IAEA finds higher enrichment at Iran bunker - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

IAEA finds higher enrichment at Iran bunker - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

The United Nations atomic agency has found evidence at an underground bunker in Iran that could mean the country has moved closer to producing the uranium threshold needed to arm nuclear missiles, diplomats have said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has found traces of uranium enriched up to 27 per cent at the Fordow enrichment plant in central Iran, the diplomats told the Associated Press on Friday.

That is still substantially below the 90 per cent level needed to make the fissile core of nuclear arms.

In-depth coverage of a growing regional debate

But it is above Iran's highest-known enrichment grade, which is close to 20 per cent, and which already can be turned into weapons-grade material much more quickly than the Islamic Republic's main stockpile, which can only be used for fuel at around 3.5 per cent.

The diplomats, who demanded anonymity because their information is privileged, said the find did not necessarily mean that Iran was covertly raising its enrichment threshold toward weapons-grade level.

The New Welfare State: Faster, Cheaper ... and Out of Control?

Clinton-era reforms are widely celebrated, but the recession has raised questions about whether they solved problems or just hidden them from view.

It's still soon to make a definitive judgment on how President Clinton's welfare reforms affected the U.S. (Reuters)

In 1996, President Bill Clinton ignored the protests of his liberal base and signed a reform bill written by congressional Republicans that abolished the existing welfare entitlement and replaced it with a new program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. In doing so, he fulfilled a 1992 campaign promise to "end welfare as we know it," by instituting strict time limits and work requirements for recipients and block-granting funds to the states.

Within a few years, the number of families on welfare had shrunk by more than 50 percent. When caseloads remained low and single mothers' employment numbers and wages rose throughout the 2000-01 recession, even the law's critics began to take notice. Rebecca Blank, a member of Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers and a skeptic of the reform, acknowledged in 2006 that "[e]ven the strongest supporters of welfare reform in 1996 would not have dared forecast the steep declines and continued low levels of welfare caseloads a decade later."

Despite being mostly won over by the law's robust performance, Blank issued a warning: "in the face of a major economic shock ... the current system of public assistance may not provide adequate support for many of our poorest families."

How Politicians Are Making You Stupid: Part 1

How Politicians Are Making You Stupid: Part 2

How Politicians Are Making You Stupid: Part 3

SEC shuts down $11-million Ponzi scheme

Regulators have charged a New York fund manager who was running an $11-million Ponzi scheme, federal court filings showed.

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Jason Konior with defrauding investors by promising to match their investments in his fund many times over. In reality, he used $2 million of the money he collected to pay his own expenses and to cover redemption requests from previous investors, according to the SEC's complaint, dated Thursday.

Hedge Fund Got Most South Carolina Fees While Lagging on Returns

May 25 (Bloomberg) -- Mariner Investment Group LLC, a hedge fund founded by a former Bear Stearns Cos. fixed-income executive, charged South Carolina's pension fund more than any other manager while delivering returns that trailed competitors.

Mariner, started by William Michaelcheck, 65, got $38 million in fees from the South Carolina Retirement Systems in fiscal 2011, or 16 percent of all the compensation paid to the fund's money managers, which totaled $239 million, according to pension officials.

The performance of Mariner's investments for South Carolina lagged behind those of managers such as Bridgewater Associates LP, the world's biggest hedge fund by assets. Mariner funds returned from 2 percent to 13 percent last year, while Bridgewater's delivered 17 percent to 24 percent. Bridgewater collected $25 million in fees, or 34 percent less than Mariner, while managing $1.3 billion in assets compared with Mariner's $930 million.

"We take the risk and we pay the fees, but we don't get the reward," said South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis, a Republican who was elected in 2010 with Tea Party endorsements and owns a pest control company. "I think it's systemic. I think it's happening all across the country."

Can Trees Actually Deter Crime?

 

Silly as it may seem to the public, there's an intense disagreement among scholars about the impact urban trees have on a city's crime rate. Some are convinced urban greenery increases crime — arguing that low trees and shrubs, in particular, create a natural hiding place for criminals.

A 2001 case study of auto thieves in Washington, D.C., found that offenders often target areas near dense vegetation because it can "reduce effort and risk by offering concealment."

Others are convinced that urban trees have exactly the opposite effect. This crowd argues that trees actually decrease crime either by attracting more people to public places (Jane Jacobs' "eyes on the street" theory) or by signifying to criminals that people care about their neighborhood (James Q. Wilson's "broken windows" theory). Another 2001 study, this one of public housing in Chicago, found that "the greener a building’s surroundings were, the fewer crimes reported."

Wow! When It Comes to Anyone 'Black' - There's always a Problem! Why?

Israel, land of Jewish refugees, riled by influx of Africans

Violent riots broke out in Tel Aviv last night as a growing tide of African migrants strains Israel's ideal as a land for refugees.

In an ironic twist, Israel's most tolerant city erupted in violent riots against African migrants last night, eliciting comparisons with "pogrom" attacks on European Jewish communities in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Over the past five years, tens of thousands of African refugees have poured into Israel, particularly into Tel Aviv's more conservative working-class southern neighborhoods. Their presence has fueled a growing moral and policy dilemma that pits the Jewish collective memory of refugeedom against present day fears for the state’s economy and Jewish majority.

"Here is Israel, a country of refugees who gathered here from all over the world after having suffered for hundreds of years from racist persecution, discrimination, blind hatred, pogroms and death camps," wrote Shai Golden, a columnist in the Maariv newspaper, today. "Along come the members of the third generation after the restoration of this nation and they are amassing now against other refugees because of their difference, because of the color of their skin, because of their own economic and social distress, and they are behaving exactly the way the members of the host countries that hosted their parents and grandparents behaved."

