Daily Archives: April 19, 2017

House, Senate begin trying to reach gambling deal – Holmes County Times Advertiser

Posted: April 19, 2017 at 10:38 am

News Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE - House and Senate leaders met briefly Monday afternoon to lay the groundwork for negotiations on the two chambers' vastly different approaches to gambling policy.

Sen. Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who will chair the conference committee on gambling, said the panel won't meet again before Thursday but could work over the weekend hashing out differences between the plans.

Lawmakers are trying to reach consensus on a new deal with the Seminole Tribe after a portion of an agreement with the tribe expired in 2015. That component of the 20-year deal gave the tribe "exclusive" rights to operate banked card games, such as blackjack, at most of its casinos. The tribe sued the state over the games, and a federal judge gave the Seminoles permission to continue to conduct the games.

The House is backing what is essentially a status quo proposal that would give the Seminoles permission to operate the banked card games, such as blackjack, for another 20 years. The Senate, in contrast, has endorsed a pari-mutuel friendly plan that would allow slot machines at pari-mutuels in the eight counties - Brevard, Duval, Gadsden, Hamilton, Lee, Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Washington - where voters have approved them.

Which pari-mutuels get slots - and where - is one of the biggest sticking points for the negotiators, according to Galvano and Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, a Miami Republican who is vice-chair of the gambling conference committee.

"Obviously, there are members from each of those communities that are looking out to make sure that one county doesn't get new slots and their county is left out," Diaz told reporters after the meeting.

Another point of contention involves controversial "designated player" card games operated by a number of pari-mutuel cardrooms, which are at the heart of the state's legal dispute with the tribe. The Senate plan would legalize the card games, while the House proposal would ban them. The tribe, which is seeking to add craps and roulette at its casinos, has maintained that the House measure - which would require a minimum guarantee from the tribe of $3 billion over seven years-- would not get the requisite approval from federal authorities.

We're going to have to figure out what's more important, (not) giving them those new games or getting more money for the state, because you might not be able to do both, Diaz said.

Lawmakers, who for years have been unable to reach consensus on broad gambling legislation, could be more motivated this year by a series of court decisions that could jeopardize the nearly $120 million in annual payments paid to the state by the Seminoles. Given what has occurred over the last several years, but especially recently with the judicial branch and the decisions that are coming out and the complexity and the ambiguity of the issues that we're dealing with, inaction is not an option. We have to act, Galvano said.

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House, Senate begin trying to reach gambling deal - Holmes County Times Advertiser

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Did Debt, Gambling Addiction Cause the Facebook Slay Suspect to ‘Snap’? – EBONY.com

Posted: at 10:38 am

As the manhunt for suspected killer Steve Stephens has nationwide, a picture of him has emerged which paints him as an exasperated person with heavy financial burdens, a gambling addiction and relationship problems that drove him to snap, resulting in a heinous killing that he posted to Facebook.

A $50,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to his capture, said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams.

Stephens, 37, who reportedly worked with youth at a suburban Cleveland social services agency, recorded himself driving along a street on the east side of Cleveland on Sunday looking for a random person to kill over his frustrations. He came across Robert Godwin Sr., 74, who was picking up aluminum cans as he walked from an Easter Sunday dinner with some of his children. Can you do me a favor, Stephens said. Can you say Joy Lane? Goodwin looked confused in the video and held a plastic bag up saying he did not know any such person while Stephens pointed a gun at him.Shes the reason why this is about to happen to you. He then pulled the trigger, killing him.

The disturbing video had been posted on Facebook for a few hours before it was taken down and Stephens account deactivated. But he also posted another video in which he was speaking on a cellphone to an unknown person complaining about his life. Im at the point where I snapped, he said in the phone conversation. Every time I try to talk to yall [expletive], man, yall always [expletive] blow me offI got a lot of built in anger and frustration, man. It is unclear if the person he was speaking with knew of the shooting.

Stephens problems stretch back to at least 2012 when he was sued in a municipal court over unpaid credit card debt, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which led to his wages later being garnisheed. He filed for bankruptcy in January 2015, declaring $35,000 in debts. He emerged from bankruptcy in August 2015. Last year the managers of an apartment in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, began eviction proceedings against him. They dropped the eviction claim, but sued him for $1,800 in back rent. In January of this year, he was evicted over failure to pay his rent.

In a different Facebook post, Stephens said he gambled away his money at a Cleveland casino. I lost everything I ever had due to gambling, he said on the post.The past years been really [expletive] up for me. He complained that his relationship with the woman he referred to had fallen apart, and that it started making me gamble. I lost everything. I lost everything I have. I dont have [expletive]. Im out of options.

The girlfriend, Joy Lane, sent CBS News a text on Monday, confirming they had been romantically involved.We had been in a relationship for several years, she wrote. I am sorry that all of this has happened. My heart & prayers goes out to the family members of the victim(s). Steve really is a nice guy he is generous with everyone he knows. He was kind and loving to me and my children. This is a very difficult time for me and my family Please respect our privacy at this time.

She has been in police protective custody and authorities say she is being fully cooperative.

