Home Blog Page 692

Kanye West suggests not getting nominated for Grammy Album of the Year is racial

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Kanye West suggests not getting nominated for Grammy Album of the Year is racial

Kanye West halted his show in Phoenix to share his disappointment with fans after his album Yeezus failed to grab a nod in Grammys 2014 Album of the Year nominations, suggesting the oversight is racially charged.

The rapper said: “I’m 36-years old and I have 21 Grammys. That’s the most Grammys of any 36 year old. Out of all of those 21 Grammys, I’ve never won a Grammy against a white artist. So when the Grammy nominations come out, and Yeezus is the top one or two album on every single list (poll of the year), but only gets two nominations from the Grammys, what are they trying to say? Do they think that I wouldn’t notice?”

Kanye West halted his show in Phoenix to share his disappointment with fans after his album Yeezus failed to grab a nod in Grammys 2014 Album of the Year nominations
Kanye West halted his show in Phoenix to share his disappointment with fans after his album Yeezus failed to grab a nod in Grammys 2014 Album of the Year nominations

“Do they think that, someway, that I don’t have the power to completely diminish all of their credibility at this moment?

“When you see me talking about what people are doing when I say <<marginalized>>, when I say <<boxed in>>, when I say <<hold back>>, when I say <<people are afraid of the truth>>, that’s one example right there in front of you.”

Kanye West admits he’s not impressed with his two Grammy nods for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song for New Slaves, adding: “People come to me and congratulate me on those two nominations. F**k those nominations!”

[youtube kTAT431aV1Q 650]

Thamsanqa Jantjie: Nelson Mandela memorial interpreter suffered schizophrenic episode while on stage

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Thamsanqa Jantjie: Nelson Mandela memorial interpreter suffered schizophrenic episode while on stage

Thamsanqa Jantjie – the South African sign language interpreter accused of gesticulating gibberish during Nelson Mandela’s memorial service – defended his “champion” performance Thursday, but said he may have suffered a schizophrenic episode while on stage.

Thamsanqa Jantjie, 34, told Johannesburg’s Star newspaper he started hearing voices in his head and hallucinating, resulting in gestures that made no sense to outraged deaf people around the world.

“There was nothing I could do. I was alone in a very dangerous situation. I tried to control myself and not show the world what was going on. I am very sorry. It’s the situation I found myself in,” Thamsanqa Jantjie told the paper.

He did not know what triggered the attack, saying he took medication for his schizophrenia.

Thamsanqa Jantjie said he may have suffered a schizophrenic episode while on stage at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service
Thamsanqa Jantjie said he may have suffered a schizophrenic episode while on stage at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service

Millions of TV viewers saw Thamsanqa Jantjie interpreting Tuesday at Nelson Mandela’s memorial attended by leaders from around the world, but South Africa’s leading deaf association on Wednesday denounced him as a fake, saying he was inventing signs.

However, in a radio interview, Thamsanqa Jantjie said he was happy with his performance at the memorial.

“Absolutely, absolutely. I think that I’ve been a champion of sign language,” he told Talk Radio 702.

The controversy has overshadowed South Africa’s 10-day farewell to Nelson Mandela, whose remains were lying in state for a second day Thursday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where he was sworn in as the nation’s first black president in 1994.

Revelations about Thamsanqa Jantjie’s unconventional gestures – experts said he did not know even basic signs such as  “thank you” or “Mandela” – sparked a hunt for the mystery signer on Wednesday.

The government, which was in charge of the mass memorial, said it had no idea who he was, as did the ruling African National Congress (ANC), even though footage from two large ANC events last year showed him signing on stage next to President Jacob Zuma.

Thamsanqa Jantjie said he worked for a company called SA Interpreters, which had been hired by the ANC for Tuesday’s ceremony at Johannesburg’s 95,000-seat Soccer City stadium.

[youtube NpPvGP_GUXs 650]

Winter storm hits Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon

Roy Siemens
-
0
Winter storm hits Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon

Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon have been hit by a fierce winter storm, the UN say.

There has been snow, rain, high winds and freezing temperatures in the north of the country and the Bekaa Valley, home to more than 200 informal camps.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was “working harder than ever” to protect the more than 800,000 Syrians sheltering in Lebanon.

The Lebanese army is helping distribute emergency kits, including blankets.

“We are worried, because it is really cold in the Bekaa region, and we’re extremely worried about the refugees living in makeshift shelters, because many are really substandard,” UNHCR spokeswomen Lisa Abou Khaled told the AFP news agency.

At least 80,000 refugees will have to spend the winter in tents. Many others are living in unfinished or unheated buildings with only slightly more protection.

Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon have been hit by a fierce winter storm
Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon have been hit by a fierce winter storm

Lisa Abou Khaled said the UNHCR had stockpiles of items to help refugees whose shelters might be damaged or destroyed, including plastic sheeting, floor mats, blankets and mattresses. Supplies have also been given to local councils.

“The Syrian refugees here are shivering with cold, especially the ones in tents,” said Wafiq Khalaf, a councilor in Arsal, a town in the northern Bekaa Valley that has seen 20,000 people arrive in the past few months.

“Water has come into the tents from the roofs, and from the ground where there is flooding,” he told AFP.

“At the moment there is more than 10cm [3.9in] of snow on the ground, but more is expected.”

