From Pioneer To Fallen Giant: How Hewlett Packard"s Long List Of Failed Acquisitions Cost Its Reputation, Part 3
From Pioneer To Fallen Giant: How Hewlett Packard's Long List Of Failed Acquisitions Cost Its Reputation, Part 3 Part 3 in the series "From pioneer to fallen giant: How Hewlett Packard’s long list of failed acquisitions cost its reputation." Read Part 1 "Billion dollar bungles" here; and Part 2 "The Autonomy Deal – Part 1: Leo Apotheker's Downfall" here. The Autonomy deal – part 2: Corporate conspiracy and cover-up In the first article in this series, we looked at how in the first decade of the 21st century, Hewlett Packard lurched from one disastrous acquisition to another. We then zoomed in on one of the most controversial of HP’s acquisitions – the Autonomy deal – which quickly fell to pieces. In this article, we’ll pick up the story in summer 2012. Meg Whitman, HP’s CEO, had signaled she had given up on any attempt to properly integrate the newly purchased Autonomy by firing its founder, Dr Mike Lynch. This could have been the end of it. Like so many of HP’s previous failed acquisitions, the Autonomy story might be now remembered as an embarrassing footnote in HP’s long history. Instead, more than a decade on, the HP-Autonomy saga is still playing out in the headlines and in courtrooms in the UK and US. The origins of this battle are the day in November 2012 when HP launched a calculated attack on Autonomy’s leadership, claiming with extraordinary bluster it had been defrauded when acquiring the company. The latest season in this long-running drama will start in a few days in a California court, where Dr Lynch is being tried as a criminal. Backing up a few months to July 2012, it was plain that HP was in serious trouble. Since the start of 2011, its share price had fallen from $20.5 to barely over $6. By this point, it was obvious that HP would have to conduct a write-down of its assets to bring its book value back in-line with its market value. This accounting exercise was the responsibility of CFO Cathie Lesjak. As explained in the previous article in the series, Lesjak was firmly against the Autonomy acquisition and fought tooth-and-nail to kill the deal. She asked her team to conduct an analysis of Autonomy’s value to see if an impairment should be recognized. Her team concluded that the fair value of Autonomy approximated the carrying value. In other words, no impairment was necessary. Indeed, as documents uncovered in the various court cases that followed show, HP’s accountants still saw potential in Autonomy. They suggested its poor performance was due to “execution issues caused by challenges with operating Autonomy in the HP environment and loss of the legacy Autonomy management team.” In their opinion, Autonomy was still worth what HP paid for it. This was an unhelpful view insofar as HP still needed to find ways to bring its book and market cap in-line with one another. Logic would dictate other HP assets and business lines would have to be written down. But CEO Meg Whitman was desperate to avoid that outcome. Let’s consider her position. Whitman had recently lost a bruising gubernatorial race, where she came under personal attack for hiring an illegal immigrant as a housemaid, and managed to blow $140m of her own money. It is reasonable to assume that if she took the job at HP, she would recoup some of those losses, both financial and reputational. Whitman would be forgiven if she was utterly dismayed when she walked into the dumpster fire that was HP. Presiding over the rapid decline of what was once a Silicon Valley giant would not do much for her resume. HP’s eyes turned to Autonomy once gain – as detailed in the previous article, it was a deeply annoying leftover from the Apotheker regime. Cathie Lesjak, still CFO, didn’t want to HP to acquire it in the first place. HP began to create a negative narrative about the Autonomy business. They were going to ruthlessly target it so it would become the scapegoat for the failings of HP’s declining empire. To reach the end goal of publicly pointing the finger at Autonomy, HP embarked on a series of financial manipulations. First, they fiddled with growth rates. Documents show that HP dramatically cut the projected revenue growth for Autonomy on the basis that its revenues had declined while under HP’s management. Then, in October, HP’s accountants took out the expected synergies. That allowed them to reach a valuation of $1.6bn. But of course, under that analysis, HP would effectively be admitting to the market that it had made a mess of the integration, and wouldn’t gain a cent of revenue growth it said it would when it acquired Autonomy. Such a narrative would make it appear that Meg Whitman and her allies had failed to make anything of the Autonomy deal. Whitman realised this. Internal HP communications show how she had the figures changed to put $2.3bn worth of synergies put back in. The third move was to play with discount rates. A higher rate was applied to Autonomy to make its value smaller. While HP had applied a discount rate of 9.5% to Autonomy in August 2012, by October, it artificially increased that rate to 15% to come up with the impairment it wanted. As with the synergies, Whitman intervened at the 11th hour, the night before the board was due to meet to discuss the impairment, asking that this was increased again to 16%. HP’s finance team were, understandably, getting worried about these entirely arbitrary calculations that they were being asked to make. One HP accountant described the results as “nonsensical”. By October 2012, HP had formulated a valuation for Autonomy of $2.2 billion – a write down of $8.8 billion – through a combination of lower growth rates, lower margins, lower projected synergies, and the “nonsensical” discount rate. This wasn’t the result of methodical review based on detailed accounting or a report from external advisors. But all this begs a huge question: where does fraud come into this? After all, Dr Mike Lynch is about to be tried for wire and securities fraud as a result of HP’s claim. However, as seen in court documents, in October 2012 after weeks of work by HP’s finance team, there was nothing to suggest a suspected fraud orchestrated by Autonomy’s people was the reason behind their write-down of the company. That’s what made HP’s next move all the more incomprehensible. On November 20, 2012, it told the market it had been the victim of “serious accounting improprieties, misrepresentations and disclosure failures” during the course of the Autonomy acquisition. HP said this was the reason for $5.2bn of the $8.8bn write-down announced that day. In a press release, HP said that it had run an “intense internal investigation” into these “improprieties”, which included a “forensic review by PwC” of Autonomy’s financial records. This was a flat-out lie. No investigation took place, let alone a “forensic” review. The conclusion HP came to – that Autonomy and its leadership was somehow crooked – was pre-determined to fit HP’s narrative. The $5.2 billion figure was cooked up in the weeks preceding, it was not the result of extensive evidence gathering. HP peddled this myth all in a bid to save face and direct the market away from its own steep decline. On the same day, HP released its latest set of disappointing results: reporting revenue was down 7% and net losses reached $6.9 billion. It was a “tough quarter across the board” as CNN put it. After the initial shock of HP’s bombshell write-down announcement, investors and the media began poking around more deliberately. HP’s Head of Investor Relations was clearly uncomfortable, stating in internal communications that he thought it “disingenuous” that HP were not being up front about the fact that the expected synergies had not been achieved post-acquisition. And it wasn’t just HP staffers who were unhappy. As a New York Times piece points out, HP’s external accounts, Ernst & Young, did not believe there were accounting irregularities involved. An email exchange involving Lesjak and HP’s Chief Communications Officer highlighted that the media couldn’t understand how HP had reached the $5.2 billion figure. The CCO asked if the finance team could prepare an infographic to help show HP’s working. But of course, there was no detailed working. So when Lesjak asked for more details, she received an email on 30 November from a member of her team stating, “we've never formally prepared anything to attribute the irregularities to the amount of the write down”. In another email trail between Lesjak and the HP communications team she argued it would be better not to “go down this path” with the media, since she herself could not explain how the $5.2 billion figure had been arrived at. The fact that a major corporation’s CFO could not explain the basis of a market-critical announcement speaks volumes. Lesjak’s haziness on the matter was exposed when she was cross-examined in a British court years later. HP could not justify its claims then, nor can it justify them now. The company’s track record on acquisitions was so poor, and its overall performance so abysmal, that its leadership made a calculated decision to concoct a claim of fraud rather than admit the Autonomy integration was yet another HP management disaster. And when difficult questions arose about the write-down, HP’s leadership closed ranks and doubled down on their claim, despite the doubts of colleagues and external consultants. To this day, HP continues to demand its pound of flesh, somehow convincing itself it has been a victim. It has spent millions of dollars on lawyers and PR in the process. This is shareholder’s money, all to protect the reputation of Meg Whitman and her CFO. All too predictably, the Silicon Valley company and its army of lawyers has got its way. The US Government orchestrated the extradition of Autonomy’s founder, Dr Mike Lynch, and he will face trial in California this month. It is a stark and shocking reminder of two things: one, the once great Hewlett Packard lost its way long ago, and has burnt through cash trying to acquire its way out of trouble, and two, the lengths corporate America will go to avoid facing up to difficult truths. Tyler Durden Sun, 03/17/2024 - 22:45.....»»
Escobar: Will BRICS Launch A New World Order In 2024?