Stephens visited his mother on Saturday and saidherIf you see me again, itll be a miracle, she told CNN. Later when she called him, he told her he was shooting people because he was mad with his girlfriend, but the conversation was cut off as her phone died.

Police have issued an aggravated murder warrant for Stephens and are warning residents ofPennsylvania, New York, Indiana and Michigan as well as Ohio to be on alert. A signal from Stephens phone was picked up at a tower in Erie, Pennsylvania, but no signs of him have turned up there.

Supposed sightings of him in Philadelphia and Virginia turned out to be false.

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Iraq War veteran’s dog saved from euthanasia by Michigan court – Fox News

Posted: at 10:37 am

An Iraq War veteran's dogs were taken off death row Monday after a Michigan judge ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the canines had killed three goats in July 2016.

The pit bull mixes, named Mario and Luigi, were released from anIonia County animal shelter Tuesday morning, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The judge ruled that there were "too many unanswered questions" to prove the dogs killed the goats.

Owner Allen Hustin, who is an Iraq War veteran, was not at Monday's hearing. His mother-in-law, Susan Owen Vamvakias, called Hustin after the ruling.

On July 8, Mario, Luigi, and another dog escaped from their backyard and were later discovered in a pen with three dead goats, the Detroit Free Press reported. A dead cat was also found nearby.

The owner of the goats and cat accused the dogs of killing the animals.

The judge initially ordered the dogs to be euthanized. The third dog, named Major, disappeared from the shelter that fall and was never found, according to the Free Press.

The judge granted a second trail in March after Hustin's attorneys said there was evidence that the dogs killed the animals.

Three veterinary experts testified and said they examined the dogs and found no blood or blood stains on them. Another witness said the dogs were seen running in a different area before they were found in the goat pen, The Free Press reported.

Vamvakias also testified and said Hustin depended on the dogs for comfort, adding that they "helped him to be more normal."

Hustin served two tours of duty in Iraq and received a Purple Heart for injuries suffered during a military conflict. A veterans group recommended Hustin get the two dogs to help him deal with depression and trauma.

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Canada Push To Allow Mentally Ill Euthanasia – National Review

Posted: at 10:37 am

Euthanasia/assisted suicide is NOT about terminal illness. The issue is about normalizing killing as a response to human suffering.

Sure, the initial sales pitch would restrict doctor-administered or prescribed death to the dying. But thats just to get people comfortable with the concept. Once a society accepts the principle, logic quickly takes it to a broad euthanasia license.

Canada is a prime example. Before the Supreme Court imposed a national euthanasia right on the country, the debate was all about terminal illness. But now that euthanasia is the law throughout the country,the push is on to allow doctors to kill the mentally ill who ask to die.

The Globe and Mails pro-euthanasia health columnist, Andr Picard Andr Picard uses the suicide of a mentally ill person to push that agenda. From, The Mentally Ill Must Be Part of the Assisted Suicide Debate:

We should not discriminate or deny people rights because it makes us queasy or because of our prejudices. This case reminds us just how severe mental illness can be. Non-existence is better than this, Mr. Maier-Clayton said. Once theres no quality of life, life is akin to a meaningless existence.

Opponents of assisted death argue that those who suffer from mental illness cannot make rational decisions, that they need to be protected from themselves.

But were not talking about granting assisted death to someone who is delusional, or suffering from psychosis or someone who is depressed and treatable. The suffering has to be persistent and painful, though not necessarily imminently lethal.

I would hasten to add, as defined by the suicidal person and regardless of ameliorating treatments that could be administered.But anyone who is suicidal believes his or her suffering is unbearable. Otherwise, they wouldnt want to die.

This ever-broadening death license is only logical. If killing is indeed an acceptable answer to suffering, how can it bestrictly limited to people diagnosed with a terminal illness?After all, many people suffer far more severely and for a far longer time than the imminently dying.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and now Canada, demonstrate that over time, it wont be.

Meanwhile, California has a regulation requiring state mental hospitals to cooperate with assisted suicide for their involuntarily committed patients with terminal illnessesdespite supposed protections in the law for those with mental conditions that could affect their decisions.

Meant to be compassionate, assisted suicide isactuallyabandonment most foul. Compassion means to suffer with. Euthanasia is about eliminating suffering by eliminating the sufferer.

Or, to put it another way, euthanasia endorses suicide. Its not choice, it is the end of all choices.

In any event, this is the debate we should be having. Whether one agrees or disagrees with my take, surely as we in the USA should debate the issue withintellectual integrity andhonesty.

But we wont because pro-euthanasia forces know they would lose. The obfuscating claim that assisted suicide will only be about the terminally ill for whom nothing else but death can eliminate suffering is just the spoonful of honey to help the hemlock go down.

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Canada Push To Allow Mentally Ill Euthanasia - National Review

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The ethical responsibilities of euthanasia – Washington Post

Posted: at 10:37 am

By Michael W. Fox By Michael W. Fox April 18 at 7:46 PM

Dear Dr. Fox:

I believe that most neutered cats belong in pairs. I have had nine Siamese cats, mostly in pairs. The surviving member of my penultimate pair grieved deeply and hid from me for about five months.