Forecasters are predicting between 7.6cm and 13cm of snow in total.

The latest warning comes after the UNHCR announced on Tuesday that it would be airlifting food and other aid items into northern Syria from Iraq for the first time.

Twelve planeloads of supplies will be flown in over the next few days, ahead of what the UN fears will be the region’s harshest winter in a century.

The decision was made after land convoys were shot at, harassed, and detained at check points, officials said.

Almost 2.3 million Syrians have fled into neighboring countries since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011, according to the UN. There are also an estimated 6.5 million internelly displaced people (IDP’s) inside Syria, and many more in need of aid.

[youtube 1WK24lGV4bw 650]

Mexico to open state-run oil fields to foreign investment for first time in 75 years

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Mexico to open state-run oil fields to foreign investment for first time in 75 years

Mexico’s Senate has approved a measure to open the state-run oil fields to foreign investment for the first time in 75 years.

The measure would let private firms explore and extract oil and gas with state-run firm Pemex, and take a share of the profits.

It now moves to the lower house to be voted on, where it is expected to pass.

President Enrique Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter that it was “a significant decision for Mexico”.

Mexico's Senate has approved a measure to open the state-run oil fields to foreign investment for the first time in 75 years
Mexico’s Senate has approved a measure to open the state-run oil fields to foreign investment for the first time in 75 years

Enrique Pena Nieto said it was necessary to modernize Mexico’s energy sector and increase oil production, which has dropped from 3.4 million barrels per day in 2004 to the current rate of 2.5 million barrels per day.

However, the left-wing Democratic Revolution Party said it was a submission to US oil companies, and protestors set up camp outside the Senate.

They say the move strikes at the heart of Mexico’s identity.

In 1938, then-president Lazaro Cardenas nationalized the oil industry, which had been operated by foreigners up to that point, asserting that Mexico had a right to its mineral wealth.

If the measure passes Mexico’s Congress, it must then be approved by 17 of the country’s 32 federal entities.

WestJet Airlines Christmas miracle: Passengers get their holiday gift wishes granted

Nancy Clayson
-
0
WestJet Airlines Christmas miracle: Passengers get their holiday gift wishes granted

Passengers aboard two WestJet flights from southern Ontario to Calgary in November got their holiday gift wishes granted as they flew across Canada.

Before boarding, passengers were invited scan their boarding passes that allowed them to talk with a virtual Santa who asked them what they wanted for Christmas.  Hidden cameras recorded their gift requests.

Passengers aboard two WestJet flights from southern Ontario to Calgary in November got their holiday gift wishes granted as they flew across Canada
Passengers aboard two WestJet flights from southern Ontario to Calgary in November got their holiday gift wishes granted as they flew across Canada

Items on lists included trains and dolls from the kids, but some passengers asked for things such as a snowboard, a big-screen TV –even a Samsung Galaxy phone.

While the plane was in the air, over 150 “merry WestJetters” acted as Santa’s elves, rushing out to stores and nabbing the items on the passengers’ lists, according to a release from the Canadian-based WestJet.

By the time the flights landed four hours later, the 250 unsuspecting passengers were greeted by a festive display at baggage claim and were handed gifts they had asked for.

[youtube zIEIvi2MuEk 650]

Danica Patrick co-hosts American Country Awards 2013

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Danica Patrick co-hosts American Country Awards 2013

Danica Patrick was back in Las Vegas after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards last week.

She co-hosted the American Country Awards on Tuesday night.

Danica Patrick co-hosted the American Country Awards
Danica Patrick co-hosted the American Country Awards

Danica Patrick donned a showgirl costume, then joked: “There’s no chance of a wardrobe malfunction.”

“There’s not much to malfunction,” Danica Patrick said, then added with a wink: “I hope that little bit didn’t fall <<flat>>.”

[youtube iVUdEGuZU3Y 650]

Barack Obama takes selfie with Denmark’s PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Barack Obama takes selfie with Denmark’s PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service

President Barack Obama was caught smiling and taking a selfie with his seat-mates, Denmark’s PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Britain’s David Cameron during Nelson Mandela’s massive memorial service in Johannesburg.

As the three of them smile for the camera, a stern-looking Michelle Obama can be seen staring straight ahead, hands clasped.

Michelle Obama’s reaction – not just to the “selfie” but to her husband’s chatting and joking with the young Danish prime minister – was priceless. In one picture, Michelle Obama could be seen glaring over at Barack Obama while he put his hand on Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s shoulder.

In another, it appeared the first lady and the president switched seats, putting Michelle Obama squarely between him and Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

Barack Obama was caught smiling and taking a selfie with Helle Thorning-Schmidt and David Cameron during Nelson Mandela's massive memorial service
Barack Obama was caught smiling and taking a selfie with Helle Thorning-Schmidt and David Cameron during Nelson Mandela’s massive memorial service

The photographer behind the “selfie” pic of the three dignitaries, though, later claimed that the first lady herself was “joking with those around her” a few seconds earlier.

“The stern look was captured by chance,” he wrote.

After the images surged through social media, the White House on Wednesday released its own set of photos of Barack Obama’s South Africa visit and among them was a picture of Obama, the first lady and the Danish prime minister.

But in this one, Barack Obama was talking to his wife, while Helle Thorning-Schmidt seemed preoccupied with her phone.

