Obama pushes Congress on millionaires' tax

President Barack Obama speaks a fundraiser at Southern Maine Community College, Friday, March, 30, 2012 in Portland, Maine. Obama campaigned throughout New England on Friday. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama speaks a fundraiser at Southern Maine Community College, Friday, March, 30, 2012 in Portland, Maine. Obama campaigned throughout New England on Friday. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Obama speaks at a campaign stop at Southern Maine Community College, Friday, March 30, 2012, in South Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

President Barack Obama waves to the crowd after speaking at a fundraiser at Southern Maine Community College, Friday, March, 30, 2012 in Portland, Maine. Obama is traveling to both Maine and Vermont on campaign fundraisers. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama is cheered-on by supporters as he speak at a fundraiser at Southern Maine Community College, Friday, March, 30, 2012 in Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/ Pablo Martinez Monzivais)

President Barack Obama, center, greets supporters before speaking a fundraiser at Southern Maine Community College, Friday, March, 30, 2012 in Portland, Maine. Obama traveling to both Maine and Vermont on campaign fundraisers. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to increase taxes on millionaires, reviving a proposal he first pitched last September that aims to draw sharp election-year lines between the president and the Republican opposition.

The plan, scheduled for a vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate on April 16, stands little chance of passing in Congress. But it is a prominent symbol of the efforts the president and congressional Democrats are making to portray themselves as champions of economic fairness. Republicans dismiss the idea as a political stunt with little real effect on the budget.

"We don't envy success in this country. We aspire to it," Obama said in his Saturday radio and Internet address. "But we also believe that anyone who does well for themselves should do their fair share in return, so that more people have the opportunity to get ahead ? not just a few."

Obama calls the plan the "Buffett Rule" for Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor who has complained that rich people like him pay a smaller share of their income in federal taxes than middle-class taxpayers. Many wealthy taxpayers earn investment income, which is taxed at 15 percent. Obama has proposed that people earning at least $1 million annually ? whether in salary or investments ? should pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes.

The push for the Buffett Rule comes as millions of Americans focus on their taxes with the approach of this year's April filing deadline.

It also draws renewed attention to the effective tax rate of Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, a millionaire who is paying 15.4 percent in federal taxes for 2011 on income mostly derived from investments.

By contrast, the top nominal rate for taxpayers with high incomes derived from wages, not investments, is 35 percent.

In his remarks Saturday, the president encouraged listeners to pressure their members of Congress "to stop giving tax breaks to people who don't need them."

While the plan would force millionaires and billionaires to part with more of their money, Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that if enacted, legislation reflecting Obama's proposal would collect $47 billion through 2022 ? a trickle compared with the $7 trillion in federal budget deficits projected during that period.

Obama also renewed his call for ending tax cuts for taxpayers earning more than $250,000. Those breaks, enacted during President George W. Bush's first term, expire at the end of this year.

"Today, the wealthiest Americans are paying taxes at one of the lowest rates in 50 years," Obama said. "Warren Buffett is paying a lower rate than his secretary. Meanwhile, over the last 30 years, the tax rates for middle-class families have barely budged."

The new effort comes just days after the Senate fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance Obama-initiated legislation that would have ended $4 billion in annual subsidies to oil and gas companies. Two Republicans voted with Obama and four Democrats voted against him.

In the Republican address, House Speaker John Boehner challenged Obama to get behind energy proposals backed by House Republicans, sustaining a GOP drive to blame the administration for high gas prices in an election year. Boehner called for more oil and gas production in federal lands and for a freeze in new regulations over refineries.

He criticized Obama for pushing the anti-oil subsidy bill and for pressing Senate Democrats to vote down an effort to jump-start an oil pipeline project from Canada to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. He said Obama, in a meeting with congressional leaders a month ago, had shown a willingness to embrace some House Republican energy ideas.

"It was a new sign of hope, but unfortunately, only a brief one," Boehner said.

"The pain at the pump is an urgent issue for hardworking taxpayers and it deserves the same urgency from leaders here in Washington," he added.

Associated Press

slither slither chris christie naacp glen campbell jerusalem artichoke bud shootout

Determining What Is The Best Day Trading Strategy | forexa.org

You Are Here: Home ? Investing & Trading ? Determining What Is The Best Day Trading Strategy

One of the best ways to increase the chances of success with trading is for a trader to try and match their own individual personality with the specific techniques employed in the field.

Day trading is the practice of buying and selling financial instruments, such as securities, within the same trading day. Traders who practice day trading are called active traders or day traders. This field used to reserve for financial firms, fund mangers, investment firms, and banks. With the advent of electronic and online day trading, however, it has become accessible to almost anybody interested in the practice.

Day Trading Strategies

There are several day trading techniques and strategies available to traders in order to help them generate a profit, but the basic strategies are as follows:

News playing, Trend following, Rebate trading, and Contrarian investing

Contrarian investing is basically a form of day trading which follows the ideology that those securities which have been rising steadily, will eventually begin to fall. If securities have been falling, then the exact opposite view is applied.

News playing, as the name suggests, is the technique of buying and selling securities based on news released by the company.

Rebate Trading is a trading strategy that uses ECN rebates as its primary source of income. This strategy usually involves purchasing low priced securities in large volumes.

Scalping on the other hand involves establishing and liquidating financial securities in a very short space of time. In fact, it is not uncommon for traders who follow this route to purchase and sell securities within minutes, or even seconds.

Trend following is basically the exact opposite of contrarian investing, in that traders who use this strategy will usually assume that rising securities will continue to rise, while falling securities will continue to fall.

Other well known day trading strategies include the likes of ?short sells? and ?range-trading?.

Determining What The Best Strategy Is

It is estimated that up to 80% of day traders loose their available capital before they are able to learn the strategies that can help ensure success. It is therefore important to tread lightly and take smaller risks when starting out. It is also important to find the right strategy or strategies that earn the trader the most profit. Below are tips on finding the right day trading strategies.

Matching the right strategy with the right trader ? one of the most important things to bear in mind is that it?s essential to match a trader?s individual personality, their strengths, and also their comfort level, with the correct strategy. In other words, those who feel uncomfortable taking risks should rather consider scalping or news playing, rather than becoming involved with contrarian investing, which for the most part is best suited to those who are willing to take risks.

Starting mall and treading lightly ? newcomers in particular should start out slowly by making small investments, as this will afford them an opportunity to learn about the different advantages and disadvantages regarding the different strategies.

Day traders can also benefit from using more than one strategy at a time. For example, a trader could consider investing the majority of there capital using a low risk strategy, while at the same time investing a small portion of their capital using one of the higher risk categories such as contrarian investing.

