Implementation 101 - What you should know, August 30, 2013 - Discrimination

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50th Anniversary Celebration - Washington, DC, August 28, 2013

August 28, 2013 - March on Washington 50 years later
   

Today is Friday, August 30, 2013, two days after the celebratory 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and the "I Have a Dream" speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Infrastructure
It is the same spirit of FRANKNESS that Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC will BRING attention to the ongoing THREATS of discrimination, exploitation, racial and class gentrification, fraud, monopoly and oligopoly takeover by groups and organizations with the support of city-county-state-federal government.  We seek federal agencies, law firms, think tanks, public policy groups for creation of laws, enforcement of laws and media attention for exposure of wrongdoing of laws.  

We especially seek enforcement of present obligations through the Federal Trade Commission/FTC, Federal Communication Commission/FCC, U.S Department of Justice Consumer Protection and U.S. Department of FOIA/Freedom of Information Act for verifying individual and class-action violations.  The area of Anti-Trust enforcement is of major concern.

Well-established individuals, donor-for-hire individuals and public-private groups that fail to include African American, other People of Color and  the Work Challenged (represents un-, under-skilled; un-, under-employed; un-, under-financed neighborhood-level businesses; disabled; and re-entry.   Re-entry represents those returning from WAR, INCARCERATION, boomerang employment, boomerang retirement and college-certificated graduates unemployed) stakeholders in the design and implementation at all levels are raising a RED FLAG of unacceptable practices.  This is an automatic 1-year monitoring for immediate correction.

Lack of infrastructure scaffolding of the economic framework with informed decision making by African American, other People of Color and Work Challenged stakeholders is recognized to be a breeding ground to perpetuate un- and under-employment, un- and under-education and technology attainment, un- and under-financing of hidden talent and vetted businesses.  When we fail to create jobs, prosperity and to offer hope, it automatically perpetuates and STRENGTHEN Enduring Concentrated Poverty.  

Enduring Concentrated Poverty is a designation given to the city of Milwaukee by writers and researchers regarding its economic status.  In 2008, the Federal Reserve and Brookings Institution labeled Milwaukee as one of 16 cities in America that has Enduring Concentrated Poverty sets the stage for the erosion and loss of quality of life and economic development issues for Milwaukeeans, especially African American and other People of Color.  CLICK For study

MPA LLC research and investigations identify WEAKNESSES to residential and commercial stakeholders due to racial bias, greed, violations of best practices - lack of transparency, Code of Conduct, disregard to mission, pledge, oath of office, rules and regulations as well as "spirit of the law".  

MPA LLC alerts the individual or leadership with an Open Letter Notification that catalog and post accountability issues.  

The Goodwill-Good Faith OPPORTUNITY request specific and immediate address with direct actions to empower the quality of life and economic areas affected.  

Each individual, group or organization contacted are automatically given a TRACKING number for 1 year.  The Tracking process includes monitoring updates quarterly for Reporting and Recording.  Reporting and Recording includes blogs, surveys, evaluations, NEW LAWS with strict enforcement and recommendations to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance (U. S. Senator Max Backus & U.S. Senator Orin Hatch) and legal options.  

REPORTING

Today's fast-pace mega-funded environments with social media networking, information streaming and internet accessibility allows many of power to exploit, manipulate and force disparities through legal channels  in the pursuit of power and greed.  It allows "modern day" arrogance, deception and fraud in the public square that are white collar crime-related.  Crimes of deception and fraud that require NEW reform and enforcement by the informed citizenry.

Our areas of concentration includes the fingerprints and DNA of elected-appointed-hired government representatives, well-connected and well-to-do individuals with felony and misdemeanor definition of violations.

MPA LLC Consumer Protection Group
MPA LLC Reporting is through MPA LLC Consumer Protection Group to identify issues and cases of residential and commercial order for human-civil-legal address.

