Hamilton.jerry

February 27, 2014

Gay Rights Advocates Love AZ Governor Veto

Gay Rights Advocates Praise Veto by AZ Governor

Arizona governor Jan Brewer made friends with gay and lesbian rights advocates today as she vetoed a bill that would protect business owners who decline service to gays and lesbians on the basis of those owners’ religious beliefs. http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/20140226arizona-jan-brewer-1062-statement.html?nclick_check=1

A vocal religious minority in Arizona strongly disagrees with the governor’s action, while even more vocal gay and lesbian rights advocates love it. At http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com analysts perceive a subtext of frustration by the governor, whose real focus elsewhere, such as revamping the child welfare services of Arizona, has been distracted by the rancor surrounding the proposed legislation.

If you held strong feelings of opposition to gay and lesbian rights on the basis of your religion, would you like the bill that protects you when you refuse to serve gays or lesbians? In other words, is the law worthy of some attention? Or, on the other hand, is this all part of a right wing conspiracy to single out gays and lesbians? What do you think?

February 27, 2014

Wax On, Wax Off; California Marijuana Business Differs from Colorado

Wax On, Wax Off, Marijuana Business Differs, Colorado v. California

Marijuana legalization hasn’t hit most states in the US yet, but the two leading states, California and Colorado, have taken different roads on the latest mj invention: Wax. Californians face federal investigation and prosecution for Wax distribution, while in Colorado the Wax business booms. http://news.yahoo.com/colo-marijuana-businesses-embrace-drug-center-dea-crackdown-015551827–abc-news-topstories.html

Not familiar with Wax? It’s distilled marijuana with enough THC (the active mj ingredient) that one hit lasts all day.

In California, things have gotten so bad that the feds are taking away people’s homes and businesses if they haven’t dotted every ‘i’ and crossed each ‘t’ for medical mj sales. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/14/us-usa-marijuana-landlords-idUSBRE85D0JA20120614

Seems to analysts at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com that jumping into the mj business at this moment in history might be riskier than most business opportunities. The potential profits seem enormous, of course, but the fear and loathing of US drug enforcers should not be underestimated, either.

Would you like to start up a new mj business if your state said it was alright? What do you think?

February 27, 2014

What’s Your Opinion on Same Sex Marriage?

What’s your opinion on same sex marriage? What arguments do you agree with concerning your opinion? Is a nation the proper authority for deciding laws about this issue? Is God solely the authority on whom people should depend for an opinion about same sex marriage? Is your own conscience solely the authority on which individuals should depend…? How should people reason about same sex marriage, or is reason inadequate on this and other topics?

If you pay attention to the Gallup polls in the US, you might believe that acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships (known before 2008 as homosexual relations, according to Gallup) has passed the half way point to 64% of Americans now in support. http://www.gallup.com/poll/1651/gay-lesbian-rights.aspx

But if you look at the 2005 Texas support for a narrow definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman, you take away a very different perspective. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/26/us-usa-gaymarriage-texas-idUSBREA1P1VE20140226 That definition passed overwhelmingly in Texas nine years ago, yet in 2014 court decisions appear to run contrary.

In both Russia and parts of Africa, the laws strongly punish same sex marriage. In other places of the EU or North America, the opposite seems to be gaining acceptance, meaning laws protect same sex marriage in many places. The public opinion worldwide is really a bit confusing, to me, hamilton.jerry. I have an opinion, of course, and if you’ll show me yours….

So at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com (HFS) they offer their own poll question, in their usual open-ended style: What do you think about marriage between same sex people? Do you favor it or oppose it, and by how much do you hold that opinion, strongly, mildly, or almost not at all? Is your opinion based on religion, politics, ideology, or something else? What else?

The polls and court decisions seem to make the answers to such a basic question more complex than seems necessary, according to HFS analysis. What do you think? I, hamilton.jerry, encourage you to comment with a rich mix of words, images, and sounds that truly reflect your views, and I hope to hear from a fair cross-section, not just a vocal group of like minded souls.

February 26, 2014

Swiss Bank Whack-A-Mole Played in US Senate As Federal Prosecutors Get Chastised

US Senators upset with Swiss banks, chastised US federal prosecutors for dragging their feet today.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/26/usa-tax-swiss-idUSL1N0LU2IC20140226

The US tax problems seem like a pendulum, to analysts at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com. When the pendulum swings wildly one way, it will respond with an equally wild return to the other side. In other words, the more the US politicians press the Swiss to disclose how customers hide money, the more those customers will seek even better secret stashing places. And the Swiss are not idle spectators; they have a stake in how successfully their clients hide their money, too. In the end, big money does much more than buy politicians, it makes the whole world go ’round.

