News Clips
1) Democrats push repeal of Defense of Marriage Act... Democrats/Pro-Homosexuality
2) Breakthrough: Israel is Developing Cancer Vaccine... Medical/Cancer/Interest
3) Tuberculosis Breaks Out At Occupy Atlanta’s Base... Medical/Liberal Protesters/Culture
4) Denver HS Teacher Brings Students to Join OWS Mob As They Storm Conservative Conference... Liberal/Fascism/Public Education
5) Fed Judge: Calif. School Was Right to Forbid Students’ American Flag T-Shirts on Cinco de Mayo... Activist Judges/Anti America/Anti Free Speech
6) Harper Tells Obama Canada Will Sell Oil to Asia Since His Administration Delayed Pipeline... Obama/Anti Energy Independence and Jobs
7) Judge Lucy Billings, who signed Occupy Wall Street order, is an ACLU veteran... Activist Judges/Liberal Protesters
8) Bullet That Hit White House Recovered Days After Shooting Incident & AK-47 Found... Liberal OWS Protesters/Violence/Attempted Assassination
9) The Seven Jobs That Require the Most Education, but Pay the Least... Bad College Degrees/Higher Education
1) Democrats push repeal of Defense of Marriage Act... Democrats/Pro-Homosexuality
http://news.yahoo.com/democrats-push-repeal-defense-marriage-act-080125268.html
Nov 10, 2011
WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats who back gay marriage have decided now is the time to repeal a federal law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
The Democrats may satisfy their gay marriage supporters, but the bill won't get very far.
The repeal could be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, but the next stop - the full Senate - could be a long way off. The bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., says she doesn't have the votes for Senate passage, and the bill would have no chance in a House controlled by Republican conservatives.
The chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., defended the timing of the panel's likely vote on the Defense of Marriage Act. "It is never the wrong time to right an injustice," he said.
Feinstein's bill has 31 Senate sponsors, all Democrats. Most Republicans fiercely oppose the repeal.
"Traditional marriage between a man and a woman has been the foundation of our society for 6,000 years," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary panel. "The Defense of Marriage Act protects this sacred institution, which I believe in, and attempts to dismantle this law are likely to be met with a great deal of resistance."
Lacking enough votes in the House or Senate, Grassley said the Democratic effort in the Judiciary Committee "makes it no more than a cynical political gesture to the Democrats' base."
It is likely that the issue will be debated right up to the 2012 elections, while challenges to the law take place in several federal appeals courts. Conservatives vowed to make it a front-burner issue after President Barack Obama decided in February his administration no longer would defend the law.
Much has changed since President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. The District of Columbia and six states now recognize gay marriage: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New York and New Hampshire.
The federal law has a huge negative economic impact on all gay couples through the denial of federal government benefits.
The couples cannot file joint federal income tax returns and take deductions available in traditional marriages. There are no spousal Social Security benefits. They can't take advantage of the Family and Medical Leave law that protects one's job and health insurance during emergency absences. Surviving gay spouses have no protection from estate taxes.
Leahy voted for the law in 1996 but has since changed his mind.
"I voted for DOMA as a way to allow states to maintain their independence and define marriage as each state saw fit," Leahy said.
Leahy said he now believes the law undermines protections in the states that allow gay marriage. He said the law "created a tier of second-class families who are not treated equally under the law."
The repeal would not obligate any person, state or locality to perform same-sex marriages.
Feinstein, who voted against the current law, said, "It has been firmly established over decades that marriage is a legal preserve of the states.
"DOMA was wrong when it was passed and should be repealed. And this bill will do that. It will strike DOMA from federal law and restore the role of states in determining who may marry in this country. I believe the time has come."
Obama said recently he is "still working" on his views of gay marriage. He supports civil unions but has thus far not backed same-sex marriage.
Numerous recent polls suggest a slight majority of Americans favor giving same-sex couples the right to marry.
Thirty-seven states currently have statutory Defense of Marriage acts. Three of those states have laws that predate the federal act.
2) Breakthrough: Israel is Developing Cancer Vaccine... Medical/Cancer/Interest
http://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-develops-cancer-vaccine/
Vaxil’s groundbreaking therapeutic vaccine, developed in Israel, could keep about 90 percent of cancers from coming back.
As the world’s population lives longer than ever, if we don’t succumb to heart disease, strokes or accidents, it is more likely that cancer will get us one way or another. Cancer is tough to fight, as the body learns how to outsmart medical approaches that often kill normal cells while targeting the malignant ones.
Hadassah HospitalIn a breakthrough development, the Israeli company Vaxil BioTherapeutics has formulated a therapeutic cancer vaccine, now in clinical trials at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem. If all goes well, the vaccine could be available about six years down the road, to administer on a regular basis not only to help treat cancer but in order to keep the disease from recurring.
The vaccine is being tested against a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. If the substance works as hoped - and it looks like all arrows are pointing that way - its platform technology VaxHit could be applied to 90 percent of all known cancers, including prostate and breast cancer, solid and non-solid tumors.
“In cancer, the body knows something is not quite right but the immune system doesn’t know how to protect itself against the tumor like it does against an infection or virus. This is because cancer cells are the body’s own cells gone wrong,” says Julian Levy, the company’s CFO. “Coupled with that, a cancer patient has a depressed immune system, caused both by the illness and by the treatment.”
The trick is to activate a compromised immune system to mobilize against the threat.
A vaccine that works like a drug
A traditional vaccine helps the body’s immune system fend off foreign invaders such as bacteria or viruses, and is administered to people who have not yet had the ailment. Therapeutic vaccines, like the one Vaxil has developed, are given to sick people, and work more like a drug.
Vaxil’s lead product, ImMucin, activates the immune system by “training” T-cells -- the immune cells that protect the body by searching out and destroying cells that display a specific molecule (or marker) called MUC1. MUC1 is typically found only on cancer cells and not on healthy cells. The T-cells don’t attack any cells without MUC1, meaning there are no side effects unlike traditional cancer treatments. More than 90% of different cancers have MUC1 on their cells, which indicates the potential for this vaccine.
“It’s a really big thing,” says Levy, a biotechnology entrepreneur who was formerly CEO for Biokine Therapeutics. “If you give chemo, apart from the really nasty side effects, what often happens is that cancer becomes immune [to it]. The tumor likes to mutate and develops an ability to hide from the treatment. Our vaccines are also designed to overcome that problem.”
For cancers in an advanced stage, treatments like chemo or surgery to remove a large tumor will still be needed, but if the cancer can be brought down to scale, the body is then able to deal with it, Levy explains. ImMucin is foreseen as a long-term strategy - a shot every few months, with no side effects - to stop the cancer from reoccurring after initial treatments, by ensuring that the patient’s own immune system keeps it under control.
In parallel, the company is also working on a vaccine that treats tuberculosis, a disease that’s increasing worldwide, including in the developed world, and for which the current vaccine is often ineffective and treatment is problematic.
cancerours cellBased in Ness Ziona, Vaxil was founded in 2006 by Dr. Lior Carmon, a biotechnology entrepreneur with a doctorate in immunology from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. In June, Vaxil signed a memorandum of understanding to merge its activities into Sheldonco, a company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
By Rivka Borochov
For more info about this incredible vaccine, visit Vaxil on the web at www.vaxilbio.com
3) Tuberculosis Breaks Out At Occupy Atlanta’s Base... Medical/Liberal Protesters/Culture
http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2011/11/10/tuberculosis-breaks-out-at-occupy-atlantas-base/
November 10, 2011
The homeless shelter that Occupy Atlanta protesters have been camping out in has been confirmed for housing two cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis. (credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
ATLANTA (CBS Atlanta) - The home base for Occupy Atlanta has tested positive for tuberculosis.
