Daily Archives: June 8, 2017

The Nationals have recently found a reliable combination for the back end of their bullpen in Matt Albers and Koda Glover.But they could use more depth, and help appears on the way. From the left side, Sammy Solis threw a 40-pitch bullpen session at the clubs facility in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Tuesday. And from the right side, Joe Blanton was slated to begin a rehab assignment with Class AA Harrisburg on Thursday, according to Manager Dusty Baker.

Solis has been on the disabled list since April 19 with nerve damage in his elbow. The left-hander posted an 8.31 ERA in six games before he was shelved. Baker said Solis is still in Florida. As for his next step, the manager wouldnt divulge any details.

His next step is his next step, he said.

Blanton was placed on the disabled list May 17 with shoulder inflammation after his worst stretch since becoming a full-time reliever two years ago. He has a 9.49 ERA and has allowed six home runs in 12 1/3 innings.

Hes getting better, Baker said.

Bakers prognosis for Jayson Werth wasnt as positive. Werth hurt his left big toe when he fouled a pitch off it Sunday against the Oakland Athletics. X-rays were negative, but the left fielderneeded crutches and was put on the disabled list Monday.

Its not going to be quick, Baker said. If anybodys ever hurt their toe, it heals slower. You have worse circulation there, and it looks ugly. Were not planning on Jayson the next few days. Hes just trying to get the swelling out, and thats the toughest thing to do. Keeping it up, elevated, stay off of it, but try to do some leg work and some arm work in order not to get out of shape when you hurt your feet, because everything you do to stay in shape is on your feet. Were going to do whatever we can to keep him in shape so its not starting all over when he gets back.

Werth probably wouldnt have played in Thursdays make-up game the Orioles anyway, not after such a quick turnaround off a nine-game West Coast trip, which concluded Wednesday in Los Angeles. Baker likes to give players days off in these situations, and he stuck to his philosophy Thursday by not including Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon in his starting lineup.

Chris Heisey wouldve been useful for the manager, but the outfielder said he still hasnt resumed any baseball activities since aggravating his right biceps injury during a two-game rehab assignment last week. He said his plan is to make sure he is 100 percent before pushing it again. Heisey ruptured his biceps April 23 and was placed on the disabled list the next day, but doctors told him he could play as long as he could manage the pain. The rehabassignment, however, left his arm black-and-blue and left him thinking he might have rushed it.

ORIOLES Seth Smith LF Jonathan Schoop 2B Mark Trumbo 1B Chris Davis 3B Trey Mancini LF Joey Rickard CF Caleb Joseph C J.J. Hardy SS Alec Asher RHP

NATIONALS Trea Turner SS Wilmer Difo 2B Bryce Harper RF Adam Lind 1B Matt Wieters C Stephen Drew 3B Michael A. Taylor CF Brian Goodwin LF Joe Ross RHP

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Sammy Solis, Joe Blanton making progress for Nationals - Washington Post

This year is the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down anti-miscegenation laws. A look at survey data shows were more accepting these days of mixed marriages ... but not entirely so.

Interracial marriage is far more common than it once was in the United States, but its still as complex as the country itself.

The growth in such marriages is a sign of progress, while the details tell more than a single story about who we are as a nation today.

Lots of attention has been paid to the phenomenon as we approach the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts June 12, 1967, ruling in the case Richard and Mildred Loving brought against the state of Virginia. The ruling struck down anti-miscegenation laws that still existed at that time in several states.

Ive been looking again at some of the numbers and thinking about what they mean.

According to the most recent PEW Research Center report, based on 2015 data, 17 percent of newlyweds that year were in interracial or interethnic marriages. Only 3 percent of newlyweds in 1967 were in mixed marriages.

Both numbers strike me as unnaturally low because humans are inclined to mix it up. When people from different ethnic groups come together, they share genes. It takes some kind of pressure to prevent that laws, for instance, or threats of violence.

These days it might be neighborhood segregation, social pressure or class gaps that restrict mate choices.

Richard Loving was classified as white and Mildred was classified as colored (her parents were both mixed, Indian and black). Virginia prohibited marriages between white people and people of other races. The Lovings were taken from their home and jailed in July 1958.

The Supreme Court in its ruling touched on the reason for such laws, declaring that anti-miscegenation laws existed to enforce white supremacy and were unconstitutional. Thats important context.

