AURORA, Colo. - Bill and Hillary Clinton are the validators-in-chief for Democrats struggling through a bleak campaign season in states where President Barack Obama is deeply unpopular.
Reported by Journal Gazette 21 hours ago.
The Clintons, the Democrats’ 2014 super surrogates
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The Democrats' Secret Weapon For The 2014 Midterm Election
AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Bill and Hillary Clinton are the validators-in-chief for Democrats struggling through a bleak campaign season in states where President Barack Obama is deeply unpopular.
With speculation rampant about whether Hillary Rodham Clinton makes a second presidential run, the power couple has blanketed the political map this fall, attending fundraisers and get-out-the-vote rallies for a long roster of Democratic candidates. In states like Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Colorado, the Clintons are an asset at a time when many Democrats need a big name to help inspire supporters. The Clintons usually campaign for candidates on their own. On the campaign trail, the former president, in particular, is in his element.
"I feel like an old racehorse in a stable and people just take me out and put me on the track and slap me on the rear to see if I can run around one more time," the ex-president jokes at various stops.
Obama appeared at his first political rallies last weekend — in Democratic-friendly Maryland and his home state of Illinois — but the Clintons can go where the president might not be helpful.
For example, Bill Clinton starred in TV ads for Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky, where Obama is so unpopular that Grimes has repeatedly refused to say whether she voted for him.
The couple is a powerful fundraising force that fuels voter turnout and give activists a taste of what could come next.
"Some people excel at raising money. Some people excel at turning out voters. The Clintons excel at both," said Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., who leads the House Democrats' campaign arm. "There is not one single competitive district in the country where both don't do well."
Their campaign schedule is infused with anticipation of a second run for the White House by Hillary Clinton, former first lady, senator and secretary of state.
She's expected to announce her decision after the November elections, a move that could boost morale should Democrats cede control of the Senate and lose seats in the House.
This week alone, Hillary Clinton hauled in an estimated $3.5 million in California for the campaign committees of House and Senate Democrats, including $2.1 million at a Hollywood event with Democratic mega-donors Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg.
In Denver's suburbs Tuesday, the former secretary of state vouched for Colorado Sen. Mark Udall — who's locked in a tight race against Republican Rep. Cory Gardner — and Gov. John Hickenlooper, calling them "two of the most effective leaders in the country."
People showing up for the rally had to fill out part of their ticket entitled, "I Pledge to Vote," and hand in the stub at the door for admission. Campaign workers signed up attendees to work get-out-the-vote shifts.
It was Clinton's second stop in the state in as many weeks. Last time, she strolled through Denver's central train station with Udall, ensuring images of them on the local news.
Hillary Clinton's itinerary this week includes events with Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, a former Senate colleague; three rallies in New England with candidates running for governor; and a weekend appearance in Charlotte, N.C., with embattled North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan.
Bill Clinton is covering even more ground: Baton Rouge, La., for Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu on Monday; Chicago for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and western Kentucky for Grimes on Tuesday; Flint, Mich., and Long Island, N.Y., for Democratic candidates on Wednesday. Thursday brings a New Jersey fundraiser for Bonnie Watson Coleman, a congressional candidate; by Friday, Clinton will be in Syracuse, N.Y., for Rep. Dan Maffei and Milwaukee for Mary Burke, who is challenging Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Yet no state personifies the Clintons' campaign push more than Arkansas, where Bill Clinton was governor for more than a decade. During the past two weeks, he has barnstormed the state at 10 events for Sen. Mark Pryor, Mike Ross, his one-time campaign driver who is running for governor, and a field of congressional candidates.
Bill Clinton's visits have encouraged early voting among black voters and college students. Robert McLarty, the director of the state Democratic Party's coordinated campaign, said Democrats have registered or re-registered 3,000 voters on college campuses at Clinton events and filled 8,500 get-out-the-vote shifts, the equivalent of someone committing to work a phone bank for 2 hours or canvass a neighborhood for 4 hours.
New Hampshire, the nation's first presidential primary state, is also getting the Clinton treatment. Hillary Clinton will be there on the final Sunday before the election, helping a slate of female candidates, while Bill Clinton's speech at the state party's fall dinner drew a big crowd and raised $250,000.
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Thomas reported from Washington. Kathleen Ronayne in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report. Reported by Huffington Post 16 hours ago.
With speculation rampant about whether Hillary Rodham Clinton makes a second presidential run, the power couple has blanketed the political map this fall, attending fundraisers and get-out-the-vote rallies for a long roster of Democratic candidates. In states like Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Colorado, the Clintons are an asset at a time when many Democrats need a big name to help inspire supporters. The Clintons usually campaign for candidates on their own. On the campaign trail, the former president, in particular, is in his element.
"I feel like an old racehorse in a stable and people just take me out and put me on the track and slap me on the rear to see if I can run around one more time," the ex-president jokes at various stops.
Obama appeared at his first political rallies last weekend — in Democratic-friendly Maryland and his home state of Illinois — but the Clintons can go where the president might not be helpful.
For example, Bill Clinton starred in TV ads for Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky, where Obama is so unpopular that Grimes has repeatedly refused to say whether she voted for him.
The couple is a powerful fundraising force that fuels voter turnout and give activists a taste of what could come next.
"Some people excel at raising money. Some people excel at turning out voters. The Clintons excel at both," said Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., who leads the House Democrats' campaign arm. "There is not one single competitive district in the country where both don't do well."
Their campaign schedule is infused with anticipation of a second run for the White House by Hillary Clinton, former first lady, senator and secretary of state.
She's expected to announce her decision after the November elections, a move that could boost morale should Democrats cede control of the Senate and lose seats in the House.
This week alone, Hillary Clinton hauled in an estimated $3.5 million in California for the campaign committees of House and Senate Democrats, including $2.1 million at a Hollywood event with Democratic mega-donors Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg.
In Denver's suburbs Tuesday, the former secretary of state vouched for Colorado Sen. Mark Udall — who's locked in a tight race against Republican Rep. Cory Gardner — and Gov. John Hickenlooper, calling them "two of the most effective leaders in the country."
People showing up for the rally had to fill out part of their ticket entitled, "I Pledge to Vote," and hand in the stub at the door for admission. Campaign workers signed up attendees to work get-out-the-vote shifts.
It was Clinton's second stop in the state in as many weeks. Last time, she strolled through Denver's central train station with Udall, ensuring images of them on the local news.
Hillary Clinton's itinerary this week includes events with Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, a former Senate colleague; three rallies in New England with candidates running for governor; and a weekend appearance in Charlotte, N.C., with embattled North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan.
Bill Clinton is covering even more ground: Baton Rouge, La., for Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu on Monday; Chicago for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and western Kentucky for Grimes on Tuesday; Flint, Mich., and Long Island, N.Y., for Democratic candidates on Wednesday. Thursday brings a New Jersey fundraiser for Bonnie Watson Coleman, a congressional candidate; by Friday, Clinton will be in Syracuse, N.Y., for Rep. Dan Maffei and Milwaukee for Mary Burke, who is challenging Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Yet no state personifies the Clintons' campaign push more than Arkansas, where Bill Clinton was governor for more than a decade. During the past two weeks, he has barnstormed the state at 10 events for Sen. Mark Pryor, Mike Ross, his one-time campaign driver who is running for governor, and a field of congressional candidates.
Bill Clinton's visits have encouraged early voting among black voters and college students. Robert McLarty, the director of the state Democratic Party's coordinated campaign, said Democrats have registered or re-registered 3,000 voters on college campuses at Clinton events and filled 8,500 get-out-the-vote shifts, the equivalent of someone committing to work a phone bank for 2 hours or canvass a neighborhood for 4 hours.
