Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Feds: Calif. man attempts to smuggle meth as candy
A California man faces federal drug charges for allegedly trying to smuggle more than 4 pounds of methamphetamine to Japan in what looked like dozens of Snickers bars.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Monday that 34-year-old Rogelio Mauricio Harris of Long Beach was arrested last week at Los Angeles International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Japan.
Harris was charged in Los Angeles with drug possession and faces at least 10 years in prison if convicted.
Federal agents conducting routine baggage inspections found 45 full-sized Snickers bars inside Harris' luggage. Each bar was coated in a chocolate-like substance to make it look like a candy bar, but tests revealed the so-called candy contained methamphetamine.
Authorities estimate the 4 pounds of meth is worth about $250,000.
Second blackout in India in two days leaves 670 million without power
Half of India's 1.2 billion people were without power on Tuesday as the grids covering a dozen states broke down, the second major blackout in as many days and an embarrassment for the government as it struggles to revive economic growth.
Stretching from Assam, near China, to the Himalayas and the deserts of Rajasthan, the power cut was the worst to hit India in more than a decade.
Trains were stranded in Kolkata and Delhi and thousands of people poured out of the sweltering capital's modern metro system when it ground to a halt at lunchtime. Office buildings switched to diesel generators and traffic jammed the roads.
"We'll have to wait for an hour or hour and a half, but till then we're trying to restore metro, railway and other essential services," Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters.
More than a dozen states with a total population of 670 million people were without power, with the lights out even at major hospitals in Kolkata.
Shinde blamed the system collapse on some states drawing more than their share of electricity from the overstretched grid. Asia's third-largest economy suffers a peak-hour power deficit of about 10 percent, dragging on economic growth.
"This is the second day that something like this has happened. I've given instructions that whoever overdraws power will be punished."
The country's southern and western grids were supplying power to help restore services, officials said.
The problem has been made worse by weak a monsoon in agricultural states such as wheat-belt Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in the Ganges plains, which has a larger population than Brazil. With less rain to irrigate crops, more farmers resort to electric pumps to draw water from wells.
Power shortages and a creaky road and rail network have weighed heavily on the country's efforts to industrialize. Grappling with the slowest economic growth in nine years, Delhi recently scaled back a target to pump $1 trillion into infrastructure over the next five years.
Major industries have dedicated power plants or large diesel generators and are shielded from outages -- but the inconsistent supply hits investment and disrupts small businesses.
High consumption of heavily subsidized diesel by farmers and businesses has fuelled a gaping fiscal deficit that the government has vowed to tackle to restore confidence in the economy. But the poor monsoon means a subsidy cut is politically difficult.
On Tuesday, the central bank cut its economic growth outlook for the fiscal year that ends in March to 6.5 percent, from the 7.3 percent assumption made in April, putting its outlook closer to that of many private economists.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
GOP's Obama obsession will lose it the election
A month ago, when Mitt Romney addressed the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials during its annual conference in Orlando, Florida, many thought he was on a path to adopting a more nuanced tone on immigration and coming up with an aggressive strategy to woo Latino voters to his side.
Instead, he lately seems to have adopted U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's messaging strategy, using a version of the Minnesotan's line from the 2008 campaign when she went on a rant about the views of then-Sen. Barack Obama and his wife being "very anti-American."
Romney is not making it easier for Latinos to support him. In fact, the strategy will continue alienating this critical demographic group, along with independents and women.
Maria Cardona
We heard former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, one of Romney's top surrogates, use similar language on Tuesday.
"I wish this president would learn how to be an American," he said.
Granted, he apologized for it later that day, but the subtext is still there. Romney himself is using a version of the line when he says that Obama's way of doing things seems "foreign." To many voters, that is code for "un-American."
Sununu apologizes for anti-Obama remarks Bachmann's unproven claim about Abedin
Repeat offender Rush Limbaugh has also been making headlines.
On Monday he declared, "I think it can now be said without equivocation" that Obama "hates this country." And Republicans don't seem to be in a hurry to admonish him or distance themselves from those statements. Romney has not responded.
To be clear, as a Democrat, I am not surprised or complaining that the GOP is resorting to such low levels. As for House Speaker Tip O'Neill was fond of saying, "Politics ain't beanbag."
As a political strategist, however, I find this new tactic reckless and dangerous for a political party that needs to broaden its base of support to win -- among independents, women and especially Latinos. This kind of language will do the opposite.
As an American Latina born in Colombia, I recoiled at this language, the same way I did in 2008 when Bachmann used it. It reminds me -- and I suspect it reminds many other Latinos in this country -- of the lengths to which many in this Republican Party have gone to marginalize those who represent the new and changing demographics in the United States.
Given that experts say Romney needs at least 40% of the Latino vote to win, this is an odd strategy for someone who enjoys Latino support in the low 20s. Contrast that to the effort going on in the Obama campaign to continue speaking to Latinos about the issues they care most about.
For example, I recently moderated a chat between first lady Michelle Obama and Latina moms from Mamiverse.com, a website for bilingual/English-dominant Latina moms.
It was a masterful political stroke by the Obama campaign. In half an hour, through this historic live chat, they demonstrated they understood just how important the voices of Latina mothers were going to be this election cycle and how critical that would be to Obama's re-election in this very tight race.
Obama won 67% of the Latino vote in 2008. A few months ago, I would have said it would be a big challenge for him to repeat those numbers, especially given some disappointment among Latinos about the president's not being able to deliver on immigration reform, as well as his record on deportations. But he is now on track to gain the same amount, if not more, of the Latino vote.
This week, Latino Decisions released a poll that gives Obama 70% of the Latino vote to Romney's 22%, the highest support the president has enjoyed from the Latino community to date. If those numbers hold, it will be very hard for Romney to win the election.
This jump in support is a clear sign that the Obama campaign is doing a much more aggressive job of reminding Latino voters what this president has done to help Latino children and families get ahead:
-- Health care reform gives 9 million Latinos and millions of Hispanic children with pre-existing conditions life-saving coverage.
-- The Recovery Act has kept 1.9 million Latinos out of poverty, and the president's actions to create 4.5 million jobs include millions of new jobs for Latinos.
-- Obama has passed 18 tax cuts for small businesses that benefit hundreds of thousands Latino entrepreneurs.
-- Obama's support for Pell Grants gives 150,000 additional Hispanic students the chance to go to college.
-- A $5 billion investment in the Head Start program benefits hundreds of thousands of Latino children who are more than one-third of Head Start participants.
-- Extensions of the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit and unemployment benefits help 5.4 million Latino families, including 11.3 million Latino children and nearly 1 million Hispanics who didn't lose their unemployment benefits.
-- And facing the "party of 'no'" on immigration, Obama has given temporary relief to almost 1 million "dreamers" -- undocumented kids who came here through no fault of their own and know no other country to call their own. They will be able to study or join the military without the threat of deportation.
But Obama is getting some help from the GOP as well.
The Romney campaign's attacks on Obama as being less than all-American and "foreign" will bring to mind everything the GOP has said and done in the past to make Latinos feel unwelcome in their own country.
For example, it will bring vivid memories of Kris Kobach, architect of the harsh Arizona SB1070 law, Romney's own "self-deportation" comments that won him the not-so-honorary title of being the most right-wing GOP presidential candidate on immigration, U.S. Rep. Steve King's remarks comparing immigrants to dogs and GOP Kansas State Rep. Virgil Peck's comments on fixing immigration by shooting immigrants from helicopters like feral pigs.
What's worse for the GOP is that not one national GOP leader has strongly condemned such voices. Some Republicans now, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, warn their own party members they must change their tune.
Will these elected officials and party elders now warn their party about the danger of taking Bachmann's lead on messaging in this new line of attack against Obama? They should.
But Democrats probably won't lose any sleep if they don't.
Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter
Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Maria Cardona.
Add New Comment
CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion here, so we do not pre-screen comments before they post. See our Community Guidelines for the rules of the road. Also note that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.
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Showing 25 of 4767 comments
abby0802
From the very night that Obama was elected the Republicans have had one agenda: make sure Obama is not re-elected. Republicans like O'Connell has publicly and explicitly said that that has been the goal of the GOP. It's ALL about power and money. Nothing more, nothing less.
What the GOP wants is to destroy the Obama administration at all costs by all means fair and foul and if America and the American people suffer, so be it. The GOP does not care. All they want is power.
Like Reply
4 days ago 1042 Likes
huntjumpp
if there is any party that is un-american, it is the GOP. Destroying the middle class and using bigots like Rush Limbaugh as mouthpieces for the party. GOP will lose bad this election, they won't learn either. They will chalk it up to the "invasion" of non-whites and how this country is being ruined by dark people. They wont say that, at least not publicly. Talk to a staunch conservative, they are often the most racist, vile people. not all, but lots
Like
4 days ago in reply to abby0802 730 Likes
mikeyboy
It's not all about power and money. There is another important element: the effort to exploit the ever present racial bigotry without using overt racist rhetoric.
Like
4 days ago in reply to abby0802 398 Likes
Taxtruth
Spot On! The die-hard GOP-ers cannot bring themselves to believe the basic facts of the GOP clown show the beginning of this year brought us... Bachman, Cain, Perry... They refuse to accept that lunacy, and now embrace Mittens while holding their noses. So pathetic.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 132 Likes
cyberidian
I don't see any evidence that the GOP cares about the American people. They have prevented recovery from the recession to make Obama look bad. If they win this election, they will make decisions good for the ultra rich and could careless about anyone else! I think people will look back and see Obama as a great President. I sure hope he is re-elected. I think he could turn this country around if he wasn't blocked by the GOP. The GOP cares about ultra-rich white men only.
Like
2 days ago in reply to abby0802 100 Likes
miclyn1
Americans are sick of the Bullies= Tea Party Bigots= Joe Wilson S.C. and Birthers=
Trump that are running the Republican Party. If they stay on this path they are doomed.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 104 Likes
mogran
No, the GOP and me want Obama replaced by a president with our country's interest at heart.
Like
4 days ago in reply to abby0802 147 Likes
thanksforreading
In reply to mogran below.
