Posted Jun 25th 2009 4:00PM by TMZ Staff
We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50. Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived. A cardiologist at UCLA tells TMZ Jackson died of cardiac arrest.Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.A source inside the hospital told us there was "absolute chaos" after Jackson arrived. People who were with the singer were screaming, "You've got to save him! You've got to save him!"We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.
Click--http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
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Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Cooking Tips for Heartburn-Friendly Meals
Having heartburn doesn’t mean you have to give up eating well
By Peter JaretWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
Cooking for family gatherings at my house is a little like trying to negotiate an international truce. My father says garlic and onions give him heartburn. My brother-in-law won’t touch anything with tomato sauce. He says it gives him heartburn. And after years of priding myself on having a cast iron stomach, I’ve begun to have problems after very spicy meals. That’s right. They give me heartburn.
What’s an avid home cook to do? The challenge is all the more difficult because there’s no single food or type of food that can be labeled “heartburn food.”
Some people get heartburn, a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), from citrus. Others have trouble after drinking alcohol or caffeinated coffee. Even chocolate can cause heartburn for some people.
And a particular ingredient that bothers someone after one meal may cause no problems at all after another. Still, a few tips can help you serve up a healthy, hearty, heartburn-friendly meal that won’t leave your family and friends suffering afterwards.
Heartburn-Friendly Meals: Avoid the Top Offenders
By Peter JaretWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
Cooking for family gatherings at my house is a little like trying to negotiate an international truce. My father says garlic and onions give him heartburn. My brother-in-law won’t touch anything with tomato sauce. He says it gives him heartburn. And after years of priding myself on having a cast iron stomach, I’ve begun to have problems after very spicy meals. That’s right. They give me heartburn.
What’s an avid home cook to do? The challenge is all the more difficult because there’s no single food or type of food that can be labeled “heartburn food.”
Some people get heartburn, a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), from citrus. Others have trouble after drinking alcohol or caffeinated coffee. Even chocolate can cause heartburn for some people.
And a particular ingredient that bothers someone after one meal may cause no problems at all after another. Still, a few tips can help you serve up a healthy, hearty, heartburn-friendly meal that won’t leave your family and friends suffering afterwards.
Heartburn-Friendly Meals: Avoid the Top Offenders
The list of heartburn-inducing foods is long. But some ingredients stand out as frequent heartburn triggers. These include tomatoes and tomato-based sauces, citrus, chocolate, and mint. If someone in your household suffers from acid reflux, try avoiding these items. Then watch to see if doing so provides heartburn relief. Some alternatives:
At breakfast, serve apple, pineapple, or other non-citrus juices.
Offer tea as an alternative to coffee.
Check out recipes for no-tomato casseroles, lasagna, homemade pizzas, and other main courses. For example, pesto or olive oil combined with parsley and garlic makes a great pasta sauce.
For desserts, serve fruit slices or cooling fruit ices instead of chocolate-rich items.
Heartburn-Friendly Meals: Lighten Up
“Fatty foods can increase the risk of heartburn because they take longer to digest, lingering in the stomach and putting more upward pressure on the valve that leads up to the esophagus,” says dietitian Elaine Magee, MPH, RD. Magee is author of Tell Me What to Eat If I Have Acid Reflux. Her advice?
Bake or broil foods instead of frying them.
In recipes that include cream, try substituting low-fat yogurt.
In casseroles and stir-fries, cut back on the meat portions and add more vegetables.
Include whole grains such as brown rice or quinoa in place of refined grains. The added fiber is healthy in its own right and can make a meal more filling with less fat and fewer calories.
Heartburn-Friendly Meals: Trim Down Portion Sizes
Perhaps the most effective way of preventing heartburn is to limit portion size. “The bigger the meal, the greater the risk of reflux,” says Yale University gastroenterologist Anish Sheth, MD. It’s easy for portion sizes to creep up in the kitchen. Magee advises:
Use measuring cups to limit how much you cook.
Dine on smaller plates so that less still looks like a lot.
Go for intensity over quantity. For example, if you love chocolate -- frequently cited as a heartburn trigger -- enjoy a small square of dark chocolate instead of a big chocolaty dessert.
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Lakers Back Atop the Mountain
By Michael LeeWashington Post Staff Writer Monday, June 15, 2009
ORLANDO, June 14 -- It had been seven years since Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson had been fitted for championship rings, a drought that seemed even longer given the arduous road for the Los Angeles Lakers since Shaquille O'Neal steamrolled through the New Jersey Nets in 2002. O'Neal left. Jackson left and came back. Bryant thought about leaving, stayed, demanded a trade, but still stayed.
But while Bryant expressed his hunger for a fourth title with a clench-jawed glare this season, Jackson maintained the calm, cool demeanor that brought him nine championships. No matter their approaches while leading the Lakers back to the top, it led to the same gratifying result. With a 99-86 victory against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night at Amway Arena, the Lakers won the NBA Finals in five games and added a 15th championship banner to a storied franchise that has stayed relevant through the days of George Mikan, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal and Bryant, and now Bryant.
After stumbling his past two trips to the Finals against Detroit and Boston, Jackson finally broke his tie with Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach now has 10 championships -- which is more than 28 other NBA franchises.
Bryant, the Finals MVP, led the Lakers with 30 points and won his first ring without O'Neal. When the game and the series appeared to be in his grasp with less than two minutes remaining, Bryant couldn't contain his joy as he anxiously rocked and smiled on the bench during a timeout.
But Bryant didn't do it alone. He needed some help all series from two players who got the blame for the Lakers' loss to Boston last June (Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom); an old backcourt mate for 10 of his 13 years in the league (Derek Fisher); and a Los Angeles native who grew up idolizing him (Trevor Ariza).
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com/
ORLANDO, June 14 -- It had been seven years since Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson had been fitted for championship rings, a drought that seemed even longer given the arduous road for the Los Angeles Lakers since Shaquille O'Neal steamrolled through the New Jersey Nets in 2002. O'Neal left. Jackson left and came back. Bryant thought about leaving, stayed, demanded a trade, but still stayed.
But while Bryant expressed his hunger for a fourth title with a clench-jawed glare this season, Jackson maintained the calm, cool demeanor that brought him nine championships. No matter their approaches while leading the Lakers back to the top, it led to the same gratifying result. With a 99-86 victory against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night at Amway Arena, the Lakers won the NBA Finals in five games and added a 15th championship banner to a storied franchise that has stayed relevant through the days of George Mikan, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal and Bryant, and now Bryant.
After stumbling his past two trips to the Finals against Detroit and Boston, Jackson finally broke his tie with Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach now has 10 championships -- which is more than 28 other NBA franchises.
Bryant, the Finals MVP, led the Lakers with 30 points and won his first ring without O'Neal. When the game and the series appeared to be in his grasp with less than two minutes remaining, Bryant couldn't contain his joy as he anxiously rocked and smiled on the bench during a timeout.
But Bryant didn't do it alone. He needed some help all series from two players who got the blame for the Lakers' loss to Boston last June (Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom); an old backcourt mate for 10 of his 13 years in the league (Derek Fisher); and a Los Angeles native who grew up idolizing him (Trevor Ariza).
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 08, 2009
Republicans Regain Control of New York State Senate
ALBANY — The Democrats’ tenuous control of the New York State Senate abruptly collapsed on Monday, throwing the Legislature into chaos with just two weeks remaining in its session.
Two dissident Democrats, who had been secretly strategizing with Republicans for weeks, bucked their party’s leaders and joined with 30 Republican senators to form what they said would be a bipartisan power-sharing deal. But the arrangement effectively re-establishes Republican control.
The change upends the agenda in Albany, where Democrats had assumed power in the Senate in January, with 32 seats, after more than 40 years in the minority. Democrats were pushing bills to give tenants more rights, strengthen abortion rights and legalize same-sex marriage this session. And the move underscores the continuing tumult of New York politics, where there have been three governors in less than three years and four Senate presidents since last summer.
Democratic leaders were caught off guard as the Republicans and the two Democratic dissidents, Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens, moved to topple them, and at one point became so flustered that they turned out the lights in the Senate chamber to try to prevent Republicans from installing new leaders.
Asked by a reporter what was occurring, Senator Malcolm A. Smith, leader of the Senate Democrats who was huddled in the hall with his staff, responded, “I’m trying to find out right now.”
A spokesman for Mr. Smith, who lost the titles of majority leader and Senate president in the shakeup, issued a statement later saying that Democrats would challenge the vote, but it was not clear that they had grounds to do so.
Gov. David A. Paterson, at a news conference Monday evening, called the move “an outrage” and said Albany had become a “dysfunctional wreck.”
The governor also said “I will not allow this,” but then conceded that there was nothing he could do to stop it.
The toppling of Democratic control unfolded in swift and dramatic fashion shortly after 3 p.m. as senators gathered in the lofty oaken chamber for what seemed like small-bore legislative action on an uneventful afternoon.
Then, Senator Tom Libous, a Binghamton Republican, offered a resolution to reorganize the Senate leadership, a parliamentary maneuver that captured the entire Capitol’s attention. Within minutes, reporters, staff members and Assembly members rushed to the Senate, crowding the chamber floor.
Democrats tried to stall the move, storming from the chamber and turning out the lights, but the Republicans continued the session as the two Democrats joined with them to elect new leaders.
Quickly and without a numerical majority, Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican, reclaimed the title of Senate majority leader. Mr. Espada was made Senate president.
Both Mr. Espada and Mr. Monserrate said they would remain Democrats even as they work with Republicans to run the Senate.