New Hampshire, the nation's first presidential primary state, is also getting the Clinton treatment. Hillary Clinton will be there on the final Sunday before the election, helping a slate of female candidates, while Bill Clinton's speech at the state party's fall dinner drew a big crowd and raised $250,000.
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Thomas reported from Washington. Kathleen Ronayne in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report. Reported by Huffington Post 16 hours ago.
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Graebel Relocation Ranks on Top 50 Companies for Professionals in Sales
Graebel Relocation has recently ranked among the Top 50 Companies on the 2014 To Sell For list that is published in Selling Power Magazine.
Aurora, CO (PRWEB) October 22, 2014
Graebel Relocation has recently ranked among the Top 50 Companies on the 2014 To Sell For list that is published in Selling Power Magazine. Annually, Selling Power recognizes the best companies' business development sales team professionals in the U.S. Corporations of all sizes are considered, and sales teams span from fewer than 100 salespeople to in the thousands.
The selection process to make the top 50 list consists of an extensive questionnaire that is completed by sales executives, training departments and human resource professionals within the respective company. This data is collected and then calculated within a rating system. Three areas were the focus for the 2014 rankings and included: New customer growth and retention; hiring, compensation, sales training, and empowerment; and the organization's brand recognition and reputation.
Graebel senior vice president of global sales George Bates stated, “I have been with Graebel Relocation for nearly a decade and have been amazed by the growth of the Company and the global career development opportunities that have been afforded to our business development team and workforce. We administer employee and office relocation services for our Fortune 500 and Global 100 customers in a complex global relocation environment that requires tailor-made solutions on six continents, and that requires a unique talent. I am proud of our sales team’s accomplishments and we are humbled and excited to join the ranks of the many other great companies that have made this compelling list for this year.”
About Graebel Companies, Inc.
Founded in 1950, Graebel is a privately-held global company that offers the entire suite of employee and commercial office relocation services for companies in the Global 100 and Fortune 500. On-the-ground services managed in 165 countries on six continents include full-service relocation and move management administration and consultancy, facility including specialized hospitality and healthcare relocation and workplace services. The world headquarters is located in Aurora, Colorado USA with in-region centers in the Americas, and the APAC and EMEA regions. Known for its industry-first innovations and customer-centric business practice, Graebel holds innumerable credentials, and has earned accolades from clients and from within its industry. To learn more visit: http://www.graebel.com. Reported by PRWeb 14 hours ago.
Aurora, CO (PRWEB) October 22, 2014
Graebel Relocation has recently ranked among the Top 50 Companies on the 2014 To Sell For list that is published in Selling Power Magazine. Annually, Selling Power recognizes the best companies' business development sales team professionals in the U.S. Corporations of all sizes are considered, and sales teams span from fewer than 100 salespeople to in the thousands.
The selection process to make the top 50 list consists of an extensive questionnaire that is completed by sales executives, training departments and human resource professionals within the respective company. This data is collected and then calculated within a rating system. Three areas were the focus for the 2014 rankings and included: New customer growth and retention; hiring, compensation, sales training, and empowerment; and the organization's brand recognition and reputation.
Graebel senior vice president of global sales George Bates stated, “I have been with Graebel Relocation for nearly a decade and have been amazed by the growth of the Company and the global career development opportunities that have been afforded to our business development team and workforce. We administer employee and office relocation services for our Fortune 500 and Global 100 customers in a complex global relocation environment that requires tailor-made solutions on six continents, and that requires a unique talent. I am proud of our sales team’s accomplishments and we are humbled and excited to join the ranks of the many other great companies that have made this compelling list for this year.”
About Graebel Companies, Inc.
Founded in 1950, Graebel is a privately-held global company that offers the entire suite of employee and commercial office relocation services for companies in the Global 100 and Fortune 500. On-the-ground services managed in 165 countries on six continents include full-service relocation and move management administration and consultancy, facility including specialized hospitality and healthcare relocation and workplace services. The world headquarters is located in Aurora, Colorado USA with in-region centers in the Americas, and the APAC and EMEA regions. Known for its industry-first innovations and customer-centric business practice, Graebel holds innumerable credentials, and has earned accolades from clients and from within its industry. To learn more visit: http://www.graebel.com. Reported by PRWeb 14 hours ago.
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Olivia Holt Cast As Aurora For Pasadena Playhouse's 'Sleeping Beauty' Panto!
Olivia Holt is seriously taking over the world and JJJ is loving it! The 17-year-old I Didn’t Do It actress was just cast as Aurora for The Pasadena Playhouse’s upcoming Panto, Sleeping Beauty And Her Winter Knight! Olivia joins Lucy Lawless as Carabosse, David Engel as Nanny Tickle, Tamyra Gray as The Good Fairy, and [...]
Reported by Just Jared Jr 10 hours ago.
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Westell Technologies Announces New Sr. Vice President of Worldwide Sales
AURORA, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Westell Technologies Announces New Sr. Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Mark Skurla. Mark brings more than 30 years of telecommunications sales experience and industry knowledge to Westell.
Reported by Business Wire 10 hours ago.
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Aurora Man Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Daughter To Spend Next 90 Years In Prison
Patch Naperville, IL -- Kane County judge tells Aurora man that he will probably die in prison, who faces another round of similar charges in DuPage County.
Reported by Patch 8 hours ago.
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Old Second Reports Third Quarter Net Income of $2.9 million
AURORA, Ill., Oct. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Old Second Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company" or "Old Second") (NASDAQ: OSBC), parent company of Old Second National Bank (the "Bank"), today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2014. The Company reported net income of $2.9...
Reported by PR Newswire 8 hours ago.
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‘Sofia the First’ Special Starring Mandy Moore, Anna Camp and John Michael Higgins Sets Premiere Date
Anna Camp and John Michael Higgins are making a visit to Enchancia on Nov. 23 — and Mandy Moore and Oliver Platt are coming along too.
“Pitch Perfect” pair Camp and Higgins, “Saved!” actress Moore and “Fargo” actor Platt will make their “Sofia the First” debut with the special “Sofia the First: The Curse of Princess Ivy,” which will premiere Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. on Disney Channel.
*See photos*: The Evolution of Zac Efron: From Squeaky Clean ‘High School’ Star to Raunchy Frat King (Photos)
In the special, Amber (voiced by Darcy Rose Byrnes) discovers Sofia's amulet is magical and takes it without permission, inadvertently summoning an evil princess, Ivy, who's set on taking over Enchancia.
*Also read:* Disney Channel Bringing Maker Studios’ Online Stars to TV
Camp will play the nefarious Princess Ivy, while Higgins will play the self-appointed leader of an all-dragon a cappella group. Pratt will voice the character of Everburn, Enchancia's oldest-living dragon.
*See video:* Sofia the First Meets Ariel the Mermaid in Disney Special
Moore will reprise the role of Rapunzel from Disney's “Tangled.”
The week prior to the special's premiere, Disney Channel will air “Sofia the First” episodes featuring Disney princesses Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine and Mulan. The network will also debut “I Am a Princess” interstitials featuring stories from Disney movies including “Frozen” and “The Little Mermaid,” as told through the eyes of children.
*See video:* ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Clip Shows Strong Females, Scary Space Monsters
A preview of “Sofia the First: The Curse of Princess Ivy” and a game based on the special will debut on WATCHDisneyJunior.com and the WATCH Disney Junior app starting Nov. 10.
