Golden State Has Green Jobs Galore available

Northern California's Bay Area is turning green with envy, now that Los Angeles has surpassed it as the nation's leading eco-friendly employer. A recent report shows that there are more green jobs in the Los Angeles area than in any other region in the nation, and the number of green jobs is expected to double over the next several decades.
Most people think Hollywood entertainment is California's biggest industry, and while it's certainly the most well-known, green industry is burgeoning. The research, prepared by Philip Romero, the former dean of the California State University, Los Angeles, College of Business and Economics, shows that the green job sector has grown at triple the rate of the rest of the region's economy over the last 15 years. Green jobs now account for about 3.9 percent of total employment and 4.5 percent of private sector employment.
That's more than 10 times as many green workers in the L.A. region than in any other energy-oriented industry, including petroleum, which many people don't realize is also big in Southern California. Oil derricks are often discreetly hidden throughout Los Angeles, and you'll find them on movie lots, country clubs -- even on the Beverly Hills High School campus.
"The increase in total jobs stimulated by the growth of the clean-tech industry is far larger than California's entire mining industry, and roughly comparable to the utility or aerospace industries in their pre-recession peaks," says the report. "These projected gains will roughly equal the jobs lost statewide in the recession in the electronics manufacturing (high tech) and 'information' (software and publishing) industries."
The report shows that green industry jobs pay better than most. It makes the claim that since green occupations have such specific skill requirements, workers can make, "50 percent to 100 percent premiums over the average job." And that's not just in California -- that refers to green jobs anywhere.
"California's commitment to clean energy is starting to bear fruit -- in the form of high-wage, skilled jobs," said Tom Steyer, founder and co-managing partner of Farallon Capital Management, LLC and co-chair of the Californians for Clean Energy and Jobs Network. "Los Angeles is a great example of what is possible if we double-down on investments in clean energy, instead of continuing our reliance on fossil fuels." Which is saying a lot for an area that has more cars and busier freeways than just about anywhere in the U.S.
So which companies are making an effort to up the green job total in Los Angeles? Vaha Sustainable Energy, Bevilacqua-Knight, Inc. and Urban Land Institute are all hiring, and thousands of green jobs will be created if plans for NBC Universal's Universal City development go through.
The city of Los Angeles itself has created multiple green construction jobs by passing the Green Building Retrofit Ordinance in 2009, which requires all city-owned buildings larger than 7,500 square feet or built before 1978 to be retrofitted to meet certain ecological standards. The legislation also created a green jobs training program. All these efforts, little by little, are helping to turn the Golden State green.

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Oklahoma bomber Norway attacks draws comparison

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2011 (AFP) - The right-wing, anti-government mindset attributed to the Norwegian rampage suspect has observers recalling US extremist Timothy McVeigh, behind the devastating Oklahoma City bombing.
McVeigh, then just 26, blew up a van he had packed with explosives and parked outside a large federal building in the Oklahoman state capital, on April 19, 1995.
The blast killed 168 people, including 19 children and babies, injured more than 800, in the deadliest ever domestic attack in US history, and brought into sharp focus the threat of homegrown terrorism.
Arrested shortly afterwards, McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran, was found to have been a figure in neo-Nazi groups and even claimed to have acted for the "common good" of Americans, as he railed against what he thought was the dictatorship of the federal government.
After six years he was executed on June 11, 2001, but while on death row, McVeigh spoke openly of his part in the bombing and the anti-government hatred that motivated him.
In the case of the murderous rampage in Norway that has killed at least 91 people and shocked the normally peaceful northern European nation, a portrait of the lone attacker has emerged as a "Christian fundamentalist," and links have been made with right-groups.
Widely named by local media as Anders Behring Breivik, he identifies himself as "ethnically Norwegian," and has posted writings at length on his dismay with the Norwegian government and the ruling liberal political party.
On his Facebook page -- since deleted -- Breivik also said he was a director of an organic farming business, which gave him access to nitrate chemicals apparently used in the Oslo explosion that kicked off Norway's own worst ever homegrown attack on Friday.
An agricultural firm has indicated Breivik purchased some six tons of chemical fertilizer in early May.
The Oklahoma City bombing in the United States drew wide attention and even acclaim from some far-right militias.
"Timothy McVeigh is still seen by some groups in the US as a hero," said Matthew Goodwin, politics lecturer at the University of Nottingham in central England.
"Whether this attack (in Norway) will inspire copycat attacks itself remains to be seen. There is certainly the potential for it."
According to data compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in the United States, the number of dedicated militias with a racist, extremist agenda has increased 60 percent since 2000, from 602 then to over 1,000 recorded last year.
The SPLC estimated in 2009 that such movements were further emboldened with the election of the first black president, Barack Obama in 2008.

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Farewell A ‘Friday Night Lights’

There are few series I can think of whose conclusions occasion feelings of sorrow. “The Sopranos” ended amid confusion and awe. We may miss the narrative and the ingeniously black comedy of it, all if not the actual characters, none of whom you really want tucking you into bed at night. The same can be said of “Big Love,” another of the greatest family dramas ever on television. Though we may miss its intelligent social commentary, we do not necessarily pine for the people in it to re-enter our lives. HBO renders characters ambiguously; we are not supposed to fall in love with each and every one of them.

