Olympic Watching

From Yahoo:

"How to Watch the Winter Olympics"

Thanks to the dramatic time difference between the U.S. and Sochi, some of the details about when and where to catch the Olympics might be fuzzy. Here's a handy guide to sort out the details. 

 

How can I watch events live?

For the first time during a Winter Olympics, every sporting event (there's one big exception we'll cover below) will be streamed live and online at NBCOlympics.com and through the NBC Sports Live Extra mobile app. Yahoo will have you covered with daily highlights if you aren't up at all hours of the night.

Can I watch all the Olympic events online?

Well, yes and no. NBC is implementing a 30-minute “free pass” to its subscribers for online Olympic videos. After the 30 minutes are up subscribers are asked to verify that they are in fact paying customers. Every subsequent attempt at watching Olympic videos online is limited to five minutes. For a detailed explanation on the verification process, please visit the NBC help page.

When is the Opening Ceremony? 

The Opening Ceremony is slated to air on NBC Friday, Feb. 7, 11 a.m. EST/8 a.m. PST, but it’s important to note the Opening Ceremony will be one of the only Olympics events that will NOT be streamed online. Otherwise, NBC Sports Network will present more than 230 hours of Olympics television coverage from Sochi, which is the most ever on a cable network. 

 

Where is a TV schedule for the Olympics? 

Sochi is nine hours ahead of North America’s Eastern Standard Time Zone (EST). Live coverage on NBCSN will usually begin at the 3 a.m. EST and continue for 12 hours, and live online feeds that take place in the early morning (U.S. time) will be restarted again at 3:00 p.m. EST the same day, every day. You can find each day’s full schedule: here or here.  Yahoo will also have video clips of the best Olympics moments of each day so check back daily.

 

When are some of the most popular events on TV? 

Below is a schedule of some of the most watched Winter events:

Tuesday, Feb. 11 — 12:30 p.m. EST/9:30 a.m. PST — Men’s halfpipe finals

Wednesday, Feb. 12 -- 7:30 a.m. EST/4:30 a.m. PST -- Women’s hockey, Canada vs. U.S.

Saturday, Feb. 15 — 7:30 a.m. EST/4:30 a.m. PST — Men’s hockey U.S. vs. Russia 

Wednesday, Feb. 19 — 11:15 a.m. EST/8:15 a.m. PST — Women’s bobsled

Thursday, Feb. 20 —10:00 a.m. EST/ 7:00 a.m. PST — Women’s free skate 

Sunday, Feb. 23 — 7:00 a.m. EST/4:00 a.m. PST — Men’s hockey finals 

 

All figure skating competitions will air live on cable during the day, and similar to previous Olympics, key performances will be aired on tape delay on NBC. Figure skating coverage will begin the morning of Feb. 8 with the team event, and Olympians Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir will be commentators for the figure skating events.  

 

How do I watch the closing ceremony on TV? 

The closing ceremony will be held on Feb. 23 and aired live at 11 a.m. EST/8 a.m. PST.

What Twitter feeds should I follow for Olympic highlights?  

Here are some good Twitter handles to help you catch and follow all the Sochi action: @wyshynski (editor of the Puck Daddy blog for Yahoo! Sports) @danwetzel (Yahoo! Sports columnist)   @MillerBode (Official account of U.S. alpine skier Bode Miller)  @lolojones (Official account of U.S. bobsledder Lolo Jones) @shaun_white (Official account of U.S. snowboarder Shaun White) @tedligety (Official account of U.S. alpine skier Ted Ligety) @ashwagner2010 (Official account of U.S. figure skater Ashley Wagner) @GracEGold (Official account of U.S. figure skater Gracie Gold) @lindseyvonn (Official account of NBC Olympics commentator and U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn) @usskiteam (Official account of the U.S. Ski Team) This Winter Olympics public Twitter list (Created by NBC's Nick Zaccardi @nzaccardi) @NBCOlympics @2014Sochi @Olympics @USOlympic @Sochi2014

 

How do I avoid spoilers? 

Many diehard Olympics fans will try to stay away from any spoilers before watching the actual events, but in the age of digital madness, real-time results are becoming harder and harder to avoid.

If you really want to keep the blinders on, you’re going to have to temporarily disable the whole social media shebang, especially the big guns: Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Google Plus, etc. For many of us, doing away with social media for two weeks sounds like an apocalypse, so if you’re getting sweats and chills just thinking about the social media withdrawals, you can at least organize your newsfeeds. Be especially sure to hide the statuses of people who tend to post about news event in real time. (We all have at least a few of those social media titans in our circles.)

If you’re a Twitter fiend, be sure to use TweetDeck to track hashtags and keyword searches in the midst of reading about your friends’ latest opinions on kale. You can also turn off tweets that contain certain words. Under settings, choose "Global Filter." Then type in “Olympics” or certain events for which you're especially interested, and you should be able to avoid the cheers and jeers about the latest Sochi news until you're ready to soak it in. Finally, dumb down your smartphone. Delete apps that will automatically post results, and be sure to turn off those spontaneous news alerts.

Good luck out there, Olympics fans!

 

^ I've included this so people know what to watch and when. ^

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/how-to-watch-the-winter-olympics-173200561.html

Generation War

From DW:

"German war drama stirs up controversy abroad"

