EFTA00634957.pdf

From: To: Bce: Subject: Date: Attachments: Inline-Images: Gregory Brown undisclosed-recipients:; jeevacation@gmail.com Greg Brown's Weekend Reading and Other Things.. 01/22/2017 Sun, 22 Jan 2017 09:06:55 +0000 Al_Green_bio2.docx; Inaugural_address,_President_Donald_Trump'sfull_speech_- _Januaty_20,_2017.docx; Lwill_give_you_everythingtHere_are_282_of_Donald_Tr_ump? s_campaign_promises_Jen_na Johnson_TWP_11.28.16.docx image.png; image(1).png; image(2).png; image(3).png; image(4).png; image(5).png; image(6).png; image(7).png; image(8).png; image(9).png; image(10).png; image(11).png; image(12).png; image(13).png DEAR FRIEND The New Last Mile And it isn't wires Inline image 2 Internet service providers are beginning to test a new technology that has the potential to greatly change how we get Internet access. Twenty years ago one of the go-to words in technology was "the last mile". According to Wikipedia `the last mile' is a colloquial phrase widely used in the telecommunications, cable television and internet industries to refer to the final leg of the telecommunications networks that deliver telecommunication services to retail end-users (customers). More specifically, the last mile refers to the portion of the telecommunications network chain that physically reaches the end-user's premises. EFTA00634957 Examples are the copper wire subscriber lines connecting landline telephones to the local telephone exchange; coaxial cable service drops carrying cable television signals from utility poles to subscribers' homes, and cell towers linking local cell phones to the cellular network. The word "mile" is used metaphorically; the length of the last mile link may be more or less than a mile. Because the last mile of a network to the user is conversely the first mile from the user's premises to the outside world when the user is sending data (sending an email, for example), the term first mile is also alternately used. The last mile is typically the speed bottleneck in communication networks; its bandwidth effectively limits the bandwidth of data that can be delivered to the customer. This is because retail telecommunication networks have the topology of "trees", with relatively few high capacity "trunk" communication channels branching out to feed many final mile "leaves". The final mile links, being the most numerous and thus most expensive part of the system, as well as having to interface with a wide variety of user equipment, are the most difficult to upgrade to new technology. For example, telephone trunk-lines that carry phone calls between switching centers are made of modern optical fiber, but the last mile is typically twisted pair wires, a technology which has essentially remained unchanged for over a century since the original laying of copper phone cables. To resolve, or at least mitigate, the problems involved with attempting to provide enhanced services over the last mile, some firms have been mixing networks for decades. One example is fixed wireless access, where a wireless network is used instead of wires to connect a stationary terminal to the wireline network. Various solutions are being developed which are seen as an alternative to the last mile of standard incumbent local exchange carriers. These include WiMAX and broadband over power lines. Today if you are on the hunt for a new home-Internet provider the one you like seems to offer fast, reliable service, but its footprint ends just short of where you happen to live — and there aren't many other options in your area. Too bad: Looks like you'll be sticking with slow speeds and lackluster customer support while your luckiest neighbors get to surf without interruption. For many Americans, this isn't hypothetical. It's reality. In Tennessee, for example, one city-run provider has spent years fighting to reach people who are literally a tenth-of-a-mile off its network. The reason for delay is somewhat bureaucratic — the answer involves state laws — but the point is that for those would-be customers, a better Internet connection has remained tantalizingly out of reach. Until now, there weren't many ways around this problem. But thanks to a technology some Internet service providers (ISPs) expect to roll out next year, Americans dreaming of better, faster broadband may actually be able to get it. To understand how, let's start with key concepts about how Internet service works. Most residential broadband today runs over cables that are laid in the ground or strung on telephone poles, that then branch off and tunnel directly into your house. Laying these cables is costly, which is why many Internet providers expand slowly — or not at all, if they're worried the returns can't justify the outlays. Cellular Internet is a little different. Cell towers are expensive, too, but they create a one-to-many connection that serves thousands of mobile devices wirelessly — rather than creating a dedicated pipe to a single, fixed destination such as a home or business. The speeds aren't quite as fast on mobile data as what you get with fixed broadband, but for basic Web browsing and video, it's good enough. EFTA00634958 Now, imagine if you could take the convenience of cellular data and combine it with the superfast download speeds associated with fixed, wired broadband. What might that look like? Internet providers such as Verizon and AT&T are beginning to experiment with precisely this idea. Telecom geeks call it "wireless fiber," because it provides a fixed location (again, such as a home or business) with all the capacity of a Google Fiber or Verizon Fios connection but without the need to plug a cable directly into the building. The result may be a much cheaper way for Internet providers to extend their networks. Much like slapping a range extender or WiFi router on your home network, carriers will effectively use wireless fiber as a way to push the boundaries of their service footprints, serving more people at the edges of their territory and densifying their existing coverage areas. For people who live at the borders of an ISP's service area but not within it, this might mean gaining access to another choice of Internet provider. Still, don't expect to buy one of these Internet plans anytime soon: Despite the marketing, analysts say a truly widespread commercial product is about five years off. "You've got to start working this stuff and planning this stuff," said Harold Feld, a senior vice president at the consumer group Public Knowledge, "and it takes a while for the industry to adopt standards. But once they've got them in place, things roll out pretty quickly." Austin may be one of the first markets to get a taste of this technology. AT&T expects to conduct field tests there later this year; it promises ultimately to provide multi-gigabit speeds that represent an orders-of-magnitude improvement over today's typical home Internet services. It's also planning outdoor trials in Middletown, N.J. The company has said users of wireless fiber can expect speeds that are 5o to 100 times greater than what mobile users currently get on 4G LTE. Google also appears to be getting on board. The company has asked the government for permission to experiment with high-frequency airwaves as part of its Google Fiber project — potentially paving the way for Google to offer fast wireless broadband. Verizon plans to conduct its own tests, too, in and around its facilities in South Plainfield, N.J., Framingham, Mass., and Euless, Tex. It's even going so far as to rent out entire apartments and filling them with HD televisions and other electronics, the better to simulate performance in an actual household. "If you're going to kick the tires on a technological revolution, you want to put it into a real-world scenario as fast as you can," said Adam Koeppe, Verizon's vice president of network technology planning. While Koeppe declined to say whether the economics of wireless fiber would let Verizon keep growing its Fios network — the company said in 2010 that it would stop building more of it — he did say consumers should expect Verizon to provide the technology in areas outside its existing Fios footprint. So True Growth Through Adversity EFTA00634959 Inline image 1 Web Link: https://w ii.facebook.com/ParmoiOfficial/videos/1302954596417010/ * ** * ** It Isn't Going To Be Easy Republicans just passed legislation that makes it easier to repeal and replace Obamacare ;°' Inline image 1 Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-Wash.), House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), and Vice President-elect Mike Pence listen to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) during a Jan. 4 Republican press conference on Capitol Hill. House GOP lawmakers were set to vote Friday to start the process of rolling back the Affordable Care Act. EFTA00634960 A week ago, the Senate stayed in session until almost 2 a.m. solely for the purpose of adding $9 trillion dollars to the federal debt ceiling and to take the first steps towards killing the popular Affordable Care Act, which millions of people rely on for their health insurance. