Friday, November 30, 2012

UN upgrades Palestinian status to 'non-member state'

Palestinians had a major symbolic victory when the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to recognize them, but the U.S. argued the new status could set back Palestinians in the path to peace. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

By NBC News staff and wire services

The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution on Thursday giving implicit recognition to Palestinian statehood despite threats by the United States and Israel to punish the Palestinian Authority by withholding funds for the West Bank government.

The resolution, which lifts the Palestinian Authority's U.N. observer status from "entity" to "non-member state," like the Vatican possesses, easily passed the 193-nation General Assembly with 138 nations voting in favor, and nine opposed, including the United States. Forty-one countries abstained, including the United Kingdom.

Israel, the United States and the other members who opposed the resolution see it as a largely symbolic and counterproductive move by the Palestinians. The vote took place on the 65th anniversary of the assembly's adoption of resolution 181 on the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has led the campaign to win support for the resolution, which follows an eight-day conflict this month between Israel and Islamists in the Gaza Strip, who are pledged to Israel's destruction and oppose his efforts toward a negotiated peace.

The U.S. State Department made a last-ditch effort to get Abbas to reconsider, but the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, held firm.?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking at the Brookings Institution on?Thursday, said the U.S. believes the resolution will "do nothing to advance the peace and the two-state solution we all want to see."

She noted that while the U.S. planned to vote "no," she played down differences with key diplomatic partners in Europe, including France, which were expected to vote in favor of the resolution.

Reuters

A Palestinian man shouts slogans during a rally in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday. The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution on Thursday to upgrade the Palestinian Authority's observer status at the United Nations.

"We and our European partners agree on the most fundamental issues and share a common objective ? two states living side-by-side living in peace and security," Clinton said.

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said in a statement after the vote that "the only way to establish such a Palestinian state and resolve all permanent-status issues is through the crucial, if painful, work of direct negotiations between the parties."

"The United States therefore calls upon both the parties to resume direct talks without preconditions on all the issues that divide them," Rice said.

The U.K. had committed to voting for the resolution if Abbas had shown commitment to resuming peace negotiations without preconditions. Lacking that assurance, Britain abstained from the vote.

Following the vote at the UN General Assembly the Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "We continue to believe that the prospects for a swift return to negotiations on a two state solution ??the only way to create a Palestinian state on the ground?? would be greater today if President Abbas had been able to give the assurances we suggested, and without which we were unable to vote in favor of the resolution.

UN Palestinian statehood vote to be a personal political victory for Abbas?

"In particular, we called on President Abbas to set out a willingness to return to negotiations without preconditions, and to signal that the Palestinians would not immediately seek action in the International Criminal Court, which would be likely to make a return to negotiations impossible.

"Nonetheless, we will redouble our efforts to restart the peace process, and will continue our strong support for President Abbas, the Palestinian Authority, and a two state solution," he said.

Despite its fierce opposition, Israel made efforts that appeared designed to prevent diplomatic isolation. In recent days, it toned down threats of retaliation in the face of wide international support for the initiative, notably among its European allies.

"The decision at the United Nations will change nothing on the ground," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Jerusalem. "It will not advance the establishment of a Palestinian state. It will delay it further."

But U.N. diplomats say that Israel's reaction might not be so measured if the Palestinians seek ICC action against Israel on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity or other crimes the court would have jurisdiction over.

U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice addresses the assembly following a vote on whether to recognize a single Palestinian state.

Granting Palestinians the title of "non-member observer state" falls short of full U.N. membership???something the Palestinians failed to achieve last year. But it does allow them access to the International Criminal Court and other international bodies, should they choose to join them.

Speaking at an annual U.N. event in support of the Palestinians, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki appealed to U.N. member states to support Thursday's U.N. resolution. He also repeated his support for peace with Israel.

"Despite diminishing hopes and the decline of the situation on the ground due to Israel violations, we remain committed to the two-state solution and our hand remains extended in peace," he said at U.N. headquarters in New York.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland reiterated U.S. warnings that the move could cause a reduction of U.S. economic support for the Palestinians. The Israelis have also warned they might take significant deductions out of monthly transfers of duties that Israel collects on the Palestinians' behalf.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as calling on Washington and Israel to avoid "any hasty and destructive decisions."

"Supporting the Palestinian authorities is not only in the interest of the Palestinian side, but also of Israel and the whole international community that is longing for a peaceful political settlement," he said.

The European Union, a key donor for the Palestinians, has made clear it will not curtail aid after Thursday's vote.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also called for a revival of the peace process: "Israelis and Palestinians must break out of a zero-sum mentality, and embrace a peaceful path forward."

Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com?

Flag-waving Palestinians thronged the squares of the West Bank and Gaza Strip before Thursday's vote. In a rare show of unity, Abbas's Islamist rivals Hamas, who have ruled Gaza since a brief civil war in 2007, let backers of the president's Fatah movement hold demonstrations there.

Peace talks have been stalled for two years, mainly over Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which have expanded despite being deemed illegal by most of the world. There are 4.3 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

In the draft resolution, the Palestinians have pledged to relaunch the peace process immediately following the U.N. vote.

With strong support from the developing world that makes up the majority of U.N. members, it is virtually assured of securing more than the requisite simple majority. Palestinian officials hope for more than 130 yes votes.

Abbas has focused on securing as many votes as possible from Europe, and his efforts appear to have paid off.

Going into the vote, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland had all pledged to support the resolution.?

NBC News' Kari Huus and Reuters contributed to this report.?

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/29/15546351-un-upgrades-palestinian-status-bolstering-statehood-claim?lite

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Food and drink lovers: Rachel Forrest's 2012 gift guide ...

Food and drink lovers: Rachel Forrest's 2012 gift guide | SeacoastOnline.com

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November 29, 2012 2:00 AM

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Holiday gift ideas for food and drink lovers. Now, I know that covers everyone because we all eat and drink but some of us care more about what we eat than others.

We are the connoisseurs, or gluttons if you will, or perhaps the wine or beer aficionado who talks incessantly about the new breweries or local wine. Hey, that's me! Anyway, I've come up with a list of ideas for the foodie (I was trying to avoid that word) in your life.

First, I think everyone should be giving gift certificates to restaurants, breweries and wineries with a note attached saying, "We're going together because part of this gift is that we are spending time together and enjoying great food and drink." So, we really could end all this holiday gift quandary right now.

However, if you want something a little bit different, get someone on your list a cooking class at Stages at One Washington in Dover. Chef Evan Hennessey's concept restaurant in the mills there has two or three themed dinners each month and the chef has thrown something new into the mix ? you can take a cooking class that cooks the dishes for a given dinner. Alice in Wonderland? Indulgence? Sounds like a ton of fun. The kitchen is spectacular, I really want to get my hands on some of that equipment and the food will be delicious. www.stages-dining.com

While we're on classes, take a brewing class. At A&G Homebrew Supply in Portsmouth and The Homebrew Barn in Hampton, you can get someone the gift of learning how to brew beer and wine or even cider, vinegar or make cheese. That's something you can do together, too! www.aghomebrewsupply.com and www.thehomebrewbarn.com.

