New Orleans, Louisiana - The U.S. military may be called on to assist authorities scrambling to mitigate a potential environmental disaster posed by an oil spill expanding toward the Gulf Coast, the Coast Guard said Thursday. In addition, another controlled burn of the oil slick may be conducted, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Erik Swanson said. Officials said late Wednesday the estimated amount of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from three underwater leaks after last week's oil rig explosion has increased to as much as 5,000 barrels, or 210,000 gallons, a day -- five times more than what was initially believed.
Rear Adm. Mary Landry told reporters late Wednesday that the increased estimate is based on analysis from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "This is not an exact science when you estimate the amount of oil," Landry said, noting there are a lot of variables in calculating the rate of the spill. "However, NOAA is telling me now that they prefer we use the 5,000 barrels a day as an estimate of what has actually leaked from this well and will continue to leak until BP secures the source." Some 250,000 gallons of oily water have been collected from the scene, she said. BP is the owner of the well, while Transocean Ltd. owns and operates the rig.
NEW YORK — The only man to admit shooting Malcolm X was freed on parole Tuesday, 45 years after he assassinated the civil rights leader.
Thomas Hagan, the last man still serving time in the 1965 killing, was freed from a Manhattan prison where he spent two days a week under a work-release program, state Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman Linda Foglia said.
Hagan, 69, has said he was one of three gunmen who shot Malcolm X as he began a speech at Harlem's Audubon Ballroom on Feb. 21, 1965. But Hagan has said the two men convicted with him were not involved.
April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Goldman Sachs Group Inc. executives were grilled by U.S. senators probing the bank’s mortgage business as Senator Carl Levin asked why it sold a set of investments the lender had itself labeled “shitty.” “How about the fact that you sold hundreds of millions of that deal after your people knew it was a shitty deal?” the Michigan Democrat asked Daniel Sparks, who ran the bank’s mortgage unit at the time. “Does that bother you at all?” Levin, who heads the Senate subcommittee that’s holding today’s hearings, was referring to a June 2007 e-mail from Thomas Montag, the former head of sales and trading in the Americas at Goldman Sachs, to Sparks. The message described a set of mortgage-linked investments that his bank had been trying to sell as part of “one shitty deal.” “I don’t recall selling hundreds of millions of that deal after that,” Sparks replied, adding that he believed the e-mail referred to his performance, not the security itself. “If you can’t give a clear answer to that one, Mr. Sparks, I don’t think we’re going to get too many clear answers from you,” Levin said. Seven current and former Goldman Sachs employees including Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein are testifying about the mortgage-securities business in the years leading to the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Goldman Sachs, the most profitable securities firm in Wall Street history, had been sued for fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and contests the claim.
Mixed martial arts star Tito Ortiz claims his ex-girlfriend is addicted to the one thing that has made her famous – porn. And he blames Jenna Jameson’s porn addiction for his arrest Monday on suspicion of domestic violence
Ortiz was arrested in Huntington Beach at the home he shares with Jameson and their twin sons. Several hours after posting bail, Ortiz and his lawyer accused Jameson of porn addiction and claimed Ortiz never struck her. Outside of what was written for his character.
“Jenna Jameson has been fighting an ugly battle with an addiction to porn for well over a year, and this morning, she had a relapse,” attorney Chip Matthews said. “We’re here because Tito was trying to help her. He was only trying to re-enact a scene from ‘Star Whores’ and really got into character. But that is what she wanted. He never laid a hand on her that wasn’t already in the porn script.”
Ortiz wept openly at the hastily arranged news conference at an Italian Restaurant in North Hollywood, where ‘Mr. Empire Strikes Black’ is being filmed.
“My parents have gone through an addiction to porn such as this, and I’m seeing a mirror of that. It was just that their porn of choice were movies such as ‘Came With the Wind’ and ‘Mr. Smith Comes on Washington’. I just hold everything dear to my heart that Jenna will be okay and she can find some porn therapy session to attend.”
A call to Jameson’s representatives went unanswered late Monday night. Jameson posted a message on her Twitter account Monday, saying that she planned to quit Twitter.
“I can’t take anymore abuse from ANYONE. To my sweet fans…thank you,” the message read. “And just make sure all of you sweet fans continue to show that support with the release of my upcoming film, ‘Return of the Headguy’.