*Related stories from TheWrap:*
Disney Channel Bringing Maker Studios' Online Stars to TV
'Girl Meets World' Renewed by Disney Channel
Kathy Najimy to Play Evil Queen in Disney Channel's 'Descendants' Reported by The Wrap 7 hours ago.
“Pitch Perfect” pair Camp and Higgins, “Saved!” actress Moore and “Fargo” actor Platt will make their “Sofia the First” debut with the special “Sofia the First: The Curse of Princess Ivy,” which will premiere Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. on Disney Channel.
*See photos*: The Evolution of Zac Efron: From Squeaky Clean ‘High School’ Star to Raunchy Frat King (Photos)
In the special, Amber (voiced by Darcy Rose Byrnes) discovers Sofia's amulet is magical and takes it without permission, inadvertently summoning an evil princess, Ivy, who's set on taking over Enchancia.
*Also read:* Disney Channel Bringing Maker Studios’ Online Stars to TV
Camp will play the nefarious Princess Ivy, while Higgins will play the self-appointed leader of an all-dragon a cappella group. Pratt will voice the character of Everburn, Enchancia's oldest-living dragon.
*See video:* Sofia the First Meets Ariel the Mermaid in Disney Special
Moore will reprise the role of Rapunzel from Disney's “Tangled.”
The week prior to the special's premiere, Disney Channel will air “Sofia the First” episodes featuring Disney princesses Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine and Mulan. The network will also debut “I Am a Princess” interstitials featuring stories from Disney movies including “Frozen” and “The Little Mermaid,” as told through the eyes of children.
*See video:* ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Clip Shows Strong Females, Scary Space Monsters
A preview of “Sofia the First: The Curse of Princess Ivy” and a game based on the special will debut on WATCHDisneyJunior.com and the WATCH Disney Junior app starting Nov. 10.
*Related stories from TheWrap:*
Disney Channel Bringing Maker Studios' Online Stars to TV
'Girl Meets World' Renewed by Disney Channel
Kathy Najimy to Play Evil Queen in Disney Channel's 'Descendants' Reported by The Wrap 7 hours ago.
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Kane County Judge Hands 8-Year Prison Sentence to Convicted Home Invader
Patch Naperville, IL -- Aurora man convicted of home invasion and residential burglary of ex-girlfriend's house receives eight-year prison sentence.
Reported by Patch 7 hours ago.
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WATCH: Top headlines from DPTV - Aurora teens' tweet about ISIS plan, Obama on Canada shooting, and more
Aurora teens tweeted with friends about their plan to join ISIS in Syria, President Obama pledges support to Canada after attack at Parliament, Fired Denver science teacher charged in classroom explosion, and more.
Reported by Denver Post 6 hours ago.
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Joni Ernst: My Gun Will Defend Me If Government Decides 'My Rights Are No Longer Important'
WASHINGTON -- Joni Ernst, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa, said during an NRA event in 2012 that she would use a gun to defend herself from the government.
“I have a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere,” Ernst said at the NRA and Iowa Firearms Coalition Second Amendment Rally in Searsboro, Iowa. “But I do believe in the right to carry, and I believe in the right to defend myself and my family -- whether it’s from an intruder, or whether it’s from the government, should they decide that my rights are no longer important.”
Ernst made the remark a little more than a month after gunman James Holmes allegedly killed 12 people and injured 58 in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Ernst’s campaign did not respond to The Huffington Post's request for comment about the remark on Wednesday evening.
Earlier this year, Ernst released an ad in which she points a gun at the camera and vows to “unload” on Obamacare.--------------------------What's happening in your district? The Huffington Post wants to know about all the campaign ads, mailers, robocalls, candidate appearances and other interesting campaign news happening by you. Email any tips, videos, audio files or photos to openreporting@huffingtonpost.com. Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.
“I have a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere,” Ernst said at the NRA and Iowa Firearms Coalition Second Amendment Rally in Searsboro, Iowa. “But I do believe in the right to carry, and I believe in the right to defend myself and my family -- whether it’s from an intruder, or whether it’s from the government, should they decide that my rights are no longer important.”
Ernst made the remark a little more than a month after gunman James Holmes allegedly killed 12 people and injured 58 in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Ernst’s campaign did not respond to The Huffington Post's request for comment about the remark on Wednesday evening.
Earlier this year, Ernst released an ad in which she points a gun at the camera and vows to “unload” on Obamacare.--------------------------What's happening in your district? The Huffington Post wants to know about all the campaign ads, mailers, robocalls, candidate appearances and other interesting campaign news happening by you. Email any tips, videos, audio files or photos to openreporting@huffingtonpost.com. Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.
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CarpeDatum Consulting, Inc. Announces the Launch of TM1Connect at IBM Insight 2014 Conference
New Product Simplifies TM1 Data Conversion into QlikView and Tableau
AURORA, Colo. (PRWEB) October 23, 2014
CarpeDatum, a premier leader in strategic business intelligence and performance management solutions, is introducing TM1Connect, a tool for simplifying the complex TM1 data conversion process at the IBM Insight 2014 conference in Las Vegas, October 26-30. CarpeDatum will be demonstrating the capabilities of TM1Connect at booth #929.
TM1Connect is a highly specialized tool that allows users to easily connect directly to TM1 from popular visualization tools such as QlikView and Tableau and other ODBC enabled applications. TM1Connect also exports TM1 data on a scheduled basis into a QlikView (QVX), CSV and TXT format for large data loads from TM1. A drag-and-drop interface allows users to quickly and easily define the data layout and format, set the hierarchy handling options and preview the data before publishing. TM1Connect is easily managed from a web interface remotely and it is not necessary for users to be programmers.
The IBM Information On Demand (IOD) conference is now called Insight! The name has changed for a reason: It's no longer just about information; it's what you can do with the information. More than ever, organizations are using data for competitive advantage. At Insight, attendees discover how that data has transformed business analytics, information management and enterprise content management and explore the latest developments in cloud, mobile, security, social and Watson.
About CarpeDatum Consulting Inc.
CarpeDatum Consulting is a recognized expert in Business Intelligence (BI) consulting and has been developing strategic business Intelligence, and performance management solutions built around TM1 since 1997. CarpeDatum offers products and services that enable organizations to harness operations and financial information for enhanced decision support. Solutions include data warehousing, financial analysis, planning and reporting – all designed to help organizations transform raw data into actionable information. Reported by PRWeb 18 hours ago.
AURORA, Colo. (PRWEB) October 23, 2014
CarpeDatum, a premier leader in strategic business intelligence and performance management solutions, is introducing TM1Connect, a tool for simplifying the complex TM1 data conversion process at the IBM Insight 2014 conference in Las Vegas, October 26-30. CarpeDatum will be demonstrating the capabilities of TM1Connect at booth #929.
TM1Connect is a highly specialized tool that allows users to easily connect directly to TM1 from popular visualization tools such as QlikView and Tableau and other ODBC enabled applications. TM1Connect also exports TM1 data on a scheduled basis into a QlikView (QVX), CSV and TXT format for large data loads from TM1. A drag-and-drop interface allows users to quickly and easily define the data layout and format, set the hierarchy handling options and preview the data before publishing. TM1Connect is easily managed from a web interface remotely and it is not necessary for users to be programmers.
The IBM Information On Demand (IOD) conference is now called Insight! The name has changed for a reason: It's no longer just about information; it's what you can do with the information. More than ever, organizations are using data for competitive advantage. At Insight, attendees discover how that data has transformed business analytics, information management and enterprise content management and explore the latest developments in cloud, mobile, security, social and Watson.