As a network series, “Friday Night Lights” operated under certain constraints and the result was not only an exquisite bit of anthropology — life in a small, working-class Texas town – but a show in which beloved characters became intimates in our own lives. The series is over now, and I can genuinely say, I’m sorry that I won’t be able to see how these lives further unfold — how Tami and Eric make out in the Northeast, how Tim and Tyra do as a married couple, how Becky and Luke manage his time in the military, how Billy and Mindy will manage with twins.

The world of “Friday Night Lights,” was, for the most part, a world of exceedingly good people. The closest our hero –Coach Eric Taylor — ever comes to being morally unpalatable is resisting marital compromise. The final episodes have Tami anguished over the prospect that Eric might want to stay in Texas forever, depriving her of the best career opportunity of her life. The scene in the final hour, when she and Eric take Matt and Julie out for dinner to explain the challenges of marriage, was heartbreaking for Eric’s blindness to his own hypocrisy. But, of course, he comes around, giving up the chance to coach the East Dillion-Panthers super team and hitching his wagon to Tami’s new academic career. One of the hallmarks of this series has been the extreme close-up, as faces forlorn or contemplative consumed the whole frame. I liked the way the camera was so often pulled back in the finale, putting some distance between us and our adored Dillon-ites, readying us for goodbyes. The device seemed especially noteworthy in the shot of Eric and Tami outside the restaurant. This is among the most intense and difficult moments we’ve ever witnessed between them — “It’s my turn, babe,” she tells him — and the direction, in a sense, gives the characters their privacy to experience this.

Eric and Tami do abandon the Lone Star life and move to Philadelphia. In that last montage, some months after East Dillon has done the inconceivable and won the State championship, they are shown as the East Coast peopl, Eric thought they could never be. Tami is the dean of admissions of a pseudo-Haverford and Eric is coaching football somewhere nearby. Julie and Matt are in Chicago; whether they have married I’m not sure, but we know that they are together and happy. I’d like to believe that they are not married, that they’re saving that for the time when they are at least both 25. And I’d like to know that Julie has transferred to Northwestern.

It’s clear that Tim and Tyra will be together. We know that Tim will be in the hands of a woman who really loves him and also one who will accept his deficiencies and challenge him where she knows he can grow. Tyra wants to do something useful in the world. Tyra tells him she has plans (to which he affectionately replies, “Don’t.”) I wish I could see the extended Riggins family Christmas, 10 years down the road, with Billy and Mindy’s brood and Tim and Tyra and their kids in Tim’s house with, by then, its newest addition.

Vince, we imagine doing fantastically on the super team, and heading to a top-notch SEC program. And Landry, of whom we saw not nearly enough, will surely do something wonky. Do we worry about Luke? Sending him to the military was realistic but I wish we’d be guaranteed a happy future for him. And I wish, in some small way, that “Friday Night Lights” were a cheesy enough enterprise to promise us a reunion show.

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Artscape to Naked Salute Photographer creates

It may not be part of Artscape, but it's still art, says Joe Giordano, who spent Friday morning hanging 12-foot-tall provocative photographs of nude and clothed models from buildings along North Avenue.

"I doubt that Baltimore has ever seen pictures displayed this big," said Giordano, who started his morning hanging two photographs from the roof of the Load of Fun studio at 120 W. North Ave.

Giordano said he wanted to get in the spirit of Artscape, which will be going on all weekend just south of where his photographs were being hung. The portraits, he explained, are done in the style of and as a tribute to German avant-garde fashion photographer Helmut Newton, who unveiled his own "Big Nudes" series of photographs in 1982, the same year as the first Artscape.

"I wanted to do something colossal to celebrate the anniversary," Giordano said as he prepared to hang a third photograph, from the clock tower on a building at the corner of North Avenue and Howard Street.

Artscape officials, he said, turned down his request to be part of the free arts festival. "They said it was a bit too controversial for a family-friendly art event." Undaunted, he got permission from several building owners along North Avenue to display the photographs there.

The photos were shot in his studio space at Load of Fun about two weeks ago, he said. Five local models — Miriam Ault, Emily Wyatt, Jen Tydings, Danielle Robinette and Erin Nelson — posed for him. The plan, Giordano said, is to keep the portraits hanging at least through Friday. He fears they could get damaged if they stay up longer and remain at the mercy of the elements, and he hopes to auction them off eventually.

While no one hassled him while the first couple of banners were going up, Giordano said he was unsure of what the reaction would be to his photographs. For one thing, he admitted, the visual impact was proving less than he had hoped. Twelve-foot-tall photographs that dominate an indoor studio don't look nearly as imposing when hung from a building, he admitted.

"They look huge in the studio," Giordano said, "but when they're out on the building, the building just devours them."

Still, Giordano said, he was proud of his work and remained confident that it would be noticed. And while he wasn't looking to get anyone, including himself, in trouble, he wouldn't mind if the photos ruffled a few feathers.

"If hanging nude photographs from buildings isn't guerrilla enough for a photographer," he said, "I don't know what is."

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sought community's help first Jewish boy's parents

When an 8-year-old boy from an insulated, ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn failed to make it home from day camp, his parents' first call was not to police, but to the Shomrim patrol, a local volunteer group whose name means "guardians" in Hebrew.