Farrakhan: Blacks are True Children of Israel

Who Are The Real Children Of Israel? Part 2: The Proof

Blacks in America: The True Children of Israel

Defending Farrakhan: The Campaign to Free the Real Children of Israel

There are those who sincerely misunderstand and have allowed the warped caricature presented in the media to form a distorted view of who Minister Farrakhan is and what he has worked to accomplish in some 56 years at the forefront of the struggle to free the oppressed. Others in positions of influence intentionally misrepresent the Minister's words for malicious purposes. Why?

Despite their calculated words, deliberate deceptions, and conniving opposition to his mission and work, not one of them has ever accused Minister Farrakhan of being a liar. Despite their efforts, the spiritual, mental and economic growth of the Nation of Islam has continued and Minister Farrakhan remains as the last uncompromising voice of truth. Why?

 

Who's Really the 'Commander in Chief': President Obama or General Mattis?

As Obama Preaches Patience, Mattis Prepares for War With Iran

Exclusive: CentCom commander’s call for third Persian Gulf carrier group was rejected, reports Eli Lake.

As Western diplomats meet this week in Baghdad to try to coax Iran’s leaders to disclose its full nuclear program, Gen. James Mattis will be keeping an eye on the Persian military.

Mattis wanted to send a third aircraft-carrier group to the Persian Gulf earlier this year, The Daily Beast has exclusively learned, in what would have been a massive show of force at a time when Iranian military commanders were publicly threatening to sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The four-star Marine Corps general and CentCom commander believed the display could have deterred Iran from further escalating tensions, according to U.S. military officials familiar with his thinking.

But the president wanted to focus military resources on new priorities like China, and Mattis was told a third carrier group was not available to be deployed to the Gulf.

“General Mattis is a key player in administration debates and a vital implementer of the administration’s policies,” said Denis McDonough, a deputy national-security adviser and one of President Obama’s most trusted advisers on foreign affairs.

Those who have worked with Mattis say his views when it comes to Iran are more in line with those of America’s allies in the Persian Gulf and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than with his own government’s. At a recent charity event for Spirit of America, Mattis, known by admirers as the “warrior monk” and by detractors as “Mad Dog Mattis,” said his three top concerns in the Middle East were “Iran, Iran, and Iran.”

Interactive: World nuclear club

While 14 nations host nuclear weapons, 30 countries generate atomic energy, and another 18 are building future reactors.

Moonshine still found in Orangeburg County

Iran, big powers agree to meet again over nuclear dispute

Countries with nuclear weapons, energy, warheads, and building future reactors.

Lawsuit: Dead sheriff stole money from Midlands county

ORANGEBURG, SC (WIS) -

More than a year and a half after his death, Orangeburg County is going after former Sheriff Larry Williams' estate.

Williams died in September 2010, then 3 months later, the county administrator started looking into the sheriff department's finances. The county says it uncovered fraud and a conspiracy case involving the late sheriff and his girlfriend.

It was a lot of money, according to the lawsuit, and the county says Williams and his girlfriend used the money for personal gain.

Williams' $250,000 home could soon end up in the hands of Orangeburg County if the county can convince a jury the former sheriff stole tax dollars, then spent it.

The county filed suit 2 weeks ago, claiming the late sheriff opened multiple bank accounts, then funneled state and federal tax dollars through them.

Roger Heaton retired from the State Law Enforcement Division 8 months ago and is now running for sheriff. He opened the investigation into the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office's checking accounts last year.

Heaton got a call from county administrator Bill Clark about the bank accounts after Clark had the sheriff's finances audited. Heaton met with Clark and current Sheriff Leroy Ravenell a few days later.

"I got a call on a Thursday and I remember I reviewed the material through the weekend. Based on the material I saw, the conversations I had, and some of the information in the notebook that the sheriff provided, in my opinion, there was a need for a criminal investigation," Heaton said. "I saw criminal acts."

The lawsuit claims Williams had his girlfriend, Ivadella Walters, open the accounts while she worked for the South Carolina Federal Credit Union. The pair, the suit alleges, spent the money on themselves, even spending $72,000 on an RV. Court records show they, at first, titled the RV in their names, but later changed it over to show it belonged to the county.

Read more about the alleged charge against the late Larry Williams here.

Taking Aim at 'World's Hypocrisy' on Nuclear Weapons

Interactive: World nuclear club

While 14 nations host nuclear weapons, 30 countries generate atomic energy, and another 18 are building future reactors.

World powers have met in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to expedite a nuclear deal with Iran. The West hopes an agreement will assuage Israel’s concerns by compelling Iran to curb uranium enrichment in a transparent, verifiable way.

After his recent talks in Tehran, Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, said on Tuesday that an agreement over nuclear inspections was expected "quite soon".

Iran says its nuclear programme is for entirely peaceful purposes, but Western powers have levelled sanctions against Tehran, largely out of fear that the Islamic Republic seeks to join the elite club of nations with nuclear weapons.

“Why is the news hook not the states already with nuclear weapons?” asks Jonathan Granoff, president of the Global Security Institute, which advocates for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

“Why just about the state that might get nuclear weapons? We should focus on countries that have huge arsenals and get rid of them.”

“The main issue is that 189 countries have agreed to pursue a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East,” says Granoff. “Israel doesn’t want it negotiated until it gets security assurances from its neighbours. But the lack of security is in the threat posed by its [own] unsafeguarded nuclear facilities.”