Are you tired of scraping by at your day job? Why not get into the stock trading and make some money the easy way? with the guidance of artificial intelligence! Learn more about how to make money trading now. You can also check trading for a living info.

Incoming search terms:

• day traders
• Electronic Day Trading

super bowl kick off chili recipes carlos condit diaz vs condit super bowl 2012 kickoff time football score ron paul nevada

New York police accused of "uncivilized" arrest of diplomat

[ [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Afghan security forces and police killed three', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/H9BcJE', '[Related: Bales\' wife on his alleged shooting: \'He would not do that\']', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['looking for fireworks between the opposing camps', 16]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSvEsj', '[RELATED:\?It?s going to be a circus\?: Activists begin protests outside Supreme Court]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 8]], 'http://yhoo.it/GE6jSh', '[RELATED: Obama\?s health care law passed 2 years ago, but where are we now\?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Witnesses said the gunman pulled up on a black scooter', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GzwOIW', '[Related: New York police tighten security at Jewish sites]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['test Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs', 11]], 'http://yhoo.it/Gzn6VF', '[Related: White House says Trayvon Martin is local issue]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GUovUP', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/61/261d2c36bccf0971c2734a4d4398aa5a.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP/David Goldman', ], [ [['Can you create commerce in order to regulate it', 9]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSgtu8', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/78/778e2416573870cd705774e92403447d.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP/Charles Dharapak', ], [ [['associated with such a small earthquake', 4]], 'http://yhoo.it/GTco9z', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/0/b4/0b493c1a47b6e3f97f8f48a2b251d7d4.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger', ], [ [['Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GKMVTk', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/7c/27c7367bc512d233ae1790b320a5e92c.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['The charges signed against Bales include', 1]], 'http://yhoo.it/wZT5zV', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/a0/7a07c51b2aa0f39b1a23355046d13870.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP Photo/DVIDS\, Spc\. Ryan Hallock\, File', ], [ [['George Zimmerman, if I had a son', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/thousands-protest-fla-teen-death-1332387124-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/22/d761a49f3fcc99080a0f6a70670053cd-jpg_150905.jpg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['Mohamed Merah', 10], ['prosecutor Francois Molins', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/four-dead-in-french-jewish-school-shooting-1332173151-slideshow', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120321/2012_03_21t151508z_425380421_gm1e83l1sqs01_rtrmadp_3_france_shootings_raid.jpg', '630', ' ', 'REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier', ], [ [['Shortly after he wrapped up his victory remarks', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['best understands the problems of average Americans', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GB2RVy', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/20/photo-1332257995646-4-0-jpg_171722.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AFP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

49ers game ravens ray lewis baltimore ravens steven tyler national anthem paterno penn state

Fear grows in O.C. cities near San Onofre nuclear plant

Concern over the safety of the San Onofre nuclear power plant is growing among Orange County cities closest to the facility, which has been shut down since January because of system failures.

Officials in nearby San Clemente and Laguna Beach ? both within 20 miles of the San Onofre facility ? have registered their fears after significant wear was found on hundreds of tubes carrying radioactive water inside the plant's generators.

Residents in the Orange County beach towns for years have lived with the twin-domed nuclear plant as a backdrop. In San Clemente, which falls within the plant's 10-mile evacuation zone, city-issued potassium iodide tablets and siren drills have become a fact of life.

But with scenes of the nuclear disaster in Japan fresh in people's minds, the recent closure has raised consciousness about nuclear issues and prompted critics to double down on their disapproval.

Some city officials are now calling for the decommissioning of the San Onofre site. The plant's license is set to expire in 2022.

"The plant should be shut down, period," said Verna Rollinger, mayor pro tem in Laguna Beach. "I have never supported it, and I wish nuclear energy was safe because it's a relatively clean energy source, but it's also so dangerous that I don't think we should be counting on that for our future energy needs."

She added: "I think people are concerned, and for good reason."

The mayor of San Clemente, Lori Donchak, wrote to federal officials asking that they demand a permanent disposal place for spent nuclear fuel, and others have asked that they consider expanding the evacuation zone beyond the current 10-mile radius.

Federal regulatory officials said the facility remains safe and the process to repair the damaged tubes is part of the effort to ensure those living nearby aren't endangered.

"San Onofre is being operated safely ? that's the bottom line," said Victor Dricks, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

But now that the facility has been off-line for some time, with power still flowing to homes and businesses without interruption, some have asked why it needs to come back into service. "The question is," Rollinger said, "how difficult would it be to go without it?"

Southern California Edison, which operates the San Onofre facility, said San Onofre is vital to providing electricity to a densely populated, high-consuming area like Southern California, with 20% of the region's electricity coming from nuclear plants.

"San Onofre is critical to that grid stability," said Jennifer Manfrey, a company spokeswoman, who added that the company is making up for the difference by purchasing power from different sources on the market ? a solution that can't continue indefinitely, particularly with the increase in consumption in the summer months. Other clean energy sources, such as wind and solar, aren't enough to close the gap.

But Marion Pack, a political organizer who opposes the facility, said the price for that energy source remains too high. "When you have to have all these safety measures," she said, "it says to me there is an inherent danger."

rick.rojas@latimes.com

michigan state city creek center andrew luck pro day josh johnson kim kardashian flour matt forte jeremy shockey

Interview with Mountain Bike Skills Coach and BetterRide Founder ...

?Athletic ability can only take an athlete so far?and if an athlete doesn?t have the basics wired they will stop?progressing well before they reach their potential. I know many?athletes who can ski, snowboard and/or mountain bike and get down the?mountain quickly, but they have bad habits and are surviving on?athletic ability and daring, not skills. To?win at the world cup level, or?even for a recreational rider to improve, the rider must master the?fundamentals of the sport.? Gene Hamilton

Gene Hamilton was a professional snowboard racer turned snowboarding coach. He was no stranger to extreme sports training, but when he started mountain biking he was frustrated by the lack of instruction and information available to help him train. Gene gave up snowboard coaching and set out to learn everything he could about mountain biking technique; he poured over videos of race footage, interviewed top riders, and read books by motocross coaches. His passion for riding and love of teaching manifested into a great learning vacation company called BetterRide, and in the 13 years since he has coached many of the world?s best mountain bike racers, as well as hundreds of recreational riders. ?Learning Experience caught up with Gene for an inspiring Q & A about mountain biking and the rewards of taking a learning vacation.