Don't you find it ironic, that in response to an editorial on how the GOP is using race baiting and ignoring minorities and immigrants, that your response did not even use proper English? You can google "ironic" to see what it means.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 104 Likes
whybs
24% of '08 voters are birthers (50% of GOP). By not disavowing them, the GOP are extremists.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 78 Likes
Bruce Lee
The GOP is a dying breed, their tent is getting smaller and smaller. They keep talking to themselves, getting louder and louder, on Fox and talk radio,but they're down now to their core tea party crowd. There is no new blood coming from anywhere - they're only hope for more members is ignorance, lack of education, hate and fear. That's not a bad bet, but no way to build a nation. They will be gone in a generation.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 64 Likes
casper191985
@focker48 if u think that the United States doesn't need the government already, then let me take your wick away, let me take your grand parents social security, and medicare/medicaid, let me cash in your unemployment checks, and buy groceries on your food stamps.. oh and when you accidentally start a fire in your house, don't call the fire department.. let me come and I'll wash it away =)
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 59 Likes
Ian82
And it's a good thing. Any president whose economic policy is: give productivity to those who don't/can't/won't generate it themselves is doomed to fail the entire electorate (cycle of poverty anyone?). Except the freeloaders, of course.
Like
4 days ago in reply to abby0802 85 Likes
camprc
Wrong, Abby. What the GOP, and all intelligent Americans, want, is a president who can articulate his views without a Teleprompter.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 45 Likes
jh1289
I don't give one whit about teleprompters. I want a president that cares about working class Americans. Does Obama? I don't know, but I'm certain Mitt Romney isn't that man.
Like
2 days ago in reply to camprc 59 Likes
GoldenEagle9
Getting rid of Obama is what will save America.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 47 Likes
heresthecheese
Focker48 then how do you explain the bailouts? Was that a reward for business sucess? Did they invest 'real' blood, sweat and tears? Nope. And they never have. There is a reason that there is FDIC insurance - can you figure out what reason that is? Trust issues, maybe? History proving a need? You and your kind are on a 'soon-to-be' consumed list: Be it the effects of global warming - drought, higher food prices, etc...- or outright FRAUD by big banks like Barclays, with people like Madof nibbling on our thighs - scattered throughout. It's just a matter of time. And that window will close.
The Latino bubble - is just one piece. Just look around you. Or not. Beware, either way.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 47 Likes
DM0009
Actually, Obama is the one that wants more and more power. He recently passed immigration and welfare policy without going through congress. He uses executive privilege that he once criticized. He also has raised and spent more money on the campaign than Romney. Call it like it is please.
Like
1 day ago in reply to abby0802 9 Likes
Biotechdev
Obama proposed ONE jobs bill that the GOP didn't like because it was just another stimulus. The GOP in the House have passed 25+ jobs plans - Obama and Reid have blocked these bills from even coming to DEBATE on the Senate floor.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 39 Likes
fred37ify
Not true at all ! When Barrack told the GOP they had to go sit in the back - Was when the GOP said they would make him one term ! That was a direct insult to the GOP and over half of America ! In November you will see !
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 38 Likes
Biotechdev
Your post makes no sense
Like
3 days ago in reply to fred37ify 47 Likes
carolk9064
After any election, the party out of power immediately focuses on how to get the position back. If this were not so, there would be little point of having more than one party. This is such a mundane observation, it is surprising the Democrats are still using it.
Obama is the most power hungry president we've ever had. He has used his executive power to put in place over 800 laws that bypassed the congress. He has illegally bypassed the congress on several decisions that have been serious enough to begin impeachment proceedings. He does not care about this county nor does he care about the people. He listens to no voice but his own, and follows no agenda but for the one he is committed to, and be assured it does not include your welfare or mine.
Like
1 day ago in reply to abby0802 7 Likes
BigInMemphis
Abby - The cure for coolaid poisoning is jobs. Do you honestly think that 4 more years of Obama will fix our country? No, it will kill us completely. Obama had enormous political capital and a congress unified around the terror created by bankers; Obama chose corruption with the stimulus. Then he spent the next year pushing the worst piece of legislation in American history.
This election is about a "Hand Up" versus a "Hand Out". And we all know where the latter ends up (Greece).
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 24 Likes
Nick Jackson
abby0802,
Yes, the gop has been trying to ensure that Obama is not re-elected.
Why? lets think about it for a minute. First, health care. Nevermind the
immediate effects of it, such as forcing small businesses to slow down
hiring because they cant afford the extra cost, but think of it in legal
precedent terms. The government has and always will be moving toward
grasping more power from its citizens, as this is human nature to grasp
for more power. Now the government has the ability to tax people for not
going along with what the government wants, which vastly increases the
governments ability to CONTROL the individual. Not to mention over half
the country wishes for its repeal, yet Obama is still forcing it down
our throats.
Then there was the stimulus, which did absolutely nothing.
Now he is trying to get rid of the work...
show more
Like
2 days ago in reply to abby0802 14 Likes
Commojoe
Abby, if you haven't noticed, politics IS nothing but power and money. You think Bozobama is in this for FUN and the vacation? This diehard liberal idealogue has done nothing but pursue big-government takeover of everything since he lied his way into office, promising some ethereal "hope and change" . How's THAT working for you, with OVER 8% unemployment (a point Bozobama promised we'd NEVER reach if the porkulus bill was passed) as far as the eye can see?
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 16 Likes
lds2000
you've said it all bro. The racist only see but they don't perceive.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 11 Likes
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Instead, he lately seems to have adopted U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's messaging strategy, using a version of the Minnesotan's line from the 2008 campaign when she went on a rant about the views of then-Sen. Barack Obama and his wife being "very anti-American."
Romney is not making it easier for Latinos to support him. In fact, the strategy will continue alienating this critical demographic group, along with independents and women.
Maria Cardona
We heard former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, one of Romney's top surrogates, use similar language on Tuesday.
"I wish this president would learn how to be an American," he said.
Granted, he apologized for it later that day, but the subtext is still there. Romney himself is using a version of the line when he says that Obama's way of doing things seems "foreign." To many voters, that is code for "un-American."
Sununu apologizes for anti-Obama remarks Bachmann's unproven claim about Abedin
Repeat offender Rush Limbaugh has also been making headlines.
On Monday he declared, "I think it can now be said without equivocation" that Obama "hates this country." And Republicans don't seem to be in a hurry to admonish him or distance themselves from those statements. Romney has not responded.
To be clear, as a Democrat, I am not surprised or complaining that the GOP is resorting to such low levels. As for House Speaker Tip O'Neill was fond of saying, "Politics ain't beanbag."
As a political strategist, however, I find this new tactic reckless and dangerous for a political party that needs to broaden its base of support to win -- among independents, women and especially Latinos. This kind of language will do the opposite.
As an American Latina born in Colombia, I recoiled at this language, the same way I did in 2008 when Bachmann used it. It reminds me -- and I suspect it reminds many other Latinos in this country -- of the lengths to which many in this Republican Party have gone to marginalize those who represent the new and changing demographics in the United States.
Given that experts say Romney needs at least 40% of the Latino vote to win, this is an odd strategy for someone who enjoys Latino support in the low 20s. Contrast that to the effort going on in the Obama campaign to continue speaking to Latinos about the issues they care most about.
For example, I recently moderated a chat between first lady Michelle Obama and Latina moms from Mamiverse.com, a website for bilingual/English-dominant Latina moms.
It was a masterful political stroke by the Obama campaign. In half an hour, through this historic live chat, they demonstrated they understood just how important the voices of Latina mothers were going to be this election cycle and how critical that would be to Obama's re-election in this very tight race.
Obama won 67% of the Latino vote in 2008. A few months ago, I would have said it would be a big challenge for him to repeat those numbers, especially given some disappointment among Latinos about the president's not being able to deliver on immigration reform, as well as his record on deportations. But he is now on track to gain the same amount, if not more, of the Latino vote.
This week, Latino Decisions released a poll that gives Obama 70% of the Latino vote to Romney's 22%, the highest support the president has enjoyed from the Latino community to date. If those numbers hold, it will be very hard for Romney to win the election.
This jump in support is a clear sign that the Obama campaign is doing a much more aggressive job of reminding Latino voters what this president has done to help Latino children and families get ahead:
-- Health care reform gives 9 million Latinos and millions of Hispanic children with pre-existing conditions life-saving coverage.
-- The Recovery Act has kept 1.9 million Latinos out of poverty, and the president's actions to create 4.5 million jobs include millions of new jobs for Latinos.
-- Obama has passed 18 tax cuts for small businesses that benefit hundreds of thousands Latino entrepreneurs.
-- Obama's support for Pell Grants gives 150,000 additional Hispanic students the chance to go to college.
-- A $5 billion investment in the Head Start program benefits hundreds of thousands of Latino children who are more than one-third of Head Start participants.
-- Extensions of the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit and unemployment benefits help 5.4 million Latino families, including 11.3 million Latino children and nearly 1 million Hispanics who didn't lose their unemployment benefits.
-- And facing the "party of 'no'" on immigration, Obama has given temporary relief to almost 1 million "dreamers" -- undocumented kids who came here through no fault of their own and know no other country to call their own. They will be able to study or join the military without the threat of deportation.
But Obama is getting some help from the GOP as well.
The Romney campaign's attacks on Obama as being less than all-American and "foreign" will bring to mind everything the GOP has said and done in the past to make Latinos feel unwelcome in their own country.
For example, it will bring vivid memories of Kris Kobach, architect of the harsh Arizona SB1070 law, Romney's own "self-deportation" comments that won him the not-so-honorary title of being the most right-wing GOP presidential candidate on immigration, U.S. Rep. Steve King's remarks comparing immigrants to dogs and GOP Kansas State Rep. Virgil Peck's comments on fixing immigration by shooting immigrants from helicopters like feral pigs.
What's worse for the GOP is that not one national GOP leader has strongly condemned such voices. Some Republicans now, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, warn their own party members they must change their tune.
Will these elected officials and party elders now warn their party about the danger of taking Bachmann's lead on messaging in this new line of attack against Obama? They should.
But Democrats probably won't lose any sleep if they don't.
Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter
Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Maria Cardona.
Add New Comment
CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion here, so we do not pre-screen comments before they post. See our Community Guidelines for the rules of the road. Also note that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.
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Showing 25 of 4767 comments
abby0802
From the very night that Obama was elected the Republicans have had one agenda: make sure Obama is not re-elected. Republicans like O'Connell has publicly and explicitly said that that has been the goal of the GOP. It's ALL about power and money. Nothing more, nothing less.
What the GOP wants is to destroy the Obama administration at all costs by all means fair and foul and if America and the American people suffer, so be it. The GOP does not care. All they want is power.