“Iran is a symptom of the failure to have a universal ban on nuclear weapons,” Granoff told Al Jazeera, suggesting that the international community is not approaching the problem correctly by emphasising Iran’s alleged nuclear aspirations.

“Imagine if the Biological Weapons Convention said that no country can have polio or smallpox as weapons, but we’re going to entrust nine countries with the plague! That’s incoherent and unsustainable because we all understand that the plague is not a legitimate weapon due to its indiscriminate and horrific effects.”

View the detailed comprehensive 'Interactive' Map of Countries Who Already Have Nuclear Energy, Atomic Energy, Warheads, and Future Reactors - CLICK HERE.

After you view the "Interactive Map," you've got to ask yourself, as so with so many other people in America are questioning . . . So what's up with picking on Iran?  Hhmmmm!

Great Job!

Good News! 3 Black Chemistry Students Earn Doctorates, Set University Record

At the University of Mississippi (UM), a year-long initiative to increase graduates in fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has paid off in epic fashion. Ole Miss News reports that three African-American chemistry students graduated on May 11 with doctorates, setting a school record.


The trio who received their degrees was Kari Copeland (pictured left), Margo Montgomery (pictured center) and Jeffrey Veals (centered). A fourth African-American student, Shanna Stoddard, will earn her doctorate in chemistry this coming December. Professors at UM beamed with pride with this latest achievement for the university.

NYPD Rough Up 15-Year-Old Honor Student In Mistaken Identity?

The New York Police Department (NYPD) allegedly roughed up 15-year-old honor student Brittany Rowley in a case of mistaken identity, the New York Daily News reports.

Brittany was handcuffed to a bench in a police stationhouse for three hours before the cops realized she nor her friend were not the black, shoplifting teens they suspected that they were. They were released, but Brittany says it was the worst experience she’s ever endured.

“It was terrifying,” Rowley, 15, said in an exclusive interview to The Daily News. “It is the most horrible thing I have ever experienced.”

Brittany’s father, Delmus Rowley, hired an attorney and has filed a $5.5 million lawsuit against the city and Sgt. Jonathan Catanzaro and Officer Stephen Nakao. According to court papers obtained by the Daily News, the suit alleges false arrest and excessive force.

 

 

Secret files detail clergy abuse at Santa Barbara boarding school

After court battle, papers are released regarding accusations of sexual abuse of children at the Franciscans' St. Anthony Seminary.

Robert Van Handel remembered the boy as about 9 years old, tan, effeminate.

"Now that I think back on it, he was probably the most beautiful child that I molested," Van Handel wrote to a therapist.

Mother shocked by daughter's alleged murder plot against her

Angelica Aquirre of Hesperia says she recently became tougher with her rebellious daughter. Then the 13-year-old plotted to kill her, police say.

Negative equity remains a drag on housing market

Nearly 1 in 3 homeowners with a mortgage in L.A. County owes more than the property is worth, new data show. These underwater loans hinder mobility and hurt prices because they tend to stymie the important move-up market.

Myrtle Beach PTO treasurer arrested after funds missing

Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/05/24/2847284/myrtle-beach-pto-treasurer-arrested.html#storylink=cpy

The treasurer of a Myrtle Beach parent-teacher organization was arrested last week on charges she took money from the PTO’s account, according to a report from the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

Julie Allen Herndon, 35, was charged May 15 at the police department with breach of trust with the value greater than $10,000, the report said. She was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.

Teal Britton, spokeswoman for Horry County Schools, said parent-teacher groups are independent organizations that support school initiatives and have their own officers, accounts and national affiliations.

Julie Herndon

We Hacked Al-Qaida Website, Says Hillary Clinton

College comes to high school

A College Bubble So Big Even The New York Times And 60 Minutes Can See It...Sort Of

Vivek Wadhwa (Image via CrunchBase)

Wadhwa argues that U.S. colleges and universities are the best in the world. Maybe that’s true, but so what? U.S. homes were probably the best in the world too, but that doesn’t mean that we had no bubble. U.S. tech firms in the late 90s were the best in the world, but that didn’t mean they were reasonably valued. Bubble-ness is a factor of quality AND PRICE. The point is that there is no asset of such great quality that it is a good buy no matter how high the price goes. A college diploma is no exception to that rule.

Furthermore, there has been a severe contraction in the quality of higher education in America. Did we really think we could open the floodgates and not affect the quality of graduates? Can you turn college into the new high school, and not get high school-like results?  Grade inflation will only keep the problem concealed for so long before the general public becomes aware that outside of a few highly challenging programs and majors, the quality of American higher education is plummeting. Graduates are mastering fewer facts, can’t think critically about the facts they have mastered, and can’t express whatever ideas they have mastered in clear, cogent, grammatically correct sentences. Employers already know this.

The final straw Wadhwa grasps at is the idea of socialization. He argues (I am not joking) that partying is a valuable part of the college experience because it teaches students interpersonal skills. Whah? Look, it’s fun to party, I’ll give you that. But it is a consumption good, not an investment, and anybody who says otherwise has perhaps partied just a little too much.

Warning! Government To Crack Down On Food Stamp Fraud

UPDATE 3-Man in custody in New York boy's '79 disappeance

Not even marching band safe in potential SC State budget cuts

Warning! Government To Crack Down On Food Stamp Fraud

WASHINGTON — Food stamp recipients are ripping off the government for millions of dollars by illegally selling their benefit cards for cash – sometimes even in the open, on eBay or Craigslist – and then asking the government for replacement cards.

The Agriculture Department wants to curb the practice by giving states more power to investigate people who repeatedly claim to lose their benefit cards.

