May 9 tim koch commented on Seattle Beer Week: It Begins!.

May 9 tim koch : the (highly visible) role is vital : "ALEC serves as the coordinator between state policymakers, corporate government affairs officers, and White House and Intergovernmental Liaison personnel. ALEC has played a highly visible role in the advancement of the Federalism concept, and has worked closely with the White House and Agency Intergovernmental Affairs offices...." "ALECs Business Policy Board, chaired by Donald H. Rumsfeld, serves as a forum between the business community and State Legislators. ALEC recognizes that government must work with business to maintain free markets if America is to grow and prosper, and thrive.." (American Legislative Exchange Council: Annual Report, 1983).

May 9 tim koch : Federal monitor 'troubled' by lack of cameras at police shooting (komo news, yesterday..) - SEATTLE -- The court-appointed monitor in charge of overseeing reform in the Seattle Police Department said it's "troubling" that somehow no police cameras were rolling during a fatal officer-involved shooting. In late February, two men separately called police to say their brother was holding their father hostage at knife point in their North Seattle home. Police say 21-year-old Jack Keewatinawin later grabbed a piece of rebar and made a move toward an officer. Police opened fire and killed the man. During a Tuesday committee briefing, Councilman Bruce Harrell, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, mentioned an officer involved shooting where no dash board cameras were turned on. Federal monitor Merrick Bobb responded. "It troubled us that there were eight officers present at a particular incident and not one of the cameras was on, even though there was sufficient time for some of the officers to turn on their cameras," Bobb said. Harrell said he and Bobb were talking about the February shooting of Keewatinawin. The bombshell came as Bobb was briefing the committee on his first report about the Department of Justice's oversight and reform plan. In that report, Bobb recommends the department immediately upgrade its technology for easier recording and retention. Harrell said he sent a letter to interim police chief Jim Pugel on Wednesday asking the department to review its policies and procedures. Pugel has yet to respond.

May 9 tim koch : Israel okays new settler homes near Ramallah (al jazeera, today..) - Civil administration approves building of 296 units in occupied West Bank as US seeks to restart peace talks, army says. Israel has given the go-ahead to build nearly 300 houses in a settlement near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, an army spokesman has said, in a move likely to spark tensions as Washington seeks to restart peace talks. The army said on Thursday the plan was compensation for Israelis who were evicted last year from another settlement, Ulpana, an unauthorised outpost which was evacuated after a court ruling. "The Civil Administration has given the green light for 296 housing units at Beit El, but this is only the first stage of a process before actual construction can begin," the spokesman said on Thursday. The announcement comes just two days after a report said Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, had quietly ordered a freeze on tenders for new settler homes in a bid to give a chance to US-led efforts to revive stalled peace talks with the Palestinians. Saeb Erakat, the Palestinian negotiator, responded to the announcement saying, "We condemn this new decision which is proof that the Israeli government wants to sabotage and ruin the US administration's efforts to revive the peace process." "This is a message to the American adminstration and a blow to the peace process," he said, pointing to the "intense" shuttle diplomacy being conducted by the US Secretary of State John Kerry to try to bring both sides back to negotiations. "This aims to drag the region into violence instead of peace and stability," Erakat added. Hagit Ofran of Israel's Peace Now settlement watchdog denounced the decision. "This initiative proves Netanyahu is deceiving the world," she said. "On the one hand, he lets us believe that he is putting the brakes on settlement and on the other, he gives the go-ahead for an enormous building project." Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, are one of the biggest roadblocks in peace talks that broke down shortly after they were launched in September 2010. The Palestinians say they will not return to negotiations unless Israel freezes construction on land they want for a future state.