It is an office created in the first quarter of 2013 by Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC as part of its Signature initiative, All Hands on Deck, WE CAN.  The creation of MPA LLC Consumer Protection Group was as a result of findings in the Smart Growth Signature Plan (2005-2010) and out-of-control racial, class and small neighborhood business (1-20) discrimination, higher education discrimination, fraudulent behavior and anti-trust violations conduct; i.e., Small Business Discrimination & Bias, Milwaukee County - Department of Aging and University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Reporting consists of ongoing review and investigation to remove behaviors that create barriers to entry of the commercial marketplace as well as affect the human-civil-legal rights of residential and commercial stakeholders in the City of Milwaukee.

Recording is the method by which data is created to identify individuals and/or organizations committing violations of discrimination, exploitation, conflict of interest, monopoly and hate behaviors identified as race, racism and race profiling.

Reporting and Recording is to allow REFORM.  To identify specifics of change and make immediate corrections.  

Code of Conduct and Etiquette of Respect ranks high in navigating solutions.  MPA LLC Consumer Protection Group has three notifications for best practices.  They are: 
1).  Letter of Notification.
2).  Letter of Inappropriateness. 
3)   Letter of Goodwill-Good Faith and Good Citizenship.

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Stay tuned.

Implementation 101: What you need to know August 27, 2013, Obama Cabinet Accountability

MILWAUKEE |  Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC is seeking more and more market space in sharing Preparedness for Milwaukeeans, especially African American, other People of Color and Work Challenged End-Users of the Affordable Health Care promises.

Bethesda Senior Center - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

WE, THE PEOPLE

Milwaukee has a history of "less-and-NO" for members of the African American and other People of Color races.  The records show that disproportionate amounts of adversity is found among the People of Color families that are "by-design" due to discrimination and exploitation.  As a rule, Caucasians in positions of elect-appoint-hire and others of power join together and parse-out less than needed and/or allotted funding that is sent from the federal government for reform - for design and implementation.

Given this is a NEW law that has ongoing ruckus from primarily Republicans and Conservatives who do not feel need of health care insurance or feel threatened by NO health insurance, it is our goal to be there on the front-line calling for our leaders to support the reasons for having the insurance put in place for the first and ongoing health for ALL.

MPA LLC has a mandate to provide Reporting - Rapid and ongoing Reporting.

AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS

Additionally, since the NEW law is taking on so much for so many - hundreds-of-millions in the population for health and health care services, millions with language concerns, millions with labor concerns, millions with entrepreneurial concerns, millions in need of health insurance, millions with chronic health concerns, millions-first-time insurance users, millions with dual-eligible concerns, and all in need of the World Wide Web.

We, Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC, have identified the 11-cabinet members and/or leaders of major departments that affect America's Gross Domestic Product and the overall-success of the Affordable Health Care Act.  We will help to ensure that they remember why they are in office.

Top Left down:  U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Acting Commissioner Daniel Werfel,  Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn, Administrator William Fugate,  L-R:  Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary Arne Duncan, Secretary Thomas Perez, Secretary Shaun Donovan, Administrator Karen Mills and Secretary Janet Napolitano 

We will "certify" quarterly what they are meaningfully or NOT doing according to the End-Users -- transparency, enforcement of their department's mission, and best practices for accountability.

Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC holds the top person of the department accountable.
We will take a page from President Obama's Education Reform.  They are:

1. Ratings of colleges and universities.  We will RATE/Rank the Departments Quarterly.
2. Jump start for performance.  We will look at the Department's Mission and commitments.

WE MUST CREATE BALANCE for the PEOPLE - ALL PEOPLE

Higher Education funding takes a Visit from the Obama Administration - A NEW Day in Accountability

MAKING Higher Education more Affordable for the Middle Class



Sunday, August 25, 2013 |  President Barack Obama spoke of higher education debt in his Saturday's message.  He feels that it is an economic imperative for to get an education; and, it is his administration new reform that is to help bring down and allow solutions of reform to the average college debt of $26,000.  He has 3 points:

• Ratings of colleges and universities.
• Jump start for performance.
• Pay-as-You Earn for graduates.