About CarpeDatum Consulting Inc.
CarpeDatum Consulting is a recognized expert in Business Intelligence (BI) consulting and has been developing strategic business Intelligence, and performance management solutions built around TM1 since 1997. CarpeDatum offers products and services that enable organizations to harness operations and financial information for enhanced decision support. Solutions include data warehousing, financial analysis, planning and reporting – all designed to help organizations transform raw data into actionable information. Reported by PRWeb 18 hours ago.
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Bascom Group Closes $8.45 Million 112-Unit Apartment Community in Denver, Colorado
IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bascom Group, LLC has acquired the 112-unit Skyline View apartment community located at 456 South Ironton Street in the Denver Metro submarket of Aurora, Colorado on October 10, 2014 for $8,450,000. Debt financing was provided...
Reported by PR Newswire 17 hours ago.
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Two Denver Girls Tried To Join ISIS: Authorities
SADIE GURMAN, Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — The case of three teenage girls being investigated for trying to join Islamic State militants poses vexing questions for U.S. officials about the use of social media by terror groups to recruit people inside the United States, experts said Wednesday.
A Colorado school official said the Denver area girls — two sisters ages 17 and 15, and a 16-year-old friend — were victims of an online predator who encouraged them to travel overseas and eventually to Syria.
Mia Bloom, a professor of security studies at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, said the girls' story so far suggests how Islamic extremists have mastered social media to prey on younger and younger women with "Disney-like versions of what it is like to live in the caliphate," complete with promises of husbands and homes.
At least one of the girls was communicating with someone online who encouraged the three to travel to Syria, said Tustin Amole, a spokeswoman for the Cherry Creek School District where the girls attend high school.
Fellow high school students told school officials that the girls had been discussing travel plans over Twitter, Amole said.
The girls were detained at an airport in Frankfurt, Germany, and sent home over the weekend. They were interviewed by the FBI and returned to their parents in suburban Aurora. Those in the tight-knit east African community where they live said the sisters are of Somali descent and their friend is of Sudanese descent.
"There's no indication they had been radicalized in a way that they wanted to fight for ISIS," Amole said.
A U.S. official said evidence gathered so far made it clear that the girls were headed to Syria, though the official said investigators were still trying to determine what sort of contacts they had in that country. Another U.S. official said that investigators were reviewing evidence, including the girls' computers. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation by name.
"Social media has played a very significant role in the recruitment of young people," said FBI spokesman Kyle Loven in Minneapolis, home to the largest Somali community in the U.S. Authorities there have been concerned about terror recruiting of the young for years.
"What we've experienced here in Minneapolis is that young, disaffected youth who exist primarily on the fringes of society — they seem to be more susceptible to this type of propaganda, unfortunately," Loven said.
Terror recruiting has been a problem for years in Minneapolis. Since 2007, roughly 22 young Somali-Americans have traveled to Somalia to take up arms with al-Shabab, an al-Qaida linked group. Those were all men.
Within the last year, a handful of people from the community left Minnesota to join militant groups in Syria, and this time, there are fears that women might have been targeted. Loven said the FBI is working with the Somali community to establish trust and help identify young people at risk for radicalization.
In Colorado, Amole said the three teens had no prior problems at school, aside from unexcused absences on Friday.
Still unknown is how they managed to get to Frankfurt.
The U.S. government doesn't have any restrictions on children flying alone, domestically or internationally. Airline policies vary. Most U.S. airlines allow children 12 and older to fly alone but often with restrictions on international flights, according to the U.S. Transportation Department.
The girls' parents reported them missing Friday after they skipped school. They had taken passports and $2,000 in cash from the sisters' parents' home.
At some point, the U.S. informed German authorities at the airport about the girls arriving alone on their way to Turkey, German Interior Ministry spokeswoman Pamela Mueller-Niese told reporters Wednesday. She said the three were detained by German police, with approval from a judge, and returned voluntarily to the U.S. on Sunday.
Once home, the girls told a deputy they went to Germany for "family," but wouldn't elaborate.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Denver would not say whether prosecutors plan to charge the girls with a crime. State prosecutors said they have no imminent plans to charge the girls. Amole said they will not face discipline
"Our biggest concern is for the safety and well-being of these girls," Amole said.
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Associated Press writers Amy Forliti in Minneapolis, David Rising and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report. Reported by Huffington Post 17 hours ago.
DENVER (AP) — The case of three teenage girls being investigated for trying to join Islamic State militants poses vexing questions for U.S. officials about the use of social media by terror groups to recruit people inside the United States, experts said Wednesday.
A Colorado school official said the Denver area girls — two sisters ages 17 and 15, and a 16-year-old friend — were victims of an online predator who encouraged them to travel overseas and eventually to Syria.
Mia Bloom, a professor of security studies at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, said the girls' story so far suggests how Islamic extremists have mastered social media to prey on younger and younger women with "Disney-like versions of what it is like to live in the caliphate," complete with promises of husbands and homes.
At least one of the girls was communicating with someone online who encouraged the three to travel to Syria, said Tustin Amole, a spokeswoman for the Cherry Creek School District where the girls attend high school.
Fellow high school students told school officials that the girls had been discussing travel plans over Twitter, Amole said.
The girls were detained at an airport in Frankfurt, Germany, and sent home over the weekend. They were interviewed by the FBI and returned to their parents in suburban Aurora. Those in the tight-knit east African community where they live said the sisters are of Somali descent and their friend is of Sudanese descent.
"There's no indication they had been radicalized in a way that they wanted to fight for ISIS," Amole said.
A U.S. official said evidence gathered so far made it clear that the girls were headed to Syria, though the official said investigators were still trying to determine what sort of contacts they had in that country. Another U.S. official said that investigators were reviewing evidence, including the girls' computers. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation by name.
"Social media has played a very significant role in the recruitment of young people," said FBI spokesman Kyle Loven in Minneapolis, home to the largest Somali community in the U.S. Authorities there have been concerned about terror recruiting of the young for years.
"What we've experienced here in Minneapolis is that young, disaffected youth who exist primarily on the fringes of society — they seem to be more susceptible to this type of propaganda, unfortunately," Loven said.
Terror recruiting has been a problem for years in Minneapolis. Since 2007, roughly 22 young Somali-Americans have traveled to Somalia to take up arms with al-Shabab, an al-Qaida linked group. Those were all men.
Within the last year, a handful of people from the community left Minnesota to join militant groups in Syria, and this time, there are fears that women might have been targeted. Loven said the FBI is working with the Somali community to establish trust and help identify young people at risk for radicalization.
In Colorado, Amole said the three teens had no prior problems at school, aside from unexcused absences on Friday.
Still unknown is how they managed to get to Frankfurt.
The U.S. government doesn't have any restrictions on children flying alone, domestically or internationally. Airline policies vary. Most U.S. airlines allow children 12 and older to fly alone but often with restrictions on international flights, according to the U.S. Transportation Department.
The girls' parents reported them missing Friday after they skipped school. They had taken passports and $2,000 in cash from the sisters' parents' home.
At some point, the U.S. informed German authorities at the airport about the girls arriving alone on their way to Turkey, German Interior Ministry spokeswoman Pamela Mueller-Niese told reporters Wednesday. She said the three were detained by German police, with approval from a judge, and returned voluntarily to the U.S. on Sunday.
