Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/274108665?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Monday, December 31, 2012
49ers win NFC West with 27-13 win over Arizona
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) scores on a 49-yard touchdown reception against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/San Francisco Chronicle, Carlos Avila Gonzalez) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGAZINES OUT; TV OUT
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) scores on a 49-yard touchdown reception against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/San Francisco Chronicle, Carlos Avila Gonzalez) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGAZINES OUT; TV OUT
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) passes against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore (21) celebrates after scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run against the Arizona Cardinals during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Brian Hoyer (6) lies on the field after being sacked by San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks during the third quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) celebrates with wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) after they connected on a 49-yard touchdown pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Michael Crabtree's career day and dazzling catch-making display sent the San Francisco 49ers to another NFC West crown and into the playoffs with some much-needed momentum.
Crabtree caught touchdown passes of 49 and 7 yards and finished with a career-high 172 yards, leading the 49ers to a 27-13 victory against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday after a slow start. To make things even better, they also get a first-round bye.
Colin Kaepernick threw for a career-best 276 yards and two TDs as the Niners (11-4-1) did their part to control the postseason picture ? then waited all of about 15 minutes to watch Minnesota beat Green Bay and give San Francisco the NFC's No. 2 seed and a week off before hosting a divisional playoff game.
Frank Gore ran for a 2-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter for his franchise-best 51st touchdown rushing, breaking a tie with mentor Roger Craig and the late Hall of Famer Joe Perry.
Brian Hoyer went 19 of 34 for 225 yards and a late TD toss in his first career NFL start as Arizona's fourth quarterback. The Cardinals (5-11) lost for the 11th time in their last 12 games in what might have been Ken Whisenhunt's final game as coach.
Crabtree's outstanding outing was the best by a 49ers receiver since Terrell Owens' 166-yard performance on Nov. 25, 2002, against Philadelphia.
Crabtree caught a 31-yard pass to set up his team-leading eighth TD reception on the next play. The sequence put him over 1,000 yards, giving San Francisco its first 1,000-yard receiver since T.O. in 2003.
The next series, Crabtree made a pretty, one-handed grab with his right hand along the left sideline on third-and-11 for a 19-yard gain and first down.
He made a 14-yard catch on fourth down late in the third, and later converted another fourth down with a reception of 7 yards.
What a boost for an injury-depleted receiving corps missing Mario Manningham for the rest of the season because of a knee injury and had tight end Vernon Davis limited a week after sustaining a concussion.
Struggling San Francisco kicker David Akers missed wide left on a 44-yard field goal attempt midway through the second quarter, then did it again with nearly the same kick ? from 40 yards this time ? 24 seconds before halftime. Akers put his hands on his knees and closed his eyes in frustration as boos rained down from the sellout crowd at Candlestick Park.
He missed for the fourth time in his last eight spanning three games and 13th time in 40 tries after setting an NFL single-season record with 44 in 52 attempts. He had a 21-yard try blocked in the loss at Seattle and returned by Richard Sherman for a 90-yard touchdown.
But Akers bounced back by nailing one from 43 yards early in the second half yet was later clipped in his left, kicking foot by Arizona's Justin Bethel. He stayed in the game, then booted a 26-yard field goal with just more than 9 minutes remaining.
Hoyer exhibited poise in the early moments. He completed 7 of his first 13 passes and three straight ? for 7, 15 and 12 yards ? during one drive as Arizona took a 3-0 lead on Jay Feely's 35-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Feely added a 31-yarder early in the second to make it 6-0.
The Cardinals outgained the 49ers 129-15 in total yards in the opening quarter and held San Francisco without a first down.
But that didn't last long.
The Cardinals ended a six-game stretch without a touchdown passing when Hoyer hit Michael Floyd on a late 37-yard touchdown pass to end a stretch of six games without a TD in the air.
The Cardinals pounded the ball toward the right side of San Francisco's defensive line where Pro Bowler Justin Smith had been stout against the run all season before getting hurt two weeks ago.
But Hoyer, who replaced the benched Ryan Lindley in last week's 28-13 home loss to the Bears, couldn't make enough plays against San Francisco's stingy defense.
Former starting quarterback Alex Smith made what could have been his final appearance in a 49ers uniform when he entered the game with 5:57 to go ? playing to chants of "Let's Go, Alex!" and "Alex! Alex!"
___
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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Saturday, December 29, 2012
2013 Ed Policy Wish: Change "Obama's Approach to Education"
I woke up this morning from a strange dream in which my students were participating in a presentation on "Obama's Approach to Education." I was upset because I had planned to teach classes that day, only to find my students had gone to this bizarre assembly--and I had not been invited.
I was also upset, because, what valuable messages could possibly be imparted to students at this assembly? The presentation was not about the importance of education in students' lives, something the President has done a good job speaking about to students and parents in the past. This was specifically about his education policy initiatives. ?
Students are?the primary recipients of education policies, but I'm having trouble seeing how recent education policies benefit students at all. What is Obama's Approach to Education? Based on the last four years, I can point to Race to the Top, an initiative based on competition for public funds (our tax money), with a requirement that a significant component of teacher evaluations are based on value added measures of standardized testing data. ?I know what?my students think of that! (See this post: Student Thoughts on Accountability for Teachers).
In Teacher Incentive Fund grants, another policy initative of the last 4 years, all over the country districts are experimenting with creating hybrid roles that pay lead teachers more (which could be good moves), but the government controls the definition of a great teacher and the focus of the lead teacher's work: again through value added measures of standardized test data. ?President Obama, do you really think tests measure what a good teacher is? ?Apparently, you do not actually think so!
Yet, these heavy hitting policies--that gift and deny public funding to kids and families who have no voice in the matter--have the entire country chasing test scores and a huge, publicly funded industry growing around the endeavor. Meanwhile, students are losing out on authentic learning experiences, which they absolutely must have to be prepared for the dramatically shifting professional world they'll enter. ?And with so much money supporting the new testing and data infrastructures that there is apparently not enough money for the essential elements of our children's education: foreign language classes, the arts, teacher retention programs, etc. How can we allow this to continue?
I've been nearly silent with my thoughts on these policies and how they reflect on president Obama's leadership when it comes to education. I've had my reasons--mainly, I didn't want to weaken Obama's chances of reelection, since I saw no better choice. ?I hope you know that was a big comprimise for me. I am a small voice in this debate, but I value my integrity. Now I will speak up. ?
President Obama, you are such an intelligent person, capable of the highest levels of leadership. You called on a highly articulate and experienced educator in Linda Darling Hammond to lead your education campaign in 2008, and you got my vote that year in large part because of that smart choice. I did not know enough about your leadership at that point to be certain you were the best person to lead our country, but I did know enough about Linda Darling Hammond's work to make a decision I knew would benefit children across America. Then you got elected and made a hard turn in a different direction. You have been nearly silent about this as well. ?It's as if you just handed "education" off to someone else. I know you have so many issues to take care of, but I implore you to stand closer to our country's public schools.