The German World War II miniseries "Generation War" extends the debate about German guilt beyond German borders. Now, with a US release imminent, the media there have poured scorn on the production's intentions. Germans tend to know there is no denying the past. Early on they are confronted with the dark doings, horrors and atrocities of the Nazi regime. German schools rigorously educate about the Nazi past and it's safe to argue that Germans, no matter how old, are very much aware of their Nazi past, even nearly 70 years after the end of World War II. However, the way Germans cope with this past has radically changed throughout the last decades and is continuously debated and scrutinized. For a while, Germany was thought of as the world champion in remembrance and praised for working so hard to cope with its fascist past. But a recent German film production has re-ignited the international debate over German "Vergangenheitsbewältigung," a word that was created to express how a nation comes to terms with its past.  "Generation War," or "Our Mothers, Our Fathers," as the original German title translates to, is Germany's most recent look back at its Nazi history. Now the three-part series, commissioned by German public broadcaster ZDF, has been picked up for release in the United States as a two-part movie, with a TV broadcast also in the works. It was also recently broadcast on Australian national public television and BBC2 will air it later this year. Ultimately the movie is supposed to be released in more than 80 countries. The war drama was a huge hit in Germany, chronicling the lives and war experiences of five fictional German friends - one of them a Jew - in their early twenties from 1941 to 1945. It attracted 7.63 million viewers in Germany for its final episode, or nearly a quarter of all German TV watchers, and was especially praised for its nuanced depiction of the soldiers of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Germany during World War II, for not simply juxtaposing good and evil but rather creating multi-faceted characters who are neither victims nor perpetrators. However, the movie's reception was much different abroad. In Poland many were outraged by the series' portrayal of Polish anti-Semitism. Polish media even talked about a "falsification of history" and accused Germans of becoming ignorant in their culture of remembrance. It was claimed that "Generation War" unfairly portrayed the resistance soldiers of the Polish Home Army (AK) as one-dimensional Nazis, while the five German protagonists were developed into highly complex characters. The World Association of Soldiers of the AK with its 12,000 members is now even suing ZDF for defamation. The American media isn't happy with "Generation War" either, which is being billed as a German "Band of Brothers". "The New Yorker" called it "an appeal for forgiveness," arguing "the movie sells dubious innocence in the hope of eliciting reconciliation." "The New York Times" had a similar take on it, writing: "Generation War, emotionally charged but not exactly anguished, represents an attempt to normalize German history." But Robert Moeller, a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, questions this criticism. He says it's legitimate for Germany to create more empathetic war movies because Germany already settled an important internal debate: that the Holocaust is central to Germany's national self-identity. "It's only possible to talk about more nuanced ways of the complexity of human decision making in the 1930s and 40s because of this very vibrant culture of memory that exists in so many different places in Germany today," Moeller told DW.  According to Moeller you need to only look around Berlin to immediately recognize that Germany's capital and the former seat of Nazi Germany is packed with reminders of the past: from the Jewish Museum, to the Topography of Terror and the Holocaust memorial. And compared to the US, Germany has come a long way coping with its past, according to Moeller. In fact, he said the US can learn from Germany. "If you go to the National Mall in the US you can see monuments recording dead Americans, nowhere in the Mall is there a monument for dead Cambodians or dead Vietnamese who've been killed by Americans." Moeller thinks one reason why "Generation War" has faced such criticism in the US is that most Americans don't know the extent to which Germany has incorporated its guilt and its past into everyday life. "I think many Americans carry around preconceptions in their heads, such as thinking Germans are all horrible anti-Semites and they always were, that all they were out to do is kill all the Jews," he said. "And so I can imagine that one possible response to the film will be to say: here we go again." That's why Moeller actually welcomes movies airing in the United States that don't depict Germans in WW II as stereotypical evil demons. "I can't think of a movie in the United States where there is an empathetic understanding of the German who goes to war," he said.  German historian Ulrike Jureit doesn't like this common one-sided depiction of "evil" Germans either. But Jureit, who specializes in the culture of memory and remembrance of World War II, agrees with one of the main complaints. She believes the series is not a realistic depiction of German society in 1941, given that none of the five protagonists are portrayed as absolute Nazis. "You only have minor characters in the movie that ideologically justify the system to the core and those characters are tagged negatively. And that's where the movie loses sight of something that was simply reality in Germany at that time, also for young people in their early 20s," she told DW.

What Jureit does find remarkable is that "Generation War" manages to portray the main characters as ambivalent. "They are neither depicted as positive heroes nor as demonic monsters. They have active elements that make them perpetrators but they also get into situations in which they are the passive victims. You wouldn't have seen such a depiction of the past 20 years ago," she said. Christian Schneider, a German sociologist and psychoanalyst who has published several books on the complex culture of remembrance in Germany, agrees. "We are now approaching a new phase of dealing with the war in Germany and 'Generation War' is a great example for that," he told DW. The first two decades after World War II were characterized by a deafening silence and a collective amnesia regarding the Holocaust, Schneider explained. A new rebellious generation in the late 1960s then started questioning their parents' role in the war, resulting in a protest movement demanding a critical re-examination of the past. "Only recently have we started to look at the past a bit more differentiated and have recognized that not all perpetrators were demons," said Schneider. For Jureit it all comes down to a generational debate, as the title already reflects. But rather than seeing the generational distance as a deficit, as it is often portrayed in Germany, Jureit thinks it instead brings a new perspective and opens up the chance to cope with history in a different manner. Both Jureit and Schneider believe "Generation War" could be a positive start for a modern way of dealing with the past in Germany. "The challenge for our society now is to let a new generation, which has radically changed due to immigration, ask their own questions when it comes to the past," Jureit said. "And it doesn't mean that this new perspective will be less empathetic towards the people that suffered during the Holocaust. But it might make it possible to draw political consequences from our history that are relevant for our reality nowadays," she added.

^ I am interested in seeing this movie for myself and to see for myself how it deals with the war. Until I do I can't say much as it would just be based on other people's opinions. I can say that in the past few decades Germans have had a different attitude toward their role in the war. On the one hand the German Government now seems to actively want to bring the few remaining Nazis to justice (something they never really did in the past) and on the other side there are the groups trying to portray the German people as victims. The majority of Germans were not victims. The Nazi war machine involved every single aspect of daily life and so no one over 18 years old in 1945 can say they "Didn't know" or they weren't involved. Even though it is almost 70 years since the war ended that is no excuse to over-look the facts just to start feeling better about that dark point in your country's past (every country has dark points and they need to be admitted and made sure never to occur again.) ^

http://www.dw.de/german-war-drama-stirs-up-controversy-abroad/a-17412435

Citizen Changes

From the Globe and Mail:

"Ten ways Ottawa is changing how to become a Canadian citizen"

The federal government has tabled changes to Canada’s citizenship law, billed as the first overhaul in a generation. The rules make it tougher to get citizenship but also pledge to tackle the backlog of applications. Here are some of the major changes.

Longer waits to apply for citizenship:

The wait time for a resident to apply for citizenship is getting longer. Under the new rules, when passed, a resident will need to have lived at least four of six years in Canada, including at least half a year physically in the country for four of those six years. Previously, the requirement was three of four years, with no requirement to be physically present. The changes will also include a new question on a citizenship application form, asking applicants to declare an “intent to reside” in Canada as a citizen, with government saying the purpose is to signal citizenship is meant for people who want to live in Canada. However, it’s largely ceremonial – the department won’t be checking up on the residency of people once they have citizenship. 

Tougher language requirements:

Applicants from age 14 to 64 will now have to meet a language requirement in English or French, as well as a knowledge requirement in either language. Current rules applied only those aged to 18 to 54, and the knowledge requirement could be done with help of an interpreter. Departmental officials stressed this was to further signal citizenship is for those who intend to live, work and integrate in Canada. The age requirement raises to 64, with government saying people are working longer and need to have the language skills to do so.

 

Residency fast-track for soldiers:

This offers a faster track to citizenship for those who are a permanent resident who enlists with, or a foreign national on exchange with, the Canadian Forces. Doing so continuously essentially knocks a year off the residency requirement – after three years in the forces, a candidate is eligible to apply for citizenship.

