Far be it from me to argue with one of the greatest historical minds of the 20th century, but we essentially have an executive that serves a six year term, even if we get two extra bonus lame duck years for our efforts. So it has been with most other presidents, and so it probably shall be with Barack Obama. This is his sixth year; if it doesn’t happen this year, chances are that none of his high priority agenda items will become law in 2015 or 2016.
That’s why 2014 represents the final push for immigration, tax reform, a higher minimum wage, climate policy and every other item on the left-wing wish list. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. History has taught us that the first push rarely results in success when it comes to big change. Look how long it took to get healthcare reform. Sometimes the push is necessary if for no other reason than to get an idea in the public’s mind and to prepare them, or to follow their lead, when it comes to legislation.
Like marriage equality, which coalesced into a major civil rights issue in a short amount of time, the push for rights for all people goes as far back as Stonewall in 1969 and the Supreme Court’s ruling for and then reversal on, anti-sodomy laws in 1986 and 2003. Progressives have been highlighting income inequality and the rising gap between wealthy and not for decades. Now that cry is becoming a major force in calling for a higher, livable minimum wage that just could pass this year. After all, most people, even Republicans, support it.
The same will most likely be true of climate legislation, immigration, privacy and energy. More and more younger people realize that their world is changing and that the United States either has to catch up to other countries who are already addressing the problems or fall behind to our economic and social detriment. The far right is beginning to lose its grip on the Republican Party, and while I don’t see a more moderate wing surging anytime soon, I do see a less strident GOP in our future. That’s good news.
This year will see one or two major pieces of legislation, with the rest of Obama’s agenda left to the next Democratic president and a more willing population. I think we are moving in the right direction, but like anything done well, this will take time.
CAN THE MOVIE THEATER BE SAVED? WHILE HOLLYWOOD STICKS WITH THE SAME OLD IDEAS–BIGGER, PRICIER BLOCKBUSTERS–THESE OUTSIDERS ARE MAKING REAL CHANGES.
STACY SPIKES
Cofounder and CEO , MoviePass
The former Miramax executive’s subscription service works at almost any movie theater. For $35 a month, users can see one movie a day–any movie, at any time.
THE SUBSCRIBER
1. REMAKE THE MODEL
“‘Raise prices 5% every year’ can’t be the future. Millennials consume media in subscriptions– Netflix, Hulu–and we need to take that seriously. It’s not that disruptive. We could put AMC or Regal Crown memberships right into our app and become an extension of those programs. We build loyalty.”
2. FIT THE RIGHT MOLD
“Our system works within the theaters’ Subscribers select the movie and showtime on our app, which unlocks a debit card to purchase the ticket. MoviePass pays the theater the full price, and we sell in-app advertising. The strategy has helped us reach roughly 4,500 theaters across every state.”
3. FIND HIDDEN BENEFITS
“Theaters are open all day but are only crowded for a fraction of that. In a survey last year, we increased theater traffic 64%, users consumed more concessions, and they doubled their visits at off-peak times. Basically, we helped theaters make more money during the times they’re already open.”
4. BE AN EASY PARTNER
“When we talk to major theater chains, we stress our robust customer service. That isn’t just for our own customers; that’s so a user’s poor experience goes directly to us and nobody blames the theater. That really helps the theater see us as a friend, not a potential liability.”
The NYPD says they have arrested a man suspected of committing six unprovoked assaults in Brooklyn, including an alleged assault on a woman walking with her 7-year-old child in Midwood last week. He has been charged with six counts of assault as a hate crime, along with several additional attempted assault and harassment charges.
Barry Baldwin, a 35-year-old Brooklyn resident, was arrested and charged for numerous alleged attacks that appear to fit the “knockout” assault profile—in which a victim is sucker-punched at random—that span from November 9th to December 27th of this year. The allegations include a November 9th incident involving a 78-year-old woman, who was attacked in Midwood; Baldwin is also accused of attacking a 20-year-old woman in Bensonhurst, two elderly woman in Canarsie, and a 35-year-old woman in Canarsie, in addition to the attack on the aforementioned 33-year-old woman in Midwood.
The NYPD believes Baldwin’s most recent assault was on December 27th; he is also accused of attempted to hit a 38-year-old woman in Canarsie, but the NYPD says he missed and the victim was able to escape. There has been a lot of debate as to whether the so-called “knockout” attacks are a dangerous trend or merely overhyped by the media, and in announcing Baldwin’s arrest, the NYPD did not use the word “knockout.” Two weeks ago, a group of pre-teens ages 10, 11 and 14 were arrested in connection to “knockout”-like attacks, and they were all charged with assault, endangerment and criminal mischief.
