www.wndu.com/
Congressman Fred Upton has been one of the most vocal representatives in congress against health care reform, and says there needs to be a bipartisan effort towards it and he thinks it can truly happen. "I think we can have a bipartisan coalition of folks that really want to see a whole number of things happen" says the congressman. Some of those things include the ability for children to remain on their parents insurance into their mid-twenties, incentives for employers rather than penalties, and the inability for insurance companies to deny those with pre-existing conditions.
Part of the bipartisan atmosphere comes from an effort of those in congress to sit among one another rather than separated by party lines at last week's state of the union. Congressman Upton referred to it as a "date night." "I took a democrat, and I said well if this is date night I'm going to bring some gum. It worked out pretty well" said Upton.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Who is Omer Suleiman? (posting at NEW YORKER blog - Jane Mayer)
www.newyorker.com/
Who Is Omar Suleiman?
Posted by Jane Mayer
One of the “new” names being mentioned as a possible alternative to President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Omar Suleiman, is actually not so new to anyone who has followed the American policy of renditions for terror suspects. After dissolving his cabinet yesterday, Mubarak appointed Suleiman vice-president, and according to many commentators he is poised to be a potential successor, and an alternative to Mubarak’s son and intended heir until now, Gamal Mubarak. Suleiman is a well-known quantity in Washington. Suave, sophisticated, and fluent in English, he has served for years as the main conduit between the United States and Mubarak. While he has a reputation for loyalty and effectiveness, he also carries some controversial baggage from the standpoint of those looking for a clean slate on human rights. As I described in my book The Dark Side, since 1993 Suleiman has headed the feared Egyptian general intelligence service. In that capacity, he was the C.I.A.’s point man in Egypt for renditions—the covert program in which the C.I.A. snatched terror suspects from around the world and returned them to Egypt and elsewhere for interrogation, often under brutal circumstances.
As laid out in greater detail by Stephen Grey, in his book Ghost Plane, beginning in the nineteen-nineties, Suleiman negotiated directly with top Agency officials. Every rendition was greenlighted at the highest levels of both the U.S. and Egyptian intelligence agencies. Edward S. Walker, Jr., a former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, described Suleiman as “very bright, very realistic,” adding that he was cognizant that there was a downside to “some of the negative things that the Egyptians engaged in, of torture and so on. But he was not squeamish, by the way.”
Who Is Omar Suleiman?
Posted by Jane Mayer
One of the “new” names being mentioned as a possible alternative to President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Omar Suleiman, is actually not so new to anyone who has followed the American policy of renditions for terror suspects. After dissolving his cabinet yesterday, Mubarak appointed Suleiman vice-president, and according to many commentators he is poised to be a potential successor, and an alternative to Mubarak’s son and intended heir until now, Gamal Mubarak. Suleiman is a well-known quantity in Washington. Suave, sophisticated, and fluent in English, he has served for years as the main conduit between the United States and Mubarak. While he has a reputation for loyalty and effectiveness, he also carries some controversial baggage from the standpoint of those looking for a clean slate on human rights. As I described in my book The Dark Side, since 1993 Suleiman has headed the feared Egyptian general intelligence service. In that capacity, he was the C.I.A.’s point man in Egypt for renditions—the covert program in which the C.I.A. snatched terror suspects from around the world and returned them to Egypt and elsewhere for interrogation, often under brutal circumstances.
As laid out in greater detail by Stephen Grey, in his book Ghost Plane, beginning in the nineteen-nineties, Suleiman negotiated directly with top Agency officials. Every rendition was greenlighted at the highest levels of both the U.S. and Egyptian intelligence agencies. Edward S. Walker, Jr., a former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, described Suleiman as “very bright, very realistic,” adding that he was cognizant that there was a downside to “some of the negative things that the Egyptians engaged in, of torture and so on. But he was not squeamish, by the way.”
Detective (Niles double murder Feb. 2010) speaks to Tribune on anniversary of Tarwacki tragedy
www.southbendtribune.com/
part of Lou Mumford story for Sunday (Jan. 30, 2011) edition:
The Tarwackis owned a 200-pound mastiff, Wrigley, who was discovered in the house and who was known to be protective of Carolyn in particular. He wasn’t harmed, prompting John Tarwacki Sr. to guess the killer was somebody the Tarwackis and the dog knew. McKnight, too, said the dog’s presence indicated to her the killer had been to the house before.
"He (Wrigley) always met everyone at the door,’’ she said.
Michigan State Police department detective Sgt. Fabian Suarez said investigators went so far as to examine the dog’s teeth, to determine if he may have bitten the killer. They found nothing.
"You’re talking about a gigantic dog. No, it didn’t really surprise me the dog was there,’’ he said. "Some people don’t have fear of animals, or the dog knew who he (the killer) was.’’
Suarez said an examination of the three computers in the couple’s home failed to reveal a possible motive. No illegal drugs were found either, further stumping investigators.
"There really was nothing in their lifestyles that would show these were the type of people that would put themselves in a dangerous situation,’’ he said.
A sketch police released of a "person of interest’’ in the wake of the slayings likely wasn’t the person who killed the Tarwackis, Suarez said. The man depicted in the sketch was observed walking east on Yankee later in the morning, perhaps after the couple was slain, the detective said, but at that point, the car parked on Yankee that had been observed by two earlier passersby was gone.
part of Lou Mumford story for Sunday (Jan. 30, 2011) edition:
The Tarwackis owned a 200-pound mastiff, Wrigley, who was discovered in the house and who was known to be protective of Carolyn in particular. He wasn’t harmed, prompting John Tarwacki Sr. to guess the killer was somebody the Tarwackis and the dog knew. McKnight, too, said the dog’s presence indicated to her the killer had been to the house before.
"He (Wrigley) always met everyone at the door,’’ she said.
Michigan State Police department detective Sgt. Fabian Suarez said investigators went so far as to examine the dog’s teeth, to determine if he may have bitten the killer. They found nothing.
"You’re talking about a gigantic dog. No, it didn’t really surprise me the dog was there,’’ he said. "Some people don’t have fear of animals, or the dog knew who he (the killer) was.’’
Suarez said an examination of the three computers in the couple’s home failed to reveal a possible motive. No illegal drugs were found either, further stumping investigators.
"There really was nothing in their lifestyles that would show these were the type of people that would put themselves in a dangerous situation,’’ he said.
A sketch police released of a "person of interest’’ in the wake of the slayings likely wasn’t the person who killed the Tarwackis, Suarez said. The man depicted in the sketch was observed walking east on Yankee later in the morning, perhaps after the couple was slain, the detective said, but at that point, the car parked on Yankee that had been observed by two earlier passersby was gone.
Missing Michigan boys: Father claims in court he "can't" give three sons to their mother (Jan. 28, 2011)
www.mlive.com/
A man charged with parental kidnapping after his three boys went missing on Thanksgiving told a judge Friday (Jan. 28) that he wasn't able to turn over the children.
John Skelton, appearing during a brief divorce hearing, answered "I can't" when the judge asked whether he was prepared to give the children to their mother.
Skelton has made claims that he gave the boys to someone in a van from an organization that he wouldn't identify. Investigators have said he earlier made false claims about turning his sons over to another woman.
He is being held on a $30 million bond on the kidnapping charges.
His sons Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, were last seen playing on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26) in their father's backyard in Morenci, a town about 70 miles southwest of Detroit near Michigan's border with Ohio.
Skelton's estranged wife, Tanya Skelton, reported her sons missing the next day after he didn't return them to her from a court-ordered visitation.
The two are divorcing, and she had custody of the boys but had agreed to let them visit with their father on Thanksgiving.
Authorities and volunteers spent a week searching through fields, vacant homes, and ponds for the boys in both Ohio and Michigan. The police chief leading the effort later said he didn't expect a positive outcome.
Police have said they've followed up on 900 tips, including some suspected sightings, but none of them led authorities to believe the boys are still alive.
A man charged with parental kidnapping after his three boys went missing on Thanksgiving told a judge Friday (Jan. 28) that he wasn't able to turn over the children.
John Skelton, appearing during a brief divorce hearing, answered "I can't" when the judge asked whether he was prepared to give the children to their mother.
Skelton has made claims that he gave the boys to someone in a van from an organization that he wouldn't identify. Investigators have said he earlier made false claims about turning his sons over to another woman.
He is being held on a $30 million bond on the kidnapping charges.
His sons Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, were last seen playing on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26) in their father's backyard in Morenci, a town about 70 miles southwest of Detroit near Michigan's border with Ohio.
Skelton's estranged wife, Tanya Skelton, reported her sons missing the next day after he didn't return them to her from a court-ordered visitation.
The two are divorcing, and she had custody of the boys but had agreed to let them visit with their father on Thanksgiving.
Authorities and volunteers spent a week searching through fields, vacant homes, and ponds for the boys in both Ohio and Michigan. The police chief leading the effort later said he didn't expect a positive outcome.
Police have said they've followed up on 900 tips, including some suspected sightings, but none of them led authorities to believe the boys are still alive.
Peaceful change as Egypt changes leaders? - one part of study (Politico essay)
www.politico.com/
President Barack Obama and his advisors met at the White House Saturday (January 29, 2011) to assess the fast-moving situation in Egypt as protesters took to the streets for a fifth day.
Meantime, Egyptian intelligence chief Gen. Omar Suleiman was sworn in as vice president Saturday -- the first person to hold that post since Hosni Mubarak became Egypt's president in 1981.
The appointment of the veteran Egyptian security official and Mubarak confidante who has dealt extensively with Washington on the peace process and counterterrorism matters came hours after the embattled Mubarak announced overnight that he would dissolve his cabinet and implement political and economic reforms.
Obama said he pressed Mubarak in a late night phone call Friday (1/28/11) to make good on his pledge for reforms, and said violence is not the way to deal with grievances that have built up in Egyptian society.
Meantime, Al Jazeera reported Saturday that Mubarak's two sons Gamal and Alaa and their families had arrived in London. Mubarak had been positioning Gamal as a possible successor, so his reported departure would, if confirmed, be another signal of the coming end of the three-decade Mubarak era in Egypt. (The BBC also later reported that Gamal and Alaa Mubarak and their families have arrived in the UK. Egypt state television, however, denied the reports that Gamal had left the country. A State Department official said Saturday he did not know if the report was true, but noted such rumors have been flying for days.)
The appointment to vice president of Suleiman, a top Mubarak security advisor and foe of Islamism who has a strong working rapport with Washington (and in particular the CIA) as well as Israel and other Middle East capitals, could suggest a potential transition figure and bulwark against instability as Mubarak's exit is envisioned. But Egyptian protesters are unlikely to be appeased by the appointment, Washington Egypt experts said, given Suleiman's close association with the Mubarak regime and the human rights abuses and torture perpetrated by Egypt's security apparatus.
"I doubt that Suleiman will be acceptable as vice president, and therefore heir apparent to the presidency, to the protestors," said the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Michele Dunne, a former U.S. official who co-chairs a bipartisan Egypt working group advocating for democratic and human rights reforms. "He is closely linked to Mubarak and, as head of intellligence, linked to human rights abuses over the years."
"The message [of Suleiman's appointment] is intended to be, even if Mubarak goes, the system remains," Jon Alterman, an Egypt expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Saturday.
"I don't think Suleiman seeks the presidency," Alterman continued. "That being said, it's hard to imagine Mubarak is president in a year."
Foreign policy scholar Robert Kagan, who co-chairs the bipartisan Egypt working group that has been urging the Obama administration to prepare for the post-Mubarak era, said he welcomed Obama's comments after his conversation with Mubarak Friday night.
"They're not as on the fence as people think," Kagan, of the Brookings Institution, said by e-mail Saturday, referring to the U.S. administration. "I think the administration knows there has to be some kind of transition soon."
Kagan envisions a possible transition scenario under which Mubarak would agree to take steps to allow free and fair, internationally monitored presidential elections in September 2011, open up the press, etc. that would make way for Mubarak's peaceful departure in the next six months.
"The only way out for Mubarak is to allow free and fair, competitive elections, including inviting international monitors to come in," Kagan said. "And right away, because they have to monitor months of campaigning leading up to the elections."
"If Mubarak announced this right away, it could prevent him from being toppled," Kagan said. "It is possible that Egyptians would still want Mubarak out even if he made these concessions, but I think it could work."
From Washington's perspective, Alterman said, "peaceful change is most likely to lead to a more inclusive government, and violence is likely to lead to an extended period of tension and instability and radicalize both sides. The clear U.S. interest is in avoiding a bloodbath in the streets."
President Barack Obama and his advisors met at the White House Saturday (January 29, 2011) to assess the fast-moving situation in Egypt as protesters took to the streets for a fifth day.
Meantime, Egyptian intelligence chief Gen. Omar Suleiman was sworn in as vice president Saturday -- the first person to hold that post since Hosni Mubarak became Egypt's president in 1981.
The appointment of the veteran Egyptian security official and Mubarak confidante who has dealt extensively with Washington on the peace process and counterterrorism matters came hours after the embattled Mubarak announced overnight that he would dissolve his cabinet and implement political and economic reforms.
Obama said he pressed Mubarak in a late night phone call Friday (1/28/11) to make good on his pledge for reforms, and said violence is not the way to deal with grievances that have built up in Egyptian society.
Meantime, Al Jazeera reported Saturday that Mubarak's two sons Gamal and Alaa and their families had arrived in London. Mubarak had been positioning Gamal as a possible successor, so his reported departure would, if confirmed, be another signal of the coming end of the three-decade Mubarak era in Egypt. (The BBC also later reported that Gamal and Alaa Mubarak and their families have arrived in the UK. Egypt state television, however, denied the reports that Gamal had left the country. A State Department official said Saturday he did not know if the report was true, but noted such rumors have been flying for days.)
The appointment to vice president of Suleiman, a top Mubarak security advisor and foe of Islamism who has a strong working rapport with Washington (and in particular the CIA) as well as Israel and other Middle East capitals, could suggest a potential transition figure and bulwark against instability as Mubarak's exit is envisioned. But Egyptian protesters are unlikely to be appeased by the appointment, Washington Egypt experts said, given Suleiman's close association with the Mubarak regime and the human rights abuses and torture perpetrated by Egypt's security apparatus.
"I doubt that Suleiman will be acceptable as vice president, and therefore heir apparent to the presidency, to the protestors," said the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Michele Dunne, a former U.S. official who co-chairs a bipartisan Egypt working group advocating for democratic and human rights reforms. "He is closely linked to Mubarak and, as head of intellligence, linked to human rights abuses over the years."
"The message [of Suleiman's appointment] is intended to be, even if Mubarak goes, the system remains," Jon Alterman, an Egypt expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Saturday.
"I don't think Suleiman seeks the presidency," Alterman continued. "That being said, it's hard to imagine Mubarak is president in a year."
Foreign policy scholar Robert Kagan, who co-chairs the bipartisan Egypt working group that has been urging the Obama administration to prepare for the post-Mubarak era, said he welcomed Obama's comments after his conversation with Mubarak Friday night.
"They're not as on the fence as people think," Kagan, of the Brookings Institution, said by e-mail Saturday, referring to the U.S. administration. "I think the administration knows there has to be some kind of transition soon."
Kagan envisions a possible transition scenario under which Mubarak would agree to take steps to allow free and fair, internationally monitored presidential elections in September 2011, open up the press, etc. that would make way for Mubarak's peaceful departure in the next six months.
"The only way out for Mubarak is to allow free and fair, competitive elections, including inviting international monitors to come in," Kagan said. "And right away, because they have to monitor months of campaigning leading up to the elections."
"If Mubarak announced this right away, it could prevent him from being toppled," Kagan said. "It is possible that Egyptians would still want Mubarak out even if he made these concessions, but I think it could work."
From Washington's perspective, Alterman said, "peaceful change is most likely to lead to a more inclusive government, and violence is likely to lead to an extended period of tension and instability and radicalize both sides. The clear U.S. interest is in avoiding a bloodbath in the streets."
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Born on this date (1756) -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
from Writer's Almanac (Garrison Keillor's list serv sent daily)
It's the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in Salzburg, Austria (1756). His whole life was devoted to music. He was a child prodigy: by the time he was five he could perform difficult pieces on both piano and violin. He made a name for himself as a composer when he was in his teens, and he went on to write some of the most popular operas of all time, including The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and The Magic Flute (1791).
He died at the age of 35, while he was in the middle of composing his last piece, Requiem in D, which he wrote as his own funeral march.
It's the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in Salzburg, Austria (1756). His whole life was devoted to music. He was a child prodigy: by the time he was five he could perform difficult pieces on both piano and violin. He made a name for himself as a composer when he was in his teens, and he went on to write some of the most popular operas of all time, including The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and The Magic Flute (1791).