So my iTunes was on random and up comes the Jay Electronica song Dimethyltryptamine and it spark a little curiosity about the name and the actual drug. So that led me to this...
Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a naturally-occurring psychedelic drug of the tryptamine family. This drug is found not only in many plants, but also in trace amounts in the human body, where its natural function, if any, is undetermined. Structurally, it is analogous to the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) and other psychedelic tryptamines such as 5-MeO-DMT, bufotenin (5-OH-DMT), and psilocin (4-HO-DMT). DMT is created in small amounts by the human body during normal metabolism by the enzyme tryptamine-N-methyltransferase. Many cultures, indigenous and modern, ingest DMT as a psychedelic, in either extracted or synthesized forms. When refined, DMT is a clear to white, crystalline solid. However, DMT found on the illicit market is commonly impure and may appear yellow, orange, or salmon in color, unless special care has been taken to remove these impurities. Such impurities result from degradation or originate from plant matter from which the DMT may have been extracted. A laboratory synthesis of DMT was first reported in 1931, and it was later found in many plants.
DMT acts as a non-selective agonist at most or all of the serotonin receptors (including 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C), and has also been shown to possess affinity for the D1, α1-adrenergic, α2-adrenergic, imidazoline-1, sigma-1, and trace amine-associated receptors. At the trace amine-associated receptor (TAAR) and the sigma-1 receptor it acts as an agonist, whereas its efficacies at the other sites are unclear. It has also been shown to bind to the SERT and VMAT2 as a substrate (instead of inhibitor), and may act as a serotonin releasing agent. The psychedelic effects of DMT can likely largely be attributed to activation of the 5-HT2A receptor, though it cannot be ruled out whether other receptors such as 5-HT2C, sigma-1, and TAAR may also play a role. It was speculated that DMT could be an endogenous ligand for the sigma-1 receptor. In this report, the concentration of DMT needed for sigma-1 activation is about 9.4 mg/L (50 µM). This concentration is higher than the average concentration measured in brain tissue or plasma, and is also about two orders of magnitude higher than that needed to activate the 5-HT2A receptor in vitro. In humans, effective hallucinogenic doses produce peak DMT plasma concentrations ranging between 12 and 90 µg/L and with an apparent volume of distribution of 36 to 55 L/kg.
DMT occurs naturally in many species of plants often in conjunction with its close chemical relatives 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin (5-OH-DMT). DMT-containing plants are commonly used in South American shamanic practices. It is usually one of the main active constituents of the drink ayahuasca, however ayahuasca is sometimes brewed without plants that produce DMT. It occurs as the primary psychoactive alkaloid in several plants including Mimosa hostilis, Diplopterys cabrerana, and Psychotria viridis. DMT is found as a minor alkaloid in snuff made from Virola bark resin in which 5-MeO-DMT is the main active alkaloid. DMT is also found as a minor alkaloid in the beans of Anadenanthera peregrina and Anadenanthera colubrina used to make Yopo and Vilca snuff in which bufotenin is the main active alkaloid. Psilocybin and Psilocin, active chemicals in many psychedelic mushrooms, are structurally very similar to DMT. The psychotropic effects of DMT were first studied scientifically by the Hungarian chemist and psychologist Dr. Stephen Szára who performed research with volunteers in the mid-1950s. Szára, who later worked for the US National Institutes of Health, had turned his attention to DMT after his order for LSD from the Swiss company Sandoz Laboratories was rejected on the grounds that the powerful psychotropic could be dangerous in the hands of a communist country. DMT can produce powerful entheogenic experiences including intense visuals, euphoria, even true hallucinations (perceived extensions of reality). DMT is generally not active orally unless it is combined with an monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (RIMA), e.g., harmaline. Uninhibited, the human body metabolizes DMT too rapidly for oral administration to be effective. Other means of ingestion such as smoking or injecting the drug can produce powerful hallucinations and entheogenic activity for a short time (usually less than half an hour), as the DMT reaches the brain before it can be metabolized by the body's natural monoamine oxidase. Taking a MAOI prior to smoking or injecting DMT will greatly prolong and potentiate the effects.
