EFTA02365541.pdf

From: Gregory Brown Sent: Sunday, Januarylill To: undisclosed-recipients: Subject: Greg Brown's Weekend Reading and Other Things.. 1/17/2016 DEAR FRIEND Which Political Party Has the Best Record on the Economy4=pan> =img src="cid:ii_152229896c4dd838" alt="Inline image 2" width="472" h=ight="339"> The=graph above is the work of Economist Steven Stoft of40=A0zFacts.com. It shows the average annual rate of private sec=or job creation during each spell that a party held the presidency. =r. Stoft created this data by analyzing 72 years' worth of jobs da=a from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 72 years was sele=ted as the time frame because each party has controlled the presidency for=36 of those 72 years. During those 36 years each, 58 million jobs ha=e been created under Democratic presidents, but only 26 million jobs under=Republican Presidents. That means that for all of modern American hi=tory, jobs have been created more than twice as fast when we have elected =emocrats to the highest office. Another way to look at the same data is to consider job growth i= terms of the percentage change in the number of jobs held during the peri=d that each party controls the executive branch: As on the first graph, the Democrats are cons=stently outperforming the Republicans. Republi=ans like to tell you that they are the true stewards of the economy, excep= that a study from two respected academic economists concluded that, since=the late 1940s, the economy has consistently performed better under 0emocr=tic presidents than under Republican ones. =C2*And the gap is huge and the arithmetic on partisa= differences is actually stunning. <=pan style="font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:12pt;line- height:17.12000=8392334px">From 1949 to 2013 — a period when the White House was r=ughly split between parties — the economy grew at an average annua= rate of 3.33 percent, but growth under Democratic presidents averaged 4.3= percent and under Republicans, 2.54 percent. Jobs, stocks and living stan=ards all advanced faster under Democrats. <=span>0ver the whole period, the economy was in recession for =9 quarters; Democrats held the White House during only eight of those=quarters. EFTA_R1_01360989 EFTA02365541 But isn't the story different fo= the Obama years? Not as much as you think. Yes, the recovery =rom the Great Recession of 2007/-2009 has been sluggish. Even s=, the Obama record compares favorably on a number of indicators with that =f George W. Bush. In particular, despite all the talk about Q=9Cjob-killing" policies, private-sector employment is eight million higher than it wa= when Barack Obama took office, six times the job gains achieved unde= his predecessor. The same pattern emerge= regardless of whether you look at the stock market, GDP growth, income gr=wth, debt as a percentage of GDP or if you compare how the U.S. economy pe=forms under the parties relative to our closest economic peers. The econom= simply performs better- much better- under Democratic leadership.<=p> Be=ng a Liberal Democrat, I would like to attribute the superior performance =f the economy under Democratic Presidents was mostly due to their liberal =olicies. But it is actually not totally true as most economist doubt=presidents can control the economy. So if presidents didn't =o it, who or what did? Blinder and Watson (authors of the study) march thr=ugh economic studies. Their conclusion: About half of the Democrats0=99 advantage reflected "good luck" — favorable out=ide events or trends. Three dominate. Globa= "oil shocks" — steep=increases in prices, which depressed economic growth — were the la=gest, because they hurt Republicans more than Democrats. They occurred in =973 (Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford), 1979 (Jimmy Carter but affecting Rona=d Reagan's first term) and 2008 (George W. Bush). Statistically, t=ey explain slightly more than a quarter of the Democratic-Republican gap.<=span> Productivity — efficiency — was th= next largest contributor. But presiden=s can't magically raise productivity; it reflects too many forces:=research, improved schools, better management, entrepreneurs. Althou=h Bill Clinton benefited from an Internet boom, he didn't invent t=e Internet. Productivity gains occurred disproportionately under Democrati= presidents and accounted for nearly a fifth of the gap, said the report.<=span> War was the final factor..C24> Military buildups for the Korean and Vietnam wars boosted growt= in the Truman and Johnson presidencies, respectively. Since the lat= 1940s, inflation-adjusted defense spending rose 5.9 percent annually unde= Democrats and only 0.8 percent under Republicans. The buildups accounted =or about an eighth of the Democratic advantage. Rece=tly the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed article by Carly Fiori=a titled "Hillary Clinton Flunks Economics," ridiculing Mr=. Clinton's assertions that the U.S. economy does better under Dem=crats. "America," declared Ms. Fiorina, "needs som=one in the White House who actually knows how the economy works."<=span> 2 EFTA_R1_01360990 EFTA02365542 Since President Barack Obama first took office: The economy has added nearly 8.4 million jobs — more than =ix times the number gained under George W. Bush. • 0=A0 The numbe= of job openings doubled, to a record 5.7 million. • 0=A0 Nearly 15=million fewer people lack health insurance coverage. • =C20 Corpor=te profits are at record levels; stock prices have more than doubled. However, median household income was down 3 percent as of 2014, a=d the official poverty rate was 1.6 percentage points higher. *0=A0 The rate of home ownership has dropped to the lowest point in nearly hal= a century. =/span>The federal debt owed to the public has more tha= doubled up 107 percent. Republicans talk about economic growth all the time. They atta=k Democrats for *job*killing* government regul=tions, they promise great things if elected, they predicate their tax plan= on the assumption that growth will soar and raise revenues. Democrats are=far more cautious. Yet Mrs. Clinton is completely right about the record: =istorically, the economy has indeed done better under Democrats. Thi= contrast raises two big questions. First, why has the economy performed b=tter under Democrats? Second, given that record, why are Republicans so mu=h more inclined than Democrats to boast about their ability to deliver gro=th? Certainly no Democratic candidate would be justified in promisin= dramatically higher growth if elected. And in fact, Democrats never do.