Georgia Libertarian Acts Like Real Libertarian: Supports Marriage ...

Georgia Libertarian Acts Like Real Libertarian: Supports Marriage Equality

By: Sarah JonesApr. 1st, 2013more from Sarah Jones

It?s not often I get to bring you news from the right that makes sense, but today, and no, this is not an April Fools joke, I am pleased to present a Libertarian who is acting like a real Libertarian, and he?s from the South.

In Georgia, the chairman of the Cobb County Libertarian Party and executive director of the Libertarian Party of Georgia, Brett Bittner, changed his Facebook profile to a red version of the Human Rights Campaign?s logo in order to show his support marriage equality. When asked why, he said he thinks the government should get out of the marriage business all together, but since that?s unlikely to happen any time soon, he supports equal treatment under the law.

The Marietta Daily Journal reported on Saturday:

Bittner, who is , said if it were up to him, government would get out of the marriage business altogether.

?But in the interim, because I realize that government does not cede power quickly or easily, I would like to see equal treatment under the law,? Bittner said.

The Libertarian Party is supposed to stand for ?minimum government, maximum freedom?. You wouldn?t know that by listening to many of its representatives, who use minimum government as a way to try to steal rights away from certain minorities, while pushing for using big government to control women?s bodies over religious beliefs that clearly do not align with the stated principle of the Libertarian Party.

The Libertarian Party?s own platform clearly states:

1.3 Personal Relationships

Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government?s treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws. Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal relationships. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships.

1.4 Abortion

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.

It is beliefs like these that attract many young people to the Libertarian Party. Imagine their disillusionment when that party is co-opted by the Koch Brothers and/or used to push a religious agenda. Imagine their disappointment when their party inevitably gets merged with the Republican Party.

Bittner has to hang with people like Georgia GOP (the party of alleged ?small government?) Chairwoman Sue Everhart, who is against marriage equality because it?s not natural, ?Lord, I?m going to get in trouble over this, but it is not natural for two women or two men to be married. If it was natural, they would have the equipment to have a sexual relationship.?

She?s also worried about fraud against the government, as if straight people have never married for health insurance, ?Say you had a great job with the government where you had this wonderful health plan. I mean, what would prohibit you from saying that you?re gay, and y?all get married and still live as separate, but you get all the benefits? I just see so much abuse in this it?s unreal. I believe a husband and a wife should be a man and a woman, the benefits should be for a man and a woman. There is no way that this is about equality. To me, it?s all about a free ride.?

Everhart clearly thinks highly enough of government healthcare to suppose that desperate Americans will fake a marriage in order to get their hands on it. Makes you wonder why Republicans are trying to so hard to kill Obamacare. But the real problem with her belief is that there is no evidence that straight people wanting to defraud the government can?t do it by marrying a heterosexual, or that the percentage of straight people doing so would rise if marriage equality were passed. In the end, implicitly praising the closest thing to universal healthcare in order to smear marriage equality is a sign of how far off of the ledge the GOP is.

As for the equipment argument, humans have been having sex with same sex partners for a really long time, so obviously the equipment is there. If it works for them, why does she care? Why do Republicans take it for granted that their religious beliefs should be policy? Her short statement contains a stunning lack of logic combined with a clueless conflation of religion and government, which perfectly reflects the distortion of ?small government? inherent within the modern day Republican Party. Yes, they?ve by and large become a cult. Bittner?s support for freedom and seriously small government (on this issue, at least) serves as a high contrast with the GOP?s utter cluster muck on the issue.

Bittner might not always get things right, but his attitude toward marriage equality is a breath of fresh air in its lack of hypocrisy. Too bad the Libertarian Party can?t seem to get national leaders who actually live up to their platform.

Source: http://www.politicususa.com/georgia-libertarian-acts-real-libertarian-supports-marriage-equality.html

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Schumer: Gang of 8 Has 'Substantive Agreement' on Immigration Issues (ABC News)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295827721?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Muslims worry about broader France headscarf ban

LE BOURGET, France (AP) ? Because of her choice to wear a headscarf, Samia Kaddour, a Muslim, has all but abandoned trying to land a government job in France. Soon, some private sector jobs could be off limits, too.

French President Francois Hollande says he wants a new law that could extend restrictions on the wearing of prominent religious symbols in state jobs into the private sector. His new tack comes after a top French court ruled in March that a day care operator that gets some state funding unfairly fired a woman in a headscarf, sparking a political backlash.

As Christians celebrated Easter on Sunday, Kaddour attended the four-day Annual Meeting of Muslims of France in Le Bourget, north of Paris. The convention, which last year drew some 160,000 faithful and was expected to grow this year, is billed as the largest annual gathering of its kind in Europe. It is in its 30th year and ended Monday.