Several speculative and yet untested hypotheses suggest that endogenous DMT, produced in the human brain, is involved in certain psychological and neurological states. DMT is naturally produced in small amounts in the brain and other tissues of humans and other mammals. It may play a role in mediating the visual effects of natural dreaming, and also near-death experiences, religious visions and other mystical states. A biochemical mechanism for this was proposed by the medical researcher J. C. Callaway, who suggested in 1988 that DMT might be connected with visual dream phenomena, where brain DMT levels are periodically elevated to induce visual dreaming and possibly other natural states of mind. A new hypothesis proposed is that in addition to being involved in altered states of consciousness, endogenous DMT may be involved in the creation of normal waking states of consciousness. It is proposed that DMT and other endogenous hallucinogens mediate their neurological abilities by acting as neurotransmitters at a sub class of the trace amine receptors; a group of receptors found in the CNS where DMT and other hallucinogens have been shown to have activity. Wallach further proposes that in this way waking consciousness can be thought of as a controlled psychedelic experience. It is when the control of these systems becomes loosened and their behavior no longer correlates with the external world that the altered states arise. Dr. Rick Strassman, while conducting DMT research in the 1990s at the University of New Mexico, advanced the theory that a massive release of DMT from the pineal gland prior to death or near death was the cause of the near death experience (NDE) phenomenon. Several of his test subjects reported NDE-like audio or visual hallucinations. His explanation for this was the possible lack of panic involved in the clinical setting and possible dosage differences between those administered and those encountered in actual NDE cases. Several subjects also reported contact with 'other beings', alien like, insectoid or reptilian in nature, in highly advanced technological environments where the subjects were 'carried', 'probed', 'tested', 'manipulated', 'dismembered', 'taught', 'loved' and even 'raped' by these 'beings'. This is most likely due to the setting of where the experiments took place. In the 1950s, the endogenous production of psychoactive agents was considered to be a potential explanation for the hallucinatory symptoms of some psychiatric diseases as the transmethylation hypothesis (see also adrenochrome), though this hypothesis does not account for the natural presence of endogenous DMT in otherwise normal humans, rats and other laboratory animals. The proposal by Dr. Callaway was, however, the first to suggest a useful function for the endogenous production of DMT: to facilitate the visual phenomenon of normal dreaming.
DMT is classified in the United States as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. In December 2004, the Supreme Court lifted a stay thereby allowing the Brazil-based União do Vegetal (UDV) church to use a decoction containing DMT in their Christmas services that year. This decoction is a "tea" made from boiled leaves and vines, known as hoasca within the UDV, and ayahuasca in different cultures. In Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal, the Supreme Court heard arguments on November 1, 2005 and unanimously ruled in February 2006 that the U.S. federal government must allow the UDV to import and consume the tea for religious ceremonies under the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
In the most shocking move in the 1st round of the NFL draft, the Denver Broncos selected QB Tim Tebow with the 25th pick. While most experts believe Tebow will not be able to transition into a QB role in the NFL, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said that he drafted him with only one role in mind – pre-game prayer leader.
Experts believe Tebow can be a fine H-back or even a terrific special teamer. But McDaniels doesn’t envision any of those roles for the player that he has staked his coaching reputation on. And he feels that his place is in front of the team right before they march out onto the field.
“He is our pre-game prayer leader,” McDaniels said Saturday afternoon after wrapping up his second draft as Denver’s coach. “With his love for Christ and those scriptures tattooed to his cheek”, breaking into a chuckle, “there is no other role that I can see him in. I wouldn’t have traded those three picks to Baltimore if I didn’t have confidence in him. And plus, as our pre-game prayer leader, his hilarious throwing motion will have no effect on Broncos’ games.”
McDaniels and Tebow will begin the process of making the Gators legend into an NFL-quality pre-game prayer leader next week in a rookie-only minicamp.
McDaniels did say that Tebow would be competing for the job that is currently owned by Chaplain Bill Rader.
“Like everybody, he will be competing for a job,” McDaniels said. “Chaplain Rader has been with this organization for years but if Tim earns the job, he will pray. And that goes for any position with this team. That’s just how it is. He has a long way to go to get to where he wants to be. But he is starting the process well. He has already begun studying his prayer playbook.”
Broncos QB, Brady Quinn, said that he hopes he can be someone Tebow looks up to.
“I wish my teammate nothing but success for his career. And I plan on helping him out by having him shadow me during training camp. On the field throwing the football and at night on the town with the ladies. Because, let’s be honest, this prick needs to get laid.”
