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5 Ways Order to Cash Can Streamline Your Business Processes

Clyde K. Valle
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5 Ways Order to Cash Can Streamline Your Business Processes

Just as it is difficult to see the entire forest when you are lost in the trees, making sure every step of a sales relationship is followed and enforced can be difficult when you are struggling to keep up with day-to-day tasks.

 

Quote-to-cash processes can provide a trail of bedcrumbs that helps lead a sales team through the forest to the clearing—or goals—at the other end.

 

Quote-to-cash processes is a catch-all term for all of the business processes used in selling a product or service to a customer — from the opening offer to collecting the final payment.

 

Software systems, such as Kenandy, that automate quote-to-cash process typically include tools for configuring the initial offer, determining the price, offering a quote, handling the negotiating process, developing invoices, fulfilling orders, receiving payment and ensuring that appropriate renewal renegotiations take place. The technology behind quote-to-cash software is driving a $570-million-dollar industry, that has been demonstrating a 20 percent growth rate year over that is expected to continue until at least 2020.

 

Each of these steps are designed to help sales teams focus on their daily tasks without losing track of the bigger picture.

 

In this editorial from SupplyChainBrain, Rajat Bhargav and Dave Shidler of Oracle, cite increases in total revenue of up 10 to 15 percent, increase in sales per customer of 10 to 15 percent, increases in cross sales and up sales revenue by 20 to 35 percent, sales cycle times increasing by 25 to 50 percent, reductions in order processing errors of 20 to 30 percent, and a reduction in cycle time of roughly 10 percent for organizations that adopt quote-to-cash processes.

 

Here are five ways quote-to-cash solutions can help streamline your business processes:

 

  1. Ensure Project Goals are Met – Often customer orders will require a business to ensure that many specific and often unique needs are met. Quote-to-cash systems can help with this challenge by giving the sales team a way to track each of these needs by giving them access to templates to make sure each promise made to the customer is tracked and enforced. This in turn helps to make sure that nothing critical slips through the cracks and helps improve customer satisfaction and overall approval.

 

  1. Speed Up Proposals — Quote-to-cash tools also make it easy for companies to create proposal templates to ensure that sales teams are able to rapidly gain access to the appropriate product, pricing, and benefit information that can be then quickly assembled and provided to prospective buyers. This can help create faster turnaround times and reduce the time to final payout.

 

  1. Improve Contract Negotiations — Many quote-to-cash systems give customers access to a library of contract templates containing approved language, usage guidelines, and even pre-approved alternative language that they can leverage for their contracts. Other features include intelligent wizards that will guide users through contract creation process and flag contracts that do not fit with approved guidelines. This guarantees that nothing gets lost in the contract-creation process and that all of the key provisions are contained in the final draft.

 

  1. Dynamic Contract Adjustments — Quote-to-cash systems also allow users to automate the steps necessary to update contracts and ensure that as they are reaching their expiration date, sales teams are notified and can begin taking actions to ensure the relationship is maintained or renewed.

 

  1. Settlement Processing — Resolving the transaction is just as important as any other phase in the quote-to-cash process. By giving users tools to create correct and accurate invoices, quote-to-cash systems can help companies improve the process of going from initial order to cash cycle and improve the overall customer experience. Additionally, quote-to-cash solutions can also help track key customer information to ensure that proper follow-ups are made to bring about new relationships with existing customers.

 

Long story short, quote to cash give companies an easy way to automate a large number of their most important processes to ensure that nothing critical gets lost among the ongoing challenges of driving a sales-focused operation. These solutions provide a powerful guide to keep you from losing your way as within the daily wilderness of modern business.

Mexico: “Americans Will Pay Mexican Imports Tax”

Diane A. Wade
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Mexico: “Americans Will Pay Mexican Imports Tax”

A suggestion that United States may impose a 20% tax on Mexican imports to pay for President Donald Trump’s planned border wall has been widely condemned in Mexico.

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said such a tax would make imports more expensive for American consumers and they would end up paying for the wall.

Earlier, President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a visit to the United States over the row of who would pay for the wall.

The planned wall was one of Donald Trump’s key election campaign pledges.

At the beginning of this week, President Trump signed an executive order to create a wall along the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border.

Speaking on January 26, Luis Videgaray said: “A tax on Mexican imports to the United States is not a way to make Mexico pay for the wall, but to a way make the North American consumer pay for it through more expensive avocados, washing machines, televisions.”

The foreign minister also stressed that paying for Donald Trump’s wall “is not negotiable” for Mexico.

On January 26, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said a 20% tax could generate approximately $10 billion in tax revenue per year.

Image source Flickr

However, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus later said that the border tax is only one of several options being considered.

The rift between the neighbors and trade partners has deepened just days into Donald Trump’s presidency.

After President Enrique Pena Nieto pulled out of next week’s summit, President Trump said the meeting would have been “fruitless” if Mexico didn’t treat the US “with respect” and pay for the wall.

Earlier President Pena Nieto said he “lamented” the plans for the barrier.

In a TV address, the Mexican leader told the nation: “I’ve said time and again: Mexico won’t pay for any wall.”

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned that US consumers may wind up bearing the cost of the proposed tax.

“Any tariff we can levy they can levy. Huge barrier to econ growth,” he wrote online.

“Build that wall” was one of Donald Trump’s campaign rally slogans.

His executive orders also called for hiring 10,000 immigration officials to help boost border patrol efforts.

Donald Trump said: “A nation without borders is not a nation.

“Beginning today the United States gets back control of its borders.”

Akil Mitchell’s Eye Pops Out During New Zealand Breakers Match

Clyde K. Valle
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Akil Mitchell’s Eye Pops Out During New Zealand Breakers Match

Basketball player Akil Mitchell is doing pretty well after his eye popped out in the middle of a game, New Zealand media report.

Akil Mitchell, who plays for the New Zealand Breakers, was in Auckland for an Australian NBL game on January 26 when the incident happened.

The finger of an opposing player accidentally dislodged Akil Mitchell’s eyeball.

The 24-yar-old player from North Carolina fell to the ground holding his hands to his left eye and was rushed to hospital.

Image source Getty Images

“With the palm of my hand I felt my eyeball on the side of my face,” the player told New Zealand’s Radio Sport.

“I could still see out of the eye.”

“I remember thinking oh man… this is kinda bad, but I actually felt it kind of out of place and that’s when I kind of freaked out a little bit.”

Akil Mitchell said he remembered hearing the crowd and fellow players panicking and thought he would lose his sight and his career was over.

“Once I got in the ambulance they gave me a little pain medicine and some saline drops in my eye and I felt it slide back into place, which is also a really strange feeling.

“It felt so good to be able to blink again, which is insane.”

