University of Pittsburgh former head basketball coach James P. Dixon topped the list of highest-paid employees for the year ending June 30, 2015, with his total compensation at nearly $2.49 million, according to a Form 900 filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Dixon's total compensation dipped from the prior year, in which he took home $3.23 million. He accepted a coaching job at Texas Christian University in March. Dixon's compensation package consisted of $1.5 million in base compensation,…
Reported by bizjournals 1 hour ago.
Here's how much Pitt's top earners made in 2014-15
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Bay Area arts and entertainment picks, June 3
Pianist Jon Nakamatsu joins the orchestra and conductor Carlos Vieu in a program of music by Falla, Saint-Saëns and Franck. 8 p.m. Saturday, June 4, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 5. The reunited Texas emo band, fronted by guitarist Omar Rodriguez and singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala, returns for its first live performances since 2012. Ming Luke conducts a free performance of Britten’s “War Requiem” with soprano Carrie Hennessey, tenor Brian Thorsett and baritone Efraín Solís as soloists. 8 p.m. Friday, June 3; 4 p.m. Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5. “Solo Not Alone”: Aura Fischbeck’s dance piece makes the assumption about the collective nature of the individual. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, June 3-4.
Reported by SFGate 2 hours ago.
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Texas Judge Issues Another Blow To Family Detention
A Texas state judge issued a temporary injunction Wednesday to keep a controversial family detention center from obtaining a license to run as a child-care facility.
The ruling, issued orally at a hearing in Austin, marked a victory for detainees and immigrant rights advocates who contend that the South Texas Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, is little more than a jail that seeks to go by another name.“It was a very good step to keep Texas from slapping child-care licenses on what are essentially prisons for children and their moms,” said Bob Libal, the executive director of the advocacy group Grassroots Leadership.
A federal judge ruled last year that the Obama administration’s family detention policy violates the 1997 Flores Settlement, which says that children must be housed in the least restrictive setting possible and agencies should generally release them. The ruling ordered the government to release children from family detention within five days in most cases.
To comply with the Flores ruling, Texas officials have tried to rush through new rules that license their facilities as "child care centers." Those rules would let the facilities hold kids for longer periods of time.
Under under state rules governing child care facilities, children cannot share sleeping quarters with unknown adults -- a measure designed to prevent abuse. Official child care facilities are also supposed to allow children to leave on field trips or other excursions -- something the Texas family detention centers don't do. To get around the requirements, Texas authorities are offering “child care” licenses with exemptions to the normal requirements.
Libal’s organization, along with one current and one former detainee, sued the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to stop the detention centers from receiving the special designations. In her injunction, State District Judge Karin Crump said the exemptions put kids in dangerous situations, including sometimes forcing children to share housing with adult strangers.
Crump's injunction will remain in place until the case is decided after proceedings resume in September, according to Libal. During that time, the facility can still run, but it risks running afoul of the Flores Settlement ruling.
Crump expressed concern about child welfare after hearing earlier this month from an immigrant detainee who says her child was sexually assaulted by a woman who was assigned to her same suite. The detainee who made the assault allegations, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, remains locked up with her daughter in the state’s other family detention center, located in Karnes County, outside San Antonio.Crimp’s order did not, however, affect the Karnes family detention center. GEO Group, the company that runs Karnes for profit, obtained a temporary license to operate as a child care center at the end of April, before the lawsuit led by Grassroots Leadership was filed.
If the state of Texas loses the lawsuit, the temporary license issued to Karnes would likely be invalidated.
The Obama administration had all but abandoned the practice of family detention back in 2009, amid protests and lawsuits. But the White House changed course two years ago, after a sharp increase in the number of unaccompanied minors and children traveling with their mothers from Central America.
The vast majority of those migrants come from the three violence-plagued countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Upon entering, they often seek asylum or other forms of relief, saying they face threats if they return to their home countries.
The 2,400-bed Dilley family detention center was hastily constructed at the tail end of 2014 to help officials accommodate the flow. Corrections Corp of America, the country’s largest private prison contractor, runs the center as a for-profit enterprise.
Immigrants' rights activists widely oppose the return of family detention, noting a jarring contradiction between the policy and Obama’s wider efforts to expand deportation relief.
Luis Zayas, a University of Texas at Austin professor of social work who has interviewed dozens of migrants locked in family detention, told the court in the recent case that the detention centers' practices were harming the children mentally and physically. The stress they live under, he said, can affect their brain development and impede problem-solving skills and emotional development.