President Barack Obama, urging Congress today to press forward on "comprehensive immigration reform,'' warned that the absence of federal action will only encourage "misguided efforts'' such as those in Arizona.
With support from some Republicans as well as Democrats in the Senate, the president is attempting to renew a long-simmering debate over immigration reform in Congress. His goal, he maintains, is not only strengthening the borders, but also addressing the fate of the many millions of immigrants who already have arrived in the U.S. illegally.
"Surely we can all agree that when 11 million people are living here illegally, that's unacceptable,'' Obama said today at a naturalization ceremony for 24 members of the Armed Forces on the South Lawn of the White House. "The American people deserve a solution."
Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in held on April 22, 1970. Earth Day is celebrated in spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Many communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues. The first Earth Week originated in Philadelphia in 1970 (starting April 16 and culminating on Earth Day, April 22.)Earth Day Network, a group that wishes to become the coordinator of Earth Day globally, asserts that Earth Day is now observed on April 22 on virtually every country on Earth. World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5 in a different nation every year, is the principal United Nations environmental observance.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly 80 percent of Americans say they do not trust the U.S. government to do what is right, expressing the highest level of distrust in Washington in half a century, according to a public opinion survey.
Only 22 percent of Americans say they trust the government "just about always" or "most of the time," according to the Pew Research Center survey released on Sunday.
Americans' trust in the federal government has been on a steady decline from a high of 73 percent during the Eisenhower administration in 1958, when the "trust" question was first posed in a national survey, the research center said.
Economic uncertainty, a highly partisan environment and overwhelming discontent with Congress and elected officials were all factors contributing to the current wave of public distrust, the report said.
The long, bitter debate over the healthcare law that U.S. President Barack Obama signed last month made negative feeling about government, particularly Congress, even worse, according to the report based on a series of surveys of some 5,000 people.
About 25 percent had a favorable opinion of Congress, the lowest in 25 years of surveying, and less than half (40%) said the Obama administration was doing an excellent or good job, Pew said.
Americans were found to be more frustrated than angry, with 56 percent expressing frustration with the federal government, compared with 21 percent who said they were angry.
Forty-three percent of Republicans, 50 percent of independents who lean Republican and 57 percent of those who agree with the Tea Party movement said the government presents a major threat to their personal freedom.
That compares with 18 percent of Democrats, 21 percent of independents who lean Democratic and 9 percent of those who disagree with the Tea Party movement.
The main survey of 2,505 adults was conducted March 11-21. Three other surveys of about 1,000 adults each were conducted March 18-21, April 1-5 and April 8-11. The margin of sampling error for the surveys is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936), is a Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican pianist, bandleader and musician, best known for combining jazz piano and instrumental solos with Latin rhythms. Palmieri's parents migrated to New York from Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1926, and settled down in the South Bronx, a largely Hispanic neighborhood. Both he and his older brother, the late Charlie Palmieri, were born in New York. When he was only 8 years old, he would musically accompany Charlie and together they entered and participated in many talent contests. Palmieri attended elementary school at PS 52 and continued his education in the city's public school system where he was constantly exposed to music, specifically jazz. He took piano lessons for and performed at Carnegie Hall when he was 11 years old. His biggest piano influences were Thelonious Monk and McCoy Tyner. He was inspired by his older brother and was determined to someday form his own band - something he achieved in 1950, when he was just 14. During the 1950s, Palmieri played in various bands, including Tito Rodríguez's In 1961, Palmieri formed the band Conjunto La Perfecta, which included trombone player Barry Rogers and singer Ismael Quintana. During that decade, the Charanga was the Latin dance craze. The music to the Charanga required an orchestra with a flute and violins, but Palmieri also added a mixture of trumpets and trombones. He also experimented by including a touch of jazz in his recordings. He recorded, among others, Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso (What I Bring is Juicy) and Mozambique, before the group disbanded in 1968. In 