New York Plans to Ban Sale of Big Sizes of Sugary Drinks

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Wednesday with Linda I. Gibbs, deputy mayor for health, as he discussed a plan to ban large sugary beverages. Next to each soda is the amount of sugar in it.

New York City plans to enact a far-reaching ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts, in the most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity.

'Livermorium' is new atomic element name

Livermore on Thursday achieved a new degree of lasting fame when an international body officially approved Livermorium as the name for element 116 with the symbol Lv.

Livermorium honors Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the city of Livermore, the lab announced in a news release.

At the same time, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry officially agreed that element 114 would be called Flerovium, noted as Fl.

Snigdha Nandipati spells 'guetapens' to win 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee has crowned a champion - 14-year-old Snigdha Nandipati of San Diego, California. The girl, whose extended family had flown in from India to watch her compete, won in Round 13 on the word "guetapens," which is derived from French and means "an ambush, snare or trap."

The bee came down to two female spellers, Nandipati and Stuti Mishra, who misspelled "schwarmerei" in Round 12, leaving the door open for Nandipati if she spelled her next word correctly.

PayPal signs online payment deals with 15 retailers

PayPal Inc. says 15 retailers, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Office Depot and Jamba Juice, are adding its online payment system in their stores.

PayPal, which is owned by eBay Inc.    (Nasdaq: EBAY), already is in place in about 2,000 Home Depot (NYSE: HD) locations nationwide.

This week, the company announced that its payment system also will be available at Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF), Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP), Aéropostale (NYSE: ARO), American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO), Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS), Foot Locker Inc. (NYSE: FL), Guitar Center Inc., Jamba Inc.    (Nasdaq: JMBA), J.C. Penney Co. Inc.    (NYSE: JCP), Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.    (Nasdaq: JOSB), Nine West, Office Depot Inc.    (NYSE: ODP), Rooms To Go    , Tiger Direct and Toys “R” Us.

What's Really Behind Europe's Decline? It's The Birth Rates, Stupid

The labor demonstrators, now an almost-daily occurrence in Madrid and other economically-devastated southern European cities lambast austerity and budget cuts as the primary  cause for their current national crisis. But longer-term, the biggest threat to the European Union has less to do with government policy than what is–or is not–happening in the bedroom.

In particular, southern Europe’s economic disaster is both reflected — and is largely caused by — a demographic decline that, if not soon reversed, all but guarantees the continent’s continued slide. For decades, the wealthier countries of the northern countries — notably Germany — have offset very low fertility rates and declining domestic demand by attracting migrants from other countries, notably from eastern and southern Europe, and building highly productive export oriented economies.

Google to Require Retailers to Pay

Google Inc., GOOG -1.25% in a move to squeeze more cash out of its lucrative Web-search engine, is converting its free product-search service into a paid one.

Online retailers will now have to bid to display their products on Google's Shopping site. Currently, retailers include their products for free by providing Google with certain data about the products. Google then ranks those products, such as cameras, by popularity and price.

"Google Shopping will empower businesses of all sizes to compete effectively—and it will help shoppers turn their intentions into actions lightning fast," wrote Sameer Samat, a Google vice president, in a statement.

The Rock is Kicking Ass and Saving Franchises

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s formula for box office success is twofold: “I can kick ass better than anyone on the planet,” he says. “And I have a decent smile.”

Russian Church Is a Strong Voice Opposing Intervention in Syria

Pool photo by Alexander Nemenov

Russian Orthodox Church priests at a gathering in Moscow. 

MOSCOW — As the West sought to pressure the Kremlin recently to help stop the killing in Syria, diplomats from Damascus were ushered into the heart of one of Russian Orthodoxy’s main shrines. 

New season of Spoleto Festival USA ushered in by church bells, fanfare in Charleston

The 36th edition of the Spoleto Festival USA is open in Charleston.

The festival got under way at noon Friday with a peal of church bells, a brass fanfare, confetti floating from the air and a round of speeches.

The New Welfare State: Faster, Cheaper ... and Out of Control?

Clinton-era reforms are widely celebrated, but the recession has raised questions about whether they solved problems or just hidden them from view.

It's still soon to make a definitive judgment on how President Clinton's welfare reforms affected the U.S. (Reuters)

In 1996, President Bill Clinton ignored the protests of his liberal base and signed a reform bill written by congressional Republicans that abolished the existing welfare entitlement and replaced it with a new program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. In doing so, he fulfilled a 1992 campaign promise to "end welfare as we know it," by instituting strict time limits and work requirements for recipients and block-granting funds to the states.

Within a few years, the number of families on welfare had shrunk by more than 50 percent. When caseloads remained low and single mothers' employment numbers and wages rose throughout the 2000-01 recession, even the law's critics began to take notice. Rebecca Blank, a member of Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers and a skeptic of the reform, acknowledged in 2006 that "[e]ven the strongest supporters of welfare reform in 1996 would not have dared forecast the steep declines and continued low levels of welfare caseloads a decade later."

Despite being mostly won over by the law's robust performance, Blank issued a warning: "in the face of a major economic shock ... the current system of public assistance may not provide adequate support for many of our poorest families."

How Politicians Are Making You Stupid: Part 1

How Politicians Are Making You Stupid: Part 2

How Politicians Are Making You Stupid: Part 3

SEC shuts down $11-million Ponzi scheme

Regulators have charged a New York fund manager who was running an $11-million Ponzi scheme, federal court filings showed.