In a phone interview, Zayas said he doubted whether the two family detention centers could be repurposed as child care facilities that met national standards, citing the problem of mixed sleeping quarters for children and adults as emblematic of the facilities’ problems.
“You cannot house children and mothers there and call it a 'child care center,'” Zayas told HuffPost. “It is really a prison. There would be so much more that they would have to do to make them child- and family friendly. That would be a massive undertaking. The best thing would be to release them quickly and not have to go through that.”
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 1 hour ago.
The ruling, issued orally at a hearing in Austin, marked a victory for detainees and immigrant rights advocates who contend that the South Texas Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, is little more than a jail that seeks to go by another name.“It was a very good step to keep Texas from slapping child-care licenses on what are essentially prisons for children and their moms,” said Bob Libal, the executive director of the advocacy group Grassroots Leadership.
A federal judge ruled last year that the Obama administration’s family detention policy violates the 1997 Flores Settlement, which says that children must be housed in the least restrictive setting possible and agencies should generally release them. The ruling ordered the government to release children from family detention within five days in most cases.
To comply with the Flores ruling, Texas officials have tried to rush through new rules that license their facilities as "child care centers." Those rules would let the facilities hold kids for longer periods of time.
Under under state rules governing child care facilities, children cannot share sleeping quarters with unknown adults -- a measure designed to prevent abuse. Official child care facilities are also supposed to allow children to leave on field trips or other excursions -- something the Texas family detention centers don't do. To get around the requirements, Texas authorities are offering “child care” licenses with exemptions to the normal requirements.
Libal’s organization, along with one current and one former detainee, sued the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to stop the detention centers from receiving the special designations. In her injunction, State District Judge Karin Crump said the exemptions put kids in dangerous situations, including sometimes forcing children to share housing with adult strangers.
Crump's injunction will remain in place until the case is decided after proceedings resume in September, according to Libal. During that time, the facility can still run, but it risks running afoul of the Flores Settlement ruling.
Crump expressed concern about child welfare after hearing earlier this month from an immigrant detainee who says her child was sexually assaulted by a woman who was assigned to her same suite. The detainee who made the assault allegations, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, remains locked up with her daughter in the state’s other family detention center, located in Karnes County, outside San Antonio.Crimp’s order did not, however, affect the Karnes family detention center. GEO Group, the company that runs Karnes for profit, obtained a temporary license to operate as a child care center at the end of April, before the lawsuit led by Grassroots Leadership was filed.
If the state of Texas loses the lawsuit, the temporary license issued to Karnes would likely be invalidated.
The Obama administration had all but abandoned the practice of family detention back in 2009, amid protests and lawsuits. But the White House changed course two years ago, after a sharp increase in the number of unaccompanied minors and children traveling with their mothers from Central America.
The vast majority of those migrants come from the three violence-plagued countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Upon entering, they often seek asylum or other forms of relief, saying they face threats if they return to their home countries.
The 2,400-bed Dilley family detention center was hastily constructed at the tail end of 2014 to help officials accommodate the flow. Corrections Corp of America, the country’s largest private prison contractor, runs the center as a for-profit enterprise.
Immigrants' rights activists widely oppose the return of family detention, noting a jarring contradiction between the policy and Obama’s wider efforts to expand deportation relief.
Luis Zayas, a University of Texas at Austin professor of social work who has interviewed dozens of migrants locked in family detention, told the court in the recent case that the detention centers' practices were harming the children mentally and physically. The stress they live under, he said, can affect their brain development and impede problem-solving skills and emotional development.
In a phone interview, Zayas said he doubted whether the two family detention centers could be repurposed as child care facilities that met national standards, citing the problem of mixed sleeping quarters for children and adults as emblematic of the facilities’ problems.
“You cannot house children and mothers there and call it a 'child care center,'” Zayas told HuffPost. “It is really a prison. There would be so much more that they would have to do to make them child- and family friendly. That would be a massive undertaking. The best thing would be to release them quickly and not have to go through that.”
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 1 hour ago.
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Grieving Texas Man Carried Wife's Lifeless Body Through Flood Waters: 'She Was My Whole Life'
"She was my best friend, my whole life," Darrell Smith says of his late wife
Reported by People Magazine 1 hour ago.
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Little girl leads police officers in prayer
A little girl in Cedar Hill, Texas, stopped two officers during a lunch break to pray with them, highlighting black faith communities' complex responses to discussions of police force and community relations.
Reported by Christian Science Monitor 1 hour ago.
