History's 'Sons of Liberty' foment the American Revolution

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Long before the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, there was a group of radical young men who fomented rebellion against the British monarchy.

They represented all tiers of society, from well-heeled lawyers to humble craftsmen. They met in secret at Boston's Green Dragon Tavern to plot daring acts of defiance. They railed against taxation without representation.

And rather than serve as second-class subjects of a distant monarch, they famously believed that all men are created equal and endowed with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Those seminal years leading to America's violent separation from the British Empire are re-created in "Sons of Liberty," a six-hour scripted miniseries that begins airing Jan. 25 on History. "Many people think of powdered wigs and quill pens when they think about that period," says Dirk Hoogstra, executive vice president and general manager of History and H2. "We're bringing this story to life in a way a lot of people haven't seen before. We want it to be adventurous, bring some adrenaline to it."

In developing the miniseries, the producers consulted with historians to be as accurate as possible. "You can't make a documentary," Hoogstra acknowledges. "No one knows what was said. Some parts you have to fictionalize, so you can't be 100% factual.

"I know for sure," he adds, "if people are entertained, they're going to Google it. They're going to engage with American history in a way they might not have before."

Produced by A+E Studios in association with Stephen David Entertainment, "Sons of Liberty" was directed by Kari Skogland ("Boardwalk Empire," "The Borgias").

English actor Ben Barnes ("The Chronicles of Narnia") stars as Samuel Adams, a tax-collector-turned-statesman who spread discontent among the colonists. Today the name Samuel Adams is commonly associated with beer. But the American patriot was actually a deeply religious man with a master's degree from Harvard and an affinity for politics rather than breweries.

Barnes describes Sam as the "beating heart of the revolution." He was also a sort of Robin Hood who put himself in the British cross hairs by refusing to collect taxes from some of his fellow citizens. In the TV show, Sam evades arrest by racing across rooftops and jumping through windows.

Along with Sam, dubbed "The Instigator," the miniseries features his conservative cousin attorney and future president John Adams referred to as "The Reluctant One." He's played by Henry Thomas ("E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Gangs of New York").

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History's 'Sons of Liberty' foment the American Revolution

Caribbean Sailing Vacation – Empire Sailing – Sailing US and British Virgin Islands – Video

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Caribbean Sailing Vacation - Empire Sailing - Sailing US and British Virgin Islands
Caribbean Sailing Vacation - Empire Sailing - Sailing US and British Virgin Islands Watch in HD or 1080P!!! 00:04 - British Virgin Islands BVI 00:07 - Private Sailing Vacations 00:11 - British...

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Caribbean Sailing Vacation - Empire Sailing - Sailing US and British Virgin Islands - Video

Inside SOUTH Korea's slave farms where families send mentally disabled relatives

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The rural island chain, off southwest coast, is home to thriving slave trade Tales of slavery usingdisabledpeople repeatedly emerged in last ten years Recentinvestigationfound more than 100 workers were receiving no pay Police and officials who knew about islands have not faced punishment

By Associated Press Reporter

Published: 08:32 EST, 2 January 2015 | Updated: 16:35 EST, 2 January 2015

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In one of the world's richest countries - it is a fate too cruel to believe.

But it recently emerged that a remote set of South Korean islands have long been used as slave camps - where families send theirmentally disabled relatives to toil in salt farms so that they don't have to care for them.

Slavery thrives on this chain of rural islands off the country's rugged southwest coast, nurtured by a long history of exploitation and the demands of trying to squeeze a living from the sea.

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Inside SOUTH Korea's slave farms where families send mentally disabled relatives

Pitch Slapped Girlafesto and cover Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson – Video

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Pitch Slapped Girlafesto and cover Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson
Showcasing talent for a great cause, the girls from "Pitch Slapped" fundraise for The Plan #39;s "Because I am a Girl" campaign that helps girls in developing countries with important issues such...

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Russian health-care protests continue despite Putins …

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By Brittany Holom January 1

On Nov. 30, thousands of Muscovites marched through Samotechnaya Square against planned cuts to the citys healthcare system. Photo Credit: Brittany L. Holom

The following is a guest post byBrittany Holom,a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Politics at Princeton University.

