Author: MelodyM

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News

President Obama’s Brother Talks Domestic Violence Endured By Their Father

 

Mark Obama Ndesandjo

President Obama’s half-brother Mark Obama Ndesandjo is a skillful pianist, author and businessman. Educated at Brown, Stanford and Emory Universities, he uses his skills to create art, pen memoirs, and teach the arts to orphans in Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China. After living there for 12 years, Ndesandjo says living in China helped find himself, whereas growing up in Kenya  taught him survival skills and America overwhelmed him as he attempted to navigate the academic and dating scene. His recent memoir, Cultures My Odyssey of Self-Discovery, which was originally published in Kenya and Shenzhen in 2009,will be published worldwide in 2014. And on the heels of that release, we spoke with Ndesandjo about the book’s intimate details of the domestic violence he and his mother endured from Barack Obama, Sr. — the father he shares with President Obama.

– See more at: madamenoire.com

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News

Fatal Manhattan High-Rise Fire Caused By Overloaded Power Strip


Screenshot of blaze, l; photo from 26th floor, r, via Mickey Atwal

The Sunday morning fire in a Hell’s Kitchen apartment building that killed one man and seriously injured his husband was deemed accidental by the Fire Department. Apparently the cause of the three-alarm blaze was a power strip overloaded with electrical appliances in another resident’s apartment.

The fire start after 11 a.m. at The Strand, a condominium at 500 West 43rd Street, and it took about two hours to control. FDNY Chief of Operations James Esposito said, “We believe we have a power pack, extension cord with multiple outlets involved. A Christmas tree was part of the contents of the fire apartment.” Esposito also said, “My understanding is that when the occupant returned from shopping and he went to enter his apartment, he opened the door, it was full of smoke, he left, and the door remained in an open position… The fire received all the oxygen it needed to become a free-burning fire.”

A source told the Post, “[It was] probably one of those cheap dollar-store extension chords that overloaded the outlet. The fact that there was stuff around it, like the tree, to catch fire, and and it was up against a window so it vented out, made it [spread]. All indications point to that.”

h/t – gothamist

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News

Man in toddler-slapping plane case gets 8 months

 

KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge on Monday sentenced a man who pleaded guilty to slapping a crying toddler on an Atlanta-bound flight to serve eight months in federal prison.

Joe Rickey Hundley was accused of using a racial slur to refer to the 19-month-old boy, who’s black, and hitting him under the eye as the flight from Minneapolis descended to the Atlanta airport last February. He pleaded guilty in October to simple assault after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of six months in prison, and Hundley reserved his right to argue for a lower sentence. U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman said he imposed a higher sentence in part because of Hundley’s criminal history, which includes a prior assault.

Hundley’s lawyer, Marcia Shein, objected to the deviation from the recommendation in the plea agreement and said after the hearing that she believes the sentence is disproportionate.

Before he was sentenced, Hundley told the judge he took full responsibility for his actions and turned to apologize in person to Jessica Bennett, the toddler’s mother, who was in the courtroom.

h/t – wtop

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News

Man reunited with family after AP photo published

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nicholas Simmons disappeared from his parents’ house in a small upstate New York town on New Year’s Day, leaving behind his wallet, cellphone and everything else.

Four days later, an Associated Press photographer, looking for a way to illustrate unusually cold weather, snapped his picture as he warmed himself on a steam grate a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

Paul and Michelle Simmons saw the AP photograph in USA Today Sunday morning after it was brought to their attention through a Facebook page set up to help find their 20-year-old son, according to police and family friends.

While questions remain unanswered about why the young man left and how he ended up in Washington, his mother expressed her relief on Facebook that her son had been located.

“It could have been months before we had a lead on his whereabouts. My baby looks so lost and I will be spending the rest of my life making him well,” she wrote.

The photo, taken Saturday by AP photographer Jacquelyn Martin, showed Simmons with his unshaven face pressed against a grate outside the Federal Trade Commission. He wore a ski jacket and a hood over his head. A thick gray blanket covered his lower body.

Martin was assigned to the White House that weekend, but with President Barack Obama still on vacation in Hawaii, she spent the day looking for shots that would illustrate the cold weather. That is how she found Nick Simmons, in an area where homeless people often gather when it is frigid outside. She found a cluster of men huddled around the grate, introduced herself and started taking pictures.

Then she noticed one person in particular, huddled under a blanket.

“It struck me how young he was,” Martin said. “I again introduced myself and shook his hand. He said his name was Nick.”

Martin finished shooting, sent the pictures to the wire and called it a day. The next day, she received a message via Twitter from USA Today.

The newspaper had run the photo of Nick and was contacting Martin to tell her that Nick’s family had recognized him and was trying to locate him. Michelle Simmons was certain that the young man in the photograph was her son, missing for four days.

