Opinion | Trucking Wages and Safety
To the Editor:Re “The Trouble With Trucking” (editorial, Aug. 12 ), about “the reality of a grueling, underpaid job ”:Trucking remains one of the few roads in today’s economy that leads to the middle class without requiring the financial burden of a college degree. While the Great Recession did weaken demand for freight transportation, making trucking jobs less lucrative, the current strong economy has put truckers in greater demand than ever. The writer is the president and chief executive of the American Trucking Associations. To the Editor:“The Trouble With Trucking” mentions tired drivers as well as the push by industry lobbyists to lower the minimum age for commercial driver’s licenses to 18, both of which are big safety problems. For people like us — those who have survived or have lost a loved one in a truck crash — the trouble with trucking is the safety issue.
Source:New York Times
August 19, 2018 18:56 UTC
Opinion | Charter Schools and Racial Justice
To the Editor:In “Choice Is the Enemy of Justice” (Op-Ed, Aug. 15 ), Erin Aubry Kaplan sees California’s — and other states’ — having “abandoned integration as the chief mechanism of school reform and embraced charter schools instead” as breaking with the social contract . Educational justice, equity and integration are goals toward which my family, like Ms. Kaplan’s, has pressed for generations. But in my almost 30 years of working on school reform, I’ve been to far too many “integrated” schools where injustice thrives — by design. Because of such injustices and indignities heaped on students of color, many of their families have chosen charter schools instead. The high demand is an indictment of district-operated schools that have shortchanged students of color for generations.
Source:New York Times
August 19, 2018 18:56 UTC
Opinion | Swaying Americans’ View of the Economy
To the Editor:Re “Perception of Economy Elevated by a New Presidential Salesman” (front page, Aug. 12 ):The United States economy has been stable over the past three years, half under President Barack Obama and half under President Trump, as this article points out. The story line in this article is that people’s views of the economy are largely partisan. Among Democrats, views of the economy have remained stable over the past three years, reflecting the actual economic conditions. Among Republicans, views of a favorable economy have gone from about 20 percent to 77 percent during the time the economy has remained stable. Arthur KosowskyPittsburghTo the Editor:The standard measures of American prosperity that President Trump touts are as out of date as a 1950s sitcom.
Source:New York Times
August 19, 2018 18:56 UTC
Opinion | Ignoring Global Warming at Our Peril
To the Editor:Re “The Year Global Warming Made Its Menace a Reality” (front page, Aug. 10 ):When nuclear plants in Europe cease operating because overheated river water can no longer cool them down, you know we’re engaging in climate brinkmanship. In distancing America from the Paris climate accord, President Trump has delivered a demoralizing insult to the many nations that already feel the dire effects of global warming and have committed to do something about it. Here at home, he leads a myopic club of Republican politicians who have made rejection of climate change a litmus test of party loyalty. Philip WarburgNewton, Mass. The writer is a senior fellow at Boston University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy.
Source:New York Times
August 19, 2018 18:56 UTC
Airline passenger convicted of sexually abusing a woman on a plane
(CNN) A man accused of undressing and fondling a Spirit Airlines passenger while she was asleep could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Prabhu Ramamoorthy, 35, was convicted of sexual abuse on board an aircraft for digitally penetrating the victim, the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said. His sentencing date is set for December 12, and he could face up to life in prison. After finishing his sentence, Ramamoorthy -- who is in the United States on a work visa -- will be deported to his home country. The abuse happened in January during an overnight flight from Las Vegas to Detroit.
Source:CNN
August 19, 2018 18:56 UTC
Giuliani: Tower meeting was to get Clinton dirt
President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani says that the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between senior Trump campaign officials and Russians "was originally for the purpose of getting information about (Hillary) Clinton," but denied any collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Source:CNN
August 19, 2018 18:56 UTC
It’s time to reclaim ‘socialism’ from the dirty-word category
While 57 percent of Democrats polled said they view socialism positively, only 47 percent said the same of capitalism, down from 56 percent in 2016. Still, 16 percent of GOP voters said even they view socialism through a friendly lens, which raises the question: When Americans say they view socialism one way or the other, what exactly do they have in mind? But that doesn’t mean socialism is hopelessly nebulous, or that Americans who are interested in the idea are wandering dabblers. But now, as in the 19th century, confusion about what “socialism” means is stoked by political interest in clouding the issue. Clarifying exactly what “socialism” means once and for all likely won’t happen anytime soon.
Source:Washington Post
August 19, 2018 18:56 UTC
David Foster's daughter Sara says her friends 'always wanted to date' her dad
David Foster’s daughter Sara said her father’s “essence and aura” has always attracted women, even her friends. Sara Foster, 30, told Us Weekly that her 68-year-old father is “like forever young.”“His essence and his aura is that of like a 40-year-old,” Foster said about her father. Always!”Foster also spoke about her father’s engagement to singer Katharine McPhee, who is 34 years younger than David Foster. Sara Foster has previously gushed about her future stepmother. KATHARINE MCPHEE DEFENDS ENGAGEMENT TO DAVID FOSTER: 'Y'ALL SHOULD BE WORRYING MORE ABOUT REGISTERING TO VOTE'David Foster’s other daughter, Erin, also gave her seal of approval to the engagement shortly after the announcement in July.
