Andy Rooney Dies

Born January 14, 1919 in Albany New York, Rooney began his journalism career in the U.S. Army, where he wrote for the Stars & Stripes newspaper during World War II. He would join CBS in 1949 as a writer for a number of entertainment programs, including “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts.” He wrote his first essay–a precursor to the sorts of essays he would write for “60 Minutes”–in 1964.

Legendary CBS News commentator Andy Rooney, whose weekly “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney” commentaries on “60 Minutes” made him a welcome guest in millions of people’s homes across the country, died last night in the hospital in New York City of complications following minor surgery.

Rooney has written a regular newspaper column for Tribune starting in 1979, and has also written 16 books. He received a lifetime achievement Emmy Ward from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2003.

Rooney partnered with CBS correspondent Harry Reasoner to write and produce a number of commentaries from 1964-1968, and served as a producer on the first few seasons of “60 Minutes.” His “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney” segment became a regular feature  in 1978, and it remained a staple of the program until ending it in September.

In his final regular “60 Minutes” appearance, Rooney reflected on his career, and as he so often did in his commentaries, he explained his thoughts in a straightforward, concise manner.

“I’ve done a lot of complaining here, but of all the things I’ve complained about, I can’t complain about my life,” Rooney said.

He is survived by his four children, as well as his five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His children include ABC News correspondent Brian Rooney and WGBH and former “ABC World News” EP Emily Rooney, and one of his grandchildren, Justin Fishel, is the Pentagon producer for Fox News Channel.

Source : http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/andy-rooney-dies-at-92_b94646

Veterans Day Ceremony

Currently a resident of The Watermark at Logan Square in Philadelphia, Jones served for 13 years in the U.S. Army after graduating in 1956 from the ROTC at Johns Hopkins University. He was a member of a "Military Advisory Team" in the Me Kong Delta and received three glorified medals including the Bronze Star, Air Medal and Joint Service Commendation Medal. His essay, entitled "One Among Millions," affirms why he is proud of his service and serves as a reminder of why every American should be grateful for the service of generations of brave American Veterans.

Veterans across northeast Louisiana will be honored Saturday during the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum's annual Veterans Day celebration.
For the past 11 years, the museum has recognized the service and sacrifice of local veterans on the weekend prior to Veterans Day, which is observed Nov. 11 each year.

Museum director Nell Calloway said this year's event will feature rare military artifacts from the Louisiana Military Museum in Ruston and re-enactments of historic events from the Civil War up to World War II.

"The veterans are what make this country great. They have preserved our basic freedoms and independence as a country. They are the people who have the courage to put on that uniform and go off and defend the principles that make this country great."

New Jersey school closings and delays

New Jersey school closings and delays
At the meeting of the Board of education said Oliver Sicat, new officer’s portfolio Chief of the district there is a correlation between the evil performance schools and used in school buildings. CPS officials said rely on school performance as the most important factor in determining which schools to review in depth, but also use facilities will be taken into account.

Officials of the public schools of Chicago the first public Wednesday to what may come in December when they decide which schools will be closed, consolidated or return.

“It could mean that our parents are voting with their feet,” said Sicat.

New Jersey school closings and delays
A school of “level of performance” is narrated by a complex calculation that State-based measures of student growth test scores points, and they have indexes of presence, among other factors. The low range, level 3 is for schools in the district, which are related to poor performance has been on trial. Most of the schools of CPS in process focuses on the city of West and South sides, where buildings were also used high low, according to Sicat.

Chicago teachers Union President Karen Lewis rejected the presentation as an attempt by a softer Sicat for annual reviews of school always controversial receiver.

Source : http://www.newzofday.com/new-jersey-school-closings-and-delays-html

Apple 'genius' Steve Jobs dies from cancer

Apple founder and visionary Steve Jobs died Wednesday from cancer aged just 56, a premature end for a man who revolutionized modern culture and changed forever the world's relationship to technology through inventions such as the iPad and iPhone.

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," the California-based gadget-maker said in a statement from its board of directors.
"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

Tributes flowed in from around the world for Jobs, while Apple fans flooded the Twitter and Facebook to voice their sorrow at the passing of the man who helped put mini computers in the shape of phones in millions of pockets.

Jobs was just 21 when he founded Apple Computer in 1976 with his 26-year-old friend Steve Wozniak in his family garage.