He died at the age of 35, while he was in the middle of composing his last piece, Requiem in D, which he wrote as his own funeral march.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Today is the birthday of Virginia Woolf!
from Garrison Keillor's daily Writer's Almanac (list serv from Minnesota Public Radio):
It's the birthday of Virginia Woolf, born Virginia Stephen in London, England (1882). Her father was the editor of a popular series of reference books, The Dictionary of National Biography, and Woolf later said that she had been cramped in the womb by the weight of those heavy volumes. From an early age, her father gave her access to his extensive library, and he taught her 'to read what one liked because one liked it, never to pretend to admire what one did not.' After the death of both her parents, she moved with her siblings into the unfashionable but cheap neighborhood of Bloomsbury, which soon became the literary and intellectual center of England. Woolf's brother hosted evening meetings that came to include D.H. Lawrence, T.S. Eliot, Aldous Huxley, and others. Woolf suffered most of her life from bouts of depression, and one doctor prescribed long walks as a remedy. It was on these walks that she conceived of many of her novels, including Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927). These novels employed a new brand of stream of consciousness, distinct from James Joyce and others. She said, 'On the outskirts of every agony sits some observant fellow who points.'
It's the birthday of Virginia Woolf, born Virginia Stephen in London, England (1882). Her father was the editor of a popular series of reference books, The Dictionary of National Biography, and Woolf later said that she had been cramped in the womb by the weight of those heavy volumes. From an early age, her father gave her access to his extensive library, and he taught her 'to read what one liked because one liked it, never to pretend to admire what one did not.' After the death of both her parents, she moved with her siblings into the unfashionable but cheap neighborhood of Bloomsbury, which soon became the literary and intellectual center of England. Woolf's brother hosted evening meetings that came to include D.H. Lawrence, T.S. Eliot, Aldous Huxley, and others. Woolf suffered most of her life from bouts of depression, and one doctor prescribed long walks as a remedy. It was on these walks that she conceived of many of her novels, including Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927). These novels employed a new brand of stream of consciousness, distinct from James Joyce and others. She said, 'On the outskirts of every agony sits some observant fellow who points.'
Monday, January 24, 2011
Happy Birthday -- Neil Diamond turns 70 today!
The durable rock-and-roll songwriter & performer will have a solid 2011 -- with induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this March. Here are some paragraphs from a Rolling Stone article (Dec. 2010):
Neil Diamond got his start as a Brill Building songwriter, writing "I'm A Believer" for the Monkees, among many other hits. His own career launched in 1966 with instant classics "Solitary Man" and "Cherry Cherry." By the early 1970s he was one of the most popular live acts on the road, a role he's maintained for the last four decades.
Congratulations. What's your first reaction to the news?
I think it's great. I'm happy that that they recognized me and my work. Any club that has Chuck Berry and Little Richard and The Everly Brothers is a club that I want to be a part of.
Do you see yourself as a rock star?
Yeah. I guess. I do all the things that fit under that heading, so I guess that's what you'd call me.
Tell me about your upcoming tour.
It starts in the middle of February. Right now it's New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. We'll see where we go after that.
Might you come to America after that?
Yeah. If the tour continues, definitely.
Do you think standing at the podium is going to be emotional for you?
You never know until you get there, but I think it will be. My grandson sent me an e-mail yesterday congratulating me. He's looking forward to coming. Having some kids and some grandkids there makes it even more fun and meaningful. It's like the cherry on top of the hot fudge sundae.
I've always looked at it like rock & roll was a circus. We're just clowns in that circus. We're doing our bid to entertain and make people smile. In the scheme of things, I don't know how important any of us are. I think we're much more important than was assumed when rock first started. It was kind of like a joke and it was looked down on. I think rock has stood the test of time and really matured and become something valuable and important.
I'm sure at the start of your career you couldn't have imagined that rock & roll would be honored at something like the Hall of Fame. It's gotta feel great to be in the same club as The Beatles and Elvis Presley and Ray Charles.
Absolutely. I feel a sense of camaraderie with all those people anyway. We've shared the same life and been through the same bumpy roads and beautiful clear skies. I feel very lucky to have been able to do this for a lifetime.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/neil-diamond-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-inductee-says-he-feels-very-lucky-20101214
Neil Diamond got his start as a Brill Building songwriter, writing "I'm A Believer" for the Monkees, among many other hits. His own career launched in 1966 with instant classics "Solitary Man" and "Cherry Cherry." By the early 1970s he was one of the most popular live acts on the road, a role he's maintained for the last four decades.
Congratulations. What's your first reaction to the news?
I think it's great. I'm happy that that they recognized me and my work. Any club that has Chuck Berry and Little Richard and The Everly Brothers is a club that I want to be a part of.
Do you see yourself as a rock star?
Yeah. I guess. I do all the things that fit under that heading, so I guess that's what you'd call me.
Tell me about your upcoming tour.
It starts in the middle of February. Right now it's New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. We'll see where we go after that.
Might you come to America after that?
Yeah. If the tour continues, definitely.
Do you think standing at the podium is going to be emotional for you?
You never know until you get there, but I think it will be. My grandson sent me an e-mail yesterday congratulating me. He's looking forward to coming. Having some kids and some grandkids there makes it even more fun and meaningful. It's like the cherry on top of the hot fudge sundae.
I've always looked at it like rock & roll was a circus. We're just clowns in that circus. We're doing our bid to entertain and make people smile. In the scheme of things, I don't know how important any of us are. I think we're much more important than was assumed when rock first started. It was kind of like a joke and it was looked down on. I think rock has stood the test of time and really matured and become something valuable and important.
I'm sure at the start of your career you couldn't have imagined that rock & roll would be honored at something like the Hall of Fame. It's gotta feel great to be in the same club as The Beatles and Elvis Presley and Ray Charles.
Absolutely. I feel a sense of camaraderie with all those people anyway. We've shared the same life and been through the same bumpy roads and beautiful clear skies. I feel very lucky to have been able to do this for a lifetime.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/neil-diamond-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-inductee-says-he-feels-very-lucky-20101214
SOTU Guests to be recognized -- those seated with First Lady (tomorrow)
according to Jackie Calmes for "The Caucus" blog on NY Times online:
A number of people who assisted or survive the victims of the Arizona shootings will join Michelle Obama in her gallery box in the House chamber on Tuesday night to watch President Obama deliver the annual State of the Union address.
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said on Monday that seated near the first lady for the joint session of Congress would be Daniel Hernandez, an intern to Representative Gabrielle Giffords whose immediate attention to her brain wound is credited with helping to save her life; members of the family of the youngest victim who died, 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green; and Dr. Peter Rhee, the director of the trauma center at the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson, where the casualties were treated.
According to The Associated Press, Ms. Giffords’s office said other attendees would include two other trauma surgeons, Randall S. Friese and G. Michael Lemole Jr., and a nurse, Tracy Culbert. They also cared for the 19 victims — six of whom died — after a gunman opened fire at an outdoor event where Ms. Giffords was meeting with constituents on Jan. 8. Jared Loughner, 22, has been charged in the shootings.
White House aides had said that Ms. Giffords’s husband, Capt. Mark E. Kelly, a NASA astronaut, declined an invitation to attend the speech so that he could remain with his wife, who has been moved to a rehabilitation center in Houston that is nearer where he lives and trains for a coming space shuttle mission.
Mr. Obama is expected to recognize the Arizonans at some point in his address. He recently paid public tribute to them in a speech at a memorial service in Tucson — for example, insisting that a reluctant Mr. Hernandez accept the widely bestowed designation of hero for his actions after the shooting.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/24/for-first-lady-speech-guests-from-tucson/?nl=us&emc=politicsemailema5
A number of people who assisted or survive the victims of the Arizona shootings will join Michelle Obama in her gallery box in the House chamber on Tuesday night to watch President Obama deliver the annual State of the Union address.
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said on Monday that seated near the first lady for the joint session of Congress would be Daniel Hernandez, an intern to Representative Gabrielle Giffords whose immediate attention to her brain wound is credited with helping to save her life; members of the family of the youngest victim who died, 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green; and Dr. Peter Rhee, the director of the trauma center at the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson, where the casualties were treated.
According to The Associated Press, Ms. Giffords’s office said other attendees would include two other trauma surgeons, Randall S. Friese and G. Michael Lemole Jr., and a nurse, Tracy Culbert. They also cared for the 19 victims — six of whom died — after a gunman opened fire at an outdoor event where Ms. Giffords was meeting with constituents on Jan. 8. Jared Loughner, 22, has been charged in the shootings.
White House aides had said that Ms. Giffords’s husband, Capt. Mark E. Kelly, a NASA astronaut, declined an invitation to attend the speech so that he could remain with his wife, who has been moved to a rehabilitation center in Houston that is nearer where he lives and trains for a coming space shuttle mission.
Mr. Obama is expected to recognize the Arizonans at some point in his address. He recently paid public tribute to them in a speech at a memorial service in Tucson — for example, insisting that a reluctant Mr. Hernandez accept the widely bestowed designation of hero for his actions after the shooting.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/24/for-first-lady-speech-guests-from-tucson/?nl=us&emc=politicsemailema5
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Today is National Pie Day -- NPR piece on Beth Howard, Pie Evangelist (Iowa writer)
www.npr.org/ -- Weekend Sunday program
Her posted online biography at Google Blog --
http://theworldneedsmorepie.blogspot.com/
Beth Howard is a writer and pie baker. Her popular blog, The World Needs More Pie, chronicles her travels and adventures in pie, and explores how pie helps her heal from the unexpected death of her 43-year-old husband. She learned how to make pie at age 17, when she got caught stealing apples from the orchard of a retired pastry chef. Since then, she has baked pies for celebrities in Malibu, she’s been a pie judge at the National Pie Championships and at the Iowa State Fair, and she's taught pie baking to groups of all ages. She lives in the American Gothic House in Eldon, Iowa, where she sells pie at her Pitchfork Pie Stand. She is currently working a pie-related memoir and is developing a TV series about, what else, pie.
Her posted online biography at Google Blog --
http://theworldneedsmorepie.blogspot.com/
Beth Howard is a writer and pie baker. Her popular blog, The World Needs More Pie, chronicles her travels and adventures in pie, and explores how pie helps her heal from the unexpected death of her 43-year-old husband. She learned how to make pie at age 17, when she got caught stealing apples from the orchard of a retired pastry chef. Since then, she has baked pies for celebrities in Malibu, she’s been a pie judge at the National Pie Championships and at the Iowa State Fair, and she's taught pie baking to groups of all ages. She lives in the American Gothic House in Eldon, Iowa, where she sells pie at her Pitchfork Pie Stand. She is currently working a pie-related memoir and is developing a TV series about, what else, pie.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The kindest, most cheerful, most optimistic person -- Funeral Mass for Sargent Shriver at Potomac, MD today
Brett Zongker, reporter who filed the story = published in the DailyRecord dot-com
POTOMAC, Md. (AP) — Notable figures including
Caroline Kennedy arrived Saturday for the funeral
Mass honoring R. Sargent Shriver, which was being
held at the Shrivers' church near the family's home
outside Washington.
Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of John F. Kennedy,
arrived with her children and other members of the
Kennedy family as people mingled in the sanctuary
of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac, Md. About
800 invited guests were expected to fill the church's
sanctuary, with space for about 140 people in an
overflow area.
Glen Hansard, frontman for the Irish group The
Frames, sang to piano and violin music as guests
entered the church.
Shriver — the man known as "Sarge" who married
Eunice Kennedy Shriver and was the brother-in-law
of John F. Kennedy and the late Sen. Ted Kennedy —
was to be honored by several speakers. His
daughter, former NBC reporter Maria Shriver, Vice
President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton
gave eulogies.
Sargent Shriver died Tuesday (Jan. 18, 2011) at age 95. He helped
John F. Kennedy fulfill a campaign promise by
starting the Peace Corps, which Shriver built into a
lasting international institution. He later led
President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, part of
the president's vision for his "Great Society."
At a wake held Friday, former South Dakota Sen.
George McGovern called Shriver "the kindest, most
cheerful, most optimistic person I knew in 50 years
of public life." McGovern ran for president in 1972,
with Shriver as his running mate.
POTOMAC, Md. (AP) — Notable figures including
Caroline Kennedy arrived Saturday for the funeral
Mass honoring R. Sargent Shriver, which was being
held at the Shrivers' church near the family's home
outside Washington.
Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of John F. Kennedy,
arrived with her children and other members of the
Kennedy family as people mingled in the sanctuary
of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac, Md. About
800 invited guests were expected to fill the church's
sanctuary, with space for about 140 people in an
overflow area.
Glen Hansard, frontman for the Irish group The
Frames, sang to piano and violin music as guests
entered the church.
Shriver — the man known as "Sarge" who married
Eunice Kennedy Shriver and was the brother-in-law
of John F. Kennedy and the late Sen. Ted Kennedy —
was to be honored by several speakers. His
daughter, former NBC reporter Maria Shriver, Vice
President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton
gave eulogies.
Sargent Shriver died Tuesday (Jan. 18, 2011) at age 95. He helped
John F. Kennedy fulfill a campaign promise by
starting the Peace Corps, which Shriver built into a
lasting international institution. He later led
President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, part of
the president's vision for his "Great Society."
At a wake held Friday, former South Dakota Sen.
George McGovern called Shriver "the kindest, most
cheerful, most optimistic person I knew in 50 years
of public life." McGovern ran for president in 1972,
with Shriver as his running mate.
Super Bowl (Feb. 6 upcoming) entertainer answers urgent matters for NY TIMES (Deborah Solomon)
in the Sunday (Jan. 23 Magazine) -- www.nytimes.com/
Questions for will.i.am -- Deborah Solomon --
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/magazine/23FOB-Q4-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine
The Black Eyed Peas will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, and as the frontman of the group, you presumably have been asked to choose songs that are relatively wholesome.I assume you’re not playing your salacious hit “My Humps.”
We’re not playing that. It’s a club song. It’s like when I get around my mom, all my cuss words are deleted from my vocabulary. Automatically, they just leave. Super Bowl, yes, the words are not going to exist in my vocabulary.
I trust you’re not planning a “wardrobe malfunction,” to borrow the euphemism for Justin Timberlake’s assault on Janet Jackson’s clothing at the game in 2004.
That wasn’ta malfunction.
What would you call it?
A male function.
You’re known for your political advocacy and helped propel President Obama into the White House with your “Yes We Can” music video. The general consensus seems to be that the Obama hope movement has failed to deliver.
I don’t want to hope anymore. I don’t think we should hope anymore. We hoped enough. Now we have to do. We all have to do now.
Do you feel disappointed in President Obama?
I don’t feel disappointed. I feel like, Argggh! Speak louder! I feel like, Do something! I feel like jumping in.
The Black Eyed Peas’ latest album, “The Beginning,” sheds the political sermonizing of its predecessor, “The E.N.D.,” in favor of a let’s-party hedonism. How would you describe its sound?
It’s electro. Electro is today’s disco — making electronic musicnot for the sake of selling it but for sharingit and touring around the world D.J.-ing.
A friend of mine says that nightlife represents the greatest waste of human energy in the history of mankind.
Your friend probably doesn’t go to clubs. Right now in the world, clubbing is needed. It’s a time when people want to rub shoulders against people they don’t know and share, even if the sharing is expressing your like over a beat.
O.K., but clubbing seems to invite a lot of drinking and drug use.
So do restaurants. I could go to a restaurant and get drunk. I could go to a restaurant and eat all the wrong food and get freaking diabetes and high cholesterol.
Do you think rap music glamorizes guns?
Justas much as Hollywood action films do. They glamorize more, because there’s dialogue, there’s emotion to it. There are visuals. Actors went to holding-gun school to learn how tohold an AK-47 right. They glorify guns more than any hip-hop song, because the song just says, “Shoot ’em up, bang, bang.”
So write a song about gun control instead.
But is gun control the solution? Here’s the problem: Profiteers haunt America, and for everything we try to control, someone’s going to profit from it, more than you control it.
Questions for will.i.am -- Deborah Solomon --
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/magazine/23FOB-Q4-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine
The Black Eyed Peas will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, and as the frontman of the group, you presumably have been asked to choose songs that are relatively wholesome.I assume you’re not playing your salacious hit “My Humps.”
We’re not playing that. It’s a club song. It’s like when I get around my mom, all my cuss words are deleted from my vocabulary. Automatically, they just leave. Super Bowl, yes, the words are not going to exist in my vocabulary.
I trust you’re not planning a “wardrobe malfunction,” to borrow the euphemism for Justin Timberlake’s assault on Janet Jackson’s clothing at the game in 2004.
That wasn’ta malfunction.
What would you call it?
A male function.
You’re known for your political advocacy and helped propel President Obama into the White House with your “Yes We Can” music video. The general consensus seems to be that the Obama hope movement has failed to deliver.
I don’t want to hope anymore. I don’t think we should hope anymore. We hoped enough. Now we have to do. We all have to do now.
Do you feel disappointed in President Obama?
I don’t feel disappointed. I feel like, Argggh! Speak louder! I feel like, Do something! I feel like jumping in.
The Black Eyed Peas’ latest album, “The Beginning,” sheds the political sermonizing of its predecessor, “The E.N.D.,” in favor of a let’s-party hedonism. How would you describe its sound?