When she stopped hiding, she was a changed kitty. When she passed, I acquired a pair of littermates who never spent a night apart and were my best friends for 20 years. I did not want the surviving partner to go through what the last one had. I spent many hours thinking about their eventual demise.

At 19 years old, I knew, that, statistically, it would be soon. One evening, we returned home from dinner to find that our beloved male, Oedipus, could not move his back legs. He had jumped from a chair excited to eat three hours earlier. I knew time was short, so I scheduled euthanasia for the next day. I took both cats to the vet.

In the vets office, I placed Oedipus on the table and let his sister, Phaedra, out of the cage to join him. She jumped up with him and inspected him thoroughly. When she lost interest, I put her back into her cage.

After the vet euthanized Oedipus, and we were sure he was gone, I let Phaedra out of the cage to be with him again. She checked him out thoroughly and eventually lost interest again. I put her back in her cage, and we departed.

Her grieving process was very short. She looked everywhere in the house, and then adopted his position as primary lap cat. The difference in the grieving process with Phaedra seeing that Oedipus was gone was remarkable. I know in my heart that her being able to know he was dead and not suddenly just gone helped her.

I recommend allowing surviving pets to see the deceased, acknowledge the change in being and grieve gently, instead of fretting about the disappearance and fearing the same thing will happen to them.

I hope this information helps others with the future loss of their pets.

A.A.R., Naples, Fla.

DF: Your observations and suggestions are important for all cat owners to consider, beginning with adding another cat to the home if you have only one. The essential steps to take to introduce a new cat are posted on my website, drfoxvet.net.

I have also posted a long review on how animals grieve the loss of a loved one, human or fellow animal. As you note, some show little grief but might well benefit from having the opportunity to examine the deceased. Some cats will yowl loudly day and night after experiencing such loss, but others, like many people, seem to take it in stride.

In my experience, cats will search the house more frequently when the companion animal is missing (for instance, at the vets office) than after they have been able to see the body of the deceased before its removal from the home.

Dear Dr. Fox:

It became apparent that it was time to put down my 17-year-old cat New Years Eve. Not able to stand Kittens pain, I called around and found a vet who was willing to come to my home New Years Day.

He claimed a shot right into Kittens stomach was the best thing to do. After the injection, my family and I petted him for several minutes as he died. During this time, Kitten opened his eyes fearfully and gasped for air and then was gone. It didnt seem like a particularly painless way to go.

I would like your opinion on the least painful method of putting a cat or dog to sleep. I have other animals that will one day need to be put down.

S.S., Herndon, Va.

DF: I regret that you and your cat went through this experience, because this is not the best or usual way to euthanize a cat or dog.

Injecting the euthanasia solution into the abdominal cavity should be done only when a vein cannot be successfully injected, which usually ensures a smooth and quick unconsciousness and death from cardiac arrest. The abdominal injection process is slower, and the animal might struggle and gasp for air repeatedly.

When a limb or neck vein cannot be successfully injected, the best euthanasia protocol is to first give an injection of a strong sedative into the thigh muscle. This two-step procedure is the best way to help ensure a humane death. The next time around, request that the veterinarian who comes to your home follow this protocol.

Dear Dr. Fox:

We have a cocker spaniel who is quite active. When he was 3, he tore the ACL in his right leg. We opted for surgery, although I was a pastor, and money was tight.

We paid on the installment plan, and it was about $3,500 total. He wasnt overweight, but our surgeon insisted he still lose weight and take a short course of meds. Of course, he tore the ACL in his other leg a year later. Same price. We followed the surgeons orders regarding running and jumping, and he wore an Elizabethan collar to keep him from going after the sutures.

He is now 9. The only medication he takes is Dasuquin, which we get by mail order. Hes kept the weight off and has had no further problems, happily.

I love to watch him run. He is walked daily, except when its icy. He is pain-free. He can jump up without any problems.

Many people thought we should have had him put down. Im so happy we didnt. When I lived in the District, we went to a great clinic that accepted payments on the installment plan. It was worth every penny.

S.M., Crownsville, Md.

DF: Thanks for confirming the benefits of corrective surgery for this common canine problem, along with documentation of the expense and the accommodating payment plan your veterinarian set up with you.

Your dog was young and not a heavy-bodied breed; older dogs are poor candidates for this kind of surgery. Still, losing some weight was important. This is one factor that makes dogs prone to tearing their cruciate ligaments, as is a lack of regular exercise and sudden activity after a long winter indoors. I advise people to keep their dogs from being too active when they get outdoors and are still in poor physical condition.

Dear Dr. Fox:

My elderly father lives in a two-story house. He has recently become disabled, and he might have to live in the downstairs area only. There is one small bathroom on that floor.

The problem is that we currently use that bathroom for his cats litter box. Also, this 14-year-old cat uses the entire bathroom to eliminate, frequently going on the floor and foregoing the litter box, even when its clean. The cat has been doing this for years, and we cannot seem to break him of these undesirable toilet habits.

Because this is the only bathroom that my father will be able to use, we have to find a new location for the cats litter box. My father and his nursing aides will not possibly be able to share this bathroom with a cat who makes a daily disaster out of it.