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MASS) and Al Franken (D-MN) both spoke out as they voted against the Senate's move in the middle of the night to gut the health care law. With Republicans having spent the last six years doing as little as humanly possible in Congress and repeatedly shutting down the government because they claim that our federal budget deficit is too high, this sprint to add $9 trillion to the federal debt ceiling is beyond hypocrisy. With mounting skepticism by both Democrats and Republicans to Congress' ability to easily replace the Affordable Care Act, Republican leadership tried to suggest that the vote wasn't just about Obamacare, but what's called a Senate Budget Resolution — think of it as a broad outline of how to manage all government spending. Senate Republicans, therefore, agreed on this broad outline of "medicine" for America's financial health; double our annual deficits and raise the debt ceiling by $9 trillion dollars. Yes, that's the same debt ceiling which was previously deemed too high to ever raise as long as President Obama was in office, necessitating years of Republican-led government shutdowns. Of course, that's not all the Republicans voted against last night in the Senate. Democrats introduced amendment measure after measure, aimed at protecting Americans from corporate special interests, but eventually could not overcome the Republican majority. While the Republicans: • blocked an amendment that would have protected people with pre-existing conditions • blocked an amendment that makes it easier for young people to stay on their parent's plans until they are 26 • blocked an amendment allowing contraception to be covered under health insurance • blocked an amendment protecting the expansion of Medicaid • blocked an amendment that would make it easier for children to be covered under Medicare/CHIP • blocked an amendment that would make it harder to keep veterans from getting coverage from the VA Senator Bernie Sanders (I -VT) introduced a comprehensive amendment to make Senate Republicans hold their President-elect Donald Trump to his word and not touch the social safety net. It failed 49- 49 on a mostly party line vote with only Maine Senator Susan Collins joining the Democrats. The reality is that Republicans only have to votes in the Senate to gut the tax and spend provisions of the law, but not the items that require insurers to cover all parties and other key parts of Obamacare. Nonetheless, gutting the financial aspects of the law could lead to big problems like a mandate for coverage, but no more subsidies to help millions of working Americans to pay for their healthcare. Even worse, it's not like you can remove the ACA and continue to have a functioning healthcare system, so it's not just about 20 million people on the program's medicare expansion and 6 million people using market-based programs. EFTA00634961 Killing Obamacare altogether would dry up funding to hospitals and emergency rooms in every state in America, since the landmark legislation got rid of a patchwork of outdated regulations which were costing taxpayers a literal fortune. That's probably why Senate Republicans decided to work into the wee hours of the night, and when Democrats finally got a chance to say something — calling out the reasons for their votes — the meeting's GOP chair tried to drown out their voices, lest the world listen to their shame. As Republicans are planning to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are warning the public of the tragedy that awaits once Obamacare is dismantled. This so-called `resolution' which Republicans proclaim is the best way to "take a chunk out of the federal budget deficit is to defund Obamacare with no replacement plan lined up shows a negligence that is unnerving to many. As a result a number of insurance companies are completely fed up with the GOP, and do not find it rational nor beneficial for Americans, to completely wipe out Obamacare. Here is why: "Obamacare has plenty of critics, but scrapping it in its entirety is rash and will benefit few— particularly not the over 20 million people who didn't have healthcare coverage before it was enacted. But what seems to be in the process of happening now — cutting off the programs' money without changing the underlying regulations — is kind of even worse. For all the talk of how they'd benefit from a truly free market, not even health insurance companies make out well on this one. No business likes an unstable market, and Republican lawmakers are in the process of creating just that: a sudden lack of subsidies could cause some healthy customers to opt out, leading to an insurance landscape flooded with (high-risk) sick people staggering under the burden of increased premiums. Advantage, nobody." So, what would exactly happen if Congress decides to repeal and replace? It all depends on what the actual replacement plan is—which President-elect Trump has failed to mention. Apart from that, this not an ideal situation for insurance companies, or insurers themselves. A top-ranked health economist explain this perfectly: "If they remove the subsidies and lower the individual mandate tax penalty to zero, it could lead the individual market to unravel," Dow says. Why? It could lead to high rates of what experts call adverse selection, which basically amounts to having more sick people in your pool than healthy ones. "When the pool is less healthy, the premium is higher," says Paul Ginsburg, a health economist at USC's Sol Price School of Public Policy and Brookings. Under Obamacare, the insurance mandate and subsidized lower premiums kept healthy people on the wagon. If Obamacare's replacement doesn't deal with the adverse selection problem, insurers will have to raise their premiums to cover the risk posed by having a higher proportion of sicker, costlier people. "Healthy people will drop out," Ginsburg says. "This is going to do an amazing amount of collateral damage." Now that Republicans have completed step one of their three-step plan to kill Obamacare, it may evidently, create more harm than good. Insurance companies are equally hesitant of the risk EFTA00634962 Republicans are about to take. For now, the GOP is prompting an easy solution: Don't get sick because you're screwed. And as Dow puts it: "The overall losers here are the sick people." Donald Trump has campaigned to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare, once he gets into office. Now that he's won the presidency and will assume the office with a majority Republican House and Senate, he has to do something except that feat might not prove to be too easy. Because according to the latest estimates from the Department of Health and Human Services, the resulting jumble is likely to have an unpredictable and messy effect on the insurance marketplace, jeopardizing the health coverage of the 20 million people who have gained it under Obamacare. And although, the President-elect Donald Trump has promised to keep the more popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act, gutting its funding will result in it collapsing or causing economic unfunded consequence adding to the National Debt. Think, President George W Bush's Medicaid prescription bill, which initial estimated cost doubled to more than $1 trillion during its first decade. Since June 2009 — before the Affordable Care Act even became law — congressional Republicans have promised to be weeks away from proposing their own blueprint for health-care reform. More than seven