It is proposing new rules Thursday that would allow states to demand formal explanations from people who seek replacement cards more than three times a year. Those who don’t comply can be denied further cards.

Thank You, Mr. Hal Jackson!

Hal Jackson Dead At 96

Radio pioneer Hal Jackson (pictured right) has died, WBLS reports.

He was 96.

Jackson’s exact cause of death is not known. WBLS’s website reports that he died from “illness”

Here's a quote from Mr. Hal Jackson when he was interviewed by Soul Train's Don Cornelius in October 1995 about being inducted into the 'Radio Hall of Fame':

“It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice.”

Thank you Mr. Jackson for your decades of service, and helping to make my childhood growing up in New York a bit brighter.


Read more about this incredible man whom I grew up listening to as a youngster - click here.

Indian company bringing up to 750 Columbia jobs

WNS Global Services to locate its firstU.S. facility at State Media Co. building

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/05/22/2285283/indian-company-bringing-up-to.html#storylink=cpy

An Indian company plans to invest $4.25 million in Columbia to open its first U.S. facility, initially bringing 300 jobs to the Midlands.

WNS Global Services today announced it will open the facility — which could be used as a call center, and for tasks such as insurance-claims processing and accounting services — at 1401 Shop Road, also home of The State Media Co., including The State newspaper.

WNS, with more than 23,000 employees at 25 centers worldwide, and more than 200 global clients, will open the new center in July, said Ron Strout, head of the Americas for the company.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/05/22/2285283/indian-company-bringing-up-to.html#storylink=cpy

“The plan over time is to bring up to 750 people,” he said. “It could be doing health care, finance and accounting, call center for travel and leisure. We’ve had interest from all of those perspectives.”

Jon Hurley, a WNS senior vice president, estimated the center could be operating at full employment as soon as two years.

“I’m pitching it to one of the largest insurance companies in the U.S.,” Hurley said. “We’ve got a lot of clients that are interested.”

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/05/22/2285283/indian-company-bringing-up-to.html#storylink=cpy

Google Makes Space for City Tech School

CornellNYC Tech to Occupy Portion of Firm's N.Y. Building

Google Inc. GOOG +2.23% will provide 22,000 square feet of its New York City headquarters—in the heart of Manhattan's high-tech zone—to a new applied-sciences school while the institution's new campus is built on Roosevelt Island in the East River.

Officials at Google estimated the market value of the space— which will be provided free to CornellNYC Tech, a joint venture between Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology—at between $10 million and $12 million. That estimate includes the value of an option the school has to expand to 58,000 square feet during the next 5½ years while work on its permanent campus is completed.

"We need to create a new academic model for this time and this place and this industry—and that's exactly what we are going to do," Mr. Skorton said. "The key, we believe, is engagement between world-class academics and companies and early-stage investors. Co-location is critical, connecting academic research and industry in sort of a mixing bowl and seeing what happens."

Employment Blog Network

One of the best cities to check out for employment is GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA!

Leading By Example: Great Business [Entrepreneur] Advice for Youths to Follow

The following article written by Dr. Boyce Watkins details how so many young people today can use as a template for themselves regarding business (entrepreneurship), and life in general.
 

Why Dr. Dre and Ice Cube Succeeded and NWA Did Not

 

The unforgettable, yet unforgivable impact of America’s first gangsta rap group is the stuff of legend.  NWA is responsible for prophetic songs like “F*ck the Police,” which told the world about LAPD brutality before the Rodney King incident, but they are also responsible for injecting hip-hop with a dose of toxic violence from which it has yet to recover (I’ve written about that problem too).

One thing that came to mind is the way Dr. Dre and Ice Cube were able to climb out of the war zone that was Compton and Death Row Records to become captains of the industry, while many of their homeboys simply perished. In that regard, their success makes for a case study that would be a fit for any business school in the country.

Here are some things that made Dre and Cube different from the rest:

1)      The ability to see the bigger picture:  The easiest way to stay broke and powerless is to think small and to be short-sighted.   In fact, visionaries are regularly able to exploit the short-sightedness of those who have no discipline.  While other members of the group were thinking about spitting rhymes, getting women, and buying yet another gold medallion, Ice Cube’s mind was able to visualize multi-million dollar franchises.  I would much rather be a dumb person who thinks big than a brilliant person who thinks small.  This can make all the difference.
 2)      Education and a desire to understand how business works:  Ice Cube and Dr. Dre succeeded not just because of formal education, but because they became educated on the industry within which they operated.   Far too many singers, dancers, rappers and athletes think that all they have to do is worry about their craft, and end up putting themselves into dead end financial situations.  A good example would be the singer Fantasia, who never learned to read and ended up signing a contract that made her into a high-paid slave.
3)      Why be a King When You can Be a King Maker?  The Black community never ceases to have plenty of talent for the stage, but even the most talented among us are accustomed to waiting by the phone for some white-owned corporation to give us an opportunity. At the end of the day, your entire reality and everything you can or cannot be is managed by forces beyond your control.  Your well-being, success or failure is entirely contingent upon a world that someone else has created for you, effectively making them into a corporate version of God.

