Mega-marathoner Dean Karnazes ends his 3000 mile run from Disneyland to NYC on ‘Live! With Regis and Kelly’ show. (May 10)
Continue reading …
A 25-year-old central Missouri woman has been jailed on charges of abandoning the corpse of her infant son. The coroner’s office is now trying to determine if the baby was dead before his body was dumped in a pond. (May 10)
Continue reading …
NPR's Mara Liasson noticeably left out anti-illegal immigration conservatives on Tuesday's Morning Edition as she reported on President's Obama's latest push for “comprehensive” immigration reform. Liasson only played clips from the President, Democrat Rep. Luis Gutierrez, and Republican consultant Marty Wilson, who claimed that ” the hardline approach on immigration … is not going to work .” Host Steve Inskeep introduced the correspondent's report by noting the President's forthcoming speech later in the day outlining his “principles for an immigration overhaul.” He continued by recalling how “President Bush's immigration efforts encountered opposition from his own party, and many Republicans are also likely to resist President Obama's efforts.” Instead of turning to those who would be part of such a resistance, Liasson quickly turned to an excerpt from Obama's recent commencement address at Miami Dade College, where he proclaimed, “I strongly believe we should fix our broken immigration system …and I want to work with Democrats and Republicans, yes, to protect our borders and enforce our laws, and address the status of millions of undocumented workers.” After playing her first sound bite from Rep. Gutierrez (who boasted, “I have to tell you, we're headed in the right direction . I'm more optimistic than I've been in recent memory”), the NPR reporter highlighted that the Illinois Democrat was “among the dozens of people invited to the White House in recent weeks to talk about immigration. Along with Democratic members of Congress…there were two Republicans, moderates Michael Bloomberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger .” However, Liasson misidentified the New York City mayor's political affiliation, as he hasn't been a Republican since 2007 . Towards the end of her report, Liasson introduced her two clips from Wilson, who managed Carly Fiorina's failed 2010 Senate bid in California, by stating that “Republicans say they want to pass bills that would enhance border security, not legalize undocumented workers. But GOP strategist Marty Wilson thinks that's shortsighted . Wilson ran Carly Fiorina's Senate race in California, a race he says she lost because she didn't get enough Hispanic votes.” Besides criticizing the supposed “hardline approach on immigration,” the Republican strategist, in the correspondent's words, “thinks Republicans should add a guest worker program to their border security bills that would allow them to appear welcoming to Hispanics without angering their conservative base with talk of amnesty .” This isn't the first time this year that Liasson has conspicuously excluded anti-illegal immigration conservatives. On the March 18 Morning Edition , the NPR correspondent apparently couldn't find any to comment for her report on Utah's new and “milder” guest worker law. The full transcript of Mara Liasson's report from Tuesday's Morning Edition: STEVE INSKEEP: When President Obama gave an interview on 60 Minutes, he said the president must do more than one thing at a time, and today, he tries to demonstrate that in El Paso. Amid negotiations over the budget, as well as the aftermath of Osama bin Laden's death, the President will talk about immigration. He plans to lay out principles for an immigration overhaul. President Bush's immigration efforts encountered opposition from his own party, and many Republicans are also likely to resist President Obama's efforts. Here's NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson. MARA LIASSON: Immigration is back on President Obama's front burner. Today in El Paso, Texas, he'll continue his new push for immigration legislation, which began with a series of high profile meetings at the White House and a speech at the Miami Dade College commencement late last month. