August 13, 2016

"Best Pot Plants": Oregon State Fair to display winner of first ever Marijuana Fair.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/legal-pot/first-ever-marijuana-fair-opens-oregon-competition-n630056

SALEM, Ore. — People flocked to Oregon's first-ever marijuana growers' fair on Saturday, where a competition for best pot plants will be held with the winning entries to be displayed at the Oregon State Fair.

The inaugural two-day event being held in an exhibition hall on the Oregon State Fairgrounds underscores how the once-illicit marijuana industry is starting to go mainstream in Oregon, one of four states to have legalized recreational marijuana use, along with Washington, D.C.


Donald Morse, a pot grower who conceived the Oregon Cannabis Growers' Fair, said attendance was strong, less than two hours after the doors opened Saturday morning. Segments of the industry, from seed providers all the way to a company offering mechanized bud trimmers, were among more than 80 exhibitors at the fair that ends Sunday.

Reggae music thumped from Savant Plant Technologies' display on Friday as owner James Knox, 38, of Corvallis, set up his do-it-yourself grow package, including peat and microorganisms to stimulate plant growth.

SNIP

August 13, 2016

The Trump-Clinton divide on little people. (according to a business columnist)

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/nation-now/2016/08/12/trump-clinton-economic-plans-little-people-detroit-column/88613520/

All it takes, he seemed to say, are a few of these big broad strokes and all will be well. Or as Trump himself put it, "I want to jump-start America and it won't even be that hard."

By contrast, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s plan outlined Thursday in nearby Warren seems to accept that, yes, it will be hard. Therefore she attacks the problems at ground level — down where entrepreneurs need working capital and commuters need reliable public transit and school kids need high-speed broadband.

Trump’s plan, with its emphasis on tax cuts and getting those intrusive government regulators off our backs, comes from somewhere high atop one of Trump’s skyscrapers. It’s a view from the boardroom, from a place where the big deals are done and the little people remain out of sight.

But Clinton’s plan seemed to acknowledge each and every one of those little people. She hopes to counsel first-time homeowners on handling debt. She wants to put at-risk youths to work, and to help returning offenders find jobs, and to bankroll entrepreneurs with their dreams. Her plan has a granular quality; on public transit, for example, she focuses down to the level of bike and pedestrian lanes needed in cities.

There’s an old saying that nothing works but that everything might: that no one silver-bullet solution will turn things around but that if we try 100 different things and each one moves the needle just a bit, then we might make real progress. That seems to be Clinton’s approach.

SNIP

August 13, 2016

US-backed anti-ISIS coalition frees 2000 hostages in Manbij. Residents celebrate their liberation.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37066304

Residents in the northern Syrian city of Manbij have been celebrating new freedoms after being liberated from the rule of so-called Islamic State.

They have poured into the streets enjoying basic rights they had been denied for two years, including shaving off their beards and smoking.

US-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters fought 73 days to drive IS out of Manbij, close to the Turkish border.

About 2,000 civilians being used as human shields were also freed.

SNIP

August 13, 2016

Sarcasm means saying one thing and actually meaning the opposite. So apparently when Trump

said Obama and Hillary were the "founders" of ISIS, he actually meant the "opposite."

Which is actually true . . .



http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/sarcasm

August 12, 2016

Why the USC/LA Times tracking poll is a crock.

You may know that it doesn't use a random sample; it uses an online panel.

But the problems go even beyond that. For example, it weights the sample according to its respondents report of how they voted in 2012 -- a number that has often been shown to be inaccurate in the past. (More people always recall having voted for the winner.)

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-polling-differences-20160809-snap-story.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/upshot/a-favorable-poll-for-donald-trump-has-a-major-problem.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fupshot&action=click&contentCollection=upshot®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront

One factor that could be contributing to the panel’s tilt toward Mr. Trump is its decision to weight its sample according to how people say they voted in 2012.

The pollsters ask respondents whether they voted for President Obama or Mitt Romney. They then weight the sample so that Obama voters represent 27 percent of the panel and Romney voters represent 25 percent, reflecting the split of 51 percent to 47 percent between the two among actual voters in 2012. (The rest include newly eligible voters and those who stayed home.)

SNIP

With these figures in mind, the U.S.C./LAT poll’s decision to weight its sample to 27 percent for Mr. Obama and 25 percent for Mr. Romney is quite risky. If the panelists, like those in other surveys, are likelier to recall voting for the winner (Mr. Obama), then the poll is unintentionally giving extra weight to Republican voters. Or you can imagine a counterfactual: If the poll were weighted to 33 percent for Obama and 25 percent for Romney (per the NYT/CBS numbers), then Mrs. Clinton would hold a more comfortable lead.

