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michael jackson News

Michael Jackson’s Killer Released from Jail

Dr. Conrad Murray left the Los Angeles County jail under sheriff’s escort, avoiding reporters and Michael Jackson fans waiting for his release early Monday.

Murray, who served two years of a four-year sentence for causing Michael Jackson’s death, was driven away in a sheriff’s car for the “safety and security” of the jail, sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

The handful of Jackson fans gathered outside the jail accused the Los Angeles County sheriff of showing favoritism to Murray by slipping him out of the jail through a back exit, instead of the door where freed prisoners normally leave.

Murray, who the sheriff’s spokesman described as an exemplary inmate, was kept away from the general inmate population during his two years in the jail. He was also allowed to have liberal use of a telephone inside his cell during his last year.

Murray’s lawyer told reporters outside the jail that he would try to get his medical licenses reinstated in California, Texas and Nevada so he can resume the medical career interrupted by his conviction on the involuntary manslaughter in 2011.

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Politics trayvon martin

Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman as Halloween Costumes? SICK

A kid lost his life, gunned down by the man who stalked him through a Florida neighborhood. That man was later put on a mocked, make-belief trial where he was later freed. And this is what the family of the slain teenager gets to see online – a Halloween party with these people glorifying their son’s murder.

A pair of Florida men decided to celebrate Halloween this year by dressing up as George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, complete with blackface and blood-stained hoodie.

The image of the duo (click to enlarge) was uploaded Friday to the Facebook page of Caitlin Cimeno, a Martha’s Vineyard native who captioned the photo “Happy Halloween from Zimmerman & trayvon.” Cimeno, flanked in the photo by the two men, followed those words with a smiley face emoticon.

Greg Cimeno, 22, portrayed Zimmerman, complete with a “Neighborhood Watch” t-shirt. Cimeno lives in Cape Coral, Florida, where he appears to work for a carpentry firm.

William Filene, 25, dressed up as Martin, covering his face in black paint and donning a gray sweatshirt with a single bullet hole surrounded by fake blood. Filene, who also lives in Cape Coral, was arrested in June for felony auto theft. His rap sheet also included collars for loitering/prowling and failing to register an automobile.

In a plea deal, Filene copped to the auto theft charge during an August hearing in Lee County Circuit Court. He was sentenced to 18 months probation, and now has his own page on the Florida Department of Corrections web site (which includes this mug shot).

After Caitlin Cimeno posted the photo to her Facebook account (which she has since scrubbed), Greg Cimeno responded to comments about the image. “Anything for the laugh,” he declared. When one of Caitlin’s friends wrote that the photo was “Not too funny,” Greg replied, “Not too funny. It’s fucking hilarious!!!”

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Politics Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum Turns On Ted Cruz – His Shutdown “Did More Harm” Than Good

Former senator and Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) criticized Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for the partial government shutdown, admitting Cruz “did more harm” than good with his attempt to defund President Barack Obama’s health care law.

“I would say that in the end he did more harm,” Santorum said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “I think it was not his objective. I think his objective was a laudable one.”

Prior to the shutdown, which left hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed without pay for over two weeks and cost the U.S. economy an estimated$24 billion, Santorum voiced support for Cruz’s plan to tie anti-Obamacare measures to the government funding bill.

“It’s too soon to tell whether the strategy has worked or not, will it move the debate this way? But I think that’s really ultimately, what I think Ted’s is trying to accomplish and I think he’s certainly is pulling out all the bullets to get it done,” Santorum told CNN in September.

However, on Sunday, Santorum said Cruz’s plan failed in its execution.

“I think he didn’t do a very good job in pointing [his objective] out,” Santorum said. “It’s one thing to have a goal, and another thing to have a plan to get you to that goal, and he didn’t figure that out.”

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Domestic Policies Education News Politics

Inflation: Letting The Air Out Of Teacher Pay

As if being a teacher isn’t enough of a financial challenge, here’s some worse news, compliments of a front-page article in Sunday’s New York Times about the Federal Reserve possibly injecting some inflation into the economy. Right now it’s an intellectual argument, and if you’ve ever studied the Great Depression of the 1930s, you know that the real danger to the economy would be deflation. In an effort to combat that, the Fed would look kindly on an inflationary course for these reasons:

The Fed has worked for decades to suppress inflation, but economists, including Janet Yellen, President Obama’s nominee to lead the Fed starting next year, have long argued that a little inflation is particularly valuable when the economy is weak. Rising prices help companies increase profits; rising wages help borrowers repay debts. Inflation also encourages people and businesses to borrow money and spend it more quickly. 

The next paragraph, though, shows that not all people would benefit from such an economic course. Read it and weep.

The school board in Anchorage, Alaska, for example, is counting on inflation to keep a lid on teachers’ wages.

But wait; there’s more.

Rising inflation also punishes people living on fixed incomes.

