A California Senate Health Committee voted 7-0 Wednesday to expand health care coverage for all Californians, regardless of their immigration status.
The bill by Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, would expand Medi-Cal eligibility for immigrants here illegally who are income-eligible.
It is one of 10 bills that aims to expand the rights of people who are living illegally in the country and offer them additional protections. The proposals include bills that would create an Office of New Americans in the Governor's Office and ban businesses from discriminating against residents based on their immigration status, citizenship or language.
Lara's health care bill comes with an approximate $1 billion price tag. The proposed law has been praised by immigrant rights groups and criticized by conservative organizations.
The bill will be heard next by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
"We have to embrace this opportunity to be decisive and make a historic, sensible, and humane change in health care and immigration policy in California," Lara said during the committee hearing. Filed under Lurid Crime Tales because it's armed robbery for the state's taxpayers. Joe Wilson was 100 percent correct. Remember, 50% of medicaid is covered by the Feds. We all pay for this.
1) You get enough of your people into California to elect agents like Ricardo Lara to the legislature.
2) Lara gets together with his buddies and they make it easy for other illegal aliens to vote, to get drivers licenses, in-state tuition to state universities. School teachers have to learn Spanish. "Affordable" housing is provided. Health care is provided, no charge, no questions asked. Union membership, phony Social Security cards, EBT cards, jobs, whatever.
3) Tell your compatriots in Mexico that all they have to do is get across the border and we'll do the rest.
"Ese, the gringos don't suspect a thing. They're paying us to take their state away from them. Get your ass up here!"
4) Elect more legislators, mayors, city council members, the governor. They all take their marching orders from the PRI in Mexico.
5) Tax the gringos until they can't stand it anymore. Take their jobs. Move into their communities. Fly the Mexican flag wherever you go. Make their kids feel like foreigners in their own schools. Put their kids on suspension if they wear American flag shirts to school. They'll move to other states.
#3
...you touched on it. If you want to play the Donk game, you fund efforts to register PRI in Mexifornia to siphon away all the illegals registering. When the PRI gets seats, it'll be too late for the (racist) Donks to grasp their own end state.
[Ayepee] PHOENIX -- Five adults were found dead inside a north Phoenix home after a shooting Thursday in a suspected dispute about the family's business, police said.
The names and ages of the three men and two women weren't immediately released. But police said the three men were brothers and the dead women apparently were the men's mother and a spouse of one of the brothers.
Two other women and two children managed to escape the home unharmed, according to police.
One of those women told officers that the shooting stemmed from a family dispute gone wrong, police spokesman Sgt. Trent Crump said.
"Our dispatcher could hear shots fired in the background while that call was coming in," Crump said. "A caller had been able to escape the home at that point, get out and start to give us information."
Crump said the family had origins in Morocco. During an hours-long standoff before the bodies were found, police used a megaphone to try to communicate with the occupants of the home, addressing the family in Arabic.
If Moroccan and educated, French may have been a more useful choice. Mr. Wife found more use for his high school French in that country. Arabic was only used by his Moroccan colleagues with servants and on the street.
#1
What was the family business? The stated business was "the family owned a transportation service." What were they shuttling? Drugs, people across our border, e.g. human slaves? Did they step on the toes of some cartel?
Unintended consequences of trying to abandon existing nuclear power plants as a knee jerk to Fukushima disaster. There is no alternative to thinking through an issue, and determining the consequences of an action scenario.
Germany's decision to pull out of nuclear energy generation by 2022 following the Fukushima disaster has hit the buffers, after it emerged that investors are unwilling to finance its replacement gas power stations because of the fall in global energy prices.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster occurred in March 2011, triggered by a tsunami created by the magnitude 9.0 Tohoku Pacific coast earthquake, which resulted in a nuclear meltdown of three of the plant's six nuclear reactors.
In the aftermath, Germany announced that it would accelerate plans to close its nuclear power reactors and decided to phase the rest out by 2022.
However, with the global downturn in energy prices, few investors are interested in financing the new-build projects that would take the place of the country's energy generation capability. Willingness to invest decreased rapidly after investors discovered that even the most modern gas-fired power plants cannot be operated profitably.
It's a sad state of affairs when a nation of Germans can't figure out how to run something at a profit...
Following the Fukushima disaster, Germany's government heavily promoted renewables, leading to many homes installing solar panels and buying shares in wind farms. Renewable capacity expanded rapidly and, by late 2014, accounted for 27% of electricity production. However, the dash for renewables and the need to build new gas-fired power stations to replace nuclear resulted in overcapacity, causing wholesale prices to crash.