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Jason Konior with defrauding investors by promising to match their investments in his fund many times over. In reality, he used $2 million of the money he collected to pay his own expenses and to cover redemption requests from previous investors, according to the SEC's complaint, dated Thursday.

Hedge Fund Got Most South Carolina Fees While Lagging on Returns

May 25 (Bloomberg) -- Mariner Investment Group LLC, a hedge fund founded by a former Bear Stearns Cos. fixed-income executive, charged South Carolina's pension fund more than any other manager while delivering returns that trailed competitors.

Mariner, started by William Michaelcheck, 65, got $38 million in fees from the South Carolina Retirement Systems in fiscal 2011, or 16 percent of all the compensation paid to the fund's money managers, which totaled $239 million, according to pension officials.

The performance of Mariner's investments for South Carolina lagged behind those of managers such as Bridgewater Associates LP, the world's biggest hedge fund by assets. Mariner funds returned from 2 percent to 13 percent last year, while Bridgewater's delivered 17 percent to 24 percent. Bridgewater collected $25 million in fees, or 34 percent less than Mariner, while managing $1.3 billion in assets compared with Mariner's $930 million.

"We take the risk and we pay the fees, but we don't get the reward," said South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis, a Republican who was elected in 2010 with Tea Party endorsements and owns a pest control company. "I think it's systemic. I think it's happening all across the country."

Can Trees Actually Deter Crime?

 

Silly as it may seem to the public, there's an intense disagreement among scholars about the impact urban trees have on a city's crime rate. Some are convinced urban greenery increases crime — arguing that low trees and shrubs, in particular, create a natural hiding place for criminals.

A 2001 case study of auto thieves in Washington, D.C., found that offenders often target areas near dense vegetation because it can "reduce effort and risk by offering concealment."

Others are convinced that urban trees have exactly the opposite effect. This crowd argues that trees actually decrease crime either by attracting more people to public places (Jane Jacobs' "eyes on the street" theory) or by signifying to criminals that people care about their neighborhood (James Q. Wilson's "broken windows" theory). Another 2001 study, this one of public housing in Chicago, found that "the greener a building’s surroundings were, the fewer crimes reported."

Wow! When It Comes to Anyone 'Black' - There's always a Problem! Why?

Israel, land of Jewish refugees, riled by influx of Africans

Violent riots broke out in Tel Aviv last night as a growing tide of African migrants strains Israel's ideal as a land for refugees.

In an ironic twist, Israel's most tolerant city erupted in violent riots against African migrants last night, eliciting comparisons with "pogrom" attacks on European Jewish communities in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Over the past five years, tens of thousands of African refugees have poured into Israel, particularly into Tel Aviv's more conservative working-class southern neighborhoods. Their presence has fueled a growing moral and policy dilemma that pits the Jewish collective memory of refugeedom against present day fears for the state’s economy and Jewish majority.

"Here is Israel, a country of refugees who gathered here from all over the world after having suffered for hundreds of years from racist persecution, discrimination, blind hatred, pogroms and death camps," wrote Shai Golden, a columnist in the Maariv newspaper, today. "Along come the members of the third generation after the restoration of this nation and they are amassing now against other refugees because of their difference, because of the color of their skin, because of their own economic and social distress, and they are behaving exactly the way the members of the host countries that hosted their parents and grandparents behaved."

Farrakhan: Blacks are True Children of Israel

Who Are The Real Children Of Israel? Part 2: The Proof

Blacks in America: The True Children of Israel

Who's Really the 'Commander in Chief': President Obama or General Mattis?

As Obama Preaches Patience, Mattis Prepares for War With Iran

Exclusive: CentCom commander’s call for third Persian Gulf carrier group was rejected, reports Eli Lake.

As Western diplomats meet this week in Baghdad to try to coax Iran’s leaders to disclose its full nuclear program, Gen. James Mattis will be keeping an eye on the Persian military.

Mattis wanted to send a third aircraft-carrier group to the Persian Gulf earlier this year, The Daily Beast has exclusively learned, in what would have been a massive show of force at a time when Iranian military commanders were publicly threatening to sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The four-star Marine Corps general and CentCom commander believed the display could have deterred Iran from further escalating tensions, according to U.S. military officials familiar with his thinking.

But the president wanted to focus military resources on new priorities like China, and Mattis was told a third carrier group was not available to be deployed to the Gulf.

“General Mattis is a key player in administration debates and a vital implementer of the administration’s policies,” said Denis McDonough, a deputy national-security adviser and one of President Obama’s most trusted advisers on foreign affairs.

Those who have worked with Mattis say his views when it comes to Iran are more in line with those of America’s allies in the Persian Gulf and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than with his own government’s. At a recent charity event for Spirit of America, Mattis, known by admirers as the “warrior monk” and by detractors as “Mad Dog Mattis,” said his three top concerns in the Middle East were “Iran, Iran, and Iran.”

Interactive: World nuclear club

While 14 nations host nuclear weapons, 30 countries generate atomic energy, and another 18 are building future reactors.