After being released from hospital on January 26, Akil Mitchell posted on Twitter that he was “seeing fine” and used the eyeballs emoji.

Akil Mitchell said he was expected to fully recover and could be playing again soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvSZ_53-on8

Toshiba Sells 20% of Its Smartphone Memory Chip Business

Clyde K. Valle
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Toshiba Sells 20% of Its Smartphone Memory Chip Business

Toshiba has announced it will sell a slice of its smartphone memory chip unit.

The company needs to raise funds after revealing a heavy one-off loss at its US nuclear power business.

Toshiba will unveil the size of the write-down next month, but some estimate it could be around $6 billion.

It is widely reported that 20% of the chip business will be sold off, and Toshiba is expected to confirm this later.

Toshiba’s chip business is the second biggest in the world after Samsung’s, and has been valued at between $9 billion and $13 billion.

The company says it hopes to have struck a deal by the end of March.

Reports suggest Canon, Western Digital and the Development Bank of Japan could be potential buyers, though analysts expect Toshiba may be forced to accept a cut-price offer given its financial woes are well-publicized.

Shares in Toshiba have fallen more than 45% since late December, when it revealed the problems in its nuclear arm, linked to a deal done by US subsidiary, Westinghouse Electric.

Westinghouse bought a nuclear construction and services business from Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I) in 2015. But assets that it took on are likely to be worth less than initially thought, and there is also a dispute about payments that are due.

Toshiba has also reported “inefficiencies” in the labor force at CB&I, along with other factors driving up costs.

The damage to its finances threatens to undo efforts to recover from 2015 revelations that profits had been overstated for seven years. The accounting scandal led to the resignation of the company’s chief executive.

Since then, Toshiba has been trying to slim down the business, including selling its profitable medical devices operation to Canon in 2016.

Ant Financial to Buy MoneyGram for $880 Million

Clyde K. Valle
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Ant Financial to Buy MoneyGram for $880 Million

Alibaba’s digital payments arm, Ant Financial, is buying US-based MoneyGram for $880 million.

MoneyGram has about 350,000 outlets in nearly 200 countries while Ant Financial has more than 630 million users.

The takeover will need regulatory approval from the US Committee on Foreign Investment.

The inter-agency committee reviews foreign acquisitions of domestic American assets on grounds of national security.

Ant Financial CEO Eric Jing said in a statement that the marriage of the two companies will “provide greater access, security and simplicity for people around the world to remit funds, especially in major economies such as the United States, China, India, Mexico and the Philippines”.

Ant Financial has a big market share in the online payments industry in China. The acquisition could help the company extend the lead as well as expand overseas, as competition is growing in China with rival Tencent’s WeChat payment system.

Moneygram’s shares rose by nearly 9% on the news. The takeover has been approved by MoneyGram’s board of directors.

Ant Financial’s shopping spree in the United States comes against a backdrop of rising tensions between China and the world’s biggest economy.

Before he took office, Donald Trump was questioning whether the US should continue its “One China” policy, sparking fury from Chinese state media. During his presidential campaign, he threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports.

However, Jack Ma, the founder and chairman of Alibaba, held a meeting with Donald Trump in December 2016.

While Donald Trump has been critical of China, he said he had a “great meeting” with Jack Ma, who chose to float Alibaba on the NYSE. The share sale in September 2014 was a record-breaker, as the e-commerce giant raised $25 billion in its initial public offering.

If the MoneyGram deal goes through, it will be Alibaba’s second acquisition in the United States. In 2016, Alibaba purchased EyeVerify in a $70 million deal.

EyeVerify is a start-up based in Missouri, which uses biometric authentication technology for securing user’s online data and transactions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27V6wL97M6s

Border Wall: Donald Trump Seeks Tax on Goods Imported from Mexico

Diane A. Wade
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Border Wall: Donald Trump Seeks Tax on Goods Imported from Mexico

President Donald Trump is seeking a tax on goods imported from Mexico and use the revenue to build a border wall, White House spokesman Sean Spicer has said.

Donald Trump’s plan was announced just after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a visit to Washington, amid a row sparked by the question of who will pay for the wall.

On January 25, the president signed an executive order to create a wall on the US southern border with Mexico.

Making Mexico pay for it was one of Donald Trump’s key election campaign pledges.

However, President Enrique Pena Nieto has always insisted that will not happen and on January 26 he pulled out of next week’s White House meeting.

Hours later, Sean Spicer told reporters that President Trump had discussed the funding proposal with lawmakers, and that they are considering making it part of a tax reform package the US Congress is planning.

Image source Flickr

Sean Spicer said that a 20% tax could generate approximately $10 billion in tax revenue per year.

He said aboard Air Force One: “Right now our country’s policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous.”

He added that the tax will “easily pay for the wall”.

The plan is still being finalized, Sean Spicer explained, saying that the tax could ultimately be as low as 5%.

The rift between the neighbors and trade partners has deepened just days into Donald Trump’s presidency.

After President Pena Nieto pulled out of the summit, Donald Trump said the meeting would have been “fruitless” if Mexico didn’t treat the US “with respect” and pay for the wall.

Earlier the Mexican leader said he “lamented” the plans for the barrier.

In a TV address, Enrique Pena Nieto told the nation: “I’ve said time and again: Mexico won’t pay for any wall.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0KxIPTa8Bg

Gambia Crisis: President Adama Barrow Returns Home

Roy Siemens
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Gambia Crisis: President Adama Barrow Returns Home

Gambia’s newly-elected President Adama Barrow has returned to the country to assume power – days after his predecessor Yahya Jammeh left to go into exile.

Adama Barrow’s plane touched down at Banjul airport where jubilant crowds waited to welcome him. After landing, he tweeted: “I’m finally home #Gambia.”

The president, who has been in neighboring Senegal, won elections on December 1st.

However, a handover was stalled when Yahya Jammeh, Gambia’s leader of 22 years, refused to step aside.

Yahya Jammeh left for exile at the weekend after mediation by regional leaders and the threat of military intervention.

The new president, dressed in white robes and a cap, stepped off the plane in Banjul as heavily armed troops from Senegal and Nigeria stood by.

Overhead, a fighter jet from the West African force guaranteeing Adama Barrow’s security performed fly-pasts.

He told a reporter from the Associated Press in the crush at the airport: “I am a happy man today.”

He added: “I think the bad part is finished now.”

Adama Barrow said his priority was to appoint his cabinet and “then get the ball rolling”.

He was driven from the airport in a convoy of cars and waved to the crowds who lined the route.

The new president is staying at his own home while a security assessment is carried out at the official residence, State House.

AdamaBarrow was sworn in as president at the Gambian embassy in Senegal a week ago, but a public inauguration on home soil is planned soon, aides say.