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Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC has an ongoing investigation regarding UW-Milwaukee for their lack of outreach to the main population of African American and other People of Color.  This is the institution that went over 6,500 miles to China, but failed to go 2 miles to African Americans in Milwaukee.  Classic discrimination and classic exploitation of funding recipients.

This is the institution that has gotten millions-on-top of millions for the School of Freshwater Science, School of Nursing, NEW Student Union, an Innovation Park, U.S. Department of FEMA and other partnerships, with extreme DISCRIMINATION/exclusion of African Americans and other People of Color inMilwaukee.

Chancellor Mike Lovell, his cabinet, ex-President Kevin Reilly and the UW-System Board of Regents have failed the state statutes and NO substance commitment to its Mission - to support the city of Milwaukee.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - President Barack Hussein Obama

Presidential Proclamation -- 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON

FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

On August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands converged on the National Mall to take part in what the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called "the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation." Demonstrators filled the landscape -- from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, alongside the still waters of the reflecting pool, to the proud base of the Washington Monument. They were men and women; young and old; black, white, Latino, Asian, and Native American -- woven together like a great American tapestry, sharing in the dream that our Nation would one day make real the promise of liberty, equality, and justice for all.

The March on Washington capped off a summer of discontent, a time when the clarion call for civil rights was met with imprisonment, bomb threats, and base brutality. Many of the marchers had endured the smack of a billy club or the blast of a fire hose. Yet they chose to respond with nonviolent resistance, with a fierce dignity that stirred our Nation's conscience and paved the way for two major victories of the Civil Rights Movement -- the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Today, we remember that the March on Washington was a demonstration for jobs as well as freedom. The coalition that brought about civil rights understood that racial equality and fairness for workers are bound together; when one American gets a raw deal, it jeopardizes justice for everyone. These are lessons we carry forward -- that we cannot march alone, that America flourishes best when we acknowledge our common humanity, that our future is linked to the destiny of every soul on earth.

It is not enough to reflect with pride on the victories of the Civil Rights Movement. In honor of every man, woman, and child who left footprints on the National Mall, we must make progress in our time. Let us guard against prejudice -- whether at the polls or in the workplace, whether on our streets or in our hearts -- and let us pledge that, in the words of Dr. King, "we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 28, 2013, as the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that celebrate the March on Washington and advance the great causes of jobs and freedom.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

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DISFUNCTIONALITY

Fifty (50) years later, African Americans are just as mired in RACIAL INEQUALITIES rooted in Enduring Concentrated Poverty due to some of the same things we marched for on August 28, 1963 - discrimination, exploitation, abuse of  power, unfair laws, lack of quality of life and economic development opportunities in the marketplace, demonizing, reduced avenues of hope, Willie Lynch models of co-dependence with less-and-less  opportunities for self-advancement and self-sustainability. 

 Added to the list  of of DISFUNCTIONALITY for African Americans are law-on-top-of-laws (drugs, 1-strike,
Truth-and Sentencing, etc)  that are disproportionately served against African Americans and Latinos while Caucasians are given repeated "passes and legal representation" and  a 20 Century NEW economic engine created by Caucasians, by-design (Rolls Royce prisons - owned and operated by Caucasians), more and more harassment by police with illegal and wrongful stop-frisk.  In Milwaukee, we recently had illegal cavity searches of males and a female.This is added to brutal beatings,  shootings and killings-murders by law enforcers of African Americans that are given
wrongful "self-defense" judgments and passes - privileges for not following the law and wrongful acts.  This sends the wrong signal to ALL in the name of "not valuing the African American male, female, son, daughter and family".   It allows law enforcers to engage in behaviors that create a deep underground of DISTRUST of police-law enforcers and the Justice system.
  That speaks to distrust of laws that fail to be constitutional for
ALL.   
It says to Caucasians and non-African Americans that it is OK to treat their colleagues, neighbors, partners, fellow Americans as NO citizens or RIGHT to be treated correctly.   It promotes racists behavior of thinkers and actors of the KKK/Ku Klux Klan.  It helps guarantee denials, exploitation, discrimination, segregation, erosion of laws to provide reform.  It inject an accelerant and continuation of 
 perpetuating the bad, ugly, vitriol mind-set that condones wrongdoing of African Americans and relegating the race to servitude and no-rights. 
It creates a false-privilege that is wrong - Caucasians are automatically first.  They know it is wrong and therefore self-checking that helps create NO BLAME of their privileges per laws and wrongdoing of  their family slave owners and the present acts of Caucasians that is "slave-like" .  It is easier to just say and do nothing.  To do something, they have to live the Golden Rule and examine the discriminatory acts and actions they participate in day-in an day-out.  They have to stop the exploitation, discrimination, demonizing, pay fair wages, be respectful, taking that which is not earned, stop jumping in front of African Americans and expecting and/or forcing them to train them - to name a few.