Police picked Simmons up Sunday afternoon and took him to a hospital, said police Capt. Patrick Phelan. Simmons’ father, Paul, and older brother Paul Jr. arrived in Washington Sunday night and were reunited with Simmons at the hospital, said longtime family friends Peter and Cindy Gugino.

Martin, the AP photographer, said the episode serves as a reminder to journalists that every person they encounter has a story to tell.

“It’s really gratifying to see that a photograph can make a tangible difference in someone’s life. That’s a really amazing thing to have happened,” she said. “I’m happy and touched that the photograph could help reunite this family.”

Police said authorities notified local media and tried to investigate the case, but there were no leads until the publication of the photo.

“It was pure dumb luck how all this happened,” said Sgt. David Mancuso, the lead investigator. “It’s truly a miracle.”

 

h/t – wtop

 

Categories
Health

Bedtime Yoga

Practicing yoga before bed will benefit your sleep in many ways. The mind and body are working every minute of the day. As bedtime approaches, it is beneficial to release the stress and tension from the body, relax the mind and enjoy quiet yoga, because of the stimulatory effect yoga has on the nervous system, and in particular the brain.

Often, we have trouble falling asleep because the mind is still going, but the practice of breathing allows for more oxygen in the body providing clarity in the mind. A relaxed session of yoga helps to calm the body, mind and spirit. This helps to quiet the constant thought patterns that can rob you of sleep.

You will have a more restful sleep because of the relaxing aspect of yoga and the subsequent relieving of stress, tension and fatigue and you will wake up every morning ready to go instead of wishing you could stay in bed. Combine yoga with a short meditation practice to enhance this benefit.

 

 

h/t – positivemed

Categories
Entertainment

Face it, that’s a great picture! They Captured Their Faces in Snow

They may look like perfectly crafted sculptures or delicately etched pictures – but a father-daughter team say these images took far less effort.
Photographer Nelson Jones and his daughter Hillary told MyFoxDC  that the pair created the pictures by pressing their faces in the snow and then taking snaps of the indents.

Speaking with Fox, Jones explained that the pair had been shoveling snow outside their Washington D.C. home on Friday morning and commented on how fresh it looked.

Ice work: Nelson Jones and his daughter Hillary pushed their faces into the snow outside their D.C. home and snapped a picture of it. When they looked at the photo they were shocked to see it looked 3D
There’s snow stopping them: They made a series of faces on the snow and were shocked at the results

His daughter suggested that they stick their faces in the snow on the roof of the car, so they gave it ago, ‘and so the crazy, 3D snow face plant pic was born!’, Fox reported.

Jones said that the resulting image on his daughter’s iPhone surprised them as the dents did not look 3D to the naked eye.

While Fox insisted that the images were real, others expressed their skepticism at the level of detail.

‘I take extreme issue with the very fine detail of Jones’ face, one wrote on Facebook. ‘You realize how clay like the snow would have to be, how firm yet soft? How much pressure would need to be applied and depth to get into the lines?’

Bizarre: They said that the 3D faces weren’t visible until they took photos of the snow, using a flash
Snow lies here: They insisted the indents were really created by their faces as skeptics called them fakes

He also asked why there were no indents from items such as hats or coats. But Fox insisted the images were created with nothing but their faces, adding of Jones: ‘He was as suprised as we are!’

The images come after the area was blanketed with snow throughout Thursday night, with residents seeing anything between two and four inches.

They also suffered bitterly cold temperatures, with the mercury plummeting to its lowest level so far this season of 16 degrees. Forecasters said it felt more like -1 degree due to the wind.

Snow hit other areas across the Northeast even harder; there were between six and 10 inches reported around New York City, nine inches in Philadelphia and nearly 14 inches in Boston.

Read more: Here

Categories
Education

Secrets to Being a Productive Entrepreneur (Infographic)

Time is money, especially if you are launching a business. As you kick off the new year, let go of old habits and focus on becoming more efficient.

From figuring out the perfect sleep temperature to dumping the clutter from your desk and learning how to let go of “perfect,” streamlining everyday tasks can lead to a more productive lifestyle, according to San Francisco-based startup organization Funders and Founders.

Want to know more ways to become more productive? Check out the series of infographics below.

Click to Enlarge+

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Read more: Entrepreneur

Categories
Entertainment Movies News

LESSONS LEARNED: HOW TO UPDATE AN OUTDATED INDUSTRY

CAN THE MOVIE THEATER BE SAVED? WHILE HOLLYWOOD STICKS WITH THE SAME OLD IDEAS–BIGGER, PRICIER BLOCKBUSTERS–THESE OUTSIDERS ARE MAKING REAL CHANGES.

STACY SPIKES

Cofounder and CEO , MoviePass

The former Miramax executive’s subscription service works at almost any movie theater. For $35 a month, users can see one movie a day–any movie, at any time.