Like Reply
4 days ago 1042 Likes
huntjumpp
if there is any party that is un-american, it is the GOP. Destroying the middle class and using bigots like Rush Limbaugh as mouthpieces for the party. GOP will lose bad this election, they won't learn either. They will chalk it up to the "invasion" of non-whites and how this country is being ruined by dark people. They wont say that, at least not publicly. Talk to a staunch conservative, they are often the most racist, vile people. not all, but lots
Like
4 days ago in reply to abby0802 730 Likes
mikeyboy
It's not all about power and money. There is another important element: the effort to exploit the ever present racial bigotry without using overt racist rhetoric.
Like
4 days ago in reply to abby0802 398 Likes
Taxtruth
Spot On! The die-hard GOP-ers cannot bring themselves to believe the basic facts of the GOP clown show the beginning of this year brought us... Bachman, Cain, Perry... They refuse to accept that lunacy, and now embrace Mittens while holding their noses. So pathetic.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 132 Likes
cyberidian
I don't see any evidence that the GOP cares about the American people. They have prevented recovery from the recession to make Obama look bad. If they win this election, they will make decisions good for the ultra rich and could careless about anyone else! I think people will look back and see Obama as a great President. I sure hope he is re-elected. I think he could turn this country around if he wasn't blocked by the GOP. The GOP cares about ultra-rich white men only.
Like
2 days ago in reply to abby0802 100 Likes
miclyn1
Americans are sick of the Bullies= Tea Party Bigots= Joe Wilson S.C. and Birthers=
Trump that are running the Republican Party. If they stay on this path they are doomed.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 104 Likes
mogran
No, the GOP and me want Obama replaced by a president with our country's interest at heart.
Like
4 days ago in reply to abby0802 147 Likes
thanksforreading
In reply to mogran below.
Don't you find it ironic, that in response to an editorial on how the GOP is using race baiting and ignoring minorities and immigrants, that your response did not even use proper English? You can google "ironic" to see what it means.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 104 Likes
whybs
24% of '08 voters are birthers (50% of GOP). By not disavowing them, the GOP are extremists.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 78 Likes
Bruce Lee
The GOP is a dying breed, their tent is getting smaller and smaller. They keep talking to themselves, getting louder and louder, on Fox and talk radio,but they're down now to their core tea party crowd. There is no new blood coming from anywhere - they're only hope for more members is ignorance, lack of education, hate and fear. That's not a bad bet, but no way to build a nation. They will be gone in a generation.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 64 Likes
casper191985
@focker48 if u think that the United States doesn't need the government already, then let me take your wick away, let me take your grand parents social security, and medicare/medicaid, let me cash in your unemployment checks, and buy groceries on your food stamps.. oh and when you accidentally start a fire in your house, don't call the fire department.. let me come and I'll wash it away =)
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 59 Likes
Ian82
And it's a good thing. Any president whose economic policy is: give productivity to those who don't/can't/won't generate it themselves is doomed to fail the entire electorate (cycle of poverty anyone?). Except the freeloaders, of course.
Like
4 days ago in reply to abby0802 85 Likes
camprc
Wrong, Abby. What the GOP, and all intelligent Americans, want, is a president who can articulate his views without a Teleprompter.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 45 Likes
jh1289
I don't give one whit about teleprompters. I want a president that cares about working class Americans. Does Obama? I don't know, but I'm certain Mitt Romney isn't that man.
Like
2 days ago in reply to camprc 59 Likes
GoldenEagle9
Getting rid of Obama is what will save America.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 47 Likes
heresthecheese
Focker48 then how do you explain the bailouts? Was that a reward for business sucess? Did they invest 'real' blood, sweat and tears? Nope. And they never have. There is a reason that there is FDIC insurance - can you figure out what reason that is? Trust issues, maybe? History proving a need? You and your kind are on a 'soon-to-be' consumed list: Be it the effects of global warming - drought, higher food prices, etc...- or outright FRAUD by big banks like Barclays, with people like Madof nibbling on our thighs - scattered throughout. It's just a matter of time. And that window will close.
The Latino bubble - is just one piece. Just look around you. Or not. Beware, either way.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 47 Likes
DM0009
Actually, Obama is the one that wants more and more power. He recently passed immigration and welfare policy without going through congress. He uses executive privilege that he once criticized. He also has raised and spent more money on the campaign than Romney. Call it like it is please.
Like
1 day ago in reply to abby0802 9 Likes
Biotechdev
Obama proposed ONE jobs bill that the GOP didn't like because it was just another stimulus. The GOP in the House have passed 25+ jobs plans - Obama and Reid have blocked these bills from even coming to DEBATE on the Senate floor.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 39 Likes
fred37ify
Not true at all ! When Barrack told the GOP they had to go sit in the back - Was when the GOP said they would make him one term ! That was a direct insult to the GOP and over half of America ! In November you will see !
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 38 Likes
Biotechdev
Your post makes no sense
Like
3 days ago in reply to fred37ify 47 Likes
carolk9064
After any election, the party out of power immediately focuses on how to get the position back. If this were not so, there would be little point of having more than one party. This is such a mundane observation, it is surprising the Democrats are still using it.
Obama is the most power hungry president we've ever had. He has used his executive power to put in place over 800 laws that bypassed the congress. He has illegally bypassed the congress on several decisions that have been serious enough to begin impeachment proceedings. He does not care about this county nor does he care about the people. He listens to no voice but his own, and follows no agenda but for the one he is committed to, and be assured it does not include your welfare or mine.
Like
1 day ago in reply to abby0802 7 Likes
BigInMemphis
Abby - The cure for coolaid poisoning is jobs. Do you honestly think that 4 more years of Obama will fix our country? No, it will kill us completely. Obama had enormous political capital and a congress unified around the terror created by bankers; Obama chose corruption with the stimulus. Then he spent the next year pushing the worst piece of legislation in American history.
This election is about a "Hand Up" versus a "Hand Out". And we all know where the latter ends up (Greece).
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 24 Likes
Nick Jackson
abby0802,
Yes, the gop has been trying to ensure that Obama is not re-elected.
Why? lets think about it for a minute. First, health care. Nevermind the
immediate effects of it, such as forcing small businesses to slow down
hiring because they cant afford the extra cost, but think of it in legal
precedent terms. The government has and always will be moving toward
grasping more power from its citizens, as this is human nature to grasp
for more power. Now the government has the ability to tax people for not
going along with what the government wants, which vastly increases the
governments ability to CONTROL the individual. Not to mention over half
the country wishes for its repeal, yet Obama is still forcing it down
our throats.
Then there was the stimulus, which did absolutely nothing.
Now he is trying to get rid of the work...
show more
Like
2 days ago in reply to abby0802 14 Likes
Commojoe
Abby, if you haven't noticed, politics IS nothing but power and money. You think Bozobama is in this for FUN and the vacation? This diehard liberal idealogue has done nothing but pursue big-government takeover of everything since he lied his way into office, promising some ethereal "hope and change" . How's THAT working for you, with OVER 8% unemployment (a point Bozobama promised we'd NEVER reach if the porkulus bill was passed) as far as the eye can see?
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 16 Likes
lds2000
you've said it all bro. The racist only see but they don't perceive.
Like
3 days ago in reply to abby0802 11 Likes
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Part of complete coverage on
Opinion on the news
Syria's chemical weapons threat demands a response
updated 9:39 AM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
Syria's unprecedented threat to use chemical weapons means the U.S. and its allies must assist the Syrian oppostion, says Frida Ghitis.
Repeal health care law? Forget about it
updated 8:14 AM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
Joel Ario and Lawrence Jacobs: Key stakeholders are already moving beyond the politics to building the health care market place of 2014.
Follow CNN Opinion on Twitter
Get the latest opinion and analysis from CNN's columnists and contributors.
Taxmageddon is headed our way
updated 8:59 AM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
Orrin Hatch says rates should be extended for a year so Congress and the president could agree on a major tax reform plan.
Romney's reckless rhetoric
updated 8:54 AM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
Sen. Chris Coons says Mitt Romney, in his speech Tuesday, offered empty rhetoric cloaked in patriotic bravado rather than substance.
Americans should not be living in poverty
updated 10:15 AM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
Mary Kay Henry and Christine L. Owens say Congress should raise the federal minimum wage for hardworking people.
Falling out of love with my iPhone
updated 7:51 AM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
Dean Obeidallah feels guilty that he's losing interest in his iPhone; in fact, he's even flirting with younger phones.
Thank you, Sally Ride
updated 1:38 PM EDT, Tue July 24, 2012
Meg Urry says Sally Ride, America's first female astronaut, was an important role model for generations of women.
The human, funny side of Sally Ride
updated 2:50 PM EDT, Tue July 24, 2012
Sally Ride will be remembered as an inspiring pioneer -- but to Kathy Sullivan, she was a classmate, a crewmate, a prankster and a friend.
When Christians are their own worst enemies
updated 2:17 PM EDT, Tue July 24, 2012
LZ Granderson says for all of the rhetoric about Christianity being under attack, sometimes nobody does a better job of hurting the faith than the people who call themselves Christians.
Looking into the minds of killers
updated 9:53 AM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
Jeffrey Swanson says the true "reasons" that led to the Aurora, Colorado, shootings may remain obscure.
Extreme weather and a changing climate
updated 11:17 AM EDT, Tue July 24, 2012
Amid droughts, wildfires and heat waves, scientists are turning up signs that some extreme weather is influenced by climate change, says Jane Lubchenco.
Fear drives opposition to gun control
updated 7:21 AM EDT, Tue July 24, 2012
David Frum says Americans don't support gun control largely because of groundless fears about violent crime, which has sharply declined.
Preparing for Bashar al-Assad's exit
updated 9:53 AM EDT, Mon July 23, 2012
Marc Lynch believes the U.S. can help the Syrian opposition prepare for the challenges of governing Syria after Assad.
Why the drought affects me -- and you
updated 10:19 AM EDT, Mon July 23, 2012
Fifth-generation farmer Chris Chinn says the drought of 2012 is hurting farmers and ranchers and will raise food prices for everyone.
Cruise worker accuses John Travolta of sex assault
A cruise ship attendant claimed in a federal lawsuit that John Travolta sexually assaulted him during a Caribbean cruise in 2009, according to court documents filed last week.
Fabian Zanzi, who said he was assigned to be Travolta's personal attendant, accused the actor of "harmful and offensive contact" by "removing his bath robe, grabbing plaintiff's hand, and forcing his naked person and erect penis against plaintiff's person," the complaint said.