The Fulton County Health Department confirmed Wednesday that residents at the homeless shelter where protesters have been occupying have contracted the drug-resistant disease. WGCL reports that a health department spokeswoman said there is a possibility that both Occupy Atlanta protesters and the homeless people in the shelter may still be at risk since tuberculosis is contracted through air contact.
“Over the last three months were have been two persons who have resided in this facility who have been diagnosed with confirmed or suspected infectious tuberculosis (TB),” said Fulton County Services Director Matthew McKenna in a written statement to CBS Atlanta. “One of these persons was confirmed to have a strain of TB that is resistant to a single, standard medication used to treat this condition. All person(s) identified as positive have begun treatment and are being monitored to ensure that medication is taken as directed.”
The Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless has indicated that two cases have been made public knowledge to the group, the first coming from someone who contracted the disease in September. The identities of the people who have contracted the disease, however, have not been disclosed by the health department to this point.
The news of the tuberculosis contractions could force Occupy Atlanta to move once again. WGCL reports that more than 100 protesters made the move to the homeless shelter Oct. 30 after Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed evicted Occupy Atlanta from Woodruff Park, citing that they were no longer allowed to camp out overnight. The homeless shelter is also facing an eviction of its own from the city.
Tim Franzen spokesman for Occupy Atlanta told WAOK’s Rob Redding that the group is not thinking about moving its headquarters from the homeless shelter because of the tuberculosis report.
4) Denver HS Teacher Brings Students to Join OWS Mob As They Storm Conservative Conference... Liberal/Fascism/Public Education
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/11/denver-hs-teacher-brings-students-to-join-ows-mob-as-they-storm-conservative-conference-video/
November 12, 2011
A Denver high school teacher brought students to an Occupy Denver event for a field trip today where they joined Occupy Denver activists as they storm the BlogCon conference. The teacher said she was showing them how democracy worked.
The teacher was too ashamed to give her name or the name of the private girls school she teaches at.
Correction: A local nurse told me there was a TB outbreak recently among the homeless community in Denver. I cannot confirm this. However, there have been outbreaks of TB and pneumonia at other #OWS camps… along with sexual assault and death.
MORE… People Press Collective has more video from the Occupy Denver mob crashing BlogCon.
UPDATE: It looks like the students were from St. Mary’s Academy.
UPDATE: The teacher’s name is Celia Bard. The school tuition is over $14,000 a year.
Thanks Dave and everyone!
5) Fed Judge: Calif. School Was Right to Forbid Students’ American Flag T-Shirts on Cinco de Mayo... Activist Judges/Anti America/Anti Free Speech
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/fed-judge-calif-school-was-right-to-forbid-students-american-flag-t-shirts-on-cinco-de-mayo/
November 11, 2011
Should public school officials have the right to prevent students from wearing pro-American garb on Cinco de Mayo?
This question has been at the heart of a California court battle between the Morgan Hill Unified School District and students who were told by a principal and assistant principal that they could not wear American flag t-shirts on the Mexican holiday back in 2010.
Following the incident, a lawsuit against the district was launched by the students and their families. This week, the case came to a close, with a federal judge ruling against the students - a blow that is likely to infuriate some free speech advocates.
According to U. S. District Court Judge James Ware, the district did not violate the students’ first amendment rights. The judge also found that officials‘ concern over the potential violence that could be incited by the students’ pro-American outfits justified the school’s actions. The Morgan Hill Times has more about the case:
[The parents and students] filed the lawsuit against the school district alleging violations against their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights after their children wore American-themed T-shirts to Live Oak and were sent home after refusing to remove the shirts and apparel after Boden and Rodriguez were concerned about the potential for violence on campus…
The lawsuit sought nominal damages including changing school policies to clearly state students’ rights and protections under the Bill of Rights and reimbursing lawyer fees and expenses for the cost of litigation.
Here’s a bit more of the background: After noticing that the students were wearing pro-American garb on May 5, 2010, Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez subsequently approached the kids, telling them to to either remove the garments or to turn their shirts inside out. School Principal Nick Boden was apparently also concerned over the potential for the outfits to create issues between Hispanic students and those wearing the clothing (both men were named in the lawsuit as well).
Following their refusal to comply, the students were allegedly taken to the school’s office where Rodriguez talked with them about Cinco de Mayo. He apparently told them that their clothing would offend Hispanic students who observe the holiday.
Here’s a KSBW-TV story from 2010 that provides background on the incident:
The Rutherford Institute and the Thomas More Law Center teamed up to represent the students and their families. John Whitehead, the president of Rutherford, was obviously less than content with the final decision. “This is nothing more than political correctness,” he said. “If these kinds of decisions are upheld, they will destroy our First Amendment rights.”
The school district, though, defends the principal’s actions and is elated by the recent decision. Wes Smith, who served as superintendent of the school district, says that he is very satisfied by the outcome. “We were encouraged to hear that the federal court found student safety paramount,” he said.
These comments seem somewhat disconnected from the statements Smith made just days after the incident unfolded. ”This has certainly been a very difficult time for our school district,” he said at a press conference on May 7, 2010. ”School leaders have to make judgment calls on when to take preventative measures to pre-empt a possible incident or conflict. In this situation, it appears that a decision was made too quickly.”
Rutherford is planning to appeal the court’s decision.
Chief Judge of the District Court for the Northern District of California James S. Ware
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ware_%28judge%29
James S. Ware (born 1946) is the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and his chambers are in San Francisco, California.
Early life and education
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Ware received a B.A. in 1969 from California Lutheran University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1972. Ware was a U.S. Army Reserve Second Lieutenant in 1972 and also served in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer in 1973. Ware also served as a U.S. Army Reserve Captain in the Military Police from 1973 to 1986 after graduating from Stanford Law School.
Professional career
From 1972 until 1988, Ware worked as an attorney in private practice in Palo Alto, California.[3] From 1988 to 1990, Ware was a judge on the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Failed nomination to the Ninth Circuit
On June 27, 1997, President Bill Clinton nominated Ware to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, to replace J. Clifford Wallace, who had taken senior status.[1] Ware had a hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in October 1997.[4]
However, Ware's nomination unraveled amid an embarrassing scandal that ultimately resulted in a judicial reprimand, and Clinton withdrew his nomination of Ware on November 27, 1997.[5] In 1998, Judge Ware was reprimanded by the Judicial Council of the Northern District Court of California for fabricating the story of being the brother of Virgil Ware,[6] a 13 year old black boy shot by white teenagers in Alabama in 1963 on the same day as the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. According to a story Judge Ware had told many audiences, he was riding his bike with his brother Virgil on the handlebars when Virgil was shot and killed by white racists.[7] The incident was a real one, however it happened to a different James Ware, as was discovered when Judge Ware's claim was published in the Alabama papers after he was nominated to the Ninth Circuit by President Bill Clinton. The father of the long-ago slain boy contacted the Alabama courts to report that the California judge was impersonating his own son James Ware who was an employee in a Birmingham power plant. The Alabama courts contacted the California courts, who convened the ethics hearing. Judge Ware was reprimanded but allowed to retain his lifetime appointment as district judge.[8]
In 1998, Clinton appointed Kim McLane Wardlaw to the seat to which Ware had been nominated.