years later, there is little consensus among Republicans on any plan to replace the ACA. The current Republican strategy has been dubbed "repeal and delay." The Republican Congress has passed legislation that could eliminate major pieces of the law within a matter of weeks. But party leaders understand that if the rollbacks goes into effect there will be a tremendous blowback by voters. In the meantime, Republicans promise, they'll pass a replacement—"something terrific," to quote Donald Trump. ****** Is This Draining The Swamps Why gutting our independent ethic offices is such a mistake ;`' Inline image 1 The head of the Office of Government Ethics issued a stem and unusually public rebuke of President-elect Donald Trump's business separation plans. Now House Republicans are summoning him to answer questions about it. EFTA00634963 Like many Americans I had never really noticed the United States Office of Government Ethics, (OGE), which was created by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, OGE separated from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in 1989 pursuant to reform legislation. The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 is a United States federal law that was passed in the wake of the Nixon Watergate scandal and the Saturday Night Massacre. It created mandatory, public disclosure of financial and employment history of public officials and their immediate family. It also created restrictions on lobbying efforts by public officials for a set period after leaving public office. Last, it created the U.S. Office of Independent Counsel, tasked with investigating government officials. AGAIN: The United States Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is an independent agency within the executive branch of the U.S. Federal Government which is responsible for directing executive branch policies relating to the prevention of conflicts of interest on the part of Federal executive branch officers and employees. Primary duties include the following: • Establishing the executive branch standards of conduct; • Issuing rules and regulations interpreting the criminal conflict of interest restrictions; • Establishing the framework for the public and confidential financial disclosure systems for executive branch employees; • Developing training and education programs for use by executive branch ethics officials and employees; • Ensuring that individual agency ethics programs are functioning properly by setting the requirements for them, supporting them, and reviewing them. The Director of OGE is appointed by the President after confirmation by the U.S. Senate. The Director of OGE serves a five-year term, thereby overlapping presidential terms, and is subject to no term limit. The rest of the OGE employees are career civil servants. The OGE's Mission Statement says: • Vision — To achieve a high level of public confidence in the integrity of executive branch programs and operations. • Mission — Provide overall leadership and oversight of the executive branch ethics program designed to prevent and resolve conflicts of interest. The U.S. Office of Government Ethics oversees the executive branch ethics program and works with a community of ethics practitioners made up of over 4,50o ethics officials in more than 13o agencies to implement that program. When government decisions are made free from conflicts of interest, the public can have greater confidence in the integrity of executive branch programs and operations. To fulfill its mission, OGE: • Advances a strong, uniform executive branch ethics program by interpreting and advising on ethics laws, policies, and program management; holding executive branch agencies accountable for carrying out an effective ethics program; contributing to the professional development of ethics officials; and modernizing and implementing the ethics rules and regulations. Learn More • Contributes to the continuity of senior leadership in the executive branch by providing assistance to the President and the Senate in the Senate confirmation process for Presidential nominees; promoting leadership support of the ethics program; and supporting succession planning in the ethics community. Learn More EFTA00634964 • Promotes transparency of the executive branch ethics program by raising the visibility of the ethics program and OGE, and by ensuring that ethics information is publicly available. OGE's mission is one of prevention. OGE does not adjudicate complaints, investigate matters within the jurisdiction of Inspectors General and other authorities, or prosecute ethics violations. OGE is the supervising ethics office for the executive branch ethics program and has no jurisdiction over the ethics programs of the legislative or judicial branches of the federal government or state or local government ethics programs. As such the OGE's primary responsible is to prevent conflicts of interest in the executive branch. Problems began when the Trump transition team did not pre-clear any of its selections for Cabinet positions with OGE before announcing them over the past two months. And things only got worse when Walter Shaub Jr., Director of the OGE rebuked Trump for breaking with precedent and refused to put his assets in a blind trust, instead of putting them into a trust that will be run by his two sons. Shaub responded by saying that this was totally inadequate to protect Trump from conflict of interest. For two weeks now, the majority leadership in the new Congress and the incoming Trump administration have been conducting a war on ethics. This has ranged from the effort to cripple the Office of Congressional Ethics to the Senate's rush to confirm President-elect Donald Trump's nominees before their financial conflicts disclosures were complete to Trump's own inadequate plan to address his ethical problems. On January 2, 2017 House Republicans on Monday voted to eviscerate the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent body created in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct by lawmakers after several bribery and corruption scandals sent members to prison which prompted an outcry from Democrats and government watchdog groups. Even Donald Trump in a tweet, asked House Republicans if this was the best use of their time. The latest front involves the Office of Government Ethics and its director, Walter Shaub Jr., who has had the temerity to speak up against Trump's plan to deal with his conflicts of interest as "meaningless." The non-partisan ethics office rarely steps into the spotlight as they usually work behind the scenes when advising administrations. Richard Painter and Norman Eisen, both former ethics counsels for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, respectively, have worked with Shaub and say that he is a career public servant who, in their experience, provided nonpartisan and wise advice. Now, Shaub is being pilloried — and may be at risk of losing his job — for doing just that, and asserting correctly that Trump's approach "doesn't meet the standards ... that every president in the last four decades has met." How does the Trump plan fall short? The president-elect asserted that the conflicts laws don't apply to him but ignored the most fundamental one of all: the constitutional rule that presidents may not accept cash and other benefits — "emoluments" — from foreign governments. Trump's lawyer then offered a porous and insufficient plan to address this problem: The Trump Organization will donate profits from foreign governments' use of his hotels. But why only hotels? What about foreign sovereign payments to buy his condos or apartments, for use of his office buildings or his golf courses, not to mention his massive foreign government bank loans, and other benefits? EFTA00634965 And why only profits, when the Justice Department has long held that the emoluments clause covers any revenue from foreign governments — not simply profits? For speaking up about the shortcomings of this plan, Shaub found himself in the Republican crosshairs. