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Ambassador Susan Rice Withdraws Her Name from Consideration for Secretary of State Position

December 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Susan Rice%2C official State Dept photo portrait%2C 2009 Ambassador Susan Rice Withdraws Her Name from Consideration for Secretary of State Position

Ambassador Susan Rice Withdraws Her Name from Consideration for Secretary of State Position. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BREAKING NEWS:  Ambassador Susan Rice withdraws her name from consideration for US Secretary of State. John McCain and Lindsey Graham have prevailed in a round about way. In a letter to President Obama, she expressed sadness that the process had become tainted by partisan politics.

“If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly – to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities,” Rice wrote in a letter to President Obama, saying she’s saddened by the partisan politics surrounding her prospects.

“That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country…Therefore, I respectfully request that you no longer consider my candidacy at this time,” she wrote in the letter obtained by NBC News.

President Obama issued a statement saying he accepts Susan Rice’s decision to remove her name from consideration for the position.

Ambassador Susan Rice Withdraws Her Name from Consideration for Secretary of State Position
Filed Under: Breaking News, U.S. Politics Tagged With: , ,

Eastern Michigan University Student Julia Niswender Found Murdered in Off-Campus Apartment

December 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment
julia niswender 217x300 Eastern Michigan University Student Julia Niswender Found Murdered in Off Campus Apartment

Eastern Michigan University Student Julia Niswender Found Murdered in Off-Campus Apartment (Photo credit: Facebook)

Another college student has been found murdered. Eastern Michigan University student Julia Niswender’s body was found in her off-campus apartment  after she failed to show up at a Christmas party. Police have launched an investigation after determining her death was a homicide and there was suspicious evidence found in her bedroom, where her body was found.

Julia Niswender, who worked part-time at a Walmart store, was a communications major at Eastern Michigan University. Police have not released any information on a possible murder suspect.

According to Annarbor.com, the police would not  elaborate on what evidence was uncovered and how she is believed to have been killed. An autopsy has been performed, but EMU police chief Robert Heighes said it could be days before the cause of death is known.

Filed Under: Campus Crime Tagged With: , , ,

Family Identifies Remains of Singer Jenni Rivera Killed in Plane Crash in Nuevo Leon, Mexico

December 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment
6478337875 bb1d9ab3a4 m Family Identifies Remains of Singer Jenni Rivera Killed in Plane Crash in Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Family Identifies Remains of Singer Jenni Rivera Killed in Plane Crash in Nuevo Leon (Photo credit: Lunchbox LP)

Nuevo Leon state security spokesman Jorge Domene said the family of singer Jenni Rivera has identified her remains. Domene said DNA tests are still pending. The singer’s remains will be given to the family once the tests are completed in coming days. Jenni Rivera was killed early Sunday morning after the Learjet she was travelling on crashed in Nuevo Leon.

Family Identifies Remains of Singer Jenni Rivera Killed in Plane Crash in Nuevo Leon, Mexico
Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: , , , , , ,

David Lee Williams Commits Suicide at the Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse in Birmingham AL

December 13, 2012 by 1 Comment

Court employee David Lee Williams has been identified as the federal court employee who killed himself inside the Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse in downtown Birmingham, Ala., Thursday morning. David Lee Williams, 50, was the director of building services for the federal courthouse.

Authorities said Williams walked into the office of U.S. Clerk of Court Sharon Harris and shot himself in the forehead. Lawmen have not said what led up to the shooting, or whether there was any conversation between Williams and Harris before he killed himself. The shooting happened about 9:30 a.m. Williams was taken by ambulance with a police escort to UAB Hospital. He was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. Source

Filed Under: Murder-Suicide Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Shooting at Kansas City Probation Office at 1330 Brush Creek

December 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Shooting reported in Kansas City at the District 4R-Kansas City Parole and Probation Office, 1330 Brush Creek.

