id
stringlengths 30
34
| text
stringlengths 16
65.5k
| industry_type
stringclasses 1
value |
|---|---|---|
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/824 | Contentions Perry’s Personality Change Not Necessarily for the Better
Alana Goodman
| @alanagoodman 10.31.2011 - 4:50 PM My impression was that he was just trying to joke around with the audience, but there’s some media speculation that Rick Perry was under the influence of something during this New Hampshire speech on Friday. His demeanor in the video is definitely a far cry from his halting and uncomfortable style during the debates, though, as you’ll see, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a great improvement:
Perry gets way too silly at certain points, like during his jokes about the 9-9-9 plan around the 3-minute mark. But this isn’t, as some have called it, his “Howard Dean” moment — mainly because there wasn’t a blatantly cringe-worthy part that can be replayed over and over by the media. But the slurred speech that one would normally associate with inebriation was absent. Assuming Perry’s sudden personality change wasn’t brought about by too many cocktails, it could just mean he’s just starting to relax on the national stage. That’s a good thing for his campaign, as long as they make sure he tones it down significantly next time. Over-the-top, goofy performances like these are the last thing he needs if he wants to win over Republicans looking for a respectable alternative to Romney. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/831 | Louis Vuitton Builds a Massive Trunk Installation for an Upcoming Exhibition in Moscow's Red Square
Andrew LaSane
We've seen pop-up stores before, but this Louis Vuitton installation is on a higher level...literally. The luxury brand built a structure 30 feet tall and 100 feet wide in the shape of one of their traditional printed trunks and installed it in Moscow's Red Square. The structure is modeled after a trunk that belonged to a Prince Wladimir Orloff and features his initials monogrammed on the side. It was made to house an upcoming exhibition entitled 'L’Ame du Voyage’ (The Soul of Travel), which features 25 of the brand's historical pieces, celebrates the store's 125th anniversary in Russia, and serves to raise money for the Naked Heart Foundation.
Not everyone was thrilled about the arrival of the large structure and its close proximity to the Kremlin. It has been decided that the trunk will be dismantled ahead of schedule (it was supposed to stand until early December) and will be moved to a new location yet to be determined. Check out the recent news report out of the country here:
RELATED: An Artist Nailed His Nads to the Ground to Protest Russia's Police State RELATED: Journey Through The History of Louis Vuitton’s Famous Trunks With New iPad App [via PSFK/Time] Art Installations | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/843 | Is there a trillion dollars of savings to be had in the health care system?
Blog Entry: September 19, 2013 10:50 AM | Author: SCOTT SUTTELL
This will be a quick-hit edition: Everyone is looking for ways to save on health care, and, as MarketWatch.com points out, a Cleveland-based McKinsey & Co. analyst thinks there's $1 trillion in savings to be had.Tom Latkovic, director of McKinsey's Cleveland office, says in a video included in the MarketWatch.com post that by making “the fundamental change” of converting to a performance-based, rather than fee-for-service based, system, consumers, employers and taxpayers could save more than $1 trillion over the next decade.Mr. Latkovic “says there is tremendous waste in the system, leaving the cost to deliver the same services to vary widely throughout the country,” according to the website. “Even within the same markets, costs can vary from 30% to 100%, he says in this report. “Fracking may not be as bad for the climate as we thought.”So says The Washington Post in this story about a new study this week by the University of Texas regarding methane emissions during natural gas production.“By taking detailed measurements from select wells around the country, the study found that leaks from shale-gas fracking appear to be quite low — which implies that swapping out coal for shale gas is indeed beneficial from a climate perspective,” The Post reports. The study “suggests that it's certainly possible to minimize methane leaks from fracking wells — which would mean shale gas has clear climate benefits over coal in the electricity sector.”There are some important caveats.“For one, the paper only looked at natural gas production — the drilling and setting up and operation of the wells,” the newspaper says. “These activities accounted for about half the methane leaks from natural gas in 2011. But that still leaves the other half.”Also, the University of Texas researchers “only looked at 489 wells — or about 2 percent of the amount drilled in a given year,” according to the story. “What's more, the wells weren't selected entirely at random. They were mainly looking at the newest wells, the ones being drilled today.” This post on Urbanophile.com critiques the “Rust Belt Chic” theme that has taken hold in Cleveland, Detroit and other industrial Midwestern cities.Aaron M. Renn, an urban analyst, consultant and speaker, writes the following:As currently constituted, Rust Belt Chic would appear to be limited. In effect, it is really a marketing and to some extent a talent attraction program. Looking at the ironically appropriated trappings of the working man that characterize so much of hipsterdom, Rust Belt Chic says “Hey, we've got the real thing.” …What Rust Belt Chic does not do is address any of the core problems of the cities in question, ranging from fiscal crises to corruption to poor business climates to segregation, to say nothing of safe streets, better schools, etc. Maybe that isn't its aim. But if not, then it would appear to be only one small component of an overall civic strategy, and not an alternative to the standard model (of economic development) in its own right. … That's fine as far as it goes, but it's insufficient.He concludes that if Rust Belt Chic “wants to reach its potential, it has to be able to do more than unearth and embrace the authentic culture of a place. … It needs to be able to inform cultural evolution and also the very real changes in the product … needed to make these cities competitive again. While one team in town is throwing away this season to focus on the future, the Indians are giving us an exciting September, due in no small part to the leadership of manager Terry Francona.The New York Times profiles Mr. Francona and looks at some of the understated touches he has brought to the team to guide its turnaround.Indians GM Chris Antonetti “hired Francona for his personal skills, impressed by how he handled so many different personalities in Boston while integrating young players to the team,” The Times notes. “He has come to understand a benefit to Francona's punctuality: by arriving for work so early, Francona is finished with his preparation when the players arrive. He can devote his time to bonding with them.”DH Jason Giambi tells The Times that “Tito” — Mr. Francona's father's name and the name baseball people today call him — “has this unbelievable care and love for his players. He's the easiest guy to play for, he truly is. There's always been this thing that managers and players can't be friends. You've got to have that cutoff, like, 'I'm the manager; you're the player.' But Tito reconfirms to me that you can have that relationship and be successful.”It's a fun profile and well worth a read. (Also, you learn how it is that Mr. Francona walked around Mr. Antonetti's Goodyear, Ariz., home in his underwear.)You also can follow me on Twitter for more news about business and Northeast Ohio. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/881 | Print Email Font ResizeSouth, East brace for polar temps, wind chillsBy RICK CALLAHAN Associated PressPosted:
01/06/2014 11:22:56 PM MSTClick photo to enlargeIn this Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014 photo, Ron, a bison at Brookfield Zoo, is covered in snow and doesn't seemed phased by the frigid temperatures or snow blowing through the Chicago area. The zoo was closed Monday, Jan . 6 due to the snowstorm and sub-zero temperatures and plans to reopen Tuesday. It was only the fourth time in Brookfield Zoo's history dating back to 1934 that it has closed due to severe weather conditions. «12345»INDIANAPOLIS—Frigid air that snapped decades-old records will make venturing outside dangerous for a second straight day, this time spreading to southern and eastern parts of the U.S. and keeping many schools and businesses shuttered. Meanwhile, residents driven from their homes by power outages in the Midwest worried about burst pipes. Monday's subzero temperatures broke records in Chicago, which set a record for the date at minus 16, and Fort Wayne, Ind., where the mercury fell to 13 below. Records also fell in Oklahoma and Texas, and wind chills across the region were 40 below and colder. Officials in states like Indiana already struggling with high winds and more than a foot of snow urged residents to stay home if they could.Cattle feed in a pasture near Lecompton, Kan., Monday, Jan. 6, 2014. Cattle with their thick hides and heavy coats can usually weather the cold temperatures well as long as there is not much snow to get them wet. Luckily, it is too early for most ranchers to calve yet in Kansas. But the brutally cold temperatures make it hard for the ranchers who must make sure they have plenty of unfrozen water, feed and bedding. ((AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)) "The cold is the real killer here," Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard said Monday as he asked schools and businesses to remain closed another day. "In 10 minutes you could be dead without the proper clothes." The polar air will next invade the East and South on Tuesday, bringing with it the prospect of more records falling. Highs in the single digits were expected in Georgia and Alabama, and wind chill warnings stretched as far south as Florida, with forecasts calling for minus 10 in Atlanta and minus 12 in Baltimore. In downtown Louisville, Ky., where wind chills dropped to 22 below zero Monday, John Tyler gathered with friends at a McDonald's. The self-described homeless man spent Sunday night sleeping on the street. Dressed in a sweatshirt, two coats and a black woolen cap, Tyler said there's no way to adequately prepare for this kind of cold. "How we're dealing with it? You can't deal with it," Tyler said. "There's no way you can deal with it." Forecasters said some 187 million people in all could feel the effects of the "polar vortex" by the time it spreads across the country. Tennessee utility officials braced for near-record power demand, while Ohio prepared for its coldest temperatures in decades.In this image taken with a fisheye lens, a GMC Sierra is shown covered in snow at Ray Laethem Buick-GMC in Detroit, Monday, Jan. 6, 2014. Michigan residents are preparing for diving temperatures as they dig out from more than 15 inches of snow in places. ((AP Photo/Paul Sancya) ) PJM Interconnection, who operates the power grid supplying energy to more than 61 million people in parts of the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and South, has asked users to conserve electricity Tuesday because of the cold, especially in the morning and late afternoon. Recovery will be the focus in several Midwestern states Tuesday, since the subzero cold followed inches of snow and high winds that made traveling treacherous—especially on interstates in Indiana and Illinois—and was being blamed for numerous deaths in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence issued disaster declarations, paving the way to request federal aid. More than 30,000 customers in Indiana were without power late Monday night.Graphic shows the cold temperatures across the U.S. and a thermometer indicator to explain how cold the weather will be.; 3c x 4 1/2 inches; 146 mm x 114 mm; (Graphic shows the cold temperatures across the U.S. and a thermometer indicator to explain how cold the weather will be.; 3c x 4 1/2 inches; 146 mm x 114 mm; ) Utility crews worked to restore electricity as temperatures plunged into the negative teens, but officials cautioned some people could be in the cold and dark for days. "My kids are ready to go home, and I'm ready too," said 41-year-old Timolyn Johnson-Fitzgerald, of Indianapolis, who faced a second night sleeping on cots at a Red Cross shelter with her three children, ages 11, 15, and 18. Bob Oravec, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Md., said the blast of frigid air raised concerns that roads wet from melted snow would freeze over. "In Maryland, we lost a lot of the snowpack and a lot of water is draining off, and the temperatures are dropping fast," Oravec said. But there are signs things are returning to normal. JetBlue Airways, which stopped all scheduled flights to and from New York and Boston on Monday, planned to resume some flights Tuesday morning. Southwest Airlines operations in Chicago resumed Monday night, even if it was, as a spokesman for the Texas-based airline called it, "a trickle." The Minnesota Zoo announced it would reopen to the public Tuesday. State lawmakers in Indiana planned to kick off their 2014 legislative session after a day's postponement. And warmer temperatures—at least, near or above freezing—are in store for the Midwest. Indianapolis should reach 27 degrees on Wednesday, and other parts of the central U.S. could climb above freezing later in the week. Even International Falls, Minn., had something to look forward to. Wind chills dropped as low as -55 Monday, but were expected to rebound to 25 below Tuesday. By Friday, the low was expected to be 5 to 10 above zero, Oravec said. Until then, take advice for dealing with frostbite- and hypothermia-inducing cold from Anthony Bickham in St. Paul, Minn., who jumped around while waiting for the bus Monday. "You gotta keep it moving," Bickham said. "Stay warm at ... all costs, you know." ——— Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski and Amy Forliti in Minneapolis; Brett Barrouquere in Louisville, Ky.; and Kelly P. Kissel in Little Rock, Ark., contributed to this report.Print Email Font ResizeReturn to Top RELATED STORIES | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/948 | Developers banking on £15m Clydeside plan
A MULTI-million pound office development planned for the banks of the Clyde will be the focal point of a major marketing campaign to bring hundreds of new jobs to Glasgow's East End.
News Reporter Thursday 22/11/2012
It is hoped the planned development will bring hundreds of jobs to the East End An artist's impression gives an idea of how the planned office pavilions would look
The nationwide search for employers will be launched next year as attempts are made to obtain speculative funding to enable building work to begin.
Four pavilions on land at Newhall Street, Bridgeton, are seen as the commercial spark needed to ignite an area which has been neglected for years.
They will be landmark buildings at a prominent location which is bounded by the river on its southern edge, Glasgow Green to the west and the historic Rutherglen Bridge to the east.
Gordon Murray, of city-based GMA/Ryder Architects, said: "The proposed design is to arrange a series of north-south oriented pavilions along the southern edge of the site. "These would be interspersed with landscaped courtyards facing the Clyde. "Parking would be located to the north and west of the site."
The triangular site spans more than three acres. It once housed tenements, but they were demolished 50 years ago. Makeshift businesses took their place but the land is now derelict after an occupied factory was demolished in May last year following a fire.
Half the site is owned by Glasgow-based Zed Developments, while the remainder is currently being transferred from Glasgow City Council to the Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company.
Council chiefs are enforcing compulsory purchase orders for around 700sq m of land as part of a tidying-up exercise. Nine small plots are being taken into council ownership. One plot is just a meter square.
A council spokesman said: "This could prove to be a successful site for an office development, attracting construction and office jobs to the East End. "In such a case, the council will do what it can to enable the development of the site."
Zed Developments wants to build four, three-storey pavilions, which will look out on to the river, with parking for 150 cars.
The economic climate has made it difficult for developers to acquire the cash needed for speculative commercial projects, so the pavilions will be built only if tenants sign up to scheme.
However, Zed director William Drummond, said attempts were being made to trigger "a speculative first stage" – the construction of just one building to tempt would-be tenants.
Mr Drummond said the cost of building the entire development was expected to be around £15m.
He added: "Site clearance will begin imminently.
"We then plan to aggressively market the site, probably throughout Scotland, while we expect the compulsory purchase orders process to take up to six months."
Zed Developments has been working closely with regeneration chiefs at Clyde Gateway as part of their long-term remit to bring jobs to the investment-starved East End.
Ian Manson, chief executive of Clyde Gateway, welcomed the development.
He said: "The whole look and feel to the East End is changing thanks to millions of pounds being spent on new infrastructure, on facilities associated with the 2014 Games and on new offices and factories such as those Clyde Gateway has delivered in Bridgeton and out at the Fullarton junction of the M74. "It is essential for the private sector to get heavily involved with all the regeneration activities presently under way and that's why I'm delighted to give my support to these exciting proposals being brought forward by Zed Developments."
Mr Manson readily acknowledges it will be an eye-catching scheme.
He said: "This is a prime site on the banks of the Clyde, located on the main route into the area from the M74. A development of this scale and quality is a further sign of just how much confidence and belief there is in Clyde Gateway being a fantastic location in which to do business."
In September this year plans were announced to build a pedestrian bridge over the River Clyde. The bridge will link Dalmarnock, in Glasgow, to Shawfield, in South Lanarkshire. The 88m long bridge is expected to half the walking time between Dalmarnock train station and Shawfield to less than 10 minutes. It will also involve the realignment of the Clyde walkway and is expected to be completed by mid-2013.
gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/952 | Home / Newsroom November 09, 2011
Exelon CEO John Rowe Delivers Keynote Address Looking Back at Three Decades of Leadership in Environmental and Energy Policy Nation’s longest-serving utility CEO urges an economic path to a clean energy future CHICAGO - In a keynote address hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center today, Exelon Chairman and CEO John W. Rowe reflected on his nearly three decades as a key voice on energy and environmental policy and urged elected officials to take an economic approach to transitioning the nation to a clean, affordable energy future.
“I’ve run companies in economic boom times and recessions, in regulated states and market states. In every case, I’ve tried to lead somewhere worth going,” said Rowe. “Our Exelon 2020 commitment to eliminate the company’s entire carbon footprint by 2020—and to publicly advocate for the lowest-cost path to clean energy—is leading somewhere worth going.”
Rowe discussed the company’s latest Exelon 2020 analysis, which found that by letting competitive electricity markets work, the electric utility industry can slash harmful air pollutants for as little as one-quarter the cost of other politically popular approaches, such as subsidizing favored energy technologies like wind, solar, new nuclear and clean coal. “Letting the market work, not imposing new mandates and subsidies, is the right way to transition the electricity generation fleet to clean energy while maintaining reliability and affordability,” Rowe said. Exelon 2020 is an annual study of the most cost-effective ways to reduce carbon emissions. This year’s analysis went beyond carbon emissions to examine nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and toxic air pollutants targeted by EPA clean air rules. “While complying with EPA regulations is not without cost, it can be done at prices that are still very reasonable and without sacrificing reliability, especially given that natural gas prices are expected to stay low for at least the next decade,” Rowe said. “Congress should not stop the EPA from enforcing the Clean Air Act. Postponing these rules will delay the creation of new jobs across the country to install pollution controls and build new generation at a time when economic benefits and investment are desperately needed.” Rowe, who plans to retire in early 2012, also highlighted six attributes of successful leadership, based on his 28 years as a utility chief executive. These include:• An unflagging commitment to continuous learning• An ability to act despite uncertainty• A personal appreciation and regard for the people who make up the organization• A total commitment to the organization, its vision and its values• Confidence in the future and certainty of success• Leading somewhere worth going
“Truly successful leaders are active inside their business and externally,” said Rowe. “Thought leadership and civic leadership are equally as important as corporate success. I always think about how well I am serving my customers and the community, both through the business and outside it.”
Rowe is the utility industry’s longest-serving chief executive. He was among the first CEOs in the industry to focus on climate change, first testifying before Congress on the potential effects of carbon emissions in 1992. Rowe is the past chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute and the Edison Electric Institute. He was co-chairman of the National Commission on Energy Policy and serves on the Secretary of Energy’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, a panel to provide recommendations on managing used nuclear fuel and waste. Rowe will retire in early 2012 upon the expected closing of Exelon’s merger with Constellation.
Rowe’s speech today was the inaugural address in a new “On Leadership” speaker series at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell, the Bipartisan Policy Center is a non-profit organization that seeks to combine politically-balanced policymaking with strong, proactive advocacy and outreach. Rowe’s prepared remarks are available on the Exelon website at http://www.exeloncorp.com/Newsroom/speeches. A video of Rowe’s speech is available at http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/news/multimedia/2011/11/04/leadership-speaker-series-john-w-rowe.
Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities with more than $18 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and southeastern Pennsylvania and natural gas to approximately 490,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.
ContactsJudy Rader Exelon Corporate Communications312.394.7417 Stay up-to-date with News Feeds Stay up-to-date with news feedsCopyright © Exelon Corporation, 2013-2014. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Site Map
pr_20111109_EXC_BPCSpeech | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/958 | FBI Las Vegas Spreads Holiday Cheer to Local Family, School, and Charity
FBI Las Vegas
Public Affairs Specialist Bridget Pappas (702) 385-1281
LAS VEGAS—The FBI will present close to $1,000 in gift cards and other items to a Las Vegas family, school, and charitable organization later today as part of the local office’s ongoing community outreach efforts.
The FBI’s Las Vegas office adopted a neighboring school, Wendell P. Williams Elementary School, earlier this year. The adoption was part of the FBI’s national Adopt-A-School program, spearheaded by FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. While working with the school, Holly James, the FBI Las Vegas Community Outreach Specialist, learned of a family in need whose children attended the school. The family’s head of household recently lost their job, and they did not have the means to purchase Christmas gifts for their children.
Earlier this month, FBI employees donated toys, games, clothing, and cash for the family for Christmas. In addition, Tim and Nancy Wong, owners of Arcada Associates, Inc., also donated items for the family. Tim Wong is a graduate of the FBI’s Citizens Academy and a member of the Board of Directors of the Academy’s Alumni Association. Toys, games, clothing, and gift cards totaling over $700 were collected for the adopted family.
The response was so great that the FBI was also able to purchase gifts for the fifth-grade classes at the elementary school and for a local charity. $60 gift cards will be provided to the three fifth-grade teachers at the school so they can purchase supplies for their classes. Twenty-five $10 gift cards will be provided to the Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow, or FIT, which is located directly across the street from the FBI’s Las Vegas headquarters building. FIT’s mission is to empower motivated, unemployed, and underemployed southern Nevadans by helping them overcome barriers to financial independence, and to obtain the skills necessary for self-sufficient employment. FIT will provide the gift cards to families in need this holiday season.
The gift cards will be delivered to FIT, located at 1931 Stella Lake Drive, today at 10:00 a.m. The toys, games, clothing, and gift cards will be delivered to the fifth grade classes and the adopted family at Wendell P. Williams Elementary School, located at 1030 J Street, today at 12:30 p.m.
Las Vegas Division Links
Las Vegas Home
About Us- Our People & Capabilities- What We Investigate- Our Partnerships- History
Wanted by the FBI - Las Vegas | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1060 | News: Area News | Townships | People | Crime | Events | Blogs | Archive | Weather
Barb McLeod says ‘aloha’ after 46 years of nursing
Good Samaritan director of nursing to take Hawaiian cruise following her February retirement
By Kristen Miller
HOWARD LAKE, COKATO, MN “Life is a journey and only you hold the map,” is on the office wall of Barb McLeod, director of nursing at Good Samaritan Society in Howard Lake. This is a saying McLeod will continue to live by as she retires Feb. 26 after 46 years of nursing.
“I want to retire while I am still healthy and able to enjoy life,” said the 65-year-old of Cokato.
“I know many people who were denied that . . . of reaching their goals and dreams,” she said.
Throughout her career, McLeod has worked in various capacities as a registered nurse. Most of her career was spent in long-term care facilities like Good Samaritan and Cokato Manor.
McLeod has seen the health care and nursing field change drastically due to government regulations and budget cuts.
“It’s been frustrating to provide quality of care and at the same time, trying to cut costs,” McLeod said.
As the director of nursing, McLeod has had to spend much more time doing paperwork and less time working one-on-one with the residents and families. “I really have a heart for the elderly. I hear their stories and I have compassion for them,” McLeod said.
McLeod is a 1962 Cokato High School graduate. She went to nursing school, became an LPN, then spent more than 10 years working at a hospital and clinic in Minneapolis.
In 1976, she married Bob McLeod and together, they had a daughter, Allison, and a son, Eric.
In 1994, McLeod graduated with her RN degree, thanks to a push from Darlene Nyquist, Cokato Manor’s director of nursing at the time.
What McLeod has enjoyed most through her 46 years of nursing is the many relationships she has developed with her patients, residents, and their families.
Though her life has been blessed with many good things, McLeod also had to endure hard times, having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999.
She completed chemo therapy and began radiation. When, her husband died due to heart complications.
McLeod has been cancer-free for 10 years now and tries to live every moment as if it were her last.
“You live through life’s trials and struggles you get stronger,” she said.
McLeod has been working at the Good Samaritan Society in Howard Lake since September of 2007. She has been the director of nursing for the past year-and-a-half.
Her fellow co-workers will miss McLeod when she retires.
“We have been very blessed to have her as our director of nursing,” said Amanda Kortekaas, activities director. “She is well-respected by her staff and co-workers. We will miss her, but wish her the very best,” Kortekaas added.
McLeod is looking forward to her retirement. “I want to retire before this becomes my permanent home,” McLeod joked.
Her future plans include a Hawaiian cruise in April with her long-time friend Bette Luhmann, and spending time with her family, including her soon-to-be three grandchildren. She is expecting her first granddaughter in March, and has two grandsons, Carson, 10, and Parker, 8.
“They are my pride and joy,” McLeod said of her grandchildren.
“My life has been blessed with so many good things,” she added.
Salonek to take over as director of nursing
Angie Salonek, a 2001 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted graduate, has been working for the Good Samaritan Society since May 2007.
Salonek began as a certified nursing assistant while she completed her bachelor of science degree in nursing at St. Cloud State University.
She came to Good Samaritan to take care of her grandmother, who was a resident at the time. Unfortunately, Salonek’s grandmother passed away before she was even orientated.
After graduation, Salonek became a staff nurse and is now the minimum data set coordinator, submitting resident data to the state for reimbursement.
Salonek is also the chemical behavior/chemical restraint nurse and the rehabilitation coordinator.
She is excited to become the director of nursing and feels she is ready for the position because she is familiar with the facility and its residents.
“I’m looking forward to making this a better place for the residents,” Salonek said. “There is always room for improvement.”
Salonek is the daughter of Pat and Jessie Salonek of Waverly. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1068 | Flash floods kill at least 16 at Ark. campground
Flash floods kill at least 16 at Ark. campgroundCrews with bulldozers and chain saws were sent to the area; National Guard dispatched helicopters to help in the rescue
By Jill Zeman Bleed The Associated PressTrouble viewing the video? Download Flash player hereCADDO GAP, Ark. — Floodwaters that rose as swiftly as 8 feet an hour tore through a campground packed with vacationing families early Friday, carrying away tents and overturning RVs as campers slept. At least 16 people were killed, and dozens more missing and feared dead.Heavy rains caused the normally quiet Caddo and Little Missouri rivers to climb out of their banks during the night. Around dawn, floodwaters barreled into the Albert Pike Recreation Area, a 54-unit campground in the Ouachita National Forest that was packed with vacationing families.The raging torrent poured through the valley with such force that it peeled asphalt off roads and bark off trees. Cabins dotting the river banks were severely damaged. Mobile homes lay on their sides.Two dozen people were hospitalized. Authorities rescued 60 others.Marc and Stacy McNeil of Marshall, Texas, survived by pulling their pickup truck between two trees and standing in the bed in waist-deep water."It was just like a boat tied to a tree," Marc McNeil said, describing how the truck bobbed up and down.They were on their first night of camping with a group of seven, staying in tents. The rain kept falling, and the water kept rising throughout the night, at one point topping the tool box in the back of the truck."We huddled together, and prayed like we'd never prayed before." Stacy McNeil said. They were able to walk to safety once the rain stopped.After the water receded, anguished relatives pleaded with emergency workers for help finding more than 40 missing loved ones.At one point, Gov. Mike Beebe said the death had climbed to 20. But Beebe's office later revised that figure to 16, saying he had relied on an erroneous figure after talking to an emergency worker at the scene.Still, authorities agreed that the death toll could easily rise. Forecasters warned of the approaching danger during the night, but campers could easily have missed those advisories because the area is isolated."There's not a lot of way to get warning to a place where there's virtually no communication," Beebe said. "Right now we're just trying to find anybody that is still capable of being rescued."The governor said damage at the campground was comparable to that caused by a strong tornado. The force of the water carried one body 8 miles downstream.While the governor spoke, rescuers in canoes and kayaks were on the Little Missouri looking for bodies and survivors who might still be stranded. Crews were initially delayed in their search because a rock slide blocked a road leading to the campsites."As that river goes down, you don't know how many people are under it," the governor said.Authorities prepared for a long effort to find other corpses that may have been washed away."This is not a one- or two-day thing," said Gary Fox, a retired emergency medical technician who was helping identify the dead and compile lists of those who were unaccounted for."This is going to be a week or two- or three-week recovery."The heavily wooded region offers a mix of campgrounds, hunting grounds and private homes. Wilderness buffs can stay at sites with modern facilities or hike and camp off the beaten path.Denise Gaines was startled awake in her riverfront cabin by a noise that sounded like fluttering wings. She saw water rushing under the cabin door."I thought it must have been an angel that woke me up," she said. She woke up the six others in her cabin and started packing her things.Gaines, who lives in Baton Rouge, La., had been through this before with Hurricane Gustav."We could feel the cabin shaking," said her fiance, Adam Fontenot.After the cabin filled with chest-deep water, the group clung to a tree and each other outside for more than an hour. But then the water dropped quickly, several feet in just a few minutes.As the water receded, the devastation emerged: Cars were piled atop each other, and bodies were in the water. The group sought shelter in a nearby cabin that was higher off the ground. They were eventually rescued in a jeep.Forest Service spokesman John Nichols said it would have been impossible to warn everyone that the flood was coming. The area has spotty cell phone service and no sirens."If there had been a way to know this type of event was occurring, it'd be closed period," Nichols said.A trooper on duty noticed high water about 3 a.m. and notified the sheriff's department, which responded to the scene.The water is usually low, allowing people to wade and fish in it during the summer, Nichols said.Brigette Williams, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross in Little Rock, estimated that up to 300 people were in the area when the floods swept through."There's no way to know who was in there last night," state police spokesman Bill Sadler said. It would be difficult to signal for help because of the rugged and remote nature of the area being searched, some 75 miles west of Little Rock.The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management sent satellite phones and specialized radio equipment to help in the rescue effort.Campground visitors are required to sign a log as they take a site, but the registry was carried away by the floodwaters.Wanda McRae Nooner, whose son and daughter-in-law have a home and a cabin along the river, said her son was helping rescuers."I know they've been bringing the bodies up there in front of their house until they can get ambulances in and out. It's just the most horrible thing. It's almost unbelievable."The rough terrain likely kept some campers from reaching safety, according to Tabitha Clarke, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock.Some parts of the valley are so steep and craggy that the only way out is to hike downstream. Any hikers who had taken cars to the campsites would have been blocked at low-water bridge crossings that are inundated when the rivers rise, she said.The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning around 2 a.m. after the slow-moving storm dumped heavy rain on the area. At that point, a gauge at nearby Langley showed the Little Missouri River was less than 4 feet deep. But as the rain rolled down the steep hillsides, it built up volume and speed.Authorities established a command post near the post office in Langley, along the Little Missouri. Helicopters landed behind a general store, and a triage unit was set up at a volunteer fire department.Meliea Moore of Hot Springs waited at the store with her friend whose sister, brother-in-law and niece were among the missing. They had been staying in a cabin for the past week at the campground.Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.A center for relatives of the missing was set up at a church in Lodi offering dry clothes and food. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1082 | Mouldy Weed Subject Of Latest Health Canada Recall
BlackBerry Creates New Wing To House Innovative Tech, Patents
Schwartz's Sold: René Angélil May Be New Co-Owner Of Montreal Deli; Sale Worth Around $10M
Le Huffington Post Québec | By Caroline d’Astous Posted: 02/05/2012 2:25 pm EST Updated: 02/05/2012 4:12 pm EST Print Article
Schwartz's deli, the famous Montreal restaurant, has been sold - and Celine Dion's husband Rene Angelil may be among the new owners
Schwartz's, the legendary Montreal restaurant famous for its smoked meat, was sold at the beginning of January for around $10 million to a group of investors that may include none other than René Angélil, husband and manager of superstar Céline Dion, according to sources close to the deal.Le Huffington Post Quebec has learned that the transaction took place around Jan. 7, after which the now-former owner, businessman Hy Diamond, filed a request for dissolution of his business with the Registre des entreprises du Québec - the province's business registry. The sale of the uber-popular deli was motivated by a desire simply to move on, sources told HuffPost Quebec. Several investors have shown interest in acquiring Schwartz's, but few were prepared to fork over the hefty sum, according to another source who spoke to HuffPost Quebec. Other sources say the restaurant is now the property of a group of investors, with two prominent names apparently in the mix: Angélil and Paul Sara (Angélil's cousin). The two previously ventured into the restaurant business in the 1990s with the Nickels franchise. Loyal EmployeesMontreal media has been abuzz with rumours of the potential sale, which started earlier this week when English paper The Gazette reported rumours of the sale. Angélil's connection to the sale was revealed early Sunday morning by Le Journal de Montréal. But the deli's employees aren't saying much on the record about the business' change-of-hands, and were advised not to speak about the sale. "We know there has been a sale, but have been asked not to comment on the matter," Schwartz's day manager told HuffPost Quebec, visibly uncomfortable with the question. Other servers seemed indifferent about the names of the future owners. "Our customers are our only priority, much more so than knowing who the owner is," one said with a smile. Schwartz's has enjoyed phenomenal success since it was opened in 1928 by Reuben Schwartz. Locals, tourists and celebrities alike -- Angélil is a well-known fan, and his and Dion's picture is on the deli's wall of fame -- flock daily to the Montreal institution on St. Laurent Boulevard for the famous smoked meats, fries, pickles and more. The long lineups are almost as legendary as the sandwiches at the sole location. As such, it wouldn't be surprising if the new owners were interested in expanding the Schwartz's brand beyond the Main according to Journal de Montréal's food writer, Thierry Daraize, who said in the report that tourists would love to be able to get their Schwartz's fix elsewhere. "The brand has huge potential for expansion," he said. "As long as they can preserve their famous recipe." Schwartz's popularity has thus far spawned a line of merchandise and spices, a book, documentary film, and even a musical.If an expansion is on the horizon, Angélil could likely foot the bill if he is indeed a co-owner; His wife and sole talent protégé Dion had a reported net worth of about $250 million in 2007 and banked $19 million in 2010 - 11 on the strength of her Las Vegas show alone, according to Forbes.With files from Lisa Yeung
One of Canada's most iconic restaurants could soon have an equally famous owner. (Caroline d'Astous/Le Huffington Post Quebec)
The deli has gained a world-famous reputation by serving its signature smoked meat for 80 years -- It opened in 1928. (Caroline d'Astous/Le Huffington Post Quebec)
Schwartz's is famous for its smoked meat -- tourists and locals alike flock to the deli on St. Laurent boulevard, even lining up in the cold to get a taste. The deli is so well-known that it even has its own musical. (Lisa Yeung/Huffington Post)
Celine Dion's husband and manager Rene Angelil was also the man who discovered Dion as a teenager. He has been married to Dion since 1994. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Dion was involved in a previous restaurant venture with her husband, Nickels, in the 1990s, but divested her interests in 1997. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Celine Dion and Rene Angelil currently live in Las Vegas, where Dion is a musical fixture at Caesar's Palace. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Get a glimpse of Schwartz's up close and personal in this trailer for the documentary film by Garry Beitel. Share
Schwartz Montreal
Schwartz's Celine Dion
Schwartz Sale
Schwartz Sold
Schwartz's Celine Dion Husband
Schwartz's Sold
Rene Angelil Schwartz
Schwartz Celine Dion
Schwartz Deli Sale
Schwartz Rene Angelil
Schwartz New Owner
Schwartz Deli New Owner
Schwartz Sale Rene Angelil
René Angélil wants to buy Schwartz's: report New owners for Schwartz's Deli? Click here to view Conversations | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1126 | Pakistan quake creates new island
September 25 2013 at 03:24pm Comment on this story
Survivors of an earthquake walk on rubble of a mud house after it collapsed following the quake in the town of Awaran, in the south-western Pakistani province of Baluchistan.
Gwadar, Pakistan - A small island created in the Arabian Sea by the huge earthquake that hit south-west Pakistan has fascinated locals but experts say it is unlikely to last long. The 7.7-magnitude quake struck on Tuesday in Baluchistan's remote Awaran district, killing more than 200 people and affecting hundreds of thousands. Off the coastline near the port of Gwadar, about 400 kilometres from the epicentre, locals were astonished to see a new piece of land surface from the waves. “It is not a small thing, but a huge thing which has emerged from under the water,” Gwadar resident Muhammad Rustam told AFP. “It looked very, very strange to me and also a bit scary because suddenly a huge thing has emerged from the water.” Mohammad Danish, a marine biologist from Pakistan's National Institute of Oceanography, said a team of experts had visited the island and found methane gas rising. “Our team found bubbles rising from the surface of the island which caught fire when a match was lit and we forbade our team to start any flame. It is methane gas,” Danish said on GEO television news. The island is about 18 to 21 metres high, up to 300 feet wide and up to 120 feet long, he said. It sits about 200 metres away from the coast. Gary Gibson, a seismologist with Australia's University of Melbourne, said the new island was likely to be a “mud volcano”, created by methane gas forcing material upwards during the violent shaking of the earthquake. “It's happened before in that area but it's certainly an unusual event, very rare,” Gibson told AFP, adding that it was “very curious” to see such activity some 400 kilometres from the quake's epicentre. The so-called island is not a fixed structure but a body of mud that will be broken down by wave activity and dispersed over time, the scientist said. A similar event happened in the same area in 1945 when an 8.1-magnitude earthquake at Makran triggered the formation of mud volcanoes off Gwadar. Professor Shamim Ahmed Shaikh, chairman of the department of geology at Karachi University, said the island, which has not been named, would disperse within a couple of months. He said it happens along the Makran coast because of the complex relationship between tectonic plates in the area. Pakistan sits close to the junction of three plates - the Indian, Arabian and Eurasian. “About a year back an island of almost similar size had surfaced at the similar distance from the coast in the Makran region. This would disperse in a week to a couple of months,” Shaikh told AFP. Gibson said the temporary island was very different from the permanent uplift seen during major “subduction zone” earthquakes, where plate collisions force the Earth's crust suddenly and sometimes dramatically upwards. For example, in the massive 9.5-magnitude earthquake in Chile in 1960 - known as the world's largest ever - whole fishing villages were thrust “several metres” upwards and wharves suddenly located hundreds of metres inland, Gibson said. Such uplift events are relatively common in the Pacific's so-called “Ring of Fire”, a hotbed of seismic and volcanic activity at the junction of several tectonic plates. A thundering 8.0-magnitude quake in the Solomon Islands in 2007 thrust Ranogga Island upwards by three metres, exposing submerged reefs once popular with divers and killing the vibrant corals, expanding the shoreline outwards by several metres in the process. During the massive 9.2-magnitude earthquake off Sumatra which triggered a devastating tsunami across the Indian Ocean in 2004, several islands were pushed upwards while others subsided into the ocean. The Aceh coast dropped permanently by one metre while Simeulue Island was lifted by as much as 1.5 metres, exposing the surrounding reef which became the island's new fringe. - Sapa-AFP Related Stories
Dozens killed in Pakistan earthquake
Quake topples homes in Pakistan
IOL / News / World / Pakistan quake creates new island We like to make your life easier | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1130 | Gunmen threaten the Palestinian Authority in Jenin
Sunday, April 17, 2005 | In another sign of armed chaos in the Palestinian territories, gunmen marched through the streets of Jenin demanding jobs from the Palestinian Authority (PA). About 40 terrorists from the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade, which is part of the ruling Fatah movement, fired in the air and threatened to kill PA parliamentarians if their demands are not met. “There will be blood and then our only language will be the bullet," said the local Al Aksa leader Zakariye Zubeidi, who is on Israel’s most wanted list. The gunmen shut down a government building after sending workers home. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to restore law and order, but he’s proven powerless against the armed gangs that rule the streets. Want more news from Israel? | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1154 | Lunch and Listen with Joni Mitchell
Starbucks.com
(PR) On September 25, Starbucks will host an intimate "Lunch and Listen" event to celebrate Joni Mitchell's Hear Music release "Shine" From 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, more than 6,500 Starbucks stores in the US and Canada will participate in the event by playing "Shine" along with a retrospective of classics which have made Mitchell one of the most beloved singer/songwriters of our time
"'Lunch and Listen' gets to the heart of the connection between Starbucks customers and music," says Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment who also oversees Hear Music "We're very proud of this record and on September 25, Mitchell's timeless resonance will be felt in a very profound way"
Born out of a burst of creative energy, "Shine" is one of three new artistic endeavors launched by Mitchell this year The first, "The Fiddle and the Drum," a ballet based on Mitchell's music, debuted with the Alberta Ballet in Calgary earlier this year with Mitchell serving as co-creator and artistic director The second is a politically charged visual art exhibit by Mitchell that will debut in New York in the fall
In addition, Joni Mitchell fans can also tune in to watch her on some of television's most distinguished shows including CBS Sunday Morning (air date TBA), Charlie Rose (air date TBA) and Tavis Smiley (air date TBA)
"Shine" will be available at Starbucks locations and traditional music retail outlets in the US and Canada on September 25 and in global markets the week of September 24 Described by Mitchell as "as serious a work as I've ever done," "Shine" presents beautiful melodies, dark lyrics and a sparseness that recalls and even progresses beyond some of Mitchell's most seminal recordings "Shine" is already receiving glowing accolades from the press. Copyright protected material on this website is used in accordance with 'Fair Use', for the purposeof study, review or critical analysis, and will be removed at the request of the copyright owner(s).Notice and Procedure for Making Claims of Copyright Infringement. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1173 | Nightclub Fire Kills 96 - How you can protect yourself
By: KKTV Updated: Sat 7:32 PM, Feb 22, 2003
/ Article A nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island has killed 96 people. It started, witnesses say, when a pyrotechnics display, without a permit, went horribly wrong. The flames ignited a foam screen behind the stage where the band Great White was playing. The nightclub became fully engulfed within three minutes. Club officials say the band did not have permission to use the pyrotechnics. But the band's singer disagrees. A survivor of the fire says anyone who could not get out of the club within 30 second didn't have a chance. And as 11 News found out, in a fire of this size and speed, how a person reacts could save their life.