SNIP

There are many other things that could be causing the difference between the U.S.C./LAT results and other surveys — like its unusual probabilistic measure of vote support (voters indicate how likely they are to vote for a candidate on a scale from 0 to 100) or the difficulties of recruiting and maintaining a panel.

August 12, 2016

RuPaul explains why he supports "the badass bitch who knows how to get shit done."

http://www.vulture.com/2016/08/rupaul-emmy-nomination-trump-clinton.html

And if you think that you can go to fucking Washington and be rainbows and butterflies the whole time, you're living in a fucking fantasy world. So now, having said that, think about what a female has to do with that: All of those compromises, all of that shit, double it by ten. And you get to understand who this woman is and how powerful, persuasive, brilliant, and resilient she is. Any female executive, anybody who has been put to the side — women, blacks, gays — for them to succeed in a white-male-dominated culture is an act of brilliance. Of resilience, of grit, of everything you can imagine. So, what do I think of Hillary? I think she's fucking awesome. Is she in bed with Wall Street? Goddammit, I should hope so! You've got to dance with the devil. So which of the horrible people do you want? That's more of the question. Do you want a pompous braggart who doesn't know anything about diplomacy? Or do you want a badass bitch who knows how to get shit done? That's really the question.

August 12, 2016

Michael Morrell, former CIA Acting Director, answers critics about Hillary's achievements

as the Secretary of State.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/opinion/q-a-michael-j-morell-on-his-clinton-endorsement.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region

Q. You praise Hillary Clinton’s poise and preparedness at the State Department, but can you speak to any real achievements during her term as secretary of state?

A. She was key to many achievements, including building the international sanctions regime against Iran, the most effective in history and the single factor that forced Tehran to the negotiating table, making possible last year’s agreement that set back Iran’s nuclear program by well over a decade; overseeing the negotiation of a new arms control treaty with Russia that reduced nuclear stockpiles to their lowest levels in decades; and brokering a cease-fire in Gaza that averted a ground war. She played a central role in bringing China and India to the table for the first time on climate change, leading to last year’s Paris accord; in opening Burma to the world and taking the initial steps that resulted in normalized relations with Cuba; and in advancing the rights of women and girls around the globe.

But in my view, her greatest achievement was her work with the rest of the national security team that prevented any attacks by an international terrorist group on the homeland. This is a remarkable achievement, given the intentions, capabilities and plots of Al Qaeda to attack us during her tenure. Secretary Clinton was a leader in our fight against terrorism. In these policy discussions, her voice carried immense weight. She supported aggressive operations against extremists, including drone strikes, the military surge in Afghanistan and the Bin Laden raid. In her diplomatic work, she worked to ensure that our allies and partners were supporting us in this critically important mission.

I think it is ironic that many of Secretary Clinton’s critics, who are raising questions today about her achievements as secretary of state, heaped praise on her both when she was in the job and when she stepped down at the end of President Obama’s first term. In 2012, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said she was “one of the most effective secretary of states … that I have known in my lifetime.” A year earlier, Mr. Graham called her a “national treasure.” In 2014, Mike Huckabee, a former Republican governor of Arkansas, called Secretary Clinton “a policy genius.” Even Newt Gingrich, in 2013, said that she had done a “tremendous job” as secretary of state.

August 12, 2016

What the heck is the Clinton "Global Initiative"? What about those huge sums of money?

The Global Initiative is part of the Clinton Foundation, but it is not a charity and doesn't provide grants. It is an organization set up to help "leaders and visionaries" connect and inspire each other. It is an international networking and educational resource. To that end, the GI holds conferences around the world. Membership costs $20,000 per year, though there are "complementary memberships" to NGO's, non-profits and others who qualify. (So those who can afford the membership fee are subsidizing the complementary memberships.)

At these conferences, members make public commitments for projects in line with GI goals. But the GI doesn't supervise any of these projects or funnel any money related to these projects. It is just an educational and networking group for philanthropists, political leaders, and others who are working on projects in their own countries and with their own resources.

So those huge sums of money that are connected in the media with the Global Initiative never go to the Clinton Foundation at all. If someone makes a "commitment" or a "pledge" at a Global Initiative conference, that means that person is announcing a project he or she is conducting INDEPENDENTLY, which is in line with GI goals.

https://www.clintonfoundation.org/clinton-global-initiative/about-us/cgi-model

CGI Model

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes leaders to drive action through its unique model. Rather than directly implementing projects, CGI facilitates action by helping members connect, collaborate, and make effective and measurable Commitments to Action.



