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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 8, 2012 17:43:36 GMT -5
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 9, 2012 20:48:33 GMT -5
German-American Heritage Month
Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 283rd day of 2012 with 82 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 7:08 p.m., it's fair , temp 59ºF [Feels like 59ºF], winds S @ 5 mph, humidity 78%, pressure 30.08 in and steady, dew point 52ºF, chance of precipitation 10%. Sunset: 6:42 p.m.
Today in History: 1514--Mary Tudor (18 year-old sister of Henry VIII) married Louis XII (52 year-old King of France) much against her own wishes. 1604--SN 1604 (Kepler's Supernova) which occurred in our galazy about 20,000 light-years from Earth, was first discovered. 1635--Roger Williams, religious dissident and founder of Rhode Island, was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 1701--The Collegiate School of Connecticut – later Yale University – was chartered in New Haven. 1709--Barbara Palmer (nee Villiers). Duchess of Cleveland and mistress to Charles II, died. 1775--Lord Dartmouth, secretary of state for the Amercan colonies, ordered Gen.Sir William Howe to send officers stationed in Boston to North Carolina to assist in the southern campaign. 1776--a group of Spanish missionaries settled in present-day San Francisco. 1799--HMS Lutine sank during a storm while carrying about 1,200,000 GBP in bullion and coin from Yarmouth to Cuxhaven. 1835--Camille Saint-Saens, French composer, was born; died 1921 at age 86. 1864--Union cavalry defeated the Rebels at the Battle of Tom's Brook in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. 1888--the public was first admitted to the Washington Monument. 1899--Bruce Catton, the American writer and historian known for his books about the Civil War, was born.; died 1978 at age 78. 1930--Laura Ingalls became the first woman to fly across the US as she completed a nine-stop journey from Roosevelt Field in New York to Glendale, Calif. 1934--Alexander I of Yugoslavia was assassinated by Vlado Chernozemski (a Bulgarian revoltionary) who was killed himself immediately afterwards. 1936--Hoover Dam began transmitting electricity to Los Angeles. 1940--St. Paul's Cathedral was bombed by the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britainl 1942--Roger "The Terrible" Touhy, a Chicago bootlegger, escaped from Illinois' Stateville Prison, 1934--the St Louis Cardinals' Gashouse Gang won the World Series beating the Detroit Tigers. 1946--the Eugene O'Neill drama The Iceman Cometh opened on Broadway. 1958--Pope Pius XII died at age 82. 1963--a landslide killed more than 2,000 in Italy when it caused a massive wave of water to overwhelm a dam. 1967--Argentine socialist revolutionary and guerilla leader Che Guevara, age 39, was executed by the Bolivian army. 1969--the National Guard was used to break up protests against the Vietnam Conflict at home. 1970--the infamous Khmer Republic was proclaimed in Cambodia. 1974--German businessman Oskar Schindler, credited with saving 1,200 Jews from the Holocaust, died at the age of 66. 1975--Andrei Sakharov, the Soviet physicist who helped build the USSR's first hydrogen bomb, iwa awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in recognition of his struggle against "the abuse of power and violations of human dignity in all its forms. 1976--the Disco/Classical hybrid "A Fifth Of Beethoven" was the #1 song on the U.S. pop charts. 1985--the hijackers of the Achille Lauro cruise liner surrendered after the ship arrived in Port Said, Egypt. 1986--The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber premiered at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. 1992--a meteorite crashed ithrough a Chevy Malibu in Peekskill, NY into the driveway below. 1995--an Amtrak derailment in the southwest Arizona desert was responsible for injuring over 100 people and killing at least one person. 2001--letters postmarked in Trenton, NJ, that later tested positive for anthrax spores were mailed to Sens. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. 2006--North Korea announced that it had conducted its first nuclear weapons test. 2006--Google Inc. announced it was snapping up YouTube Inc. for $1.65 billion in a stock deal. 2009--Pres. Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in hope. 2009--LCROSS Centaur and its Shepherding Spacecraft impacted successfuly with the moon. 2010--Chile's 33 trapped miners cheered and embraced each other as a drill punched into their underground chamber where they had been stuck for an agonizing 66 days.
World News Capsules: 1. Radicalism prompts warnings in France ....News of police raids in France aimed at young extremist Muslims added to the anxieties of French Jews and Muslims worried about the expansion of radical Islam. 2. Greek leader greets Merkel as protestss rage in streets
....Greek authorities sought to shield Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany from protesters angered by painful austerity measures during a visit to Athens aimed at showing solidarity with the country 3. India's embrace of foreign retailers
....Those younger than 25 seem eager to try foreign brands, while many older Indians say they are not entirely comfortable with big-box stores and sprawling malls. 4. Strict new procedures for Iran currency trading after protest ....The police moved to arrest unlicensed currency dealers and increase patrols in Tehran to prevent unofficial trading from disrupting new official exchange rates for Iran's currency, the rial. 5. Mexican Navy says it may have killed wanted drug lord ....The navy said it was conducting forensic tests to identify two men killed on Sunday, one bearing "strong signs" of being Heriberto Lazcano, the leader of the Zetas criminal group. The death of Heriberto Lazcano, known as El Lazca, was confirmed through fingerprint analysis, the navy said. But in an odd twist, the corpse was quickly stolen. 6. High court in Philippines suspends contentious internet law ....The Supreme Court of the Philippines on Tuesday suspended a new Internet law that critics had said could lead to imprisonment for sharing posts on social media.. 7. Teenage school activist survives attack by Taliban
....Malala Yousafzai, 14, an advocate for the education of girls in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, was shot in the head. 8. South Africa has a black "idol." The surprise is that it's a first
....In South Africa, nothing, not even a singing competition, escapes examination under a powerful racial lens. After eight seasons, “Idols SA,” the South African version of “American Idol,” has crowned its first black pop idol — one who represents 80 percent of the country’s population. 9. Qaida-linked group claims responsibility for Syrian blasts ....The Nusra Front for the People of the Levant, a group Western intelligence officials have linked to Al Qaeda, said its bombers struck a government compound on the outskirts of Damascus overnight. 10. Chavez calls for unity after victory in Venezuela ....But Pres. Hugo Chávez appeared unlikely to grant concessions to the opposition, despite its best showing against him.
US News Capsules: 1. Opposition as aquarium seeks import of whales
....Marine parks say the imports are needed for breeding and research, but approval would end an import hiatus of nearly two decades. 2. Attention disorder or not, pills to help in school
....Drugs that normally are used to increase focus are used in some cases simply to improve performance at school. 3. Race and college admissions, facing a test by justices ....This week, the Supreme Court is to hear the case of Abigail Fisher, who said she was rejected by a university because she is white, drawing new attention to affirmative action's constitutionality. 4. Georgia law requiring proof of legal residency creates licensing backlog ....The law was designed to prevent illegal immigrants from getting professional licenses. It has led to weeks of waiting time. 5. Redefining medicine with apps and iPads
....Technology has given clinicians new tools to diagnose symptoms, decide treatments and to share information, changing what it means to be a doctor or a patient. a. Laboratories seek new ways to take a look inside
....A new wave of imaging technologies, driven by the falling cost of computing, is transforming the way doctors can examine patients. 6. Researchers wring hands a US clamps down on death record access ....A shift by the Social Security Administration to limit access to its death records is beginning to slow research, such as assessments of hospital safety and efforts to spot consumer fraud. POLITICS: 1. With new vigor, Romney resets Ohio campaign ....If one place is emerging as a test of Mitt Romney's ability to capitalize on a new dynamic in the presidential race, it is Ohio. 2. New 'Super PACs' alter landscape for House races ....A possibly potent kind of super PAC is proliferating in the closing weeks of the campaign, transforming Congressional races with a barrage of outside money, 3. North Caarolina blacks for Obama, Key in 2008, are uncertain in '12 ....The strong turnout among blacks voting for Barack Obama in 2008 helped turn North Carolina into a blue state for the first time in decades.
Thought for Today "Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names." --John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963) 35th President of the US.
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 10, 2012 17:54:32 GMT -5
Health Literacy Month
Good afternoon from Tuxy and me This is the 284th day of 2012 with 81 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 4:07 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 54ºF [Feels like 54ºF], winds WSW @ 14 mph, humidity 66%, pressure 29.81 in and rising, dew point 43ºF, chance of precipitation 50%.
Today in History: 732--the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France: Frankish leader Charles Martel defeated a Spanish Moorish army, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe. 1775--Sir William Howe was named commander in chief of the British army in the colonies. 1780--Hurricane San Calisto, the Great Hurricane of 1780, the deadliest storm ever recorded, ravaged the West Indies, killing more than 20,000 people. 1845--the US Naval Academy opened in Annapolis, M.d, with 50 midshipmen students and seven professors. 1862--Confederate Gen. John Bankhead Magruder was given command of the Texas-Mississippi Department. 1881--Charles Darwin publishef The Formation of Vegetable Mold Through the Action of Worms that he considered the more important than his The Origin of Species (1859), 1886--the tuxedo dinner jacket made its American debut at the autumn ball in Tuxedo Park, N.Y. 1911--revolutionaries under Sun Yat-sen overthrew China's Manchu dynasty. 1917--Thelonious Monk, the world-renowned American jazz pianist and composer, was born; died 1982 at age 64. 1935--George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, the first great American opera, premiered on Broadway. 1943--Chiang Kai-shek took the oath of office as president of China. 1944--800 Gypsy children were murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz. 1951--Pres. Truman signed the Mutual Security Act, announcing tothat the US was prepared to provide military aid to "free peoples. of the world. 1957--Pres.Eisenhower apologizes to Ghanian Finance Minister, Komla Agbeli Gbdemah, who had been refused service at a restaurant in Dover, Del. 1957--Windscale, a nuclear reactor located in Cumbria, UK, core caught fire releasing radioactive contamination into the surrounding area. 1965--the US 1st Cavalry Division commenced operations in Vietnam. 1966--the Beach Boys released the single "Good Vibrations." 1970--October Crisis in Canada: the Quebec Liberation Front (FLQ) kidnaped Quebec labor minister Pierre Laporte in Montreal. 1970--Fiji became independent after nearly a century of British rule. 1971--London Bridge (sold, dismantled and moved to the US) opened in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 1973--Spiro Agnew became the 1st Vice President to resign in disgrace, being charged with tax evasion and political corruption, while governor of Maryland. 1979--Hockey Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers 1985--U.S. Navy F-14 fighters intercept an Egyptian airliner attempting to fly the Palestinian hijackers of the Achille Lauro to freedom forcing it to land at a NATO base in Sigonella, Sicily. 1985--Orson Welles ,(cademy Award-winning director, writer actor and producer, died from a heart attack at his home in Hollywood, Calif. 1985--Yul Brynner, Russian born actor best known for his portrayal of the Siamese king in the musical The King and I, died from lung cancer. 1991--former US postal worker Joseph Harris shot two former co-workers to death at the post office in Ridgewood, NJ. 1995--Israel freed some 900 Palestinian prisoners and pulled its troops out of four towns as the second phase of the peace plan was implemented on the West Bank. 1997--the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and its coordinator, Jody Williams of Putney, Vt. were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 2001--representatives of 56 Islamic nations, in an emergency meeting on Qatar, condemned the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the US. 2002--the US House of Representatives voted 296-133 to give Pres. Bush broad authority to use military force against Iraq. (The Senate followed suit the next day.) 2002--former Presi. Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East and his commitment to human rights and democratic values around the world. 2003--Iranian lawyer Shurin Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace PRize for her work in promoting democracy and human rights in Iran and beyond., the first Muslim woman to win the award. 2004--quadrapelgiac actor, Christopher Reeve (Superman), died at age 52. 2005--Angela Merkel became Germany's first female chancellor and its first leader from the former Communist east. 2007--a US Foreign Relations Committee resolution labeled as genocide Turkey's killing of some 1.5 million Armenians during World War I. 2008--Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled that gay couples have the right to marry, making it the 3rd state to legalize gay marriages. 2010--JDame oan Sutherland, Australian dramatic coloratura soprano, died in her Switzerland home at age 83 from cardiopulmonary failure.
World News Capsules: 1. China snubs financial meetings in Japan in dispute over islands ....The last-minute cancellation came as a Japanese news agency reported that Tokyo may try to defuse the standoff by officially acknowledging that China also claims the East China Sea islands. a. US sets tariffs on Chinese solar panels ....The Commerce Department issued its final ruling in a long trade dispute, imposing tariffs of 34% to 47%, somewhat higher than those announced by the administration earlier this year. b. Chinese company sets new rhythm in port of Piraeus
....Cosco, a Chinese company, is running its part of the port of Piraeus in a much different way from the way the Greek company nearby operates. Some see it as an example; others see it as a menace. 2. French terror investigators find bomb-making materials ....French police discovered bomb-making materials and weapons during their continuing investigation into a group of young Islamic radicals arrested on Saturday. 3. Germany's central bank escalates dispute over bond buying ....The Bundesbank’s outspoken dissent on the European Central Bank’s bond buying program is becoming an increasing annoyance to Mario Draghi, the E.C.B.’s president. 4. Radical cleric fights extradition from Britain to Jordan ....The preacher, known as Abu Qatada, has been resisting extradition for seven years and has spent long periods in detention or under restriction for more than a decade. a. A mayor with a prime minister in his shadow
....Mayor Boris Johnson of London, the crazy-haired and incorrigible provocateur, is often a thorn in the side of his fellow Conservative Party member, Prime Minister David Cameron. 5. US military is sent to Jordan to help with crisis in Syria ....The United States military has secretly sent a task force to Jordan to help handle a flood of Syrian refugees and be positioned should the turmoil in Syria expand into a wider conflict. a. Jordan struggles to absorb refugees ....The flood of refugees from Syria is straining the limited resources of both the Jordanian government and aid agencies. 6. At hearing on Libya attack that killed envoy, partisan rift ....US House Republicans accused the State Department of shortchanging security at the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. 7. North Korea says a long-range missile test is now more likely ....North Korea said that it felt freer to test a long-range missile now that Washington has agreed to let South Korea nearly triple the reach of its ballistic missiles, putting all of the North within their range. 8. Pakistan erupts in anger over Taliban's shooting of schoolgirl
....Pakistanis from across the political and religious spectrum united in revulsion over the attack on Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl and education rights campaigner. a. Girl shot by Taliban in critical condition after surgery
....Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year-old schoolgirl who was attacked in Pakistan, was expected to be sent abroad for further treatment after undergoing a procedure to remove a bullet. c. Battle eases between Pakistani government and high court ....The two sides came closer to a settlement over the draft of a letter to the authorities in Switzerland that could theoretically revive corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. 9. Moscow court frees one member of punk protest band ....The appellate court upheld the guilty verdict against all three members of (oh you're in trouble now) Riot, but ruled that one of them, Yekaterina Samutsevich, played a far lesser role in the cathedral stunt that led to their convictions. 10. Tensions escalate as Turkey forces down Syrian passenger jet
....Turkey sharply escalated its confrontation with Syria, forcing a Syrian plane to land on suspicion of carrying military cargo and warning of more forceful responses 11. Promoting entrepreneurship in the Gulf Region ....SeedStartup, a venture capital fund and start-up accelerator program, and “The Entrepreneur’' TV show are among efforts to promote entrepreneurship in United Arab Emirates and nearby countries.
US News Capsules: 1. Design as balm for a community's soul
....Tassafaronga Village, a mixed-income development in Oakland, Calif., and the Richardson Apartments for the formerly homeless in San Francisco have created ripples of change in their communities. 2. Number of Protestant Americans is in steep decline, study finds. ....The study also found that nearly one in five Americans identify as atheist, agnostic or "nothing in particular," a seismic shift from 50 years ago. 3. Two American scientists win Nobel Prize in chemistry ....Dr. Robert J. Lefkowitz of Duke University and Dr. Brian K. Kobilka of Stanford University were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on receptors in the body’s cells. 4. One man guides the fight against gay marriage ....In the roiling state-by-state war over same-sex marriage, the campaign against marriage rights has been masterminded largely by Frank Schubert, a former corporate public relations executive. 5. Lawmakers focus on small drugmakers as meningitis death tolll rises ....Lawmakers called for new laws to ensure federal oversight of the type of pharmacy that made the medicine that has so far killed 11 people in a national outbreak of meningitis. 6. A bigger paycheck on Wall Street ....Total compensation rose 4% last year to more than $60 billion - an amount surpassed only by total pay in 2007 and 2008, according to a report. 7. A changed court revisits affirmative action in college admissions
....The US Supreme Court debated the nature and value of diversity in higher education and the role of the courts in policing how much weight admissions officers may assign to race. 8. Three drugs to be tested for use in preventing Alzheimer's
....Three studies are starting early next year with the same goal: finding a way to head off the disease with early intervention. POLITICS: 1. As Romney repeates trade message, Bain maintains China ties ....Mitt Romney has kept up his criticism of China even as the equity firm he co-founded, Bain Capital, maintains its China-related holdings. 2. Fiscal clifff may be felt gradually, analyst say ....If Congress fails to act, spending cuts and tax increases large enough to throw the country back into recession will hit. The impact would be powerful but gradual. 3. Networks like split-screens in debates, even if the candidates don't ....Campaigns have had limited success trying to control how television networks show their candidates during debates, especially in split-screen and reaction shots. 4. Schumer shakes up deficit talks with call to raise taxes on the rich ....Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) criticized a proposal to lower top tax rates but still raise revenue, complicating efforts to reach a deficit-reduction deal before January’s “fiscal cliff” takes effect. 5. Before hearings on Libya attack, charges of playing politics ....Members of the House committee investigating the attacks that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens accused one another of exploiting the violence to score partisan political points.
Thought for Today "Everything is vague to a degree you do not realize till you have tried to make it precise. " --Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English philosopher
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 12, 2012 20:07:40 GMT -5
National Clock Month Good afternoon from Tuxy and me This is the 286th day of 2012 with 79 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 8:37 p.m., it's mostly cloudy , temp 38ºF [Feels like 38ºF], winds WSW @ 6 mph, humidity 57%, pressure 30.40 in and rising, dew point 24ºF, chance of precipitation 10%.
