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Tuesday, May 17, 2016
New York City’s Real-Life Superhero Civil War
New York City’s real-life superhero scene has family feuds, too.
UPDATE: The New York Initiative reached out to The Daily Beast to dispute Chris Pollak's characterization of their group and provided the following statement via Krystal Marx, aka "Temper" (her alias within the Initiative/Real-Life Superhero world): "The New York Initiative (NYI) is not only operational, it is a growing branch of the international Initiative Collective - a grassroots volunteer organization with branches in California, Illinois, Tennessee, Washington state, Virginia, Massachusetts and the U.K. Christopher 'Dark Guardian' Pollack is a former NYI member who left on bad terms, but we wish him well."
A supporter of the New York Initiative, who asked to remain anonymous, added in an email to The Daily Beast, "I work with the NYI, who unlike the article inaccurately states are NOT disbanded. The NYI is part of a larger effort and is currently run by a two-time Iraqi veteran." He also noted that "there IS no war" and added that the NYI "is obviously trying to to good in the world."
It was an overcast afternoon on a gray street in Manhattan’s Financial District, and the Dark Guardian was out to recruit more superheros for his new justice league.
Dark Guardian—the alter-ego of Chris Pollak, martial arts instructor by day, civilian watchdog by night—has a flair for the dramatic. He was dolled up in red nylon pants, a utility belt (contents: red flashlight, first aid kit), and a red bulletproof vest with his personal insignia: the letters “DG” in Superman-style font.
Pollak/Dark Guardian is a so-called real-life superhero, a community crime-fighter who has spent years patrolling New York’s streets in his unorthodox uniform. His current super-crew is a team of four or five superheroes, though he used to run with the New York Initiative—you might know them from the HBO documentary Superheroes, which followed the loosely organized vigilante network as they patrolled their cities for scofflaws. But recently Pollack became disenchanted with his former pals.
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UPDATE: The New York Initiative reached out to The Daily Beast to dispute Chris Pollak's characterization of their group and provided the following statement via Krystal Marx, aka "Temper" (her alias within the Initiative/Real-Life Superhero world): "The New York Initiative (NYI) is not only operational, it is a growing branch of the international Initiative Collective - a grassroots volunteer organization with branches in California, Illinois, Tennessee, Washington state, Virginia, Massachusetts and the U.K. Christopher 'Dark Guardian' Pollack is a former NYI member who left on bad terms, but we wish him well."
A supporter of the New York Initiative, who asked to remain anonymous, added in an email to The Daily Beast, "I work with the NYI, who unlike the article inaccurately states are NOT disbanded. The NYI is part of a larger effort and is currently run by a two-time Iraqi veteran." He also noted that "there IS no war" and added that the NYI "is obviously trying to to good in the world."
It was an overcast afternoon on a gray street in Manhattan’s Financial District, and the Dark Guardian was out to recruit more superheros for his new justice league.
Dark Guardian—the alter-ego of Chris Pollak, martial arts instructor by day, civilian watchdog by night—has a flair for the dramatic. He was dolled up in red nylon pants, a utility belt (contents: red flashlight, first aid kit), and a red bulletproof vest with his personal insignia: the letters “DG” in Superman-style font.
Pollak/Dark Guardian is a so-called real-life superhero, a community crime-fighter who has spent years patrolling New York’s streets in his unorthodox uniform. His current super-crew is a team of four or five superheroes, though he used to run with the New York Initiative—you might know them from the HBO documentary Superheroes, which followed the loosely organized vigilante network as they patrolled their cities for scofflaws. But recently Pollack became disenchanted with his former pals.
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Fmr. Top DOJ Official: Clinton Likely Committed ‘Biggest Violation of Federal Records Act in History’
Dan Metcalfe was the Founding Director of the Justice Department’s Office of Information and Privacy (1981-2007). Metcalfe was essentially “the federal government’s chief information-disclosure ‘guru.'”
When most people hear the phrase, “violates the law,” or “is contrary to law,” or perhaps even the word “unlawful,” they tend to think that the conduct involved is a violation of some criminal law for which there are criminal penalties. But some laws and legal obligations are only civil in nature, for which there exist only monetary or administrative sanctions at best. Such is the case with federal records laws such as the Federal Records Act and the Freedom of Information Act, which govern the conduct of federal employees and officials, even that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
What’s more, the civil sanctions provided in these laws can be applied only to people who still remain federal employees at the time at which their violation is discovered and acted upon. In other words, if you violate these laws and then leave government service quickly enough, you are beyond the reach of their penalties. Indeed, a common refrain among political appointees during the latter part of the George W. Bush Administration was: “That’s OK, because by the time anyone finds out about it, we’ll be long gone.”