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA (from speech at Miami Dade College): I strongly believe we should fix our broken immigration system- (crowd applauds) fix it so that it meets our 21st century economic and security needs, and I want to work with Democrats and Republicans, yes, to protect our borders and enforce our laws, and address the status of millions of undocumented workers. LIASSON: After the last attempt at immigration legislation died in the lame duck session of Congress, Hispanic leaders took out their frustration on the White House. They wanted the President to do more to fulfill his campaign pledge to pass a bill, and now he is. REPRESENTATIVE LUIS GUTIERREZ: I have to tell you, we're headed in the right direction. I'm more optimistic than I've been in recent memory. LIASSON: That's Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez. He was among the dozens of people invited to the White House in recent weeks to talk about immigration. Along with Democratic members of Congress, there were celebrities like Eva Longoria and Emilio Estefan. There were two Republicans, moderates Michael Bloomberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The President is not only devoting more attention to immigration, he's also changing his approach to deportations. In an effort to prove it was tough on border security, the administration had substantially increased the number of deportations, angering Hispanic leaders. But now, the White House has decided to move away from deporting college-age kids. The law that failed in the lame duck session,
Continue reading …
Ah, high school. This week’s Tumblr, “S— My Students Write” chronicles the “Evidence of the true cost of educational funding cuts” by highlighting particular passages written by students. And it’s (hilariously) dismal. MORE: See more of our favorite Tumblrs From students’ expositions on Darwin (“Darwin’s theory of natural selection is also known as survival of the
Continue reading …Mitt Romney is about to grab the third rail of 2012 candidacy—health care reform. He plans a major address on the subject Thursday on ways to “repeal and replace Obamacare,” reports the Los Angeles Times . Romney’s big knock as a candidate, of course, is that he implemented an insurance…
Continue reading …
The latest and greatest (and largest) 3D plasmas from Panasonic are finally shipping, including the flagship, THX-certified Viera VT30 sets with their single sheet of glass panels and Infinite Black Pro2 filters. We first caught a glimpse of these bad boys back at CES and we’ve been impatiently waiting for a chance to blast our retinas with their PDP goodness in all three dimensions. The company was nice enough to invite us over recently to have a little TV powwow that featured an uncomfortable amount of Avatar on Bluray. Keep reading after the break for all the not-so-gory details. Gallery: Panasonic 2011 3D TVs Continue reading Eyes on with the VT30, Panasonic’s flagship 3D plasma Eyes on with the VT30, Panasonic’s flagship 3D plasma originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 May 2011 18:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Is Judgment Day May 21, 2011? May 21 Judgement Day Billboards Cause Controversy News Video. Important Message About Nukes, 911, And May 21 “Judgement Day” Secret Reveal 2011: Secret Reveal : may 21 The Bible is the Word of God! Everything the Bible declares has the full authority of God Himself. Now, at this time, information is coming forth … – Readmore. Tags: may 21 judgement day . Posted by YahooBizz at 4:49 AM … Youtube Publisher: Secret Reveal : may 21 The Bible is the Word of God! Everything the Bible declares has the full authority of God Himself. Now, at this time, information is coming forth … – Continue. Tags: may 21 judgement day . Posted by YahooBizz at 5:18 AM … Secured Access: Do you know about : may 21 The program cultivates unique mentoring relationships and friendships between … – See More. Tags: may 21 judgement day . Posted by YahooBizz at 4:22 AM · Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz … Bixis Get Bashed In Toronto « Brainicane May 21 Judgement Day Hoax · Swat 4 · Anzac Cookie Recipe · Super Bass Nicki Minaj Download · Pilates Certification · Lyric Search · United · Tuscaloosa Al Hotels · Koninginnedag 2011 · Script Frenzy · Tito El Bambino … Jewish religion — The sacrifice for sin | News World Wide May 21 Judgement Day Leading To The Ending Of The World · Fights in Cairo leave 12 lifeless and 2 churches on fire · Thor, a pretty fabulous box-office fighter · U.S. puts pressure on Pakistan in foray’s wake: An Interview with Bin … KingChristianS says: May 21 judgement day ? Oh shit I graduate high school on may 22 . Damit.