Hasidic areas like Borough Park, where a Shomrim-organized search party looked for Leiby Kletzky, are worlds unto themselves. Members have a distinctive appearance — wigs and modest dresses for the women, beards and side curls for the men. They send their children to Jewish schools, speak Yiddish as a first language and shun modern distractions like television.

Yet another distinction is the patrols, which residents turn to first because "they know the community, they speak the language, they have the trust of the entire community," said Isaac Abraham, a leader of the ultra-Orthodox in Brooklyn'sWilliamsburg section.

The search party for Leiby grew to as many as 5,000 people and served as a window into the tradition in these ultra-Orthodox communities of relying on one another.

Neighbors looking for the boy stopped knocking on doors Wednesday when his remains were found and police arrestedLevi Aron, a hardware supply clerk who has pleaded not guilty to charges that he killed Leiby and dismembered him.

Despite the tragic end, the search was a powerful example of the value of Shomrim and similar patrols to their communities, said state Sen. Eric Adams, a retired New York Police Department captain who represents a neighboring Brooklyn district.

"The community patrols have the manpower that can immediately go into the crevices of a community that police may not even be aware of," he said.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly praised the group and said he understood that there was a tradition in the Hasidic community of notifying the citizen patrols first. But Kelly said he wished the Kletzky family had called 911 at the same time.

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The day Stephen King came to town

In the science-fiction series Haven, Emily Rose plays FBI special agent Audrey Parker, who arrives in a small town on the eastern seaboard and has to learn how to do her job while dealing with her uncomfortable presence as an outsider. This proves to be easier than the part of her job that requires her to deal with residents with supernatural powers, but still, the outsider thing is tricky.

In its way, though, the fact that the fictional town of Haven is set in the real-life small town of Chester, N.S., made the role-playing a bit simpler.

Rose, speaking over the phone from Nova Scotia during the filming of the show’s second season, recalls last year when the crew arranged her car: a bright orange rental.

“I was like, ‘Really, an orange rental car? Honestly?’ So I changed it, and sure enough next week some people came up to me and said, ‘We didn’t see your car anymore, we thought you had left.’ You draw so much attention that it helps make me feel the reality of what it’s like for an outsider to come in.”

The folks of Chester, and nearby places such as Lunenburg and Mahone Bay, know there’s a series being shot in town, she says, but the relationship between small town Nova Scotia and the cast and crew is a pleasant one. “If we are still on set after nine o’clock, we are not getting food in the town,” she says. “But, if we call ahead and ask them to hold a table or hang on for us, they’ll help out. It’s great.”

Haven, loosely based on a Stephen King story called The Colorado Kid, is the story of a small town, an unsolved mystery, and how the people there deal with its secrets. But the brief, simple story at its root, Rose explains, is a jumping-off point.

“The Colorado Kid is mainly just a forum for conversation about what happens to a town when something does not receive closure,” she says. In the story, reporters are seated at a table discussing an unsolved murder. Another character listens in. Haven takes that concept and goes from there. “We still pay homage to the book, but it’s more a forum for having an unsolved murder that’s eating at the town.”

And what’s eating at the town? Plenty. Agent Parker wants to know what is up with all the people with special powers. Her friend, local cop Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant), happens to have his own powers. And in the Season 1 finale, an FBI agent arrived in town and identified herself to Audrey Parker as, yep, Audrey Parker. So frustrating when that happens!

“We’re going a bit darker this year, tonally,” Rose says. “I think if we had done that right out of the gate, I don’t know if the likability would have been there. But now, you’re already in the boat with Audrey and Nathan, and we’re taking you down those rivers, so to speak.”

READ MORE - The day Stephen King came to town

Outbreak reported at Las Vegas resort Legionnaires

Elevated levels of the bacteria that causes the disease were found at the Aria Resort and Casino, a 4,004-room hotel that advertises spectacular views of the Las Vegas skyline and surrounding mountains, they said.

"Health officials have recently notified us of a few reported instances of guests who visited Aria, were diagnosed with, treated for and recovered from Legionnaires' disease," the hotel said in a letter posted on its web site.

Legionnaires' disease is caused by Legionella bacteria, named for a 1976 outbreak at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia. It causes pneumonia and kills between five and 30 percent of patients, sending between 8,000 to 18,000 people to the hospital each year. It can be treated with antibiotics.

The Southern Nevada Health District said a small number of cases of Legionnaires' disease that may have been linked to the hotel were reported in 2009, but tests of the hotel's water system were normal at the time.

Health authorities again searched for the bacteria at the hotel last month after several more cases were reported, Health District spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said. She put the total number of cases since 2009 at six.

The hotel said water tests detected elevated levels of the Legionella bacteria in several guest rooms, but neither the hotel nor health authorities specified what water system the outbreak was associated with.

The hotel said it was contacting guests who stayed in its rooms between June 21 and July 4 to alert them of the possibility they had been exposed to the bacteria, which can spread the disease when it is inhaled.

Gordon Absher, spokesman for MGM Resorts International, which owns the Aria, said the Aria's water system had been superheated and chemically treated to remove the offending bacteria, which were no longer detectable.