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Here are the US cities that have more deaths than births
The US Census Bureau releases annual estimates of population change in the nation's 381 metropolitan areas.The Census Bureau includes the different subcomponents of population change in their estimates. We've previously looked at domestic and international migration, and now we're looking at the "natural change" in metro area populations, defined as total births minus deaths.
Here's the net births minus deaths in each metro area for the year between July 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015, adjusted by the July 2014 population of the metro area. Metros with more births than deaths are in blue, and metros with more deaths than births in red:
Four of the ten metro areas with the biggest population-adjusted rates of natural increase were in Texas:
Meanwhile, half of the ten metro areas with the most deaths compared to births were in Florida:
*SEE ALSO: Here's the fastest growing city in every state*
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: We asked an astronaut if aliens exist — and his answer was spot on Reported by Business Insider 58 minutes ago.
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S&P Global Platts buys Texas-based RigData
What originally started as a content partnership has ended with S&P Global Platts buying Texas-based oil field intelligence company RigData. The two companies confirmed the acquisition deal in a joint announcement on Thursday morning but did not disclose a sales price. Founded in 1986, Fort Worth-based RigData provides over 5,500 customers with daily electronic reports on drilling permits, activity and rig locations in the United States, the Gulf of Mexico and Canada. Customers use RigData's information…
Reported by bizjournals 51 minutes ago.
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S&P Global Platts buys Fort Worth-based RigData
What originally started as a content partnership has ended with S&P Global Platts buying Texas-based oil field intelligence company RigData. The two companies confirmed the acquisition deal in a joint announcement on Thursday morning but did not disclose a sales price. Founded in 1986, Fort Worth-based RigData provides over 5,500 customers with daily electronic reports on drilling permits, activity and rig locations in the United States, the Gulf of Mexico and Canada. Customers use RigData's information…
Reported by bizjournals 35 minutes ago.
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Baylor ex-coach admits to 'mistakes' in first statement since firing
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Former Baylor University football coach Art Briles admitted to making mistakes on Thursday in his first statement since being dismissed from the world's largest Baptist university over a sexual abuse scandal involving athletes at the Texas school.
Reported by Reuters 23 minutes ago.
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SOITEC: SOITEC RECEIVES BEST QUALITY AWARD FROM NXP SEMICONDUCTORS
*SOITEC RECEIVES BEST QUALITY AWARD FROM NXP SEMICONDUCTORS*
* * Award underscores Soitec's ongoing commitment to quality and excellence in * * supplying SOI substrates for smart power ICs for automotive applications * *
* Bernin (Grenoble), France, June 2, 2016 * - Soitec (Euronext), a world leader in manufacturing semiconductor materials and a high-volume supplier of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates for the electronics industry, has received the award as the best quality supplier among all vendors from NXP Semiconductors, the world's largest automotive semiconductor manufacturer. Soitec's Power SOI(TM) substrates use to manufacture smart power IC's for automotive applications represent a significant and strategic market for Soitec's business, which is growing at a steady rate.
With continuous innovations in vehicle security, connectivity, infotainment and carbon emissions control as well as the emerging use of autonomous driving, the total semiconductor content per automobile is growing rapidly. According to industry analysis, automotive applications represent the fastest growing end-use IC market segment. Soitec estimates that each new car built today contains an average of 80 square millimeters of SOI and more than six billion automotive ICs have been manufactured on its Power SOI substrates to date.
NXP announced the winners of its annual Supplier Awards in Austin, Texas on May 19 at the company's first Supplier Day following NXP's merger with Freescale.
"We are very honored to receive NXP's best quality award," said Thomas Piliszczuk, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Soitec. "This award recognizes the everyday focus of Soitec on our product quality and performance in delivering the best SOI substrates to meet the most demanding industry quality standards."
*About Soitec's Power SOI* (TM) *substrates:* Power SOI substrates provide excellent electrical isolation and are ideal for improving reliability and integrating devices operating at different voltages - from a few volts to several hundred volts - while reducing die area. These wafers are mainly used in the automobile electronics industry in making transceivers, audio amplifiers, powertrain controls and brightness LED drivers.