Revoking citizenship from terrorists:

This is a major change carried forward from a private member’s bill that failed to pass last year.  Critically, it applies only to dual citizens, as Canada isn’t able to leave someone stateless. The rules would allow Canada to revoke citizenship from dual citizens involved in an organized “armed conflict” within Canada, and deny citizenship to permanent residents who do the same. Authorities could also strip citizenship from dual citizens convicted of terrorism, treason or spying abroad. The process also gives the federal cabinet power to “streamline” removals of those who have their citizenship revoked, but complex cases would be decided by a federal court, departmental officials said.

Higher fines, prison sentences for fraud:

Immigration fraud can include lying about whether someone lives in Canada or has adequate knowledge of the country, or misrepresenting whether any criminal issues would prevent someone from getting citizenship. Current penalties included a maximum fine of $1,000 and/or a year in prison. The new fines are a maximum fine of $100,000 and/or five years in prison. 

More power to the minister:

The new rules concentrate more power in the hands of the Citizenship and Immigration Minister, including some that currently reside with cabinet, such as the final authority for decisions on citizenship revocation and discretionary grants of citizenship. It gives the current minister, Chris Alexander, the power to unilaterally grant citizenship.

Streamlining the application process:

The current process takes three steps and includes a citizenship judge. The new one will take one step and require only a citizenship officer, with judges instead mostly presiding over citizenship applications. The number of citizenship judges – 30 full-time-equivalent positions, currently – is expected to decline. Government is also adding a new $300 fee for adult applicants, who currently pay only 20 per cent of an application cost. A “right of citizenship” fee of $100 also remains in effect. Amid it all, government hopes to cut down a backlog, which is currently between two and three years and includes 320,000 cases, to one year by 2015-2016. The application screening process will apply to the current backlog once the bill is passed, but the new requirements, such as on residency, will not affect those who have already applied for citizenship.

Tax requirements:

Prospective citizens will need to file taxes in Canada for four out of six years in order to submit an application for residency. The current rules don’t require them to file taxes in Canada. The changes don’t appear to affect Canadians working and living abroad. 

Creates standards for registered immigration consultants:

Under the current rules, immigration consultants aren’t registered or regulated by government, a system Ottawa says is vulnerable to abuse and fraud. The new law will define who an “authorized representative” is and develop regulations to create a regulatory body. Immigration consultants had asked for this, to ward off those who aren’t legitimate professionals.

More help for "Lost Canadians":

Changes made in 2009 fixed a loophole that excluded citizenship for some so-called “Lost Canadians,” such as Jackie Scott, pictured above. Those changes applied to the vast majority of cases, departmental officials said, but the new rules tabled Thursday will further expand the initiative. Under the new rules, those born before 1947 in the country, and their first generation born abroad, will be eligible for citizenship.

^ I don't see an issue with the majority of these changes, but I would like to know what the Canadian Government is doing to fix the back-log on native Canadians (born outside Canada) receiving their proof of Canadian Citizenship. It took me 10 months to even hear anything. The first priority for the Canadian Government should be Canadian citizens and then those that want to be Canadians. Also nothing is mentioned about doing away with the stupid provision that Canadians born outside of Canada in the second generation can not give Canadian citizenship to their children unless their children are born in Canada. That is the worst "crime" since it makes many children stateless. ^

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ten-ways-ottawa-is-changing-how-to-become-a-canadian-citizen/article16724611/

Benefit Calculator

From the Stars and Stripes:

"New GI Bill tool helps calculate benefits, compares schools"

The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a new tool to help servicemembers, veterans and their families calculate Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and compare schools and training programs nationwide. The GI Bill Comparison Tool brings together information from more than 17 online sources and three federal agencies and seeks to provide key information about costs and quality of education. The comparison tool was developed in response to President Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13607 of April 27, 2012, which instructed agencies to establish standards for educational institutions that interact with servicemembers, veterans and their families, provide information on the costs and quality of institutions and programs, prevent deceptive recruiting practices and provide quality academic and student support services, according to a VA statement announcing the launch of the program. The order was preceded by years of predatory practices in which institutions and programs failed to deliver on educational promises, leading many in Washington to suggest that large amounts of benefit dollars were being wasted. The VA still has to work out some bugs with the new site, but customers will be able to calculate and even apply for their benefits, take an interests-and-aptitudes assessment, compare schools and programs, peruse careers and job opportunities and have access to counseling services. Users also will be able to compare the number of students receiving VA benefits at each school. In addition to calculating benefit funding, the tool also shows how much users can receive for books and living stipends and whether the school in question participates in the VA’s Yellow Ribbon Program, which helps students avoid out-of-pocket tuition and fees that may exceed the Post 9/11 GI Bill tuition benefit. The tool also shows how the school compares to others in graduation rates and financial aid, according to a statement from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who along with Student Veterans of America and the American Legion have worked closely with the White House and legislators on initiatives such as the comparison tool. “Before this tool launched, estimating how much beneficiaries may receive under the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit was challenging,” VA Deputy Undersecretary for the Office of Economic Opportunity Curtis Coy wrote in a VA blog posting. “The new comparison tool makes it easy to estimate Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits with just one click.” Coy also said that the VA will add functionality in the future, such as the ability to compare up to three schools side-by-side. “By offering student veterans better comparison information, we help them to choose the right schools and programs that match their goals,” VFW National Commander William Thien said in the statement. “In the past, veterans who wanted to use their GI Bill educational benefits would have to search through three different government agencies to find all of the information they can now find in a few simple clicks on the new Department of Veterans Affairs comparison tool.” The launch was also applauded by college and university representatives.

“We’re very supportive of the comparison tool,” said Michael Dakduk, vice president of military and veterans affairs for the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, a voluntary membership organization of accredited, private, postsecondary schools, institutes, colleges and universities. “It will allow military veterans to choose the institution that best fits their needs.”

The comparison tool comes on the heels of the VA’s launch last week of a secure online GI Bill complaint system to report fraud, waste and abuse. That website is designed to collect feedback from servicemembers, veterans and their families on issues they might be experiencing with educational institutions that receive funding from federal military and veterans benefits programs such as the GI Bill and tuition assistance. The Post-9/11 GI Bill is an educational benefit program created by Congress in 2008. Veterans and servicemembers are generally eligible if they have served on active duty for 90 or more days since Sept. 10, 2001. The VA has dispersed more than $30 billion in tuition and education-related payments to more than 1 million servicemembers, veterans and their families since 2009, the VA statement said.

