Friday, July 26, 2013

Book press release distribution: PR NewsChannel tells ...

(PR NewsChannel) / July 26, 2013 / TAMPA, Fla.?

Book press release distributionThe global press release newswire PR NewsChannel?has a direct message for CreateSpace self publishing authors: We want to distribute your book press release.

CreateSpace, the book self-publishing company that?s a division of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), stopped offering?press release distribution as part of its marketing services.

?We?re happy to fill the void. We want CreateSpace authors?to know they have?a?partner?in?PR NewsChannel to?help publicize their book online and to?members of?media,? says Glenn Selig, founder of PR NewsChannel.

Most?major book self-publishers offer a suite of marketing services that include book press release distribution. In some?cases,?PR NewsChannel is the company that distributes that release.?

But CreateSpace ?retired? the service and?stopped offering the service, leaving some authors in a, bind.

?Press releases are surging in popularity and work beautifully with social media and online penetration. They are surging,? says Selig. ?I travel the country lecturing and teaching companies how to leverage press releases. When done right, they can be an enormously successful vehicle. So I am glad we can offer?book press release distribution services?to CreateSpace customers.?

Selig says PR NewsChannel is intimately familiar with CreateSpace, having already become the go-to?newswire for hundreds of?CreateSpace authors.

PR NewsChannel also distributes book press releases for authors who?ve published with CreateSpace competitors?AuthorHouse, Lulu, Trafford Publishing, Infinity Publishing, Outskirts Press, BookSurge, Xlibris and others.

?Book?press releases?are an important part of any self published book because?they?re your ticket to publicity,? says Selig. ?Without publicity you can?t sell a book. And?a book press release, distributed to the right?people and to the right places, helps you sell books.?

Affiliated with?The PR Institute, PR NewsChannel is a global newswire created by journalists.

Book press release

For authors who do not have a book press release already written, the newswire offers professional press release writing and press release creation services. A?PR NewsChannel staff writer will craft a book press release that is?search engine optimized and?is also ready for distribution to?members of the media.

?We won?t ask you to fill out a questionnaire,? says Tyler Ragghianti, project manager at PR NewsChannel (www.prnewschannel.com). ?We will?interview?the author just like a reporter would. We go above and beyond to get?the story?so it resonates.?

PR NewsChannel also offers other?creative, out of box solutions and programs?for?promoting a book press release.?

The newswire says when it comes to book press releases, experience is?vital to achieving success.
?
For CreateSpace and other authors interested in book press release distribution or?book marketing services, please visit http://www.prnewschannel.com/book-marketing/ or phone 888-399-5534 to speak to one our PR journalists.

Direct link:??http://www.prnewschannel.com/2013/07/26/book-press-release-distribution-pr-newschannel-tells-createspace-authors-we-want-your-business/

SOURCE:??PR NewsChannel

This press release is distributed by PR NewsChannel. Your News. Everywhere.

Source: http://www.prnewschannel.com/2013/07/26/book-press-release-distribution-pr-newschannel-tells-createspace-authors-we-want-your-business/

cbs sports ncaa tournament kids choice awards Miley Cyrus Twerk ncaa march madness cbs march madness bracket

Monday, June 24, 2013

Apple allegedly looking into MacBook Air WiFi issue, replacing machines

Apple allegedly looking into MacBook Air WiFi issue, replacing machines

We've been hearing from several of our readers about an issue with WiFi stability on Apple's latest (and greatest) Haswell-equipped MacBook Air. The problem appears to be rare but is clearly affecting some users. 9to5Mac learned today that Apple's supposedly aware of the issue and working on a fix. As a result, the company's directed its Genius Bar employees to "capture" machines that are experiencing the problem-- i.e. return them to Cupertino for testing. Some customers have also reported getting their systems replaced by Apple. We've reached out to the company for comment and we'll keep you posted. In our recent review, the newest MacBook Air impressed us with its solid performance and incredible battery life. It's also Apple's first computer with 802.11ac.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: 9to5Mac

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Qyh1inVl8sg/

pink slime eagle cam trayvon martin case affordable care act the line us soccer bobby brown arrested

World stocks fall amid China credit concerns

LONDON (AP) ? Global stock markets reeled Monday amid concerns that credit conditions will tighten in the U.S. and China, the world's two largest economies.

Shanghai's stock index endured its biggest loss in four years after the country's central bank allowed commercial rates to spike higher. Analysts say the move was part of an effort to curb the high level of off-balance-sheet lending in China that could threaten the country's financial stability.

But the higher lending rates could also hurt economic growth. The impact for stock markets would be all the greater if the U.S. Federal Reserve tightens its own ultra-loose monetary policy over the coming months, as it has signaled it would do so long as the U.S. economy improves according to its forecasts.

Mainland China's Shanghai Composite Index plummeted 5 percent to 1,968.51 while the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index plunged 6.1 percent to 881.87.

In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 1.2 percent to 6,040.44 and France's CAC-40 slid 1.6 percent to 3,599.05. Germany's DAX was down 0.9 percent to 7,717.43 even though a key business sentiment index rose slightly, suggesting the recovery in Europe's largest economy continues, though at a slow pace.

Wall Street opened lower, with the Dow Jones industrial down 1.6 percent to 14,563.29 and the S&P 500 down 1.7 percent to 1,564.91.

Government bond yields rose in the U.S. and other big economies on expectations that borrowing rates would not remain at their current lows for much longer. The U.S. 10-year rate traded above 2.6 percent for the first time since August 2011.

Bond yields also rose in Europe's financially shaky countries, suggesting investors are relatively more cautious about lending them money despite the good returns they provide. Spain's 10-year bond yield was above 5 percent for the first time in three months.

Analysts at Moody's Investors Service said they saw the Chinese central bank's action to allow lending rates to rise as "a conscious decision" to curb credit growth.

Moody's added that a prolonged credit crunch could threaten Chinese companies, "especially those in the private sector with weak credit quality, because it heightens the risk that banks will scale back lending to those companies." Moody's says that China's central government finances remain strong, but that rapid credit growth and liabilities at the local level pose a threat to growth.

Andrew Sullivan of Kim Eng Securities in Hong Kong said China's new leaders want credit to be available to keep the economy moving but not so much as to promote asset bubbles.

"After six months in power, the new leadership is putting its policies in place. It's signaling that credit is going to remain tight," Sullivan said. "All that is in line with moving China from being an export driven economy to being a domestic consumption economy."

The concerns over China's credit market were magnified by existing worries that access to money will tighten in the world's largest economy, the U.S.

Investors are concerned what will happen as the U.S. Federal Reserve slows down its monetary stimulus program, which has been pumping $85 billion into the financial system every month and helped many stock indexes reach multiyear or record highs. Markets tumbled last week when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said the program would likely slow down this year and end in 2014.

Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 2.2 percent to 19,813.98. Japan's Nikkei 225 index, the regional heavyweight, fell 1.3 percent to 13,062.78. South Korea's Kospi lost 1.3 percent to 1,799.01. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 1.5 percent at 4,666.50.

In energy markets, benchmark oil contract for August delivery was up 8 cents to $93.77 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.71 to close at $93.69 on Friday.

In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3091 from $1.3139 late Friday in New York. The dollar fell to 97.33 yen from 97.76 yen.

___

Sampson reported from Bangkok. Joe McDonald in Beijing and Fu Ting in Shanghai also contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-stocks-fall-amid-china-credit-concerns-104336559.html

arrested development arrested development Champions League Everett Golson June Carter monsanto Neymar

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Southwest cancels 57 flights after computer glitch

CHICAGO (AP) ? Southwest Airlines expects some lingering delays Saturday morning after a system-wide computer failure caused it to ground 250 flights for nearly three hours late Friday night.

Full service was restored just after 2 a.m. EDT Saturday, but the Dallas-based airline is still working to clear a backlog of flights and reposition planes and crew.

The airline ? the country's largest domestic carrier ? canceled 43 flights Friday night and another 14 Saturday morning.

Southwest is the latest airline to ground flights because of a large computer outage. But its problem was minor compared to those experienced by two competitors ? thanks in part to its late-day timing.

In April, American Airlines grounded all of its flights nationwide for several hours due to computer problems. The airline ultimately canceled 970 flights. And last year, United Airlines had two major outages: one in August delayed 580 flights; another in November delayed 636 flights.

The problem was detected around 11 p.m. EDT Friday, Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins said. It impaired the airline's ability to do such things as conduct check-ins, print boarding passes and monitor the weight of each aircraft. Some flights were on the taxiway and diverted back to the terminal, Hawkins said. Flights already in the air were unaffected.

Most of Southwest's cancelations Friday night were in the western half of the country, according to airline spokeswoman Michelle Agnew. Saturday's cancelations were scattered across the U.S. They included planes leavings from Minneapolis, Chicago, Phoenix, Denver and San Diego, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.

Southwest flies an average of 3,400 flights each day.

Agnew said in an email Saturday morning that the airline's technology team is "still working to confirm the source of the issue."

Shortly after 2 a.m., Southwest posted on its Twitter page that "systems are operating and we will begin work to get customers where they need to be. Thanks for your patience tonight."

Agnew said the computer system was "running at full capacity" by early Saturday. Before that, though, officials used a backup system that was much more sluggish.

______

AP Airlines Writer Scott Mayerowitz in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/southwest-cancels-57-flights-computer-glitch-104716565.html

scott walker recall fisker atlantic social darwinism wisconsin recall election april 4 wisconsin primary dallas fort worth airport

Food Network to drop Paula Deen amid racial slur controversy

(Warning: contains graphic language in sixth paragraph)

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Food Network said on Friday it will drop celebrity chef Paula Deen after the Southern food doyenne was sued for racial discrimination and admitted in a legal deposition to using a racial slur in the past.

"Food Network will not renew Paula Deen's contract when it expires at the end of this month," the network said in a statement.

The network's decision was announced within hours of Deen apologizing on video for "the wrong that I've done" and begging for forgiveness.

Deen, who has two popular shows on The Food Network featuring Southern cooking, appeared in at least two videos released after she failed to make a scheduled appearance on the NBC morning TV show "Today" on Friday to discuss the issue.

"I want to apologize to everybody for the wrong that I've done. I want to learn and grow from this," Deen said in one video posted on YouTube and other sites.

Deen, a white native of Georgia, was asked in a deposition released in transcript form this week if she had used the "N-word," and responded, "Yes, of course." The "N-word" is a euphemism for "nigger," an epithet for black people.

A former employee of Paula Deen Enterprises, Lisa Jackson, is suing Deen and her brother, Earl "Bubba" Hiers, alleging racial and sexual discrimination in the workplace. The deposition was related to the suit.

(Additional reporting by Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem and David Beasley in Atlanta; Editing by Jim Loney, David Storey and Leslie Gevirtz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/celebrity-chef-paula-deen-apologizes-video-racial-slur-201107910.html

foxnews fox news boston globe Cnn.com Chechen Boston bombers chechnya

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

'Curb Your Enthusiasm' actor Jeff Garlin arrested

Celebs

10 hours ago

Image: Comedian Jeff Garlin performs on stage at Scleroderma Research Foundation's Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on April 30, 20...

Michael Bezjian / Getty Images file

Jeff Garlin.

L.A. police have confirmed that "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actor and comedian Jeff Garlin was arrested on a felony vandalism charge after arguing with another motorist about a parking space, reports The Associated Press.

The 51-year-old actor was arrested after reportedly smashing the windows of the other driver's car. He was jailed on $20,000 bail after being arrested on Saturday.

It was unclear whether he remained in jail or was able to post bail; AP reporters noted that his publicists did not immediately respond to phone and email messages on Sunday.

Garlin has been seen on "Curb" along with other TV series like "Mad About You," and in films including "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/curb-your-enthusiasm-actor-jeff-garlin-arrested-6C10339654

chuck colson ufc 145 results orrin hatch marlon byrd charles colson humber raffi torres

Connie Lawn: Visit to Holocaust Memorial Museum

As journalists and associates, we cannot ignore the serious developments of the past and present. An example of that was shown on Friday, June l4, when a group from the International Correspondents Committee, part of the National Press Club, paid a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. It is always difficult to confront the Holocaust head on, but it is important. Wars and massacres go on today, but on a smaller and less systematic scale.

The Holocaust Museum is a very effective teaching institution. It is now commemorating its 20th anniversary, and is having an impact. It attracts thousands of visitors a year, and they come from many age groups and many parts of the world. It was amazing to see the long lines of visitors; especially those in their mid teens. They were quiet, respectful, and somber as they viewed the exhibits, photos, and films. They learned many millions were victims -- in addition to over 6 million Jews, Christians, Homosexuals, disabled, Gypsies, and others were starved, tortured, and executed.

The Memorial Museum is located on the Mall, near USDA and between 14th and 15th Streets. There is some side street parking, but it may be best to take the Metro to the Smithsonian stop. There is no charge for admission. Journalists and educators can contact media affairs, if they want more information during a visit.

?

?

?

Follow Connie Lawn on Twitter: www.twitter.com/connielawn

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/connie-lawn/visit-to-holocaust-memori_b_3447176.html

abraham lincoln Chris Dorner 1800 Flowers walking dead The Pope the Grammys 2013 State of the Union 2013

Monday, June 17, 2013

In Florida, Nik Wallenda readies for Grand Canyon high-wire act

By Saundra Amrhein

SARASOTA, Florida (Reuters) - Dressed casually in a T-shirt, calf-length cargo pants and flip-flops, Nik Wallenda looks no different from many of the hundreds of spectators who have turned out in recent days to watch him practice for his next high-wire act.