=C2' Republicans, however, always make such claims: Every candidate with = real chance of getting the G.O.P. nomination is claiming that his tax pla= would produce a huge growth surge * a claim that has no basis in =istorical experience. Why? For instance ev=ry Republican running for the Presidency talks about the bad Obama economy= except that the U.S. still has the #1 economy in the world and it is stro=ger in almost every measure than every other major industrialized country,=with the exception of China which is a state-controlled economy that most =mericans abhor. Looking at the metrics, (alt=ough the U.S. economy is still limping), it isn't<=span> n=arly as bad as Republicans claim... And here is why: <=mg src="cid:ii_150ca83c602d41a7" alt="Inline image 2" style="margin-=ight:0px"> Part of the a=swer is epistemic closure: modern conservatives generally live in a bubble=into which inconvenient facts can't penetrate. One constantl= hears assertions that Ronald Reagan achieved economic and job growth neve= matched before or since, when the reality is that Bill Clinton surpassed =im on both measures. Right-wing news media trumpet the economic=disappointments of the Obama years, while hardly ever mentioning the good =ews. So the myth of conservative economic superiority goes unchallen=ed. Beyond that, however, Republicans need to promise economic mirac=es as a way to sell policies that overwhelmingly favor the donor class. 3 EFTA_R1_01360991 EFTA02365543 It would be nice, if even one major G.O.P. candidat= would come out against big tax cuts for the 1 percent. And when the= suggest that the do, as Trump initially led people to think, we find after reading the small print this is not true. All of the major GOP play=rs have called for cuts that would subtract trillions from revenue. To mak= up for this lost revenue, it would be necessary to make sharp cuts in big=programs — that is, in Social Security and/or Medicare. But =mericans overwhelmingly believe that the wealthy pay less than their fair =hare of taxes, and even Republicans are closely divided on the issue.Q=A0 And the public wants to see Social Security expanded, not cut. So=how can a politician sell the tax cut agenda? The answer is, by p=omising those miracles, by insisting that tax cuts on high incomes would b=th pay for themselves and produce wonderful economic gains.<=p> As Paul Krugman wrote last month in a Washington Post op=ed — Hence the asymmetry between the parties. Democrats can =fiord to be cautious in their economic promises precisely because their po=icies can be sold on their merits. Republicans must sell an essentia=ly unpopular agenda by confidently declaring that they have the ultimate r=cipe for prosperity — and hope that nobody points out their histor=cally poor track record. Also what we do know is that government pol=cies do matter. Cutting food stamp, after school and programs for th= elderly can hurt tens of millions of men, women and children. And almost =very economist is in an agreement that Reagan inspired supply-side economi=s tax cuts not only caused the deficit to mushroom it accelerated economic=inequality, as well as squeezed the Middle Class. And if this is cal=ed being a strong steward of the country's economy.....Q=A0it ain't so....<=i> THE ON= THING YOU SHOULD KNOW =span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:107%;font-family:Georgia,serif">l= Bundy's Oregon Insurgents Were Black They Would Have Been Slaughtered <=p> For the third time in less than two years, a Bundy is=at the center of another armed anti-government standoff to protect their fantasy constitution and force the United States to surrender its land to the white anti-government insurgency. First it was a Bundy summoning armed militias t= confront federal officers in Nevada to start a second revolutionary war; al= because in Bundy-world government land belongs to the insurgency. Then it w=s the Bundy-clan tearing down gates to trespass and destroy Native American heritage and burial sites in Utah's Recapture Canyon; all because i= the Bundy-world sacred Native American and government land belongs to armed insurgents with Gadsden and American flags a-waving; and something about a sheriff determining what is constitutional and what is tyranny. 4 EFTA_R1_01360992 EFTA02365544 <= class="MsoNormal"> Two weeks ago it happened again in Oregon where armed=Bundy insurgents broke into and seized a federal building and land because in the rebels' mind that land and property belongs to armed Bundy insurgen=s. The all-too-typical insurgency began when "the Bundy-ites" prot=sted the conviction of two Oregon ranchers who admitted they committed arson that burned 130 ac=es in a wildlife refuge on federal government land. The two ranchers have stat=d they do not want the Bundy insurgents' help and that none of armed =ilitiamen are welcomed or "speak for the Hammond family." <= class="MsoNormal"> The insurgency's leader, Ammon Bundy, cla=ms their invasion is to force the "federal government to restore the people40=804$ constitutional rights." Bundy says a federally-designated wildlife refuge o= government-owned land is "destructive to the people," and the governm=nt is doing it specifically "against the people." Now Bun=y claims the insurgency invaded Oregon and seized federal property because the government "has to b= put in its place because we've One immediately noticed that law enforcement has not =esponded to very angry, white, heavily-armed anti-government militias daring the government to show their faces; a completely different kind of response peaceful African American demonstrators see from law enforcement. But accor=ing to an anti-government militia expert, there is justification for AmericaQ=804os racist criminal justice double-standard. <=pan style="font-size:12ptline-height:107%;font-family:Georgia,serir> As such, law enforcement learned how to handle heavil=-armed white criminals as opposed to how they handle peaceful African American protesters. If they are Black, in their neighborhoods, unarmed and pose no violent threat, law enforcement instantl= deploys military-vehicles, the National Guard, and heavily-armed police soldiers to literally beat down and force protestors to disperse. It is wha= law enforcement did in Ferguson and Baltimore with impunity and earned high praise from Republicans, various conservatives, the Ku Klux Klan, and armed Aryan militias. However, when co=fronted with heavily-armed white militias who broke into and took over federal property, the best approach according to l=w enforcement "is to stay away and maybe figure out how to bring a peaceful end to the standoff." =he armed militia expert said that law enforcement has learned how best to accommodate armed anti- government insurgents; many of whom are current or past law enforcement. Remember, none o= the Bundy clan or their armed militia supporters have faced any criminal charges for their sedition in Nevada...A0 Republicans and the conservative patriot movement will not allow it and it is evidently why the insurgency descended=on Oregon and invaded a federal refuge without fear of prosecution. 5 EFTA_R1_01360993 EFTA02365545 It is noteworthy=that, regardless what the Bundy insurgency claims, their motivation is not founded on "restoring the people's constitutional rights;" it is about =nciting a revolution against the government the insurgency claims has no legal right to own land. It was the driving force behind the Nevada and Utah incidents and one Republicans serv=ng the interests of the Koch brothers wholly support and condone as patriotic.