Whats the best way to acclimate a cat to a new litter box location, and how do we get him to use it 100 percent of the time? Otherwise, were going to have to find a new home for this cat; I am unable to take him.

R.A., Newark, N.J.

DF: This is a challenge for an older cat! Your best hope is to buy a large wire dog crate, 4-by-5 feet or larger, and put the cat inside in the new room, along with a bed, food, water and a litter box.

Clean up the bathroom with Natures Miracle enzyme cleaner. Let the cat out, supervised, as often as possible for play and grooming, but never allow him back into the bathroom. The cat should adapt quickly to using the litter box in the confines of the cage, which can eventually be left open so the cat can come and go freely, or it can be kept most of the time in the closed room, with as much human company as possible, and let out and closely monitored at other times.

Correction

In an earlier column concerning a dogs fear of being in a car, I suggested a veterinary prescription of Xanax (alprazolam). However, I included an incorrect dosage: Rather than giving the dog 0.5grams, I recommend giving 0.5milligrams. I also want to add that you should never treat a pet with your own medications.

Michael W. Fox, author of a newsletter and books on animal care, welfare and rights, is a veterinarian with doctoral degrees in medicine and animal behavior. Send letters to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

2017 United Feature Syndicate

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The ethical responsibilities of euthanasia - Washington Post

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More canned dog food recalled over euthanasia drug – Seattle Times

Posted: at 10:37 am

Another dog-food company is recalling two varieties of 12-ounce cans of food manufactured and distributed in 2015 because a euthanasia drug was found in the product.

Another dog-food company is recalling two varieties of 12-ounce cans of food manufactured and distributed in 2015 because a euthanasia drug was found in the product. The barbiturate, pentobarbital, is used to euthanize animals as well as in human executions and physician-assisted suicides.

Party Animal, of West Hollywood, California, announced Tuesday that it has recalled Cocolicious Beef and Turkey, Lot #0136E15204 04, Best By Date: July 2019; and Cocolicious Chicken and Beef, Lot #0134E15 237 13, Best By Date: August 2019, because both tested positive for the drug.

This recall comes several months after Evangers Dog and Cat Food recalled some lots of Evangers and Against the Grain dog foods over the issue.

Consumers with questions may contact the company by phone at 855-727-8926 or by email at info@partyanimalpetfood.com.

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Well-Kept Vacant Lots May Mean Less Crime in Urban Areas – PsychCentral.com

Posted: at 10:37 am

Maintaining the yards of vacant properties, a movement known as greening, may help reduce crime rates in urban neighborhoods, according to a new study at Michigan State University. The findings show that higher levels of greening are tied to less crime in general, including victimless crimes, property crimes and even violent crimes.

Previous research has shown that greening and gardening programs are linked to less stress, depression and hopelessness for residents, as well as lower crime rates, including assaults, burglaries and robberies. But an in-depth space-and-time analysis of these correlations has not been explored until now, say the researchers.

For the study, the researchers analyzed nine years of crime statistics in Flint, Mich., using data from a greening program where thousands of abandoned lots in various neighborhoods were regularly mowed and maintained.

Today, more than 42 percent of the properties in Flint are either publicly owned or otherwise vacant.

Dr. Richard Sadler, an urban geographer and the studys lead author, assigned each neighborhood a greening score based on how many vacant properties in the area were being kept up. Using a method called emerging hot spot analysis, which identifies patterns or trends of events over space and time, he applied crime data from 2005 through 2014.

Generally speaking, I found that greening was more prevalent where violent crime, property crime and victimless crime were going down, said Sadler, an assistant professor of public health in the College of Human Medicine.

The idea for the study was born when the Genesee County Land Bank Authority began its Clean and Green program 13 years ago to help maintain vacant properties throughout the city. They discovered that over the years, the program seemed to produce another benefit crime appeared to be declining.

Weve always had a sense that maintaining these properties helps reduce crime and the perception of crime, said Christina Kelly, the land banks planning and neighborhood revitalization director. So we werent surprised to see the research back it up.

Flint has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. The citys population of slightly more than 100,000 is half what it was in the 1960s when it was the world headquarters for Buick. But once the auto industry pulled out of the city, Flint lost 41 percent of its jobs. This led to a concentration of poverty in the city as well as a decrease in the number of police officers.

Sadler said investments in eliminating blight and encouraging community buy-in can pay off in a number of ways for urban areas across the country and be less expensive to sustain.

He indicated that programs such as Clean and Green not only make the properties more attractive for development and stabilizes neighborhoods, but alert potential criminals that residents are keeping an eye on things.

Its people looking out for their own neighborhoods, he said. If you know somebodys watching, youre not going to go out and vandalize something. Its the overall change in perception created by cleaning up blighted property.

The study is published online in the journal Applied Geography.

Source: Michigan State University

APA Reference Pedersen, T. (2017). Well-Kept Vacant Lots May Mean Less Crime in Urban Areas. Psych Central. Retrieved on April 19, 2017, from https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/04/19/well-kept-vacant-lots-may-mean-less-crime-in-urban-areas/119329.html

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Mashal Khan Wasn’t Killed Just By The Mob That Lynched Him – Huffington Post India

Posted: at 10:37 am

If you are active on social media you have probably seen the gruesome clip of freethinker Mashal Khan being lynched by hundreds of fellow students on the Wali Khan University campus in Pakistan, for the victimless crime of blasphemy.

