Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/170407933?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Fate of Obama's ambassador to El Salvador in doubt (AP)
WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama's ambassador to El Salvador may be heading home at year's end, her diplomatic future undone by old, unfounded rumors that her boyfriend was a Cuban spy and new conservative outrage over a summertime op-ed on gay rights.
Mari Carmen Aponte, a Washington lawyer and Hispanic activist, has served as ambassador in San Salvador since September 2010 after Obama, in response to Republican opposition to her nomination, made her a recess appointee. But her temporary tenure is about to run out and GOP lawmakers are resisting a determined administration effort to secure Senate confirmation.
The opposition stems from questions about Aponte's relationship decades ago with a Cuban-American that scuttled her nomination during the Clinton administration to be ambassador to the Dominican Republic, and a more recent essay she wrote in June to mark Obama's proclamation of gay pride month.
Though the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved her nomination on a 10-9 party-line vote last week, her fate in the full Senate is uncertain with just days left in the legislative session.
"It appears unlikely that all of these Republicans are going to change their mind as far as allowing it to come to a floor vote without a change in attitude about the information," said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., who is pressing for more details about Aponte. "All of us think we should have an ambassador in El Salvador, but all of us are concerned that we get people who we know are the right people."
The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. John Kerry, insists Aponte has done a "solid job in her capacity as ambassador now," including helping secure the deployment of Salvadoran troops to Afghanistan to aid in the fight against al-Qaida. "I have not heard of or seen any substantive rationale for her not continuing in this post," Kerry, D-Mass., said at last week's committee meeting.
Ratcheting up the pressure, several members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus planned a news conference Tuesday afternoon to plead with the Senate to confirm Aponte, a Puerto Rican who served on the board at the National Council of La Raza. The caucus has called her "an asset to the Foreign Service and a highly effective advocate for the United States in Central America."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is likely to push for a vote despite GOP efforts to run out the clock on her selection, according to lawmakers and congressional aides.
Conservative anger toward Aponte is based, in part, on an op-ed she wrote June 28 in La Prensa Grafica, a daily newspaper in El Salvador, The essay was in response to a State Department cable to ambassadors worldwide urging them to recognize gay pride month.
In a Spanish-language piece titled, "For the Elimination of Prejudices Wherever They Exist," Aponte wrote: "No one should be subjected to aggression because of who he is or who he loves. Homophobia and brutal hostility are often based on lack of understanding about what it truly means to be gay or transgender. To avoid negative perceptions, we must work together with education and support for those facing those who promote hatred."
In the op-ed, Aponte noted that the United States and El Salvador were among more than 80 nations that had signed a U.N. declaration for the elimination of violence against gays and lesbians. She also pointed out that El Salvador President Mauricio Funes had signed a decree in May 2010 prohibiting discrimination by the government based on sexual orientation.
But 57 percent of El Salvador's population is Roman Catholic, and several Salvadoran family and religious groups wrote to U.S. lawmakers criticizing Aponte for "abusing her diplomatic status, showing a clear disdain concerning our values and cultural identity." They urged lawmakers to oppose her confirmation and suggested she be removed from the post.
DeMint, writing last month in Human Events, assailed Aponte for the op-ed and revived the old speculation about her personal life.
"Our relationship with the Salvadoran people has been one of trust and friendship for decades," DeMint said. "We should not risk that by appointing an ambassador who shows such a blatant disregard for their culture and refuses to clear unsettled doubts about her previous relationships. It's time to bring Ms. Aponte home."
In Aponte's defense, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., another member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said it was unfair to single her out for an op-ed that was prompted by a State Department missive.
"I really believe what's at stake here is politics more than a real concern about her background," Menendez said in an interview.
Thirteen years ago, when President Bill Clinton nominated Aponte, reports surfaced that a former live-in boyfriend, Roberto Tamayo, had ties to Cuban intelligence in Fidel Castro's regime and that Cuban intelligence agents had tried to recruit her. The head of the Foreign Relations Committee at the time, former Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., signaled he would question Aponte about the allegations at her confirmation hearing; she withdrew her nomination.
In the end, the FBI cleared her. On two occasions, Aponte has received top-secret security clearances.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the allegations were "simply false and unfounded," and Aponte has the full backing of Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Menendez, a Cuban-American, said his opposition to the Castro regime is second to none in the House or Senate and if there were any truth to the rumors about Aponte, he would have opposed her nomination.
___
Associated Press writer Bradley Klapper contributed to this report.
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Monday, December 5, 2011
Lobster tag lost in 'Perfect Storm' hops Atlantic (AP)
COHASSET, Mass. ? A tag from a lobster pot that was swept off the New England sea floor two decades ago during what came to be known as "The Perfect Storm" has washed up 3,000 miles away in Ireland.
The pot that held the tag with Cohasset lobsterman Richard Figueiredo's name on it was one of hundreds he lost when the vicious storm on the Atlantic Ocean struck off New England in 1991.
Rosemary Hill of Waterville in County Kerry found the tag on a beach last year, but the 39-year-old beachcomber put it aside with other beach souvenirs. Last week, she decided to try to contact Figueiredo and found him through his son Rich's Facebook account.
"I looked at it again and thought, `Why not try to find the owner?'" Hill told The Patriot Ledger (http://bit.ly/sVKBd3). "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Figueiredo, of Pembroke, was stunned the worn tag had weathered the long trip after the storm, which was made famous by Sebastian Junger's book "The Perfect Storm," the basis for a Hollywood movie about a rugged crew of New England fishermen caught in the storm.