The UN envoy for West Africa, Mohamed ibn Chambas, has said the UN will help guarantee security in The Gambia.

Several thousand West African soldiers remain in The Gambia amid reports that rogue pro-Jammeh elements are embedded in the country’s security forces.

President Adama Barrow has asked for the force to remain in The Gambia for six months.

His spokesman Halifa Sallah said an inauguration was being planned for the national stadium in Banjul.

Yahya Jammeh, who was a 29-year-old army lieutenant when he came to power in a 1994 coup, had refused to accept the results of the December election.

In other developments, parliament has canceled the state of emergency declared by Yahya Jammeh last week. It also revoked legislation that would have extended its life for a further 90 days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8KO3Y-ZclM

Donald Trump Says He Would Authorize Waterboarding

Diane A. Wade
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Donald Trump Says He Would Authorize Waterboarding

In a recent interview, President Donald Trump has said he believes waterboarding works, saying “we have to fight fire with fire”.

He told ABC News he would consult Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA director Mike Pompeo about what could be done legally to combat radicalism.

President Trump said while radical groups beheaded people in the Middle East “we’re not playing on an even field”.

However, ex-CIA director Leon Panetta said it would be a “serious mistake to take a backward step” on torture.

Donald Trump said he wanted to “keep our country safe”.

Image source Flickr

He said: “When they’re shooting, when they’re chopping off the heads of our people and other people, when they’re chopping off the heads of people because they happen to be a Christian in the Middle East, when ISIS is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since Medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboarding?

“I have spoken with people at the highest level of intelligence and I asked them the question <<Does it work? Does torture work?>> and the answer was <<Yes, absolutely>>.”

Donald Trump continued: “They chop them off and they put them on camera and send them all over the world. So we have that and we’re not allowed to do anything?

“I will rely on Pompeo and Mattis and my group and if they don’t want to do it that’s fine. If they do want to do then I will work toward that end.

“I want to do everything within the bounds of what you’re allowed to do legally but do I feel it works? Absolutely I feel it works.”

Donald Trump indicated in a TV debate during the Republican presidential race that he might order troops to carry out waterboarding “and tougher” on terrorism suspects.

However, he later softened his stance, saying he would not order the military to break international law.

Waterboarding is the practice of pouring water over someone’s face to mimic drowning as an interrogation tactic.

It is widely considered as a form of torture and has been banned by the United States.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf_CSvjaKcs

Brazil Yellow Fever Outbreak: Health Ministry Orders 11.5 Million Doses of Vaccine

Kathryn R. Bown
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Brazil Yellow Fever Outbreak: Health Ministry Orders 11.5 Million Doses of Vaccine

Brazil is facing its largest yellow fever outbreak since 2000 and the health ministry has ordered 11.5 million doses of vaccine.

Up to now, 70 cases – including 40 deaths – are confirmed, mostly in rural areas of the state of Minas Gerais. More than 300 cases are under investigation.

Vaccinations are being recommended for people travelling to Minas and other areas with confirmed cases.

Yellow fever is a potentially fatal disease transmitted by mosquitoes.

Most of the country is considered at risk from yellow fever but Brazil has only seen a handful of cases in recent years.

The governor of Minas Gerais has declared a 180-day state of emergency.

There have also been three confirmed cases in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s most populous state, and one each in Espiritu Santo and Bahia, which both neighbor Minas.

Around 5.5 million vaccine doses have already been sent to five states that have confirmed cases or are at risk. The other 6 million ordered will arrive soon.

It is not clear what has caused the rise in cases.

Mexico Will Not Pay for Donald Trump’s Wall

Diane A. Wade
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Mexico Will Not Pay for Donald Trump’s Wall

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said that his country will not pay for Donald Trump’s border wall.

In a message to the nation, Enrique Pena Nieto said he “lamented” the plans for the barrier, adding that “Mexico doesn’t believe in walls”.

However, he made no mention of cancelling or postponing a trip to Washington on January 31 to meet President Donald Trump.

President Trump has signed an executive order for an “impassable physical barrier” and has insisted Mexico will reimburse the US for it.

Enrique Pena Nieto told the nation in a televised address: “I’ve said time and again; Mexico won’t pay for any wall.

“I regret and condemn the decision of the United States to continue construction of a wall that, for years, has divided us instead of uniting us.”

However, President Pena Nieto said his country offered “its friendship to the American people and its willingness to reach accords with their government”.

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray – in Washington to lead a delegation that has held talks at the White House – told the Televisa network the president was still weighing January 31 visit but said “the meeting stands for now”.

Enrique Pena Nieto met Donald Trump – then a presidential candidate – in Mexico City in September and came under intense criticism at home and his current approval ratings are low.

Donald Trump said in an interview with ABC News that Mexico would “absolutely, 100%” reimburse the US for his wall.

However, Congress would have to approve funding for the structure, which is estimated to cost billions of dollars.

Building a 2,000 mile barrier along the Mexican border was one of Donald Trump’s key pledges in the election campaign.

The president spoke of a “crisis” on the southern US border as he signed the directives during a ceremony at the Department of Homeland Security on January 25.

The orders also called for hiring 10,000 immigration officials to help boost border patrol efforts.

“A nation without borders is not a nation,” Donald Trump said.

“Beginning today the United States gets back control of its borders.”

The executive orders are among a flurry expected on national and border security this week.

Donald Trump is next expected to announce immigration restrictions from seven countries with Muslim-majority populations in the Middle East and Africa. This could affect refugee programs.

These countries are believed to be Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.

Dow Jones Trades Above 20,000 for First Time Ever

Clyde K. Valle
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Dow Jones Trades Above 20,000 for First Time Ever

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has passed the 20,000 milestone for the first time on January 25.

The S&P 500 and tech-heavy NASDAQ were also at new highs, fuelled by hopes that President Donald Trump’s policies will boost the economy.

The Dow was up 0.8% at 20,074 points in afternoon trading.

Investors’ cash has poured into shares on hopes of tax cuts and higher growth.

Image source AP

Donald Trump’s senior adviser Kellyanne Conway was quick to comment on the news, tweeting that the landmark was down to “The Trump Effect”.

If the index stays above 20,000 by the time the day’s trading ends, then it would mean the 42-session rise from the first close above the 19,000 mark would be the second quickest 1,000 point rise of all time.

The Dow rose from 10,000 to 11,000 in only 24 trading days between March 29 and May 3, 1999, while the rise from 18,000 to 19,000 took 483 trading days (nearly two years).

Financial stocks have been a major factor in the gain – with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan accounting for around 20% of it.

This is because investors believe that some of Donald Trump’s policies will trigger inflation and produce a rise in interest rates.

