Benghazi Attack Report Finds Systematic Management Failures At State … News from Huffington Post:
WASHINGTON — An independent panel charged with investigating the deadly Sept. 11 attack in Libya that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans has concluded that systematic management and leadership failures at the State Department led to “grossly” inadequate security at the mission in Benghazi.
“Systematic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department resulted in a Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place,” the panel said.
The report singled out the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Bureau of Near East Affairs for criticism, saying there appeared to be a lack of cooperation and confusion over protection at the missio…………… continues on Huffington Post
After Criticism, Public Library Offers Peek at Renovation Plans News from New York Times:
In the 10 months since the New York Public Library announced plans for a $ 300 million renovation of its Fifth Avenue flagship building, scholars and writers have accused the library of abandoning its commitment to research and questioned how the circulating library across the street could be shoehorned into a treasured landmark.
But something crucial has been missing from this debate: what the transformed library will actually look like. On Wednesday, that will become clear when the library unveils the design by the British architect Norman Foster. Using space at the back of the building now occupied by seven floors of stacks, Mr. Foster has essentially created a major new contemporary library within Carrère & Hastings’s neo-Classical one.
The plans call for opening the build…………… continues on New York Times
Missouri to be eighth state to enact Kelsey’s Law News from USA TODAY:
By Jess Rollins, USA TODAY
Updated
Missouri will become the eighth state Tuesday to enact Kelsey’s Law, which requires cellphone carriers to provide law enforcement with a customer’s location information in an emergency.
Kansas City Star
Kelsey Smith is the law’s namesake.
Named for Kansas teenager Kelsey Smith, whose body was found four days after she was abducted on June 2, 2007, the law is intended to ensure local police agencies quickly get what they need to find people in danger.
The law has been gaining ground steadily since the first one took effect in Kansas in 2009. Nebraska, Minnesota and New Hampshire enacted laws in 2010, followed by North Dakota in 2011 and Hawaii and…………… continues on USA TODAY
Two ways to save on wireless data News from USA TODAY:
Question: I’m looking for a low-cost combination of mobile phone and shared Internet access for a computer or tablet.
Thinkstock
There are some lower cost options for ‘tethering,’ the practice of sharing an Internet connection with nearby devices.
Answer: The usual formula for cutting a cell-phone bill is to go with a pre-paid service, trading your access to the newest and flashiest phones for significantly lower expenses.
But most pre-paid phone services frown upon “tethering,” the practice of sharing an Internet connection with nearby devices over a wired or wireless connection. Walmart’s Straight Talk subsidiary, for example, bans it, while Cricket Wireless undercuts the appeal of its $ 10 tethering add-on by not including any extra bandwidth above the already-tight quotas on its smartphone plans.
NYPD:16 bullets fired at Empire State gunman News from Newsday:
Originally published: August 24, 2012 9:32 AM Updated: August 24, 2012 11:10 PM
You need the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player to view the video related to this article. Download Now.
August 24, 2012 4:47 PM
A laid-off fashion designer with a vendetta gunned down a former co-worker he blamed for costing him his job Friday morning outside the Empire State Building and was shot dead in a police fusillade that wounded nine bystanders, city officials said.
The burst of gunfire on Fifth Avenue triggered pandemonium near one of the city’s iconic tourist…………… continues on Newsday
Pat Summitt at NASCAR race: ‘I feel great’ News from USA TODAY:
By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY
Updated
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Pat Summitt won’t be a head basketball coach for the first time in 38 years this season, but she enjoyed a special home game Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
By Carolyn Kaster, AP
Pat Summitt, shown May 29, was the grand marshal Friday for the NASCAR Nationwide race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
By Carolyn Kaster, AP
Pat Summitt, shown May 29, was the grand marshal Friday for the NASCAR Nationwide race at…………… continues on USA TODAY
At worn-out Penn State, relief, then time to move on News from USA TODAY:
By Natalie DiBlasio, USA TODAY
Updated
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – All of the five TVs in Bill Pickle’s Tap Room are tuned into the news. The verdict is in for the former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case.
The streets are quiet. It is the end of the first summer session at Penn State and the school year hubbub of the Big Ten University has waned, but the tap room is packed.
