Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/314927896?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Biba Comes Out Of Stealth With $15M In Funding For Mobile-First, Password-Free Conferencing And Messaging Service
The smartphone is changing how people work but so far the applications for web conferencing have not taken much of a mobile-first approach. Biba, a new company coming out of stealth, has spent more than a year and $5 million in a Series A investment to quietly build a service that offers a lightweight way to use your iPhone, iPad or Android device to participate in conference calls or message people in your network.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Z9FzCKpl9D8/
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Social Media Revolutionizing Online Video - Business Insider
BI Intelligence
"Social" video ?is video that is influenced ? in any part of the pipeline, from production to distribution ? by social media.?For audiences, discovery is no longer about flipping through channels or a TV guide, it's about listening to friends' recommendations and glancing at social media feeds.
Just how big is social media-influenced video? It's big, having eclipsed non-social video on the Web in audience size (see chart, top right).?And it's only getting bigger.?
In a new report?from?BI?Intelligence,?we look at?the general state of social video, examine social video audiences and their demographics, analyze how marketers and advertisers are getting into the mix, compare the major social video platforms, and?detail how social is influencing video as a content medium.
Access The Full Report And Data By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >>
Here's an overview of the?rise of social video:
- Social media-influenced video has eclipsed non-social video on the Web in terms of audience size:?Online video audiences are expected to double in 2016, reaching 1.5 billion?globally, according to Cisco. A majority now , and an increasingly significant portion of them in the future, will discover or watch video and TV content on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and new mobile-focused social video apps like Vine.?comScore found that 63 million U.S. users watched a video on Facebook alone during April 2013. In the U.S.,Facebook had the fastest-growing online video audience?of major Web properties over the last 10 months, and is only second to Google in terms of video audience size.
- Social media is having a profound effect on this content medium:?Video length is shrinking, in part to accommodate the preferences of social media audiences who like to snack on video. The intersection of mobile devices and social media will likely be crucial to video's future.?Videos are increasingly discovered and shared on mobile devices, but through social media channels. Video content that is well-suited to small screens and social contexts will do well.
- Advertisers want to be next to social video: 85% of the U.S. Internet audience viewed online video in April 2013, and?video advertising is now up to 13.2 billion monthly views?in the U.S. alone.?Data?shows that consumers are more likely to enjoy a brand video and remember the brand involved if they come across it thanks to a social media recommendation. Also, socially-referred video starts are more likely to be completed?than non-social video, according to Adobe.
- And social is key to the all-valuable viral video: Brands are keen to spur video virality. The push for ?earned media? is driving this. For a brand, a video that goes ?viral,? and earns millions of views on YouTube means that a brand has earned millions of impressions that it didn't have to pay for. Brands are experimenting with cracking the code to videos that will tap the right emotions and trigger mass sharing.?
In full,?the?report:
For full access to the report on Social Video sign up for a free trial subscription today.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/social-media-revolutionizing-online-video-2013-6
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Insight: Ex-Qaeda allies ready to fight for Mursi in Luxor
By Maggie Fick
LUXOR, Egypt (Reuters) - When President Mohamed Mursi made a hardline Islamist governor of Luxor, it seemed his latest folly to many in this city, and across Egypt, who depend on tourists already scared off by unrest since the revolution.
Yet nominating a member of al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, remembered for a 1997 massacre of visitors in Luxor that some call "Egypt's 9/11", showed the growing importance to the beleaguered Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood of a group whose leadership includes at least one unrepentant former associate of Osama bin Laden.
That man, cleric Refai Taha, and other leaders of al-Gamaa and its parliamentary wing in Luxor told Reuters they renounced violence because Islamist rule had now been achieved, through elections - but they would take up arms again to defend Mursi and were committed eventually to establishing full Islamic law.
"There is freedom now, so violence is not necessary," Taha, 58, said in an interview last week at a hotel on the Nile. "The revolution changed the situation in Egypt in ways we wanted."
But like other senior figures in al-Gamaa he warned that anyone trying to force Mursi out - referring to the military that oppressed the Islamists for decades, or liberal opponents planning mass protests next Sunday - would be met with force.
"Violence begets violence," said Taha, recalling attacks on the old regime and its tourist industry which he, unlike others in al-Gamaa, went on advocating until Hosni Mubarak was ousted.
Al-Gamaa gave in to the uproar in the tourist industry and resigned the Luxor governor's post on Sunday - for the national good - after failing to reassure angry hoteliers who feared it would immediately ban beer and bare flesh, killing their trade just as the gunning down of 58 foreigners had done 16 years ago.
But its role is clearly expanding at the side of a president unable, or unwilling, to build a coalition beyond the Islamist camp. Such hardline allies may further polarize a still fragile state in ways that trouble the Western powers which abandoned Mubarak when Egyptians pushed him aside demanding democracy.
Al-Gamaa supporters formed a vocal contingent at a rally in Cairo on Friday, organized by the Brotherhood to show Islamist strength ahead of protests the hitherto divided opposition plans on June 30, the first anniversary of Mursi's inauguration.
Al-Gamaa leaders were among those giving veiled warnings of a violent response to any move against the elected leader; they included Tarek al-Zumar, jailed for life over the 1981 assassination of Mubarak's predecessor Anwar Sadat, and Assem Abdel Maged, who once shared a cell with Ayman al-Zawahri, the Egyptian who has led al Qaeda since bin Laden was killed.
Hardliners fear the end of the much bigger Brotherhood's hold on power would mean prison again for them, or death.
BIN LADEN
In Luxor, Taha blames the United States for his "rendition" from Damascus in 2001 to a life in Mubarak's jails. He was in Syria after time in Afghanistan with bin Laden and Zawahri and was seen by Washington as an heir to "blind cleric" Omar Abdel Rahman, al-Gamaa al-Islamiya's spiritual leader now serving a life term for a 1993 attack on New York's World Trade Center.
Until 2010, annual U.S. State Department lists of "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" described Taha as "missing" since 2001. He is not mentioned by name in subsequent editions of the list.
Freed when Mubarak fell, he denied a U.S. assertion that he signed a 1998 al Qaeda fatwa calling for attacks on the United States but he said its government was "oppressive just like our former regime" and said his main difference from Zawahri was in his aim of an Islamic state in Egypt, rather than global jihad.
Sitting in the lobby of a tourist hotel, largely empty since the revolution, clad in a beige robe, the white-bearded sheikh defined his goals and those of al Qaeda: "Sheikh Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri see a need to administer justice all over the world. We demand justice be administered in Egypt."
Asked if that would mean banning alcohol or revealing clothing for tourists - something Mursi's government says it will not do - Taha said: "Just as you in America require Muslims to abide by American law when they enter your country, Americans who enter Egypt should abide by Egyptian law."
Were his ideas those of al Qaeda? "The same ideas," he said. "When there is an oppressive regime. If there's an oppressive regime, we, like all people in the world, we fight oppression."