French law bars state employees from wearing prominent religious symbols such as Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps or large Christian crosses in public schools, welfare offices or other government facilities. Two years ago, France banned Muslim veils that cover faces, such as the niqab, which has a slit for the eyes, or the mesh-screen burqa, from being worn anywhere in public.

Meeting leaders say France has made progress in accepting Muslims and noted that, unlike 30 years ago, women wearing headscarves today rarely draw suspicion, scowls or curiosity. Still, many Muslims ? and even some Roman Catholics and Jews ? fear France's insistence on secular values first enshrined in the French Revolution more than two centuries ago is unfairly crimping their ability to express their religious beliefs freely.

They also worry that Hollande's Socialist government, like a conservative one before it, wants to score political points.

"Islam has become a political instrument," said Kaddour, 26, who is a community activist from the English Channel port city of Le Havre and one of 10 children of Algerian-born parents who moved to France for plentiful jobs during its economic boom times decades ago. "Islam is always brandished whenever there is internal political discord."

Most mainstream politicians insist Islam is not being targeted. But a backlash erupted after the Court of Cassation ruled in March that Baby Loup, a private-sector day care operator that gets some state funding, unfairly fired a woman who wore a headscarf to work. The far-right railed at the decision, and even Interior Minister Manuel Valls expressed regret over it.

Wading into the debate in a prime-time TV interview on Thursday, Hollande suggested new limits are needed on Muslim headscarves, saying that "when there is contact with children, in what we call public service of early childhood ... there should be a certain similarity to what exists in (public) school."

"I think the law should get involved," he added.

Many Muslims fear an encroaching Islamophobia, while proponents of such measures insist they counter extremism and act as a rampart to protect France's identity against inequality. Polls show that most French people support at least some restrictions on religious symbols.

France, with an estimated 5 million-6 million Muslims whose families mostly have origins in former French colonies in north Africa, is at the forefront of addressing the challenges that many European countries are facing about how to integrate their sizeable ethnic and religious minorities on a continent where white Christians have dominated the political landscape for centuries.

Bristling against stereotypes in many corners of the West that Muslims are closet radicals or even terrorists, leaders of the convention in Le Bourget preached peace and justice. And after prayers and praise of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, convention leaders led a song in Arabic in a vast meeting hall with thousands in the audience ? and some up on the dais waved French flags.

In another convention hall, vendors offered items such as headscarves, sweet pastries or T-shirts emblazoned with the saying 'Don't Panic, I'm Muslim,' while mothers pushing strollers and others wandered through the crowd. Several other stalls took up political issues such as support for Palestinians or war-weary Syrians. Nearby, men kneeled in rhythmic unison for afternoon prayers.

Kaddour said many Muslims regret that their faith is in the political crosscurrents again in France. But she said she's not discouraged enough yet to want to leave.

"Many others feel that way too: We are French and we have our place to claim and our future to establish in France," she said. "I'm not a foreigner. I'm French. I want to live in France, I love this country. Even if it has trouble liking us, we are going to do what's necessary to live serenely in France."

Kaddour says she plans to go back to school to get a higher degree, but has all but given up hopes for a state job. And in France, that matters: the European Union says more than half of France's gross domestic product comes from government spending ? potentially curbing the work options for headscarf-wearing Muslims such as Kaddour if the ban is broadened.

"A state job, unfortunately..." she said, her voice trailing off. "When I go into job interviews, I wear my headscarf. No results." She admits that she doesn't always know why ? it could just be her skill set isn't sufficient ? but suspects her religion plays a role, too.

Kaddour says her future career seems increasingly limited to independent, private practice work. She currently works for a small community group devoted to improving understanding of Islam, called Le Havre de Savoir, or The Haven of Knowledge.

At a time of double-digit unemployment rates in France, a nation of 65 million, such restrictions to job access hit headscarf-wearing women especially hard: Muslim men in France don't usually wear visible religious garb.

Ahmed Jaballah, the head of the Union of Islamic Organizations of France, a major Muslim group that helped organize the conference, said the "rather morose ambiance" over France's sluggish economic growth recently hasn't helped Muslims' aspirations, suggesting that a search for scapegoats is politically appealing. He said he's concerned about the government's plans.

"Unfortunately, Muslims have the impression today that secularism is being shaped based on Muslim practices, and that's worrisome," he said in an interview. "Everybody always talks about secularism, how it's not just about Muslims. But in fact, Muslims are targeted. Nobody is fooled."