Escobar: Will BRICS Launch A New World Order In 2024? Authored by Pepe Escobar via The Cradle, BRICS doubled its membership at the start of 2024, and faces huge tasks ahead: integrating its newest members, developing future admission criteria, deepening the institution's groundings, and most importantly, launching the mechanisms for bypassing the US dollar in international finance. Across the Global South, countries are lining up to join the multipolar BRICS and the Hegemon-free future it promises. The onslaught of interest has become an unavoidable theme of discussion during this crucial year of the Russian presidency of what, for the moment, is BRICS-10. Indonesia and Nigeria are among the top tiers of candidates likely to join. The same applies to Pakistan and Vietnam. Mexico is in a very complex bind: how to join without summoning the ire of the Hegemon. And then there's the new candidacy on a roll: Yemen, which enjoys plenty of support from Russia, China, and Iran. It's been up to Russia's top BRICS sherpa, the immensely capable Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, to clarify what's ahead. He tells TASS: We must provide a platform for the countries interested in rapprochement with the BRICS, where they will be able to work practically without feeling left behind and joining this cooperation rhythm. And as to how the further expansion will be decided upon – this should be postponed at least until the leaders convene in Kazan to decide. The key decision on BRICS+ expansion will only come out of the Kazan summit next October. Ryabkov stresses that the order of the day is first "to integrate those who have just joined." This means that "as a 'ten,' we work at least as efficiently, or, rather, more efficiently than we did within the initial 'five.'" Only then will the BRICS-10 "develop the category of partner states," which, in fact, means creating a consensus-based list out of the dozens of nations that are literally itching to join the club. Ryabkov always makes a point to note, in public and in private, that the twofold increase of BRICS members starting on 1 January 2024 is "an unprecedented event for any international structure." It isn't an easy task, Ryabkov says: Last year, it took an entire year to develop the admission, expansion criteria at the level of top officials. Many reasonable things were developed. And many of the things that were formulated back then got reflected in the list of countries that joined. But it would probably be improper to formalize the requirements. At the end of the day, an admission to the association is a subject of political decision. What happens after Russia's presidential elections In a private meeting with a few select individuals on the sidelines of the recent multipolar conference in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke effusively of BRICS, with particular emphasis on his counterparts Wang Yi of China and S. Jaishankar of India. Lavrov holds great expectations for BRICS-10 this year – at the same time, reminding everyone that this is still a club; it must eventually go deeper in institutional terms, for instance, by appointing a secretariat-general, just like its cousin-style organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The Russian presidency will have its hands full for the next few months, not only navigating the geopolitical spectrum of current crises but, most of all, geoeconomics. A crucial ministerial meeting in June – only three months away – will have to define a detailed road map all the way to the Kazan summit four months later. What happens after this week's Russian presidential elections will also condition BRICS policy. A new Russian government will be sworn in only by early May. It is widely expected that there will be no substantial changes within the Russian Finance Ministry, Central Bank, Foreign Ministry, and among top Kremlin advisers. Continuity will be the norm. And that brings us to the key geoeconomics dossier: the BRICS at the forefront of bypassing the US dollar in international finance. Last week, top Kremlin adviser Yury Ushakov announced that BRICS will work towards setting up an independent payment system based on digital currencies and blockchain. Ushakov specifically emphasized "state-of-the-art tools such as digital technologies and blockchain. The main thing is to make sure it is convenient for governments, common people, and businesses, as well as cost-effective and free of politics." Ushakov did not mention it explicitly, but a new alternative system already exists. For the moment, it is a closely, carefully guarded project in the form of a detailed white paper that has already been validated academically and also incorporates answers to possible frequently asked questions. The Cradle was briefed on the system via several meetings since last year with a small group of world-class fintech experts. The system has already been presented to Ushakov himself. As it stands, it is on the verge of receiving a final green light from the Russian government. After clearing a series of tests, the system in thesis would be ready to be presented to all BRICS-10 members before the Kazan summit. This all ties in with Ushakov publicly declaring that a specific task for 2024 is to increase the role of BRICS in the international monetary/ financial system. Ushakov recalls how, in the 2023 Johannesburg Declaration, the BRICS heads of state focused on increasing settlements in national currencies and strengthening correspondent banking networks. The target was to "continue to develop the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, primarily regarding the use of currencies different from the US dollar." No single currency for the foreseeable future All of the above frames the absolute key issue being currently discussed in Moscow, within the Russia–China partnership, and soon, deeper among the BRICS-10: alternative settlement payments to the US dollar, increased trade among "friendly nations," and controls on capital flight. Ryabkov added more crucial elements to the debate, saying this week that the BRICS are not debating the implementation of a single currency: As for a single currency, similar to what was created by the European Union, this is hardly possible in the foreseeable future. If we are talking about clearing forms of mutual settlements such as the ECU [European Currency Unit] at an early stage of development of the European Union, in the absence of a real means of payment, but the opportunity to more effectively use the available resources of the countries in mutual settlements to avoid losses due to differences in exchange rates, and so on, then this is precisely the path along which, in my opinion, BRICS should move. This is under consideration. The key takeaway, per Ryabkov, is that the BRICS should not create a financial and monetary alliance; they should create payment and settlement systems that do not depend upon the shifty "rules-based international order." That's exactly the emphasis of the ideas and experiments already developed by Minister of Integration and Macroeconomy at the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) Sergei Glazyev, as he explained in an exclusive interview, as well as the new groundbreaking project on the verge of being greenlighted by the Russian government. Ryabkov confirmed that "a group of experts, led by the Ministries of Finance and representatives of the Central Banks of the respective [BRICS] countries," is working nonstop on the dossier. Moreover, there are "consultations in other formats, including with the participation of representatives of the 'historical west.'" Ryabkov's own takeaway mirrors what the BRICS as a whole are aiming at: Collectively, we must come up with a product that would be, on the one hand, quite ambitious (because it is impossible to continue to tolerate the dictates of the west in this area), but at the same time realistic, not out of touch with the ground. That is, a product that would be efficient. And all this should be presented in Kazan for consideration by the leaders. In a nutshell: the big breakthrough may be literally knocking at the BRICS door. It just depends on a simple green light by the Russian government. Now compare the BRICS devising the contours of a new geoeconomics paradigm with the collective west mulling the actual theft of Russia's seized assets to the benefit of the black hole that is Ukraine. Apart from being a de facto declaration by the US and EU against Russia, this is something that carries the potential, in itself, of totally smashing the current global financial system. A theft of Russian assets, would it ever happen, will render livid, to put it mildly, at least two key BRICS members, China and Saudi Arabia, who bring to the table considerable economic heft. Such a move by the west would completely destroy the concept of the rule of law, which theoretically underpins the global financial system. The Russian response will be fierce. The Russian Central Bank could, in a flash, sue and confiscate the assets of Belgian Euroclear, one of the world's largest settlement and clearing systems, on whose accounts Russian reserves were frozen. And that on top of seizing Euroclear's assets in Russia – which amount to roughly 33 billion euros. With Euroclear running out of capital, the Belgian Central Bank will have to revoke its license, causing a massive financial crisis. Talk about a clash of paradigms: western robbery versus a Global South-based equitable trade and finance settlement system. Tyler Durden Sun, 03/17/2024 - 23:20.....»»
Supreme Court Rules Public Officials May Block Their Constituents On Social Media
Supreme Court Rules Public Officials May Block Their Constituents On Social Media Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Public officials may block people on social media in certain situations, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on March 15. People leave the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Feb. 21, 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) At the same time, the court held that public officials who post about topics pertaining to their work on their personal social media accounts are acting on behalf of the government. But such officials can be found liable for violating the First Amendment only when they have been properly authorized by the government to communicate on its behalf. The case is important because nowadays public officials routinely reach out to voters through social media on the same pages where they discuss personal matters unrelated to government business. “When a government official posts about job-related topics on social media, it can be difficult to tell whether the speech is official or private,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for the nation’s highest court. The case is separate from but brings to mind a lawsuit that several individuals previously filed against former President Donald Trump after he blocked them from accessing his social media account on Twitter, which was later renamed X. The Supreme Court dismissed that case, Biden v. Knight First Amendment Institute, in April 2021 as moot because President Trump had already left office. At the time of the ruling, the then-Twitter had banned President Trump. When Elon Musk took over the company he reversed that policy. The new decision in Lindke v. Freed was written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Respondent James Freed, the city manager of Port Huron, Michigan, used a public Facebook account to communicate with his constituents. Petitioner Kevin Lindke, a resident of Port Huron, criticized the municipality’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including accusations of hypocrisy by local officials. Mr. Freed blocked Mr. Lindke and others and removed their comments, according to Mr. Lindke’s petition. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled for Mr. Freed, finding that he was acting only in a personal capacity and that his activities did not constitute governmental action. Mr. Freed’s attorney, Victoria Ferres, said during oral arguments before the Supreme Court on Oct. 31, 2023, that her client didn’t give up his rights when using social media. “This country’s 21 million government employees should have the right to talk publicly about their jobs on personal social media accounts like their private-sector counterparts.” The position advocated by the other side would unfairly punish government officials, and “will result in uncertainty and self-censorship for this country’s government employees despite this Court repeatedly finding that government employees do not lose their rights merely by virtue of public employment,” she said. In Lindke v. Freed, the Supreme Court found that a public official who prevents a person from comments on the official’s social media pages engages in governmental action under Section 1983 only if the official had “actual authority” to speak on the government’s behalf on a specific matter and if the official claimed to exercise that authority when speaking in the relevant social media posts. Section 1983 refers to Title 42, U.S. Code, Section 1983, which allows people to sue government actors for deprivation of civil rights. Justice Barrett wrote that according to the so-called state action doctrine, the test for “actual authority” must be “rooted in written law or longstanding custom to speak for the State.” “That authority must extend to speech of the sort that caused the alleged rights deprivation. If the plaintiff cannot make this threshold showing of authority, he cannot establish state action.” “For social-media activity to constitute state action, an official must not only have state authority—he must also purport to use it,” the justice continued. “State officials have a choice about the capacity in which they choose to speak.” Citing previous precedent, Justice Barrett wrote that generally a public employee claiming to speak on behalf of the government acts with state authority when he speaks “in his official capacity or” when he uses his speech to carry out “his responsibilities pursuant to state law.” “If the public employee does not use his speech in furtherance of his official responsibilities, he is speaking in his own voice.” The Supreme Court remanded the case to the 6th Circuit with instructions to vacate its judgment and ordered it to conduct “further proceedings consistent with this opinion.” Also on March 15, the Supreme Court ruled on O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier, a related case. The court’s sparse, unanimous opinion was unsigned. Petitioners Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff and T.J. Zane were two elected members of the Poway Unified School District Board of Trustees in California who used their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts to communicate with the public. Respondents Christopher Garnier and Kimberly Garnier, parents of local students, “spammed Petitioners’ posts and tweets with repetitive comments and replies” so the school board members blocked the respondents from the accounts, according to the petition filed by Ms. O’Connor-Ratcliff and Mr. Zane. But the Garniers said they were acting in good faith. “The Garniers left comments exposing financial mismanagement by the former superintendent as well as incidents of racism,” the couple said in a brief. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit found in favor of the Garniers, holding that elected officials using social media accounts were participating in a public forum. The Supreme Court ruled in a three-page opinion that because the 9th Circuit deviated from the standard the high court articulated in Lindke v. Freed, the 9th Circuit’s decision must be vacated. The case was remanded to the 9th Circuit “for further proceedings consistent with our opinion” in the Lindke case, the Supreme Court stated. Tyler Durden Sun, 03/17/2024 - 22:10.....»»
Musk Defends Former President, Scarborough Deletes, After Leftist Corporate Media Unleashes Trump "Bloodbath Hoax"
Musk Defends Former President, Scarborough Deletes, After Leftist Corporate Media Unleashes Trump "Bloodbath Hoax".....»»