The Colorado Springs Fire Marshall says he doesn't have the manpower to conduct routine inspections of all the clubs in town. So he relies on club owners to be responsible for their patrons. And for patrons to be responsible for themselves.
Fire Marshall Brett Lacey says "any given night if we were to have staff to go out and do night time inspections we could visit any number of clubs and find blocked or locked exits." Lacey says there's never been a nightclub fire or stampede in the Springs. But it doesn't hurt to be prepared, just in case.
Experts say that finding all the exits is the best way to protect yourself in case of an emergency. Another problem is overcrowding. If a place seems too crowded, fire officials say get out.
Luke Travins owns several establishments in the Springs. He says his clubs follow occupancy limits, "Frequently we'll start a line at the door and say two out before one goes in just because we want to thin out the crowd."
Ultimately, experts say, it's the patrons responsibility to get themselves out of an emergency.
Fire Along I-25 Contained Live Traffic Conditions | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1187 | H-CENTRAL COAST Nov 16, 2012 9:20 AM by Dan Shadwell
The McEuen Brothers take the stage in Santa Barbara
After a stop off at D'Anbino Winery in Paso Robles last evening, Nathan and Jonathan McEuen, will team up with their father John, and founder of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, for a concert Saturday evening at eight at the Lobero Theatre. Nathan and Jonathan say they were raised in a house full of instruments and began playing as young kids, though Nathan says it wasn't until he was 15 or so that he got serious about music. The brothers play guitar and banjo and sing harmony in much of their sets. They credit their father's influence on their music--Nathan labels it Americana--with a rendition of the song, "Leader of the Band," recorded years ago by Dan Fogelberg. Tickets for their performance at Lobero are available on the venue's website. »Comments | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1191 | When the earthquake struck, Bob Allen took care of what he could By Emily Forman - KCAW, SitkaPosted on March 27, 2014 at 9:13 amCategory: Community, Featured News Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 19 seconds
Bob Allen (right) was on a fishing boat south of Kodak Island during Alaska’s 1964 earthquake. While Allen’s brother Jack (left) was a State Trooper in Anchorage. (Photo by Emily Forman/KCAW)
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Alaska’s Good Friday Earthquake – the largest recorded in North America. Many Sitkans have stories from the epicenter.
Bob Allen is known around Southeast now for his family shipbuilding and cruise business, Allen Marine. But five decades ago, he was fishing south of Kodiak Island far from his family when disaster struck. Allen says when you can’t take care of your own, you take care of what you can.
Bob Allen was over 100 miles from home when a magnitude 9.2 earthquake rocked his boat. Of all days, this would be a tough one to be separated from his wife and kids.
Betty and the kids were in Kodiak. And I was on a 104 foot fishing boat. It was about 5 o’clock. Beautiful day. Flat calm, absolutely mirror calm. And the boat just started vibrating. It was just like a giant had a hold of that boat and it was just shaking it just – rattle rattle shake shake shake – terrible vibration.
The violent jostling had damaged the radio. All they could do was listen. Allen could hear what was happening in Kodiak and the report wasn’t good.
How you doing? And he says oh I’m doing OK! He said well where you at? And he says I’m sitting in the schoolyard.
That is, floating over the schoolyard in an 80 foot barge. Just as devastating, but even more deadly than the earthquake itself, was the tsunami that followed.
The schoolyard in Kodiak was pretty far up above the waterline you knew that that town had been underwater by 10 or 15, 20 feet by then.
Bob knew his home wasn’t flooded because it was on a hill above the schoolyard. But, he couldn’t be sure that his house hadn’t collapsed on his family. And the tsunami waves made it too risky to go home.
We were kind of pinned. We couldn’t do anything. When you reach a point where there’s nothing you can do to take care of your own family you just say OK I’ll take care of what I can and somebody else is going to look after mine, I hope.
That night, over the radio, Allen’s crew learned that the village of Kaguyak had been wiped out. It was only eight miles away. Come morning they set out to help.
They were all on the beach. They were right at the head of the bay right where the old village had been. They had no food, they had no blankets, all they had was that one little radio.And we brought out 46 adults and probably 15 children and one body. They were really in shock they really couldn’t think for themselves you’d take them to the table and set them down with a plate in front of them – hotcakes and sugar syrup. We had a big can of sugar syrup going all the time. We left there and headed for Old Harbor because they were wiped out too. And we’re going through hundreds of empty oil barrels, overturned boats, broke-up houses, deep freezers, refrigerators – anything that could float.
By the time they left Old Harbor, they had 96 adults and 35 kids on board. The plan was to transport the survivors to the Kodiak Naval base. Many had taken a few valued possessions along with them. And when they pulled into shore…
It was just like tying up in a river. The tide is still every 25-30 minutes is going from full high to full low.
They were asked to leave these items on the dock while they boarded the buses. When the buses pulled away the water seeped through the dock and Allen said, “everything they had saved floated away.”
At 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, 33 hours since the start of the quake, Allen finally made it home. An armed guard escorted Bob.
That was the worst part of the whole thing for me was coming home and finding my family gone. All there is is a note on the table from Betty saying that they went to Chiniak. 12 people had drowned on those roads because they had got caught on the head of the bay and that tide washed right up in there and drowned them. So I’m panic stricken!
12 frantic hours later Bob finally gets a call that his wife and kids had been evacuated to Chiniak by plane, and were safe.
Allen: After that I got off the boat I quit fishing and went to work construction.
EF: Did you quit because of this experience?
Allen: Well, there were no canneries left, no place left to sell crab anyway.
When you’re growing up in Alaska its kind of a walking disaster area anyway. Everything always gets rebuilt. Its no problem. I don’t think you’re standing up there or waving a flag or anything. There ain’t a lot of glory in this world.
Danny Lawson:March 31, 2014 at 1:57 amNice article, but man, talk about having a long 12 hour wait after search and rescue of a villiage and wondering what to do without your family!
Karen Moore Sales:March 29, 2014 at 1:36 amwow! such a sense of community and ability to adjust/rebuild. Great article.
Lori Murray:March 28, 2014 at 3:30 pmGreat remembrance. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1261 | Photo gallery: World War II vet, 97, plays oldies for retirees
Sep. 15, 2013 - 06:00AM
| Comments ';
By Kristin Davis Staff writer
At the end of World War II, 2nd Lt. Vaughn Boone traveled across North Africa to entertain his fellow service members waiting their turn to go home. He performed music, magic shows, mind-reading acts, hypnosis and ventriloquist routines.�I was a showman. My job was to take them beer and be an entertainer. They called it communications so Uncle Sam would understand,� he said.Today, at 97, music and magic tricks are still part of his life. Every Monday afternoon, you will find him and his wife, Mary Ruth Dobbins, at Arbor Acres, a retirement community near their home in Winston-Salem, N.C. Boone brings his guitar. Dobbins hands out booklets full of songs that were popular 70, 80, 100 years ago: �Ain�t She Sweet,� �You are My Sunshine� and �In the Garden.� There is no shortage of hymns.Boone speaks to and touches the hands of each of the residents who come to hear him play.He �makes a heart connection,� Dobbins said.Boone volunteered for the Army Air Forces after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and spent much of the war in cryptography � �secret code stuff,� he calls it, that he wasn�t allowed to talk about at the time. When a superior officer saw the young lieutenant put on a show, he sent Boone on a tour to cheer up homesick soldiers.�We hit every American base in North Africa,� Boone said.He spent four years in the service, then went back to his native North Carolina, where he had put himself through college working in a local mill.Boone went to work with a degree in chemistry as a sales representative for a dye and chemical company in Charlotte, raised a family, became an executive and eventually started his own business. Along the way, he taught Sunday school, studied spiritual healing, counseled the sick and self-published six books. He never gave up entertaining.At Arbor Acres, Boone is backup guitarist for resident Robert Merritt. Together, they perform for a crowd of 25 to 30 assisted living residents.Dobbins said her husband has almost perfect pitch.�He never studied music,� she said. �He was from one of those families that grew up playing and singing. He plays the keyboard naturally. He can hear something and sit down and play it.�But guitar is his specialty. He�s been playing since he was 14.The sing-a-longs are good for the residents� spirits and good for their health, Dobbins said.The older you get and the more you slow down, the shallower your breath becomes. Singing requires the opposite.Boone and Dobbins met in 1999 after the death of Boone�s first wife of 57 years.When Boone, who is 28 years older than Dobbins, asked her to marry him, �I couldn�t pass up that opportunity,� she said. �Not only is he funny and clever and smart and capable � he was a farmer, then a gardener, he helped build his own house and he could work on his car and play music and do all of these things.�But he was so humble about it. He doesn�t hold grudges. He just focuses on being at peace with the world. He is just the kindest man and always looking for the best.�Boone calls Dobbins �my dear wife.� He likes to be called by his first name. �Mr. Boone,� he said, �was my daddy.�Boone grew up on a farm. The house didn�t have radio or electricity. They made their own music and their own fun. Each of his uncles played an instrument. One of them put on magic shows that included hypnosis, and he offered to show his young nephew the tricks of the trade.Boone discovered ventriloquy when a traveling salesman came to town promising a ventriloquist dummy to whomever could put on the best performance.�I wanted it so bad I couldn�t sleep,� Boone said.He fashioned his own dummy out of wood for practice.�I practiced with my dog until the dog started looking at the puppet,� he said. �I won the dummy.�Boone still has the head of that prize. The body wore out decades ago. But Boone, the ventriloquist, is still at it. Sometimes, to mix things up, he�ll bring a new dummy � his newest one is named Oscar � and his magic tricks to Arbor Acres.Boone will put on an hour show for a large church audience in Winston-Salem this month.�Part will be my music. There�ll be some magic and some of the stories of my life,� Boone said in a telephone interview from his home.Earlier that morning, he�d plucked tomatoes and okra from the couple�s garden. Then he�d gone to the YMCA to work out for an hour or so.Soon, he and Dobbins would get ready for that afternoon�s performance at Arbor Acres.
At the end of World War II, 2nd Lt. Vaughn Boone traveled across North Africa to entertain his fellow service members waiting their turn to go home. He performed music, magic shows, mind-reading A link to this page will be included in your message. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1280 | Home > VOL. 128 | NO. 98 | Monday, May 20, 2013
From (email): Message: Nike Distribution Center Issued $4.4 Million PermitThe city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement has issued a $4.4 million mechanical permit for work on Nike Inc.’s North Memphis distribution center at 3100 New Frayser Blvd. The permit was issued to S.A. Comunale Co. Inc., an Akron, Ohio-based “mechanical, fire protection and HVAC services company,” according to its website. It is one of what will likely be many permits filed for the $301 million project, and it follows a recent $3 million permit that calls for the installation of “industrial steel storage racks” by Elk Grove, Ill.-based Wynright Corp. Nike in January paid $2.2 million for about 200 acres of vacant land in Frayser from Belz Investco GP for the distribution center. Operating in the transaction as Nike TN Inc., the Beaverton, Ore.-based sports giant bought the land in two parcels – a 162.5-acre tract and a 38.4-acre tract, both north of Nike’s 1.1 million-square-foot facility in Belz Enterprises Inc.’s Northridge Industrial Park. The board of the Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine approved last October a 15-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement with Nike for the $301 million project. According to the approved PILOT, the expansion would retain 1,600 jobs and add 250 more once the expanded facility opens, said Willie Gregory, Nike director of Community and Business Relations. The PILOT amounts to a $57.8 million tax break with a local tax benefit of $105.3 million in return. Nike’s 1,700 employees across Memphis are the company’s second largest workforce in the U.S. behind only its Beaverton headquarters. Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports – Daily News staff
LaunchYourCity Rebrands as Start Co.
The local economic development organization LaunchYourCity Inc. has rebranded itself as Start Co.
According to a release from the organization, the new name and identity better reflect the organization’s offerings and values with a unified platform and mission. Along with that is a coming roll out of a redesigned website and new service offerings.
Start Co. will continue to operate Seed Hatchery, the 90-day mentor program that hosted its Investor Day May 16, and Upstart, which is a new accelerator program geared toward building women-led and owned startups.
The new name, brand and identity were developed by archer-malmo and its venture partner a-m ventures.
Main to Main’s Carpenter Moves to Plough Foundation
Mike Carpenter, the project manager for the city’s Main Street to Main Street project, will become the executive director of the nonprofit Plough Foundation next month.
Carpenter joins the philanthropic foundation June 10 and will remain as a consultant to the city project for three months.
Carpenter is a former Shelby County commissioner.
The Main Street to Main Street project is the redevelopment of Main Street Memphis and Broadway Avenue in West Memphis, Ark., with a bicycle and pedestrian boardwalk on the Harahan rail bridge across the Mississippi River linking the two.
Construction on the first phases of the project is scheduled to begin later this year.
UTHSC Appoints Dermatology Department Chair
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center said Dr. Kathryn Schwarzenberger will lead the university’s new Department of Dermatology in the College of Medicine.
Before joining UTHSC, Schwarzenberger was a professor in the Division of Dermatology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. After completing her medical degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, she completed residencies in both internal medicine and dermatology at Duke University and a fellowship in immunodermatology research at the National Cancer Institute Dermatology Branch.
– Jennifer Johnson Backer
Rich to Headline Benefit for St. Jude Hospital
John Rich will perform alongside Wynonna Judd, Larry the Cable Guy and his Big & Rich partner, Big Kenny at a June 4 concert that will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Actress and special guest Lisa Rinna also will perform at the event, St. Jude Presents John Rich & Friends, which takes place at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. The concert will serve as the second annual concert tee off for the 2013 FedEx St. Jude Classic.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital says proceeds from the concert, as well as the FedEx St. Jude Classic, benefit the hospital and its mission to provide exceptional care to children fighting cancer and other deadly diseases, while ensuring that no family ever pays St. Jude for anything.
Tickets range from $40 to $80 per person and can be ordered through Ticketmaster.
Arkansas Senators Participate in Online Business ForumArkansas’ two U.S. senators are participating in an online discussion with small-business owners about the Internet and economic development. U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor’s office said he and Sen. John Boozman will participate in a Google Plus Hangout at 3:30 p.m. Monday. Talk Business editor Roby Brock will moderate the discussion. Pryor’s office said participants in the discussion will include officials with the Internet Association, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and the Arkansas Farm Bureau. It will also include the founder of the Bourbon and Boots online store and the owner of Rock Appliances and Services. Pryor is a Democrat serving his second term. Boozman is a Republican serving his first term. – The Associated Press
Gauge of US Economy’s Future Health Up in April
A measure of the U.S. economy’s future health rose solidly in April, buoyed by a sharp rise in applications to build homes and a better job market.
The Conference Board said Friday that its index of leading indicators increased 0.6 percent last month to a reading of 95. That followed a 0.2 percent decline in March.
The index is intended to signal economic conditions three to six months out.
Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein said the index is 3.5 percent higher at an annual rate than it was six months ago, suggesting expansion for the economy.
Goldstein said that steady job gains and a recovering housing market are driving the economy and helping offset deep federal spending cuts that threaten growth.
The index is composed of 10 forward-pointing indicators. Strength in April came from the surge in building permits, a drop in applications for unemployment benefits and a rising stock market.
Holding the index back in April: Weaker consumer confidence and a decline in the average hours worked at U.S. factories.
A separate report Friday showed consumer confidence jumped to near a six-year high in early May. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index rose to 83.7, up from 76.4 in April.
Economists attributed the gain to record-high stock prices, cheaper gas and solid employment gains.
“Changes in confidence don’t always filter through into changes in spending, but the omens are good,” said Amna Asaf, an economist at Capital Economics.
The job market has also improved over the past six months. The economy has added an average of 208,000 jobs a month since November. That’s up from only 138,000 a month in the previous six months.
Unemployment has fallen to a four-year low of 7.5 percent.
A rebound in housing, along with a limited supply of homes for sale, has lifted the construction industry.
Construction cooled off in April, as builders broke ground on fewer homes after topping the 1 million mark in March for the first time since 2008. But most of the decline was in apartment construction, which tends to vary sharply from month to month.
The most encouraging sign for the industry last month was that applications for new construction reached a five-year peak. That suggests the housing revival will be sustained. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1282 | « Sharing the love
Beall, Behn differ on ed aid...»
Lake City teen assists lawmakers
Jacob Mayer, 17, is page for the Iowa House Democratic caucus February 14, 2013
By BILL SHEA, bshea@messengernews.net ,
Save | At a time when many people his age are worrying about the next algebra test or trying to line up a prom date, Jacob Mayer spends his weekdays making sure Democrats in the Iowa House of Representatives get all the information they need. The 17-year-old Mayer, a Lake City resident, is a page in the Iowa Legislature. But unlike many of the other pages who run errands and do odd jobs in the House and Senate chambers, he works in the office of the House Democratic caucus. He does paper work and other chores there, plus he gets assigned a major project to complete every day. Recently, he recalled, he prepared maps for every Democratic representative showing the school districts in the areas they serve. ''I believe my job is very interesting,'' he said. ''I love every minute about it.'' ''You really learn about the legislative process much more than in government class,'' he added. Working as a page is not Mayer's first experience with legislation or the state Capitol. He was previously a member of the Iowa Youth Advisory Council, a group of 21 students that advises the governor and Legislature on issues that affect young people. Mayer said the group tells the elected officials what laws it believes should be passed or not passed because of their impact on youths. Being a member of that council brought him to the Capitol once a month last year. Mayer was also a member of the Iowa Youth Congress, which he said is very similar to the Youth Advisory Council. The senior at South Central Calhoun High School applied for a page job last fall. He was then interviewed by the House staff, the Legislative Services Agency and the Senate staff. He was hired as a House page, and then was interviewed by the Democratic caucus staff. Mayer began his page responsibilities on Jan. 14, the first day of the legislative session. His workdays begin at 8 a.m., which is half an hour before the House begins its daily business. So far, he's been able to leave the Capitol between 4:30 and 5 p.m., but he said he expects his workdays will get longer as more and more bills are debated by the full House. During the week, he lives in a Des Moines apartment. He has more than 20 credits accumulated already, so he has just one online English course to complete in order to graduate this spring. Back home, Mayer volunteers with the Lake City Ambulance Service. He earned his certification as an emergency medical technician in October. He began his community involvement about two years ago as the youth representative to the Lake City Betterment Association. © Copyright 2014 Messenger News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1353 | Fides News Agency
From the Pope
Pope Francis: WYD Way of the Cross (full text)
2013-07-26 Vatican Radio
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis prayed the Via crucis on Friday evening with pilgrims gathered for World Youth Day celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nearly 300 artists and volunteers from several countries including the United States animated the popular devotion. The meditations accompanying each of the 14 stations depicting the principal episodes of Christ’s Passion, death and burial focused on a theme of particular significance in the life of contemporary youth, including: mission, conversion, community, and vocation; others involved pressing social challenges and existential issues such as suffering, illness and mortality. The texts of the meditations were prepared by a pair of Brazilian priests, Fr. José Zezinho and Fr. João Joãozinho, both of whom are well known in their native country for their work with young people.In remarks to the pilgrims, Pope Francis spoke of the Cross of Christ as the source of hope, to which anyone and everyone can and ought to bring his deepest joys, sufferings and failures. The Holy Father also spoke of Christ’s Cross as a challenge to all of us: an invitation to allow ourselves to be smitten by his love, as well as a lesson and a reminder to us always to look upon others with mercy and tenderness – especially the suffering, and those we meet who are in distress and need help, whether in the form of a word of encouragement, or a concrete action that could take us beyond ourselves.Please find the full text of Pope Francis’ address, below:***********************************************Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to BrazilAddress of the Holy FatherVia Crucis (Rio de Janeiro – Copacabana, 26 July 2013)Dear Young Friends, We have come here today to accompany Jesus on his journey of sorrow and love, the Way of the Cross, which is one of the most intense moments of World Youth Day. At the end of the Holy Year of Redemption, Blessed John Paul II chose to entrust the Cross to you, young people, asking you “to carry it throughout the world as a symbol of Christ’s love for humanity, and announce to everyone that only in the death and resurrection of Christ can we find salvation and redemption” (Address to Young People, 22 April 1984). Since then, the World Youth Day Cross has travelled to every continent and through a variety of human situations. It is, as it were, almost “steeped” in the life experiences of the countless young people who have seen it and carried it. No one can approach and touch the Cross of Jesus without leaving something of himself or herself there, and without bringing something of the Cross of Jesus into his or her own life. I have three questions that I hope will echo in your hearts this evening as you walk beside Jesus: What have you left on the Cross, dear young people of Brazil, during these two years that it has been crisscrossing your great country? What has the Cross of Jesus left for you, in each one of you? Finally, what does this Cross teach us?1. According to an ancient Roman tradition, while fleeing the city during the persecutions of Nero, Saint Peter saw Jesus who was travelling in the opposite direction, that is, toward the city, and asked him in amazement: “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus’ response was: “I am going to Rome to be crucified again.” At that moment, Peter understood that he had to follow the Lord with courage, to the very end. But he also realized that he would never be alone on the journey; Jesus, who had loved him even unto death on the Cross, would always be with him. Jesus, with his Cross, walks with us and takes upon himself our fears, our problems, and our sufferings, even those which are deepest and most painful. With the Cross, Jesus unites himself to the silence of the victims of violence, those who can no longer cry out, especially the innocent and the defenceless; with the Cross, he is united to families in trouble, those who mourn the loss of their children, or who suffer when they see them fall victim to false paradises, such as that offered by drugs. On the Cross, Jesus is united with every person who suffers from hunger in a world where tons of food are thrown out each day; on the Cross, Jesus is united with those who are persecuted for their religion, for their beliefs or simply for the colour of their skin; on the Cross, Jesus is united with so many young people who have lost faith in political institutions, because they see in them only selfishness and corruption; he unites himself with those young people who have lost faith in the Church, or even in God because of the counter-witness of Christians and ministers of the Gospel. The Cross of Christ bears the suffering and the sin of mankind, including our own. Jesus accepts all this with open arms, bearing on his shoulders our crosses and saying to us: “Have courage! You do not carry your cross alone! I carry it with you. I have overcome death and I have come to give you hope, to give you life” (cf. Jn 3:16).2. And so we can answer the second question: What has the Cross given to those who have gazed upon it or touched it? What has it left in each one of us? It gives us a treasure that no one else can give: the certainty of the unshakable love which God has for us. A love so great that it enters into our sin and forgives it, enters into our suffering and gives us the strength to bear it. It is a love which enters into death to conquer it and to save us. The Cross of Christ contains all the love of God, his immeasurable mercy. This is a love in which we can place all our trust, in which we can believe. Dear young people, let us entrust ourselves to Jesus, let us give ourselves over entirely to him (cf. Lumen Fidei, 16)! Only in Christ crucified and risen can we find salvation and redemption. With him, evil, suffering, and death do not have the last word, because he gives us hope and life: he has transformed the Cross from an instrument of hate, defeat and death into a sign of love, victory and life. The first name given to Brazil was “The Land of the Holy Cross”. The Cross of Christ was planted five centuries ago not only on the shores of this country, but also in the history, the hearts and the lives of the people of Brazil and elsewhere. The suffering Christ is keenly felt here, as one of us who shares our journey even to the end. There is no cross, big or small, in our life which the Lord does not share with us.3. But the Cross of Christ invites us also to allow ourselves to be smitten by his love, teaching us always to always look upon others with mercy and tenderness, especially those who suffer, who are in need of help, who need a word or a concrete action which requires us to step outside ourselves to meet them and to extend a hand to them. How many people were with Jesus on the way to Calvary: Pilate, Simon of Cyrene, Mary, the women… Sometimes we can be like Pilate, who did not have the courage to go against the tide to save Jesus’ life, and instead washed his hands. Dear friends, the Cross of Christ teaches us to be like Simon of Cyrene, who helped Jesus to carry that heavy wood; it teaches us to be like Mary and the other women, who were not afraid to accompany Jesus all the way to the end, with love and tenderness. And you? Who are you like? Like Pilate? Like Simon? Like Mary? Dear friends, let us bring to Christ’s Cross our joys, our sufferings and our failures. There we will find a Heart that is open to us and understands us, forgives us, loves us and calls us to bear this love in our lives, to love each person, each brother and sister, with the same love. Amen!
Photographic Service
VATICAN TELEVISION CENTER
About CTV
www.pccs.va
www.vatican.va
FOLLOW NEWS.VA ON
NEWS.VA | © Copyright News.va & all Vatican media sources | Legal Terms & Conditions | Contact | About | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1454 | Home>Features
Sorting Out Farrakhan's Legacy
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson 25 February 2007
New America Media / AlterNet.org It seems much too early to talk about the final legacy of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. After all, he’s still very much alive, and says that he will give the annual Savior’s Day speech to his organization’s faithful in Detroit at the end of February.
But after months of battling a painful reoccurrence of problems related to prostate cancer, and having made recent headline news after undergoing hours of surgery, Farrakhan’s days as the titular, and very controversial leader of the organization are gone.
It’s certainly been a bumpy roller coast ride for him. At once, he was universally vilified as an anti-Semite and racist by Jewish groups, conservatives, and many mainstream black leaders. And at the same time, he was praised and practically deified by many blacks for speaking out boldly against racism, championing the interests of the black poor, and stirring thousands to trek to Washington for a march.
The fierce debate about Farrakhan’s real value and place as a leader also rekindled the chronic debate about who speaks for a black America more than ever deeply divided by class, politics, gender, and racial isolationism. The issue is not new. Forty years ago Malcolm X squared off against mainstream civil rights leaders such as Roy Wilkins, Martin Luther King and Whitney Young. Malcolm pounded them as “Uncle Toms” and “house Negroes” who sold out the black masses by pushing integration and non-violence.
Malcolm’s audiences, mostly the black urban poor and workers, loved it. They felt economically marginalized and alienated from the civil rights movement. They suspected that when the civil rights leaders finally broke down the racially restricted doors of corporations, government agencies and universities, middle class blacks, not them, would be the ones who entered.
They weren’t wrong. The murders of King and Malcolm were the turning point for the black movement. Without a leader to command the respect of the black poor and middle class and a cohesive program to unite them, the black movement plunged into a disastrous void. The self-destruction of organizations like SNCC and the Panthers dispirited many of their supporters and left the black movement even more organizationally fragmented and politically adrift.
The civil rights movement also was a victim of its own success. When it battered down the last barrier of legal segregation, the obstructionist politicians, nightriders, police dogs and redneck sheriffs vanished from public view. They were the hard symbols of white oppression that blacks rallied against.
As America marched deeper into the computer and technological age, thousands more low skill workers became obsolete. The black poor lacking competitive technical skills and professional training became expendable labor fodder and were shoved even further to the outer frontier of society. Many turned to gangs, guns and drugs to survive.
The black poor increasingly measured their plight not by the economic yardstick of white society, but by the conspicuous gains and consumption of the black middle-class. The latent class divisions burst into gaping fissures between two black Americas, one poor, desperate and angry, the other prosperous, comfortable and complacent.
When the crowds grew big at the Nation’s rallies, mainstream black leaders panicked. They had the political and economic clout. Farrakhan had the numbers. Not only did he seem to be winning the hearts and minds of the black poor, his message also appealed to some middle class blacks. They faced a shaky corporate future and feared that they might soon be dumped in unemployment lines.
But Farrakhan also inadvertently or deliberately hardened the racial fault lines. While he was the only black leader that blended the charisma and militant rhetoric to ignite the passions of many blacks, the downside was that wrapping the mantle of leadership tightly around one man reinforced the terrible notion that blacks speak and think with one voice on racial problems.
When Farrakhan made a real or contrived misstep, much of the media and the public assumed that most blacks agreed with him. They, and Farrakhan, were ridiculed, lambasted, and denounced as being rash, fool hardy, irresponsible and prone to eternally play the race card on every social ill that befalls blacks.
That includes being tagged with the label of anti-Semitic. That knock against him, and by extension blacks, came with a vengeance the moment Farrakhan announced the Million Man March in 1996 and a follow-up march a decade later.
Both times, the Anti-Defamation League again loudly screamed that Farrakhan was anti-white, and anti-Semitic and by inference, anyone that backed him and the march was too. Conservative radio talking heads had a field day when Farrakhan claimed that the New Orleans levees were deliberately blown during Katrina to wipe out blacks. They belittled him and blacks as paranoid, irrational, and prone to see conspiracies under every bedpost.
But that only endeared Farrakhan to thousands more poor, and alienated, blacks trapped in failing schools, in deteriorating neighborhoods, and in the jails and prisons. Mainstream civil rights organizations and black Democrats still have no compelling answer to their plight. Farrakhan didn’t either, but many thought he did and that seems more than enough to make him an enduring hero too many blacks. * * *
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a political analyst and social issues commentator, and the author of the book, The Emerging Black GOP Majority (Middle Passage Press, September 2006), a hard-hitting look at Bush and the GOP’s court of black voters. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1464 | Priests for Life Podcasting
Send a question forour Media Mailbag Challenge the Media:Show an Abortion!
This Week's Media Schedule Promote Our Programs!
Priests for Life Online Video
Fr. Frank’s YouTube Channel
Priests for LifeYouTube Channel
Priests for Life Television Priests for Life Radio
Fr. Frank's Bi-weekly Columns
Press Releases News Archive
BISHOPS’ SPOKESWOMAN DENOUNCES MISLEADING ATTACKS ON PRO-LIFERS, PRIESTS FOR LIFE
WASHINGTON—Cathleen Cleaver, director of planning and information for the Pro-Life Secretariat of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, denounced "misleading, insulting and inflammatory" remarks about the pro-life community made by a state legislator. In a letter to New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman, Ms. Cleaver wrote: "You urge supporters of abortion to participate in a protest rally against a ceremony, sponsored by the National Right to Life Committee, during which Father (Frank) Pavone (National Director of Priests for Life) will receive an award…However, I am concerned about remarks you make regarding not just Father Pavone but, by extension, others in the pro-life community that con only be described as misleading, insulting and inflammatory." "The mainstream pro-life movement, representing millions of Americans -- male and female, Republican and Democrat, liberal and conservative, religious members and those with no religious affiliation at all -- have been outspoken in their rejection of violence and in condemning the actions of those who would resort to murder in the name of pro-life. We have repeatedly, publicly stated, and firmly hold, that to resort to violence makes a mockery of the core beliefs of the pro-life movement," Ms. Cleaver said.
"To suggest that the ‘real intentions’ of the millions of Americans who oppose abortion are to endorse the murder of abortionists…is similar to saying the murderous actions of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, are representative of the real intentions of environmental activists," she continued.
"The pro-life movement, the Catholic Church, and certainly Fr. Pavone unambiguously reject all violence in opposition to abortion," Ms. Cleaver continued. "Contrary to your suggestions, our real intention is that all turn away from violence as a means to address our nation’s problems, and that includes violence against our unborn brothers and sisters." | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1501 | Register Home»Browse by Publisher»Amnesty International»Hungary
Romani woman shot dead in Hungary Publisher
Amnesty International, Romani woman shot dead in Hungary, 4 August 2009, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4a8136f6c.html [accessed 20 August 2014] DisclaimerThis is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
A Romani woman was shot dead in the village of Kisléta in Eastern Hungary, early Monday morning. The 45-year-old woman's 13-year-old daughter was also seriously injured in the attack. Initial police reports suggest that the incident is related to a series of attacks targeting Romani communities in Hungary. Amnesty International has voiced concern about the growing number of attacks against the Romani community in Hungary and the failure of the police to investigate effectively. The organization said that it welcomed the decision that the killing and its apparent racial motive will be investigated by the Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation. The agency was established specifically to investigate serious crimes.
Between January 2008 and June 2009, the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) documented 39 attacks against Roma and their property. Eight people have died in these attacks. 27-year-old Róbert Csorba and his five-year-old son were killed whilst fleeing their house which was set on fire in a suspected arson attack in Tatárszentgyörgy in February. Jenõ Kóka, a 54-year-old Romani man, was shot dead as he left his home to make his way to the nightshift in the local chemical factory where he worked in Tiszalök on 22 April. Last November, a man and woman were shot after their house was petrol bombed in Nagycsécs, a village in north eastern Hungary. The increasing number of attacks against Romani individuals and their homes has created a climate of fear and intimidation. "The Hungarian Government has firmly condemned the attacks against members of the Romani community," said Nicola Duckworth, Director of the Europe and Central Asia Programme of Amnesty International. "This is a welcome move, but what is most urgently required is an effective police investigation." In the Tatárszentgyörgy case, the head of the local criminal department violated the rules of the investigation, according to a report issued by ERRC, the Legal Defence Bureau for National and Ethnic Minorities (NEKI) and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ). Amnesty International has voiced concern that there might be more cases of attacks that remain unreported and is urging the Hungarian authorities to take positive action to address underlying prejudices against the Romani community. In its 2009 Report on Hungary, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance noted that the "victims of such acts may often be reluctant to report the racist elements of violent offences against the person, whether owing to a sense of shame, due to fear of retribution, or because they feel it is unlikely that serious follow-up will be given to this aspect of a crime." Copyright notice: © Copyright Amnesty International Search Refworld by keyword and / or country All countries Afghanistan
Racial / Ethnic persecution | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1515 | Your browser does not support iframes. Read a digital copy of the latest edition of the Roane County News online. Community News
Military Matters: Brandon T. Finney
U.S. Air Force Airman Brandon T. Finney recently graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio.
Son of Roger and Pam White of Oliver Springs, the airman is a 2010 graduate of Oliver Springs High School.
Finney completed an intensive eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Military Matters: Michael J. Vann
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael J. Vann has deployed overseas to a forward operating base to serve in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
A refueler technician assigned to the 134th Air Refueling Wing at McGhee Tyson, Knoxville, the staff sergeant has served in the military for 15 years.
He is the son of David and Judy Vann, Kingston, and Janice McCown, Harriman.
He graduated in 1987 from Roane County High School, Kingston.
The Garden Gate: Do you have Bouncing Bet in your garden?
Many of the rollicking medieval names for plants have been lost in favor of more prosaic titles, but think how exuberant a garden would be planted with such things as Bouncing Bet, Sweet Sultan, Bobbing Joan, Lustie Gallant, Gardener’s Garters or Glare of the Garden.
William Shakespeare’s famous statement that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet is perfectly true. What’s in a name? Well, a lot when it comes to plants.
'Round Rockwood: Oct. 1
Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Mc-Kinney have returned to their home in Lawrenceville, Ga., after visiting me and other relatives for a few days.
I had a nice visit with Sharon Money, Jessica Torries and Cassidy Williams on Sept. 15.
I called my friend Wanda Manning. We talked about growing up in Swan Pond. I am 90 years old, and she’s 97. We had a long visit over the phone and talked about things we had done in the past.
Harriman Happenings: Oct. 1
The 12th Pastoral Anniversary Banquet honoring the Rev. Alvin Douglass and first lady Mary Alice Douglass that was held last Saturday evening at Jamieson Development Center was well attended.
Master of ceremony was the Rev. Joe Colquitt.
The Douglass Family Singers provided the music; they really sang from their hearts. The spoken word was by the Rev. Christopher Battle, pastor of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Knoxville.
The Garden Gate: Nothing like nutritious apples on a crisp fall day
Cosimo De Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, gave a lavish banquet at his castle in 1670.
At this party, 56 varieties of apples were served in various ways. Today, there are more than 6,500 varieties of apples, thanks to crossbreeding by botanists and horticulturists.
Ever since the days of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, apples have played their part in legend, science, art and history. They are as important today as they were in ancient Rome.
Shriners screening clinic Saturday
Kerbela Roane Shriners will have a free screening clinic for children from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 29 in South Gate Lodge 569 F&AM at 306 Ruritan Road, Harriman.
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across North America. Children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.
Look Back: A Little Something From Our Files From the Week of Sept. 26
Kingston Elementary School beat the odds of 10,000 to 1 by having five sets of twins among the 137 students in the kindergarten class. The twins included Sarah and Megan Robinson, Roseinna and Tracy Shelton, William and Robert Shannon, Kristin and Jennifer Renfro, and Tiffiany and Timothy Martin.
Wheat lives on for those who called it home
By Bonita Irwin, For Roane Newspapers
Homecomings are nothing new for the people who lived in the former Wheat community or attended the Wheat Schools.
This will be the 81st year of getting together.
On Oct. 7, the reunion will be at George Jones Baptist Church in what was known as Wheat. The program will begin at 11 a.m. with A.L. Turpin bringing the message.
Wheat no longer exists except in the hearts and minds of the ones who lived there.
Harriman Happenings: Sept. 24
Due to the absence of Pastor Jesse Williams last Sunday, Preacher Bernard Bertram delivered the spoken Word.
His text was taken from Job 2:1-5. Sermon subject was “He’s there all the time.” This was a great message. Music was provided by the Gospel Chorus.
Everyone present was blessed. Preacher Bertram’s wife also worshipped with us. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1516 | Your browser does not support iframes. Read a digital copy of the latest edition of the Roane County News online. Popular content
Tornado gets Roane federal...
Roane County officials hope to use federal disaster aid to cover some of the costs of getting rid of all the trees that were downed when an EF 0-rated tornado hit the area in June.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced a disaster declaration for Tennessee last week.
“We’ll end up getting some money from it,” Roane County Executive Ron Woody said. “We don’t know how much it will be yet.”
Bolling, Lewis helped bring a...
On behalf of the residents of the city of Kingston and all early-morning and late-night travelers on West Race Street, I would like to thank City Manager David Bolling and particularly his assistant, Joyce Lewis. Because of them, a much-needed streetlight was installed on the southwest corner of Race and Kentucky streets next to Rite Aid.
That corner, which was once dark and dangerous, is now well lighted and much safer for those who travel through there.
It's nice to have government personnel who receive a request from concerned citizens and act on it.
Kids who worked car wash are...
I visited a car wash on Saturday, July 26, at the Rite-Aid parking lot in the middle of Kingston.
I just wanted to comment that I experienced the nicest, hardest-working youth I have seen in a long time.
I asked the cost, and I was told, “Just a donation.”
I pulled in and waited. I was next.
But what I saw was a very devoted, disciplined group of guys and girls working very hard to wash and detail the vehicle of the patron ahead of me.
GLIMPSES: Of rights,...
By MARK BANKER
Author’s note: The following three premises are essential to this column.
1) None of us see the past or present with absolute clarity.
2) Each of us has the capacity for glimpses of informed insight that draw from and reflect our personal values.
3) Cordial, forthright exchange of those insights enhances our mutual well being.
Virginia Tech dean's list:...
Antonia L. Erwin of Oliver Springs is among the Virginia Tech students named to the dean’s list for spring semester.
She is a freshman majoring in accounting and information systems in the Pamplin College of Business.
To qualify for the dean’s list, students must attempt at least 12 credit hours graded on the A-F option and earn a 3.4 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) during the semester.
Virginia Tech is in Blacksburg, Va.