Anyone still pretending that this form of grotesque religious zealotry is fringe, must only compare the crowd size at Salman Taseer's assassin Mumtaz Qadri's funeral to that of Mashal Khan's. Apologists who are quick to blame Western interventions and foreign policy for the crimes committed in the name of Islam (and are sanctified in its holiest scriptures, if you care to read) will find it difficult to explain away the difference in the two pictures below.

But this piece isn't about debunking clichs. I have covered those in a previous article. This is about the millions of peaceful believers and secularists who are missing in the gory video, but are as complicit in Mashal Khan's murder as the depraved killers who were repeatedly striking his mutilated body.

Every time someone is lynched over "holy cows", and we ask whether the meat in his fridge was mutton or beef; or whether the bovine in his truck was a cow or a buffalo, we are giving our tacit approval to the Hindutva terrorists who believe that the sanctity of a farm animal supersedes that of a human being.

Every "moderate" believer who condemned the killings of cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo, while adding the caveat "but", followed by a tirade about how fragile sentiments and infantile beliefs were the real victims of that gruesome attack, gave legitimacy to the ideology that inspired the Kouachi brothers to pull the trigger.

For as long as you believe that the probity of dead shamans, sacred animals and obsolete medieval texts deserve special immunity from criticism and caricature, there will always be someone willing to defend that probity with murder. Dealing with the plague of zealotry requires "sacred icons" to be stripped of this hypocritical immunity they enjoy. Abolish blasphemy laws, and make caricature of religious fairytales as ubiquitous as memes on Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings. If your god (or gods) consider their sanctity more important than human rights and free expression, then they should come out of hiding and defend themselves. Relying on fallible human laws and courts to defend his infallible word is hardly befitting of an omnipotent being.

Curiously, this "respect" offered to religious sentimentsespecially by left-liberals is particularly uncompromising when it comes to Islam. Folks who label Sam Harris an "Islamophobe" for his criticism of the "religion of peace", never call him a Christianophobe for his brutal attack on devout Christians and their faith, in his book Letters to a Christian Nation.

In the aftermath of the Satanic Verses fiasco, most leftist commentators (such as Germaine Greer and John Berger to name just two) were more sympathetic to the sentiments of rabid bloodthirsty Islamists than the right to life and liberty of a hapless novelist. Christopher Hitchens best summed up this strange phenomenon"Indeed the whole cultural and media industry has become, where reactionary Islam is concerned, one long profile in prudence."

The vast swathes of peaceful moderates and secularists who sympathise with "hurt sentiments" are guilty of enabling the foot soldiers of Islamist and Hindutva Grievance Industries Pvt. Ltd. to the point where the murder of bloggers, cartoonists, hapless students and dairy farmers has become a routine occurrence. You cannot venerate irrational religious beliefs, demand that they be treated with deference, prioritise "hurt sentiments" over human rights by supporting blasphemy laws, and then feign outrage when fundamentalists take the next logical step in defence of those beliefs. A few hundred violent zealots may have lynched Mashal Khan on campus that fateful day, but millions of peaceful apologists of religion laid the groundwork for the confrontation a long time ago.

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Economic Crime Analysis: Ghana’s Recent $2.2B Bond Sale et al – GhanaWeb

Posted: at 10:37 am

Business News of Tuesday, 18 April 2017

Source: anangtawiah.com

Former Finance Minister, Seth Terkpers last bond was issued at 9% coupon rate for 10 years

Background

The government has raised $2.2 billion from a sale of long-dated domestic bonds on the 31st of march. A Finance Ministry statement issued in Accra said it successfully issued 15 and 7-year bonds with the same coupon of 19.75%, raising a total amount of $1.13 billion. In addition, the Ministry of Finance raised the cedi equivalent of $1.12 billion in 5 and 10-year bonds via a tap-in arrangement.

These activities raised a total of $2.25 billion and resulted in the lengthening of the maturity profile of the instruments available on the domestic market. This issuance represents the largest amount issued by a sub-Saharan African country in a day.

The Positives

Boosted central bank reserves by a third, the Finance Ministry said. Helped reduce the pressure on the Cedi. It was also a cedi-denominated government bond issue. Which means that the government will not be under pressure to secure dollars in the future in order to make necessary coupon payments.

This cash inflow was just what the government needed to help it discharge its duties to the people. This issuance represents the largest amount issued by a sub-Saharan African country in a day.

According to the Minister, this is an indication of the markets belief in our commitment to building an effective public financial management system, improve the countrys debt sustainability outlook and mitigate the crowding out of the private sector. It is imperative that we re-profile our total debt stock of $30 billion which should help put us on a path of Ghana beyond Aid, Ken Ofori-Atta added.