LE- Do the BetterRide camps cater more to advanced riders and competitors in?training, or beginner/ intermediate recreational riders?
GH- This an interesting question and the short answer is both! A typical?camp of 14 will have nine beginner/ intermediate recreational riders,?three amateur racers and possibly two pro racers all learning the?exact same core skills. How can we coach great racers next to advanced?beginner riders? ?The answer starts with understanding the difference?between experienced and skilled, they are often quite different. Just?because someone has been something along time does not make them?technically good at it. For example, if three friends wanted to become?strong martial art fighters and two of them decided they would just?fight each other five times a week for five years while the other one?went to a Karate instructor five days a week for just one year, who?would be a more skilled martial artist?

In 20 years of coaching I have learned how to get students to?understand important techniques in a fun and structured class. ?We demonstrate the?skill and have the riders practice it, utilizing drills that?they will continue to use long after the camp. Once the riders?understand the skills we then apply them on the trail. Often the less?experienced riders catch on quicker because they are fighting fewer?and less ingrained bad habits.

LE- How have you seen mountain biking change in the last 10 years?

GH- There have been huge changes in equipment and in what kinds of riding?and racing are popular. In the 90?s and early 2000?s most bikes had a?specific purpose, xc racing, downhill racing or free-riding. These?bikes were one dimensional, the xc bikes climbed great and were quite?light but were not exactly confidence inspiring on the downhills (and?the bikes sold to most first time riders and beginners were based off?of these bikes! It was like sending out beginner surfers on 6? boards,?not exactly confidence inspiring) while the downhill and free-ride?bikes were fun going downhill they were/are a nightmare to climb as?they weighed 36-50 pounds! ?As full-suspension mountain bikes have?become lighter there has been a big increase in the 4?-6? travel bikes?that make riding a lot easier and more fun. 29??wheeled bikes have really been exploding too as they also make riding?easier and more fun. ?New technology has lead to more ?all-mountain riding? versus strict?cross country or strict downhill as these bikes bridge the gap between?the two. If a rider can only afford one bike a 5-6? travel??all-mountain bike? allows them to climb almost as well a strict cross?country bike yet descend almost as well as a downhill bike.

On the racing side the two biggest new disciplines (the older being?downhill and cross country) are endurance racing and endurance?downhill/enduro racing.

Endurance races are set by time or distance with 24 hour races and 100?mile off-road races being the two most popular. The attendance at?these races is amazing with many selling out at a capped 600-1000?racer limit. There are also races that cover 2,000-3,000 miles and?last weeks (although they have far less competitors). ?Endurance downhill racing (including races know as Super-D and Enduro)?is also really gaining popularity as you can use your everyday bike?(instead of a special purpose downhill bike) and it is much less?dangerous than downhill racing.

LE- Any thoughts on where it is headed?

GH-Mountain biking is headed for a lot of growth! Bike parks are popping?up in towns across the world and people are starting to realize what a?great life long sport it is. You don?t need a team or big group to do?it, you can do it anywhere, it is a lot of fun and keeps you in shape. ?Bikes really could save the world!

LE- You host camps in locations all over the country. Do you have return guests that plan mountain biking trips to coincide with these?camps, or do you offer them in so many locations to reach local?communities of riders?

GH-We are fortunate to have a lot of return campers and many do take a?camp as part of a longer riding vacation. One of our goals is to bring?the riding and coaching to the people so we travel all over the States?to many towns that aren?t exactly a mountain bike destination but have?a lot of riders. We also have camps in popular riding destinations?like Bend, OR, Moab, UT, Elijay, GA, Asheville, NC, Fruita, CO,?Sedona, AZ, Park City, UT, Lake Tahoe, CA and Hurricane, UT so?students can plan a riding vacation around their camp (and so I and?our coaches get to work in cool places!).

LE- What do you look for in an instructor when you hire them?

GH-Personality! I am only interested in friendly, modest and patient?people to serve as coaches. All of our coaches must first be students?and that is how I have meet all of our coaches. One of our most famous?coaches is World Champion Sue Haywood and she attended a camp, learned?a lot and liked our curriculum so much she asked to attend our coaches?school and become a a coach! Coaching is much more than being good at?something, a good coach must be able to communicate well and teach?their students how to ride well. I have found that the best students?(interested, curious, not afraid to look silly or fail and a desire to?really be the best rider than can be) make the best coaches.

LE- What was the biggest challenge you faced when starting BetterRide?

GH-?It?s like riding a bike!? That saying explains the biggest challenge,?the resistance to coaching from the riding community. It took a long?time for riders to realize that coaching can really help them. It was?amazing (and still is to some degree) the amount of people who thought?that they could improve their skills by simply riding more! Even more?amazing is how personal some people take the IDEA of being coached. I?have no problem with someone disagreeing with being coached, don?t?seek coaching, problem solved. What I didn?t expect was all of the?hate directed at me that I would get (and still sometimes get) from?people who don?t believe in education. Fortunately now that we have?coached some of the best racers in the world (the same techniques that?we teach all our students) and they have publicly stated how much they?have learned the idea of mountain bike coaching being a valuable way?to learn is now much more accepted.

LE- What has been the biggest reward?

GH-Wow, do I have to list one?! Seriously, there have been many. The?thank you emails are definitely what make this worth doing. It makes?my day when a student takes the time to email me and thank me for?helping them improve. Now I get emails thanking me for creating our?curriculum and training such good coaches to teach it! Most recently?helping others (our coaches) grow and make a living doing what they?love!

LE- What do you love about learning vacations?

GH-I?m not the kind to sit on the beach drinking an umbrella drink! It is?great to get away from my everyday life but continue to grow and learn?at the same time!

For more info about BetterRide mountain bike clinics and camps, check out their site at www.BetterRide.net or on Facebook at?http://www.facebook.com/BetterRide

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

Source: http://learningexperienceblog.com/2012/03/30/interview-with-mountain-bike-skills-coach-and-betterride-founder-gene-hamilton/

sopa marg helgenberger censorship wikipedia sopa and pipa bills censoring the internet blackout

'The Snowy Day' celebrates its 50th anniversary

Fifty years after the publication of 'The Snowy Day' with its young African American protagonist, there's still a surprising lack of diversity in children's books.

In 1962, a little boy named Peter woke up to a world full of snow. Putting on an orange snowsuit, the little boy ran outside: ?Crunch, crunch, crunch, his feet sank into the snow.? Thus begins?The Snowy Day, the 1962 picture book written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats. This March marks the 50th anniversary of the Caldecott Medal-winning story that has enchanted readers for decades.

Skip to next paragraph

Peter?s wondrous day full of snow angels and snowballs is something so many children can relate to. Peter is also African American. And with this quiet, yet significant illustrative decision, made in the midst of the Civil Rights movement, Keats?s book became the first full-color, mainstream picture book to feature a black boy as the main character.