It creates a "deadly line" of disrespect and hatred that creates floor-to-ceiling barriers and violations of rights.

To the injustices above, recently the Stand-Your-Ground law that allowed racial profiling, stalking, badgering, shooting and killing of an unarmed African American teenager in Florida by the name of Trayvon Martin.  He was killed by George Zimmerman (a man who said he was Caucasian - mother Latino and father Caucasian).  Zimmerman was found "not guilty"  and allowed to go free.

Trayvon
was a 17 year old teenager, WITHOUT a  gun, walking home from a Seven-11 store.  He had Skittles candies and tea that he had purchased.  He wore a hooded garment while walking in a neighborhood he lived and belonged.

DISFUNCTIONALITY has taken a toll and has perpetuated a climate of resource-starved neighborhoods that have un-, under-employed and un- and under-educated residential stakeholders and un- and under-financed economic development business stakeholders - even though $$MILLIONS are earmarked from the federal government annually to be properly disseminated
through elected-appointed-hired government officials (state-county-city) for reform and assistance for affordable homes, gainful employment, education attainment, technology access, safety prevention and safety intervention, business development, cultural-entertainment outlets, care of our seniors and consolidated leadership from neighborhood leadership.  The results, MORE-AND-MORE funding for law enforcers for "over-time" and "$mega" prisons - These are the two defaults elected-appointed-hired government representatives seek for African American neighborhoods with high crime associated with, drug trade.  My question is, "When will we begin to replace the illegal drug business with education, technology, gainful employment, a nice affordable place to stay, beautifying and making competitive our neighborhoods for raising the children (now and next generations) and providing 
 hopeful progression of  the time we are on this earth?"

Disfunctionality 

The out-of-control violence and gun shootings (African American-on-African American) is about money, lots of money, lots of quick money in neighborhoods without employment and opportunities for young and not so young.  For far too many, the quick and eye-popping amounts become a keen motivator given the buy-in options of upward mobility for many. 

 The drugs come from the outside of the neighborhood.   The traffic, trade and cartels no doubt have market share and turf wars that uses shootings and killings of different types.  
  Their law enforcers and legislators are primarily  the traders on the street and their lieutenants that have gain power.  They are no doubt the ones who have proven themselves in the market - just like any other business.   It is a business.  The problem is, they are operating gangster-style and outside of the law.

As we find out from time-to-time, they have long arms into our police stations as well as elected-appointed-hired government entities.  They donate to campaigns and their price points for attorneys are on the high-end and they have well-paid criminal attorneys.

The drug providers are part of a "subgroup" of the neighborhood.  The violent subgroup feeds-off and no doubt operates their illegal behavior within their family, friends and known entities
that they feel safe with.  Because this is a sophisticated industry based on its longevity and dollar amounts;  it says  and "money talks.   We can be sure we are talking about scores of drugs being placed on our street that will perpetrate not only violence but  long-term health concerns, broken homes, disjointed families, incarcerations with turn-stile and burials.
. 
Today, it is the prohibition of drugs-prostitution hierarchy, during the early prohibition of drinking alcohol and prostitution, the screnario was the same with mobs/gangs and violence in the neighborhood.  The gangs consisted of individuals of a family and many the "THE ENTIRE FAMILY".  It was a status symbol and the mob families were wealthy, had law enforcers, elected officials and attorneys on their payroll.  The pay-offs were from the neighborhood to the courts/judges.  They were revered.

