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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 2, 2012 19:44:56 GMT -5
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 336th day of 2012 with 29 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 3:37 p.m., it's lightly raining , temp 46ºF [Feels like 39ºF], winds SSW @ 7 mph, humidity 87%, pressure 29.96 in and steady, dew point 43ºF, chance of precipitation 70%.
Today in History: 1254--Manfred, King of Sicily, defeated the papal armies at the battle of Foggia thereby retaining his kingdom. 1547--Hernando Cortes, Spanish conqueror of Mexico, died. 1777--Lydia Darragh, a Philadelphia housewife/nurse overheard British plans for a surprise attack on Gen. Washington.s army the next day. 1793--fleeing his debtors, 21-year-old Samuel Taylor Coleridge enlists in the Light Dragoons, an English cavalry unit. 1804--Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself a Napoleon I, the first Frenchman to hold the title of emperor in a thousand years. Then he crowned Josephine as his Empress. 1805--Napoleon defeated Russia and Austria at the battle of Austerlitz., known as the "Battle of the Three Emperors," 1814--Donatien Alphonse François, the Marquis de Sade, French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer, died. 1823--in his State of the Union address, Pres. Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere. 1845--in his first annual address to Congress, Pres. James K. Polk belligerently reasserted the Monroe Doctrine and called for aggressive American expansion into the West. 1848--Franz Joseph of Austria became Emperor of Astro-Hungary. 1850--in Charles Town, Va., militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged on charges of treason, murder and insurrection. 1852--the Second French Empire was proclaimed with Napoleon III as emperor. 1859--Georges Seurat, French painter, was born; died 1891 at age 31. 1901--King Camp Gillette patented the first safety razor with a double-edged disposable blade. 1917--a formal ceasefire is proclaimed throughout the battle zone between the Bolshevik Russians and the Central Powers. 1923--Maria Callas, the legendary American soprano opera singer, was born; died 1977 at age 53. 1927--the Model A Ford was introduced as the successor to the Model T. for the price of $395. 1939--Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., turns 73 years . 1942--Italian-born Nobel Prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi produced the first controlled nuclear chain reaction in his laboratory beneath Stagg Field at the University of Chicago. 1954--the US Senate voted to condemn Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R Wis., for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute" related to his controversial methods of investigating suspected communists. 1959--the Malpasset Dam collapsed in France, killing 412 and devastating the city of Frejus that dated back to Caesar's time. 1961--Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist, sealing a bitter Cold War animosity between Cuba and the US. 1962--Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-Mont.) claimed that the $2 billion the US had poured into Vietnam during the previous seven years had accomplished nothing. 1963--South Vietnamese leaders ordered a temporary halt to the strategic hamlet program. 1969 The Boeing 747 jumbo jet debuted. 1972--The Temptations earned their final #1 hit with "Papa Was A Rolling Stone." 1975--Ohio State running back Archie Griffin won his second consecutive Heisman Trophy. 1980--four American churchwomen were raped, murdered and buried in El Salvador. (Five national guardsmen were later convicted of murder.) 1982--doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center performed the first implant of a permanent artificial heart in a human., Barney Clark, who lived 112 days with the device. 1990--Chancellor Helmut Kohl's center-right coalition easily won the first free all-German elections since 1932. 1990--American composer Aaron Copland died at age 90. 1993--Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death by security forces in Medellin. 1997--childhood friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's movie Good Will Hunting debuted in Los Angeles. (They earned an Oscar for Best Screenplay.) 1999--a power-sharing cabinet of Protestants and Catholics sat down together for the first time in Northern Ireland. 2001--Enron filed for Chapter 11 protection in one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history. 2002--Toyota's first hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles arrive in California. 2010--the US House voted to censure Rep. Charles Rangel, D-NY, for financial and fundraising misconduct.
World News Capsules: 1. Taliban bombers attack air base in Afghanistan
....The Taliban attacked a coalition airfield in eastern Afghanistan, detonating three car bombs and starting a two-hour battle that killed nine insurgents, four guards and at least four civilians. a. With help, Afghan survivor of 'honor killing' inches back
....The story of Gul Meena, who was accused of adultery and struck by an ax 15 times by her brother, is also the story of a society struggling with shifting attitudes about women. 2.John McAfee plays hide-and-seek in Belize ....Sought by the police in Belize as a “person of interest” in the investigation of a neighbor’s murder, the tech legend John McAfee has moved his noisy life underground. 3. What's killing Brazil's police? ....In many Latin American cities, poorly paid police officers often live cheek by jowl with criminals. When violence erupts, low-level officers are easy targets. 4. Alarm as China issues rules for disputed area ....The decision to allow interceptions of ships in the South China Sea is raising concerns that disputes with Southeast Asian countries will escalate. 5. Rebels pull out of strategic city in Congo
....The M23 rebel group pulled 100s of soldiers out of Goma, but many of the city’s residents said they feared the return of the government’s forces, who have a reputation for lawless behavior. 6. Amid Egypt's duel on democracy, Morsi calls for vote ....Pres. Mohamed Morsi, whose recent tone and actions have reminded critics of his autocratic predecessor, set a referendum on a new constitution for Dec. 15. a. Egyptian court postones ruling on constitutional assembly
....Egyptian police officers stood guard outside Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court, while supporters of Pres. Morsi protested near the entrance of the building. The court accused a crowd of Islamists of blocking judges from entering the courthouse. 7. Head of Tehran's cybercrimes unit is fired over death of blogger ....The dismissal of the commander, Gen. Saeed Shokrian, follows investigations by Iranian officials into the unexplained death of a blogger who criticized Iran’s financial contributions to Hezbollah. 8. Dividing the West Bank, and deepening a rift ....Construction on E1, in West Bank territory that Israel captured in the 1967 war, would connect the large Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim to Jerusalem. 9. Tunnel collapses outside Tokyo, and 7 are feared dead
....At least seven people were feared dead after falling concrete pinned them in their vehicles and started a fire in the tunnel. 10. North Korea says it will attempt to tst another long-range rocket
....North Korea said that it would try to launch another long-range rocket later this month, a move that is likely to heighten already strained tensions with Washington and its allies. 11. Abbas calls for Palestinian unity after 'birth certificate' for Palestinian state
....Standing before throngs of cheering supporters, Palestinian Authority Pres. Abbas called for an end to the division among Palestinians in the wake of the United Nations upgrading the authority's status. 12. In panicky Russia, it's official, end of the world is not near ....As rumors of an impending apocalypse, prompted by the Mayan calendar, stir anxiety in Russia, the government has stepped in to encourage calm. 13. Flow of arms to Syria through Iraq persists, to US dismay
....Iraqi airspace has emerged as a main supply route for weapons from Iran, which has an enormous stake in Syria, at a time when Pres. al-Assad is under increasing pressure from rebel fighters. a. In Damascus, tense anticipation of strongest push yet by rebels ....Clashes in the suburbs of Syria’s capital were accompanied by reports that Pres. al-Assad was readying loyal divisions to defend the heart of his power. b. Syrian children face fight for food [http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121202080409-children-fight-for-food-in-aleppo-00001605-c1-main.jpg/img] ....Inside an embattled Syrian city, children are found scraping the bottom of pots for scraps and eating burnt food as neighborhood volunteers are swamped by hungry kids. 14. Economic frustration simmers again in Tunisia ....Since Presi. Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in January 2011, the unemployment rate in Tunisia has risen to 18% from 13%, meaning some 750,000 people are out of work.
US News Capsules: 1. As companies seek tax deals, governments pay high price
....States, cities and counties are giving up more than $80 billion a year to attract or keep companies and the jobs they provide. But officials and governments rarely track how many jobs follow, and many do not know the value of all their awards. 2. Nun uses music to convey spirited message against the Vatican's rebuke ....A song by Sister Kathy Sherman, written in response to the Vatican's rebuke of the main association of American nuns, has become an anthem. 3. Effort to secure order crimps commerce along it ....An imposing wall of corrugated steel disconnects main streets, businesses, shared histories and binational family ties along the Mexican border in Arizona. 4. Utah hunters criticize market apprach to licenses and conservation ....More than any state in the West, Utah has expanded hunting opportunities for the well-to-do and has begun to diminish them for those seeking permits directly from the state. 5. Mortgage catch pushes widows into foreclosure
....Just as the housing market is recovering, a growing group of homeowners - widows over 50 whose husbands held the mortgage - are losing their homes to foreclosure. 6. ARTS: Rebound, as demure as ever
....Shania Twain, opening a residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, revisited the over-the-top glitter of her arena tours of the late ’90s and early 2000s, though in a more controlled format. a. With Bill Murray, just take the trip
....Bill Murray, the free-form actor who's starring as Franklin D. Roosevelt in the coming film Hyde Park on Hudson, takes an interviewer on an adventure. b. Middle-Earth wizard's not-so-silent partner
....Fran Walsh has won 3 Oscars and has co-written 12 of Peter Jackson's movies, but has remained largely outside of the spotlight associated with The Hobbit. c. Chekhov melancholy, never so welcome
....The New York City stages have recently been crowded with productions of Chekhov. 7. Missouri bishop's conviction leaves clergy divided ....Many priests in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph have lost confidence in Bishop Robert W. Finn since he was convicted for not reporting a pedophile under his supervision. 8. Series of storms lashes Northern California ....A third storm is expected in the region Sunday, with warnings issued for heavy rain, snow, high winds and floods from San Francisco Bay to the Oregon border. 9. In Wyoming shooting, girlfriend of teacher slain by son also killed ....A man shot his father in the head on Friday with a bow and arrow in front of a class at a Wyoming community college not long after fatally stabbing his father’s girlfriend at their home a couple of miles away. 10. Two dead in accident at Miami airport
....A bus hit an overpass as it was heading into the arrivals section on Saturday morning, killing two people and critically injuring three others on board. POLITICS: 1. Aide to Obama faces a big test in fiscal talks ....Quiet, religious and fiercely meticulous, Pres. Obama's chief of staff, Jacob J. Lew, may be the most unassuming power broker in Washington. 2. Geithner draws line in sand on taxes
....The Obama administration will entertain any Republican plans to avoid a fiscal cliff at year's end, but Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the Bush-era tax cuts for top incomes must go. a. Negotiators leading talks on fiscal crisis defend stands ....Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and House Speaker John A. Boehner each blamed the other side for the lack of movement toward resolving the fiscal impasse. b. Boehner 'flabbergasted' at iscal cliff proposal
....House Speaker John Boehner painted a bleak picture Sunday when talking about fiscal cliff negotiations between the White House and Republicans.
Sports Headlines: 1, NFL: Chiefs linebacker commits murder at home and suicide at stadium
....Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend, then drove to the team's headquarters and took his own life, the police said. a. NY Jets' ugly 7-0 win comes with Mark Sanchez on sideline
....On his first drive after taking over for Mark Sanchez in the third quarter, Greg McElroy revitalized a stagnant offense by throwing a touchdown pass, one of the few highlights in a dismal game. b. Drug of focus is at center of suspensions ....According to N.F.L. figures, there have been 21 suspensions this calendar year because of failed tests for performance-enhancing drugs, including amphetamines like Adderall. 2. NCAAF: Alabama (12-1) hopes thrilling title is prelude to ultimate prize
....When the final seconds ticked off an instant classic Saturday, No. 2 Alabama celebrated, rather wildly, its SEC championship win over No. 3 Georgia that earned it a spot in the BCS title game, opposite No. 1 Notre Dame. a. With 539 yards rushing, Badgers reach Rose Bowl ....With a 70-31 rout of No. 14 Nebraska in the Big Ten title game, Wisconsin became the first team to reach the Rose Bowl with five losses. b. South Florida fires Skip Holtz (son of ESPN's Lou Holtz) after three seasons
....South Florida has fired coach Skip Holtz after the worst season in team history, finishing 16-21 in three seasons, including a 3-9 finish this season. The firing comes a year after Holtz was given a contract extension through 2017. 3. NBA: NY Knicks, 7-0 at home, dispatch Phoenix Suns with ease
....The Knicks, led by 34 points from Carmelo Anthony, made their 108-99 victory against Phoenix look routine, much like the rest of their games at Madison Square Garden this season. 4. NCAABK: At SMU, Brown makes splashy return to college coaching ....Larry Brown, 71, has reinvigorated a Southern Methodist University basketball program that has had only one winning season since 2003. a. R.I.P. Rick Majerus, College basketball coach, dies at age 64
....Rick Majerus. a colorful, intelligent man with a multitude of quirks and warts. ended Saint Louis’s 12-year NCAA tournament drought last season and had only one losing season in 25 years with four schools. 5. MLS: Galaxy repeat as champions in Beckham's MLS finale ....David Beckham’s six years with the Los Angeles Galaxy will most likely be best remembered for the attention he brought to the team and Major League Soccer. But he also brought the team championships.
Thought for Today "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.... Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. " --Helen Keller (1880-1968) deaf-blind author, political activist, and lecturer
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 3, 2012 22:40:30 GMT -5
International Day of Persons with Disabilities Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 337th day of 2012 with 28 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 6:37 p.m., it's fair , temp 45ºF [Feels like 45ºF], winds SSE @ 3 mph, humidity 82%, pressure 30.18 in and rising, dew point 40ºF, chance of precipitation 10%.
