Prince performs, celebrities attend Hobson-Lucas wedding reception on Chicago’s lakefront

BY ALLISON HORTON Staff Reporter ahorton@suntimes.com June 30, 2013 12:36PM

FILE - In this June 16, 2013 file photo, George Lucas, left, and longtime girlfriend Mellody Hobson arrive at the 40th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. A Lucasfilm spokeswoman on Monday, June 24, 2013 confirmed the "Star Wars" creator married Hobson in a weekend ceremony at Skywalker Ranch north of San Francisco. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

storyidforme: 51499113
tmspicid: 19138362
fileheaderid: 8621315

Updated: June 30, 2013 12:36PM

More than 500 guests came to the wedding reception of ?Star Wars? creator George Lucas and Chicago financial investor Melody Hobson Saturday at Promontory Point where Prince and a 22-piece orchestra entertained the crowd.

Guests were ferried from the West Side of Lake Shore Drive at 55th Street through a tunnel to Promontory Point, which rests on the lakefront. A specially constructed boardwalk lined with planters of purple and blue hydrangeas guided guests to the first room of a huge tent that was created for the event, according to a party guest.

Hobson and Lucas casually greeted guests in the first room that had a garden party setting and comfort food hors d?oeuvres such as mini ?pigs in a blanket? hot dogs, mini-grilled cheese sandwiches and tiny deviled eggs, according to a party guest.

Guests were mostly Chicago and national corporate and political elite: former Mayor Daley, his brother - former White House Chief of Staff ? Bill Daley and his wife, Bernie, JP Morgan chairman and ex-Chicagoan Jamie Dimon, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Judd Malkin, Desiree Rogers, Linda Johnson Rice and Chaz Ebert.

The couple?s Hollywood friends and other well-known personalities also attended, including: Robin Williams, Al Roker and his wife Deborah Roberts, actor Andrew Shue, Graydon Carter, Gayle King, Tina Brown, Paul Begala, director Chris Columbus, White House decorator Michael Smith and his partner, and HBO honcho James Costos, currently in line to become the next U.S. ambassador to Spain.

A photo booth available for guests was a hit with actor Williams who particularly loved posing and making funny faces.

After cocktails, a huge doorway opened to the main ?ballroom? ? a huge, column-lined venue with multiple buffet lines, bars and plenty of unassigned seating areas for guests.

The Gentlemen of Leisure band kept the 500 to 700 guests moving on a dance floor constructed in the room, according to a party guest.

One of the highlights of the evening occurred when curtains parted to reveal a stage with Prince, his 22- piece orchestra and backup singers, who entertained guests non-stop for more than 90 minutes, according to a party guest.

Source: http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/21059806-418/prince-performs-celebrities-attend-hobson-lucas-wedding-reception-on-chicagos-lakefront.html

NICOLAUS COPERNICUS Las Vegas shooting Jerry Buss Chris Bosh wife josh duhamel josh smith presidents day

South Portland native Brett Brown could become NBA head coach

U.S. President Barack Obama met Saturday with family members of ailing South African statesman Nelson Mandela and spoke by telephone with Mandela's wife as she maintains a vigil by his bedside.

However, he and first lady Michelle Obama will not visit ...

Read More ?

Source: http://www.wmtw.com/news/sports/South-Portland-native-Brett-Brown-could-become-NBA-head-coach/-/8792264/20772322/-/11xi9sr/-/index.html?absolute=true

michigan basketball ncaa final four Evil Dead halle berry kurt cobain Kamala Harris URI

Dog buries puppy in Iraq: Why is this video so popular? (+video)

Dog buries puppy: A video of a dog compassionately burying a puppy in Iraq has gone viral. Why?

By Elizabeth Barber,?Contributor / June 25, 2013

A video of a dog compassionately burying a dead puppy has gone viral. That the video garners such attention among humans is perhaps a reflection on how we see the world ? as much as the how a canine in mourning behaves.