=/span> One of the Bundy=clan admitted the invasion in Oregon is a preview of the insurgency expanding to seize federal land nationwide; a Ion= sought-after goal of the Koch brothers. Ammon Bundy said, "We will occupy this as long as necessary as a place for individuals across the United States to claim t=eir lands and resources. The American people can't get ahead because the federal government is using the land an= if it is continued, it will put the people in poverty." Bundy's =roposal is to marshal as many "armed patriots" as p=ssible to come and live in a "Bundy-proclaimed" self-rule zone independent of federal au=hority he, like his father, claim have no authority; especially over federal land. As a B=ndy lieutenant claimed, the insurgency's hope is that the invasion and occupation in Oregon is just the beginning of=a nation-wide movement. Blane Cooper said the insurgents have "had enough tyranny" and that their illegal actions "will not stop here. The hope is this spreads through the whole country, the whole United States." Obviously no-one=wants violence or bloodshed, except of course the Bundy insurgency. One of the Bundy brothers, Ryan, said the insurgents =E244are willing to kill and be killed in necessary;" likely to spark the 2nd revolutionary war promised =uring the Bundy ranch standoff in Nevada. However, the Bundy insurgents know they will never be killed, or confronted, or investigated, and certainly not charged with a crime. This event, like=the two previous attempts to incite a rebellion, will never be prosecuted because the rebels are white and hate the federal government. What nearly every American alive today knows if that the insurgents were people of color, Hispanics or Muslims, law enforcement would already have swooped in and slaughtered the =ot with extreme prejudice. But because they are white, heavily armed, hate the government and claim to oppose tyranny the insurgency will continue unabate= and Republicans will hail them as patriots. In 1981, the black liberation group=MOVE had relocated itself into a row house in West Philadelphia. MOVE soon faced complaints from neighbors about its boisterous political activities, which included loudly airing political messages during all times of the day. By 1985, a num=er of MOVE members faced arrest warrants for charges including parole violations and illegal possess=on of firearms, and Philadelphia police moved to evict the group from their building and arrest their members. MOVE resisted the arrest, and refused to leave their row house. 6 EFTA_R1_01360994 EFTA02365546 Police responded=with tear gas, and some in MOVE retaliated by firing at police. This was when Philadelphia police commissioner Gregore Sambor made a radical call: he ord=red a helicopter to drop an explosive device on top of the building to blow ope= the bunker at the top. The bomb set off a fire that quickly spread, eventuarly burning down 61 homes and leaving 250 people homeless. 11 people in t=e MOVE row-house died, including five children. After seizing government property in an armed insurre=tion, with the goal of inciting an armed rebellion, let's see how this la=est Bundy incident plays out and if they are even arrested, put in jail, fined and/or given lengthy prison sentences. As such, please understand that in America today, there definitely is a double=standard based on race and religion. Because the one thing =hat we know, if these same people were Black, Hispanic or Muslim they woul= be dead by now. adiv> Something Is Fis=y With This Story Maddow: Pentagon's captured sailor story 'a pile of bull' http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/pentagon-s-iran-incident-rtory-doesn-t-add-up-601512003829 Like many Americans I reall= didn't grasp the story about the two US military vessels that were taken hostage by the Iranian military of thei= coast, other than it happened on the same day of President Obama's last St=te of the Union address. Despite the fact that 10 American sailors were being in Iranian custody, President Barack Obama stuc= to his State of the Union script last and made no mention of the incident, ins=ead touting his nuclear deal with Tehran. Press reports said that one of the vessels experienced a mechanical problem, losing propulsion and drifting into Iranian territorial waters and that the other Navy boat would not leave those sailors behind and they were picked up by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Iranian officials im=ediately acknowledged that all ten sailors were safe, treated accordingly, would be released and allowed to continue up to Bahrain. Arizona Sen. John McCain, o=ce Obama's GOP challenger for the presidency, blasted the speech for not including any reference to the incid=nt in the Persian Gulf. "Ten American sailors have been taken into custody in Iran," he said in a statement.= "But President Obama completely omitted this latest example of Iran's provocative behavior so as not to interfere with his delusional talking points about his dangerous nuclear deal with Iran.=E24). House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy also slammed the omission. "I was very concerned that he's missing where the challenge of the world is with se=urity -- he sits and talks positively about Iran when they just took 10 of our Na=y sailors," he said after the speech. Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN's Dana Bash that he expected the sailors to be released "very soon" but would not be more specific. He was speaking at the Capitol ahead of the start of Obama's speech. Whi=e the GOP 7 EFTA_R1_01360995 EFTA02365547 Presidential contenders said to a man/woman that this incident showed the weakness of President Obama and h=s failed Iranian policies. To make matters more embarr=ssing Iranian State Television showed one or the U.S. sailors, "It was a mistake that was our fault and we apologize for our mistake,""It was a misunderstanding. We did not mean to go into Iranian territorial wate=. The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here. We thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance.=E2** In the same Iranian television interview, the sailor said, "The Iranian patrol boat came out when we were having engine issues and had weapons drawn, so w= tried to talk to them until more boats came out and took us in."</=pan> =/p> As promised, the sailors, w=apons and vessels were released the next day and Secretary of State John Kerry credited diplomatic strength=and newly developed ties with Iran in helping secure the quick and safe release=of the sailors. "These are always situations as everybody here knows which have an ability, if not properly guided, to get out of control," Kerry said in a speech at the National Defense University. "I'm appreciative for the quick and appropriate response of the Iranian authorities." He said that "all indications suggest or tell us that our sailors were well taken c=re of, provided with blankets and food and assisted with their return to the f=eet earlier today." While Iranian official said that the incident was a learning moment. Iranian Foreig= Minister Javad Zarif, who has maintained open lines with Kerry and U.S. officials, made no mention of an apology in a tweet he sent after the sailors were released. "sappy to see dialog and respect, not threats and impetuousness, swiftly resolved =he #sailors episode. Let's learn from this latest example," Zarif=wrote. But as Rachelle Maddow poin=ed out, that now that this incident is over, obviously the good news is that all ten sailors are safe =nd that the Administration was able to get them freed quickly. And this =s credited to that there are now direct lines of communications between U.S. and Iranian diplomats, as well =s the good-will generated during the Iranian nuclear negotiations. This=is clearly a good positive. And yes, the release of the photos of U.