Today in History:
World News Capsules: 1. Colombian military attacks rebel camps, killing 20
....Colombian military combat planes opened fire on hidden rebel camps over the weekend, killing at least 20 members of the country's largest guerrilla group just days after negotiators finished a round of peace talk. a. Colombia: Displaced residents grapple with hurdles of going home ....The government has made bringing people back to rural towns a priority, but logistics and fears of violence have complicated matters. 2. Egyptian court postpones ruling on Constitutional Assembly ....Judges delayed their much-awaited decision and accused a crowd of Islamists of intimidating them, but what actually took place at the courthouse is a matter of dispute. 3. France's floating generation ....As youth unemployment hits 22 percent, many young people cannot find jobs that get them on the path to being tax-paying, property-owning adults. 4. Royal baby a 'delight,' especially to Britain's tabloids
....Few people could be more excited about the news from the duke and duchess of Cambridge than the editors of the newspapers and magazines that cover the royal family. a. UK backers of Europe want business to speak up ....Those who favor the European Union are frustrated by the silence of business on the E.U.'s commercial benefits, when, in private, company bosses are outspoken about the risks of withdrawal. 5. Israel building plan prompts diplomatic protest by 5 nations
....An unusually sharp diplomatic step by Britain, France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark reflected growing frustration abroad with Israel’s policies on the Palestinian issue. 6. New leader of center-left in Iraly talks of changes ....Pier Luigi Bersani punctuated his first day as the point man for Italy's center-left parties by vowing that he would lead the coalition to victory in next year's national elections. 7. Malaysia urged to protect domestic workers ....A case involving the mistreatment of more than 100 migrant workers, mostly Indonesians, drew condemnation from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. 8. Palestine: Collaboration in Gaza leads to grisly fate ....Recent vigilante-style killings of seven Palestinians suspected of providing intelligence to Israel highlighted the pathetic plight of collaborators. 9. Typhoon Bopha grows stronger as it draws close to Philippines ....The Philippines waited in darkness late Monday for the arrival of a menacing typhoon that grew even stronger as it closed in, heightening fears that it could be even worse than a 2011 storm that killed more than 1,200 people. 10. Swiss banking giant UBS is reported to be near a deal on rate rigging ....Banking giant UBS is expected to pay American and British fines of more than $450 million to settle claims that it reported false rates to increase its profit, according to officials briefed on the matter. 11. US warns Syria against using chemical weapons
....Amid signs of activity at some of Syria’s chemical weapons sites, the Obama administration called the use of such weapons “a red line for the United States.” a. Syria moves its chemical weapons, and US and allies cautiously take note ....The US and several allies warned Pres. al-Assad that he would be "held accountable" if his forces used chemical weapons against the rebels. b. Terror on Syria's frontlines
....In Aleppo, residents' homes are the frontlines in Syria's civil war. And for the children there, gunfire is so frequent it has become background noise. One girl tells CNN's Arwa Damon that she hardly notices anymore.. 12. NATO plans missile defenses for Turkey
....NATO is expected to approve a plan to deploy American, German and Dutch Patriot missile-defense batteries under the alliance’s control to buttress Turkey against potential attack from Syria. 13. Follow the Pope on Twitter. He follows no one
....The Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI would begin posting messages on Twitter next week under the handle @pontifex, a term for pope that means bridge-builder in Latin.
US News Capsules: 1. Lines blur as Texas gives industries a bonanza ....Texas offers more incentives to attract business than any other state, but questions remain about who benefits more, the companies or the people of Texas. 2. Vietnam veterans, discharged under cloud, file suit saying trauma was cause ....A suit against the armed forces argues that many Vietnam veterans had post-traumatic stress disorder when they were issued other-than-honorable discharges. 3. A Georgia Main Street paved in red carpet ....No town has been better than Senoia, Ga., in taking advantage of the state's tax incentives for filmmakers, and its biggest claim to fame is the hit show The Walking Dead. 4. Some analysts doubt dire predictions on tax increase fallout ....Judging from tax changes in the past, some economists see a mostly mild effect on markets if tax rates on dividends and capital gains rise at the end of the year, as the White House has proposed. 5. DVR use one factor in networks' low ratings ....CBS, ABC and Fox have all had decreases in ratings, explained partly by the shift toward delayed viewing and partly by a generally weak slate of new shows. 6. Capturing the vibes of the past right now
Ballet Hispanico performed three premieres at the Apollo Theater, including “A Vueltas con los Ochenta.” The dance reflects the mood of Spain in the 1980s, not long after the death of Francisco Franco. 7. Generic drug makers see a drought ahead
....More than 40 brand-name drugs lost patents this year, but generic drug makers have been scrambling to make up revenue next year when far fewer patents expire. 8. Michigan town woos Hollywood, but ends up with a bit part
....A film studio built on the ruins of an automobile plant was intended to bring jobs to Pontiac, Mich., but did not lead to job creation and economic improvement and happy endings there do not usually come Hollywood-style. 9. Spate of harsh weather in New England sifts sentiment on trees ....After a period of violent weather, the region’s sugar maples, birches and oaks are as much a source of terror as they are of pride. 10. Two charged in death of Coast Guard member
....Two Mexican nationals were charged in the death of Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne, who was killed on Sunday in an encounter with smuggling suspects off the California coast. 11. Fake lottery winner may be Facebook's most shared image
....No, some guy named Daniels on Facebook didn't win the Powerball lottery. And, no, he's not really giving anyone $1 million of his winnings. But that didn't stop a doctored photo claiming just that from becoming possibly the most-shared image in the site's history POLITICS: 1. White House says 'no' to GOP fiscal cliff plan
....Pres. Obama has emerged as a different kind of negotiator in the past week or two, frustrating Republicans on the other side of the bargaining table. House Speaker Boehner called the GOP plan "credible," but the Obama administration said it didn't demand enough from wealthy taxpayers. 2. Initial deficit cuts are sticking point in negotiations ....The White House and Congress cannot seem to agree on the first measures that would replace the automatic spending cuts and tax increases that make up the “fiscal cliff."
Sports Headlines: 1. Study bolsters link between routine hits and brain disease ....Researchers found evidence of long-term degeneration in the brains of athletes, including John Mackey and Derek Boogaard, military veterans and others. 2. NFL: There is no playbook for what the Chiefs face
....The league has offered counseling in the wake of Jovan Belcher’s crime and death, but the Chiefs will probably turn for help to the people they know and trust already: the doctors, trainers and chaplains who are regularly around the team. a. After player's suicide, coach and communities are left asking why ....Two days later, Kansas City Chiefs Coach Romeo Crennel and others are still wondering what could have driven Jovan Belcher to fatally shoot his girlfriend before taking his own life. b. Few labels can accurately define Lions' Johnson ....During his rookie season, Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson was nicknamed Megatron, an evil character from the Transformers, but the moniker doesn’t quite fit his vast powers on the football field. 3. MLB: A-Rod to have surgery on left hip ....The Yankees’ third baseman will soon undergo surgery on his left hip, which will most likely keep him sidelined until June. a. With half an ear, the Mets listen to suitors for Dickey ....The Mets, at baseball’s winter meetings in Nashville, have listened to offers for R. A. Dickey, their Cy Young Award-winning knuckleballer. 4. NHL: New faces at the negotiating table ....Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, and Donald Fehr, the union’s executive director, will not participate in the next meeting, on Tuesday, as the sides try a new tack.
Thought for Today "Good habits result from resisting temptation. " --Ancient Proverb.
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 4, 2012 21:38:30 GMT -5
Hi Neighbor Month Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 338th day of 2012 with 27 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 4:31 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 67ºF [Feels like 67ºF], winds S @ 9 mph, humidity 49%, pressure 29.91 in and steady, dew point 47ºF, chance of precipitation 70%.
Today in History: 963--Holy Roman Emperor Otto deposed Pope John XII for dishonorable conduct and for plotting an armed conspiracy. 1154--Nicolas Breakspear, the first and only Englishman to be elected pope, was crowned as Adrian IV. 1214--William the Lion, King of Scotland, died and was succeeded by his son Alexander II. 1334--Pope John XXII, pope from 1316, died. The second Avignon pope, he improved church administration and upheld papal authority against Emperor Louis IV. 1783--Gen. Washington said farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York. 1791--Britain's Observer, the oldest Sunday newspaper in the world, was first published. 1816--James Monroe of Virginia was elected the 5th president of the United States. 1829--Britain abolished the practice of "suttee" in India ( the widow burning herself to death on her husband's funeral pyre). 1849--Crazy Horse, American Indian chief, was born; died 1877 at age 27. 1872--the sailing vessel Mary Celeste was found adrift and abandoned off the Azores with the fate of the 10 people aboard never determined. 1892--Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator who overthrew the democratic republic and headed an authoritarian regime in Spain for 36 years, was born; died 1975 at age 83. 1918--Pres. Wilson set sail for France to attend the Versailles peace conference. 1918--the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was proclaimed with Alexander I as prince regent. 1933--Tobacco Road, a play based on a book by Erskine Caldwell, premiered at New York's Masque Theatre and ran for eight years and 3,182 shows. 1942--Pres. Roosevelt ordered liquidation of the Works Progress Administration, created during the Great Depression. 1942--US bombers struck the Italian mainland for the first time. 1945--the US Senate approved America's participation in the United Nations. 1947--Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire premiered in New York. 1965--the US launched Gemini VII into space for a link-up with Gemini VI. 1971--McGurk's Bar in Dublin, Ireland was bombed, killing at least 10 including a 13 year-old boy and a woman. 1971--India joined East Pakistan (Bangladesh) in its war for independence from West Pakistan. 1978--Dianne Feinstein became San Francisco's first woman mayor when she replaced George Moscone, who had been assassinated. 1980--the rock group Led Zeppelin announced it was disbanding after the death of drummer John Bonham. 1980--the bodies of four American nuns slain in El Salvador two days earlier were unearthed. (Five national guardsmen were later convicted of murder.) 1984--the discovery of a Bronze Age shipwreck off Turkey's southern coast dating from the time of Pharaoh Tutankhamen in Egypt was announced by the National Geographic Society. 1991--Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson, the longest-held Western hostage in Lebanon, was released after nearly seven years in captivity. 1992--Pres. Bush ordered US troops into Somalia. 1993--the Angolan government and its UNITA guerrilla foes formally adopted terms for a truce to end a conflict killing an estimated 1,000 people a day. 1995--officials of the United Auto Workers union called an end to a largely unsuccessful 17-month strike against Caterpillar in Peoria, Ill. 1995--the first NATO troops landed in the Balkans to begin setting up a peace mission. 1999--Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium (Duke of Brabant) married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, daughter of a Walloon Belgian noble family. 2001--the US froze the financial assets of organizations allegedly linked to the terrorist group Hamas. 2002--a Roman Catholic priest was indicted on seven counts in a seven-month investigation of sex abuse allegations in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. 2003--an especially virulent strain of the flu hit the US, mostly in the West at first, with Colorado reporting more than 6,300 cases with the deaths of five children. 2004--Colombia extradited to the US the most notorious drug cartel kingpin in its custody, Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, a co-founder of the notorious Cali cartel. 2005--New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin urged Hurricane Katrina evacuees to return. 2005--the remains of at least 20 people were found in a grave in east Lebanon near a former Syrian-run prison where many Lebanese detainees were held. 2006--John Bolton resigned as US United Nations ambassador. 2007--a Washington report said the pending US election was dashing balanced-budget hopes as Congress worked to please voters instead of making tough fiscal choices. 2007--Six students were killed and four others were hurt when a bomb went off at an Islamic school in Pakistan's Balochistan Province.
World News Capsules: 1. Dispute flares over energy in South China Sea ....China and two of its neighbors, Vietnam and India, are fighting over energy exploration in the waterway, a signal that Beijing plans to continue its hard line over the area. 2. Police crack down on Egyptian protest against constitution
....Huge protests in Cairo dealt a blow to the legitimacy of the new charter, which goes before voters in a referendum scheduled for Dec. 15. 3. Merkel opens campaign for a 3rd term ....Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany appears to be at the height of her powers. But her coalition government is unpopular, and she may need to recalibrate party alliances ahead of the vote next year. 4. Cameron urges editors to act quickly on regulation ....Prime Minister David Cameron told Britain’s top newspaper editors that “the clock is ticking” on their pledge to adopt a new system of press regulation of their own devising. 5. In land of bailouts, Greek madam rescues local soccer team
....Soula Alevridou’s gift of about $1,300, in part to buy pink training outfits, has caused an uproar as officials debate the appropriateness of having a brothel owner step in. 6. US Navy denies Iran's claim to have captured drone
....If the seizure is confirmed, it would indicate a spike in tension between the US and Iran in the skies over the Persian Gulf. a. Iranian rights advocate ends hunger strike ....The imprisoned advocate, Nasrin Sotoudeh, ended her hunger strike after judicial authorities agreed to lift a travel ban imposed on her 12-year-old daughter, her husband said. 7. For Iraq, year ends the way it began, with guns drawn ....Almost a year after the US military left Iraq, Baghdad is in crisis mode again, with its army in a standoff with Kurdish security forces in a disputed area near Kirkuk. 8. American commander details al-Qaida's strength in Mali ....An al-Qaida affiliate is operating terrorist training camps in northern Mali and using momentum there to recruit across sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Europe, Gen. Carter F. Ham said 9. Pakistan reels with violence against Shiites ....More than 100 Hazaras have been killed by Sunni extremist gunmen this year, many in broad daylight. 10. Obama calls on Russia to renew weapons pact ....Moscow has threatened to cancel the two-decade-old nuclear disarmament program, which has helped rid the former Soviet Union of thousands of nuclear weapon. 11. Syria school attack said to kill dozens amid heavy fighting
....The government blamed opposition fighters for a mortar attack that killed at least 29 people at a school, as fighting between Syrian forces and rebels intensified in suburbs near Damascus. a. Assad suffering reversals in fighting and diplomacy ....As the battle for the Syrian capital worsened, a Turkish official said that Russia had agreed to try a new approach to persuade Pres. al-Assad to relinquish power.
US News Capsules: 1. EPA rule complicates runoff case for justices Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. sounded frustrated over an Environmental Protection Agency regulation issued Friday that addressed the heart of an environmental group's lawsuit against loggers. 2. More dads buy the toys, so Barbie, and stores, get makeovers ....Toy makers are seizing on a marketplace shift that has more fathers making buying decisions as girls are increasingly encouraged to play with toys that develop math and science skills. 3. SCIENCE: Mars Rover discovery revealed
....After all the speculation about the discovery by the Curiosity rover, scientists played down the finding, saying that it was too early to say what they found in a pinch of sand. a. For 2nd opinion, consult a computer?