"No Incentive to Invest"
According to the newspaper Deutsche Mittelstands Nachrichten, 50 existing power plants are due to be decommissioned later this year, yet around half of the planned new plants now lack a concrete investment commitment, according to the General Manager of the lobby group BDEW.
Hildegard Muller said a total of 74 power plants are currently planned with a total capacity of 33,000 megawatts. Many are either approved or under construction. However, 39 projects remain unfinanced.
The German Federal Network Agency is processing requests to close 50 power plants - not including nuclear facilities - because of a lack of profitability. Yet there is little sentiment to build new, greener plants because financiers fear they will not get an acceptable return on investment.
Ironically, the expansion of green electricity and overcapacity in power plants has caused wholesale electricity prices to fall to their lowest level in years. The German government is lacking in enthusiasm to build replacement gas and coal power plants.
So the Germans had better hope that the wind always blows and the sun always shines...
Meanwhile, power giants, such as E.ON and RWE have both posted falling profits, as wholesale prices dipped, prompting both companies to reassess investments in existing plants. Germany is now faced with relying - ironically - on its existing nuclear plants, until market forces bring investors back to the table.
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04/17/2015 18:29 ||
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That sound you're hearing is Germany's BFF + strategic partner Putinist Russia celebrating the good news for Russia's own energy industry, + also yet another delay in Germany's return to "great power" world status.
#1
I've always wondered how many trolls are just bored teenagers. I've noticed teens both have trouble controlling their emotions and think they know far more than they actually do. THey also lean left and have a bit more time than the rest of society. All of which fits trolls.
[Dhaka Tribune] A tiger at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Sreepur bit off a hand of a young visitor yesterday noon.
Mahmudul Hasan Onkon, 26, son of Daud Hossain of Kurmitola, was rushed to a local hospital after he lost his hand.
The tiger didn't give it back, presumably. But the higher predators tend to be territorial like that.
Shihab Ibn Jaman, a doctor at the hospital, said Onkon was sent to National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation in Dhaka as his condition deteriorated.
Someone let the tourniquet slip?
Onkon studies at Military Institute of Science and Technology in Mirpur.
The park's Range Officer Shibu Prashad Bhattacharya said Onkon climbed a wall in the tiger zone and waved at a tiger by inserting his hand into the net.
"Another tiger on the wall's other side grabbed his hand. Other visitors tried to save him but the tiger bit off his hand," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2015 00:00 ||
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Onkon climbed a wall in the tiger zone and waved at a tiger by inserting his hand into the net.
Onkon studies at Military Institute of Science and Technology in Mirpur.
[CNN] Thousands of people have sought refuge in temporary shelters in South Africa after mobs with machetes attacked immigrants in the city of Durban, leaving at least five people dead, an aid group said Thursday. Steady lads, steady !
Heavily armed police have scrambled to stop festivities this week after local residents accused immigrants from other African nations of taking their jobs.
The attacks in Durban killed two immigrants and three South Africans, including a 14-year-old boy, authorities said.
"There has been an outpouring of support from ordinary South Africans who are disgusted with the attacks not only because they are foreign, or African, but because they are fellow human beings," said Gift of the Givers charity, which is helping those seeking refuge at cop shoppes.
"We are preparing aid packages for those who may journey onwards to their home countries."
The charity said about 8,500 people fled to refugee centers or cop shoppes this week because of the violence. That doesn't count anyone who fled their homes to other, private accommodations, the group said.
The aid group said it hopes the violence is limited to Durban, but assured immigrants that it has a facility in Johannesburg to help those who might need shelter there.
"We have tents and all essential supplies on standby but pray that sanity prevails and this does not become necessary," it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2015 00:00 ||
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The ANC opened the borders to flood the ranks, destabilize the existing structure and push the ANC communist agenda.
Gosh, that sounds amazingly similar to what the Labour Party did in Britain and what the Democrats are doing in the US. It's like they are all running from the same playbook.
h/t Gates of Vienna
"Today at 13:20 local time (10:20 UTC/GMT), two unidentifiable men in masks shot journalist Oles Buzyna," Ukraine's Interior Ministry said in an online statement.
Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, published on Facebook that Buzyna was killed on Thursday afternoon by shots from a passing car. He also underlined that Buzyna was a key witness in a criminal case related to a pro-Russian rally in Kyiv organized to counter the massive pro-Western protests on Maidan square. The protests eventually led former President Viktor Yanukovych to flee the country in 2014.
"It seems the shooting of witnesses of the Anti-Maidan affair continues," Herashchenko said in his Facebook post. But, but, but, I thought...