*About Soitec:* Soitec (Euronext, Tech 40 Paris) is a world leader in designing and manufacturing high-performance semiconductor materials. The company uses its unique technologies and semiconductor expertise to serve the electronics market. With 3,600 patents worldwide, Soitec's strategy is based on disruptive innovation to answer its customers' needs for high performance, energy efficiency and cost competitiveness. Soitec has manufacturing facilities, R&D centers and offices in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. For more information, please visit www.soitec.com and follow us on Twitter: @Soitec_EN
*International Media Contact*
Camille Dufour
+33 (0)6 79 49 51 43
camille.dufour@soitec. com
*Investor Relations*
Steve Babureck
+1 858 519 6230
or +33 (0)6 16 38 56 27 steve.babureck@soitec.com
* *
# # #
Soitec press release in PDF
--------------------This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: SOITEC via GlobeNewswire
HUG#2017732 Reported by GlobeNewswire 33 minutes ago.
* * Award underscores Soitec's ongoing commitment to quality and excellence in * * supplying SOI substrates for smart power ICs for automotive applications * *
* Bernin (Grenoble), France, June 2, 2016 * - Soitec (Euronext), a world leader in manufacturing semiconductor materials and a high-volume supplier of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates for the electronics industry, has received the award as the best quality supplier among all vendors from NXP Semiconductors, the world's largest automotive semiconductor manufacturer. Soitec's Power SOI(TM) substrates use to manufacture smart power IC's for automotive applications represent a significant and strategic market for Soitec's business, which is growing at a steady rate.
With continuous innovations in vehicle security, connectivity, infotainment and carbon emissions control as well as the emerging use of autonomous driving, the total semiconductor content per automobile is growing rapidly. According to industry analysis, automotive applications represent the fastest growing end-use IC market segment. Soitec estimates that each new car built today contains an average of 80 square millimeters of SOI and more than six billion automotive ICs have been manufactured on its Power SOI substrates to date.
NXP announced the winners of its annual Supplier Awards in Austin, Texas on May 19 at the company's first Supplier Day following NXP's merger with Freescale.
"We are very honored to receive NXP's best quality award," said Thomas Piliszczuk, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Soitec. "This award recognizes the everyday focus of Soitec on our product quality and performance in delivering the best SOI substrates to meet the most demanding industry quality standards."
*About Soitec's Power SOI* (TM) *substrates:* Power SOI substrates provide excellent electrical isolation and are ideal for improving reliability and integrating devices operating at different voltages - from a few volts to several hundred volts - while reducing die area. These wafers are mainly used in the automobile electronics industry in making transceivers, audio amplifiers, powertrain controls and brightness LED drivers.
*About Soitec:* Soitec (Euronext, Tech 40 Paris) is a world leader in designing and manufacturing high-performance semiconductor materials. The company uses its unique technologies and semiconductor expertise to serve the electronics market. With 3,600 patents worldwide, Soitec's strategy is based on disruptive innovation to answer its customers' needs for high performance, energy efficiency and cost competitiveness. Soitec has manufacturing facilities, R&D centers and offices in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. For more information, please visit www.soitec.com and follow us on Twitter: @Soitec_EN
*International Media Contact*
Camille Dufour
+33 (0)6 79 49 51 43
camille.dufour@soitec. com
*Investor Relations*
Steve Babureck
+1 858 519 6230
or +33 (0)6 16 38 56 27 steve.babureck@soitec.com
* *
# # #
Soitec press release in PDF
--------------------This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: SOITEC via GlobeNewswire
HUG#2017732 Reported by GlobeNewswire 33 minutes ago.
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Room at the inns? Source Strategies sheds light on the local hotel market
San Antonio hotels experienced a 1.8 percent decrease in the number of room nights sold during the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same three-month period a year ago. That performance is in stark contrast to Austin and Dallas, which saw gains of 5.6 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively, over the same period. Houston was the only other major Texas market to lose ground, selling 1.2 percent fewer hotel rooms in the first quarter, according to new data provided by San Antonio-based industry…
Reported by bizjournals 18 minutes ago.
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Lawyer: Texas Teen Recorded Rape, Fatal Attack on Girlfriend
A teenage suspect is accused of raping and fatally choking his 15-year-old girlfriend then stuffing her body in a kitchen cabinet in an abandoned Houston-area apartment
Reported by ABCNews.com 18 minutes ago.
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Lawyer: Texas teen recorded rape, fatal attack on girlfriend
HOUSTON (AP) — A teenage suspect is accused of raping and fatally choking his 15-year-old girlfriend then stuffing her body in a kitchen cabinet in an abandoned Houston-area apartment. The Houston Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/1WYP3xL ) that court records show the teenager used his cellphone to record the sound of Karen Perez begging for him to […]
Reported by Seattle Times 22 minutes ago.
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Hate Group in Texas Threatens to Kill Muslims -- And Nobody Asks Where the Group Was Radicalized
Where were they radicalized?