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When most people hear the phrase, “violates the law,” or “is contrary to law,” or perhaps even the word “unlawful,” they tend to think that the conduct involved is a violation of some criminal law for which there are criminal penalties. But some laws and legal obligations are only civil in nature, for which there exist only monetary or administrative sanctions at best. Such is the case with federal records laws such as the Federal Records Act and the Freedom of Information Act, which govern the conduct of federal employees and officials, even that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
What’s more, the civil sanctions provided in these laws can be applied only to people who still remain federal employees at the time at which their violation is discovered and acted upon. In other words, if you violate these laws and then leave government service quickly enough, you are beyond the reach of their penalties. Indeed, a common refrain among political appointees during the latter part of the George W. Bush Administration was: “That’s OK, because by the time anyone finds out about it, we’ll be long gone.”
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CNN: Group Gives Only 2 Percent of Donations for Vietnam Vets to Charity
Only a small percentage of the $29 million raised by the National Vietnam Veterans Foundation has gone to actually help veterans, CNN reports.
The foundation, headed up by two military veterans, President Thomas Burch and Vice President David Kaufman, brought in $8.6 million in donations for what its website says is used for "aiding, supporting and benefiting America's veterans and their families."
Burch and Kaufman each took salaries of $65,000 from that.
But the bulk of the $8.6 million – a total of $7.7 million – went to paid telephone fundraisers.
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The foundation, headed up by two military veterans, President Thomas Burch and Vice President David Kaufman, brought in $8.6 million in donations for what its website says is used for "aiding, supporting and benefiting America's veterans and their families."
Burch and Kaufman each took salaries of $65,000 from that.
But the bulk of the $8.6 million – a total of $7.7 million – went to paid telephone fundraisers.
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US Treasury Quashes Saudi Threat of Dumping Treasuries
A secret US-Saudi deal from 1973 falls apart.
Ever since the US made a secret deal with Saudi Arabia in 1973 to end the oil embargo, the Treasury Department has never disclosed Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US Treasury securities.
“It’s among concessions that U.S. administrations made over the years to maintain America’s strategic relationship with the Saudi royal family and access to the kingdom’s oil reserves,” Bloomberg News explained, after it had successfully pushed the Treasury via a Freedom-of-Information Act request into finally disclosing the data.
So today, the Treasury released the data on Saudi Arabia for the first time. It’s a doozie: a lot smaller than the number that had been bandied about in the media.
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Ever since the US made a secret deal with Saudi Arabia in 1973 to end the oil embargo, the Treasury Department has never disclosed Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US Treasury securities.
“It’s among concessions that U.S. administrations made over the years to maintain America’s strategic relationship with the Saudi royal family and access to the kingdom’s oil reserves,” Bloomberg News explained, after it had successfully pushed the Treasury via a Freedom-of-Information Act request into finally disclosing the data.
So today, the Treasury released the data on Saudi Arabia for the first time. It’s a doozie: a lot smaller than the number that had been bandied about in the media.
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Forbes: Remittances to Mexico Worth More Than Double Oil Revenue
The money Mexican workers send home from the United States is Mexico's top source of foreign income and represents more than twice the value of crude oil exports, according to a new report.
A Forbes story quotes José Alfredo Coutiño, Moody's Director for Latin America, as saying the remittances — which have come under fire by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — account for a lot of money in Mexico.
"Remittances surpassed crude oil revenues for the first time in history in December of 2014," Coutiño told Forbes. "Since then, remittances have continued to increase even to the point of representing more than twice the value of crude oil exports since December of 2015."
More here
A Forbes story quotes José Alfredo Coutiño, Moody's Director for Latin America, as saying the remittances — which have come under fire by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — account for a lot of money in Mexico.
"Remittances surpassed crude oil revenues for the first time in history in December of 2014," Coutiño told Forbes. "Since then, remittances have continued to increase even to the point of representing more than twice the value of crude oil exports since December of 2015."