But he said he did not expect the outbreak to have an impact on business, saying he was unaware of any cancellations as a result and that the hotel was having "a good summer".

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Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (3D): Josh Wilding Reviews

After the slow build up in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, anyone with concerns that director David Yates wouldn’t be able to handle the action packed Part 2 will soon realise just how wrong that assumption is. The action never gets too frenzied or confusing, and the Battle of Hogwarts is just as epic as I always hoped and imagined. Yates brings the final, brutal chapters of the book to life in a truly amazing way, and there are simply far too many stand out and memorable moments to mention.


 While movies like Transformers: Dark of the Moon also deliver plenty of intense and exciting scenes, this feels like something altogether different, and a lot of that is helped by the dramatic tension and high stakes surrounding this finale. That’s right, just because there’s action aplenty doesn’t mean we only see a couple of hours of explosion after explosion! However, the few times things do seem to be heading in that direction, the director delivers a unique and different enough take to keep them fresh. 

(I would love to see what he could do if he got his hands on a superhero movie) While action is obviously a huge part of this movie, Yates still manages to fit plenty of emotion in to proceedings, and gets the best out of his actors. Quite honestly, this is his best Potter yet, and it’s his direction which I believe will help ensure it ends up also being many peoples favourite. 

Screenwriter Steve Kloves does a great job of adapting and condensing another one of J.K. Rowling’s lengthy novels to the big screen. Of course, The Deathly Hallows is the only book to have been split in two, and with this being the second part, there’s plenty of time to get straight into the action and epic set pieces which make up the last hour or so of the movie and latter half of the book. As with the past seven films, there are some things they improve upon and others they do not. One thing I did notice was that the violence is toned down quite a bit, with many of the characters deaths occurring off screen. However, this is an understandable decision, and doesn’t impact the movie overall. For the most part though, this is a faithful and well done adaptation and while I’m there are probably more than a few scenes missing, it’s been a few years since I read the book and there was certainly nothing major not there from what I remember. If there was one major problem I had, it’s that a few of the important character moments are shortened in exchange for action. The final battle between Voldermort and Harry is lengthened in a way which actually results in it being even more thrilling than the book, but the important dialogue between the two I remember so well is nearly non-existent. This could have very easily ruined the movie for me as a diehard fan of the books, but there’s no denying that it’s a well written movie which tells the story in a satisfying and exciting way. It would be easy to tear this or any of the previous movies apart for their lack of faithfulness to some aspects of the books (many subplots, characters and moments have been cut entirely) but the adaptations of all seven have been very good in my opinion, and despite the lack of what I personally consider to be some important scenes, there’s no denying that this is probably the best film in the series yet. 

In terms of acting, Daniel Radcliffe gives a strong performance, as do Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. The latter two don’t really have all that much to do in terms of dialogue (hardly surprising as this is really Harry and Voldermort’s story) but I couldn’t fault either of them as they do a perfectly good job with what they do have to work with. As for Radcliffe, I’ve been critical of him in the past, but he’s progressed well as an actor and I found myself greatly enjoying his performance here. As per usual though, it’s the older cast members who really steal the show. Without divulging any spoilers, Alan Rickman in particular delivers a touching and particularly memorable performance as Snape. Regardless of how big or small his role has been in these movies over the years, he’s always done an excellent job, but truly shines in the final instalment of the series. Hell, if you don’t at least tear up a little, you’re probably dead inside. Predictably, we get yet another quite frankly awesome take on Voldermort by Ralph Fiennes. Even more evil and twisted than usual, the man is as terrifying as ever and is without a doubt up there as one of the greatest movie villains ever, and despite the character having a considerable role in Part 2, I still wanted to see even more of him. Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagoll and Mathew Lewis as Neville Longbottom get a chance to shine in a way they never did in the past, while Tom Felton gave a surprisingly good performance in a fairly short amount of screen time. I also loved Warwick Davis as Griphook. Sadly, the focus on action as mentioned above results in us seeing less of some characters than I would have liked, and I must confess to being slightly confused by Kloves’ decision to give many of them pretty much nothing to say. Helena Bonham Carter and Robbie Coltrane are the perfect examples of this, but it’s still great to see so many of them included, and just the fact they’re there adds to the overall experience especially for any fans of the books…and if it still bothers you all that much, go read it and fill in the blanks yourself! However, this surprisingly doesn’t affect the film as much as you may think, and in all honesty it could have potentially slowed things down too much. After all, what works on the pages doesn’t always work on the screen! There are really no major faults I could find with a single actor in the movie regardless of however many lines they had anyway. 

