What's The News Across The Nation(s) - July 2, 2014

HUH?

Facebook’s disclosure last week that it had tinkered with about 700,000 users’ news feed
as part of a psychology experiment conducted in 2012 inadvertently laid bare what too few tech firms acknowledge: that they possess vast powers to closely monitor, test and even shape our behavior, often while we’re in the dark about their capabilities.
NYT, July 2, 2014, The Bright Side of Facebook's Social Experiments on Users

Fat Cats

LOS ANGELES (AP) - It's not just a people problem: Growing rates of obesity in pets have led to the emergence of fat farms offering "pawlates," "doga" and "Barko Polo," doggie versions of Pilates, yoga and Marco Polo to help slim down man's best friend. In the U.S., 53 percent of dogs are overweight or obese, up from 45 percent four years ago. In cats, the figure is almost 58 percent, said Dr. Ernie Ward, a veterinarian and founder of the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention in Calabash, North Carolina. Overweight pets can suffer diabetes, joint problems, heart disease and decreased life expectancy, just like obese people, he said.

Associated Press, July 2, 2014

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PETS_DOG_FAT_CAMP?SITE=TXHOU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-07-02-10-56-16

Tech High

The Guardian, July 2, 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2014/jul/02/technology-tattoo-body-art-sega-myspace-apple-facebook-google-in-pictures

FREE BLAGO! … WELL, MAYBE

“any criminal conviction in U.S. history” other than Blagojevich’s in which a politician was convicted for trying to trade one job for another.

Politico, July 1, 2014

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/07/will-rod-be-spared-108478.html#.U7Q8ZRbi_Rc

Wondering About Cliven Bundy, Wondering About Black Folk

I don't for a minute believe that most people supporting Bundy's fight with the Bureau of Land Management also support is infamous news conference and his subsequent 'wonderings' about black peoples lot in life. I do however believe that he thought he was among some others with similar 'wonderings'.

Black people don't wonder. They know that in these United States there are people who 'wonder' like Cliven Bundy. Just read in my local paper the other day comments regarding a column by Leonard Pitts Jr. http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/20/4070025/does-race-motivate-some-obama.html. The general feeling was that Pitts always uses the race card. I say to those folks, yes, he does, because he knows the Cliven Bundys are alive and well in American society.

Another thing I wonder about is why the members of  on the right of our political spectrum feel like they now have a target on their back? Are they wondering if Leonard Pitts Jr. is going to say, "See, I told you so."

No One Walks Off The Island

The title of this post is taken from some great investigative reporting by ESPN The Magazine writer Scott Eden. It tells an unflattering story of MLB stars Yasiel Puig (LA Dodgers) and Alrodis Chapman (Cinnanati Reds). It appears, though not proven, that these two men fingered innocent men to Cuban authorities in order to cover their attempts to defect from Cuba. Not all Cuban defectors took this route. Jose Fernandez (Miami Marlins) was just 15 when he and his mother made a fourth attempt to get to U.S. shores. Three previous attempts resulted in Cuban imprisonment. On the fourth attempt Jose's mother fell overboard and he jumped into the ocean and saved her. How naive am I, thinking this is how all Cuban defectors get to the United States.

The story of Puig's defection without the alledged informing, is a story of a talented man wanting a better life in a freer country. There is nothing wrong with that and one can assume that Puig was unaware that death, Mexican cartel (Los Zetas) participation, bribery of government officials and torture would all be involved in his goal to play Major League baseball. The difference between Puig, Chapman and Fernandez is the financial reward at the end. Fernandez was just 15 and his baseball abilities, if known, had no immediate payoff. Whereas, Puig and Chapman were worth alot of money. As you will learn from Scott Eden's reporting there were investors financing the defection of Puig. In return they were supposed to get up to 20% of his contract money with whatever MLB team won the bidding for his services.

As you read this article, one wonders who benefits from the Cuban Embargo that has been in place since October, 1960? I see no political advantages for Cuba or the United States. There use to be a strong anti-Cuban lobby made up of Cuban refugees. But their clout has weakened as they age and younger Cuban-Americans seem to be more moderate in their views toward the island.

