End of an Era

  

German chancellor Angela Merkel is facing increasing pressure at home after her justice minister warned that attackers identified as migrants in Cologne on New Year's Eve were members of an organised crime network.

Heiko Maas said the mass sexual assaults and robberies that took place in the centre of the German city as thousands celebrated were co-ordinated by men using smart phones and social networks.

His claim came as Ms Merkel cancelled her regular trip to the Davos World Economic Forum, the global leaders' gathering, this month in the wake of growing public outrage, mounting criticism of her refugee policy and worries over integrating migrants.

More than 500 women have now filed criminal complaints over the new year attacks in Cologne, with 40 per cent alleging sexual assaults and many victims identifying their attackers as men of Arab or North African origin.
                        
Police said the Cologne assailants were part of a crowd of around 1,000 young men of Arab or North African origin, with 22 asylum seekers among the 32 people suspected of crimes. He said: "It is normal to suspect that a specific date was chosen and a certain number of people were expected. 

Many are calling for Merkel Resignation, and her Migrant policy problems have begun.
Just a thought.

A price to pay.

A Missouri lawmaker introduced a bill that would require lobbyists to report "sexual relations" with state legislators as a "gift" in their disclosures to the state ethics commission.

In 2015, two Show-Me State legislators [both are married to other people] left office after being accused of sexual misconduct.

The House speaker, a Republican, resigned in May following a Kansas City Star report he sent illicit text messages to a teen intern.

Over the summer, a Democratic state senator faced with allegations he sexually harassed two interns left office in what Gov. Jay Nixon called "a necessary step."

Asked why he didn't create a separate reporting requirement for sex between consenting adults, married couples and those in relationships before one was elected or began lobbying are exempted, Korman said he "didn't want to create a larger bureaucracy or a lot of additional extra laws."

"I just put it as the gift section because it's the closest thing I could come up with," he explained. Other options already on the books include "printing and publication expenses," "media and other advertising expenses" "travel, "the time, venue, and nature of any entertainment," "honoraria, "meals," and "food and beverages."

So for any Sexual relationship with any body, regardless how much the seduction is, there is a price to pay.

Just a thought.

Booing the Couple.

pro-refugee protester has been evicted from Melbourne's Department of Immigration building while breastfeeding her toddler

Rose Hamid, a 56-year-old flight attendant sitting in the stands directly behind Trump, stood up during Trump's speech when the Republican front-runner suggested that Syrian refugees fleeing war in Syria were affiliated with ISIS.

Despite her silence, Trump supporters around her began chanting Trump's name and pointed at Hamid and Marty Rosenbluth, the man alongside her who stood up as well.

As they were escorted out, Trump supporters roared booing the pair and shouting at them to "get out.

Major Steven Thompson of the Rock Hill Police Department told CNN Hamid was kicked out of the event because the campaign told him beforehand that "anybody who made any kind of disturbance" should be escorted out.

Trump commented on Hamid as she was being ejected. “There is hatred against us that is unbelievable. It’s their hatred, it’s not our hatred,” Trump said.

She has no right to disturb the meeting for thousands who are in the process of choosing the President of the United States of America. Freedom of Speech is for all 

 Just a thought.

Crude reality...

The row started after the execution of Shia cleric on terrorism offences and 43 Sunni al-Qaeda militants. Iran warned Saudi Arabia to stop working against it as their diplomatic crisis intensified despite efforts to defuse the problem that has raised fears of greater regional instability.

Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. Qatar has been at odds with Saudi Arabia, supporting different rebel groups in Syria and backing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Now is changing its stance. [BBC]

Iranian Foreign Minister accused the Saudis of acting against the Iranian people by keeping oil prices low. Today's oil is collapsing amid fears that tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia will lead to a deeper price war in an oversupplied crude market. Oil prices went down 70% or more to $34 per barrel from around $100 last year and $147 the highest.

On the other hand we may have less problems in the Middle East as a result of less revenue from crude oil. Less support to various rebels, terrorists and others. Moreover, this will cause economical difficulties to the oil producer countries. A Crude Reality to the oil producers but better time for the consumers.        Just a thought.

Break...?!

Pennsylvania company that publishes business newsletters will pay about $1.75 million to thousands of employees who had to clock out while going on short breaks, including for the bathroom.
 

The bill includes back pay and damages to 6,000 employees at 14 Progressive Business Publications call centers located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio used a timekeeping system that was associated with logging on and off their computers between 2009 and 2013.

