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DC5m United States political in english 100 articles, created at 2016-12-11 06:09 articles set mostly negative rate -0.4
1 0.0 Trump expected to name Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil CEO, as next secretary of state
Article 2016-12-10 21:39 3KB www.jpost.com (16.99/17)
2 3.8 Bob Dylan Nobel prize speech: this is 'truly beyond words' (12.99/17) Songwriter sends a speech and Patti Smith to the Nobel awards dinner in Sweden rather than attending in person 2016-12-10 20:20 5KB www.theguardian.com
3 5.4 Istanbul explosions: 29 killed, 166 wounded in twin blasts (10.99/17) ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Twenty-nine people were killed and 166 wounded in Saturday's twin bombings in Istanbul, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said in a press conference Sunday. Twenty-seven of those killed were police officers, Soylu added. Six of the victims... 2016-12-10 22:07 6KB myfox8.com
4 2.9 Heisman Trophies by School (x-vacated) Notre Dame (7) Tim Brown, WR, 1987 John Huarte, QB, 1964 Paul Hornung, QB, 1956 John Lattner, HB, 1953 Angelo Bertelli, QB, 1943 Leon Hart, E, (10.99/17) 1949 John Lujack, QB, 1947 Ohio State (7)… 2016-12-10 22:01 3KB wtop.com
5 2.1 Trump pushes back against Russia hacking investigation
(8.76/17) US president's order for full-scale review of alleged campaign-season cyberattacks elicits sharp criticism of CIA. 2016-12-10 23:03 2KB mwcnews.net
6 5.3 The Latest: Trump's favorite for State an accomplished exec (7.99/17) The Latest developments on Donald Trump's transition to the presidency (all times local): 2016-12-10 23:44 6KB www.cbs46.com
7 46.3 Nigeria president says ‘many deaths’ in church collapse
(7.99/17) A church roof collapsed in southeastern Nigeria causing 2016-12-11 00:00 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 8 5.8 More than 30 dead as tanker rams into vehicles on Kenya road NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A tanker carrying chemical gas slammed into other vehicles (6.89/17) and burst into flames on a major road in Kenya, killing more than 30 people and injuring 10, officials said Sunday. ... 2016-12-10 23:01 761Bytes article.wn.com
9 2.9 Louisiana runoff to decide nation's last congressional seats The long campaign season finally ended Saturday in Louisiana, a month later than the (3.24/17) rest of the country, with voters deciding the nation's final three congressional seats in runoff elections. ... 2016-12-10 22:53 794Bytes article.wn.com
10 2.4 South Korea Crisis: What Will The North Do? These are euphoric but anxious days for South Korea, as the heady impeachment of a deeply unpopular president leaves the country without a recognised leader at a time of (3.07/17) military tensions with... 2016-12-10 23:05 714Bytes article.wn.com
11 3.0 Who is Rex Tillerson, the oil exec who went from dark-horse to likely Cabinet pick? (2.70/17) Dallas News: your source for breaking news and analysis for Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas and around the world. Read it here, first. 2016-12-10 22:25 5KB www.dallasnews.com
12 5.6 Kenya oil tanker accident kills at least 25 in fire - Red Cross
(2.31/17) By Anthony Githonga NAIVASHA, Kenya, Dec 11 (Reuters) - A fireball from an oil tanker on one of Kenya's main highways has engulfed several vehicles and kille... 2016-12-10 19:24 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk
13 3.2 I-75 reopens after 40 cars, 3 semis in crash Michigan State Police says there are no fatalities in the crash near Holly 2016-12-10 19:48 1KB rssfeeds.detroitnews.com (2.20/17)
14 0.0 Tom Holland Recalls Worst Day On Set Of ‘Spider- Man: Homecoming’ (2.12/17) Being cast as Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was probably one of the high points of the fledgling 20-year-old Tom Holland’s young 2016-12-10 21:03 1KB www.inquisitr.com
15 5.9 ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ is a ‘reflection on people,’ not politics ahead of Donald Trump’s presidency (2.12/17) They're supposed to be rebels without a cause. 2016-12-10 20:36 3KB feeds.nydailynews.com 16 5.7 SBI Investigates Fatal Shooting Involving Leland Officer North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation says it's looking into a shootout in which a police officer was wounded and a suspect was killed. A statement from the bureau (2.12/17) Saturday said Leland Police Officer Jacob Schwenk responded to call Friday night. It adds that Schwenk encountered... 2016-12-10 20:13 1KB abcnews.go.com
17 0.0 Mike Johnson elected to Congress easily in north Louisiana
(2.08/17) A state representative for two years, Mike Johnson is considered one of the most conservative members of the Louisiana Legislature. 2016-12-10 23:08 3KB www.nola.com
18 0.5 Kyrgyzstan votes on constitutional changes amid instability Voters in Kyrgyzstan are casting ballots in a constitutional referendum that includes (2.06/17) amendments that boost the power of prime minister — something opposition groups have criticized in the ex-Soviet Central... 2016-12-10 22:53 812Bytes article.wn.com
19 2.0 Red-suited SantaCon pub crawl revelers fan out across NYC NEW YORK — Red-suited revelers fanned out across New York City’s bars Saturday (2.06/17) despite efforts by a community group to deter the annual pub crawl known as SantaCon. 2016-12-10 21:54 697Bytes article.wn.com
20 9.1 Trump campaign manager Conway leading Christmas parade
(2.06/17) Republican President-elect Donald Trump's campaign manager is returning to her native New Jersey to lead a holiday parade. 2016-12-10 21:50 1KB www.miamiherald.com
21 1.1 Jill Stein in Detroit: Michigan's election 'a hot mess' Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein bade a fond farewell to about 50 supporters outside Cobo Center. 2016-12-10 21:03 4KB rssfeeds.freep.com (2.05/17)
22 1.3 A Look at Notable Dates in Mexico's Decade-Old Drug War
(1.55/17) Dec. 11, 2006: Then-President Felipe Calderon orders almost 7,000 soldiers to his home state of Michoacan to fight drug cartels. June 30, 2008: U. S. announces $1.6 billion in anti-drug aid for Mexico under the Merida Initiative... 2016-12-10 19:30 2KB abcnews.go.com 23 1.4 Federal Judge Whose Reputation Ranged Beyond Minnesota Dies
(1.08/17) Miles Lord, a onetime federal judge in Minnesota who presided over a number of groundbreaking cases and spoke out against corporate abuses, has died. Lord's daughter, Virginia Lord, said her father died Saturday in Eden Prairie. He was 97. Lord served as Minnesota's attorney general and... 2016-12-10 20:09 4KB abcnews.go.com
24 2.2 UK government facing new Brexit court case - Sunday Times LONDON (Reuters) - Opponents to Britain leaving the European Union will launch a (1.05/17) fresh legal action this week, which could further hamper Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans, The Sunday Times reported. 2016-12-10 21:20 744Bytes article.wn.com
25 0.0 Romney Stooge McMullin Lashes Out Within Mins Of Tillerson Appointment: “Trump Not Loyal American”
(1.03/17) It must be clear that Donald Trump is not a loyal American and we should prepare for the next four years accordingly. @realDonaldTrump— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) December 10, 2016 Excerpted From The Hill: Former conservative… 2016-12-11 05:49 1KB www.patdollard.com
26 1.0 Venezuela seizes 4 million toys, will give them to poor kids (1.02/17) BOGOTA, Colombia — Venezuela's socialist government has seized nearly 4 million toys from a private company and says it intends to hand them out as Christmas gifts to poor children this 2016-12-11 00:00 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net
27 16.1 3 Filipino soldiers dead, 17 wounded in clash with militants (1.02/17) The Philippine military says three soldiers have been killed and 17 wounded in nearly two hours of fighting against about 150 Muslim militants in the south. 2016-12-10 23:20 1KB www.heraldonline.com
28 1.0 Six Flags Over Georgia joins in second world record- setting event (1.02/17) One year after setting a world record for couples kissing under mistletoe, Six Flags Over Georgia joined with fellow parks around the country to set a similar record on an even grander scale. 2016-12-10 23:01 2KB rssfeeds.11alive.com
29 18.6 Alabama inmate coughs, heaves 13 minutes into execution
(1.02/17) ATMORE, Ala. (AP) -- A man who killed an Alabama convenience store clerk more than two decades ago was put to death Thursday night, an execution that requi 2016-12-10 22:43 5KB mynorthwest.com 30 4.0 Man critically injured in Kearns shooting The Unified Police Department is investigating a shooting in Kearns at 4300 W. 5015 South that left a man hospitalized in critical condition. Officers were searching for the (1.02/17) gunman. Reports indicated 2016-12-10 22:40 1KB www.deseretnews.com
31 1.5 County Deputies shop with children for Christmas Gifts
(1.02/17) MARPLE TOWNSHIP>> Twenty-five of Santa’s elves were busy helping children buy presents for their families at Walmart in Marple Township Saturday. Wearing Santa hats and armed with shopping lists, the deputies from the Delaware County Sher 2016-12-10 22:37 3KB www.delcotimes.com
32 3.4 Sherlock Releases New Trailer For Season 4, Finale To Screen In Theaters [Video] (1.02/17) Sherlock Season 4 has a new official teaser trailer. Additionally, the season finale will be screening in select movie theaters in January. 2016-12-10 21:44 995Bytes www.inquisitr.com
33 13.5 Winds likely contributed to Texas pelicans killed by traffic Strong winds and high tides may have contributed to the deaths of more than 60 brown (1.02/17) pelicans killed by oncoming traffic along a highway near Texas' border with Mexico. The... 2016-12-10 21:42 704Bytes article.wn.com
34 2.7 Schwarzenegger: OK Trump is still 'Apprentice' producer UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (AP) — Arnold Schwarzenegger, star of the new version of (1.02/17) "Celebrity Apprentice," is unfazed that President-elect Donald Trump has retained a producer's stake in the show. Schwarzenegger said Friday that it's just business, comparable... 2016-12-10 21:26 827Bytes article.wn.com
35 2.2 Mexican drug cartel leader's son arrested in western state (1.02/17) Mexican police arrested the son of a drug cartel leader who was extradited to the United States, authorities said Saturday. 2016-12-10 21:21 2KB www.newsobserver.com
36 2.1 Ghana's next leader under pressure to deliver for impatient voters
(1.02/17) By Matthew Mpoke Bigg ACCRA, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Ghana's President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo needs to act fast to deliver on his campaign promise to create jobs,... 2016-12-10 21:00 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 37 0.9 About 40 cars in pile-up on snowy highway near Detroit (1.02/17) A pile-up involving about 40 cars in snowy conditions forced the temporary closure of part of Interstate 75 northwest of Detroit on Saturday and several motorists were injured, a spokesman for state police said. 2016-12-10 20:33 2KB feeds.reuters.com
38 2.7 Brazil's Temer cited 44 times in corruption testimony RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A former executive at a mega-construction company cited Brazilian President Michel Temer 44 times during testimony to federal prosecutors in a (1.02/17) corruption probe, making accusations of illegal campaign financing that put his embattled administration at... 2016-12-10 20:24 893Bytes article.wn.com
39 2.2 Oil cartel seeks output cutbacks by non-member countries OPEC member states are meeting with Russia and other non-OPEC countries in (1.02/17) Vienna for talks about a reduction in oil production. Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo said the discussions began Saturday in a "positive atmosphere" at the headquarters of the oil producers' cartel. ... 2016-12-10 20:05 878Bytes article.wn.com
40 3.4 Southwest to resume Los Angeles flights to 3 Mexico resorts
(1.02/17) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Southwest Airlines is hoping to resume recently suspended flights between Los Angeles and three resort cities in Mexico beginning Sunday... 2016-12-10 19:01 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk
41 0.7 The Brady Bunch actress Susan Olsen is fired from LA radio show after homophobic rant (1.02/17) The 55-year-old actress was fired from her hosting gig at LA Talk Radio on Friday after going off on a homophobic rant aimed at openly gay actor Leon Acord-Whiting, who was a guest on her show. 2016-12-10 19:00 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk
42 0.0 No. 7 Florida State, behind Brittany Brown, routs UAB 93-47
(1.02/17) No. 7 Florida State flexed its muscle Saturday, outrebounding UAB 49-20. 2016-12-10 18:56 3KB www.charlotteobserver.com
43 2.6 Brother says former US Sen. Kay Hagan is in intensive care
(1.02/17) LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) -- Former U. S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat who represented North Carolina, has been hospitalized after falling seriously ill, her family 2016-12-10 18:53 1KB mynorthwest.com 44 4.9 Radio journalist shot dead outside home in northern Mexico MEXICO CITY (AP) " A radio station in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua says (1.02/17) one of its reporters has been shot dead outside his home. Antena Radio in the state capital, also called Chihuahua, says Adrian Rodriguez was killed...... 2016-12-10 18:44 834Bytes article.wn.com
45 3.7 The US is deploying 200 more troops to fight ISIS Two hundred additional American special operations troops are headed to Syria to help Syrian Kurdish and Arabic forces fighting ISIS. 2016-12-10 18:18 1KB www.aol.com (1.02/17)
46 0.0 Soldiers on the streets in Gambia as unrest grows after president rejects election result Gambia's president-elect said on Saturday that the outgoing leader who now rejects his (1.00/17) defeat has no constitutional authority to call for 2016-12-10 20:47 800Bytes article.wn.com
47 3.3 Jordan Mein vs. Emil Meek live round-by-round coverage
Update on 'UFC 206 live coverage: Holloway vs. Pettis live updates' 2016-12-10 23:06 2KB www.latimes.com (0.07/17)
48 2.1 Stunner! Divine signs appearing in Israel Contact WND
(0.02/17) God makes his presence known in the land of Israel – even to this day, and even in the midst of WND’s annual Israel tour. Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, who led the recently completed tour, witnessed a remarkable sign while he was in the Holy Land with... 2016-12-10 19:58 7KB www.wnd.com
49 5.3 New Orleans voters leaning toward drainage tax renewal
(0.01/17) Property owners who provide that revenue will actually see their bills decrease as a result. 2016-12-10 23:42 1KB www.nola.com
50 7.1 Update: Fowlerville, Pinckney also declare snow emergency
(0.01/17) Snow emergencies in force until 4 p.m. Monday 2016-12-10 23:34 1KB rssfeeds.livingstondaily.com
51 5.6 Boat parade stays docked. But festival fun prevails on Lake Wylie.
(0.01/17) Drought can’t stop festive fun at Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce’s 28th annual holiday boat parade. 2016-12-10 22:29 3KB www.heraldonline.com 52 2.6 Sri Lanka troops fire warning shots at dock workers' protest COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan naval troops fired warning shots to break up (0.01/17) a protest by striking dock workers who have held up a Japanese vessel for four days at the island's southern international port. ... 2016-12-10 22:29 789Bytes article.wn.com
53 0.0 Behold the X-wing fighter parked at Hollywood's 'Rogue One' premiere
(0.01/17) The spaceship has been blocking traffic and attracting gawkers in Hollywood all week. 2016-12-10 21:41 852Bytes rssfeeds.usatoday.com
54 0.8 For a Civil War veteran and his wife, a final resting place at last
(0.01/17) The cremated remains of Civil War veteran James Powers and his wife Irena Powers were finally laid to rest at Tahoma National Cemetery on Saturday, after exhaustive detective work by historians, Civil War buffs and a group whose mission is to find and inter unburied remains of veterans. 2016-12-10 21:17 4KB www.thenewstribune.com
55 6.4 Mother dead, son hospitalized after homicide in White City
(0.01/17) Deputies are searching for a man last seen carrying a large knife or machete. 2016-12-10 20:51 1KB rssfeeds.tcpalm.com
56 0.0 Puerto Rico police seize $13.5 million worth of cocaine SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) " Three men are in custody after police in Puerto Rico (0.01/17) seized shipments of cocaine worth an estimated $13.5 million during two operations. Police said on Saturday that they seized 25 bricks of cocaine worth...... 2016-12-10 18:44 811Bytes article.wn.com
57 0.9 Colombia's Santos accepts Nobel, urges shift in drug war STOCKHOLM (AP) — Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos accepted the Nobel (0.01/17) Peace Prize on Saturday, saying it helped his country achieve the "impossible dream" of ending a half-century-long civil war. ... 2016-12-10 18:20 808Bytes article.wn.com
58 0.6 Candace Cameron Bure Says Goodbye To ‘The View’ Just One Day After Announcing Departure Candace Cameron Bure officially said goodbye to The View on Friday, just one day after announcing her departure from the daytime talk show. According to 2016-12-10 23:42 1KB www.inquisitr.com 59 0.7 Adama Barrow urges Yahya Jammeh to accept defeat Appeal by Barrow followed by unanimous statement by UN Security Council calling for transfer of power with undue delay. 2016-12-10 23:33 3KB mwcnews.net
60 2.1 Macedonia votes hoping to end political crisis Macedonia votes in an early general election on Sunday in a bid to end a deep political crisis that has roiled the small Balkan country for nearly two years. 2016-12-10 23:30 4KB www.digitaljournal.com
61 2.0 Turkey's ruling party moves to tighten Erdogan's grip on power Turkey’s ruling party on Saturday proposed constitutional changes that would substantially increase presidential power, a move that comes only months after a failed coup. 2016-12-10 23:30 5KB www.latimes.com
62 0.9 Giuliani Explains Why He Is No Longer Seeking A Cabinet Position GIULIANI: I decided, I guess it was about 10 days ago, November 29th, that the whole thing was becoming kind of very confusing and very difficult for the President-elect and my desire to be in… 2016-12-11 05:49 1KB www.patdollard.com
63 2.0 Do Electoral College Challenges Have Any Chance Of Succeeding? Not Likely Says One Organizer Do Electoral College protests have any chance of working? Not likely, says one of the organizers, but that's not the point. 2016-12-10 23:23 5KB www.valuewalk.com
64 1.1 Some building halted as counties react to water rights case As counties across Washington respond to a far-reaching state Supreme Court decision involving water rights, angry and frustrated property owners are finding they cannot depend on groundwater wells to build new homes as they have in the past. 2016-12-10 23:21 5KB www.miamiherald.com
65 3.1 Duterte, PH polls 5th most discussed on Facebook for 2016 President Rodrigo Duterte and the Philippine presidential election were among the most talked about global topics on Facebook for 2016, the social networking giant said. 2016-12-11 00:00 1KB technology.inquirer.net
66 7.7 A longtime love for civil rights Attorney Philip Hirschkop recalls how he became involved with the Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage in the U. S. 2016-12-10 23:19 7KB www.heraldonline.com 67 0.0 Are Monsanto And The Ajinomoto Company Poisoning Africa? Aspartame, MSG Danger Revealed Ajinomoto is in the process of purchasing a 33 percent stake in an African food distribution outfit called Promasidor. Should you worry? Probably. 2016-12-10 23:15 6KB www.inquisitr.com
68 1.4 Hundreds of African Migrants Storm Spanish City Around 800 Africans attempted to cross the border into the Spanish city of Ceuta on Friday, and 438 were reportedly successful, illegally entering the city and celebrating in the streets. Ceuta 2016-12-10 23:11 1KB dailycaller.com
69 1.0 Fed to raise rates as Trump economy looms There is little room for doubt that the US Federal Reserve will raise the benchmark interest rate in the coming week for only the second time in a decade. 2016-12-11 00:00 4KB business.inquirer.net
70 0.0 St. Tammany voters giving nod to 3 parishwide property taxes
Levies fund Sheriff's Office, mosquito control, Council on Aging, STARC 2016-12-10 23:06 2KB www.nola.com
71 1.7 Saudi energy minister on historic oil deal — RT News The deal between OPEC members and oil exporting countries from outside the group could bring more stability to the oil market for the common benefit, Saudi energy minister, Khalid Al-Falih, told RT, praising the role of Russia in the agreement. 2016-12-10 23:01 3KB www.rt.com
72 4.0 What does Taiwan hope for following Tsai-Trump phone call? Taipei acknowledges contact signals no major policy shift but believes it may now have more room to manoeuvre 2016-12-10 23:01 5KB www.scmp.com
73 2.4 Delhi, where even China’s pollution fades into insignificance Long in the smoggy, high-profile shadow of the poster-boy of pollution Beijing, Delhi has emerged as a rival to even the most acrid of choking megalopolises. Yet, just as in China, change is in the air 2016-12-10 23:01 11KB www.scmp.com
74 1.0 Big spiders invade national park Voracious spiders first documented on South Carolina’s coast have drifted into the state’s interior and settled at Congaree National Park, in what federal officials say is a result of the... 2016-12-10 22:53 697Bytes article.wn.com 75 4.5 Haverford School District looks to refinance bonds HAVERFORD >> School directors recently approved a parameters resolution that will pave the way for refinancing bonds at lower interest rates. 2016-12-10 22:52 2KB www.delcotimes.com
76 3.0 Opinion Editorial: Why don’t they move the Pa. Society back to Pa.? You would think a state that makes you visit three different places to secure beer, wine and liquor would know how to throw a party. 2016-12-10 22:50 5KB www.delcotimes.com
77 2.8 Beru Revue rocks Ardmore for a good cause LOWER MERION >> It’s a night of Christmas cheer, goodwill toward men and “Alice Cooper meets Gilbert and Sullivan on steroids” when Philadelphia theatrical rockers Beru Revue takes the stage Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Ardmore 2016-12-10 22:50 9KB www.delcotimes.com
78 2.0 Three with serious to critical injuries after crash in Salt Lake City SALT LAKE CITY -- Two people are in critical condition and one person is in serious condition Saturday night after a two-vehicle crash in Salt Lake City. Lt. Robin Heiden of the Salt Lake City Police Department said the crash occurred around 6:30 p... 2016-12-10 22:49 1KB fox13now.com
79 2.9 The Gambia's answer to Coco Chanel Those who do find work in Europe often wire some of their earnings back home. In Tida's village today, women in what are nicknamed "Western Union Marriages" often have smarter clothes and satellite TV dishes. But 2016-12-10 22:45 723Bytes article.wn.com
80 4.7 Fayetteville man accused of rape Detectives with the Fayetteville Police Department's Special Victims Unit have arrested and charged a man in connection with a rape investigation. The incident took place on Dec. 6 at the 1900 block of Cedar Creek Rd. 2016-12-10 22:43 1KB www.wral.com
81 0.0 New mayor cheered by Hmong worldwide When he takes office as mayor of Elk Grove, Calif., on Dec. 14, 2016, Steve Ly will be the first Hmong mayor in the United States. The Hmong immigrated in large numbers from Laos and other parts of southeast Asia as the Vietnam... 2016-12-10 22:42 6KB www.charlotteobserver.com
82 4.3 Two men shot in Southeast D. C. Two men were shot in Southeast D. C. Saturday evening, Metropolitan Police said. 2016-12-10 22:41 843Bytes rssfeeds.wusa9.com 83 2.6 Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch Touch Bar) Vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 4 [Opinion] For the purposes of this review, this article is comparing the $1799 version of the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar to the $1599 version of the Surface Pro 4 (just 2016-12-10 22:40 4KB www.inquisitr.com
84 1.1 Taiwan says China air force conducts long-range drills TAIPEI, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Chinese military aircraft on Saturday flew over waterways near Taiwan as part of long-range exercises, Taiwan said, the first such... 2016-12-10 22:37 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk
85 8.4 Tony Bennett recalls the moment he found out Amy Winehouse died Jazz legend Tony Bennett has opened up about the death of Amy Winehouse and the advice he wishes he had told her sooner. 2016-12-10 22:31 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk
86 0.0 Mich. enacts first law for driverless cars Michigan today enacted legislation for testing, use and eventual sale of self-driving cars. 2016-12-10 22:17 2KB rssfeeds.detroitnews.com
87 5.0 One injured in Md. apartment fire A person was seriously injured in an apartment fire in Maryland, the Prince George's County Fire Department said. 2016-12-10 22:15 959Bytes rssfeeds.wusa9.com
88 0.0 Romania elects new parliament, leftists ahead in polls BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanians vote in a parliamentary election on Sunday that is likely to hand power back to the leftist Social Democrats (PSD), who advocate loose fiscal policy but are seen as permissive about rampant corruption. 2016-12-10 22:14 790Bytes article.wn.com
89 2.0 Mother, 31, was found shot dead inside of her torched car behind school playground in Detroit suburb Diana Pesserl, 31, was found shot dead in her car which was then torched behind a school playground in West Bloomfield Township, a Detroit suburb, early Friday morning. 2016-12-10 22:13 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk
90 3.8 Steven Spielberg praises Kirk Douglas at 100th birthday party He's one of the most prolific and talented directors in Hollywood history. So when Steven Spielberg got up to speak at Kirk Douglas's 100th birthday party on Friday 2016-12-10 22:11 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 91 0.0 Heismans By Class Freshman 2012 — Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M, QB 2013 — Jameis Winston, Florida State, QB Sophomores 2007 — Tim Tebow, Florida, QB 2008 — Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, QB 2009 — Mark Ingram, Alabama, RB 2016… 2016-12-10 22:02 3KB wtop.com
92 1.6 Globe to PCCI: Be with us in building one digital nation Globe Business, the enterprise information and communications arm of Globe Telecom, led the discussion on connectivity- the various challenges it faces and the telco’s 2016-12-11 00:00 4KB business.inquirer.net
93 3.8 Do Malaysia and Singapore really need a high-speed rail link? Tussle involving Japanese and Chinese firms puts high-speed rail contract under the microscope 2016-12-10 22:00 6KB www.scmp.com
94 1.6 Zuckerberg 2020? Facebook founder may have political ambitions, according to lawsuit Recently unsealed documents from an April lawsuit reveal that Mark Zuckerberg had plans to retain control of the social media company even while he potentially took a government role. 2016-12-10 21:55 4KB www.charlotteobserver.com
95 0.0 In their words Key quotes from high-profile European and other figures on Britain's EU referendum, as compiled by BBC Monitoring between 1-7 December. 2016-12-11 00:00 2KB headlinenewstoday.net
96 1.9 Water infrastructure bill includes money for Portsmouth Harbor project
The legislation now goes to President Obama for his signature. 2016-12-10 21:51 1KB www.pressherald.com
97 1.1 ’ Israeli coalition chairman triggers uproar with provocative remark — RT News The Israeli ruling coalition chairman’s controversial statement that it would be “preferable” if Arabs “weren’t able to come” to polls since they “make no difference” anyway, was branded as “racist” and “antidemocratic” by opposition politicians and minorities. 2016-12-10 21:47 3KB www.rt.com 98 1.7 'I've been scared Mum would die so many times': Danniella Westbrook's son Kai talks of terrifying moment he saw her overdose on drugs... but reveals she 'wants to get better' The 20-year-old recalled the terrifying moment to The Sun on Sunday, emotionally confessing that he's been 'scared she will die so many times' and that he watched her overdose at 4 years old. 2016-12-10 21:44 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk
99 0.0 Syria, Russia pound rebel-held Aleppo but advances halt Syrian troops have identified 45 bodies so far in a mass grave found in the city of Palmyra after it was recaptured from Islamic State, a military source told Reuters on Saturday. ... 2016-12-10 21:41 690Bytes article.wn.com
100 4.5 Police search for suspects who stole police vehicle - Story The Cartersville Police Department is searching for a stolen police vehicle. 2016-12-10 21:39 1KB www.fox5atlanta.com Articles
DC5m United States political in english 100 articles, created at 2016-12-11 06:09
1 /100 0.0 Trump expected to name Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil CEO, as next secretary of state (16.99/17) BALTIMORE - US President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name the chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp as the country's top diplomat, a source familiar with the situation said on Saturday, an appointment that would put in place an official with close ties to the Russian government. Exxon chief Rex Tillerson emerged on Friday as Trump's leading candidate for US secretary of state over 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and three other people.
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Tillerson met with Trump for more than two hours at Trump Tower on Saturday morning. It was their second meeting about the position this week. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tillerson was the expected pick but cautioned no formal offer had yet been made. Trump spokesman Jason Miller said no announcement on the high-profile job was forthcoming in the immediate future. "Transition Update: No announcements on Secretary of State until next week at the earliest. #MakeAmericaGreatAgain," he tweeted. Trump took a break from his deliberations over who to pick for the secretary of state job and other positions by attending the Army-Navy football game in Baltimore. He was joined by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who withdrew from consideration as secretary of state on Friday. NBC News, which first reported the development, said Trump would also name John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, as deputy secretary of state. As Exxon's CEO, Tillerson oversees operations in more than 50 countries, including Russia. In 2011, Exxon Mobil signed a deal with Rosneft, Russia's largest state-owned oil company, for joint oil exploration and production. Since then, the companies have formed 10 joint ventures for projects in Russia. Trump has pledged to work for stronger US ties with Russia, which have been strained by Russian President Vladimir Putin's seizure of the Crimea section of Ukraine and his support for Syrian President Bashir Assad. In a preview from an interview to be aired on "Fox News Sunday," Trump said Tillerson is "much more than a business executive. " "I mean, he's a world class player," Trump said. "He's in charge of an oil company that's pretty much double the size of his next nearest competitor. It's been a company that has been unbelievably managed. " "And to me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players, and he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia," Trump said. Tillerson's Russian ties figure to be a factor in any Senate confirmation hearing.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, a long-time Putin critic, told Fox News that he does not know what Tillerson's relationship with Putin has been, "but I'll tell you, it is a matter of concern to me. " Relevant to your professional network? Please share on Linkedin
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Trump expected to name Sunday shows preview: Trump expected to tap 'Oil tycoon for Trump's Exxon CEO Tillerson as Trump sits down with Fox Exxon CEO Tillerson to lead Secretary of State' secretary of state: source thehill.com State Dept. independent.ie article.wn.com article.wn.com
Trump Continues To Refute Exxon's Rex Tillerson Trump expected to tap Exxon CEO expected to be CIA Claims, Considers expected to become Exxon's Tillerson to lead named Trump's secretary of Exxon Mobil CEO For Trump's pick for Secretary State Dept. state Secretary Of State of State article.wn.com article.wn.com newyork.cbslocal.com dallasnews.com
2016-12-10 21:39 www.jpost.com
2 /100 3.8 Bob Dylan Nobel prize speech: this is 'truly beyond words' (12.99/17) Bob Dylan admitted he was stunned and surprised when he was told he had won a Nobel prize because he had never stopped to consider whether his songs were literature.