Ice Cube and Dr. Dre weren’t just satisfied with being kings. Instead, they chose to become King Makers, giving them greater and more lasting power than any king can possess.   Ice Cube has launched entire careers with his “Friday,” “Barbershop” and “Are We There Yet?” franchises.  Dr. Dre has been the engineer of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent and a host of other powerful artists.  Even Diddy (or Puffy or Puff Daddy, whatever his name is now) remains in power, even though he hasn’t made good music since Biggie was alive.  A king makes money by working.  A King-Maker gets money when other people are working.  That’s what it truly means to be a boss.
4)      Enough discipline to delay gratification:  Ice Cube often tells the story about how Jerry Heller, the white guy in charge, put $80,000 checks in front of each member of NWA, next to contracts for them to sign.  The contract was basically a deal with the devil, locking Heller in for all of the group’s upside potential, while helping him to evade the downside.  Even in the year 2012, you can get a lot of folks to sign away their grandkids for $80,000, so you can only imagine how much money this was in the 1980s.  The only person who walked away from the contract was Ice Cube.  To this day, he’s the one with the biggest bank account and the highest net worth.  Artists may rap about booty, bling, weed and all of the trappings of negative Hip-Hop culture, but those with real and lasting power don’t get high on their own supply when it comes to that nonsense.

Read more of this article - click here

SC welcoming trading partners to Myrtle Beach

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is scheduled to address a trade conference this weekend in Myrtle Beach.

The South Carolina Department of Commerce says Graham is speaking at the Southeastern U.S. Canadian Provinces meeting on Sunday.

Organizers say more than 300 Canadian and U.S. business and government leaders are gathering at a 3-day conference to promote trade and investment opportunities.

A Story Worth Posting!

Kentucky man buys Kmart inventory, gives it all away

A Kentucky man purchased every last bit of inventory from a Kmart store that was two days away from shutting its doors. But he didn't keep the stuff for himself. Rankin Paynter gave it all way to a local charity.

Paynter spent a total of $200,000 to buy the goods, which ranged from clothes to office supplies. 

According to a video from WHDH Boston, Paynter was buying supplies for his business when the idea hit. Paynter asked the cashier what they planned to do with the store's inventory when it closed down. The cashier responded that it would go to "Kmart power buyers."

Paynter became a power buyer, bought up everything, and then gave it away. "To be honest with you, I could have made $30,000-$40,000 on it," he said. Paynter has seen a lot of economic suffering at his jewelry exchange. "What I see is people coming in my store, needy people sell their stuff," Paynter said. "It's bad nowadays. I just told (the clerk) let's just give it away to charity."

Notorious 1980s drug dealer arrested in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) – A notorious drug dealer who got his start during the crack epidemic of the 1980s and was so good at hiding his whereabouts that he was known as "the ghost" has been arrested along with dozens of others on new charges, police and prosecutors said Thursday.

James Corley, 51, was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance and other drug charges after a 15-month undercover investigation that used wiretaps and surveillance, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

Forty-four other people were also charged with drug crimes in the dismantling of Corley's operation, known as the Supreme Team, and another drug gang, authorities said.

Corley supplied cocaine to a second gang called the South Side Bloods, and low-level dealers grossed about $15,000 a week in drug sales, Kelly said. Burned by a wiretap before, Corley used at least eight different phones, authorities said.

"He had an uncanny ability to keep his associates in the dark. No one knew where he lived, what phone number he used, what car he drove," Kelly said.

A call to Corley's lawyer wasn't immediately returned Thursday.

The case was pieced together by Detective David Leonardi, who said the dealers used a language called the "5 percenter" where every number and letter had its own word and members decoded messages about drug orders. The wiretaps also netted information on illegal guns and a possible killing in South Carolina.

U.S. Department of Labor: Summer Jobs 2012

A new call-to-action for businesses, non-profits, and government to provide pathways to employment for low-income and disconnected youth in the summer of 2012.

First tropical storm of the season forms off S.C.

The first tropical storm of hurricane season formed off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said.

The girl who changed Magic Johnson

Hydeia Broadbent, in blue dress, sits next to Magic Johnson in a TV special for Nickelodeon 20 years ago.

Hydeia Broadbent was 7 when she had her Magic moment.

She was the tiny grade-schooler. He was one of the world's greatest basketball players.

As she cried, Magic Johnson reached his giant right hand out and placed it on her shoulder. Neither knew what their futures held, but they had one thing in common bigger than both of them: They were HIV-positive.

"I want people to know," Hydeia said, sniffling, "that we're just normal people."

"Aww, you don't have to cry," Johnson replied, "because we are normal people. OK? We are."

Twenty years after their first encounter, both continue to be pivotal voices for those with HIV: he the superstar who tested HIV-positive after having unprotected sex; she the innocent child infected with AIDS by a drug-using mom.

Watch a clip of "The Announcement" with Magic and Hydeia

Atlantic storm could bring early start to hurricane season

MIAMI (Reuters) - A swirling mass of thunderstorms off the South Carolina coast has a 50-percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or a tropical storm and could bring an early start to the Atlantic hurricane season, forecasters said on Saturday.

The weather disturbance was in the Atlantic Ocean about 120 miles southeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

"Showers and thunderstorms have increased near the circulation center. Additional development of this system is possible and it could become a tropical depression or tropical storm as it moves slowly southward or westward over the next day or so," they said.

Dorchester EMS Recognized for Excellence

County EMS is 144th EMS agency in country to successfully complete review

Fatal School Bombing Stokes Worries of New Italy Violence

Kucinich to Newsmax: War With Iran Would Be a 'Calamity'

Most popular baby names have biblical origins

'It's the sugar, stupid!' Study examines high-fructose syrup's brain impact

Website available to search summer job opportunities

Check Your Future Social Security Payouts With New Online Tool

Eat like the Obamas

More than any other First Family in recent memory, Barack and Michelle Obama have embraced the local restaurant scene. We’ve compiled a list of destinations where at least one of them has dined (though what they actually ate is often a state secret), along with commentary from Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema. Click the bold text of each caption to see each restaurant’s full review.