More here
'The Wire' actor arrested for allegedly attacking Sanders supporter
Wendell Pierce, known for playing Detective William “Bunk” Moreland on HBO’s “The Wire,” faces a misdemeanor charge after allegedly attacking a supporter of Democratic presidential candidateBernie Sanders.
Witnesses at the Loews Hotel in Atlanta told TMZthat Pierce, a supporter of Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, became angry with a woman on Saturday night who said she backed the Vermont senator.
According to TMZ, Pierce, who's 52, pushed her boyfriend and then grabbed the woman’s hair and hit her. The couple then went back to their room and called security, who contacted police.
Pierce was arrested and charged with simple battery, The New York Times reported. He was released on $1,000 bail.
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Witnesses at the Loews Hotel in Atlanta told TMZthat Pierce, a supporter of Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, became angry with a woman on Saturday night who said she backed the Vermont senator.
According to TMZ, Pierce, who's 52, pushed her boyfriend and then grabbed the woman’s hair and hit her. The couple then went back to their room and called security, who contacted police.
Pierce was arrested and charged with simple battery, The New York Times reported. He was released on $1,000 bail.
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Subject: Congressman: Classified Details of Iran’s Treatment of U.S. Sailors Will Shock Nation
The classified details behind Iran’s treatment of several U.S. sailors who were captured by the Islamic Republic during a tense standoff earlier this year are likely to shock the nation, according to one member of the House Armed Services Committee, who disclosed to the Washington Free Beacon that these details are currently being withheld by the Obama administration.
Rep. Randy Forbes (R., Va.) told the Free Beacon in an interview that the Obama administration is still keeping details of the maritime incident under wraps. It could be a year or longer before the American public receives a full accounting of the incident, in which several U.S. sailors were abducted at gunpoint by the Iranian military.
“I’ve had a full classified briefing” from military officials, Forbes told the Free Beacon. “It could be as long as a year before we actually get that released.”
Details of the abduction are likely to start an uproar in the nation and call into question the Obama administration’s handling of the incident, which many experts say violated international and maritime law.
“I think that when the details actually come out, most Americans are going to be kind of taken aback by the entire incident, both how Iran handled it and how we handled it,” Forbes disclosed. “I think that’s going to be huge cause for concern for most Americans. That’s why I’ve encouraged members of Congress to get that briefing so they do know exactly what did take place.”
Forbes suggested that Iran’s treatment of the U.S. sailors—which included filming them crying and forcing them to apologize at gunpoint—may have been much worse than what has been publicly reported.
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Rep. Randy Forbes (R., Va.) told the Free Beacon in an interview that the Obama administration is still keeping details of the maritime incident under wraps. It could be a year or longer before the American public receives a full accounting of the incident, in which several U.S. sailors were abducted at gunpoint by the Iranian military.
“I’ve had a full classified briefing” from military officials, Forbes told the Free Beacon. “It could be as long as a year before we actually get that released.”
Details of the abduction are likely to start an uproar in the nation and call into question the Obama administration’s handling of the incident, which many experts say violated international and maritime law.
“I think that when the details actually come out, most Americans are going to be kind of taken aback by the entire incident, both how Iran handled it and how we handled it,” Forbes disclosed. “I think that’s going to be huge cause for concern for most Americans. That’s why I’ve encouraged members of Congress to get that briefing so they do know exactly what did take place.”
Forbes suggested that Iran’s treatment of the U.S. sailors—which included filming them crying and forcing them to apologize at gunpoint—may have been much worse than what has been publicly reported.
More
Phoenix Artists Sue City Over LGBT Non-Discrimination Law
Two artists at a Phoenix calligraphy studio are suing the city over its non-discrimination law, saying they fear they could face jail or other penalties if they refuse to create art for same-sex weddings.
Lawyers for the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom filed the lawsuit last Thursday for evangelical Christians Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, co-owners of Brush & Nib Studio, the Arizona Republic reports.
No gay couple has filed a complaint against them, The Arizona Republic reports.
"We fully expect to have a hearing in the next few weeks on our motion for preliminary injunction and to have the Arizona superior court grant our motion and vindicate the free speech and religious liberty rights of our clients," lawyer Jon Scruggs tells The Daily Caller.
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Lawyers for the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom filed the lawsuit last Thursday for evangelical Christians Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, co-owners of Brush & Nib Studio, the Arizona Republic reports.