General Mills Update

"UPDATE April 17, 7:05 pm ET General Mills says a New York Times report cited in an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the company's legal policy change prevents consumers from suing the company if they like any of the company's brands on Facebook. This post has been updated to reflect the correction from GeneralMills." Reporter Todd Wasserman

http://mashable.com/2014/04/17/general-mills-facebook-like/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfdDI4bXVmcGF4NGJsOWlsdGkyOWpwbV8ifQ

General Mills Takes Away Your Day In Court

Reading an article by Stephaine Strom reporting at the New York Times, that just by downloading a coupon for Cheerios, you may loose some of your constitutional rights. Yep, today consumers are subject to 'forced arbitration' and because of AT&T Mobility v. Conception you don't even have the right to a class action forced arbitration. If you and others have been wronged in some way by a business, each wronged individual must pay for his/her own defense. However, even a binding arbitration decision can be appealed. So there's that. But, it is still more expense for the plaintiff.

I have never read a privacy statement, but apparently by agreeing to joining a book club, Facebook, etc., there is also a good chance you are 'voluntarily' giving up your 'day in court', should you be harmed in some way. Just by going into a store you may lose your right to sue if you are injured.   (There is a Whataburger franchise owner who has a sign on the restaurant entrance, "that by simply entering the premises, they [customers] agreed to settle disputes through arbitration)'. Most credit card and mobile phone companies take away your 'day in court'.

Julia Duncan, at the American Association for Justice says; "It's [General Mills] essentially trying to protect the company from all accountability, even when it lies, or say, an employee deliberately adds broken glass to a product."

Some of you might be inclined to say that frivolous law suits, greedy trial lawyers, and outlandish jury awards have caused this to happen. I say frivolous law suits, greedy trial lawyers and outlandish jury awards pale against losing constitutional rights. Furthermore these abuses having absolutely nothing to do with the plaintiff(s). Finally, let me emphasize that trial lawyers will still make money from force arbitration, companies will save money, and settlements will shrink as will your constitutional rights.

There Is Something Going On Here

Social change works best with consensus, but if you can't get that, then try the bottom line. This is the dynamic taking place in the upstream or exploration and production (E&P) of the oil business. Investors are on the case of upstream companies. These companies are spending too much capital on E&P and not enough on dividends to the investors. Investor pressure has even morph into the environmental risks/high capital expenditure projects such as deep water exploration and tar sands.

There is a transition lurking in the oil industry. It concerns environmental penalities or carbon tax associated with the production of high carbon fossil fuels from tar sands. Also costly government regulations that raise exploration and production operating costs of deep-water projects especially since the Deep-Water Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

Regarding the former, we read today that Exxon Mobile will provide a report to investors on the capital costs associated with these high risks E&P projects. It is the first time a company has provided investors with such information.

An undisclosed wealth management group was the impetus for Exxon's startling disclosure. Most E&P companies have refused to comply with any such financial data.  Whether a precedence is being set is not possible to speculate on at this time however as Natasha Lamb of Arjuna Capital notes: "Shareholder value is at stake if companies are not prepared for a low-carbon scenario…". Lamb goes on to say: "Forward thinking companies need to reassess how they allocate shareholder capital and act strategically to shift their business models…".

Right now, in Houston, we are experiencing another oil and possibly natural gas boom. Commercial and residential construction is exploding along with increase property taxes. The property taxes are rising because of high demand and a low high-end housing inventory. Office space is a on the rise and cost per square foot is about fourth in the nation. All this is directly and indirectly link to upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas. Investor demands for prudent capital spending by energy companies and the anticipated low-carbon scenario discussed by Natasha Lamb could thwart the boom. But such is the Ying/Yang that is the 21st century energy business.

The Tea Party Dilemma

Here in Texas we have six Tea Party candidates running for Lieutenant Governor. They are having so-called debates where each candidate tries to 'out conserve' the five others. This is not working since they all agree or purport to agree on the hot button issues that prove their Tea Party street cred:

Abortion: Brain dead pregnant mother should not have been taken off life-support. No exceptions for rape or incest.

Other Issues: All agreed on Tea Party positions on border security, gun rights and education.

I am not posting about the issues per se I am just wondering how does a voter select a candidate in a party primary when so far there appears to be no difference? The only objective criteria I guess is to look at each candidate's history and try to discern sincerity.

I for one think candidates in primaries in all parties pander to their party's base so again an informed voter is going to vote for the candidate that best and truly represents their political and moral views.

With that in mind a recent survey by Farleigh Dickinson University indicated that Fox News listeners were the least informed about current events and international news. MSNBC was a distant second. Sunday news shows had the best informed current events audience and the New York Times, USA Today, and National Public Radio had the best informed international readers and listeners.

I myself quit watching MSNBC because on two occasions I watch Rachel Maddow get flumoxed when a guess did not agree with her assessment of certain events.

Anyway, Tea Partiers, good luck with selecting the RIGHT candidate in your primaries.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2011/11/21/fox-news-viewers-uninformed-npr-listeners-not-poll-suggests/