ORGANISED MOVEMENT
After the Luxor massacre, Taha split with a faction in al-Gamaa which declared a ceasefire; the group now appears united and Taha, back in the southern home region where he helped found the movement in the 1970s, seems to command respect from leaders of the political party it set up in 2011 to contest elections.
The Building and Development Party won 13 of 508 seats in the lower house of parliament, allied with the Brotherhood.
A senior party official in Luxor, Hussein Ahmed Shmeet, echoed the concerns of Taha and other al-Gamaa leaders that it was ready to use force if had to protect Mursi: "If the nation is being destroyed, we must defend ourselves and protect the legitimate president and the state institutions," he said.
"If the army and police cannot protect state institutions and we see violence, the representatives of the Islamic groups must take to the streets to protect the state institutions," Shmeet said, adding for emphasis: "We are very organized."
Opponents worry that Egypt's Islamists also intend to keep power by force, even if voters turn against them. Shmeet insisted, however, that the movement has embraced democracy.
Al-Gamaa's numbers are unclear but its claims to be able to mobilize "popular committees" to fix problems locally were corroborated by Brotherhood officials who said Mursi choice for governor was prompted by its success in using local tribal and family structures to bring order where it once sowed chaos.
"Al-Gamaa al-Islamiya members in Luxor were born here," said local Building and Development Party leader Mohamed Bakry. "They know everyone in Luxor, they're cousins, friends, neighbors - our relations are very strong and so we can solve problems."
What the party did not do was force its new governor through the picket lines of angry tour guides and restaurateurs who set up barricades round the local administration building last week and painted the gate with a sign: "No entry for terrorists."
Its moderation toward the demonstrators, Bakry said, should reassure those who doubt it had put its militant past behind it.
"Everything the media are saying is not true," he said of alarmist headlines about Mursi's choice of "terrorist governor".
"Today is proof of that," he said. "Because if we had wanted to, we could have done something ... We were capable of it."
FEAR AND HOSTILITY
Such veiled references to al-Gamaa's strength do little to appease the many of Luxor's half million people who depend on foreigners coming to see its 3,500-year-old temples and tombs.
"Religion and violence is all they know," said Walid Nowendi of the liberal opposition Dustour Party as protesters burned tires to form a barrier to the governor's office.
Across the Nile, sweeping the same green swath through the desert that has nourished Egyptian civilization for millennia, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut stands as forlorn in the sunshine as it did in the months after it witnessed the horror of six gunmen methodically shooting down 62 people in November 1997.
A lone tour bus and a handful of minivans sat under a baking sun in the parking lot. "You should have seen how crowded this place was before the revolution," said Ahmed Hageb, 24, who works in the cafeteria. "For two years, we've suffered as we did after the 1997 attack ... This is because of the Brotherhood."
Mursi, in a newspaper interview, assured Egyptians economic problems were being addressed and, defending his choice of Luxor governor, insisted there was nothing to fear from al-Gamaa - its party, he said, "operates within the rule of law".
(Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Anna Willard)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-ex-qaeda-allies-ready-fight-mursi-luxor-121517764.html
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Monday, June 24, 2013
Mumford & Sons announce rescheduled tour dates
NEW YORK (AP) ? Mumford & Sons are heading back on tour.
The Grammy-winning band announced Monday that it has rescheduled dates in Dallas; Woodlands, Texas; and New Orleans. The upcoming shows will include bassist Ted Dwane, who received treatment for a blood clot on his brain two weeks ago. The band postponed shows as a result, including a headlining gig at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.
The foursome's "The Full English Tour" will begin Aug. 26 in Toronto. It wraps Sept. 20 in Bonner Springs, Kan. Other stops include Milwaukee, Atlanta and Simpsonville, S.C.
The folk-rock band's sophomore album, "Babel," won album of the year at this year's Grammy Awards.
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Online:
http://www.mumfordandsons.com/
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mumford-sons-announce-rescheduled-tour-dates-183503695.html
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Abu Dhabi: Rising star of the Middle East - Breaking Travel News
Abu Dhabi?s 142 hotels and hotel apartments had their best April on record earlier this year, with increases in most key performance indicators, according to figures just released by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority.
The UK remains the emirate?s largest overseas source market for hotel guests, with 54,050 Britons staying in Abu Dhabi?s hotels in the first four months of 2013, a ten per cent rise on the same period in 2012.
They stayed on average, 4.71 nights, up 11 per cent on the corresponding period last year ? and accounted for 254,768 guest nights, up 22 per cent.
During April 2013 some 236,704 guests checked into Abu Dhabi accommodation - a 20 per cent rise against the same period in 2012 ? with guest nights jumping by almost a third to 738,797.
The average-length-of-stay of hotel guests during April 2013 was 3.12 nights, a growth of eight per cent on the same month last year.
Abu Dhabi has emerged as a powerhouse of Middle East tourism
TCA Abu Dhabi, which was named Middle East?s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination and Middle East?s Leading Tourist Board by the World Travel Awards in 2013, and World?s Leading Tourist Board in 2012, also reported a growth in guest numbers, guest nights, average length of stay and revenues for the first quarter of 2013.
Some 631,417 guests checked into accommodation throughout the emirate during this period ? a six per cent rise on quarter one of 2012.
Guest nights rose 23 per cent to 2,119,016, the average length of stay was up 16 per cent to 3.36 nights and total revenues climbed 15 per cent on 2012.
The UK maintained its position as the emirate?s leading overseas guest source market delivering in quarter one, some 39,841 arrivals, up seven per cent on quarter one of 2012, a total of 186,882 guest nights, an increase of 17 per cent and an average length of stay of 4.69 nights, up nine per cent on the comparative period.
Recent hotel openings in Abu Dhabi
As hotel occupancy climbs, Abu Dhabi has been booming with new developments to cater to these guests.
Hotel openings in 2012 included Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara, while this year saw the opening of the Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal and the Rosewood Abu Dhabi.
Rosewood Abu Dhabi, the ultra-luxury five-star hotel ideally located on the waterfront of Sowwah Square in the heart of Abu Dhabi on Al Maryah Island opened its doors on May 1st 2013, marking the first presence of the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts brand in the UAE.
The hotel offers a comforting retreat from the day, but also a vibrant energy and variety of amenities.?
Rosewood Abu Dhabi provides a luxury lifestyle experience currently unmatched in the capital.
The 189-room hotel is located at the core of the new Central Business District between the prestigious Sowwah Square development and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.?
The Galleria, a new retail and dining destination with direct access to the hotel is set to open on the Island in August.
Downtown Abu Dhabi, leisure facilities and the airport are also easily accessible from Al Maryah Island.
Rosewood Abu Dhabi features nine signature restaurants and lounges; eight fully equipped conference and event spaces including a ballroom which will accommodate up to 1,000 guests; pool and gym facilities and Sense, A Rosewood Spa.
Rosewood Abu Dhabi
The interiors have an air of understated elegance, with exquisite materials such as Italian marble, a bespoke four-meter American walnut table and custom and hand-blown chandeliers from the Czech Republic featured throughout the hotel.
