Daily Archives: June 16, 2017

Economic Freedom and Peace Go Hand in Hand – CNSNews.com

Posted: June 16, 2017 at 3:08 pm

Economic Freedom and Peace Go Hand in Hand
CNSNews.com
The standings of more than 150 countries in two independent indexes, The Heritage Foundation's 2017 Index of Economic Freedom and the Institute for Economics and Peace's Global Peace Index, track each other rather closely. For example, North Korea ...

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Pies and freedom: A Father’s Day look at a dad who roamed – ABC News

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A year ago this Sunday, I was making berry pies in the kitchen when I glanced outside: Dad had taken another face-plant in the grass.

Time to get a plastic chair, twist his limbs to a kneeling position and use his still-strong arms to get upright.

At 84, the former athlete-turned-dentist and father of four had been struggling with Parkinson's, the dementia that it often brings and the general indignities of old age. So the few choices he had left he cherished deeply, including being able to roam or nap or eat sweets whenever he wanted.

And roaming often involved, as care workers would say with a gasp, "A fall!"

Falls are the No. 1 cause of injury and deaths from injury for elderly people in the U.S, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Older Americans fell 29 million times in 2014, causing 7 million injuries and costing an estimated $31 billion in annual Medicare costs, the agency says, citing the latest statistics. Falls evict people from their homes, shorten their lives and destroy their quality of life.

But not to fall means not to roam, which was a no-go for us.

So when nursing home officials or physical therapists asked "Has he fallen at any time in the last six months?" we were savvy enough to sidestep possible elder abuse lawsuits.

"Why yes, he has," was a fine reply. "About three times a day" was not.

Sometimes Dad was so black-and-blue from his falls that he looked like a boxer's punching bag. He had contusions on his head, his arms, his legs. Despite being wrapped like a mummy in Band-Aids, he bled across the house like a hemophiliac.

But after drinking milk every day of his life, Dad never did dent a single bone, while mom, his 80-year-old caretaker, cracked a toe, a finger or a rib every other month.

This is the first Father's Day since he passed away, so of course it's a kick in the gut.

Dad, however, would not have cared one whit. He was old school, honor thy father every day of the year, don't get sucked into this commercial hoopla unless, perhaps, it's a gift of sturdy overalls that will be worn for years in the garden.

Richard Joseph Norman, born May 18, 1932, in the hard-luck upstate New York town of Ogdensburg, was an only child and a scholarship boy. So for the rest of his life, he concentrated on two things: family and charity. And he created those families wherever he went.

Drafted into the army as a dentist, Dad was Alan Alda 15 years before "M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H" went on the air, a maverick who brought wit and kindness to an institution not known for either quality. His bosses did never understand why so many enlisted men with girlfriends in distant cities had frequent dental problems on Friday afternoons.

Charity to Dad was not writing a check or attending a banquet. Every Thursday on his day off, Dad would drive around Rochester to round up supplies for the local homeless shelter sacks of potatoes, onions and carrots, industrial-sized cans of beans or tomato sauce. On Monday nights in the fall, he would hold a free dental clinic for migrant workers.

At his office, those who came to work for him stayed for life. And Dad knew everything about his patients, not just how their cracked molars were doing, for long before Rochester folk embraced psychologists, everyone talked to their dentist.

In hindsight, we had plenty of signals of the end. ?Dad whose license and keys had long been taken away snuck out and crashed a car while mom was taking a nap. He blithely walked into a frigid river in his underwear for a swim. Plagued by insomnia, he ventured out in the snow to visit neighbors' porches or parked cars at 4 a.m. thank God no one shot him.

Once as I was trying to get Dad back into bed at 3 a.m., he became stressed and stepped back with his right foot. I felt sick, knowing that was just what a former black belt would do before delivering a kick that could shatter my tibia. I let him eat the cookies.

Still, Dad became lucid as a fox the day we had to put him in a nursing home.?

"I did not sign up for this, Sheila," he said, eyeing the meager twin bed and the room's barren industrial patina. The snores of his new roommate reverberated through a flimsy curtain.

Dad lasted just over a month in that restricted setting.

The first few days he walked around its circular hallway compulsively, carrying his walker like a knapsack, seeking the one unlocked door that would lead to freedom. Within a few days, the facility's rigid fears about falls meant he was effectively locked into a wheelchair. Soon afterward, he struggled to swallow and gave up on eating.