Dylan, whose speech was read out by the US ambassador to Sweden at the annual awards dinner, said the prize was “something I never could have imagined or seen coming”.
He said from an early age he had read and absorbed the works of past winners and giants of literature such as Kipling, Shaw, Thomas Mann, Pearl Buck, Albert Camus and Hemingway. But said it was “truly beyond words” that he was joining those names on the winners list. “If someone had ever told me that I had the slightest chance of winning the Nobel prize, I would have to think that I’d have about the same odds as standing on the moon,” he wrote. The announcement that Dylan had won the literature prize caused controversy with critics arguing his lyrics were not literature. On learning he had been awarded the literature prize Dylan said he thought of Shakespeare. “When he was writing Hamlet, I’m sure he was thinking about a lot of different things: ‘Who’re the right actors for these roles? How should this be staged? Do I really want to set this in Denmark?’
“His creative vision and ambitions were no doubt at the forefront of his mind, but there were also more mundane matters to consider and deal with. ‘Is the financing in place? Are there enough good seats for my patrons? Where am I going to get a human skull?’ I would bet that the farthest thing from Shakespeare’s mind was the question: ‘Is this literature?’
“Like Shakespeare, I too am often occupied with the pursuit of my creative endeavours and dealing with all aspects of life’s mundane matters. ‘Who are the best musicians for these songs? Am I recording in the right studio? Is this song in the right key?’ Some things never change, even in 400 years. Not once have I ever had the time to ask myself ‘are my songs literature?’ So, I do thank the Swedish academy, both for taking the time to consider that very question and ultimately, for providing such a wonderful answer.”
Earlier during the awards ceremony a nervous Patti Smith stumbled through Bob Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall in a performance given to mark the handing over of the absent Dylan’s Nobel prize for literature.
Formally presenting the award Horace Engdahl, a Swedish literary critic and member of the Swedish academy behind the prize, responded to international criticism of the choice of a popular lyricist as recipient. In defence of the decision, Engdahl said that when Dylan’s songs were heard first in the 1960s: “All of a sudden, much of the bookish poetry in our world felt anaemic.”
The academy’s choice of Dylan, Engdahl added, speaking in Swedish, “seemed daring only beforehand and already seems obvious”.
And it was an unconventional prize-giving night in more ways than one. Dylan’s failure to attend the august gathering in Stockholm meant that Smith, the American singer famous for her 1975 album Horses and the hit song Because the Night, was attending as his proxy. The occasion proved too much for the singer, 69, who faltered after a few verses.
Forgetting the lyric “I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin’,” she apologised quietly but profusely to the jewel-bedecked audience and asked if she could start that section of the song again. “I am so nervous,” she explained. Smith was encouraged by applause from the gathered dignitaries and members of the Swedish royal family.
Her performance followed Engdahl’s justificatory speech, which opened with the question: “What brings about the great shifts in the world of literature? Often it is when someone seizes upon a simple, overlooked form, discounted as art in the high sense, and makes it mutate.”
In this way, Engdahl argued, the novel had once emerged from anecdote and letters, while drama had eventually derived from games and performance. “In the distant past, all poetry was sung or tunefully recited,” he said. Dylan had dedicated himself to music played for ordinary people and tried to copy it.
“But when he started to write songs, they came out differently,” Engdahl said. “He panned poetry gold, whether on purpose or by accident is irrelevant … He gave back to poetry its elevated style, lost since the romantics.”
Patti Smith blanks out during Dylan expresses awe over Bob Dylan welcomes Dylan expresses awe over Bob Dylan Nobel Prize Nobel Prize 'wonderful' Nobel Prize for Nobel Prize, alludes to performance – Twin Cities rssfeeds.detroitnews.com literature Shakespeare twincities.com independent.ie article.wn.com
Patti Smith covers, bungles Nobel winner Bob Dylan a Dylan ‘honored’ to receive Bob Dylan 'Honoured' To Bob Dylan’s song upon no-show at ceremony Nobel despite no-show Receive Nobel Despite No- accepting his Nobel Prize at cnn.com newsinfo.inquirer.net Show ceremony in Stockholm article.wn.com feeds.nydailynews.com
2016-12-10 20:20 Vanessa Thorpe www.theguardian.com
3 /100 5.4 Istanbul explosions: 29 killed, 166 wounded in twin blasts (10.99/17) ISTANBUL, Turkey — Twenty-nine people were killed and 166 wounded in Saturday’s twin bombings in Istanbul, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said in a press conference Sunday. Twenty-seven of those killed were police officers, Soylu added. Six of the victims are in intensive care.
Ten suspects have been detained in connection with the bombings, the minister said.
The explosions, one large blast followed by a smaller one, occurred about 11 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) after a heavily attended football game at Besiktas Vodafone Arena.
The blasts targeted police, state news agency TRT reported, but none of the victims have been identified.
The first explosion at Macka Park was considered a suicide attack,Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said, according to state news agency Anadolu. He didn’t say what caused the second explosion, which occurred near the arena. The two locations are less than a mile apart.
Soylu had earlier said a car bomb was the source of an explosion, according to Turkish state news agency TRT. However, it wasn’t clear to which blast he was referring.
Turkish President Erdogan, an ally to the United States in the fight against ISIS, issued a statement saying Istanbul had once again “witnessed the ugliest face of terror stepping on all values and morals. … Together with the help of Allah, as a country and a nation, we will overcome terror, terror organizations, terrorists and the … powers behind them.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the twin bombings but ISIS and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have staged attacks in Turkey over the past year.
Chaotic scene
Video showed a chaotic scene outside Besiktas Vodafone Arena as police converged on the area and emergency medical workers loaded victims into ambulances. Several blocks away, police towed cars parked at Taksim Square, a popular tourist area, as a precaution.
Istanbul’s team Besiktas had played Bursaspor in a Turkey League game that night at the football arena. The arena, which seats more than 40,000 people, had been renovated and reopened in April.
The Bursaspor football club issued a statement saying the explosion happened “close to the away team stands where our supporters were. We have received the news that around five minutes before the explosion took place, our supporters left the premises.”
Eyewitness accounts
Christopher James, a freelance writer and teacher living in Istanbul, told CNN he was at a hotel not far from the arena when the blasts occurred.
“We could hear and see the boom, and then after the boom the sound came back towards us,” he said. “It sounded like gunshots reverberating and then my phone started buzzing like crazy.”
Ramazan Hakki Oztan, a historian from Istanbul who was attending a casual gathering near the arena, also saw the explosions.
“We were at this hotel with this nice view of the old city by Taksim Square,” he said. “We saw this huge explosion that happened by the stadium … and 10 seconds or 15 seconds after there was another explosion. … The second bomb was smaller in size.”
He said he was near the arena earlier in the day and noticed a heavy police presence.
“I think they targeted the cops that were out there by the stadium who were protecting the spectators,” he said.
Following the explosions, the US Consulate in Istanbul tweeted: “Please avoid the area, monitor local press reporting, and let friends and family know you are OK.”
A violent year
Turkey has weathered a string of terrorist attacks over the past year and is still reeling from a bloody but failed attempt at a military coup in July.
Erdogan declared a state of emergency following the coup attempt and authorities carried out a large number of arrests.
ISIS is suspected in a June attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport that left 44 people dead and an explosion at an August wedding in Gaziantep, not far from the border with Syria, that killed at least 54 people.
Meanwhile, Turkish security forces continue to clash on a nearly daily basis with Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, mostly in predominantly Kurdish parts of southeastern Turkey. The Turkish army suspects the PKK was behind a September car bombing in southeast Turkey that killed at least 18 people. Other attacks have targeted Turkish police and army assets.
Adding to the sense of vulnerability, conflicts in Iraq and Syria have spilled over into Turkey, contributing to a surge in violence on the home front. The country also struggles with the burden of hosting millions of Syrian and Iraqi refugees.
In late October, The US government ordered all civilian family members of its Istanbul consulate staff to leave Turkey because of increasing threats from terrorist organizations.
In March, the Pentagon ordered family members to leave Incirlik Airbase in southeast Turkey and the State Department ordered families of employees of the US consulate in Adana to evacuate.
Bombings condemned
In an address on Saturday, Erdogan said, “It does not matter what is the name and the method of the terror organization who conducted the terror attack. Whenever Turkey takes a positive step towards the future the answer comes as blood savagery and chaos.”
During his statement, he called out ISIS, PKK and FETO, a movement affiliated with a US-based cleric, for targeting Turkey. Erdogan has accused FETO and the PKK of being involved in the failed coup.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned Saturday’s attack. “I condemn the horrific acts of terror in Istanbul,” he said. “My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones in the bomb attacks, with those wounded and with the people of Turkey. We stand united in solidarity with our ally Turkey. We remain determined to fight terrorism in all its forms.”
UEFA, European football’s governing body, said on its verified Twitter account: “UEFA would like to express its deepest condolences to the families of all the victims of tonight’s bombing in Istanbul. We strongly condemn this horrible act and send our support to the Turkish Football Federation, Besiktas and Bursaspor football clubs.” Turkish official says Istanbul Turkey's Interior Minister Turkish minister: 29 killed, Turkish official: 15 killed, twin bombings have killed Says Istanbul Bombings Kill 166 wounded in twin dozens wounded in twin 15, wounded 69 29, Wound 166 bombings bombings article.wn.com article.wn.com article.wn.com article.wn.com
15 dead, 70 injured in 29 dead and 166 wounded in 29 killed, 166 wounded in Turkey: At least 29 killed, Istanbul twin blasts twin bomb attack near twin bombings near soccer 166 wounded in twin blasts article.wn.com Istanbul stadium stadium: Turkish minister outside Istanbul soccer foxnews.com orlandosentinel.com stadium article.wn.com
2016-12-10 22:07 CNN Wire myfox8.com
4 /100 (10.99/17) 2.9 Heisman Trophies by School Tim Brown, WR, 1987
John Huarte, QB, 1964
Paul Hornung, QB, 1956
John Lattner, HB, 1953
Angelo Bertelli, QB, 1943
Leon Hart, E, 1949
John Lujack, QB, 1947
Troy Smith, QB, 2006
Eddie George, TB, 1995
Archie Griffin HB, 1975
Archie Griffin HB, 1974
Howard Cassady HB, 1955
Vic Janowicz HB, 1950
Les Horvath QB, 1944 x-Reggie Bush, TB, 2005 Matt Leinart, QB, 2004
Carson Palmer, QB, 2002
Marcus Allen, TB, 1981
Charles White, TB, 1979
O. J. Simpson, TB, 1968
Mike Garrett, TB, 1965
Sam Bradford, QB, 2008
Jason White, QB, 2003
Billy Sims, HB, 1978
Steve Owens, HB, 1969
Billy Vessels, HB, 1952
Pete Dawkins, HB, 1958
Glenn Davis, HB, 1946
Doc Blanchard, HB, 1945
Cam Newton, QB, 2010
Bo Jackson, TB, 1985
Pat Sullivan, QB, 1971
Tim Tebow, QB, 2007
Danny Wuerffel, QB, 1996
Steve Spurrier, QB, 1966
Jameis Winston, QB, 2013
Chris Weinke, QB, 2000
Charlie Ward, QB, 1993
Charles Woodson, CB, 1997
Desmond Howard, WR, 1991
Tom Harmon, HB, 1940
Eric Crouch, QB, 2001 Mike Rozier, TB, 1983
Johnny Rodgers, FL, 1972
Derrick Henry, RB, 2015
Mark Ingram, RB, 2009
Herschel Walker, HB, 1982
Frank Sinkwich, HB, 1942
Gino Torretta, QB, 1992
Vinny Testaverde, QB, 1986
Roger Staubach, QB, 1963
Joe Bellino, HB, 1960
Ricky Williams, RB, 1998
Earl Campbell, FB, 1977
Johnny Manziel, QB, 2012
John David Crow, HB, 1957
Ron Dayne, RB, 1999
Alan Ameche, FB, 1954
Clint Frank, HB, 1937
Larry Kelley, E, 1936
Robert Griffin III, QB, 2011
Doug Flutie, QB, 1984
Ty Detmer, QB, 1990
Jay Berwanger, HB, 1935
Rashaan Salaam, RB, 1994
Andre Ware, QB, 1989
Nile Kinnick, HB, 1939
Lamar Jackson, QB, 2016
Billy Cannon, HB, 1959 Bruce Smith, HB, 1941
Barry Sanders, RB, 1988
Marcus Mariota, QB, 2014
Terry Baker, QB, 1962
John Cappelletti, HB, 1973
Tony Dorsett, HB, 1976
Dick Kazmaier, HB, 1951
George Rogers, HB, 1980
Doak Walker, HB, 1948
Jim Plunkett, QB, 1970
Ernie Davis, HB, 1961
Davey O’Brien, QB, 1938
Gary Beban, QB, 1967 comments
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Heisman Trophy Final Lamar Jackson wins the Lousiville's Lamar Jackson Heisman Finalist Voting Voting Results 2016 2016 Heisman Trophy wins Heisman Trophy wtop.com heavy.com aol.com cbs46.com
Lamar Jackson, Louisville Jabrill Peppers finishes fifth Louisville QB Lamar Lousiville’s Lamar Jackson QB, wins Heisman Trophy in Heisman Trophy voting Jackson wins Heisman wins Heisman Trophy article.wn.com mlive.com Trophy presstelegram.com rssfeeds.usatoday.com
2016-12-10 22:01 The Associated wtop.com
5 /100 5 /100 2.1 Trump pushes back against Russia hacking investigation (8.76/17) US president's order for full-scale review of alleged campaign-season cyberattacks elicits sharp criticism of CIA.
President Barack Obama's order to intelligence officials for a full-scale review of campaign-season cyberattacks has prompted President-elect Donald Trump's transition team to say it is "time to move on".
Trump's transition office issued a statement on Saturday criticising the Central Intelligence Agency officials for revealing that Russia had aimed specifically to help Trump win the presidency.
"These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," the statement said.
"The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It's now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again'. "
Trump has been repeatedly dismissive of the intelligence community's determination that Russia sought through hacking to disrupt the US election, and Obama's new initiative was similarly brushed off by the Trump transition team.
The investigation ordered by Obama will be a "deep dive" into a possible pattern of increased "malicious cyber activity" timed to the campaign season, Eric Schultz, White House spokesperson, said on Friday.
Schultz said it will look at the tactics, targets, key actors and the US government's response to the recent email hacks, as well as incidents reported in past elections.
The president ordered up the report earlier in the week asked that it be completed before he leaves office next month, Schultz said.
Russia has rejected the hacking accusations.
In the months leading up to the election, email accounts of Democratic Party officials and a top Hillary Clinton campaign aide were breached, emails leaked and embarrassing and private emails posted online.
Many Democrats believe the hackings benefited Trump's bid.
Schultz said the president sought the probe as a way of improving US defenve against cyberattacks and was not intending to question the legitimacy of Trump's victory.
"This is not an effort to challenge the outcome of the election," Schultz said.
Obama's move comes as Democratic politicians have been pushing Obama to declassify more information about Russia's role, fearing that Trump, who has promised a warmer relationship with Russia, may not prioritise the issue. Trump, CIA on collision Conflict over Russia is Trump Team Pushes Back Tensions erupt between course over Russia's role in rocky start for Trump and on Reports Russian Trump and the CIA over US election intelligence agencies Hackers Sought to Sway Russia's hacking during the nola.com dailymail.co.uk Election 2016 campaign abcnews.go.com article.wn.com
Trump's team pushes back Where's the outrage over Trump team dismisses Trump questions US against Russia hacking the Russia hack? (opinion) claim of boost from Russia intelligence on Russia reports cnn.com pressherald.com election 'meddling' article.wn.com article.wn.com
2016-12-10 23:03 Agencies mwcnews.net
6 /100 5.3 The Latest: Trump's favorite for State an accomplished exec (7.99/17) NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest developments on Donald Trump's transition to the presidency (all times local): 10 p.m. President- elect Donald Trump has found an accomplished American executive in Rex Tillerson, a supporter of free trade, international law and an expansive U. S. presence in the Middle East. A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, Tillerson came to Exxon Mobile Corp. straight out of the University of Texas at Austin in 1975 and never left. He came up in the rough-and-tumble world of oil production, holding posts in the company's central United States, Yemen and Russian operations. Under Tillerson's leadership, oil prices broke records and strong profits helped make Exxon the most valuable public company in the world. It has a security force totaling thousands of employees, direct channels with governments worldwide and a strong aversion to American sanctions or limitations on where it could operate. ___ 4:30 p.m. President-elect Donald Trump is moving closer to nominating Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, following a private meeting with the business leader. That's according to several people who have spoken with Trump and his transition team. Trump has privately signaled to associates that he plans to tap Tillerson for the powerful Cabinet post, but had not formally offered him the job as of Saturday afternoon. Some advisers worry that Tillerson's ties to Russia would lead to a contentious Senate confirmation hearing and keep alive questions about Trump's own relationship with Moscow. The people who have spoken with Trump and his transition team insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly disclose the internal deliberations. ___ 3:50 p.m. President-elect Donald Trump is being greeted with cheers at the annual Army-Navy football game in Baltimore. The incoming president waved to the crowd from outside a private box as he arrived at the stadium during the first quarter of the storied rivalry. Trump was inside the box of a West Point graduate and planned to spend the second half in the box of retired Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North. He was joined by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and top adviser Steve Bannon. ___ 1:20 p.m. Donald Trump has met with Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as the incoming president considers his options for secretary of state. Tillerson is under serious consideration to lead the State Department and also met with Trump earlier this week. Trump is also considering former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker and former United Nations ambassador John Bolton. Trump's transition team said Friday that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani had withdrawn from consideration for the post. Tillerson's meeting Saturday was described by a person familiar with the private gathering who was not authorized to discuss it. ___ 11:20 a.m. President-elect Donald Trump will spend the first half of Saturday's Army-Navy game in the box of David Urban, a West Point graduate and Republican adviser and the second half in the box of retired Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North, a graduate of Annapolis. A Trump transition official says Trump will not formally switch sides at halftime in the traditional symbol of commander-in-chief neutrality because he is not the sitting president. The team member spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the president-elect's plans. Trump is expected to join several advisers, including incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Steve Bannon. Trump is a 1964 graduate of the New York Military Academy near West Point. ___ 10:40 a.m. President-elect Donald Trump has deleted and reissued a tweet after receiving criticism on social media for bad spelling. Trump put out a fresh tweet accusing CNN of reporting "ridiculous" fake news, arguing he won't let his television show conflict with his presidency. Hours earlier, he had misspelled the word as "rediculous. " "Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are ridiculous & untrue - FAKE NEWS! " he wrote in the corrected tweet. The latest tweet drew some commentary about the president-elect, who has flubbed words on previous occasions on Twitter. "Are they still rediculous, too as per the original tweet? " tweeted @JoelNihlean in response. ___ 6:45 a.m. Donald Trump is tweeting about television again - this time accusing CNN of reporting "rediculous" fake news and asserting that he won't let his television show conflict with his presidency. Trump's Saturday morning tweets follow an announcement by Mark Burnett, the creator of "The Apprentice," that the president-elect remains an executive producer on the show. Trump's spokeswoman, Kellyanne Conway, said on CNN Friday that Trump's ties to his reality show are being reviewed for potential conflicts of interest. At 6:28 a.m., the president-elect tweeted that he has "NOTHING to do with The Apprentice except for fact that I conceived it with Mark B & have a big stake in it. Will devote ZERO TIME! " Ten minutes later, he tweeted again, saying that "reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are rediculous & untrue - FAKE NEWS! " ___ 2:50 a.m. President- elect Donald Trump is partaking in one the nation's most storied football rivalries, saluting U. S. troops at the annual Army-Navy game on Saturday as he prepares to enter the White House. The future commander-in-chief planned to attend the 117th game between the military academies at West Point and Annapolis, which is being held on relatively neutral ground, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The appearance caps a week of rolling out Cabinet picks, holding "thank you" rallies in North Carolina, Iowa and Michigan, and trying to cement his incoming Senate majority with Saturday's runoff election in Louisiana. Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Trump Bets In U.K. Still Trump's pick for State is an Trump’s pick for State is an 'Oil tycoon for Trump's Predict He Will Not Become accomplished executive accomplished executive Secretary of State' President charlotteobserver.com wtop.com independent.ie inquisitr.com
Alphabet execs said to Trump says Exxon Mobil’s Trump set to pick Tillerson Trump likely to name Exxon attend Trump tech meeting Tillerson more than as secretary of state CEO Tillerson secretary of rssfeeds.detroitnews.com executive article.wn.com State rssfeeds.detroitnews.com rssfeeds.usatoday.com
2016-12-10 23:44 www.cbs46.com
7 /100 46.3 Nigeria president says ‘many deaths’ in church collapse
(7.99/17) LAGOS, Nigeria — A church roof collapsed in southeastern Nigeria causing “many deaths and injury,” the country’s president said Saturday, with state media reporting that up to 200 people could have been killed.
The evangelical Reigners Bible Ministry in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom state was packed with worshippers when the roof — which was still under construction — collapsed, local media said, with the state-run Nigerian News Agency saying “between 50 and 200″ people could have been killed.
A rescue operation is underway, the report said.
President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his condolences, telling “the Governor and the People of Akwa Ibom State, the deep sorrow of his family, the government and the entire people of Nigeria over the many deaths and injury recorded following the incident,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement.
The governor of Akwa Ibom state, who was at the church but was not injured during the accident, said on his Facebook page late Saturday that “we have never had such a shocking incident in the history of our dear state.” In September 2015, 115 people including 84 South Africans, were killed in Lagos in the collapse of a church belonging to the famous televangelist TB Joshua. CBB/rga
Church roof collapses on At least 10 killed by collapse Nigeria Uyo church collapse: Death toll of Nigeria suicide worshippers in Nigeria killing of church in southern Footage of aftermath blasts rises to 56 60 Nigeria: resident article.wn.com article.wn.com article.wn.com article.wn.com
Nigeria president says Church roof collapses on Nigerian church collapse At least 60 killed as crowded 'many deaths' in church worshippers in Nigeria, kills at least 60 worshippers church collapses in Nigeria collapse scores killed – reports article.wn.com digitaljournal.com article.wn.com theguardian.com
2016-12-11 00:00 Agence France newsinfo.inquirer.net
8 /100 5.8 More than 30 dead as tanker rams into vehicles on Kenya road (6.89/17) NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A tanker carrying chemical gas slammed into other vehicles and burst into flames on a major road in Kenya, killing more than 30 people and injuring 10, officials said Sunday. ...
Kenya oil tanker accident Kenya Oil Tanker Accident Over 30 dead as Kenya fuel kills at least 25 in fire: Red Kills at Least 25 in Fire: Red tanker crashes, explodes Cross Cross digitaljournal.com article.wn.com nytimes.com
Kenya: Over 30 feared dead More than 30 killed Kenya official: Over 30 Chemical gas tanker crash as gas trailer rams into as tanker rams into vehicles feared dead after tanker in Kenya kills 30 vehicle on Kenya road ferrying chemical gas article.wn.com article.wn.com article.wn.com rammed into other vehicle ... article.wn.com More than 30 dead as tanker rams into vehicles on Kenyan road independent.ie
2016-12-10 23:01 system article.wn.com
9 /100 2.9 Louisiana runoff to decide nation's last congressional seats (3.24/17) The long campaign season finally ended Saturday in Louisiana, a month later than the rest of the country, with voters deciding the nation's final three congressional seats in runoff elections. ...
John Kennedy defeats Foster Campbell for Louisiana's open U.S. Senate seat nola.com
Republican John Kennedy 'Cajun John Wayne' wins The Latest: Polls close in Louisianans go to polls to Wins Louisiana Runoff Louisiana congressional seat Louisiana congressional decide last U.S. Senate seat Election for Senate Seat over Scott Angelle runoff up for grabs abcnews.go.com nola.com article.wn.com latimes.com
2016-12-10 22:53 system article.wn.com
10 /100 (3.07/17) 2.4 South Korea Crisis: What Will The North Do? These are euphoric but anxious days for South Korea, as the heady impeachment of a deeply unpopular president leaves the country without a recognised leader at a time of military tensions with... What will the North do? digitaljournal.com
North Korea ‘attacks’ South Korea’s presidential palace newsinfo.inquirer.net
S. Korea crisis: What will the North do? dailymail.co.uk
2016-12-10 23:05 system article.wn.com
11 /100 3.0 Who is Rex Tillerson, the oil exec who went from dark- horse to likely Cabinet pick? (2.70/17) So far, President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks have mostly been either multimillionaire and billionaire executives or retired generals. In that context, it's probably less of a surprise that Trump may be close to selecting ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, elevating a dark- horse prospect who may surge past seasoned political actors like Mitt Romney and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., in the stretch.
Tillerson's hardly an unknown character on the world stage, but he's probably not too familiar to Americans. As such, we've put together a brief profile of the man who may soon be in charge of the United States' international diplomacy.
Tillerson has no experience in the public sector, a first in modern history for a potential secretary of state. Tillerson, 64, joined ExxonMobil in 1975, after receiving a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas. He worked his way up through the ranks, beginning as a production engineer and becoming chairman and chief executive in 2006.
Over his decades at the company, Tillerson's work took him all over the world, including to Yemen and Russia. That, along with his experience as CEO, apparently provides the basis of his familiarity with international diplomacy.
On Twitter, a former ExxonMobil employee who is now at Brookings Institution defended Tillerson's experience. "Oil folks know stuff: anyone who manages multibillion dollar, multi- decade projects needs deep, nuanced understanding of political context," Suzanne Maloney wrote on Twitter. ". .. Tillerson rose to top of a company that prizes technical excellence, rock- solid financials, hard work and integrity. State could do a lot worse. "
Tillerson received the Order of Friendship from Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2013. Tillerson's work with ExxonMobil included a stretch working for Exxon Neftegas Ltd., putting him in charge of the subsidiary's fields in Russia and the Caspian Sea.
Two years before receiving the award, ExxonMobil won a contract to explore for oil in a Russia- controlled portion of the Arctic Ocean, which was made more economically viable for drilling in part thanks to the sea ice decline that's followed global warming. Putin himself announced the deal at a meeting in Sochi (where the Winter Olympics would be held the next year).
Tillerson's stake in ExxonMobil will certainly raise questions at a confirmation hearing. Once Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the United States instituted sanctions against Russia that froze ExxonMobil's Arctic agreement. Were those sanctions to be lifted, the deal would probably move forward - making Tillerson's shares of ExxonMobil stock much more valuable. (The Wall Street Journal noted that he'd probably have to divest from that stock if appointed to run the State Department.)
Tillerson's position on climate change may be to the left of Trump's. ExxonMobil understood the connection between greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use and the warming climate as early as 1977, according to recent reporting. It then proceeded to combat the idea, recognizing the risk posed to its industry by curtailing fossil fuel use. Only fairly recently did it acknowledge that link publicly, and the company is now on record in support of accepting the established science and identifying solutions to the problem of climate change.
That shift happened under Tillerson's leadership. The issue of climate change will be a potent one for whoever takes over the State Department, given the long-standing international diplomacy efforts to address the issue. Shortly before this year's election, ExxonMobil issued a statement in support of the sweeping agreement reached in Paris at the end of last year aimed at cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions internationally.
Trump said repeatedly on the campaign trail that he opposed the Paris agreement and has regularly expressed his opposition to taking action to address climate change. Tillerson, as CEO, promoted positions contrary to that. His most recent personal comments echoed the sentiment of his company, calling the threat of climate change "real" and "serious" - though the extent to which he was speaking as a representative of ExxonMobil vs. his own views is worth asking.
Tillerson is a lifelong Boy Scout. Tillerson was an Eagle Scout in his youth and eventually became president of the national organization. It was under his leadership - and through his advocacy - that the organization embraced the membership of young men who identified as gay. Tillerson's positions on a variety of other political issues are largely unknown. Climate change is central to what we know about Tillerson, thanks to the industry of his long-term employer. The Wall Street Journal noted that Tillerson supports free trade - which, as a CEO of a major international corporation, is probably a natural position. Beyond that, it's not clear where Tillerson's politics align with or differ from his possible boss's.
His political giving suggests an alignment with establishment Republican politics, having given to the Republican Party of Texas repeatedly, to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) and to other national Republican priorities. So it probably isn't a surprise that Tillerson originally supported Jeb Bush for president. He gave Bush the maximum allowable contribution in September 2015.