Under the helm of executive chef Wolfgang Eberle, Rosewood Abu Dhabi caters to every palate in the hotel?s nine restaurants and lounges, including Catalan, a sophisticated restaurant offering cuisine from the authentic Barcelona and north-eastern region of Spain; Sambusek, a delightfully modern Lebanese restaurant; Smoke, a vibrant shisha terrace, Aqua, which will offer Italian and Mediterranean delicious dishes in a refined yet informal setting; Spice Mela, a contemporary restaurant serving Pan-Indian cuisine; La Cava, a grape cellar with a walk-in cigar room; Glo, the glamorous bar lounge, the intimate Hidden Bar; and the Majlis lobby lounge.
Other stunning hotels in Abu Dhabi that have been recognised by the World Travel Awards include: Emirates Palace, Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche, St Regis Saadiyat Island, Park Rotana, Beach Rotana and Grand Millenium Al Wahda.
The Fairmont Bab Al Bahr has been nominated in several categories of this coveted award scheme.
One of the most spectacular hotels is the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers which was named Middle East?s Leading Hotel, Abu Dhabi?s Leading Conference Hotel and Abu Dhabi?s Leading Hotel by the World Travel Awards this year.
Consisting of 382 guestrooms and suites, 199 fully-serviced residences, 12 restaurants, bars and lounges, Talise Spa and one of the largest conference centres in Abu Dhabi, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers stands 280 metres tall and is furnished throughout in a modern contemporary design using rich materials including highly prized Italian marble, custom-designed hand-tufted carpets and photographic art works.
Jumeirah at Etihad Towers stands 280 metres tall
Hotels coming online in 2014
As visitors continue to flock to Abu Dhabi, looking to experience its luxurious hospitality, unique attractions, world class events and sunny climate, international hotel operators continue to announce plans to tap into the destination?s potential.
Marriott has revealed plans to open two properties in Abu Dhabi which will be operated by Real Estate Group ? a subsidiary of Bloom Properties.
This involves a 315-room Marriott hotel and a 64-unit Marriott executive apartment property which are both to open in the mixed-use Bloom Central development
Marina Mall Arjaan by Rotana has also been confirmed for the destination, meanwhile the Grand Ayla, is expected to open in the third quarter, opposite Al Ain Mall with 222 rooms.
New developments for 2013
Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi - the largest waterpark in the UAE opened recently on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
This futuristic waterpark spans an area of around 15 football pitches, with 43 rides, slides and attractions ? five of which are one-of-a-kind.
Yas Waterworld is the UAE?s largest waterpark
Yas Waterworld visitors can try the 238-metre long, world?s first and largest hydromagnetic-powered, six-person tornado waterslide.
For adrenaline seekers there are three-metre high waves on Bubble?s Barrel, which has the world?s largest surfable sheet wave for flowboards and bodyboards.
The Bandit Bomber, a 550?metre coaster, is the first with onboard water and laser effects. Riders can shoot jets of water at targets, drop water bombs and trigger special effects, while people below can spray them with water as they pass.
Sitting atop Jebel Dana, the towering core of the park?s altitude-defying summit and measuring eight metres in diameter, the park?s gigantic pearl is Yas Island?s newest landmark.
The park draws on Abu Dhabi?s heritage and has ?The Lost Pearl? as its theme.
Visitors follow the story of a young Emirati girl on a quest to find a legendary pearl as they make their way around the attractions, which include a souk and pearl-diving exhibits.
Yas Island
Yas Island is home to some of the UAE?s most exciting attractions, including Ferrari World ? home of the world?s largest roller coast ? events, as well as concerts and much much more.
A style icon - Yas Viceroy Hotel
The flagship project of the $36 billion Yas Island development, the Yas Viceroy Hotel is a breath-taking fusion of architecture, design and technology, set half on land and half on water.
It is also the first hotel in the world built directly over a Formula One race track and in 2010 was voted ?World?s Leading New Hotel? by World Travel Awards.
Home of the world?s leading airline
The UAE flag carrier Etihad Airways also continues to blaze a trail in aviation. Established just eight years old, the Abu Dhabi based airline has grown into a global superbrand.
Its growth has never fallen below 40 per cent a year in that time. Last year it reached the milestone stage of moving into profit.
This year it was voted Middle East?s Leading Airline, Middle East?s Leading Airline First Class and Middle East?s Leading Cabin Crew by the World Travel Awards.
A total of 8.3 million passengers flew with the flag carrier in 2011, up 17 per cent on 2010.
James Hogan, chief executive of Etihad Airways, said: ?Despite the global financial crisis, continued high oil prices, regional instability and natural disasters, we have delivered.?
Meanwhile, attracting the luxury traveller forms an integral part of Abu Dhabi?s growth strategy.
Royal Jet, the private jet charter company, has just come off its most success year yet in its eight-year history.
Royal Jet offers unrivalled luxury service
The company, voted World?s Leading Private Jet Charter by the World Travel Awards, reported a 226 per cent increase in net profits year-on-year in 2012.
Cruise facilities
A new terminal, designed to accommodate 1,300 passengers has been built at Mina Zayed as Abu Dhabi continues to develop as a cruise destination.
A joint project from Abu Dhabi Ports Company and Abu Dhabi Terminals, the facility has been designed to cater for the 2012/2013 cruise seasons.
MSC Lirica became the first vessel to homeport in the emirate following the opening of the terminal in late 2011.
Abu Dhabi International Airport has ambitious plans for the future.
In the coming five years, the airport will be focusing on achieving new competitive milestones with the completion of the new Midfield Terminal Building, scheduled to open in 2017.
Abu Dhabi International Airport
The 700,000 square meter building is a landmark project being undertaken in Abu Dhabi and the UAE, and will be able to handle 27-30 million passengers per year when it opens.
Reasons to Celebrate
One of the highlights of the coming year is sure to be the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, scheduled to take place at the spectacular Yas Marina circuit on November 1st-3rd 2013.
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is now an integral part of the F1 calendar
With United Arab Emirates flag-carrier Etihad Airways recently signing a deal with the Formula 1 group to extend its title sponsorship of the Grand Prix for a further four years, the event look sets to grow yet further.
The deal will see the airline sponsor the event through to the 2015 with two F1-liveried aircraft flying to destinations across its network.
Saadiyat Island?s cultural district is where the Louvre Abu Dhabi will open in 2015, followed by the Zayed National Museum a year later and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in 2017.
Recommended
Source: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/focus/article/abu-dhabi-rising-star-of-the-middle-east/
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Suntory Beverage prices $4 billion IPO near bottom of range
By Taiga Uranaka and Ritsuko Shimizu
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Suntory Beverage and Food Ltd will raise 388 billion yen ($4 billion) after it set its IPO price near the bottom of its marketing range, hurt by concerns about its valuation and weak appetite amid market volatility.