 

^ This benefit calculator is a good thing since it puts all the different things into one area that soldiers can check and learn what is and isn't covered. ^

 

http://www.stripes.com/news/new-gi-bill-tool-helps-calculate-benefits-compares-schools-1.265696

Olympic Woes

From WSJ:

"Russian Officials Fire Back at Olympic Critics"

Rooms without doorknobs, locks or heat, dysfunctional toilets, surprise early-morning fire alarms and a Welcome Wagon of stray dogs: These are the initial images of the 2014 Winter Olympics that foreign journalists have blasted around the world from their officially assigned hotels—and the wave of criticism has rankled Russian officials.  Dmitry Kozak, the deputy prime minister responsible for the Olympic preparations, seemed to reflect the view held among many Russian officials that some Western visitors are deliberately trying to sabotage Sochi's big debut out of bias against Russia. "We have surveillance video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and then leave the room for the whole day," he said. An aide then pulled a reporter away before Mr. Kozak could be questioned further on surveillance in hotel rooms. "We're doing a tour of the media center," the aide said. A spokesman for Mr. Kozak later on Thursday said there is absolutely no surveillance in hotel rooms or bathrooms occupied by guests. He said there was surveillance on premises during construction and cleaning of Sochi's venues and hotels and that is likely what Mr. Kozak was referencing. A senior official at a company that built a number of the hotels also said there is no such surveillance in rooms occupied by guests.  Mr. Kozak toured the giant, gleaming new media center Thursday morning, marveling at the huge workspace built specially for the thousands of journalists who have come from around the world to cover the Games.  Asked about the widely reported problems with hotel rooms not being ready for guests, he was dismissive. "We've put 100,000 guests in rooms and only gotten 103 registered complaints and every one of those is being taken care of," he said. (It wasn't clear what Mr. Kozak was counting as a registered complaint.) In a news conference, Mr. Kozak said he had no "claims against Western or Russian journalists who are doing their jobs." Most of the critical views of the accommodations or preparations amount to "small imperfections in the Olympic facilities and tourist infrastructure," Mr. Kozak said, noting that it wasn't long ago that the entire Olympic area was an "open field." "The realization of such a project is an enormous victory for the entire country," he said. "As we say in Russia, victors don't get blamed."

Vladimir Yakunin, president of the national rail operator Russian Railways, which built much of the infrastructure for the Games, including subcontracting on some accommodations that weren't completed on time, attacked Western coverage as biased in a blog Thursday. "I'm very offended that the closer we get to the opening of the Olympics, the more hysteria around Russia becomes inflamed in the Western media," he wrote. "There's not a word about the quality of the Olympic facilities, about the fact that the level of readiness of the Olympic infrastructure has no analogues in the world." To build the facilities for the roughly $50 billion Sochi Olympics, Russia has built nearly an entire city from scratch. Organizers completed all the sporting venues, including the hockey and figure skating arenas, well ahead of time, as well as two villages for the Olympic competitors—one in the mountains and one by the sea.

Indeed, some American athletes have been pleasantly surprised after all the reports of the problematic hotels. U.S. short-track speed skater Sugar Todd said she had heard the horror stories about accommodations, but she could barely muster a complaint about her own Olympic digs. When she arrived here last week for her first trip to the Games, she only noticed that her shared room was so spacious that it looked almost as if it were missing furniture. "The doors all have doorknobs. The lights all have light bulbs," she said. "The water is hot and running and doesn't come out a strange color. So I'm feeling pretty good." Her long-track compatriot Brian Hansen only noticed a couple of small things that, he said, were never issues in Vancouver four years ago. "When we got here, there was no soap and no trash cans," he said. "One other thing, there's no place to put our luggage." Needing far more than the single closet Hansen and Joey Mantia share, four bags of clothes and gear are strewed over the floor. But while Sochi's organizers completed the accommodations reserved for Olympic competitors and top Olympic officials well in advance, much of the housing and hotels for the media fell by the wayside, particularly in the mountain media village, one of the most problematic sites in the Olympic project. A number of hotels were simply not fully completed, with workers furiously painting and constructing bits of buildings in recent days.

Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, responded to the outpouring of criticism in an interview with the Russian radio station Kommersant FM on Wednesday. He said that stray dogs were indeed a problem in Sochi but characterized the complaints about the hotels as a matter of taste. "In fairness, I would ask everyone to recall the reports from international and our domestic media about various Olympics," Mr. Peskov said. "Everywhere someone doesn't like the food, someone doesn't like the hotel, someone thinks the mattress is too hard, etc. That is, such complaints accompany all Olympics. But the guest is always right and the organizer is obliged to listen to these complaints." He said he is sure Sochi's organizers are working around the clock to fix the "flaws."

 

^ It seems there are more issues for the Sochi Olympics that go well beyond security/terrorism concerns. Every Russian official from the top-down is blaming all these bad things on a "Western conspiracy" (which seems like a typical response from the old Soviet days.) If there are problems then admit them, try to fix them and move on. I have said from the beginning that Sochi was not the right place to hold the Winter Olympics. It is the Myrtle Beach of Russia and while they do get some snow they don't get enough to hold winter sports. There are dozens of cities in Siberia that would be better as they have snow 9 months out of the year. They say these are the most expensive Games ever and yet many are questioning where that money went to (probably to bribes and other kick-backs.) I have lived in Russia and know what things ordinary Russians go through that most foreigners would think are backwards. There is a reason that many Russians look older than they actually are (30 year old look 60) and that's because life in Russia is hard. It is still a Third World country that has an unbalanced system of wealth. Those that are rich are millionaires (usually through illegal means) and everyone else is poor.  There really isn't a middle class in the US sense of the term. As much as I am interested in things Russian I am still a realist. Yes, Russia built a whole new Sochi in 7 years and that is great, but to simply build things that aren't of good quality or aren't finished is just as bad as not building them in the first place. It's sad to say, but maybe Russia wasn't made for hosting the Olympics. The USSR tried in 1980 and 65 countries boycotted them which made the Games a fail and now all these problems at Sochi and the Games haven't even started yet. I also don't understand why there are competitions today and the Opening Ceremonies are tomorrow. What's the point of opening something a day after they already started? ^

 

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304680904579366712107461956?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304680904579366712107461956.html

 

Internet Censoring

From USA Today:

"Top 10 Internet-censored countries"

Countries where the Internet is most controlled and speaking your mind on it can get you in serious trouble with the government, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists:

1. North Korea. All websites are under government control. About 4% of the population has Internet access.

2. Burma. Authorities filter e-mails and block access to sites of groups that expose human rights violations or disagree with the government.

3. Cuba. Internet available only at government controlled "access points." Activity online is monitored through IP blocking, keyword filtering and browsing history checking. Only pro-government users may upload content.

4. Saudi Arabia. Around 400,000 sites have been blocked, including any that discuss political, social or religious topics incompatible with the Islamic beliefs of the monarchy.

5. Iran. Bloggers must register at the Ministry of Art and Culture. Those that express opposition to the mullahs who run the country are harassed and jailed.