New York Senate bill seeks to end anonymous internet posting

If the bill passes, get ready to hand over your full name and home address

Anonymity is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the United States was founded, in part, thanks to Thomas Paine's anonymously written, pro-revolution pamphlet Common Sense. On the other hand, 12-year-olds who post anonymously on the internet can be rather unpleasant and cause real problems by cyberbullying. Whether you think the good outweighs the bad, this news is troubling indeed: A far-reaching bill introduced in the New York State Senate could end the practice of posting online once and for all.

 

 Sen. Thomas F. O'Mara / NY SenateIntroduced by New York State Sen. Thomas F. O'Mara (R—Big Flats), S6779 would require that any anonymous post online is subject to removal if the poster refuses to post — and verify — their legal name, their IP address, and their home address. From the (likely well intentioned) bill:

 

"A web site administrator upon request shall remove any comments posted on his or her web site by an anonymous poster unless such anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post and confirms that his or her IP address, legal name, and home address are accurate. All web site administrators shall have a contact number or e-mail address posted for such removal requests, clearly visible in any sections where comments are posted."

I Don’t!

How a bizarre legal case involving a mysterious billionaire could force 1.2 million Canadians to be married, against their will.

Somewhere in North America, there is a place where little girls don’t give the slightest thought to what kind of wedding dress they’ll wear one day. A place where young men have never heard the expression: “why buy the cow when you can have the milk for free?”—because the milk is always free. A place where no one asks an unmarried couple expecting a baby if they’re getting hitched.

This place is the province of Quebec. The French language spoken here is no guarantee for romance. Couples are practical, and lovers treasure their individuality. Quebec has become one of the least marrying places in the world, thanks to the institution known as “de facto spouses,” But now, thanks to a bizarre legal case entangling a Quebec billionaire and his de facto spouse ,  the freedom to un-marry is under threat.

More than 1 million Quebecois in this kind of relationship may soon be automatically married by the state, against their will.

Read more of this interesting article.

Taking Aim at 'World's Hypocrisy' on Nuclear Weapons

Interactive: World nuclear club

While 14 nations host nuclear weapons, 30 countries generate atomic energy, and another 18 are building future reactors.

World powers have met in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to expedite a nuclear deal with Iran. The West hopes an agreement will assuage Israel’s concerns by compelling Iran to curb uranium enrichment in a transparent, verifiable way.

After his recent talks in Tehran, Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, said on Tuesday that an agreement over nuclear inspections was expected "quite soon".

Iran says its nuclear programme is for entirely peaceful purposes, but Western powers have levelled sanctions against Tehran, largely out of fear that the Islamic Republic seeks to join the elite club of nations with nuclear weapons.

“Why is the news hook not the states already with nuclear weapons?” asks Jonathan Granoff, president of the Global Security Institute, which advocates for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

“Why just about the state that might get nuclear weapons? We should focus on countries that have huge arsenals and get rid of them.”

“The main issue is that 189 countries have agreed to pursue a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East,” says Granoff. “Israel doesn’t want it negotiated until it gets security assurances from its neighbours. But the lack of security is in the threat posed by its [own] unsafeguarded nuclear facilities.”

“Iran is a symptom of the failure to have a universal ban on nuclear weapons,” Granoff told Al Jazeera, suggesting that the international community is not approaching the problem correctly by emphasising Iran’s alleged nuclear aspirations.

“Imagine if the Biological Weapons Convention said that no country can have polio or smallpox as weapons, but we’re going to entrust nine countries with the plague! That’s incoherent and unsustainable because we all understand that the plague is not a legitimate weapon due to its indiscriminate and horrific effects.”

View the detailed comprehensive 'Interactive' Map of Countries Who Already Have Nuclear Energy, Atomic Energy, Warheads, and Future Reactors - CLICK HERE.

After you view the "Interactive Map," you've got to ask yourself, as so with so many other people in America are questioning . . . So what's up with picking on Iran?  Hhmmmm!

Great Job!

Good News! 3 Black Chemistry Students Earn Doctorates, Set University Record

At the University of Mississippi (UM), a year-long initiative to increase graduates in fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has paid off in epic fashion. Ole Miss News reports that three African-American chemistry students graduated on May 11 with doctorates, setting a school record.


The trio who received their degrees was Kari Copeland (pictured left), Margo Montgomery (pictured center) and Jeffrey Veals (centered). A fourth African-American student, Shanna Stoddard, will earn her doctorate in chemistry this coming December. Professors at UM beamed with pride with this latest achievement for the university.

Secret files detail clergy abuse at Santa Barbara boarding school

After court battle, papers are released regarding accusations of sexual abuse of children at the Franciscans' St. Anthony Seminary.

Robert Van Handel remembered the boy as about 9 years old, tan, effeminate.

"Now that I think back on it, he was probably the most beautiful child that I molested," Van Handel wrote to a therapist.

Mother shocked by daughter's alleged murder plot against her

Angelica Aquirre of Hesperia says she recently became tougher with her rebellious daughter. Then the 13-year-old plotted to kill her, police say.

Negative equity remains a drag on housing market

Nearly 1 in 3 homeowners with a mortgage in L.A. County owes more than the property is worth, new data show. These underwater loans hinder mobility and hurt prices because they tend to stymie the important move-up market.