There are no pretentious airs about him, and no spangled outfits.

"Hey, how ya doing, man?" he asked while stopping to shake the hand of a man trying to take his picture with an iPad and then pausing to high-five a few kids.

But what Wallenda is preparing for is anything but routine.

For two weeks in his hometown of Sarasota, Florida, the aerialist and holder of half a dozen world records has been practicing for what will be his biggest feat yet - a quarter-mile (400-metre) walk across the Grand Canyon on a steel cable with nothing but the Little Colorado River 1,500 feet below.

With no tethers or safety nets, the walk will be the highest tightrope attempt ever for the 34-year-old, at a height taller than the Empire State Building. It is scheduled to be shown live on June 23 on the Discovery Channel.

Last year, Wallenda, a seventh-generation member of the "Flying Wallendas" family of acrobats, became the only person to walk a wire over the brink of Niagara Falls.

Wallenda and his team are focused on creating the conditions he'll likely face at the Grand Canyon. The Florida heat, while humid as opposed to arid, cooperates, with temperatures rising through the 80s (27-32 C) by mid-morning.

But the winds that whip up and around the Grand Canyon walls pose another challenge. Wallenda recently faced heavy winds during a test run and practiced as Tropical Storm Andrea barreled onshore along the Gulf Coast.

To ramp up conditions without a storm, his team one day set up air boats in the water alongside the steel cable he uses to practice on, pushing winds in updrafts to 91 mph.

The canyon's winds won't bother him, he said.

"I'm not scared of them," he said while gliding along the cable, his flip-flops replaced by black moccasins specially made by his mother.

REAL DANGERS

As he walked and spoke, spectators watched from behind metal parade barricades. "I have to respect it, but I would never do what I do if I was scared," he said.

Wallenda regularly emphasizes mental concentration and positive thinking as the secrets to his success.

Since he started walking on a wire at age 2, he has been stung by a bee and had birds land on his balancing pole during performances.

He told reporters that he has no superstitions or rituals before his walks. He prays - his Christian faith plays a big part in his new book "Balance" - and hugs his wife and three children, telling them he'll see them in a few minutes.

With spectators' eyed glued on him, Wallenda and his balancing pole made one trip along the 1,200-foot (366-metre) cable and back, projecting the image of a body builder and a ballet dancer combined. Then he sat down - on the cable.

"Does anyone have any questions?" he asked the crowd, his legs dangling from his perch.

They did. How heavy is the balancing pole? Forty-three pounds (20 kg). Does he work out? Yes, at the gym. How long will it take him to cross the Grand Canyon? Twenty to thirty minutes.

Wallenda spoke openly about the reality of the dangers - including the ones that claimed his great-grandfather, Karl Wallenda, a great inspiration to him.

In 1978, the legendary sky walker fell to his death during a high-wire walk in Puerto Rico, a tragedy that Wallenda said studies showed was caused by a combination of bad rigging and his great-grandfather's age and recent injuries that left him too weak to hold on to the wire.

"There's a time to retire," he said.

But Wallenda is not there yet, as he readies to embark on what has been a dream for years.

It's a dream with a 1,500-foot drop below him, which will be "extremely mentally draining," he said.

(Editing by Kevin Gray and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/florida-nik-wallenda-readies-grand-canyon-high-wire-201220347.html

Foo Canoodle Isaac path Tropical Storm Isaac path Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Isaac Path Isaac Hurricane

Thursday, May 2, 2013

The Call Blog: Mayor Bloomberg Says NYPD Is "Under Attack" By Critics

Have something to tell us at The Call? Drop us a line at thecall@ny1.com and we'll post it to our blog.



City Comptroller and mayoral candidate John Liu put it perfectly today when he said, "[The Mayor's] presenting a false choice, that people either are safe, or people have rights." New Yorkers have a right to feel safe in their neighborhoods. They shouldn't fear criminals, nor should they fear racial profiling and mistreatment from those who are sworn to protect them.



Mayor Bloomberg launched into a spirited defense of the NYPD after meeting with top police brass today. Bloomberg said "the NYPD is under attack" by mayoral candidates who are "playing politics with public safety." He said those who want to reform Stop, Question and Frisk and create an Inspector General to oversee the department have no role in keeping New York City safe.

The 22-minute speech was described by the Associated Press as a "stepped-up, aggressive response to those who question whether the nation's largest police department has overstepped its bounds." Public Advocate and mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio called the speech "fear-mongering." What do you say?

Are criticisms of some of the NYPD tactics justified? Do you agree with Mayor Bloomberg that police are "under attack" by candidates looking to score political points? Do you want to see an Inspector General position created? Would you reform Stop, Question and Frisk?

Send your thoughts using the link above.



Like a kid mayor Bloomberg likes to throw a tantrum when you criticize anything his administration does, and in the case of stop and frisk there is plenty to criticize, most glaring is statistics that show the a high percentage of those stopped are Latino or Black who are eventually let go far lack of evidence, statistics also show that the policy does not reduce crime as much as it does in creating friction between communities of color and the police, further hampering crime fighting efforts.

Felix Bay Ridge



He's losing it and quickly because now this dictatorship that he has created is
slipping away and by no means am I in favor any of these so called wanna be
politicians.

The first phone call to you yesterday was i believe a council member. She and
all the others which also play the role of bobble head have no polish. This is
not a game. This is New York and we have had enough of all of these same old
faces and the new creations by this Quinn is a joke.

Quinn looks as though she has already taken over and these people are a
creation of what she has become. So here's where it gets this is when she start
to play the spiteful game of hers and holds back funds which are i might ad are
our hard earned tax payers money.

SOMEONE HAD BETTER REEL HER IN!
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS WHAT HAS SHE AND
ALL THE OTHERS ACCOMPLISHED IN THEIR 3RD TERMS.
YOU ALL ARE GETTING PAID AND YOU STILL HAVE A FEW
MONTHS TO GO BEFORE WE SAY SAYONARA!

maxxiee
mp



Amazing that Bloomberg is sticking up for the NYPD while he puts the NYC Teachers down every chance he gets.

However, the NYPD deserve all the praise available. They do a great job each and every day and risk their lives every time they walk out their front door. I believe the NYPD is doing well and there is no need for an Inspector General's position. Take that money and give the NYPD a new contract with a pay increase. Bloomberg's big on putting people at desks, doing nothing. That's true for every City department.

Jessica, Arden Heights, Staten Island



Fear mongering. All I heard is 9/11 and Boston. This is also to prop up Quinn. The whole thing was a shame.

Rich Midtown East



Criticism of some NYPD tactics are justifiable and the police are not under attack as mayoral candidates are telling the truth. NO we do not need an IG, just the discontinuance of stop question and frisk, a blatant form of racial profiling.

Joyce
Springfield Garden, NY



Criticisms of the police are justified. Criticisms of the Mayor are also justified.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI



I agree with the Mayor. Mayoral Candidates are using public safety as a stepping stone to office, unfortunately there is no middle of the road when it come to public safety. If stop and frisk goes away, who wins? But the bigger question is, who loses?

