boston as backdrop to gun platform
Buffalo Bills are only true New York team, says Booker
There probably isn't a campaign that has been more bizarre than Mayor Pete. He was a complete nobody to the public, though as we initially noted, he had support from a bunch of Obama era celebrinerds.
This helped him rise to a top tier candidate with all the money and momentum to make a run at the nomination. Since then we've seen a complete fizzle. He is using the cash to build the infrastructure to make himself a serious candidate, and he should last a while, but he probably must win Iowa to have a chance at the nomination.
Also, finding one African American who will vote for him would be nice.
Other headlines:
Pete Buttigieg goes on hiring spree after top fundraising quarter.
Buttigieg, Struggling With Black Voters, Releases Plan to Address Racial Inequities
South Bend police call out Buttigieg for sending pizza rather than apology after race comments
CNN's Axelrod Rips Buttigieg: Blacks Doing Worse Under His Leadership
Only Pete Buttigieg gets standing ovation from Corn Feed audience
New Republic Drops Out Of Climate Forum Over Backlash To Pete Buttigieg Op-Ed
Pete Buttigieg says it's "almost certain" we've had gay presidents
Pete Buttigieg Sets Hollywood Fundraisers With Ellen DeGeneres, Chelsea Handler and More
Looking back at my initial analysis of this field, I'd say it's played out pretty closely to what I expected. Warren has surprised me though.
In an election where beating Trump is the most important characteristic for democratic voters, she seems to be grown in a lab to lose to him. She comes across as a stern elementary school principal who would make kids terrified to be called into her office, because she'd bore them to death by reading them the handbook.
Her DNA kit roll out was so catastrophic, I assumed democrats would see that her political instincts are awful. When put under the intense pressure Trump is sure to bring, she's going to collapse, and I figured democrats would recognize that.
Instead, she's in the top tier. This rise has been legitimately impressive for Warren.
It's also a dream come true for Donald Trump.
Other headlines:
The Activist Left Already Knows Who It Wants for President
Netroots Nation was the day Elizabeth Warren became president of the American left
Elizabeth Warren pledges to decriminalize border crossings
Warren plans to increase annual refugee admissions nearly 800 percent from FY2018
Warren, Biden Campaigns Appear to Find Loophole Around Paid Internships
Warren says she'll push to end Israel's 'occupation'
Warren staffer: 'I would totally be friends with Hamas'
Elizabeth Warren reintroduces legislation requiring corporations to disclose climate risk exposure
Elizabeth Warren Wants Reparations For Same-Sex Couples
Elizabeth Warren proposes executive orders to address race and gender pay gap
This is how Elizabeth Warren plans to close the pay gap for women of color
How much would a wealth tax really raise? Dueling economists reflect new split in Democratic Party
Elizabeth Warren Brings Ad Buying In-House
Elizabeth Warren says she raised $19 million in the second quarter of the year
Sanders has fallen slowly but steadily in the polls the past couple of months, and while not every metric yet reflects it, the socialist wing seems more likely represented by Warren.
That being said, Bernie holds her off for third place. Warren and Bernie have reportedly struck a truce to not attack each other, an arrangement which benefits Warren far more than Sanders.
Bernie's machine and name recognition continues to keep him near the top of the heap, but one wonders how long that lasts as name recognition for other candidates get higher, and Iowa gets closer.
No matter if he wins or loses, he's moved the Overton window of the party in a dramatic way. And don't underestimate the appeal of his Medicare-for-all-humankind dream. Bernie may be too old and cranky to see socialized health care into the end zone, but he has advanced that ball much further than he had any right to.
Other headlines:
Bernie Sanders has 'deep sense of satisfaction' his positions are now 'centrist' among Dems
Bernie Sanders: I Will Cancel All $1.6 Trillion Of Your Student Loan Debt
Sanders hits back at Biden over criticism of 'Medicare for All'
Bernie Sanders: Nancy Pelosi shouldn't 'alienate' freshmen House Democrats
Why Sanders Wanted His Meeting With a Rabbi Kept Secret
Bernie Sanders Says Being the First Jewish President Would Be 'Another Barrier Broken Down'
Liberal billionaire calls Bernie Sanders a 'Communist' and 'a disaster zone'
Blackstone's Byron Wien: Markets are terrified of far-left Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren
Antiwar candidate Bernie Sanders faces backlash over the $1.2 trillion war machine he brought to Vermont
The time Bernie Sanders ranted about baseball in a low-budget film
Bernie Sanders shows off sword Ross Perot gave him
Bernie Sanders Raises $18 Million in 3 Months, Trailing Buttigieg
Harris has given back a good chunk of her post debate bounce, which is to be expected. While she rockets to number two in the power rankings, there are a few things to worry about.