Myrtle Beach PTO treasurer arrested after funds missing

Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/05/24/2847284/myrtle-beach-pto-treasurer-arrested.html#storylink=cpy

The treasurer of a Myrtle Beach parent-teacher organization was arrested last week on charges she took money from the PTO’s account, according to a report from the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

Julie Allen Herndon, 35, was charged May 15 at the police department with breach of trust with the value greater than $10,000, the report said. She was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.

Teal Britton, spokeswoman for Horry County Schools, said parent-teacher groups are independent organizations that support school initiatives and have their own officers, accounts and national affiliations.

Julie Herndon

We Hacked Al-Qaida Website, Says Hillary Clinton

College comes to high school

A College Bubble So Big Even The New York Times And 60 Minutes Can See It...Sort Of

Vivek Wadhwa (Image via CrunchBase)

Wadhwa argues that U.S. colleges and universities are the best in the world. Maybe that’s true, but so what? U.S. homes were probably the best in the world too, but that doesn’t mean that we had no bubble. U.S. tech firms in the late 90s were the best in the world, but that didn’t mean they were reasonably valued. Bubble-ness is a factor of quality AND PRICE. The point is that there is no asset of such great quality that it is a good buy no matter how high the price goes. A college diploma is no exception to that rule.

Furthermore, there has been a severe contraction in the quality of higher education in America. Did we really think we could open the floodgates and not affect the quality of graduates? Can you turn college into the new high school, and not get high school-like results?  Grade inflation will only keep the problem concealed for so long before the general public becomes aware that outside of a few highly challenging programs and majors, the quality of American higher education is plummeting. Graduates are mastering fewer facts, can’t think critically about the facts they have mastered, and can’t express whatever ideas they have mastered in clear, cogent, grammatically correct sentences. Employers already know this.

The final straw Wadhwa grasps at is the idea of socialization. He argues (I am not joking) that partying is a valuable part of the college experience because it teaches students interpersonal skills. Whah? Look, it’s fun to party, I’ll give you that. But it is a consumption good, not an investment, and anybody who says otherwise has perhaps partied just a little too much.

Update on Etan Patz Disappearance

Man Claims He Strangled Patz and Put Body in Box, Police Say

Warning! Government To Crack Down On Food Stamp Fraud

UPDATE 3-Man in custody in New York boy's '79 disappeance

Not even marching band safe in potential SC State budget cuts

Warning! Government To Crack Down On Food Stamp Fraud

WASHINGTON — Food stamp recipients are ripping off the government for millions of dollars by illegally selling their benefit cards for cash – sometimes even in the open, on eBay or Craigslist – and then asking the government for replacement cards.

The Agriculture Department wants to curb the practice by giving states more power to investigate people who repeatedly claim to lose their benefit cards.

It is proposing new rules Thursday that would allow states to demand formal explanations from people who seek replacement cards more than three times a year. Those who don’t comply can be denied further cards.

Thank You, Mr. Hal Jackson!

Hal Jackson Dead At 96

Radio pioneer Hal Jackson (pictured right) has died, WBLS reports.

He was 96.

Jackson’s exact cause of death is not known. WBLS’s website reports that he died from “illness”

Here's a quote from Mr. Hal Jackson when he was interviewed by Soul Train's Don Cornelius in October 1995 about being inducted into the 'Radio Hall of Fame':

“It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice.”

Thank you Mr. Jackson for your decades of service, and helping to make my childhood growing up in New York a bit brighter.


Read more about this incredible man whom I grew up listening to as a youngster - click here.

N.J. mom didn't know son was put in washing machine

NYPD: Man implicates self in Patz disappearance

Hand deformities turn up in poultry workers: report

Iran nuclear talks in Baghdad go down to wire - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Iran nuclear talks in Baghdad go down to wire - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

An Iranian delegation official has said world powers are hindering talks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, with Iran over its nuclear programme, creating a "difficult atmosphere" as the negotiations come down to the wire.

"We believe the reason P5+1 [the permanent UN Security Council members,  Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany ] is not able to reach a result is America," the official, who asked not to be named, told the Reuters news agency.
 

Iran nuclear talks Day 1: Russian calls Congress an obstacle to a deal

On the first day of renewed talks on Iran's nuclear program, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said sanctions should be eased, terming Congress's firm stance toward Iran 'excessive.'

The view is not a new one: that resistance in the US Congress to any kind of compromise with Iran would be the highest hurdle President Obama faced in negotiating a deal with Iran on its nuclear program.

But that perspective burst out onto the international diplomatic stage Wednesday as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov chose the delicate moment of renewed talks between Iran and world powers to publicly advise President Obama to resist congressional pressures in order to make a diplomatic solution on Iran’s nuclear program possible.
“I hope this excessive stance by the US lawmakers will ultimately meet a responsible attitude by the US administration and the US president,” Mr. Lavrov said at a Moscow press conference.

Canada's growing debt woes - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Canada's growing debt woes - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Iran nuclear talks open in Baghdad

Iran and six world powers have started talks aimed at defusing the long-running escalating crisis over Tehran's nuclear programme, an official said. The P5+1 powers - the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany - hope to persuade Iran in Wednesday's negotiations to suspend some of the most worrying parts of its activities but Tehran wants to see sanctions eased in return.

Iran is represented by Saeed Jalili, the lead negotiator, while the delegation from the six world powers is led by Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy head.


'New era'
News agencies quoted diplomats from the P5+1 and Iranian media as saying the meeting in the fortress-like Green Zone of the Iraqi capital would likely go into a second, unscheduled day.