The difference at that time was the neighborhood were controlled and ran by Caucasians, even though there were African Americans bootlegging and gambling.

Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Bugs Moran, Meyer Lansky, Dean O'banion, Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel, John Gotti, Mahine Gun Kelly and Frank Costello  were Italian, Irish and Russian mobsters.  They were extremely violent.  The fact that they were Caucasian, they were able to do much more and have estates.  And whereas they appeared to be family conscious and family-women protective, they were very violent and abuse to other women.

There is much to do to make DRUGS unattractive in our urban neighborhoods.  I believe having quality of life and economic development options as well as REFORM in incarceration would go a long way in turning around the next 5 years of the next 50 years.

MARY GLASS

MPA LLC Consumer Protection Group announces NEW ADDITIONS to Reporting - Anti-Trust & Discrimination

Anti-Trust and Discrimination

Definition of 'Antitrust' The antitrust laws apply to virtually all industries and to every level of business, including manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and marketing. They prohibit a variety of practices that restrain trade.
	Investopedia explains 'Antitrust' Examples of illegal practices are price-fixing conspiracies, corporate mergers likely to reduce the competitive vigor of particular markets, and predatory acts designed to achieve or maintain monopoly power.

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Antitrust law seeks to make enterprises compete fairly. It has had a serious effect on business practices and the organization of U.S. industry. Premised on the belief that free trade benefits the economy, businesses, and consumers alike, the law forbids several types of restraint of trade and monopolization. These fall into four main areas: agreements between or among competitors, contractual arrangements between sellers and buyers, the pursuit or maintenance of Monopoly power, and mergers.

Legislation enacted by the federal and various state governments to regulate trade and commerce by preventing unlawful restraints, price-fixing, and monopolies; to promote competition; and to encourage the production of quality goods and services at the lowest prices, with the primary goal of safeguarding public welfare by ensuring that consumer demands will be met by the manufacture and sale of goods at reasonable prices.

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Call for Reporting
On March 13, 2013, Mary Glass, Chair/CEO, Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC announced Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC adds CONSUMER PROTECTION.

MPA LLC adopted goals and expectations to align with the federal Consumer Division at the federal level.  They include:

• To FOSTER solution-building with local-state-national government and other organizations for short and long-term planning and channel development that help prevent bias and DISCRIMINATION of all businesses, especially for-profit businesses.
• Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC is prepared the next year (August 1, 2013 - August 1, 2014) to investigate, research, plan and announce strategies for overcoming biases, discrimination and non-productive practices that create non-engagement of African American, other People of Color and the Work Challenged.   This includes tort reform and use of legal measures to ensure that movement takes place.
• To IDENTIFY leaders and organizations for collaboration and sustainability.
• To STRENGTHEN "people protection" rights with enhanced civil and criminal enforcement efforts.
• To CREATE PARTNERSHIPS through outreach in federal-state-local government agencies, People of Color business chambers, neighborhood businesses, neighborhood community-based organizations, urban health care partners - health practitioners, health providers, insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
•  To EDUCATE the public to curb victimizing.
  

  

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Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC is a for-profit organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that works on neighborhood channel development for hidden talent and vetted businesses in Milwaukee.  We work passionately and with frankness that is straight-forward and demands Code of Conduct that includes Etiquette for African American, other People of Color and Work Challenged Milwaukeeans, those often left-out and discriminated against.

Our  core competencies are based in empowerment of partnering and bundling for ease of operation and maximizing resources through principled-centered leadership; tort reform and removal of servitude government barriers, creation and review of public policies in the public square; collaborative financing that includes innovation and paradigm shifting; and, helping to ensure Education Attainment and Information Technology Attainment.