Filed Under: Gun Violence Tagged With: , , ,

Court Employee Commits Suicide Inside Hugo Black Federal Courthouse in Birmingham AL

December 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL: A court employee committed suicide Thursday morning inside the Hugo Black federal courthouse in downtown Birmingham, Ala.

MyFoxAL:  Birmingham Police Sgt. Johnny Williams said the man carried a gun inside a clerk’s office on the first floor and shot himself.  The man was transported to a local hospital where he died a short time later.

Peter Montgomery, a witness inside the courthouse, told FOX6 News reporter Alan Collins he heard a gunshot from inside a clerk’s office on the first floor. Moments later, he saw an elderly man with blood pouring from his head.

UPDATED 2:20 p.m. EST (12/13/12): The court employee has been identified as David Lee Williams, director of building services at the Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse. He reportedly went into the office of U.S. Clerk of Court Sharon Harris and shot himself in the forehead.  http://hinterlandgazette.com/2012/12/david-lee-williams-commits-suicide-hugo-black-federal-courthouse-birmingham-al.html

Filed Under: Murder-Suicide Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Harry Belafonte’s Comment that Obama “Should Imprison Opposition Like a Third World Dictator” Riles Right Wing

December 13, 2012 by 1 Comment
Harry Belafontes Comment that Obama Should Imprison Opposition Like a Third World Dictator Riles Right Wing

Harry Belafonte’s Comment that Obama “Should Imprison Opposition Like a Third World Dictator” Riles Right Wing. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The right wing is going nuts over Harry Belafonte’s comments that President Obama should “imprison the opposition like a Third World dictator.” Um, this is the same Harry Belafonte who has been critical of President Obama in the past, but the right was largely mum on those comments. He made the comment about imprisoning the opposition during an appearance on Al Sharpton’s “Politics Nation” show earlier this week. Gateway Pundit is quick to point out that Harry Belafonte called President George W. Bush “the greatest terrorist in the world,” while ignoring those insults  he lobbed President Obama’s way.  He said President Obama didn’t deserve a second term because he lacked a moral compass.

Harry Belafontes Comment that Obama Should Imprison Opposition Like a Third World Dictator Riles Right Wing
Filed Under: Barack Obama, Entertainment Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Complete List of Golden Globes Nominations 2013

December 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment
abe lincoln 248x300 Complete List of Golden Globes Nominations 2013

Complete List of Golden Globes Nominations 2013

Complete list of Golden Globes nominations 2013:

Best drama

Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

Best comedy or musical

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Moonrise Kingdom
Les Miserables
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Silver Linings Playbook

Best screenplay

Chris Terrio (Argo)
Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)
Tony Kushner (Lincoln)
David O Russell and Matthew Quick (Silver Linings Playbook)
Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best director

Ben Affleck (Argo)
Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty)
Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)

Best actor in a drama

Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Richard Gere (Arbitrage)
John Hawkes (The Sessions)
Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
Denzel Washington (Flight)

Best actress in a drama

Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone)
Helen Mirren (Hitchcock)
Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea)

Best actor in a comedy or musical

Jack Black (Bernie)
Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables)
Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)
Bill Murray (Hyde Park on Hudson)
Ewan MacGregor (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen)

Best actress in a comedy or musical

Emily Blunt (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen)
Judi Dench (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel)
Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Maggie Smith (Quartet)
Meryl Streep (Hope Springs)

Best supporting actress

Amy Adams (The Master)
Sally Field (Lincoln)
Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
Helen Hunt (The Sessions)
Nicole Kidman (The Paperboy)

Best supporting actor

Alan Arkin (Argo)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

Best foreign film

Amour
A Royal Affair
The Intouchables
Kon-Tiki
Rust and Bone

Best animation

Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

Best original score

Mychael Danna (Life of Pi)
Alexandre Desplat
Argo
Dario Marianelli (Anna Karenina)
Tom Tyker, Johnny Klimek, Rein Holdheil (Cloud Atlas)
John Williams (Lincoln)

Best original song

‘For You’ (Act of Valor)
Not Running Anymore (Stand Up Guys)
Safe and Sound (The Hunger Games)
Skyfall (Skyfall)
Suddenly (Les Miserables)

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Census: Non-Whites to Make Up Nearly 60 Percent of US Population by 2060

December 13, 2012 by 1 Comment

The Republican Party better take note that the “super white majority” it counted on to win elections is fading fast. A recent report released by the U.S. Census shows that non-whites will be a majority in the U.S. by 2060. That will play a great role in the emerging political landscape in this country, as you will see more Hispanics, Asians and blacks running for higher office.

