Wednesday, December 31, 2014

U.S. Suspects North Korea Had Outside Help In Sony Hack

Reuters, Dec. 30, 2014, Huffington Post

As North Korea lacks the capability to conduct some elements of the sophisticated campaign by itself, the official said, U.S. investigators are looking at the possibility that Pyongyang "contracted out" some of the cyber work. The official was not authorized to speak on the record about the investigation.

Read more: www.huffingtonpost.com


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Republicans See Diversity In Their Presidential Hopefuls

AP, Dec. 29, 2014

This class of contenders could include two Hispanic senators, an Indian-American governor, a female business leader and an African-American neurosurgeon. In a group that could exceed a dozen Republican White House prospects, all but a few are in their 40s or 50s, while one of the oldest white men is a fluent Spanish speaker whose wife is a native Mexican.

Read more: www.kansascity.com

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Obama: GOP 'Nativists' Blocking Immigration Reform


Ryu Spaeth, Dec. 29, 2014, The Week

The question then becomes, by me having taken these actions, does that spur those voices in the Republican Party who I think genuinely believe immigration is good for our country? Does it spur them to work once again with Democrats and my administration to get a reasonable piece of legislation done?

Or does it simply solidify what I do think is a nativist trend in parts of the Republican Party? And if it's the latter, then probably we're not going to get much more progress done, and it'll be a major debate in the next presidential election.

Read more: www.theweek.com

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Mother Died After Drinking Five Bottles Of Wine A Day And Vodka For Breakfast

Richard Hartley-Parkinson, Dec. 29, 2014, Metro

Vicky White drank around 330 units of alcohol every week before she died at the age of 38 from liver failure.

Mr Hough described trying to stop her children seeing their mother in hospital because he didn’t want them to see her vomiting blood and unable to recognise them.

Read more: www.metro.co.uk


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Wikileaks Documents ‘Offer Hints About UFOs’, Alien-Hunters Claim

Rob Waugh, Dec. 29, 2014, Metro

Julian Assange could be about to escape his cramped existence in the Ecuadorian embassy using an incredible ‘trump card’, if you believe the utterances of possibly deranged UFO fans.

Documents released by Wikileaks have already offered hints about little green men from beyond the stars – including tantalising titbits from Japanese and Lithuanian politicians.

Read more: metro.co.uk


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Intermarriage: A Real Measure Of Race Relations

Naomi Schaefer Reilly, Dec. 29, 2014, New York Post

Our liberal elites have plainly decided it’s better if we’re all convinced that our country had made no progress on race since 1960, that lying just beneath the surface of every white person is a gurgling volcano of racial epithets ready to spew forth at the slightest provocation.

The current trend toward chronicling “microaggressions” (bits of racism so small you might not even see them as racism) is, if anything, evidence of the lack of a problem

Read more: www.nypost.com


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Why Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Need To Win The White Working Class

Paul Waldman, Dec. 29, 2014, Washington Post

We spend so much time contemplating what different demographic groups find appealing and repellent that it’s almost as though we forget that a vote is a vote. For instance, Democrats are often scolded for their unpopularity among voters in rural areas and small towns, because of a mythos that says those are the most virtuous and true Americans and therefore their votes are somehow more desirable than those of people who live in suburbs and cities. But they aren’t. The vote of a tattooed 20-something hipster in Des Moines is no less helpful than that of the 60-something farmer who lives a hundred miles north.

Read more: www.washingtonpost.com


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Kurupt: Donald Sterling Got Screwed--'He's a Great Guy'

TMZ Staff, Dec. 29, 2014


During the 5-minute interview with vladtv.com ... the rapper praises Sterling as a "great guy" -- who got screwed over by the NBA.

"They took a good man down," Kurupt says with a straight face ... despite the fact Sterling said on-tape that he didn't want V. Stiviano bringing black people to Clippers games.

Kurupt also explains his friendship with Stiviano ... and defends her too.

Read more: www.tmz.com

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Katie Pavlich: The Audacity Of Al Sharpton

Katie Pavlich, Dec. 29, 2014, The Hill

If Al Sharpton and his ilk really worked to solve problems and true racial disparities in America, they’d work their way out of a job, out of money and, most importantly, out of power, which is why Sharpton has been championing the same causes for decades with little results to show for it.

Will President Obama ever condemn Sharpton? Will Holder? No, and it’s because they truly agree with his ideas and believe in his positions, regardless of whether those ideas and positions are based in fact or help the country move forward.

