here http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/07/how-to-play-torrents-on-your-new-chromecast/
Here’s how.
Step one: Install the Chromecast browser extension.
Step two: Connect your browser to Chromecast (this should take less than a minute).
Step three: Drag and drop the file you want to play into the Chrome browser.
Step four: Click the browser extension and select “Cast this tab.”
Step five: That’s pretty much it. Kick back.
Lindsey Graham tweeted that there should be no bailout for Detroit:
Lindsey GrahamVerified account @GrahamBlog
Should the federal government bailout Detroit? No way. No how.
The afl-sio says otherwise:
Last week, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder authorized the Emergency Financial Manager (EFM) for Detroit, Kevyn Orr, to race to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy so he would beat a state judge ruling that this action violated the Michigan constitution, which says that public employee pensions should not be diminished or impaired.
The AFL-CIO will continue to support our city of Detroit active and retired members in their fight to maintain dignity on the job, a safe workplace, fair wages and benefits for their labor, and against cuts in the pensions they have paid for and earned. We call on President Obama, Congress and the leadership of Michigan to stand with us and with the people of Detroit.
Bankruptcy must not be used as a tool to impoverish city of Detroit workers or retirees. City workers already have made severe concessions to keep the city afloat. They are not to blame for Detroit’s financial problems, yet they have been making sacrifices all along the way to help the city out.
Corporations have time and time again used the harsh laws of bankruptcy to abrogate the rights of workers and take away pensions working people earned through decades of labor, while leaving other, more privileged parties—from CEOs to bondholders—with their fortunes intact.
Today, we see this behavior on a massive scale in the coal industry, where Peabody Coal created a whole company, Patriot Coal, for the purpose of going bankrupt and taking away retirement security from tens of thousands of miners.
It must be noted that Kevyn Orr, who now is proposing massive cuts to the pensions Detroit workers have earned, worked for the law firm Jones Day, which is currently representing Peabody Coal in its bankruptcy proceeding and which is pushing to severely cut the retirement security of the retired coal miners after a lifetime of backbreaking work in their mines.
Every step of the way, the citizens of Detroit were told they had to give up their right to democratic representation by giving power to an emergency financial manager in order to avoid bankruptcy. Now that bankruptcy has been filed anyway, it is clear that either state control has failed, or that Gov. Snyder and his hand-picked emergency manager appointee were not honest about their intentions in the first place.
In fact, Mr. Orr’s decision to file for bankruptcy can be taken as confirmation that he was hired, secretly and ahead of a declared financial emergency, because he is a bankruptcy expert.
While telling a state court that bankruptcy was not imminent, Gov. Snyder was aware the opposite was true. The governor authorized the city’s bankruptcy filing on July 18 when he realized the court was likely to issue an order protecting retirees’ pension rights under the Michigan Constitution.
Gov. Snyder has a track record of ignoring the will of Michigan’s citizens. Just weeks after Michigan voters repealed a law establishing the position of emergency financial manager, the governor and the state legislature re-adopted a similar law. Now just a few months later, the governor has hastily authorized a bankruptcy in an effort to bypass the state’s judicial branch and its constitution.
Neither Gov. Snyder nor Mr. Orr have shown good faith in this matter. Mr. Orr said publicly he has “bent over backwards” to work with constituencies in Detroit, but this is not true. While Mr. Orr did have significant discussions with bondholders prior to the bankruptcy filing, despite many requests Mr. Orr has not had a single meaningful discussion with the unions representing the overwhelming majority of Detroit’s employees. No good faith. No bargaining—even though the law requires it prior to bankruptcy.
The city’s current workers are not responsible for the city’s economic state. In fact, they are working more for less to keep the city running. Many are risking their lives to protect Detroit’s citizens using old, broken and rundown equipment—which puts the lives of the protectors and the citizens at risk.
Retired men and women in Detroit are not responsible for the city’s economic state. They paid their share into their retirement systems—which by all independent measures were in good financial health—that are now likely to be pilfered to pay Wall Street firms as bondholders in bankruptcy.
Mr. Orr’s claim that Detroit’s pension liabilities account for $3.5 billion of the city’s debt is more than three and a half times as much as reported by the Retirement System of the City of Detroit’s actuary, and raises serious questions about how objective—let alone neutral—he will be in submitting a restructuring plan to a bankruptcy court.
Yet bankruptcy and the suspension or reduction of pension payments would result in profound hardship for workers, retirees and their families. It appears Gov. Snyder and EFM Kevyn Orr are pushing Detroit into bankruptcy to gut the modest benefits received by Detroit’s retired public service employees.
