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Darius Rucker to Headline SKyPac Music Festival By Lisa Autry May 15, 2013 The Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center is bringing musician Darius Rucker to Bowling Green this summer. The pop-turned-country artist will headline The Sounds of Independence Music Festival on July 27th. SKyPAC Executive Director Tom Tomlinson believes Rucker will be a big regional draw. "I think without a doubt he's one of the biggest names to appear here in a number of years," says Tomlinson. "He's at least one of the biggest names we've brought here since the opening night with Vince Gill." The downtown music festival will be a fundraiser for SKYyPAC. Tickets go on sale Friday to the general public. The festival will be held outside the SKYyPAC facility and will feature a number of artists, including Justin Rivers from this season of "The Voice." Chandler Named Executive Director of Humanities Council Former Congressman Ben Chandler will be the new executive director of the Kentucky Humanities Council. The non-profit group is not affiliated with the state, but works closely with state tourism and arts organizations. It is affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. "Well when I found out that [current director] Virginia Carter was retiring I actually sought out the position because it was a wonderful, unique opportunity for me to do the thing that I love, which is to promote my state, promote the culture, the tradition, the history, the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky," he says. Chandler will officially start July 1, as the current executive director transitions to retirement. Chandler says he sought out the new post because of his love for the state and its humanities. The new job will be full-time, and Chandler says he will be involved in the day to day operations of the council. Speed Art Museum Gets $18 Million for Expansion May 7, 2013 The Speed Art Museum in Louisville could complete its expansion and renovation five to 10 years early thanks to an $18 million donation. The Courier-Journal reports work already has begun the project that will double the exhibition space and dramatically change the look of Kentucky's largest museum. The new donation comes from the family of Brown-Forman Chairman Owsley Brown II. Before Brown's death in 2011, he served as chairman of the museum's building committee and honorary chairman of the capital campaign, which was raising money for the expansion. Museum board president Allan Latts said the donation will allow the museum to shave $20 million off the project's original $79 million budget because of the lower cost of materials and labor. Kentucky Derby Weekend Means It's Mint Julep Time By Kevin Willis May 2, 2013 Listen Listening... / 8:00 Kevin speaks with Cole Phelps about the history and proper preparation of the mint julep. The mint julep stands proud as the beverage known as Kentucky's signature drink. Unless you're new to the area or haven't been paying attention, you know the julep is synonymous with the Kentucky Derby. What you might not know, however, is that the mint julep's history traces back to a rose water drink in the Middle East. WKU Public Radio's Kevin Willis in 2010 visited the famous Seelbach Hotel in Louisville to learn the history and proper preparation of the famous drink. Cole Phelps, who at the time served as the head bartender at Max's Bar on the hotel's second floor shared his favorite recipe for drink: George Jones, Country Superstar, has Died at 81 Apr 26, 2013 George Jones, the peerless, hard-living country singer who recorded dozens of hits about good times and regrets and peaked with the heartbreaking classic He Stopped Loving Her Today, has died. He was 81. Publicist Kirt Webster says Jones died Friday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville after being hospitalized with fever and irregular blood pressure. Known for his clenched, precise baritone, Jones had No. 1 songs in five separate decades, 1950s to 1990s, and was idolized not just by fellow country singers, but by Frank Sinatra, Pete Townshend, Elvis Costello, James Taylor and countless others. In a career that lasted more than 50 years, Possum recorded more than 150 albums and became the champion and symbol of traditional country music, a well-lined link to his hero, Hank Williams. Kentucky Native Bob Edwards to Appear at Southern Kentucky Book Fest By Joe Corcoran Apr 19, 2013 Listen Listening... / 3:59 Joe Corcoran's interview with Bob Edwards Bob Edwards has a voice familiar to many public radio fans. The Louisville native was for many years NPR's Morning Edition anchor. Edwards is also an author, and he'll appear Saturday, April 20, in Bowling Green to sign copies of his new book A Voice In The Box: My Life in Radio at the 2013 Southern Kentucky Book Festival. Joe Corcoran recently spoke to Edwards about his new book. Extreme Drama: The Life And Music Of Richard Wagner By Marin Alsop Apr 13, 2013 Richard Wagner was, and still is today, arguably the most controversial figure in classical music. A self-appointed deity and hyperdriven genius, Wagner is often considered the ultimate megalomaniac. He dreamed up and achieved a single-minded plan to change the course of classical music history. Web Extra: Kentucky Bourbon Book Author Talks Prohibition, Maker's Mark Episode Apr 10, 2013 Kevin Willis Michael Veach is a man who knows his bourbon. Not just because he enjoys Kentucky's signature spirit, but because he's also one of the nation's foremost bourbon historians. Veach is associate curator of special collections at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, and the author of the new book Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Tradition. In his recent interview with WKU Public Radio, Veach told us about the many tall tales he had to debunk surrounding the history of bourbon. Here are a few web audio extras featuring Veach that we didn't have time to include in the interview we aired this week: One of the World's Great Vocal Ensembles Coming to WKU By Lee Stott Apr 8, 2013 www.chanticleer.org Listen Listening... / 4:00 Lee Stott's interview with Jace Wittig, Chanticleer's music director The world-renowned choral ensemble Chanticleer is coming to Western Kentucky University Thursday evening as part of the school's Cultural Enhancement Series. The performance is at 7:30pm C.T. at Van Meter Auditorium, and is free and open to the public. The group will perform a program called The Siren's Call. This program celebrates the sea with music from New Zealand, Hawaii and China complemented by Chanticleer's signature treatments of Gregorian Chant and Renaissance music. WKU Public Radio's Lee Stott spoke with Jace Wittig, Chanticleer's Music Director, about the group and its April 11 performance in Bowling Green. Annette Funicello, 'America's Sweet Heart', Has Died By editor Apr 8, 2013 Annette Funicello, who was one of the first child stars to emerge out of The Mickey Mouse Club, has died, the official Disney Fan Club reports. Pages« first © 2015 WKU Public Radio