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that has jurisdiction over the White House, demanded Shaub appear for a Star Chamber- style recorded inquisition and implicitly threatened to shut down the Office of Government Ethics if Shaub did not submit. Chaffetz ought to have been doing the exact opposite, supporting OGE and demanding documents from Trump about any financial ties to Russia or other foreign governments. Then, just when we thought it couldn't get worse, it did. The incoming White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, went on national television to threaten Shaub. In a scene like something out of a gangster B-movie, Priebus warned the director that "he ought to be careful " and gave his blessing to Chaffetz's interrogation. Priebus's glare of menace was unmistakable. The only thing he left out was cracking his knuckles. Priebus went on to make assertions about Shaub that were false. For example, he claimed Shaub was "political" because he "may have ... publicly supported Hillary Clinton," which is simply untrue. Shaub has done no such thing. (Before becoming director, Shaub made modest political donations, as did his Republican predecessor, which is their First Amendment right.) Priebus also attacked Shaub's competence, and so his livelihood, questioning "what this person at Government Ethics, what sort of standing he has any more in giving these opinions." In fact, the director is a dedicated and talented ethicist who has served Democratic and Republican presidents alike with distinction and without controversy for many years. He has already approved 54 percent of the Trump nominees who have submitted their paperwork to OGE, compared with just 29 percent at this point in the Obama transition eight years ago. As a former OGE Director said, "If the White House chief of staff had made these kinds of threats against the head of OGE when we were serving in the White House, we would have resigned immediately." For an Administration that rode the wave of voter anger, one has to wonder why the department of ethics for both Congress and the White House are being so vitriolically attacked by the same people who promised "to "drain the swamps." As such, Republicans should back off of their threats. And critics like Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), should instead publicly affirm the need for the agency and invite Shaub to have a public conversation about that and about Trump's conflicts with both the majority and minority members of the committee. Even if you are a Trump supporter and trust this Republican Congress, do you really want change this precedent that future less trustworthy politicians might use these same loophole to obfuscate the rules for nefarious purposes? To President Trump and my Republican friends, oversight is not always about you. As the letter of the law is not nearly as important at the spirit of the law. Most important is that when we destroy a precedent that was created to protect the President as well as the ordinary American citizen just for immediate convenience, we make a grave mistake because laws and regulations may be inconvenient, but most are there to protect the greater good, now and in the future... And for any President who wants to protect America, promoting and protecting our ethics, is a good place to start. EFTA00634966 Our 45111 President — Donald J. Trump Inline image 1 Whether you voted for him or not, Donald J. Trump is now our 45th President. Our new president has been anticipated with much raw enthusiasm on one side and such fear and loathing on the other, especially those of us who believe like Robert Reich who said in his podcast on January 19, 2017 that he rode the wave "of racism, misogyny and xenophobia using the economic anxieties and fears of a downwardly mobile working class to as a vehicle to promote himself." As a result many people, particularly in the white working class now believe that now President Trump is going to be their emissary and spokesman and more importantly their vehicle for changing their fortunes. And for these faithful, President Donald Trump in his inaugural address hit all of the right buttons. And for people like me who voted for someone else, he hit a number of the right buttons for many of us as well,but as the Women's March protests across the country yesterday showed, Donald J. Trump enters the Presidency as the most unpopular President ever. Please feel free to download his inaugural address that is attached to this week's offerings. Much of President Trump's speech was a strong rebuke of the political establishment much of which surrounded him as he spoke. Starting with his promise to transfer power from Washington, DC back to "you the people." "For too long, [those in politics] have reaped the rewards of government while people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories dosed." This line dearly speaks to how many people feel, but in reality there are more people employed in the United States in January 2017 than at any previous time in American history, and inflation-adjusted wages are higher than they have ever been. Trump hit some of his familiar themes. "Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted-out factories, scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation, an education system flush with cash but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge." The problem here is that Trump often paints a blighted picture of poverty in "inner cities," but there are more poor people in American suburbs than in urban centers. And to many of his critics, Trump's proposed policies are far more likely to worsen poverty, including among children, than improve it. EFTA00634967 Our new President made a lot of promises. "We will build new roads and highways and bridges and airports and tunnels and railways all across our wonderful nation" is definitely a promise that I and many Progressives can support. The President promised to stop subsidizing "the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military." When the reality is that under the Obama administration, the Pentagon's budget and the size of the armed forces have both shrunk, but many of those cuts came because of Republican-mandated spending limits, while others were the natural result of Obama winding down the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And let's remember, the biggest recipient of military aid is Israel, and President Trump has promised to increase it. The President again promised, "Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength. I will fight for you with every breath in my body. And I will never ever let you down." But do we really want to start a trade war with China, Japan and the Europeans, especially when only a relatively small number of Americans work in manufacturing, and many of those who do work in manufacturing sectors like airplanes and capital goods where the United States is a net exporter? And tariffs would actually hurt Americans who buy Volkswagens, BMWs, cheap televisions and iPhones. Overall our new President painted the country much bleaker then it actually is, yes parts of the country are still underwater economically, but the truth is that unemployment is only 4.7% with 75 straight months of job growth, wages are up, our financial markets are at all-time highs, housing markets has fully rebounded with car sales are at historic highs and the dollar is the strongest currency on the planet. But at least he didn't claim to be the only person to be able to save the nation. Yes the speech of economic populism was seen as red meat to the faithful but because so much of the speech was about jobs, and slamming our do nothing Congress may resonate with many other. But the speech did little to reach across the aisle to mend the wounds/divisions and try to heal the nation. As Eugene Robinson wrote in the Washington Post on Friday, "President Trump is a 70-year-old business executive and self-promoter extraordinaire whose lifelong working habit is to go to his office, see what opportunities the day presents and then improvise. He is not going to change. He has no experience in government, the military or any kind of public service. In his whole career, he has worked only for his father and himself. Now he has 32o million bosses, and each of us has the right to tell him what to do. I believe this will be a difficult concept for him to grasp. Trump lies all the time. All presidents have stretched the truth occasionally, of course, and some of them lied frequently and convincingly. But I cannot recall any other public figure, let