*****

On Nov. 30, medical personnel, activist groups, and political parties gathered in Moscow, the noise slowly growing louder as group after group joined the marching line, using loudspeakers to project their chants into the biting winter air. The demonstrators signs called for a moratorium on proposed reforms to the citys health-care system, with some demanding to know why there was money for war, but not for medicine. News agencies estimated that 5,000-6,000 people braved the days freezing temperatures to demand accessible, affordable medicine (dostupnaya meditsina). These protests against planned health-care reforms in Moscow marked the second event of its kind within the month; the first doctors meeting had taken place on Nov. 2. Another took place on Dec. 14, in combination with groups against education reforms. What are these reforms that have drawn such opposition, and why have these specific protests gained so much attention? What do they mean for the Putin regime, particularly in the context of the larger economic woes? Could widespread support for the welfare state prove to be a stumbling block for Putins popularity?

The recent protests are rooted in Moscow health reform plans that first emerged in mid-October, when Russian Medical Server, an online medical news site, leaked the details of the intended changes to the citys health care. To optimize the systems structure, it was reported, the government planned to close 28 hospitals and clinics in the city and lay off thousands of medical personnel. According to the groups of doctors and nurses gathered at the rallies, the planning process took place behind closed doors for months, with little to no consultation with those working day-to-day in the citys health-care system. Moscow officials later reported that the governments Research Institute of the Organization of Healthcare and Medical Management had authored the reforms.

While the specific characteristics and plans of the reforms in question are new, the push for change is not. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, analysts have argued that the Russian health-care system is in dire straits. It has struggled against a long history tied with alcoholism and issues of underfunding and structural imbalances linked with the legacies of the Soviet Semashko system. Nevertheless, although the goal of improvement has been constant across time and regimes in post-Soviet Russia, there has been little clear, strong direction for achieving this. Then, in his 2012 May Decrees pledges, Putin promised a full restructuring of the system to meet updated health goals. The government immediately began planning for a shift of health-care financing to single-channel funding, which will begin in 2015. In April 2014, deputies approved an update of the state program The Development of Healthcare, which laid out strategies for advancing the Russian health care system. These strategies largely followed the recommendations and goals set out by the World Health Organization (WHO). The current Moscow reforms are part of this larger drive for greater efficiency and improved health.

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US Stocks Mixed; Health Care Gains, Energy Slips

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Stocks got off to a sluggish start on the first day of trading in the New Year, ending the day mixed as a report showed that manufacturing growth slowed in December.

U.S. factory activity grew at the slowest pace in six months last month, weakened by declines in orders and production, according to the Institute for Supply Management. While the sector is still in good health, growth was slower than economists had forecast.

The stock market climbed to record levels at the end of 2014 and investors may now be reassessing the outlook for the market at the start of the year, said Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial, an independent broker-dealer firm. While growth prospects in the U.S. look decent, in Europe and Asia they are less encouraging.

Investors are "stepping back and saying, 'now we're in the New Year, let's take a fresh look,' " said McMillan. "There's certainly some degree of, I wouldn't say pessimism, but readjustment, going on."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 0.70 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 2,058.20. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 9.92 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 17,832.99. The Nasdaq composite dropped 9.24 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,726.81.

Stocks had another good year in 2014, but the rally faded in the final days of the year. The S&P 500 climbed 11.4 percent, after rising 29.6 percent in 2013. To justify those gains, company earnings will have to keep growing.

"We don't think the U.S. equity market is going to do anywhere near as well this year" as it has in recent years, said Dan Morris, global investment strategist at TIAA-CREF, an investment manager. "There's a lot more that could go wrong than could go right in the U.S."

Morris says stock investors should expect returns in the single digits this year, and should also brace themselves for higher levels of volatility as the Federal Reserve moves toward its first rate increase since 2006.

On Friday, stocks started out with solid gains, then fell back after the ISM published its manufacturing report. After drifting lower for much of the afternoon, the market recovered slightly and ended the day little changed.

U.S. crude fell after moving between losses and small gains. The price dropped 58 cents to $52.69 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the international standard, declined 91 cents to $56.42.

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US Stocks Mixed; Health Care Gains, Energy Slips