Notable cases
are is known for hearing a number of Internet business-related cases such as the sex.com ownership case and RealNetworks vs. Microsoft suit despite "[having] little in the way of high-tech training or experience to make him particularly well suited to preside over these influential cases"[9]. In 2006, he heard the Google search terms suit.[10] He ruled that search engine company Google.com must turn over bulk data related to searches, in response to a government order designed to bolster support for an anti-pornography law that has already been ruled unconstitutional.[11] In September 2009, in Rocky Mountain Bank v. Google Inc., he ruled that Google must provide the identity and contact information for a Gmail user that was mistakenly sent confidential information by the Rocky Mountain Bank. He also ordered Google to deactivate the Gmail account.[12]
In 2001, Ware sentenced hacker Max Butler to 18 months in prison for infiltrating United States Department of Defense computers.[13]
On November 9, 2009, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a writ of mandamus against Judge Ware in Cohen v. United States District Court, which found that Ware's decision to appoint lead counsel for the plaintiff in a securities fraud case was "clear error" that amounted to "usurpation of power".[14][15]
On June 14, 2011, Ware ruled that former Chief Judge Vaughn Walker did not have to recuse himself before he declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional. Opponents of same-sex marriage rights had argued that Walker could not make an impartial decision about a law removing the right of same-sex couples to marry because he was gay, and that he must publicly state that he did not wish to marry his partner of ten years. Ware cited previous cases where challenges against female or minority judges were declined, writing, "The presumption that Judge Walker, by virtue of being in a same-sex relationship, had a desire to be married that rendered him incapable of making an impartial decision, is as warrantless as the presumption that a female judge is incapable of being impartial in a case in which women seek legal relief."[16]
On November 13, 2011, Ware made a decision to throw out a lawsuit by the parents of Daniel Galli, Austin Carvalho, Matt Dariano and Dominic Maciel against the Morgan Hill Unified School District. The lawsuit was over an incident on May 5, 2010, where the students came to school wearing shirts with American flags. The school sent these students home for fear of inciting violence against the Mexican-American portion of the school body. The lawsuit claimed that "their right to free expression had been violated. They added that there had been discrimination as students wearing Mexican flag colours were not censored."[17] Ware dismissed the lawsuit on the basis that while the Supreme Court has ruled that public school students have the right to engage in non-disruptive free speech, that ruling ‘does not require that school officials wait until disruption occurs before they act’.
6) Harper Tells Obama Canada Will Sell Oil to Asia Since His Administration Delayed Pipeline... Obama/Anti Energy Independence and Jobs
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/11/harper-tells-obama-canada-will-sell-oil-to-asia-since-administration-delayed-pipeline-obama-loses-another-1-million-us-jobs/
November 14, 2011
The Keystone Pipeline project was expected to create up to 1,000,000 high-paying US jobs in the oil manufacturing and associated industries. The project itself would create 20,000 construction jobs.
But it was just a big pipe dream.
Obama refused to sign the Keystone agreement last week. Today Canadian Prime Minister Harper told Obama that he would look to Asia to sell its oil.
The Republic reporteed, via Free Republic:
Canada’s prime minister says he made it clear in a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama that Canada will step up its efforts to sell oil to Asia since the Obama administration delayed a decision on an oil pipeline.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada will continue to push the U.S. to approve the $7-billion Keystone XL project.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada will continue to push the U.S. to approve the $7-billion Keystone XL project. Last week the U.S. State Department ordered that the pipeline be rerouted and subject to further environmental review, delaying a decision until 2013.
Harper says the U.S. move highlights why Canada must increase its efforts to diversify its exports to Asia. He says he communicated that clearly to Obama.
Nice work, Barack.
7) Judge Lucy Billings, who signed Occupy Wall Street order, is an ACLU veteran... Activist Judges/Liberal Protesters
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/judge-lucy-billings-signed-occupy-wall-street-order-aclu-veteran-article-1.977725
November 15 2011
A different judge assigned to hear arguments on her order
Lucy Adams Billings
When the cops raided Zuccotti Park, lawyers for Occupy Wall Street woke up a judge with a civil liberties background and asked for help.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lucy Billings signed an early-morning order temporarily barring cops from keeping protesters and tents out of Zuccotti Park.
But within hours, she was off the case as court administrators chose a new judge - and excluded Billings’ name from the list of candidates.
Billings’ biography notes that before she became a judge in 1997, she spent three years as a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union and also worked work community legal services.
“I have devoted my career to public service, especially the disadvantaged in desperate circumstances,” she wrote in a 2007 pre-election statement.
Lawyers for Occupy Wall Street phoned Billings after cops moved into Zuccotti Park early Tuesday, evicted the protesters and got rid of their tents and other camp equipment.
Asked why they called her first, protest lawyer Daniel Alterman wouldn’t say, remarking that he’s not a “gossip guy.”
The lawyers also called an emergency hotline set up to assign judges to after-hours cases. A staffer told them that since Billings had already been contacted, she should handle the Zuccotti matter.
The city was also notified of the emergency application, but no one from the Law Department showed up to Billings’ home for a brief hearing, said protest lawyer Yetta Kurland.
At 6:30 a.m., Billings signed the hastily prepared order declaring cops cannot evict protesters who aren’t breaking the law or stop protesters from entering with tents.
Her involvement will be short-lived.
Court officials used a computer program to pick a new judge for an afternoon hearing on the restraining order - and Billings’ name was not included because she usually handles real estate cases, court officials said.
The judge assigned to the case is Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Stallman, an elected civil court judge who has been appointed to serve in the higher court for years.
In past decisions, he's come down both for and against Mayor Bloomberg.
In 2006, Stallman ruled against Bloomberg's position that dozens of first responders who say they were sickened by working Ground Zero shouldn't be allowed to sue the city because they missed a filing deadline. The judge said they could anyway.
Three years later, Stallman ruled for the mayor, shooting down several lawsuits aimed at stopping a garbage transfer station from being built on the Upper East Side.
The judge has handled some high-profile cases since becoming an acting Supreme Court justice in 1999 - including rejecting City Council efforts to punish banks for foreclosure practices and tossing out a Council anti-sweatshop law to force city agencies to buy from "responsible" manufacturers.
Hon. Michael D. Stallman
http://www.nycourts.gov/vote/2006/bios/MICHAEL_STALLMAN.shtml
Michael D. Stallman
Candidate for the
New York City Civil Court
(4th District)
Candidate Biography
Personal Statement
* Revision author, 14 chapters, O. Chase, Weinstein-Korn-Miller CPLR Manual (1991-1998). A NITA-trained trial practice instructor, Justice Stallman regularly teaches pro bono. Member, OCA Statewide Advisory Committee on Americans with Disabilities Act; Supreme Court NY County Tort Law Advisory Committee; NYSBA Committee on the CPLR; Association of Bar Task Force on NYS Constitution (1994-96; chair 1996-97); Committee on Election Law (1985-92, chair 1989-92); NY County Lawyers' Association, Committee on Professional Ethics (1982-92); Community Board No. 6 (1984-86); Legislative Assistant, Councilman Ted Weiss (1970-74); Married, two adult children.