Secretary Duncan has said,?"We came out of the gates flying" in the first term..." and he plans to "replicate that as much as we can." (EdWeek, Duncan Sketches Out Second Term Agenda). ?Are you sure you're going in the right direction? The stakes for our country could not be higher. Education is becoming a support for big money at the expense of children's futures, and you have the opportunity to turn that around.?
My education policy wish for 2013 is that President Obama will change his "approach to education." ?For a great variety of thoughtful recommendations for how this might look, check out my colleagues at Teaching Ahead: Teachers' Advice to President Obama in His Second Term. ?These are teachers, who've committed their lives to our nation's youth, and their ideas deserve a chance.
?
[image credit:?5forcesofchange.com]
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Friday, December 28, 2012
Half of Americans leave landline behind
22 min.
A new study indicates that fully half of Americans are living in a household that uses only or mostly mobile phones ? but the remainder is slow to convert.
The Centers for Disease Control's?National Health Interview Study conducts in-person interviews throughout the year, asking about everything from health and insurance status to household telephones. They've put together some of the data from the first half of 2012 and the results, while not shocking, are significant.
Of the more than 20,000 households interviewed, just over half used wireless (i.e. cellular) phones for all or nearly all phone?calls ? 35.9 percent were wireless-only, and 15.9 percent had a landline but rarely used it. That adds up to 51.8 percent of all households, which is less than 2?percent more than for?the same period last year.
Why such a small increase? While younger people are adopting wireless phones as their only phone in record numbers, older folks are hanging onto their landlines. The percentage of people going wireless only steadily decreases as age increases: Only a quarter of those aged 45-64 were totally wireless, and just a tenth of those above age 64. That said, every age segment saw their wireless-only population increase by between 1 and 5 percent.
The highest percentage of wireless-only users appears to be among adults living with unrelated adult roommates ? 75.9 percent, almost three times the proportion of people living only with spouses or other adult family (but down slightly from last year's numbers).
So young people in population-dense areas, especially renters and people with low income, are happy to leave behind the expense and inconvenience of a landline. But for people who have had a landline for years, relatively few choose to abandon it.
The rest of the study, including methods and many more statistics, can be found at the CDC's website.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBCNews Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/half-americans-leave-landline-behind-1C7753028
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Transform Plain White Sugar into Powdered Sugar at Home
We all have plain white granulated sugar at home, but when a recipe calls for superfine, powdered, or confectioners' sugar, don't run out and buy a whole bag for a few tablespoons. This technique lets you make it at home what the gear you already have in your kitchen.
If you need superfine, just toss a cup and two teaspoons of plain white sugar into a food processor for 30 seconds. If you need confectioners' suguar, pulverize a cup of white sugar and one teaspoon of corn starch into a spice grinder or a blender for a full minute. Then sift the mix through a mesh strainer, and you're all done. In both cases, you'll end up with one cup of what you need.
The folks at America's Test Kitchen explain that superfine and confectioners' sugar are just processed granulated sugar, so there's no reason you can't get the same results at home if you do it right. Hit the video above or visit the link below to see the tip in action.
How to Turn Granulated Sugar into Superfine and Confectioners' Sugar | America's Test Kitchen
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LG?s latest projector system is powered by freaking lasers
5 hrs.
Until now, all consumer front projector systems?produced light using lamps or in rare cases LEDs. The new?LG HECTO FP system, on the other hand, uses lasers for illumination instead. Yes, lasers.
As LG announced on Wednesday, the new projector system uses lasers and a Texas Instruments DLP chip to form images. Typical home front projectors require around a 9 to 12 foot distance from the lens to a 100-inch screen. The LG HECTO requires only a 22-inch throw to fill the screen and can be placed on the floor or the mounted to the ceiling.
The LG HECTO Laser Projection TV will be sold as a complete system with a 100-Inch diagonal screen, a built-in ATSC TV tuner, HDMI switching and a Wi-Fi connection for streaming video.
Specifications include a rated 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 1080p resolution, 3 HDMI inputs, an optical audio input, RS-232 interface. Audio is produced by two 10W built-in speakers. The projector measures 5.7-inches high. The HECTO Laser projector does not have 3-D capability. LG has not? provided a brightness rating, a key specification. (Lasers offer the promise of very high intensity using low power.)
The screen is a fixed design and unlike theater screens its surface is black not white. LG claims the system will render a vivid, high contrast crisp image, even in lighter viewing environments.
The Laser TV supports LG's Smart TV platform and will stream movies via Netflix?and?YouTube as well as other services and?apps via its built-in Wi-Fi wireless Internet connection. The HECTO also includes LG's latest Magic Remote control.
LG claims its laser based illumination system has a lifespan of up to 25,000 hours, which is 5 times or more the life of traditional mercury-based lamps.
The LG HECTO Laser projector will be demonstrated at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show early next month. We expect pricing and availability to be announced at the show.
Have a question for the HD Guru? Send an?email.
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Where to Look for Tax Forclosure Homes for Sale ? Real Estate ...
Tax forclosure homes for sale are all over the country today. It is up to you, the buyer, to take advantage of them. Tax foreclosures occur when property owners become unable to pay the taxes of their properties. When this happens, the government tax agency repossesses the property with the intention of selling it. Since maintaining the property will only cost the agency money, the agency will try to sell the property as soon as possible, even at a lower price. This explains why properties under Jefferson City Foreclosures list are priced lower than market value.
If you are looking for tax forclosure homes for sale, then the internet should be one of your first destinations. There are now many websites that allow you to access foreclosure listings in various states. Some websites offer a free service while some require a small fee. To make sure that you use the best service possible, most websites will offer you a free trial before you agree to subscribe to the service.
When choosing a service, you also need to ensure that the site constantly updates its Jefferson City foreclosures list and other foreclosure listings. In fact, this is one of the most important things that you need to ensure when choosing a foreclosure listing service. You don?t want to have your heart set on a particular property only to find out that it has already been sold a couple of weeks ago.
Once you have browsed the tax forclosure homes for sale and you have decided to buy a property, you might want to consider hiring a real estate agent to help you with your purchase. Just make sure that the realtor is not working on behalf of the seller.
Now, try us on E-ForeclosureSearch.com. We assure to you an excellent service as well as up-to-date listings of foreclosures for sale.
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Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Personal Training Fitness Advice For A Healthy Life - Fitness Spotlight
When following a physical fitness training exercise routine, the most important thing is motivation. It is essential to get regular exercise to attain maximum weight loss; however, if you aren?t motivated to exercise, it will be hard to keep it up on an ongoing basis. Exercise can be fun if you know how to make it entertaining. Who says a fitness regime can?t be exciting and even enjoyable? If you keep a positive attitude, you?ll find plenty of ways to keep your workouts entertaining. Mix up your fitness routine by trying out these new suggestions.