The Stain Of Fani: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Signs Law To Discipline "Rogue" Prosecutors Amid DA Willis Controversy
The Stain Of Fani: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Signs Law To Discipline 'Rogue' Prosecutors Amid DA Willis Controversy Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a bill into law that revives an oversight panel with powers to discipline and remove wayward county prosecutors, and which could potentially target alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in her case against former President Donald Trump. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Government building in Atlanta on Aug. 14, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Mr. Kemp signed SB 332 into law on March 13, saying at a signing ceremony that the community suffers and property is put at risk when “out-of-touch” public prosecutors put politics ahead of public safety. “This legislation will help us ensure rogue or incompetent prosecutors are held accountable if they refuse to uphold the law,” Mr. Kemp said. “As we know all too well, crime has been on the rise across the country, and is especially prevalent in cities where prosecutors are giving criminals a free pass or failing to put them behind bars due to lack of professional conduct,” he added. Mr. Kemp initially signed related legislation in May 2023, which established the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission (PACQ), with the governor saying at the time that the panel would discipline “far-left” prosecutors who make communities less safe by being soft on crime. However, the panel was unable to start operating after the state Supreme Court in November 2023 declined to approve rules for its governance, with justices saying in their ruling that they had “grave doubts” whether adopting the standards and rules was within their constitutional powers. So the Georgia General Assembly passed HB 881 in January 2024, which revived the oversight panel while removing the requirement for Supreme Court approval. The bill then was referred to the state Senate, where it became SB 332. Focus on Willis While the bill mirrored efforts in other states to hold “rogue” prosecutors accountable for refusing to prosecute certain crimes, Democrats opposed to its passage said it could be used to target prosecutors involved in the case against President Trump, including Ms. Willis. “The commission will be able to unilaterally proceed and have the ability to interfere and undermine an ongoing investigation against Donald J. Trump,” state House Minority Whip Sam Park, a Democrat, told The Associated Press when the House version of the measure passed. “You are taking action to protect former President Trump from an ongoing criminal prosecution,” he alleged. Ms. Willis has been accused of an “improper” relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor in the election interference case against the former president and over a dozen co-defendants. She also faced conflict-of-interest allegations that she benefited from the relationship financially. While defendants in the case moved to have both prosecutors disqualified, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled on Friday that either Mr. Wade or Ms. Willis must remove themselves from the case. Mr. Wade said Friday that he would resign, leaving Ms. Willis—who faces a separate campaign finance ethics probe and possible contempt of Congress proceedings—at the helm of the case, which President Trump has denounced as a politically-driven “witch hunt.” The prosecutor oversight panel that Mr. Kemp’s signature has established provides an additional tool that could target Ms. Willis as she faces continued scrutiny. Ms. Willis’ office did not respond to a request for comment on the bill. Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, a Republican, told The Associated Press that the measure isn’t directly focused on Ms. Willis or any one individual. “For us in the House our focus is not on any one person, not on any one situation,” Mr. Burns told reporters after Mr. Kemp signed the bill into law. “It’s about asking the folks that are elected, just like me, to do their jobs and protect the citizens of this state.” Fight Against ‘Rogue’ Prosecutors Georgia law mandates that a prosecutor must consider every case for which probable cause exists and can’t exclude categories of cases—such as marijuana possession or abortion-related offenses—from prosecution. HB 881 and its Senate version SB 332 lay out grounds for discipline, removal, or “involuntary retirement” of wayward prosecutors, including for engaging in “willful misconduct” or for being convicted of a “crime involving moral turpitude” or persistently failing to carry out their duties. Besides removing the need for Supreme Court oversight, the law adjusts the standard for mental or physical incapacity, allows appeals to a local superior court judge, and permits appeals to any county where the prosecutor has worked. The establishment of the new commission comes as Republicans fight against what they describe as leftist “rogue” district attorneys who refuse to prosecute certain crimes. “The inability to ensure public safety and protect communities is occurring at every level of state government,” U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) wrote in an op-ed in 2022. “By cracking down on rogue prosecutors who favor criminals over victims, we can ensure that no one else is put in harm’s way as a result of Democrats’ negligence,” they wrote. In much the same vein, President Trump has vowed to target prosecutors who are lax on crime if he wins the 2024 presidential race. “Soros prosecutors appear to be engaging in selective enforcement based on illegal racial discrimination” in places such as Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, President Trump said in a video posted to his YouTube channel in April 2023. He was referring to left-wing billionaire financier George Soros, who has provided millions of dollars in campaign contributions to progressives Democrat district attorneys. “They are Marxist in many cases,” President Trump said, while pledging to appoint about 100 U.S. attorneys who are the “polar opposite” of the “Soros district attorneys and others being appointed around the United States.” President Trump said that those officials will be the “most ferocious legal warriors” who will target the worst “communist corruption” the country has ever seen. Tyler Durden Sun, 03/17/2024 - 14:00.....»»
Molotov Cocktail Attack On Russian Embassy In Moldova On Last Day Of Election
Molotov Cocktail Attack On Russian Embassy In Moldova On Last Day Of Election Sunday is the final day of three days of presidential elections in Russia. Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of deceased opposition activist Alexei Navalny, is urging mass protests against President Putin as he stands of the verge of winning another six year term as president, an outcome quite obvious to all observers. She's calling on Russians to disrupt the final day of voting in what's been dubbed "noon against Putin". While some sporadic minor incidents at polling stations have been reported, there has been a major incident in the small country of Moldova which borders Ukraine. Moldovan police have detained a man who attacked the Russian embassy with two Molotov cocktails as voting was underway there. Illustrative file image, via the Atlantic Council "A man threw two containers of flammable substances over the fence of the Russian Embassy in Chisinau," police said in a statement. A 54-year-old Moldovan who described himself as also having Russian citizenship was immediately detained after after hurling the Molotov cocktails. There were no reports of injuries or damage to the embassy, and police said an investigation is ongoing. "He justified his action by some dissatisfaction he has with the actions of the Russian authorities," authorities said. Moldova has been scene of controversy and friction especially after Russia allowed the opening of several polling stations in breakaway Transnistria, which the Moldovan government has fiercely protested. Reuters noted days ago that "A senior official in ex-Soviet Moldova said on Wednesday Moscow was breaking laws by printing ballot papers in the separatist region of Transnistria ahead of this week's Russian presidential election." "Moldova's pro-European authorities have already summoned the Russian ambassador to complain about a decision to open six polling stations in the pro-Russian enclave," the report continued. "The central government said the move broke an agreement to allow voting only at a single polling station at the Russian embassy in Chisinau." Russian embassy in Moldova, via TASS The United States recently become more vocal in defending Moldova's territorial integrity, and has condemned what the Biden administration has called Moscow's 'interference' in the Eastern European nation's sovereignty. Last summer, Moldova expelled 45 Russian diplomats and embassy staff members from the country "over numerous unfriendly actions" as tensions reached near breaking point over the war in neighboring Ukraine and the Transnistria issue. As for Russia's election, Kremlin authorities have said Ukraine is engaged in cross-border attacks on polling stations and in annexed regions of Ukraine. Tyler Durden Sun, 03/17/2024 - 14:35.....»»
Putin Wins Fifth Term As Russian President With 87% Of The Vote
Putin Wins Fifth Term As Russian President With 87% Of The Vote Update: It will surprise no one that Vladimir Putin secured another six years as Russia’s president - effectively ensuring that he will surpass Joseph Stalin as Russia's longest-serving ruler should he successfully complete his latest term when he will be 77-year-old - in a bid to step up his war in Ukraine and challenge the West, with the Kremlin claiming record public support for him in a vote whose outcome was largely pre-determined even without mystery sacks of mail-in ballots arriving at 3am. Congratulstions to all Russia's enemies on Vladimir Putin's brilliant victory in the election of the President of the Russian Federation! And a thank you to friends for the support — Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) March 17, 2024 Putin won 87%, according to an exit poll broadcast on state television late Sunday, shortly after the end of three days of voting. That exceeded the previous high of 77% support that the incumbent president received in 2018 elections, according to Bloomberg. Russian State Media is showing Exit Polls from the ongoing Presidential Election, with current President Vladimir Putin receiving upwards of 87% of the Vote likely Securing his Presidency until at least 2030. pic.twitter.com/IrVSwj8HqO — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 17, 2024 Three other candidates, all from parties loyal to the Kremlin, received no more than 5% support. Nearly 4.5 million people voted online in a system used in 29 of Russia’s regions for the first time in a presidential election, the Interfax news service reported, citing government data. Preliminary turnout was 74.22% - the largest in over 3 decades - according to Central Election Commission data shown on state TV. That turnout was the highest since Boris Yeltsin became president in 1991 after the Soviet Union’s collapse, and well above the 67.5% turnout recorded in 2018. At least six Russian regions claimed turnout was above 90%. Of note, according to the CEC, Putin received 94.12% of the votes after processing 100% of the protocols in the presidential elections of the Russian Federation in the Lugansk People's Republic, which is located in the contest Donetsk region. Putin is extending his nearly quarter-century rule into a fifth term at a time when his troops are on the offensive in Ukraine. Russia’s pressing its advantage in the third year of the invasion that’s become Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, as Ukraine struggles to supply its forces with munitions amid delays in military aid from its US and European allies. The election outcome “gives Putin every chance to implement any, even the toughest, scenarios in Ukraine,” said Pavel Danilin, head of the Moscow-based Center for Political Analysis, which advises the Kremlin. The “historically high result is a guarantee that the majority of the population supports Putin,” he said. Putin's victory comes as Russia’s economy has fully weathered the shock of international sanctions since it began the February 2022 invasion, thanks to a continuing flow of energy revenue - which the west has been terrified to halt as it would mean a surge in global energy prices and a rout for Biden in the November 2024 elections - and a massive injection of government spending to support the defense industry and shield domestic businesses. Meanwhile, trade with China is booming as Russia reorients its economy away from markets in Europe. As noted above, Russia organized voting in occupied areas of Ukraine and that claimed turnout far exceeded 80%, even as millions of people have fled the regions since the invasion. The foreign ministry in Kyiv said the “pseudo-elections” were illegal, by which they probably mean they were not predetermined by neocon demi-god Victoria Nuland, or whoever it is that will replace her in the Deep State. * * * Earlier: The first round of the presidential election in Russia is taking place from Friday to Sunday this weekend. It will be the country's eighth presidential election and more than 112 million voters will be called to the polls. While four candidates are in the running, Statista's Katharina Buchholz reports that there is almost no doubt among observers that Vladimir Putin will be re-elected for a fifth term in the first round. The only real unknown is the share of votes he will receive. During the last presidential election in 2018, this number stood at around 77 percent. You will find more infographics at Statista In power for around a quarter of a century - spanning four presidential terms and two terms as prime minister between 1999 and 2000 and between 2008 and 2012 - Putin has spent a total of almost 9,000 days at the helm of the country. If he is re-elected this weekend, the ensuing six-year term of approximately 2,190 days will likely make him Russia's longest serving leader since the start of the twentieth century. This record is currently held by Joseph Stalin, who led the country between 1924 and 1953 for a total of 10,636 days. Putin became Russia's second longest-serving leader overtaking Brezhnev in 2017 late into his third term as president. During Dmitry Medvedev's presidency from 2008 to 2012, Russian law was amended to extend presidential terms from two terms of four years to two terms of six years. This change was also designed to reset terms served and therefore enabled Putin to win another two terms. A decade later, in 2021, Putin signed another law setting the limit at two presidential mandates per person in a lifetime, again paradoxically resetting terms already served and thereby exempting him for a second time. Tyler Durden Sun, 03/17/2024 - 15:05.....»»