It’s electro. Electro is today’s disco — making electronic musicnot for the sake of selling it but for sharingit and touring around the world D.J.-ing.
A friend of mine says that nightlife represents the greatest waste of human energy in the history of mankind.
Your friend probably doesn’t go to clubs. Right now in the world, clubbing is needed. It’s a time when people want to rub shoulders against people they don’t know and share, even if the sharing is expressing your like over a beat.
O.K., but clubbing seems to invite a lot of drinking and drug use.
So do restaurants. I could go to a restaurant and get drunk. I could go to a restaurant and eat all the wrong food and get freaking diabetes and high cholesterol.
Do you think rap music glamorizes guns?
Justas much as Hollywood action films do. They glamorize more, because there’s dialogue, there’s emotion to it. There are visuals. Actors went to holding-gun school to learn how tohold an AK-47 right. They glorify guns more than any hip-hop song, because the song just says, “Shoot ’em up, bang, bang.”
So write a song about gun control instead.
But is gun control the solution? Here’s the problem: Profiteers haunt America, and for everything we try to control, someone’s going to profit from it, more than you control it.
JFK Inauguration (50 years ago) -- what was Robert Frost's recitation? (by memory)
Jan. 20, 1961 -- sunlight obscured his vision -- Robert Frost read aloud by memory his classic poem:
"The Gift Outright"
The land was ours before we were the land's.
She was our land more than a hundred years
Before we were her people. She was ours
In Massachusetts, in Virginia,
But we were England's, still colonials,
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no more possessed.
Something we were withholding made us weak
Until we found out that it was ourselves
We were withholding from our land of living,
And forthwith found salvation in surrender.
Such as we were we gave ourselves outright
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)
To the land vaguely realizing westward,
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,
Such as she was, such as she would become.
Robert Frost
"The Gift Outright"
The land was ours before we were the land's.
She was our land more than a hundred years
Before we were her people. She was ours
In Massachusetts, in Virginia,
But we were England's, still colonials,
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no more possessed.
Something we were withholding made us weak
Until we found out that it was ourselves
We were withholding from our land of living,
And forthwith found salvation in surrender.
Such as we were we gave ourselves outright
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)
To the land vaguely realizing westward,
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,
Such as she was, such as she would become.
Robert Frost
Friday, January 21, 2011
Reynolds Price of Durham, NC (Novelist, Translator) died Thursday
Today on Terry Gross FRESH AIR (NPR arts & culture hour-long program) -- interview with the late teacher - writer. Here's some critical analysis (March 12, 1978) of his Biblical translation (A Palpable God):
Reynolds Price is a considerable prose writer. "A Palpable God" must be taken as a serious testimony to a virtue rare among contemporary producers of fiction -- the compulsion to examine at intervals the rationale of his craft. All we novelists forget too often that our job is not to spin words to the greater glory of the complex, book-drenched, allusion-loving, ambiguity-adoring civilized sensibility, but to tell tales. The telling of a plain tale is, however, as hard for the contemporary writer as plowing with a plank and a nail would be to the contemporary agricultural operative. Sometimes we have to get back to see how the ancients did it, and Mr. Price's mode of self-refreshment has been to examine the Bible. (Price) schooled himself in the Hebrew of the Old Testament as well as the demotic Greek of the New. Here, in 30 stories out of the Bible, he seeks to recapture the physicality -- palpability, or feelability, is the right word -- of the ancient narratives. Neither the King James version nor the later, more scholarly renderings of Holy Writ have, in his view, caught the essential tones. Here is the opening of his "The Good News According to Mark":
" . . . John wore camel's hair and a leather belt round his hips, ate grasshoppers and wild honey and proclaimed saying 'He's coming who is stronger than I -- after me -- of whom I'm unfit stooping to loosen the strap of his sandals. I baptized you in water but he'll baptize you in Holy Spirit.'"
This is both English and not English. Where the tonalities of our tongue are strained, we divine that we are not far from the original Greek. The linking kai (or et of the vulgate), invariably rendered as "and" in the King James version (providing one of the traditional flavors of biblical English, as in Bunyan) he does not find in necessary always to translate: to the Greeks kai was not invariably "and." But the physical force of "unfit stooping" goes back literally to non dignus procumbons in the vulgate, which is a straight rendering of the Greek. . .
NY TIMES review by Anthony Burgess
http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/07/12/specials/price-god.html
Reynolds Price is a considerable prose writer. "A Palpable God" must be taken as a serious testimony to a virtue rare among contemporary producers of fiction -- the compulsion to examine at intervals the rationale of his craft. All we novelists forget too often that our job is not to spin words to the greater glory of the complex, book-drenched, allusion-loving, ambiguity-adoring civilized sensibility, but to tell tales. The telling of a plain tale is, however, as hard for the contemporary writer as plowing with a plank and a nail would be to the contemporary agricultural operative. Sometimes we have to get back to see how the ancients did it, and Mr. Price's mode of self-refreshment has been to examine the Bible. (Price) schooled himself in the Hebrew of the Old Testament as well as the demotic Greek of the New. Here, in 30 stories out of the Bible, he seeks to recapture the physicality -- palpability, or feelability, is the right word -- of the ancient narratives. Neither the King James version nor the later, more scholarly renderings of Holy Writ have, in his view, caught the essential tones. Here is the opening of his "The Good News According to Mark":
" . . . John wore camel's hair and a leather belt round his hips, ate grasshoppers and wild honey and proclaimed saying 'He's coming who is stronger than I -- after me -- of whom I'm unfit stooping to loosen the strap of his sandals. I baptized you in water but he'll baptize you in Holy Spirit.'"
This is both English and not English. Where the tonalities of our tongue are strained, we divine that we are not far from the original Greek. The linking kai (or et of the vulgate), invariably rendered as "and" in the King James version (providing one of the traditional flavors of biblical English, as in Bunyan) he does not find in necessary always to translate: to the Greeks kai was not invariably "and." But the physical force of "unfit stooping" goes back literally to non dignus procumbons in the vulgate, which is a straight rendering of the Greek. . .
NY TIMES review by Anthony Burgess
http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/07/12/specials/price-god.html
C-Span commemoration (JFK 1961 Inaugural) 50th Anniversary
from http://c-span.org/
Today (Thursday January 20, 2011) marks the 50th anniversary of the 1961 inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. He served as the 35th president of the United States for 1,036 days. To honor the occasion Congress held a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol, including remarks by House and Senate leaders and a "word of thanks" by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President.
Congressional Majority and Minority Leaders hosted an official tribute marking the 50th anniversary of Pres. Kennedy's inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. The Rotunda is used for ceremonial events as authorized by a concurrent resolution.
Kennedy was sworn in at age 43 on January 20, 1961. He served as the 35th president of the United States for 1,036 days. He captured the Democratic nomination in 1960 and went on to win one of the closest elections in U.S. history, making him the youngest elected president.
Two of President Kennedy's best-known phrases come from his inaugural address: "we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship..." and "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Find Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech, along with other JFK historic video, on C‑SPAN's video archives website.
Today (Thursday January 20, 2011) marks the 50th anniversary of the 1961 inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. He served as the 35th president of the United States for 1,036 days. To honor the occasion Congress held a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol, including remarks by House and Senate leaders and a "word of thanks" by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President.
Congressional Majority and Minority Leaders hosted an official tribute marking the 50th anniversary of Pres. Kennedy's inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. The Rotunda is used for ceremonial events as authorized by a concurrent resolution.
Kennedy was sworn in at age 43 on January 20, 1961. He served as the 35th president of the United States for 1,036 days. He captured the Democratic nomination in 1960 and went on to win one of the closest elections in U.S. history, making him the youngest elected president.
Two of President Kennedy's best-known phrases come from his inaugural address: "we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship..." and "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Find Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech, along with other JFK historic video, on C‑SPAN's video archives website.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
On this day in 1809 -- birthday of Edgar Allan Poe
It's the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston in 1809. When he was two, both his parents died from tuberculosis, and Edgar was taken in by a wealthy tobacco merchant named John Allan, and Edgar Poe became Edgar Allan Poe. He went to the University of Virginia, and for years he was in and out of the Army and West Point, publishing several books of poems, including Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems (1829). He started writing short stories as well, and we remember him for many of those gothic horror stories, like 'The Tell-Tale Heart' and 'The Fall of the House of Usher.'
But Poe lived most of his life in poverty and sometimes in misery. He would work and work on a poem only to sell it to a newspaper for a few dollars. In 1836, Poe married his 14-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. She was sick with tuberculosis, and they had no money to pay for heat so Poe trained their cat to sit on her lap to keep her warm. Virginia's mother lived with the couple as well, and Poe was trying to care for them both with almost no money. When he did get money, he often spent it on alcohol. His biggest problem was that he wasn't paid enough money for what he wrote; in 1845, he sold the poem 'The Raven' to a newspaper for $15.
But Poe lived most of his life in poverty and sometimes in misery. He would work and work on a poem only to sell it to a newspaper for a few dollars. In 1836, Poe married his 14-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. She was sick with tuberculosis, and they had no money to pay for heat so Poe trained their cat to sit on her lap to keep her warm. Virginia's mother lived with the couple as well, and Poe was trying to care for them both with almost no money. When he did get money, he often spent it on alcohol. His biggest problem was that he wasn't paid enough money for what he wrote; in 1845, he sold the poem 'The Raven' to a newspaper for $15.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
JFK Library: Inauguration Anniversary (50 years since 1961) - online digitizing effort
from JFKLibrary dot-org/
To help mark the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy, David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and Caroline Kennedy, President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, today unveiled the nation’s largest online digitized presidential archive, providing unprecedented global access to the most important papers, records, photographs and recordings of President John F. Kennedy’s thousand days in office. The announcement was made in the Archivist's Reception Room in the National Archives building in Washington, D.C.
Until now, the national treasure of historical material housed in the Kennedy Presidential Library’s collection has been available only by a physical visit to the library itself. With the launch of the new digital archive at www.jfklibrary.org, students, teachers, researchers and members of the public now just need an internet connection to search, browse and retrieve original documents from the Kennedy Library’s collection, gaining a first-hand look into the life of President Kennedy and the issues that defined his administration.
“The Kennedy Library's Access to a Legacy project is a service to our nation. The digitization of archival records is becoming an essential means to allow the public greater access to our national treasures via websites, social media or the growing area of mobile applications," said David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States. “This initiative will open new areas of learning and discovery through the library's archives and will preserve precious documents on digital media for future generations.”
"My parents believed that history is one of our greatest teachers," said Caroline Kennedy, President of the Kennedy Library Foundation. "As young people increasingly rely on the internet as their primary source for information, it is our hope that the Library’s online archive will allow a new generation to learn about this important chapter in American history. And as they discover the heroes of the civil rights movement, the pioneers of outer space, and the first Peace Corps volunteers, we hope they too are inspired to ask what they can do for their country.”
The historic launch of the online archive comes more than four years after Senator Edward M. Kennedy first announced this unprecedented effort to digitize, describe, and electronically archive a selection of the Kennedy Library’s most important holdings, enabling world-wide access 24/7 via the internet. As the largest, most advanced digital archive created by a Presidential Library not “born digital,” the project can serve as a model for other presidential libraries and national and international archival institutions. Included among the thousands of historical papers, documents and images that are now permanently preserved are precious and irreplaceable records of the nation’s struggle for Civil Rights; its conflict with the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War; its efforts to land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth; its commitment to public service through the creation of the Peace Corps; its prevention of a nuclear holocaust during the Cuban Missile Crisis; and its embrace of American art and culture under the guidance of first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
To manage a digitization project of this enormity, the archivists of the Kennedy Presidential Library prioritized the Library’s historic collections beginning with those that hold the highest research interest and significance. These collections include the President’s Office Files; the Personal Papers of John F. Kennedy; the Outgoing Letters of President John F. Kennedy; the JFK White House Photograph Collection; the JFK White House Audio Speech Collection; and the JFK White House Film and Video Collection. At launch, the archive features approximately 200,000 pages; 300 reels of audio tape, containing more than 1,245 individual recordings of telephone calls, speeches and meetings; 300 museum artifacts; 72 reels of film; and 1,500 photos. The sheer volume of digitized materials is unprecedented for presidential libraries whose collections were not born digitally.
Joining Caroline Kennedy and David Ferriero for the announcement of the archive launch were Sharon Fawcett, Assistant Archivist for Presidential Libraries; Thomas J. Putnam, Director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library; and Foundation Board member Edwin Schlossberg, husband of Caroline Kennedy and principle of ESI Design, who first envisioned a data asset management system that would enable the Kennedy Presidential Library to make its archives available to a world-wide audience.
The digitization initiative would not have been possible without the public/private partnership between the federally operated John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, a division of the National Archives and Records Administration, and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, the 501 c 3 non-profit that secured significant financial support from private donors in order to help fund the project.
During the announcement, Caroline Kennedy also paid tribute to four leading corporations – AT&T, EMC Corporation, Iron Mountain and Raytheon Company – who stepped forward to offer the critical hardware, software and other in-kind technical expertise needed to make the pioneering initiative a reality. The four founding technical partners were represented at the launch by James W. Cicconi, Senior Executive Vice President of External and Legislative Affairs for AT&T; Paul T. Dacier, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, EMC Corporation; Robert T. Brennan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Iron Mountain; and William H. Swanson, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Raytheon Company, and Vice Chairman of the Kennedy Library Foundation.
The Kennedy Presidential Library’s research facilities are among the busiest of presidential libraries. Its archives currently include more than 8.4 million pages of the personal, congressional and presidential papers of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and more than 40 million pages of over 300 other individuals who were associated with the Kennedy Administration or mid-20th Century American history. In addition, the archives hold more than 400,000 still photographs; 9,000 hours of audio recordings; 7.5 million feet of motion picture film; and 1,200 hours of video recordings. Digitization efforts are ongoing and additional material will continue to be added to the archive as it is scanned and described.
To help mark the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy, David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and Caroline Kennedy, President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, today unveiled the nation’s largest online digitized presidential archive, providing unprecedented global access to the most important papers, records, photographs and recordings of President John F. Kennedy’s thousand days in office. The announcement was made in the Archivist's Reception Room in the National Archives building in Washington, D.C.
Until now, the national treasure of historical material housed in the Kennedy Presidential Library’s collection has been available only by a physical visit to the library itself. With the launch of the new digital archive at www.jfklibrary.org, students, teachers, researchers and members of the public now just need an internet connection to search, browse and retrieve original documents from the Kennedy Library’s collection, gaining a first-hand look into the life of President Kennedy and the issues that defined his administration.
“The Kennedy Library's Access to a Legacy project is a service to our nation. The digitization of archival records is becoming an essential means to allow the public greater access to our national treasures via websites, social media or the growing area of mobile applications," said David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States. “This initiative will open new areas of learning and discovery through the library's archives and will preserve precious documents on digital media for future generations.”
"My parents believed that history is one of our greatest teachers," said Caroline Kennedy, President of the Kennedy Library Foundation. "As young people increasingly rely on the internet as their primary source for information, it is our hope that the Library’s online archive will allow a new generation to learn about this important chapter in American history. And as they discover the heroes of the civil rights movement, the pioneers of outer space, and the first Peace Corps volunteers, we hope they too are inspired to ask what they can do for their country.”
The historic launch of the online archive comes more than four years after Senator Edward M. Kennedy first announced this unprecedented effort to digitize, describe, and electronically archive a selection of the Kennedy Library’s most important holdings, enabling world-wide access 24/7 via the internet. As the largest, most advanced digital archive created by a Presidential Library not “born digital,” the project can serve as a model for other presidential libraries and national and international archival institutions. Included among the thousands of historical papers, documents and images that are now permanently preserved are precious and irreplaceable records of the nation’s struggle for Civil Rights; its conflict with the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War; its efforts to land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth; its commitment to public service through the creation of the Peace Corps; its prevention of a nuclear holocaust during the Cuban Missile Crisis; and its embrace of American art and culture under the guidance of first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
To manage a digitization project of this enormity, the archivists of the Kennedy Presidential Library prioritized the Library’s historic collections beginning with those that hold the highest research interest and significance. These collections include the President’s Office Files; the Personal Papers of John F. Kennedy; the Outgoing Letters of President John F. Kennedy; the JFK White House Photograph Collection; the JFK White House Audio Speech Collection; and the JFK White House Film and Video Collection. At launch, the archive features approximately 200,000 pages; 300 reels of audio tape, containing more than 1,245 individual recordings of telephone calls, speeches and meetings; 300 museum artifacts; 72 reels of film; and 1,500 photos. The sheer volume of digitized materials is unprecedented for presidential libraries whose collections were not born digitally.
Joining Caroline Kennedy and David Ferriero for the announcement of the archive launch were Sharon Fawcett, Assistant Archivist for Presidential Libraries; Thomas J. Putnam, Director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library; and Foundation Board member Edwin Schlossberg, husband of Caroline Kennedy and principle of ESI Design, who first envisioned a data asset management system that would enable the Kennedy Presidential Library to make its archives available to a world-wide audience.
