‘Dear Climate-Change Deniers, Please Don’t Buy Shares in APPLE’…

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He leads a company that some would consider the epitome of ruthless global capitalism. But Apple chief executive Tim Cook has shocked some in the US with an impassioned attack on the single-minded pursuit of profit – and a direct appeal to climate-change deniers not to buy shares in his firm.

Eyewitnesses said Cook, who succeeded Steve Jobs as boss of the technology giant in 2011, was visibly angry as he took on a group of right-wing investors during a question-and-answer session at a shareholders’ meeting.

Responding to calls from the National Centre for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a conservative think tank and investor, for Apple to refrain from putting money in green energy projects that were not profitable, he shot back that Apple did “a lot of things for reasons besides profit motive”. The chief executive added: “We want to leave the world better than we found it.”

Addressing he NCPPR representative directly, he said: “If you want me to do things only for ROI [return on investment] reasons, you should get out of this stock.”

Cook, who is generally known for his level-headed demeanour, also insisted that he places more importance on helping people and the environment than on pure profit, saying: “When we work on making our devices accessible to the blind, I don’t consider bloody ROI.”

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Forbes’ Richest People: Number of Billionaires Up Significantly

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Photo Credit: Bebeto Matthews/APForbes, the unofficial temperature-taker of the world’s fiscal upper echelons, released on Monday its annual list of the world’s richest people and, separately, a list of the 400 richest Americans.

Not all that much has changed at the top.

Bill Gates, worth about $76 billion, is the richest man in the world, according to this year’s list. If that sounds familiar, it should, because Mr. Gates has topped that list for the past two decades, but for a four-year loss to telecom mogul Carlos Slim, according to Forbes. Mr. Slim is second this year, valued at $72 billion.

Spain’s Amancio Ortego, of the Zara fashion outlet , came in at third at $64 billion – just as he did last year. Warren Buffett, who has placed in the Top 5 for the past 20 years, is the fourth wealthiest person in the world and the second richest American, at about $58 billion.

Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Charles and David Koch, gambling giant Sheldon Anderson, and Christy and Jim Walton, each valued at more than $34 billion, rounded out the Top 10 on the world list.

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DC’s Green-Approved Buildings Using More Energy

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Photo Credit: REUTERS/Adam Stepien/Agencja GazetaWashington, D.C. may have the highest number of certified green buildings in the country, but research by Environmental Policy Alliance suggests it might not be doing much good.

The free-market group analyzed the first round of energy usage data released by city officials Friday and found that large, privately-owned buildings that received the green energy certification Leadership in Energy Design (LEED) actually use more energy than buildings that didn’t receive this green stamp of approval.

LEED is the brainchild of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a private environmental group.

Washington, D.C.’s Department of Environment made the capital the first city in the nation to mandate LEED certifications in the construction of public buildings. The standards are now being phased in.

The results are measured in EUI’s, a unit that relates a building’s energy consumption to its size; the higher the number, the more energy is expended by a smaller building.

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Is the Obama Admin Freezing Fox News Out of Foreign Policy Interviews?

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Photo Credit: Daily Caller The Obama administration faces a difficult problem. Diplomacy has failed, despite its best efforts, and the ruthless winner-take-all attitude of its adversary now leaves them but two choices: break off relations or capitulate to its demands.

That adversary, of course, is Fox News — and President Barack Obama finally seems prepared to enforce a hard line against them. In the past week the White House has frozen the top-rated news network out of two key foreign policy interviews provided to other networks — one on Sunday with Secretary of State John Kerry, and one last week with National Security Adviser Susan Rice.

Kerry made the rounds yesterday to discuss the White House’s response to Russia’s Friday invasion of Ukraine, appearing on NBC, CBS and ABC’s Sunday shows to promise a tough (if unspecified) response to Vladimir Putin’s power grab. But Chris Wallace of ”Fox News Sunday” was shut out.

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Tea Party Turns Five: How The Movement Has Changed America (+video)

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Half a decade later, the Tea Party is still going strong despite the concerted efforts of leftists determined to halt its growing influence on the nation. Joe Miller, who aligned with the Tea Party early and quickly became one of its most recognizable leaders, explained the importance of Rick Santelli’s 2009 impromptu monologue.

“He basically said, ‘This is America. President Obama, are you listening? It’s time for another tea party,’” Miller recalled during an address at the recent Western Conservative Conference.

Since then, he explained, “grassroots have become activated.”

Instead of wringing their hands and lamenting the direction of America, millions of concerned citizens were able to identify with the movement and find a way to become active in correcting our nation’s course.

“If you want to change the direction of this country and are willing to go outside of the box to make it happen,” Miller continued, the Tea Party presented such opportunities.

