YOU WILL LOSE YOUR DEMOCRACY IF YOU DO NOT SHOUT LOUDLY AND STRONGLY FOR FREE PRESS THAT WORKS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST!!!!
I want to address a media issue before returning to K-12 in Baltimore and across the country. It is simply unacceptable to have media that tells us after the fact that policy that is decades in the making produced something bad, and that is what is happening yet again with these corporatized university campuses. I am having to listen to our local public media WYPR decry this policy as bad after it is in place. Even as I spent years trying to get media on this policy and demanded of all media to make this an issue in elections, all of Maryland media was silent. You will see my comment to our local 'economic' commenter.
Another issue is the Affordable Care Act. The exact same thing is happening and media are yet again allowing these pols to say one thing while doing another. So I tell my local public media:
Regarding the deficit reduction debates and Basu's economic forecasts:
Rather than wait for two decades more to have Basu tell us that Affordable Care was all about consolidating the health industry into Wall Street-sized global corporations that will prey on or ignore the poor and elderly and allow health care for about 20% of the population that can afford insurance coverage.....so forget about entitlements....let's talk about it now. Your incumbents are not protecting your entitlements.
The idea of Affordable Care is how to make health care more profitable to health businesses, not to offer more or better care. This is why we see the push to preventive care because that is all the care that the 80% of Americans will be able to access. With health data in hand....Hopkins is leading that public interest nightmare....they will be able to determine who gets insurance and how much according to these health records. You say 'but they told us it was to lower costs and give better care! They promise the data won't be used against us'!
We have gone through two decades of the US as a third world government that is as corrupt and criminal as ever in American history. Are you really going to continue to believe what you hear?
What is important to those of us wanting our democracy back is demanding and fighting for media that serves the public interest. These issues most important to the public are silenced. I was so glad to hear that NPR in Washington was flush with hate mail and threats simply because it shows the political action needed for change. We don't need to break the law, but we do need to make these media outlets think twice about who they serve. Did our public media economist Basu know two decades ago the direction of this university corporatizing policy.....of course. He very well was a part of the planning. THESE PEOPLE ARE SHOWING GRAVE DISRESPECT BY ACTING AS THOUGH THIS BEHAVIOR IS OK.
I PICK ON PUBLIC MEDIA BECAUSE THAT IS THE PEOPLE'S NETWORK....ERGO......'PUBLIC' MEDIA.
Basu is like the weather forecaster who tells us after the storm that the storm has occurred...with great indignation. O'Malley has worked for 2 decades to build what Basu now protests. It is why Maryland is ranked first in Education Week and Time put Grabowsky and UMBC on their corporate rag front page....privatizing public education. It is also why O'Malley is in the national spotlight; he is a good corporate team player.
Basu did identify the problem the public now has to reverse. A generation of students who were forced to pay high tuition to build this corporate pipeline are the ones now spoken of as the lost generation because of the debt piled upon them by this corporatization of private and public universities. We can easily disband the business administrative piece designed to move taxpayer money into corporate R and D. The new facilities are not so easily gone so they will simply be a reminder of misguided public policy. The Feds can pay for that since they drove the policy. Getting rid of the innovation centers and the partnerships with all kinds of agencies will bring tuition down substantially and bring universities back to the task of teaching. Having the state reinstate Rule of Law in Maryland so as to bring back billions and billions of dollars in corporate fraud across all business sector will bring back the money for state university funding for all.
We need to demand more from Maryland media as the citizens of Maryland have a government that feels it can hide all of development plans until the plan is finished and then simply tell the public what is going to happen afterwards. This is not democracy and it is not first world.....it is third world and autocratic. Every media outlet protects this system against the interests of the public. This is why we need to VOTE OUR INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE AND THE FARM TEAM BEHIND THEM!
Community Advisory Board The WYPR Community Advisory Board
CAB members are a volunteer group of interested citizens and listeners who are appointed by the WYPR Board of Directors. The CAB is required to meet at regular intervals. The CAB deliberates independently of station management and WYPR's Board of Directors. It determines its own agenda and elects its own leadership.
012/2013 CAB Meetings held at Our Daily Bread Employment Center and begin at 6:00 PM.September 24, 2012 (Please note date change from 9/26/12)
January 23, 2013
___________________________________________________
I HAVE ASKED THE CENTER FOR MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY HOW IT CAN REPORT ON ALEC ISSUES AND NOT INCLUDE THE OBAMA EDUCATION REFORM. THIS REFORM IS WRITTEN BY WALL STREET AND BILL GATES WITH THE HELP OF EDUCATION TECH COMPANIES AND AIMS TO PRIVATIZE PUBLIC EDUCATION. WHAT CAN BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT???? SO, I QUESTION WHY THEY DO NOT OUT A THIRD WAY CORPORATE DEMOCRATIC SCHEME AND ONLY REPUBLICAN. FINANCIAL REFORM IS BEING WRITTEN COMPLETELY BY THE BANKS, AND OUR INTERNATIONAL TRADE POLICIES ALL BY CORPORATIONS AND THEIR LAWYERS. THESE ARE ALL HAPPENING IN A THIRD WAY CORPORATE DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATION.