The difference between Warren and Harris is notable. The candidates are nearly tied in most polls, but much of the strength of Harris is based on one spectacular moment. Warren alternatively seems to have a lower ceiling, but a stronger foundation.
The good news for Harris is she does incredibly well among voters that are actually paying attention, while her weakness lies with those who haven't really tuned in yet.
At some point, Harris has to clean up her mess of a policy package, which includes supporting a Bernie style Medicare for All without the Bernie style middle class tax hikes-- a combination that even the left admits makes no sense.
Quotes like this still feel way too accurate, "She's the easy-to-listen-to, poorly defined identity candidate." This needs to be sorted out eventually if she's actually going to win.
Other headlines:
It's Hard To Have A Conversation With Kamala Harris When She Doesn't Even Know What She's Talking About
Kamala Harris: Immigration Raids Are 'A Crime Against Humanity', there are 'babies in cages'
Harris doubles down on criticism of Biden's busing comments on The View
Mother Jones: Kamala Harris Wants to Bring Back Busing? Really?
Kamala Harris's Call for a Return to Busing Is Bold and Politically Risky
Race is 'America's Achilles' heel,' Harris tells African-American group
Kamala Harris claims her campaign is being targeted by Russian bots, also says she's not a plan factory
Harris proposes $100 billion plan to increase minority homeownership
What's Kamala Harris's record on Israel?
Kamala Harris Called Young People "Stupid" in 2015
Kamala Harris lags behind top-tier candidates in Q2 fundraising
Utah man arrested after alleged scheme to plan fake Kamala Harris fundraiser
Biden's polling has mostly rebounded to his pre-debate status and he remains the favorite to be the nominee.
He can't survive too many more performances like his first debate however, and he needs to show voters that he can stand up to the heat President Trump is going to bring. In other words, don't get smoked again, fall over on your walker, or look like your dentures are going to fall out in the middle of a debate.
This is a real test for Biden's candidacy. He's had time to prepare, and he's had time to stretch the old muscles. No more excuses.
If Joe can get spry, he probably wins the nomination. But, that is far from a sure thing.
Other headlines:
NBC/WSJ poll: Biden tops 2020 Democratic field...
Joe Biden Decides He Doesn't Need to Stay Above the Fray After All
Biden campaigns as Obamacare's top defender
Biden says Democrats haven't been straightforward about 'Medicare for All'
Biden under fire for mass deportations under Obama
Biden refuses to apologize for high deportation numbers during Obama years
Joe Biden's campaign office opens in Philly with a protest, not a party
AOC: Segregationist controversy and debate performance raised question Biden could be too old for office
Are Biden's Apologies Killing His Electability Argument?
Liberal activists at Netroots Nation bet Joe Biden drops out of race
Joe and Jill Biden have made $15M since leaving White House
How Joe Biden, who called himself 'the poorest man in Congress,' became a multimillionaire
Penn Paid Joe Biden $775,000 to Expand Its "Global Outreach" … and Give Some Speeches
Biden: 'Occupation is a real problem'Joe Biden raised $21.5 million in second quarter, campaign announces
Joe Biden: I Promise To 'End The Forever Wars In Afghanistan And Middle East'
Another day, another proposed fix to a pressing national problem by a Democratic presidential hopeful. Former Vice President Joe Biden has positioned himself as the "moderate" leader of the Democratic Party, putting pressure on him to come up with a "sensible" alternative to Sen. Sanders' (I-Vt.) Medicare for All plan. But Biden's healthcare proposal, released July 15, doubles down on flawed, top-down solutions without offering any new ideas. Presidential hopefuls should instead pledge to unleash market innovation and lower healthcare prices for all.
Of course, a former vice president will inevitably find it difficult to make a clean policy break from the administration he has repeatedly hailed and defended. Biden's tenure as vice president made him into a second-tier political rockstar, and it makes sense that he's reluctant to separate himself from former President Obama's Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare"). It's also no surprise that "Bidencare" preserves Obamacare's disastrous expansion of Medicaid, the federal government's insurance program for low-income Americans. His plan even provides a public option for residents of states that have not expanded Medicaid. Perhaps more surprising, or just disappointing, is how thoroughly the Democratic orthodoxy has embraced government medical insurance even at gargantuan cost, despite little evidence that it'll work.