The special effects are as good as they’ve always been, and there are some even more impressive set pieces than usual in the finale. It goes without saying that the action packed fighting and destruction at Hogwarts is both breath-taking and epic, and I’m sure that a staggering amount of work was put into making it look as good as it did. In fact, I’d say it’s easily the some of the best action I’ve seen in a movie this year, possibly ever. Needless to say, the various spells and CGI enhancements are also as fantastic as usual. You only have to look at the latest trailer for the movie to see an example of the amazing visuals, so I won’t list them ALL again here, but they obviously look much better on the big screen and I can’t think of a better way of experiencing them. Whether it’s the underground scenes at Gringotts, a dragon flying over London or an intense fire in the Room of Requirement, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a stunning movie. Can the same be said for the 3D though? Not really. While it’s a much better conversion than THOR or Green Lantern, there’s no real need to see it in this format. It does admittedly enhance a handful of scenes, but I honestly wouldn’t advise forking out the extra cash just for those. With most of the movie taking place at night, it’s a blessing that they did do such a great job with the conversion as these scenes thankfully don’t suffer. Overall, it’s another movie unnecessarily converted in order to make more money at the box office, but if you are a fan of 3D, you’ll have little to complain about. Oh, and the score is superb! The cinema literally vibrated every now and then, and it really helped to enhance and improve the many dramatic and action orientated scenes. 

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Anatomy of a Split: Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony

While a split in Hollywood (and other glamorous environs) never really qualifies as a cause for shock, Jennifer Lopez and her husband of seven years, Marc Anthony, appeared very much in love since the day she and Ben Affleck broke up.

Um, anyway...

Both acting and singing double threats with a shared Puerto Rican background, J.Lo and Marc seemed to be the perfect couple on the red carpet and off, their body language always affectionate and their outfits never clashing. They costarred in El Cantante together and collaborated on numerous musical projects, even announcing that they were expecting twins while onstage in Miami.

But today, the announcement wasn't a happy one, so we're taking a look back at how they got from A to Over:

GALLERY: Fashion Spotlight on Jennifer Lopez

January 2004: Affleck and Lopez admit that the Bennifer days are over, months after postponing what was going to be their September 2004 wedding day.

June 1, 2004: Anthony finalizes his divorce from former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres Delgado, the mother of his sons Cristian and Ryan. The "You Sang to Me" singer also has a daughter, Ariana, from a previous relationship.

June 5, 2004: The twice-divorced Lopez dons Vera Wang and quietly ties the knot with Anthony at her home in Beverly Hills, aerial paparazzi angling for shots through a thick layer of foliage and other privacy-preserving obstacles. The over-the-moon newlyweds honeymoon at San Ysidro Ranch, near Santa Barbara. 

Sept. 22, 2004: "Both people have to really want to be there, you know, and they both have to make that choice," Lopez tells Chicago's ABC 7 News. "And it's a compromise, and it's how you treat each other when you're hurt. I think that's the most important thing."

April 2006: Lopez's yet-to-end legal battle against ex-husband No. 1 Ojani Noa's determination to cash in on their brief marriage, first with a tell-all book and then a so-called comedy about him coming to America (coupled with a little J.Lo sexy time), begins.

Nov. 7, 2007: Lopez and Anthony reveal that they're going to be parents in front of 10,000 fans at Miami's American Airlines Arena, the final stop on their joint tour.

READ MORE - Anatomy of a Split: Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony

Elin Nordegren finds new man Tiger Woods' ex-wife

Miss Nordegren, 31, who divorced the golf superstar after his relationships with other women were revealed, is said to be involved with Jamie Dingman, a wealthy American investor.

According to the New York Post's Page Six column Mr Dingman, the son of billionaire Michael Dingman, spent time with Miss Nordegren in Florida and Sweden recently.

They reportedly met at a Red Cross Ball in Florida and were photographed near Miss Nordegren's home in Sweden this week.

Mis Nordegren and Woods divorced in August, nine months after the golfer crashed his car into a tree outside their home in Florida.

His indiscretions were subsequently exposed and he lost millions of dollars in sponsorships before taking a hiatus from the game.

Miss Nordegren reportedly received a settlement of around $100 million (£62 million) and joint custody of the couple's two children.

Mr Dingman is said to be an expert in emerging markets in China.

A friend said he was "very private" and told the New York Post: "He's never been so happy. He and Elin have strong feelings for each other. He's a classic all-American guy."

READ MORE - Elin Nordegren finds new man Tiger Woods' ex-wife

Facebook Isn’t All Evil News Kawasaki Disease Incident Proves

Taking a critical stance on Facebook feels painful because most of us are part of that billion-user-plus beast. If we’re critical of the world’s largest social network, are we criticizing ourselves?

Since the birth of Mark Zuckerberg‘s fat opportunistic cyber baby, the debate over Facebook’s social and political consequences has gotten insanely overcrowded. Is Facebook sucking our souls? Or is it a boon to our humanity connecting us in newer, more intimate ways? After seeing “Social Network” Zadie Smith wrote an editorial on Facebook and Zuckerberg in which she said:

“When a human being becomes a set of data on a website like Facebook, he or she is reduced. Everything shrinks. Individual character. Friendships. Language. Sensibility. In a way it’s a transcendent experience: we lose our bodies, our messy feelings, our desires, our fears.”

But good-news stories do surface every so often about Facebook. Like the story Slate ran two days ago about the 4-year-old boy whose life was probably saved after his mother posted some photos of a rash which doctors had misdiagnosed. A few of her medically knowledgeable Facebook friends recognized the rash as the extremely dangerous Kawasaki disease.

But it was only a year ago when another major story surfaced about a Facebook kill list. After a hit list was posted to Facebook in Columbia, people on the list started turning up dead, many of them teenagers.

