How would you feel, if someone added another 10 years to your mortgage? (Or, if you don't have one, or have paid yours off, let me ask it another way: How would you feel about signing up to pay off a home over 40 long years?) Because that's the offer being made by finance company, Pepper Money, which is rolling out a brand new 40-year mortgage. That sound you just heard is my brain exploding. Now, let's deal with why it's being offered. Here's how 's Wealth Editor, James Kirby, put it: Indeed, in that same article, comparison site Finder's data is cited, thus: Bear in mind, that's 5 more years. And that's the average loan, meaning many, many people are paying even more. And Pepper is offering to extend the mortgage term by not 5, but 10 years. It's not easy to do the maths yourself, by the way: the first dozen loan calculators that Google served me up wouldn't let me use more than 30 years. So... I did it myself, and check out these numbers. If you borrowed $625,000 at 6% for 30 years, you'd pay: $3,747 per month $724,000 in interest $1.349 million in total repayments Reckon that's a lot? Check out the numbers over 40 years: $3,438 per month ($308 less) $1.025m in interest ($302,000 more) $1.651 million in total repayments Yep, you'd pay more than $1 million in interest , on top of the repayment of the principal.. And more than $300,000 more than a 30-year term over the life of the loan! I don't know about you, but I reckon that's a lot to pay, just to save $308 per month! But wait... there's more. See, this probably gets a worse. Before we get to that, let's remember that proponents of this sort of loan would say it increases access for those who don't have the monthly income. Which is a little bit true. Only a little bit? Well, yes – I doubt there are many who could afford $3,438 per month, but not $3,747. Meaning the size of the group that this 'helps' is small. (Oh, and remember: the financial institutions benefit from all of that lovely extra interest. It's possible that's part of the motivation...). So, the 'it gets worse' bit? Well, we know that buying a house is a competitive process. That's most obvious at auctions, but it happens for private sales, too – the agent and the seller set the price as high as they think the keenest buyers will pay. Now, let's go back to our example. Let's say the person who can currently pay $3747 a month (and who would currently take a 30 year loan) goes to a banker offering a 40 year mortgage. Here's what happens now: And when there are 40 year mortgages? It'll go like this: Sure, some people will just take a 30-year mortgage and borrow less. But most people? Well, here's one I prepared earlier: Standard mortgage terms used to be 25 years. When was the last time you heard of a borrower who asked the bank to calculate their borrowing capacity over 25, and not 30, years? Exactly. Once 40 years becomes the standard loan length, everyone will use it by default. And the person who asks the bank for a 30 year mortgage will take their $625,000 loan with them when they try to buy a house, only to be outbid by those with longer mortgage terms and $680,000 in the back pocket. In other words? In other words, this approach which is supposed to help 'affordability' is very, very likely to result in: – Monthly repayments remaining the same – Loan terms being longer – Total repayments being much higher – Interest bills being much higher – House prices being much higher ... and those who can't afford the current 30 year mortgage being locked out of the market, . Oh, and finance company profits being higher. Funnily enough. How's that for a neat trick? Seriously, this isn't an affordability measure. At it's a well-meaning mistake and a sign of desperation from buyers who feel locked out of the housing market. But, as I've hopefully shown, 40 year mortgage terms would be a disaster for everyone except banks and sellers – two groups who are entitled to make a buck, but who don't need the generosity of first home buyers. This is one 'innovation' that should be nipped in the bud... before it becomes the norm. Fool on!