Today in History: 1216-http://www.kathrynrblake.com/images/153_Lost_Treasure_of_King_John-1216_10-12.jpg-King John of England's Royal Treasure was lost in The Wash, a square-mouthed estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia. 1492--Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sighted a Bahamian island, believing he has reached East Asia. 1537--Edward VI, King of England (1547-53) succeeding his father Henry VIII, was born; died 1553 at age 15. 1654--Delft Explosion occurred when a gunpowder store exploded destroying much of the city of Delft and killing over 100 people. 1776--British troops headed up the East River in New York. 1810--the German festival Oktoberfest was first held in Munich to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. 1822--Pedro (Peter) I of Brazil was proclaimed as the first emperor of Brazil/ 1860--Elmer Sperry, inventor best known for perfecting the use of gyroscopes, was born; died 1930 at age 69. 1870--Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of NOrthern Virginia and a Confederate leader, died in Lexington, Va., at age 63. 1891--(St.) Edith Stein, a German scholar and Carmelite nun; executed by Nazis because of her Jewish background, was born; died 1942 at age 50. 1915--British nurse Edith Cavell was executed by a German firing squad in Brussels for helping Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. 1918--a massive forest fire rages through Minnesota, killing 100s of people and leaving 1000s homeless, burning at least 1,500 square miles. 1928--the iron lung (invented by Philip Drinker and Louis Shaw) was first used in Boston Children's Hospital. 1945--Pfc. Desmond T. Doss was presented the Congressional Medal of Honor for outstanding bravery as a medical corpsman, the first conscientious objector in American history to receive the nation's highest military award. 1960--Nikita Khrushchev removed his shoe and pounded a table in protest at an anti-Soviet speech at the United Nations. 1960--Inejiro Asanuma, politican head of the Japanese Socialist Party; was assassinated on live TV by 17-year-old Otoya Yamaguchi. 1962--the Columbus Day Storm (an extratropical wave cyclone) struck the Pacific Northwest with record wind velocities leaving 46 dead. 1964--the Soviet Union launched Voskhod 1 with cosmonauts Vladamir Komarov, Konstantin Feoktistov, and Boris Yegorov aboard, the first spacecraft to carry a multi-person crew. 1967--Dean Rusk criticized congressional proposals for peace initiatives, while fighting continues in South Vietnam. 1968--susala's favorite actor, Hugh Jackman. turns 44. 1970--Pres. Nixon announced another round of troop withdrawals from Vietnam. 1971--Jesus Christ Superstar, a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, opened on Broadway. 1972--forty six sailors are injured in a race riot involving more than 100 sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk enroute to her station in the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam. 1973--Pres. Nixon nominated House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford, R-Mich., to succeed Spiro T. Agnew as vice president. 1984--British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher escaped an attempt on her life when an Irish Republican Army bomb exploded at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England, killing five people. 1986--talks between Pres. Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland, ended in stalemate. 1994--the Magellan Probe descended into the thick atmosphere of Venus causing NASA to lose contact with it. 1998--gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard died five days after he was beaten, robbed and left tied to a wooden fence post outside of Laramie. 1999--the Day of Six Billion is a day designated by the UN Population Fund where the world population reached six billion. 1999--Pakistan's military overthrew the democratically-elected government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. 2000--two al-Qaida suicide bombers in an explosives-laden boat rammed into the destroyer the USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 sailors. 2002--a bomb destroyed a nightclub on the mainly Hindu island of Bali, killing 202 people by Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida. 2007--former Vice Pres. Al Gore and the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the Nobel Peace Prize for sounding the alarm over global warming with An Inconvenient Truth. 2011--Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian al-Qaida operative, pleaded guilty to trying to bring down a jetliner with a bomb in his underwear and was later sentenced to life in prison. 2012--the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
World News Capsules: 1. Seven British Royal Marines investigated in Afghan killing ....Authorities in London said seven members of the Royal Marines military unit had been arrested on suspicion of murder after “an engagement with an insurgent” in Afghanistan last year. 2. After fury over 2010 Peace Prize, China embraces Nobel literature selection ....China erupted in something close to a national celebration for the writer Mo Yan, just two years after the government condemned a Nobel Peace Prize for the dissident Liu Xiaobo. a. Chinese Nobel winner calls for dissident's release ....Mo Yan, the new Nobel laureate, stepped into a political minefield over Liu Xiaobo, 2010’s peace prize winner. b. New details of how wife of Chinese politician thought she was poisoned ....Gu Kailai, the wife of Bo Xilai, the disgraced politician, was told by a doctor that she had been ingesting poison that someone had slipped into herbal capsules, a lawyer said. c. China and Japan say they held talks about island dispute that has frayed relations ....A senior Chinese diplomat visited Tokyo this week to hold talks aimed at defusing tensions between Japan and China over a group of disputed islands, a Japanese official said. 3. Nobel Peace Prize for European Union, mired in crisis
....The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored the European Union’s role over six decades in reconciling former enemies, even as the region faces economic strife. a. Some Norwegians dismayed over Nobel Peace Prize for EU
....The Socialist Left Party accused the Nobel committee’s chairman, a longtime advocate of Norway joining the European Union, of playing politics by honoring the body. b. A third weapon to save the euro ....The president of the European Council has proposed creating a separate budget for the euro zone, perhaps equipped with a central treasury and borrowing powers. 4. In Haiti, little can be found of a hip-hop artist's charity
....The charity created by Wyclef Jean, the Haitian-born hip-hop celebrity, effectively went out of business last month, leaving a trail of debts, unfinished projects and broken promises with an examination of the charity indicating that millions in donations for earthquake victims went to the organization, not the country. 5. The West's stalwart ally in the war on drugs: Iran (Yes, THAT Iran)
....Iranian forces are seizing the highest amounts of opiates and heroin worldwide, a United Nations report says. 6. Japan power company admits failings on plant precautions ....Tepco, whose Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant suffered meltdowns after the tsunami last year, says it failed to take stronger preventive measures for fear of lawsuits or setting off safety concerns. 7. Hezbollah says it flew Iranian-designed drone into Israel ....The Lebanese militant group said the drone, which was shot down by Israeli forces, had been designed in Iran and assembled by Hezbollah experts in Lebanon. 8. Libya attack gains stem as issue in race for US presidency ....Mitt Romney’s campaign accused Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. of trying “to mislead the American public” in remarks about the Benghazi episode during the debate. 9. Fear grows as Mali extremists compile list of unwed mothers
....Radical Islamists are compiling a list of unmarried mothers in northern Mali, raising fears of cruel punishments such as stoning, amputations and executions, a senior UN official said. 10. Taliban reiterate vow to kill Pakistani girl
....The Pakistan police said they had made several arrests in the shooting of the teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai, but the Taliban said she would be targeted again. a. Next two days crucial for Pakistani teen activist's recovery ....The recovery of a 14-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot in the neck and now breathes on a ventilator hinges on what happens over the next two days, b. Pakistani teenager in hiding after blasphemy accusation, police say ....Police in the port city of Karachi opened a case against a Christian teenager, Ryan Stanten, after a mob ransacked his home over a rumor that he had sent blasphemous messages. 11. Russia says impounded Syrian plane had radar gear
....The statement comes a day after Turkish officials said they had found Russian munitions in a jetliner forced to land in Turkey. a. Masked men attack crowd at a gay bar in Moscow ....Two dozen masked men stormed one of the city’s most popular gay bars early Thursday and beat patrons — most of them women — with fists and bottles. 12. South Korean official warns of 'existential threat' from north ....A senior South Korean policy maker said that it must be assumed that Pyongyang has the capacity to mount a nuclear device on a ballistic missile. 13. Turkish premier says Russian munitions were found on Syrian jet ....Turkey's prime minister said a Syrian plane forced to land in Ankara contained equipment and ammunition.
US News Capsules: 1. Tribes add potent voice against plan for northwest coal terminals ....American Indians, citing possible injury to fishing rights and religious and sacred sites, have joined environmental groups and politicians in opposing a plan for six export terminals. 2. Panetta warns of dire threat of cyberattack on US ...Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta warned that the US was facing the possibility of a "cyber-Pearl Harbor" and was increasingly vulnerable to foreign computer hackers. 3. New Orleans limits hurricane-themed excursions ....City officials have put some streets in the hurricane-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward off limits to tour buses. 4. Before a wave of meningitis, shots were tied to risks ....Injections of steroids near the spine have been linked to other rare but devastating complications, including nerve damage, paralysis and strokes. 5. Drafting antitrust case, FTC raises pressure on Google
(Jon Leibowitz, chairman, FTC) ....For investigators preparing a recommendation that the government sue, a main line of inquiry has been whether Google has manipulated its search results to favor its products. 6. Last-Dietch bid in Texas to try to stop oil pipeline
....Environmentalists have taken to treetops in Winnsboro, Tex., to try to block bulldozers building the southern leg of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. 7. Oakland sues US to prevent closing of marijuana dispensary ....The city is trying to prevent the Department of Justice from seizing property leased to Harborside Health Center, the largest medical marijuana dispensary in the country. 8. Sociologist's paper raises questions on role of faith in scholarship ....The case of sociologist Mark Regnerus, an outspoken Christian who was criticized over a paper suggesting that children raised by gay parents fared poorly, raises the question of whether faith shapes scholarship. 9. US struggles to rescue green program hit by fraud ....A federal program intended to promote biodiesel through renewable energy credits has attracted counterfeiters and is hurting the market for smaller biodiesel producers. 10. Dismembered body identified as missing Colorado girl
....Law enforcement is shifting focus from a search for 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway to a manhunt for the unknown "predator" officers say abducted and killed her. POLITICS: 1. Biden and Ryan quarrel aggressively in debate, offering contrasts
....Vice Pres. Biden and Rep. Ryan engaged in a fluent and combative exchange over the Obama administration's handling of foreign affairs and the nation's economic recovery. a. On foreign policy, rivals differing instyle but often similar in substance ....Rep. Ryan asserted that the Obama administration’s foreign policy was “unraveling,” while Vice Pres. Biden repeatedly demanded that Mr. Ryan explain what a Romney administration would do differently. 2. New front in campaign as GOP seizes on Libya attack
....Mitt Romney’s campaign accused Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. of trying “to mislead the American public” in remarks about the Benghazi episode during the debate. 4. A feisty debate crystallizes differences in tight Massachusetts race ....Elizabeth Warren and Senator Scott P. Brown kept the pressure on each other throughout an hourlong debate Wednesday night in Springfield.
Thought for Today "It is cruel to discover one's mediocrity only when it is too late." --W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), English author.
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 14, 2012 2:51:18 GMT -5
Right-Brainers Rule Month
Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 287th day of 2012 with 78 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 5:17 p.m., it's mostly cloudy , temp 50ºF [Feels like 50ºF], winds SSE @ 9 mph, humidity 38%, pressure 30.26 in and falling, dew point 25ºF, chance of precipitation 10%.
Today in History: 54--Roman emperor Claudius I died after eating poisoned mushrooms given to him by his wife, the Empress Agrippina, and was succeeded by Nero as emperor of Rome. 1307--100s of Knights Templar in France were arrested by agents of King Philip IV the Fair and their property seized to be later tortured into admitting heresy. 1754--Molly Pitcher, American Revolutionary heroine, was born; died 1832 at age 77. 1773--the Whirlpool Galaxy was discovered by Charles Messier. 1775--the Continental Congress authorized the establishment of the Continental Navy, later renamed the US Navy. 1792-- the cornerstone was laid for a presidential residence in the newly designated capital city of Washington. 1812--British and Indian forces under Sir Isaac Brock defeated an Americans force at the Battle of Queenstown Heights, Ontario, ending any further U.S. invasion of Canada. 1815--Joachim Murat, cavalry leader and one of Napoleon's most famous marshals, who became king of Naples in 1808, was captured and shot after trying to re-capture Naples. 1843--B'nai B'rith, the oldest Jewish service organization in the world, was founded in New York City. 1845--Texans ratified a state constitution and approved US annexation. 1863--Ohio voters rejected Copperhead leader Clement Vallandigham as governor of their state. 1884--Greenwich, England was established as the universal time meridian of longitude from which standard times throughout the world are calculated. 1885--Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) was founded. 1903--the Boston Americans beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 to win the first World Series five games to three. 1917--The Miracle of the Sun was a reported miraculous event witnessed by as many as 100,000 people in Fatima, Portugal. 1925--Margaret Thatcher, Former British prime minister and the only woman to hold that office, turns 87. 1943--26-year-old poet Robert Lowell was sentenced to jail for a year for evading the draft, objecting to saturation bombing in Europe and other Allied tactics. 1943--Italy declared war on Germany, its one-time Axis partner. 1950--James Stewart starred in Harvey, a drama about an eccentric man whose best friend is a giant invisible rabbit. 1957--The Amazing Colossal Man, a popular sci-fi film, reflected America's ambivalence about nuclear weapons. 1960--Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy participated in the 3rd televised debate, with Nixon in Hollywood, Calif., and Kennedy in New York. 1960--the World Series ended with a home run for the first time as Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a round-tripper in the ninth inning of Game 7 against the New York Yankees. 1962--Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee, 34, opened on Broadway. 1963--Beatlemania hit the London Palladium as the rock group the Beatles made their first major televsion show appearance on the BBC. 1966--Defense Secretary Robert McNamara claimed that the Vietnam war was progressing satisfactorily. 1972--Uruguayan AF Flight 571 crashed in the Andes Mountains with 45 people and by the time they were rescued in Dec only 16 survived. 1974--Ed Sullivan, an American gossip columnist and television host, died of esophogeal cancer. 1977--Four Palestinians hijacked a Lufthansa airliner and demand the release of 11 imprisoned members of Germany's Baader-Meinhof terrorist group or the Red Army Faction. 1981--Egyptians voted in a referendum Vice Pres. Hosni Mubarak the new president. 1987--Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize -- the first winner from Central America. 1988--the Shroud of Turin, revered by many Christians as Christ's burial cloth, was shown by carbon-dating tests to be a fake from the Middle Ages. 1988--Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz became the first Arabic-language writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature. 1990--the plaintive echoes of Slavonic chant drifted across Red Square as the first Russian Orthodox service for more than 70 years was held in St. Basil's Cathedral, next to the Kremlin. 1993--the UN Security Council voted to reinstate an oil and arms embargo against Haiti after its military leaders refused to step down as promised. 1994--Northern Ireland's Loyalist terror groups announced a cease-fire to match that from the Irish Republican Army. 1998--the NBA canceled the first two weeks of its regular season because of a lockout. 1999--the Colorado grand jury was dismissed in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case, when prosecutors said there wasn't enough evidence to charge anyone. 1999--the US Senate rejected a treaty that banned underground nuclear testing, but Pres. Clinton pledged to abide by the treaty's provisions. 2004--investigators reported unearthing a mass grave in northern Iraq containing hundreds of bodies of women and children believed killed in the 1980s. 2005--about 128 people were killed in clashes between Islamic militants and law enforcement officers in the southern Russian town of Nalchik. 2005--British playwright Harold Pinter won the Nobel Prize in literature. 2006--the UN General Assembly appointed South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon the next U.N. secretary-general. 2006--Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus, dubbed the banker to the poor, won the Nobel Peace Prize for grassroots efforts to lift millions out of poverty. 2008--US markets surged after European leaders announced plans to shore up their financial systems. 2008--Big Brown, 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner. sustained an injury to a hind hoof while working out for the Breeders's Cup Classic and was retired. 2010-http://www.kathrynrblake.com/images/153_Chilean_Rescue_by_Nasa-2010_10-13-wipe.gif-in a Rescue Capsule designed by NASA engineer Clinton Cragg, rescuers in Chile pulled 33 men one by one to freedom 69 days after they were trapped in a collapsed mine a half-mile underground
World News Capsules: 1. Afghan boys eke living amid peril at gorge
....The war economy touches everybody in Afghanistan and will leave a desperate hole when it is gone — not least for the Pepsi bottle boys, a prime example of how Afghans have fit their lives around America’s military presence. 2. China exports rise, hinting at a glimmer of a revival .....Strengthened exports to the US may increase trade frictions as White House and Politburo contenders engage in political grandstanding. a. Chinese Nobel Prize winner calls for dissident's release ....Mo Yan, the new Nobel laureate for literature, stepped into a political minefield over Liu Xiaobo, 2010’s peace prize winner. 3. Despite Prize, European Union loses much of its appeal as unity eludes continent ....The economic goals that the organization was founded on may not be enough to sustain it in the future, some commentators said. 4. Sex life was 'out of step,' Strauss-Kahn says, but not illegal
....Dominique Strauss-Kahn is seeking to throw out charges in an inquiry into ties to a French prostitution ring, arguing that the authorities are trying to “criminalize lust.” 5. Church's muscle helped propel president's rivals to victory in Georgia ....The elections brought an end to the 8-year dominance of Presi. Mikheil Saakashvili and his team, and their push to introduce Western ways to this conservative society. 6. US rethinks a drug war after deaths in Honduras ....A series of deaths involving a US antidrug program in Honduras show what can go wrong when war tactics are used against a problem that goes well beyond drugs. 7. US suspects Iranians were behind a wave of cyberattacks
....Intelligence officials believe Iran was the origin of network attacks that crippled computers across the Saudi oil industry and breached American financial institutions. 8. Secret Israel-Syria peace talks involved Golan Heights exit ....Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu engaged in secret peace treaty discussions with Syria in 2010, but the Arab Spring intervened, according to an Israeli involved in the talks. a. Israeli ex-soldier recalls captivity under mlitants ....Gilad Shalit said in a rare interview that he feared that if he were left too long, people would lose track of where he was and that his captors “would make me disappear.”. 9. Private security overs as issue after Benghazi, Libya ....Lost amid the election-year wrangling over the embassy attack in Benghazi, Libya, is a complex back story involving regional resentment against American private security contractors. a. Focus was on Tripoli in requests for security in Libya
....Calls to extend the tours of security teams that were denied by the State Department largely concerned the embassy in Tripoli — not Benghazi, the site of a lethal attack. 10. 15 killed in sicide attack in Pakistan ....A suicide bomber exploded his vehicle at an arms bazaar in northwestern Pakistan, killing 16 people and wounding 15, a senior government official said. 11. Fighting for women in the 'dark heaven' of Gaza ....In a male-dominated society, Andalib Adwan Shehada has challenged attitudes toward abuse, rape, honor killing and divorce. a. 'Palestinians go to the polls ....Maysoun Qawasmi leads the first all-woman list of candidates for elective office in the Palestinian territories. 12. Russia says 20 caucasus groups shut down ....The Russian security agency said 20 nongovernmental organizations in Ingushetia were shut for having links to foreign spy agencies, but local groups say none appear to have been closed. 13. Unfulfilled promises are replacing prospects of a better life in South Africa ....Infighting among leaders of the ruling African National Congress has all but paralyzed the government’s response to the country’s economic, social and political issues. 14. In Spain's housing bust, sell-off brings bargains ....Banks sitting on a pile of real estate assets are beginning to slash prices, eager to get out of the business of being landlords. 15. On edge as Syria's war knocks ever harder on the door to Turkey ....A journey through the borderlands found that the slow-boiling resentment over the troubles wrought by Syria's war may be a mere prologue to the danger that lies ahead. 16. Syria's war edges closer to Turkey ....Turkish residents are witnessing one of the gravest concerns about the Syrian conflict: that it would spill over the border and become a regional conflagration a. Turkey faults UN inaction over Syria ....In a sign of escalating frustration in Turkey after days of cross-border shelling with Syria, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out against the United Nations’ inaction in Syria.