An easy way to get your body moving is to crank up some great music. How can you play your favorite energetic tunes without wanting to jump up and dance? Not having music in your workout is almost a crime. Turn up the tunes and start moving your body. The music provides an incentive to help you persevere and get into shape.
TIP! It?s never too late to become what you might have been. -George Elliot
Getting an exercised based video game is a great way to have fun while you exercise. This is a healthy activity that everyone in you family can enjoy. If you enjoy what you are doing, it won?t feel like working out. When you are playing, your focus is on the game and not the difficulty of the workout, so this will help you last longer and have a more successful workout.
Go out and buy yourself some new workout clothes that make you feel good when you wear them. Purchasing a new wardrobe for yourself will drive you to lose the weight, since you want to wear your new clothes. Choosing what colors and styles you want will be so much fun. New workout clothes will really make you want to move.
TIP! The finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race. -Unknown
When you achieve a fitness goal, give yourself a reward. When you give yourself a reward, it does not have to be too big or grand. Small, simple rewards can be equally effective. Get yourself a coveted book or CD ? or even a special food treat! Pick something that can be attained easily, but is also a bit of a splurge for you. Pick something that will also benefit in your fitness program will help act as a catalyst to your motivation. You will be happy to workout.
Fitness Spotlight ? Personal Training Fitness Advice For A Healthy Life0 votes, 0.00 avg. rating (0% score)
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Police: Idaho senator arrested, charged with DUI
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) ? Idaho U.S. Sen. Michael Crapo was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with driving under the influence in a Washington, D.C., suburb, authorities said.
Police in Alexandria, Va., said Sunday that the Idaho Republican was pulled over after his vehicle ran a red light. Police spokesman Jody Donaldson said Crapo failed field sobriety tests and was arrested at about 12:45 a.m. without incident. He was transported to the Alexandria jail and released on an unsecured $1,000 bond at about 5 a.m..
"There was no refusal (to take sobriety tests), no accident, no injuries," Donaldson said. "Just a traffic stop that resulted in a DUI."
Donaldson said he didn't immediately know what Crapo's blood alcohol level was, where he was coming from or the type of vehicle he was driving.
Crapo (KRAY'-poh) has a Jan. 4 court date.
Messages left for a Crapo spokesman weren't immediately returned Sunday night.
Currently in his third term, Crapo has been in the Senate since 1998, and served for six years in the U.S. House of Representatives before that. He was easily re-elected in 2010, and won't have to run again until 2016.
In Congress, Crapo has built a reputation as a staunch social and fiscal conservative. It has been expected he would take over the top Republican spot next year on the Senate Banking Committee. He also serves on the Senate's budget and finance panels. Crapo was a member of the so-called "Gang of Six" senators that worked in 2011 toward a deficit-reduction deal that was never adopted by Congress.
A Mormon from Idaho Falls, Idaho, Crapo has five children with his wife, Susan, and three grandchildren.
___
Associated Press writers Norman Gomlak in Atlanta and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-us-sen-crapo-arrested-charged-dui-022309038.html
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One in US, one in Russia: Young brothers divided
Courtesy Thomas family
John and Renee Thomas with their son, Jack, 7, who was adopted from Russia at the age of 3. Jack is hoping for his brother, Nikoly, now in a Russian orphanage, to join him in the United States.
By Kari Huus, NBC News
This Christmas, the best gift 7-year-old Jack Thomas could get would be the arrival of his little brother, Nikoly, who lives in an orphanage in Kursk, Russia.
"When Jack is asked about his family, he talks about his brother," said his father, John Thomas, speaking from the family?s home in Minnetonka, Minn. "He always asks, 'When is he coming home?' We just tell him we?re waiting for the call."
Jack has been waiting several years, a long time for a little boy. What he doesn?t know is that a feud between politicians in Moscow and Washington could destroy his chance to grow up with his brother.
On Friday, Russian lawmakers passed a bill that would prohibit Americans from adopting Russian children, and if that bill is signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, it would cast doubt on even those adoptions already in the pipeline.
For John Thomas and his wife, Renee ? and very likely hundreds of other expectant American families and Russian children ? the latest political shift could mean?a delay, a new hurdle or a brick wall.
The?U.S. State Department and some high-level officials in Moscow have lambasted the legislation as punishing Russian children?who need families in an effort to retaliate against Washington.
But the bill has gained ground amid a wave of nationalism, fueled by anger over a U.S. human rights bill singling out Russia and by several highly publicized?cases of U.S. adoptions that ended tragically.
Since the end of the Soviet era in 1991, Americans have adopted about 60,000 children from Russia, making it one of the main countries of origin for non-domestic adoptions in the United States, according to U.S.?government statistics.?At the?peak of the trend in 2004, Americans brought?5,862 children into their homes. In 2011, the number was down to 962 ? a product of well-intentioned policy shifts, bureaucracy, corruption and other difficulties.
See the US Action Plan on Children in Adversity
European Children Adoption Services
Jack Thomas, at the age of 3, just before he was adopted from Kursk, Russia, by Americans John and Renee Thomas. He is now 7 years old and growing up in an affluent suburb of Minneapolis.
Even with foreign adoptions, which are allowed after giving Russians priority, Russia has an estimated 700,000 children living in institutions, nearly 80,000 of them orphaned, and the rest abandoned or taken away by the state because the parents were judged unfit to take care of them.
The?Thomases have experienced the painful, stop-start nature of the Russian adoption process in their quest for Nikoly.
It was in December 2008, when they were finalizing their adoption of 3-year-old Eduard, whom they named Jack, that they learned he had a baby brother. They started the adoption application process for Nikoly as soon as they could, after a required waiting period.
Compliments of the Thomas family
Renee Thomas in December 2010 meeting Nikoly at an orphanage in Kursk, Russia. He was 18 months old at the time, and Thomas says she expected he would join the the family within a matter of months. Nikoly is now 4 and remains in institutional care in Russia.
A year later, John and Renee Thomas, who work as an attorney and a building contract negotiator, again flew to Moscow and then went by rail to Kursk to meet Nikoly, whom they call Theodore or Teddy. He was?18 months old. Renee Thomas says she thought it would take about the same amount of time to adopt him as it had with Jack, and expected to travel to Kursk sometime in the spring of 2010 to get him.
The Thomases?are?still waiting.
One of the reasons for delay, they say,?is the horror caused by a woman in Tennessee who put her 7-year-old son, whom she had adopted in Russia, on a one-way flight to Moscow in 2010, with the explanation that the child was "mentally unstable" and she could no longer take care of him.
In another delay that Renee Thomas believes cost their adoption another year, the Russian government shut down adoptions for review and re-accreditation of all adoption agencies that work in Russia.
European Children Adoption Services
Nikoly in an undated photo taken at an orphanage in Kursk, Russia. (The red splotches on his face are believed to be a type of antiseptic.)
In addition, the Thomas? dossier has gone before a series of judges in Russia, some of whom have rejected it without a stated reason, and others setting forth requirements that they are not able to meet under U.S. law. Even so, there are Russians trying to help them run the gauntlet, and they figured the problems would get ironed out.
