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Friday, 19 April 2013

Washington can learn from MLB

Perhaps America?s favorite problem causers could take a lesson from America?s favorite pastime.?

While Major League Baseball teams across the country from the Yankees, to the Dodgers, to the Cubs and the Marlins displayed gestures of support and unity for the people of Boston in the aftermath of the horrific attacks by playing Fenway Park-favorite ?Sweet Caroline,? the elected officials of the country decided to take the pettier route.

With little time to waste, political opportunists seized upon a moment of vulnerability to further their causes.?

A Republican Congressman from Iowa, Steve King, was quick to point fingers, long before the FBI spoke, at the act being one perpetrated by a Saudi national and used the incident to strike fear into the minds of lawmakers, asking them to carefully consider whether or not they should provide temporary legal status to undocumented immigrants, a proposal that has been under consideration, according to CBS News.?

A Democratic senator from Massachusetts, Barney Frank, used the moment to encourage fellow senators to reach a quick compromise on the sequester ?so that Boston doesn?t have to pay for this absolutely necessary expenditure.?

CBS reported a Republican Congressman from Texas took the opportunity to cry foul in media bias of the incident?s coverage.

But during a time when lives are lost, forever changed or halted by moments of paralyzing fear, the nation needs healing in solidarity, not divisive politics that wedge differences between people instead of closing the spaces between them.?

Though much is still unknown about the nature of the attacks, and even use of the term ?terrorism? in describing what happened is considered questionable, the fact remains that a moment of terror was struck in the American psyche, and in the aftermath of tragedy, the people Americans look to for entertainment seem to display better leadership skills than those we elect to lead our nation.?

In order for terror not to exist, leaders within the nation cannot prey on moments of vulnerability and use them to advance their own beliefs.

Though Washington seems to strikeout on a regular basis, the actions of the incorrigible politicians should be enough to permanently disqualify them from the game of politics. ? causers could take a lesson from America?s favorite pastime.?

With little time to waste, political opportunists seized upon a moment of vulnerability to further their causes.?

CBS reported a Republican Congressman from Texas took the opportunity to cry foul in media bias of the incident?s coverage.

In order for terror not to exist, leaders within the nation cannot prey on moments of vulnerability and use them to advance their own beliefs.

Though Washington seems to strikeout on a regular basis, the actions of the incorrigible politicians should be enough to permanently disqualify them from the game of politics. ? Perhaps America?s favorite problem causers could take a lesson from America?s favorite pastime.?

Source: http://www.usforacle.com/washington-can-learn-from-mlb-1.2824357

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Allen Williamson of Saugus talks about being a NCAA champion

What do you do after you and your Amherst College Lord Jeffs men?s basketball team just won the Division 3 NCAA national championship?

If you?re Allen Williamson of Saugus, you celebrate a little bit with teammates, family and friends, and then it?s back to school to finish up your senior thesis. There?s no Disney World in his plans, at least not just yet.

It?s been a whirlwind experience for the Saugonian since that April 7 day, when his Lord Jeffs took home the title after beating Mary Hardin-Baylor of Belton, Texas Crusaders going away, 87-70. But Williamson still found time to answer some post-game questions about the championship and everything that went along with it for the Saugus Advertiser this week.

The atmosphere at Atlanta?s Philips Arena appeared to be electric just watching it on TV. As a player, what are your lasting impressions of the championship game on and off the court from the time the team entered the arena all the way to the end?

I was up before 5 a.m. that Sunday [April 7], and was wide awake.

Playing in a national championship game in an NBA arena was such a unique experience for me, so it all kind of felt surreal.

Everything from our entrance into the arena to the actual game itself to the postgame press conferences and interviews was so official. Bright lights and cameras were everywhere. My most savored memory of the afternoon was the way my team showed up, and represented our school and D3 basketball in general.

When did you realize the title was pretty much wrapped up, and what was it like to run out onto the court to celebrate with your teammates?

We hit a 3-pointer to go up by 17, I think, with under two minutes left, so I knew it was a rap then.

It was great, because we knew we were champions before the game was even over, so we celebrated a bit on the bench before running onto the court. But it was really a relief. So many hours and months of dedication had paid off in the ultimate way.

What was your reaction to be chosen the best player of the Final Four?

I wasn?t even sure there was a Final Four MVP award given out, so when I heard my name I was pretty excited. I wanted more than anything to win it all this year, and the award proves to me that I did what I had to do.

What was the rest of the day like for the team? What did you guys do to celebrate?

We celebrated the win from the moment the buzzer sounded until the moment we woke up the next morning.

It was amazing being with teammates, family, alumni and the members of the class who won it all in 2007 during those hours. Monday [the day after the championship] was incredible, because everywhere we went we were champions.

You mentioned previously that the Division 3 championship team has an invite to the Division 1 championship game, and would be introduced as champions at halftime. What are your thoughts about that experience?

That was literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We stood in front of 75,000 basketball fans as the best team in D3, and I was fortunate enough to be holding up the trophy. I?m just glad I didn?t drop it.