The countrys entire racial-classification system and the myths that support it grew out of the desire of one group to justify its domination of others. The marriage laws were struck down, but marriage, like most institutions, is still distorted by the ideology behind the laws, one that defines and ranks people by their assigned race.

A 1990 survey of Americans asked people who were not black whether they would be opposed to a close relative marrying someone who was black. Sixty-three percent said they would be opposed, but that percentage has declined over the years. And the demographics have changed, too.

For years, the survey didnt ask whether people of other races might have an objection to a relative marrying a white person. It also didnt ask about objections to any group other than black people.

In 2000, the survey began asking people of several races and ethnicities whether they would be opposed to a close relative marrying someone of one of several other groups.

Objections to all combinations of marriages have dropped significantly since then. By 2016, opposition to a relative marrying a black person was at 14 percent, 9 percent for marrying either a Hispanic or Asian person, and 4 percent for a relative marrying a white person.

Thats a good snapshot of where different groups stand socially in relation to one another. But there are all kinds of asterisks.

Black men are much more likely than black women to marry a person from another group. Its just the opposite for Asian Americans.

Hispanic men and women are equally likely to marry outside.

Hispanic/white marriages are by far the most common type of intergroup marriage (42 percent of all intergroup marriages), followed by Asian/white marriages (15 percent of the total).

Within both groups, recent immigrants were the least likely to marry outside the group.

A majority of American-Indian newlyweds marry people from other groups, 58 percent in PEWs 2013 survey.

There was also a difference in 2015 based on education level, with higher education generally, but not always, correlating to higher rates of intergroup marriage.

White newlyweds in cities were more likely to be intermarried than those in rural areas. That divide reminded me of the political split between cities, which vote blue, and less populated areas that vote red.

Not surprisingly, the PEW study found significant differences in acceptance of intermarriages based on political affiliation.

Forty-nine percent of Democrats and independents who lean toward Democrats say increasing of intermarriage is a good thing. Only 28 percent of Republicans and independents who lean toward that party say that it is a good thing.

Those numbers say something different from the falling numbers for objections to various parings. Together, they seem to say there is more tolerance, but not exactly a warm embrace of intermarriage.

Intermarriage isnt a goal, but an indicator of where we are socially. If our goals are reducing bias and baked-in inequality, then we do still have more to do.

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Racial ideas persist, despite progress on interracial marriage - The Seattle Times

EW.com

Claws star Niecy Nash calls for '#More' progress in entertainment industry EW.com Niecy Nash (Selma, Scream Queens) is returning to TV with the premiere of her TNT comedy-drama, Claws, in which she stars as a money laundering salon owner. The two-time Emmy nominee sat down for EW and PEOPLE's Beyond Beautiful series to talk ... and more »

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Claws star Niecy Nash calls for '#More' progress in entertainment industry - EW.com

I keep reading that in the foreseeable future our jobs will be taken over by machines.

And I believe it. But to what end?

I pondered this the other day as I was getting gasoline for my car. I was pumping the gas myself, naturally. I wouldn't even know where or if there were any full-service stations nearby.

If all your parts are working properly, pumping your own gasoline is a cinch. But, if you have physical or mobility problems pumping gas can be an ordeal.

An ordeal that once didn't exist.

All service stations were full service at one time. Then in 1947 the first self-service station opened in Los Angeles. The idea caught on. Machines, aided by the customer, did the work. Thus, gas station attendants went the way of the dinosaurs. Laid off attendants meant more profits.

Now, self-service gasoline stations are the rule, except in Oregon and New Jersey.

It is against the law to pump your own gas in these two state. The laws that prohibit the public from pumping gas claim there is danger of fire and explosion. Pumping gas should be left to the pros.

I remember those pros. There was a Texaco station on the corner in my old neighborhood. Johnny, the owner, and one helper were the attendants. When your car tolled over the hose that made a dinging sound, Johnny would emerge from the repair bay wiping grease from his hands. He would pump the gas, check the oil, give your tires the once-over and clean your windows.

Then you were on your way and your hands didn't smell like gasoline.

Full-service stations also had the advantage that the attendants also were mechanics. If your car was coughing, wheezing or had a flat you could just pull into the nearest gas station for help.

Today, pull into a self-service station with a problem and the attendant can sell you a lottery ticket but can't do much else for you or your car.

In what could be seen as a metaphor for the end of full-service gasoline stations, Johnny was found one morning in the repair bay of his station, dead from a heart attack.

