READING FOR THE WEEK (8-31-15)

Big oil takes a spill: Russia, Venezuela and the dawn of a new energy epoch (Salon).

The Google search that made the CIA spy on the U.S. Senate (NewsVice).

There is no reason why India should face hunger and farmers should commit suicide (Buzz Flash).

Obama calls out AIPAC: Stop warmongering and lying about the Iran peace deal (Occupy Democrats).


ANOTHER LOOK AT  ...
Gun violence in America, in 17 maps and charts (Vox).

Jimmy Carter and the happening of history (TruthOut).

Manuscript suggesting Jesus was married could be genuine - scientists (RT).


WHEN CONSERVATIVES GO WRONG
In the on-going war on the poor, Maine imposed drug testing for welfare recipients and had only one person flunk (Think Progress).

Michigan Tea Partier has an affair, responds with 1,900-word Bible-thumping excuse, which Facebook trolls trash (Raw Story).

RACE IN AMERICA
Analysis finds higher expulsion rates for black students (NY Times).

Top racists and neo-Nazis back Donald Trump (Buzz Feed News).

10 black women kicked off of train, met by police, after white woman complains they were laughing (Think Progress).

Wine train admits they were '100 percent wrong' for kicking off a group of black women for laughing (Think Progress).

The wine train thing happened to another group of passengers, this time Latino (Slate).

WHAT THE RECENT MARKET SCARE SHOWED US
If social security had been in private accounts the stock market drop could have been a disaster (Think Progress).

China's stock market crash: 11 things you need to know (Vox).


I AGREE WITH LYNDON La ROUCHE? ON THIS, I DO
LaRouche: Wall Street is hopelessly bankrupt, institute Glass-Steagall worldwide immediately (La Rouche PAC).

Restore Glass-Steagall (La Rouche PAC).

RICH MAN, POOR MAN
Billion-Dollar bloodlines: America's richest families (Forbes).

This one cartoon brilliantly summarizes working at Walmart (attn:)

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, BY THE NUMBERS
Medical malpractices cost as little as $10 billion per year, which adds up to about one-third of 1% of the health care industry's $3 trillion economy (True Cost of Health-Care).

If we throw in defensive practices, Medical malpractice costs about $55 billion per year which adds up to about 2.4% of the nation's total healthcare expenditures (Forbes).

Medical malpractice reform won't do much to reduce health spending (NY Times).


MISCELLANEOUS
Unscrupulous lender that preyed on U.S. soldiers, and then sued them, closing its doors (TruthOut).

This is how students cheat on-line, or MOOC, courses (Chronicle of Higher Education).

The proof that Obamacare is working is getting really hard to ignore (Think Progress).

According to several reports, robots will cut at least 7% - and perhaps as much as 25% - of our jobs in 4 years, while transforming our workforce (RT).

Déjà Vu: Germany Tightens Its Economic Power Over Europe (TruthOut).

- Mark 

DONALD TRUMP'S NEW CAMPAIGN AD

This Jimmy Kimmel piece hits so close to home its funny ...



- Mark 

UNITED AGAINST NUCLEAR IRAN GROUP HIRES JOE LIEBERMAN ... THE REASON WHY IS HILARIOUS

The United Against Nuclear Iran group has just hired former Senator Joe Lieberman as its chairman. This would normally not be a story, especially since it's well known that Joe Lieberman turned against President Obama and the Democrats a long time ago.

The story here is that the UANI group had to hire Lieberman because their chair, Dr. Gary Samore, a scholar from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, decided to step down. Dr. Samore is walking away from the UANI group because - wait for it - he now supports President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran.

Let's reemphasize the point. The bi-partisan lobbying group that was created to oppose any nuclear deal made with Iran has hired another chairman because the former chair believes that President Obama has a good nuclear deal with Iran.

No doubt one of the reasons Dr. Samore walked away from the group is that he understands Iran already possesses the capacity (knowledge) to create nuclear energy and other materials. The reason they have this ability is - wait for it (again) - because we (the U.S.) got Iran started on their nuclear program back in the 1960s, and then really encouraged them to pursue their nuclear ambitions in the 1970s.