F. Carter Smith, The Washington Post
Exxon's Rex Tillerson Rex Tillerson leading Who is Rex Tillerson, tipped Who is Rex Tillerson, dark- expected to become candidate for secretary of as next secretary of state? horse candidate who Trump's pick for Secretary state article.wn.com reportedly beat out Romney, of State cnn.com Huntsman for secretary of dallasnews.com state? article.wn.com
2016-12-10 22:25 Wire Services www.dallasnews.com
12 /100 5.6 Kenya oil tanker accident kills at least 25 in fire - Red Cross (2.31/17) By Anthony Githonga NAIVASHA, Kenya, Dec 11 (Reuters) - A fireball from an oil tanker on one of Kenya's main highways has engulfed several vehicles and killed at least 25 people, a Red Cross official said on Sunday. "We have so far collected 25 bodies from the scene of the accident after a lorry heading to Uganda lost control and rammed into several vehicles," said Red Cross official Felister Kioko at the scene. The accident happened late on Saturday night 10 kilometers (six miles) north of the central town of Naivasha. In 2009, more than 100 people burned to death near the central town of Molo after a lorry carrying petrol caught fire. (Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Mary Milliken)
Kenya Oil Tanker Accident Kenya oil tanker accident More than 30 killed Chemical gas tanker crash Kills at Least 25 in Fire: Red kills at least 25 in fire: Red as tanker rams into vehicles in Kenya kills 30 Cross Cross on Kenya road article.wn.com nytimes.com article.wn.com article.wn.com
2016-12-10 19:24 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk
13 /100 (2.20/17) 3.2 I-75 reopens after 40 cars, 3 semis in crash A multiple vehicle crash on Saturday closed northbound Interstate 75 near Holly Road, according to Michigan State Police.
State Police say about 40 cars and three semi-trucks were involved in the crash and there are no fatalities. Police report, however, several people with non-life threatening injuries.
The southbound lanes were also affected with just one lane open due to gawker crashes, according to state police, which is keeping the public abreast of the situation by way of the @mspmetrodet Twitter feed. So great was the extent of the accident that there was no media availability location.
The lanes have reopened to traffic as of 6:30 p.m. according to the Michigan State Police.
Victims of the crash were transported to Alex's Market and Grill, a gas station off I-75 on Grange Hall Road, where they could contact family and be picked up.
On Thursday, three people, including an Ann Arbor couple, died in a 53-car pileup on I-96 in Fowlerville , which police said owed to sudden "whiteout" conditions.
33 cars, 4 semis involved in 40 cars, 3 semis involved in 40 cars, 3 semis in crash on NB I-75 closed in Holly after 40 crash in Holly crash in Holly I-75 cars, 3 semis involved in crash rssfeeds.livingstondaily.com rssfeeds.freep.com rssfeeds.detroitnews.com rssfeeds.livingstondaily.com
2016-12-10 19:48 The Detroit rssfeeds.detroitnews.com
14 /100 0.0 Tom Holland Recalls Worst Day On Set Of ‘Spider- Man: Homecoming’ (2.12/17) “I can tell you the worst! The worst day was… I was doing a scene with an actor — who I won’t tell you who he is — and I was in the Spider-Man suit and it was in the very beginning of shooting, and I was in a harness and I had to stick to the ceiling. And I didn’t go to the bathroom for like eleven hours or something. Because, we didn’t really figure out how to take the suit off quickly at that point. We didn’t understand how it worked. And I was in a harness. And obviously it’s hot, so I’m drinking water all the time because I’m doing exercises and running around. But, I need to go to the toilet. Yeah, I didn’t go to the bathroom for like eleven hours. And that’s an expensive suit. You do not want to wet yourself in that suit. Marvel and Sony would not be happy. So, that was the worst part of filming.”
“Actually, the best day of filming was when we went to the children’s hospital. That was the best day! It made me realize that I’ve been given this opportunity to play a superhero, so I should try to be a superhero in real life.”
[Featured Image by Marvel Studios]
Tom Holland, 20, posed as ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ New Spider-Man Tom student at Bronx high school News: Tom Holland Goes Holland went undercover in to hone ‘Spider-man: Undercover As A High Bronx high school to Homecoming’ role School Student research role feeds.nydailynews.com inquisitr.com dailymail.co.uk
2016-12-10 21:03 Gregory Wakeman www.inquisitr.com
15 /100 5.9 ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ is a ‘reflection on people,’ not politics ahead of Donald Trump’s presidency
(2.12/17) They're supposed to be rebels without a cause.
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” may be set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away — but that hasn't stopped those outraged by Donald Trump's election from glomming on to the idea of a band of diverse rebels battling against a repressive Empire.
When hate crimes swelled after the election, screenwriter Chris Weitz tweeted out an illustration of a Rebel emblem with a safety pin through it as a symbol of defiance against white supremacists. That avatar spread through social media faster than the Millennium Falcon on the Kessel Run.
Director Gareth Edwards, though, is quick to point out that the movie's script dates back years — to when Trump's labor policy was firing hopefuls on "The Apprentice. " Felicity Jones credits 'The Force' for her 'Rogue One' role
“I feel if you do ‘Star Wars’ right, whenever you release, it feels timely,” Edwards told the Daily News. “If George (Lucas) had released the (1977's ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’) today, and you never seen it before you might feel the same way. It's not really a reflection on politics, it's more of a reflection on people. And people never really change.”
“‘Rogue One’ tells this story of a group of misfits, individuals and outcasts who join forces to face a stronger evil,” said Entertainment Weekly writer Anthony Breznican, “And that's a story as old as David against Goliath.
“If it's a well told story and one that strikes a chord that's been struck before in history, people are going to be moved by it and grab onto it in troubled times,” Breznican added.
In an op-ed for the New York Times, Republican presidential elector Chris Suprun called out Trump advisor Stephen K. Bannon for lauding Darth Vader's hunger for power during an interview. He added that he's taking his children to see “Rogue One” not to, “celebrate evil, but to show them that light can overcome it.”
Here are the plot summaries for all seven 'Star Wars' films
That politicizing of a popcorn flick gets conservative Christian Toto, editor of HollywoodinToto.com, annoyed enough to rip the ears off a gundark.
“I feel in our culture, more and more things that should be apolitical are getting politicized,” said Toto. “As someone from the right, it does get a bit exhausting.
“Certain movies like ‘Star Wars’ should be something that both liberals and conservatives can hunker down in a darkened theater and all enjoy.”
But even escapist space operas can't fully break free from the gravity of the world outside the theater.
‘Star Wars Rebels’ actor Sam Witwer talks Darth Maul
“You can't control history,” said star Felicity Jones. “That's one thing our filmmakers can't control.”
Watch The ‘Rogue One: A 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Star Wars Story’ Premiere Story' Premiere Live Stream Red Carpet Live Stream feedproxy.google.com (Video) sfgate.com
2016-12-10 20:36 Ethan Sacks feeds.nydailynews.com
16 /100 16 /100 5.7 SBI Investigates Fatal Shooting Involving Leland Officer (2.12/17) North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation says it's looking into a shootout in which a police officer was wounded and a suspect was killed.
A statement from the bureau Saturday said Leland Police Officer Jacob Schwenk responded to call Friday night. It adds that Schwenk encountered Brent Quinn and the two exchanged gunfire.
The StarNews of Wilmington reports Schwenk suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his legs. The SBI said Quinn died in the shootout. The SBI said it will provide a criminal investigative report to the district attorney's office when it is complete.
Lt. Jeremy Humphries, a Leland Police spokesman, told The Associated Press the officer was placed on administrative leave as is routine in such cases. He says Schwenk is white, Quinn also.
Humphries declined to release further details.
SBI investigates fatal Officer fatally shoots shooting involving Leland suspect officer washingtontimes.com article.wn.com
2016-12-10 20:13 By abcnews.go.com
17 /100 0.0 Mike Johnson elected to Congress easily in north Louisiana (2.08/17) State Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Bossier City, won his first term in Congress with a landslide election victory Saturday (Dec. 10) over Democrat Marshall Jones, a lawyer and businessman in the Shreveport area. Johnson, a member of the Legislature and longtime antiabortion advocate, will replace U. S. Rep. John Fleming, who gave up his seat when he unsuccessfully ran for U. S. Senate this fall. Johnson will represent Louisiana's 4th Congressional District, which includes Shreveport and Bossier City in northwest Louisiana. A legislator for just two years, Johnson's short tenure at the state Capitol hasn't been a quiet one. He is considered one of the most socially conservative lawmakers in the statehouse, focused often on abortion restrictions and issues that affect gender issues.
Over the past two years, Johnson filed two unsuccessful bills to limit the reach of same-sex marriage and add protections for those who have religious objections to same-sex unions. LGBT advocates labeled some of Johnson's bills as discriminatory. His legislation worried the state tourism industry, which feared it would scare off major sporting events, conferences and foreign visitors from New Orleans.
He was also one of a handful of lawmakers to vote against Louisiana's new REAL ID law, which allowed the state to offer a driver's license that complies with federal regulations. He had privacy concerns about the federal government's involvement in REAL ID.
Johnson was also one of the biggest advocates for a bill to cut off various forms of state funding to New Orleans and Lafayette because those cities had lenient policies toward undocumented immigrants. The bill didn't end up passing after Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said it would cause headaches for all law enforcement, including those who work outside of the so- called "sanctuary cities. "
As a congressman, Johnson said he would join President-elect Donald Trump in looking for ways to curb undocumented immigration. He said he would favor a "sanctuary cities" bill at the federal level that sought to cut off federal funding for cities with friendlier policies toward undocumented immigrants. Johnson also believes securing the U. S.-Mexico border should be a top priority.
"To me, it's directly tied to national security," Johnson said about "sanctuary cities" in an interview Tuesday (Dec. 6).
Before joining the Legislature, Johnson had a long record of working for conservative causes as a constitutional lawyer. He has been hired by the Louisiana government and others to defend abortion restrictions from legal challenges. Fox News and other cable talk shows regularly had him as a guest to represent conservative views.
Johnson's runoff election against Jones was very sedate. The two candidates declined to run negative advertising against each other and Jones, a conservative Democrat, rebuffed the Louisiana Democratic Party's efforts to help his campaign. So Johnson was considered the heavy favorite to win from just a few days after the primary election ended.
Johnson's national profile on conservative issues brought in a lot of outside support for his campaign during the runoff election. Vice President-elect Mike Pence sent a robocall call message earlier this week urging voters to back Johnson when they went to polls Saturday.
Rep. Mike Johnson Wins Congress Oks more than Election for Louisiana's $1.25B for Louisiana flood Open 4th Congressional recovery District Seat washingtontimes.com abcnews.go.com 2016-12-10 23:08 Julia O www.nola.com
18 /100 0.5 Kyrgyzstan votes on constitutional changes amid instability (2.06/17) Voters in Kyrgyzstan are casting ballots in a constitutional referendum that includes amendments that boost the power of prime minister — something opposition groups have criticized in the ex-Soviet Central...
Kyrgyzstan votes in controversial constitutional referendum digitaljournal.com
Kyrgyzstan Votes on Constitutional Changes Amid Instability abcnews.go.com
2016-12-10 22:53 system article.wn.com
19 /100 2.0 Red-suited SantaCon pub crawl revelers fan out across NYC (2.06/17) NEW YORK — Red-suited revelers fanned out across New York City ’s bars Saturday despite efforts by a community group to deter the annual pub crawl known as SantaCon.
New York SantaCon: Revellers trawl the bars bbc.co.uk Red-suited SantaCon pub crawl revelers get jolly in NYC rssfeeds.detroitnews.com
2016-12-10 21:54 system article.wn.com
20 /100 9.1 Trump campaign manager Conway leading Christmas parade (2.06/17) Republican President-elect Donald Trump's campaign manager is returning to her native New Jersey to lead a holiday parade.
Kellyanne Conway is grand marshal of Saturday's Christmas parade in Hammonton, where Trump topped Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November presidential election.
The Hammonton Fire Department says Conway was raised in Atco and graduated from St. Joseph's High School in Hammonton in 1985. She spent summers working at Indian Brand Blueberry Farms before leaving for college in Washington, D. C.
Conway also will receive a key to the city.
A group that bills itself as an anti-fascist organization said it plans to protest what it views as the politicization of the parade. South Jersey Antifa said Conway is not an "acceptable role model. "
"We call on the Hammonton Fire Department to drop her," the group said in a Facebook post.
Messages left with the Fire Department for and Trump's spokeswoman weren't immediately returned.
Conway regularly makes media appearances on behalf of Trump and has even been spoofed on "Saturday Night Live. " A memorable skit about her day off shows her free time interrupted repeatedly by having to go on CNN to explain Trump's latest tweet or statement. Trump campaign manager Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway to lead Conway to lead Christmas Christmas parade in New parade Jersey and receive the key rssfeeds.detroitnews.com to the city - but not everyone is jolly about it dailymail.co.uk
2016-12-10 21:50 The Associated www.miamiherald.com
21 /100 1.1 Jill Stein in Detroit: Michigan's election 'a hot mess'
(2.05/17) Calling the state's handling of the November election "a hot mess," Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein stood Saturday outside Cobo Center in Detroit to thank her supporters and say she was giving up on Michigan's short-lived recount but not on the causes of her campaign.
"We are fighting for the right to vote and to make sure that every vote counts," said Stein, 66, who triggered historic recount efforts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin after voters in those states shifted to Republican after many years of voting Democratic.
Stein is a longtime environmental activist in Boston who graduated from Harvard Medical School, practiced internal medicine for decades and cut four CDs of her guitar music before running for president as a candidate from the antipollution Green Party, according to her campaign website.
Stein chastised state and local election officials in Michigan, as well as state lawmakers, for maintaining election rules and practices that she said were shoddy, inaccurate and vulnerable to tampering and hacking. Moreover, numerous instances of irregularities with how ballots were handled on Election Day cropped up during recounts in Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties last week, prompting election officials to say they were unable to recount tens of thousands of ballots.
"Do we have a voting system we can trust? " Stein shouted to the crowd of about 50 gathered in the chill outside Cobo Center's main entrance on Washington Blvd. at Jefferson.
"No! " her supporters shouted back. President-elect Donald Trump's margin over Hillary Clinton in the November election was just more than 10,000 votes in Michigan, according to the Michigan Board of Canvassers, a difference that Stein maintained could easily have been overturned had every voter's intent been counted in Democratic Party strongholds such as Detroit.
Stein said her campaign had paid $1 million to fund the recount — ordered halted last week in two court decisions — and was prepared to pay at least another $1 million to continue it. State and federal judges in Michigan decided that Stein was not an "aggrieved candidate" and thus did not qualify for requesting a recount because — no matter what outcome — she was so far behind the leaders that a recount could not have resulted in her election as president.
"If Hillary Clinton had asked for a recount, she could've gotten it and we'd really know who won Michigan," Stein said. If recounts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin had given the states' electoral votes to Clinton, she would've been elected, Stein has said.
She said Saturday she was leaving Michigan and heading to Wisconsin to oversee that recount. In the crowd of Stein's supporters stood Joe DeMare, 54, of Bowling Green, Ohio, who held a sign that simply said "Green Party. " DeMare said he was a machinist and had driven to Detroit with a friend to show his support for Stein.
"She's fighting the fight we should all be fighting," he said.
Nearby was Joanne Warwick, 52, of Detroit, who wore a button on her lapel that said "Feel the Bern" — a campaign plug for Sen. Bernie Sanders an independent from Vermont, who lost the Democratic Party nomination to Hillary Clinton, a duel that became controversial when e-mails surfaced that showed top party officials evidently trying to edge Sanders out of the race.
"I feel like Bernie got burned," said Warwick, who said she was a lawyer.
"I am right now an independent. I used to be a Democrat," she said.
Contact Bill Laitner: [email protected].
Stein concedes end of Green Party's Dr. Jill Stein Michigan recount, suggests in Detroit reform rssfeeds.detroitnews.com mlive.com
2016-12-10 21:03 Bill Laitner rssfeeds.freep.com
22 /100 1.3 A Look at Notable Dates in Mexico's Decade-Old Drug War (1.55/17) Dec. 11, 2006: Then-President Felipe Calderon orders almost 7,000 soldiers to his home state of Michoacan to fight drug cartels.
June 30, 2008: U. S. announces $1.6 billion in anti-drug aid for Mexico under the Merida Initiative.
Jan. 31, 2008: A gang bursts into a party and kills 16 young people in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas. The victims' relatives yell at Calderon.
Aug. 23, 2010: The bodies of 72 migrants killed by the Zetas drug gang are found in San Fernando, Tamaulipas state. May 5, 2011: An organized victims' movement is born with the start of the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity.
Aug. 25, 2011: Zetas gunmen set fire to the Casino Royale in Monterrey, killing 52 people.
May 13, 2012: The mutilated bodies of 49 people are dumped on a northern highway.
Feb 24, 2013: The first of the "self-defense" vigilante forces takes up arms against the cartels in Michoacan.
Feb. 22, 2014: Drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman of the Sinaloa cartel is arrested. He escapes from prison the following year, and is recaptured in early 2016.
June 30, 2014: Mexican soldiers kill 22 suspects at a warehouse in Tlatlaya, Mexico State. News media later present evidence that most were executed after being captured.
Sept. 26, 2014: In the city of Iguala, Guerrero state, 43 students disappear after corrupt police detain and turn them over to a drug gang.
December 2016: Homicide rates, which had fallen, return to levels near those of 2012.
A look at notable dates in A look at notable dates in Mexico's drug war marks a Mexico’s drug war marks a Mexico's decade-old drug Mexico’s decade-old drug decade amid doubts, decade amid doubts, war war changes changes article.wn.com article.wn.com article.wn.com article.wn.com
Mexico's Drug War Marks a Decade Amid Doubts, Changes abcnews.go.com
2016-12-10 19:30 By abcnews.go.com
23 /100 1.4 Federal Judge Whose Reputation Ranged Beyond Minnesota Dies (1.08/17) Miles Lord, a onetime federal judge in Minnesota who presided over a number of groundbreaking cases and spoke out against corporate abuses, has died.
Lord's daughter, Virginia Lord, said her father died Saturday in Eden Prairie. He was 97. Lord served as Minnesota's attorney general and U. S. Attorney before being nominated as a federal judge in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson. Former Vice President Walter Mondale , who succeeded Lord as Minnesota's attorney general, told the Star Tribune (http://strib.mn/2hhbrE5) Saturday that Lord handled some "huge cases that reformed the law and set a new standard for judicial courage. "
"When he got onto something, he really didn't care about the consequences," Mondale said. "He wanted to do what was right. "
Lord was behind the bench for the Reserve Mining Co. taconite pollution case on the Minnesota Iron Range in the 1970s. He also presided over a well-publicized consumer lawsuit against the maker of the Dalkon Shield IUD.
The late Hubert H. Humphrey, a former vice president and political icon in Minnesota, once called Lord "the people's judge. "
Lord was raised in Crosby and Ironton, Minnesota, as the second of nine children. He worked as a welder while he attended the University of Minnesota and graduated from its law school in 1948. Along the way, he campaigned for Humphrey, who was running for mayor of Minneapolis. Lord retired from the bench in 1985 and started a private law practice in which he was joined at various times by all four of his children.
"He instilled in his whole family a moral obligation to look out for others," said his daughter, Virginia Lord, a Twin Cities Realtor. Her sister, Priscilla Lord, a Minneapolis attorney, called her father "my inspiration for my life and career. "
In a case that was talked about for years, Lord ruled that Reserve Mining should be barred from dumping tons of taconite tailings into Lake Superior from its plant at Silver Bay, Minnesota, because of the health risks. The judge became locked in a bitter battle with the 8th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which claimed he had shown bias against the company.
In a landmark ruling in 1980, Lord sided with environmentalists when he ordered a continued ban of motorboats in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northeastern Minnesota. In 1983, he became embroiled in lawsuits brought by women who had suffered severe injuries from using the Dalkon Shield, an intrauterine birth control device. He accused the company of "corporate irresponsibility at its meanest. "
One of his proudest decisions, his family said, was a 1972 permanent injunction in favor of equal rights for women, ordering the Minnesota State High School League to permit two high school girls who had no girls teams at their schools to play on boys' sports teams. Two months later, Congress passed Title IX legislation, prohibiting gender-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.
———
Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com Federal judge whose reputation ranged beyond Minnesota dies article.wn.com
2016-12-10 20:09 By abcnews.go.com
24 /100 2.2 UK government facing new Brexit court case -Sunday Times (1.05/17) LONDON (Reuters) - Opponents to Britain leaving the European Union will launch a fresh legal action this week, which could further hamper Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans, The Sunday Times reported.
Now campaigners launch SECOND High Court case to block Brexit by forcing new MPs' vote dailymail.co.uk
UK govt facing new Brexit court case -Sunday Times dailymail.co.uk
2016-12-10 21:20 system article.wn.com
25 /100 0.0 Romney Stooge McMullin Lashes Out Within Mins Of Tillerson Appointment: “Trump Not Loyal American”
(1.03/17) Excerpted From The Hill : Former conservative independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin on Saturday accused President-elect Donald Trump of not being “a loyal American.”
McMullin, a former CIA operative and House GOP aide, made the comment while slamming Trump’s reported pick of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of State.
“It must be clear that Donald Trump is not a loyal American and we should prepare for the next four years accordingly,” McMullin wrote on Twitter.
McMullin argued that with the selection of Tillerson, “Trump has identified a potential secretary of state unlikely to oppose Trump’s alignment with Putin.”
He also accused Trump of “purposely dismantling barriers that protect our nation from dangerous Russian subversion, which he has also welcomed.” Keep reading
Democrats Say Military McMullin: 'Trump is not a People Have No Place In loyal American' Government, Lash Out At thehill.com Trump Appointments patdollard.com
2016-12-11 05:49 Lorrie Thomas www.patdollard.com
26 /100 1.0 Venezuela seizes 4 million toys, will give them to poor kids (1.02/17) BOGOTA, Colombia — Venezuela’s socialist government has seized nearly 4 million toys from a private company and says it intends to hand them out as Christmas gifts to poor children this holiday season.
The country’s fair pricing authority seized the toys from three warehouses run by Kreisel, Venezuela’s largest toy distributor, on Friday. Two company executives were detained on suspicion of promoting price speculation.
Agency director William Contreras alleged that Kreisel underreported its inventory in order to sell some toys at higher prices. Kreisel has not commented officially beyond responding to Twitter messages of support.
Contreras said the seizure would teach companies “that you can’t play with the rights of Venezuelans.” Authorities said local supply committees will be in charge of distributing the toys “fairly” to children.
Venezuela has been wracked by a deep economic crisis accompanied by shortages of goods ranging from food staples to medicine. In recent days President Nicolas Maduro ordered stores to lower their prices between 30 and 50 percent. CBB
Venezuela seizes almost 4mn toys to distribute among poor children at Christmas — RT News rt.com
2016-12-11 00:00 Associated Press newsinfo.inquirer.net
27 /100 16.1 3 Filipino soldiers dead, 17 wounded in clash with militants (1.02/17) The Philippine military says three soldiers have been killed and 17 wounded in nearly two hours of fighting against about 150 Muslim militants in the south.
Regional military spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan says Abu Sayyaf gunmen withdrew after the fierce clash on Saturday in the mountains of Patikul town in Sulu province, and are being pursued by government forces. He says an unspecified number of militants were either wounded or killed.
Tan said Sunday the militants were led by Radulan Sahiron, a one-armed commander long wanted by the U. S. and Philippine governments for his alleged role in kidnappings for ransom and other acts.
Malaysian forces killed three Abu Sayyaf gunmen and captured two others in a failed kidnapping attempt in Malaysia's Sabah state near the southern Philippines on Thursday. 3 Filipino Soldiers Dead, 17 Wounded in Clash With Militants abcnews.go.com
2016-12-10 23:20 The Associated www.heraldonline.com
28 /100 1.0 Six Flags Over Georgia joins in second world record- setting event (1.02/17) AUSTELL, Ga. -- One year after setting a world record for couples kissing under mistletoe, Six Flags Over Georgia joined with fellow parks around the country to set a similar record on an even grander scale.
Officials with Six Flags Over Georgia confirmed that the local metro Atlanta theme park helped five other Six Flags parks set the record for couples kissing from coast to coast.
That record now stands at 839 couples (or 1,678 people).
“For the second year in a row at our park, hundreds of guests were a part of this world record and created a lifelong memory by kissing their loved one under the mistletoe during Holiday in the Park, which is a tradition in Atlanta,” Six Flags Over Georgia Park President Dale Kaetzel said in a written statement.
It was all part of the park's annual Holiday in the Park wintertime celebration.
The Atlanta park set its own world record in 2015 with most couples kissing under mistletoe at a single venue with 201 couples. Both the 2015 record and this year's nationwide endeavor were verified by the Guiness World Records organization.
“Six Flags really outdid itself this year by making history and celebrating the holidays by bringing people together from coast to coast to set a new world record for the most couples kissing under the mistletoe,” said Guinness World Records Adjudicator Christina Conlon.
Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Over Georgia features more than one million lights in 15 holiday-themed areas. There are also 29 rides including nine roller coasters. The event also includes shows food and more through Jan. 4, 2017. (© 2016 WXIA)
World kissing record set at Six Flags of Mistletoe kissing couples - Story fox5atlanta.com
2016-12-10 23:01 Christopher Buchanan rssfeeds.11alive.com
29 /100 18.6 Alabama inmate coughs, heaves 13 minutes into execution (1.02/17) ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — A man who killed an Alabama convenience store clerk more than two decades ago was put to death Thursday night, an execution that required two consciousness tests as the inmate heaved and coughed 13 minutes into the lethal injection.
Ronald Bert Smith Jr., 45, was pronounced dead at 11:05 p.m., about 30 minutes after the procedure began at the state prison in southwest Alabama.
Smith was convicted of capital murder in the Nov. 8, 1994, fatal shooting of Huntsville store clerk Casey Wilson. A jury voted 7-5 to recommend a sentence of life imprisonment, but a judge overrode that recommendation and sentenced Smith to death.
Smith heaved and coughed repeatedly, clenching his fists and raising his head at the beginning of the execution. A prison guard performed two consciousness checks before the final two lethal drugs were administered.
In a consciousness test, a prison officer says the inmate’s name, brushes his eyelashes and then pinches his left arm. During the first one, Smith moved his arm. He slightly raised his right arm again after the second consciousness test.
The meaning of those movements will likely be debated. One of Smith’s attorneys whispered to another attorney, “He’s reacting,” and pointed out the inmate’s repeated movements.
The state prison commissioner said he did not see any reaction to the consciousness tests.
“We do know we followed our protocol. We are absolutely convinced of that,” Alabama Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said Thursday evening. “There will be an autopsy that will be done on Mr. Smith and if there were any irregularities those will hopefully be shown or born out in the autopsy. I think the question is probably better left to the medical experts,” Dunn said when asked if the movement’s indicated the state’s process should be changed.
Alabama uses the sedative midazolam as the first drug in a three-drug lethal injection combination. Smith and other inmates argued in a court case that the drug was an unreliable sedative and could cause them to feel pain, citing its use in problematic executions. The U. S. Supreme Court has upheld the use of the drug. Smith replied, “No ma’am” when asked by the prison warden if he had any final words. A member of Wilson’s family, who was not identified, witnessed the execution. The victim’s family did not make a statement.
Wilson was pistol-whipped and then shot in the head during the robbery, court documents show. Surveillance video showed Smith entering the store and recovering spent shell casings from the bathroom where Wilson was shot, according to the record.
In overriding the jury’s recommendation at the 1995 trial, a judge likened the slaying to an execution, saying Wilson had already been pistol-whipped into submission and Smith ignored his pleas for mercy. Wilson had a newborn infant at the time of his death.
“The trial court described Smith’s acts as ‘an execution style slaying.’ Tonight, justice was finally served,” Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange said in a statement after the execution.
U. S. Supreme Court justices twice paused the execution as Smith’s attorneys argued for a delay, saying a judge shouldn’t have been able to impose the death penalty when a jury recommended he receive life imprisonment.
Four liberal justices said they would have halted the execution, but five were needed to do so.
Smith’s attorneys had urged the nation’s highest court to block the planned execution to review the judge’s override.
Smith’s lawyers argued a January decision that struck down Florida’s death penalty structure because it gave too much power to judges raises legal questions about Alabama’s process. In Alabama, a jury can recommend a sentence of life without parole, but a judge can override that recommendation to impose a death sentence. Alabama is the only state that allows judicial override, they argued.
“Alabama is alone among the states in allowing a judge to sentence someone to death based on judicial fact finding contrary to a jury’s verdict,” attorneys for Smith wrote Wednesday.
Lawyers for the state argued in a court filing Tuesday that the sentence was legally sound, and that it is appropriate for judges to make the sentencing decision.
Smith, the son of a NASA contract employee, became an Eagle Scout at 15, but his life spiraled downward because of alcoholism, according to a clemency request to Alabama’s governor. He had a final meal of fried chicken and french fries and was visited during the day by his parents and son.
Alabama has been attempting to resume executions after a lull caused by a shortage of execution drugs and litigation over the drugs used.
The state executed Christopher Eugene Brooks in January for the 1993 rape and beating death of a woman. It was the state’s first execution since 2013. Judges stayed two other executions that had been scheduled this year.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Advocates call Alabama execution an avoidable disaster rssfeeds.detroitnews.com
2016-12-10 22:43 By Associated mynorthwest.com
30 /100 (1.02/17) 4.0 Man critically injured in Kearns shooting KEARNS — One man was shot and critically injured Saturday and the gunman was on the loose after a late afternoon dispute broke out at the David Gourley Park.