Roscoe
Park Hill



It can be fine-tuned but frankly although I'm pretty Liberal regarding civil liberties in an era of enemy Jihadist combatants who are Americans requiring they be Mirandised Im fine with stop and frisk. We live in a dangerous world and political correctness and terrorism are oxymoronic in many instances. Its good reality testing and sound Law enforcement.

JS
Flushing



I agree with the Mayoral Candidates, I would like to see an Inspector General overseeing the police. The police need some supervision because this "stop and frisk" have only served to harass minority citizens. They have become vigilantes and a lot of them make the streets unsafe.

Theresa
Upperwestside



It's called politics. Mr. Mayor can dish it out but can't take the heat. Who is the mayor intending to stop, question and frisk? Is he going to go to Times Square and frisk people who a police officer thinks is suspicious? Is he going to Madison Avenue? If not, he's saying terror suspects come from poor, minority communities.

Tony



The candidates are obviously playing to the minority vote and will change nothing once in office. Dirty politics rules yet another mayoral election.

Steve
Forest Hills



The mayor and rabid Doberman police commissioner Kelly think safety is paramount above individual civil rights and that we should genuflect at their feet. They need a IG to keep them in check and hold them accountable, and what nerve to lay ground work for the incoming mayor elect.

Joe
Middle Village



Statistics that something is effective is NEVER enough to justify bypassing Constitutional rights. If unwarranted invasions into people's homes, purely through a random selection process, resulted in the regular discovery of illegal drugs and firearms, would we suddenly conclude that such government action is justified? Absolutely not. But yet we are willing to entertain Commissioner Kelleys' recitation of stats to justify the use of stop and frisk? These decisions should be made purely on a case-by-case basis, and not intentionally practiced in one neighborhood or on one race over another.

Fabio
Harlem



THE MAJOR KNOWS SOME OF HIS POLICIES ARE COMING TO A END. GOOD RIDDANCE AND DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT.

PEDRO BRONX



Its great that the crime rate is low. But might that have something to do with the fact that NYC has about the highest living standard of any city in the world? Only wealthy people can afford to live here for the most part. And although these people commit plenty of crimes; they aren't the types of crimes which go into the stats they are referring to.

Daphne, Manhattan



THE WORLD BEING A DANGEROUS PLACE THERE WILL ALWAYS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER BE A FORM OF SQ&F. ITS GONNA GET WORSE.

JIMMY. BRONX



Stop and Frisk needs to be stopped. I have seen the police strip search a young white man in the street for no reason, it was absolutely horrible. I can't imagine what minorities go through. I guess it's the same reason why some NYPD officers say that they need to meet a quota of traffic tickets. Nothing that Bloomberg does makes any sense.

Anna



The mayor is one to talk about any city agency under attack!! What about his all out attack on education, public school teachers and the children of NYC!! What about his attack against the FDNY?? Now he wants to blame others for using his tactics! Under attack - Mayor Bloomberg brought this nastiness to a higher level!

Elima



700,000 stops, vs. 800 weapons found. I think the numbers speak for themselves as to how ineffective this is in terms of resources and loss of freedom.

I suspect the number is very close to what would be achieved randomly and thus indicates this is not a worthwhile process as the police cannot articulate any genuine reason for most of the stops that could be considered as being derived from trained policing.

"The right of the People to be secure in their Persons..." is not just meaningless drivel.

When you fear to walk down a public street because of armed, dangerous people stopping you and demanding things of you for no real reason, it matters little if they are gang bangers,police or government officials, you are not secure.

One of the most basic freedoms is the right to simply be left alone.

Angel in Harlem

The stop and frisk policy is about as racist and denigrating and anything could get. How would Bloomberg like it if Jews were targeted for some sort of harassment because the "might be up to no good?"

Frances
East Village



That guy Richard that just called is a lying idiot. Of course now that NYPD stats don't support his viewpoints, he has black friends from the projects that hide guns from police. What a convenience!

Tiffany



the idea that blacks and latinos are more likely to commit crimes is an evil stereotype...stop and frisk should be tried in white neighborhoods lets c how long they could have gotten away with it

Nasrtaha



Of course these are unimpressive politicians trying to impress the minority communities that basically they will allowed to continue committing crimes. Until there family member is gunned downed and then they'll be singing a different tune.

This is a pathetic group of mayoral wannabees. I really think we are going to be in big trouble if any of them becomes our next mayor.

God Bless the NYPD.

kate
midtown east



I say stop all stop and frisk. Instead give harsh prison time when caught with a gun or for using a un. It's time to get rough with criminals

mnmnus



All of the people complaining about stop and frisk argue that only 10% result in arrests. Why isn't anyone talking about the 10% of murderers, rapists, bail jumpers, fugitives wanted in other jurisdictions and people with outstanding warrants that are taken off the street and compelled to face justice. Stop playing the race card. It's so old.

Eddie



Half a million unwarranted stops, militarized police patrolling with heavy weaponry, bag searches without probable cause at subway entrances, unlawful arrests and mass sweeps at political protests such as the RNC and Occupy-you live in a security state-a police state-with demagogues like Bloomberg the politics of the National Socialists live.

Carl
Soho



I can not believe that anyone would associate stop and frisk with probable cause. The police have always had the right to stop someone under probable cause, even enter your home. That law has been on the books for over 50 years. Stop and frisk serves only one purpose, Minorities are targeted. It servers no purpose except to build hostility against the public towards the police. If this was the Mayors children being harassed, he would have got rid of it himself a long time ago. But as we all know he would not allow that in his neighborhood.

Raheem from Jamaica Queens



In Bloomberg's NY, stop and frisk is just a euphemism for racial profiling. However, this policy works because young black and hispanic men commit most of the street crime.

Steve
College Point



Rudy G. was considered tough on crime, but the NYPD only stopped 100,000 a year versus Mike's 700,000 a year! This is why the NYPD is being criticized. It is the Mayor's fault for giving Kelly Carte Blance, and the cops are paying for it.

Mario
Chelsea



I don't get it. I am black, and I see how the youth act. They are animals. I have no problem with stop n frisk. The blacks and Hispanic commit most of the gun crimes in Ny.

I am so tired or The blacks and Hispanic crying wolf(color).

Naqam



Is stop and frisk racial profiling and a form of discrimination -- there seems to be two sides to this story and a matter of opinion. However it is quite telling that the vast majority of stop & frisks are of Hispanics and Black men. But Mayor Bloomberg 's claim that he never plays politics with peoples' lives is outrageous. Is he not the one who plays politics with the lives of children in NYC with his educational policies? Is he not the one who is plays politics when he opens charter schools and closes public schools over the massive cries of parents and children? And now does it not appear that he is playing politics with the lives of New Yorkers by outwardly criticizing Ms. Quinn through the front door but politically supporting her through the back door?