From such humble beginnings the company, with its ubiquitous trademark of an apple with a bite taken out of it, grew to eventually become one of the world's most valuable companies.
In July Apple's second quarter profit hit $7.31 billion on revenue of $28.57 billion.

US President Barack Obama paid tribute late Wednesday to one of America's "greatest inventors."
"He transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world," Obama said in a written statement.
Microsoft boss Bill Gates agreed.

"The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come," Gates said in statement, cited on the Wall Street Journal website.
The two men were rivals in the race to dominate the market at the start of the personal computer era.

But while personal computers powered by Microsoft software ruled work places, Jobs envisioned people-friendly machines with mouse controllers and icons to click on to activate programs or open files.
Tim Cook -- who had been handling Apple's day-to-day operations since Jobs went on medical leave in January, and was made CEO in August after his resignation -- led the praise for the Silicon Valley legend.
"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor," he said.

"Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."

Apple turned its home page into a tribute to Jobs, posting a large black-and-white photo of the bearded high-tech maestro in his trademark black turtleneck and small round glasses. The only caption: "Steve Jobs, 1955-2011."

Jobs' family also issued a statement, saying he had lost his long battle with pancreatic cancer surrounded by his relatives.

"In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family," it said.
Born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco to a single mother and adopted by a couple in nearby Mountain View at barely a week old, Jobs grew up among the orchards that would one day become the technology hub known as Silicon Valley.

Under Jobs, Apple introduced its first Apple computers and then the Macintosh, which became wildly popular in the 1980s.

He was elevated to idol status by ranks of Macintosh computer devotees, many of whom saw themselves as a sort of rebel alliance opposing the powerful empire Microsoft built with its Windows operating systems.
Jobs left Apple in 1985 after an internal power struggle and started NeXT Computer company specializing in sophisticated workstations for businesses.

He co-founded Academy-Award-winning Pixar in 1986 from a former Lucasfilm computer graphics unit that he bought from movie industry titan George Lucas.

Apple's luster faded after Jobs left the company, but they reconciled in 1996 with Apple buying NeXT for $429 million and Jobs ascending once again to the Apple throne.
Apple went from strength to strength as Jobs revamped the Macintosh line, revolutionizing modern culture and launching a "post-PC era" in which personal computers give way to smart mobile gadgets -- the iPod, iPhone and the iPad.

His passing will raise doubts over whether the Cupertino, California-based company can continue its dominance in the hugely competitive technology sector.

His death comes only a day after Cook presided over the launch of the new iPhone 4S in a move that failed to dazzle investors. Apple shares dropped more than four percent on Wall Street on Tuesday after the company doused analysts expectations that they would unveil a new iPhone model.
Jobs is survived by his wife Laurene, with whom he had three children. He also had a daughter with a woman he dated prior to marrying.

Source : http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/259989/

Happy Birthday Google: Making Sense of the Web for 13 Years

What were you up to 13 years ago? Maybe you were perfecting the ideal AIM screen name. Or you might have been surfing the “WestHollywood” neighborhood of GeoCities. Chances are, you had been using Yahoo! or AOL as your primary search engines. But Google’s debut on this day in 1998 would change the World Wide Web forever.

On September 4, 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin filed for incorporation as Google Inc. — they had received a $100,000 check from an investor made out to Google, Inc., and needed to incorporate that name so they could legally deposit the check.

Prior to the launch, Page and Brin met at Stanford in 1995, and soon decided to launch a search service called BackRub in January 1996. They soon reevaluated the name (and the creepy logo) in favor of Google, a play on the mathematical figure, “googol,” which represents the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes. The name embodied their mission to create an infinite amount of web resources. And that they did.

Since then, Google has become a household name to billions of people worldwide. You’ll overhear senior citizens command their grandchildren to “google” the price of foot cream. You’ll witness toddlers punching the screen of the latest Android phone. And chances are, you’ve navigated the circles of Google+ (if not, let’s get you an invite already).

Source : http://mashable.com/2011/09/04/google-happy-birthday-13-years/

Scientists Test Earthquake Early Warning System in California

Quake-prone California is the place of choice for the U.S. government to test an alert system that could warn residents and businesses that an earthquake has hit.

The project, which is still in its test phase, is headed by the U.S. Geological Survey based on computer code developed by the California Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley.
As of now, only about 30 scientists have been hand-picked to receive the warnings through their computers.
A public warning system in place in Japan since 2007 has been credited with saving lives during the magnitude-9 earthquake in March.