One witness heard a couple of gunshots in the 5:25 p.m. incident at 5015 S. 4300 West, and saw two men running in opposite directions, said Unified police detective Jared Richardson.
Not long afterward, the victim called emergency dispatchers for assistance and was rushed to an area hospital with critical injuries.
Richardson said a K-9 team was combing the park for any physical evidence as officers tried to piece together details of the shooting and apprehend the gunman.
Because of the numerous homes near the park, Richardson said police were hoping someone may have seen something about what played out in the confrontation. Anyone who may have information is asked to call police at 801-743-7000.
Little was known about the victim or the gunman, who is described as an African-American man in his 20s.
One in critical condition after shooting in Kearns fox13now.com
2016-12-10 22:40 Amy Joi www.deseretnews.com
31 /100 31 /100 1.5 County Deputies shop with children for Christmas Gifts (1.02/17) By Anne Neborak, aneborak@21st- centurymedia.com , @AnnieNeborak on Twitter
Posted:
12/10/16, 9:37 PM EST | Updated: 59 secs ago
MARPLE TOWNSHIP>> Twenty-five of Santa’s elves were busy helping children buy presents for their families at Walmart in Marple Township Saturday. Wearing Santa hats and armed with shopping lists, the deputies from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office escorted 50 children around the store as they picked out gifts for mom, dad and their siblings.
“This is the second year for the program. We have many local businesses and law offices donate money so the children can buy gifts,” said Sheriff Mary McFall Hopper. “But even more than that, it is a way to build good relationships with the children. It’s a good day for the deputies and the kids.”
The children and deputies break up into groups and have $100 each to spend. Some of the children are dead-on with the amount they can spend and the items that they picked out. Some have to figure how if they are over or under amount. The deputies financially guide them.
This is Cpl. Joseph Duffy’s second year doing this. He and Deputy John Fitzsimmons shopped with four siblings who were buying presents for their family. Mom was getting perfume, dad, a video game and their aunt was getting a neck massager.
“I think it really is great because it builds relationships with the children and also teaches respect for the law,” Duffy said. “It shows them that we are here to help people and shows them how they too can help others by buying presents. This is a great way to interact with the community. We are here to help. This time of year there is nothing better than giving to others.”
The four children with Duffy were happy about the gifts they were purchasing for others. They knew exactly what they wanted to buy as they filled up the shopping cart with Christmas gifts.
Duffy is proud of the fact to that the Sheriff’s Office came in and collected the most food during the canned food drive in the county. The amount collected by the Sheriff’s Office weighed in at a total of 2,500 pounds.
At the courthouse, there is a mittens tree sponsored by the Sheriff’s Office where employees and deputies have contributed hats, mittens and scarves for those in need.
“We have dedicated and generous employees and deputies who help out,” Hopper said.
After purchasing the gifts, the children were off to the Delaware County Courthouse to wrap their gifts and have lunch.
“This is the best day ever,“ said one of the siblings as she looked up at Duffy smiling.
Christmas gifts for that hard-to-please Conservative on your list commdiginews.com
2016-12-10 22:37 By Anne www.delcotimes.com
32 /100 3.4 Sherlock Releases New Trailer For Season 4, Finale To Screen In Theaters [Video] (1.02/17) It’s not a game anymore. #Sherlock Series 4 coming 1st January 2017. pic.twitter.com/7laldfjXqH
— Sherlock (@Sherlock221B) October 26, 2016
Sherlock will return in The Six Thatchers on January 1, 2017. #Sherlock pic.twitter.com/9QT9vhPGLe
— BBC One (@BBCOne) October 26, 2016
#sherlock
A photo posted by Benjamin Caron (@benjamincaron) on Jun 27, 2016 at 3:31pm PDT
[Featured image via BBC] Watch Benedict Cumberbatch Make a Surprising Confession in New ‘Sherlock’ Trailer (Video) sfgate.com
2016-12-10 21:44 Cameron White www.inquisitr.com
33 /100 13.5 Winds likely contributed to Texas pelicans killed by traffic (1.02/17) Strong winds and high tides may have contributed to the deaths of more than 60 brown pelicans killed by oncoming traffic along a highway near Texas' border with Mexico. The...
Winds Likely Contributed to Texas Pelicans Killed by Traffic abcnews.go.com
2016-12-10 21:42 system article.wn.com
34 /100 2.7 Schwarzenegger: OK Trump is still 'Apprentice' producer (1.02/17) UNIVERSAL CITY , Calif. (AP) — Arnold Schwarzenegger , star of the new version of " Celebrity Apprentice ," is unfazed that President-elect Donald Trump has retained a producer's stake in the show.
Trump tweets he’ll devote no time to ‘Apprentice’ pressherald.com
2016-12-10 21:26 Schwarzenegger article.wn.com
35 /100 2.2 Mexican drug cartel leader's son arrested in western state (1.02/17) Mexican police arrested the son of a drug cartel leader who was extradited to the United States, authorities said Saturday.
Federal security forces said in a statement that the man was arrested Friday in the western state of Jalisco along with four others on suspicion of drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder.
His full name is not given, but a police official confirmed Saturday that it was Alfredo Beltran Guzman. The official was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Beltran Guzman's father is Alfredo Beltran Leyva, a former leader of the Beltran Leyva cartel who in February pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in Washington.
The Beltran Leyva cartel began as an arm of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa cartel. Beltran Guzman is also related to the Sinaloa cartel leader who is fighting extradition to the U. S. The Beltran Leyva operation split from the Sinaloa cartel following Alfredo Beltran Leyva's arrest in 2008.
Beltran Guzman was arrested Friday without a shot being fired in Zapopan, Jalisco. Rifles, a grenade and drugs were also seized.
The statement said Beltran Guzman was connected with the kidnapping in August of several people, including at least one of Joaquin Guzman's sons in Puerto Vallarta. It also suggested he was behind attacks in Guzman's hometown, including on his mother's compound.
At some point, pursued by authorities and Guzman's people, Beltran Guzman moved his base of operations from Culiacan, Sinaloa to Guadalajara, Jalisco, the statement said. There he formed a relationship with other criminal groups, presumably the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Mexican drug cartel leader’s son arrested in western state wtop.com
2016-12-10 21:21 By CHRISTOPHER www.newsobserver.com
36 /100 2.1 Ghana's next leader under pressure to deliver for impatient voters (1.02/17) By Matthew Mpoke Bigg ACCRA, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Ghana's President- elect Nana Akufo-Addo needs to act fast to deliver on his campaign promise to create jobs, restore rapid growth, build a dam in every village and a factory in every district if he is to satisfy an electorate eager for change. Voters gave President John Mahama just one four-year term before they wielded the axe, rejecting him in an election on Wednesday that cemented Ghana's reputation for democratic accountability in a region scarred by civil wars and coups. "If in three years they (the New Patriotic Party) haven't created enough jobs they could face the same voter backlash that Mahama faced," pollster and newspaper publisher Ben Ephson told Reuters. Falls in prices for Ghana's gold, cocoa and oil exports helped sink Mahama. The country is emerging from a fiscal crisis of elevated inflation and debt under the supervision of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. But new oil and gas is set to come onstream in 2017 and 2018 from a $7.9 billion offshore field being developed by Italy's ENI which the government says will boost revenue and aid longstanding domestic power problems. At the same time, a recovery in gold prices in the past year should help Ghana's major gold producers who include Newmont , while cocoa farmers say they are hoping for a strong 2016-17 crop. In a victory speech on Friday, Akufo-Addo, a former foreign minister, acknowledged the pressure to deliver for impatient voters. "I make this solemn pledge to you tonight: I will not let you down. I will do all in my power to live up to your hopes and expectations," he said. FRESH SCRUTINY His New Patriotic Party (NPP) supports the IMF programme and says it will manage national finances more tightly than the outgoing government. But it could face a nasty surprise when it takes office early next year if it turns out budget deficit reduction targets have been missed, economists said. This is possible because Mahama cut the ribbon on some big-ticket infrastructure projects during the election campaign, suggesting increased spending. At the same time, revenue from the Jubilee offshore field operated by British company Tullow dipped in 2016 due to a technical fault on its oil ship. Even so, they said there is little chance the new government will face the scale of fiscal problems that emerged after the last election when the fiscal deficit jumped to over 11 percent. "What we know is that there has been a stepped up effort of fiscal consolidation. What we don't know is how much arrears have crept up due to the decline in oil production," said Razia Khan, head of Africa Research at Standard Chartered. Some business leaders say they are nervous that the new government will want to scrutinise existing contracts. In particular, senior advisers to the NPP have criticised the ENI deal, arguing that Ghana will overpay for its gas. Even if business leaders do not have to renegotiate contracts, they say government decision-making will be on hold while a new team is put in place, and then they will have to forge relationships with a fresh administration. "There is an inevitable slowing down any time a new government takes over," said one business executive who declined to be identified. (Editing by Ros Russell)
Voters in Ghana hope for economic reform from president-elect article.wn.com
2016-12-10 21:00 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk
37 /100 0.9 About 40 cars in pile-up on snowy highway near Detroit (1.02/17) Michigan State Police posted photographs on Twitter of cars with damage to their bumpers and several vehicles with their trunks popped open, apparently after colliding with each other.
No one was killed in the collision less than 40 miles northwest of Detroit, but some people were transported to area hospitals with injuries that were not life threatening, according to the tweets from the Metro Detroit section of Michigan State Police.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, Michigan State Police spokesman Lieutenant Michael Shaw said by telephone.
"Usually in these types of collisions, more than likely it's from following too closely,” he said.
Shaw added that authorities were still seeking to determine how many people were injured in the chain-reaction crash, which he said involved about three semi-tractor trucks in addition to the 40 cars.
Northbound Interstate 75 was temporarily closed due to the collision but by Saturday evening Michigan State Police said on Twitter that the northbound side had reopened.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Mary Milliken) 12 people injured in 37- vehicle pileup on Interstate 75 mlive.com
2016-12-10 20:33 Reuters Editorial feeds.reuters.com
38 /100 2.7 Brazil's Temer cited 44 times in corruption testimony
(1.02/17) RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A former executive at a mega-construction company cited Brazilian President Michel Temer 44 times during testimony to federal prosecutors in a corruption probe, making accusations of illegal campaign financing that put his embattled administration at...
Brazil's Temer Cited 44 Times in Corruption Testimony abcnews.go.com
2016-12-10 20:24 system article.wn.com
39 /100 2.2 Oil cartel seeks output cutbacks by non-member countries (1.02/17) OPEC member states are meeting with Russia and other non-OPEC countries in Vienna for talks about a reduction in oil production. Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo said the discussions began Saturday in a "positive atmosphere" at the headquarters of the oil producers' cartel. ... OPEC persuades non- members to cut oil production lasvegassun.com
2016-12-10 20:05 system article.wn.com
40 /100 3.4 Southwest to resume Los Angeles flights to 3 Mexico resorts (1.02/17) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Southwest Airlines is hoping to resume recently suspended flights between Los Angeles and three resort cities in Mexico beginning Sunday. The airline had cancelled all its flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun since Wednesday because all the necessary paperwork hadn't been completed. Southwest says Mexican authorities issued the permits Friday night to clear the way for the airline to resume its Los Angeles service to and from the cities affected by the shutdown. A total of 40 flights were canceled during the four-day suspension of service. Southwest says it is trying to rebook the passengers on the canceled flights. Separately, American Airlines says it also has received the paperwork it needed to begin service between Miami and the Mexico city of Merida.
Southwest to Resume Los Angeles Flights to 3 Mexico Resorts abcnews.go.com
2016-12-10 19:01 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
41 /100 0.7 The Brady Bunch actress Susan Olsen is fired from LA radio show after homophobic rant (1.02/17) She played the youngest daughter on The Brady Bunch. But it seems Susan Olsen isn't such a lovely lady after all, as she was fired from her hosting gig at LA Talk Radio on Friday after going off on a homophobic rant aimed at a guest on her show. The actress took to Facebook to unleash a series of status updates targeted towards openly gay actor Leon Acord-Whiting to address the controversy, which she sent in a private message that Leon later publicized. Susan, who portrayed Cindy Brady, co-hosted the radio talk show with Sheena Metal, which was titled 'Two Chicks Talkin' Politics.' Acord-Whiting shared his opinion on the former Brady Bunch actress after appearing as a guest on her show, saying, 'It is wildly irresponsible for LA Talk Radio to allow a Trump fanatic to co- host one of their programs, where she can spew her idiotic lies unchecked... 'I think LA Talk Radio needs to give “Cindy Brady” her walking papers... Susan Olsen spreads outrageous misinformation & it is dangerous and unprofessional.' To which Susan replied, 'I thought Monday night's show was really great. But it would seem that one of our participants was less than sporting. That is Leon Accord Whiting = AKA P***y of the Year! 'You f***king snake in the grass. Don't have the nads to stand up to me? You don't have the balls to stand up to Cindy Brady?' ' The actress took the issue a step further when she privately messaged Leon using obscenities, homophobic slurs and hate language to attack the actor. 'Hey there little f****, let me get my big boy pants on and really take you on! What a snake in the grass you are you lying piece of s*** too cowardly to confront me in real life so you do it on Facebook. You are the biggest f***** in the world the biggest p****! My d*** is bigger than yours which ain't saying much!' She concluded the hate-filled rant with, 'I hope you meet your karma SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY.' The formerly beloved child actress ultimately ended her rant by saying, 'People can have different opinions, that's how we learn... I LOVE to be told that I'm wrong and to actually see that I AM wrong!' Olsen's actions promptly led to her termination from the radio show. LA Talk Radio announced on Facebook that they have 'severed' their ties with 'a host that veered off the direction in which we are going.'
Brady Bunch's Susan Olsen Fired as Radio Host After Homophobic Rant usmagazine.com
2016-12-10 19:00 Dailymail.com www.dailymail.co.uk
42 /100 0.0 No. 7 Florida State, behind Brittany Brown, routs UAB 93-47 (1.02/17) No. 7 Florida State flexed its muscle Saturday, outrebounding UAB 49-20.
"We rebounded the ball really, well," coach Sue Semrau said. "When you do that, you give yourself a chance to have some big wins. "
The Seminoles (10-1) rode their advantage on the boards to a 93-47 victory. Six players pulled down at least five rebounds for Florida State, led by six each from Shakayla Thomas, Ivey Slaughter and Maria Conde.
Florida State had a myriad of players step up in the scoring column as well, as Brittany Brown paced the Seminoles with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Thomas (15), Slaughter (15) and Chatrice White (10) also reached double figures.
"That's the beauty of our team right now," Semrau said. "There's a lot of depth and a lot of experience. "
Rachael Childress scored nine points to lead UAB (4-4), who shot just 27.3 percent (6 of 22) in the first half.
"The first half you saw our team come out and play tentative, they were kind of scared," UAB coach Randy Norton said. "But we're a young team and this is all a part of the process. "
Florida State made 16 of 18 free throws.
Even with the decisive victory, going on the road to defeat a young, talented UAB team is something that the Seminoles aim to build on.
"Randy (Norton)'s doing a great job with this (UAB) program and building it, and we have a lot of respect for what he's doing. It's so important that we're able to play good, solid teams on the road," Semrau said.
BIG PICTURE
Florida State: The Seminoles came off a win over No. 23 Florida on Thursday and extended their winning streak to nine games. The only setback was a two-point defeat at the hands of reigning national champion Connecticut, 78-76, on Nov. 14.
UAB: The Blazers fell to .500 with its second consecutive loss, after losing to crosstown rival Samford on Thursday. Florida State marked the second Top 25 opponent UAB has faced this season, also losing a 90-80 decision to No. 21 DePaul on Nov. 12.
BENCH CONTRIBUTIONS
Each of the seven players that came off the bench for Florida State on Saturday scored, led by 10 points from White. Nausia Woolfolk chipped in eight, while Kai James scored six points. Maria Conde also tied for a team-leading six rebounds coming off the pine.
"That's what we need every single game. If we play with that edge, we can have that every game. That's one thing we should always continue to work on," said Thomas. FRESHMAN STANDOUT
UAB shot just 4 of 19 from 3-point range in the game, but three of those makes came from Childress, including a pair in the first quarter. She also hauled in four rebounds, tying a team high.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Florida State has knocked off a pair of AP Top 25 opponents in its current nine-game winning streak. The Seminoles' current ranking is their highest of the season.
UP NEXT
Florida State: The Seminoles will look to extend their winning streak to 10 games when they return to the court Monday, Dec. 19, as they host UNF.
UAB: The Blazers take a week off before traveling to rival Troy next Sunday, looking to get back on the right side of .500.
Florida State sees familiar opponent in Michigan's Don Brown rssfeeds.freep.com
2016-12-10 18:56 By KYLE www.charlotteobserver.com
43 /100 2.6 Brother says former US Sen. Kay Hagan is in intensive care (1.02/17) LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Former U. S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat who represented North Carolina, has been hospitalized after falling seriously ill, her family said.
Hagan’s brother told The Lakeland Ledger in Florida (http://bit.ly/2hghIjE ) Hagan was rushed to a Washington, D. C., hospital Thursday and was being treated in an intensive care unit.
Joe Ruthven of Lakeland said Hagan didn’t have a heart attack and isn’t in a coma. He wouldn’t give any further details.
Hagan, 63, was elected in 2008 and served one term before she was defeated by Republican Thom Tillis. A spokeswoman said she formerly lived in Lakeland but currently resides in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Hagan family said in a statement released to The Associated Press that “Kay is receiving the best possible medical care.” It didn’t give further details and asked for privacy. Tillis sent a statement on his Twitter account wishing for Hagan “a speedy recovery back to good health.”
___
Information from: The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), http://www.theledger.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Brother says former US Sen. Hagan is in intensive care article.wn.com
2016-12-10 18:53 By Associated mynorthwest.com
44 /100 4.9 Radio journalist shot dead outside home in northern Mexico (1.02/17) MEXICO CITY (AP) " A radio station in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua says one of its reporters has been shot dead outside his home. Antena Radio in the state capital, also called Chihuahua, says Adrian Rodriguez was killed......
Super bantamweight boxer, 23, found shot dead 'execution-style' in Mexico dailymail.co.uk
2016-12-10 18:44 system article.wn.com
45 /100 3.7 The US is deploying 200 more troops to fight ISIS
(1.02/17) The U. S. says it will send another 200 troops to fight ISIS in Syria.
These troops, mostly advisers and special forces trainers, will be tasked with helping local fighters retake the city of Raqqa . SEE MORE: These Women Are Fighting ISIS
Raqqa is the current focal point of the Islamic State's sphere of influence, or so-called "caliphate. "
The U. S. has mainly used air strikes in the fight against ISIS, but this next deployment would help with what some say is the final push to retake Raqqa.
This deployment would boost the number of U. S. personnel assisting Arab and Kurdish fighters to around 500.
U. S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter criticized Middle Eastern nations for not contributing enough "muscle" to fight ISIS. He said the additional U. S. ground forces will "continue organizing, training, equipping and otherwise enabling capable, motivated local forces" who oppose the terror group.
More from Newsy : Why Democrats Are Focused On Louisiana's U. S. Senate Race Ghana Shuts Down A Fake US Embassy That Issued Real Visas So The US Is Almost $20 Trillion In Debt; Who Do We Owe?
U.S. is sending 200 more troops to Syria to help fight ISIS article.wn.com
2016-12-10 18:18 AOL Staff www.aol.com
46 /100 0.0 Soldiers on the streets in Gambia as unrest grows after president rejects election result (1.00/17) Gambia 's president-elect said on Saturday that the outgoing leader who now rejects his defeat has no constitutional authority to call for another election, and he called on President Yahya Jammeh to help with a smooth transition in the Gambia's president-elect says Jammeh can't demand new vote article.wn.com
2016-12-10 20:47 system article.wn.com
47 /100 3.3 Jordan Mein vs. Emil Meek live round- by-round coverage
(0.07/17) Max Holloway (16-3-0) will take on Anthony Pettis (19- 5-0) in the main event of UFC 206 on Saturday night in Toronto. Holloway will be crowned UFC interim featherweight champion if he wins, while Pettis is ineligible for that distinction because he failed to make weight. Get updates on that fight as well as the entire undercard here.
Jordan Mein had his first amateur MMA fight at age 14 and he has been fighting ever since. Now 27, he has 39 professional fights and has competed against top opponents like Tyron Woodley, Matt Brown, Thiago Alves and Josh Burkman. His striking is his greatest asset. Meek is a Norwegian fighter making his UFC debut after a knockout win over Rousimar Palhares.
Round 1. The fighters exchange kicks early. Mein ducks down and gets a takedown but Meek gets up in a hurry. Meek lands a couple leg kicks and Mein gets another takedown. Mein lands in side control. Meek gets up and they exchange on the feet. Meek lands a few hard punches. Mein answers with a couple of hooks on his own. Mein gets another takedown and Meek appears to have some sort of injury, perhaps to the ribs. Mein was landing on Meek but got countered and Meek moves in aggressively looking for a finish. They end up in a clinch by the cage and an exciting first round concludes. 10-9 Mein.
Round 2. Meek is the aggressor in round 2, throwing more punches early and then getting a takedown. Meek controls Mein and lands punches on the ground. Meek looks to set up an arm triangle choke submission but then lets it go. Meek goes for it again but Mein escapes. 10-8 Meek. Meek didn't do a ton of damage but Mein was so inactive in that round.
Round 3. Meek again presses the action with punches early. He gets a takedown a couple minutes into the round and ends up in Mein's full guard. Meek lands some punches from the top. He continues to control Mein as the round progresses, landing punches as Mein just holds on. Mein goes for an armbar late and then a kimura. 10-9 Meek, 29-27 Meek. Winner: Emil Meek, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
That was a good, if not great, UFC debut for Emil Meek. He has a lot of personality and energy, which often translates inside the cage. Jordan Mein faded as the fight went on and didn't seem to have a great deal of motivation as time went on.
Nikita Krylov vs. Misha Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Valerie Letourneau vs. Mitch Gagnon vs. Matthew Cirkunov live round-by-round Drew Dober live round-by- Viviane Pereira live round- Lopez live round-by-round coverage round coverage by-round coverage coverage latimes.com latimes.com latimes.com latimes.com
John Makdessi vs. Lando Rustam Khabilov vs. Jason Zach Makovsky vs. Dustin Vannata live round-by-round Saggo live round-by-round Ortiz live round-by-round coverage coverage coverage latimes.com latimes.com latimes.com
2016-12-10 23:06 Todd Martin www.latimes.com
48 /100 2.1 Stunner! Divine signs appearing in Israel Contact WND
(0.02/17) God makes his presence known in the land of Israel – even to this day, and even in the midst of WND’s annual Israel tour.
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, who led the recently completed tour, witnessed a remarkable sign while he was in the Holy Land with tour participants.
“Israel is the land where the spiritual and the physical come together, in signs, in miracles, in revelations, and in the incarnation of Messiah Himself,” Cahn said. “Even as recent as our tour this November, people were remarking at what they saw.
“On our last day, we were standing on the roof of the Upper Room where, on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples. I was doing a special anointing with oil of the people on the tour while we worshiped, and I prayed for an outpouring from heaven. While I was praying for that outpouring, people began noticing that something striking was taking place over our heads. The heavens were opening up and an outpouring of light was manifesting above us.”
See the images:
“However one takes it, it was certainly an encouragement to God’s people,” Cahn concluded.
The rabbi, who has written several books, including “The Book of Mysteries” and “The Harbinger,” claimed it wasn’t the first time he has encountered a divine sign while leading the WND Israel tour.
One year he was at the Jaffa shore, speaking about St. Peter’s vision of a large sheet coming down from heaven, when a large sheet appeared in the sky.
Another time, Cahn was in the wilderness at night, thinking about the fire on Mount Sinai, when lights started appearing on a distant desert mountain. On another occasion, he was in the desert talking about the pillar in the wilderness when a pillar of dust appeared.
It was only last week that dozens of amazed Israel Defense Force soldiers captured another mysterious pillar on video. Israel News Online posted a video of what appeared to be a gigantic pillar of cloud, dust and rain hovering over the border between Israel and Syria in the very same area where ISIS militants had attacked IDF troops for the first time four days earlier.
The cryptic cloud hung over the Syrian side but ended right at the border, sitting like a barrier between Israel’s Golan Heights region and the ISIS-held territory on the other side.
Cahn said the amazing occurrence is consistent with what God has always done.
“In the Scriptures, God repeatedly used such things as a pillar of fire, a cloud by day, to show His presence and power to Israel,” Cahn told WND. “He even used such things to protect them from their enemies.
“The story of modern Israel is filled with such stories, miraculous signs and interventions in the midst of her wars, the amazing stories of protection in the face of Iraqi missiles, etc. So it shouldn’t be surprising, but it is no less amazing.”
Take the first step on a journey which will transform your life. The keys to spiritual knowledge are presented as you embark on an incredible yearlong quest in “The Book of Mysteries,” the latest can’t-miss book by messianic rabbi Jonathan Cahn. Makes an incredible gift! Available now at the WND Superstore.
Carl Gallups, a nationally known Baptist pastor and radio host, acknowledged many scoffers and naysayers will discount the most recent event as a weather phenomenon and nothing more. But the timing and location of the cloud were significant, and it appeared to serve a specific purpose – protecting Israel from its enemies across the border. The pastor, whose most recent book is “When the Lion Roars: Understanding the Implications of Ancient Prophecies for Our Time,” said there have been many supernatural interventions on behalf of God’s people throughout history.
“Even in Israel’s most recent history, specifically within the last 70 years, there are several books and movies that meticulously catalogue the numerous and astounding ‘natural’ occurrences that actually served as ‘just-on-time and at the right place’ kind of events,” Gallups told WND. “These were events that literally saved Israel from ultimate and utter destruction. There are simply too many unexplainable happenings that involve providing for Israel’s survival necessities to be labeled as mere coincidences. It appears that this particular astounding phenomenon might also be added to that list of ‘unexplainables, except for the hand of God.'”
Bill Cloud, the founder of Shoreshim Ministries and author of “Esau Rising: Ancient Adversaries and the War for America’s Soul,” has no trouble at all believing God would intervene in this way on behalf of Israel. “Throughout history, He has shown that He protects and defends the seed of Abraham,” Cloud told WND. “Furthermore, He demonstrates His power to His people and to their enemies. While I’m sure that the scoffers will say that this was a natural occurrence, I would be willing to bet that the members of ISIS who were attempting to harass the Israelis might have a different opinion.
“That this cloud remained on the Syrian side of the border, rendering ISIS ineffective, is fascinating. That coupled with the fact that ‘Isis’ was an Egyptian goddess, it’s not hard to imagine the Creator intended to provoke a recollection of what He did when he brought Israel out of Egypt.
“I strongly feel that we will see more and more of these so-called ‘natural occurrences’ as God moves on behalf of His people.”
Pastor Mark Biltz, founder of El Shaddai Ministries and author of “God’s Day Timer: The Believer’s Guide to Divine Appointments,” said there is no doubt in his mind the hand of God was at work in the cloud over the border.
“Who knows what the enemies of Israel may have been attempting to do?” Biltz asked. “But the timing and the precision with which the occurrence took place was a definite sign to those who oppose Israel that the land of Israel is under divine protection. Concerning God’s oversight of His land, the Bible states in Deuteronomy 11 that it is ‘a land which the LORD your God cares for’ and that ‘the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.’
“May this be a warning to all the nations of the world who oppose Israel’s complete sovereignty over their own land and want to divide Israel by supporting a disastrous ‘two-state solution.'”
Gallups said the bottom line is the Lord works in mysterious ways, and sometimes those mysterious ways involve natural phenomena.
“For those of us who know the Word of God and have experienced his Hand of protection time and time again in our own life’s journey, we understand how the Lord intervenes for His people in these seemingly ‘natural’ ways,” Gallups said. “They are ways which we clearly see as God’s ways, yet are designed to be ‘missed’ by the unbeliever. They will be described by the skeptic as a mere ‘act of nature,’ when in fact they have just witnessed an act from the Hand of the One who created the natural realm.”
Take the first step on a journey that will transform your life. The keys to spiritual knowledge are presented as you embark on a remarkable yearlong quest in “The Book of Mysteries,” the latest can’t-miss book by messianic rabbi Jonathan Cahn. Makes a great gift! Available now at the WND Superstore.
From Russia with love All about God's game plan Contact WND for Israel Contact WND wnd.com wnd.com
2016-12-10 19:58 www.wnd.com
49 /100 5.3 New Orleans voters leaning toward drainage tax renewal (0.01/17) More than a quarter of the money New Orleans uses to maintain its drainage system comes from a tax that voters appear likely to renew Saturday (Dec. 10), but property owners who provide that revenue will actually see their bills decrease as a result.
The tax has been collected since 1967 and is projected to generate $16.1 million this year. Following Saturday's vote, the existing 4.66 millage will be reduced next year to 4.46, resulting in about $690,000 less being collected annually. The renewal keeps the new rate in place for 30 years.
For a homeowner claiming a homestead exemption on a $350,000 property, the property tax linked to this millage would be $446 a year -- $6 less than what was collected for 2016. Commercial property owners will pay $62 per $100,000 in value, down from $65.
