“The autumn of 2021 was ‘let’s get back to normal as soon as possible’. This was right for society and the economy. But ‘back to normal’ might be causing us to seriously underestimate the massive scale and enduring persistence of Covid 19 impact in education.”
Tag: Politics
UK to give early release to 1,700 prisoners, including ‘high proportion’ of domestic abusers, offers no support for victims
UK gets ready to release 1,700 prisoners from jail this week. “A high proportion will be domestic abusers.”
Bucharest dispatches fighter jets as Russian drones enter Romanian, Latvian airspace
Romania scrambles fighter jets after Russian drone strays into its airspace. “NATO condemns the overnight Russian airspace violation into Romanian airspace. While we have no information indicating an intentional attack by Russia against Allies, these acts are irresponsible and potentially dangerous.”
JR MAJEWSKI: Trump needs to bargain the US out of foreign nuclear dependency
Reprocessing used nuclear fuel is the solution to the challenges posed by foreign uranium dependency.
Surrogate mom wins legal fight against gay UK dads who called her ‘homophobic’ for wanting to see her own son
The biological surrogate used her own egg to conceive her son and was told by the gay dads to whom she surrendered her child that they preferred to raise him in a “motherless” home.
HUMAN EVENTS: The SAVE Act deserves to be saved
We conservatives do believe in “our democracy” – which is to say, the particular democracy which rightfully belongs only to Americans.
Illinois Trucking Company With 480 Drivers Abruptly Ceases Operations
Illinois Trucking Company With 480 Drivers Abruptly Ceases Operations
By Clarissa Hawes of FreightWaves,
An Illinois-based trucking and logistics company, which contracted with the U.S. Postal Service to haul mail has notified over 650 employees, including more than 480 drivers, that the carrier is ceasing operations, according to sources familiar with the closure.
Former truck drivers for Midwest Transport Inc. (MTI), headquartered in Robinson, Illinois, told FreightWaves that they received telephone calls from their regional managers late Thursday notifying them the company was winding down operations.
As of publication on Friday, MTI has not issued a formal statement about what led to the closure. However, FreightWaves confirmed with some former senior managers and truck drivers who worked for the mail contractor that the company was ending operations. They did not want to be named in the article for fear of retaliation.
According to an email sent to MTI employees and drivers about the closing late Friday, which was obtained by FreightWaves, the company stated that postal operations “will complete all trips through the trips that begin on Sunday, September 8. Freight operations should be following the instructions from your load planners on returning. Terminal and office personnel will receive information and updates from your managers as we progress through this transition.”
MTI, founded in 1980, operated key terminals in Greenup, Illinois; Harmony, Pennsylvania; Memphis, Tennessee; and two terminals in Tampa and Jacksonville, Florida, according to its website.
MTI had over 480 drivers and 428 power units, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website.
FMCSA data shows the company’s trucks had been inspected 244 times, and 65 had been placed out of service for a 27% out-of-service rate over the preceding 24-month period. That is significantly higher than the industry’s national average of around 22%.
MTI’s drivers had been inspected 564 times, and 16 were placed out of service over a two-year period, resulting in a nearly 3% out-of-service rate. That is less than half the industry’s national average of 7%, according to FMCSA.
The trucking company had 21 injuries and 42 tow-aways over the past 24 months.
According to the SAFER database, MTI was cited for acute/critical violations in two categories: controlled substances/alcohol and driver fitness.
A check on SAFER shows that MTI’s common, contract and broker authorities remain active. MTI had two compliance reviews on July 7 and July 25, according to FMCSA data.
As of publication Friday, MTI had not filed a notice of its impending closure in Illinois, Tennessee, Pennsylvania or Florida.
One longtime former MTI driver said he was surprised by the news the company was ceasing operations but said that drivers had started receiving notices over the past few months to ensure their log books were certified after each run and to watch their speed and improve their on-time performance.
“I don’t know what happened because we had a lot of postal contracts all over the U.S.,” a former MTI driver told FreightWaves.
“I [don’t know if] the USPS is just finding out like us [that] the mail will be sitting on the docks on Monday.”
A media spokesperson with the Postal Service did not immediately return FreightWaves’ request for comment.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 09/09/2024 – 06:30
Do Americans Prefer Equalizing Outcome Or Opportunity In 2024?
Do Americans Prefer Equalizing Outcome Or Opportunity In 2024?