Once home, the girls told a deputy they went to Germany for "family," but wouldn't elaborate.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Denver would not say whether prosecutors plan to charge the girls with a crime. State prosecutors said they have no imminent plans to charge the girls. Amole said they will not face discipline
"Our biggest concern is for the safety and well-being of these girls," Amole said.
___
Associated Press writers Amy Forliti in Minneapolis, David Rising and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report. Reported by Huffington Post 17 hours ago.
↧
Confirmit Conference Finds Employee Engagement Is Business Critical
Recent Confirmit Community Conference highlighted why employees are key to transforming customer experience and operational excellence
New York, NY and Oslo, Norway and London, UK (PRWEB) October 23, 2014
The need to radically improve employee engagement as part of a successful forward-looking customer experience program was one of the key messages to arise from the recent Confirmit Community Conference 2014 (CCC’14) in San Francisco. Attendees were advised to consider employee engagement as a business-critical activity that could transform customer experience, deliver operational improvements and make a real impact on the bottom line.
Employee engagement can no longer afford to be sidelined as a "nice-to-have" add-on or limited to an annual employee satisfaction survey that can only provide a static measure on one given day. What’s needed is a cross-enterprise strategy that harnesses both the Voice of the Customer (VoC) and the Voice of the Employee (VoE) and the realization that customers and employees are two sides of the same coin.
A report by Amelia Sizemore and John Dalton, VP, Research Director at Forrester Research, Inc. supports this argument, suggesting that: “To differentiate, leaders must harness the power of their employees and diffuse their customer experience strategies throughout the organization.” The report also states: “Engaged employees deliver better experiences, boost profits, and are less likely to jump ship. But to appoint employees as customer advocates for and participants in the customer experience, organizations must weave customer centricity into their entire ecosystem.”*
Quite simply, engaged employees are more likely to engender customer satisfaction, which in turn is more likely to increase cash flow. With more cash, a business is able to invest more in its employees, driving up employee loyalty and satisfaction as part of continuous a process of improvement.
In his presentation at the conference, Kevin Sheridan, author of The Times Best Seller “Building a Magnetic Culture” explained, “Companies must work harder to understand the key drivers of employee engagement - from regular recognition and career development through to open communication and organizational culture - if they want to empower their employees, and sustain an environment in which employees are less likely to leave and in fact are motivated to provide better outcomes for customers and the organization.”
Tore Haggren, SVP Voice of the Employee, Confirmit, agreed: "Taking a combined approach to customer and employee engagement will enable companies to get more value out of both programs. It’s clearly the best way to find out how customers and employees impact and relate to each other, but it’s also the best way to boost the bottom line. By incorporating factors such as revenue performance and churn rate, it’s possible to see just how significant the relationship between employee engagement and customer satisfaction is to financial and operational performance as a whole and to drive real change across the entire business.”
The Confirmit Community Conference 2014 brought together hundreds of VoC, Market Research (MR) and VoE professionals from 12 countries, under the banner “Be a Hero.” The series of conferences started in May in Orlando, traveled to London and Oslo, and concluded in San Francisco in late September. Attendees gathered to hear about the latest trends in VoC, VoE and MR and to share the successes and challenges faced by organizations running feedback programs to enhance business performance.
Keynote speakers included representatives from Gartner, Temkin Group, ViaSat Inc., Best Buy, Infor, Asurion, Fresh Intelligence, Forrester Research, Inc., ITV, Kobra, Safmarine, Virgin Holidays, RONIN Corporation, Futurelab, Equinix Inc., AIG, NetApp, Siemens Building Technologies, Sony Mobile Communications, and Research Now.
*"Key Takeaways From Forrester's 2013 Customer Experience Forum: Engage Employees,” Forrester Research September 24, 2013
###
About Confirmit
Confirmit is the world’s leading SaaS vendor for multichannel Voice of the Customer, Employee Feedback, and Market Research applications. The company has offices in Oslo (headquarters), Chengdu, Cologne, Grimstad, London, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Yaroslavl. Confirmit's software is also distributed through partner resellers in Madrid, Milan, Salvador, Sydney, and Tokyo.
Confirmit powers Global 5000 companies and Market Research agencies worldwide with a wide range of software products for feedback / data collection, panel management, data processing, analysis, and reporting. Customers include Aurora, British Airways, Cross-Tab, Dow Chemical, Farmers Insurance, GfK, GlaxoSmithKline, GMO Research, JTN Research, Keep Factor, Morehead Associates, Nielsen, Research Now, Swapit, Swisscom, Symantec and The Wellcome Trust. Visit http://www.confirmit.com for more information. Reported by PRWeb 17 hours ago.
New York, NY and Oslo, Norway and London, UK (PRWEB) October 23, 2014
The need to radically improve employee engagement as part of a successful forward-looking customer experience program was one of the key messages to arise from the recent Confirmit Community Conference 2014 (CCC’14) in San Francisco. Attendees were advised to consider employee engagement as a business-critical activity that could transform customer experience, deliver operational improvements and make a real impact on the bottom line.
Employee engagement can no longer afford to be sidelined as a "nice-to-have" add-on or limited to an annual employee satisfaction survey that can only provide a static measure on one given day. What’s needed is a cross-enterprise strategy that harnesses both the Voice of the Customer (VoC) and the Voice of the Employee (VoE) and the realization that customers and employees are two sides of the same coin.
A report by Amelia Sizemore and John Dalton, VP, Research Director at Forrester Research, Inc. supports this argument, suggesting that: “To differentiate, leaders must harness the power of their employees and diffuse their customer experience strategies throughout the organization.” The report also states: “Engaged employees deliver better experiences, boost profits, and are less likely to jump ship. But to appoint employees as customer advocates for and participants in the customer experience, organizations must weave customer centricity into their entire ecosystem.”*
Quite simply, engaged employees are more likely to engender customer satisfaction, which in turn is more likely to increase cash flow. With more cash, a business is able to invest more in its employees, driving up employee loyalty and satisfaction as part of continuous a process of improvement.
In his presentation at the conference, Kevin Sheridan, author of The Times Best Seller “Building a Magnetic Culture” explained, “Companies must work harder to understand the key drivers of employee engagement - from regular recognition and career development through to open communication and organizational culture - if they want to empower their employees, and sustain an environment in which employees are less likely to leave and in fact are motivated to provide better outcomes for customers and the organization.”
Tore Haggren, SVP Voice of the Employee, Confirmit, agreed: "Taking a combined approach to customer and employee engagement will enable companies to get more value out of both programs. It’s clearly the best way to find out how customers and employees impact and relate to each other, but it’s also the best way to boost the bottom line. By incorporating factors such as revenue performance and churn rate, it’s possible to see just how significant the relationship between employee engagement and customer satisfaction is to financial and operational performance as a whole and to drive real change across the entire business.”
The Confirmit Community Conference 2014 brought together hundreds of VoC, Market Research (MR) and VoE professionals from 12 countries, under the banner “Be a Hero.” The series of conferences started in May in Orlando, traveled to London and Oslo, and concluded in San Francisco in late September. Attendees gathered to hear about the latest trends in VoC, VoE and MR and to share the successes and challenges faced by organizations running feedback programs to enhance business performance.
Keynote speakers included representatives from Gartner, Temkin Group, ViaSat Inc., Best Buy, Infor, Asurion, Fresh Intelligence, Forrester Research, Inc., ITV, Kobra, Safmarine, Virgin Holidays, RONIN Corporation, Futurelab, Equinix Inc., AIG, NetApp, Siemens Building Technologies, Sony Mobile Communications, and Research Now.