Taken together, the two stories prove the two most extreme consequences of hyperactive social networking: With speed and efficiency, it can be used to save lives, and to take them away. But can Facebook itself be held accountable for either? Or can Facebook hide behind human behavior, as in the old NRA maxim, “Guns don’t kill people, people do.”

As Zadie Smith points out, Facebook, with its illusion of connectivity, can and does reduce us. It reduced a woman’s sick child into a face with a rash—albeit one lucky enough to get diagnosed by some knowledgeable Facebook friends. It also can reduce a group of Columbian teenagers into a public kill list.

Of course, the vast majority of us billion-plus users exist via Facebook somewhere between those two extremes. It hasn’t saved a loved one, and we haven’t been assassinated. We can exist simply as old average, digital reductions of our real selves.

And for those of us who haven’t been murdered or saved from a potentially deadly disease, it’s still as good a tool as ever to voyeuristically stalk exes and people we’re too intimidated to approach in the real world.

READ MORE - Facebook Isn’t All Evil News Kawasaki Disease Incident Proves

Beckham help White Sox beat Indians 8-2

Not that the White Sox’ division is the hottest thing going. Their 8-2 victory against Justin Verlander
(12-5) and the Detroit Tigers kept them within five games of the first-place Cleveland Indians and moved them within four of the ­Tigers, who are considered the team to beat.

And the Sox are three games ­under .500.

But that losing-record stuff is in the Sox’ past, they’d like to believe, and what better way to prove it than by beating the AL’s best starting pitcher on the first day of a nine-game road swing through the Central after the All-Star break.

“I told them today in the meeting, ‘It’s all about you, it’s not about me,’ ’’
manager Ozzie Guillen said. “Don’t worry about rumors [or] anything. A lot of rumors out there. If you’re not playing well, of course you’re going to get traded. This is baseball. This is a business. [General manager] Kenny [Williams] is not stupid, [Chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf] is not stupid. If you don’t play to potential, well, why not do whatever they have to do. If you play good, believe me, they’re not going to move anybody.’’

Before a sellout crowd at Comerica Park, the play was mostly all good. Gavin Floyd (7-9) gave up two runs (one earned) over 7 2/3 innings to improve to 6-1 lifetime against the Tigers. Two of the Sox’ biggest underachievers of the first half, Adam Dunn and Gordon Beckham, hit bases-loaded two-run singles. Leadoff man Juan Pierre scored Beckham with a squeeze bunt single and scored two runs. The Sox scored five runs with two outs.

“Tonight was huge,’’ Dunn said. “Coming off a four-day break and beating the best pitcher in baseball. That’s a pretty good way to start the second half.’’

There were also flashbacks of the things that put the bad first half Sox. They got one run out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation with Dunn, Carlos Quentin (two RBI) and Alex Rios (0-for-5) coming up in the fifth, the only run scoring on Quentin’s force out grounder.

A dropped third strike by A.J. Pierzynski with Magglio Ordonez leading off the fourth produced a gift run when Miguel Cabrera followed with a home run to cut the Sox lead in half. Floyd’s strikeout pitch was over the plate and not in the dirt.

And Alexei Ramirez got doubled off second on a liner by Dunn. It was the kind of stuff Guillen said has brought well-deserved heat from a fan base that expected so much more.

“A lot of criticism out in the street,’’ he said. “I don’t blame them one bit. A lot of people disappointed about this ballclub. So are we — the coaches and the players. Everybody should be. We have a better ballclub than we’ve shown. We got to play better and take it from there.’’

A question about his own job security sent Guillen on a familiar rant.

“Pressure about what, getting fired?’’ he said. “I don’t give a s--- I get fired. I’m the only manager in baseball don’t care about getting fired. I don’t at all. If I get fired, it’s because I not do the job.

“I should get fired. Look at the team they give me, and we’re not playing well . . . [but] every time I go home, I feel satisfied with what I’m supposed to do. I think I have energy, passion, love for this ballclub. Hopefully this ballclub gets better to make me look better.

“I’m not afraid to get fired — that’s part of my job. Greater managers than me have been fired. I only want my players to make a good run, make it fun so when we play in September, we play for something. That’s all I care about.’’

A win against Verlander was a small but good step toward that end. Guillen said the Sox were fortunate to catch him on a night when not all of his pitches were working, but there was no feeling sorry for him. It was the Sox’ second win in seven meetings with Detroit and hiked their record to 9-16 against AL ­Central teams.

READ MORE - Beckham help White Sox beat Indians 8-2

Hours before closure, freeway is 'eerily' empty "Carmageddon"

Hours before the demolition equipment took over the 405 Freeway, there was no sign of the "Carmageddon" that Angelenos have been dreading for weeks.

With most people staying away to avoid the imminent shutdown, the few who remained got to enjoy what Twitter users called "eerily open" lanes and the "quickest Friday commute ever."



Earlier in the day, city and county officials huddled at the Emergency Operations Center in downtown Los Angeles had predicted that this weekend's freeway closure would go off without a hitch — as long as motorists stay off the road.
"The day is upon us," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa declared ominously to a crowded room of reporters.

"We've been stressing to the residents of Los Angeles for three months now: Los Angeles has to plan ahead, we hope you will heed our advice," Villaraigosa said. "It's really going to depend on you. A lot of talk about 'Carmageddon,' and I expect, because of the unprecedented effort … we believe this will go very, very smoothly, but it does depend on you."

