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From: Gregory Brown To: undisclosed-recipients:; Bcc: jeevacation@gmail.com Subject: Greg Brown's Weekend Reading and Other Things.. 5/22/2016 Date: Sun, 22 May 2016 07:06:35 +0000 Attachments: Martin_Sexton_bio.docx; transcript_ofDonald_Trump's_meeting_with_The_Wa_shington_Post_editorial_board_Mar ch_21,_2016.docx Inline-Images: image.png; image(I).png; image(2).png; image(3).png; image(4).png; image(5).png; image(6).png; image(7).png; image(8).png; image(9).png; image(10).png; image(11).png; image(12).png; image(13).png; image(14).png; image(I5).png; image(16).png; image(17).png; image(18).png; image(19).png DEAR FRIEND The Plight of Homeless Teens in America It is estimated that there are 1.7 million homeless teens and younger children currently in America today. Inline image In most cases, poverty is the main reason children and teens worldwide end up homeless or living on the streets, according to a new review of past research. About 40 percent of youths reported poverty as the main reason they were homeless, according to the report in JAMA Pediatrics last month. Family EFTA01183526 conflict and abuse were also among the most commonly reported reasons for living on the streets. The findings should make policymakers "think hard about what they can do about these issues," said senior author Paula Braitstein, who is affiliated with the University of Toronto and based in Kenya. The researchers say societies often classify homeless youths as juvenile delinquents, which results in exclusion, criminalization and oppression. Until now there had been no large reviews of data on why youths end up on the streets, they write. Braitstein and her colleagues used data collected from 49 studies with a total of 13,559 participants from 24 countries, including 21 developing countries. No one was older than 24. Thirty-nine percent of participants cited poverty as their reason for homelessness. About 32 percent reported family conflict as their reason for being on the streets, and about 26 percent cited abuse. When the researchers examined countries by economic status, poverty was the main reason for youth homelessness in developing countries and family conflict was the main reason in developed countries. While delinquency is often blamed for youth homelessness, only to percent of participants said that was what caused them to be homeless. It was the least-cited reason. And even that to percent figure might be an overestimate, because youth are more inclined to report behavioral problems than abuse as a reason for living on the streets, said Dr. Colette Auerswald, of University of California Berkeley— University of California San Francisco Joint Medical Program. Jessica left home when she was 15 to escape abuse after her sole source of support, her brother, left to join the Air Force. She didn't have money for rent so she slept on friends couches in the beginning, then she started sleeping in laundromats or the public library and staying awake all night on the streets to try to stay safe. Aaron's sole caretaker, his mother, died when he was a teenager and he had no other family who could care for him. No one stepped in to care for him; not even the child welfare system. Aaron was sleeping at friends' houses for a bit, but soon ended up homeless and living on the streets. Charlene's mom struggled with addiction and when Charlene was 13 years old she became the primary caretaker of her three younger sisters. Charlene became pregnant at age 16 and after her son was born, her stepfather began to sexually abuse and rape her. Charlene found the strength to report her stepfather to the police and he was incarcerated. Soon after, Charlene was placed in foster care with her son. At i8, she exited foster care and became homeless with her son. Effects and Consequences of Youth Homelessness A wide range of physical, mental, emotional and behavioral issues have been shown to develop as a result of youth homelessness while prior complications are at risk of becoming exaggerated. Homeless youth living on the streets suffer, they: EFTA01183527 • • Are at high risk of developing serious, life-long health, behavioral and emotional problems. • • Suffer from high rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. • • Are more likely they are to fall victim to sexual exploitation when compared to young people who are not living on the streets. • • More likely to contract HIV and/or STDs due to increased likelihood of sexual exploitation, rape and sexual assault. • • Have higher rates of a variety of mental health symptoms including anxiety, developmental delays and depression resulting in elevated risk for suicide attempts. • • Resorting to illegal activity such as stealing, forced entry, and gang activity in order to survive. • • Homeless young women are five times more likely to become pregnant and far more likely to experience multiple pregnancies. • • Fifty percent of homeless youth ages 16 and older drop out of high school and face extraordinary obstacles in trying to finish. Inline image 3 Homeless Youth & Teen Statistics & Facts • • Approximately *53,000 young people call the streets home every year. • • Nearly *7,400 homeless people 24 years old and younger live in New York City. • • Children under 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population. o Of that number, approximately 42% were younger than age 5. • • Approximately 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT. • • Every year, approximately 5,000 homeless young people will die because of assault, illness, or suicide while trying to survive. What are the cause of youth and teen homelessness? EFTA01183528 Young people are at far greater risk of becoming homeless if: • • Their parents engage in substance abuse or have mental health problems. • • They suffered or witnessed child abuse or neglect in the home. • • The family has been homeless previously. • • They identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. • • They have been in foster care. o Children who have been in foster care are at greater risk of becoming homeless at an earlier age and to remain homeless for a longer period of time than other youth. How is child abuse related to youth and teen homelessness? • • 46% of homeless youth escaped a home where they suffered physical abuse. • • 17% left because of sexual abuse. What happens to homeless youth and homeless teens on the streets? Young people who are too old for foster care, yet too young to apply for social services are often forced into homelessness. Homeless youths can face devastating short and long-term consequences. • • Nearly 43% of homeless young men and 39% of homeless young women say they were assaulted with a weapon while living on the streets. • • Homeless youth suffer significant mental health problems including: depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders. • • Homeless youth are approximately 75% more likely to self-medicate and abuse substances as a means to deal with trauma and abuse. • • Children living on the streets are more likely to engage in "survival sex" — trading sex to gain food, clothing, drugs, money, or just for a safe place to sleep at night. • • According to a San Francisco government study, 1796 of homeless youth are HIV-positive. • • Homeless youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered are more likely commit suicide than other youth. Federal Programs Providing Assistance to Homeless Youth in America Remain Chronically Underfunded • • • ey-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a HUD administered program, is only appropriated at $65 million to ensure equal access to education for homeless youth, including transportation to and from school. Given that public education supports over 1 million homeless youth per year, this works out to less than $65 per youth per year. What can I do to help homeless youth and help homeless teens? There are projects that help to give homeless young people the refuge they need from the streets — and critical resources they need to find safety and hope. So if you would like to make a difference for young EFTA01183529 people in crisis please here are some suggestions how you can begin below: • • Find organizations and projects that try to help homeless youth • • Volunteer to help homeless youth & teens • • Support services for homeless youth • • Understand that you can begin just by helping only one person you • • Push for local, state and national programs • • And most of all, push your family, friends, workmates and others to do something as well I am a Homeless Youth.... BUT!!! Inline image 4 Remember that many homeless youth may have a connection to their biological family, or a desire to reconnect to them or may come from a poor family, or a family may have money. But often they want to take care of their own children and be a good