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Labor Force Participation in 2013 Lowest in 35 Years

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Photo Credit: APThe average annual labor force participation rate hit a 35-year-low of 63.2 percent in the United States in 2013, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The last time the average annual labor force participation rate was that low was in in 1978, when it was also 63.2 percent. Jimmy Carter was president then.

The BLS bases its employment statistics on the civilian noninstitutional population, which consists of all people in the United States 16 or older who are not on active duty in the military or in an institution such as a prison, nursing home or mental hospital. The labor force participation rate is the percentage of people in the civilian noninstitutional population who either had a job or who actively sought one in the previous four weeks.

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Gun-Grabbing Cop Goes Ballistic: ‘I’m the Master!’

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Photo Credit: WNDA citizen’s phone call to Connecticut state police about a letter ordering gun owners to dispose of their unregistered so-called “assault” weapons and standard-capacity magazines is sending shockwaves through the national gun-rights community after being recorded and posted online.

The heated phone conversation over the document took place amid rapidly escalating tensions between gun owners and state authorities determined to impose more gun control on Connecticut residents.

In the recording, state police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance – who did not know he was being recorded and told WND it was illegal to do so – can be heard telling the woman that anyone who refuses to dispose of their newly banned firearms in accordance with official instructions could face felony arrest.

Analysts believe the vast majority of Connecticut gun owners failed to comply with the controversial new law, with some suggesting that massive statewide civil disobedience may be at work.

Some accounts estimate that as many as 100,000 people or more could be in violation of the statute.

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Hollywood Actress: Public Schools Are Brainwashing Kids With ‘Progressive Agenda’

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Photo Credit: Heritage Network An actress who was formerly quiet about her political beliefs has come out against what she calls “a progressive agenda” in America’s public schools.

Sam Sorbo, the wife of “Hercules” actor Kevin Sorbo, homeschools her children and recently began publicly writing about the topic of education.

In an interview with The Blaze’s Dana Loesch, Sorbo said she initially did not think writing about education would cause much political controversy — but she was wrong.

“Of course school is the most political, because that’s where the progressive agenda is coming out the strongest and the hardest,” said Sorbo.

Sorbo said she was hesitant to reveal her faith or political beliefs publicly because of possible backlash and negative reaction from Hollywood.

But she could not remain silent on education.

“You people who send your kids to school, you have no idea what the schools are doing to their fresh little brains, in brainwashing them into this progressive, liberal—it’s antithetical to America, the agenda that they’re being indoctrinated with,” Sorbo said.

This article appeared originally at Heritage.com and is re-published in full with the Heritage Foundation’s permission.

Lois Lerner to Finally Testify Before Congress According to Rep. Darrel Issa

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Photo Credit: PoliticoLois Lerner, the former IRS official involved with the Washington scandal regarding the alleged targeting of conservative groups, will finally testify before the United States Congress in the coming week. The announcement about Lois Lerner’s participation in the investigation was revealed by Rep. Darrell Issa who is a Republican from California, according to a UPI report on Sunday.

Lerner is the former government official who refused to testify under subpoena back in May of last year regarding her participation in the alleged misconduct of targeting conservative groups that had been seeking tax-exempt status from the IRS. The scandal arose when it was learned by the United States Treasury Department’s inspector general that many groups with the terms “Tea Party” or “patriot” in their names were given special review before the tax exemption was given.

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NJ Gun Law Critic Targeted By State Police 72 Hours Prior To Hearing (+video)

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Photo Credit: Ammolandis breaking that an outspoken critic of New Jersey’s draconian gun laws is being actively targeted with an arrest warrant issued by the New Jersey State Police.

With less then 72 hours before a scheduled Law and Public Safety Committee Hearing on Assembly Bill A2006, a New Jersey proposed law to limit magazine capacity to a maximum of ten rounds of ammunition. Additionally the Assembly Bill A2006 would ban more than 30 models of common .22 plinking rifles. Is it coincidental that the New Jersey State Police should suddenly find need to issue a warrant for Mr. Kaleda’s arrest only days before he would be expected to appear and testify at this type of hearing?

James Kaleda, is a well known outspoken critic of New Jersey gun laws and New Jersey Assembly abuses of parliamentary procedure. Mr. Kaleda was famously thrown out of a similar hearing last year by Democrat George Norcross for being “Out of Order“. Today via social media Mr. Kaleda revealed that he received a phone call from the New Jersey State Police that a warrant has been issued for his arrest over allegations of falsifying portions of an application for a New Jersey Non-Resident Firearms Owner ID Card.

Mr. Kaleda was understandably and wisely reluctant to say exactly what the allegations were when I spoke to him, but he did acknowledge that the State Police contacted him approximately two weeks ago and suggested there was a problem with his paperwork and offered an opportunity to “come in and make corrections”. Mr. Kaleda declined, correctly deducing that presenting himself to make such changes would be viewed as an implicit acknowledgement of actually committing the offense of falsifying the document, essentially admitting to guilt of a technical violation.

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