The “selfie” incident was the second unexpected controversy stirred up by the president in South Africa. Earlier, Cuban-American lawmakers publicly objected after Barack Obama – on his way to deliver his tribute to Nelson Mandela – shook the hand of Cuba’s President Raul Castro.

[youtube fPJglCa05f4 650]

SAG Awards 2014 nominations: Full list

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
SAG Awards 2014 nominations: Full list

The 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony will be held on January 18, 2014, at the Shrine Auditorium & Exposition Center in Los Angeles.

The guild will honor Rita Moreno with the SAG Life Achievement Award.

The nominees for SAG Awards 2014 have been announced in LA:

Film

Best actor

Bruce Dern, Nebraska

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave

Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips

Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Forest Whitaker, The Butler

Best actress

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock, Gravity

Judi Dench, Philomena

Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

Best supporting actor

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Daniel Bruhl, Rush

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years A Slave

James Gandolfini, Enough Said

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best supporting actress

Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

Lupita Ngong’o, 12 Years A Slave

Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

June Squibb, Nebraska

Oprah Winfrey, The Butler

Outstanding performance by a cast

The 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony will be held on January 18 at the Shrine Auditorium & Exposition Center in LA
The 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony will be held on January 18 at the Shrine Auditorium & Exposition Center in LA

12 Years A Slave

American Hustle

August: Osage County

Dallas Buyers Club

The Butler

Television

Best actor (drama)

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Best actress (drama)

Claire Danes, Homeland

Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad

Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Kerry Washington, Scandal

Best actor (comedy)

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Jason Bateman, Arrested Development

Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Don Cheadle, House of Lies

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Best actress (comedy)

Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory

Julie Bowen, Modern Family

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Veep

Best actor (mini-series)

Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra

Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra

Jeremy Irons, The Hollow Crown

Rob Lowe, Killing Kennedy

Al Pacino, Phil Spector

Best actress (mini-series)

Angela Bassett, Betty and Coretta

Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor

Holly Hunter, Top of the Lake

Helen Mirren, Phil Spector

Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

Best ensemble cast (drama)

Boardwalk Empire

Breaking Bad

Downton Abbey

Game of Thrones

Homeland

Best ensemble cast (comedy)

30 Rock

Arrested Development

The Big Bang Theory

Modern Family

Veep

[youtube veRVmpIFsSo 650]

Justin Bieber releases limited-edition collection Journals

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Justin Bieber releases limited-edition collection Journals

Justin Bieber will release a handful of new tracks along with all of the Music Mondays work in a limited-edition collection called Journals later this month, Billboard reported.

 Journals will only be available from December 16th until January 2nd and can be purchased exclusively on iTunes for $13.99.

The collection will feature five previously unreleased songs, which include production work by Diplo and guest spots from Big Sean, Lil Wayne and Future.

Two videos and the trailer for the theatrical release of Believe (which hits select theaters on Christmas Day) will also be included in the Journals package.

Although the content is only available as a package until January 2nd, the songs can still be purchased as individual tracks after that date. For those who already bought the Music Mondays songs, there’s a “complete my Journal” option on iTunes similar to its “complete my album” to fill in the rest of the collection.

According to Billboard, Justin Bieber plans to release a video for today’s track “Confident,”early in 2014, at which point he’ll also announce plans for his next album, which is expected at the end of next year.

Justin Bieber will release a handful of new tracks along with all of the Music Mondays work in a limited-edition collection called Journals
Justin Bieber will release a handful of new tracks along with all of the Music Mondays work in a limited-edition collection called Journals

Journals track list:

1. Heartbreaker
2. All That Matters
3. Hold Tight
4. Recovery
5. Bad Day
6. All Bad
7. PYD feat.R. Kelly
8. Roller Coaster
9. Change Me
10. Confident feat. Chance the Rapper
11. One Life
12. Backpack feat. Lil Wayne
13. What’s Hatnin’ feat. Future
14. Swap It Out
15. Memphis feat. Big Sean
16. All That Matters (music video)
17. Believe theatrical trailer
18. Guatemala Pencils of Promise Journal Video

[youtube 69p5Tokav5Q 650]

Comet ISON dead after maiden voyage around Sun

James J. Williams
-
0
Comet ISON dead after maiden voyage around Sun

Comet ISON was burned to death on its maiden voyage around the Sun, scientists say.

The comet, which excited astronomers and the media as it zipped within 730,000 miles of the sun on Thanksgiving Day, was pronounced dead at a scientific conference Tuesday.

Naval Research Lab astronomer Karl Battams, who headed the observing campaign for the comet, said ISON was stretched and pulled by the sun’s powerful gravity. It was also hit with solar radiation. And the icy snowball just fell apart.

Comet ISON was burned to death on its maiden voyage around the Sun
Comet ISON was burned to death on its maiden voyage around the Sun

“At this point it seems like there is nothing left,” Karl Battams said at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco.

“Sorry, everyone, Comet ISON is dead. But its memory will live on.”

Astronomers had hoped it would survive because some comets make it past close approaches with the sun. Last year, Comet Lovejoy did.

US and UK suspend non-lethal assistance for Syrian rebels

Roy Siemens
-
0
US and UK suspend non-lethal assistance for Syrian rebels

The US and UK have decided to suspend all “non-lethal assistance” for Syrian rebels.