Continue reading …
It might seem a doddle being a living statue, but it’s not as easy as it looks The Silver Wizard won’t talk to me. Nor, for that matter, will the Golden Tin Man. This is, in part, because neither speak more than a smattering of English, and in part because both make a living as human statues, a profession in which not talking to strangers is, alongside standing still, more or less the whole point of the job. To the outside observer, imitating a statue must look like the easiest and least competitive career imaginable. Turn up, get dressed, stand still, get given money by passing members of the public. But the Silver Wizard, if he spoke, would tell you otherwise. Competition is fierce, and he has got a 14in scar to prove it. The wizard, real name Rumen Nedelchev, a 45-year-old former mechanic from Brest in Belarus, plies his trade on the southern bank of the Thames in central London, under the shadow of the London Eye. It was here that, one morning last year, his bronze rival The Invisible King clubbed the wizard to the ground with a concrete block for the simple crime of setting up his plinth in a prime location. After surgery, Nedelchev spent more than three months in hospital. Earlier this week, the king – 37-year-old Dechko Ivanov – was sentenced to a minimum of four and a half years in prison. It is, undeniably, a crowded market. Yesterday, on the South Bank, the wizard and the tin man jostled motionlessly for attention with a Roman centurion, the Queen, a not-very-convinving Scream and a very sweaty Spiderman. Some of these buskers appear to be taking considerably less than the minimum wage. Though professionals earn upwards of £200 a day, making a living as a living statue is much harder than it looks. David Ferguson, 42, of Statueman Living Statues, has been standing still professionally for 18 years. “To actually do it full time is quite strenuous. You have to be in control of every muscle in your body.” He and his wife Pamela have never busked, but perform exclusively for corporate events and parties, coated head to toe in gold, silver or bronze body paint. “We do up to an hour and a half per set. That’s the maximum you could do.” “There’s a difference between buskers and professionals,” he explains, when I tell him the Silver Wizard’s story. “It’s extremely hard. There’s a lot of people that do it but there’s very few that do it professionally.” Street art Art Tom Meltzer guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Matchmaker reveals how he found the right girl for al-Qaida leader – Yemeni woman who is now in Pakistan’s custody It was early in September 1999, when Rashad Mohammed Saeed Ismael, a Yemeni sheikh in his early 20s working as a preacher and a leading member of al-Qaida in Kabul, received the most important phone call of his life. Osama bin Laden had decided to marry for the fifth time and had charged Rashad, one of his closest aides, with the important task of finding him the right woman. The aide listened carefully as Bin Laden described to him his desired spouse: “She must be pious, dutiful, young [preferably aged 16-18], well mannered, from a decent family, but above all patient. She will have to endure my exceptional circumstances.” Luckily he knew just the right girl: Amal Ahmed al-Sadah, a 17-year-old daughter of a civil servant and a former student of his, was, according to Rashad, “the perfect match” for the al-Qaida leader, then 44. Now, just over 10 years later, Sheikh Rashad, who describes himself as a staunch supporter of al-Qaida in Yemen, is fighting for Amal and her daughter, who are currently being detained by Pakistani authorities to be brought back home in the wake of Bin Laden’s death. “We have a strong practice in Islam called ardth [family honour]. When a woman like Amal is widowed, it is a duty upon all Muslims to look after her and ensure her safety. All the Yemeni people want her to come home. Others fear that if Amal is brought back to Yemen she may be handed over by President Ali Abdullah Saleh to the Americans for further questioning. Any attempts by the US to hurt Amal or any of Bin Laden’s family, Rashad says, “will cause an explosion between the west and the Islamic world. Women are not warriors. America knew that Bin Laden never used women to participate in his battles.” In 2000, Rashad returned to his home town of Ibb, a verdant city in Yemen’s south-west, to make the necessary arrangements. He went to the woman first, explaining to her who Bin Laden was, what he was like, and how he moved from one place to another pursued by the Americans. After she “dutifully accepted” Bin Laden’s offer, a dowry of $5,000 was wired to Amal’s family, triggering a bout of pre-marriage celebrations in preparation for the young woman’s departure to Afghanistan. Bin Laden’s matchmaker, Amal and her elder brother left Yemen for Pakistan, first to Karachi, and then to Quetta, where they stayed for a few days until Bin Laden sent some guards to pick her up and bring her into Afghanistan. The wedding ceremony, which took place in Kandahar, then the heart of the Taliban’s operations, was an all-male affair carried out in traditional Yemeni fashion. The men sang and danced and a lamb was slaughtered at Bin Laden’s feet as distinguished guests recited poetry and sung him songs written for the occasion. Today Rashad believes the fate of Bin Laden’s family, especially his wives, is as, if not more, important to al-Qaida than Bin Laden’s death. “We [al-Qaida in Yemen] received the news of Bin Laden’s death with happiness because we knew it was his aim to die as a martyr at the hands of the Americans. But the question of his relatives is one of women’s honour, something we consider untouchable.” Last Thursday the US launched a drone