For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately.
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A total of 300 wounded Ukrainians were the cost to the Ukrainian military in the recent fighting in Peski and Spartak, said Donetsk president Aleksandr Zakharcheko in published remarks.
Zakharcheno said that the high wounded in action number was taken from radio intercepts. He also claimed that rebel forces destroyed eight armored vehicles since Monday.
Zakharcheko also said that Mariupol would "sooner or later" be taken by rebel forces, and claimed that the city would fall to rebels "easily", a characterization that even military analysts sympathetic to the Russian backed rebels dispute.
Shelling and firefights between Ukrainian military units holding the northwestern suburb of Donetsk city continue to take place
Last Monday, according to rebel media, Ukrainian military units attacked two key rebel positions north and south of the airport, Spartak and Peski, driving rebel units back temporarily until a counterattack restored the situation.
Rebel forces attacked Ukrainian positions in Peski last February, just after the fall of the airport, but have never been able to fully invest the town. Rebel attempts top use subsidiary operations to encircle Peski, such as an attempt to take nearby Advievka that February, ended in a bloody failure for rebel forces.
According to remarks published in Igor Girgin's VKontakte page, Zacharchenko said on Thursday he placed the odds of the Ukrainian military beginning offensive operations at 90 percent, because of the heavy concentrations of Ukrainian forces in the region.
It is likely that Zakharchenko's remarks about casualties were intended to mask the heavy cost to rebel forces holding Peski and Spartak against Ukrainian attacks. No casualty figures for killed in action have been announced by the rebels starting with the attacks on Monday.
However, according to pro rebel Russian military analyst Boris Rozhin, casualties for the rebels number into the double digits, mostly from artillery fire, which is now nearly constant in northwestern Donetsk city. Still, Rozhin said the casualties were low considering the intensity of the attacks by Ukrainian forces. He also said that the lessons of Debaltsevo had still not been learned, indicating the rebels may be feeding him much lower casualty statistics.
Rebel media made recent mention of wounded numbering up to 60 on Monday, noting that casualties subsequent to Monday were "much higher."
Ukrainian military journalist Dmitri Tymchuk said that a rebel armored group started firing on Ukrainian positions at Peski and Vodyane starting Sunday night using four BMP-2 IFVs, one T-72BA tank, one T-64B tank and a Zu-23/2 mobile AAA vehicle. That attack may have sparked a Ukrainian counterattack.
Tymchuk also said that rebel mortar including 82mm and 120mm mortars pounded Ukrainian positions at Peski and Optynoye on Monday.
On Thursday rebel reports said that Ukrainian forces shelled rebel positions using mortars a total of five times in northwestern Donetsk at Spartak and Peski. According to data supplied by Donetsk Ministry of Defense spokesman Lt. Colonel Eduard Basurin, mortar fire also was reported coming from Avdievka and Opytnoye.
Ukrainian BMP-2s were reported firing on the Volvo center in Donetsk city
Other reports said that Ukrainian artillery began at around 0700 hrs Thursday near rebel positions at Peski, Spartak and the airport. The shelling stopped 90 minutes later.
Fighting in northern Lugansk
According to data supplied on Girkin's VKontakte page, fighting between Ukrainian and rebel forces continued near Stantitsa Luganskaya Thursday as shootout took place at a nearby fish farm near the Northern Donetsk River. Small arms and RPG fire was exchanged between the two combatants.
Ukrainians brought a tank into a fight near the blockhouse at Trokhizbenka, as rebel forces used mortars against Ukrainian targets. Firefights were reported along T1303, especially near Krimskoye, where rebels fired on Ukrainian targets using small arms and RPGs.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com and on Twitter. You can read past articles about the 2014 war in southeastern Ukraina by clicking here.
[ARABNEWS] The EU on Wednesday formally charged US Internet giant Google with abusing its search engine's dominance and launched a sensitive probe into its omnipresent Android mobile phone operating system. Build a better mousetrap and the world will regard you as a cash cow.
On the first count, the Commission said it had sent a formal "Statement of Objections" to Google, charging it with "systematically favoring its own comparison shopping product in its general search results pages."
"The Commission's preliminary view is that such conduct infringes EU anti-trust rules because it stifles competition and harms consumers."
If found at fault under EU anti-trust rules, a company faces a fine of up to 10 percent of its annual sales -- in Google's case, $66 billion in 2014.
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04/17/2015 00:00 ||
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[Hurriyet Daily News] There is plot which aims to show the Turkish economy to be worse off than it actually is by exaggerating current developments, according to Customs Minister Nurettin Canikli.