Reuters:  A surge in Hispanics and Asians is set to dramatically change the face of the United States over the next 50 years, with no one ethnic group the majority, according to U.S. figures that depict an aging nation with slower population growth.

By 2060, non-whites will make up 57 percent of the U.S. population, more than doubling from 116.2 million in 2012 to 241.3 million, according to projections by the U.S. Census Bureau released on Wednesday. Racial minorities are now 37 percent of the population, it said.

The shift will largely be fueled by minority births that continue to outpace those of whites, the agency said, based on data from the 2010 Census.

Nearly one in three U.S. residents will be Hispanic by 2060, up from one in six now, it said. The Asian population is also expected to more than double over the next five decades

Here’s a chart of what the demographics and racial make-up of the U.S. will look like:

us census racial shift in us 300x212 Census: Non Whites to Make Up Nearly 60 Percent of US Population by 2060

Census: Non-Whites to Make Up Nearly 60 Percent of US Population by 2060 (Chart credit: Reuters)

Filed Under: Race in America, U.S. Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Tavis Smiley Wants Mo’Kelly to Stop Talking About Him But Didn’t He Make a Career Doing the Same Thing?

December 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Tavis Smiley Tavis Smiley Wants MoKelly to Stop Talking About Him But Didnt He Make a Career Doing the Same Thing?

Tavis Smiley Wants Mo’Kelly to Stop Talking About Him But Didn’t He Make a Career Doing the Same Thing? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tavis Smiley, who has made a career out of talking about people, notably President Barack Obama, is now crying like a baby over Morris Will O’Kelly (Mo’Kelly) talking about him. So much so, that he had his lawyer send Kelly a cease and desist letter, saying he shouldn’t blog about him, talk about him on the air or anything of that nature. Um, really Miss Smiley? Here’s how this thing went down:

Smiley was a guest on Kelly’s podcast recently, where Kelly challenged him about his ideas on poverty.

However, Smiley was not pleased with Kelly’s remarks and in response decided he wanted his former employee to be unable to mention his name again.

Smiley’s representation from Browning & Browning law offices sent Kelly a “cease and desist” letter the next day, asking that Kelly end any form of communication about their client whether it’s via his blog, his podcast, or even Twitter.

[..]

Kelly defends his stance saying, “I took issue with his process. We all have a moral imperative to reduce poverty and I accept that. But Tavis has no plan, no program, no would-be law that he’s pushing. His premise does not validate his process and that’s what I was arguing about.”

Despite receiving the letter, Kelly does not plan on discontinuing his conversations about Smiley, claiming that Smiley is “super-sensitive.”

His lawyers are also claiming that Kelly violated a privacy agreement he signed when he was employed as a producer on Smiley’s TV show from 2005 to 2010. Source

Mo’Kelly, we stand with you on this one because Tavis Smiley can’t quiet free speech just because he doesn’t like being talked about. Just imagine if President Obama took that position on all the ugly things Tavis Smiley and Cornel West have said about him?

Here’s the cease and desist letter Tavis Smiley sent Mo’Kelly:

Tavis Smiley letter to Morris O’Kelly

Tavis Smiley Wants MoKelly to Stop Talking About Him But Didnt He Make a Career Doing the Same Thing?
pixel Tavis Smiley Wants MoKelly to Stop Talking About Him But Didnt He Make a Career Doing the Same Thing?
Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: , , , , ,