Victory to NFL Owners

May 17, 2011 - The ongoing battle between the NFL owners and players took another turn as the owners won a critical victory Monday.

The federal appeals court found for the owners and against the players as they granted a stay from a previously court ordered injunction that would have lifted the lockout.

In an NFL statement owners said, “It is now time to devote all of our energy to reaching a comprehensive agreement that will improve the game for the benefit of current and retired players, teams, and, most importantly, the fans.”  “This litigation has taken the parties away from the negotiating table where these issues should be resolved. We remain confident that the appellate court will determine that this is a labor dispute that should be governed by federal labor law. But the league and players, without further delay, should control their own destiny and decide the future of the NFL together through negotiation.”

The players speaking on behalf of the NFLPA released this statement, “The NFL’s request for a stay of the lockout that was granted today means no football.”  “The players are in mediation and are working to try to save the 2011 season. The court will hear the full appeal on June 3.”

A spokesman for the players commented that he had never seen any group of owners work so hard to prevent any sport from being played.

In the meantime the football season will be closed for business.  It is uncertain whether the 2011 season will be played at all, although it is in the best interest of both parties that their disputes be settled.

IMF Chief Accused Of Sexual Assault

May 17, 2011 - The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested over the weekend on charges of attempted rape and other criminal charges.  He stands accused of sexual assault of a 35 year-old maid in his New York hotel room.

The Manhattan Criminal Court case alleges Strauss-Kahn "engaged in sexual conduct with another person by forcible compulsion."  The complaint filed charges 2 counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree, 1 count attempted rape in the first degree,  1 count sexual abuse in the first degree, 1 count unlawful imprisonment in the 2nd degree, 1 count sexual abuse in the 3rd degree and forcible touching.

Although the identity of the alleged victim has not been disclosed, she contends that Strauss-Kahn shut the door to his hotel room, grabbed her and forced himself on her in attempted sexual assault.

Strauss-Kahn was thought to be getting ready to run for the presidency of France, which now looks like a long shot.

Lawyers representing the IMF say Strauss-Kahn is innocent of any wrongdoing and "intends to vigorously defend" himself against the charges of sexual assault.

Strauss-Kahn submitted to a forensic medical exam by authorities in which DNA was gathered.  He remains in custody at Rikers Island and is being held without bail.

Trump Will Not Run

May 17, 2011 - Donald Trump has been flirting with the idea of running for president for months now.  He has come out publicly and criticized President Obama for not being tough enough on China and OPEC.  He challenged Obama to release his "real" birth certificate and when he complied the real estate tycoon took credit for it.

Although Trump had previously been leading in the polls, recently his star has lost it's shine.

The Celebrity Apprentice star has decided not to seek the Republican presidential nomination.  In a statement released Monday, Trump said he had decided to focus on business instead of politics.

He made his announcement as NBC is making final decisions regarding its fall lineup.  No doubt the success of The Celebrity Apprentice influenced Trump's decision.   Some even speculate the whole situation around his intention to run was a publicity stunt to promote Celebrity.  NBC reportedly offered him $60 million for next season.

Trump is the second Republican leading in the polls to say nay to a bid for the White House.  Mike Huckabee announced Saturday that he would not be running.

In a statement to MSNB.com Trump released the following:

"For Immediate Release:
New York, New York: May 16, 2011
After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the Presidency. This decision does not come easily or without regret; especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country. I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election. I have spent the past several months unofficially campaigning and recognize that running for public office cannot be done half heartedly.

Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector.

I want to personally thank the millions of Americans who have joined the various Trump grassroots movements and written me letters and e-mails encouraging me to run. My gratitude for your faith and trust in me could never be expressed properly in words. So, I make you this promise: that I will continue to voice my opinions loudly and help to shape our politician's thoughts. My ability to bring important economic and foreign policy issues to the forefront of the national dialogue is perhaps my greatest asset and one of the most valuable services I can provide to this country. I will continue to push our President and the country's policy makers to address the dire challenges arising from our unsustainable debt structure and increasing lack of global competitiveness. Issues, including getting tough on China and other countries that are methodically and systematically taking advantage of the United States, were seldom mentioned before I brought them to the forefront of the country's conversation. They are now being debated vigorously. I will also continue to push for job creation, an initiative that should be this country's top priority and something that I know a lot about. I will not shy away from expressing the opinions that so many of you share yet don't have a medium through which to articulate.

I look forward to supporting the candidate who is the most qualified to help us tackle our country's most important issues and am hopeful that, when this person emerges, he or she will have the courage to take on the challenges of the Office and be the agent of change that this country so desperately needs.

Thank you and God Bless America!

Donald J. Trump
Michael Cohen
Executive Vice President and Special Counsel To Donald J. Trump"

Your National Debt

May 16, 2011 - Today the United States officially reached its current debt ceiling.  Special measures by the Obama administration have held off a default on the $14.3 trillion debt until August 2.

President Obama is officially sounding the panic alarm over congress's failure to come to agreement on terms and raise the debt ceiling.  Failure to do so would "unravel the entire financial system," Obama said.  The result would be a "recession much worse than the one we already had."

He added: "If investors around the world thought that the full faith and credit of the United States was not being backed up -- if they thought that we might renege on our IOUs -- it could unravel the entire financial system.

Congress has been unable to come to agreement on budget cuts demanded by Republicans before they will support an increase to the debt level.  House Speaker John Boehner has been very outspoken about withholding support until the Obama administration agrees to major budget cuts.

Boehner, appearing on Face The Nation this weekend said that Obama is "not really serious" about confronting the federal debt and other national challenges.

"Everything should be on the table except raising taxes, because raising taxes will hurt our economy and hurt our ability to create jobs in our country," Boehner said.