That's the question we should be asking.
An extremist group of white, presumably Christian men in Texas are training against a non-existent Islamic "uprising" by dipping their bullets in pig's blood and bacon grease to target Muslims. The fact that consumption of pork is forbidden in Islam is well-known.
The extremist group, based in Irving, refers to itself as "Bureau of American Islamic Relations" (BAIR), an obvious mockery of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which carries out crucial work to safeguard the constitutional rights of Muslims in the United States.
Members of BAIR think that lining bullets with pig blood would ensure that their Muslim victims would "go straight to hell", according to a video released by AJ+. One BAIR member in the video stated, "A lot of us here are using either pig's blood or bacon grease on our bullets, packing it in the middle so that when you shoot a Muslim, they go straight to hell". Another member insisted, "Don't f*ck with white people."
David Wright, spokesperson for BAIR, said he was "going to start doing something about Muslims... now". That's code word for "I'm going to threaten Muslims with violence".
Clearly, members of BAIR are misinformed and uninformed. One member told AJ+, "the next step in jihad does not involve random, sporadic attacks... They start killing people".
Actually, no. That's not true.
I teach the course "Muslims in American Society" at Rice University in Houston, not too far from Irving, where BAIR is based. Our class, composed of Muslims and non-Muslims, looks carefully at the various dimensions of jihad. The students, I should add, get along perfectly fine despite coming largely from Christian and Muslim backgrounds.
Jihad has many meanings. It's often misinterpreted to mean "holy war", obvious in the case of BAIR, but jihad really means "to struggle" or "to strive". A jihad might be waking up when your alarm goes off in the morning. A jihad might be putting up with an annoying relative on a holiday.
A jihad might be turning the other cheek when blatantly Islamophobic groups like BAIR openly calls for the murder of Muslims.
It's true there is an offensive or "violent" form of jihad, but it's for the purposes of self-defense. The Quran, the Islamic holy book, calls on Muslims to "jihad" against the use of violence. The Quran (5:32) states, "if anyone slew a person unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land it would be as if he slew the whole of humanity: and if anyone saved a life it would be as if he saved the life of the whole of humanity". In another Quranic passage (2:190), Muslims are told, "fight in the case of God those who start fighting you, but do not transgress limits (or start the attack); for God loveth not transgressors".
Members of BAIR live in a fantasy world where Muslims pose the greatest threat to "civilization". Nothing could be further from the truth. Since 9/11, white right-wing terrorists have killed almost twice as many Americans in homegrown attacks than "radical Islamists" have, according to research by the New America Foundation.
BAIR's perception is not reality. The data, as Loon Watch points out, simply does not support their irrational view that Muslims pose a threat to the United States. On the FBI's official website, there exists a chronological list of all terrorist attacks committed on American soil from the year 1980 all the way to 2005. According to this data, there were more Jewish acts of terrorism within the United States than Islamic (7% vs 6%).
To put it simply, the threat of Muslim American terrorism is grossly exaggerated.
Funny, too, that members of BAIR consider themselves Christians. Remind me about the passage of the Bible where Jesus asks people to put pig blood on bullets to kill non-Christians. That's apparently what BAIR members think. That killing people ensures a seat next to Jesus in heaven.
Let me wrap this up by flipping things around. Imagine if CAIR called on Muslims to kill Christians. Imagine the uproar. Imagine the media coverage, the hysteria. Politicians in Washington, DC and elsewhere would head to the press to pose the question, "where were they [CAIR members] radicalized?"
Why aren't we asking the same question about BAIR?
This is what we call "double standards".
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 15 minutes ago.
That's the question we should be asking.
An extremist group of white, presumably Christian men in Texas are training against a non-existent Islamic "uprising" by dipping their bullets in pig's blood and bacon grease to target Muslims. The fact that consumption of pork is forbidden in Islam is well-known.
The extremist group, based in Irving, refers to itself as "Bureau of American Islamic Relations" (BAIR), an obvious mockery of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which carries out crucial work to safeguard the constitutional rights of Muslims in the United States.
Members of BAIR think that lining bullets with pig blood would ensure that their Muslim victims would "go straight to hell", according to a video released by AJ+. One BAIR member in the video stated, "A lot of us here are using either pig's blood or bacon grease on our bullets, packing it in the middle so that when you shoot a Muslim, they go straight to hell". Another member insisted, "Don't f*ck with white people."
David Wright, spokesperson for BAIR, said he was "going to start doing something about Muslims... now". That's code word for "I'm going to threaten Muslims with violence".