Perhaps Mayor Bloomberg is correct that Stop & Frisk policy is the first line of defense against crime in New York City and maybe the NYPD is not racial profiling. But one thing is for sure Mayor Bloomberg is undoubtedly the Master of the Masquerade.

Lisa
Upper east side



It was embarrassing to witness Bloomberg's rant about the virtue of civil right's violations by the NYPD. Even the audience of NYPD personnel gave a tepid applause. It was hard to watch, the feeble rationale with ringing racist undertones.

k
harlem



Nearly 90% of stops lead to no arrest or summons.

Less than 1% result in the recovery of a gun/weapon.

John indicated that the 90% number had to with not finding a weapon. The weapon failure rate is actually approximately 99%; the arrest/summons failure rate is nearly 90%.

Mandela
Downtown Brooklyn



Its funny how most of the people in favor of stop and frisk, live affluent neighborhoods and are white..smh

Kyle from East Harlem

Source: http://www.ny1.com/content/the_call/the_call_blog/181293/the-call-blog--mayor-bloomberg-says-nypd-is--under-attack--by-critics

aziz ansari aziz ansari katherine jenkins peyton manning broncos mexico city earthquake stand your ground law dancing with the stars season 14

Monday, April 29, 2013

Seth Rogen Dances with The Backstreet Boys: Watch Now!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/seth-rogen-dances-with-the-backstreet-boys-watch-now/

WRAL John Harbaugh jill biden jill biden martin luther king jr baltimore ravens ravens

Army says no to more tanks, but Congress insists

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Built to dominate the enemy in combat, the Army's hulking Abrams tank is proving equally hard to beat in a budget battle.

Lawmakers from both parties have devoted nearly half a billion dollars in taxpayer money over the past two years to build improved versions of the 70-ton Abrams.

But senior Army officials have said repeatedly, "No thanks."

It's the inverse of the federal budget world these days, in which automatic spending cuts are leaving sought-after pet programs struggling or unpaid altogether. Republicans and Democrats for years have fought so bitterly that lawmaking in Washington ground to a near-halt.

Yet in the case of the Abrams tank, there's a bipartisan push to spend an extra $436 million on a weapon the experts explicitly say is not needed.

"If we had our choice, we would use that money in a different way," Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army's chief of staff, told The Associated Press this past week.

Why are the tank dollars still flowing? Politics.

Keeping the Abrams production line rolling protects businesses and good paying jobs in congressional districts where the tank's many suppliers are located.

If there's a home of the Abrams, it's politically important Ohio. The nation's only tank plant is in Lima. So it's no coincidence that the champions for more tanks are Rep. Jim Jordan and Sen. Rob Portman, two of Capitol's Hill most prominent deficit hawks, as well as Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. They said their support is rooted in protecting national security, not in pork-barrel politics.

"The one area where we are supposed to spend taxpayer money is in defense of the country," said Jordan, whose district in the northwest part of the state includes the tank plant.

The Abrams dilemma underscores the challenge that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel faces as he seeks to purge programs that the military considers unnecessary or too expensive in order to ensure there's enough money for essential operations, training and equipment.

Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, faces a daunting task in persuading members of Congress to eliminate or scale back projects favored by constituents.

Federal budgets are always peppered with money for pet projects. What sets the Abrams example apart is the certainty of the Army's position.

Sean Kennedy, director of research for the nonpartisan Citizens Against Government Waste, said Congress should listen when one of the military services says no to more equipment.

"When an institution as risk averse as the Defense Department says they have enough tanks, we can probably believe them," Kennedy said.

Congressional backers of the Abrams upgrades view the vast network of companies, many of them small businesses, that manufacture the tanks' materials and parts as a critical asset that has to be preserved. The money, they say, is a modest investment that will keep important tooling and manufacturing skills from being lost if the Abrams line were to be shut down.

The Lima plant is a study in how federal dollars affect local communities, which in turn hold tight to the federal dollars. The facility is owned by the federal government but operated by the land systems division of General Dynamics, a major defense contractor that spent close to $11 million last year on lobbying, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The plant is Lima's fifth-largest employer with close to 700 employees, down from about 1,100 just a few years ago, according to Mayor David Berger. But the facility is still crucial to the local economy. "All of those jobs and their spending activity in the community and the company's spending probably have about a $100 million impact annually," Berger said.

Jordan, a House conservative leader who has pushed for deep reductions in federal spending, supported the automatic cuts known as the sequester that require $42 billion to be shaved from the Pentagon's budget by the end of September. The military also has to absorb a $487 billion reduction in defense spending over the next 10 years, as required by the Budget Control Act passed in 2011.

Still, said Jordan, it would be a big mistake to stop producing tanks.

"Look, (the plant) is in the 4th Congressional District and my job is to represent the 4th Congressional District, so I understand that," he said. "But the fact remains, if it was not in the best interests of the national defense for the United States of America, then you would not see me supporting it like we do."

The tanks that Congress is requiring the Army to buy aren't brand new. Earlier models are being outfitted with a sophisticated suite of electronics that gives the vehicles better microprocessors, color flat panel displays, a more capable communications system, and other improvements. The upgraded tanks cost about $7.5 million each, according to the Army.

Out of a fleet of nearly 2,400 tanks, roughly two-thirds are the improved versions, which the Army refers to with a moniker that befits their heft: the M1A2SEPv2, and service officials said they have plenty of them. "The Army is on record saying we do not require any additional M1A2s," Davis Welch, deputy director of the Army budget office, said this month.

The tank fleet, on average, is less than 3 years old. The Abrams is named after Gen. Creighton Abrams, one of the top tank commanders during World War II and a former Army chief of staff.

The Army's plan was to stop buying tanks until 2017, when production of a newly designed Abrams would begin. Orders for Abrams tanks from U.S. allies help fill the gap created by the loss of tanks for the Army, according to service officials, but congressional proponents of the program feared there would not be enough international business to keep the Abrams line going.

This pause in tank production for the U.S. would allow the Army to spend its money on research and development work for the new and improved model, said Ashley Givens, a spokeswoman for the Army's Ground Combat Systems office.

The first editions of the Abrams tank were fielded in the early 1980s. Over the decades, the Abrams supply chain has become embedded in communities across the country.

General Dynamics estimated in 2011 that there were more than 560 subcontractors throughout the country involved in the Abrams program and that they employed as many as 18,000 people. More than 40 of the companies are in Pennsylvania, according to Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., also a staunch backer of continued tank production.

A letter signed by 173 Democratic and Republican members of the House last year and sent to then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta demonstrated the depth of bipartisan support for the Abrams program on Capitol Hill. They chided the Obama administration for neglecting the industrial base and proposing to terminate tank production in the United States for the first time since World War II.

Portman, who served as President George W. Bush's budget director before being elected to the Senate, said allowing the line to wither and close would create a financial mess.

