RSN: Outdoor Sports at Risk From Heatwaves Due to Climate Change, Ironies of Empire,

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Juan Cole | Ironies of Empire

Juan Cole, Informed Comment
Cole writes: "The revelation by the Washington Post's Adam Goldman and Ellen Nakashima that the car-bomb assassination of Hizbullah commando Imad Mughniyah in Damascus in 2008 was a joint CIA/ Israeli Mossad operation comes at an awkward time for Washington."
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Obama to Propose Tax on Corporate Earnings Held Overseas
Paul Lewis, The Guardian
Lewis writes: "Barack Obama will propose a major clampdown on US corporations with a one-off levy on an estimated $2tn of untaxed earnings being stashed overseas, using the windfall to rescue America's crumbling road infrastructure."
READ MORE

US Oil Workers on Biggest Strike Since 1980
teleSUR
Excerpt: "Workers in nine refineries in the United States are striking Sunday in order to pressure employers for better terms in new national contracts."
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Croatia Forgives Debts of 60,000 Poorest Citizens
RT
Excerpt: "Croatian government have gotten creditors on board a plan to erase the debts of some 60,000 poorest citizens. The "fresh start" scheme targets less than 1 percent of the entire debt, but is hoped to boost the economy in the long-term."
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Egypt Frees Jailed Al Jazeera Journalist Peter Greste
Al Jazeera America
Excerpt: "The family of Peter Greste, who has been released by Egyptian authorities after 400 days in prison, have said the award-winning Al Jazeera journalist's relief at being free is marred by the continued imprisonment of his colleagues."
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Outdoor Sports at Risk From Heatwaves Due to Climate Change
Oliver Milman, The Guardian
Milman writes: "The extreme heat policies of sports such as tennis, Aussie rules and cricket will have to 'dramatically improve' to protect the health of competitors at all levels, the Climate Institute analysis concluded."
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Is it time for Progressive Sanity?

As this year comes to a close, let me take this opportunity to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a healthy and happy new year. I also want to thank you for the ongoing help that you have given me, and for your efforts in the many struggles that we have waged together. Today, I ask for your continued support. I am more than aware that, in the current political climate, many people feel disillusioned about the future. That is completely understandable. We have just had a midterm election in which 63 percent of the people didn’t vote, some very reactionary candidates won election and Republicans are taking control of the U.S. Senate. But, as I have said many times, despair is not an option - not if you have kids or grandchildren and want a decent future for them, not if you love this country and understand its potential to lead the world in so many ways. We must fight back. The struggle for economic and social justice, for environmental sanity and world peace must not be considered an option for us, it is a necessity that must be carried forward. It's what we must do. The future of this country and, in fact, the future of our planet depend upon that. Please don't forget. Real change does not occur without struggle, and real change does not happen overnight. As Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us; "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Incredibly brave people, for centuries, have put their lives on the line, died and suffered, for a more just economic and political system - and their efforts resulted, over time, in huge and almost unthinkable victories. Fifty years ago, given the history of this country, very few people would have believed that in 2008 an African American could have been elected President of the United States, and then re-elected in 2012. But it happened. Forty years ago, when only a handful of women held important political positions and most girls never considered the possibility of doing "man's work," very few people would have believed that there would be states in this country where all the major elected officials would be women, and that millions of women would now be working at jobs that women never held before. But it happened. Thirty years ago, when children born with disabilities were hidden by their parents or institutionalized, very few people would have believed that kids with disabilities would be mainstreamed into public school classrooms all across this country, and that there would be strong laws prohibiting discrimination against disabled Americans. But it happened. Twenty years ago, when right-wing candidates won elections by attacking gay rights, very few people would have believed that by 2014 gay marriage would be legal in conservative states, and that there would be openly gay elected officials in almost every area of public life. But it happened. My point is simple. Change happens. It happens in ways that we don’t fully understand, and it happens in a timeline that few can predict. But one thing we do understand is that when millions of people stand together and demand it, positive and progressive change can and does happen. We must never give up. Let’s continue working together for the progressive vision of America that we share. As I reflect upon this coming year, a number of thoughts come to mind: First and foremost, against an enormous amount of corporate media noise and distraction, it is imperative that we be loud and clear in continuing the fight for our progressive vision. We have got to stay focused on the most important issues facing the American people. Yes. We make no apologies in stating that the great moral, economic and political issue of our time is the growing level of income and wealth inequality in our country. It is a disgrace to everything this country is supposed to stand for when the top one-tenth of one percent own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent, and when one family (the Waltons) owns more wealth than the bottom 40 percent. No. The economy is not sustainable when the middle class continues to disappear and when 95 percent of all new income generated since the Wall Street crash goes to the top one percent. Yes. We will continue the fight to have the United States join the rest of the industrialized world in understanding that health care is a human right of all people, and not a privilege. We will end the current dysfunctional system in which 40 million Americans remain uninsured, and tens of millions more are under-insured. No. Private insurance companies and drug companies should not be making huge profits when we spend almost twice as much per capita on health care as the people of any other nation. Yes. We will fight for a budget that ends corporate tax loopholes and demands that the wealthy and special interests begin paying their fair share of taxes. No. At a time when the middle class is disappearing and when millions of families are struggling economically, we will not support more austerity against the elderly, the children and working families. We will not accept cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, nutrition or affordable housing. Yes. We believe, in a highly competitive global economy, that quality education should be available to all Americans who have the ability and the desire, from birth through graduate school, regardless of their incomes. We believe that we should be hiring more teachers and qualified pre-school educators, not firing them. No. We do not believe that it makes any sense that young people leave college and graduate school with a very heavy debt burden which many of them carry for decades. Yes. We believe that the scientific community is right. Climate change is real, is caused by human activity and is already creating devastating problems in the United States and throughout the world. We believe that the United States can and must lead the world in transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy. No. We do not believe that it makes sense to build the Keystone pipeline or other projects which make us more dependent on oil and other fossil fuels. Let me conclude by telling you what you already know. This is a very tough moment in American history, and the Big Money interests and their lobbyists in Washington have an unprecedented amount of power. There is no question but that in the coming year and into the future we will face some extremely difficult battles against them. I have no doubt, however, that if we stand together as brothers and sisters, and are effective in educating and organizing the American people, we will win. Once again, thank you for your support. I wish you a happy and healthy new year. Sincerely,