So this year my berry pies have no ardent admirer and Dad's 12 grandchildren have no one to tease them. Two family weddings have brought us together but we still crumble at the sound of "Taps," remembering the yellow birch leaves that fluttered down on his grave.

Dad's lessons on family and charity will live on, however. So on this Father's Day, I want to celebrate a full life well-lived, a spirit that roamed and gave laughter and kindness to friends and strangers alike. There is no better legacy.

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How technology helped America’s Cup hit mainstream – InformNNY

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Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand in action Thursday during a training session ahead of the America's Cup match in Hamilton, Bermuda. Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand in action Thursday during a training session ahead of the America's Cup match in Hamilton, Bermuda. Related content

(CNN) - When the 2017 America's Cup final match gets under way on Saturday, sailing's ultimate event will have hard job matching the drama and impact of the 2013 edition.

An incredible comeback from the Larry Ellison-backed Oracle Team USA to defeat Emirates Team New Zealand was as dramatic as anything in the long history of sport's oldest trophy, and unlikely to be replicated when the two crews meet again on the waters of Bermuda to decide the destination of the Auld Mug.

The 2013 event also marked the competition's coming of age, the moment it went from a race for sailing enthusiasts to an occasion that momentarily captured the attention of sport fans across the world.

That was due to Team USA's unprecedented comeback as well as the awe-inspiring spectacle of these boats on the water.

But television also played its part -- a sometimes unfathomable race suddenly became a whole lot easier to understand thanks to onscreen graphics.

Lines were painted across the water to mark the start, likewise for the racing position between the two boats and the boundary they cannot cross.

Other technological twists included a boat's "FlyTime" in a race, in effect how much time it spends gliding out of the water in a race. The target obviously being 100%.

As Mark Sheffield, the head of technology for the America's Cup puts it in the days leading up to this year's match, "What it's done is make something hard to understand that much easier to understand."

That the America's Cup has got to this point is down to a conversation on board Syonara, the launching pad for Ellison's foray into the sailing world, in 1995.

Stan Honey is a well revered navigator who helped win the Volvo Ocean Race and for a time boasted the speed record for sailing around the globe on board Groupama 3.

But Honey has also made an impact inside American homes with his work on graphics for sports broadcasts. Notably the onscreen line put into a hockey puck to better see its movement, to the first down line in the NFL.

Events such as NASCAR and the Olympics have benefited from Honey's pioneering innovations.

"I was a navigator for Larry on Syonara back in 1995, and at the time I was head of technology of Newscorp," he explains having sold his first company Etak to Rupert Murdoch in 1989 for $35 million.

"And Larry said 'what could you do for sailing?' I explained it had more to gain than other sports in technology terms because it's hard to understand and see.

"Translate the first-down line in NFL into sailing and you can see the boats' position in a race. He understood it straight away."

Ellison appeared to store the idea in his head for 15 years. Honey was sailing the Southern Ocean when he got a message from his wife Sally to tell him something could be in the offing.

He picks up the story: "She sent me this Fortune article after Larry had just won the 2010 America's Cup and he name checked me."

Ellison credited Honey's work in the NFL and said he needed his computer technology to help transform the America's Cup.

Honey warned the American billionaire the technology was probably too expensive but Ellison isn't a man to take no for an answers. Neither Honey nor the America's Cup will divulge the cost in question but it is likely to run into the millions of dollars.

Within months of hearing his name, Honey had "got the band back together."

He reunited with his cohorts Ken Milnes, Time Heidmann, Graeme Winn and Alistair Green, as well as bringing in Sheffield, who would later replace him as head of technology for this year's America's Cup.

"This was dream come true stuff for me," explains Honey. "My two passions are the engineering side of things and the sailing side of things and this brought them together as one.

"And since we were all older and wiser, this proved the perfect project. We were on budget, and on time. It worked like a dream."

And the results have been truly eye catching, with tracking, telemetry and augmented reality systems all now developed.

Along came automatic tracking systems on the boat, computer controlled cameras on the helicopters, and measurements accurate to within two centimeters.

Honey and his team had helped turn the oldest sporting trophy in the world into arguably the most technologically advanced.

So every gibe is registered, the average speed collated and the flight time and the positioning of the boats measured. But in addition, such technology has enabled the umpires to make more accurate calls.

Honey has now taken a step back but he is almost childlike in his enthusiasm -- especially when people initially fail to understand his work.