US News Capsules: 1, Ex-workers at firm tied to pharmacy had safety fears ....After a deadly meningitis outbreak, some former employees described shortcuts at a drugmaker with many of the same owners as the New England Compounding Center. 2. Space Shuttle Endeavour rolls through Los Angeles[/u] ....The spacecraft attracted a parade atmosphere as it drew crowds during its slow trip through city streets to its retirement at the California Science Center. 3. Turning point for suits over Chinese drywall....1000s of homes were renovated using drywall from China, which is claimed to have emitted troubling odors, caused appliances to not work and brought on health problems. 4. Juvenile killers and life terms: a case in point....A Supreme Court ruling has opened the possibility that juvenile offenders serving life sentences might get a second chance — and reopened old wounds. 5. AFTS: Bending time, bending minds....The directors of Cloud Atlas jiggered puzzles and confronted challenges in bringing David Mitchell’s novel to the screen 6. A grand experiment to rein in climate change....On Jan. 1, California will become the first state in the nation to charge industries across the economy for the greenhouse gases they emit. 7. Seven more cancer scientists quit Texas institute over grants....At least seven more scientists have resigned in protest of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, claiming that the agency is charting a “politically driven” path that puts commercial interests first. 8. Mystery surrounds graves at boys' reform school[/img] ....A small cemetery buried deep into the grounds of a now-defunct boys reform school dates back to the early 1900s. Rusting white steel crosses mark the graves of 31 unidentified former students that a 2009 state investigation said there was no evidence of criminal activity connected with any of them. POLITICS: 1. New front in campaign as GOP seizes on Libya attack....Mitt Romney’s campaign accused Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. of trying “to mislead the American public” in remarks about the Benghazi episode during the debate. 2. Voter registration rolls in 2 states are called vulnerable....Computer security experts have identified vulnerabilities in the voter databases in Maryland and Washington State, raising concerns about the ability of hackers to disenfranchise voters. 3. GOP Senate hopes fade, even as Romney's rise, polls show....The FiveThirtyEight forecast model now gives Republicans just about a 16% chance of winning control of the Senate. This is a precipitous drop from just two months ago. 4. As Massachusetts governor, Romney was often away....Particularly in the last two years of his term, Mitt Romney was often missing from Massachusetts on personal trips or political ones unrelated to his job. 5. Colleges take a leap into voter registration....By incorporating voter sign-up into campus musts like orientation and class registration, universities have taken over work previously handled by outside groups. 6. GOP ticket focuses on crucial Ohio votes....The Republican ticket has all but taken up residence in vital Ohio: Mitt Romney spent four days in the state this week and Representative Paul D. Ryan two, with plans to return Monday Thought for Today"I think that God in creating Man somewhat overestimated his ability." --[/i]Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish playwright
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 15, 2012 20:17:48 GMT -5
International Day of Rural Women Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 289th day of 2012 with 76 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 8:47 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 52ºF [Feels like 52ºF], winds WSW @ 13 mph, humidity 71%, pressure 29.73 in and rising, dew point 43ºF, chance of precipitation 20%.
Today in History: 70 BC--Virgil, Roman poet ("The Aeneid"), was born; died 19 BC at age 48. 1581--commissioned by Catherine De Medici, the "Ballet Comique de la Reine" was staged in Paris., considered to be the first major ballet. 1780--1,000 British regulars, Hessians, Loyalists and Indians, led by Loyalist Sir John Johnson and Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant, tried to attack Middleburgh , NY. 1815--Napoleon, French military and political leader, was exiled by the British to the island of St. Helena. 1863--a Confederate submarine sank during tests. 1880--Chiricahua Apache leader Victorio was killed south of El Paso, Tex. 1892--the US government made the Crow Indians relinquish 1.8 million acres of their reservation for 50 cents per acre, which was then opened to white settlement. 1917--Mata Hari wais executed for espionage by a French firing squad at Vincennes outside of Paris. 1928--the German airship Graf Zeppelin completed its first journey across the Atlantic from Friedrichshafen to Lakehurst, NJ. 1945--Pierre Laval, the puppet leader of Nazi-occupied Vichy France, was executed by firing squad for treason against France. 1946--Herman Goering, commander in chief of the Luftwaffe and Hitler's designated successor, committed suicide hours before he was to have been executed. 1951--the situation comedy I Love Lucy premiered on CBS . 1954--Hurricane Hazel ,the 4th major hurricane of 1954, hammered southern Ontario, Canada, after everywhere from Jamaica to Canada, killing more than 400 people and causing over $1 billion in damages. 1965-- the first public burning of a draft card in the US was staged by student-run National Coordinating Committee to End the War in Vietnam. 1966--Operation Attleboro continued in Tay Ninh Province. 1969--National Moratorium demonstrations by anti-war activists were held across the US. 1970--West Gate Bridge, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, collapsed during construction killing 35 workers. 1976--Democrat Walter F. Mondale and Republican Bob Dole faced off in the first debate between vice-presidential nominees. 1984--astronomers in Pasadena, Calif., displayed the first photographic evidence of another solar system 293 trillion miles from Earth. 1987--Great Storm of 1987 was an unusually strong weather system that became the worst storm to hit England since 1703. 1989--Wayne Gretzky broke Gordie Howe's NHL career scoring record of 1,850 points, during a game with the Edmonton Oilers. 1990--Mikhail Gorbachev won Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending Cold War tensions. 1991--Clarence Thomas was confirmed 52-48 to the Supreme Court by the US Senate. 1992--a man who terrorized the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don for more than a decade with a series of more than 50 grisly killings was sentenced to death. 1993--Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. 1993--the Pentagon censured three US Navy admirals who organized the Tailhook Association convention in 1991 during which scores of women had been subjected to abuse and indignities by junior officers. 1997--Cassini Probe (NASA Fly-by orbiter and lander commissioned to study Saturn and its moons) was launched. 1999--the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the international group Doctors Without Borders. 2001--a package containing a substance believed to be anthrax was opened in the personal office of US Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-SD. 2001--NASA's Galileo Orbiter spacecraft came within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon IO 2002--the Washington-area sniper claimed his ninth fatality, a female FBI analyst, as the massive manhunt continued. 2002--ImClone Systems founder Sam Waksal pleaded guilty in New York in the biotech company's insider trading scandal. 2003--China launches Shenzhou 5 - its first human spaceflight mission. 2004--"Funeral coaches" weere exempted from car-seat law. 2004--the UN said it was getting reports of attacks against internally displaced people in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region where tens of thousands had been killed and 1.6 million others displaced. 2007--Drew Carey debuted as new host of The Price is Right. 2009--a false report that a 6-year-old boy was aboard a runaway balloon in Colorado captivated a global TV audience. (The boy's parents later pleaded guilty to charges they made up the story.)
World News Capsules: 1. Occupy supporters stage protest in London ....Several supporters of the anti-corporate Occupy movement chained themselves to the pulpit of St. Paul's Cathedral to mark the anniversary of its now-dismantled protest camp outside the London landmark. 2. North Koreans see few gains below top tier ...Interviews in China with four North Koreans suggest daily life has not improved under Kim Jong-un for those who fall outside the nation's elite. 3. Malala Yousafzai is sent to Britain for medical treatment
....Ms. Yousafzai, who was shot by Taliban gunmen for advocating for girls' education, will require prolonged care to fully recover physically and psychologically, a military spokesman said. a. Pakisstan offers bounty over shooting ....Pakistan's interior minister offered a $1 million bounty for the Pakistani Taliban's spokesman over the shooting of Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousufzai. 4. Austerity protests are rude awakening in Portugal ....The Portuguese have suddenly joined the swelling ranks of Europe's discontented, following Greece and Spain. 5. Spain may pay price for delying aid requiest ....Economists are warning that waiting to seek aid, and the uncertainty the delay engenders, threatens to push the economy deeper into recession. 6. Rebel arms flow is said to benefit Jihadists in Syria ....Doubt on whether the White House's strategy of minimal and indirect intervention in the Syrian conflict is aiding a democratic-minded opposition. 7. As tension escalates, Turkey issues a ban on all Syrian aircraft
....The announcement followed Syria's ban on Turkish aircraft and became the latest volley in an increasingly aggressive dispute between the two neighbors over Syria's devastating civil war.
US News Capsules: 1. A risky lifeline for seniors is costing some their homes ....Regulators are noting new abuses tied to reverse mortgages, which let people 62 and older borrow money against the value of their homes and not pay it back until they move out or die. 2. 24 miles, 4 minutes and 834 mph, all in one jump
...In a 24-mile jump, Felix Baumgartner, a professional daredevil, became the first sky diver to break the speed of sound. "It was harder than I expected," he said. 3. Christian group finds gay agenda in an anti-bullying day ....The American Family Association is urging parents to keep children home on a day when schools encourage students to eat lunch with someone they don't usually speak to. 4. ACLU to sue Morgan Stanley over mortgage loans
....In a complaint expected to be filed Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union is accusing Morgan Stanley of fueling the production of risky, expensive loans that targeted African-American borrowers. 5. Unique morning show on NPR thrives as others slip ....NPR's "Morning Edition" has one of the most peculiar formats of any morning show on radio or television: its hosts Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne are split between the East Coast and the West. 6. Nobel Prize for economics awarded to two US economists
....Alvin E. Roth of Harvard University and Lloyd Shapley of UCLA have been awarded the Nobel Prize in economics for their work in market design and matching theory, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced. POLITICS: 1. Never to be outdone, Vegas sets record for political ads ....The city, home not just to a closely fought presidential race but to competitive House and Senate races as well, is the epicenter of a nationwide advertising binge. 2. The US Supreme Court to hear case on Arizona voter registration .....The court agreed to decide whether Arizona may require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections. 3. Spoiler alert! GOP fighting Libertarian's spot on the ballot ....Concerned that the Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson could hurt the Romney campaign, Republicans across the country have been working to keep him off the ballot. 4. Most crucial time for candidates may be after the debate ....If Tuesday’s debate is seen as a draw, the winner will be decided in the hours and days after, with perceptions shaped by whichever campaign manages the aftermath more effectively.
Thought for Today "Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth." --Lillian Hellman (1905-1984), playwright,
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 17, 2012 20:34:31 GMT -5
Gaudy Day Good afternoon from Tuxy and me This is the 291st day of 2012 with 74 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 9:27 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 58ºF [Feels like 58ºF], winds SE @ 5 mph, humidity 57%, pressure 29.86 in and falling, dew point 43ºF, chance of precipitation 10%.
Today in History: 1610--Louis XIII of France ascended the throne at age 8 1/2 upon the assassination of his father 1777--British Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered 5,000 British and Hessian troops to American Gen. Horatio Gates at Saratoga, NY. 1814--The Beer Flood of London occurred killing 9 with 8 due to drowning and one due to alcohol poioning. 1835--the resolution formally creating the Texas Rangers was approved by voters. 1864--Confederate Gen. James Longstreet assumed command of his corps in the Army of Northern Virginia after being wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia in May. 1906--Wilhelm Voigt, a 57-year-old German shoemaker, exploited the German army's blind obedience to authority by impersonating an army officer and leading an entire squad of soldiers to help him steal 4,000 marks. 1912--Serbia and Greece declared war on the Ottoman Empire in First Balkan War. 1912--Pope John Paul I, Pope of the Roman Catholic Church (1978), was born; died 1978 at ge 65. 1918--Rita Hayworth, the legendary Hollywood star, was born; died 1987 from Alzheimer's disease at age 68. 1919--the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was created. 1931--gangster Al Capone was sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion and fined $80,000, signaling the downfall of one of the most notorious criminals of the 1920s and 1930s. 1941--the government of Prince Fumimaro Konoye, prime minister of Japan, collapsed, leaving little hope for peace in the Pacific. 1945--Col. Juan Peron staged a coup, becoming absolute ruler of Argentina. 1957--French author Albert Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. 1961--Paris police massacre more than 200 Algerians marching to support peace talks ending their country's war of independence. 1968--Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos were forced to return their medals because of their black-power salute during the medal ceremony. 1970--Pierre LaPorte, Canadian Vice-Premiere and Minister of Labout. was found dead in the trunk of a car. 1973--the OPEC states declared an oil embargo against any nation that had supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War. 1974--{res/ Ford explained his pardon of Pres. Nixon to Congress. 1979--Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on behalf of the destitute in Calcutta. 1986--Pres. Reagan signed the act approving $100 million of military and "humanitarian" aid for the Contras in Nicaragua. 1986--the US Congress passed a landmark immigration bill, the first authorizing penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens. 1989--the Loma Prieta earthquake strikes near San Francisco, during the warm-up for the 3rd World Series Game, killing 67 people and causing more than $5 billion in damages. 1990--UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar said military force would be a legitimate response to the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait. 1998--British police arrested former Chilean dictator Gen. Pinochet for questioning about crimes of genocide and terrorism. 2004--Brazil authorized its air force to shoot down planes suspected of smuggling drugs. 2006--North Korea termed U.N. sanctions to punish it for its recent nuclear test a declaration of war. 2007--Pres. Bush, raising Beijing's ire, presented the Dalai Lama with the Congressional Gold Medal and urged Chinese leaders to welcome the monk to Beijing.
World News Capsules: 1. Former Bosnian leader begins his deefense in genocide trial
....Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb wartime leader, told judges at the UN War Crimes Tribunal that he should be "rewarded for all the good things I have done." 2. Thousands mourn former King Sihanouk in Cambodain capital
....Norodom Sihanouk died at 89, after six decades of deep involvement in Cambodia’s often devastating post-independence politics. 3. US ambassador confirms meeting with Tibetans in western China ....Gary F. Locke visited two Tibetan monasteries on Sept. 26 as part of a trip to several places in western China where Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule. 4. Easing path out of country, Cuba is dropping exit visas ....The move by the government would allow many Cubans to depart for vacations, or forever, with only a passport and a visa from the country where they plan to go. 5. Talks on Euro Zone approach, this time under calmer conditions ....For once, the crisis atmosphere that usually accompanies such summit meetings is absent, with general recognition that the euro seems here to stay. 6. $11 million severance reported for Murdoch aide ....Rebekah Brooks, who resigned as chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's scandal-plagued British newspaper group, still faces a variety of charges. a. As crisis widens, fears that Britain aims to exit European Union ....Though Prime Minister David Cameron says he wants Britain to stay in the European Union, popular opinion against such membership is rising in the country. 7. Greek negotiations hit snags, from inside andout ....The Greek prime minister will show up at the European summit meeting that starts Thursday with something short of an agreement on an austerity budget package. 8. For the crowded masses, a push to provide more escape patches
....With open space scarce, and much of it accessible only to those who can afford it, advocates want India’s commercial capital to create additional oases. 9. Iran media officials castigate Europe over satellite blackout ....Outrage followed a decision by Europe’s largest satellite providers to cease transmission of Iran’s 19 state-operated channels that broadcast to Europe and parts of the Middle East. a. Persian calligraphy opens a door to modern art ....The Iranian artist Pouran Jinchi repurposes ancient forms in works that touch on abstraction. She has recently found an international audience of collectors and institutions. 10. US troops arrive in Israel for missile-defense exercise ....Austere Challenge 2012 will be the sixth in a series of joint exercises and had been planned for more than two years. a. Israel counted Gaza calorie needs during blockade ....The Israeli military calculated the number of calories Gaza’s residents would need to consume to avoid malnutrition during a blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory between 2007 and mid-2010, according to a document released by the Defense Ministry. 11. Japanese politician's visit to shrine raises worries ....Shinzo Abe’s action raises fresh concerns about whether as a national leader he would push a right-wing agenda that would further damage Japan’s ties with Asian neighbors when they are already strained by island disputes. 12. Libya singles out Islamist as a commander in consulate attack, Libyans say ....The man, Ahmed Abu Khattala, is a leader of the Benghazi-based Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia and is still at large/ a. Clearing the record about Benghazi ....Questions mount over what happened in the attack on the American diplomatic compound last month. 13. A Picasso and a Gauguin are among 7 works stolen from a Dutch museum ....Art thieves made off overnight with seven paintings, including a Picasso, a Matisse, a Gauguin and two Monets, from the Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam. 14. Russia arrests opposition activist, citing terrorism threat ....The accusations against Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of a radical socialist group, suggest an acceleration of government efforts against opposition leaders. 15. Hezbollah offering direct help to Syrian Army, rebels say
....Syrian activists and rebels, and opponents of Hezbollah in Lebanon, have long accused the Islamist party of taking a direct role in the Syrian conflict, but until recently, evidence was thin 16. Venezuela's opposition struggles for unity ....Battered by the re-election of Pres. Chávez, the opposition has the difficult task of rousing its supporters for the elections for governors in the nation’s 23 states on Dec. 16.
US News Capsules: 1. A new painkiller crackdown targets drug distributors
....In a new approach to combating prescription painkiller abuse, the federal government is focusing on the middlemen between drug makers and the doctors and pharmacies that dispense drugs. 2. SCIENCE: New planet in neighborhood, astronomically speaking ....The discovery of the planet brings the search for another Earth about as close as it will ever get. But don't plan on moving in any time soon. Its surface temperature is 1,200 degrees. 3. A town abuzz over prostitution and a client list ....The release of clients' names has stirred dread and division in the postcard-perfect coastal town of Kennebunk, Me. 4. Investigators visit company tied to meningitis cases ....Agents from the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations visited the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass., for the first time, acting on a sealed warrant. 5. Maker of batteries files for bankruptcy ....The filing by A123 Systems dealt a blow to the Obama administration's program to jump-start a domestic battery industry and spur development of electric vehicles. 6. Income inequality may take toll on growth ....The concentration of income in a few hands might mean, many economists say, a less vigorous economy. 7. Halting a slow fade to history ....Americans who knew the Iran hostage crisis firsthand reflect on Argo, a film about a "footnote" to that episode in history. 8. A vision to avoid demolition for a '70s pioneer
....Jeanne Gang, a leading Chicago architect, has drawn up a plan to try to save the outmoded, late-Modernist Prentice Women’s Hospital. 9. University of Phoenix to shutter 115 locations ....The University of Phoenix has announced plans to close more than half of its brick-and-mortar locations and to lay off about 800 employees, reflecting declines in the for-profit higher education sector. 10. Multivitamin use linked to lowered cancer risk
....A large clinical trial of older male physicians followed for more than a decade found that those taking a daily multivitamin experienced 8 percent fewer cancers than the subjects taking dummy pills. 11. Man is charged with plotting to bomb Federal Reserve Bank in Manhattan
....A man who the authorities said came from Bangladesh with the intent of carrying out a terror attack was caught in an F.B.I. sting operation, trying to detonate what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb . POLITICS: 1. Rivals bring bare fists to rematch
....In a charged and clenched debate, Pres. Obama portrayed Mitt Romney as a former corporate raider, while Mr. Romney kept bringing the discussion back to Mr. Obama's record. 2. Selling the future by debating the past ....The four candidates for president and vice president have spent most of their time on the biggest public stage of the campaign fighting more about what happened in the last term than what should happen in the next. 3. Scant gains for Romney in a poll of young voters ....Despite Republican efforts, Pres. Obama has maintained a strong advantage over Mitt Romney among the crucial constituency of the young. 4. Debate moves women to fore in race for the White House ....Pres. Obama argued that Mitt Romney would oppose equal pay for women and block access to birth control, but Mr. Romney sought to defend his policies as better for women. 5. California ballot initiatives, born in Populism, now come from billionaires ....California’s ballot propositions include several from billionaires, a sign that the wealthy are using “super PACs” to influence politics in the nation’s most populous state.
Thought for Today "At least two-thirds of our miseries spring from human stupidity, human malice and those great motivators and justifiers of malice and stupidity: idealism, dogmatism and proselytizing zeal on behalf of religous or political ideas." --Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English writer
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 18, 2012 19:19:39 GMT -5
Saint Luke: Feast Day Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 292nd day of 2012 with 73 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 6:28 p.m., it's partly cloudy , temp 64ºF [Feels like 64ºF], winds SSE @ 15 mph, humidity 43%, pressure 29.81 in and rising, dew point 41ºF, chance of precipitation 60%.