In October I did something that was a heck of a lot of fun. Over at the Lindt Chocolate Outlet in Kittery they have Create Your Own Chocolate Bar set up where you get a tray with melted chocolate, which is just like a Lindt bar (so much so that it actually is a Lindt chocolate bar), and then you go over to the bar where you can festoon it with all sorts of treats like gummy sharks, hot cinnamon hearts, coconut, nuts ? oh about 30 or so fun "toppings" in all colors. Then, the expert there will put it into a machine to harden it, wrap it up and label it and voila! You have a personalized, creative, and delicious gift for someone. This is one of those things your kids can make and give to Grandma and Grandpa (which was always the difficult part at the holidays for me). It's just $10. Now, while I was there, I discovered all sorts of new things about Lindt, including chocolate bars I'd never seen before (the outlet has a vast selection including many made in other countries). They also introduced me to the technique of putting one of those Lindt truffle balls into my coffee. I had a big "hey why didn't I think of that" moment. They have their fun gold foil-covered bears and colorful foil Santas as well as many other chocolate figures this year too. www.lindtusa.com.

I'm also recommending, as did Oprah, the Corkcicle, which you put in the freezer, then your white wine and your wine stays nice and chilled. www.corkcicle.com.

The SodaStream is on my gift list too (you can carbonate vodka!) because you can make your own soda out of an infinite list of flavor possiblities (bacon!). www.sodastreamusa.com.

I'm thinking about getting a juicer too after seeing "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead," and there are many to choose from at all price points. I love kale and carrot juice, I really do!

There are many great food-related books on the top of my list this year, including "Pastries," by Alison Pray who owns Standard Baking Co. in Portland (co-writer Tara Smith) Down East Books. The book is wonderfully designed and the recipes are easy and tasty.

Timothy Ferriss just came out with "The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life" (Kindle Edition and in hardback from Amazon Books) His whole premise is that you can become a world-class chef in six months or less and he takes us from Manhattan to Okinawa, and from Silicon Valley to Calcutta, unearthing the secrets of the world's fastest learners and greatest chefs.

Ferriss uses cooking to explain "meta-learning," a step-by-step process that can be used to master anything, whether searing steak or shooting 3-pointers in basketball. That is the real "recipe" of "The 4-Hour Chef." You'll train inside the kitchen for everything outside the kitchen. Featuring tips and tricks from chess prodigies, world-renowned chefs, pro athletes, master sommeliers, super models, and everyone in between, this "cookbook for people who don't buy cookbooks" is a guide to mastering cooking and life." I'm pretty intrigued by this. He brings you through meta-learning, then the building blocks of cooking, foraging and more before sending you on your way to lifelong mastery of everything.

Wine lovers will like "The Juice," by Jay McInerney. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2012). It's a collection of his columns from the Wall Street Journal and you learn about wine through entertaining and well-written stories from his life. He's quite an expert. He'll also be at The Music Hall Loft tonight (Nov. 29) if you can get there.

There is always a great new cookbook from Phaidon press to get, and this year it's "The Lebanese Kitchen," the definitive book on Lebanese home cooking, featuring 500 authentic and delicious recipes that are simple to create at home. Salma Hage is a Lebanese housewife from Mazarat Tiffah, with more than 50 years of experience as a family cook and the recipes are simple and elegant at the same time.

If you know any restaurateurs or anyone who works in a restaurant, get them "The Art of the Restaurateur," which reveals the hidden stories behind some of the world's best restaurants, and celebrate the complex but unrecognized art of the restaurateur. It's by Nicholas Lander who owned L'Escargot in London in the 1980s and is now a renowned food columnist for the Financial Times. It covers everything you ever wanted to know about the highs and lows of the restaurant business, presenting the untold stories of the world's best restaurateurs, from luxurious Michelin-starred restaurants, to bustling neighbourhood bistros, to stylish fast-food cafes.

I also like "Jerusalem" (Ten Speed Press, 2012). This is a collection of 120 recipes exploring the flavors of Jerusalem from the New York Times bestselling author of "Plenty," Yotam Ottolenghi along with Sami Tamimi. You'll explore the vibrant cuisine of their home city ? with its diverse Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities.

Also great is "Burma: Rivers of Flavor" by Naomi Duguid (Artisan, 2012). She tells terrific stories interspersed with 125 recipes and teaches you about the culture through food.

That's all for now! As I find more, I'll post them on my Facebook and Twitter pages so follow Rachel Forrest on both.

Rachel Forrest is a former restaurant owner who lives in Exeter. Her column appears Thursdays in Go&Do. Her restaurant review column, Dining Out, appears Thursdays in Spotlight magazine. Buy "Maine Classics: More Than 150 Delicious Recipes from Downeast," written by Chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier with Rachel Forrest at www.rachelforrest.com. She can be reached by e-mail at rachel.forrest@dowjones.com.



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Rachel Forrest

November 29, 2012 2:00 AM

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Holiday gift ideas for food and drink lovers. Now, I know that covers everyone because we all eat and drink but some of us care more about what we eat than others.

We are the connoisseurs, or gluttons if you will, or perhaps the wine or beer aficionado who talks incessantly about the new breweries or local wine. Hey, that's me! Anyway, I've come up with a list of ideas for the foodie (I was trying to avoid that word) in your life.

First, I think everyone should be giving gift certificates to restaurants, breweries and wineries with a note attached saying, "We're going together because part of this gift is that we are spending time together and enjoying great food and drink." So, we really could end all this holiday gift quandary right now.

However, if you want something a little bit different, get someone on your list a cooking class at Stages at One Washington in Dover. Chef Evan Hennessey's concept restaurant in the mills there has two or three themed dinners each month and the chef has thrown something new into the mix ? you can take a cooking class that cooks the dishes for a given dinner. Alice in Wonderland? Indulgence? Sounds like a ton of fun. The kitchen is spectacular, I really want to get my hands on some of that equipment and the food will be delicious. www.stages-dining.com

While we're on classes, take a brewing class. At A&G Homebrew Supply in Portsmouth and The Homebrew Barn in Hampton, you can get someone the gift of learning how to brew beer and wine or even cider, vinegar or make cheese. That's something you can do together, too! www.aghomebrewsupply.com and www.thehomebrewbarn.com.

In October I did something that was a heck of a lot of fun. Over at the Lindt Chocolate Outlet in Kittery they have Create Your Own Chocolate Bar set up where you get a tray with melted chocolate, which is just like a Lindt bar (so much so that it actually is a Lindt chocolate bar), and then you go over to the bar where you can festoon it with all sorts of treats like gummy sharks, hot cinnamon hearts, coconut, nuts ? oh about 30 or so fun "toppings" in all colors. Then, the expert there will put it into a machine to harden it, wrap it up and label it and voila! You have a personalized, creative, and delicious gift for someone. This is one of those things your kids can make and give to Grandma and Grandpa (which was always the difficult part at the holidays for me). It's just $10. Now, while I was there, I discovered all sorts of new things about Lindt, including chocolate bars I'd never seen before (the outlet has a vast selection including many made in other countries). They also introduced me to the technique of putting one of those Lindt truffle balls into my coffee. I had a big "hey why didn't I think of that" moment. They have their fun gold foil-covered bears and colorful foil Santas as well as many other chocolate figures this year too. www.lindtusa.com.

I'm also recommending, as did Oprah, the Corkcicle, which you put in the freezer, then your white wine and your wine stays nice and chilled. www.corkcicle.com.

The SodaStream is on my gift list too (you can carbonate vodka!) because you can make your own soda out of an infinite list of flavor possiblities (bacon!). www.sodastreamusa.com.

I'm thinking about getting a juicer too after seeing "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead," and there are many to choose from at all price points. I love kale and carrot juice, I really do!

There are many great food-related books on the top of my list this year, including "Pastries," by Alison Pray who owns Standard Baking Co. in Portland (co-writer Tara Smith) Down East Books. The book is wonderfully designed and the recipes are easy and tasty.

