by tyler | Dec 29, 2023 | CNN, us
Here is a look at the life of Andrew Yang, entrepreneur and former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate.
Birth date: January 13, 1975
Birth place: Schenectady, New York
Birth name: Andrew M. Yang
Father: Kei-Hsiung Yang, researcher at IBM and GE
Mother: Nancy L. Yang, systems administrator
Marriage: Evelyn (Lu) Yang (2011-present)
Children: Two sons
Education: Brown University, B.A. in Economics, 1996; J.D. Columbia University School of Law, 1999
Religion: Protestant
His parents are originally from Taiwan.
The primary proposal for his political platform was the idea of universal basic income (UBI). This “Freedom Dividend” would have provided every citizen with $1,000 a month, or $12,000 a year.
Yang established Freedom Dividend, a pilot program to push for universal basic income, in which he personally funds monthly cash payments.
Is featured in the 2016 documentary, “Generation Startup.”
His campaign slogan was “MATH,” or “Make America Think Harder.”
In 1992, he traveled to London as a member of the US National Debate Team.
After graduating from Columbia, Yang practiced law for a short time before changing his career focus to start-ups and entrepreneurship.
2002-2005 – Vice president of a healthcare start-up.
2006-2011 – Managing director, then CEO, of Manhattan Prep, a test-prep company.
2009 – Kaplan buys Manhattan Prep for more than $10 million.
September 2011 – Founds Venture for America, a non-profit which connects recent college graduates with start-ups. Leaves the company in 2017.
2012 – Is recognized by President Barack Obama as a “Champion of Change.”
April 2012 – Ranks No. 27 on Fast Company’s list of 100 Most Creative People in Business.
February 4, 2014 – His book, “Smart People Should Build Things: How to Restore Our Culture of Achievement, Build a Path for Entrepreneurs, and Create New Jobs in America,” is published.
May 11, 2015 – Obama names Yang an ambassador for global entrepreneurship.
November 6, 2017 – Files FEC paperwork for a 2020 presidential run.
February 2, 2018 – Announces his run for president via YouTube and Twitter.
April 3, 2018 – His book, “The War on Normal People,” is published.
March 2019 – Yang explores the possibility of using a 3D hologram to be able to campaign remotely in two or three places at once.
January 4, 2020 – Launches a write-in campaign for the Ohio Democratic primary in March of 2020 after failing to fully comply with the state’s ballot access laws.
February 11, 2020 – In New Hampshire, Yang suspends his presidential campaign.
February 19, 2020 – CNN announces that Yang will be joining the network as a political commentator.
March 5, 2020 – Launches Humanity Forward, a nonprofit group that will “endorse and provide resources to political candidates who embrace Universal Basic Income, human-centered capitalism and other aligned policies at every level,” according to its website. Yang also announces that he will launch a podcast.
December 23, 2020 – Files paperwork to participate in New York’s 2021 mayoral race, according to city records.
January 13, 2021 – Yang announces his candidacy for New York City mayor.
June 22, 2021 – Yang concedes the New York City mayoral race.
October 4, 2021 – Yang announces in a blog post that he is “breaking up” with the Democratic Party and has registered as an independent
July 27, 2022 – Yang, along with former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, and a group of former Republican and Democratic officials form a new political party called Forward.
September 12, 2023 – Yang’s political thriller “The Last Election,” co-written with Stephen Marche, is published.
by tyler | Dec 28, 2023 | CNN, us
The Mississippi police officer who wrongfully shot an 11-year-old after the boy called 911 for help has been suspended without pay effective immediately, according to a member of the Indianola Board of Aldermen.
Alderman Marvin Elder tells CNN that on Monday night a motion was made at the Indianola Board of Aldermen meeting to suspend Sgt. Greg Capers without pay effective immediately. Elder said that the motion passed 4-1.