Report: Red Sox wanted to package Triston Casas, high-paid veteran in trade for pitching
Time-consuming and complicated: Calgary retailers brace for federal GST holidayFootball teams across the Northern Section are preparing for a rainy Friday night of playoff games. For many teams Friday will be the second round of NSCIF playoffs. For teams like Pleasant Valley and Foothill in D-II, it will be their first game of section playoffs after first-round byes. For many others it will be second round semifinal matchups, and in Division IV the matchup between Winters and East Nicolaus is the division’s Northern Section championship. That game has been moved to Saturday at 1 p.m.; Northern Section commissioner Scott Johnson confirmed there was a mutual agreement between the two programs, who felt with a section championship on the line, they would get better break in weather with Winters’ home field being on grass. Johnson added that five of the seven games scheduled for this weekend will be played on grass fields — Pleasant Valley and Foothill’s fields in Division II the only exceptions — and that all schools are communicating with everyone involved. Johnson said teams could opt to move the games as late as Friday morning to a later date or change of time, as long as enough time is given to all involved including media, officials, MaxPreps, section officials and others. As of Thursday at 12:30 p.m., the only other change that has been made is that in Division III: No. 5 Gridley (8-3) playing at No. 1 Lassen (8-3) has been moved from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. “We’re trying to stay status quo,” Johnson said. Kicking off in D-II, No. 1 Pleasant Valley (7-3) hosts No. 4 Enterprise (8-3) at 7 p.m. at Asgard Yard in Chico. The Vikings received a first-round bye while the Hornets came from behind to defeat Shasta 26-20 in the quarterfinals. The Hornets outscored Shasta 20-0 in the second half to advance. In the regular season Enterprise and PV faced off on Nov. 1 in another rainy game, and the Vikings defeated the Hornets 38-17. PV threw for three touchdowns and ran for two in that game. Lucas Benson had 19 carries for 156 yards and one TD in addition to a 19-yard TD pass, and QB Joseph Garcia threw for 149 yards and two TDs. Enterprise QB JJ Johnson threw for 226 yards and two TDs, was intercepted once, but the Vikings limited the dual-threat quarterback to just four carries for 22 yards. On the bottom half of the D-II bracket, No. 2 Foothill (7-3) hosts No. 3 Red Bluff (9-2) at 7 p.m. in Palo Cedro. This game very well could have been in Red Bluff had the coach’s committee not made a mistake at the seeding meeting. The two teams enter having different momentum shifts. After Foothill began its season having won six of its first seven, the Cougars lost two of three to close out their season. Meanwhile Red Bluff, which lost 29-26 at home against Foothill on Oct. 18, has won four straight since the loss. During the regular season matchup the Cougars and Spartans were tied at 14-14 at halftime, and after a scoreless third quarter the Cougars scored in the final two minutes and sealed the win with a 2-point conversion. Red Bluff defeated No. 6 Las Plumas 42-0 in the opening round, while Foothill’s last game played before the bye week was a 32-13 loss to Enterprise on Nov. 8. Kicking off at 7 p.m., No. 2 Orland (9-2) and No. 6 Corning (5-6) face off for a second time this season in Orland. The first game between the Trojans and Cardinals was played in the rain on Orland’s grass field, and the forecast shows this will likely be the case once again. The Trojans defeated the Cardinals 34-14 on Nov. 1. After that game Corning coach John Studer said the conditions favor Orland’s downhill run game, whereas Corning likes to get to the edge more and cut, which can be hard on muddy field conditions. Corning upset No. 3 Yreka 24-20 last week, after being down 20-3 at one point. Orland is coming off a 42-6 win against No. 7 Pierce, in which quarterback Luke Schager set a new single-game rushing record for Orland football with 417 yards and four TDs. The Trojans’ defense shut out the Bears, with their lone score coming on a fumble returned for a TD. The D-III section championship will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at the higher seed’s home field. No. 1 Winters (11-0) looks to stay undefeated when it hosts No. 2 East Nicolaus (7-4) for the NSCIF D-IV championship Saturday. Winters defeated No. 4 Hamilton 48-0 in the first round, while East Nicolaus defeated No. 3 Durham 40-28. The Warriors have seven of their 11 games via shutout, including defeating East Nicolaus 48-0 on Oct. 18 in Winters, and outscored their opponents 429-43. East Nicolaus has won three straight and outscored its opponents 312-235. While the D-II and D-III section championship games are held Nov. 30, the D-V section championship game is held the day before Thanksgiving on Nov. 27. The biggest implication this has for Friday’s games is that the two D-V semifinals must go on as scheduled (with the exception of lightning cancelling) to give teams time to prepare, whereas in other divisions games could be pushed towards future dates. No. 4 Los Molinos (6-5) hosts No. 8 Weed (5-6) at 7 p.m. in Los Molinos. Weed upset No. 1 Biggs in the quarterfinals 16-14, while Los Molinos defeated No. 5 Modoc 68-37. The Cougars and Bulldogs did not face off in the regular season. In the bottom half of the bracket, No. 2 Maxwell (10-1) hosts No. 6 Redding Christian (6-5) at 7 p.m. in Maxwell. Redding Christian upset No. 3 Etna 29-0, while Maxwell defeated No. 7 Fall River 41-30. Maxwell defeated Redding Christian 44-14 in both teams’ third game of the regular season on Sept. 13 in Redding. The winners of both games will face off at 7 p.m. Nov. 27 at the higher seed’s home field.