"This is another ludicrous lawsuit with inane claims," Travolta lawyer Martin Singer said. "It is obvious that Mr. Zanzi and his lawyers are looking for their 15 minutes of fame."
Another lawsuit, filed by two male massage therapists in April, accused Travolta of sexual assault at hotels in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Those plaintiffs withdrew their suit after firing their lawyer and hiring Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred to handle their case. Allred said at the time she was considering refiling their complaints in another court.
Gloria Allred sued over Travolta accusers
Singer called those charges "ridiculous" and denied media reports the actor had considered paying to settle the lawsuit.
Allred new lawyer for Travolta accuser Lawyer: Why I dropped Travolta case
Zanzi's suit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims the sexual assault happened on board the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship Enchantment of the Sea in June 2009.
The actor came on to the personal room attendant after he delivered food to his room, the suit said. Travolta complained of a pain in his neck and asked Zanzi to touch it. As Zanzi approached, Travolta dropped his bathrobe and "became completely naked," the suit said.
"Travolta proceeded to forcefully embrace plaintiff," it said, "causing plaintiff to continue to experience pain, shock, embarrassment, distress and fear."
He then told Zanzi "that he was beautiful and asked plaintiff to 'take me, I will take care of you, please,'" the complaint said.
When Zanzi asked to be released from the embrace, "Travolta maintained a hard and painful grasp on plaintiff's hands," the suit said.
The suit described the contact as "nonconsensual, inappropriate, extreme, and outrageous."
Travolta offered Zanzi $12,000 for his "discretion and silence," telling him to return to the suite later that night to collect the money, the suit said.
Instead, Zanzi -- "in a state of pain, shock, embarrassment, distress and fear" -- immediately reported the incident the the ship's director, human resources manager and a staff captain, the suit said.
The human resources manager told him to fill out a report, but she "refused to allow plaintiff to write down any information regarding the nudity and/or sexual contact" with Travolta, the suit said.
She told him "unless he was bleeding and bruised, he did not suffer any injuries and thus could not obtain treatment or any other type of attention," it said.
Instead of taking action against Travolta, the cruise line ordered Zanzi "restrained" in "a segregated room" for five days, until Travolta was off the ship, the suit said.
Zanzi claimed he was "persistent" in contacting the cruise line to file a claim against Travolta for the next two years, but he was repeatedly told it was being filed and to check back later. He has since filed an arbitration claim against the company, the suit said. A spokesman for the cruise company declined comment.
Zanzi is seeking unspecified monetary damages to be determined at a trial.
Travolta's lawyer said the actor is confident he will "prevail on the merits and that he will be completely vindicated in court."
"The lawsuit's ridiculous claims are completely contradicted by what Mr. Zanzi told his employer back in 2009 when he was being disciplined for his own violations of company policy," Singer said. "In his handwritten report three years ago, the only physical contact he claimed occurred was allegedly touching my client's neck. The inappropriate conduct he alleges in his lawsuit is absent from his written report he submitted at the time. That glaring omission speaks volumes."
The fact that Zanzi continued to work for the cruise line for years after "his employer supposedly restrained him in a room on the cruise ship for five days" calls his credibility into question, Singer said.
"Now, after waiting three years, and after getting paid to tell his story to the media, Mr. Zanzi has filed this absurd lawsuit," he said.
Zanzi told his story in tabloid reports published in May, soon after the suit was filed by the two massage therapists.
Fabian Zanzi, who said he was assigned to be Travolta's personal attendant, accused the actor of "harmful and offensive contact" by "removing his bath robe, grabbing plaintiff's hand, and forcing his naked person and erect penis against plaintiff's person," the complaint said.
"This is another ludicrous lawsuit with inane claims," Travolta lawyer Martin Singer said. "It is obvious that Mr. Zanzi and his lawyers are looking for their 15 minutes of fame."
Another lawsuit, filed by two male massage therapists in April, accused Travolta of sexual assault at hotels in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Those plaintiffs withdrew their suit after firing their lawyer and hiring Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred to handle their case. Allred said at the time she was considering refiling their complaints in another court.
Gloria Allred sued over Travolta accusers
Singer called those charges "ridiculous" and denied media reports the actor had considered paying to settle the lawsuit.
Allred new lawyer for Travolta accuser Lawyer: Why I dropped Travolta case
Zanzi's suit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims the sexual assault happened on board the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship Enchantment of the Sea in June 2009.
The actor came on to the personal room attendant after he delivered food to his room, the suit said. Travolta complained of a pain in his neck and asked Zanzi to touch it. As Zanzi approached, Travolta dropped his bathrobe and "became completely naked," the suit said.
"Travolta proceeded to forcefully embrace plaintiff," it said, "causing plaintiff to continue to experience pain, shock, embarrassment, distress and fear."
He then told Zanzi "that he was beautiful and asked plaintiff to 'take me, I will take care of you, please,'" the complaint said.
When Zanzi asked to be released from the embrace, "Travolta maintained a hard and painful grasp on plaintiff's hands," the suit said.
The suit described the contact as "nonconsensual, inappropriate, extreme, and outrageous."
Travolta offered Zanzi $12,000 for his "discretion and silence," telling him to return to the suite later that night to collect the money, the suit said.
Instead, Zanzi -- "in a state of pain, shock, embarrassment, distress and fear" -- immediately reported the incident the the ship's director, human resources manager and a staff captain, the suit said.
The human resources manager told him to fill out a report, but she "refused to allow plaintiff to write down any information regarding the nudity and/or sexual contact" with Travolta, the suit said.
She told him "unless he was bleeding and bruised, he did not suffer any injuries and thus could not obtain treatment or any other type of attention," it said.
Instead of taking action against Travolta, the cruise line ordered Zanzi "restrained" in "a segregated room" for five days, until Travolta was off the ship, the suit said.
Zanzi claimed he was "persistent" in contacting the cruise line to file a claim against Travolta for the next two years, but he was repeatedly told it was being filed and to check back later. He has since filed an arbitration claim against the company, the suit said. A spokesman for the cruise company declined comment.
Zanzi is seeking unspecified monetary damages to be determined at a trial.
Travolta's lawyer said the actor is confident he will "prevail on the merits and that he will be completely vindicated in court."
"The lawsuit's ridiculous claims are completely contradicted by what Mr. Zanzi told his employer back in 2009 when he was being disciplined for his own violations of company policy," Singer said. "In his handwritten report three years ago, the only physical contact he claimed occurred was allegedly touching my client's neck. The inappropriate conduct he alleges in his lawsuit is absent from his written report he submitted at the time. That glaring omission speaks volumes."
The fact that Zanzi continued to work for the cruise line for years after "his employer supposedly restrained him in a room on the cruise ship for five days" calls his credibility into question, Singer said.
"Now, after waiting three years, and after getting paid to tell his story to the media, Mr. Zanzi has filed this absurd lawsuit," he said.
Zanzi told his story in tabloid reports published in May, soon after the suit was filed by the two massage therapists.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Using the Xbox to study locust swarms
Once upon a time, people thought that swarming creatures such as fish, bees and locusts communicated their movements by "thought transference," or telepathy.
Thanks in part to the work of Princeton ecologist Iain Couzin, now we know better. Couzin's lab is using computer-vision technology and even the Xbox's motion-sensing camera, called Kinect, to try to get a grip on how these creatures maintain their individually but also function so gracefully as a collective.
"Computer vision has been very important to us. This is where you program a computer to see the world for us," he said in an interview last year at PopTech, a science, technology and big-ideas conference held in Camden, Maine.
Among the lab's most surprising discoveries: Locusts in the western Sahara Desert swarm because they're trying to not to be eaten by their cannibalistic buddies.
Locusts pop up like popcorn at farm
"We just discovered by accident that the locusts were trying to eat each other," he said. "So when it looks like a cooperative swarm, in actual fact it's a selfish, sort of cannibalistic horde. Everyone is trying to eat everyone else and trying to avoid being eaten."
Using tools like Kinect, Couzin's team is able to collect a much more detailed data set about how various organisms behave, which in turn makes it easier to figure out what they're doing and why.
What's Next: In Mauritania, sunny with a chance of locusts
All this may be interesting enough in the abstract (Couzin said he's been fascinated by swarming organisms since he was a young boy). But it's also a matter of life and death.
Locust swarms are blamed for countless deaths in West African countries including Mauritania, which Couzin visited to conduct some of his research. The swarms buzz across the desert, chewing up all of the crops and vegetation in their paths.
On Tuesday, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said in a news release that locust swarms were threatening pastures and crops in Niger and Mali.
Research about how and why the locusts swarm could lead scientists to be able to forecast locust swarms just like they would a weather event such as a tornado or hurricane.
"Why this is important is that we can now build better predictive models and computational models of where swarms may break out," Couzin said. "So that could be very helpful for control measures."
Thanks in part to the work of Princeton ecologist Iain Couzin, now we know better. Couzin's lab is using computer-vision technology and even the Xbox's motion-sensing camera, called Kinect, to try to get a grip on how these creatures maintain their individually but also function so gracefully as a collective.
"Computer vision has been very important to us. This is where you program a computer to see the world for us," he said in an interview last year at PopTech, a science, technology and big-ideas conference held in Camden, Maine.
Among the lab's most surprising discoveries: Locusts in the western Sahara Desert swarm because they're trying to not to be eaten by their cannibalistic buddies.
Locusts pop up like popcorn at farm
"We just discovered by accident that the locusts were trying to eat each other," he said. "So when it looks like a cooperative swarm, in actual fact it's a selfish, sort of cannibalistic horde. Everyone is trying to eat everyone else and trying to avoid being eaten."
Using tools like Kinect, Couzin's team is able to collect a much more detailed data set about how various organisms behave, which in turn makes it easier to figure out what they're doing and why.
What's Next: In Mauritania, sunny with a chance of locusts
All this may be interesting enough in the abstract (Couzin said he's been fascinated by swarming organisms since he was a young boy). But it's also a matter of life and death.
Locust swarms are blamed for countless deaths in West African countries including Mauritania, which Couzin visited to conduct some of his research. The swarms buzz across the desert, chewing up all of the crops and vegetation in their paths.
On Tuesday, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said in a news release that locust swarms were threatening pastures and crops in Niger and Mali.
Research about how and why the locusts swarm could lead scientists to be able to forecast locust swarms just like they would a weather event such as a tornado or hurricane.