....Computer programs offer a backup for doctors facing tricky symptoms, but are still far from replacing a skilled diagnostician. b. With carbon dioxide emissions at record high, worries on how t slow warming ....Emissions continue to grow so rapidly that an international goal of limiting the warming of the planet to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit is becoming unattainable, researchers said. 4. Bid to preserve Manhattan Project sites in a park stirs debate ....Advocates are urging Congress to approve a plan to create a national park encompassing the remaining sites involved in the Manhattan Project. 5. Resisted for blocking the view, dunes prove they blunt storms ....Dunes protected several communities from catastrophic damage during Hurricane Sandy, while Long Beach, N.Y., which built no dunes, suffered $200 million in losses. 6. Professor who learns from peasants
....The political scientist James C. Scott reprises the themes of his earlier work in Two Cheers for Anarchism. He also loves to raise animals on his Connecticut farm. 7. To stop climate change, students aim at college portfolios
....Students are demanding that university endowment funds rid themselves of coal, oil and gas stocks in hopes of bringing climate change onto the national political 8. Military trains a new generation of munitions experts ....An academy in Florida has quietly produced a group of service members in extraordinarily high demand in the wake of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars: explosive ordnance disposal techs. 9. Justices broaden the baasis for damages over floods ....The Supreme Court found that flooding did not have to be permanent for Arkansas to seek federal compensation over dam releases. POLITICS: 1. Republicans make counteroffer on fiscal talks ....The Republican deficit reduction proposal is far heavier on spending cuts but embraces $800 billion in new taxes over 10 years. a. Initial deficit cuts are sticking point in negotiations ....The White House and Congress cannot seem to agree on the first measures that would replace the automatic spending cuts and tax increases that make up the "fiscal cliff." b. In tax fight, Republicans seeking fallback position ....With Pres. Obama insisting on higher tax rates for the rich and winning public support for the idea, Congressional Republicans find themselves in a difficult political spot. 2. Dole appeara, but GOP rejects a disabilities treaty ....Despite Bob Dole’s wishes, Republicans voted against a treaty that would ban discrimination against people with disabilities, fearing it would infringe on American sovereignty.
Sports Headlines: 1. NFL: A tight loss and a tighter race ....The NY Giants, who had appeared to snap out of their second-half slump, took a step back with a 17-16 loss in Washington that cut their division lead to a game. a. McElroy makes the most of his moment ....Greg McElroy, the Jets' third-string quarterback, has used his time on the practice field and in the film room to prepare for the kind of opportunity that befell him Sunday against the Cardinals. b. Pro football makes a play for India
....The Elite Football League of India, a curious venture aimed at introducing the American sport to South Asia, has a low level of play but a large potential audience. c. It's almost unfair: Andrew Luck and the Colts ....You're not supposed to be able to replace a Hall of Fame quarterback with another star. But Andrew Luck is making it look easy. 2. MLB: NY Mets listen to offers for their Cy Young Award winner ....The Mets, at baseball’s winter meetings in Nashville, have listened to offers for R. A. Dickey, their Cy Young Award-winning knuckleballer. 3. NBA: Story of NY Knicks success begins at home ....Under Mike Woodson, both as the interim coach last season and as the permanent coach now, the Knicks have gone 18-1 in regular-season games at Madison Square Garden. a. Brooklyn Nets' early success earns Johnson Coach of the Month honor ....With a 11-4 record in November, Nets Coach Avery Johnson was selected as the Eastern Conference coach of the month 4. India's Olympic committee is suspended by the OIC ....The International Olympic Committee has suspended the Indian Olympic Association for chronic violations of their charter, creating one of the most embarrassing episodes in Indian sports history.
[ Thought for Today "A laugh, to be joyous, must flow from a joyous heart, for without kindness, there can be no true joy” --Thomas Caralyle (1795-1881) Scottish historian and essayist
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 4, 2012 21:44:25 GMT -5
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Dec 5, 2012 18:50:20 GMT -5
What are you upset about?
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 5, 2012 20:56:25 GMT -5
What are you upset about?
I keep getting that "timed out" message. Yesterday I noticed that the last post listed on the thread heading was Nov 29th when it should have been Dec. 3rd, but when the timed out message occurs, the new post doesn't register. So people searching the list of threads wouldn't know that I've posted new maaterial.
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 5, 2012 20:57:13 GMT -5
I use the anger smileys to make sure the date is listed correctly.
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 5, 2012 20:58:15 GMT -5
National Sacher Torte Day
Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 339th day of 2012 with 26 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 4:49 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 33ºF [Feels like 25ºF], winds WNW @ 10 mph, humidity 65%, pressure 30.20 in and rising, dew point 23ºF, chance of precipitation 50%.
Today in History: 1766--the London auctioneering firm Christie's held their first sale. 1776--the first scholastic fraternity in America, Phi Beta Kappa, was organized at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. 1782--Martin Van Buren, the 8th U.S. president and the first to be born after the country was formed, was born in Kinderhook, N.Y. 1791--composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in Vienna at age 35. 1792--Pres. Washington was re-elected and John Adams was re-elected vice president. 1792--the trial of France's King Louis XVI began. 1831--former Pres. John Quincy Adams took his seat as a member of the US House of Representatives. 1832--Pres. Andrew Jackson was re-elected for a second term. 1848--Pres. Polk triggered the Gold Rush of '49 by confirming that gold had been discovered in California. 1873--Thomas Piper, the sexton at the Warren Avenue Baptist Churcht, known as he Boston Belfry Murderer. killed his first victim. Bridget Landregan. 1876--a fire at the Brooklyn Theater in New York kills nearly 300 people and injured hundreds more. 1876--the Stillson wrench, the first practical pipe wrench, was patented by D.C. Stillson of Somerville, Mass. 1901--movie producer Walt Disney was born in Chicago. 1904--the Russian fleet was almost totally destroyed by the Japanese at Port Arthur. 1908--the University of Pittsburgh Panthers were the first to use numbers on their football uniforms. 1915--the siege of British-occupied Kut, Mesopotamia began. 1933--21st Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, thus repealing the 18th Amendment which had outlawed alcohol . 1934--author Joan Didion turns 78 1941--the US aircraft carrier Lexington headed to Midway 1945--five US Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers disappeared on a routine flight in the area of the Atlantic known as the Bermuda Triangle. 1955--the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to form the AFL-CIO. 1955--blacks declared a boycott of city buses in Montgomery, Ala., demanding seating on an equal basis with whites. 1964--Capt. Roger Donlon of Saugerties, New York, was awarded the first Medal of Honor for action in Vietnam. awarded 1970--last segment of the Dan Ryan Expressway opened in Chicago. 1977--Egypt broke off relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria, Iraq and South Yemen, all opponents of its peace moves with Israel. 1978 --the USSR and Afghanistan signed a "friendship treaty." 1988--televangelist Jim Bakker was indicted on federal fraud and conspiracy charges. 1991--British media magnate Robert Maxwell disappeared while on his yacht off the Canary Islands. 1994--Republicans chose Newt Gingrich to be the first GOP speaker of the House in four decades. 1995--Spanish Foreign Minister Javier Solana was formally appointed secretary-general of NATO, the first Spaniard to lead the Western alliance. 1996--Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan questioned whether the stock market was overvalued due to the "irrational exuberance" og investors. 2002--US Senate Republican leader Trent Lott praised Strom Thurmond's pro-segregation 1948 presidential campaign. with the ensuing uproar leading to his resignation fhis Senate leadership role. 2006--New York became the first city in the nation to ban artery-clogging trans fats at restaurants. 2007--the Westroads Mall Shooting occurred at the Von Maur department store in Omaha, Neb. when 19-year-old Robert Hawkins killrf nine people. 2008--a judge in Las Vegas sentenced OJ Simpson to 33 years in prison (with eligibility for parole after nine) for an armed robbery at a hotel room.
World News Capsules: 1. Asian cities' air quality getting worse, experts say ....Pollution levels in 70% of the cities examined were found to exceed even the most lenient of several targets recommended by the World Health Organization. 2. Three suppliers for Wal-Mart made goods in Bangladeshi factory where 112 died in fire ....Documents indicate that three separate apparel companies were using the factory during the past year to supply goods to Wal-Mart and its Sam’s Club subsidiary. 3. In Brazil, dozens of police officers arrested, accused of taking bribes ....Brazilian authorities arrested dozens of police officers, accusing them of taking bribes from drug traffickers. in Rio de Janeiro state to turn a blind eye on criminal activity. 4. How crash cover-up altered China's succession ....The effort to suppress news of a deadly Ferrari crash, insiders now reveal, hastened departing president Hu Jintao's decline and spurred the ascent of China's new leader, Xi Jinping. a. New Chinese leader meets military nuclear officers ....Xi Jinping praised the unit that oversees the land-based ballistic and cruise missiles of China’s nuclear force, in the latest indication that he is moving quickly to solidify control of the military. 5. 1000s of Egyptians protest plan for charter
....Riot police fired brief rounds of tear gas, but then retreated behind the presidential palace walls, apparently to avoid further clashes. a. Clashes in Cairo after Morsi supporters attack palace sit-in ....Supporters of Egypt’s president attacked protesters camped outside the gates of the presidential palace in Cairo, according to journalists and activists who witnessed the raid. 6. British hospital confirms prank call to duchess's ward
....The hospital treating the duchess Kate admitted it was victimized by a call in which information on the Duchess of Cambridge’s condition was given to a Radio DJ impersonating Queen Elizabeth II. 7. For Greece, oligarchs remain obstacle to growth ....A handful of wealthy families, politicians and the news media — often owned by magnates — are partly to blame for the country’s economic woes. 8. Trying to close orphanages were many aren't orphans ....The Haitian government has started a campaign to try to keep parents from sending their children away simply because they feel they cannot afford to support them. 9. Indian official starts pulling up corruption's roots in Mumbai
....Minister Prithviraj Chavan has forced real estate developers to pay fees they have long avoided and pushed to make the building permit system more transparent, offering hope to frustrated residents. 10. Weapons sent to Libyan rebels with US approval fell into Islamist hands ....The Obama administration secretly gave its blessing to arms shipments to Libyan rebels from Qatar, but US officials grew alarmed at evidence that Qatar was turning some of the weapons over to militants. 11. Bomb attack kills 3 at base in Pakistan ....Suicide bombers in an explosives-laden car killed two soldiers in the volatile South Waziristan tribal region, according to a senior security official in Peshawar. 12. Typhoon kills 100s in Philippines
.....Rescuers sought to reach isolated villages after a typhoon struck the region, killing at least 270 people. 13. Syrian family hides in underground 'prison'
....The cold chamber that shields a family from shelling looks more like a dungeon than a home. But this is where the Kurdiye family has been hiding from Syrian bombardment for months. a. Clinton expresses support for new Syrian opposition coalition ....Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s remarks in Brussels appeared aimed at contributing momentum to the new group to allow it to transform into a viable political force. b. How rape shreds Syria's social fabric
....Rape and the shame of being raped is being used as a weapon in Syria, destroying women's lives, and those of their families and communities.
US News Capsules: 1. For PC virus victims, pay or else
....Ransomware — when a virus freezes a user’s computer and criminals demand money to unlock it — has become a lucrative online scheme. 2. Rhode Island judge has stake in pension case outcome ....A dispute over whether a judge can rule impartially on pension cuts is being closely watched as a test of whether, and how, states and cities can cut such benefits. 3. For young Latino readers, an image is missing
....Educators say grade-school students develop reading skills better when they are engaged by books full of characters with whom they can identify. For Hispanic children, that's hard to find. 4. Clashing rulings complicate path of gay 'Conversion Therapy' law ....Two contradictory judicial rulings suggest that a California ban on a treatment for minors could be embroiled in the courts for months. 5. Coating on buffered aspirin may hide its heart-protective effects ....The coating, meant to protect the stomach, interfered with the way the drug entered the body, arguing against the notion that some people are "aspirin resistant," a study found. 6. Unionizing the bottom of the pay scale ....Labor unions in America are adopting unusual tactics, hoping to raise the floor for wages and working conditions in the ultracompetitive economy of the 21st century. 7. To stop climate change, students aim at college portfolios ....Students are demanding that university endowment funds rid themselves of coal, oil and gas stocks in hopes of bringing climate change onto the national political agenda. 8. Custody case in Scotland goes before US justices ....The Supreme Court struggled to decide whether it was capable of doing anything to affect the outcome of the case involving an American Army sergeant and a British citizen. 9. Federal plan calls for overhauling secrecy policies ....An advisory panel report reflects a view, widely held by current and former national security officials, that far too much information is classified. POLITICS: 1. In tax fight, GOP seeks a position to fall back on ....With Pres. Obama winning public support for higher tax rates on the rich, Congressional Republicans find themselves in a difficult political spot and are quietly beginning the search for a way out. 2. Stalled farm bill is pushed as dificit-reduction measure ....A stalled farm bill that reshapes nutrition and agriculture programs could contribute billions of dollars in savings, they say. 3. FISCAL CLIFF: The rich will pay more taxes, Boehner says ....Taxes on the wealthy are going up, House Speaker John Boehner conceded in challenging Pres. Obama to sit down with him to hammer out a deal for avoiding the fiscal cliff. a. GOP senator backs tax rate hike on wealthy
....In a significant development in the fiscal cliff standoff, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, a leading deficit hawk, said he would support higher tax rates on wealthier Americans as part of a broader deal with Pres. Obama and congressional Democrats to avoid the crisis.
Sports Headlines: 1. NBA: Lakers waiting on Nash and harmony
....Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers have not yet figured out the rewards of Mike D’Antoni’s offense with Steve Nash sidelined by injury. a. The Bobcats were the worst, but much has changed ....The Charlotte Bobcats, who will host the Knicks tonight, have used every tool available to distance themselves from last season’s 7-59 finish. 2. MLB: Dickey appears on "Daily Show" as Mets discuss his fate
....Without money to pursue big-name free agents, the Mets could trade R.A. Dickey, who told Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” that he wants to stay in New York. a. 'World Series of Bust' for Nationals ....In Davey Johnson’s quest to lead the Washington Nationals to a championship in his last season as a manager, the team has added the veteran pitcher Dan Haren to its already loaded rotation. 3. NHL: Suddenly signs of optimism abound in NHL talks ....Team owners and the players union exchanged proposals as negotiations accelerated Wednesday night.
Today's Headlines of Interest:
How will royal couple react to pregnancy prank? The fact that anyone managed to phone through to the Duchess of Cambridge's private nurse is a major breach of privacy, whether it was a joke or not. It is a major wake-up call for hospital staff and a reminder, as if it were needed, that they have one of the biggest stars in the world in their care. There should have been systems in place to confirm the identity of incoming callers. Those taking calls shouldn't be revealing private medical information without confirming who they are talking to. Hospitals need to be experts in patient confidentiality -- and this particular one is more used than most to dealing with high profile figures. The King Edward VII is now "reviewing its telephone protocols." William wants to make sure his wife doesn't suffer the same kind of media intrusion that his mother did -- and he may see this latest hospital prank as crossing the line. We are talking about a sick mother in the early stages of pregnancy who was forced into an early announcement of the news. Her nurse revealed private medical information to a radio station which then chose to broadcast it. The broadcaster, 2Day FM, "sincerely apologized" and wished Catherine all the best. We will see whether the palace chooses to send another warning message to the media as we enter a year's worth of royal baby news. And let's not hear any nonsense about the public's right to know.