Does Media and Democracy do good things....of course it does. WHY ARE WE HEARING OF RIGHT TO WORK LAWS AFTER IT HAPPENS? THESE POLICIES WERE CREATED YEARS AGO. It is working in our interest if it neglects the largest offenses of our time? OF COURSE NOT!!! LET THEM KNOW!! Remember this......most of these petitioning organizations are simply trying to get your email info to tell you how to vote next election. Most of them will be telling you to vote for a Third Way corporate democrat like Clinton, Cuomo, Biden, or O'Malley.
Your Support Helped Us Kick ALEC in the Pants December 13, 2012
Dear Friend:
With your help, we've accomplished some amazing things this year!
We connected the dots between corporations, politicians, and controversial legislation pouring out of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) -- like the “Right to Work” (for less) law that was just passed in Michigan by the ALEC/Koch cabal, and the “Shoot to Kill” law cited in Florida to protect Trayvon Martin's killer which was crafted by the NRA and pushed out nationally by ALEC.
Together with our allies, we convinced 42 major corporations to dump ALEC (including Wal-Mart!). Plus, at least 70 state legislators quit the organization and another 117 others lost their seats in the last election.
We sued ALEC legislators who were trying to hide public access to lobbying communications from ALEC in their private emails and won! And time and time again, the courts rejected key parts of the ALEC agenda on voter suppression, immigration, school privatization and more.
We won five major awards for our investigative journalism and leadership of the public campaigns to expose corporate influence and corruption of our democracy, including an "Izzy" named for the great investigative journalist I.F. Stone, a “Sidney” from the Hillman Foundation, a “Bennie” from the Business Ethics Network, and more.
We picked these fights because playing defense is just not good enough. We did it because corporations are undermining essential American institutions, manipulating opinions, and diverting your taxes from the public good to private profit through "privatization" schemes.
Will you help us continue our work to expose the bad guys by donating today? Every dollar you contribute helps us hit harder with the facts!
Sincerely,
Lisa Graves
Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy
About the Center for Media and Democracy The Center for Media and Democracy is a non-profit investigative reporting group whose work aids public awareness about the people, companies, and groups attempting to shape the media and our democracy. Founded in 1993, our national reporting and analysis focus on exposing corporate spin. We accept no funding from for-profit corporations or the government. The Center for Media and Democracy's websites are PR Watch, SourceWatch, BanksterUSA, ALECexposed and Food Rights Network.
_________________________________________________
I THINK ALL MINORITIES IN BALTIMORE AND MARYLAND WILL SHOUT OUT THAT CORDISH IS ACTIVELY ABUSING AND MARGINALIZING BOTH HISPANICS AND BLACKS AS THEY ARE CHEATED OUT OF WAGES AND FORCED TO ENDURE POOR WORKPLACE CONDITIONS. WE NEED TO KNOW THAT CORDISH HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED AS THINKING OF BUYING THE BALTIMORE SUN. CAN YOU IMAGINE AN ORGANIZATION KNOWN FOR CRIMINAL MISCONDUCT AND ABUSE HOLDING A REGIONAL PAPER....
WE NEED TO LET THE FCC KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT HOW MEDIA IN AMERICA WORKS!!!!
Cordish division named in Louisville, Ky., lawsuit alleging discrimination Plaintiff claims employees of Cordish tenant turned away party with black attendees
By Richard Gorelick The Baltimore Sun 10:55 a.m. EST, December 22, 2012
A division of the Baltimore-based Cordish Cos. has been named as a co-defendant in a lawsuit alleging discriminatory practices at The Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge, a tenant at Cordish's Fourth Street Live! property in Louisville, Ky.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges that the lounge's employees "demanded to know the ratio of 'black people' to 'white people'" who were expected to attend a party, then denied entrance to every black person who showed up.
Andre Mulligan, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, is suing Louisville Bourbon LLC (doing business as Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge) and Cordish Operating Ventures LLC of Baltimore in Jefferson County Court in Kentucky.
In the suit, Mulligan says that he met Aug. 17 with employees from Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge about a party he was planning there. He alleges that they asked him about the proportion of black patrons vs. white patrons and, upon learning that all the attendees would be black, told him that "he and other African Americans would not be allowed to hold an event." The lawsuit claims that the next evening, when Mulligan and other black would-be party-goers showed up, bar employees refused to serve them.