Back when he was a heartbeat away from the presidency, Biden vigorously defended Obamacare, criticizing Republican governors for failing to expand Medicaid and predicting that all states would eventually see the light. That never quite happened (as of now, 17 states wisely refuse to expand health insurance targeted at low-income Americans). But the Obama administration tried to cajole red and purple states into expanding the Medicaid eligibility threshold "up to 138 percent of the poverty level." Nevertheless, states such as Texas, Florida, and North Carolina wisely considered the evidence that Medicaid was breaking the bank — without helping the poor get access to the care they needed.
This evidence isn't just based on one or two stray studies produced by the "right" think-tank. In June 2018, Health Affairs published a blockbuster analysis of 77 studies on Medicaid's effectiveness, and the results may be disappointing for fans of government-provided insurance. Around 60 percent of the studies included in the meta-analysis found that health status and quality of care failed to improve for low-income patients after Medicaid expansion. The analysis also finds that a majority (56 percent of studies) found no improvement in the financial performance of hospitals post-Medicaid expansion. This finding contradicts claims by Obama, Biden and co. that Medicaid expansion would shift patients from the emergency room to doctor's offices, lowering system-wide costs.
These findings are scandalous for an expansion program that costs federal taxpayers at least $70 billion per year. How could all of this money be failing to improve outcomes? Plausibly, the types of institutions that accept Medicaid are larger facilities that aren't as great at delivering quality health-care as smaller offices? The copious paperwork and documentation required by the program don't really allow smaller facilities the bandwidth to deal with Medicaid in an efficient manner. Yet this documentation is necessary to curb rampant fraud in the program that costs taxpayers tens of billions of dollars each year.
Greater Medicaid funding and corresponding anti-waste measures fail to address the cancer undermining the healthcare system: sky-high drug prices and expensive medical equipment. Instead of pushing for ever-higher government spending, a President Biden could push for a streamlined Food and Drug Administration approval process for drugs and medical devices, which would keep medical costs down and give a green light to innovators everywhere. The cost to develop a single medication is now more than $2 billion, and an onerous FDA approval process costs lives by being too risk-averse.
Presidential hopefuls such as Biden should also pledge to work with states to roll-back "certificate of need" laws, which force medical institutions to jump through countless barriers to expand their facilities and invest in new services. It's not just hospitals and their patients that suffer from these needless laws; Harvard medical scholar David Grabowski sums up the evidence that these laws make nursing homes far worse and costlier than they need to be. Getting rid of these laws nationwide would give patients and consumers far more options when shopping around for the care and facilities they need.
The price problem gripping the American healthcare system simply won't go away while regulatory barriers and onerous approval processes continue to stifle the sector. Presidential hopefuls such as Biden can make a dent in this problem by supporting market reforms, instead of doubling-down on failed government healthcare.
Ross Marchand is a Young Voices contributor and the director of policy for the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both fulfilled their goal of living to see the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Then, both died later that day — July 4, 1826. Adams was 90. Jefferson was 83.
Because of their failing health, Jefferson and Adams each declined many invitations to attend July 4th celebrations. Adams sent a letter to be read aloud at the 50th Independence Day celebration in his local town of Quincy, Massachusetts. He wrote that the Declaration is:
... a memorable epoch in the annals of the human race, destined in future history to form the brightest or the blackest page, according to the use or the abuse of those political institutions by which they shall, in time to come, be shaped by the human mind.
It's remarkable how well the Founders understood human nature and what could happen to the United States. It's the postmodern mindset that increasingly rules the U.S. now. It has infected our institutions and untethered us from the bedrock principles of the Declaration. In its place? Hypocritical and vitriolic partisan righteous indignation.
Less than a century after Adams' and Jefferson's deaths, the most serious attempt to undermine the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution came from America's 28th president — Woodrow Wilson. He wrote:
Some citizens of this country have never got beyond the Declaration of Independence.
As if that's a bad thing.
During Wilson's career as a college professor, he thought deeply and wrote extensively of his contempt for our founding documents. His issue with them formed the core beliefs of Progressivism that are still alive today.
In 1911, before he was elected President, Wilson said in a speech:
I do not find the problems of 1911 solved in the Declaration of Independence ... It is the object of Government to make those adjustments of life which will put every man in a position to claim his normal rights as a living human being.
See what he does there? He completely inverts the Declaration — he's saying, you don't have inherent rights until government puts you in a position to claim them. That's the heart of Progressivism.