"People can't sit around for three years on unemployment insurance and wait for the government to come back," Portman said. "That supply chain is going to be much more costly and much more inefficient to create if you mothball the plant."

Pete Keating, a General Dynamics spokesman, said the money from Congress is allowing for a stable base of production for the Army, which receives about four tanks a month. With the line open, Lima also can fill international orders, bringing more work to Lima and preserving American jobs, he said.

Current foreign customers are Saudi Arabia, which is getting about five tanks a month, and Egypt, which is getting four. Each country pays all of their own costs. That's a "success story during a period of economic pain," Keating said.

Still, far fewer tanks are coming out of the Lima plant than in years past. The drop-off has affected companies such as Verhoff Machine and Welding in Continental, Ohio, which makes seats and other parts for the Abrams. Ed Verhoff, the company's president, said his sales have dropped from $20 million to $7 million over the past two years. He's also had to lay off about 25 skilled employees and he expects to be issuing more pink slips in the future.

"When we start to lose this base of people, what are we going to do? Buy our tanks from China?" Verhoff said.

Steven Grundman, a defense expert at the Atlantic Council in Washington, said the difficulty of reviving defense industrial capabilities tends to be overstated.

"From the fairly insular world in which the defense industry operates, these capabilities seem to be unique and in many cases extraordinarily high art," said Grundman, a former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial affairs and installations during the Clinton administration. "But in the greater scope of the economy, they tend not to be."

___

Online:

Abrams tank: http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/tracked/abrams.html

__

Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rplardner

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/army-says-no-more-tanks-congress-insists-115422396.html

taylor allderdice vincent jackson vicki gunvalson pierre garcon brown recluse spider wiz khalifa taylor allderdice eddie royal

Why This Prom in Georgia Just Changed History

Earlier this month, TakePart reported on the efforts of a group of high school students in Georgia raising funds to hold their county?s first multi-racial prom?otherwise known as regular prom in the rest of the country.

Last night, those kids got their wish at Wilcox County's first-ever "Integrated Prom," where students of all races were welcome. By all accounts, it was a remarkably successful event.

According to local crews, the entrance to the dance was so swarmed with news cameras, it resembled something closer to a Hollywood red carpet event, rather than a high school dance. Students made their way in front of reporters, stopping for pictures while throngs of parents cheered them on and held back tears.

Quanesha Wallace, one of the students responsible for organizing the event, told one news reporter, ?It turned out really well. I didn?t even know this many people were coming. I didn?t even know this many tickets were being sold.?

?

?

Wilcox County, GA has had a segregated prom system since the school was racially integrated just several decades ago. The school's dances have always been privately funded and held away from school grounds, allowing for the segregation to continue without any legal consequence.

But this year, a group of students at Wilcox County High School had enough, with one in particular, Keela Bloodworth, explaining to WSFA, ?It?s embarrassing to know that I?m from the county that still does this.?

That?s when Bloodworth, Wallace, and a goup of their friends decided to raise funds on their own to hold an integrated prom. While their initial thoughts were of local bake sales and car washes, those became unnecessary once online news sites got a hold of their story. Just two days after that story broke, those students reached their funding goal, according to their Facebook page. Then they quickly surpassed it.

Since then, they?ve continued to collect donations from supporters across the country, with the excess money going towards their own college scholarships, as well as to funds for two unidentified local families, each of whom have recently ?suffered a major loss.?

In the weeks leading up to the dance, the students reported there had been some community backlash, mostly in the form of their fliers getting ripped down and disappearing.

And though several of Georgia?s lawmakers publicly championed the students? efforts, Georgia?s own governor, Nathan Deal initially refused to comment on the events because he didn't "want to take sides," according to a statement released by his spokesperson.

Nonetheless, after several weeks of mounting public pressure, Deal did release a carefully-worded statement, that concluded with, ?I think that people understand that some of these are just local issues and private issues, and not something that the state government needs to have its finger involved in.? And that may explain why segregation is alive and well in Georgia.

While their governor seemed content to sit this one out, these very determined high school students took it upon themselves to effect a change in their county, one that will hopefully be recognized for generations to come. In the meantime, if these are the kids who are representative of our future, we might be okay.

What would be your response if you found out that your county held segregated proms? Let us know in the Comments.

Related Stories on TakePart:

? These Los Angeles Cops Are Super-Excited About Taffeta and Tiaras

? What Every Parent Should Know: How to Help Your Kids Deal With Peer Conflicts at School

? Could Compassion Be the Key to Reducing Dropout Rates?


A Bay Area native, Andri Antoniades previously worked as a fashion industry journalist and medical writer.??In addition to reporting the weekend news on TakePart, she volunteers as a webeditor for locally-based nonprofits and works as a freelance feature writer for?TimeOutLA.com.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-prom-georgia-just-changed-history-185442149.html

2012 grammys foo fighters nikki minaj album of the year grammy red carpet grammy award winners the band perry

Friday, April 26, 2013

Town under siege by river seeks buyout (Providence Journal)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/301428689?client_source=feed&format=rss

Claire Danes Amy Poehler Australian Open Girls Hbo Golden Globes homeland homeland

Samsung reportedly launching new 8-inch tablet in June, Galaxy S 4 Active in July

Samsung reportedly plans new 8inch tablet for June, Galaxy S 4 Active for July

Samsung Gulf president Young Soo Kim reportedly made casual mention of an upcoming rugged take on the Galaxy S 4 at a press event earlier in the week, but left out any details. Sources for the Wall Street Journal claim to know more of the story, and it sounds like the toughened phone won't be alone this summer. The Galaxy S 4 Active, as it's rumored to be called, would arrive in July and carry the dust- and waterproofing of spiritual predecessors like the Galaxy Xcover 2 while maintaining the GS 4's design language. A smaller, 4.3-inch parallel to the GS 4 would appear at the same time -- Galaxy S 4 Mini, anyone? The same tipsters also expect the release of a new 8-inch "Galaxy-line tablet" in June, which suggests the Galaxy Note 8.0 may get a regular Tab counterpart. We wouldn't base our buying strategies around the rumors when Samsung hasn't said anything that's truly on the record, but it might be wise to hold off if you're not in a rush.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: Wall Street Journal

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/UQYXvR8iaaE/

Ravi Shankar Geminid meteor shower right to work Clackamas Town Center 12 12 12 Anne Hathaway Wardrobe Malfunction Adrienne Maloof

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

France legalizes gay marriage after harsh debate

PARIS (AP) ? France legalized gay marriage on Tuesday after a wrenching national debate and protests that flooded the streets of Paris. Legions of officers and water cannon stood ready near France's National Assembly ahead of the final vote, bracing for possible violence on an issue that galvanized the country's faltering conservative movement.

The measure passed easily in the Socialist-majority Assembly, 331-225, just minutes after the president of the legislative body expelled a disruptive protester in pink, the color adopted by French opponents of gay marriage.