The food and soft drinks unit of Suntory Holdings Ltd set the price of its initial public offering at 3,100 yen per share, compared with its 3,000-3,800 yen indicative range, it said in a regulatory filing on Monday.
The maker of Boss canned coffee had been seeking as much as 470 billion yen in Asia's biggest IPO so far this year, to bolster its war chest for acquisitions in emerging markets like Southeast Asia and boost its competitiveness against rivals like Kirin Holdings Co Ltd .
"It's obviously a sign that the stock is not popular among institutional investors," said a hedge fund manager based in Singapore, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
"Given its valuation compared with its peers and high volatility in the market, I think even the price of 3,100 yen is too high for many institutional investors," he said.
The IPO price values Suntory Beverage at a price-to-earnings ratio of 23 based on its 2013 profit forecast. That is higher than 17 at domestic rival Asahi Group Holdings and 16 at Kirin, according to Thomson Reuters data.
At the IPO price, Suntory Beverage would have a market capitalization of 958 billion yen, behind Kirin's 1.5 trillion yen and Asahi's 1.2 trillion yen.
Suntory Beverage's IPO was also seen as a test of investor appetite for new listings at a time of high volatility in Japanese stock markets. The benchmark Nikkei <.n225> has lost about 18 percent since hitting a 5-1/2 year high in late May.
Still, the offering is almost twice the size of the $2.1 billion IPO by the infrastructure fund of Thailand's BTS Group Holdings Pcl
OVERSEAS EXPANSION
Privately held Suntory Holdings is led by President Nobutada Saji, the 67-year-old grandson of the company's founder. The group, which is known for its Premium Malt's beer and whisky, gets half of its revenue from non-alcoholic drinks unit Suntory Beverage.
Suntory Beverage said it expects its net profit to rise 50 percent to 35 billion yen and its revenue to increase 14 percent to 1.13 trillion yen this year. It has set a target for annual revenue growth of at least 5 percent over the next three years.
In Japan, Suntory is the second-largest soft drinks maker after Coca-Cola Co
Still, Suntory and its rivals see little room for growth in their saturated home market and have set their sights overseas in recent years.
Suntory acquired soft drinks maker Orangina Schweppes and New Zealand's No. 2 beverage firm Funcor Group, both in 2009. In 2011, it entered into a joint venture with Indonesian food and beverage group GarudaFood. Suntory has said that it is also eyeing the Middle East, Africa and Latin America through acquisitions.
But industry officials and analysts say that acquisitions, especially in Southeast Asia, are increasingly costly and difficult to execute.
Such concerns came to light earlier this year when Kirin lost the chance to buy Singapore-listed Fraser and Neave Ltd's (F&N)
Kirin sold its 15 percent stake in F&N to TCC Assets after a Thai beer baron won a two-month bidding war with an Indonesian group, a major setback for the Japanese company to gain quick access to the market.
"There are a host of enthusiastic buyers, and sellers tend to be bullish," Masaaki Kitami, an analyst at Merrill Lynch Japan Securities Co, said of the intensifying competition for beverage-company acquisitions in that region. ($1 = 97.4750 Japanese yen)
(Additional reporting by Emi Emoto and Nathan Layne; Editing by Chris Gallagher)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suntory-set-price-4-8-billion-ipo-bolstering-040509583.html
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Obama to unveil climate plan in Tuesday speech
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is preparing to unveil his long-awaited national plan to combat climate change in a major speech, he announced on Saturday.
"There's no single step that can reverse the effects of climate change," Obama said in an online video released by the White House. "But when it comes to the world we leave our children, we owe it to them to do what we can."
People consulting with White House officials on Obama's plan, to be unveiled Tuesday at Georgetown University, say they expect him to put forth regulations on heat-trapping gases emitted by existing coal-fired power plans. They were not authorized to disclose details about the plan ahead of the announcement and requested anonymity.
Environmental groups have been pleading with Obama to take that step, but the administration has said it's focused first on controls on new power plants. The Environmental Protection Agency, using its authority under the Clean Air Act, has already proposed controls on new plants, but the rules have been delayed ? to the chagrin of states and environmental groups threatening to sue over the delays.
An administration official said last week that Obama was still weighing whether to include existing plants in the climate plan. The official wasn't authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity.
The White House wouldn't disclose any details Saturday about what steps Obama may call for. But his senior energy and climate adviser, Heather Zichal, said last week that controls on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants would be a major focus. She also said the plan would boost energy efficiency of appliances and buildings, plus expand renewable energy.
Putting a positive spin on a contentious partisan issue, Obama said the U.S. is uniquely poised to deal with the serious challenges posed by climate change. He said American scientists and engineers would have to design new fuels and energy sources, and workers will have to adapt to a clean energy economy.
"We'll need all of us, as citizens, to do our part to preserve God's creation for future generations," Obama said.
Environmental groups have for months been pushing Obama to make good on a threat he issued to lawmakers in February in his State of the Union address: "If Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will." Obama's move to take the matter into his own hands appears to reflect a growing consensus that opposition in Congress is too powerful for any meaningful, sweeping climate legislation to pass anytime soon.
"They shouldn't wait for Congress to act, because they'll be out of office by the time that Congress gets its act together," Rep. Henry Waxman, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in an interview.
Environmental groups applauded the announcement that Obama was finally releasing a plan for executive action, but made clear they want to see firm proposals ? including controls for existing power plants.
"Combating climate change means curbing carbon pollution ? for the first time ever ? from the biggest single source of such dangerous gases: our coal-fired power plants," said Frances Beinecke, president of the National Resources Defense Council. "We stand ready to help President Obama in every way we can."
Another key issue hanging over the announcement ? but unlikely to be mentioned on Tuesday ? is Keystone XL, a pipeline that would carry oil extracted from tar sands in western Canada to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast. A concerted campaign by environmental activists to persuade Obama to nix the pipeline appears to be an uphill battle. The White House insists the State Department is making the decision independently.
Obama's speech on Tuesday will come the day before he leaves for a weeklong trip to three African nations.
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Online:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcL3_zzgWeU
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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP
Associated Press98% Before Midnight
All Critics (140) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (136) | Rotten (3)
Hawke and Delpy remain as charming as ever, and their combined goofiness is more endearing than annoying.
Love is messy here, life cannot be controlled, satisfaction is far from guaranteed. Romance is rocky at best. But romance still is.
Though "Before Midnight" is often uncomfortable to watch, it's never less than mesmerizing - and ultimately, a joy to walk with this prickly but fascinating couple again.
"Before Midnight" is heartbreaking, but not because of Jesse and Celine. It's the filmmakers' passions that seem to have cooled.
Before Midnight is fascinating to watch, and so long as Celine and Jesse are communicating, there's still hope.
How (Jesse and Celine) try to rekindle that flame is what drives Midnight, a film that feels so authentic it's like overhearing a conversation you're not sure you should be hearing.
The acting, the dialogue and direction are superb.
None of the films is faultless in itself, but, tinted with complementary tones, the complete cycle comes as close to perfection as any trilogy in cinema history.