"Why this is important is that we can now build better predictive models and computational models of where swarms may break out," Couzin said. "So that could be very helpful for control measures."
Congressional insider trading ban might not apply to families
It was a rare show of bipartisanship -- President Barack Obama, flanked by Democrats and Republicans in April, signing into law a bill that would ban insider trading on Capitol Hill. The measure, known as the STOCK Act, had passed the House and Senate at warp speed.
"The powerful shouldn't get to create one set of rules for themselves and another set of rules for everybody else," the president said at the time.
Lawmakers proclaimed that the bill, officially called the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, would restore trust in government. It also applied new rules to some employees of the executive branch.
GSA: $250K spent on one-day event
But CNN uncovered that the law that members of Congress thought they voted for earlier this year isn't exactly as advertised. A loophole could still allow family members of some lawmakers to profit from inside information.
The STOCK Act requires that any trades of $1,000 or more made on or after July 3 have to be reported to the House and Senate within 45 days. But the House and Senate have two completely different interpretations of that rule.
In the Senate, the Ethics Committee released one page of guidelines last month ruling that members and their spouses and dependent children all have to file reports after they make stock or securities trades. But the House Ethics Committee disagreed.
Its 14-page memo notifies House members and aides covered by the law that their spouses and children aren't covered. The Office of Government Ethics, which oversees all federal executive branch employees, sided with the House, informing its employees that their spouses and children don't need to file these periodic reports.
Both of the lead sponsors of the Senate bill didn't realize the discrepancy until CNN brought it to their attention.
Congress must act to solve deficit Congress ignoring its responsibilities?
Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown, the only Republican senator to attend the White House signing ceremony, said he was "obviously very concerned."
"Say I find out some information, I tell my wife and she goes and trades on it, what's the difference?" Brown told CNN.
Brown, who speaks constantly about this bill in his neck-and-neck race for re-election against consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren, said the whole point of passing the law was to demonstrate that members of Congress weren't held to a different standard.
"I mean, bottom line, we're supposed to have that level of transparency and have us be treated like every other member of the United States and bottom line, if we can't do it, then -- sorry, if they can't do it -- then we shouldn't be able to do it as well."
Why won't Romney release more tax documents?
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, also criticized the House decision not to include congressional spouses and children.
"I think it's wrong, and I think it's unfortunate because the reality is the whole point of this legislation is we should play by the exact same rules as every other American citizen, and when all of America looks at Washington, they know it's broken."
"We're trying to restore just a small measure of confidence through this kind of transparency and accountability," Gillibrand said.
After CNN told Brown about the House interpretation, Brown fired off a letter to his GOP colleagues in the House, Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
"The House interpretation leaves a loophole and the appearance of an ongoing double standard," Brown said in the letter.
"It is deeply troubling that the House of Representatives and Executive Branch would attempt to operate under a substantially weaker interpretation than the Senate," he added, demanding that the House adopt the Senate's view and require all spouses and dependents to begin reporting stock trades.
Chances for an Anthony Weiner comeback
Why the difference?
Robert Walker, a Washington ethics attorney and former chief counsel for both the House and Senate Ethics Committees, explained that the Senate bill did include a provision that covered spouses and children, but when Cantor's office wrote the House version, this language was shifted to a different section of the bill. The change meant that spouses and dependent children weren't subject to the new reporting requirements.
"The House recrafted some of the provisions of it and moved some of the provisions around. In that process, some of the Senate bill that applied to filing of these new reports was moved from one section of the bill to the other," Walker said.
The Senate Ethics Committee decided to stick with the spirit of the law that senators originally intended, but the House Ethics Committee went with the letter of the law, which included the loophole not requiring spouses and children to report financial transactions in a timely fashion.
GOP senators block Obama job initiative
Why does it matter?
This so-called "loophole" goes to the heart of what the STOCK Act set out to do.
While there were already laws in place barring members of Congress or the executive branch from profiting from nonpublic information that they learn in the course of their duties, it was extremely difficult for those at the Securities and Exchange Commission to enforce those laws.
The financial disclosure forms House members and senators were already required to file only come out once a year, making it tough to track any relationship between legislative action and a stock trade. That's why the STOCK Act added the rule that after each trade over $1,000 a report had to be filed in a timely manner.
Walker stressed the new law provides "more immediacy, more real time so that the public could have more real-time understanding of what their members, of their senior staff and other high government officials were doing with their finances, what kinds of trades were they making."
The chairman of the House Ethics Committee, Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Alabama, and the ranking Democrat, U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez of California, defended their committee's interpretation of the law in a written statement to CNN.
"As has been noted by outside experts, the office of Government Ethics and various House offices of expertise, including the Office of Legislative Counsel and the Office of General Counsel, with whom the Committee consulted, the plain language of the STOCK Act and the Ethics in Government Act is unambiguous and beyond dispute and the Committee interpreted it correctly."
Congressional dysfunction: Who's to blame?
Initially when contacted by CNN, Cantor's office insisted it did nothing to change the intent of the STOCK Act. But when pressed with the new information uncovered by CNN, the majority leader's office conceded it made changes to the House bill that effectively took out the requirement for spouses and children to file these reports.
Cantor's spokesman maintains the change was inadvertent, but told CNN because of our reporting, they're now promising to remedy the problem.
"It was not the intention of the House to differ with the Senate-passed bill with respect to application to spouses and dependent children. We did not believe at the time that we had differed from what the Senate had done," spokesman Doug Heye told CNN.
Heye said after learning from CNN about the difference, they are now looking at ways to fix it.
"Since new information has been brought to our attention with respect to this discrepancy, we are reviewing our options regarding transaction reports in the House of Representatives."
Still, another question is why the House changed the legislation in the first place. A GOP leadership source insists there were no sinister motives, that Cantor and the broader GOP leadership made changes after consulting with Ethics Committee lawyers.
How they will correct it remains to be seen, but the GOP source says however it's done, it will be made clear spouses and children of House members and their top aides, as well as the executive branch all carry out the law the way Senate sponsors intended.
"The powerful shouldn't get to create one set of rules for themselves and another set of rules for everybody else," the president said at the time.
Lawmakers proclaimed that the bill, officially called the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, would restore trust in government. It also applied new rules to some employees of the executive branch.
GSA: $250K spent on one-day event
But CNN uncovered that the law that members of Congress thought they voted for earlier this year isn't exactly as advertised. A loophole could still allow family members of some lawmakers to profit from inside information.
The STOCK Act requires that any trades of $1,000 or more made on or after July 3 have to be reported to the House and Senate within 45 days. But the House and Senate have two completely different interpretations of that rule.
In the Senate, the Ethics Committee released one page of guidelines last month ruling that members and their spouses and dependent children all have to file reports after they make stock or securities trades. But the House Ethics Committee disagreed.
Its 14-page memo notifies House members and aides covered by the law that their spouses and children aren't covered. The Office of Government Ethics, which oversees all federal executive branch employees, sided with the House, informing its employees that their spouses and children don't need to file these periodic reports.
Both of the lead sponsors of the Senate bill didn't realize the discrepancy until CNN brought it to their attention.
Congress must act to solve deficit Congress ignoring its responsibilities?
Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown, the only Republican senator to attend the White House signing ceremony, said he was "obviously very concerned."
"Say I find out some information, I tell my wife and she goes and trades on it, what's the difference?" Brown told CNN.
Brown, who speaks constantly about this bill in his neck-and-neck race for re-election against consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren, said the whole point of passing the law was to demonstrate that members of Congress weren't held to a different standard.
"I mean, bottom line, we're supposed to have that level of transparency and have us be treated like every other member of the United States and bottom line, if we can't do it, then -- sorry, if they can't do it -- then we shouldn't be able to do it as well."
Why won't Romney release more tax documents?
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, also criticized the House decision not to include congressional spouses and children.
"I think it's wrong, and I think it's unfortunate because the reality is the whole point of this legislation is we should play by the exact same rules as every other American citizen, and when all of America looks at Washington, they know it's broken."
"We're trying to restore just a small measure of confidence through this kind of transparency and accountability," Gillibrand said.
After CNN told Brown about the House interpretation, Brown fired off a letter to his GOP colleagues in the House, Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
"The House interpretation leaves a loophole and the appearance of an ongoing double standard," Brown said in the letter.
"It is deeply troubling that the House of Representatives and Executive Branch would attempt to operate under a substantially weaker interpretation than the Senate," he added, demanding that the House adopt the Senate's view and require all spouses and dependents to begin reporting stock trades.
Chances for an Anthony Weiner comeback
Why the difference?
Robert Walker, a Washington ethics attorney and former chief counsel for both the House and Senate Ethics Committees, explained that the Senate bill did include a provision that covered spouses and children, but when Cantor's office wrote the House version, this language was shifted to a different section of the bill. The change meant that spouses and dependent children weren't subject to the new reporting requirements.
"The House recrafted some of the provisions of it and moved some of the provisions around. In that process, some of the Senate bill that applied to filing of these new reports was moved from one section of the bill to the other," Walker said.
The Senate Ethics Committee decided to stick with the spirit of the law that senators originally intended, but the House Ethics Committee went with the letter of the law, which included the loophole not requiring spouses and children to report financial transactions in a timely fashion.
GOP senators block Obama job initiative
Why does it matter?
This so-called "loophole" goes to the heart of what the STOCK Act set out to do.
While there were already laws in place barring members of Congress or the executive branch from profiting from nonpublic information that they learn in the course of their duties, it was extremely difficult for those at the Securities and Exchange Commission to enforce those laws.
The financial disclosure forms House members and senators were already required to file only come out once a year, making it tough to track any relationship between legislative action and a stock trade. That's why the STOCK Act added the rule that after each trade over $1,000 a report had to be filed in a timely manner.
Walker stressed the new law provides "more immediacy, more real time so that the public could have more real-time understanding of what their members, of their senior staff and other high government officials were doing with their finances, what kinds of trades were they making."
The chairman of the House Ethics Committee, Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Alabama, and the ranking Democrat, U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez of California, defended their committee's interpretation of the law in a written statement to CNN.
"As has been noted by outside experts, the office of Government Ethics and various House offices of expertise, including the Office of Legislative Counsel and the Office of General Counsel, with whom the Committee consulted, the plain language of the STOCK Act and the Ethics in Government Act is unambiguous and beyond dispute and the Committee interpreted it correctly."
Congressional dysfunction: Who's to blame?