Clearly, members of BAIR are misinformed and uninformed. One member told AJ+, "the next step in jihad does not involve random, sporadic attacks... They start killing people".
Actually, no. That's not true.
I teach the course "Muslims in American Society" at Rice University in Houston, not too far from Irving, where BAIR is based. Our class, composed of Muslims and non-Muslims, looks carefully at the various dimensions of jihad. The students, I should add, get along perfectly fine despite coming largely from Christian and Muslim backgrounds.
Jihad has many meanings. It's often misinterpreted to mean "holy war", obvious in the case of BAIR, but jihad really means "to struggle" or "to strive". A jihad might be waking up when your alarm goes off in the morning. A jihad might be putting up with an annoying relative on a holiday.
A jihad might be turning the other cheek when blatantly Islamophobic groups like BAIR openly calls for the murder of Muslims.
It's true there is an offensive or "violent" form of jihad, but it's for the purposes of self-defense. The Quran, the Islamic holy book, calls on Muslims to "jihad" against the use of violence. The Quran (5:32) states, "if anyone slew a person unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land it would be as if he slew the whole of humanity: and if anyone saved a life it would be as if he saved the life of the whole of humanity". In another Quranic passage (2:190), Muslims are told, "fight in the case of God those who start fighting you, but do not transgress limits (or start the attack); for God loveth not transgressors".
Members of BAIR live in a fantasy world where Muslims pose the greatest threat to "civilization". Nothing could be further from the truth. Since 9/11, white right-wing terrorists have killed almost twice as many Americans in homegrown attacks than "radical Islamists" have, according to research by the New America Foundation.
BAIR's perception is not reality. The data, as Loon Watch points out, simply does not support their irrational view that Muslims pose a threat to the United States. On the FBI's official website, there exists a chronological list of all terrorist attacks committed on American soil from the year 1980 all the way to 2005. According to this data, there were more Jewish acts of terrorism within the United States than Islamic (7% vs 6%).
To put it simply, the threat of Muslim American terrorism is grossly exaggerated.
Funny, too, that members of BAIR consider themselves Christians. Remind me about the passage of the Bible where Jesus asks people to put pig blood on bullets to kill non-Christians. That's apparently what BAIR members think. That killing people ensures a seat next to Jesus in heaven.
Let me wrap this up by flipping things around. Imagine if CAIR called on Muslims to kill Christians. Imagine the uproar. Imagine the media coverage, the hysteria. Politicians in Washington, DC and elsewhere would head to the press to pose the question, "where were they [CAIR members] radicalized?"
Why aren't we asking the same question about BAIR?
This is what we call "double standards".
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 15 minutes ago.
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Sir Grout Advances Strategic Franchise Growth to 'Seal' Its Place Among America's Top Franchises
Rapidly Expanding Home Services Concept Captures America's Attention with Best-In-Category Services and Award-Winning Business Model
Alpharetta, GA (PRWEB) June 02, 2016
In a fragmented home services industry riddled with unprofessionalism and inefficiencies, a brand emerging as an unquestioned category leader announced today a widespread growth strategy. The expansion plan intends to transform the way Americans care for their most treasured surfaces, both at home and at work.
Sir Grout is quickly capturing the nation's trust as the clear leader in hard surface restoration, a distinction it has earned by introducing to the industry and maintaining the highest service standards in its competitive set. Now, the company is in position to continue its remarkable ascent throughout the country.
"Momentum has been building and we can't help but feel like we're truly winning over the hearts and minds of our customers," said Jeff Gill, co-president of Sir Grout, which he co-founded in 2005 with Co-president Tom Lindberg. "Fact is, our business model can't be beat. When you combine our service standards with the way we've structured our franchise opportunity, the brand has a foundation for an extremely strong future that we plan to sustain."
Sir Grout is ranked as a top franchise in Entrepreneur's 2016 Franchise 500® list. On the list for the sixth year in a row, Sir Grout is the only company in the tile, grout and stone industry that made the rankings. Together, Gill and Lindberg's proven leadership experience and entrepreneurial achievements have created an undeniable energy around the concept. The vibe can be felt at all levels of the franchise organization, and now it has given way to the company's most dynamic U.S. growth plan to date.
"Jeff and I have an enormous amount of pride in our franchise family. We have received numerous accolades and awards for our brand, but none are quite as special as the heartfelt acknowledgments we receive from our franchise owners and the glowing reviews from our satisfied customers," said Lindberg, who like Gill spent 20-plus years in corporate-America, much of the time in executive leadership roles. "We couldn't have imagined that Sir Grout would be such a hit, but we've listened intently to our customers and people just flock to it, both as consumers and franchisees."