"The odds are phenomenal," Figueiredo said.
Oceanographer Curt Ebbesmeyer said the tag's 20-year drift is unusually long for such flotsam. He theorized it was buried in offshore mud before drifting and catching the Gulf Stream toward Ireland ? in between a few years of circling in a mid-Atlantic current.
He called it "a very well-traveled tag indeed."
Hill said she spied the orange tag in clumps of seaweed after a storm.
Figueiredo and Hill spoke for the first time Thursday, when she offered to mail the tag back to him. But Figueiredo told her to keep it.
"The meaning it has over there is what matters," he said. "I am honored that she has put so much enthusiasm into this. What's happening now is a gift to me."
___
Information from: The Patriot Ledger, http://www.patriotledger.com
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Bachmann, from Waterloo to White House contender (The Arizona Republic)
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Police at No Greater PTSD Risk Than General Public: Study (HealthDay)
FRIDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Police officers who have to draw or fire their gun or use other weapons often report feeling powerless, guilty, angry and fearful afterward, Canadian researchers report.
But despite being at greater risk for experiencing such traumatic events, police officers are no more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the general population, according to a new Canadian study published by the Occupational Health & Safety Research Institute Robert-Sauve.
In the study, researchers evaluated 83 police officers in Montreal and elsewhere who had experienced a traumatic event, such as having to draw or fire their guns or use another type of weapon.
About 80 percent reported feeling powerless, while 59 percent experienced intense fear. More than half were angry, 17 percent were guilty and 2 percent said they felt shame over the event.
The study revealed that police officers have found different ways to cope with work-related traumatic events, such as getting support from their peers and taking part in leisure activities.
"The police offers involved in this study even advise their colleagues who experience this kind of event to consult a psychologist and are themselves open to the idea of receiving psychological support if need be," said the study's co-author, Melissa Martin, a psychologist at the Trauma Study Center at Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital, in a news release.
Researchers also said that symptoms of PTSD among police officers, such as depression and dissociative reactions, can be prevented by incorporating coping strategies into officer training programs.
"Providing police officers with interventional support shortly after and in the weeks following a TE [traumatic events] improves the chances of preventing PTSD," said study lead author Andre Marchand, a researcher at the Fernand-Seguin Research Center of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital and an associate professor at Montreal University, in a university news release.
More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides more information on post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Ron Paul Declines Donald Trump?s GOP Debate Offer Questioning ?Dignity? of Event
Donald Trump offered to host a GOP debate in December and is teaming up with Newsmax, a conservative magazine and news Web site, to moderate a presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa on Dec. 27th.
Ron Paul is among the first to decline the invitation in no uncertain terms saying through his campaign chairman, that his proposal is ?wildly inappropriate? and ?flies in the face of that office?s history and dignity.? Trump, who briefly considered a presidential bid himself, announced yesterday that he will team up with Newsmax.. Jon Huntsman also declined. There has been no word from the other candidates so far, according to the Daily Beast.
Some media reports are claiming the legitamacy and dignity of a political debate hosted by Mr. Trump, and Twitter reports are echoing the some of the same sentiments.
On Twitter, Pourmecoffee quipped, ?Clown to host circus.?
Newsmax sent candidates the invitation on Friday afternoon. It began, ?We are pleased to cordially invite you to ?The Newsmax Ion Television 2012 Presidential Debate,? moderated by a truly great American, Mr. Donald J. Trump.? Spokesmen for several candidates did not immediately respond to questions from The New York Times about whether they would accept.
Mr Trump is expected to announce an endorsement after the debates. In 2008 he endorsed John McCain, but his backing over the years has been for both Democrats and Republicans.
Since the 1990 U.S. elections, Donald Trump has made contributions to campaigns of both Republican Party and Democratic Party candidates. These have included Republicans John McCain, Rudolph Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, and George W. Bush and Democrats Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Tom Daschle, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Rahm Emanuel, Hillary Clinton, Anthony Weiner, Charles Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Charles Rangel), according to wikipedia.
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Don't Buy Anything in This Week's Open Thread [Open Thread]
Between Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the aftermath you've been bombarded with during the past week or two, you're probably a little sick of all the deals and spending. Take a break from the holiday shopping in this week's open thread.
Same drill as always, open-threaders: You can chat and ask questions with your fellow readers all week long at the #openthread hashtag page, but our weekly open thread post is your opportunity to reach the most people. Ask questions, offer advice, discuss productivity tips, or just chat about whatever's on your mind. You'll need a commenter account to participate, then you're ready to roll.
An extra reminder: If you're not quite satisfied with the interaction in the weekly open thread or in #tips, remember that you can also share your expertise every day on our Expert Pages. Photo by Corey Ann.
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Time To Adopt The Long-Term Investing Mindset - Seeking Alpha
[unable to retrieve full-text content]And my personal favorite one was: "Your trusted friend and neighbor, an experienced geologist, is putting together a group of investors to fund an exploratory gold mining venture. The venture could pay back 50 to 100 times ...
Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/310925-time-to-adopt-the-long-term-investing-mindset
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Sunday, November 27, 2011
Kelly Clarkson and Bruno Mars Perform on The X Factor: Watch Now!
The X Factor did everything in pairs on Wednesday night.
First, the competition sent two contestants packing as the impressive runs of both Lakoda Rayne and LeRoy Bell came to an end. Also, the show featured two wildly popular acts, as both Kelly Clarkson and Bruno Mars put on renditions of their latest hits.
Watch the former American Idol belt out a version of "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" below, followed by Bruno Mars with "It Will Rain."
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