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Authorities Capture Younger Boston Bombing Suspect By editor Originally published on April 19, 2013 9:51 pm Transcript MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: And, Chris, I'm sorry to cut you off. Chris, I'm sorry, but we have the news conference. It looks like it's about to begin. Mayor Tom Menino, who's in a wheelchair, has been wheeled to the microphone. CHRIS ARNOLD, BYLINE: No problem. BLOCK: So we're going to let you go. And we're going to... ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Here he is. (SOUNDBITE OF NEWS CONFERENCE) COLONEL TIMOTHY ALBEN: We are so grateful to bring justice and closure to this case. To those families that lost loved ones or suffered injuries that they'll live with the rest of their lives... SIEGEL: This is actually Colonel Alben, the superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. ALBEN: ...for a police officer, a young man starting a career at MIT, and a police officer with the MBTA who almost lost his life, and for neighborhoods that lived in fear for an entire day, we are eternally grateful for the outcome here tonight. We have a suspect in custody. I want to thank all of the partners who worked tirelessly over the last four days including the FBI, the transit police, our brothers with the Boston Police Department, the U.S. attorney's office, and the support that we have gotten from our governor over the last four days. We're exhausted, folks, but we have a victory here tonight. But let's not forget those people along the way. Thanks very much. Governor? GOVERNOR DEVAL PATRICK: Thank you, Colonel. Well, on behalf of Krystle and Martin and Lingzi, on behalf of the MIT officer who was lost last night and the transit police officer who was injured, on behalf of the hundreds of people who were hurt by the explosions at the marathon, I want to say how grateful I am to the colonel, to the special agent in charge, Rick Deslauriers. To all of the law enforcement who worked so well and so hard together, together, to bring us to tonight's conclusion. It was a very, very complicated case. A very challenging case and there are still some questions remaining to be answered. But as the colonel said, because of that extraordinary collaboration and cooperation by all of these law enforcement resources and assets and more to the point, people - professionals who brought their A game, we have a suspect in custody tonight. I want to also just thank all of the members of the public for their extraordinary patience, their participation in this investigation by reviewing photographs of their own and other others there were up through the media. And we thank you for that and helping us narrow in on these suspects. They were helpful and patient and we are grateful for that as well. It's a night where I think we are all going to rest easy. Carmen? CARMEN ORTIZ: Excuse me. SIEGEL: That's Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. ORTIZ: Good evening. I'm United States Attorney Carmen Ortiz, and I have to say that both the governor and the colonel have put it tremendously well. Tonight, we feel a tremendous sense of gratitude and relief. The ordeal that this community, especially this neighborhood has endured over the last 24 hours. Tonight, we can sleep a bit easier. And all of the unpredictable, horrific and yet heroic acts that have occurred over the last several days, starting with the terrible bombing attack that occurred on Monday. Here we are and not forgetting the victims of the crimes that have occurred over the last several days. The victims of the bombings, as the governor said, Martin, Lingzi, Krystle. Two officers who have been hurt. One who lost his life, Shawn Collier, and Richard Donahue who is fighting for his life. Our thoughts and our prayers are with their families. Tonight, you are going to have many questions, but I want to say as I have said the last several days, this has been a very active and ongoing investigation. And although for some of you, tonight is a closure, for me the journey continues. And so this will continue to be an ongoing and active investigation as we sort all of the details, continue to evaluate a tremendous amount of evidence and file our formal charges. But I will say this, I have never been prouder to stand with a tremendous group of law enforcement here from the colonel to the commissioner to my federal colleague Rick Deslauriers with the FBI. All of the federal agencies, the state and local departments that have worked so hard, so hard since the attacks on Monday, so committed and putting their lives on the line as we fought the last 24 hours to try to get a suspect into custody. And so my journey and my office's journey begin and this investigation will continue. So we will not be able to provide the details that you may want at this time. But as the days continue you will get answers to those questions. Thank you. Mayor Menino? BLOCK: That's U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz speaking there. MAYOR THOMAS MENINO: I just want to say very briefly thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you to the law enforcement officials who worked together. State police, Boston police, FBI, all working together. That's when government works the best. I want to thank also the citizens out there. For the last week, not knowing what happened out there because of the bombing at the marathon. Today because of the hard work of so many individuals, my Boston police working together with the state police, we have a conclusion that we are all satisfied with. There are also folks, we remember the folks who have lost their lives this past week. We shall go on. We are a better city than what happened this past week and we will get better, and to all of you folks out in the media, thank you for the support you gave us for this past week. It wasn't easy. Some days you said to us, why. Let me tell you. Were they working hard. Let me tell you. I spent a lot of time with the law enforcement officials. They worked so hard this week, to come to conclusion tonight, tonight we say thank you to them. The work they did tracing down every one of those leads that we got, which is so significant to what came to the end of this case today. Thank you. Carmen Ortiz, now it's up to her job, to bring it to the federal courts. But let me tell you, I feel so good about this. Let me tell you, I'm so happy. Because the people of our greater Boston area will be able to sleep tonight because of the work of these individuals. BLOCK: That's Boston mayor Thomas Menino. RICHARD DESLAURIERS: Good evening. My name is Rick DesLauriers. I'm the special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston division. It seems like many months since Monday, April 15th, the day of the Boston marathon bombings. Yet it has been merely five days since the tragic explosions that took three lives, critically injured over 180 spectators, and instilled terror and fear among the citizens of the city of Boston, the commonwealth of Massachusetts and elsewhere. Today the city of Boston, the city of Cambridge and the city of Watertown and many other communities can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that two perpetrators who caused so much pain and anguish are no longer a threat to our personal safety and to our communities. Together with the action and support of our Joint Terrorism Task Force partners, many of which are on the stage with me this evening, the FBI and our partners remain vigilant and continue to follow through thousands of leads and sifted through hundreds of tips through thousands of man-hours to reach this moment. This was truly an absolutely intense investigation and I do emphasize, a truly intense investigation. As a result of that, justice is being served for the victims of these terrible crimes. I want to personally express the FBI's profound thanks to each of our partners for bringing us to this moment here this evening. No one agency alone accomplished this critically important task of keeping the city of Boston and Commonwealth of Massachusetts safe. Thank you very much and I spport you - I thank you for it your support of our media campaign the other day, which publicized the photos. I thank you very much for the support that the media provided us on that. It was phenomenal. And I thank each and every one of you tonight. Thank you. SIEGEL: That's FBI agent - Special Agent in Charge, Rick DeLauriers. Speaking the other day - it was just yesterday that those pictures came out. Now we're going to hear from the police chief of Watertown, Chief Davis. ED DAVIS: Four days ago, my city was ruthlessly attacked. There is no explaining the savagery involved here. There's no explanation for it. I spent the last several days looking at hundreds of hours of videotape. I got to see how brutal that attack was over and over and over again. But more importantly, I got to see what the Boston police officers who responded to that scene... SIEGEL: Excuse me, it's the Boston police commissioner who's talking. DAVIS: ... along with the medical personnel and other first responders did to put people back together, tourniquets, stemming the bleeding with their hands, putting a man who was on fire out with their hands. These are the kind of things that came out of this savagery. It makes me proud to be a Boston police officer. it makes me proud to be a part of this team. Rick DesLauriers from the FBI could not be more cooperative. We've sat together almost hour for hour for the last four days sharing every bit of information in a real team. Colonel Alben's the same way. Carmen Ortiz, with us all the time, and then to bring the governor and the mayor together, leading the city of Boston in responding to this. I finally just want to say that the citizens of the city have been incredible. They have been patient with us. They've endured an enormous amount of heartache and aggravation over the last four days and we are happy to try to put this back together. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Watertown police chief? BLOCK: That was the Boston police commissioner, Ed Davis. SIEGEL: Now comes the Watertown police chief. EDWARD DEVEAU: As the police chief of Watertown, I can't be prouder of my community and the men and women of the Watertown Police Department and what they have been through and we have been through the last 24 hours I wouldn't want to see another police department go through. The support that we've had from all the different agencies that have been mentioned tonight over the last 24 hours has been incredible. To see so many agencies work together with the governor, with the mayor of Boston and our officials in Watertown has been really great. I have spoken to the people in Watertown before, but I can't thank you enough. The community stood strong and it was a call from a resident of Watertown; we asked you to remain vigilant and you did. We got that call and we got the guy. So we can't thank you enough. You have done everything and more than we have asked. Extremely proud of law enforcement today and what we've accomplished. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Chief, did you have any communication with the suspect? UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Excuse me. We're not done. Chief McMillan from the MBTA. BLOCK: And that's the police chief of Watertown, Massachusetts, Edward Deveau. We should mention that President Obama will be speaking soon and we will bring you that news conference when it happens. PAUL MACMILLAN: I want to thank all those who sent thoughts and prayers to Officer Donahue and his family. Please know that it was deeply appreciated. Thank you, and I also want to commend all of the law enforcement agencies who took part in this. This is truly dedication and commitment at its best and I'm proud to be part of it. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Special agent in charge of the ATF. JOSEPH ANARUMO JR.: My name is Joseph Anarumo, special agent in charge of ATF. Today, the entire world witnessed this law enforcement community commitment to apprehending these offenders. Make no doubt that this combined effort will never cease in its protection of every city, every town and every neighborhood in our nation. The prayers from every ATF employee will continue to go out to the victims as they heal from this senseless act of violence. May God bless the citizens. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Suffolk County district attorney Dan Conley. DANIEL CONLEY: Thank you very much. I was listening to the police action all afternoon on the radio and I would like to join my voice or add my voice I should say to those who came before me to say what an extraordinary police operation across all jurisdictions that I was able to listen to and witness today. I was down at the scene early on and in our business, Carmen, myself, it's about accountability. I can't say how happy I am and how pleased I am that the second subject was taken alive. This will really ensure accountability for the victims and their families. So congratulations to all law enforcement for a job very well done and now the task ahead for accountability. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: We'll take questions. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: How did the events transpire at the boat? DAVIS: There was a call that came in to the Watertown police. Three Boston police officers along with state troopers and FBI agents responded to Franklin Street. A man had gone out of his house, after being inside the house all day abiding by our request to stay inside. He walked outside and he saw blood on a boat in the backyard. He then opened the tarp on the top of the boat and he looked in and saw a man covered with blood. He retreated and called us. We set up a perimeter around that boat and over the course of the next hour or so, we exchanged gunfire with the suspect who was inside the boat, and ultimately the hostage rescue team of the FBI made an entry into the boat and removed the suspect, who was still alive in the boat. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Can you talk about the imperative of taking him alive? How much... DAVIS: We always want to take all of the suspects alive. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: I understand that, sir. But can you talk about it in the context of this particular individual? You talk about accountability. Can you talk about how you want to — why you wanted to take -- DAVIS: We always want to take somebody alive so that we can find out what happened, why it happened, and so we can hold them for justice. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: How badly injured was he? UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Did you have communication with the suspect? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: How badly injured was he? DAVIS: There was - the hostage rescue team actually did work in trying to negotiate him out of that boat. They did try to talk him out, although from what I understand, he was not communicative. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Other people have also been taken into custody as well, reporters say. Have they aided and abetted the suspect? DAVIS: There's been - actually I don't have that information. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Commissioner Davis, can you talk about the suspect's injuries? UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: How do you know there are no other suspects out there and you got your guy and this is it? DAVIS: I think that based upon our investigation at this point in time, the citizens of the city of Boston and this area can be confident that the threat has been removed. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: What kind of condition is the suspect in? DAVIS: The suspect is in serious condition at the hospital. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: How do you know that these were the suspects you were looking for? They didn't rob the 7-11, so how did you know that they were there at the same time? DAVIS: The suspects came to our attention after a vicious assassination of the police officer at MIT and a subsequent robbery that occurred where we got videotape from a gas station. The robbery actually was a carjacking. The car was taken from the scene and officers engaged that car from the Watertown police officers along with other officers. We were then able to put the case together. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Commissioner Davis, did the suspect get shot when you were apprehending him at the boat? Was he shot by a police officer? DAVIS: The man who found him at the boat said he was covered with blood. We assume that those injuries occurred the evening before. There was an exchange of gunfire at the boat. I don't know if he was struck. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Commissioner, can you tell us about the police action in New Bedford? DAVIS: There was a house in New Bedford that the hostage rescue team went into from the FBI, because we felt that it was important to the investigation. But the suspect was not found there. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Given that he was still out there and armed -- DAVIS: I'm sorry? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Can you tell us a little bit more about what you called the assassination of Officer Collier? Was he shot in cold blood? ...What do you know about that? DAVIS: My assessment of that particular incident is he was assassinated in his cruiser. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: And do you know what he was doing then? DAVIS: He was responding to a call for a disturbance. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Given that he was out there, still armed, was it a mistake to give the all clear and let people go outside? Couldn't they have been at risk? DAVIS: We certainly did not give an all clear. We made it clear that people - and Colonel Alben is here and spoke very eloquently to this. This was a very serious and dangerous situation. We had no information that the suspect was still holed up in this particular area. He managed to elude us by being slightly outside of the perimeter that we set up. But in truth, we told everybody that this was a dangerous situation and they should be cautious. This is a very dangerous time in the world. We have to use caution. That's what we asked people to do. Thankfully this man who found the suspect called us right away. Did the right thing, got on 911 and we were able to come in and take care of the situation. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Did he have explosives with him when was captured? DAVIS: There is no report of explosives with him at capture. But I got to tell you, I was at the scene last night just after this incident occurred. There was an exchange of over 200 rounds of gunfire; there were improvised explosive devices and handmade hand grenades that were thrown at the officers at the scene. This is the stuff that, in an urban police department, it's almost unheard of. So, these officers acted heroically, courageously; they protected the community and they protected each other when they responded to the scene. I'm so proud of the actions of the Watertown police, the state police, the Boston police. It's been an incredible team. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Did he have a weapon in the boat? DAVIS: He did. You know what, I can't say — I was told that there was an exchange of gun fire. I was not there when he was taken out of the boat. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: No Miranda warning, could you explain - the public exemption, could you explain the reasons for us? DAVIS: Actually, United States attorney or the FBI may want to explain that. It is a federal issue. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: What are the extent? -- (CROSSTALK) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Had the boat been searched earlier? UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Just a minute. Just a minute. Let him finish the question. DAVIS: No, I did not. ORTIZ: What was the question? UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: The reports tonight are that there was no Miranda warning given, that they were claiming a public safety exemption. Could we get an answer to that? ORTIZ: There is a public safety exception in cases involving national security and potential charges involving acts of terrorism, and so the government has that opportunity right now, though I believe that the suspect has been taken to a hospital. So we'll start right there. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Will you seek the federal death penalty. ORTIZ: You know, what I indicated earlier this is still an active and ongoing investigation. We will be reviewing all of the evidence. Before that kind of a decision is made, in terms of whether or not to seek the death penalty, you review all of the evidence and it is a very thoughtful, long process that is engaged, and it is the attorney general of the Department of Justice that makes that final decision. (CROSSTALK) ORTIZ: I'm sorry. Karen. KAREN: ...Went straight to the boat and can you or Colonel Alben talk to us about what happened when you were on the scene? Was he moving around? How did you know there was finally a chance to take him into custody? ORTIZ: Yes. I'm going to let... DEVEAU: We know he didn't go straight to the boat. We, when we set up the perimeter with the best intentions with a lot of information that we found blood in the car that he abandoned; we found blood behind a house inside the perimeter, so we had no information that he had gotten outside our perimeter. As we said, it was very chaotic early this morning. We had to aid a police officer that was shot, bleeding. So there was a lot of things going on. We thought we had the perimeter solid, and we pretty much did that, but we were about one block away. He had to be moving a little bit after he was behind a house for a period of time that we know. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: How did you know that you could take him into custody? Had he been moving around, were you able to watch that? ALBEN: The reason that we knew this is our helicopter had actually detected the subject in the boat. We have what is called a forward-looking infrared device on the helicopter. It picked up the heat signature of the individual even though he was underneath the shrink wrap or a cover on the boat itself. And there was movement from that point on and the helicopter was able to direct the tactical teams to the area and ultimately take him into custody. UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Did the police search the boat during the day? ALBEN: It was outside the perimeter during the day so it was not searched. This was the act of a citizen that went out and discovered this individual in the boat... SIEGEL: That's Colonel Timothy Alben, the superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, talking about how they knew - how they could see the suspect inside the boat where he was hiding. We will learn in this news conference, Melissa, that he was covered with blood, that he'd been pretty seriously injured in that firefight. BLOCK: And some fascinating details here, Robert, that apparently the resident whose boat this was, stepped outside after they've been given the "you can go outside" alert from the police, went outside, saw blood on the boat, lifted the tarp and saw the suspect inside covered in blood. Let's go back to the news conference. SIEGEL: Yeah, yeah. (SOUNDBITE OF NEWS CONFERENCE) ALBEN: ...I know he is in serious condition but I don't know to what extent. (CROSSTALK) ALBEN: I think we have taken enough questions for now. Thank you. Thank you very much. BLOCK: You've been listening to a briefing by an array of government and law enforcement officials in Watertown, Massachusetts, about the capture of the second suspect. We are also awaiting, we should say, a statement, not a news conference, which I said earlier, but a statement from President Obama at the White House at the conclusion of this long and stressful and ultimately successful day. But a number of the speakers there, Robert, pointed to, you know, in the midst of this celebration of this capture alive of the suspect, the lives that were lost, the many, many dozens of people, over 170 people injured in the marathon and the terror that spread through the entire city of Boston. SIEGEL: It's been an astonishing week. And just when we think that on Monday we were getting reports of so many people taken to emergency rooms, in - either in need of amputation or having been - had limbs severed by the blasts, all of that, of course, tempers the celebration that people are experiencing now. The other news we had here is that the second suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is in the hospital, in serious condition is what they've said. I don't know how technical the chief was being with that, but he had been bleeding a great deal. He'd been injured. But he didn't say he's in critical condition. BLOCK: And another correction: I said earlier he was taken to Mount Auburn Hospital. I've seen later information, conflicting information that he was taken to Mass General and to Beth Israel Deaconess, which is where his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was also taken. NPR's... SIEGEL: David Schaper is - you were - David was at the news conference, I think, and joins us from Watertown right now. Hi, David. What did you glean from that? DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Well, you know, I think, again, it was pretty interesting to me to hear, you know, the description of the aggressive search that they did all through the day and all through the night last night in trying to find the location of the suspect and try to figure out where he was. We did hear tonight that they did see trails of blood at the time - bleeding from the car that he abandoned. I think at a house that he may have come across, but that he wasn't that far away yet, with a - just a little bit outside of the perimeter, and yet they seem to think just 15, 20 minutes before he was found, telling us that they no longer needed people to remain indoors, that, sure, everybody should exercise caution... SIEGEL: Yeah. SCHAPER: ...but no need to, you know, stay indoors. And they - that that suggested that they thought he had left the area. SIEGEL: But this is interesting because that was not an ironic coincidence that shortly after that announcement, he was reported - what happened was, after that... BLOCK: The guy went outside, saw blood on his boat. SIEGEL: ...the man went outside - he now was allowed to do that - and saw blood on his boat. So, indeed, there was a real causal relationship between that announcement - oddly, an announcement of failure to locate the suspect - and the discovery of the suspect. Tom Gjelten is with us in the studio. BLOCK: Yeah. And, Tom, one other detail I want to ask you about, the officials there in Watertown mentioned the helicopter that detected a heat signature under the tarp on this boat. TOM GJELTEN, BYLINE: So it was a combination of two things: It was, as you say, the homeowner who actually saw the blood-covered suspect in the boat, but then in combination with that, the helicopter with the infrared-seeking technology that was able to, according to the police chief, was able to direct the police to that very spot. So a combination of sort of human intelligence and high-tech intelligence led to the discovery of the suspect. You know, there's something else that can we just talk about for one minute? BLOCK: Yeah. SIEGEL: Go ahead, Tom. GJELTEN: This is arguably the first act of terrorism in the United States since 9/11. And because it's an act of terrorism, it is bound to ignite the whole debate about how do you deal with acts of terrorism. SIEGEL: The first successful. There was an attempt at Times Square, yes. GJELTEN: The first successful, the first successful, right. And we already sort of got the opening shot in that debate. The U.S. attorney Carmen Ortiz said she will file - that the U.S. will file formal charges against this individual. So we know this is going to be handled in ordinary law enforcement manner. She also mentioned that there is this issue that he does not necessarily have to be read his Miranda rights, the right to remain silent and not to have... SIEGEL: And the right to a lawyer also. GJELTEN: Exactly. Because there is a public safety exception, which she pointed, although it appears that they have not encountered that threshold yet because he's in the hospital. So I think what we can take from that is he hasn't been interrogated yet. SIEGEL: Is the public safety exception open-ended or does it merely provide a window during which time one can question without Mirandizing? I don't want to put you on the spot. I don't know. GJELTEN: You just put me on the spot, Robert. SIEGEL: Well, I don't - I'm sorry. I didn't... GJELTEN: You know, I learned something from what she said right there, which is, that if - it applies in cases of national security, when national security is at stake. So national security is not always permanently at stake. SIEGEL: I think this came up in the Abdulmutallab case, as to whether he had been Mirandized appropriately. GJELTEN: Indeed it did. BLOCK: And, Tom, as we were discussing earlier, still questions - the officials were asked about a search of a house in New Bedford. They said there had been reason to believe the suspect might be there. They went in. He wasn't there. But again, they seem to be saying we have our guy, this is it, but obviously the investigation continues. GJELTEN: Well, remember from the earlier press conference, they said they were following leads in eastern Massachusetts. BLOCK: Yeah. GJELTEN: So they clearly had some ideas that, you know, he may have some friends, acquaintances. Possibly, he had - they might have been thinking he had fled somewhere. We - those are some of the things that we're going to have to find out in the coming days. SIEGEL: Weren't they in eastern Massachusetts? Excuse me, it's been late and it's a long day for me, but I thought they were... BLOCK: The Greater Eastern Massachusetts area. SIEGEL: Greater Eastern Massachusetts. For people who might wonder why we're still here at this very moment, it's because we're expecting President Obama to make a statement at the White House about the surrender of the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing case. We don't expect it to be a very long statement, and it's not a news conference. There won't be questions, but it would be a - kind of put some punctuation on this event. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.Related Program: All Things ConsideredView the discussion thread. © 2015 WMOT