“Turn it off! Audio!” The whole bar screams at the bartenders, insisting they turn off the music and turn up the volume on the TVs.
The bar erupts in cheers as they announce former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky has been found guilty on 45 of 48 counts of child sexual abuse involving 10 victims.
The case rattled the Penn State community starting last November and led to the firing of a Penn State icon — long-time head football coach
Time for Caviar to shine at Ascot News from Yahoo!7 News:
After more than a year of planning and anticipation, the moment has arrived for Black Caviar to grace the most glamorous stage in racing, Royal Ascot.
Australia’s champion – the global sprinting champion – will be out to extend her perfect record to 22 victories when she contests the Diamond Jubilee Stakes tonight (12.45am AEST).
Not since Phar Lap left our shores 80 years ago has a travelling Australian horse captured the imagination of the world’s racing public in this way.
Black Caviar’s scheduled appearance at Royal Ascot has created unprecedented interest in the fifth and final day of the festival which is already a sell-out of 80,000 people.
Her race is being broadcast live to 90 countries and will be shown on the big screen at Melbourne’s Federation Square.
Thousands of Black Caviar’s fans have travelled from Australia to see her run and they will be joined by thousands more expats in the UK.
They may very well witness two processions on Saturday – one for when the Queen arrives on course; the other as Black Caviar strolls to victory.
At least that is what the bookmakers expect, as many have her quoted as short as 4-1 on.
These are odds that would appear inviting to Australian punters accustomed to seeing her sent out at 20-1 on or shorter.
The odds matter little to Black Caviar’s band of owners who…………… continues on Yahoo!7 News
Cellphone Towers in State Parks: Answering Nature’s Call News from TheDay.com:
Southeastern Connecticut News, Sports, Weather and Video The Day newspaper Cellphone Towers in State Parks: Answering Nature’s Call
What is it with wacky environmentalists who are fighting to block construction of cellphone towers in state parks and forests?
Next thing you know they’ll be trying to keep ATVs and dirt bikes from using the trails.
The problem isn’t too many towers, it’s too few of them. When’s the last time you got more than one bar on your Nokia while out in some godforsaken boondocks?
What would happen if you got lost and couldn’t get a signal? Do you think the Sierra Club, which is urging the Connecticut General Assembly to shoot down a law to allow wilderness tower construction, would go looking for you?
This raises another question: How come the state doesn’t permit fast-food restaurants, motels or convenience stores in parks and forests? What’s up with that?
How many times has this happened to you: You’ve been walking for a half-hour or more and start to get light-headed because you haven’t had a bite to eat since those pancakes, sausages, home fries and cinnamon buns at breakfast. At the very least there should be vending machines so you can bring up your blood sugar with a few Devil Dog…………… continues on TheDay.com
CMF cell phone issue concerns grand jurors News from TheReporter.com:
California Medical Facility in Vacaville should have a plan to control unauthorized use of cell phones among inmates, the Solano grand jry recommended in a report issued Friday.
The jury, which regularly reviews and reports on various government institutions, said its concern is that inmates’ can use unauthorized cell phones for illegal purposes which poses a threat to staff and inmate safety, according to the report.
“CMF staff stated there is a problem with cell phones being smuggled in by staff members and vendors for inmates’ illegal use,” the report noted.
According to state statistics, 236 cell phones were confiscated at CMF in 2011, with staff recommends the state find a way to restrict cell phone use by blocking signals in the prison.
Bill Sessa, spokesman for Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, agreed unauthorized cell phones in all state prisons are a problem which the state is focused on.
The state this week signed a contract with Global Tel-Link to provide phones to inmates to make calls from an authorized phone network. Technology will be used to block cell transmissions, such as e-mails, texts, phone calls and Internet access, according to a state announcement.
“It is a solution to a security problem which is not just at CMF but,” Sessa said.
Another grand jury concern at CMF was that p…………… continues on TheReporter.com
State Senate to Vote On Cell Phone Ban For Teen Drivers News from WILX-TV:
Font Size:
Most drivers have seen it, teenagers and others talking on a cell phone and driving, sometimes erraticaly. Some Michigan lawmakers are trying to stop that.
The State Senate is expected to vote Thursday on a cell phone ban targeting drivers with probationary licenses.