Timothy Ferriss just came out with "The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life" (Kindle Edition and in hardback from Amazon Books) His whole premise is that you can become a world-class chef in six months or less and he takes us from Manhattan to Okinawa, and from Silicon Valley to Calcutta, unearthing the secrets of the world's fastest learners and greatest chefs.

Ferriss uses cooking to explain "meta-learning," a step-by-step process that can be used to master anything, whether searing steak or shooting 3-pointers in basketball. That is the real "recipe" of "The 4-Hour Chef." You'll train inside the kitchen for everything outside the kitchen. Featuring tips and tricks from chess prodigies, world-renowned chefs, pro athletes, master sommeliers, super models, and everyone in between, this "cookbook for people who don't buy cookbooks" is a guide to mastering cooking and life." I'm pretty intrigued by this. He brings you through meta-learning, then the building blocks of cooking, foraging and more before sending you on your way to lifelong mastery of everything.

Wine lovers will like "The Juice," by Jay McInerney. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2012). It's a collection of his columns from the Wall Street Journal and you learn about wine through entertaining and well-written stories from his life. He's quite an expert. He'll also be at The Music Hall Loft tonight (Nov. 29) if you can get there.

There is always a great new cookbook from Phaidon press to get, and this year it's "The Lebanese Kitchen," the definitive book on Lebanese home cooking, featuring 500 authentic and delicious recipes that are simple to create at home. Salma Hage is a Lebanese housewife from Mazarat Tiffah, with more than 50 years of experience as a family cook and the recipes are simple and elegant at the same time.

If you know any restaurateurs or anyone who works in a restaurant, get them "The Art of the Restaurateur," which reveals the hidden stories behind some of the world's best restaurants, and celebrate the complex but unrecognized art of the restaurateur. It's by Nicholas Lander who owned L'Escargot in London in the 1980s and is now a renowned food columnist for the Financial Times. It covers everything you ever wanted to know about the highs and lows of the restaurant business, presenting the untold stories of the world's best restaurateurs, from luxurious Michelin-starred restaurants, to bustling neighbourhood bistros, to stylish fast-food cafes.

I also like "Jerusalem" (Ten Speed Press, 2012). This is a collection of 120 recipes exploring the flavors of Jerusalem from the New York Times bestselling author of "Plenty," Yotam Ottolenghi along with Sami Tamimi. You'll explore the vibrant cuisine of their home city ? with its diverse Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities.

Also great is "Burma: Rivers of Flavor" by Naomi Duguid (Artisan, 2012). She tells terrific stories interspersed with 125 recipes and teaches you about the culture through food.

That's all for now! As I find more, I'll post them on my Facebook and Twitter pages so follow Rachel Forrest on both.

Rachel Forrest is a former restaurant owner who lives in Exeter. Her column appears Thursdays in Go&Do. Her restaurant review column, Dining Out, appears Thursdays in Spotlight magazine. Buy "Maine Classics: More Than 150 Delicious Recipes from Downeast," written by Chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier with Rachel Forrest at www.rachelforrest.com. She can be reached by e-mail at rachel.forrest@dowjones.com.



HOMEWe reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Rules. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or fill out this form. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.
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Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20121129-LIFE-211290323

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Egypt's Islamists rush through new constitution

CAIRO (AP) ? Islamists on Thursday rushed to approve a draft constitution for Egypt without the participation of liberal and Christian members, aiming to pre-empt a court ruling that could dissolve their panel and further inflaming the clash between the opposition and President Mohammed Morsi.

The draft of the charter, meant to determine a new political identity for Egypt after 60 years of rule by authoritarian leaders, has an Islamist bent that rights experts say could lead to a say by Muslim clerics in legislation and restrictions on freedom of speech, women's rights and other liberties.

The lack of inclusion was obvious in Thursday's session of the assembly that has been writing the document for months. Of the 85 members in attendance, there was not a single Christian and only four women, all Islamists. Many of the men wore beards, the hallmark of Muslim conservatives. For weeks, liberal, secular and Christian members, already a minority on the 100-member panel, have been pulling out to protest what they call the Islamists' hijacking of the process.

Voting had not been expected for another two months. But the assembly, overwhelmingly made up of Morsi's allies, abruptly moved it up in order to pass the draft before Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court rules on Sunday on whether to dissolve the panel.

Morsi is expected to call for a referendum on the draft as early as mid-December.

"I am saddened to see this come out while Egypt is so divided," Egypt's top reform leader, Nobel Peace laureate Mohammed ElBaradei said, speaking on private Al-Nahar TV. But he predicted the document would not last long. "It will be part of political folklore and will go to the garbage bin of history."

A new opposition bloc led by ElBaradei and other liberals said the assembly had lost its legitimacy.

"It is trying to impose a constitution monopolized by one trend and is the furthest from national consensus, produced in a farcical way," the National Salvation Front said in a statement, read by Waheed Abdel-Meguid, one of the assembly members who withdrew.

Thursday's vote also escalates an already bruising confrontation sparked last week when Morsi gave himself near absolute powers that neutralized the judiciary, the last branch of the state not in his hands.

The result has been one of Egypt's worst bouts of turmoil since last year's fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, pitting Morsi and his Brotherhood supporters against a mostly secular and liberal opposition and the powerful judiciary on the other.

Street clashes have already erupted between the two camps the past week? and more violence is possible. At least 200,000 people protested in Cairo's Tahrir square earlier this week against Morsi's decrees.

The opposition plans another large protest for Friday, and the Brotherhood has called a similar massive rally for the following day, though they decided to move it from Tahrir to avoid frictions. Hundreds of opposition supporters have been camping out since Friday in Tahrir and bands of youths have been daily battling police on a road leading off the square and close to the U.S. Embassy.

Morsi's edicts aimed at preventing the judiciary from disbanding the constitution-writing panel. He barred courts outright from doing so, then went further to bar judges from reviewing any of his own decisions. Confident the assembly was protected, he gave it until February to iron out the sharp differences over the draft.

But when the Constitutional Court defied his decree and said Wednesday that it would rule on the panel's legitimacy, the date of the vote was immediately moved up.

Islamist members of the panel defended the fast tracking. Hussein Ibrahim of the Brotherhood said the draft reflected thousands of hours of debate over the past six months, including input from liberals before they withdrew.

"People want the constitution because they want stability. Go to villages, to poorer areas, people want stability," he said.

Over the past week, about 30 members have pulled out of the assembly. As Thursday's session began, the assembly held a vote to formally remove 11 of those who withdrew and replace them with reserve members ? who largely belong to the Islamist camp.

As the members voted on the draft article by article, each passed overwhelmingly. The draft largely reflects the conservative vision of the Islamists, with articles that rights activists, liberals and others fear will lead to restrictions on the rights of women and minorities and on civil liberties in general.

One article that passed underlined that the state will protect "the true nature of the Egyptian family ... and promote its morals and values," phrasing that suggests state control over the contents of such arts forms as books and films. The draft also contains no article specifically establishing equality between men and women because of disputes over the phrasing.

As in past constitutions, the new draft says that the "principles of Islamic law" will be the basis of law.

But a new article states that Egypt's most respected Islamic institution, Al-Azhar, must be consulted on any matters related to Shariah, a measure critics fear will lead to oversight of legislation by clerics.

Another one seeks to define "principles" of Islamic law by saying it reflects theological doctrines and tenets. The term "principles" had long been intentionally vague, and specifying its bases could vastly expand the reach of Shariah in influencing society.