Rather, the fault lies with corporate CEOs who relentlessly sought out foreign shores for higher profits at the expense of fair wages and safe working conditions for American workers, while avoiding paying the taxes that would have strengthened Detroit.
And the fault lies with Gov. Snyder, who slashed the city’s share of state revenues by tens of millions of dollars.
Bankruptcy is not the answer for Detroit. It will only make Detroit’s problems worse and accelerate its race to the bottom.
It is estimated that bankruptcy will cost Detroit more than $100 million in lawyer and “professional” fees, including massive fees paid to Mr. Orr’s law firm. That money could be used to make the citizens safer, restore parks and libraries and meet the general obligations of the city.
Detroit’s bankruptcy will lead to higher borrowing costs not only for Detroit, but also for cities throughout Michigan as the bond market rightly casts doubt on the state’s willingness to intervene to assure the creditworthiness of its towns and cities.
Bankruptcy also sets a dangerous precedent. Those who would profit from the collapse of the public infrastructure of American cities see in these troubling circumstances an opportunity to benefit at the expense of the American worker. Their toxic vision for profit above all else must not shove aside one of America’s bedrock values: that all American workers deserve to be treated justly and with dignity.
The time is now for responsible, powerful action.
First, we call upon President Obama and Congress to commit to an immediate infusion of federal assistance for Detroit, and to demand that the federal financial commitment be matched by the state of Michigan.
Second, we call upon Gov. Snyder to make whole the city of Detroit, which saw its share of state revenues slashed by $66 million from 2011 to 2012 by his hand. In total, state aid to Detroit has been cut by $160 million since 2002.
The 12 million members of the AFL-CIO will fight for the workers in Detroit, and for the financial health of this great American city. We will not let Detroit’s proud residents, our sisters and brothers, become the pawns of corporate profiteers.
In 2012, the Republican Party’s "war on women" became a major focal point of the election year and very likely exacerbated the existing gender gap. With 2013 half-over, GOP policymakers appear to have learned very little, and have been just as aggressive in pursuing the same policies.
But McKay Coppins reports that the Republican National Committee believes it has an opportunity to turn the tables.
Republicans are hoping the latest picture of Anthony Weiner’s genitals — along with his confession this week that he continued his online sex chat habit well after he was first caught in 2011 — will give momentum to their effort to throw the "war on women" attack line back in the Democrats’ faces. […]
With a flurry of public memos, tweets, and op-eds, the RNC is working to make the Democratic Party take ownership of Eliot Spitzer, who resigned the New York governorship after a prostitution scandal and is now running for city comptroller; San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, now facing allegations of sexual harassment; and Weiner, whose online sexual dalliances have driven the political news cycle all week, and given RNC communications director Sean Spicer some irresistible ammunition.
This is, of course, Political Strategy 101 — take your rivals’ isolated troubles, tie them together, and try to apply the condemnation as broadly as possible. To this extent, the RNC’s plan certainly makes sense, and the Democrats in question — two candidates and one office holder — appear to have given Republicans plenty to work with.
But the RNC strategy only works on the most superficial of levels, and requires the audience to lose sight of what makes the "war on women" important as a matter of public policy.
If, for example, the allegations against Bob Filner have merit, there is no defense for his disgusting misconduct. Likewise, Weiner’s personal judgment appears bizarre, and Spitzer’s recklessness was an obvious mistake.
When we talk about a "war on women," however, we’re talking less about Republican misdeeds towards specific individuals and more about a systemic issue of GOP policymakers pursuing a radical agenda that affects all American women.
When the RNC is comfortable with this or not, at issue here are efforts to restrict reproductive rights, scrap Planned Parenthood, close health clinics that provide important services to women, force medical professionals to lie to women, and force women to undergo medically unnecessary exams for political reasons. In recent years, as Republican politics has become more radicalized, the party has also used inexplicable rhetoric on rape, opposed pay equity laws, and pushed antiquated views on gender roles.
That’s a war on women.
What’s more, note that Filner, Weiner, and Spitzer have drawn considerable criticisms from other Democrats, while the vast majority of the Republican Party still believes this radical policy agenda targeting women’s rights is worthwhile and something to be proud of.
That said, if Republicans want to make the case that the Filner, Weiner, and Spitzer controversies are comparable, they’re certainly welcome to make their case. Maybe Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) can lead the charge?