Bernie Sanders United States Senator for Vermont

Paid for by Friends of Bernie Sanders

   

Burger King tax dodge

Do you wonder why the tax burden is so skewed?

Isn't it time for Big Corporations to pay their fair share and close the tax loopholes?

TAX INVERSION

Report: Burger King deal brings vast savings

The company could avoid $1.2B in U.S. taxes over three years

 

 

Signs for Burger King and Tim Hortons are seen in Ottawa, Canada. Burger King's acquisition of Tim Hortons, allowing the company to establish itself as a Canadian entity, means it will not pay hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. taxes, a watchdog group says. Sean Kilpatrick/Associated Press File

By Ina Paiva Cordle
Miami Herald Posted Dec. 13, 2014 @ 2:01 am

MIAMI – Burger King's plan to base its corporate parent in Canada with the acquisition of Tim Hortons will allow the company and its top shareholders to "dodge" $400 million to $1.2 billion in U.S. taxes from 2015 to 2018, according to a report by Americans for Tax Fairness.

Miami-based Burger King Worldwide in August agreed to buy Tim Hortons in an $11 billion deal that will create the world's third largest fast-food chain. While Burger King will continue to be headquartered in Miami, the corporate parent will be based in Canada. Tim Hortons shareholders approved the deal on Tuesday.

Burger King said in response to the report: "The analysis in the report is materially flawed and the figures do not accurately represent our facts and circumstances."

Burger King's top executives have said the deal wasn't driven by a desire for lower tax rates but by a growth strategy designed to create value through accelerated expansion. Daniel Schwartz, Burger King's chief executive, told analysts in August that the company doesn't expect to achieve any "meaningful tax savings or meaningful changes in our tax rate." In fact, the company's effective tax rate in the United States is 27 percent, and in Canada, it will be about 26 percent, the company said.

The Americans for Tax Fairness' report found that by renouncing its U.S. corporate citizenship, Burger King would not have to pay $117 million in U.S. taxes on profits that it held offshore at the end of 2013. "Burger King has been able to indefinitely defer paying taxes on those profits under U.S. law; by becoming a Canadian company it may never pay U.S. taxes on those profits," the report said.

Burger King also may avoid an additional $275 million in U.S. taxes from 2015 to 2018 because it will no longer have to pay U.S. taxes on future worldwide profits, according to the report from the ATF, a coalition of 425 national and state organizations that advocates tax reform.

In addition, Burger King's largest private shareholders could save as much as $820 million in capital gains taxes as a result of the inversion, the report said.

http://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20141213/NEWS/141219773/101017/BIZ

This & that.....

Climate Progress

 

While the forests burn...

House Republicans Fiddle While Forest Service Runs Out of Money to Fight Wildfires

The House is expected to vote on a bill that would waive at least 14...

THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Environmental Action shared Greenpeace USA's photo.

 

via Greenpeace USA

Greenpeace USA with Colum Tiger Peoples and 2 others

Can you believe there are only 3,000 tigers left in the wild? This Tuesday is International Tiger Day – but LIKE and SHARE to show your love for the big cats every day.