A critical ? if not uncontroversial ? success, Keats received letters from fans across the country, including the poet Langston Hughes, who wrote that he wished he had some grandchildren to give the story to. One reviewer in?The Baltimore Sun?commented, ?The fact that the artist has pictured Peter as a Negro child, quite without making any particular point of it, is a pleasant surprise.?

The character of Peter was based off a set of photos clipped from a 1940 issue of?Life?magazine. For 22 years, Keats kept those photos on his wall, hoping to be asked to illustrate a book about such a boy. But it wasn?t until he decided finally to write a book himself was he able to use them.

Deborah Pope, Executive Director of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, is careful to point out Keats wasn?t trying to make a big statement.?

?He made the hero black, because he was there,? Pope said. ?Ezra grew up in a city where as we know there is the broadest range of humanity. And so this boy was there, and so he put him in the book. It wasn?t anything really more complicated than that.??

Pope was 10 years old when?The Snowy Day?first came out. The daughter of Keats? boyhood best friend, she said she took for granted the work of her Uncle Ezra for many years ? until she had children. ?And then I understood,? she said. As head of the foundation, Pope has devoted her life to using the late illustrator?s royalties to promote and support the work of librarians, teachers and aspiring artists who continue in the tradition of Keats.

In particular, the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer and New Illustrator Awards, announced annually in April, embody this commitment. The awards celebrate ?people at the beginning of their careers, creating beautiful books, about children of every sort, so that children of every sort can see themselves in the book,? Pope said. ?It?s very important that these not be cause books. They are books that say, this is a great story. It?s not that we?re all equal, it?s not that we?re all the same. We just are.??

Keats? work has also been cited as the inspiration behind some of today?s most decorated authors and illustrators. Bryan Collier, whose intricate watercolor and collage creations have been honored with multiple Caldecott Medals and Coretta Scott King Awards, as well as an Ezra Jack Keats Award, remembers his mother bringing home a copy of?The Snowy Day?when he was just four or five years old.

?I don?t know what it was,? Collier said, ?but when I saw that boy Peter, he looked like me. I was like, Wow!?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Plj3ayRHT8s/The-Snowy-Day-celebrates-its-50th-anniversary

ricin in god we trust damian mcginty tj houshmandzadeh tj houshmandzadeh the little couple bubba smith

Internet Web hosting Information Everyone Should Know | Tips and ...

A hold is generally a server or rack of servers that ?hosts? the files composing your site via the Online. Businesses typically supply a variety of offers at different prices because of their holding professional services, but it?s important that you make a choice along with your potential future business under consideration, and not just preserving several bucks right now.

Understand that internet hosting is actually a commitment. Often, you may enter into a deal and not be able to cancel your prepare for around annually. When you give some thought to your alternatives carefully to make educated selections, it will be possible to operate an effective site on a number you can trust.

When you are planning to make positive changes to web hold, terminate your current accounts only right after your domain address server has entirely modified up to the new 1, and your new net host is actively hosting your website. Trying to keep your older account active makes sure that your website visitors could access your site for the old servers throughout the migration. This enables for any easy changeover.

When you find yourself choosing a website hosting organization, it is vital that you rely on not just a couple of parts of advice on a recommendation. Several recommendations are from those who haven?t even skilled the net hosting company they are recommending. Select smartly, do your research, and know numerous things concerning the organization that you select.

Investigate the refund insurance policies prior to signing on by using a web hold. You are doing not want to wait until anything will go improper prior to determining that you will be not gonna get one of the money which you have spent within your internet site back when the variety is catagorized short of your objectives.

Prior to signing up having a net holding program, give some thought to the fact that you may want to add more internet sites in the foreseeable future. This would ensure that your possibilities open up when you begin with a company that enables for several web site holding. Look at the estimated number of websites you might add, as some website internet hosting companies enables for unrestricted add-on websites, to check out the best choice.

Ensure that you aspect in the price of a hold when picking one. If you?ve possibly noticed that some thing is just also very good to be real, then it probable is. This definitely relates to web hosting. You shouldn?t purchase an internet-internet hosting prepare that is really inexpensive. If a strategy is extremely low in fee, then it probably won?t supply higher-good quality holding. As a result, invest in a support which offers an acceptable selling price for the good quality that you simply expect.

Regardless how wonderful your content or how authentic your internet site layout, if your web variety isn?t up to the job, no person will actually see it. The recommendations above will help you assess internet internet hosting companies to make wise judgements about who you entrust together with your website holding demands.

In case you crave additional knowledge in relation to inmotion hosting, visit Shanika V Basford?s web page without hesitation.

Source: http://tipsatricks.com/internet-web-hosting-information-everyone-should-know

epidemiology total eclipse of the heart jionni lavalle earthquake san francisco donald payne elizabeth berkley mlb 12 the show

Nokia launches China smartphone, hopes for rebound

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announces the launch of the company's new Lumia 800C smartphone in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Struggling cellphone maker Nokia launched its first smartphone design for China on Wednesday, looking to the world's biggest mobile market to help drive a turnaround.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announces the launch of the company's new Lumia 800C smartphone in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Struggling cellphone maker Nokia launched its first smartphone design for China on Wednesday, looking to the world's biggest mobile market to help drive a turnaround.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, right, smiles as Sina.com CEO Charles Chao, left, takes a photo of them and Wang Xiaochu, Chairman of China Telecoms, center, with Nokia's newly launched Lumia 800C smartphone in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Struggling cellphone maker Nokia launched its first smartphone design for China on Wednesday, looking to the world's biggest mobile market to help drive a turnaround.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, third from right and Wang Xiaochu, Chairman of China Telecoms, second from left, are shown the way for a photo shoot as they arrive to attend the launch of the new Nokia smartphone Lumia 800C in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Struggling cellphone maker Nokia launched its first smartphone design for China on Wednesday, looking to the world's biggest mobile market to help drive a turnaround.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

A Chinese man pushes his dog on a wheelchair past the venue of the Nokia product launch in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Struggling cellphone maker Nokia launched its first smartphone design for China on Wednesday, looking to the world's biggest mobile market to help drive a turnaround.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

BEIJING (AP) ? Struggling cellphone maker Nokia Corp. launched its first smartphone for China on Wednesday, looking to the world's biggest mobile market to help drive its 1-year-old turnaround effort.

Nokia said its Lumia 800C will be supported by China Telecom Ltd., one of the country's three major state-owned carriers.

The Finnish company, once the global industry leader, launched a corporate turnaround effort after falling behind Apple Inc. and other competitors in tapping into the popularity of smartphones.

China is the world's biggest mobile phone market with about 900 million accounts, and is Nokia's biggest market. Nokia is one of China's most prominent brands but its market share has slipped amid intense competition from Apple's iPhone and phones made by South Korea's Samsung and other rivals.

