Communicating bad news to patients

Infamous ex-pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli has been released from federal prison after serving less than five years of a seven-year sentence for a securities and wire fraud conviction. He is now moving into a US Bureau of Prisons halfway house at an undisclosed location in New York until September 14, 2022. Shkreli was convicted in August 2017 on two counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud in connection to what federal prosecutors called a Ponzi-like scheme involving two hedge funds Shkreli managed. In March 2018, a federal judge sentenced him to seven years, which he was serving in minimum security federal prison in Allenwood, Pennsylvania. His early release—slightly more than four years after his sentencing—reflects time shaved off for good behavior in prison, plus completion of education and rehabilitation programs, according to CNBC . It also includes a credit for the roughly six months he spent in jail prior to his … [Read more...] about Shkreli released from prison to halfway house after serving <5 of 7 years

The nation’s Democratic labor secretary is urging Republicans and Democrats to import more workers for jobs throughout the U.S. economy, even as millions of Americans remain on the sidelines of the U.S. economy. “Go talk to businesses in your communities, privately, and ask them what they want: Every single company is going to say we need immigration reform,” Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told the House Appropriations subcommittee on May 17, adding: Big companies need it, small companies need it, people need it. We need more workers in this country. We’re a country that that constantly depends on immigrant workers. We always have. My parents were two of those workers that came to this country. We’re a country that if we want to continue to move forward as a country, we need to figure out some immigration laws and get some reform. “It’s a complete betrayal of the people that he is supposed to be prioritizing in in that position,” responded Rob Law, regulatory policy chief at … [Read more...] about Biden’s Labor Chief Urges Congress to Import More Foreign Workers

The India-based NASSCOM business lobby is asking the Department of Labor to help the lobby keep its huge workforce of Indian H-1B temporary workers in American jobs throughout the coronavirus crash, according to a report in the Times of India newspaper. “Everyone that has been involved in the H1-B program … has skirted the rules to stay in the United States,” said one lobbyist. “These companies do not want to have to fire these [H-1B] workers and send them back home — they want to hold them here” so they can grab jobs in the recovery, he said. Labor Department officials declined to provide any information about the NASSCOM lobbying and declined to say if the agency would help businesses change the paperwork that allows fired H-1Bs to stay in the United States. The Indian report did not say if the NASSCOM lobbyists met with Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia. If the administration moves forward in relaxing regulations governing the H-1B program amid spiking unemployment, “get … [Read more...] about India’s H-1B Companies Ask Labor Dept. to Let Foreign Workers Stay amid Crash

United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) — the second-largest local teachers union in the country — urged members not to post spring break travel photos that could undermine its position that schools should remain closed, according to screenshots published by a local news reporter. In a purported private Facebook group of union members, an activist appears to warn members not to rub pictures in the faces of frustrated parents: NEW: In a leaked post from a private Facebook group for UTLA union members only, teachers are warned not to post on social media if they go on spring break vacations because the optics would be bad for them while UTLA is refusing to return to "unsafe" in-person schooling @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/KxQc7k450T — Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) March 9, 2021 “Friendly reminder,” the alleged post, exposed by Bill Melugin of Fox LA, began, “If you are planning any trips for Spring Break, please keep that off social media. It is hard to argue that it is unsafe for … [Read more...] about Report: Teachers Union Urges Members to Not Post Spring Break Pics

A leader of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) wants kids to remain out of the classroom because schools are “unsafe,” but she made the claims in the midst of a sunny vacation in Puerto Rico. Sarah Chambers, who WGN said is on the union’s executive board and an area vice president and claimed she “led four strikes,” is opposed to schools returning to in-person learning on Monday. Chambers made several posts on Twitter this week attacking the plan. “Just a few hours earlier, Chambers posted a picture on Instagram that appears to show her pool side in Puerto Rico and talking about going to Old San Juan for seafood,” WGN reported. In a post on Instagram — on an account that has now been made private — Chambers wrote, “Spending the last day of 2020 by the poolside. We have the whole pool to ourselves. Then, we are going to old San Juan to get some yummy seafood mofongo.” On Twitter, Chambers identified herself as a “socialist.” “We have an entire private Airbnb house to … [Read more...] about Teachers Union Leader Resists Schools Reopening from Island Vacation