Madonna to Adopt Two More Children in Malawi

Lisa.Felice
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Madonna to Adopt Two More Children in Malawi

According to new reports, Madonna has filed to adopt two more children in Malawi.

The singer appeared in court in the Malawian capital Lilongwe to make the application.

Madonna previously adopted two children from Malawi: David Banda in 2006 and Mercy James in 2009.

The 58-year-old star has two other children – Lourdes and Rocco – from previous relationships. Last year saw her involved in a custody dispute over Rocco with ex-husband Guy Ritchie.

Madonna eventually lost the case, with 16-year-old Rocco moving to London to live with his father.

Image source Instagram

She has yet to comment on her attempts to adopt two further children, but a government spokesman confirmed she had appeared in High Court on January 25.

Madonna flew to Malawi on January 24, fresh from the Women’s March in Washington.

Court spokesman Mlenga Mvula said the star would have to wait a week before hearing the court’s decision.

In 2013, Madonna explained her decision to become an adoptive parent in an article for Harper’s Bazaar: “I decided that I had an embarrassment of riches and that there were too many children in the world without parents or families to love them.

“I applied to an international adoption agency and went through all the bureaucracy, testing, and waiting that everyone else goes through when they adopt.”

However, Madonna was vilified in the press with some – including relatives of the adopted children – questioning her suitability as a parent.

The star called the furor “a real low point in my life”.

Madonna’s relationship with Malawi dates back to 2006, when she established the Raising Malawi foundation, with the goal of improving children’s lives.

She initially planned to build a $15 million girls’ academy, but later changed strategy, and used the money to fund a number of schools.

Raising Malawi also provides scholarships to female students, and is currently building the country’s first pediatric intensive care unit at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, in Blantyre.

Madonna visited the project last summer, and took David and Mercy to visit the orphanages where they lived before being adopted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HX4muQi6XU

Donald Trump Expected to Order Mexican Border Wall and Curtail Immigration

Diane A. Wade
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Donald Trump Expected to Order Mexican Border Wall and Curtail Immigration

President Donald Trump has announced a “big day” on national security, including an announcement to build a wall on the border between the US and Mexico.

He is expected to sign several executive orders regarding immigration and border security over the next few days.

The executive orders are likely to include the “extreme vetting” of people coming from seven predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa.

This would restrict refugee access.

Donald Trump tweeted on January 24: “Big day planned on national security tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!”

Image source Flickr

Building a 2,000-mile wall along the Mexican border was one of Donald Trump’s key proposals during the presidential election campaign.

There will also be measures that force so-called sanctuary cities in the US to co-operate with the authorities on deporting illegal immigrants.

“Sanctuary cities” are places that don’t arrest or detain immigrants living in the country illegally.

Later this week, Donald Trump is expected to announce immigration restrictions from seven African and Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.

President Trump is also likely to halt access to the country for some refugees – until the vetting process can be made more rigorous.

He also took to Twitter to express his concern about the level of violence in Chicago.

Donald Trump threatened to “send in the Feds” – federal authorities – if the city did not “fix the horrible carnage” taking place.

Local media has said that more than 40 people have been murdered and 228 shot so far in 2017.

Israeli Settlements: UN Condemns Plans to Build 2,500 More Homes in West Bank

Roy Siemens
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Israeli Settlements: UN Condemns Plans to Build 2,500 More Homes in West Bank

The UN has condemned Israeli plans to build more settlements in the occupied West Bank.

According to UN spokesman, “unilateral actions” were an obstacle to peace based on a two-state solution.

On January 24, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would build 2,500 more homes in Jewish settlements “in response to housing needs”.

It is the second such announcement by the Israeli authorities since President Donald Trump took office on January 20.

Palestinian officials said the plans undermined peace hopes by building on land they want for a future state.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, said: “For the secretary general there is no Plan B for the two-states solution.

“In this respect any unilateral decision that can be an obstacle to the two-state goal is of grave concern for the secretary general.

“There is a need for the two parties to engage in a bona fide negotiation to reach the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, two states for two people.”

Donald Trump has indicated that he will be more sympathetic to settlement construction than his predecessor, Barack Obama, and has appointed a staunch settlement supporter as his ambassador to Israel.

Image source Wikimedia

Last month, he criticized President Barack Obama for declining to veto a UN Security Council resolution which demanded Israel immediately cease all settlement activities and warned they were “dangerously imperiling the viability of a two-state solution”.

About 500,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

Most of the new homes approved on January 24 will be built in existing West Bank settlement blocs, including 902 in Ariel and 652 in Givat Zeev.

One hundred will be constructed in Beit El, a settlement near Ramallah that reportedly has received funding from a foundation run by the family of Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.

Following the announcement, Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Twitter: “We are building – and continuing to build.”

Benjamin Netanyahu says he still supports a two-state solution, but on January 22 he reportedly told ministers that he was lifting restrictions on construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as the city’s municipality approved permits for 566 new homes in the settlements of Pisgat Zeev, Ramat Shlomo and Ramot.

He also discussed the peace process with the Palestinians with President Trump in a telephone conversation, during which he was invited to a meeting in Washington in early February.

“The president emphasized that peace between Israel and the Palestinians can only be negotiated directly between the two parties, and that the United States will work closely with Israel to make progress towards that goal,” the White House said.

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi strongly denounced January 24 announcement.

She said in a statement: “Once again, the Israeli government has proved that it is more committed to land theft and colonialism than to the two-state solution and the requirements for peace and stability.

“Such a deliberate escalation of Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise constitutes a war crime and the flagrant violation of international law and conventions, in particular UN Security Council resolution 2334.”

Hanan Ashrawi called on the US and the rest of the international community to “undertake serious and concrete measures to bring about a full cessation of all settlement activities and to hold Israel to account for these disastrous plans with punitive measures and sanctions before it completes the destruction of the territorial and demographic contiguity of the West Bank”.

Sean Spicer: “Donald Trump Believes Millions Voted Illegally Based on Studies and Evidence”

Diane A. Wade
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Sean Spicer: “Donald Trump Believes Millions Voted Illegally Based on Studies and Evidence”

The White House has defended Donald Trump’s voter fraud claim, saying that the president believes that millions of people voted illegally in the US election based on “studies and evidence”.

Press secretary Sean Spicer said President Trump “does believe that”, but offered no evidence to support the claim when pressed by reporters.

Donald Trump has repeated his claim to explain why he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton.

However, any notion of widespread voter fraud has been widely rejected.

Sean Spicer told reporters on January 24: “He continues to maintain that belief based on studies and evidence that people have presented to him.”

The press secretary’s comments came after President Trump told congressional leaders behind closed doors on January 23 that three to five million undocumented immigrants had illegally voted in the election.