Jalili said he hoped the talks would be the start of a "new era" in relations, Iranian media reported.

"We sense that the West has realised that the time for using its pressure strategy is over," Jalili was quoted as saying by the Fars and Mehr news agencies.

Israel, Washington's closest ally in the region, feels its very existence would be under threat and has refused to rule out a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

-----------
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, will visit China in June for a security summit and discuss the nuclear programme with Hu Jintao, his Chinese counterpart, a senior diplomat said on Wednesday, criticising new sanctions aimed at Iran.

The summit is likely to be overshadowed by the presence of Ahmadinejad, whose country is at the centre of a standoff with the West over the nuclear programme.

"Certainly, during his meeting with President Hu, the Iran nuclear issue will be an important talking point," the diplomat said.

The visit to China takes on particular significance as China is a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council and has resisted US demands for sanctions on Iran.

Egyptians Head to Polls in Historic Vote

California Man Commits Suicide Before Foreclosure

Eugene Polley, inventor of TV remote, dies at 96

This undated photo provided by LG Electronics shows engineer Eugene Polley. A spokesman for Zenith Electronics says Polley, the inventor of the "Flash-Matic," the first wireless TV remote control, died Sunday, May 20, 2012, of natural causes in Downers Grove, Ill. He was 96. Polley and fellow Zenith engineer Robert Adler were honored in 1997 with Emmys for their work in pioneering TV remotes.

(Credit: AP Photo/LG Electronics)

Do 'Zero Tolerance' School Discipline Policies Go Too Far?

 

Employment Blog Network

'Titanic' moviegoer accused of smacking unruly Wash. boy

A Seattle-area man has been charged with felony assault for allegedly hitting a noisy 10-year-old boy in the face during a showing of Titanic 3-D, according to news reports from the Northwest.

Yong Hyun Kim, of Auburn, Wash., is accused of knocking out one of the boy's teeth and bloodying his nose April 11 after he and several friends refused to be quiet and stop throwing popcorn at the AMC Kent Station 14 theater, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Kim told police he thought he was hitting an adult, and appeared ashamed when told the victim's age.

"I got so mad that it just happened," he said.

Kim, who was with his girlfriend, told police he had asked the boys to settle down.

"The group laughed at him and did not quiet down," according to the charging document. Kim said "he hit one of the subjects in the face with an open hand."

You Decide If We Still Need the Voting Rights Act!

Do We Still Need the Voting Rights Act?

The disingenuous debate on Iran

Amidst the ominous discussions on proliferation that surrounded U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India earlier this month, most people could be forgiven for having missed a simple fact: Iran is not making a nuclear bomb.

The level of unanimity on this question is surprising. Leon Panetta, the U.S. Defence Secretary, testified to the U.S. Congress in February that “the intelligence has been very clear … [it] does not show that they have made a decision to proceed with developing a nuclear weapon.” At the end of April, Israel's serving military chief publicly concurred with this. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has issued a fatwa declaring that “the production … and use of nuclear weapons are … forbidden in Islam” and has reiterated this position in several public statements.

Unusually good forecast for Iran nuclear talks (+video)

UN nuclear chief Yukiya Amano today announced an agreement with Iran to clear up remaining questions about Iran nuclear weapons work ahead of tomorrow's talks in Baghdad.

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Yukiya Amano (c.) from Japan speaks to the media after returning from Iran at the Vienna International Airport near Schwechat, Austria, on Tuesday, May 22. Amano says he has reached a deal with Iran on probing suspected work on nuclear weapons and adds that the agreement will be signed 'quite soon.'

Ronald Zak/AP

X-Men to Have Comics' First Gay Wedding

Now that New York has legalized gay marriage, Northstar's getting hitched

 

 The cover of 'Astonishing X-Men,' No 51, in which Jean-Paul Beaubier, aka "Northstar,' right, will marry his beau, Kyle Jinadu.   (AP Photo/Marvel Comics)

Oregon family of five dead in possible murder-suicide; sixth body found nearby

Why a Chinese Company Wants to Own Your Local Movie Theater

Lead By Example: Great Business [Entrepreneur] Advice for Youths to Follow

The following article written by Dr. Boyce Watkins details how so many young people today can use as a template for themselves regarding business (entrepreneurship), and life in general.
 

Why Dr. Dre and Ice Cube Succeeded and NWA Did Not

 

The unforgettable, yet unforgivable impact of America’s first gangsta rap group is the stuff of legend.  NWA is responsible for prophetic songs like “F*ck the Police,” which told the world about LAPD brutality before the Rodney King incident, but they are also responsible for injecting hip-hop with a dose of toxic violence from which it has yet to recover (I’ve written about that problem too).

One thing that came to mind is the way Dr. Dre and Ice Cube were able to climb out of the war zone that was Compton and Death Row Records to become captains of the industry, while many of their homeboys simply perished. In that regard, their success makes for a case study that would be a fit for any business school in the country.