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Our real goal today is to find ways to gauge and monitor what Iran is doing with their nuclear program, which the International Atomic Energy Agency can and has done on a regular basis around the world. In President Obama's nuclear deal the IAEA is charged with monitoring Iran's nuclear capacity, which Dr. Samore understands is our best shot at keeping tabs on Iran.

The fact that an acknowledged expert is being replaced with a political hack at the UANI says all we need to know about the their (and the right wing's) opposition to the Iranian nuclear deal.

- Mark

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS ON WORLD TRADE ... ARE WE PRIMED FOR GROWTH, OR IS IT 2009 (again)?

This is one of those good news, bad news scenarios. You be the judge ...

First, the bad news. According to World Trade Monitor the volume of global trade declined during the first half of 2015, dropping by its largest percentage since 2009. Specifically, in the first quarter of 2015 trade fell by 1.5%, and then slid south another 0.5% in the second quarter.

Now for the good news. World trade actually grew 2 percentage points during the month of June and, according to the International Monetary Fund, is projected to grow by 3.5% for all of 2015.

Taking it all in, one thing becomes clear: After recent market events, no one really knows what's going to happen by the end of the year.

Seriously, the volume of global trade is going to have to take off over the next 6 months if we're going to reach IMF projections.

But then we have to consider what's really happening in China ... and Greece, and Cyprus, and Europe, and whatever "surprise" event no one ever anticipates.

Then there's the reality behind the "successes" in the U.S. stock market over the past 6 years.

So, yeah, stay tuned.

- Mark

SUPER OBAMA? 14 FUN FACTS TO HELP CONVINCE YOUR CONSERVATIVE FRIENDS OBAMA DESERVES A CAPE

It was 2009. The economy was in free fall and headed for Depression-like conditions. It didn't matter that the GOP's policies caused the economic mess in the first place. The Republicans gathered and pledged to block or say no to every initiative proposed by President Obama. 

It would be generous (and a lie) to say President Obama was opposed by the GOP because of a principled strategy. The reality is he was confronted by a political conspiracy. The even darker reality is that congressional Republicans engaged in a form of political obstructionism that borders on treason. A smiling face of deceit has camouflaged this reality. 

Six years later, with the GOP having made good on their promise to put up roadblocks at every corner, the United States economy has reversed course. And this has happened primarily because of the Superman like efforts of President Obama ...

From Jeff61b we get 14 facts about President Obama's successes, which conservatives conveniently blow off because they disrupt the narrative that guides their miserable political lives.

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1. WE HAVE 65 STRAIGHT MONTHS OF ECONOMIC EXPANSION.

Source: Obama Out-Performs Reagan on Jobs, Growth, and Investing; Forbes magazine.

2. LONGEST PERIOD OF PRIVATE SECTOR JOB CREATION (in American history). 

Source: Obama’s Claim That Businesses Are in the "Longest Uninterrupted Stretch of Job Creation": The Washington Post.

3. UNEMPLOYMENT HAS DROPPED FROM 10.1% TO 5.4% IN 2015.

Source: Democratic Presidents Bring It: Obama Shatters Clinton’s Record For Private Sector Job Growth: PoliticusUsa.

It is also worth noting that during the 2012 presidential election, Obama's opponent, Mitt Romney, promised to lower the unemployment rate to 6% by the end of 2016. President Obama succeeded at lowering unemployment to under 6% two full years earlier than Romney had promised.

Source : Romney vows to lower unemployment to 6% by the end of 2016: The Hill

4. THE STOCK MARKET HAS SET RECORD HIGHS.

Source: Dow Jones Industrial Average Last 10 Years: Macrotrends.

5. THE SHRINKING FEDERAL BUDGET (reduced by 2/3 since 2009).

\Source: What is the Deficit?: USGovernmentSpending.com.

6. GOVERNMENT SPENDING'S INCREASED 3.3% ANNUALLY (lowest since 1950s).

Sources: Who Is the Smallest Government Spender Since Eisenhower? Would You Believe It's Barack Obama? Forbes magazine. The Facts About the Growth of Spending Under Obama: Washington Post.