1971, Palmieri recorded Vamonos Pa'l Monte (Going to the Mountain) with his brother Charlie at the organ. That same year he also recorded Eddie Palmieri & Friends in Concert, At the University of Puerto Rico. In 1974, Eddie won the first ever Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording with The Sun of Latin Music (produced by Harvey Averne). On July 21, 1979, he appeared at the Amandla Festival along with Bob Marley, Dick Gregory and Patti LaBelle, amongst others. In the 1980s, Ismael Quintana returned to the band, which also included Cheo Feliciano. Palmieri won two Grammys for the recordings of Palo Pa Rumba and Solito. He also recorded the album La Verdad (The Truth) with salsa singer Tony Vega in 1987. Next year the happiness of his success was set back by the sudden death of his brother, Charlie. In the 1990s, Palmieri had participated in various concerts and recordings with the Fania All-Stars and the Tico All-Stars; he also introduced La India with the production of Llego La India via Eddie Palmieri (La India has arrived via Eddie Palmieri), released in 1992. In 2000, Palmieri announced his retirement from the world of music. However, he recorded Masterpiece with Tito Puente and won 2 Grammys; additionally he was also named the "Outstanding Producer of the Year" by the National Foundation of Popular Culture. Palmieri has won a total of 9 Grammy Awards in his career, most recently for his 2006 album Simpático. On November 6, 2004, Palmieri directed a "Big Band Tribute" to his late brother Charlie at Avery Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Palmieri currently continues to be actively involved with music. He formed a new band, La Perfecta II, with whom he recorded the CD Ritmo Caliente (Hot Rhythm). On April 30, 2005, "Mi Día Bonito", a tribute to Eddie Palmieri celebrating his 50 years in the world of music, took place at the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The event included the participation of Lalo Rodriguez, Ismael Quintana, Cheo Feliciano, La India, Hermán Olivera, Jerry Medina, Luis Vergara and Wichy Camacho. In November and December 2005, Palmieri teamed up with longtime trumpeter and band member Brian Lynch to record the Artistshare CD release "The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project: Simpático." This CD and accompanying multimedia web site features music by an all-star roster of jazz and Latin jazz artists, including Phil Woods, Lila Downs, Donald Harrison, Conrad Herwig, Giovanni Hidalgo, Gregory Tardy, Mario Rivera, Boris Kozlov, Rubén Rodríguez, Luques Curtis, Robby Ameen, Dafnis Prieto, Pedro Martinez, Johnny Rivero, Edsel Gomez, Yosvany Terry. In 2007, the recording was awarded a Grammy as the best Latin Jazz Recording.
The Prince George's County Police lie. As an organization, and as individuals. Point Blank. From Terrance Johnson to the present day. If you are black, especially a black male; you are already all to familiar with this. I just wanted to be on record with that. Now more than ever... As the spotlight gets warmer on the most recent example of P.G.'s finest doing what they do so well (this time somebody had a camera). I can't help but be reminded of their brutality, some directed towards me, sometimes at others. Now that they have apparently crossed the line by brutally beating a 21 year old, white male student, whose grandfather happens to be a retired Montgomery County judge. Why is this such an outrage? We all know that the P.G. County Police have a long decorated history of brutality and abuse. We all know the cops are going to be suspended, even fired perhaps... the public will have it's pound of flesh and the outrage will do what it always does... FIZZLE OUT and take a nap. Cycle complete. I guess I will close with sort of a #shoutout to John McKenna the student that was actually the most recent recipient of PG street justice. I hope you get every dollar and cent that you can from those wretched cowards. I mean it. People I urge you to know and defend your rights as vigorously and tenaciously as possible. We are human, are we not?
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, will not face criminal charges for sexually assaulting a 26 year old NFL player inside the Steelers’ locker room bathroom. What makes the case so weird is that the player making these accusations against Ben is his former teammate, Santonio Holmes.
District Attorney, Fred Dark, said Monday that after exhaustive interviews and inconclusive medical exams, the player’s accusations could not be proven and he was never able to find out what happened behind the Steelers’ locker room bathroom door.
“Here the overall circumstances do not lead to a viable prosecution. I am well aware of Mr. Roethlisberger’s sexual dalliances with players but, even though it makes me nauseas to think about, we do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes. But I did not have enough evidence to convince 12 jurors that Santonio’s injuries were a result of Ben’s sick actions. Yuck.”
Roethlisberger, in his first public remarks since Santonio’s accusations, read a 74-second statement at a podium right outside the Steelers’ locker room bathroom where the alleged sexual assault took place.