Authored by Gonzalo Schwarz via RealClearPolitics.com,
The American Dream was built on a promise of equality – a promise of equality in terms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
During the 2024 election, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are both working overtime to say why Republicans or Democrats are better on the equality issue.
But what kind of equality?
Harris is known for promoting “equity,” while Trump is quick to invoke the American Dream but slower to define it.
And so, voters are left wondering.
Many of the policies uttered on the campaign trail are focused on equalizing outcomes – or, at the very least, equalizing starting points.
To use a Harris quote, “Equitable treatment means we all end up at the same place.”
She also proposes an opportunity agenda, promising to crack down on price gouging, raise the minimum wage, provide $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, and increase the child tax credit, among other proposals. Pushback has been swift among economists and policy researchers, who cite the unintended consequences of price controls and other forms of government overreach.
Meanwhile, Trump insists on continuing his tariff policy and expanding the child tax credit. Cue similar pushback: In his case, the vast majority of economists and other experts agree about the negative impact of tariffs on economic growth.
In the end, what do American voters actually want?
The candidate who is most likely to win come November is the candidate who is more adept at selling equality as most Americans actually see it.
In a recent survey on the American Dream conducted with NORC at the University of Chicago, we put the question to the test. We asked people if they think equality means equality before the law and having a fair chance to pursue opportunities regardless of where they started (equality to opportunity), if equality means that everyone starts in the same with people given tools to help them catch up with others (equalizing starting points), or if equality just means people ending up in the same place like candidate Harris has said.
Not surprisingly, Americans don’t believe that equality means everyone ending in the same place.
Only 4% of U.S. adults say so, while equalizing people’s starting points only garnered 18% of the respondent vote.
On the other hand, nearly two-thirds of Americans claim equality is actually about the equality of opportunity.
This holds true across age, income level, education, and even political leanings.
Democrats and Republicans generally agree that proper policymaking is predicated upon support for equality of opportunity.
Tyler Durden
Sun, 09/08/2024 – 23:20
Macy’s Set To Close 55 Stores By The End Of 2024
Macy’s Set To Close 55 Stores By The End Of 2024
By Bernadette Giacomazzo of RetailWire
Macy’s has announced that it is closing a total of 55 stores by the end of 2024, in the faltering brand’s ongoing effort to revamp its business.
According to The Daily Mail, the company originally intended to close 50 underperforming stores by the end of the year, part of the 150 total locations it will close within three years. However, it now plans to close 55 before 2025.
The locations of the shuttering stores have not yet been announced, but speculation is abounding that the stores will include a location in Newington, New Hampshire, one in Traverse City, Michigan, and one in WestShore Plaza mall in Tampa, Florida. These stores are reportedly set to close after the winter holidays.
“The biggest things that have gone wrong at Macy’s are the quality of the stores and the product assortment,” GlobalData Retail analyst Neil Saunders said to the outlet.
“And so over the years customers have deserted it, sales have tumbled and store productivity has gone down. All the metrics have gone in the wrong direction.”
News of these closures comes shortly after Macy’s announced that it was diverting funds to its in-house brands in yet another effort to turn the proverbial ship around.
According to TheStreet, the shop has resurrected or introduced a number of other brands, including On 34th and State of Day, as part of its rehabilitation drive. It plans to launch a men’s collection before the end of the year, and a new kids’ brand will follow next.
But Macy’s significant rebrand goes beyond simply bringing back well-known brands. The mall mainstay is purportedly concentrating more on its well-known high-margin luxury products in an attempt to attract customers with a little more disposable income.
The company has said that it will focus its efforts on designer fragrances, which are more affordable than high-end handbags, for example, yet feature coveted brands like Chanel and Dior.
Some Macy’s stores already carry high-end fragrances from brands like Tom Ford, Creed, and Cartier. The company did, however, declare that it will have 42 outlets by the end of 2024 that would sell its high-end cosmetic products, with a focus on scent, as part of its aim to expand the availability of designer fragrances.
Additionally, Macy’s will soon offer store-in-store concepts that will mimic Target’s Ulta strategy and Kohl’s well-known and successful Sephora endeavor.
Tyler Durden
Sun, 09/08/2024 – 17:30
Venezuela opposition candidate Edmundo González flees to Spain while facing arrest after disputed election
Venezuelan opposition leader flees to Spain to avoid Madura’s grip. “The government of Spain is committed to the political rights and physical integrity of all Venezuelans.”