No gay couple has filed a complaint against them, The Arizona Republic reports.
"We fully expect to have a hearing in the next few weeks on our motion for preliminary injunction and to have the Arizona superior court grant our motion and vindicate the free speech and religious liberty rights of our clients," lawyer Jon Scruggs tells The Daily Caller.
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Underemployment is worse than official stats suggest
Underemployment in the U.S. is worse than the most commonly cited figures suggest, a new analysis published by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors concludes.
Researchers at the central bank published a note Monday saying that the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures on the number of workers forced into part-time work "substantially underestimates underemployment along the dimension of hours people are actually working."
In other words, there are more people who would like more work than is captured in the monthly jobs report.
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Researchers at the central bank published a note Monday saying that the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures on the number of workers forced into part-time work "substantially underestimates underemployment along the dimension of hours people are actually working."
In other words, there are more people who would like more work than is captured in the monthly jobs report.
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Trump Gets Game-Changing News From New York... Hillary Camp Stunned
First, Donald Trump won the New York primary by such a wide margin that it propelled him to the GOP nomination. Now, it seems that a massive move by a major state third party could put the Empire State into play for the general election.
According to Newsmax, the New York Conservative Party will officially endorse Trump for the presidency with “overwhelming” support, something that could spell trouble for Hillary Clinton in the general election.
The Conservative Party was founded in 1962, based on the fact that New York’s Republican Party politicians — in particular its governor, Nelson Rockefeller, widely seen as one of the first RINOs — weren’t conservative enough.
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According to Newsmax, the New York Conservative Party will officially endorse Trump for the presidency with “overwhelming” support, something that could spell trouble for Hillary Clinton in the general election.
The Conservative Party was founded in 1962, based on the fact that New York’s Republican Party politicians — in particular its governor, Nelson Rockefeller, widely seen as one of the first RINOs — weren’t conservative enough.
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Gay pastor apologizes, says Whole Foods cake slur a hoax
“I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company’s commitment to its values, and especially the baker associate who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions,” Brown said in his statement Monday.
Brown continued, “I apologize to the LGBT community for diverting attention from real issues. I also want to apologize to my partner, my family, my church family, and my attorney.”
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City of Salisbury Money NOT well spent
Black Lives Matter activists destroy ‘Blue Lives Matter’ display at Dartmouth College
The Dartmouth College Republicans received permission from the college to put up a “Blue Lives Matter” display honoring law-enforcement work during National Police Week. After just one day, the display was completely removed and replaced with Black Lives Matter signs, according to the Dartmouth Review, a conservative newspaper.
On Thursday, May 12, after a three-week process to gain access to the bulletin board, the College Republicans put up their display. By 9 a.m. the following morning, social media was buzzing about the display.
“News of the display gained traction on social media,” the Dartmouth Review reported. “One post stated in reference to the bulletin board, ‘In case recent news about inclusivity and diversity had you fooled, Dartmouth is still racist. Located in the student center atrium.’ “
Then, by 11 a.m., a group of students at the New Hampshire college had taken the display down completely, replacing it with four fliers that said, “You cannot co-opt the movement against state violence to memorialize its perpetrators. #blacklivesmatter,” according to Dartmouth Review.
The college intervened, and told the Black Lives Matter protesters they were in violation of college policy for taking down the display because the College Republicans had rightfully reserved it. The protesters said they were aware of their violation, but they refused to stand down.
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Maryland Addressing Lack of Health Care for Hispanics
A collaborative effort is under way in Maryland to provide health care to those who can't afford it. The focus is on Prince George's County, which has the highest rate of uninsured residents in Maryland.
In the Hispanic community, about 87 percent of adults lack medical insurance.
La Clínica del Pueblo and Doctors Community Hospital have teamed up to offer preventive and specialty care at a new location next to the Prince George's Plaza Metro Station.
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Maryland: 83 Percent of Obamacare Enrollments Are Medicaid
The Maryland Health Connection is the state's Obamacare Marketplace. Monday, an agency press release noted that Maryland "has cut by 40 percent the number of Marylanders who were eligible for private insurance coverage when the state marketplace began three years ago." However, the breakdown of that statistic reveals that only 165,000 out of more than one million sign-ups are non-Medicaid enrollments.