=. sailors kneeling in surrender and videos of them eating on the floor could =e distasteful to some. But what is more controversial is, how on earth did this happened. Remember the initial explan=tion from the Pentagon, "is that at least one of the boats suff=red mechanical problems" that caused them to drift into Iranian wat=rs. Okay.... But did both of them breakdown? Later in the week Defense officials said, "The Navy has ruled out engine or propulsion failure as reason the boats entered Iranian waters." And since the sailors were put bac= on the same boats and sailed away on the same boats, it is easy to conclude that t=ere was nothing mechanically wrong with the boats Unless the Iranian=E244s spent all night repairing them.... Which is highly unlikely.... The Washington Post gets word that maybe the vessels ran out of gas.... Really.... And both boats? None of the explanation= make sense, so what were the U.S. sailors doing out there and why didn't they run, at least back into international waters, as these boats are faster than anything that the=Iranians have. So we don' know why they were where they were. And how the hell did they get caught... =/font> 8 EFTA_R1_01360996 EFTA02365548 Is Cont=minated Drinking Water The New Norm? <=pan style="line-height:107%"> On January =, 2016 Michigan's Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency regarding the water crisis in Flint, Michigan where, due=to deliberately careless resource management, the number of kids with dangerou= levels of lead in their blood doubled in 2015. Sender's announcement follows Flint Mayor Karen Weaver's st=te of emergency declaration: she called the lead poisoning crisis a "m=nmade disaster" in December. In 2014, Flint changed its =ater source from Detroit's mess of a water system to the nearby Flint River to save =oney. By April, residents began complaining of cloudy, foul-smelling water, but were assured by local authorities that the water was fine. It wasn't. Financially, Snyder's declaration mean= Michigan state funds and recovery organizations will work with those in Flint to help out, accor=ing to Time, but exactly how the state will do so is unclear. Lead poison=ng is no joke; neither are the side effects, which include skin lesions, hair loss, chemical-induced hypertension, vision loss, depression and anxiety. Elsewhere, the Env=ronmental Protection Agency ("EPA") is working with federal prosecutors to investigate =he decisions that led to Flint's public health emergency. Flint citizens have filed a civil suit. The plaintiffs, on behalf of victims of h=gh levels of lead, filed the suit against Gov. Rick Snyder, the city of Flint,=and members of management of the Flint water authority. In November, Gov. Snyder, the=state of Michigan, the city of Flint and 13 additional public officials were named in a lawsuit brought by Flint residents say they knew about the lead poisoning but distributed the water anyway. Michigan's lead environmental regulator quit, and Snyder has apologized. At this point, apologies d=n't matter. Problems began when the people began getting water from the Flint River instead of getting it from Lake Huron via Detroi='s water system. The move was announced as a temporary, cost-cutting measure until Flint could get Great Lakes water o= its own, according to details in the class-action lawsuit. But then came residents' complaints about strangely colored tap water.Q=A0 This was followed by studies showing that lead piping elevated lead levels 10 times higher than they had previously measur=d. A local hospital discovered that the percentage of Flint children with elev=ted lead levels nearly doubled after the switch, according to CNN affiliate WDI=. 9 EFTA_R1_01360997 EFTA02365549 Fli=t is the largest city and county seat of Genesee County, Michigan. Located along the Flint River, 66 miles (106 km) northwest of Detroit, it is the largest city in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan. According to the 2010 census, Flint has a population of 102,434 and was founded as a village by fur trader Jacob Smith in 1819, Flint became a major lumber=ng area on the historic Saginaw Trail during the 19th century, and incorporate= as a city in 1855. It later became a leading manufacturer of carriages and other vehicles earning it the nicknam= "Vehicle City". IN 1908 William Crapo Durant formed =eneral Motors in Flint and after World War II, Flint became an automobile manufacturing powerhouse for GM's Buick and Chevrolet divisions, both o= which were also founded in Flint. But when GM left Flint the city during the 2008 recession. Federal officials began investigat=ng the lead contamination of drinking water in Flint, Michigan, after the financially strapped city w=s under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched i=s source of tap water to the nearby Flint River in April 2014 from Detroit Hs water system to save money. Flint, about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Detroit, returned to Detroit water in Octobe= after tests found some children had elevated levels of lead in their blood =nd lead was found in higher-than-acceptable levels in the water. Lead po=soning can cause learning disabilities and at high levels can lead to seizures and death, according t= the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flint citizens h=ve filed a civil suit. The plaintiffs, on behalf of victims of high levels of lead, filed the suit aga=nst Gov. Rick Snyder, the city of Flint, and members of management of the Flint water authority. The complaints prompted a host of actions to address what=was labeled a public health emergency. For instance, the city ordered public schools stop running water for taps and water fountains, according to WEYI, another CNN affiliate. Government agencies passed out over 6,000 water filt=rs, said Michigan Department of Community Health Director Nick Lyon. The =ituation could affect the city for many years. In the city's state of emergency declaration, Flint Mayor Karen =eaver indicated that more funding will be needed for special education services because lead "can cause effects to a child's IQ, which will result in learning disabilities." 