A US embassy spokesman in Ankara said the decision was made after Islamist rebels seized bases belonging to the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA).

Fighters from the Islamic Front, a new alliance of major rebel groups, took control of the bases at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey last week.

Humanitarian assistance by the US and UK is not expected to be affected.

That was distributed through international and non-governmental organizations, the US embassy spokesman added.

Last month, seven leading rebel groups – the Ahrar al-Sham, Jaysh al-Islam, Suqour al-Sham, Liwa al-Tawhid, Liwa al-Haqq, Ansar al-Sham and the Kurdish Islamic Front – declared that they were forming the largest alliance yet in the 33-month conflict, with an estimated 45,000 fighters.

Fighters from the Islamic Front, a new alliance of major rebel groups, took control of the bases at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey
Fighters from the Islamic Front, a new alliance of major rebel groups, took control of the bases at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey

They said the new Islamic Front was an “independent political, military and social formation” that aimed to topple President Bashar al-Assad’s government and build an Islamic state.

The front does not include al-Qaeda affiliates like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and the al-Nusra Front, but its charter welcomes “muhajirin”, or foreign fighters, as “brothers who supported us in jihad”, and suggests it is willing to co-operate with them.

Last week, the Islamic Front announced that it had withdrawn from the command of the FSA’s Supreme Military Council (SMC), which is aligned to the opposition National Coalition.

Four days later, its fighters drove out SMC-aligned forces out of their bases and warehouses at Bab al-Hawa, in the north-western province of Idlib, which contained weapons and equipment that had been brought into Syria through Turkey.

SMC spokesman Louay Meqdad said the Islamic Front had raised its flag in place of the SMC’s after “asking” its personnel to leave. But he also stressed: “We believe that those brigades are our brothers, that they know that we are not the enemy.”

On Wednesday, the US embassy spokesman told the Reuters news agency that the situation at Bab al-Hawa was being investigated to “inventory the status of US equipment and supplies provided to the SMC”.

The US government has committed to provide $250 million in non-lethal assistance to the National Coalition, local opposition councils and the SMC. Rebel brigades have been provided with food rations, medical supplies, communications equipment and vehicles.

Nelson Mandela’s memorial deaf interpreter used fake sign language

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Nelson Mandela’s memorial deaf interpreter used fake sign language

Deaf viewers have complained that the official sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was inept.

According to the Deaf Federation of South Africa, the man’s signs were “arbitrary” and “did not make sense”.

Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen, South Africa’s first deaf female MP, tweeted that the interpreter was “signing rubbish”.

The man was “employed by ANC head office or used by them” but didn’t use South African sign language.

Nelson Mandela's memorial deaf interpreter used fake sign language
Nelson Mandela’s memorial deaf interpreter used fake sign language

“ANC-linked interpreter on the stage with dep president of ANC is signing rubbish. He cannot sign. Please get him off,” Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen tweeted during the live broadcast.

The ANC refused to comment on whether it had used the interpreter at previous events.

South Africa’s government said it was preparing a statement, according to the Associated Press news agency.

The sign language interpreter has yet to be publicly identified.

Francois Deysal, who is a signing trainer at the Deaf Federation of South Africa, said he was “not known to the deaf community or other interpreters in South Africa”.

South African sign language has its own structure and is not linked to any spoken language like Afrikaans, Xhosa or English..

South African Braam Jordaan, the Young Deaf Leader for the World Federation of the Deaf, said the man was “creating his own signs”.

Braam Jordaan said deaf people had been excluded in South Africa long before apartheid happened.

There is one sign language interpreter for every 10,000 deaf people in South Africa, he said via an interpreter.

Major national and international news channels broadcast Nelson Mandela’s state memorial service live on Tuesday.

The man was seen on stage signing as friends and family of Nelson Mandela, and world leaders, paid tribute to the former South African president.

[youtube gG57ncLTCNc 650]

Pope Francis named Person of the Year 2013 by Time magazine

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Pope Francis named Person of the Year 2013 by Time magazine

Pope Francis has been named Person of the Year 2013 by Time magazine after only nine months in office.

The Pope had pulled “the papacy out of the palace and into the streets”, managing editor Nancy Gibbs said.

“Rarely has a new player on the world stage captured so much attention so quickly – young and old, faithful and cynical,” she added.

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was runner-up.

Buenos Aires Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope last March. He named himself Francis after a 12th Century Italian saint who turned his back on an aristocratic lifestyle to work with the poor.

Since then, Pope Francis has eschewed some of the more regal trappings of high office, made headlines by washing the feet of prisoners, and is planning some major reforms to the Church.

Pope Francis has been named Person of the Year 2013 by Time magazine after only nine months in office
Pope Francis has been named Person of the Year 2013 by Time magazine after only nine months in office

“In his nine months in office, he has placed himself at the very centre of the central conversations of our time: about wealth and poverty, fairness and justice, transparency, modernity, globalization, the role of women, the nature of marriage, the temptations of power,” Nancy Gibbs wrote.

Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said it was “a positive sign” that one of the international media’s most prestigious recognitions had been given to “a person who proclaims… spiritual, religious and moral values and speaks out forcefully in favor of peace and greater justice”.

“The Holy Father is not looking to become famous or to receive honors,” said Federico Lombardi.