Too bad that Johnny and his brand of service are gone except in Oregon and New Jersey.

But, that's progress.

Or, maybe, just change.

Paul Sassone is a freelance columnist.

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Column: Is it progress, or just change? - Chicago Tribune

As legislators returned to their hometowns without approving a state budget Thursday, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and legislators said they made progress during the 2017 session despite the unfinished business.

The largest remaining element is the two-year, $40 billion budget that legislators hope to negotiate before the end of the fiscal year on June 30. The enactment of the budget is the most important task of the legislature, and all sides agreed that they currently lack enough consensus to reach an agreement.

But Malloy looked back Thursday to opening day of the in early January, and said there was "real progress that has been accomplished'' over the past five months.

Those include pension restructuring in which the state avoided a huge "cliff'' with a potential balloon payment as large as $6 billion in a single year in 2032. That change marked the first time on a major policy issue this year that Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman broke a party-line tie to seal the deal in the evenly divided Senate.

Malloy also cited bail reform and the passage of a constitutional "lock box'' to ensure that transportation money cannot be diverted for other purposes - as has been done in the past. But Republicans blasted the idea as having a shiny lock on the front and holes in the back. As such, House Republican leader Themis Klarides of Derby said Thursday that the general public should reject the constitutional lock box at the ballot box in November 2018.

"The sources of revenue that go in can be manipulated,'' Klarides said. "That's not being truthful.''

But Malloy, who is not seeking reelection, is continuing to push his transportation agenda.

"A thriving economy demands a modern transportation network. Our cities need such a network to survive themselves. Protecting transportation dollars is an important and long overdue step in the right direction.''

On the high-profile issue of casinos, Malloy declined to say directly whether he would sign the so-called "sweetener'' bill that passed both chambers as part of a package to allow the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to construct a $300 million East Windsor casino to compete with a nearly $1 billion full-scale casino under construction in Springfield.

Klarides supported the so-called "sweetener'' bill after plans for a Hartford boutique casino and slot machines in the off-track betting parlors in three cities were dropped.

"There were so many iterations on that table,'' Klarides said. "By the end of the day, the change in the OTB number and this other change were very reasonable.''

Those changes included increasing the number of off-track betting outlets to 24, up from the current 18, and establishing a regulatory framework for sports betting if that is legalized nationally.

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Despite Budget Stalemate, Malloy Touts Progress in Legislature - Hartford Courant

7 June 2017: The UN Secretary-General has issued the 2017 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) progress report, providing an overview of global progress towards the 17 SDGs on the basis of the latest available data related to the global SDG indicator framework. The report notes that tracking progress on the SDGs requires an unprecedented amount of data and statistics at all levels.

The report, titled Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (E/2017/66), was mandated by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which requests the UN Secretary-General in cooperation with the UN system to prepare an annual progress report to inform follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda at the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The report will be introduced at the beginning of 2017 session of the HLPF, on 10 July.

The SDG indicator framework upon which the report is based was developed by the UN Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs). In March 2017, the 48th session of the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC) agreed on the framework, and the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted it on 7 June 2017. The report is based on a selection of the global indicators for which data were available as of April 2017. For most indicators, the report notes, values represent global, regional and subregional aggregates calculated from data from national statistical systems, compiled by international agencies.

On SDG 1 (no poverty), the report notes that the global poverty rate has been halved since 2000, but more efforts are required to boost incomes, alleviate suffering and build resilience for individuals that still live in extreme poverty, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa. It also calls for social protection systems to be expanded and for risks to be mitigated for disaster-prone countries.

On SDG 2 (zero hunger), the report notes advances on combatting hunger and malnutrition since 2000. It calls for continued and focused efforts to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, especially in Asia and Africa, and for more investments in agriculture, including government spending and aid.

On SDG 3 (good health and well-being), the report concludes that impressive advancements have occurred on many health fronts, but progress must be accelerated, in particular in regions with the highest burden of disease. Based on available data from 2005 to 2015, it finds that about half of all countries (including almost all of the least developed countries) have fewer than one physician and fewer than three nurses or midwives per 1,000 people.

Advancing toward SDG 4 (quality education) will require increasing efforts, the report notes, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia and for vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities, indigenous people, refugee children and poor children in rural areas. It indicates that Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia account for over 70% of the global out-of-school population in primary and secondary education. It also shows that in all countries with data, children from the richest 20% of households achieved greater proficiency in reading at the end of their primary and lower secondary education than children from the poorest 20% of households.