7. INCOME TAXES ARE AT LOWEST RATE IN ALMOST 50 YEARS FOR 95% OF AMERICAN TAXPAYERS.

Source: Federal Income Taxes on Middle-Income Families Remain Near Historic Lows, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

8. DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL HAS SHRUNK DUE TO RECORD DOMESTIC OIL PRODUCTION & IMPROVED FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS

Source: IndexMundi.

9. AT LEAST 10 MILLION MORE AMERICANS NOW HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE

Source: Obamacare Helped Up to 10 Million Get Insurance, Gallup Finds: NBC News.

10. OBAMACARE HAS ADDED YEARS TO THE LIFE OF MEDICARE

Source: Medicare, Social Security Disability Fund Headed in Different Directions;The Wall Street Journal.

11. HEALTH CARE COSTS HAVE INCREASED AT SLOWEST RATE SINCE 1960.

Source: Trends in Health Care Cost Growth and the Role of the Affordable Care Act; White House Report.

12. FEWER MILITARY PERSONNEL IN WAR ZONES SINCE 2002.

Source: Common sense.

13. ZERO SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS BY AL QAEDA ON U.S. SOIL UNDER OBAMA.

Source: Timeline of Al Qaeda Attacks

14. WE CATCH AND DEPORT MORE UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS.

Source: Has Barack Obama deported more people than any other president in U.S. history? Tampa Bay Times.

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For your conservative friends who want to switch topics and discuss Benghazi, have them take a look at this list of congressional committee investigations - led by Republicans - that came up with nothing on Benghazi.

Then you might want to ask them about this ...

For those of you who are still confused, and want to believe that President Obama is a failure, I'm going to help you.

If you want to know what's really behind the GOP's distrust and constant denigration of President Obama - and what's helping to push Donald Trump to the front of the line within the Republican presidential pack - you can probably start here ...

And, yeah, when you consider what he started with, and has had to fight through, President Obama deserves a cape.

- Mark

DONALD TRUMP'S TOXIC MIX OF ARROGANCE AND PRIMAL STUPIDITY TELLS US WE'RE ALL IN TROUBLE ... WHAT THE RAMOS-TRUMP EXCHANGE REALLY MEANS

By now many of you have seen or heard about the Donald Trump news conference confrontation with Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos. During the event Trump told Ramos to "go back to Univision," and then ejected Ramos from the room.

What many haven't seen is what happened after Ramos was escorted out of the news conference. Before being asked to return by a staffer, another Donald Trump staffer/supporter - who Trump's people claim has nothing to do with this campaign - became confrontational and told Ramos to "get out of my country" (Ramos is a U.S. citizen).



Whether you agree that Ramos should have waited to be called upon or not - keep in mind that Trump is suing Univision - it's clear that Trump and his supporters have little tolerance or respect for Latinos, or women. If anything, Trump's statements about women make it appear as if he thinks he's living in, or auditioning for, a presidential version of a Mad Men reality show.

Whatever you think of Trump, we shouldn't lose sight of this point. A man who lived a pampered life, inherited millions, and then built a billion dollar business by hiding behind American bankruptcy laws, is now the Republican front runner for president.

Worse, surveys show that Trump is the talk of our political town primarily because he's saying what a lot of people are thinking, as if that's a good thing. Most of us understand that Trump's mix of arrogance and primal stupidity should be an embarrassment to the Republican party. But, unfortunately, it's not, especially for the base.

What's really stunning is that Trump's evolving promise to take America back to a day when people of color knew their place, and women made the sandwiches, has captured the imagination of so many conservatives.

While Trump's popularity may scare establishment politicians in the GOP - like Frank Luntz - the more realistic ones understand that Trump is just verbalizing what used to be coded dog whistles.

In many ways Trump is showing that he understands the Republican propaganda message better than anyone else. And it's ticking them off.

What's so disheartening for establishment conservatives is how the Republican peasants are clamoring for Trump to sit at a table the GOP has been setting for years. They know Trump's eating their lunch.

The fact that congressional Republicans say little about the political Frankenstein they helped build, while our national media clamors for more, makes it clear they can't control the monster. Even Fox News backed off when Trump went after conservative pin up girl, Megyn Kelly.