“But if the choice of Person of Year helps spread the message of the Gospel – a message of God’s love for everyone – he will certainly be happy about that.”

This is the third time a Pope has received the recognition from Time magazine. John Paul II was selected in 1994 and John XXIII was chosen in 1962.

Besides Edward Snowden, this year’s other finalists were US activist Edith Windsor, US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

[youtube qQI_3NxFL8Q 650]

Jim Hall dies after a short illness at his Greenwich Village apartment in Manhattan aged 83

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Jim Hall dies after a short illness at his Greenwich Village apartment in Manhattan aged 83

Jazz guitarist Jim Hall died early Tuesday at age 83, his wife has announced.

Jim Hall was one of the leading jazz guitarists of the modern era, whose subtle technique, lyrical sound and introspective approach strongly influenced younger protégés such as Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell.

The guitar master died in his sleep after a short illness at his Greenwich Village apartment in Manhattan, said Jane Hall, his wife of 48 years who described her husband as “truly beloved by everybody who ever met him.”

Jim Hall was one of the leading jazz guitarists of the modern era
Jim Hall was one of the leading jazz guitarists of the modern era

Jim Hall, who led his own trio since the mid-1960s, remained active until shortly before his death. Last month, his trio performed a concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room with guest guitarists John Abercrombie and Peter Bernstein. He had been planning a duo tour in Japan in January with bassist Ron Carter, a longtime partner.

In 2004, Jim Hall became the first of the modern jazz guitarists to be named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, the nation’s highest jazz honor.

Jim Hall is survived by his wife, a psychoanalyst, and his daughter, who was married to the late NEA Jazz Master John Levy, a bassist who is credited as the first African-American personal manager in jazz.

[youtube LdWbPJOrW4c 650]

Yellowstone supervolcano 2.5 times bigger than earlier estimates

James J. Williams
-
0
Yellowstone supervolcano 2.5 times bigger than earlier estimates

According to a scientific report, the supervolcano that lies beneath Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is far larger than was previously thought.

A study shows that the magma chamber is about 2.5 times bigger than earlier estimates suggested.

A team found the cavern stretches for more than 55 miles and contains 48-144 cubic miles of molten rock.

The findings are being presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco.

Prof. Bob Smith, from the University of Utah, said: “We’ve been working there for a long time, and we’ve always thought it would be bigger… but this finding is astounding.”

If the Yellowstone supervolcano were to blow today, the consequences would be catastrophic.

The last major eruption, which occurred 640,000 years ago, sent ash across the whole of North America, affecting the planet’s climate.

Now researchers believe they have a better idea of what lies beneath the ground.

The team used a network of seismometers that were situated around the park to map the magma chamber.

Dr. Jamie Farrell, from the University of Utah, explained: “We record earthquakes in and around Yellowstone, and we measure the seismic waves as they travel through the ground.

“The waves travel slower through hot and partially molten material… with this, we can measure what’s beneath.”

The team found that the magma chamber was colossal. Reaching depths of between 1 to 9 miles, the cavern was about 55 miles long and 20 miles wide.

It pushed further into the north east of the park than other studies had previously shown, holding a mixture of solid and molten rock.

The supervolcano that lies beneath Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is far larger than was previously thought
The supervolcano that lies beneath Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is far larger than was previously thought

 

“Yes, it is a much larger system… but I don’t think it makes the Yellowstone hazard greater,” explained Prof. Bob Smith.

“But what it does tell us is more about the area to the north east of the caldera.”

He added that researchers were unsure when the supervolcano would blow again.

Some believe a massive eruption is overdue, estimating that Yellowstone’s volcano goes off every 700,000 years or so.

However, Prof. Bob Smith said more data was needed, because there had only been three major eruptions so far. These happened 2.1 million years ago, 1.3 million years ago and 640,000 years ago.

Ukraine protests: Clashes erupt at Kiev’s City Hall

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Ukraine protests: Clashes erupt at Kiev’s City Hall

Clashes have erupted between Ukrainian protesters and riot police outside city hall in Kiev.

The clashes follow a night of scuffles and a stand-off after police moved in on a large protest camp in Independence Square.

But more demonstrators have joined the protest in response to an opposition call for solidarity.

The government’s decision to withdraw from a free-trade deal with the EU last month sparked huge street rallies.

Police stormed city hall as they tried to dislodge protesters from the building.

Reports said protesters used hoses to fire icy water back at the police.

Clashes have erupted between Ukrainian protesters and riot police outside city hall in Kiev
Clashes have erupted between Ukrainian protesters and riot police outside city hall in Kiev

Protesters gathered around the police, chanting slogans against their action, said 5 Kanal TV station in scenes carried on a live feed from the protests.

Police had moved in on the protest at about 02:00 a.m., saying they wanted to free up a passage through the square for traffic.

Protesters in hard hats locked arms to form human walls to try to resist the police push. At least nine people were detained.

There were calls for restraint from priests intoning prayers and pop singer Ruslana – urging “Do not hurt us!” – on a stage in the square. More people flooded into the square in response to pleas for solidarity.

The latest police action comes after EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton held talks with President Viktor Yanukovych on Tuesday.

Baroness Catherine Ashton, who was cheered by crowds when she visited Kiev’s main protest site, said she was saddened that police had later used force to try to remove protesters.