parents. They often need help in learning how, since more often than not, they have not had good role models in their own childhood. But for most homeless youth, their primary need is a safe place to live. Homeless youth come from cities, rural towns, suburbs, Indian reservations and border colonia, as well as foreign countries. Many have traveled miles from home, but they can just as easily traveled just a few blocks. Many have left on their own because it was safer for them to get out. But as many may have been kicked out of their homes because their families didn't understand or accept them. At the same time, many have been caught up in the wrong crowd, often for self-protection, whether or not they are violent or want to be a gang member. When speaking with them you often hear, that they are only hanging out on the street because they don't have another place to go. As a result, a large number of homeless teens end up providing sex in exchange for a place to live, food, or money. Situations can get really desperate. Homeless teens (and children) are no different from other youth, except they simply don't have a safe place to live and support to thrive. Homeless Youth want Self-Sufficiency. Most homeless youth have too much stress and competing priorities to operate at the same pace as my peers with safe places to live. They are not dumb or unmotivated. They just need the basics; a safe place to live, a source of food and clean clothes so that they can focus on finding a job or completing school. EFTA01183530 Most homeless youth want to work to support themselves, their siblings, children and other. But they need some help building work skills and finding a job, just like any other young person looking for a first job. In spite of their appearance, most homeless youth want to wear clean clothes and take regular showers. If they look grungy, it's because they don't have regular access to these basic things. Finally, a large percentage of homeless youth suffer from mental issues, that if address, would allow them to survive and prosper in society. Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs Change Lives For Jessica, like many young people, it was difficult to get off the streets. "The hardest thing is basically just getting around and trying to find a job `cause it's hard to get a job without an address. If you don't have somebody's address that you can use and say 'I live here' quote, unquote, then they look at your application and they're like `no'." A case manager from a Street Outreach program referred Jessica to a youth transitional living program where she established goals: "to stay in stable housing and try to finish my GED. I'm doing that through the program's school. It's free, which is good. I have some health goals too." This homeless youth program provided Jessica with "more focus and more stability, which is a very important thing to have. If you get those, then you can do everything else that you want." Jessica says that if she hadn't found the program she would still be out on the streets. Her long-term plan is to go to college and study sociology. "I want to help people the way they've helped me." Aaron was sleeping on the streets and a Street Outreach worker started talking to him, gave him a meal to eat, and information about a runaway and homeless youth shelter. Aaron never felt safe on the streets and he decided to visit the program the next day. Aaron was able to enter a transitional living program for youth where he felt safe for the first time in years and was able to achieve a GED. Aaron is in college where he is studying to become a teacher. Charlene received transitional living assistance from a runaway and homeless youth program where a case manager helped her find an apartment and pay her rent until she was stabilized. She received assistance in obtaining furniture and food, creating a budget, and managing her money. She has earned her GED and is working two jobs to live independently. "We need to focus on having an appropriate safety net for kids who do fall through the cracks because of poverty or abuse," said Auerswald, who co-wrote an editorial accompanying the new study. "The kinds of solutions that these children, adolescents and young adults need are not adult solutions," she said. "Tailoring them for a mini-me or smaller size .. . doesn't work." Instead, she would like to see homeless youth served in programs offering university-style housing, where they would be looked after, fed and not threatened with eviction. Braitstein believes that governments need to take responsibility for the care of their children. A lot of children "end up turning to the streets because they have nowhere else to go," she said. EFTA01183531 ****** So True Inline image I ****** There is a Big Difference Between a statesman, someone who is not and Darth Vader Inline image 1 EFTA01183532 In a recent interview with Fox Network's host Chris Wallace, President Obama said failing to prepare for the aftermath of the ousting of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi was the worst mistake of his presidency. Since the overthrow of Gaddafi in 2011 rival militias have been fighting for control in Libya. What has made matters worse, ISIS has gained a foothold in Libya and the country has become a major departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe. This is quite refreshing for a sitting US President or any leader to admit that they made a serious mistake, which even if it does not affect them while in office, it most likely will be part of the narrative of their legacy. President Obama gave the brief but revealing answer speaking to Chris Wallace: CW: Worst mistake? Obama: Probably failing to plan for the day after, what I think was the right thing to do, in intervening in Libya. It is not the first time President Obama has expressed regret over Libya. He told the Atlantic magazine last month the operation went as well as he had hoped, but Libya was now "a mess". In that interview, he also criticized France and the UK, in particular saying British Prime Minister David Cameron became "distracted" after the intervention. It was a rare rebuke for a close ally and one which BBC correspondents at the time said angered Downing Street. On the other side, President Obama also told Fox that his biggest accomplishment in office was "saving the economyfrom the Great Depression". He said the best day of his presidency was when he passed the healthcare reforms. The worst, he said, was responding to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school. Mr. Obama discussed his legacy in a BBC interview last year, saying his failure to pass tighter gun control laws was the biggest frustration of his presidency. So I wanted to compare this with his predecessor and found that George Bush who in a moment of reflection the day before his departure from the White House in an interview, admitted that the decision to go to war against Saddam Hussein on the basis of flawed intelligence was the biggest regret of his presidency. The acknowledgment marked the first time that Bush has publicly expressed doubts about his rationale for going to war on Iraq. In the run-up to the war, the White House adopted a position of absolute certainty that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, basing its arguments on intelligence that was later exposed as flimsy and wrong. But the difference is that Bush's admission came with a caveat, claiming that the basis of flawed intelligence was the biggest regret of his presidency. "The biggest regret of all the presidency has to have been the intelligencefailure in Iraq," Bush told ABC. "I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess." But he also followed that moment of candor with an attempt to try to deflect charges that the White House misled Congress and the public to build a case for war, arguing that there had been widespread belief that Saddam had a nuclear arsenal. "It wasn't just people in my administration; a lot of members in Congress, prior to my arrival in Washington DC, during the debate on Iraq, a lot of leaders of nations around the world, were all ooking at the same intelligence." Still the Chutzpah Award has to go to Dick Cheney, who many say used the office of the Vice President to exert an enormous amount of political pressure on the CIA and other intelligence agencies EFTA01183533 in the run-up to the war to find WMD's, after being told several times that they couldn't find any. In his latest book, Cheney wrote that "history will be the ultimate judge of our decision to liberate Iraq." But just two pages later, as if unable to resist re-engaging the issue, they describe the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein as a "grave threat to the United States" before concluding: "We were right to invade and remove himfrom power." Let's think about this, even if you accept Bush's