Problematic Approach

A company called Templeton bought 95% of the bonds issued through Enterprise Group (an alleged business interest of the current Finance Minister). Seeing that The Enterprise Group is mainly markets itself as an insurance company, it is likely the insured the deal for Templeton. It is important to note that, if enterprise group was paid any fees for their services in this transaction, it could violate US, International as well as even local Ghanaian investment laws. The Templeton guys have as their shareholder, a guy who is the principal shareholder of Enterprise Group.

His name is Trevor G. Trefgarne, and the Chairman of the Enterprise group. The Enterprise Group belongs to Ken Ofori Atta, his wife, Dr. Angela Ofori Atta, and Keli Gadzekpo. Franklin Templeton Investment Limited is an American global investment management organization founded in 1947. It has an extensive global presence, including offices in 34 countries and clients in more than 170 countries.

The firm has renowned investors as it Board of Directors. In an unedited semi-annual report of Franklin Templeton Investment limited dated December 31, 2016; Honorable Trevor G. Trefgarne was named as one of the five Board of Directors of the firm. He was described in the report as Chairman of Enterprise Group Limited (a Ghanaian firm).

Enterprise Group Limited also has a picture of Honorable Trevor G. Trefgarne on its website as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company. Enterprise Group has 10 Board of Directors. Principal among them are Mr Keli Gadzekpo, Group Chief Executive of Enterprise Group; Dr Angela Ofori Atta, wife of Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta who doubles as Director of Enterprise Insurance, a subsidiary of Enterprise Group etc.

Enterprise Group also has Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo and Dr Angela Ofori Atta as non-executive members of the firm. Hon Gloria Akuffo is/was Director of Enterprise Life, a subsidiary of Enterprise Group (it is not clear whether he has resigned or not).

In 1990, Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta together with Mr Keli Gaadzekpo (CEO of Enterprise Group) and others founded Data Bank. It is now emerging that a firm that Hon Trevor G. Trefgarne works as a member of Board of Directors took substantial position in the April 3, 2017 bond issued by the Finance Minister. Seth Terkpers last bond was issued at 9% coupon rate for 10years. It was well publicized and discussed at least 3months prior to issue. The NPP said the bond was too expensive for Ghana. Now Ken Ofori Atta issues a 15year bond at a coupon rate of 19%. It was issued in secret. Nobody knew who were prospecting for Ghanas bond. Usually, the higher the tenure, the lower the coupon rate. But with Ken in the center, the opposite happens.

It is also alleged that; complete due diligence was not followed in the execution of this transaction. Apparently the Finance ministry was very tight-lipped about the sale even after it was completed, the Finance minster only mentioned on Friday that, one of the biggest global investors was involved without disclosing the name.

It may seem to the learned eye that proper due diligence, investment disclosure laws, and ethical behavior guidelines were violated.

Types of Economic Crimes

Conflict Of Interest: According to Merriam Webster, a conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest. Primary interest refers to the principal goals of the profession or activity, such as the protection of clients, the health of patients, the integrity of research, and the duties of public office.

Secondary interest includes personal benefit and is not limited to only financial gain but also such motives as the desire for professional advancement, or the wish to do favors for family and friends. These secondary interests are not treated as wrong in and of themselves, but become objectionable when they are believed to have greater weight than the primary interests. Conflict of interest rules in the public sphere mainly focus on financial relationships since they are relatively more objective, fungible, and quantifiable, and usually involve the political, legal, and medical fields. [source: wikipedia]

Organized crime: The term organized crime refers to the unlawful activities of members of criminal organizations that supply illegal goods and services.

Political crime: The political?crime category contains both crimes by the government and crimes against the government. Political goals motivate political criminals.

Victimless crime: Consensual acts (in which people are willing participants) and violations in which only the perpetrator is hurt, such as the personal use of illegal drugs, are called victimless crimes.

White?collar crime: White?collar crimes are offenses that persons commit while acting in their legitimate jobs and professions. White?collar criminals behave in unethical ways for self?gain (for example, embezzlement) or for the benefit of a business (for example, corporate price?fixing). Victims of white?collar crime include the economy, employers, consumers, and the environment.

Financial Crimes: Some financial crimes do not target a specific person or business, but they are considered criminal because they have an overall negative public impact. Insider trading, for example, is considered an unfair advantage in the market, which is damaging to investors who do not have access to inside information.

Securities Fraud (18 U.S.C. Section 1348): Securities fraud covers a broad range of illegal activities, all of which involve investor deception or the manipulation of financial markets. Examples of securities fraud include Ponzi or pyramid schemes, investment schemes, broker embezzlement and foreign currency fraud.

Insider Trading: Insider trading is a term that most investors have heard and usually associate with illegal conduct. But the term actually includes both legal and illegal conduct. The legal version is when corporate insidersofficers, directors, and employeesbuy and sell stock in their own companies. When corporate insiders trade in their own securities, they must report their trades to the SEC. For more information about this type of insider trading and the reports insiders must file.

Illegal insider trading refers generally to buying or selling a security, in breach of a fiduciary duty or other relationship of trust and confidence, while in possession of material, nonpublic information about the security. Insider trading violations may also include tipping such information, securities trading by the person tipped, and securities trading by those who misappropriate such information.