As announced today, the multi-year growth plan lays down the foundation for 30 to 50 locations to be open or in development in the next 24 months, building on the momentum the company has established. The large-scale growth strategy projects new units dotting the map in attractive territories. Among the priority growth markets, the southeast coast of Florida, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, Southern California, Austin, Texas, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Cleveland, Ohio are key expansion territories.
The concept appeals to professionals transitioning into business ownership from corporate sales and marketing backgrounds who appreciate adhering to a collection of proven processes and systems that consistently deliver high quality results. Sir Grout's business model leverages the brand's proprietary service processes, exclusive product development and dynamic marketing programs to maximize its key marketplace differentiators. These include:· A five-step ColorSeal process that is unlike any other in home services
· Extensive digital marketing support and a dedicated in-house call center that guarantees customers will always speak to a live person
· The most professional service presentation and service delivery among its competitive set; inclusive of Sir Grout-branded wrapped vehicles
The foundation of Sir Grout's commitment to excellence stems from incorporating the Six Sigma mindset into developing the award-winning concept.
"Following Six Sigma principles is a direct match for franchising – improving performance to minimize variation and then scaling the winning business model to achieve customer loyalty and a compelling franchise brand," said Lindberg, a Six Sigma Black Belt. "As long as we continue to award the franchise to the right candidates and provide them with the products and services they need to reach their goals, our processes and systems will continue to serve as a guiding light."
Ideal franchise candidates are creative self-starters who appreciate the proven system Sir Grout has designed and refined during the past 9-plus years. Franchisees within the Sir Grout system also take advantage of the knowledge and experience shared between owners – the domino effect of the expertise is invaluable. Fostering entrepreneurship with minimal overhead, Sir Grout franchisees primarily manage their employee base and day-to-day customer interaction. Plus, with the planning and assistance of the founders, franchisees are able to focus on consistently executing effective sales and marketing programs.
About Sir Grout
Sir Grout specializes in services that make surfaces look new again, including grout, tile, wood floors and stone for homes and businesses. It is known for its signature one-day grout Color Seal and tile restoration processes. These proprietary services are customized to Sir Grout's standards, which require no demolition and minimal home or office disruption. Currently, there are 35 Sir Grout locations in the United States. For six straight years, the company has been ranked on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500® list.
For more information about Sir Grout, please visit http://www.sirgrout.com. To inquire about franchise opportunities, visit franchise.sirgrout.com. Reported by PRWeb 14 minutes ago.
Alpharetta, GA (PRWEB) June 02, 2016
In a fragmented home services industry riddled with unprofessionalism and inefficiencies, a brand emerging as an unquestioned category leader announced today a widespread growth strategy. The expansion plan intends to transform the way Americans care for their most treasured surfaces, both at home and at work.
Sir Grout is quickly capturing the nation's trust as the clear leader in hard surface restoration, a distinction it has earned by introducing to the industry and maintaining the highest service standards in its competitive set. Now, the company is in position to continue its remarkable ascent throughout the country.
"Momentum has been building and we can't help but feel like we're truly winning over the hearts and minds of our customers," said Jeff Gill, co-president of Sir Grout, which he co-founded in 2005 with Co-president Tom Lindberg. "Fact is, our business model can't be beat. When you combine our service standards with the way we've structured our franchise opportunity, the brand has a foundation for an extremely strong future that we plan to sustain."
Sir Grout is ranked as a top franchise in Entrepreneur's 2016 Franchise 500® list. On the list for the sixth year in a row, Sir Grout is the only company in the tile, grout and stone industry that made the rankings. Together, Gill and Lindberg's proven leadership experience and entrepreneurial achievements have created an undeniable energy around the concept. The vibe can be felt at all levels of the franchise organization, and now it has given way to the company's most dynamic U.S. growth plan to date.
"Jeff and I have an enormous amount of pride in our franchise family. We have received numerous accolades and awards for our brand, but none are quite as special as the heartfelt acknowledgments we receive from our franchise owners and the glowing reviews from our satisfied customers," said Lindberg, who like Gill spent 20-plus years in corporate-America, much of the time in executive leadership roles. "We couldn't have imagined that Sir Grout would be such a hit, but we've listened intently to our customers and people just flock to it, both as consumers and franchisees."