Have you heard from any of your Saugus friends and neighbors since the championship, and what did they say to you?

The congratulations have been amazing, and I?ve made a lot of my friends proud.

I know it was a big win for my boys like Dana Buonopane, Mike Silva, Damon Wilson, Nick Bertrand, Dave Ferreira and Jesse Sullivan.

Jaimie Cappucci was a friend of mine in high school too and she hit me up after the game.

When I was looking through the 50-plus texts I had after the game, it was wild to see all the people who had been following [it].

What are your plans now after the championship run, and when do you think you will be coming back to Saugus?

My immediate plans right now are to finish writing my senior thesis, and to finish up my semester strong.

I?ll be back home in mid-May, and I?m going to start training again to get ready to play ball in Europe next year.

Did you spend time with your family after the championship game, and what was that like? Could you talk about what transpired during that moment with the family?

I had an emotional moment with my parents in the stands right after the game. My mom was screaming: ?You did it!?

It?s so pleasing to have made my parents proud after the relentless commitment they?ve made to my basketball career over the years. This is as much of a win for them as it is for me.

Mom and Dad have been with me every step of the way this season, and I?m thankful they have been such positive influences in my life.

Source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/saugus/x709247740/Allen-Williamson-of-Saugus-talks-about-being-a-NCAA-champion?rssfeed=true

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China's ZTE says it basically dropped Iran business

By Jason Subler

BEIJING (Reuters) - ZTE Corp, China's second-largest telecoms equipment maker, has essentially stopped doing business in Iran after a U.S. investigation into alleged sales of embargoed equipment, the company's chairman told Reuters on Thursday.

ZTE said in March 2012 that it would curtail business in Iran following a report by Reuters that it sold Iran's largest telecoms firm a powerful surveillance system capable of monitoring telephone and Internet communications. The company is now facing a U.S. criminal investigation over the issue.

"We've basically stopped. We have to continue to service the products we had sold before - we have no choice," Hou Weigui said in an interview in Beijing. "We maintain communication with them to enable locals to carry out maintenance."

Hou's disclosure is the first public acknowledgement of how deeply the scrutiny has affected the company.

While he declined to give details on the amount of business ZTE had done in Iran before, Hou said the compensation it had to pay clients there for breaking contracts, and the fact that it had to halt some shipments even after equipment had been manufactured, were important reasons for the company's first-ever annual loss in 2012, of 2.84 billion yuan ($460.1 million).

Losses in Europe were also a big factor in the poor performance in 2012, he said.

"UNFAIR"

"I think we've really been treated unjustly on this issue. Others are selling the same things, and we weren't even selling the most," Hou said. "Now we face these restrictions, and others in the industry aren't facing any restrictions - they're all still selling. This is a bit unfair."

Hou said local rival Huawei Technologies Co Ltd was still doing business in Iran, but he declined to elaborate.

"We are not in a position to comment on what Huawei and others in the industry are doing. But in any case, they are still involved in the market. But we have stopped," Hou said.

Huawei, in response to a Reuters query on Thursday, repeated a statement it issued in late 2011 that it would no longer seek new customers in Iran and would limit business activity with existing ones.

Hou also said that U.S. moves to restrict sales of Chinese information technology equipment, which affect both ZTE and Huawei, were not fair.

A new U.S. law signed by President Barack Obama in March restricts government purchases of Chinese information technology out of security concerns, and a Congressional committee last October recommended to the U.S. government that Huawei and ZTE should be kept from the U.S. market, and told U.S. companies to stop doing business with both firms.

Hou said ZTE had some communication with the U.S. government on the issues, but he was pessimistic about the possibility of the company being able to change perceptions among lawmakers or the public. In the meantime, ZTE would focus primarily on the handset business in the United States, he said.

"Relying on a company to solve this is far from enough. This is actually an issue of how the two governments approach bilateral trade in high-tech goods," Hou said.

($1 = 6.1723 Chinese yuan)

(Additional reporting by Xiaoyi Shao and Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Emily Kaiser and Ian Geoghegan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-zte-says-basically-dropped-iran-business-080519218.html

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Children's Cancer Fund luncheon to feature Irving student, Coppell ...

Roger Staubach and Hailee Alpin

Natasha Green and Roger Staubac

Hailee Alpin is a seventh grade student at Lamar Middle School in Irving. She has three sisters, one brother, four dogs and a guinea pig. Her favorite subject in school is choir and she?d like to be a teacher when she grows up. The 13-year-old is battling Hodgkin?s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.

Natasha Green is a kindergarten student at Pinkerton Elementary School in Coppell. She has an older sister and brother. Her favorite subject is math and she?d like to be a police officer when she grows up. She is fighting cancer of the blood.

Natasha will be a model in the 25th Annual Children?s Cancer Fund Luncheon and Fashion Show set for May 3 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. Hailee will have her artwork included in the event?s 2013 Reflections Book. They will join 36 other children who will take part in the annual fundraiser.

Honorary and longtime co-chairs are Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach. Broadcasters Clarice Tinsley and Steve Eager will serve as emcees.