Both men have legal troubles. Highlighting the often elastic nature of ethical stands and alliances in Albany, Republicans who earlier this year were calling on Mr. Monserrate to resign after his indictment on felony charges that he stabbed his companion with a broken glass are now welcoming him as part of their power-sharing coalition.
Asked about the reversal, Mr. Skelos said, “He’s an elected member, and the reforms are more important.”
Mr. Espada has been fined tens of thousands of dollars over several years for flouting state law by not disclosing political contributions.
The state attorney general’s office is also investigating the Soundview HealthCare Network, a nonprofit organization that Mr. Espada ran until recently.
The new leadership structure means that Mr. Espada would become governor if Gov. David Paterson were incapacitated.
Mr. Espada, who is the first Latino Senate president, called his ascension “a sobering moment.” He predicted that other Democrats would decide to join the coalition, saying there is broad frustration with Mr. Smith’s leadership.
“Frustration was obviously building,” he said later, in an interview. “There was little prospect for change on a number of fronts. We experienced five months of the budget process and the absolute lack of transparency and the hypocrisy, and the rhetoric grew too much for me.”
But money also played a part. Mr. Espada said he was angered that a top aide to Mr. Smith had threatened to hold up his legislative earmarks, known as member items.
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com/
Two dissident Democrats, who had been secretly strategizing with Republicans for weeks, bucked their party’s leaders and joined with 30 Republican senators to form what they said would be a bipartisan power-sharing deal. But the arrangement effectively re-establishes Republican control.
The change upends the agenda in Albany, where Democrats had assumed power in the Senate in January, with 32 seats, after more than 40 years in the minority. Democrats were pushing bills to give tenants more rights, strengthen abortion rights and legalize same-sex marriage this session. And the move underscores the continuing tumult of New York politics, where there have been three governors in less than three years and four Senate presidents since last summer.
Democratic leaders were caught off guard as the Republicans and the two Democratic dissidents, Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens, moved to topple them, and at one point became so flustered that they turned out the lights in the Senate chamber to try to prevent Republicans from installing new leaders.
Asked by a reporter what was occurring, Senator Malcolm A. Smith, leader of the Senate Democrats who was huddled in the hall with his staff, responded, “I’m trying to find out right now.”
A spokesman for Mr. Smith, who lost the titles of majority leader and Senate president in the shakeup, issued a statement later saying that Democrats would challenge the vote, but it was not clear that they had grounds to do so.
Gov. David A. Paterson, at a news conference Monday evening, called the move “an outrage” and said Albany had become a “dysfunctional wreck.”
The governor also said “I will not allow this,” but then conceded that there was nothing he could do to stop it.
The toppling of Democratic control unfolded in swift and dramatic fashion shortly after 3 p.m. as senators gathered in the lofty oaken chamber for what seemed like small-bore legislative action on an uneventful afternoon.
Then, Senator Tom Libous, a Binghamton Republican, offered a resolution to reorganize the Senate leadership, a parliamentary maneuver that captured the entire Capitol’s attention. Within minutes, reporters, staff members and Assembly members rushed to the Senate, crowding the chamber floor.
Democrats tried to stall the move, storming from the chamber and turning out the lights, but the Republicans continued the session as the two Democrats joined with them to elect new leaders.
Quickly and without a numerical majority, Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican, reclaimed the title of Senate majority leader. Mr. Espada was made Senate president.
Both Mr. Espada and Mr. Monserrate said they would remain Democrats even as they work with Republicans to run the Senate.
Both men have legal troubles. Highlighting the often elastic nature of ethical stands and alliances in Albany, Republicans who earlier this year were calling on Mr. Monserrate to resign after his indictment on felony charges that he stabbed his companion with a broken glass are now welcoming him as part of their power-sharing coalition.
Asked about the reversal, Mr. Skelos said, “He’s an elected member, and the reforms are more important.”
Mr. Espada has been fined tens of thousands of dollars over several years for flouting state law by not disclosing political contributions.
The state attorney general’s office is also investigating the Soundview HealthCare Network, a nonprofit organization that Mr. Espada ran until recently.
The new leadership structure means that Mr. Espada would become governor if Gov. David Paterson were incapacitated.
Mr. Espada, who is the first Latino Senate president, called his ascension “a sobering moment.” He predicted that other Democrats would decide to join the coalition, saying there is broad frustration with Mr. Smith’s leadership.
“Frustration was obviously building,” he said later, in an interview. “There was little prospect for change on a number of fronts. We experienced five months of the budget process and the absolute lack of transparency and the hypocrisy, and the rhetoric grew too much for me.”
But money also played a part. Mr. Espada said he was angered that a top aide to Mr. Smith had threatened to hold up his legislative earmarks, known as member items.
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com/
Friday, June 05, 2009
Mideast Leaders Impressed, Waiting for Action on Obama Speech
By Reena Ninan
Middle East leaders waited with great expectation to hear what President Obama would say in his address to the Muslim world on Thursday. Now they're eager to see him act on his words.
"Obama was charismatic and convinced the Arab world he is with us," said Essam El-Erian, head of Egypt's Islamist opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood. "It's a good start, but we're waiting for action on the ground, like closing Guantanamo, withdrawal from Iraq and ending the war in Afghanistan."
Click here for video.
Yet one of the main thrusts of Obama's speech was the need to first settle disputes in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Obama called for an end to Israeli settlement development in the West Bank.
"Now the ball is in the Israeli court," said Amr Mousa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, in an interview with FOX News. Moussa said it is time for Israel to advance peace efforts.
"If they want to play ball with us, with Europe, with America, with the whole world, they have to come up with something serious, not something that is just peanuts. They need to stop settlements."
The Israeli government, for its part, released a statement hours after the speech highlighting Obama's insistence that Arab states recognize Israel's right to exist.
"We share President Obama's hope that the American effort heralds the beginning of a new era that will bring about an end to the conflict and lead to Arab recognition of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, living in peace and security in the Middle East," read the statement.
Middle East analysts are now looking to see if Obama's words or actions will make any difference in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Another closely watched speech delivered four years ago by an American leader in Cairo made waves in the Middle East and called for democracy in the region — but those good intentions may have backfired.
In June 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a landmark address at The American University in Cairo criticizing Egypt's authoritarian government and pressing for democracy in the Middle East. Seven months later, Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the State Department, rose to power in Gaza through democratic elections.
Video
Waiting for Action
Despite Obama's outreach to the group during his speech, a spokesman for Hamas in Gaza said they were not pleased and expected the president to seek penance for American foreign policy.
"We're disappointed that Obama didn't apologize for American policy in Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sudan," Hamas spokesman Fouzi Barhoum said in an interview with FOX News. "There should also be more pressure on Israel to accept Palestinian rights."
But the crowd's response to Obama was sometimes rapturous. The president quoted lines from the Koran three times, and elicited a shout of "I Love You, Obama" from one man in the crowd.
Missing from the speech was any call for Iran to stop its nuclear program. Obama said that "we have reached a decisive point" on the question of nuclear weapons, but defended the Islamic republic's right to pursue a civilian nuclear energy program.
But even before Obama delivered his address, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that speeches would not be enough to repair relations with the Muslim world.
"The nations in the region hate the United States from the bottom of their hearts because they have seen violence, military intervention and discrimination," Khamenei said.
Only actions will be able to change that hatred — not words and slogans, he said
From Foxnews.com
Middle East leaders waited with great expectation to hear what President Obama would say in his address to the Muslim world on Thursday. Now they're eager to see him act on his words.
"Obama was charismatic and convinced the Arab world he is with us," said Essam El-Erian, head of Egypt's Islamist opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood. "It's a good start, but we're waiting for action on the ground, like closing Guantanamo, withdrawal from Iraq and ending the war in Afghanistan."
Click here for video.
Yet one of the main thrusts of Obama's speech was the need to first settle disputes in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Obama called for an end to Israeli settlement development in the West Bank.
"Now the ball is in the Israeli court," said Amr Mousa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, in an interview with FOX News. Moussa said it is time for Israel to advance peace efforts.
"If they want to play ball with us, with Europe, with America, with the whole world, they have to come up with something serious, not something that is just peanuts. They need to stop settlements."
The Israeli government, for its part, released a statement hours after the speech highlighting Obama's insistence that Arab states recognize Israel's right to exist.
"We share President Obama's hope that the American effort heralds the beginning of a new era that will bring about an end to the conflict and lead to Arab recognition of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, living in peace and security in the Middle East," read the statement.
Middle East analysts are now looking to see if Obama's words or actions will make any difference in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Another closely watched speech delivered four years ago by an American leader in Cairo made waves in the Middle East and called for democracy in the region — but those good intentions may have backfired.
In June 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a landmark address at The American University in Cairo criticizing Egypt's authoritarian government and pressing for democracy in the Middle East. Seven months later, Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the State Department, rose to power in Gaza through democratic elections.
Video
Waiting for Action
Despite Obama's outreach to the group during his speech, a spokesman for Hamas in Gaza said they were not pleased and expected the president to seek penance for American foreign policy.
"We're disappointed that Obama didn't apologize for American policy in Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sudan," Hamas spokesman Fouzi Barhoum said in an interview with FOX News. "There should also be more pressure on Israel to accept Palestinian rights."
But the crowd's response to Obama was sometimes rapturous. The president quoted lines from the Koran three times, and elicited a shout of "I Love You, Obama" from one man in the crowd.
Missing from the speech was any call for Iran to stop its nuclear program. Obama said that "we have reached a decisive point" on the question of nuclear weapons, but defended the Islamic republic's right to pursue a civilian nuclear energy program.
But even before Obama delivered his address, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that speeches would not be enough to repair relations with the Muslim world.
"The nations in the region hate the United States from the bottom of their hearts because they have seen violence, military intervention and discrimination," Khamenei said.