On SDG 5 (gender equality), the report states that gender inequality persists worldwide, and achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will require legal frameworks to counter deeply rooted gender-based discrimination. It notes that female genital mutilation (FGM) has declined by 30% over the last three decades, while the average amount of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work is more than threefold higher for women than men.

On SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), over 90% of the worlds population used improved drinking water sources, the report finds, and over two thirds of the worlds population used improved sanitation facilities in 2015. In both cases, people without access live predominantly in rural areas. The report also indicates that more than two billion people globally are living in countries with excess water stress (defined as the ratio of total freshwater withdrawn to total renewable freshwater resources above a threshold of 25%).

The report calls for countries to embrace new technologies on a much wider scale, to achieve energy access for all.

Progress on SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) falls short of what is needed to achieve energy access for all and to meet targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency, according to the report. It calls for higher levels of financing and bolder policy commitments, and for countries to embrace new technologies on a much wider scale.

In its conclusions for SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), the report outlines that: the average annual growth rate of real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita worldwide was 1.6% from 2010 to 2015, compared to 0.9% in 2005-2009; global unemployment rate stood at 5.7% in 2016, with women more likely to be unemployed than men across all age groups; and child labor remains a serious concern, even though the number of children from five to 17 years of age who are working has declined, from 246 million in 2000 to 168 million in 2012.

On SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), the report states that the LDCs will need renewed investment to build infrastructure and ensure the doubling of industrys share of GDP in those countries by 2030, despite steady improvements in manufacturing output and employment. It also shows that official development assistance (ODA) for economic infrastructure in developing countries reached US$57 billion in 2015, an increase of 32% in real terms since 2010. The main recipient sectors were transport and energy, at US$19 billion each.

The report says progress has been mixed on SDG 10 (reduced inequalities). It calls for strengthening the voices of developing countries in decision-making fora of international economic and financial institutions, and remarks that the benefits of remittances from international migrant workers are reduced by the generally high cost of transfer.

On SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), the report concludes that the world has experienced unprecedented urban growth in recent decades, with 54% of the worlds population living in cities in 2015. It adds that better urban planning and management are needed to make the worlds urban spaces more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Global figures for SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) point to worsening trends, with domestic material consumption increasing from 1.51 kg to 1.73 kg per unit of GDP from 2000 to 2010, and the total of domestic material consumption also rising during the same period (from 48.7 billion tons to 71.1 billion tons). The report recommends adopting strong national frameworks for sustainable consumption and production (SCP) that are integrated into national and sectoral plans, and sustainable business practices, and to adhere to international norms on the management of hazardous chemicals and wastes.

On SDG 13 (climate action), the report indicates that as of 20 April 2017, seven developing countries had successfully completed and submitted the first iteration of their national adaptation plans. On disaster risk reduction (DRR), it reports that the number of deaths attributed to natural disasters continues to rise, despite progress in implementing DRR strategies, and strong efforts are needed to build resilience and limit climate-related hazards and natural disasters.

Among its observations on SDG 14 (life below water), the report states that global trends point to continued deterioration of coastal waters owing to pollution and eutrophication. In addition, the proportion of world marine fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels has declined from 90% in 1974 to 68.6% in 2013, but the trend has slowed and appears to have stabilized. The report finds that marine protected areas (MPAs) are important mechanisms for safeguarding ocean life, when effectively managed and well resourced.

On SDG 15 (life on land), the report concludes that the pace of forest loss has slowed and improvements continue to be made in managing forests sustainably and protecting areas for biodiversity. However, declining trends in land productivity, biodiversity loss and poaching and trafficking of wildlife remain serious concerns.

On SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), progress in promoting peace, justice, and effective, accountable and inclusive institutions remains uneven across and within regions, the report says. It shows an increase in violent conflicts in recent years, a slow decline in homicides, and better access to justice for more citizens around the world, adding that a few high-intensity armed conflicts are causing large numbers of civilian casualties.

On SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals), the report provides observations on finance, information and communications technology (ICT), capacity building, trade, systemic issues, and data, monitoring and accountability. It notes that in 2014, developing countries received US$338 million in financial support for statistics, which accounted for only 0.18% of total ODA. To meet the data requirements of the SDGs, the report says, developing countries will need an estimated US$1 billion in statistical support annually from domestic and donor sources.