argument that the decision to attack Iraq was based on flawed intelligence, and you double down by claiming that the decision was right, even after it resulted in a cost of an estimated $4 to $7 trillion, lives of more than 5,000 Americans, 200,000 Iraqis and at least one million refugees, as well as destabilizing the entire Middle East and the creation of ISIS — and you think that the decision was right — something is definitely wrong. And although in the exit interview Bush was in an unusually reflective mood for a president who has famousl Arycint refused in the past to admit any mistakes, he still wouldn't go so far as to say he would not have gone to war if the intelligence had been correct. And this is a major difference between Presidents — one who is statesman enough to admit his own mistakes and the other who refuses to accept, that like everyone else, he too has made mistakes... So those who support Donald Trump take heed. Screwing the Poor Again Trump and Ryan Agree: Let's Dismantle Social Security Inline image 1 Pivoting to the general relation, last week the presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump traveled to Washington, DC to meet with House Speaker Paul Ryan in attempt to bridge their differences and find a way for the Republican Establishment to support a candidate who has attacked everyone from Hispanics and Muslims to the President, former GOP Presidential candidates, John EFTA01183534 McCain and Mitt Romney and the Pope, while praising Vladimir Putin. Now seeking campaign contributions from wealthy donors and endorsements from the Republican establishment, Trump is now signaling his willingness to go after working families. To anyone who watched a Republican debate or one of Trump's rallies, he unabashedly proclaimed that he would not cut Social Security. Indeed, he explicitly contrasted himself with the other Republican Presidential contenders (all of whom, except for Mike Huckabee, support benefit cuts). Given that only 17 percent of Republican voters support Social Security cuts, this was an important part of Trump's populist message and likely a major reason for his victory. Now that Trump has clinched the nomination and is seeking money from the GOP's big donors, and support from the party's establishment, however, he has changed his mind — or at least his position. (Who knows what he really thinks?) Social Security has been a target of the Republican Party from the moment the legislation was introduced in 1935. It passed the House of Representatives essentially on a party line vote. (The telling vote was a procedural vote to kill it immediately before final passage.) In the 1936 presidential election, the Republican standard bearer, Alf Landon, vowed to repeal it if elected. In 1953, Republicans unsuccessfully tried to convince the newly elected Dwight Eisenhower to dismantle the program. (In a 1954 private letter to his brother, Eisenhower wrote about those who want to abolish Social Security, "Their number is negligible and they are stupid.") The late Republican presidential nominee and Senator, Barry Goldwater, was anti-Social Security, as was the late President Ronald Reagan, at least before he became president. And, of course, President George W. Bush sought to privatize Social Security. Revealingly, in a memorandum marked "notfor attribution," but nevertheless leaked, President Bush's director of strategic initiatives wrote about the effort to dismantle Social Security, "this will be one of the most important conservative undertakings of modern times." He concluded, "For thefirst time in six decades, the Social Security battle is one we can win." Paul Ryan and his zeal for cutting Social Security is in line with his Party's history. he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, these cuts have been his top priority. In 2004, Ryan pushed a plan to privatize Social Security so extreme that even George W. Bush called it "irresponsible." In 2007, Ryan became the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, and used that perch, as well as his subsequent position as Chairman, to draft yearly budgets that included massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. (In recent years, he has become a bit more politically savvy, proposing a fast-track process to force through cuts, without specifics, but his intent is certainly clear to anyone who follows the issue.) Ryan could not be happy that Trump pledged not to go after Social Security. Who would blink? Turns out that for all his bravado and bullying, it was Mr. Trump. He chose the perfect forum, the day before his meeting with Ryan. Pete Peterson is a Wall Street billionaire who has spent over 30 years and more than half a billion dollars on a crusade to cut Social Security. As part of that quest, he holds yearly "Fiscal Summits" where politicians and wealthy elites schmooze while nodding their heads about the non-existent debt crisis and the supposed "need" to cut earned benefits. This year, Sam Clovis, Trump's top policy advisor, attended the Peterson Summit. And what he had to say was music to the ears of the well- heeled conference-goers: A Trump administration would be open to cuts in Social Security and EFTA01183535 Medicare. The timing and location of this statement was no accident. Clovis's remarks took place in a room full of wealthy GOP donors, the day before Trump's much-anticipated meeting with Speaker Ryan. Trump's broken pledge reassured the GOP establishment that he was falling into line with right- wing orthodoxy. To those who have carefully studied Trump's record on Social Security, this seemingly abrupt turnaround does not come as a huge surprise. Back in 2000, Trump wrote a book in which he referred to Social Security as a "Ponzi scheme", proposed increasing the retirement age to 70, and claimed, "Privatization would be goodfor all of us." As recently as 2011, he said he was on board with plans to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid — but that Republicans should be very careful "not tofall into the Democratic trap" by doing it without bipartisan support, or they would pay the price politically. Trump's position on Social Security appears to be whatever he feels is most beneficial to Donald Trump at any given time. For that reason, it's quite possible that now that he's reassured Ryan and the GOP establishment, Trump will be doing yet another about-face soon. His actions in the primary show that he understands that Social Security cuts are politically toxic. That math is even clearer in the general election, where only lo percent of Americans support cuts. But Trump has made it perfectly clear to anyone who might have lingering doubts that whatever he might say in the future, he can't be trusted as a guardian of Social Security. He is on the side of Paul Ryan, Pete Peterson, and the billionaire class — and against the American people. Wikipedia describes the social safety net is a collection of services provided by the state or other institutions such as friendly societies, including welfare, unemployment benefit, universal healthcare, homeless shelters, and sometimes subsidized services such as public transport, which prevent individuals from falling into poverty beyond a certain level. A practical example of how the safety networks would be a single mother with several children, unable to work. By receiving money from the government to support her children, along with universal health care and free education, she can give her children a better chance at becoming successful members of society, rather than be caught up in the hopelessness of extreme poverty. Comparisons between Canada and the United States, due to their proximity, is that a principal part of Canada's social safety net is its universal healthcare, known as Medicare, which was first proposed by Thomas Clement 'Tommy" Douglas (called one of the "fathers of medicare"); in part for this, in 2004 Douglas was voted The Greatest Canadian for his achievements and contributions to Canada. Supporters of a strong social safety net argue that these programs have resulted in a much lower crime rate and general lower poverty levels in Canadian cities, and this benefits everyone. While, critics argue that the taxes required to support the safety net inhibit growth and actually increase the barriers for socio-economic advancement, and that the safety net itself creates a perverse incentive to be unproductive and poor. The truth is that inequality, insecurity and persistent poverty threaten the economic well being of all Americans, and the recent Great Recession and protracted recovery have revealed that the U.S. social safety net is often not up to the task of assisting those in need. Even in good economic times, the nation's public social programs fail to serve all disadvantaged families equally. To get a clear picture of inequalities, we must grasp the differences in the