Today in History: 1356--Great Basel earthquake was the most significant seismological event to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history. 1469--Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castile, beginning a cooperative reign that would unite all the dominions of Spain and elevate the nation to a dominant world power. 1595--Edward Winslow, English founder of Plymouth Colony, was born; died 1655 at age 59. 1685--King Louis XIV of France revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had established the legal toleration the Protestant Huguenots. 1744--Sarah Churchill, the 1st Duchess of Marlborough, died at age 85 at Marlborough House and was buried at Blenheim Palace. 1767--Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon completed their survey of the boundary between the colonies of Pennsylvania and Maryland. 1851--Moby Dick, the novel by Herman Melville) was first published under the title "The Whale". 1860--British troops occupying Peking, China, loot and then burn the Yuanmingyuan, the fabulous Summer Palace built by the Manchu emperors in the 18th century. 1863--Gen. Sickles was informed by Gen. Meade that he could not resume his command until healed from his injuries incurred at Gettysburg, Pa. 1867--the US formally takes possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than two cents an acre. 1898--in the Spanish-American war, the US took control of Puerto Rico. 1922--the British Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (later the British Broadcasting Corp. or BBC) was founded. 1931--Thomas Alva Edison, one of the most prolific inventors in history, died at home in West Orange, NJ, at the age of 84. 1933--R. Buckminster Fuller tried to patent his Dymaxion Car. 1942--Vice. Adm. William F. Halsey replaced Vice Adm. Robert L. Ghormley as commander, South Pacific. 1955--Vietnamese Emperor Bao Dai's office in Paris announced that he had dismissed Ngo Dinh Diem from the premiership and annulled his powers. 1959--the Soviet Union announced an unmanned space vehicle had taken the first pictures of the far side of the moon. 1968--the stock market soared with rumors of bombing halt in Vietnam. 1968--John Lennon and Yoko Ono werw arrested for drug possession at their home near Montagu Square in London. 1972--the US Congress passed the Clean Water Act, overriding Pres. Nixon's veto. 1977--Reggie Jackson of the New York Yankees hit three home runs to lead New York to an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deciding Game 6 of the World Series. 1982--former first lady Bess Truman died in Independence, Mo., at age 97. 1984--Pres. Reagan ordered an investigation of a CIA handbook for Nicaraguan rebels that suggested assassination as a political tactic. 1989--East Germany and Hungary take significant steps toward ending the communist domination of their countries. 1991--Israel and the Soviet Union agreed to renew full diplomatic relations for the first time since 1967. 1991--Azerbaijan became independent of the Soviet Union . 1998--a pipeline explosion in Jesse, Nigeria, killed 700 people with the resulting fire burning for nearly a week. 2001--four defendants were convicted in New York for the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Africa. 2002--North Korea revealed it was working on a secret nuclear weapons program for which Pakistan was a major supplier. 2004--exhumation orders were issued for 42 bodies in Sonthofen, Germany, where a hospital orderly admitted to giving lethal injections to 16 patients. 2005--Iraqi election officials said parliamentary election results would be delayed a few days while procedures were checked. 2006--the US reportedly pressed the Iraqi government to offer a broad amnesty to insurgents. 2007--former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returned home after eight years in exile when a suicide bomber killed a reported 139 people in her convoy. 2008 Public health officials in North Bay, Ontario, said the number of people sickened by E. coli bacteria at Harvey's fast-food restaurant had risen to 131.
World News Capsules: 1. Colombia tries again to end drug-fed war ....For the first time in a decade, rebels and the government of Colombia came together with the goal of ending the longest-running war in the Western Hemisphere. 2. Twitter blocks Germans' access to Neo-Nazi group ....The decision to block the group’s posts from being seen in Germany, but not other countries, was the first time that Twitter acted on a policy known as “country withheld content.” 3. Greeks take to the streets, some violently, in a strike over austerity
....Tens of thousands of Greeks pelted riot police with rocks, bottles and firebombs to bring the country to a near-standstill in a bid to show European Union leaders that fresh austerity cuts would be crippling. 4. Corruption rattles Italians' already shaky trust in politicians ....Twenty years after Italy's postwar political order collapsed in a scandal, accusations are again flying in new scandals that are eroding Italians' trust in their politicians. 5. Pakistani police detain family of suspect in attack on girl ....Pakistani security forces have detained the family of a man accused of attacking Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by Taliban gunmen for advocating for girls’ education. 6. At least 40 die as planes bomb a Syrian town held by rebels
....The bombardment of a town along a vital highway was among the most intense since the regular deployment of warplanes and helicopters against the Syrian insurgency began. a. Denial slipping away as war rattles Damascus, Syria
....As his troops battled insurgents all around the country, Bashar al-Assad was determined that in Damascus, at least, he would preserve an air of normalcy, but such illusions are no longer possible. b. Iran and Turkey join Syria peace envoy n cal for truce ....The new peace envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, said a temporary halt to the fighting would constitute only a tiny step toward resolving the conflict.
US News Capsules: 1. Boy Scout files detail decades of alleed sex abuse
....The release of documents by the Boy Scouts of America created, for the first time, a public database on specific sexual abuse accusations. a. As partners, Mormons and Scouts turn boys into men ....The Mormon Church gives the Boy Scouts a central role in preparing male youths for missionary stints and adulthood as lay priests, and the relationship is a boon to scouting. 2. A new painkiller crackdown targets drug distributors ....In a new approach to combating prescription painkiller abuse, the federal government is focusing on the middlemen between drug makers and the doctors and pharmacies that dispense drugs. 3. Cool, commercial, unmistakable
....“Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective,” at the National Gallery of Art, is the first major survey of the artist’s work since his death in 1997. 4. A second Appeals Court calls marriage law unfair to gays ....A Manhattan federal appeals court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, saying it violated the equal-protection clause. 5. Multivitamin use linked to lowered cancer risk ....A large clinical trial of older male physicians followed for more than a decade found that those taking a daily multivitamin experienced 8% fewer cancers than the subjects taking dummy pills. POLITICS: 1. Rival campaigns intently pursue votes of women ....With Election Day looming, the push for votes is coming down not only to a state-by-state fight, but also to one for the allegiance of vital demographic groups, chief among them undecided women. 2. Bloomberg starts 'Super PAC, ' seeking national influence ....Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York, a billionaire and registered independent, will back candidates in close races who support some of his biggest policy initiatives. 3. More Asian immigrants are finding ballots in their native tongue ....Eleven states with surging Asian populations are being compelled by federal law to print ballots in languages other than English. 4. Obama's new stump speech boils down to one word: vote
....For the president and his campaign, the challenge is to overcome a decline in voter enthusiasm from 2008.
Thought for Today "The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people." --G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English writer.
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 19, 2012 17:47:03 GMT -5
Yorktown Day Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 293rd day of 2012 with 72 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 6:47 p.m., it's mostly cloudy , temp 60ºF [Feels like 60ºF], winds SSW @ 3 mph, humidity 78%, pressure 29.63 in and falling, dew point 53ºF, chance of precipitation 20%.
Today in History: 1216--John of England. youngest son of Henry II, died from dysentery at Newark Castle leaving his nine-year-old son Henry to succeed him. 1765--the Stamp Act Congress, meeting in New York, drew up a declaration of rights and liberties. 1781--at Yorktown, Va., British Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered 8,000 British soldiers and seamen to the larger Franco-American force, bringing an end to the American Revolution. 1796--an editorial accused presidential candidate Thomas Jefferson of affair with a slave. 1812--Napoleon began the Grand Armee's disastrous retreat from Moscow. 1864--Union forces under Gen. Philip Sheridan were victorious at the Battle of Cedar Creek in the Shenandoah Valley, Va. 1869--construction begins on the Sutro Tunnel in Virginia City, Nev., a 4-mile-long tunnel through the solid rock of the Comstock Lode mining district. 1914--the First Battle of Ypres: Allied and German forces began the first of three battles to control the city and its advantageous positions on the north coast of Belgium. 1935--Ethiopia stands alone when the League of Nations deliberately imposed ineefectual economic sanctions against Fascist Italy for its invasion. 1943--the local Chinese and Snative uluks revolted against the Japanese occupation in North Borneo. 1950--UN forces entered the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. 1957--Maurice "the Rocket" Richard of the MOntreal Canadiens scored his 500th goal. 1960--the US imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba. 1965--Communists attacked the Plei Me Special Forces camp. 1969--Vice Pres. Spiro T. Agnew referred to anti-Vietnam War protesters "an effete corps of impudent snobs. 1982--automaker John Z. DeLorean was arrested in $24 million cocaine scheme aimed at salvaging his bankrupt sports car company. 1987--the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6% in value – its biggest-ever percentage drop. 1989--the Guildford Four, convicted of the 1975 IRA bombings of public houses in England, were cleared of all charges after nearly 15 years in prison. 1991--fire swept through the Oakland, Calif. hills, burning 1000s of homes and killing 25 people. 1994--more than 20 people were killed in the terrorist bombing of a bus in Tel Aviv, Israel. 2001--two Army Rangers were killed in a helicopter crash in Pakistan in the first combat-related American deaths of the military campaign in Afghanistan. 2003--Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa during a ceremony in St. Peter's Square. 2005--Hurricane Wilma became the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a mimimum pressure of 882mb . 2005--a defiant Saddam Hussein pleaded innocent to charges of premeditated murder and torture at his trial in Baghdad. 2008--retired Gen. Colin Powell broke with the GOP and endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president. 2008--Taliban insurgents pulled 30 young men from a bus in Afghanistan and beheaded them, claiming they were members of the Afghan army. 2011--in Greece, 100s of youths smashed and looted stores in central Athens and clashed with riot police during a massive anti-government rally against painful new austerity measures.
World News Capsules: 1. Afghan officials spar over 2014 vote ....Western observers fear the next election might not be "acceptable," let alone "free and fair," if Afghanistan's president and Parliament cannot agree on new laws. 2. Seizure of ship from Argentina forces shake-up ....Argentina’s military intelligence director is the latest official to leave her job after one of the nation’s creditors seized a navy training vessel. 3. Twitter removes anti-semitic postings, French Jewish group says ....The move comes after the social-networking site blocked access in Germany to a Neo-Nazi group’s account. 4. Twister blocks Germans' access to Neo-Nazi group ....The decision to block the group's posts from being seen in Germany, but not other countries, was the first time that Twitter acted on a policy known as "country withheld content." 5. Allegations of abuse by BBC host are 'unprecedented,' British police say ....Scotland Yard says it is now following 400 leads, with at least 200 potential victims alleging that a well-known television personality, Jimmy Savile, sexually abused them. 6. Killings derail effort at grass-roots governance in India ....The unsolved murders of two officials have set off a panic among the new village councils in a district of Kashmir. 7. Curfew imposed on US troops in Japan after rape allegations ....The US military imposed a curfew on its nearly 50,000 personnel stationed in Japan, as it tried to respond to public outrage over the suspected rape of a woman in Okinawa by two American sailors. 8. Bomb in Beirut kills a security chief, reviving old fears
....An explosion in the heart of Beirut’s Christian section killed a top Lebanese official and stirred dread in a city where the conflict in Syria has resurrected memories of Lebanon’s long civil war. 9. Suspect in Libya attack, in plain sight, scoffs at US ....Days after Pres. Obama vowed to apprehend those behind the Sept. 11 attack on American diplomats, a suspected ringleader spent an evening at a luxury hotel full of journalists. 10. On these soccer fields, a brief respite from the killing fields
....This year’s Homeless World Cup, in Mexico City, drew young people whose lives have been affected by the particular pain of the country these days: drug violence. 11. North Korea threatens violent response to propaganda campaign ....North Korea threatened to attack the South if activists proceeded with distributing leaflets critical of the Pyongyang regime. South Korea’s military said it would strike back if the North did so. 12. South Africa's president unveils $100 billion jobs program ....Pres. Jacob Zuma moves to stem mounting criticism over labor unrest as well as persistent poverty and low wages in South Africa. 13. As bombs fall, Turkey backs call for sease-fire in Syria ....Turkey, a major regional player in the Syrian crisis, threw its diplomatic weight on Friday behind an appeal for a cease-fire “at least” through a three-day Islamic holiday 14. 14 soldiers and 12 insurgents killed inbattle in Yemen. ....The soldiers and Qaeda operatives were killed early Friday when suicide bombers attacked a military base in south Yemen, the Defense Ministry and local residents said.
US News Capsules: 1, Boy Scout files give glimpse into 20 years of sex abuse ....Details of sexual abuse and what experts say was a corrosive culture of secrecy in the Boy Scouts of America came to light in documents on accusations across the country. 2. At Newsweek, ending print and a blen of two styles[/u] ....The struggling weekly magazine will publish its final print edition on Dec. 31 and move into an all-digital format next year, announced its editor, Tina Brown. 3. Real-world pitch for high fashion....A Web site, Rent the Runway, is offering women the opportunity to see someone their age and size in expensive clothing before renting it. 4. Forgotten hero of labor fight: his son's lonely quest....A son’s mission is to bring to light the accomplishments of his father, Larry Itliong, and his role in the largely forgotten Filipino contribution to labor activism. 5. The brothers and sisters of the 21st century....A program called the Alliance for Catholic Education, created at Notre Dame, puts young idealists in needy schools to fill an educational and a spiritual gap. POLITICS: 1. Democrats use health law to assail Republicans....A provision of the law requiring members of Congress to use the new insurance exchanges has inspired a barrage of political advertising that some call misleading. 2. The opiate of exceptionalism....Of serious presidential candidates, and even of presidents, Americans demand constant reassurance that their country, their achievements and their values are extraordinary. 3. With race hardly over, jockeying begins for cabinet positions....The subtle and not-so-subtle positioning for choice posts in the still-theoretical next administration has intensified, according to Democratic and Republican insiders. 4. Campaigns sue Latino voters as deciders in 3 key states....In Colorado, Florida and Nevada, ads and volunteers are being dispatched to make cases for Pres. Obama and Mitt Romney. Thought for Today"Worries go down better with soup than without." --[/i]Jewish proverb .
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 20, 2012 19:53:09 GMT -5
Vegetarian Month Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 294th day of 2012 with 71 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 4:27 p.m., it's mostly cloudy , temp 56ºF [Feels like 56ºF], winds SW @ 12 mph, humidity 53%, pressure 29.69 in and falling, dew point 39ºF, chance of precipitation 20%.
Today in History: 1632--Sir Christopher Wren, English architect (St Paul's Cathedral), was born; died 1723 at age 90. 1740--Charles VI. Holy Roman Emperor and father of Empress Maria Theresa. died. 1774--the First Continental Congress created the Continental Association, which calls for a complete ban on all trade between America and Great Britain of all goods, wares or merchandise. 1803--the U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase. 1818--the US and Britain agreed to establish the 49th parallel as the official boundary between the United States and Canada. 1827--in the Greek War of Independence, the Turkish and Egyptian fleets were destroyed by the British, French and Russians at the Battle of Navarino. 1873--P.T. Barnum opened the Hippodrome in New York City to accommodate his "Greatest Show on Earth". 1918--Germany accepted Pres. Woodrow Wilson's terms to end World War I. 1918--the Turks send British officer Gen, Charles Townshend to the Greek Isles to negotiate armistice terms between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire. 1935--Mao's Long March of 368 days and 6,000 miles concluded in Shensi Province in northwest China with 4,000 survivors where he set up his Chinese Communist headquarters. 1944--two liquid gas tanks explode in Cleveland, Ohio, killing 130 people, taking all of the city's firefighters to control it. 1944--Gen. Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines as promised, landing at Leyte Island. 1947--the House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence in the motion picture industry. 1953--science fiction writer Ray Bradbury's chilling futuristic anti-book novel, Fahrenheit 451, was published. 1955--No Time for Sergeants opened on Broadway, starring Andy Griffith. 1964--Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the US, died at age 90 in New York City. 1971--West German Chancellor Willy Brandt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 1973--Saturday Night Massacre: Solicitor General Robert Bork dismissed Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox after Attorney General Richardson and Deputy Attorney General Ruckelshaus resigned in protest. 1973--the iconic Sydney Opera House was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II. 1977--three members of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, including lead singer and songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, died in a Mississippi chartered airplane crash. 1979--the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston was dedicated. 1982--the world's worst soccer disaster occurred in Moscow when 340 fans were crushed to death in an open staircase during a game between Soviet and Dutch players. 1990--2 Live Crew members were acquitted of obscenity charges in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., arising from a performance of selections from the album As Nasty As They Wanna Be. 1992--the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in the first World Series game played outside the US. 2000--Egyptian-born Ali Mohamed, a US citizen who'd served in the Army, pleaded guilty in New York to helping plan the US embassy bombings in Africa in 1998 that killed 224 people. 2004--retired Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was sworn in as Indonesia's 6th president after winning the country's first direct elections for head of state. 2005--Pakistan set the official death toll of the Oct. 8 quake at 47,000 but various aid officials claim it was closer to 80,000. 2011--Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi iwas captured and Killed.
World News Capsules: 1. As Afghan forces kill, trust is also a casualty ....The details of an insider shooting that happened Sept. 29 underscore the escalating distrust that surrounds interactions between American and Afghan troops. Insider killings have broken trust between Afghan and American military forces and laid bare the anger and fear each harbors toward the other. a. Afghan police officers attack colleagues ....Over the past two days, Afghan police officers opened fire on their colleagues, leaving at least eight dead. 2. China is wary of US candidates' tough talk ....Some Chinese officials and business leaders express a growing concern about negativity toward China that may not all be campaign talk. a. China-Korean tensions rise after failed venture ....A Chinese mining conglomerate accused the North Korean government of sabotaging its $40 million investment. b. As China weighs shifting economic policy, a rivalry for its stewardship ....An experienced vice prime minister and former banker, with a progressive approach to the economy, appears to be losing ground to the probable next prime minister, who has much more traditional views. 3. Another day, another claim that Castro is really dead ....More rumors that Fidel Castro has died are being denied by the government and his family. 4. Amid the echoes of an economic crash, the sounds of Greek society being torn ....Divisions are rising to the surface as neo-Nazis clash with leftists and immigrants, lawmakers become mired in scandals and tensions increase between the haves and have-nots. 5. Guatemala shooting raises concerns about military's expanded role ....Guatemala has forged closer military ties with the United States as it fights drug trafficking, but the fatal shooting of demonstrators and revelations of ties between former soldiers and drug gangs are worrying human rights groups 6. US officials say Iran has agreed to nuclear talks
....But with Iran unwilling to talk until after the presidential elections, there is a risk the apparent breakthrough is only one more effort to buy time. 7. Israel seizes activist ship en route to Gaza Strip
....The European ship was the latest attempt by activists to break Israel’s maritime blockade against the Hamas-controlled region. 8. Unrest shakes Lebanon's fragile government ....Lebanon’s main opposition group called for widespread protests in the wake of a powerful bomb attack for which it blamed Syria.\ a. Blast in Beirut is seen as an extension of Syria's war ....An explosion in a Christian section of Lebanon’s capital killed an official viewed by Syria as an enemy and was the most provocative violence in Lebanon tied to the Syrian conflict. 9. Attacks tied to Islamist sect kill at least 30 in Nigeria ....Violence linked to Boko Haram’s insurgency in northern and central Nigeria, including killings by security forces, is believed to have left more than 2,800 people dead since 2009. 10. 'Malala Moment' may have passed in Pakistan, as rage over shooting ebbs ....What had been a unified voice against the Taliban, and the possibility of action, is receding before a backlash, a. Pakistani schoolgirl shot by Taliban is showng progress ....Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by Taliban gunmen in Pakistan, is now able to stand with help and write, medical officials at the British hospital where she is being treated said. 11. Hamas finds itself aligned with Israel over extremist groups ....Hamas is working to suppress the more radical Islamic militant groups that have emerged in Gaza, made up of extremists who are challenging its cease-fire with Israel, activists say. 12. Symbol of Romanian leaership? Hands on a throat ....Perhaps the best that can be said of relations between the president and prime minister of Romania is that they are unambiguous: they can’t stand each other. 13. With two big deals approaching, Bosneft stands to become a global oil power ....Two pending deals would bring more than half of Russia's oil industry under government control for the first time since the early 1990s and create a new player on the world stage. 14. Twitter gives Saudi Arabia a revolution of its own ....The medium has allowed Saudis to cross social boundaries and address delicate subjects collectively and in real time. 15. Spain's premier hopes to avoid electoral setback on austerity and separatism ....Regional elections in Galicia and the Basque Country are considered critical bellwethers of public attitudes toward Spanish government policy. 16. Syrians place booby-trapped ammunition in rebels' guns ....The Syrian government has salted ammunition with ordnance that explodes inside antigovernment fighters’ guns, killing or wounding them while destroying their weapons. 17. As bombs fall, Turkey backs call for cease-fire in Syria ....Turkey, a major regional player in the Syrian crisis, threw its diplomatic weight behind an appeal for a cease-fire “at least” through a three-day Islamic holiday.