Gold Star Dad Who Interrupted State Of The Union Explains Why He Did It
Gold Star Dad Who Interrupted State Of The Union Explains Why He Did It Authored by Alice Giordano via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), President Joe Biden had been talking for about an hour when Steven Nikoui began feeling like he was sitting in the Colosseum in the movie “Gladiator” rather than at a State of the Union address. “They’re all sitting in the stands and they’re looking at the beast down there and they’re getting amused. And I felt that. I rationalized it like that and I was a little sickened,” Mr. Nikoui said. “These people … they wouldn’t even have any of this if it wasn’t for someone like my kid or … any of the others.” Steven Nikoui shouts as President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on March 7, 2024. (Shawn Thew/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) He had hoped this would be the day that President Biden would say his son’s name, Kareem. But when the president said “America is safer today than when I took office,” the Gold Star father reached a breaking point. Mr. Nikoui likens the moment as “having an out of the body experience.” The anger and grief that had been stewing inside him for three years let loose. “Remember Abbey Gate! United States Marines! Kareem Mae'Lee Nikoui!” He shouted his son’s name, U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui, and the name of the airport gate in Kabul where a suicide bomber killed his son and 12 other U.S. Marines on Aug 26, 2021, during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Then, he was arrested. (Left) President Joe Biden delivers the annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress in Washington on March 7, 2024. (Right) Steven Nikoui holds a photo of his son, fallen U.S. Marine Kareem Nikoui, in Norco, Calif., on March 14, 2024. (Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images, John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Mr. Nikoui, who had been invited to the State of the Union by Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), a veteran, was escorted out of the House Gallery. “I did have remorse,” he told The Epoch Times. “I felt ashamed.” Mr. Nikoui said he was placed in handcuffs and escorted to a police substation at the Capitol. There, his mugshot was taken and he was fingerprinted. He said he waived his Miranda Rights. The officers who arrested him “were pretty good,” he said, but they gave him an ultimatum: “If you talk to us, you‘ll be out in an hour. If you don’t talk to us, you’ll go to the DC jail and see the judge in the morning.” He said he was scared to go to jail. He'd never been arrested before. ‘He Would Have Been Proud’ Mr. Nikoui said Kareem, meaning “generous and honorable” in Arabic, is a fitting name for his son. It’s exactly how his son, a proud American patriot, lived and died, he said. Something, he added, that President Biden has never once acknowledged. He said Kareem made the ultimate sacrifice for the country he had longed to serve since he was four years old. As a little boy, Kareem had a collection of “little army guys” he constantly played with, Mr. Nikoui recalled. His son joined Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps as soon as he was old enough and he loved military movies. His favorite was “Band of Brothers,” a TV mini series. Kareem’s commitment to serve was not a rite of passage as it so often is between father and son, Mr Nikoui said. “I was against it,” he said. “I knew this would happen. I buried my head in the sand. I didn’t know anything about the military. I told him I don’t want to know anything about this. Just get out. But he didn’t want to get out. He said ‘I’m going all the way.’” People attend the funeral of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui at the Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., on Sept. 18, 2021. Mr. Nikoui, a born-again Christian, talked to The Epoch Times about his son and his March 7 arrest at the State of the Union. He also reflected on his relentless blame on President Biden for not following the Doha Agreement established under the Trump Administration. And his ardent belief that his son, who was only 20 when he was killed, would still be alive if former President Donald Trump had been commander-in-chief when his son was deployed in Afghanistan. “The only reason why I was even all right with my kid joining the military—because, like I told you I was against it—was because Donald Trump was the president,” he said. The memories flooded back as President Biden touted his tenure. From the Democrats dressed all in white to signify pro-abortion, to President Biden mispronouncing Laken Riley’s name in response to Rep. Marjorie Greene’s (R-Ga.) demand he say the name of the Georgia student brutally slain by an illegal immigrant, Mr. Nikoui described the many reasons that made him think “harder than ever” about the sacrifice of his son and the other fallen soldiers. He thought back to the horrifying videos Kareem had sent him during his deployment—of young Afghani children begging the soldiers to take them to America. “I saw this little girl just screaming, pushing herself up against the fence—screaming, ’they'll kill me, take me with you, the bad guys are coming,” he recalled. And mothers, “throwing their babies at razor wire. And women running into the razor wire because they don’t want to be raped and killed by the Taliban.” Members of the Taliban gather outside the airport in Kabul after the U.S. withdrawal in Afghanistan, on Aug. 31, 2021. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images) He said Kareem, also a Christian, often spoke emotionally of how deeply pained he was by what he witnessed. Mr. Nikoui believes President Biden and his followers lack any understanding of that kind of pain. He said he finds it appalling that anytime someone dies or loses a loved one, the president interminably turns it into his own grief about the loss of his son Beau to cancer. Read more here... Tyler Durden Sun, 03/17/2024 - 15:10.....»»
RFK Jr To Name Sergey Brin"s Ex-Wife As Running Mate: Report
RFK Jr To Name Sergey Brin's Ex-Wife As Running Mate: Report After previously thinking NY Jets quarterback Aaron Rogers might be the right person to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr is now planning to select 38-year-old Nicole Shanahan, the wealthy ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, as his running mate. This according to a Saturday Mediaite report that cited "a source close to the campaign." Shanahan is a Bay Area lawyer and tech entrepreneur who's been a Democratic Party benefactor and donated to Biden's 2020 campaign. In a February Times profile, she described herself as a "progressive through and through." Aside from opening her wallet, she has no political profile whatsoever, seemingly not even having spoken out or written about issues of the day. Nicole Shanahan and her then-husband Sergey Brin (Ian Tuttle/Getty via Vanity Fair) Last week, the New York Times reported that, in addition to the NFL's Rogers, Kennedy was considering former Minnesota Gov and Predator co-star Jesse Ventura, among others. Mediaite's source said RFK Jr and Shanahan "align on numerous issues," including wariness about vaccines. The source also candidly spotlighted what is likely the principal attraction: "The campaign is also looking for a candidate who can help finance the ballot access initiative.” The campaign says that effort comes with a $15 million price tag. With under eight months to the election, he's only on four ballots: Hawaii, Nevada, New Hampshire and Utah. Multiple states require the naming of a running mate before giving approval, which is why his decision is coming soon. This leak doesn't exactly sound like a coordinated trial balloon, as a source close to the campaign proceeded to throw Shanahan under the bus: “She might be infusing millions of dollars into the campaign to help fund the ballot initiative, which makes her attractive financially; however, she lacks the qualifications to actually do the job." Shanahan helped bankroll Kennedy's Super Bowl ad, giving $4 million to the American Values 2024 PAC that's supporting him. That represented a major change of heart: When Kennedy announced last fall that he was bailing on the rigged Democratic nomination process, Shanahan was "incredibly disappointed" and, at the time, decided not to back him, despite having given him a $6,000 maximum contribution in May, while he was trying to dislodge Biden. RFK Jr. says he has an “extraordinary” VP pick, “but it’s not any of the people they’ve been talking about.” “It’s somebody that is going to surprise people and I think the country is really gonna fall in love with.” @RobertKennedyJr pic.twitter.com/jhZaoCLvNb — Holden Culotta (@Holden_Culotta) March 16, 2024 Mediaite was also first to report Kennedy's decision to go independent. On Wednesday, the outlet found that Kennedy advisor Link Lipsitz registered the kennedyshanahan.com web domain, and observed that the page was ready to facilitate donations. When ZeroHedge tried accessing it, however, we received a "connection not private" warning for the site. A Kennedy campaign spokesperson declined to confirm the report, merely telling the New York Post, "There has been a lot of speculation in the media about Mr. Kennedy’s pick of vice presidential running mate. The official announcement will be on March 26 in Oakland." Last summer, the Wall Street Journal reported that Shanahan's 2023 divorce from Brin was sparked by a brief affair she had with Elon Musk. In addition to ending the five-year marriage, the Journal said the episode also terminated a long friendship between Musk and Brin. Musk called the report "total bs": This is total bs. Sergey and I are friends and were at a party together last night! I’ve only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2022 Tyler Durden Sun, 03/17/2024 - 15:45.....»»
Public officials have new rules about blocking you on social media, SCOTUS decides
In a Friday decision, SCOTUS established new rules about when politicians and other public officials can block users on social media. The US Supreme Court on Friday established new rules for how public officials must behave on social media.Stefani Reynolds/BloombergSCOTUS on Friday established new rules for the social media accounts of public officials.The judges ruled there are some circumstances in which blocking a user could violate their rights.If an elected official clearly labels their account as a personal one, the rules are more lenient.The US Supreme Court on Friday handed down a decision establishing new rules for how public officials must behave on social media.In a unanimous decision in the Lindke v. Freed case, SCOTUS established a new framework for when the official social media accounts of government representatives can block users from accessing or replying to their posts. Accounts clearly marked as personal, even if run by a state official, are granted more leniency and protection under the First Amendment.The decision established a test for determining whether an official's account falls under the rule, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett writing for the court that the official must both (1) possess "actual authority to speak on the State's behalf on a particular matter," and (2) purport "to exercise that authority when speaking in the relevant social-media posts."The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by a Detroit resident, Kevin Lindke, against James Freed, the city manager of Port Huron, Michigan. Freed blocked Lindke from commenting on his Facebook page after Lindke made a series of comments on Freed's posts, criticizing the city's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Freed's account was originally started as a personal one in 2008, and while he largely posted about public topics over the years, after his appointment to the government in 2014, Freed described himself on the page as "Daddy to Lucy, Husband to Jessie and City Manager, Chief Administrative Officer for the citizens of Port Huron, MI."In the ruling, SCOTUS weighed the fact that Freed had his official title on the page and that he regularly interacted with constituents in posts, against his own First Amendment rights to speak about his duties at work as a private citizen."The question is difficult, especially in a case involving a state or local official who routinely interacts with the public," the ruling reads. "Such officials may look like they are always on the clock, making it tempting to characterize every encounter as part of the job. But the state-action doctrine avoids such broad-brush assumptions—for good reason."Barrett continued for the court, writing that Lindke "cannot hang his hat on Freed's status as a state employee.""The distinction between private conduct and state action turns on substance, not labels: Private parties can act with the authority of the State, and state officials have private lives and their own constitutional rights," she continued. "Categorizing conduct, therefore, can require a close look."The issue of allowing public officials to block users on social media has been heard by the court before, when in 2017, Trump was challenged by the Knight Foundation over his choice to block critics on Twitter. After Trump left office in 2021, SCOTUS dismissed the case as moot and ordered the lower court to vacate the ruling.Friday's ruling revisited the question, establishing a framework on these issues that some legal scholars worry could be impractical or offer sweeping protections to politicians if they simply label their accounts as personal, even if they continue acting in an official capacity on social media.Dhillon Law Group partner Gary Lawkowski told The Verge that "the biggest impact of this opinion may not be the formal test set forth in its holding—rather, its language buried in the opinion that effectively creates a safe harbor for public officials who place disclaimers on their social media accounts, providing an easy way for public officials to stay on the 'personal' side of the law going forward."Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»
Vitamin D: Deficiency Symptoms, Health Benefits, Optimal Sources, And Side Effects