“The prosecutor’s decision not to bring charges, I know without a doubt, is the right conclusion,” said Roethlisberger, who was wearing a red sports shirt with a Rainbow symbol on it. “I don’t intend to discuss any details related to the events of this locker room bathroom. I am just happy to put it behind me and move forward with my teammates. I already have a meeting scheduled in the locker room bathroom with my newest teammate, Antwaan Randle-El.”
Perhaps showing support for Ben and disbelief in Santonio Holmes’ accusations, the Rooneys traded the WR to the New York Jets for a 5th round pick. A trade that Santonio said was welcomed by him to free himself from that ‘perv boy’.
“I am thankful to the Rooneys for this move because it will keep me away from Ben and his constant touching. I also have some connects in New York that keep that good green, so I’ll be closer to them. And I am looking forward to playing for Coach Ryan. I always wanted to play for a disciplinarian like that. I’m just glad he wasn’t the coach in Pittsburgh because Ben would’ve probably fondled Rex’s supple breasts.”
Now that the dust is settling in the aftermath of the announcement of Justice John Paul Stevens looming retirement. Get ready for a new storm of partisan bickering and filibuster threats as President Barack Obama is soon to nominate a replacement. Stay tuned this will be interesting.
President Barack Obama embarks this week on the most elaborate diplomatic undertaking of his presidency, playing host to nearly 40 heads-of-state at a high-wattage summit intended to avert the catastrophic possibility of nuclear terrorism.
Setting the stage for the “sense of urgency” he’s called for at the summit, Obama spent four hours Sunday meeting with heads of state from Pakistan, India, South Africa, and Kazakhstan, as well as “courtesy call” with the acting president of Nigeria..
In remarks Sunday before his bilateral meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma, Obama set the stage for the two-day summit beginning Monday, calling terrorists with nuclear weapons “the single biggest threat to U.S. security... something that could change the security landscape of this country and around the world for years to come," and warning that "we know that organizations like al Qaeda are in the process of trying to secure a nuclear weapon."
Monday, Obama will have bilateral meetings with heads of state from China, Jordan, Malaysia, Ukraine and Armenia.
The gathering of high-level delegations from 46 nations at the call of an American president is almost without precedent, White House officials said. They say the last such meeting was the 1945 conference President Harry Truman hosted in San Francisco that led to the organization of the United Nations.
The large turnout for this week’s two-day meeting is testament to the relatively uncontroversial notion behind the session, said Steven Pifer, an arms control expert with the Brookings Institution.
“Most of the countries in the world, with the exception of North Korea, have an interest in limiting the threat posed by nuclear smuggling efforts,” Pifer said. “President [Obama] wants, four years from now, to have a high degree confidence that stocks of highly enriched uranium anywhere in the world are under very strong safeguards.”
However, the formal large-group sessions of the summit may end up taking a backseat to the one-on-one meetings leaders are holding along its fringes. Obama is planning at least nine such sessions on the summit’s sidelines. It is in those meetings where the president’s top foreign policy priority at the moment, winning international sanctions to dissuade Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions, will be hashed out.
“That is an issue that is separate from the agenda of the summit. However, of course, the United States continues to work through the U.N. Security Council…to insist that Iran meet its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” Obama National Security Council spokesman Ben Rhodes said last week. “This, I’m sure, will be a subject at some of the President’s bilats.”
Looks like "Treme" may help HBO to become a major player in the Emmy race for best drama series again. Ever since "The Sopranos" won the trophy after its final year, HBO has nabbed only one nomination in the category — "Big Love" last year. It lost to AMC's "Mad Men."
The L.A. Times not only gives "Treme" a tremendous review, but also an operatically boisterous reception. Mary McNamara says the creators of the gritty series about post-Katrina New Orleans "have proved that television as an art form can not only rival Dickens, but it also can hold its own against Wagner."
The New York Times says, " 'Treme' is a work of imagination that seeks to reacquaint the world with a struggling city’s reality."
The program's shot at being nominated for best drama series is bolstered by two factors: It's debuting so prominently during the home stretch of Emmy eligibility (which ends May 31), and there are now six or seven nominee slots in the category instead of the usual five.
Some "Treme" stars are top rivals for other Emmys: Wendell Pierce (lead drama actor), Melissa Leo (lead actress), John Goodman (supporting actor) and Khandi Alexander (supporting actress).