The draft also includes bans on "insulting or defaming all prophets and messengers" or even "insulting humans" ? broad language that analysts warned could be used to crack down on many forms of speech.

Praising the draft, panel president Hossam al-Ghiryani, told members: "We will teach this constitution to our sons."

"The Egyptian people are with us, listening to us," al-Ghiryani, an Islamist, said. "They must understand their constitution which they will vote on shortly and with which life will stabilize in Egypt, God willing."

The committee has been plagued by controversy from the start. It was created by the first parliament elected after Mubarak's ouster. But a first permutation of the assembly, also Islamist-dominated, was disbanded by the courts. A new one was created just before the lower house of parliament, also Brotherhood-led, was dissolved by the judiciary in June.

Morsi and his supporters say his decrees were necessary to "protect the revolution" and prevent the judiciary from holding up what they say is a transition to democracy. Morsi also decreed that courts cannot dissolve the Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament, known as the Shura Council ? though the Constitution Court is to rule on whether to do so as well on Sunday. In protest, most of the nation's judges are on indefinite strike.

Dissolving the constitutional panel and replacing it with a more inclusive body is a key demand by the liberal-led opposition. It also calls for rescinding the president's decrees and the dismissal of Kandil's Cabinet.

Critics accuse the Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, of using their election victories to monopolize the state, squeezing out other factions, and pushing through an Islamist vision.

It is not clear what would happen to the approved draft if the Constitutional Court dissolves the assembly on Sunday. But the escalation could move the dispute more out of the realm of legal questions and into the more volatile street to be decided by which side can bring the most support. At least two people have been killed and hundreds wounded in clashes since Friday.

___

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-islamists-rush-constitution-200619871.html

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An Urgent Call for Milk and Diapers for Hong Kong's Neediest Babies

Imagine for a moment that you have fled your home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution. Any semblance of normalcy has been erased. Whilst seeking asylum in Hong Kong, you must provide for your family, including your newborn child and toddler. With no access to cash and limited resources from the government, you wonder how you will survive.

Indeed, with the holiday season upon us, it?s important to remember how truly fortunate we all are. And so today we?re passing along an urgent call to help the babies at Christian Action?s Chungking Mansions Service Centre who are going to run out of baby milk and diapers by the end of the year. These babies and toddlers come from families who are displaced,?disadvantaged, traumatised, and poor. They have fled their homes due to political, cultural, and religious persecution.?The centre helps?over 80 of?these children who have gone through chaos, violence, and war in their strife-torn countries.

But the centre?needs help on many levels, and the babies and children are the most affected in many ways ? food, clothing, and educational needs are always needed and current government assistance is not enough to cover the?needed baby formula and diapers.?And right now, they urgently need?funds for?baby milk and diapers in particular.

The Chungking Mansions?Service?Centre currently needs?nearly?HK$50,000 per month for baby milk, diapers, and diaper wipes to keep our babies fed and dry.?But you can help! This Christmas, maybe it?s time to think differently about gift giving?

*$700?provides a package of one month of milk,?diapers,?and diaper wipes for one baby. $100?and?$200 donations will also make a huge difference.

*?The Centre takes care of?71 babies?with 7 more due?to arrive by the end of December.

If you can give support, a donation form here includes payment instructions?for cheque, bank transfer, and credit card.

But a few important notes:

-You must tick off ??One-off Donation? then ?Emergency Support?, write in the amount, and then specific area of support would be ? milk?and?diapers ?.?Following these steps will ensure you donation goes to this specific need, otherwise another department within the charity will receive it.

-Also note: The Centre actually can?t accept tins and boxes of milk powder and diapers to the centre directly as they have neither the space nor staff to handle them.

To learn about how you can help contact Halfrida Wong, the lady in charge of baby supplies at the service center (tel: 3583-2172). And learn more ways to get involved here.

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Source: http://sassymamahk.com/an-urgent-call-for-milk-and-diapers-for-hong-kongs-neediest-babies/

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DOES JEB BUSH CAIR TOO MUCH TO BE PRESIDENT? Former Florida Governor's appeasement of Islamists should be cause for concern in 2016

DOES JEB BUSH CAIR TOO MUCH TO BE PRESIDENT? Former Florida Governor's appeasement of Islamists should be cause for concern in 2016

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As talk of a Jeb Bush presidential run in 2016 is making news, perhaps some further inspection of his record as Governor is warranted. In 2001, Jeb nominated a conservative pastor named O'Neal Dozier to the Judicial Nominating Commission in Broward County. In 2006, Dozier was forced to resign by Bush's office over comments he made about Islam on a local radio show. The reason for Dozier's appearance on that show involved his objections to the construction of a mosque near his church.

Ben Barrack, conservative talk show host, writer, and author of the new book, Unsung Davids, which features an entire chapter on Dozier's battle with the Republican Party in general and Jeb Bush in particular, says that with the passage of time, Dozier's concerns about who was behind construction of the mosque are more than valid.

?The Islamic Center of South Florida (ICOSF) was the group behind the proposed construction of that mosque,? Barrack says, ?The ICOSF was owned by the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), which was one of the unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation trial.?

Barrack contends that the forces behind the mosque warranted far more attention from the Florida governor than did the comments of a Florida pastor who was on one of the governor's committees.

?Instead of looking into the very legitimate concerns of his appointee, that appointee was forced out and left to fend for himself,? Barrack said.

Moreover, says Barrack, one year prior to Dozier's ouster, Jeb sent a very kind letter to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in response to being invited by the group to attend their annual banquet in Orlando. Though Bush declined the invitation, he wished the group continued success and was quite effusive in his praise.

Contact Special Guests today for an interview with Ben Barrack.

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY BE HELPFUL DURING SHOW PREP:
http://barracknow.blogspot.com/2012/11/does-jeb-bush-cair-enough-to-be.html

ABOUT BEN BARRACK...
Ben Barrack is an Investigative Radio Host and Blogger who broadcasts in Central Texas. His columns have appeared on Pajamas Media, Human Events, Big Government, World Net Daily and others.

Barrack is a strong critic of the mainstream media and supports patriotic and reliable bloggers who do much of the mainstream media?s work at no charge, with little recognition, while earning their living via other mean. Barrack is the author of the book Unsung Davids: Ten Men who Battled Goliath without Glory, which features a chapter on Dozier's battle with the Republican Party.

Barrack maintains a website at www.benbarrack.com

About Dr. O?Neal Dozier?
Dr. O?Neal Dozier is an attorney, an ordained minister and a former professional football player with the Chicago Bears. Yet, as a patriotic American, he still found time to serve two consecutive terms in the U.S. military.

Although today Dr. Dozier is a nationally known black conservative who has even been invited to The White House to pray with President Bush, Rev. Dozier comes from very humble roots and tries to remain humble with a servant?s heart.

O?Neal Dozier was born fourth out of eleven children on September 3, 1948 to sharecroppers Annie Dozier and the late Jessie Emmanuel Dozier. In 1955, his family left South Carolina and came to Pompano Beach, Florida on a migrant farm bus. ?Rev. Dozier went on to graduate from Blanche Ely High School in 1967, where he was a soloist in the Chorale and a member of the Football and Basketball Team.

Dr. Dozier received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion and Philosophy from Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Florida. ?Rev. Dozier played professional football in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears during the 1974 football season. He was then traded to the New York Jets, where he was subsequently waived because of injury. ?In addition, Rev. Dozier was a player/coach during the 1979 football season for the Alabama Vulcans (Birmingham, Alabama) of the American Football Association Professional Football League (A.F.A.).