Read more: www.thehill.com

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Pope To Push For Action On Climate Change

John Timmer, Dec. 27, 2014, Ars Technica

Although the Vatican has not confirmed that the document is in the works, the article quotes several authorities by name, and they speak as if it is a done deal. The document would be in keeping with the Pope's messages on environmental stewardship; the article quotes Francis as telling an audience in Latin America, "Climate change, the loss of biodiversity and deforestation are already showing their devastating effects in the great cataclysms we witness.” It's also consistent with his general high regard for scientific findings.

Read more: www.arstechnica.com



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Tuesday, December 30, 2014


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By Naomi Schaefer Riley, Dec. 29, 2014, Nypost.com

Will we look back on the early 2000s as the pinnacle of racial harmony in this country?

It seems an odd question, but a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found that only 40 percent of Americans think race relations in this country are good, the lowest level since 1995.

Charles Blow, for one, isn’t worried. The New York Times columnist looks at the figure “optimistically.” He writes, “I see the result of vociferous truth-telling and justice-calling, in the face of which fairy-tale obliviousness is reduced to ashes.”

In other words, we’ve spent so much time in the past year ripping the bandages off that we can finally expose our racial wounds and let them begin to air out and heal.

What a load of malarkey.

As depressing as that poll is, it’s only about Americans’ perceptions. The reality is far different.

The miniscule number of blacks shot by white police officers has only declined further in recent decades. Meanwhile, our educational institutions are almost single-mindedly devoted to producing racial diversity. The KKK is not on the march.

To understand the real state of race relations in this country, consider this: In 1960, multiracial marriages were only 0.4 percent of all marriages. By 2010, that figure had jumped to 8.4 and was at 15 percent for recent newlyweds.


Read the full story:  www.nypost.com

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North Korea Calls Obama 'A Monkey' In Latest Hacking Salvo
AP, Dec. 27, 2014, Telegraph

"Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest," an unidentified spokesman at the commission's policy department said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

He also accused Washington for intermittent outages of North Korean websites this week, after the US had promised to respond to the Sony hack.

Read more: www.telegraph.co.uk




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Hackers Release Cache Of 13,000 Passwords And Credit Cards Of PlayStation, Xbox And Amazon Users

Darren Boyle, Dec. 27, 2014, Daily Mail

The hackers are believed to have used a denial of service attack, where they bombard the targets servers with internet traffic forcing it to shut down and preventing legitimate access.

This comes as Christmas was ruined for thousands of children across the country who were forced to abandon plans to spend the holidays in a virtual world playing on their new Playstation or Xbox games systems due to cyber-hackers.

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk


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Pakistani Officials Furious Over ‘Homeland’

Jamie Schram, Dec. 27, 2014, New York Post

They complained directly to producers of the Emmy-winning drama, but their gripes fell on deaf ears, Pakistani sources said.

“Maligning a country that has been a close partner and ally of the US . . . is a disservice not only to the security interests of the US but also to the people of the US,” Pakistan Embassy spokesman Nadeem Hotiana told The Post.

Read more: www.nypost.com


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Hundreds Turn Their Back On de Blasio At NYPD Officer's Funeral

Dean Schabner, Dec. 27, 2014, ABC News

The mayor, whose wife is black, said he has spoken to his mixed race teen son about how he should act if he is stopped by police.

In speaking about protesters who were arrested and charged with assaulting police during a demonstration in New York, de Blasio used the word "allegedly," which some in the NYPD seemed to take as a slight.

Patrolmens Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch and de Blasio have been locked in a public battle over treatment of officers following the grand jury's decision.

Read more: abcnews.go.com


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'Tis The Season For Politics To Make Us Worse

Trevor Burrus, Dec. 25, 2014, Reason

Welcome to an American holiday tradition. Apple pie now comes with a side of political yelling, especially after a few glasses of eggnog.

The problem, of course, is that “they” don’t get it. How could they? Mom and Dad’s brains might as well be directly hooked to Fox News like the humans in the Matrix. The children’s “progressive” universities are as hermetically sealed off from reality as North Korea.

Read more: www.reason.com


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The Interview: Political Satire Has Rarely Ever Been So 'Meh'

Anthony L. Fisher, Dec. 26, 2014, Reason

As political satire, it's toothless and aimless. The Interview never promises you it's going to be Dr. Strangelove, but I guess I was hoping Rogen would satirize Stalinist totalitarianism with the same rapier wit he used to goof on himself and his self-important Hollywood friends in last year's hit This Is the End.