US News Capsules: 1. Housecleaning, then dinner? Silicon Valley perks come home ....As technology blurs the line between work and home, many companies are eschewing traditional benefits like bonuses for stress reducers like free housecleaning and dinner deliveries. 2. After the boom in natural gas
....Low prices for consumers. Big profits for bankers. But the gas glut in the United States has meant much pain for gas exploration companies and their investors 3. Boys - like girls - now enter puberty younger, study suggests, but it's unclear why
....Because of the lack of precision in earlier studies, it cannot be decisively said that male puberty is starting at a younger age, but the evidence points that way. 4. Free speech is one thing, vagrants, another ....Hardly a stranger to political movements, the city of Berkeley has championed free speech, no nukes, the antiwar movement and now: no sitting on the sidewalk, 5. Shares fall as earnings disappoint on Wall Street ....Investors were spooked on Friday by a growing number of pessimistic reports from corporate executives. 6. ARTS: Despite fans' fears, Disney's Country Bears remain corny
....Walt Disney World has changed its Country Bear Jamboree attraction, but not much. 7. Struggling to save the old in a town that values the new
....It’s an uphill battle for architectural preservationists in Phoenix, where many old structures have been felled by fire, decay or development. 8. Mother Marianne Cope becomes an American saint
....An American health care pioneer, working with patients suffering with Hansen's disease or leprosy, will receive the Roman Catholic Church's highest honor this weekend., along with another North American, Katen Tekakwitha. POLITICS: 1. Romney as a manager: unhurried and Socratic
....A serial chief executive, Mitt Romney is steeped in management theory and eschews gut instincts, wading deeply into the kind of raw data that is usually left to junior aides. a. Gosh, who talks like that now? Romney does ....Mitt Romney’s way of speaking is polite, formal and anachronistic, linguistically setting him apart, and influencing the word choices of those who work with and for him. 2. In South, Republicans find that dominance does not ensure solidarity ....As the South is settling in once again to an era of one-party dominance, many Republicans are learning that governing is not quite the same as campaigning, 3. As Senate race in Indiana tightens, candidates seem to move to center ....A contest between Richard E. Mourdock, a Tea Party-backed candidate, and Democratic Representative Joe Donnelly heats up in one of the few states expected to decide control of the chamber.
Thought for Today "A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor." --Victor Hugo (1802-1885), French author
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 22, 2012 19:43:54 GMT -5
International School Library Day Good afternoon from Tuxy and me This is the 296th day of 2012 with 69 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 7:13 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 66ºF [Feels like 66ºF], winds variable @ 3 mph, humidity 40%, pressure 30.07 in and falling, dew point 41ºF, chance of precipitation 20%.
Today in History: 1746--Princeton University received its charter. 1797--French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first parachute descent, landing safely from a height of about 3,000 feet. 1811--Franz Liszt, Hungarian pianist and composer, was born; died 1886 at age 74. 1836--Gen. Sam Houston was sworn in as the first president of the Republic of Texas. 1864, Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood pulled his battered army into Guntersville, Ala,, then continues traveling westward with his dfeated army. 1883--the Metropolitan Opera House opened in NYC with a performance of Faust. 1906--Paul Cezanne , French post-impressionist painter, died. 1910--Dr. Harvey Hawley Crippen was found guilty of murdering his wife. 1913--a coal mine explosion in Dawson, NM, killed more than 250 workers. 1917--Joan Fontaine, Oscar-winning actress, turns 95 1914--the Germans captured Langemarck during First Battle of Ypres. 1919--Doris Lessing, Nobel Prize-winning author, turns 93 1934--the notorious bank robber Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd was killed by the FBI in a cornfield in East Liverpool, Ohio. 1942--Allies confer secretly about Operation Torch, the first Allied amphibious landing of the war. 1954--West Germany joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 1957--the US suffered its first casualties in Vietnam when 13 are wounded in bombings of the Military Assistance Advisory Group and U.S. Information Service installations in Saigon. 1962--Pres. Kennedy announced an air and naval blockade of Cuba, following the discovery of Soviet missile bases on the island. 1964--John Paul Sartre won the Nobel Prize for literature and declined it. 1965--Pres. Johnson signed the Highway Beautification Act. 1966--The Supremes became the first all-female group to score a No. 1 album, with Supremes a Go-Go. 1968--Apollo 7, with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn Fulton Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham aboard, returned to Earth. 1975--Air Force Sgt Leonard Matlovich, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, was given a "general" discharge by the Air Force after publicly declaring his homosexuality. 1979--the US government allowed the deposed Shah of Iran to travel to New York for medical treatment. 1981--the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization was decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August. 1990--Pres. Bush vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1990, saying it would lead to a quota system. 2001--anthrax spores were found in a mail-opening machine serving the White House. 2002--a bus driver was shot to death in Aspen Hill, Md., in the 13th and final attack by the Washington-area sniper. 2004--rescuers confirmed 64 dead following an explosion in a central China coal mine with 84 missing in the toxic gas-filled shaft. 2005--Afghanistan Pres. Karzai ordered an investigation into the reported desecration of bodies by US troops captured on tape by a TV crew. 2007--China's Communist Party gave Pres. Hu Jintao a second five-year term.
World News Capsules: 1. Two campaigns skirt talk of tough choices in Afghanistan ....For either Pres. Obama or Mitt Romney, finding a satisfactory end to the war in Afghanistan and maintaining American influence in Pakistan will be a challenge. 2. China's doldrums put pressure on US exporters
....Job reductions are emerging in industries like mining, heavy machinery and scrap metal that boomed along with China, illustrating the risks to the American economy if growth continues to slow. a. Many urge next leader of China to liberalize ....As the nation’s critical leadership transition approaches, officials, policy advisers and intellectuals are again pushing for what they broadly call “reform.” 3. In Guatemalan tourist haven, corruption case is talk of the town
4. Iran's political infighting erupts in full view ....Pres. Ahmadinejad verbally attacked the government’s highest judicial official after being denied access to the jail where his top press adviser is being held. 5. Scientists convicted of manslaughter after quake
....An Italian court convicted six scientists and a government official of manslaughter on Monday and sentenced them to six years in prison for failing to give adequate warning of a deadly earthquake in 2009. 6. Lebanese Army warns against score-settling
....The Lebanese military moved forcefully to quell simmering sectarian tensions around the country stoked by a bombing in Beirut last week. a. Angry Lebanese attempt to storm government offices ....Lebanon's jittery composure throughout the long Syrian uprising wobbled but held, as political and religious leaders quelled street protests. 7. Libyan town under siege is a center of resistance to the new government
....A one-time bastion of support for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, Bani Walid is under assault, stirring protests elsewhere and imperiling the country’s fragile political transition. 8. Leaflets sent by balloon to North Korea despite ban, activists say ....The South Korean police blocked activists from dropping anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea after the North threatened to retaliate with a military attack. 9. Civic duty and economic worries drive Palestinian voters in parats of West Bank ....The municipal elections, the first of any kind in the Palestinian territories in six years, were dismissed by many as unimportant because Hamas refused to take part. 10. Voting favors Spain's leader in home area ....Elections in other parts of the country were less favorable toward the embattled prime minister/ 11. Explosion rocks Damascus neighborhood ....The latest violence came on a day when President Bashar al-Assad of Syria discussed the civil war with Lakhdar Brahimi, the envoy representing the United Nations and the Arab League. a. JOrdanian soldier killed in Syrian border clash ....Islamic extremists attacked Jordanian soldiers on the border with Syria Sunday night, hours after Jordan’s government announced that it had foiled a major terrorist plot against foreign diplomats and tourists
US News Capsules: 1. 'Worried sick': Meningitis risk haunts 14,000
....For thousands of people who may have been infected by a contaminated drug, there is little to do but wait and see what happens. 2. Three killed in shooting at nail salon in Wisconsin
....A gunman opened fire at a day spa in a suburb of Milwaukee, killing at least three people and injuring four, the police said. Zina Haughton, wife of the alleged gunman, was one of the three victims in Sunday's shooting at a Wisconsin salon. 3. NBC finds itsel fin unfamiliar territory, on top .....NBC's surprise top-ranking among younger viewers is in large part a result of the poor performance of its network rivals, which have failed to deliver any hot new shows. 4. Lawsuits claim Knoedler made huge profits on fakes ....Lawsuits against the former Knoedler Gallery in New York claim that markups on disputed artworks were suspiciously high. 5. Settlement eases rules for some Medicare patients ....Tens of thousands of people with chronic conditions and disabilities may find it easier to qualify for home health care, nursing home stays and outpatient therapy. 6. No jail for student in FAMU death
....A student who allegedly held Robert Champion in a bear hug during a hazing initiation was sentenced to supervised probation and 200 hours of community service for his role in the band member's death. POLITICS: 1. Final showdown: Global edition
....Pres. Obama and Mitt Romney have a final chance to impress voters on the debate stage, with Round 3 focused on global hot spots. 2. Benghazi and Arab Spring rear up in US campaign ....The attack in Libya last month has become the focal point of a fierce debate over what role the US should seek to play in shaping the new order emerging from the Arab Spring. a. Explnation for Benhgazi attack under scrutiny ....As more information emerges about the American response to the attack on its diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, the White House looks increasingly vulnerable to criticism.
Thought for Today "The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised." --George F. Will (b. 1941), Conservative columnist & writer
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 24, 2012 19:53:15 GMT -5
Black Cat and Pumpkin Day
Good afternoon from Tuxy and me This is the 298th day of 2012 with 67 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 5:57 p.m., it's foggy , temp 57ºF [Feels like 57ºF], winds calm, humidity 94%, pressure 30.09 in and steady, dew point 55ºF, chance of precipitation 20%.
Today in History: 1637--Jane Seymour, 3rd wife of Henry VIII, died from postnatal complications following the birth of her only child, Edward VI. 1648--the Treaty of Westphalia was signed, ending the Thirty Years War and radically shifting the balance of power in Europe with the end of the Holy Roman Empire. 1775--Virginia's last royal governor, Lord John Murray Dunmore, ordered a British naval fleet to attack Patriot troops and destroy the town of Norfolk, Va. 1861--Western Union completed the first transcontinental telegraph. with the first message sent by Pres. Lincoln to California. 1862--Union Gen. Don Carlos Buell was replaced because of his ineffective pursuit of the Confederates after the Battle of Perryville, Ky. 1901--a 63-year-old schoolteacher named Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to take the plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel. 1929--Black Thursday - stock market crash on the New York Stock Exchange 1931--Pres. Roosevelt dedicated the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River. 1940--the 40-hour work week went into effect in the US. 1945--the UN was formally established with the ratification of the United Nations Charter. 1946--V-2 #13 Rocket took the first photograph of Earth from space. 1947--two rush-hour commuter trains collided in South Croydon, England, killing 32 people. 1947--Walt Disney testified before the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) naming Disney employees he believed to be communists. 1951--Pres. Truman declared the war with Germany officially over. 1952--Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower declared, "I shall go to Korea" as he promised to end the conflict. 1960--the Nedelin Disaster occurred when a Soviet ICBM's 2nd stage motors ignited prematurely exploding on the launch pad killing over 120 peop0le. 1962--James Brown recorded his breakthrough Live at the Apollo album. 1964--Northern Rhodesia gained independence from the UK and became the Republic of Zambia. 1970--leftist politician Salvador Allende was elected president of Chile. 1984--the FBI arrested 11 alleged chiefs of the Colombo crime family in New York City on charges of racketeering. 1989--TV evangelist Jim Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $500,000 for fleecing his flock. 1992--the Toronto Blue Jays won a World Series for Canada, defeating the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in Game 6. 1998--Deep Space 1, a NASA unmanned spacecraft launched to test new technologies and make flybys of an asteroid and comet. 2002--authorities arrested Army veteran John Allen Muhammad and teenager Lee Boyd Malvo in connection with the Washington-area sniper attacks. 2003--the supersonic Concorde jet made its last commercial passenger flight, traveling at twice the speed of sound from New York City to London. 2004--a series of severe earthquakes in northern Japan killed 21 people and injured more than 1,500 others. 2005--Hurricane Wilma roared into Florida, packing 125 mph winds and lashing rain, inflicting heavy damage to beaches and buildings, killing 10. 2005--Pres. Bush nominated Ben Bernanke to replace Alan Greenspan as Federal Reserve Board chairman. 2005--civil rights activist Rosa Parks died at age 92. 2007--Facebook Inc. sold a 1.6% stake to Microsoft Corp. for $240 million, spurning a competing offer from Google Inc. 2007--strong winds fanning 15 large wildfires in Southern California began to ease after 656 square miles and at least 1,155 homes had been charred.
World News Capsules: 1. Memorial to Roma Holocaust victims opens in Berlin ....The site, in Tiergarten park near the German Parliament, honors the Roma and Sinti victims of the Nazis’ racial purge of Europe. 2. BBC leader admits 'horror' as a sexual abuse inquiry opens ....The director general of the British Broadcasting Corporation said the organization's response to a burgeoning sex abuse scandal was "the opposite of an attempt to hide things." a. Prosecutors to review cases in BBC abuse scandal ....Officials will scrutinize a decision in 2009 not to bring charges of sexual abuse against the television host Jimmy Savile. 3. Greece official says deal reached with troika of leaders ....Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras said that Greece’s European partners had also agreed to grant Athens more time to implement the 13.5 billion euro austerity package. 4. Iran's warning to oil market fails to send prices higher ....A threat to halt all exports was issued in response to possible further sanctions, but in a possible reflection of how steeply Iran’s influence on the market has eroded, oil prices fell. 5. Buon appetito, but not next to the monuments ....A new ordinance outlaws eating and drinking at historic sites in Rome to better protect the city's monuments, with fines of up to $650. 6. Details hint at insider role in Lebanese general's death ....Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan was killed by a car bomb in a residential Beirut neighborhood; an inside job is suspected by many opponents of the Hezbollah-led government. 7. The whiff of conflict grows in Mali
....Despite an international consensus that military force is required to take back large areas of northern Mali controlled by Islamist rebels, there are few volunteers. 8. Four Palestinian militants killed in Israeli airstrikes ....Four Palestinian militants in rocket-launching squads were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to Palestinian officials, hours after a visit to Gaza by the emir of Qatar. 9. Qatar's emir visits Gaza, pledging $400 million to Hamas ....The visit by the emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, threatened to widen the rift between Hamas, which controls Gaza, and Fatah, which leads the West Bank. 10. Russian opposition figure says abductors threatened his children ...Leonid Razvozzhayev, a jailed Russian activist who disappeared from Kiev, Ukraine, said he was held for three days by masked men who threatened to kill his children if he did not sign a confession. 11. Military factory bombed in Sudan's capital ....Four aircraft bombed a complex in Khartoum, killing two people in an explosion and fire for which Sudan blamed Israel. 12. Envoy announces tentative cease-fire in Syria, but doubts remain
....Lakhdar Brahimi’s plan calls for guns to be silent on the main Muslim holiday of the year, but numerous aspects of the plan immediately called its effectiveness into question. 13. Using cheese to bridge the Turkey-Armenia gap ....Across a border that has been closed for almost two decades, cheese makers in Gyumri and Kars produce and market a “Caucasian cheese,” invented in 2008 to foster cross-border cooperation.
US News Capsules: 1. Styruggling against a venti Starbucks tide
....Tully’s Coffee, a local chain that positioned itself years ago as the alternative choice for Seattle coffee-heads, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this month. 2. US court gives would-be bomber 37 years in prison ....Ahmed Ressam, the man known as the Millennium Bomber, got 37 years for his plot to set off explosives at Los Angeles International Airport on New Year’s Eve in 1999. 3. In cyberattack on Saudi firm, US sees Iran firing back ....American officials believe a virus unleashed on an oil giant was a return volley in a conflict begun by the US and Israel with software that targeted Iran's centrifuges. 4. Turning the page on an open checkbook for the security colossus ....The looming federal budget crunch, waning predictions of attacks on the United States and bipartisan criticism may mean the end of lavish counterterrorism spending. 5. Unarmend and gunned down by homeowner in his 'castle' ....Brice Harper shot and killed Dan Fredenberg in September, but the county attorney did not prosecute, saying that Montana's "castle doctrine" law protected Mr. Harper's rights to defend himself in his home. 6. Sterility found lacking at drug site in outbreak ....The compounding pharmacy responsible for a deadly national meningitis outbreak repeatedly failed to follow standard procedures to keep its facility clean and its products sterile, Massachusetts officials said. 7. Safety becomes a concern with hgh-caffeine drinks ....As consumption of energy drinks soars in the United States, critics say the Food and Drug Administration has allowed the drinks to languish in a regulatory gray area. 8. New federal rules for debt collectors ....Collection agencies, whose sometimes aggressive tactics have earned them scrutiny, will come under supervision beginning of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau beginning Jan. 2. 9. Peanut butter takes on an unlikely best friend ....Jelly gets kicked to the curb, and pickles take its place, making the PB&P a cult snack option. 10. Scratch the surface tofind a hidden Picasso
....Picasso reused an old canvas for “Woman Ironing,” which was recently cleaned and restored by the Guggenheim Museum. 11. Tigers vs. Giants was a century in the making ....The San Francisco/New York Giants have reached the World Series 19 times, the Detroit Tigers 11 times. Yet this is their first date for the championship. 12. Report says college prices, once stable, are up again ....The price students actually pay for college, after deducting financial aid awards and tax credits from the bill, had its largest increase since 2003. POLITICS: 1. Standards of living are in the shadows as election issue ....A decade-long stagnation in family incomes, a bedrock issue for the nation, has been caused by automation and globalization, among other factors not easily remedied in Washington. 2. With debates over, candidates race to clinch vital states ....Pres. Obama began a furious two-week effort to beat back a late surge by Mitt Romney and hang on to battleground states where many voters are already casting ballots. 3. Strident anti-Obama messages flood key states ....Conservatives are testing the boundaries of how far they can go to disqualify Pres.000000000000000000000000 Obama.