"China is critically important for Nokia," CEO Stephen Elop said at a product debut held in an aircraft hangar-size tent with pop music and dancers. He was joined on stage by the China Telecom chairman, Wang Xiaochu.

Colin Giles, Nokia's executive vice president for global sales, pointed to the rollout of four Lumia models over the past year as evidence of the company's revival.

"We've been demonstrating innovation and some leadership as well," Giles told reporters after the event. "We are changing and transforming ourselves as we go."

Chinese consumers are increasingly important to global electronics and other brands as their spending rises at a time of economic malaise in the United States, Japan and Europe.

Free-spending Chinese gadget lovers bought 70 million smartphones last year and sales are forecast to rise by 45 percent this year, according to Analysys International, a research firm in Beijing.

"Even a part of that would make a substantial market for any of these players," said David Wolf, a technology marketing consultant in Beijing. "It could be the one factor that ensures survival."

Globally, Nokia also has been squeezed by phones running Google Inc.'s Android system and by lower-end Asian manufacturers. Its market share plummeted to below 30 percent last year from 40 percent in 2008.

Nokia announced this year it would stop assembling phones in Europe by year-end and shift production to Asia. It announced 4,000 job cuts on top of nearly 10,000 layoffs last year.

In China, the Lumia 800C will go on sale in early April for 3,599 yuan ($570), according to Elop.

Nokia and China Telecom plan to release a lower-priced model, the 610C, aimed at students and other budget users, according to Elop. He said the Lumia 900C and the 710C sold in other markets also will be brought to China over time.

Nokia also will roll out Lumia models for the networks of China's two other major carriers, China Mobile Ltd. and China Unicom Ltd., said Colin Giles, Nokia's executive vice president for global sales and manager of its China unit until 2010.

The Lumia 800C will run on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Phone, giving that system its first major exposure in a Chinese market dominated by iPhones and Android.

In the United States, AT&T Inc. announced Monday it will sell the Lumia 900 running Windows Phone for $100 with a two-year contract.

Giles expressed confidence Nokia can make up for its late entry into China's smartphone market on the strength of an extensive retail presence and close ties with local developers of services that form a large part of the appeal of smartphones.

Nokia has formed partnerships with leading Chinese Web companies such as search engine Baidu and portals Sina, Sohu and Tencent to create services. The company says it and Microsoft will provide financing for entrepreneurs to develop Windows Phone-based applications.

"We're creating innovation in China for China, which some of our competitors are not doing," Giles said.

Nokia phones are sold in some 200,000 retail outlets in China including the company's own stores and other distributors, according to Anna Shipley, its communications director for China, Japan and Korea.

Giles said the company plans an extensive marketing campaign on television and online.

Nokia has a stronger brand in China than it does in the United States but will need to revitalize sales and relations with retailers who have seen demand for its products falter, said Wolf, chairman of Wolf Group Asia.

"They've got a lot of work ahead of them," he said.

___

Online:

www.nokia.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-03-28-AS-China-Nokia/id-140c8b3846154222980ae7779f09375b

birth control pill recall ground hog day florida primary results black history groundhogs day paula abdul mitt romney

Ways To Achieve Positive Results Through Home-improvement ...

Preparation is absolutely necessary when trying to plan for a home improvement project that will actually work. Uncountable problems may arise, especially for those that do not plan their home repairs in advance. To help you avoid this type of scenario, we?ll be covering some useful guidelines for planning a home improvement project. Learn more at Sydney Wedding Photography

When you plan any kind of renovations or improvements, don?t just think about the present, but also plan for the future. For example, before putting in a home office or artist?s studio for yourself or another family member, consider how long you think you?ll be living in your home. Unless you believe such an addition will increase your home?s value, it might not make sense if you plan to sell your home in a few years.

Before you build a playroom for your young children, consider that it will become obsolete when your kids outgrow it. Not all home improvements will increase your homes value, so you need to do your research before you start any project. Visit us here ?Wedding Photographer Sydney

You might want to consider adding additional storage space in your home to improve the overall look and feel inside.

It is remarkable how adding additional storage space to your house can make it so much more appealing. Your entire home will benefit because you will have much more room to operate with due to the excess clutter being properly organized. Doing this is actually very easy to accomplish. You can add shelves to your closets or in your garage. You could purchase or build a storage shed on your property. Storage space is something that can be achieved by remodeling your attic or basement. Making your home more comfortable and spacious is possible when you remove the clutter. Visit your local Wedding photographers

Do you have projects around your house that need to be done? By doing these little things, it can improve your home in a large way. People that will do the smaller projects can quickly improve their home?s aesthetic appeal. They can also avoid these small projects and prevent the house from looking good at all. This includes leaky faucets, broken appliances, window shades that need replacing, broken doorknobs and so forth. These type of issues don?t usually cost much to repair, but if you ignore them they can start to pile up and give your home a run down look. It doesn?t matter if you make these repairs yourself or hire a handyman or specialist; the important thing is that they get taken care of. So even if you?re planning to do some major renovations, make sure you pay attention to all of the details as well.

There are several things you need to consider before doing any type of home renovation project. If you do you?re planning well in advance, you are less likely to have things go wrong during the project. Even if you are hiring someone to do your home improvement project, pay attention to every stage of the project until its completion.

Tags: sydney wedding photography, wedding photography sydney

Source: http://www.womenonair.biz/ways-to-achieve-positive-results-through-home-improvement-planning/

standing rib roast its a wonderful life its a wonderful life rex ryan yule log ham recipes adrian peterson

Record labels come to life in the music industry. Indie artists get your ...

The period between the introduction of the CD and the introduction of online music websites was rosy indeed.

Now the music industry has changed more in the past five years than it has in the past 20 years. Few industry professionals expected the changes that have occurred in the past few years. Album sales are down while marketing costs are high. The bottom line is that indie artists are moving to self-publishing.

Most music artists havent been able to find the necessary tools and resources to help them market their music. While an aspiring artist may have been fortunate to meet some record labels representatives at a recent gig ? has that turned into a successful career?

Many musicians are not familiar enough with the business of music to be able to negotiate a deal that is beneficial for all parties. Some are unsure, what it is they should be looking for whether it is marketing support, studio time and most importantly the guidance and music industry experience.

An important resource enables its members to connect with people who are looking to manage, promote, book, market and be part of the next wave of the music scene. From opportunities to having your music heard at festivals to finding the right management representative whose goals are concurrent with yours.

There has never been a better time for aspiring musicians as the industry is hungry for new music talent. With the right tools and resources, you can build your connections to the players in the industry and with your fans.