The 405, which carries about 500,000 vehicles on a normal summer weekend through the Sepulveda Pass, will be closed along the 10-mile-stretch from the 101 Freeway to the 10 Freeway as workers batter away at the southern half of the Mulholland Drive bridge and remove some 4,000 tons of concrete — part of a larger, $1-billion freeway improvement project that includes adding a northbound carpool lane.

Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and construction workers started sealing off the freeway at 7 p.m. They began with onramps, moved to freeway connectors, then steadily reduced the number of lanes, starting with carpool lanes and ending with the slow lanes.

About 100 partygoers, some donning Caltrans costumes, frolicked beside the Courtyard Marriott pool overlooking an onramp where real Caltrans workers were setting out traffic cones and signs marking the closure.

More traffic cones and trucks equipped with crash cushions were scheduled to be in place by midnight to block the freeway. Motorists approaching the closure were redirected to the 10 or 101 freeways.

Under worst-case scenarios, transportation officials fear the closure might trigger a domino effect of gridlock on surrounding freeways and surface streets.

"The worst case is it could be backing up to the 110," Mike Barbour, Metro's director for the Sepulveda Pass widening project, said earlier in the day. "We're talking a significant 20 miles or so. It really depends on if people are staying away or not."

To deal with the closure, public safety agencies have increased staffing and positioned paramedics and firefighters in neighborhoods that could be affected. Hospitals, such asRonald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center, also have taken measures to remain adequately staffed through the weekend.

Kirk Albanese, a deputy chief in the Los Angeles Police Department, told reporters that response times to emergencies may be quicker than ever because teams of fire, police, emergency and traffic officers have been positioned in more than a dozen areas immediately affected by the closure. They have also identified dozens of locations for helicopters to land if necessary.

The closure has also prompted area residents to rearrange their social calendars and revise travel plans. Businesses, especially some restaurants on the Westside, have offeredCarmageddon specials to attract customers, and one airline,JetBlue, added a discount flight between Long Beach and Burbank to jump over the 405. The cost: $4 a seat. It sold out in a couple of hours.

There are plans to respond quickly to any brush fire, heart attack, shooting or other emergency. Officials have said the freeway will be totally open by early Monday, but recently said there is a chance the road could reopen much earlier.

READ MORE - Hours before closure, freeway is 'eerily' empty "Carmageddon"

A Baby Shower for 15 Pregnent Men

On Sunday, July 17th, 15 men will be revealed to the public at their Baby Shower. In an effort to raise money for healthier babies, several area businessmen will endure an eleven-week “pregnancy” for the March of Dimes Men in Labor campaign.



Each man has agreed to help create awareness about the important role of the father in aiding in the successful delivery and healthy baby. During the 11 week fundraising campaign, the “men in labor” will also raise much needed funds for March of Dimes research and education efforts in the Big Bend area.
The community is invited to support their favorite “pregnant father” at the MEN IN LABOR Baby Shower on Sunday, July 17th at Belk Department Store at Tallahassee Mall. The event will take place from 3 pm – 5 pm and will include a Diaper Derby Contest. The Diaper Derby is limited to only 20 contestants between the age of 6 – 12 months and the winner will receive a $50 gift card to Belk Department Store. The men will be introduced to the community wearing their “empathy bellies” and prepared to collect donations in order to reach their individual fundraising goal of $1,000. Refreshments will be served to include cake and pickles.

This year’s “Celebrity Man in Labor” is Lee Gordon, news anchor with WCTV6. Among the participants are Jerome Hoffman, Gar Schafer, Tony Miller, Scott Walker, Chris O’Connell, Carl Anthony, DJ Champ, Doc D, Mike Fahmie, Steve Christian, DJ Dap, Jay Green and Dr. Frantz. The delivery date for these courageous men will take place on Thursday, September 1 at Capital Regional Medical Center. If the expectant father delivers a healthy $1,000 donation to the March of Dimes, then they will endure an easy labor with a hearty lunch, massages, manicures and luxury lounging in “Lazy Boy” recliners.
The community can support the March of Dimes and contribute to their favorite man “in labor” online by visiting www.marchforbabies.org (search for the name of the man in labor under teams).
The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality. The March of Dimes continuously achieves this mission by funding programs of research, advocacy, community service, and education.

READ MORE - A Baby Shower for 15 Pregnent Men

Carter be a Confederate Veteran Should John

But there’s one question that her set visit doesn’t answer. Is John Carter going to be a former Confederate soldier like he is in Burroughs’ original?

[...]

And while it could be convenient, from a plot perspective, to explain that a human who has ended up on a strange planet would be good at organizing an alien insurgency because he developed his skills in a specific, analogous conflict. But it’s probably better to make it almost any other conflict than the Civil War. The Confederacy doesn’t get retroactive points just because fighting in it helps someone achieve justice for another species down the road.

Personally, I think that keeping John Carter as a Confederate opens up a unique storytelling possibility: John Carter’s insurgency on Mars can become an act of redemption for his fighting on the Confederate side. All it takes is a 10 minute prologue with John Carter coming home and seeing the absolute jubilation of the freed slaves as they cheer the Yankees coming into town. Let him be confronted with the reality of the side he fought for.