Jalandhar: In preparation for the municipal body elections , Punjab AAP president Aman Arora held a meeting with party leaders in Jalandhar on Saturday. The meeting was attended by Punjab AAP working president Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi, cabinet minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal, minister Mohinder Bhagat, former minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar, MLA Ajay Gupta and others. Arora said detailed discussions on municipal corporations were held, announcing that AAP would begin accepting applications from Sunday. He stressed that party workers would be given first preference in ticket allocation. “If individuals from other parties join AAP and have a clean image, they may be considered, but majority of tickets will be given to those associated with the party. We have a robust, dedicated cadre of active workers across the state, and they will be considered first,” he said. An official notification has mentioned that the elections to five municipal corporations, including Amritsar, Phagwara, Patiala, Jalandhar and Ludhiana and 42 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, would be held by the end of Dec but no specific date was given. ‘Jakhar MSP remark absurd’ Aman Arora responded sharply to Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar’s statement on MSP, saying that Jakhar is a senior and experienced leader who should refrain from making absurd remarks. “If he has any evidence of such irregularities, he should present it. The Punjab govt will take immediate action." Arora clarified that Punjab govt had no direct role in MSP payments. We also published the following articles recently Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal detained ahead of his fast unto death for MSP in Punjab Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal was detained at the Punjab-Haryana border ahead of his planned fast unto death demanding MSP for all crops. Police took Dallewal to Ludhiana hospital, prompting farmers to gather in large numbers in protest. Despite his detention, the protest fast will continue as planned, farmer groups assert. Punjab byelections: AAP wins Dera Baba Nanak, Congress credits gangsters Gurdeep Singh Randhawa of AAP won the Dera Baba Nanak byelection, defeating Congress's Jatinder Kaur Randhawa by 5,699 votes. The win prompted accusations from Congress of AAP's association with gangsters. Previously held by Jatinder's husband, the seat saw significant voter support for Randhawa, who celebrated his victory as a triumph over nepotism and arrogance. Born on Constitution Day, AAP is a party of people: Kejriwal Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal highlighted the party's dedication to honest governance and the importance of its 'jhadu' symbol on AAP's 13th Foundation Day. Reflecting on their journey since 2012, Kejriwal emphasized the party's resilience against political challenges and underscored their commitment to the Constitution and serving the common people.