Examples of insider trading cases that have been brought by the SEC are cases against:

Corporate officers, directors, and employees who traded the corporations securities after learning of significant, confidential corporate developments; Friends, business associates, family members, and other tippees of such officers, directors, and employees, who traded the securities after receiving such information; Employees of law, banking, brokerage and printing firms who were given such information to provide services to the corporation whose securities they traded;

Government employees who learned of such information because of their employment by the government; and Other persons who misappropriated, and took advantage of, confidential information from their employers. Because insider trading undermines investor confidence in the fairness and integrity of the securities markets, the SEC has treated the detection and prosecution of insider trading violations as one of its enforcement priorities.

High yield investment scams typically involve:

Promises of high rates of return with little or no risk. Many different forms of investments (for example: stocks, bonds, commodities, real estate, precious metals).

Money Laundering (18 U.S.C. Section 1956): Money laundering is the practice of making proceeds from a crime appear to have been legitimately earned. You can be federally prosecuted for money laundering whenever you:

Conduct or attempt to conduct a financial transaction which involves the proceeds of an illegal activity, knowing the funds involved represent proceeds from unlawful activity;

With intent to promote furtherance of the illegal activity; or With intent to defraud the Internal Revenue Service; or Knowing the transaction is intended to:

Conceal or disguise the nature, location, source or ownership of the unlawfully obtained funds; or Avoid a transaction reporting requirement under state or federal law.

Conclusion:

For the record, will like to note that i have always personally admired Ken Ofori-Atta quite a bit for all his hard-work and accomplishments. However, citizens of the country need to be informed of the facts. Seeing that i am just beginning my Forensic Economics investigation into this incident, the most profound observations that immediately occur to me are:

Conflicts of interest: The company that represented the single largest investor in this transaction was also personally affiliated to the current Finance minister through his wife and personal business partner. Political crime: An argument could be made that the actors involved in this transaction, who are all mostly affiliated with the current administration, engaged in this ruse, in order to help them strengthen their political interests, at the expense of the citizens and other parties.

Insider trading: Considering the fact that this bond transaction doesnt seem to have been fairly valuated as per current market conditions and comparable valuations, it is likely proper due diligence might not have been conducted.

Financial crime and malpractice: And since it it likely that Enterprise Group made money from this transaction, that will in itself, constitute a textbook case of Financial crime and malpractice.

Link:

Economic Crime Analysis: Ghana's Recent $2.2B Bond Sale et al - GhanaWeb

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How Mark Sanford is handling wrathful voters at his town halls. – Slate – Slate Magazine

Posted: at 10:35 am

Rep. Mark Sanford waits for his introduction during a town hall meeting March 18 in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Sean Rayford/Getty Images

BLUFFTON, South CarolinaRep. Mark Sanford is a rare sort. Hes the first politician Ive ever met to insist that a reporter speak with constituents at his events who strongly disagree with him.

Jim Newell is a Slate staff writer.

There were many of those to be found on Tuesday morning, as the conservative congressman and former governor held a series of public events in his low country coastal district that became cathartic anti-Republican therapy sessions. Oddly, Sanford seemed fine with it. He seemed to welcome it. But to what end?

At a Coffee with Your Congressman event at the Plantation Caf and Deli on Hilton Head Island, constituents who showed up conveyed to Sanford one concern after another, typically from a liberalor at least antithis-Congressperspective. Usually in these politely challenging environments, the members press people would try to distract reporters from visible dissent. Instead, after about five minutes of a conversation I would be having with one angry constituent, Sanford himself would seek me out and recommend that I talk to another person who mostly disagreed with him and everything he stands for.

You should talk to Alexisshes with Indivisible, Sanford said, referring to the anti-Trump pressure network that organizes town hall protests and other #Resistance activities. Indeed, Alexis King was a member and spokeswoman for the low country chapter of Indivisible whos lived in Hilton Head for most of her life, is frightened by Donald Trump, and disagrees with her congressman about most things.

I was pretty much telling him about the stuff I sit up and think about at 3 in the morning, that you wish you had a chance to say, she said. I just said it, so he can know how his constituents actually feel. She said she understood that she may not be able to move him on health care or Planned Parenthood. She was hopeful, though, that she could convince him to speak out against immigration raids. Im just feeling him out, she said. Like all of Sanfords constituents I spoke with, she could at least respect the accessibility of her Freedom Caucus congressman. It gives you the luxury of spending a face-to-face session feeling him out, knowing that youll get another opportunity later.

After my chat with King, Sanford came back and told me I should speak to Linda over here, whos lived in Hilton Head since 2013. Linda Schilder, whos somewhere between a Democrat and independent, said that she had told Sanford she wants to see more bipartisan collaboration in Congress. She also brought up gun control and how she wants more restrictions on handguns and semi-automatic weapons (even as a supporter of hunting and recreational shooting).

She said Sanford responded that a shotgun is a semi-automatic weapon. It is hard to move him on his Second Amendment convictions, and she was disappointed.

Sanford later insisted I speak with Cheri Gould, a Hilton Head resident who brought her daughter and had, in Sanfords words, a lot to say about health care. Again: When a Republican congressman is urging you to talk to someone in this manner, you suspect that hes directing you to, say, an Americans for Prosperity or Heritage Foundation official dressed in an everyday American costume.