The digitization initiative would not have been possible without the public/private partnership between the federally operated John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, a division of the National Archives and Records Administration, and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, the 501 c 3 non-profit that secured significant financial support from private donors in order to help fund the project.
During the announcement, Caroline Kennedy also paid tribute to four leading corporations – AT&T, EMC Corporation, Iron Mountain and Raytheon Company – who stepped forward to offer the critical hardware, software and other in-kind technical expertise needed to make the pioneering initiative a reality. The four founding technical partners were represented at the launch by James W. Cicconi, Senior Executive Vice President of External and Legislative Affairs for AT&T; Paul T. Dacier, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, EMC Corporation; Robert T. Brennan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Iron Mountain; and William H. Swanson, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Raytheon Company, and Vice Chairman of the Kennedy Library Foundation.
The Kennedy Presidential Library’s research facilities are among the busiest of presidential libraries. Its archives currently include more than 8.4 million pages of the personal, congressional and presidential papers of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and more than 40 million pages of over 300 other individuals who were associated with the Kennedy Administration or mid-20th Century American history. In addition, the archives hold more than 400,000 still photographs; 9,000 hours of audio recordings; 7.5 million feet of motion picture film; and 1,200 hours of video recordings. Digitization efforts are ongoing and additional material will continue to be added to the archive as it is scanned and described.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Glenda Cook, Belleville, Michigan (Give Back Day Hero): advocate for battererd women
from coverage in Free Press, Detroit, MI
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born 82 years ago, on Jan. 15, 1929, and the nation pauses today for the 25th annual celebration of his birthday.
Among those celebrating will be metro Detroiter Glenda Cook, one of four Americans chosen as Give Back Day Heroes. Cook, who was selected for her work with victims of domestic abuse, was honored during the weekend in Atlanta at the King Center's Salute to Greatness banquet.
Although her work is different from his, she demonstrates something King believed: Everyone can make a difference. Everyone can do his or her part to improve his or her life and the lives of others.
"I couldn't believe I was being compared to such a great, great person," said Cook of Belleville.
When she was a little girl and heard her mother scream, Glenda Cook knew what was happening. Again. Her stepfather was beating her mother.
Usually, she and her three siblings cowered in the bedroom of their Detroit home and waited for it to be over.
But one evening, Cook peeked into the kitchen and saw something she will never forget: Her stepfather was stomping on her mother, who lay on the kitchen floor.
"I was 8 or 9 years old," Cook said. "I felt so helpless." She was so traumatized that even though she managed to dial 911, she couldn't speak. Fortunately, the operator overheard her mother's screams and sent police.
Cook carries that image with her as an advocate for victims of domestic violence, which she says is more of a calling than a job. She says it's her role to turn victims into survivors who thrive. She gives victims -- most of whom are women -- a road map to a better life and encouragement to get there. And she's step by step with them along that journey.
Read more: King Day: Advocate for domestic abuse victims in Detroit wins national honor
freep.com
Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20110117/FEATURES01/101170348/King-Day-Advocate-for-domestic-abuse-victims-in-Detroit-wins-national-honor#ixzz1BJMxLJzV
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born 82 years ago, on Jan. 15, 1929, and the nation pauses today for the 25th annual celebration of his birthday.
Among those celebrating will be metro Detroiter Glenda Cook, one of four Americans chosen as Give Back Day Heroes. Cook, who was selected for her work with victims of domestic abuse, was honored during the weekend in Atlanta at the King Center's Salute to Greatness banquet.
Although her work is different from his, she demonstrates something King believed: Everyone can make a difference. Everyone can do his or her part to improve his or her life and the lives of others.
"I couldn't believe I was being compared to such a great, great person," said Cook of Belleville.
When she was a little girl and heard her mother scream, Glenda Cook knew what was happening. Again. Her stepfather was beating her mother.
Usually, she and her three siblings cowered in the bedroom of their Detroit home and waited for it to be over.
But one evening, Cook peeked into the kitchen and saw something she will never forget: Her stepfather was stomping on her mother, who lay on the kitchen floor.
"I was 8 or 9 years old," Cook said. "I felt so helpless." She was so traumatized that even though she managed to dial 911, she couldn't speak. Fortunately, the operator overheard her mother's screams and sent police.
Cook carries that image with her as an advocate for victims of domestic violence, which she says is more of a calling than a job. She says it's her role to turn victims into survivors who thrive. She gives victims -- most of whom are women -- a road map to a better life and encouragement to get there. And she's step by step with them along that journey.
Read more: King Day: Advocate for domestic abuse victims in Detroit wins national honor
freep.com
Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20110117/FEATURES01/101170348/King-Day-Advocate-for-domestic-abuse-victims-in-Detroit-wins-national-honor#ixzz1BJMxLJzV
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Happy Birthday -- First Lady turns 47! (from Obama Food-o-rama)
posted Sunday ahead of her Monday Jan. 17, 2011 birthday -- Google Blog -- Obama Food-O-Rama
First Lady Michelle Obama will celebrate her second birthday in the White House on Monday. As Mrs. Obama turns 47, she'll be be joining President Obama in a community service project in Washington, DC, during the Day of Service in honor of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
For security reasons, the White House has not yet released details of the President and First Lady's service project, but their last joint project was the day before Thanksgiving, when they packed holiday food bags at DC food pantry Martha's Table, joined by daughters Malia and Sasha, Mrs. Marian Robinson, and other extended family members.
First Lady Michelle Obama will celebrate her second birthday in the White House on Monday. As Mrs. Obama turns 47, she'll be be joining President Obama in a community service project in Washington, DC, during the Day of Service in honor of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
For security reasons, the White House has not yet released details of the President and First Lady's service project, but their last joint project was the day before Thanksgiving, when they packed holiday food bags at DC food pantry Martha's Table, joined by daughters Malia and Sasha, Mrs. Marian Robinson, and other extended family members.
not since Dec. 14, 1941 -- historic post-season match-up -- next Sunday Jan. 23
from CHICAGO TRIBUNE online story posted 4:45 p.m. Eastern --
With farsighted visions of hosting the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in an epic NFC Championship Game, the Bears built a big early lead and beat the Seattle Seahawks 35-24 at Soldier Field on Sunday in a divisional playoff game.
In front of a crowd of 60,010, the Bears marched to a 21-0 halftime lead and never looked back as Jay Cutler hooked up with tight end Greg Olsen on a 58-yard TD pass on the opening drive. Cutler also scored two touchdowns, becoming the first Bears quarterback to run for a postseason score since Jim McMahon did so in Super Bowl XX.
The Bears and Packers will meet in the postseason Sunday for the first time since Dec. 14, 1941, a game the Bears won 33-14. This season, the Bears and Packers split the two regular-season games.
"It's a great challenge for us," Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said of hosting the Packers. "We've played pretty well against them here the last couple of years. I'm excited we get the chance to play them at our place."
A victory next Sunday would send the Bears to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2006 season, when they lost to the Colts in Super Bowl XLI, and give them a chance to win the big game for the first time since Super Bowl XX on Jan. 26, 1986.
But the Packers stand in the way.
With farsighted visions of hosting the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in an epic NFC Championship Game, the Bears built a big early lead and beat the Seattle Seahawks 35-24 at Soldier Field on Sunday in a divisional playoff game.
In front of a crowd of 60,010, the Bears marched to a 21-0 halftime lead and never looked back as Jay Cutler hooked up with tight end Greg Olsen on a 58-yard TD pass on the opening drive. Cutler also scored two touchdowns, becoming the first Bears quarterback to run for a postseason score since Jim McMahon did so in Super Bowl XX.
The Bears and Packers will meet in the postseason Sunday for the first time since Dec. 14, 1941, a game the Bears won 33-14. This season, the Bears and Packers split the two regular-season games.
"It's a great challenge for us," Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said of hosting the Packers. "We've played pretty well against them here the last couple of years. I'm excited we get the chance to play them at our place."
A victory next Sunday would send the Bears to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2006 season, when they lost to the Colts in Super Bowl XLI, and give them a chance to win the big game for the first time since Super Bowl XX on Jan. 26, 1986.
But the Packers stand in the way.
Born on Jan. 15, 1971 -- marks own 40th Birthday with a concert
Posted at MLive dot-com (Jan. 16):
Kid Rock celebrated his 40th birthday in style Saturday night in Detroit, where more than 45,000 fans joined him for a party at Ford Field.
Joined by his backing band, Twisted Brown Trucker, Rock played a number of his hits below a giant banner celebrating his birthday and large logos for his clothing company, Made in Detroit.
Prior to the concert, lines stretched for blocks in downtown Detroit, where less than one mile away thousands more attended the North American International Auto Show at the Cobo Center and a Red Wings game at Joe Louis Arena.
Kid Rock celebrated his 40th birthday in style Saturday night in Detroit, where more than 45,000 fans joined him for a party at Ford Field.
Joined by his backing band, Twisted Brown Trucker, Rock played a number of his hits below a giant banner celebrating his birthday and large logos for his clothing company, Made in Detroit.
Prior to the concert, lines stretched for blocks in downtown Detroit, where less than one mile away thousands more attended the North American International Auto Show at the Cobo Center and a Red Wings game at Joe Louis Arena.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
State Dinner (White House formal guest list): Nixed by Speaker Boehner -- Obama Food-o-rama news preview
Posted Saturday 1/14/2011 -- http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2011/01/speaker-boehner-declines-state-dinner.html
The much-coveted invitation to a State Dinners is considered an honor, and some lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are expected to be invited, but the White House will not announce the guest list until Wednesday afternoon.
But Politico reports that a Boehner aide confirmed that the House Speaker was invited to the dinner and will not attend. No reason was given, but the turn-down comes as President Obama is aggressively pursuing a new era of bipartisanship, and urging a national focus on civil discourse, in light of the shooting tragedy in Arizona.
"Before we are Democrats or Republicans, we are Americans," President Obama said today in his Weekly Address, as he urged lawmakers to put the interests of citizens first as Washington goes back to work following a week-long hiatus to honor the victims and survivors of the shooting.
Three's a charm...It's the third time the newly minted foodie Speaker has declined to attend the most ceremonial, high-profile event that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host; Boehner was also invited but did not attend the State Dinners with Mexico and India. Perhaps it would be difficult for Boehner to spend a glam evening at the White House while simultaneously trying to repeal President Obama's historic health care act, something the Speaker is intent on doing. Vote #2 on that issue is expected in the House in the week ahead.
The State Dinner guest list is expected to include Cabinet Secretaries, Supreme Court Justices, and high-profile Chinese Americans who are active in the arts and culture, business, politics, and community service, as well as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. The most prominent Chinese-American in the Obama administration, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will be at the State Dinner, as will California Rep. Judy Chu. Newly elected Oakland, California Mayor Jean Quan (D) announced that she has been invited, and will bring San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee as her "date." Quan is the first Asian American woman to lead a major American city.
The much-coveted invitation to a State Dinners is considered an honor, and some lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are expected to be invited, but the White House will not announce the guest list until Wednesday afternoon.
But Politico reports that a Boehner aide confirmed that the House Speaker was invited to the dinner and will not attend. No reason was given, but the turn-down comes as President Obama is aggressively pursuing a new era of bipartisanship, and urging a national focus on civil discourse, in light of the shooting tragedy in Arizona.
"Before we are Democrats or Republicans, we are Americans," President Obama said today in his Weekly Address, as he urged lawmakers to put the interests of citizens first as Washington goes back to work following a week-long hiatus to honor the victims and survivors of the shooting.
Three's a charm...It's the third time the newly minted foodie Speaker has declined to attend the most ceremonial, high-profile event that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host; Boehner was also invited but did not attend the State Dinners with Mexico and India. Perhaps it would be difficult for Boehner to spend a glam evening at the White House while simultaneously trying to repeal President Obama's historic health care act, something the Speaker is intent on doing. Vote #2 on that issue is expected in the House in the week ahead.
The State Dinner guest list is expected to include Cabinet Secretaries, Supreme Court Justices, and high-profile Chinese Americans who are active in the arts and culture, business, politics, and community service, as well as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. The most prominent Chinese-American in the Obama administration, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will be at the State Dinner, as will California Rep. Judy Chu. Newly elected Oakland, California Mayor Jean Quan (D) announced that she has been invited, and will bring San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee as her "date." Quan is the first Asian American woman to lead a major American city.
MLK Holiday (25th Year Anniversary) Proclamation - White House (Jan. 17, 2011) - National Day of Service focus
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (www.whitehouse.gov/ )
A PROCLAMATION
Half a century ago, America was moved by a young preacher who called a generation to action and forever changed the course of history. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. devoted his life to the struggle for justice and equality, sowing seeds of hope for a day when all people might claim "the riches of freedom and the security of justice." On Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the holiday recognizing one of America's greatest visionary leaders, and we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King.
Dr. King guided us toward a mountaintop on which all Americans -- regardless of skin color -- could live together in mutual respect and brotherhood. His bold leadership and prophetic eloquence united people of all backgrounds in a noble quest for freedom and basic civil rights. Inspired by Dr. King's legacy, brave souls have marched fearlessly, organized relentlessly, and devoted their lives to the unending task of perfecting our Union. Their courage and dedication have carried us even closer to the promised land Dr. King envisioned, but we must recognize their achievements as milestones on the long path to true equal opportunity and equal rights.
We must face the challenges of today with the same strength, persistence, and determination exhibited by Dr. King, guided by the enduring values of hope and justice embodied by other civil rights leaders. As a country, we must expand access to opportunity and end structural inequalities for all people in employment and economic mobility. It is our collective responsibility as a great Nation to ensure a strong foundation that supports economic security for all and extends the founding promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to every American.
Dr. King devoted his life to serving others, reminding us that "human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle -- the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." Commemorating Dr. King's life is not only a tribute to his contributions to our Nation and the world, but also a reminder that every day, each of us can play a part in continuing this critical work.
For this reason, we honor Dr. King's legacy with a national day of service. I encourage all Americans to visit www.MLKDay.gov to learn more about service opportunities across our country. By dedicating this day to service, we move our Nation closer to Dr. King's vision of all Americans living and working together as one beloved community.
NOW, THEREFORE, I BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 17, 2011, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service programs in honor of Dr. King's life and lasting legacy.
A PROCLAMATION
Half a century ago, America was moved by a young preacher who called a generation to action and forever changed the course of history. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. devoted his life to the struggle for justice and equality, sowing seeds of hope for a day when all people might claim "the riches of freedom and the security of justice." On Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the holiday recognizing one of America's greatest visionary leaders, and we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King.
Dr. King guided us toward a mountaintop on which all Americans -- regardless of skin color -- could live together in mutual respect and brotherhood. His bold leadership and prophetic eloquence united people of all backgrounds in a noble quest for freedom and basic civil rights. Inspired by Dr. King's legacy, brave souls have marched fearlessly, organized relentlessly, and devoted their lives to the unending task of perfecting our Union. Their courage and dedication have carried us even closer to the promised land Dr. King envisioned, but we must recognize their achievements as milestones on the long path to true equal opportunity and equal rights.
We must face the challenges of today with the same strength, persistence, and determination exhibited by Dr. King, guided by the enduring values of hope and justice embodied by other civil rights leaders. As a country, we must expand access to opportunity and end structural inequalities for all people in employment and economic mobility. It is our collective responsibility as a great Nation to ensure a strong foundation that supports economic security for all and extends the founding promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to every American.
Dr. King devoted his life to serving others, reminding us that "human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle -- the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." Commemorating Dr. King's life is not only a tribute to his contributions to our Nation and the world, but also a reminder that every day, each of us can play a part in continuing this critical work.
For this reason, we honor Dr. King's legacy with a national day of service. I encourage all Americans to visit www.MLKDay.gov to learn more about service opportunities across our country. By dedicating this day to service, we move our Nation closer to Dr. King's vision of all Americans living and working together as one beloved community.
NOW, THEREFORE, I BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 17, 2011, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service programs in honor of Dr. King's life and lasting legacy.
Will Chicago Bears keep winning to Championships (Super Bowl)? Writer David Haugh says "No"
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-0114-bears-haugh-chicago--20110113,0,3415672.column
. . .Lovie Smith and a more experienced coaching staff are better equipped for the playoffs as the Bears return for the first time since that memorable '06 season. But that's the only edge I would give the 2010 Bears. When the '06 Bears earned a first-round playoff bye, Chicagoans didn't spend the next three weeks asking their neighbors if they could believe it. Nobody had to cancel vacations or coaching searches in January because nobody planned on them. The '06 season didn't turn into a three-month civic debate over whether it was better to be lucky or good. We knew from Day One, and a 7-0 start only confirmed it.
We knew because of a defense that had more of a swagger and the ability to intimidate than the 2010 version, even with Julius Peppers. Granted, picking between the '06 defense and the '10 unit with six of the same starters is like choosing between a Mercedes and BMW. But the '06 model not only gets the edge statistically, it receives higher marks in the eye test.