Arrogance and stupidity should not be a rewarded virtue, no matter how big your megaphone. The fact that a pampered, bankruptcy addicted, misogynist has captured this much attention from the base of one of America's biggest political parties may say much about the current state of the GOP. But it's also a message to America and the world about the state of our union.

The thinkers can fill in the blanks from here ...

- Mark

Late Addition: This helps fill in some of the blanks ...

10 PLACES WHERE REPUBLICANS BAN GUNS

When Republicans and the NRA claim that more guns make everyone safer you might want to ask why they're OK when guns are prohibited in the following places:

Gun Shows 

Political Conferences

George W. Bush Presidential Library 

Republican Conventions 

Trump Hotels And Golf Courses 

NRA Events 

Town Halls 

Presidential Campaign Stops 

GOP Debates 

Congress

So, yeah, when Republicans say you should be able to carry guns everywhere, they don't really mean it. It's just them pandering as they try to sound like tough guys with a gun.

If you're interested, Think Progress has the entire discussion, with links, here.

For a comparison of how the U.S. stacks up against other countries when it comes to gun related issues the Council on Foreign Relations has a nice discussion here.

- Mark

MAN WEARING ANTI-GOVERNMENT T-SHIRT THANKS FIREFIGHTERS FOR SAVING HIS HOME

Slate has the story of a Washington man wearing an anti-government Tea Party t-shirt thanking firefighters, who are paid by evil tax dollars, for saving his home.

Now, if we can just get Wall Street to thank the U.S. taxpayer for backstopping the trillion dollar bailout that saved their bacon after they set fire to the economy ...

- Mark

LET'S CREATE LAW BASED ON THE BIBLE ... WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

In case you're wondering, the command to kill the non-virgins of the world who want to marry is in there ...

Guess what else is in the Bible? Telling your woman (or any woman in your immediate manly orbit) to STFU and respect your biblically inspired authority ...

While we're at it, we might as well contemplate the pro-life conundrum this biblical tale puts God in ...

So, yeah, let's create law based on the Bible. There's no potential for conflict there, right?

- Mark 

WHY I DIDN'T WATCH THE GOP DEBATE

I didn't watch the second GOP presidential debate. Here's why ...

I began to think about when politics in America attracted the best and the brightest, on both sides.

And now we're saturated with this ...

When you think about what's at stake, this kind of entertainment really isn't that amusing. At least it shouldn't be.

Sigh ...

- Mark

ROOTS OF PERPETUAL WAR ... MILTON FRIEDMAN'S ROLE IN CREATING OUR ALL VOLUNTEER MILITARY

It was the late 1960s. Economist Milton Friedman was contracted to study the feasibility of an all-volunteer military. The draft was under attack. Liberals hated it because the wealthy and college bound found ways around having to serve. That it provided the war mongers with fresh bodies every year made it even less appealing. 

Conservatives didn't like it because it forced them to look for deferments. Worse, it had become a rallying point for the hated anti-Vietnam war protesters. 

In this environment, Milton Friedman was asked to look at anticipated budget costs for a volunteer military. He was told to determine the amount of money Congress would have to appropriate in order to entice our young men into the military. 

However, there was a problem. Friedman didn't want to use annual budget costs because he understood that PR and recruiting campaigns were much more expensive than simply drafting people. He also understood that the military would have to provide more incentives, more benefits, and more pay over time to induce people to enlist in an all-volunteer military. 

If Friedman was going to look only at budget costs, an all volunteer "market-based" military was going to be expensive. So he came up with another plan. 

Rather than simply use anticipated budget costs, with PR and pay incentives included, Friedman insisted on using economic costs in his analysis. At the risk of oversimplification, using economic costs allowed Friedman to calculate how much each drafted soldier lost in wages because they were not employed as, say, a doctor or a lawyer in the private sector.

Including how much a future medical doctor or lawyer might lose over their lifetime, because they were drafted and killed in battle, proved invaluable to Friedman. It allowed him to argue that the U.S. economy would be less efficient and much weaker in the future if we continued with the draft. 