“I was among you on Maidan [Independence Square] in the evening and was impressed by determination of Ukrainians demonstrating for European perspective of the country,” Catherine Ashton said in a statement posted on Facebook.

“Some hours later I observe with sadness that police uses force to remove peaceful people from the centre of Kiev. The authorities didn’t need to act under the coverage of night to engage with the society by using police.”

Riot police and interior ministry officers dismantled some barriers and tents but met resistance from opposition supporters.

[youtube R3PBOtCCnI4 650]

Nelson Mandela’s coffin goes on public view at Union Buildings in Pretoria

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Nelson Mandela’s coffin goes on public view at Union Buildings in Pretoria

Nelson Mandela’s coffin arrived at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where his remanis will lie in state for three days.

The former South African president’s remains were taken in procession from a hospital mortuary to the government main building.

Members of the public lined the route to form a “guard of honor”.

The public, invited heads of state and international guests will be able to view the body of the former president who died last Thursday, aged 95.

He will be buried in his home village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of South Africans joined scores of world leaders for a national memorial service on Tuesday as part of a series of commemorations.

Nelson Mandela’s coffin arrived at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where his remanis will lie in state for three days
Nelson Mandela’s coffin arrived at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where his remanis will lie in state for three days

The procession left the city’s 1 Military Hospital shortly after 07:00 on Wednesday. The coffin could be seen inside a black hearse, draped in a South African flag.

It travelled along Kgosi Mampuru Street and Madiba Street on the way to the Union Buildings.

The hearse was in a long convoy with military outriders and military ambulances.

Nelson Mandela’s remains will make the journey from the military hospital every morning from Wednesday until Friday, the government announced.

“The public are encouraged to form a guard of honor by lining the streets,” it said.

At the memorial service on Tuesday, President Jacob Zuma announced that the Union Buildings would be renamed the Mandela Amphitheatre.

Nelson Mandela’s family and selected VIP visitors will be able to view the body from 10:00 local time on Wednesday.

Members of the public can file past from 12:00 to 17:30.

The public will then be able to view the body from 08:00 to 17:30 on Thursday and Friday.

[youtube Fxc3PDBAafE 650]

Is Nelson Mandela’s funeral the biggest in history?

James J. Williams
-
0
Is Nelson Mandela’s funeral the biggest in history?

Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in Johannesburg was attended by 52 presidents and 16 prime ministers on December 10, 2013.

Although the stadium had empty seats, a live broadcast was beamed into three other venues, and there were more than 100 public viewing areas across the country.

Between now and Nelson Mandela’s burial on Sunday, thousands will line the streets to see his coffin pass through Pretoria.

Although crowd estimates should always be treated with caution, the largest funeral attendance in history is widely thought to have happened in 1969 when 15 million people reportedly took to the streets of Chennai for CN Annadurai, the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in Johannesburg was attended by 52 presidents and 16 prime ministers
Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in Johannesburg was attended by 52 presidents and 16 prime ministers

CN Annadurai’s popularity was partly due to his brilliance as a writer and speaker, says Tamil expert MSS Pandian, and the fact he founded a separate linguistic identity for the Tamils by rejecting Hindi as the national language.

According to the Guinness World of Records, the highest percentage of mourners in any country came 20 years later, when one in six Iranians – about 10 million – witnessed the coffin of Ayatollah Khomeini being carried through Tehran, amid chaotic scenes in which several were crushed to death.

For sheer political magnitude, there was also Pope John Paul II‘s funeral in Rome in 2005, when about 200 world leaders were among the 250,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Square.

A huge television audience estimated to be in the billions watched the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997.

Other big funerals in recent history:

  • Queen Victoria, Windsor, 1901
  • Mahatma Gandhi, Delhi, 1948
  • Umm Kulthum, Cairo, 1975
  • Ayrton Senna, Sao Paulo, 1994
  • Kim Jong-il, Pyongyang, 2011
  • Ovadia Yosef, Jerusalem, 2013[youtube 46wLTVNiUrI 650]

US Congress budget committee reaches agreement to fund federal services

Diane A. Wade
-
0
US Congress budget committee reaches agreement to fund federal services

The US Congress budget committee has reached an agreement to fund federal services, after October government shutdown.

The proposed deal finances the government for two years and reduces the federal deficit by $23 billion.

It also avoids another government shutdown on January 15, 2014, when government funding is scheduled to run out.

The new deal “cuts spending in a smarter way,” Republican Congressman Paul Ryan said on Tuesday.

The budget deal also offsets $63 billion in previously enacted automatic military and domestic spending cuts triggered in January when Democrats and Republicans failed to reach a budget compromise.

Paul Ryan and Democratic Senator Patty Murray, the respective chairs of the House and Senate budget committees, were called on to reach a cross-party budget deal in the wake of October’s partial government shutdown over federal spending.

“We have broken through the partisanship and gridlock,” Patty Murray said of the new deal.

Senators Paul Ryan and Patty Murray, the respective chairs of the House and Senate budget committees, were called on to reach a cross-party budget deal in the wake of October's partial government shutdown over federal spending
Senators Paul Ryan and Patty Murray, the respective chairs of the House and Senate budget committees, were called on to reach a cross-party budget deal in the wake of October’s partial government shutdown over federal spending

Paul Ryan said he was optimistic the new budget agreement could pass both sides of the highly politically divided Congress.