6. China. China has the most rigid censorship program in the world. The government filters searches, block sites and erases "inconvenient" content, rerouting search terms on Taiwan independence or the Tiananmen Square massacre to items favorable to the Communist Party.

7. Syria. Bloggers who "jeopardize national unity" are arrested. Cybercafes must ask all customers for identification, record time of use and report the information to authorities.

8. Tunisia. Tunisian Internet service providers must report to the government the IP addresses and personal information of all bloggers. All traffic goes through a central network. The government filters all content uploaded and monitors e-mails.

9. Vietnam. The Communist Party requires Yahoo, Google and Microsoft to divulge data on all bloggers who use their platforms. It blocks websites critical of the government, as well as those that advocate for democracy, human rights and religious freedom.

10. Turkmenistan. The only Internet service provider is the government. It blocks access to many sites and monitors all e-mail accounts in Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail.

^ This is not surprising in the least. They are all countries that aren't democratic and don't care what their citizens want. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/05/top-ten-internet-censors/5222385/

CVS Smoked

From the BBC:
"CVS Caremark pharmacies to halt tobacco sales"

CVS Caremark, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the US, will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products, its chief executive has said. The announcement drew swift praise from President Barack Obama, who said the move would save lives. The 7,600 CVS shops in the US will have tobacco products off the shelves by 1 October, CEO Larry Merlo said. The move will cost the company about $2bn (£1.22bn) in annual revenue but is "the right thing to do", he said. Mr Merlo said CVS Caremark, which employs 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners, would be the first national pharmacy chain to take this action. He said the company's employees worked every day to help patients manage chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which he said were aggravated by tobacco use. And he said the company would launch a smoking cessation programme in the spring, aimed at those who want to quit tobacco. Years of tightening restrictions on where smokers are allowed to light up, as well as effective public anti-tobacco campaigns and prohibitively high tobacco taxes have dramatically reduced the percentage of Americans who smoke.

^ The only thing this move will do is help CVS loose $2 billion a year. I know the dangers of smoking (and I don't personally smoke) but I don't think it is right for governments (Federal, state or local) to impose any limits on smoking as long as cigarettes are legal in the country. Of course CVS doesn't fall under this category as it is  private business and it can do what it wants. I'm talking about the smoking bans in bars, restaurants, airports, etc that openly discriminate against smokers. There is an easy way to let non-smokers not have to inhale the smoke while still letting smokers smoke inside and comfortably and yet governments around the country and the world continue to impose their discriminatory laws. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26051519

CDN Links

This is the same list I did on direct air links for the US, but this time for Canada. There are a lot more places around the globe that do not have links to Canada (vs the US.)

The following countries/territories do not have direct air links to Canada:

Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Aland Islands, Albania, Alderney, Angola, Anguilla, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Comoros, Congo (Republic), Cook Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo (Dem. Republic), Djibouti, Dominica, East Timor, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greenland, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Iran, Iraq, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (North), Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, New Caledonia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Cyprus, Northern Ireland  Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guiana, Paraguay, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, Rwanda, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Samoa, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Eustatitus, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Sao Tome and Principe, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Transnistria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Wales, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Working Decline

From the BBC:
"'Obamacare' will reduce US workforce, report finds"

President Barack Obama's health law will cut the US workforce by the equivalent of more than two million workers, a congressional watchdog says.The reductions will begin in 2017 after the law's provisions take full effect, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said in its report. Lower-income workers will be hardest hit, limiting their hours to avoid losing federal subsidies. Conservatives and the White House promptly clashed over the findings. In Tuesday's report the nonpartisan CBO said work hours would be reduced by the equivalent of 2.3 million full-time workers by 2021. The watchdog had previously estimated the healthcare law would result in 800,000 fewer full-time workers by 2021.  According to the findings, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, will result in a slower rate of employment growth over the next decade.  The congressional analysts say there will be fewer workers because healthcare subsidies would "reduce incentives to work" and pose an "implicit tax on working" for those returning to a job with health insurance.  The report provided fodder for congressional Republicans who are likely to make the health law a major issue in November's midterm elections. "The middle class is getting squeezed in this economy, and this CBO report confirms that Obamacare is making it worse," Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said in a statement on Tuesday.    The White House said the CBO findings show an impact on labour supply not demand, arguing this does not mean businesses are cutting jobs. The law means people "will be empowered to make choices about their own lives and livelihoods", said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. He said the law would also allow participants the freedom to retire early or become stay-at-home parents. The healthcare law has been beset by controversy since its October rollout. President Obama's Democratic allies have been trying to distance themselves from the issue in the lead-up to November's elections.

^ Of course Obama and his minions knew about this as they created the law and made sure it goes into full effect after he leaves office. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26041966

US Links

You always hear how the United States is the place of dreams and that everyone the world over dreams of coming here and making something of themselves.  It surprises me just how many places have no direct links. I assumed most of Africa and Asia wouldn't, but not Europe.

With that said, here is a list of countries/territories that have no direct air-link to the US:

Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Aland Islands, Albania, Alderney, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Republic), Croatia, Cyprus, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo (Dem. Republic), Djibouti, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Greenland, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Isle of Man, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Korea (North), Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, New Caledonia, Niger, Northern Cyprus, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Reunion, Romania, Rwanda, Saba, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, South Ossetia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Sao Tome and Principe, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Transnistria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Wales, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

These countries/territories have direct air links only to a US Territory and not one of the 50 US States or DC:

Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Palau, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,

These countries/territories have no airports:

Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City

War Toys

From USA Today:

"Museum to display Anne Frank's rediscovered toys"

Shortly before Anne Frank and her family went into hiding from the Nazis, she gave some of her toys to a non-Jewish girlfriend who lived in the building next door. The Anne Frank House Museum says the toys have now been recovered and Anne's tin of marbles will go on display Wednesday at the Kunsthal art gallery in Rotterdam. The neighbor, Toosje Kupers, kept the marbles along with a tea set and a book. It was only when Kupers, 83, was moving last year that she thought to mention the marbles to the museum. Kupers told Dutch national broadcaster NOS that she didn't consider the marbles that special. She said shortly before the Frank family left the square they both lived on, the Merwedeplein, Anne approached her for a favor. "'I'm worried about my marbles, because I'm scared they might fall into the wrong hands,'" Kupers said Anne told her. "'Could you keep them for me for a little while?'" Anne and Toosje, frequent playmates in each other's homes and on the square, couldn't have known that Anne wouldn't be coming back, museum head of collections Teresien da Silva said.

On July 6, 1942, about two years after the beginning of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in World War II, the Frank family went into hiding in a concealed apartment above a warehouse. They told everyone but a small circle of helpers that they were going to stay with family in Switzerland.

