April 23, 2019

Is your financial bank pro gun control? don't bank on it

Guns Down America and our partners reviewed public financial and legal filings to determine how much business the nation’s 15 largest banks have conducted with gun manufacturers, the NRA, and the top recipients of NRA contributions in Congress. Based on this information, we have graded the banks on a 100-point scale.
https://isyourbankloaded.org/#bank-list

Methodology In the fall of 2018, Guns Down America researched the links between the gun industry and the top 15 consumer-facing banks (by consolidated assets) in the United States.
We reviewed media archives, Securities and Exchange Commission records, campaign finance reports, and internet sources from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 in order to identify relationships and examples of mutual support between the banks, the gun industry, the NRA, and NRA-backed members of Congress. All searches were completed by January 15, 2019.

Grade ........ Bank (duh)
B -- CITI - 84 total points;
C -- HSBC, Suntrust, Ally, Statestreet, Bank of America, Goldman, Bank of NY, Capital One;
F -- Chase, TD Bank, US Bank Corp, Wells Fargo, PNC (oh my godda I use PNC!), BB&T 25 total pts

We sought to identify and evaluate the following:
1 Financial relationships between banks and gun, ammunition, and accessory manufacturers during the last three years;
2 Financial relationships between the banks and the National Rifle Association or Gun Owners of America;
3 Banks that provide special NRA member benefits or participating in product sponsorships
4 Statements made by banks reflecting their public positions on gun violence, gun control policy, or mass violence; and
5 Campaign donations to the NRA’s Million Dollar Members.
All grades are based on a 100-point scale and are calculated by weighing how each bank compares with its competitors.

The point value for this letter grade was derived from three specific categories: 1) financing of the gun industry, 2) ties and policy toward doing business with the gun industry and the NRA, and 3) support for NRA-backed lawmakers.
-- An individual bank can obtain up to 40 points in the “Financing” category.
40 points — If no financing is found
30 points — If a bank invested under $100 million
20 points — If a bank invested between $100 million and $150 million
10 points — If a bank invested between $150 million and $200 million
0 points — If a bank invested over $200 million
-- An individual bank can obtain up to 40 points in the “Policy & Ties” category.
10 points — If a bank provides no benefits to NRA members
10 points — If a bank has no relationship with the NRA or Gun Owners of America
20 points — If a bank has a clear policy on doing business with gun manufacturers
-- An individual bank can obtain up to 10 points in the “Contributions” category.
10 points — If no contributions are found
5 points — If a bank gave less than $40,000
4 points — If a bank gave between $40,000 and $60,000
3 points — If a bank gave between $60,000 and $80,000
0 points — If a bank gave over $80,000
https://isyourbankloaded.org/#bank-list

April 4, 2019

On Joe Biden's Plagiarism, tempests in teapots

Xposted by original author me from gen disc:

Joe was twice accused of, and acknowledged (in a loose sense), plagiarizing; one time what he said, the other what he wrote.
It's hardly as bad as it seems; the first was a one off where he cited in a speech a british member of parliament Neil Kinnock's speech, forgetting that day to note Neil, whereas Joe had indeed credited Neil in six previous incidences of the very speech.
The second was as a freshman in college, claiming he was unfamiliar with the rules for citing sources, quelle surprise, happens regularly to freshman college students. Sophomores too.

The plagiarism accusations in the Kinnock-Biden case revolved around a speech which Neil Kinnock made to the Labour Party congress. When {Kinnock} asked in his emotional address why he was the 'first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university', ... When Joe Biden asked in a stump speech why he was the first Biden in a thousand generations to go to university, he meant the same thing.
Both were members of a left-wing party, waging war against the far-right leaders of their countries, Thatcher and Reagan. And that's why Neil Kinnock, when asked whether he was bothered by the appropriation of his words, responded that he wasn't; to the contrary, he {Kinnock} confessed to feeling 'flattered'. https://psuaw.blogspot.com/

Neil: Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? [Then pointing to his wife in the audience] Why is Glenys the first woman in her family in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Was it because all our predecessors were thick?