The measure is expected to come to a vote before the House recesses for several weeks beginning on Friday.

According to the Congressional budget chairs, the new deal does not raise taxes but requires newly hired federal workers to make larger contributions to their pensions.

A federal airport security fee adding $5 to the cost of a typical return flight is also included.

Following the announcement on Tuesday, Republican House Speaker John Boehner called the “modest” cross-party deal a “positive step forward”.

President Barack Obama issued a written statement labeling the agreement “balanced” and “designed in a way that doesn’t hurt our economy”.

“This agreement doesn’t include everything I’d like – and I know many Republicans feel the same way. That’s the nature of compromise,” he said.

But, “because it’s the first budget that leaders of both parties have agreed to in a few years, the American people should not have to endure the pain of another government shutdown for the next two years,” the president added.

Government officials say the deal, totalling an estimated $85 billion over the next decade, aims to carve $20 billion out of the nation’s $17 trillion debt.

The deal is expected to pass both houses of Congress, despite attempts by Conservative groups to persuade Republicans to oppose it.

[youtube ry1TrzgUDaI 650]

Katie Couric issues mea culpa on HPV vaccine controversy

Kathryn R. Bown
-
0
Katie Couric issues mea culpa on HPV vaccine controversy

Katie Couric has admitted a disproportionate reporting on HPV vaccine controversy during an episode of her show.

She said some of the criticism that the episode was too anti-vaccine and anti-science “was valid”.

“We simply spent too much time on the serious adverse events that have been reported in very rare cases following the vaccine,” Katie Couric wrote in a blog post published Huffington Post.

“More emphasis should have been given to the safety and efficacy of the HPV vaccines.”

The December 4 episode of Katie show had been criticized for promoting arguments from moms who said their daughters were harmed by the vaccines, including one whose child died. Katie Couric also interviewed HPV researcher Dr. Diane Harper, chair of family medicine at the University of Louisville. Harper had researched the vaccine and said its protection would wear off after five years.

Experts were quick to point out that scientific evidence didn’t jive with the opinions from Katie Couric’s guests.

Katie Couric has admitted a disproportionate reporting on HPV vaccine controversy
Katie Couric has admitted a disproportionate reporting on HPV vaccine controversy

For the 57 million doses of the vaccine given out from June 2006 through March 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has received at least 22,000 reports of adverse events in girls and women. About 92 percent of which were classified as non-serious. The other almost 8% of serious side effects included headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, fainting and generalized weakness.

Katie Couric’s blog post devoted more space to the science. She highlighted the risk between HPV and cancer, citing estimates that each year about 26,000 Americans are diagnosed with a cancer caused by HPV.

She noted that while the vast majority of side effects to the HPV vaccine are not serious, she said she still felt the need to share the two patient stories on her show.

“As a journalist, I felt that we couldn’t simply ignore these reports. That’s why we had two mothers on the show who reported adverse reactions after their daughters had been vaccinated for HPV,” she wrote.

“One could hardly get out of bed for three years, and the other tragically died. There is no definitive proof that these two situations were related to the vaccine. Every life is important. However, the time spent telling these stories was disproportionate to the statistical risk attendant to the vaccines and greater perspective is needed.”

She added that as a cancer-prevention advocate, one of her goals was to affirm the importance of getting Pap tests and that people should not skip gynecological visits just because they got an HPV vaccine.

Katie Couric also expressed support for the vaccine, adding her own two daughters had been vaccinated.

Is Julia Roberts pregnant again?

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Is Julia Roberts pregnant again?

Julia Roberts was spotted wearing a sweater and baggy jeans, an outfit that sparked speculation over a new pregnancy.

However, Julia Roberts’ rep denies that she’s expecting another stork visit.

Julia Roberts' rep denies that she's expecting another stork visit
Julia Roberts’ rep denies that she’s expecting another stork visit

Julia Roberts, 46, is already mom to three kids with her husband Danny Moder: twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, who just turned 9, and 6-year-old Henry.

[youtube pd240UC8lpU 650]

Shannon Guess Richardson pleads guilty in ricin letters case

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Shannon Guess Richardson pleads guilty in ricin letters case

Shannon Guess Richardson pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to making the biological agent ricin that was sent in letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

As part of a deal reached with federal prosecutors that has yet to be approved by a judge, Shannon Guess Richardson, 36, would spend 18 years in prison and then five years on supervised release, according to court documents.

Shannon Guess Richardson pleaded guilty to charges of manufacturing and possessing the toxic agent ricin
Shannon Guess Richardson pleaded guilty to charges of manufacturing and possessing the toxic agent ricin

Shannon Guess Richardson, whose career included minor television roles in shows such as The Walking Dead, pleaded guilty to charges of manufacturing and possessing the toxic agent ricin, which was found in the letters.

She was initially charged with one count of making a threat against the President of the United States and two counts of mailing threatening communications.

Shannon Guess Richardson tried to blame her husband for the letters, sent in May, testing positive for the presence of ricin, according to prosecutors.

[youtube QxdZuL66UGc 650]

Spanish journalists Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova kidnapped in Syria

Roy Siemens
-
0
Spanish journalists Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova kidnapped in Syria

Spanish journalists Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova have been kidnapped in Syria by a radical Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda.

El Mundo reporter Javier Espinosa and freelance photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova were seized by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Spanish newspaper said they were taken at a checkpoint in northern Raqqa province near the Turkish border.