Skip to next paragraph Elizabeth Barber

Intern

Elizabeth Barber is an intern on The Christian Science Monitor?s Web desk. She holds a master?s degree from Columbia Journalism School and a bachelor?s degree in International Relations and English from SUNY Geneseo. Before coming to the Monitor, she was a freelance reporter at DNAinfo, a New York City breaking news site. She has also been an intern at The Cambodia Daily, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and at Washington D.C.?s The Middle East Journal.

Recent posts

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; // google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

In the video, whose title translates from Arabic to ?dog buries his son in Iraq,? a dog gently sniffs the puppy ? found in a ditch with empty water bottles ? then proceeds to tenderly bury it, nudging with his nose the sand and dirt over the little body. In the background, three men talk inaudibly in Arabic while the dog works and then call out, in English, ?thank you very much? as the dog finishes and leaves.?

The video does not give any other information about the scene, such as where exactly it was shot, who took the video, the relationship between the two dogs, or how the puppy died.

The video, posted last week to YouTube, has since gone viral. There?s nothing that web audiences like more than animals behaving like people, especially when that animal is replicating our kindest, most selfless practices. Last month, an Oklahoma zoo captured a lion and a puppy "kissing."? Last year, a video of a dog assuming maternal duties for an abandoned kitten also went viral, as did another video of a dog trying to push a dog that a car had just hit and killed out of a road. Other videos of dogs standing sentry at the graves of their owners or crying for deceased animal friends have also made the Internet rounds.

Humans have a tendency to anthropomorphize the animal kingdom. But these videos arguably offer a portrait of a moral animal who embodies the best in human behavior.

"Grief is one of the basic emotions dogs experience, just like people, Dr. Sophia Yin, a San Francisco-based veterinarian and applied animal behaviorist, told HealthDay.com. Dogs also feel fear, happiness, sadness, anger, as well as possessiveness.

While dogs do experience emotion, the recognizable behavior through which dogs express that emotion is probably learned from humans, say some scientists. Studies have found that dogs have an extraordinary capacity to learn and mimic human behavior.?Two years ago,?researchers found?that dogs learn from their owner?s facial cues to perform good behavior when their owner is watching and to save the misbehavior until their owner?s back is turned, like a wised-up child pilfering from the cookie jar.

Does that mean this dog in Iraq learned from its owners how to mourn the loss of a child? We don't know. Certainly, Iraq has been a venue for some of the worst in human behavior in recent years. But the fact that "even dogs" can express compassion is perhaps why we respond so well to such videos: They are encouraging, hopeful reminders that such actions are natural to all beings, including humans.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/93I2v7aU3Rs/Dog-buries-puppy-in-Iraq-Why-is-this-video-so-popular-video

chimpanzee the lucky one pittsburgh pirates mariners mets shades of grey jennie garth

iOS 7 Beta 2: Siri has a brother

New additions for iOS 7 Beta 2 include a different gender for Siri, a rejiggered Reminders design, and a new group chat feature.?

By Matthew Shaer / June 26, 2013

iOS 7 is expected to ship sometime this fall.

Apple

Enlarge

iOS 7, the new mobile operating system from Apple, is expected to launch this fall, probably in lockstep with the new iPhone.?

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; // google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

In the meantime, Apple has already circulated one beta version for developers, and yesterday, it introduced iOS 7 Beta 2, which incudes support for the iPhone, iPad, and iPad Mini (hat tip to 9 to 5 Mac). So what's new on the second beta? Well, for one, there's now a male voice for Siri. There are also some updated controls for the lock screen and rejiggered avatars for group iMessage chats.?