It’s a game like WhackAMole! Have you found a good hiding spot out there? Care to share more information?

hamilton.jerry

February 26, 2014

Should California Students Sue for Better Education?

Students Lawsuit Calls Experts To Make Case Against California Schools

While educating children ranks high on every society’s agendas, rarely have students sued the whole school system to make it better. The case Vergara v. California offers a big exception that might make it to the US Supreme Court. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-teachers-lawsuit-20140126,0,4567951.story#axzz2uRgXu1JQ

Nine public school students aged 7 to 17 have taken the California public school system to court to argue that its policies and practices, based on 5 state laws, of giving lifetime tenure to teachers after 18 months on the job plus last in-first out hiring practices when layoffs hit gives students a fundamentally bad educational opportunity. It helps, of course, to have big money behind the students in the form of David Welch’s Students Matter non-profit advocacy organization. http://www.theexpertinstitute.com/education-expert-witnesses-testify-in-landmark-case-concerning-teacher-employment/?

Expert witnesses, those individuals with established reputations about specialized knowledge in their field, have testified that students in a system like California’s suffer from diminished educational opportunities directly arising from the state’s laws about tenure and lay-offs. To analysts at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com no matter which side prevails in this case, set to end this week, it could easily be appealed to the US Supreme Court.

What do you think about students suing schools and states for giving them a bad education? Is this a type of law suit fit for our times? Or, on the other hand, is this just another waste of good money on a failed court system? If this approach is not the answer, what action should students push?

February 25, 2014

Tipping Point for Mt. Gox and Bitcoin?

Bitcoin Investors Learn the Hard Way About Currency Exchange Risks

Mt. Gox, the Japan-based online exchange for Bitcoin with other currencies, halted operations this past week and continues to ignore investor requests for explanations other than that unusual activities on the exchange require halting its services. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/25/us-mtgox-website-idUSBREA1O07920140225

Bitcoin is the leading cryptocoin, a privately invented online form of money traded worldwide on currency markets in exchange for US dollars, British pounds, Japanese yen, and many other currencies. Mt. Gox has offered a leading exchange service for Bitcoin currency markets. Several other exchanges such as Bitstamp and BTC-E have issued statements to assure their investors that nothing like Mt. Gox’s problems has occurred in their operations. http://btctrading.wordpress.com

Analysts at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com characterize the Mt. Gox cessation of services as a landmark development in the struggle for survival of cryptocoin technology, and they say failure to overcome market interference may begin a major decline in the financial value of all NewCoin technologies.

Have you invested in any cryptocoins lately? Which ones do you trust, or can you reasonably trust any of them?

hamilton.jerry

February 25, 2014

Warmth Records Worldwide Don’t Help Eastern Half of US as New Vortex Descends

Polar Vortex Returns to US Despite World’s 4^th Warmest Winter

Remember the polar vortex in January 2014 that took temperatures in the eastern half of the US into double digits below zero? Starting today and continuing for the remainder of the week, another polar vortex will bring down eastern US temps again. http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/bitter-cold-finish-february-20140221 Northeasterners should expect snow, too! http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-24/polar-vortex-set-to-bring-more-snow-on-return-to-u-s-this-week.html

That’s a small piece of the global weather, where for all time since the first 1880 weather records the average temperatures reached the 4^th highest ever. Compared with 2013, temps were about 1.17 degrees Fahrenheit higher in January 2014, not that Midwestern and east coast US residences would notice. http://www.usnews.com/news/science/news/articles/2014/02/20/world-had-4th-warmest-january-as-eastern-us-froze

News reports describe how polar vortexes form and behave, how world warmth hit the Sochi-based Olympics, and generally how everywhere except my family home in Wisconsin, USA, has felt a warm winter. In the mean time, in the US, residents will face higher energy bills than ever for February. http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/steo/report/electricity.cfm

We look forward to miserable cold in the eastern half of the US for the rest of February. http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com In other words, Yuck! We’re staying on the road, more specifically, the west coast of the US, for another month. How about you?

hamilton.jerry

February 24, 2014

Should You or I Use Dropbox or Similar Online Cyber Storage Services? Is it safe yet?