alone any president, who's every utterance needed fact-checking the way Trump's words do. In "The Art of the Deal," Trump calls his rhetorical method "truthful hyperbole." But there is no such thing." "The new president remains appallingly ignorant about much of the nation he will lead. He must have learned something on the campaign trail, but he seems unaware that most African Americans are middle-class, or that most Mexican immigrants are hardworking and law-abiding — or, judging from his Cabinet picks, that most billionaires are as out-of-touch as he is." And finally, Trump's deep insecurity may be the most frightening thing of all. A leader has to be confident enough to let slights and insults pass; by being big, he makes his adversaries look small. Trump has what can only be called a pathological need to respond to any criticism with overkill — and if you try to swat flies with a sledgehammer, a lot of the furniture gets broken. When he is flailing away at someone like Rep. John EFTA00634968 Lewis (D-Ga.), the civil rights icon, Trump risks only his dignity. But what happens if he feels dissed by someone like President Xi Jinping of China, or by Trump's Russian soul mate, Vladimir Putin? The risk is to all of us, and it is incalculable." During the primaries, President Trump made more than 282 promises, according to journalist Jenna Johnson. They range from the sublime to the ridiculous and often delivered with the panache of a caravel barker, so even his most ardent supporters realize that many of these promises are more about theater than policy. Unlike the Congressional Republicans in 2009 whose number one objective was to undermine (the new) President Obama, I believe that we Progressives should try to work with President Trump especially in areas such as infrastructure and encourage him to keep the Affordable Care Act in intact,bas well as protect the rights of women, gay and lesbians, the elderly and our precious children. And I am not talking about tax vouchers which are shams, as they will evaporate in a nanosecond should one have cancer, lung disease or need a serious medical operation. Mr. President you promised a lot and no one expects you to deliver all of them, but if you follow your predecessor's credo, to not do stupid shit, and make every decision with thought and compassion you might deliver more than your 37% approval number today would suggest.... And this is my rant of the week.... WEEK's READINGS Diabetes is no longer a rich-world disease EFTA00634969 Inline image 1 EVERY six seconds a person somewhere in the world dies as a consequence of diabetes, according to estimates by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). In 2015 5m lives were lost to the disease, more than were claimed by AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. Moreover, the toll is rising faster than forecasters have expected. Nearly half of these deaths are among people younger than 60. In parts of Africa, where the condition is much less likely to be diagnosed, that share is more than four- fifths. The rise of diabetes has been misjudged repeatedly. In 1995 the World Health Organization estimated that 1.35m 20- to 79-year-olds had diabetes, and that this figure would more than double in three decades. But reality outpaced this stark projection by a huge margin: just twelve years later the number of people with diabetes had already nearly doubled. Since then, the rise of diabetes has been so steep that prevalence closed in on projections even faster. In 2015, the estimated global prevalence had reached 8.8%, nearly double that in 1995. By 2040, the IDF reckons that a tenth of humanity will have the condition. Already, diabetes gobbles up 12% of health spending globally; in some countries, the share is as much as a fifth. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are increasing rapidly. The factors contributing to type 2 are well known; poor diets, urbanization and low physical activity increase susceptibility. It is no surprise that type 2 accounts for 90% of cases in high-income countries. But type 1 diabetes, which is fatal unless treated with daily insulin medication, is also rising at about 3% a year. The reasons are unclear, but the data leave no doubt that diabetes is no longer exclusively a rich-world disease. The Economist — November 14, 2016 ****** 10 Mind-Boggling Facts About Canada EFTA00634970 R, Inline image 1 You might know a lot about your hometown or favorite city, but these surprising stats about Canada will make you look at our beautiful country in a whole new way. Cold as Mars If you've ever had to chisel your car out of a block of ice on your way to work or wear a thermal nose- warmer, you know Canada can get pretty cold in the winter. The average low for the month of January in Ottawa, Ont. is -14.4 C (6.1 F). That's pretty cold. However, a temperature recorded in 1947 in Snag, Yukon makes the rest of Canada's winter weather seem like a beach vacation. A temperature of -63 C (-81.4 F) was recorded in the small village of Snag on Feb. 3, 1947. That's roughly the same temperature as the surface of Mars. Three Million Lakes Canada has a lot of great things in abundance, like hockey players, parkas and Tim Hortons franchises. But did you know we also have more lake area than every other country in the world? It's true. The Great White North has 563 lakes larger than 100 square ldlometres. The Great Lakes alone contain about 18 per cent of the world's fresh lake water. That's a lot of water. Makes you wonder if all of our country's allies are actually just thirsty. Bigger Than the European Union Ever had someone ask you if you know Joan from Vancouver or Paul from Toronto when you told them you were from St. John's? The vastness of our great country seems to be a little known secret to outsiders. Here are some facts to put Canada's size in perspective: It's bigger than the entire European EFTA00634971 Union (33 times bigger than Italy and 15 times bigger than France), more than 3o per cent larger than Australia, five times as big as Mexico, three times as big as India and about the same size as 81,975 Walt Disney Worlds put together. So, in other words, no, you don't know Joan or Paul. Northernmost Settlement At the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, just 817 kilometres from the North Pole, you'll find the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world: Alert, Nunavut. It might not have malls or movie theatres but Alert is the temporary home to military and scientific personnel working in the area. The temporary home part will make sense once you see how cold this place gets: the wannest month, July, has a balmy average temperature of 3.4 C (38.1 F). By January, the coldest month, the mean temperature has plunged to -32.19 C (-26 F). No wonder they named it Alert. The Longest Coastline If you walked and walked and never stopped - not to eat, not to rest your feet, not to get some sleep- it would take you four and a half years to walk the length of Canada's coastline. While our country might not conjure up images of blue waters and white sandy beaches, Canada has the world's longest coastline, bordered on three sides by three different oceans: the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific. To put that in perspective, Canada has 202,080 of the world's total 356,00o kilometres of oceanfront property. The only other country that even comes close is Indonesia, which has 54,716 km of coastline. io% of the World's Forests Sure, everyone knows we have a lot of trees but did you know that Canada actually has 3o per cent of the world's boreal forest and to per cent of the world's total forest cover? An incredible 396.9 million hectares of forest and other wooded land can be found across the country — about 68 per cent of Canada's forests are coniferous. The best part of all? Most of Canada's forest land is publicly owned. The Only Walled City in North America Quebec City has a special feature that makes it unique in Canada (and the U.S., for that matter): it has walls. No, really, Quebec City is the only city north of Mexico that still has fortified walls — known as the Fortifications of Quebec. First the French and later the English built up Quebec City's fortifications between the 17th and the 19th centuries. Quebec's entire historic district, including the ramparts, has since been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Most Bitumen EFTA00634972 It's thick, it's sticky and Canada has an estimated 176.8 billion recoverable barrels of it. That's right, crude bitumen — a semi-solid source of petroleum — is available in abundance in Canada's oil sands. There's an estimated 249.67 billion accessible barrels of the black stuff in the world and Canada has about 70.8 per cent of it - four times more than Kazakhstan and six times more than Russia. National Parks Bigger Than Countries Canada is so big that even our parks are bigger than countries. Just look at Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories: not only is it a sight to behold with massive waterfalls, it's also an incredible 30,050 square kilometres — bigger than Albania and Israel. Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta and the Northwest Territories is even bigger at 44,807 square kilometres, which makes it bigger than Denmark and Switzerland. North America's Strongest Current Get out your lifejacket and be ready for the swim of your life if you ever visit Seymour Narrows in British Columbia. The stretch of the Discovery Passage has some of the strongest tidal currents ever measured with flood speeds of 17 km/h and ebb speeds of i8 km/h. Daniel Reid — Our Canada 6?, Inline Image 2 EFTA00634973 In January, (2016), journalist Jenna Johnson compiled a list of 76 campaign promises Trump had made. By late November, the list has grown to 282, collected from Trump's speeches, public comments, tweets and campaign and transition websites. Due to limited space and the fact that many of you say that my weekend readings are already too long, here is a brief overview and attached please find the complete list. Watch 50 Trump promises in 2 minutes Inline image 1 Web Link: Itttps://voutu.be/jwREhxRpbAe JOBS 1. Create at least 25 million jobs and "be the greatest jobs president that God ever created." 2. Bring back manufacturing jobs from China, Mexico, Japan and elsewhere. States that can expect a rush of jobs include Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada, New York and Virginia. APPROACH TO THE PRESIDENCY 16. "I'm going to be so presidential, you're going to be so bored." He might also quit tweeting. 17. "I refuse to be politically correct." i8. "My only special interest is you, the American people," not major donors, the party or corporations. TAXES 27. Release his tax returns as soon as an Internal Revenue Service audit is complete. EFTA00634974 28. Pass the Middle Class Tax Relief and Simplification Act, which will reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to four and lower income taxes for all. The highest earners would pay a 25 percent tax. Individuals earning less than $25,000 per year or couples earning less than $5o,000 would not be charged income tax, although they would have to file a one-page form with the IRS that states: "I win." 29. Lower the corporate tax rate to 15 percent and get rid of most corporate tax loopholes or incentives. Allow corporations a one-time window to transfer money being held overseas, charging a much-reduced to percent tax. ECONOMY AND FEDERAL BUDGET 38. "We will double our growth and have the strongest economy anywhere in the world." Grow the nation's economy by at least 4 percent per year, although Trump has also suggested he will boost growth to at least 6 percent per year — if not much higher. 39• Eliminate the $19 trillion national debt within eight years by "vigorously eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, ending redundant government programs and growing the economy to increase tax revenues." 40. Never default on this debt, as the United States can "print the money" or renegotiate the amount owed with creditors, as the self-described "king of debt" has done with his private businesses. REGULATION 5o. Issue a moratorium on new federal regulations that are not compelled by Congress or public safety. For every new regulation that is added, two existing regulations must be eliminated. And those new regulations must pass this test: Is this regulation good for the American worker? 51. Order agency and department heads to identify all "needless job-killing regulations" and then remove them. HEALTH CARE 52. "Completely repeal" the Affordable Care Act and replace it with something "terrific" that is "so much better, so much better, so much better." Americans will have "great health care at a fraction of the cost." Trump plans to call Congress into a special session to do this, which will likely be unnecessary. EFTA00634975 53. Eliminate the individual mandate, as "no person should be required to buy insurance unless he or she wants to." 58. Preserve Medicare and Medicaid but encourage states to root out fraud, waste and abuse. Provide states with block grants of Medicaid funds to provide more freedom in designing programs to assist low-income citizens. 59. Reduce the number of individuals on Medicaid and/or using the Children's Health Insurance Program. Trump would also cut any health care offered to undocumented immigrants. 6o. Make medical marijuana widely available to patients and allow states to decide if they want to fully legalize pot. BORDER SECURITY 65. Fully fund the construction of an "impenetrable physical wall" along the southern border with Mexico. The wall will be one foot taller than the Great Wall of China and "artistically beautiful," constructed of hardened concrete, rebar and steel. The wall might cover only about 1,000 miles of the nearly 2,000-mile border because of natural barriers, and Trump is open to using fencing in some places. 66. Make Mexico pay for the wall, "100 percent." If Mexico refuses, then the United States will impound remittance payments taken from the wages of undocumented immigrants, cut foreign aid, institute tariffs, cancel visas for Mexican business leaders and diplomats, and increase fees for visas, border-crossing cards and port use. 67. "Charge Mexico $100,000 for every illegal that crosses that border because it's trouble." IMMIGRATION 71. On the first day in office, terminate President Obama's executive orders related to immigration. NATIONAL DEFENSE AND SECURITY EFTA00634976 98. Be unpredictable and keep all military strategy a secret. "No one is going to touch us, because I'm so unpredictable." 99. Put "different generals" in place because "under the leadership of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, I think the generals have been reduced to rubble." military bureaucracy. 100. Find great generals — like the next Gen. George Patton or Gen. Douglas MacArthur — and do not allow them to go on television news shows to explain their military strategy. Trump prefers generals who are rough, foul-mouthed and beloved by their troops. CYBERSECURITY 117. Assemble a "cyber review team" of the best military, civilian and private sector cybersecurity experts to comprehensively review all systems and technology, starting with the most sensitive ones. The team will also remain current on new methods of attack and set up protocols for each agency and government officials. 118. Establish a training program for government employees to make certain they understand what defenses are available and utilize them. Punish those who violate classification rules, holding them responsible to the fullest extent of the law. 119. Solicit recommendations from the secretary of defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff for strengthening and augmenting the country's Cyber Command. VETERANS AFFAIRS 122. Appoint a Department of Veterans Affairs secretary whose "sole purpose will be to serve veterans." FOREIGN POLICY 133. "A Trump administration will never ever put the interest of a foreign country before the interest of our country. From now on, it's going to be America first." 134. Force other NATO countries to pay for more of their defense, and only come to the aid of other countries if those nations have "fulfilled their obligations to us." In particular, Trump expects Germany, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia to pay more for the security the United States provides. EFTA00634977 135. Call a summit with NATO allies and a separate summit with Asian allies to discuss "a rebalancing of financial commitments" and adopting new strategies, such as upgrading "NATO's outdated mission and structure." 