In addition, Mulligan's suit contends, "Cordish security told the Plaintiff to 'shut up' and that he was trespassing. Cordish security informed the Plaintiff that he would be 'locked up' if he did not leave the grounds."
Kurt A. Scharfenberger, who is representing Mulligan in his lawsuit, told The Baltimore Sun that Mulligan had booked the party at Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge before his Aug. 17 meeting with the lounge's employees. It was only when Mulligan showed up in person for the meeting, with his brother, that he was asked about the party's racial make-up, Scharfenberger said.
Asked Friday evening about the incident, the Cordish Cos. supplied a statement from Fourth Street Live spokesman Mike Leonard.
"This is a matter between a third party tenant and an individual. Neither Fourth Street Live! nor The Cordish Company nor any of their employees were involved in the alleged situation," he said. "The tenant has vigorously denied the allegations and stated they are totally false. In addition, we have conducted an independent investigation of the allegations and believe them to be without merit."
Maker's Mark released a statement distancing itself from the Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge.
"Maker’s Mark licenses its name and trademark to a third party appointed by Cordish Operating Ventures, LLC, which is solely responsible for the ownership, operation and management of the Maker’s Mark Bourbon House and Lounge in Louisville Kentucky," said the statement from Chairman Emeritus Bill Samuels Jr. and COO Rob Samuels. "Maker's Mark has no ownership or involvement in the Lounge whatsoever. ... Maker’s Mark does not accept, and will not tolerate, discrimination in any form, and has so notified and warned the company which is solely responsible for the operation of the Lounge."
Follow Baltimore Diner on Twitter @gorelickingood
__________________________________________________
THIS IS A GREAT OVERVIEW ON AN IMPORTANT TOPIC. IT WILL BE THE SUPERHIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION OF THE 21ST CENTURY. SINCE THIS GRID WILL ENCOMPASS ALMOST ALL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION...THINK THE POST OFFICE......IT SHOULD BE PUBLIC. THIS IS WHERE THE ISSUES FOR MOST PEOPLE START. ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY.
THEY WILL PUSH PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. AGAIN, THIS MEANS YOU AND I PAY TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN IT AND THE CORPS WILL RUN THE PROCESS AND DECIDE HOW IT CAN BE USED. THAT IS WHERE YOUR THIRD WAY CORPORATE DEMOCRAT IS TAKING IT.
NET NEUTRALITY IS THE MOST CRITICAL OF ISSUES THAT IS NEVER DISCUSSED. OBAMA RAN AS A PROPONENT OF NET NEUTRALITY AND YET, HIS APPOINTMENT TO THIS AGENCY IS ALLOWING ALL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS DISAPPEAR AND NET NEUTRALITY HAS BEEN SHELVED. DO WE NEED TO LOSE ALL OF OUR PUBLIC AIRWAVES SO WE CAN HAVE UNLIMITED APPS AND CABLE STATIONS THAT NO ONE USES? FREE TV, FREE RADIO, AND FREE INTERNET SURFING (OTHER THAN PAYING YOUR MONTHLY FEE JUST AS WITH YOUR ELECTRIC BILL) ARE ALL UNDER ATTACK. THESE CORPORATIONS INTEND TO RAISE THE COST FOR INTERNET CONNECTION TO A PRICE THAT MOST PEOPLE CANNOT AFFORD; THEY INTEND TO CHARGE EVER MORE FOR HOW MUCH YOU DOWNLOAD; THEY INTEND ON SIDELINING PEOPLE WITH SLOW INTERNET SPEED (DIAL UP ANYONE) ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD TO PAY.
THESE POLICIES WILL PUSH MANY PEOPLE INTO THE STONE AGES. THIS ALL NEEDS TO BE PUBLIC AND REGULATED IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST OF DEMOCRATIC ACCESS JUST LIKE ELECTRICITY.
"Progressive America Rising"
What Is the Smart Grid? Core Infrastructure for the 'Green New Deal'
By Joe Miller
SolidarityEconomy.net via Smartgridnews.com
Many people are asking, “What is the Smart Grid?”
Many more are trying to define it with short “sound bite” descriptions. These short statements cannot adequately convey the level of detail needed to provide a clear understanding. The Smart Grid isn’t a thing but rather a vision and to be complete, that vision must be expressed from various perspectives – its values, its characteristics, and the milestones for achieving it.
Smart grid values
The transformation to the Smart Grid will require new investment and commitment by its many stakeholders. These stakeholders expect significant value in return. Understanding how this value will be created is an important step in defining the vision. Expectations for the Smart Grid are great and will be realized through advances in each of the six value areas described below:
It must be more reliable. A reliable grid provides power, when and where its users need it and of the quality they value.
It must be more secure. A secure grid withstands physical and cyber attacks without suffering massive blackouts or exorbitant recovery costs.
It is also less vulnerable to natural disasters and recovers quickly.