(BPT) - Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting movement and posture that begins in early childhood development. It is the most common cause of motor disability in children, affecting about one in 345 children in the United States. It may happen as a result of lack of oxygen during or around birth, stroke, infection, a problem with metabolism or other problems that cause injury or affect the development of parts of the brain involved in movement control in the first few years of life. CP is a permanent condition, affecting a person for their entire life. People living with CP typically have motor problems, which may include spasticity (abnormal muscle tightness), dyskinesia (uncontrolled movements) or ataxia (poor muscle control), and many people have a mix of these motor disorders. Dyskinesia due to CP (DCP) is one of the most disabling forms of CP and impacts approximately 10% to 20% of people living with CP. According to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF), the combination of irregular and unpredictable movements (chorea) and twisting and repeating movements (dystonia) often disrupt activities and cause significant functional impairment, including the ability to maintain balance, walk or fine motor control. Heather Riordan, M.D., Neurologist and Movement Disorders Specialist, Director of the Phelps Center for Cerebral Palsy at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, discusses the symptoms of chorea and impact on patients in a video shared on the CPF website . About 30% of people with DCP are affected mostly by these involuntary and irregular movements (chorea), while dystonia is the predominant motor finding in the remaining 70%. However, it is common for both chorea and dystonia movements to be present together. For people living with DCP, these movements can occur in any region of the body, including the arms and legs, torso and face and may vary in severity. They are often triggered or made worse by stimulation or stress. Because dyskinesia can occur at rest and/or when actively using the body, the problems with movement are very burdensome in day-to-day living, with discomfort and pain affecting the quality of life for people and their caregivers. Jen Lyman, mom to a son with DCP, highlights how dyskinesia makes communicating more difficult. "The most difficult thing about dyskinesia is watching my son struggle to do things that he wants to do, but the extra movements get in the way...special things, such as using a touch screen to video chat with his grandmother, are nearly impossible despite his best efforts to use his hands and fingers. Something so simple, yet so special for him should be effortless." DCP has a wide-ranging impact on the individual, including lifelong challenges with movement, a higher risk of other medical issues, a higher rate of mental health challenges and difficulties with communication. "Those of us who have the privilege to serve patients with dyskinetic, hyperkinetic or mixed cerebral palsy see the functional impact of this very challenging type of tone every day," said Susan Biffl, M.D., Rehabilitation Medicine Specialist at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and Assistant Professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "Patients face challenges with self-care, independence, mobility, communication, fine motor skills that affect occupational and recreational activities, swallowing, social interactions and even sleep. As this tone is variable, it is much more challenging to treat than more consistent tone issues, such as spasticity." There are currently no Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for DCP. Dystonia and chorea are often managed separately as they respond differently to various treatments, which can make treatment challenging. Most drugs being investigated for DCP have focused on dystonia, and more research is needed to determine potential treatments for chorea. New treatment options are needed to help manage these movement disorders and improve daily function and quality of life for those affected. "After 20 years of caring for individuals with cerebral palsy, I continue to find those with dyskinetic cerebral palsy among the most challenging to treat, largely due to the limited effectiveness of available pharmacologic options," said Joyce Oleszek, M.D., Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado School of Medicine. "There is an urgent need for more robust evidence to support pharmacologic treatments for this condition, given its profound impact on function, comfort and quality of life." Clinical studies are important in the development of treatment options, allowing researchers to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new medicines. The data from clinical studies are used to determine if an investigational treatment can be approved for use to treat certain disorders. There are ongoing clinical studies evaluating potential treatments for DCP, including one for chorea. Neurocrine Biosciences is conducting the clinical study, a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study investigating the study drug, valbenazine, for the treatment of DCP. The clinical study is currently enrolling children, adolescents and adults six to 70 years of age who have been diagnosed with DCP. "The Cerebral Palsy Foundation is excited to partner with Neurocrine Biosciences on this study," said Rachel Byrne, Executive Director of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. "We are proud to support strong research that can potentially bring meaningful change to the lives of those living with cerebral palsy." If you or someone you know may be eligible for this research study, please visit the study website for additional information here: . © 2024 Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CAP-NBI-US-0115 12/2024 NBI-98854-DCP3018_11DecMatRelease_v1.0_25November2024 Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Packers' Musgrave practices, talks ankle surgery