Thought for Today "Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time." Steven Wright (b. 1955) American comedian, actor and writer
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 5, 2012 20:59:48 GMT -5
Received once again:
This page took too long to generate and has been stopped. A log of this error has been reported to ProBoards Support.
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Dec 5, 2012 21:00:03 GMT -5
Did you have a problem with the date not being right?
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 9, 2012 15:11:14 GMT -5
Whenever I get the timed out message, the date listed doesn't change to the present date. So if someone is checking, they think I haven't posted a recent bulletin.
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 9, 2012 18:14:42 GMT -5
Happy Chanukah/Hanukkah
Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 343rd day of 2012 with 22 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 3:07 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 38ºF [Feels like 34ºF], winds variable @ 5 mph, humidity 70%, pressure 30.15 in and falling, dew point 29ºF, chance of precipitation 1%.
Today in History: 1608--Puritan poet and scholar John Milton was born in London; died 1674 at age 65. 1775--the Virginia and North Carolina militias defeated those serving John Murray, earl of Dunmore and governor of Virginia, at Great Bridge outside Norfolk, ending British royal control of Virginia. 1792--the first formal cremation of a human body in America took place near Charleston, SC. 1835--the newly created Texan Army captured San Antonio in its war for independence from Mexico. 1854--the poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, was published in England. 1868--W.E. Gladstone became British prime minister for the first of his four terms. 1907--Christmas seals went on sale for the first time, at the Wilmington, Del., post office, the proceeds going to fight tuberculosis. 1916--actor Kirk Douglas turns 96 years old. 1917--Turkish troops surrendered Jerusalem to British troops led by Viscount Allenby. 1920--the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to US President Woodrow Wilson. 1921--General Motors engineers discovered that leaded gas reduced "knock" in auto engines. 1926--the US Golf Association legalized steel-shaft golf lubs. 1940--the British 8th Army launched a major offensive in North Africa against Italians in Sidi Barrani in Egypt. 1941--China declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy. 1948--the UN General Assembly approved the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. 1950--Harry Gold, confessed go-between British scientist Klaus Fuchs and Soviet agents, went to prison for his role in atomic bomb espionage. 1952--the London Fog cleared after 4 days during which London transport was brought to a standstill. 1958--in Indianapolis, retired Boston candy manufacturer Robert H. W. Welch, Jr., established the John Birch Society, a right-wing organization dedicated to fighting what it perceived to be the extensive infiltration of communism into US society. 1962--Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park was established. 1965-- the New York Times reported that the US bombing campaign neither destabilized North Vietnam's economy nor appreciably reduced the flow of its forces into South Vietnam. 1965--the TV debut of the comic strip "Peanuts" gang, in A Charlie Brown Christmas, was on this date. 1971--the Vietnam peace talks in Paris broke down. 1972--"I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy topped the US pop charts. 1973--in London, Keith Moon, Rod Stewart and Roger Daltry opened the rock opera, Tommy. 1973--after Vice Pres. Spiro T. Agnew resigned, House Speaker Gerald Ford became the country’s first, appointed Vice President. 1985--former Argentine president Jorge Videla and his fellow junta member, Adm. Emilio Massera, were sentenced to life imprisonment for their part in the "dirty war" against left-wing guerrillas in which up to 9,000 people disappeared. 1987--the first riots of the Palestinian intifada began one day after an Israeli truck crash in the Jabalya refugee district of Gaza, killed four and wounded 10 Palestinian workers. 1990--Solidarity's Lech Walesa was elected president of Poland. 1992--1,800 US Marines arrived in Mogadishu, Somalia, to spearhead a multinational force aimed at restoring order in the conflict-ridden country. 1992, Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation. 1993--the US Air Force destroyed the first of 500 Minuteman II missile silos marked for elimination under an arms control treaty. 2000--the US Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt in the Florida presidential vote count. 2002--United Airlines filed the biggest bankruptcy in aviation history after losing $4 billion in the previous two years. 2004--Canada's Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage was constitutional. 2006--arson was suspected in a Moscow clinic fire that killed 45 women trapped in the inferno by metal bars across the windows. 2008--Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on suspicion of scheming to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat for cash or a job for himself in the new administration. (Blagojevich was convicted of lying to the FBI; he awaits re-trial on 23 other charges.)
World News Capsules: 1. For Afghan officials, facing prospect of death is in the job description ....Afghan government officials do not worry so much about the wrath of constituents as about being assassinated by the Taliban. a. Karzai implicates Pakistan in suicide bombing that hurt Afghan spy chief ....The Afghan president says that the suicide bomber who staged the attack came from Pakistan, with the help of a sophisticated foreign intelligence service. 2. Cuban agriculture struggles under creaky infrastructure and yields a meager crop ....Although the government has liberalized many aspects of agriculture and more Cubans are farming, because of waste, poor management, policy constraints and other problems, many are actually seeing less food at new private markets. 3. Backing off added powers, Egypt's leader presses vote ....Pres. Mohamed Morsi rescinded most of a temporary order elevating his authority, but did not postpone a referendum on a draft constitution, a critical opposition demand. 4. Racetrack drugs put Europe off US horse meat ....European officials have warned Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses that the meat of American racehorses may be too toxic to eat safely because of repeated drug injections. 5. After radio prank, hospital chairman condemns Australian network ....After two Australian radio hosts, as a prank, called the London hospital where Kate Middleton was being treated, a nurse who fell victim to the hoax was found dead. 6. In Guatemala, a family, for a few days a year
....Hundreds of children have been stranded in orphanages for years as authorities there weigh whether to approve their adoptions by families in the United States. Amy and Rob Carr of Reno, Nev., are among the 4,000 Americans who found themselves stuck in limbo when Guatemala shut down its . international adoption program in 2008. 7. Italy's prime minister to qit after losing party support
....Prime Minister Mario Monti announced his plans after his scandal-ridden predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, said he would run again. 8. A fringe politician moves to Japan's national stage ....Shintaro Ishihara, a novelist turned political firebrand, has emerged as a contender for prime minister and promises to restore Japan's battered national pride. Land routes blocked, Mexican smuggling rises sharply on California coast ....As security along the Mexican border has tightened, the waters off Southern California have been teeming with smugglers, as drug cartels seek new avenues to move illicit cargo into the US. 9. North Korea cites rocket problems ....Referencing technical issues, North Korea said that it might have to postpone a rocket launching planned for as early as Monday. 10. In Pakistan, US dronestrike kills a senior al-Qaida commander
....The militant, Abdel Rehman al-Hussainan, died in a missile attack on a house in North Waziristan, along the border with Afghanistan. 11. Leader celbrates founding of Hamas with defiant speech
....Hamas's political leader vowed to build an Islamic Palestinian state on all the land of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. 12. Russia announces barriers on imports of US meat ....The move was seen by some analysts as retaliation for American legislation punishing Russian officials linked to human rights violations. 13. Rumblings for change in Sudan's governing party ....Younger members representing the Islamist core of the National Congress Party are pushing an agenda of fighting corruption and expanding dialogue with the opposition. 14. Syria rebels tied to al-Qaida play key role in war
....The US faces a challenge, as some of the best fighters in an uprising that it wants to support belong to a group that it considers a terrorist organization. a. Fear of fighting haunts a once-tranquil Damascus ....Through decades of political repression, the Syrian capital has maintained a sense of peace, but nearby fighting has rattled residents, making them afraid to leave their neighborhoods. 15. Chávez says his cancer has returned and names his successor, Nicolas Maduro
....Doctors found malignant cells during tests in Cuba, Pres. Hugo Chávez of Venezuela said, adding that his vice president would succeed him if his health worsened.
US News Capsules: 1. Worry tempers joy over gay marriage's moment in court
....Supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage discussed the possible outcomes of the Supreme Court's decision to hear two cases relating to the issue. 2. Breathing life, and art, into a downtrodden neighborhood
....Once a forlorn slab in one of Miami's roughest sections, the Wynwood community is being transformed into a destination for art and culture by the people who helped reshape SoHo and South Beach. 3. A vault for taking charage of your online life
....Michael Fertik, the founder and chief executive of Reputation.com, at its offices in Redwood City, Calif., where he has amassed a database of information collected on millions of consumers. He is building a business around helping people store personal data about themselves as a way to manage their online reputations. 4. Yo, Adrian! I'm singin' ....A stage musical based on the 1976 movie Rocky has proved a hit in Hamburg, Germany. Now its producers hope to bring it to Broadway. 5. Well-worn sound, with unrelenting swagger
....What is a Rolling Stones show in 2012? At the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday it was slapping guitar from Keith Richards and irrepressible stamina from Mick Jagger. 6. 'Famous' wolf is killed outside Yellowstone ....A wolf known as 832F to researchers was the alpha female of Yellowstone National Park’s highly visible Lamar Canyon pack, and some wildlife watchers referred to her as a “rock star." 7. Billion-dollar flop: Air Force stumbles on software plan ....An effort to modernize a logistics management system is canceled after six years and a cost of more than $1 billion. 8. Florida tackling python problem with hunting contest
....Burmese pythons have been threatening Florida's ecosystem for years, so the state is turning to the public for help in the form of a hunting contest to cull the population. POLITICS: 1. Tax arithmetic shows top rate is just a starter ....Despite hints that President Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner might compromise on the tax rate paid by top earners, a host of other tax questions could still derail a fiscal deal. 2. Changing affliation again, former governnor of Florida becomes a Democrat ....Charlie Crist, who was elected governor of Florida as a Republican, then ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate as an independent, announced the move via Twitter. 3. New taxes to take effect to fund health care law ....As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the new levies, which take effect in January, include an increase in the payroll tax on wages and a tax on investment income. 4. Clinton's countless choices inge on one: 2016 ....With her tenure as Secretary of State coming to an end, Hillary Rodham Clinton appears to be a figure of nearly limitless possibility, but her next few years could ultimately be defined by her plans for the 2016 election. 5. IMF chief: US economy will stop growing without a deal
....Christine Lagarde says a temporary fix to avoid the fiscal cliff would be insufficient and would lead the markets to "react very quickly ... really taking a hit."
Sports Headlines: 1. Boxing: Pacquiao stunned in 6th round
....Juan Manuel Marquez knocked out Manny Pacquiao at the end of the sixth round of their nontitle welterweight bout, beating him for the first time in his fourth attempt. 2. NCAAF: Manziel, in his 1st season, achieves a Heisman first
....Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel beat out Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein for college football's most prestigious award. a. Army batters Navy, but bid to end streak slips from its grasp ....Army, which has the No. 1 rushing offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision, fell for the 11th straight year to Navy 17-13 despite amassing 370 yards on the ground. 3. Knicks fall apart vs. Bulls' defense
....The loss in Chicago ended a five-game winning streak for the Knicks, who were inefficient on offense and played their second straight game without Carmelo Anthony. a. After two contenders rebuild, the Thunder lok stronger ....After both teams went through substantial off-season makeovers, it’s the Thunder who have taken a step forward while the Lakers have struggled to find chemistry this season. 4. NFL: Jets, with limited game plan for Sanchez, win second staight 17-10
....A week after pulling him from a game, Rex Ryan gave the ball to Mark Sanchez, but installed a safe, protect-the-ball-first plan that focused on the run. 5. MLB: Dodgers are said to land Greinke ....The Los Angeles Dodgers reached a record contract Saturday with starting pitcher Zack Greinke, agreeing to a six-year, $147 million deal.
Thought for Today "What we hope ever to do with ease we may learn first to do with diligence." --Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), English lexicographer and author in Lives of the Poets
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Dec 12, 2012 8:38:09 GMT -5
There are some awesomely talented people out there! I love this type of art/graffiti
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 12, 2012 19:40:41 GMT -5
Ding-a-Ling Day Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 346 day of 2012 with 19 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 3:08 p.m., it's mostly cloudy , temp 41ºF [Feels like 36ºF], winds W @ 8 mph, humidity 51%, pressure 30.32 in and steady, dew point 24ºF, chance of precipitation 10%.
Today in History: 1408--Order of the Dragon (Chivalric Order) was established by Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor and the King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia. 1745--John Jay, statesman and the first chief justice of the Supreme Court, was born in New York City; died 1829 at age 83. 1787--Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the Constitution 1870--Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first black congressman. 1897 --The Katzenjammer Kids," the pioneering comic strip by Rudolph Dirks, debuted in the New York Journal 1901--Guglielmo Marconi succeeded in sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean. 1911--George V of the United Kingdom and his wife Mary of Teck were crowned Emperor and Empress of India. 1913--two years after it was stolen, Leonardo da Vinci's The Mona Lisa was recovered inside Italian waiter Vincenzo Peruggia's hotel room in Florence, Italy. 1917--Father Edward J. Flanagan , age 31, established Boys Town for troubled and neglected boys in Omaha, Neb. 1917--Over 500 French soldiers killed in train accident in Modane, France. 1925--the first motel, the Motel Inn, opened, in San Luis Obispo, Calif 1937--the neutral US gunboat Panay sunk by Japanese during the battle for Nanking in the Sino-Japanese War. 1947 --te United Mine Workers union withdrew from the American Federation of Labor. 1963--a vinyl long-playing record called John Fitzgerald Kennedy: A Memorial Album set a record for album sales., selling 4 million copies in the first six days of its release. 1963--Kenya gained its independence from Britain. 1969--a 1,350-man contingent from the Army of the Philippines, departed South Vietnam. 1970--"Tears Of A Clown" gave Smokey Robinson & The Miracles their first #1 pop hit, finally. 1975--Sara Jane Moore pleaded guilty to trying to kill Pres. Ford. 1980--American oil tycoon Armand Hammer paid $5,126,000 at auction for a notebook containing writings by Leonardo da Vinci. 1985--the crash of an Arrow Air DC-8 military charter on takeoff from Gander, Newfoundland, killed all 256 aboard, including 248 U.S. soldiers. 1988--the Clapham Junction rail collision resulted in the deaths of 35 people. 1989--Leona Helmsley, the Queen of Mean, received a 4-year prison sentence, 750 hours of community service, and a $7.1 million tax fraud fine. 1990--15 people were killed and more than 260 injured in a pileup of vehicles on a foggy Tennessee highway. 1991--the Russian parliament ratified a commonwealth treaty linking the three strongest Soviet republics as the Russian Federation in the nation's most profound change since the 1917 revolution. 1992--Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, became the first divorced royal in the inner circle to remarry when she wed Cmdr. Timothy Laurence. 1997--Michael Carneal, age 14, was indicted as an adult on three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder for the shooting of his classmates at Heath High School in West Paducah, Ky. 1998--the House Judiciary Committee approved a 4th article of impeachment against Pres. Clinton and submitted the case to the full House. 2000--General Motors announced the phase-out of the Oldsmobile. 2002--North Korea announced it would reactivate a nuclear reactor idle since 1994. 2002--the European Union invited 10 nations, including Poland and Hungary, to join its ranks in 2004. 2003--armed men attacked military police near the Ivory Coast's national television station in Abidjan, leaving at least 19 people dead. 2003--Keiko, the killer whale made famous by the Free Willy movies, died in a Norwegian fjord. 2004--seeking to head off a potential trade war with the US and the European Union, China announced it would place tariffs on textile imports. 2006--a Baghdad suicide bomber, luring the unemployed to his truck with promises of work, killed at least 60 people and injured 220 others. 2006--more than 1,000 federal agents raided Swift meatpacking plants in six states, arresting more than 1,200 undocumented workers in a 10-month probe into identity theft by illegal immigrants. 2007--nearly 30 people were killed and 150 wounded when three car bombs exploded in the southern Iraqi city of Amara. 2009--Houston became the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor, with voters handing a solid victory to City Controller Annise Parker.