It must be more economic. An economic grid operates under the basic laws of supply and demand, resulting in fair prices and adequate supplies.
It must be more efficient. An efficient grid employs strategies that lead to cost control, minimal transmission and distribution losses, efficient power production, optimal asset utilization while providing consumers options for managing their energy usage.
It must be more environmentally friendly. An environmentally friendly grid reduces environmental impacts thorough improvements in efficiency and by enabling the integration of a larger percentage of intermittent resources than could otherwise be reliably supported.
It must be safer. A safe grid does no harm to the public or to grid workers and is sensitive to users who depend on it as a medical necessity.
Smart grid principal characteristics
The Smart Grid can be considered a “transactive” agent. That is, it will enable financial, informational, as well as “electrical” transactions among consumers, grid assets, and other authorized users. Its functionality is defined by the following seven principal characteristics:
First, it will enable active participation by consumers. The Smart Grid will give consumers information, control, and options that enable them to engage in new “electricity markets.” Grid operators will treat willing consumers as resources in the day-to-day operation of the grid. Well-informed consumers will modify consumption based on the balancing of their demands and resources with the electric system’s capability to meet those demands.
Second, it will accommodate all generation and storage options. It will seamlessly integrate all types and sizes of electrical generation and storage systems using simplified interconnection processes and universal interoperability standards to support a “plug-and-play” level of convenience. Large central power plants, including environmentally friendly sources such as wind and solar farms and advanced nuclear plants, will continue to play a major role even as large numbers of smaller distributed resources, including Plug-in Electric Vehicles, are deployed.
Third, it will enable new products, services, and markets. The Smart Grid will link buyers and sellers together – from the consumer to the Regional Transmission Organization. It will support the creation of new electricity markets from the home energy management system at the consumer’s premise to technologies that allow consumers and third parties to bid their energy resources into the electricity market. The Smart Grid will support consistent market operation across regions.
Fourth, it will provide power quality for the digital economy. It will monitor, diagnose, and respond to power quality deficiencies resulting in a dramatic reduction in the business losses currently experienced by consumers due to insufficient power quality.
Fifth, it will optimize asset utilization and operate efficiently. Operationally, the Smart Grid will improve load factors, lower system losses, and dramatically improve outage management performance. The availability of additional grid intelligence will give planners and engineers the knowledge to build what is needed when it is needed, to extend the life of assets, to repair equipment before it fails unexpectedly, and to more effectively manage the work force. Operational, maintenance and capital costs will be reduced thereby keeping downward pressure on prices.
Sixth, it will anticipate and respond to system disturbances (self-heal). It will heal itself by performing continuous self-assessments to detect and analyze issues, take corrective action to mitigate them and, if needed, rapidly restore grid components or network sections. It will also handle problems too large or too fast-moving for human intervention. And finally, the Smart Grid will operate resiliently against attack and natural disaster. The Smart Grid will incorporate a systemwide solution that reduces physical and cyber vulnerabilities and enables a rapid recovery from disruptions. Its resilience will create an image that intimidates would-be attackers. It will also be less vulnerable to natural disasters.
Smart grid milestones
Smart Grid milestones represent the building blocks of the Smart Grid. Completion of each requires the deployment and integration of various technologies and applications. “One size does not fit all” – the sequence for implementing these milestones and the degree of implementation will depend on the specific circumstances of those involved.
Consumer Enablement (CE) empowers consumers by giving them the information and education they need to effectively utilize the new options provided by the Smart Grid. CE includes solutions such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), home area networks with in-home displays, distributed energy resources (DER), and demand response programs as well as upgrades to utility information technology architecture and applications that will support “plug-and-play” integration with all future Smart Grid technologies.
Advanced Distribution Operations (ADO) improves reliability and enables “self-healing.” ADO includes solutions such as smart sensors and control devices, advanced outage management, distribution management, and distribution automation systems, geographical information, and other technologies to support two-way power flow and microgrid operation.
Advanced Transmission Operations (ATO) integrates the distribution system with RTO operational and market applications to enable improved overall grid operations and reduced transmission congestion. ATO includes substation automation, integrated wide area measurement applications, power electronics, advanced system monitoring, and protection schemes and modeling, simulation, and visualization tools to increase situational awareness and provide a better understanding of real-time and future operating risks.
Advanced Asset Management (AAM) integrates the grid intelligence acquired in achieving the other milestones with new and existing asset management applications. This integration enables utilities to reduce operations and maintenance and capital costs and better utilize assets during day-to-day operations. Additionally, it significantly improves the performance of capacity planning, maintenance, engineering and facility design, customer service processes, and work and resource management.
Summary
It is this combination of values, principal characteristics and milestones that answers the question, “What is the Smart Grid?” Brief “sound bite” descriptions cannot do justice to this complex subject.