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A Campaign Map, Morphed By Money By editor Originally published on December 19, 2012 4:36 pm Campaign reporters spend a lot of time pointing at color-coded electoral maps like the one below, showing which states voted for Republican John McCain (in red) and Democrat Barack Obama (in blue) in 2008. But these maps lie — visually speaking. Red appears to be the clear winner, dominating a vast swath from the South to the Rockies. It's all geographically accurate, but electorally skewed. For example, Montana (three electoral votes) dwarfs Massachusetts (which had 12 electoral votes in 2008). To fix this problem, some political cartographers have resized the states based on their electoral vote tally. In this map, the influence of the Northeast is a bit more apparent, and the stature of the Mountain West has diminished. We've shaded the states based on their popular vote results in 2008. States that were split 50-50 are purple. But this map still doesn't accurately convey which states are most important in this election. What would this map look like if states were scaled based on the outside money (not even including the massive ad spending by the campaigns of President Obama and Mitt Romney themselves) coming into the presidential race for political ads? We looked at ad spending on the presidential race from April 10 to Oct. 10, based on data from Kantar Media. The millions of dollars spent by superPACs and other outside groups send a clear message: There are really only 12 states in this presidential election. It's no surprise that they are all pretty purple. There is another way to think about this spending — how much is being spent on political ads by these groups per voting-age adult? Here, Nevada and New Hampshire take the lead. Though they don't have large populations, both states are seeing millions of dollars invested by outside groups on ads related to the presidential contest. That works out to more than $5 per adult. So if you're lucky enough to live in the Granite State, congratulations. In some ways, your vote is a thousand times more valuable than the votes of your neighbors in Vermont.Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. View the discussion thread. © 2015 WVXU

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Cops, locals talk issues over coffee Rick Barnes fired, says he wanted to stay as Texas coach Staff photo by Teddy Kulmala Purray Williams-Jones, right, shares a laugh with Cpl. Carlos Colindres and Sgt. Matt Braxton during the Aiken Department of Public Safety's first Coffee with a Cop at McDonald's on York Street on Thursday. The Aiken Department of Public Safety brewed up a hot pot of coffee – and good conversation with residents – as part of the department's new outreach effort on Thursday morning. The inaugural Coffee with a Cop allowed officers from Aiken Public Safety, including Chief Charles Barranco, to meet and chat with Aiken residents over breakfast at McDonald's on York Street. The purpose of the nationwide initiative, which began in California, is to bring police and community members together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, build relationships and drink coffee. Cpl. Jennifer Bickel helped get the initiative started in Aiken after another officer read about it in a law enforcement magazine. “We decided it was a really good concept for us, and it fits right into our Aiken Safe Communities initiative, just sitting down with the community and trying to develop and strengthen those relationships,” she said. Aiken Public Safety decided to host the first event at McDonald's because that is where the very first Coffee with a Cop event was held in California, Bickel said. Thursday's event was reportedly the first in the state of South Carolina. “I'm going to try to keep going all around the city and including and incorporating more and more businesses at varied locations as we move along,” she said. Bickel estimated about 25 residents came and spoke with officers during the hour they were in the restaurant. “We just chit-chat about whatever they want to talk about,” she said. “A lot of this is everyday chit-chat or things they've seen. Some people from neighborhoods want to talk about what's going on in their neighborhoods. I stress that we're interested in the good and the bad.” Carisa Brown heard about the event Thursday morning on a TV report. “I said, 'That would be the perfect opportunity to get some of the concerns I have to the ears of the police in the area, just to let them know that I'm here and that I am concerned about different things,'” she said. “I want to watch out for them, and I want to protect my neighbors.” Brown said she was particularly concerned with security in her neighborhood, which has seen a spike in vehicle break-ins recently. “I'm thinking, 'If they're doing this, what next?'” she said. “If we can nip it in the bud now, then we don't have to worry about somebody getting hurt later. They've given me some really good ideas.” Bickel said it's important for the residents and officers to get to know each other outside of emergency or stressful situations. “When we're in those situations where they call us there for a specific purpose, there's a time crunch or maybe they just don't feel comfortable veering off that specific topic because they think we're there to handle that, and a lot of times we have to go somewhere else kind of quickly,” she said. “Here, it's more relaxed, there's more time and it's just a very informal setting.” Barranco called Aiken Public Safety's relationship with the community “paramount.” “We can't do it by ourselves, but we also just want to have a conversation. Over a cup of coffee, a lot of things get solved,” he said. “We've had people call dispatch all day and say, 'Hey, how long are y'all gonna be there? We wanted to show up.'” Pam Powers, owner and operator of McDonald's on York Street, had heard about Coffee with a Cop before and was excited for her restaurant to host the first event. “It's a great opportunity for the community to come on a 'not getting a speeding ticket' basis,” she said. “They can come in a different setting.” Aiken Public Safety is planning to hold Coffee with a Cop each month. August's event will be at McDonald's on Pine Log Road. Any local cafes or restaurants that would like to host a Coffee with a Cop event can call Bickel at 803-642-7620 or email jbickel@cityofaikensc.gov. Teddy Kulmala covers the crime and courts beat for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since August 2012. He is a native of Williston and majored in communication studies at Clemson University.

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Rathergate producer Mapes needs to get a lawyer By Douglas Hanson American Thinker exclusive Mary Mapes, producer of the Rathergate fiasco, soon may have federal law enforcement officials knocking on her door, if a press story today holds water. In what could be another blow to the already scandal ridden Dan Rather and CBS News, Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal (as made available to nonsubscribers in today's San Francisco Chronicle), has a stunning lede about Dan Rather's producer: After she uncovered photos of abuse at Iraq's Abu Gharib [sic] prison, "60 Minutes" producer Mary Mapes told a newspaper interviewer that she'd "never had a story that reverberated like this." Mary Mapes didn't 'uncover' anything. My article in The American Thinker on May 14, 2004 makes it clear that the incriminating photos of prisoner abuse and the reports of the Army's multiple investigations were extremely sensitive in two ways: one, they were classified as Secret, and two, the documents were evidence in an ongoing criminal investigation of US Soldiers. As I noted in the article, Whoever disclosed this classified document and the photos knows that he or she is subject to prosecution under provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). It would require a very foolish, or a very powerful and well—connected party, to believe that they could get away with this sort of disclosure. To date, the press is singularly uninterested in the question of who did the leaking. And not only was the major press uninterested in who disclosed these materials, which could lead to criminal charges, but were also not interested in who received them, which, for a civilian, could lead to a trip to a federal magistrate's courtroom. Thanks to Joe Flint, we mny have our answer! This is no small technicality under the law. From the soldiers' and their commanders' perspective, maintaining the proper chain of custody of the evidence is paramount. The Taguba investigation stresses this point, Due to the extremely sensitive nature of these photographs and videos, the ongoing CID investigation, and the potential for the criminal prosecution of several suspects, the photographic evidence is not included in the body of my investigation. The pictures and videos are available from the Criminal Investigative Command and the CTJF—7 prosecution team. While it can be argued that the government has no role in the Rathergate National Guard memo fiasco, it's a different matter entirely when an unauthorized person accepts classified documents and material relating to a federal criminal prosecution. Mary Mapes and CBS may now find themselves the targets of an FBI investigation with serious national security and criminal implications. Douglas Hanson is our military affairs correspondent

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/ 50 Facts That Should Change The World 2.0 50 Facts That Should Change The World 2.0 A third of the world is at war. 30 million people in Africa are HIV positive. More than 150 countries use torture. Cars kill 2 people every minute. Jessica Williams revisits her classic series of snapshots of life in the twenty-first century. Revised and updated with lots of new material, this book is every bit as vital as the first edition. From the inequalities and absurdities of the so-called developed world to the vast scale of suffering wreaked by war, famine, and AIDS in developing countries, it paints a picture of incredible contrasts. This 2.0 edition again contains an eclectic selection of facts addressing a broad range of global issues, now with added emphasis on climate change, the decline in human rights and democratic freedoms around the world, the unexpected global impact of corporate growth, sports and media madness and inequality, and lots of updated facts and figures. Each is followed by a short essay explaining the story behind the fact, fleshing out the bigger problem lurking behind the numbers. Real-life stories, anecdotes, and case studies help to humanize the figures and make clear the human impact of the bald statistics. All of the facts remind us that whether we like to think of it or not, the world is interconnected and civilization is a fragile concept. Williams makes us think about some of the hard facts about our civilization and what we can do about them. Additional Information Disinformation Company 5.25 x 7.5 Z Magazine $6.85 Adbusters #118 $12.95 Mental Floss Magazine $5.99 Mother Jones Magazine 50 Facts That Should Change The USA 50 Things You're Not Supposed To Know Volume 2

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Our mission is simple: use the internet to help non-profits spread the word about important causes. We put together "a Billion Impressions for Good" campaign in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake disaster. As a group of online advertising industry veterans, we knew how to use the internet to rapidly spread the news and we felt it was our obligation to get out the word as best we could. We were able to assemble a top notch group of advertising partners who provided generous support in the form of donated advertising "impressions". Through our partner network, we've shown over 500,000,000 impressions, spreading the word about the Haiti disaster and generating awareness and donations for the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. Following the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund campaign, Billions.org has expanded its partnership with the Clinton Foundation and has supported five additional not-for-profit campaigns. To date, Billions.org has helped deliver over 1,300,000,000 impressions for these causes. Ramsey McGrory, Founder Ramsey McGrory is President and CEO at AddThis, a leading social infrastructure and data company. Prior to AddThis, he led Yahoo! display platforms, including the Right Media Exchange and US data business. He thrives in fast paced environments having served in the Persian Gulf war, working on the Clinton presidential election cycle in 1992 and in media and tech sales of DoubleClick in the late 90s. Ramsey received a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of the South, and a Master's degree in Management from Georgia Tech. He is based in New York City, where he is active in the William J. Clinton Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, co-founded billions.org and sits on the board of The Jericho Project. Michael Walrath, Founder Michael was the founder and CEO of Right Media before its acquisition by Yahoo! in July 2007. Mike was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2007. He and his wife Michelle created The Walrath Family Foundation, a philanthropy focused on social, environmental and environmental health issues. In 2008, Michael co-founded Atlas Films with his wife Michelle and Stephanie Soechtig. Atlas' first film is the award winning documentary Tapped. He has a B.A. in English from the University of Richmond. Jonah Goodhart, Founder Jonah is the founder of MOAT and was the founding investor and board member in Right Media. Jonah is actively involved in the not-for-profit world and is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative. He supports several organizations in fields such as human rights, access to technology, enabling youth action, and environmental education. Jonah holds a B.A. degree from Cornell University. Noah Goodhart, Founder Noah is the founder of MOAT, a new advertising company based in New York. Prior to MOAT, Noah was the founding investor and board member in Right Media. Noah has been involved in the Clinton Global Initiative for the past several years. He holds a B.A. degree from Cornell University, and an M.A. Degree from Yale University. Contact Us | Become a Partner Copyright © 2013 Billions.org. All Rights Reserved.

