Thursday, February 28, 2013

NYT: Rosa Parks Statue Is Unveiled

WASHINGTON - More than half a century after Rosa Parks helped kindle the civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Alabama, she has become the first black woman to be honored with a life-size statue in the Capitol.  Read more...  http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/us/politics/statue-of-rosa-parks-is-unveiled-at-the-capitol.xml

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Iran Nuclear Talks: World Powers Begin 4th Round Of Talks In Effort To Break Years-Long Impasse With Tehran - The Huffington Post

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- World powers began a new round of high-level talks with Iranian officials Tuesday, trying to find a way out of a yearslong tussle over Tehran's nuclear program and its feared ability to make atomic weapons in the future.  Read more....  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2013/02/26/iran-nuclear-talks_n_2764270.html?ir=world&utm_campaign=022613&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-world&utm_content=Title

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Office Depot in $976 million deal to buy rival OfficeMax | Reuters

The combined entity's name, headquarters and CEO are all undetermined, an unusual level of major decisions yet to be made that points to the integration challenge the companies face.

"I have seldom seen a situation where they can't decide on the name, the CEO or the corporate headquarters. Normally that's what you work out before you announce a deal," said Tom Stemberg, managing general partner of the Highland Consumer Fund and founder of office supply chain Staples.

Read more: Office Depot in $976 million deal to buy rival OfficeMax | Reuters

Arizona Senate panel OKs plan to clarify medical-pot law

A bill that would pave the way for medical-marijuana research at Arizona’s universities, particularly to help veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is advancing through the Legislature.

The Senate Health and Human Services committee approved a bill Wednesday that changes the state’s medical-marijuana law, which currently bans medical pot on public university and college campuses. It also passed another bill that strictly prohibits marijuana dispensaries from packaging medical drugs as confectionery or candy, or labeling it in a way that might make it attractive to kids.

Read more: Arizona Senate panel OKs plan to clarify medical-pot law

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

American Airlines And US Airways Merger Will Create An Industry Behemoth - Seeking Alpha

American Airlines (AAMRQ.PK), which is currently going through bankruptcy court proceedings, has announced its merger with US Airways (NYSE:LCC) to emerge from bankruptcy. In a joint press conference held on February 14, chief executives of both carriers announced the merger, which will create one of largest airlines in the world with an estimated market capitalization of $11 billion.
Read more: American Airlines And US Airways Merger Will Create An Industry Behemoth - Seeking Alpha

Debate stirs anew over Obama minimum wage plan | The Salt Lake Tribune

Washington • President Barack Obama’s call to raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour and boost it annually to keep pace with inflation is already getting a trial run. Ten states make similar cost-of-living adjustments, including Washington state, where workers earn at least $9.19 an hour, the highest minimum in the country.

In all, 19 states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages set above the federal rate of $7.25 (which is Utah’s level), a disparity Obama highlighted in his State of the Union address as he seeks to help the nation’s lowest-paid workers.

Read more: Debate stirs anew over Obama minimum wage plan | The Salt Lake Tribune

Arizona ruling upholds DUI test for marijuana

PHOENIX - An Arizona court ruling says motorists can continue to be prosecuted for driving under the influence of marijuana even if the only proof is a blood test that shows a chemical compound that doesn't cause impairment but that can remain in blood for a month.
The Court of Appeals ruling overturns a lower court judge who said it didn't make sense to permit people to be prosecuted despite no evidence they're under the influence.
Read more: Arizona ruling upholds DUI test for marijuana

Thursday, February 14, 2013

US Airways-American Airlines merger is official

US Airways and American Airlines expect to close their merger to create the world's largest airline by October, according to announcements from the airlines Thursday.

The companies issued joint news releases detailing the $11 billion all-stock deal that will have the smaller, Tempe-based airline joining with Fort Worth, Texas-based American.