Here are some things that made Dre and Cube different from the rest:

1)      The ability to see the bigger picture:  The easiest way to stay broke and powerless is to think small and to be short-sighted.   In fact, visionaries are regularly able to exploit the short-sightedness of those who have no discipline.  While other members of the group were thinking about spitting rhymes, getting women, and buying yet another gold medallion, Ice Cube’s mind was able to visualize multi-million dollar franchises.  I would much rather be a dumb person who thinks big than a brilliant person who thinks small.  This can make all the difference.
 2)      Education and a desire to understand how business works:  Ice Cube and Dr. Dre succeeded not just because of formal education, but because they became educated on the industry within which they operated.   Far too many singers, dancers, rappers and athletes think that all they have to do is worry about their craft, and end up putting themselves into dead end financial situations.  A good example would be the singer Fantasia, who never learned to read and ended up signing a contract that made her into a high-paid slave.
3)      Why be a King When You can Be a King Maker?  The Black community never ceases to have plenty of talent for the stage, but even the most talented among us are accustomed to waiting by the phone for some white-owned corporation to give us an opportunity. At the end of the day, your entire reality and everything you can or cannot be is managed by forces beyond your control.  Your well-being, success or failure is entirely contingent upon a world that someone else has created for you, effectively making them into a corporate version of God.

Ice Cube and Dr. Dre weren’t just satisfied with being kings. Instead, they chose to become King Makers, giving them greater and more lasting power than any king can possess.   Ice Cube has launched entire careers with his “Friday,” “Barbershop” and “Are We There Yet?” franchises.  Dr. Dre has been the engineer of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent and a host of other powerful artists.  Even Diddy (or Puffy or Puff Daddy, whatever his name is now) remains in power, even though he hasn’t made good music since Biggie was alive.  A king makes money by working.  A King-Maker gets money when other people are working.  That’s what it truly means to be a boss.
4)      Enough discipline to delay gratification:  Ice Cube often tells the story about how Jerry Heller, the white guy in charge, put $80,000 checks in front of each member of NWA, next to contracts for them to sign.  The contract was basically a deal with the devil, locking Heller in for all of the group’s upside potential, while helping him to evade the downside.  Even in the year 2012, you can get a lot of folks to sign away their grandkids for $80,000, so you can only imagine how much money this was in the 1980s.  The only person who walked away from the contract was Ice Cube.  To this day, he’s the one with the biggest bank account and the highest net worth.  Artists may rap about booty, bling, weed and all of the trappings of negative Hip-Hop culture, but those with real and lasting power don’t get high on their own supply when it comes to that nonsense.

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In Philadelphia, Few Students Are on the Path to College

Why Facebook's stock is tanking

Reality has taken hold. The company's valuation is still out of whack, despite its massive user base.

CONGRATULATIONS ARSENIO!

Celebrity Apprentice: Arsenio Hall Is the Winner

Arsenio Hall

Jim Spellman/WireImage

CDC: Half of overweight teens have heart risk

Italian earthquake region suffers aftershocks as residents seek shelter

Four thousand people sleep in cars, tents and temporary accommodation after quake in Emilia-Romagna that killed seven

Sleep Apnea Linked to Higher Cancer Death Risk

Cancer compensates, spreads in search for oxygen, researcher suggests

More Men Enter Fields Dominated by Women

Many eligible borrowers passing up foreclosure reviews

Chinese company buys AMC movie theater chain

Punched to Death

How easy is it to kill a man with your bare hands?

Forget About the Mythical Lone Inventor in the Garage

Real innovations happen in big, well-funded labs.

10 Things Facebook Won't Say

Psychoanalyzing Facebook’s ‘Like’ Button

Nothing New, Thus Nothing Gained

Wrongful convictions shine spotlight on judicial system

Perjury, faulty eyewitness identification and prosecutorial misconduct are the leading reasons for wrongful convictions, according to the first national registry of exonerations compiled by university researchers.

The database, assembled in a collaboration by the University of Michigan and Northwestern University, has identified 873 faulty convictions in the past 23 years that have been recognized by prosecutors, judges or governors.

"Most never dispute their guilt and few ever present substantial post-conviction evidence of innocence," the registry found. "When that does happen, however, it should be taken seriously. …We cannot prevent all false convictions, but we must not compound these tragedies by stubbornness or arrogance or, worst of all, indifference."

Symbolic Medals Thrown at Anti-NATO Rally

Veterans symbolically discard service medals at anti-NATO rally

Nearly 50 U.S. military veterans at an anti-NATO rally in Chicago threw their service medals into the street on Sunday, an action they said symbolized their rejection of the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A Great Article by Gloria J. Browne-Marshall

Black Cuba/White Cuba

Few tourist ships dock at Havana’s famous esplanade. The United States government prohibits American businesses in Cuba. American travel to Cuba is restricted to relatives, journalists, students, and researchers. On a recent trip to Havana conducting research on the American Civil Rights Movement, this writer discovered the Martin Luther King Jr. Center as well as the color line.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American, is a strong contender for Willard “Mitt” Romney’s presidential ticket. Recently, Senator Rubio led a protest against issuing a U.S. visa to President Raul Castro’s daughter to attend a Latin American Studies conference in San Francisco. Raul Castro assumed the presidency of Cuba following his brother Fidel's lengthy illness. No such protests arose against communist Russia, China, or visits by relatives of despots. 

The conflict with Cuba is political and emotional. Following the 1959 Revolution, Cuban immigrants lost more than businesses when they fled to America. They lost race-based privileges. Considered ‘White’ in Cuba, they are people of color or Latino, in America. George Zimmerman, the killer of African-American teenager, Trayvon Martin, is a self-identified White Cuban-American.