"You still get those conversations you overhear of people saying 'they shouldn't pollute the water like that painting on it'," he says. "It's always funny to hear those stories.

"The whole project is dream come true stuff as I said. Don't tell Larry and the others but I expect we all would have done it for free!

"I remember when we did it thinking, this is going to make a huge difference for sailing and the audience, especially the Americans. Now a lot more people understand sailing."

Honey's successor Sheffield is continuing to innovate.

He and his team are housed in a temporary container on race day, with Sheffield admitting "the hairs on the back of my neck go up when I enter that container."

"Of course, we sometimes have crazy ideas and there's a bucket list of things I want to do," he adds. "We just have to wait and see if that's possible."

For this year's America's Cup match, thermal imaging cameras on the sailors will be one of the new innovations.

For Sheffield, who describes the job as "perpetual plate spinning," it is all about "trying for perfection, and there's no reason not to try to be better."

Like Honey, Sheffield comes from an engineering and sailing background having competed in the America's Cup previously.

"The way the technology has changed in the America's Cup reflects the way the world has changed, with its high pace," he says.

"We're all dialed into 11 now and people want that excitement, to be on the edge. That's what we're trying to provide with every broadcast."

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WATCH: What Makes Japan No. 1 In Toilet Technology : Parallels … – NPR

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Japanese toilets have come a long way from the early 20th century, when many people in Japan still used "squatters," which were built into the floor.

Western toilets became popular after World War II. And today, signature Japanese toilets offer the world's most futuristic and automated technology when nature calls.

The units are not just toilets, but also bidets, offering a dizzying menu of options for washing and also for privacy not to mention heated seats, automatic odor-neutralizers and lids that rise when you approach.

A Japanese government survey last year found more than 80 percent of Japanese homes have toilet-bidet combos.

Check out the Washlet the name given to a popular toilet-bidet combo made by Japanese company Toto and its more advanced cousins in this showroom tour. Toto is the world's largest toilet maker, with more than $5 billion in annual sales. Its Washlet line ranges in price from $400 to $1,800. Higher-end Toto Neorests, which count Leonardo DiCaprio and Madonna among its fans, can cost as much as $5,000.

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US tech stocks shaken, but market not stirred – Reuters

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NEW YORK The five largest U.S. technology companies may have lost enough market capitalization over the past week to buy plane maker Boeing, but the benchmark S&P 500 stock index .SPX has managed to remain within a stone's throw of its record high.

Apple

By Thursday the S&P 500 technology index .SPLRCT had seen its largest five-day drop in a year.

The slide was again led by sector heavyweights Apple and Alphabet, as investors moved away from what had been the year's best-performing sector and rotated portfolios into stocks that pay higher dividends amid some signs that U.S. economic weakness.

I think its a perfectly normal backing off. Tech has done really well. All of sudden everyone wakes up and says, Holy cow, maybe were getting ahead of ourselves, and backs off a little bit," said Brad McMillan, Chief Investment Officer for Commonwealth Financial in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Among technology stocks hit, shares of Google's parent Alphabet fell 0.8 percent Thursday after broker Canaccord Genuity downgraded its rating of the stock to "hold" from "buy."

The broker downgrade triggered a broader technology sector selloff according to Kim Forrest, senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh.

Apple shares slid 0.6 percent on Thursday, extending their five-day decline to 6.9 percent. Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz wrote that Apple is near the peak valuation levels in its iPhone 6 cycle which "could mean a bumpy ride lower" if the prospects for sales of its next phone disappoint.

Shares of social media company Snap Inc (SNAP.N) closed at their initial public offering price of $17 for the first time.

Some investors were selling technology shares to rotate into other sectors, such as beaten-down energy stocks, said Russ Koesterich, co-portfolio manager of BlackRocks Global Allocation Fund. Its more the winners into the losers, rather than a broader move toward safety, he said.

The recent decline notwithstanding, the technology sector remains the best performing so far this year, up 17.4 percent versus the overall S&P 500 index gain of 8.6 percent.

ROTATION TO VALUE AMID WEAK U.S. ECONOMIC DATA

Companies including Apple and Google parent Alphabet have seen their stock prices soar in 2017, and their heavy weightings in benchmark stock indexes prompted concerns that overall market gains are too concentrated in a handful of large technology firms.

"We had sensed over the last 4-5 weeks that clients were becoming uncomfortable with the clustering of returns to the S&P 500", said Julian Emanuel, executive director of U.S. equity and derivatives strategy at UBS Securities. "It felt to us that you had the elixir for a correction in the (technology) sector."