Donald Trump, who first made the claim in a late November tweet, has never provided any evidence.

Fact-checkers have rejected it as untrue and Republican election officials in key states have said they found no proof of fraudulent voting.

Image source CNBC

On January 24, the National Association of Secretaries of State said it had confidence in the “systemic integrity of our election process” and was not aware of any evidence related to Donald Trump’s claims.

Hillary Clinton received nearly three million votes more than Donald Trump, who won the presidency by prevailing in so-called swing states.

Republicans admonished Donald Trump and urged him to drop the matter a day after the closed doors meeting with congressional leaders.

Senator Lindsey Graham called the comments “inappropriate”, adding that Donald Trump should “knock this off”.

He continued that President Trump “seems to be obsessed with the idea that he could not have possibly lost the popular vote without cheating and fraud”.

House Speaker Paul Ryan also said there was no evidence to support Donald Trump’s claims.

Republican Pennsylvania Representative Charlie Dent also weighed in, saying Donald Trump needed to move on and “get to the serious business of governing”.

Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders said it was “nonsensical” and he feared Donald Trump was paving the way for Republican governors to “go forward with voter suppression”.

Oscar Nominations 2017: Full List

Sonia Pantiss
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Oscar Nominations 2017: Full List

The 2017 Oscar nominations full list:

Best picture

  • Arrival
  • Fences
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Hell or High Water
  • Hidden Figures
  • La La Land
  • Lion
  • Manchester by the Sea
  • Moonlight

Best actress

  • Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
  • Ruth Negga (Loving)
  • Natalie Portman (Jackie)
  • Emma Stone (La La Land)
  • Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Best actor

  • Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
  • Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
  • Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
  • Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
  • Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best supporting actress

  • Viola Davis (Fences)
  • Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
  • Nicole Kidman (Lion)
  • Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
  • Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best supporting actor

  • Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
  • Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
  • Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)
  • Dev Patel (Lion)
  • Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best director

  • Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
  • Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
  • Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
  • Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
  • Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Best adapted screenplay

  • Eric Heisserer (Arrival)
  • August Wilson (Fences)
  • Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures)
  • Luke Davies (Lion)
  • Barry Jenkins and Alvin McCraney (Moonlight)

Best original screenplay

  • Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)
  • Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
  • Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou (The Lobster)
  • Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
  • Mike Mills (20th Century Women)

Best animated feature

  • Kubo and the Two Strings
  • Moana
  • My Life as a Zucchini
  • The Red Turtle
  • Zootopia

Best foreign language film

  • A Man Called Ove (Sweden)
  • Land of Mine (Denmark)
  • The Salesman (Iran)
  • Tanna (Australia)
  • Toni Erdmann (Germany)

Best documentary feature

  • Fire At Sea
  • I Am Not Your Negro
  • Life, Animated
  • OJ: Made in America
  • 13th

Best original song

  • La La Land – Audition by Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
  • La La Land – City of Stars by Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
  • Moana – How Far I’ll Go by Lin-Manuel Miranda
  • Trolls – Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster
  • Jim: The James Foley Story – The Empty Chair by J Ralph and Sting

Best original score

  • Jackie by Mica Levi
  • La La Land by Justin Hurwitz
  • Lion by Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka
  • Moonlight by Nicholas Britell
  • Passengers by Thomas Newton

Best cinematography

  • Arrival
  • La La Land
  • Lion
  • Moonlight
  • Silence

Best costume design

  • Allied
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  • Florence Foster Jenkins
  • Jackie
  • La La Land

Best make-up and hairstyling

  • A Man Called Ove
  • Star Trek Beyond
  • Suicide Squad

Best live action short

  • Ennemis Interieurs
  • La Femme et le TGV
  • Silent Nights
  • Sing
  • Timecode

Best sound editing

  • Arrival
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • La La Land
  • Sully

Best sound mixing

  • Arrival
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • La La Land
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  • 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Best documentary short

  • 4.1 Miles
  • Extremis
  • Joe’s Violin
  • Watani: My Homeland
  • The White Helmets

Best production design

  • Arrival
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  • Hail, Caesar!
  • La La Land
  • Passengers

Best visual effects

  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Doctor Strange
  • The Jungle Book
  • Kubo and the Two Strings
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best animated short

  • Blind Vaysha
  • Borrowed Time
  • Pear Cider and Cigarettes
  • Pearl
  • Piper

Best film editing

  • Arrival
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Hell or High Water
  • La La Land
  • Moonlight

Oscar Nominations 2017: La La Land Scores 14 Nods

Sonia Pantiss
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Oscar Nominations 2017: La La Land Scores 14 Nods

Modern musical romance La La Land has scored a record 14 nominations for this year’s Oscars.

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are up for best actor and actress for their roles in the movie.

La La Land is also one of nine movies up for the best picture award.

Arrival and coming-of-age drama Moonlight have eight nominations each, with the latter’s citations including a supporting actress nod for Naomie Harris.

Naomie Harris, who plays Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond movies, said she was “over the moon” and “couldn’t be more thrilled”.

La La Land‘s 14 nominations puts it on the same footing as All About Eve and Titanic, which both received 14 nominations in 1951 and 1998 respectively.

It is now the most nominated musical in Oscar history, having topped the 13 nods Mary Poppins received in 1965.

Damien Chazelle is nominated both for his direction and original screenplay, while his movie has two nominations in the best song category.

La La Land, which received 11 BAFTA nominations earlier this month, gets additional nods for its score, editing and cinematography.

It is also shortlisted for its costume and production design and for its sound editing and mixing.

Ben-Hur, Titanic and the third Lord of the Rings movie share the record for Oscar wins, having each won 11 awards.

Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, Lion and Manchester by the Sea join Arrival, La La Land and Moonlight on the best picture shortlist.

Meryl Streep gets her 20th Oscar nomination, in the best actress category, for her role in Florence Foster Jenkins.

Natalie Portman, Ruth Negga and Isabelle Huppert are also in contention for their roles in Jackie, Loving and Elle.

Previous Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Octavia Spencer also receive nominations for Lion and Hidden Figures.

Lion tells the true story of an Indian-born man who, having been adopted and raised in Tasmania, uses Google Earth to find the family he was parted from as a child.

In a statement, Nicole Kidman thanked AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) “for all of the acknowledgements you have given this heartfelt film”.

Moonlight‘s Mahershala Ali, Manchester by the Sea‘s Lucas Hedges and Hell or High Water‘s Jeff Bridges are also up for best supporting actor.

The line-up is completed by Michael Shannon, a surprise nominee for his role as a grizzled sheriff in Nocturnal Animals.

Many had expected Aaron Taylor-Johnson to be nominated following his triumph at the Golden Globes earlier this month.