Joe Miller is the DOE/NETL Smart Grid Implementation Strategy Team Lead and Senior Vice President at Horizon Energy Group.
I want to address a media issue before returning to K-12 in Baltimore and across the country. It is simply unacceptable to have media that tells us after the fact that policy that is decades in the making produced something bad, and that is what is happening yet again with these corporatized university campuses. I am having to listen to our local public media WYPR decry this policy as bad after it is in place. Even as I spent years trying to get media on this policy and demanded of all media to make this an issue in elections, all of Maryland media was silent. You will see my comment to our local 'economic' commenter.
Another issue is the Affordable Care Act. The exact same thing is happening and media are yet again allowing these pols to say one thing while doing another. So I tell my local public media:
Regarding the deficit reduction debates and Basu's economic forecasts:
Rather than wait for two decades more to have Basu tell us that Affordable Care was all about consolidating the health industry into Wall Street-sized global corporations that will prey on or ignore the poor and elderly and allow health care for about 20% of the population that can afford insurance coverage.....so forget about entitlements....let's talk about it now. Your incumbents are not protecting your entitlements.
The idea of Affordable Care is how to make health care more profitable to health businesses, not to offer more or better care. This is why we see the push to preventive care because that is all the care that the 80% of Americans will be able to access. With health data in hand....Hopkins is leading that public interest nightmare....they will be able to determine who gets insurance and how much according to these health records. You say 'but they told us it was to lower costs and give better care! They promise the data won't be used against us'!
We have gone through two decades of the US as a third world government that is as corrupt and criminal as ever in American history. Are you really going to continue to believe what you hear?
What is important to those of us wanting our democracy back is demanding and fighting for media that serves the public interest. These issues most important to the public are silenced. I was so glad to hear that NPR in Washington was flush with hate mail and threats simply because it shows the political action needed for change. We don't need to break the law, but we do need to make these media outlets think twice about who they serve. Did our public media economist Basu know two decades ago the direction of this university corporatizing policy.....of course. He very well was a part of the planning. THESE PEOPLE ARE SHOWING GRAVE DISRESPECT BY ACTING AS THOUGH THIS BEHAVIOR IS OK.
I PICK ON PUBLIC MEDIA BECAUSE THAT IS THE PEOPLE'S NETWORK....ERGO......'PUBLIC' MEDIA.
Basu is like the weather forecaster who tells us after the storm that the storm has occurred...with great indignation. O'Malley has worked for 2 decades to build what Basu now protests. It is why Maryland is ranked first in Education Week and Time put Grabowsky and UMBC on their corporate rag front page....privatizing public education. It is also why O'Malley is in the national spotlight; he is a good corporate team player.
Basu did identify the problem the public now has to reverse. A generation of students who were forced to pay high tuition to build this corporate pipeline are the ones now spoken of as the lost generation because of the debt piled upon them by this corporatization of private and public universities. We can easily disband the business administrative piece designed to move taxpayer money into corporate R and D. The new facilities are not so easily gone so they will simply be a reminder of misguided public policy. The Feds can pay for that since they drove the policy. Getting rid of the innovation centers and the partnerships with all kinds of agencies will bring tuition down substantially and bring universities back to the task of teaching. Having the state reinstate Rule of Law in Maryland so as to bring back billions and billions of dollars in corporate fraud across all business sector will bring back the money for state university funding for all.
We need to demand more from Maryland media as the citizens of Maryland have a government that feels it can hide all of development plans until the plan is finished and then simply tell the public what is going to happen afterwards. This is not democracy and it is not first world.....it is third world and autocratic. Every media outlet protects this system against the interests of the public. This is why we need to VOTE OUR INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE AND THE FARM TEAM BEHIND THEM!
Community Advisory Board The WYPR Community Advisory Board
CAB members are a volunteer group of interested citizens and listeners who are appointed by the WYPR Board of Directors. The CAB is required to meet at regular intervals. The CAB deliberates independently of station management and WYPR's Board of Directors. It determines its own agenda and elects its own leadership.
012/2013 CAB Meetings held at Our Daily Bread Employment Center and begin at 6:00 PM.September 24, 2012 (Please note date change from 9/26/12)
January 23, 2013
___________________________________________________
I HAVE ASKED THE CENTER FOR MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY HOW IT CAN REPORT ON ALEC ISSUES AND NOT INCLUDE THE OBAMA EDUCATION REFORM. THIS REFORM IS WRITTEN BY WALL STREET AND BILL GATES WITH THE HELP OF EDUCATION TECH COMPANIES AND AIMS TO PRIVATIZE PUBLIC EDUCATION. WHAT CAN BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT???? SO, I QUESTION WHY THEY DO NOT OUT A THIRD WAY CORPORATE DEMOCRATIC SCHEME AND ONLY REPUBLICAN. FINANCIAL REFORM IS BEING WRITTEN COMPLETELY BY THE BANKS, AND OUR INTERNATIONAL TRADE POLICIES ALL BY CORPORATIONS AND THEIR LAWYERS. THESE ARE ALL HAPPENING IN A THIRD WAY CORPORATE DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATION.