*"Key Takeaways From Forrester's 2013 Customer Experience Forum: Engage Employees,” Forrester Research September 24, 2013
###
About Confirmit
Confirmit is the world’s leading SaaS vendor for multichannel Voice of the Customer, Employee Feedback, and Market Research applications. The company has offices in Oslo (headquarters), Chengdu, Cologne, Grimstad, London, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Yaroslavl. Confirmit's software is also distributed through partner resellers in Madrid, Milan, Salvador, Sydney, and Tokyo.
Confirmit powers Global 5000 companies and Market Research agencies worldwide with a wide range of software products for feedback / data collection, panel management, data processing, analysis, and reporting. Customers include Aurora, British Airways, Cross-Tab, Dow Chemical, Farmers Insurance, GfK, GlaxoSmithKline, GMO Research, JTN Research, Keep Factor, Morehead Associates, Nielsen, Research Now, Swapit, Swisscom, Symantec and The Wellcome Trust. Visit http://www.confirmit.com for more information. Reported by PRWeb 17 hours ago.
↧
Terrorism, Ottawa, and the New Normal
As shocked as many Canadians, and much of the world, are about the shootings that occurred in Ottawa yesterday, they really shouldn't be. Given the call to arms that al Qaeda and the Islamic State have made to their devotees, the rise of acts of home grown terrorism, and the propensity of lone wolf actors to basically act at will, we must acknowledge that such acts are occurring, and will occur, with greater frequency in the future.
It is actually surprising that such acts of terror do not occur with greater frequency, in large part a credit to the work of the intelligence agencies. Much goes on behind the scenes that average citizens will never know about; hundreds of attacks in the planning stages have been foiled as a result. That said, look at the toll these individual actions take on our national psyches.
In the case of Ottawa, the entire nation has been gripped with fear. But why? Similar acts have occurred in countries in every part of the globe, such as the U.S., Sweden, and Australia. Such a brazen act has never before occurred in Canada, but, to me, that is a miracle. Think about it. Think about how easy it was for the gunman to gain access to Parliament. Obviously, there is a security protocol there, but if it were more stringent, he never would have been able to successfully enter the facility.
More to the point, the security 'protocol' is almost completely absent in most of the non-governmental infrastructure of the developed world. Sure -- if you go to a corporate headquarters in New York or London, your bag may be screened, and you may be asked to walk through a body scanner -- but this is rare. I have been to many office buildings where my bag was checked (by an unarmed guard), but my body was never searched. What is the point, I would ask myself.
Apart from countries where there is an existing threat, or there has already been an attack, it is extremely rare to find any visible security protocol in a shopping mall, movie theater, or restaurant. When I lived in Manila, bags were searched in virtually every one of the examples noted above -- but only cursory body searches were performed, if at all. Once again, what's the point of just going through the motions? The 'impression' that there is a visible security protocol gives the average citizen in such places a sense of comfort -- but it really shouldn't.
Imagine what would happen if a single gunman opened fire in any of the unprotected, unmonitored malls in the United States. I would imagine most people would then stop going to the mall. What kind of economic impact would that have in the short-term? Fairly substantial, I would think. You may note, quite rightly, that the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado did not stop people from going to the movies, but I would argue, that is because it didn't happen again. If it did, I suspect people would stop going to movie theaters. Could it easily happen again? Sure.
The simple point I am making is that these attacks will become more frequent, and, over time, they will have an economic impact on the countries in which they occur, for the simple reason that all one needs to create terror is a gun. Given how prevalent guns are in the U.S. and elsewhere, it is probably just a matter of time until something terrible happens, again. Al Qaeda and the Islamic State know this, as do their devotees.
While governments have already done so, now would be a good time for businesses to ramp up their security protocols, in recognition of the evolving new terrorism/lone wolf normal, and in a meaningful way. Businesses are traditionally resistant to spending money on security, but being proactive is likely to have a positive impact in terms of deterrence. Right now, it is a free-for-all, in favor of those who wish to generate fear and create terror among the general populace. Hopefully, Ottawa will prove to be a useful wake-up call in that regard. Neither Columbine, Aurora, or Newtown were.
*Daniel Wagner is CEO of Country Risk Solutions and author of "Managing Country Risk". Reported by Huffington Post 16 hours ago.
It is actually surprising that such acts of terror do not occur with greater frequency, in large part a credit to the work of the intelligence agencies. Much goes on behind the scenes that average citizens will never know about; hundreds of attacks in the planning stages have been foiled as a result. That said, look at the toll these individual actions take on our national psyches.
In the case of Ottawa, the entire nation has been gripped with fear. But why? Similar acts have occurred in countries in every part of the globe, such as the U.S., Sweden, and Australia. Such a brazen act has never before occurred in Canada, but, to me, that is a miracle. Think about it. Think about how easy it was for the gunman to gain access to Parliament. Obviously, there is a security protocol there, but if it were more stringent, he never would have been able to successfully enter the facility.
More to the point, the security 'protocol' is almost completely absent in most of the non-governmental infrastructure of the developed world. Sure -- if you go to a corporate headquarters in New York or London, your bag may be screened, and you may be asked to walk through a body scanner -- but this is rare. I have been to many office buildings where my bag was checked (by an unarmed guard), but my body was never searched. What is the point, I would ask myself.
Apart from countries where there is an existing threat, or there has already been an attack, it is extremely rare to find any visible security protocol in a shopping mall, movie theater, or restaurant. When I lived in Manila, bags were searched in virtually every one of the examples noted above -- but only cursory body searches were performed, if at all. Once again, what's the point of just going through the motions? The 'impression' that there is a visible security protocol gives the average citizen in such places a sense of comfort -- but it really shouldn't.
Imagine what would happen if a single gunman opened fire in any of the unprotected, unmonitored malls in the United States. I would imagine most people would then stop going to the mall. What kind of economic impact would that have in the short-term? Fairly substantial, I would think. You may note, quite rightly, that the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado did not stop people from going to the movies, but I would argue, that is because it didn't happen again. If it did, I suspect people would stop going to movie theaters. Could it easily happen again? Sure.
The simple point I am making is that these attacks will become more frequent, and, over time, they will have an economic impact on the countries in which they occur, for the simple reason that all one needs to create terror is a gun. Given how prevalent guns are in the U.S. and elsewhere, it is probably just a matter of time until something terrible happens, again. Al Qaeda and the Islamic State know this, as do their devotees.
While governments have already done so, now would be a good time for businesses to ramp up their security protocols, in recognition of the evolving new terrorism/lone wolf normal, and in a meaningful way. Businesses are traditionally resistant to spending money on security, but being proactive is likely to have a positive impact in terms of deterrence. Right now, it is a free-for-all, in favor of those who wish to generate fear and create terror among the general populace. Hopefully, Ottawa will prove to be a useful wake-up call in that regard. Neither Columbine, Aurora, or Newtown were.
*Daniel Wagner is CEO of Country Risk Solutions and author of "Managing Country Risk". Reported by Huffington Post 16 hours ago.
↧
Aurora theater shooting prosecutors agree to short trial delay
Prosecutors in the Aurora movie theater shooting case have agreed with defense attorneys that the trial should be delayed again.
Reported by Denver Post 14 hours ago.
↧
↧
Lawsuit faults company paying detainees $1 a day at Aurora detention center
A federal lawsuit says an Aurora prison company pays $1 a day to immigrants in this country illegally while they are held awaiting deportation and it punishes those who refuse to work.
Reported by Denver Post 14 hours ago.