In a later speech, Wilson said:
If you want to understand the real Declaration of Independence, do not repeat the preface.
Wilson did not think the equality, natural rights, and consent-of-the-governed parts of the Declaration defined the proper role of government. He preferred the Declaration's list of grievances because they addressed specific problems. That's what he thought government existed to do — solve problems for people. And since people's problems change over time, so should the Constitution and government to keep up with the times.
Wilson said:
No doubt we are meant to have liberty; but each generation must form its own conception of what liberty is.
We hear this sentiment echoed all the time today: follow your heart, find your truth, etc.
Another key to Wilson's Progressive theory of government was human evolution. He thought that because humans were now more enlightened, they could be trusted not to abuse government power. The Declaration's committee of five (Adams, Sherman, Franklin, Livingston and Jefferson) would've laughed Wilson out of the room.
It's hard to believe that less than 150 years after the signing of the Declaration, the U.S. president — Wilson — was saying this:
We are not bound to adhere to the doctrines held by the signers of the Declaration of Independence: we are as free as they were to make and unmake governments. We are not here to worship men or a document. Every Fourth of July should be a time for examining our standards, our purposes, for determining afresh what principles, what forms of power we think most likely to effect our safety and happiness. That and that alone is the obligation the Declaration lays upon us.
Wilson was so effective at imposing his philosophy on government that he forever diverted the U.S. presidency away from the Constitution. Progressives have kept Wilson's torch alive ever since.
Progressives are still hostile to the Declaration of Independence because of this idea of "historical contingency" which holds that truths change over time. Progressives think the "self-evident" truths of the Declaration are outdated and may no longer apply. And that means the Constitution based on those truths may no longer apply either. Wilson and Progressives especially don't like the whole separation of powers thing, because it hinders the fast action they want out of government. They want a justice warrior president who will bring swift change by fiat.
The current trend in attacking the Declaration and Constitution is to tear down the men who wrote them. In late 2015, students at the University of Missouri and the College of William & Mary, placed notes all over the statues of Thomas Jefferson on their respective campuses. The handwritten notes labeled Jefferson things like, "racist," "rapist," "pedophile" (not sure what that one's supposed to mean), "How dare you glorify him," "I wouldn't be here if it was up to him," and "Black Lives Matter."
That is the handiwork of students who are blinded by self-righteous victimhood and can't see the value and merit that the Declaration still holds for us today. After these incidents, Annette Gordon-Reed offered a reasoned defense of Jefferson. Reed is a respected history professor at Harvard Law School, who also happens to be a black woman. She wrote:
I understand why some people think his statues should be removed, but not all controversial figures of the past are created equal. I think Jefferson's contributions to the history of the United States outweigh the problems people have with aspects of his life. He is just too much a part of the American story to pretend that he was not there ... The best of his ideals continue to influence and move people. The statues should be a stimulus for considering all these matters at William & Mary and the University of Missouri.
At the opposite end of the spectrum from Woodrow Wilson's disdain for the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln loved it. If there is one overarching theme in Lincoln's speeches, it is the Declaration. Lincoln pointed the nation back to the Declaration as a mission statement, which ended slavery and preserved the Union.
Unlike Wilson, who recommended leaving out the Preamble, Lincoln considered it the most vital part. To Lincoln, the self-evident truths were universal, timeless, and more important than the list of grievances. Lincoln wrote that these truths were:
... applicable to all men and all times ... that today, and in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling block to the very harbingers of reappearing tyranny and oppression.
In a speech Lincoln gave in 1861, shortly after he was first elected president, he said:
I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence… I have often inquired of myself what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long together. It was not the mere matter of the separation of the Colonies from the mother-land, but that sentiment in the Declaration which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time.
Lincoln went on to say that he would rather be assassinated than see the nation forfeit the principles of the Declaration. His Gettysburg Address is a brilliant, concise renewal of the Declaration:
... that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
We cannot assume that this radical idea of freedom will always be embraced by Americans. It has found hostility on our shores every step of the way. The Declaration's principles must be continually defended. Because while humans do have certain unalienable rights that are endowed by our Creator, there is darkness in the world, and for some strange reason humans, while valuing freedom, also seem to have a natural bent toward tyranny. That's why we must understand and discuss the Declaration. It's not alarmist. It's not a quaint history lesson. It's a reality, right now, that the fundamental principles of the Declaration are under attack. The Founders would have undoubtedly shuddered at most of the rhetoric from last week's Democratic presidential debates. Left to its own mob devices, even America would turn its back on freedom.