"Other new features include Siri seeming to load faster, a slight update to the Reminders design, and quicker Spotlight search," notes?John Koetsier of VentureBeat, who took iOS 7 Beta 2 for a test spin. "Multitasking also appears to be working better, and a number of interface errors in Music and other apps where text was laid on top of other text seem to have been smoothed out."?

iOS 7 was introduced earlier this year at the WWDC event in San Francisco. The design on the operating system is something of a shake-up for Apple, which has always favored 3-D shading on its icons (thus giving the home screen the appearance of depth). By contrast, on iOS 7, the icons are flatter, the font is slimmer, and the colors are more modern.?

Developers can access the beta versions of iOS 7 here. But if you're just an everyday user, you'd be much better off waiting for the full release later this year ? after all, beta versions, by their very definition, are unstable and very much works-in-progress.?

Alternatively, you can try out this neat little iOS 7 simulator from the fine folks at the?tech site Recombu.?It's surprisingly comprehensive, from the new control panel to the camera controls.?

For more tech news, follow us on?Twitter @venturenaut.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/llsw7ScSg1Y/iOS-7-Beta-2-Siri-has-a-brother

abercrombie Eminem Stabbed google drive Savannah Guthrie Daft Punk Joyce Brothers atari breakout

We haven't hit the global warming pause button

For youtube videos, paste embed code directly in the text box

- Notify me by email when future posts are made
Email:
Members do not need to provide an address

- Preview before posting

Rate Article

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Total votes: 0 Select Comment Validation Method
Member
Name/URL (Guest)
FaceBook (Guest) Member Commenting:

Authenticate with Facebook before submitting

OR

Login: Password:

Make your LabSpaces comments count. Start earning LabSpaces points by becoming a member! Learn more. Name: Link:(Link to your site or blog) Please verify that you are human: Register for LabSpaces
Make your LabSpaces comments count. Start earning LabSpaces points by becoming a member! Learn more.

Please authenticate before trying to post a comment.

If you would like to remain anonymous, please enter a new name and link below

Name: Link:(Link to your site or blog)

Friends

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128762/We_haven_t_hit_the_global_warming_pause_button_

pacers Grumpy Cat Boston Strong concert john tortorella the voice miranda lambert Canelo Alvarez

This Walking Lego Steampunk Ship is Terrifying!

As far as post-apocalyptic, steampunk-themed trading ships go, this MOC build is pretty impressive. Jason Allemann's landship, Amagosa, is based on the "Strandbeest," a badass kinetic sculpture created by Theo Jansen. It's mesmerizing to watch this Lego machine in action, but the tarantula-esque movements of the walker sorta freak me out (in the sense that I'm reminded of the giant mechanical spider from that terrible film, Wild Wild West).

This remote-controlled build is powered by the Lego Power Functions system (including an IR receiver, battery box and two M-size motors), and Lego Technic elements for the frame, legs and crankship. Instructions for how to build the walking frame are available here. Pro-Tip: If you build one, wait 'til your girlfriend's asleep, then freak her out by having it crawl around the bed. [Flickr]

Source: http://lego.gizmodo.com/this-walking-lego-steampunk-ship-is-terrifying-543090728

FRANK ZAMBONI Tiffany Six aaliyah jodie foster seahawks natalie wood patriots

Edward Snowden Charged With Espionage

According to the Washington Post, the U.S. government has brought the hammer down on NSA leaker Edward Snowden, charging him with one of the most serious offenses: espionage. Snowden, who is holed up in Hong Kong, is currently searching for?asylum with the help of fellow leak-enthusiast, Julian Assange of Wikileaks.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/D4GDyn4IrEE/

miguel cabrera dodd frank Lark Voorhies Jennifer Livingston Orlando Cruz MLB Playoff Schedule arizona cardinals

Lawyers eye NSA data as treasure trove for evidence in murder, divorce cases

By Bob Sullivan, Columnist, NBC News

The National Security Agency has spent years demanding that companies turn over their data. Now, the spy agency finds the shoe is on the other foot. A defendant in a Florida murder trial says telephone records collected by the NSA as part of its surveillance programs hold evidence that would help prove his innocence, and his lawyer has demanded that prosecutors produce those records. On Wednesday, the federal government filed a motion saying it would refuse, citing national security. But experts say the novel legal argument could encourage other lawyers to fight for access to the newly disclosed NSA surveillance database.