Rev. Dozier served two consecutive terms in the United States Army. ?He later received a Doctor of Jurisprudence (Law Degree) from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia. ?He also attended the Morehouse School of Religion Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia.

Rev. Dozier has been a licensed minister of the Gospel since 1975 and was ordained as a Baptist Minister of the Gospel in 1983. ?He founded The Worldwide Christian Center on July 18, 1985, where he continues to serve as Pastor of the church.

Rev. Dozier is no ordinary Pastor. ?He is a prayer warrior and teaches the Body of Christ how to pray to obtain results.? He does not compromise the Word of God, but preaches the Word of God with boldness and accuracy. ?He counsels those in need. ?He visits the sick and those who are imprisoned. ?He helps the poor and needy not only by donating to various missions throughout the community and throughout the world but also, in conjunction with Gateway Community Outreach operates a food pantry each Saturday at the church.

Rev. Dozier was a Professor of Law at Broward Community College and the Criminal Justice Institute of Broward Community College for three (3) years.? In 2001, Governor Bush appointed Rev. O?Neal Dozier for a two-year term to the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, which screens and interviews applicants for Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Judgeships. In July, 2003, Governor Bush re-appointed Rev. Dozier to the same commission for an additional four-year term. In addition, in 2005 Governor Bush appointed Rev. Dozier to the Board of Directors of One Church, One Child of Florida, Inc. (adoption program).? In February of 2005, President George W. Bush invited Rev. Dozier to the White House for a private meeting with President Bush and twenty-three (23) other Black African American Leaders.? He is also the president of The Jerome E. Gray Republican Club of Broward County.? Rev. Dozier was honored to be chosen as a speaker for The Reclaiming America For Christ 2003 and 2005 Conferences hosted by Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where Dr. D. James Kennedy is the Senior Pastor.? Rev. Dozier was also listed as a member of The 2004 National Register of Who?s Who in Executives and Professionals.

Source: http://www.specialguests.com/guests/viewnews.cgi?id=EFVupkVyyFMbRPNBLh&tmpl=default

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

The (Newest) Facebook Hoax: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Anyone with a significant body of friends on Facebook has probably been subjected to the latest round of Facebook privacy scares over the last couple of days. The fun took the form of yet another hoax on the social networking site. This was similar to another privacy notice hoax that circulated in June of 2012 and was simply a reworded version of that long-debunked bit of claptrap.

For the few uninitiated, the hoax comes in the form of a stream of text that starts on the foundation that Facebook is now a public entity. The deceptions start after that, with the post exposing that Facebook has ?new guidelines? and ?hereby declaring? that all of the poster?s ?personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, photos, and videos, etc.? are now under copyright.

The post refers to the Berner Convention, an apparent misprint that?s probably supposed to reference the Berne Convention, an international agreement that does actually refer to copyrighting. One problem: the aforementioned convention took place in 1886. It?s true that the World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty was put in place in 1996 (effective March of 2002), but that?s not mentioned in the Facebook scrawl.

Then comes the rather panicky line, complete with exclamation point: ?For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!?

Bull.

The hoax meanders on through more legalese, including a mention of the Rome Statute (of the International Criminal Court) and the usual bungled code-dropping of UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103. The latter is a garbled pile of legalese that turns up nothing, but it?s probably a reference to the more clarified June version of the hoax. That one referenced UCC 1-103 1-308, a reference to the Uniform Commercial Code that means?nothing.

The fact of the matter is that hoaxes like these spread like wildfire because many people don?t question, like, anything. Despite seeing corrections and posts clarifying the hoax as a hoax, many Facebook users insisted on being ?better safe than sorry? and posted the deceptive text anyway.

The truth is that Facebook users own the intellectual property that they upload to the site, but they also own responsibility over their privacy settings. In using these settings and signing up to Facebook in the first place, which requires agreement to the Terms of Service (somebody should really read those someday), users grant Facebook what?s known as a non-transferrable, sub-licensable, royalty free license (worldwide) to use any intellectual property posted on or even in connection to Facebook.

So, about that whole ?written consent? thing? Facebook users have already granted it via signing the Terms of Service and the subsequent privacy policy and legal terms of use. Oops.

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Written by: Jordan Richardson.?www.digitcom.ca. Follow?TheTelecomBlog.com by:?RSS,?Twitter,?Facebook, or?YouTube.

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Christian on-line blogging runs parallel to secular blogging but with ...


Press Service International for Christian Today Australia - Mark Tronson

Thursday, 29 November 2012, 6:50 (EST)

Christian on-line blogging runs parallel to secular blogging but with money through other avenues Mark Tronson's weekly ministry blog focuses on photographs, this one is the Laguna Turning Blog into a Business was a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald where it noted that Darren Rowse is Australia's most financially rewarded blogger. He's shown that blogging is now an industry. (www.smh.com.au)

Darren Rowse started blogging in 2002 and began making a full-time income from it in 2005. He earns money from blogging through advertising, affiliate links and selling products such as ebooks. When Rowse released his ebook 31 Days to a Better Blog in 2009, he says it generated more than $70,000 in eight days.

The annual PloBlogger Training Event conference he initiated is now in its third year. Rowse's initiative.

Nikki Parkinson also featured in the article. Her blog is a marketing tool for her styling business. However, her Styling Blog grew in popularity and she began to accept small amounts of sponsorship and advertising. "I saw that there was a whole community around blogging," she says.

It appears as though some Blogs have come of age and some Bloggers have figured out a way to earn a living from their writings on their computer.

Christian blogs in three categories

There appears to be three categories of Christian blogging and all three are valid but only two of them at the moment are related to finances.

Christians have a long history of writing papers for posterity. Many of the great figures of Christian history either wrote down themselves what they thought and spoke, or on the other hand, there were secretary's or copyists hard at work.

We note that the preacher John Chrysostom 347-407 coined 'golden mouth' had secretary's writing down what he preached and then distributed. This was an ancient type blog. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chrysostom)

The same happened with London's Charles Haddon Spurgeon 1834-1892 where his sermons were copied and sold on the streets of London and the London docks for 2 pennies. This too was a kind of a blog. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Spurgeon)

In this sense, Blogs have been about within Christian circles for as long as memory serves. In this more modern era of Internet blogging these are three categories of existing blogs.

Christians with a specific interest

Dr Roger Morris is one of the Press Service International young writers and is a medical practitioner on the Sunshine Coast. Roger Morris has a particular interest in the interface of the Christian faith with science, philosophy and culture. He has a blog called Faith Interface (www.faithinterface.com.au).

Roger Morris is the tip of the ice berg of Christians with blogs of Christian interest. They range from stamp collecting of Christian interest to scientific astronomy and the Scriptures. These bloggers have their own following and can range from family members and friends to a vast array of interested people.

They realise their blogs have a limited interest and have no real expectation that a Michael Spielberg will read their blog and get so excited he decides to make a block buster from it.

Ministries focusing on Blogs gaining paid ads

John Mark Ministries led by Reverend Dr Rowland Croucher is such an example. The largest Christian web site in the southern hemisphere its focus is that of Pastor to Pastor and its range of ministry has a wide breadth. (jmm.org.au)

On this site are any number of blogs, some by Rowland Croucher himself, but largely there are subject lists for which are innumerable articles. These are all very well read with a usual readership of around 1 million each month.

Such a site draws Google adverts for which funding is raised for John Mark Ministries and this represents this second genre of the Christian blog market.