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Op-Ed: Gun control has a clear record of failure 3:00pm Wednesday, January 23, 2013 by Tom Gresham In the wake of the horrific murders at the Sandy Hook school in Connecticut, America has been deluged with calls for ever-more-restrictive gun-control laws, and that's understandable. It's natural to think that's the solution if you don't know these measures have been tried and have always failed. We crave a solution so much that we'll ignore the record and keep repeating failed policies. We are told that we need gun-control laws. Sounds good, right? Should we make it illegal for anyone adjudicated to be mentally ill to buy a gun? Let's make it illegal for felons to possess guns. Let's license gun dealers and require the FBI to do a background check on anyone buying a gun from these stores. How about an age restriction on buying guns? Gun shows should have to follow the same laws as everyone else. All those already are law, and there are some 20,000 additional gun-control laws in the U.S. Before one can rationally call for passage of gun laws, he or she must know what already is covered. How about a ban on "assault weapons?" We're told this is only common sense. But, what is this thing called an assault weapon? It's not a machine gun. There were no machine guns covered in the original assault-weapon ban because those firearms already are tightly restricted. No, the auto-loading (called semi-automatic) rifles included in the original law simply looked like military guns. They should be banned on the basis of how they look? They fire only one shot with each pull of the trigger, like a revolver or the cowboy-style lever-action rifle used by John Wayne. Semi-automatics have been around for more than 100 years. President Teddy Roosevelt hunted with a semi-automatic rifle, as do millions of hunters today. For 10 years (1994 to 2004) we banned only those semi-automatic rifles that look like military guns. Prohibitionists' logic dictates that the demise of this law in 2004 should have spawned a huge increase in crime with rifles. Didn't happen. More people are killed with fists and feet than with rifles of any kind, and semiautomatics constitute merely a subset of rifles. In short, the ban failed. It had to. The National Academy of Sciences studied gun laws in the U.S. and reported it could find no link between restrictions on gun ownership and lower rates of crime, firearms violence or accidents with guns. Over the past 20 years, the rates of violent crime and murder have dropped by half in the U.S., according to the FBI. That's astounding. We have more guns and more gun owners, but the rate of violent crime and murder went down by half. Accidental shooting deaths also declined. How can this be? Two things were done, and they work. Over the course of a half-century, with more guns and more gun owners, the number of gun accidents resulting in death has fallen because of education. Gun owners, through various programs, have taught safe gun storage and gun handling and have brought into our schools the Eddie Eagle program, which teaches young children to not touch guns and to tell an adult if they find one. The major change in America's gun laws over the past two decades is removing prohibitions against people carrying guns for protection. The concealed-carry movement started in Florida amid catcalls from the media — which dubbed it the "Gunshine State" — and predictions that every fender-bender accident would result in gunshots. That didn't happen there, and it didn't happen in the other states. More good people are carrying guns, and the violent-crime and murder rates decline. We have a clear track record of what works to increase our safety. We know what doesn't. Arming good people does, in fact, reduce crime. Banning certain types of firearms, or the loading devices, does nothing to stop mentally ill people and criminals. Focusing on the failed siren song of gun control diverts us from doing things that actually work, such as programs to secure firearms. Congress eliminated the funding for "Project Childsafe," a program created by the firearms industry to educate gun owners about safe storage and to distribute millions of gun locks. We all want to do something, but it is foolish and wasteful to return to a policy with a clear record of failure. Tom Gresham is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show Tom Gresham's Gun Talk. This op-ed originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch. Toledo Gun Buyback 1 of 4 view all videos Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter

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Saeler, Porter An Oct. 5 wedding is being planned by Brynn Saeler and Jonathan Porter, both of State College, Pa.The bride-to-be is the daughter of Richard and Patricia Saeler of Butler. Parents of the prospective bridegroom are Clyde and Barbara Porter of Dayville, Conn.The bride-elect is a 2003 graduate of Butler High School and received a bachelor’s in 2007 and a master’s in 2009, both from the University of Pittsburgh.She is employed by Hearthside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in State College as a speech-language pathologist.Her fiance graduated in 2000 from Marianapolis Preparatory School in Thompson, Conn., and in 2004 from Penn State University.He is the director of innovation and development for AccuWeather in State College.

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Columnist reflects on Kennedy funeral, recalls 2004 letter from Cardinal Ratzinger to Cardinal McCarrick Catholic World News - September 09, 2009 Reflecting on the funeral of Senator Edward Kennedy, Terry Mattingly recalls-- and brings to greater public attention-- the 2004 letter from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, then Archbishop of Washington, on Holy Communion and pro-abortion politicians. In the summer of 2004, the Vatican sent a letter to the United States addressing one of the hottest issues facing the church here — whether politicians who back abortion rights should receive Holy Communion. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sent the guidelines to the leader of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. However, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick chose not to share the letter with America’s bishops, which kept its blunt contents secret — until a leak in Italy. The church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin,” warned the letter, adding that there is a “grave and clear obligation to oppose” civil laws and judicial decisions that “authorize or promote” these acts. At the same time, it explained that there “may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not ... with regard to abortion and euthanasia.” On the central issue, the guidelines said when a person’s “formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.” Additional sources for this story Abortion still an issue for Catholic politicians (Scripps Howard News Service) Cardinal Ratzinger: Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion — General Principles

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Bringing A Little Bit of New York to Ann Arbor The city's best-known sandwich maker on his unlikely path from history major to deli owner. Micheline Maynard @mickimaynard When you ask somewhat what they know about Ann Arbor, Michigan, the two most common answers are the University of Michigan and Zingerman’s. Ari Weinzweig co-founded Zingerman’s in 1982 with a group of friends. They started with its eponymous deli, known for authentic, pricey sandwiches, and built a foodie empire with a bakery, coffee business, training program, mail order operation and more. Everything is located in Ann Arbor, the only place where Weinzweig and his partners want to be. You’re not a Michigan native. How did you get here? I grew up in Chicago I came up to Ann Arbor, as so many people did to go to the University of Michigan. I was a Russian history major and had a particular interest in the anarchists. I graduated in 1978 with my BA in history, not really knowing what I was going to do. I mostly knew I didn’t want to go home. I knew so many people from the Chicago suburbs who would leave, and then they’d go back and live with their parents and essentially recreate the life that they had before. I was adamant I wasn’t going to do that. And you backed into the restaurant business. One of my friends was waiting tables at a downtown restaurant named Maude’s. I applied for a job as a waiter, and they didn’t need any waiters, and I applied as a busboy and they didn’t call me back for that, either. After about a month, I was running out of money, and I called and said, “Have you got anything?” They said, “Well, do you want to wash dishes?” I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to want to wash dishes so I said sure, and I stumbled into a line of work that I really love. What appealed to you about Ann Arbor? Ann Arbor, other than the weather, is a great place. This is small town life, but it’s highly cultured and interactive small town life. The size of the town is great for me. I still love Chicago but I only have to get on the Kennedy Expressway and I’m done. As long as you avoid driving near Michigan Stadium during a game, the reality is that I can go from one end of the town to the other in 15 minutes. The cultural component is huge. You have the Michigan Theater bringing art films, you have music at the Ark and the Blind Pig. You have all the museums. You have two universities worth of programs. I can go eight blocks and listen to whatever world dignitary I want. Why did you think a New York-style deli would catch hold? If you do something really well, which in our industry comes down to really great food and really great service and provide a good place to work and keep track of your money, you’ll succeed. You have a clientele that’s interested and engaged. They want to learn. They travel and they like to eat. You have a large number of people who have lived other places. They grew up somewhere else, and they spent years in Paris or Argentina. We bring in Hungarian bacon, and a guy will come in from Hungary and he hasn’t seen it in 20 years. Those are things that are less likely to happen in Topeka or Carbondale, Ill. Despite all this fame, you’ve had tussles with the city about expanding the deli. [Laughs] The town is very engaged, with highly educated and opinionated people. They’re good to sell specialty foods to, and it also means they have opinions about the way things should work. That’s the way it is. We’ve tried a number of times, and this last time [partners Paul Saginaw and Grace Singleton] had enough fortitude for four years of getting permission. The truth is, I’d say most businesses would have taken the money from Saline (a nearby town) or a mall or a developer and gone there and said, ‘forget it.’ I like the community and I don’t like the idea of not being able to know the people I work with and sell to. But you could be a much bigger name someplace else. Do you ever feel isolated? One of the things that contributes to the quality of life for me is that although we’re in this smaller town, we have access to this international airport that allows us to go almost anywhere direct. Our friends who live in Madison or Chapel Hill, they don’t have that. It adds almost four hours onto any trip. It’s 20 minutes from my house. I get on the plane and I wake up in Amsterdam. So, you’re satisfied in Ann Arbor. I get to travel, and Paul and I have created a job we want to go to work at, why would I go anyplace else? I want to learn, teach, read, bring great food to people, write, and enjoy what I’m doing. And that’s what I get to do every day. People are always, saying, "You could" and I say, "I don’t wanna." Photo credit: Micheline Maynard The Post-Recession Power of Small Metros In Queens, Are 2 Convention Centers Better Than One? Micheline Maynard is journalist living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She most recently led Changing Gears, a public radio project exploring the reinvention of the industrial Midwest, and was previously Detroit bureau chief for The New York Times.

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Paula Abdul meets with Peres in Jerusalem Tuesday, October 29, 2013 Tags: Arts Comments President Shimon Peres met with '90s pop star and former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul Tuesday morning. Abdul, who was raised Jewish, is visiting Israel to celebrate her bat mitzvah at the Western Wall. [Israel Sun photo] JERUSALEM — Singer and dancer Paula Abdul met in Jerusalem with Israeli President Shimon Peres. Abdul, former “American Idol” and “X Factor” judge, met Peres Tuesday at the start of a ten-day visit to Israel. She is scheduled to tour sites including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and northern Israel and learn more about Israeli society, fashion, dance, theater and music. “I’m so overwhelmed with gratitude to be here, I’ve wanted to come for years. My career took me many places and this is my first vacation in almost eight years that I’m actually here to sightsee like a regular tourist. My family was here and they were crying, overwhelmed with joy that I’m here,” Abdul told Peres, his office said in a statement. “I am sure that wherever you go you will feel the warmth and love of the people of Israel, you will feel at home here,” Peres told Abdul. She responded: “Everyone told me you’re so sababa and it’s true.” Sababa is an Israeli expression equivalent to awesome. Abdul reportedly will have a bat mitzvah at the Western Wall during her trip.

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Download this week's newspaper Obituaries/Births/News of Windham County people— We make our news available at no cost, but that doesn't mean it comes free. Reader memberships and donations make a huge difference and help all Vermont Independent Media programs, including The Commons and the Media Mentoring Project Information and rates about advertising in The Commons Information and rates about advertising on Commonsnews.orgThe Commons, Commonsnews.org, and the Media Mentoring Project are projects of Vermont Independent Media, a nonprofit source of news and media education in southern Vermont.Vermont Independent Media139 Main St., #604Brattleboro, VT 05301802-246-6397info@commonsnews.org—General contactsNewsroom/submit announcements:news@commonsnews.orgAdvertising inquiries:ads@commonsnews.orgThe ArtsFriends of Music at Guilford presents Datura Trio in a benefit concertFor more information on this event and the music program, contact Friends of Music at Guilford at 802-254-3600, write office@fomag.org, or visit www.fomag.org. Originally published in The Commons issue #193 (Wednesday, March 6, 2013).If you'd like to share this story on your website, please feel free to do so with credit to The Commons and a link back to commonsnews.org.BRATTLEBORO—On Friday, March 8, at 7 p.m., Friends of Music at Guilford (FOMAG) presents a concert by the Datura Trio with guest percussionist Shane Shanahan, a founding member of Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble.Proceeds from the concert and a pre-concert supper, both set at the Vermont Jazz Center on Cotton Mill Hill, will benefit FOMAG’s Music Enrichment Program at Guilford Central School, where the Datura Trio is in residence March 6-8.Student participants in rhythm and vocal workshops might also appear at the evening concert.To set the tone for an evening of music from around the world, a buffet supper of Middle Eastern specialties, prepared by Sarkis Market and Friends of Music chef-volunteers, will be on sale beginning at 5:30 p.m. in a café setting outside the Jazz Center’s performance space. Dinner is $10 per plate, including dessert and beverage.Concert admission is $10 for general audiences, $5 for students 16 and under. Desserts and beverages will also be sold during the concert.Founded in 2008, the Datura Trio is a dynamic World Music ensemble specializing in traditional music from Turkey, South India, and the Middle East, as well as original compositions featuring musical instruments and ideas that draw from traditional cultures of South India, Arabic countries, Turkey, Australia, Tuva, Zimbabwe (Shona), Brazil, and the United States.The ensemble’s music adds American idioms to the traditional music cultures they perform and draw from. Its members include Todd Roach and N. Scott Robinson on drums and percussion, and vocalist K.S. “Ray” Resmi.Roach is familiar to regional audiences as a frequent performer on drums and percussion, and has been teaching in area public and private schools as well as his studio in Brattleboro’s Cotton Mill Hill complex. He is an artist-endorser and representative for the Cooperman Drum Company, and released an instructional video in 2000 with Carl Fisher Publishing called “The Quick Guide to Playing Doumbec.” He performs with a wide variety of musical groups in the U.S. and overseas, as well as with theater, dance and visual artists, providing rhythms on darbuka, riqq, frame drums, pandeiro, djembe and percussion.Resmi contributes an important lyrical component to the group’s sound with Carnatic vocal techniques from South India. A skilled classical vocalist and voice teacher, she is working toward a Ph.D. in North and South Indian classical music at the University of Kerala.Recorded on more than a dozen CD projects between 2001 and 2006, she is the first woman featured on a recording of Kathakali padams (2001). Resmi also is heard on numerous film soundtracks. In 2004 she authored a book on the music of Syama Sastri (1762-1827), among the most renowned composers of Carnatic music.Robinson rounds out the trio as an exotic percussion specialist on frame drums, ghaval, riqq, pandeiro, sanza, mbira dza vadzimu, and hammer dulcimer. He has performed or recorded with Marilyn Horne, the Paul Winter Consort, Malcolm Dalglish, George Crumb, and John Cage, and is featured on the Grammy Award-winning CD “Harlem Renaissance” by the Benny Carter Big Band.A full-time lecturer in world, American, and popular music at Goucher College and Towson University, he has published more than a dozen scores and two CDs of his original music, and an instructional video for udu drumming techniques.Joining the trio is guest percussionist Shanahan, who has cultivated his own unique and highly sought-after sound by combining his studies of drumming traditions from around the globe with his background in jazz, rock, and Western art music.In the summer of 2000, Shane was invited to join Yo Yo Ma’s new Silk Road Ensemble, with whom he has been recording and touring the world ever since. He is also a member of frame drum master Glen Velez’s Handance Ensemble and cellist Maya Beiser’s Provenance project. He has performed and/or recorded with many noted composers and musicians, presented workshops and clinics for university music programs across the U.S., and performed and created outreach programs for a number of world-class museums.Friends of Music at Guilford’s annual Music Enrichment Program for students at Guilford Central School this season is supported in part by a grant from the Max Y. Seaton Trust. Additional support will be raised by a spaghetti supper at the school on Thursday, March 21.What do you think? Leave us a comment Editor’s note: Our terms of service require you to use your real names. We will remove anonymous or pseudonymous comments that come to our attention. We rely on our readers’ personal integrity to stand behind what they say; please do not write anything to someone that you wouldn’t say to his or her face without your needing to wear a ski mask while saying it. Thanks for doing your part to make your responses forceful, thoughtful, provocative, and civil. We also consider your comments for the letters column in the print newspaper.