availability and quality of help available depending on where citizens live. EFTA01183536 Many Americans believe that benefits for the poor are inadequate — but few are fully aware of how limited programs can be, and even less knowledgeable about dramatic differences in the likelihood of receipt across the U.S. states. The average level of benefits in the six programs that provide cash or near-cash assistance vary substantially across programs and states, and none of these programs provide adequate benefits because levels of assistance are set substantially below the poverty line. • The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program is a good example. This program an average yearly benefit of $3,894 in the middle benefit state in 2013. This represents 22 percent of the official poverty threshold for a family of three with one adult and two children ($18,769). However, in the least generous state, the typical poor family received on average $1,873 per year, while in the most generous state a similarly poor family received $7,382 annually. • The average Unemployment Insurance benefit, while relatively more generous than cash assistance with an average amount per time period of receipt of $4,936 in 2013 in the middle benefit state, still only represents 27 percent of the poverty threshold for a three-person family. However, an unemployed worker would receive an average of $3,335 in the least generous state versus $6,894 in the most generous state. • Average spending per recipient is generally higher for programs that provide in-kind benefits or services — such as child care and preschool programs, or health insurance and employment services. But the level of spending in these forms of social provision also vary widely across states. For example, child care subsidies and early education spending are each more than $5,000 greater per child in states that spend the most and least on these services ($3,430 versus $9,390 for child care subsidies; $3,395 versus $10,431 for preschool programs). In addition to the inadequacy and differences in benefit levels across states, rates of inclusion — or the proportion of economically needy families and workers that receive assistance — are low and variable across states. Rates of inclusion of people in need of help vary greatly. In 5 of it safety-net programs we reviewed — cash assistance, early education, cash-based work assistance, child care, and housing — less than about one quarter of the potentially needy population receives any assistance in at least half of the states. • In the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the proportion of poor families with children who received cash assistance in 2013 varied from a low of 3 percent in the least inclusive state, to a high of 45 percent in the most inclusive state. • Similarly for Unemployment Insurance, the proportion of unemployed workers who received assistance in 2013 varied from a low of 17 percent in the least inclusive state, to a high of 61 percent in the most inclusive state. In 42 states, less than half of unemployed workers receive assistance. • Rates of inclusion for some programs are much higher. For example, in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, over too percent of pre-tax and transfer poor families with children receive food assistance. This reflects the fact that the eligibility for this program is greater than the official poverty line. However, just as with the other programs, rates of inclusion vary tremendously across states — from a low of 8o percent to a high of 164 percent. EFTA01183537 Inline image 2 House Republicans attacking the safety net is nothing new. For years, Rep. Ryan has proposed federal budgets that would severely cut programs that serve the poor in order to pay for billions of dollars in tax cuts for the rich. Two-thirds of the cuts in Rep. Ryan's last budget plan would have come from programs that serve low- and moderate-income families, including a nearly i8 percent reduction in SNAP benefits. Some have lauded Rep. Among the Republican Establishment Ryan is supposed to be a "visionary," but there is nothing new about his economic agenda. His budgets come straight from the supply-side playbook, the failed theory of economics that says we should focus on the so-called job creators, reduce taxes and regulations on the wealthiest 1 percent, and wait for prosperity to trickle down to the rest of us. Not only have decades of experience proven this theory wrong, but new evidence in economics also suggests that the best way to grow the economy is to strengthen the middle class and reduce inequality — exactly what our safety net does. As a result, Paul Ryan's poverty solutions which he claims will lift the poor out of poverty are absurd. Real solutions should expand policies that have already been proven to work: strengthening the social safety net, making poverty programs better coordinated and more accessible to low income families, and improving job opportunities and wages across the board. And for Trump to now flip-flop on his promises to protect the social safety net of the poor which his supporters overwhelming support is just another instance — that he is a carnival barker who can't be trusted. As Nancy Altman wrote this week in the Huffington Post — The good news is, voters will have an alternative choice in November. Both Democratic candidates are strongly in support of expanding, not cutting, Social Security. That's is wise policy as well as winning politics. It is the position favored by 72 percent of the American people — and one that Trump has never supported. The same contrast can be seen at the Congressional level. 75 percent of House Democrats and 90 percent of Democratic Senators support expanding, not cutting, Social Security, while virtually no Republicans do. EFTA01183538 In recent elections, the Democratic presidential candidates have lost the votes of seniors. Probably not coincidentally, in recent elections, seniors could not tell who stood with them on the bread and butter issue of Social Security. All candidates talked about "saving" Social Security and the need for a bipartisan solution. This election, as long as the Democratic presidential nominee runs strong, loud, and clear, on expanding, not cutting Social Security, and revealing how untrustworthy Donald Trump is on the issue, Democrats should once again win the senior vote. And with it, the White House, the Senate, and perhaps even the House of Representatives. ****** This Fight Is Over Inline image 1 Dear Bernie: Thanks, but...I'm done. I'm not sure I've ever been more disappointed in a politician than I've become with Bernie Sanders. He was My Guy in the beginning. I really wanted him to be the real deal. I hoped for a year, that he would substitute sloganeering for actionable plans, and unfortunately I'm still waiting. As the months ticked by and his chances started to look noticeably slimmer, the tone shifted. It seemed to be impossible for Bernie and his supporters to accept that the majority of democratic voters simply did not have faith that he could accomplish all he was promising—The game MUST be rigged! Don't get me started on the various conspiracy theories. If nothing else, Sanders and his fans have certainly kept the tin-foil manufacturers in business. I truly loved how, from the beginning, he pledged he would not run a negative campaign... And this is where he eventually lost me. In the past few months I have watched as Bemie's campaign and supporters gladly accepted the same manufactured untruths that the GOP has been churning up for the past 35 years about the Clintons, and shared them with glee. In fact, they've even started adding their own unfounded smears to the catalog. I've seen a lot of negative campaigning over the years, but this one has been truly ugly. Even now, as his mathematical chances are blatantly absurd, I received yet another attack email from Bemie's Campaign Manager this morning, accusing Hillary Clinton of money laundering. As usual, there was no proof of actual wrong-doing, but apparently that's no longer necessary in what has now morphed into a win-at-all-costs approach. What exactly does "winning" even look like in this scenario? EFTA01183539 I've had numerous conversations with Hillary supporters who've tried to share pro-Hillary articles on social media (or even, god-forbid, Bernie critiques), but who had been so viciously attacked for it by Bernie fans, that they decided it just wasn't worth voicing their opinions. This bullying has been pervasive throughout the campaign, and all over the internet. The comments sections of articles have been littered with some of the most disgusting, misogynistic and hateful rhetoric you'll ever see, and Bernie has remained silent throughout all of it. I'm sure I'll garner my own share of vitriol for posting this, but it makes me physically ill to sit and watch