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/dell-considered-novel-tax-strategy-in-buyout/?_r=0
"the slides appeared in a Dell filing as recently as May 20. No other tax structure regarding the buyout has emerged in filings, and it is unclear how large shareholders, including Carl C. Icahn and his ally, Southeastern Asset Management, viewed it. Mr. Icahn was not available for comment on Tuesday. Calls to a Southeastern spokeswoman were not returned.
David Frink, a Dell spokesman, declined to comment on Tuesday on the rejected strategy or its successor. So did Brian Marchiony, a JPMorgan spokesman.
What is clear is that Dell was presented with a maneuver that some tax lawyers said appeared legal but aggressive.
Under a section labeled “political,” the slides ask whether use of the strategy could “raise issues” or “impact” government contracts, indication of concern that it could have faced a backlash.
The apparent reason is the strategy resembles a corporate inversion, a stamp in recent decades for tax-dodging corporations like Tyco International and Nabors Industries. Those companies prompted Congressional investigations and tougher I.R.S. rules after they moved their headquarters to the offshore haven of Bermuda, with a post-office box holding company as the parent to the main United States subsidiary that housed operations and management.
Mr. Willens said the strategy would most likely have passed technical muster under I.R.S. rules but would also have brought “political and popular heat to Dell, and reputational risk.”
The proposed strategy involved conducting the buyout through a newly created foreign entity that would have effectively owned Dell. Under United States tax laws, that foreign entity would have legally escaped United States corporate taxes because it would have been a partnership for United States tax purposes.
At the same time, the foreign entity, whose jurisdiction was not specified, would have been treated under tax laws in that unspecified jurisdiction as a corporation and would have been subject to foreign taxes. Those two contrasting tax outcomes, embodied in one structure, would have created a “foreign hybrid,” able to navigate different national tax regimes and access offshore cash while paying little or no United States taxes.
The “unprecedented” piece in the JPMorgan strategy was the proposal that Dell designate the foreign hybrid as a partnership, securities filings show. The foreign hybrid would have held a new entity called Denali, which would have held Dell shares, and Denali would have owned Dell’s foreign subsidiaries. (Mr. Dell was known in secret negotiations on the buyout as “Mr. Denali.”)"
rest http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/dell-considered-novel-tax-strategy-in-buyout/?_r=0
There’s a new category in the Hardhearted Hypocrite Republican Hall of Fame. Joining, among many other categories, those who voted against the stimulus, then bragged about the stimulus funding that came into their districts; those who oppose disaster relief until a disaster hits their own state; and those who’ve screamed outrage over Democrats engaging in procedural tactics that are just fine when done by Republicans: Republicans who get big farm subsidies but voted to slash food stamps in the current farm bill. There are 14 Republicans who have gotten a combined $7.2 million in farm subsidies since 2004, but voted to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to the bone; only one of the 14 then voted against the version of the bill that removed SNAP entirely.
“It’s outrageous that some members of Congress feel it is OK to vote for their own taxpayer subsidies but against critical nutrition assistance for 47 million Americans,” [Democratic Rep. George] Miller said. “It’s bad enough that the House of Representatives didn’t pass a farm bill that included authorization for sorely needed nutrition programs, but to see members of Congress approving their own benefits at the expense of the working poor is a new low, even for this Congress.”
The most outstanding hypocrite hitting the lowest low, of course, is Tennessee Rep. Stephen Fincher, who’s gotten $3.5 million in subsidies over the years, but is on a pseudo-biblical crusade against SNAP—a program 22 percent of the people in his home county rely on. But he has company in his "farm bill money for me but not for thee" voting record, including California’s Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who’s gotten $1.7 million in farm subsidies.
Both Fincher and LaMalfa’s offices insist we should ignore their assiduous use of farm subsidies and focus on their totally heartfelt votes to eliminate such subsidies. Yeah, right, guys.
from http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/republicans-who-got-farm-subsidies-targeted-94532.html
House Democrats are targeting Republicans who receive farm subsidies but opposed a stripped-down farm bill with no food stamp assistance.
Fourteen GOP lawmakers have received a total of $7.2 million in farm subsidies, according to the available data since 2004, but all voted for an amendment that would have decreased the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program according to a report Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) is releasing Monday.
“It’s outrageous that some members of Congress feel it is OK to vote for their own taxpayer subsidies but against critical nutrition assistance for 47 million Americans,” Miller said. “It’s bad enough that the House of Representatives didn’t pass a farm bill that included authorization for sorely needed nutrition programs, but to see members of Congress approving their own benefits at the expense of the working poor is a new low, even for this Congress.”