Does Media and Democracy do good things....of course it does. WHY ARE WE HEARING OF RIGHT TO WORK LAWS AFTER IT HAPPENS? THESE POLICIES WERE CREATED YEARS AGO. It is working in our interest if it neglects the largest offenses of our time? OF COURSE NOT!!! LET THEM KNOW!! Remember this......most of these petitioning organizations are simply trying to get your email info to tell you how to vote next election. Most of them will be telling you to vote for a Third Way corporate democrat like Clinton, Cuomo, Biden, or O'Malley.
Your Support Helped Us Kick ALEC in the Pants December 13, 2012
Dear Friend:
With your help, we've accomplished some amazing things this year!
We connected the dots between corporations, politicians, and controversial legislation pouring out of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) -- like the “Right to Work” (for less) law that was just passed in Michigan by the ALEC/Koch cabal, and the “Shoot to Kill” law cited in Florida to protect Trayvon Martin's killer which was crafted by the NRA and pushed out nationally by ALEC.
Together with our allies, we convinced 42 major corporations to dump ALEC (including Wal-Mart!). Plus, at least 70 state legislators quit the organization and another 117 others lost their seats in the last election.
We sued ALEC legislators who were trying to hide public access to lobbying communications from ALEC in their private emails and won! And time and time again, the courts rejected key parts of the ALEC agenda on voter suppression, immigration, school privatization and more.
We won five major awards for our investigative journalism and leadership of the public campaigns to expose corporate influence and corruption of our democracy, including an "Izzy" named for the great investigative journalist I.F. Stone, a “Sidney” from the Hillman Foundation, a “Bennie” from the Business Ethics Network, and more.
We picked these fights because playing defense is just not good enough. We did it because corporations are undermining essential American institutions, manipulating opinions, and diverting your taxes from the public good to private profit through "privatization" schemes.
Will you help us continue our work to expose the bad guys by donating today? Every dollar you contribute helps us hit harder with the facts!
Sincerely,
Lisa Graves
Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy
About the Center for Media and Democracy The Center for Media and Democracy is a non-profit investigative reporting group whose work aids public awareness about the people, companies, and groups attempting to shape the media and our democracy. Founded in 1993, our national reporting and analysis focus on exposing corporate spin. We accept no funding from for-profit corporations or the government. The Center for Media and Democracy's websites are PR Watch, SourceWatch, BanksterUSA, ALECexposed and Food Rights Network.
_________________________________________________
I THINK ALL MINORITIES IN BALTIMORE AND MARYLAND WILL SHOUT OUT THAT CORDISH IS ACTIVELY ABUSING AND MARGINALIZING BOTH HISPANICS AND BLACKS AS THEY ARE CHEATED OUT OF WAGES AND FORCED TO ENDURE POOR WORKPLACE CONDITIONS. WE NEED TO KNOW THAT CORDISH HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED AS THINKING OF BUYING THE BALTIMORE SUN. CAN YOU IMAGINE AN ORGANIZATION KNOWN FOR CRIMINAL MISCONDUCT AND ABUSE HOLDING A REGIONAL PAPER....
WE NEED TO LET THE FCC KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT HOW MEDIA IN AMERICA WORKS!!!!
Cordish division named in Louisville, Ky., lawsuit alleging discrimination Plaintiff claims employees of Cordish tenant turned away party with black attendees
By Richard Gorelick The Baltimore Sun 10:55 a.m. EST, December 22, 2012
A division of the Baltimore-based Cordish Cos. has been named as a co-defendant in a lawsuit alleging discriminatory practices at The Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge, a tenant at Cordish's Fourth Street Live! property in Louisville, Ky.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges that the lounge's employees "demanded to know the ratio of 'black people' to 'white people'" who were expected to attend a party, then denied entrance to every black person who showed up.
Andre Mulligan, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, is suing Louisville Bourbon LLC (doing business as Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge) and Cordish Operating Ventures LLC of Baltimore in Jefferson County Court in Kentucky.
In the suit, Mulligan says that he met Aug. 17 with employees from Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge about a party he was planning there. He alleges that they asked him about the proportion of black patrons vs. white patrons and, upon learning that all the attendees would be black, told him that "he and other African Americans would not be allowed to hold an event." The lawsuit claims that the next evening, when Mulligan and other black would-be party-goers showed up, bar employees refused to serve them.
In addition, Mulligan's suit contends, "Cordish security told the Plaintiff to 'shut up' and that he was trespassing. Cordish security informed the Plaintiff that he would be 'locked up' if he did not leave the grounds."