4>=A0She also indicated that more funding will be needed for mental health services, "an increase in the juvenile justice system," and that there would be = greater need for adoptive and foster parents "as a result of social=services needed due to the detrimental effects of the high blood lead levels." Water pollution in America is not just limited to the city of Flint, state of Michigan or the Mid-West. Water pollution is the invasion of pollutants into any body of water two differen= means: point and non-point sources. Point sources are those pollutants that come from a single, recognizable source, =uch as chemicals dumped through a drainage pipe or a specific landfill. N=n-point sources are pollutants that may not be traceable to any one particular source, but a collection of pollutants t=at collectively cause contamination. These sources are many, from sewage from households, nutrients from agriculture, radioactive waste and oil from industry, as wel= as biological sediment that builds in lakes, rivers and streams. =/p> There are mo=e than 54,700 water systems in the United States according to the EPA and since 2004 it is estimated that water provided to =9 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals arsenic or=radioactive substances like uranium as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage= Regulators were informed of each of those violations as they occurred. Regulatory records show that fewer than 6% of the water systems that broke the law wherever fi=d or punished by state or federal officials, including those of the EPA, whic= has ultimate responsibility for 10 EFTA_R1_01360998 EFTA02365550 enforcing standards. Studies indicate=that drinking water contaminants are linked to millions of instances of illness with them Unite= States each year. Some incidences, drinking water violations one-time events, and probably pose little rest bu= for hundreds of other systems, illegal combination persisted for years, rec=rds show. But the bottom line is that if we are not diligent, instead of being the exception, contaminated municipal dr=nking water could become the norm. U.S. Economy Adds 292,000 Jobs In December, Unemployment Steady At 5% =br> American employers added a strong 292,000 jobs in Decembe=, suggesting that the U.S. economy is so far defying global trends and growin= at a solid pace. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate remained 5 percent for a third straight month. More Americans started looking for work= and most found jobs. The government also said employers added a combined 50=000 more jobs in October and November than it had previously estimated. Hiring averaged 284,000 a month in the fourth quarter, the best three-month pace i= a year. The strong figures underscore the resilience of the U.S. economy at a time of global turmoil stemming from China's slowing econo=y and plummeting stock market. Most economists expect solid U.S. consumer spendin= will offset any overseas drag, though many forecast only modest growth. For months, U.S.=employers have steadily added jobs even as global growth has flagged and financial markets have sunk. Stronger custome= demand has given most businesses confidence to hire even though some sector= — notably manufacturing and oil and gas drilling — are struggling. If-employers continue to hire steadily and to raise wages consistently, consumers are expected to keep spending and to support U.S. economic growth even if forei=n economies struggle. Still, stumbling=growth in countries like China, the world's second-largest economy, and financial market turmoil could pose long-term challenges for the U.S. economy. A strong dollar and faltering global growt= have cut into exports of factory goods. The dollar has climbed about 10 per=ent in value in the past year compared with overseas currencies. That has made =.S. goods more expensive globally while lowering the price of imported products= In November, exp=rts fell to their lowest level in nearly four years and helped shaved about 0.6 percentage point from the economy's g=owth in 2015, according to Goldman Sachs. Most analysts estimate that the economy expanded at a modest pace 2.5 percent last year. Another blow to manufactur=ng has been oil prices, which fell to their lowest level in 12 years Thursday.=Oil and gas drillers have responded by slashing payrolls and sharply cutting spending on steel pipes and other drilling equipment. 11 EFTA_R1_01360999 EFTA02365551 Manufacturers ad=ed just 17,000 jobs last year through November. Yet manufacturing makes up just 10 percent of the U.S. economy an= oil and gas drilling even less. Consumer spending accounts for roughly 70 percent. For now, Americans are confident enough to buy more homes. Sales of newly built homes jumped nearl= 15 percent in 2015 and helped spur building and construction hiring: Construct=on companies added 215,000 jobs last year, a 3.4 percent gain. In another sign of consumer health, auto sales rose t= a record high last year as cheap gas and low interest rates led to booming sa=es of SUVs and pickup trucks. Lower gas prices may have hurt the oil patch, bu= they should benefit consumers by cutting their gas bills. Chris Christopher= an economist at IHS, a forecasting firm, estimates that American households sa=ed, on average, $722 last year from cheaper gas. He expects them to save an additional $217 in 2016 given the continuing drop in oil prices. =/div> 5 Taxpayer Handouts the Bundys Receive While Railing Against Government Q=80*Tyranny" =p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Nearly every part of the Bundy family's business is funded by government w=lfare programs. The armed militiamen currently occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon have attempted to portray an image of themselves as rugged= independent Americans rejecting government interference in their businesses= But nearly every part of their existence as ranchers is made possible by government welfare programs — even the building they're dep=nding on for shelter from the cold was built by federal tax dollars as part of the New D=al program. Here are just a few ways taxpayers are subsidizing the livelihoods of cattle ranchers like the Bundy family: 1. Ammon Bundy*=99s loan from the Small Business Administration 12 EFTA_R1_01361000 EFTA02365552 The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a loan guarantee program for businesses that don't qualify for assistance =n the private credit market. As Mother Jones reported, Ammon Bundy — the ringleader of the Malheur takeover bemo=ning federal overreach — got a $530,000 loan from the SBA in 2010 for hi= truck maintenance business in Arizona, costing taxpayers over $22,000. What=the loan was used for or whether or not Bundy repaid it is not listed in public records. 2. The US government charges 93 percent less for cattle grazing than private landowners =/span> One of the biggest gripes from cattle ranc=ers like Cliven Bundy and other Western cattlemen is that the federal government is bleedin= ranchers dry with overpriced cattle grazing fees. But the opposite is true Q.804> in 2012, it cost roughly $1.35 a month for each cow to graze on federal land, as opposed to =he average $20 per month charged by private landowners for cattle grazing...A0 FiveThirtyEight.com illustrated the price difference in a graph: If an=body is getting the raw end of the deal from the federal government's cattle grazing prices, it's the federal govern=ent. As of 2014, grazing fees only accounted for 15 percent of the total cost incurred for the Bureau of Land Management to man=ge land for cattle grazing. The other 85 percent comes from We The Taxpayers. 