The report emphasizes that the amount of data and statistics needed to track SDG progress poses a major challenge to national and international statistical systems, and notes that the global statistical community is working to modernize and strengthen statistical systems. [Publication: Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Report of the Secretary-General] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on ECOSOC Adoption of SDG Indicator Framework] [HLPF 2017 Website]

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UN Secretary-General Issues Second SDG Progress Report - IISD Reporting Services

Could it be that the N.C. Legislature finally has seen the light when it comes to solar power?

I looked out the window Tuesday to check for flying pigs when I saw praise for a renewable energy bill from sources as disparate as Gov. Roy Cooper, House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland), The Environmental Defense Fund and Duke Energy. Less than 24 hours later, Competitive Energy Solutions for N.C. had passed the full House.

The devil may prove to be in the details of this 20-page bill, so dense with jargon that the average homeowner would find it nearly unintelligible. But if it lives up to its billing, House Bill 589 may indeed represent a major step forward in diversifying the states energy portfolio and offering customers more clean-energy options.

One of the bills sponsors is Rep. John Szoka, a Cumberland County Republican who has been working for years to legalize the sale of third-party solar. Szokas Energy Freedom Act, introduced in 2015 and supported by many Democrats and Republicans in the Guilford County delegation, would have made rooftop solar installations accessible to people of all income levels by allowing customers to lease the installations and buy power directly from solar-energy companies.

Szokas district includes Fort Bragg, which is working to meet renewable-energy goals set by the Department of Defense. HB 589 would reserve at least 100 megawatts of new renewable energy capacity for military installations and at least 250 megawatts for the University of North Carolina.

Residential customers could lease rooftop systems that provide solar power and reduce their electrical bills, and Duke would offer a rebate program for residential and commercial rooftop solar. The bill also encourages community solar programs and establishes a competitive bidding system for new solar construction.

This sounds like a lot of progress, but critics of the bill say it still puts too much power and control into the hands of Duke Energy, the states primary electric utility provider. Excess energy produced by rooftop solar could be sold back to the power company, but the customer might have to pay a fee for that service, says NC WARN, a nonprofit energy watchdog group.

NC WARN, which is battling Duke Energy for the right to sell power from a rooftop solar installation to Faith Community Church in Greensboro, wanted third-party sales of solar power instead of lease agreements. Community solar programs would be controlled by Duke, and the bill allows Duke, one of the largest electric power companies in the U.S., to compete with solar companies on building large-scale installations while offering less favorable contract terms, NC WARN says.

Still, its one of the first bills to emerge from the N.C. House that encourages the growth of renewable energy instead of trying to kill it outright.

In the past two sessions, legislators have targeted wind power with bills that would outlaw or place a moratorium on new wind farms. The Military Operations Protection Act introduced in March would halt the permitting of wind farms pending a study by the General Assembly to determine whether wind farms interfere with military operations. The Department of Defense already reviews such projects.

Former Rep. Mike Hager (R-Burke, Rutherford) filed bills in session after session to roll back the 2007 Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, which requires Duke and other utilities to meet an annually increasing percentage of their energy needs through renewable-energy resources or energy-efficiency measures.

Between 2007 and 2013, this policy spurred $2.7 billion in renewable-energy investment and the creation of 36,885 clean-energy jobs, according to The North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association. The state now ranks second, behind California, for the total amount of utility-scale solar capacity.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, solar has created more than 9,500 jobs in the state, more than natural gas (2,181), coal (2,115) and oil generation of electric power (480) combined.

More than three-quarters of North Carolinians favor the REPS program, and more than half would like to increase the required percentage of energy produced by renewable sources, according to a 2017 poll conducted by Conservatives for Clean Energy. The poll also showed that a majority of North Carolinians 86.7 percent of Democrats, 82.3 percent of unaffiliated voters and 79.1 percent of Republicans would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports policies encouraging renewable-energy options.

Maybe GOP politicians are paying more attention to their constituents. Maybe this bill is just sweet enough to satisfy the big-energy special interests that long have influenced policy in the General Assembly.

Either way, this bill does represent progress.

Longtime advocate of renewable energy Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) said that, although she had some concerns, this bill does a lot of good for renewable energy in the state.

As the numbers on investment and job growth demonstrate, what is good for renewable energy is good for the state.

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Susan Ladd: House bill marks progress for renewable energy - Greensboro News & Record (blog)