these ongoing attacks. Sadly, it turns out that Bernie is not the Liberal Messiah after all. Of course we all should have known this, but so badly we had wanted it to be true. In fact, despite the sheer volume of propaganda generated to make Hillary seem somehow Conservative, he's really not much more liberal than Ms. Clinton after all. The truth is, their voting records show that they voted identically on 93% of all legislation sent their way. They both have long records of championing societal safety nets for those Americans who are most in need, abused, or discriminated against. There is a very good reason why Conservatives despise both of these candidates with a passion. Bernie Sanders is a very principled, though flawed, politician. The plain fact is, that I love most of the principles he voices, I just didn't trust that he'd be as effective at getting those ideals translated into laws, as much as I trust that Hillary will. What is at once charming about Bernie is also what makes one nervous about his ability to effectively govern. I won't print my age here, but let it suffice that I have witnessed decades of elections and the resulting governance from them, and anyone that has spent any time whatsoever observing politics, knows that effective politics is the art of compromise. This is especially true in our wonderful melting pot of cultures, ideals and opinions. In a nutshell, it's pretty much what our country was founded on. If you wish to be a politician who represents and accomplishes the goals of the constituency that voted you into office, you need to accept and learn how to negotiate and unfortunately compromise. At his age, you'd assume Bernie knows this by now, and yet he comes to all political interactions with the completely unbending attitude of a teenager. As though all compromise in life is for the weak. As though other people in the world might have differing opinions from yours, but they must either be wrong, or "sell outs". This is not the approach of a politician who gets things accomplished, and unfortunately it probably explains how Bernie has been in American politics for so long, and yet has authored and passed so little legislation. At this very moment we are witnessing a glaring example of a large group of politicians who have adopted this same attitude, this attitude of complete refusal to compromise, and ironically they are the people that Bernie rails against (when he's not railing against Hillary) — The Republicans in The House and in The Senate. Over seven years, all they've accomplished is a historic record of obstructionism. I can't even imagine how much more dysfunctional Washington could become with a President who might be just as intractable as the Congress they would have to work with. It's alarming and yet in this light, not surprising that, out of all his fellow Democratic Senators, who have worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Bernie for so many years, only one has actually come out to endorse him in this election. What makes me most sad though, is that Bernie seems to be rapidly tarnishing what could have been a wonderful legacy. He almost strikes as a different man from the one that started this campaign. Is it hubris? Frustration at the results of his labors? Bad advice? I really do hope that when people look back at this time, they don't just remember Bernie as "that old angry guy who almost pulled a 'Ralph Nader' in the 2016 election." EFTA01183540 Boo Radley @ *** Normally I don't print someone else's article or posting in this first section but this one truly articulates my own beliefs. Like many Liberal Democrats I was pleasantly surprised how much traction Bernie Sanders has received with Progressives of every age. And like many Progressives I love what he says and supports many of his positions. But like the above writer (Boo Radley), I began to believe that he is little to no different from the politicians that he rails against, when he accepted the bait from Chris Matthews and other liberal media darlings (looking for increased their ratings) that if he was a serious candidate who really wanted to win he had to employ the same tactics of lies, innuendos and disinformation perpetuated by Republicans against Hillary. Shame on you Bernie for becoming their tool.... I say this knowing that many of my friends who are Bernie supporters will be angered. But I also remember 2000, when one of my heroes (Ralph Nader) ran a third party bid that enabled George Bush and Dick Cheney to win the election. Or Eugene McCarthy who held out against Herbert Humphrey in 1968, enabling the election of Richard Nixon. Therefore to Bernie and his supporters, Hillary is 90 delegates (out of 939 remaining) from having enough to win the Democratic Nomination in July — making her the Presumptive Democratic nominee.... As such it is time for you to gracefully exit the primary and join ranks with Hillary and her supporters in a joint effort to defeat Donald Trump because there is a significant difference between the two candidates. Again my liberal friends Put your egos aside, stop regurgitating Republican talking points. Understand that Hillary is not evil, nor is Bernie a victim of the Clintons or the DNC's shenanigans. More importantly, without a doubt Bernie has a much better chance to realize his proposals with Hillary as President than under a President Trump who has promised to repeal Obamacare, wage war against immigrants, make a women's choice illegal, expand the military, gut the safety net for the poor and elderly, as well as making tax cuts for the rich a priority over raising the minimum wage Anything less than joiningforces today is my rant of the week.... WEEK's READINGS Plants Are Smarter Than You Think EFTA01183541 Inline image 1 Plants are not simple bystanders in the environment, soaking up sun and otherwise engaging in a passive existence. They're actually active communicators and engage in a complex relationship with their environment. Not only do plants communicate with each other but they also take steps to protect themselves from predators. About 200 plant species, for instance, manufacture a glue-like substance that attracts sand or soil. The resulting "sand armor," which is created in a process called psammophory, has been the subject of numerous theories. Some researchers have suggested plants coat themselves in sand as a form of camouflage or for added protection during sandstorms. Others have posited it may have to do with water retention or protection for radiation. New research published in Ecology has revealed what may be its true underlying purpose, however, which is to discourage predators from taking a bite. Plants Use "Sand Armor" to Prevent Being Eaten Researchers from the University of California, Davis studied two different plants that coat themselves in sand: the sand verbena and the honey-scented pincushion plant. In one experiment, they gently removed the sand from parts of wild-growing verbena plants then kept track of any damage from predators. They also added sand to wild pincushion plants and compared them to pincushion plants that remained sand-free. The results were quite revealing. The sand-free verbena plants had twice as much damage from herbivores than sand-coated plants. The sand-covered pincushion plants, however, largely escaped predation; only one out of 19 was eaten compared to eight of i8 that were sand-free. Next the researchers wanted to find out if sand's ability to EFTA01183542 camouflage the plant was making a difference. So they covered some of the plants in green sand, which would therefore make them stand out more in the environment compared to ordinary brown sand. No difference was found among the green- or sand-colored hues, which suggests the role of psammophory isn't to camouflage but instead is to deter predation. Music and Healing Energy Changes the Way Plants Grow If there were any doubt that nature is an active participant, and recipient, to its environment, consider the fascinating research that shows music and noise both influence the growth of plants. As explained in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine: "Plants are complex multi-cellular organisms considered as sensitive as humans for initial assaying of effects and testing new therapies. Sound is known to affect the growth of plants. Seeds are sometimes treated with ultrasound to help start the germination process ... Foliage planted along freeways to reduce noise pollution often grows differently than foliage planter in a quiet environment ... Sound vibration can stimulate a seed or plant." In a series of five experiments that used okra and zucchini seeds germinated in acoustically shielded, thermally insulated chambers, researchers measured the biologic effects of music, noise and healing energy on the seeds' growth. They compared untreated controls with seeds exposed to musical sound, pink