So there you have it. The very same people who caused the financial meltdown, destroyed the pension system, and enacted laws that capped what municipalities and states could pay for social services now want an economic policy that would punish teachers and other public workers while they’re working, and it would keep on giving after they retire and are on a fixed pension and Social Security. Is that the way to continue to attract the best and brightest people to teaching, and to show them how much society respects their contributions? Absolutely not.

(As a side note, I completely reject the notion that we have not already attracted some of our best people to become teachers. America’s teachers put in an extraordinary amount of hours into their jobs and genuinely care about their chosen field. We’ve attended some of the best universities in the land and have studied with world class professors and professionals. So, it bothers me a great deal when others say that we need to get the best and brightest into our classrooms. We’re already there. Pay us what we’re worth, give us the tools to do our jobs and stop nickle and diming the schools in the name of an ideology that disrespects and ultimately wants to destroy a system that gives us the right to bargain collectively, set acceptable work rules and protect our due process rights.)

(Which leads to another side note. The right wing doesn’t know what it’s talking about on education.)

The politicians and think-tank lackeys who are presently influencing the education debate in this country have done a fine job singling out teachers, telling the public that their schools are failing, and blaming us for having pensions and benefits. Now the economists want to manipulate the economy so that it punishes us more. The contradiction is that if you continue to squeeze America’s public workers, then we won’t be able to spend and otherwise contribute to the economy. We won’t be able to afford to send our children to college. And we won’t be able to continue to do what we love.

Yes, I know there’s an old myth in this country that says that teachers don’t teach for money, they teach because they’re committed to their craft. As with most myths, this is not only false, but dangerous, and society is playing with fire if it believes it can continue to treat us poorly.

For more please go to:
www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives and Twitter @rigrundfest 

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arrested Celebrities

Chris Brown Arrested in Washington DC – Punched Man in Face

According to reporting from TMZ, Chris Brown was arrested in Washington today on a felony charge for punching a man in the face.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … at around 4:30 AM Brown got into an argument with a man outside the W Hotel on K Street and allegedly punched him once in the face.  We’re told the alleged victim never threw a punch. 

The alleged victim tells TMZ … he and a friend were hanging out at the W when they saw 2 woman about to take a picture with Brown.  The victim — who says he’s not a Chris Brown fan — says he and his buddy photo bombed the 2 woman and Chris went nuts, punching him in the face and BREAKING HIS NOSE.  He went to the hospital and says he may need surgery as early as tomorrow. 

Law enforcement sources and the alleged victim tell TMZ … before striking the man, Chris said, “I’m not into this gay s**t, I’m into boxing.”  After Chris punched the man, the fight was taken to the ground.

Sources connected with Chris tell TMZ … the alleged victim is full of BS.  He was NOT trying to take a pic with Chris … he was trying to get on Chris’ tour bus, and Brown was simply trying to stop a trespass.  The sources say before the incident the 2 girls tried to get on the bus but the were stopped, and that’s when the victim and his friend made their move.

Categories
ObamaCare Politics

SNL: Can’t Get On to HealthCare.gov? Try Restarting Your Computer

That was just one of the recommendations Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius… SNL style that is.

Here’s part of her special announcement. 

“A lot of folks have been talking about our new healthcare enrollment website,how it’s been crashing and freezing, shutting down and stalling and not working, breaking and sucking.”

She then provided a “number of helpful tips for solving these problems.” “For example,” she said, “Have you tried restarting your computer? Sometimes it helps to turn the computer ‘off,’ then turn it back ‘on.’”

“If our website isn’t loading properly, it’s probably just overloaded with traffic,” she said. “Millions of Americans are visiting Healthcare.gov, which is great news. Unfortunately, it was only designed to handle six users at a time.”

“If you’re in a rush, try using our ‘low-res’ website, with bigger fonts and simpler graphics.” She pulled up a Web 1.0 page titled “U WANT DOCTOR?” which featured giant “YES” and “NO” buttons with crudely rendered flames shooting out of them.

“If the regular site isn’t working,” she continued, “try signing up in a different language, like Icelandic. If our site keeps freezing, we’ve also provided links to helpful websites like Kayak.com, where you can buy airline tickets to Canada and buy cheaper prescription drugs.”

Categories
Politics

Shaq Makes Ad for Chris Christie

I guess Shaquille O’Neal makes mistakes every now and then. Consider this endorsement one of those mistakes.

Categories
ObamaCare Politics

Ted Cruz Wants You to Trample on Your Healthcare

In other words, Ted Cruz wants the same old Teaparty members who have already seen their prescription cost go down as one of the many benefits of Obamacare… Cruz wants these people to gather up themselves, proceed very carefully to the nearest Teaparty bus, head to Washington and trample Obamacare.

Ps. Walking canes will be stored in the back of the bus.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Saturday that his 21-hour Senate speech was a long time, but that’s almost as long as it takes signing up on the ObamaCare website.