"Only those who love democracy are here," Claude Bartelone, the Assembly president, said angrily.

In recent weeks, violent attacks against gay couples have spiked and some legislators have received threats ? including Bartelone, who got a gunpowder-filled envelope on Monday.

One of the biggest protests against same-sex marriage drew together hundreds of thousands of people bused in from the French provinces ? conservative activists, schoolchildren with their parents, retirees, priests and others. That demonstration ended in blasts of tear gas, as right-wing rabble-rousers, some in masks and hoods, led the charge against police, damaging cars along the Champs-Elysees avenue and making a break for the presidential palace.

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told lawmakers that the first weddings could be as soon as June.

"We believe that the first weddings will be beautiful and that they'll bring a breeze of joy, and that those who are opposed to them today will surely be confounded when they are overcome with the happiness of the newlyweds and the families," she said.

When President Francois Hollande promised to legalize gay marriage, it was seen as relatively uncontroversial. But the issue has become a touchstone as his popularity has sunk to unprecedented lows, largely over France's ailing economy.

But the most visible face in the fight against gay marriage ? a former comedienne who goes by the name of Frigide Barjot ? said the movement named "A Protest for Everyone" will continue beyond the law's passage and possibly field candidates in 2014 municipal elections. She said anyone involved in protest violence would be marginalized, but blamed the government for its failure to listen.

"The violence comes from the way in which this was imposed," Barjot told France Info radio.

French conservatives, decimated by infighting and the election loss of standard-bearer Nicolas Sarkozy, had found a rallying cause in same-sex marriage. Hoping to keep the issue alive, the conservative UMP party planned to challenge the law in the Constitutional Council.

French civil unions, allowed since 1999, are at least as popular among heterosexuals as among gay and lesbian couples. But that law has no provisions for adoption, and the strongest opposition in France as far as same-sex couples goes comes when children are involved. According to recent polls, just over half of French are opposed to adoption by same-sex couples ? about the same number who said they favored same-sex marriage.

Christophe Crepin, spokesman for the police union UNSA, says the extraordinary security Tuesday includes a total of about 4,000 officers in the area near the National Assembly building and water cannon positioned nearby. One group of anti-riot police swarmed the banks of the Seine River about a quarter-mile from the legislature, hours before protests were scheduled there.

France is the 14th country to legalize gay marriage. On the cover of Tuesday's Liberation newspaper, the famed gay photographers Pierre and Gilles took over the front page and several of the inside pages, splashing them with some of their most provocative photos, including one of three soccer players ? nude but for the footwear ? facing the camera.

In New Zealand, where gay marriage enjoys popular support, people gathered outside Parliament and joined in singing a traditional Maori love ballad after a vote last week making it legal. Nine states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. also recognize such marriages, but the federal government does not.

___

Follow Lori Hinnant at https://twitter.com/lhinnant

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/france-legalizes-gay-marriage-harsh-debate-151608251.html

steve nash july 4th Malware Monday First Row Sports American flag Happy 4th of July 4th Of July Desserts

U.S. security agency delays plan to allow small knives on planes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Transportation Security Administration on Monday delayed a controversial policy change that would have allowed small knives to be carried onto airplanes for the first time since September 11, 2001.

The decision, announced in a letter to TSA employees after a week of heightened security tensions following the Boston Marathon bombings, was greeted with cautious relief by flight attendant unions, which have been waging a high-profile campaign to overturn the plan.

"The 90,000-member Flight Attendants Union Coalition, which has opposed the TSA's ill-advised plan from the start, remains resolute: no knives on planes ever again," the group said in a statement.

Last month, the TSA said that starting on Thursday, it would allow folding knives with blades 2.36 inches or shorter, to be carried onto airplanes, as well as hockey sticks, golf clubs, ski poles and billiard cues.

The agency had determined that these items would not pose a catastrophic threat to an aircraft, and confiscating them from passengers in airport security queues was distracting security officers from screening for greater threats, such as non-metallic explosive devices.

Hijackers in the September 11 attacks used small knives to attack crew members and gain control of aircraft. Cockpits on commercial planes have since been required to have locked doors during flights.

But flight attendants have argued that they could be put at risk from knives carried onto planes and have sought input into the TSA's decision.

"By delaying this policy, the TSA is taking a solid, common sense step in the direction of safer skies," said Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat and one of several lawmakers working with the flight attendants.

"This delay acknowledges that permitting knives on planes is a bad idea. Now the TSA should go the rest of the way and end this flawed policy altogether," Schumer said.

(Reporting by David Lawder)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-security-agency-delays-plan-allow-small-knives-012809424.html

2012 ncaa basketball tournament walt what time is it current time a thousand words my sisters keeper kirby

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Three killed in Syrian army gas attack: monitoring group

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A woman and two children were killed and 16 people injured in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Saturday in what an anti-government violence monitoring group said was a gas attack by Syrian government forces.

Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, cited witnesses as saying that two gas bombs had been dropped from an army helicopter.

Doctors in the town of Afrin, where the injured were taken, told the Observatory that victims had "hallucinated, vomited, had excess mucus and felt their eyes were burning".

Reuters cannot verify such reports from Syria due to severe reporting and security restrictions.

A team of United Nations-led experts is waiting in Cyprus for the go-ahead to investigate three previous allegations of chemical weapons attacks in Syria, including one the government said was a poison attack by rebels in Aleppo last month.

The government of President Bashar al-Assad has rejected demands by the opposition that the inspectors be sent to investigate cases in Homs and Damascus where rebels say government forces used chemical munitions.

Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud district, where the two bombs were dropped on Saturday, is controlled by rebels. The Observatory distributed photos taken by opposition activists of remnants of what it said were the bombs.

It also sent photos of a dead woman and two children, who it said were both under two years old. None of the three had any visible injuries.

About 70,000 people have been killed in an uprising against four decades of Assad family rule that turned into a civil war after Assad's forces suppressed protests and opposition members took up arms. Both sides have been accused by rights groups of war crimes.

(Reporting by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/three-killed-syrian-army-gas-attack-monitoring-group-114916953.html

chomp national enquirer kate gosselin helicopter crash matt jones whitney houston in casket photo resolute

Sandy Hook mom makes plea for 'common sense' gun controls

All across the country Saturday, people turned out at rallies to demand tougher gun laws. Meanwhile, Sandy Hook mother Francine Wheeler made an emotional appeal for national gun-control legislation. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.

By Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News

A mother who lost her 6-year-old son in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School made an emotional plea for national gun-control legislation in an address from the White House.

Francine Wheeler made her appeal in lieu of the president?s weekly address. Her appearance is the only time President Obama has handed the address to anyone other than Vice President Joe Biden since the two first took office. Wheeler was joined by her husband David.

?I have hear people say that the tidal wave of anguish our country felt on 12/14 has receded, but not for us,? Wheeler said. ?To us it feels as if it happened just yesterday, and in the four months since we lost our loved ones, thousands of other Americans have died at the end of a gun.?