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Media/News Church Talks Connor's Conundrums Rants and musings about things political, philosophical, and religious. RSS | E-mail The Supreme Court Should Uphold Obamacare The following is an op-ed I had published at The Daily Caller today. Oral arguments over the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will wrap up Wednesday. The Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling in June. In the meantime, conservatives, constitutionalists and libertarians will anxiously await the Supreme Court’s decision, hoping that the justices find the mandate unconstitutional. They should be hoping for the opposite. To be clear, the mandate is absolutely unconstitutional. The commerce clause was never intended to allow the federal government to micromanage every aspect of commerce (it was intended to allow Congress to “make regular” commerce between the states by prohibiting tariff wars between them), and the power to tax does not carry with it the power to compel a purchase that otherwise would not have occurred. Constitutionally minded individuals generally agree with that argument, and therefore want the Supreme Court to rule against the mandate. This is understandable, and a nearly universal opinion amongst this group. But in the long run, the goal of upholding the Constitution and promoting conservatism or libertarianism would actually be better served by the court declaring that the mandate is constitutional. Too many Americans today wrongly believe that the U.S. Supreme Court is the sole and final arbiter of what is or is not constitutional. Questions of a law’s constitutionality thus become held hostage to the opinions and preferences of a small, elite group of lawyers dressed in black robes who are expected to keep the rest of the federal government in check — as if in a battle between the states and the federal government, a branch of that very federal government would be completely free of any conflict of interest. James Madison, the father of the Constitution, held an opposing view. Writing in his Report of 1800 regarding the Virginia Resolutions passed two years prior, he explained that even the Supreme Court’s power must be checked by the states: The [1798] resolution supposed that dangerous powers, not delegated, may not only be usurped and executed by the other departments, but that the judicial department also may exercise or sanction dangerous powers beyond the grant of the Constitution; and, consequently, that the ultimate right of the parties to the Constitution [the states], to judge whether the compact has been dangerously violated, must extend to violations by one delegated authority, as well as by another; by the judiciary, as well as by the executive, or the legislature. In other words, Madison saw the states (being parties to the constitutional compact) as having the authority and ability to determine a law’s constitutionality and take appropriate action based upon whatever decision they make. While the Supreme Court could hopefully be of help in checking Congress and enforcing the terms of the Constitution, Madison knew that it could not be relied upon to perform this task in every case. Numerous other statesmen from the founding era concurred with this view, recognizing that the Supreme Court would not necessarily be comprised of infallible constitutional experts, and that the judges themselves might be the instruments of tyranny in upholding federal powers that were not authorized by the Constitution. They therefore advocated, in unison with Madison, a state-based remedy. In an 1820 letter, for example, Thomas Jefferson rebuffed the notion that the Supreme Court’s judges should be the “ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions.” He wrote that it is “a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men, and not more so. They have, with others, the same passions for party, for power, and the privilege of their corps.” If the court upholds the constitutionality of the individual mandate in June, conservatives and libertarians will loudly and justifiably protest the result. This anger, however, will lead many of them to explore alternatives in pursuit of upholding the Constitution and fighting the federal government. In that endeavor, they might soon learn that there are other effective ways to challenge the federal government’s encroachment upon the powers of the people. This is not a radical or untested suggestion. Indeed, it is one which has been implemented quite often over the years and in different states. Two dozen states objected to the REAL ID Act of 2005, uniting to oppose the federal government’s unfunded mandate and unconstitutional intrusion into people’s privacy. As a result, the federal government backed off. Numerous states reject the federal prohibition of marijuana and allow their citizens to purchase and ingest marijuana for medicinal purposes. Some states have also opposed the federal government’s commerce power regarding the regulation of food, guns and health care. Indeed, one of the reasons the Supreme Court ended up entertaining the challenge to the individual mandate is that the Utah Legislature passed a bill two weeks before Obamacare was enacted exempting the state from its implementation. Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed that bill into law a day before President Obama signed the federal bill, which gave the state standing in federal court to challenge its constitutionality — standing extended to the 25 other states also in opposition. Hoping that a few lawyers-turned-judges will uphold the Constitution is an exercise in futility and misplaced priorities. While it does occur from time to time, the Supreme Court tends to enable the federal government’s usurpation of powers. A ruling in favor of the individual mandate would help spark a strong resurgence of interposition and nullification by the states, which are much better equipped to provide a check against the federal government’s unconstitutional actions. Spencer Roane, a Virginia judge who would have been appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court by Thomas Jefferson had John Adams not chosen John Marshall in the final hours of his presidency, once observed that “the Supreme Court may be a perfectly impartial tribunal to decide between two states, but cannot be considered in that point of view when the contest lies between the United States and one of its members.” He was right. The individuals and states challenging the constitutionality of any law, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, should consider this implicit conflict of interest and encourage the states to fulfill the role of constitutional arbiters that many of the nation’s founders envisioned them fulfilling. Jefferson once argued that government officials should be bound down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution. Some believe that a few judges, as part of the federal government, can adequately bind the legislators and bureaucrats within that same government. This is horribly misguided: questions of constitutionality should ultimately be decided by the many, not the few. Like this article? Get future ones delivered directly to your inbox. ← Being Pro-Life Means Being Anti-War Foreign Policy and the Golden Rule → About the Author Connor Boyack is president of Libertas Institute, a public policy think tank in Utah. He is the author of several books along with hundreds of columns and articles championing individual liberty. Connor's work has been publicly praised by national figures such as Ron Paul, Judge Andrew Napolitano, Tom Woods, and many others. Recent Comments Denice on Mormons Making Friends with the Nazi Mammon of UnrighteousnessJames on Mormons Making Friends with the Nazi Mammon of UnrighteousnessRon on Mormons Making Friends with the Nazi Mammon of UnrighteousnessCharles Whicker on Mormons Making Friends with the Nazi Mammon of UnrighteousnessSara on Mormons Making Friends with the Nazi Mammon of Unrighteousness Recent Articles Mormons Making Friends with the Nazi Mammon of UnrighteousnessA Widespread Misunderstanding About Satan's War on AgencyWhy Latter-day Saints are CondemnedTorture is okay, because hey, we're awesome!Can Prophets Come from Outside Church Leadership? View extended list » Tweets by @cboyack 11 Responses to “The Supreme Court Should Uphold Obamacare” I’m not entirely sure looking all the way back to 1800-ish is warranted anymore given the change in balance of power between the States and Federal government granted in the latter-half of the 19th Centure vis-a-vis Sections 1 and 5 of the 14th Amendment. I haven’t devoted much thought to it – perhaps you have, so I’m curious to hear your view – but it seems like the 14th Amendment significantly cuts back against a State’s ability to independently declare a federal law unconstitutional and thereby refuse to enforce it. As a theoretical matter, I agree with you and believe that’s the way it should work, I’m just not sure, practically speaking, it can work that way anymore. Thoughts? I agree with the message of this post but I still don’t agree with the title. Shouldn’t we use every moral means within our power (legal and otherwise) to overturn the federal government’s usurpation? I see nullification as one of the checks and balances of the Constitution but wasn’t the Supreme Court also supposed to be a check/balance on the legislative and executive branches? I guess my point is- just because the courts have failed miserably in the recent past to uphold the Constitution shouldn’t mean that we root for them to continue to do so in the hopes that state-nullification will be successful. I have several layers of defense against illness and disease- sanitation, cleanliness, antibodies, an immune system, etc. My hope isn’t that because my environment has been disease-infested that I should rely solely on my last line of defense. I hope all of my layers of defense are successful. I think you do too but I suspect your title was meant to have a shock/awe factor. But correct me if I’m wrong. Initially, I think the intent of the judicial branch was brilliant. But what was supposed to be a check on the other branches of federal government has become a legislative branch unto themselves. They have incrementally interpreted, ignored and legislated our country so far from anything recognizable by our Founders. Their (in)actions are what I call legal precedent stepping stones away from the spirit and letter of the Constitution. Hopefully we can reverse that trend. Ascentury While I’m all for nullification, for those of us who live in states that aren’t going to lift a finger to challenge their home-grown son (Illinois), declaration that the Affordable Patient Care Act is unconstitutional is liable to help out a lot more than another state’s nullification of the law. Unless the feds do back off universally (which I don’t think will happen with the signal achievement of this administration). Also, since the no-health-insurance fines are intended to be collected by the IRS as part of the federal taxes (aren’t they?), wouldn’t nullification in one state lead to a LOT of confusion by tax filers within that state? Not an argument against, per se, but an observation. I am amazed that more conservatives and libertarians don’t realize that if the supreme court stops “Obamacare,” then the next step would be full socialized medicine paid for with taxes and no private sector involvement. This lawsuit could become their own worst nightmare if they win. At least with “Obamacare” it’s mainly private sector involvement. Charles D While I agree that the mandate is unconstitutional, and I certainly have no confidence whatever in the current Supreme Court’s judgment on any issue, I’m dubious about the feasibility of your approach. If we move into a situation where states can choose whether or not to obey the federal government, or whether or not to enforce any federal law or mandate, then we seem closer to anarchy than anything else. We have a federal government that is clearly out of control with massive usurpation of individual liberties, a legislature that is unable to act decisively except on matters where lobbyists agree, and an executive branch that continually asserts more unconstitutional powers. Rather than attempt to hold that shell of a government together while reining in what each state may view as its excesses, we might be better off dissolving the union altogether. American banks are too big to fail, but America may be too big to govern. Striking down the individual mandate would have the funny side effect of making currently proposed republican reforms to social security and medicare illegal/unconstitutional. The Ryan care medicare coupon program mandates the purchase of insurance and covering of any costs above the fixed value of the coupon by the individual and SS private accounts require an individual savings mandate! I must wonder how much of the mandate is part of an 11 dimensional chess game. Struck down or upheld sounds like Obama/Democrats win either way. JJL9 Although I rarely like to side with TRON, I will say that he is at least partially onto something. Declaratoin by the Supreme Court that Obamacare is unconstitutional could be a complete setup. First of all, if they declare only certain provisions (like the individual mandate) to be unconstitutional, then in order to cite them as your source of authority on the matter, then by default you almost have to agree with them that the other parts ARE constitutional. Alternatively, if they deem Obamacare to be unconstitutional, and we hang our hats on that, then perhaps with a little tweeking Obamacare in some other form comes back and they uphold in, in which case, since our hats are hung on their previous ruling, we lose credibility by opposing the newly upheld version. For these reasons, I would rather see the states simply nullify and refuse Obamacare in its entirety. There are downsides to that too because we have our Governor out their claiming that Utah is better equipped to solve the healthcare problems of Utahns than is the federal government. My solution comes in two parts. State nullification of Obamacare and the adoption of a state constitution that limits the authority of the state government in ways comparable to the US Constitution’s restraints on the federal government. I love how the “States Rights” crowd will quote the Declaration of Independence and refer to natural rights and God-given rights when it comes to dealing with the federal government, and then they turn around and want the state government to step in and usurp those rights instead. On a fundamental level, these people have no principle. They just want more power. They have no problem with a government controling our lives for us, but most of them have significant influence at the state level, so they would like that power transfered from the federal government to the state government. I don’t want Obamacare, but I don’t want Herbert-care either. J4y8 These sorts of statements perpetually bother me. “If we move into a situation where states can choose whether or not to obey the federal government, or whether or not to enforce any federal law or mandate, then we seem closer to anarchy than anything else” It’s as though people were taught some silly comic book idea of what anarchy is. I am an anarcho-capitalist and it took me many years of economic study and rigorous logic to arrive at the conclusion that true freedom works. Spontaneous order is what creates society and it’s cultural norms, government only impedes it. If government is supposed to reflect the voice of the people then cut the nonsense and let the people reflect themselves. Anarchy is rule by the people while government is rule of the people. It’s very simple people. It’s time to unlearn the paradigm the system has taught you. It’s an old relic full of contradiction and nonsense ment to keep you pacified and stupid. Wake up! Great blog by the way. Let freedom ring!!! Connor, I don’t buy it. Certainly the Supreme Court is not the only branch of government that has a duty to uphold the Constitution, and of course unconstitutional laws ought to be opposed by states and individuals as well. But that doesn’t support the conclusion that it would be better if the Supreme Court upheld an unconstitutional law. Like it or not, Supreme Court rulings are recognized by a strong majority of citizens as authoritative, and they are incredibly difficult to overturn. Your practical politics argument that an incorrect ruling by the Supreme Court would create enough outrage that citizens and states would embrace nullification is entirely unrealistic. Roe v. Wade proves that point clearly and powerfully. A huge number of individuals in both parties opposed the ruling then, and many still oppose it now; many legal scholars–even some who support abortion–have criticized it as nonsense; and yet no state has defied the court’s order to stop prosecuting abortion seekers and doctors. States have defied the federal government in the past, and it didn’t turn out well for the states. Setting aside the obvious example of the Civil War, there was a Minnesota Attorney General in the early 1900s that tried to enforce a state statute that conflicted with a federal statute. A case was filed against him in federal court; he defied the court’s ruling; and was thrown in jail for contempt. Unsurprisingly the state law yielded and the federal law prevailed. See Ex Parte Young, 209 U.S. 123 (1908). Surely you don’t think state politicians have developed stiffer spines or embraced a stronger theory of state sovereignty during the past hundred years. The Supreme Court should do its duty and uphold the Constitution–even when the other branches of government fail to do so, and even when the citizens and states fail to do so. We freedom-lovers should applaud any victory we can win in that venue. TGraham If we didn’t have the 17th Amendment, all of this would be moot. It would have never passed in the first place. Good stuff. This thing has legs. Comment Leave your opinion here. Please be nice. Your Email address will be kept private. My Books Feardom: How Politicians Exploit Your Emotions and What You Can Do to Stop Them What do history's most notorious despots have in common with many of the flag-waving, patriotic politicians of our day? Both groups rise to power through the exploitation of fear, which has become a societal plague. There have been widespread casualties. We need an antidote. Feardom offers its readers a much-needed immunization. The Tuttle Twins and the Miraculous Pencil In their second adventure, Ethan and Emily Tuttle go on a field trip to a fun factory where they learn how something as simple as a pencil is in fact a miracle—and one that nobody knows how to make! Your children will learn about the free market, why division of labor makes our lives better, and how spontaneous order is the key to human progress and happiness! The Tuttle Twins Learn About The Law Help your children learn about the proper role of government with this engaging book full of detailed, colorful illustrations! Ethan and Emily Tuttle learn from their wise neighbor Fred about the law, what our rights are and why we have them, and how we should voluntarily help those in need! Latter-day Liberty: A Gospel Approach to Government and Politics A fundamental aspect of the good news of the gospel is the message of liberty. As President Joseph F. Smith said, “The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of freedom; the gospel of the Son of God is the gospel of liberty.” Men of God, both ancient and modern, have spoken on this issue repeatedly. This book analyzes what liberty is and how it applies to government. Latter-day Responsibility: Choosing Liberty Through Personal Accountability Liberty is a fundamental and eternal principle, but it cannot exist without its counterpart—personal responsibility. From self-defense and self-reliance, to faith, family, and financial freedom, this book pinpoints precise actions needed from each of us if liberty is to successfully be preserved. Anxiously Engaged: Essays of Faith, Family & Freedom This book is a compilation of essays written over the years, organized topically. At 610 pages, it's great for reference material if you're debating something with a friend and want to look up some arguments that you can use to support your pro-liberty positions. "An amazing book"—Ron Paul on Latter-day Liberty "Clear, compelling, full of faith"—Judge Andrew Napolitano on Latter-day Responsibility "Sophisticated and compelling"—Tom Woods on Feardom Significant discounts available for bulk orders of 20 or more. Contact me for information. Connor Boyack © 2015. All Rights Reserved.