That defense looked meaner, quicker and more feared and disruptive. It consistently created the feeling something big was about to happen because it generally did — and we'll always have the Dennis Green beer commercials to prove it.
Linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs were four years younger and quicker. Same goes for cornerback Charles Tillman, who was less vulnerable back then. As much impact as D.J. Moore has made this season emerging as the nickel back, don't forget Ricky Manning Jr. picked off a team-high five passes playing the same role in '06.
Eventually the '06 defense wore down in December and couldn't withstand the Colts running game in the Super Bowl. But any comparison requires the hypothetical question asking how different things might have been if Tommie Harris and Mike Brown hadn't been lost to injuries long before the playoffs.
The 2010 Bears defense was healthier than the '06 version. . .
. . .Lovie Smith and a more experienced coaching staff are better equipped for the playoffs as the Bears return for the first time since that memorable '06 season. But that's the only edge I would give the 2010 Bears. When the '06 Bears earned a first-round playoff bye, Chicagoans didn't spend the next three weeks asking their neighbors if they could believe it. Nobody had to cancel vacations or coaching searches in January because nobody planned on them. The '06 season didn't turn into a three-month civic debate over whether it was better to be lucky or good. We knew from Day One, and a 7-0 start only confirmed it.
We knew because of a defense that had more of a swagger and the ability to intimidate than the 2010 version, even with Julius Peppers. Granted, picking between the '06 defense and the '10 unit with six of the same starters is like choosing between a Mercedes and BMW. But the '06 model not only gets the edge statistically, it receives higher marks in the eye test.
That defense looked meaner, quicker and more feared and disruptive. It consistently created the feeling something big was about to happen because it generally did — and we'll always have the Dennis Green beer commercials to prove it.
Linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs were four years younger and quicker. Same goes for cornerback Charles Tillman, who was less vulnerable back then. As much impact as D.J. Moore has made this season emerging as the nickel back, don't forget Ricky Manning Jr. picked off a team-high five passes playing the same role in '06.
Eventually the '06 defense wore down in December and couldn't withstand the Colts running game in the Super Bowl. But any comparison requires the hypothetical question asking how different things might have been if Tommie Harris and Mike Brown hadn't been lost to injuries long before the playoffs.
The 2010 Bears defense was healthier than the '06 version. . .
Ice Sculpture Festival (FOOD CHANNEL coverage) January 14, 15, 16
The Cable "Food Network" films local children riding an ice carousel carved by Ice Sculptures, Ltd. for its new series, Ice Brigade, Friday night in Niles.
According to Food Network, the series will air in early March. The carousel, as well as many other sculptures, will be on display throughout the Hunter Ice Festival.
Other events Saturday include “Ice Fights” — timed contests among ice sculptors — at 7 p.m.; an “ice bar” at the Riverfront Cafe patio; a snowman contest; a bean bag toss; and a sledding hill. The Michigan Blood Organization will have a bloodmobile vehicle/R.V. parked nearby the main events in downtown. Sunday’s schedule includes a Chili Cook-off Crawl as well as the bean bag toss and sledding hill. An ice skating rink is also located at Riverfront Park.
Friendly Page with welcome at -- http://nilesmainstreet.org/?page_id=66
According to Food Network, the series will air in early March. The carousel, as well as many other sculptures, will be on display throughout the Hunter Ice Festival.
Other events Saturday include “Ice Fights” — timed contests among ice sculptors — at 7 p.m.; an “ice bar” at the Riverfront Cafe patio; a snowman contest; a bean bag toss; and a sledding hill. The Michigan Blood Organization will have a bloodmobile vehicle/R.V. parked nearby the main events in downtown. Sunday’s schedule includes a Chili Cook-off Crawl as well as the bean bag toss and sledding hill. An ice skating rink is also located at Riverfront Park.
Friendly Page with welcome at -- http://nilesmainstreet.org/?page_id=66
On this day (Jan. 15) in 1929 -- Martin Luther King, Jr. born in Atlanta, GA
from Writer's Almanac (Garrison Keillor, Minnesota Public Radio):
Today (Jan. 15) is the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., born on this day in Atlanta (1929). He is best known for his work as a leader during the civil rights movement and his commitment to nonviolence. On April 4th, 1967, King delivered a speech called 'Beyond Vietnam,' in which he strongly denounced America's involvement in the Vietnam War. He was concerned that the war was recruiting poor and minority soldiers, that it was draining resources from much-needed social programs at home, and that it was an unjust war anyway, targeting the poor people of Vietnam. He said, 'A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.'
Throughout the next year, he continued to speak out against the war, and said that the civil rights movement and the peace movement should come together for greater strength. He began a 'Poor People's Campaign' to fight economic inequality. On April 4th, 1968, exactly one year after his first anti-war speech, King was assassinated while he was standing on the balcony of his Memphis motel room. He was preparing to lead a protest march in solidarity with garbage workers who were on strike.
He said, 'If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.'
And he said: 'Here and there an individual or group dares to love, and rises to the majestic heights of moral maturity. So in a real sense this is a great time to be alive. Therefore, I am not yet discouraged about the future. Granted that the easygoing optimism of yesterday is impossible. Granted that those who pioneer in the struggle for peace and freedom will still face uncomfortable jail terms, painful threats of death; they will still be battered by the storms of persecution, leading them to the nagging feeling that they can no longer bear such a heavy burden, and the temptation of wanting to retreat to a more quiet and serene life. Granted that we face a world crisis which leaves us standing so often amid the surging murmur of life's restless sea. But every crisis has both its dangers and its opportunities. It can spell either salvation or doom. In a dark confused world the kingdom of God may yet reign in the hearts of men.'
Today (Jan. 15) is the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., born on this day in Atlanta (1929). He is best known for his work as a leader during the civil rights movement and his commitment to nonviolence. On April 4th, 1967, King delivered a speech called 'Beyond Vietnam,' in which he strongly denounced America's involvement in the Vietnam War. He was concerned that the war was recruiting poor and minority soldiers, that it was draining resources from much-needed social programs at home, and that it was an unjust war anyway, targeting the poor people of Vietnam. He said, 'A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.'
Throughout the next year, he continued to speak out against the war, and said that the civil rights movement and the peace movement should come together for greater strength. He began a 'Poor People's Campaign' to fight economic inequality. On April 4th, 1968, exactly one year after his first anti-war speech, King was assassinated while he was standing on the balcony of his Memphis motel room. He was preparing to lead a protest march in solidarity with garbage workers who were on strike.
He said, 'If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.'
And he said: 'Here and there an individual or group dares to love, and rises to the majestic heights of moral maturity. So in a real sense this is a great time to be alive. Therefore, I am not yet discouraged about the future. Granted that the easygoing optimism of yesterday is impossible. Granted that those who pioneer in the struggle for peace and freedom will still face uncomfortable jail terms, painful threats of death; they will still be battered by the storms of persecution, leading them to the nagging feeling that they can no longer bear such a heavy burden, and the temptation of wanting to retreat to a more quiet and serene life. Granted that we face a world crisis which leaves us standing so often amid the surging murmur of life's restless sea. But every crisis has both its dangers and its opportunities. It can spell either salvation or doom. In a dark confused world the kingdom of God may yet reign in the hearts of men.'
Friday, January 14, 2011
Who are the Protesters in Tunisia who toppled a dictator (now fled at 23 years at helm)? PBS News Hour segment interview
www.pbs.org/newshour -- interviewer was Judy Woodruff:
Who are these protesters? Are they a broad cross-section of society? What do they represent?
MARY-JANE DEEB: They're young people. The majority, the vast majority are students, school students, high school students and university students. There are women. There are lawyers.
The interesting thing here is, A, they're not Islamists. They're not fighting on an Islamic platform, which is new in a way. They're also using blogs, Facebooks to communicate. They are making demands that are purely economic and political. They are completely secular. And, in a way, that is new. It's different from what happened in the past decade.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, you say completely secular. They wanted the removal of this president. They seem to have gotten that.
MARY-JANE DEEB: Absolutely.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, you're -- what else do they want? They want free, fair elections.
MARY-JANE DEEB: They want freedom of speech, free press. They want to be able to hold jobs, absolutely. They want to be able to travel freely, speak freely, write freely, communicate with the rest of the world, and be part of the global community.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And you know this country so well. What's the likelihood they're going to get what they want?
MARY-JANE DEEB: It possible. I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a house of cards falling throughout the region. It is very much something that has been simmering under the surface, not only in Tunisia, but in Algeria, but in Morocco, but in many parts of the Arab world, certainly in Iran, perhaps in Pakistan as well.
I mean, what was interesting was to see the lawyers in their robes at the beginning a few weeks ago coming down in the streets. The inspiration was Pakistan, young people using -- filming the events taking place. This is the example of Iran. In other words, each country is learning from the other. And those young people are in touch with each other. They communicate freely. They get the support from each other. So, it's the beginning.
JUDY WOODRUFF: But -- and in many of these countries, the government, the police, oppressive enough, repressive enough that the people aren't able to accomplish what these young people in Tunisia have accomplished. What does that say about the system there, though, that may set it apart?
MARY-JANE DEEB: You're right. I mean, Tunisia's military is much weaker, let's say, than the military in Algeria or in Egypt.
On the other hand, the governments have cultivated the generals and top brass, but have forgotten that the army is also made up of young people, who don't have salaries high enough to pay for -- to get married, to have families, to -- to -- they are part of the Tunisian society. And the military in many of those countries are also dissatisfied. And I'm expecting something coming through the military.
JUDY WOODRUFF: ... what is the American -- what is the United States' interest in Tunisia...
MARY-JANE DEEB: Tunisia is part of North Africa. North Africa is important for the United States for different things, first of all, energy. Well, Tunisia is part of the Mediterranean, and Algerian, Libya are the energy sources. If it's unstable, then instability in Libya and Algeria could take place very easily.
The second thing is its proximity to Europe. And the third is that Tunisia is one of the countries that has worked with the United States to fight terrorism. And, so, an unstable region makes it difficult to have partners in the region in the fight against terrorism, in economic development in the region, and...
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, from a U.S. point of view, this is a positive development, or it's not clear yet?
MARY-JANE DEEB: It is certainly a positive development, in the sense that you have a young population asking for democracy, open and wanting to change. It's not a population that has overthrown a government in order to become more Islamist or to turn against the West. It is not against the West at all. So it's positive.
The negative side is instability in the region. And that, in the short run, is always a negative.
Who are these protesters? Are they a broad cross-section of society? What do they represent?
MARY-JANE DEEB: They're young people. The majority, the vast majority are students, school students, high school students and university students. There are women. There are lawyers.
The interesting thing here is, A, they're not Islamists. They're not fighting on an Islamic platform, which is new in a way. They're also using blogs, Facebooks to communicate. They are making demands that are purely economic and political. They are completely secular. And, in a way, that is new. It's different from what happened in the past decade.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, you say completely secular. They wanted the removal of this president. They seem to have gotten that.
MARY-JANE DEEB: Absolutely.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, you're -- what else do they want? They want free, fair elections.
MARY-JANE DEEB: They want freedom of speech, free press. They want to be able to hold jobs, absolutely. They want to be able to travel freely, speak freely, write freely, communicate with the rest of the world, and be part of the global community.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And you know this country so well. What's the likelihood they're going to get what they want?
MARY-JANE DEEB: It possible. I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a house of cards falling throughout the region. It is very much something that has been simmering under the surface, not only in Tunisia, but in Algeria, but in Morocco, but in many parts of the Arab world, certainly in Iran, perhaps in Pakistan as well.
I mean, what was interesting was to see the lawyers in their robes at the beginning a few weeks ago coming down in the streets. The inspiration was Pakistan, young people using -- filming the events taking place. This is the example of Iran. In other words, each country is learning from the other. And those young people are in touch with each other. They communicate freely. They get the support from each other. So, it's the beginning.
JUDY WOODRUFF: But -- and in many of these countries, the government, the police, oppressive enough, repressive enough that the people aren't able to accomplish what these young people in Tunisia have accomplished. What does that say about the system there, though, that may set it apart?
MARY-JANE DEEB: You're right. I mean, Tunisia's military is much weaker, let's say, than the military in Algeria or in Egypt.
On the other hand, the governments have cultivated the generals and top brass, but have forgotten that the army is also made up of young people, who don't have salaries high enough to pay for -- to get married, to have families, to -- to -- they are part of the Tunisian society. And the military in many of those countries are also dissatisfied. And I'm expecting something coming through the military.
JUDY WOODRUFF: ... what is the American -- what is the United States' interest in Tunisia...
MARY-JANE DEEB: Tunisia is part of North Africa. North Africa is important for the United States for different things, first of all, energy. Well, Tunisia is part of the Mediterranean, and Algerian, Libya are the energy sources. If it's unstable, then instability in Libya and Algeria could take place very easily.
The second thing is its proximity to Europe. And the third is that Tunisia is one of the countries that has worked with the United States to fight terrorism. And, so, an unstable region makes it difficult to have partners in the region in the fight against terrorism, in economic development in the region, and...
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, from a U.S. point of view, this is a positive development, or it's not clear yet?
MARY-JANE DEEB: It is certainly a positive development, in the sense that you have a young population asking for democracy, open and wanting to change. It's not a population that has overthrown a government in order to become more Islamist or to turn against the West. It is not against the West at all. So it's positive.
The negative side is instability in the region. And that, in the short run, is always a negative.
AP Story on MLK Holiday and Public participation - agreement (Jan. 14 posting)
(AP) -- A new poll shows Americans are no more convinced than before the nation's first black president was elected that the country is closer to achieving Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of racial equality.
Seventy-seven percent of people interviewed in an AP-GfK poll feel there has been significant progress toward King's dream, about the same as the 75 percent who felt that way in 2006, before President Barack Obama was elected.
The poll also shows that more people plan to celebrate Monday's holiday honoring King — 30 percent, compared to 23 percent who had such plans five years ago.
Three-quarters of those surveyed this year say King's birthday should be a national holiday. The civil rights icon, who would have turned 82 on Saturday, is the only American who wasn't a president honored with a federal holiday.
Seventy-seven percent of people interviewed in an AP-GfK poll feel there has been significant progress toward King's dream, about the same as the 75 percent who felt that way in 2006, before President Barack Obama was elected.
The poll also shows that more people plan to celebrate Monday's holiday honoring King — 30 percent, compared to 23 percent who had such plans five years ago.
Three-quarters of those surveyed this year say King's birthday should be a national holiday. The civil rights icon, who would have turned 82 on Saturday, is the only American who wasn't a president honored with a federal holiday.
U.S. - Cuba travel restrictions eased by Obama administration (WSJ coverage)
posted at Online WALL STREET JOURNAL dot-com/
The White House on Friday eased travel restrictions to Cuba and said Americans may send money there more freely, fresh steps aimed at encouraging engagement with the Cuban people.
Under the changes, religious institutions and universities engaged in academic study will be allowed to organize trips to Cuba without permission from the U.S. government first.
In addition, other educational institutions may request permission for special trips that don't involve course credit. This restores a people-to-people exchange that was instituted under President Bill Clinton but cut off by President George W. Bush.
Pure tourist travel will remain illegal. And the administration didn't propose lifting the long-standing trade embargo with the country.
The new rules also will allow any airport that qualifies to provide service to licensed charter flights to Cuba. Under current law, only three airports are authorized to offer the flights.
And they will allow any American to send up to $500 per quarter to non-family members in Cuba, as long as the Cubans aren't senior government officials or senior members of the Cuban Community Party. That sum is higher than it was under the old Clinton rules.
The new rules build on policy changes announced by President Barack Obama in 2009, which allowed Cuban-Americans to visit families on the island as often as they like and to send them unlimited funds.
In a statement, the White House called these "important steps in reaching the widely shared goal of a Cuba that respects the basic rights of all its citizens."
Mr. Obama's move could come as an economic lifeline to the Cuban regime, as it faces wrenching policy shifts in an attempt to respond to a tanking economy.
The White House on Friday eased travel restrictions to Cuba and said Americans may send money there more freely, fresh steps aimed at encouraging engagement with the Cuban people.
Under the changes, religious institutions and universities engaged in academic study will be allowed to organize trips to Cuba without permission from the U.S. government first.
In addition, other educational institutions may request permission for special trips that don't involve course credit. This restores a people-to-people exchange that was instituted under President Bill Clinton but cut off by President George W. Bush.
Pure tourist travel will remain illegal. And the administration didn't propose lifting the long-standing trade embargo with the country.
The new rules also will allow any airport that qualifies to provide service to licensed charter flights to Cuba. Under current law, only three airports are authorized to offer the flights.
And they will allow any American to send up to $500 per quarter to non-family members in Cuba, as long as the Cubans aren't senior government officials or senior members of the Cuban Community Party. That sum is higher than it was under the old Clinton rules.
The new rules build on policy changes announced by President Barack Obama in 2009, which allowed Cuban-Americans to visit families on the island as often as they like and to send them unlimited funds.