5. Ranchers depend on big governm=nt assistance to keep livestock safe The Bundys and other ranchers would have very little lives=ock to feed if it weren't for the "animal damage control" program, in which federal employees kill off th= nearby predators that present a danger to cattle. The Atlantic's stu=y of this program found that, again, Western ranchers are responsible for a disproportionate amount=of taxpayer subsidies compared to the other 39 states: =span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:Georgia,serif">l= 1994 this program cost $55.9 million nationwide, of which roughly $22 million was spent on western lives=ock operations. The animals killed nationwide with this money included 163 blac= bears, 293 mountain lions, 1,928 bobcats, 8,973 foxes, and 85,571 coyotes.<=span> If the=Bundy family really wanted the "independence" from =overnment they claim to stand for, their businesses would be underwater. Ammon Bundy and his gang should thank their lucky stars to benefit from so much government assistance. 13 EFTA_R1_01361001 EFTA02365553 Amanda Girar= — US Uncut — January 5, 2016 Minimum wage rises in 14 sta=es and several cities With federal minimum wage flat for more than six years, states and cities are moving forward with the=r own increases Countries with higher wages than U.S. Minimum Wage Annual Average Wage As the United St=tes marks more than six years without an increase in the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, 14 states and severa= cities are moving forward with their own increases, with most having taken effect January 1, 2016. California and Massachusetts are highest among the states, both increasing from $9 to $10 =n hour, according to an analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures. At the low end is Arkansas, where the minimum wage is increasing from $7.50 to $8. The =mallest increase, a nickel, comes in South Dakota, where the hourly minimum is now $8.55. 14 EFTA_R1_01361002 EFTA02365554 The increases co=e in the wake of a series of "living wage" protests across the country, including a November campaign in which thousands of protesters in =70 cities marched in support of a $15-an-hour minimum wage and union rights fo= fast food workers. Food service workers make up the largest group of minimum-wage earners, according to the Bureau =f Labor Statistics. With Jan, 1, increases, the new average minimum wage across the 14 affected states rises from $8.50 an hour to just over $9. Several cities are going even higher. Seattle is setting a sliding hourly minimum between $10.50 and $13 on Jan. 1, and Los Angeles and San Francisco are enacting similar increases in July, en route =o $15 an hour phased in over six years. Backers say a higher minimum wage helps combat poverty, but opponents worry about t=e potential impact on employment and company profits. In 2014, a Democratic-backed congressional proposal t= increase the federal minimum wage for the first time since 2009 to $10.10 stalled, as have subsequent efforts by President Obama. More recent p=oposals by some lawmakers call for a federal minimum wage of up to $15 an hour. Alan Krueger, an eco=omics professor at Princeton University and former chairman of Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, said a federal minimum wage of up to $12 an hour, phased in over =ive years or so, "would not have a noticeable effect on employment." Some employers may cut jobs in response to a minimum-=age increase, Krueger said, while others may find hikes allow them to fill job =acancies and reduce turnover, lifting employment but lowering profits. The non=artisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the 2014 federal proposal would have raised the wages of 16.5 mil=ion Americans and lifted 900,000 of them out of poverty but would have cost as =any as 1 million jobs. Currently, 29 states plus the District of Columbia an= about two dozen cities and counties have their minimum wage at levels higher than=the federal minimum. Many are now in the midst of multi-year phase-in plans that will ultimately take them to betwee= $10 and $15 an hour. The 14 states where increases took effect Jan. 1 are: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Rhode Isl=nd, South Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia. =p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Why I Will Never Vote For Donald Trump (Aside from being =he must unqualified candidate=running he is a ) <=t> 15 EFTA_R1_01361003 EFTA02365555 Beginning with Ronald Reagan, I have vot=d Republican in every presidential election since I first became eligible to vote in 1980. = worked in the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations and in the White House for George W. Bush as a speechwriter=and adviser. I have also worked for Republican presidential campaigns, although=not this time around. Despite this history, and in important ways because of it, I will not vote for Donald Trump if he wins the Republican nomination.=/p> I should add tha= neither could I vote in good conscience for Hillary Clinton or any of the other Democrats running for president, since =hey oppose many of the things I have stood for in my career as a conservative =E244 and, in the case of Mrs. Clinton, because I consider her an ethical wreck.=C2. If Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton were the Republican and Democratic nominees, I would prefer to vote for a responsibl= third-party alternative; absent that option, I would simply not cast a ball=t for president. A lot of Republicans, I suspect, would do the same.</=> There are many r=asons to abstain from voting for Mr. Trump if he is nominated, starting with the fact that he would be the most unqualifi=d president in American history. Every one of our 44 presidents has had either government or military experience befor= being sworn in. Mr. Trump, a real estate mogul and former reality-television star, hasn't served a day in pu=lic office or the armed forces. During the course of this campaign he has repeatedly revealed his ignorance on basic matters of national interest — the three way= the United States is capable of firing nuclear weapons (by land, sea and air), the difference between the Quds Force in Iran and the Kurds to their west, Nort= Korea's nuclear tests, the causes of autism, the effects of his tax=plan on the deficit and much besides. Mr. Trump ha= no desire to acquaint himself with most issues, let alone master them. He has admitted that he doesn't prepare for debates or study briefing books; he believes such things get in the way of a good performance. No major presidential candidate has ever been quite as disdainful of knowledge, as indifferent to facts, as untroubled by his benightedness. It is little sur=rise, then, that many of Mr. Trump's most celebrated pronouncements and promises — to quickly and "" expel 11 million illegal immigrants, to force Mexico=to pay for the wall he will build on our southern border, to defeat the Islami= State "very quickly" while as a bonus taking its oil, to bar Muslims from immigrating to the United States 4j>=94 are nativistic pipe dreams and public relations stunts. 