Capers mistakenly shot and seriously injured Aderrien Murry in late May while the officer was responding to a domestic disturbance call at the child’s home, according to his mother, Nakala Murry, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Capers was initially put on paid administrative leave after the shooting while it was investigated.
The Indianola Police Department told CNN they would not comment about the case.
Responding to Capers’ suspension without pay, his attorney Michael Carr told CNN they are still deciding whether to appeal.
“We were not made aware of the meeting or given the opportunity to speak or give our side,” Carr said. “Let me be clear; the decision to change Officer Capers’ status from leave with pay to leave without pay is no reflection on the merit of the alleged criminal charges against him.”
Last week, Murry filed a written affidavit in Sunflower County Circuit Court accusing Capers of bodily harm and aggravated assault to her minor son.
“This affidavit is written by Ms. Murray, and the charge as written does not reflect the complete statute,” Carr told CNN. “Let me reiterate that this affidavit is not filed by any investigative agency at this time. Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating the case. They have not filed an affidavit or any charge.”
Carr said that the Bureau of Investigation is in possession of Officer Capers’ body cam footage, adding, “I am certain once released, (it) will clear him completely from any criminal allegation in the shooting.”
Capers has a scheduled probable cause hearing on October 2 at 10 a.m., according to Carr.
The May shooting was captured on police body camera, but it has not been released to the public. The footage is in the possession of the Bureau of Investigation which is investigating the shooting. In a statement after the shooting, the MBI said the agency was “currently assessing this critical incident and gathering evidence” and would turn over its findings to the state attorney general’s office after the investigation is complete.
The Murry family has made repeated calls for Capers to be fired and charged. As a result of the shooting, Aderrien was given a chest tube and placed on a ventilator at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson after developing a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver, his mother said.
He was released from the hospital days later and is continuing to recover, according to his family.
The boy’s family has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking $5 million, claiming excessive force, negligence, reckless endangerment, and civil assault and battery, among other counts.
Reacting to the lawsuit, Indianola Mayor Ken Featherstone said he looks forward to “making everyone whole,” but the city “doesn’t have $5 million in the bank.”
Correction: A previous version of this story gave the wrong first name of Indianola Board Alderman Marvin Elder.
by tyler | Dec 28, 2023 | CNN, us
For weeks, your Christmas tree has sat twinkling quietly in a corner of your home, carefully decorated with the dazzling bits and baubles you so thoughtfully placed on its branches.
But now, the holiday has passed and the presents have disappeared, needles have begun to fall to the floor and the trunk has become a glorified cat-scratching post.
So what do you do with it now?
Here are a few things you can do to recycle, repurpose or dispose of your lovely tree.
Luckily, your tree is biodegradable, so it can easily be returned to nature. If you have a compost pile, go ahead and throw it in there.
Many places will also accept undecorated trees and put them through a wood chipper to be turned into mulch and compost.
And for goodness sake, do not send your tree through the mulcher with the string of lights still on.
Dream up some lovely landscaping ideas
If you’re a crafty creature, there are many creative ways to use an old tree in your landscaping.
Cut the trunk into slices and use them to line your flower beds or walkways. You can also create dynamic garden displays by cutting trunk pieces at different thicknesses and using them as pot risers.
Those with serious green thumbs may also use the branches of their tree to line perennial flower beds. The evergreen boughs will catch snowfall and insulate the patch of dirt from winter chills.
For plants that need a little extra support, the branches can also be used as natural stakes.
Dried branches and hunks of trunk will make fabulous firewood for an outdoor firepit or bonfire, but be sure to keep the fire outside.
When Christmas trees burn, they release creosote — a highly flammable, toxic substance consisting mainly of tar — into the fire smoke. Creosote may build up on the inside of your chimney, increasing your risk of a chimney fire.
Who would have thought you could use your tree as a tree? If you bought a potted Christmas tree or one that has its roots balled in burlap, you probably had this solution in mind already.