Maybe owner of puppy in hot car...
It saddened me to read the letter about the puppy being closed up in a hot car with no water.
There are so many sick and cruel people in this world who should not own an animal.
They should know better than to let an animal — a puppy at that — stay in a closed-up car.
Not bothering to care is just as bad as a driver who does not pay attention on the road and causes a terrible accident.
This woman should not be allowed to own an animal if this is how she treats them.
Tip leads to drug arrests at...
An anonymous call led to a drug bust at the Rodeway Inn in Harriman Friday night.
Tony Frogg, 543 Baumgartner Road, Harriman, is facing charges in the incident.
According to the warrant, Harriman police were dispatched to the hotel around 10 p.m. about a possible meth lab.
“The caller was anonymous and could not give a room number,” the warrant sad.
“The caller advised that a Tony Frogg was in the room and had warrants. Central (dispatch) did confirm three warrants in hand for Tony Frogg.”
RCHS band members, alum earn...
A pair of Roane County High School band members, along with a recent band alumnus, earned distinctions for themselves over the summer.
Junior Lyric Rivera spent four weeks at Middle Tennessee Stae University participating in the Governor’s School for the Arts.
Her fellow band member, Charlie Coen, was the first freshman in the Kingston school’s history to be named to the All-State Band.
Zaxby’s open in Roane
Zaxby’s, a Southeast favorite for chicken fingers and wings and one of the nation’s fastest-growing restaurant chains, celebrated the grand opening of its first Roane County location last week.
The restaurant in Pinnacle Pointe in Harriman’s Midtown area celebrated by giving away a year of free meals to the first 100 guests.
Harriman Zaxby’s restaurant is open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
It is the fourth Zaxby’s in Tennessee for licensees Gary and Mary Stuart.
Community there for family after...
On May 30, 2014, our lives were changed beyond our wildest imagination. Our precious daughter, Jadah, and our “other” son, Rod, lost their lives in the train wreck while our son, Darius, and one of his best friends, Hunter, were clinging to life.
The days that followed were filled with hopefulness, sadness, and faithfulness. Some bonds were formed with friends who we had lost contact with, some bonds were strengthened with family and friends who wanted the Crass and Gallaher families to know they were there for us during this uncertain time. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1530 | Health & Hollywood: "Putting a Little Spinach in the Popcorn"
Television gets a bad rap for negative health messages. But some groups are turning that around by incorporating health messages into popular television shows and movies, like Grey’s Anatomy, House and ER on TV and the movie Contagion on the big screen.
Hollywood, Health & Society, based out of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, actually goes into the writer’s rooms of popular television shows to bring them public health stories. “Transportation” is when viewers lose track of their surroundings and come to feel deeply for the characters in the story, said Sandra de Castro Buffington of USC. In this state, viewers are likely to learn more and be more open to changing their views and behaviors.
Entertainment media meets people where they are with content they’re interested in. It’s “putting a little spinach in the popcorn,” said de Castro Buffington – or “putting vegetables on the pizza,” if you ask Jason Rzepka, Vice President of Public Affairs for MTV Networks. MTV’s 16 and Pregnant television show has been criticized by some for glamorizing teen pregnancy, but it reaches teens in greater volume than any PSA and in fact provides a realistic view of teen pregnancy. Even the Vatican newspaper said they were “pleasantly surprised” by the show. A survey found that 93 percent of teen viewers think pregnancy is harder than they’d imagined.
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has pioneered research in this area, and partnered with everyone from MTV and BET to Walgreens to get health messages integrated into a variety of platforms. NewPublicHealth spoke with Tina Hoff, Senior Vice President and Director of the Health Communication and Media Partnership Program at the Kaiser Family Foundation about how they are using entertainment partnerships to create change.
NPH: What is your session about at APHA?
Tina Hoff: The panel that I’m on is being organized by the Advertising Council and the focus of it is about integrating health messages into entertainment platforms, and that’s traditionally been working with popular television shows. That is something that the Foundation has done for many years now to weave in story lines about health issues.
But today we’re seeing this kind of | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1532 | Local man wins trip in lottery
by Rebecca Rider rrider@salisburypost.com Posted: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 12:58 a.m.
David Rector, a Salisbury native, spends his days working as a letter carrier with the U.S. Post Office. Every now and then he’ll play the N.C. Education lottery, but he’s never won much. At least, not until he received a call in June informing him that he’d won the grand prize for the lottery’s Second-Chance drawing: a trip for two to Las Vegas for the 2013 Star Trek Convention.
Rector has been a long time supporter of the lottery. He says that normally he plays for Powerball or Mega Millions, but bought three scratch-off tickets on a whim. When they turned out to be duds, he entered them online in the Second-Chance drawing.
“I figured I gotta win something,” Rector said.
While there was another Second Chance contest going on at the time, Rector chose to enter the Star Trek drawing. He’s a fan of the series, and owns all the DVDs. Rector said he was aiming for second place, a prize pack that included Star Trek memorabilia. Instead, he got the grand prize.
After thinking it over and realizing he wouldn’t be able to take leave off of work, Rector decided to give the trip to his adult son, Mike.
When his dad called and asked if Mike and his wife, Emily, wanted to go Vegas, Mike Rector, of Greensboro, said he was surprised.
“I didn’t know if he was serious or not,” Mike said.
But Rector was very serious. He said he called his son to double check that he wanted to go before calling up the lottery office and accepting. Rector was happy to give the trip to his son.
“He enjoys watching the movies and all,” Rector explained. “He’s really excited about it and looking forward to it. He’s going to take his wife. They’ve always wanted to go to Las Vegas, and now they get a chance.”
The trip includes hotel and airfare and Mike and Emily will get to enjoy meeting Star Trek celebrities at the convention and going out on the town to see a few shows and enjoy the lights of Las Vegas. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1579 | Rock show • Three other bands made for a solid night of head-banging music.
By Leann Burke
Updated: July 31, 2013 12:10PM Some performers command the stage in a way that completely changes one’s opinion of them. For me, Hollywood Undead is one of those groups. I never cared much for the Los Angeles-based rap/rock group until last Saturday night, when I saw them play at In the Venue.
Don’t get me wrong. Rap plus rock equals awesome. It was their lyrics that put me off, probably because the first song of theirs I heard, “Everywhere I Go,” is too rough-edged.
So what changed my mind? Well, first of all, I listened to them play for an hour and a half. Come to find out, not all their songs are R-rated (though I still wouldn’t suggest them for children under 13).
Second, and most important, these guys are amazing performers. From the second they opened with “Undead,” a song from their debut album “Swan Songs,” to the moment they closed their encore with “We Are” from their latest album “Notes From the Underground,” the men of Hollywood Undead owned the stage. Only the drummer stayed in one area. The other five members moved around, interacting with each other: high fives, a guitar battle, a breaking up of the guitar battle and more. Sharing a stage meant more than standing next to each other, occasionally sharing a mic or a bout of head-banging.
Hollywood Undead engaged the audience, too, beyond the usual “Salt Lake City, are you having a good time tonight?” or “Salt Lake City make some noise.” They posed for pictures, they occasionally slapped the hands of screaming teenagers in the front row and they brought a kid named Dominic onstage to introduce the song “Comin’ in Hot.”
Fans’ cheers erupted before and after each song. Fists pumped, heads banged and crowd surfers floated their way to the exasperated security guards who would set them back on the ground. When the band left the stage after “Hear Me Now,” the crowd chanted, “Undead!” until the band returned.
Three bands performed before Hollywood Undead. Hail the Yeti, a Los Angeles-based metal band, led the night with screamed lyrics. The band hadn’t even finished one song before a mosh pit broke out on the floor and guys in their early teens banged against each other in a dance-off/street fight hybrid. Head banging was the move of choice for the men of All Hail the Yeti, and their long hair whipped around their heads as if in a windstorm.
Second onstage was 3PillMorning, who had a successful first go with Utahns. When they played “I Want That for You,” their song on the radio now, the audience sang along.
Escape the Fate performed just before Hollywood Undead claimed the audience. Escape the Fate opened with “You’re Insane,” thecurrent single off their new album “Ungrateful.” They also played the title track for that album, an autobiographical song about bullying and t | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1604 | ADVERTISEMENT Car crashes into probation office during rehab Associated Press
POCATELLO, Idaho — A car crashed into an Idaho probation office building and injured five men, including four who were inside attending a drug and alcohol rehabilitation meeting.Police in Pocatello say 10 to 15 people were at the meeting at the Bureau of Probation and Parole at 5:20 p.m. Sunday when the car smashed into the building, coming to rest in the meeting room.Officers say one man was pinned under the car and suffered serious injuries. The driver and three other men suffered minor injuries.Police say the car was northbound when it crossed the southbound lanes and smashed through a large sign in front of the building before continuing through the parking lot and hitting the building.Police were still trying to determine why the driver lost control of the car. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1614 | Front Page » December 27, 2001 » Local News » U.S. 6 Labeled 'death Highway' at Several Sites in Nation
Published 4,619 days agoU.S. 6 Labeled 'death Highway' at Several Sites in Nation
By RICHARD SHAWStaff reporter
On June 9, 1955, Everett Davis of Denver, Colo., died of injuries incurred in a automobile accident west of Wellington on U.S. Highway 6. The fatality occurred when a Helper resident, trying out a new Buick ran, head on into Davis' car. The death was the first in Carbon County in 1955 and the first of the year on what residents in recent years have designated the "death highway."
Davis died almost half way through the 1955 calendar year. In 2001, the first fatality on the highway took place in January and traffic deaths have continued to pile up month after month.
Castle Valley motorists know the dangers of driving on U.S. 6 between Green River and Spanish Fork. Most locals have been caught in some type of traffic jam on the road due to a mishap. And all residents have a story of at least one close call concerning traveling on the highway.
There has been many editorials written over the years in newspapers from Salt Lake to Moab about the situation. There have also been many angry letters written to the publications, the Utah Department of Transportation and government officials who directly or indirectly influence changes on the road.
Since the accident in 1951, traffic volume has increased on the road. Based on national statistics, it has at least doubled.
U.S. 6 is the designation for a road built early in the 20th century as part of the federal highway system, the precursor for the interstate highway complex erected from the 1950s through the present.
While people in Carbon County view U.S. 6 as a state road, the highway is part of the national road network. U.S. 6 begins its journey west on the east coast of the United States at the end of Cape Cod in Provincetown, Mass., and winds its way across the nation. Due to changes in the national system and interstate highways, parts of U.S. 6 have been usurped by the multi-lane roads, particularly by I-70 and I-76 in the west. But in some places in America, U.S. 6 still exists in basically the same form it did 80 years ago.
On its way west, U.S. 6 crosses many of the major cities of the country as well as many state capitols. After leaving Cape Cod, it crosses through Rhode Island and Providence. It enters Connecticut and passes through Hartford. West of Hartford, the highway has a nickname as it swings south - "the death miles." This section of U.S. 6 is listed as one of the 10 worst sections of road in the United States. The road, coincidentally, joins Interstate 84 at its south end. One reason the section of U.S. 6 is so high in death statistics is the fact that people come off of I-84 and drive too fast north toward Hartford.
U.S. 6 breaks away from the tollway in Brewster, N.Y. The highway travels south and touches the New York City metropolitan area suburbs before crossing the Hudson River and traveling west. The road drops south into Pennsylvania, passes north of Scranton through rural Quaker country until it hits the Ohio state line and moves into Cleveland, where it travels along the south shore of Lake Erie. Near Port Clinton, Ohio, it starts to drop south and meets with I-80. Residents near the area call that section of the road the "death strip" due to vehicles high rate of speed coming off the interstate.
The road hits rural farm country, passing south of Toledo about 30 miles. The highway enters Indiana, passing north of Fort Wayne and south of South Bend when it eventually meets up with Gary, Ind., in a place where I-80 passes over it.
Chicago has basically swallowed up Gary, Ind., and the highway passes directly through the windy city's suburbs as it touches the southern tip of Lake Michigan. This is where another section of the road that is known as one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in northern Indiana resides.
The road crosses the state line into Illinois, traveling through Joliet and flat farmland toward the Iowa border. U.S. 6 shadows I-80 almost all the way, serving as mains street for many small towns that were passed by when the Interstate system was built in the middle of the last century.
Once it enters Iowa, U.S. 6 becomes intermittent, breaking off of I-80 to travel through places like Iowa City and Grinnell, then branching away to pass through the middle of Des Moines. In western Iowa, it breaks off of the interstate and travels south to Atlantic, Iowa, one beef center of the Midwest. It proceeds into Council Bluffs, crosses the Missouri River and travels into Omaha, Neb.
From Omaha, the highway remains intact, traveling south to Lincoln then west through the cornfields toward Hastings and McCook. The journey across Nebraska ends when the highway travels unbroken into Colorado and ends at Fort Morgan, where it duties were relieved years ago by I-76.
U.S. 6 reappears west of Denver in various places, most notably near Eisenhower Tunnel. The road travels over Loveland Pass and where oversize loads or hazardous materials carriers must use the old highway to avoid tunnels forbidden to the cargos in question.
From there, I-70 has replaced U.S. 6 almost all the way to Green River, except for a small section in Grand Junction. The road heads northwest through Price and Helper, where it is officially designated U.S. 6-191, and proceeds on to Spanish Fork, where it is usurped by I-15 headed south.
U.S. 6 leaves the interstate system at Santaquin, heading west where it passes through Eureka and southwest to Delta. In Delta, it joins with U.S. 50 and becomes U.S. 6-50 across the dry west Utah desert crossing into Nevada. At Ely, the highways divide, with U.S. 50 heading north toward Austin and U.S. 6 moving southwest toward Tonopah.
U.S. 50 across Nevada has been named the loneliest highway in America. But U.S. 6 is almost as lonely as it passes north of the Nevada Test Site and the Site 51, used by the military for secret testing of equipment and aircraft.
The road crosses the California border and hits Benton, where itturns south.
Some Californians call U.S. 6 as it heads south to Bishop "a death road." The highway has claimed a number of victims as people rush s toward the dual national parks west of Bishop, Kings Canyon and Sequoia. At Bishop, U.S. 6 joins with Highway 395, a sometimes two- to four-lane road and at other times a freeway. U.S. 6 ends after wandering through the plains, mountains and deserts of the U.S. for slightly more than 2,000 miles.
Within the 2,000 plus miles, there are at least four places where the highway is considered a death generator by the public due to design or driver error or both . The number of deaths that have occurred on the entire length of U.S. 6 would be difficult to determine. But the fatalities occurring on the local strip between Spanish Fork and I-70 are monitored by UDOT.
According to the available statistics, there have been 100 deaths on the road between 1996 to 2000.
In 1996, five people died. But the following year, 23 were killed on the stretch between Spanish Fork and Green River.
During the two-year period from 1999 to 2000, the number of related deaths have registered at 13 and 17 respectively. Have changes on the highway, such as additional passing lanes and signage, been responsible for the small drop in fatalities since 1998, when 22 people died?
What about the future?
How will the highway change to accommodate the anticipated increased traffic loads traveling on U.S. 6?
"Our engineers try to build roads that will serve populations at least 30 years in the future," indicates Myron Lee, region 4 public information for UDOT. "It's hard to exactly predict what will happen, but they try to do that."
While UDOT investigates every traffic death on U.S. to see what can be done to improve the road and prevent more fatalities, the responsibility for safe roads is a joint one.
That responsibility is split between the public departments taking care of the highways and enforcing the laws and the private motorists who use the byways.
The public and private sectors share an important charge when it comes to improving conditions and reducing traffic safety concerns for people traveling on U.S. Highway 6.
Ensuring welfare of outdoor animals requires food, shelter
U.S. 6 Labeled 'death Highway' at Several Sites in Nation
Roundy foundation sponsors Bear Hugs for Spencer shopping event for children
Agencies issue work-at-home ad alert
Andalex, Intermountain Power secure Whitmore Canyon tract
Memorial Weekend Accidents Plague Area, Spanish Fork Man Dies in U.S. 6 Mishap
Green River fatality continues automobile deaths in local area
No injuries in one-car rollover on Highway 10
Letter to the Editor: and the beat goes on
Price Motorist Injured in Two-vehicle Collision on U.S. Highway 6 | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1616 | News Opinion Lifestyle Showcase Sports Ads Classifieds Jobs Extras CU Notices Contact Us News
« Accused Jersey Shore killer...
Lycoming County’s Most Wante...»
Relatives of victim, suspect speak out
By SAVANNAH DEMPSEY (sbarr@sungazette.com)
Save | Homicide cases are grueling processes that can have devastating effects on the families of both the accused and the victim. Both Glenn Jackson's sister and Michael Krauser's estranged wife spoke with the Sun-Gazette after Jackson's preliminary hearing on Friday. Carolyn Krauser, estranged wife Christina Dailey, victim's friend Things have been difficult for Carolyn Krauser since her estranged husband first went missing on Feb. 4, though the pair was separated. Carolyn said she still has good memories of Michael, and she was the one who first alerted authorities to the fact that he was missing. "Regardless of what happened between us, he didn't deserve to die like that," Carolyn said. She said she does not believe Jackson's claims that his actions were self-defense. Emotions have been running high for Carolyn "I'm sorry, I just, I haven't been dealing with this well," she said, as she wiped tears from her eyes. She said she has been very stressed lately and was thankful to have friends to care for her. For Carolyn, one of the most difficult parts to accept about the case is how Michael's body was buried beneath the dirt in the basement of his good friend's home. "Glenn and Mike, those two were together all the time. They were inseparable," Carolyn said. Christina Dailey, who knew Krauser well, agreed. "Whatever happened between them, they should have just let it go. They were always friends; you always saw them hanging out together," Dailey said. Dailey remembers Krauser as someone who "was like a father to us, and like a grandfather to my kids." She does not believe Jackson's self-defense claims. "There's no reason to do that to someone. He didn't deserve to die that way, to be buried that way," Dailey said. Deirdre Jackson, suspect's sister Though her brother is accused of a horrible crime, Glenn Jackson's sister stands by the man she described as "calm, cool, collected and caring." Jackson is a very intelligent man who loves to fish, loves children and has a big heart, according to Deirdre Jackson. Deirdre and her family drove 24 hours from Louisiana to be present at the hearing. She took a moment to speak about some of the struggles her family has faced since a body was discovered buried in the basement of what Deirdre remembers as "our family home." "We are a very close knit family. We talk to each other, we love each other," Deirdre said. "I know my brother, and he is not a criminal," she added. The Glenn Jackson Deirdre remembers is a caring man who could be misguided by his desire to help others. "He wanted to take care of everyone. He would open his home to people. Everyone knew if you had nowhere to sleep that night, you could stay with Glenn," Deirdre said. After charges were filed against Glenn, several neighbors came forward to recount times that he had let people live in his home for free, when they had nowhere else to stay. However, neighbors also remembered Glenn as someone who struggled with substance abuse. Deirdre refuted these claims. "He certainly may have drank from time to time, and everybody makes some poor choices now and then. But I don't believe he had a problem," she said. Deirdre said her and her family were trying to help Glenn as much as possible. She mentioned he has been praying and attending church during his incarceration. Authorities did an extensive, weeklong search of Glenn's home, looking for any piece of evidence that might explain the night of Feb. 11, when Jackson allegedly hit Krauser with an ashtray, stabbed him with a sword and buried his body in a crawlspace below the Jackson family home. Deirdre said that neighbors and friends have been volunteering their efforts to clean up what she described as "just a huge mess." "There were holes cut into the mattresses, everything was turned over, every door rifled through. Things have been thrown everywhere, and the place is really going to be a lot of work to fix," Deirdre said. Deirdre, a nurse, mentioned she has to be back in Louisiana for work on Sunday. She said she plans to attend as many of Glenn's court dates as she can, to support her brother. "We are a family that sticks together and we're going to try and see this through. give him what support we can," Deirdre said. Save | Subscribe to Williamsport Sun-Gazette Williamsport Weather Forecast, PA | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1625 | Can oil save the rainforest? - Taipei Times
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 - Page 9 News List
Can oil save the rainforest?
When another new oil field was found beneath an Ecuadoran national park in the Amazon jungle, environmental campaigners feared the worst, but a daring plan to hold the drilling rights ransom could save the planet’s most biodiverse area and set an important precedent in conservation
By John Vidal / The Observer
Although Diego has heard the stories that his teachers worked with the oil companies, he will not hear a word against them.“When you are young you do not know these things. What I know is that they were good people,” he said.He said his godmother was Rachel Saint, the sister of Nate Saint, one of five missionaries attacked and speared by the Huaorani in 1956 after entering Huaorani territory. Rachel forgave them and then set up a “protectorate” for them where she lived until she died in 1994. Ironically, her work allowed Texaco to build a road deep into the forest and resulted in a flood of people moving in and destroying more than 2 million hectares of forest.Diego loves, but fears for, Yasuni.“I spend up to five months at a time there. When I am alone, I see all the animals. I walk quietly. I take a small kayak, I see electric eels, dolphins. The real treasure of Yasuni is not the oil, but the forest itself. I don’t want to think about oil coming to Yasuni. It would be a catastrophe. There will be money in the short term, but there will be no more Yasuni jungle,” he said.In the deep forest at the Tiputini Research Station, primatologists told me they now hear oil company planes flying overhead and that the animals are showing signs of fear. Opinions at Tiputini are divided over whether Yasuni will be sooner or later exploited. The station’s resident director, biologist Diego Mosquera, fears it cannot hold out for long.“Who owns the oil has the power,” Mosquera said. “Oil is 100 times bigger than anything else in Ecuador. Honestly, I don’t think the companies can be stopped.”
However, Swing is more optimistic.“Yes, we are very nervous that all this will be lost and that Yasuni will become like Lago Agrio,” he said. “But this time we have a unique chance to save a lot of nature for very little. If we can’t justify saving a place that has more species per square inch than anywhere else on the planet, then what hope is there for anything? What then do we keep? What then can we save?” | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1640 | - Volume. 11823
Home Iran Highlights About TT Contact Us Links TT On-The-Go TT Feed Bahraini regime sentences nine activists to life in prison Staff & Agencies On Line: 08 October 2013 12:31 In Print: Wednesday 09 October 2013 Font Size A court jailed nine Bahrainis for life on Monday for forming a militant group, manufacturing explosives and plotting attacks aimed at destabilizing the kingdom, state news agency BNA reported, Reuters reported. The trial was the latest in a series involving alleged anti-government activists in the Persian Gulf Arab state, still beset by political tensions more than two years after security forces quelled pro-democracy protests.
BNA said the convicted men had turned a Manama warehouse into a bomb factory, where they had prepared explosives to attack security forces, civilians and private and public property "with the aim of undermining the stability of the country and harming its economic foundations".
Meanwhile, anti-regime protesters in Bahrain have taken to the streets to show their solidarity with political activists jailed by the Al Khalifa regime, Press TV reported. The protests took place in different parts of the country, including Eker, al-Qaryyah and the northeastern island of Sitra on Sunday night, with demonstrators chanting slogans against Al Khalifa. The protests come in the wake of a fresh regime crackdown on anti-government politicians and activists. The Bahraini uprising began in mid-February 2011. Protesters initially called for political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests. Scores have been killed, many of them under torture while in custody, and thousands more detained since the popular uprising began in the Persian Gulf kingdom.
Socialize this
Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in touch and receive all of TT updates right in your feed reader
TehranTimes - Iran's Leading International Daily © 2012 | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1647 | I've lost the rage and family life has made me more mellow
John McEnroe, his daughter Anna, centre, and Bjorn Borg at a 2000 charity event
at Buckingham Palace for the prevention of child cruelty.Photo:UPPA/Zuma Press
McEnroe facts
I don't know where my rage came from. I grew up with my brothers in a loud Irish-American household and, having lived in New York all my life, I was shocked to discover that other people weren't more like me. If you took a plane and landed at Kennedy Airport, by the time you got to your house, you were lucky if 10 people hadn't called you an a--hole. My parents showed love in strange ways, too. My dad often used to yell at me after matches. He meant well. He was basically saying: "You're better than all these guys. You deserved to win." But the way he said it was: "You total idiot! You're better than that!" So there was craziness, but it was a lovi | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1659 | ROB Insight
A powerful shift in the politics of African aid
Eric Reguly
ROME — From Monday's Globe and Mail
Monday, Aug. 17 2009, 12:00 AM EDT
ereguly@globeandmail.com
Stephen Harper and his flunkies took a fair amount of heat before last month's G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, for allegedly nixing Canada's commitments to Africa. Allegedly indeed. As it turns out, Canada is one of the few countries to have kept its commitments - even Bob Geldof has said so. In L'Aquila, the Prime Minister scolded other Western politicians for not keeping theirs.
Let's rebuild the African narrative
What Mr. Geldof and his sidekick Bono probably don't know is that once Canada's African commitment - which rose from $1-billion (U.S.) five years ago to $2.1-billion in the fiscal 2008-09 year - is finished, the continent will pretty much drop off Canada's aid map. Wealthier Latin America will be the new focus.
Mr. Harper has said Latin America is to become the new aid sweet spot. But the Conservative government has never come entirely clean on why Latin America makes more sense than Africa, other than the boilerplate line about Latin America being in Canada's sphere of influence - that is, more or less in the same time zone as Ottawa.
If you have read
Dead Aid, a short, punchy, best-selling book by Dambisa Moyo, you might get an idea of what the Canadian government was really thinking when it nudged Africa off the funding cliff.
I have no idea whether anyone in the Prime Minister's Office or at CIDA, Canada's overseas development agency, has read the book, which came out a few months ago. But it doesn't matter. What Ms. Moyo says is an open secret among donors, developing-world economists and politicians who know a thing or two about aid: Giving freebies to Africa has done no measurable good and may even be making a bad situation worse.
Ms. Moyo is well qualified to talk about the African aid fiasco. Born and raised in Zambia, she holds a doctorate in economics from Oxford and was a World Bank consultant. Until recently, she was part of Goldman Sachs's macroeconomics teams, specializing in sub-Saharan Africa. To learn about Africa's woes from an African, instead of an aging white professor in England or New England, is refreshing.
Africa has received about $1-trillion (U.S.) in development aid in the past 50 years and the spigot is still wide open. Ms. Moyo argues that the endless loot has created a culture of dependency, promoted the growth of bureaucracy, turned corruption into national sports, and triggered inflation. It has damaged business and industry. Aid hasn't contributed to job creation.
She tells the story of an African mosquito-net producer with 10 employees who made 500 nets a week. Mosquito nets can be a matter of life and death in Africa, where malaria is rampant. Thinking he was doing the right thing, a Hollywood movie star, name undisclosed, sent 100,000 mosquito nets to a malaria-prone region. The local net producer couldn't compete and promptly went out of business (Canada's Rick Mercer and Belinda Stronach, by the way, are big proponents of buying nets for Africans through the Spread the Net campaign).
Ms. Moyo says Africa's reliance on aid, instead of taxes, has destroyed the idea of accountability.
If the countries had a real tax base, they would have some say in how the money is spent, and who is qualified to do the spending. In a recent interview with Reason magazine, she said African leaders "spend the vast amount of time courting and catering to donors because they are the ones that determine whether they live or die."
Corruption is an enormous problem in Africa. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week [Aug. 14]wrapped up an 11-day African tour, during which she urged the countries to fight corruption. In her book, Ms. Moyo devotes a lot of space to the corruption nightmare. She cites estimates that say at least 25 per cent of the $525-billion US lent by the World Bank to developing countries has been "misused," that is, stolen.
Her proposal is a form of shock therapy: Cut aid to Africa within five years. She thinks this would effectively force the basket-case African countries to develop their own economies, learn to trade, create a tax base, get a | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1680 | Oyo Asks EFCC to Refund Ladoja's ‘Stolen’ Money
Former governor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja Oyo State Government has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release to it money and property belonging to the state confiscated from its former governor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja. The state government also asked the anti-graft agency to expedite action in the trial of former governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala.
This decision, which formed part of the resolutions of the state Executive Council, was conveyed to journalists yesterday in a statement by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Taiwo Otegbeye.
According to the executive council resolution, this was necessary for good governance.
The statement reads in part: “The Executive Council of Oyo State Government has passed a resolution urging the EFCC to expedite action on the trial of the two former governors of Oyo State and their co-accused persons facing trial for misappropriation of the state funds and resources.”
While commending the EFCC for its giant strides in investigating, arresting and prosecuting the two former governors for offences relating to misappropriation and conversion of the state funds and resources, the government noted that the trials of the former governors were yet to commence.
More specifically, in the statement, the state asked the commission to release to it the state government money and property recovered from the governors and their fellow accused persons.
According to the government, the money and property recovered by the anti-graft agency, which it said were well over N700 million, was still outstanding.
Tags: Nigeria, Featured, Politics, PDP, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, EFCCComments: 0 | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1715 | Text size | | | Tears of tranquillity: the tale of a Colombian refugee in PanamaNews Stories, 5 October 2005 © UNHCR/G.GuerreroMaria's granddaughter is leading an increasingly 'normal' life, only a year after fleeing to Panama, thanks to her grandmother's determination to carve out a new life and career. PANAMA, October 5 (UNHCR) – "I have everything I need to tell you my story. So many people back home have not lived to tell theirs," Maria says, as she launches into her harrowing tale.
Sitting under the surprisingly fancy chandelier that hangs from the tin roof of her small house on the outskirts of Panama, this 46-year-old grandmother of five alternately laughs and cries her way through memories of the life she left behind in her native Colombia.
A year ago, threats from an armed group forced her to escape with her family to Panama, where life is still tough but not without its rewards. Even while she describes the continuing hardships of living in this new country as a refugee, Maria is fiercely determined to make the most of the peace and security she has found here, and says that Panama is "the second heaven."
Like Maria, most of those seeking asylum in Panama recently have been Colombians fleeing the armed conflict there. The UN refugee agency is working with the Panama government to ensure that their rights are respected, and to help them integrate into Panamanian society.
In July of 2005, UNHCR started up a micro-credit programme for refugees living in or around the capital, Panama City. The small loans provided under this programme are intended to allow refugees to set up or strengthen their business enterprises.
UNHCR's Renee Cuijpers explains that, so far, 63 percent of the loans have been provided directly to refugee women, and have been used in a variety of enterprises – many of them in the food industry: a bakery, an ice cream shop, a seafood business, and door-to-door food sales.
Maria has just received one of these loans, which she will use to buy an oven and fridge to expand the catering business which she started on her own a few months back. "I used to have domestic help in Colombia, and now I have to cook for others, but I really don't mind," she says. "With 50 years of conflict in Colombia, luckily our parents prepared us for everything."
The memory of the coffee plantation she inherited is still fresh, however, and she breaks down as she remembers her family's life there. After a few moments, she collects herself and describes the day in the summer of 2004 when seven armed men showed up on her doorstep. She recalls how adamant she was in her refusal to give them the "vacuna" (vaccination) they demanded – money many Colombians are forced to pay to one illegal armed group in order to receive protection from another.
Threats to the family followed, and then a month of living undercover before they found a way to leave the country. During that time, they all disguised themselves, including Maria who cropped and dyed the long shiny black hair of which she had always been so proud.
In August 2004, after giving the keys of the estancia to a friend – promising him he could keep it if they did not return within five years – Maria, her husband, three daughters, son, stepson and four grandchildren were finally able to cross into Panama where they applied for asylum. One grandson stayed in Colombia with her son's ex-wife.
As asylum seekers, the adult members of Maria's family were not eligible for work permits and could only sustain themselves with whatever odd jobs came their way. Before the end of the year, they had used all their savings and sold the few pieces of jewellery they had brought with them to Panama.
When Christmas came around, a neighbour took them to the local church. In spite of the family squabbles over money, which were now frequent, Maria remembers it as the best Christmas they have spent together, because of the way they felt more united than ever before.
Now that she and the other members of the family have been granted refugee status – a decision which the Panamanian government took in April 2005, but of which they were officially notified only at the end of August – they can finally apply for work permits and aspire to a more regular income.
Maria is intent on making a success of the small catering business she has set up. Seated in her impeccably tidy living room, she takes pride in the natural ingredients she uses, and the conscientious way she cleans her food. It is this that sets her apart, she thinks. These are the qualities her clients are looking for.
Her two daughters help prepare the food – especially the traditional biscuits (arepas) eaten with milk jam – although they hope to move on to other jobs once they get their work permits. Her husband balances the books, and her son helps out with sales. The entire family is also engaged in setting up a football league in the neighbourhood, so that they can sell their food at the matches and increase their pool of clients.
The process of adapting to Panamanian culture continues for this courageous clan in other ways. Maria explains how, though the language is the same, there are striking cultural differences: "In Colombia, we are used to saying 'Good Morning. How did you wake up today? How can I help you?' Here, clients sometimes come in and place their orders, barely saying 'Good Day.' I'm getting used to that, but I won't change my ways."
On the whole, however, Maria finds Panamanians "... noble, good and healthy. Healthy in the fullest sense of the word." In addition to the safe haven it has provided her, living in this new society has also brought simple freedoms that she enjoys: for instance, the shorts and light t-shirt she sports here – which she says an "old" woman like her could never have worn in Colombia, where she sometimes felt it was improper even to show her toes.
When asked whether they have ever felt any discrimination, the family matriarch speaks of their initial isolation from the rest of the neighbourhood. However, this quickly dissipated when the neighbours found out how polite the little children were.
"Of course, we also used to turn on the television and hear people say terrible things about Colombians, but we just decided not to pay any attention."
Now they have many friends, including the local grocer who provided the first venue for her sales.
It is late afternoon. The children are back from school. The little girls are milling around their grandmother, and a five-year-old shows off her pretend makeup. The boy is skipping outside. Toy cars are strewn near the entrance, and a kitten mews close by. Spurred on by Maria's strength and determination to move on, life for this family now seems to have acquired a sense of normality.
Maria is aware of the long way they have come. "I can tell you what it means to flee from your country. I can tell you what pain is. But I can also tell you what overcoming all of this means. Now I cry, but my tears are no longer tears of pain, they are tears of tranquillity."
Still, she dreams of going back to Colombia one day – just to die in her native land, she says. "When the time comes, I won't even take the time to pack. I'll just fly off. But then again, who knows, maybe by then I won't even want to hear of Colombia anymore."
By Nazli Zaki in Panama
Related stories by:
country Congolese refugee sisters make dolls to help forget the pastMicro-credit scheme gives refugees in Angola chance to end dependencyA happy start to the New Year for one lost Darfur boy and his sisterMicro-credit schemes unite Colombian refugees with Ecuadorian hostsBack from the brink in Buenos Aires
UNHCR welcomes new law giving refugees chance for Panama residencyRefugee status and clean water "change everything" for indigenous ColombiansReal Madrid trains refugee children in Panama City suburbColombian indigenous culture flourishes again in PanamaIndigenous Kuna children and Colombian refugees live and study together in Panama
UNHCR country pages
ColombiaPanama
Colombia: Life in the Barrios
After more than forty years of internal armed conflict, Colombia has one of the largest populations of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world. Well over two million people have been forced to flee their homes; many of them have left remote rural areas to take refuge in the relative safety of the cities.
Displaced families often end up living in slum areas on the outskirts of the big cities, where they lack even the most basic services. Just outside Bogota, tens of thousands of displaced people live in the shantytowns of Altos de Cazuca and Altos de Florida, with little access to health, education or decent housing. Security is a problem too, with irregular armed groups and gangs controlling the shantytowns, often targeting young people.
UNHCR is working with the authorities in ten locations across Colombia to ensure that the rights of internally displaced people are fully respected – including the rights to basic services, health and education, as well as security.
Indigenous people in Colombia There are about a million indigenous people in Colombia. They belong to 80 different groups and make up one of the world's most diverse indigenous heritages. But the internal armed conflict is taking its toll on them.
Like many Colombians, indigenous people often have no choice but to flee their lands to escape violence. Forced displacement is especially tragic for them because they have extremely strong links to their ancestral lands. Often their economic, social and cultural survival depends on keeping these links alive.
According to Colombia's national indigenous association ONIC, 18 of the smaller groups are at risk of disappearing. UNHCR is working with them to support their struggle to stay on their territories or to rebuild their lives when they are forced to flee.
UNHCR also assists indigenous refugees in neighbouring countries like Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela and Brazil. UNHCR is developing a regional strategy to better address the specific needs of indigenous people during exile.
Indigenous people in Colombia Panama's Hidden Refugees
Colombia's armed conflict has forced millions of people to flee their homes, including hundreds of thousands who have sought refuge in other countries in the region.
Along the border with Colombia, Panama's Darien region is a thick and inhospitable jungle accessible only by boat. Yet many Colombians have taken refuge here after fleeing the irregular armed groups who control large parts of jungle territory on the other side of the border.
Many of the families sheltering in the Darien are from Colombia's ethnic minorities – indigenous or Afro-Colombians – who have been particularly badly hit by the conflict and forcibly displaced in large numbers. In recent years, there has also been an increase in the numbers of Colombians arriving in the capital, Panama City.
There are an estimated 12,500 Colombians of concern to UNHCR in Panama, but many prefer not to make themselves known to authorities and remain in hiding. This "hidden population" is one of the biggest challenges facing UNHCR not only in Panama but also in Ecuador and Venezuela.