May 8 tim koch : the role is vital : Councilmember Harrell seeks applications for the Seattle Women’s Commission (seattle city council blog, this afternoon..) - SEATTLE - Councilmember Bruce Harrell announced today that the City is seeking candidates for three vacant positions on the Seattle Women's Commission. The Commission is a 20-member body that works together to research, analyze and make recommendations to the Mayor, City Council and City departments on issues facing women in Seattle. The Commission meets monthly and more frequently as committees to address economic opportunity for women, social justice, women's health, affordable and high-quality child-care, women's roles as care-givers, violence against women and challenges immigrant women face in our community. Councilmember Harrell strongly encourages women with a background in policy work and research regarding gender pay gap inequality to apply. According to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the National Partnership for Women and Families, the most recent data shows that out of the top 50 U.S. metropolitan areas, Seattle has the largest wage gap for women. Women in the Seattle area are paid an average of 73 cents for every dollar paid to men in the area, amounting to a yearly gap of $16,346 between men and women who work full time. As a group, this results in a loss of $7,894,987,232 for women in the Seattle area each year, with national statistics showing even larger wage pay gaps for women of color. "Closing and eradicating the wage gap between women and men in the Seattle metropolitan area is of utmost concern, and I am glad it is getting the attention it deserves. Having Commissioners with a background in policy work relating to gender pay gap inequality that are passionate about resolving this issue will help to build greater gender equity in Seattle," said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology committee. Appointment to the Commission is subject to confirmation by the City Council. Commissioners serve two-year terms, although may be appointed to fill the remainder of an existing term. Interested candidates should deliver a resume and cover letter by May 31 to Councilmember Bruce Harrell by email (bruce.harrell@seattle.gov), by fax (206-684-8587; provide cover memo with Attn: Bruce Harrell) (prez, this guy here bruce harrell is alright. he's a good potential seattle mayor i think..).

May 8 tim koch : the roll is vital : DUI Driver Crashes into Building, Flees and is Arrested (spd blotter, this afternoon..) - Officers arrested a suspected hit and run DUI driver after he crashed into a building and left the scene in North Seattle this afternoon. At approximately 1:06 p.m. officers responded to 911 reports of a car that crashed into the TJ Max building in the 11000 block of Roosevelt Way NE. Witnesses also reported to 911 that the man and woman who occupied the suspect vehicle had left the scene on foot after the collision. Preliminary investigation indicates that the 25-year-old male suspect was driving his 1973 Plymouth Scamp westbound on NE 112th Street (the only other occupant of the car was an adult female riding in the front passenger-side seat). As the suspect turned south onto southbound Roosevelt Way NE he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the rear of the TJ Max building. Both the suspect and his passenger then left the scene on foot and were gone upon the officers’ arrival. While officers were on scene investigating the suspect and his girlfriend returned to the scene. Officers arrested the suspect and transported him to the North Precinct where he was investigated and processed for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs (DUI). The suspect was subsequently booked into the King County Jail for DUI and Hit & Run, Property Damage. While the damage to the TJ Max building did not appear to be significant, the suspect’s car sustained heavy damage and needed to be towed from the scene. Neither the suspect nor his passenger sustained any injuries as a result of the collision. Officers interviewed and released the female passenger from the scene.