Source:Fox News
August 19, 2018 18:45 UTC
More Earthquakes Strike an Indonesian Island, Cutting Power and Spreading Panic
MATARAM, Indonesia (Reuters) — A series of earthquakes including a powerful 6.9 magnitude tremor struck the Indonesian island of Lombok on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said, killing one person, cutting power and causing people to rush from buildings in panic. The quakes, which could be felt on the neighboring island of Bali, came two weeks after another 6.9 earthquake killed 460 people on Lombok. While some buildings were damaged, there were no immediate reports of widespread damage or other casualties from tremors that started in the morning and continued intermittently into the evening. "I was in a restaurant when the shaking started,’’ Teddy Aditya, an official with Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, said in Mataram, the main city in Lombok. We are urging the public not to panic and to stay away from buildings and big trees.’’
Source:New York Times
August 19, 2018 18:45 UTC
12-foot alligator caught first day of hunting season
A Florida-based outfit pulled in a giant 12-foot, 360-pound alligator during the state’s first day of alligator hunting. Captain Tim Land of Land & Sea Charters in Pensacola, Fla., caught the giant gator with his crew in the Choctawhatchee Bay on Wednesday night – the day the season kicked off. "If you get week one alligator tags, that's the one everybody wants. NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY ISSUES ALLIGATOR HUNTING LICENSES FOR FIRST TIME IN 45 YEARSOriginally, Land said he was trying to nab a small alligator. And if we get an opportunity to harvest a bigger alligator, we'll harvest a bigger alligator."
Source:Fox News
August 19, 2018 18:45 UTC
The mystery of things going bump in the night. And in the day.
ColumnistAnyone who has ever lived in an apartment building has at some point been irritated by the sounds of a neighbor. But what exactly was going on above my daughter Beatrice’s apartment? The noises weren’t those of someone who left for an office during the day — occurring early in the morning, then in the evening. No, the sounds from upstairs came unpredictably at all hours of the day and night. She discovered that among the literally thousands of acts — stand-up comics, sketch comedians, monologuists, performance artists, conjurers — was her upstairs neighbor, Mark.
Source:Washington Post
August 19, 2018 18:45 UTC
After #MeToo, Kevin Spacey movie ‘Billionaire Boys Club’ earns $126 on opening day
That actor is Kevin Spacey, a two-time Oscar winner, whose last movie, “Baby Driver,” raked in $20.5 million on its opening day. His latest movie, “Billionaire Boys Club,” brought in a career-low opening day total for the actor, according to the Hollywood Reporter:$126. The accusations started in October, when actor Anthony Rapp said Spacey made sexual advances toward him in 1985. The claims against Spacey put Vertical Entertainment, which made “Billionaire Boys Club,” in a dubious position. Spacey had a small role in the film, which was made 2½ years ago, well before Spacey’s accusers came forward.
Source:Washington Post
August 19, 2018 18:44 UTC
‘Wasted our lives’: Catholic sex abuse scandals again prompt a crisis of faith
Then, the first-ever resignation of a U.S. cardinal accused of sexual abuse — Theodore McCarrick, Washington’s former archbishop. “This has been the summer from hell for the Catholic Church and our sins are blatantly exposed for the world to see,” Vatican adviser Rev. And among former Catholics who now identify as Protestant, 21 percent say the sexual abuse scandals were a reason for leaving Catholicism, Pew says. He said he has learned while wearing his friar habit just how deeply many people view the Catholic church with suspicion after years of scandal. To me this isn’t the Catholic Church, these are people within the church who did evil things,” she said.
Source:Washington Post
August 19, 2018 18:43 UTC
Clergy sex abuse has cost Catholic Church $3 billion in settlements
Clergy sex abuse of children has rocked the Catholic Church not only in terms of trust and reputation, but also financially, to the tune of more than $3 billion, according to National Public Radio. The Catholic Church assets involved in settlements include cash, stocks, and land. “For the billions it has cost the Catholic Church, it does not compare to the cost of (traumatic) lives that many have suffered over the years,” Vega told Fox News. For the billions it has cost the Catholic Church, it does not compare to the cost of (traumatic) lives that many have suffered over the years. “We are sick over all the crimes that will go unpunished and uncompensated,” the grand jury said.
Source:Fox News
August 19, 2018 18:39 UTC
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Dazzles at Box Office
LOS ANGELES—Glitz won out over guns as the gilded romance “Crazy Rich Asians” made its debut at No. 1 in North American theaters over the weekend, surpassing industry expectations and beating out action-packed fare like “Mile 22.”Warner Bros. estimated that “Crazy Rich Asians” earned $25.2 million over the weekend and $34 million since its opening Wednesday. It is a surefire win for the film, which cost $30 million to produce and went into the weekend with months of buzz and a 93% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Source:Wall Street Journal
August 19, 2018 18:35 UTC