“No overriding explanation has emerged yet for the widespread drop-off” in public school enrollment, the far-left New York Times laughably writes . “Gee, whatever could have caused that? Did anything unusual happen in the last two years?” asked Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey. Yeah, a real head-scratcher. Why would parents not want to send their kids to public schools? Anyone have any ideas? Baffling. Real mystery. Is Sherlock Holmes available? The Times does suggest that maybe-perhaps-possibly the plunge in national putblic school enrollment has something to do with these government-run debacles closing down for months and months for no valid scientific reason — unless, of course, you consider teachers Zooming from Aruba a valid scientific reason. Or maybe-perhaps-possibly it was forcing little kids to wear masks for no valid scientific reason. Hey, I’ve got a reason the Times didn’t consider… Maybe-perhaps-possibly it has to do with the legions of predators … [Read more...] about Nolte: New York Times Baffled by ‘Seismic Hit’ to Public School Enrollment

NEW DELHI: The advent of 5G and new services that it would usher, will spawn fresh job opportunities in the market, requiring suitable skilling of manpower in new technologies, Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman said on Wednesday. Rajaraman , who was speaking at an event of Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC), said that from BharatNet to space communications, and from 5G to fixedline broadband services, the telecom sector would unlock new job requirements of various categories. He exhorted the industry to look closely at creation of the talent pipeline to address these emerging opportunities. "5G growth will come from number of use case it would permit in various industrial settings...5G, because of nature of technology and capability it offers, will open up new range of skills," Rajaraman said. The top DoT official affirmed that 5G will spur jobs in areas like Augmented Reality , Virtual Reality, Internet of Things and other areas. Fixed wireline … [Read more...] about telecom: 5G set to spawn massive job opportunities: Telecom Secretary

Apple retail employees in Atlanta are accusing the company of violating the National Labor Relations Act by holding captive audience meetings to counter an ongoing union drive at the site. The Communications Workers of America, which is working to organize the store, filed an unfair labor practice reporting the activity earlier today. Workers at the Cumberland Mall Apple store filed for a union election in April. They say that while they love the company, they want to have a bigger say in their compensation , benefits, and store health protocols. The Cumberland store is one of three retail locations where workers have launched official union drives. Many more are in the process of organizing. Apple hasn’t said publicly whether or not it supports the union, but the company has distributed anti-union talking points to some store managers, according to Vice . It has also hired well-known anti-union lawyers from Littler Mendelson to respond to the Atlanta union campaign. … [Read more...] about Apple accused of union busting in new labor board filing

Now is the best time to stargaze in the UK since 2011, according to the results of a new citizen science survey led by the countryside charity CPRE. Light pollution in the UK has dropped to its lowest levels since CPRE began its annual study more than a decade ago. Light pollution peaked in 2020 (before the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing) and then dipped last year as workplaces shuttered during the pandemic. Since then, CPRE says light pollution has continued to drop as more people continue to work from home and soaring energy prices in Europe push households to cut down on lighting costs. Each year, CPRE enlists the help of citizen scientists for a “Star Count.” This year, more than 2,500 participants counted the number of stars they saw in the night sky in their area between February 26th and March 6th. They were asked to look for stars within the Orion constellation, recognizable for the three bright stars that make up Orion’s belt. “Severe” light pollution, as CPRE … [Read more...] about Stargazing in the UK is the best it’s been in over a decade

Marc Elias, a key Democratic Party election attorney partly responsible for arranging the fraudulent “Russia dossier” in 2016, took the stand Wednesday in the trial of former Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann. Sussmann faces charges of lying to the FBI when he allegedly hid the fact that he was working for the campaign when he told the FBI’s Peter Baker about a conspiracy theory tying then-candidate Donald Trump to Russia via Alfa Bank. The theory was soon discredited. The prosecution is the most important thus far for Special Counsel John H. Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Russia collusion hoax. Elias is a key witness, who was called to the stand by prosecutors to provide evidence showing that Sussmann was, in fact, working for the campaign. As Breitbart News previously reported : Elias remains one of the most important election lawyers for the party, pushing to overturn ballot integrity laws, challenging results in close races, and suing … [Read more...] about Marc Elias Testifies at Sussmann Trial He Had ‘Discretion’ to ‘Direct’ Fusion GPS