The Kupers also took Anne's cat Moortje at that time. In August 1944, the Frank family was betrayed, arrested and deported. Anne died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945. Her diary was recovered and published after the war by her father Otto, the only member of the family to survive. It has become the most widely read document to emerge from the Holocaust. "So many people know about Anne Frank because of the diary, which was written under such unusual circumstances," da Silva said. "(But) the marbles are a reminder that she was just a little girl."

^ Having worked at the Holocaust Museum I know how important it is to preserve all aspects of the Holocaust victims and survivors (from before the war, during the war and after the war.) Each article brings a clearer picture of who the person was and how they changed (if they did.) ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/04/anne-frank-nazis-marbles/5199617/

Thriving Vets

From the Stars and Stripes:

"Helping wounded vets move from 'surviving' to 'thriving'"

Back when Michael Baker was a nuclear submarine technician in the Navy, he was a triathlete who spent as much time as he could exploring the Hawaiian outdoors near his naval base. But since a motorcycle accident eight years ago left him with extensive brain damage and without half of his right foot, much of his life is now spent confined to a couch of in his parents’ home in West Virginia.

His mother, Cathy, is relieved that he isn’t in a medical institution, but she quibbles with government officials labeling him a veteran who is “living independently.” He requires 24-hour supervision; some days even crossing the room seems an insurmountable challenge. “He still wants to do things, to be productive and useful with his life,” she said. “He has lost so much, but he hasn’t lost everything.”

In recent years, lawmakers and veterans groups have focused largely on making sure the Department of Veterans Affairs is prepared the fulfill the basic medical needs of the wave of new veterans: ending the benefits backlog, improving mental health care and expanding outreach efforts.But absent from much of that conversation is an in-depth look at what it means to fully repay — or repair — veterans who return from service with life-altering injuries. Benefits from the VA can be generous, but they are limited to medical needs and crises. They often don’t cover broader emotional and spiritual needs, like the desire to be a productive member of a local community. This year, officials from Wounded Warrior Project will set aside $30 million to help about 300 injured veterans get closer to true independence, through additional medical care, therapy and assistance programs. It’s a dramatic expansion of the group’s three-year-old Independence Program, designed to provide financial security and peace of mind for wounded veterans. It’s a lot of money, but officials say it meets just a fraction of the need. “There’s a new vision of success for many of these wounded veterans,” said Steve Nardizzi, executive director of the Wounded Warrior Project. “It’s not institutional care or isolation at home. “The vision for success should be the same as you and me: Having a happy life, getting back with their families, getting a job and being as independent as they can be.” Veterans in the WWP program are screened to ensure financial need and potential for a better life. Organizers conducted several interviews with Baker and his parents on their hopes before sketching out long-term goals for the family and coordinating with local community groups.

Of the $30 million set aside this year, about $10 million will go toward 250 veterans with brain injuries, missing limbs and other potentially limiting serious injuries. All receive financial help from VA programs, but Nardizzi said the limitations of those funds demand help from outside groups like his. About $20 million will be set aside in a trust for the long-term financial support of 40 families, ensuring independent living for at least 20 years. Among those recipients is Matt Keil, a former Army staff sergeant who has been a quadriplegic since a sniper shot him in the neck during a patrol in Iraq. Today, he lives at home with his 3-year-old twins and wife, Tracy, who serves as his 24/7 caregiver.

Her biggest fear is that if she dies, Keil and his children wouldn’t be able to stay together. “He’s capable of raising them, but he couldn’t do it alone,” she said. “He can handle finances. He can make household decisions. But because of his injuries, he can’t feed himself. He can’t pick them up. He can’t be in the house alone with them.” The couple lives in Colorado with his sister and near her siblings, who helps Tracy Kiel for trips to buy groceries, get a haircut — even take a call from a reporter. VA provides support, including a $2,100 monthly caregiver stipend for Tracy Kiel. But hiring a 24/7 nursing team to care for him at home would cost more than $50,000 a month, making institutionalization a more cost-effective solution. The couple understand that, but they also know it would be devastating for their family to live apart. With the WWP trust, Kiel could use the money to hire help and live in his home, without being a constant burden on his extended family.

 

^ For too long the US Government and Military has had the "use them then loose them" attitude with regards to soldiers that can wounded and need care after they serve. These same officials have no problem sending the men and women to dangerous places and yet nickel and dime them when they truly need help. I understand that being in an institution can save money, but you have to take everything into account and that includes the spouses and children left behind. I personally believe that if someone in your family gets hurt or needs your help then it is up to you to step-in and do whatever you can for as long as they need it whether it is days, months or years. ^

 

 

 

http://www.stripes.com/helping-wounded-vets-move-from-surviving-to-thriving-1.265084

Opening English

From MT:

"Putin Rolls Out His English for IOC Opening in Sochi"

President Vladimir Putin concluded the 126th session of the International Olympic Committee in Sochi on Tuesday evening just as he delivered Russia's appeal to committee voters in Guatemala in 2007 before they chose a city for the Winter Games: in English. "Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen! I declare the 126th IOC session open," Putin said at the ceremony, Interfax reported. He went on to point out that when the decision to award Sochi the honor of hosting the games was made, only 10 to 15 percent of the infrastructure was ready. Putin said that the IOC trusted the strength of Russia and the Russian character, which has no fear of difficulties. He had arrived in Sochi earlier in the day to begin his role as host to visitors three days before the opening ceremony.

Olympic Committee and the Russian winter Olympians before a flurry of meetings on Thursday with foreign dignitaries including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. A Kremlin statement said that Putin will hold a reception for more than 40 foreign heads of state and government officials before Friday's opening ceremony. Some prominent Western leaders will be noticeably absent from the Olympics, including U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Gay activists previously called for a boycott of the games to protest Russia's "gay propaganda" law, which prohibits promoting homosexuality to minors, though Obama and Cameron said that their decisions not to attend were based on their schedules.

^ I would have liked to hear Putin speak English. The majority of Russians I have heard speak English do so with such a horribly thick accent it would be better for them to simply speak in Russian. For most countries it is the young that can speak English well while the older generations tend to speak it, but with more of an accent. I have met very few Russians (of any age) that can speak English well. I understand that English is difficult for foreigners to learn (just as Russian is for a non-Russian) but unlike Russian, English has been the sole international language for the past 5 decades and is used in countless international situations (ie science, trade, travel, politics, etc.) Knowledge of English helps people communicate even when none of them are native-English speakers. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/sochi2014/Putin-Rolls-Out-His-English-for-IOC-Opening-in-Sochi.html

A Taxing State

From Yahoo:

"The 10 worst states for taxes in 2014"

For upper middle income earners, high net-worth individuals, retirees, and certainly the “one percent” – where you live can make a huge difference in how much of your money you get to keep at the end of the year and how much you need to fork over to your state. To help individuals and businesses make an informed choice, the Tax Foundation collects data on more than 100 tax provisions for each state and then ranks them to create its annual State Business Tax Climate Index. The 10 worst states on the list all levy complex, non-neutral taxes that favor some economic activities over others and have comparatively high individual and corporate tax rates. The data are mixed as to whether a tough tax climate actually does push people and businesses to live in low-tax states. A report released last year by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that residents of states with high income tax were actually experiencing economic conditions that were as good as or better than those living in states without a personal income tax. Plus, sometimes people are inclined to pay higher taxes to live in a certain location. New York, California and Maryland, for example, are all among the states that ranked worst for taxes, but they’re also hives of business activity, high salaries and employment. Meanwhile, families with children have historically been willing to pay higher property taxes in exchange for higher quality schools and other services.