But while you’re enjoying moo shu pork in the warmth of your laptop and clanking radiator, the folks delivering your meal are slogging through snow, wind, ice and downright dangerous conditions to get to your apartment. It’s only right that your laziness be offset by generously tipping the souls braving the storm so you don’t have to. We’re sure you’re already tipping appropriately—RIGHT?!!?—but when the weather gets rough, good human beings go the extra dollar or four to take care of food delivery people. In no particular order, here are some general rules of thumb for not being a jerk tonight:
Throw in a few extra dollars for the incredible convenience of not having to venture into the muck. Whether or not you typically tip 20%, include an extra $2-3 dollars during bad weather. It goes a long way towards making the guys on bikes not feel quite so horrible. Doubly true if you’re ordering from the next ‘hood over instead of the cute cafe down the block.
Have a little patience. You’re not the only person who had the totally brilliant idea to order delivery tonight. Not only will volume likely be higher, it’s not a cake walk to get your bike through the slush while also dodging snow plows. Anticipate a longer wait time, and don’t give off an audible sigh when your food arrives later than normal.
Whenever possible, tip in cash. This goes for any day but it’s a good reminder that tip skimming exists through online ordering.
The Port Authority Bus Terminal – one block from Times Square – was evacuated New Year’s Eve after multiple people were stabbing only hours before midnight.
The busy transit hub plunged into chaos Tuesday night just before 9pm after four people were stabbed and the assailant fled on foot.
Early reports said one of the four victims is fighting for his life, a police source was unable to confirm that to MailOnline. the other three are expected to make a full recovery.
Mass evacuation: The Port Authority Bus Terminal is only one block from Times Square
NYPD officers and Army Reservists guarding the bus terminal chased down and tackled a Latino male suspect wearing Army fatigues, the source told MailOnline.
Conflicting eyewitness accounts say the stabbing suspect eluded authorities.
An eyewitness told MailOnline the evacuation was mostly calm and orderly. An announcement came over the bus terminal’s public address system and people filed out as instructed.
‘[It was] seemingly quick and well orchestrated, led by posted troops,’ said Michael Gasiorek. ‘[The] only concern was crowd buildup outside.’
That calmness evaporated once outside, as officers were caught off-guard with the evacuation order, Mr Gasiorek explained.
‘We just evacuated, is there a plan?’ He said he asked police.
‘Plan? Get away from the building,’ the officer responded.
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is on 42nd Street at Eighth Avenue, one block from Times Square and across the street from police checkpoints regulating the flow of revelers into and out of the ball drop zone.
More than 225,000 people course in and out of its doors everyday.
It seems to be the season of making predictions for the next year, and I certainly don’t want to be the only self-appointed chronicler of the age to miss that boat, so herewith is my take on what we can expect for 2014.
The year will be unpredictable. A bold assertion, I know, but look at where we were a year ago. Obama had just been resoundingly reelected and the right was on the run. They gave in on taxes and spending and agreed to extend unemployment benefits for another year. They were talking about immigration reform and a bargain on spending. It seemed that the left had the right ideas and, led by the president, it would be a year of progress.
How did that work out? We know. Immigration passed the Senate. Sequestration clawed its way through all of the doomsday scenarios and became the budget template for the year. The House became the place where all good ideas went to die. The website was doomed to failure because nobody thought or had the money to test it. The right shut down the government. Unemployment payments have not been renewed. Our privacy either being stolen from Target or abused by the NSA.
So why am I so optimistic about the upcoming year? Because there are some terrific trends in American life that are trending in the right direction. Marriage equality is close to becoming the law of all the land. The Supreme Court will probably slow it down and rule at some point that states do have the power to prohibit it through their constitutions, but that will just be a temporary delay. State barriers to marriage, and by extension to rights for all LGBTIH and GSD and other capital letters, is in our near future. This is a profound change and one that we need to be thankful, thoughtful and diligent about enforcing.
The next year will also see health care for all. Think about that one and smile. Health care for all. The United States will join the rest of the industrialized world, and some of the less industrialized, in making sure that sickness or injury doesn’t mean bankruptcy or worse. There will be more bumps next year related to insurance company payments and recalcitrant GOP obstruction, but this law is here to stay. And the better part is that the law will be strengthened in the next few years. It has problems that need attention and we are looking at the possibility that more employers will begin moving employees to the exchanges rather than covering them through company plans. As one of my conservative friends says, if you thought the fuss over six million people being told their insurance didn’t measure up to the ACA and had their coverage canceled, wait until sixty million people who have insurance through work lose it. This is your only warning.