Thought for Today "It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it." --W. Somerset Maugham(1874- 965), English author
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 24, 2012 19:54:34 GMT -5
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 25, 2012 22:13:39 GMT -5
Say Hey Day Good afternoon from Tuxy and me This is the 299th day of 2012 with 66 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 5:47 p.m., it's fair , temp 74ºF [Feels like 73ºF], winds SE @ 9 mph, humidity 57%, pressure 30.06 in and falling, dew point 58ºF, chance of precipitation 10%.
Today in History: 286-http://www.kathrynrblake.com/images/115_Martydom_of_Saint_Crispin-286_10-25.jpg-Saint Crispin's Day - when Saints Crispin and Crispinian were martyred. 1415--the Hundred Years' War: Henry V, the young king of England, leads his forces to victory at the Battle of Agincourt in northern France. 1748--Henry Fielding, author of Tom Jones, was commissioned as justice of the peace for Westminster and Middlesex. 1760--George II of England died of an aortic aneurysm and was succeeded by his grandson, George III . 1764--John Adams, a Massachusetts lawyer-farmer married Abigail Smith. 1774--the First Continental Congress petitioned King George III to address their grievances against the British Parliament. 1825--the Erie Canal, America's first man-made waterway, was opened, linking the Great Lakes and the Hudson River. 1828--St Katherine Docks are officially opened in London. 1853--Paiute Indians attacked a party of 37 soldiers and railroad surveyors near Sevier Lake, Utah. 1854--the English suffered heavy losses against Russia in the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War, inspring Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "Charge of the Light Brigade." 1861--the keel of the USS Monitor was laid at Greenpoint, NY. 1881--Pablo Ruiz Picasso, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, was born in Malaga, Spain; died 1973 at age 91. 1910--white race car driver Barney Oldfield beat prizefighter Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion of the world, in two five-mile car races in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. 1916--French troops celebrated the recapture of Fort Douaumont at Verdun in World War I. 1929--Albert B. Fall, ex-secretary of the interior in Pres. Harding's cabinet, was found guilty of accepting a bribe in the Teapot Dome scandal. 1944--the battle of Leyte Gulf was fought. 1962--author John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. 1971--the UN General Assembly voted to admit mainland China and expel Taiwan. 1972--Pres. Nixon suspended the bombing of North Vietnam. 1976--the National Theatre of London was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. 1983--US troops, supported by six Caribbean nations, invaded the tiny, leftist-ruled island of Grenada; 19 Americans died. 1986--the NY Mets won Game 6 of the World Series in the 10th inning when a routine ground ball went through Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs. 1993--Canadian voters rejected the Progressive Conservative party of Prime Minister Kim Campbell and gave the Liberal Party, led by Jean Chretien of Quebec, a firm majority in Parliament. 1994--Susan Smith reported a false carjacking to cover her murder of her two sons by drowning. 1995--in Fox River Grove, Ill., a train collision occurred when a school bus, stopped for a red light, was struck by a Metra commuter train, 2000--a Russian military plane crashed into a mountain in Georgia, killing all 83 people on board. 2001--Microsoft released the Windows XP operating system. 2001--the US Senate, by a 90-1 vote, approved a final package of anti-terror reforms designed to help law enforcement monitor and detain suspected terrorists. 2002--Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., 58, was killed in a plane crash in northern Minnesota. 2003--Florida State's Bobby Bowden became the winningest coach in major college football history with his 339th victory as the Seminoles beat Wake Forest 48-24. 2004--at least 78 Muslim detainees suffocated or were crushed to death in southern Thailand after the police rounded up 1,300 people and packed them into trucks following a riot. 2005--the US military deaths in Iraq reached 2,000. 2006--The NJ Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples must be afforded on equal terms the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples. 2007--the House of Representatives passed a revised version of a vetoed bill to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program that made illegal immigrants ineligible. 2008--Yemen authorities reported 48 people dead or missing in flash flooding in the country's Hadramout region. 2009--Baghdad Suicide Bombings occurred when two suicide car bombs targeting the Ministry of Justice exploded killing 155 and injuring over 721. 2010--eruption of Mount Merapi and an earthquake in Indonesia occurred in the Sumatran fault triggering a tsunami that killed hundreds and injured many more.
World News Capsules: 1. Four international service members killed in Afghan atacks ....In what are being investigated as possible insider attacks, two British services members died in a gun battle and two United States Forces-Afghanistan members were killed. 2. Hurricane Sandy hits Bahamas after sweeping through Cuba and Haiti
....The hurricane was expected to reach Florida by Friday morning and mix with a winter storm whose effects will be felt along the East Coast as far as Maine. 3. Billions in hidden riches for family of Chinese leader
.....It is unclear how much Wen Jiabao, the prime minister of China, who has staked a position as a populist and a reformer, knows about the $2.7 billion in assets that his family has amassed. a. New leaders of military in China announced ....China announced the promotions of five generals this week, shaping the top leadership of the rapidly modernizing military ahead of the 18th Party Congress. b. China blocks web access to Times after article[/u] ....The Chinese government began blocking access to [/i]The Times after publication of an article describing the wealth accumulated by relatives of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. 4. Police prepare 'arrest strategy' as BBC sexual abuse case grows ....The scandal at the BBC expanded from its focus on Jimmy Savile to questions about other parts of the institution and to suggestions of abuse at hospitals, news reports said. a. British Parliament questions former BBC chief's role ....As the investigation into the BBC’s handling of Jimmy Savile continues, the actions of its former director general, Mark Thompson, are coming under increased scrutiny. 5. Amid cutbacks, Greek doctors offer message to poor: You are not alone ....Until recently, Greece had a typical European health system offering universal care, but the unemployed are now often left on their own if they get sick. 6. Iran said to nearly finish nuclear enrichment plant ....The installation of the last of nearly 3,000 centrifuges, deep under a mountain inside a military base, puts Iran closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. 7. Official silence in Israel over Sudan's accusatioins of air attack ....Though Israel maintained official silence over Sudan’s assertion that the Israeli military destroyed a Khartoum weapons factory, officials spoke openly about what they described as Sudan’s destabilizing role. a. Netanyahu announces coalition with a nationalist party ....The move sharpened the divide between the left and right camps in Israeli politics, after years during which the major-party leaders had gravitated toward the political center. b. Israeli officials asked to be silent on issue of US-Iran talks ....Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides were trying to head off political problems over a report on the possibility of bilateral talks between the US and Iran. 8. Berlusconi's retreat upends political field ....Silvio Berlusconi’s decision not to lead his party in Italy’s spring elections has radically reshuffled the political deck and opened a race for the center. 9. Fish off Japan's coast said to contain elevated levels of cesium ....New research to be published in the journal Science suggests that radioactive particles from last year’s nuclear disaster have accumulated on the sea floor and could contaminate sea life for decades. a. Tokyos firebrand governor quits to form new national party ....The move by Shintaro Ishihara could escalate a territorial dispute with China and shift allegiances in Japan’s soon-to-be-called elections. 10. Bleary-eyed Syrian troops fight a building at a time
....Syrian soldiers' battle to retake a rebel-held school in Homs reflects an exhausting war of attrition, a seesaw in which the opposition gains ground and the government takes it back. a. Syrian military declares holiday truce, but will respond to rebel attacks ....If the fighting does stop for Id al-Adha, it will be the first time since April that the two sides in the uprising have at least said they would try to halt the violence.
US News Capsules: 1. Panetta says risk impeded deployment to Benghazi ....Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta says that he and top military commanders felt that they needed more information before deploying troops after the Sept. 11 attack. 2. Bully! Museum restores its shrine to Roosevelt
....With the reopening of its Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, the American Museum of Natural History offers refreshed perspectives about the 26th president. 3. Prison may be the nxt stop on a gold currency journey ....Bernard von NotHaus, a professed monetary architect, will soon be sentenced for minting and distributing a form of private money called the Liberty Dollar. 4. Spotlight put on founders of drug firm in outbreak ....The Conigliaro family's enterprises are under intense scrutiny by federal and state authorities and personal-injury lawyers after a deadly meningitis outbreak linked to their compounding pharmacy. 5. US sues Bank of America for $1 billion over 'brazen' fraud ....The bank is accused of selling bad mortgages to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-controlled housing giants, which suffered heavy losses and many foreclosures. 6. Gallerists to the people
....Artsicle is an online business that rents inexpensive art cheaply, aimed at novice collectors with small budgets, limited art knowledge and no appetite for intimidating galleries. 7. Transcript of 1944 Bretton Woods conference found at Treasury ....Unknown to historians, a transcript existed of the meeting of Allied nations during the heat of World War II, and three versions were in Washington-area libraries and archives. 8. Buyers of a Wright home in Phoenix reconsider a deal 'too good to be true'
....A development team that bought a Phoenix house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright will sell the house rather than accept landmark status for it. 9. Early worries that Hurricane Sandy could be a 'perfect storm' ....Now barreling through the Bahamas as a Category 2 hurricane, the storm could combine with a system over land in the United States to form a grave threat to the Atlantic coast next week. POLITICS: 1. Crucial subject: female voters still deciding ....While female voters generally tend to favor President Obama, that cannot be said of white women without college degrees, a subset known - in this race - as waitress moms. 2. Tax policy center in spotlight for its Romney study ....A study by a respected nonpartisan research center has been met with dissent after it found that Mitt Romney could not keep all of the promises he has made on individual tax reform. 3.Michigan vote a test case on enshrining the rights of unions ....Unions in Michigan are asking voters to approve a referendum that would secure labor protections. 4. Campaigns find that for many Latinas, issues are personal and financial ....Campaigns face a gender challenge in appealing to Latinos, whose votes are crucial to President Obama and Mitt Romney. 5. Business leaders urge deficit deeal even with more taxes ....Business leaders are stepping up pressure on Washington to get a deficit-reduction deal completed even if it calls for more revenues — including higher tax bills for them.
Thought for Today "A man is either free or he is not. There cannot be any apprenticeship for freedom." --Imamu Amiri Baraka (b. 1934) African American black nationalist poet, playwright, essayist and novelist.
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 26, 2012 19:57:57 GMT -5
Raptor Month
Good afternoon from Tuxy and me This is the 300th day of 2012 with 65 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 6"42 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 68ºF [Feels like 68ºF], winds SE @ 8 mph, humidity 65%, pressure 30.04 in and steady, dew point 56ºF, chance of precipitation 30%.
Today in History: 1774--the First Continental Congress adjourned in Philadelphia. 1776--Benjamin Franklin sets sail for France to negotiate and secure a formal alliance and treaty. 1854--Charles William Post, American manufacturer of breakfast cereals, was born; died 1914 at age 59. 1861--the Pony Express announced its closure. 1864--the notorious Confederate guerrilla leader William "Bloody Bill" Anderson was killed in Missouri in a Union ambush. 1881--the Earp brothers face off against the Clanton-McLaury gang in a legendary shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Ariz. 1902--Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American social activist and leading figure of the early women's movement, died in her home. 1906--workers in St. Petersburg set up the first Russian soviet, or council. 1911--Mahalia Jackson, known as the queen of gospel singing, was born; died 1972 at age 60. 1916--Francois Mitterand, French president (1981-95), was born; died 1996 at age 79. 1917--Brazil declared war on Germany. 1919--Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, deposed Iranian Shah (1941-79), was born; died 1980 at age 60 of cancer. 1920--The Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland, Terence McSwiney, died after a 2 1/2-month hunger strike in a British prison cell, demanding independence for Ireland. 1942, the U.S. carrier Hornet was damaged so extensively by Japanese war planes in the Battle of Santa Cruz that was abandoned. 1944--the battle of Leyte Gulf, largest air-naval clash in history, ended with a decisive US victory over the Japanese. 1947--Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State and former first lady, turns 65. 1958--the first commercial Boeing 707 flight is a transcontinental New York to Paris journey made by PanAm with a fuel stop in Gander, Newfoundland 1962--in one of the most dramatic verbal confrontations of the Cold War, UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson asked his Soviet counterpart whether the USSR had placed missiles in Cuba.. 1966--a fire breaks out on aircraft carrier USS Oriskany when a locker filled with night illumination magnesium flares burst into flame. 1972--national security adviser Henry Kissinger declared "peace is at hand" in Vietnam. 1979--South Korean Pres. Park Chung-hee was assassinated by the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. 1985--Whitney Houston earned her first #1 hit with "Saving All My Love For You" 1994--Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin of Israel and Abdel Salam Majali of Jordan signed a peace treaty in a ceremony attended by Pres. Clinton. 1998--Hurricane Mitch, the most deadly hurricane to hit the Western Hemisphere in more than 200 years, slams into Central America, killing thousands. 2001--six weeks after the worst terrorist attack on US soil, Pres. Bush signed the Patriot Act, giving law enforcement agencies expanded authority. 2002--a hostage siege by Chechen rebels at a Moscow theater ended with 129 of the 800-plus captives dead, most from a knockout gas used by Russian special forces who stormed the theater. 2003--Cedar Fire (a human-caused wildfire which burned out of control in Calif. due to Santa Ana winds) burned over 280 thousand acres and killed 15. 2005--the Chicago White Sox won their first World Series since 1917 by defeating the Houston Astros 1-0 in Game 4. 2006--Pres. Bush signed a bill authorizing construction of nearly 700 miles of fencing on the U.S. border with Mexico. 2008--a massive wave of job layoffs hit the US economy, with October's total of lost jobs expected to be around 200,000.
World News Capsules:
1. Bomber kills dozens of Afghan worshipers as holiday starts ....The bomber struck a mosque in northern Afghanistan on Friday morning just as prayers were ending, killing at least 45 people on the first day of the most important Muslim holiday of the year 2. Noted women's rights activist in Congo eludes gunmen ....The gunmen, whose bullets missed Dr. Denis Mukwege, the director of a hospital that treats victims of sexual violence, killed a security guard and threatened three children. 3. European Union gives rights award to convicted Iranians ....The European Union awarded its most prestigious human rights award on Friday to two imprisoned Iranians, the lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and the filmmaker Jafar Panahi. 4. Investigation of BBC host examines dropped cases ....Footage of the interview with Jimmy Savile surfaced as police officials said the number of people who said they were assaulted by him had grown to 300 from 200 in just the last week. 5. India's plague, trash, drowns its garden city durnig strike
....In Bangalore, the capital of India’s modern economy, ubiquitous garbage highlights the incompetence of governance and the dark side of the country’s rapid economic growth. 6. Dozens are killed in Myanmar as sectarian violence flares again ....A week of violence between Muslims and Buddhists has left at least 60 dead in Rakhine State, in western Myanmar, a local official said. 7. Pakistani activist, 15, recovering at 'encouraging speed,' father says
....Malala Yousafzai, shot in the head by the Taliban, was reunited with her family for the first time since she arrived in Britain for treatment. 8. Syrian protesters emerge amid clashes and bombing during a holiday cease-fire
....Protests emerged onto the streets across Syria on Friday as a temporary cease-fire marking the most important Muslim holiday of the year largely held at the start of its first day. a. Winter's approach adds to crisis as Syrians continue to flee ....The population of registered war refugees in Syria’s neighboring countries is expected to nearly double by year’s end, to more than 700,000 people, just as the winter approaches. 9. Boxer-turned-politician shakes up Ukrainian elections ....Vitali Klitschko has injected an unpredictable element into a Parliamentary election widely seen as tilted in favor of the ruling party.
US News Capsules: 1. US cuts estimate of sugar intake of typical American
....The US Department of Agriculture has lowered the amount of sugar from nearly 100 pounds to around 80 pounds a person, in revising an estimate that it says is far from perfect. 2. Two siblings killled in New York City; nanny arrested
....A mother returned home to her Upper West Side apartment to find two of her children fatally stabbed in a bathtub by the family's nanny, the authorities said. 3. Spendng on Medicaid has slowed, survey finds ....Enrollment in the program grew only modestly as well, but that may change as millions of people are due to become eligible in 2014 under the new national health care law, a survey found. 4. He's got plenty to tell you, most of it self-loathing
....The punk band Titus Andronicus returns with a third album, “Local Business,” that’s full of Patrick Stickles’s whiny rasp and disgust with himself. 5. Forecasters predict East Coast landfall for storm ....Forecasters cautioned that it was too early to say where on the US coast Hurricane Sandy would strike or how intense the giant storm’s winds would be when it hit. a. Aging satellite fleet may mean gaps in storm forecasts
....A year or more without crucial satellites could result in shaky forecasts about storms like Hurricane Sandy, which is expected to hit the Northeastern Seaboard early next week. 6. Sanitation problems seen at pharmacy tied to outbreak
....Federal inspectors reported mold, bacteria and dirty equipment at the company where the drug implicated in the national meningitis outbreak was made. POLITICS: 1. Obama campaign endgame: grunt work and cold math
....The wave of passion that coursed through Pres. Obama's headquarters in 2008 has been replaced with a methodical approach to manufacturing the winning coalition - a more arduous task with no guarantee of success. 2. Michigan vote a test case on enshrining the rights of unions ....Unions in Michigan are asking voters to approve a referendum that would secure labor protections. 3. Followoing in a father's footsteps, but probably not into politics ....Tagg Romney says he has no interest in working in a Romney administration and no intention of carrying on the political tradition that began with his grandfather, George. 4. Bad luck and missteps make GOP's Senate climb steeper
....Once viewed as likely to win the Senate, Republicans have at times made their own path harder. Even before a second Republican Senate candidate tripped over incendiary comments about rape, GOP leaders in Washington knew that their once promising chances of winning control of the Senate had diminished.
Sports Headlines: 1. World Series: Giants escape dual with a victory
....The San Francisco Giants, behind a strong pitching performance by Madison Bumgarner and a lucky roll of a bunt in the 7th inning, beat the Tigers to take a 2-0 World Series lead. 2. NBA: Stern to pass ball, setting end datae on tenure ....David Stern's long, storied, occasionally polarizing tenure as NBA commissioner will come to a close on Feb. 1, 2014, exactly 30 years after it began. 3. NCAA: Some dietitians say college athletes are underfed ....NCAA rules permit only one team-provided meal per day, as well as snacks, and critics say that is not enough. a. Idea to lower rim for women's basketball stirs talk
....Geno Auriemma, the coach of the UConn women’s basketball team, has suggested lowering the 10-foot rims to help generate more offense and attract more fans.
Thought for Today "If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all." --Noam Chomsky (b. 1928) American linguist and political writer
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 29, 2012 17:31:06 GMT -5
National Cat Day Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 303rd day of 2012 with 62 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 3:07 p.m., it's lightly raining , temp 46ºF [Feels like 46ºF], winds N @ 15 mph, humidity 100%, pressure 29.52 in and steady, dew point 46ºF, chance of precipitation 100%.