This millage provides revenue the Sewerage and Water Board uses for drainage system upkeep. While it will maintain the current level of trouble-shooting, it's not expected to significantly reduce a huge backlog of such work. The utility has delayed $50 million in drainage projects planned for this year, adding to an already extensive deferred maintenance list.
The S&WB will take on more expenses once it becomes responsible for the city's three east bank outfall canals and pumping stations. The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to hand over control next year when the massive construction projects are complete.
Jefferson Parish's $15.4 million drainage tax renewal passing early nola.com
2016-12-10 23:42 Greg LaRose www.nola.com
50 /100 7.1 Update: Fowlerville, Pinckney also declare snow emergency (0.01/17) Three Livingston County communities declared snow emergencies Saturday ahead of an expected snow storm. Howell, Fowlerville and Pinckney will be under snow emergencies until 4 p.m. Monday.
Howell City Manager Shea Charles announced his city's alert at 5:10 p.m. in a press release. The Fowlerville and Pinckney police departments declared snow emergencies later in the evening.
"Please helps us keep our roads safe," Charles said in the release.
Up to 7 inches of snow are expected in the area through at least Sunday.
During the emergency, all vehicles must be removed from streets to allow public works employees to clear streets and perform other winter maintenance in a safe and efficient manner. Vehicles not moved will be towed at the owner's expense.
For updates on the Howell snow emergency, visit www.cityofhowell.org .
Howell declares snow emergency rssfeeds.livingstondaily.com
2016-12-10 23:34 Noe Hernandez rssfeeds.livingstondaily.com
51 /100 5.6 Boat parade stays docked. But festival fun prevails on Lake Wylie. (0.01/17) The parade didn’t happen, but the lights on the lake did.
Boaters decorated their vessels for the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce’s 28th annual holiday boat parade Saturday evening. Due to low water levels, the boats remained docked at T- bones on the Lake, instead of parading along the main channel.
“It keeps it all right here,” said Doug McSpadden, who helps organize Christmas by the Lake land festivities.
One Charlotte boater wouldn’t let Grinch, or a drought, steal his Christmas fun.
“I had to shovel my boat out because it was stuck on land,” said Brian Welch, who with his wife, Kristen, docked at T-Bones on the Lake on Saturday afternoon to decorate their boat.
The Welches were determined to get to the parade.
“We had an awesome time last year,” said Kristen Welch.
Only one time has the parade been canceled because of drought conditions, almost a decade ago. Again this year, drought caused all but one boat access area on the lake to close, including all ramps at Buster Boyd Access Area. But on Thursday, all access sites had boat launch ramps opening.
Teresa Enos and Larry Watts, who live near Mill Creek, never let the thought of not participating in the parade enter their minds. They said they didn’t want to let their granddaughters down. Plus, it’s a whole family event. After winning “Most Festive” award with their first parade entry, Jamaican Christmas, the family voted on a theme for this year’s event.
“ ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ won,” Enos said. The family also donned ugly sweaters, the runner-up theme.
Their 1964 Drift-R-Cruise decked out in the “Grinch” theme also stole the show, winning first place.
Erin and Cliff Birch’s boat “Hot Mess II” took second place, and Ken Brown’s “Disco Ball,” third.
In its third year, the land events include live music, live nativity scene and visits with Santa Claus. Churches also provide warming tents giving out cider, hot chocolate and treats.
Good Samaritan United Methodist Church joined in as a way to connect with community. Along with serving treats, there was a table for children to ice and decorate their own cookies. Marietta DiTommaso made 16 dozen cookies – sugar, chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, molasses and more – for the event.
“You’re supposed to have homemade cookies, not store bought, for Christmas,” she said.
With temperatures dipping to 33 degrees, crowds were undeterred.
“It’s a great turnout,” McSpadden said. “The cold weather is added flavor to the event.”
2016 Lake Wylie Boat Parade heraldonline.com
2016-12-10 22:29 By Catherine www.heraldonline.com
52 /100 2.6 Sri Lanka troops fire warning shots at dock workers' protest (0.01/17) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan naval troops fired warning shots to break up a protest by striking dock workers who have held up a Japanese vessel for four days at the island's southern international port. ...
Sri Lanka troops fire warning shots at dock workers’ protest article.wn.com
2016-12-10 22:29 system article.wn.com
53 /100 0.0 Behold the X-wing fighter parked at Hollywood's 'Rogue One' premiere (0.01/17) The X-wing has been the talk of L. A. for the last week. There were major road closures outside Hollywood's Pantages Theater starting Thursday ahead of the star- (and starship-) studded premiere Saturday night.
Cars weren't allowed in the area around Hollywood Boulevard, but spaceships clearly were able to park.
Behold the X-Wing fighter parked at Hollywood's 'Rogue One' premiere rssfeeds.usatoday.com
2016-12-10 21:41 Bryan Alexander rssfeeds.usatoday.com
54 /100 0.8 For a Civil War veteran and his wife, a final resting place at last (0.01/17) History may never know why the cremated remains of James and Irena Powers sat in storage at a Seattle cemetery for nearly a century. Those details have been lost to time.
But on Saturday, the couple finally got a proper service — with military honors — at Tahoma National Cemetery. As a cold drizzle fell on the snow-dusted cemetery, about 200 people gathered to watch the service, their attention directed to the two urns holding the remains of James Powers, a Civil War veteran, and his wife.
Among those who came to bear witness were four of the couple’s descendants. It was the first interment of a Civil War veteran in the state of Washington since 1951, said James Dimond, one half of the Kent couple that researched the Powers and worked to make it possible.
“It is my honor to have found these individuals and to give them the burial that they deserve,” said Loretta Dimond, James’ wife, who did exhaustive historical research on the couple and on James Powers’ service.
The urns containing the couple’s remains sat in “community storage” at a Seattle cemetery for decades until the Dimonds, who describe themselves as historians with a passion for the Civil War, came across them. After months of research and with the help of Robert Patrick of the Washington chapter of the Missing in America Project, which works to find, identify and inter the unburied remains of veterans, the Dimonds’ detective work ended with a final resting place for the couple.
At the service, women in hoop skirts and bonnets with mufflers to keep their hands warm stood alongside men in Civil War-era military uniforms. Others were dressed in more contemporary cold weather garb, but all were there to see history: It’s only the second time a Civil War veteran has been buried at the Kent cemetery. Re-enactment groups and members of the Puget Sound Civil War Round Table Association and Washington Civil War Association were also in attendance.
But seeing the direct lineage of the couple they spent so long researching and thinking about seemed to provide the biggest joy for the Dimonds and others involved. Jill Mohler and Glenna Miller’s grandmothers were sisters, and were the Powers’ granddaughters. Miller’s mother, Lorraine Burnett, and her son Cory Miller also came to the ceremony, and the family even dug up pictures they found of James and Irena.
“Our family is very grateful and thankful for everyone who’s helped to make this happen and helped us learn more about our heritage,” Glenna Miller said Saturday. “I think we’re overwhelmed at the amount of people involved in bringing this together and just please know how grateful we are.”
The Powers’ son, the Rev. Jesse D. O. Powers, was a leading progressive clergyman in Seattle in his day, and supported the women’s suffrage movement and other causes. The family had heard of him, but knew nothing of his parents, according to Mohler.
“We knew of Jesse in Seattle, but my mother was 10 and Lorraine was 12 when Jesse passed away ... so the history was kind of lost from beyond that,” Mohler said.
How did they connect with the Dimonds? Burnett, an avid newspaper reader, read about their work a few weeks ago in The News Tribune.
“She was reading and saw Powers and recognized the name, and mentioned her grandfather as the eldest son James came to live with in Seattle,” Mohler said. “To be able to come up with these pictures, they’ve been in a basket in our living room for many years. We’ve had pictures of people and we weren’t sure who they were. ... We are so honored to find out more about our family, and our connection and our lineage with the Civil War has just been overwhelming to all of us.”
Civil War veteran interment ceremony thenewstribune.com
2016-12-10 21:17 By Candice www.thenewstribune.com
55 /100 6.4 Mother dead, son hospitalized after homicide in White City (0.01/17) WHITE CITY — A 74-year-old mother is dead and her son is hospitalized after a homicide Saturday afternoon at a White City home, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to a 911 call from a neighbor about 3:45 p.m. in the 300 block of Traub Avenue, which stated a man was screaming and severely injured after being attacked with either a machete or a large knife.
They found Sheila Hamner dead inside the home and her son, who had serious injuries. Her son, whose name is not being released, was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute in Fort Pierce and was still in surgery about 7 p.m. Saturday, sheriff's officials said. Deputies are searching for a man last seen carrying a large knife or machete. He is described as a 5-foot-8-inch Hispanic man wearing jeans and a dark shirt with bright writing, according to sheriff's officials..
Deputies will be investigating the homicide throughout Saturday night. Anyone in the area of Traub Avenue or East Midway Road that sees someone matching the description should call 911.
No further information was available Saturday.
One dead, one hospitalized after homicide in White City rssfeeds.tcpalm.com
2016-12-10 20:51 Nicholas Samuel rssfeeds.tcpalm.com
56 /100 56 /100 0.0 Puerto Rico police seize $13.5 million worth of cocaine
(0.01/17) SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) " Three men are in custody after police in Puerto Rico seized shipments of cocaine worth an estimated $13.5 million during two operations. Police said on Saturday that they seized 25 bricks of cocaine worth......
16 Cuban migrants land in Puerto Rico after boat voyages article.wn.com
2016-12-10 18:44 system article.wn.com
57 /100 0.9 Colombia's Santos accepts Nobel, urges shift in drug war (0.01/17) STOCKHOLM (AP) — Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday, saying it helped his country achieve the "impossible dream" of ending a half- century-long civil war. ...
Colombia's Santos accepts Nobel Prize, urges shift in U.S.-promoted drug war article.wn.com
2016-12-10 18:20 system article.wn.com
58 /100 0.6 Candace Cameron Bure Says Goodbye To ‘The View’ Just One Day After Announcing Departure . @candacecbure announces she’s leaving @TheView : “It wasn’t an easy decision,” she said. “It’s been really wonderful, and I’m grateful.” pic.twitter.com/SvQoca8ZJc
— The View (@TheView) December 8, 2016 On Friday, Bure taped her final episode of the ABC series, which she joined in 2015, and said goodbye to her fellow co-hosts and the viewers.
From karaoke to a sizzling dance performance, we’re looking back on @candacecbure ‘s must- see moments on #TheView . https://t.co/J9L5NZBoXf pic.twitter.com/RxmK6UvEVM
— The View (@TheView) December 10, 2016
Less than 2 hours until @fullerhouse Season 2!!! #fullerhouse @netflix pic.twitter.com/066YYXod0q
— Candace Cameron Bure (@candacecbure) December 9, 2016
“Honestly, it’s the travel,” Bure explained . “I have traveled coast to coast every single week so I could be at home on the weekends with my family, and then back to work in New York during the week. I’ve enjoyed the experience so much. I really grew and learned a lot from the show, but I’m happy to be able to spend more time in LA and do more of my full-time jobs there.”
The View issued the following statement following Bure’s announcement:
[Featured Image by Matt Winkelmeyer/ Getty Images]
2016-12-10 23:42 Lindsay McCane www.inquisitr.com
59 /100 0.7 Adama Barrow urges Yahya Jammeh to accept defeat Appeal by Barrow followed by unanimous statement by UN Security Council calling for transfer of power with undue delay.
Adama Barrow, president-elect of The Gambia, has called on Yahya Jammeh to accept the outcome of last week's election after the incumbent overturned the result in a sudden political U-turn.
Jammeh, who has ruled the West African country for 22 years, conceded defeat in a public address last week, but rejected the outcome early on Saturday citing "abnormalities" with the electoral process.
Changing his position on the election results, Jammeh said: "after a thorough investigation, I have decided to reject the outcome of the recent election. I lament serious and unacceptable abnormalities which have reportedly transpired during the electoral process. "
Barrow said that Jammeh had no constitutional right to reject the results and appealed to him "to facilitate a smooth transfer of executive power".
"I urge him to change his current position and accept the verdict of the people in good faith for the sake of the Gambia our homeland. "
Later on Saturday, in a unanimous statement the 15-member UN Security Council demanded Jammeh "respect the choice of the sovereign people of The Gambia, and to transfer, without condition and undue delay, power to the President-elect, Mr Adama Barrow".
Jammeh's announcement presents an unexpected and severe challenge to the incoming Barrow administration, which was already grappling with how to take the reins of power and deal with the army, which for two decades was loyal to the president.
The latest official figures gave Barrow a narrower win than initially announced - 43.29 percent of the votes for Barrow and 39.64 for Jammeh. Voter turnout was at 59 percent.
The African Union called Jammeh's rejection of the results "null and void" since he had already conceded defeat.
"The Chairperson of the Commission strongly urges President Yahya Jammeh to facilitate a peaceful and orderly transition and transfer of power," Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, AU chief, said, also calling on The Gambia's security forces to remain neutral.
Widespread unease
Soldiers were seen placing sandbags in strategic locations across the capital Banjul on Friday, a development that prompted widespread unease among the population, who had been panic- buying food before the vote, due to fear of unrest.
Witnesses told Reuters news agency that there was particular nervousness about Jammeh's statement that he would deal harshly with any troublemakers who took to the streets.
Reacting on social media, Isatou Touray, Opposition spokesperson, criticised what she called a "violation of democracy" and called on the people to "remain calm, lucid, vigilant and not retreat".
The US state department said in a statement that Jammeh's rejection of the results was an egregious attempt to undermine a credible election and remain illegitimately in power.
Mankeur Ndiaye, Senegal's foreign minister called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council and "solemnly" warned Jammeh not to harm Senegal's interests or its citizens in Gambia.
Senegal, which has Gambia's only land border, and entirely surrounds the small riverside country, is a non-permanent member of the Security Council. Its army intervened in Gambia in 1981, during a coup.
2016-12-10 23:33 Agencies mwcnews.net
60 /100 2.1 Macedonia votes hoping to end political crisis Macedonia votes in an early general election on Sunday in a bid to end a deep political crisis that has roiled the small Balkan country for nearly two years.
The vote was called as part of a European Union-brokered deal between Macedonia's four main political parties after a mass surveillance scandal erupted in February 2015 and sparked rival street protests.
The turmoil led Nikola Gruevski of nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party to step down, after nearly 10 years in power, to pave the way for a snap election.
Sunday's vote, which was twice delayed owing to opposition and international concerns of fraud, pitches the ex-PM against his nemesis, Social Democrat Zoran Zaev.
It was Zaev who released tapes last year that appeared to show government wiretapping of thousands of people, including journalists and religious officials, along with corruption at the highest level.
Gruevski denied the claims and accused Zaev of planning a coup with foreign support.
"Zoran Zaev underestimates the citizens of Macedonia... He underestimates everyone with his games," the defiant former premier told a flag-waving crowd of supporters in a Skopje suburb on Thursday night.
Zaev has pitched the vote as a choice between "doom or life" and pledged to stop an exodus of young people from the former Yugoslav republic, which remains one of Europe's poorest countries.
- Unpredictable -
Although critics describe 46-year-old Gruevski as a corrupt authoritarian who has clamped down on democracy and media freedom, his party topped opinion polls ahead of the election.
There also remained a substantial number of undecided voters, who could swing the result in the country of two million people.
"This election is one of the most unpredictable to take place in Macedonia," Zaneta Trajkoska, director at the Institute of Communication Studies, told AFP.
"Whoever wins the election will have huge challenges and issues to solve. "
A handful of ethnic Albanian political groups are vying to become the junior partner in the new ruling coalition, in a country where a quarter of the population is Albanian.
Albanian insurgents fought Macedonian forces in an uprising 15 years ago, leading to an agreement giving the minority group more rights. - 'Under pressure' -
Macedonia aspires to join both the EU and NATO but accession has been blocked by Athens owing to a dispute over the country's name -- Greece has a northern region also called Macedonia.
The latest EU progress report on Macedonia said democracy and rule of law had been "constantly challenged" in particular by "state capture", meaning the considerable influence of private interests on decisions of the state.
Analysts however suggest Europe has pushed aside concerns because of Gruevski's role as a "gatekeeper" in the refugee crisis, in which hundreds of thousands of migrants have entered landlocked Macedonia from Greece on their way to western Europe.
The refugee wave has put added pressure on the already strained budget in Macedonia, where the average net wage is around 360 euros a month and unemployment stands at nearly 24 percent.
In central Skopje, where Christmas decorations overshadow political billboards, engineering professor Predrag Gavrilovic said it would be the "biggest tragedy" if the election did not bring an end to political instability.
"I think the people are under extraordinary pressure, which we have to get rid of," he told AFP. Polls open at 7.00 am (0600 GMT) and close 12 hours later.
2016-12-10 23:30 www.digitaljournal.com
61 /100 2.0 Turkey's ruling party moves to tighten Erdogan's grip on power Turkey’s ruling party on Saturday proposed constitutional changes that would substantially increase presidential power, a move that comes only months after a failed coup.
The proposal, introduced by the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , came the same day two bombs exploded outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul, killing 29 people and wounding 166.
One blast was apparently caused by a suicide bomber, while the second was produced by a car bomb, the Associated Press reported.
No one had claimed responsibility for the late-night attacks, and it was unclear whether they were directly tied to the constitutional changes proposed by Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party. Turkey has been targeted by Kurdish militants as well as Islamic State. In explaining the proposal unveiled Saturday, Erdogan aides say the presidency is modeled after those of the United States and France, but there will be no prime minister, unlike in France, nor the equivalent of a congressional branch of government.
The president would initiate the budget, name all ministers and rule by decree, while the parliament’s role would be to approve the decrees, or call for new elections if it can muster a two-thirds majority.
If the proposed reforms are approved by parliament, Turks would vote in a referendum to determine whether to adopt the new system of government.
Erdogan needs the backing of 330 deputies in the 550-seat assembly to initiate a national referendum, and he’s expected to be able to do that with the help of his own absolute majority of 316 members from the Justice and Development Party, bolstered by the 39 members of the Nationalist Movement party.
The state-run Anadolu news agency said the proposed constitutional amendment would be reviewed by the four political parties and the government over two parliamentary sessions.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters that each article would be voted on separately and would require 330 votes for approval, then the entire bill would be voted on. A referendum would take place 60 days after the parliamentary process is completed.
If approved, the constitutional reforms would take effect in 2019, and it’s conceivable that after nearly 14 years in power, Erdogan could qualify for two more five-year terms, allowing him to remain in office through 2029.
In addition to the coup attempt July 15, the country has experienced a struggling economy and several bombings and is concerned with fighting Kurdish militants in the southeast and Islamic State in Syria.
Nevertheless, the leader of the main opposition party in parliament compared the reform proposal to the political systems of Nazi Germany and North Korea.
“Is it right to give all the power to one person? ‘I am the state’ is motto of Hitler,” Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the Republican People’s Party said in an interview.
He said Turkey had almost turned into a North Korea, “isolated from the civilized world.”
Turkey is in the fifth month of a state of emergency, after the failed coup apparently staged by military supporters of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric living in self-exile in the United States.
The coup attempt was followed by a large-scale purge involving the suspensions or dismissals of tens of thousands of bureaucrats, teachers, soldiers and others who were considered suspect.
The Cumhuriyet, an opposition daily, has seen its editor in chief and 10 journalists jailed on charges of “acting on behalf of a terror organization without being a member,” a reference to the Gulen movement.
The crackdown provoked a stinging rebuke Friday from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “It is unacceptable that in the 21st century … to suddenly have the terrifying situation where people are scared to express their views,” said Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE representative on freedom of the media.
Who’s to blame for one of the worst fires in California history , Dakota Access pipeline opponents have claimed a big victory for now , Beyonce leads today’s Grammy nominations with nine , Ben Carson is Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development , how will Hollywood speak to Trump’s America , meet Wilbur Ross, the man Trump has tapped him to lead the U. S. Department of Commerce , and John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, died Thursday at 95.
John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, died Thursday at 95 , Al Gore might have gotten played, South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye, and the American Dream is more elusive than ever, a study finds .
Many Oakland warehouse fire questions are still unanswered , how will Hollywood speak to Trump’s America , meet Wilbur Ross, the man Trump has tapped him to lead the U. S. Department of Commerce , and the L. A. City Council hopes to end 'mansionization.’
Flowers placed near the site of the Oakland warehouse fire. Video by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times
Protesting the Dakota Access pipeline (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Protesting the Dakota Access pipeline (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
2016-12-10 23:30 Roy Gutman www.latimes.com
62 /100 0.9 Giuliani Explains Why He Is No Longer Seeking A Cabinet Position GIULIANI: I decided, I guess it was about 10 days ago, November 29th, that the whole thing was becoming kind of very confusing and very difficult for the President-elect and my desire to be in the cabinet was great but it wasn’t that great and he had a lot of terrific candidates and I thought I could play a better role being on the outside and continuing to be his close friend and advisor. That’s sort of the role I played during the campaign, I never worked for the campaign – I was never part of it. It gave me a certain degree of independence in being able to give advice and I saw that he had so many good candidates available, I mean there was no reason to complicate his life any longer. So I withdrew back on the 2
2016-12-11 05:49 Lorrie Thomas www.patdollard.com
63 /100 2.0 Do Electoral College Challenges Have Any Chance Of Succeeding? Not Likely Says One Organizer A major anti-Trump protest is being planned for December which, in part, supports Electoral College elector revolt against the voter’s state-by- state decision. Does it have a high probability of succeeding? Don’t count on it, says one of the movement’s organizers.
Texas Republican elector Christopher Suprun made waves when he said he will not be voting for Donald Trump on the basis of his judgement Trump is not qualified for the job.
“Mr. Trump goes out of his way to attack the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live for bias,” Suprun wrote in a New York Times opinion piece explaining his decision. “He tweets day and night, but waited two days to offer sympathy to the Ohio State community after the attack there. He does not encourage civil discourse, but chooses to stoke fear and create outrage. This is unacceptable.”
The move to upend the will of voters was both sharply criticized and lauded.
The National Review , for instance, labeled the “faithless electors” as “narcissists, and they deserve to be mocked accordingly.”
While some mocked, others organized, centered around the 24 states do not require electors to vote for their party’s designated nominee. Legal academic Lawrence Lessig and law firm Durie Tangri are offering legal advice to electors in those states affected — Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, West Virginia, Georgia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Rhode Island.
Lessig, in a Washington Post column, said the move was entirely legal. “Like a judge reviewing a jury verdict, where the people voted, the electoral college was intended to confirm — or not — the people’s choice,” he wrote.
There were two times the electoral college has reversed the vote. In 1824, it was Congress that decided the election for John Quincy Adams, while in 1876 Congress gave disputed electoral college votes to Rutherford B. Hayes.
But can such an effort install Hillary Clinton as US President? Not a chance, says the National Review, because Congress makes the decision:
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) and its nearly 1 million members are supporting an Electoral College protests culminating with a December 19 rally in state capitals of 50 states.
“While Trump keeps trying to rewrite history, the fact is he lost the popular vote by 2.6 million votes and lacks a mandate for an authoritarian, anti-worker, right-wing agenda ,” Kait Sweeney, Press Secretary, Progressive Change Campaign Committee , said in a statement. “ The overwhelming support for these grassroots protests is a powerful message to Democrats to harden their backbones against Trump.”
Does this movement have any actual practical chance of succeeding? Not really, one organizer indicated to ValueWalk.
Sweeny told ValueWalk “there’s a possibility” the elector protest succeeds “but we have sober expectations and know that the Electoral College will likely elect Donald Trump as president.”
The PCCC’s primary goal is to remind the public that Trump lost the popular vote by 2.5 million votes and lacks a mandate. “Helping lead this protest is part of our larger strategy of urging Democrats to harness the overwhelming grassroots support that exists and stand firm against Trump,” she said. “The majority of voters did not vote for an authoritarian , anti-worker, right-wing agenda. They didn’t vote for an infrastructure bill that’s just an excuse for trillions of dollars in corporate giveaways. They didn’t vote for voucherizing Medicare either.”
Sweeny does not condone the violence on both sides of the political spectrum that followed the Trump election, but she is geared up to battle. The goal of the protest movement is to “put oxygen in the room for Democrats to go on the offensive on ideas that will really help working families — like a real jobs plan.”
While the left looks to encourage electoral college defectors, others are looking to fine electors where the law allows it and threaten challenging their authority in court.
“These people aren’t iconoclasts, visionaries, or heroic renegades,” Jim Geraghty wrote in the National Review. “They’re preening narcissistic idiots who want to be rewarded for refusing to keep a promise, and they should be treated as such.”
As to rumors George Soros is behind this movement? Soros’ spokesperson did not respond to repeated requests to comment, but in the past has denied any involvement in these movements.
2016-12-10 23:23 Mark Melin www.valuewalk.com
64 /100 1.1 Some building halted as counties react to water rights case As counties across Washington respond to a far-reaching state Supreme Court decision involving water rights, angry and frustrated property owners are finding they cannot depend on groundwater wells to build new homes as they have in the past.
In October, the court sided with four residents and the group Futurewise who argued that Whatcom County failed to protect water resources by allowing new wells to reduce flow in streams for fish and other uses. The court said counties must independently ensure water is legally available before granting new building permits.
The decision is likely to affect thousands across the state and represents the latest struggle to balance competing needs of people and wildlife for limited water.
"We have counties all across the state trying to figure out what's the answer going to be at the permit counter when someone comes to build their home," Laura Berg with the Washington State Association of Counties told lawmakers this month. "They are also interpreting it differently. "
On Tuesday, Whatcom County extended for three months an emergency moratorium on certain development that relies on permit-exempt wells. County officials estimate about 7,000 to 8,000 dwelling units would have relied on such wells.
Spokane and Okanogan counties have also adopted interim rules in response to the court decision, and Pierce County now requires a hydrogeologic study showing a well doesn't affect stream flows or senior water rights before a building permit can be issued.
The changes have upset many, who say it would be too expensive and nearly impossible to meet the new conditions. Many say they've spent thousands of dollars to prepare their lots to build only to discover they now can't get a permit because they can't necessarily rely on those wells.
"I can't do anything with this property. I'm still making payments on it," said Bud Breakey, who spent $13,000 to dig a well on a 10-acre lot outside Bellingham. "I've got all my money and the world wrapped up in this. This is my whole future. "
He wants the emergency moratorium to be lifted until new regulations are in place. He and others are looking to the Legislature for a fix. Several state lawmakers say they plan to address the ruling in the upcoming session.
Jean Melious, an attorney who represented the four residents in the case, said the Supreme Court has consistently protected instream flows — water kept in rivers for fish, water quality and other uses.
"You can plan so that new development goes in areas where water is available," said Melious, environmental studies professor at Western Washington University. "The task for local government is to say where do we have water available? "
Futurewise's Tim Trohimovich called the decision a common sense interpretation of state law.
"Requiring new lots and new buildings to have legally and physically available water is just basic consumer protection," he said. "Many counties plan and zone for way more lots than there's water to support. "
Across the state, about 300,000 permit-exempt wells serve 1 million people. Between 2,000 and 8,000 new wells are added each year though drilling a new well does not guarantee legal access to water, according to the Department of Ecology.
Water pulled from these wells represents only about 1 percent of the water consumed in the state, since water is returned to the ground through septic systems. While that amount is small, it's not zero, U. S. Geological Survey's Matt Bachmann told House lawmakers this month.
"If you pull water out of the ground, there will be an impact somewhere," he said. "That impact is commonly too small to measure for an individual domestic well, but it's not too small to measure cumulatively if you look at all the domestic wells in a basin. "
Because of the connection between groundwater and surface water, property owners will find it hard to show that a domestic well wouldn't impact streams at all, said Ecology's Dave Christensen.
Some have suggested water banking — where those with water rights sell to those who need it — cisterns or water conservation measures as possible solutions to meet new water needs. But others say not all of those aren't practical or possible.
In the meantime, property owners say their lives have been turned upside down.
Olga and Gennadiy Skachkov say they worked hard over the years and bought a 15-acre lot near Ferndale in 2004 as part of their retirement plan. The Russian immigrants put in a new road and made other improvements but now can't sell it because of the moratorium.
"There's an existing well. But people can't use the well so no one can build on it. All the money we put into it is lost," said Olga Skachkov. "We feel betrayed. We hope our voice will be heard. "
Jenny and Darren Proben had hoped to break ground on their dream home outside of Bellingham in February.
"It's our lifelong dream to have a tiny bit of land and build a home for our family," she said. "We didn't think it would be a problem. No one saw this coming. It has huge ramifications financially for our family. "
2016-12-10 23:21 By PHUONG www.miamiherald.com
65 /100 3.1 Duterte, PH polls 5th most discussed on Facebook for 2016 President Rodrigo Duterte and the Philippine presidential election were among the most talked about global topics on Facebook for 2016, the social networking giant said.
In Facebook’s 2016 Year In Review, Duterte and the May polls landed on the fifth spot, while the US presidential election won by celebrity mogul Donald Trump emerged as the most discussed topic for the year. Facebook said this year’s top 10 topics were measured by how frequently a topic was mentioned in Facebook posts made between January 1 and November 27, 2016.
“To put this list together, mentions were analyzed in an aggregated, anonymized way and then ranked to create a snapshot of the year on Facebook,” it said. Rounding up the top ten most talked about topics were Brazilian politics, virtual reality game Pokemon Go, Black Lives Matter, the Olympics, the Brexit referendum, Super Bowl, musician David Bowie, and Muhammad Ali.