Vitamin D: Deficiency Symptoms, Health Benefits, Optimal Sources, And Side Effects Authored by Mecura Wang and medically reviewed by Dr. Beverly Timerding via The Epoch Times, Vitamin D, or the “sunshine vitamin,” is considered both a fat-soluble vitamin and a hormone because it can be obtained nutritionally, and our skin can synthesize it through sunlight exposure. It is integral to various bodily functions. Primarily recognized for enhancing calcium absorption, vitamin D plays a role in maintaining bone and dental health, supporting the immune system, regulating cell growth, influencing mood, and preventing conditions such as multiple sclerosis. (Illustration by The Epoch Times) What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency? Vitamin D deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency, affecting people of all ages globally. In the United States, nearly one-quarter of individuals have insufficient or deficient vitamin D blood levels, which can impact bone and overall health. Approximately 50 percent of children between ages 1 and 5 and 70 percent aged 6 to 11 experience vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency often arises due to insufficient sunlight exposure, inadequate dietary intake, and the skin’s inability to produce it. Also, natural foods typically do not provide enough vitamin D to prevent deficiency, making sunlight exposure a crucial factor. Most people with vitamin D deficiency experience no symptoms. For others, common symptoms may include: Fatigue: Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to fatigue in uncontrolled trials, and treatment with the vitamin has been shown to improve the condition in blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trials. Individuals with persistent and severe vitamin D deficiency may encounter symptoms linked to secondary hyperparathyroidism, including fatigue. Secondary hyperparathyroidism is when the parathyroid excretes too much hormone due to low calcium levels. Bone and muscle pain: A mild but prolonged vitamin D deficiency can result in chronic hypocalcemia (low calcium) and hyperparathyroidism, with symptoms such as bone pain and muscle aches. Muscle weakness and cramps (spasms): Increased levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream have been linked to enhanced muscle strength, physical activity, and the capability to ascend stairs, while lower concentrations are associated with a higher risk of falls among older people. Muscle spasms, particularly in infants, can be an early indication of rickets due to low blood calcium levels resulting from severe vitamin D deficiency. Mood changes: According to a systematic review, about a third of the studies indicated inadequate vitamin D levels were associated with depression. Others suggested supplementing with it was helpful if combined with exercise or along with other nutritional supplements. Bone loss: Vitamin D deficiency can cause bone loss as it impairs calcium absorption, leading to decreased calcium levels in the blood. Specifically, insufficient vitamin D limits the body’s ability to absorb only 10 percent to 15 percent of dietary calcium, whereas with normal vitamin reserves, absorption typically ranges from 30 percent to 40 percent. Other symptoms and signs of deficiency may include: Heightened pain sensitivity A tingling sensation in the hands or feet A waddling gait from weakened hip or leg muscles Bone fractures Bowed legs (severe deficiency) Knock-knees Poor sleep Hair loss Increased susceptibility to illness Complications The complications of vitamin D deficiency are: Rickets: Rickets affects children’s bones, causing them to become soft and weak, potentially leading to deformities. Symptoms and signs include bone pain, reluctance to walk, skeletal deformities such as bowed legs, thickening of joints, dental issues, delayed growth, and fragile bones prone to fractures in severe cases. Osteoporosis: Vitamin D deficiency can result in secondary hyperparathyroidism, leading to bone loss, osteoporosis, fractures, mineralization defects, and long-term risks of osteomalacia. Osteoporosis may cause intense back discomfort, diminished stature, or deformities in the spine, such as a bent or hunched posture. Osteomalacia: This is similar to rickets but can happen at any age. Characterized by bone softening, osteomalacia is primarily linked to vitamin D issues negatively affecting calcium absorption. Its symptoms and signs include bone fractures, muscle weakness, and widespread bone pain, particularly in the hips. What Are the Health Benefits of Vitamin D? When you eat food or supplements containing vitamin D, your body undergoes two processes to activate it. First, in the liver, vitamin D is converted to calcidiol (25-hydroxyvitamin D). After that, the kidneys further transform it into calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D). Calcitriol encourages the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the small intestine. It also works with parathyroid hormone to enhance calcium transport, which is essential for maintaining proper calcium and phosphorus levels. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in calcium absorption, essential for strong bones and teeth. It also supports muscle and nerve function, facilitating movement and communication within the body. In addition, vitamin D is vital for the immune system, as it helps defend against infections. Bone health: Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, promoting bone mineralization and bone mineral density. A meta-analysis of 12 studies involving over 42,000 individuals aged 65 and above discovered that the prevention of nonvertebral fractures with vitamin D is dependent on the dosage. A higher dose of about 500 to 800 international units (IU) resulted in a reduction of hip fractures by 18 percent and nonvertebral fractures by 20 percent for people aged 65 years or older. However, in another study involving over 25,000 generally healthy midlife and older adults, supplementing with vitamin D3 did not lead to a significantly lower risk of fractures compared to a placebo. Of note, though, patients in this study had no controlled calcium supplementation. Muscle and nerve function: Vitamin D may contribute to increased muscle strength by preserving muscle fibers, potentially reducing the risk of falls, a prevalent issue associated with significant disability and mortality in older individuals. Research also suggests that vitamin D plays a vital role in essential neurological functions such as cell growth, development, nerve support, protection, signal transmission, and adaptability. Immune system support: Vitamin D contributes to a healthy immune system. The vitamin D receptor is present in immune cells, allowing vitamin D to act locally in the immune system. The vitamin can influence both the innate and adaptive immune responses and its deficiency is linked to higher autoimmunity risk and increased vulnerability to infections. Moreover, vitamin D exhibits strong anti-inflammatory effects. Other health benefits of vitamin D include: Pregnancy support: Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy has also been associated with a reduction in the risks of small-for-gestational-age babies, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes. Mood regulation Insulin level regulation: Vitamin D has been shown to lower blood glucose levels and enhance insulin sensitivity in people with diabetes. Weight loss: Vitamin D plays a role in preventing the formation of fat cells by influencing specific molecules, such as vitamin D receptors. Dental health: Research highlights a link between alveolar bone density, osteoporosis, tooth loss, and periodontal disease risk. Several reports suggest a significant connection between periodontal health and vitamin D intake. Vitamin D Prevents Certain Conditions In addition to the aforementioned bone-related and mental medical conditions, an adequate level of vitamin D can potentially prevent or lower the risk of certain diseases, including: Certain types of cancer: Animal and lab studies suggest that vitamin D may inhibit tumor development and slow the growth of existing tumors in various organs, including the breast, ovary, colon, prostate, and brain. Human epidemiological studies demonstrate that higher serum levels of vitamin D are linked to significantly slower progression of certain cancers, particularly colorectal cancer. The anti-cancer effects of vitamin D may also extend indirectly through its anti-inflammatory properties. Heart disease: Maintaining optimal vitamin D levels may have potential cardiovascular health benefits, according to one recent study. Both deficiency and insufficiency of vitamin D were linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including stroke, heart disease, heart attack, and heart failure. However, excess vitamin D was not associated with increased CVD risk. Immune-related diseases: Sufficient vitamin D levels may help prevent or treat immune-related diseases. Asthma: A meta-analysis discovered that taking vitamin D supplements helped adults with mild-to-moderate asthma who were also deficient in vitamin D to reduce their asthma exacerbations by 30 percent. However, this benefit was not observed in individuals with higher baseline vitamin D levels. Atherosclerosis: Vitamin D’s anti-inflammatory properties appear promising in lessening atherosclerosis, as insufficient levels lead to increased production of pro-inflammatory markers, disrupting the balance in the inflammatory response. In atherosclerosis, vitamin D suppresses the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which play a significant role in the development of the disease. Type 2 diabetes: One study suggested a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance decreases with the supplementation of vitamin D. Autoimmune diseases: Extensive research indicates a potential connection between vitamin D deficiency and the development of autoimmune diseases. Vitamin D deficiency has been noted in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, with an inverse relationship to disease activity, suggesting a role in the disease’s pathogenesis. Similar observations exist for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren’s syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Research also indicates there is a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis in individuals with higher levels of vitamin D. Cognitive decline: Research has consistently established a connection between cognitive impairment, dementia, and a lack of vitamin D. Mortality: As per a meta-analysis of 18 studies involving 57,311 subjects, daily intake of vitamin D supplements was associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality rates. What Are the Types of Vitamin D? Vitamin D is not a single chemical but a group of compounds. The two major types of vitamin D are D2 and D3. Vitamin D2 and D3, collectively known as vitamin D, share nearly identical functions, yet neither becomes active until the body performs its transformative process. 1. Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol) Vitamin D2 comes from plants and fungi and is created when ergosterol is exposed to radiation. It is found in some plant-based foods and used in vitamin D supplements. 2. Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) The body naturally produces a form of vitamin D from a widespread cholesterol variant called 7-dehydrocholesterol, mainly through exposure to sunlight. UVB energy from sunlight plays a crucial role in converting this precursor into vitamin D3. It is also found in some animal-based foods, such as fatty fish, egg yolks, and liver. Vitamin D3 is commonly available in animal-based supplements. It is often considered more effective than D2, possibly due to its stronger connection with the vitamin D binding protein. This increased affinity may result in slower clearance of vitamin D3, leading to longer-lasting concentrations of 25(OH)D in the blood compared to D2. What Is the Recommended Amount of Vitamin D? The required daily amount of vitamin D varies based on an individual’s age. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is designed to meet the daily requirements for maintaining healthy bones and normal calcium metabolism in individuals with minimal sun exposure. The recommended daily intake of vitamin D can vary among different organizations, such as the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) (formerly known as the Institute of Medicine, or IOM), which is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) (formerly known as National Osteoporosis Foundation, or NOF), and the Endocrine Society. The NAM RDA guideline below is also recommended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NAM considers these intake amounts adequate to achieve a vitamin D blood level of 50 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L), which they believe is sufficient for most people. In addition, according to the Endocrine Society, ensuring a consistent elevation of the blood level of 25(OH)D above 75 nmol/L may necessitate a daily intake of at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D. The following table compares the recommended daily vitamin D amounts by the NAM and NIH, BHOF, and the Endocrine Society. What Types of Vitamin D Supplements Are Available? Vitamin D supplements are available in three types: vitamin D2, vitamin D3, and calcidiol. However, calcidiol is considered a medication, and it may be prescribed for individuals with health conditions causing malabsorption, such as cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, or liver disease, which impairs the synthesis of calcidiol from typical vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D2 vs. D3 Supplements Vitamin D2 supplements are created by subjecting a plant sterol to ultraviolet energy, resulting in the production of vitamin D2. Vitamin D3 is usually generated through the irradiation of 7-dehydrocholesterol derived from lanolin obtained from sheep’s wool. Individuals who abstain from all animal-derived products can ask manufacturers about supplement sourcing and processing methods. Ongoing debate surrounds the preference for vitamin D3 over D2 to increase blood levels. A meta-analysis suggests that D3 supplements tend to raise and maintain vitamin D levels more effectively than D2. Many experts favor vitamin D3 due to its natural production in the body and its presence in foods containing the vitamin. One study involving 15,716 participants compared four treatment options for vitamin D deficiency, including vitamin D2 injection, vitamin D3 injection, a combination of vitamin D2 injection with a D2 tablet, and a combination of vitamin D3 injection with a D2 tablet. All treatments led to a significant increase in serum vitamin D within 12 weeks, with the vitamin D3 injection alone showing the highest increase. The findings suggest that using vitamin D3 in injectable form is the most effective option for restoring severe vitamin D deficiency, outperforming the injectable form of vitamin D2 and D2 tablets. However, the study did not address the effects of a vitamin D3 tablet/capsule, which is still generally better absorbed than oral vitamin D2. Different Forms of Vitamin D Supplements Vitamin D2 and D3 supplements can be obtained over the counter or by prescription in the United States. They come in various strengths, including 400, 800, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 50,000 IU, with the latter requiring a prescription. For adults, the general recommendation is a daily supplement containing 800 IU. Older individuals may still experience vitamin D deficiency at this intake level, so they might need to increase the dosage per their doctor’s instructions. In addition, all infants and children are advised to take a vitamin D supplement containing 400 IU starting shortly after birth. As vitamin D is fat-soluble, it is most effectively absorbed when consumed with a meal or snack containing some fat. Vitamin D supplements are also available in various forms, including: Capsules/softgels Tablets Liquid drops Gummies Sprays Injections What Are the Dietary Sources of Vitamin D? Vitamin D is found naturally in a few foods, and most dietary intake in the United States comes from fortified foods supplemented with vitamin D. Vitamin D2 Many plant-based milks (e.g., soy, almond, and oat) and plant-based yogurts are fortified with vitamin D2. One cup of various soy, almond, and oat milk brands is fortified with 100 to 144 IU of vitamin D. Some mushrooms naturally contain vitamin D2, and certain commercially sold ones have higher levels of D2 because they are intentionally exposed to high amounts of ultraviolet light. Half a cup of raw, sliced white mushrooms exposed to UV light contains 366 IU of vitamin D. Vitamin D (both D2 and D3) is supplemented in various breakfast cereals. One serving of ready-to-eat cereal is fortified with 10 percent of the daily value (DV) for vitamin D (80 IU). Some orange juice brands, margarine, and other food items are fortified with vitamin D2. Vitamin D3 Vitamin D3 is obtained from animal products, with oily fish, fish oils, eggs, and dairy serving as the best dietary sources. The amount of vitamin D in an animal’s tissues is influenced by its diet. Most of the U.S. cow’s milk supply is fortified with approximately 120 IU of vitamin D3 per cup, and infant formula is fortified. However, foods derived from milk, such as cheese and ice cream, are typically not fortified. Rich sources of vitamin D3 include fatty fish such as trout, salmon, tuna, and mackerel, as well as fish liver oils. In addition to vitamin D3, animal-based foods often contain calcidiol, also known as 25(OH)D. Research suggests that calcidiol is around five times more effective than the parent vitamin in increasing serum 25(OH)D concentrations. Examples of foods containing vitamin D3 include: Fish oil: 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil (1,360 IU per serving) Trout: 3 ounces of cooked farmed rainbow trout (645 IU per serving) Salmon: 3 ounces of cooked sockeye salmon (570 IU per serving) Sardines: Two drained sardines, canned in oil (46 IU per serving) Cow’s milk: 1 cup of 2 percent milk fortified with vitamin D (120 IU per serving) What Are the Other Sources of Vitamin D? Unfortunately, we can obtain vitamin D from only diet, sun exposure, and supplementation. The belief that tanning beds can provide sufficient vitamin D is just a myth because tanning bed bulbs mainly emit UVA light, while vitamin D synthesis requires UVB light. Hypervitaminosis D (excessive vitamin D levels in the body) is a potential risk in a small proportion of tanning beds with UVB light. It’s not known if this is due to less heating of the skin in some facilities. Also, catching sunlight in a sunny office or while driving in a car won’t contribute to obtaining vitamin D, either, because window glass completely blocks UVB ultraviolet light. Sunlight consists of two types of ultraviolet radiation: UVA and UVB. Although UVB is essential for the skin’s vitamin D synthesis, it can cause sunburn and contribute to cell damage linked to cancer. UVA also damages the skin and accelerates aging. To safeguard against sun damage and skin cancer, limit exposure during peak hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), wear protective clothing such as a wide-brimmed hat and long-sleeved garments, and use sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher when too much exposure is unavoidable, ensuring it’s broad-spectrum for UVA and UVB protection. Given the appropriate conditions, exposing the arms and legs to sunlight for 10 to 15 minutes a few times weekly can produce almost all the necessary vitamin D. In addition to the aforementioned factors, elements affecting how much vitamin D your body makes include smog and other types of air pollution, season, and cloud cover. For instance, people living north of the 37-degree-latitude line, the imaginary line connecting Richmond, Virginia, and San Francisco, cannot obtain sufficient UVB exposure during winter to produce adequate vitamin D. What Is the Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency? Blood 25(OH)D levels (combined vitamin D2 and D3) are a good indicator of vitamin D stores in the body and show a strong connection with symptoms and signs of deficiency. Blood tests measuring vitamin D, calcium, and phosphate levels can confirm a deficiency. High-Risk Populations Certain disorders, hereditary conditions, and medications may impact vitamin D absorption or conversion of vitamin D to its active form, thus contributing to deficiency. The following risk factors put someone at higher risk of deficiency: Limited outdoor activity: Older adults and those residing in institutions may not have easy access to the outdoors. Inflammatory bowel diseases Celiac disease Cystic fibrosis Surgery: People who undergo bariatric or gastric bypass surgery for weight loss and those with sections of the small intestine removed (resection) are at higher risk. Darker skin: Less vitamin D is produced during sun exposure in darker skin compared to lighter skin, as the melanin in darker skin blocks and absorbs sunlight before it can initiate vitamin D production. Excessive sunscreen use Malabsorption disorders Age: As people age, their skin’s 7-dehydrocholesterol levels (which play a crucial role in the synthesis of vitamin D) decrease, accompanied by changes in the skin. Older people are also more prone to spending extended periods indoors. Certain medical conditions: Some conditions can hinder the body’s ability to synthesize or absorb sufficient vitamin D. Lactose intolerance: Milk is usually fortified with vitamin D. Vegan or vegetarian diets To address vitamin D deficiency, increasing consumption of vitamin D-rich foods is often insufficient, prompting doctors to recommend supplements. The available forms of vitamin D supplements include vitamins D2 and D3 and calcidiol. The prescribed dosage varies based on factors such as severity, age, weight, and pregnancy status. The following table contains the suggested average daily dosages. The levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or 25(OH)D, in the blood are used to measure vitamin D status. Read the rest here... Tyler Durden Sat, 03/16/2024 - 19:50.....»»
Andre Gordon, Suspect In 3 Falls Township Murders, Captured After Trenton Barricade, Showdown With Police
Andre Gordon, Suspect In 3 Falls Township Murders, Captured After Trenton Barricade, Showdown With Police The man accused of killing three people during a violent rampage in Falls Township, Pennsylvania Saturday morning before barricading himself inside a Trenton home has finally been captured, Fox29 reports citing officials. It all began on Viewpoint Lane in Falls Township just before 9 a.m. when Falls Township police responded to reports of a shooting. There, police say Andre Gordon Jr., 26, forced his way into the home and fatally shot two people and fled in a stolen vehicle that was carjacked in Trenton earlier in the morning. The victims have been identified as his 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon, and 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon. Three other people, including a minor, were inside the home and able to hide, according to Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn. He then drove to a home on Edgewood Lane around 9 a.m. where authorities say he forced his way inside and shot and killed 25-year-old Taylor Daniel – the mother of his two children. Authorities say four other people were inside that home and one person was injured after they were struck by Gordon with a rifle. After fleeing that scene, around 9:15 a.m. police say he carjacked a 44-year-old male driver at gunpoint outside a Dollar General on Bristol Pike in Morrisville. He fled that scene in the driver’s dark gray Honda CRV. A short time later, authorities confirmed that Honda was found unoccupied in Trenton and that SWAT teams were converging on a nearby home to search for Gordon. Police had believed Gordon barricaded himself inside a home near the 100 block of Miller Street in Trenton where the carjacked vehicle was found. Authorities say they received information that Gordon may have taken multiple people hostage inside. Police later confirmed the home's residents had been taken to safety with no injuries. Gordon was taken into custody around 5 p.m. By mid-afternoon, officers surrounded the house on a taped-off block, calling to Gordon through a loudspeaker and trying to persuade him to come out. "Andre, get away from the windows. If you would like to surrender, dial 911 now," one message went. Police determined later that Gordon was not in the house on Phillips Avenue. According to police, it is believed that Gordon knew all of the victims who were fatally shot. He is also believed to currently be homeless and has ties to Trenton, New Jersey. Authorities believe he has ties to the home police had surrounded. Officials said they couldn't yet speak to a motive for the attacks. While Gordon had had some minor brushes with the law, they were "nothing that would indicate that anything like this would happen," Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney said at a news conference. A shelter-in-place order was sent to residents in Falls Township by phone and by mobile alert around 9:30 a.m. and was lifted by 12:30 p.m. The Bucks County St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled as a result of the shelter-in-place, and several local businesses in the area also closed temporarily. Governor Josh Shapiro noted he was informed of the shooting and said on X that he directed Pennsylvania State Police to work with local law enforcement, and to provide whatever support they might need. Tyler Durden Sat, 03/16/2024 - 20:15.....»»
Visualizing The Explosive Growth Of AI-Powered Fraud
Visualizing The Explosive Growth Of AI-Powered Fraud Former U.S. president Donald Trump posing with Black voters, President Joe Biden discouraging people from voting via telephone or the Pope in a puffy white jacket: Deepfakes of videos, photos and audio recordings have become widespread on various internet platforms, aided by the technological advances of large language models like Midjourney, Google's Gemini or OpenAI's ChatGPT. As Statista's Florian Zandt details below, with the right prompt fine-tuning, everyone can create seemingly real images or make the voices of prominent political or economic figures and entertainers say anything they want. While creating a deepfake is not a criminal offense on its own, many governments are nevertheless moving towards stronger regulation when using artificial intelligence to prevent harm to the parties involved. Apart from the main avenue of deepfakes, creating non-consensual pornographic content involving mostly female celebrities, this technology can also be used to commit identity fraud by manufacturing fake IDs or impersonating others over the phone. As Statista's chart based on the most recent annual report of identity verification provider Sumsub shows, deepfake-related identity fraud cases have skyrocketed between 2022 and 2023 in many countries around the world. You will find more infographics at Statista For example, the number of fraud attempts in the Philippines rose by 4,500 percent year over year, followed by nations like Vietnam, the United States and Belgium. With the capabilities of so-called artificial intelligence potentially increasing even further, as is evidenced by products like AI video generator Sora, deepfake fraud attempts could also spill over into other areas. "We’ve seen deepfakes become more and more convincing in recent years and this will only continue and branch out into new types of fraud, as seen with voice deepfakes", says Pavel Goldman-Kalaydin, Sumsub's Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, in the aforementioned report. "Both consumers and companies need to remain hyper-vigilant to synthetic fraud and look to multi-layered anti-fraud solutions, not only deepfake detection." These assessments are shared by many cybersecurity experts. For example, a survey among 199 cybersecurity leaders attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity in 2023 showed 46 percent of respondents being most concerned about the "advance of adversarial capabilities – phishing, malware development, deepfakes" in terms of the risks artificial intelligence poses for cybersecurity in the future. Tyler Durden Sat, 03/16/2024 - 20:25.....»»