May 8 tim koch : the role is vital : Paid sick days plan passes NYC Council; seen as major step in push for the benefit around US (washington post, 15 minutes ago..) - NEW YORK — In a significant victory amid a push for paid sick time laws around the country, city lawmakers voted Wednesday to make businesses provide the benefit to an estimated 1 million workers who don’t have it now. Saying they hoped that requiring sick leave in the nation’s largest metropolis would set an example, City Council members positioned New York to become the most populous place to approve such a law during a campaign that has scored several victories but also a number of defeats. A mayoral veto is expected, but so is an override. Advocates see the measure as a signal accomplishment, although it has some significant limits and conditions. “It’s very important that it’s happening in the biggest city,” said Ellen Bravo, executive director of Family Values at Work, which promotes paid sick time initiatives around the country. Besides the big-city setting, the New York measure also attracted some boldface-name backers, including feminist Gloria Steinem and “Sex and the City” actress Cynthia Nixon. Supporters see paid sick time as a basic matter of working conditions, akin to a minimum wage, and a way to stop coughing, sneezing employees from spreading germs to their colleagues and customers. The New York measure’s sponsor, Councilwoman Gale Brewer, says it’s about “a workplace that is safe, fair and respectful of the lives of workers.” Critics say some small enterprises can’t afford the benefit and businesses resent the implication that they’re forcing ailing employees to come in to work and creating a public health problem. Government should let bosses and employees work out sick time arrangements on their own, they say. Some restaurants, for example, have shift-switching systems instead of paid time off, partly on the premise that servers would rather not lose out on tips. “These are sort of one-size-fits-all policies that don’t work well in many industries,” said Michael Saltsman of the Employment Policies Institute, a research group financed by foundations, businesses and individual donors. Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested some companies would lay off employees to stay below the New York measure’s threshold for paying for sick leave. “To make it more uneconomical for companies to employ (people) is just not good business for the city,” Bloomberg said after an unrelated event Wednesday. But advocates say it’s unlikely a business would forgo a needed worker to avoid the cost of a handful of sick days. Employees of businesses with 20 or more workers would get up to five paid sick days a year beginning in April 2014; the benefit would kick in by October 2015 at enterprises with 15 to 19 workers. All others would have to provide five unpaid sick days per year, meaning that workers couldn’t get fired for using those days. Manufacturing companies would be exempt because they’re struggling, Council Speaker Christine Quinn said. She had declined for three years to bring the proposal to a vote, but she came under increasing pressure to support it this year, when she’s also campaigning for mayor. She says the measure evolved to strike a proper balance between workers’ needs and employers’ interests. Workers could choose to work extra hours instead of taking sick time, a provision that could be attractive to those who would rather trade shifts than call in sick. Some advocates said they would continue to push for having all the workers get paid leave, and some aren’t thrilled with a provision that could push the requirement off if the city’s economy majorly worsens. “People get sick in all economic times,” Councilman Jumaane Williams said before casting his yes vote. The measure passed 45-3. Supporters view the New York measure as a bellwether for a cause that’s now being pressed in Maryland, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state by various groups, including the Working Families Party. Saltsman, though, questions whether the idea will gain traction outside a liberal core of cities. Paid sick time measures have been approved in Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; Seattle; Washington, D.C.; and the state of Connecticut. But the Wisconsin Legislature blocked a voter-approved Milwaukee paid sick time requirement, Denver voters rejected one, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter vetoed one last month; an override attempt failed.

May 8 tim koch : the roll is vital : Enron’s Skilling Strikes Deal for Shorter Sentence (new york times, 20 mintues ago..) - Jeffrey K. Skilling, imprisoned for the last six years because of his role in the fraud that caused the collapse of Enron, has reached a deal that could reduce his sentence by more than a decade. As part of the agreement with the Justice Department, the former chief executive of the energy giant will waive his rights to any further appeals. In addition, he has agreed to allow more than $40 million of assets that were seized from him to be distributed to victims of Enron’s failure. Employees lost their retirement savings and shareholders lost billions of dollars after the once highflying company slid into bankruptcy in 2001. Under federal prison rules, Mr. Skilling — who had been sentenced to 24 years and 4 months — could leave prison as soon as 2017. The agreement is still subject to approval by Judge Simeon T. Lake III of Federal District Court in Houston, who oversaw Mr. Skilling’s trial in 2006. Though the judge has some discretion over the ultimate length of the sentence, either side can appeal if he goes outside the guidelines. A resentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 21. If approved, the pact would conclude Mr. Skilling’s long legal battle with the government over his role in Enron’s implosion. Convicted of fraud and conspiracy, the onetime Enron leader, who is now 59, was the highest-ranking executive of the Houston-based company to serve a prison sentence. Kenneth L. Lay, Enron’s chairman, was also found guilty, but he died just over a month after the trial. Andrew S. Fastow, the company’s former chief financial officer, was released from prison in 2011, having served about five years under the terms of a plea agreement. “The proposed agreement brings certainty and finality to a long painful process,” Daniel M. Petrocelli, a lawyer for Mr. Skilling, said in a statement. “Although the recommended sentence for Jeff would still be more than double any other Enron defendant, all of whom have long been out of prison, Jeff will at least have the chance to get back a meaningful part of his life.” Peter Carr, a spokesman for the Justice Department, said in a statement that “this agreement ensures that Mr. Skilling will be appropriately punished for his crimes and that victims will finally receive the restitution they deserve.” The negotiations on the prison sentence followed a Supreme Court ruling in 2010 that questioned the use of the “honest services” law that helped convict Mr. Skilling, finding it unconstitutionally vague. A federal appeals court subsequently ruled that Mr. Skilling’s conviction was not tainted by the use of the legal theory, concluding that there was “overwhelming evidence” that the executive had conspired to commit fraud. But the appeals court also ruled that Mr. Skilling needed to have his sentence recalculated. The resentencing had been postponed while his appeal worked its way through the courts. Mr. Skilling — a onetime McKinsey consultant who joined Enron in 1990 and then quickly climbed the ranks — transformed the company from a pipeline operator into a global energy-trading giant. But after accounting schemes that hid the company’s debts and cash-flow problems came to light, he became a symbol of corporate wrongdoing. Several Enron subordinates testified at Mr. Skilling’s trial that their former boss helped foster an environment that allowed fraud to bloom. Enron led a wave of accounting scandals that emerged after the great Internet and telecommunications boom of the late 1990s fizzled. The crumbling of onetime titans led to thousands of lost jobs and a plunge in the stock market. In 2005, Bernard J. Ebbers, the former chief executive of WorldCom, was sentenced to 25 years for an accounting fraud at his telecommunications company, while John J. Rigas of the cable company Adelphia Communications received a 15-year sentence. The collapses of Enron and WorldCom helped change the way government approached white-collar crime and prompted Congress to pass the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on corporate accountability. Mr. Skilling, now also known as prisoner 29296-179, first began serving his sentence at a prison in Waseca, Minn. He was subsequently moved to an institution in Littleton, Colo., after the Minnesota facility was converted into a women’s penitentiary. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Federal Bureau of Prisons Web site projected his release on Feb. 21, 2028.