Only actions will be able to change that hatred — not words and slogans, he said
From Foxnews.com
Guns and drugs? Some rappers inflate hustler image
Fri Jun 5, 2009 3:05am EDT
By Christine Kearney
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rick Ross sold hit albums rapping about selling crack cocaine but a revelation that he once worked as a prison guard threatened to end his career.
For a rapper cultivating a bad-boy image, a uniform put him on the wrong side of the law.
U.S. rappers often sell songs about drugs and guns based on "real-life" stories, but increasingly some of those stories are being exposed as embellishments aimed at helping them build successful careers, experts say.
"Some of the stories are fabricated and some of it is reality, and what they are doing is mixing the two," music executive Devyne Stephens said. "When you say you shot and killed somebody and you put it on a CD, nine times out of 10, you really didn't shoot and kill anybody."
Ross is a bearded, burly Miami rapper who brags of a cash-fueled, drug-boss life. His real name is William Leonard Roberts II but he takes his stage name from a drug trafficker.
So he was publicly humiliated when pictures surfaced of him last year through The Smoking Gun website looking clean-cut in a correctional officer's uniform.
Ross at first denied his past, then admitted it but maintained his drug-dealing tales of the street were true.
His third album, released in April and featuring titles such as "Rich off Cocaine," still sold well.
HUSTLING TO ST. TROPEZ
Stephens, who has been hailed as an image branding king and has worked with artists including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Nelly, said many rappers mix lines in their songs that aren't literally true but draw from real experiences or stories they have heard.
He says "probably 85 per cent" of rappers embellish stories in songs and calls the current trend "reality music" which, like reality television, is something of a misnomer.
Stephens helped groom another successful U.S. rapper, Akon, who has had hits like "Locked Up" and "Ghetto." Akon was ridiculed last year and accused of dramatically enhancing claims of belonging to a car theft ring and having served prison time.
The new crop of rappers want to emulate the success of rappers-turned-moguls like former New York drug dealers Jay-Z and 50 Cent, who both sold albums based on their transformations from street hustling to popping champagne.
"You formulate that story to make it just as interesting as the Jay-Z story," Stephens said, describing an outline of: "I am a hustler, I came from nothing and turned it into something and now I am on yachts in St. Tropez."
Jay-Z, married to superstar Beyonce Knowles, is now one of the world's wealthiest musicians, having signed a deal reportedly worth $150 million with concert promoter Live Nation.
By Christine Kearney
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rick Ross sold hit albums rapping about selling crack cocaine but a revelation that he once worked as a prison guard threatened to end his career.
For a rapper cultivating a bad-boy image, a uniform put him on the wrong side of the law.
U.S. rappers often sell songs about drugs and guns based on "real-life" stories, but increasingly some of those stories are being exposed as embellishments aimed at helping them build successful careers, experts say.
"Some of the stories are fabricated and some of it is reality, and what they are doing is mixing the two," music executive Devyne Stephens said. "When you say you shot and killed somebody and you put it on a CD, nine times out of 10, you really didn't shoot and kill anybody."
Ross is a bearded, burly Miami rapper who brags of a cash-fueled, drug-boss life. His real name is William Leonard Roberts II but he takes his stage name from a drug trafficker.
So he was publicly humiliated when pictures surfaced of him last year through The Smoking Gun website looking clean-cut in a correctional officer's uniform.
Ross at first denied his past, then admitted it but maintained his drug-dealing tales of the street were true.
His third album, released in April and featuring titles such as "Rich off Cocaine," still sold well.
HUSTLING TO ST. TROPEZ
Stephens, who has been hailed as an image branding king and has worked with artists including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Nelly, said many rappers mix lines in their songs that aren't literally true but draw from real experiences or stories they have heard.
He says "probably 85 per cent" of rappers embellish stories in songs and calls the current trend "reality music" which, like reality television, is something of a misnomer.
Stephens helped groom another successful U.S. rapper, Akon, who has had hits like "Locked Up" and "Ghetto." Akon was ridiculed last year and accused of dramatically enhancing claims of belonging to a car theft ring and having served prison time.
The new crop of rappers want to emulate the success of rappers-turned-moguls like former New York drug dealers Jay-Z and 50 Cent, who both sold albums based on their transformations from street hustling to popping champagne.
"You formulate that story to make it just as interesting as the Jay-Z story," Stephens said, describing an outline of: "I am a hustler, I came from nothing and turned it into something and now I am on yachts in St. Tropez."
Jay-Z, married to superstar Beyonce Knowles, is now one of the world's wealthiest musicians, having signed a deal reportedly worth $150 million with concert promoter Live Nation.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Fats Domino makes rare appearance at La. concert
By STACEY PLAISANCE, Associated Press Writer Stacey Plaisance, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 40 mins ago
NEW ORLEANS – Fats Domino rarely emerges from his Louisiana home — and many wondered if he'd show up for "The Domino Effect," his namesake concert that raises funds to help rebuild schools and playgrounds damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Sure enough, the 81-year-old New Orleans native smiled and waved from his private suite to more than 3,000 cheering people who attended Saturday's concert to see two of his old friends perform — Little Richard and B.B. King. Domino is an icon in New Orleans, known nearly as much for his reclusiveness as for hits like "Blueberry Hill" and "Ain't That a Shame."
Little Richard, at the piano in a sparkly white suite, delivered an energetic set that included "Lucille," "Tutti Frutti" and other hits.
Between songs, he reminisced about New Orleans and Domino. Richard's breakout hit "Tutti Frutti" was recorded at Cosimo Matassa's studio in New Orleans in 1955.
"I was right here," Richard said, playing the piano as he talked. "I was right here."
Richard said he remembered being on the road with Domino, who always longed to be back home. Then Richard broke into song: "Every night about this time, I go to sleep to keep from cryin'."
While on stage, Richard was given a plaque inducting him into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He said he was surprised and touched.
Domino and Richard met backstage, where the men hugged, made small talk and posed for pictures. Richard's handlers handed out free inspirational pamphlets to fans during the concert, and backstage, he asked Domino and others to pray with him.
"Bless this life," Richard prayed, his head bowed, "and bless this music."
Domino also met with King after his blues set, which included the hit, "The Thrill is Gone."
As King walked off stage, Domino greeted him with a hug.
"It's good to see you my friend," King told Domino. "Did you bring me some gumbo?"
King said he used to open shows for Domino in the early years of his career. In 2007, King recorded the title track on a tribute album to Domino, called "Goin' Home."
Saturday's concert ran more than four hours and included performances by Chuck Berry, Wyclef Jean, Keb' Mo' and Junior Brown. Comedian-actor Tracy Morgan, best known for his work on the TV shows "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock," also performed.
Proceeds from the event are earmarked for "Operation Kids," a program run through Saints quarterback Drew Brees' foundation to improve the city's parks and schools.
Brees attended the concert with wife, Brittany, and dozens of the couple's closest friends and family. All got to meet Domino.
It wasn't the first time Drew Brees met the music legend. Brees said he got to hang out at Domino's home in the New Orleans suburb of Harvey a few weeks ago. He said Domino showed him his gold record collection and played the piano.
"How many people get to say they got to do that?" he said.
Domino has been living in Harvey since Katrina struck in 2005, flooding his home in the Lower 9th Ward neighborhood. Still, Domino enjoys visiting his publishing house, an extension of his old home. The studio is a classic shotgun double built in the 1930s that was rebuilt after Katrina. It is one of a few refurbished structures in the neighborhood, which still has blocks of abandoned homes and overgrown lots.
Brees said he was grateful such pioneering musicians could help his foundation reach its goal of raising $1.8 million in two years to rebuild the city's parks, schools and play spaces — the things needed to bring families back to New Orleans.
"These guys are legends," Brees said. "They helped define an era and build a musical genre. They're the fathers of blues and rock and roll."
NEW ORLEANS – Fats Domino rarely emerges from his Louisiana home — and many wondered if he'd show up for "The Domino Effect," his namesake concert that raises funds to help rebuild schools and playgrounds damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Sure enough, the 81-year-old New Orleans native smiled and waved from his private suite to more than 3,000 cheering people who attended Saturday's concert to see two of his old friends perform — Little Richard and B.B. King. Domino is an icon in New Orleans, known nearly as much for his reclusiveness as for hits like "Blueberry Hill" and "Ain't That a Shame."
Little Richard, at the piano in a sparkly white suite, delivered an energetic set that included "Lucille," "Tutti Frutti" and other hits.
Between songs, he reminisced about New Orleans and Domino. Richard's breakout hit "Tutti Frutti" was recorded at Cosimo Matassa's studio in New Orleans in 1955.
"I was right here," Richard said, playing the piano as he talked. "I was right here."
Richard said he remembered being on the road with Domino, who always longed to be back home. Then Richard broke into song: "Every night about this time, I go to sleep to keep from cryin'."
While on stage, Richard was given a plaque inducting him into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He said he was surprised and touched.
Domino and Richard met backstage, where the men hugged, made small talk and posed for pictures. Richard's handlers handed out free inspirational pamphlets to fans during the concert, and backstage, he asked Domino and others to pray with him.
"Bless this life," Richard prayed, his head bowed, "and bless this music."
Domino also met with King after his blues set, which included the hit, "The Thrill is Gone."
As King walked off stage, Domino greeted him with a hug.
"It's good to see you my friend," King told Domino. "Did you bring me some gumbo?"
King said he used to open shows for Domino in the early years of his career. In 2007, King recorded the title track on a tribute album to Domino, called "Goin' Home."