Autism no disability in government's blinkered view

Autism -- the neural development disorder that leaves those affected by it incapable of social interaction and communication and restricts their behaviour forcing them to rely on caretakers -- does not figure in the list of disabilities eligible for social security measures like pension and job reservation in Karnataka.

This despite the National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999 listing the disorder as a developmental disability. The Persons with Disabilities Act 1995, however, recognizes intellectual disorders like cerebral palsy as a disability but is silent on autism. A new bill on the disabilities has identified autism also as a disability but is still in the draft stage.

"Any person with developmental problems is handicapped. Disability is not necessarily only for physical problems," said Dr Kavitha Krishnamoorthy of Kilikili which is involved in creating inclusive play spaces for children.

Facebook Non-Users Have Better Use Of Their Time

New Normal: Majority Of Unemployed Attended College

SC island filled with monkeys, steeped in mystery

by DAVE WAGNER/ NewsChannel 36 Staff

"Most people don't even know about it.  They think it's a joke,” says Benton.

Morgan Island is steeped in mystery and, from a distance, appears to be deserted. But if you journey closer, through the unmarked waterways, you'll hear the rumble in the jungle and see the peering eyes of primates.

Donna Summer died of lung cancer not related to smoking

Donna Summer died of lung cancer, but the singer wasn't a smoker, and the cancer wasn't related to smoking, her family's representative said Friday.

Summer's family issued the announcement in the wake of how "various reports currently surfacing about the cause of Ms. Summer's death are not accurate," representative Brian Edward said.

"Obviously, numerous factors can be attributed to the cause of cancer in general, but any details regarding the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of Ms. Summer's case remain between her family and team of doctors," Edwards said in a statement.

Rocks Found on Beach Mysteriously Catch Fire in Woman's Pocket

A California mother is recovering from second- and third-degree burns after colored rocks her family collected from a southern California beach unexpectedly caught fire while in her shorts pocket.

"We were talking about who was going to pick up the babysitter," Lyn Hiner said today on "Good Morning America." "And all of a sudden something hot on my leg just sort of started to bother me so I started thinking it was a bug bite, so I started slapping it and the next thing I know my pants were on fire." 

The harmless-looking, green- and orange-colored rocks, which Hiner's daughters found Saturday on San Onofre State Beach in southern California, are now the subject of an intense scientific investigation.

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No, the Man Needs a Vasectomy!

Man who fathered 30 kids says he needs a break—on child support

 

 Desmond Hatchett (YouTube)

And you thought Octomom had her hands full—a Tennessee man who has fathered 30 children is asking the courts for a break on child support.

Desmond Hatchett, 33, of Knoxville has children with 11 different women, reports WREG-TV.

The state already takes half his paycheck and divides it up, which doesn't amount to much when Hatchett is making only minimum wage. Some of the moms receive as little as $1.49 a month. The oldest child is 14 years old.

Hatchett explains how he reached such a critical mass: He had four kids in the same year. Twice.

Appeals court affirms minority voting rights law

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a key provision of the landmark U.S. voting rights law aimed at protecting minorities in states and local areas with a history of racial discrimination.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in a 2-1 decision said Congress did not exceed its power by renewing a requirement that nine states, mostly in the South, and dozens of local governments with a history of racial discrimination get federal permission to change their election procedures.

"Congress drew reasonable conclusions from the extensive evidence it gathered and acted pursuant to the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, which entrust Congress with ensuring that the right to vote - surely among the most important guarantees of political liberty in the Constitution - is not abridged on account of race," Judge David Tatel wrote for the majority.

Plavix goes generic; drowning is a leading killer of kids

Generic Plavix: If you take the blood thinning drug Plavix, the cost of your medicine just dropped dramatically, from about $200 to $40 or less each month. That's because the Food and Drug Administration just approved multiple generic versions of the medication used by millions to prevent heart attack and stroke. The companies that jointly market the brand-name drug will try to keep customers loyal with discount coupons slashing the price to no more than $37 a month, the Associated Press reports. Walmart and Sam's Club will start selling the generic versions Saturday, for about $40 a month or a $10 co-pay with insurance.

Test All Baby Boomers for Hepatitis C Virus, U.S. CDC Urges

(Updates with new drug options in seventh paragraph.)

May 18 (Bloomberg) -- Rising deaths among baby boomers from hepatitis C prompted U.S. health officials to declare the entire age group a risk factor for the liver infection and recommend that all of its members be tested for the disease.

About 3.2 million Americans have hepatitis C and 75 percent of infected adults are boomers, which the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defined as those born from 1945 to 1965. Because symptoms of hepatitis C are often silent for years, most don't know they have it, the agency said today.

"It's a bold action that's become necessary because there's a large population that's unaware of their illness, becoming ill, and dying in an era of effective treatment," said John W. Ward, director of the division of viral hepatitis at the CDC, in a telephone interview.

Legislation threatens S.C. State, SACS says

Sen. John Matthews and Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter may not agree on the process to follow, but they both say the South Carolina State University Board of Trustees has to be restructured and it has to be done during this legislative session, which ends on June 7.

Suspect arrested in deadly Mississippi highway shootings, as authorities say he wasn't posing as cop

May 18, 2012: This image provided by the Tunica Miss. Sheriff's department shows James Willie who authorities arrested early Friday. State Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain says 28-year-old Willie has been charged with two counts of capital murder in the two fatal highway shootings. (AP/Tunica County Sheriff)

Authorities in Mississippi say they've arrested a suspect in two fatal highway shootings that happened late at night along desolate stretches.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain says 28-year-old James D. Willie will be charged with two counts of capital murder in the shootings. He's being held at the Tunica County jail in north Mississippi.