Facebook also released a list of top 10 Live videos, ranked according to total cumulative views:
2016-12-11 00:00 Yuji Vincent technology.inquirer.net
66 /100 7.7 A longtime love for civil rights No one from Hollywood saw this file.
For decades, Philip Hirschkop, a Virginia civil rights lawyer, has kept his original file from Loving v. Virginia, the case that led to the 1967 U. S. Supreme Court decision legalizing interracial marriages in Virginia and 15 other states.
A film, “Loving,” which opened in theaters last month, tells the story of Mildred and Richard Loving, the mixed-race couple who were arrested in 1958 after they defied Virginia’s miscegenation laws. A judge banished them from the state, threatening to imprison them if they returned. Their love story became legendary.
Hirschkop and another attorney, Bernard Cohen, represented the Lovings during their legal fight.
It was a difficult time to be a black woman married to a white man. “It would have been much harder as a black man and white woman,” Hirschkop said. “They might have been hanged for that.”
Hirschkop, who is still practicing law at 80, dropped the Loving case file on the desk in his home office overlooking the Potomac River in Lorton, Va.
The manila folder contains original letters written by Mildred Loving, who died in 2008. The demure woman wrote in a deliberate cursive, in blue ink on lined notebook paper as she sought legal advice.
“Dear sir: I am writing to you concerning a problem we have,” Mildred Loving explained. In 1958, “my husband and I were married here in the District. We then returned to Va. to live. My husband is White. I am part negro and part Indian.
“At the time we did not know there was a law in Virginia against mixed marriages. Therefore we were jailed and tried in a little town of Bowling Green. We were to leave the state to make our home.” The problem, she wrote, was that they were not allowed to visit family in Virginia. “The judge said if we enter the state within the next 30 yrs., that we will have to spend 1 yr. in jail. We know we can’t live there, but we would like to go back once and a while to visit our families and friends.”
Hirschkop started working on the Loving case by happenstance. In July 1964, Hirschkop was meeting with Chester Antieau, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown University’s Law Center. They were sitting in the faculty lounge when Bernard Cohen sent a note requesting to meet with Antieau.
“Cohen related the basic facts of the Loving matter, and Professor Antieau recommended that Cohen consult with me, pointing out my civil rights experience over the last year,” Hirschkop said.
In 1963, Hirschkop had spent time in Danville, Va., where civil rights protesters had been beaten and pounded with water from fire hoses.
For the next 53 years, Hirschkop would work as a social justice legal crusader, defending the rights of women, teachers, war demonstrators and animals. Hirschkop has served as a litigator for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals since the organization was founded in 1980.
In his career, Hirschkop has represented a number of notable people: civil rights firebrand H. Rap Brown, comedian and activist Dick Gregory, homeless advocate Mitch Snyder, members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and writer Norman Mailer, who had been arrested for demonstrating at the Pentagon against the Vietnam War.
In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Armies of the Night,” Mailer described Hirschkop’s courtroom skills: “Hirschkop’s dark hair and powerful short body put double weight in back of every remark. ... (W)hat he did believe, what stood out about him, was his love of law as an intricate deceptive, smashing, driving, tricky game somewhere between wrestling, football and philosophy – what also stood out was his love of winning, his tenacity, his detestation of defeat.”
Hirschkop traces his passion for social justice to childhood encounters with migrant farmworkers in New Jersey. His father owned a clothing shop and sold “irregular” clothes to migrant workers who traveled through New Jersey to work on chicken and potato farms. “They would be put to live in cleared-out chicken coops with no running water,” said Hirschkop, a former Green Beret who originally set out to become a patent attorney.
Hirschkop and his wife at the time, Phyllis – they married in 1959 and had two children before divorcing 21 years later – moved to Washington so he could attend law school at Georgetown.
By the time he graduated in 1964, the country was mired in racial turmoil. Civil rights work consumed Hirschkop. He traveled dozens of times to the Deep South to work on cases.
After three young civil rights workers, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, were killed in Mississippi, “I had to go there,” Hirschkop said. “Of all the states in the South, Mississippi was the most dangerous place. When the sun went down, if you weren’t with a group of people, you could be killed.”
When Hirschkop started working on the Loving case in 1964, a petition was still pending in Virginia’s state court system. But a win there was unlikely. “I concluded that a separate federal lawsuit needed to be filed,” Hirschkop said.
On a plane to Mississippi, Hirschkop said he drafted a federal lawsuit by hand on a legal pad. On Oct. 28, 1964, he and Cohen filed the federal suit on behalf of the Lovings, challenging the constitutionality of Virginia’s miscegenation laws.
In the movie, Hirschkop is portrayed by actor Jon Bass. Cohen is played by Nick Kroll.
Although it has won acclaim from critics, Hirschkop doesn’t particularly like the film, written and directed by Jeff Nichols, because it deviates from what actually took place.
“The writer called me and said, ‘We’re going to make a movie.’ I never heard from him again.”
There’s a scene in the movie where the Lovings walk out of the Virginia State Supreme Court. “Well, that never happened,” Hirschkop said. “They never went to the state Supreme Court.”
Another scene, which depicts the lawyers visiting Richard Loving at the couple’s farmhouse, also “never happened,” Hirschkop said. “We never went to the farmhouse. They put that scene in there so they could get that line from him, ‘Tell them I love my wife.’”
Hirschkop said, “The movie served a valuable purpose in portraying the story about the Lovings.”
Hirschkop and Cohen argued the case before the Supreme Court on April 10, 1967. The highlight of the day, Hirschkop said, was taking a photo on the steps of the Supreme Court with his father, the man who had sparked his interest in justice at a young age. “That picture has been on my desk for 48 years,” Hirschkop said. “I have, for almost five decades, been able to ask my pop if I was doing the right thing.”
On June 12, 1967, the U. S. Supreme Court issued its unanimous decision in the case: Virginia could not longer prohibit mixed-race couples from marrying.
The next day, the Lovings and their attorneys held a triumphant news conference in Alexandria, Va.
“I remember I hugged Mildred for the first time in all the years I had known her,” Hirschkop recalled. “And they left our offices as a legally married couple no longer facing incarceration and able to raise their children living near their parents, family and friends in the commonwealth of Virginia.”
2016-12-10 23:19 By DeNeen www.heraldonline.com
67 /100 0.0 Are Monsanto And The Ajinomoto Company Poisoning Africa? Aspartame, MSG Danger Revealed With so much to read about Kanye and the K-K-Kardashians, it’s no wonder that news of actual import gets overlooked. After all, why should anyone care about dangerous food additives and questionable growing practices when there are celebrities to watch and selfies to post? Truth is, there’s a whole lot of creepy stuff going on, and precious little of it makes headlines.
Take, for instance, MSG and aspartame. Both are suspected of contributing to and even causing a number of devastating health conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, chronic migraine headaches, and even cancer. When was the last time you heard a news report about either product? The fact that multinational corporations such as Ajinomoto and Monsanto knowingly add potentially deadly chemicals to the foods you eat should scare you into action.
Ajinomoto products have been imported to Africa for years. This big buyout, however, marks the first time that the largest manufacturer of aspartame on the planet has made such a bold money maneuver in Africa. Corporate investments on the continent are not unheard of, however. In 2015, Kellogg’s shelled out several hundred million dollars to buy a 50 percent stake in Nigeria’s largest food distributor.
“The General Assembly must recognize that there must be henceforth a cessation of all manufacturing of and addition to foods of carcinogens, neurotoxins, mercurial fungicides used in the international transport of coffee beans, bovine growth hormones, pesticides, herbicides, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, cottonseed oil, steroids, chemicals fed to chickens to accelerate the frequency of their egg laying, bleach used to whiten flour and sugar, “anti-caking agents” like sodium silicoaluminate added to flour, chemicals added to color and preserve meat, artificial sweeteners, hundreds of manufactured food products containing aspartame (also called NutraSweet), methyl bromide, calcium propionate, malathion, parathion, dieldrin, food coloring, sodium erythorbate, BHA, BHT, TBHQ, sulfides and sulfates added to dried fruits, and foods irradiated with radioactive strontium and cesium, just to name a few.”
In a November 17, 2006, press release , Fox offered an open letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea. Fox noted that when the United States acts alone, they move too slowly on public health matters and had thus far failed to remove “such ghastly additives like aspartame, sodium nitrites, bovine growth hormones, and hundreds of other harmful chemicals from its own manufactured food products.” But that’s not all Fox had to say to the UN.
“Other nations are not so slow. Even Republics in the most “disadvantaged” parts of the world, even those with the shortest life expectancy, like Somalia, Nepal, Haiti, Liberia and 8 other African nations, recognize what the intolerable biochemical mess USA manufacturers have gotten the USA into. By preventing these corporate errors in their nations, the life expectancy in poorer nations will increase; even while the USA’s decline.”
The resolution, which, according to Fox, was supported by India and 53 co-sponsoring nations, failed to pass.
In October 2016, Dr. Betty Martini of Mission Possible World Health International published an open letter to Michelle Ramirez of California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Dr. Martini also filed a Citizen Petition to amend Proposition 65 to include aspartame in the Carcinogen Identification Committee (CIC)’s official List of Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity. Had the petition been approved, product packaging would have changed to include a warning about the potential health risks of the ubiquitous artificial sweetener. Dangerous or not, aspartame failed to be added to the list.
One of the most frightening things we know about aspartame is the way that Ronald Reagan forced its approval on his first full day as United States president on January 21, 1981. On that day, Reagan signed an executive order that severely limited the protective power of the Food & Drug Administration. Simultaneously, Reagan’s personal friend, Donald Rumsfeld, who happened to head the G. D. Searle company at the time, applied (yet again) to have aspartame approved for human consumption. Suddenly, after seven years of being turned down for FDA approval, aspartame became a legal food additive. Four years later, Monsanto bought the Searle company and Donald Rumsfeld received a hefty $12 million bonus.
This Is How Aspartame Causes Obesity https://t.co/YuCJOHrpms
— Dr. Joseph Mercola (@mercola) December 6, 2016
MSG (Monosodium glutamate) was discovered by Japanese scientists in 1908 and patented as a flavor enhancer by Ajinomoto shortly thereafter. Recognized by the FDA as “generally safe,” the powdery flavor booster is known to cause a number of adverse reactions in humans. Mayo Clinic says the most commonly reported MSG reactions include severe headaches, heart palpitations, flushing, sweating, chest pain, nausea, and facial tingling, burning or numbness.
MSG or Monosodium Glutamate And Your Health https://t.co/qmu5JPn7c7
— Chiropractor Dr Burt (@chiropracticrss) December 7, 2016
Stephen Fox was right when he told the UN that the United States takes too much time to protect consumers from potentially dangerous products like aspartame and MSG. Perhaps someday, Fox’s vision of a nutritionally aware United Nations undersecretary general for nutrition will come to fruition. In the meantime, it’s up to each global citizen to make their own consumer health decisions.
[Featured Image by JK1991/Thinkstock/Getty Images]
2016-12-10 23:15 Kaanii Powell www.inquisitr.com
68 /100 1.4 Hundreds of African Migrants Storm Spanish City Around 800 Africans attempted to cross the border into the Spanish city of Ceuta on Friday, and 438 were reportedly successful, illegally entering the city and celebrating in the streets.
Ceuta is in North Africa, sharing a land border with Morocco, and surrounded by a fence.
The migrants were given food and around 100 of them were treated by the Red Cross, according to reports.
From videos taken of the group celebrating, most appear to be younger men, and many are believed to be originally from sub-Saharan Africa. Many of the men were yelling “España!” and doing cartwheels as they paraded through the streets.
They have been taken to a migrant detention center, where they will likely apply for asylum. It is believed to be the “biggest break-in to the territory in over a decade,” Euro News reports.
Follow Justin on Twitter
2016-12-10 23:11 Justin Caruso dailycaller.com
69 /100 1.0 Fed to raise rates as Trump economy looms WASHINGTON, United States — There is little room for doubt that the US Federal Reserve will raise the benchmark interest rate in the coming week for only the second time in a decade.
With unemployment at a nine-year low, jobs being created at an average of 180,000 per month, the economy growing at better than three percent in the most recent quarter and some signs of a pickup in inflation, the writing is on the wall.
Some members of the Federal Open Market Committee, which sets the key federal funds rate, the basis for mortgage and lending rates, have even cautioned that failing to raise rates in December could harm the central bank’s credibility, given expectations set by policymakers in recent months.
“All the necessary and sufficient conditions are there,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told AFP.
With a rate hike assumed, the question remains whether Wednesday’s move will be the first in a series.
That was what central bankers thought was going to happen a year ago, when they announced the start of the “normalization” of interest rates after keeping them at zero in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
But the Fed’s efforts to turn the page on monetary stimulus with gradual tightening quickly went off track, despite forecasts for up to four rate hikes in 2016.
Seven times this year, the FOMC declined to raise rates, impeded by poor US economic data, Britain’s shock June vote to exit the European Union, and above all by fears of interrupting a fragile recovery.
And analysts said there were no guarantees 2017 would see the beginning of a tightening cycle either, given uncertainties in geopolitics and the yet-to-be-determined policies of President-elect Donald Trump, who shocked the world last month by winning the US election while offering proposals scant on specifics.
A Wall Street Journal poll of economists this week put the Federal funds rate at an average of 1.26 percent by December 2017, implying four rate increases. A Reuters poll projects three rate increases.
Stocks have rallied since Trump’s win, with major indices repeatedly setting records on investor expectations that Trump will cut taxes and offer fiscal stimulus, including infrastructure spending — programs the would fuel growth and inflation, and make rate hikes more likely.
The ratings agency Fitch also said it expected US debts and deficits to rise under a likely Trump stimulus plan.
But William Dudley, the influential FOMC vice chair and president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, said in a speech Monday that Trump’s victory created “considerable” uncertainty and it was too early to say whether the Fed’s plan for gradual tightening would have to be adjusted.
Fed futures do not expect a sudden rush of higher rates: the CME FedWatch tool does not forsee a 2017 rate hike before June.
Zandi of Moody’s Analytics said he was looking for three rate increases next year, with policymakers waiting at least until spring to see what the Trump administration would do.
But the upset Trump victory changed things, he said.
“With the election, I think the political dynamics have shifted,” said Zandi, who in June produced a report critical of Trump policy proposals. “I think there’s a good chance that we get some form of fiscal stimulus next year that’s deficit financed.”
“That argues for a more rapid normalization of interest rates,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll have reticent Republicans who don’t want to deficit spend. I think they’ll be more willing to buy into the argument that the stimulus that Trump proposes will lead to supply-side benefits, to a bigger economy.”
But Zandi said uncertain geopolitical developments on the horizon — far right victories in European elections and threats to European integration for example — could throw the Fed off track again.
Jim Glassman, managing director and chief economist for commercial banking at JP Morgan Chase, said he believed the Fed missed an opportunity by putting off rate hikes in 2016 as its worst fears failed to materialize.
“I think the economy’s doing fine,” he told AFP. “The Fed taking its foot off the gas is not going to derail the US economy.” CBB
2016-12-11 00:00 Agence France business.inquirer.net
70 /100 0.0 St. Tammany voters giving nod to 3 parishwide property taxes Three property taxes that fund the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, mosquito control and services for elderly and developmentally disabled people appeared to be heading for renewal victories Saturday night (Dec. 10), according to early election returns. The renewals take effect in 2018 and 2019.
The largest of the taxes is a 4.89-mill levy that generates about $9.6 million a year for the Sheriff's Office. The money is used for such things as deputy's salaries, operations and equipment, the agency said.
Sheriff Randy Smith said the revenue makes up about 20 percent of the agency's operating budget and is crucial to maintaining the current level of law enforcement in unincorporated St. Tammany. The renewal is for 10 years, starting in 2018.
The tax has been in effect since 1977. It costs the owner of a $200,000 home with a homestead exemption about $61 per year.
Voters also renewed a 10-year, 4.2-mill tax for the St. Tammany Mosquito Abatement District. The tax, the sole source of revenue for the district, generates about $8.1 million a year and expires in 2017.
At 4.2 mills, the owner-occupant of a $200,000 home pays about $50 a year for mosquito control. The district, which employs about 20 full-time staffers and about 30 part-timers, conducts aerial and roadside spraying to combat almost 50 species of mosquitoes.
Voters also renewed a 2-mill tax that generates about $1.7 million annually each for the Council on Aging St. Tammany and STARC. The organizations provide senior citizens and developmentally disabled people with transportation, independent living, meals, education and job training.
The renewal is for 10 years, starting in 2019. The tax costs the owner of a $200,000 home with a homestead exemption $25 per year.
The money accounts for 22 percent of STARC's funds this year. At the Council on Aging St. Tammany, the tax dollars make up 38 percent of the budget, according to the agency; some of the tax money is used by the council as a match for federal dollars for its transportation program.
2016-12-10 23:06 Robert Rhoden www.nola.com
71 /100 1.7 Saudi energy minister on historic oil deal — RT News The Saturday meeting of the members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) with 12 oil exporting countries outside the group “is significant because [it] has brought so many countries together for the first time,” Al-Falih said. Al-Falih stressed that the total volume of oil produced by the countries that attended the meeting is close to 53 million barrels per day out of a total of roughly 90, so their share in the world’s oil production approaches 60 percent. He went on to say that the share of the countries that took part in the negotiations in Vienna on Saturday is even greater in the total volume of oil that is traded because “oil produced by the countries that were not represented at today’s meeting is mostly consumed within the countries that produce it.”
The minister welcomed the agreement on the oil production reduction and hailed Russia’s commitment to the deal.
“This meeting gave us understanding that we are all in the same boat, we all benefit [from being] together while [our attempts] to take advantage of each other” eventually hurt the market, he said, adding that this agreement showed that the OPEC and non-OPEC countries “were able to build trust.”
He then stressed that the parties to the agreement have to reinforce this mutual trust by ensuring the maximum compliance with the agreement and expressed his hope that Russia will take one of the leading roles in this process.
Al-Falih particularly said that he trusts the word of the Russian Economy Minister Aleksandr Novak and expressed confidence that Russia will comply with the terms of the deal.
“If Russia and Saudi Arabia lead, the rest will follow,” he stressed.
He then said that he “does not expect the US government to react to this in any way” to the Saturday deal as it has “not reacted in the past and let the market respond.”
At the same time, Al-Falih expects oil producers in the US to “respond to the higher prices and more stability” which will result in “healthy” development. Saudi Arabia welcomes the development of the oil industry in the US, as it “has been a center of innovation” and provided “new cost-efficient technologies” , so the Saudis want it to be “competitive and healthy.”
On Saturday, twelve non-OPEC countries, including Azerbaijan, Oman, Mexico, Sudan, South Sudan, Bahrain, Malaysia, Equatorial Guinea, Bolivia, Kazakhstan and Russia, agreed to cut oil production by 558,000 barrels per day (b/d) under the deal with the OPEC members.
OPEC members also confirmed their commitment to the plan to reduce the oil supply by 1.2 million b/d. This, together with the commitments made by non-OPEC states, would lead to the total reduction of oil production by about 1.7-1.8 million b/d, Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said at the press conference.
The commitments taken by both OPEC and non-OPEC countries put an end to the ’pump-at-will’ policy the group has conducted since 2014, which sent oil prices down from $100 to less than $50 a barrel. Now, both OPEC and non-OPEC oil exporters are trying to push prices up.
2016-12-10 23:01 www.rt.com
72 /100 4.0 What does Taiwan hope for following Tsai-Trump phone call? Taiwan is hopeful of securing a solid communication channel with the incoming administration of US president-elect Donald Trump following a telephone conversation between the island’s leader Tsai Ing-wen and Trump on December 2. While acknowledging the call did not signal any major policy shift by the United States in terms of Sino-US-Taiwan relations, Taiwanese officials said the call could give Taipei more room to manoeuvre in improving substantive ties with Washington. But analysts said the call had already had a negative impact on strained relations between Taipei and Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has warned the US and other countries against official contact with the island. Beijing has criticised Tsai for failing to fully back the 1992 consensus, a tacit understanding reached between Taipei and Beijing that year that there was only “one China” but each side has its own interpretation of what that stands for. The apparently consistent stance between Tsai and Beijing so far is the South China Sea issue, with Tsai pleading to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty when she made her inauguration speech on May 20. The telephone call between Tsai and Trump on December 2 also raised eyebrows in the US where critics said the president-elect, although still a private citizen until his inauguration as US president on January 20, had broken nearly four decades of diplomatic convention and risked upsetting Sino-US relations. Observers said the call could prove costly for Tsai, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, who needed to be cautious in the face of an infuriated Beijing. Both the US and Taiwanese sides said Tsai called Trump to congratulate him on winning the US presidency and Trump responded by congratulating Tsai on her own electoral victory early this year. The two talked for just over 10 minutes, and discussed economic and security issues. The conversation alarmed the political circle within the US and drew fire from the mainland as it was the first time any US president or president-elect had publicly communicated with a Taiwanese leader since 1979, when Washington severed formal diplomatic ties with Taipei. Lo Chih-cheng, international affairs director of the DPP and a legislator, said the phone call, though only a small step forward in US-Taiwan relations, represented a solid communication channel between the Tsai and incoming Trump governments that could allow Taiwan “to have more room for manoeuvreing in dealing with the US in the future”. “But we should not have excessive expectations about future US policy towards Taiwan as Trump is not like any conventional leader in the United States,” he said. After the call, the White House has reassured Beijing that Washington would continue to respect the one-China policy. Beijing, although angered, has muted its displeasure, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi describing the call as a “petty trick” by Taipei. Ni Yongjie, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Taiwan Studies, said: “The telephone call gimmick shows that the DPP is accustomed to making short-term and childish manoeuvres, and it is feared it will have to pay a big price for such a small action in terms of international politics.” Chao Chun-shan, a cross- strait expert and an honorary professor of Tamkang University in Taiwan, said the call was one “small step” forward in terms of US-Taiwan relations, but a “big step” backward for cross-strait relations. “In strengthening relations with the United States, the Tsai government should avoid getting involved in the scrambling of interests by the two big powers, or it risks facing a difficult situation,” he said. Analysts said Tsai had chosen to play down what was seen as a small diplomatic victory for Taiwan by telling a group of visiting US journalists that the call was “not a policy shift of the United States” and that she viewed the improvement of US-Taiwan and cross- strait ties were equally important. On Friday, Tsai said her government would firmly uphold its sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea and its rights in the region based on international and maritime law. She made the comment during the opening of an exhibition marking the 70th anniversary of the recovery of the control of the Republic of China – Taiwan’s official title – over Taiping Island, a disputed land formation in the South China Sea. People’s Liberation Army advisers have expressed concerns about the Tsai government’s position on Taiping Island, and said they hoped Taipei would cooperate with the mainland in the disputed region.
2016-12-10 23:01 Lawrence Chung www.scmp.com
73 /100 2.4 Delhi, where even China’s pollution fades into insignificance H aving grown up in perennially polluted New Delhi, smoggy skies were so unremarkable to me that I didn’t even notice anything was awry in Beijing for years after moving there. Till a spring morning in 2006.
It was an ordinary start to the day in most respects. I ate a quick breakfast of jian bing , crispy dough and egg pancakes brushed with a spicy sauce, and then made my way to my study. It was only when I looked out of the window above my desk that I realised this was anything but an ordinary morning. I blinked hard, gasping in wonder at the apparition: a cerulean blue sky, punctuated by the sweep of rolling hills. For the 10 months I had lived in this apartment, the view from my study had only revealed the low, tiled rooftops of the courtyard homes that clustered around our complex, and beyond that a patch of turbid sky that varied only in its shades of grey. The appearance of the hills felt magical, except it was not magic, merely the absence of air pollution.
Before that moment, I don’t think I had really “seen” the dirty air in China. My first few years in Beijing only evoke romanticised nostalgia. I remember the summers as hot and languid. The autumn was short and crisp, the streets layered with fallen leaves the colours of sunset. Winter conjures images of candied crab apple vendors and fearsome winds from Siberia. In spring the hot-cold sand of the Gobi Desert blanketed the city in gritty orange. It was on this seasonal occurrence that most of the local conversation on pollution used to be focused.
Rich-country expats certainly muttered aplenty about Beijing’s toxic air but my reaction to these were initially akin to that of most Chinese themselves: dismissal as overblown first-world concerns. In China, as in India, the general attitude even to days when the skies were thick enough to cut with a knife was to associate the griminess with weather phenomena like fog and sandstorms, rather than pollution.
In China the tipping point that shifted both awareness of – and attitudes to – air pollution was the 2008 Olympic Games. In the run-up, Beijing went into construction overdrive to retool itself with Olympics-worthy infrastructure, plunging the city into a years-long haze of construction dust. Meanwhile, after having gawped at the successes of China’s history-defying Red Capitalism for years, many foreign journalists found the Olympics a perfect opportunity to hold the Chinese authorities to account for their numerous failings, from media censorship to corruption. Pollution bestrode coverage of the Games, dwarfing everything else. Beijing’s air quality became the litmus test for the Communist Party’s willingness to modify its policy of sacrificing all at the altar of economic growth.
Beijing’s poor air was the result of compound factors ranging from vehicular to industrial sources. But it was exacerbated by unhelpful geography, a feature that Beijing shares with Delhi. The Chinese capital has mountain ranges to its north and west, which prevent the pollution drawn in from the industrial townships to its east and south from escaping.
Also, low temperatures in the winter create an inversion layer, a phenomenon mirrored in Delhi, so that cold air bands get pressed under a warmer air mass, trapping pollutants close to the ground.
As I began to engage with China’s degraded environment as a reporter, the parallel of Delhi’s smoggy skies became harder to ignore. Every Christmas holiday I returned home to putrid air that left my eyes smarting and throat aching as much as anything I had experienced in China.
Yet, whenever I raised the issue with friends, I was met with blank stares or eye-rolling intended to indicate how much of a ‘foreigner’ I had become.
Be it China’s authoritarian political context or India’s chaotic democratic one, channelling one’s inner ostrich when it comes to air pollution is a universal affliction in developing Asian countries. To understand what from a rich-country perspective is the developing world’s peculiar obduracy in reacting to pollution, one must take into consideration the fact that many Beijingers and Delhiites will die prematurely or suffer long years of bad health regardless of air pollution. They must grapple with a long list of possible ills including typhoid, dengue, tuberculosis and malnutrition, before becoming overly concerned with the cardiovascular implications of exposure to toxic air.
Yet, greater awareness can, when the information is dire enough and perceived as such, eventually lead to change, a process that, by the time of the Olympics, had clearly begun in China. According to the UN Environment Programme, US$17 billion was spent on environmental projects between 2001 and 2008. By the time of the Olympics, 90 per cent of the city’s waste water was treated (compared to only about 40 per cent in Delhi at present). New roads, railway and metro lines had been built to encourage an alternative to cars. The number of public buses doubled to 20,000 between 1991 and 2007. Over 200 polluting industries (including cement, lime, brick and coke) were relocated outside the city and more than 16,000 small coal-fired boilers were converted to natural gas.
Arguably the most significant environmental legacy of the Games was an increase in the awareness of the terrible, pollution-related problems that China faced. The media attention garnered by air pollution made the dirty air visible to residents in a way that years of actually living with heavy particulate matter had not managed.
On a personal level, my relationship with pollution became more adversarial after my son was born, a month after the Games. First-time parenthood engendered a siege mentality in me.
I began to navigate the quotidian as though under attack, spotting enemy forces in the food we ate, in the water, in the milk and in the air.
As my boy approached six months of age, he began wheezing like a grandma on a mountaineering expedition. He was diagnosed with a lower respiratory disorder, bronchiolitis, that our paediatrician said was common in babies born in Beijing. Our nights became nightmarish as we stayed up watching over our child gasping even in his sleep.
A few months later we moved to Brussels, the Belgian capital, where my husband began a new job. Our son, now 8 years old, has never experienced any respiratory symptoms since.
The ability to up and move is a deep privilege. Those from that often-annoying demographic, the expatriate, have choices that most locals do not. They have resources, in terms of both information and money, that most locals do not. Most importantly, they have an exit. I well appreciated why expats moaning about pollution could feel so egregious to those for whom toxic air was not just a hardship posting, but life.
This divide between the ‘tourists’ and those serving a life sentence in the acrid megalopolises of the developing world is the unfair result of the throw of some cosmic dice. Yet the role of the foreign community in drawing attention to the health effects of air pollution, and in creating knowledge of the ways to mitigate pollution’s worst effects (through the use of air purifiers, masks, pollution-monitoring devices, etc), was crucial in Beijing, as it would be in Delhi later.
In 2014 I returned to China, visiting Beijing and Tianjin for a World Economic Forum summit. While the Westerners in our group had come prepared with face masks, the Indians kept squinting into the smog, perplexed. I was repeatedly approached by the Indian participants about whether ‘this’ – the air outside our conference centre – was what all the fuss was about.
‘But, this is nothing’
“But, this is nothing,” they would say in bewilderment. I giggled. It reminded me of my own reactions as a novice reporter in China. On field trips with Western colleagues into the country’s interior, everyone would be agitatedly reporting on the dire poverty, when all I could think on beholding the decently clothed, electric fan-owning ‘poor’ was, ‘This? But, this is nothing.’