If "Treme" does hit the Emmy jackpot, it'll be payback time for its creators, whose "The Wire" suffered shocking Emmy snubs despite receiving repeated raves from TV critics.
Ok, here's what I know... The rapper is from Seattle, the producer is from Chicago. Outside of that the only other thing I can really tell you is that the ENTIRE ALBUM is DOPE! I have been listening to it since I copped it for FREE yesterday... I figured I would pass it on. Believe You Me... Album and Label links:
For you Mos Def fans... an interesting mash up of Young Dante over some enchanting Dub tracks. Very Interesting. Dope even! Best of all it's free. Follow the link below.
RICHMOND -- Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, reviving a controversy that had been dormant for eight years, has declared that April will be Confederate History Month in Virginia, a move that angered civil rights leaders Tuesday but that political observers said would strengthen his position with his conservative base. The two previous Democratic governors had refused to issue the mostly symbolic proclamation honoring the soldiers who fought for the South in the Civil War. McDonnell (R) revived a practice started by Republican governor George Allen in 1997. McDonnell left out anti-slavery language that Allen's successor, James S. Gilmore III (R), had included in his proclamation. McDonnell said Tuesday that the move was designed to promote tourism in the state, which next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the war. McDonnell said he did not include a reference to slavery because "there were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states. Obviously, it involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia."
The proclamation was condemned by the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and the NAACP. Former governor L. Douglas Wilder called it "mind-boggling to say the least" that McDonnell did not reference slavery or Virginia's struggle with civil rights in his proclamation. Though a Democrat, Wilder has been supportive of McDonnell and boosted his election efforts when he declined to endorse the Republican's opponent, R. Creigh Deeds.
Source: excerpts of Washingtonpost.com article by Anita Kumar and Rosalind S. Helderman
A year after his groundbreaking pledge to move toward a "world without nuclear weapons," President Obama on Tuesday unveiled a policy that constrains the weapons' role but appears more cautious than what many supporters had hoped, with the president opting for a middle course in many key areas.
Under the new policy, the administration will foreswear the use of the deadly weapons against nonnuclear countries, officials said, in contrast to previous administrations, which indicated they might use nuclear arms against nonnuclear states in retaliation for a biological or chemical attack.
But Obama included a major caveat: The countries must be in compliance with their nonproliferation obligations under international treaties. That loophole means Iran would remain on the potential target list.
"The massive nuclear arsenal we inherited from the Cold War era of bipolar military confrontation is poorly suited to address the challenges posed by suicidal terrorists and unfriendly regimes seeking nuclear weapons," says the document, which the Pentagon released Tuesday. "Therefore, it is essential that we better align our nuclear policies and posture to our most urgent priorities -- preventing nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation."
Source: excerpt of Washingtonpost.com article by Mary Beth Sheridan and Walter Pincus
Hapkido (also spelled hap ki do or hapki-do; Hangul: 합기도) is a dynamic and eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as common primitive attacks. There is also the use of traditional weapons, including a sword, rope, nunchaku, cane, short stick, and staff (gun, bō) which vary in emphasis depending on the particular tradition examined. Hapkido contains both long and close range fighting techniques, utilizing dynamic kicking and percussive hand strikes at longer ranges and pressure point strikes, joint locks, or throws at closer fighting distances. Hapkido emphasizes circular motion, non-resisting movements, and control of the opponent. Practitioners seek to gain advantage through footwork and body positioning to employ leverage, avoiding the use of strength against strength. The art evolved from Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu (大東流合気柔術) or a closely related jujutsu system taught by Choi Yong-Sool (Hangul: 최용술) who returned to Korea after WWII, having lived in Japan for 30 years. This system was later combined with kicking and striking techniques of indigenous and contemporary arts such as taekkyeon and tang soo do. Its history is obscured by the historical animosity between the Korean and Japanese peoples following the Second World War. The birth of modern hapkido can be traced to the efforts of a group of Korean nationals in the post Japanese colonial period of Korea, Choi Yong-Sool (1899-1986) and his most prominent students; Seo Bok-Seob, the first student of the art; Ji Han-Jae (born 1936), one of the earliest promoters of the art; Kim Moo-Hong, a major innovator; Myung Jae-Nam, a connector between the art of hapkido and aikido, Myung Kwang-Sik the historian and ambassador, all of whom were direct students of Choi or of his immediate students.