noise and healing energy. The seeds exposed to music and those exposed to healing energy both germinated faster than the control seeds or those exposed to noise. According to the study: "This group of experiments indicates that both the musical sound and healing energy used in this study had replicable and significant effects on the germination of two different types of seeds when compared to an untreated control. The differences in germination rates between different conditions cannot be explained by mean temperature, temperature differences between chambers, petri dish position, growth chamber position, or persons scoring the seeds." Plants Warn Each Other About Pest Attacks EFTA01183543 Plants communicate with each other. When a plant becomes infested with a pest like aphids, for example, it warns surrounding plants of the attack via a network of mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi form a symbiotic relationship with the plant, colonizing the roots and sending extremely fine filaments far out into the soil that act as root extensions. Not only do these networks sound the alarm about invaders, but the filaments are more effective in nutrient and water absorption than the plant roots themselves. In research published in Ecology Letters, the mycorrhizal fungi were found to act as "a conduit for signaling between plants, acting as an early warning system for herbivore attack." Even more amazing, the warning led to systemic changes, particularly it caused the plant to increase production of volatile chemicals that repel aphids while attracting wasps, which are aphids' natural enemy. In bean plants where the researchers had removed the mycorrhizae connecting them together, the plants quickly succumbed to the infestation, presumably because they didn't receive the warning to mount their defenses. Another 2010 study published in PLOS One detailed the interplant communication of tomato plants, explaining: "CMNs [common mycorrhizal networks] may function as a plant-plant underground communication conduit whereby disease resistance and induced defense signals can be transferred between the healthy and pathogen-infected neighboring plants ... ... suggesting that plants can 'eavesdrop' on defense signals from the pathogen-challenged neighbors through CMNs to activate defenses before being attacked themselves." Tilling Soil Interferes With Plants' Communication Network In one thimbleful of healthy soil, you can find several miles of fungal filaments, all releasing powerful enzymes that help dissolve tightly bound soil nutrients, such as organic nitrogen, phosphorus and iron. EFTA01183544 This is one of the major reasons why tilling the soil is deleterious to gardening or farming as it damages these fragile fungal filaments. The last thing any gardener or farmer should be doing is tilling the soil. Mycorrhizae aren't the only organisms harmed by modem chemical- and technology-heavy agricultural methods. Soil and plant health also depends on many other microbes and critters living in the soil. This includes bacteria, fungi, protozoa, microscopic roundworms called nematodes, and earthworms. It is the cooperation between these microorganisms—the soil's biome—and the plants' roots that is ultimately responsible for allowing the plant to absorb nutrients from the soil in which it's grown. Insects and weeds also have their place. They only really reach "pest' status when the balance is shifted in such a way that they're able to get the upper hand. Otherwise, insects actually serve a very important role as nature's "garbage collectors." Thanks to their specialized digestive systems, they remove that which is not fit for us to eat—things we cannot digest. Once you start to connect all these dots, you begin to understand the depth of nature's intelligence, which always strives to maintain a healthy balance. "Hearing" a Bug Chewing Prompts Plants to Mount a Defense 6t Inline image 4 Web Link: https://vimeo.com/99635253 If your mind isn't yet blown, it will be soon. Plants can "hear" the leaf vibrations caused by an insect chewing, and they subsequently release more chemical defenses to protect themselves. Interestingly, many of these chemical defenses, such as glucosinolates, are beneficial to human health. Further, plants are capable of discriminating between vibrations caused by insect chewing and those caused by wind or insect noises. The research even suggests that minor pest attacks may play an EFTA01183545 important role in encouraging plant growth that has higher levels of important nutrients (to humans)! In a press release, one of the researchers stated: "Caterpillars react to this chemical defense by crawling away, so using vibrations to enhance plant defenses could be useful to agriculture ... This research also opens the window of plant behavior a little wider, showing that plants have many of the same responses to outside influences that animals do, even though the responses look different." Plants Respond to Touch When an animal is faced with a threat, it will typically move away to a less-threatening location. Plants, being non-mobile, do not have this option and so have developed highly complex mechanisms for sensing and responding to their environment, including to touch (by humans, wind and other forces). According to the Journal of Experimental Botany: "Examples of challenges related to mechanical force include wind, physical bathers, and predation. Initially, plants have to sense these stimuli and subsequently launch appropriate responses by either avoiding obstacles, clinging to supporting structures, or producing toxic chemicals to fend off herbivorous predators. In 1881, Charles Darwin reported on mechano-stimulus-induced plant behavior. In The power of movement in plants, Darwin described in detail directed plant growth in response to external stimuli, including how roots of many plant species reorient their growth direction upon making contact with barriers. Such observations were fascinating to Darwin and continue to be an active and intriguing area of research." Plants Release Touch-Activated Hormones It's now known, for instance, that some plants grow shorter and slower when they're touched several times a day. The growth response is due to a plant hormone that also protects plants from infections, and which is increased when plants are touched. A Rice University press release explained: "When [plant hormone] jasmonate levels go up, the plant increases production of metabolites that give herbivores an upset stomach. Jasmonate defenses, which also protect against some fungal infections, are employed by virtually all plants, including tomatoes, rice and corn. The ... study provides the first evidence that these defenses are triggered when plants are touched. EFTA01183546 In the study, students touched the plants in a laboratory, but the researchers say the touch-induced response could also be activated by animals, including insects, and wind." Plants Can Provide Intelligent Support for Your Health Most synthetic medications are based on compounds in plants. Scientists cannot create these substances but must, rather, try to make copies, but in their synthetic models they often end up with compounds that your body doesn't recognize and doesn't know how to handle. As Martha Herbert, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School explained in the documentary Numen: "You target a particular chemical and you hit it really hard, and the system is expected to just have the response that you want it to have, but actually you have all these other effects ... we call these side effects. They're not side effects, they're effects, they're just not the ones you wanted." A plant, however, is a complex of thousands of biomolecules, many of which are countervailing, so if there's one effective compound that may have a toxic effect, it usually contains a countervailing compound so that it doesn't harm your liver, for example. Nature of Plants Time Lapse Inline image 3 Web Link: https.