Shortly before his death in 1826, 90-year-old John Adams was asked to recommend a toast that could be given in his honor on July 4th. Adams didn't hesitate. He suggested, "Independence Forever." The small group of visitors silently glanced at each other for a moment, before someone asked Adams if he'd like to add anything else. Adams shifted forward in his chair, leaned on his cane, stared intently at the men, and replied, "Not a word."
Freedom. It usually begins as a whisper. A secret passed on between patrons at a secluded bar or private meeting. And no matter how hard the tyrants may try and stop it, no matter how many dams they throw up to try and contain it, the whispers eventually become a flood. Sometimes it takes longer to break through, but it's the same EVERY TIME. Liberty and freedom always wins. It's an unstoppable force that knows no immovable object.
For us it was exactly 243 years ago to this month that those whispers became a flood. A group of ragtag colonists took on the world's only superpower —and won. Our forefathers proved it — freedom refuses to recognize tyranny as an immovable object. The world was forever changed.
And I can't help but see the poetic justice as more whispers became a flood, defying their own immovable object, just three days before all of us were buying fireworks to celebrate our Independence Day. But this time it was just off the coast of mainland China.
Last week over a MILLION protesters filled the streets in Hong Kong. Literally a FLOOD of humans looking for one thing — freedom. They stormed the government building that is the equivalent of their Congress. They smashed windows, broke down doors, and a photo was taken that I think just might be the picture of the year.
Quite something: protestors pin British colonial #HongKong flag to #LegCo President's podium. Hard to imagine anything more incendiary to #China. (Pic: @AFP) pic.twitter.com/tMuRLbolGB
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) July 1, 2019
A British colonial flag, a symbol thrown out when Hong Kong was given back to China, was draped — BY THE PROTESTORS — over the chair of their head of government. I can't restate how historic this actually is. The people of Hong Kong, with a population that is over 90 percent ethnic Han Chinese, are saying to the mainland that they prefer colonial rule over the tyranny of the Chinese government. Leftists would tell you that communism is the remedy for colonialism, but for those living in the dark shadow of communism, they actually prefer colonial rule over what they now face.
When Hong Kong was given back to the mainland, China agreed to allow them a few freedoms that the rest of the Chinese don't enjoy. They're free to engage in protest against the government and they maintain a legislative body — both of which are outlawed on the mainland. But, as every tyrannical oppressor always does, China has been looking to reel that in. Most recently, China attempted to make it possible to extradite dissenters back to Beijing. The result? The quiet whispers of freedom, the secrets told in private at clandestine meetings, became a flood of millions in the streets.
On July 3rd, police began a crackdown. More than 13 people have been arrested so far. If China eventually gets their way, those 13 people will no doubt be the first of many to be extradited over to the mainland. Their crime? The dream of freedom. As of right now, the extradition law has been temporarily delayed. The local Hong Kong government is caught between the immovable object of the Chinese communist government, and the unstoppable force of liberty.
History has shown who will win in the end. Yesterday, over 200,000 protestors gathered at the high speed train station that links mainland China to Hong Kong. The message was just as clear as the British colonial flag hung inside their legislative building. For our forefathers it was symbolized with the Gadsden Flag and the phrase "Death To Tyranny." The message is simple: "we will not be ruled. Freedom knows no immovable object."
News of the protest movement has been censored in mainland China, but how long will they be able to contain THEIR OWN whispers with over two hundred thousand freedom lovers camped out at the bridge between Hong Kong and mainland China? How long before those whispers spread to secret meeting locations in Beijing or Shanghai? How long before that cascades to the Christian and Muslim minorities that are tired of being rounded up and thrown into camps?
We might have just witnessed the Chinese version of the Boston Tea Party. July 4th is still a long way away for them, but — as it does time and time again — freedom and liberty always win in the end.


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So here's the problem I'm having.
Not enough people are watching and talking about NXT. It's on WWE Network now and that helps a little, but it doesn't get as many views as Legends House. Most wrestling fans would rather see something familiar doing nothing (i.e. Rowdy Roddy Piper trying to order takeout) than something unfamiliar doing EVERYTHING. In the first installment of The Wrestling Hipster, I'm gonna pull down my The Shield scarf and charcoal cabbie hat long enough to give you five reasons why watching NXT makes you better than other wrestling fans, and yes, I own a scarf with The Shield logo on it. And yes, I'm still going to Believe In The Shield, I don't care what you've heard.