In Cuba, “Mammy” dolls with dark-skin, big red lips, enormous breasts, wearing headscarves, and carrying watermelons fill the shops. This color line is not unique to Cuba. Offensive Black caricatures abound in Latin America as remnants of Spain's slave trade. 

The slave ship Amistad, made infamous by the uprising led by Cinque, flew under a Spanish flag. That ship sold part of its human cargo in Cuba prior to arriving in Connecticut’s Long Island Sound. The United States obtained Cuba by defeating Spain in the Spanish-American War. When Cuba gained independence in 1902, America kept the naval base called Guantanamo Bay.

Race, class, and color would dictate opportunity for most Cubans. Although the Afro-Cuban, Antonio Maceo, known as the Bronze Titan, fought heroically for Cuba’s independence, Black Cubans remained oppressed by law. In 1912, Afro-Cubans rebelled against the near slave conditions of the sugarcane plantation. America crushed this Afro-Cuban uprising using military force to protect its U.S.-owned plantations there.

Newsweek's Top 20 High Schools: West

Original Bull Bob Boozer dies at 75

Olympic gold medalist and NBA champion with Bucks played 11 NBA seasons

Bob Boozer poses for a portrait during the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010 reception at the Mass Mutual Center. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Photo / May 20, 2012)

Bob Boozer, an Olympic gold medalist and original Bull, died Saturday night in Omaha, Neb. He was 75.

Boozer's wife, Ella, told the Associated Press that he suffered a brain aneurysm.

The Bulls selected Boozer as one of 18 picks in the May 1, 1966, expansion draft to stock the fledgling franchise's initial roster. Boozer averaged 20.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in three seasons with the Bulls that included a 1968 All-Star Game appearance.

How Hard Is Poverty Hitting Your County?

A map of changes in poverty, county by county.

In Menlo Park, A Jobs Boom Is Illegal

Canada approves historic life-saving stem-cell drug for children

Necrotizing fasciitis: What is the flesh-eating disease?

Robin Gibb, member of the Bee Gees, dies after battle with cancer

Robin Gibb

Watch "Annular Solar Eclipse" Live

Watch Live: Annular Solar Eclipse Creates Ring of Fire

Streaming live video by Ustream

A Story Worth Posting!

Kentucky man buys Kmart inventory, gives it all away

A Kentucky man purchased every last bit of inventory from a Kmart store that was two days away from shutting its doors. But he didn't keep the stuff for himself. Rankin Paynter gave it all way to a local charity.

Paynter spent a total of $200,000 to buy the goods, which ranged from clothes to office supplies. 

According to a video from WHDH Boston, Paynter was buying supplies for his business when the idea hit. Paynter asked the cashier what they planned to do with the store's inventory when it closed down. The cashier responded that it would go to "Kmart power buyers."

Paynter became a power buyer, bought up everything, and then gave it away. "To be honest with you, I could have made $30,000-$40,000 on it," he said. Paynter has seen a lot of economic suffering at his jewelry exchange. "What I see is people coming in my store, needy people sell their stuff," Paynter said. "It's bad nowadays. I just told (the clerk) let's just give it away to charity."

Live alone? You're not alone

Desperate for human contact, New Yorker Jeff Ragsdale posted flyers inviting people to call him. He signed them: "Jeff, One Lonely Guy." He has since fielded about 70,000 calls. (CBS)

 (CBS News) NO MAN IS AN ISLAND ... or so poet John Donne wrote nearly four centuries ago. What would he think if he could come back and see the isolated way so many of us live now? Here's Susan Spencer of "48 Hours":


For Greta Garbo, solitude was a mantra; for Henry David Thoreau, an ideal; for Howard Hughes, an obsession.

But for more and more Americans today, it's just reality.

"I would argue that the rise of living alone represents the greatest social change of the last 60 years that we have failed to name or identify," said NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg. "This is a transformation that has touched all of us, whether we live alone or it's just someone in our family or friendship circle who does."

The New First Family of Real Estate

An $85 million L.A. mansion with a 500-worker renovation team. A $70 million London home. Two heiresses are swiftly amassing a global property portfolio—and they're part of a new generation of young, ultra-wealthy buyers.

In a real estate shopping spree of epic proportions, the daughters of Formula 1 Racing boss Bernie Ecclestone have snapped up hundreds of millions of dollars worth of high-profile properties in the past 18 months. Tamara Ecclestone, 27, bought a 16,000-square-foot historic brick home across the road from Kensington Palace, where Prince William and Duchess Catherine will soon take up residence, for about $70 million early last year. Her 23-year-old sister, Petra Stunt, paid $85 million for a 57,000-square-foot Los Angeles mansion a few months later. Known as "the Manor," the 14-bedroom, 27-bathroom home was built by Candy Spelling and her late TV producer husband Aaron Spelling.

Notorious 1980s drug dealer arrested in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) – A notorious drug dealer who got his start during the crack epidemic of the 1980s and was so good at hiding his whereabouts that he was known as "the ghost" has been arrested along with dozens of others on new charges, police and prosecutors said Thursday.

James Corley, 51, was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance and other drug charges after a 15-month undercover investigation that used wiretaps and surveillance, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

Forty-four other people were also charged with drug crimes in the dismantling of Corley's operation, known as the Supreme Team, and another drug gang, authorities said.