“Driving and talking on the cellphone is equivalent to intoxicated driving,” Suzy Carter, with the National Safety Council said.
The ban known as “Kelsey’s Law” would make it illegal for those with a level 1 or 2 graduated drivers license to talk and drive.
It’s named for a Michigan teen who died in a crash while talking on her cell phone.
“Teen driving it’s hard,” Carter said. “You have a driver who is inexperienced and there’s so many distractions as it is, that when you add cellphones it just compounds it immensely.”
Riding SEPTA? Watch out for your cell phone News from Philadelphia Inquirer:
If you don’t want to join the hundreds of SEPTA riders screaming “iYiYi! My iPhone!” as their smart handhelds disappear into the smarter hands of quick-grab thieves, you better heed the urgent warnings blasting over public address systems on subway and El trains these days.
To save your Droid from the void, keep your smartphone hidden while riding, SEPTA Transit Police Chief Richard Evans told the Daily News.
Most of last year’s 415 thefts and robberies committed on the Broad Street Line and the Market Frankford El last year involved smart phones, e-readers and laptops, he said.
That kind of crime has trended dramatically upward since the 182 thefts and robberies in 2008 to more than double that number during the 58 million passenger trips taken last year.
The highest crime areas are between City Hall and North Philadelphia on the Broad Street Line, and between Huntingdon and the Frankford Transportation Center (Bridge/Pratt) on the El.
“Most electronic-device crime involves teens and young adults between the ages of 16 and 28,” Evans said, adding that SEPTA’s 228 transit officers work overlapping shifts between 1 and 4 p.m. because that’s prime time for thefts and robberies on the subways.
Evans said riders should quickly call the transit police emergency number – 215-580-8111 – to report a crime (on someone…………… continues on Philadelphia Inquirer
This handsfree is compatible with the following Samsung models: SGH-t209 (t209). SGH-t309 (t309). SGH-t319 (t319). Features : Excellent sound quality. Consists of a portable earphone and microphone system that allows you to have complete hands-free operation anywhere and anytime. Offers you the freedom to speak and move about without having to hold the phone. The phone strap allows you to hang the cell phone on your neck. Works along with a Car Lighter Adapter or Travel Charger.
List Price: Price: 49.99
Suspect arrested after attack at Washington state courthouse News from CNN:
Officers take cover outside the courthouse after the stabbing and shooting incident in Montesano, Washington.
A judge and an officer were wounded at a courthouse in Montesano, Washington
Authorities are still searching for the suspect
Both the judge and the officer were treated and released from a hospital
(CNN) — Authorities continued their search Saturday for a suspect who allegedly shot a female officer, stabbed a judge and fled a Washington state courthouse.
Undersheriff Rick Scott said the man gave his name as Michael Thomas when the officer approached him shortly after noon Friday inside the Grays Harbor County Courthouse in Montesano.
“He attacked her with a sharp-edged instrument,” Scott said. “The judge rushed to the aid of the officer and actually struck the suspe…………… continues on CNN
Santorum scores easy win at Kansas caucuses News from Reuters:
1 of 2. Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum speaks during a campaign rally at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, March 8, 2012. Santorum is campaigning in Alabama before the state’s primary election on March 13, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Billy Weeks
By Alina Selyukh
TOPEKA, Kansas | Sat Mar 10, 2012 9:20pm EST
TOPEKA, Kansas (Reuters) – Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum swept the Kansas caucuses on Saturday with 51 percent of the vote, giving him a…………… continues on Reuters
Phone Trace – Unlisted And Cell Numbers
Reversal Of All Unlisted Phone Numbers – Guaranteed – Not Some Bogus Software. Phone Trace – Unlisted And Cell Numbers
Outpouring of grief at Penn State after death of legendary coach – CNN News from Outpouring of grief at Penn State after death of legendary coach – CNN:
Paterno mourner: He’s more than a coach
NEW: Student, alumni hold a candlelight vigil
Paterno’s son to fans: “He felt your support in his fight”
The iconic coach died Sunday at age 85
Paterno was fired over the handling of sex abuse claims against a former assistant
State Colleg…………… continues on Outpouring of grief at Penn State after death of legendary coach – CNN
Serena Williams out in 4th round at Aussie Open News from Fox News:
MELBOURNE, Australia – Serena Williams lost at the Australian Open for the first time since 2008, struggling with her serve and hitting too many unforced errors in a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Ekaterina Makarova on Monday.