16 EFTA_R1_01361004 EFTA02365556 Even more disqua=ifying is Mr. Trump's temperament. He is erratic, inconsiste=t and unprincipled. He possesses a streak of crudity and cruelty that manifested itself in how he physically mocked a Times journalist with = disability, ridiculed Senator John McCain for being a P.O.W., made a refere=ce to "blood" intended to degrade a female journalist and compared one of his opponents to a child molester. Mr. Trumpl>=99s legendary narcissism would be comical were it not dangerous in someone seeking the nation's highest office — =s he demonstrated when he showered praise on the brutal, anti-American president of Russia, Vladimir V. Putin, responding to Mr. Putin's expression of admirati=n for Mr. Trump. "It is a=ways a great honor," Mr. Trump said last month, "to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own count=y and beyond." Mr. Trump*=99s virulent combination of ignorance, emotional instability, demagogy, solipsism and vindictiveness would do more than resu=t in a failed presidency; it could very well lead to national catastrophe.Q=A0 The prospect of Donald Trump as commander in chief should send a chill down the spine of every American. For Republicans,=there is an additional reason not to vote for Mr. Trump. His nomination would pose a profound threat to the Republican Party and conservatism, in ways that Hill=ry Clinton never could. For while Mrs. Clinton could inflict a defeat on the Republican Party, she could not redef=ne it. But Mr. Trump, if he were the Republican nominee, would. Mr. Trump4)=99s presence in the 2016 race has already had pernicious effects, but they're nothing compared with what would ha=pen if he were the Republican standard-bearer. The nominee, after all, is the leader =f the party; he gives it shape and definition. If Mr. Trump heads the R=publican Party, it will no longer be a conservative party; it will be an angry, bigoted, popul=st one. Mr. Trump would represent a dramatic break with and a fundamental assault on the party's best t=aditions. The Republican P=rty's best traditions, of course, have not always been evident. (The same is true of the Democratic Party, by the way.) Over the years we have seen antecedents of today's Trumpism both on issu=s and in style — for example, in Pat Buchanan's presidential campaig=s in the 1990s, in Sarah Palin's rise in the party, in the reckless rhetoric of some o= the right like Ann Coulter. 17 EFTA_R1_01361005 EFTA02365557 The sentiments animating these individuals have had i=fluence in the party, and in recent years growing influence. But they have no= been dominant and they have certainly never been in control. Mr. Trump's securing the Republican nomination would change all that..C2* Whatever problems one might be tempted to lay at the feet of the Republican Party, Donald Trump is in a different and mor= destructive category. In these pages in July 1980, Daniel Patrick Moynihan,=the Democratic senator from New York, declared, "Of a sudden, the G.O.P= has become a party of ideas." If Mr. Trump wins the nomination, the G.O.P. will become the party of anti- reason. Peter Wehner — New York Times — January 14, 2016 10 Foods For A Happier Stomach =span style="font-family:Georgia,serif">Making room in your diet for then= fiber-rich eats will help you reach the recommended 25 grams per day. 1. Artichokes or Artichoke Hearts The Fiber: 10.3 grams for a medium artichoke, 7.2 grams for a half-cup of artichoke hearts =/span> Try These: Grilled a=tichokes, or roast chicken with green beans and artichokes 2. Black Beans The Fiber: 7.5 grams=in a II cup Try These: Quinoa bl=ck-bean chili, or chicken, black bean and arugula salad 18 EFTA_R1_01361006 EFTA02365558 3. Raspberries The Fiber: 4 grams i= 1/2 cup =span style="font-family:Georgia,serif">Try These: Sprinkle over Greek yogurt, or treat yourself to a raspberry buckle for dessert <=> Pearled Barley </=pan> The Fiber: 6 grams i= 1 cup, cooked Try This: Vegetable-=arley potpies Try These: A small handful raw or roasted, a side dish of rice with spinach and pistachi=s, or a roasted beet salad with arugula, pistachios and goat cheese =p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:0.25in"> 6. Brussels Sprouts =/span> The Fiber: 3 grams i= 3/4 cup =span style="font-family:Georgia,serif">Try These: Roasted Brussels sprouts chips, pan-roasted Brussels sprouts with chorizo, or roast=d Brussels sprouts with Asian vinaigrette 7. =C24, Pears The Fiber: 5.5 grams=in 1 medium pear Try These: Sliced fo= a snack, or a dessert of roasted pears with ricotta and honey =p style="margin-left:0.75in">8. Chickpeas 19 EFTA_R1_01361007 EFTA02365559 The Fiber: 6.2 grams=in 1/2 cup Try This: Quick and =asy roasted garbanzo beans style="margin-left:0.75in">9. Sunflower Seeds <=span> The Fiber: 3.6 grams=in 1/4 cup, roasted Tomato bas=l sunflower seed pate. 10. Blackberries The Fiber: 3.8 grams=in 'A cup Try This: Pop 'e= as is, or try these skillet-roasted apricots and blackberries <=1" Emma Haak= — OPRAH.com — January 6, 2016 <=iv> 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 can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will h=ve the final word. Martin Luther King, Jr. =/div> 20 EFTA_R1_01361008 EFTA02365560 THIS IS BRILLIANT How did he do this and the other tricks....<=span> Web Link: https://w=w.facebook.com/video.php?v=881743798599874 chttps://=ww.facebook.com/video.php?v=881743798599874> <=div> =HINK ABOUT THIS <=font> BEST VIDEO OF THE WEEK <=div> The Greatest=/span> Happy 74th Birthday My O=d Friend 21 EFTA_R1_01361009 EFTA02365561 =p class="MsoNormal" align="center"> Float Like A Butterfly and Sting Like A Bee Web Link:=C24, https://y=utu.be/F3Ot-weDgko chttps://youtu.be/F30t-weDgko> and https://youtu.be/d_b7fW5TSZ0 <https://youtu.be/d=b7fW51-520> =p class="MsoNormal" align="center"> Web Link: <= href="https://youtu.be/CJEIVwjrew" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/=1EIVwjrew and https://youtu.be/jkhp2oPOIZI Please enjoy these videos because they will never be anyone like Muhammad Ali again*=8O. THIS WEEK's MUSIC <=div> (David Robert Jones) who died last Sunday after an 18-month struggle against cancer. David Bowie wh= had just celebrated both his 69th birthday and released his 25th album/recording t=o days earlier was an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, reco=d producer, arranger, painter and actor. He was a figure in popular music for 22 EFTA_R1_01361010 EFTA02365562 over four decades, and was considered by critics and other musicians as an innovator, particularly for=his work in the 1970s. His androgynous appearance was an iconic element of his image, principally in the 1970s and 1980s. Bowie combined his rock career with a=pearances in films. His acting career took off with his performance in Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth, followed by roles in films such as labyrinth, The Las= Temptation of Christ and Absolute Beginners. More recently, he appeared as himself in the film Zoolander. =is portrayal of John Merrick in the Broadway play, The Elephant Man, Bowie displayed the ability to project a complex character with just the mastery of movemen= and of vocal projection, creating a stirring performance. "=C24> He