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander, I guess," said George Washington University privacy law expert Dan Solove. "In a way, it's kind of ironic."

Defendant Terrance Brown is accused of participating in the 2010 murder of a Brinks security truck driver. Brown maintains his innocence, and claims cellphone location records would show he wasn't at the scene of the crime. Brown's cellphone provider ? MetroPCS ? couldn't produce those records during discovery because it had deleted the data already.

On seeing the story in the Guardian indicating that Verizon had been ordered to turn over millions of calling records to the NSA last month, Brown's lawyer had a novel idea: Make the NSA produce the records.

Brown's lawyer, Marshall Dore Louis, said he couldn't comment while the trial was ongoing.?

"Relying on a June 5, 2013, Guardian newspaper article ... Defendant Brown now suggests that the Government likely actually does possess the metadata relating to telephone calls made in July 2010 from the two numbers attributed to Defendant Brown," wrote U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenbaum in an order demanding that the federal government respond to the request on June 10.

The laws of evidence require that prosecutors turn over to the defense any records they have that might help prove a suspect's innocence.?

"This opens up a Pandora's box," said Mark Rasch, former head of the Department of Justice Computer Crimes Unit, and now an independent consultant. ?You will have situations where the phone companies no longer have the data, but the government does, and lawyers will try to get that data.?

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors filed a motion saying they cannot respond to Brown's request because the federal government does not have the data the suspect seeks ? cell site location information, or CSLI. The leaked court order which inspired the request included was unclear on which metadata phone companies turn over.

The government?s motion also invokes the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA), which allows the prosecutors to respond to such requests "in camera," or privately with the judge, to explain what data it does or does not have.

"The (CIPA) allows the government to protect classified information by claiming that, first, the phone records are classified, and second, whether or not the government has phone records is also classified," Rasch said.

The assertion in the motion that "at the outset, the government does not possess the CSLI data," is intriguing, as it clearly refutes the notion that the NSA obtains location data as part of its routine records acquisition from telephone companies. But it's unlikely this case will yield more clues about what data the NSA does have, as additional legal discussion will be private.

Even without location data, it's easy to imagine other cases where call records might help prove a suspect's innocence. Rasch says the NSA should expect to deal with a lot of new requests for evidence now.

"The thing was, in the past, no one knew these records were there. Now lawyers know, and they will ask for it,? he said.

It's all part of the hazard of becoming, effectively, a backup server for all the nation's technology companies, said Solove.

"This is a little bit of an awakening to the government, that you can't hold massive amounts of personal data with impunity," he said. "Once you do, a lot of obligations and responsibilities kick in. One of the consequences of keeping data is that now you open yourself up to discovery."?

Different standards apply to discovery in civil cases, such as contested divorce, but Solove said it's possible lawyers in those cases could also appeal to the NSA for evidence, now that they know the records exist.

While it might seem unusual to demand data from an agency that not long ago was invisible to most Americans, Solove said it's important not to put the NSA on some kind of legal pedestal.

"The NSA is not above the law. It's a government agency, just like every other government agency. Just because it has this Harry Potter-like disappearing cloak, it's still an agency that is subject to the law," Solove said.?

Follow Bob Sullivan on?Facebook?or?Twitter.?

?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2d97abc7/l/0Lredtape0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A60C20A0C190A6110A90Elawyers0Eeye0Ensa0Edata0Eas0Etreasure0Etrove0Efor0Eevidence0Ein0Emurder0Edivorce0Ecases0Dlite/story01.htm

Mermaid Body Found Celeste Holm Stephen Covey klimt bastille day breaking bad breaking bad

Housing, regional factory data show economy's stamina

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Home resales hit a 3-1/2-year high in May and factory activity in the Mid-Atlantic region rebounded this month, backing the Federal Reserve's view that risks to the economy have diminished.