Rodgers, who turns 41 next Monday, has been hampered at times during the Jets' 3-8 start by various injuries to his left leg, including a sore knee, sprained ankle and balky hamstring. Ulbrich said Monday the quarterback came back from the team's bye-week break ready to go. “All I can say, and you'd have to ask Aaron if he's fully healthy, but he's better off today than he's been as of late,” Ulbrich said. "So he's definitely feeling healthier than he has probably for the past month. A healthy Aaron Rodgers is the Aaron Rodgers we all love. “So, I'm excited about what that looks like.” NFL Network reported on Sunday that Rodgers, who missed all but four snaps last season with a torn left Achilles tendon , has declined having medical scans on his injured leg so he can continue to play. “I have not been informed of that, either way,” Ulbrich said. Rodgers suffered what NFL Network reported was a “significant” hamstring injury against Denver in Week 4. He then sprained his left ankle against Minnesota in London a week later. The four-time MVP has not been able to consistently move around during games as he has in the past, when extending plays and making things happen on the run became such a big part of his game. Rodgers said leading into New York's 28-27 loss to Indianapolis last Sunday that it was the healthiest he felt in a while. But he struggled against the Colts, finishing 22 of 29 for 184 yards after a brutally slow start during which he went 9 of 13 for just 76 yards. The Athletic reported last week that owner Woody Johnson broached the idea during a meeting with the coaching staff of having the banged-up Rodgers sit after the Jets' loss to Denver in Week 4. With Rodgers' struggles and perhaps compromised health the past few games, a hot debate on social media and sports talk shows during the past week has been whether the quarterback should take a seat in favor of Tyrod Taylor. But when asked if there has been any talk of shutting down Rodgers, Ulbrich replied flatly: “There has not.” In a follow-up question, the interim coach was asked if Rodgers will, in fact, be the Jets' starting quarterback at home Sunday against the Seahawks. “Absolutely,” Ulbrich said. He added that he didn't feel the need to sit down with Rodgers and address all the reports and chatter outside the facility. “No, I feel like we are on the same page,” the coach said. Last week, Ulbrich said he and his staff would take “a deep dive” into what the team could do better after losing seven of its past eight and being on the verge of missing the postseason for the 14th consecutive year. Ulbrich opted not to make any changes to the coaching responsibilities of his staff and he will continue to run the defense as the coordinator. He also said there would not be any personnel changes coming out of the bye, barring injuries. “But definitely, we created a really clear vision of where we need to improve and found some things,” Ulbrich said. “Obviously, you find the things that you’re not doing well, you need to improve upon them, but then also found some some things that I think we can really build upon. So I was excited in both ways.” Johnson fired general manager Joe Douglas last Tuesday, six weeks after he also dismissed coach Robert Saleh. On Monday, the team announced it would be assisted by The 33rd Team , a football media, analytics and consulting group founded by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, in its searches for a general manager and coach. Ulbrich insisted that isn't creating an awkward situation for him, in particular, as he and his staff focus on the present while the organization begins planning for the future. “In all honesty, it’s not at all,” Ulbrich said. “My singular focus is just finishing the season off the right way, playing a brand of football we’re all proud of, myself included. And that starts with Seattle.” LB C.J. Mosley said he's “progressing” in his return from a herniated disk in his neck, but is still uncertain about his availability for Sunday. Mosley said Monday was the first time he put on a helmet since the injury occurred during pregame warmups against New England on Oct. 27. ... Ulbrich said the team is still evaluating LT Tyron Smith, who missed the game against Indianapolis with a neck ailment. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflJACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Greg McGarity had reason to be concerned. The Gator Bowl president kept a watchful eye on College Football Playoff scenarios all season and understood the fallout might affect his postseason matchup in Jacksonville. What if the Southeastern Conference got five teams into the expanded CFP? What if the Atlantic Coast Conference landed three spots? It was a math problem that was impossible to truly answer, even into late November. Four first-round playoff games, which will end with four good teams going home without a bowl game, had the potential to shake up the system. The good news for McGarity and other bowl organizers: Adding quality teams to power leagues — Oregon to the Big Ten, Texas to the SEC and SMU to the ACC — managed to ease much of the handwringing. McGarity and the Gator Bowl ended up with their highest-ranked