Panama's Hidden Refugees
Colombia: Indigenous People Under ThreatViolence in parts of Colombia is threatening the existence of the country's indigenous people. This is the tale of one such group, the Tule. Colombia: Giving women strengthIn the volatile southern Colombian region of Putumayo, forced displacement remains a real and daily threat. Indigenous women are especially vulnerable. A project by UNHCR focuses on helping women to adapt and learn about their rights while they are displaced.Surviving in the City: Bogota, ColombiaConflict has forced more than 3 million Colombians to flee their homes and seek shelter elsewhere in the country. The majority have migrated to cities seeking anonymity, safety and a way to make a living. But many find urban life traumatizing. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1718 | Expect early spring, if Phil is right
By DREW SINGERReuters
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. - Punxsutawney Phil, America's most famous groundhog, emerged from his burrow on Saturday to the glare of cameras and the cheers of thousands of spectators and offered his annual weather prognostication: An early spring is coming.Each year thousands of fans from as far away as Australia and Russia attend the wildly popular event in this tiny western Pennsylvania town, depicted in the 1993 comedy "Groundhog Dog" starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.According to legend, if the rodent emerges from his hole and sees his shadow, six more weeks of freezing temperatures and snow are on the way.This year, however, Phil did not see his shadow, meaning an early spring should be expected.As temperatures hovered in the single-digits, the furry rodent was held aloft and relayed his prognostication to the Groundhog Club president who was dressed in a top hat and tuxedo."This is the most important weather prediction to be found anywhere on the globe," Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley told the crowd.Festivities began in the early hours when shuttle buses carried fans from nearby parking lots and the community to Phil's home on Gobbler's Knob to await the big event. A few hours later, after a fireworks display, Phil made his appearance."It doesn't matter where you are from, if you get the Groundhog Day gene it is a pilgrimage you are going to take," said Bill Cooper, a retired banker and member of the inner circle of the Groundhog Club, a non-profit that perpetuates the legend of Punxsutawney Phil."It breaks up the monotony of winter. It has existed for 127 years, not because it is the best meteorological science known to man but because it is fun," he added in a recent interview.Residents in the town of 6,000 have been looking to groundhogs for weather predictions since 1887.The rodent has seen his shadow the majority of the time, according to groundhog.org, which claims his predictions are nearly 100 percent correct."He is right almost all the time," said Cooper, although some weather agencies question his accuracy. "We figure if you want to argue the science, you have lost the point of the day. It is not something we are worried about."A few years ago Phil's international fame sparked concerns about his well-being and led to calls to replace him with a robot.Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) questioned whether the rodent should be coaxed out his burrow, exposed to cameras and crowds and handled by humans. The Groundhog Club dismissed the suggestion as ridiculous and assured critics that Phil was fine.For fans unable to make the trip to Punxsutawney there is a web link on www.groundhog.org. The festivities are also carried live on the Pennsylvania network PCN."It is a people event," said Cooper. "if you treat it that way you can have a lot of fun with it." Related | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1719 | Portsmouth rally at noon Thursday focuses on sequestration
By GRETYL MACALASTERUnion Leader Correspondent
PORTSMOUTH - Representatives from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the New Hampshire AFL-CIO, local businesses and other federal workers will hold an action rally at Prescott Park at noon today to help connect the dots between sequestration and local community impact.Paul O'Connor, president of the Metal Trades Council at the shipyard, said the goal of the rally is awareness."So people understand that sequestration will have a real impact on the local community, that is the big message - there is going to be a significant impact locally," O'Connor said.The impact goes beyond the fact that more than 5,000 shipyard employees will likely receive furlough notices next week, requiring them to take 22 unpaid furlough days between now and September.O'Connor said this will indirectly affect local businesses, including restaurants and retail stores, as a result of workers losing about 20 percent of their paychecks.Despite the conversations happening at affected federal facilities, O'Connor said there are still a lot of people who don't see a connection between the federal sequestration issue and the impact to the local economy."I guess as this unfolds and sequestration continues, more and more people will feel the impact, that's just how it is going to be," O'Connor said.He said hopefully Congress will find a way to figure it out, but everything he has seen so far is not promising."The legislation to offset sequestration is full of language that adversely impacts federal employees - continuing pay freezes indefinitely, decreasing retirement benefits . there are folks in Congress that made it very clear their goal is to shrink the size of the federal government at all costs," O'Connor said.He said the government is not going to save a penny by furloughing the shipyard's workforce. In fact, he said, in the long run, it will cost taxpayers more.As schedules slip on boats already at the shipyard because employees are not there to work on them, it will affect every project down the line, he said.The rally was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed as a result of the weather. It will kick off today in Prescott Park at noon.gmaclaster@newstote.com | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1727 | Top News Home / Top News / Special Reports / Mideast covert war moves out of shadows Mideast covert war moves out of shadows
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A wave of terrorist attacks on Israeli targets in India and Georgia and thwarted plots in Thailand and Azerbaijan in recent days mark a sharp escalation in the long-running intelligence war between Israel and Iran that is becoming less and less covert.But Western intelligence analysts observe that Israel, and its Western allies, seem to be winning this conflict hands down -- so far.Four Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in broad daylight in Tehran over the last two years, allegedly by the Israelis. A fifth narrowly survived an assassination attempt.The mastermind of Iran's ballistic missile program, Revolutionary Guards Gen. Hassan Moghaddam, was killed in a mysterious explosion at a missile base west of Tehran Nov. 12, 2011. Tehran said the blast was an accident but there's been wide speculation it was the work of Israeli or U.S. intelligence.Similarly, Israel's intelligence apparatus, aided by the United States, was widely seen as sabotaging Iran's nuclear program with a malignant computer virus known as Stuxnet in 2009.Stuxnet's origins remain unconfirmed but U.S. and European officials say they believe Iran has been able to neutralize and purge the virus from their nuclear program. However, Iran has claimed it has since been hit by a more advanced computer worm.Most of the recent attacks against Israeli targets were seen to be amateurish, poorly planned and aimed at soft targets, such as a Jewish school in Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, rather than those any with strategic value.Nor have the targets been inside Israel, while the attacks on Iran's nuclear project have all been within the Islamic Republic, mostly in the capital itself.Twin bomb attacks within minutes of each other Monday in New Delhi and Tbilisi resulted in four wounded, including the wife of an Israeli defense diplomat in the Indian capital. A similar operation in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi was foiled.U.S. authorities claimed in August that an Iranian plot, involving the elite Revolutionary Guards, to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington at his favorite restaurant had been thwarted.That disclosure was greeted with wide skepticism, largely because the details disclosed by U.S. officials made it seem so poorly planned that its prospects of success were virtually zero."Monday's events merely reinforce the existence of an already obvious campaign on both sides," observed the U.S. global security consultancy Stratfor."But the remarkable aspect is the disparity between the two efforts. By and large, Stuxnet as well as the larger sabotage and assassination campaign against Iran have been consistently professional and effective."On the other hand, the Iranian counterattack has been repeatedly foiled or exposed as ineffective, or even inept."Tehran may not be employing its most capable assets," Stratfor noted."It is possible that these attacks gave conducted via ill-conceived contract work or poorly trained proxies simply for the sake of deniability."But while the trend of attempted attacks against Israeli and U.S. interests could be interpreted as a warning of worse to come, they stand in stark contrast to the consistently effective attacks against Iranian interests on Iran territory."If the recent Iranian operations were indeed as ham-fisted as they've been made out to be, this raises questions about just how dangerous the threat of Iranian retaliation against the West and Israel in the event of conflict in the Persian Gulf would be.While Iran's military would likely be overwhelmed by U.S. military might and technological supremacy, it has always been held that Iran had the capability of unleashing a potentially devastating campaign of terror and sabotage against its adversaries.One of the most potent threats has been Hezbollah, Iran's powerful Lebanese proxy which drove Israeli occupation forces out of south Lebanon in May 2000 and fought the Jewish state's vaunted military to a standstill in a 2006 war.But Hezbollah's capabilities for waging international terrorism, not to mention its strategic outlook as an extension of Iranian power, would be seriously weakened if the Damascus regime of President Bashar al-Assad were to be brought down in the 11-month-old Syrian uprising.Syria is Iran's key Arab ally and of immense strategic value to Tehran's expansionist plans because it's the gateway to the Levant, and Hezbollah.Without Syria as the conduit for Iranian arms and military advisers, Hezbollah would be cut adrift facing Israel, Lebanon's southern neighbor, on its own. World News Videos by NewsLook Topics: Bashar al-Assad © 2012 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.
Envoy says Thai blast devices similar
Bangkok bombers suspected to be Iranian
Iran deflects blame for latest attacks
Thailand blasts injure man thought Iranian | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1729 | Blog Home / Blog / Ray Charles honored on U.S. 'Forever' postage stamp Ray Charles honored on U.S. 'Forever' postage stamp The USPS honors Ray Charles with Forever Stamp featuring a portrait of the late singer. Posted By VERONICA LINARES, UPI.com | Sept. 23, 2013 at 4:36 PM | Comments 103
Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Music legend Ray Charles is being honored by the United States Postal Service with a commemorative stamp that was released Monday. The stamp featuring a picture of the singer is part of the USPS's "Music Icons" series and was released on the singer's birthday."The stamp art features an image of Charles, taken later in his career, by photographer Yves Carrère. The stamp sheet was designed to evoke the appearance of a vintage 45 rpm record sleeve. One side of the sheet includes the stamps and the image of a sliver of a record seeming to peek out the top of the sleeve. A larger version of the photograph featured on the stamp and the logo for the Music Icons series appear on the reverse side," USPS wrote on its website.Charles was best known for his hits "Georgia On My Mind," "Hit the Road, Jack" and "America the Beautiful." He won 17 Grammy Awards as well as many other honors including the Polar Music Prize, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. The Ray Charles stamp is a Forever stamp, which means that it will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate. Contact the Author
Anna Faris explains how her son helped her shape up Edie Falco remembers James Gandolfini in teary tribute Julia Louis-Dreyfus channels Veep character during Emmys acceptance speech Claire Danes rocks bob, hijacks Lena Dunham interview during Emmys Catherine Zeta-Jones makes first appearance since Michael Douglas separation | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1741 | AG's office looks at CenturyTel merger
Mar 5, 2009 at 11:46AM
The Washington State Attorney General’s Office wants more consumer protection placed on the proposed merger of phone companies CenturyTel and Embarq.
CenturyTel, based in Monroe, La., provides local telephone service in Washington to about 150,000 customers in small and mid-sized cities, including in the Snoqualmie Valley.
The company agreed last October to acquire its local rival Embarq in an all-stock deal for about $5.8 billion, excluding debt. Including debt, the deal is reportedly worth about $11.6 billion. The proposed merger would give CenturyTel and Embarq an operating presence in 33 states.
“CenturyTel and Embarq have provided little information about how they plan to operate after their pair up,” Assistant Attorney General Sarah Shifley said. “We want to ensure that service is not degraded and that customers benefit from any reductions in company expenditures.”
The attorney general's Public Counsel section represents residential and small-business customers before the Utilities and Transportation Commission, which is considering the merger request.
In expert witness testimony filed with the state Utilties and Transportation Commission, Public Counsel raised a number of concerns about the proposed merger, including how integrating operations of the two companies might lower the quality of service. To ensure that customers are not harmed, Public Counsel recommended several conditions, including written notice to all customers of the merger and any service changes, including new company names or changes to billing format, and that any savings resulting from the merger be shared with ratepayers in the form of bill credits. The attorney general's office asked that costs from the merger not to be passed along to consumers in the form of higher rates, and called for additional investment in DSL and broadband availability. Embarq and CenturyTel provide high-speed Internet service, as well as phone service.
The commission will consider the recommendations along with testimony filed by other parties and will hold evidentiary hearings in Olympia this April. UTC approval is required for the merger to take place. The UTC may approve, approve with conditions or reject the merger and is expected to issue a decision by June 2009.
CenturyTel announces resignation of CEO
CenturyTel acquires equity in DishnetDSL
CenturyTel begins DSL deployment
CenturyTel reaches Toys for Tots goal
GTE/Bell Atlantic merger approved | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1753 | Voices on the Square
HomeSoapboxNews
Doha climate talks: what not to expect
Submitted by Cassiodorus on Mon, 11/26/2012 - 10:57
(also available at Firedoglake and at Orange)
This post is prompted by yesterday's piece in the Guardian titled "Doha climate talks: what to expect" -- today is the beginning of a UN-sponsored conference in Doha, in Qatar, on climate change. I guess this is being celebrated as a breakthrough because it's a climate change conference in an oil-producing country or something like that.
The Guardian author's apology for the talks is as follows:
But without them, what mechanism would there be to enjoin all countries, developed and developing, to take the action needed?
This despite the fact that:
the best governments are now hoping for is to draw up an agreement in the next three years that would not come into force until 2020.
But if all the political class is going to do is talk about it, then what's the point of such a conference? Maybe there ought to be some wholesale changes in the composition and social status of the political class, then. You can do that -- you're activists! At any rate, you can look at the agenda on the UN page -- it doesn't really say much about what-all they're going to do, but it would seem that repeat mention of the "Kyoto Protocol" would mean that they're going to try to do something with that piece of legislation. Too bad cap and trade is no longer really of interest here in the US, never mind that it's ineffective.
I suppose they're going to talk about giving the "poor nations" money to develop "clean energy" projects. Or maybe it's just loans or something. Of course the "poor nations" are "poor" because they're sitting atop resources, both in terms of labor and nature, that multinational corporations exploit. So whatev. But here's a list of what you shouldn't expect.
1) A multinational pledge to "keep the grease in the ground." If we want to mitigate global warming, at some point we're going to have to abandon coal mines and oil wells. Their commodity value will have to be zero. Conversely, if we pump the oil and mine the coal, we will eventually burn it, with catastrophic results for the climate. "Clean coal" is a joke because carbon sequestration won't save us. So we can't pretend to continue to burn carbon while at the same time mitigating global warming.
2) A multinational pledge to transition out of the capitalist system. Since our system of political economy, capitalism, is the main reason we burn 74 million bbls./day (about 3.1 billion gallons) of oil and an equal carbon equivalent of coal, it's really time we started to think about what will come after capitalism.
Capitalism is the foundation for all this energy consumption -- when production is oriented toward markets (or in the Stalinist case, toward "five-year plans" designed to imitate market growth), businesses view the world (both society and nature) as an aggregate of objects for the taking, with the goal in mind of creating "sales." There is no upper limit to the fetish and the fantasy that is "sales" -- unless, of course, the planetary ecosystem shrivels up, thanks to all of this wanton taking, and dies and shuts down the players of the game. A world in which society and nature were respected, then, would not be a capitalist world.
Moreover, capitalism (as a system of political economy) rests upon a world of cheap resources. Cheap resources allow the capitalists to profit; expensive resources may satisfy human needs, but what is at stake with capitalism is not human need but rather capital accumulation. Alternative energy, specifically energies such as wind, solar, and geothermal, will grant planet Earth an indefinite continuance of human civilization. But alternative energies will not provide planet Earth with the sort of cheap energy necessary for an indefinite continuance of the capitalist system. Instead, energy hype these days (as measured by the discussion in The Oil Drum) is about the PR initiative behind US shale oil. Should we wonder why? It's another hit for the collective global fossil fuel addict: the capitalists, and their lovely system.
This need for a fossil fuel hit also points to what's wrong with the activists' solution to abrupt climate change -- a carbon tax. Why are the business interests who control the world's governments going to allow them to tax the cheap energy that keeps them in business?
But don't expect the political classes to do any of this thinking at Doha.
3) Basic guarantees of fundamental human need. As Duncan Green pointed out this year in The Guardian, "Providing the additional calories needed by the 13% of the world's population facing hunger would require just 1% of the current global food supply."
The reasoning is this: once you have everyone's basic needs taken care of, there really is no longer an excuse. If large portions of the world's population are no longer obliged to spend their lives eking out a basic subsistence, their energies can be redirected to the problem of how to deal proactively with a future in which some form of catastrophic global warming is inevitable. Since impending climate change doom would be a prospect too important to be left up to a few political representatives in a room, we might also argue, maybe the people as a whole should be involved in the decision-making. The next step, of course, will be in the actual mitigation of global warming, directed by the world's people as a whole.
At any rate, this is the short list of things you can expect not to see at Doha this week. Want to do something about it? You could start by creating an organization of climate change activists that doesn't pussyfoot around the issue of fundamental change in the area of political economy (as a prerequisite to real action on climate change) like 350.org does. As long as the politicians are mere handmaidens of the 1% and their lovely capitalist system, things will get worse. Why, the folks are probably having a meeting in Doha this week for the mere purpose of insulating themselves from criticism -- so they can say "look! We had a meeting!" when an outraged global public finally realizes that planet Earth is transitioning to something along the lines of planet Venus.
I guess you might as well joint 350.org anyway, though. Maybe it can be changed from within. It is, after all, something to do on the way to the abrupt climate change disaster. There is, however, a very nice blog you should check out on the way to said disaster: Climate & Capitalism. Ian Angus knows the score.
Topic: EnvironmentTags: Climate ChangeDohaconferencePostcapitalismRating: 3
Share on FacebookGoogle Plus OneTweet Widget Log in or register to post comments
Kicking the can Submitted by Big Al on Mon, 11/26/2012 - 17:34
until the end. That will be the longest and most costly game of kick the can ever.
on the bright side
Submitted by nemesis on Mon, 11/26/2012 - 21:36
When we evolve into seals, we'll be happier. H/T Vonnegut
We are only gonna die
Submitted by priceman on Tue, 11/27/2012 - 00:35
Video of Bad religion - We are only gonna die
Book review: The Political Economy of Global WarmingFor some real statistical measurements of climate change mitigationWill climate change saints save the Earth?Living like a monk isn't going to mitigate global warming.The Allure of Selling Out
VOTS menu
About VOTSContactContributorsMission StatementSite PoliciesUser GuideRecent content
Search Developed by SJA Consulting
Light Bulb, Switch & Fluorescent from The Noun Project
Artwork © Priceman
This work by Voices on the Square is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1770 | A woman of mystery passes
Edna Pooler remembered for �greeter� efforts in two towns... but who was she, really?
She may have been a silent-film movie actress. She may also have been related to John Francisco, who founded La Veta and was the namesake of an Old Colorado City building (the Francisco House in the 2500 block). It's certain that Edna Francisco Pooler involved herself in many activities that nobody will ever know about.
The amiable, dapper-dressing, quietly secretive woman - her tiny, stooped figure was well known in both Old Colorado City and Cripple Creek - died on the Westside Oct. 8 at the age of 88, evidently of natural causes. �Miss Edna,� as she was often known, was buried Oct. 17 next to her husband, James Sr., in the Pooler family plot at the Elmwood Cemetery in Beloit, Kan.
�She was a wonderful lady,� said Jackie Matz, a Divide resident who knew her chiefly from Cripple Creek activities. �She helped out every way she could. She was always at all the events and went to the balls and dances.�
Old Colorado City leader Dave Hughes met her and her husband in 1976, when she got involved with the city's Colorado Centennial project that Hughes was in charge of. In more recent years, she would often be seen at the Old Colorado City History Center. �She would always dress as a pioneer woman,� he said. �She would be a greeter at all the historical events we had.�
Mike Coletta, who produces a Colorado Springs news blog (newsblab.com), said he got to know her over time. A unique aspect, he observed, was that even though she had no title, influence or money, �they would put her with all the VIPs� at special events, such as the Veterans' Day Parade.
�She was so nice,� he recalled. �I thought she would never die. She was like a walking spirit.�
One of her most recent activities was serving as a volunteer greeter and head of used-book donations for the past four years at the Aspen Mine, a consortium of service agencies in Cripple Creek. �I think she was the most independent 88-year-old woman I will ever meet,� said Aspen Mine coordinator Ted Borden. �She had a tremendous love for this community. She really enjoyed talking to people and finding out where they're from.� Borden additionally described her as a �very private person� who �didn't like to talk about her past.� This seems to have been a universal style for the lady, based on Pioneer interviews with different people - including her son, Jim Pooler, and younger sister, Violet Zinn.
Asked about her genealogy and possible relationship to the Colorado John Francisco, her son replied, �You're asking the million-dollar question. I don't know. There are bits and pieces, something with the Civil War� She moved around all those years. It was very hard to follow.�
Colorado author/historian Jan McKell had a report about Edna's husband directing a movie at one time in which his wife appeared, called �The Villain.� However, this could not be confirmed in a search of the Internet Movie Data Base (imdb.com). Nor is there any indication that Mr. Pooler, whose career endeavors were generally engineering-related, ever was involved in movie-making. Still, it is true that she and her husband were in California for a number of years, not all of which are accounted for.
Mrs. Zinn said she pretty much lost contact with her sister for about 25 years after high school, and that they were never extremely close. She had never even heard the story about the Colorado John Francisco. Her knowledge of her grandfather, also named John Francisco, is that he was born in Indiana (the Colorado Francisco was born in Virginia) and that he would have been fighting in the Civil War in 1862, not founding a town in Colorado. Still, there are some tantalizing similiarities, in addition to the name (such as military background and time spent in Missouri); also, Mrs. Zinn said she has not delved fully into all the family papers at her disposal, including, now, those of her sister.
General aspects of Miss Edna's life can be pieced together. Born in 1917, she grew up in Kansas and graduated from Beloit High School. She was evidently eager for life, marrying in 1934 and taking off for California shortly after graduation. She and her husband moved around a great deal, additionally living in Kansas, Montana and Oklahoma. Both of them worked. She was with the phone company �off and on� for close to 20 years, recalled Jim Pooler (her only child, born in 1942), who described himself as an early �latch-key kid.�
The family moved to Colorado in 1959, owning a Conoco station at Circle Drive and Highway 24 until the mid-'60s, said Jim, who moved to New Mexico (still his home) in 1964.
After that, she no longer worked full-time, but stayed involved with Chamber of Commerce people they had met during the gas station years. Over time, she evolved into the venerable greeter/volunteer personna that people came to identify with her. She enjoyed the �limelight,� Jim said.
James Sr. died in 1984. Miss Edna apparently had lived alone ever since.
Westside Pioneer article | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1772 | Jon Stewart to host Grammy's MusiCares tribute
Wednesday, Jan 2 at 10:04 AM
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jon Stewart is hosting the MusiCares salute to Bruce Springsteen.The Recording Academy also announced Wednesday that Elton John, Neil Young, Mumford & Sons, Sting, Mavis Staples and Kenny Chesney will be among more than a dozen performers who will help pay tribute to Springsteen during the Feb. 8 benefit concert, held in Los Angeles two days before the Grammy Awards.Springsteen is MusiCare's person of the year, an award given to a performer who is notable both artistically and philanthropically. The sold-out concert will benefit MusiCare's emergency financial assistance and addiction recovery programs.Other performers scheduled to appear include Juanes, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Jackson Browne and Alabama Shakes.Stewart is the host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."___Online: http://grammy.com Print | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1791 | < > OPERATION SPIKE
Time to submit your picks for 'most-ignored stories'
What did establishment media miss or underreport in 2012?
It’s that time of the year once again when WND readers submit their candidates for the most “spiked” stories of the year in Operation Spike!
Many news organizations prepare their year-end retrospective replays of what they consider to have been the top news stories of the previous 12 months. But WND’s editors have always found it more newsworthy to publish a compilation of the important stories most ignored by the establishment press.
WND Editor and CEO Joseph Farah has sponsored “Operation Spike” every year since 1988, and since founding WND in May 1997, he has continued the annual tradition.
For the past 13 years, WND has invited its readers to join in and submit what they consider the most underreported stories of the past year.
Last year, WND’s “readers’ choice” picks for the 10 most underreported stories of 2011 were:
The true rate of unemployment and inflation and the real state of the U.S. economy, which is far worse than reported.
The Justice Department’s “Fast and Furious” operation, which facilitated the delivery of American firearms into Mexico to violent drug cartels, later used in the murder of hundreds, including a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
The organizations and money behind the supposedly “leaderless” Occupy Wall Street movement.
The role of leftwing groups and the Obama administration in the fall of Arab regimes and the rise of Islamic radicals.
Compelling evidence from multiple experts that the birth certificate released by Barack Obama on April 27, 2011, is a fraud.
The true mission of Islamic groups such as CAIR and other U.S.-based Muslim Brotherhood-front organizations and their infiltration of the U.S.
The real impact on the U.S. economy of Obama’s $787 billion stimulus.
The harmful impact of unions on the American economy.
The looming potential for an EMP attack on the U.S. and its devastating effects.
The federal government’s raid of the Gibson Guitar factory.
Submit your candidate or candidates for the year’s most ignored stories | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1792 | White House aide linked to al-Qaida funder
Recipient of Benghazi 'smoking-gun' email blaming attack on Internet video
Mehdi Alhassani (middle) at the White House
There is a troubling common thread that links Hillary Clinton’s former chief of staff to the current special assistant to the National Security Council chief of staff of the military’s Islamic chaplain program.
The thread is more radical than the Muslim Brotherhood. It is the Muslim World League, a group accused of financing al-Qaida fronts. The organization’s offshoots have been declared official terrorist organizations by both the State Department and the United Nations.
Yet despite the troubling facts, Muslim World League-linked individuals have been in key national security positions and are currently helping to run the military’s chaplain program.
The case of Mehdi K. Alhassani, special assistant to the Office of the Chief of Staff of the National Security Council, drew attention last week in the blogosphere after former PLO operative Walid Shoebat reported on Alhassani’s ties to Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups.
Alhassani’s name emerged in an administration email made public last week as part of a Judicial Watch lawsuit. The email was sent three days after the Sept. 11, 2012, Benghazi attack to Alhassani and other officials from Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communication.
In the email, Rhodes communicates the need to “underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure of policy.”
Alhassani, it has emerged, was president of the Muslim Student Association at George Washington University from 2005 to 2006. The MSA was openly founded by Muslim Brotherhood activists.
While the MSA was founded by Brotherhood activists, its roots are far more dangerous and tie into both Clinton’s deputy chief of staff and adviser, Huma Abedin, and Alhassani as well as the military’s chaplain program.
Start-up funding for the MSA was provided by the Saudi Arabian charity the Muslim World League, or MWL.
Jihad is our way
As Shoebat reported, Abedin served on the board of the MSA at George Washington University in 1997.
The MSA’s official anthem is a restatement of the Muslim Brotherhood credo.
Allah is our objective
The Prophet is our leader
The Quran is our law
Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope
WND previously attended an MSA event at which violence against the U.S. was urged by speakers.
“We are not Americans,” shouted one speaker, Muhammad Faheed, at Queensborough Community College in 2003. “We are Muslims. [The U.S.] is going to deport and attack us! It is us versus them! Truth against falsehood! The colonizers and masters against the oppressed, and we will burn down the master’s house!”
WND reported Abedin worked on the editorial board of her father’s Saudi-financed Islamic think tank alongside Abdullah Omar Naseef, secretary-general of the Muslim World League. Naseef is deeply connected to the Abedin family.
Huma’s father, Professor Syed Abedin, was the founder of the Institute for Minority Affairs, a Saudi group that reportedly had the quiet, but active, support of Naseef.
Huma’s mother, Saleha, is currently the editor of the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, the publication of Syed’s institute.
The institute bills itself as “the only scholarly institution dedicated to the systematic study of Muslim communities in non-Muslim societies around the world.”
Huma served on the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs’s editorial board from 2002 to 2008. Documents previously obtained by Shoebat reveal that Naseef served on the board with Huma from at least December 2002 to December 2003.
Naseef’s sudden departure from the board in December 2003 coincides with a time at which various charities led by Naseef’s Muslim World League were declared illegal terrorism fronts worldwide, including by the U.S. and U.N.
Saleha Abedin has been quoted in numerous press accounts as both representing the MWL and serving as a delegate for the charity.
The MWL, founded in Mecca in 1962, bills itself as one of the largest Islamic non-governmental organizations.
But according to U.S. government documents and testimony from the charity’s own officials, it is heavily financed by the Saudi government.
The MWL has been accused of terrorist ties, as have its various offshoots, including the International Islamic Relief Organization, or IIRO, and Al Haramain, which was declared by the U.S. and U.N. as a terror-financing front.
Indeed, the Treasury Department, in a September 2004 press release, alleged Al Haramain had “direct links” with Osama bin Laden. The group is now banned worldwide by United Nations Security Council Committee 1267.
There long have been accusations that the IIRO and MWL also repeatedly funded al-Qaida.
In 1993, bin Laden reportedly told an associate that the MWL was one of his three most important charity fronts.
An Anti-Defamation League profile of the MWL accuses the group of promulgating a “fundamentalist interpretation of Islam around the world through a large network of charities and affiliated organizations.”
“Its ideological backbone is based on an extremist interpretation of Islam,” the profile states, “and several of its affiliated groups and individuals have been linked to terror-related activity.”
In 2003, U.S. News and World Report documented that accompanying the MWL’s donations, invariably, are “a blizzard of Wahhabist literature.”
“Critics argue that Wahhabism’s more extreme preachings – mistrust of infidels, branding of rival sects as apostates and emphasis on violent jihad –laid the groundwork for terrorist groups around the world,” the report continued.
An Egyptian-American cab driver, Ihab Mohamed Ali Nawawi, was arrested in Florida in 1990 on accusations he was an al-Qaida sleeper agent and a former personal pilot to bin Laden. At the time he was accused of serving bin Laden, he also reportedly worked for the Pakistani branch of the MWL.
The MWL in 1988 founded the Al Haramain Islamic Foundation, developing chapters in about 50 countries, including for a time in Oregon until it was designated a terrorist organization.
In the early 1990s, evidence began to grow that the foundation was funding Islamic militants in Somalia and Bosnia, and a 1996 CIA report detailed its Bosnian militant ties.
The U.S. Treasury designated Al Haramain’s offices in Kenya and Tanzania as sponsors of terrorism for their role in planning and funding the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in East Africa. The Comoros Islands office was also designated because it “was used as a staging area and exfiltration route for the perpetrators of the 1998 bombings.”
The New York Times reported in 2003 that Al Haramain had provided funds to the Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, which was responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people. The Indonesia office was later designated a terrorist entity by the Treasury.
In February 2004, the U.S. Treasury Department froze all of Al Haramain’s financial assets pending an investigation, leading the Saudi government to disband the charity and fold it into another group, the Saudi National Commission for Relief and Charity Work Abroad.
In September 2004, the U.S. designated Al-Haramain a terrorist organization.
In June 2008, the Treasury Department applied the terrorist designation to the entire Al-Haramain organization worldwide
Bin Laden’s brother-in-law
In August 2006, the Treasury Department also designated the Philippine and Indonesian branch offices of the MWL-founded IIRO as terrorist entities “for facilitating fundraising for al-Qaida and affiliated terrorist groups.”
The Treasury Department added: “Abd Al Hamid Sulaiman Al-Mujil, a high-ranking IIRO official [executive director of its Eastern Province Branch] in Saudi Arabia, has used his position to bankroll the al-Qaida network in Southeast Asia. Al-Mujil has a long record of supporting Islamic militant groups, and he has maintained a cell of regular financial donors in the Middle East who support extremist causes.”
In the 1980s, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Osama bin Laden’s brother-in-law, ran the Philippines offices of the IIRO. Khalifa has been linked to Manila-based plots to target the pope and U.S. airlines.
The IIRO has also been accused of funding Hamas, Algerian radicals, Afghanistan militant bases and the Egyptian terror group Al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya.
The New York Post reported the families of the 9/11 victims filed a lawsuit against IIRO and other Muslim organizations for having “played key roles in laundering of funds to the terrorists in the 1998 African embassy bombings” and for having been involved in the “financing and ‘aiding and abetting’ of terrorists in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.”
‘Saudi government front’
In a court case in Canada, Arafat El-Asahi, the Canadian director of both the IIRO and the MWL, admitted the charities are near entities of the Saudi government.
Stated El-Asahi: “The Muslim World League, which is the mother of IIRO, is a fully government-funded organization. In other words, I work for the government of Saudi Arabia. I am an employee of that government.
“Second, the IIRO is the relief branch of that organization, which means that we are controlled in all our activities and plans by the government of Saudi Arabia. Keep that in mind, please,” he said.
Despite its offshoots being implicated in terror financing, the U.S. government never designated the MWL itself as a terror-financing charity. Many have speculated the U.S. has been trying to not embarrass the Saudi government.
Muslim chaplain program
In his blog posting last week, Shoebat reported Alhassani attended the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland, Massachusetts, the sister mosque to the Islamic Society of Boston, which was founded by convicted terrorist Abdurahman Alamoudi.
WND first reported on Alamoudi’s role in founding the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council, created in 1991 and operating under the umbrella of the American Muslim Foundation.
The group was the official endorsing agency of the military’s Muslim chaplain program along with the Muslim Brotherhood-tied Islamic Society of North America, or ISNA.
ISNA, an unindicted co-conspirator in a scheme to raise money for Hamas, is still the official endorsing agency for all Muslim chaplains in the U.S. military.
Alamoudi is an Islamic cleric who served as an Islamic adviser to President Bill Clinton and who guided the establishment of the military’s Muslim chaplain program.
Alamoudi reportedly handpicked the army’s first Islamic chaplain, Imam Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, who still serves in that position. It was Muhammad who endorsed the most recent Islamic chaplains who just joined the military.
Alamoudi was instrumental in the selection of several of the military’s other Islamic chaplains.
Alamoudi currently is serving a 23-year sentence for terrorism-related financial transactions with the Libyan government and for his alleged role in a Libyan conspiracy to assassinate then-Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.
Alamoudi was described as an “expert in the art of deception” in a report by Newsweek journalists Mark Hosenball and Michael Isikoff.
The Newsweek article noted Alamoudi espoused moderate, pro-American views while lobbying for Muslim causes in the U.S. but then expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah at a rally.
Alamoudi founded the American Muslim Council in 1990, a lobbying group to advocate on behalf of Muslims in the United States.
The first Islamic military chaplain, Muhammad, is himself tied to the al-Qaida-front Muslim World League.
Muhammad was recommended for appointment by Alamoudi’s American Islamic Council.
Alamoudi attended Muhammad’s swearing-in ceremony just as he was present for the 1996 swearing-in of the military’s second Muslim chaplain, Lt. (junior grade) Monje Malak Abd al-Muta Ali Noel Jr.
Muhammad is a convert to Islam. In 1974, he joined the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, a black Muslim group that espoused racial separatism and black nationalism. Muhammad later said he did not fully subscribe to the radical group’s philosophy but was attracted by what he said was the organization’s emphasis on personal responsibility and self-help.
“In the projects where I grew up,” Muhammad said, “the women were exploited. In the Nation of Islam the men were always polite. They were always clean cut. I felt the Nation of Islam had more to offer than the church.”
In a 1993 interview with Muslehuddin Ahmed of Islam4all.com, Muhammad detailed his association with the Muslim World League.
The website reports Muhammad was in dialogue with the charity to help establish the army’s Muslim chaplain program.
During the period of Muhammad’s association with the MWL, the group spawned Muslim charities that were alleged fronts for al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden.
Muhammad recounted to Islam4all that he was an “honored guest” of the MWL for his pilgrimage to Mecca.
“He was also full of praise for the Muslim World League for its excellent arrangements, which it had made for its guests, and was highly impressed by its dedicated Secretary General Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Ali, who symbolized for him a model Muslim leader,” reported Islam4all.
The Islamic website reported Muhammad offered to work closely with the MWL and that he began an “ongoing interaction with the MWL in shaping and developing a vital Islamic presence within the U.S. Armed Forces.”
The website reported Muhammad “evinced keen interest in the magazines and other publications of the Muslim World League and other similar organizations for support in his Dawah (outreach) work.”
Note: Read our discussion guidelines before commenting. WND Related Stories Bill designates Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist group
Muslim Brotherhood ties to White House resurface
The REAL center of the 'war on women'
Another 'flying imam' ejected from passenger plane
Order in 'Muslim Mafia' case exposes CAIR's 'shell game'
FBI agent: U.S. has evidence to indict CAIR for terror
Trial evidence: U.S. favored Muslim Brotherhood
Obama brother tied to Hamas-funding accounts
Obama brother's Hamas scarf only tip of iceberg
Obama, Clintons accused in Egypt of aiding terrorists
Egypt probes U.S. bribes of terror leaders
Bolton: Putin plot to 'reconstitute old Soviet Union'
In Egypt, it's 'moderate Muslims vs. Obama brothers'
Michigan Muslims plot Islamic-law court
Snowden reporter featured at radical Muslim event
Muslim Brotherhood 'just like evangelicals'
'Manchurian president' ushering in Islamic caliphate?
Obama 'letting Muslim Brotherhood run anti-terror ops'
Now Egypt looks to 'expose' Obama
Evidence U.S. bribed Muslim Brotherhood officials
Egypt splits U.S., Saudis
Obama's brother linked to Muslim Brotherhood
Is this REAL reason for Brotherhood crackdown?
Muslim Brotherhood claim: We've got 'goods on Obama'
Look who trained new Univ. of California regent
Obama urged to restore Muslim Brotherhood
The explosive secret Huma is hiding
Lawsuit exposes 'Muslim Mafia' shell game
Muslims protest prof teaching Islam-terror link
Former CAIR leader elected to head Syrian rebels
CAIR defends Taliban, Hamas against bullying charge
Al Jazeera to keep Al Gore's 'apostate' TV host?
Muslim Brotherhood militia nightmare for Egypt
Judge rebukes Muslim group's effort to silence opposition
Islamists: Actions of our fake 'attorney' outrageous
Muslim Brotherhood infiltration? 'It's Obama himself'
Muslim Brotherhood group to 'connect all U.S. schools'
Al Jazeera a Muslim Brotherhood front?
Documents: Al-Qaida wielding power in Libya
Congressman: Muslim Brotherhood advising Obama | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1803 | More Men Put Ambitions On Back Burner For Their Partners' Careers
Women have been moving for their husbands' jobs for decades. But today, more men are following in their partners' footsteps — and grappling with the implications for their own careers.
Album Review: 'The Voyager'
Jenny Lewis began her career as a kid actress in TV series such as Roseanne. But in the '90s, she began singing instead. Reviewer Meredith Ochs says that Lewis' third solo album, The Voyager, offers music much like its title: It takes you on a trip from start to finish.
Amid Continued Chaos In Ferguson, A Second Autopsy Is Released
Requested by the family, a preliminary, independent autopsy has found that Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot six times by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, about a young man looking for closure, offers Haruki Murakami's trademark blend of fantasy and reality. Some moments fall flat, but many others are intoxicating.
An Account Of The Ferguson Shooting, From The Man Standing Beside Brown
Dorian Johnson was with Michael Brown on the night that he was shot by police in Ferguson, Mo. Freeman Bosley, Johnson's attorney and a former mayor of St. Louis, speaks about the situation.
Embattled Yazidis Say They Are Now Enduring Atrocity No. 74
The Yazidis are a small religious minority and have faced persecution again and again over the centuries. Some say it is now time to leave Iraq for good. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1812 | Mental health advocates say I-10 traffic death shines light on state crisis
Tuesday, Nov 27 at 11:26 PM
Teen hit and killed by truck after jumping out of hospital van on I-10add to reading list
Tania Dall / Eyewitness News
Email: tdall@wwltv.com | Twitter: @taniadall
METAIRIE, La. -- Mental health advocates are sounding the alarm after the tragic death of a 13-year-old boy Tuesday afternoon on I-10 in Metairie.
State police say the teen was being transported to a mental health facility 50 miles from home.
The deadly accident slowed traffic to a crawl along I-10 eastbound between Cleary Avenue and Causeway Boulevard. Emergency crews were on-scene responding to a frantic 911 call and attempted to save the young teen's life.
"A juvenile, a 13-year-old, was inside a van. He was being transported to southeast Louisiana for medical purposes. There was an altercation inside the van and they had to pull over to the shoulder," said Louisiana State Police Trooper Melissa Matey.
State police say 13-year-old Jeremiah Williams jumped out a Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals van that had stopped along the shoulder. Investigators say Williams crossed five busy lanes of I-10 and then attempted to cross back when he was hit by on-coming traffic.
"He then decided to come back towards the right shoulder so he again started to cross over those lanes of travel. He was struck by a tow truck in the center right lane. He was transported to the LSU center where he later died from his injuries," Matey said.
"What we're seeing today is a horrific, tragic event because a child is having to be transported. A child with mental illness. A child who is medically sick is having to be transported 45 minutes from where he lives. It makes no sense," said crisis intervention specialist Cecile Tebo.
Tebo says Jeremiah's death sheds light on a mental health system in crisis that doesn't have enough mental health services close to metro New Orleans.
"These situations continue to happen and we're just not providing the wealth of services, secure safe services for this population. These tragic things happen, this is the result," said Tebo, who stressed that something needs to change.
A spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals says the agency is aware of what happened and is conducting its own internal investigation.
State police are still investigating Tuesday's deadly accident. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1820 | Home :: Longboat Key :: News :: Dora the Explorer SAVE TO MYOBSERVER
Dora Walters turns her lens on a Halloween party in 2006. Courtesy photos.
Dora Walters would interview Jimmy Carter, Ben Franklin and Bill Clinton if she could choose any three people in history.
She did, in fact, interview Carter. Back in 1974, he made an early campaign stop in Sarasota, but few took his candidacy seriously. Walters was the only reporter who showed up and wound up talking for nearly an hour to the future commander-in-chief about everything from peanut farming to why he was running for office.
She would travel back in time to meet Franklin. She would like to ask him: “How did you find time to do all those things?”
And Clinton?
“I think I’d like to meet Bill Clinton because he has such tremendous charisma,” Walters said. “I’d kind of like to see if the charisma could work for me.”
Walters featured the famous as well as the infamous during her career as a reporter.
Some make for especially colorful stories — such as when Karl Wallenda told her he only braved the tightrope for the martini on the other side or when she viewed the effects of a phosphate dam break from a caravan with then-Gov. Reubin Askew.
But the majority of her stories, which featured ordinary citizens, were every bit as important to Walters.
“I don’t think of anyone as famous,” Walters said. “I always felt that when I was interviewing someone, I gave them my full attention. It was their moment.”
If you’re a veteran Longboater, you’ve probably smiled for Walters’ camera. You might have given her a scoop or spilled your life story to her. There’s a good chance the end result is framed, hanging in your home, the story’s byline reading: “Dora Walters | Senior Editor.”