If Damien Chazelle wins best director, he will be the youngest person ever to receive the award.

Mel Gibson is also up for the director prize, as is Arrival‘s Denis Villeneuve, Moonlight‘s Barry Jenkins and Manchester by the Sea‘s Kenneth Lonergan.

Non-white talent is well-represented in this year’s acting nominations, with at least one non-white actor included in each of the four categories.

This contrasts with 2015 and 2016’s nominations, which were criticized for having all-white line-ups in the acting categories.

Jimmy Kimmel will host this year’s Oscar ceremony on February 26.

Katie Rich Suspended over Barron Trump Tweet

Sonia Pantiss
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Katie Rich Suspended over Barron Trump Tweet

SNL writer Katie Rich has been suspended after posting a tweet mocking President Donald Trump’s son Barron, media reports say.

They quote a person familiar with SNL‘s plans as saying Katie Rich was suspended indefinitely. NBC is yet to comment.

On the inauguration day, Katie Rich posted a now-deleted tweet, saying: “Barron will be this country’s first home-school shooter.”

An avalanche of criticism on social media followed.

Katie Rich later deleted her tweet, suspending her Twitter account.

Image source Wikipedia

However, on January 23, Katie Rich she was back online to issue an apology.

One Facebook post in reaction to her previous tweet has been shared nearly three million times.

The post read: “NO child deserves to be talked to in such a manner… He is a child, he is to be respected and he is off limits.”

Former first child Chelsea Clinton joined the support for Barron Trump.

Saturday Night Live has made a number of shows in recent months, parodying Donald Trump.

President Trump, who took office on January 20, has described SNL as “not funny” and with “terrible” cast.

Rex Tillerson Narrowly Approved as Secretary of State

Diane A. Wade
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Rex Tillerson Narrowly Approved as Secretary of State

Rex Tillerson has been narrowly approved as secretary of state, despite concerns about his business ties to Russia.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee split along party lines, with all 11 Republicans voting in favor and all 10 Democrats against. A full vote will now be held in the Republican-run Senate.

The move capped a busy day for Donald Trump’s administration.

Most notable was the US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), fulfilling a campaign pledge.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pull out from the 12-nation trade deal that had been a linchpin of former President Barack Obama’s Asia policy.

He said: “Great thing for the American worker what we just did.”

Also on January 23, the Senate confirmed Mike Pompeo as Donald Trump’s CIA director.

Mike Pompeo’s immediate task, correspondents say, will be to establish an effective relationship between the spy agency and Donald Trump.

Image source Flickr

Donald Trump has been critical of the CIA for concluding that Russia had been actively working to influence the US presidential election in his favor.

In another development, new US Defense Secretary James Mattis said Washington had an “unshakeable commitment” to NATO, despite Donald Trump’s earlier description of the military alliance as “obsolete”.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Rex Tillerson after leading Republican Senator Marco Rubio dropped his opposition.

Marco Rubio sparred with Rex Tillerson during confirmation hearings earlier this month, accusing him of being soft on Russia.

The 64-year-old former head of Exxon Mobil knows Russian President Vladimir Putin through his business dealings.

However, Rex Tillerson has criticized Moscow for its annexation of Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula in 2014.

Marco Rubio said that although he had doubts over the choice, he believed a new president was entitled to deference in assembling his cabinet.

“Despite my reservations, I will support Mr. Tillerson’s nomination in committee and in the full Senate,” said Marco Rubio.

He had challenged Rex Tillerson over his refusal to call President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” over Russia’s air strikes in Syria and his failure to condemn strongly enough human rights violations in Saudi Arabia and the Philippines.

Marco Rubio was among the candidates who fought Donald Trump in the battle for the Republican presidential ticket.

The partisan split in the voting is unusual. Traditionally, nominees for secretary of state have been approved by overwhelming votes from both parties.

Senator Ben Cardin, the committee’s top Democrat, had said he would not vote for Rex Tillerson, also over his position on Russia as well as other issues.

He also suggested that Rex Tillerson’s “business orientation” could “compromise his ability as secretary of state to forcefully promote the values and ideals that have defined” America.

While critics raise concern about Rex Tillerson’s ability to trade in his corporate interest for a national one, some supporters suggest the former CEO’s background as a global dealmaker may bring fresh perspective to the nation’s top diplomatic post.

At a closed doors meeting on January 23, Donald Trump told congressional leaders he would have won the popular vote in the election if millions of undocumented immigrants had not voted illegally. He gave no evidence for the claim.

Hillary Clinton won nearly three million votes more than Donald Trump, who got more support in key swing states and won the Electoral College.

However, any notion of widespread voter fraud was widely rejected as untrue when Donald Trump made the same claim in November.

Reinvigorating the Car Giant Ford with Innovating Technology

Ricky Robinson
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Reinvigorating the Car Giant Ford with Innovating Technology

Previously top of their game in the car industry, US car giants, Ford reported something of a decline in interest over the past few years. With an optimised strategy, some seriously well structured marketing and heavy investment in technology, the brand has recently been invigorated and bounced back, fresher than ever.

Innovation led by nature

Once considered innovators, Ford have risen to the challenge of staying on top of innovation once again. With a dedicated centre in Silicon Valley, they have used biomimicry of the beloved gecko to inform development of the eco-friendly materials used to make the interior. Geckos hold strong to almost twice their bodyweight, making them a good model materials for the car industry. This technique of using nature to inform design was deployed also when Japan’s Shinkansen was developed, based on the speed of a kingfisher.

Tech uses in car

Ford’s unique AWD (All-wheel drive) of the newest Ford models was led by their impressive Ford Performance team, who are on the cutting edge of speed and agility in the automotive industry. There are tech features such as Traffic Sign Recognition and SYNC 2 connectivity which are noticeable in cars and point to a reinvigorated brand that oozes innovation. The EcoBoost Engine Technology and AWD demonstrate Ford’s innovation and companies such as Motorpoint have reported a rise in sales of recent Ford classics, which indicates a revival of Ford makes that Essentially, you can get a lot of the features in these recent and sporty models in cheaper models such as the Zetec S and the ST variations of the Focus.

Autonomous cars

For fans of David Hasselhoff’s Knightrider in the 80s, it’s exciting to think about the concept of autonomous cars actually driving themselves. Whilst this has not yet happened, Ford have a range of semi autonomous vehicles out on the road already, with no sign of stopping their innovation and production.

With tech leading their connectivity, design and innovation, Ford have embraced technologies such as Vines and other social media to improve their marketing, targeting a younger, millennial audience with a cohesive strategy that uses tech in all its forms.

2017 looks set to be Ford’s ‘year’ with regards to innovation and technology.