THE SUBSCRIBER

1. REMAKE THE MODEL

“‘Raise prices 5% every year’ can’t be the future. Millennials consume media in subscriptions– Netflix, Hulu–and we need to take that seriously. It’s not that disruptive. We could put AMC or Regal Crown memberships right into our app and become an extension of those programs. We build loyalty.”

2. FIT THE RIGHT MOLD

“Our system works within the theaters’ Subscribers select the movie and showtime on our app, which unlocks a debit card to purchase the ticket. MoviePass pays the theater the full price, and we sell in-app advertising. The strategy has helped us reach roughly 4,500 theaters across every state.”

3. FIND HIDDEN BENEFITS

“Theaters are open all day but are only crowded for a fraction of that. In a survey last year, we increased theater traffic 64%, users consumed more concessions, and they doubled their visits at off-peak times. Basically, we helped theaters make more money during the times they’re already open.”

4. BE AN EASY PARTNER

“When we talk to major theater chains, we stress our robust customer service. That isn’t just for our own customers; that’s so a user’s poor experience goes directly to us and nobody blames the theater. That really helps the theater see us as a friend, not a potential liability.”

 

h/t – fastcompany

Categories
Featured News

Alleged Serial “Knockout” Puncher Arrested In Connection With Six Attacks

The NYPD says they have arrested a man suspected of committing six unprovoked assaults in Brooklyn, including an alleged assault on a woman walking with her 7-year-old child in Midwood last week. He has been charged with six counts of assault as a hate crime, along with several additional attempted assault and harassment charges.

Barry Baldwin, a 35-year-old Brooklyn resident, was arrested and charged for numerous alleged attacks that appear to fit the “knockout” assault profile—in which a victim is sucker-punched at random—that span from November 9th to December 27th of this year. The allegations include a November 9th incident involving a 78-year-old woman, who was attacked in Midwood; Baldwin is also accused of attacking a 20-year-old woman in Bensonhurst, two elderly woman in Canarsie, and a 35-year-old woman in Canarsie, in addition to the attack on the aforementioned 33-year-old woman in Midwood.

The NYPD believes Baldwin’s most recent assault was on December 27th; he is also accused of attempted to hit a 38-year-old woman in Canarsie, but the NYPD says he missed and the victim was able to escape. There has been a lot of debate as to whether the so-called “knockout” attacks are a dangerous trend or merely overhyped by the media, and in announcing Baldwin’s arrest, the NYPD did not use the word “knockout.” Two weeks ago, a group of pre-teens ages 10, 11 and 14 were arrested in connection to “knockout”-like attacks, and they were all charged with assault, endangerment and criminal mischief.

 h/t – Gothamist
Categories
Featured

Woman Steals Jay Z Tickets, Run Over and Disfigured Ticket Owner

Cold: Denitra Green allegedly drove away as her cohort stole Jay Z tickets from a seller they’d connected through on Craigslist. The seller clung to their car and was dragged, disfigured and then run over

A Houston man was disfigured and nearly killed when the women he was selling Jay Z tickets to sped away as he leaned into their car, leaving him clinging desperately to the door handle.

The unnamed victim begged Denitra Green and Cessica Darden, both 20, to stop the car but police say Green continued speeding away while Darden kicked at his hands in an attempt to get him to fall off.

As Darden’s baby sat in the backseat, Green continued to drive after the car ran over the man’s nearly lifeless body.

According to the Houston Chronicle, Darden had told the victim they’d need to meet in a parking lot, with her in the car, because she was unable to leave her young child.

Court documents indicate that the man held on to the speeding vehicle at the back seat, right beside where Darden’s child sat.

‘[Darden] kicked his arm so hard, they broke it,’ the victim’s attorney Andino Reynal told KTRK. ‘It was a clean break. He’s going to have to have surgery. When the arm broke, he came off the car and the car ran over his legs.’

The man broke a leg, an arm, tore a knee cap, and suffered disfiguring facial wounds.

‘He was begging them and instead of stopping, they drove faster,’ Reynal said.

He will in all likelihood live out his life with diminished use of his right hand and one of his legs.

The man remained in the hospital Thursday in the wake of the devastating December 15 incident and faces plastic surgeries and the possibility of never regaining the use of some fingers thanks to extensive broken bones and horrific road rash.

Horrific: The unidentified victim will require plastic surgery and may never fully regain the use of his right hand or one of his legs. He suffered a broken arm, leg, and horrible road rash on his face

Horrified witnesses gave the police the car’s license plate number.

The victim was also able to provide the contact information the women had used leading up to their meeting.

But they were led to the suspects by way of something far more shocking: police went to the December 19 concert and found them in seats matching those for which the victim had been selling tickets on Craigslist.