Then, when we cut to him a few years later, we can make it clear that Carter is out prospecting out West, drunk most of the time, trying to forget the war. Then his trip to Mars can be more than just using the guerrilla tactics he learned as a Confederate — it can be his way of penance for his sins.

Done that way, I think John Carter can still be a Confederate vet without glorifying the Confederacy.

READ MORE - Carter be a Confederate Veteran Should John

`Harry Potter' 5 favorite grown-ups

The world of "Harry Potter" has always centered on the boy wizard and his pals as they navigate danger, outsmart villains and hurtle toward their inevitable destiny. But the eight-film series has also featured a who's-who of outstanding British actors playing the adults in this magical world.

Since it all ends this week with the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," here's a look at five favorite grown-ups from the franchise:

_ Alan Rickman as Severus Snape: Probably the most fascinating figure in the Potter world because of his shifting alliances and an emotional depth that's unexpected given his icy demeanor. Rickman is captivating in the role, with his droll, deadpan delivery that oozes condescending menace. A half-blood wizard, Snape has been a minion of the evil Lord Voldemort as well as an ally of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. He's served as the intimidating Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and eventually headmaster himself but he's also been a protector of Harry. Snape bullies his students but he also reveals his bravery, and in this final film, a flashback that explains his history with the young wizard provides one of its most poignant scenes.

_ Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort: Fiennes is just chilling as the dark lord, the lifelong nemesis Harry is destined to fight, and that's only partly because of his freakish, noseless appearance. His soft, hissing delivery is more disarming in a way than if he'd issued his threats and orders with a bellowing boom. The artist formerly known as Tom Riddle was once the most brilliant student Hogwarts had ever seen. But he used those strengths to transform himself into the most powerful dark wizard ever, and boy, does he have it in for Harry Potter. He seriously needs to find a hobby.

_ Michael Gambon as Dumbledore: Gambon took over the role after the death of Richard Harris, who played the headmaster at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the first two films in the franchise, "Sorcerer's Stone" and "Chamber of Secrets." And he took a different approach to the part: While he remained a bastion of all that is good and true in the world, a steady and authoritative voice of reason, Gambon played him with a bit more fire and range than Harris. Perhaps that's also because more of the character is revealed to us over time. With his long, silver hair and beard, Dumbledore is revered, but he's also got some secrets.

_ Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange: A great opportunity for this versatile actress to show off her wild side. With her dark, untamed locks and severe, black wardrobe, Bellatrix is fiercely loyal to Voldemort as a member of his army of Death Eaters. Bonham Carter plays the role with wicked glee, reveling in the over-the-top nature of being an evil flunky, even though the character herself comes from an elite wizarding family. In one hilarious sequence in "Deathly Hallows: Part 2," Bonham Carter plays Emma Watson playing Harry's pal Hermione pretending to be ... Bellatrix Lestrange, allowing her to show off another side of her physical talents.

_ Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge: Do you notice a theme here? With the exception of Dumbledore, most of my choices are evil — or at least partly evil — characters. Everyone hates Dolores Umbridge. But Staunton is so deliciously cruel in the role, she's strangely irresistible and impossible to forget, even though she only appears in two of the eight movies: "Order of the Phoenix" and "Deathly Hallows: Part 1." The Ministry of Magic assigns Dolores to the Hogwarts staff to keep an eye on Dumbledore and impart her bland, useless, "Ministry-approved" curriculum. Passive-aggressive oppression is her game; she's toadlike but perfectly coifed in her prim, pink dresses, and she hands out torturous assignments with a smile. It's pure magic.

READ MORE - `Harry Potter' 5 favorite grown-ups

Aria Resort linked to Legionnaires' disease "Las Vegas"

The Aria Resort & Casino in the tony CityCenter of Las Vegas is advising recent guests about possible exposure to Legionnaires' disease during their stay, according to a letter posted on the hotel-casino's website.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that six cases of the bacteria-spread pneumonia traced to theLas Vegas hotel have been reported to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.



The patients were successfully treated and have fully recovered, said Stephanie Bethel of the Southern Nevada Heath District, which was notified of the cases by the CDC.

Aria's letter tells guests who stayed from June 21 to July 4 that they may have been exposed to the Legionella bacteria, which spreads the disease. The hotel says water tests detected "elevated levels" of the bacteria in several guest rooms" -- a problem it says has been remedied.

The Aria advises any guests concerned about the outbreak to call (877) 326-2742.

The CDC lists initial symptoms of Legionnaires' disease, which can be fatal, as high fever, chills, fatigue and a cough that begins two to 14 days after exposure.

In an email, Bethel of the health district said:

"To become infected, you must inhale aerosolized water (mist). For example, if the water system has Legionella, you could be exposed by taking a long shower or using 'bubblemakers' or whirlpool jets in a bath tub. ... It’s important to know that most people who are exposed will not get sick, but people who have weak immune systems, people who smoke, people who are older are more at risk of illness."

The bacteria got its name in 1976, when many people who went to a Philadelphia convention of theAmerican Legion suffered from an outbreak, the CDC says.

READ MORE - Aria Resort linked to Legionnaires' disease "Las Vegas"