Initially when contacted by CNN, Cantor's office insisted it did nothing to change the intent of the STOCK Act. But when pressed with the new information uncovered by CNN, the majority leader's office conceded it made changes to the House bill that effectively took out the requirement for spouses and children to file these reports.
Cantor's spokesman maintains the change was inadvertent, but told CNN because of our reporting, they're now promising to remedy the problem.
"It was not the intention of the House to differ with the Senate-passed bill with respect to application to spouses and dependent children. We did not believe at the time that we had differed from what the Senate had done," spokesman Doug Heye told CNN.
Heye said after learning from CNN about the difference, they are now looking at ways to fix it.
"Since new information has been brought to our attention with respect to this discrepancy, we are reviewing our options regarding transaction reports in the House of Representatives."
Still, another question is why the House changed the legislation in the first place. A GOP leadership source insists there were no sinister motives, that Cantor and the broader GOP leadership made changes after consulting with Ethics Committee lawyers.
How they will correct it remains to be seen, but the GOP source says however it's done, it will be made clear spouses and children of House members and their top aides, as well as the executive branch all carry out the law the way Senate sponsors intended.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Detroit's Ambassador Bridge reopens after threat
A major bridge between Detroit, and Windsor, Ontario, reopened early Tuesday after a bomb threat shut it down for more than five hours, police said.
Authorities closed the Ambassador Bridge after a bomb threat was received around 7:15 p.m., according to Sgt. Eren Stephens, a Detroit police spokeswoman.
It finally opened at 1 a.m. after bomb-sniffing dogs "did not detect or find a bomb or suspicious device."
The U.S. Coast Guard stopped all maritime traffic below the bridge during the incident.
The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest commercial international crossing in North America with more than 10,000 commercial vehicles crossing the bridge on a typical weekday, according to the bridge's official website.
More than 25% of all commercial goods between Canada and the United States cross the Ambassador Bridge, the website said.
The closing followed last Thursday's closing of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, which also was prompted by a bomb threat.
Authorities closed the Ambassador Bridge after a bomb threat was received around 7:15 p.m., according to Sgt. Eren Stephens, a Detroit police spokeswoman.
It finally opened at 1 a.m. after bomb-sniffing dogs "did not detect or find a bomb or suspicious device."
The U.S. Coast Guard stopped all maritime traffic below the bridge during the incident.
The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest commercial international crossing in North America with more than 10,000 commercial vehicles crossing the bridge on a typical weekday, according to the bridge's official website.
More than 25% of all commercial goods between Canada and the United States cross the Ambassador Bridge, the website said.
The closing followed last Thursday's closing of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, which also was prompted by a bomb threat.
Mayor of Alaska village walks on four paws
Not many mayors in the United States enjoy belly rubs from their constituents. Then again, most mayors don't prance around town naked and curl up for naps in front of local businesses.
For 15 years, Stubbs the cat has held the top office in Talkeetna, Alaska. And his approval ratings have never been higher.
"He doesn't raise our taxes -- we have no sales tax. He doesn't interfere with business. He's honest," said Lauri Stec, manager of Nagley's General Store, which doubles as the mayor's office.
Stubbs may be the only mayor in the country who rose to office as an infant.
"He was in a box full of kittens in the front of the store, and (the owners) were giving them away," Stec said. She picked "Stubbs" because he had no tail.
Soon afterward, residents weren't happy with any of the human candidates in the upcoming mayoral election and voted for Stubbs as a write-in candidate. The kitten won.
Because Talkeetna is a "historical district," the mayoral post is more symbolic than functional, said Andi Manning, president of the Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce. So most residents are fine with a four-legged feline running the show.
Mayor Stubbs of Talkeetna, Alaska, drinks water with catnip from a wine glass.
But the power, apparently, has gotten to Stubbs' furry head.
"All throughout the day I have to take care of the mayor. He's very demanding," said Skye Farrar, a clerk at Nagley's. "He meowed and meowed and meowed and demanded to be picked up and put on the counter. And he demanded to be taken away from the tourists. Then he had his long, afternoon nap."
In addition, the mayor will only drink water from a wine glass that has catnip in it, Stec added.
But most everyone is willing to put up with the mayor's high-maintenance lifestyle, especially because he's a big tourist attraction for the community of about 800 human beings.
Manning said the mayor frequently draws dozens of tourists who are en route to other Alaska destinations such as Mount McKinley.
And as of late Monday night, the Mayor Stubbs Facebook page had well over 6,000 subscribers.
He doesn't interfere with business. He's honest
Lauri Stec, manager of Nagley's General Store
But Stubbs remains true to his community, often showing up in local businesses -- albeit unexpectedly.
"When my building burned down in 2002, he was the last to come out of it," said Todd Basilone, owner of Mountain High Pizza Pie in Talkeetna. "He's always in the restaurant. Stubbs wanders into every place in town."
Even though dogs run loose and outnumber people in Talkeetna, he said, the canines seem to respect Stubbs' authority.
"I've never seen a dog mess with him," Basilone said.
Though the mayor generally receives positive reviews for his laissez-faire politics, he is guilty of frequently sleeping on the job.
"His biggest political rivals would be other local businesses that would hate that he comes over and takes a nap and leaves fur everywhere. They aren't big fans of him," Farrar said. "We usually say, 'You have to deal with it. He runs the town.'"
For 15 years, Stubbs the cat has held the top office in Talkeetna, Alaska. And his approval ratings have never been higher.
"He doesn't raise our taxes -- we have no sales tax. He doesn't interfere with business. He's honest," said Lauri Stec, manager of Nagley's General Store, which doubles as the mayor's office.
Stubbs may be the only mayor in the country who rose to office as an infant.
"He was in a box full of kittens in the front of the store, and (the owners) were giving them away," Stec said. She picked "Stubbs" because he had no tail.
Soon afterward, residents weren't happy with any of the human candidates in the upcoming mayoral election and voted for Stubbs as a write-in candidate. The kitten won.
Because Talkeetna is a "historical district," the mayoral post is more symbolic than functional, said Andi Manning, president of the Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce. So most residents are fine with a four-legged feline running the show.
Mayor Stubbs of Talkeetna, Alaska, drinks water with catnip from a wine glass.
But the power, apparently, has gotten to Stubbs' furry head.
"All throughout the day I have to take care of the mayor. He's very demanding," said Skye Farrar, a clerk at Nagley's. "He meowed and meowed and meowed and demanded to be picked up and put on the counter. And he demanded to be taken away from the tourists. Then he had his long, afternoon nap."
In addition, the mayor will only drink water from a wine glass that has catnip in it, Stec added.
But most everyone is willing to put up with the mayor's high-maintenance lifestyle, especially because he's a big tourist attraction for the community of about 800 human beings.
Manning said the mayor frequently draws dozens of tourists who are en route to other Alaska destinations such as Mount McKinley.
And as of late Monday night, the Mayor Stubbs Facebook page had well over 6,000 subscribers.
He doesn't interfere with business. He's honest
Lauri Stec, manager of Nagley's General Store
But Stubbs remains true to his community, often showing up in local businesses -- albeit unexpectedly.
"When my building burned down in 2002, he was the last to come out of it," said Todd Basilone, owner of Mountain High Pizza Pie in Talkeetna. "He's always in the restaurant. Stubbs wanders into every place in town."
Even though dogs run loose and outnumber people in Talkeetna, he said, the canines seem to respect Stubbs' authority.
"I've never seen a dog mess with him," Basilone said.
Though the mayor generally receives positive reviews for his laissez-faire politics, he is guilty of frequently sleeping on the job.
"His biggest political rivals would be other local businesses that would hate that he comes over and takes a nap and leaves fur everywhere. They aren't big fans of him," Farrar said. "We usually say, 'You have to deal with it. He runs the town.'"
Sunday, July 15, 2012
TriMet driver who forced family off bus retires
TriMet decided to fire the bus driver who forced a mother and her four children off a bus in the rain over a fare dispute but the driver retired before that could happen.
"TriMet initiated the termination process over this incident, but prior to the termination she instead opted to retire," TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch said Thursday.
TriMet's internal investigation found that the driver, identified as Claudeen Hendren, acted inappropriately in the June 7 incident.
According to the 911 dispatch log obtained by KGW, Hendren and the mother got into a dispute over an expired fare that the passenger had given the bus driver. Another passenger on the bus called 911 and a police officer responded.
The dispatch log showed that after the officer arrived, the mother agreed to pay the correct fare. Then, Hendren told the officer she still wanted them to get off “because she was already four minutes late and did not want people crying on the bus.”
The officer ended up driving the family home in a patrol car.
More: Family forced off TriMet bus
TriMet’s investigation included talking with the mother, a witness, the Forest Grove police officer and the bus driver. Results of the review were released Thursday and Hendren's actions were deemed inappropriate.
"This incident and how the operator handled the situation is not representative of the vast majority of our operators who deliver excellent customer service every day,” said TriMet Executive Director of Operations Shelly Lomax.
Hendren was the same person who stopped her bus in Hillsboro and refused to continue because a mother couldn’t stop her young child from crying.
More: Driver disciplined over loud baby incident
In that case, Hendren was placed on paid leave for a time and TriMet said they provided her with training, counseling and closely monitored her performance. She was eventually put back in the driver's seat, along Line 57, but was warned that she would face termination if a similar situation occurred.
"TriMet initiated the termination process over this incident, but prior to the termination she instead opted to retire," TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch said Thursday.
TriMet's internal investigation found that the driver, identified as Claudeen Hendren, acted inappropriately in the June 7 incident.
According to the 911 dispatch log obtained by KGW, Hendren and the mother got into a dispute over an expired fare that the passenger had given the bus driver. Another passenger on the bus called 911 and a police officer responded.
The dispatch log showed that after the officer arrived, the mother agreed to pay the correct fare. Then, Hendren told the officer she still wanted them to get off “because she was already four minutes late and did not want people crying on the bus.”
The officer ended up driving the family home in a patrol car.
More: Family forced off TriMet bus
TriMet’s investigation included talking with the mother, a witness, the Forest Grove police officer and the bus driver. Results of the review were released Thursday and Hendren's actions were deemed inappropriate.
"This incident and how the operator handled the situation is not representative of the vast majority of our operators who deliver excellent customer service every day,” said TriMet Executive Director of Operations Shelly Lomax.
Hendren was the same person who stopped her bus in Hillsboro and refused to continue because a mother couldn’t stop her young child from crying.