Concern over the earlier gains in technology stocks this year has been compounded by some recent weak U.S. economic data.

Last month, the U.S. economy added 138,000 jobs, well below the expected gain of 185,000. On Wednesday, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that retail sales fell 0.3 percent in May, marking the largest one-month decline since January of last year. Also, the Labor Department said its Consumer Price Index dipped 0.1 percent last month, the second drop in inflation in three months. In the 12 months through May, the CPI rose 1.9 percent, the smallest increase since last November.

U.S. Treasury yields tumbled to their lowest since early November on Wednesday on the weak data.

"Tech is one of the losing sectors when the interest rate trade is dominating because rates are falling," said Brian Nick, chief investment strategist at TIAA Investments, an affiliate of Nuveen, because investors need to look for higher yield in dividend paying stocks.

RESILIENCE IN S&P 500 BENCHMARK

Despite the 3.7 percent drop for technology stocks .SPLRCT over the past five sessions, the S&P 500 .SPX index has barely budged, slipping just 0.05 percent over the same period.

The resilience in the S&P 500 benchmark has resulted from investors rotating their portfolios into other sectors such as financials and the more defensive sectors like real estate .SPLRCR.

"It definitely feels like a rotation that's gone on for a few days with tech being weakened," said Edward Perkin, chief equity investment officer at Eaton Vance. "What's done well in the last few days is the more bond-like plays."

(Additional reporting by Sinead Carew in New York and Noel Randewich in San Francisco; editing by Clive McKeef)

TORONTO The Canadian accused of helping Russian intelligence agents break into email accounts as part of a massive 2014 breach of Yahoo accounts may waive his right to fight a U.S. extradition request, his lawyer said on Friday.

NEW YORK U.S. technology company The Bitfury Group said on Friday it had formed a strategic partnership with advisory firm Risk Cooperative to use the blockchain digital ledger in the $60 billion insurance broking market.

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Netflix has not ‘endorsed or approved’ VidAngel’s new technology – WRAL.com

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By Herb Scribner, Deseret News

Netflix said on Thursday it does not currently endorse VidAngels new streaming service.

We have not endorsed or approved the VidAngel technology, Netflix said in a statement emailed to the Deseret News.

Earlier this week, VidAngel announced a new service that allows subscribers to watch filtered content from Netflix, Amazon and HBO (which comes free with an Amazon Prime subscription).

Subscribers to the VidAngel app enter in their credentials for other streaming services, like Netflix, and then watch TV shows, movies and miniseries filtered by VidAngel.

Subscribers will need Netflix or Amazon accounts to access content, according to the VidAngel.

VidAngel CEO Neal Harmon said in an interview with the Deseret News on Thursday that the company has had extensive conversations with representatives from both Netflix and Amazon about the service.

Harmon said Amazon representatives he has talked to loved on a personal level what were doing.

And same with the Netflix one, he added. Theyre excited about the technology.

But Harmon said the companies havent officially started a partnership, and he cant speak officially for Amazon or Netflix.

None of these companies can officially partner with us, he said.

The Deseret News reached out to Amazon, too, but has yet to receive comment.

The new VidAngel service is available on iOS and Android devices, desktop devices and through Roku. It costs $7.99 a month, with the first 30 days free.

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Technology company to locate in Amherst County, bringing 22 jobs – Lynchburg News and Advance

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Technology company Integrated Technology Group (ITG) will make its home in Amherst County in July, bringing 22 full-time, high-wage jobs to the area, county officials announced Thursday.

ITG, which provides commercial technology solutions to the central and southwest regions of Virginia, is looking to expand to new markets and double its employee base over the next five years, according to a news release from the Amherst Economic Development Authority.

The company will move into the Amelon Commerce Center in Madison Heights, utilizing a building owned by the countys Economic Development Authority. The building ITG will occupy is more than 6,300 square feet and was formerly leased to CMC Rebar.

Gaining a tech company like ITG is a great win for Amherst County. The partnership between the EDA and ITG will provide jobs and economic growth for Amherst for years to come, EDA Chairman Calvin Kennon said in a statement.

According to ITG, the company is a managed services provider that delivers enterprise-quality technology products and services to small/mid-size businesses. ITGs five core competencies include IT products and services, IP telephony, security and access control, building automation and structured cabling, according to the release.