↧
VA hospital at Anschutz in Aurora lands geriatric research center
Once it's up and running, the new Veteran's Affairs building at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora will include a research and treatment center entirely devoted to the care of aging veterans. The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System building that is currently under construction at Anschutz will establish the first Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center in the country in more than 15 years.
Reported by Denver Post 13 hours ago.
↧
HUFFPOST HILL - Joni Ernst Loses Timid Postman/Census Taker Vote
Joni Ernst said she has "a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere," -- meaning there's a scared campaign intern somewhere wondering whether she's getting college credit for carrying Joni Ernst's gun everywhere. Jason Chaffetz thinks the surgeon general should be given more responsibility in combating Ebola; also, Jason Chaffetz has an office building on J Street NW that he'd like to sell you. And the White House gate rusher attacked two police dogs who tried to subdue him. Now that guy has to deal with both the justice system AND the ghost of Robert Byrd haunting him. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Thursday, October 23rd, 2014:
*SENATE TORTURE REPORT STILL A TOTAL CLUSTER-F* - Things at the agency really went downhill after [DEL: the season three Brody training montage :DEL] *John Yoo*. Ali Watkins and Ryan Grim: "A Senate Sergeant-at-Arms investigation into a dispute between the CIA and the Senate Intelligence Committee has ended without firm conclusions after failing to examine crucial computer records that investigators said were erased by the agency, sources familiar with the inquiry told The Huffington Post. CIA officials, however, told The Huffington Post that the computer records not only exist, but were provided to Senate investigators, leaving the dispute's final inquiry shrouded in questions. The probe by the Senate’s chief law enforcer was the last running investigation into competing allegations of wrongdoing lobbed between the CIA and its oversight committee. The tussle involved the Senate panel’s investigation into the agency’s post-9/11 torture program, with the CIA accusing the Senate staff of mishandling classified information. The completion of the Sergeant-at-Arms review marks an apparent, albeit ambiguous, conclusion, with no more investigations currently in the works." [HuffPost]
*AMERICANS DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT EBOLA* - "Hi, Ebola hotline? I recently watched 'Invictus.' Do I have Ebola?" Amanda Terkel: "Kenya is one of Africa's tourism hot spots, and it's been suffering from geographic ignorance during the Ebola outbreak. Blake Fleetwood, of Cook Travel in New York, told the Associated Press in September that he has had 14 groups cancel their safaris in Kenya or South Africa. Some of his clients, he said, 'figure somebody from Sierra Leone is going to go to Morocco and the infection is going to spread through the continent.' ... Two students who had moved from Rwanda and were ready for a fresh start at their new school in Maple Shade, New Jersey, are now being kept home due to parents' fears about Ebola. ... A North Carolina teacher who recently returned from a mission trip in South Africa is being barred from coming back to work for three weeks because people are afraid she may have Ebola." [HuffPost]
*Congress doesn't know much about Ebola, either*: "Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) says Ron Klain is 'off to a bad start' in his new role as the president's Ebola response coordinator, and that the U.S. Surgeon General should be the one leading the effort. But what Chaffetz doesn't seem to realize is that there hasn't been a surgeon general for more than a year. 'Why not have the surgeon general head this up?' Chaffetz asked in a Wednesday appearance on Fox News. 'I think that’s a very legitimate question. At least you have somebody who has a medical background whose been confirmed by the United States Senate.' 'It begs the question, what does the surgeon general do?' he added. 'Why aren’t we empowering that person?'" [HuffPost's Amber Ferguson]
Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill
*JONI ERNST GOING FULL SHARRON ANGLE* - So, who exactly would collect America's guns in the scenarios envisioned by conservatives? In our mind, it'll be perky college students needing summer jobs ("Hi! I'm Jaylyn! I'm here for your firearms.") Sam Levine: "Joni Ernst, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa, said during an NRA event in 2012 that she would use a gun to defend herself from the government. 'I have a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere,' Ernst said at the NRA and Iowa Firearms Coalition Second Amendment Rally in Searsboro, Iowa. 'But I do believe in the right to carry, and I believe in the right to defend myself and my family -- whether it’s from an intruder, or whether it’s from the government, should they decide that my rights are no longer important.' Ernst made the remark a little more than a month after gunman James Holmes allegedly killed 12 people and injured 58 in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Ernst’s campaign did not respond to The Huffington Post's request for comment about the remark on Wednesday evening." [HuffPost]
*Epic flyover state-'splaining*: "According to Iowa Senate candidate Bruce Braley, nobody outside of the Midwest is aware of what a potluck is. The Democratic congressman told the New York Times this week that if only members of Congress partook in a unique Iowa tradition called a 'potluck,' the historic levels of paralysis and gridlock in Washington would be a thing of the past." [HuffPost's Igor Bobic]
*NC OFFICIALS MOVE VOTING STATIONS AWAY FROM STUDENTS* - Because EVERYONE knows college students don't need any prodding about not consuming communal punch, wearing protection and voting. Dana Liebelson: "Early voting starts Thursday in North Carolina, even as the state has pushed to move early voting sites farther away from college campuses. *The Republican-dominated North Carolina State Board of Elections, among other efforts, has sought to remove an early voting location from the campus of Appalachian State University*, which has about 18,000 students, many of whom lean Democratic. Last week, the board filed a petition asking the state Supreme Court to stay a judge's ruling in favor of the site. On Wednesday afternoon, not having heard from the high court and with the start of early voting looming, the elections board hastily voted to keep the site on campus. Soon after, the state Supreme Court announced that it was staying the judge's ruling and sending the case back to the North Carolina Court of Appeals." [HuffPost]
*We say the same thing in protest when we have to wait in line at Disney World*: "A reporter for the conservative website Breitbart News claims he was kicked out of an event organized by the campaign of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who is locked in a heated race against former Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown. Matthew Boyle wrote Wednesday evening that the Shaheen campaign asked the owner of Revision Energy in Exeter, New Hampshire, to tell him that 'this was a private event and you’re not welcome here.' Boyle said that 'the owner of the business and a Shaheen staffer approached this reporter and asked this reporter to leave the event.' 'I'm a congressionally credentialed Capitol Hill reporter, credentialed by the U.S. Senate press gallery,' Boyle protested in response." [HuffPost's Igor Bobic]
Courtesy of America's Greatest World Wide Web destintion, The Free Beacon, "21 Chyrons You Only See On MSNBC."
*BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR* - Here's an affectionatete fox.
*DOGS TAKE BITE OUT OF CRIME* - Sorry, we had to. "The apprehension of a man who jumped the White House fence Wednesday night and was bitten by a guard dog highlighted one of the Secret Service’s most effective weapons: its canines ...The two animals were taken to a veterinarian and treated for minor bruising they suffered during the incident, according to agency spokesman Edwin Donovan, while Adesanya was taken to a hospital with injuries from a dog bite and is now in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 'Both K-9s were cleared for duty by the veterinarian,' Donovan wrote in an e-mail...*Adesanya has been charged with two counts of assault on a police officer -- a charge that stems from the attack on the dogs* -- along with one count of making threats and four counts of resisting and unlawful entry, Donovan added." [WaPo]
*COMFORT FOOD*
- The latest installment of "Between Two Ferns" features "Bradley Pitts," a former bassooner.
- An artist is trolling Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook's campus.
- Vice examines a strongman's 20,000-calorie diet.
- Air New Zealand has an epic, "Lord of the Rings"-themed pre-flight safety video.