Until very recently the China-oriented “airenfreude”, so common in Western media, was prevalent in India as well. But India has been choking even worse. According to Nasa satellite data, PM2.5 levels across India rose by 13 per cent between 2010 and 2015, while China’s fell by 17 per cent. Last year was the first time the average Indian was exposed to more particulate matter than the average Chinese. In 2014, a World Health Organisation study ranked Delhi as the world’s most polluted city. Neither Beijing nor any other Chinese city even figured in the top 20, but 13 Indian cities did.
Despite its international image as the poster boy for pollution, China has in fact emerged as the front runner among polluted Asian countries in tackling dirty air. It has instituted a regionally coordinated system of monitoring, installed hi-tech pollution abatement equipment on most of its power plants, and devised means to restrict car ownership in major cities.
China now has a network of 1,500 air quality-monitoring stations in over 900 cities and its coal use is down and coal-fired power plants are increasingly efficient. Beijing’s 12th five-year plan (2011-16) contained an unprecedented emphasis on environmental issues. In 2013, Beijing announced that total public and private investment in pollution abatement would amount to US$163 billion over the next five years. By 2017 all vehicles, across the nation, must comply with China’s fifth set of emissions standards, while renewables will make up a fifth of its overall energy consumption by 2025.
After years ignoring its own pollution problem, and years behind China, even India – or, more specifically, Delhi – is finally experiencing an airwakening of sorts. Helped by an activist judiciary, an increasingly aware and globally connected middle class, and a chief minister who himself suffers from respiratory disorders, Delhi’s annual average PM 2.5 levels have reduced by 20 per cent since 2014, according to 2016 WHO data. Emissions standards for cars have been strengthened and restrictions placed on the sale and registration of diesel vehicles.
With this winter’s emergency-level smog, pollution has finally burst onto the front pages like a new type of Diwali cracker. The city government responded with emergency measures. Citizen- led interest groups are pressing for longer-term change and ordinary people are asking aloud why their kids should have lungs akin to those of smokers. Pollution is finally taking its place among issues like corruption and the safety of women. When I visited Delhi earlier this year, I found even our neighbourhood paanwallah discussing ambient air. “It’s very bad, this pollution,” he complained.
But going by Beijing’s experience, there is one certainty for Delhi amid the raft of contingencies: as the effects of regulations can take decades to realise, the skies are going to get worse before they get better. ■
A foreign correspondent, Pallavi Aiyar is the author of Choked: Everything You Were Afraid to Know About Air Pollution, New Old World and Smoke and Mirrors
2016-12-10 23:01 PALLAVI AIYAR www.scmp.com
74 /100 1.0 Big spiders invade national park Voracious spiders first documented on South Carolina’s coast have drifted into the state’s interior and settled at Congaree National Park, in what federal officials say is a result of the...
2016-12-10 22:53 system article.wn.com
75 /100 75 /100 4.5 Haverford School District looks to refinance bonds By
Lois Puglionesi, Times Correspondent
Posted:
12/10/16, 9:52 PM EST | Updated: 2 secs ago
HAVERFORD >> School directors recently approved a parameters resolution that will pave the way for refinancing bonds at lower interest rates.
Financial advisers Jamie Schlesinger and George Magnatta said three bond issues are currently eligible for refunding.
They are the Series 2012, with outstanding principal of $9.7 million, Series 2013, with $5.5 million outstanding principal, and Series 2014, with $9.8 million outstanding principal.
Refinancing would be contingent upon achieving a minimum 2 percent savings, Schlesinger said. He estimated a savings potential of $750,000.
School director Phil Hopkins compared the measure to refinancing a home mortgage. Hopkins estimated that savings from past bond refinancing totals in the millions.
The resolution school directors approved is not a commitment, but authorizes its agents to move forward when conditions are favorable and the 2 percent threshold is met.
Business Manager Rick Henderson said later that due to current volatility in markets, the refinancing would not be attempted in 2016. “We will continue to monitor the market in 2017 for the opportunity to refinance,” Henderson said.
In other business, school directors also recognized employees with 25 years of service. They included educators Mike Mullen, Karen Sellman, Carolyn Russo and Sandra Turek.
Members of administrative and support staff were also recognized, including Joe Pelka, Pat Novino, Nancy Ryan, Charlene Turner and Kathy Swartz.
2016-12-10 22:52 By Lois www.delcotimes.com
76 /100 76 /100 3.0 Opinion Editorial: Why don’t they move the Pa. Society back to Pa.? Posted:
12/10/16, 9:50 PM EST | Updated: 28 secs ago
You would think a state that makes you visit three different places to secure beer, wine and liquor would know how to throw a party.
Apparently not.
Yes, it’s once again that festive time of year when our elected representatives, along with assorted other movers and shakers in Pennsylvania politics, gather to slap each other on the back and make merry.
And what’s wrong with that? Nothing really. We like a good party as much as anyone.
All except for one thing.
As they have done for decades, the swells – Pennsylvania’s elite – collectively thumb their nose at the rest of us schlubs by gathering not Philly or Pittsburgh – hell, not even in Harrisburg or Punxsutawney. No, make the trek 190 miles north to gather in New York City.
Yes, this weekend once again our statewide inferiority complex is underscored by the annual gathering called the Pennsylvania Society.
That is not a typo. You read it right. The Pennsylvania Society meets in the New York City. The Big Apple. No wonder so many people back here in Pennsylvania get themselves twisted into a pretzel over this annual exercise in having your nose rubbed in it.
And we’re not the only ones that feel this way.
An unscientific poll conducted by the PoliticsPA website showed most respondents were not exactly in a party mood when it comes to this annual display of extravagance outside the state’s borders.
A plurality, 35 percent of those who responded, said the party should be moved to Pennsylvania. Ironically enough, another 24 percent said the fete should be scrapped altogether. Another 18 percent said they had no problem with the party, and still 17 percent more said they actually support it. Six percent said it sparked fears of cronyism. Probably those do-gooder liberals again.
This is not the first time we have wagged our finger at this annual excess. It’s one thing for Pennsylvania’s power players to be wined and dined by lobbyists and others looking to bend the ears of those who write our laws. In fact, as sad as it sounds, we’ve come to expect it. Yes, there is more than a little wink-wink, nod-nod in all this glad-handing and back-slapping. We’re not saying there is any quid pro quo in all this frivolity; we’d also be fools to believe that those who are shelling out big bucks to foot the tab for this ritzy shindig don’t expect to get a little bang for their buck.
It’s called influence. And it don’t come cheap. In Pennsylvania, or New York.
The truly galling thing in all this continues to be the fact that all of this money is being spent not here in the Keystone State, not helping the bottom line of these folks’ constituents, but rather in the Big Apple.
They put the Monongahela, Susquehanna and Schuylkill in the rear-view mirror and set sail for the weekend in the Big Apple.
The Plaza and Waldorf-Astoria’s gain is Pennsylvania hotels’ loss.
It takes a special kind of gall to pull off that kind of insult to injury.
Meet the Pennsylvania Legislature, one of the biggest and most expensive such cabals in the nation.
And what do we get for it? A balanced budget? A decent, fair education funding plan? Stable property taxes? A solution to a ticking time bomb that is our two massively underfunded public employee pension plans?
Not exactly. We get to buy wine in some supermarkets.
Welcome to Pennsylvania, Land of Giants.
All of this must be especially galling to the 450 state workers who recently received layoff notices from their jobs at the state Department of Labor & Industry. They’ll be out of work effective Dec. 19. They’re pawns in just one more standoff between Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Republicans in the state Legislature.
They probably will be doing their holiday partying in slightly less extravagant digs closer to home than their elected representatives.
Come February, Wolf will once again present a spending plan which will immediately be greeted with guffaws from Republicans in Harrisburg.
They don’t like the governor’s penchant for seeking new taxes to fund programs, in particular his gambit – which he now has tried unsuccessfully twice – to raise both the sales and personal income taxes.
In recent years we have lauded the governor for eschewing this annual exercise in excess that amounts to a huge slap in the face of Pennsylvania taxpayers. Once again this year the governor is stepping up, donating $10,000 to each of three state food banks in lieu of rubbing elbows with the elites in the Big Apple. We wish more of his counterparts did likewise.
At a minimum, they should move the party back here to Pennsylvania. Spread the money around. Alternate it in different parts of the state each year.
Maybe they could event add a few “commoners” to the guest list.
After all, eventually, they’re the ones who pick up the tab. 2016-12-10 22:50 www.delcotimes.com
77 /100 2.8 Beru Revue rocks Ardmore for a good cause By Colin Ainsworth, [email protected]
Posted:
12/10/16, 9:50 PM EST | Updated: 4 secs ago
LOWER MERION >> It’s a night of Christmas cheer, goodwill toward men and “Alice Cooper meets Gilbert and Sullivan on steroids” when Philadelphia theatrical rockers Beru Revue takes the stage Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Ardmore Music Hall to benefit the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy. The show marks the 20th Beru Christmas Show and Benefit and celebrates 35 years since the band first graced the stages of the Philadelphia club circuit in 1981.
“Those zany masters of rock ‘n’ roll,” as described by 1980s WMMR radio spots, conjure the holiday spirit with Christmas songs worked into their standard set lists. “We have our takeoff on the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas,’ a killer ‘King Wenceslas,’ which is pretty straight up other than its metal [laughs], and a 15-minute medley of songs,” said frontman Bob “Beru” McCafferty. The set still includes the band’s rendition of “White Christmas,” faithful to the rock ‘n’ roll arrangement of deceased guitarist Jerry Healy, heard to the present day on 93.3 WMMR around Christmas.
Beru, an Upper Darby native and current Media resident, is joined by fellow county residents guitarist Greg Davis, bassist Jerry Getz and Yeadon native Tommy Pinto on drums, all currently of Swarthmore.
The 20th Beru Christmas Show and Benefit continues a tradition that began in the same spot on Lancaster Avenue, during its past life as the 23 East Cabaret, on Christmas night in 1984. The band had grown in popularity over its first three years and had the ability to try something new. “I was always intrigued by the Grateful Dead playing on Christmas,” said Beru. With no other clubs opened Christmas night, the benefit concert turned out to be a hit, offering the band’s audience a place to go Christmas night and bringing in a who’s who of the Philadelphia music and comedy scene. “It was a ho-down. We brought in whole bunch of people – Craig Schoemaker, Joe Conklin, Tommy Conwell, The Hooters, The Daves. At that point we had raised about $10,000 for Big Brother and Big Sisters.”
The Christmas benefit remained a constant through Beru Revue’s break up in 1988 and the emergence Beru and Davis’ successor group Beru Haha. “It became the Beru Christmas Benefit and ran through around 1992. At that point we made it for the homeless through Project Home.” Beneficiaries since the band’s 2006 reunion have been Safe Harbor, City Team Ministries and its current partner, HMS School.
The Christmas concerts’ earlier beneficiaries were an appropriate fit for a band that balances theatrical fun with what Beru describes as a ““Dickensonian social consciousness” in many of its songs, such as Philadelphia radio hit “Hoods A Go-Go,” “no help for the hopeless, no jobs for the unemployed, got no favorite pastimes, teach your children to destroy.”
The switch to HMS School has a more personal meaning for the band, going back to a dying wish of original bassist Johnny Sacks, who succumbed to cancer in 2004 during the planning stages of the band’s reunion. “He was very concerned in his dying days with children in discomfort. He was pleading with me to do something for that. I took that to heart,” said Beru. With a relative of the band attending HMS, it seemed a natural fit to fulfill their departed bandmate’s request.
The roots of the band’s ability to mix fun-loving theatrical rock with wry social commentary go back to Beru’s upbringing in the Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby Township. “I’m a DH guy. This amalgamation of nice people from all different walks of life – that’s Upper Darby. You have lawyers, steamfitters, service employees, bankers. I have friends I went to school with at St. Dots who did well for themselves, and they still want to come to the St. Bernadette’s game and neighborhoods bars.”
Beru compares the relationships he saw in Drexel Hill with the band’s loyal audience and its support of the benefit concert. “If you know me you know me, don’t be hot and cold. We know each other all the time, no matter what the setting. Down and out, you still know me and hopefully we’ll help each other.”
Beru continued on from Drexel Hill to explore the socio-economic strata of the Philadelphia area. “I had the great fortune to go to Haverford School and then to the University of Pennsylvania. Hanging around on the Mainline and throughout Philadelphia, I saw firsthand how the classes behave and interact.” This perspective gave Beru a keen eye to create vignettes describing the grittiness of post-industrial Philadelphia. “It’s not preachy, it’s not being an advocate for any side, it’s ‘here’s something to think about.’” One of those thoughts was the ripped-from-the-headlines song “Be Careful Tonight,” inspired by the MOVE bombing. “I was riding my bike from Upper Darby to rehearsal in the city during the time that the bombing went down. Tensions were high in West Philadelphia.”
With the social unrest seen in 2016, much of Beru’s material remains as relevant as it did when first performed. “1966 was when they had all the riots. Obviously it still holds up, sadly,” said Beru, referring to a call-and-response line with the audience in “Be Careful Tonight” of “remember 1966, it ain’t over yet.”
As the band’s lyrics remain relevant to current events, the band itself has remained relevant to its loyal fan base for 35 years. “That relationship is well beyond the fan relationship. I’ve seen people meet, get married, have children, and I’ve had their grown children on stage,” said Beru.
The band built its loyal audience in the early years through a constant schedule of “eat, sleep, drive, play.” That schedule included highlights of opening for Culture Club at the Spectrum in 1984 and for follow Philadelphia band The Hooters at the United States Military Academy at West Point near the end of the band’s original run.
A less prestigious highlight was a homecoming performance for Beru in Upper Darby early in the band’s existence. As part of its effort to play at any opportunity, the band was booked at a small club near the Tower Theater with a cramped stage positioned above the men’s restroom. The band found itself in violation of a noise ordinance and were arrested by township police. The situation was complicated by guitarist Jerry Healy’s insistence that he was not going with getting cuffed, leading to the entire band being removed in handcuffs and placed in holding cells. “I’ve got makeup on and not everyone in Upper Darby is hip to the orange hair I picked out to wear on stage that night. It was half-jokey but at any moment it had the potential to make a hard left,” said Beru.
The band’s routine of “eat, sleep, drive, play” came to end with an amicable split in 1988 as the members started families and wanted to explore other options. In the early 2000s it became apparent “Beruvians,” as the band calls its fans, wanted to see a reunion and plans got underway. The early stages were complicated, however, with Sacks’ death in 2004, followed by guitarist Jerry Healy, who had rejoined in a limited capacity due to illness, from complications of emphysema in 2005.
The band soldiered on with their new members Mark Julian Teague of Beru Haha on guitar and Jerry Getz of fellow Philadelphia theatrical rockers The Daves on bass for two nights at the Grape Street Pub in Manayunk in November 2006. The band has continued for 10 years with two to three dates a year and the reunion has taken on a life of its own, lasting longer than the original run of the band.
Adding to the band’s sound at the next performance are keyboardist John Ferenzik (replacing retired keyboardist and former WMMR radio personality Buzz Barkley), a longtime touring member of Upper Darby native Todd Rundgren’s touring band, and Berks County Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee Nita Slater on backing vocals.
“We’re at the point now that we can do anything we want, bring new people in. [The current lineup] is starting to get a little air under its wings in its own right,” Beru said, comparing the new vitality in the band’s sound to how the chemistry of the original lineup was more than the sum of its parts. “We’re getting back to the theatrical, to the presentation and the vignettes,” pointing out the large light-up turkeys that flanked at the stage at the band’s recent Thanksgiving at Philadelphia’s World Café Live, harkening back to the props of the band’s early years. “Hopefully we can take everybody with us in a new direction.”
2016-12-10 22:50 By Colin www.delcotimes.com
78 /100 2.0 Three with serious to critical injuries after crash in Salt Lake City SALT LAKE CITY — Two people are in critical condition and one person is in serious condition Saturday night after a two- vehicle crash in Salt Lake City.
Lt. Robin Heiden of the Salt Lake City Police Department said the crash occurred around 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of 500 South and Redwood Road. Heiden said a Ford F-150 was southbound when a northbound passenger car made a left turn onto Redwood Road in front of the truck, and the two vehicles collided.
Three occupants of the passenger car were taken to area hospitals, one of whom had to be extricated from the vehicle by rescue crews. Two of the injured are in critical condition while the third is in serious condition.
The occupants of the truck were not injured.
Heiden said the cause of the crash remains under investigation, but at this point it appears to have been caused by a failure to yield. Heiden said it was raining at the time of the crash, but it’s unclear at this point if weather was a factor.
2016-12-10 22:49 Mark Green fox13now.com
79 /100 2.9 The Gambia's answer to Coco Chanel Those who do find work in Europe often wire some of their earnings back home. In Tida 's village today, women in what are nicknamed " Western Union Marriages " often have smarter clothes and satellite TV dishes.
2016-12-10 22:45 system article.wn.com
80 /100 4.7 Fayetteville man accused of rape Fayetteville, N. C. — Detectives with the Fayetteville Police Department’s Special Victims Unit have arrested and charged a man in connection with a rape investigation. The incident took place on Dec. 6 at the 1900 block of Cedar Creek Rd.
Jaykeen Primus,19, of the 1900 block of Cedar Creek Road in Fayetteville, has been charged with 2 counts of 1st Degree Forcible,1st Degree Sexual Offense and Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon. Primus was an acquaintance of the victim at the time of the offenses.
He is currently being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center on a $600,000 secured bond.
2016-12-10 22:43 WRAL www.wral.com
81 /100 0.0 New mayor cheered by Hmong worldwide When Hmong refugee Steve Ly was elected mayor of suburban Elk Grove, Calif. – a part-time position that pays $9,400 a year – his Nov. 8 victory was celebrated worldwide.
His successful campaign to become the nation’s first Hmong mayor was backed by Hmong in Minnesota and Wisconsin, who contributed more than $10,000 to help him get elected.
“The Hmong in the U. S. have reached a milestone and they’re very happy,” said Ly, 43, who will preside over a suburb of more than 162,000 residents. “I’ve gotten messages from Hmong in China, France, South America. America, Canada, Australia and Southeast Asia.”
Ly, who fled communist Laos with his family when he was 4 years old, credited his father with fostering his interest in civic affairs.
“When me and my dad watched these great speeches by President Ronald Reagan on television, I was enthralled by politics but I didn’t see anyone similar to me,” Ly recalled. “Still, my dad forced me to watch news all the time. I hated it. He said his greatest accomplishment was to become an American citizen in 1995, and he voted in every election until his death in 2011.”
Like many Hmong from Laos, Ly’s father, Youchao Ly, fought in the CIA’s secret war against the Lao and Vietnamese communists. He flew with the Ravens, U. S. Air Force pilots who spotted the North Vietnamese army in Laos and then directed bombing raids.
“He would tell me about how he would go on missions in the jungles of northern Laos to recover American pilots dead or alive before they fell into enemy hands,” Ly recalled. “He would remind me voting was why he fought for $5 a month.”
Youchao Ly and his brother led their families out of Laos one step ahead of the communists, Ly said. They landed in Gardena, Calif., in 1976, then moved to Clovis, Calif., in 1980, where they became migrant workers. The children spent summers and weekends picking tomatoes, sugar peas and strawberries from 4 a.m. to sundown.
Ly said he struggled in school, but with the help of an African American neighbor and dedicated classroom aides, he became the first member of his family to go to college. He graduated from UC Davis, where he worked his way through school as a janitor in the Memorial Union. He later graduated from the former Lorenzo Patiño Law School and works for the Sacramento County Board of Education, where he provides academic support and counseling to youths in juvenile hall. During his years working in education, Ly said, he’s seen Hmong gangs that once terrorized Sacramento’s poor neighborhoods fade into history. “They’ve grown up, become fully acculturated and realize they can fight with words as opposed to their fists.”
Ly was first elected to the City Council in 2014, and served as vice mayor before winning the mayor’s post. His campaign focused on encouraging employers to locate in Elk Grove, completing road and transit projects, and developing a sense of community in Elk Grove’s newer neighborhoods.
On Wednesday, Ly will be sworn in as mayor of the seventh most diverse city in America. Outgoing Mayor Gary Davis, Ly’s political mentor, noted that more than 80 languages are spoken in Elk Grove schools. He said he expects that Ly will be a mayor for everyone.
“After a very divisive campaign, the ability to listen and collaborate is really important, and he’s proven he’s willing to meet with anyone and bring people together,” Davis said.
Ly, who finished first among seven candidates, came under intense fire during the race from Elk Grove gas station and convenience store developer Gil Moore, who has tangled with Davis. Moore wrote an opinion piece on local website ElkGroveNews.net citing court documents that say Ly was fired as executive director of the nonprofit Asian Resources Inc. for financial mismanagement in 2006. Ly and other Hmong managers subsequently filed an unsuccessful class-action lawsuit claiming they’d been unfairly treated.
Ly is no stranger to tough campaigns. During his first run for the Elk Grove Unified School Board in 2002, Ly took on incumbent Jeanette J. Beach-Billingsly and made a rookie’s mistake, campaigning in Sacramento’s Asian neighborhoods – home to an estimated 20,000 Hmong – instead of concentrating on likely voters in Elk Grove. He also enlisted Hmong shamans to try to persuade the ancestor spirits to guide him to victory, but was still beaten soundly.
Ly, whose wife teaches in Elk Grove, made his political comeback in 2012. “Instead of sitting around and praying and hoping things change, we rolled up our sleeves and got things done,” he said.
Ly hired Mai Yang Vang, a woman from Oak Park who received her master’s degree in public health at UCLA, to serve as campaign manager. She helped forge a multigenerational, multiethnic coalition known as “Ly’s army” that included Hmong teenagers from Fresno to Chico along with south Asians, Buddhists and Pacific islanders.
“This is bigger than Steve; it has really re-energized our generation to be involved in politics. We all won,” said Vang, who now serves on the Sacramento City Unified School Board.
In 2014, Ly’s grass-roots forces helped him win a seat on the Elk Grove City Council. In his mayoral race, Ly was accused of flip-flopping on a Native American tribe’s proposed Elk Grove casino resort. Ly voted with the rest of the council to support the casino project, but then sent out a mailer that proclaimed his opposition. Inside, the mailer said the city didn’t have the power to stop the casino anyway, so he voted for the agreement because it came with financial payments to the city.
“I’ve seen casinos and gambling destroy lives, and as a father I will oppose gambling forever,” Ly said. “But we’re looking at 6,000 new jobs and $132 million for law enforcement, road impacts and the general fund. This was a vote to ensure the citizens of Elk Grove get their fair share.” 2016-12-10 22:42 By Stephen www.charlotteobserver.com
82 /100 4.3 Two men shot in Southeast D. C. WASHINGTON (WUSA9) - Two men were shot in Southeast D. C. Saturday evening, Metropolitan Police said.
It happened at the intersection of Suitland and Alabama Avenues around 7 p.m.
One victim was shot in the leg and the other was shot in the face.
Both were conscious and breathing and were taken to an area hospital.
There is no lookout information at this time, police said.
2016-12-10 22:41 WUSA rssfeeds.wusa9.com
83 /100 2.6 Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch Touch Bar) Vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 4 [Opinion] For the purposes of this review, this article is comparing the $1799 version of the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar to the $1599 version of the Surface Pro 4 (just reduced from $1799). Both are great machines, but which one should you get?
The MacBook Pro has a 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 (227 PPI) pixel resolution screen. It runs a 2.9GHz (Turbo Boost 3.3GHz) dual-core Intel i5 processor and has 8GB of RAM. It also has an Intel Iris Graphics 550 GPU.
The Surface Pro 4 has a 12.3-inch 2736×1824 (267 PPI) pixel resolution screen. It runs a 2.2GHz (Turbo Boost 3.4GHz) Intel Core i7 processor and has 16GB of RAM. The Surface Pro 4 runs and Intel Iris Graphics 540 chip.
It’s obvious that the Surface Pro 4 has higher specs, but that may not make a difference in the long run as the MacBook Pro does more with the specs it has.
The MacBook Pro is, perhaps, the best designed portable notebook ever. The fact that it only weighs 3.02 pounds and has such a sturdy aluminum build is fascinating. The speakers are on the sides this time, and they are the best sounding speakers ever to be placed on a laptop. Taking the place of the function keys is what Apple calls the Touch Bar. It’s an OLED strip that is cool to look at and fun to press, but not much more than a gimmick right now.
The Surface Pro 4 feels like a solid device, but the glass layer on top of the screen is so thin that it can easily break. The unit weighs 2.37 pounds with the Type Cover (you don’t want to buy the unit without this, even though it costs extra) and feels perfect for a laptop-tablet hybrid. However, it’s definitely more of a laptop and feels heavy when used as a tablet. The Pro 4 offers Dolby Audio speakers on the sides, but they are not as nearly powerful as the ones on the MacBook Pro.
The new Butterfly keyboard on the Pro has upset some, but it’s actually the best keyboard this reviewer has ever used. It took a while to get used to. Instead of key travel, there is key crunch. You will be able to type faster on the new MacBook Pro keyboard than most other laptops.
The new touchpad on the Pro is absolutely huge. As usual, it works very well. Because of its size, the Apple touchpad makes you wish that you can use a digital inking device, such as the Apple Pencil, to handwrite notes.
The Type Cover on the Surface Pro 4 offers an excellent portable typing experience. It has certainly improved since the Type Cover on the Surface Pro 1 and 2. The keys get a nice bounce and the touchpad, which Microsoft has a hard time perfecting, has improved but could use some more work.
Despite having less impressive specs than the Pro 4, the MacBook Pro runs just about as fast. Editing 4K videos is easy as long as there aren’t too many other programs running in the background. OS X still allows for a smooth computing experience that Windows 10 still can’t rival.
The Surface Pro 4 runs fast as well, but you would never guess it has the best processor (Intel Core i7) or 16GB of RAM. Editing 4K videos with Cyberlink Power Director proved to be somewhat choppy at times, whereas doing the same with Final Cut Pro on the MacBook Pro was a far better experience.
Despite advertising 10 hours of battery life, the MacBook Pro offered 7.5 hours with brightness set at 75 percent while Hulu Plus videos continuously streamed. Doing the same with the non- Touch Bar version of the MacBook Pro allowed 8.5 hours.
The MacBook Pro battery life may not be as well as advertised, but it is certainly better in that department than the Surface Pro 4. After doing the same tests on the Pro 4 that were done with the MacBook Pro, Microsoft’s device only allowed 5.25 hours of battery life. This would have been good in 2012 but certainly not in 2016.
The Surface Pro 4 may look better on paper, but the MacBook Pro, even though it is $200 more, offers a more rounded experience. If you absolutely must have Windows 10 or absolutely need to do digital inking, the Surface Pro 4 is your best bet. For everyone else, it’s really a no-brainer: The 13-Inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is the best ultraportable laptop you can buy now, even if you are paying at least $200 more than you should be paying. [Featured Image by Daryl Deino]
2016-12-10 22:40 Daryl Deino www.inquisitr.com
84 /100 1.1 Taiwan says China air force conducts long-range drills TAIPEI, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Chinese military aircraft on Saturday flew over waterways near Taiwan as part of long- range exercises, Taiwan said, the first such flights since a telephone call between Taiwan's leader and U. S. President-elect Donald Trump irked China. China claims self- ruled Taiwan as its own and has never renounced the use of force to take back what it deems a wayward province. Trump's call with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Dec. 2 was the first between a U. S. president-elect or president and a Taiwan leader since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 1979. China lodged a diplomatic protest over the call and blamed Taiwan for what it called a "petty" move. But there was no indication the exercise by its military aircraft was a response to the telephone call. The Chinese jets flew north to south and entered the Miyako Strait around Japan's southern islands as well as the Bashi Channel south of Taiwan, but did not enter Taiwan's air defence identification zone, Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement. Japan sent out two of its fighter jets in response to the Chinese flight, China's defence ministry said. The two Japanese F-15 fighter jets flew over the Miyako Strait and conducted "close range interference" and fired decoy flares, "jeopardizing the security of Chinese aircraft and pilots", ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said in a statement on his ministry's website. Yang said China had grave concerns and lodged a protest over the behaviour of the Japanese aircraft during what he called "routine" drills in international waters. "The behaviour of the Japanese military aircraft was dangerous, unprofessional, and damaged freedom of navigation and overflight under international law," he said. China's drills, lasting for about four hours, involved more than 10 aircraft, including four electronic surveillance planes that flew through the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, Taiwan said. China, which has in recent years become more assertive in the western Pacific and South China Sea, has carried out similar exercises in the area since September. The Chinese air force has described the exercises as part of regular, annual drills which accord with international law and practice. (Reporting by J. R. Wu in Taipei and Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Robert Birsel)
2016-12-10 22:37 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk
85 /100 8.4 Tony Bennett recalls the moment he found out Amy Winehouse died They recorded their smash hit Body And Soul in March 2011, four months before Amy Winehouse passed away. Now, five years on and jazz legend Tony Bennett has opened up about the singer's death and the advice he wishes he had told her sooner. During an interview with Insider , the 90-year-old recalled the moment he found out she had died, saying he 'was so shock' by the news he just 'started crying'. Amy died of alcohol poisoning at her north London home on July 23, 2011. 'I was going to tell her to slow down and take care of herself, to enjoy the success and not let it ruin her,' he desperately pleaded, adding: 'But I never got the chance to tell her, it was too late'. Tony described Amy's passing as 'one of the saddest things that ever happened in my life' while he labelled her as 'very special' and 'so talented'. 'I'd never heard anyone sing so well...a beautiful singer,' he gushed about his close friend. Back in 2011, Tony opened up about Amy's death for the first time, labelling it as a 'tragedy'. 'What I wanted to do, I wanted to stop her, I wanted to tell her that many years ago I was naughty also with some drugs,' he explained to E! News at the time. '[Jack Rollins] said one sentence that changed my life: He said, "He sinned against his talent"... I wanted to tell her [Amy] that but I had to leave because we were touring all over the world making this album, and I never got a chance to do it.' Two years after her death, it was revealed that she spent her final hours drinking vodka alone in her bedroom and watching YouTube videos of herself. A second inquest into the 27-year-old's death revealed she had drank so much that she stopped breathing and fell into a coma. The inquest was re-heard because the coroner at the first hearing did not have the correct qualifications.