team, No. 16 Ole Miss, in nearly two decades. "It really didn't lessen our pool much at all," McGarity said. "The SEC bowl pool strengthened with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma. You knew they were going to push traditional SEC teams up or down. Texas ended up pushing just about everyone down." The long waiting game was the latest twist for non-CFP bowls that have become adept at dealing with change. Efforts to match the top teams came and went in the 1990s and first decade of this century before the CFP became the first actual tournament in major college football. It was a four-team invitational — until this year, when the 12-team expanded format meant that four quality teams would not be in the mix for bowl games after they lose next week in the first round. "There's been a lot of things that we've kind of had to roll with," said Scott Ramsey, president of the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee. "I don't think the extra games changed our selection model to much degree. We used to look at the New York's Six before this, and that was 12 teams out of the bowl mix. The 12-team playoff is pretty much the same." Ramsey ended up with No. 23 Missouri against Iowa in his Dec. 30 bowl. A lot of so-called lesser bowl games do have high-profile teams — the ReliaQuest Bowl has No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan (a rematch of last year's CFP semifinal), Texas A&M and USC will play in the Las Vegas Bowl while No. 14 South Carolina and No. 15 Miami, two CFP bubble teams, ended up in separate bowls in Orlando. "The stress of it is just the fact that the CFP takes that opening weekend," Las Vegas Bowl executive director John Saccenti said. "It kind of condenses the calendar a little bit." Bowl season opens Saturday with the Cricket Celebration Bowl. The first round of the CFP runs Dec. 20-21. It remains to be seen whether non-CFP bowls will see an impact from the new dynamic. They will know more by 2026, with a planned bowl reset looming. It could include CFP expansion from 12 to 14 teams and significant tweaks to the bowl system. More on-campus matchups? More diversity among cities selected to host semifinal and championship games? And would there be a trickle-down effect for everyone else? Demand for non-playoff bowls remains high, according to ESPN, despite increased focus on the expanded CFP and more players choosing to skip season finales to either enter the NCAA transfer portal or begin preparations for the NFL draft. "There's a natural appetite around the holidays for football and bowl games," Kurt Dargis, ESPN's senior director of programming and acquisitions, said at Sports Business Journal's Intercollegiate Athletics Forum last week in Las Vegas. "People still want to watch bowl games, regardless of what's going on with the playoff. ... It's obviously an unknown now with the expanded playoff, but we really feel like it's going to continue." The current bowl format runs through 2025. What lies ahead is anyone's guess. Could sponsors start paying athletes to play in bowl games? Could schools include hefty name, image and likeness incentives for players participating in bowls? Would conferences be willing to dump bowl tie-ins to provide a wider range of potential matchups? Are bowls ready to lean into more edginess like Pop-Tarts has done with its edible mascot? The path forward will be determined primarily by revenue, title sponsors, TV demand and ticket sales. "The one thing I have learned is we're going to serve our partners," Saccenti said. "We're going to be a part of the system that's there, and we're going to try to remain flexible and make sure that we're adjusting to what's going on in the world of postseason college football."
Omnicom Set to Buy Interpublic Group in Landmark Madison Avenue Deal
Are Smart Coffee Tables Worth It? What You Need To Know Before BuyingShould You Buy Palantir Stock Before Dec. 13?Arguments about past presidents shape the nation’s understanding of itself and hence its unfolding future. In recent years, biographies by nonacademics have rescued some presidents from progressive academia’s indifference or condescension: John Adams (rescued by David McCullough), Ulysses S. Grant (by Ron Chernow), Calvin Coolidge (by Amity Shlaes). The rehabilitation of those presidents’ reputations have been acts of justice, as is Christopher Cox’s destruction of Woodrow Wilson’s place in progressivism’s pantheon. In “Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn,” Cox, former congressman and former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, demonstrates that the 28th president was the nation’s nastiest. Without belaboring the point, Cox presents an Everest of evidence that Wilson’s progressivism smoothly melded with his authoritarianism and oceanic capacity for contempt. His books featured ostentatious initials: “Woodrow Wilson Ph.D., LL.D.” But he wrote no doctoral dissertation for his 18-month Ph.D. He dropped out of law school. His doctorate of law was honorary. But because of those initials, and because he vaulted in three years from Princeton University’s presidency to New Jersey’s governorship to the U.S. presidency, and because he authored books, he is remembered as a scholar in politics. Actually, he was an intellectual manque using academia as a springboard into politics. His books were thin gruel, often laced with scabrous racism. His first, “Congressional Government,” contained only 52 citations, but he got it counted as a doctoral dissertation. He wrote it while a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University, yet he only