Party Membership
* Democrat
Party Endorsements
* Democrat
* Republican
Education
* J.D., NYU Law School, 1974
* B.A., City College of CUNY, 1971
* Stuyvesant High School, 1967
Admitted to Bar
* New York 1975
Occupation/Employer
* Judge/Supreme Court (By Designation)
Professional Experience
* Judge of the Civil Court (1986-present)(assigned to Supreme Court, 1999-present);
* Principal Law Clerk to Supreme Court Justice Martin Evans (1978-86);
* Adjunct law professor, Baruch College, Touro Law School, CUNY Law School, Cardozo Law School (1985-96);
* Assistant District Attorney, NY County (1974-78)
8) Bullet That Hit White House Recovered Days After Shooting Incident & AK-47 Found... Liberal OWS Protesters/Violence/Attempted Assassination
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/bullet-hits-white-house-just-days-after-police-recover-ak-47-nearby/
November 16, 2011
Oscar Ortega
WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) - The Secret Service says a bullet hit an exterior window of the White House and was stopped by ballistic glass.
An additional round of ammunition was also found on the exterior of the White House. The bullets were found Tuesday.
The discovery follows reports of gunfire near the White House on Friday. Witnesses heard shots and saw two speeding vehicles in the area. An AK-47 rifle was also recovered.
(UPDATE: Suspect in White House shooting captured in PA)
The Secret Service says it has not conclusively connected Friday’s incident with the bullets found on the White House grounds. U.S. Park Police have an arrest warrant out for Oscar Ortega-Hernandez, who is believed to be connected to the earlier incident.
ABC has more on Ortega-Hernandez, who is described as mentally ill:
Oscar Ortega
Police believe the suspect, 21-year-old Oscar Ramiro Ortega of Idaho, is mentally ill. Ortega has an extensive record, ranging from domestic violence to drug charges. Sources say a police investigation has uncovered evidence suggesting Ortega has a fixation on the White House.
[...]
It’s unclear whether Ortega is capable of launching a sophisticated attack, but police are still fearful of what he might do next.
Authorities suspect Ortega has been in the area for weeks, coming back and forth to the Washington Mall. Before the shooting, he was detained by local police at an abandoned house. U.S. Park police say Ortega may have spent time blending in with Occupy D.C. protesters.
The Washington Times reported about the initial incident on Sunday:
Investigators were led to Mr. Ortega shortly after the incident after examining evidence found in a vehicle abandon about seven blocks west of the incident, near the base of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge.
Authorities say the White House did not appear to have been targeted.
Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said witnesses heard shots and saw two vehicles racing west on Constitution Avenue.
He confirmed an AK-47 assault rifle was recovered and that witnesses saw one driver abandon a vehicle, then run across the bridge toward Arlington.
Mr. Ortega is thought to be living in the area and having ties to Idaho. He is described as a white-Hispanic male, about 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.
9) The Seven Jobs That Require the Most Education, but Pay the Least... Bad College Degrees/Higher Education
http://247wallst.com/2011/11/15/the-seven-jobs-that-require-the-most-education-but-pay-the-least/#ixzz1dncRycj7
November 15, 2011
College graduates with student loans owed an average of $25,250 in 2010, an all-time high and a 5% increase, according to a recent report. What makes matters worse is that students graduating in 2010 faced unemployment of 9.1%, the highest annual rate on record, according to the Project on Student Debt’s report.
Given the grim figures facing college graduates, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify the seven occupations that require at least a college degree and pay the least.
Jobs that pay poorly and require a college degree or higher have at least one thing in common: the wrong industry. Some industries, including those in mental health, academic research, the arts and publishing tend to pay poorly. The entry level jobs in these fields and on this list do not pay well. Reporters starting out make less than $20,000 per year.
Many of the people employed in the jobs on our list will have a hard time paying off their student loans. The occupations on the list earn less than $40,000 annually. In every case, jobs paid far less to start. A quarter of the people employed as survey researchers, for example, earn less than $24,000 annually.
24/7 Wall St. examined wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics Database, to identify the major occupations that make less than $40,000 annually. BLS’s Occupational Outlook Handbook was used to identify educational requirements and long-term job prospects. O*Net Online, an independent career research and advisory site, was used to determine the percentage of people in each occupation with a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD. The six occupations on our list required a bachelor’s degree for most employers.
6. Recreational Therapists
> Median income: $39,410
> Bottom-tier income: $24,640
> Number employed: 20,830
> Pct. With at least a bachelor’s degree: 71%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): +15%
Recreational therapists work with sick or disabled individuals to help reduce depression and “maintain the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their clients,” according to the BLS. Most recreational therapists have at least a bachelor’s degree, and 15% have a master’s degree. The number of positions available is expected to increase by 15% between 2008 and 2018 as the elderly population, one of the largest group of clients, grows. The median wage for a recreational therapist is just $39,410 per year, and the bottom 10% make less than $25,000 per year.
5. Biological Technicians
> Median income: $39,020
> Bottom-tier income: $24,930
> Number employed: 72,940
> Pct. with bachelor’s degree: 83%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): +18%
Biological technicians, the BLS explains, “work with biologists studying living organisms. Many assist scientists who conduct medical research-helping to find a cure for cancer or AIDS, for example.” Despite the important work, the median wage for a technician in the field is just $39,020 per year. About 83% of the people working in this field have a bachelor’s degree. The number of biological technicians is projected to grow by 18% from 2008 numbers by 2018.
4. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
> Median income: $38,600
> Bottom-tier income: $25,210
> Number employed: 119,960
> Pct. with bachelor’s degree: 98%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): +20%
There are several lucrative positions in the field of mental health. The median income for psychiatrists, for example, is around $165,000 a year. At the other end of the spectrum are mental health and substance abuse workers. These individuals work with the sick, the depressed and the addicted to help restore health and well-being. Despite the often stressful conditions under which these specialists work, as well as the fact that one in four has a master’s or doctorate, the median annual wage for this position is just $38,600. The bottom 10% makes $25,210 or less each year.
3. Museum Technicians and Conservators
> Median income: $37,310
> Bottom-tier income: $24,440
> Number employed: 10,390
> Pct. with bachelor’s degree: 80%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): 26%
Museum conservators employ advanced technology to maintain the quality of the artwork and artifacts on display and in storage. Success in this position requires proficiency using different laboratory techniques, such as x-ray, to determine the best way to treat a piece. Some can get the job with just a bachelor’s degree, but most museums look for a least a master’s in the study of conservation. The median income for museum conservators is $37,310 per year, and the bottom tier makes less than $25,000.
2. Survey Researchers
> Median income: $36,050
> Bottom-tier income: $18,660
> Number employed: 17,850
> Pct. with at least bachelor’s degree: 100%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): +30%
The BLS says that market survey researchers’ main goal is to “gather information about what people think.” They work primarily for advertising, marketing or consulting agencies. According to O*Net, 52% of individuals in this position have at least a master’s degree, and 11% have a doctoral degree. Despite the high level of qualification, the median wage for researchers is just $36,050. The bottom 10% of people in this position make $18,660 or less. Survey researchers are one of the fastest-growing occupations in the country with number of positions expected to increase by 30% from 2008 to 2018.
1. Reporters and Correspondents
> Median income: $34,530
> Bottom-tier income: $19,970
> Number employed: 45,130
> Pct. with at least bachelor’s degree: 87%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): -8%
Most publications hiring reporters and correspondents require a bachelor’s degree in communications or journalism. Many larger newspapers look for writers who specialize in a particular field of writing, such as economics or the arts. The median wage for a reporter or correspondent is just $34,530 each year, with the bottom 10% of workers earning less than $20,000 per year. On top of the low wages, many may consider journalism an undesirable field to go into because of diminishing job prospects. With the decline of print publications, the number of reporters and correspondents is expected to fall by 8% between 2008 and 2018.
-Michael B. Sauter
Correction: A previous version of this article included Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians in error. Only 28% of Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians jobs require a bachelor’s degree or more. Unlike Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians, 71% of Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree and have a median salary of $56,130.