Saturday's concert ran more than four hours and included performances by Chuck Berry, Wyclef Jean, Keb' Mo' and Junior Brown. Comedian-actor Tracy Morgan, best known for his work on the TV shows "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock," also performed.
Proceeds from the event are earmarked for "Operation Kids," a program run through Saints quarterback Drew Brees' foundation to improve the city's parks and schools.
Brees attended the concert with wife, Brittany, and dozens of the couple's closest friends and family. All got to meet Domino.
It wasn't the first time Drew Brees met the music legend. Brees said he got to hang out at Domino's home in the New Orleans suburb of Harvey a few weeks ago. He said Domino showed him his gold record collection and played the piano.
"How many people get to say they got to do that?" he said.
Domino has been living in Harvey since Katrina struck in 2005, flooding his home in the Lower 9th Ward neighborhood. Still, Domino enjoys visiting his publishing house, an extension of his old home. The studio is a classic shotgun double built in the 1930s that was rebuilt after Katrina. It is one of a few refurbished structures in the neighborhood, which still has blocks of abandoned homes and overgrown lots.
Brees said he was grateful such pioneering musicians could help his foundation reach its goal of raising $1.8 million in two years to rebuild the city's parks, schools and play spaces — the things needed to bring families back to New Orleans.
"These guys are legends," Brees said. "They helped define an era and build a musical genre. They're the fathers of blues and rock and roll."
Monday, May 25, 2009
World Condemns North Korea Nuclear Test
By VOA News 25 May 2009
The international community responded swiftly with outrage and condemnation on Monday to reports of North Korea's nuclear test and firing of three short-range missiles.
President Barack Obama (file photo)U.S. President Barack Obama said North Korea's actions are violations of international law that constitute a "threat to international peace and security." Mr. Obama said North Korea's activities warrant action by the international community. The top U.S. military official, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, said the North Korean tests were not a surprise and are part of what he called growing belligerence on the part of Pyongyang. Mullen told CNN that it could take a couple of days to verify the test, but he had no reason to doubt North Korea's claims.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is deeply worried and that any nuclear test would be a clear violation of a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution banning North Korea from such acts. He said he plans to consult with the Council when it meets in a special session later Monday.North Korea says it successfully conducted an underground nuclear test that was more powerful than the country's first test two-and-a-half years ago. South Korea's Yonhap news agency also reports that North Korea test-fired three short-range missiles in the hours after the nuclear test. Seismologists from around the world reported a tremor in northeast North Korea, near where Pyongyang conducted its first test in October 2006.Russia's Defense Ministry said the nuclear explosion had a force of up to 20 kilotons, the same size as the bomb the U.S. dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. South Korean officials called Pyongyang's actions a "serious threat to peace and stability" in the region. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency security session immediately after news broke of the nuclear test. The Chinese government said it is "resolutely opposed" to its communist neighbor and ally's actions. It also urged Pyongyang to avoid actions that sharpen tensions.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana (file)The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that six-party talks on North Korea are the only solution to the crisis.European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana threatened a "firm response" to what he called "irresponsible acts" by North Korea.The Japanese government said it has set up a task force at the crisis management center of Prime Minister Taro Aso's office.Last month, North Korea threatened to restart reprocessing work at its once closed Yongbyon nuclear complex. The move was a response to international criticism of its April launch of a rocket it says was fired to put a satellite into space. The United States and other countries believe the rocket was a test launch for a ballistic missile.Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
By VOA News 25 May 2009
The international community responded swiftly with outrage and condemnation on Monday to reports of North Korea's nuclear test and firing of three short-range missiles.
President Barack Obama (file photo)U.S. President Barack Obama said North Korea's actions are violations of international law that constitute a "threat to international peace and security." Mr. Obama said North Korea's activities warrant action by the international community. The top U.S. military official, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, said the North Korean tests were not a surprise and are part of what he called growing belligerence on the part of Pyongyang. Mullen told CNN that it could take a couple of days to verify the test, but he had no reason to doubt North Korea's claims.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is deeply worried and that any nuclear test would be a clear violation of a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution banning North Korea from such acts. He said he plans to consult with the Council when it meets in a special session later Monday.North Korea says it successfully conducted an underground nuclear test that was more powerful than the country's first test two-and-a-half years ago. South Korea's Yonhap news agency also reports that North Korea test-fired three short-range missiles in the hours after the nuclear test. Seismologists from around the world reported a tremor in northeast North Korea, near where Pyongyang conducted its first test in October 2006.Russia's Defense Ministry said the nuclear explosion had a force of up to 20 kilotons, the same size as the bomb the U.S. dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. South Korean officials called Pyongyang's actions a "serious threat to peace and stability" in the region. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency security session immediately after news broke of the nuclear test. The Chinese government said it is "resolutely opposed" to its communist neighbor and ally's actions. It also urged Pyongyang to avoid actions that sharpen tensions.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana (file)The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that six-party talks on North Korea are the only solution to the crisis.European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana threatened a "firm response" to what he called "irresponsible acts" by North Korea.The Japanese government said it has set up a task force at the crisis management center of Prime Minister Taro Aso's office.Last month, North Korea threatened to restart reprocessing work at its once closed Yongbyon nuclear complex. The move was a response to international criticism of its April launch of a rocket it says was fired to put a satellite into space. The United States and other countries believe the rocket was a test launch for a ballistic missile.Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
4 Arrested in New York Terror Plot
May 20, 2009, 10:55 pm
By Sewell Chan
Federal authorities arrested four men on Wednesday night on charges of plotting to bomb a synagogue in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and to use antiaircraft missiles to shoot down military planes at a military base in Newburgh, N.Y., 60 miles north of New York City.
The charges, which include conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in the United States and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, represent some of the most significant allegations of domestic terrorism in some time, and come months into a new presidential administration, as President Obama grapples with the question of how to handle detainees at the Guantánamo camp in Cuba.
The four defendants — whom federal authorities identified as James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen, all of Newburgh, in Orange County — are expected to appear in Federal District Court in White Plains, in Westchester County, on Thursday morning.
(See related criminal complaint and the United States attorney’s press release, both in PDF form.)
Lev L. Dassin, the acting United States attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement on Wednesday night that “the defendants wanted to engage in terrorist attacks.”
He added: “They selected targets and sought the weapons necessary to carry out their plans. Fortunately, the defendants sought the assistance of a witness cooperating with the government. While the weapons provided to the defendants by the cooperating witness were fake, the defendants thought they were absolutely real.”
Political leaders responded to the news of the arrests with statements expressing relief.
“While the bombs these terrorists attempted to plant tonight were – unbeknownst to them – fake, this latest attempt to attack our freedoms shows that the homeland security threats against New York City are sadly all too real and underscores why we must remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent terrorism,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said in a statement.
Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said in a statement that he had spoken with the New York office of the F.B.I. and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.
“They have told me they have been monitoring this group for sometime and that the men arrested did not have any connection to other terrorists,” Mr. Schumer said in a statement. “This incident shows that we must always be vigilant against terrorism foreign or domestic.”
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
By Sewell Chan
Federal authorities arrested four men on Wednesday night on charges of plotting to bomb a synagogue in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and to use antiaircraft missiles to shoot down military planes at a military base in Newburgh, N.Y., 60 miles north of New York City.
The charges, which include conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in the United States and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, represent some of the most significant allegations of domestic terrorism in some time, and come months into a new presidential administration, as President Obama grapples with the question of how to handle detainees at the Guantánamo camp in Cuba.
The four defendants — whom federal authorities identified as James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen, all of Newburgh, in Orange County — are expected to appear in Federal District Court in White Plains, in Westchester County, on Thursday morning.
(See related criminal complaint and the United States attorney’s press release, both in PDF form.)
Lev L. Dassin, the acting United States attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement on Wednesday night that “the defendants wanted to engage in terrorist attacks.”
He added: “They selected targets and sought the weapons necessary to carry out their plans. Fortunately, the defendants sought the assistance of a witness cooperating with the government. While the weapons provided to the defendants by the cooperating witness were fake, the defendants thought they were absolutely real.”
Political leaders responded to the news of the arrests with statements expressing relief.
“While the bombs these terrorists attempted to plant tonight were – unbeknownst to them – fake, this latest attempt to attack our freedoms shows that the homeland security threats against New York City are sadly all too real and underscores why we must remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent terrorism,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said in a statement.
Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said in a statement that he had spoken with the New York office of the F.B.I. and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.
“They have told me they have been monitoring this group for sometime and that the men arrested did not have any connection to other terrorists,” Mr. Schumer said in a statement. “This incident shows that we must always be vigilant against terrorism foreign or domestic.”
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Sudan President al-Bashir defies arrest warrant with trip to Eritrea
Sudan's president travelled to Eritrea on Monday, choosing one of Africa's most politically isolated nations for his first trip abroad since an international court sought his arrest on charges of war crimes in Darfur.
Last Updated: 8:44AM GMT 24 Mar 2009
The ICC charged al-Bashir on March 4 of leading a counter-insurgency against Darfur rebels that involved rapes, killings and other atrocities Photo: AFP
The one-day visit followed Eritrea's official invitation to Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, who faces an arrest warrant by the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court.
Eritrean television showed live coverage of al-Bashir being greeted at the airport in the Eritrean capital Asmara by his counterpart President Isaias Afwerki, along with drummers and dancers. Sudanese state television later showed live images of al-Bashir returning to Khartoum.
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Kidnapped western aid workers freed in Darfur
Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor said the visit was "important" and reflected Eritrean "solidarity ... with Sudan against the ICC." Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu told The Associated Press that al-Bashir was accompanied by heads of security and intelligence and was there to discuss regional security.