With the overwhelming number of talented individuals in Canada, United States and around the world, the New Music Label community continues to grow with more Music Artists, Musicians, Producers, Agents and Record Labels looking to work together. Find record labels on our site.

No related posts.

Source: http://bitinfinite.com/record-labels-come-to-life-in-the-music-industry-indie-artists-get-your-music-heard-by-real-industry-professionals/

weather houston weather houston small business saturday small business saturday hank baskett beyonce dance for you beyonce dance for you

Cop goes undercover to bust California students

EXETER, Calif. (AP) ? On his second trip through high school, former C-student Alex Salinas got a lot of A's.

He was 22, however, and an undercover narcotics officer going by the name Johnny Ramirez. When his first semester progress report showed a 3.25 average, the baby-faced police rookie made a mental note: Stop turning in homework assignments.

Eight months later, the ruse was up, and Exeter, a bucolic citrus-growing community in California's Central Valley, was turned on its ear after a school-day police sweep ended with a dozen Exeter High students in custody on drug charges.

Some people wondered how the deception by Salinas could have gone on for so long in the small town of just 10,000 people. Others lamented that the problems of the big city had come to the quaint community of antique shops and historic murals set amid a stunning backdrop of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada.

"It's amazing we were able to keep a secret in this little town for that long," said Police Chief Cliff Bush, who had been searching for years for just the right officer to pull off the undercover ploy. "People in little towns tend to know everything about everybody."

Leading the campus sweep this month was the tall, lanky Salinas, dressed in the crisp black uniform and combat boots of the Exeter Police Department instead of the T-shirts and sneakers he had worn as Johnny Ramirez.

Still, there was no mistaking the boyish face and the wide smile gleaming with braces.

"A lot of jaws dropped when they saw me," Salinas said. "They knew me as that kid at school that they hung around with, and then the next thing they're in handcuffs and I'm in a uniform."

The sting got more attention from the media than a drug bust of 12 students normally would because of something the chief now laments: It happened the same week as the debut of the Hollywood comedy "21 Jump Street," which features ? you got it ? undercover cops fighting crime at a high school.

Chief Bush insisted it was not a case of life imitating art.

"A day or two later I became aware of the movie," Bush said. "The last thing I would do is check movie premieres. This just happened to coincide with the movie's release."

There had been no major complaints about drug dealing at the 1,000-student school that sits within sight of the police station, but Bush said he had been thinking for years about doing an undercover sting to send a message.

One day last summer, he ran into Salinas, who was weeks away from graduating from the police academy. Salinas had ridden along with Bush years earlier when the chief was still a patrolman.

Bush eventually approached Salinas with the plan. With it came a full-time job on the city's 17-member Police Department ? an offer Salinas wouldn't refuse.

As Johnny Ramirez, Salinas attended Monarch football games and pep rallies. He purposely landed himself in detention so he could meet people outside of the four classes he attended before reporting each afternoon to the county drug task force headquarters for briefings and homework assignments. He made a Facebook page and forged friendships, which made the deception hard for him to bear.

"There were a few students I got to know who are good kids, and I did feel kind of bad for being their friend and then being something different," he said.

Only the principal, vice principal and Johnny's guidance counselor knew about the operation, school Superintendent Renee Whitson said.

"Even I didn't know the name he'd go by," she said.

Still, a moment of panic erupted on the first day of school last fall when a teacher pointed to the new kid and joked, "We've got a new narc on campus. They tell me he's wearing a green shirt." Johnny Ramirez's shirt was green.

Eventually students sold the new kid marijuana and cocaine, the prescription painkiller hydrocodone and the muscle relaxant Soma.

"There was certainly no celebration on the day of conclusion. It was a very sad day," Whitson said. "These are our students. We hope this is the necessary wakeup call to make this positive for their lives."

As the school year winds down, the arrested students are in the midst of review board hearings. Only three are older than 18, and one student's parents were also arrested for investigation of methamphetamine possession.

In the end, large quantities of drugs were not confiscated and none of the arrests involved trafficking significant quantities, though many purchases were for amounts that exceeded "personal use," Salinas said.

Was it worth keeping an officer off Exeter's streets and on a school campus for eight months?

Yes, Chief Bush said. But he is almost embarrassed that the undercover operation has garnered so much publicity, mostly because of his own bad timing regarding the release of "21 Jump Street."

"This is what I was trying to avoid, that we busted the local Scarface at the high school," Bush said, making reference to another Hollywood movie, this one about a drug kingpin. "Turns out they were just tiny amounts, but if you've got just one kid dealing drugs at school, that's too many."

The chief hopes the arrests have a lasting impact on all students, though he does realize he might have created a problem of another kind in Exeter.

"I'd hate to be the new kid at school next year," he said. "They won't make very many friends."

____

Follow Tracie Cone at http://twitter.com/TConeAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-03-28-Undercover%20School%20Narc/id-75fd440e23fc4f05a75d16a576870642

paul babeu kevin costner budweiser shootout animal house invincible jesse jackson whitney houston funeral video

Why do Some People Hate Cats? | Shannon's Pet Sitting

Cat haters may have had a scary experience with a kitty as a child. Since fear is at the root of hatred, it?s highly likely these unfortunate folks have never been properly introduced to the species that cat lovers consider purrfect companions.

On the other hand, since heredity plays a part in the way we behave, ailurophobes may simply be devoid of?the?cat-loving gene.

Many of these folks go to great lengths to stay as far away from a feline as possible. They claim cats are sneaky, aloof and manipulative. Since cats have the reputation of being independent, they are often thought of as self-centered, disloyal and very difficult to train. Some feel that cats aren?t real pets; they are merely acquaintances.

In fact, in the presence of a cat, a true ailurophobe, out of sheer terror of a tiny predator may start shaking, have difficulty breathing and break into a sweat.

Of course there is a considerable difference between someone who is feline-phobic and those who dislike cats in general. Some, however, since they are so cute and cuddly, enjoy playing with kittens. It is only when they mature into adults that they are no longer admired. I just cannot wrap my brain around how anyone who claims to love animals wouldn?t immediately fall in love with a kitty. After all, in some societies cats have even been worshipped as gods.

Since many cat haters love dogs, perhaps the cat?s misunderstood nature is somehow threatening to them. ?As ?pack animals?, evolving from wolves, domesticated dogs are social in nature and readily fit into our human hierarchy. ?They are often referred to as ?mans? best friend,?and considered easy to control.

On the other hand cats in the wild are generally solitary hunters, (with the exception of lions), raise their young alone, and interact with other cats mainly for breeding. Since education about cats is so important, understanding feline behavior can lead to a true appreciation of this incredible species.