New York
Top State Income Tax Rate: 8.82 percent
Sales tax: 4 percent
Property taxes per capita: $2,280

The Empire State takes the prize as the worst state for taxes, thanks to its high individual tax rate and relatively high sales tax. New York is in a virtual tie with neighboring New Jersey, though the former state gets the bottom spot because its individual income tax suffers from such high rates and narrow bases, according to the Tax Foundation. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced the formation of a tax relief commission to look for ways to transform the state’s onerous tax code.

New Jersey
Top State Income Tax Rate: 8.97 percent
Sales tax: 7 percent
Property taxes per capita: $2,819

The Garden State scores poorly in almost every tax category, and it’s almost tied with New York for the dubious honor of being the worst state in the country for taxes. New Jersey’s per capita property tax is the most onerous in the country. The state has also scaled back a property tax relief program that provided rebates to homeowners struggling to pay taxes on their homestead.

California
Top State Income Tax Rate: 13.3 percent
Sales tax: 7.5 percent
Property tax per capita: $1,450

California has one of the highest income taxes in the country and imposes an alternative minimum tax on both individuals and corporations. The Golden State relies heavily on the income tax revenue generated by its richest residents. This year such revenues are expected to comprise two thirds of California’s general-fund reserves. Its 7.5 percent sales tax rate includes a mandatory statewide local tax of 1 percent.

Minnesota
Top State Income Tax Rate: 7.85 percent
Sales tax: 6.875 percent
Property tax per capita: $1,412

Minnesota dropped several places in the rankings this year, following changes to its tax code, including a retroactive individual income tax hike on earners making more than $150,000. The state’s top income tax rate leapt from 7.85 percent to 9.85 percent. The state also has a relatively high corporate income tax rate.

Rhode Island
Top State Income Tax Rate: 5.99 percent
Sales tax: 7 percent
Property tax per capita: $2,083

The Ocean State lands close to the bottom of the list because it ranks poorly on corporate taxes and property taxes. Rhode Island was named least tax-friendly state in the country for retirees by Kiplinger Magazine, thanks to its practice of taxing Social Security benefits, pension income, and almost all other sources of retirement income.

Vermont
Top State Income Tax Rate: 8.95 percent
Sales tax: 6 percent
Property tax per capita: $2,166

Vermont’s property taxes are the third worst in the country, with an effective property tax rate of 5.27 percent. The state is also on the bottom of the list thanks to a relatively high individual income tax rate, sales tax and corporate taxes.

North Carolina
Top State Income Tax Rate: 7.75 percent
Sales tax: 4.75 percent
Property tax per capita: $902

 While the state ranks near the bottom right now, its position will likely change going forward. Starting this year, North Carolina will change its income tax policy from a graduated bracket system with a top rate of 7.75 percent, to a simpler structure with a flat rate of 5.8 percent in 2014 and 5.75 percent in 2015. That and other changes to corporate and estate tax policy will likely move the Tar Heel State into the top half of the rankings in 2015.

Wisconsin
Top State Income Tax Rate: 7.75 percent
Sales tax rate: 5 percent
Property tax per capita: $1,698

Wisconsin ranks poorly due, in part, to its relatively high income tax, which includes an AMT for individuals. However, since the ranking, the state has passed some reforms to make its tax code more favorable, including cutting the top individual income tax rate from 7.75 percent to 7.65 percent and eliminating one of its five income brackets. Governor Scott Walker has recently floated the idea of getting rid of the state’s income tax entirely.

Connecticut
Top State Income tax Rate: 6.7 percent
Sales tax rate: 6.35 percent
Property tax per capita: $2,522

The Constitution State’s property taxes are the second worst in the country, after New Jersey. The state also has relatively high sales and income tax rates. Its “Tax Freedom Day,” the day until taxpayers must work to have earned enough money to pay off their total tax bill, is May 13th, the second latest nationally.

Maryland
Top state income tax rate: 5.75 percent
Sales tax rate: 6 percent
Per capita property tax: $1,467

Maryland makes the 10th worst spot on the list because of its relatively high taxes across the board. The state is currently considering a proposal that would lower its corporate income tax rate in the next five years from its current 8.25 percent to 6 percent, which would put it in line with neighboring Virginia. It’s also looking into increasing the estate tax threshold from $1 million to $5.25 million.

^ I have lived in 2 of these states and understand what they mean. I'm surprised that Massachusetts wasn't on here as when I lived there the people always called it "Taxachusetts." ^

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-worst-states-taxes-2014-110000784.html

Corrupt EU

From the BBC:

"Corruption across EU 'breathtaking' - EU Commission"

The extent of corruption in Europe is "breathtaking" and it costs the EU economy at least 120bn euros (£99bn) annually, the European Commission says.  EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem has presented a full report on the problem.  She said the true cost of corruption was "probably much higher" than 120bn. Three-quarters of Europeans surveyed for the Commission study said that corruption was widespread, and more than half said the level had increased.  "The extent of the problem in Europe is breathtaking, although Sweden is among the countries with the least problems," Ms Malmstroem wrote in Sweden's Goeteborgs-Posten daily.  The cost to the EU economy is equivalent to the bloc's annual budget. For the report the Commission studied corruption in all 28 EU member states. The Commission says it is the first time it has done such a survey. National governments, rather than EU institutions, are chiefly responsible for fighting corruption in the EU. But Ms Malmstroem said national governments and the European Parliament had asked the Commission to carry out the EU-wide study. The Commission drafts EU laws and enforces compliance with EU treaties.  In the UK only five people out of 1,115 - less than 1% - said they had been expected to pay a bribe. It was "the best result in all Europe", the report said.  But 64% of British respondents said they believed corruption to be widespread in the UK, while the EU average was 74% on that question.  In some countries there was a relatively high number reporting personal experience of bribery. In Croatia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, between 6% and 29% of respondents said they had been asked for a bribe, or had been expected to pay one, in the past 12 months. There were also high levels of bribery in Poland (15%), Slovakia (14%) and Hungary (13%), where the most prevalent instances were in healthcare. Ms Malmstroem said corruption was eroding trust in democracy and draining resources from the legal economy.