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Posts tagged ‘Moscow’ Triumphalism Indeed February 6, 2012, 2:29 pm For years I have argued that most high-speed rail makes no sense economically -- that in fact it is an example of the political impulse towards triumphalism. Government leaders through the ages have wanted to use other people's money and sweat to build vast monuments to themselves that would last through the ages. I meant that as ridicule, and assumed most readers would recognize it as such, but apparently not the LA Times, which editorialized in favor of California high speed rail in part because its just like the pyramids Worthwhile things seldom come without cost or sacrifice. That was as true in ancient times as it is now; pharaoh Sneferu, builder of Egypt's first pyramids, had to try three times before he got it right, with the first two either collapsing under their own weight or leaning precipitously. But who remembers that now? Not many people have heard of Sneferu, but his pyramids and those of his successors are wonders of the world. As a reminder, this is what I wrote at the article linked above in Forbes What is it about intellectuals that seem to, generation after generation, fall in love with totalitarian regimes because of their grand and triumphal projects? Whether it was the trains running on time in Italy, or the Moscow subways, or now high-speed rail lines in China, western dupes constantly fall for the lure of the great pyramid without seeing the diversion of resources and loss of liberty that went into building it. Tags: Egypt, Government, Italy, LA, Moscow Category: Rail and Mass Transit | 28 Comments Stupid Math Tricks November 16, 2011, 5:03 pm James Hansen, head of NASA's GISS and technical adviser on An Inconvenient Truth, wrote recently Thus there is no need to equivocate about the summer heat waves in Texas in 2011 and Moscow in 2010, which exceeded 3σ – it is nearly certain that they would not have occurred in the absence of global warming. If global warming is not slowed from its current pace, by mid-century 3σ events will be the new norm and 5σ events will be common. This statement alone should be enough for any thoughtful person who here-to-fore has bought in to global warming hysteria out of vague respect for "science" to question their beliefs. First, he is basically arguing that a 3σ event proves (makes it "nearly certain") that some shift has occurred in the underlying process. In particular, he is arguing that one single sample's value is due to a mean shift in the system. I don't have a ton of experience in process control and quality, but my gut feel is that a 3σ event can be just that, a 3σ event. One should expect a 3σ event to occur, on average, once in every 300 samples of a system with a normal distribution of outcomes. Second, and a much bigger problem, is that Hansen is gaming the sampling process. First, he is picking an isolated period. Let's say, to be generous, that this 3σ event stretched over 3 months and was unprecedented in the last century. But there are 400 3-month periods in the last hundred years. So he is saying in these two locations there was a 3σ temperature excursion once out of 400 samples. Uh, ok. Pretty much what one would expect. Or, if you don't like the historic approach, lets focus on just this year. He treats Moscow and Texas like they are the only places being sampled, but in fact they are two of hundreds or even thousands of places on Earth. Since he does not focus on any of the others, we can assume these are the only two that have so-called 3σ temperature events this summer. It's hard to know how large to define "Texas" (since the high temperatures did not cover the whole state) or "Moscow" (since clearly the high temperatures likely reached beyond the suburbs of just that city). Let's say that the 3σ event occurred in a circular area 500km in diameter. That is an area of 196,250 sq km each. But the land surface area of the Earth (we will leave out the oceans for now since heat waves there don't tend to make the headlines) is about 150 million sq km. This means that each of these areas represent about 1/764th of the land surface area of the Earth. Or said another way, this summer there were 764 500km diameter land areas we could sample, and 2 had 3σ events. Again, exactly as expected. In other words, Hansen's that something unusual is going on in the system is that he found two 3σ events that happened once every 300 or 400 samples. You feeling better about the science yet? Luboš Motl has a more sophisticated discussion of the same statement, and gets into other issues with Hansen's statement. Postscript: One other issue -- the mean shift in temperatures over the last 30 years has been, at most, about 0.5C (a small number compared to the Moscow temperature excursion from the norm). Applying that new mean and the historic standard deviation, my guess is that the Moscow event would have still been a 2.5σ event. So its not clear how an event that would have been unlikely even with global warming but slightly more unlikely without global warming tells us much of anything about changes in the underlying system, or how Hansen could possible assign blame for the even with near certainty to anthropogenic CO2. Tags: global warming, Inconvenient Truth, James Hansen, Lubo Motl, Moscow, NASA, Postscript One, suburbs, temperature, warming Category: Climate | 22 Comments Great Moments In Government Spending: The Station to Nowhere August 21, 2008, 8:47 am Mayor Daley of Chicago has a great idea: despite already having rail transit service between O'Hare Airport and Downtown, he wants to build a new non-stop express rail line to save travelers about 9 minutes. After all, if Moscow just did this, it must be a good idea. OK, this is dumb enough. But what is really amazing is that Chicago embarked on building a $320 million downtown station for the project without even a plan for the rest of the line -- no design, no route, no land acquisition, no appropriation, no cost estimate, nothing. There are currently tracks running near the station to the airport, but there are no passing sidings on these tracks, making it impossible for express and local trains to share the same track. The express service idea would either require an extensive rebuilding of the entire current line using signaling and switching technologies that may not (according to Daley himself) even exist, or it requires an entirely new line cut through some of the densest urban environments in the country. Even this critical decision on basic approach was not made before they started construction on the station, and in fact still has not been made. Though the article does not mention it, this strikes me as a typical commuter rail strategy -- make some kind of toe-in-the-water investment on a less-than-critical-mass part of the system, and then use that as leverage with voters to approve funding so that the original investment will not be orphaned. Its a kind of blackmail that both makes me sick, and is necessary for these systems as voters would never ever approve the kind of money that would be required to build the whole project (If this express line requires $320 million just for one station on one end of the line, can you imagine the total cost? $10 billion? for 9 minutes time savings). Tags: Government, Moscow, strategy, transit Category: Government | 16 Comments Nothing New Under the [Rising] Sun December 7, 2007, 9:10 am Sixty-six years ago today, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, which turned out to be about as smart of a strategic move as taunting the New England Patriots just before the game. During subsequent years, there was an inevitable investigation into why and how the US got caught so flat-footed, and who, if anyone, was to blame. Decades later, revisionist historians reopened this debate. In the 1970's, not coincidently in the time of Watergate and lingering questions about the Kennedy assassination and the Gulf of Tonkin, it was fairly popular to blame Pearl Harbor on ... FDR. The logic was (and still is, among a number of historians) that FDR was anxious to bring the US into the war, but was having trouble doing so given the country's incredibly isolationist outlook during the 1920's and 1930's. These historians argue that FDR knew about the Pearl Harbor attack but did nothing (or in the most aggressive theories, actually maneuvered to encourage the attack) in order to give FDR an excuse to bring America into the war. The evidence is basically in three parts: The abjectly unprepared state of the Pearl Harbor base, when there were so many good reasons at the time to be on one's toes (after all, the Japanese were marching all over China, Germany was at the gates of Moscow, and France had fallen) could only be evidence of conspiracy. The most valuable fleet components, the carriers, had at the last minute been called away from Pearl Harbor. Historians argue that they were moved to protect them from an attack known to be coming to Pearl. They argue that FDR wanted Pearl to be attacked, but did not want to lose the carriers. Historians have found a number of captured Japanese signals and US intelligence warnings that should have been clear warming of a Pearl Harbor attack. I have always been pretty skeptical of this theory, for several reasons: First, I always default to Coyote's Law, which says When the same set of facts can be explained equally well by A massive conspiracy coordinated without a single leak between hundreds or even thousands of people -OR - Sustained stupidity, confusion and/or incompetence Assume stupidity. I think it is more than consistent with human history to assume that if Pearl Harbor was stupidly unprepared, that the reason was in fact stupidity, and not a clever conspiracy The carrier argument is absurd, and is highly influenced by what we know now rather than what we knew in December of 1941. We know now that the carriers were the most valuable fleet component, but no one really knew it then (except for a few mavericks). Certainly, if FDR and his top brass knew about the attack, no one would have been of the mindset that the carriers were the most important fleet elements to save. I find it to be fairly unproductive to try to sort through intelligence warnings thirty years after the fact. One can almost ALWAYS find that some warning or indicator existed for every such event in history. The problem occurs in real-time, when such warnings are buried in the midst of hundreds of other indicators, and are preceded by years of false warnings of the same event. I don't really deny that FDR probably wanted an excuse to get the country in the war. However, I have never understood why a wildly succesful Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was more necessary than, say, an attack met strongly at the beach. I can understand why FDR might have allowed the attack to happen, but why would he leave the base undefended. The country would have gotten wound up about the attack whether 5 ships or 10 were destroyed. It is interesting how so much of this parallels the logic of the 9/11 conspiracists. And, in fact, I have the same answer for both: I don't trust the government. I don't put such actions and motivations past our leaders. But I don't think the facts support either conspiracy. And I don't think the government is capable of maintaining such a conspiracy for so long. Tags: England, FDR, france, game, germany, Moscow, New England, New England Patriots, Pearl Harbor, US Category: History | 19 Comments Adjusting Data to Get the "Right" Answer August 4, 2007, 12:16 pm On several occasions, I have discussed how much of the reported temperature increases worldwide in the last century are actually the results of adjustments to the actual gauge measurements. These upward adjustments in the numbers by climate scientists actually dwarf measured increases. Thanks to reader Scott Brooks, here is another such example except this time with measurement of sea level increases. Dr. Nils-Axel Morner is the head of the Paleogeophysics and Geodynamics department at Stockholm University in Sweden. He has studied sea-level changes for 35 years (emphasis added). way of looking at what is going on is the tide gauge. Tide gauging is very complicated, because it gives different answers for wherever you are in the world. But we have to rely on geology when we interpret it. So, for example, those people in the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change], choose Hong Kong, which has six tide gauges, and they choose the record of one, which gives 2.3 mm per year rise of sea level. Every geologist knows that that is a subsiding area. It's the compaction of sediment; it is the only record which you shouldn't use. And if that figure [for sea level rise] is correct, then Holland would not be subsiding, it would be uplifting. that is just ridiculous. Not even ignorance could be responsible for a thing like that. So tide gauges, you have to treat very, very carefully. Now, back to satellite altimetry, which shows the water, not just the coasts, but in the whole of the ocean. And you measure it by satellite. From 1992 to 2002, [the graph of the sea level] was a straight line, variability along a straight line, but absolutely no trend whatsoever. We could see those spikes: a very rapid rise, but then in half a year, they fall back again. But absolutely no trend, and to have a sea-level rise, you need a trend. in 2003, the same data set, which in their [IPCC's] publications, in their website, was a straight line suddenly it changed, and showed a very strong line of uplift, 2.3 mm per year, the same as from the tide gauge. And that didn't look so nice. It looked as though they had recorded something; but they hadn't recorded anything. It was the original one which they had suddenly twisted up, because they entered a correction factor, which they took from the tide gauge. So it was not a measured thing, but a figure introduced from outside. I accused them of this at the Academy of Sciences in Moscow I said you have introduced factors from outside; it's not a measurement. It looks like it is measured from the satellite, but you don't say what really happened. And they ans-wered, that we had to do it, because otherwise we would not have gotten any trend! is terrible! As a matter of fact, it is a falsification of the data set. Why? Because they know the answer. And there you come to the point: They know the answer; the rest of us, we are searching for the answer. Because we are field geologists; they are computer scientists. So all this talk that sea level is rising, this stems from the computer modeling, not from observations. The observations don't find it! been the expert reviewer for the IPCC, both in 2000 and last year. The first time I read it, I was exceptionally surprised. First of all, it had 22 authors, but none of them none were sea-level specialists. They were given this mission, because they promised to answer the right thing. Again, it was a computer issue. This is the typical thing: The meteorological community works with computers, simple computers. don't do that! We go out in the field and observe, and then we can try to make a model with computerization; but it's not the first thing. I am working on my next version of a layman's guide to skeptics arguments against catastrophic man-made global warming, which you can find here. Tags: Climate, global warming, Hong Kong, IPCC, Moscow, Nils Axel Morner, Scott Brooks, Sweden, temperature, warming Category: Climate | 1 Comment Adjusting Data to Get the "Right" Answer Tags: Climate, global warming, Hong Kong, IPCC, Moscow, Nils Axel Morner, Scott Brooks, Sweden, temperature, warming Category: Climate | Comments Off Text Feed