The address, taped Friday, comes as several Sandy Hook families have mounted an aggressive effort to get a gun-control bill passed by Congress. Wheeler and her husband wrote the remarks after they were approached, the White House said.

?We have to convince the Senate to come together and pass common sense gun responsibility reforms that will make our communities safer and prevent more tragedies like the one we never thought would happen to us,? Wheeler said.

Jessica Hill / AP file

Francine Wheeler, mother of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim Benjamin Wheeler, cries as she listens to Vice President Joe Biden speak during a gun violence conference in Danbury, Conn., Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013.

Family members of the Newtown victims were present on Capitol Hill Thursday when Senators voted 68-31 to move forward with the process of debating a gun bill that several Republican lawmakers had threatened to filibuster. Several Republican senators have said that the presence of Newtown families helped contribute to the unexpectedly overwhelming vote to move forward with the bill.

Among the more than a dozen relatives in the gallery was Jillian Soto, whose sister was killed at Sandy Hook.

?The tears that we had weren?t tears of joy, but tears of remembering this is happening,? Soto told NBC News shortly after the vote. ?We?re here because of what happened to us.?

During her remarks, Wheeler and her husband wore green pins to commemorate the 20 schoolchildren, including their son, and six adults who died in the December shooting. The Wheelers? older son Nate, a 4th grader at Sandy Hook, survived the shooting.

?Sometimes I close my eyes and all I can remember is that awful day waiting at the Sandy Hook volunteer firehouse for the boy who would never come home ? the same firehouse that was home to Ben?s Tiger Scout Den 6,? said Wheeler, choking back tears. ?But other times I feel Ben?s presence filling me with courage for what I have to do for him and all the others taken from us so violently and too soon.?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related:

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2aad23f5/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C130C177341940Esandy0Ehook0Emom0Emakes0Eplea0Efor0Ecommon0Esense0Egun0Econtrols0Dlite/story01.htm

Dorner Manifesto Valentines Day Quotes nerlens noel Mark Balelo Anne Stringfield paczki lent

Saturday, April 13, 2013

School Bans Leggings in California, Cites Problem "When Girls Bend"

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/school-bans-leggings-in-california-cites-problem-when-girls-bend/

Con Edison LaGuardia Airport weather radar the weather channel national grid LIPA Cnn Live

Second chances a first priority on 'The Moment'

By Randee Dawn, TODAY contributor

Charlie Ebersol knows what it's like to get a second chance: In 2004 he was in a private jet with his father and younger brother Teddy when it crashed in Colorado. His brother lost his life, and Charlie and his father Dick, a longtime NBC producer and co-creator of "Saturday Night Live," survived their injuries.

"When the plane crashed, I was so angry," he told TODAY's Willie Geist Friday. "I wasn't scared or sad ... I was going to lose out on the opportunity to do all these things I loved that I wasn't doing."

His mother instructed him to "take control of his life," and he did, selling off his company and focusing on the things he loved. Ultimately, he decided to create a TV series that would help others get a second chance at their own dreams. "The Moment," which began airing on USA Network on Feb. 20, is the result of his new priorities.

As Ebersol explained, the show doesn't just hand opportunities over to individuals who want them; it isn't "Fantasy Island." Instead, he helps facilitate tryouts and interviews for people who want to do something they've never done before, and helps them get trained or mentored for two weeks before what he called "the ultimate job interview."?

"It's a brutal show," he said, "because in some respects you are getting a shot, your second chance. But it's a legitimate interview -- if you don't do well, you don't get offered the job."

"The Moment" airs on USA Network on Thursdays at 10 p.m.

More in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/04/12/17720037-charlie-ebersol-seizes-the-moment-offers-people-a-second-chance-at-dreams?lite

How Animals Eat Their Food pga tour Aereo Masters 2013 Lone Star College 42 louisville basketball

social media | Twitter?s Big Challenge: Too Much Twitter

social media | Twitter’s Big Challenge: Too Much Twitter
Sometimes at night I reach over and pluck my phone from my nightstand, press a little blue icon, and suddenly the whole world is in bed with me, talking. This is deeply unhealthy, of course, for my sleep patterns, my ...

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/04/twitters-big-challenge-too-much-twitter/

American flag Happy 4th of July 4th Of July Desserts fireworks fireworks 4th of July Andy Griffith

Friday, April 12, 2013

'Vonn-tourage' takes over Masters

By Steve Keating

AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 11 (Reuters) - Tiger Woods got his Masters campaign off to a solid start on Thursday but the world number one was forced to share the Augusta spotlight.

When first round action began it seemed for a moment as if the 14-times major winner was part of girlfriend Lindsey Vonn's 'Vonn-tourage' as hundreds of media and thousands of spectators scrambled to catch glimpse of the Olympic skiing champion.

As Vonn sightings surfaced a bizarre buzz swept across Augusta National adding some celebrity intrigue to the year's first major.

While Vonn's appearance created a distraction for the galleries, Woods remained focused on the task at hand and mixed three birdies with a single bogey for an opening two-under 70 to sit just four back of co-leaders Marc Leishman of Australia and Spaniard Sergio Garcia.

It was a good omen for Woods, who shot 70 in the opening round in three of his four Masters wins. Only once in 19 Masters has Woods started with a score lower than 70.

"It's a good start," summed up Woods. "Some years some guys shot 65 starting out here. But right now I'm only four back and I'm right there.

"It was a good day. A solid day."

It also appeared to be a very good day out for Vonn, who is recovering from knee surgery but made the trip to Augusta to support her boyfriend.

A smiling Vonn, sporting a wide brimmed hat, tan sun dress and a leg brace, made her way down the first fairway to watch Woods tee off then, according to reports, retreated to one of the hospitality areas to ice her knee and drink a glass of "chilled champagne."

It marked the first public appearance for the sports world's newest power couple since announcing last month that they were dating.

With the world number one ranking back beside his name and three PGA Tour wins from five starts this season, including his final two Masters tune-up events, Woods arrived at Augusta as betting favourite to add a fifth green jacket to his collection.

Anyone backing Woods this week will not be disappointed in his workmanlike effort during the opening round, which included three birdies and one bogey.

Woods's surge back to the top of the world rankings last month was supported by a sizzling putter which he just could not get firing on Thursday on Augusta's tricky greens.

"I thought the greens were a little bit tough ... they didn't have the roll out," said Woods. "A couple of putts, we were talking about it in our group, that just weren't that fast.

"The wind picked up in the middle part of the round. Got a little bit swirly there at Amen Corner, as usual.

"But overall I think the biggest challenge today was just the speed of the greens. They just weren't quite there." (Editing by Frank Pingue)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/golf-woods-upstaged-vonn-tourage-takes-over-masters-230522831--golf.html

duke university whale shark whale shark platypus platypus overboard east of eden