Black Entrepreneurship Alive and Well At NYC Digital Summit

Some tech companies are acquired for their product. Others are bought for the human talent. The issues surrounding  “acqui-hires” was discussed yesterday at the annual  Digital Summit in New York City, a partnership with Council of Urban Professionals, BET.Com, ADCOLOR , and InteractiveOne [parent company of NewsOne]. The panel included Heidi Messer who co-founded and ultimately sold Linkshare; Saadiq Rodgers-King co-founder of Hot Potato sold to Facebook August 2010; Andy Weissman partner with Union Square Ventures; Denmark West, former president of BET Digital Media and now a principal at Forrer Street Partners; and was moderated by Ty Ahmad-Taylor, founder of FanFeedr in 2008.

Black Entrepreneurship Alive and Well At NYC Digital Summit

Some tech companies are acquired for their product. Others are bought for the human talent. The issues surrounding  “acqui-hires” was discussed yesterday at the annual  Digital Summit in New York City, a partnership with Council of Urban Professionals, BET.Com, ADCOLOR , and InteractiveOne [parent company of NewsOne]. The panel included Heidi Messer who co-founded and ultimately sold Linkshare; Saadiq Rodgers-King co-founder of Hot Potato sold to Facebook August 2010; Andy Weissman partner with Union Square Ventures; Denmark West, former president of BET Digital Media and now a principal at Forrer Street Partners; and was moderated by Ty Ahmad-Taylor, founder of FanFeedr in 2008.

Beware! Don't Share!

Why (and How) to Turn Off Socialcam on Facebook

Friends — I beg of you — TURN OFF SHARING for the Socialcam app on Facebook.

Socialcam is a feed of user-generated videos.  Just by clicking on a Socialcam link in Facebook and accepting their app, every Socialcam video you watch from then on is shared to your Facebook friends automatically. The content is questionable, the titles of the videos are often salacious, and the images it posts in your timeline can be downright embarrassing.

Socialcam offers user-generated video and popular videos from other sites like YouTube. The videos that appear in your Facebook feed are not from a media company vetting the videos, editing them, or (at the very least) showing some scruples about titling the offerings correctly.

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Annular Eclipse: When and Where to View

The first annular solar eclipse in the United States since 1994 will be visible late Sunday from portions of southwest Oregon and northern California to New Mexico and western Texas.  According to NASA, an annular eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly in front of the sun, but the lunar disk is not quite wide enough to cover the entire star. At maximum, the moon forms a "black hole" in the center of the sun.  For more information on this event and its significance, click here.

Donna Summer dead at 63

Donna Summer performs during the David Foster and Friends concert at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Oct. 1, 2011, in Las Vegas.

(Credit: Getty)

 
(CBS News) Disco queen Donna Summer has died, a family spokesperson told the Associated Press. She was 63.

Her family released a statement Thursday saying Summer had died and that they "are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy."'

TMZ first reported the news, noting Summer had  died in Florida on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. Insiders told TMZ she was recently working on music for a new album.

Known as the "Queen of Disco," Summer was born in Boston, Mass. in 1948, as one of seven children.
The five-time Grammy winner rose to fame in the 1970s, scoring hits with "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls."

Nine Major Ways Criminals Use Facebook

New South Carolina mom is latest victim of flesh-eating bacteria

A South Carolina woman who gave birth to twins days ago is the latest victim of flesh-eating bacteria.

WLTX-TV in Columbia reports that Lana Kuykendall is being treated at Greenville Memorial Hospital.

"Right now, just very worried, very upset, " Krissy Davison, a friend of Kuykendall, told the station from the hospital. "Still in disbelief that here is my friend, who just had these two beautiful babies, and now she is incubated upstairs, and not able to enjoy the bonding experience, and enjoy the babies."

Whites Account for Under Half of Births in U.S.

WASHINGTON — After years of speculation, estimates and projections, the Census Bureau has made it official: White births are no longer a majority in the United States.

Non-Hispanic whites accounted for 49.6 percent of all births in the 12-month period that ended last July, according to Census Bureau data made public on Thursday, while minorities — including Hispanics, blacks, Asians and those of mixed race — reached 50.4 percent, representing a majority for the first time in the country’s history. 

Such a turn has been long expected, but no one was certain when the moment would arrive — signaling a milestone for a nation whose government was founded by white Europeans and has wrestled mightily with issues of race, from the days of slavery, through a civil war, bitter civil rights battles and, most recently, highly charged debates over efforts to restrict immigration.

Sinking in Santee: Another sinkhole appears near Bank of Clarendon after heavy rain

SANTEE — A sinkhole has appeared on Old Number Six Highway next to the Bank of Clarendon for the third time in about nine years.



The most recent sinkhole, which is approximately 10 feet deep, formed during this week’s heavy rains in the area.

Matthews: Not too late for S.C. State restructuring

Only a few days are left on the state’s legislative calendar, but Sen. John Matthews says there’s time to work out a compromise between bills that would restructure South Carolina State University’s Board of Trustees.

“There’s no conclusion at this point to bridge the gap,” the Bowman Democrat said. “But I think we’ll have something to put on the table by the end of this week.”

One bill has passed the House and is before the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee.

12 arrested, 4 sought in Lowcountry drug probe

SUMMERVILLE - Authorities in Dorchester County have arrested 12 people and are looking for four others as the result of a probe into illegal drug and liquor sales in the county.