The ICC charged al-Bashir on March 4 of leading a counter-insurgency against Darfur rebels that involved rapes, killings and other atrocities against civilians. His government has been accused of unleashing Arab militiamen against Darfur civilians in a drive to put down a revolt by ethnic Africans in the region.
Up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million driven from their homes in the conflict since 2003, according to the U.N.
Under the ICC charter, member states are bound to arrest those indicted when they enter their territory. Eritrea is not a signatory, however, and has vehemently condemned the indictment, making it a safe haven for al-Bashir to visit.
"It's unjustifiable and illegal and illogical and futile, the so-called ICC decision," said Mr Abdu. "We believe it's an extension and symptom of the ongoing world hegemony and domination by a few powers in this world."
Last Updated: 8:44AM GMT 24 Mar 2009
The ICC charged al-Bashir on March 4 of leading a counter-insurgency against Darfur rebels that involved rapes, killings and other atrocities Photo: AFP
The one-day visit followed Eritrea's official invitation to Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, who faces an arrest warrant by the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court.
Eritrean television showed live coverage of al-Bashir being greeted at the airport in the Eritrean capital Asmara by his counterpart President Isaias Afwerki, along with drummers and dancers. Sudanese state television later showed live images of al-Bashir returning to Khartoum.
Related Articles
US threatens Eritrea over support for al-Qaeda-linked terrorists
Darfur hostages: kidnapped western aid workers freed
Richard Branson to take over as Mia Farrow ends hunger strike
Darfur hostages: kidnapped western aid workers still held in Sudan
Kidnapped western aid workers freed in Darfur
Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor said the visit was "important" and reflected Eritrean "solidarity ... with Sudan against the ICC." Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu told The Associated Press that al-Bashir was accompanied by heads of security and intelligence and was there to discuss regional security.
The ICC charged al-Bashir on March 4 of leading a counter-insurgency against Darfur rebels that involved rapes, killings and other atrocities against civilians. His government has been accused of unleashing Arab militiamen against Darfur civilians in a drive to put down a revolt by ethnic Africans in the region.
Up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million driven from their homes in the conflict since 2003, according to the U.N.
Under the ICC charter, member states are bound to arrest those indicted when they enter their territory. Eritrea is not a signatory, however, and has vehemently condemned the indictment, making it a safe haven for al-Bashir to visit.
"It's unjustifiable and illegal and illogical and futile, the so-called ICC decision," said Mr Abdu. "We believe it's an extension and symptom of the ongoing world hegemony and domination by a few powers in this world."
Friday, May 08, 2009
The Harlem Miracle
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: May 7, 2009
The fight against poverty produces great programs but disappointing results. You go visit an inner-city school, job-training program or community youth center and you meet incredible people doing wonderful things. Then you look at the results from the serious evaluations and you find that these inspiring places are only producing incremental gains.
That’s why I was startled when I received an e-mail message from Roland Fryer, a meticulous Harvard economist. It included this sentence: “The attached study has changed my life as a scientist.”
Fryer and his colleague Will Dobbie have just finished a rigorous assessment of the charter schools operated by the Harlem Children’s Zone. They compared students in these schools to students in New York City as a whole and to comparable students who entered the lottery to get into the Harlem Children’s Zone schools, but weren’t selected.
They found that the Harlem Children’s Zone schools produced “enormous” gains. The typical student entered the charter middle school, Promise Academy, in sixth grade and scored in the 39th percentile among New York City students in math. By the eighth grade, the typical student in the school was in the 74th percentile. The typical student entered the school scoring in the 39th percentile in English Language Arts (verbal ability). By eighth grade, the typical student was in the 53rd percentile.
Forgive some academic jargon, but the most common education reform ideas — reducing class size, raising teacher pay, enrolling kids in Head Start — produce gains of about 0.1 or 0.2 or 0.3 standard deviations. If you study policy, those are the sorts of improvements you live with every day. Promise Academy produced gains of 1.3 and 1.4 standard deviations. That’s off the charts. In math, Promise Academy eliminated the achievement gap between its black students and the city average for white students.
Let me repeat that. It eliminated the black-white achievement gap. “The results changed my life as a researcher because I am no longer interested in marginal changes,” Fryer wrote in a subsequent e-mail. What Geoffrey Canada, Harlem Children’s Zone’s founder and president, has done is “the equivalent of curing cancer for these kids. It’s amazing. It should be celebrated. But it almost doesn’t matter if we stop there. We don’t have a way to replicate his cure, and we need one since so many of our kids are dying — literally and figuratively.”
These results are powerful evidence in a long-running debate. Some experts, mostly surrounding the education establishment, argue that schools alone can’t produce big changes. The problems are in society, and you have to work on broader issues like economic inequality. Reformers, on the other hand, have argued that school-based approaches can produce big results. The Harlem Children’s Zone results suggest the reformers are right. The Promise Academy does provide health and psychological services, but it helps kids who aren’t even involved in the other programs the organization offers.
To my mind, the results also vindicate an emerging model for low-income students. Over the past decade, dozens of charter and independent schools, like Promise Academy, have become no excuses schools. The basic theory is that middle-class kids enter adolescence with certain working models in their heads: what I can achieve; how to control impulses; how to work hard. Many kids from poorer, disorganized homes don’t have these internalized models. The schools create a disciplined, orderly and demanding counterculture to inculcate middle-class values.
To understand the culture in these schools, I’d recommend “Whatever It Takes,” a gripping account of Harlem Children’s Zone by my Times colleague Paul Tough, and “Sweating the Small Stuff,” a superb survey of these sorts of schools by David Whitman.
Basically, the no excuses schools pay meticulous attention to behavior and attitudes. They teach students how to look at the person who is talking, how to shake hands. These schools are academically rigorous and college-focused. Promise Academy students who are performing below grade level spent twice as much time in school as other students in New York City. Students who are performing at grade level spend 50 percent more time in school.
They also smash the normal bureaucratic strictures that bind leaders in regular schools. Promise Academy went through a tumultuous period as Canada searched for the right teachers. Nearly half of the teachers did not return for the 2005-2006 school year. A third didn’t return for the 2006-2007 year. Assessments are rigorous. Standardized tests are woven into the fabric of school life.
The approach works. Ever since welfare reform, we have had success with intrusive government programs that combine paternalistic leadership, sufficient funding and a ferocious commitment to traditional, middle-class values. We may have found a remedy for the achievement gap. Which city is going to take up the challenge? Omaha? Chicago? Yours?
Published: May 7, 2009
The fight against poverty produces great programs but disappointing results. You go visit an inner-city school, job-training program or community youth center and you meet incredible people doing wonderful things. Then you look at the results from the serious evaluations and you find that these inspiring places are only producing incremental gains.
That’s why I was startled when I received an e-mail message from Roland Fryer, a meticulous Harvard economist. It included this sentence: “The attached study has changed my life as a scientist.”
Fryer and his colleague Will Dobbie have just finished a rigorous assessment of the charter schools operated by the Harlem Children’s Zone. They compared students in these schools to students in New York City as a whole and to comparable students who entered the lottery to get into the Harlem Children’s Zone schools, but weren’t selected.
They found that the Harlem Children’s Zone schools produced “enormous” gains. The typical student entered the charter middle school, Promise Academy, in sixth grade and scored in the 39th percentile among New York City students in math. By the eighth grade, the typical student in the school was in the 74th percentile. The typical student entered the school scoring in the 39th percentile in English Language Arts (verbal ability). By eighth grade, the typical student was in the 53rd percentile.
Forgive some academic jargon, but the most common education reform ideas — reducing class size, raising teacher pay, enrolling kids in Head Start — produce gains of about 0.1 or 0.2 or 0.3 standard deviations. If you study policy, those are the sorts of improvements you live with every day. Promise Academy produced gains of 1.3 and 1.4 standard deviations. That’s off the charts. In math, Promise Academy eliminated the achievement gap between its black students and the city average for white students.
Let me repeat that. It eliminated the black-white achievement gap. “The results changed my life as a researcher because I am no longer interested in marginal changes,” Fryer wrote in a subsequent e-mail. What Geoffrey Canada, Harlem Children’s Zone’s founder and president, has done is “the equivalent of curing cancer for these kids. It’s amazing. It should be celebrated. But it almost doesn’t matter if we stop there. We don’t have a way to replicate his cure, and we need one since so many of our kids are dying — literally and figuratively.”
These results are powerful evidence in a long-running debate. Some experts, mostly surrounding the education establishment, argue that schools alone can’t produce big changes. The problems are in society, and you have to work on broader issues like economic inequality. Reformers, on the other hand, have argued that school-based approaches can produce big results. The Harlem Children’s Zone results suggest the reformers are right. The Promise Academy does provide health and psychological services, but it helps kids who aren’t even involved in the other programs the organization offers.
To my mind, the results also vindicate an emerging model for low-income students. Over the past decade, dozens of charter and independent schools, like Promise Academy, have become no excuses schools. The basic theory is that middle-class kids enter adolescence with certain working models in their heads: what I can achieve; how to control impulses; how to work hard. Many kids from poorer, disorganized homes don’t have these internalized models. The schools create a disciplined, orderly and demanding counterculture to inculcate middle-class values.
To understand the culture in these schools, I’d recommend “Whatever It Takes,” a gripping account of Harlem Children’s Zone by my Times colleague Paul Tough, and “Sweating the Small Stuff,” a superb survey of these sorts of schools by David Whitman.
Basically, the no excuses schools pay meticulous attention to behavior and attitudes. They teach students how to look at the person who is talking, how to shake hands. These schools are academically rigorous and college-focused. Promise Academy students who are performing below grade level spent twice as much time in school as other students in New York City. Students who are performing at grade level spend 50 percent more time in school.