Corley supplied cocaine to a second gang called the South Side Bloods, and low-level dealers grossed about $15,000 a week in drug sales, Kelly said. Burned by a wiretap before, Corley used at least eight different phones, authorities said.

"He had an uncanny ability to keep his associates in the dark. No one knew where he lived, what phone number he used, what car he drove," Kelly said.

A call to Corley's lawyer wasn't immediately returned Thursday.

The case was pieced together by Detective David Leonardi, who said the dealers used a language called the "5 percenter" where every number and letter had its own word and members decoded messages about drug orders. The wiretaps also netted information on illegal guns and a possible killing in South Carolina.

U.S. Department of Labor: Summer Jobs 2012

A new call-to-action for businesses, non-profits, and government to provide pathways to employment for low-income and disconnected youth in the summer of 2012.

Deadly northern Italy earthquake hits heritage sites

An earthquake in northern Italy has killed at least four people and caused serious damage to buildings in several towns, local officials say. 

The magnitude-six quake struck in the middle of the night, about 35km (22 miles) north of the city of Bologna.

The four victims were killed by falling masonry. Italian media report two more quake-related deaths.

The tremor caused "significant damage to the cultural heritage" of Emilia Romagna region, the government said.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg marries longtime girlfriend

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg updated his status to "married" on Saturday.

Zuckerberg and 27-year-old Priscilla Chan tied the knot at a small ceremony at his Palo Alto, Calif., home, capping a busy week for the couple.

Zuckerberg took his company public in one of the most anticipated stock offerings in Wall Street history Friday. And Chan graduated from medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, on Monday, the same day Zuckerberg turned 28.

The couple met at Harvard and have been together for more than nine years.

A source authorized by the couple to speak said Zuckerberg designed the ring featuring "a very simple ruby."

Stay-At-Home Mom Fights New Credit Card Rule

The law was passed in 2009 to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit card practices. But some stay-at-home parents argue that a Card Act rule that took effect last October has made it harder for them to get approved for credit cards.

Aiming to protect consumers from racking up too much debt, the Federal Reserve now requires credit card issuers to consider individual income from applicants instead of household income.

As a result, stay-at-home parents who rely mainly on their spouse's income have a harder time getting approved for credit cards on their own.

"I think it's demeaning -- I don't want to ask my husband's permission for a credit card," McCall said. "Just because I don't get a direct paycheck for [my work], doesn't mean it's not worthwhile work that I'm doing."

Is a List of Greatest Guitarists Without Jimi Hendrix Worth Talking About?

Yes. Not that it'd stop anyone from talking about it if it weren't.

AP Images

Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitarist to ever play rock and roll. He exploded the instrument to the point of reinvention, and no one after him has escaped his influence. The second-greatest guitarist is Prince, the most versatile player the music has ever heard, a man who had mastered entire traditions ranging from disco to heavy metal by his late teens. The third-greatest is Duane Allman, a musician of such expressive depth that every note he played in his too-brief career seemed to contain miracles.

Which brings us to Spin's most glaring omission, where fun counter-intuition gives way to straight trolling: Jimi Hendrix. If you're going to rank one hundred guitar players and not rank Hendrix first, that's your prerogative. Leave him out of the Top 10, even, if you want to make some weird and mildly psychotic point. But leaving him off entirely is just dumb, particularly when two members of your Top Ten—Prince (6) and Eddie Hazel (9)—practically owe him royalty checks. I have no quarrel with Spin's omission of Clapton, Jeff Beck, or Stevie Ray Vaughan, all of whom are fine players and none of whom are remotely underappreciated. But to dismiss Hendrix is to dismiss the one person who connects Jimmy Nolen to Thurston Moore, Frank Zappa to Kurt Cobain—in other words, the one person who might make this list start to make sense.

First tropical storm of the season forms off S.C.

The first tropical storm of hurricane season formed off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said.

The girl who changed Magic Johnson

Hydeia Broadbent, in blue dress, sits next to Magic Johnson in a TV special for Nickelodeon 20 years ago.

Hydeia Broadbent was 7 when she had her Magic moment.

She was the tiny grade-schooler. He was one of the world's greatest basketball players.

As she cried, Magic Johnson reached his giant right hand out and placed it on her shoulder. Neither knew what their futures held, but they had one thing in common bigger than both of them: They were HIV-positive.

"I want people to know," Hydeia said, sniffling, "that we're just normal people."

"Aww, you don't have to cry," Johnson replied, "because we are normal people. OK? We are."

Twenty years after their first encounter, both continue to be pivotal voices for those with HIV: he the superstar who tested HIV-positive after having unprotected sex; she the innocent child infected with AIDS by a drug-using mom.

Watch a clip of "The Announcement" with Magic and Hydeia

Atlantic storm could bring early start to hurricane season 

MIAMI (Reuters) - A swirling mass of thunderstorms off the South Carolina coast has a 50-percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or a tropical storm and could bring an early start to the Atlantic hurricane season, forecasters said on Saturday. 

The weather disturbance was in the Atlantic Ocean about 120 miles southeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. 

"Showers and thunderstorms have increased near the circulation center. Additional development of this system is possible and it could become a tropical depression or tropical storm as it moves slowly southward or westward over the next day or so," they said.