2) Breakthrough: Israel is Developing Cancer Vaccine... Medical/Cancer/Interest
3) Tuberculosis Breaks Out At Occupy Atlanta’s Base... Medical/Liberal Protesters/Culture
4) Denver HS Teacher Brings Students to Join OWS Mob As They Storm Conservative Conference... Liberal/Fascism/Public Education
5) Fed Judge: Calif. School Was Right to Forbid Students’ American Flag T-Shirts on Cinco de Mayo... Activist Judges/Anti America/Anti Free Speech
6) Harper Tells Obama Canada Will Sell Oil to Asia Since His Administration Delayed Pipeline... Obama/Anti Energy Independence and Jobs
7) Judge Lucy Billings, who signed Occupy Wall Street order, is an ACLU veteran... Activist Judges/Liberal Protesters
8) Bullet That Hit White House Recovered Days After Shooting Incident & AK-47 Found... Liberal OWS Protesters/Violence/Attempted Assassination
9) The Seven Jobs That Require the Most Education, but Pay the Least... Bad College Degrees/Higher Education
1) Democrats push repeal of Defense of Marriage Act... Democrats/Pro-Homosexuality
http://news.yahoo.com/democrats-push-repeal-defense-marriage-act-080125268.html
Nov 10, 2011
WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats who back gay marriage have decided now is the time to repeal a federal law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
The Democrats may satisfy their gay marriage supporters, but the bill won't get very far.
The repeal could be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, but the next stop - the full Senate - could be a long way off. The bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., says she doesn't have the votes for Senate passage, and the bill would have no chance in a House controlled by Republican conservatives.
The chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., defended the timing of the panel's likely vote on the Defense of Marriage Act. "It is never the wrong time to right an injustice," he said.
Feinstein's bill has 31 Senate sponsors, all Democrats. Most Republicans fiercely oppose the repeal.
"Traditional marriage between a man and a woman has been the foundation of our society for 6,000 years," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary panel. "The Defense of Marriage Act protects this sacred institution, which I believe in, and attempts to dismantle this law are likely to be met with a great deal of resistance."
Lacking enough votes in the House or Senate, Grassley said the Democratic effort in the Judiciary Committee "makes it no more than a cynical political gesture to the Democrats' base."
It is likely that the issue will be debated right up to the 2012 elections, while challenges to the law take place in several federal appeals courts. Conservatives vowed to make it a front-burner issue after President Barack Obama decided in February his administration no longer would defend the law.
Much has changed since President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. The District of Columbia and six states now recognize gay marriage: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New York and New Hampshire.
The federal law has a huge negative economic impact on all gay couples through the denial of federal government benefits.
The couples cannot file joint federal income tax returns and take deductions available in traditional marriages. There are no spousal Social Security benefits. They can't take advantage of the Family and Medical Leave law that protects one's job and health insurance during emergency absences. Surviving gay spouses have no protection from estate taxes.
Leahy voted for the law in 1996 but has since changed his mind.
"I voted for DOMA as a way to allow states to maintain their independence and define marriage as each state saw fit," Leahy said.
Leahy said he now believes the law undermines protections in the states that allow gay marriage. He said the law "created a tier of second-class families who are not treated equally under the law."
The repeal would not obligate any person, state or locality to perform same-sex marriages.
Feinstein, who voted against the current law, said, "It has been firmly established over decades that marriage is a legal preserve of the states.
"DOMA was wrong when it was passed and should be repealed. And this bill will do that. It will strike DOMA from federal law and restore the role of states in determining who may marry in this country. I believe the time has come."
Obama said recently he is "still working" on his views of gay marriage. He supports civil unions but has thus far not backed same-sex marriage.
Numerous recent polls suggest a slight majority of Americans favor giving same-sex couples the right to marry.
Thirty-seven states currently have statutory Defense of Marriage acts. Three of those states have laws that predate the federal act.
2) Breakthrough: Israel is Developing Cancer Vaccine... Medical/Cancer/Interest
http://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-develops-cancer-vaccine/
Vaxil’s groundbreaking therapeutic vaccine, developed in Israel, could keep about 90 percent of cancers from coming back.
As the world’s population lives longer than ever, if we don’t succumb to heart disease, strokes or accidents, it is more likely that cancer will get us one way or another. Cancer is tough to fight, as the body learns how to outsmart medical approaches that often kill normal cells while targeting the malignant ones.
Hadassah HospitalIn a breakthrough development, the Israeli company Vaxil BioTherapeutics has formulated a therapeutic cancer vaccine, now in clinical trials at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem. If all goes well, the vaccine could be available about six years down the road, to administer on a regular basis not only to help treat cancer but in order to keep the disease from recurring.
The vaccine is being tested against a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. If the substance works as hoped - and it looks like all arrows are pointing that way - its platform technology VaxHit could be applied to 90 percent of all known cancers, including prostate and breast cancer, solid and non-solid tumors.
“In cancer, the body knows something is not quite right but the immune system doesn’t know how to protect itself against the tumor like it does against an infection or virus. This is because cancer cells are the body’s own cells gone wrong,” says Julian Levy, the company’s CFO. “Coupled with that, a cancer patient has a depressed immune system, caused both by the illness and by the treatment.”
The trick is to activate a compromised immune system to mobilize against the threat.
A vaccine that works like a drug
A traditional vaccine helps the body’s immune system fend off foreign invaders such as bacteria or viruses, and is administered to people who have not yet had the ailment. Therapeutic vaccines, like the one Vaxil has developed, are given to sick people, and work more like a drug.
Vaxil’s lead product, ImMucin, activates the immune system by “training” T-cells -- the immune cells that protect the body by searching out and destroying cells that display a specific molecule (or marker) called MUC1. MUC1 is typically found only on cancer cells and not on healthy cells. The T-cells don’t attack any cells without MUC1, meaning there are no side effects unlike traditional cancer treatments. More than 90% of different cancers have MUC1 on their cells, which indicates the potential for this vaccine.
“It’s a really big thing,” says Levy, a biotechnology entrepreneur who was formerly CEO for Biokine Therapeutics. “If you give chemo, apart from the really nasty side effects, what often happens is that cancer becomes immune [to it]. The tumor likes to mutate and develops an ability to hide from the treatment. Our vaccines are also designed to overcome that problem.”
For cancers in an advanced stage, treatments like chemo or surgery to remove a large tumor will still be needed, but if the cancer can be brought down to scale, the body is then able to deal with it, Levy explains. ImMucin is foreseen as a long-term strategy - a shot every few months, with no side effects - to stop the cancer from reoccurring after initial treatments, by ensuring that the patient’s own immune system keeps it under control.
In parallel, the company is also working on a vaccine that treats tuberculosis, a disease that’s increasing worldwide, including in the developed world, and for which the current vaccine is often ineffective and treatment is problematic.
cancerours cellBased in Ness Ziona, Vaxil was founded in 2006 by Dr. Lior Carmon, a biotechnology entrepreneur with a doctorate in immunology from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. In June, Vaxil signed a memorandum of understanding to merge its activities into Sheldonco, a company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
By Rivka Borochov
For more info about this incredible vaccine, visit Vaxil on the web at www.vaxilbio.com
3) Tuberculosis Breaks Out At Occupy Atlanta’s Base... Medical/Liberal Protesters/Culture
http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2011/11/10/tuberculosis-breaks-out-at-occupy-atlantas-base/
November 10, 2011
The homeless shelter that Occupy Atlanta protesters have been camping out in has been confirmed for housing two cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis. (credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
ATLANTA (CBS Atlanta) - The home base for Occupy Atlanta has tested positive for tuberculosis.