//youtu.be/6j7ikwALOYc It's the interplay of chemicals that make the plant work, which is why you can't study herbal medicine by isolating a certain element; you've got to study the whole plant. This is what conventional medicine is largely missing. Of course, the ultimate `herbalism' is the food that you eat on a daily basis. Dark green leafy vegetables, herbs and spices are excellent sources of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and anti-cancer EFTA01183547 substances that can dramatically influence your health. Christopher Hobbs, clinical herbalist, put it well: "The real medicine is hiding in the produce department." Modem science can uncover cells, molecules and atoms, but science cannot fully explain the healing nature of plants, or the intricacy and complexity of life. One only needs to view the amazing time- lapsed photos of sprouting seeds and flowers blooming in the video below to appreciate that plants are clearly much more complex, compelling and intelligent than they're typically given credit for. By Dr. Mercola — March 26, 2016 ****** The most prestigious universities in the world? The latest rankings are out i Inline image 1 British and American institutions once again dominate the list of the world's most prestigious universities, according to this release from Times Higher Education. The ranking is based on results from an invitation-only opinion survey of 10,000 top scholars around the world. The United States wins eight spots in the top 10, with the United Kingdom taking the remaining two. EFTA01183548 R. Inline image 2 The list shows that Harvard has maintained its position at number one, while MIT and Stanford have jumped ahead of the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford since last year's ranking. The rest of the top 10 remains largely unchanged. Over the past five years countries other than the US and UK have struggled to make it to the top 10. The University of Tokyo in Japan is the only institution to have made the cut, coming eighth in 2011 and 2012, and 9th in 2013. This year it ranked 12th. The US, home to 43 of the top 100 universities, dominates the overall rankings as well as the top 10. But Asian universities are becoming more prestigious, the survey reveals. Eighteen Asian institutions feature in the top 100 (up from lo the previous year) and the universities are gaining recognition, with China's Tsinghua University and Pelting University jumping eight and ii places respectively. While Asia continues to see growth in the performance and reputation of its universities, several European nations are seeing a decrease. Although the UK remains the second-most-represented nation, with io universities in the top 100, seven of the lo have dropped to lower positions, while two UK institutions dropped out entirely this year. Germany has also seen a drop in four of its six universities, and four out of five universities in the Netherlands have slipped to lower positions. EFTA01183549 Inline image 3 The UK is home to seven out of 10 of the best universities in Europe, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015-2016. The rankings assess the performance of universities across the world based on five key areas: teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income. UK institutions take the top three spots, with the University of Oxford named the best European university, with an overall score of 94.2, followed by the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. Emma Luston — World Economic Forum — May 6, 2016 We met with Donald Trump. Electing him will still be a radical risk. EFTA01183550 Inline image 1 Full Interview Web Link: https://voutu.ke/vdvdhlkCVSQ AS DONALD Trump observed during a visit to The Post on Monday, we have been critical of his candidacy, so give him credit for agreeing to sit down with us and answer questions for more than an hour. Unfortunately, the visit provided no reassurance regarding Mr. Trump's fitness for the presidency. "I'm not a radical person," he told us as he was leaving. But his answers left little doubt how radical a risk the nation would be taking in entrusting the White House to him. There was, first, a breezy willingness to ignore facts and evidence. Are there racial disparities in law enforcement? "I've read where there are and I've read where there aren't," Mr. Trump said. "I mean, I've read both. And, you know, I have no opinion on that." Global warming? "I am not a great believer in man-made climate change," he said. In that, Mr. Trump is not different from many Republican politicians these days. But no one can match the chasm between his expansive goals and the absence of proposals to achieve them. He would remake the nation's libel laws, but how, given Supreme Court jurisprudence on the First Amendment? "I'd have to get my lawyers in to tell you," he said. How could he implement a ban on noncitizen Muslims entering the country? "Well look, there's many exceptions," he said. "There's many — everything, you're going to go through a process." His answer to racial disparity and urban poverty is to create jobs. But how? "Economic zones," "incentives" and improving the "spirit" of inner-city residents. "You have to start by giving them hope and giving them spirit, and that has not taken place," Mr. Trump said. How would he push back against Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea? "We have to be unpredictable," Mr. Trump said. "We're totally predictable. And predictable is bad." An empty policy basket makes almost impossible the kind of substantive debate on which democracies depend. And while it is true that ambiguity sometimes can be useful in diplomacy, a lack of clarity also can be dangerous, enticing rivals to be aggressive and allies to seek new friends. Listen to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump discuss some of his foreign policy positions with The Washington Post editorial board. "NATO is costing us a fortune," Trump said. "We're not reimbursed fairly for what we do." EFTA01183551 The latter risk does not seem to worry Mr. Trump: He describes the fundamental U.S. alliances that have helped keep the peace for the past half-century as essentially obsolete. "NATO is costing us a fortune," he said. "I think NATO as a concept is good, but it is not as good as it was when it first evolved." He asked why Japan and South Korea, which already pay a substantial share of the costs of U.S. bases, don't pay loo percent. We asked: Does the United States gain nothing by a forward presence to help maintain the peace? "Personally, I don't think so," Mr. Trump said. It might have made sense when we were "a very powerful, very wealthy country," but "we're a poor country now." Given Mr. Trump's belief that we don't treat him fairly, we invite readers to read the full transcript or listen to the audio recording of our conversation, both of which we've posted online. He answered questions about violence at his rallies, voting rights for the District of Columbia (he would favor a voting representative in the House but not statehood), promoting democracy overseas and the seemliness of trading insults and threatening critics. His defense of the latter was telling: "I mean, actually I think it is presidential because it is winning." Which suggests one more difference between us: our definition of what is presidential. Editorial Board —The Washington Post — March 21, 2016 ****** This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Consume Okra Inline image I Okra and Diabetes: Okra, commonly referred to as lady's finger, has been found by multiple in vitro and in vivo studies to be a potent blood glucose-lowering (anti-diabetic) food. Okra has been used traditionally as an alternative treatment for diabetes and it is thought that this effect of okra is due to the presence of a large amount of soluble dietary fiber, which retards glucose absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. EFTA01183552 Okra and Cancer: Okra has also demonstrated action against breast cancer cells in preliminary lab studies. Okra and Depression: Amazing new research has proved that okra may also have the ability to fight one of the chronic illnesses of our time: Depression. It's been known that healthy diet improves mood since some fruits and vegetables were reported to have mood-elevating antioxidants such as flavonoids and quercetin. Because of okra's high antioxidant content, yet no known records of antidepressant ability, the researchers from Mazandaran University of Medical Science examined its effect in elevating mood. The researchers drew extracts from the seeds and leaves as they often contain the highest concentrations of antioxidants. As expected, the extracts were found to contain 58 - 68 mg of gallic acid equivalents per gram, the same levels of antioxidants as extracts of blackberry and blueberry, the most powerful of all fruits and berries. After standard tests on diabetic mice, the results showed that okra seed extracts acted as a powerful mood-elevating agent that when in high dosage (750 mg of 10:1 seed extract per kg body weight) performed as effective as the anti-depression drug imipramine. But even in lower dose (25o mg/kg), the extract already manifested a significant mood boost. The positive mood effect is attributed to high total phenol and flavonoid contents of okra extracts. The difficulties and complications related to diabetes put diabetes sufferers at greater risk of developing depression. Also, it is thought that having depression may increase one's risk for diabetes or worsen diabetes symptoms. Studies have shown (unsurprisingly) that people with depression and diabetes suffer more severely than those with diabetes alone. With the discovery of okra's powerful anti-depressive action, people with diabetes