Consumer Protection became a key link to the above core values.
Lack of Customer Care found in MPA LLC 2005-2010 Smart Growth observation by Mary Glass was at the root of why reform is a MUST.  The intent is to provide a resource for taking customer concerns, reporting discrimination, exploitation and then airing of the positives as well as the negatives in Reporting.  To help put in place hands-on tooling and constructs that would allow "free-flow" of commerce in the Milwaukee area that removed barriers that include abuse of power, size, monopoly and oligopoly privileges that causes strict and unequal control of the market place - a paralysis of small and People of Color businesses.

MPA LLC seek Like-minds" to provide a fair marketplace that allows everyone to operate with a Code of Conduct that screams for "on-the-merits" and "open-to-all".  A specific interest is in bringing census tract and small businesses of the neighborhood to the center, to encourage open dialog and BUY-IN for strategic planning for economic-engines created for Health Care, Affordable Health Care and Information Technology.

Recent updates

• July 15, 2013 - In addition to U.S. Justice Department for Consumer Protection, we added a focus on "Use of Resources" in place at the Federal level.
  Senate Finance Committee
  Senator Max Backus is Chairman and Senator Orin Hatch is the Co-Chairman.
• July 31, 2013, NEW DAY Reporting for addressing monopoly and oligopoly restrictions and discrimination that would seek the ears of the NEWLY selected National Governor's Association Advisory Committee.
• August 22, 2013, working with law firms and legal scholars on Anti-Trust and other reforms that will remove monopolizing and total restriction in the marketplace.
• Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC has added the letter of the law to its All Hands on Deck, WE CAN Initiative pursuit for equal access in the marketplace, especially since it has had difficulty with monopolizing :

• Small Business Discrimination and Bias - County Executive Chris Abele, Board of Supervisors & Milwaukee County Ethics Board - Milwaukee County Department of Aging.
• City of Milwaukee, State of Wisconsin - DCD/Department of City Development, Department of Public Works and Public Health Department and City of Milwaukee Housing Authority - Section 8 Housing.
• U.S. Departments - Secretary Kathleen Sebelius - HHS/Health and Human Services, Deputy Secretary Maurice Jones, HUD/Housing and Urban Development, Administrator Karen Mills, Regional Director SBA/Small Business Administration.

Glass is conducting a collaboration grid to ensure that Anti-trust issues are before appropriate legislators, groups, committees and courts.
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Definition of 'Bid Rigging' A scheme in which businesses collude so that a competing business can secure a contract for goods or services at a pre-determined price. Bid rigging stifles free-market competition, as the rigged price will be unfairly high. The Sherman Act of 1890 makes bid rigging illegal under U.S.antitrust law. Bid rigging is a felony punishable by fines, imprisonment or both.

Investopedia explains 'Bid Rigging' There are four main types of bid rigging: bid suppression, complementary bidding, bid rotation and subcontracting. In the most common of these schemes, complementary bidding, some of the "competitors" submit offers that they know the buyer will reject because the price is too high or the terms are unacceptable in order to create the appearance of legitimate bidding while ensuring that a prearranged "competitor" will win the bid.

Stay tuned.

Schacknow - Today's Brief - Friday, August 23, 2013

Wall Street still abuzz about Nasdaq glitch
Peter Schacknow, Senior Producer, CNBC Breaking News Desk

Today's biggest question on Wall Street might not be about where the major averages will go, but rather if all its systems will function. A technical malfunction caused a three hour shutdown of Nasdaq's trading systems Thursday, although all was restored to normal by day's end. With all that, the major averages did have their first across-the-board gains in seven sessions, with both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 going positive for the week with yesterday's gains. 

The government's July report on new home sales is today's lone economic report at 10:00 am ET, with economists looking for a 1.4 percent drop to an annual rate of 490,000 units. In June, existing home sales had risen 8.3 percent. 

CNBC's Steve Liesman will provide a number of market-moving interviews from the Fed Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this morning. He'll be speaking to Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart at  7:30am ET, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard at 8:15am, and San Francisco Fed President John Williams at 9:05 am ET. 

A relatively light earnings calendar this morning will nonetheless give us two more reports from retailers, with Ann Inc. (ANN) and Foot Locker (FL) reporting before the opening bell. 