There are other hopeful trends to watch in 2014. The move towards a livable minimum wage is not going away and will probably gather steam next year. The criminal justice system is recognizing that mandatory sentences were a fevered reaction to inner city crime related to drugs and has done more to create a new economy based on prisons, especially in rural areas. President Obama’s sentence commutations are a first step towards making sentencing more flexible without going back to the instability of the 1960s and 70s. The Dodd-Frank bill will force financial institutions to curb or make transparent some of the practices that led to the financial crisis. Wall Street will kick and scream, but they will need to abide by the new rules.
And immigration reform will, I think find some success in the coming year. The Senate bill will not be passed by the House, and a path to citizenship might not survive the political process, but this is an idea whose time has come. It might take four or six more years before it comes to fruition, but it will.
The House will stay Republican in November and the Senate will stay Democratic, if only by 51-49 or by a Vice-President Biden Tie-Breaking Constitution Special 50-50. Someone you never considered will announce, by year’s end, that they will be a candidate for president in 2016. Someone you thought was a no-brainer will say that they will not run.
And no, it will not snow on Super Bowl Sunday.
Have a very Happy New Year and continue to work to make the United States, and the world, a better, more humane, just place to hang out in.
In a post, the popular co-host of Good Morning America, wrote, “I am grateful for my entire family, my long time girlfriend, Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together.”posted on December 29, 2013 at 5:32pm EST
Robin Roberts, who has long shielded her romantic life from the public, came out on Facebook on Sunday.
The popular co-host from ABC’s Good Morning America, who has been a key part of the show’s ascent to No. 1 in the morning television wars, posted a picture of her dog, KJ, along with this message.
Flashback 12/29/12….Hard to believe this was 1 year ago today..when I reached a critical milestone of 100 days post transplant…and KJ was finally allowed to come back home.
Reading this comforts me and I hope the same for you: “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”
At this moment I am at peace and filled with joy and gratitude.
I am grateful to God, my doctors and nurses for my restored good health.
I am grateful for my sister, Sally-Ann, for being my donor and giving me the gift of life.
I am grateful for my entire family, my long time girlfriend, Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together.
I am grateful for the many prayers and well wishes for my recovery. I return every one of them to you 100 fold.
On this last Sunday of 2013 I encourage you to reflect on what you are grateful for too.
Wishing you a Healthy and Happy New Year.
Peace, love, and blessings to all..XO
Though she had been shy about her dating life until now, Roberts has famously shared her health struggles with the public. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and underwent treatment to cure it. In June 2012, at age 51, she announced that she had been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood and bone marrow disease. She had contracted MDS, she said, from her treatments for breast cancer. Roberts’ sister was a bone marrow match for her.
The month before, Roberts had scored a huge interview for ABC: President Obama announcing his reversal on same-sex marriage. Roberts’ popularity and charm surely contributed to Obama’s advisors choosing her for the interview. But was her sexuality, an open secret, also a factor? The media, which still does not know how to write about such questions, did not speculate.
ABC News issued a statement of support: “We love Robin and Amber, who we adore and have all known for a long time. We were so touched by Robin’s Facebook message today and so thankful for all the loving support she has in her life.”
The Amber of Roberts’ post, by the way, appears to be Amber Laign; her Twitter avatar looks to be KJ the dog!
Pope Francis urged anti-austerity protesters who attended his weekly blessing to use dialogue and not violence to press their demands.
Addressing a group of protesters among the pilgrims gathered Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, the pope appealed for “a constructive contribution, rejecting the temptation for conflict and violence and following always the path of dialogue.”
The pope read aloud one of their banners: “The poor cannot wait.” He urged everyone from charities to Italian authorities “to do everything possible so that every family can have a house” this holiday season.
Protests aimed at impressing upon Italian leaders the pain inflicted on ordinary people by the country’s economic crisis have been under way across the country for two weeks. Some of them have erupted into violence.
What started out as the so-called “pitchforks protest” by Sicilian farmers nearly two years ago has grown nationwide expression of citizen impatience over rising unemployment, stubborn recession and unproductive lawmakers.
Last week, one protester’s placard read: “too much bureaucracy, skyrocketing taxes, useless politicians. Go home.”
Wondering why American students are not performing at their best? Or why we struggle to solve the problems of children getting adequate resources so they can compete in the global race for knowledge, opportunity and equity?
No need. The answer’s right here and it doesn’t take much to figure it out. We’ve made education a commodity to be traded, cut, neglected and manipulated for the better part of the economic downturn, and even before, and the policy is catching up to us. School districts all over the country had to cut back on teachers, other staff, educational resources and worse, a commitment to enable all children to take part in what should be the world’s premier public school system.