"Muslims wonder: Can we trust secularism?" he said. "Remember the French slogan: 'Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite.' Today, we want this fraternity to be real."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/muslims-worry-broader-france-headscarf-ban-152910417.html

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Rocket Internet-Backed Zalora Reportedly Shuts Down Its Taiwan Operations [Updated]

UPDATE: A spokesman from Zalora Taiwan said: Zalora Taiwan is conducting review of our operating model in Taiwan to shift some of the operation to our headquarter in Singapore. During the period, we would not be able to serve new order and we apologize for the inconvenience caused. We will resume the operation as soon as possible and keep you informed. Any returns and refund will also be honored according to the term agreed. All customers can contact us on cs@zalora.com.tw. Our customer service agent will response within 1 working day. We deny any rumors that we are going through a bankruptcy or closure. All payment to customers and our vendors are proceeded or will be preceded. All of our employees will be managed according with Taiwan labor law. We reserve the right to take legal action against anyone making untrue statement about us. One year after launching in Taiwan, Rocket Internet-backed Zalora may be shutting down its operations in the country. Though the Singapore-based fashion e-tailer has yet to issue a confirmation, e27 notes several signs that a closure of its Taiwan branch is already in progress. Zalora Taiwan’s Web site currently says that it will no longer provide telephone services for customer support after today. Furthermore, Taiwanese TV news station TVBS reported last week (link via Google Translate) that more than 100 employees were suddenly laid off as Zalora?canceled orders from suppliers.?Reasons cited by TVBS for Zalora Taiwan’s potential demise include the high cost of marketing in Taiwan’s saturated online retail market, which is already dominated by e-commerce sites Yahoo! Taiwan and PChome. Zalora recently landed several high-profile investments, including $26 million from German retail conglomerate Tengelmann Group, but as Jacky Yap of e27 notes, Rocket Internet has already encountered several setbacks in Southeast Asia, including the closure of Home24. “Rocket Internet will not hesitate to pull the plug when it comes to evaluating a likely failure,” just as it shut down its operations in Turkey last August, Yap writes. Despite Zalora’s rapid growth, the reported closure of its Taiwan operations is a reminder that Rocket Internet’s foothold on the Asian market is still not a sure thing. I’ve reached out to Zalora’s HQ for comment and will update if I hear back from them.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/oypucFdlqvk/

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Obama Stops by Marquette-Syracuse Basketball Game

obama

WASHINGTON - President Obama caught a little bit of hoops fever Saturday afternoon, stopping by the Marquette-Syracuse NCAA men's college basketball tournament game at the Verizon Center.

The basketball-loving president didn't pick Marquette or Syracuse to make it to the Elite 8 in his bracket, but instead, thought Miami and Indiana would make it to that level. The president had picked Indiana to win it all, but the team was knocked out by Syracuse in the Sweet 16.

The president said he picked Syracuse to win other games at the urging of Vice President Joe Biden, who attended Syracuse for law school.

PHOTOS: President Obama's First Term Captured In Photos

"Biden told me that if I didn't pick em' he wouldn't talk to me," Obama said while filling out his bracket with ESPN.

Earlier this week, the president acknowledged that his bracket is "busted." Three of his Final Four teams are still in the tournament.

While at the Verizon Center, the president talked with Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, also known as RGIII, according to a tweet from a reporter.

This post was updated.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-stops-marquette-syracuse-basketball-game-211807704--abc-news-politics.html

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Sounds of strike ending come from SF Symphony

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? The sound of silence from the San Francisco Symphony appeared to be coming to an end as a tentative agreement was reached Sunday to end a 2?-week strike.

The symphony announced in a statement that its negotiators and leaders of the musicians' union have agreed to terms on a 26-month contract, subject to the approval of the full orchestra and the symphony's Board of Governors. No details on the terms would be released before the contract was ratified, the symphony statement said.

Symphony leaders are planning for musicians to return to the stage at Davies Symphony Hall for a series of performances for schoolchildren starting Tuesday, and Thursday and Friday night concerts featuring performances of pieces by Handel and Mozart are back on the schedule, the statement said.

Four local concerts were canceled because of the strike. A four-performance East Coast tour that included stops at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. was also scrapped.

The musicians' contract expired in February, and the walkout began March 13, after a long dispute with management over the symphony's finances. The musicians sought a greater stake in decision making and more transparency in the symphony's accounting.

Union representatives could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday.

The strike's resolution came much faster than the symphony's last labor stoppage, which led to the cancellation of 43 concerts in 1996 and 1997.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sounds-strike-ending-come-sf-symphony-004323936.html

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Digging through balance sheets and income and cash flow statements is a tedious but necessary part of being an investor. However, there are integral metrics to each investment that don?t show up on a piece of paper ? and some are difficult to measure at all. One such intangible is management. Having a strong leadership team in place is always an important aspect of building a competitive and market-leading company.