Marvelous. It's impossible to shake the feeling that we are merely eavesdropping on reality. Witty, wise, and -- most important of all -- truly romantic in ways that movies usually aren't.
It's been 18 years since Hawke, Delpy and Linklater introduced us to Jesse and Celine, and their story just gets richer, funnier and more punchy each time we see them. In 1995's Before Sunrise, they were idealistic 23-year-olds.
Hawke and Delpy are as believably real as any screen couple can ever be.
This is one of the few sequels for which the cliche 'eagerly awaited' is truly applicable.
Predictably, it's just as great as the first two.
By the end, Before Midnight inches towards a dawn of charm. But it's a troubled trip.
As an organic experiment in collaboration between actors and director, it is a triumph, co-created and co-owned by Delpy, Linklater and Hawke.
Hawke and Delpy, who are both credited on the script too, have never found co-stars to bounce off more nimbly or bring out richer nuances in their acting.
The performances and dialogue are wonderfully naturalistic; a reminder that the best special effects are often the cheapest.
Before Midnight is about the nature of long-term relationships, and the way love deepens and grows but also finds itself subject to the complications of maturity. Smart, insightful, and poignant.
For those who witnessed Jesse and Celine's tentative getting together as inter railing students almost twenty years ago, it's reassuring to see them still in love.
Brilliantly directed, superbly written and impeccably acted, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking and emotionally engaging drama that perfectly complements the previous two films.
It remains as engaging, illuminating, honest and funny as its predecessor; here's hoping we revisit Jesse and C?line in another decade or so.
Nine-year gaps between films would sink a studio franchise, but the unforgiving impact of time and the slipperiness of its mysterious mental record, memory, are the very subjects of 'Before Midnight.'
Contains more shrewd and candid insights than many Hollywood midlife crisis dramas.
A couple persistently digging at each other might have been insufferable to watch except that Hawke and Delpy manage to be goofy, funny, witty and charming, even while they're fighting.
A bit tarter than its predecessors, but not skimping on their woozy, chatty charm, this perfectly played, gently incisive film is a welcome new chapter in one of cinema's most beguiling ongoing romances.
Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_midnight_2013/
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Hong Kong says Snowden has left for third country
HONG KONG (AP) ? A former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday.
Hong Kong's government did not identify the country. Snowden, who has been in hiding in Hong Kong for several weeks since he revealed information on the highly classified spy programs, has talked of seeking asylum in Iceland.
However, Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency cited an unidentified Aeroflot official as saying Snowden would fly from Moscow to Cuba on Monday and then on to Caracas, Venezuela. The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group tweeted that Snowden was "over Russian air space" and later said in a statement he was bound for an unnamed "democratic nation via a safe route for the purpose of asylum."
The White House had no immediate comment about the departure, which came a day after the United States made a formal request for his extradition and gave a pointed warning to Hong Kong against delaying the process of returning him to face trial in the U.S.
The Department of Justice said only that it would "continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel."
The Hong Kong government said in a statement that Snowden left "on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel."
It acknowledged the U.S. extradition request, but said U.S. documentation did not "fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law." It said additional information was requested from Washington, but since the Hong Kong government "has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr. Snowden from leaving Hong Kong."
The statement said Hong Kong had informed the U.S. of Snowden's departure. It added that it wanted more information about alleged hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by U.S. government agencies which Snowden had revealed.
WikiLeaks said it was providing legal help to Snowden at his request and that he was being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from the group. Its founder, Julian Assange, who has spent a year inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning about sex crime allegations, told the Sydney Morning Herald that his organization is in a position to help because it has expertise in international asylum and extradition law.
Snowden's departure eliminates a possible fight between Washington and Beijing at a time when China is trying to deflect U.S. accusations that it carries out extensive surveillance of American government and commercial operations. Hong Kong, a former British colony, has a high degree of autonomy and is granted rights and freedoms not seen on mainland China, but under the city's mini constitution Beijing is allowed to intervene in matters involving defense and diplomatic affairs.
Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the U.S., but the document has some exceptions, including for crimes deemed political.
The Obama administration on Saturday warned Hong Kong against delaying Snowden's extradition, with White House national security adviser Tom Donilon saying in an interview with CBS News, "Hong Kong has been a historically good partner of the United States in law enforcement matters, and we expect them to comply with the treaty in this case."
Snowden's departure came as the South China Morning Post released new allegations from Snowden that U.S. hacking targets in China included the nation's cellphone companies and two universities hosting extensive Internet traffic hubs.
He told the newspaper that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." It added that Snowden said he had documents to support the hacking allegations, but the report did not identify the documents. It said he spoke to the newspaper in a June 12 interview.
With a population of more than 1.3 billion, China has massive cellphone companies. China Mobile is the world's largest mobile network carrier with 735 million subscribers, followed by China Unicom with 258 million users and China Telecom with 172 million users.
Snowden said Tsinghua University in Beijing and Chinese University in Hong Kong, home of some of the country's major Internet traffic hubs, were targets of extensive hacking by U.S. spies this year. He said the NSA was focusing on so-called "network backbones" in China, through which enormous amounts of Internet data passes.
The Chinese government has not commented on the extradition request and Snowden's departure, but its state-run media have used Snowden's allegations to poke back at Washington after the U.S. had spent the past several months pressuring China on its international spying operations.
A commentary published Sunday by the official Xinhua News Agency said Snowden's disclosures of U.S. spying activities in China have "put Washington in a really awkward situation."
"Washington should come clean about its record first. It owes ... an explanation to China and other countries it has allegedly spied on," it said. "It has to share with the world the range, extent and intent of its clandestine hacking programs."
____
Sylvia Hui in London and Lynn Berry in Moscow contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-says-snowden-left-third-country-081745849.html
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Egypt Morsi Protests: Army Ready To Save Nation From 'Dark Tunnel,' Defense Minister Says
CAIRO ? Egypt's army chief warned on Sunday that the military is ready to intervene to stop the nation from entering a "dark tunnel" of internal conflict.
Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi spoke a week ahead of mass protests planned by opponents of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. There are fears the demonstrations calling for Morsi's ouster will descend into violence after some of the president's hard-line supporters vowed to "smash" them. Others declared protesters were infidels who deserve to be killed.
El-Sissi's comments were his first in public on the planned June 30 protests. Made to officers during a seminar, they reflected the military's frustration with the rule of Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president who completes one year in office on June 30.
His comments, posted on the military's Facebook page, could add pressure on Morsi as he braces for the protests after he spent his first year in office struggling with a host of problems that he is widely perceived to have failed to effectively tackle, like surging crime, rising prices, fuel shortages, power cuts and unemployment.
El-Sissi also appeared to lower the threshold for what warrants intervention by the military. Earlier he cited collapse or near collapse of the state.