This season won’t be different than past seasons in most respects.
There will be potlucks and St. Paddy’s Day parties, along with Town Hall meetings in which the clock will slowly tick toward midnight.
But, for the first time in more than a quarter of a century, Walters won’t be documenting it with her camera and notepad.
Walters retired this season, 26 years after Longboat Observer founders Ralph and Claire Hunter hired her. Former Longboat Observer Turtle Watch columnist Virginia Sanders, a longtime friend of Walters’, has at least three framed stories that Walters wrote featuring either herself or her late husband, Jack, hanging in her home. There are probably “a zillion other people” who know Walters and have her work hanging in their homes, she said.
“It’s going to take a long, long time and many, many years of work to match her,” Sanders said.
Walters doesn’t like to admit it, but in her 26 years of shining her spotlight on others, she became a celebrity in her own right.
Her friends and colleagues dubbed her “Dora the Explorer” because she goes so many places and meets so many people.
But decades before the cartoon Dora the Explorer was even a rough sketch, a first-grade girl in western Massachusetts named Dora sat down at an old typewriter her father gave her. She taught herself to type. And she decided at that moment she would become a journalist.
Her first published piece was a letter to the editor on the “kiddy page” of her local newspaper.
“My complaint was I didn’t understand why I couldn’t get the bus at my house,” Walters said. “All the other kids got picked up at their houses, but I would have to walk quite a ways.”
Apparently, Walters made her point. Soon after, the bus came to her home.
At Boston University, where she majored in journalism and public relations, Walters worked for the year book and earned enough to cover the costs of her tuition.
She then began what she calls a “checkered” career that included stints at the Schenectady Gazette in New York and the Burlington Free Press in Vermont. She later took on public-relations work in New York City and then used her severance pay when that job ended to go to Mexico. She traveled through the country writing stories for an organization to show donors where their money went.
After returning, she married Otto, a Swiss artist she had met while living in New York City. She moved in the 1960s to Florida and first began writing for the now-defunct Sarasota News.
She later wrote for the St. Petersburg Times, became the first woman reporter for Channel 13 and eventually director of the nightly news for Channel 40.
Walters’ coverage usually included “everything south of the Skyway Bridge.”
Sometimes the assignment led to major stories.
In 1965, Dr. Carl Coppolino was charged with murdering his lover’s husband in New Jersey, then killing his wife, Carmela, at their Longboat Key home. Sheriff Ross Boyers invited Walters and another trusted reporter into his home to fill them in on a Sunday morning just before Coppolino’s arrest. The trial became such a media circus that the judge moved it to Naples.
F. Lee Bailey defended Coppolino, who was found guilty of murdering his wife. Walters had heard that the day the jury reached a verdict a big party was waiting in a local hotel in expectation of Coppolino’s acquittal.
Walters was working for the Longboat Times in 1987, when the Hunters lured her away.
“A lady with that much experience, I was interested in,” Ralph Hunter said. “Dora was interested in everybody and had unlimited energy.”
Walters covered the grand openings of many of the condominiums that today line Gulf of Mexico Drive. She became a regular fixture at events.
“She used to run around like a chicken with her head cut off and a camera over one shoulder and a notepad in her hand,” said former Longboat Key Mayor Jeremy Whatmough.
She also covered Longboat Key Town Commission meetings in her earlier years with the Longboat Observer. She learned to predict commissioners to such precision that she could tell when one was about to get angry and be ready for a dramatic photograph.
She stayed with the Longboat Observer after Matt and Lisa Walsh bought the newspaper from the Hunters in 1995.
“To me, she is the classic news woman, newspaper reporter,” Matt Walsh said. “She has an insatiable curiosity about things, but, most of all, she just has this innate instinct for news and for wanting to know what’s going on.”
Walters didn’t just cover the community; she became a part of it.
She often rang the bell for the Salvation Army at the Key’s Publix during the holidays and both attended and covered events such as the former St. Jude Gourmet Luncheon and Interfaith Thanksgiving Service.
She received the 2002 Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key “Citizen of the Year” award for her service to the community.
If Walters were to write her memoir, she would call it “Ringside Seat on the World.”
She isn’t planning to write an autobiography, although lately, she has been writing down anecdotes — like when, the other day, she remembered covering a drug plane that had crashed in North Port. She was wearing new sandals, so a deputy she knew carried her across the field. Walters sold her house in Sarasota late last year but might still winter here, although she plans to spend most of the year in Blue Ridge, Ga., where she has a home near her good friends, former Longboat Key residents Andrew Hlywa and Dawn diLorenzo.
“Longboat Key and Sarasota will always be close to my heart,” she said.
At the Longboat Observer, she has left a legacy. “The challenge for us,” Walsh said, “is to keep up the Dora tradition of trying to find every little story that’s going on on Longboat Key. Dora was plugged in everywhere, and that’s what made the Longboat Observer a special newspaper. We’ve got to keep Dora’s legacy.”
What: A reception for Senior Editor Dora Walters When: 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29
Where: Longboat Key Center for the Arts, 6860 Longboat Drive S. Information: Call 383-5509.
While working for an American relief agency in Mexico, Walters reported on how donations were used.
The villagers she met had few possessions, so, to show their appreciation, they went outside and picked cactus fruit for her.
Early one morning Walters arrived on the scene of a phosphate dam break on the Peace River in Polk County and surveyed the damage with Gov. Reubin Askew. The river was already milky white. Estimates suggested that recovery would take at least 10 years.
Walters knew how bad the impact would be when she found the sneakers she was wearing while covering the story a few days later. They had completely hardened, as if she had stepped in wet concrete.
Botched investigation
Walters was at the crime scene in 1967, after seven African-American children were murdered in Arcadia.
She filmed and had to remain objective while she watched the good-old-boy sheriff “bungle” the scene, handling evidence with his bare hands. James Joseph Richardson, the man convicted of the murders, was exonerated more than two decades later.
“It was a tragedy all around,” Walters said. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1827 | California News Feb 10, 2013 11:35 PM by ASSOCIATED PRESS
Poway student arrested for email threat
POWAY, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say a 12-year-old student at a San Diego County middle school has been arrested for allegedly threatening via email to shoot a teacher and 23 classmates.UT San Diego says (http://bit.ly/12hXjs1 ) the boy, who attends Poway's Twin Peaks Middle School, was taken into custody Saturday night after sheriff's deputies served a search warrant at his family's home.The newspaper says several computers, rifles and handguns were seized. The student was admitted to a hospital for evaluation.Officials say the email was sent Friday night to a school administrator who notified authorities the next morning.There is no evidence that anyone else was involved with the threat.In an email to parents, the school's principal said classes would resume Monday and called the threat "an isolated incident." | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1835 | You are here: EPA HomeNewsroom News Releases By StateRhode Island Company Pays $198,500 to Settle Clean ....
Rhode Island Company Pays $198,500 to Settle Clean Air Violations at Brattleboro, VT Facility
(Boston, Mass. – May 2, 2013) – The Moore Company, based in Providence R.I., has paid a civil penalty of $198,500 to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its Fulflex facility in Brattleboro, Vermont. The Brattleboro facility manufactures and distributes natural and synthetic rubber and elastic tapes, threads, and sheets for use in a broad range of products. EPA’s complaint alleged that the Fulflex facility violated various conditions of a federally enforceable air permit issued by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) pertaining to the operation and maintenance of its emissions control system and record keeping, as well as an emission limitation established by the permit for particulate matter. Additionally, the complaint states that the facility violated federal regulations encouraging the recapture and recycling of ozone-depleting refrigerants during the service, maintenance, and repair of covered appliances. The alleged violations resulted in a release of particulate matter above the permitted limit and made compliance monitoring difficult for VTDEC and EPA. The Fulflex facility has since come into compliance with the requirements of its permit and has taken steps to reduce its use of chlorofluorocarbons. # # #
05/03/2013 - Minor edits were made to this press release for clarity and to correct a typographical error. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1840 | for reference. The original video has been deleted and is no longer available. Thousands Walk, Raise Money to End Alzheimer's DAYTON -- It was a perfect day to walk and more than 2,000 people did just that; walking to end Alzheimer's disease in Dayton.Families battling it, caregivers, friends and coworkers of those affected by the epidemic walked two miles around the University of Dayton to support the cause. The money raised goes to the Alzheimer's Association, which provides education and services to people battling it and research toward finding a cure. More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's; that's about 30,000 people in the Miami Valley and about 90,000 people who provide them with unpaid care. The walk is also critical for people to find that common connection; knowing they're not facing this deadly disease alone."For those of us who are very personally affected by this, it is so important to see other people who care and are passionate about this disease," said caregiver Laurel Kerr.Walkers and sponsors raised more than $260,000 and that number continues to climb.Anyone who wants to help in the fight can log on to www.alz.org. Border Crisis | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1841 | Rock Stars Turn Music Into Advertising
By Nancy Chandross Rock stars are cleaning up their act and shaking hands with Madison Avenue in an obvious attempt to sell more records and boost their names.
Gone are the days when rebellious musicians would shake their heads and laugh in scorn at the idea of selling their tunes to ad men.
Songs are being licensed in such great numbers that if you close your eyes while channel surfing on TV, it might sound more like scanning the dial of a radio station.
Nissan and Volkswagen are among the carmakers with ads featuring pop hits. VW uses songs by The Roots and Ben Neill. In Nissan’s case, it’s the music of Smash Mouth and electronic artist Moby, who also stood in front of the camera for a recent Calvin Klein campaign that includes Korn drummer David Silveri.
Is it selling out? Maybe. But it’s big business. Smash Mouth’s song “Then the Morning Comes” was licensed for a cool $1.5 million for a peppy Nissan Sentra ad.
Their manager, Robert Hayes, says the ad has helped sell about 1,000 more records a week. “The person that normally wouldn’t buy your record that doesn’t necessarily listen to the radio watches TV and all of a sudden they hear this song.”
For Moby, a favorite in the underground scene for years, licensing is a way to make sure his music will be heard by the masses. All 18 tracks of his latest album, Play, have been licensed for either ads or film use.
Moby-fying the World
The media onslaught of Play took on bigger proportions than initially intended by Moby’s manager, Barry Taylor. “It’s pretty unique to me, certainly wasn’t our goal or objective with this record. But Moby’s music has been licensed in the past, and when this record came out we felt that there was a lot of music on here that might be licensed,” Taylor says.
Taylor says they keep a close watch on what the songs are used for, while recognizing the need for such a liberal marketing approach.
“[We were] never able to get radio play in the past, and we went into this with our eyes open. [It’s] definitely an area where it seems like people who are doing music for commercials are much more open-minded than radio programmers in terms of what they’ll put with it.”
The strategy has worked: The album is by far Moby’s best seller, and the artist is becoming a familiar face on magazine covers.
Taylor admits that with this new ground comes the potential danger to upset longtime fans.
“It was a concern, but we’re very close to the fans that come to the shows, who communicate via e-mail, and it seemed like people were happy to hear music associated with movies, there was nothing that we couldn’t be proud of. I feel like everything that we did we were very aware of what fan reaction would be.”
Smash Mouth for Breakfast
Smash Mouth heads into the studio this fall, but the pop band’s image will remain in the public eye — and stomach. That’s because band member’ faces will grace General Mills cereal boxes.
Hayes says the band is very particular about products it will endorse. It “has to be feel good, companies that don’t endanger animals or people. If it’s a marketing opportunity that’s going to be beneficial for the band, they’ll go for it,” he says.
Advertising Age editor Scott Donaton is not surprised audiences have warmed to the idea of their favorite bands befriending the ad world. He says the changing attitude has a lot to do with how people now regard commercials. | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1868 | ashley marshall
kelly evans
cardinal ratzinger
fareed
gwen moore
indra petersons
were touchdowns and were ads were fumbles. >> mariana rajoy meets angela merkel. >>> plus, upcoming elections that sylvia berlusconi has called his last great electoral and political battle. >>> the power to split up uk banks if they fail to -- activity. george osborne is expected to give the bank of england the responsibility to make sure banks are involved in these activities. you have to love the extended analogy. watch the george osborne speech live here at 10:30 local for those of you here with us in the uk. in the meantime, there are more charges at the top over at barclay's. last night, the bank's financial chief and financial chief announced their leaving. tomorrow, barclay's ceo anthony jenkins will face questions in parliament over banking standards and next week he will present his long awaited plans for transforming the bank. >>> and a number of stories about rbs also in the weekend press. the sunday times reporting the bank will announce a 500 pound settlement with u.s. and uk regulators later this week. rbs will cover the bonus pools after a warning from the government ×
. mario monti says german chancellor angela merkel doesn't want italy's center left party to win the elections this weekend. the outgoing prime minister said merkel feared a consolidation of parties from the left, especially in an election year for her. the german leader has so far refrained from commenting on the election. what does all of this mean? julia joins us now from milan. julia, i have to confess, i don't really understand what monti's point is here. >> well, you know, we have to give it a bit of context, kelly. this was in response to something berlusconi said about the possibility that mario monti had already signed an agreement with the democratic left party, the democracy party mr. bersani with the agreement with angela merkel. i don't think mario monti has hidden the fact that he's concerned about the influence, particularly the power of the union on the democratic party. if we look on the german side, the foreign minister said what they want ultimately is a party that's going to continue with the reforms, that's going to continue with the fiscal consolidation. i'm ×
Feb 10, 2013 10:00am EST
pas. why everyone from hillary clinton to angela merkel has been breaking the law in france. i'm a conservative investor. but that doesn't mean i don't want to make money. i love making money. i try to be smart with my investments. i also try to keep my costs down. what's your plan? ishares. low cost and tax efficient. find out why nine out of ten large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal. google's backyard for the wbing it on challenge.. [fight bell: ding, ding] what's your preferred search engine? search engine, uhh, probably google. if we do a side by side blind test comparison, and you end up choosing google, you get an xbox. i'll bet you the xbox, you bet me your son. well let's look up what you need. okay, i would do the left. yeah? what?! i am a daddy! bing wins it! bing won. bing did win. people prefer bing over google for the web's top sear ×
cameron said he will be missed as a spiritual leader for millions. >>> and from angela merkel -- he had to make a difficult decision. just some of the reaction that's coming in today. joining mess is rome bureau chief claudio lavagna, and george weigel from washington. claudio, i want to start with you. we have part of the pope's statement. in it he said that both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength in the last few months has deteriorated to me to the extend i have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry. with hindsight being 20/20, had there been any rumors that something like this was coming? >> reporter: we possibly benedict xvi even hinted at it himself, he said if he felt his strength and his body wasn't up to speed to comply with the duties that were -- that are expected of a pontiff, and very heavy duties like traveling around, attending ceremonies, working nonstop. at 85, that's tiring for everybody, for any man his age, let alone a pontiff and the pope and leader of 1 billion catholics around the world, but nobody really believed that wou ×
are repayments, repayments scheduled, the election in germany and we all know, i believe that angela merkel will be re-elected, but those are the sort of big things that i'm looking at to see how the markets will react. >> let me switch gears to ask you your take on the banking sector. i know you're on the board of barclays so i'm not asking to give away any secrets here, but there's a real movement across the world to split up some of these banks. how do you think this is going to go? are you expecting a global standard when it comes to the financial services sector? what's your take on how the major banks change the course of business in the coming years? >> well, maria, i'm sure you're aware that, obviously, i have restrictions about what i can say, but i think that the story in general since 2009 has been one of global standards. i know christ ianella guard has spoken about this going back to the g-20. a lot of discussion about coming together. there's a lot of conversations going on in the background that are aiming to have some convergence around these issues. remember, these economie ×
the party received illegal payments between '97 and 2008 and he received the support from angela merkel say that the spanish government, she had confidence in the spanish government to tackle economic crisis by implementing more economic reforms. that being said, she didn't say more especially on the corruption case as was reported a few days ago. there is a reaction, there was a strong reaction in the bond market. today is a bit more quiet. but for sure, mariano rajoy lost the opposition not only in spain, but also at the european level. it's going to be more difficult for him to perhaps negotiate more time to reduce the spanish deficit and perhaps more difficult for him to ask for insensitive measures to stimulate the economy at the european level. there's a trend on twitter tweeting for the -- the contractions for rajoy reject and that's on the right very well the situation here in spain. since the case, the corruption case was reported by the newspaper a few days ago. rajoy lost six points in the opinion polls in approval ratings. he is now amid 24%. that being said, the leader, the soc ×
, an italian by the name of angela scola, who comes out of the same theological school of the current pope, pope benedict, considered like pope benedict a very serious intellectual, a media savvy figure with a strong, popular touch, but in addition someone over the years who has developed a specialty of outreach and dialog with the islamic world through a foundation he created first in venice, which has gone global, and christian/must limb relations are among the top-shelve priorities, and whoever takes over as leader of the catholic church. that would be one name you are likely to hear a great deal about in the days to come, but an old saying in rome, he who goes into a conclave as a papal front-runner comes out as a cardinal, you can't necessarily take to the bank that the names you hear mentioned in public are the ones being seriously considered by the cardinals once they are behind locked doors in the sistine chapel, swearing their oaths in latin and casting their ballots. >> let's talk more about pope been duct ibenedict xvi, let's about his legacy. what will be talking about when we ×
. as for the picture over in europe, some comments from germans chancellor angela merkel about the euro saying between 130 and 140 for the u.s. dollar is normal. those are the comments being focused on this morning. a mixed bag in terms of europe and take a look at the picture in asia. the nikkei, the one to focus on, closing at a 4 1/2-year high in yesterday's session. >> fresh five-years for the s&p and dow, fresh 12 years for the nasdaq, helped in part by a renewed appetite for deal making. >> cracks in the housing picture this morning, january starts to decline 8 1/2%. toll brother earnings sharply miss earnings. >> could demand for the iphone be cooling? fox con pressuring shares this morning. >>> the rally continuing with the dow and s&p having their best day in two weeks. nasdaq closing at 12-year highs. dow less than 130 points from closing at an all-time high. guys, a lot of discussion about how it's a nominal high. but getting back to 14164 would be news. in some form or fashion, jim. >> i think that there is a level of, dare i say, excitement. in other words, we're seeing levels that we hav ×
on the american embassy. vice president biden is in europe. he met angela merkel today. he now heads to a major security conference by chance in munich with dozens of heads of state and 70 defense and foreign ministers. that will be key. the situation in turkey as it is with iran, may upgrade nuclear facilities and he'll also meet syrian opposition leaders. a lot going on in terms of defense and politics. let me mention one more to you. today it was announced gili is taking over that manufacturing base for just $17 million. carl, it's what they call the third wave of globalization where former emerging or developing economies -- india and china -- now come back into the main stream, into western europe or america and buy those branded assets. in particular of course land rover bought by the indians. back to you. >> all i know is great leg room. you got a lot of leg room in those. >> more expensive i'm afraid. >> good weekend, simon. >> you too. >> let's check on energy and commodities. sharon epperson has a lot of news today. >> there is a lot of news. there's a lot of correlation too between w ×
to do next sthp. >> angela lansberry's "murder she wrote." lisp, if the outcome was different, the conversation would have been much different today. but the game basically looked like a route. joe flacco had three first half touchdowns. they were up, 28-6 after the kickoff return to begin the second half. and then the lights went out. now, i just -- i don't know if we have the element or not. we have a full screen of what entergy, we'll take a look at some of the highlights first. i'm not sure. we're a little late on that. but the lights go out. the way the company is explaining it is that the power was going into the superdome, and this is a statement here. a piece of equipment that is designed to monitor electrical load, okay, sensed an abnormality and the circuit breaker kicked in and that's what happened. it took 34 minutes to get the game back up and running and then, when it did, it was a different game. >> yeah. >> this is really -- i mean, i know the statements there -- do you have any idea, like, whose fault it was at this point? >> i think clearly entergy says it's ×
in italy said he was shaken by the news, while the chancellor angela merkel said she respects his decision. and david cameron sending his wishes. it comes in a meeting this morning, he announced this decision to leave the papacy at the 28th of february at 8:00 at night. it was a decision made without consulting anyone. there was a lot of surprise. and also, the spokesman, when he made a speech -- or when he had a press conference just a few hours later, he said, you know, we need some time, we need some days to try to better understand how to move forward. just to better understand what's going to happen afterwards, is that there will be a conclave of 118 cardinals that will be electing the new pope. so clearly what happens between now and then, really, is that the pope will continue doing what he has done so far. his decision was unexpected. and the way he announced it was very, very simple. he said he doesn't feel he has the strength, mental and physical and spiritual, to move forward in this position. he needs the physical strength that he does not have. he has been ill. his health has Search Results 0 to 13 of about 14 (some duplicates have been removed) | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1887 | will.i.am talks style with The Queen
will.i.am told Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II his grandmother had the same dress as her when they met.
The Black Eyes Peas star was introduced to the monarch by Kylie Minogue as part of the royal’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations last year.
He was overwhelmed by the meeting and can’t believe what he ended up saying.
“I told her I liked her dress and that my grandma has one like it,” he laughed to British magazine Heat. “Kylie introduced me to her and it was amazing. Everybody was like, ‘Wow, Kylie knows the queen.’”
will has also met Prince William in the past, with the pair having a giggle about sharing a name.
“Yeah. I told him to stay away from the full stops. I said he had to stick to William. No splitting up the words,” the singer laughed. “He’s really cool. His wife is really cool, too.”
The musician has spent a great deal of time in the UK over the last couple of years as he is a judge on the UK version of talent show The Voice. He has developed a deep love of the country, although he hasn’t got involved in all the pastimes there.
“No, I go to [exclusive department stores] Selfridges and Harrods,” he replied, when asked if he’s ever been to a shop where everything costs 99 pence. “I used to go to places like that a while ago when no one had camera phones. I do that stuff at home though. I go to the 99-cents store. I have to go right when shops open or when they’re just about to close because it’s not so busy. Everyone wants to take pictures and I never get any shopping done.”
There are other UK customs will has got involved with though. He enjoys drinking cups of tea and has tried battered fish with French fries too.
“I am [a fan of tea], but I try to have honey instead of sugar. I’m hyperactive so the combination of sugar and caffeine will have me spinning off the walls. Even soup makes me hyperactive,” he explained.
“Yes, I love [fish and chips]. I have to stay away from all the fried stuff though. I want to keep my boyish figure for when I get older.”
© Cover Media
Queen Elizabeth will.i.am 2013-12-03 | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1898 | Biography Pages
My Digg
My LinkedIn
My Google+
435 N. Michigan Avenue
SRoe@tribune.com
Sam Roe
My Role
Sam Roe reports on various topics, including public health, product safety, corporate wrongdoing and criminal justice.
My Biography
Sam Roe has written series on the hazards of the metal beryllium; industry deception regarding the safety and effectiveness of flame retardants; unexplained deaths at a Chicago nursing facility for children with disabilities; America’s bungled attempt to build an 80-mpg “Supercar,” and how the U.S. scattered nuclear bomb fuel around the globe and failed to get it back. His stories have sparked new federal laws, Congressional hearings, numerous product recalls, and health and safety reforms in America and abroad, including a U.S. ban on the export of mercury. Articles on beryllium prompted the federal government to create a national compensation program for injured Cold War weapons workers, an effort that has paid victims more than $8 billion. Roe was part of the reporting team that won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for an examination of unsafe children's products, and he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for investigative reporting in 2000, 2011 and 2013. He teaches Investigative Reporting at Columbia College Chicago. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, he now lives in Oak Park, Ill.
My Recent Articles
Unable to retrieve the RSS feed | 新闻 |
2014-35/0078/en_head.json.gz/1923 | Girl Power hits the White House
By Tabassum Zakaria
Print Barack Obama | Malia Obama | Michelle Obama | Sasha Obama | women President Barack Obama, who is surrounded by women at home – wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia – on Wednesday declared Girl Power a priority for the federal government.
In creating the White House Council on Women and Girls, which will include members of his Cabinet, Obama said he wanted to make sure that women and girls were treated fairly in all matters of public policy.
“We have many of those Cabinet members here. Some of the men showed up — we put them in the second row,” Obama said to laughter at an event to sign the executive order creating the council.
“I sign this order not just as a president, but as a son, a grandson, a husband, and a father, because growing up, I saw my mother put herself through school and follow her passion for helping others,” he said. “But I also saw how she struggled to raise me and my sister on her own, worrying about how she’d pay the bills and educate herself and provide for us.”
The president said the first lady was “the rock of the Obama family” in juggling work and parenting.
“But I also saw how it tore at her at times, how sometimes when she was with the girls she was worrying about work, and when she was at work she was worrying about the girls. It’s a feeling that I share every day,” Obama said.
“In so many ways, the stories of the women in my life reflect the broader story of women in this country — a story of both unyielding progress and also untapped potential.”
He also gave a nod to the woman he beat for the Democratic nomination for president, Hillary Clinton, who is now his Secretary of State, and to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Click here for more Reuters political coverage
Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Reed (Obama follows his family off Marine One)
Toby covers national security. She used to run the Front Row Washington politics blog, was a White House correspondent during President George W. Bush's second term, and has covered intelligence, defense, foreign policy, and Congress. As Dallas correspondent she covered the stand-off in Waco. Early years in New York were spent covering financial markets and New York Fed. Tag Cloud2008 elections | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5576 | All aboard the Matlock tram!
Crown Square c1910 Popular Most comments Most shared Rolling car takes out wall in Bakewell 'Snow is falling 'Historic Bakewell tree is for the chop 'Matlock store scoops award 'Creamery gets cheesy
From the moment Matlock’s Cable Tramway opened on Tuesday, March 28, 1983, it was a huge hit with residents.
So great was the demand for a ‘first ride’ on the opening day that a whopping £20 was taken in fare money alone – a huge amount considering the times.Thereafter, the number of passengers averaged around 1,200 per day. On weekends and bank holidays, however, it could easily be double that.
The success of the trams continued for many years and – despite a loss in 1895 when a new cable was fitted – was extremely profitable for its owners and popular with people in the town.
The end of the financial year 1909/10, however, was the last time the tramway ever showed profit.The tramway then entered a slow but steady decline until it closed on Friday, September 23, 1927.Many records state that the tramway closed a week later – the day it was intended to close – but as a fault struck beforehand, it was not possible to say their final goodbyes to the much-loved Matlock Cable Tramway.If you would like to find out more about the tramway, be sure to look out for Glynn Waite’s new book, The Matlock Cable Tramway, available at Bridge News, Matlock, and Peak Rail Bookshop. | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5588 | Print Email Font ResizePost office had $1.9 billion second quarter lossBy Sam Hananel Associated PressPosted:
05/10/2013 05:02:23 PM PDTWASHINGTON -- The U.S. Postal Service said Friday it lost $1.9 billion over the last three months and warned that losses would continue to mount without help from Congress. The loss for the financial quarter ending March 31 was narrower than a $3.2-billion loss for the same period last year, thanks to slightly higher revenues and lower payments towards health benefits for workers who will retire in the future. But the Postal Service continues to lose money at a rapid pace due to a decline in mail volume and a congressional requirement that it make advance payments to cover expected health care costs for future retirees -- something no federal agency does. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the agency is considering its options, including negotiations with unions to reduce labor costs and another possible increase in prices. "Everything has to be on the table," Donahoe said. Over the past six months, the Postal Service has shed about 31,000 full-time employees, consolidated 61 processing facilities, eliminated 350 delivery routes and reduced work hours in 5,000 offices. It now has the lowest number of full-time employees since 1966. Donahoe said the Postal Service would continue to pursue legislation allowing it to end Saturday mail delivery and reduce health and other labor costs. The agency had planned to cut back in August to five-day-a-week deliveries for everything except packages, but it backpedaled last month after Congress passed a spending bill that continued a longtime prohibition against reducing delivery days. Advertisement
Joe Corbett, the service's chief financial officer, said the agency could return to a level of modest profits averaging about $2 billion a year if Congress approves all the changes it has requested. First-class mail revenue, the Postal Service's most profitable category, declined by $198 million, or 2.7 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. Volume decreased by 4.1 percent to about 713 million pieces, in large part due to consumers moving to email and electronic bill payments. On the positive side, revenue from shipping and packages increased $267 million in the second quarter, or about 9.3 percent compared to the prior year. Advertising mail revenue increased by 2.4 percent or $96 million. The National Association of Letter Carriers noted that the Postal Service's operating revenue of $16.3 billion was nearly 1 percent higher than the same period last year, a sign of gradual progress in the agency's financial picture. Fredric Rolando, the union's president, said the improvement "shows the absurdity of taking the radical step of degrading the postal network by eliminating Saturday delivery." "This would cost the USPS its competitive advantage, drive customers away, reduce revenue and make the Postal Service less able to adapt to an evolving society," Rolando said. The unusual requirement for the Postal Service to pre-fund future retiree health benefits decades in advance "accounts for 90 percent of this year's red ink" and shows the urgency for Congress to end the mandate, Rolando said. The Postal Service is an independent agency that receives no tax dollars for its day-to-day operations but is subject to congressional control. Print Email Font ResizeReturn to Top Related video on this topic | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5631 | >> • Parsnip pancakes • Guard tomatoes • Farm storage loans • Go outside! • Feedback on Al and Alice Black: Real Estate Scam Artists
Readers share their first hand experiences dealing with Al and Alice Black, real estate scam artists based in Nova Scotia.
A real estate scammer might try to sell you a scenic overlook like this even though the property isn't for sale.
ILLUSTRATION: CRAIG SPONSELLER
We own a farm In Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia and must sadly confirm your worst suspicions about Al Black. He sure has a reputation for wheeling and dealing. For example, he'll tell naive land buyers that non-Canadian immigrants can't buy land. So he buys it (with their money) supposedly for them . . . then won't turn the title over. Beware! I know, I also find It hard to believe that someone could be like that.Name withheld by MOTHER EARTH NEWSHaving worked for a couple of second-rate newspaper rags, I find it gratifying to discover a publication that sticks by its readers rather than sticking it to them. I refer to the Al and Alice Black affair and your warning in the last issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS.I guess you're aware that in the same issue in which Madeline and Kenny's letter appeared there was another note from Al and Alice describing the land bargains to be had in Nova Scotia, also offering assistance to would-be immigrants. I wrote to them and received a letter in reply, which I'm forwarding to you. I never followed through on Al's offer, as outlined in his letter ( to buy land In his name, then turn over the deed as a gift—MOTHER EARTH NEWS) because frankly, I'm suspicious of anyone who Immediately wants to do so much for someone he's never even met. The possibility of a flim-flam is there.Name withheld by request of writerWe read your notice about Al and Alice Black. Here's our experience with them, for what it's worth.We were interested in settling in Nova Scotia so we answered their Contact ad and asked about the area and what land parcels were available. They wrote and urged us to get land now. . . all would be gone in 1973. In their next letter they wanted assurance that we weren't realtors. They also said that "everyone" bought sight unseen. To sum up; their letters were a little weird, but we kept on writing.Around Christmas they sent a wire about a 50-acre parcel of land that was available for $1,500. By that time we were so stoked up about Nova Scotia that we were going to send in the money and buy sight unseen. But, after thinking, we wrote for more details. No answer from the Blacks. We wrote again . . . still no answer. We've never heard from them since. We thought this was odd, but after reading your "Beware" notice I guess it figures. Wonder what would have happened if we'd sent them $1,500? I shudder to think about it! That's all the land money we've got and it represents long, hard work at 8-to-5 jobs.Name withheld by MOTHER EARTH NEWSI was glad to see your note about Al Black. I should have written to you sooner as I've had a personal experience with Al and can confirm your most horrendous suspicions about his character.I began by answering Al's ad in MOTHER EARTH NEWS last fall. We corresponded and Al offered to help me find and purchase some land in Nova Scotia. I planned to drive up in January, but then Al wrote and encouraged me to come up right away to attend a tax sale. Before long, a friend, Bill, and I were on a plane to Halifax.When we met Al we were absolutely impressed. He seemed to be the most genuine and sincere person in the world. We were shown some fine country hospitality. Anxious not to be a burden, we gave Al some money to put towards food and such ($30.00) and worked hard around the farm every day. Meanwhile, Al showed us some property he said was for sale. We loved it. Al convinced us to give him $2,000 so that he could give the owner a deposit and negotiate a sale. We'd have given him more if we could have cashed our checks and money order sooner. As it turned out, the land was not for sale and we began to realize that after trusting Al completely, almost everything he had told us in the course of two weeks was a fabrication of some sort.We met a lot of good people in Tatamagouche, however, and they told us enough about Al's past shady dealings to fill a book.We got a lawyer and with his help got all but about $400 back. Al stuck to his stories claiming that the $400 was taken up in fees and an irretrievable deposit. The man who Al had told us owned the land didn't. Al had advised us not to negotiate locally on our own because we would be overcharged.Finally we went to the RCMP and pressed charges. We almost had a case of criminal fraud that would have put a stop to this nonsense, but Al knew more about what he was doing than we did. None of the charges stuck and, as far as I know, Al Black is still ripping people off. We saw Al receive money orders—each made out to him and totaling thousands of dollars—from different people in the States. These poor folks are losing a lot more money than we did if they think Al Black is buying them land and giving them a fair deal.Al was never an oil executive. His boy is not seriously ill, according to Alice. Al was born in Nova Scotia in 1919 not far from Tatamagouche. He's a Leo/Virgo, for what it's worth. You can print any or all of this you like, but I'd appreciate it if you could include a note to Chuck and Nina asking them to contact me. I met them briefly at Al's and learned that they were planning to come to Nova Scotia to build on land they bought through Al. Since they left I found that Al had gotten them to make the deed in his (Al's) name, supposedly to avoid some sort of Alien Transfer Tax. Al proceeded to transfer the title to his son and consequently the land cannot be transferred again until the boy is of age.I could go on and on . . . I'd like to hear from anyone who knows anything about Al. It's a shame that a few people like him make this a world in which we can't trust one another freely. I felt foolish for being taken, but it's sad to think that trusting people is foolish.Name withheld by MOTHER EARTH NEWSDue to the sensitive nature of this situation, I am withholding the names of three of the individuals quoted above and, as indicated, the fourth writer has himself requestedanonymity. — MOTHER EARTH NEWS. | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5632 | Sherman retires from US Army
After 33 years of total service with the U.S. Army, Col. Francis “Frank” Sherman will retire from the Army on May 31. He is a Citadel graduate. PHOTO PROVIDED
After more than three years of service with the Oklahoma Army National Guard and a total of 33 years of total service with the U.S. Army, Col. Francis “Frank” Sherman will retire from the Army on May 31.
Sherman has been assigned as the Inspector General for the Oklahoma Army National Guard since August 2010. In this position, he is responsible for monitoring the morale, welfare and discipline of all military personnel, military technicians, veterans and their families across Oklahoma. He conducted numerous general and special inspections, performed hundreds of inquires, interviews and investigations, and served as a teacher and trainer on a wide variety of military related topics.Sherman is a native of Ware, Mass., and was commissioned as an Armor Officer in May 1983 through ROTC as a distinguished military student from The Citadel in South Carolina.After graduation, Sherman served with 3rd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Bad Hersfeld, Germany, as platoon leader and troop executive officer.After his first assignment in Germany, Sherman went on to hold a number of key command and staff positions to include commander Company C, 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 73rd Armored Regiment; operations officer, 1st Battlefield Coordination Detachment, XVIII Airborne Corps, Ft. Bragg, N.C.; theatre operations officer, U.S. Forces Korea; commander, 1st Battalion 13th Armored Regiment; assistant chief of staff, G3 for the 24th Infantry Division; assistant chief of staff, G3 Division West; commander of the 5th Armored Brigade, Division West, Fort Carson, Colo.; and, inspector general for the Oklahoma Army National Guard.Sherman’s military education includes the armor officer basic course, the armor officer advanced course, the Command and General Staff College and the Naval War College.Sherman holds two Master’s Degree, one in business administration from Boston University and a second in national security and strategic studies from the Command and General Staff College.Sherman’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit; the Bronze Star Medal; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster; the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters; the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters; the Joint Service Achievement Medal; the Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters; the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star device; the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Arrowhead device; and, the Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral “4”.Sherman also wears the Combat Action Badge, Master Parachutist Badge with one gold star, the Air Assault Badge and the Ranger Tab.“It has been an honor and privilege to serve alongside the finest soldiers of any nation,” said Sherman. “I was fortunate to have a number of non-commissioned officers and officers who believed in my abilities and dedicated their time to challenge and mentor me. Although, it has been a wild ride, I remain confident in the abilities of the Army to overcome all adversity because of its greatest asset....a U.S. Army soldier.”Sherman is married to the former Anna Hathaway of Dallas, Texas. They have two sons, Lukas and Francis III and one daughter, Maria. Sherman’s parents, Francis and Claire Sherman, live in Mount Pleasant, S.C.“Col. Sherman has served the Oklahoma National Guard and the U.S. Army with a level of professionalism and determination that is unparalleled,” said Maj. Gen Myles Deering, the adjutant general for Oklahoma. “He has been a very important part of my staff and will be greatly missed.” Latest Videos | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5636 | Reigart to run for Awendaw Town Council
Reigart LeeAnn Reigart, a registered nurse and an active member of the Awendaw community, has announced her candidacy for Awnedaw Town Council.
Reigart said she has a strong vision for the future of the community which she has called home since the early 1990s.Reigart is originally from Saluda and was always very active in high school participating in numerous clubs, sports and student government. She graduated from Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., with a BS in sociology and a minor in juvenile justice and actively participated in student government. Reigart attended the University of South Carolina to earn her ADN in nursing and is a practicing registered nurse.She is currently active in the Charleston running community, promoting a healthy and well balanced life style.“Good government starts with well-informed citizens. You should know what your local government is doing at all times, and that is why I will immediately propose a consistent monthly newsletter that includes the town-hall meeting minutes and meetings, financial reports, job fair information and the promotion of the Awendaw community, its activities and its people,” she said. “This newsletter should not be taxpayer funded; we simply cannot afford it, but instead sponsored by local businesses and organizations. By no means should this newsletter ever be utilized by your elected officials as self-promoting campaign material.”Reigart said if elected she will propose, support and promote fiscal responsibility. “The Town of Awendaw is broke; our budgets are not balanced and a lack of oversight and application of generally accepted accounting principals have resulted in egregious mismanagement.This must end, and I will lead the fight to correct our financial woes, and we can and will do it without raising taxes.”In addition she said, “I will actively work to recruit and promote health screenings for blood pressure, flu shots and medication reviews. There are many services available to our people at the state and federal level, and I will work hard to make certain we receive our fair share.”Reigart plans to propose and promote viable and critical services such as water, waste and public safety and do it in a manner that does not raise taxes and allows for residents to opt-in or opt-out without penalty.“I will promote gentle growth and development within our Awendaw community; we must, and I will, protect Awendaw from over development while balancing the need for reasonable improvements agreed to by the community at-large.” Latest Videos | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5664 | Local senior day care center braces for Medi-Cal cuts | July 22, 2011 | Mountain View Voice | Mountain View Online |
News - July 22, 2011
Local senior day care center braces for Medi-Cal cuts
State reductions will force Rose Kleiner to turn away frail elderly
by Nick Veronin
Subscribe for unlimited accessRead FAQAbout one-third of the elderly and frail people who rely on a local adult day health care service may soon be forced out as a result of the state's Medi-Cal spending cuts, officials at the Avenidas Rose Kleiner Senior Day Health Center said.
When California halts Medi-Cal reimbursements for adult day health programs across the state, as the Department of Health Care Services eventually plans to do, Rose Kleiner will no longer be able to afford to provide free care to the 32 low-income seniors who regularly attend the center.
Though Rose Kleiner will remain open for families who can afford to pay, officials at the center and Medi-Cal recipients who rely on the free care they receive there said the state should look to make cuts elsewhere.