Buying a tree with its roots intact allows you to plant it after the holiday, giving you a gorgeous evergreen addition to your yard that can be enjoyed year-round.
The fragrant smell of evergreen needles can last long after the tree is gone.
Just remove the needles from the tree before you dispose of it and put them in sachets or bowls of water to continue basking in the festive smell for a little while longer.
Dispose of your tree and help your community
Many communities have figured out how to use old Christmas trees in creative ways.
In north-central New Jersey, the Somerset County Park Commission has a free annual Christmas tree recycling program. The trees are turned into wood chips and mulch that are used within the park system to protect and support plant life. New York City has a similar program.
The city of San Diego also offers a free program with 16 locations where residents can drop off trees that are converted into compost, mulch and wood chips that can be purchased throughout the year.
Check with your neighborhood, county, city or local groups to see if they have a need for the trees this season.
by tyler | Dec 28, 2023 | CNN, us
Christmas might be over, but Kwanzaa is just getting started.
December 26 marked the start of Kwanzaa, also spelled Kwanza (with one ‘a’ at the end). It’s a seven-day non-religious holiday observed in the US, meant to honor African Americans’ ancestral roots. The celebration lasts until January 1.
The name comes from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits.”
Created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a Black nationalist and professor of Pan-African studies at California State University at Long Beach, Kwanzaa became popular in the 1980s and 1990s in tandem with the Black Power movement — making up the trio of winter holidays along with Hanukkah and Christmas.
The holiday is defined by Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles. Each day of the festival is dedicated to a specific principle, marked by lighting a new candle on the kinara, a seven-branched candelabra.
Even though Kwanzaa isn’t as widely celebrated as it used to be, its seven principles still hold true for some. Here’s a look at what those principles are, and what they mean.
Umoja means unity in Swahili.
Karenga defines this on his Kwanzaa website as: “To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.”
Or self-determination. This principle refers to defining, naming, creating and speaking for oneself.
Translated as “collective work and responsibility,” ujima refers to uplifting your community.
“To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together,” Karenga writes.
Cooperative economics. Similar to ujima, this principle refers to uplifting your community economically. “To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together,” he writes.
Nia means purpose.
Karenga expands on this principle with, “To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.”
Meaning “creativity,” Karenga defines this principle as “To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.”
The final principle translates to “faith.”
Karenga defines this as faith in community, writing, “To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.”
by tyler | Dec 23, 2023 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the life of Richard Reid, who attempted to detonate explosives hidden in his sneakers while on an American Airlines flight. He is serving a life sentence at the US Penitentiary Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado.
Birth date: August 12, 1973
Birth place: England
Birth name: Richard Colvin Reid
Also known as the “shoe bomber.”
Prosecutors believe Reid received training in Afghanistan from al Qaeda.
Investigators believe Reid had accomplices, but he claims to have acted alone.
1992-1996 – Reid is in and out of British prisons for petty crimes. He converts to Islam while in prison.
1998-1999 – Attends the same London mosque as Zacarias Moussaoui, convicted September 11 conspirator.
November 2001 – Travels to Pakistan.
December 5, 2001 – Travels to Brussels, Belgium. While there, Reid tells Belgian authorities he’s lost his British passport and is issued a new one by the British Embassy.
December 16, 2001 – Travels to Paris.
December 17, 2001 – Buys a round-trip ticket from Paris to Miami to Antigua.
December 21, 2001 – Is questioned by airport officials after a security agent becomes suspicious because Reid paid for his ticket with cash and is traveling without checking luggage. By the time Reid is cleared to board his flight, the plane has already left Paris.
December 22, 2001 – Boards American Airlines Flight 63, Paris to Miami. During the flight, Reid tries to use a match to light explosives hidden in his shoes. Passengers and crew restrain him. The flight diverts to Boston. Reid is arrested.
January 16, 2002 – Is indicted on nine counts, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder of passengers on an aircraft, and attempted homicide of US nationals overseas.