The witnesses and victim would later identify Green in a lineup. She was then arrested.

Police said the women admitted to the crime and showed no remorse even after being shown pictures of the grisly injuries they allegedly caused the man.

Green has now made her $30,000 bond. As of Thursday evening, Darden remained at large.

Scene: The victim told police that Darden wanted to meet him while inside the car at this Houston Starbucks because she had her baby with her

Read more: Daily Mail

Categories
Education Health

5 Things You Need to Know About Your Blood Type

Have you ever wondered why you are not losing weight after following the exact same diet as your best friend and she manages to lose those 10 pounds fast and easy? Ever asked yourself why you get sick so often or why is your immune system so weak?

Are you eating the right foods for your blood type?
It is important to learn how your blood type affects your health and wellness, same as your weight and believe it or not your blood type makes you more susceptible to certain diseases.

Why does this happen?
We understand that there are four blood groups A, B, AB and O, and that blood type is determined by genetics. There are certain antigens (these could be proteins, carbohydrates and glycoproteins) that when they enter the body, the immune system produces antibodies against them. We respond differently to these antigens depending on our blood type.

Blood is classified by:
New: AB
Old: O
Agrarian: A
Nomadic: B

Blood type and diet:
Certain foods such as legumes contain a carbohydrate-binding protein called lectin. This substance is most likely to cause inflammation in the body, but it will produce stronger reactions in certain blood types. Therefore it can make you more susceptible to certain diseases and other factors like fatigue, poor digestion and weight gain.
There are a lot of chemical reactions going on in our bodies all day long, digestion is one of them and our blood type can affect how we digest the food, meaning it will be crucial in terms of weight loss or weight gain

Blood Type O
Recommended to eat:
-High-protein found in meat and fish
-Reduce carb intake
-Avoid diary

Blood Type A
Recommended to eat:
-Vegetarian diet (lots of veggies!)
-Grains (beans, legumes)

Blood Type B
Recommended to eat:
-Red Meat (avoid chicken)
-Dairy
-Fruits and vegetables

Blood Type AB
Recommended to eat:
-Lean meat
-Dairy
-Seafood
-Vegetables and legumes

Blood types and diseases:
As previously mentioned every blood type is different because of their antigens located on the surface of the red blood cells. Each blood type creates certain defenses to help fight diseases.

Blood type and personality:

Blood Type O
-Outgoing
-Initiators
-Creative
-Social
-Confident.
Blood Type A
-Most likely to be calm
-Perfectionists
-Most artistic
-Bold
-Trustworthy
-Sensitive
Blood Type B
-Goal oriented
– Strong minded
-Independent
Blood Type AB
-Split personalities: outgoing and shy
-Confident and timid
-Responsible
-Care a lot for others

Blood type and fertility:
Women chances of fertility are different in different blood groups; this happens due to the fact that the amount of a hormone called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) varies, depending on the blood type.

Some studies to prove this theory show that women with blood types A and AB were generally less likely than others to produce the follicle-stimulating hormone.

Please note that according to many nutritionists, there is not enough scientific evidence to support these claims, and if you’re among those who manage their diet based on scientific evidence, then you have to wait for more results to come up.

h/t – positivemed

Categories
News

What You Should Remember When The Delivery Guy Comes In This Blizzard


It’s hard out there (Dave Bledsoe/Flickr)

Hey did you guys hear there’s some weather approaching? In light of this, newly minted Mayor de Blasio has confined you to your apartment and the grocery store lines are an absolute nightmare. This can mean just one thing: elastic waist pants and delivery.

But while you’re enjoying moo shu pork in the warmth of your laptop and clanking radiator, the folks delivering your meal are slogging through snow, wind, ice and downright dangerous conditions to get to your apartment. It’s only right that your laziness be offset by generously tipping the souls braving the storm so you don’t have to. We’re sure you’re already tipping appropriately—RIGHT?!!?—but when the weather gets rough, good human beings go the extra dollar or four to take care of food delivery people. In no particular order, here are some general rules of thumb for not being a jerk tonight:

  • Throw in a few extra dollars for the incredible convenience of not having to venture into the muck. Whether or not you typically tip 20%, include an extra $2-3 dollars during bad weather. It goes a long way towards making the guys on bikes not feel quite so horrible. Doubly true if you’re ordering from the next ‘hood over instead of the cute cafe down the block.
  • Have a little patience. You’re not the only person who had the totally brilliant idea to order delivery tonight. Not only will volume likely be higher, it’s not a cake walk to get your bike through the slush while also dodging snow plows. Anticipate a longer wait time, and don’t give off an audible sigh when your food arrives later than normal.
  • Whenever possible, tip in cash. This goes for any day but it’s a good reminder that tip skimming exists through online ordering.

h/t – Gothamist

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