If you aren't familiar with NXT at ALL, two things:
– It is WWE's "developmental territory." The minor leagues, basically. Guys are here before they're on Raw or Smackdown usually, practicing and refining characters and seeing what works.
– Come on, man, get your shit together.
Here are the five reasons why you should be watching it. Scoff scoff.
1. It lets you like the guys everybody likes before everybody likes them.
How you want to deal with that is up to you. You can go the (very cool) snotty route of, "heh, oh, you like The Wyatt Family? I was watching back when Eli Cottonwood was Bray's follower." You get to condescend people who think Emma's wacky arm dance is "funny" because you know its origins … you know how Emma started as a heel and was so naturally clumsy that they had to roll with it, and her physical awkwardness turned her into an unlikely fan favorite. But yeah, go ahead and cheer for her because she has another character's snake puppet on her arm, that's fine.
The other way you can deal with it is … well, having somebody cool to like before it becomes consensus. Aside from snooty bragging rights or whatever you're just getting to the good stuff first, so instead of waiting for The Shield to debut and get a big TLC match where they kill themselves, you've had a year of Seth Rollins as NXT Champion and Dean Ambrose as a crazy pissed-off guy trading knee strikes with William Regal. You get Roman Reigns back when his name was "Leakee." HIS NAME WAS LEAKY. It's not pronounced like leaky but DUDE HIS NAME WAS LEAKY AND HE BASICALLY DRESSED LIKE A HULA DANCER.
This isn't gonna stop happening. Everything cool now is gonna come directly from this show. Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze, Aiden English, Enzo Amore … these are all guys with something stupid great to offer and you should know about it. Or at least know enough about it to fake it in conversation.
2. It gives you the social high ground.
On Raw, the Divas matches are usually the "bathroom break" match. I'm not throwing shade at them. Paige came up from NXT and is working hard to change the way people see women's wrestling, but she's still only got three minutes against Tamina Snuka or whatever and has a long way to go. They position women's matches in a place to give people a break, like after the Undertaker loses to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. It's not fair to them, really, but WWE's conditioned crowds to be a certain way, and guess what? WWE ain't great to women.
NXT is great to women. WWE's still mostly hiring Hawaiian Tropic models and people they've jacked off to on YouTube, but those cats are being trained by Sara Del Rey, the most bulletproof North American female professional wrestler of the last 20 years. It's making a difference, and NXT has built their shows accordingly … now instead a women's match being a "break," it's a feature. It's athletic, beautiful "Divas" beating each others' asses and quite often stealing the show. They're treated like competitors on a wrestling show, and not like cheerleaders and stupid girlfriends.
What does this mean for The Wrestling Hipster? It gives you the social high ground. It puts you on The Right Side Of History. When you watch Raw and your casual fan friend starts in about how the Divas match is when he's gonna go pee, chastise him and give him the last 15 weeks of NXT as homework. "SASHA BANKS VS. BAYLEY IS 2014'S BEST PURE HEEL VS. FACE MATCH," you can scream, PBR-spittle flying. "WOMEN ARE GOOD AT THINGS TOO, YOU JUST HAVE TO STOP BEING SO STUPID ABOUT THEM BEING IT."
Note: it's pretty depressing that "women are equals" is a hipster point of view, but there are at least five dudes angrily scrolling down now to call me a pussy white knight in the comments section of an already pretty pro-decent-humanity blog.


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A GOVERNMENT minister has not ruled out funding a £160m channel around Oxford to tackle flooding.
Minister for Water Dan Rogerson told Labour Oxford East MP Andrew Smith the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) would consider the plan.
Mr Smith asked if the Government would fund a flood relief channel to divert flood water around West Oxford.
Mr Rogerson said: "Decisions on funding for flood management projects are made by the Environment Agency, based on criteria agreed with Defra.
"If, and when, a viable business case can be made, it will be considered under the normal criteria."
He said: "The Environment Agency is working with Oxford City Council to assess the effect of a western conveyance channel on flood prevention together with other possible options for reducing flooding in Oxford."
The channel would run from the Seacourt Stream north of Botley Road to the River Thames at Sandford Lock.
Mr Smith commented: "Those controlling the purse strings for flood defences in Oxford need to wake up to the reality of flooding in our city – now happening with a regularity which is the cause of untold human misery.
"I shall be stepping up the pressure on the Government, the Environment Agency and Thames Water, both to get the go-ahead for the western conveyance, and accelerate smaller scale measures to cut flooding risk."