This was not who Cheri Gould was. She had been to many of Sanfords town halls and relayed to me what she had just said to him. Health care coverage should be for everybody, she said. Gould noted that both she and her daughter have pre-existing conditions. Though theyre covered by her husbands employer insurance now, Gould is certain that deregulated, private individual insurance cant do the jobbecause it didnt work before the Affordable Care Act. She had just passed along these concerns to her congressman.

[Sanford] has had at least a half-dozen or more of these town halls that are heavily weighted to health care, and the feedback and the polling says people want what essentially looks like universal coverage, she said. Yet he and the Republicans are working to take that away. And I dont understand that disparity.

Sanford, she said, told her that health coverage needs to be sustainable, as well as bogus stories about how, with a European- or Canadian- style health care system, some procedures wouldnt be covered and there would be long wait times for specialists. She pointed out that we already have these exact problems with the American-style health care system. Its a false argument.

By this point, Sanford had just left the caf for a town hall in Sun City, a retirement community about 20 miles or so inland. A typical congressmans staff might have given me false directions to the event that stranded me somewhere in a low country marsh. (Scratch thata typical congressman wouldnt have an in-person town hall to begin with.)

Sanford had told me to be sure to leave myself 30 minutes to get there.

The first question that Sanford got at his Sun City town hall went as follows: How do I explain to my children and grandchildren that we have an adulterer, cheat, and liar as our president and congressman?

When the gentleman repeated his question much more loudly and someone from across the room screamed at him to sit down and be quiet, the gentleman flipped a middle finger across the room. Security came to escort the man out of the town hall, but Sanford came over and told everyone to cool down. No one really cooled down, though, during the roughly 90-minute event that Sanford would describe afterward as invigorating.

There are a lot of retirees in the Hilton Head area. And a lot of those retirees, judging by nearly every loud accent I heard at the town hallconducted in an outdoor pavilion, surrounded by tennis courts and various lawn gameswere from New York and New Jersey. Early on, as things were getting rowdy, Sanford joked that this isnt a New Jersey town hall, this is a South Carolina town hallas in, lets be respectful to each other. Some variation of the shout DONT PUT DOWN NEW JERSEY could be heard throughout the rest of the event.

Why does Mark Sanford put himself through this, when so many of his colleagues are running for the hills?

The rowdiness manifested itself in other ways. Sanford, for example, was asked to repudiate either Jesus Christ or atheist free-market objectivist author Ayn Rand since it was contradictory to idolize both. (Sanford acknowledged that Rand could go astray but still recommended reading Atlas Shrugged.)

Most of the questions, though, were about health care and started from the tenet that Sanfords beliefs on the subject were wrong. He had one get-out-of-jail card available to him that he pulled multiple times: that he was one of three Republicans to have voted against the American Health Care Act. (He did not point out that he voted against the AHCA in the Budget Committee because it wasnt conservative enough or that he waited to vote last, once the bills approval was assured.) Its an excuse that more endangered members, especially those who did vote for it in committee as loyal team players, wish they could have.

Should everyone in this country have health care? someone asked Sanford near the end.

I think its an individual choice, he said. Perhaps the only louder boos than the ones that followed came when he suggested that those frozen out from insurance should look to their communities, charities, and churches for assistance.

When someone asked him when he thought we will heave health care for all people in this countrya question that earned a standing ovationSanford replied that the answer is that I dont have the answer.

What he said next was odd to hear from the free-market true believer, whod endured hours of verbal abuse defending his ideology that morning: I wouldnt be surprised if we end up with a bifurcated plan, something closer to what they have in Great Britain, where you have your base level of benefits and if you want bells and whistles, you can come back and buy more. That sounds like the reluctant acknowledgement of a conservative whos seen what happens politically when free marketers even attempt to put their hands on health care.

Why does Mark Sanford put himself through this, when so many of his colleagues are running for the hills? Most congressional Republicans have either retreated to carefully choreographed tele-town halls or stopped giving town halls altogether. It may be that Sanford won his last election by 22 points in his conservative district and views the angriest of his constituentsthose who might join Indivisible and head to a town hallas a rounding error. Or maybe he just feeds on the abuse. Hes seen worse in his career but nevertheless stayed in politics for more.

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I met with his chief of staff shortly after the election on behalf of our local chapter of Indivisible. Not only did Sanford agree that we needed a live town hall, he actually asked Indivisible to host it. More...

I always did these open-door office hours in front of, like, a Walmart, he said after the town hall. He was eating a cheeseburger at his next event, a constituent roundtable at Five Guys, with more constituents who had more opinions about how he was wrong on health care and taxes.

It helped you, he said of these Walmart events. Not any one conversation, but by the time youd have 50, youd pick up certain currents, where people are coming from. By that 50-person standard, he certainly picked up a current on Tuesday. Will it make a difference when he returns to Washington? Or is it abuse for abuses sake?

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How Mark Sanford is handling wrathful voters at his town halls. - Slate - Slate Magazine

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