When the exchange opened three years ago, an estimated 405,000 people were eligible for private coverage. Three years later, that number has fallen to 240,000. But the press release notes that including Medicaid over one million have been enrolled in through the Maryland Health Connection. This puts the number of Medicaid sign-ups around 83 to 84 percent and private coverage around only 16 to 17 percent.
Maryland also notes in the press release that, including Medicaid, ninety percent of those enrolled through the exchange received either subsidized or free coverage:
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When the exchange opened three years ago, an estimated 405,000 people were eligible for private coverage. Three years later, that number has fallen to 240,000. But the press release notes that including Medicaid over one million have been enrolled in through the Maryland Health Connection. This puts the number of Medicaid sign-ups around 83 to 84 percent and private coverage around only 16 to 17 percent.
Maryland also notes in the press release that, including Medicaid, ninety percent of those enrolled through the exchange received either subsidized or free coverage:
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WCSO Press Releases May 17, 2016
Brumskin, JamesIncident: Child Support
Date of Incident: 13 May 2016
Location: Salisbury, MD
Suspect: James L. Brumskin, 25, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 13 May 2016 at 6:55 PM a deputy located James Brumskin at a location in Salisbury and took him into custody on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Brumskin failed to appear for a Constructive Criminal Contempt hearing in a Child Support Case. The deputy transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was detained without bond pending an appearance in front of a Circuit Court Judge.
Charges: Failure to Appear
Incident: Theft
Date of Incident: 14 May 2016
Location: Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Marvin Thomas Walker, 43, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 14 May 2016 at 12:25 AM, a deputy located Marvin Walker at a location in Salisbury and took him into custody on the charges of felony theft and theft scheme. It was alleged that Walker took a check book that belonged to another subject and proceeded to write checks and cash them at Salisbury area establishments back in 2013. Walker was identified as the culprit in this case and a warrant was obtained but Walker was not located until now. The amount of checks written totaled just over $2,400.00. Following his arrest, the deputy transported Walker to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Walker in the Detention Center in lieu of $15,000.00 bond.
Charges: Theft $1,000.00 to $10,000.00 and Theft Scheme
Incident: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
Date of Incident: 13 May 2016
Location: 31000 block of Mt. Olive Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: David William Noonan Jr., 43, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 13 May 2016 6:40 PM a deputy responded to a reported vehicle in a ditch in the 31000 block of Mt. Olive Road in Salisbury. Upon arrival the deputy made contact with the operator, David Noonan and detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage. The odor, along with other indicators prompted the deputy to conduct sobriety testing on Noonan after which he placed Noonan under arrest for DUI. During subsequent processing, Noonan submitted to a breath test with the result being .10. Noonan was released upon the issuance of citations.
Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
Incident: Warrant Arrest
Date of Incident: 14 May 2016
Location: 32000 block of Johnson Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Tammy Sue Hensley, 46, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 14 May 2016 at 12:21 PM a deputy arrested Tammy Sue Hensley on an outstanding District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Hensley failed to appear for a case where she had been charged with theft and resisting arrest. The deputy transported Hensley to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Hensley in the Detention Center in lieu of a bond of $5,000.00.
Charges: Failure to Appear
Incident: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
Date of Incident: 14 May 2016
Location: 1400 block of Jersey Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Tracy Lee Matsatsos Jr., 30, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 14 May 2016 at 5:53 PM, a deputy responded to a reported single vehicle collision in the 1400 block of Jersey Road. Upon arrival, the deputy met with the operator, Tracy Matsatsos who had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage and was slurring his words. Matsatsos told the deputy that Matsatsos didn’t even know how he got there. The deputy initiated sobriety testing after which the deputy placed Matsatsos under arrest for DUI. During subsequent processing, Matsatsos submitted to a breath test with a result of .14. Matsatsos was released upon the issuance of citations.
Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
Cancer Patient Receives First Penis Transplant in U.S.
Massachusetts General Hospital has confirmed that Thomas Manning of Halifax, Massachusetts, received the transplanted penis in a 15-hour procedure last week. The organ was transplanted from a deceased donor.
The New York Times first reported the transplant Monday.
Dr. Curtis Cetrulo, who helped lead the surgical team, tells the newspaper that normal urination should be possible for the 64-year-old Manning in a few weeks, with sexual function possible in weeks to months.
The Times reports most of Manning’s penis was removed during his battle with penile cancer.
The world’s first penis transplant was performed at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa in December 2014.
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