Conversely, Friedman was also able to argue that our nation would be much better off if people who actually needed the money entered the military voluntarily. They would feel better about themselves. 

It didn't matter to Milton Friedman that race, ethnicity, and poverty play a big role in pushing kids to "volunteer" for the military. In Friedman's world, people with few choices in life don't have room to be picky. 

Focusing on economic costs also helped Friedman's larger cause - creating a market-based society built around people making rational economic decisions because of anticipated monetary gain. If Tyrone and Jose were the ones signing up to defend the empire it was because they were rational economic actors. 

Or, as the doctors and lawyers who avoided the military and went to college might understand, homo economicus would sustain Pax Americana. 

Best of all, as Friedman would argue in front of the Gates Commission (which was studying the issue at the time), the U.S. would no longer have to worry about “the output of the civilian economy” declining because of the "economic costs" associated with the draft. 

The draft was eliminated in 1973. America has had an all volunteer military since then.

There's more, but you get the point. The move to an all volunteer military was the first step in a rational, market-based, approach to war. The rise of private mercenary armies and outsourcing - or the privatization of war - is a logical extension of our all volunteer military. 

Because they no longer have to worry about their relatives being drafted, demonstrations on college campuses, or even a backlash at the polls the war mongers in America have become unbridled. At the same time, the younger chicken hawks of our world can now avoid pesky questions tied to draft dodging (because it's no longer relevant), while they conveniently push for the next war of the day. 

And why not? It's not like their kids have to go.

But here's another point many don't stop to think about.

Over the past decade, less than 1 percent of the American population has been on active military duty, compared with almost 9 percent during WWII. As we become less connected to the military we become less informed about the actual human costs of war. Over time we have become less informed and even cavalier about war because the people who fight them aren't part of our lives.

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War in perpetuity is no longer a threat with a volunteer military and the privatization of war. It's fast becoming our reality. 

For those of you interested in reading more, check out Bernard Rostker's, I Want You! The Evolution of the All-Volunteer Force (Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2006). 

- Mark

50 YEARS AGO ... THE BEATLES AT SHEA STADIUM

50 years ago this month (Aug. 1965), the The Beatles were introduced at Shea Stadium by Ed Sullivan ...



The Beatles, "A hard days night" ...



You can watch more of The Beatles at Shea Stadium here.

- Mark

DONALD TRUMP, THE FACE OF CAPITALISM IN AMERICA

Incredibly, many buy into this caricature of success in America.

- Mark

WISDOM FOR THE DAY ... IT'S NOT ALWAYS "GOD'S WILL"

- Mark

WHAT THE 1% REALLY FEAR ... KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY AREN'T REALLY THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE

- Mark

WEEKEND TALKING POINT

- Mark

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM 101 ... THIS IS WHAT DRIVES BERNIE SANDERS, AND HIS SUPPORTERS

Have you ever wondered what drives Bernie Sanders? Have you ever wondered how a Democratic Socialist is drawing such large crowds in America? If this is you, you're not alone. Simply put, most people don't realize they have more of the Democratic Socialist spirit than they know.

Below is a brief primer on Democratic Socialism. Enjoy ...

While Democratic Socialists differ among themselves on many issues (just like those within any group) they are united in their opposition to unbridled capitalism.

Before you start talking about Democratic Socialists impinging on the right to make money, keep in mind that John D. Rockefeller was no fan of unbridled capitalism either. In fact - as I pointed out in my book - Rockefeller had a scathing disdain for the "waste" that it caused.

Rockefeller thought unbridled capitalism created an environment that was too cutthroat and anarchic, which didn't produce the stability necessary for making money. This is why he bought out his competitors in the late 1800s and created the monopoly that stabilized the oil markets.

No one would label Rockefeller a Democratic Socialist, which is why more people should be familiar with how Democratic Socialists see the world.

An All To Brief Overview of Democratic Socialism
Democratic Socialists believe that everyone should be free to pursue their aspirations and life dreams. Anything that blocks those aspirations undermines freedom. I'm sure many self-anointed capitalists and libertarians are probably saying, "Hey, I agree with this."