Ukraine Is Facing The Scenario Of Asymmetrical Partition
Ukraine Is Facing The Scenario Of Asymmetrical Partition Submitted by Andrew Korybko Asymmetrical partition between Ukraine’s western neighbors into “spheres of economic influence” alongside a de facto Korean-like partition between NATO and Russia is much more foreseeable than its western neighbors like Poland formally reincorporating their lost territory due to financial and political reasons. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned about the impending partition of Ukraine. According to her, “All these statements that Macron and other NATO politicians make, about the possibility of introducing contingents or some kind of paramilitary units into the territory of Ukraine, are related to the partition of what they see as the remnants of Ukraine…They are ready to occupy and partition Ukraine.” What she didn’t mention, however, is that this will likely be an asymmetrical partition. Instead of Ukraine’s neighbors officially divvying it up like former President and incumbent Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev suggested via the map that he recently spoke in front of, NATO states are unlikely to formally reincorporate their lost lands. Rather, what’s more likely to happen in the event that they form a “coalition of the willing” to conventionally intervene there is that they’ll carve out “spheres of influences” on the pretext of protecting their “strategic borders”. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis revealed that while the bloc as a whole can’t intervene in Ukraine since it’s not a NATO ally, members could bilaterally do so on their own, which Poland might have sought America’s approval for during its President and Prime Minister’s meeting with Biden. It was argued here that this could even be partially motivated by domestic political factors, not to mention the West’s “worst-case scenario” of Russia achieving a military breakthrough that catalyzes Ukraine’s collapse. France and by extension also the UK might be plotting a Ukrainian power play under Germany’s nose to prevent their historical rival from resuming its superpower trajectory with US backing as Washington empowers Berlin to contain Russia in Europe while America “Pivots (back) to Asia” to contain China. These rapid moves come amidst reports that the G7 is planning to appoint a special envoy to Ukraine, which this analysis here argued could be tasked with implementing the Davos agenda in that country. Zelensky told the World Economic Forum in May 2022 that “we offer a special - historically significant - model of reconstruction. When each of the partner countries or partner cities or partner companies will have the opportunity - historical one - to take patronage over a particular region of Ukraine, city, community or industry. Britain, Denmark, the European Union and other leading international actors have already chosen a specific direction for patronage in reconstruction.” It therefore makes sense that they’d want to safeguard the regions, cities, communities, and industries that Ukraine promised them patronage of so as to stop Russia from taking control of them in the event that it achieves a military breakthrough which catalyzes Ukraine’s collapse and leads to regime change. This analysis here, meanwhile, argued that formally reincorporating its western neighbors’ lost lands is unlikely due to how much their demographics have changed since the end of World War II. Accordingly, “spheres of economic influence” are the most likely outcome if France’s talk of a conventional NATO intervention is implemented, after which the participants would be able to profit from their respective zones while carrying out military training and law enforcement activities there. These foreign troops could also prevent the state’s collapse in the areas under their control, repel uncontrollable refugee influxes, and combat weapons smuggling into the EU. The end effect would be to formally preserve Ukrainian statehood per the West’s officially stated objective that “justifies” their proxy war against Russia through that former Soviet Republic while nevertheless asymmetrically partitioning it into “spheres of economic influence” per the Davos agenda. It’s also possible that with time some of Ukraine’s western neighbors like Poland might consider entering into a “confederation’ with the adjacent region under their control but that’s still a far-fetched scenario. Their taxpayers could be stuck with the bill for reconstructing those formerly Ukrainian regions, plus the locals would become citizens with equal rights (including voting ones), which those countries’ people might firmly oppose and therefore potentially rebel against. It’s much less economically and politically costly to simply siphon wealth from those regions in exchange for limited security support than to constitutionally enshrine enduring economic, political, and security rights to their locals for prestige. For these reasons, while Zakharova is likely correct in assessing that plans are afoot for partitioning Ukraine depending on several situational variables (e.g. the conflict’s military-strategic dynamics and domestic politics like in Poland’s case), everything probably wouldn’t unfold like the public imagines. Asymmetrical partition between Ukraine’s western neighbors into “spheres of economic influence” alongside a de facto Korean-like partition between NATO and Russia is much more foreseeable. Tyler Durden Sat, 03/16/2024 - 07:00.....»»
Guinness: Well Known, But Not So Well Liked?
Guinness: Well Known, But Not So Well Liked? Apart from Irish whiskeys, one of the most significant culinary exports and best-known brands from the independent part of the island is Guinness. The characteristically dark dry stout might be an acquired taste due to its richness and malty flavor, but it's nevertheless consumed in many countries around the world, especially on St. Patrick's Day. As Statista's Florian Zandt reports, according to UN Comtrade statistics, the United States, most likely due to its large Irish diaspora, and the United Kingdom are the biggest importers of Irish beer, making up 63 percent of the total export value of $313 million in 2022. But how well-liked is the Irish mainstay really in those countries? You will find more infographics at Statista As a recent Statista Consumer Insights survey shows, 72 and 92 percent of the respondents from the U.S. and the U.K., respectively, know the brand. In the United Kingdom, 23 percent said they liked the brand and 19 percent claimed to have consumed a pint or more in the last 12 months. 16 percent of respondents from the United States were fond of the iconic drink, while only 13 percent attested to having drunk a Guinness in the past year. The most popular beer brands in the country were Corona, Bud Light and Budweiser, with Guinness coming in seventh after Coors. The U.K. ranked the Irish beverage seventh in terms of popularity as well, with Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois snagging the top spots. Guinness originated in a Dublin brewery in 1759 and has been part of multi-national alcoholic beverage conglomerate Diageo after its merger with Grand Metropolitan in 1997. The brand is Diageo's only foray into the beer market, with the rest of its portfolio including a variety of gin, whiskey, liqueur and rum. The company does not disaggregate its sales by segment but has seen an overall uptick in revenue and profit in the past three fiscal years. In the twelve months from July 2022 to June 2023, Diageo generated 3.8 billion pounds net profit out of revenues of 23.5 billion pounds, which constitutes a year-over-year increase of 12.8 and 4.9 percent, respectively. Tyler Durden Sat, 03/16/2024 - 07:35.....»»
Bankruptcy Laws Plus Inflation Equals Scam
Bankruptcy Laws Plus Inflation Equals Scam Via SchiffGold.com, At the end of 2022, investors all around the world who had bet big on cryptocurrency and had their cryptocurrency stored by the crypto exchange, FTX, received bad news. Sam Bankman-Fried and other leaders of the exchange had been using cryptocurrency that was supposedly stored by the exchange to make bets on financial markets. And the FTX leadership was bad at trading and racked up huge losses. FTX declared bankruptcy and many of FTX leaders were convicted of financial crimes. For the investors of FTX, it was a painful experience that came from betting on cryptocurrency and the viability of crypto institutions that managed such assets. Expected losses were claimed to be in the billions. But as of 2024, FTX’s bankruptcy lawyers began claiming that FTX creditors would be repaid in full. This claim is based on a technicality of bankruptcy law and is a feature that screws over investors and hides the reality of inflation. When FTX went bankrupt, the debts it owed the people who deposited their cryptocurrency with FTX were recorded based on the US dollar value at the time. Of course, cryptocurrency is a wildly volatile asset, primarily used for speculation rather than as a store of value or for actual transactions. This volatility contributed to the FTX bankruptcy as the value of assets it held at any time, changed over time. Currently, crypto prices are generally higher than at the time FTX went bankrupt, but it’s unclear how long this will last given crypto’s volatility. The US dollar is worth less than ever given two more years of the high inflation experienced during the Biden administration. This means that the cryptocurrency held by FTX can be exchanged for a relatively large amount of 2024 US dollars to repay debts that were measured in 2022 dollars. This is what FTX means by claiming it can now repay its creditors. Imagine if a similar thing happened with a gold storage company. A company promises to store gold bars for its customers, secretly loses many of them in bad bets, and declares bankruptcy. The company records how much it owes its customers- not in the amount of gold lost- but in what bankruptcy lawyers claim it was worth in US dollars. Then years later, as the dollar continues to inflate away its value relative to gold, the gold investors are repaid in devalued dollars. This is how bankruptcy and inflation combine to hurt investors. This is not the only area where ordinary people face a dynamic like this. When an employer withholds taxes from your paycheck, and you have to wait for your tax return to get it back, you are giving an interest-free loan to the government. This would be true no matter the currency that the United States used. But the United States uses a fiat currency that’s losing value over time. Not only does tax withholding mean that taxpayers are losing out on the interest they could have earned, they’re paid back in their refund in a currency that loses value month by month. Taxpayers pay into Social Security, pay for unemployment insurance, and all kinds of government programs. But even if we get our money back, each dollar in benefits is less than each dollar of tax that was paid. Bankruptcy law makes this scheme obvious, but it affects every American taxpayer. Tyler Durden Fri, 03/15/2024 - 19:00.....»»
Riley Gaines, 15 Other Female Athletes Sue NCAA Over Transgender Madness
Riley Gaines, 15 Other Female Athletes Sue NCAA Over Transgender Madness In the latest attack on transgender madness in women's sports, former University of Kentucky Wildcats swimmer Riley Gaines and 15 other female athletes have filed suit against the NCAA alleging violations of federal Title IX law arising from its insertion of man-to-woman transgender athletes into women's competition. “The NCAA’s most basic job is to protect the fairness and safety of competition, but instead the NCAA...continues to openly discriminate against women,” Gaines told The Free Press. Eight of the 16 plaintiffs who are trying to put an end to male intrusion into women's athletics (via The Free Press) Much of the complaint centers on what women experienced at the 2022 national swimming championships. Infamously, man-to-woman transgender Penn Quaker Lia Thomas was not only allowed to compete against women, but was also given use of the women's locker room -- as described in this excerpt from the 156-page complaint: The first time most of the Plaintiffs became aware of Thomas’ access to the women’s locker rooms and restrooms...was: (1) when Thomas walked in on them while they were fully naked or in a state of substantial undress....(2) when they unwittingly walked in on Thomas and observed Thomas undressed with male genitalia exposed...or (3) when Thomas undressed in front of them NC State Wolfpack swimmer Kylee Alons chose to change in a "dimly lit storage and utility closet" behind a set of bleachers, rather than risk being caught naked by Thomas or having to see him stand around naked, displaying his manhood. “I was literally racing U.S. and Olympic gold medalists and I was changing in a storage closet at this elite-level meet. I just felt that my privacy and safety were being violated in the locker room," Alons told the Free Press. Women's racing suits are so tight they "require 15 to 20 minutes to put on," notes the complaint. “While you’re doing this, you’re exposed,” said Kaitlynn Wheeler, another Kentucky swimmer, to the Free Press. “You can’t stand there and hold a towel around you while putting the suit on at the same time.” Thomas, who wasn't a noteworthy athlete when competing against fellow men, won the women's national championship in the 500m freestyle by a huge margin, beating three female Olympic medalists in the spectacle. 1 year ago today we watched Lia Thomas become the first male to win a D1 national title in the women's category. Notice how Thomas beats the fastest females in the entire country by body lengths.... @NCAA you're responsible. pic.twitter.com/ocNHaoViDJ — Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) March 17, 2023 Among the plaintiffs is Tylor Mathieu of the University of Florida Gators, who didn't make it to the final of the 500 free because Thomas took the slot. The inclusion of Thomas also cost Mathieu first-team All-American honors. Gaines noted that the NCAA swimming championship environment was even more Orwellian due to Title IX fanfare that accompanied it: “The NCAA was passing around shirts that said ‘50 years of Title IX’ and ‘50 years of creating opportunities for women,’ but these were the same people who were actively taking our opportunities away and telling us we weren’t worthy to be called champions, and instead this man, who merely says he is a woman, is.” Hammering home the irrationality of the NCAA's approach, the plaintiffs says the NCAA allows "men to compete on women’s teams with a testosterone level that is five times higher than the highest recorded testosterone level for elite female athletes.” It asserts that, regardless of having taken hormone suppressing drugs, post-pubescent men have a biological edge "which no woman can achieve without doping.” The plaintiffs want to force the NCAA to retract Lia Thomas's 2022 championship title and give it to then-Virginia Cavalier Emma Weyant The lawsuit was organized by the Independent Council on Women's Sports, a group that exists to "promote and protect women's sports." The plaintiffs, who also include track, tennis and volleyball athletes, are demanding that the NCAA make rule changes to bar biological males from women's competition, revoke awards previously given to men who beat women, and also pay "damages for pain and suffering, mental and emotional distress, suffering and anxiety, expense costs and other damages due to defendants’ wrongful conduct.” Tyler Durden Fri, 03/15/2024 - 19:20.....»»