World News Capsules: 1. Where war still echoes, recalling earlier battles
....The Jihad Museum honors Afghans who fought the Soviets in the 1970s and 1980s, a bloody time in the nation’s history that some believe is likely to repeat itself. a. Panetta visits Afghanistan to discuss troop levels ....Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan to discuss future deployment plans with Gen. John R. Allen, the top American commander 2. Bosnian Serb intel chief sentenced for Srebrenica massacre
....Zdravko Tolimir, a former senior commander, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the killings of thousands of prisoners in 1995. 3. Chinese court sentences 3 Uighurs to death ....The three men, and a fourth who received a life sentence, were convicted of trying to blow up a commercial airliner in June. a. China reportedly strips Shanghai bishop of his title ....While not unexpected, the revocation by the Chinese Catholic Bishops Council is likely to aggravate tensions between Beijing and the Vatican. b. China woos overseas companies, looking for deals ....With the government's encouragement, Chinese companies have begun what is expected to be a large number of overseas acquisitions. 4. Egypt's opposition urges vote against draft constitution
....After a prolonged debate, Egypt’s main opposition coalition urged followers to vote against an Islamist-backed charter rather than boycott it. a. Cairo court sentences man to 3 years for insulting religion ....An avowed atheist, Albert Saber was initially accused of circulating links to an offensive online video lampooning the Prophet Mohamed that set off protests in September. 5. Court seizes assets of Greek oligarch ....The ruling by an Athens court upheld an appeal filed by the shareholders in a bank that the oligarch, Lavrentis Lavrentiadis, once controlled. 6. Israeli minister vents anger at Europe ....Now effectively the prime minister’s No. 2, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman invoked the Nazi era in castigating European leaders over support for the Palestinians. 7. That crush at Kosovo's business door? The return of US heroes[//u] ....The competing business dealings of former high ranking US officials in Kosovo may present a special ethical quandary. 8. North Koreans launch rocket in defiant act
....Washington and its allies have said they think North Korea's rocket program has less to do with putting a satellite into orbit than with developing a vehicle for a nuclear warhead. 9. Syria fires scud missiles at insurgents, US says
....Forces loyal to Presi. al-Assad fired the Soviet-era missiles in recent days, officials in the Obama administration said, in a significant escalation of the nearly two-year-old war. a. US will grant recognition to Syrian rebels, Pres. Obama says
....Declaring Syria's opposition as its legitimate representative, marks a new phase of engagement for Pres. Obama in a nearly two-year bloody struggle. b. Armenians fleeing anew as Syria erupts in battle ....Their ancestors fled the Ottoman genocide nearly a century ago, and now Armenians who live in Syria are fleeing that country and settling, at least temporarily, in Armenia.
US News Capsules: 1. Police: shooter acted alone in 'heinous, horrible' crime
....Cops say Jacob Tyler Roberts, 22, opened fire at a mall near Portland, Oregon, killing Cindy Ann Yuille, 54, and Steven Forsyth, 45, before shooting himself. 2. For Vegas weddings, a date with a built-in reminder ....Thousands of couples are expected to declare their everlasting love in Las Vegas on Wednesday, 12/12/12 - the last such triple-date likely to occur in their lifetimes 3. For lesser crimes, rethinking life behind bars ....Many scholars say mandatory sentencing policies in the US lock up nonviolent, low-level offenders for too long and are no longer a cost-effective way to reduce crime. 4. Officials announce pact on jail in Louisiana ....An agreement was reached to overhaul a troubled prison in the same Louisiana parish as New Orleans, but financing for the agreement has remained unresolved. 5. Thomas Hart Benton masterwork goes to Met ...."America Today," which depicts life just before the Great Depression, will go on display when the Met takes over the Whitney's Marcel Breuer building on Madison Avenue. 6. Fed to hold rates down until jobless rate is below 6.5%
....The Federal Reserve said it would maintain short-term interest rates near zero, even after it stops buying bonds, for as long as the unemployment rate remains above its target. 7. Climate change threatens ski industry with bare slopes
....As temperatures rise, analysts predict that scores of the nation’s ski centers, especially those at lower elevations and latitudes, will eventually vanish. POLITICS: 1. Limits on unions pass in Michigan, once a union mainstay
....Sweeping legislation signed by Gov. Rick Snyder will vastly reduce the power of organized labor in a state that was a symbol of union clout for decades. 2. Unlikely backers in a battle over taxes ....As pressure builds to find a compromise for the fiscal impasse in Washington, some of America's leading executives have dropped opposition to tax increases on the wealthiest. 3. Warren is nominated for Senate baning committee
....A noted consumer advocate, Elizabeth Warren had harsh words for Wall Street throughout her campaign for Senate, and she is expected to support tougher controls on the industry. 4. As fiscal talks heat up, questions no whether Boehner cn get the votes
....As a potential year-end fiscal crisis nears, White House officials have begun to wonder whether Speaker John A. Boehner can garner enough Republican votes to push through a deficit-reduction plan
Sports Headlines: 1. NBA: Anthony has 45, and kidd's 3-pointer wins it ....While Carmelo Anthony dominated the evening, Jason Kidd made his presence felt as the Knicks rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat the Nets in Brooklyn. 2. NFL: Tagliabue lifts suspensions but not blame i bounty case
....In overturning the punishment by his successor Roger Goodell, the former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue blamed the New Orleans Saints organization. 3. MLB: Yankees are set to add Youkills, symbol of rivalry
....Kevin Youkilis, a former Red Sox player, agreed to a one-year, $12-million deal with the Yankees to replace Alex Rodriguez at third base while he recovers from hip surgery 4. NCAAF: When a winning record trumps a checkered past ....Bobby Petrino, hired as the coach at Western Kentucky, has had his share of troubles, including an affair with an Arkansas staff member. Can coaches get away with anything as long as they win? 5. 'NHL: Dysfunctional' business model puts the NHL in peril, experts say ....The damage done by the third lockout under Commissioner Gary Bettman is likely to affect the league well into the future.
Thought for Today "Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." --Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) Canadian humorist
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 20, 2012 22:35:22 GMT -5
Go Caroling Day Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 360th day of 2012 with 15 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 7:17 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 38ºF [Feels like 29ºF], winds SSE @ 15 mph, humidity 53%, pressure 29.76 in and falling, dew point 22ºF, chance of precipitation 100%.
Today in History: 1783--Virginia ceded the western Ohio Valley territory to the federal government. 1790--the first successful cotton mill in the US began operating at Pawtucket, R.I. 1803--the Louisiana Purchase was completed France to the US during ceremonies in New Orleans. 1812--Sacagawea, the young Indian woman who guided the Lewis and Clark Expedition, died. 1836--Pres. Jackson submitted a treaty he negotiated with the Ioway, Sacs, Sioux, Fox, Otoe and Omaha tribes of the Missouri territory. 1862--Confederate rebels raid ed the Union supply depot at Holly Springs, Miss. 1864--Confederate forces evacuated Savannah, Ga., as Union Gen. William T. Sherman conoketed his "March to the Sea." 1879--Thomas Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, N.J. 1881--Branch Rickey, the American baseball executive famous for creating the farm team system and hiring the first black players, was born; died 1965 at age 83, 1914--World War I: the first Battle of Champagne began. 1941--as the new commander in chief of the German army, Adolf Hitler informed Gen. Franz Halder that there will be no retreating from the Russian front near Moscow. 1946--The Frank Capra film It's A Wonderful Life had a preview showing for charity at New York City's Globe Theatre. 1946--French colonial troops cracked down on Vietnamese Communist rebels. 1955--Cardiff was declared to be the capital city of Wales. 1956--the Montgomery, Ala. public bus boycott in reaction to the Dec. 1, 1955, arrest of Rosa Parks, officially ended. 1957--rock-and-roll star Elvis Presley received his draft notice for the United States Army 1963--the Berlin Wall was opened for the first time to West Berliners for one-day visits to relatives in the Eastern sector for the holidays. 1968--John Steinbeck, Pulitzer-Prize winning author (The Grapes of Wrath)) died in New York City from heart failure. 1973--Luis Carrero Blanco, Prime Minister of Spain, was assassinated with a car bomb. 1976--Chicago Mayor and political boss, Richard J. Daley died at age 74. 1987--a leat 1,749 people died in the Philippines when a passenger ferry was struck by an oil tanker and sank, the century's worst peacetime maritime disaster. 1989--the US sent troops into Panama to topple the government of Manuel Noriega. 1990--Eduard Shevardnadze abruptly resigned as Soviet foreign minister, warning against a dictatorship of hard-liners. 1991--Philippines prosecutors filed nine counts of graft against former first lady Imelda Marcos, charging she used bogus front companies to bilk millions of dollars from the nation. 1993--Serbian Pres. Slobodan Milosevic's governing Socialist Party claimed victory in parliamentary elections. 1995--160 people were killed when an American Airlines 757 crashed into a mountain shortly before it was scheduled to land in Cali, Colombia. 1995--Buckingham Palace confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II had sent letters to her son, Prince Charles, and his estranged wife, Princess Diana, urging them to seek a divorce as quickly as possible. 4995--NATO assumed peacekeeping duties in Bosnia. 1996--guerrillas in Peru took an estimated 380 hostages at the Japanese ambassador's residence. 1998--Iraqi Pres. Saddam Hussein declared that the four-night US-British bombing campaign of his country was a victory for Iraq over the "enemies of God and humanity." 1998--a Houston woman gave birth to seven more babies after delivering the first infant 12 days earlier. They were the only known set of octuplets to be born alive in the United States. The smallest baby died a week later. 1999--Macau reverted to Chinese rule. 1999--the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples are entitled to the same benefits and protections as wedded couples. 2002--Trent Lott (R-Miss.) resigned as Senate Republican leader two weeks after igniting a political firestorm with racially charged remarks. 2004--the UN said sub-Saharan Africa, ravaged by drought, civil strife and swarms of crop-devouring locusts, faced a worsening food crisis. 2005--New York City transit workers began a three-day strike. 2005--a judge in Harrisburg, Pa., ruled the concept of "intelligent design" cannot be taught in Pennsylvania public high school science classes. 2006--US Army Gen. John Abizaid, the head of the US Central Command and the main military architect of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, submitted his letter of resignation. 2006--Sudan's Darfur conflict was reported spreading to Chad with untold numbers of ethnic killings and more than 90,000 Chadians fleeing their villages. 2007--Elizabeth II of the united Kingdom became the oldest reigning British Monarch
World News Capsules: 1. Chatter of Doomsday makes Beijing nervous
....Security officials in China have been rounding up members of the Church of Almighty God, a renegade Christian group whose adherents believe in doomsday predictions that the world will end. 2. Egypt's chief prosecutor retracts his resignation ....The move was the latest bizarre turn in a complicated three-way struggle among the new Islamist president, the institutions of the old government and the president’s opposition in the streets. 3. Hollande uses softer tone on delicate visit to Algeria ....Pres. François Hollande of France sought to strike a more nuanced and conciliatory tone with the former French colony but stopped short of issuing the apology Algiers has long called for. 4. German health care attracts foreign patients ....Germany is known as a way station for treatment of wounded American soldiers, but it is also popular with wealthy and prominent patients from the Middle East, Russia and beyond. 5. BBC's leaders faulted as lax in handling sex abuse crisis ....An exhaustive report strongly criticized the decisions that prompted the BBC to cancel a broadcast in 2011 that would have exposed decades of sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile. a. Family sentenced to prison in England over forced labor ....A court found that members of an Irish family enticed mentally ill, alcoholic and homeless men to work for as little as $8 a day 6. Israel defies allies in move to bolster settlements ....Brushing aside a growing chorus of international opposition, Israel pushed ahead with aggressive new settlement building in the West Bank and Jerusalem. 7. UN vote planned on Mali security ....A UN Security Council resolution would approve the deployment of a multinational African force in Mali to help retake the northern part of the country from Islamist militias. 8. Female vaccination workers, essential in Pakistan, become prey
....One of Pakistan’s most crucial public health campaigns has been plunged into crisis after militants killed nine volunteers over the course of a three-day polio vaccination drive. 9. Putin defends position on Syria and chastise US on Libya
....Pres. Vladimir Putin reiterated Russia’s opposition to military intervention in Syria and suggested that the US’ role in toppling Col. Qaddafi ultimately led to the Benghazi catastrophe. a. Putin evasive on support of US adotion ban ....Pres. Putin skirted the question of whether he would support a ban on adoptions of Russian children by American citizens. 10. Ex-dictator's daughter elected president as South Korea rejects sharp change ....The election of Park Geun-hye, the first woman to win the post in a deeply patriarchal part of Asia, ensures the extension of staunchly pro-American governance in the country. She called for national reconciliation and met with foreign envoys. 11. Syria fires more scud missiles at rebels, US says .... American officials, who have been monitoring Syrian military actions via aerial surveillance, said there was no indication that the missiles were armed with chemical weapons.