once visited the U.S. Capitol 37 miles away. “I have no patience for the tedious toil of ‘research,’” he said. “I hate the place,” he said of Bryn Mawr, a women’s college that provided his first faculty job. He thought teaching women was pointless. Cox ignores the well-plowed ground of Wilson’s domestic achievements — the progressive income tax, the Federal Reserve. Instead, Cox braids Wilson’s aggressive white-male supremacy and hostility toward women’s suffrage. His was a life defined by disdaining. For postgraduate education, Johns Hopkins recruited German-trained faculty steeped in that nation’s statism and belief in the racial superiority of Teutonic people. Wilson’s Johns Hopkins classmate and lifelong friend Thomas Dixon wrote the novel that became the silent movie “The Birth of a Nation.” Wilson made this celebration of the Ku Klux Klan the first movie shown in the White House. During the movie, the screen showed quotes from Wilson’s “History of the American People,” such as: “In the villages the negroes were the office holders, men who knew none of the uses of authority, except its insolences.” And: “At last there had sprung into existence a great Ku Klux Klan ... to protect the Southern country” and Southerners’ “Aryan birthright.” Wilson’s White House gala — guests in evening dress — gave “The Birth of a Nation” a presidential imprimatur. The movie, which became a national sensation, normalized the Klan and helped to revive lynching. Though the term “fascism” is more frequently bandied than defined, it fits Wilson’s amalgam of racism (he meticulously resegregated the federal workforce), statism, and wartime censorship and prosecutions. Dissent was “disloyalty” deserving “a firm hand of stern repression.” Benito Mussolini: “All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.” Wilson: “I am perfectly sure that the state has got to control everything that everybody needs and uses.” Wilson created the Committee on Public Information to “mobilize the mind of America.” The committee soon had more than 150,000 employees disseminating propaganda, monitoring publications and providing them with government-written content. The committee was echoed in the Biden administration’s pressuring of social media to suppress what it considered dis- or misinformation. Cox provides a stunning chronicle of Wilson’s complacent, even gleeful, acceptance of police and mob brutality, often in front of the White House, against suffragists. And of the torture — no milder word will suffice — of the women incarcerated in stomach-turning squalor, at the mercy of sadists. “Appropriate,” Wilson said. An appropriate judgment from the man who dismissed as empty verbiage the first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. Historian C. Vann Woodward, author of “The Strange Career of Jim Crow,” said white-male supremacy was the crux of Southern progressivism. Wilson’s political career demonstrated that it was not discordant with national progressivism’s belief that a superior few should control the benighted many. John Greenleaf Whittier, disillusioned by Daniel Webster’s support of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, wrote of Webster: “So fallen! so lost! the light withdrawn / Which once he wore!” True, too, of Wilson.
The Fall of Ant Group's IPO: Alibaba's Missteps, Legal Battles, and a $433.5M Settlement
Global Generative AI In Financial Services Market Set For 31.0% Growth, Reaching $4.24 Billion By 2028New facial recognition technology recently unrolled at five Montana airports needs more vetting to ensure privacy for passengers, efficacy in decreasing wait times, and benefits in increasing security, said a letter this week signed by Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines. The letter, directed to the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, was signed by 11 other senators, led by U.S. Sen. Jeffrey Merkeley, an Oregon Democrat. "We urge you to conduct thorough oversight of the Transportation Security Administration's use of facial recognition technology for passenger verification from both an authorities and privacy perspective," the letter said. "This technology will soon be in use at hundreds of major and mid-size airports without an independent evaluation of the technology's precision or an audit of whether there are sufficient safeguards in place to protect passenger privacy." In an interview and earlier news release, however, a spokesperson for the TSA who oversees airports in the West said the new technology is an improvement for security, and the agency implemented it this fall at five Montana airports. It's in use at the Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport; Billings International Airport; Great Falls International Airport; Helena Regional Airport; and Missoula International Airport, according to TSA. TSA said the rollout in Montana started in September. TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers said the new system, an updated version of Credential Authentication Technology, or CAT-2, is in place to enhance security and speed up the identity verification process at the airport. The new system takes pictures of passengers, but it does not store them, and passengers are free to opt out of the scan without retribution, Dankers said. "There is signage posted that tells travelers it's optional," Dankers said in an interview. The letter from senators, however, urged a closer review of the system, especially given plans for its expansion — and potential consequences if its use becomes required. "Despite promising lawmakers and the public that this technology is not