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An encrypted cache of uncensored documents that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has circulated across the Internet may ensure that a huge array of secrets will be revealed even if the website is shut down or Assange is arrested.
Tens of thousands of supporters have downloaded the "insurance" file, which has been available since July, and it includes files on BP and Guantanamo Bay, The Sunday Times reported.
Assange has warned that efforts to curtail his activities could trigger a deluge of national and commercial secrets.
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"If something happens to us, the key parts will be released automatically," he said in a live chat with readers of the Guardian newspaper this week.
One reader asked if he was tempted to release the password for the encrypted file, but he did not respond to the question.
The Sunday Times said the U.S. Defense Department was unsure what was in the file, and computer experts said it was unlikely that the U.S. could defeat its encryption.
Hoffman withdrew $1,200 hours before death: sources
Philip Seymour Hoffman withdrew a total of $1,200 from an ATM at a supermarket near his New York City apartment the night before he was found lifeless in his bathroom with a syringe still in his left arm, sources told NBC News.
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- Hoffman withdrew $1,200 hours before death: sources
Assange is known to possess documents on a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan that killed civilians and Bank of America documents. It is not clear how WikiLeaks obtained the diplomatic documents, but the U.S. government's prime suspect is an Army private, Bradley Manning, who is in custody on charges of leaking other classified documents to WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks has embarrassed Washington and foreign leaders by releasing a trove of brutally frank U.S. diplomatic cables. The latest batches have touched on U.S. diplomats' view of Afghanistan and North Korea, Iranian nuclear ambitions , and Chinese attacks on U.S. Internet targets .
WikiLeaks crackdown
In the aftermath, Assange has faced a variety of legal and technical pressures.
He is named in an arrest warrant from Sweden on an allegation of rape, but is currently free in Britain while issues surrounding the warrant are worked out. Politicians in the United States have called for his arrest for releasing U.S. diplomatic documents, and some have even said he should be assassinated.
Assange's website has been DDoS attack on WikiLeaks gathers strength and was forced to switch hosts after Amazon.com said WikiLeaks had violated terms of service. The site that provided WikiLeaks a domain name cut off service, saying it was being hit by sabotage attacks.
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Some of the contingency plans were revealed Friday when WikiLeaks emerged with a Swiss address, WikiLeaks.ch, provided by the Swiss Pirate Party, which champions Internet freedom.
But on Sunday, the Swiss group that now supports the site said the website's main server in France had gone offline.
Denis Simonet of the Swiss Pirate Party said his group is currently redirecting the domain wikileaks.ch to another server based in Sweden.
Simonet told The Associated Press by phone Sunday that the switch could take several hours but that the site that publishes leaked classified documents is still reachable through the numerical address of its Swedish server.
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He was unable to immediately say why the French server stopped working.
And WikiLeaks lost a major source of revenue when the online payment service PayPal cut off its account used to collect donations, saying the website was engaged in illegal activity.
The insurance file seems meant to dissuade governments that would attempt to stop Assange's efforts — and to ensure that the material could be released in the event that WikiLeaks is driven offline or Assange is arrested.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Ethicists Confront Cancer: When the Professional Becomes Personal with Rebecca Dresser -- Overthrowing the Emperor of all Maladies: Moving Forward Against Cancer Series -- Exploring Ethics
Date: 6/23/2014; 58 minutes
Law and Ethics Professor Rebecca Dresser, author of "Malignant: Medical Ethicists Confront Cancer," describes her own bout with cancer and how it changed her views about medical ethics. Dresser, on faculty at the Washington University in St. Louis, is the final speaker in the year-long series on cancer and ethics convened by the Center for Ethics in Science and Technology in San Diego. (#25957)
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The judge quashed the council's policy stipulating a minimum distance of 1,217 metres between a 125-metre-high wind turbine and the nearest home.
If the council's policy had been implemented, it would have automatically ruled out RWE's proposed 24MW Nun Wood and 15MW Orchard Way wind farms. RWE argued that this was against national renewable energy policy.
The wind industry claimed the ruling as a victory. However, the judge's decision was based on a technicality as the proposed policy conflicted with an existing policy stipulating a separation distance of 350 metres.
Crucially, the judge also ruled that such policies are not necessarily in breach of national renewable energy policy, depending on how the policy was worded.
A council cannot have a negative policy that states that planning permission will be refused if turbines are within a certain distance from a home. However, they can have a positive policy that states that planning permission will be granted if turbines are more than a certain distance from a home, the judgement says.