Joe: While Biden's speech included the lines: I started thinking as I was coming over here, why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go to a university? [Then pointing to his wife in the audience] Why is it that my wife who is sitting out there in the audience is the first in her family to ever go to college? Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright? Is it because I'm the first Biden in a thousand generations to get a college and a graduate degree that I was smarter than the rest? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden

This was later transmogrified by Joe's opponents, as well as his democrat rivals for nomination for president.
The second 'plagiarism' I list, actually occurred first:

Wiki: {Biden} earned his bachelor's in 1965 from the Univ of Delaware, with a double major in history and political science ... He then entered Syracuse University College of Law,... During his first year there, he was accused of having plagiarized five of 15 pages of a law review article. Biden said it was inadvertent due to his not knowing the proper rules of citation, and he was permitted to retake the course after receiving an "F" grade, which was subsequently dropped from his record.. He received his Juris Doctor in 1968, graduating 76th of 85 in his class. Biden was admitted to the Delaware bar in 1969

May 1989: Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. was cleared of allegations that he committed plagiarism in law school by a panel under the authority of the Delaware Supreme Court ... The alleged law school plagiarism involved an essay Mr. Biden wrote in 1965 for an introductory class on legal methodology. 'A Personal Vindication' https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/29/us/professional-board-clears-biden-in-two-allegations-of-plagiarism.html

A third example of plagiarism came to mind, same blog link above: What does Melania Trump's plagiarism tell us? .. Melania Trump got up last night to further her husband's success, and took her cue from Michelle Obama eight years ago. Her speech contained phrases which can only have been copied from the First Lady's earlier address, and so have been labelled as plagiarism.
This is a damning accusation and has prompted recollections of the last big plagiarism scandal to rock a US election, when Joseph Biden re-used Neil Kinnock's 'Thousand Generations' speech, was promptly labelled a plagiarist, and was forced to withdraw from the campaign

April 4, 2019

On Joe Biden's 'Plagiarism' - tempests in teapots

Joe was twice accused of, and acknowledged (in a loose sense), plagiarizing; one time what he said, the other what he wrote.
It's hardly as bad as it seems; the first was a one off where he cited in a speech a british member of parliament Neil Kinnock's speech, forgetting that day to note Neil, whereas Joe had indeed credited Neil in six previous incidences of the very speech.
The second was as a freshman in college, claiming he was unfamiliar with the rules of citing sources, quelle surprise, happens regularly to freshman college students. Sophomores too.

The plagiarism accusations in the Kinnock-Biden case revolved around a speech which Neil Kinnock made to the Labour Party congress. When {Kinnock} asked in his emotional address why he was the 'first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university', ... When Joe Biden asked in a stump speech why he was the first Biden in a thousand generations to go to university, he meant the same thing.
Both were members of a left-wing party, waging war against the far-right leaders of their countries, Thatcher and Reagan. And that's why Neil Kinnock, when asked whether he was bothered by the appropriation of his words, responded that he wasn't; to the contrary, he confessed to feeling 'flattered'. https://psuaw.blogspot.com/

Neil: Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? [Then pointing to his wife in the audience] Why is Glenys the first woman in her family in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Was it because all our predecessors were thick?

Joe: While Biden's speech included the lines: I started thinking as I was coming over here, why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go to a university? [Then pointing to his wife in the audience] Why is it that my wife who is sitting out there in the audience is the first in her family to ever go to college? Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright? Is it because I'm the first Biden in a thousand generations to get a college and a graduate degree that I was smarter than the rest? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden

So it was later transmogrified by Joe's opponents, as well as his democrat rivals for nomination for president.
The second 'plagiarism' I list, actually occurred first:

Wiki: {Biden} earned his bachelor's in 1965 from the Univ of Delaware, with a double major in history and political science ... He then entered Syracuse University College of Law,... During his first year there, he was accused of having plagiarized five of 15 pages of a law review article. Biden said it was inadvertent due to his not knowing the proper rules of citation, and he was permitted to retake the course after receiving an "F" grade, which was subsequently dropped from his record.. He received his Juris Doctor in 1968, graduating 76th of 85 in his class. Biden was admitted to the Delaware bar in 1969

May 1989: Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. was cleared of allegations that he committed plagiarism in law school by a panel under the authority of the Delaware Supreme Court ... The alleged law school plagiarism involved an essay Mr. Biden wrote in 1965 for an introductory class on legal methodology. 'A Personal Vindication' https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/29/us/professional-board-clears-biden-in-two-allegations-of-plagiarism.html

A third example of plagiarism came to mind, same blog link above: What does Melania Trump's plagiarism tell us? .. Melania Trump got up last night to further her husband's success, and took her cue from Michelle Obama eight years ago. Her speech contained phrases which can only have been copied from the First Lady's earlier address, and so have been labelled as plagiarism.
This is a damning accusation and has prompted recollections of the last big plagiarism scandal to rock a US election, when Joseph Biden re-used Neil Kinnock's 'Thousand Generations' speech, was promptly labelled a plagiarist, and was forced to withdraw from the campaign