Soon after the offshore rupture, millions of Japanese received a few seconds to tens of seconds of notice through alerts that were sent via television, radio and cell phones.

Source : http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/09/20/28962/us-scientists-test-earthquake-early-warning-califo/

Earthquake Is Felt in New York

The vibrations of an earthquake centered in Virginia were felt in New York City on Tuesday afternoon.

Some buildings have been evacuated, including Department of Education headquarters and World Trade Center 7. City Hall was evacuated for about 10 minutes, although people have since returned to the building.

As information becomes available, it will be included on The Lede blog.

In Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Eric Vazquez, 35, had just parked his car and was waiting for his brother when he felt the tremors.

“I thought he was playing a trick on me and shaking my car,” Mr. Vazquez said. “My car was literally rocking back and forth. I got out and walked around. Then I got in and started troubleshooting the car, revving up the engine.”

“Then my brother called me and told me it was an earthquake,” he added.

Nearby, Nancy Desameau, 42, a home healthcare worker, was speaking with a patient when, she said, “My heart stopped.” She said: “The curtains moved. The TV moved. The chandelier moved. The kitchen moved. Everything in the kitchen moved.”

The earthquake also interrupted a news conference by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., who was discussing his office’s decision to ask a judge to drop charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn.



Source : http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/23/earthquake-is-felt-in-new-york/

Now it is Time to Plan Libya’s Future

It has taken longer than the few weeks so confidently predicted when Nato bombing began in March, but it looks as though the campaign to topple Colonel Gaddafi is entering its final phase. The rebels have cut off Tripoli, his last stronghold, from its oilfields, and from the supplies that came across the Tunisian border. There now seems to be every chance that the regime will collapse soon – a result that would confound those who have insisted that the conflict had reached stalemate, and that Nato’s intervention had failed to tip the scales.

The great unknown, however, is what happens to Libya after Gaddafi falls. The Nato mission – under a UN mandate – was prompted by the need to prevent Gaddafi from destroying Benghazi, where resistance to his rule was centred, and massacring its inhabitants.

Nato succeeded in achieving that goal. But compared to the task of creating a stable democracy out of the wreckage of Gaddafi’s tyranny, preventing such an atrocity – and even the subsequent campaign to topple the dictator – were relatively straightforward tasks. In particular, the ad hoc nature of the rebel coalition means that it is impossible to tell whether it will usher in representative government, fall apart into warring splinter groups, or engage in violent reprisals of its own against those loyal to the regime.

To date, there has been no clear articulation from Nato – at least in public – of any plan to reconstruct the country. It is inconceivable that nothing has been learnt from the disasters caused by the lack of post-invasion planning in Iraq, so we can only accept the assurances that there is intensive work under way in private.

Nato must not let Libya disintegrate; yet its refusal to put boots on the ground during the military campaign might well be matched by a reluctance to commit peacekeepers in the aftermath. The time is approaching, therefore, for Britain and its allies to set out a convincing vision of Libya’s future.

Source : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8713290/Now-it-is-time-to-plan-Libyas-future.html

Tottenham Riots: Police 'had not anticipated' Extreme Violence

The Metropolitan police admitted it "had not anticipated" the extreme violence that saw police attacked and buildings and vehicles set alight during sustained rioting in Tottenham, north London.

As questions were asked about the level of policing, Commander Adrian Hanstock said a peaceful vigil by the family of 29-year-old Mark Duggan, who was fatally shot by officers in the area on Thursday, had been "hijacked by mindless thugs" and that the situation had "escalated out of all proportion".

Twenty-six police officers suffered injuries, with eight receiving hospital treatment. Two remained in hospital on Sunday. Three members of the public also required medical attention, with two taken to hospital.
Forty-two people have been arrested for offences including violent disorder, burglary and theft following the torching of buildings, two police cars and a bus, and the ransacking and looting of shops in both Tottenham and nearby Wood Green.

The violence followed a demonstration by members of the community outside Tottenham police station to demand "justice" for the family of Duggan, a father of four, who was shot after police stopped the minicab he was driving in.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating the incident, which also saw a police officer shot, the bullet reportedly lodging in his police radio and leaving him with minor injuries.

Hanstock said the death was "extremely regrettable". He said it was "absolutely tragic that someone has died, but that does not give a criminal minority the right to destroy businesses and people's livelihoods and steal from their local community".