That said, this uneven film with fewer laughs than the average South Park episode is now a cultural touchstone because of a still unfolding political soap opera whose ending has not yet been written.

Read more: www.reason.com



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ESPN Site Compares Michael Sam's Gay Kiss To Iconic Victory Over Japan Photo

Tim Graham, Dec. 27, 2014, Newsbusters

Now Sam has told GQ he wishes he hadn't gone this noisy route, preferring a quieter coming out to teammates after he joined a team. But gay activists and gay-friendly journalists really wanted this way, and now mourn that Sam was cut (and not signed a third time) because of bigotry, not ability.

Read more: www.newsbusters.org


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CNN's Original Programs Draw Younger Viewers Despite Network's Poor Overall Ratings 

Randy Hall, Dec. 27, 2014, Newsbusters

The median age of an average CNN viewer during prime time fell from 60 to 58 years old.

At the same time, states Reuters reporter Rick Kissel, the Fox News Channel held steady at a median age of 68 while MSNBC skewed slightly older this year (61 versus 60 last year).

Read more: www.newsbusters.org




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Charlie Rangel Denies NYC Protesters Called For Dead Cops


Tom Blumer, Dec. 27, 2014, Newsbusters

The establishment press in general has largely failed to recognize the existence of the "dead cops" chants — which likely explains why Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel was completely ignorant of them when CNN's Ashleigh Banfield interviewed him on Monday. After blathering on for a half-minute about the "blue wall of silence" — cops who see improper things occurring and don't report them — Rangel first denied that the "dead cops" chants ever took place, and then blew them off.

Read more: www.newsbusters.org


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'Liberated' Obama Builds Momentum

Amie Parnes, Dec. 27, 2014, The Hill

Obama's poll numbers — which had previously slid into the low 40’s — are up, and the president has enjoyed a streak of good headlines.

Those factors, coupled with a rising economy, are making the White House optimistic about his final two years in office.

White House allies say the president feels an increased sense of liberation with the elections over. They predict that he will continue to be proactive in the face of the Republican Congress that will take power early next year.

Read more: www.thehill.com


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Monday, December 29, 2014




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Christmas Returns Hit New High

Joel Lewin, Dec. 28, 2014, Financial Times

“The growth of ecommerce has been astronomical, but the processes to support the returns part of ecommmerce hasn’t matched it,” said Nila Patel, business development manager at Norbert Dentressangle, one of the UK’s largest parcel carriers.

Across ecommerce, returns average 15-20 per cent, although fashion eretailers see much higher rates of up to 50 per cent.

Read more: www.ft.com


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Madonna’s “Rebel Heart” Break: Six New Songs Fizzle As Sales Collapse Within Days

Roger Friedman, Dec. 27, 2014, Showbiz 411

On amazon.com things are much much worse.. “Living for Love,” which was supposed to be the lead single, is at number 529 among digital singles. Five hundred twenty nine. And the “Rebel Heart” album is at 167. Ouch!

Madonna, like other legacy artists, has not been able to sell albums in the last decade. “MDNA,” “Hard Candy,” and “American Life” were all sales disasters. New fans are not forthcoming for a 56 year old artist. Old fans only to want to hear the hits. It’s a hard fact of life for everyone, not just Madonna.

Read more: www.showbiz411.com


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Al Sharpton Shows Up At Tragedies Like A Bad Smell

John Linder, Dec. 27, 2014, The Blaze

Mayor de Blasio ought to be impeached for incompetence or stupidity. Take your pick.

Al Sharpton ought to be imprisoned for inciting riots or evading taxes. Take your pick.

For those of us on the sidelines, just as we thank our soldiers who protect us from foreign threats, so should we pause to thank our police officers for the sacrifices that they make every day to keep our communities safe.

Read more: www.theblaze.com


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The U.S. And Iran Are Aligned In Iraq Against The Islamic State--For Now

Missy Ryan and Loveday Morris, Dec. 27, 2014, Washington Post

At the same time, Iraq’s Shiite-led government is increasingly reliant on the powerful militias and a massive Shiite volunteer force, which together may now equal the size of Iraq’s security forces.

Although the Obama administration says it is not coordinating directly with Iran, the two nations’ arms-length alliance against the Islamic State is an uncomfortable reality. That’s not only because some of the militia shock troops who have proved effective in fighting the Islamic State battled U.S. forces during the 2003-2011 war there, but also because, in Syria, Iran continues to support President Bashar al-Assad, whom the United States would like to see toppled.