(Also on POLITICO: Ag panel heads meet on farm bill)
The farm bill originally included funding for SNAP, but when it failed to get enough votes in the House in June, Republicans stripped food stamp funding from the bill to gain enough GOP support for passage. In July, on a partisan vote, the farm bill passed without food stamp funding.
Only one of the 14 members listed in the report, Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.), voted against the bill when it included SNAP benefits but for it once SNAP was removed.
Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.) has received a total of $3.5 million in farm subsidies, according to numbers tracked by the lobbying firm Environmental Working Group. The company points out that according to his congressional filings, his net worth is between $204,995 and $1.1 million. And 22 percent of the residents of Fincher’s home county receive food stamps.
(Also on POLITICO: Senate pushes House on farm bill)
Fincher argues he’s trying to get rid of subsidies he benefits from.
“As I’ve long said, the farm bill is in need of major reform,” Fincher said in a statement. “At first chance, I voted to remove direct payments. Both the House and the Senate passed bills that end direct payments, and as we move forward, I hope we can work out the rest of the issues to implement the necessary reforms.”
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) received $1.7 million in farm subsidies and resides in a county in which 11 percent of the population receives SNAP benefits.
(Also on POLITICO: Farm bill debate ignites confusion)
“The congressman has long advocated for modernizing federal farm programs. He voted for eliminating the subsidies that are in question. What’s more, I would add that voting on the stripped-down farm bill in no way affected the SNAP program, and those criticizing it as such are misinformed,” said Kevin Eastman, spokesman for LaMalfa.
http://www.alternet.org/secrets-right-selling-garbage-your-fans
If the late social critic Eric Hoffer is correct in his often quoted ( inaccurately, it turns out) adage that “every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket,” then the conservative movement is well onto the third phase of that life cycle.
Last week, preeminent conservative blogger and Fox News contributor Erick Erickson was busted hawking a pricey but dubiously valuable financial advice newsletter to his readers in an ad that turned out to be lifted from a previous ad for the same newsletter sent in the name of Ann Coulter a few years earlier. “I’m happy to support a good friend. Didn’t earn a penny,” he tweeted. Whether you believe that or not may depend on whether you know that his publisher once offered to sell his endorsement, or if you believe, as Alex Pareene has often written, that the conservative movement is, among other things, an elaborate moneymaking venture by which the wealth of the rabid and gullible conservative rank and file is redistributed to already rich celebrities.
The truth is, peddling shady products to your most loyal listeners and readers is the rule, not the exception, and Erickson was just unfortunate enough to have someone notice him, and not the dozen other talkers or news outlets it could have easily been. From miracle health cures, to get-rich-quick schemes, to overpriced precious metals and seed banks, talk radio hosts and conservative news outlets are making a killing by trading their platform and credibility for the hard-earned cash of their unsuspecting listeners.
The most obvious example is gold, the precious metal conservative talkers encouraged their listeners to go all in on during the Great Recession (via the companies that pay them to say that and give them a cut of sales, naturally), but gold has since fallen more than 30 percent from its peak. If you bought when gold was near its high, you could have lost half your nest egg, and analysts say prices could fall another 50 percent. But poor financial advice aside, the real problem came in the particular companies the conservative luminaries ensured their listeners they could trust.
Glenn Beck is the most egregious, with his partnership with Goldline International, which also enjoys endorsements from Mark Levin and, until recently, Sean Hannity and others. Beck cut tearful promotional videos for the company, hawks them passionately on his radio and TV programs, and even designed a coin for the company this year (it reads “mind your business” on the front).
As it turns out, the company’s business model is built on systematically swindling its mostly elderly clientele by talking or tricking them into buying overpriced coins or just sending them different products than they bought, prosecutors in California alleged, leading the company to settle for $4.5 million in refunds to its customers. A judge instructed the company to foot the bill for a court-appointed monitor, who was supposed to ensure the company stopped its alleged “bait and switch” scam.
Not long after that, the company’s former chief compliance officer came forward to say the company was back to its old tricks. “Goldline specifically targets vulnerable consumers with sales tactics designed to pressure those consumers into buying products that would often result in the consumer losing over one-third of his or her investment the instant the purchase is made,” she said in a legal complaint filed late last year.
And yet, Beck’s support is undiminished. The company’s banner ad still graces the top of TheBlaze.com and Beck still touts them on air. “Before I started turning you on to Goldline, I wanted to look them in the eye. This is a top notch organization that’s been in business since 1960,” Beck says in an endorsement on the company’s website.
rest http://www.alternet.org/secrets-right-selling-garbage-your-fans
Newspoodle 