have a significant likelihood of handling depression and gaining control over their blood levels at the same time. Eating the whole okra contains fiber which is essential for regulating blood sugar and lowering cholesterol levels. It also contains nearly io% of recommended levels of vitamin B6 and folic acid. Even without diabetes, munching on okra is a far more healthy option for having that "happy hormone" than binging on sweets. THIS WEEK's QUOTE We are constantly being told to pursue our passions in life, but there are times when passion is a TALL ORDER, and really hard to reach. In seasons of confusion, of loss, of boredom, of insecurity, of distraction, the idea of "passion" can feel completely inaccessible and impossible. In such times, you are lucky to be able to get your laundry done (that sometimes feels as high as you can aim) and when someone tells you to follow your passion, you want to give them the middle finger. But curiosity, I EFTA01183553 have found, is always within reach. Passion is a tower of flame, but curiosity is a tiny tap on the shoulder — a little whisper in the ear that says, "Hey, that's kind of interesting..." Passion is rare; curiosity is every day. Elizabeth Gilbert THIS IS BRILLIANT Inline image 5 Web Link: https://n Is.facebook.com/mastersoldirthideos/10153846412946796/ The most amazing parody of Led Zeppelin ever and as one person wrote — Simply INSANE!!! Enjoy.... Enjoy.... Enjoy.... THINK ABOUT THIS Aamer Rahman: Reverse Racism EFTA01183554 Inline image 6 Web Link: https://www.facebook.com/reggiehoodofficialkideos/1063133860396723/ Comedian Aamer Rahman talks about reverse racism, using comedy to speak some truth on the subject. BEST VIDEO OF THE WEEK Inline image 2 Web Link: https://wwww.facebook.comigarykideos/10153998224728350/ EFTA01183555 Gary Vaynerchuk likes to say, "... like in the UFC there is no undefeated in entrepreneurship." When you learn to enjoy your "losses" you've begun the process of "winning." I mean this. Too many don't understand the 36o nature of business. Everyone has micro losses just make sure you have Macro Wins. Vaynerchuk believes that if you want to be an entrepreneur, see your losses as a way to win as long as you never gives up. I usually don't buy the bullshit of self-help gurus, but I find Vaynerchuk refreshing and realistic. Still I am not suggesting that you buy his books or subscribe to his online programs, unless they are on Youtube and free. Gary Vaynerchuk is a fast talking business guru who calls himself a serial entrepreneur who builds businesses. Fresh out of college he took his family wine business and grew it from a $3M to a $6oM business in just five years. Now he runs VaynerMedia, one of the world's hottest digital agencies. Along the way he became a prolific angel investor and venture capitalist, investing in companies like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Uber, and Birchbox before eventually co-founding VaynerRSE, a $25M investment fund. In addition to the #AskGaryVee Show, Gary is also a prolific public speaker, delivering keynotes at events like Le Web, and SXSW. Vaynerchuk was born on November 14, 1975 in Babruysk, Belarus, in the former USSR. Gary's parents were fortunate enough to find their way to America as part of an exchange program where Soviet Jews were allowed to immigrate to the US in exchange for food aid. While the entire extended family shared a studio apartment in Queens, Gary's father Sasha began working at a relative's liquor store in New Jersey and eventually moved the family to Edison, NJ. M a young child, Gary began his entrepreneurial career by ripping flowers out of his neighbors' yards and using his natural charm to sell them right back (a profit margin he has still yet to equal). Soon he had upgraded to operating an entire lemonade stand franchise, managing multiple locations and commuting via big-wheel to collect his profits. In his early teens, Gary cornered the local market for baseball cards, often making thousands in a weekend with his keen eye for deals, and his razor-sharp sales-tactics. All of this came to a halt when, at the age of 14, Gary's father literally dragged him into the family business. In the blink of an eye he went from making thousands of dollars in a weekend to making $2 an hour bagging ice in the basement of Shoppers Discount Liquors, which his father had taken full ownership of by that point. Vaynerchuk has been featured in "The New York Times", The Wall Street Journal, GQ, and Time,appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Ellen. With this you are invited to enjoy (via the web link above) one of the many videos of Gary Vaynerchuk. THIS WEEK's MUSIC Martin Sexton EFTA01183556 Inline image 1 This week you are invited to enjoy the music of Martin Sexton who is an American singer- songwriter and producer originally from Syracuse, New York — and the ultimate troubadour. Sexton, a self-taught guitarist and singer, grew up the tenth of twelve children in a working class Irish-American family. He acquired his first guitar, a Sears & Roebuck acoustic model at age 14 and later played in a profusion of garage bands, playing the music of the Beatles, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin. Looking to find his own voice, he left home when he was 22 years old and began busking as a street performer in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Despite the ultra-competitive nature of the Boston scene, with too many folksingers and too few coffeehouses, Sexton quickly rose through the ranks. He began playing his brand of soul-filled folk music around Boston's open-mike nights and street corners in 1989. By the early 1990s, Martin Sexton was one of the most talked-about arrivals on the "newfolk" acoustic music scene. The guitarist, singer, and songwriter has an amazing vocal range and makes effective use of it on his recordings and in his live shows. Unlike so many other contemporary singer/songwriters, his vocal style can be described as truly soulful, combining the best qualities of singers like Van Morrison, Al Green, Aaron Neville, and Otis Redding, said one writer. Happily and fiercely independent, Martin Sexton launched his own label ICTR (2002). Since then, his continual success through his diversity infiltrates many musical worlds — ranging everywhere from Jam Cruise to Denver's Mile High Fest to Mayercraft Carrier to Carnegie Hall. His songs are featured in film and television including recent placements on NBC's Scrubs and Showtime's hit series Brotherhood. "Martin Sexton is ripe with raw, expansive talent. His voice comes in a hundred impossible shades. His songs are sweet and spirited and soulful. His repertoire is like a cross-country tour of the American musical vernacular." —Boston Globe EFTA01183557 The New York Times wrote that this artist "jumps beyond standard fare on the strength of his voice, a blue-eyed soul man's supple instrument," adding that "his unpretentious heartiness helps him focus on every soul singer's goal: to amplify the sound of the ordinary heart." With this you are again invited to enjoy the music of one the most soulful troubadours of our time.... Mr. Martin Sexton.... Martin Sexton - Can't Stop Thinking About You -- https://youtu.be/o5CCt7Jcm3E Martin Sexton - Young and Beautiful -- https://youtu.be/LGwIk9_jtEE Martin Sexton — With The Help of My Friends -- https://youtu.be/OROnv6TRNQE Martin Sexton — Glory Bound -- hops://y • utu.be/s_v1YdJwITo Martin Sexton — Fall Like Rain -- https://youtu.be/0UWYGNs7W2E Martin Sexton — You (My Mind is Woo) -- https://youtu.be/aKGQbr1U4Vs Martin Sexton — The American -- https://youtu.be/qfbfEGDdlCo Martin Sexton — Purple Rain -- https://youtu.be/PsbHjMhmEkQ John Mayer & Martin Sexton — Can't Stop Thinking Bout You -- https://youtu.be/o8dHhYZtshQ Martin Sexton & Adam Gontier — Free Fallin' hups://youtu.beiKyAm5k5q3vo Martin Sexton — Hey Joe -- https://youtu.be/uRJs_tmo4lk Martin Sexton — Here Comes The Sun/Hallelujah -- https://youtu.be/QWDInvew5jA Martin Sexton — Black Sheep -- https://youtu.be/CO_IZGbCDv0 Martin Sexton & Stephen Kellogg — The Weight -- https://youtu.be/OScLy5FUBRO Martin Sexton — Wind Cries Mary -- https://youtu.be/EY7CC6RJ5Ew Martin Sexton — Going To California -- https://youtu.be/F 1 EObgvsz1 s Martin Sexton - In the Journey & With a Little Helpfrom My Friends — https://youtu.be/HebFUI3Q7E1 Martin Sexton — Faith is Gone -- https://youtu.be/YMczCX5WWD8 Martin Sexton — Freedom Of The Road -- https://youtu.be/81-17oS0qz5_s Martin Sexton — Friends Again -- https://youtu.be/Q7MR6XFmXQg Martin Sexton — Set in Stone and I Believe in You -- https://youtu.be/pIBPQtQz2SU Martin Sexton — Imagine -- https://youtu.be/uuG 1 zi20b4g EFTA01183558 I hope that you have enjoyed this week's offerings and wish you and yours a great week.... Sincerely, Greg Brown Cavgory Bmwn Chairman & CEO GlobalCast Panners. LLC EFTA01183559