Yearly Archives: 2013

Al-Jazeera set to tackle U.S. market with stories ignored by mainstream media

"With a cast of TV news stars, deep pockets and an ambitious agenda, Al-Jazeera launches its US news channel on Tuesday, aiming to shake up the broadcast journalism market stateside. The US cable channel will reach more than 40 million households and vastly expands the footprint of the Qatar-based media group, despite questions about how it will be received by American viewers. But the selling point will be long-form reporting of stories overlooked by other news organizations. 850 staff have been hired for 12 US bureaus, and will draw on 70 bureaus worldwide to give Al-Jazeera unmatched scale." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAl-Jazeera set to tackle U.S. market with stories ignored by mainstream media

Al-Jazeera set to tackle U.S. market with stories ignored by mainstream media

"With a cast of TV news stars, deep pockets and an ambitious agenda, Al-Jazeera launches its US news channel on Tuesday, aiming to shake up the broadcast journalism market stateside. The US cable channel will reach more than 40 million households and vastly expands the footprint of the Qatar-based media group, despite questions about how it will be received by American viewers. But the selling point will be long-form reporting of stories overlooked by other news organizations. 850 staff have been hired for 12 US bureaus, and will draw on 70 bureaus worldwide to give Al-Jazeera unmatched scale." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAl-Jazeera set to tackle U.S. market with stories ignored by mainstream media

How An African ‘Princess’ Banked $3 Billion In A Country Living On $2 A Day

"For the past year Forbes has been tracing Isabel dos Santos’ path to riches, reviewing a score of documents and speaking with dozens of people on the ground. As best as we can trace, every major Angolan investment held by Dos Santos stems either from taking a chunk of a company that wants to do business in the country or from a stroke of the president’s pen that cut her into the action. Her story is a rare window into the same, tragic kleptocratic narrative that grips resource-rich countries around the world. For President Dos Santos it’s a foolproof way to extract money from his country, while keeping a putative arm’s-length distance away." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow An African ‘Princess’ Banked $3 Billion In A Country Living On $2 A Day

How An African ‘Princess’ Banked $3 Billion In A Country Living On $2 A Day

"For the past year Forbes has been tracing Isabel dos Santos’ path to riches, reviewing a score of documents and speaking with dozens of people on the ground. As best as we can trace, every major Angolan investment held by Dos Santos stems either from taking a chunk of a company that wants to do business in the country or from a stroke of the president’s pen that cut her into the action. Her story is a rare window into the same, tragic kleptocratic narrative that grips resource-rich countries around the world. For President Dos Santos it’s a foolproof way to extract money from his country, while keeping a putative arm’s-length distance away." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow An African ‘Princess’ Banked $3 Billion In A Country Living On $2 A Day

Philadelphia Borrows $50 Million So Its Schools Can Open on Time

"Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said the $50 million was necessary to provide the minimum staffing needed for the basic safety of the district’s 136,000 students. In June, the district closed 24 schools and laid off 3,783 employees, including 127 assistant principals, 646 teachers and more than 1,200 aides, leaving no one even to answer phones. For a number of years, Mayor Michael A. Nutter and the City Council have been working, with some success and a fair amount of taxpayer pain, to shore up the city’s finances, which have been troubled by mounting debt, a shrinking tax base and unfunded pension and health care obligations to retirees." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPhiladelphia Borrows $50 Million So Its Schools Can Open on Time

Philadelphia Borrows $50 Million So Its Schools Can Open on Time

"Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said the $50 million was necessary to provide the minimum staffing needed for the basic safety of the district’s 136,000 students. In June, the district closed 24 schools and laid off 3,783 employees, including 127 assistant principals, 646 teachers and more than 1,200 aides, leaving no one even to answer phones. For a number of years, Mayor Michael A. Nutter and the City Council have been working, with some success and a fair amount of taxpayer pain, to shore up the city’s finances, which have been troubled by mounting debt, a shrinking tax base and unfunded pension and health care obligations to retirees." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPhiladelphia Borrows $50 Million So Its Schools Can Open on Time

This is What Budget Cuts Have Done to Detroit … And It’s Freaking Awesome

"If our public servants are right, then chaos, anarchy and lawlessness should reign in Detroit now, right? Well, not exactly. Dale Brown and his organization, the Threat Management Center (TMC), have helped fill in the void left by the corrupt and incompetent city government. TMC now has a client base of about 1,000 private residences and over 500 businesses. Law enforcement isn't the only 'essential government service' that the private sector is taking over. The Detroit Bus Company (DBC) is a private bus service that began last year and truly shows a stark contrast in how the market and government operates." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThis is What Budget Cuts Have Done to Detroit … And It’s Freaking Awesome

This is What Budget Cuts Have Done to Detroit … And It’s Freaking Awesome

"If our public servants are right, then chaos, anarchy and lawlessness should reign in Detroit now, right? Well, not exactly. Dale Brown and his organization, the Threat Management Center (TMC), have helped fill in the void left by the corrupt and incompetent city government. TMC now has a client base of about 1,000 private residences and over 500 businesses. Law enforcement isn't the only 'essential government service' that the private sector is taking over. The Detroit Bus Company (DBC) is a private bus service that began last year and truly shows a stark contrast in how the market and government operates." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThis is What Budget Cuts Have Done to Detroit … And It’s Freaking Awesome

Carl Icahn, Takeover Man: 60 Minutes

"At age 76, Carl Icahn is still shaking up corporate boards, criticizing management and demanding board seats. His hedge fund was one of the top performers in 2011 and has a long term track record of approximately 30%pa. His conglomerate Icahn Enterprises, invests in rail cars, retail, gaming, energy and automotive. He insists that most public companies around the world are very inefficient and most can be improved with the correct strategies. A Princeton drop out he is now one of the longest standing and most successful corporate take over artists in the world." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCarl Icahn, Takeover Man: 60 Minutes

A different world

"Official Tweets from the Seattle Police Department twitter feed: SPD Chief Jim Pugel was just driving down 4th Ave when he spotted a 79 Chevy w/fake pot leaves hanging from its rearview. Driver looked lost. That’s when Chief Pugel’s 30 years of policing experience kicked in. After stopping the car (which had out of state plates), Chief Pugel asked everyone in the car if they needed directions to Hempfest. Turns out they did." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA different world