But one thing I know about folks that loudly profess their hatred of cats; the bigger the outcry, the harder they fall. Ask anyone who has once detested kitties, but has converted to the other side, how they feel about their cats. The adoration is truly remarkable.

By?Jo Singer

Published?March 27, 2012

Source: http://www.shannonspetsitting.net/2012/03/27/why-do-some-people-hate-cats/

beyonce troy polamalu james harrison james harrison falcons giants game norman borlaug

Dustin R. Hartzler | On-line Tools Expert ? Business Online Podcast ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.pwmhost.com/bestdomainregistrars/dustin-r-hartzler-on-line-tools-expert-business-online-podcast-your-source-for-on-the-web-resources-and-computer-software/

obama speech terrell owens terrell owens mitt romney tax return flip saunders apple earnings academy award nominations

Ask Questions ? Answers Archive ? Paid Surveys Can Earn You ...

If you need some additional cash but don?t develop the time or vitality to get a second task, you might want to look into encuestas por internet pagadas online. Yes, you heard that right. There are companies willing to pay you simply for giving your honest opinion about a product or service.

Performing online surveys can be a good way of earning money for several motives. One of the biggest advantages of surveys online is convenience. You are able to complete the forms on any computer that has internet access. Which means that you can work through your study, your porch swing, or even your preferred book store or even coffeehouse.
Another advantage is mobility. The paid surveys aren?t ?due? at any selected time, so you be able to take them when it is convenient for you to do so. Consider surveys during your morning hours commute (as long as someone else is driving) or perhaps after the kids are in bed. It?s nice without having to punch a period of time clock
Although you undoubtedly want to put many thought into the answers you give and to be as honest as you possibly can, completing these surveys is not exactly nuclear physics. Many people find it easy to multitask while performing them, answering queries while listening to the area news or talk with a friend on the cellphone.
Still, another advantage associated with taking online surveys is that it is fun to offer the opinion, especially when you know your responses might actually help companies appearance their policies, goods or, services. Just think about, the ten minutes you take now to answer twelve questions could affect many future customers.
Certainly, for most people the best part with regards to taking paid surveys may be the money. The rate of pay varies depending on the length and complexity of the surveys, but many companies offer all-around a dollar or two for your efforts. Accurate, you probably won?t become a billionaire at those prices, but if you take three to five surveys a day you will amass over a hundred dollars by the end of the month. That can cover a couple of tanks of fuel, an utility bill, or even a fun evening out out with your significant other.
When you actually spend time taking surveys, though, do your homework. As with any other Internet enterprise, you?re likely to find genuine offers and scams. The scams are usually the deals that appear to good to be true. If you are suspicious, type the business?s name into your beloved search engine and see exactly what results come up.
When you?re satisfied that this offer is valid, go on a few moments and read every one of the find print so you know exactly what you need to do to make money. Watch out for stipulations restraining the amount of surveys you are able to take per month, as an example.
If you are diligent regarding finding the best employers, and if you?re willing to devote an hour or two each day to encuestas por internet pagadas, you will discover that fun activity may earn you some a real income.

For more information about encuestas por internet pagadas visit our website.

Source: http://www.askquestions.the3dtechnologies.com/?p=18584

tinker tailor soldier spy rich forever rick ross project runway all stars elin nordegren tangled ever after kansas state last house on the left

Cuba rules out political change after papal appeal

Pope Benedict XVI waves after praying before the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, Cuba?s patron saint, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba Tuesday March 27, 2012. Benedict is in the second day of his Cuban tour. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, Pool)

Pope Benedict XVI waves after praying before the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, Cuba?s patron saint, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba Tuesday March 27, 2012. Benedict is in the second day of his Cuban tour. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, Pool)

Pope Benedict XVI walks by the Virgen of the Chariry of Cobre as he arrives to celebrate a Mass at Revolution Square where giving a mass in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Monday, March 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Crowds gather, Monday March 26, 2012 for Papal Mass by Pope Benedict XVI in the Plaza de la Revoluci?n Antonio Maceo in Santiago, Cuba. Pope Benedict XVI headed to Cuba on Monday, hoping to inspire the same outpouring of faith on the communist-run island as he did in Mexico's conservative Catholic heartland. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Patrick Farrell) MAGS OUT

FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2010 file photo, a woman holds a crucifix next to Cuba's patron, the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, during a year long pilgrimage with the statue to commemorate the 400th anniversary of her appearance in Cuban waters, in Veguitas, Cuba. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Prensa Latina, File)

Cuban President Raul Castro greets Pope Benedict XVI after a Mass in Revolution Square in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Monday, March, 26, 2012.(AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

HAVANA (AP) ? A top Cuban official said Tuesday there are no prospects for political change on the communist-run island despite Pope Benedict XVI's appeals for "renewal" and "a better society."

Marino Murillo, Cuba's economic czar and a vice president on President Raul Castro's council of ministers, said that while the country is shaking up its economy, "in Cuba there will not be political reform."

Murillo's comments to a room full of journalists covering the papal visit were a quick and categorical response to comments by Benedict earlier in the day, when he made a highly symbolic prayer visit to the shrine of the nation's patron saint.

"I have entrusted to the Mother of God the future of your country, advancing along the ways of renewal and hope, for the greater good of all Cubans," the pope said at the sanctuary in the little town of El Cobre.

"I have also prayed to the Virgin for the needs of those who suffer, of those who are deprived of freedom, those who are separated from their loved ones or who are undergoing times of difficulty."

On the second day of his Cuban tour, the pope knelt silently before the Virgin of Charity of Cobre for several minutes, his eyes open and hands clasped.

The crowned, wooden statue just over a foot (35 centimeters) tall stood on a covered table shrouded in blue and white cloth. The 84-year-old pontiff then rose with the help of two Cuban bishops, approached the statue, lit a candle and stood in prayer as a choir sang hymns.

The pope pointedly referred to the Virgin by her popular name, La Mambisa, in a gesture to the many non-Catholics on the island who nonetheless venerate the statue as an Afro-Cuban deity. Mambisa is the word for the Cuban fighters who won independence from Spain at the turn of the last century.

In subtle ways, the pope has acknowledged a lack of faith in what is Latin America's least Catholic countries, and tried to make his trip appealing to potential believers. The visit is timed for the 400th anniversary of the appearance of the statue of the Virgin to two fishermen and an African slave in Cuba's Bay of Hipe.

Dunia Felipillo, 45, said she was proud to see the pope praying before the Virgin of Charity, even though she herself was not Catholic.

"We all ask favors of la Cachita," she said, using the Cuban slang for the Virgin, as she watched the ceremony on TV from the lobby of a Santiago hotel.