"As we all see, there has been a plot against the Turkish economy, aiming at showing the economy and economic figures to be in a worse situation than they actually are by exaggerating [negative] economic developments," he said.
He said there was no economic reason for the Turkish Lira to lose value against the U.S. dollar.
There is also no deterioration in the macroeconomic indications, he said, while adding that GDP growth has slowed down somewhat, but in line with recent developments in the global economy.
Canikli also said there had been a dramatic decrease in the country's current account deficit.
The recent changes in euro-dollar parity have been affecting almost all currencies, including the lira, but nothing more, the minister said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2015 00:00 ||
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Well by devaluing the Lira, Erdogan gets his palace 'on the cheap' if it was a fixed-price bid.
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..." there had been a dramatic decrease in the country's current account deficit."
Translation: dramatic quantities of money are exiting the country. Foreigner investors pulling back, Turkish citizens moving money abroad. No doubt due to fears of further depreciation of the currency, or fears about the war spreading, or fears about the economy tanking.
He's trying to spin it like it's further proof of a healthy economy, but it's the exact opposite. When people want to invest in your country, you develop a current account deficit (more money coming in than going out). When people want to invest anywhere but in your country, you develop the exact opposite.
[DAWN] LAKKI MARWAT: Police claimed to have rounded up several hardened criminals during a search and strike operation in parts of the district on Wednesday.
An official said that the operation was launched on credible information about the presence of wanted criminals in the area.
He said that police with the help of commandos of Elite Force and anti-terror squad eliminated the hideouts of criminal gangs and captured four proclaimed offenders.
"The incarcerated Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! criminals were the sign of terror and fear for local residents. They were wanted by police in murder and other cases of heinous nature," the official said. He added that the police also seized four pistols, 76 bullets and 740 grams of hashish from anti-social elements.
Separately, police arrested four gamblers and seized game birds from them in Darra Pezu town. Officials said that the arrested men were identified as Feroz Khan, Mohammad Meer, Abdul Sattar and Akhtar Zaman. They were playing bet on partridges' fight, they added.
"Police recovered for partridges and Rs10,000 including the stake money from them," they said.
Also in the day, police booked five owners of private schools for poor security arrangements at their respective educational institutions. A case was also registered against the owner of a house for not sharing information of tenants with local police.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Thursday approved the 'The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2015', a bill criticised for being controversial and draconian.
The bill is yet to be tabled before the National Assembly.
Today's approval came during a meeting of the committee which convened under the Chairmanship of MNA Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar, and was attended by members of the IT committee and officials of the ministry.
According to the bill, criticism online of religion, the country, its courts, and the armed forces are among subjects which will invoke official intervention.
Minister of State for Information Technology Advocate Anusha Rehman Khan said that the bill is necessary to prevent unauthorised acts with respect to information systems, and provide for related offences, as well as mechanisms for their investigation, prosecution, trial and international cooperation.
She said the objective of the bill will is to effectively prevent cyber crime and contribute towards national security, while providing and enabling a secure environment for investment in information technology, e-commerce and e-payments systems.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2015 00:00 ||
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[Hurriyet Daily News] Indonesia banned on April 16 small retailers from selling beer, despite an outcry from the booze industry and in tourism hotspots over the Moslem-majority country's latest offensive against drinking.
The ban restricts the sale of beer and pre-mixed drinks - such as spirits with soft drinks - to large supermarkets only, outlawing sales in the country's 16,000 minimarts and 55,000 other small shops. Hotels, restaurants and bars are unaffected. There had been particular anxiety about how the ban might affect tourism on the Hindu-majority resort island of Bali.
However, the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits... Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel - who was shouted at during an ill-tempered meeting with community leaders in Bali last weekend - has now pledged to ease the restrictions on the island to ensure street vendors can still sell beer at the beach.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2015 00:00 ||
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How can you trust a man who can't even trust himself with a beer?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Ayepee] PHOENIX -- Five adults were found dead inside a north Phoenix home after a shooting Thursday in a suspected dispute about the family's business, police said.
[Dhaka Tribune] A tiger at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Sreepur bit off a hand of a young visitor yesterday noon. 
[ARABNEWS] The EU on Wednesday formally charged US Internet giant Google with abusing its search engine's dominance and launched a sensitive probe into its omnipresent Android mobile phone operating system.
[Hurriyet Daily News] There is plot which aims to show the Turkish economy to be worse off than it actually is by exaggerating current developments, according to Customs Minister Nurettin Canikli. 