mandatory, TSA has stated its intent to expand this technology beyond the security checkpoint and make it mandatory in the future," the letter said. "In April 2023, TSA Administrator (David) Pekoske admitted at the South by Southwest Conference that 'We will get to the point where we will require biometrics across the board.' "If that happens, this program could become one of the largest federal surveillance databases overnight without authorization from Congress." This fall, the Missoula Current reported a significant increase in traffic at the Missoula airport. The Current said the airport could hit one million passengers by the end of the year, surpassing its 2019 record, and September was the fifth straight month it had exceeded 2019 records. In Bozeman, airport President and CEO Brian Sprenger earlier told the Daily Montanan his airport was expected to handle 65% more passengers this year than it did in 2019. Friday, Sprenger said the airport has not received passenger complaints about the new system and use of facial recognition technology. However, he said technology always opens the door to privacy concerns, but airports have to address how to increase efficiency and security. "When you're using any kind of new technology, I think the ideas behind it are increasing safety and also increasing efficiency," Sprenger said. "But when you get into the questions of: Does that impact personal privacy? – that's the battle that I think is there." He said he believes that's one reason Daines is asking questions and "wants to make sure there's not an overreach." On the other hand, the already busy airports could be even more bogged down. "Without the technology, the lines become longer," Sprenger said. Dankers said the original CAT system started in 2020. Coincidentally, she said, COVID-19 hit, people didn't want to have cross contamination, and the new scanner allowed a "touchless" way for people to present their IDs to officers, so the pandemic accelerated the deployment. "It was a great solution," Dankers said. The original system was designed to scan a passenger's photo ID, confirm the person is ticketed for travel, and note the type of screening they're eligible for, such as TSA Pre-Check. The TSA officer visually verified the identity of the passenger. The new system, the CAT-2, adds facial recognition technology. A camera on a tablet takes a "real-time" photo of the passenger, and the CAT-2 compares it to the traveler's photo ID with facial recognition technology. If the system confirms the passenger, the person can keep going through security, and the verification takes place "all without exchanging a boarding pass," according to TSA. Dankers said before either of the CAT systems, security officers were frustrated because passenger verifications took so much time. Different airlines put information in different places on a boarding pass, for instance, and it was a struggle at times to confirm necessary details. "It was a lot of information to search for in a short period of time," Dankers said. The original CAT put the information from a boarding pass on a screen and standardized it, which the officers liked, Dankers said. The CAT-2 takes it one step further by having the technology match the person — their "real-time" picture — to the ID. "They (officers) can do all of that manually, but at TSA, anytime you can use technology to supplement the efforts of our workforce, it strengthens our processes," Dankers said. She said the system has no capacity to store photos at all. She said it does not have a hard drive, and the photos are not transmitted elsewhere. However, the U.S. government has a history of spying on citizens, and to people who are skeptical despite TSA's reassurances, Dankers said they are free to opt out. She said the officers do not make the opt-out offer verbally, but the option is posted. She said whether the signage is adequate notice to people who may have concerns about privacy is not for her to decide, although she said privacy concerns exist across the country. "The reality is across the country, there are people who are very protective of their privacy," Dankers said. "It's not unique to Montana." In their letter, Daines and the other senators request the Department of Homeland Security conduct specific evaluations of the new technology, including how well it fares with disguises or false documents compared to other verification methods; whether it has meaningfully reduced screening delays; the number of times it has prevented terrorists or people on the no-fly list from boarding; and the prevalence of errors it makes, among other data. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to an email Friday about the requests, and TSA could not provide data Friday about the system in response to the specific inquiries in the letter. However, Dankers pointed to results of a U.S. Travel Association and Ipsos survey that show fourof-five American travelers support biometrics use at airport security and that 79% of air travelers back the use of biometrics at TSA checkpoints for identity verification. The survey said 1,255 people were interviewed and cited a margin of error of -/+ 3.1%. The survey also said 60% of travelers trust TSA with their biometric data. An earlier letter signed by Daines that raised similar concerns said TSA had not produced evidence that more false identification documents had been discovered since the implementation of facial recognition. It said reports of passengers bypassing security checkpoints "suggest that TSA should focus on the fundamentals, not expanding its facial recognition program."