Benedict's frequent references to the Virgin are also a way of hitting on something the church shares with Cuba's nonreligious leaders and his wider audience, in contrast to the church's positions on divorce and abortion, not to mention his past strong comments against Marxism.

While most Cubans are nominally Catholic, fewer than 10 percent practice the faith.

"I appeal to you to reinvigorate your faith ... that you may strive to build a renewed and open society, a better society, one more worthy of humanity," he said Monday at a Mass in the nearby city of Santiago.

Meanwhile, dissidents on the island were trying to determine the identity of a man who yelled "Down with the Revolution! Down with the dictatorship!" before the Mass. Security agents hustled him away. Video of the incident showed him being slapped by another man wearing the uniform of a first-aid worker, before security agents separated them.

"(We) have not been able to identify by name the young man who pronounced slogans in favor of freedom and against communism," said a statement from Elizardo Sanchez, head of a group that monitors detentions of government opponents and effectively a spokesman for the dissidents. "(We) call on the Cuban government to identify the person detained by the secret political police and inform on his whereabouts."

The government has not commented.

Benedict seemed to walk with renewed vigor Tuesday as he greeted officials and clergy after his plane arrived in Havana following a day in eastern Cuba. He had appeared exhausted the previous evening from days of traveling in Mexico.

The pope was to meet with Raul Castro in the afternoon and possibly Fidel Castro, though that had not been confirmed.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is in Havana undergoing radiation therapy for cancer, did not ask for an audience but would be welcome to attend Mass in the capital's Revolution Square on Wednesday, a Vatican spokesman said.

___

Associated Press writer Peter Orsi reported this story from Havana and Andrea Rodriguez reported in Santiago. AP writers Paul Haven, Vivian Sequera and Anne-Marie Garcia in Havana, and Nicole Winfield and Laura Wides-Munoz in Santiago, contributed.

___

Follow AP reporters covering the pope: www.twitter.com/(hashtag)!/AP/pope-visit

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-03-27-CB-Cuba-Pope/id-0ead8b2ad6d848b7bd7c1f9bc1b19c3a

presidential candidates celebrity wife swap gla republican candidates virginia tech mike martz hokies

The Zombie Apocalypse Is Happening in a U.K. Shopping Mall

[ [ [['Witnesses said the gunman pulled up on a black scooter', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GzwOIW', '[Related: New York police tighten security at Jewish sites]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['test Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs', 11]], 'http://yhoo.it/Gzn6VF', '[Related: White House says Trayvon Martin is local issue]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['associated with such a small earthquake', 4]], 'http://yhoo.it/GTco9z', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/0/b4/0b493c1a47b6e3f97f8f48a2b251d7d4.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger', ], [ [['Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GKMVTk', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/7c/27c7367bc512d233ae1790b320a5e92c.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['The charges signed against Bales include', 1]], 'http://yhoo.it/wZT5zV', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/a0/7a07c51b2aa0f39b1a23355046d13870.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP Photo/DVIDS\, Spc\. Ryan Hallock\, File', ], [ [['George Zimmerman, if I had a son', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/thousands-protest-fla-teen-death-1332387124-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/22/d761a49f3fcc99080a0f6a70670053cd-jpg_150905.jpg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['Mohamed Merah', 10], ['prosecutor Francois Molins', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/four-dead-in-french-jewish-school-shooting-1332173151-slideshow', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120321/2012_03_21t151508z_425380421_gm1e83l1sqs01_rtrmadp_3_france_shootings_raid.jpg', '630', ' ', 'REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier', ], [ [['Shortly after he wrapped up his victory remarks', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['best understands the problems of average Americans', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GB2RVy', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/20/photo-1332257995646-4-0-jpg_171722.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AFP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zombie-apocalypse-happening-u-k-shopping-mall-155819101.html

stratfor bears vs packers after christmas sales 2011 best ipad apps chris paul chicago bulls gift card exchange

The Hawk : The real life School of Rock

The real life School of Rock

Derrick Krom'13, Special to The Hawk
March 24, 2012
Filed under Arts & Entertainment

Sometimes it?s hard to hear what Craig Waxman is trying to say over the constant hum of instrument noise and feedback. But that?s because Waxman is the general manager of Philadelphia?s very own School of Rock.

Located off of I-95 next to the Electric Factory, the School of Rock is not just any ordinary music school. The school?s motto ? ?Inspiring kids to rock on stage and in life? ? is what sets it apart from other music schools that give boring lessons in musky stores and studio basements.

?At [our] core, we?re a music school. But that?s kind of where it ends when comparing us to some other music school,? Waxman says. ?Though we have lesson rooms and teach lessons, that?s not where our magic happens. Our magic happens playing as a group. It just increases your thirst for knowledge and these kids learn really, really fast.?

Founded in 1998 by Paul Green, the ?School of Rock teaches guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards and/or drums and combines weekly private music lessons and group band rehearsals to prepare students to take the stage in front of live audiences in an authentic concert setting,? according to the school?s mission statement.

The school has become a growing international franchise and even served as the inspiration for the 2003 ?School of Rock? movie, starring Jack Black.

With over seventy schools across the United States and Mexico, the school?s students have played thousands of concerts across the world, including shows at famous venues like The Whiskey, CBGB?s, The Trocadero, and The Roxy. The talented students have also performed at festivals like Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and Zappanale (a music festival held in Germany).

Music programs at the School of Rock were designed to create a comfortable and welcoming environment for kids of all ages and skill levels. Any kid who desires to play an instrument and experience what it?s like to play rock music can walk through the doors and immediately feel like a rock star.

Instructors at the School of Rock are also very accomplished and talented musicians who are open to implementing new methods of teaching. Ty Asoudegan and Alan Von Ens, both instructors at the school, are members of local Philadelphia bands and have been playing professionally for years. Instead of teaching straight from a book, it?s up to the students to decide what they want to learn.

Students truly respond to the school?s unique methods and seem to enjoy learning how to play new music. Ric Haas, Asoudegan?s guitar student at the School of Rock, is learning college-level music theory ? at only twelve years old. A warning for musicians: attempting to play with Haas will leave you feeling disgraced as a musician.

After trying various other music lessons, Haas decided to check out the School of Rock and has been here ever since. ?I don?t think there?s one thing I don?t like about it,? he says. ?There?s nice people here and it?s just fun, a real good experience.?

The School of Rock?s approach is like nothing ever done in music before. Its methods of teaching music are like giving the students, ?ice cream first instead of a well balanced meal,? Waxman says. ?Here?s what you have to play, you don?t even have to do all that other stuff.?

Source: http://hawkhillnews.com/arts-entertainment/2012/03/24/school-of-rock/

gwar guitarist tower heist humpback whale humpback whale barrel roll anagram 180 degrees