They also smash the normal bureaucratic strictures that bind leaders in regular schools. Promise Academy went through a tumultuous period as Canada searched for the right teachers. Nearly half of the teachers did not return for the 2005-2006 school year. A third didn’t return for the 2006-2007 year. Assessments are rigorous. Standardized tests are woven into the fabric of school life.
The approach works. Ever since welfare reform, we have had success with intrusive government programs that combine paternalistic leadership, sufficient funding and a ferocious commitment to traditional, middle-class values. We may have found a remedy for the achievement gap. Which city is going to take up the challenge? Omaha? Chicago? Yours?
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Brooklyn bodega owner Salah Ahmed found guilty of attacking teen with hammer
BY Scott Shifrel AND Dave Goldiner DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
A Brooklyn bodega owner was found guilty Wednesday of attacking a teen with a hammer in a wild fracas inside the East New York corner store.
Salah Ahmed, 36, faces up to 25 years behind bars for pounding Bunkless Bovian, 16, unconscious in a fight with another store clerk on April 14, 2008.
Ahmed, who prayed to himself moments before the jury read its verdict, looked stunned as he was taken into custody.
"We're obviously disappointed," defense lawyer David Epstein said.
"The verdict was against the weight of the evidence."
The panel of eight men and four women took just five hours to convict Ahmed of first-degree assault, which carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison.
A videotape of the fight showed Bovian and a pal fighting with a clerk, whom they accused of insulting them.
The argument woke up Ahmed, who was napping in a back room. He came out and whacked Bovian once in the head with a hammer.
The teen was placed in a medically-induced coma, but has mostly recovered.
He testified that his speech is still slurred, he suffers from headaches and he is no longer a star basketball player.
Ahmed was ordered held without bail until a May 28 sentencing.
The conviction was the latest stunning setback for Ahmed.
He confidently believed he would be cleared in the case because the video showed he was coming to the aid of the clerk.
See--http://harlemvoiceblogs.blogspot.com
A Brooklyn bodega owner was found guilty Wednesday of attacking a teen with a hammer in a wild fracas inside the East New York corner store.
Salah Ahmed, 36, faces up to 25 years behind bars for pounding Bunkless Bovian, 16, unconscious in a fight with another store clerk on April 14, 2008.
Ahmed, who prayed to himself moments before the jury read its verdict, looked stunned as he was taken into custody.
"We're obviously disappointed," defense lawyer David Epstein said.
"The verdict was against the weight of the evidence."
The panel of eight men and four women took just five hours to convict Ahmed of first-degree assault, which carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison.
A videotape of the fight showed Bovian and a pal fighting with a clerk, whom they accused of insulting them.
The argument woke up Ahmed, who was napping in a back room. He came out and whacked Bovian once in the head with a hammer.
The teen was placed in a medically-induced coma, but has mostly recovered.
He testified that his speech is still slurred, he suffers from headaches and he is no longer a star basketball player.
Ahmed was ordered held without bail until a May 28 sentencing.
The conviction was the latest stunning setback for Ahmed.
He confidently believed he would be cleared in the case because the video showed he was coming to the aid of the clerk.
See--http://harlemvoiceblogs.blogspot.com
I started fight, sez pal of hammer vic
By Scott Shifrel
Tuesday, April 28th 2009, 4:00 AM
Related News
Articles
Charged in attack with hammer on teen, deli worker points to recent bodega murders
A teen whose pal was critically injured when a Brooklyn bodega clerk hit him in the head with a hammer last year admitted to jurors Monday that he helped sparked the melee.
Joshua Bloomfield, 16, went behind the counter to confront another clerk who said something about his mother, he told jurors in Brooklyn Supreme Court.
"I went back there and said what I had to say to him," said Bloomfield, later adding that he pleaded guilty in family court to assault in connection with the April 13, 2008, fracas.
"He put his hands on me - I grabbed him back."
The clerk then punched him, Bloomfield punched back and within seconds the clerk was threatening him with a knife and a 2-foot long stick, the youth testified. Another clerk, Salah Ahmed, 36, is charged with running out of a backroom of the East New York bodega and hitting Bloomfield's friend Bunkless Bovian in the head with a hammer.
"I heard Bunkless get hit, I heard him make a sound," Bloomfield said, adding that his friend walked outside before collapsing
Tuesday, April 28th 2009, 4:00 AM
Related News
Articles
Charged in attack with hammer on teen, deli worker points to recent bodega murders
A teen whose pal was critically injured when a Brooklyn bodega clerk hit him in the head with a hammer last year admitted to jurors Monday that he helped sparked the melee.
Joshua Bloomfield, 16, went behind the counter to confront another clerk who said something about his mother, he told jurors in Brooklyn Supreme Court.
"I went back there and said what I had to say to him," said Bloomfield, later adding that he pleaded guilty in family court to assault in connection with the April 13, 2008, fracas.
"He put his hands on me - I grabbed him back."
The clerk then punched him, Bloomfield punched back and within seconds the clerk was threatening him with a knife and a 2-foot long stick, the youth testified. Another clerk, Salah Ahmed, 36, is charged with running out of a backroom of the East New York bodega and hitting Bloomfield's friend Bunkless Bovian in the head with a hammer.
"I heard Bunkless get hit, I heard him make a sound," Bloomfield said, adding that his friend walked outside before collapsing
Monday, April 27, 2009
Swine flu fears prompt quarantine plans, pork bans
By FRANK JORDANS, Associated Press Writer Frank Jordans, Associated Press Writer – Sun Apr 26, 7:59 pm ET
GENEVA – Canada became the third country to confirm human cases of swine flu Sunday as global health officials considered whether to raise the global pandemic alert level.
Nations from New Zealand to Spain also reported suspected cases, and some warned citizens against travel to North America while others planned quarantines, tightened rules on pork imports and tested airline passengers for fevers.
The six Canadian cases in Nova Scotia and British Columbia all had links to people who had traveled to Mexico, and all are the same swine flu strain. The six people have recovered, said Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer.
But "these are probably not the last cases we'll see in Canada," he said.
The news follows the World Health Organization's decision Saturday to declare the outbreak first detected in Mexico and the United States a "public health emergency of international concern."
A senior World Health Organization official said the agency's emergency committee will meet for a second time Tuesday to examine the spread of the virus before deciding whether to increase the alert for a possible pandemic, or global epidemic.
The same strain of the A/H1N1 swine flu virus has been detected in several locations in Mexico and the United States, and it appears to be spreading directly from human to human, said Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general in charge of health security.
Mexico's health minister says the disease has killed up to 86 people and likely sickened up to 1,400 since April 13. U.S. officials say the virus has been found in New York, California, Texas, Kansas and Ohio, but no fatalities have been reported.
Governments including China, Russia and Taiwan began planning to put anyone with symptoms of the deadly virus under quarantine.
Others were increasing their screening of pigs and pork imports from the Americas or banning them outright despite health officials' reassurances that it was safe to eat thoroughly cooked pork.
Some nations issued travel warnings for Mexico and the United States.
See-.http://harlemvoiceblogs.blogspot.com/
GENEVA – Canada became the third country to confirm human cases of swine flu Sunday as global health officials considered whether to raise the global pandemic alert level.
Nations from New Zealand to Spain also reported suspected cases, and some warned citizens against travel to North America while others planned quarantines, tightened rules on pork imports and tested airline passengers for fevers.
The six Canadian cases in Nova Scotia and British Columbia all had links to people who had traveled to Mexico, and all are the same swine flu strain. The six people have recovered, said Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer.
But "these are probably not the last cases we'll see in Canada," he said.
The news follows the World Health Organization's decision Saturday to declare the outbreak first detected in Mexico and the United States a "public health emergency of international concern."
A senior World Health Organization official said the agency's emergency committee will meet for a second time Tuesday to examine the spread of the virus before deciding whether to increase the alert for a possible pandemic, or global epidemic.
The same strain of the A/H1N1 swine flu virus has been detected in several locations in Mexico and the United States, and it appears to be spreading directly from human to human, said Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general in charge of health security.
Mexico's health minister says the disease has killed up to 86 people and likely sickened up to 1,400 since April 13. U.S. officials say the virus has been found in New York, California, Texas, Kansas and Ohio, but no fatalities have been reported.
Governments including China, Russia and Taiwan began planning to put anyone with symptoms of the deadly virus under quarantine.
Others were increasing their screening of pigs and pork imports from the Americas or banning them outright despite health officials' reassurances that it was safe to eat thoroughly cooked pork.
Some nations issued travel warnings for Mexico and the United States.
See-.http://harlemvoiceblogs.blogspot.com/
Saturday, April 18, 2009
US-POLITICS Summary
Reuters Friday, April 17, 2009; 11:04 PM
Obama reaches out to Cuba in new pitch to Americas
PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama pledged on Friday to seek a "new beginning" in ties with communist-ruled Cuba as part of a new era of U.S. partnership and engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean. Before addressing his counterparts in the hemisphere at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, Obama also initiated a handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, one of Washington's most virulent critics in the region.
Clinton says U.S. welcomes Cuba's "overtures"
SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that Washington welcomed "overtures" from Cuban President Raul Castro, hours after he said his country was open for talks with the United States about "everything." "We have seen Raul Castro's comments and we welcome his overtures," Clinton told reporters in the Dominican Republic.
Obama stands next to Mexico in war on drugs
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - President Barack Obama stood alongside Mexico's Felipe Calderon on Thursday and promised to help his "courageous" fight against ruthless drug cartels waging turf wars along the joint border. In his first trip to Latin America as U.S. president and fresh from his first big foray onto the global stage in Europe last month, Obama said Mexico and the United States both needed to strengthen and coordinate their drug war efforts.