It shouldn’t have worked out that way.
The corporate know-nothings who have wheedled their way into the public policy debate and, worse, have been elected to offices where they’ve had direct experience slashing budgets, blaming public employees and pulling money out of the system because they think it spends too much. Now we’ve reached the crisis point where schools are packing in too many students into classrooms without proper staffing and educational materials. The results are disappointing at best.
But they point to something that’s been underreported, and that is that America’s public school teachers are doing a fabulous job keeping the system afloat and educating our students to the best of their abilities. The shame is imagining just how much better the country would be if we committed to funding and supporting the people who do one of the most important paid jobs in the economy.
Imagine what we could do with class sizes that allow for debate, discussion and hands-on learning in every class. Imagine having enough staff to enable struggling students and those with classifiable learning problems to get the support they both need and are entitled to by law. Imagine having enough money to take students on more than one outside academic trip per year so that they could apply their knowledge to real-world situations.
Imagine a teaching staff that is respected, emboldened and confident that the culture supported its efforts. Imagine governors making full pension payments so the system doesn’t become a political battleground and an excuse to blame teachers and other public employees from being blamed for shortfalls. Remember that the only people making reliable pension contributions are the teachers; every paycheck. Imagine a system where teachers have input into curricular implementation, and where tests are not the end result of every learning task. Imagine a collaborative, supportive environment where veteran educators are respected for their knowledge, not blamed for being too expensive.
If you can imagine such a system, then we have our work cut out for us because if we keep going as we have for the past 10 years, then we will sink further behind countries that don’t need to imagine those school systems–they already have them.
A distraught dad tossed his toddler off the roof of a 52-story apartment building on the Upper West Side on Sunday, then jumped himself — killing them both, law enforcement sources said.
Dmitriy Kanarikov, 35, of Brooklyn was supposed to hand over his 4-year old son to his estranged wife at a Manhattan precinct amid a bitter custody dispute between the couple, sources said.
Instead, the systems developer went to the top of the South Park Tower, across from St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital on West 60th Street, with his son, Kirill, and pitched the boy to his death before making his own fatal leap.
A source said Kanarikov, an immigrant from the Ukraine, may have had a friend who lived in the building.
The dad’s body was found on a fourth-floor landing of a John Jay College building next door to the apartment high-rise, while the boy’s was recovered from a sixth-floor landing of the same structure.
Authorities believe that the dad tossed the boy and then jumped because of the distance between their bodies and the fact that the father’s was found closer to the building, indicating he had more direct drop, sources said..
Police said Kanarikov was pronounced dead at the scene. The child was taken to St. Luke’s and pronounced dead there.
Nearly a week after a shopper was gunned down in a deadly carjacking at a New Jersey shopping mall garage, police arrested four men on charges of murder.
Dustin Friedland, 30, an attorney from Hoboken, was shot in the head on Dec. 15 in front of his wife after the couple loaded their car with holiday gifts at The Mall at Short Hills, about 12 miles west of Newark.
Three of the men arrested are from Newark and were identified as Karif Ford, 31, Besim Henry, 32, Kevin Roberts, 33. The fourth suspect, Hanif Thompson, 29, is from Irvington, N.J.
Friedland’s widow, Jamie Schare Friedland, released a statement after the arrest: “We are very grateful to the Essex County Police and all of the local authorities for pursuing this so vigorously.”
Facebook
Dustin Friedland, pictured with his wife Jamie Schare Friedland, was shot dead by carjackers at a New Jersey mall.
All four men are being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility on $2 million bail each. The men face charges of murder, felony murder, carjacking, conspiracy, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.
“It was old fashion police work combined with technology,” acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said about the arrest.
Police said in a news conference on Saturday morning that Friedland’s Range Rover seemed to be the motivation for the carjacking though the investigation is still active.
The stolen vehicle was found last week in an alley in Newark, about 10 miles from the mall.
Murray said all four arrived at the mall in a Suburban vehicle. After the carjacking, two left the scene in the Suburban and two left in the Range Rover. Murray added that it was unclear who fired the shots and wouldn’t comment on their relationship.
Murray said it was unclear when the four would appear in court because of the upcoming Christmas holiday but added it would likely be early next week.
A law enforcement official said that the men arrested could face the death penalty, though capital punishment in New Jersey is prohibited. Prosecutors will determine whether or not to charge the men in the federal system, where the death penalty is a possible form of punishment.
ABC News’ Colleen Curry, Josh Margolin and Jason Volack contributed to this report.
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