He said that while the military has recently stayed out the political fray and focused instead on its combat capabilities, its patriotic and moral responsibility toward Egyptians obliges it to intervene and stop Egypt from "slipping into a dark tunnel of conflict, internal fighting." He said sectarian violence and the collapse of state institutions would also justify intervention.
He urged all parties to use the week left before the June 30 protests to reach a "genuine" understanding to defuse the crisis. "We have a week during which a great deal can be achieved. This is a call that is only motivated by love of the nation, its presence and future."
"Those who think that we (the military) are oblivious to the dangers that threaten the Egyptian state are mistaken. We will not remain silent while the country slips into a conflict that will be hard to control," he said.
In a thinly veiled warning to Morsi's hard-line backers, el-Sissi said: "It is not honorable that we remain silent in the face of the terrorizing and scaring of our Egyptian compatriots. There is more honor in death than watching a single Egyptian harmed while his army is standing idly by."
El-Sissi also warned that the military will no longer tolerate any "insults" to the armed forces and its leaders, a reference to a series of comments by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Morsi hails, that were perceived by the military as insults.
The military took over power after President Hosni Mubarak's ouster in 2011. They remained at the helm for nearly 17 months before handing over to Morsi. In August, Morsi retired the military's top two generals, ending the de facto military rule of Egypt that dates back to a 1952 coup that toppled the monarchy.
Morsi appointed el-Sissi as military chief and defense minister, leading many to believe he would be beholden to the president. But el-Sissi, through a series of subtle but telling hints, has shown his displeasure over Morsi's policies.
Morsi's comrades in the Brotherhood have made it clear that they want the military to focus entirely on protecting the nation against outside threats, but el-Sissi has countered by making clear that maintaining the security and stability of the nation was part of the military's mandate.
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91% Gimme The Loot
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (5)
'Gimme the Loot' is ... meandering and a little shallow. And even at 79 minutes it feels a little too long for what's essentially the film equivalent of a short story.
A thousand-watt jolt of mischief, a spunky, funky, ebullient indie that packs its 81 minutes with cinematic exhilaration.
It may be a slight movie, but it has its sunny charms.
A movie about teenage taggers in the Bronx should be fast and raw, scruffy and loose, and Adam Leon's Gimme the Loot is just that.
As it lopes along, the movie offers a warm but very sharp portrait of New York's have-nots and their uneasy relationship with the haves.
"Gimme the Loot" shouldn't be as appealing and exuberant as it is, it really shouldn't.
First-time feature director Adam Leon's shots are precise and full of detail.
The film's strong suit is its use of locations.
The film is episodic and determinedly offbeat, funny at its best, boring at its worst.
Shot on the streets of New York in a loose, freeform style, this lively comedy-drama feels somewhat underdeveloped, leaving us doubtful about its realism.
It's a great deal of fun, emotionally touching, and even surprisingly old-fashioned.
Some of the movie doesn't exactly convince, and some of the scenes have an actors-improv feel to them, but there's always plenty of humour and energy.
Endlessly entertaining, refreshingly light-hearted and bursting with summer soul, Gimme The Loot joins the pantheon of great New York movies.
It's a shaggy dog story with a certain amount of charm but not nearly enough drama.
The movie is unpolished, and it matters not a jot, because Leon has written super roles for these kids and invests their relationship with such sly feeling.
Hickson walks the line between bravado and vulnerability, while Washington has a charisma, spark and beauty that should ensure this won't be the last we see of her.
Bolstered by a low-key but assured aesthetic and a soundtrack of vintage soul and doo-wop, the film is infectiously enjoyable, with frequently amusing insights and an affable shagginess.
Out of nowhere, Adam Leon might just have delivered the first great New York film of the decade.
Charming and engaging low-budget indie with a witty script, likeable characters, a strong sense of time and place and a pair of terrific performances from its two young leads.
Funny and freewheeling, it's a joy.
A slim, low-budget coming-of-age tale whose richness lies entirely in its interstices. A keenly observed work that celebrates the unfettered joys of youth, and rewards by reminding of the power of a simple tale told well.
Simultaneously real and hopeful, "Loot" has almost no plot, but when the setting is so fresh and the characters feel so raw and alive, who needs one?
Ghetto laughs with a sophisticated point of view.
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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gimme_the_loot_2012/
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Sunday, June 23, 2013
Week 8 of Jackson trial features experts, emotion
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A look at key moments this past week in the wrongful death trial in Los Angeles between Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, and concert giant AEG Live LLC, and what is expected at court in the week ahead:
THE CASE
Jackson's mother wants a jury to determine that the promoter of Jackson's planned comeback concerts didn't properly investigate Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter by a criminal jury for Jackson's June 2009 death. AEG's attorney says the case is about personal choice, namely Jackson's decision to have Murray serve as his doctor and give him doses of a powerful anesthetic as a sleep aid. Millions, possibly billions, of dollars are at stake.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS PAST WEEK
? Jackson's personal chef Kai Chase told jurors about Jackson's relationship with his children as well as her impressions that the singer appeared weaker in the final weeks of his life. She recounted numerous tender moments, including a party Jackson threw for his daughter Paris on her 11th birthday, complete with a private circus.
? Charles Czeisler, an expert sleep researcher from Harvard University, told jurors that Jackson was totally sleep-deprived by the time of his death because the singer's use of propofol was not giving him actual sleep but was akin to being in a drug-induced coma.
WHAT THE JURY SAW
? Jurors got their first glimpse of Jackson's oldest children, Prince and Paris, testifying. An AEG lawyer played short clips of the pair to challenge testimony offered by Chase. The two-minute clip of Paris Jackson's testimony showed her alternately looking down and at an AEG Live attorney as she described her father's rocky relationship with her former nanny.
? The jury was shown several images related to how Jackson raised his children, including a handwritten note that Paris wrote Chase thanking her for several gifts she bought for the family while at Disneyland.
QUOTABLE MOMENTS
? "It was the most beautiful expression of love I've ever seen," Chase said about a Cirque du Soleil-style circus that Jackson hired for Paris' 11th birthday.
? "The meticulous detailing of his deterioration here was both profound and sad," Czeisler said of emails documenting Jackson's missed rehearsals and inability to perform songs and dance moves without tour worker being afraid he would hurt himself.
WHAT'S NEXT
? Jurors will hear from an expert in medical conflict of interest cases and may also hear testimony from Tim Leiweke, the former CEO of AEG Live's parent company, the Anshutz Entertainment Group. Leiweke's testimony may be shown to jurors from his videotaped deposition.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/week-8-jackson-trial-features-experts-emotion-151810969.html
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Deal Alert Keeps Track of Daily Deals From Your Menu Bar
Mac: There's no shortage of ways to track online deals, but most of them are browser extensions or require you to set up an email alert. Deal Alert is a small app that lives in your menu bar and unobtrusively tracks deals for you.
Deal Alert sits in your menu bar, and after you type in a few items that you're looking for, the app monitors a bunch of daily deal sites for you. When it finds something, you'll get a notification. It's incredibly simple, but if you don't feel like messing around with deal monitoring extensions or Gmail filters, Deal Alert is a great way to track deals without overloading your inbox.