The Fulton County Health Department confirmed Wednesday that residents at the homeless shelter where protesters have been occupying have contracted the drug-resistant disease. WGCL reports that a health department spokeswoman said there is a possibility that both Occupy Atlanta protesters and the homeless people in the shelter may still be at risk since tuberculosis is contracted through air contact.
“Over the last three months were have been two persons who have resided in this facility who have been diagnosed with confirmed or suspected infectious tuberculosis (TB),” said Fulton County Services Director Matthew McKenna in a written statement to CBS Atlanta. “One of these persons was confirmed to have a strain of TB that is resistant to a single, standard medication used to treat this condition. All person(s) identified as positive have begun treatment and are being monitored to ensure that medication is taken as directed.”
The Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless has indicated that two cases have been made public knowledge to the group, the first coming from someone who contracted the disease in September. The identities of the people who have contracted the disease, however, have not been disclosed by the health department to this point.
The news of the tuberculosis contractions could force Occupy Atlanta to move once again. WGCL reports that more than 100 protesters made the move to the homeless shelter Oct. 30 after Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed evicted Occupy Atlanta from Woodruff Park, citing that they were no longer allowed to camp out overnight. The homeless shelter is also facing an eviction of its own from the city.
Tim Franzen spokesman for Occupy Atlanta told WAOK’s Rob Redding that the group is not thinking about moving its headquarters from the homeless shelter because of the tuberculosis report.
4) Denver HS Teacher Brings Students to Join OWS Mob As They Storm Conservative Conference... Liberal/Fascism/Public Education
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/11/denver-hs-teacher-brings-students-to-join-ows-mob-as-they-storm-conservative-conference-video/
November 12, 2011
A Denver high school teacher brought students to an Occupy Denver event for a field trip today where they joined Occupy Denver activists as they storm the BlogCon conference. The teacher said she was showing them how democracy worked.
The teacher was too ashamed to give her name or the name of the private girls school she teaches at.
Correction: A local nurse told me there was a TB outbreak recently among the homeless community in Denver. I cannot confirm this. However, there have been outbreaks of TB and pneumonia at other #OWS camps… along with sexual assault and death.
MORE… People Press Collective has more video from the Occupy Denver mob crashing BlogCon.
UPDATE: It looks like the students were from St. Mary’s Academy.
UPDATE: The teacher’s name is Celia Bard. The school tuition is over $14,000 a year.
Thanks Dave and everyone!
5) Fed Judge: Calif. School Was Right to Forbid Students’ American Flag T-Shirts on Cinco de Mayo... Activist Judges/Anti America/Anti Free Speech
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/fed-judge-calif-school-was-right-to-forbid-students-american-flag-t-shirts-on-cinco-de-mayo/
November 11, 2011
Should public school officials have the right to prevent students from wearing pro-American garb on Cinco de Mayo?
This question has been at the heart of a California court battle between the Morgan Hill Unified School District and students who were told by a principal and assistant principal that they could not wear American flag t-shirts on the Mexican holiday back in 2010.
Following the incident, a lawsuit against the district was launched by the students and their families. This week, the case came to a close, with a federal judge ruling against the students - a blow that is likely to infuriate some free speech advocates.
According to U. S. District Court Judge James Ware, the district did not violate the students’ first amendment rights. The judge also found that officials‘ concern over the potential violence that could be incited by the students’ pro-American outfits justified the school’s actions. The Morgan Hill Times has more about the case:
[The parents and students] filed the lawsuit against the school district alleging violations against their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights after their children wore American-themed T-shirts to Live Oak and were sent home after refusing to remove the shirts and apparel after Boden and Rodriguez were concerned about the potential for violence on campus…
The lawsuit sought nominal damages including changing school policies to clearly state students’ rights and protections under the Bill of Rights and reimbursing lawyer fees and expenses for the cost of litigation.
Here’s a bit more of the background: After noticing that the students were wearing pro-American garb on May 5, 2010, Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez subsequently approached the kids, telling them to to either remove the garments or to turn their shirts inside out. School Principal Nick Boden was apparently also concerned over the potential for the outfits to create issues between Hispanic students and those wearing the clothing (both men were named in the lawsuit as well).
Click to viewFollowing their refusal to comply, the students were allegedly taken to the school’s office where Rodriguez talked with them about Cinco de Mayo. He apparently told them that their clothing would offend Hispanic students who observe the holiday.
Here’s a KSBW-TV story from 2010 that provides background on the incident:
The Rutherford Institute and the Thomas More Law Center teamed up to represent the students and their families. John Whitehead, the president of Rutherford, was obviously less than content with the final decision. “This is nothing more than political correctness,” he said. “If these kinds of decisions are upheld, they will destroy our First Amendment rights.”
The school district, though, defends the principal’s actions and is elated by the recent decision. Wes Smith, who served as superintendent of the school district, says that he is very satisfied by the outcome. “We were encouraged to hear that the federal court found student safety paramount,” he said.
These comments seem somewhat disconnected from the statements Smith made just days after the incident unfolded. ”This has certainly been a very difficult time for our school district,” he said at a press conference on May 7, 2010. ”School leaders have to make judgment calls on when to take preventative measures to pre-empt a possible incident or conflict. In this situation, it appears that a decision was made too quickly.”
Rutherford is planning to appeal the court’s decision.
Chief Judge of the District Court for the Northern District of California James S. Ware
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ware_%28judge%29
James S. Ware (born 1946) is the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and his chambers are in San Francisco, California.
Early life and education
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Ware received a B.A. in 1969 from California Lutheran University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1972. Ware was a U.S. Army Reserve Second Lieutenant in 1972 and also served in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer in 1973. Ware also served as a U.S. Army Reserve Captain in the Military Police from 1973 to 1986 after graduating from Stanford Law School.
Professional career
From 1972 until 1988, Ware worked as an attorney in private practice in Palo Alto, California.[3] From 1988 to 1990, Ware was a judge on the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Failed nomination to the Ninth Circuit
On June 27, 1997, President Bill Clinton nominated Ware to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, to replace J. Clifford Wallace, who had taken senior status.[1] Ware had a hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in October 1997.[4]
However, Ware's nomination unraveled amid an embarrassing scandal that ultimately resulted in a judicial reprimand, and Clinton withdrew his nomination of Ware on November 27, 1997.[5] In 1998, Judge Ware was reprimanded by the Judicial Council of the Northern District Court of California for fabricating the story of being the brother of Virgil Ware,[6] a 13 year old black boy shot by white teenagers in Alabama in 1963 on the same day as the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. According to a story Judge Ware had told many audiences, he was riding his bike with his brother Virgil on the handlebars when Virgil was shot and killed by white racists.[7] The incident was a real one, however it happened to a different James Ware, as was discovered when Judge Ware's claim was published in the Alabama papers after he was nominated to the Ninth Circuit by President Bill Clinton. The father of the long-ago slain boy contacted the Alabama courts to report that the California judge was impersonating his own son James Ware who was an employee in a Birmingham power plant. The Alabama courts contacted the California courts, who convened the ethics hearing. Judge Ware was reprimanded but allowed to retain his lifetime appointment as district judge.[8]
In 1998, Clinton appointed Kim McLane Wardlaw to the seat to which Ware had been nominated.