January 18, 2002 – Pleads not guilty to eight charges. His attorney asks the court to dismiss the ninth count, attempted wrecking of a mass transportation vehicle, which is dismissed.
October 4, 2002 – Pleads guilty to the eight counts against him.
January 30, 2003 – Is sentenced to life in prison and fined $2 million.
October 4, 2004 – Saajid Mohammed Badat, of the United Kingdom, is charged with conspiring with and aiding Reid. The British indictment alleges that Badat and Reid obtained custom-made shoe bombs in Afghanistan to be used to attack US interests.
February 28, 2005 – Badat pleads guilty to conspiring with Reid to blow up a US aircraft.
April 22, 2005 – Badat is sentenced to 13 years in prison. There is evidence that he had withdrawn from the plot.
2007 – Reid files a lawsuit against the government saying the special administrative measures (SAMs) applied to him in prison violate his First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of religion. The restrictions limit his access to news and correspondence and prohibit him from praying with other prisoners.
June 2009 – The US Justice Department relaxes the SAMs being applied to Reid. He continues with his lawsuit, claiming his First Amendment rights are still being violated. In 2010, the lawsuit is dismissed.
by tyler | Dec 23, 2023 | CNN, us
Here’s a look at the life of Richard Reid, who attempted to detonate explosives hidden in his sneakers while on an American Airlines flight. He is serving a life sentence at the US Penitentiary Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado.
Birth date: August 12, 1973
Birth place: England
Birth name: Richard Colvin Reid
Also known as the “shoe bomber.”
Prosecutors believe Reid received training in Afghanistan from al Qaeda.
Investigators believe Reid had accomplices, but he claims to have acted alone.
1992-1996 – Reid is in and out of British prisons for petty crimes. He converts to Islam while in prison.
1998-1999 – Attends the same London mosque as Zacarias Moussaoui, convicted September 11 conspirator.
November 2001 – Travels to Pakistan.
December 5, 2001 – Travels to Brussels, Belgium. While there, Reid tells Belgian authorities he’s lost his British passport and is issued a new one by the British Embassy.
December 16, 2001 – Travels to Paris.
December 17, 2001 – Buys a round-trip ticket from Paris to Miami to Antigua.
December 21, 2001 – Is questioned by airport officials after a security agent becomes suspicious because Reid paid for his ticket with cash and is traveling without checking luggage. By the time Reid is cleared to board his flight, the plane has already left Paris.
December 22, 2001 – Boards American Airlines Flight 63, Paris to Miami. During the flight, Reid tries to use a match to light explosives hidden in his shoes. Passengers and crew restrain him. The flight diverts to Boston. Reid is arrested.
January 16, 2002 – Is indicted on nine counts, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder of passengers on an aircraft, and attempted homicide of US nationals overseas.
January 18, 2002 – Pleads not guilty to eight charges. His attorney asks the court to dismiss the ninth count, attempted wrecking of a mass transportation vehicle, which is dismissed.
October 4, 2002 – Pleads guilty to the eight counts against him.
January 30, 2003 – Is sentenced to life in prison and fined $2 million.
October 4, 2004 – Saajid Mohammed Badat, of the United Kingdom, is charged with conspiring with and aiding Reid. The British indictment alleges that Badat and Reid obtained custom-made shoe bombs in Afghanistan to be used to attack US interests.
February 28, 2005 – Badat pleads guilty to conspiring with Reid to blow up a US aircraft.
April 22, 2005 – Badat is sentenced to 13 years in prison. There is evidence that he had withdrawn from the plot.
2007 – Reid files a lawsuit against the government saying the special administrative measures (SAMs) applied to him in prison violate his First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of religion. The restrictions limit his access to news and correspondence and prohibit him from praying with other prisoners.
June 2009 – The US Justice Department relaxes the SAMs being applied to Reid. He continues with his lawsuit, claiming his First Amendment rights are still being violated. In 2010, the lawsuit is dismissed.