Read more: www.washingtonpost.com


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Concealed Carry Permit Holder Sees A Man Beating A Woman In A Car

Dave Urabnski, Dec. 27, 2014, The Blaze

A Texas motorist who’s also a concealed handgun license holder told police he saw a man beating a woman in another car on Friday afternoon, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

So he got out of his car when both vehicles had stopped, pointed his gun at the other driver and forced him out of the vehicle until Southlake police arrived, the Star-Telegram reported.

Read more: www.theblaze.com


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PSA Encourages Kids To Steal Parents' Guns, Turn Them In To Teachers


Fox Nation, Dec. 27, 2014

Anti-gun PSA an invitation for danger?

A controversial new PSA encourages kids to steal their parents' guns and turn them in to teachers.

Watch more: nation.foxnews.com


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N. Korea Uses Racial Slur Against Obama Over Hack

Hyung-Jin Kim, Dec. 27, 2014, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest," an unidentified spokesman at the commission's Policy Department said in a statement carried by the country's official Korean Central News Agency.

The White House's National Security Council declined to comment Saturday.

Read more: www.stltoday.com


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Farmers Brace For Labor Shortage Under New Policy

Scott Smith, Dec. 28, 2014, AP

Thousands of the state's farmworkers, who make up a significant portion of those who will benefit, may choose to leave the uncertainty of their seasonal jobs for steady, year-around work building homes, cooking in restaurants and cleaning hotel rooms.

Read more: news.yahoo.com


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Searchers 'Suspect' Missing AirAsia Jet Is On Ocean Floor

Dean Schabner, Bill McGuire, and Ben Candea, Dec. 28, 2014, Good Morning America

The plane's Emergency Locator Transmitter should function automatically and send warning signals, but no signal has been detected by control centers in Indonesia or in neighboring countries, Soelistyo said.

Soelistyo confirmed that Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency is spearheading the search effort.

Read more: abcnews.go.com


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Franken Takes On Obama

Peter Sullivan, Dec. 28, 2014, The Hill"Join me in asking the President to withdraw Antonio Weiss’s nomination," Franken wrote in an email to supporters on Sunday, with a link to the petition. "We need a nominee who will put the middle class first."

Franken wrote that Weiss has worked on manuevers called "inversions," which are mergers that seek to lower a company's tax burden in the United States.

Read more: www.thehill.com


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Sunday, December 28, 2014

Hundreds Turn Their Back On de Blasio At NYPD Officer's Funeral

Credit:  Viorel Florescu / North Jersey/Landov
Source:  New York Daily News
By Dean Schabner, Dec. 27, 2014, ABCNews.com

Hundreds of police officers turned their backs on a screen showing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as he spoke at the funeral of one of two officers killed last week in what has been called an "assassination."

The funeral at the Christ Tabernacle Church, in the Glendale neighborhood of Queens, was broadcast to thousands of police who gathered outside.

The killing of Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu came amid heightened tensions between the police and the mayor over what some police saw as a lack of support for the force.

Sgt. Myron Joseph of the New Rochelle Police Department said he and fellow officers turned their backs spontaneously to "support our brothers in the NYPD."

The NYPD said through its public relations office that it had no comment.


Read the full story:  www.abcnews.go.com

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Critical Decisions After 9/11 Led To Slow, Steady Decline In Quality For Secret Service

Carol D. Leonnig, Dec. 27, 2014, Washington Post

The Secret Service began struggling to carry out its most basic duties after Congress and the George W. Bush administration expanded the elite law enforcement agency’s mission in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“We are not the Super Bowl team we once were,” Dan Emmett, a former Secret Service supervisor, said in a recent interview with The Washington Post.

Read more: www.washingtonpost.com



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Hillary Clinton Questions Argentine President Cristina Kirchner's Mental Health

Rory Carroll, Nov. 29, 2010, The Guardian

Clinton's preoccupation may stem partly from the fact that Kirchner's career has mirrored her own: both are lawyers and tough political operators whose husbands became president and campaigned for their wives to inherit the sash after they left office. Before being elected in 2007 Kirchner welcomed the comparisons and called the then New York senator an inspiration.

Read more: www.theguardian.com


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Brawl At The Mall: Teens Injured In 'Multiple Fights'

Alastair Jamieson and Niven McCall-Mazza, Dec. 27, 2014, NBC News

Separately, police in Independence, Missouri were called after more than 100 teenagers were involved in a disturbance at the Independence Center mall at about 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET), the local police department said. In California, cops responded to reports of a shooting at the Arden Mall in Sacramento but the officers instead found there had been fighting in the food court.

Read more: www.nbcnews.com


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