Right now, Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, pays more than half the cost associated with a day at Rose Kleiner — about $76. The center makes up the difference through its fundraising efforts, making it possible for patients like Grace Archibong to attend.
Archibong, who is recovering from a stroke and a knee replacement, said that Rose Kleiner has been instrumental in her recovery. "This place not only accelerated my health progress, but I very much enjoy the community," she said. If it weren't for the center, Archibong said she would spend most of her days by herself at home, as her husband spends most of his days working on the family business. "Here, I'm not alone."
State budget crisis
However, with California in the midst of a financial crisis, the Department of Health Care Services plans to eliminate adult day care as a Medi-Cal benefit. And while the cut is projected to save the state $169 million, it would force many like Archibong out of centers like Rose Kleiner.
"It's a very difficult decision, but California is facing a very serious budget deficit," said Norman Williams, deputy director of the department. Because Medi-Cal is the state's second largest general fund expenditure, "for any budget solution, Medi-Cal must be a part of that solution."
Williams said that adult day health care is an "optional" Medi-Cal program, meaning that unlike trips to a primary care physician or prescription medication payments, which the federal government requires states to cover with their Medicaid dollars, California is not required to cover the services provided by centers like Rose Kleiner.
Lenny Park, director of the Rose Kleiner Senior Day Health Center, does not think of the programs she oversees as "optional."
"These people need to be monitored," Park said. Some of the seniors at Rose Kleiner are immobile, due to an injury or health condition, others have dementia and have been known to wander off. On-site nurses administer medications and monitor the health of the seniors. Dieticians make sure the men and women stick to any special nutritional regimens and aides plan activities that are both mentally stimulating and entertaining.
While medicine can be administered and strict diets can be followed from home, the social dynamic of places like the Rose Kleiner center is vital to keeping seniors healthy, Park said. Seniors at Rose Kleiner can play games, take exercise classes and socialize with their peers in a safe environment.
"Depression is a big problem with elderly people," she said, explaining that for too many seniors, "the television set becomes the babysitter."
Helping families
Rose Kleiner also plays a role in ensuring that entire families continue to function. Taking care of a frail parent or grandparent can be a full-time job, Park said.
"There are definitely some families right now that will have to choose between working and taking care of their parents," said Joan O'Keef, the head nurse at Rose Kleiner.
Mike Atkin's wife, who suffers from depression and bipolar disorder, attends the center five days a week. "If she didn't have this place, she'd just sit at home, staring," Atkin said.
Atkin said he appreciates Rose Kleiner, as it allows him to spend his weekdays with friends, visiting with family or taking care of the household — all things that would be challenging to accomplish if he had to keep an eye on his wife all day.
He views the services as a win-win and said that his adult children feel the same way. "She's in good hands and occupied," he said of his wife, "and they appreciate that I get a life."
Atkin won't be impacted by the state's cuts, as he and his wife don't rely on Medi-Cal — a service for low-income people. But for those who will be pushed out of centers like Rose Kleiner, "it's a major calamity," he said.
Uncertain future
At the moment, the officials at Rose Kleiner are not entirely sure what the future holds. The Medi-Cal reimbursements for adult day care were initially supposed to end Sept. 1. However, Toby Douglas, director of the Department of Health Care Services, told adult day care centers that the benefit will be extended on a month-to-month basis, so that the state can ensure that seniors dependent on the service are transitioned smoothly into another care option.
Williams said that the state will do its best to ensure that all patient needs are met, while simultaneously making sure that care is delivered in a more efficient manner.
Park is skeptical that the state will be able to accomplish this goal. In fact, she said, it is likely that more people will end up in nursing homes, which cost about $40 more per day than the service Rose Kleiner offers. That cost will ultimately be passed on to taxpayers, she reasoned, as the federal government will be obligated to pay for the treatment of those individuals.
In the event that the Medi-Cal reimbursement for adult day care is cut, Rose Kleiner will remain open but it will have to eliminate some staff, Park said. Other similar centers around the state won't be able to remain open, and 10 adult day care facilities have already closed in California.
State Democrats opposed to the elimination of the Medi-Cal benefit have drafted a bill, AB96, that aims to shrink the number of Medi-Cal reimbursements made for adult day care by limiting such payments to only the neediest of patients.
AB96 is a step in the right direction, said Lisa Hendrickson, president and CEO of Avenidas, the organization that runs the Rose Kleiner center. AB96 is "very important, because it would put us on a path to another medical benefit for adult day care, but it's not enough."
Hendrickson and Park said it is clear that the cuts to Medi-Cal are inevitable. Their hope is that the state will give their Medi-Cal patients and their families enough time to find alternative care.
Until then, Park said, "the important thing from our point of view is to continue giving services to people, whether they have Medi-Cal or not."
Posted by J, a resident of North Whisman
on Aug 26, 2011 at 6:01 am
Day care centers,Medi-Cal, Section 8 etc are and being paid by people like my dad, he worked and paid taxes all his life like me and millons of working americans that are paying for benefits that are never will be able to get because we make little more than the people we have to support, give a brake....adult day care(MOST OF IT IS FRAUD)/ long term care,give a break until our law maker are able to give us the same benefits stop everything.
Posted by Huh?, a resident of Jackson Park
on Aug 26, 2011 at 11:03 am
[Post removed. Please refrain from personal attacks on other posters.] Report Objectionable Content | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5682 | The Dispatch!
Around Town: Local Events Upcoming San Diego Area Concerts
Movies at the Bases: Southwest Region MWR This Week San Diego Military Information San Diego Commands Links
Copy Regulations and Responsibilities Mechanical Measurements Classified Line Ads
Classified Display
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Nov. 9 2013) Ship's Sponsor Susan Ford Bales, daughter of President Gerald R. Ford, christens the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during a ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding. Gerald R. Ford is the first of a new class of aircraft carriers replacing the 10-ship Nimitz class launched in 1972. The Ford-class brings improved warfighting capabilities, quality of life improvements and reduced acquisition and life cycle costs. U.S. Navy photo by MC1 Joshua J. Wahl.
Ford christening connects President to Navy roots
by Gerald R. Ford Public Affairs NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) -- With the strike of a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow by the ship's sponsor, the Navy christened its newest aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the lead ship of the new Gerald R. Ford class, Nov. 9, in a ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va.
Susan Ford Bales, Ford's daughter and the ship's sponsor, had the honor of christening the ship in front of more than 20,000 Sailors, shipbuilders and civilians, bringing to life the Navy's newest aircraft carrier design in more than 40 years. "I christen thee United States Ship Gerald R. Ford," said Bales, breaking the bottle across the bow. "May God bless all those who sail in her."
The Ford class is designed with significant quality-of-life improvements and reduced maintenance. These innovations are expected to improve operational availability and capability, and reduce total ownership cost over its 50-year service life by $4 billion compared with Nimitz-class carriers.
The ship is also designed to evolve with advances in technology.
"The carrier is our Navy's most adaptable platform," said Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations. "This ship will not only launch the aircraft we currently have in inventory, it will launch aircraft we haven't even begun to design. USS Enterprise (CVN 65), a ship we inactivated after more than 50 years of service, was relevant from her first day in service through her last."
Greenert praised the designers, shipbuilders and Sailors who together have brought the ship to this important milestone. "Ford will herald a new era of our carrier fleet," said Greenert. "She is truly a technological marvel. We should embrace technology, but it is our people who underpin our success." The christening of the ship comes after more than 12 years of planning and construction. Newport News Shipbuilidng laid the keel in 2009 and is scheduled to deliver the ship to the Navy in 2016. While the shipbuilder construction and systems installations continue, the Navy is building, training and developing Ford's crew to operate and maintain the state-of-the-art ship.
"Navy tradition dictates that today's christening ceremony will spark life and luck into this great ship, but the true life of this ship will come from the unparalleled hard work, professionalism and dedication of the Gerald R. Ford crew," said Capt. John Meier, commanding officer of Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford. "In partnership with Newport News Shipbuilding, we will match the most technologically advanced and adaptable platform in our Navy's history with the most adaptable and technically proficient crew." CVN 78 honors the 38th President of the United States and pays tribute to his lifetime of service in the Navy, in the U.S. government and to the nation. During World War II he attained the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy, serving on the light carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26). Ford was the first vice president and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, succeeded the first president ever to resign, serving in the country's highest office from 1974-1977. Bales reflected upon her father's final letter before his death, written to then-Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter, where the president wrote, "Thus, it is a great source of pride and humility to know that an aircraft carrier bearing my name will be forever connected with the valor and patriotic service of men and women of the United States Navy." About | Contact | Links
The Dispatch is published by Western States Weeklies, Inc. 619.280.2985
PO Box 600600, San Diego, CA 92160
html> | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5703 | Gov. Hassan doubts Northern Pass easement effort | New Hampshire Contact us
Gov. Hassan doubts Northern Pass easement effort
CONCORD — Gov. Maggie Hassan has added her voice to those warning that Northern Pass partners are not likely to succeed in any attempt to traverse the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters conservation area with 1,200-megawatt transmission lines, above ground or underground...“I have met with just about everybody who has an opinion on Northern Pass, or would be impacted by Northern Pass, including Northern Pass officials, including families who oppose it, who have decided not to sell their land, as well as proponents of it,” she said in a brief conversation with reporters at the end of the Executive Council meeting on Tuesday...When asked if Northern Pass officials had suggested they might request an easement to bring the power lines underground through the conservation area, she said that now appears possible.“It seems more and more clear that there will be questions about whether they can go under the headwaters easement,” she said. “We have no formal request to go under the easement as of now, but my own view is that it would be a very difficult thing for them to do, given the terms of that easement.”..If a request is made, it would have to be submitted to the Department of Resources and Economic Development, which holds the easement on behalf of the state. The Attorney General’s office would serve in an advisory capacity...“No formal request has been made to the Attorney General’s office or this office,” said Hassan spokesperson Marc Goldberg, “but it has been made clear that Northern Pass is likely investigating the potential use of the state’s Connecticut Lake Headwaters easement.”..The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests has been predicting for weeks that crossing a narrow section of the 146,000-acre easement would be necessary for Northern Pass to close the gap on properties it has already purchased...Northern Pass spokesperson Martin Murray said partners in the project, which include PSNH, would not confirm or deny any plans for an easement request at this time. “We are not prepared to discuss specific conversations we’ve had while in the process of finalizing our new route,” he said. “Our focus has been on exploring viable route options, in order to be responsive to the public feedback we’ve received. We look forward to sharing, in the near future, the details of a new proposed route — which will, of course, be respectful of governing easements or restrictions.”..Executives for Northeast Utilities, the PSNH parent company, told industry analysts in May that a new route would be ready for presentation by July.Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, and former Sen. Judd Gregg, who were instrumental in creating the conservation area, recently issued a joint statement opposing any access to the area for Northern Pass, which would bring hydroelectic power from Quebec into the New England grid...“We don’t want to offer a legal opinion, but Senator Shaheen believes that the easement should be used to protect the Connecticut River headwaters from commercial or industrial development that is unrelated to the traditional land uses of forestry and outdoor recreation,” said Shaheen spokesperson Elizabeth Kenigsberg.dsolomon@unionleader.com.. | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5706 | Obama, under political pressure, offers fix to health care policy | New Hampshire Contact us
Obama, under political pressure, offers fix to health care policy
By STEVE HOLLAND and SUSAN CORNWELLReuters
Shea-Porter says Anthem has extended individual policy renewal deadline from today until Nov. 30 What NH officials are saying about Obama's ACA extension proposal
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama bowed to political pressure from his fellow Democrats on Thursday and announced a plan to let insurers renew for one year the health plans for Americans whose policies would be otherwise canceled due to Obamacare.The administrative fix offered by Obama would allow insurers to offer certain health plans in 2014 that do not meet the minimum requirements of the health reform law, but require the companies to spell out how the policies are substandard and what alternatives are available."This fix won't solve every problem for every person, but it's going to help a lot of people," Obama told reporters at the White House. "We're going to do everything we can to help Americans who received these cancellation notices."The shift was designed to end a growing revolt by Democrats worried that the canceled policies, as well as the botched rollout of the government website for enrollment in the exchanges, would threaten their re-election bids in 2014.Before the law went into effect, Obama had repeatedly promised that Americans who liked their health insurance plans could keep them under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.The law included a grandfathering provision that allowed insurers to maintain policies that did not meet new minimum coverage levels required by Obamacare, as long as the policies were created before the law was enacted in 2010.But insurers did not maintain many of these plans or created new ones that would not meet the new requirements, and several million people have since been notified their current plans will be canceled.It was unclear how much relief Obama's fix would provide. Senior White House officials said it will be up to state insurance commissioners to allow the Obamacare fix to go ahead, and it will be up to insurance companies whether to renew plans that have already been canceled.Republicans have opposed the healthcare law as an unwarranted expansion of the federal government, and on Thursday, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said: "The only way to fully protect the American people is to scrap this law once and for all."Some Democrats had threatened to support legislative bills that would have re-opened the healthcare law to halt the growing wave of policy cancellations.The House of Representatives will vote on Friday on a bill by Republican Fred Upton of Michigan to allow insurers to offer canceled plans, but Democrats objected to some provisions that they said would undermine the Obamacare market and drive premiums up. Democrats said they will offer their own alternative approach.Obama's shift raised new questions, however, about the possible impact on insurance pools because it would potentially reduce the number of young and healthy people purchasing policies through Obamacare insurance exchanges.Enrollment figures released by the administration on Wednesday indicated that only 106,000 people have enrolled for health plans through the exchanges, a tiny fraction of the hoped-for millions.The low figure, while expected because of technical glitches on the government website, showed how far the administration has to go to build an individual market of millions of consumers in 2014 to keep the healthcare program financially viable... | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5711 | GETTING RESULTS: Store Run by FBI Counter-Terrorism Informant, Convicted Drug Dealer, Shut Down by City of New Rochelle LINCOLN PARK MURDER: Man Shot, Killed in New Rochelle GETTING RESULTS: City Charges Flowers Park Tree Killer with Misappropriation... Pinehurst Police: James Gaddy Murdered Wife, Killed Himself in Pre-Planned... New Rochelle Board of Education: Criminal Enterprise Masquerading as an... Breaking Home /Blogs /Robert Cox's blog /PBS Frontline Documentary on Indian Point Nuclear Reactor After Japanese Nuke Meltdown PBS Frontline Documentary on Indian Point Nuclear Reactor After Japanese Nuke Meltdown By Robert Cox Time to read
2 minutes Share Print
Read so far PBS Frontline Documentary on Indian Point Nuclear Reactor After Japanese Nuke Meltdown
BusinessNew York StatePublic Service CommissionUnited StatesPress ReleaseFrontline Investigates The Hazards And Benefits Of Nuclear Energy (video after the link)
Has the world lost faith in nuclear power?
Almost a year after a devastating earthquake and tsunami crippled Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, there’s an emerging consensus in Japan and Germany that the hazards of nuclear energy overshadow its benefits. In the United States and other countries, the question remains unresolved.
In Nuclear Aftershocks, airing Tuesday, January 17, 2012, at 10 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), FRONTLINE correspondent Miles O’Brien travels to three continents to explore the revived debate about the safety of nuclear power, the options for alternative energy sources, and questions about whether a disaster like the one at Fukushima could happen in the United States.
The Fukushima accident marked a nuclear tipping point. Only six of Japan’s 54 reactors are still operating, and all are expected to be closed by May 2012. For its part, Germany decided to close all of its 17 reactors by 2022, with hopes of filling the power gap with renewable energy sources like wind and solar. But some climatologists are concerned that Japan and Germany’s carbon-free nuclear electricity will be replaced not with renewables but with polluting fossil fuels like coal. As NASA’s James Hansen says, “It’s really extremely bad timing. … We have not yet found a base-load electric power without carbon emissions, other than nuclear power.”
FRONTLINE examines the implications of the Fukushima event for U.S. nuclear safety and asks if any of our 104 reactors could suffer a Fukushima-type accident. According to Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) chairman Gregory Jaczko, “The likelihood of a Fukushima accident happening here is very low, … but we know it’s not impossible.” But David Lochbaum, the chief nuclear expert for the Union of Concerned Scientists, argues that the NRC’s record is far from perfect. “The biggest concern I’ve had with the NRC over the years I’ve been monitoring them is lack of consistency. They’re a little bit slow at solving known safety problems.” For example, Lochbaum says, 47 reactors in the U.S. still do not meet federal fire protection standards — standards that were set 35 years ago, after a fire at the Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama.
O’Brien examines one of the most controversial decisions facing U.S. nuclear regulators: whether to relicense the nearly 40-year-old Indian Point nuclear plant, located 38 miles from Manhattan. Citing the damage to Fukushima Daiichi’s 40-year-old reactors, critics — including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — insist that the risks are too great. But proponents, among them former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, argue that keeping Indian Point open is essential, as it provides about a quarter of New York City and Westchester County’s carbon-free electricity.
In the relatively sparsely populated area near the Japanese plant, the radiation caused major disruptions. According to radiation biologist John Moulder, “Some of the [contaminated] areas outside the plant in Fukushima Daiichi … are not going to be re-inhabitable anytime in [the residents’] lifetime.” An Indian Point accident, in a much more densely populated area, would pose even greater challenges in evacuating residents and cleaning up after any release of radiation.
Nuclear Aftershocks is a FRONTLINE production with Palfreman Film Group. The producer and director is Jon Palfreman. The correspondent is Miles O’Brien. The writers are Miles O’Brien and Jon Palfreman. The co-producer is Kate McMahon. FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and by Reva and David Logan. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund. Major funding for Nuclear Aftershocks is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. FRONTLINE is closed-captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and described for people who are blind or visually impaired by the Media Access Group at WGBH. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation.
PHOTO CREDIT: PBS photo of Indian Point Nuclear Energy Plant in Beacon, NY.
Robert Cox's blog | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5738 | Timmy Wiltsey's mother will return to N.J. to face charges in his 1991 murder
Stephen Stirling | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
STUART, Fla. — Michelle Lodzinski could have fought, delaying a criminal case that prosecutors took 23 years to build. She considered it, according to her attorney.
But sitting in a Florida courtroom today, clad in an orange jumpsuit with cuffs on her hands and chains around her waist, she instead sat quietly and signed paperwork waiving her right to an extradition hearing.
Her signature will guarantee her a flight in the next week to New Jersey under the supervision of U.S. marshals. Lodzinski is expected to face a single charge of first-degree murder in the death of her son, Timothy Wiltsey.
It will bring the South Amboy resident back to a state she has long strived to distance herself from to secure some form of resolution in a case that has haunted her, her family, law enforcement officials and Middlesex County for more than two decades. "I am glad Michelle decided to waive extradition and return to New Jersey to answer the charge," said Michael Lodzinski, Michelle's younger brother. "I look forward to the trial so we can finally hear what new evidence (Middlesex County) Prosecutor (Andrew) Carey has uncovered that justifies bringing the charge after 23 years."
Lodzinski has been housed in Martin County Jail since early August, when she was arrested following her indictment in Wiltsey’s murder. "She maintains her innocence,” her attorney, Robert Watson, said. “It’s a good opportunity for the truth to come out and for the questions to be resolved.” Prior to a brief court appearance today, Lodzinski swiveled slowly in a chair, occasionally shaking her head to push her chin-length auburn hair in front of her face, shielding it from the view of the court gallery. When the hearing began, Judge Elizabeth Metzger acknowledged that the defense had initially planned to fight extradition, but had reconsidered.
“I understand that after your client had a chance to think it over, she has decided to consent to a waiver,” Metzger said.
Watson said her initial hesitance toward signing the waiver was due to the fact that she was arrested without warning and needed time to consider her options. “She’s more than willing to go to New Jersey to address the allegations, finally and completely,” he said.
Lodzinski’s son, known as Timmy, was reported missing by his mother on May 25, 1991, when he was 5 years old. Though her story changed several times and was never corroborated, Lodzinski initially said her child disappeared while the pair was at a carnival in Sayreville.
His disappearance touched off a massive search and made national headlines for months. Timmy’s face appeared on milk cartons, on television and even on big video screens at the old Yankee Stadium.
Portions of the boy’s skeletal remains were found in a marshy area in Edison 11 months later.
In the months and years following Timmy’s death, Lodzinski’s behavior was puzzling and bizarre. She changed the story she gave to law enforcement several times and was later arrested twice — once for allegedly faking her own kidnapping and again in 1997 for stealing from an employer.
Law enforcement officials have openly admitted they have always suspected Lodzinski’s involvement in Timmy’s death, but for more than two decades, she was never charged.
In late July, however, a Middlesex County grand jury handed down a one-count indictment stating she “did purposely or knowingly kill” Timmy or did “purposely or knowingly inflict serious bodily injury” resulting in his death. Middlesex County law enforcement officials traveled to Florida the following week and, in conjunction with Port St. Lucie police, arrested Lodzinski as she was driving home from work. Following the hearing, Watson described Lodzinski, now 46, as a different person than the young woman whose erratic behavior has long made her a suspect in the eyes of law enforcement. “When you’re in your early 20s and you’re in a situation like this, along the way there are some dumb things that are going to be said,” he said. “She’s cooperated with (law enforcement). Too much, in fact. It’s not like she wouldn’t have gone up there and voluntarily surrendered.”
Watson noted that Lodzinski provided Middlesex County law enforcement with a hair sample in late 2012 and has lived a lawful life on Florida's Treasure Coast for more than 12 years. She currently lives in Port St. Lucie with her two other children, 12 and 16, and has been employed by Gary, Williams, Parenti and Watson, a prominent personal injury law firm in Stuart since shortly after arriving, becoming a certified paralegal in 2010.
“I’ve not heard a single negative word about her,” Watson said.
Watson is representing Lodzinski in Florida pro bono after attorneys from the firm where she was employed asked him to take on her case.
Her two children are living with her sister in nearby Jensen Beach while she is in custody. The family did not attend the hearing today. In an interview with The Star-Ledger last month, her brother said they were looking forward to getting closure on Timmy's death. “It’s unresolved, we accept that. Maybe now we’ll get resolution one way or the other,” Michael Lodzinski said. “We just hope that the authorities in New Jersey, that they have a darn good reason to do this and put the family through this, especially the boys.”
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office has been tight-lipped about their investigation and only said a review of all of the cold cases in their jurisdiction led them to take a fresh look at Wiltsey’s death.
Watson said he expects that Lodzinski will fly to New Jersey accompanied by U.S. Marshals within seven to 10 days, but no definite timeline or plan for her travel has been set.
After the hearing, Lodzinski lifted her chained hands, waved and flashed a smile toward four friends and co-workers in the courtroom. Outside the courtroom, Watson reiterated his client’s innocence.
“It is perhaps one of the most investigated cases in the United States, and I don’t believe there is any new evidence that has come forward,” Watson said. “She’s had a cloud hanging over her head for 23 years. This is her chance to resolve the allegations against her.”
Star-Ledger staff writer Sue Epstein contributed to this report. | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5755 | Harrah's gambling on increased convention business in Atlantic City
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI The Press of Atlantic City Wire Service
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A conventions and meetings market worth an estimated $16 billion is there for the taking in the Northeast. But Atlantic City currently grabs less than 1 percent of it.
Harrah's Resort thinks Atlantic City should get more — a lot more.
How will that be done?
The answer is being built at Harrah's on a dusty construction site overlooking the marshlands. Gigantic crane-like machines are pounding metal piles into the ground to form the foundation for a nearly $126 million conference center billed as the largest of its type in the Northeast.
"In 2015, Atlantic City will welcome the largest conference facility from Baltimore to Boston. It's a game changer," Harrah's exclaims in promotional material trumpeting the project.
Construction is expected to take about 22 or 23 months. When finished, the facility will spread out over 250,000 square feet. Harrah's says 125,000 square feet will be reserved for meeting space. The center also will feature two ballrooms, each offering 50,000 square feet of space.
Rick Mazer, Harrah's regional president and general manager, tells The Press of Atlantic City (http://bit.ly/1fgV6Yz) the conference center will position Atlantic City to capture a much bigger share of the corporate meetings market. Harrah's estimates the city gets only about 1 percent of the Northeast's conventions and meetings market right now.
"It's phenomenal how much there is of that," Mazer said of the amount of business that could come Atlantic City's way once the new conference center is built. "There is the national business, but also the regional market as well. It could all have to do with what has been missing here."
Mazer, during a tour of the construction site Monday, noted the facility is designed to complement the conventions and trade shows at the larger Atlantic City Convention Center. Although Harrah's will host the conference center, he believes the project will serve as a business magnet for the entire city.
"It's truly important to both Harrah's and the rest of the market," he said. "I think it's all part of approaching business in a new, unique way. We can't continue to do the same things in the same old way."
Mazer sounded a similar theme during a Sept. 24 speech to the Atlantic City Hotel & Lodging Association. It represented his first public remarks in Atlantic City since taking over as Harrah's new chief executive last month. He urged the casinos to put aside their old rivalries to collectively revitalize the city's economy.
Public funding from the casino industry is a crucial part of the conference center project. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, a state agency that uses Atlantic City casino revenue for housing projects and economic development, is contributing $45 million for the center. Caesars Entertainment, parent company of Harrah's Resort, plans to supply more than $80 million of equity to complete the financing.
Another state agency, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, has approved $24.1 million in state tax breaks for the conference facility over 20 years. That money will come from the same state program that provided the Revel Casino-Hotel with $261.4 million in state tax credits over 20 years.
Mazer characterized the Harrah's conference center as the type of project that will benefit the entire casino industry. Harrah's officials expect the center to increase demand for hotel rooms across the city, while also boosting business for restaurants, nightclubs and retail shops.
"It's not just the conventioneers, but also the spouses and significant others who will take advantage of Atlantic City's shopping, spas, restaurants or whatever," Harrah's spokeswoman Katie Dougherty said.
Atlantic City usually suffers most during the traditionally slower, midweek periods. Mazer said the types of corporate meetings that will occupy the conference center will stimulate midweek business.
"These are historically weekday customers here for three or four nights. This is a whole different customer," he said.
Harrah's already has started showing meeting planners the construction site. Mazer said the casino has gotten some preliminary bookings, but is not yet ready to make any announcements.
In the meantime, the project is giving a boost to the local building industry, creating 340 construction jobs to this point, Dougherty said. T.N. Ward Co., of Atlantic City, is serving as the general contractor.
The conference center will rise on a 3-acre site in the shadow of Harrah's 960-room Waterfront Tower. Harrah's is calling the facility the Waterfront Conference Center to link it to the hotel tower.
The noisy work of driving the 1,200 piles that will support the building's foundation continues until December. Hotel guests near the construction site are given the option to move to other rooms.
Cranes, big earthmovers, trucks and other construction equipment are crawling all over the site. Later, crews will begin building the superstructure that will reveal the conference center's design.
Information from: The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.), http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com
NorthJersey.com : Story Archives
Tags: Inside NorthJersey.com
From Bergen.com
Jewish Home Foundation hosts...
Lyndhurst hosts inaugural...
Art Plastic Surgery hosts VIP...
Nest Seekers celebrates...
From BergenCounty.com
Celebrating Memorial Day in...
Job search tips for college...
Elbow Pain: Causes, Symptoms...
CoolSculpting for a leaner...
Suspended Palisades Park police chief to retire on disability 'Dirt brokers' accused of dumping construction debris, contaminated soil onto environmentally sensitive sites in N.J. Paterson police investigating street shooting in 5th Ward Bankruptcy case reopened for 'Real Housewives' star Teresa Giudice H.S. girls lacrosse: Northern Highlands makes late comeback to beat IHA in overtime Today's Paper
Don't Miss A Day.
Automatically delivered every morning!
and get the digital edition at no extra charge with
your 7-day subscription.
Latest tweets from @NorthJerseybrk | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5760 | What Pope Benedict’s resignation means for the Church
L'Osservatore Romano, 2/11/2013
It was a totally unexpected news event and the ramifications took even a seasoned theologian like Dr. Mark Goodwin by surprise.
“I’ve been bombarded with phone calls,” admits the University of Dallas interim dean of the School of Ministry.
Popes embrace the pontificate till death. Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to resign from the papacy Feb. 28 threw a wrench into modern Church tradition. Pope Gregory XII resigned in 1415 to bring an end to the Great Western Schism, and the last pope before him to leave his post was Pope St. Celestine V in 1294, a contemplative, who preferred a solitary life and resigned after five months.
Papal resignation, an anomaly in the modern era, is producing a plethora of questions.
“What will we call a retired pope? I don’t know. I’m not a Canon lawyer but I’m sure they are rifling through documents to find out,” Goodwin speculates.
The theology expert says some analysts have suggested Pope Benedict’s retirement is a reply to his predecessor, John Paul II’s choice to suffer until the end of his papacy.
“I don’t agree with that,” he says asserting that John Paul II and Benedict are two very different popes. “Each had his own distinctive style and sense of vocation.”
John Paul II exemplified the dignity and value of suffering at the end of life. A scholar and prolific writer, Pope Benedict may reveal his personal mission in a book, Goodwin added.
“Announcing his resignation as we begin Lent is significant,” the profession continues. “The timing is interesting. There is a liturgical underpinning to this event. We’ll have to wait and see what happens at the end of 40 days.”
Marlon De La Torre, director of Catechist Formation and Children’s Catechesis in the Diocese of Fort Worth says Catholics are understandably saddened but should view the pope’s decision positively.
“We see the Holy Father’s prudence. Obviously he knows his health best and he sees the need to step down,” De La Torre explains. “He’s taking care of his Church and being a good father to his children. He’s preparing the Church for a new transition.”
Why the Holy Father chose to resign during the Year of Faith and before writing a document on the New Evangelization has led to some negative speculation, the director admits.
“This might be seen as bad timing but, ultimately, you can’t control that,” he says.
De La Torre also noted that while as prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, he submitted his resignation three times, and each time Blessed Pope John Paul II refused to accept it.
The secular media may also misperceive and misunderstand why the Holy Father would step down but there is provision in Canon Law allowing a pontiff to resign.
“If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone,” says the Code of Canon Law, Canon 332.2.
“So Pope Benedict is not doing something out of the ordinary. This has been done before,” De La Torre states. “What makes it significant is this is the first time it’s been done in quite a long time.”
“I’ve been bombarded with phone calls,” admits the University of Dallas interim dean of the School of Ministry... | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5762 | Current state of U.S. immigration 'an offense against God,' say bishops
By Jordan McMorrough
SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- In a new pastoral letter Family Beyond Borders, the bishops of the border region of Texas, New Mexico and Mexico humanize the immigration debate by placing it in a moral context with specific illustrations of struggling children and families.
It addresses the misconceptions concerning undocumented immigrants and their contribution to society in the United States, while outlining the serious threats facing immigrant families and tragic conditions under which children have been separated from their mothers and fathers.
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio held a news conference Nov. 26 in which he joined with his brother bishops in urging Catholics, national, state and local leaders, and all people of good will to engage in dialogue, advocacy and action to protect the human rights of immigrants and to help keep their families together.
Archbishop Garcia-Siller began his comments by saying the bishops of the border region have published and are distributing Family Beyond Borders with a sense of urgency.
Dated for Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, Families without Borders was made available on the Archdiocese of San Antonio website at www.archsa.org, and was being printed in English and Spanish in the Nov. 29 issue of Today's Catholic, the archdiocesan newspaper.
It also was being distributed to President Barack Obama, U.S. senators and representatives from Texas, and a number of civic and faith leaders.
"We believe it is imperative that the people of the United States see that the broken immigration system of this land comes with tragic human cost," he explained. "Families are torn apart, children are separated from their mothers and fathers, husbands are divided from wives, not just for days or weeks, or even months. Many may never see their families for decades, if ever."
The San Antonio prelate said the border bishops acknowledge the right and responsibility of a nation to secure its borders.
"But at what price?" he questioned. "Immigration reform has evolved from an honest discussion about national security, to a partisan politics issue, thus blinding some Americans from seeing immigrants as suffering people who live among us, on our streets and in our neighborhoods.
"The fear that comes from misinformation denies their dignity and the positive contribution the undocumented immigrants make to our lives every day."
The archbishop spoke emotionally about undocumented immigrant children — some as young as 5 years old — who brave the dangers of the desert and coyotes and hide from authorities as well as human traffickers in an attempt to reach the safety of a new home of hope.
In Family Beyond Borders, he said, "we attempt to help our people see these children who cry in the darkness of isolation and often abuse."
Archbishop Garcia-Siller stated that in fiscal year 2012, the U.S. Border Patrol reported apprehensions of more than 24,000 unaccompanied juveniles along the Southwest border.
"These children who are apprehended are often initially placed in short-term detention centers, where the lights stay on 24 hours a day and there are no showers or recreation spaces. At times, the facilities are so crowded with juveniles that the children have to take turns just to lie down to sleep on the concrete floor," he said of conditions at some facilities. "Moreover, when unaccompanied minors are apprehended and deported to their countries of origin, this is often done in ways that put them at additional risk."
The archbishop said that the border bishops believe that if the people of the United Sates understand what immigration policies and laws are doing to punish families and children just because they do not have the right documents, "they will join their voices with ours, their hearts with our brothers and sisters in need, and demand action by our legislators and our president, now."
Archbishop Garcia-Siller acknowledged that often people will say, "Why don't they just wait their turn?" but he said, "They truly do not understand how broken the system is."
He explained that the U.S. State Department issues available visas through a complex system that has limits for various categories of family-sponsored and employment-based preferences and quotas for individual countries. Currently, he said, there is a 17- to 20-year "wait" for Mexicans to acquire a U.S. visa.
"How long can we ask a father to wait to be able to feed his family and offer them a future of hope? Can we in good conscience tell a father and mother that their children's chance for a better life is out there, but they should wait 20 years to live it? How can you tell a mother that she must wait 20 years to be reunited with her husband or children?" he asked.
Family Beyond Borders quotes Pope Francis: "Life, which is a gift of God, a value always to be protected and promoted; the family, the foundation of coexistence and a remedy against social fragmentation."
In this light, Archbishop Garcia-Siller stressed the border bishops believe that "what is happening to the immigrant family in the United States is an offense against God and the human conscience."
"We implore our leaders to stop looking at immigration reform as simply a politically charged item of controversy. It should no longer require an act of courage on the part of a legislator to apply the principles of moral ethics, true family values, decency and justice," the archbishop emphasized.
The bishops who worked on Families Without Borders represent: the Mexican dioceses of Chihuahua, Ciudad Juarez, Cuauhtemoc-Madera, Matamoros, Monterrey, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Nuevo Laredo, Piedras Negras and Saltillo; the Diocese of Las Cruces, N.M., and the Texas dioceses of Amarillo, Brownsville, El Paso, Lubbock and San Angelo and the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
McMorrough is editor of Today's Catholic, newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
Copyright (c) 2013 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- In a new pastoral letter Family Beyond Borders, the bishops of the border region of Texas, New Mexico and Mexico humanize the immigration debate by placing it in a moral context with specific illustrations of struggling children and families. | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5788 | Changes in property reassessment system on way to governor
Linda Ritzer
Washington County Commission Chairman Larry Maggi, center, speaks during a news conference. Maggi is flanked by fellow commissioners Diana Irey Vaughan and Harlan Shober. - Jim McNutt / Observer-Reporter
Legislation that will reform the way property reassessments in Pennsylvania are conducted is headed to the governor’s desk, and it likely will play a part in the impending reassessment in Washington County.
The county commissioners Tuesday held a news conference and lobbied for passage of Senate Bill 66, which will put reassessments under the oversight of the state Department of Community and Economic Development, develop uniform statewide standards and provide resources to help with technical aspects. At the same event, they said they would “reluctantly” proceed with seeking proposals from vendors for the reassessment project.
They have fought since two local school districts took them to court in 2008 to force action.
On Wednesday, the state House passed the legislation unanimously. It previously had been approved by the state Senate and is headed to Gov. Tom Corbett, who is expected to sign it into law.
“We are obviously glad that this bill passed,” commission Chairman Larry Maggi said Thursday. The commissioners have said they would like Washington County to be a pilot program under the soon-to-be new law. “(Commissioner) Diana Irey Vaughan knows the governor, and we will work through that relationship. We will also contact DCED and our state legislators to make that happen.”
Largely based on bills authored by area state Reps. Jesse White, Brandon Neuman and Rick Saccone – and on the House Task Force on Property Valuation and Reassessment created under their legislation – the bill would standardize reassessment processes that wildly vary among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, and that often lead to dramatic property tax increases for home and business owners.
Under the bill, the responsibilities of the State Tax Equalization Board are moved under the umbrella of the Department of Community and Economic Development to use more modern resources to carry out the technical aspects of a reassessment.
The bill also makes a number of reforms recommended by the task force, including:
• Creating an operations manual to be used by counties when reassessing;
• Creating and maintaining a statewide database for counties to use and report property values;
• Developing and maintaining a statewide training program for anyone involved in the valuation of property within any county during a reassessment;
• Developing contracting standards for assessment services.
“This was a win for taxpayers, and a big win at that,” said White, D-Cecil.
White said he believed Washington County would “fit perfectly” as a pilot county because of the timing and because of the variety of properties in it.
Neither Maggi nor White knew what the timeline would be for implementing the changes once the legislation is signed.
“We will take a wait-and-see attitude. We’re going to see what this means,” Maggi said. “We will contact White and see how this will affect us and what we need to do to become the pilot program.”
White said the question is whether the attorneys representing McGuffey and Washington school districts will wait to allow the new program to be implemented or force the county to advertise for vendors for a reassessment even as the state law is changing.
“I don’t know how a vendor could respond to a (request for proposals) even as state law is changing under their feet,” he said. “We need to sit down with DCED and estimate a timeline and find out what we need to do.”
He said much of the groundwork has been laid and therefore it should not be a lengthy process to begin a pilot program. While the legislation would shift the cost of reassessment to the state, it could provide some grant money and technical assistance to the county.
Also unknown is what, if any effect, a new law might have on a June 4 hearing in which the McGuffey and Washington school districts are asking that the county commissioners be held in contempt of court for not completing a reassessment as ordered by the court by Jan. 1, 2012.
The commissioners have balked at the prospect of a reassessment, claiming that a change in state law could cause them to needlessly spend up to $8 million footed by Washington County taxpayers.
Both Maggi and Irey Vaughan said they preferred to be the first county to reassess under a new system than be the last to reassess under the current system.
“While we operate under the current tax system, it is essential that county reassessments are accurate for the taxpayers,” said Neuman, D-North Strabane Township. “With the governor’s signature, this bill will create essential databases, manuals and contracting standards that will streamline the reassessment process and make it fairer and accountable to taxpayers.”
“These hard-fought reforms were an absolute necessity to help prevent unfair property tax increases, especially for senior citizens, and the end result of this legislation will be a more equitable system in each county across Pennsylvania,” said Saccone, R-Elizabeth. “Everyone acknowledges the property tax system is fundamentally broken in this state, so we have to take advantage of every opportunity to close loopholes and prevent backdoor tax increases. This day was long overdue, but taxpayers can finally rejoice over the fact that some of this property tax mess has been untangled.”
Linda M. Ritzer is the associate editor at the Observer-Reporter. She has been with the O-R since 1986, first as a reporter covering courts, county government and politics, and then as an editor. She has a journalism degree from West Virginia University. | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5819 | Russell D. Humberston Sr., longtime Beaverton car dealer, remembered for sales acumen and generosity
humberston.JPG
Russ and Ann Humberston were awarded the Providence Child Center's 2008 Heart of Gold Award in 2008.
(Stephanie Yao/The Oregonian)
Elliot Njus | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on January 07, 2014 at 5:39 PM, updated January 08, 2014 at 11:18 AM
After moving with his wife from Pittsburgh to Phoenix in 1960 in search of better opportunities, Russell Donald Humberston Sr. had two job prospects: real estate, or car sales.