also produced albums for Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, as well as writing All the Young Dudes, which he gave to Mott The Hoople who had a massive hit wit= it. In the late 1970s he produced a three-album collaboration with Brian Eno, known as the Berlin trilogy.t>=A0 =span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:Georgia,serif">B=wie's innovative songs and stagecraft brought a new dimension to popular music in the early 1970s, strongly influencing both it= immediate forms and its subsequent development. A pioneer of glam rock, Bowie has joint responsibility with Marc Bolan for creating the genre. At the same time, he inspired the innovators of the punk rock music movement — histor=an Michael Campbell calls him "one of punk's seminal influences". While punk musicians trashed the conventions of pop stardom, Bowie moved on again Q=804, into a more abstract style of music making that in turn became a transforming influence. Bowie brought sophistication to rock music", and critical reviews frequently acknowledge the intellectual depth of his work and influence. Bowie was both star and icon. One could say that his vast body of work he help created one of the biggest cultural shifts in modern popular culture. Throughout his career he sold an estimated 140 million albums. In the United Kingdom, he was awarded 9 Platinum, 11 Gold and 8 Silver albums,=and in the United States, 5 Platinum and 7 Gold. In the BBC's 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, he was ranked 29. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 39th on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock Artists =f All Time. Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame =/b>on 17 January 1996 and named a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in June 2013. The spider Hete=opoda davidbowie is named in his honor. And in 2015, he was name= one of GQ's 50 Best Dressed British Men.<=p> Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.4>=A0 Through perpetual reinvention, he has seen his influence continue to broaden and extend: music reviewer Brad Filicky writes that over the decade=, "Bowie has become known as a musical chameleon, changing and dictating trends as much as he has altered his style to fit, influencing fashion and =op culture." Biographer Thomas Forget adds, "Because he has succeeded in so many different styles of music, =t is almost impossible to find a popular artist today that has not been influenced by David Bowie." 23 EFTA_R1_01361011 EFTA02365563 David Bowie was both a chameleon and shap=-shifter who pushed his music relentlessly forward while reinventing himself as many personas =E2$4 from Davie Jones, a young rhythm and blues singer from the London neighborh=od of Brixton, to the interplanetary pop star Ziggy Stardust and the dapper hedonist the Thin White Duke while laying bare his demons for his audience. He explored androgyny and otherworldliness, and sampled cultures from different contine=ts (and galaxies) as his musical and visual palettes continued to evolve, alwa=s theatrical and deeply layered until his focus turned to his own looming end. My favorite moment with Bowie was back in the late 1980s when with Quincy Jones, he and Phil Ramone joined us at Columbus Restaurant</=> on the Upper Westside of Manhattan where we drank and shared stories until almost 7am. He innocently asked me how had we not met and I responded that I had hung out with him and his wife at the time Angie in London a number of time= in the early 1970s but we were first introduced when he first came to my perso=al favorite haunts Max's Kansas City (the most famous watering hole for counter-culture in the late 1960s/early 70s in NYC) — and that I thought that his orange/reddish mane of hair, monkey fur collar purp=e jacket, skin-tight pants and six inch platform boots, coupled with his Engl=sh accent and aloof mannerisms, he was one of the weirdest people whom I had e=er met at the time. His response was to say that he was just playing a role and that real weird was Iggy Pop, who he ha= come to meet. By then he was no longer the pretender dealing with demons or the knucklehead in the 1970s and 80s t=at most people have chosen to ignore, but a great guy who could be smart, =itty, fun, with a sense of introspection. =br> Still, I was actually surprised by the=out-pouring of sadness and affection by fans and friends around the world reminiscing and grappling wi=h his lost and the thought about what his music and his life meant to them.=C24> David Bowie was the Salvatore Dali of music. And like Dali, Bo=ie was a cultural icon for the bizarre and surreal with a genius for self-promotion combined with unquestionable talent. Bazaar and outlandish while at the same time quietly elegant, David Bowie inspired a generation of artists and non-artists to reach beyond the frame of the pain=ing in search of new realities and if not, make great music that people can dan=e to and images that are remembered.... With this, you are again =nvited to enjoy the music of rock icon in the Pantheon of Music, Mr. David Bowie....<=i> David Bowie — Space Oddity -- h=tps://youtu.be/o16TIBBInQw <https://youtu.be/o16TIBBInQw> and https://youtu.be/bHzqrOjmanE <https://youtu.be=bHzqrOjmanE> =p class="MsoNormal">David Bowie — Fame --=/i> http=://youtu.be/wFlmjufN_21 chttps://youtu.be/wElmjufN_ZI> David Bo=ie — Golden Years -- https://youtu.be/Shnrnqx_wsY DAVID BOWIE — Ashes To Ashes -- https://youtu.be/INclo0kIR-TU David Bowie — Heroes -- https://youtu.be/bsYp9q3CtNaQ David Bowie — Modern Love -- https://youtu.be/1hDbpF4Mvkw David Bowie — Absolute Beginners --<=b> https://yo=tu.be/r8NZa9wYZ_U <https://youtu.be/r8NZa9wYZ_U> David Bowie =C240— China Girl -- https://youtu.be/E_SIXx4tsus <https://youtu.be/E_8l=x4tsus> 24 EFTA_R1_01361012 EFTA02365564 David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie — Changes4b=A0 https://youtu.be/pl3vxEudif8 — Ziggy Stardust -- https://youtu.be/Mq5VvYAIlla — Life On Mars? -- https://youtu.be/v--lqqusnNQ — Rebel Rebel -- https://youtu.be/U16Xg_rQZkA David Bowie — Starman https://youtu.be=4B5zmDz4vR4 <https://youtu.be/4B5zmDz4vR4> and https://youtu.be/brrdk_VIKUA David Bowie — Young American -- https://youtu.be/ydlcs4VriZQ David Bowie & Tina Turner — Let's Dance -- https://www.=acebook.com/musicaundregroundoscura/videos/473535296167370/ <https://www.facebook.com/musi=aundregroundoscura/videos/473535296167370/> Queen & David Bowie — =C24,Under Pressure -- https://youtu.be/YoDh_gHDvkk <https://youtu.be/YoDh_gHDv=k> David Bowie & Mick Jagger — 41>=A0Dancing In The Street -- https://youtu.be/964jnaznU00. chttps://youtu.be/964j=aznUoQ> I hope that you have enjoyed this week*=99s offerings and wish you and yours a great Dr. Martin Luther King holiday and week....<=p> <=b> Sincerely,=/span> <=pan style="font-size:lOptline-height:107%;font-family:Georgia,serifn>Gr=g Brown=/b> <=span> Gregory Brown Chairman & CEO =lobalCast Partners, LLC US: +1-415-994-7851=/div> Tel: +1-800-406-5=92 Fax: +1-310-861-0927 Skype: gbrown1970 25 EFTA_R1_01361013 EFTA02365565 Gregory@globalcastpartners.com <mailto:Gregory@globalcastpartners.com> 26 EFTA_R1_01361014 EFTA02365566