May 8 tim koch : From Snacks to Cleaning Products: Women Empowered to Start Businesses (barry's blog, this afternoon..) - Last week, as part of President Obama’s visit to Mexico and Costa Rica, I had the pleasure of participating in a roundtable discussion on women’s entrepreneurship. In Mexico, President Obama and President Enrique Peña Nieto underscored the importance of their countries’ cooperation on regional and international issues, including gender equality. On this, we were thrilled to hear that Mexico will join the Equal Futures Partnership, a multilateral effort to expand women’s economic empowerment and political participation which I helped launch last September. Also in Mexico, I participated in a roundtable for Women Entrepreneurship in the Americas, or WEAmericas with Ambassador to Mexico Earl Anthony Wayne. The goal of our roundtable was to discuss and identify potential opportunities to work together to support more women entrepreneurs throughout Mexico, the region, and around the world. WEAmericas was launched by President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Summit of the Americas in April 2012. Using public-private partnerships, this initiative seeks to increase women’s economic participation, and addresses four key barriers women confront when starting and growing small and medium enterprises: access to capital, access to markets, skills and capacity building, and women’s leadership. We address these barriers through programs such as: WEAmericas Small Grants initiative, through which 24 small grants have been awarded in 15 countries throughout the region, including Mexico, to support broader economic empowerment and development for women-owned businesses. About 20,000 women are expected to benefit from this initiative. WEConnect, a partnership with the private sector that certifies women-owned businesses and connects buyers and sellers, providing access to products and markets. WEAmericas International Visitor Leadership Program. Started by the State Department, this is a prestigious, two-week exchange annual program to the United States, which helps women entrepreneurs develop their business skills. At the roundtable, I discussed the Obama Administration’s commitment to women and girls as reflected in the Presidential Memorandum, which strengthens and expands the Administration’s efforts to promote gender equality and empower women and girls across all U.S foreign policy. This memorandum will be implemented by the State Department under Secretary Kerry, who is equally committed to promoting the rights of women and girls and ensuring gender equality. We also heard from leaders from across all sectors: public and private, as well as academia and civil society. I was especially impressed with the work of two amazing women entrepreneurs, Delfina and Gabriela, who shared their stories at the roundtable. Delfina owns a small business selling traditional spices and snacks to some of the Yucatán’s largest companies. She told us that women in her community struggled to feed their families. But Delfina was inspired by a saying from her mother, that even when there was no food in the pantry, there was always a bit of pepper. She decided to create a women’s cooperative to sell spices, snacks, and sweets using the unique products of the Yucatán Peninsula. Delfina also participated in the WEAmericas International Visitor Leadership program in April, meeting other women entrepreneurs and leaders from across Latin America. Today, her cooperative sells products throughout the region, and Delfina is able to provide for her family, fulfill her dreams, and inspire others. We also heard from Gabriela. Gabriela and her brother started a company that produces cleaning and personal hygiene products. Their company began developing anti-bacterial products, but when her son became ill from a retrovirus, she decided to develop all-natural products to also deter viruses. Gabriela is truly a cutting-edge innovator and an amazing example of the entrepreneurial spirit. Supporting women like Delfina and Gabriela is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. We know that women-owned businesses are a major driver of economic growth, which is why supporting women entrepreneurs is a key part of our domestic and international efforts. President Obama has made clear that entrepreneurship is critical to lifting up families and economies. That’s also why supporting women entrepreneurs was one of the pillars of the United States’ commitments at Equal Futures, and why we look forward to continue working with Mexico and other countries through initiatives like WEAmericas. As President Obama said in his speech at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, “Because of the sacrifices of generations, a majority of Mexicans now call themselves middle class, with a quality of life that your parents and grandparents could only dream of. This includes, by the way, opportunities for women, who are proving that when you give women a chance, they will shape our destiny just as well as men, if not better.” Together, we can create a world where every woman and girl can shape their own destinies and even the destiny of a nation. Valerie B. Jarrett is a Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversees the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chairs the White House Council on Women and Girls. (prez ill talk junk about, i ain't scared of him, but i am scared of valerie jarrett, she's too empowered. she can say key role, vital whatever, go right ahead. and, also, that report on u.s. newborn babies is disgrace valerie, ok. i want something done about that, i don't care..).