136. Get along with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I hope that we get along great with Putin because it would be great to have Russia with a good relationship." Trump would also look into lifting the sanctions imposed on Russia after its annexation of Crimea. IRAN 146. Tear up the Iran deal and then "totally" renegotiate the whole thing. CHINA 150. "We can't continue to allow China to rape our country, and that's what they're doing." 151. Direct the secretary of the treasury to label China a currency manipulator. FIGHTING THE ISLAMIC STATE 155. Immediately ask the generals to present a plan within 3o days to defeat and destroy the Islamic State. REFUGEES 174. Bar Syrian refugees from entering the country and kick out any who are already living here, as they might be "the ultimate Trojan horse." 175. Create a database of Syrian refugees. Trump has also seemed open to the idea of creating a database of Muslims in the country, although his aides say that is not true. ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT 178. Gut, if not eliminate, the Environmental Protection Agency, which Trump has called a "disgrace." 179. Rescind all environmental executive actions signed by Obama. INFRASTRUCTURE EFTA00634978 195. Spur the spending of $1 trillion in public and private dollars on infrastructure projects over 10 years. Invest in "transportation, clean water, a modern and reliable electricity grid, telecommunications, security infrastructure, and other pressing domestic infrastructure needs" without adding to the national debt. 196. Negotiate rates for these projects that are one-third of what the United States is currently paying. "Cut wasteful spending on boondoggles" by streamlining the permit and approval processes. 197. Provide tax incentives to encourage public-private partnerships. ETHICS REFORM 203. "Drain the swamp" in Washington and "cut our ties with the failed politicians of the past." 204. Propose a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress, limiting House members to three terms, or six years, and senators to two terms, or 12 years. 205. Institute a five-year ban on White House and congressional officials becoming lobbyists after they leave office. (Trump is already having staff and Cabinet members sign pledges. HILLARY CLINTON 209. "Lock her up." Instruct the attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton's "situation because there has never been so many lies, so much deception." Trump had said the investigation would include Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state and the ways in which the Clinton Foundation raised money. (Trump told the New York Times on Tuesday this is now a lesser priority. "I want to move forward, I don't want to move back. And I don't want to hurt the Clintons. I really don't," he said.) EDUCATION 210. "When I am president, I will work to ensure that all of our kids are treated equally, and protected equally." 211. Limit the influence of the Department of Education and give more control to local school districts. The department might also see a major budget cut. 212. Get rid of Common Core because it's "a disaster" and a "very bad thing." EFTA00634979 CHILD CARE 223. Rewrite the tax code to allow parents to fully deduct child-care expenses for up to four children and elderly dependents. (Some of these expenses are already deductible under the law.) INNER-CITY POVERTY AND VIOLENCE 227. "Every action I take, I will ask myself: Does this make life better for young Americans in Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Ferguson who have as much of a right to live out their dreams as any other child America?" 228. Rebuild and fix inner cities, especially Detroit. "The inner cities are unbelievably dangerous. The education is no good, the safety is horrible, and there are no jobs. And I tell everybody: `What the hell do you have to lose?' I'm going to fix it." POLICING 233. "The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end. Beginning on January 20, 2017, safety will be restored." On that day, Trump says, "Americans will finally wake up in a country where the laws of the United States are enforced." 234. Stop the surge of violent crime and homicides in Chicago within "one week." SUPREME COURT 243. Pick Supreme Court justices who are "really great legal scholars," opposed to abortion and fans of the Second Amendment. Select a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia from a list of more than 20 contenders that has already been released. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY 244. "If I become president, we're all going to be saying `Merry Christmas' again." 245. Get rid of the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits tax-exempt organizations like churches from formally endorsing or opposing political candidates. ABORTION EFTA00634980 248. Defund Planned Parenthood and reallocate its funding to community health centers. 249. Sign into law the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks, the point at which antiabortion activists say a fetus can feel pain. 25o. Make the Hyde Amendment permanent. Since 1976, Congress has annually passed the Hyde Amendment, banning the use of federal dollars — in particular, Medicaid funds — for abortion, except in the case of rape, incest or a threat to the mother's life. GUNS 251. On the first day in office, get rid of gun-free zones at military bases, recruiting centers and, in some cases, schools. These zones are like "target practice for the sickos and for the mentally ill." MEDIA 26o. "Open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money." 261. Oppose the killing of journalists. "I hate some of these people, but I would never kill them." OTHER 264. Fix the rigged system. 265. Sue the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct or assault. "All of these liars will be sued after the election is over." 266. Sue the New York Times for publishing accusations from women who say Trump groped them. 267. Reopen Trump University. (Earlier this month, Trump paid $25 million to settle a fraud case against the now defunct business.) OVERARCHING PROMISES 276. "Whether you vote for me or not, I'm with you. I will never ever let you down." 277. "I will give you everything." 278. "I pledge to protect and defend all Americans who live inside of our borders. Wherever they come from, wherever they were born, all Americans living here and following our laws will be protected. EFTA00634981 America will be a tolerant and open society." 280. Bring back the American Dream. "Take the brand of the United States and make it great again." 281. "We will start winning again and winning like you've never seen before." 282. "Together we will make American wealthy and prosperous again. We will make America strong again. We will make America safe again. And we will make America great again." A Healthy Alternative Inline image 1 Web Link https://www.facebook.com/florintina96/posts/10210616873078906 This week food/health tip is actually the video of a recipe that includes just fruits and vegetables that can be made into a shake which can be eaten throughout the day. In the video's introduction the slide says that the recipe can help to combat diabetes without using medicine. The ingredients include; 2 kiwis, 5 bananas, 2 apples and a handful of Kale. Blend all of the ingredients in a blender and then add a half liter of water. The instructions are to drink half in the morning and the remainder throughout the rest of the day. My recommendation is to switch up things, every so often or when freshly available you can add blue berries, black berries, strawberries, coconut or cinnamon to give you different tastes and variety. THIS WEEK's QUOTE EFTA00634982 "The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return." Gore Vidal THIS IS BRILLIANT The Art of Illusion And a Prayer for Paris and victims of violence everywhere Inline image 1 Web Link: https://youtu.be/xh9GaDgRWX4 This is a tribute video by master magician Shin Lim in honor of the tragedy that occurred in Paris, France. For those curious about the card effects, this is a routine Shin Lim originated and perform almost on a daily basis in theaters and stadiums. He said that he wanted to get away from the loud and