Kurt A. Scharfenberger, who is representing Mulligan in his lawsuit, told The Baltimore Sun that Mulligan had booked the party at Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge before his Aug. 17 meeting with the lounge's employees. It was only when Mulligan showed up in person for the meeting, with his brother, that he was asked about the party's racial make-up, Scharfenberger said.
Asked Friday evening about the incident, the Cordish Cos. supplied a statement from Fourth Street Live spokesman Mike Leonard.
"This is a matter between a third party tenant and an individual. Neither Fourth Street Live! nor The Cordish Company nor any of their employees were involved in the alleged situation," he said. "The tenant has vigorously denied the allegations and stated they are totally false. In addition, we have conducted an independent investigation of the allegations and believe them to be without merit."
Maker's Mark released a statement distancing itself from the Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge.
"Maker’s Mark licenses its name and trademark to a third party appointed by Cordish Operating Ventures, LLC, which is solely responsible for the ownership, operation and management of the Maker’s Mark Bourbon House and Lounge in Louisville Kentucky," said the statement from Chairman Emeritus Bill Samuels Jr. and COO Rob Samuels. "Maker's Mark has no ownership or involvement in the Lounge whatsoever. ... Maker’s Mark does not accept, and will not tolerate, discrimination in any form, and has so notified and warned the company which is solely responsible for the operation of the Lounge."
Follow Baltimore Diner on Twitter @gorelickingood
__________________________________________________
THIS IS A GREAT OVERVIEW ON AN IMPORTANT TOPIC. IT WILL BE THE SUPERHIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION OF THE 21ST CENTURY. SINCE THIS GRID WILL ENCOMPASS ALMOST ALL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION...THINK THE POST OFFICE......IT SHOULD BE PUBLIC. THIS IS WHERE THE ISSUES FOR MOST PEOPLE START. ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY.
THEY WILL PUSH PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. AGAIN, THIS MEANS YOU AND I PAY TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN IT AND THE CORPS WILL RUN THE PROCESS AND DECIDE HOW IT CAN BE USED. THAT IS WHERE YOUR THIRD WAY CORPORATE DEMOCRAT IS TAKING IT.
NET NEUTRALITY IS THE MOST CRITICAL OF ISSUES THAT IS NEVER DISCUSSED. OBAMA RAN AS A PROPONENT OF NET NEUTRALITY AND YET, HIS APPOINTMENT TO THIS AGENCY IS ALLOWING ALL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS DISAPPEAR AND NET NEUTRALITY HAS BEEN SHELVED. DO WE NEED TO LOSE ALL OF OUR PUBLIC AIRWAVES SO WE CAN HAVE UNLIMITED APPS AND CABLE STATIONS THAT NO ONE USES? FREE TV, FREE RADIO, AND FREE INTERNET SURFING (OTHER THAN PAYING YOUR MONTHLY FEE JUST AS WITH YOUR ELECTRIC BILL) ARE ALL UNDER ATTACK. THESE CORPORATIONS INTEND TO RAISE THE COST FOR INTERNET CONNECTION TO A PRICE THAT MOST PEOPLE CANNOT AFFORD; THEY INTEND TO CHARGE EVER MORE FOR HOW MUCH YOU DOWNLOAD; THEY INTEND ON SIDELINING PEOPLE WITH SLOW INTERNET SPEED (DIAL UP ANYONE) ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD TO PAY.
THESE POLICIES WILL PUSH MANY PEOPLE INTO THE STONE AGES. THIS ALL NEEDS TO BE PUBLIC AND REGULATED IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST OF DEMOCRATIC ACCESS JUST LIKE ELECTRICITY.
"Progressive America Rising"
What Is the Smart Grid? Core Infrastructure for the 'Green New Deal'
By Joe Miller
SolidarityEconomy.net via Smartgridnews.com
Many people are asking, “What is the Smart Grid?”
Many more are trying to define it with short “sound bite” descriptions. These short statements cannot adequately convey the level of detail needed to provide a clear understanding. The Smart Grid isn’t a thing but rather a vision and to be complete, that vision must be expressed from various perspectives – its values, its characteristics, and the milestones for achieving it.
Smart grid values
The transformation to the Smart Grid will require new investment and commitment by its many stakeholders. These stakeholders expect significant value in return. Understanding how this value will be created is an important step in defining the vision. Expectations for the Smart Grid are great and will be realized through advances in each of the six value areas described below:
It must be more reliable. A reliable grid provides power, when and where its users need it and of the quality they value.
It must be more secure. A secure grid withstands physical and cyber attacks without suffering massive blackouts or exorbitant recovery costs.
It is also less vulnerable to natural disasters and recovers quickly.
It must be more economic. An economic grid operates under the basic laws of supply and demand, resulting in fair prices and adequate supplies.