Notable cases
are is known for hearing a number of Internet business-related cases such as the sex.com ownership case and RealNetworks vs. Microsoft suit despite "[having] little in the way of high-tech training or experience to make him particularly well suited to preside over these influential cases"[9]. In 2006, he heard the Google search terms suit.[10] He ruled that search engine company Google.com must turn over bulk data related to searches, in response to a government order designed to bolster support for an anti-pornography law that has already been ruled unconstitutional.[11] In September 2009, in Rocky Mountain Bank v. Google Inc., he ruled that Google must provide the identity and contact information for a Gmail user that was mistakenly sent confidential information by the Rocky Mountain Bank. He also ordered Google to deactivate the Gmail account.[12]
In 2001, Ware sentenced hacker Max Butler to 18 months in prison for infiltrating United States Department of Defense computers.[13]
On November 9, 2009, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a writ of mandamus against Judge Ware in Cohen v. United States District Court, which found that Ware's decision to appoint lead counsel for the plaintiff in a securities fraud case was "clear error" that amounted to "usurpation of power".[14][15]
On June 14, 2011, Ware ruled that former Chief Judge Vaughn Walker did not have to recuse himself before he declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional. Opponents of same-sex marriage rights had argued that Walker could not make an impartial decision about a law removing the right of same-sex couples to marry because he was gay, and that he must publicly state that he did not wish to marry his partner of ten years. Ware cited previous cases where challenges against female or minority judges were declined, writing, "The presumption that Judge Walker, by virtue of being in a same-sex relationship, had a desire to be married that rendered him incapable of making an impartial decision, is as warrantless as the presumption that a female judge is incapable of being impartial in a case in which women seek legal relief."[16]
On November 13, 2011, Ware made a decision to throw out a lawsuit by the parents of Daniel Galli, Austin Carvalho, Matt Dariano and Dominic Maciel against the Morgan Hill Unified School District. The lawsuit was over an incident on May 5, 2010, where the students came to school wearing shirts with American flags. The school sent these students home for fear of inciting violence against the Mexican-American portion of the school body. The lawsuit claimed that "their right to free expression had been violated. They added that there had been discrimination as students wearing Mexican flag colours were not censored."[17] Ware dismissed the lawsuit on the basis that while the Supreme Court has ruled that public school students have the right to engage in non-disruptive free speech, that ruling ‘does not require that school officials wait until disruption occurs before they act’.
6) Harper Tells Obama Canada Will Sell Oil to Asia Since His Administration Delayed Pipeline... Obama/Anti Energy Independence and Jobs
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/11/harper-tells-obama-canada-will-sell-oil-to-asia-since-administration-delayed-pipeline-obama-loses-another-1-million-us-jobs/
November 14, 2011
The Keystone Pipeline project was expected to create up to 1,000,000 high-paying US jobs in the oil manufacturing and associated industries. The project itself would create 20,000 construction jobs.
But it was just a big pipe dream.
Obama refused to sign the Keystone agreement last week. Today Canadian Prime Minister Harper told Obama that he would look to Asia to sell its oil.
The Republic reporteed, via Free Republic:
Canada’s prime minister says he made it clear in a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama that Canada will step up its efforts to sell oil to Asia since the Obama administration delayed a decision on an oil pipeline.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada will continue to push the U.S. to approve the $7-billion Keystone XL project.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada will continue to push the U.S. to approve the $7-billion Keystone XL project. Last week the U.S. State Department ordered that the pipeline be rerouted and subject to further environmental review, delaying a decision until 2013.
Harper says the U.S. move highlights why Canada must increase its efforts to diversify its exports to Asia. He says he communicated that clearly to Obama.
Nice work, Barack.
7) Judge Lucy Billings, who signed Occupy Wall Street order, is an ACLU veteran... Activist Judges/Liberal Protesters
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/judge-lucy-billings-signed-occupy-wall-street-order-aclu-veteran-article-1.977725
November 15 2011
A different judge assigned to hear arguments on her order
Lucy Adams Billings
When the cops raided Zuccotti Park, lawyers for Occupy Wall Street woke up a judge with a civil liberties background and asked for help.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lucy Billings signed an early-morning order temporarily barring cops from keeping protesters and tents out of Zuccotti Park.
But within hours, she was off the case as court administrators chose a new judge - and excluded Billings’ name from the list of candidates.
Billings’ biography notes that before she became a judge in 1997, she spent three years as a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union and also worked work community legal services.
“I have devoted my career to public service, especially the disadvantaged in desperate circumstances,” she wrote in a 2007 pre-election statement.
Lawyers for Occupy Wall Street phoned Billings after cops moved into Zuccotti Park early Tuesday, evicted the protesters and got rid of their tents and other camp equipment.
Asked why they called her first, protest lawyer Daniel Alterman wouldn’t say, remarking that he’s not a “gossip guy.”
The lawyers also called an emergency hotline set up to assign judges to after-hours cases. A staffer told them that since Billings had already been contacted, she should handle the Zuccotti matter.
The city was also notified of the emergency application, but no one from the Law Department showed up to Billings’ home for a brief hearing, said protest lawyer Yetta Kurland.
At 6:30 a.m., Billings signed the hastily prepared order declaring cops cannot evict protesters who aren’t breaking the law or stop protesters from entering with tents.
Her involvement will be short-lived.
Court officials used a computer program to pick a new judge for an afternoon hearing on the restraining order - and Billings’ name was not included because she usually handles real estate cases, court officials said.
The judge assigned to the case is Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Stallman, an elected civil court judge who has been appointed to serve in the higher court for years.
In past decisions, he's come down both for and against Mayor Bloomberg.
In 2006, Stallman ruled against Bloomberg's position that dozens of first responders who say they were sickened by working Ground Zero shouldn't be allowed to sue the city because they missed a filing deadline. The judge said they could anyway.
Three years later, Stallman ruled for the mayor, shooting down several lawsuits aimed at stopping a garbage transfer station from being built on the Upper East Side.
The judge has handled some high-profile cases since becoming an acting Supreme Court justice in 1999 - including rejecting City Council efforts to punish banks for foreclosure practices and tossing out a Council anti-sweatshop law to force city agencies to buy from "responsible" manufacturers.
Hon. Michael D. Stallman
http://www.nycourts.gov/vote/2006/bios/MICHAEL_STALLMAN.shtml
Michael D. Stallman
Candidate for the
New York City Civil Court
(4th District)
Candidate Biography
Personal Statement
* Revision author, 14 chapters, O. Chase, Weinstein-Korn-Miller CPLR Manual (1991-1998). A NITA-trained trial practice instructor, Justice Stallman regularly teaches pro bono. Member, OCA Statewide Advisory Committee on Americans with Disabilities Act; Supreme Court NY County Tort Law Advisory Committee; NYSBA Committee on the CPLR; Association of Bar Task Force on NYS Constitution (1994-96; chair 1996-97); Committee on Election Law (1985-92, chair 1989-92); NY County Lawyers' Association, Committee on Professional Ethics (1982-92); Community Board No. 6 (1984-86); Legislative Assistant, Councilman Ted Weiss (1970-74); Married, two adult children.
Party Membership
* Democrat
Party Endorsements
* Democrat
* Republican
Education
* J.D., NYU Law School, 1974
* B.A., City College of CUNY, 1971
* Stuyvesant High School, 1967
Admitted to Bar
* New York 1975
Occupation/Employer
* Judge/Supreme Court (By Designation)
Professional Experience
* Judge of the Civil Court (1986-present)(assigned to Supreme Court, 1999-present);
* Principal Law Clerk to Supreme Court Justice Martin Evans (1978-86);
* Adjunct law professor, Baruch College, Touro Law School, CUNY Law School, Cardozo Law School (1985-96);
* Assistant District Attorney, NY County (1974-78)
8) Bullet That Hit White House Recovered Days After Shooting Incident & AK-47 Found... Liberal OWS Protesters/Violence/Attempted Assassination
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/bullet-hits-white-house-just-days-after-police-recover-ak-47-nearby/
November 16, 2011
Oscar Ortega
WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) - The Secret Service says a bullet hit an exterior window of the White House and was stopped by ballistic glass.