Deal Alert ($1.99) | Mac App Store via Mac AppStorm
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The Math Behind Cicadas' Bizarre 17-Year Life Cycle
It makes sense that an animal might hid away in the ground while it's maturing, but 17 years is a long, seemingly random amount of time. But it's not like cicadas picked a number out of a hat and were stuck with it. There's a something specific about that number, and numberphile is sussing it out.
It's crazy to think, but it turns out cicadas are actually doing math through natural selection, and hunting down the prime numbers as to be eaten as infrequently as possible. Of course, if I had an incentive like that, maybe I'd be better at math too.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-math-behind-cicadas-bizarre-17-year-life-cycle-540212045
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Saturday, June 22, 2013
Daycare may benefit kids of depressed mothers
By Genevra Pittman
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children of depressed mothers are less likely to have emotional problems if they attend daycare, a new Canadian study suggests.
Researchers have known that depressed women are more likely to have kids who also develop depression and anxiety disorders, and that those problems can extend through the teenage years.
"It's interesting to think of this as a possible type of intervention and a way of supporting mothers in general, but especially mothers who are at risk," said Catherine Herba, from the University of Quebec at Montreal.
The researchers followed close to 1,800 children born in Quebec in 1997-1998 and their mothers through the child's fifth birthday.
Women were regularly surveyed about their depression symptoms and reported on their child's emotional problems and separation anxiety, as well as the type of childcare they used.
About 19 percent of mothers had depression symptoms during the study period. And as previous research has suggested, their children were almost twice as likely to develop emotional problems and separation anxiety before age five, Herba's team wrote in JAMA Psychiatry.
However, being in childcare seemed to mitigate that effect. The association was particularly strong for group-based childcare, as opposed to care provided by a relative or babysitter.
Among children with depressed mothers, attending daycare was tied to a 79 percent reduced risk of developing emotional problems, compared to kids who stayed home with their moms.
Across the study, between nine and 31 percent of preschoolers had emotional problems depending on whether their mothers were depressed and where they received care.
How many hours a week kids spent in childcare did not seem as important as the type of care itself, the researchers found. They said the structured setting of group-based care, having care provided by a trained professional and spending time with children of a similar age may all be benefits to that type of childcare.
"Center-based care can really serve as a buffer for children of depressed mothers," said Catherine Ayoub, who has studied Early Head Start programs at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
"As those mothers are paying some attention to their own depressive symptoms, as they're struggling with depression, the children can be buffered from the effects of depression on their development," Ayoub, who wasn't involved in the new study, told Reuters Health.
Her research has suggested programs that reach out to both children and mothers themselves can be especially beneficial for families over the long run.
Ayoub, also from the Brazelton Touchpoints Center, said women should know that they can still be good mothers if they are depressed, and also that there are many ways to treat depression - so they can get better.
"Yes, you may be depressed, but you also can really move toward resilience," she said. "It's okay to find the best possible care for your child that's also a way to take care of yourself."
Herba said that doctors should be looking for new mothers who are depressed and speak to them about the potential benefits of using childcare and getting help for themselves.
"It's quite important that we give good support to these mothers and try to facilitate this as much as possible," she said.
SOURCE: JAMA Psychiatry, online June 19, 2013.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/daycare-may-benefit-kids-depressed-mothers-201023984.html
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Heel Pain/Plantar Fasciitis - Health & Fitness - ThumperTalk
Had it very severe both feet for 3 years. I had all the sensations that go along with it, the knife in the heel, and the pins and needles, and the sensation that someone is dragging your heel in gravel. No fun.??Here's what I tried, and of course failed with.
Stretching- I stretched religiously every day. I was determined to stretch my way out of this condition. (
Therapies - Went to ortho who recomended deep needling for the calves. The concept was that they were too tight and were pulling through achilies to the plantar tendon, and that I needed to release the tension with a procedure called deep needling. (worst procedure ever. I ruined my calves. They spasmed non stop for about a year, and would lock up throughout the day for no reason. Never ever had a single calf issue before this lousy excuse for a medical procedure)
Custom orthotics- several different versions, one had a huge metatarsal pad that caused mortons neuroma due to the excess pressure on the nerve. About $800 worth. They now sit on the shelf. I currently use either sole brand heat moldables or a neutral cushioning running shoe such as brooks glycerin 10.
Stretching- I stretched religiously every day. I was determined to stretch my way out of this condition. (
Therapies - Went to ortho who recomended deep needling for the calves. The concept was that they were too tight and were pulling through achilies to the plantar tendon, and that I needed to release the tension with a procedure called deep needling. (worst procedure ever. I ruined my calves. They spasmed non stop for about a year, and would lock up throughout the day for no reason. Never ever had a single calf issue before this lousy excuse for a medical procedure)
Custom orthotics- several different versions, one had a huge metatarsal pad that caused mortons neuroma due to the excess pressure on the nerve. About $800 worth. They now sit on the shelf. I currently use either sole brand heat moldables or a neutral cushioning running shoe such as brooks glycerin 10.
My pf finally started easing up just last year, but It came back really bad in the left foot a few months back. This time I used a night splint, and symptoms were improved within a month, within 3 months I was back to normal.
My general feeling is this injury is so slow healing due to lack of blood flow, and it needs to be treated like a sprain. You dont overly stretch a sprain, you give it time and control the load.
I think the night boot helped to allow the tendon to heal in a dorsi flexed position vs a plantar flexed position.??I wish I had used the boot the first time around. That was the biggest advantage.??
I also noticed that tension in the hamstrings caused serious plantar knife pain. Bending over to pick up a quarter, then standing up again caused the heel knife every time.
so, long story short, control the load, dont overdo it on the stretches, and wear that lousy boot to bed. Force that stinking tendon to heal up in the lengthened position or else it will be so tight in the am it will be easy to tear over and over...
Best of luck, and take it easy for a while. Make friends with the lap pool. Oh orthaheel flip flops have so much arch support, theyre great for the pool...
Source: http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/1031544-heel-painplantar-fasciitis/
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Disabled workers paid just pennies an hour ? and it's legal - Open ...
By Anna Schecter, Producer, NBC News
One of the nation's best-known charities is paying disabled workers as little as 22 cents an hour, thanks to a 75-year-old legal loophole that critics say needs to be closed.
Goodwill Industries, a multibillion-dollar company whose executives make six-figure salaries, is among the nonprofit groups permitted to pay thousands of disabled workers far less than minimum wage because of a federal law known as Section 14 (c). Labor Department records show that some Goodwill workers in Pennsylvania earned wages as low as 22, 38 and 41 cents per hour in 2011.
"If they really do pay the CEO of Goodwill three-quarters of a million dollars, they certainly can pay me more than they're paying," said Harold Leigland, who is legally blind and hangs clothes at a Goodwill in Great Falls, Montana for less than minimum wage.