Williams was surprised by the power of the groundstrokes from the Russian left-hander, who at No. 56 was the lowest-ranked woman to make the fourth round of the season’s first major.
The dominant force at Melbourne Park this century, Williams had lost only two matches at the Australian Open since winning the first of her five titles here in 2003. She was on a 17-match winning streak after capturing titles in 2009 and 2010 and missing last year due to injury.
But she had seven double faults — including four in the fifth game of the second set — and 37 unforced errors to give Makarova a spot in the quarterfinals at a major for the first time. She’ll play either 2008 champion Maria Sharapova or Sabine Lisicki.
“I don’t know what to say. Amazing feeling and first time in quarterfinals,” the 23-year-old Makarova said. Williams is “an unbelievable player. It’s really tough to play against her so I’m really happy I finished it in my way.”
Williams sprained her left ankle in a warmup tournament at Brisbane two weeks ago, but didn’t show any signs of being seriously restricted Monday.
This high-end camera phone sports an 8-megapixel camera with auto-focus, xenon flash, smile detection, and advanced video capture functions. Non-camera features include 3G, large finger-touch display, GPS navigation, memory card slot, and stereo Bluetooth.
Gov. Jerry Brown, leaves the Assembly after he delivered his State of the State address before a joint session of the Legislature at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Jan 18:
Document: Republican response to State of the State address
Marty Springstead, Longtime Baseball Umpire and Supervisor, Dies at 74 News from New York Times:
Marty Springstead, who umpired games in Major League Baseball for 20 years and supervised major league umpires as an executive for more than 20 more, died on Tuesday in Sarasota, Fla. He was 74.
The cause was a heart attack while swimming at a club near his home, his son, Bradley, said.
Springstead was an American League umpire from 1966 to 1985 and worked in four League Championship Series, three World Series and three All-Star Games. He was behind the plate for two no-hitters, both by otherwise run-of-the-mill pitchers: Clyde Wright of the Angels, who no-hit the Oakland A’s in 1970; and Mike Warren of Oakland, who no-hit the Chicago White Sox in 1983.
A witty, voluble man both on and off the field, Springstead was not shy about arguing with players and managers; he twice led the league in ejecting them. (Orioles Manager Earl Weaver, who once pulled his team off the field and forfeited a game in a snit over one of Springstead’s decisions, was a particular nemesis.)
But he was also known as a mentor to young umpires and a riotous storyteller.
“The damn pitch is coming at you 100 miles an hour, and you don’t know what’s coming, where it’s moving,” he said to this reporter…………… continues on New York Times
Illinois Cell Phone Ban Ahead? One State Lawmaker Thinks So News from Huffington Post:
One influential Illinois legislator said Tuesday that a statewide ban on the use of cell phones by individuals driving, whether they are hands-free or not, “might be inevitable.”
State Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) told the State Journal-Register that “there’s no question it’s a distraction from driving.”
“There’s not a big difference between whether you’re holding a phone or whether you’re not holding a phone,” Cullerton continued. “It’s the distraction in talking to someone that’s not in the car with you. It’s not what’s in your hand, it’s what’s in your head.”
Cullerton’s comments echo the concerns of the National Transportation Safety Bo…………… continues on Huffington Post
Illinois pol says cell phone ban for all drivers eventually `inevitable’ News from St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. • Will Illinois join the growing number of states to ban cell phone usage while driving?
Nine states already ban handheld cell phone usage by all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Missouri isn’t among them, and doesn’t seem to be headed in that direction. But Illinois Senate President John Cullerton thinks Illinois may join them—eventually.
“There’s not the political will for it right now . . . (but) I think it’s something that might be inevitable,” Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, told reporters in a Springfield news conference this morning. “These are the kinds of things you take incrementally. It could be something down the line.”
The “political will” issue is a good point. For all its touted political moderation, Illinois has a libertarian streak when it comes to rules of the ro…………… continues on St. Louis Post-Dispatch