The combined airline will offer more than 6,700 daily flights to 336 destinations in 56 countries, according to the release.  Read more...  http://www.azcentral.com//business/us-airways-american-airlines-merger/articles/20130213us-airwaysamerican-airlines-merger-is-official.html?source=nletter-

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Monday, February 11, 2013

E-cigarette commercial during Super Bowl has lung association officials fuming

A Super Bowl television ad that aired in Phoenix and other markets has worried some health groups because it shows a man smoking what appears to be a cigarette, even though smoking ads have been banned for more than four decades.  Read more...  http://www.azcentral.com//business/consumer/articles/20130207super-bowl-e-cigarette-commercial-lung-association-officials-fuming.html?source=nletter-

Thursday, February 7, 2013

PressTV - Cuba backs Iran’s nuclear program, vows to defy sanctions

The Cuban foreign minister has reaffirmed Havana’s determination to support Tehran’s nuclear energy program and strengthen mutual cooperation to counter Western embargos.

Read more: PressTV - Cuba backs Iran’s nuclear program, vows to defy sanctions

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Market blooms for medical-pot experts

Inside the suite of a nondescript industrial park in west Phoenix, an armed security guard in a bulletproof vest guards dozens of tents filled with lush plants that supply medical-marijuana patients throughout the state.

All day long, men and women with varying medical conditions swing through the doors of the cultivation center to tend their crops, allowing fresh air to seep into the office suite, which reeks of a musky, skunklike odor. As hard-rock music blares, the growers measure nutrients, roll blunts (cigars), prune plants and prepare buds for drying.

Read more: Market blooms for medical-pot experts

An unlikely plea in support of medical marijuana

"No medical authority would say it's helping you. They all say it's harming you."

-- State Rep. John Kavanagh, on medical marijuana

It starts the minute he wakes up and puts his feet on the floor. The nausea quickly builds from the base of his stomach to the back of his throat, and he tries to think mind over matter, but matter generally wins. And this is just the beginning of the day.

Read more: An unlikely plea in support of medical marijuana

Tempe police crack down on marijuana 'compassion clubs'

Tempe police targeted the operator of two “compassion clubs’’ Tuesday, arrested him, serving a series of search warrants and seizing a garage full of mature marijuana plants.

The months-long undercover investigation started before an employee of Top Shelf Medicine, formerly known as the AzGoGreen Co-op, was shot and critically injured on Oct. 25.

Read more: Tempe police crack down on marijuana 'compassion clubs'

Medical-Marijuana "Vapor Lounge" in West Valley Allows Patients to Toke Up, Rent Bongs and Hang Out - Phoenix - News - Valley Fever

A group of medical-marijuana dispensary owners at the State Capital yesterday afternoon urged authorities to shut down unregulated cannabis clubs.

Read more: Medical-Marijuana "Vapor Lounge" in West Valley Allows Patients to Toke Up, Rent Bongs and Hang Out - Phoenix - News - Valley Fever

Obama's Drug War: After Medical Marijuana Mess, Feds Face Big Decision On Pot

OAKLAND, Calif. -- In the summer of 2007, the owners of Harborside Health Center, then and now the most prominent medical marijuana dispensary in the U.S., were reflecting on their rapid rise. Steve DeAngelo had opened the center with his business partner in October 2006, on a day when federal agents raided three other clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. "We had to decide in that moment whether or not we were really serious about this and whether we were willing to risk arrest for it," DeAngelo said. "And we decided we were going to open our doors. And we did, and we haven’t looked back since. The only way I’ll stop doing what I’m doing is if they drag me away in chains. And as soon as they let me out, I’ll be back doing it again."

Read more: Obama's Drug War: After Medical Marijuana Mess, Feds Face Big Decision On Pot

Friday, February 1, 2013

BBC News - Congress votes to extend US borrowing limit

The US Congress has voted to extend the nation's borrowing limit until the middle of May.

The Senate's 64-34 vote gave final approval to a bill that must now be signed by President Barack Obama.  Read more...  http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21287474