While other data on Thursday showed more Americans than expected filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, the increase was not big enough to signal a material shift from the recent pace of moderate job growth.

Higher taxes and deep government spending cuts that took effect this year had raised fears that the economy could slow abruptly, but the recovery appears to moving to firmer ground.

"The drag from tighter fiscal policy is starting to dissipate. We have passed the worst of the fiscal-induced slowdown," said Millan Mulraine, a senior economist at TD Securities in New York.

The data came a day after the Fed painted a fairly upbeat picture of the economy and said it expected to slow the pace of its bond-buying stimulus later this year, bringing it to a halt around the middle of 2014. The central bank is buying $85 billion in bonds per month in an effort to keep interest rates low and drive down still-high unemployment.

Existing home sales jumped 4.2 percent to an annual rate of 5.18 million units, the highest level since November 2009, the National Association of Realtors said.

At the same time, the median home price surged 15.4 percent from a year ago to $208,000. It was the biggest year-over-year increase since 2005 and left prices at their highest level since July 2008.

Analysts said the economy's resilience in the face of Washington's belt-tightening largely reflects the spillover effect from surging home prices, which are supporting household net worth and buoying consumer confidence.

"The positive feedback loop from the strengthening housing market is starting to happen. The economy would not be as strong as it is without housing," said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California State University Channel Islands.

MIXED FACTORY DATA

In a separate report, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank said its business activity index rebounded to 12.5 this month from minus 5.2 in May, marking the highest reading in two years.

A reading above zero indicates an expansion of manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region, which covers eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.

The gain, which reflected a surge in new orders to a two-year high and an improvement in factory employment conditions, followed a similar bounce back in manufacturing activity in New York state.

Although a report from financial data firm Markit showed a slower pace of national factory activity in June, economists said the regional data suggested a survey from the Institute for Supply Management due early next month would likely show activity clawed back into expansion territory.

"In the second half of the year, we will see a more meaningful improvement in the overall growth momentum," said Mulraine.

In a third report, the Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 18,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 354,000. A four-week moving average, which irons out weekly volatility, rose 2,500 to 348,250 - a level economists usually associate with steady job gains.

"Where jobless claims are right now should tell you that the economy is doing okay, that it's on a decent path," said Brett Ryan, an economist at Deutsche Bank Securities in New York.

The data added further fuel to a U.S. dollar rally touched off by the Fed on Wednesday, with the greenback reaching a two-week high against a basket of currencies.

Prices for stocks and bonds, which were hit hard on Wednesday, continued to fall. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury debt note rose to a near two-year high.

Last week's jobless claims data covered the period in which the government surveyed companies for June's nonfarm payrolls count. Claims increased 10,000 between the May and June survey periods, suggesting little change in the pace of job creation.

Employers added 175,000 new jobs to their payrolls last month, with the unemployment rate ticking up a tenth of a percentage point to 7.6 percent. Job gains have averaged 172,000 per month over the last 12 months.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Additional reporting by Jason Lange and Paige Gance in Washington and Leah Schnurr in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jobless-claims-rise-above-expectations-last-week-123227735.html

festivus festivus nfl playoff picture nfl playoff picture Larry King Suzy Favor Hamilton mayan calendar

All-women jury chosen for George Zimmerman's trial

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) ? A jury of six women was picked Thursday to decide the second-degree murder trial of George Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer who says he fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in self-defense.

Prosecutors have said Zimmerman, 29, racially profiled the 17-year-old Martin as he walked back from a convenience store on a rainy night in February 2012 wearing a dark hooded shirt.

Race and ethnicity have played a prominent role in the case and even clouded jury selection. While the court did not release the racial makeup of the jury, the panel appeared to reporters covering jury selection to be made up of five white women and a sixth who may be Hispanic.

Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.

After Thursday's hearing, Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara was asked what he would say to people concerned there were no black jurors.

"People can look at it and have this response ? that there's no blacks on the jury, or no this or no that, or no men on the jury," he said. "Tell me that we did something wrong in the process and I'll agree with you."

Prosecutors refused to comment for the duration of the trial.

Two of the jurors recently moved to the area ? one from Iowa and one from Chicago ? and two are involved with rescuing animals as their hobbies.

One juror had a prior arrest, but she said it was disposed of and she thought she was treated fairly. Two jurors have guns in their homes. All of their names have been kept confidential and the panel will be sequestered for the trial.

Opening statements are scheduled for Monday.

The central Florida community of Sanford is in Seminole County, which is 78.5 percent white and 16.5 percent black.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys chose the panel of six jurors after almost two weeks of jury selection. In Florida, 12 jurors are required only for criminal trials involving capital cases, when the death penalty is being considered.

If convicted, Zimmerman could face a potential life sentence.

On Feb. 26, 2012, Zimmerman spotted Martin, whom he did not recognize, walking in the gated townhome community in Sanford where Zimmerman lived and the fiancee of Martin's father also resided. There had been a rash of recent break-ins at the Retreat, and Zimmerman was wary of strangers walking through the complex.

The two eventually got into a struggle and Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest with his 9mm handgun. He was charged 44 days after the shooting, only after a special prosecutor was appointed to review the case.

Martin's shooting death and the initial decision not to charge Zimmerman led to public outrage and demonstrations around the nation, with some accusing Sanford police of failing to thoroughly investigate the shooting.

The six jurors were culled from a pool of 40 candidates who made it into a second round of jury questioning. Two men and two women also were picked as alternate jurors.

Before selecting the jurors Thursday, O'Mara explored potential jurors' views on guns, self-defense and justifiable use of force.

Under Florida law, Zimmerman could shoot Martin in self-defense if it were necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. O'Mara previously decided not to invoke a "stand your ground" hearing in which a judge alone would decide whether to dismiss the case or allow it to proceed to trial.

After the jury was picked, Judge Debra Nelson continued a hearing on whether to allow experts to testify about screams heard on 911 calls made during the struggle. Prosecutors want their expert to testify it was Martin screaming on the calls. An expert for Zimmerman's defense has said there is not enough audio to determine who the screams are coming from.

The judge said she would rule Friday on whether the prosecution's expert can testify.

___

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/KHightower

Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/women-jury-chosen-george-zimmermans-trial-185138496.html

james harden breeders cup Mitch Lucker Red Cross CMA Awards 2012 election day Electoral College map

EPA abandons plan to confirm hydraulic fracturing is linked to Wyoming groundwater pollution

A family had a close encounter with a bear while celebrating Father's Day during a camping trip in Wyoming, NBC-2 reports. The Kelly family had a relaxing Sunday morning breakfast, but apparently they didn't clean up as well as they initially thought. According to NBC-2, a bit of bacon grease was still on the campground [...]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/epa-abandons-plan-confirm-hydraulic-204048052.html

derrick rose torn acl undrafted free agents braveheart roy orbison the third man 2012 nfl draft order mohamed sanu

Houston Pride reverses course, allows condoms to be distributed at parade

Participants toss items to spectators during last year?s Houston Pride parade.

After Pride Houston announced at a parade participation meeting that condoms could not be distributed at Pride, the Houston Department of Health and Human Services threatened to withdraw.

Pride Houston claimed in an email that a city ordinance prevented them from allowing condom distribution:

?Recent changes in city ordinances have constituted a change in the 2013 celebration rules. They are as follows: Parade entries are not allowed to throw/distribute contraceptives from their entry (i.e., float, vehicle or walking individuals).?