Humberston, a former hot dog stand operator and restaurateur, took the auto sales job. He would go on to co-found Beaverton Toyota in the early 1970s, helping bring the
brand to Portland.
The longtime businessman and philanthropist died Friday at his home in Portland. He was 85.
Humberston
was born in Braddock, Penn., a Pittsburgh suburb, on Nov. 12, 1928. After serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, he returned to Pittsburgh to operate the hotdog stand outside Forbes Field. That grew into a sandwich shop, which became a diner. Eventually Humberston opened a nightclub where he met his wife, Ann Vetter.
The two moved to Phoenix, where Humberston became the top salesman at his dealership. He was promoted to sales manager, and then became general manager at a larger dealership in Los Angeles owned by Mike Salta.
dad had done well for Mike’s stores and one day (Salta) asked if he wanted to basically take a risk,” said Russ Humberston Jr., who now serves general manager of the dealership his father helped found. “Of course, he took him up on it.” Toyota was looking to expand in the Portland area. Salta bought the building and land that would become Beaverton Toyota in 1971 with Humberston as his partner, then sold his share to Humberston over the next several years. The business would grow into a small automotive empire comprising Chevrolet and Saturn franchises that have since been sold or closed. Those who worked with Humberston remember him as a born salesman who worked hard to make sure his customers received good service.
“He said if we had a dollar
coming, you should work hard to get it,” recalled Steve Roos, a longtime manager with Humberston’s auto dealerships. “But if the customer has a dollar coming, you should work just as hard to make sure they get it.” “If you listened to what Russ had to say, you could walk away a better person for it,” Roos said.
Humberston donated to various charitable organizations, most notably the Providence Child Center, where Ann Humberston was a longtime board member. The two were honored with the Providence Child Center Foundation’s Heart of Gold award at a gala in 2008, and a donation along
with proceeds from the event helped launch a program for children who are unable to speak.
“Any time we needed support for something the children needed, or a child needed, they were right there,” said Patricia Budo, the center’s administrator. “As a result, they changed the lives of our kids.”
He also made many smaller gifts. On Christmas Days starting around 1990, Humberston would disappear for a few hours. Though his family thought he was at work, they later learned he would head to downtown Portland and hand out small
amounts of cash to people who looked down on their luck.
"He was
a big softie," son Russ Humberston Jr. said. "He'd hear a story on the news,and he would call and find out where he could donate money."
was an enthusiastic golfer, and it was no coincidence that his home was
near the Portland Golf Club. He also loved big band music and occasionally dragged former Portland Trail Blazers announcer Bill Schonely — whom he knew from being an early sponsor of the team — onstage at events to sing Sinatra together. “It was just plain old good camaraderie,” Schonely said. Humberston
is survived by his wife, Ann Vetter Humberston; children, Cindy Mitchell, Renie Humberston-Webb, Margie Humberston, Russ Humberston Jr. and Bud Humberston; and 14 grandchildren.
A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. John Fisher Church, 7007 S.W. 46th Ave.
in Portland. A reception will follow at the Portland Golf Club, 5900 S.W. Scholls Ferry Road in Portland.
- Elliot Njus Business Briefing | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5820 | Chaucer Foods, hard cider company among businesses coming to Forest Grove
ZW_22738735.JPG
Chaucer Foods will fill a current vacancy in industrial space in Forest Grove. The company has signed a lease for this building on Yew Street. (Kari Bray/Forest Grove Leader)
Edwin Rios | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Business is booming in Forest Grove, at least in the food-processing sector. The city’s Economic Development Commission met at McMenamin’s Grand Lodge on Thursday, Jan. 9 to discuss the group’s future plans, latest developments, and meet with Howard Smith, the dean of Pacific University’s new business school. Here are the takeaways from Thursday’s meeting: Food and drink businesses on the way to Forest Grove Chaucer Foods, an international food processing plant that specializes in freeze-dried ingredients, is finalizing a permit to open its first U.S. facility in Forest Grove. The plant will open at an existing 84,600-square-foot industrial building at 2238 Yew St. Jeff King said the processing plant will create 71 new jobs for the city. Summit Foods, a Cornelius-based food processor, took over a 31,000-square-foot industrial building on B Street. It added five to seven jobs in Forest Grove. The city is in talks with a hard cider business about starting a location in Forest Grove. King said the cider company will feature a tasting room. It plans to open this spring. Pacific University’s College of Business dean lays out five-year plan Howard Smith expressed optimism for the future of Pacific University’s newly created business school. Smith met with commissioners and city officials to lay out the school’s future plans, which included creating a program that would connect students with new and existing businesses in Forest Grove and Washington County. Smith said he hoped enrollment in the undergraduate business program quadruples within the next five years. The university’s new Master of Science in Finance program kicks off Friday, Jan. 9 on its Hillsboro campus. The school plans to offer a full-time Master of Business Administration program on the Forest Grove campus in the fall. <="" b="">Forest Grove Light & Power illuminates new residentsLight & Power director George Hess said the city’s utility company brought energy to 180 residents. That’s up from 2012, when 120 residents received power. “Looks like we’re going in the right direction,” said commission chair Tim Budelman.-- Edwin Rios Most Read | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5821 | Firing the future
David Sarasohn | For The Oregonian/OregonLive
It's been clear for a while now that the Bush-Cheney era has not been a good time to be a polar bear or a planet. But this summer -- which still has two months to go -- has seen the Bush White House become a high-level hotbed of global warming denial, as this administration takes the principled position that if it can only get through the next six months, it can shrug that the world didn't burn up on its watch.
Normally, July is a slow news time. But this July is already full of weather warnings.
And we're heading for times when every July will last a lot longer.
Last week, setting out what was supposed to be a climate legacy for the administration, the G-8 group of economic superpowers met in Japan. Calling the situation "one of the great global challenges of our time," the group agreed to "consider and adopt" plans to reduce emissions by half by 2050.
Last year, they just said "consider." Breakthrough.
It's always impressive to see international leaders set a target date well after their own deaths. They're granting themselves the ultimate no-comment.
But this deal wasn't even that firm. Major emerging economies refused to join because they were hoping for some target closer to, say, 2020. And it turns out that when the G-8 says it wants to cut emissions in half, that raises another question:
Half of what?
Still, the president found the result inspiring enough that he could come home and overrule the staff of the Environmental Protection Agency, which proposed to begin regulating greenhouse emissions -- just like the Supreme Court said the EPA could last year. The White House called the proposal "an onerous command-and-control regulation" that "would impose crippling costs on the economy."
Instead, the administration had a better idea: Let's all talk about it for the next 120 days. Or, until another president is elected.
That insight came one day after Jason K. Burnett, former associate deputy administrator of the EPA, appeared at a news conference to say that Vice President Cheney's office had tried to edit congressional testimony from EPA chief Stephen Johnson in January. Johnson planned to testify that "greenhouse gases harm the environment," and Cheney's office wanted him to tone it down.
Johnson refused, and a spokesman for Cheney told the Los Angeles Times, "We won't discuss internal deliberations."
Or, on this subject, much of anything else.
In fact, this summer we learned that the Bush policymakers have a standard for keeping anybody else from trying to talk to them about global warming. Last month, The New York Times reported that in December the White House devised a shrewd strategy for dealing with an EPA report that greenhouse gases were pollutants that had to be controlled.
The White House told the EPA that it would refuse to open the e-mail.
In the Times' explanation, the EPA report "ended up in e-mail limbo, without official status," and a lot of people involved in this issue know just how it feels.
And only this month, on receiving a second, much more what-the-heck report from the EPA, did the White House agree to hit the Open button.
So for seven months, on a subject of some planetary significance, the White House's basic policy was to stick its fingers into its ears and explain, "Na na na, we can't hear you."
And that approach was for dealing with one of its own agencies.
Dealing with Congress, or the rest of the world, it didn't bother to be nearly as responsive.
You can see why the Bush administration was so cheered to have a G-8 meeting that seemed as if it was doing something dramatic about global warming, but wasn't actually committing anybody to do anything.
At least, nobody likely to still be around when the target date arrives.
The whole G-8 experience, in fact, put the president in such a jovial mood that bidding farewell to his fellow world economic leaders, he called out, "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."
Take that, polar bear.
And don't try complaining to us by e-mail.
David Sarasohn, associate editor, can be reached at 503-221-8523 or davidsarasohn@news.oregonian.com. View/Post Comments | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5833 | City shops report Boxing Day business boom
TRADERS in Oxford reported an increase in footfall as shoppers swamped the sales on Boxing Day.
The city’s Westgate Shopping Centre said 20,000 people visited – an eight per cent rise on last year. Westgate general manager Brendan Hattam said: “We’re delighted that Westgate Shopping Centre Oxford has performed strongly once again over the Christmas period.
“The centre has been very busy with shoppers since mid-November and footfall has risen steadily in the run up to Christmas.
“As the sales get under way, there is a real buzz in the centre with people looking to take advantage of the fantastic discounts on offer.
“We expect good numbers of shoppers from now through to the New Year.”
Mr Hattam said he did not know why there had been a rise, because the centre had not done anything differently since Boxing Day 2011. Independent shops in the city, many of which were closed on Boxing Day, also reported a successful day yesterday.
Mark Leech, from tailors Ede & Ravenscroft in the High Street, said they had a busy morning on Thursday.
He said: “It has been busy, although it’s tailed off for lunch now.”
But business was not booming everywhere. Tenants in the Covered Market reported a quiet day’s trading yesterday.
Gillian Senior, who owns The Hat Box, said: “It’s been slow, looking outside the shop I can only see about 10 people in the market.
“Then again, not everybody is open today.” | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5853 | TOPICS > Nation News Wrap: White House Disputes Reports of Afghan Troop Surge
November 10, 2009 at 12:00 AM EDT [Sorry, the video for this story has expired, but you can still read the transcript below. ]
http://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/newshour/rss/media/2009/11/10/20091110_other.mp3SEE PODCASTS
RELATED LINKSWorld View Afghanistan and the War on Terror Politics of Pakistan JIM LEHRER: In other news today, White House officials insisted President Obama has not decided how many more troops to send to Afghanistan. They disputed reports he will add four combat brigades, plus support units, totaling close to 40,000 troops.
In Afghanistan, an American soldier was killed today by a roadside bomb. And NATO said troops in Kandahar seized 250 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer on Sunday, enough to make hundreds of bombs.
Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera television showed insurgents with U.S. ammunition and mines. They said they found the material at abandoned outposts in the east.
A suicide car bomber in Pakistan killed at least 24 people at a crowded market today. It went off just outside Peshawar, capital of the Northwest Frontier Province. Police said 90 pounds of explosives were stuffed into a van. The powerful blast left more than 60 people wounded. The bombing was the area’s third in three days.
North and South Korea fought a duel at sea today for the first time in seven years. It happened in the Yellow Sea along the disputed maritime border between the two countries. South Korea said a patrol boat from the North crossed the line and was heavily damaged before retreating. North Korea accused the south of violating its territory.
A push for a powerful new financial regulator began in the Senate today. Banking Committee Chairman Democrat Chris Dodd introduced the plan. It would strip the Federal Reserve of its authority over banks.
SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD, D-Conn.: We saw, over the last number of years, when they took on consumer protection responsibilities and — and regulation of bank holding companies, it was — it was an abysmal failure. And, so, the idea that we’re going to go back and expand those roles and functions, at the expense of losing the vitality in the core functions that they’re designed to perform, I think, is going in the wrong direction.
JIM LEHRER: Under Dodd’s bill, the new agency would have oversight of home loans and credit cards. Democrats generally support the idea, but Republicans have objected to creating another bureaucracy. A similar move is under way in the House.
It was a calmer day on Wall Street, after the big gains of late. The Dow Jones industrial average added 20 points, to close near 10,247. The Nasdaq fell three points, to close at 2,151.
The Gulf Coast escaped mostly unscathed today when Tropical Storm Ida came ashore in Alabama. The storm brought heavy rain and high surf around Mobile Bay. But it quickly petered out, and no major damage was reported. Ida’s approach also led to the shutdown of nearly one-third of oil and gas production in the Gulf.
Former astronaut Lisa Nowak pleaded guilty today to attacking another woman in 2007. They had been dating the same man, a former space shuttle pilot. Nowak, a Navy captain, drove from Texas to Florida, and assaulted the woman with pepper spray. She also carried a steel mallet, a knife and other articles. Under a plea bargain, Nowak was sentenced to one year’s probation.
afghanistan banks Bombing chris dodd Economy lisa nowak NASA NATO Peshawar | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5865 | The Navy and the Air Corps came up with the solution of flying B 25s, with a 2000-mile range, from the deck of an Aircraft Carrier. It was billed as just another Navy experiment and successfully tested by taking two B 25s off from the USS Hornet�s flight deck while maneuvering off the Virginia Capes in early February 1942. Meanwhile Admiral Halsey�s Task Force continued to run up and down the Pacific holding the line by attacking Japanese Bases and inflicting as much damage as they could, then quickly disappearing in the vast Pacific Ocean before the Japanese could mount a large counterattack. They attacked the Marshall and Gilbert Islands February 1st, Wake Island February 24th, and Marcus Island 900 miles from Japan March 4th, 1942. A dive-bomber from the Enterprise was shot down but they could be seen waving after landing in the water. They were taken prisoner and survived the war in a Japanese Prison camp in Japan, one of them was a Pearl Harbor Survivor. The USS Hornet arrived at a dock near the Alameda air station and April 1st, loaded sixteen B 25s onto her flight deck. The next morning in the heavy fog the eight ship Task Force slipped out under the Golden Gate to sea. The morning of April 8th, the eight ship Enterprise Task Force under the command of Admiral Halsey left Pearl Harbor and headed northwest and the morning of April 13th the ships of the two Task Forces and two submarines merged under the Command of Admiral "Bull" Halsey. Task Force 16 proceeded westward toward Japan cloaked in dismal weather and rough seas. However planes from the Enterprise and four cruisers managed to provide the eyes of the Task Force by patrolling and scouting on all but the worst days. In the North Pacific the swells get big and along with large white capped waves provide a rough ride for any ship. News cameraman on the Hornet took a movie of the Cruiser USS Salt Lake City Cruising off the port side diving into a large swell with water coming over the bow clear up to the bridge. It was calculated that the bow of the ship was 60 feet under the water. On April 17th the two carriers and four cruisers refueled and that afternoon Admiral Halsey detached the destroyers and fleet tankers to make a final high-speed dash to the objective. We cruised at high speed the rest of the day and all night. At daylight April 18th with all hands at battle stations, Pearl Harbor Survivor Ralph Horton a forward lookout on the Salt Lake City, spotted a Japanese fishing boat bearing 220 degree�s at 20,000 yards. The light cruiser Nashville was dispatched to sink the picket boat. During the operation Enterprise planes sank two more fishing boats. It was believed one of the boats had sounded the alarm and the decision was made to launch the Doolittle Raiders even though we hadn�t reached the desired launch point. Accordingly the Hornet swung into the wind and at 0825 Lt. Col. Doolittle�s B 25 struggled off the flight deck and headed for Tokyo. All sixteen bombers had taken off and departed within an hour; then the Hornet brought up their own planes from the hangar deck and we headed back to join the Destroyers and Fleet Tankers. Of the eighty Doolittle Raiders that took off from the Hornet that day in those sixteen B 25s three were killed during the raid. Eight became prisoners of war in Japan (Three executed by a firing squad and another died in captivity). Five were interned in Russia and thirteen others would die later in the war. Of the six ships that made the last high-speed dash to launch the Doolittle Raiders, three were lost later and the other three suffered heavy damage fighting other battles during the war. We were told not to discuss absolutely anything about the attack on Tokyo with anyone. When President Roosevelt was asked by the newsmen where the B 25s took off from he replied "They came from our new secret base at Shangri-La". BACK TO STORIES INDEX PAGE | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5868 | Demi Lovato Reveals Her Grandfather Was Gay
Rob Latour/REX USA
By Wade Rouse
Demi Lovato has revealed for the first time that her grandfather was gay, saying, "I feel a lot of my spirit has come from him."
"I've never spoken about this before, but my grandfather was a trailblazer himself," Lovato said, appropriately enough, while taping a segment for Trailblazers, a Logo TV special airing Thursday (9 p.m. ET) that honors LGBT civil rights pioneers. "He was brave enough to come out in the 1960s, and I feel a lot of my spirit has come from him."
The pop singer, who has overcome many obstacles in her 21 years, discussed her grandfather before introducing the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, one of the night's honorees.
"He passed away a few years later, and I only wish he could have seen all the progress that has been made," said Lovato. "It's such an honor to be welcomed and embraced by the LGBT community."
Among those embracing Lovato at the taping was Lance Bass.
"I'm soooo happy I got to catch up with the adorable and super sweet @lancebass!!" Lovato wrote alongside a Twitter photo she posted of the two of them.
RELATED: Demi Lovato Dyes Her Hair Purple and Silver Among those also being honored on Logo's Trailblazers special are Edie Windsor and Roberta Kaplan, who helped overturn DOMA, and Jason Collins, the first openly gay athlete to compete in any of North America's four major professional sports. Additionally, the show will feature special appearances by President Bill Clinton, Daniel Radcliffe, PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive Adam Levine, Jared Leto, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Ed Sheeran and Iggy Azalea.
Demi Lovato Opens Up About Cocaine Addiction
MORE ON: Demi Lovato The Latest | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5871 | Cops: Steve McNair Killed by Debt-Ridden Girlfriend
Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi
AP(2)
By Jeff Truesdell
Former NFL star Steve McNair died at the hands of a girlfriend who faced mounting debts that included payments on a Cadillac Escalade he'd helped her to buy, and who suspected him of seeing yet another woman who was not his wife, Nashville police say.
"We can't put ourselves in the minds of people who do these terrible, irrational acts, but there is evidence she was spinning out of control," police chief Ronal Serpas told a news conference Wednesday. Gunshot residue tests suggest Sahel Kazemi, 20, used both hands to fire the 9mm pistol recovered at the downtown Nashville condo where both she and McNair, 36, a quarterback who took the Tennessee Titans to the 2000 Super Bowl, were found dead Saturday afternoon, police said. McNair was seated on a sofa and likely asleep in the early morning hours of July 4 when Kazemi shot him in the left side of his head from a distance of a few feet, according to investigators. She then shot him two more times in the chest, and once more on the right side of his head from close up.
Kazemi subsequently sat next to McNair and shot herself on the right side of her head, collapsing into his lap and eventually falling to the floor atop the dropped gun, police said.
Family Unaware of Problems"She, to us, was still a little kid and probably couldn't handle the pressure," Kazemi's nephew, Farzin Abdi, told the Tennessean. "She was only 20 years old, and he cheated on her and on his wife, too ... We never knew about financial troubles."
Kazemi, a waitress whom McNair began dating several months ago, told family and friends that McNair planned to divorce his wife for her, although no divorce record has turned up.
The murder-suicide capped 48 hours that began with Kazemi's arrest for DUI at 1:30 a.m. on July 2. McNair was with her in the Escalade at the time, and bailed her out of jail. About 5 p.m. that same day, she bought the pistol for $100 from a man to whom she had tried and failed to sell her Kia automobile. Earlier, Kazemi had learned that her roommate was moving out, which would double her rent to around $1,000. Kazemi also was liable for payments on both the Kia and the Escalade, which she co-owned with McNair.
Another WomanPolice also revealed that Kazemi recently had learned of another woman she believed to be romantically involved with McNair. On Friday, July 3, Kazemi remarked to an associate, "My life is a ball of s---, and I should just end it." Clocking out of her job at a Dave & Buster's restaurant at 10:07 that night, Kazemi went to her apartment and then to the condo that McNair rented with a buddy. McNair arrived between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. to find her Escalade parked outside.
"Murder-suicide is clear given all of the evidence," police said in a statement.
McNair's wife, Mechelle, with whom he had four sons, has made no public comment. The co-winner of the NFL's Most Valuable Player honor in 2003 with the Tennessee team, McNair retired in 2008 after finishing his career with the Baltimore Ravens.
James Franco Pokes Fun At Himself
PHOTOS: LeBron James Joins Moguls In Idaho The Latest | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5890 | HomenewsRotarians take top honors at district conferenceHeadlinesSenior Menus: May 26, 2016Lake Shore: Council agrees to take next step toward building new city hall Last Windrow: Historic pioneer cemetery lives on Last Windrow: Historic pioneer cemetery lives onMore TopicsbusinesseducationstateregionallegalsDistribution MapAdvertising Rates
opinionHeadlinesLetters to the Editor: Community support for Tiger Pride Service Day appreciatedLetters to the Editor: Pine River Chamber, Pine River Library thanks communityCracker Barrel: ReconsiderationLetters to editor: Democrats hold roads, bridges hostage for gas tax, light railGrim's Tales: The renter conundrumMore Topicsletters to the editorcolumns
‘Probably a great one’
, http://www.pineandlakes.com/sites/all/themes/pineandlakes_theme/images/social_default_image.png ‘Probably a great one’ Ask Mike Chenault why he wanted his current job and he’ll give you two answers.
“I wonder about that at times,” joked Chenault, who serves as Speaker of the House in the Alaska Legislature.
“I just thought that, at the time, I was probably the best fit for the job,” he said after reflecting for a moment.Ask his colleagues and they’ll likely agree with Chenault’s second answer. Many cite the Nikiski Republican as one of the area’s biggest champions in the State House and as one of the reasons the Kenai Peninsula Borough received a record amount of funding in 2011 from the governor’s capital budget, including millions of dollars for roads and other critical projects.Chenault contends that’s simply his job — to “get our business done,” he said.“You always wonder, especially at the end of session when you are about to pull your hair out … ‘What am I doing here? Why did I do this?’” he said. “I could be a chairman of another committee and not have near the responsibilities. But at the end of the day that’s what you were elected to do is go down there and try to represent the people you represent, plus the rest of the state … and try to do the right thing.”Chenault, who was first elected in 2000, has been Speaker of the House since 2009. Running for the speaker position was “kind of a popularity contest,” he joked.“You take the position seriously, but to get to that position, you’re voted in by your peers,” he said.During his tenure, he has made a lasting impression on fellow area representative Kurt Olson, R-Soldotna.“He is probably not a good (legislator), he’s probably a great one,” Olson said. “He’s the best speaker I have worked for since I have been down there.”Olson thinks Chenault’s best quality is being able to bring people and legislators together.“He has put together an extremely cohesive organization,” Olson said. “We don’t have a lot of infighting you can often see in either the House or the Senate, either of the organizations, minority or majority. Everyone works well together as a result of him keeping everything balanced.”Former borough mayor Dave Carey agreed, adding that Chenault’s legislative abilities are one of the reason’s the borough came out swimmingly in Gov. Sean Parnell’s 2012 capital budget. The $9 million for the Homer Transfer Site was “absolutely his doing,” Carey added.“I don’t like to toot my own horn, I mean I don’t think that’s what I am down there for is to take credit,” Chenault said when asked about the borough’s 2012 funding. “The borough has a lot of issues that need to be addressed and I have done what I can to try to address those.”Chenault said he represents, at least in his mind, the whole borough as much as any one specific part of it. He doesn’t necessarily take pride in how much he can get for the area from the governor, but rather in making sure the area gets what it really needs.“Sometimes that was a larger amount, and sometimes that was a smaller amount,” he said. “But, it moved the borough forward and like I said, could I have been greedy and tried to get more? Probably. But I think as long as we get what we need, we are going to be OK.”Parnell recently released his proposed $1.8 billion fiscal year 2013 capital budget, but Chenault said he expects the list to grow to around $2.6 billion. Missing from that budget, however, is the previously requested $10 million in funding for a proposed gas line from Anchor Point to Homer. The project was the borough’s second-highest priority last year, behind the transfer site, Carey said.Chenault said he couldn’t speak for the governor on the reason why it wasn’t included in the last capital budget and said the notion it was one or the other — transfer site or gas line — was false.“I think (the governor) was more interested in them having some skin in the game,” he said. “I know he was having some conversations with them and I think that it is a good possibility this year that they’ll probably see some money in order to extend that gas line.”Carey said he is particularly impressed with how Chenault is able to have his finger on the pulse of the borough at all times.“He goes to those meetings to hear what are the needs, whether it is the senior citizens, whether it is the recreation groups in terms of gun clubs, snowmachine trails or Tsalteshi — he is someone that goes and listens to his community,” Carey said.But sometimes, Chenault said he feels like he has his feet in both camps — advocating for local funding as a representative and doing what’s best for the whole state. However, he said being aware of that balance and relying on the Legislature’s division of powers, is remedy enough.The key, he said, is to decide where you stand as a legislator, and then stand there.“I have the backbone to not back down from an issue if I think it is important,” he said.The biggest skill he’s learned as a stalwart for the state and borough is how best to treat people even during disagreements, he said.“Politics is the art of compromise and it’s how you compromise without going against your principles and be able to get legislation passed,” he said.
5. Heintzeman, Gazelka author veterans' tax cut provision in supplemental budget
Senior Menus: May 26, 20162 min ago
Lake Shore: Council agrees to take next step toward building new city hall3 min ago
Last Windrow: Historic pioneer cemetery lives on4 min ago
Rotarians take top honors at district conference8 min ago | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5915 | GRASSROOTS/Hank Kalet
Minimum Wage Should Be a Living Wage
The nation’s lowest-income workers deserve a raise. As the national Raise the Minimum Wage campaign points out, a full-time worker earning the federal minimum wage for a full year earns just $15,080 a year – which is not enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment anywhere in the country.
And at $7.25 an hour, it is worth about $3 less, when adjusted for inflation, than the wage was worth 45 years ago.
For these workers, good news may be on the horizon. A half-dozen states are considering increasing their wage, including New Jersey, which has a dollar wage hike on the ballot in November, an the president is proposing a phased-in increase that would take full effect in 2015. Many of these increases, including the proposed federal increase to $9 an hour, include an escalator clause that would bump the minimum up annually based on Consumer Price Index.
Yet the proposed wage hikes seem a bit paltry when you look at the numbers. Had the 1966 minimum wage kept pace with inflation it would clock in at about $10.50 an hour, which translates to annual earnings of $21,800 for a year. If the wage earner is a single mother with three children, she would fall below the federal poverty line of $22,050 per year (2011 figure).
To meet the self-sufficiency standard – what the Center for Women’s Welfare in Seattle describes as the income needed to meet basic needs without public subsidies or other assistance – that same family of four in New Jersey would needs to earn between $50,000 and $90,000 a year – depending on specific family characteristics and location.
In Nebraska, the figure is between about $32,000 and $55,000 and it varies from state to state. What is clear, however, and what does not vary from state to state is that the wage floor we’ve set is inadequate. If our goal is to make work pay enough to keep people off public assistance, to make them self-sufficient, we need a more robust wage than we have been prepared to pay.
The business community and their conservative supporters, like the Chamber of Commerce and the Employment Policy Institute, are not going to like it. But they’ve never liked minimum wages – or any regulatory imposition on what they view as their prerogative to earn as much as they can without sharing – and their arguments just do not stand up to scrutiny.
Wage hikes, they say, will kill jobs. The evidence, however, just doesn’t support this. At best, for them, it’s inconclusive; at worst, for the anti-wagers, there are indications that a higher minimum wage will generate new economic activity and could create jobs and create a more stable work environment.
Consider a forthcoming report from the Center for Economic Policy Research. The report, due in March, “finds that modest increases in the minimum wage … have little impact on employment, due to adjustments by employers and workers,” according to a press release.
“This is one of the most studied topics in economics, and the evidence is clear: modest minimum wage increases don’t have much impact on employment,” said the report’s author John Schmitt. “An increase to $9 per hour would be hugely important for the workers getting it, but the idea that this would lead to less employment is just not supported by the evidence.”
Dean Baker and Will Kimball, in a blog post for the CEPR web site, point out that Obama’s $9 proposal would barely recapture the lost purchasing power of the wage – but only if it were enacted in its entirety today and not phased in over three years. Doing so certainly would be positive for low-wage workers – any raise would be good – but it just is not enough.
“(I)t is worth asking a slightly different question,” they say. “Suppose the minimum wage had kept in step with productivity growth over the last 44 years. In other words, rather than just keeping purchasing power constant at the 1969 level, suppose that our lowest paid workers shared evenly in the economic growth over the intervening years.”
That would put the wage at $16.54 in 2012 dollars – still well below the sustainability level, but enough to make low-wage workers less dependent on government and private assistance.
The question of whether to raise the wage is about more than economics. It is about morality. Can we as a society continue to pretend that we can pay men and women poverty wages for doing work that we believe necessary to the functioning of our economy? I think you can tell what my answer is.
Hank Kalet is a poet and journalist in central New Jersey. He covers economics for NJ Spotlight and teaches news writing at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College. Email grassroots@comcast.net.
From The Progressive Populist, March 15, 2013 Populist.com
Blog | Current Issue | Back Issues | Essays | Links About the Progressive Populist | How to Subscribe | How to Contact Us Copyright © 2013 The Progressive Populist | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5932 | dansk Deutsch español Français italiano Nederlands norsk português suomeksi svenska American Apparel Opens New Store in Hong Kong with LAB CONCEPT
from American Apparel
LOS ANGELES, May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- American Apparel (Amex: APP), the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, has announced a exclusive partnership with LAB CONCEPT, a contemporary lifestyle retailer in Queensway, to bring the brand to the Admiralty district in Hong Kong. "We have worked very carefully to develop a strategy for Hong Kong, keeping in mind that it's a major center for business, travel, and finance both in Asia and worldwide. That's why we're so excited to be working with LAB CONCEPT in Admiralty on this special project; this partnership allows us to offer high quality American-made product to the Hong Kong consumer," said Katherine Johnson, American Apparel Regional Manager for Asia.
The 1500 square foot space in LAB CONCEPT is on par with urban American Apparel standalone stores internationally and will feature the company's signature basics, dresses, shoes, swimwear, and its California select vintage products, as well as exclusive items for the Asian market. "We are excited to be partnering with American Apparel to bring this new and unique brand to LAB CONCEPT. With a deep understanding of our customers' needs, we are able to position and offer new exclusive brands every season to tailor to their evolving taste," said Morgan Tan, Vice President of LAB CONCEPT.
The LAB CONCEPT partnership is part of a continuing trend with American Apparel's expansion, particularly in China and Hong Kong. The company previously operated a pop-up space in LAB CONCEPT last year. In 2012, American Apparel opened stores in Shanghai's Joy City Mall and Beijing's Parkview Green Mall, the latter of which is owned and operated by the Parkview Group headquartered in Hong Kong.
"We're a brand that both locals and expatriates will recognize and relate to, which is rare for a fashion brand. As a city known for its free market capitalism, Hong Kong is a place we've been looking forward to operating in; in addition to this we're constructing a branding and expansion strategy for Southeast Asia, which is both thrilling and humbling considering that many retailers manufacture their garments in this area of the world," Johnson said.
"2013 will be an incredibly exciting year for LAB CONCEPT. With the revamp of the fashion space in spring, quickly followed by our second anniversary in September, we are aiming to bring in more unique offerings for fashion as well as cosmetics to our 64,000 square foot space, providing the contemporary lifestyle experiences to our growing customer base," Tan said.
ABOUT AMERICAN APPARELAmerican Apparel is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of branded fashion basic apparel based in downtown Los Angeles, California. As of March 31, 2013, American Apparel had approximately 10,000 employees and operated 251 retail stores in 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and China. American Apparel also operates a leading wholesale business that supplies high quality T-shirts and other casual wear to distributors and screen printers. In addition to its retail stores and wholesale operations, American Apparel operates an online retail e-commerce website at www.americanapparel.net.
ABOUT LAB CONCEPTLAB CONCEPT is a contemporary lifestyle retail destination, offering new and exciting brands across fashion, beauty, shoes & accessories and lifestyle essentials, in a fun and experiential environment. Located in Queensway Plaza in Admiralty, LAB CONCEPT carries over 30 womenswear brands, with 11 exclusive to this space, as well as international cosmetics brands from Facesss and latest must-have footwear and accessories from shoespace, delivering a dynamic shopping experience to customers.
SOURCE American Apparel RELATED LINKS
http://www.americanapparel.nethttp://www.americanapparel.net
Preview: American Apparel Sponsors Female Centric Art Show Curated by Employee
Preview: American Apparel Opens New Store in Canoga Park, 30th in Southern California
American Apparel Campaign Utilizes Crowdsourcing to Expand...
American Apparel Partners With Postmates To Bring Basics with...
Corporate Expansion | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/5984 | RH Line calls printed July 9, 2013Posted:
07/08/2013 07:17:21 PM MDT'40s Forever "While attending the '40s Forever dinner dance Saturday evening, meeting military men and women from all branches of the United States of America military, it was an awesome and unforgettable evening. Thank you to all the people who worked so hard and put on this event, and we definitely plan to attend next year." Fireworks "I just read in the paper where someone wrote in how disappointed they were in the fireworks show. Oh my goodness, it was so great and they did such a good job. I don't know, this person must have been wearing black glasses or something. But it was an amazing show. Thank you, Loveland, you did a great job. There wasn't one dud, it was over the moon and a very long show." "Governor Hickenlooper is being asked by local powers-to-be to reconsider laws that cannot be enforced. Illegal fireworks should be added to that request, for it is very obvious they either can't or won't be enforced. There were no fireworks arrests again this year in the paper even though they were going off up in air and booming past midnight. Make them legal and tax them heavily. What's currently going on right now is crazy." "Fourth of July night, I didn't know if we were living in Loveland or Iraq. Northwest Loveland sounded like a war zone. Why can't they put extra police out to cruise around and give out tickets? To say fireworks that leave the ground are illegal is the biggest joke of the year.Advertisement
They may be illegal, but nobody does nothing about it." Gun Laws "I would like to commend the City Council for their action and concerns for the interpretation of the new gun laws. Their 8-0 vote to send a letter to the governor should be applauded." "The new gun laws went into effect July 1. On Saturday, we had a mini gun show in our neighborhood. Buying, selling and trading guns with no background checks. As is fully known, the law is completely worthless. If the state lawmakers and governor Hickenlooper were expecting voluntary compliance, they're dumber than the laws they write." Health Care "Recently, someone asked one my opinion on Obamacare, expecting to hear a negative answer. I said that Obamacare is the second-worst health care system among all industrialized nations. Second only to what we had before Obamacare. The only real solution is a nonprofit, single payer, universal system. And every country except us has figured that out." "For the woman who was trying to get her husband health insurance and found it very expensive: That's not Obamacare. The cheaper rates for people who don't have health care don't go in to effect until 2014. She should try again later this year after October, as the market opens up for insuring people who previously didn't have insurance. But the rate she's being charged is not a reflection of Obamacare at this time." "Forty-seven percent of Americans are working full time. I guess we're paying for the other 53 percent. ... Are we developing a 30-hour work week because of Obamacare? This is a major shift in work ethic of this country. Is this the way Obama spreads the wealth? Plus most of the jobs created are low-paid jobs. This man is ruining our country." Fracking "Anti-frackers don't have the understanding of fracking technology. The antis here, Hollywood celebrities and mainstream media, put fear into people about fracking. The horror stories about fracking is a myth."Print Email Font ResizeReturn to Top RELATED | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6025 | FILE - In this May 14, 2010, photo, Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III, smiles as he arrives to address University of Southern California, USC undergraduate commencement at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering in Los Angeles. Sullenberger was hailed as a hero after saving the lives of 155 US Airways passengers following an emergency water landing of in the Hudson River in New York. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
/ APShare Photo✉-✉⎙WASHINGTON There are signs that future airline pilots will be less experienced, less ethical and in short supply, a panel of experts told an aviation safety forum on Tuesday.
While there are more pilots than there are airline jobs today, the reverse is likely to be true as airlines recover from the economic recession and begin hiring again, experts on pilot hiring and screening told the National Transportation Safety Board. The coming shortage may likely fall heaviest on regional airlines, who generally employ less-experienced pilots at lower salaries, they said.
There are about 54,000 pilots working for major airlines, nearly 19,000 regional airline pilots and about 2,500 qualified pilots available for hire in the U.S. today, said aviation consultant Judy Tarver, a former pilot recruiter for American Airlines. She estimated that airlines will need to hire about 42,090 pilots over the next decade, due to retirements and anticipated industry growth.
Panel members said there are far fewer military pilots leaving for jobs with airlines. Fewer college students say they want careers in aviation because they see it as an economic dead end, and airlines are increasingly having to compete with corporations for pilots.
The comments came as the safety board began a three-day forum on how to get more pilots and air traffic controllers to consistently strive for a high-level of professionalism. The impetus for the forum is a series of high-profile incidents over the past year in which the conduct and judgment of pilots and controllers have been called into question, including the crash of a regional airliner near Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 50 people.
The safety board said the crash occurred after the plane stalled because the pilot pulled back, instead of pushing forward, on a key piece of safety equipment. But they also cited a series of errors and unprofessional conduct by the pilot and first officer leading up to the accident.
Paul Rice, a pilot and spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association, said he was skeptical that a willingness to break rules and flout authority among younger pilots is any different than past generations of young pilots.
However, he said he shared the panel's concern that there will be a shortage of experienced pilots at regional airlines, which account for half of all domestic flights and are the only scheduled air service to about 400 communities.
Roger Cohen, president of the Regional Airline Association, said any pilot shortage won't affect safety because pilots are trained, certified and tested.
Airline travel today is safer than ever before, but the Buffalo crash and other incidents are warning signs that safety may be eroding because of an attitude of "casual compliance" by a minority of pilots, said Tony Kern, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel and author of five books on pilot performance.
http://www.ntsb.gov | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6027 | | 6:04 p.m. Jan. 11, 2012-✉⎙Chula Vista The money from a hotel tax in Chula Vista will continue to flow toward the chamber of commerce’s marketing efforts, despite more than a third of the city’s hoteliers signing a petition to disband the special district.Chula Vista’s tourism marketing district collects a 2.5 percent tax on the room rate of hotels and motels in the city. Since it was established in 2009, the district has drawn in more than $400,000 annually.Districts, such as the one in Chula Vista, are designed to help promote “more heads in beds,” but critics of the system argue there has been a lack of oversight on the funds. Some of the city’s 22 hotel and motel owners have said they feel they’ve been left out of discussions on how the money is spent.The Chula Vista City Council Tuesday accepted a budget report with a 3-2 vote that will allow the chamber to continue using the tax dollars for promoting events such as the Chula Vista Band Review and running its visitors center. However, the approval was done with the caveat that the chamber and the city would discuss in February how the district will be run in the future.Pat Aguilar, one of the two council members who voted against accepting the report, said she wanted hotel owners to have an immediate say in how the district funds are used.“What concerns me is that many of the hotel owners weren’t happy with the activities in that report,” she said.The report approval was first blocked in November when Aguilar asked for more specific figures on how the money was being spent.Mayor Cheryl Cox brokered the compromise and said she understood some of the hoteliers want to change how the district is run and how accounting is reported right away, but wanted there to be more discussion about the methods the chamber has used and will use to reach out to owners.“You’ll never get 100-percent agreement,” Cox said. She asked hotel owners to get more involved within the next month to ensure their voices are heard.Raj Jaiswald, the owner of Palomar Inn, said he felt the tourism dollars were not being spent to the benefit of his hotel.“The majority of the money was spent on the Visitors Center. When I went in there to check, I found no one asked ‘Where is this hotel?’” he said. “Everyone was asking ‘Where is Macy’s? Where is this restaurant?’”Tuesday, however, was Jaiswald’s first time publicly speaking to any of the district’s board members or the city. Jaiswald and eight of his fellow hoteliers called to disband the district, despite Jaiswald saying later after the council meeting that he supported the concept of the marketing district, but wanted a clearer picture of how the money has been used.Lisa Cohen, the CEO of the city’s chamber of commerce, said efforts have already been made to reach out to hoteliers, but some, such as Jaiswald, have not taken advantage of the tourism marketing district’s board meetings.“Our hotel-motel tourism meeting have been going on for more than nine years and you’ve seen a lot of the different programs we’ve brought in,” she said. “This has been a long groove of time and it was actually the hotel-motel owners who asked me to bring this (the district) into fruition.”The chamber is expected to work closely with hoteliers over the next month to come up with a plan that will be accepted by a majority of the city council.Jen Lebron Kuhney✉More from Jen Lebron KuhneyS.D. council candidates balance district, citywide issuesSanders endorses Ray Ellis for councilFilner gains backing of activists | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6031 | | 5:10 p.m. March 6, 2013
Cynthia Terrones gets a bacon burger from Chubby's food truck, one of the first trucks to get a letter grade from the county.