From washingtonpost.com
Obama reaches out to Cuba in new pitch to Americas
PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama pledged on Friday to seek a "new beginning" in ties with communist-ruled Cuba as part of a new era of U.S. partnership and engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean. Before addressing his counterparts in the hemisphere at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, Obama also initiated a handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, one of Washington's most virulent critics in the region.
Clinton says U.S. welcomes Cuba's "overtures"
SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that Washington welcomed "overtures" from Cuban President Raul Castro, hours after he said his country was open for talks with the United States about "everything." "We have seen Raul Castro's comments and we welcome his overtures," Clinton told reporters in the Dominican Republic.
Obama stands next to Mexico in war on drugs
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - President Barack Obama stood alongside Mexico's Felipe Calderon on Thursday and promised to help his "courageous" fight against ruthless drug cartels waging turf wars along the joint border. In his first trip to Latin America as U.S. president and fresh from his first big foray onto the global stage in Europe last month, Obama said Mexico and the United States both needed to strengthen and coordinate their drug war efforts.
From washingtonpost.com
Monday, April 06, 2009
Boon for tenants bane for landlords
BY Barbara Ross DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, April 5th 2009, 4:00 AM
More than 300,000 New York tenants could reap the rewards of a major court ruling that bars landlords who got special tax breaks from pushing apartments out of rent control.
The ruling found thousands of tenants have been overpaying for years and may be entitled to huge refunds.
Landlords, who are appealing the case, worry that if the ruling stands, they could face bankruptcy while shelling out refunds and lowering rents.
The ruling is rippling across major apartment complexes citywide from the Riverton Houses in Harlem to Peter Cooper/Stuyvesant Town below midtown.
The exact figure is not known, but officials estimate 350,000 rent stabilized units exist in developments that get tax breaks called J-51.
Those breaks, meant to encourage landlords to pay for necessary repairs, have been in effect for 54 years. Officals estimate that tens of thousands of such units have been deregulated.
Since 2005, tenants of Independence Plaza in Tribeca have battled in court to overturn rent hikes after discovering their landlord was receiving those tax breaks.
In that time, senior citizens like Elizabeth and David Harris watched the rent on their one-bedroom rise steadily. When they recently began receiving Social Security checks, the added income pushed them out of eligibility for a housing subsidy.
"It was frightening. I thought I was going to be out in the street," Elizabeth Harris, 84, said.
"Overnight, it went up by $800 a month. We weren't qualified for anything. I felt so terrible that I couldn't pay my rent," said David Harris, 70.
After the Daily News made calls, the owner, Larry Gluck, agreed to return the elderly couple to rent control-level payments.
But thousands of other tenants in similar circumstances across the city must wait to see if the recent decision stands.
Joseph Strasburg, president of the landlord group, the Rent Stabilization Association, called the ruling "a seismic and unprecedented shift in the New York rent regulatory landscape."
The unanimous March 5 decision by the Manhattan Appellate Division directly involves tenants living in 4,400 deregulated apartments in Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town.
Owner Tishman Speyer Properties L.P. and deregulated tenants there have agreed to put all extra rent they pay above the stabilized level into an escrow account until the appeal is resolved.
If the ruling survives, Tishman Speyer will have to roll back rents for deregulated tenants, refund some $200 million in rent overcharges, and abandon plans to deregulate thousands more apartments until the tax abatements expire.
As word of the ruling spreads, tenants and landlords across the city have started calling around to ask what it means for them.
"People are very worried. They're concerned about potential overcharge liabilities, foreclosure," said RSA general counsel Mitch Posilkin.
The RSA tells landlords to "consult with their own attorneys, take stock of potential exposure" and consider following the Tishman Speyer plan of putting excess rents into escrow accounts.
Meanwhile, a group of 15 city and state lawmakers urged the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal to notify every tenant in a tax break building of the court decision.
And they urged the agency to temporarily freeze all applications to deregulate more rent stabilized apartments when rents reach $2,000 and household income is $175,000 or more.
"Tenants may lose their homes because they don't know the ramifications of this," state Sen. Tom Duane (D-Manhattan) said. "It's DHCR's responsibility to protect the rights of tenants, not just landlords."
The RSA's Posilkin called the ruling "an enormous Pandora's box" and said that if owners must roll back rents and reimburse tenants, he said, the city's housing stock will deteriorate and its tax revenues will drop.
The case returns to the Appellate Division, which will decide whether it can move to the highest court, the Court of Appeals
Sunday, April 5th 2009, 4:00 AM
More than 300,000 New York tenants could reap the rewards of a major court ruling that bars landlords who got special tax breaks from pushing apartments out of rent control.
The ruling found thousands of tenants have been overpaying for years and may be entitled to huge refunds.
Landlords, who are appealing the case, worry that if the ruling stands, they could face bankruptcy while shelling out refunds and lowering rents.
The ruling is rippling across major apartment complexes citywide from the Riverton Houses in Harlem to Peter Cooper/Stuyvesant Town below midtown.
The exact figure is not known, but officials estimate 350,000 rent stabilized units exist in developments that get tax breaks called J-51.
Those breaks, meant to encourage landlords to pay for necessary repairs, have been in effect for 54 years. Officals estimate that tens of thousands of such units have been deregulated.
Since 2005, tenants of Independence Plaza in Tribeca have battled in court to overturn rent hikes after discovering their landlord was receiving those tax breaks.
In that time, senior citizens like Elizabeth and David Harris watched the rent on their one-bedroom rise steadily. When they recently began receiving Social Security checks, the added income pushed them out of eligibility for a housing subsidy.
"It was frightening. I thought I was going to be out in the street," Elizabeth Harris, 84, said.
"Overnight, it went up by $800 a month. We weren't qualified for anything. I felt so terrible that I couldn't pay my rent," said David Harris, 70.
After the Daily News made calls, the owner, Larry Gluck, agreed to return the elderly couple to rent control-level payments.
But thousands of other tenants in similar circumstances across the city must wait to see if the recent decision stands.
Joseph Strasburg, president of the landlord group, the Rent Stabilization Association, called the ruling "a seismic and unprecedented shift in the New York rent regulatory landscape."
The unanimous March 5 decision by the Manhattan Appellate Division directly involves tenants living in 4,400 deregulated apartments in Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town.
Owner Tishman Speyer Properties L.P. and deregulated tenants there have agreed to put all extra rent they pay above the stabilized level into an escrow account until the appeal is resolved.
If the ruling survives, Tishman Speyer will have to roll back rents for deregulated tenants, refund some $200 million in rent overcharges, and abandon plans to deregulate thousands more apartments until the tax abatements expire.
As word of the ruling spreads, tenants and landlords across the city have started calling around to ask what it means for them.
"People are very worried. They're concerned about potential overcharge liabilities, foreclosure," said RSA general counsel Mitch Posilkin.
The RSA tells landlords to "consult with their own attorneys, take stock of potential exposure" and consider following the Tishman Speyer plan of putting excess rents into escrow accounts.
Meanwhile, a group of 15 city and state lawmakers urged the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal to notify every tenant in a tax break building of the court decision.
And they urged the agency to temporarily freeze all applications to deregulate more rent stabilized apartments when rents reach $2,000 and household income is $175,000 or more.
"Tenants may lose their homes because they don't know the ramifications of this," state Sen. Tom Duane (D-Manhattan) said. "It's DHCR's responsibility to protect the rights of tenants, not just landlords."
The RSA's Posilkin called the ruling "an enormous Pandora's box" and said that if owners must roll back rents and reimburse tenants, he said, the city's housing stock will deteriorate and its tax revenues will drop.
The case returns to the Appellate Division, which will decide whether it can move to the highest court, the Court of Appeals
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
At last! iPhone 3.0 software to introduce ... copy and paste!
BY Matt Marrone DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Tuesday, March 17th 2009, 5:38 PM
Warga/News
Apple unveiled its 3.0 software for iPhone and iPod Touch on Tuesday.
Related News
Articles
Apple unveils new iPod Shuffle
Is Google evil?
Google now 'reads' your voicemail
Baseball cards go 3D
For nearly two years, the iPhone was a must-have device with one very conspicuous missing feature: copy and paste.
Not anymore.
Apple unveiled the next generation iPhone and iPod Touch software - version 3.0 - at its Cupertino, Calif., campus Tuesday - and, proving the rumor mill true, announced that the sought-after function will at last appear on the groundbreaking gadget.
Copy and paste - long a baffling omission from the iPhone's operating system - wasn't the only highlight of Tuesday's event, though. Here's just some of what iPhone owners also have to look forward to:
• MMS support: In 3.0, iPhone users can finally send and receive multimedia messages instead of just standard text messages. Up until now, users were limited to emailing photos or uploading them via the Web.
• Homescreen search: A new secondary homescreen that allows users to search for keywords in contacts, emails, calendars and more in one simple interface.
• Push notification: In previous versions of the iPhone software, if users closed an application - other than built-in apps like Mail or iPod - the apps would stop running. Now, through push notification, apps can alert users to updates, new messages, etc., even when the app isn't open.
• Turn-by-turn apps: Another long-awaited feature, Apple will now allow developers to create map features that provide turn-by-turn directions.
• "In-App" purchases: Users can now download features from inside of applications - like additional game levels or eBooks.
• Peer-to-peer connectivity: Using Bluetooth, iPhone users can link up to play games - or pass along their business cards.
Unfortunately, iPhone 3.0 software won't be available until the summer - but you've waited this long, what's another few months?