The EDA has been extremely accommodating, and the ITG team could not be more excited to begin this relationship with the businesses of Amherst county as well as invest in the Amherst community, Paul Meadows, ITG President/CEO, said in the release. Being involved in our community is important to us, and we look forward to helping the people of Amherst reach their full potential.

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LGBT Inclusion: A Work in Progress – Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

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June 15, 2017 | :

We dont have any of those students.

Shane Windmeyer

The privilege and ignorance that accompanies this statement is dumbfounding. The notion that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth do not exist on a college campus demonstrates real prejudice. And the fact that these words, as well as the biased belief behind it, are still present in the action (or inaction) of faculty, staff and administrators on college campuses across the country is even more disturbing.

As the executive director and founder of Campus Pride, the nations leading nonprofit advocating for LGBT students on college and university campuses, I have witnessed firsthand both the progress made by and challenges facing people striving for LGBT inclusion in higher education for the last 20 years. I have also seen how progress has been limited by factors such as political climate, financial resources, bigoted religious teachings, region of the country, institutional commitment and ultimately campus officials who lack understanding and are unwilling to recognize LGBT youth as part of the community.

During the early 90s, when I went to college in Kansas, I knew all about being invisible and how isolating it was to come out as a gay man. It felt like my whole world was going to end, and yet I found a sense of liberation in the fear. I was lucky in that I had friends and fraternity brothers to stand beside me, as I grappled with my sexuality in those early days.

There were also a few key staff and faculty members who recognized that their job should be to support gay students, similar to how they might support other student populations. As a result of LGBT students coming out in the 90s, my alma mater was among the first in the state of Kansas to have a nondiscrimination statement that included sexual orientation as a protected class. We were also among the early Safe Zone programs to create safe spaces for LGBT students. Indeed, I was fortunate.

Related: Advocates Cautiously Optimistic About Potential Executive Order on HBCUs

Today the bulk of the work is being carried out by out LGBT students, faculty and staff, who are responsible for their own safety. These individuals often lack resources and are doing the work in addition to their jobs and/or as volunteers.

Some institutions are beginning to pay for LGBT support staff. However, there are currently only 229 campuses that have a dedicated office or resource center for LGBT students, with full-time or part-time paid staff members. And, when it comes to LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination clauses, only 26 percent of campuses nationally prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and less than 16 percent include gender identity and expression.

Last year, Campus Pride published The Shame List, which consists of 104 campuses that applied to the U.S. Department of Education and received Title IX exemptions to openly discriminate against LGBT youth based on anti-LGBT religious beliefs.

To be clear, the bag is mixed for LGBT issues in higher education.

Progress is relative and the challenges depend on the eye of the beholder. When an LGBT student arrives at college, there is no guarantee of a safe, welcoming environment to learn, live and grow. The Campus Pride 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBTQ People study shows that half of all students, faculty and staff hide being LGBT to avoid intimidation on campus.

The region of the country and the type of campus also plays a large role in LGBT progress and the challenges faced by LGBT students, faculty and staff. When you look at LGBT inclusive work that is most visible, it is often successful in more LGBT progressive areas or where there have been significant financial resources to assist with LGBT work. Southern campuses, rural campuses and two-year colleges have uphill battles and often lack the support for necessary LGBT changes.

Related: Colleges Could Start Using Adversity Index

I do believe campus officials and the majority of colleges want to be seen as LGBT-friendly. It is not only good for business, but I also believe most youth and their families want to support campuses that celebrate difference and human diversity. This is evident in the 300-plus campuses that openly recruit LGBT students and participate annually in the Campus Pride LGBT-friendly National College Fair program. This number has grown two-fold in the last three years.

In the end, whether or not a campus is successful in improving campus climate for LGBT students really depends on institutional commitment. Remember, it doesnt just get better. We have to do better.

Shane Windmeyer is the executive director and founder of Campus Pride.

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How Trump’s Executive Order Would Undermine Quality Apprenticeship – Center For American Progress

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The Trump administration released an executive order authorizing the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to move forward with efforts to permit third partiessuch as industry groups, trade associations, companies, and other nonprofit and for-profit providersto certify Registered Apprenticeship programs. This executive order comes on the heels of former President Barack Obamas unprecedented $265 million investment aimed at developing high-quality Registered Apprenticeship programs, and will seriously undermine recent bipartisan efforts to increase workers access to good, well-paying jobs through apprenticeship.