Top Tips for Reinvigorating your Garden after Winter

Nancy Clayson
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Top Tips for Reinvigorating your Garden after Winter

Gazing out into your backyard can be a little depressing during the winter months. Once winter is over, you will want to change this by reinvigorating your garden and getting it ready for spring – a month full of life, colour and vivaciousness. This can make an enormous difference to how your home both looks and feels, plus it also provides you with a great space for relaxing or entertaining guests.

Spring Cleaning

Much like cleaning around the house, the first stage involves tidying the entire area. Put on your gloves and fill a large bag with debris, twigs, any dead plants and anything else unsightly. This will make a big difference straight away and you will now be ready to revive the garden.

Bringing the Lawn to Life

The lawn plays a huge role in how a garden looks, so you will need to pay special attention to this area. Start off by raking the lawn to remove thatch and to identify areas of snow mould or brown patches. Next, you will want to aerate compacted spots to allow the grass to breathe and grow. Finally, you will want to start weeding and make sure that you are pulling from the root to completely get rid of the weed.

Borders

Next, you will want to tidy the borders of your backyard as these can make a huge difference to how it looks. This could involve simply washing the fences and gates, or perhaps giving them a new lick of paint to really inject some colour into the backyard. You will also want to clean any tables or pavement areas, with rotary surface cleaners being the best way to do this. These are available from suppliers such as SGS.

In With the New

With the bleak winter now a distant memory, you will want to bring colour and life to your backyard. The best way to achieve this is to visit a garden centre and pick out a range of colourful and attractive new plant life, plus you may also find other decorative items to add some personality to your garden.

Create Areas for Relaxation

Finally, you will want to create an area for you to relax or socialise in. Bring out your garden table and chairs, invest in a bench, wheel out the barbeque and start enjoying your newly invigorated and beautiful backyard either with a good book or with a few friends round.

With these simple steps, your garden will quickly become your new favorite place to relax and somewhere that is full of colour and life.

Top 3 Ways to Increase Your Car’s Resale Value

Clyde K. Valle
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Top 3 Ways to Increase Your Car’s Resale Value

Selling a car can be even more of a headache than buying one. How do you find the best buyer? And how do you get the best possible price? Often times, you just have to shop around to see who will make you the best offer, but before that you want to put your best foot forward. Here are the three most important things to do before trying to sell your car.

  1. Have Your Papers in Order

A full service record including MOTs is a big plus for many buyers, and an absolute necessity for others. And if you can prove that all of the repairs and services the car has undergone through its lifetime were at a franchised garage (that is one belonging to the manufacturer, or carrying their certification) then this can give the price a significant boost.

A full ownership history is also valuable in private sale—it won’t increase the value but it will establish a trust that will make clinching the deal easier.

  1. Repair Minor Faults

If the car has a few dents and scratches, but is still basically roadworthy, give some serious consideration to having them professionally repaired—the cost of the work will often be less than the difference it will make to the sale price.

This is doubly important if the car has any faults that affect the driving experience. Take your car for a test drive and watch out for any quirks you might have gotten used to. Also make sure to check all your warning lights and take appropriate action if any are lit up.

  1. Clean It

This may seem blindingly obvious, but the difference it makes to car valuations can’t be understated. Go all out, because getting your car to look as good as new may be easier than you expect.

If the car looks like it might need a new coat of paint, you’ll be surprised what a thorough waxing achieves. Make sure to clean or replace dirty interior mats, and use specially made headlight cleaning products—murky lights are seen as a clear sign of a beaten up old vehicle.

These are all pretty simple solutions but the difference they make will stagger you twice—once when you see the car, and again when you see the new price.

Obama’s pet dog Sunny ‘bites daughter’s friend on face leaving her permanently scarred’

Nancy Clayson
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Obama’s pet dog Sunny ‘bites daughter’s friend on face leaving her permanently scarred’

About a week before his master left office, Sunny, a Portuguese Water Dog, bit a family friend just under her eye.

According to witnesses, the unidentified 18-year-old tried to give the dog a kiss, and the animal evidently interpreted her move as aggressive. After the animal was removed, White House physician Ronny Jackson attended to the victim by cleaning her wound and stitching up the large gash on her face. Reportedly, she may have a permanent facial scar as a result of the animal attack. The Obamas own two Portuguese Water Dogs — 4-year-old Sunny and 8-year-old Bo — who have never bit anyone before.

Some observers opined that the victim scared the dog, prompting the violent reaction.

 

Dog Bite Law

 

This incident underscores the fact that any animal can attack at any time for any reason, because Portuguese Water Dogs are generally known to be very family-friendly dogs that are especially good with children and for people with allergies.

 

Washington, D.C. basically has a modified one-bite rule, so unless the animal was “at large” when it attacked, victims must establish negligence to recover damages. Typically, this means that the owner knew the animal was dangerous and nevertheless decided to keep it. However, California is a strict liability state, so victims only have to prove cause to receive compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, and other economic damages, as well as their emotional distress, loss of enjoyment in life, and other noneconomic damages. Given that many victims are children, these noneconomic damages tend to be substantial, because animal attacks often traumatize children who are entirely unaccustomed to such unexpected aggression. Special rules apply to minors as well, as outlined below.

 

The broad law is probably one of the reasons that the Golden State leads the nation in terms of dog bite homeowners’ insurance claims (1,684 in 2015) and value of claims ($76 million in 2015). Police dogs, military dogs, and trespassers are the only exceptions listed in Civil Code 3342; otherwise, dog owners are fully liable for all damages “suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place.” According to Sherwin Arzani, a dog bite attorney in Los Angeles, CA, “If your dog bites someone in California, you can almost certainly expect to pay damages to the injured victim.”

 

Some municipalities and counties expand the strict liability rule even further, applying it to caregivers, custodians, veterinarians, and other non-owners. If there is no such law, victims attacked while animals are in a non-owner’s custody must usually either prove negligence, or a lack of ordinary care, or scienter (“knowledge”), meaning that the custodian must have known that the animal was dangerous.

 

Insurance Company Defenses

 

As the name implies, there is basically no defense to liability under a strict liability law, unless one of the limited exceptions applies. However, the measure of damages is a different matter, and this is where insurance companies concentrate their efforts.

 

Many people probably noticed how, in the above story, some observers are quick to blame dog bite victims for provoking or scaring the animals. However, under California law, provocation has a very specific meaning. The insurance company must prove that the victim intentionally provoked the animal to attack, usually by prodding it or using some other action. Words alone are normally insufficient, and non-violent actions that the dog misinterprets are nearly always insufficient as well. Moreover, very young children (usually those under age 5) cannot provoke dogs as a matter of law.