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Hobby Lobby increases full-time hourly employee minimum wage to $14 per hour Apr 15, 2013 April 15, 2013- - Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a privately held retail chain with more than 500 arts and crafts stores in 45 states, today announced a minimum wage increase to $14 per hour for full-time hourly employees of Hobby Lobby and its affiliate Hemispheres, effective immediately. The company also announced a minimum wage increase for all part-time employees to $9.50 per hour. This is the fifth year in a row that the company has raised wages for full-time hourly employees, who earned a minimum of $13 per hour in 2012. It's the fourth year in a row for the company to increase the minimum wage for its part-time hourly employees, up from a minimum of $9 in 2012. "We are very fortunate to be able to increase hourly wages for our employees, because we know our company would not be successful without the great work they do each day in our stores across the nation," said David Green, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. "We know that if we reward our employees for their hard work, we will be rewarded in turn with their loyalty and dedication to their job and to our customers." This increase for full-time hourly and part-time hourly employees will raise the pay of more than 17,726 employees nationwide. Hobby Lobby's new minimum wage for full-time hourly employees is 93 percent above the national minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. "As a family-owned business, we want our employees to feel like they are part of a family," Green said. "This is one way we can show our appreciation for their work and make them feel like part of a team." In 2013, Hobby Lobby projects continued growth and plans to open about 33 additional stores, which will create an additional 1,200 jobs across the country. The company will be opening stores in Maine and Connecticut in the next several months. Hobby Lobby increases full-time hourly employee minimum wage to $14 per hour Home Opinions vary on minimum wage hike proposal Home Minimum wage gap grows wider between states Payroll Calif. labor commissioner finds more than $1.5 million in wage theft from caregivers Payroll Fast-food protests in center of minimum wage debate Payroll Is Only One RMD Enough for IRA and 401(k) Holders? Payroll Auto Workers Union Rejects New Wage Deal Payroll Police Track Suspect Using His Social Media Posts Payroll March Madness: Nearly 1/3 of Americans Admit Slacking at Work During Tourney Payroll Seattle's $15 Minimum Wage Law Survives Legal Challenge Loading

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Girl seriously injured in collision with car (From Daily Echo) Girl, 10, seriously injured in collision with car in Botley Road, Sholing, Southampton Girl seriously injured in collision with car share on Facebook Last updated by Michael Carr, Reporter A GIRL suffered serious injuries after she was struck by a car on a busy Southampton road. The girl, who is believed to be ten years old, was in collision with the car on Botley Road, Sholing, outside Valentine Primary School. Neighbours rushed to the scene to attend to the girl, who was playing with her friends when the accident happened. An air ambulance was called and landed nearby but the girl was taken to Southampton General Hospital by road ambulance. She is understood to have suffered multiple serious injuries but it is not clear last night if they were life-threatening. The incident happened just after 11am yesterday. Botley Road was closed in both directions for a short period of time as paramedics treated the girl. A resident from Botley Road, who did not want to be named, described the moment the car hit the girl. He said: “I was on the phone at the time and I heard a loud bang

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Lil Wayne remains in intensive care six days after suffering 'uncontrollable seizures following suspected drug overdose' 13:56 EST, 18 March 2013 Lil' Wayne remains in intensive care six days after being admitted to hospital suffering from uncontrollable seizures.The rapper is being kept under close watch by doctors attempting to stabilize him following his admittance to the Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.According to website TMZ the mood remains 'very serious' at the hospital, with doctors concerned that 'Wayne's condition has not improved enough to be moved out of the ICU'. Hospitalised: The rapper was rushed to Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles with seizures following a suspected drug overdose last week The weekend saw stars including Nicki Minaj, Drake, Chris Paul and Birdman visit Wayne's bedside.On Friday the 30-year-old took to Twitter to reassure his fans after reports that he was dying and being read his last rites.'I'm good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love,' he tweeted.His friend and president of the rapper's Young Money record label, Mack Maine refuted TMZ's story tweeting just prior to Lil Wayne.'Wayne is alive and well! We watching the Syracuse game...thanks for the prayers and concern..he will update you all soon.'He added: 'We will be releasing an official statement shortly but don't believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe...that's false!!' Family man: Days before his collapse Lil Wayne was pictured taking his son to visit an aquarium in Atlanta Wayne - real name Dwayne Michael Carter - was initially rushed to hospital on Tuesday after suffering multiple seizures whilst shooting Nicki Minaj's new single, High School.He recovered enough to be released on Wednesday morning, but hours later a bodyguard found him unconscious on his bedroom floor.TMZ reported: 'Sources say there's evidence Wayne went on a Sizzurp binge after being released Wednesday, because doctors found high amounts of codeine in his system.'This is not the first time the singer has suffered from seizures. Famous friends: Lil Wayne's visotrs have included Drake, left, and Nicki Minaj who he is seen with at the MTV Video Music Awards last year Back in October, Wayne was onboard a flight from Texas to LAX when he started to convulse.The flight was immediately diverted to Louisiana where he was admitted to hospital.TMZ reported at the time that he was released after receiving treatment and recovered at his mother's house.The rapper later tweeted to his fans, assuring them that he was doing well.'Thanx for all the prayers! I am good,' he wrote on the social networking site.Just hours prior to the incident, the star's private jet was also forced to make an emergency landing in Texas when he suffered from the same health scare.After being taken to a local Texan hospital, a spokesman for the rapper insisted he was only treated for a severe migraine and dehydration.

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Home Page »News »Regional News » Canyonlands National Park faces invasive species issue Canyonlands National Park faces invasive species issue Tamarisk proves to be more complicated than simple eradication By BRETT PRETTYMANThe Salt Lake Tribune Article Last Updated: Sunday, December 30, 2012 11:21pm Francisco Kjolseth/ The Salt Lake Tribune file photo Browned tamarisk lines the banks of the Colorado River as efforts to eliminate the invasive species appear to be working. The small tamarisk leaf beetle, imported from China, is used to control the non-native and invasive tamarisk plant. CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK, Utah � Larry Aberback studied the banks of the Colorado River in quiet reflection and then posed a question many of the others on the commercially guided float trip had silently wondered.�What happened to all those dying bushes? Is it drought?� the elementary school teacher from New York City asked during a trip through Cataract Canyon in July, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. �It�s kind of sad.�Sad, in this case, is in the eyes of beholder. The dying stands of bushes are tamarisk � a non-native, invasive species from Eurasia introduced to the American West more than a century ago. Tamarisk has taken over the banks of many Western rivers and is particularly thick along the Colorado in Canyonlands.People sitting in the raft next to Aberback had a totally different view of the dying bushes. As Westerners involved in the environment, they saw the defoliating of tamarisk as a step in the right direction to allowing the return of native species.The question then remains: Is the death of tamarisk sad or long overdue?National Park Service officials say evidence of tamarisk along the river corridor dates back to the early 1900s. Pictures of tamarisk from 1914 show it was well established by then. Controlled flows from dams upstream seem to have helped the invasive species thrive starting in the 1950s long before 257,400 acres in southeast Utah became Canyonlands National Park in 1964. The park was eventually expanded to more than 337,000 acres. Some groups and citizens are now seeking further protection of the land around the park in the form of a proposed Greater Canyonlands National Monument.The war against tamarisk in the West has taken many forms through the years � cutting, burning and poisoning � but researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture finally found something that appears to be making a major difference by visiting the homeland of the plant to bring it to the battle.Tamarisk leaf beetles were released along the Colorado River in 2004, upstream of Canyonlands National Park. Other releases happened in 2005 and 2006. It didn�t take long before the work of the beetles was evident along the entire stretches of both the Green and Colorado rivers within the park.The beetles are still at work � it takes several cycles of infestations to actually kill tamarisk stands � but some wonder if it was necessary and others filed a lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture to re-evaluate the program.�Some people are looking for a return to the (19th-century explorer) John Wesley Powell times. We will never see that. We have these large dams that control the flows and we have manipulated all these different elements,� said Steve Young, a longtime backcountry river ranger in Canyonlands. �The system was kind of going into a balance with tamarisk and now we have screwed it up again.�For decades, tamarisk was viewed as a water-sucking, wildfire-enhancing, bank-choking, do-nothing-for-wildlife invader. Federal and state governments continue to spend millions in an effort to control tamarisk.More recently, researchers are finding tamarisk does have positive impacts on river ecosystems and some wildlife species have figured out how to use it. Birds common to riparian areas often use tamarisk for nesting, including the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher.The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture stopped releasing beetles in response to the 2009 lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity to protect species like the willow flycatcher, but the cat was already out of the bag, so to speak.�Given that the beetles are already on the ground this was a less than satisfactory result,� said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director for the Center for Biological Diversity. �We are not fans of tamarisk, but simply removing it with an invasive species only completes half the job because it fails to address the changes in hydrology and habitat that let tamarisk take over in the first place and thus provide no assurance that native riparian vegetation will take tamarisk�s place. This is harmful to the flycatcher and many other species.� Imported from China, the tamarisk leaf beetle is used to control the non-native and invasive tamarisk. Tamarisk was brought to North America as an ornamental plant and has displaced native vegetation along rivers in the West.