Nasdaq OMX (NDAQ) leads our list of stocks to watch this morning, after falling yesterday in the wake of the Nasdaq outage. Shares did finish Thursday's trading off their lowest levels of the session.

Pandora (P) reported second quarter profit of four cents per share, doubling Street estimates, with revenue also above consensus. However, the internet radio service's current quarter outlook falls short of analyst estimates, as expenses to buy music rights and expand its sales personnel rise. 

Gap (GPS) earned 64 cents per share for the second quarter, matching estimates, while raising its full year outlook and increasing its quarterly dividend to 20 cents per share from 15 cents. The retailer's results are being driven by rising sales at its Gap and Old Navy chains. 

Aeropostale (ARO) lost 34 cents per share for the second quarter, wider than the 24 cent loss forecast by analysts. The apparel retailer also sees a current quarter loss, and is upping its estimate of how many stores it will close this year.

Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), and Wells Fargo (WFC) are among big banks on today's watch list, after Moody's puts credit ratings of four big U.S. banks on review for possible downgrade. Moody's pointed to the reduced chances of government help if another crisis hits. 

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) remains under scrutiny after tumbling in Thursday's trading, with a Wall Street Journal column calling for the removal of CEO Meg Whitman. 

Brown-Forman (BFb) will build a new distillery at its Tennessee factory, as demand for its Jack Daniel's whiskey grows. 

U.S. Airways (LCC) and American Airlines parent AMR (AAMRQ) want a November 12 trial to fight a Justice Department challenge to their planned merger. That would provide DOJ with 90 days of preparation, compared to the government's request for 180 days. 

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) is among private equity firms expected to bid for Panasonic's health care business, according to Reuters, in a deal that could be worth as much as $1.5 billion. Bain Capital is also said to be a participant as part of a consortium. 

Autodesk (ADSK) earned 45 cents per share for the second quarter, three cents above estimates, but investors are concentrating on the software maker's current quarter forecast. Autodesk sees both earnings per share and revenue well below Street estimates, as demand falls for its computer-aided design software used in construction, manufacturing, and engineering.

March on Washington - Marking 50th Year Anniversary, August 28, 2013

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March on Washington - August 28, 1963 - August 28, 2013

August 22, 2013 | Personal thoughts and tributes of Mary Glass, Chair/CEO, Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC about Civil Rights and the March on Washington - Freedom and Jobs, 1963 - 2013.

We are coming up to a very historic time in American History.  It is the 50th Anniversary of the famous March on Washington, August 28, 1963.  It is truly a sacred time for me, a 67 year-old African American woman from the south who protested with the NAACP and Lane College students against Woolworth (5 & 10 cents store) refusing to allow African American to eat at the lunch counter.  It was my first assertion of independence of "advocating and fighting for my people's rights".

Greensboro first day

Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil, and David L. Richmond leave the Woolworth store after the first sit-in on February 1, 1960. 
(Courtesy of Greensboro News and Record)

Woolworth's Store

February 1, 1960 - Lunch Counter protest - 4 College students - Greensboro, North Carolina

The Woolworth store protest was a nation-wide protest for eating privileges in public places.   We could spend our money to purchase goods in the store, but could not sit down as Caucasians and eat at the lunch counter.  I remember the "White Only" and "Colored Only" discrimination of water fountains and restrooms in public.   I remember the African American code to:  "get home before dark", for fear of being targeted by wrong-thinking and acting Caucasians. I remember that even though I was in college student and studying for a degree, I was referred to in a derogatory and inferior way.  

Fannie Lou Hamer was an American voting rights activist and civil rights leader.
Organizer for ''Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee/SNCC" in Mississippi

The March represented Fanny Lou Hamer's famous quote,   

"I am sick and tired of being sick and tired."

– Fannie Lou Hamer

It represents a time that my people were moving-the-needle of Civil Rights towards JUSTICE.

It was a time, when an African American man, true leader, scholar, minister, husband, brother and father from the south, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., lead the people to the most historic demonstration to-date, over 250,000 people.  His courage and the courage of his immediate team pulled righteousness from the People during a time of so much racial strife and injustices to us by Caucasians.  