In a statement, the White House called these "important steps in reaching the widely shared goal of a Cuba that respects the basic rights of all its citizens."
Mr. Obama's move could come as an economic lifeline to the Cuban regime, as it faces wrenching policy shifts in an attempt to respond to a tanking economy.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Colorado U.S. Senator calls for bipartisan seating chart - SOTU (from Politico online)
posted at Politico dot-com (Jan. 13, 2011):
Sen. Mark Udall wants Republicans and Democrats to sit next to one another at President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech — rather than on opposite sides of the chamber as is the usual practice — in “a symbolic gesture of unity rather than division.”
The Colorado Democrat said the traditional partisan seating in the House chamber is “an arrangement that has become a negative symbol of the divisions in Congress.”
In a letter to House and Senate leaders from both parties, Udall didn’t refer to the shootings in Tucson, Ariz., but noted that “the tenor and debate surrounding our politics has grown ever more corrosive.” He said seating the two parties together for the Jan. 25 nationally televised speech would be an important symbolic gesture for Congress to make to the nation. “Beyond custom, there is no rule or reason that on this night we should emphasize divided government, separated by party, instead of being seen united as a country,” Udall said.
Members of Congress often applaud along partisan lines during the annual State of the Union speech. That “choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room — while the other side sits — is unbecoming of a serious institution,” Udall said in his letter. And, he added, it sends the message that “even on a night when the president is addressing the entire nation, we in Congress cannot sit as one, but must be divided as two.”
Udall said that by sitting together, Democrats and Republicans would “reflect the interspersed character of America itself” and possibly even “begin to rekindle that common spark that brought us here from 50 different states and widely diverging backgrounds to serve the public good.”
Sen. Mark Udall wants Republicans and Democrats to sit next to one another at President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech — rather than on opposite sides of the chamber as is the usual practice — in “a symbolic gesture of unity rather than division.”
The Colorado Democrat said the traditional partisan seating in the House chamber is “an arrangement that has become a negative symbol of the divisions in Congress.”
In a letter to House and Senate leaders from both parties, Udall didn’t refer to the shootings in Tucson, Ariz., but noted that “the tenor and debate surrounding our politics has grown ever more corrosive.” He said seating the two parties together for the Jan. 25 nationally televised speech would be an important symbolic gesture for Congress to make to the nation. “Beyond custom, there is no rule or reason that on this night we should emphasize divided government, separated by party, instead of being seen united as a country,” Udall said.
Members of Congress often applaud along partisan lines during the annual State of the Union speech. That “choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room — while the other side sits — is unbecoming of a serious institution,” Udall said in his letter. And, he added, it sends the message that “even on a night when the president is addressing the entire nation, we in Congress cannot sit as one, but must be divided as two.”
Udall said that by sitting together, Democrats and Republicans would “reflect the interspersed character of America itself” and possibly even “begin to rekindle that common spark that brought us here from 50 different states and widely diverging backgrounds to serve the public good.”
Monday, January 10, 2011
Who is Jared Loughner's Public Defender? Lawyer appointed for Tucson assassin -- Judy Clarke of San Diego
The capital-defense lawyer who will represent Jared L. Loughner in the shootings in Tucson, Judy Clarke, is a well-known public defender who gets life sentences in cases that often begin with emotional calls for the death penalty.
Ms. Clarke has helped a number of infamous defendants avoid death sentences, including Theodore J. Kaczynski, the Unabomber; Eric Robert Rudolph, the Atlanta Olympics bomber; and Susan Smith, the South Carolina woman who drowned her toddlers.
Over a legal career of more than 30 years, Ms. Clarke has become perhaps the best-known federal public defender in the country, with a reputation for taking on cases that seem impossible.
“She has stood up to the plate in the kinds of cases that bring the greatest disdain from the public,” said Gerald H. Goldstein, a San Antonio lawyer who has known her for years.
Ms. Clarke has an aversion to the news media and an unassuming courtroom style that masks an encyclopedic knowledge of criminal law. Her low-key style and pageboy haircut can make her seem at first to be a junior member of the legal team.
But lawyers who have worked with her say she is a master strategist in death-penalty cases.
“She is known for being the criminal defense lawyers’ criminal defense lawyer,” said Norman L. Reimer, the executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
In recent years, Ms. Clarke has been in private practice in San Diego with her husband, Thomas H. Speedy Rice, a law professor, but has continued to take public-defender assignments.
Ms. Clarke did not respond to requests for comment, but friends said she would be drawn to the Tucson case. She is an opponent of the death penalty, they said, not only as a political position but also because of her experiences delving into the tangled stories of her clients.
Posted online Jan. 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/us/11defender.html
Ms. Clarke has helped a number of infamous defendants avoid death sentences, including Theodore J. Kaczynski, the Unabomber; Eric Robert Rudolph, the Atlanta Olympics bomber; and Susan Smith, the South Carolina woman who drowned her toddlers.
Over a legal career of more than 30 years, Ms. Clarke has become perhaps the best-known federal public defender in the country, with a reputation for taking on cases that seem impossible.
“She has stood up to the plate in the kinds of cases that bring the greatest disdain from the public,” said Gerald H. Goldstein, a San Antonio lawyer who has known her for years.
Ms. Clarke has an aversion to the news media and an unassuming courtroom style that masks an encyclopedic knowledge of criminal law. Her low-key style and pageboy haircut can make her seem at first to be a junior member of the legal team.
But lawyers who have worked with her say she is a master strategist in death-penalty cases.
“She is known for being the criminal defense lawyers’ criminal defense lawyer,” said Norman L. Reimer, the executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
In recent years, Ms. Clarke has been in private practice in San Diego with her husband, Thomas H. Speedy Rice, a law professor, but has continued to take public-defender assignments.
Ms. Clarke did not respond to requests for comment, but friends said she would be drawn to the Tucson case. She is an opponent of the death penalty, they said, not only as a political position but also because of her experiences delving into the tangled stories of her clients.
Posted online Jan. 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/us/11defender.html
MLK Event (sponsored by College on Monday Jan. 17, 2011): 1 p.m.
A Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will be held Monday, Jan. 17 at Lake Michigan College’s Bertrand Crossing Campus. The event is free and open to the public.
The celebration program begins at 1 p.m. and will feature a presentation of “Inclusion: A Dream or a Vison” from Danny E. Sledge, founder and CEO of Coloring Outside the Lines, a diversity and organizational change consulting service. Sledge has worked in higher education administration for over 30 years, at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College and LMC.
Musical entertainment from local artists will be provided.
The program is presented in conjunction with the local NAACP Chapter and the Ferry Street School Resource Center.
The deadline to register for this event is Thursday, Jan. 14, 2011. For more information or to register, contact Kamala Chancellor at (269) 695-2991.
The celebration program begins at 1 p.m. and will feature a presentation of “Inclusion: A Dream or a Vison” from Danny E. Sledge, founder and CEO of Coloring Outside the Lines, a diversity and organizational change consulting service. Sledge has worked in higher education administration for over 30 years, at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College and LMC.
Musical entertainment from local artists will be provided.
The program is presented in conjunction with the local NAACP Chapter and the Ferry Street School Resource Center.
The deadline to register for this event is Thursday, Jan. 14, 2011. For more information or to register, contact Kamala Chancellor at (269) 695-2991.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
King George VI's Christmas 1939 closing poetic thought (from another blog)
posted at the Virtual Methodist (an Irish Methodist pastor's blog here at Google Blogger):
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'
And he replied,
'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'
And he replied,
'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'
Moment of Silence - Flags at half-mast (11 a.m. Jan. 10)
from White House Presidential Proclamation Press Release:
At President Obama’s Proclamations web notice -- www.whitehouse.gov/
“Tomorrow (Monday January 10, 2011) at 11:00 a.m. eastern standard time, I call on Americans to observe a moment of silence to honor the innocent victims of the senseless tragedy in Tucson, Arizona, including those still fighting for their lives. It will be a time for us to come together as a nation in prayer or reflection, keeping the victims and their families closely at heart.”
The President will observe the moment of silence with White House staff on the South Lawn. The moment of silence will be pooled press.
Today, the President has signed a proclamation calling for flags to be flown at half-staff.”
At President Obama’s Proclamations web notice -- www.whitehouse.gov/
“Tomorrow (Monday January 10, 2011) at 11:00 a.m. eastern standard time, I call on Americans to observe a moment of silence to honor the innocent victims of the senseless tragedy in Tucson, Arizona, including those still fighting for their lives. It will be a time for us to come together as a nation in prayer or reflection, keeping the victims and their families closely at heart.”
The President will observe the moment of silence with White House staff on the South Lawn. The moment of silence will be pooled press.
Today, the President has signed a proclamation calling for flags to be flown at half-staff.”
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Dick King-Smith: author of The Gallant Pig dies in Bath, England
Dick King-Smith, whose children’s novel “The Sheep-Pig” inspired the hit 1995 movie “Babe,” died Tuesday at his home near Bath. He was 88.
His publisher, Random House Children’s Books, said he had been in poor health in recent years.
Mr. King-Smith worked for 20 years as a farmer before he trained as a primary school teacher. In his 50s he began to write his first story, “The Fox Busters,” about chickens taking their revenge on foxes. The book was published in 1978.
He published more than 100 books — mostly about animals and often about pigs, his favorites — which have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. The movie “Babe,” based on his story about a pig that behaves like a sheepdog, made his books a global hit. “The Sheep-Pig” was retitled “Babe: The Gallant Pig” for the American market.
He once said of his work: “Much as I love ‘The Wind In The Willows’ and the works of Beatrix Potter, I never dress my animals in clothes. They behave as animals should behave, with the exception that they open their mouths and speak the queen’s English.”
His publisher, Random House Children’s Books, said he had been in poor health in recent years.
Mr. King-Smith worked for 20 years as a farmer before he trained as a primary school teacher. In his 50s he began to write his first story, “The Fox Busters,” about chickens taking their revenge on foxes. The book was published in 1978.
He published more than 100 books — mostly about animals and often about pigs, his favorites — which have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. The movie “Babe,” based on his story about a pig that behaves like a sheepdog, made his books a global hit. “The Sheep-Pig” was retitled “Babe: The Gallant Pig” for the American market.
He once said of his work: “Much as I love ‘The Wind In The Willows’ and the works of Beatrix Potter, I never dress my animals in clothes. They behave as animals should behave, with the exception that they open their mouths and speak the queen’s English.”
On this date in 1790 - State of the Union Address (George Washington)
It was on this day in 1790 that the first State of the Union Address in American history took place. George Washington delivered it in New York City, which was the capital of the U.S. at the time. He spoke before the Senate and House of Representatives, giving a fairly short speech, about the equivalent of three single-spaced typewritten pages.
He began the speech with the good news that North Carolina was joining the Union. He said that countries around the world seemed to be showing increasing good will toward the young American government, that the 'respectability' of their revolutionary government was growing, and that the 'peace and plenty' with which America was blessed should be considered good omens that the nation would be prosperous.
And in this speech, which he gave 221 years ago today, George Washington talked about the dilemma of protecting the borders, about the need for immigration reform, about how important it was for the nation to support scientific development, and about setting up national higher education. Washington ended his speech with a plea that Congress cooperate with him for the good of the American people. The words he used were these: 'Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Representatives:
... The welfare of our country is the great object to which our cares and efforts ought to be directed, and I shall derive great satisfaction from a cooperation with you in the pleasing though arduous task of insuring to our fellow citizens the blessings which they have a right to expect from a free, efficient, and equal government.
posted at "Writer's Almanac" - (Garrison Keillor, Minn. Public Radio)
He began the speech with the good news that North Carolina was joining the Union. He said that countries around the world seemed to be showing increasing good will toward the young American government, that the 'respectability' of their revolutionary government was growing, and that the 'peace and plenty' with which America was blessed should be considered good omens that the nation would be prosperous.
And in this speech, which he gave 221 years ago today, George Washington talked about the dilemma of protecting the borders, about the need for immigration reform, about how important it was for the nation to support scientific development, and about setting up national higher education. Washington ended his speech with a plea that Congress cooperate with him for the good of the American people. The words he used were these: 'Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Representatives:
... The welfare of our country is the great object to which our cares and efforts ought to be directed, and I shall derive great satisfaction from a cooperation with you in the pleasing though arduous task of insuring to our fellow citizens the blessings which they have a right to expect from a free, efficient, and equal government.
posted at "Writer's Almanac" - (Garrison Keillor, Minn. Public Radio)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
America - Korea Friendship Day (in neighboring community: Berrien Springs, Michigan)
from Berrien Springs High School "ROCK" staff newsletter:
American/Korean Day
An American/Korean Day has been planned for the greater Berrien Springs Community. The event is scheduled for January 9th starting at 1:00 p.m. at the high school. A number of dignitaries have been invited to participate. Invited guests will attend a Korean meal at 1:00 p.m. The general public will be invited to participate at 2:00-3:30 in the gym.
American/Korean Day
An American/Korean Day has been planned for the greater Berrien Springs Community. The event is scheduled for January 9th starting at 1:00 p.m. at the high school. A number of dignitaries have been invited to participate. Invited guests will attend a Korean meal at 1:00 p.m. The general public will be invited to participate at 2:00-3:30 in the gym.
Today is Armenian Orthodox Christmas - (anecdotes from newspaper account)
from LA Daily News coverage http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_17021102
Tens of thousands of Christians in the San Fernando Valley and the rest of Los Angeles will celebrate the most ancient Christmas Day on Thursday. Armenians will be commemorating their Christmas, a tradition recognizing both the birth and baptism of Jesus Christ.
"I grew up attending Armenian schools, speaking Armenian and in the Armenian culture, so I was always used to having my Christmas in January," recalls Hatamian. "I always thought it was just us, but I'm finding out that we're not alone. "In my family, it's not as much about religion as it is about maintaining culture and tradition."
Some, in fact, regard the Jan. 6 and 7 commemorations as part of a doubly rich Christmas cultural experience. "In my family we recognize Jan. 6 and Jan. 7 as Christmas and what we celebrate on Dec. 24 and 25 as the American Christmas," said Coptic Christian Helena Botros, a political science instructor at Los Angeles Harbor College.
Similarly, Armenians flocked to Christmas Eve religious services on Wednesday night, observing a solemn, centuries-old service in which the faithful are blessed with holy water believed to contain some of the same oil used to baptize Jesus.
At Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America marked the tradition Wednesday by blessing and delivering the traditional Armenian sweet Gata bread to Armenian patients.
Tens of thousands of Christians in the San Fernando Valley and the rest of Los Angeles will celebrate the most ancient Christmas Day on Thursday. Armenians will be commemorating their Christmas, a tradition recognizing both the birth and baptism of Jesus Christ.
"I grew up attending Armenian schools, speaking Armenian and in the Armenian culture, so I was always used to having my Christmas in January," recalls Hatamian. "I always thought it was just us, but I'm finding out that we're not alone. "In my family, it's not as much about religion as it is about maintaining culture and tradition."
Some, in fact, regard the Jan. 6 and 7 commemorations as part of a doubly rich Christmas cultural experience. "In my family we recognize Jan. 6 and Jan. 7 as Christmas and what we celebrate on Dec. 24 and 25 as the American Christmas," said Coptic Christian Helena Botros, a political science instructor at Los Angeles Harbor College.
Similarly, Armenians flocked to Christmas Eve religious services on Wednesday night, observing a solemn, centuries-old service in which the faithful are blessed with holy water believed to contain some of the same oil used to baptize Jesus.
At Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America marked the tradition Wednesday by blessing and delivering the traditional Armenian sweet Gata bread to Armenian patients.
Christmas Eve (Jan. 6) Mass in Egypt - Security concerns -- Voice of America coverage
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Egypts-Coptic-Christians-Prepare-to-Celebrate-Christmas-Eve-Mass-Amid-Strict-Security-113024044.html
Egypt’s Coptic Christian Pope Shenouda III has called for his community to celebrate orthodox Christmas as usual, starting with midnight mass. But services will commence with security forces are on high alert to prevent threatened terrorist attacks by al-Qaida.
Egyptian security forces deployed in force in front of the Saint Mary Coptic church in the upscale Cairo suburb of Zamalek. Metal barricades blocked parts of roads and police kept motorists from parking too close to the building.
One Christian man who asked not to use his name told VOA he is fearful that "despite all the security measures being deployed by the government, the terrorists will still try to strike."
The al-Qaida terrorist group has urged its followers to attack Coptic churches in Egypt on several militant Islamic web sites. Mark, another young Coptic Christian told VOA that he was "not afraid to die" and that he planned to attend midnight mass as usual." Coptic Pope Shenouda III has told his followers that he would "not allow the terrorists to spoil Christmas celebrations."
Many Islamic leaders have asked their followers to show solidarity with Copts and to form human shields around churches to prevent terrorism or violence. A Sheikh in the Cairo suburb of Helwan said Muslims must condemn terrorism.