 

 

 

 

Census: Minority births top whites

Plans to strike Iran "ready," says U.S. Israel envoy

Obama and the Boomerang Kids

Ritz-Carlton masseur says he and John Travolta 'wound up having sex' in 1997, report says

Coffee linked to lower risk of death

A study finds that older adults who drink java are less likely to die than those who don't. Subjects who averaged four or five cups per day fared best, though it's not clear why.

Checks cut for 3 Hebrew Boys victims

Checks have been cut for victims of an $82 million ponzi scheme run by a Columbia trio the “Three Hebrew Boys.”

A court-appointed receiver issued about $19 million split over 3,800 restitution checks to people who fell prey to a debt relief ministry scam run by Joseph Brunson, Tim McQueen and Tony Pugh. The three men are currently serving decades-long sentences for 58 counts of mail fraud, money laundering and transporting stolen goods.

The victims will each receive about 46 cents to every dollar they invested in the scheme from 2004 to the time the trio was arrested in 2007. They were convicted in federal court in 2009.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/05/16/2278499/checks-cut-for-3-hebrew-boys-victims.html#storylink=cpy

 

Read more ere: http://www.thestate.com/2012/05/16/2278499/checks-cut-for-3-hebrew-boys-victims.html#storylink=cpy

Keeping the Grey Matter of Your Brain Sharp!

Personally, I like 'brain-teasing' questions because it helps to sharpen our cognizant levels of thinking and understanding, especially when we are dealing with 'trickery' on so many levels when dealing with life issues.

10 Brainteasers to Test Your Mental Sharpness

To test your mental acuity, answer the following questions (no peeking at the answers!):

1. Johnny’s mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child’s name?
2. A clerk at a butcher shop stands five feet ten inches tall and wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?
3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?
4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?
5. What word in the English language is always spelled incorrectly?
6. Billie was born on December 28th, yet her birthday always falls in the summer. How is this possible?
7. In British Columbia you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?
8. If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?
9. Which is correct to say, “The yolk of the egg is white” or “The yolk of the egg are white?”
10. A farmer has five haystacks in one field and four haystacks in another. How many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in one field?

Read the article and get the answers HERE

Why Older Americans Have the Worst Long-Term Unemployment Crisis

We have, on this site, focused like a laser beam on the job crisis for the young. But today, a compelling report from the GAO reminds us that among those who have lost a job, older Americans might just have it worse.

Actually, they absolutely have it worse. Americans over the age of 55 are the least likely to find another job and the most likely to take a significant pay cut for the next position.

Who they are: Since 2010, more than half of all unemployed older workers -- or 1.1 million people over the age of 55 -- have been out of a job for more than six months. Forty-two percent have been out of work for more than a year (see graph).

Even when older people find new work, the new wage is typically only 85 percent of the old salary. By comparison, typical displaced worker between the age of 20 and 54 finds a new wage that's at least 95% of the old salary.

Why they can't find work: There's the health care reason and the technology reason. Experts told the GAO that employers are reluctant to hire older workers because they "expect providing health benefits to older workers would be costly." Others said computer skills often hold back the elderly, especially when the job application is all online.

You're only worth $1.21 to Facebook

How much does Facebook value its users? In strictly monetary terms, about as much as a bag of chips.
Facebook is raking in a little over $1 billion in sales every three months. That sounds like a big number, but with more than 900 million active users, it means each Facebook user is bringing in just $1.21 a quarter.

It's an astoundingly low number compared to other companies that report average revenue per user, or ARPU. The metric is usually used by service providers and communications companies, which typically collect hundreds of dollars per quarter from each customer through subscription fees and other charges.

New Advocacy Groups Shaking Up Education Field

A new generation of education advocacy groups has emerged to play a formidable political role in states and communities across the country. Those groups are shaping policy through aggressive lobbying and campaign activity—an evolution in advocacy that is primed to continue in the 2012 elections and beyond.
Bearing names meant to signal their intentions—Stand for Children, Democrats for Education Reform, StudentsFirst—they are pushing for such policies as rigorous teacher evaluations based in part on evidence of student learning, increased access to high-quality charter schools, and higher academic standards for schools and students.

This Man Is A Shining Example Of What To Do If You Win The Lottery

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-do-if-you-win-the-lottery-2012-5?google_editors_picks=true#ixzz1v2s2c4A0

People Prefer To Invest With An Attractive Person Rather Than A Trustworthy One

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/people-prefer-to-invest-with-an-attractive-person-2012-5?google_editors_picks=true#ixzz1v2sOBm6U

The Vicious Asian Tiger Mosquito Is Attacking New York City In Unprecedented Numbers

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/asian-tiger-mosquito-invading-new-york-2012-5?google_editors_picks=true#ixzz1v2siMeRM

The hardy Asian tiger mosquito, known for its vicious biting habits and preference for large cities, is back — and this time it's carrying a fever-inducing virus.
  

Amy Kraft of The New Scientist reports that the black-and-white striped pest carries chikungunya, a virus that causes joint pain as well as fever and rash, but is rarely life-threatening.

Typically, cold winters control the mosquito population. But unseasonably warm weather has brought the disease-carrying insects out in increasing numbers.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/asian-tiger-mosquito-invading-new-york-2012-5?google_editors_picks=true#ixzz1v2tx9OU0

State Department Poised to Raise Chances of War with Iran

The Opportunity Gap

Is Your State Providing Equal Access to Education?

This database includes all public schools in districts with more than 3,000 students from the 2009-2010 school year -- about three-quarters of all such students in the country. Use it to find out how well your state provides poor and wealthier schools equal access to advanced classes that researchers say will help them later in life.