It must be more efficient. An efficient grid employs strategies that lead to cost control, minimal transmission and distribution losses, efficient power production, optimal asset utilization while providing consumers options for managing their energy usage.
It must be more environmentally friendly. An environmentally friendly grid reduces environmental impacts thorough improvements in efficiency and by enabling the integration of a larger percentage of intermittent resources than could otherwise be reliably supported.
It must be safer. A safe grid does no harm to the public or to grid workers and is sensitive to users who depend on it as a medical necessity.
Smart grid principal characteristics
The Smart Grid can be considered a “transactive” agent. That is, it will enable financial, informational, as well as “electrical” transactions among consumers, grid assets, and other authorized users. Its functionality is defined by the following seven principal characteristics:
First, it will enable active participation by consumers. The Smart Grid will give consumers information, control, and options that enable them to engage in new “electricity markets.” Grid operators will treat willing consumers as resources in the day-to-day operation of the grid. Well-informed consumers will modify consumption based on the balancing of their demands and resources with the electric system’s capability to meet those demands.
Second, it will accommodate all generation and storage options. It will seamlessly integrate all types and sizes of electrical generation and storage systems using simplified interconnection processes and universal interoperability standards to support a “plug-and-play” level of convenience. Large central power plants, including environmentally friendly sources such as wind and solar farms and advanced nuclear plants, will continue to play a major role even as large numbers of smaller distributed resources, including Plug-in Electric Vehicles, are deployed.
Third, it will enable new products, services, and markets. The Smart Grid will link buyers and sellers together – from the consumer to the Regional Transmission Organization. It will support the creation of new electricity markets from the home energy management system at the consumer’s premise to technologies that allow consumers and third parties to bid their energy resources into the electricity market. The Smart Grid will support consistent market operation across regions.
Fourth, it will provide power quality for the digital economy. It will monitor, diagnose, and respond to power quality deficiencies resulting in a dramatic reduction in the business losses currently experienced by consumers due to insufficient power quality.
Fifth, it will optimize asset utilization and operate efficiently. Operationally, the Smart Grid will improve load factors, lower system losses, and dramatically improve outage management performance. The availability of additional grid intelligence will give planners and engineers the knowledge to build what is needed when it is needed, to extend the life of assets, to repair equipment before it fails unexpectedly, and to more effectively manage the work force. Operational, maintenance and capital costs will be reduced thereby keeping downward pressure on prices.
Sixth, it will anticipate and respond to system disturbances (self-heal). It will heal itself by performing continuous self-assessments to detect and analyze issues, take corrective action to mitigate them and, if needed, rapidly restore grid components or network sections. It will also handle problems too large or too fast-moving for human intervention. And finally, the Smart Grid will operate resiliently against attack and natural disaster. The Smart Grid will incorporate a systemwide solution that reduces physical and cyber vulnerabilities and enables a rapid recovery from disruptions. Its resilience will create an image that intimidates would-be attackers. It will also be less vulnerable to natural disasters.
Smart grid milestones
Smart Grid milestones represent the building blocks of the Smart Grid. Completion of each requires the deployment and integration of various technologies and applications. “One size does not fit all” – the sequence for implementing these milestones and the degree of implementation will depend on the specific circumstances of those involved.
Consumer Enablement (CE) empowers consumers by giving them the information and education they need to effectively utilize the new options provided by the Smart Grid. CE includes solutions such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), home area networks with in-home displays, distributed energy resources (DER), and demand response programs as well as upgrades to utility information technology architecture and applications that will support “plug-and-play” integration with all future Smart Grid technologies.
Advanced Distribution Operations (ADO) improves reliability and enables “self-healing.” ADO includes solutions such as smart sensors and control devices, advanced outage management, distribution management, and distribution automation systems, geographical information, and other technologies to support two-way power flow and microgrid operation.
Advanced Transmission Operations (ATO) integrates the distribution system with RTO operational and market applications to enable improved overall grid operations and reduced transmission congestion. ATO includes substation automation, integrated wide area measurement applications, power electronics, advanced system monitoring, and protection schemes and modeling, simulation, and visualization tools to increase situational awareness and provide a better understanding of real-time and future operating risks.
Advanced Asset Management (AAM) integrates the grid intelligence acquired in achieving the other milestones with new and existing asset management applications. This integration enables utilities to reduce operations and maintenance and capital costs and better utilize assets during day-to-day operations. Additionally, it significantly improves the performance of capacity planning, maintenance, engineering and facility design, customer service processes, and work and resource management.
Summary
It is this combination of values, principal characteristics and milestones that answers the question, “What is the Smart Grid?” Brief “sound bite” descriptions cannot do justice to this complex subject.
Joe Miller is the DOE/NETL Smart Grid Implementation Strategy Team Lead and Senior Vice President at Horizon Energy Group.
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