US News Capsules: 1. 4 are out at State Dept. after scathing report on Benghazi attack
....Four State Department officials were removed from their posts on Wednesday after an independent panel criticized the "grossly inadequate" security at a diplomatic compound in Libya. 2. ART: When the future became now
....“Inventing Abstraction: 1910-1925,” a dizzying, magisterial cornucopia at the Museum of Modern Art, captures some of the original thrill and terror of the creation of abstract art. 3. Capturing America, fact by fact ....The 2013 Statistical Abstract of the United States reveals a moving picture of how the nation has been changing, through subjects as diverse as pet preferences and student loan debt. 4. A helium shortage leads to fewer balloons in the sky ....A global helium shortage that many say is the worst in decades has affected party stores, holiday parades and even MRI manufacturers. 5. Mormon women set out to take a stand, in pants ....An event on Sunday called "Wear Pants to Church" used attire as a way to draw attention to gender inequalities, but not before generating a backlash and even death threats. 6. US to sell stake in GM in 16 months as bailout winds down ....The Treasury Department said that it plans to sell off its entire stake in General Motors. 7. Newtown massacre changes plans at movie and TV studios ....The shooting in Newtown, Conn., has prompted soul searching in the entertainment capital, where many of those who support gun control also make their livings selling violent images. 8. Use of death sentneces continues to fall in US ....Thirty-six years after the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, its use is waning; new data show 80 death sentences were handed down in 2012, about a third of the total in 2000. 9. Exchange sale reflects new realities of trading
....The takeover of the New York Stock Exchange’s owner illustrates starkly how trading in commodities and derivatives has become much more lucrative than trading in corporate shares POLITICS: 1. At Benghazi hearing, State Dept. concedes errors ....State Department officials promised to quickly carry out recommendations to beef up security for the foreign service and urged Congress to provide more money to protect diplomats. 2. Gaps in FBI data undercut background checks for guns
....Significant gaps in the FBI’s database of criminal and mental health records allow thousands of people to buy firearms every year who should be barred from doing so. a. NRA leader, facing challenge in wake of shooting, rareily shies from fight ....As the first news conference held by the group since the tragedy nears, its leader, David Keene, is expected to vigorously battle efforts to restrict gun rights. b. Lessons in politics and fine print in assault weapons ban of '90s ....After a 1989 schoolyard shooting, it took five years of legislative slogging to pass a federal assault weapons ban. But the price of passage was a host of compromises. c. Many owners say semiautomatic weapons are just another hobby ....Owners of AR-15 style rifles dismissed the argument that a federal ban on their firearms would lessen gun violence. d. Religious leaders push congregants on gun control, sensing a watershed moment ....The campaign will start Friday with an event at the Washington National Cathedral marking the Connecticut shootings a week before. 3. GOP leader in House pull tax bill, citing lack of votes
....The decision was a major setback for Speaker John A. Boehner, who pushed his “Plan B” proposal to keep lower tax rates in place for most Americans in the absence of a fiscal deal
Sports Headlines: 1. NBA: Knicks demonstrate 100-86 distance to Brroklyn ....Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points after missing two games because of a sprained left ankle as the Knicks won for the 10th time in 12 games, while the Nets lost their third straight game. a. Savior of Knicks now presents only problems ....Amar’e Stoudemire gave the Knicks instant respectability when he signed with them in 2010. But this season, they have become an elite team in his absence. 2. NFL: A stickler for order finds chaos as usual
....Giants coach Tom Coughlin is known for his intensity, but as his teams tend to have midseason slides, a potential downside of that type of leadership is increased emotional fatigue among players. 3. NCAAF: Former Wisconsin coach climbs back into hot seat ....After Wisconsin's coach left to become Arkansas's coach, the athletic director Barry Alvarez took over the Rose Bowl-bound Badgers on a short-term basis. 4. NHL: moves closer to canceling season ....The N.H.L. scratched another two weeks’ worth of games, through Jan. 14, and the league’s deputy commissioner said the point of no return was “sometime in mid-January
Thought for Today "You cannot acquire experience by making experiments. You cannot create experience. You must undergo it." --Albert Camus (1913-1960) French author
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 21, 2012 19:14:18 GMT -5
Yule (A religious festival observed by the Northern European peoples, later being absorbed into and equated with the Christian festival of Christmas. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indigenous Germanic month names (Ærra Jéola (Before Yule) or Jiuli and Æftera Jéola (After Yule). Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Modranicht.) Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 351st day of 2012 with 14 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 3:07 p.m., it's lightly snowing , temp 35ºF [Feels like 28ºF], winds SW @ 9 mph, humidity 82%, pressure 29.17 in and steady, dew point 30ºF, chance of precipitation 70%.
Today in History: 1620--Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower went ashore for the first time at present-day Plymouth, Mass. 1799--poet William Wordsworth moved into Dove Cottage in England's Lake District. 1866--Indians in northern Wyoming ambushed Lt Col William Fetterman and eighty soldiers. 1879--Soviet dictator Josef Stalin was born Josef Dzhugashvili in Gori, Georgia; died 1953 at age 73. 1898--scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovered the radioactive element radium. 1913--he first crossword puzzle was published, in the New York World. 1915--Sir William Robertson was appointed chief of the English Imperial General Staff during World War I. 1937--the Disney animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had its world premiere in Los Angeles. 1940--F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novelist, short story writer, screen writer, died from heart failure. 1945--"Old Blood and Guts" Gen. Patton, commander of the US 3rd Army, died at age 60 from injuries suffered not in battle but in a freak car accident. 1948--Ireland became an independent republic. 1958--Charles de Gaulle was elected the first president of France's Fifth Republic. 1967--The Graduate opened in New York; making the Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider famous. 1968--Apollo 8 was launched on a mission to orbit the moon. 1969--Thailand announcds plans to withdraw its troops from Vietnam. 1971--the UN Security Council chose Kurt Waldheim to succeed U Thant as secretary-general. 1972--the Defense Department announced that eight B-52 bombers and several fighter-bombers were lost since the commencement of Operation Linebacker II in Vietnam. 1975--in Vienna, Austria, Carlos the Jackal attacked an oil ministers meeting OPEC headquarters with German and Arab terrorists, killing three and taking 63 hostages. 1978--police in Des Plaines, Ill., arrested John W. Gacy Jr. and began unearthing the remains of 33 men and boys he was later convicted of murdering. 1985--Harry Chapin earned a #1 hit with "Cat's In The Cradle" 1988--Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York exploded in midair over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members aboard, as well as 11 Lockerbie residents. 1991--eleven of the 12 former Soviet republics proclaimed the birth of the Commonwealth of Independent States. 1994--more than 40 people were injured when an incendiary device exploded on a crowded subway in New York's lower Manhattan. 1995--Bethlehem passed from Israeli to Palestinian control. 1996--after two years of denials, House Speaker Newt Gingrich admitted violating House ethics rules. 1998--the shaky coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu collapsed when Israel's parliament voted 81-30 to dissolve the government. 2001--Australian actor Russell Crowe starred in the movie A Beautiful Mind 2002--Pres. Bush set in motion the first US smallpox vaccination program in three decades, fearing terrorists might use the virus as a biological weapon. 2004--Pres. Bush's approval rating slipped 6% to 49%, making Bush the first incumbent president to have an approval rating less than 50% one month after winning re-election. 2005--the US Senate unanimously passed a $445 million defense appropriations bill that included a provision against torture. 2006--four US Marines were charged with murder in the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in a 2005 assault in the town of Haditha. 2007--Pakistani officials said a suicide bomber's assassination attempt on a former official killed at least 50 people and hurt 80 others in a crowded mosque in the city of Lahore.
World News Capsules: 1. Doomsday fizzles, but many hail a new era
....A ceremony on Friday marking the end of a 5,125-year cycle in the Mayan calendar at Tikal, the ancient Mayan city in northern Guatemala. The date — 12-21-12 — inspired an Internet-fueled misreading of a Mayan calendar that led many to believe the end of the world would arrive. 2. Resounding victory in Indian vote nedges polarizing fugyre closer to a larger race ....Narendra Modi inched closer to becoming the leading political challenger to India's dominant Gandhi family by winning a resounding re-election as chief minister. 3. Affest of minister's bodyguards prompts protests in Iraq ....Ten bodyguards to Rafe al-Essawi, the finance minister and a top Sunni politician, were arrested on terrorism charges, threatening to further hinder Iraq’s halting process of sectarian reconciliation. 4. Monti resigns as premier of Italy, but may run again ....Prime Minister Mario Monti has emerged as a centrist force in a political landscape that had been divided between two other factions. 5. Fighting kills dozens in Kenya
....About 40 people, many of them children, were killed and scores of others were seriously injured on Friday in renewed tribal attacks along the coastal Tana River delta, Kenyan police officials said. 6. Islamists cited in abduction of French engineer in Nigeria ....Those responsible for the man’s kidnapping were believed to be linked to Al Qaida’s North African affiliate or other radical Islamist groups in northern Mali, French officials said. 7. North Korea says it has detained an American citizen ....North Korea said said that it had charged an American citizen with committing “hostile acts against the republic,” a crime punishable by years in prison. 8. Girl shot by Taliban asks that college not bear her name ....Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist who was shot by a Taliban gunman, has asked that a decision to name a college after her be reversed, citing safety concerns. 9. Palestinian premier calls for boycott of Israeli goods ....Israel's refusal this month to transfer tax revenue to the West Bank has undermined the Palestinian Authority's already dire finances, the prime minister, Salam Fayyad, said. 10. Putin edges farther away from Syrian leader ....In Brussels for a summit meting, Pres. Putin of Russia said his country wants “a democratic regime in Syria based on the expression of the people’s will.” a, Russian parliament given final approval in US adoption ban
....The legislation is an attempt to retaliate against the US for a new human rights law, but American officials urged Russia not to play politics with the lives of orphans.. 11. Syria unleashes cluster bombs on town, punishing civilians
....Cluster bombs are impossible to use precisely, and the victims of such attacks describe them as collective punishment against populations that side with the rebels. 12. Commercial Buddhism in Thailand ....Buddhism has been a way of life in Thailand for centuries, but inside the most popular temples is a trend that critics call “fast-food Buddhism.”
US News Capsules: 1. Obama names Kerry to follow Clinton as Secretary of State
....“In a sense, John’s entire life has prepared him for this role,” Pres. Obama said, nominating Senator John Kerry to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton. 2. Marijuana, not yet legal for Californians, might as well be .....Marijuana can be smelled in suburban backyards in neighborhoods from Hollywood to Topanga Canyon as dusk falls - what in other places is known as the cocktail hour. 3. NRA leader, facing challenge in wake of shooting, rarely shies from fight
....As the first news conference held by the group since the tragedy nears, its leader, David Keene, as expected, vigorously battled efforts to restrict gun rights. 4. A reminder of what Midwest winters are about ....Snow, absent for so long in much of the Midwest that people seemed to have forgotten all about it, returned with a fury. 5. Retailers try to adapt to device-hopping shoppers
....Online merchants are trying to figure out how to tie together the several methods a customer may use on the way to buying something. 6. Gunman kills 3 in Central Pennsylvania ....A man fatally shot three people Friday morning before being killed by the police, including a woman who was hanging Christmas decorations inside a church, POLITICS: 1. Boehner cancels tax vote in face of GOP revolt ....Speaker John A. Boehner abruptly halted efforts to pass fallback legislation to prevent a fiscal crisis after conservative Republicans refused to allow taxes to rise even on the most affluent. 2. Even in disarray, GOP has power to constrain Obama ....On guns, taxes and cabinet choices, many Republicans say they should hold fast because they, too, won elections last month. 3. Open Massachusetts seat could give path to Brown ....Sen. John Kerry’s nomination to be secretary of state sets the stage for a comeback by Sen. Scott P. Brown of Massachusetts, a Republican, who lost his seat last month to Elizabeth Warren.
Sports Headlines: 1. A rising hockey star with NBA DNA
....Seth Jones, the son of a former professional basketball player, could become the NHL's first African-American star defenseman, with his strong skating and puck-handling skills. a. NHL players give authorization to dissolve union. ....The NHL Players' Association voted overwhelmingly in favor of giving its executive board the power to file a disclaimer of interest and effectively dissolve the union, the latest step in the increasingly damaging 97-day lockout. 2. NBA: Knicks tried, failed to trade Stoudemire
....When the Knicks cleared out their roster to acquire Carmelo Anthony, they voluntarily accepted the complications that come with integrating two high-usage, offense-first stars who operate from similar spaces on the floor. 3. NCAABK: Known for faith as well as his play, a top recruit, picks Duke, not BYU
....Jabari Parker is a 6-foot-8 senior at Simeon Career Academy whose exceptional post moves and jump shot are perhaps exceeded by his biography: an African-American Mormon in urban Chicago. Thought for Today "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." --George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950) Irish playwright
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 22, 2012 23:25:22 GMT -5
Natonal Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 356th day of 2012 with 9 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 6:07 p.m., it's partly cloudy , temp 32ºF [Feels like 20ºF], winds W @ 20 mph, humidity 55%, pressure 29.77 in and rising, dew point 18ºF, chance of precipitation 80%.