 

If the victim legally provoked the animal by inflicting pain that was so intense as to justify a violent response in the animal, the jury must divide fault on a percentage basis, such as 50-50 or 70-30 or whatever. Since California is a pure comparative fault state, the judge will then reduce the plaintiff’s damages by the proportion of contributory negligence.
In scienter and negligence cases, assumption of the risk might be a factor. To disprove negligence, the defendant must prove that the victim voluntarily assumed a known risk. If the attack occurred in a public place, the involuntariness prong is probably not present; if the victim did not actually know that the dog was dangerous, the defense is also inapplicable.

 

Melissa Earnest’s Defense of Barron Trump Becomes Viral

Nancy Clayson
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0
Melissa Earnest’s Defense of Barron Trump Becomes Viral

The social media frenzy was sparked when SNL writer Katie Rich posted a tweet just after Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony saying: “Barron Trump will be America’s <<first homeschool shooter>>.”

Donald Trump’s supporter Melissa Earnest posted a number of responses on her Facebook page including one long defense of Barron Trump in which she said: “Whether you like or dislike the Trumps – this is their 10-year-old son. He is still growing and words hurt.”

Her post has already been shared several million times.

Melissa Earnest, who describes herself on Facebook as “wife, mother, businesswoman” began her defense of Barron Trump by stating: “Do you see this child? This child’s life was changed forever when his father was sworn in as President of the United States of America yesterday.

“Long before his father, President Donald J. Trump, was sworn in – this child became the center of hateful online attacks. From a certain celebrity attempting to diagnose him with a neurological disorder with her degree from <<The University of Google>> to now, when a writer from Saturday Night Live decided to tweet saying that he would be the <<first homeschool shooter>>.”

Melissa Earnest concluded: “He is a child. He is to be respected and he is off limits!”

Image source Wikimedia

She first posted a report about Katie Rich’s tweet asking people to “go to Saturday Night Live’s Facebook and plague their page with comments”.

Although Melissa Earnest later posted another message saying: “It was suggested to me that I put the accounts out there for the world to see so that they could be messaged over and over. May I just say that no harassing of any form will be tolerated on this page nor will I partake.”

Katie Rich’s Twitter account was later made private and there were claims that the offending tweet had been removed. But the row continued.

Former White House child Chelsea Clinton waded in with a message that simultaneously supported Barron Trump and took a thinly-veiled swipe at his father.

Chelsea Clinton was 13 when her father was inaugurated.

She was mocked by both talk show host Rush Limbaugh and Saturday Night Live for her appearance.

Similar spats about Barron Trump have been going on across social media.

On Instagram, Modern Family actress Julie Bowen posted pictures of Barron Trump, who seemed occasionally distracted during his father’s inauguration ceremony. She posted: “I think Barron is on his Gameboy. Can’t say I can blame him.”

Julie Bowen’s post attracted a blast of criticism with people also leaving abusive messages on another one of her Instagram posts featuring a picture of her child.

The actress tweeted a response to one of her critics which said: “I love that Barron is a kid being a kid. My kids would be a horror show at a public event! Just trying to keep it light.”

President Barack Obama’s daughters were no strangers to social media abuse throughout their father’s terms in office.

Two years ago Sasha, then 13, and Malia, then 16, were advised in a Facebook post to “try showing a little class”.

The author was Elizabeth Lauten, a communications director for a Republican congressman who added in a reference to the length of the girls’ skirts: “Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar.”

In the backlash, people tweeted Elizabeth Lauten’s boss, and the hashtag “#FireElizabethLauten” went viral. She posted an apology and later resigned.

Before the Obama girls, President George W. Bush’s 19-year-old twin daughters Jenna and Barbara made their own international headlines when they were cited by Texas police for underage drinking in 2001 when they first went to college.

In a recent letter to Sasha and Malia Obama, Jenna and Barbara Bush acknowledged the pressures that come with being in the spotlight at such young age. On leaving the White House, they reflected: “You won’t have the weight of the world on your young shoulders any more… make mistakes – you are allowed to.

“You have lived through the unbelievable pressure of the White House.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA4caAG2u2U

Donald Trump Signs Executive Order to Pull Out of TPP

Diane A. Wade
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0
Donald Trump Signs Executive Order to Pull Out of TPP

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

The 12-nation trade deal was a linchpin of former President Barack Obama’s Asia policy.

Donald Trump said as he dumped the pact with a stroke of a pen: “Great thing for the American worker what we just did.”

The president also cut funding for international groups that provide abortions, and froze hiring of some federal workers.

Donald Trump’s executive order on TPP was largely symbolic since the deal has not been ratified by a divided US Congress.

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump criticized the TPP as a “potential disaster for our country”, arguing it harmed US manufacturing.

Donald Trump’s first weekday of administration began with a flurry of executive orders, which allow him to bypass Congress by issuing legally binding directions, mostly of limited scope, to federal agencies.

Image source Flickr

The president also signed an order blocking foreign aid or federal funding for any nongovernmental organization that provides abortions abroad.

The so-called Mexico City policy was first established by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

It is typically rescinded by incoming Democratic presidents, including Barack Obama in 2009, and reinstated by Republican presidents.

Donald Trump also signed an executive action placing a hiring freeze on non-military federal workers.

Also on January 23, the new president pledged to “massively” cut regulations and taxes on companies, but impose “a very major border tax” if they move factories outside the US.

“All you have to do is stay,” he told executives from 12 companies including Lockheed Martin, Under Armor, Whirlpool, Tesla and Johnson & Johnson.

After meeting business leaders at the White House, Donald Trump pledged to lower corporate taxes to 15% or 20%, from the current 35%, and slash regulations by up to 75% if they keep jobs in the US.

“A company that wants to fire all of its people in the United States, and build some factory someplace else, and then thinks that that product is going to just flow across the border into the United States – that’s not going to happen,” he said.

Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris told reporters afterwards he would take the president at his word.

He said: “He’s not going to do anything to harm competitiveness.

“He’s going to actually make us all more competitive.”

Donald Trump – whose protectionist rhetoric sent the US dollar falling – is due to meet labor leaders in the afternoon.

The Senate will meanwhile vote on his nomination of Mike Pompeo to be CIA director.

Rex Tillerson’s nomination as secretary of state was effectively guaranteed on January 23 as Senator Marco Rubio dropped his objections.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said it was “unquestionable” that Donald Trump’s inauguration “was the most watched” ever.

Although Ronald Reagan’s was top in terms of TV figures, attracting 41.8 million viewers, Sean Spicer pointed out that the 30.6 million who tuned in to see Donald Trump take the oath of office did not include the millions who watched the ceremony online.

Sean Spicer’s remarks followed Donald Trump’s stinging attack at the weekend on media reporting of attendance figures and the weather at his inauguration.

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