2016-12-10 22:31 Bianca La www.dailymail.co.uk
86 /100 0.0 Mich. enacts first law for driverless cars Michigan, in a race with Silicon Valley for supremacy in autonomous autos, today enacted legislation that it said is the first in the U. S. to establish comprehensive regulations for testing, use and eventual sale of self-driving cars.
Governor Rick Snyder signed a law that defines how self-driving cars can be used on public roads in testing and commercial deployment, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. said in a statement. The law allows public road testing of vehicles without steering wheels, gas or brake pedals or any need for human control. It lets auto and tech companies operate driverless ride-sharing services and also lays out rules for how self-driving cars can be sold to the public once the technology has been tested and certified.
“Michigan is the global center for automotive technology and development,” Snyder said in the statement. “By establishing guidelines and standards for self-driving vehicles, we’re continuing that tradition.” Michigan business leaders and politicians are keen to keep Detroit at the center of automaking as Silicon Valley heavyweights such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Apple Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. are accelerating research into robot rides. The state is developing a 335-acre (136-hectare) testing facility for driverless cars on the site of a World War II bomber factory, and the University of Michigan has opened a proving grounds for such vehicles on its campus. U. S. regulators also have proposed rules for testing and deploying driverless autos.
In preparing the legislation, Michigan lawmakers received input from General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Toyota Motor Corp., Google, Uber and Lyft Inc., according to the economic development agency, which is financed by public and private funding. The companies “helped inform the final legislation” so that “any new policy would not impact the autonomous vehicle industry’s ability to evolve,” the agency said.
“By creating a more in-depth framework for how self-driving vehicle technology can be researched, tested and used, we’re building a structured plan that takes into account the needs of private industry,” said Steve Arwood, the agency’s chief executive officer.
2016-12-10 22:17 Keith Naughton rssfeeds.detroitnews.com
87 /100 5.0 One injured in Md. apartment fire HYATTSVILLE, MD (WUSA9) - A person was seriously injured in an apartment fire in Maryland, the Prince George’s County Fire Department said.
It happened in the 3400 block of Dean Drive around 8:45 p.m.
Two people were removed from the unit. One person is in critical condition and was transported to the burn unit. The second person was on seen and appeared to be OK, officials said.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
2016-12-10 22:15 WUSA rssfeeds.wusa9.com
88 /100 0.0 Romania elects new parliament, leftists ahead in polls BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanians vote in a parliamentary election on Sunday that is likely to hand power back to the leftist Social Democrats (PSD), who advocate loose fiscal policy but are seen as permissive about rampant corruption.
2016-12-10 22:14 system article.wn.com
89 /100 2.0 Mother, 31, was found shot dead inside of her torched car behind school playground in Detroit suburb The charred remains of a 31-year-old mother was found in her torched car behind a schoolyard playground in a suburb of Detroit. The woman, Diana Pesserl, who has a seven- year-old son, was found inside her burning vehicle in West Bloomfield Township on a woodsy, well-traveled path behind Pine Lake Elementary School around 1:30am on Friday, according to Click on Detroit. Police responded to a report of a fire at 3333 West Long Lake. Scroll down for video Dental records and an autopsy were used to make a positive identification, and Pesserl, who was fully clothed, was determined to have died from one bullet to the abdomen. Police followed tire tracks from the crime scene to a nearby house that was slightly less than a mile from the victim's house. Cops were seen removing six cans of gas from the home. Two teens in the home were questioned. The 19-year-old who lived in the home was released, the other teen, who is 18 and visiting, was held on an unrelated warrant for carjacking in Detroit, according to WXYZ. At the time the car was burning, the teens were spotted at an Orchard Lake boat ramp and the lake was later dredged for evidence. Police said the teens are officially persons of interest. Police were asking neighbors whether the mom liked to sit in her driveway late at night in her car and listen to music, according to WDIV 4 'Yup, thats my boy!! I made him! Incredible. And he's smart, witty, sly, and sweet as pie to boot. Lucky momma rt here and I know it,' she wrote on Facebook about her young son. West Bloomfield's Chief of Police, Michael Patton, said he did not know why the mom was targeted.
2016-12-10 22:13 Kiri Blakeley www.dailymail.co.uk
90 /100 3.8 Steven Spielberg praises Kirk Douglas at 100th birthday party He's one of the most prolific and talented directors in Hollywood history. So when Steven Spielberg got up to speak at Kirk Douglas's 100th birthday party on Friday evening, the audience was riveted. The 69-year-old Raiders of the Lost Ark director had nothing but admiration for the silver screen legend. 'I used to think 100 was a number that was the impossible dream' he began, before explaining how impressed he was with 'what you have done with your life.' After reminding Kirk that he was an 'honorary member of the Spielberg family', the movie mogul delivered what was perhaps the ultimate compliment. 'I wanted to come here and say I've been shooting movies and television shows for 47 years now and I've worked with the best of them and you're the only movie star I ever met,' he gushed. He continued, 'there is something that you have that no one else ever had... When you watch Kirk's performance in anything, in anything he's ever done, you cannot take your eyes off of him. It's not possible to look away from him.' Spielberg called it an optimistic ferocity and it's something he challenges all his actors to achieve in his films. 'You're a miracle man,' he concluded. The Jaws director was only one of many A-listers and industry titans on hand for Kirk's milestone birthday. Longtime funnyman Don Rickles, 90, had his own tribute to the screen icon, and studio executive Jeffrey Katezenberg, 65, also stopped by. Of course Kirk's famous progeny were there as well, including son Michael Douglas, 72, and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, 47.
2016-12-10 22:11 Dailymail.com www.dailymail.co.uk
91 /100 0.0 Heismans By Class 2012 — Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M, QB
2013 — Jameis Winston, Florida State, QB
2007 — Tim Tebow, Florida, QB
2008 — Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, QB
2009 — Mark Ingram, Alabama, RB
2016 — Lamar Jackson, Louisville, QB
1945 — Doc Blanchard, Army, HB
1948 — Doak Walker, SMU
1950 — Vic Janowicz, Ohio State, HB
1963 — Roger Staubach, Navy, QB
1974 — Archie Griffin, Ohio State, HB 1978 — Billy Sims, Oklahoma, 1980
1982 — Herschel Walker, Georgia, HB
1988 — Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, RB
1989 — Andre Ware, Houston, QB
1990 — Ty Detmer, Brigham Young, QB
1991 — Desmond Howard, Michigan, WR
1994 — Rashaan Salaam, Colorado, RB
1997 — Charles Woodson, Michigan, CB
2003 — Jason White, Oklahoma, QB
2004 — Matt Leinart, Southern Cal, QB
2005 — x-Reggie Bush, Southern Cal, RB
2010 — Cam Newton, Auburn, QB
2011 — Robert Griffin III, Baylor, QB
2014 — Marcus Mariota, Oregon, QB
2015 — Derrick Henry, Alabama, RB x-vacated
1935_Jay Berwanger, Chicago, HB
1936_Larry Kelley, Yale, E
1937_Clint Frank, Yale, HB
1938_Davey O’Brien, Texas Christian, QB
1939_Nile Kinnick, Iowa, HB
1940_Tom Harmon, Michigan, HB
1941_Bruce Smith, Minnesota, HB
1942_Frank Sinkwich, Georgia, HB
1943_Angelo Bertelli, Notre Dame, QB
1944_Les Horvath, Ohio State, QB
1946_Glenn Davis, Army, HB 1947_John Lujack, Notre Dame, QB
1949_Leon Hart, Notre Dame, E
1951_Dick Kazmaier, Princeton, HB
1952_Billy Vessels, Oklahoma, HB
1953_John Lattner, Notre Dame, HB
1954_Alan Ameche, Wisconsin, FB
1955_Howard Cassady, Ohio State, HB
1956_Paul Hornung, Notre Dame, QB
1957_John David Crow, Texas A&M, HB
1958_Pete Dawkins, Army, HB
1959_Billy Cannon, LSU, HB
1960_Joe Bellino, Navy, HB
1961_Ernie Davis, Syracuse, HB
1962_Terry Baker, Oregon State, QB
1964_John Huarte, Notre Dame, QB
1965_Mike Garrett, Southern Cal, TB
1966_Steve Spurrier, Florida, QB
1967_Gary Beban, UCLA, QB
1968_O. J. Simpson, Southern Cal, TB
1969_Steve Owens, Oklahoma, HB
1970_Jim Plunkett, Stanford, QB
1971_Pat Sullivan, Auburn, QB
1972_Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska, FL
1973_John Cappelletti, Penn State, HB
1975_Archie Griffin, Ohio State, HB
1976_Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh, HB
1977_Earl Campbell, Texas, FB 1979_Charles White, Southern Cal, TB
1980_George Rogers, South Carolina, HB
1981_Marcus Allen, Southern Cal, TB
1983_Mike Rozier, Nebraska, TB
1984_Doug Flutie, Boston College, QB
1985_Bo Jackson, Auburn, TB
1986_Vinny Testaverde, Miami, QB
1987_Tim Brown, Notre Dame, WR
1992_Gino Torretta, Miami, QB
1993_Charlie Ward, Florida State, QB
1995_Eddie George, Ohio State, TB
1996_Danny Wuerffel, Florida, QB
1998_Ricky Williams, Texas, RB
1999_Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, RB
2000_Chris Weinke, Florida St., QB
2001_Eric Crouch, Nebraska, QB
2002_Carson Palmer, Southern Cal, QB
2006_Troy Smith, Ohio State, QB comments
Need a break? Play a quick game of solitaire or Sudoku. Or take one of our fun quizzes!
The MGM National Harbor opened Thursday night to a capacity crowd. See photos inside and outside.
2016-12-10 22:02 The Associated wtop.com
92 /100 1.6 Globe to PCCI: Be with us in building one digital nation Globe Business, the enterprise information and communications arm of Globe Telecom, led the discussion on connectivity- the various challenges it faces and the telco’s initiatives to improve service- at a panel session alongside dignitaries from numerous Philippine chapters of chambers of commerce at the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries’ (PCCI) CEO Breakfast Forum.
Globe Chief Commercial Officer Albert de Larrazabal discussed “Building One Digital Nation”, further expounding on the telco’s challenges on Philippine internet, the rollout of investments to improve mobile and broadband services, and how all of Globe Telecom’s efforts are now directed to delivering wonderful experiences and nation building.
“Access to connectivity is currently one of the most important drivers of economic competitiveness and growth. For the Philippines to fully take advantage of new digital opportunities, we need to create an Internet superhighway and provide ultra-fast Internet connection that will enable growth in every corner of our country,” said de Larrazabal.
In addition, de Larrazabal urged the luminaries who were present to enjoin in Globe Telecom’s initiatives to improve service, “ A lot of the infrastructure backlogs in the telecommunications industry could be attributed to challenges in bureaucratic red tape. This is why we call on you to provide policy support and recommendations for initiatives to improve Internet infrastructure in the country.”
Serving as reactors and panelists to de Larrazabal’s presentation were MIS Maritime Corporation President Edgardo Lacson, GMA-7 Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe Gozon, and NOW Corporation Chairman Thomas Aquino.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries (PCCI), the leading voice of businesses in advocating policy reforms and driving globally competitive Philippine enterprises and organizations, also recently selected Globe Business as the exclusive telecommunications partner and co-presenter of the 42 nd Philippine Business Conference & Expo (PBC&E).
The PBC&E features plenary and breakout sessions where participants would get first-hand information related to updates on easing the cost of doing business, competitive infrastructures that would strengthen competitiveness and open trade opportunities.
PCCI President George Barcelon appreciated Globe Telecom’s support to the organization as well as its efforts in addressing concerns regarding connectivity in the Philippines,” I would like to thank Globe for being our partner in this year’s Philippine Business Conference and for organizing the CEO Forum. It is high time that Globe is stepping up to the challenge and ensuring that Philippine connectivity becomes more competitive as per global counterparts.”
Themed “Giant Steps for 2016 and beyond”, PBC&E gathered close to 1000 delegates from member chambers of PCCI nationwide, diplomatic corps, business councils, industry associations, and counterpart chambers from other countries. It featured keynote speeches from President Rodrigo Duterte, Vice-President Leni Robredo, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri for the legislative agenda on advancing competitiveness, and numerous cabinet officials who discussed their department policies.
In addition, Globe was also involved in a business matching and networking breakout session as part of its partnership with PCCI for the PBC&E. The telco also supported PCCI through the golf tournament and a chamber management workshop for SMEs, which was held prior the conference.
2016-12-11 00:00 INQUIRER.net business.inquirer.net
93 /100 3.8 Do Malaysia and Singapore really need a high-speed rail link? AS MALAYSIA AND Singapore prepare to ink their agreement on a high- speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and the city state, Japan has signalled its keenness on one of its engineering companies securing the contract, and voiced hope that the process – in which Chinese companies will also compete – will be transparent and “based on international standards.”
Malaysian and Singaporean officials will seal the bilateral deal on December 13. The tracks will run for 350km – 335km in Malaysia and 15km in Singapore – with stops at six other cities along the way.
Its builders, whichever country they come from, will work from 2018 to 2025, before launching commercial services in 2026. The project is expected to cost between 50 billion and 60 billion ringgit (HK$105 billion) – yet some critics have questioned whether the link is even necessary.
Japan is competing closely with China for the contract, with China seen as the front runner after a slew of successful infrastructure bids in Malaysia, including the East Coast Rail Link, a 620km line costing RM55 billion, which it won last October.
An official from the Japanese embassy in Malaysia said the latest tender was a “good opportunity” for Malaysia and Singapore to prove that both economies were based on “internationally established process and procedures.”
“We hope the tendering process... will be based on international standards, transparent, and good for private companies’ initiatives based on market mechanisms,” he said. The official said Japanese companies would make the best offers, and touted the country’s rail-building credentials. Japan’s own high-speed rail, the Shinkansen, has had no fatal collision or derailment in its 51-year history.
“The Shinkansen has been accepted by India, Thailand and Taiwan. In a way, it is becoming the railway standard in Asia,” he said.
Ong Kian Ming, a Malaysian MP from the opposition Democratic Action Party said he believed the bidding process would be competitive, but suggested China could have an edge.“The terms and conditions of the contract are still secret, as far as I know,” he said.
“But I have been made to understand that the bidding process will be competitive, especially given the international interest from Chinese, Japanese and South Korean companies.” “Transparency, in terms of information disclosed to the public and to lawmakers, is still sadly lacking. If it was only up to the Malaysian government, I would say that China is in the prime position to win this bid especially given that China Engineering bought a strategic stake in Bandar Malaysia [an urban development project in the capital] which is the main station in Malaysia for the high-speed rail.
“But given the involvement of the Singapore government, and perhaps concerns about the safety record of some Chinese rail companies, my sense is that Japanese companies are likely to be given serious consideration as well.”
China’s state-owned China Railway Engineering Corp teamed up with Malaysian Iskandar Waterfront Holdings to buy a 60 per cent stake in Bandar Malaysia from state-owned, debt- riddled investment firm 1MDB for US$1.7 billion. Bandar Malaysia is the second asset China has bought from 1MDB; the first being its power asset, Edra Global Energy Berhad, effectively paring down its debts and throwing a lifeline to Prime Minister Najib Razak whom some analysts view as being beholden to China now.
Tender documents for the high-speed line’s systems package – the rail track and train carriages – will be issued at the end of next year, said Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal, chief executive of MyHSR, the agency in charge of the Malaysian share of the project.
“After the tender is open in the final quarter of 2017, bidders will be given a year to submit. Then the two countries will do the evaluation,” Mohd Nur was quoted as saying by the Singapore press on Friday.
But Ong expressed concerns over the project’s huge cost. “We are concerned that this will be another off-budget, big-ticket infrastructure expenditure item that will have significant consequences on government finances in the future, especially if the high-speed rail line proves to be unprofitable,” he said.
“The question should be, does the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route need to be served by a high- speed rail link. We have over a hundred flights a week from KL to Singapore via low-cost carriers as well as full-fare carriers. We have thousands of buses plying the Singapore-KL bus route.”
Given its high cost, the line is unlikely to be commercially viable without substantial financial support in the form of concessionary financing or partial absorption of capital costs by the two governments, and the selected source country, said Yeah Kim Leng, professor of economics at Sunway University Business School, in Malaysia.
But economists have welcomed the rail project, saying it will quicken development, especially in the townships along the line.
“The emergence of megacities will be facilitated by this high-speed rail development connectivity,” Yeah said. “This is also important for Singapore, as it has become a service centre, so any improvement or enhancement in connectivity – either by air or rail – will actually boost their economic standing because they are a trading hub.”
He said the new track would also attract international tourists, as a high-speed train is seen as an attractive mode of transport.
“It will also provide some healthy competition, driving down the costs of travel by air and rail,” he said.
He added that Thailand was interested in developing a high-speed link between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
“If that comes through then the spillover will be much greater. It will enhance regional connectivity, in line with China’s development of ‘One Belt, One Road’ investments,” he said.
“It is going to herald the era of high-speed rail in the Southeast Asia region.” ■
2016-12-10 22:00 Amy Chew www.scmp.com
94 /100 1.6 Zuckerberg 2020? Facebook founder may have political ambitions, according to lawsuit Mark Zuckerberg has spent much of the past month of so defending the role or lack thereof that his company, Facebook, played in the 2016 presidential election.
But despite his insistence that the idea of Facebook somehow influencing the election of Republican Donald Trump through the spread of fake news is “ pretty crazy, ” the billionaire CEO could potentially seek political office or a government role, according to recently unsealed documents from an April lawsuit.
The lawsuit was brought by minority investors in Facebook in response to a plan formed by Zuckerberg that would allow him to retain control of the company even as he sold his majority of shares in the Facebook’s stock, according to The Guardian .
In essence, Zuckerberg’s proposal would create a new class of non-voting shares, which would dilute the power of current investors and allow him to sell his non-voting shares and keep control, according to Bloomberg. Because Zuckerberg owns a majority of shares, however, the proposal was approved by stockholders, leaving Facebook’s board as the only remaining hurdle to Zuckerberg’s plan.
The board approved the plan, but several minority investors sued Zuckerberg, arguing that the process was not brokered fairly and that a key board member, Marc Andreessen, acted to protect Zuckerberg, not investors.
Because of that lawsuit, details of Zuckerberg’s plans have been revealed in court documents, and one in particular troubled some on the board, according to CNBC : Zuckerberg wanted to be able to take a two-year leave of absence to serve in a “government position or office” without losing control of the company, which is worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Zuckerberg’s interest in working outside of the tech company that has made him one of the richest people in world is nothing new. He and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, have pledged to donate 99 percent of their shares, currently valued at $45 billion, to charity during their lifetimes.
Politically, Zuckerberg has contributed thousands to the campaigns of both Democrats and Republicans in the past, according to USPolitics.com. However, he does not identify as a member of either party, according to Bloomberg , and despite the fact that he and Facebook’s super PAC have donated more to Republicans than Democrats in the past, his relationship with Republican President-elect Donald Trump has been antagonistic at times during the past election cycle.
Zuckerberg has spoken out on the issues of healthcare, immigration and globalization in the past.
At the moment, though, Zuckerberg’s plan is on hold, at least until the lawsuit is resolved, according to CNBC.
Meanwhile, other members of Facebook’s leadership have not shied away from getting involved in the political world. Facebook board member Peter Thiel, who supported Trump’s candidacy, is a member of his transition team preparing for his entrance into the White House. Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, meanwhile, would have been a leading contender for a Cabinet position had Democrat Hillary Clinton won the election, according to Politico.
Zuckerberg is a resident of Palo Alto, Calif. California’s 18th Congressional District, where he lives, has not had a Republican representative since 1983, and California has had only Democratic senators since 1992.
2016-12-10 21:55 By Greg www.charlotteobserver.com
95 /100 0.0 In their words Key quotes from high-profile European and other total on Britain’s EU referendum, as gathered by BBC Monitoring between 1-7 December.
European Brexit adjudicator Michel Barnier
“Time will be short… All in all, there will be reduction than 18 months to negotiate… Should a UK forewarn a legislature by a finish of Mar 2017 as Prime Minister Theresa May pronounced she would, it is protected to contend that negotiations could start a few weeks after and an Article 50 agreement [could be] reached by Oct 2018… As we don’t know what a UK wants and is watchful for, it’s formidable to suppose a transitory period.” ( AFP news of Brussels news conference, 6 December)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
“We will not concede any cherry picking. The 4 simple freedoms contingency be safeguarded – a leisure of transformation for people, goods, services and financial marketplace products. Only afterwards can there be entrance to a singular market.” ( The Independent , Christian Democratic Union assembly in Essen, 6 December) European Union’s Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove
“Intelligence pity is building outward a EU horizon so… Brexit will not have any impact.” ( Reuters , 2 December) Italian Secretary of State for European Affairs Sandro Gozi
“I consider that a commencement of European destruction has started with Brexit. It is adult to a other 27 governments to relaunch Europe. That was a policy, that was a idea as a Renzi government. It is transparent that now Europe loses a vital domestic actor to a relaunch.” ( BBC Radio 4 interview, 5 December) Eurogroup financial ministers chairman, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem
“It can be smooth, it can be orderly, though that requires a opposite opinion from a British government. What we have been conference so distant is exclusive with well-spoken and orderly. If a UK wants to have full entrance to a singular market, they have to accept manners and regulations that go with it.” ( EU Observer , 6 December)
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and imitation media around a world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.
2016-12-11 00:00 admin headlinenewstoday.net
96 /100 1.9 Water infrastructure bill includes money for Portsmouth Harbor project The U. S. Senate has passed a bill to fund 31 water infrastructure projects across the country, including a project to improve navigation for large ships in Portsmouth Harbor and the Piscataqua River between New Hampshire and Maine.
The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act will now go to President Obama to be signed into law. Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent, released a statement Saturday praising the legislation.
“The authorization of the Portsmouth Harbor and Piscataqua River Navigation Project is also a victory for the safer and more efficient flow of commercial goods into the state, which will bolster our economy and help contribute to economic growth,” he said.
Portsmouth Harbor handles about 3.5 million tons of shipping each year for southern Maine, New Hampshire and eastern Vermont. The project would expand the turning basin, so larger ships can navigate the harbor safely.
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2016-12-10 21:51 Staff report www.pressherald.com
97 /100 97 /100 1.1 ’ Israeli coalition chairman triggers uproar with provocative remark — RT News The provocative remark was made by the Israeli parliament’s coalition chairman, Likud MK David Bitan, while attending a cultural event in Mevasseret Zion, suburb of Jerusalem on Sunday.
“What I’m saying is, if they [Arabs] weren’t able to come [to vote], that would be preferable, but it makes no difference; it’s not for me to tell them whether to come or not to come [to vote],” the Times of Israel quoted Bitan as saying.
“Ninety-five percent of Arab Israelis vote for the Joint List, which does not represent the Arabs of Israel but rather Palestinian interests,” added Bitan, referring to the coalition of four Arab parties, which is the third largest faction in the Knesset.
The remark swiftly drew the attention of opposition politicians, both Jewish and Arab, who accused Bitan of being racist and undemocratic.
“In a normal country, such racist comments would lead to the immediate dismissal of the coalition chairman,” Joint List MK Youssef Jabareen said, calling for removal of Bitan from office. The Joint List chairman, MK Ayman Odeh said that it was not a surprise to hear such statements from the “great democrat” Bitan, but stressed that “his and the government’s racism is just [something] I engine to increase [Joint List’s] political power.”
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog of Zionist Union harshly criticized Bitan’s words, ultimately comparing them with Nazi policy.
“The coalition chairman in the Jewish state calls to deny voting rights to minorities, just as the anti-Semitic leaders of Europe did in the past to the Jewish people,” Herzog said.
“Likud in 2016 is light years away from its roots and what Likud used to stand for,” the Times of Israel quoted Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni as saying.
“Netanyahu lost all shame in the [2015] election,” Livni stressed, probably referring to similar remarks of PM, who warned his supporters on the election day of "Arab voters going in droves to the polls.” Netanyahu’s remarks also drew accusations of racism, and he had to retract them and apologize.
Likud party members tried to soften the controversial remarks made by their colleague David Bitan.
“I very much hope that the Arabs do vote. I hope that we are attractive enough that the Arabs also to want to vote for Likud,” Likud MK Yehudah Glick produced a gentle comment on his fellow party member’s controversial remarks. David Bitan, in his turn, declined to retract his original remark and produced a new one, showing quite an interesting understanding of the concept of democracy.
“I do not understand what the fuss is about,” the Times of Israel quoted Likud MK as saying. “No political party wants to see its opponents going to the polls.”
2016-12-10 21:47 www.rt.com
98 /100 1.7 'I've been scared Mum would die so many times': Danniella Westbrook's son Kai talks of terrifying moment he saw her overdose on drugs... but reveals she 'wants to get better' Danniella Westbrook's son Kai has revealed that he once watched his mother overdose on cocaine. The 20-year-old recalled the terrifying moment to The Sun on Sunday, emotionally confessing that he's been 'scared she will die so many times'. However standing by her through her famous struggle with addiction, the youngster also admitted that while many have lost confidence in her, she is desperate to recover. Scroll down for video Talking to the paper, Kai revealed the moment he watched his mother almost die when he was just four years old - and admits the memory has troubled him for years since. He said: 'When I was little, I found Mum having a fit after an overdose and the memory is vivid.' Continuing that the moment has scarred him for life, he added: 'I still have flashbacks. I've been scared Mum would die so many times.' He also revealed that his mother's condition had physical affect on his life, too -admitting that while he stays away from cocaine he has used cannabis in the past, and has battled a constant anger which resulted in him being kicked out of several schools. His mother Danniella's struggle with drug usage, particularly cocaine, has been well documented over the years. The star has previously estimated that she has spent over £250,000 on drugs with her £400-a-day habit, and used 5g of cocaine every single day when pregnant with Kai. She has also admitted in the past that she first tried the toxic drug at just 14 years old on a wild night out - a trend which then continued during her run on BBC soap EastEnders, which she first starred in two years later. However her first born Kai, who she welcomed with ex-boyfriend Robert Fernandez, further admitted that despite her issues the actress' desire is to be clean and healthy once and for all. He added of her lifelong battle: 'She's a fighter. She wants to get better, but a lot of people have lost confidence in her.' Danniella's illness emerged when she was pictured leaving a London club without a septum, which had collapsed due to excessive usage - spurring her on to seek help and become 'clean' in 2001. However the 43-year-old was forced to recently deny reports she is using cocaine once again, claiming she suffered at the hands of a hacker. The EastEnders star revealed in October that sick trolls had hacked her emails and social media, and falsely released information which claimed she had suffered a drugs relapse. Talking to the MailOnline, the actress said she is hoping the police will take swift action and 'send this crank to prison.' She added: 'It's not nice to think they are fixated on pretending to be me and getting access to all my private emails.' An email to the MailOnline earlier that week had read: 'I really need help. I'm relapsing so bad.' Adding further fuel to the fire, it was reported that she had told Daily Star Online the same day: 'I have relapsed and I'm trying to stop using, but it's a long road ahead. 'I feel broken and that I'm back to square one and my first form of defence is cocaine.' The star has suffered a turbulent time recently, after she split from her toyboy lover George Arnold. She previously revealed that she was so devastated following the breakup earlier this year that she was left feeling suicidal and even attempted to take her own life on many occasions through the use of drugs. Appearing on This Morning recently, she explained: 'I tried to overdose a lot when George walked out.' 'I was so depressed with everything... George just got up one morning and left, and I realised I didn’t know you at all then. 'He had his reasons but at the time I couldn’t see it that way because I was so depressed. 'I did relapse [because I] thought my whole world was over when he left.'
2016-12-10 21:44 Julia Pritchard www.dailymail.co.uk
99 /100 0.0 Syria, Russia pound rebel-held Aleppo but advances halt Syrian troops have identified 45 bodies so far in a mass grave found in the city of Palmyra after it was recaptured from Islamic State, a military source told Reuters on Saturday. ...
2016-12-10 21:41 system article.wn.com
100 /100 4.5 Police search for suspects who stole police vehicle - Story The Cartersville Police Department is searching for a stolen police vehicle.
The stolen police vehicle has a yellow troop support ribbon magnet on the back of the car and an AED sticker on the left side. The car is a 2008 white Dodge Charger with TAG: GV86379 UNIT 4230.
There is a shotgun and a rifle in the inside. Cartersville Police said Rudy Lee Vinson and Annastasia Nicole Earwood are accused of stealing the vehicle and are wanted on unrelated burglary charges.
Police said if you see the vehicle, do not approach.
Call 911 or the Cartersville Police Department at 770-382-2526.
2016-12-10 21:39 FOX 5 www.fox5atlanta.com
Total 100 articles.
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Created at 2016-12-11 06:09