He says he is asking the entire Egyptian population to form a solid front against the "terrorist explosion in front of Alexandria’s All Saints Coptic church Saturday." Coptic Church leaders have been urging their followers not to take out their anger against Muslims for Saturday’s terrorist explosion, but to show love instead. The Bishop of Helwan, Anba Pacenti, insisted that everyone should be kind to one another, and not seek revenge. He said that love means that we all ask for a sign of love from one another, offering a kind word or a good deed, and to love everyone.
The Egyptian press noted General Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud has made "significant progress" in the investigation of the church bombing that killed 23 people, most of them Coptic Christians, Saturday in Alexandria. The interior ministry also published a sketch of a man it says blew himself up in front of the church.
Meanwhile, government officials sent a message urging tolerance among Egyptians and intolerance for terrorism. Parliament Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sarour says that Egyptians must not turn against each other, because that is what the terrorists are seeking. He says that the goal of the terrorist is to create horror and fear and these feelings prompt people to become suspicious and stop associating with each other. He insists that if this is what happens we have given the terrorist what he wants, so people must instead upset the terrorists' plans.
The Egyptian government is asking Coptic Christians not to congregate in front of churches after midnight mass to avoid giving terrorists any possible targets. A shooter killed more than half a dozen Copts in front of a church after Christmas eve mass last year in the town of Nag Hammadi.
Egypt’s Coptic Christian Pope Shenouda III has called for his community to celebrate orthodox Christmas as usual, starting with midnight mass. But services will commence with security forces are on high alert to prevent threatened terrorist attacks by al-Qaida.
Egyptian security forces deployed in force in front of the Saint Mary Coptic church in the upscale Cairo suburb of Zamalek. Metal barricades blocked parts of roads and police kept motorists from parking too close to the building.
One Christian man who asked not to use his name told VOA he is fearful that "despite all the security measures being deployed by the government, the terrorists will still try to strike."
The al-Qaida terrorist group has urged its followers to attack Coptic churches in Egypt on several militant Islamic web sites. Mark, another young Coptic Christian told VOA that he was "not afraid to die" and that he planned to attend midnight mass as usual." Coptic Pope Shenouda III has told his followers that he would "not allow the terrorists to spoil Christmas celebrations."
Many Islamic leaders have asked their followers to show solidarity with Copts and to form human shields around churches to prevent terrorism or violence. A Sheikh in the Cairo suburb of Helwan said Muslims must condemn terrorism.
He says he is asking the entire Egyptian population to form a solid front against the "terrorist explosion in front of Alexandria’s All Saints Coptic church Saturday." Coptic Church leaders have been urging their followers not to take out their anger against Muslims for Saturday’s terrorist explosion, but to show love instead. The Bishop of Helwan, Anba Pacenti, insisted that everyone should be kind to one another, and not seek revenge. He said that love means that we all ask for a sign of love from one another, offering a kind word or a good deed, and to love everyone.
The Egyptian press noted General Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud has made "significant progress" in the investigation of the church bombing that killed 23 people, most of them Coptic Christians, Saturday in Alexandria. The interior ministry also published a sketch of a man it says blew himself up in front of the church.
Meanwhile, government officials sent a message urging tolerance among Egyptians and intolerance for terrorism. Parliament Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sarour says that Egyptians must not turn against each other, because that is what the terrorists are seeking. He says that the goal of the terrorist is to create horror and fear and these feelings prompt people to become suspicious and stop associating with each other. He insists that if this is what happens we have given the terrorist what he wants, so people must instead upset the terrorists' plans.
The Egyptian government is asking Coptic Christians not to congregate in front of churches after midnight mass to avoid giving terrorists any possible targets. A shooter killed more than half a dozen Copts in front of a church after Christmas eve mass last year in the town of Nag Hammadi.
Today is Epiphany - twelve day after Christmas - Writer's Almanac definition
posted by Garrison Keillor at the Writer's Almanac list serv for today:
Today is the Feast of the Epiphany in the Christian Church. The word 'epiphany' comes from an old Greek word meaning 'manifestation' or 'striking appearance.' In ancient Greece, before Christianity, it was a term used to document occasions when Greek gods and goddesses manifested themselves to human beings on earth.
In the modern Greek Orthodox Church, the Feast of the Epiphany is a broad and encompassing celebration of God becoming man: the birth of the baby Jesus, the Magi visiting from Persia, and, especially, Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River. In the Roman Catholic Church, however, the focus is on the image of the wise men bringing gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold to the infant Jesus, guided from their homeland of Iran by a shining star.
Today is the Feast of the Epiphany in the Christian Church. The word 'epiphany' comes from an old Greek word meaning 'manifestation' or 'striking appearance.' In ancient Greece, before Christianity, it was a term used to document occasions when Greek gods and goddesses manifested themselves to human beings on earth.
In the modern Greek Orthodox Church, the Feast of the Epiphany is a broad and encompassing celebration of God becoming man: the birth of the baby Jesus, the Magi visiting from Persia, and, especially, Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River. In the Roman Catholic Church, however, the focus is on the image of the wise men bringing gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold to the infant Jesus, guided from their homeland of Iran by a shining star.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
FDA Food Safety Act signed into law (January 4) -- Obama Food-o-rama
from GOOGLE sponsored Blog (Obama Food-o-rama)
On Tuesday, hours after returning from an eleven-day vacation in Hawaii, President Obama signed into law H.R. 2751, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, a $1.4 billion measure that modernizes the Nation's food safety system to better prevent foodborne illness and better respond to disease outbreaks. The President signed the legislation at about 5:00 PM ET in the Oval Office, using fifteen different pens to enact the sweeping revamp of America's food safety system, the first since the 1930s.
"I applaud President Obama and the Administration for making food safety a priority," said pre-eminent foodborne disease expert Bill Marler, of Seattle's Marler Clark law firm. "America's food safety system can now begin the process of joining the 21st century."
The bill signing was much anticipated by survivors and family members of those killed by foodborne disease, by food safety advocates, food industry representatives, by farmers and growers, and by the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers that battled for its passage, but the President's bill signing was closed to press and guests. Since the President took office, there have been repeated and massive recalls of foods, for everything from salmonella-tainted peanut butter, to more than a half billion salmonella-tainted eggs, to E. coli-laced beef. Each year, about 3,000 citizens die from tainted food, with more than 48 million becoming ill, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
The science-based and prevention-oriented bill received final Congressional approval on Dec. 21, 2010, after more than eighteen months of battle. It is a broad expansion of the power of the federal government to regulate food and agriculture, and sets in motion potentially dramatic improvements to the security and safety of America’s food supply. It empowers FDA for the first time to make mandatory recalls of tainted foods, and gives the Agency a congressional mandate for risk-based inspection of food processing facilities. It also significantly enhances FDA’s ability to oversee the millions of food products that come into the United States each year from foreign countries.
“Shifting from a reactive to a preventive mode is something that we are committed to doing,’’ FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said on Monday. “Congress has clearly given us the mandate to take that on, industry wants to work with us.’’
According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, under the new law, the federal government will now be able to assure consumers that “sea bass from Chile’’ meets the same safety standards “as lobster that we get out of the shores of Maine.’’
The legislation has a long time frame to get up to speed; for instance, new regulations for produce growers and processors will not be released by FDA for at least a year.
The food safety bill was just one among thirty-five different pieces of legislation the President put his signature on today. It awaits Congressional funding, after the 112th Congress begins on January 5th. Various members of the GOP have pledged to ensure this effort falls short of the bill's price tag.
On Tuesday, hours after returning from an eleven-day vacation in Hawaii, President Obama signed into law H.R. 2751, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, a $1.4 billion measure that modernizes the Nation's food safety system to better prevent foodborne illness and better respond to disease outbreaks. The President signed the legislation at about 5:00 PM ET in the Oval Office, using fifteen different pens to enact the sweeping revamp of America's food safety system, the first since the 1930s.
"I applaud President Obama and the Administration for making food safety a priority," said pre-eminent foodborne disease expert Bill Marler, of Seattle's Marler Clark law firm. "America's food safety system can now begin the process of joining the 21st century."
The bill signing was much anticipated by survivors and family members of those killed by foodborne disease, by food safety advocates, food industry representatives, by farmers and growers, and by the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers that battled for its passage, but the President's bill signing was closed to press and guests. Since the President took office, there have been repeated and massive recalls of foods, for everything from salmonella-tainted peanut butter, to more than a half billion salmonella-tainted eggs, to E. coli-laced beef. Each year, about 3,000 citizens die from tainted food, with more than 48 million becoming ill, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
The science-based and prevention-oriented bill received final Congressional approval on Dec. 21, 2010, after more than eighteen months of battle. It is a broad expansion of the power of the federal government to regulate food and agriculture, and sets in motion potentially dramatic improvements to the security and safety of America’s food supply. It empowers FDA for the first time to make mandatory recalls of tainted foods, and gives the Agency a congressional mandate for risk-based inspection of food processing facilities. It also significantly enhances FDA’s ability to oversee the millions of food products that come into the United States each year from foreign countries.
“Shifting from a reactive to a preventive mode is something that we are committed to doing,’’ FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said on Monday. “Congress has clearly given us the mandate to take that on, industry wants to work with us.’’
According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, under the new law, the federal government will now be able to assure consumers that “sea bass from Chile’’ meets the same safety standards “as lobster that we get out of the shores of Maine.’’
The legislation has a long time frame to get up to speed; for instance, new regulations for produce growers and processors will not be released by FDA for at least a year.
The food safety bill was just one among thirty-five different pieces of legislation the President put his signature on today. It awaits Congressional funding, after the 112th Congress begins on January 5th. Various members of the GOP have pledged to ensure this effort falls short of the bill's price tag.
Scientists stoke debate on Asian Carp -- invasive species -- moving into Lake Michigan
from GOOGLE News summarization
Scientists defend Asian carp research methods
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Scientists have published a paper defending their contention that DNA evidence shows Asian carp have gotten past an electric barrier designed to keep them out of the Great Lakes.
The paper is being released Wednesday by a journal called Conservation Letters. It describes how biologists with the University of Notre Dame and The Nature Conservancy gathered more than 1,000 samples from waterways near Chicago. Of those, 58 contained DNA from Asian carp and were taken beyond the barrier.
Scientists say it's unclear exactly how many Asian carp are in the waterways.
The DNA research has become a focal point in the debate over whether to close Chicago-area shipping locks to block the carp's path to Lake Michigan, which five states are seeking in a federal lawsuit.
Scientists defend Asian carp research methods
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Scientists have published a paper defending their contention that DNA evidence shows Asian carp have gotten past an electric barrier designed to keep them out of the Great Lakes.
The paper is being released Wednesday by a journal called Conservation Letters. It describes how biologists with the University of Notre Dame and The Nature Conservancy gathered more than 1,000 samples from waterways near Chicago. Of those, 58 contained DNA from Asian carp and were taken beyond the barrier.
Scientists say it's unclear exactly how many Asian carp are in the waterways.
The DNA research has become a focal point in the debate over whether to close Chicago-area shipping locks to block the carp's path to Lake Michigan, which five states are seeking in a federal lawsuit.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Facebook: Worth $50 Billion? Ray Suarez interview for News Hour (PBS)
on-air segment (1/3/2011) -- pbs.org/newshour/
Voice-Over (Ray Suarez): If its backers are right, the popular social networking site Facebook is now worth more than companies like eBay, Time Warner and Starbucks.
According to today's New York Times, the investment firm Goldman Sachs and a Russian company called Digital Sky Technologies invested $500 million in Facebook in a deal that values the company at $50 billion. Facebook lets users create personal Web profiles, as well as connect to and share information with friends. It is used by about half-a-billion people around the world. And, last year, it surpassed Google as the most visited Web site in the U.S.
Here to tell us more is Andrew Ross Sorkin, who co-wrote the story for The Times. And, Andrew, what does Goldman see in Facebook that makes it worth that much money?
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN, Financial Columnist and Reporter, The New York Times: Well, I think that there's two stories here. One is this valuation of Facebook at $50 billion. And you say, why -- why $50 billion? That sounds like a lot of money. On a relative basis to something like a Google, which, as you just said, Facebook has just surpassed in terms of page use, Google is worth close to $200 billion. They're all trying to get at the advertising market, targeted advertising, being able to really be able to advertise directly to you by knowing as much information about you. And that's what Facebook, perhaps even more so than Google, is able to bring the advertiser. The second component is Goldman Sachs. Why is Goldman Sachs, a Wall Street investment firm, doing this? And it is as much a financial investment for them as it is an opportunity to get on the ground floor of a possible Facebook IPO in the future. This is a private sale early. It's an opportunity for them to give their high net worth clients access to these coveted shares. And so there's all sorts of fee streams throughout that will make this deal perhaps profitable for Goldman Sachs, even if Facebook ultimately isn't as profitable as people think.
RAY SUAREZ: Well, when I saw the story this morning, your story, I logged on Facebook. And the first three items in my queue were my kid brother's new short haircut, a picture of my son at a college convention, and a journalist friend shooting me a copy of your story. And I thought, well, how do you monetize that kind of person-to- person contact? I could see some value in it, but I don't know if I was making anybody any money.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Well, I will tell you what's happening, Ray, which is, on the side, on the corner of your Web screen on Facebook, just like on Google, there are ads that are targeted to you specifically. And they might have your alma mater. They might have information from your e-mails that they're picking up saying, well, if he's interested in that or he -- it's an e-mail about a trip you're planning, it might have airfares.
And so what's happening is a totally new model of advertising that's being able to really come at you directly and be customized towards you, hoping that you're more likely to click on that than a generic ad that is sent across the Web or, frankly, television or the radio.
RAY SUAREZ: You mentioned a future possible IPO for Facebook, but, right now, Facebook shares don't circulate freely. But is there another market, another way of buying into this company, now that Goldman Sachs owns this stake?
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Well, even prior to Goldman Sachs owning the stake, oddly enough, there was a hot secondary market, almost a shadow market for Facebook shares. Facebook employees and early investors in Facebook have been holding on to these shares since the company's creation. And there has become these secondary exchanges, where people are actually trading in these shares in advance of a potential IPO.
The idea that Goldman Sachs is now going to not only invest $450 million, but, in addition, they're going to raise an additional $1.5 billion from their own investors, means there is going to be an even larger market out there for these shares. However, I should note that, because of this secondary market, the SEC, which historically has regulated the public market, is now looking at this space. And I think they're very curious to understand whether private companies are usurping the rules around public disclosures. The rules that the SEC has is that, if you have more than 499 shareholders, once you get to 500 shareholders, your 500th shareholder, means that you have to start making public disclosures about your finances. Thus far, Facebook has not done so.
RAY SUAREZ: Well, following up on what you just said, what can Goldman do with its stake in Facebook?
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Well, it's very interesting.
They can't do much, except wait for the IPO. But what is so interesting about this special-purpose vehicle which Goldman is creating is that, effectively, they may ultimately have several hundred investors in this vehicle, but they will only count -- or what they're trying to do is make it count as one investor, so that they won't go beyond the 500 investors that, technically, the SEC has the rule for.
So, the real question is actually whether the SEC is going to look favorably upon this or not. The SEC is not only looking at Facebook before this investment but they're also looking at Twitter investments, and Twitter -- investments in LinkedIn, investments in a company called Zynga. There's really become this hot secondary market for all sorts of pre-IPO Internet companies.
RAY SUAREZ: Earlier in the just past decade, Rupert Murdoch bought MySpace for what was then considered a phenomenal amount of money.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Right.
RAY SUAREZ: And it was given a very gaudy valuation at the time. And I don't think anybody thinks it's worth that today.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Right.
RAY SUAREZ: How do we know this isn't just another MySpace?
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: You know, it may be another MySpace. I should tell you Goldman Sachs, whatever you think of their brand and credibility, they bought into a company called Webvan. I don't know if you remember that from the late '90s. It also doesn't exist today.
So, not all their investments work out. But I do think that Facebook has more value than -- than some people are ascribing to it. They are a profitable company. And they're making $2 billion, with a B, in revenue. And, more importantly, their tentacles are everywhere. Because they have an -- almost an e-mail service, and because they're so ubiquitous, and people are on so tied into it, there's a real question actually as to whether a competitor, you know, two guys in a garage, can actually start something new that somehow usurps Facebook all over again.
RAY SUAREZ: Well, if Goldman Sachs is right about what Facebook is worth, Mark Zuckerberg, its founder, is worth $14 billion.
Voice-Over (Ray Suarez): If its backers are right, the popular social networking site Facebook is now worth more than companies like eBay, Time Warner and Starbucks.
According to today's New York Times, the investment firm Goldman Sachs and a Russian company called Digital Sky Technologies invested $500 million in Facebook in a deal that values the company at $50 billion. Facebook lets users create personal Web profiles, as well as connect to and share information with friends. It is used by about half-a-billion people around the world. And, last year, it surpassed Google as the most visited Web site in the U.S.
Here to tell us more is Andrew Ross Sorkin, who co-wrote the story for The Times. And, Andrew, what does Goldman see in Facebook that makes it worth that much money?