Today in History: 1618--Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded under a sentence brought against him 15 years earlier for conspiracy against King James I. 1682--the founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, landed at what is now Chester, Pa. 1777--John Hancock resigned as president of the First Continental Congress due to illness. 1858--the first store opened in the frontier town of Denver, Colo. 1863--the Battle of Wauhatchie concluded as Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's troops opened a supply line into Chattanooga, Tenn. 1897--Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of propaganda (1933-45) for Nazi Germany, was born; committed suicide 1945. 1901--Leon Czolgosz, Pres. McKinley's assassin, was executed in the electric chair at Auburn Prison in New York. 1923--the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed. 1929--the Stock market crashes when Black Tuesday hit Wall Street as investors trade 16,410,030 shares in a single day. 1940--the US began its first peacetime military draft. 1942--leading British clergymen and political figures held a public meeting to register their outrage over the persecution of Jews by Nazi Germany. 1948--a killer smog in Donora, Pa. claimed elderly victimsultimately killing 20 with thousands seriously ill. 1956--The Huntley-Brinkley Report premiered as NBC's nightly TV newscast. 1956--Israeli armed forces pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal, initiating the Suez Crisis. 1966--the National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded. 1967--the musical Hair opened off-Broadway. 1969--Judge ordered "Chicago Eight" black defendant Bobby Seale gagged and chained to his chair during his trial after he repeatedly shouted accusations and insults at the judge and prosecution and disrupted the court proceedings. 1969--the first connection on what would become the Internet was made when bits of data flowed between computers at UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute. 1971--guitarist Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers band died in a motorcycle accident. 1989--M25 (orbital motorway encircling Greater London, one of the longest city bypasses in the world) was officially opened by Margaret Thatcher. 1994--Francisco Duran from Colorado was arrested after he sprayed the White House with bullets from an assault rifle. 1998--Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, who in 1962 became the first astronaut to orbit the Earth, returned to space aboard the shuttle Discovery, becoming, at 77, the oldest person to travel in space. 1998--Hurricane Mitch, 2nd deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history, made landfall in Honduras. 2002--Ho Chi Minh City ITC Inferno, one of the deadliest peacetime disasters in Vietnam, was a fire in the ITC building that claimed 60 lives. 2003--digging through more than 164 feet of rock, rescuers liberated 11 of 13 Russian miners trapped underground for six days after a methane gas explosion. 2004--Osama bin Laden, in a videotaped statement, directly admitted for the first time that he had ordered the Sept. 11 attacks. 2004--European Union leaders signed the EU's first constitution. 2005--three explosions in New Delhi hit a bus and markets crowded with holiday shoppers, killing at least 65 people. 2005--a reported 102 people died in a train wreck in southern India, where heavy rains caused major flooding. 2006--due to pilot error, a Boeing 737 crashed near Nigeria's Abuja airport killing 96 of the 104 people aboard. 2006--17 instructors and two translators were gunned down at a British-run police academy at Basra, Iraq. 2007--a suicide bomber attacked a police brigade in Iraq, killing 29 people, including 26 police officers. 2008--the death toll from a 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Pakistan topped 200, with 100s hurt and more than 20,000 were left homeless.
World News Capsules: 1. When Afghans look to border with Pakistan, they don't see a fixed line ....An American envoy’s comments about the Durand Line, the contentious 1893 border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, have struck a raw nerve in Afghanistan. 2. Protests over chemical plant force Chinese officials to back down
....After three days of growing dissent, local officials promised to halt the plant's expansion, something skeptical activists attributed to the current political climate. 3. Ghana: a grant meant to curb infant mortality focuses on getting mothers to the hospital ....Rutted roads in rural Ghana are an obvious problem, but women and infants there often die partly because of prejudices against wives or newborns leaving the house. 4. Arrest of '70s rock star widens sexual abuse case tied to BBC ....The sexual abuse scandal surrounding the late television host Jimmy Savile widened after the British police arrested Paul Gadd, who performed as Gary Glitter, in connection with the case. a. Former judge opens inquiry into Savile sex abuse case ....A former senior judge will investigate the “culture and practices” at the corporation behind the sexual abuse scandal surrounding the late television host Jimmy Savile 5. Greek editor is arrested after publishing a list of Swiss bank accounts ....Kostas Vaxevanis, the editor and owner of Hot Doc magazine, said the list contained the names of 2,000 Greeks who had possibly been evading taxes. 6. India reshuffles cabinet, as chance of early elections grows ....The changes were seen as an effort to shake off nearly a year of paralysis and address a host of corruption and nepotism charges 7. Indonesia terror raids net 11 suspects, state media reports
....The suspects, said to be part of a relatively new militant group, were planning attacks on several high-profile targets in the country, including the US Embassy in Jakarta. 8. US tries to coordinate anti-militant push in Mali ....Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Algeria as the US sought to coordinate support for an emerging international effort to push Islamic militants out of northern Mali 9. Attack on NIgerian church kills 8 and wounds dozens
....Though there was no claim of responsibility, the bombing at a Roman Catholic church in Kaduna was similar to others by the radical Islamist group Boko Haram. 10. Region's struggles seen in a Romanian scandal ....In Romania, an unsolved mystery around the arrest and apparent suicide attempt of a former prime minister seems to symbolize the entire country’s dysfunctional version of democracy. 11. Soccer arena rouses fans, and Russia, over its cost ....A high-level inquiry by auditors was ordered for a St. Petersburg construction project that has reached an estimate of $1.4 billion after a predicted $210 million cost. 12. Low voter turnout in Sicily suggests anger at pp;otoca; c;ass ....Fewer than half of eligible voters participated in regional elections, a signal of discontent with Italy’s political class after a series of scandals. 13. Attacks continue during failed holiday truce in Syria ....The declared four-day holiday truce in Syria ended on Monday much as it had begun — with airstrikes, artillery barrages and other firefights that made a mockery of the cease-fire. a. Envoy to Syria meets with Russian foreign minister after truce unravels
....Reeling from his doomed cease-fire plan that disintegrated in hours, international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met with Russia's Sergey Lavrov on what to do about the Syrian civil war. 14. Governing party claims victory in Ukraine elections
....The governing party of Pres. Yanukovich declared victory in Ukraine, but preliminary exit polls showed opposition parties making strong gains. a. International observers denounce Ukrainian election ....A day after voting, outside monitors said an abuse of resources, media control and jailings had given the ruling party an unfair advantage.
US News Capsules: 1. Sharp warnings as Hurricane Sandy churns in
....Forecasters said Hurricane Sandy would bring "life-threatening" flooding to areas of the East Coast and officials warned of days of disruptions as the storm swirled toward some of the nation's most densely populated areas. a. Panicked evacuations mix with nonchalance in Hurricane Sandy's path ....In New York City, with memories of last year's less-than-ferocious Hurricane Irene still fresh, some skeptical residents simply would not move. b. Shallow waters and unusual path may worsen the surge ....Experts pointed to several factors that could combine to make the tidal surge from Hurricane Sandy particularly far-reaching and destructive. c. The coast empties out as the storm moves in
....One by one, hotels were closed and storefronts were boarded up in Rehoboth Beach, Del., as Hurricane Sandy moved toward shore. d. Brunt of business impact yet to come
....The effects of the storm were expected to be felt by the economy well after Hurricane Sandy comes and goes as consumers stay home and focus on cleanup and recovery. 2. A weak sport in HIV's armor raises hope for a vaccine ....Researchers announced that they had found a vulnerable spot on the virus’s outer shell that might present a good vaccine target. 3. Silos loom as death traps on American farms ....The US is producing more grain than ever, for food, feed, and commercial applications like ethanol. But as other farm work has gotten safer, gruesome grain bin accidents persist. .4. Advertising relearned for mobile ....Advertising on devices like cellphones and tablets requires different approaches from advertising online, like taking advantage of the ability to track a consumer's location. 5. At Fox News, a liberal pundit finds the spotlight ....Sally Kohn, a former community organizer, is winning attention for her political commentary on the Fox News Channel. 6. Univision to start its first digital network ....On Monday, Univision will officially start its first digital network, UVideos, which will offer more than 1,500 hours of long-form programming and about 200 short clips a day free to users. 7. Police cut back, violent crime soars
....A 24-year-old mother shot to death this month is one of 71 homicides this year in Newark, NJ, where budget cuts led to police layoffs. As many cities have cut police, violent crime soared 18% nationwide last year. 8. ARTS: Movies try to escape cultural irrelevance
....Worried that films have lost their cultural cachet, Hollywood is pondering initiatives meant to restore the attachment films have to historical and cultural thinking in America. a. Going beyond cultual kid stuff with a wary sense of adventure ....A judgment call for parents: When is it appropriate to introduce children to challenging cultural material - whether it is sexy or profane, creepy or violent, or simply adult and intense? 9. US Supreme Court rejects abortion-related appeal ....The court declined to review an abortion-related appeal, a sign the justices were not eager to jump into the contentious social issue. POLITICS: 1. In middle of a messy election, a nightmare makes landfall
....Recounts, contested ballots, an Electoral College at odds with the popular vote: now adding to the campaigns' potential horrors, a freakish storm may warp an election two years in the making. 2. Storm roils campaign as Obama cancels appearance ....Pres. Obama returned to Washington and Mitt Romney canceled campaign events through Tuesday. 3, GOP tries to chip away at Democrats' edge in early voting ....Republicans are stepping up their efforts to narrow a Democratic advantage in early voting in key battlegrounds like Florida and Ohio. 4. Romney wants more responsibility for emergency management in states
....Mitt Romney's comments about the Federal Emergency Management Agency, made at a CNN Republican primary debate in June 2011, are receiving renewed attention Monday as Hurricane Sandy bears down on the East Coast. 5. Famous for gaffes, a candidate in Missouri learns to watch his words ....Todd Akin, the Republican candidate for Senate in Missouri, became known nationally for his gaffes, and now he is trying to convince voters at home that he is not an extremist.
Sports Headlines: 1. NFL: NY Giants hang on to victory, by a finger ....The Giants' 29-24 victory against Dallas came down to the final seconds when a touchdown reception by the Cowboys' Dez Bryant was overturned because his right hand touched out of bounds. a. No longer flying under the radar
....With their 30-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Atlanta Falcons might have finally proved that they are serious Super Bowl contenders 2. WORLD SERIES: With a sweep, SF Giants are champions again
....San Francisco, seeking their 2nd World Series title in two years, completed the first World Series sweep since 2007 with a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers in 10 innings, giving the Giants their second title in three years.
Thought for Today "The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye. The more light you shine on it, the more it will contract." --Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841-1935), assoc.jusice, US Supreme Court
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Post by Flying Horse on Oct 30, 2012 19:00:38 GMT -5
Happy National Candy Corn Day Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 303rd day of 2012 with 62 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 5:07 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 49ºF [Feels like 49ºF], winds ESE @ 9 mph, humidity 69%, pressure 29.30 in and rising, dew point 36ºF, chance of precipitation 40%.
Today in History: 1340--in the Spanish-Muslim Wars, an army under Alfonso IV of Portugal heavily defeated the Moors under Abu Hamed at the battle of Salado. 1485--Henry Tudor (father of Henry VIII) was crowned enry VII, King of England. 1735--John Adams, the 2nd president of the US (1797-1801), was born in Braintree, Mass.; died 1826 at age 90. 1775--a 7-member naval committee was established by Congress and tasked with the acquisition, outfitting and manning of a naval fleet. 1811--Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility was published. 1817--Simon Bolivar established the independent government of Venezuela. 1863--George I of Greece, a Danish prince who was elected King by the Greek National Assembly, was crowned King of Greece. 1864--the city of Helena, Mont. was founded after miners discovered gold. 1885--Ezra Loomis Pound, poet and literary critic, was born; died 1972 at age 87. 1890--Oakland, Calif. enacted a law against opium, morphine, and cocaine. 1893--Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition closed that had introduced Americans to all kinds of technological wonders. 1894--Daniel M. Cooper of Rochester, New York patented the time clock into which timecards were inserted. 1915--Fred Friendly, the pioneering American broadcast journalist , was born; died 1998 at age 82, 1918--World War I: representatives of Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire signed an armistice treaty. 1938--Orson Welles caused a nationwide panic with his realistic broadcast of War of the Worlds, a realistic radio dramatization of a Martian invasion of Earth. 1941--Pres. Roosevelt approved Lend-Lease aid to the USSR. 1941--a U.S. destroyer, the Reuben James, was sunk by a German submarine. 1944--Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring premiered at the Library of Congress. 1953--George C. Marshall, who, as secretary of state following World War II, engineered a massive economic aid program for Europe, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 1953--Pres. Eisenhower approved the National Security Council 162/2 that made clear that the nuclear arsenal would be maintained and the connection between military spending and a sound American economy. 1961--the Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb. 1965--the US Marines repelled an attack near Da Nang, South Vietnam. 1973--the Bosphorous Bridge in Turkey was completed. 1974--Rumble in the Jungle: Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the 8th round in Kinshasa, Zaire, to regain his world heavyweight title. 1975--as dictator Francisco Franco was near death, Prince Juan Carlos assumed power in Spain. 1983--The Rev. Jesse Jackson announced plans to become the first African-American to mount a full-scale campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. 1991--the first "Perfect" storm hit the North Atlantic, producing remarkably large waves along the New England and Canadian coasts. 1995--by a bare majority of 50.6% to 49.4%, Quebec voted to remain within the federation of Canada. 1997--a jury in Cambridge, Mass., convicted British au pair Louise Woodward of second-degree murder in the death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen, later reduced to manslaughter. 2003--the death toll in the Southern California wildfire outbreak was set at 20 with 2,605 homes destroyed and 657,000 acres charred. 2004--Yasser Arafat's closest aides said the 75-year-old, long-time Palestinian leader had lost control of his mental faculties and couldn't communicate clearly. 2005--civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks became the first woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. 2005--Indian authorities sent army divers to look for people trapped in a derailed train near Veligonda, the result of massive flooding. 2005--an obscure radical Islamic group in India claimed responsibility for the bombings at two New Delhi markets and on a bus that killed more than 60 people and injured close to 200. 2006--Pakistan hit an Islamic school near the Afghan border, killing at least 80 suspected militants. 2008--the U.S. gross domestic product dropped 0.3%, the first decrease in the GDP in 17 years. 2008--Nine explosions in four towns in northern India killed at least 39 people and wounded more than 100, police said.
World News Capsules: 1. Afghans say presidential election date is set for April 2014 ....Pres. Karzai took a step toward fulfilling his pledge to hold Afghanistan’s presidential election on time, as officials said that the vote had been officially set for April 5, 2014. 2. Citing violence, Bahrain bans all protests in new crackdown
....The government said that opposition activists had abused its tolerance for freedom of expression by allowing protests to turn violent. 3. Ex-envoy says US stirs China-Japan tensions ....Chen Jian, a former United Nations under secretary general, complained that Japan was being encouraged to take on security concerns, empowering the right wing in that country. a. Protests over chemical plant force Chinese officials to back down ....After three days of growing dissent, local officials promised to halt the plant’s expansion, something skeptical activists attributed to the current political climate. 4. Wrangling over Europe's budget gets under way ....Hostilities are likely to be protracted as countries like Britain and Sweden call for deep cuts in the European Commission's proposed spending plan. 5. Behind the inscrutable mien, clues to Merkel's methods ....Hints of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s approach to leadership beyond Germany are sprinkled in a life that includes firsthand experience of how a failure of vision can undo a nation. 6. Greece moves quickly to put editor on trial ....A case surrounding the publication of a list of Greeks with Swiss bank accounts has raised questions about press freedom and Greece’s willingness to crack down on tax evasion. 7. Libya warnings were plentiul but unspecific ....Interviews suggest that though the State Department received many warnings about the deteriorating situation in Benghazi, none focused on the diplomatic compound that was attacked. 8. Villagers in Morocco drive out prositutes ....Some hail the crackdown in a village known for its sex trade as a victory for community activism; others fear the influence of fundamentalist Islam. 9. Qatar: Genocide in Syria
....Syria's government is waging "a war of extermination" against its own people, the emir of Qatar said , hours after a failed four-day ceasefire during a Muslim holiday left hundreds dead. 10. In Turkey, a break from the past plays out in the streets ....The divisions between secularists and the Islamist-leaning government were on display Monday during the holiday celebrating Turkey’s founding.
US News Capsules: 1. Storm barrels ashore, leavaing path of destruction
....The storm battered the mid-Atlantic region, its powerful gusts and storm surges causing once-in-a-generation flooding in New York city, coastal communities and knocking down trees and power lines. a. Empty of gamblers and full of water, Atlantic City reels ....Even as the first samplings of the storm's ravages descended on the New Jersey coastline, a large portion of Atlantic City was already underwater. b. Storm is expected to be less powerful, and less renching, as it moves inland ....The enormous storm is expected to become less monstrous, and less drenching, as it moves over land. c. Distribution of billions in aid to storm victims will test FEMA ....FEMA has a troubled history of overseeing its aid program, which has been subject to chronic fraud and abuse. 2. Random House and Penguin merger creates global giant ....The deal between the media companies Bertelsmann, which owns Random House, and Pearson, which owns Penguin, might draw antitrust scrutiny. 3. SCIENCE: Killing the computer to save it
....Dr. Neumann, an 80-year-old computer scientist at SRI International, is leading an effort to redesign computers and software from a "clean slate" to make them more secure. a. Scientists move closer to a lasting flu vaccine ....Thanks to a flurry of recent studies, flu experts foresee a time when seasonal flu shots are a thing of the past. 4. Farmers find path out of hardship in corn mazea ....Income from “agritainment” activities like corn mazes is helping a lot of farmers keep their farm. 5. Question for justices: do Aldo and Franky's noses always know? ....The Supreme Court plans to hear the cases of two drug-sniffing dogs amid a growing body of evidence suggesting that such dogs may not be infallible. a. Challenge to wiretaps is heard by justices ....The Supreme Court heard a challenge to a federal law, enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks, that authorized intercepting international communications involving Americans. 6. Disney buying Lucasfilm for $4 billion
....Through the acquisition, which gives Disney a commanding position in the world of fantasy films, the company said that it would revive the “Star Wars” franchise. POLITICS: 1. GOP turns fire on Obama pillar, the auto bailout ....Mitt Romney's latest attempt to win votes in Ohio, by criticizing aspects of the auto industry recovery, has provoked a backlash. 2. Storm pushes aside presidential politics, mostly ....Mitt Romney held a “storm-relief event” in Ohio, as both candidates confronted how best to campaign while cities coped with deaths and extensive flooding/ 3. Looking presidential: the optics of leadership during a disaster
....As Sandy took aim at the East Coast, Pres. Obama discarded campaign events in Florida and Virginia to return to Washington and address the storm from the White House.
Thought for Today "This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it." --John Adams (1735-1826), 2nd Pres. of the US and a Founding Father.
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Post by Flying Horse on Nov 2, 2012 20:39:59 GMT -5
All Souls’ Day Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 305th day of 2012 with 60 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 6:37 p.m., it's lightly raining , temp 37ºF [Feels like 30ºF], winds W @ 12 mph, humidity 75%, pressure 29.75 in and steady, dew point 30ºF, chance of precipitation 100%.