"We expected to be traveling soon" to get Nikolai, said John Thomas. ?
Just last month, when a newly negotiated bilateral adoptions agreement came into effect, designed to smooth out the process and help safeguard adopted children, things appeared to be looking up.
Watch the Top Videos on NBCNews.com
"These adoptive parents have really been through the ringer," said Johnson. "This was a bilateral treaty signed by our two governments. We really celebrated it. I thought we could turn our attention to other countries. But we?re really back to Russia again."
Kids pay in human rights spat
The ban that passed the Russian parliament grew out of a dispute over human rights.
On Nov. 16, the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act passed by a landslide in the U.S. House and Senate. Magnitsky was a 37-year-old lawyer who exposed massive fraud allegedly committed by a group of Russian officials. He was arrested and died in police custody 11 months later under suspicious circumstances. Among other things, the bill denies visas and freezes assets of the Russian officials implicated by Magnitsky.
The new U.S. law sparked an angry reaction from Moscow and fueled popular anti-American sentiment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the U.S. is "poisoning ties" between the two countries with a law that bans Russians who abuse human rights and is backing a Russian draft law banning adoption by Americans. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Vladimir Putin said that the law singling out Russia "contaminates our relations."
Russian legislators then drafted a bill to counter the U.S. law, with provisions restricting organizations and individuals linked to the United States.
Just before the first vote in the Duma, the proposed ban on American adoptions of Russian children was tacked on as an amendment. The legislation was named after 21-month-old Dima Yakovlev, a Russian boy who died in Virginia after his adoptive father left him alone in a hot SUV for nine hours.
Americans may lose right to adopt Russian kids
After the Duma approved the legislation on Friday, the U.S. State Department registered its disapproval.
"If Russian officials have concerns about the implementation of (the adoption) agreement, we stand ready to work with them to improve it and remain committed to supporting inter-country adoptions between our two countries," said acting State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell. "The welfare of children is simply too important to be linked to political aspects of our relationship."
The bill is now heading for Putin?s desk for his signature.
Compliments of the Thomas family
John Thomas and his son, Jack, who was adopted from Russia at the age of 3, in an undated picture taken at their home in Minnetonka, Minn.
Opponents of the ban are still hoping that the president will veto the bill, despite his comments while campaigning for re-election that?U.S. adoptions should no longer be allowed. More recently he has remained silent on the issue.
Over the past week, Russian opponents of the ban have launched petitions and small protests at the parliament building, and several high-level officials have registered strong opposition to it, including Russia?s foreign minister and education minister.
Johnson of the National Council for Adoption says he?s hoping the domestic opposition will dissuade Putin from signing the adoption ban into law.
"One good thing that?s happening ? is a movement brought on by Russian citizens and the foreign minister who has spoken out against this legislation ? saying it?s not the right way to stick it to America,? he said. "Hopefully more politicians will feel comfortable speaking out."
Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com
Barring that, he said, he hopes Russia will at least make provisions to finalize the adoptions that are already in process.
"There is a precedent ? to negotiate pipeline cases," he said, citing examples in Guatemala and Kyrgystan. "But given the animosity that Russians feel towards this, I hope that?s not a conversation we have to have."
For the Thomases,?despite politics, the adoption effort is now in overdrive. They understand that Nikoly, who turned 4 in June, could be moved at any time ?? and in fact may have been moved already to a Russian institution for children as old as 18.
"That's major," said John Thomas. "That's where bad things start to happen."
For Renee Thomas, her greatest fear is that the boys will not be allowed to grow up together.?But she tries to stay positive for Jack.
"????This morning as I was making him breakfast, he said 'Mom, wouldn't it be great if we woke up Christmas morning and Santa left presents and Teddy under the tree?' My response was 'Let's hope for next year.'"
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Monday, December 24, 2012
Syrian Christians fear bleak future after Assad
BEIRUT (AP) ? With Christmas just days away, 40-year-old Mira begged her parents to flee their hometown of Aleppo, which has become a major battleground in Syria's civil war.
Her parents refused to join her in Lebanon, but they are taking one simple precaution inside their besieged city. For the first time, Mira says, her parents will not put up a Christmas tree this year for fear their religion might make them a target.
"They want to stay to guard the property so nobody takes it," said Mira, who spoke to The Associated Press in Lebanon on condition that only her first name be published, out of concern for her family.
"They cannot celebrate Christmas properly. It's not safe. They are in a Christian area, but they don't feel secure to put a tree, even inside their apartment," Mira said.
Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Syria's population of more than 22 million, say they are particularly vulnerable to the violence that has been sweeping the country since March 2011. They are fearful that Syria will become another Iraq, with Christians caught in the crossfire between rival Islamic groups.
Hundreds of thousands of Christians fled Iraq after their community and others were targeted by militants in the chaotic years after dictator Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003.
During the Syria conflict, Christians have largely stuck by President Bashar Assad, in large part because they fear the rising power of Muslim hard-liners and groups with al-Qaida-style ideologies within the uprising against his rule. Many Christians worry they will be marginalized or even targeted if the country's Sunni Muslim majority, which forms the majority of the opposition, takes over.
The rebel leadership has sought to portray itself as inclusive, promising no reprisals if Assad falls. But some actions by fighters on the ground have been less reassuring.
This week, the commander of one rebel brigade threatened to storm two predominantly Christian towns in central Syria ? Mahrada and Sqailbiyeh ? saying regime forces were using the towns to attack nearby areas.
The commander, Rashid Abul-Fidaa, of the Ansar Brigade in Hama province demanded the towns' residents "evict Assad's gangs" or be attacked.
Christians and other minorities have generally supported Assad's regime in the past because it promoted a secular ideology that was seen as giving minorities a degree of protection.
The regime and ruling elite are dominated by the Alawite sect, itself a minority offshoot of Shiite Islam to which Assad belongs, but it has brought Christians and other minorities ? as well as Sunni Muslims ? into senior positions.
Christians have flourished under the Assad regime, which came to power four decades ago under Assad's father, Hafez. The regime divided economic privileges among minorities and certain Sunni families in exchange for giving up political power.
The threat of Islamic extremism resonates deeply in Syria, a country with many ethnic and religious minorities, and the regime has used their worries to try to keep their support. Assad has warned repeatedly that the country's turmoil will throw Syria into chaos, religious extremism and sectarian divisions.
Still, Christian activists have also figured prominently among the opposition to Assad, advocating an end to autocratic rule in the country. Christians were among the numerous political opponents that the regime jailed alongside Muslims over the years.
Aya, a Christian artist who has been campaigning against the regime for years, predicted prison won't be enough in the eyes of the rebels to balance the perception of Christian support for Assad. She fears score-settling if the regime falls.
"Many Christians think that this regime is good for us," said Aya, a 51-year-old from Aleppo who fled to Beirut in October. "They think that if they keep quiet, Assad will stay, and protect us. But this is an illusion."