Meanwhile, Syrian activists said a leading human rights lawyer, Razan Zaytouna, had been abducted near Damascus on Tuesday.

Razan Zaytouna was seized along with three other activists from the eastern suburb of Douma after armed men broke into the office of the Violations Documentation Centre (VDC), which monitors casualties.

The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), a network of opposition activists of which Razan Zaytouna is a founding member, demanded their immediate and unconditional release.

There was no claim of responsibility for the abduction, but Razan Zaytouna is reported to have recently received threats from Islamist rebel groups.

Spanish journalists Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova have been kidnapped in Syria
Spanish journalists Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova have been kidnapped in Syria

In 2011, Razan Zaytouna was given the Anna Politkovskaya Award by the NGO Reach All Women in War for risking her life by breaking the Syrian government’s media blackout to report on the brutal crackdown on peaceful protests.

El Mundo said the two journalists had been trying to leave Syria at the end of a two-week reporting mission when they were taken on September 16.

Four members of the Free Syrian Army – the main Western-backed rebel group – who were protecting them were also captured. The four were later released.

El Mundo said news of the kidnapping was kept quiet while it held indirect communications with the captors, who have still not made any demands.

“Unfortunately, these gestures have yielded no result and we have concluded, the families in agreement with the newspaper, that the time has come to share our concern and indignation,” El Mundo director Pedro Ramirez told a news conference in Madrid.

“We believe they are alive and we believe they are well,” he said.

Hours after El Mundo announced the kidnapping, Javier Espinosa’s wife, Monica Prieto, spoke at an emotional news conference in Beirut, urging the journalists’ captors to free them.

Monica Prieto said the pair had “travelled a dozen times to Syria to document war crimes, risking their lives, and becoming brothers with the Syrians in their fear, misery and humanitarian crisis”.

“Javier and Ricardo are not your enemy. Please, honour the revolution they protected, and set them free.”

Javier Espinosa has been a Middle East correspondent for El Mundo since 2002 and is based in Beirut.

Ricardo Garcia Vilanova has worked for various news outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post and the AFP news agency.

[youtube ssi0v68Qb30 650]

[youtube Xp-RezpOCus 650]

Barack Obama and Raul Castro’s handshake at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was unplanned

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Barack Obama and Raul Castro’s handshake at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was unplanned

The White House said President Barack Obama and Cuba’s President Raul Castro’s handshake at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was unplanned.

White House aide Ben Rhodes told reporters the two exchanged no words more substantive than a greeting.

The Cuban government said the gesture may show the “beginning of the end of the US aggressions”.

The US broke off diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1961 as Fidel Castro aligned with the Soviet Union in the Cold War.

On Tuesday, after the handshake, a White House official said the Obama administration still had grave concerns about human rights violations in Cuba, Reuters reported.

Republicans on Capitol Hill were quick to condemn the gesture, with one Republican congresswoman chiding the move during a unrelated hearing on Tuesday.

The White House said President Barack Obama and Cuba’s President Raul Castro's handshake at Nelson Mandela's memorial service was unplanned
The White House said President Barack Obama and Cuba’s President Raul Castro’s handshake at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was unplanned

“Sometimes a handshake is just a handshake, but when the leader of the free world shakes the bloody hand of a ruthless dictator like Raul Castro, it becomes a propaganda coup for the tyrant,” Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is known for her opposition to the Castro government, told Secretary of State John Kerry.

“Could you please tell the Cuban people living under that repressive regime that, a handshake notwithstanding, the US policy toward the cruel and sadistic Cuban dictatorship has not weakened.”

The last US president to shake a Cuban leader’s hand was President Bill Clinton, who greeted President Fidel Castro, Raul’s brother and predecessor, at a 2000 UN General Assembly meeting.

Under President Barack Obama, the US has eased restrictions on Cuban-Americans travelling to the island and on remittances between family members across the two countries.

But the gradual thaw has been disrupted by the detention in Cuba of a US contractor.

Alan Gross, 64, was arrested four years ago while on a project to provide internet access to Cuba’s small Jewish community.

On the fourth anniversary of his arrest, Alan Gross wrote to Barack Obama to say he feared the US government had “abandoned” him, and asked the US president to intervene personally to help win his release.

[youtube kjAYMqPGyPU 650]

[youtube KAHoHLiy__w 650]

Duck Dynasty Christmas special: Phil Robertson takes Miss Kay and Jessica for hunting trip

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Duck Dynasty Christmas special: Phil Robertson takes Miss Kay and Jessica for hunting trip

In Duck Dynasty’s upcoming hour-long Christmas special, airing on A&E on December 11 at 10 p.m. ET, Phil Robertson takes Miss Kay and Jessica for a hunting trip to catch a hog for the family’s Christmas dinner.

Phil Robertson takes Miss Kay and Jessica for a hunting trip to catch a hog for the family’s Christmas dinner
Phil Robertson takes Miss Kay and Jessica for a hunting trip to catch a hog for the family’s Christmas dinner

However, the family patriarch immediately regrets that decision.

Duck Dynasty Christmas special will also include the Robertson gang performing a live nativity play in their church. Fortunately, they’ve got the beards to play Joseph and the three wise men.

1...691692693...1,246Page 692 of 1,246