— John Gastaldo
— John GastaldoShare Photo✉-✉⎙What the scores meanA: 90 to 100 percent, in compliance with state lawB: 80 to 89, needs improvement, and major violations must be corrected before an inspector leavesC: 79 or below, a failing gradeSan Diego’s increasingly ubiquitous food trucks graduated this week from their former pass/fail inspection status to the familiar A, B and C letter grades issued to their culinary brethren in the brick-and-mortar restaurant world.Whether it’s a gourmet hot dog, sushi roll or falafel you’re looking to grab for a quick lunch these days, rest assured you’ll now be able to quickly glance up at the food truck and know right away whether the mobile operation has been deemed safe by the county’s Department of Environmental Health.However, because the new grading system is just being rolled out this week, it will likely be two months before all of the county’s 550 trucks and carts will be inspected and receive their respective grades. The first letter grades were issued Tuesday to a smoothie cart and a burgers and burritos truck.Do you worry about buying food from mobile vendors?
Yes 41% (126)
No 59% (178)304 total votes.While the growing number of mobile operations have already been getting regular inspections just like restaurants do, there was never an easy, accessible way for consumers to determine the outcome of those visits by county health workers, other than asking for the latest report from the truck operator.“The type of events I go to, I’m often set up in a park where there’s also a snack bar, and you don’t know how knowledgeable these people are, but by seeing the letter grade, people will know it’s safe to eat and that I’ve been inspected,” said Chris Garrett, co-owner with his wife, Rosa, of the Maui Wowi smoothie cart. “I’d hope it would be better for business. I do think people are hesitant when they see us, but we have a professional-looking cart, and with a letter grade, it will help even more.”RELATEDFood trucks: Now more to choose fromThe county’s move to transition into a letter grade system began in earnest last year after U-T San Diego and 10News launched inquiries into why an industry that serves fare to the general public wasn’t being scored the same way as brick-and-mortar restaurants. The U-T found that half the trucks and carts that were inspected had been cited for one or more violations in 2010 and 2011.County Supervisor Ron Roberts followed up by pushing the county to initiate the grading system for mobile operations. He said at the time that he was embarrassed to learn that such a system wasn’t already in place.Although there are few areas of the country where letter grades are issued for food trucks, Los Angeles was something of a pioneer, expanding its restaurant grading system to mobile vendors in 2010.“The Department of Environmental Health and the mobile-food industry are very excited about the grading, because it allows consumers to make an educated, safe dining choice before you walk up to a food truck,” said Heather Buonomo, an environmental health specialist with San Diego County’s health department. “Although they’re inspected, there’s not a good way to verify it, but now customers will know for sure what grade was received on the last food inspection.”The first round of inspections, Buonomo said, will be re-certifications that will generally be conducted at a commissary where the trucks typically park overnight and where they’re serviced and cleaned. A second round of inspections, most likely six months later, will be unannounced, she said.Inspectors are focusing not only on cleanliness but also the proper hot and cold temperatures for refrigerated and heated foods. A holding temperature for cold and hot food, for example, must be 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below and 135 degrees or above, respectively, Buonomo explained.Page:12➡Lori Weisberg✉More from Lori WeisbergDowntown luxury hotel on its waySan Diego sees healthy jobs growthTourism fee could be dropped for some | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6040 | The Arab world: 'Scarce data in a water-scarce region'
Data-sharing is part of the answer to problems arising from the Arab region’s most serious challenge, water, finds Rehab Abd Almohsen.
Water is potentially a matter of conflict and death as well as life in the Arab region, which is why it is such a sensitive subject — on the ground and in negotiations for United Nations conferences such as the Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi (12-16 December) and next year’s Rio+20 meeting in Brazil. Negotiators for the countries in the region have many concerns, but it almost always comes back to water, they say.
SCIDEV.NET CONFERENCE SERVICE PRODUCTION
This article has been produced for Eye on Earth Summit 2011 by SciDev.Net Conference Service, which maintains all editorial independence.
Fittingly, water was selected as one of the Eye on Earth’s "special initiatives" that the meeting recommends should be taken to Rio+20.
Arab world concern with water is not surprising, because the region is one of the driest in the world. A report by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development, based in Beirut, says that more than 70 per cent of the land is dry and rainfall is sparse and poorly distributed. And it’s likely to get worse: "Climate change will exacerbate the situation," says the report.
It quotes climate change models that suggest that by the end of the century Arab countries will see a 25 per cent reduction in rainfall, and a similar increase in evaporation rates: "As a result, rain-fed agriculture will be threatened, with average yields estimated to decline by 20 per cent."
Bringing the message home to the Eye on Earth participants, the Secretary General of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), Najib Saab, said, "Almost three years from now, the average share of renewable water in a UAE will be 26 cubic metres a day for every person … and the annual per capita share in the Arab world will be less than 500 cubic metres, which is below one-tenth of the world’s average of 6,000 cubic metres." This is a real and growing crisis. One of the responses is a feeling that the challenge can be met only by the sharing of data and cooperation. No country can face this alone.
This is the view of most delegates from the region at Abu Dhabi. But agreeing a regional approach is not always easy.
There is another problem, too: that water professionals are concerned that public awareness of the full extent of water problems, present and future, is limited.
In a panel discussion during the Eye on Earth Summit, Mohammed Al Madfaei, deputy manager of environmental strategy and policy coordination at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, identified the lack of a regional approach to awareness of water problems as key.
People don’t know how to use water carefully, he said: "Water awareness programmes seek to create a global network to support co-ordination, and they seek to educate people."
He cited the examples of the Heroes of UAE campaign, which focuses on educating children on environmental issues, including water, so that they can influence their families, Clean-UP UAE, and the country’s national Paper-Less Day on 3 June. And awareness is not simply a top-down matter. "Governments need some awareness too," Najib Saab told SciDev.Net. Governments could take responsibility by establishing policies to encourage greater efficiency in the use of water resources. This would send a strong message to the public that using water costs money. Bad decision-making Policy is also a concern of Rachael McDonnell, a Dubai-based water specialist with the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture. She told SciDev.Net that a "limited policy development process" was part of the water scarcity problems in the Middle East and North Africa region: governments, she said, thought mainly in terms of short-term policies.
She also pinpointed the problems that inevitably arise when it comes to sharing data.
"There are big difficulties in getting water data or sharing it, even within the same country, and this leads to bad decision-making,” she said. She summed up the problem as “Scarce data in a water-scarce region."
There are good examples of sharing, however. "Our water data are available online," declared Al Madfaei. "We don’t hide any of them." Nevertheless, Al Madfaei told SciDev.Net that he agreed that "with water security, it is very difficult." In the Gulf, he said, countries tend to co-operate, and there is no water conflict. The problem occurs mostly between countries that share water, such as Egypt and other countries along the Nile. "A lot of countries have conflicts with regards to water, and with quotas and water-sharing as well. Maybe that’s a challenge but in the end it is up to people's political will to try to find a compromise," he said.
Faris Sayegh, senior consultant at GPCGIS, "a global network of information professionals", said that some countries took national security as a reason to hide water information, but it was a wrong approach: information could help solve, rather than exacerbate, water conflicts.
"The conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia river the waters of the Nile is a good example of how sharing data is important," he explained. "Egypt claims that new Ethiopian dams will significantly affect its water share, and Ethiopia is underestimating the impact of building the dams. So in this case, sharing data with independent institutions capable of analysing the statistics could help solve this conflict."
It sounds promising. But, as already indicated, the path to sharing and co-operation is never straightforward. Mohamed A. Dawoud, manager of the water resources department at Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, injects a note of reality: "Making all the water data available is not correct. Countries should allow access only to relevant data."
Q&A: Achim Steiner on expectations for Rio+20
Abu Dhabi meeting approves 'Declaration of intentions'
The sense and sensitivity of technology for all
African environment policies hampered by 'secrecy and
Abu Dhabi meeting tilts towards data treaty support
By Rehab Abd Almohsen
More on pollution
How Ghana could turn waste plastic into profits
Sponge cuts oil spill clean-up cost
South African gold mines choke the poor
Ghana’s gold diggers: Could they be legalised?
Ghana’s gold diggers: Chinese miners bring conflict Ghana’s gold diggers: Land and rivers laid to waste
Ghana’s gold diggers: Scramble comes at high cost
Rehab Abd Almohsen
Most popularin pollution
Transforming cities for sustainability: Facts and Figures
Delhi’s waste site story Transforming cities for sustainability
Ghana’s gold diggers: Chinese miners bring conflict Jakarta clips ‘Great Garuda’ wings
From our partners Nature News&Comment
@NatureNews
1,500 scientists lift the lid on reproducibility https://t.co/PzDDt8CkWj https://t.co/oUfk0IfHhg
@bondngo
Learn how to plan, run and manage an international development project: https://t.co/88Omy69dZa #bondtraining https://t.co/8SYGNsMj62
.@icai_uk: Reaching 62.9 million people with water, sanitation & hygiene improvements is impressive. https://t.co/BvosSMaytt #ProudOfAid | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6061 | From the Office of State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 15, 2009CONTACT: Oscar Garza (512) 463-0120 office(512) 970-2512 cell
Hinojosa announces funds for City of Mission Wastewater System
AUSTIN — Today, the Texas Water Development Board approved an interest free loan in the amount of $8,285,000 to the City of Mission under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to finance water system improvements.
The City of Mission will use these funds to upgrade its water treatment plant by replacing and upgrading two aging treatment units from the downtown water treatment plant in order to meet enhanced surface water treatment rules. The city will also further increase treatment capacity by making improvements to components of the north water treatment plant which will increase the city's daily water treatment capacity by 25% to 25 million gallons.
Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa commented on the value of these projects to the City of Mission.
"I am truly pleased to see the response from the Texas Water Development Board in addressing this request from the City of Mission. Not only will these projects accommodate Mission's continued population growth, but the upgrading of these water treatment facilities ensure clean drinking water will flow to the families that live in Mission," Senator Hinojosa said. | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6070 | http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Ex-spy-s-poison-on-the-Internet-69-can-get-you-2545175.php
Ex-spy's poison on the Internet / $69 can get you a trace of the commonly used lethal industrial substance
Keay Davidson, Chronicle Science Writer
Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Photo: Unitednuclear.com
Screen grab from www.unitednuclear.com, a Web site that sells radioactive isotopes.
It's one of the deadliest imaginable poisons, a radioactive substance about 100 billion times as deadly as cyanide -- and a Web site run by a physicist and flying saucer enthusiast offers to sell you a trace amount of it for $69 and send it via the U.S. Postal Service or UPS. Contrary to early news reports, polonium-210 -- the poison suspected in the death of an ex-Russian spy in England -- is not some exotic material available solely from nuclear laboratories. The isotope is available from firms that sell it for lawful and legitimate uses in industry, such as removing static electricity from machinery and photographic film. If ingested in large enough amounts, polonium-210 causes a hideous death. "This is not a way you'd want to die -- it's a very slow, painful death," said Kelly L. Classic, a radiation physicist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and the media liaison for the Health Physics Society, a national organization of experts on the health effects of radiation. Polonium is an "alpha emitter," which, when it decays, emits high-speed volleys of subatomic alpha particles -- each one composed of two protons and two neutrons bound together -- that rip apart DNA coils and bust up the cells within which they reside. An alpha particle "is huge on an atomic scale," Classic said. "If an electron was a piece of popcorn, the alpha particle (would be) like a bowling ball." Former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko died Thursday in London, the victim of what health officials said was polonium-210 poisoning at a hotel bar or a sushi restaurant on Nov. 1. Before he died, he insisted that he was poisoned on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His illness developed rapidly, causing his hair to fall out and ravaging his immune and nervous systems. Police have reported finding traces of radiation at the restaurant and bar. Classic, who is not involved with the British police investigation, speculated that, assuming the ex-spy was poisoned, his killer might have done so by sprinkling the poison in liquid rather than powdered form -- perhaps on the spy's food. A powder would have quickly traveled around a large area, whereas British police say that traces of the poison seem to be limited to small locations, as one would expect if the liquid were spattered here and there in small drops. Experts at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the nuclear weapons lab in Livermore, declined Monday to say how much polonium-210 would be needed to harm anyone. They said they were calculating how much would be needed -- but even if they knew the answer, they wouldn't reveal it publicly for ethical reasons. "In this day and age, we need to be extraordinarily careful about how to give out 'how-to' instructions," Livermore health physicist Gary Mansfield said, alluding to the threat of terrorism. "We're not going to provide you a recipe to help the bad guys harm (people)." Polonium-210 is "approximately 100,000 million times more toxic than cyanide," according to "A Guide to the Elements, Second Edition," by Albert Stwertka, published in 2002 by Oxford University Press. (That amount equals 100 billion.) The isotope has a short half-life of 138 days, which might make it difficult to trace after a relatively short time. Although the alpha particles can wreak devastating damage inside a cell, paradoxically they're too frail to break through human skin -- meaning that no one would be able to detect them escaping from the human body. In the United States, it is legal for vendors licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to sell small amounts of polonium-210 and other radioactive sources without the buyers having to receive special permission from the government. United Nuclear Scientific Equipment & Supplies of Sandia Park, N.M., will sell you a small amount of polonium-210 for $69 in a small, yellow, disk-shaped container. The firm offers a long list of available radioactive sources on its commercial Web site -- which includes buttons marked, "Add to Cart" next to items for purchase. "Because our products can be potentially hazardous in the wrong hands," the site states, "we will occasionally terminate and refund orders if we feel you are juvenile posing as an adult, inexperienced with the materials ordered, or using our products to make any sort of explosive device. All packages containing hazardous chemicals will require an adult signature on delivery." United Nuclear is run by Bob Lazar, who attracted national attention when he claimed to have worked on crashed alien spaceships at a U.S. military base in Nevada called Area 51. In May, the Albuquerque Journal reported that agents from the U.S. Department of Justice raided Lazar's firm in 2003. Lazar claimed that federal government officials wanted his firm to stop selling chemicals that they said could be used to make explosives, the paper reported. A woman at Lazar's company, who identified herself only as "Michelle," said the firm sells polonium-210 in "small, small, minuscule" amounts ... What we carry is so small you can't see it with your naked eye." She said she is only an employee at the firm and doesn't know where Lazar obtains the polonium-210. Lazar couldn't be reached for comment Monday. The buzz on polonium What is it? Polonium-210 is a radioactive isotope that emits high-speed volleys of subatomic particles called alpha emitters, which can destroy DNA in human cells and cause rapid, gruesome death. Doctors can't detect polonium-210 inside the human body because the particles are too weak to penetrate skin. How poisonous is it? Polonium-210 is 100 billion times as poisonous as cyanide. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission advises against ingesting more than eight-tenths of a million millionths of a gram of polonium-210. How is it used? The isotope's lawful applications include the use of the alpha particles to remove static electricity from photographic film and industrial machinery. Via a Web site in New Mexico, you can buy a trace of polonium-210 for $69 via U.S. mail or UPS. Sources: "A Guide to the Elements, Second Edition," by Albert Stwertka. Most Popular | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6071 | http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/News-of-the-day-From-Across-the-Globe-April-24-5425832.php
News of the day From Across the Globe, April 24
Chronicle News Services
Updated 10:57 pm, Wednesday, April 23, 2014
1 Taliban attack: Officials in Afghanistan say five police officers have been killed in a Taliban attack on a checkpoint in the country's volatile southern Ghorak district. Afghan security forces are frequently targeted by insurgents, who last week killed at least four other police officers from Kandahar.
2 Ousted mayor: Colombia's biggest city is set to change hands for a third time in little more than a month after President Juan Manuel Santos said Wednesday he would heed a court order to reinstate ousted Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro. The surprise ruling by the Superior Tribunal of Bogota is the latest twist in an ongoing legal saga pitting the embattled leftist firebrand against Colombia's more conservative political establishment. Petro was removed from office in March for alleged administrative missteps.
3 Kosovo war crimes: Experts have started excavation on a mass grave in the village of Rudnica, near Serbia's border with Kosovo believed to contain at least 250 bodies of ethnic Albanians who were killed during the 1998-99 Kosovo war. Some 10,000 people were killed during the conflict between Serbian security troops and Kosovo separatists. Kosovo declared independence in 2008.
4 Visa flap: Tunisia's elected assembly accepted a petition Wednesday to question Tourism Minister Amel Karboul over a decision allowing Israelis to use their passports to enter the country for an annual religious pilgrimage. While Israelis and Jews long have traveled to Tunisia for an annual pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba, this is the first year that Israelis have been allowed to use their passports rather than a special document issued by Tunisian embassies. Tunisia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. The protesting lawmakers argue that recognizing Israeli passports amounts to recognition of the Jewish state.
5 Ebola outbreak: The World Health Organization says 147 people have died from the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. In a statement posted on its web site, the organization said more than 240 cases of the virus have been recorded in Guinea and Liberia. Most of those cases are in Guinea, where 136 people have died. Another 11 people have died in Liberia. Ebola causes a high fever and internal and external bleeding. There is no cure and no vaccine and it has a high fatality rate.
6 Train derailment: Officials in Congo said Wednesday that a freight train derailed in the country's southeast Tuesday, killing around 50 people. A union official said the train jumped the tracks near the station at Katongola in Congo's Katanga province. It is common in Congo for people to jump onto freights for a free ride.
7 Buddha tattoo: Sri Lankan authorities will deport a British tourist for having an image of Buddha tattooed on her arm, an official said Wednesday. Police said Naomi Coleman was detained at Colombo's airport after she arrived from India on Monday when authorities spotted the tattoo of Buddha seated on a lotus flower. Coleman was arrested for "hurting others' religious feelings." Buddhism is Sri Lanka's state religion. 8 Bieber apologizes: Justin Bieber apologized Wednesday to those he offended by visiting a Japanese war shrine, saying he thought it was a beautiful site and only a place of prayer. Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine holds 2.5 million war dead, including Japan's 14 convicted war criminals, and operates a war museum that defends Japan's wartime aggression. Most Popular | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6080 | Wiz Khalifa teaches us where NOT to take selfies PREVIOUS STORY
Christine Baranski's husband Matthew Cowles dies at age 69
UCSB shooter named as Hunger Games second unit director's son
For Cailyn Cox, writing isn't just a hobby, it's her life. Passionate about Hollywood, she makes it her mission to find the most entertaining celebrity gossip for SheKnows readers. And when she's not enthralled in the celeb world, she's ...
Image: Photo credit: Via Elliot Rodger's Retribution video
"I will punish you all"
The tragic UCSB shooting has shocked the world, and the young man responsible has been named as the son of The Hunger Games' second unit director Peter Rodger.
The UCSB shooting has shocked the world and left six people dead and several others injured near the University of California, Santa Barbara, due to the violent rampage of a 22-year-old man.
PHOTOS: Wiz Khalifa tweets jail selfie, campaigns for release >>
The man in question, Elliot Rodger, embarked on a drive-by shooting on Friday, around 9:27 p.m., in the town of Isla Vista, Variety reports. It is believed Rodger's attack was premeditated because of the video he posted on his YouTube account just hours before his killing spree.
In the video titled Elliot Rodger's Retribution — which runs for almost 7 minutes — Rodger says, "I'm 22 years old, and I'm still a virgin. I've never even kissed a girl. I don't know why you girls aren't attracted to me. But I will punish you all for it."
Actor Michael Jace allegedly confessed to 911: "I shot my wife" >>
"I'll take great pleasure in slaughtering all of you, you'll finally see that I'm, in truth, the superior one, the true alpha male," he continued. "After I've annihilated every single girl in the sorority house, I'll take to the streets of Isla Vista and slay every single person I see there."
Rodger was the son of filmmaker Peter Rodger, a second unit director on the first The Hunger Games movie, Radar Online reports.
"His parents did everything they could to help him. It seemed that Elliot suffered from extreme paranoia and heard voices, but it was impossible to properly diagnose because he just wouldn't talk. Having been prescribed psychiatric medication, Elliot refused to take it," a source reportedly told the site.
George Clooney's villa robbed by thief with a thirst for wine >>
"Before moving from L.A. to Santa Barbara, he had been seeing a mental health professional for years, and his parents got a team of doctors for him to continue to see after his move. Their hearts break for the victims and their families."
An attorney for Peter Rodger has confirmed that his son was involved in the shooting and was among the causalities of the evening. It is unclear whether Elliot took his own life on that fateful night or if his death was the result of an exchange in gunfire with the police.
celebrity deaths celebrity justice Comments | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6082 | Cleadon
Mr Monkey: Taxpayers’ group slams ‘control freakery’
MR MONKEY ... South Tyneside Council has abandoned the hunt for the notorious blogger.
THE Taxpayers’ Alliance said South Tyneside Council’s decision to spend £214,000 of public money on the hunt for Mr Monkey represented “one of the worst examples of waste and control freakery in quite some time”.
Dia Chakravarty, political director at the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “This is certainly a welcome decision, only taken a few years and a few hundred thousand pounds too late. “The ludicrous decision to pursue this claim at the expense of hard-pressed taxpayers is one of the worst examples of waste and control freakery in quite some time. “Let good sense prevail now, to save taxpayers’ money and to allow the council to focus on delivering services.”
Last week, the pressure group attacked the council over its Mr Monkey spend as it released statistics showing that the authority’s legal debts or borrowing obligations per head of population in 2012/13 was £6,125 – the highest in England. According to its report, total liabilities for South Tyneside Council stand at £909m.It said much of the borough’s long-term liabilities are related to the partially-funded Local Government Pension Scheme, but 40 per cent takes the form of long-term borrowing.
Day of colour as schools show support for Wig Wednesday in South Tyneside | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6083 | what-s-on/gigs-music
Joe stands up Scots - for the Queen!
JOE McElderry fans have been left disappointed after the singer cancelled a gig in Edinburgh - so he can perform for The Queen.
The X Factor star said he had been asked to perform for the Queen at the annual Festival of Remembrance at The Royal Albert Hall on November 12. Due to his deep affinity with the forces’ charities – and his desire to show his support by taking part in this event – he had made the difficult decision to cancel his show at the Festival Theatre. He was unable to arrange another date in the capital for the Scottish leg of his tour.
One furious fan, David Noble, who bought two tickets for his sister and sister-in-law, said: “It’s pathetic. “Joe McElderry needs to remember that it was his fans’ votes on X Factor that put him where he is today. “What an insult to the fans.”Festival Theatre pointed out that customer refunds will be dealt with at point of purchase.
England v Australia match SOLD OUT at Sunderland's Stadium of Light
Latest SAFC News | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6088 | Sify.comNewsNationalSetback for Tytler as court orders reopening of 1984 case (Roundup)
Setback for Tytler as court orders reopening of 1984 case (Roundup)
Source : Last Updated: Wed, Apr 10, 2013 18:10 hrs
New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) In a setback to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, a Delhi court Wednesday ordered the reopening of a case against him related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Additional Sessions Judge Anuradha Shukla Bajaj also set aside the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) closure report which had given Tytler a clean chit, claiming there was no evidence against him.
The court's order came on a plea filed by a riot victim, who sought further probe in the killing of three people near Gurdwara Pul Bangash in central Delhi. Tytler is accused of instigating a mob that led to the murder of three men who had taken shelter at the Pul Bangash Gurdwara in north Delhi Nov 1, 1984. The mob attack was part of violence against Sikhs after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984.
The court directed the CBI to examine eye-witnesses and people who claimed they have information about the riots.
The court, setting aside the magisterial court order that accepted the CBI's closure report, said: "The order of the trial court accepting the closure report is set aside. The CBI is directed to conduct the investigation and examine the claimants/eye witnesses in the case."
Opposing the victim's plea against the CBI closure report, the agency had sought its dismissal, saying the probe has made it clear that Tytler was not present on Nov 1, 1984, at Gurudwara Pul Bangash where three people were killed during the riots.
However, senior advocate H.S. Phoolka, appearing for petitioner Lakhwinder Kaur had said there was material which the CBI had ignored and evidence was also there before the trial court against Tytler.
Three men - Badal Singh, Thakur Singh and Gurcharan Singh - were killed near Gurudwara Pul Bangash, allegedly on Tytler's instigation.
His role in the killing of the three men was re-investigated by the CBI after a court in December 2007 refused to accept its closure report.
The CBI had claimed Tytler was at Teen Murti Bhavan, the residence of the then late prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, where Indira Gandhi's body was laid, at the time of the Pul Bangash incident.
It added that the agency has already re-investigated the case on the order of trial court but there was no sufficient evidence against Tytler.
Tytler was given clean chit by the CBI April 2, 2009, which claimed that the agency had no evidence against him.
For Lakhvinder Kaur, the judgment has given hope of justice, though after more than 28 years.
"I died the day my husband was killed in the riots," said Lakhvinder Kaur.
"In our 28 years long fight for justice, we could not get any positive decision in our favour, but the district court's order to reopen the case is like a ray of hope and happiness for us," she said.
Her husband Badal Singh was killed in the riots.
Phoolka later told reporters that the prime witness in the riots case had died but three other witnesses are alive in the US, and that the court has directed the CBI to record their statements. The conspiracy angle has not been probed at all, the counsel said, adding that the CBI should investigate the riots and the accused should be punished
Amid demands for Tytler's removal from the party, Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdury said: "Once the court comes out with something conclusive, it will be examined and we will take a call on that." | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6090 | A sad farewell, a virus strikes, a mastodon nears ... Headlines from today's Staten Island Advance
View full sizeSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- These are some of the headlines you'll find in the print edition of today's Staten Island Advance:
Blue-and-white goodnight to fallen Staten Island football player The bond between Nicholas Dellaventura and the St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School community is stronger than death. Hundreds of friends, faculty members and loved ones turned out last night to the wake for the fallen football player, who died Monday after participating in a voluntary workout at the Huguenot school. Season's first human case of West Nile Virus found in Staten Island man, 50 A 50-year old Staten Island man was hospitalized for contracting West Nile virus, according to the city Health Department. This is the first human case of West Nile virus reported in the city this season.
Brothers accused of string of Staten Island burglaries Two ex-convict brothers from Great Kills are accused of launching a string of break-ins across Staten Island, starting with one of the borough's most popular diners. Bank robber's once-daily withdrawal started on Staten Island The bandit who knocked over a New Dorp bank Sunday morning has robbed a bank a day, every day, since then, and he's still on the loose, a veteran NYPD source tells the Advance. Staten Island Museum's 'Mastodon' project gets a hefty fiscal boost Funds to build "Tales of the Mastodon," a permanent exhibit planned for the new home of the Staten Island Museum, are trickling in. The museum figures it's a little better than halfway to a goal of $400,000, thanks to a $150,000 grant from the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services. Soft-spoken bridge officer played key role thwarting Staten Island suicide The 48-year-old Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority officer played a key role in the rescue of a despondent man on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, yelling across a 15-feet gap for nearly four hours as he tried to make a personal connection. Comments | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6130 | Ordinary flight from Boston took suspicious turn ©New York Times
© St. Petersburg Times,published September 13, 2001
BOSTON -- American Airlines Flight 11 to Los Angeles took off on schedule out of the tangle of construction choking Boston's Logan Airport, right on time at 7:59 Tuesday morning.
Capt. John Ogonowski was at the controls, a 50-year-old veteran who lived on a farm north of the city and was looking forward to a family picnic on the weekend.
His co-pilot was First Officer Thomas McGuiness, and there were nine flight attendants and 81 passengers, a seemingly everyday mixture: a successful television producer, some businessmen, a retired ballet dancer, an actor and photographer, a young man who had made a success in the area's technology economy.
And several hijackers.
The plane held on course, almost due west, for only 16 minutes.
Just past Worcester, Mass., instead of taking a southerly turn, the Boeing 767 swung suddenly to the north at 8:15 a.m. It had been taken over by hijackers.
Shortly after the plane took off, Justice Department officials said, an ugly, bloody scene -- almost identical on each of the four airliners that were hijacked Tuesday -- played itself out in the cabin.
On each plane, the officials said, a group of three to six men pulled out knives and box cutters they had apparently brought on board in their carry-on luggage, perhaps concealed in shaving kits. They threatened or slashed the flight attendants, possibly to get the pilots to open the cockpit door.
The northerly turn was clear only later when the plane's fatal route toward the World Trade Center could be traced along the series of radar beacons beaming from high points of land along the way. But four minutes later, at 8:20 a.m., Flight 11 failed to follow an instruction to climb to its cruising altitude of 31,000 feet, and it was then that air controllers suspected something was wrong.
It was just about then that the plane's transponder, a sophisticated piece of equipment that broadcast its location, went out.
Ogonowski apparently tried to signal air controllers by "keying" the microphone, pushing its button intermittently to signal the controllers that something was wrong and at one point allowing them to hear the voice of the hijacker, the Christian Science Monitor reported.
"Don't do anything foolish, you won't be hurt," the Monitor reported a hijacker said, quoting air controllers. "We have more planes, we have other planes."
In the cabin, meanwhile, one of the flight attendants managed to make a telephone call -- either on a cell phone or those on the back of the seats -- to the American Airlines Operations Center, officials there said, warning that a hijacking was in progress.
Neither the airline, the flight attendant's union nor federal investigators would reveal the name of the flight attendant.
On a beautiful early fall day, Flight 11 headed northwest, where the Berkshires, the Taconic Range and the beginning of the Green Mountains mark the spot where the borders of Massachusetts, New York and Vermont intersect.
Crossing into New York, the plane flew into the area known as the Albany-Schenectedy-Troy triangle and over Amsterdam and veered sharply left, heading due south to New York City.
It was 8:29 a.m.
The flight path was straight now, along the Hudson Valley and then right above the broad river itself.
It should have been a long, leisurely flight to Los Angeles, the time passed, perhaps, with one of those thick paperback novels in which heroes battle the complicated schemes of terrorists. But Tuesday, the schemes were real.
In the cabin were David Angell, an executive producer of the television comedy Frasier, who had won several Emmy awards, along with his wife, Lynn. Executives at the network said the couple were on the way home from a vacation on Cape Cod. Also returning home from Cape Cod was Berry Berenson Perkins, 53, an actor and photographer and the widow of the actor Anthony Perkins. There was Daniel Lewin, 31, a co-founder of Akami Technologies Inc., based in Cambridge, Mass., an Internet content provider, and Sonia Puopolo, a retired ballet dancer. There was Robert Hayes, 37, a salesman for machinery to record onto compact discs, and a surfer who worked mostly from home so he could spend time with his wife and sons, 4 years old and 6 months old. He met his wife, Debora, when she was a customer service agent for Trans World Airlines, dealing with a flight he missed. Since then, they traveled frequently together. Somehow, she said, he had a premonition about this flight, taking a walk alone the night before and hugging her tight before he left.
The plane was low now, only about 900 feet high, and the silvery twin towers of the World Trade Center rose above Manhattan.
In the Windows on the World restaurant on the 107th floor of the north tower, several dozen businessmen in suits and ties, members of the exclusive World Trade Center Club, were enjoying a leisurely breakfast and the spectacular view when Flight 11 slammed into the building 20 floors below.
Back to World & National news
Susan Taylor Martin | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6131 | Midland/Odessa
Spotter/EM Brief
West Texas Mesonet
Pick A Radar
Weather Trivia
Coop Observers
Department of Commerce Service Award Mr. Clay Miller of Valentine, Texas
Susan Spears and Mr. Clay Miller Photo by Pat Vesper
On April 21, 2005, Susan Spears and Pat Vesper of the National Weather Service, Midland/Odessa presented a Department of Commerce Service Award to Mr. Clay Miller of Valentine, Texas.
On April 1, 1936, C.E. Miller, a rancher living 10 miles west southwest of Valentine, made a decision to volunteer time as a cooperative observer for what was then called the U.S. Weather Bureau. Each day, Mr. Miller recorded observations and forwarded those observations to the Weather Bureau in Kansas City.
After 24 years of dedicated daily service to the Weather Bureau, Mr. Miller passed away, and his son Clay Miller Jr., agreed to continue being the Valentine cooperative observer. On March 13, 1960, Clay Miller Jr. officially became the cooperative observer for the Valentine area, and for the last 45 years, Mr. Miller has provided the U.S. Weather Bureau, now known as the National Weather Service, with daily records of precipitation.
To present day, for over 16,000 days, Mr. Miller has volunteered his time gathering vital weather information for the Valentine area. This information has benefited those doing research of global climate change. Additionally, it has been utilized by attorneys, insurance companies, meteorological consultants, private businesses, utility companies, universities, those with interests related to transportation and agriculture, and by the print and broadcast media. The contributions made by Clay Miller Jr., and previously by his father, have been quite significant. Not only have the people of west Texas benefited from their effort, the entire country has benefited.
In dedication of 45 years of consecutive service as a cooperative observer, Susan Griffin and Pat Vesper from the National Weather Service in Midland recently visited Clay Miller at his ranch, to present him with a special Department of Commerce/NOAA Service Award for his long time dedication to the NWS. Mr. Miller, congratulations on this great accomplishment and thank you to the Miller family for their support the National Weather Service the last 69 years.
Page last modified: January 10th 2012 5:21 PM | 新闻 |
2016-22/0601/en_head.json.gz/6139 | On Minneapolis' North Side, two-thirds count on county aid
Hennepin County aims to lower the rate by a quarter over five years. By
Maya Rao
Renee Jones Schneider, Star Tribune
After working up to a full-time job, LaToya Surratt went off aid. “It makes you as a person feel better, more responsible,” she said.
Out of the many discussions about rebuilding north Minneapolis after the devastating tornado last spring, one startling statistic emerged -- 68 percent of North Side residents make so little money that they receive assistance from Hennepin County to get by.
Their ranks include LaToya Surratt, who gradually won enough hours from her employer to wean herself off of food stamps and medical insurance for herself and her 4-year-old daughter, but still depends on the county to pay for the girl's day care.
And Shanette Marable, who left her job as a cashier at Burger King to care for her infant, only to struggle to find a job when she was ready to go back to work.
The high level of dependency has prompted Hennepin County to approve a project to examine the reasons behind it to try to lower the rate by 25 percent over five years.
"When you start seeing a rate around two-thirds, you begin to understand that poverty has become the dominant culture," said George Garnett, director of strategic development at Summit Academy OIC, whose leaders are involved in carrying out the project.
In all, $2.6 billion for child care, medical insurance, cash assistance, and other safety net programs flowed to low-income Hennepin County residents in 2010, the latest year for which the county supplied numbers. It was a 27 percent increase since 2006. Most of that money came from the federal and state governments, though the county paid $214 million.
After weaning herself off aid, LaToya Surratt said she turns to food banks and clinics during hard times.
Nationally, 17 percent of Americans receive food stamps, welfare, housing subsidies, Medicaid, or Supplemental Security income, according to published estimates from census data analyzed by the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That figure does not include subsidized child care.
North Minneapolis residents still comprise only 18 percent of the county's social services clients.
"We have to challenge the proposition that charity and welfare are the way to prosperity -- the results are speaking for themselves," said Louis King, CEO of Summit Academy OIC, who is also leading the project.
Sanctuary Community Development Corp., the nonprofit commissioned to carry out the $150,000 project, will not come up with recommendations until the fall. But its preliminary study of 218 low-income north Minneapolis recipients of county assistance offers more insight into the challenges they confront to overcoming dependency. Outreach workers discovered in the survey that about 47 percent had a high school diploma or GED. More than a quarter had some college or technical school. Eighty-one percent said they wanted to go to school to learn a trade or receive education needed for work.
Yet only 36 percent had a driver's license and 35 percent said getting to and from work could keep them from finding and keeping a job.
The majority belonged to a church, have worked full time before and have plenty of food at home. Still, about half said they felt so sad or depressed they didn't know what to do next.
Garnett said Sanctuary CDC will hold focus groups with some of the people surveyed, speak with regional employers about their labor needs, and find ways to direct recipients of county aid into longer-term professions.
Surratt, 37, received her GED but entered adulthood without a real career track. She shuttled between foster homes and became pregnant at 15. Everyone around her dealt drugs and stole. Surratt struggled to get by on part-time jobs.
"I wasn't making enough money, so I felt myself slipping away back to a life of crime," she recalled.
Five years ago, at the urging of an aunt, she left behind her troubled life in South Bend, Ind., to move to the Twin Cities.
Surratt first received cash assistance through the Minnesota Family Investment Program, or MFIP, a welfare program for low-income families with children that helps participants get work. Surratt found work as a personal care assistant, but had to beg for more hours to increase her paycheck. Finally, she worked her way up to an office job full time, eventually earning enough to lose her eligibility for welfare, food stamps and free medical care for her and her 4-year-old daughter, Imonie.
Now, the only county aid she receives is subsidized day care.
"I'm still struggling to survive," said Surratt, who lives at Morgan and Plymouth Avenues N.
Without the food stamps and health insurance, she goes to food banks and community health clinics. She would rather have it that way than living off the system, and looks forward to when she will one day make enough money to forgo even child care through the county.
"It makes you feel good that you don't ... have to wait until the first of the month to receive everything. You don't have to worry about them saying, 'Oh well, we didn't get that paper,' and you're telling them, 'Here's my confirmation right there,' ... It makes you as a person feel better, more responsible."
Two miles away, Marable, 23, is eking out a living with her two children on about $400 a month from the county, food stamps and other county benefits. She pays less than $100 a month for her apartment. It is mostly subsidized through nonprofit Project for Pride in Living.
The county subsidizes day care for LaToya Surratt’s 4-year-old daughter. “I’m still struggling to survive,” she said.
Marable worked at Burger King as a cashier until 2009, but left after feeling uncomfortable with her 1-year-old daughter's baby sitter. By the time she started looking for a job again last year, she could only find seasonal jobs.
Marable, who did not graduate from high school, wants to earn her GED and return to school to become a dental assistant or counselor for troubled children. In the meantime, she wants to work a retail job to support her family -- if she could only find one. She said she wants to get off county assistance "as fast as I can."
"They control your everything ... the only thing I can do about it is get a job, because I don't like anybody controlling my money," Marable said.
Both women also said they know of many people around them who are scamming the system, and that Minnesota makes it too easy for lazy people to collect benefits.
The tornado forced other residents into greater dependency.
Kenetha Parker hurt her foot after falling during the storm. Now Parker cannot stand up for long periods, so she can no longer work the type of fast food job she used to have until she has surgery. She receives cash through Hennepin County, though before she only received medical assistance and food stamps.
Like many on the North Side, she finds the 68 percent dependency level "very sad."
"I would love," Parker said, "to get off the assistance."
Maya Rao • 612-673-4210
maya.rao@startribune.com
Religion news in brief
Justice Department seeking death penalty in Charleston, SC, church shootingWASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says it intends to seek the death penalty against Dylann…
City Hall bells will go silent for renovation
Time will fly by silently this summer in downtown Minneapolis, when City Hall's clock tower bells cease chiming during a long-anticipated restoration project.
Land O'Lakes, Minnesota partner on water quality initiative
The state of Minnesota and Land O'Lakes have formed a partnership to improve water quality in farm country.
Housing for low-income artists predominantly serves white people, study says | 新闻 |