When the government deployed fighter jets to Aleppo to drive back rebel advances in the northern city, they did not spare Christians in the city, Aya said.
"We all got hit, but it's too late now for Christians to change their minds about this regime," Aya said. "I am afraid that now we will pay the price for being silent about this terrible regime all these years."
Even for those who support the rebels, the nature of the opposition has caused ripples of apprehension. As the fight to overthrow Assad drags on, the rebels' ranks are becoming dominated by Islamists, raising concerns that the country's potential new rulers will marginalize them or establish an Islamic state.
Al-Qaida-inspired groups have become the most organized fighting units, increasingly leading battles for parts of Aleppo or assaults on military installations outside the city.
"Most (Christians) want to return (to Syria), but they want to wait until the fighting is over and see who will be ruling Syria after the war," Mira said.
Aleppo's schools are closed. Food and electricity are scarce. Most stores have been shut for months. Even though some areas of the city ? including the predominantly Christian district along Faisal Street ? are still controlled by government forces, the streets are unsafe, she said.
Aya lamented that it's nearly impossible to imagine the country going back to what it was. In the weeks before she fled for good, she said, the violence overwhelmed her.
"There was so much shooting, such terrible bombings, and I could not take it," she said. "In two weeks I slept for 10 hours, I did not eat and I cried all the time, because my city was turning into ruins, and I saw it with my own eyes."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-christians-fear-bleak-future-assad-165538322.html
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Sunday, December 23, 2012
'Place Beyond The Pines' Trailer: Ryan Gosling & Bradley Cooper Square Off (VIDEO)
Javier Bardem @ 'Sons Of The Clouds: The Last Colony' Premiere
Actor/ Producer Javier Bardem attends the 'Sons Of The Clouds: The Last Colony' premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at the Ryerson Theatre on September 13, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Sarjoun Faour Photography/Getty Images)
Penelope Cruz @ 'Twice Born' Premiere
Actress Penelope Cruz arrives at the 'Twice Born' premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 13, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Penelope Cruz @ 'Twice Born' Premiere
Actress Penelope Cruz arrives at the 'Twice Born' premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 13, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Katherine LaNasa And Billy Bob Thornton @ 'Jane Mansfield's Car' Premiere
Actress Katherine LaNasa (L) and actor/filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton arrive at the "Jane Mansfield's Car" Premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at the Roy Thomson Hall on September 13, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Pen?lope Cruz @ 'Twice Born' Photo Call
Actress Pen?lope Cruz attends the "Twice Born" Photo Call during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Bell Lightbox on September 13, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Emile Hirsch @ Guess Portrait Studio
Actor Emile Hirsch at Guess Portrait Studio on Day 8 during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Bell Lightbox on September 13, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Charles Leonio/Getty Images for Guess)
Monica Bellucci @ 'Rhino Season' Premiere
Actress Monica Bellucci attends "Rhino Season" premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival held at The Elgin Theatre on September 12, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Octavia Spencer @ 'Smashed Premiere
Actress Octavia Spencer attends the "Smashed" premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Ryerson Theatre on September 12, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images)
Miss Universe Canada @ 'Rhino Season' Premiere
Miss Universe Canada Sahar Biniaz attends the "Rhino Season" premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at The Elgin on September 12, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Melanie Mullen And Ziya Tong @ 'Revolution' Screening Party
Model Melanie Mullen (L) and TV personality Ziya Tong attend the TIFF Screening party following the world premiere of "Revolution" during thhe 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at C Lounge on September 12, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead @ 'Smashed' Premiere
Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead attends the "Smashed" premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Ryerson Theatre on September 12, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images)
Marisa Tomei @ 'Inescapable'
Actress Marisa Tomei arrives at the premiere for "Inescapable" during the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday Sept. 11, 2012 in Toronto. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Ruba Nadda @ 'Inescapable'
Director Ruba Nadda arrives at the premiere for "Inescapable" during the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday Sept. 11, 2012 in Toronto. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Joshua Jackson @ 'Inescapable'
Actor Joshua Jackson arrives at the premiere for "Inescapable" during the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday Sept. 11, 2012 in Toronto. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Jason Bateman @ 'Disconnect'
Jason Bateman, a cast member in the film "Disconnect," arrives at the premiere of the film at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Toronto. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Rachel McAdams @ 'Passion'
Actress Rachel McAdams attends the premiere for "Passion" at The Elgin Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Toronto. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)
Audrey Tatou @ 'Therese Desqueyroux'
French actress Audrey Tatou arrives at the premiere for "Therese Desqueyroux" during the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday Sept. 11, 2012 in Toronto. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Paula Patton @ InStyle and Hollywood Foreign Press Association Party
Actress Paula Patton poses at the 13th Annual InStyle and Hollywood Foreign Press Association Toronto International Film Festival Party, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Toronto. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Abbie Cornish @ InStyle and Hollywood Foreign Press Association Party
Actress Abbie Cornish poses at the 13th Annual InStyle and Hollywood Foreign Press Association Toronto International Film Festival Party, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Toronto. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Jacqueline MacInnes Wood @ InStyle and Hollywood Foreign Press Association Party
Actress Jacqueline MacInnes Wood arrives at the 13th Annual InStyle And The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Toronto International Film Festival Party at the Windsor Arms Hotel on September 11, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Laura Carswell And Ben Bass @ InStyle and Hollywood Foreign Press Association Party
Actors Laura Carswell (L) and Ben Bass attend the WGC Hosts Party With InStyle & HFPA To Celebrate TIFF at the Windsor Arms Hotel on September 11, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for WGC)
Travis Milne @ InStyle and Hollywood Foreign Press Association Party
Actor Travis Milne attends the WGC Hosts Party With InStyle & HFPA To Celebrate TIFF at the Windsor Arms Hotel on September 11, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for WGC)
Diane Kruger And Joshua Jackson @ 'Inescapable'
Actors Diane Kruger (L) and Joshua Jackson arrive at the 'Inescapable' Premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 11, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Sunrise Coigney and Mark Ruffalo @ 'Thanks for Sharing' Post-Gala Party
Sunrise Coigney and Mark Ruffalo arrive at Spice Route for the film party hosted by Audi following the post-special presentation screening of Thanks for Sharing on September 8 during the Toronto International Film Festival. <em>Credit: George Pimentel Photography</em>
Jennifer Garner @ 'Argo' Post-Gala Party
Jennifer Garner arrives at Terroni for the film party hosted by Audi following the post-gala premiere of Argo on September 7 during the Toronto International Film Festival. <em>Credit: George Pimentel Photography</em>