Proceeds will go to Children?s Cancer Fund to help advance pediatric cancer research and treatment programs at Children?s Medical Center and UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Tickets are $150. Call 972-664-1450 or visit www.childrenscancerfund.com.

Source: http://irvingblog.dallasnews.com/2013/04/childrens-cancer-fund-luncheon-to-feature-irving-student-coppell-girl.html/

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Thursday, 18 April 2013

Rdio brings new sharing options to iOS app, no longer confined to Facebook and Twitter

It hasn't been all that long since the last update to Rdio's iOS app, but the music streaming service is back with yet another revision today that offers some new features and minor tweaks. The big addition is a change to the way you can share music: instead of simply sharing to Facebook or Twitter (something still available through a refreshed UI), you can now share songs or albums directly with other Rdio users. That feature's already available in Rdio's web interface and desktop apps, but hasn't yet made its way to the company's Android or Windows Phone apps. Apart from that, you can only expect some promised UI improvements elsewhere and the usual bug fixes.

Filed under: Software, Mobile

Comments

Via: MacStories

Source: iTunes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/18/rdio-ios-app-update-sharing/

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Indian state stops Playboy beach club from opening

PANAJI, India (AP) ? India's going to have to wait for its first Playboy bunnies.

After a month of heated debate, the government in the tourist hotspot of Goa refused permission for promoters to open the country's first Playboy club in a 22,000-square-foot open-air property on upmarket Candolim beach.

Women's groups and conservative politicians had attacked the proposed club, with Michael Lobo, a legislator from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party saying it was "tantamount to promoting prostitution."

In the end, the government barred the club from opening in one of India's most famous party locations on technical grounds. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the state assembly Monday that licenses to run so-called beach shacks ? even ones as large as the proposed Playboy club ? could not be granted to companies, only individuals.

"We cannot give them a license to operate a beach shack," Parrikar said.

Mumbai-based PB Lifestyle announced last year it had obtained an exclusive license to open Playboy clubs, hotels, bars and cafes and sell Playboy branded merchandise in India. It said it would start with a club in Goa and then expand to the southern city of Hyderabad.

PB Lifestyle chief executive Sanjay Gupta did not immediately respond to a message left at his office.

He said last year he was working to recast Playboy into an aspirational lifestyle brand that wouldn't spark a backlash in the conservative country, distancing itself from nudity and toning down the traditional, body-hugging bunny costume.

Goa's decision does not bar the opening of a conventional Playboy club in in the state, just the beach shack.

Lobo has called on the government to prevent Playboy from setting shop in any form in the state.

"It is not just a question of permitting Playboy in Candolim. It should be banned across Goa, because Goa should be veered away from international chains which promote vulgarity," Lobo said.

Agnelo Fernandes, a local Congress politician on whose property the beach club was to be located, called the government's decision "unfortunate." He has been acting as a de facto spokesman for the project during the controversy.

"It would have been great for Goa to have an international lifestyle brand. There is no question of vulgarity. Our bunny costumes which we had designed were more sober than the one's worn by the cheerleaders at the IPL (Indian Premier League)," Fernandes said, referring to a raucous Indian cricket league.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indian-state-stops-playboy-beach-club-opening-110614752--finance.html

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Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Colorado Senate Votes to Expand Medicaid Coverage

The Colorado Senate voted this week to extend Medicaid coverage to an additional 160,000 people -- about 20 percent of the total number of uninsured statewide. Here are the details.

* Senate Bill 13-200 expands Medicaid eligibility from 100 percent of the federal poverty level to 133 percent. A family of four can now have an income of $31,322 and qualify.

* According to the bill, money in the hospital provider fee cash fund will be used to increase the income eligibility for parents and caretaker relatives as well as childless adults and adults without a dependent child to up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

* In order to implement the federal Affordable Care Act, the bill also amends optional eligibility groups in the state's medicaid program to 133 percent.

* According to analysis of the bill, the increase in Medicaid eligibility will cost the state an additional $345.3 million and the hiring of 17.8 full-time employees.

* The costs include county administration, employee benefits, the provision of continuous eligibility for children, the addition of individuals who are currently eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid and county training costs.

* Bill sponsor Sen. Irene Aguilar, D-Denver, stated that 58 percent of the people who will benefit from the expansion of Medicaid in Colorado are employed.

* According to the Durango Herald , every Republican but one opposed the expansion. Sen. Larry Crowder, R-Alamosa, voted for it.

* With 14 of his 16 counties having a rate of more than 20 percent of the population in poverty, Crowder said, the bill will help hospitals in his district that are in financial trouble because of uninsured patients who can't afford to pay.

* However, the Herald reported, Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, opposed the measure, stating that studies show that 7 percent to 9 percent of Medicaid spending is improper or fraudulent.

* The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing stated that the health care provider fee, which was authorized as part of the 2009 Colorado Health Care Affordability Act, charges a hospital provider fee in order to help pay for the Medicaid expansion. The fee is matched by federal dollars.

* The bill is now up for consideration by the Colorado House of Representatives.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-senate-votes-expand-medicaid-coverage-212800766.html

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