The individuals at the helm are even more important to a disruptive developmental-stage company. Luckily for Solazyme (NASDAQ: SZYM??) , its management team has just the right mix of experience and diversity to accomplish the company?s goals. Wondering why the company has yet to stumble? Management has a lot to do with it. Let?s take a closer look at the key people driving the company forward.

Co-founders fail up
For every start-up that keeps its founder(s) close and succeeds beyond investors? wildest dreams, there is another that fails miserably. So while I won?t make any outrageous claims, I will say that keeping founders around for the long haul can have a compounding effect as a company outgrows its training wheels. Founders may not enter their first day of entrepreneurism with much experience, but what they learn along the way gives them something to draw upon when facing obstacles later down the road.

Jonathan Wolfson and Dr. Harrison Dillon, the respective CEO and president, decided to start a life-sciences company all the way back in their undergraduate years at Emory University. They probably didn?t expect to meet up again years later in a garage in California, but that?s exactly where Solazyme was born. The two knew they wanted to unlock the power of algae after hearing about its potential to be set on fire (piquing their interest in chemical applications), so naturally they targeted strains that grew in open ponds.

After initial development they came to a stark conclusion: Fuels from open-pond algae would cost some serious coin (in the late 1990s, anyway) and wouldn?t be close to economically viable. Rather than scrapping their dream for commercializing algae at the first sign of trouble, the two turned their focus to algae strains that could be grown in a more traditional bioreactor. The platform that exists today can be directly attributed to their decision to turn failure into a launching pad. Investors wouldn?t want anyone else at the top of the depth chart.

Engineering a bright future
Solazyme left the laboratory long ago, but it still needs to put a few more puzzle pieces in place before it runs on all cylinders. CTO Peter J. Licari and Mark Warner, senior VP of engineering, will be leading the charge to put the company?s platform at the top of the industry. Licari has two decades of experience at UMass, BASF, and Merck. Warner has several decades of experience, most recently leading the construction of the 100 million gallon-per-year biodiesel facility at Grays Harbor for Imperium Renewables ? the largest in the country. Who better to consult Solazyme during its three-continent biorefinery binge?

Commercialization
What good is having towering bioreactors installed if you can?t put products on the market? Enter Chief Commercialization Officer Rogerio Manso, who is directly involved in everything from obtaining sugars to selling finished products. Manso hails from Brazilian energy giant Petrobras and undoubtedly has an impressive list of connections in Brazil ? the most competitive market for renewable chemicals.

Then there?s Frederic Stoeckel, senior VP and general manager of health sciences, who has led the Algenist product line from a few new-kid-on-the-block bottles of alguronic acid to a burgeoning force in the skin-care segment. Solazyme?s success in recent years with its health-sciences division can be largely attributed to Stoeckel?s experience with the natural skin-care brand Melvita from L?Occitane and various positions at L?Oreal.

Don?t forget expansion
Few people give much thought to how well a company expands its business ? instead focusing on overall growth. By that I mean the quality and qualifications of new hires and the management of a multiplying workforce. Growing sales a bajillion times over the previous year means little if employees don?t have a productive workplace.

Jane Marvin, senior VP of human resources, probably doesn?t get many shout-outs, but she?ll deserve one soon. She?ll be responsible for growing Solazyme?s workforce out of development mode and into big-boy territory, all while continuing to attract top-level talent into new positions. Marvin has held similar roles at Ross Stores, ATT Wireless, and Covad Communications and will be crucial in guiding the company?s culture to maturation while preserving core values.

Foolish bottom line
Investors have enjoyed early success from Solazyme thus far, but sometimes I don?t think management gets as much credit as the algae does. Keeping the streak of milestone accomplishments alive rests squarely on these leaders? shoulders. If I were an investor here, I?d feel pretty good about that.

If you?re on the lookout for some currently intriguing energy plays, check out The Motley Fool?s ?3 Stocks for $100 Oil.? You can get free access to this special report by clicking here.

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The Death of the PC
The days of paying for costly software upgrades are numbered. The PC will soon be obsolete. And BusinessWeek reports 70% of Americans are already using the technology that will replace it. Merrill Lynch calls it ?a $160 billion opportunity.? Computing giants including IBM, Yahoo!, and Amazon are racing to be the first to cash in on this PC-killing revolution.

Yet a small group of little-known companies have a huge head start. Get the full details on these companies, and the technology that is about to destroy the PC, in a free video report from The Motley Fool.

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Source: http://lowbrowse.org/solazyme-management-is-a-step-ahead.html

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