Christian Mission blogs 'cycle funding'

These are most common Christian blog and it needs a little explanation as to how 'cycle funding' works when they don't draw down advertising. The function of these blogs, is that although they do not earn income themselves, they illustrate the benefit of the ministry or mission.

As Ministries and Missions seek funding for their Christian activities, they require a mechanism by which their prospective supporter base can see and read what is happening on the ground. This is where the blog comes into its own.

Two quick examples ? KeyLife is largely the preaching ministry of Reverend Steve Brown, a highly recognised US Presbyterian pastor whose gravely deep voice is his calling card (having been a DJ earlier in his career) along with his theological voice on ?Grace?. His Pooped Pastors web site where he gives a regular video talk has many specific blogs aimed at ministering to those in Christian Ministry. The funding to keep this very effective ministry up and running is derived through generous gifts and the Blogs clearly demonstrate the veracity of the ministry. (test.poopedpastors.org)

A second example is our own mission blog, it is promoted to our E-Network each Sunday afternoon with 1-3 photographs of our mission activities. We call this the E-Blast. A friend suggested we should change it's name to the E-Whisper as it is such an effective ministry communication tool. Again, it clearly identifies our ministry in pictorial form and engenders our faith finances (we've been faith financed missionaries for 30 years). (regularupdatesonournews.blogspot.com.au)

There are literally hundreds of thousands of such Christian ministry / mission blogs and each illustrates the remarkable value of financially supporting that work. In this sense, Christian blogging may well be amongst the highest money spinners in any blog contingency.

Indeed, the Blog is a remarkable tool for Christian outreach.

Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.

Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html

Source: http://au.christiantoday.com/article/christian-on-line-blogging-runs-parallel-to-secular-blogging-but-with-money-through-other-avenues/14527.htm

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Chevy details 2014 Spark EV: under $25,000, 0-60 in 8 seconds and a 20-minute fast charge

Chevy prices 2014 Spark EV under $25,000, plans launches in Canada and beyond

News of Siri integration isn't the only tool in Chevy's belt today, as it's also unveiling key details of the 2014 Spark EV. The all-electric subcompact won't reach dealers until the summer, but it may be worth waiting for given a surprising emphasis on speed. Its 130HP motor puts out 400lb-ft of torque, or enough to reach 60MPH in under 8 seconds -- quite a bit of pep for any stock compact car, let alone one with green credentials. Drivers who don't always mash the throttle will still get a dose of speed through industry-first support for SAE Combo DC Fast Charging, which delivers an 80 percent charge in 20 minutes. The cabin technology parallels developments in the powertrain through its two customizable, 7-inch screens and the expected smartphone tie-ins for MyLink and Siri. Combining the tarted up performance and interior tech makes the Spark EV's sub-$25,000 price (after EV tax breaks) seem like a better value than usual for lower-cost electric vehicles -- and with Chevy's expanded plans to sell in Oregon, Canada and elsewhere, more of us can actually take the plunge.

Continue reading Chevy details 2014 Spark EV: under $25,000, 0-60 in 8 seconds and a 20-minute fast charge

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/27/chevy-details-2014-spark-ev/

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Mursi opponents rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square

CAIRO (Reuters) - Opponents of President Mohamed Mursi rallied in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a fifth day on Tuesday, stepping up calls to scrap a decree they say threatens Egypt with a new era of autocracy.

The protest called by leftist, liberal and socialist groups marks an escalation of the worst crisis since the Muslim Brotherhood politician was elected in June and exposes the deep divide between newly empowered Islamists and their opponents.

The crowd is expected to grow in the late afternoon but hundreds were already in the square after many camped overnight. Police fired tear gas and organizers urged demonstrators not to clash with Interior Ministry security forces.

One person - a Muslim Brotherhood activist - has been killed and hundreds more injured in violence set off by a move that has also triggered a rebellion by judges and battered confidence in an economy struggling to recover from two years of turmoil.

Mursi's opponents have accused him of behaving like a modern-day pharaoh. The United States, a big benefactor to Egypt's military, has voiced its concerns, worried by more turbulence in a country that has a peace treaty with Israel.

The protest will test the extent to which Egypt's non-Islamist opposition can rally support. The Islamists have consistently beaten more secular parties at the ballot box in elections held since Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February, 2011.

"We don't want a dictatorship again. The Mubarak regime was a dictatorship. We had a revolution to have justice and freedom," said Ahmed Husseini, 32, who was speaking early on Tuesday in Tahrir Square.

Activists have been camped out in Tahrir Square, scene of the historic uprising against Mubarak, since Friday, blocking it to traffic and clashing intermittently with riot police in nearby streets.

The decree issued by Mursi on Thursday expanded his powers and protected his decisions from judicial review until the election of a new parliament expected in the first half of 2013.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said it gives Mursi more power than the military junta from which he assumed power.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted judges had challenged the decree in remarks to Austria's Die Presse, adding: "But I have also noted that Mursi wants to resolve the problem in a dialogue. I will encourage him to continue to do so."

AVOIDING CONFRONTATION

In a bid to ease tensions with judges outraged at the step, Mursi has assured the country's highest judicial authority that elements of the decree giving his decisions immunity would apply only to matters of "sovereign" importance. Though that should limit it to issues such as a declaration of war, experts said there was room for a broader interpretation.

In another step to avoid more confrontation, the Muslim Brotherhood cancelled a mass protest it had called in Cairo for Tuesday in support of a decree that has also won the backing of more hardline Islamist groups.

But there has been no retreat on other elements of the decree, including a stipulation that the Islamist-dominated body writing a new constitution be protected from legal challenge.

Its popular legitimacy undermined by the withdrawal of most of its non-Islamist members, the assembly faces a raft of court cases from plaintiffs who claim it was formed illegally.

The new system of government to be laid out in the constitution is one of the issues at the heart of the crisis.

"The president of the republic must put his delusions to one side and undertake the only step capable of defusing the crisis: cancelling the despotic declaration," liberal commentator and activist Amr Hamzawy wrote in his column in al-Watan newspaper.

"We asked for the cancellation of the decree and that did not happen," said Mona Amer, spokeswoman for the opposition movement Popular Current, part of a coalition of parties that are joining forces to challenge the Mursi decree.

Mursi issued the decree a day after his administration won international praise for brokering an end to eight days of violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The decree was seen as targeting in part a legal establishment still largely unreformed from Mubarak's era, when the Brotherhood was outlawed.

MEETING HALF WAY

Rulings from an array of courts this year have dealt a series of blows to the Brotherhood, leading to the dissolution of the first constitutional assembly and the parliament elected a year ago. The Brotherhood had a major say in both.

The judiciary blocked an attempt by Mursi to reconvene the Brotherhood-led parliament after his election victory. It also stood in the way of his attempt to sack the prosecutor general, a Mubarak hold over, in October.

In his decree, Mursi gave himself the power to sack that prosecutor and appoint a new one. In open defiance of Mursi, some judges are refusing to acknowledge that step.

But in a sign that other judges were willing to meet Mursi half way, the Supreme Judicial Council, the nation's highest judicial body, proposed Mursi limit the scope of decisions that would be immune from judicial review to "sovereign matters", language the presidential spokesman said Mursi backed.

"The president said he had the utmost respect for the judicial authority and its members," spokesman Yasser Ali told reporters in announcing the agreement on Monday.

Mursi's administration has defended his decree as an effort to speed up reforms and complete a democratic transformation. Leftists, liberals, socialists and others say it has exposed the autocratic impulses of a man once jailed by Mubarak.