But letters from the health department and Legacy Community Health Services, a Houston AIDS agency, asked the parade committee to reconsider and pointed out that there is no such city ordinance.

The committee issued several clarifications during the week. One said condoms needed to be distributed in packs with educational material and could only be distributed to people over 18.

Another was condoms could be distributed at the festival after the parade but not at the parade.

Another noted that nothing could be thrown from floats, according to a city ordinance. But beads are regularly thrown.

Finally, the committee agreed that condoms could be distributed by walking participants in the parade but not thrown from floats. The health department may also distribute condoms at the festival. No age limit was mentioned in the latest clarification.

?My take is they got some bad information on what the ordinances are,? said Daniel Williams, a Houston LGBT activist.

Williams works for Equality Texas but was speaking as a Houston LGBT activist. He pointed out Pride Houston is a volunteer organization.

?Now that they have better information, they changed the rules to comply with the information they have,? he said.

The Houston parade takes place along Westheimer Road in the city?s Montrose neighborhood on June 29.

? David Taffet

Source: http://www.dallasvoice.com/condom-controversy-casts-cloud-houston-pride-10150791.html

little league world series us open tennis us open tennis Empire State Building shooting Republican National Convention Karlie Redd

Tiananmen still taboo in China after all these years (+video)

More than two decades on, some young people don't even know the significance of the day the Chinese police ended a massive student protest, killing hundreds, perhaps thousands of young people.

By Peter Ford,?Staff Writer / June 4, 2013

A policeman stands beside his motorcycle at Tiananmen Square on a hazy day in Beijing Tuesday. Today marks the 24th anniversary of a military crackdown on a pro-democracy movement at Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

Petar Kujundzic/Reuters

Enlarge

Chinese Internet censors went into overdrive on Tuesday, desperately blacking out any reference to the 24th?anniversary of the military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, which falls today.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Ford

Beijing Bureau Chief

Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.

Recent posts

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; // google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

Indeed ?today? was one of the banned words on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. If you searched for it, you were told that ?according to relevant laws, regulations, and policies, the results cannot be shown.?

Nearly a quarter of a century after a student-led reform movement ended on June 4, 1989, with the military occupation of Tiananmen Square and the deaths of hundreds, possibly thousands of people, the whole affair is still taboo in China.

Since the government ruled the demonstrations ?counter-revolutionary? no Chinese language newspaper has ever recalled them, no Chinese leader has ever referred to them, and citizens are not allowed to remember them.

Three activists in the southern city of Guangzhou were locked up last week because they applied for a city permit to hold a Tiananmen memorial march. A group of mothers whose children were killed in the crackdown and who have sought an official reckoning of the event ever since, wrote despairingly to President Xi Jinping last week that ?to this day all our efforts have been in vain. We have received not a single response from the government.?

And frankly, this officially imposed amnesia has done the job the government intended it to do.

Political activists and ?dissidents? recall the tragic events, of course, and do their best to communicate the fact that they have not forgotten. Like journalist He Gang, who yesterday posted ?I remember that year. Passion on fire? on his blog, they find elliptical ways around the censor.

But they are a handful of voices. The vast majority of Chinese citizens pay the occasion no mind, and most people under 35 are not even aware of what 6/4 signifies.

Still, the paranoia that the censors displayed on Tuesday ? banning any combination of digits that might add up to 64 or 89 ? suggests that the authorities are by no means comfortable in their seats of power.

The mood in China is certainly very different from the 1980s, when the universities and the press were in political and intellectual ferment. Today, the dead weight of ideological orthodoxy stifles any debate about political reform and ?democracy? is not a rallying cry for many Chinese citizens.

Instead, they are much more likely to be angry about the way in which their government has failed to take care of practical matters in the headlong rush for economic development. And they are not shy to express that anger.

Recent street protests in the southwestern city of Kunming against a gas factory reflected widespread environmental concerns. Angry comments on the Chinese web today about the locked doors that trapped victims of Monday?s deadly poultry factory fire suggested that corrupt safety inspectors may have played a role.?