attack aimed at killing Anwar al-Awlaki, the spiritual guru of al-Qaida in Yemen, on a town not far from Rashed’s village. He says he anticipates further US strikes on Yemeni soil in the near future. “The policy of the Arab world rulers has lost them the sovereignty of their countries. All constitutions and laws have been sacrificed. The Americans will continue to bomb us because Saleh’s regime no longer controls anything and will use anything to gain support and stay in power.” When asked about the size of the organisation in Yemen and its support base, Rashad replied: “Al-Qaida is a complicated web that has no end or beginning.” “This is not an organisation with application letters and a database. Those who want to join al-Qaida receive standard religious lessons and basic military training, after that they’re considered members.” Osama bin Laden al-Qaida Yemen Global terrorism Pakistan Afghanistan Tom Finn guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Rep. John Boehner holding America hostage over debt ceiling and spending cuts
May 10, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media House Speaker John Boehner told Republicans that he will not raise the debt ceiling without everybody bowing down to their demands on trillions of dollars in spending cuts to the federal government . But what was most monumental was Boehner’s laying a marker that will set the stage for interesting negotiations with Congressional Democrats and the White House as they work to find a solution to raising the debt ceiling. “Without significant spending cuts and reforms to reduce our debt, there will be no debt limit increase,” Boehner said. “And the cuts should be greater than the accompanying increase in debt authority the president is given. We should be talking about cuts of trillions, not just billions.” Let’s cut trillions and trillions and trillions just for the heck of it. Why David Plouffe seemed to think — as he told us on a blogger conference call — that the debt-ceiling negotiations with Republicans was going to be as easy as apple pie I’ll never know. Everyone could see this coming. Why aren’t the media railing at Boehner and Republicans for their mind-boggling irresponsibility about this whole debt-ceiling debate? Did you ever hear Republicans complaining about it when Bush was in office? Of course not: They understood that the full faith and credit of the United States was at stake, and the thought never crossed their minds. Then Boehner made an appearance on the Today show to top it all off and highlighted the absolute gibberish that Republicans speak when they talk about tax cuts, the wealthy and deficits. John Boehner’s Tax Gibberish: LAUER: Why not use an increase in revenues? Tax hikes to help with that debt problem? What is the evidence that you can present that the tax cuts of the Bush era have actually accomplished their goals? BOEHNER: Well, what you’re – what some are suggesting is that we take this money from people who would invest in our economy and create jobs and we give it to the government. The fact is you can’t tax the very people that we expect to invest in our economy and create jobs. Washington doesn’t have a revenue problem. Washington has a spending problem. LAUER: But when you look at – you talk about creating jobs, when the Bush era tax cuts were passed in 2001, unemployment in this country was 4.5%. Today it’s at 9%, just down from 10%. So why are the Bush-era tax cuts creating jobs? BOEHNER: They created about 8 million jobs over the first ten years that they were in existence. We’ve lost about 5 million of those jobs during this recession. But you can’t raise taxes. We can take all of the money from the wealthy and guess what? We’d hardly make a dent in the annual deficit and do nothing about the $14.3 trillion worth of debt. Lauer begins with a good question. What is the evidence that the Bush tax cut accomplished its goal? Boehner refuses to present any. Indeed, answering this question would lead him into an inescapable minefield. The Bush tax cuts are currently in effect, so any benefits of continuing them must have been felt from 2001 until the present date. That would imply those effects are less than impressive. So instead, Boehner simply restates his position. We can’t take money away from job creators. Why not? You just can’t . “The fact is,” he continues, mistaking opinion for fact, “you can’t tax the very people that we expect to invest in our economy and create jobs.” You can’t tax them at all? Obviously we have to tax them some, right? So then the question is what is the optimal level. I believe recent history suggests that Clinton-era tax levels create no significant harmful incentive effect. Boehner can’t even come near this question, because he simply insists that tax the rich is wrong is an absolute sense. And as Chait highlighted in his post: Lauer, to his credit, tries again, asking for any evidence the Bush tax cuts created jobs. Boehner replies, “They created about 8 million jobs over the first ten years that they were in existence. We’ve lost about 5 million of those jobs during this recession.” Right. That’s a net of 3 million jobs over eight years. That’s horrible! 3 million new jobs is, as the Wall Street Journal news staff put it, “the worst track record for job creation since the government began keeping records.” Clinton created 23 million new jobs without the Bush tax cuts. It is frustrating that these lies about tax cuts by Republicans keep percolating throughout the media. They don’t want to have an intelligent conversation about any of this and the beltway media lets them get away with it. You can’t cut your way out of a recession and if tax cuts were teh awesome , then why have they failed so swimmingly?
Continue reading …