The bullying and misuse of power in laws.  The bullying and abuse of law enforcers.  The miscarriage of justice that allowed Caucasians to disobey the law and get away with it.  

The "for-the-hell-of it" lynching and castrating of African American men of our race - our sons, fathers, grandfathers, uncles and brothers.  The taking of property - share cropping or otherwise, refusing to pay rightfully earned wages - wage-equity wages, refusal to allow to vote, spraying jetted water and advancing dogs while we protested, bombing of property and denial of human-civil rights.  

The creation of laws and denial of voting privileges for equal access and rightful privileges as "born-in-America citizens".  The infrastructure that allowed "privilege" for Caucasian while demonizing and denial of equal access to quality of life and economics that provide "self-sustaining" success for African American.  The normalcy of servitude by fire.  That double/triple plus culture of privilege perpetuates today's discriminations and denials.  It gives Caucasian benefits not earned, 50 years later.

It is why I hit-the-the-floor running every day seeking to do my part for the "security of justice" that Martin talked about - that we fought for in demonstration marches; that we suffered in segregation, appearance of change, but suffered in our blood, sweat, beatings, lynchings, castrations of our males, drowning with weights, burned, shot, tortured, secret burials and enduring concentrated poverty - the justice for the Negro race does not run-down like water - this nation has not risen to the its creed - the truth that all men are created equally and entitled to their rights.  

I am reminded and I remind others - starting with the African Americans who sometimes appear that they have forgotten and/or unaware that getting a degree or two, advancing the corporate structure, having money is not wealth, having iconic credit cards, leading the country, it is all for naught if our brothers and sisters are caught up in a vicious cycle of violence, re-cycling prison terms, concentrated poverty, lack of education and technology attainment for today's employment and careers - not to mention that they in all their glory can be and are reminded constantly of the "racial" hatred that is still alive by Caucasians.

This was graphically seen in the comments of "give me back my country" and "open demonstrations against" President Obama.

The divisive manner of our Congress to defeat the Affordable Health Care law for the country.  The wild and selfish claims for letting the rating of the country drop, to prove the point that it could be done and they a twisted view and calling it their American right (it very well could be their American right, but others have RIGHTS that trumps their unfairness - and, there is a majority vote here on the table - The law was signed by the president, President Barack Obama and ratified by the Supreme Court, our law process for the land).  Guess what, they are still calling for appeal - some of these are folk who are in the process of "gaming the system" for their own pleasure and wealth by firing-up the individuals without clear thinking and common sense in their decision making).

The extreme behavior simmered in misguided privilege and racial bias during the last presidential election, goes along way in saying the March on Washington, this August 28, 2013, is needed as a reminder to all, we have so much to do in this country for ensuring that everyone has rights to be respected and revered for the safety, health and justice for all. 

His truth marching on
Yes. President Barack Obama's Inauguration drew a much larger number of people to the Washington Mall, however, it was the King March in 1963 that set the stage for Obama's great day in history, Tuesday, January 20, 2009, and without it, he would not have been there.

So, we remember the call of the "I Have a Dream speech".

So, we honor Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., Representative John Lewis and ALL who forged the agenda for "change" in Freedom and Jobs.  We, are still in the struggle today.

President Barack Hussein Obama, 44th President, will deliver his message for the people on August 28, 2013, for the 50th Anniversary in the same spot as Dr. King, Jr.

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Catch up on your history

• The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. Attended by some 250,000 people, it was the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation's capital, and one of the first to have extensive television coverage
  
  
  Read more: Civil Rights March on Washington (History, Facts, Martin Luther King Jr.) | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/marchonwashington.html#ixzz2ci0ZYEv7
• Ten Things to Know about the March on Washington
• I Have a Dream Speech - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• 2009 Inauguration Speech - President Barack Hussein Obama
• Dr. Clarence B. Jones & other Americans on "I Have a Dream Speech"
• Representative John Lewis Speech - Transcription