In the minds of democracy activists, of course, such practical matters are not unrelated to broader philosophical questions. A properly elected government, subject to democratic oversight, might have felt obliged to provide better protection for the country?s environment and its citizens? lives, for example.

But this is not an argument that resonates with most Chinese citizens. Instead, they look to the authorities to show stronger guidance and control in order to correct society?s shortcomings.

For many liberals, official readiness to reconsider the ruling Communist Party?s harsh judgment of the Tiananmen protests would be a key indicator that the government was ready for political reform. (Get a sense of what the mood was like a year after the protests)

There is little sign of that, however. Rebutting a statement from Washington marking the Tiananmen anniversary, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei insisted that ?a clear conclusion has already been made concerning the political turmoil that happened in the late 1980s,? and that ?the path we have chosen serves the fundamental interest of the Chinese people.?

That kind of statement, coming on top of a recent crackdown on independent-minded intellectuals, does not bode well for the sort of future some liberals foresaw under new President Xi. The Tiananmen Mothers were blunt in their open letter to the president. After 24 years ?our hope is fading,? they wrote, ?and despair is drawing near.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/mILhVYp6Yaw/Tiananmen-still-taboo-in-China-after-all-these-years-video

marchmadness mike d antoni nba trade rumors desean jackson 2012 ncaa tournament schedule laurent robinson dantoni

Gorgeous House Oriented Towards Sustainable Design: Malvern ...

Share on Facebook Tweet Meet the latest contemporary residence designed by Lubelso, the award-winning business?within the Canny group, the leading builder of custom designed homes in Melbourne. ?The home sits perfectly in the modern urban landscape and combines sophisticated looks with cutting-edge building technology, materials and systems, including a Bose sound system, Airphone audio-video intercom and alarm system.?? Located ?in one of the enchanting suburbs of Melbourne (Malvern), the residence boasts transparence and breeziness, giving you the feeling that you have just stepped inside a bright and relaxed vacation home.

Share on Facebook Tweet The house is simply gorgeous: it features?warm oak flooring, a spacious terrace with a view over the infinity pool, neutral colours and a blissful sense of space. Sometimes, after a hectic day spent at the office, a breezy and bright home is all you need to ?recover from the trauma? and recharge your batteries. When we suggested that space was not a problem, we really meant it!?Malvern House accommodates three living areas, four bedrooms, a study area and two garages. Oriented towards sustainable design and energy saving, the house was built with materials that keep it warm in the winter and cool during the hot summer days.? Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Facebook Tweet

Source: http://freshome.com/2013/06/03/lovely-contemporary-home-in-malvern-displaying-a-transparent-living-space/

mary j blige burger king islands 2013 nissan altima masters par 3 contest google augmented reality glasses wonderlic test texas tornado

GOP governors? endorsements of Medicaid expansion deepen rifts within party

For youtube videos, paste embed code directly in the text box

- Notify me by email when future posts are made
Email:
Members do not need to provide an address

- Preview before posting

Rate Article

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Total votes: 0 Select Comment Validation Method
Member
Name/URL (Guest)
FaceBook (Guest) Member Commenting:

Authenticate with Facebook before submitting

OR

Login: Password:

Make your LabSpaces comments count. Start earning LabSpaces points by becoming a member! Learn more. Name: Link:(Link to your site or blog) Please verify that you are human: Register for LabSpaces
Make your LabSpaces comments count. Start earning LabSpaces points by becoming a member! Learn more.

Please authenticate before trying to post a comment.

If you would like to remain anonymous, please enter a new name and link below

Name: Link:(Link to your site or blog)

Friends

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128469/GOP_governors____endorsements_of_Medicaid_expansion_deepen_rifts_within_party

Innocence of Muslims Clara Schumann Jael Strauss Alison Pill Sam Bacile sprint britney spears