"It's a question of civil rights," added his wife, Sheila, blind from birth, who quit her job at the same Goodwill store when her already low wage was cut further. "I feel like a second-class citizen. And I hate it."
Section 14 (c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which was passed in 1938, allows employers to obtain special minimum wage certificates from the Department of Labor. The certificates give employers the right to pay disabled workers according to their abilities, with no bottom limit to the wage.
Most, but not all, special wage certificates are held by nonprofit organizations like Goodwill that then set up their own so-called "sheltered workshops" for disabled employees, where employees typically perform manual tasks like hanging clothes.
For more on disabled workers and sub-minimum-wage pay watch 'Rock Center' tonight.
The non-profit certificate holders can also place employees in outside, for-profit workplaces including restaurants, retail stores, hospitals and even Internal Revenue Service centers. Between the sheltered workshops and the outside businesses, more than 216,000 workers are eligible to earn less than minimum wage because of Section 14 (c), though many end up earning the full federal minimum wage of $7.25.
NBC News
Harold Leigland, who is blind, with his guide dog on the bus during his morning commute to the Goodwill facility in Great Falls, Montana, where he works hanging clothing.
When a non-profit provides Section 14 (c) workers to an outside business, it sets the salary and pays the wages. For example, the Helen Keller National Center, a New York school for the blind and deaf, has a special wage certificate and has placed students in a Westbury, N.Y., Applebee's franchise. The employees' pay ranged from $3.97 per hour to $5.96 per hour in 2010. The franchise told NBC News it has also hired workers at minimum wage from Helen Keller. A spokesperson for Applebee's declined to comment on Section 14 (c).
Helen Keller also placed several students at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Manhasset, N.Y., in 2010, where they earned $3.80 and $4.85 an hour. A Barnes & Noble spokeswoman defended the Section 14 (c) program as providing jobs to "people who would otherwise not have [the opportunity to work]."
Most Section 14 (c) workers are employed directly by nonprofits. In 2001, the most recent year for which numbers are available, the GAO estimated that more than 90 percent of Section 14 (c) workers were employed at nonprofit work centers.
Critics of Section 14 (c) have focused much of their ire on the nonprofits, where wages can be just pennies an hour even as some of the groups receive funding from the government. At one workplace in Florida run by a nonprofit, some employees earned one cent per hour in 2011.
"People are profiting from exploiting disabled workers," said Ari Ne'eman, president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. "It is clearly and unquestionably exploitation."
Defenders of Section 14 (c) say that without it, disabled workers would have few options. A Department of Labor spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News that Section 14 (c) "provides workers with disabilities the opportunity to be given meaningful work and receive an income."
Terry Farmer, CEO of ACCSES, a trade group that calls itself the "voice of disability service providers," said scrapping the provision could "force [disabled workers] to stay at home," enter rehabilitation, "or otherwise engage in unproductive and unsatisfactory activities."
Harold Leigland, however, said he feels that Goodwill can pay him a low wage because the company knows he has few other places to go. "We are trapped," he said. "Everybody who works at Goodwill is trapped."
Leigland, a 66-year-old former massage therapist with a college degree, currently earns $5.46 per hour in Great Falls.
His wages have risen and fallen based on "time studies," the method nonprofits use to calculate the salaries of Section 14 (c) workers. Staff members use a stopwatch to determine how long it takes a disabled worker to complete a task. That time is compared with how long it would take a person without a disability to do the same task. The nonprofit then uses a formula to calculate a salary, which may be equal to or less than minimum wage. The tests are repeated every six months.
NBC News
Harold Leigland works at the Goodwill facility in Great Falls, Montana, where he earns $5.46 an hour.
Leigland's pay has been higher than $5.46, but it has also dropped down to $4.37 per hour, based on the time-study results.
He said he believes Goodwill makes the time studies harder when they want his wage to be lower.
"Sometimes the test is easier than others. It depends on if, as near as I can figure, they want your wage to go up or down. It's that simple," he said.
His wife, Sheila, 58, spent four years hanging clothes at the Great Falls Goodwill for about $3.50 an hour. She said the time study was one of the most degrading and stressful parts about her job. "You never know how it's going to come out. It stressed me out a lot," she said.
She quit last summer when she returned to work after knee surgery and found that her wage had been lowered to $2.75 per hour, a training rate.
"At $2.75 it would barely cover my cost of getting to work. I wouldn't make any money," she said.
Harold said he believes Goodwill can afford to pay him minimum wage, based on the salaries paid to Goodwill executives. While according to the company's own figures about 4,000 of the 30,000 disabled workers Goodwill employs at 69 franchises are currently paid below minimum wage, salaries for the CEOs of those franchises that hold special minimum wage certificates totaled almost $20 million in 2011.
In 2011 the CEO of Goodwill Industries of Southern California took home $1.1 million in salary and deferred compensation. His counterpart in Portland, Oregon, made more than $500,000. Salaries for CEOs of the roughly 150 Goodwill franchises across America total more than $30 million.
Goodwill International CEO Jim Gibbons, who was awarded $729,000 in salary and deferred compensation in 2011, defended the executive pay.
"These leaders are having a great impact in terms of new solutions, in terms of innovation, and in terms of job creation," he said.
Gibbons also defended time studies, and the whole Section 14 (c) approach. He said that for many people who make less than minimum wage, the experience of work is more important than the pay.
"It's typically not about their livelihood. It's about their fulfillment. It's about being a part of something. And it's probably a small part of their overall program," he said.
Read Goodwill's full statement
And Goodwill and the organizations that run the sheltered workshops are not alone in their support for Section 14 (c). In many cases, the families of the workers who have severe disabilities say their loved ones enjoy the work experience, enjoy getting a paycheck, and the amount is of no consequence.
NBC News
Sheila Leigland, who is blind, with her guide dog. She quit her job at Goodwill in Great Falls, Montana, after her hourly wage was lowered to $2.75.
"I feel really good about it. I don't have to worry so much about him," said Fran Davidson, whose son Jeremy has worked at Goodwill in Great Falls, Montana, for more than a decade. "I know he's not getting picked on, and he's in a safe place. He enjoys what he's doing, and he's happy, and that's what we like for our kids." Jeremy started out working for a sub-minimum wage but did well on his last time study and is currently earning $7.80 an hour, Montana's minimum wage.
But foes of Section 14 (c) have hopes for a new bill that's now before Congress that would repeal Section 14 (c) and make sub-minimum wages illegal across the board.
"Meaningful work deserves fair pay," the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Gregg Harper, R.-Miss., told NBC News. "This dated provision unjustly prohibits workers with disabilities from reaching their full potential."
The bill is opposed by trade associations for the employers of the disabled, and past attempts to change the law have failed. But Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind and a foe of the sheltered workshop system, is cautiously optimistic that this time the bill will pass, and end what he called a "two-tiered system."
That system, explained Maurer, says "'Americans who have disabilities aren't as valuable as other people,' and that's wrong. These folks have value. We should recognize that value."
Monica Alba contributed to this report.
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