Today in History: 1755--Marie-Antoinette, French queen consort to Louis VXI, was born; beheaded 1793 at age 37. 1777--the USS Ranger, with a crew of 140 men under the command of John Paul Jones, leaves Portsmouth, N.H. to begin raids on British warships. 1783--Gen. Washington issued his farewell address to the Army near Princeton, N.J. 1861--controversial Union Gen. John C. Fremont was relieved of command in the Western Department and replaced by David Hunter. 1889--North Dakota and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states. 1902--the 1st four-cylinder, gas-powered Locomobile —a $4,000, 12-horsepower Model C— was delivered to a buyer in New York City. 1917--British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour submitted a declaration of intent to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. 1942--British launch Operation Supercharge with Gen. Bernard Montgomery breaking through German Gen. Rommel's defensive line at El Alamein, Egypt, 1947--the Hughes Flying Boat (or Spruce Goose) - the largest aircraft ever built - was piloted by designer Howard Hughes on its first and only flight. 1948--in the greatest upset in presidential election history, Pres. Truman defeatsed GOP challenger, NY Gov. Thomas Dewey, by just over two million popular votes. 1950--George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright (Pygmalion) and Nobel laureate, died from renal failure in Hertfordshire, England. 1959--Charles Van Doren admitted to a House subcommittee that he had the questions and answers in advance of his appearances on the TV game show Twenty-One. 1960--a landmark obscenity case over Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence ended in the acquittal of Penguin Books. 1963--South Vietnamese Pres. Ngo Dihn Diem was assassinated in a military coup. 1965--Norman Morrison (a Quaker) set himself on fire in front of the Pentagon in protest of the Vietnam War. 1976--former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter defeated GOP incumbent Gerald R. Ford, becoming the first US president from the Deep South since the Civil War. 1982-- a truck explodes in the Salang Tunnel in Afghanistan, killing an estimated 3,000 people, mostly Soviet soldiers. 1983--Pres. Reagan signed a bill establishing a federal holiday on the 3rd Monday of January in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. 1984--Velma Barfield, a serial murderer, was the first woman in the US to be executed by lethal injection. 1986 US hostage David Jacobsen was released in Beirut after 17 months in a trade for US arms sent to Iran. 1992--HIV-infected Earvin "Magic" Johnson retired from professional basketball "for good." 1992--legendary filmmaker (Laurel & Hardy/Our Gang comedies) Hal Roach died at age 100. 1993--a new series of wildfires swept along the Southern California coast, destroying more than 300 homes in the exclusive community of Malibu. 1996--Great Britain announced a plan to ban ownership of large-caliber handguns. 2003--at least 13 U.S. soldiers were killed and about 20 wounded in Iraq when a missile downed a helicopter carrying members of the 82nd Airborne Division near Fallujah. 2004--Pres. George W. Bush was elected to a second term in a close race with Democrat John Kerry. 2004--Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, who received death threats because of his film about violence against Islamic women, was slain as he rode his bicycle through an Amsterdam park. 2006--the Rev. Ted Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals after a man said they had had sexual trysts together. 2007--rescuers worked in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco to help the estimated 300,000 people trapped in their homes by massive flooding. 2009--Afghanistan's election commission proclaimed Pres. Hamid Karzai the victor of the country's tumultuous ballot, canceling a planned runoff. 2010--Republicans won control of the House of Representatives, picking up 63 seats in midterm elections, and Republican governors outnumbered Democrats after gaining six states. 2010--Californians rejected a ballot measure that would have made their state the first to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
World News Capsules: 1. Grabs for power behind plan to shrink elite circle ....A proposal by Chinese leaders to downsize the powerful Politburo Standing Committee offers one of the clearest windows available into the intentions of the party. a. UN rights official faults China on Tibetan suppression ....Navi Pillay, the UNs’ high commissioner for human rights, said China’s suppression of the rights of Tibetans had driven them to “desperate forms of protest” like self-immolation. b. From toys to TV news, jittery Beijing clamps down ....China is imposing a blizzard of restrictions to ensure stability during a major leadership change, and its crackdown extends even to toys and the back seats of cabs. 2. A shield of celebrity let a BBC host escape legal scrutiny for decades
....Despite widespread suspicions about Jimmy Savile, police forces were unable to connect the dots, and his powerful connections made pursuing allegations against him unpalatable. 3. Leader ousted, nation is now a drug haven ....Guinea-Bissau, the West African country taken over by its military in April, now appears to be a place where drug trafficking is approved at the top, drug trade experts say. 4. Iranian hard-liners reject any talks with US ....Angry Iranians commemorated the taking of the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979, and a senior security official warned against any compromise with the “great Satan." 5. Petraeus's quieter style at CIA leaves void on Libya furor
....The Benghazi crisis has been the biggest challenge in the first civilian job held by David H. Petraeus, who has gotten high marks in a markedly different culture from that of the military. 6. Ever wonder what elephants would have to say?
....Researchers think that Koshik, who lives at a zoo in South Korea, started imitating human speech out of a need to socialize. 7. UN says Syria execution video shows apparent war crime ....A new video that seems to show Syrian rebels summarily executing a group of captured soldiers or militiamen could, if verified, represent evidence of a war crime, the UN said. 8. Turkish leader says he plans a trop to Gaza soon
....A visit by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would antagonize the Palestinian Authority, Israel and the West.
US News Capsules: 1. Hurricand Sandy: Gasoline runs short, adding woes to storm recovery
....Four days after Hurricane Sandy, the effort to secure enough gas for the region moved to the forefront of recovery work. In New York, the Taxi Commission warned of a thinner fleet. a. Estimate of economic losses now up to $50 billion
....Damages from Hurricane Sandy double a previous forecast, with economists warning that it could shave a half percentage point off the nation's economic growth. b. Chelsea art galleries struggle to restore and reopen
....An hour in Chelsea last Saturday was a final look at what could become the old, pre-Sandy gallery scene. c. Federal relief costs likely to be big, and contested ....States will almost certainly request billions in federal aid, which could stir concerns about fraud. d. Patience wears thin as region cleans up, with toll rising
....Days after Hurricane Sandy, many in the New York area were coping with gas shortages, chilly homes that lacked power, lines for buses and food handouts and new word of lives lost - 97 in US, 166 total. e. Cellphone users steaming at hit-or-miss service ....Four days after Hurricane Sandy, the major carriers — AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA and Sprint — were still rebuilding their networks in the hardest-hit areas, f. Military to deliver fuel to storm region ....With lines at Northeast gas stations persisting, the government turned to the Pentagon for help and eased limits on foreign tankers. 2. As wolves' numbers rise, so does friction between guardians and hunters ....The first modern wolf-hunting season in Minnesota and Wisconsin is raising concerns among those who are trying to protect the animals. 3. Justices asked whether decision on deportation warnings applies retroactively ....The US Supreme Court heard arguments over whether a 2010 ruling, which stated that lawyers must warn their clients that deportation could follow a guilty plea, should apply retroactively. 4. Massachusetts man gets 17 years in terrorist plot ....Rezwan Ferdaus admitted to planning to blow up the Pentagon and the US Capitol using remote-controlled planes laden with explosives. 5. A promising drug with a flaw
(Walter Daumler with a photograph of his sister Doris Daumler, who was on Pradaxa and died in May) ....The anticlotting drug Pradaxa, on the market only two years, is growing in popularity for its ease of use, but has been associated with hemorrhaging, and it has no antidote to reverse its blood-thinning effects. 6. Military has not solved problem of sexual assault women say ....One sergeant’s account of abuse suggests that more than 20 years after Tailhook, the infamous 1991 scandal involving Navy fighter pilots, little has changed in the insular fighter pilot culture. POLITICS 1. Bloomberg backs Obama, citing fallout from stomr ....Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, an independent, said climate change may have been a factor in Hurricane Sandy and he believed President Obama was the best candidate to tackle the issue. 2. Campaigns brace to sue for votes in crucial states ....Thousands of lawyers from both presidential campaigns will enter polling places next Tuesday with one central goal: tracking their opponents and, if need be, initiating legal action. 3. Economic data offers little change in dynamic between Obama and Romney ....Mitt Romney called the numbers “a sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill,” but the White House cited the report as further evidence that the nation’s economy is recovering. 4. "I'm independent, not undecided"
....As he watched the debates, Bretton Holmes was irritated. It wasn't the candidates who were getting to him, it was hearing independent and undecided voters lumped together.
Sports Headlines: 1. After deays of pressure, marathon is off
....Lobbied by runners, politicians and the public after Hurricane Sandy, officials and organizers decided not to hold the New York City Marathon for the first time since 1970. 2. NHL: Citing logistics, NHL cancels Winter Classic ....The league’s signature event, this year a game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, was to be held at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Jan. 1. 3. Rescuing horses as industry bides its time
....Rescue groups are on the lookout for former racehorses that have landed at auctions and are en route to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico. 4. Spelman drops sports to turn focus on fitness ....Spelman College, facing money and logistical problems, is withdrawing from intercollegiate athletics and will focus on a wellness program to promote exercise and better nutrition.
Thought for Today "The strength of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special exertions, but by his habitual acts." --[/i]Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French mathematician and philosopher
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Post by Flying Horse on Nov 7, 2012 20:58:45 GMT -5
International Drum Month Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 310th day of 2012 with 55 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 5:57 p.m., it's fair , temp 36ºF [Feels like 36ºF], winds N @ 3 mph, humidity 62%, pressure 30.04 in and rising, dew point 24ºF, chance of precipitation 0%.
Today in History: 1665--the London Gazette, an official journal of record for the British government, and the oldest surviving journal, was first published. 1776--the Continental Congress chose Richard Bache to succeed his father-in-law, Benjamin Franklin, as postmaster general. 1805--the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived at the Pacific Ocean. 1861--the Battle of Belmont, Mo.: Union forces under Gen. Grant overran a Confederate camp but are forced to flee when additional Confederate troops arriveed. 1867--Marie Curie, the Polish-born French physicist twice awarded the Nobel Prize for her work on radioactivity, was born.; died 1934 at age 66. 1874--the first cartoon by Thomas Nastdepicting the elephant as the symbol of the Republican Party was printed in Harper's Weekly. 1885--Canadian Pacific Railway was completed at a remote spot called Craigellachie in the mountains of British Columbia. 1893--the passage of a referendum made Colorado the first state to grant women the right to vote. 1907--Jesus Garcia Carcona, a Mexican railroad engineer, died by driving a burning train full of dynamite six kilometers away before it exploded. 1911--Marie Curie became the first multiple Nobel Prize winner when she was given the award for chemisty eight years after garnering the physics prize with her late husband, Pierre. (She remains the only woman with multiple Nobels and the only person to receive the award in two science categories.) 1916--suffragist Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman elected to the US House of Representatives, 1917--Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution took place as forces led by Vladimir Lenin overthrew the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky. 1918--Billy Graham, evangelist, turns 94 1918--the Spanish flu pandemic spread to Western Samoa killing 7,542 (about 20% of the population) by the end of the year. 1929--the Museum of MOdern Art or MoMA opened in New YOrk City. 1940--Only four months after its completion, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington state, the 3rd longest suspension bridge in the world at the time, collapsed. 1944--Pres. Rranklin D. Roosevelt was reelected a record third time, defeating Thomas E. Dewey, governor of New York. 1952--CIA director & former US Army general officer, David Petraeus turns 60. 1957--the Gaither Report from a special committee appointed to review the nation's defense readiness, called for more US missiles and fallout shelters. 1962--Richard Nixon, who failed to become governor of California, held his so-called last press conference, telling reporters, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore." 1962--former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt died at age 78 in her Manhattan apartment. 1964--US intelligence asserted that the numbers of North Vietnamese in South Vietnam was growing. 1972--Pres. Richard M. Nixon was ee-elected president., defeating Democrat George McGovern. 1973--the US Congress over-rode Pres. Nixon's veto of the War Powers Act. 1980--actor Steve McQueen, the Hollywood "King of Cool," died at age 50 in Mexico, where he was undergoing an experimental treatment for cancer. 1983--a bomb exploded in the US Capitol, causing heavy damage just outside the Senate chamber 1985--Colombian troops ended a 27-hour siege of Bogota's Palace of Justice by 35 M-19 guerrillas with 11 Supreme Court judges among the 100 people killed. 1989--two African American firsts in politics - David Dinkins, becomes mayor of New York City and Douglas Wilder, the first elected African American state governor. 1989--"Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez was formally sentenced in Los Angeles to die in the gas chamber for 13 killings. 1991--basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson announced his sudden retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers, after testing positive for HIV. 1998--House Speaker Newt Gingrich resigned following an election in which the Republican House majority shrunk to 12. 2000--George W. Bush was elected pUS resident over incumbent Democratic Vice Pres. Al Gore, though Gore won the popular vote . 2000--Hillary Rodham Clinton was elected to the U..Senate from New York, becoming the first first lady to win public office. 2001--U.S.-led jets resumed bombing in northern Afghanistan, targeting Taliban positions near the country's northeastern border with Tajikistan. 2004--in an overwhelming show of force, France put down a wave of anti-French violence in Ivory Coast, its former West African colony. 2005--Chilean police arrested former Peruvian Pres. Alberto Fujimori hours after he arrived in Santiago, on charges of corruption nd human rights abuses. 2006--Democrats regained control of the US House of Representatives and reclaimed Senate leadership in midterm elections. Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, became the first Muslim elected to Congress. 2007--the space shuttle Discovery returned after a 15-day mission that included adding a "room" to the international space station. 2007--Georgian Pres. Mikheil Saakashvili imposed a state of emergency after days of protests by opposition parties who want him to resign. 2009--the Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed, 220-215, landmark health care legislation to expand coverage to tens of millions who lacked it and placed tough new restrictions on the insurance industry.
World News Capsules: 1. China welcomes Obama's win, but hopes for more balanced ties with the US ....Woven into the warm words from outgoing Pres. Hu Jintao was a warning that the US should be a more cooperative partner. a. Facing protests, China's business investment grows ....The Chinese government has backtracked on building some new plants and appeared to be slowly shifting its focus toward a greater reliance on consumption. 2. What a man! What a suit!
....Britain's Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in Skyfall, a playful 007 movie with exotic locales, an island fortress and a fight on a moving train, 3. Greece prepares to vote on $23 billion in new cuts
....The new austerity measures, which include further cuts to pensions, civil service salaries and social benefits, are required to unlock $40 billion in rescue financing. 4. As dengue fever sweeps India, a slow response stirs experts' fears ....Health experts fear that government officials are not acknowledging the scope of a problem that threatens hundreds of millions of people, not just in India but around the world. a. The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty ....For most of modern India’s history, being a member of the Nehru-Gandhi political family was enough to win votes and public confidence. But the clan’s mystique may be jeopardized by rapid change. 5. Netanyahu rushes to repair damage with Obama ....The results of Tuesday’s presidential election left many Israelis questioning whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had risked their collective relationship with Washington. 6. Putin ousts defense chief, longtime ally ....The firing of Anatoly E. Serdyukov, a longtime Putin ally, is one of the highest-level dismissals connected to a corruption case in recent memory in Russia. 7. 2012: The year of elections
....It's not just the U.S.: In a rare alignment of the electoral stars, Egypt, France, Mexico and more elected new leaders.
US News Capsules: 1, WhyNYC downtown needs diners now
....Restaurants in the blackout zone in southern Manhattan lost their perishables and the better part of a week's revenues, a big hit for businesses that get by on small margins, and for their workers. Hurricane Sandy is forcing New York's restaurateurs to rethink the way they operate. 2. In the South, a good year for farmers of peanuts ....In Georgia, where nearly half of the nation’s peanuts are grown, the annual fall harvest has yielded a record crop that farmers say tastes better than average. 3. Product questioins and threats of higher tax hit Apple shares
....Shares have dropped 20% since their September peak. Some investors may be selling in anticipation of higher capital gains taxes. 4. A school distanced from technology faces its intrusion
....As high-speed Internet and better cellphone reception reach a remote corner of Vermont where the Mountain School offers a semester on a farm for high school students, questions arise about regulating use. 5. US Marine Corps starts ad campaign to try to diversity officer ranks ....Recognizing that it lags the other branches of the military in female and minority officers, the Marines have started an effort to diversify. 6. Nor'easter rubs salt in the wounds from a hurricane
....A new storm brought more water, more wind and more worry to a region where frustration continued to run high from Hurricane Sandy, barely a week gone. ELECTIONS: 1. Obama wins new term as electoral advantage holds
....Voters returned Pres. Obama to the White House, but he will face a Congress with the same divisions that marked his first term. a, Question for the victor: How far do you push?
....The next battle for Pres. Obama is to decide what he wants to accomplish in a second term and how to go about it. To solve our problems, we have to understand we face a shared threat. b. After hard-fought campaign, a victory for Obama ....Americans went to makeshift sites in East Coast communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy and traditional voting booths in schools, libraries and town halls across the rest of the country. c. On Fox News, a mistrust of pro-Obama numbers lasts late into the night ....As Fox News's own polling showed an advantage for Mr. Obama late in the campaign, commentators on the network questioned whether the news organization had its numbers right. Fox News anchors appeared less than jubilant as other network anchors repeated the "too close to call" mantra early on. d. Obama's other "cliff" is in foreign policy
....National security issues involving Syria, the Middle East and the US’ relationship with Russia and China are now clamoring for the president’s attention. Elsewhere, world leaders are vying for favor as Pres. Obama embarks on a second term with many major issues unresolved from the first. 2. Obama wins a clear victory, but balance of power is unchanged in Washington
....After $6 billion, two dozen presidential primary days, four general election debates and more TV ads than anyone could watch, the two parties essentially fought to a standstill. 3. Democrats grab US Senate seats in Massachusetts and Indiana ....The party also averted what was once considered a likely defeat in Missouri. a. Warren defeats Brown in Massachusetts Senate contest ....With nearly three-fourths of voters in Massachusetts going to the polls, Elizabeth Warren, a darling of the left, won a hard-fought race for the Senate. 4, Murphy defeats McMahon after bitter US Senate race in Connecticut ....Christopher S. Murphy, a three-term congressman, won despite heavy spending and an advertising barrage by Linda E. McMahon, the former wrestling executive. 5. Partisans in Florida retreat to thier corners to wait out a cliffhanger ....The anticipated closeness of the presidential race did not deter Republican and Democratic political die-hards from heading into ballrooms and bars around the state to watch election returns. 6. Boehner strikes conciiatory tone in talk of fiscal cliff ....House Speaker John A. Boehner said he is ready to accept a budget deal that raises federal revenues if it is linked to an overhaul of entitlements and the tax code. a. GOP factions grapple over meaning of loss ....There was no shortage of theories from inside and outside the party about where it fell short and what to do next. 7. Election results proves a victory for pollsters and other data devotees ....As some pundits were left eating crow, people who use mathematical models to make projections came out ahead.
Sports Headlines: 1. NBA: A player and a Nets tam, shaped to challene the Heat
....Gerald Wallace has the hustle, strength, grit and versatility to help mold the identity of the Nets and also lead the charge, with the help of a supporting cast, against Miami. a. Wallace giving Knicks quality time and tips ....Rasheed Wallace, at 38 and coming out of retirement, has been a big surprise for the Knicks, who are 3-0 for the first time since 1999. 2. NFL: Study looks at bias in celebration penalty calls
....A study asked a group of participants to reward fictitious players for their behavior after a touchdown. The results showed a significant difference in fouls called on black players. 3. MLB: Mets and Bay agree to part ways
....Jason Bay, who was signed through the end of the 2013 season and had a $3 million buyout clause for 2014, had three hugely disappointing years with the Mets. 4. MARATHON: Hostility lingers over marathon cancellation ....The challenge for New York Road Runners is how to recover from last week's race cancellation without too much damage to its finances and reputation.
Thought for Today "There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, And that is to have either a clear conscience or none at all." --Ogden Nash (1902-1971) American poet
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Post by Flying Horse on Nov 7, 2012 20:59:46 GMT -5
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