Nina Dobrev @ 'Argo' Post-Gala Party
Nina Dobrev arrives at Terroni for the film party hosted by Audi following the post-gala premiere of Argo on September 7 during the Toronto International Film Festival. <em>Credit: George Pimentel Photography</em>
Lauryn Hill @ ONEXONE Gala
On September 8th, Rogers Communications and Diesel Canada presented an Intimate Evening with Ms. Lauryn Hill and special guests in support of ONEXONE at Toronto's Kool Haus. The event included opening acts by Kardinal Offishall and Jully Black. <em>Credit: George Pimentel</em>
Olunike Adeliyi @ ONEXONE
On September 8th, Rogers Communications and Diesel Canada presented an Intimate Evening with Ms. Lauryn Hill and special guests in support of ONEXONE at Toronto's Kool Haus. The event included opening acts by Kardinal Offishall and Jully Black. <em>Credit: George Pimentel</em>
Kristin Kreuk @ ONEXONE
On September 8th, Rogers Communications and Diesel Canada presented an Intimate Evening with Ms. Lauryn Hill and special guests in support of ONEXONE at Toronto's Kool Haus. The event included opening acts by Kardinal Offishall and Jully Black. <em>Credit: George Pimentel</em>
Stacy McKenzie @ ONEXONE
On September 8th, Rogers Communications and Diesel Canada presented an Intimate Evening with Ms. Lauryn Hill and special guests in support of ONEXONE at Toronto's Kool Haus. The event included opening acts by Kardinal Offishall and Jully Black. <em>Credit: George Pimentel</em>
Jully Black @ ONEXONE
On September 8th, Rogers Communications and Diesel Canada presented an Intimate Evening with Ms. Lauryn Hill and special guests in support of ONEXONE at Toronto's Kool Haus. The event included opening acts by Kardinal Offishall and Jully Black. <em>Credit: George Pimentel</em>
Roberto Alomar @ ONEXONE
On September 8th, Rogers Communications and Diesel Canada presented an Intimate Evening with Ms. Lauryn Hill and special guests in support of ONEXONE at Toronto's Kool Haus. The event included opening acts by Kardinal Offishall and Jully Black. <em>Credit: George Pimentel</em>
Kardinal Offishall @ ONEXONE
On September 8th, Rogers Communications and Diesel Canada presented an Intimate Evening with Ms. Lauryn Hill and special guests in support of ONEXONE at Toronto's Kool Haus. The event included opening acts by Kardinal Offishall and Jully Black. <em>Credit: George Pimentel</em>
Emily Blunt Taking A Candid Photo With A Fan
...Emily Blunt (in Tory Burch), telling a fan, she'd take the image of them herself -- at the Arthur Newman soiree, hosted by The Bay and Moet & Chandon.
Christopher Walken @ 'A Late Quartet' Pre-Cocktail Event Hosted By Swarovski Bloor Street
Imogen Poots @ 'A Late Quartet' Pre-Cocktail Event Hosted By Swarovski Bloor Street
Ray Liotta @ RUDSAK's 'The Iceman' TIFF Dinner
Winona Ryder @ RUDSAK's 'The Iceman' TIFF Dinner
Laura Linney @ 'Hyde Park on Hudson'
Actress Laura Linney attends the "Hyde Park on Hudson" premiere at Roy Thomson Hall during the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday Sept. 10, 2012, in Toronto. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)
Zhang Ziyi @ 'Dangerous Liaisons' Premiere
Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi arrives at the premiere for "Dangerous Liaisons" during the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday Sept. 10, 2012 in Toronto. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Bill Murray @ Soho House
Actor Bill Murray attends the Late Lounge hosted by Grey Goose Vodka at Soho House at on September 10, 2012 in Toronto, Canada.
Chris Evans @ 'The Iceman' Premiere
Actor Chris Evans attends the premiere for "The Iceman" at The Princess of Wales Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday Sept. 10, 2012, in Toronto.
Chris Evans, Winona Ryder, Michael Shannon, Ray Liota @ 'The Iceman' Premiere
Actor Chris Evans, actress Winona Ryder, and actors Michael Shannon and Ray Liota attend the premiere for "The Iceman" at The Princess of Wales Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday Sept. 10, 2012, in Toronto.
Michael Shannon @ 'The Iceman' Premiere
Actor Michael Shannon attends the premiere for "The Iceman" at The Princess of Wales Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday Sept. 10, 2012, in Toronto.
Olivia Williams @ 'Hyde Park On Hudson' Premiere
Actress Olivia Williams attends the "Hyde Park on Hudson" premiere at Roy Thomson Hall during the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday Sept. 10, 2012, in Toronto.
Winona Ryder @ 'The Iceman' Premiere
Actress Winona Ryder attends the premiere for "The Iceman" at The Princess of Wales Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday Sept. 10, 2012, in Toronto.
Jang Dong-gun @ 'Dangerous Liaisons' Premiere
Chines actor Jang Dong-gun arrives at the premiere for "Dangerous Liaisons" during the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday Sept. 10, 2012 in Toronto.
Bill Murray @ 'Hyde Park On Hudson' Premiere
Actor Bill Murray attends the "Hyde Park on Hudson" premiere at Roy Thomson Hall during the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday Sept. 10, 2012, in Toronto.
Rachel McAdams @ 'To The Wonder' Premiere
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 10: Actress Rachel McAdams attends the 'To The Wonder' premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at the Princess of Wales Theatre on September 10, 2012 in Toronto, Canada.
Bill Murray@ 'Hyde Park On Hudson' Premiere
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 10: Actor Bill Murray attends 'Hyde Park On Hudson' premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 10, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Olga Kurylenko @ 'To The Wonder' Premiere
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 10: Actress Olga Kurylenko attends 'To The Wonder' premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 10, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/place-beyond-the-pines-tr_n_2348752.html
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Video: Best books for the holiday season
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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50277782/
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Saturday, December 22, 2012
Working With a Wyckoff chiropractor for Pain Relief
Working with a qualified Wyckoff chiropractor for pain relief is an important step in helping to rectify any back issues that you might be dealing with whether long term or not. Pain relief is usually the end goal of most people who see a chiropractor so finding one that has plenty of experience in the field of back pain and things like sciatica is always a good idea for long term management of your back pain. Living life pain free is something worth working for.
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Source: http://www.knupnet.com/latest-health-news/working-with-a-wyckoff-chiropractor-for-pain-relief/
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State Department seeks more money, vows reforms after Benghazi
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department will seek billions of dollars in new funds and revamp security procedures around the globe in response to criticism by an independent investigation of the September 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, senior officials said on Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's two top deputies appeared at a Senate hearing and conceded that U.S. officials had failed to "connect the dots" ahead of the attack, which killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
"We learned some very hard and painful lessons in Benghazi," said Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. "We are already acting on them. We have to do better."
The State Department said on Wednesday its security chief had resigned and three other officials were relieved of their posts following the report, which cited leadership and management deficiencies, poor coordination and confusion over who had the authority to make decisions.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, tipped to be President Barack Obama's pick to replace Clinton when she steps down next month, chaired the session and led the call for increased funding.
"We need to make certain that we are not penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to supporting America's vital interest overseas," Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said.