 

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Nancy Pelosi

Speaker Boehner’s ‪#‎GOPLawsuit‬ is a complete waste of taxpayer dollars and time that would be better spent working across the aisle to jumpstart the economy and put the ‪#‎MiddleClassFirst‬. Click SHARE if you agree! dems.gov/jumpstart

Occupy Democrats

Outrageous! Click on their name to write on Walgreens' wall and let them know that you will be boycotting their stores until they reconsider their un-American plans to pretend to be a Swiss company to avoid paying US taxes. Then, please share this image to let your friends know about their unconscionable actions.

You can also call their corporate headquarters at 1-800-WALGREENS to alert them of your boycott.
Read more here: http://trib.in/1otFlNQ
Image by Occupy Democrats.

Iowa: Can we stop sending STUPID PEOPLE to Washington?

Carl Younger shared Daily Kos's photo.

 

The party of stupid!

Daily Kos

She's endorsed by Sarah Palin, which is all you needed to know. FULL STORY:http://bit.ly/1rC3oxm

FOR GOD'S SAKE PEOPLE READ MY LIPS!
END CITIZENS UNITED!

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The Blue Street Journal

We are competing for pieces of a shrinking pie, and unless we get big money out of politics, it's only going to get worse.

Occupy Democrats

Our right-wing Supreme Court gets it all wrong, again. And it gets worse. Apparently, Hobby Lobby once offered the same contraceptive coverage that they now decry before they launched their purely political attack on the Affordable Care Act. The truth is that this has nothing to do with religious freedom and everything to do with chipping away at the landmark health reform law.

Image by Occupy Democrats. Thanks to Claire Conner, author of Wrapped in the Flag.

This & that.....over 80% of all wind energy capacity in America is within red Congressional districts."

Bold Nebraska

 

"In the Tornado Alley states of Kansas, South Dakota and Iowa, wind generated 20%, 26% and 27% of the total electricity produced, respectively, and is now the second-largest electricity source in those states." Hmm, where's Nebraska?

"So, what’s to stop wind from expanding dramatically in Tornado Alley? It may be politics. Tornado Alley is in the heart of America’s Heartland where wind energy has little political support...over 80% of all wind energy capacity in America is within red Congressional districts."

Wind Turbines Could Rule Tornado Alley

Tornado Alley is the optimal place for wind turbines in the United States, pushing capacity factors beyond 40%, and making wind the second largest generator of electricity in Kansas, South Dakota and Iowa. But political...

FORBES.COM|BY JAMES CONCA

Like

Bill Moyers

 

Take a look at the most recent US poverty levels and the number of children currently living below the poverty line.

Poverty: By the Numbers

Take a look at US poverty levels and the number of children currently living below the poverty line.

BILLMOYERS.COM

US Uncut

Walgreens wants to relocate overseas to avoid paying $4 billion in taxes while nearly a quarter of the company’s profits come directly from government programs Medicare and Medicaid.

Boycott Walgreens!! Spread their shame!

http://bit.ly/UoTLqQ

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

HELP KEEP GUNS OUT OF THE HANDS OF ABUSERS: We are losing women and children EVERY DAY to domestic gun violence, but lax federal and state gun laws make it all too easy for abusers and stalkers to access guns. As Americans, we should be outraged that our laws don't do enough protect vulnerable women and families - and that this problem gets so little attention from the general public, the media and many elected officials. Use our Fast Tweet page to spread the word that it's time to ‪#‎FixDVGunLaws‬. LIKE, SHARE and go here to FAST TWEET:http://every.tw/fixdvgunlaws

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

GIRL SHOT AND KILLED IN KANSAS: On Friday, 5-year-old Cadence Harris was shot to death after being abducted from her Atchison home by a man who had allegedly dated her mother. The man led the police on a high-speed chase before exiting his vehicle and opening fire on the police. It is still unclear when Cadence was shot during the abduction: http://nydn.us/1qxf9ZF

Court records show the abductor, Marcus McGowan, was charged in 2011 and 2012 for criminal threats and domestic battery against Cadence's mother. The day before her abduction, authorities issued a warrant for McGowan’s arrest for missing a court hearing related to a domestic violence charge.

We must do more to keep guns out of the hands of abusers. A Senate committee is holding a hearing next week on a bill that would help ‪#‎FixDVGunLaws‬ and prevent abusive dating partners from gaining access to guns. In Cadence’s honor, SIGN and SHARE our petition telling Senators to support this legislation:http://every.tw/1u8586D

Blue Nation Review

If you haven't updated your voter registration you can do so online here:
http://elections.ourtime.org/vote/

Bernie Sanders

14 hrs · 

Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):

Sanders’ VA Proposal: Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate veterans committee, on Thursday announced a proposal that would cost about $25 billion over three years to lease new clinics, hire thousands of doctors and nurses, and make it easier for veterans who can't get prompt appointments with VA doctors to get outside care. He offered to trim the cost of a Senate-passed bill to improve health care services at the VA to $25 billion over three years, The Associated Press, Reuters, CBS Radio and Bloomberg Radio reported.