The Department of Labor filed a lawsuit in 2012 claiming the company violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act because employees weren't earning minimum wage when the company required them to clock out for breaks.

“For far too long, American Future Systems, [Progresive's parent company,] penalized its employees for taking breaks to meet the most basic needs during the work day – stretching their legs, getting a glass of water or just using the restroom,” said Jim Cain, district director for the department’s Wage and Hour Division, in a statement.

The court also ruled the company failed to keep proper record keeping requirements. Both the lack of records and the unpaid breaks are considered violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, reported the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Just a thought.

He's back...

The explainer-in-chief is back.  Bill Clinton made his first public campaign trail appearance for his wife's 2016 campaign.

Opened on Sunday ?

Chick-fil-A is known for more than just food: it's also famous for being closed on Sundays.
But in the name of a good cause, some locations in Texas northeast of Dallas turned the lights on Sunday after tornadoes ripped through the state and killed 11 people.

The locations were not open to the public, but team members from various restaurants in the area did volunteer to prepare and distribute free food to responders and others affected by the tornadoes—serving those in need during this tragic event," said Amanda Hannah, a spokeswoman for the chain.

Chick-fil-A has maintained its rare Sunday closure policy since the chicken chain opened. The weekly day off is meant to encourage employees to rest, spend time with family and worship if they choose.

I am impressed.  Just a thought.

Happy New Year.. 2016

الي كل الاحباء و الاصدقاء. كل عام وانتم جميعا بخير  ومتمتعين ببركات الرب. يوم جديد.. عام جديد و فرصه احري لعمل طيب وصالح    .... بكلمه تشجيع .. كلمةتعزيه ... او كلمة شكر.  اود ان اسمع اخباركم الطيبة و معذرة عن قصوري الواضح في الكتابة بالعربي. كل سنة وانتم جميعا بخير. نزيه حزقيال بسطوروس

Money Can be...

Ethan Anthony Couch made national headlines at age 16 when he was prosecuted as a juvenile and convicted of four counts of intoxication manslaughter for recklessly driving drunk on June, 2013 in Burleson, Texas where he was speeding, lost control of his vehicle, plowed into a gathering of pedestrians and struck a parked car. Four people were killed and nine others injured, two suffering serious bodily injury as a result of the collision.

In December 2013, the Judge sentenced Couch to 10 years of probation and therapy at a long-term, in-patient facility, after his attorneys successfully argued that the teen suffered from "affluenza" and needed rehabilitation instead of prison.

Couch became the subject of a manhunt after his probation officer was unable to contact him. On December 28, 2015, authorities detained Couch and his mother in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta after 12 days on the run.

Ethan Couch drove himself to school at the age of thirteen. When the head of the school questioned that practice, the father threatened to buy the school. At the age of fifteen, Ethan Couch was cited for "minor in consumption of alcohol" and "minor in possession of alcohol," after he was caught in a parked pick-up truck with a naked, passed out 14-year-old girl.

Fred Couch, father, has been charged with criminal mischief, theft by check, and assault, but the charges were dismissed. On 2014, he was arrested for impersonating a police officer, allegedly displaying a fake badge during a disturbance call. In 2013, Tonya Couch was sentenced to a $500 fine and a six-month community supervision order for reckless driving when she used her vehicle to force another motorist off the road.

Money is not necessary a blessing. Just a thought.

Routine ?

 

A moderate Syrian rebel leader has been killed in a bomb attack in southern Turkey, local media reports.  The commander of Sukour al-Ghab, a militant group fighting under the umbrella banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), was severely injured in an explosion that hit his car in the city of Antakya, off the Syrian border.

A top Syrian rebel leader in the eastern suburbs of Damascus was killed in an aerial raid that targeted the group's headquarters, sources said. Fired missiles at a secret headquarters of the group, which is the largest rebel faction in the area and has about 15,000 to 20,000 fighters, according to Western intelligence.  Rebels blamed Russian sophisticated spying planes which they say rarely leave their skies.

The Sham News Network has posted a video showing captured civilians and fighters caged in the back of trucks. At least one of the cages is filled with women, who are being used as a human shield against Syrian and Russian airstrikes.

The business of War and the flow of money is certainly booming. Countries support one Moderate faction over another for fear of the outcome, while the outcome is here already.

Just a thought.