Before the president's announcement, leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahy said protests would continue until the decree was scrapped and said Tahrir would be a model of an "Egypt that will not accept a new dictator because it brought down the old one".

Mursi has repeatedly stated the decree will only stay in place until a new parliament is elected - something that can only happen once the constitution is written and passed in a popular referendum.

Though both Islamists and their opponents broadly agree that the judiciary needs reform, his rivals oppose Mursi's methods.

(Additional reporting by Seham Eloraby in Cairo and Michael Shields in Vienna; Editing by Anna Willard)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mursi-opponents-rally-cairos-tahrir-091805404.html

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5 Tips for Getting Workers' Comp | Injury Law News

Hurt on the job? You may be in luck. Most employers are required by law to carry workers? compensation insurance. This protects both the employee in the event of a work-related injury and the employer from a lawsuit. More times than not, workers? compensation will provide employees with the opportunity to collect work-injury compensation. However, just because you are injured on the job does not mean that your guaranteed workers? comp benefits. This is actually a common misconception.

Therefore, if you?re denied workers? compensation benefits, you may have to appeal to the state?s administration agency that is responsible for overseeing workers? comp benefits. And the last thing you want to do while recovering from a work-related injury is jump through hoops in order to collect workers? compensation.

Below are five tips for getting workers? comp:

File claim promptly

Each state has a different window of time to file a claim. Once this window closes, the employee may no longer be able to file for workers? compensation. Therefore, it is extremely important that you get medical help and inform you employer about your injury immediately. Then, fill out a worker?s compensation claim form and give it to your employer. Submit this request in formal writing and keep a copy for yourself. If you do not hear from the insurer within two weeks, contact them directly?do not wait.

Seek legal assistance

The next step is crucial?seek out legal counsel to review and fully understand your rights. A lawyer can help you file your workers? compensation claim and secure your benefits. When possible, speak with a workers? compensation attorney who has experience with work-related injuries. This will be particularly beneficial if either your employer or your employer?s insurance company deny you of worker?s compensation.

Keep thorough medical records

Be sure that your doctor accurately fills out your medical records in order to avoid any unnecessary hearing delays. Your medical records should include a full diagnosis, course of treatment and any pertinent disability information. Also, make sure your medical records include evidence of how your injury is directly related to your job. You should also document any mental disability that is a direct result of your work-related injury, such as depression. And make duplicate copies of your medical records too.

Contact State Administrative Agency

This is next step is important. If you are denied workers? compensation benefits from your employer, you must immediately contact your state?s workers? compensation board. Generally speaking, you have a window of one to three years to file an application with your state agency. Any application filed thereafter will most likely be denied. Your lawyer can help you review your workers? compensation file and speak on your behalf at your administrative hearing.

File for an appeal

If your claim is denied after your administrative hearing, the court will inform you of how many days you have to appeal your case. Appealing a judicial decision from a workers? compensation hearing can be very tricky. You must meet formal requirements regarding judicial mistakes made by the previous judge in order to convince the court of reasons to overturn the previous decision. That being said, it is extremely important that you choose an attorney that understands both workers? compensation and the appeals process.

Attached Images:

Sarah Barnes is a freelance writer who specializes in workers compensation claims process. As a paralegal, Sarah spends most of her time researching and defending work-related injuries.

Source: http://www.injurylawnews.us/2012/11/26/5-tips-for-getting-workers-comp/

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AICN COMICS Q&@: The Writing Rambler talks ... - Ain't It Cool News

@@@ What the $% is AICN COMICS Q&@? @@@

Q?s by The Writing Rambler!
Hey all, The Writing Rambler here to share some words with you again. Normally I keep my presence contained to me crying over the state of the RED LANTERNS book and the rest of the DCU but today I'm here with a good old fashioned Q&A session with writer Brandon Easton. Brandon has been professionally writing since 2002 and has most recently been featured as a writer for the THUNDERCATS series on Cartoon Network and TRANSFORMERS: RESCUE BOTS for The Hub Network. Last year I had the pleasure of speaking with Brandon and discovering his graphic novel SHADOWLAW (which I reviewed here) to high praise. Brandon is back with a new kickstarter project for his graphic novel DOMINIONS LIGHT and he's here with me today to talk about his current project and his passion for this business of storytelling in general. Without further adieu, here we go:

THE WRITING RAMBLER (TWR): Hey Brandon, How's it going?

BRANDON EASTON (BE): Things are going well. Stuck under a few deadlines, but otherwise things are great! How are you?

TWR: Doing well, thanks! So for our readers who may not be totally familiar with your work how did you first get started?

BE: I broke into the comics biz back in 2002 with Pat Lee's DREAMWAVE COMICS on a title called Arkanium. I also worked on some Transformers: Armada stuff before moving on to redeveloping what would become my graphic novel Shadowlaw. Before that, I spent a few years working as a copywriter and editor with a side gig in a comic book store. I managed to make a lot of connections through that store and it led to many opportunities for me. I have to give a lot of credit to my creative writing teachers at Ithaca College who gave me a great deal of support and encouraged me to take a chance on my talents.

TWR: Now with Shadowlaw, I really love how you took so many different genres and made them work in one story. You could see all of your personal influences throughout the book. Did you find it hard to balance so many different genres (sci-fi, anime, vampires, etc.) while still completely making it engaging for the reader?

BE: Not really. If you have a complete understanding of the ideological underpinnings of each genre - in this case sci-fi (the impact of technology and forward progress on the individual internally and externally); vampires (a quasi-religious and sexual transfer of life energy) - then the balance will come from how the character responds to the situation. The true struggle I've had with Shadowlaw has been getting people to get over the "been there, done there" attitude because of the presence of vampires and giant robots/mechs.

A lot of people just assume it's some kind of soulless rip-off of other stuff without ever reading a single word. What's actually hard is finding a way to pitch it without sounding ridiculous while still touching on all the other incredible stuff within the story. I'll admit the story probably isn't for everyone, but there is an audience out there who hasn't had a chance to check out the book who I know would love it.

The trick is to find those readers who want more than just capes and costumes. There is endless talk of people supporting the independent graphic novel creators out there, but in the end people still run to Marvel and DC out of habit. I've reached out to the sci-fi and horror crowd with some success but cracking the core comic-reading audience with new concepts is very, very difficult.

Considering the fact that the concepts and story in Shadowlaw had never been done before made me believe there would be more excitement for the title. However, I understand that I have to keep creating new material and building my resume year after year.

TWR: It definitely was a breathe of fresh air for me. Now speaking of new concepts and material, you currently have your kickstarter project for your graphic novel DOMINION'S LIGHT happening. I know from checking out the project that this has been something you've been developing for some time now. Could you tell us a little about DOMINION'S LIGHT and how you went about bringing it to kickstarter?

BE: Dominion's Light is a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid. A basic pitch would be "Lord of the Rings meets Blade Runner" but it's much more complex than that.The story of Dominion?s Light centers around three characters (Reso, Khyshia and Hammerius Rex) that are thrust together because of personal tragedies that separate them from their homes and families. Once together, they realize that they have to stop a mighty warrior-sorcerer named Lord Valgon from tracking down the Key Ultima ? the only device in their world that can unlock the secrets of the Cyclean Bible. The Bible enables the user to manipulate the threads of space, time, energy and matter.

Ultimately, it is a journey of personal discovery for everyone, even the villains. Each person has a different reason for wanting the Cyclean Bible. Some want it for the ultimate power, some want it to fix their personal lives, and others want it in order to go back in time to create a perfect world free of pain and suffering. The themes of selfishness vs. sacrifice will ring clearly throughout the story.