Updated Tuesday, March 17th 2009, 5:38 PM
Warga/News
Apple unveiled its 3.0 software for iPhone and iPod Touch on Tuesday.
Related News
Articles
Apple unveils new iPod Shuffle
Is Google evil?
Google now 'reads' your voicemail
Baseball cards go 3D
For nearly two years, the iPhone was a must-have device with one very conspicuous missing feature: copy and paste.
Not anymore.
Apple unveiled the next generation iPhone and iPod Touch software - version 3.0 - at its Cupertino, Calif., campus Tuesday - and, proving the rumor mill true, announced that the sought-after function will at last appear on the groundbreaking gadget.
Copy and paste - long a baffling omission from the iPhone's operating system - wasn't the only highlight of Tuesday's event, though. Here's just some of what iPhone owners also have to look forward to:
• MMS support: In 3.0, iPhone users can finally send and receive multimedia messages instead of just standard text messages. Up until now, users were limited to emailing photos or uploading them via the Web.
• Homescreen search: A new secondary homescreen that allows users to search for keywords in contacts, emails, calendars and more in one simple interface.
• Push notification: In previous versions of the iPhone software, if users closed an application - other than built-in apps like Mail or iPod - the apps would stop running. Now, through push notification, apps can alert users to updates, new messages, etc., even when the app isn't open.
• Turn-by-turn apps: Another long-awaited feature, Apple will now allow developers to create map features that provide turn-by-turn directions.
• "In-App" purchases: Users can now download features from inside of applications - like additional game levels or eBooks.
• Peer-to-peer connectivity: Using Bluetooth, iPhone users can link up to play games - or pass along their business cards.
Unfortunately, iPhone 3.0 software won't be available until the summer - but you've waited this long, what's another few months?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Google Inc. launches new 'Undo Send' email feature for Gmail users
Google Inc. launches new 'Undo Send' email feature for Gmail users
by Catey Hill daily news staff writer
Friday, March 20th 2009, 5:58 PM
Sabo/News
Ever cranked out an email in a fit of rage, only to regret it later? Hit 'reply all' when you only meant to hit 'reply'? Sent an email to a VIP only to realize seconds later that you didn't attach the file?
These and myriad other email 'situations' can be extradinarily unpleasant. But for Gmail users, many of them can now be a thing of the past.
So those of you who tend to get yourselves into unpleasant email 'situations' every now and then, take note: Gmail has launched an 'undo send' feature.
But there's a catch - you only get five seconds to hit 'undo send.' After that time window, well, you're on your own.
To enable this feature, Turn on 'Undo Send' option in 'Gmail Labs' under 'Settings.'
Now, if the geniuses at Google could only create an 'Undo Send' for all those times you say something that doesn't quite come out right
by Catey Hill daily news staff writer
Friday, March 20th 2009, 5:58 PM
Sabo/News
Ever cranked out an email in a fit of rage, only to regret it later? Hit 'reply all' when you only meant to hit 'reply'? Sent an email to a VIP only to realize seconds later that you didn't attach the file?
These and myriad other email 'situations' can be extradinarily unpleasant. But for Gmail users, many of them can now be a thing of the past.
So those of you who tend to get yourselves into unpleasant email 'situations' every now and then, take note: Gmail has launched an 'undo send' feature.
But there's a catch - you only get five seconds to hit 'undo send.' After that time window, well, you're on your own.
To enable this feature, Turn on 'Undo Send' option in 'Gmail Labs' under 'Settings.'
Now, if the geniuses at Google could only create an 'Undo Send' for all those times you say something that doesn't quite come out right
Monday, February 23, 2009
Immigration crackdown written into the new stimulus law will damage New York's financial sector
ahjo4 Feb 23, 2009 7:01:51 AM Report Offensive Post Let me get this straight Americans are at unemployment levels that are a record they say in decades. The President has signed a Stimulus Bill to put AMERICAN CITIZENS back to work, in the bill is a provision that states any company taking this money must hire Americans first and this paper which is supported by Americans citizens says that hiring H1-B foreign workers before should be acceptable. You people still have NOT GOTTEN IT, this is America if any company claims they cannot find qualified workers here, shouldn't be in business here. It's not surprising that the people on this Editorial Board still wish to put their self-interest and the best interest of the wealthy before the taxpayers who are footing this bill.Shame on you, I can wait for your editorial defending illegal aliens. You people never fail to bite and disappoint the hand that feeds you. I hope you can sell you papers in countries like India, when Americans can't purchase it because they're broke.Shame on you people! From--nydailynews.com ----------
Monday, February 23rd 2009, 4:00 AM
Immigration crackdown written into the new stimulus law will damage New York's financial sectorwill damage New York's financial sector - and must be repealed immediately
Monday, February 23rd 2009, 4:00 AM
Immigration crackdown written into the new stimulus law will damage New York's financial sectorwill damage New York's financial sector - and must be repealed immediately
Friday, February 13, 2009
Government’s New Online Cancer Risk Tool Omits Minorities
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Published: February 12, 2009
A new interactive online tool can help older Americans assess their risk for developing colon cancer. The catch is that it only works for whites.
That’s too bad, since blacks are at higher risk than whites for colorectal cancer, developing it and dying of it at higher rates, and recent reports suggest the racial gap is widening.
The new screening tool, developed by the National Cancer Institute and available at www.cancer.gov/colorectalcancerrisk, asks roughly 20 questions, the first two about race and ethnic background.
If the user answers “Hispanic” or “Black or African-American,” a box of red text pops up that says, “At this time the risk calculations and results provided by this tool are only accurate for non-Hispanic white men and women ages 50 to 85.” The text refers readers to another Web site for more information.
“I’m frankly a bit taken aback,” said Gail Christopher, vice president for programs at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, after being referred to the site by a reporter. “This is not acceptable. N.C.I. can do better.”
N.C.I. officials said they are modifying the risk assessment tool so it will be applicable to blacks, Hispanics and Asians, but said the data they used to test the model’s precision were drawn from studies with mostly older white participants. As a result, they weren’t able to estimate relative risks for people from other racial and ethnic groups, or for those younger than 50.
“It will be more difficult to validate this model in other ethnicities, because data is more difficult to come by,” said Dr. Andrew Freedman, the N.C.I. epidemiologist who authored the risk assessment tool.
But Dr. Christopher said that even if there were insufficient data to develop a tool applicable to all ethnic and racial groups based on existing information, N.C.I. officials “should have at least been more forthright in the opening paragraph and acknowledged the racial disparity with this disease up front, and offered some advice to people who face a greater risk, to perhaps seek out a different form of examination.”
"This was a major faux pas," she added.
After questions of race and ethnic background are settled, the risk assessment tool turns to questions about lifestyle, including how often one gets physical exercise and how many fruits and vegetables one eats (not counting French fries). There are questions about how often one takes aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (with the exception of Tylenol, they reduce the risk of colon cancer), whether there’s any colon cancer in the family, and whether one has been in for a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, which reduces risk.
Men are asked if they smoke, since smoking increases their risk. Women are asked whether they still menstruate or take estrogen, since estrogen is associated with a lower risk.
The risk assessment tool isn’t appropriate for people with Crohn’s disease and some other inherited conditions. A good explanation of the risk factors and protective behaviors can be found at http://www.cancer.gov/colorectalcancerrisk/about-tool.aspx.
Published: February 12, 2009
A new interactive online tool can help older Americans assess their risk for developing colon cancer. The catch is that it only works for whites.
That’s too bad, since blacks are at higher risk than whites for colorectal cancer, developing it and dying of it at higher rates, and recent reports suggest the racial gap is widening.
The new screening tool, developed by the National Cancer Institute and available at www.cancer.gov/colorectalcancerrisk, asks roughly 20 questions, the first two about race and ethnic background.
If the user answers “Hispanic” or “Black or African-American,” a box of red text pops up that says, “At this time the risk calculations and results provided by this tool are only accurate for non-Hispanic white men and women ages 50 to 85.” The text refers readers to another Web site for more information.
“I’m frankly a bit taken aback,” said Gail Christopher, vice president for programs at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, after being referred to the site by a reporter. “This is not acceptable. N.C.I. can do better.”
N.C.I. officials said they are modifying the risk assessment tool so it will be applicable to blacks, Hispanics and Asians, but said the data they used to test the model’s precision were drawn from studies with mostly older white participants. As a result, they weren’t able to estimate relative risks for people from other racial and ethnic groups, or for those younger than 50.
“It will be more difficult to validate this model in other ethnicities, because data is more difficult to come by,” said Dr. Andrew Freedman, the N.C.I. epidemiologist who authored the risk assessment tool.
But Dr. Christopher said that even if there were insufficient data to develop a tool applicable to all ethnic and racial groups based on existing information, N.C.I. officials “should have at least been more forthright in the opening paragraph and acknowledged the racial disparity with this disease up front, and offered some advice to people who face a greater risk, to perhaps seek out a different form of examination.”
"This was a major faux pas," she added.
After questions of race and ethnic background are settled, the risk assessment tool turns to questions about lifestyle, including how often one gets physical exercise and how many fruits and vegetables one eats (not counting French fries). There are questions about how often one takes aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (with the exception of Tylenol, they reduce the risk of colon cancer), whether there’s any colon cancer in the family, and whether one has been in for a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, which reduces risk.
Men are asked if they smoke, since smoking increases their risk. Women are asked whether they still menstruate or take estrogen, since estrogen is associated with a lower risk.
The risk assessment tool isn’t appropriate for people with Crohn’s disease and some other inherited conditions. A good explanation of the risk factors and protective behaviors can be found at http://www.cancer.gov/colorectalcancerrisk/about-tool.aspx.
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