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN, Financial Columnist and Reporter, The New York Times: Well, I think that there's two stories here. One is this valuation of Facebook at $50 billion. And you say, why -- why $50 billion? That sounds like a lot of money. On a relative basis to something like a Google, which, as you just said, Facebook has just surpassed in terms of page use, Google is worth close to $200 billion. They're all trying to get at the advertising market, targeted advertising, being able to really be able to advertise directly to you by knowing as much information about you. And that's what Facebook, perhaps even more so than Google, is able to bring the advertiser. The second component is Goldman Sachs. Why is Goldman Sachs, a Wall Street investment firm, doing this? And it is as much a financial investment for them as it is an opportunity to get on the ground floor of a possible Facebook IPO in the future. This is a private sale early. It's an opportunity for them to give their high net worth clients access to these coveted shares. And so there's all sorts of fee streams throughout that will make this deal perhaps profitable for Goldman Sachs, even if Facebook ultimately isn't as profitable as people think.
RAY SUAREZ: Well, when I saw the story this morning, your story, I logged on Facebook. And the first three items in my queue were my kid brother's new short haircut, a picture of my son at a college convention, and a journalist friend shooting me a copy of your story. And I thought, well, how do you monetize that kind of person-to- person contact? I could see some value in it, but I don't know if I was making anybody any money.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Well, I will tell you what's happening, Ray, which is, on the side, on the corner of your Web screen on Facebook, just like on Google, there are ads that are targeted to you specifically. And they might have your alma mater. They might have information from your e-mails that they're picking up saying, well, if he's interested in that or he -- it's an e-mail about a trip you're planning, it might have airfares.
And so what's happening is a totally new model of advertising that's being able to really come at you directly and be customized towards you, hoping that you're more likely to click on that than a generic ad that is sent across the Web or, frankly, television or the radio.
RAY SUAREZ: You mentioned a future possible IPO for Facebook, but, right now, Facebook shares don't circulate freely. But is there another market, another way of buying into this company, now that Goldman Sachs owns this stake?
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Well, even prior to Goldman Sachs owning the stake, oddly enough, there was a hot secondary market, almost a shadow market for Facebook shares. Facebook employees and early investors in Facebook have been holding on to these shares since the company's creation. And there has become these secondary exchanges, where people are actually trading in these shares in advance of a potential IPO.
The idea that Goldman Sachs is now going to not only invest $450 million, but, in addition, they're going to raise an additional $1.5 billion from their own investors, means there is going to be an even larger market out there for these shares. However, I should note that, because of this secondary market, the SEC, which historically has regulated the public market, is now looking at this space. And I think they're very curious to understand whether private companies are usurping the rules around public disclosures. The rules that the SEC has is that, if you have more than 499 shareholders, once you get to 500 shareholders, your 500th shareholder, means that you have to start making public disclosures about your finances. Thus far, Facebook has not done so.
RAY SUAREZ: Well, following up on what you just said, what can Goldman do with its stake in Facebook?
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Well, it's very interesting.
They can't do much, except wait for the IPO. But what is so interesting about this special-purpose vehicle which Goldman is creating is that, effectively, they may ultimately have several hundred investors in this vehicle, but they will only count -- or what they're trying to do is make it count as one investor, so that they won't go beyond the 500 investors that, technically, the SEC has the rule for.
So, the real question is actually whether the SEC is going to look favorably upon this or not. The SEC is not only looking at Facebook before this investment but they're also looking at Twitter investments, and Twitter -- investments in LinkedIn, investments in a company called Zynga. There's really become this hot secondary market for all sorts of pre-IPO Internet companies.
RAY SUAREZ: Earlier in the just past decade, Rupert Murdoch bought MySpace for what was then considered a phenomenal amount of money.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Right.
RAY SUAREZ: And it was given a very gaudy valuation at the time. And I don't think anybody thinks it's worth that today.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Right.
RAY SUAREZ: How do we know this isn't just another MySpace?
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: You know, it may be another MySpace. I should tell you Goldman Sachs, whatever you think of their brand and credibility, they bought into a company called Webvan. I don't know if you remember that from the late '90s. It also doesn't exist today.
So, not all their investments work out. But I do think that Facebook has more value than -- than some people are ascribing to it. They are a profitable company. And they're making $2 billion, with a B, in revenue. And, more importantly, their tentacles are everywhere. Because they have an -- almost an e-mail service, and because they're so ubiquitous, and people are on so tied into it, there's a real question actually as to whether a competitor, you know, two guys in a garage, can actually start something new that somehow usurps Facebook all over again.
RAY SUAREZ: Well, if Goldman Sachs is right about what Facebook is worth, Mark Zuckerberg, its founder, is worth $14 billion.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Today is J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday
from Biographical summary at "Writer's Almanac" (Garrison Keillor list serv / Minnesota Public Radio)
It's the birthday of the man who said, 'All that is gold does not glitter; not all those that wander are lost,' the man called 'the father of modern fantasy,' the writer John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, J.R.R. Tolkien, born in Bloemfontein, South Africa (1892).
Tolkien went to Oxford, and he studied philology, the study of the origin of languages. He became fluent in many ancient European languages, including Classical Greek, Old Norse, Old English, medieval Welsh and Anglo-Saxon. He became a teacher at Oxford, and he invented his most ambitious language, composed entirely of his own alphabet, sounds, and structure. And that was the language High Elvish, spoken by elves. He spent 12 years writing a book that incorporated that language. He said he wrote this new book 'to provide a world for the language.' He said, 'I should have preferred to write the entire book in Elvish.' But it was in English, and it was The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien intended it to be one book in three parts, but it was published in three volumes -- The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), The Two Towers (1954), and The Return of the King (1955).
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, 'I wish life was not so short. Languages take such a time, and so do all the things one wants to know about.'
It's the birthday of the man who said, 'All that is gold does not glitter; not all those that wander are lost,' the man called 'the father of modern fantasy,' the writer John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, J.R.R. Tolkien, born in Bloemfontein, South Africa (1892).
Tolkien went to Oxford, and he studied philology, the study of the origin of languages. He became fluent in many ancient European languages, including Classical Greek, Old Norse, Old English, medieval Welsh and Anglo-Saxon. He became a teacher at Oxford, and he invented his most ambitious language, composed entirely of his own alphabet, sounds, and structure. And that was the language High Elvish, spoken by elves. He spent 12 years writing a book that incorporated that language. He said he wrote this new book 'to provide a world for the language.' He said, 'I should have preferred to write the entire book in Elvish.' But it was in English, and it was The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien intended it to be one book in three parts, but it was published in three volumes -- The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), The Two Towers (1954), and The Return of the King (1955).
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, 'I wish life was not so short. Languages take such a time, and so do all the things one wants to know about.'
Sunday, January 2, 2011
"Austerity" -- Merriam-Webster WORD of the YEAR (2010)
Reflecting the grim state of the global economy, "austerity" tops the list of Merriam-Webster's Top Ten Words of the year for 2010.
The language-reference publisher compiles the list each year according to the volume of user-lookups at Merriam-Webster.com in response to current events and conditions.
Merriam-Webster defines austerity as "enforced or extreme economy" and says lookups for the word peaked dramatically during the year because of global economic conditions and the debt crises in Europe.
"Austerity clearly resonates with many people," said Peter Sokolowski, editor at large at Merriam-Webster, who monitors online dictionary searches. "We often hear it used in the context of government measures, but we also apply it to our own personal finances and what is sometimes called the new normal."
Here's the full list:
1. austerity
3. moratorium
4. socialism
5. bigot
6. doppelganger
7. shellacking
8. ebullient
9. dissident
10. furtive
The language-reference publisher compiles the list each year according to the volume of user-lookups at Merriam-Webster.com in response to current events and conditions.
Merriam-Webster defines austerity as "enforced or extreme economy" and says lookups for the word peaked dramatically during the year because of global economic conditions and the debt crises in Europe.
"Austerity clearly resonates with many people," said Peter Sokolowski, editor at large at Merriam-Webster, who monitors online dictionary searches. "We often hear it used in the context of government measures, but we also apply it to our own personal finances and what is sometimes called the new normal."
Here's the full list:
1. austerity
3. moratorium
4. socialism
5. bigot
6. doppelganger
7. shellacking
8. ebullient
9. dissident
10. furtive
Five Spiritual Questions for the brand new year -- 2011 -- from Blogger here at Google
All 5 of these have been trending up on Google Trends for the past 2-3 years. I hope you will encourage your friends to "explore God" in 2011! Here are 5 questions that will make a good starting point.
1.What is Truth? There is a huge debate about absolute truth vs. relativism. Our culture embraces "tolerance" which typically means, "there is no absolute truth." But is there any absolute truth? And if there is, can you know it?
2.Is There a God? This takes us back to the origin of man and the universe. Where did it all come from? And if there is a God, where is this all heading?
3.What is My Relationship with God? If a person concludes that truly there is a God, then this is the next logical question! There is increasing interest in knowing how to have a meaningful relationship with God.
4.What is My Purpose in Life? If there is an almighty, creator God, and if He wants a relationship with me, that leads me to the question "Why?" Why would this almighty God want a relationship with me? What's the purpose of this relationship & of my life?
5.What Happens When I Die? As people face the threats and the fears of our day, they come to terms with their mortality. As we come to terms with our mortality, this is the big question!
Blogger is Glenn Smith, founder of New Church Initiatives
http://nciglobal.blogspot.com/2011/01/exploring-god-in-new-year-5-questions.html
1.What is Truth? There is a huge debate about absolute truth vs. relativism. Our culture embraces "tolerance" which typically means, "there is no absolute truth." But is there any absolute truth? And if there is, can you know it?
2.Is There a God? This takes us back to the origin of man and the universe. Where did it all come from? And if there is a God, where is this all heading?
3.What is My Relationship with God? If a person concludes that truly there is a God, then this is the next logical question! There is increasing interest in knowing how to have a meaningful relationship with God.
4.What is My Purpose in Life? If there is an almighty, creator God, and if He wants a relationship with me, that leads me to the question "Why?" Why would this almighty God want a relationship with me? What's the purpose of this relationship & of my life?
5.What Happens When I Die? As people face the threats and the fears of our day, they come to terms with their mortality. As we come to terms with our mortality, this is the big question!
Blogger is Glenn Smith, founder of New Church Initiatives
http://nciglobal.blogspot.com/2011/01/exploring-god-in-new-year-5-questions.html
Is repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell" proceeding for 2011? -- from blog information
from a daily list serv (SCOTUS Blog dot-com) -- Supreme Court OF the U.S.
http://www.scotusblog.com/2011/01/delay-sought-on-gay-appeal/
Posted: 01 Jan 2011 mid-afternoon
The Obama Administration has asked the Ninth Circuit Court to put on hold, for 90 days or more, its review of the constitutionality of the 1993 federal law that bars gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. In a motion filed Wednesday Dec. 29, 2010, Justice Department lawyers said the Pentagon needs time to implement the new law that will repeal the ban but not immediately.
The Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group that persuaded a federal judge in California to rule that the law is unconstitutional, will oppose any delay of the Circuit Court’s review, the government motion said. Earlier, after President Obama signed the repeal measure into law, the Log Cabin Republicans said they would press on with their case until the policy has in fact come to an end, and no more gays or lesbians face discharge from the services.
http://www.logcabin.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=nsKSL7PMLpF&b=6420733&ct=8984259
http://www.scotusblog.com/2011/01/delay-sought-on-gay-appeal/
Posted: 01 Jan 2011 mid-afternoon
The Obama Administration has asked the Ninth Circuit Court to put on hold, for 90 days or more, its review of the constitutionality of the 1993 federal law that bars gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. In a motion filed Wednesday Dec. 29, 2010, Justice Department lawyers said the Pentagon needs time to implement the new law that will repeal the ban but not immediately.
The Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group that persuaded a federal judge in California to rule that the law is unconstitutional, will oppose any delay of the Circuit Court’s review, the government motion said. Earlier, after President Obama signed the repeal measure into law, the Log Cabin Republicans said they would press on with their case until the policy has in fact come to an end, and no more gays or lesbians face discharge from the services.
http://www.logcabin.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=nsKSL7PMLpF&b=6420733&ct=8984259
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Governor sworn in / Inaugural address excerpt-quotes
from M-LIVE coverage (1/1/11)
Richard Dale Snyder, the Ann Arbor business investor who goes by Rick and introduced himself a year ago as "one tough nerd," is now Michigan's 48th governor.
"Thank you for your confidence in making me your next governor. I'm truly honored to be able to serve," he said after taking the oath of office from Michigan Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Kelly on the east steps of the Capitol.
His wife, Sue Snyder, held the Bible. As siblings Jeff and Melissa looked on, daughter Kelsey led the Pledge of Allegiance for an audience of hundreds, assorted dignitaries, office holders and regular folks assembled on the Capitol lawn under blue skies.
Snyder's inauguration speech borrowed many of the same themes that propelled his run for governor. Michigan may be down, but is not out if its residents and political leaders park their differences at the door and agree to explore what he calls common sense solutions to get the state back on track.
"Many of us will have to make sacrifices in the short term to move us all forward in long term," Snyder said. "To move forward we have to include everyone. . . The reinvention of Michigan must not leave anyone behind."
The 52-year-old Republican ran as a moderate pragmatist in a time of increasing partisanship in state government. He asked that residents to view themselves less as inhabitants of a particular region or affiliates of a political party and more as "Michiganders" unified around an optimistic belief that Michigan can do better.
"We have spent too much time fighting among ourselves and have become our own worst enemy," Snyder said. "I have been hired to ... move us all forward together."
Snyder thanked outgoing Gov. Jennifer Granholm for attending Saturday and said he wished to celebrate the projects that began successfully during her term.
Richard Dale Snyder, the Ann Arbor business investor who goes by Rick and introduced himself a year ago as "one tough nerd," is now Michigan's 48th governor.
"Thank you for your confidence in making me your next governor. I'm truly honored to be able to serve," he said after taking the oath of office from Michigan Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Kelly on the east steps of the Capitol.
His wife, Sue Snyder, held the Bible. As siblings Jeff and Melissa looked on, daughter Kelsey led the Pledge of Allegiance for an audience of hundreds, assorted dignitaries, office holders and regular folks assembled on the Capitol lawn under blue skies.
Snyder's inauguration speech borrowed many of the same themes that propelled his run for governor. Michigan may be down, but is not out if its residents and political leaders park their differences at the door and agree to explore what he calls common sense solutions to get the state back on track.
"Many of us will have to make sacrifices in the short term to move us all forward in long term," Snyder said. "To move forward we have to include everyone. . . The reinvention of Michigan must not leave anyone behind."
The 52-year-old Republican ran as a moderate pragmatist in a time of increasing partisanship in state government. He asked that residents to view themselves less as inhabitants of a particular region or affiliates of a political party and more as "Michiganders" unified around an optimistic belief that Michigan can do better.
"We have spent too much time fighting among ourselves and have become our own worst enemy," Snyder said. "I have been hired to ... move us all forward together."
Snyder thanked outgoing Gov. Jennifer Granholm for attending Saturday and said he wished to celebrate the projects that began successfully during her term.
Today (New Year's Day) dates back to 2,000 B.C. - ancient Babylonians
credit to Writer's Almanac (Minnesota Public Radio, Garrison Keillor)
Today is New Year's Day. Various New Year traditions have been celebrated for a long time -- the earliest recorded celebration was in about 2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia, where the new year was celebrated in mid-March, around the time of the vernal equinox. Iranians and Balinese still celebrate the new year with the spring equinox. The Chinese New Year is based around the lunar cycles, and it can fall between late January and late February. In Europe, the Celtic New Year began on November 1st, after the harvest.
The first time that New Year's Day was celebrated on January 1st was in 45 B.C., when Caesar redid the Roman calendar. He based it on the sun instead of the moon (like the Egyptians), added some days to the year, and declared every January 1st the start of the new year. But Caesar had subtly miscalculated the length of the solar year, and declared an extra day in February every four years, which turned out to be slightly too often, so that by the Middle Ages the calendar was about 10 days off. It wasn't until the 1570s that the calendar was finally refined with leap years in the correct places, and since then, January 1st has been celebrated as New Year's Day.
Today is New Year's Day. Various New Year traditions have been celebrated for a long time -- the earliest recorded celebration was in about 2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia, where the new year was celebrated in mid-March, around the time of the vernal equinox. Iranians and Balinese still celebrate the new year with the spring equinox. The Chinese New Year is based around the lunar cycles, and it can fall between late January and late February. In Europe, the Celtic New Year began on November 1st, after the harvest.
The first time that New Year's Day was celebrated on January 1st was in 45 B.C., when Caesar redid the Roman calendar. He based it on the sun instead of the moon (like the Egyptians), added some days to the year, and declared every January 1st the start of the new year. But Caesar had subtly miscalculated the length of the solar year, and declared an extra day in February every four years, which turned out to be slightly too often, so that by the Middle Ages the calendar was about 10 days off. It wasn't until the 1570s that the calendar was finally refined with leap years in the correct places, and since then, January 1st has been celebrated as New Year's Day.
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