More: Driver disciplined over loud baby incident
In that case, Hendren was placed on paid leave for a time and TriMet said they provided her with training, counseling and closely monitored her performance. She was eventually put back in the driver's seat, along Line 57, but was warned that she would face termination if a similar situation occurred.
Does Congress buy Made-in-America clothes?
I would really like to know where members of Congress buy their clothes.
If you haven't heard already, the U.S. Olympic team's Ralph Lauren uniforms were made in China, and this has triggered quite the uproar among lawmakers. Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner have all weighed in.
Why is anyone surprised by this?
Twenty years ago, U.S. manufacturers supplied about 50% of the clothing sold here. But since then, American garment factories have slashed more than 700,000 jobs.
Today, Americans import about 98% of their apparel and 99% of their footwear from foreign countries, according to the American Apparel and Footwear Association.
Do finger-wagging members of Congress shop at the other 2% of manufacturers? Really, was every blouse, blazer and boot in their closets made in America? It's doubtful, but I asked anyway.
Sen. Harry Reid's office tells me all of his suits are made in the USA, but declined to mention where he buys them. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand's office pointed out that she wore a made-in-New York, Nanette Lepore dress to the White House Correspondents Dinner.
Rep. Steve Israel's office tells me his suits and ties are from Brooks Brothers.
That's all well and good, but where are average Americans supposed to be shopping to get made-in-America clothes?
For the record, even Brooks Brothers doesn't manufacture all of its products in the U.S. anymore. Much of the clothing on its website claims to be "imported." Many of its silk ties are woven in England or Italy and assembled in the U.S.
Similarly, L.L. Bean and Levi's jeans sell an awful lot of imported products, considering they promote their made-in-America heritage so proudly. (Levi's classic 501 Original Fit Jeans? Imported. L.L. Bean's Classic Fit Chinos? Imported.)
Where are the patriotic, made-in-America clothiers? One major retailer that comes to mind is American Apparel, but not all of us can pull off the neon lycra-spandex look. I suppose it could work for the gymnastics team though.
If you haven't heard already, the U.S. Olympic team's Ralph Lauren uniforms were made in China, and this has triggered quite the uproar among lawmakers. Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner have all weighed in.
Why is anyone surprised by this?
Twenty years ago, U.S. manufacturers supplied about 50% of the clothing sold here. But since then, American garment factories have slashed more than 700,000 jobs.
Today, Americans import about 98% of their apparel and 99% of their footwear from foreign countries, according to the American Apparel and Footwear Association.
Do finger-wagging members of Congress shop at the other 2% of manufacturers? Really, was every blouse, blazer and boot in their closets made in America? It's doubtful, but I asked anyway.
Sen. Harry Reid's office tells me all of his suits are made in the USA, but declined to mention where he buys them. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand's office pointed out that she wore a made-in-New York, Nanette Lepore dress to the White House Correspondents Dinner.
Rep. Steve Israel's office tells me his suits and ties are from Brooks Brothers.
That's all well and good, but where are average Americans supposed to be shopping to get made-in-America clothes?
For the record, even Brooks Brothers doesn't manufacture all of its products in the U.S. anymore. Much of the clothing on its website claims to be "imported." Many of its silk ties are woven in England or Italy and assembled in the U.S.
Similarly, L.L. Bean and Levi's jeans sell an awful lot of imported products, considering they promote their made-in-America heritage so proudly. (Levi's classic 501 Original Fit Jeans? Imported. L.L. Bean's Classic Fit Chinos? Imported.)
Where are the patriotic, made-in-America clothiers? One major retailer that comes to mind is American Apparel, but not all of us can pull off the neon lycra-spandex look. I suppose it could work for the gymnastics team though.
Chinese women push for a place in space
On Saturday at 6:37 p.m. (6:37 a.m. ET), China is scheduled to launch its first female astronaut into space as part of a three-person crew.
Liu Yang will join Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang as part of a three-person crew aboard the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, which, if successful, will conduct a historic docking with China's orbiting space module.
Like Wang Yaping, the other woman considered for the coveted slot, Liu Yang is married, in her early 30s and chosen among China's first batch of women astronauts because of her strong flying record and mental toughness.
The launch of China's first woman taikonaut (which combines the Chinese "taikong," or space, and the Greek "nautes," or sailor) into space would come exactly 49 years to the day that the former Soviet Union put its first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, into space.
It's about time.
Read more about China's historic launch
Chinese women have been on a winning streak in various fields lately.
Feng Shanshan, 22, on Sunday became the first golfer from China to win a major tournament by topping the Wegmans LPGA tournament in New York. The Guangzhou resident, who began playing golf at the age of 10, took home the $375,000 prize.
Chinese women have grand ambitions for their future, are rapidly climbing the corporate ladder and achieving equality in compensation
Pully Chau, chairman and CEO for Draftfcb Greater China
Last year, Li Na became the first Asian-born tennis player to will a Grand Slam singles title by taking the French Open. Before long, she signed several million-dollar endorsement contracts for brands such as Rolex and Haagen-Dazs.
They are following the footsteps of other sports stars, like Guo Jingjing, whose six Olympic medals, including four golds, have made her the most decorated female Olympic diver.
Guo has smartly turned her good looks and diving prowess into fame and fortune. By the time she retired last year, she had collected commercial endorsements for McDonalds and other consumer brands worth millions of dollars.
Marketing experts are tapping into the potential goldmine of female Chinese consumers.
"More than two-thirds (67%) of women in China are employed, compared to 58% in the U.S.," writes Pully Chau, chairman and CEO for Draftfcb Greater China, a marketing and communications company. "With greater economic power, Chinese women will also have greater spending power."
"Chinese women have grand ambitions for their future, are rapidly climbing the corporate ladder and achieving equality in compensation," Chau continued.
Although Chinese women still face pressure to be traditional -- get married, have a child, appear meek and submissive, etc -- breaking the stereotype is no longer taboo. Many have risen from obscurity, pursued educations, started businesses, had divorces and become self-made multi-millionaires.
According to Hurun Report's annual rich list, half of the top 20 richest self-made women are Chinese.
Among them is Wu Yajun, chairwoman and founder of Longfor Properties. She is China's richest woman, with personal net worth of 42 billion yuan ($6.57 billion).
Fortune China's 2012 "40 under 40" list of young entrepreneurs includes two Chinese businesswomen: Chen Chunhong, managing director of Yiyuan Environmental Group, ranks 12th, and Carol Chyau, founder and CEO of Shokay International, ranks 21st.
Meng Xiaosi, vice president of the All-China Women's Federation, said that China has over 29 million female entrepreneurs, or a quarter of the nation's total. Over 41% of them are self-employed and private business owners, she said.
This is a reversal of fortune, considering China's historical context.
For centuries, Confucian thinking had relegated women in China to secondary and subordinate roles.
"At the early age of seven, according to the ancient practice, boys and girls did not occupy the same mat nor eat together," wrote J. Dyer Ball in "Things Chinese," a book first published in 1925. "Woman is made to serve in China, and the bondage is often a long and bitter one: a life of servitude to her parents; a life of submission to her parents-in-law at marriage; and the looking forward to a life of bondage to her husband in the next world, for she belongs to the same husband there, and is not allowed to be properly married to another after his death."
Foot binding, although considered something of a beauty ritual, was perhaps the most shocking practice that condemned women to being powerless homemakers.
After the communist takeover in 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong banned feudal marriage and advocated gender equality.
In 1950, he announced a new marriage law, banning forced marriages, domestic abuse and concubinage. The law also gave women the right to divorce.
"Women hold up half the sky," Mao declared famously.
Women were also given access to an education and military training.
"Times have changed, and today men and women are equal," Mao said in another occasion. "Whatever men comrades can accomplish, women comrades can too."
At the height of the decade-long Cultural Revolution, the Maoist idea of gender equality was taken to the extreme. Men and women then dressed the same, wearing mostly baggy and monochromatic clothing.
Pro-women advocacy failed to entirely subvert China's male-centered society. Boys were still valued for their role in carrying on the family name. When China's one-child policy was introduced in 1978, it created unintended consequences, like forced abortion and gender imbalance.
While women have been powerful players in China's booming economy, they are still grossly underrepresented in politics.
Today only one woman, Liu Yandong, sits as a full member of the ruling Politburo of the Communist Party. Five women in all have served in the powerful policy-making body.
Only four out of the 35 members of the State Council, China's government cabinet, are women.
Although the constitution says that "women enjoy equal rights with men in all spheres of life," domestic violence, forced abortions and sterilizations, infanticides and sex trafficking remain intractable problems for females.
CNN's Jordan Lee contributed to this report.
Liu Yang will join Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang as part of a three-person crew aboard the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, which, if successful, will conduct a historic docking with China's orbiting space module.
Like Wang Yaping, the other woman considered for the coveted slot, Liu Yang is married, in her early 30s and chosen among China's first batch of women astronauts because of her strong flying record and mental toughness.
The launch of China's first woman taikonaut (which combines the Chinese "taikong," or space, and the Greek "nautes," or sailor) into space would come exactly 49 years to the day that the former Soviet Union put its first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, into space.
It's about time.
Read more about China's historic launch
Chinese women have been on a winning streak in various fields lately.
Feng Shanshan, 22, on Sunday became the first golfer from China to win a major tournament by topping the Wegmans LPGA tournament in New York. The Guangzhou resident, who began playing golf at the age of 10, took home the $375,000 prize.
Chinese women have grand ambitions for their future, are rapidly climbing the corporate ladder and achieving equality in compensation
Pully Chau, chairman and CEO for Draftfcb Greater China
Last year, Li Na became the first Asian-born tennis player to will a Grand Slam singles title by taking the French Open. Before long, she signed several million-dollar endorsement contracts for brands such as Rolex and Haagen-Dazs.
They are following the footsteps of other sports stars, like Guo Jingjing, whose six Olympic medals, including four golds, have made her the most decorated female Olympic diver.
Guo has smartly turned her good looks and diving prowess into fame and fortune. By the time she retired last year, she had collected commercial endorsements for McDonalds and other consumer brands worth millions of dollars.
Marketing experts are tapping into the potential goldmine of female Chinese consumers.
"More than two-thirds (67%) of women in China are employed, compared to 58% in the U.S.," writes Pully Chau, chairman and CEO for Draftfcb Greater China, a marketing and communications company. "With greater economic power, Chinese women will also have greater spending power."
"Chinese women have grand ambitions for their future, are rapidly climbing the corporate ladder and achieving equality in compensation," Chau continued.