The world in Dominion's Light is called Graid'yan (pronounced Gray-id-Eyan) and it is a visual pastiche of breathtaking vistas never seen before in a fantasy comic. Advanced technology and high sorcery have developed side by side, so readers will see things like complex airships that are actually aborted dragon fetuses; sniper rifles that use bullets made of dried tears of Titans; cities built on shining stalks of organic ice; rivers made of colonies of slugs and other fantastical stuff that will blow people's minds.

And that's just scratching the surface of that universe.

Kickstarter is something I've tried before in the past with little success, but that was when I first moved to LA with no credits under my belt. After doing some work on TV and having my graphic novel on the scene for roughly a year, I figured I should give it another shot. If I fail, I consider it a learning experience and will go back and rework the campaign. I want to make sure that I have proper funding for the two graphic novels that will eventually be collected into a 200-page hardcover. I can't afford to have my art teams suddenly vanish on me if they aren't paid on time or at a level they deserve. No matter what happens, I'm going to keep plugging forward until this project is finished.

TWR: It is definitely a very cool looking concept. I know you've spoken about it being much more of diverse experience than we've seen before in other sci-fi/fantasy stories. Would you say that's a goal of yours? To present a story that changes the faces of the "typical" heroes we so often see repeated in these genres?

BE: Not initially. When I originally developed Dominion's Light, I didn't have any kind of ethnic mandate in mind. In fact, the characters probably defaulted to being Caucasian because that's how we tend to view "normality" in our culture. We gauge what's universal by its proximity to White European images and values. That isn't always a bad thing but I just felt that it was time to have some heroic fantasy stories that reflected the nature of our 21st century globalized pop culture interchange.

I've enjoyed Tolkien's work over the years as I have Robert Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series; I adore the GAME OF THRONES/SONF OF ICE & FIRE series (George R. R. Martin is just plain amazing on so many levels) and I am very enamored with Brandon Sanderson's newest work, although I have no idea when I will get a chance to finish The Way of Kings. When you examine these worlds closely, there usually aren't a lot of people of color as central characters. From time to time, you might get a token character who isn't well-developed compared to the main heroes. At worst you get the racial coding of people of color as Dark Elves, Orcs or other strange beasts. Just like in Dumbo they had those "Black" crows. Fans might say "those were just crows, stop complaining" but anyone with one millionth of a percent of common sense can figure out which racial group was used to inform those stereotypes.

I remember back in the day there was controversy in the Dungeons & Dragons RPG module about some race/tribe that had African features and physical characteristics but had innate low intelligence (LOL). Or there was no default non-White character in the classes. That kind of thing creates an atmosphere where continued exclusion of people of color in Fantasy becomes commonplace and normalized.

With all that said, I didn't set up Dominion's Light to be the Sesame Street of heroic fantasy. It's a dark, twisted world. I also created an African-American villain, something that hasn't been seen in a fantasy setting since James Earl Jones in the original Conan film. I could be wrong about that, but I believe that to be the case.

So much Fantasy has been reversed-engineered from Western European mythology and history that I think we've hit the wall for that kind of thing. Game of Thrones took it to the logical end of the spectrum with the endless rape, incest, murder and treachery that would exist in a feudal system without a human rights movement on the horizon. Now, we have so many other cultures and ideals that could be explored without excluding anyone. There will be all kinds of people in Dominion's Light. Some good, some neutral and some just plain screwed up. Just like the real world.

TWR: Well said and very true when you think about the core of most, if not all of the fantasy stories we have grown up around. Another theme that I've picked up on in my reading of SHADOWLAW and what I've taken from the concept of DOMINIONS LIGHT (with the Cyclean Bible) is how faith and/or religious overtones are reflected in your work. I noticed it especially with SHADOWLAW as the the idea of a theocracy plays a major theme in the book. Is that something that is just natural for you to include in your writing or did it just work well in the telling of the SHADOWLAW story?

BE: I was born and raised Roman Catholic from the state of Maryland which is rooted in a Catholic tradition historically. Although I am not at all pleased with the hierarchy of the Church, I am firmly rooted in a leftist/centrist Catholic tradition of believing in social justice, equality and fairness for all. I'm no longer what you would call "practicing" but the values and worth ethic instilled in me from the priests and nuns I grew up with is very much of part of how I view the world.

During my true intellectual awakening in college, I began to look back on the things I was taught through the lens of sociology, politics, economics and psychology and that helped me to understand the nature of human interaction through religion. How the elites members of society can easily manipulate people by telling them that "God wants you to do this, or God wants you to kill that, etc." Faith is a scary, dangerous and destructive thing in the wrong hands and we don't have to look far in this world to see how bad it can get.

When writing Shadowlaw, I tried to project where we would end up in about 200 years; developing a forecast through a natural social evolution of ideas. Things go in cycles, any student of history can tell you that. Right now, we're slowly moving away from religion as the unifying principle for humanity in the Western world but who knows how long that will last? I could see another "great awakening" in a couple of generations as fears of technological singularity and cybernetic conditioning send people in search of a more technologically pure time with simple answers from a protective authority in the sky.

Shadowlaw took place in a world on the edge of both traditions. That's why I believed that aspect of the story worked.

TWR: Yeah there were definitely points in reading where I thought "I could totally see some of this happening". I think those themes play well in storytelling especially when they can be incorporated with the idea of the nature of evil and how true faith can entail questioning the very system that often teaches it. One last question. Regardless of the outcome with the kickstarter campaign for DOMINIONS LIGHT (which I truly hope is a success), what should we expect to see you working on in the future?

BE: Thanks! I hope it makes the goal!

I'm working on some graphic novels for LION FORGE ENTERTAINMENT - they're a new transmedia company based out of St. Louis and they're going to be hitting the scene hard in 2013 with outstanding new properties in the digital arena. Those guys are smart, talented, driven and have an actual budget to realize their goals. I have to say I'm blessed to have met them a couple of years ago; being around folks like that is truly inspirational.

I've been working with Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Mayweather from Star Trek: Enterprise) on his new graphic novel series MILES AWAY, about a teen superhero and his quest to discover his past, and that's been a fantastic experience overall. It was the first real collaboration I've done with an established performer and I couldn't have asked for a better dude to work with. I want that book to be as successful as my own stuff.

Beyond that, I am in the planning stages for several large projects. In the first half of 2013, production will begin on a documentary about Black sci-fi and fantasy writers and their struggles in the industry. Once that is completed, I will shoot a short sci-fi piece on digital video about a soldier caught between two sides in a futuristic war setting. I have a web comic called RETAILIATION (emphasis on the retail) for January 2013 that would best be described as a cross between CLERKS and SWINGERS. It's a semi-autobiographic romp about my time working in an upscale bookstore in West Los Angeles as an overweight guy surrounded by incredibly shallow and moronic people.

There's this big space opera concept that I've had in my head for 15 years that I feel I'm getting closer to figuring out. It's going to be as epic as Gundam, Star Trek and BSG all rolled up into a giant package. That should be coming down the pike in 2014. I just need to get a prescription for Adderal if I plan on getting this stuff done!

TWR: Yeah you definitely have your hands full going forward but I can't wait to see what comes from all the hard work you've been putting in. Here's to hoping DOMINIONS LIGHT is a success and I look very forward to checking it out once its completed. Thanks so much for chatting with us today Brandon and hopefully well speak again soon.

You can follow The Writing Rambler on his blog here and follow on Twitter @Writing_Rambler !


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