SECURITY SPENDING EYED
Clinton, unable to appear at the hearing due to illness, has already asked for $1.4 billion in funds for the 2013 fiscal year to be re-allocated to improve security at U.S. diplomatic missions, a State Department fact sheet said.
The State Department is also expected to request $2.3 billion per year for the next 10 years to further this work.
Some Republican lawmakers challenged the call for more money.
"If the State Department intends to blame its long string of failures on inadequate funding, then perhaps it should take a closer look at the money that is being lavished on global climate change, culinary diplomacy programs and other favored projects," House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, said at an afternoon hearing.
But the panel's top Democrat, Representative Howard Berman, said the diplomatic security budget was cut so often it "created a culture at the State Department that is more preoccupied with saving money than with achieving its security goals."
Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides said the department had formed a task force to implement 29 specific recommendations in the panel's report and sent security assessment teams to 19 U.S. missions in 13 countries.
The department, in cooperation with the Pentagon, intends to send 35 additional Marine detachments, or about 225 uniformed personnel, to beef up security at medium- and high-threat posts and to boost staffing of its own Bureau of Diplomatic Security by about 5 percent, or 150 additional agents, Nides said.
"Implementation of each and every recommendation will be under way by the time the next secretary of state takes office," Nides said.
The State Department said Bill Miller, a diplomatic security special agent since 1987 who has served in Egypt and Iraq, was appointed deputy assistant secretary of state for high-threat posts - a new position in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
The job will focus on U.S. posts in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen, the State Department said.
The Benghazi incident could tarnish Clinton's four-year tenure as secretary of state but the report does not fault her specifically.
Burns said to his knowledge the security requests from diplomats in Libya "did not get as far as Secretary Clinton."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama endorsed the recommendations of the Benghazi report and expects them to be fully implemented.
"Immediately, accountability has been brought to bear with regard to four individuals who are very senior," he said.
'SCLEROTIC' DEPARTMENT
Republican Senator Bob Corker, an outspoken critic of the Obama administration's response to Benghazi, said the panel report revealed a "sclerotic" State Department that has failed to make good use of the resources already at its disposal.
"We have no idea whether the State Department is using its money wisely or not," he said.
Nides said the department still was coming to terms with widespread changes across the Middle East and defended the department's overall track record.
"We get this right about 99 percent of the time. We would like to be at 100 percent without question," he said.
Republicans have focused much of their firepower on U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, who appeared on TV talk shows after the attack and suggested it was the result of a spontaneous protest rather than a planned attack.
The report concluded there was no such protest and Rice, who had been widely seen as Obama's top pick to succeed Clinton, withdrew her name from consideration last week.
U.S. officials say the assault, which occurred on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, was the work of Islamist extremists and have pledged to bring those responsible to justice.
Burns said the attack highlighted the need to take a broader look at security rather than focus on "specific and credible" threats, which officials insist were absent in Benghazi.
"What happened in Benghazi was clearly a terrorist attack," Burns said. "We did not do a good enough job, as the report highlights, in trying to connect the dots."
(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Bill Trott and Todd Eastham)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/state-department-security-chief-leaves-post-over-benghazi-025244472.html
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Retailers ready for final holiday push
14 hrs.
FREEPORT, Maine --?With the final retail push under way, L.L. Bean CEO Chris McCormick is playing Santa's helper against a backdrop of conveyor belts and beeping front-end loaders as he boxes up slippers and shirts. But there's little time to reflect on the holiday cheer those gifts will bring because he's busy concentrating to make sure no shipments go astray.
At L.L. Bean, top executives are abandoning their desks to work in the shipping department and to answer customers' phone calls as part of an annual all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure last-minute purchases arrive at their destinations before Christmas.
This season, the deadline for orders with guaranteed Christmas delivery is the latest ever, with L.L. Bean offering free shipping as late as noon Friday.
"Consumers are going to buy when they want to buy. There's no changing that, so we have to be ready," McCormick, his sleeves rolled up, said during a break inside the busy 1-million-square-foot distribution center where nearly 200,000 orders are shipped daily in late December.
There's never been a better time to be a procrastinator because retailers continue to offer later guaranteed delivery, and in some cases retailers are offering same-day delivery in select cities, said Al Sambar, a logistics and retail strategist at the consulting firm Kurt Salmon.
Related: Meteorologists keep UPS, FedEx running
Thanks to improved shipping logistics, many online and catalog retailers established Christmas delivery deadlines on Thursday and Friday, with some like Amazon extending the deadline for one-day shipping until Saturday.
And shoppers can expect the trend to continue.
Retailers are increasingly focusing on speed. Following Amazon's lead, other retailers are experimenting with regional warehouses to get the product closer to potential customers, said Raj Kumar, a retail partner at A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm.
Macy's, Toys R Us and Wal-Mart are testing pilot programs in which stores themselves are utilized as shipping hubs as retailers push for next-day and same-day delivery, he said.
Unlike Amazon, L.L. Bean's worldwide shipping hub is centralized, about a mile from the corporate headquarters, and features seemingly endless aisles of flannel shirts, L.L. Bean boots, camping supplies, and other items, along with a labyrinth of conveyors and chutes that transport them, and a fleet of trucks.
The company hired 4,700 seasonal workers to help with the holiday rush, doubling the workforce, and 500 administrative employees are expected to get into the act during crunch times.
Earlier this week, McCormick was boxing goods in the shipping department with the company's financial controller, Kierston Van Soest. Nearby were the company's chief financial officer and other executives. In Bean parlance, they're dubbed "day hikers," since they're on a temporary daily assignment.
Pulling items from a shopping cart, McCormick and Van Soest scanned the products with a bar code reader, printed shipping labels and order forms, and then boxed up the items, tossing in catalogs for good measure. On this day, popular items included headlamps, Wicked Good slippers and shirts.
In the past, McCormick worked on a product-sorting conveyor line, in the retail store stockroom, and in a recycling area, breaking down empty cardboard boxes. The worst job of all, he said, was one stint working in the part of the call center that deals with angry and frustrated customers, attempting to set things right.
"It's hard because you've disappointed people and you don't want to disappoint anybody, especially at this time of the year," McCormick said. "I wouldn't want their job."
The company does its best to keep customers happy. On that day, hundreds of shipments were being upgraded free of charge to UPS air to beat the first major winter storm in the Midwest.
McCormick said it's nice to get out among the workers but there's a practical purpose for having everyone pitch in, including the men and women at the upper echelon of the company.
On this day, the distribution center was behind schedule because snow had kept many workers home the day before. Administrators were called in to help get back on schedule.
Like most retailers, L.L. Bean makes half of its annual sales in the last two months of the year. And retailers are more than happy to oblige late shoppers, especially since holiday sales haven't been especially strong going into the final shopping weekend before Christmas, according to Michael McNamara, vice president for research and analysis at MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse.
Nationwide, the final retail push on Friday and Saturday is expected to yield $34 billion in total sales, accounting for roughly 8 percent of the $400 billion in December sales, McNamara said.
After Christmas, and the ensuing returns, the entire planning process starts anew.