Although Chinese women still face pressure to be traditional -- get married, have a child, appear meek and submissive, etc -- breaking the stereotype is no longer taboo. Many have risen from obscurity, pursued educations, started businesses, had divorces and become self-made multi-millionaires.
According to Hurun Report's annual rich list, half of the top 20 richest self-made women are Chinese.
Among them is Wu Yajun, chairwoman and founder of Longfor Properties. She is China's richest woman, with personal net worth of 42 billion yuan ($6.57 billion).
Fortune China's 2012 "40 under 40" list of young entrepreneurs includes two Chinese businesswomen: Chen Chunhong, managing director of Yiyuan Environmental Group, ranks 12th, and Carol Chyau, founder and CEO of Shokay International, ranks 21st.
Meng Xiaosi, vice president of the All-China Women's Federation, said that China has over 29 million female entrepreneurs, or a quarter of the nation's total. Over 41% of them are self-employed and private business owners, she said.
This is a reversal of fortune, considering China's historical context.
For centuries, Confucian thinking had relegated women in China to secondary and subordinate roles.
"At the early age of seven, according to the ancient practice, boys and girls did not occupy the same mat nor eat together," wrote J. Dyer Ball in "Things Chinese," a book first published in 1925. "Woman is made to serve in China, and the bondage is often a long and bitter one: a life of servitude to her parents; a life of submission to her parents-in-law at marriage; and the looking forward to a life of bondage to her husband in the next world, for she belongs to the same husband there, and is not allowed to be properly married to another after his death."
Foot binding, although considered something of a beauty ritual, was perhaps the most shocking practice that condemned women to being powerless homemakers.
After the communist takeover in 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong banned feudal marriage and advocated gender equality.
In 1950, he announced a new marriage law, banning forced marriages, domestic abuse and concubinage. The law also gave women the right to divorce.
"Women hold up half the sky," Mao declared famously.
Women were also given access to an education and military training.
"Times have changed, and today men and women are equal," Mao said in another occasion. "Whatever men comrades can accomplish, women comrades can too."
At the height of the decade-long Cultural Revolution, the Maoist idea of gender equality was taken to the extreme. Men and women then dressed the same, wearing mostly baggy and monochromatic clothing.
Pro-women advocacy failed to entirely subvert China's male-centered society. Boys were still valued for their role in carrying on the family name. When China's one-child policy was introduced in 1978, it created unintended consequences, like forced abortion and gender imbalance.
While women have been powerful players in China's booming economy, they are still grossly underrepresented in politics.
Today only one woman, Liu Yandong, sits as a full member of the ruling Politburo of the Communist Party. Five women in all have served in the powerful policy-making body.
Only four out of the 35 members of the State Council, China's government cabinet, are women.
Although the constitution says that "women enjoy equal rights with men in all spheres of life," domestic violence, forced abortions and sterilizations, infanticides and sex trafficking remain intractable problems for females.
CNN's Jordan Lee contributed to this report.
Why ordinary Afghans worry about NATO summit
Afghanistan's recent signings of strategic partnerships with the United States and other countries have provided a measure of reassurance to Afghans about the international community's sustained engagement in the country beyond 2014, when the drawdown of NATO combat forces will be complete. But these documents are short on specifics and do not fully tackle the political, economic and regional challenges that need to be addressed so the Afghan army and police can take responsibility for the security of the country.
To give this transition a real chance of succeeding, Afghanistan and its partners need to concentrate on the risks and challenges in the critical next two years. At the NATO summit in Chicago beginning Sunday, the withdrawal timetable of international forces from Afghanistan and future commitments to support the Afghan government and army after the drawdown will be key areas of discussion.
A user's guide to the Chicago NATO summit
The U.S. political strategy in Afghanistan remains largely focused on talks with the Taliban, and a chorus of voices inside and outside the government is optimistically making the case that the Taliban have reformed and can be "reconciled."
While there is general consensus among Afghans that a broad-based and inclusive reconciliation is necessary to end the conflict, key questions remain about the political order that may emerge from such a process.
Women tortured for saying 'no' NATO supplies stranded in Pakistan Leaked pics more bad news for NATO
This lack of discussion has amplified fears among the Afghan population of a grand bargain either between the United States and Pakistan or between the Afghan government and a resurgent Taliban -- tacitly endorsed by NATO countries seeking a face-saving exit -- that could undo the social gains and ethnic pluralism in current Afghan politics. These concerns are already creating fractures in the fragile political balance among Afghanistan's various ethnic powers and exacerbating fears of a civil war once the international troops exit.
NATO invites Pakistan to Chicago summit
Afghans also remain concerned about the 2014 presidential elections, when President Hamid Karzai is due to step down. The absence of an "inevitable" candidate and political trust are likely to lead to an enormously challenging electoral environment, rife with legitimate worries about voter fraud.
To instill confidence in the process, the international community needs to assist Afghan efforts to ensure credible elections through technical and diplomatic support. All Afghan political actors need to be on board for changes planned in the electoral process. This will also be an opportunity to offer any reconcilable Taliban a chance to be part of the election process.
Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter and Facebook.com/cnnopinion.
The most critical element to securing peace in Afghanistan will be convincing Pakistan to close down Taliban sanctuaries. While Pakistan and Afghanistan have set up joint mechanisms aimed at establishing more firm control over Taliban contacts, Afghans continue to believe that Islamabad's policy gurus will continue to use its control over the Taliban as bargaining chips in order to retain maximum leverage on reconciliation and the post-2014 political order in Afghanistan.
NATO's post-Afghanistan future unclear
A jittery Iran, incensed by the U.S.-Afghan partnership, also has the potential to foment instability. China, the central Asian republics, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are other key regional players that are anxious about the form the post-2014 political order will take. If more is not done to address their concerns, these regional actors may revert to supporting competing factional elements in Afghanistan and feed the conflict as they did during its 1990s civil war.
Afghans are trying to soften the blow to the economy that will follow the NATO drawdown and to move toward sustainability through regional economic cooperation, agricultural development, mining and associated infrastructure improvement. While this strategy is necessary for the long-term, Afghans want to see clear signs that steps are being taken to avoid repeating the lawlessness and violence that followed when Moscow cut billions of dollars of aid to the Najibullah regime in 1991.
To bolster confidence in the economy's sustainability, the international community will need to pace the reduction of aid, work with the Afghan government to create an enabling environment for foreign investment and support economic projects in the areas of mining, infrastructure and trade. It will also have to ensure that the tools for allocating and managing aid money are improved to minimize the possibility that these vital resources will be squandered through corruption and wasteful spending.
Afghanistan -- located in the heart of the most dangerous neighborhood in the world -- still matters, and the security concerns of the United States and the international community will continue to be affected by instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The task ahead, in Chicago and later this summer at a conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo, is to focus concretely on how best to restructure and reprioritize international efforts to strengthen the prospects for a successful political, economic and military transition to a sovereign and stable Afghanistan. That will be the real test facing a fatigued international community and concerned Afghans.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rina Amiri and Omar Samad.
To give this transition a real chance of succeeding, Afghanistan and its partners need to concentrate on the risks and challenges in the critical next two years. At the NATO summit in Chicago beginning Sunday, the withdrawal timetable of international forces from Afghanistan and future commitments to support the Afghan government and army after the drawdown will be key areas of discussion.
A user's guide to the Chicago NATO summit
The U.S. political strategy in Afghanistan remains largely focused on talks with the Taliban, and a chorus of voices inside and outside the government is optimistically making the case that the Taliban have reformed and can be "reconciled."
While there is general consensus among Afghans that a broad-based and inclusive reconciliation is necessary to end the conflict, key questions remain about the political order that may emerge from such a process.
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This lack of discussion has amplified fears among the Afghan population of a grand bargain either between the United States and Pakistan or between the Afghan government and a resurgent Taliban -- tacitly endorsed by NATO countries seeking a face-saving exit -- that could undo the social gains and ethnic pluralism in current Afghan politics. These concerns are already creating fractures in the fragile political balance among Afghanistan's various ethnic powers and exacerbating fears of a civil war once the international troops exit.
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Afghans also remain concerned about the 2014 presidential elections, when President Hamid Karzai is due to step down. The absence of an "inevitable" candidate and political trust are likely to lead to an enormously challenging electoral environment, rife with legitimate worries about voter fraud.
To instill confidence in the process, the international community needs to assist Afghan efforts to ensure credible elections through technical and diplomatic support. All Afghan political actors need to be on board for changes planned in the electoral process. This will also be an opportunity to offer any reconcilable Taliban a chance to be part of the election process.
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The most critical element to securing peace in Afghanistan will be convincing Pakistan to close down Taliban sanctuaries. While Pakistan and Afghanistan have set up joint mechanisms aimed at establishing more firm control over Taliban contacts, Afghans continue to believe that Islamabad's policy gurus will continue to use its control over the Taliban as bargaining chips in order to retain maximum leverage on reconciliation and the post-2014 political order in Afghanistan.
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A jittery Iran, incensed by the U.S.-Afghan partnership, also has the potential to foment instability. China, the central Asian republics, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are other key regional players that are anxious about the form the post-2014 political order will take. If more is not done to address their concerns, these regional actors may revert to supporting competing factional elements in Afghanistan and feed the conflict as they did during its 1990s civil war.
Afghans are trying to soften the blow to the economy that will follow the NATO drawdown and to move toward sustainability through regional economic cooperation, agricultural development, mining and associated infrastructure improvement. While this strategy is necessary for the long-term, Afghans want to see clear signs that steps are being taken to avoid repeating the lawlessness and violence that followed when Moscow cut billions of dollars of aid to the Najibullah regime in 1991.
To bolster confidence in the economy's sustainability, the international community will need to pace the reduction of aid, work with the Afghan government to create an enabling environment for foreign investment and support economic projects in the areas of mining, infrastructure and trade. It will also have to ensure that the tools for allocating and managing aid money are improved to minimize the possibility that these vital resources will be squandered through corruption and wasteful spending.
Afghanistan -- located in the heart of the most dangerous neighborhood in the world -- still matters, and the security concerns of the United States and the international community will continue to be affected by instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The task ahead, in Chicago and later this summer at a conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo, is to focus concretely on how best to restructure and reprioritize international efforts to strengthen the prospects for a successful political, economic and military transition to a sovereign and stable Afghanistan. That will be the real test facing a fatigued international community and concerned Afghans.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rina Amiri and Omar Samad.
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