Apprenticeship is an earn-and-learn training strategy whereby apprentices participate in structured, on-the-job training, while earning a wage. Apprenticeship programs are registered with the DOL, and registration signifies to both workers and employers that the program meets certain standards. The so-called industry-recognized apprenticeships that the Trump administration will create could sidestep long-held labor standards that define Registered Apprenticeship, which is well known for good wages and quality skill development, and is well-regarded by workers, employers, and policymakers alike.

Rather than helping workers access quality, well-paying jobs, President Trumps deeply misguided proposal would make workers vulnerable to low-quality programs that dont offer the skills or wages apprenticeship programs for which apprenticeship programs are known. Indeed, the presidents proposalwhich comes on the heels of his budget proposal that would gut job training programswould make it easier for low-quality providers to access already limited federal funds. Once again, the president is putting the needs of workers last.

Angela Hanks is the associate director for Workforce Development Policy on the Economic Policy team at American Progress.

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City labels Landing owner as obstacle for progress | Firstcoastnews … – First Coast News

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Andrew Wulfeck, WTLV 12:35 AM. EDT June 16, 2017

Jacksonville Landing (Photo: Roger Weeder)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Hours after the owner of the Jacksonville Landing released a letter that warned the retail landmark was at a crossroads for redevelopment, the mayors office responded with a blistering statement identifying Sleiman Enterprises as an obstacle and claimed the Landing suffered from mismanagement.

The Jacksonville Landing has been a landmark in Jacksonville since opening in 1987 and has tried to take part in the conversation concerning the Northbanks redevelopment.

During the spring of 2015, First Coast News reported about the most recent plan by a Georgia-based company to attract more people to The Landing. The plan included apartments to aide in foot traffic at the riverfront property but so far no visible changes have resulted from workshops with the firm.

A complication with any type of redevelopment is that city would need to agree on the terms, sinceSleimanEnterprises owns the buildings at the Landing andthe city owns the land the buildings sit on.

Sleiman Enterprises has argued that a full redevelopment of the Landing is crucial for the retail centers success but says none of the previous plans regarding revitalization have taken place because of lip service by city leaders.

First Coast News reached out to the mayors office statement and received the following response: Since taking office, Mayor Lenny Curry has continued to demonstrate his commitment to the development and improvement of downtown Jacksonville. As a notable and recognized landmark, the Landing should be flourishing and contributing to the areas economic growth and success. The mayor and his administration have met with Mr. Sleiman on several occasions to discuss opportunities and options for improvement. Sleiman Enterprises has demonstrated no interest in our offer and solution. Sleiman Enterprises is the obstacle. It is clear that the Landing is being mismanaged. The Mayor will not ask taxpayers to bail out a mismanaged development. Because there is pending litigation, there is no additional information to provide at this time.- Marsha Oliver, Director, Public Affairs

Full letter by Sleiman Enterprises: Nearly 15 years ago when Sleiman Enterprises bought the Jacksonville Landing, there was all kinds of excitement. While were still excited about Jacksonvilles iconic venues potential, our hands are tied by politics and external forces that dont want progress.

We are now at a critical point in the Landings life cycle. We must either undertake a complete redevelopment of the property or enter into new long-term leases of the current facilities to maintain the Landings economic viability. The two options are incompatible with one another.

We agree with most civic leaders that a complete redevelopment of the Jacksonville Landing is best for our city and for the Landing. However, without the support of the city of Jacksonville, no redevelopment can take place. Since the city owns the land and we lease the building, we must collaborate.

For 15 years, weve worked with the city to try to make the Jacksonville Landing great. While downtown is always an administrative priority, the Landing seems to get more lip service than actual support.That lack of political support is the reason that the original developer, Rouse, sold us the Landing for pennies on the dollar.

Our company, Sleiman Enterprises, has invested more than $1.5 million in past redevelopment efforts. We even supported the city's most recent 2015 redevelopment plans.

In our companys 60 years of history, weve made significant contributions to our local retail industry and economic development. We want to do the same thing at the Landing.

If the public agrees that a full redevelopment of the Jacksonville Landing is best for the city, we ask that people communicate that to their city council representatives. If the city does not get behind redevelopment right away, the opportunity will be lost for another 1015 years because signing new long-term leases will prevent redevelopment.

Sincerely, Toney, Eli and Joe Sleiman, Partners Sleiman Enterprises, Jacksonville

2017 WTLV-TV

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