"It's interesting being a retailer. You plan all year for four weeks. This is where we make most our sales and most of our money. After Christmas, you feel like you just ran a marathon and now you get back on the treadmill and you've got to do it again," McCormick said.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/retailers-ready-final-holiday-push-1C7657747
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Westcore Properties Closes Massive Commercial Real Estate Deal ...
San Diego based Westcore Properties has recently?closed a deal to acquire a collection of Sacramento?s industrial real estate. The purchase, valued at $600 million, includes 110 buildings amounting to 11 million square feet of space, a property portfolio put together by local developer Joe Benvenuti. Most of the buildings, about 8 million square feet, are located in Sacramento, the rest are commercial properties in the Midwest.
This is the second largest commercial real estate deal in the history of Sacramento, outranked by a transaction closed back in 2007 when Wells Farago Center and other office properties, valued at $760 million. The deal is also the largest in industrial real estate closed this year in California and the second-biggest in the USA, according to?Mark Demetre of Jones Lang Lasalle, who helped broker it.
Demetre, as well as other commercial real estate experts, see this massive acquisition of warehouses and other industrial properties as proof of investor?s faith in Sacramento?s commercial property market as a long-term investment. It also marks a significant ownership transfer from a small group of local developers to outside investors, backed by a large infusion of Wall Street money.
Westcore President and CEO Don Ankeny expressed his company?s eagerness to continue the plans drawn up by Benvenuti, who passed away earlier this year.
?Joe was a legendary guy in your marketplace,? Ankeny said. ?The opportunity to step into the shoes of his lifetime?s work doesn?t come along very often. When we got wind of that opportunity, we jumped on it.?
After Benvenuti?s death, his heirs made a decision to sell most of his assets.
?It was basically a family decision. My dad passed away a few months ago and my mom a couple of years ago,? said Richard Benvenuti, the late developer?s son.
This major deal included most on Benvenuti?s 13 million square feet commercial real estate holdings. About half of the properties Westcore aquired are located in North Natomas,?along North Market Boulevard and Del Paso Road. The other properties are in West Sacramento,?Rancho Cordova?and?Placer County. The Midwest properties included in the deal are mostly made up of distribution centers, light industrial buildings and office buildings from St Louis and Indianapolis.
Source: http://realtybiznews.com/westcore-properties-sacramento/98717570/
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Friday, December 21, 2012
Russian lawmakers back adoption ban in row with U.S.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's lower house of parliament approved a law banning Americans from adopting Russian children on Friday, in retaliation for U.S. human rights legislation which Vladimir Putin says is poisoning relations.
The State Duma overwhelmingly backed a bill which also outlaws U.S.-funded "non-profit organizations that engage in political activity", extending what critics say is a clampdown on Putin's opponents since he returned to the presidency in May.
The law responds to U.S. legislation known as the Magnitsky Act, passed by the U.S. Congress to impose visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials accused of involvement in the death in custody of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009.
Putin hinted at a news conference on Thursday that he would sign it into law once the Senate votes on it next week, describing it as an emotional but appropriate response to an unfriendly move by the United States.
"It is a myth that all children who land in American families are happy and surrounded by love," Olga Batalina, a deputy with Putin's ruling United Russia party, said in defense of the new measures.
In a pointed echo of the Magnitsky act, the Russian legislation has become known as the Dima Yakovlev law, after a Russian-born toddler who died after his American adoptive father left him in locked in a sweltering car.
It has outraged Russian liberals who say children are being made victims of politics. Some government officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, have expressed reservations about the legislation.
"Children should not be a bargaining chip in international affairs," said Mikhail Fedotov, the head of the Kremlin's human rights council.
Last year, 962 Russian children from orphanages were adopted by Americans while over 45,000 have found homes in the United States since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Their parents are either dead or unable to care for them and some have complex medical needs.
The spat is overshadowing efforts to improve relations with U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.
Signaling Moscow is worried about long-term damage to trade and diplomatic ties, Lavrov has taken the rare step of appearing to stake out a view that differs from the Kremlin line. The Kremlin hopes Obama will visit Russia for a summit in 2013.
RHETORIC REMINISCENT OF COLD WAR
In a debate peppered with patriotic rhetoric reminiscent of the Cold War, deputies described foreign adoptions as an embarrassment, implying Russia could not care for its own.
The law was backed by 420 deputies and opposed by only seven in the 450-seat chamber. Its easy passage reflected a growing conservatism in society since Putin's return of the presidency.
The provision targeting non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, has also upset international human rights groups who accuse Putin of clamping down on civil society and dissent in his new six-year term as president following the biggest protests of his 13-year domination of Russian politics.
"There is a huge risk that the vaguely worded provisions in this bill will be used to clamp down on government critics and exposers of abuses," said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.
It was fast-tracked and came to the third of three readings in the Duma's last session before the chamber, which is dominated by Putin's party, broke up for holidays.
It will go to a vote in the Senate next week but final approval rests with Putin.
Russia is the third most popular country for U.S. foreign adoptions after China and Ethiopia, according to the U.S. State Department.
It is something regretted by Russian politicians.
"We are against our orphans wandering the globe," United Russia deputy Vladimir Vasilyev said.
"NOTHING TO DO WITH MAGNITSKY ACT"
But critics say the new move will deprive children stuck in orphanages the chance of growing up in the care of families.
"This has nothing to do with the Magnitsky Act," Fedotov said. "For us to transition to a refusal of international adoptions, we need for all children to be adopted in Russia... this is a long term goal.
Some prominent non-governmental organizations will be threatened with closure as the law bans U.S.-sponsored political NGOs from working in Russia. Russians who also hold U.S. passports will be unable to lead such groups.
Russian human rights activists said the latter provision specifically targeted veteran campaigner Lyudmila Alexeyeva, 85, a Soviet-era dissident who leads the Moscow Helsinki Group.
"Alexeyeva is the face of our human rights movement," human rights activists Lev Ponomaryov told Reuters. "The Duma members just showed what angry, evil creatures they are."
Activists say the main target of tougher rules is Golos, a group that receives foreign funding and compiled allegations of fraud in 2011 parliamentary elections and the March presidential vote.
But they fear that vague wording in the law means it will be applied to groups as wide ranging as veteran Russian rights group Memorial and the Moscow Helsinki Group.
Putin has accused the United States of stoking protest against his nearly 13-year rule and Russia ordered the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to halt its work in the country in October.
Russian officials say they fear foreign powers will use non-profit groups to bring about the type of street protests that toppled governments in Georgia and Ukraine.
Another bill passed in July requiring all foreign-funded NGOs to register as "foreign agents", or be shut down. Many groups have refused to comply, saying the term harks back to Soviet-era political repression.
(Additional reporting by Masha Tsvetkova and Nastassia Astrasheuskaya; writing by Alissa de Carbonnel; editing by Timothy Heritage and Philippa Fletcher)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-parliament-approves-ban-u-adoptions-105037448.html
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