*TWITTERAMA*
@BrettLoGiurato: Uber but for Ebola http://bit.ly/1wgDDsa
@BCAppelbaum: Uber, but for people with Ebola http://bit.ly/1sdXYGQ
@brfreed: Uber, but for Ebola. http://bit.ly/1wgDDsa
@Atrios: uber, but for ebola delivery
@daveweigel Uber, but for Ebola.
*Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Follow us on Twitter @HuffPostHill (twitter.com/HuffPostHill). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e* Reported by Huffington Post 8 hours ago.
*SENATE TORTURE REPORT STILL A TOTAL CLUSTER-F* - Things at the agency really went downhill after [DEL: the season three Brody training montage :DEL] *John Yoo*. Ali Watkins and Ryan Grim: "A Senate Sergeant-at-Arms investigation into a dispute between the CIA and the Senate Intelligence Committee has ended without firm conclusions after failing to examine crucial computer records that investigators said were erased by the agency, sources familiar with the inquiry told The Huffington Post. CIA officials, however, told The Huffington Post that the computer records not only exist, but were provided to Senate investigators, leaving the dispute's final inquiry shrouded in questions. The probe by the Senate’s chief law enforcer was the last running investigation into competing allegations of wrongdoing lobbed between the CIA and its oversight committee. The tussle involved the Senate panel’s investigation into the agency’s post-9/11 torture program, with the CIA accusing the Senate staff of mishandling classified information. The completion of the Sergeant-at-Arms review marks an apparent, albeit ambiguous, conclusion, with no more investigations currently in the works." [HuffPost]
*AMERICANS DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT EBOLA* - "Hi, Ebola hotline? I recently watched 'Invictus.' Do I have Ebola?" Amanda Terkel: "Kenya is one of Africa's tourism hot spots, and it's been suffering from geographic ignorance during the Ebola outbreak. Blake Fleetwood, of Cook Travel in New York, told the Associated Press in September that he has had 14 groups cancel their safaris in Kenya or South Africa. Some of his clients, he said, 'figure somebody from Sierra Leone is going to go to Morocco and the infection is going to spread through the continent.' ... Two students who had moved from Rwanda and were ready for a fresh start at their new school in Maple Shade, New Jersey, are now being kept home due to parents' fears about Ebola. ... A North Carolina teacher who recently returned from a mission trip in South Africa is being barred from coming back to work for three weeks because people are afraid she may have Ebola." [HuffPost]
*Congress doesn't know much about Ebola, either*: "Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) says Ron Klain is 'off to a bad start' in his new role as the president's Ebola response coordinator, and that the U.S. Surgeon General should be the one leading the effort. But what Chaffetz doesn't seem to realize is that there hasn't been a surgeon general for more than a year. 'Why not have the surgeon general head this up?' Chaffetz asked in a Wednesday appearance on Fox News. 'I think that’s a very legitimate question. At least you have somebody who has a medical background whose been confirmed by the United States Senate.' 'It begs the question, what does the surgeon general do?' he added. 'Why aren’t we empowering that person?'" [HuffPost's Amber Ferguson]
Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill
*JONI ERNST GOING FULL SHARRON ANGLE* - So, who exactly would collect America's guns in the scenarios envisioned by conservatives? In our mind, it'll be perky college students needing summer jobs ("Hi! I'm Jaylyn! I'm here for your firearms.") Sam Levine: "Joni Ernst, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa, said during an NRA event in 2012 that she would use a gun to defend herself from the government. 'I have a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere,' Ernst said at the NRA and Iowa Firearms Coalition Second Amendment Rally in Searsboro, Iowa. 'But I do believe in the right to carry, and I believe in the right to defend myself and my family -- whether it’s from an intruder, or whether it’s from the government, should they decide that my rights are no longer important.' Ernst made the remark a little more than a month after gunman James Holmes allegedly killed 12 people and injured 58 in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Ernst’s campaign did not respond to The Huffington Post's request for comment about the remark on Wednesday evening." [HuffPost]
*Epic flyover state-'splaining*: "According to Iowa Senate candidate Bruce Braley, nobody outside of the Midwest is aware of what a potluck is. The Democratic congressman told the New York Times this week that if only members of Congress partook in a unique Iowa tradition called a 'potluck,' the historic levels of paralysis and gridlock in Washington would be a thing of the past." [HuffPost's Igor Bobic]
*NC OFFICIALS MOVE VOTING STATIONS AWAY FROM STUDENTS* - Because EVERYONE knows college students don't need any prodding about not consuming communal punch, wearing protection and voting. Dana Liebelson: "Early voting starts Thursday in North Carolina, even as the state has pushed to move early voting sites farther away from college campuses. *The Republican-dominated North Carolina State Board of Elections, among other efforts, has sought to remove an early voting location from the campus of Appalachian State University*, which has about 18,000 students, many of whom lean Democratic. Last week, the board filed a petition asking the state Supreme Court to stay a judge's ruling in favor of the site. On Wednesday afternoon, not having heard from the high court and with the start of early voting looming, the elections board hastily voted to keep the site on campus. Soon after, the state Supreme Court announced that it was staying the judge's ruling and sending the case back to the North Carolina Court of Appeals." [HuffPost]
*We say the same thing in protest when we have to wait in line at Disney World*: "A reporter for the conservative website Breitbart News claims he was kicked out of an event organized by the campaign of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who is locked in a heated race against former Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown. Matthew Boyle wrote Wednesday evening that the Shaheen campaign asked the owner of Revision Energy in Exeter, New Hampshire, to tell him that 'this was a private event and you’re not welcome here.' Boyle said that 'the owner of the business and a Shaheen staffer approached this reporter and asked this reporter to leave the event.' 'I'm a congressionally credentialed Capitol Hill reporter, credentialed by the U.S. Senate press gallery,' Boyle protested in response." [HuffPost's Igor Bobic]
Courtesy of America's Greatest World Wide Web destintion, The Free Beacon, "21 Chyrons You Only See On MSNBC."
*BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR* - Here's an affectionatete fox.
*DOGS TAKE BITE OUT OF CRIME* - Sorry, we had to. "The apprehension of a man who jumped the White House fence Wednesday night and was bitten by a guard dog highlighted one of the Secret Service’s most effective weapons: its canines ...The two animals were taken to a veterinarian and treated for minor bruising they suffered during the incident, according to agency spokesman Edwin Donovan, while Adesanya was taken to a hospital with injuries from a dog bite and is now in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 'Both K-9s were cleared for duty by the veterinarian,' Donovan wrote in an e-mail...*Adesanya has been charged with two counts of assault on a police officer -- a charge that stems from the attack on the dogs* -- along with one count of making threats and four counts of resisting and unlawful entry, Donovan added." [WaPo]
*COMFORT FOOD*
- The latest installment of "Between Two Ferns" features "Bradley Pitts," a former bassooner.
- An artist is trolling Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook's campus.
- Vice examines a strongman's 20,000-calorie diet.
- Air New Zealand has an epic, "Lord of the Rings"-themed pre-flight safety video.
*TWITTERAMA*
@BrettLoGiurato: Uber but for Ebola http://bit.ly/1wgDDsa
@BCAppelbaum: Uber, but for people with Ebola http://bit.ly/1sdXYGQ
@brfreed: Uber, but for Ebola. http://bit.ly/1wgDDsa
@Atrios: uber, but for ebola delivery
@daveweigel Uber, but for Ebola.
*Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Follow us on Twitter @HuffPostHill (twitter.com/HuffPostHill). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e* Reported by Huffington Post 8 hours ago.
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