Miller’s VA Proposal: Rep. Jeff Miller, the House committee chairman, said a partisan meeting he staged on Thursday to offer his proposal for VA reform was not a “take-it-or-leave-it offer,” Roll Call, Military.com, Military Times and Talk Radio News Service reported.

Veterans for VA Reform: The nation's major veterans groups back a Department of Veterans Affairs request for more doctors and nurses and additional space at hospitals and clinics, but House Republicans on Thursday insisted that would not improve veterans’ access to health services, The Washington Post reported. Sen. Sanders disagreed with the House. “The major veterans’ organizations have been clear about the needs of the VA,” the Senate veterans’ committee chairman said. “It is time for the House to pay attention."

VA Reform: The House and Senate veterans committee chairmen offered competing proposals Thursday to fix the VA health care system, The Associated Press and Brattleboro Reformer reported. “We have put good faith offers on the table, again and again, and have tried to meet the Republicans more than halfway,” Sanders in The Wall Street Journal, the Burlington Free Press, Times Argus and Rutland Herald. “But I am sad to say that at this point I can only conclude, with great reluctance, that the good faith we have shown is simply not being reciprocated.” In Bloomberg report, Sanders said House Republican leaders are “not serious about negotiations.”

Continue reading:http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/072514

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

We couldn't agree more. Congress needs to act now and BOOST ‪#‎SocialSecurity‬benefits for working Americans.

Please LIKE and SHARE this graphic with your friends!

www.BoostSocialSecurityNow.org
Graphic Credit: Thank you Senator Bernie Sanders!

League of Conservation Voters

12 hrs · 

ICYMI: LCV’s Senior Vice President Tiernan Sittenfeld and SenatorSherrod Brown were on the The Ed Show earlier this week to talk about the importance of focusing on clean energy and energy efficiency instead of doubling down on the failed energy policies of the past. Watch the clip here: http://on.msnbc.com/UqX54z

LikeLike ·  · Share · 1,21456425

http://wegoted.com/2014/07/hoodwinked-how-big-oil-and-the-carlyle-group-are-masking-the-real-fight-on-rural-america/

Hoodwinked: How Big Oil and the Carlyle Group are Masking the Real Fight on Rural America

By: Jane Kleeb, Bold Nebraska Founder and DirectorWhether you are a...

WEGOTED.COM

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  Bold Nebraska

  7 hrs · 

  Check out the first of Bold Nebraska director Jane Kleeb's blogs forThe Ed Schultz Show's website.

Climate Progress

 

RELAX

Governors Who Hate EPA’s Carbon Regs: Your States May Benefit The Most

Polls have shown that governors who oppose EPA's proposed carbon limits...

THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Climate Progress

 

Finally getting what they deserve.

Climate Tipping Point? Science Deniers Mocked By Norman Ornstein, The Onion, New Yorker

This week in climate science denial mockery.

THINKPROGRESS.ORG

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/07/24/3463848/climate-science-deniers-mocked-onion/

Bernie Sanders

 

The Week in Review:

Sen. Bernie Sanders calls them “corporate deserters” – American companies that dodge U.S. taxes by exploiting a law that lets them pretend, for tax purposes, to be based overseas. Earlier Friday, Sanders spoke in Philadelphia to the National Association of Letter Carriers about the need to modernize the Postal Service and beat back efforts to cut jobs and services. As chairman of the Senate veterans committee, Sanders steered President Obama’s nominee to ...

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The Week in Review

Sen. Bernie Sanders calls them “corporate deserters” – American companies that dodge U.S. taxes by exploiting a law that lets them pretend, for tax purposes, to be based overseas.

SANDERS.SENATE.GOV

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Bernie Sanders

 

Take the poll:

Do you think corporations are paying their fair share in federal taxes, paying too much or paying too little?

A) Fair share...

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Take the Poll on Corporate Taxes

Do you think corporations are paying their fair share in federal taxes, paying too much or paying too little?

Learn More

WWW.SANDERS.SENATE.GOV

Z88.3, Orlando FL

Check out this lovely idea for an afternoon snack by the pool...replace ice cream with fruit...no need for utensils! Do you think the kids would miss the ice cream?:)

Alan Grayson

 

Alan Grayson money bomb. Grayson stands up for us. Join his money bomb. Contribute.

Money Bomb: 7/28

The Koch brothers defeated him in 2010. Don't let them do it again. Contribute.

SECURE.ACTBLUE.COM

Occupy Love

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood cannever become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

‪#‎JewsAndArabsRefusetoBeEnemies‬ ‪#‎MakePeace‬ ‪#‎Gaza‬ ‪#‎OccupyLove‬

Thanks Dee for this one!