Where the capitalists and libertarians (like Rockefeller) fall off the beam is that their notion of freedom begins and ends with protecting their ability to make profits. Their vision doesn't extend to enhancing opportunities, or protecting the ability of others to earn a living wage, especially if that lifestyle cuts into profits.

This helps explain why, throughout history, free market proponents have had no problem supporting freedom-crippling conditions like slavery, sexism, racism, a lack of worker protections, homophobia, and even signed off on child labor.

Everyone of these freedom depriving conditions were readily embraced or accepted by capitalists, all in the name of freedom (theirs). These conditions were justified at one time or another by free market proponents, religious cranks, and junk scientists who all spouted long tales of tradition, culture, and the right to make money, even if it meant restricting the capacity of others to be free.

Social movements and legislation designed to protect the rights of oppressed groups became necessary because the invisible hand of the market didn't give a damn about racism and injustice in the 19th and 20th centuries. Ironically, few questioned how these state sanctioned injustices artificially boosted the chances of one group of people (white males) while guaranteeing unequal life chances for well over half of society.

This is why the state became the ally of women, people of color, and workers. In a democratic society the state is supposed to be neutral and work for everyone, not just a small clique of privileged people. This means regulating those who are prone to abusing positions of power and authority for their benefit.

All of this helps explain why Democratic Socialists don't buy into the "invisible hand" nonsense pushed by free market proponents. They know better. They know history. There are no invisible hands in world that glorifies greed.

It's why, for example, when Wall Street collapsed the economy with their large derivative bets and complex market schemes - under the guise of making money in a free market - Democratic Socialists like Bernie Sanders argued that stiffer regulations were necessary. He understands that "unfettered markets" is just a Red Herring designed to allow market players to do as they please.

So, while Democrats like Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton have no problem supporting the Financial Services Modernization Act, NAFTA, the trillion dollar bailout, and the Trans Pacific Partnership under the right conditions (or with the appropriate hand wringing), Democratic Socialists like Bernie Sanders see these policies for what they are - Trojan Horses that keep the worst elements of market players going strong.

There's more - including a long and storied history of Democratic Socialism from the 19th century - but I have to go.

- Mark

Addendum: For those who have friends that try and tell you Democratic Socialism is the same as what Karl Marx called for when he discussed revolutionary socialism, or communism, ask them to explain the difference between corporate Nazism and corporate cronyism first. If they don't understand the nuances between fascism and corporate welfare they have no business talking about any other "ism" because they're - if we're being honest - too stupid for the discussion.

Just saying.

UPDATE (8-27-15): Via Politico, we get "14 things Bernie Sanders has said about socialism."

JEB BUSH IS A CONFUSED CANDIDATE ... HE WOULDN'T HAVE GONE INTO IRAQ, BUT HE SUPPORTS TORTURE

Illustrating that he just doesn't get it, Jeb Bush won't rule out using torture. He argues that the tactics are effective. 

Here are a few technicalities that Jeb needs to consider ...

1) The U.S. Supreme Court held in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006) that detainees captured in the war on terrorism are protected by Art. 3 of the Geneva Conventions. 

2) Water boarding also falls under the descriptions outlined in the 1987 “Convention Against Torture ...” which tells us that water boarding is ILLEGAL. 

3) (For the Christians) Unless you’re partial to the Old Testament, I’m not sure Jesus would approve.

But wait, there’s more. 

The U.S. has a history of pursuing convictions against military personnel for conducting water boarding on U.S. soldiers, and against the enemy.

1) We convicted Japanese soldiers for using water boarding on U.S. servicemen during WW II. Seitara Hata received 25 years of hard labor for his acts. 

2) Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson tells us after a photo of a U.S. soldier waterboarding a prisoner was shown by the Washington Post in 1968 an investigation was conducted by the U.S. Military and a court martial followed.

Then we have this stubborn point. In 2012 the Senate Intelligence Committee released a report that concluded harsh interrogation tactics used by the CIA did not produce significant intelligence breakthroughs. Interrogators helped bolster this point when they later confirmed that torture was ineffective in securing the information they wanted. 

For those of you interested in reading more, here's a list of 10 torture myths that are debunked.

- Mark