Today in History: 640--the Saracens under Amrou conquered Alexandria, having invaded Egypt two years earlier. 1696--James Oglethorpe, English founder of the British colony of Georgia, was born; died 1785 at age 88. 1715--James Stuart, the "Old Pretender" and claimant to the British throne, landed at Peterhead from exile in France to start a rebellion. 1772--Moravian missionaries begin construction of the first schoolhouse west of the Allegheny Mountains, at Schoenbrunn, Pennsylvania. 1783--George Washington resigned his military commission. 1785--the American Continental Navy fleet was organized, consisting of two frigates, two brigs and three schooners. 1807--the US Embargo Act took effect, banning trade with Britain, France and the rest of the world, aimed to force Britain and France to stop harassing American trade. 1808--Beethoven's Fifth Symphony had its world premiere. 1850--the Hawaiian Post Office established. 1858--opera composer Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca, Italy; died 1924 at age 65. 1864--Union Gen. William T. Sherman sent a message to Pres. Lincoln from Georgia, saying, "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah." 1894--in New York City, the United States Golf Association was formed. 1894--French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial that triggered worldwide charges of anti-Semitism. 1917--peace negotiations opened between the new Russian government and Germany at Brest-Litovsk. 1937--the Lincoln Tunnel (connecting Weehawken, NJ with the Manhattan borough of NYC) was opened to traffic with a $.50 charge per passenger car. 1941--British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington, D.C., for a wartime conference with Pres. Roosevelt. 1943--Beatrix Potter, English author and illustrator best known for her Peter Rabbit series, died in Castle Cottage, Swarey England. 1944--during the Battle of the Bulge, Germany demanded the surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium; Brigadier Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe reportedly replied: "Nuts!" 1956--Colo, the first gorilla to be born in captivity arrived into the world at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio. 1963--Lakonia, an ocean liner cruise ship, caught fire resulting in the deaths of 128 people - 95 passengers and 33 crew. 1972--5,000 people died when a series of earthquakes left the Nicaraguan capital of Managua in ruins. 1984--in New YOrk, Bernhard Goetz shot four black youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him. 1986--political dissident and Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov and his wife, Yelena Bonner, were allowed to return to Moscow after seven years of internal exile. 1989--Brandenburg Gate was re-opened thus ending the division between East and West Germany. 1989--Romanian Pres. Nicolae Ceausescu, the last hard-line communist holdout against East Bloc reforms, fell from power. 1989--Samuel Beckett, Irish dramatist and poet, died at age 83 in Paris, France most likely from emphysema. 1990--Lech Walesa took the oath of office as Poland's first popularly elected president. 1992--all 158 people aboard a Libyan Boeing 727 died when the jetliner crashed, apparently following an in-flight collision with a military plane. 1994--Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned after seven months in office, following corruption charges against him. 1997--members of a pro-government militia attacked the village of Chenalh, Mexico, killing 45 people, including a number of children. 2001--Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers. 2005--astronomers announced the discovery of two more rings encircling the planet Uranus. 2005--Wal-Mart was ordered to pay more than 100,000 California employees $172 million for depriving them of breaks to eat. 2006--rape charges against three former members of the Duke University lacrosse team were dropped after the alleged victim said she couldn't be sure she had been raped. 2007--the US Air Force reported finding major structural flaws in eight models of its F-15 fighter jets. 2010--Pres. Obama signed a law allowing gays for the first time in history to serve openly in America's military.
World News Capsules: 1. Taliban in talks hint at softer line, but suspicion of their sincerity lingers ....The Taliban’s senior leadership has expressed that the group would be willing to operate as a mainstream Afghan political faction, but with the Taliban there are always questions. 2. As charter nears passage, Egyptians face new fights
....An Islamist-backed constitution appeared headed for approval, propelling deeply split political factions into a new phase in the battle over Egypt’s future. a. Support for Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood erodes in an Islamist bastion ....Residents complain about the government's confusing economic policies, its near-monopoly on power and the use of force against opponents. 3. Clashes break out in India at a protest over a rape case
....Protesters in New Delhi demanded justice and better policing after the rape of a 23-year-old medical student. 4. A divide over prayer at a sacred site in Israel
....After years of legislative and legal fights, the movement for equal access for people to pray as they wish at the Western Wall has become a rallying cause for liberal Jews. 5. Italian quits post, but can't be counted out ....Whether he runs in early elections or not, Prime Minister Mario Monti has already radically shifted Italy's political landscape. 6. Russia says it won't play role in ousting Syria's leader ....Comments by Russia’s foreign minister came after recent signals that his country sees the military balance shifting in Syria, but still strongly opposes international intervention. 7. In ravaged Syria, beach town may be loyalists' last resort ....The resort town of Tartus is seen as a possible place for Alawites, including Pres. Assad, to establish a rump state if his government falls. 8. Tunisian dictator's possessions to be sold at public auction ....Cars, jewelry, carpets and other assets that once belonged to the deposed president of Tunisia, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, will be auctioned at a monthlong sale and exhibition. 9. Boston priest to lead oversight of sexual abuse claims at Vatican ....Pope Benedict XVI named a priest from Boston, the epicenter of the sexual abuse crisis in the US, as the Vatican’s new sex crimes prosecutor
US News Capsules: 1. Varied paths toward healing for sites of terrorized schools ....Officials in Newtown, Conn., are not ready to think about the future of Sandy Hook Elementary, but some lessons may come from what has happened to other terror scenes. 2. Acting CIA chief critical of film Zero Dark Thirty[/u]. ....Michael J. Morell said the movie exaggerates the role of coercive interrogations in producing clues to the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden. 3. Dangerous abscesses add to tainted drug's threat....The contaminated drug that caused a nationwide meningitis outbreak has created a second, growing wave of serious spinal infections. a. Drugs aim to make several types of cancer self-destruct....Three pharmaceutical firms are trying to restore a mechanism that normally tells cells to die if their DNA is badly damaged, an approach that might work against half of all cancers. 4. NRA envisions 'a good guy with a gun' in every school....After a weeklong silence, the National Rifle Association implicated violent video games, the news media and lax law enforcement - not guns - in a rash of mass shootings. a. Shop owners report rise in firearm sales as buyers fear possible ne laws....With gun-control legislation getting more serious discussion after the mass shooting in Connecticut, some dealers report they've run out of some models as consumers stock up on weapons and ammunition. b. Walking the tightrope on mental health coverage....While many people with health insurance also have mental health coverage, some are reluctant to use it - or can't find a practitioner who will accept it. c. NRA call to guard schools is criticized as too simplistic....Teachers, parents and police reacted to a National Rifle Association proposal for armed security, some concerned about school culture and others worried about who might get shot. d. A bleak procession of funerals for shooting victims ends in Newtown....The burial of Josephine Grace Gay brought an end to services that began not long after Adam Lanza killed 20 children and 6 adults at a Connecticut elementary school. e. Intense alienation can be an incubator for violence....Homicide is a predominantly urban form of lawlessness, but research shows mass murders happen more often in smaller communities. 5. For poor, leap to college often ends in a hard fall....Low-income students have long trailed affluent peers in school performance, but from grade-school tests to college completion, the gaps are widening. 6. Cats at Hemingway Museum draw tourists, and a legal battle....The charms of the 45 celebrated six-toed cats at the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Fla., have proved powerless against federal regulators. 7. Pest control in the sky, courtesy of a raptor....In a twist on the ancient sport of falconry, more companies are employing hawks and falcons to keep birds like sea gulls and pigeons away from areas where they aren’t welcome. 8. Study finds flaws in pipeline leak detection systems....The forthcoming federal report found that members of the general public are more likely to identify oil and gas spills than the pipeline companies’ leak detection systems. POLITICS: 1. Obama presses stripped-down plan to limit tax increase....Pres. Obama, conceding that a "grand bargain" for deficit reduction with Speaker John A. Boehner is unlikely, called for Congress to approve a more modest measure by year's end. 2. Events recall a more bipartisan era, and highlight gridlock of today....A political opposition that is still bitter about Pres. Obama's victory remains unwilling to compromise on social policy, economics or foreign affairs. a. How party of budget restraint shifted to 'No New Taxes,' ever....Some Republicans fear that the party’s commitment to prevent tax increases more and more is coming at the expense of those other, older kinds of fiscal responsibility. Sports Headlines: 1. NBA: From behind, Knicks chase refs....Friday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls was the best and most recent example of how a frustrated Knicks team can lose its composure and then struggle for the rest of the game. a. Paul is cornerstone of Clippers' revival, and not just on court....One unofficial, uncredited member of the committee that remade the Los Angeles Clippers is point guard Chris Paul. 2. WTA: Being considered the next Serena is a compliment and a detriment....As 16-year-old Taylor Townsend gets ready to turn professional, she is drawing comparisons to Serena Williams — including unflattering references to her body type. 3. NFL: Giants' poor run defense slows pass rush to a stumble....The NY Giants’ defensive line is supposed to be part of the team’s bedrock, but it is not doing the job on first and second downs [ Thought for Today"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." --[/i]George Orwell (1903-1950) English author
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 24, 2012 18:31:14 GMT -5
Christmas Eve Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 358th day of 2012 with 7 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 4:17 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 32ºF [Feels like 27ºF], winds ENE @ 5 mph, humidity 61%, pressure 29.95 in and falling, dew point 20ºF, chance of precipitation 10%.
Today in History: 1524--Vasco de Gama, Portugese explorer, died from malaria in Kochi, India. 1809--Kit Carson, American frontiersman and folk hero, was born; died 1868 at age 58. 1814--the War of 1812 officially ended as the US and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium. 1851--fire devastated the Library of Congress and part of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., destroying about 35,000 volumes. 1865--the Ku Klux Klan was founded as a private social club by several Confederate Army veterans in Pulaski, Tenn. 1871--Giuseppe Verdi's opera Aida had its world premiere in Cairo, Egypt, to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal. 1873--Johns Hopkins, a wealthy entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded Johns Hopkins University, died in Baltimore, Md. without any heirs. 1906--Canadian physicist Reginald A. Fessenden became the first person to broadcast a music program over radio, from Brant Rock, Mass. He discovered the superheterodyne principle, the basis for all modern radio receivers. 1920--Enrico Caruso gave his last public performance, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. 1927--Mary Higgins Clark, mystery writer, turns 85. 1942--German rocket engineers launched the first surface-to-surface guided missile. 1942--Adm. Jean Louis Darlan, the French administrator of North Africa, was assassinated as a sympathizer of the French Vichy regime. 1943--Pres. Roosevelt appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe. 1951--Libya declares its independence from the UK and proclaims Idris I King of Libya 1968--the Apollo 8 crew became first humans to orbit around the moon, broadcasting live pictures during a Christmas Eve Broadcast, 1974--Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin Australia, killing 71 people. 1983--one of the US's severest early season cold waves in history claimed nearly 300 lives. 1989--Manuel Noriega, the object of US invasion forces, took refuge at the Vatican Embassy in Panama City and asked for political asylum. 1990--Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein reportedly threatened to attack Tel Aviv, Israel, if the allies tried to retake Kuwait. 1990--the bells of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow rang to celebrate Christmas for the first time since the death of Lenin. 1992--Pres. Bush pardoned former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and five others in the Iran-Contra scandal. 1994--Islamic militants hijacked an Air France Airbus. that ended two days later when the plane was stormed by French paramilitary commandos in Marseille. 1997--a French court convicted the international terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal of the 1975 killings of three men in Paris and sentenced him to life in prison. 2002--Laci Peterson was reported missing from her Modesto, Calif., home, by her husband, Scott, who was later convicted of murdering her and their unborn son. 2003--nine nations imposed bans on US beef imports after the first documented case of mad cow disease was reported in Washington state. 2004--gunmen opened fire on a bus in northern Honduras, killing at least 23 and wounding 16 with suspects a noted Central American youth gang. 2004--a Chinese freighter wrecked in the Aleutian Islands broke apart, spilling thousands of gallons of oil into the Bering Sea. 2005--the South Korean scientist whose research on stem cells and cloning won him international acclaim, Dr. Hwang Woo-suk, resigned after admitting he fabricated his groundbreaking paper in which he claimed to have created stem cell colonies from 11 patients. 2006--fighting escalated in Somalia as Ethiopian planes and helicopter gunships attacked Islamist targets in several central provinces. 2006--French and US intelligence agencies said the 31-mile tunnel connecting England and France had been targeted by al-Qaida terrorists for an attack. 2007--The chairman of the Sept. 11 commission accused the CIA of interfering with the panel's work by failing to turn over tapes of agents interrogating suspected terrorists with "enhanced" techniques, including waterboarding. The CIA earlier admitted destroying several such tapes. 2007--US officials said billions of dollars in funding to Pakistan to help fight al-Qaida and Taliban terrorism has been wasted because of too little control over the money. 2009--the US Senate passed health care legislation, 60-39, in the chamber's first Christmas Eve vote since 1895. 2009--a woman jumped barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he was walking down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass; the pope was unhurt.
Today's Headlines of Interest: Yes, we can fix Social Security (but it won't be pretty)
Experts say there are ways to fix Social Security, but politicians just may not like trying to sell those changes to the American people. It has happened before, though. In the mid-1980s, none other than Pres. Reagan, working with Democrats in Congress, oversaw a major overhaul of the nation’s retirement safety net. “There are politicians – and especially in the Senate but also in the House as well – who could work together and come to an agreement,” said Alan Auerbach, a professor of law and economics at the University of California, Berkeley. “But they’re not the majority of Congress.”
Experts say there are two ways to fix Social Security, and neither of them are pretty: reduce benefits or increase revenue. Pres. Obama and House Speaker John Boehner seem willing to compromise on involves a change in the way Social Security increases are calculated going forward. The proposed switch to calculating cost of living increases using the chained Consumer Price Index instead of the current method would result in smaller annual Social Security raises. That’s because that method assumes that people change their spending habits when prices go up. Proponents say the switch could save billions and is a more realistic method of how Americans really adjust to rising prices. But opponents say the chained Consumer Price Index isn’t a good way to measure the needs of older and disabled Americans, because their expenditures are disproportionately focused on things like health care. A family of four may choose to eat more chicken if beef prices go up, but an elderly person can’t easily choose to spend less on heart medicine, they argue.
One of the longer-term options for reducing benefits is to simply tell people they have to wait longer to get their full benefits and thus Social Security would be keeping up with trends toward longer life expectancies. Opponents say that a closer look at the data shows that the bulk of improvements in life expectancies have come from wealthier Americans. They say a broad-based increase in the age at which people can get benefits would punish less wealthy Americans, who haven’t seen such big life expectancy gains.
Another option would be to dial down benefits for middle- and high-income people while maintaining the current system for the poorest Americans. Another option would be to reduce the Social Security benefits available to spouses. Some critics argue that’s growing outdated now that more women work and earn their own Social Security payments and is a relic of earlier times.
Under the current rules, the maximum taxable earnings for Social Security in 2012 is about $110,000. Some argue that an easy fix would be to simply raise the cap on Social Security taxes to around $190,000. Raise it higher than that, he said, and wealthy earners will just start finding ways to dodge it. But others say that it’s unlikely politicians will propose raising taxes on high earners now, when many expect those taxpayers to already see increases as part of the fiscal cliff negotiations.