grandiose venues, to give something more tranquil. As such, he is doing this trick/performance in his living with the hope that people enjoy this routine nonetheless. This trick is called, my 52 shades of Red V2 Routine. EFTA00634983 Enjoy... Enjoy... Enjoy... THINK ABOUT THIS Racists are ig neo.nle who aragestaking the arm r Inline image I "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1960, remark to Bill Moyers BEST VIDEO OF THE WEEK EFTA00634984 Bait & Switch Robert Reich — The Resistance Report January i9, 2017 Inline image 2 Web Link: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=robert%20reich%20resi stance%2Oreport%20january%2019%202017 I strongly urge that you watch Thursday's podcast by former Labor Secretary Robert Reich (under President Bill Clinton) which is a harsh and sober assessment of Donald Trump's ascent to the Presidency which he called a "bait and switch." And although Robert Reich is a dyed in the wool Progressive and totally partisan, I urge my Republican friends to watch this podcast to its end as the alarm being sound, that I don't think President Trump fully realizes. Normally this section tries to be entertaining but since this is a Presidential election weekend please forgive.... THIS WEEK's MUSIC EFTA00634985 Al Jarreau This week I would like to share the music of one of my favorite jazz singer, Al Jarreau whom I met when he first visited London without a drummer and bass player, and my friend Jerome Rimson was recruited to play bass. At that time Derrick Taylor and Pete Ker had given me an office in the basement at 54 Greek Street in Soho, London, which was the UK home for Warner Records. As an extended member of the Warner Family, I felt part of the success of Jarreau's first tour. Alwin "AI" Lopez Jarreau (born March 12, 1940) born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the fifth of six children — is a seven-time Grammy Award winning American jazz singer. His father was a Seventh- Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and his mother was a church pianist. He and his family sang together in church concerts and in benefits, and he and his mother performed at PTA meetings. He was student council president and Badger Boys State delegate for Lincoln High School, going on to Ripon College, where he also sang with a group called the Indigos. Jarreau graduated in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. He went on to earn a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation from the University of Iowa, worked as a Rehabilitation Counselor in San Francisco and moonlighted with a jazz trio headed by George Duke. In 1967, he joined forces with acoustic guitarist Julio Martinez. The duo became the star attraction at a small Sausalito night club called Gatsby's. This success contributed to Jarreau's decision to make professional singing his life and full-time career. In 1968, Jarreau made jazz his primary occupation. In 1969, Jarreau and Martinez headed south, where Jarreau appeared in such Los Angeles hot spots as Dino's, The Troubadour, and Bitter End West. Television exposure came from Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Mery Griffin, Dinah Shore, and David Frost. He expanded his nightclub appearances performing at The Improv between the acts of such rising-star comics as Bette Midler, Jimmie Walker, and John Belushi. During this period, he became involved with the United Church of Religious Science and the Church of Scientology, but he is no longer affiliated with Scientology. Also, roughly at the same time, he began writing his own lyrics, finding that his Christian spirituality began to impact his work. EFTA00634986 In 1975, Jarreau was working with pianist Tom Canning when he was spotted by Warner Bros. Records. He sang on the first season of Saturday Night Live episode 13, 1975, hosted by Peter Boyle (Young Frankenstein, Everybody Loves Raymond). Soon thereafter released his critically acclaimed debut album, We Got By, which catapulted him to international fame and garnered him a German Grammy Award. A second German Grammy would follow with the release of his second album, Glow. One of Jarreau's most commercially successful albums is Breakin' Away (1981), which includes the hit song "We're in This Love Together". In 1984, his single "After All" reached 69 on the US Hot too chart and number 26 on the R&B chart. It was especially popular in the Philippines. His last big hit was the Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American television show Moonlighting, for which he wrote the lyrics. Among other things, he is well known for his extensive use of scat singing, and vocal percussion. He was also a featured vocalist on USA for Africa's "We Are the World" in which he sang the line, "...and so we all must lend a helping hand." Another charitable media event, HBO's Comic Relief featured Al in a duet with Natalie Cole singing the song "Mr. President", written by Joe Sterling, Mike Loveless and Ray Reach. Jarreau took an extended break from recording in the 1990s. As he explained in an interview with Jazz Review: "I was still touring, in fact, I toured more than I ever had in the past, so I kept in touch with my audience. I got my symphony program under way, which included my music and that of other people too, and I performed on the Broadway production of Grease. I was busier than ever! For the most part, I was doing what I have always done ... perform live. I was shopping for a record deal and was letting people know that there is a new album coming. I was just waiting for the right label (Verve), but I toured more than ever." In 2003, Jarreau and conductor Larry Baird collaborated on symphony shows around the United States, with Baird arranging additional orchestral material for Jarreau's shows. He has toured and performed with numerous musicians, including Joe Sample, Chick Corea, Kathleen Battle, Miles Davis, David Sanborn, Rick Braun, and George Benson. He also performed the role of the Teen Angel in a 1996 Broadway production of Grease. On March 6, 2001, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. Jarreau's unique vocal style is one of the world's most precious treasures. His innovative musical expressions have made him one of the most exciting and critically-acclaimed performers of our time with seven Grammy Awards, scores of international music awards and popular accolades worldwide. As life often consists of bookends, thirty years later my dear friend, the late jazz impresario Victor O'Gilvie invited me to help promote a jazz evening with Al Jarreau, George Benson and Jose Feliciano in the Bull Ring in Marbella, Spain in 2008, which was a huge success. With these fond memories, I share the following selection of musicfrom Mr. Al Jarreau. Jarreau - We Got By -- https://youtu.be/RYrVZ- I PHiY Al Jarreau - Susan's Song -- https://youtu.be/ymmwhMnO-Fk?list=PLB8D60DEE68BCE9BF EFTA00634987 Al Jarreau — Your Song -- https://youtu.be/YCsNGdCDaXo Al Jarreau — Somebody Watching's You -- https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=rLuI0L'XEBU&Iist=PL866955350398C362 Al Jarreau — Summertime -- https://www.youtube.corn/watch?v=MO-SxghBK 0&list=PLEEE I E 2CBCFA7B738 Al Jarreau / Marcus Miller — You Don't See Me -- https://www.youtube.comlwatch? v=26bHVAuXGsE Al Jarreau — Sweet Potato Pie -- https://www.youtube.corn/watch?v=LrlhKleTswU Al Jarreau — We're in this Love together -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elRezzVPxyg Al Jarreau — Roof Garden -- https://w ww.youtube.corn/watch?v=qIWUELdM Dow Al Jarreau — Take Five -- https://youtu.beathq7fSrXn0c Al Jarreau — Cold Duck -- https://www.youtube.corn/watch?v=c0aXYHxmW7Y&Iist=RD02q1W UELdMDow Al Jarreau - My Old Friend -- https://www.youtube.corn/watch?v=LEroTmdh69U&Iist=PLEEEIE 2CBCFA7B738 Al Jarreau — Mornin' https://www.youtube.corn/watch?v=j oNkVpBw1I Al Jarreau — In My Music -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRXiQvHpmB0 Al Jarreau — Since I Fell For You -- https://youtu.be/MqeweSlIvJO Al Jarreau — Spain -- https://youtu.be/vybUXUhhjdA Al Jarreau — So Good -- https://youtu.be/J4tNGm6PGKg I hope that you have enjoyed this week's offerings and wish you and yours a wonderful week.... Sincerely, Greg Brown Gregory Brown Chairman & CEO GlobalCast Panners. LLC US: Tel: Fax: EFTA00634988 Skype: ——— EFTA00634989