As announced today, the multi-year growth plan lays down the foundation for 30 to 50 locations to be open or in development in the next 24 months, building on the momentum the company has established. The large-scale growth strategy projects new units dotting the map in attractive territories. Among the priority growth markets, the southeast coast of Florida, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, Southern California, Austin, Texas, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Cleveland, Ohio are key expansion territories.
The concept appeals to professionals transitioning into business ownership from corporate sales and marketing backgrounds who appreciate adhering to a collection of proven processes and systems that consistently deliver high quality results. Sir Grout's business model leverages the brand's proprietary service processes, exclusive product development and dynamic marketing programs to maximize its key marketplace differentiators. These include:· A five-step ColorSeal process that is unlike any other in home services
· Extensive digital marketing support and a dedicated in-house call center that guarantees customers will always speak to a live person
· The most professional service presentation and service delivery among its competitive set; inclusive of Sir Grout-branded wrapped vehicles
The foundation of Sir Grout's commitment to excellence stems from incorporating the Six Sigma mindset into developing the award-winning concept.
"Following Six Sigma principles is a direct match for franchising – improving performance to minimize variation and then scaling the winning business model to achieve customer loyalty and a compelling franchise brand," said Lindberg, a Six Sigma Black Belt. "As long as we continue to award the franchise to the right candidates and provide them with the products and services they need to reach their goals, our processes and systems will continue to serve as a guiding light."
Ideal franchise candidates are creative self-starters who appreciate the proven system Sir Grout has designed and refined during the past 9-plus years. Franchisees within the Sir Grout system also take advantage of the knowledge and experience shared between owners – the domino effect of the expertise is invaluable. Fostering entrepreneurship with minimal overhead, Sir Grout franchisees primarily manage their employee base and day-to-day customer interaction. Plus, with the planning and assistance of the founders, franchisees are able to focus on consistently executing effective sales and marketing programs.
About Sir Grout
Sir Grout specializes in services that make surfaces look new again, including grout, tile, wood floors and stone for homes and businesses. It is known for its signature one-day grout Color Seal and tile restoration processes. These proprietary services are customized to Sir Grout's standards, which require no demolition and minimal home or office disruption. Currently, there are 35 Sir Grout locations in the United States. For six straight years, the company has been ranked on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500® list.
For more information about Sir Grout, please visit http://www.sirgrout.com. To inquire about franchise opportunities, visit franchise.sirgrout.com. Reported by PRWeb 14 minutes ago.
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Fitch Rates California Infrastructure & Econ Dev Bank's 2016A ISRF Bonds 'AAA'; Outlook Stable
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings has assigned a 'AAA' rating to the following bonds issued by the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank) under its 2014 Master Indenture (MI): --Approximately $138.9 million Infrastructure State Revolving Fund (ISRF) revenue bonds, series 2016A. The bonds are expected to price via negotiation the week of June 13. Bond proceeds will be used to finance or refinance loans to eligible borrowers for infrastructure and economic exp
Reported by Business Wire 2 hours ago.
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FT: High-Tech Hubs Not Immune to America's Collapsing Middle Class
High-tech hubs like the Raleigh Research Triangle in North Carolina, Silicon Valley and Austin, Texas, aren't immune to a collapse in the middle class that is gripping the United States.
Reported by Newsmax 1 hour ago.
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$30M supercomputer headed to UT facility
A $30 million award from the National Science Foundation will pay for a supercomputer at a University of Texas research facility, more than doubling its computing power and possibly unlocking new advances in science and technology. The new computer, dubbed Stampede 2, will be built at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, which just completed a $20 million expansion at its building on the campus of the JJ Pickle Research Center in North Austin. Stampede 2 will be able to deliver 18 petaflops of power…
Reported by bizjournals 2 hours ago.
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Chuck Gillman resigns as Columbine head baseball coach
The longtime Columbine head coach wants some freedom to be able to see his son, Tommy, play in college. Tommy Gillman recently graduated with the Rebels and will play at Texas A&M.
Reported by Denver Post 2 hours ago.
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Fitch Rates Hillsborough County, FL's Utility System Revs 'AAA'; Outlook Stable
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings assigns an 'AAA' rating to the following Hillsborough County, FL's (the county) bonds: --Approximately $213,125,000 utility system revenues bonds, series 2016. The bonds are scheduled to be sold via competitive bid the week of June 27. Proceeds will be used to finance costs of various improvements to the county's retail water and sewer system (the system) and pay costs of issuance. The bonds will not feature a debt service reserve. In addition, Fitc
Reported by Business Wire 2 hours ago.
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