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Environment News Service (ENS) Washington State Outlaws Shark Finning OLYMPIA, Washington, May 15, 2011 (ENS) - Washington Governor Chris Gregoire has signed into law a bill that bans the sale, trade or distribution of shark fins or derivative products in the state. The measure outlaws the sale of shark fin soup, often served as a status symbol in Chinese restaurants. The soup, which can sell for more than $50 a bowl, is a feature of banquets and weddings. Shark fin soup (Photo by D.K. Bradley) Shark cartilage supplements will also disappear from store shelves in Washington. Shark cartilage is claimed to combat and/or prevent a variety of illnesses, including cancer. The benefits of this supplement have not been scientifically proven, nor has shark cartilage been reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. State Senator Kevin Ranker, a San Juan Island Democrat who chairs the Natural Resources and Marine Waters Committee, was the bill's primary sponsor. The measure unanimously passed in the Senate. The House voted 95 to 1 in favor. "Despite current efforts, shark populations along the west coast continue to shrink," said Ranker. "This is a new way to combat the problem - and one which will work. Without this legislation, shark communities will only continue to decline until they become endangered or extinct." Conservationists say the law will help to relieve the pressure on dwindling shark populations. Unsustainable fishing methods have led some shark populations to decline by as much as 99 percent in recent decades. More than 73 million sharks are killed every year primarily for their fins, which are often harvested through finning, a practice that involves slicing off the fins and discarding the animal at sea to drown or bleed to death. "The signing of SB 5688 sends a strong message that the Evergreen State will not tolerate the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning," said Dan Paul, state director for The Humane Society of the United States in Washington. "We commend Washington's lawmakers for standing up for the world's top oceanic predators." "By signing this legislation the governor took a very large west coast leadership role in initiating action to address a global problem," said Whit Sheard, senior advisor and Pacific counsel for Oceana, an international advocacy group based in Washington, DC. "This bill will do two things, help us move closer to ending the wasteful and unnecessary depletion of our ocean's top predators and serve as a model for Oregon and California as they have similar pending legislation," said Sheard. Similar laws have been passed in Hawaii, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, and are before the legislatures in California and Oregon.

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HomeNewsUKParking fine for couple carrying disabled son, 4 Parking fine for couple carrying disabled son, 4 A COUPLE were given a parking ticket as they carried their disabled son to their car. Giles Sheldrick PUBLISHED: 00:01, Thu, Dec 27, 2012 Rebecca Harbourne with disabled Devon Distraught Karl Wade and Rebecca Harbourne appealed against the £70 fine but council officials insisted it must be paid in full.The couple parked their vehicle outside their house for a few minutes to make it easier to carry son Devon, who has cerebral palsy. They were stunned when they came out to find a ticket had been slapped on the windscreen of their Nissan Note.Devon, four, who is paralysed down his left side and can only crawl, has to have special splints attached to his legs every day. We are law-abiding people but there was nothing else we could do Karl Wade Father-of-three Karl collared the uniformed warden as he was walking away. But despite his protests, the warden refused to back down and told him to get in touch with Birmingham City Council, which is striving to save £600million by 2017 –half its annual budget. Karl, 37, said: “The council said the car was there for 20 minutes but most of that time was spent debating with the warden.“We are law-abiding people but there was nothing else we could do. We carry Devon and we don’t have a drive. The car park at the back was blocked with vehicles.”The family, of Erdington, Birmingham, had fallen foul of parking restrictions imposed while their road was resurfaced. They are now considering going to an independent adjudicator.A council spokesman said: “Other vehicles did not receive tickets because they were parked on sections of the road that had already been resurfaced and were not obstructing the work.”Rebecca, 28, said: “At a time of goodwill to all men I don’t think they’ve shown a lot of heart.” Most Read Stories in UK

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Bieber resumes tour after scuffle, health problems Monday - 3/11/2013, 10:48am EDT LONDON (AP) -- It's been a rough week for Justin Bieber: Getting booed for being late, struggling to breathe mid-performance and fainting backstage, then caught on camera clashing with paparazzi.But the 19-year-old pop sensation appeared to have recovered Friday for his final concert in London, singing and dancing to thousands of adoring fans at the O2 Arena.Earlier Friday, the star made headlines when he got into an altercation with insult-hurling paparazzi, lashing out at a photographer with a stream of expletives as he was restrained by minders."Ahhhhh! Rough morning. Trying to feel better for this show tonight but let the paps get the best of me," the singer posted on Twitter soon after the altercation with the photographer, which took place as he got into a car earlier Friday. The scuffle was captured on video by Channel 5 News and widely broadcast by Britain's media."Sometimes when people r shoving cameras in your face all day and yelling the worst thing possible at u...well I'm human. Rough week," he wrote on the social networking site.The clash came just hours after Bieber said he was "getting better" following breathing problems he suffered during the previous night's concert. The star took a short break to go backstage, where he was given oxygen, and had to be briefly hospitalized for a check-up.A spokesman for the O2 Arena said Bieber was treated backstage during Thursday's concert after becoming short of breath, but recovered and finished his set."He was treated by our team of medics and after further examination they didn't find anything more serious or worrying."A spokeswoman for Bieber said he was feeling "a little under the weather." She demanded anonymity to discuss the star's condition.Bieber later posted a shirtless photo of himself in a hospital bed, saying he was getting better and listening to Janis Joplin. Before that on Twitter he thanked "everyone pulling me thru tonight.""Best fans in the world," he wrote. "Figuring out what happened. Thanks for the love."Video footage from the concert shows Bieber appearing to fade during a performance of his up-tempo hit, "Beauty and a Beat." He slows down, puts a hand to his head then bends over, resting his hands on knees before walking slowly to the back of the stage.The AP spoke to 18-year-old journalism student Prithvi Pandya, who shot the footage, to confirm its authenticity."When he started 'Beauty and a Beat' you could see he was struggling," said Pandya, who was near the front of the crowd. "He took lots of drinks of water, that seemed unusual, and he was really sweaty, sweating a helluva lot."Toward the end of it, he went backstage. We didn't see him fainting. They brought on dancers to entertain, and I knew something was wrong at that point."Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, appeared onstage and told the crowd that the singer was feeling "very low of breath" but would come back to finish the show.Jazz Chappell, a 20-year-old concertgoer who brought her younger sister and her friend to the show, said that In the nearly 30 minutes he was offstage, some fans started to leave. Once his manager announced what had happened, Chappell said many fans in the audience were gasping and crying, while others kept cheering for him to return."I thought, 'Give the guy a break. He just fainted. He's not a performing horse. Let him rest a second,'" said Chappell.Chappell said Bieber, who is in London to perform four concerts at the O2, later returned and performed low-energy renditions of his hits "Boyfriend" and "Baby."The incident caps a difficult week for Bieber. He was forced to apologize to outraged fans who accused him of taking the stage almost two hours late for his first concert at the O2 on Monday. He insisted he was only 40 minutes late and blamed "technical issues." He took to Twitter to vent his frustrations with the media's portrayal of the incident.The star's Believe world tour is due to move on to Portugal on Monday, then continue across Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and North America until August.___AP writers Gregory Katz in London and Derrik J. Lang in Los Angeles and AP Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report.___Online:http://www.justinbiebermusic.com/

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Cars HomeAP State AP: Inauguration interactive Obama calls on nation to act with 'passion, dedication' President Barack Obama waves after his speech while Vice President Joe Biden applauds at the ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais | Associated Press) By David EspoAssociated Press Published: Monday, January 21, 2013 at 11:24 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, January 21, 2013 at 5:57 p.m. WASHINGTON — Turning the page on years of war and recession, President Barack Obama summoned a divided nation Monday to act with “passion and dedication” to broaden equality and prosperity at home, nurture democracy around the world and combat global warming as he embarked on a second term before a vast and cheering crowd that spilled down the historic National Mall. “America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands,” the 44th president declared in a second inaugural address that broke new ground by assigning gay rights a prominent place in the wider struggle for equality for all.In a unity plea to politicians and the nation at large, he called for “collective action” to confront challenges and said, “Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time — but it does require us to act in our time.”Elected four years ago as America’s first black president, Obama spoke from specially constructed flag-bedecked stands outside the Capitol after reciting oath of office that all presidents have uttered since the nation’s founding.The events highlighted a day replete with all the fanfare that a security-minded capital could muster — from white-gloved Marine trumpeters who heralded the arrival of dignitaries on the inaugural stands to the mid-winter orange flowers that graced the tables at a traditional lunch with lawmakers inside the Capitol.The weather was relatively warm, in the mid-40s, and while the crowd was not as large as on Inauguration Day four years ago, it was estimated at up to 1 million.Big enough that he turned around as he was leaving the inaugural stands to savor the view one final time. “I’m not going to see this again,” said the man whose political career has been meteoric — from the Illinois Legislature to the U.S. Senate and the White House before marking his 48th birthday.On a day of renewal for democracy, everyone seemed to have an opinion, and many seemed eager to share it.“I’m just thankful that we’ve got another four years of democracy that everyone can grow in,” said Wilbur Cole, 52, a postman from suburban Memphis, Tenn., who spent part of the day visiting the civil rights museum there at the site where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968.The inauguration this year shared the day with King’s birthday holiday, and the president used a Bible that had belonged to the civil rights leader for the swearing-in, along with a second one that been Abraham Lincoln’s. The president also paused inside the Capitol Rotunda to gaze at a dark bronze statue of King. Others watching at a distance were less upbeat than Cole. Frank Pinto, 62, and an unemployed construction contractor, took in the inaugural events on television at a bar in Hartford, Conn. He said because of the president’s policies, “My grandkids will be in debt and their kids will be in debt.” The tone was less overtly political in the nation’s capital, where bipartisanship was on the menu in the speechmaking and at the congressional lunch.“Congratulations and Godspeed,” House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, said to Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as he presented them with flags that had flown atop the Capitol.Outside, the Inaugural Parade took shape, a reflection of American musicality and diversity that featured military units, bands, floats, the Chinese American Community Center Folk Dance Troupe from Hockessin, Del., and the Isiserettes Drill & Drum Corps from Des Moines, Iowa.The crowds were several rows deep along parts of the route, and security was intense. More than a dozen vehicles flanked the president’s limousine as it rolled down Pennsylvania Avenue, and several agents walked alongside on foot.As recent predecessors have, the president emerged from his car and walked several blocks on foot. His wife, Michelle, was with him, and the two held hands while acknowledging the cheers from well-wishers during two separate strolls along the route.A short time later, accompanied by their children and the vice president and his family, the first couple settled in to view the parade from a reviewing stand built in front of the White House.A pair of nighttime inaugural balls completed the official proceedings, with a guest line running into the tens of thousands.In his brief, 18-minute speech, Obama did not dwell on the most pressing challenges of the past four years. He barely mentioned the struggle to reduce the federal deficit, a fight that has occupied much of his and Congress’ time and promises the same in months to come.He spoke up for the poor — “Our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it” — and for those on the next-higher rung — “We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class.” The second reference echoed his calls from the presidential campaign that catapulted him to re-election“A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun,” said the president who presided over the end to the U.S. combat role in Iraq, set a timetable for doing the same in Afghanistan and took office when the worst recession in decades was still deepening.“We will support democracy from Asia to Africa, from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom,” he said in a relatively brief reference to foreign policy.The former community organizer made it clear he views government as an engine of progress. While that was far from surprising for a Democrat, his emphasis on the need to combat global climate change was unexpected, as was his firm new declaration of support for full gay rights.In a jab at climate-change doubters, he said, “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms.” He said America must lead in the transition to sustainable energy resources.He likened the struggle for gay rights to earlier crusades for women’s suffrage and racial equality.“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” said the president, who waited until his campaign for re-election last year to announce his support for gay marriage.His speech hinted only barely at issues likely to spark opposition from Republicans who hold power in the House.He defended Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security as programs that “do not make us a nation of takers; they free is to take the risks that made this country great.”He referred briefly to making “the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit,” a rhetorical bow to a looming debate in which Republicans are seeking spending cuts in health care programs to slow the rise in a $16.4 trillion national debt.He also cited a need for legislation to ease access to voting, an issue of particular concern to minority groups, and to immigration reform and gun-control legislation that he is expected to go into at length in his State of the Union speech on Feb. 12.But his speech was less a list of legislative proposals than a plea for tackling challenges.“We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect,” he said, and today’s “victories will only be partial.”There was some official business conducted during the day.Moments after being sworn in, the president signed nomination papers for four new appointees to his Cabinet, Sen. John Kerry for secretary of state, White House chief of staff Jacob Lew to be treasury secretary, former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel for defense secretary and White House adviser John Brennan to head the CIA. Associated Press writers Larry Margasak, Darlene Superville, Donna Cassata, Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor, Stephen Ohlemacher, Jim Kuhnhenn, Julie Pace, Tom Ritchie and Tracy Brown, in Washington; Adrian Santz in Memphis, Tenn., and Stephen Singer in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this story. Duke defeats Gonzaga 66-52 in men's regional final South Carolina tops Florida State 80-74 to reach 1st Final Four Hamlin picks up Sprint Cup victory at Martinsville Etowah beats Sardis, Albertville, Arab Alabama dismisses defensive lineman Taylor after arrest Photos

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