Paul Maile, partner at law firm Eversheds said: "The judgement leaves open the possibility that a separation distance policy framed in a positive context would be acceptable.
"I don't think it will be [the end of this]."
The case was being closely watched by the English onshore wind industry. At least eight other local councils in England have, or are proposing, similar separation distance policies.
These councils are controlled by the right-wing Conservative party, many of whom are anti-wind.
Andrew Geary, leader of Milton Keynes Council, said that since the judgement on Monday, 25 local councils had contacted him seeking more information about the case.
"All around the country, councils have been looking at us. We realise we're very much a test case and although we've lost, we also recognise that the judgement gave some indication that will be very uncomfortable for the wind industry."
The council is going through the judgement with a fine toothcomb and considering several options, including appealing. "I suspect we probably will appeal but that hasn't been decided yet. This isn't the end of the road by any means," he said. The judge in the case had already implied that the council would be granted leave to appeal if it asked for it, he added.
John Constable, director of the anti-wind Renewable Energy Foundation said: "The Milton Keynes judgement is essential reading for other authorities who wish to safeguard local amenity from inappropriate renewables development."
A spokesman for trade association Renewable UK said: "We still maintain that the best policy is that each council should decide each case separately.
"We're slightly baffled as to why you'd do something different."


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FIT's 8th Annual Sustainability Conference is almost here!
Please mark your calendars and join us Tuesday April 8 for one event or stay with us the whole day. Program details: fitnyc.edu/sustainability
The Sustainability Council will be giving away some great prizes the day of the conference, including two CITIbike yearly memberships and 30 stainless steel water bottles from S'well. Did you know in the US alone, an estimated 50 billion plastic bottles are dumped in landfill sites each year, and over 200 billion globally? Be part of the solution and learn more about what you & others can do to help the environment!


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Mobile Real-Time Productivity Solution Collects Data Without Changes to Existing Assets
Parsec Automation Corp., developer of TrakSys and real-time performance management (RPM) solutions, announces the release of its next generation of LeanTrak. LeanTrak is a mobile productivity solution that is set up quickly to collect relevant data from production systems without any changes to the existing assets or disrupting the operations. It readily provides users with crucial and actionable intelligence necessary for improving manufacturing productivity and business profitability.
LeanTrak packs the power of Parsec's TrakSys Real-time Performance Management software into a portable package that is easily deployed in minutes without typical installation challenges, wiring, programming, infrastructure changes, or production disruption. With this newest generation of LeanTrak, Parsec has greatly simplified the set-up process by creating pre-configured point & click prompts to walk any user - even nonprogrammers - through the set-up process so they may begin collecting and analyzing data in minutes.
Because LeanTrak can be moved from machine-to-machine, line-to-line, or site-to-site. LeanTrak accurately records production line productivity events by monitoring and measuring product flow. With LeanTrak manufacturers are able to determine the value of RPM tools by collecting, storing, and analyzing performance data before committing to a broader software implementation and infrastructure modifications.


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Princeton University and Williams College are the best schools in America, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2014 rankings.
U.S. News divides schools into two major national lists — universities and liberal arts colleges— based on the degrees and research opportunities they offer.
U.S. News made significant changes to their methodology this year, decreasing the importance of students' high school standings and increasing the amount of weight given to graduation rate performance.
According to U.S. News' website, incorporating graduation rate performance data for all schools "improves the Best Colleges ranking methodology as it's an important outcome measure that focuses on the difference between each school's predicted graduation rate ... and its actual graduation rate. The indicator gives credit to schools that have higher-than-expected graduation rates."
Earlier this summer, Forbes released a college ranking that placed California schools Stanford University and Pomona College at the number one and two spots nationally, while Princeton and Williams were numbers three and nine, respectively.
Princeton was tied with Harvard University for the top spot in last year's U.S. News rankings, while Williams held the number one ranking in liberal arts colleges from the 2013 list.
Here are the national universities that U.S. News rated in the top 10 for 2014:
1. Princeton University
2. Harvard University
3. Yale University
4. Columbia University
5. Stanford University
5. University of Chicago
7. Duke University
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
7. University of Pennsylvania
10. California Institute of Technology
10. Dartmouth College
Here are the liberal arts colleges that U.S. News rated in the top 10 for 2014:
1. Williams College
2. Amherst College
3. Swarthmore College
4. Bowdoin College
4. Middlebury College
4. Pomona College
7. Carlton College
7. Wellesley College
9. Claremont McKenna College
9. Davidson College
9. Haverford College


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