Another option would be to add an across-the-board increase in payroll taxes that go toward Social Security. Although that would help solve the system’s future funding woes, experts say it’s also likely to be a hard sell in these tough times. Americans may already be facing higher payroll taxes in 2012. For the past two years, Americans have enjoyed a payroll tax holiday that reduced the amount of money they paid toward Social Security, but that could end in the coming year.
Politicians may be nervous about proposing any reform to Social Security that costs more or results in fewer benefits, but Americans seem to accept that some changes are needed. About 66% of those polled by Pew Research Center said they would support raising payroll taxes on high-income earners, while 55% said they would support reducing benefits for high-income seniors. Just 38% said they’d support raising the eligibility age.
So what do you think we should do?
Thought for Today "Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform." --Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 25, 2012 20:16:51 GMT -5
MERRY CHRISTMAS Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 259th day of 2012 with 6 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 3:07 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 27ºF [Feels like 20ºF], winds N @ 6 mph, humidity 74%, pressure 30.21 in and rising, dew point 21ºF, chance of precipitation 10%.
Today in History: 336--the first recorded celebration of Christmas on Dec. 25 took place in Rome. 800--Charlemagne, King of the Franks and son of the Pippin the Short, was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. 1000--Stephen I of Hungary is officially recognized by Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, as the first Christian King of Hungary 1066--William the Conqueror was crowned king of England. 1100--Baldwin I of Jerusalem was crowned as the first King of Jerusalem in Bethlehem by patriarch, Dagobert of Pisa3 1130--Roger II of Sicily is crowned as the first King of Sicily in Palermo. 1776--Gen. Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, NJ. 1818--"Silent Night" was performed for the first time, at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorff, Austria. 1868--Pres. Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to everyone involved in the Southern rebellion that resulted in the Civil War. 1869--angered over a card game dispute, 16-year-old John Wesley Hardin shot James Bradley dead in the street. 1914--Christmast Truce of World War I - When enemy combatant soldiers ceased hostilities and even exchanged small gifts with each other. 1926--Hirohito became emperor of Japan, succeeding his father, Emperor Yoshihito. 1938--after auditioning 100s for the role, producer David O. Selznick chose British actress Vivien Leigh to play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind. 1941--Bing Crosby introduced Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" to the world on his weekly radio program. 1941--British Hong Kong surrendered to advancing Japanese forces. 1952--Queen Eliizabeth II gave her first Christmas speech. 1977--silent film omedian Charlie Chaplin died at age 88 in Switzerland. 1982--the movie To Kill a Mockingbird had its debut. 1985--Mexico City police discovered a major museum theft of pre-Colombian treasures. 1986--the hijackers of an Iraqi Airways Boeing 737 en route from Baghdad to Amman, Jordan, exploded grenades, causing a fiery crash in Saudi Arabia, killing 67 out of 107 people aboard. 1989--ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed. 1989--former New York Yankees player and manager Billy Martin, 61, died when the pickup truck he was riding in crashed. 1991--Soviet Pres. Mikhail S. Gorbachev went on TV to announce his resignation as the eighth and final leader of a Communist superpower that had already gone out of existence. 1996--six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her Boulder, Colo. home. 2000--a fire at a Christmas party in an unlicensed disco club in Luoyang, China turned deadly, killing more than 300 people. 2002--Iran and Russia signed an agreement to complete a nuclear power plant in southern Iran. 2003--Pakistan Pres. Pervez Musharraf survived a second assassination attempt in a little over a week but 14 others were killed and 40 injured in the suicide attack. 2004--a frail but determined Pope John Paul II delivered his traditional Christmas sermon in Rome's St. Peter's Square. 2004--authorities said Colombian guerrillas stormed a spa near San Rafael and kidnapped an estimated 40 tourists. 2006--"the godfather of Soul' singer James Brown died at age 73 from congestive heart failure due to pneumonia. 2006--Pope Benedict XVI focused on child abuse and suffering in a Christmas mass at Saint Peter's Basilica. 2006--British and Iraqi troops raided a Basra police station Monday, freeing 76 prisoners believed to be in danger of execution by local authorities. 2007--Pope Benedict XVI revealed a new-style nativity scene in Rome's St. Peter's Square depicting Jesus' birth in Joseph's house and makes no mention of a manger or a journey to Bethlehem. The new Christmas scene apparently is based on Matthew's version of the nativity. 2009--passengers aboard a Northwest Airlines flight foiled an attempt to blow up the plane as it was landing in Detroit by seizing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian accused of trying to set off explosives in his underwear.
World News Capsules: 1. Egypt's controversial constitution passes
....Egyptian voters have approved a new Islamist-backed constitution, an election official said on Tuesday. Critics say it will not protect the rights Egyptians fought for in last year's revolution. . 2. The girl the Taliban wanted dead
....The Pakistani teen simply wanted to get an education. Before long, she was a global symbol of empowerment, one the Taliban tried to silence. 3. Gaza cease-fire helps fishermen, but risks remain ....The deal that halted fighting between Israel and Hamas allows fishermen to go six nautical miles out to sea, instead of three, but arrests by Israeli patrols are still possible. 4. Russian prosecutor seeks acquittal in lawyer's death ....The prosecutor's turnabout came as the Russian government was moving to retaliate against the US for adopting a human rights law named for Sergei L. Magnitsky, a lawyer who died in prison. 5. No easy route if Assad opts to go, or to stay, in Syria
....Pres. Bashar al-Assad's meeting with a UN envoy on Monday raised questions about how the Syrian leader will choose to respond to mounting pressure to step down. 6. Officials push to postpone swearing-in of Chávez ....Aides to Pres. Hugo Chávez, who is recuperating from cancer surgery in Cuba, say they will push back the inauguration scheduled for Jan. 10 if he is too ill to return to Venezuela.
US News Capsules: 1. Real and virtual firearams nurture a marketing link ....The makers of firearms and the producers of violent video games have quietly forged a mutually beneficial marketing relationship. 2. Battered seaside haven recalls its trial by fire ....Ranking among the most devastating residential fires in New York City history, the fires that enveloped the community of Breezy Point, Queens, left a hole in the heart of this genial shore community. 3. With a parent off again at war, a holiday of pride and isolation
....The high school at Fort Campbell, Ky., offers a window into the families of the all-volunteer military force over 11 years of war. 4. Anti-government graffiti restored, courtesy of government ....The authorities usually go to considerable trouble to remove graffiti, but the National Park Service has worked to keep the markings made by Native Americans during an occupation of Alcatraz Island. 5. Gunman: Killing is what I do best
....Gunman William Spengler wrote that he wanted to "see how much of the neighborhood I can burn down and do what I like doing best -- killing people," police said. 6. Tornadoes reported as storms batter South
....The portion of the country from East Texas to the Florida Panhandle is being pounded by severe weather. There are reports of damage and power outages throughout the region. 7. For healthier chickens, farms use oregano
....Chicken farms including Bell & Evans are using oregano-based products as substitutes for antibiotics, but research on their effectiveness is scant and many remain skeptical.
Thought for Today "Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions." --G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936), English author
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Post by Flying Horse on Dec 26, 2012 16:58:34 GMT -5
Feast of St. Stephen, the 1st Christian martyr Good evening from Tuxy and me This is the 260th day of 2012 with 5 days left in the year. Today in NY's Finger Lakes at 3:07 p.m., it's cloudy , temp 21ºF [Feels like 21ºF], winds E @ 3 mph, humidity 77%, pressure 30.02 in and falling, dew point 16ºF, chance of precipitation 70%.
Today in History: 1606--William Shakespeare's play King Lear was performed at the court of King James I of England. 1610--infamous in the area for her torture and murder of servants and peasants, Countess Elizabeth Bathory's torture of young girls was exposed by Count Gyorgy Thurzo. 1776--Gen. Washington, having crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night, defeated Hessian mercenary troops fighting for the British at the Battle of Trenton, NJ. 1799--George Washington was eulogized by Col. Henry Lee as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen." 1820--Moses Austin met with Spanish authorities in San Antonio to ask permission for 300 Anglo-American families to settle in Texas. 1861--Confederate diplomatic envoys James Mason and John Slidell were freed by Pres. Lincoln, heading off a possible war between the US and Great Britain. 1865--James H. Nason of Franklin, Mass., received a patent for a coffee percolator. 1893--Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong was born in Hunan province; died 1976 at age 82. 1898--radium, a radioactive chemical element, was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in pitchblende from Czech Republic. 1908--Jack Johhnson became the first black heavyweight boxing champion when he knocked out Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia. 1917--the U..government took over operation of the nation's railroads for the duration of World War I. 1941--British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the US Congressm urging that the US become the "great arsenal of democracy." 1944--Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie premiered at the Civic Theatre in Chicago. 1944--Gen. Patton relieved the besieged Allied defenders of Bastogne, Belgium, during the brutal Battle of the Bulge. 1946--in Las Vegas, Nevada, mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel opened The Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino at a total cost of $6 million. 1947--heavy snow blanketed the Northeast, burying New York City under 25.8 inches of snow in 16 hours and causing some 80 deaths. 1955--George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess with an all-black cast opened in Leningrad. 1966--the first Kwanzaa was celebrated in Los Angeles under the direction of Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University at Long Beach. 1972--Harry S. Truman, the 33rd Pres. of the United States, died in Kansas City, Mo., at age 88. 1973--The Exorcist horror film opened in theaters across the country.
1974--Jack Benny, legendary radio-TV comedian died of cancer at age 80. 1982--Time's Man of the Year was given to a non-human for the first time 1986-http://www.kathrynrblake.com/images/153_Search_For_Tomorrow_ends-1951_12-26.jpg-Search for Tomorrow, American soap opera 1st aired in 1951, had its final episode. 1990--Nancy Cruzan, the focus of a right-to-die case that went to the US Supreme Court, died in a Missouri hospital. 1996--Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colo. The slaying remains unsolved. 1999--Lothar, a low pressure system that resulted in a violent extratopical cyclone, swept across Central Europe killing over 100 2003--more than 26,000 people were reported killed and 1000s injured when an earthquake struck the ancient Iranian city of Bam. 2003--the death toll reached 135 in the crash of a Boeing 727 in Benin. 2004--Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts broke Dan Marino's single-season touchdown pass record when he threw his 48th and 49th of the season in a victory over San Diego. 2004--a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami in South and Southeast Asia, with massive tidal waves, some 40 feet high, slamming into India, Thailand, Indonesia and several other countries, killing 1000s of people. 2004--Ukraine opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko claimed victory in the court-ordered second vote in the country's presidential run-off. 2005--Pres.Bush decided to skip seeking warrants for international wiretaps because the court that handles such matters was challenging his requests at an unprecedented rate. 2006--Gerald R. Ford, the 38th Pres. of the United States, died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at age 93. 2006--more than 200 people died when a gas pipeline being vandalized exploded in the Nigerian capital of Lagos. 2007--the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told employers they can reduce or eliminate health benefits for retirees once they become eligible for Medicare.
World News Capsules: 1. Motive unclear in killing by woman in Afghan force ....Sergeant Nargis’s killing of an American police adviser in Afghanistan was the 62nd insider killing this year, but also one of the strangest. 2. Chinese officials find misbehavior now carries cost ....A flurry of revelations suggests that China's new leadership may be serious about trying to tame the cronyism and bribery that afflicts state-run companies and local governments. a. World's longest high-speed rail line opens in China
...Bullet trains traveling 300 kilometers an hour, or 186 miles an hour, have begun regular service between Beijing and Guangzhou, shortening the trip from 21 hours to eight. 3. On Indian TV, 'I do' means to honor and obey the mother-in-law ....Television in India occasionally tests the boundaries, but nearly every soap opera seems to circle back to marriage and the relatives who come with the words “I do.” 4. Israel to review curbs on women's prayer at Western Wall
....The move comes after years of civil disobedience by a group called Women of the Wall against rules that support gender division at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, one of Judaism's holiest sites. 5. Russian Parliament sends adoption ban to Putin
.....The upper chamber of Parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill to ban adoptions by US citizens. a. Russsian says ban on US adoption flouts treaties ....A deputy prime minister's letter of warning widens the split among top leaders on a bill barring Americans from adopting from Russia. b. Russia's desire for cars grows, and foreign makers take notice ....As Russia's middle class becomes a force in commerce, G.M., Ford and other automakers have been expanding, or plan to expand, in the country with new factories. 6. High-ranking Syrian general defects in new blow to Assad
....Maj. Gen. Abdul Azia Jassem al-Shallal, the military police chief, is the highest-ranking officer to abandon Pres.al-Assad. 7. United Arab Emirates arrests suspects in terror plots ....Security forces arrested a cell made up of Saudi Arabian and Emirate militants, who were planning to carry out attacks in both countries and other states, the official news agency reported.
US News Capsules: 1. Legal curbs said to hamper ATF gun inquiries ....Law enforcement officials say that in theory the ATF could take a lead role in reducing gun crime, but that it is hampered by politically driven laws and by the ferocity of the debate over gun regulation. 2. Pay in oil fields, not college, is luring youths in Montana
....Salaries of $50,000 a year have lured many high school seniors away from higher education amid the frenzied pace of oil and gas drilling. 3. Potent storm that hit wide swath of country heads east
....Severe weather that brought tornadoes to the South and snow from Texas to Ohio was expected to cause heavy snow and rain in the Northeast beginning Wednesday afternoon 4. Los Angeles weighs law banning elephant shows ....If the City Council passes the law, Ringling Brothers will be barred from Los Angeles unless its owners agree to abandon one of the show's signature acts. POLITICS: 1. Clout diminished, Tea Party turns to narrower issues ....The November election significantly weakened the once-surging movement, and its activists have not been front and center in the fiscal debate consuming Washington. 2. Jan. 1 slowly morphs from fiscal deadline into horizon ....After hopes for a bargain to avoid hundred of billions in tax increases and spending cuts have faded, economists are now giving odds on what will happen and when, and its effect on a tender recovery. a. Senators returning with little urgency as fiscal clock ticks ....Presi. Obama and members of the Senate are set to be in Washington on Thursday for a last-ditch effort at a fiscal deal, five days before a deadline.
Thought for Today "First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak. Epictetus (55 AD-135 AD) Greek sage and Stoic philosopher
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