Neosoul singer Erykah Badu faces a disorderly conduct charge for her nude music video in downtown Dallas’ DealeyPlaza, officials announced Friday.But not for the fact of her being nude, rather for the fact of her being assassinated in the final scene and thus leaving all viewers without the ‘happy ending’ that they had sought.
Badu, a Dallas native, performed a walking striptease in front of tourists and pedestrians during the shoot of her music video for “Window Seat”.The performance ended with a nude Badu acting out receiving a fatal gunshot to the head at the spot where John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.Right at the point of the video where John Murriel says the ending, that he had been anticipating for the entire 5:37 video length, was just about to take place.
“I am thoroughly upset with Ms. Badu.You cannot get your viewers all riled up expecting a ‘happy ending’ with your very suggestive video and then end it with you getting assassinated.That just ruins all the build up.So I am hoping the authorities will take action on her to let her know that, as a country, we will not accept any scene ending without the proper climax.”
Sgt. Warren Mitchell said that the decision to cite Badu for disorderly conduct came after witness, Ida Espinosa, offered a sworn statement to police that, even as a female, she was angry at Erykah for not allowing her the ending that, after a hard day at work, she really needed.
“Having the fact of a witness being there is what let us to file these charges,” said Mitchell.“After much discussion, we felt that these charges best fit her conduct.She disrobed in public without regard to any individuals or small children who were nearby.And without absolutely no regard to the millions of viewers, like myself, who may have been going through some things at that time and needed that ending to clear their mind.”
Mitchell said the department has had “people calling from all across the country to express their concern”.But he was busy investigating the lead of a lone shooter in the School Book Depository who, amazingly, was still able to get off right before Badu’s fatal shot.
On this Easter Sunday, I have decided to show a little respect for a tradition that is not my own. So in saying that, Happy Easter. Yeshua ben Yosef or Jesus as he is most widely known was ultimately and fundamentally a revolutionary in every sense of the word. Most people think of the word revolutionary and they instantly picture the likes of Fidel Castro, Mutulu Shakur, George Jackson, Che Guevarra, Afeni Shakur, or Huey P. Newton. All of whom are indeed revolutionary in their own right. However, the word has become overworked in some circles, and in a larger sense... I feel as though we should understand motivations to understand actions. In doing such, and to avoid rambling, I will dive straight into my point... Compassion. Compassion is and should be the central theme to any revolution, and any revolutionary. Compassion for and to the human experience, be it physical, spiritual, social and political conditions. There is no greater love, than the love you can exhibit to make someone else outside of yourself's condition better. Changing someones station through a selfless act of compassion and comfort is revolutionary. So in closing... I dare you to do it. Be a human. Comfort someone. Be compassionate. It's what revolutionaries do... Happy Easter.
He may be the world's foremost mixed-race leader, but when it came to the official government head count, President Barack Obama gave only one answer to the question about his ethnic background: African-American.
The White House confirmed Friday that Obama did not check multiple boxes on his U.S. Census form, or choose the option that allows him to elaborate on his racial heritage. He ticked the box that says "Black, African Am., or Negro."
Surprisingly enough, someone doesn’t like Karl Rove. At a recent book signing in Beverly Hills, the former chief of staff heard less than complimentary comments from a group of outspoken anti-war protesters according to CNN.
Rove’s new book Courage and Consequences: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight drew about 100 people to the Saban Theater for an intimate discussion. Some of the attendees reportedly paid up to $40 to hear Rove talk about his experiences, but were left disappointed when shouting protesters halted the proceedings.
Rove has long been a controversial figure. Accusations were levied at Rove regarding the Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq war, claiming he and other administration officials lied about the country’s threat level.
One protester, Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans, approached the stage with handcuffs in an attempt to make a citizen’s arrest. Evans yelled at Rove, “Look what you did ... you lied to take us to war. You ruined a country. You totally ruined a country.”
While Evans was being restrained, another protester exclaimed “the only comfort I take is that you’re going to rot in hell.”
Rove had barbs to trade however, calling one member of the crowd a “lunatic” and explaining the outbursts were evidence of the “totalitarianism of the left.” The verbal assault continued, forcing Rove to skip the book-signing segment of his appearance.