"There was no indication that the protest would deteriorate into the levels of criminal and violent disorder that we saw," he added.

As soon as the situation became apparent, riot police were deployed and support called in from other forces as officers were "subjected to bottles, petrol bombs and other missiles", he said.

Police had kept a "dignified" presence at the vigil, and there was nothing to indicate it would be "anything other than a peaceful demo", he added.
But community leaders had warned of tensions following Duggan's death. Pastor Nims Obunge, a street pastor who was with the Duggan family at the police station protest said the family and the community needed answers.

"I was here [at the police station] for five hours before this incident kicked off. Someone died on Thursday, a man was shot in our community and the community cried out for justice," he said.

The IPCC, which took over the investigation after the shooting, said it had been in contact with the family. Scotland Yard sources said they were not allowed to communicate with the family because the inquiry was being handled by the IPCC.

The IPCC confirmed that the first time the Duggan family had been taken to identify his body or see it to pay their respects had been on Saturday afternoon, some 36 hours after his death.
"The fact is that someone was killed in our community and the family came over here to say: 'give us answers as to why this happened,' Obunge said.

"They didn't get the answers they wanted. Why was this family not supported? They did not receive the proper support. They stood outside here for five hours waiting for acknowledgement."
On Sunday morning, a section of Tottenham High Road, where the trouble started at about 8.30pm, was cordoned off and a line of police officers stood facing the crowd of locals that had gathered.

The local MP, David Lammy, said "a community that was already hurting has now had the heart ripped out of it". The community had been "smashed" by "mindless, mindless people", he said, adding that many "were not from Tottenham" but had come from miles away to loot and join in the violence.
There were questions concerning the policing, he said, and over how a legitimate, peaceful protest had been able to escalate.

The London mayor, Boris Johnson, said he was "appalled at the scenes of violence and destruction in Tottenham".
The deputy mayor for policing in London, Kit Malthouse, told Sky News that officers had coped "with the cards they were played very well" and insisted they had been adequately prepared.

"Nobody predicted the level of violence, arson and looting that was going to take place," he said. "Nobody thought that the protest would necessarily degenerate into that kind of activity, and there's no reasons why they should have done.

"The critical thing is ... were we able to mobilise forces fast enough to deal with what did arise?
We did get significant number of officers out there to deal with it in good time."
Senior political figures were united in their condemnation. The home secretary, Theresa May, said: "I condemn utterly the violence in Tottenham last night." She paid tribute to officers "who put themselves in harm's way".

Residents said they had been driven from their homes and had lost everything. Stuart Radose had to flee his flat above a Carpetright shop in Tottenham High Road as fire ravaged the building.
"We've gone back this morning and it's a complete shell," he told Sky News. "Everything we had is gone. It's just mad. So many people have lost everything. It's just crazy. It looks like it's the second world war. It looks like the Blitz where we were living."

He said he had watched from his balcony as "things were getting worse and worse". "There didn't seem to be a police presence at all," he added. "Buildings seemed to be allowed to burn. I guess they couldn't get there.
"I think we've probably spent out last night in Tottenham. We're just in shock".

Source :  http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/07/tottenham-riots-police-had-not-anticipated-violence

Atkinson Out Of Hospital After Supercar Crash

Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson has left hospital in a wheelchair after his 230mph McLaren supercar hit a tree and a lamp post before catching fire.

The star - also famous for his role in the Blackadder series - was driven away from Peterborough City Hospital in a private ambulance.

He suffered a shoulder injury when his rare McLaren F1 car spun off the road near the Cambridgeshire village of Haddon.
The 56-year-old walked away from the wreckage and waited for firefighters to arrive.
"We were called to the scene of a single vehicle collision on the A605 near Haddon at about 7.30pm yesterday," a Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said on Friday.

"The driver of the vehicle, a man, was taken to Peterborough City Hospital."
Mr Atkinson was later said to be in a stable condition in hospital.
Cambridgeshire Ambulance Service confirmed the actor had suffered a "minor shoulder injury" as a result of the accident.

Atkinson had only just finished filming the latest edition of the spy spoof movies Johnny English and was due to attend the last day of editing in preparation for the film's release in September.
The star's love of fast cars is well documented.

The McLaren F1 car he was driving is one of the fastest road cars ever made, with a top speed of 230mph. Only 106 were ever made.

Source : http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/rowan_atkinson_has_crash_in_230mph_supercar