An additional round of ammunition was also found on the exterior of the White House. The bullets were found Tuesday.
The discovery follows reports of gunfire near the White House on Friday. Witnesses heard shots and saw two speeding vehicles in the area. An AK-47 rifle was also recovered.
(UPDATE: Suspect in White House shooting captured in PA)
The Secret Service says it has not conclusively connected Friday’s incident with the bullets found on the White House grounds. U.S. Park Police have an arrest warrant out for Oscar Ortega-Hernandez, who is believed to be connected to the earlier incident.
ABC has more on Ortega-Hernandez, who is described as mentally ill:
Oscar Ortega
Police believe the suspect, 21-year-old Oscar Ramiro Ortega of Idaho, is mentally ill. Ortega has an extensive record, ranging from domestic violence to drug charges. Sources say a police investigation has uncovered evidence suggesting Ortega has a fixation on the White House.
[...]
It’s unclear whether Ortega is capable of launching a sophisticated attack, but police are still fearful of what he might do next.
Authorities suspect Ortega has been in the area for weeks, coming back and forth to the Washington Mall. Before the shooting, he was detained by local police at an abandoned house. U.S. Park police say Ortega may have spent time blending in with Occupy D.C. protesters.
The Washington Times reported about the initial incident on Sunday:
Investigators were led to Mr. Ortega shortly after the incident after examining evidence found in a vehicle abandon about seven blocks west of the incident, near the base of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge.
Authorities say the White House did not appear to have been targeted.
Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said witnesses heard shots and saw two vehicles racing west on Constitution Avenue.
He confirmed an AK-47 assault rifle was recovered and that witnesses saw one driver abandon a vehicle, then run across the bridge toward Arlington.
Mr. Ortega is thought to be living in the area and having ties to Idaho. He is described as a white-Hispanic male, about 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.
9) The Seven Jobs That Require the Most Education, but Pay the Least... Bad College Degrees/Higher Education
http://247wallst.com/2011/11/15/the-seven-jobs-that-require-the-most-education-but-pay-the-least/#ixzz1dncRycj7
November 15, 2011
College graduates with student loans owed an average of $25,250 in 2010, an all-time high and a 5% increase, according to a recent report. What makes matters worse is that students graduating in 2010 faced unemployment of 9.1%, the highest annual rate on record, according to the Project on Student Debt’s report.
Given the grim figures facing college graduates, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify the seven occupations that require at least a college degree and pay the least.
Jobs that pay poorly and require a college degree or higher have at least one thing in common: the wrong industry. Some industries, including those in mental health, academic research, the arts and publishing tend to pay poorly. The entry level jobs in these fields and on this list do not pay well. Reporters starting out make less than $20,000 per year.
Many of the people employed in the jobs on our list will have a hard time paying off their student loans. The occupations on the list earn less than $40,000 annually. In every case, jobs paid far less to start. A quarter of the people employed as survey researchers, for example, earn less than $24,000 annually.
24/7 Wall St. examined wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics Database, to identify the major occupations that make less than $40,000 annually. BLS’s Occupational Outlook Handbook was used to identify educational requirements and long-term job prospects. O*Net Online, an independent career research and advisory site, was used to determine the percentage of people in each occupation with a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD. The six occupations on our list required a bachelor’s degree for most employers.
6. Recreational Therapists
> Median income: $39,410
> Bottom-tier income: $24,640
> Number employed: 20,830
> Pct. With at least a bachelor’s degree: 71%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): +15%
Recreational therapists work with sick or disabled individuals to help reduce depression and “maintain the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their clients,” according to the BLS. Most recreational therapists have at least a bachelor’s degree, and 15% have a master’s degree. The number of positions available is expected to increase by 15% between 2008 and 2018 as the elderly population, one of the largest group of clients, grows. The median wage for a recreational therapist is just $39,410 per year, and the bottom 10% make less than $25,000 per year.
5. Biological Technicians
> Median income: $39,020
> Bottom-tier income: $24,930
> Number employed: 72,940
> Pct. with bachelor’s degree: 83%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): +18%
Biological technicians, the BLS explains, “work with biologists studying living organisms. Many assist scientists who conduct medical research-helping to find a cure for cancer or AIDS, for example.” Despite the important work, the median wage for a technician in the field is just $39,020 per year. About 83% of the people working in this field have a bachelor’s degree. The number of biological technicians is projected to grow by 18% from 2008 numbers by 2018.
4. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
> Median income: $38,600
> Bottom-tier income: $25,210
> Number employed: 119,960
> Pct. with bachelor’s degree: 98%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): +20%
There are several lucrative positions in the field of mental health. The median income for psychiatrists, for example, is around $165,000 a year. At the other end of the spectrum are mental health and substance abuse workers. These individuals work with the sick, the depressed and the addicted to help restore health and well-being. Despite the often stressful conditions under which these specialists work, as well as the fact that one in four has a master’s or doctorate, the median annual wage for this position is just $38,600. The bottom 10% makes $25,210 or less each year.
3. Museum Technicians and Conservators
> Median income: $37,310
> Bottom-tier income: $24,440
> Number employed: 10,390
> Pct. with bachelor’s degree: 80%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): 26%
Museum conservators employ advanced technology to maintain the quality of the artwork and artifacts on display and in storage. Success in this position requires proficiency using different laboratory techniques, such as x-ray, to determine the best way to treat a piece. Some can get the job with just a bachelor’s degree, but most museums look for a least a master’s in the study of conservation. The median income for museum conservators is $37,310 per year, and the bottom tier makes less than $25,000.
2. Survey Researchers
> Median income: $36,050
> Bottom-tier income: $18,660
> Number employed: 17,850
> Pct. with at least bachelor’s degree: 100%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): +30%
The BLS says that market survey researchers’ main goal is to “gather information about what people think.” They work primarily for advertising, marketing or consulting agencies. According to O*Net, 52% of individuals in this position have at least a master’s degree, and 11% have a doctoral degree. Despite the high level of qualification, the median wage for researchers is just $36,050. The bottom 10% of people in this position make $18,660 or less. Survey researchers are one of the fastest-growing occupations in the country with number of positions expected to increase by 30% from 2008 to 2018.
1. Reporters and Correspondents
> Median income: $34,530
> Bottom-tier income: $19,970
> Number employed: 45,130
> Pct. with at least bachelor’s degree: 87%
> Projected change in jobs (2008 - 2018): -8%
Most publications hiring reporters and correspondents require a bachelor’s degree in communications or journalism. Many larger newspapers look for writers who specialize in a particular field of writing, such as economics or the arts. The median wage for a reporter or correspondent is just $34,530 each year, with the bottom 10% of workers earning less than $20,000 per year. On top of the low wages, many may consider journalism an undesirable field to go into because of diminishing job prospects. With the decline of print publications, the number of reporters and correspondents is expected to fall by 8% between 2008 and 2018.
-Michael B. Sauter
Correction: A previous version of this article included Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians in error. Only 28% of Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians jobs require a bachelor’s degree or more. Unlike Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians, 71% of Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree and have a median salary of $56,130.