 The political commitment to really root out corruption seems to be missing," she complained.

The EU has an anti-fraud agency, Olaf, which focuses on fraud and corruption affecting the EU budget, but it has limited resources. In 2011 its budget was just 23.5m euros.

The Commission highlighted that:

• Public procurement (public bodies buying goods and services) forms about one-fifth of the EU's total output (GDP) and is vulnerable to corruption, so better controls and integrity standards are needed
• Corruption risks are generally greater at local and regional level
• Many shortcomings remain in financing of political parties - often codes of conduct are not tough enough
• Often the existing rules on conflicts of interest are inadequately enforced
• The quality of corruption investigations varies widely across the EU

The EU study includes two major opinion polls by Eurobarometer, the Commission's polling service.

Four out of 10 of the businesses surveyed described corruption as an obstacle to doing business in Europe.  Sweden "is undoubtedly one of the countries with the least problems with corruption, and other EU countries should learn from Sweden's solutions for dealing with the problem", Ms Malmstroem said, pointing to the role of laws on transparency and openness. Organised crime groups have sophisticated networks across Europe and the EU police agency Europol says there are at least 3,000 of them.  Bulgaria, Romania and Italy are particular hotspots for organised crime gangs in the EU, but white-collar crimes like bribery and VAT (sales tax) fraud plague many EU countries.

Last year Europol director Rob Wainwright said VAT fraud in the carbon credits market had cost the EU about 5bn euros.

^ It doesn't surprise me that there in rampant corruption in the EU (or around the world.) Usually it is done "behind the scenes" and involves politics. This study shows the corruption that ordinary people experience. It seems that most of it is in Eastern Europe - again not surprising  - although places like Greece (which is basically broke) has it too. Now that the study is out it will interesting to see what, if anything, will be done to combat the corruption. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26014387

Super Tips

From USA Today:

"A Super Bowl guide for the non-sports fan"

OK, so maybe you don't need to know all of these things to enjoy a Super Bowl party, but it should help in keeping the conversation flowing as freely as the nacho-cheese dip.

Game time

The game starts at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox. It will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in what could be the coldest Super Bowl played in an outdoor stadium.

Teams

This year's matchup is between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. (The Broncos will be the team with the horse on their helmet.) Sportsy stuff: Expect to hear talk about Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and the Seahawks' defense. They're both really good. If the Broncos win Manning will be the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different teams.

Story lines to talk about

The Internet has dubbed this game the Bong Bowl because the two teams hail from the only states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use. The game, however, will be played in New Jersey, so don't expect to see folks lighting up in the stadium. Longtime Skittles eater Marshawn Lynch has his own limited edition Seahawks Skittles that will be auctioned off for charity. There are 50/50 odds that any of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be shirtless during their halftime performance and a slew of other ridiculous prop bets people can put money on in Vegas.  Seattle's fans are known as some of the loudest in the NFL and are called the 12^th man. The organization retired the No. 12 jersey in 1984 to commemorate the fans. The game falls on Groundhog Day this year, so expect people to make assertions about the outcome of the game based on whether he sees his shadow or not.

Ads

Don't go to the bathroom during the commercial breaks — you'll miss the best part. Advertisers go all out for the Super Bowl.  Several companies have hinted at what we'll see and Budweiser has already leaked a commercial — just try to watch it without crying. But other fan favorites such as Chrysler and Coca-Cola have been mum so far. Fans can vote on the ads in the USA TODAY Ad Meter.

Halftime

You'll definitely want to hang around for halftime — it's no stranger to controversy. Remember the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction? And MIA flicking off the camera The halftime show is often what people are talking about Monday morning.  This year's show is headlined by Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which has some people wondering whether newbie Bruno has what it takes to wow on such a big stage. And there you have it, non-sports fans. I leave you with the Puppy Bowl because everyone likes puppies.

^ I have to admit that I don't care about the Super Bowl or who wins. I never watch it. I only include it here because there are many people who do. I've had people ask me who I want to win and I say: "The Montreal Canadiens." Many don't get that that is sarcasm since they aren't one of the two teams playing and the fact that it is a hockey team. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/02/01/super-bowl-2014-non-sports-fan/5102759/

6 More Weeks

From USA Today:

"More winter! Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow"

Punxsutawney Phil, the world's most famous fuzzy forecaster, popped out of his burrow Sunday morning and predicted six more weeks of winter, much to the disappointment of the crowd gathered at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. According to folklore, if it's cloudy when the groundhog emerges, the critter will leave his burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If it's a sunny day, Phil will supposedly see his shadow and, frightened, retreat back into his burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. Phil emerged at 7:28 a.m. ET to the cheers of thousands of cheering fans who braved temperatures in the 30s to hear his prediction. Many wore knitted hats in the shape of groundhogs or had groundhog paw marks painted on their cheeks. Phil was brought to the podium by a group of local dignitaries known as the Inner Circle, all men clad in top hats and old-fashioned black frock coats. It was the 128th time Punxsutawney Phil had made his prediction. The Inner Circle brought out two scrolls, one predicting six more weeks of winter, one predicting spring around the corner. The crowd then chanted "Phil! Phil! Phil!" to wake him up. The Inner Circle knocked on his burrow, and he was brought out to a cheering crowd. Phil spoke in "groundhogese" to the Inner Circle and directed its president, Bill Deeley, to translate for him. Put into English, his prediction was:

"A Super Bowl winner I will not predict,

but my weather forecast you cannot contradict.

Why that's not a football but my shadow I see,

It's six more weeks of winter it must be!"

Despite the hoopla and festival atmosphere in Punxsutawney, Pa., an analysis of weather data from the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., shows that Phil's forecasts are, on average, inaccurate. "The groundhog has shown no talent for predicting the arrival of spring, especially in recent years," according to the center. "Phil's competitor groundhogs across the nation fared no better." The center found that from 1988 to 2012, the groundhog was right 10 times and wrong 15 times. In other words, 10 times, the national average temperature for the remainder of February matched what would be expected based on what the groundhog predicted. Last year, the furry rodent, also known as a woodchuck, did not see his shadow, so there should have been an early spring. Phil gets a mixed grade last year — the nation had a slightly warmer than average February but a chillier than average March. Since 1887, the groundhog has seen his shadow 100 times (meaning six more weeks of winter), and not seen it 17 times to predict an early spring. There is no record of the prediction for nine years in the late 19th century.

^ It doesn't matter what the groundhog sees or doesn't see we seem to have a long winter up here (last year it even snowed on Memorial Day.) We are expecting a major snow storm here this Wednesday. I don't know anyone (except for those that dress up in top hats) that actually believes what the groundhog predicts. It's mostly a cute little tradition for children. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/02/02/groundhog-day-punxsutawney-phil/5101379/