COMMITMENTS TO ACTION

CGI member commitments represent bold new ways to address global challenges – implemented through new methods of partnership and designed to maximize impact. Commitments can be small or large, global or local. No matter the size or scope, commitments help CGI members translate practical goals into meaningful and measurable results. To support the development of commitments among members, CGI facilitates conversations, provides opportunities to identify commitment partners, showcases the actions taken by commitment-makers, and communicates the results of the work.

To date, members of the CGI community have made more than 3,500 commitments which have improved the lives of over 430 million people in more than 180 countries.


INFORMATION ABOUT MEMBERS:

https://www.clintonfoundation.org/clinton-global-initiative/membership/frequently-asked-questions

Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have convened more than 190 sitting and former heads of state, 21 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and prominent members of the media.

SNIP

While most organizations pay a membership fee to join, CGI also has complementary memberships. These are typically extended to NGOs, nonprofits, and social entrepreneurs who may not be able to afford membership but represent an important constituency or issue area and can bring a valuable voice to the collaborative and diverse CGI community.

BROAD AREAS OF WORK OR "TRACKS" THAT MEMBERS ARE INDIVIDUALLY INVOLVED WITH:

https://www.clintonfoundation.org/clinton-global-initiative/about-us/tracks


THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

ENERGY

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

FOOD SYSTEMS

GLOBAL HEALTH

MARKET-BASED APPROACHES

RESPONSE & RESILIENCE

TECHNOLOGY




___________________________________
CONNECTION TO THE CLINTON FOUNDATION:

The Global Initiative is a project of the Clinton Foundation. The Foundation itself is a charity that has been given an A rating by Charity Watch, and has been listed as one of Charity Watch's top charities for "Peace and International Relations."

clintonfoundation.org

https://www.charitywatch.org/ratings-and-metrics/bill-hillary-chelsea-clinton-foundation/478

August 11, 2016

Hillary's latest email flap explained (it's a nothingburger)

http://mynorthwest.com/367832/clinton-email-second-amendment/?google_editors_picks=true

Clinton’s people explain that the billionaire, Mr. Chagoury wasn’t looking for a favor, but actually wanted to share information about Lebanon with the State Department.

Nancy Cordes says there’s also another email involving Doug Band from the Clinton Foundation, written to Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

“Band reaches out in 2009 on behalf of a job seeker, writing that it is, ‘important to take care of (this person), whose name is redacted.’ Huma Abedin writes back, assuring Band that State Department personnel has been sending him options.”

But it turns out this unnamed job seeker was just a 20-something former Clinton staffer looking for work, not a rich donor looking for influence, and had nothing to do with the Clinton Foundation.

So that’s the latest email story. I apologize if it wasn’t as interesting as the Trump Second Amendment quote or the guy suction-cupping his way up the Trump tower, but we do what we can.

August 11, 2016

Donald Trump: I meant that Obama founded ISIS, literally

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) Donald Trump said Thursday that he meant exactly what he said when he called President Barack Obama the "founder of ISIS" and objected when a conservative radio show host tried to clarify the GOP nominee's position.

Trump was asked by host Hugh Hewitt about the comments Trump made Wednesday night in Florida, and Hewitt said he understood Trump to mean "that he (Obama) created the vacuum, he lost the peace."

Trump objected.

"No, I meant he's the founder of ISIS," Trump said. "I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way, Hillary Clinton."


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/11/politics/donald-trump-hugh-hewitt-obama-founder-isis/

---

I don't see in the article where the don actually used the word "literally." But CNN's headline writer clearly thought that was what he meant.

The conservative talk show interviewer and the don went back and forth over the use of the word "founder," with the don stubbornly clinging to it, rejecting the interviewers suggestion that a power vacuum after we withdrew from Iraq allowed ISIS to come in.

The article also points out that Trump himself supported an even earlier withdrawal from Iraq.

"You know how they get out? They get out," Trump told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in 2007. "That's how they get out. Declare victory and leave, because I'll tell you, this country is just going to get further bogged down. They're in a civil war over there, Wolf. There's nothing that we're going to be able to do with a civil war. They are in a major civil war."

And the article quotes a former US Ambassador to Russia who says that Trump's argument about Obama causing ISIS echoes Russian statements on the matter.