Today’s Cyber Reality Raises Questions; Is It Safe Yet?

The statements shown below came today in email from an online digital storage service called Dropbox which I have used only to an extremely small degree. I found the terms interesting for what they do not say and for the aspirations expressly stated, more than what they say on the surface. On balance the Dropbox statements leave me wondering about many questions. For example, what are the laws (North American, Euro, Asian, South American, African, etc.) that provide for privacy and how might they be improved?

Do you wonder as I do about privacy, government intrusion with or without legal authority, and protection of innocent users? What might you and I do to act more defensively or wisely in today’s cyber reality? Or am I foolishly worried about nothing?

Dropbox’s Government Data Requests Principles

We understand that when you entrust us with your digital life, you expect us to keep your stuff safe. Like most online services, we sometimes receive requests from governments seeking information about our users. These principles describe how we deal with the requests we receive and how we’ll work to try to change the laws to make them more protective of your privacy.

Be transparent: Online services should be allowed to report the exact number of government data requests received, the number of accounts affected by those requests, and the laws used to justify the requests. We’ll continue to advocate for the right to provide this important information. Learn more.

Fight blanket requests: Government data requests should be limited to specific people and investigations. We’ll resist requests directed to large groups of people or that seek information unrelated to a specific investigation. Learn more.

Protect all users: Laws authorizing governments to request user data from online services shouldn’t treat people differently based on their citizenship or where they live. We’ll work hard to reform these laws. Learn more.

Provide trusted services: Governments should never install backdoors into online services or compromise infrastructure to obtain user data. We’ll continue to work to protect our systems and to change laws to make it clear that this type of activity is illegal. Learn more.

February 24, 2014

Greenhouse Gas Rules Challenged In US Supreme Court Today

Greenhouse Gas Regs Challenged Today in US Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court extended from the normal 60 minutes hearing time to 90 minutes to permit all the parties to argue today about whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) overstepped when expanding the Clean Air Act to apply to greenhouse gases. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/24/us-usa-court-climate-idUSBREA1N06Q20140224

A US Federal Appeals Court for the DC Circuit approved in June 2012 of the new EPA regulations that require every new facility to obtain environmental construction permits if the planned facility would emit any pollutants whatsoever. The EPA calls its program the Prevention of Serious Deterioration (PSD) regulations. http://www.epa.gov/NSR/psd.html

Since establishment of the PSD program, 335 facilities have applied for new construction permits, certifying that the facilities use the best known technology available for limiting pollutants covered in the regulations. One utility company and 16 states will argue in support of the PSD rules, while manufacturing groups oppose them. Although nuances for arguments on each side vary, the gist of regulation supporters is that momentum for stricter controls must be continued to address rising environmental degradation issues. Opponents argue the EPA has no authority without Congressional action to expand federal laws that directly impose economic burdens on businesses seeking to build new facilities.

Analysts at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com expect no real change in EPA programs regardless of how the court rules on Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-1146. http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/supreme_court_preview/briefs-v3/12-1146_pet_state.authcheckdam.pdf

A ruling will be announced by the end of June 2014. However, a defeat for the Obama administration on this centerpiece administrative law could undermine political momentum and add to a growing list of failed Obama programs.

Hamilton.jerry

February 23, 2014

Volcanic Ash Lowers Global Warming Rate

Volcanic Ash Accounts for Warming Slow-down, Maybe More

The 17 volcanoes since the year 2000 account for a slow-down in global warming, according to a Lawrence Livermore environmental study released today. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/23/climate-volcanoes-idUSL6N0LQ2K620140223

Ash from the volcanoes shaded the atmosphere enough to counteract effects of higher carbon dioxide that traps heat in the planet biosphere. Maybe this explains why winter in my home state of Wisconsin, USA, seems as cold as when I grew up in the 1950’s. Next week temperatures will drop below zero, according to local forecasts. http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/La+Crosse+WI+54601:4:US

Some predict that decreased attention to warming might impact the UN climate deal to be signed in Paris during 2015. http://www.franceonu.org/france-at-the-united-nations/un-express-922/article/21-may-2013-france-will-host-in The “21^st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” will be the site for agreement by 200 nation-states around the world over $1T of expenditures to move the world toward renewable energy sources.

To analysts at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com there is little likelihood of any change for the planned signing of the UN climate convention. Nonetheless, they note that if volcanoes increase their activities around the globe for the foreseeable future, the argument for global warming prevention might suffer political setbacks.

What do you think?