A 101-year-old former CEO shared his longevity advice: Early retirement is "stultifying," and the Mediterranean diet is best
A former pharma CEO became a centenarian in 2022. He credits his longevity to the Mediterranean diet, daily walking, and keeping his brain active. I. Roy Cohen shared his secrets to longevity.Courtesy of the author.I. Roy Cohen celebrated his 101st birthday in October.The former CEO said his ambition and projects in retirement had led to a longer life.His health tips include eating fresh fish and vegetables, and he walks circuits around his home daily.When I. Roy Cohen was born in 1922, his parents' farmhouse had no running water or electricity. A wood stove in the kitchen heated the entire property, and there was an outhouse for a toilet."It was tough from day to day," Cohen, a second-generation immigrant to New York, told Business Insider.But his upbringing motivated him to aim high."I remember carrying buckets of water to the chicken coops, one in each hand," he said. "It was cold. 'I'm not going to live this way all my life,' I said to myself."Cohen, who attended a one-room schoolhouse, received a scholarship to an agricultural college — "The only thing it didn't cover was board and lodging," he said — where he earned a bachelor's in microbiology and a master's in biochemistry and nutrition.Cohen had a basic childhood on a farm with no electricity or running water.Courtesy of I. Roy Cohen.A pharmaceutical company hired him at a salary of $3,900 a year. He got married, had three children, and became the CEO of another pharmaceutical firm.Now 101 years old and still in his home, he's in good health. He manages his finances, oversees renovations, and is interested in philosophy."I keep in shape, mentally and physically," he said.He said he'd learned a series of longevity lessons over the decades and shared some with BI.Be ambitiousCohen said he "came from zero" to become a CEO.The centenarian took risks in his career, such as pivoting from research to a role in advertising at his first drug company, despite having no experience in the latter.Cohen spent his 55-year career at three companies, culminating in his role as CEO.Cohen with his wife, Joan, at a work function in the 1960s.Courtesy of I. Roy Cohen.He traveled the world — for business and pleasure — before retiring at 81."The idea of early retirement is horrible to me," he said of working almost six decades. "It's stultifying."He said the secret to a fulfilling career — and longevity in general — included stepping out of your comfort zone."If you want something badly enough, if you feel something's not right and you need a change, you'll find a way," he added.Work at relationshipsCohen, who had seven brothers and sisters, said he learned to "get along with other people," often out of necessity.His childhood revolved around relationships with his siblings."You have no choice but to figure out how to stay stable," he said. "If you live with a whole bunch of other people, you can't carry on wildly and selfishly as if you're the only person in the family."His first marriage was annulled after less than a year. It was sad, he said, but the experience helped him reconsider the idea of a life partner.Cohen and his wife, Joan, had 3 children and 6 grandchildren together.Courtesy of I. Roy Cohen"I was cautious about making that commitment again," he said, adding that he found "the right woman" in his second wife, Joan, a teacher, who died six years ago at 83."It took a while to adjust to each other, but, like all things, you have to work at it," Cohen said. "It's no good if you head down a negative pathway without communicating properly."He urged younger people to do the same. "You should keep an open mind and listen to the other person's point of view."Follow the Mediterranean Diet and walk dailyCohen thinks his longevity has a genetic element. His father and mother died at 86 and 90, respectively.Still, he said there were some simple rules he'd followed throughout his life.The 101-year-old, who said his only health issues were prostate-related, is a devotee of the Mediterranean Diet. He avoids processed foods and meat in favor of fresh fish, vegetables, and olive oil."If I want a snack, I'll munch on a piece of cauliflower, a carrot, or a red pepper," Cohen said. "I eat a lot of cabbage and salad."He said he'd long incorporated fitness into his life, starting with his work on the farm.Cohen with his wife and their first child, David, now 63.Courtesy of I. Roy Cohen."I used a pitchfork to throw bundles of hay onto the wagon and into the barn," he recalled. "You're lifting a chunk of hay over your head, and it's very difficult."These days, his exercise regimen involves 20 minutes of leg exercises while sitting on the bed every morning. He also walks "circuits" around his open-plan kitchen and living room. "I do at least 60 every day."Keep your brain agileThe centenarian said he was sorting paperwork to prepare his tax return for the accountant to submit in April."I keep track of all my finances," he said. "I tackle all the details before they before they even come up."It keeps my mind in shape."He said he "constantly has a project on the go." Most recently, he had the driveway and roof of his house redone and installed lighting in the trees."Being busy keeps me happy," Cohen said.He said it was important to nurture a positive attitude with age."People allow things that are not that important to drag them down," he said. "But you can't allow yourself to be angry or jealous all the time."He also said spirituality had helped steer him through life."It doesn't have to be organized religion, but it's important to try at least to figure out what makes the world tick."Do you have a powerful story to share with Business Insider? Please send details to jridley@businessinsider.com.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»
Judge threatens to kick DA Fani Willis off Trump"s Georgia election-interference case if top prosecutor doesn"t step aside
Willis can stay on the Trump case if the prosecutor she had a romantic relationship with steps aside. George Napolitano/FilmMagic; Joe Raedle/Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BIA judge issued a disqualification ruling in Trump's Fulton County election-interference case.The county's DA, Fani Willis, dated the man she hired as a special prosecutor to oversee the case.A lawyer for Mike Roman, a Trump codefendant, argued she benefited from his hiring.A Georgia judge has ruled that District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County can continue to oversee former President Donald Trump's historic state election-interference case — but only if her top prosecutor steps aside.Judge Scott McAfee's bombshell ruling Friday in the Superior Court of Fulton County followed a three-day evidentiary hearing earlier this month that centered on misconduct allegations against Willis and Nathan Wade, the Atlanta lawyer she hired to lead the inquiry into Trump and his allies' efforts to overturn Trump's Georgia loss during the 2020 presidential election.McAfee ruled that either Wade must step aside, or Willis and her entire office must give up the case.He wrote the "prosecution of this case cannot proceed until the State selects one of two options.""The District Attorney may choose to step aside, along with the whole of her office, and refer the prosecution to the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council for reassignment," he wrote. "Alternatively, SADA Wade can withdraw, allowing the District Attorney, the Defendants, and the public to move forward without his presence or remuneration distracting from and potentially compromising the merits of this case."Willis was in a romantic relationship with Wade.Ashleigh Merchant, an attorney for Trump's codefendant Mike Roman, had argued in a motion to disqualify Willis that Willis had a conflict of interest in the case because she improperly benefited from the relationship. That benefit, Merchant argued, included thousands of dollars that Wade had paid for Willis' travel to exotic vacations.Over the course of the emotion-filled hearings, McAfee heard from witnesses, including Willis, her former friend, her father, Wade, and Wade's former divorce attorney — attempting to determine when their relationship began and whether she benefited financially.Willis' ex-friend testified that Wade and Willis began dating shortly after they met in 2019, years before she hired him in November 2021 for the Trump case. Wade's ex-law partner and divorce attorney, Terrence Bradley, acknowledged in testimony he previously said in texts to Merchant he believed Willis "absolutely" started dating Wade before she hired him to lead the high-profile case.However, under questioning, Bradley said he was only "speculating" about the timing of Willis and Wade's relationship.McAfee wrote Friday that he was "unable to place any stock in the testimony of Terrance Bradley.""His inconsistencies, demeanor, and generally non-responsive answers left far too brittle a foundation upon which to build any conclusions," McAfee wrote. "While prior inconsistent statements can be considered as substantive evidence under Georgia law, Bradley's impeachment by text message did not establish the basis for which he claimed such sweeping knowledge of Wade's personal affairs."Wade and Willis both testified they didn't begin dating until early 2022, when they were already working together and they stopped dating last summer.They both testified at a February 15 evidentiary hearing that the district attorney had always been fiercely independent and insisted on paying her own way. If Wade laid out the cost of travel on his credit card, Willis paid him back in cash, which she didn't have a record of, or picked up other bills of equal value, they testified.Legal experts had largely agreed before her testimony that Willis' relationship with Wade was bad optics but didn't appear to rise to the level of a conflict of interest in the election-interference case.McAfee, in his order Friday, ultimately agreed. He said there was no real personal benefit for Willis in the prosecution, nor did she get kickback payments from Wade, as some defense lawyers alleged."In sum, the District Attorney has not in any way acted in conformance with the theory that she arranged a financial scheme to enrich herself (or endear herself to Wade) by extending the duration of this prosecution or engaging in excessive litigation," McAfee wrote.'An odor of mendacity remains'During closing arguments in the evidentiary hearing, defense attorneys for Roman, Trump, and other codefendants in the Georgia election-interference case said they demonstrated that Willis' relationship with Wade began before she hired him and that she benefited from his hire."If this court allows this kind of behavior to go on, and allows DAs across the state by its order to engage in these kinds of activities, the entire public confidence in the system will be shot, and the integrity of the system will be undermined," Merchant's husband, John Merchant, an attorney who is also representing Roman, said in closing arguments.In the hearing, Adam Abbate, a prosecutor with Willis' office, argued that the defense attorneys had to show an "actual" conflict of interest and failed to do so."It's a desperate attempt to remove a prosecutor from a case for absolutely no reason, your honor, other than harassment and embarrassment," Abbate said."This motion should be denied because the legal requirements that are required in order for the district attorney to be disqualified have not been satisfied," the prosecutor said."The defendants have failed to raise any issue legally or factually to satisfy the legal standard for disqualification," he said.McAfee said Willis had a "tremendous lapse in judgment" and behaved in an "unprofessional manner" on the witness stand during his hearings.He said that while he didn't find a real conflict of interest, "an odor of mendacity remains."The mere appearance of a conflict was strong enough to require removing either Wade or Willis from the case, he wrote."An outsider could reasonably think that the District Attorney is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences," he wrote. "As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist."Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the judge's ruling. The judge gave District Attorney Fani Willis an option to recuse herself and her office, or for her top prosecutor to withdraw from the case.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»
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