He was taking a shot at HealthCare.gov’s technical setbacks, referring to his 21-hour floor speech in which he attacked the law ahead of the government shutdown.

Cruz made the comment in his keynote speech at the Defenders of Freedom event in Le Mars, Iowa Saturday afternoon. 

“I seem to recall two weeks ago when every newspaper, every political TV station was saying that it is impossible for the president to delay any part of ObamaCare. You guys are nuts,” the freshman senator said. “This week, the president and the Democrats are saying ‘holy cow, this thing is really not working.’” 

President Obama, members of his administration, and Democrats on Capitol Hill addressed the website problems this week. The Department of Health and Human Services said Friday it should be running smoothly by the end of November.

Cruz said Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who hosted the event, made a good indication that it’s a good example of ‘our president leading from behind.’

The Tea Party senator said he’s trying to build a grassroots “army” of Americans to surround the U.S. Capitol, and bring down ObamaCare

Categories
New York News

New York’s Police Commissioner Apologizes to Avonte’s Dad

Ray Kelly

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly paid a visit Saturday to the father of Avonte Oquendo and expressed regret for saying he feared the missing 14-year-old autistic boy was dead.
“He was very nice to me,’’ Daniel Oquendo told The Post. “He apologized.’’
Kelly assured the family the search would continue for Avonte, who walked out of his Long Island City, Queens, school more than three weeks ago and hasn’t been seen since.

On Thursday, Kelly told WABC/Channel 7: “Unfortunately, we are not hopeful that we’re going to find this young man alive, but we are continuing our search.’’
The pessimistic comment infuriated the boy’s family, prompting the commissioner’s visit.

Categories
Food And Recipes

The Quik Cook! Season Perfect Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes!


Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes 

Total Time: 1 hr, plus cooling time / Makes: 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
4 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling; about 1 3/4 cups)
1 recipe Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line 2 (12-well) muffin pans with paper liners. Alternatively, coat the wells with vegetable oil; set aside.
2. Place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.

3. Place the sugar and measured oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the sugar is incorporated, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula.

4. Return the mixer to medium speed and add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, about 1 1/2 minutes total mixing time. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the pumpkin, and beat until just combined, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula.

5. Turn the mixer to low speed, slowly add the flour mixture, and beat until almost completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in any unincorporated flour at the edges with a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape to the bottom of the bowl.

6. Fill the muffin wells three-quarters of the way (about a heaping 1/4 cup per well). Place the muffin pans side by side in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pans front to back and side to side and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 10 minutes more.

7. Place the pans on wire racks and let them cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and cool completely on the racks. Frost with Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting (next recipe).



Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1/3 cup pumpkin purée (not pie filling)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and whisk to combine; set aside.

2. Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until fully combined and smooth, about 1 minute.

3. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add the powdered sugar mixture, and beat until fully incorporated and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

4. Turn the mixer to medium speed, add the pumpkin, and mix until fully incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute. Use immediately.

Categories
Healthcare

FDA Approves First Ultrasound Device For Dense Breast Tissue

Women with high density breast tissue are least likely to have small tumors picked up by a standard mammogram.


The National Cancer Institute estimates that about 40% of women receiving mammograms have dense breasts, meaning that they have a high amount of connective and glandular tissue compared with less-dense breasts, which have a high amount of fatty tissue. Women with dense breasts have an increased risk of breast cancer, since dense breast tissue may hide smaller tumors normally picked up during mammograms, enabling the disease to advanced to a stage more difficult to treat.

To counteract this, the FDA has recently approved the first ultrasound device for use in combination with a standard mammogram on women with DBT who receive a negative mammogram (no disease found in your breasts) and no symptoms of breast cancer. Known as the somo-v Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS) this specially-shaped transducer can automatically scan the entire breast in about one minute to produce several images for review using ultrasound capable of detecting small masses in dense breasts. Software analyzes the differences in how the sound waves are reflected off different tissues and back to the transducer to create an image a physician can review for abnormalities.

Ask your physician to recommend additional screening using ultrasound, if it has been determined you have dense breast tissue and you’ve received a negative mammogram.

 

Categories
Featured News

Man Pleads Guilty To Hiring ‘KKK’ To Hang Neighbor

A 29-year-old military veteran in Alabama pleaded guilty to hiring what he believed was a Ku Klux Klan member to kill his neighbor and mutilate his body.

Allen Wayne Densen Morgan began his murder plot when he thought that his neighnor, Clifford Maurice Mosley, who had a previous record of sexual abuse, had raped his wife, according to FOX News. Investigators have not commented on how Morgan came to such conclusion.

“I want this man hung from a tree like he is an animal. I want his d— cut off and I want him cut,” Morgan told Cornelius Harris Jr., an undercover FBI Special Agent. Morgan was arrested on Aug. 25, 2013, when two undercover agents, posing as the KKK members, met him at a motel to finalize the deal. He will be sentenced in February of 2014.

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