May 8 tim koch : the role is whitey : Keystone backers say pipeline would cut emissions (usa today, yesterday..) - WASHINGTON — The Keystone XL pipeline is not only environmentally sound but would decrease emissions and save lives, proponents of the project said at a joint hearing before two House subcommittees Tuesday. Completing the pipeline would take 300 to 500 trucks off the road each day, Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources and the North Dakota Industrial Commission Oil & Gas Division, told lawmakers. Those trucks are now being used to transport 5,000-10,000 barrels of sour North Dakota crude every day to pipelines in Canada and to transport 35,000 barrels per day into North Dakota to access rail lines, she said at the joint hearing before the science, space, and technology subcommittees on energy and the environment. If the northern part of Keystone is completed, the pipeline would transport up to 100,000 barrels per day of Bakken crude, Helms said. Production from the Bakken oil formation is booming in North Dakota, but problems have arisen because of "major shortfalls in pipeline capacity," she said. Completing the pipeline also would mean one-to-two fewer trains leaving the state each day, Helms told lawmakers. She said trucks emit 2.9 times more greenhouse gas emissions than the pipeline, and trains emit 1.8 times more emissions. Additionally, crashes involving tractor-trailers rose substantially in North Dakota between 2006 and 2011, Helms said. "Approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is expected to reduce highway fatalities in North Dakota by three to six per year and injury crashes by 85 to 150 annually," she said. Her testimony came as lawmakers continued to pressure the Obama administration to approve the long-delayed pipeline project. The State Department is in the midst of an extensive environmental review, after which the president is expected to make a final decision on the 1,179-mile line from Canada's oil sands region to the U.S. Gulf Coast. That decision could come late this summer or early fall. Meanwhile, House and Senate lawmakers have introduced legislation to allow Congress to approve the project without the president's consent. Brigham McCown, former acting administrator and deputy administrator of the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, told lawmakers that "based on the available information and plans for construction, the completed Keystone system would be the safest pipeline ever built in this country, if not in the entire world." But Anthony Swift of the Natural Resources Defense Council told lawmakers that pipelines moving tar sands have the worst spill record, and pipelines carrying high-temperature tar sands are at greater risk of leaks. He said leak detection systems don't work as well as they should and that tar sands spills are more damaging and difficult to clean up than other oil spills. "Communities have a right to be concerned by the poor state of leak detection technology as they face industry proposals to move tar sands in new or aging pipelines, particularly ones that transverse sensitive water resources," he said. Committee chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said the pipeline represents a "shovel ready" project that would create more than 40,000 jobs. "The Keystone Pipeline creates jobs and enhances our energy independence with minimal impact to the environment," he said. "This project, which has been thoroughly evaluated, should be approved immediately." (prez, your getting your marching orders now. its just like that part in powell memo: politicians are the "favorite whipping boy" of business, or something like that. i dunno, its "shovel ready" i guess, "40,000 jobs..". .).