Economists agree however that much needed debt reduction will only succeed with a combination of spending cuts and  raising taxes.

Huckabee Pulls Out Of Race

May 16, 2011 - Mike Huckabee announced he will not seek the nomination for Republican candidate for president in the 2012 election.

Huckabee has been seen as a front-runner and while many believed he would run, his dropping out of the contest leaves a major void in the Republican bid for the White House.

Letter From Arne Duncan

May 16, 2011 - A letter of appreciation from the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to our country's teachers may have fallen flat.

The letter came from President Obama's chief education official and in part reads,  "I have a deep and genuine appreciation for the work you do." " You deserve to be respected, valued, and supported."

The words are nice, but the walk behind the talk appears to be missing to some.

"Respect? Value? Support? Not seeing much," said one teacher who has a blog called the Failing Schools Project. "The gap between his words and his actions is too large to ignore."

The response has been massive as educators criticize Duncan's letter and find that it is far too little too late.

Much of the responses have been online and have focused on issues such as charter schools, alternative teaching programs and standardized test-based teacher evaluations.

Duncan's letter addressed teachers' concerns regarding standardized test-based assessments by acknowledging the need for "real feedback in a professional setting rather than drive-by visits from principals or a single score on a bubble test."

Teachers' response to the letter is an indication of broad-based frustration at not being made part of the conversation regarding reforms in education.

Although teachers are as focused on reforming education, feedback to the letter indicates many feel reforms are "being done to them, not with them."

"They feel they are being dictated to from administration officials who have never spent a day teaching in a classroom."

Stage 1 Cancelled Due To Snow

May 16, 2011 - Promoters of the Amgen Tour of California had to know they were taking a risk when they scheduled the first stage of the race to begin in South Lake Tahoe, mid May.  They studied the weather statics and made the decision to move forward.

With snow in the forecast and light snow falling overnight and into the morning, race officials made the decision to cut the race short and delay the start.  In the end, the riders were poised and ready to go when two minutes before racing was to begin, the called the race.  For the first time in the six years the Amgen Tour has run, they had to cancel a stage, because of snow.

Originally stage 1 was to be 188 miles, 1.5 times around Lake Tahoe, then was shortened to half way around the lake, 50 miles.  Eventually the stage was cancelled altogether.  The stage was to have been dedicated to Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt who as killed Monday after crashing during a high speed decent at the Giro d'Italia.

Levi Leipheimer, three-time Tour of California winner, addressed the crowd standing in the snow, minutes before the race was to start, "The riders discussed it as a group, and we just don't feel comfortable riding knowing what can happen, especially in light of what happened last Monday."

"We still have a full week of racing ahead of us, so we want to make sure everyone is healthy. With the weather conditions the way they are, racing today is just not possible."

Stage 2 is set to start at Squaw Valley and go 133 miles to Sacramento.  The stage travels from Squaw Valley up and over Old Donner Pass Road which was closed Sunday due to the snow storm.  Race officials may decide to alter the route as inclement weather is expected to continue Monday.

Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, which owns and operates the race, said the Stage 2 route might not be determined until 8 a.m Monday. Racing is scheduled to begin at 10:15 a.m.

George Hincape, veteran cyclist for BMC Racing said he agreed that the correct decision was made.

"There was definitely a concern with the safety of the course and the really fast descent," Hincapie said. "If it's icy, you don't have control of your bike. And at the end of the day, they just prioritized safety."

"The correct decision was not particularly hard to make, but it was disappointing for everyone," Messick said.

Race officials so far have not made any comment on whether they will consider Tahoe for next years event.

Graham Leaves Hospital

May 16, 2011 - Billy Graham returned home from the hospital Sunday after a spending five days hospitalized for pneumonia.  The well known evangelist checked into Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C. Wednesday.

Spokesman for Mission Hospital said the 92-year-old was responding well to treatment, is regaining strength, but that recovery would be slow.

Graham's primary physician Lucian Rice said in a statement, "He has responded very well to treatment, with progressive improvement since his admission."  "We expect continuing recuperation at home with very gradual recovery, returning to normal activities over several weeks. I'm delighted that he has come back this fast."

As he left the hospital, Graham thanked the hospital staff for the exceptional care they provided him.

"I am grateful for this wonderful hospital so close to my home," Graham said. "The physicians and staff have shown such skill and compassionate care. I am deeply touched by the prayers and best wishes of so many people for me, and I look forward to returning home and resuming my normal activities soon."

Tough Choices

May 15, 2011 - It's been an exceptionally tough weather season for folks who live near the great Mississippi River.  And a season of very tough choices; larger more populated cities have been chosen to be spared while small towns and agricultural ranches have been flooded, resulting in lost homes and farmland.

The army corps of engineers is responsible for American flood protection and defend their decisions saying their main goal is to spare lives and as much property as possible.

Today's decisions are based on the failing of Mississippi's levees during the great flood of 1927.  Approximately 500 people died and half a million homes were lost.  Subsequent to that flood, the army corp of engineers created a plan to relieve pressure on levees, once a certain flood stage was reached, water would be diverted to designated flood plains, most of which were not populated at that time.

Over the weekend army corp engineers began opening the Morganza spillway, and will continue to open gates in the coming days until all 125 gates are open, essentially flooding 3,000 square miles of what is now dry land.   It is estimated that about 25,o00 homes will be lost.  It will take weeks or months for the waters to eventually recede, destroying crops for at least one planting season.

Mandatory evacuations have been issued, folks in effected areas must be out by 5pm Sunday.  Many of those evacuees vowed never to return.

Protests Continue In Yemen

May 15, 2011 - Protestors took to the streets today in Sana, the capital of Yemen, calling for the immediate departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Protests began when the government and opposition forces failed to sign a plan that would have Saleh giving up his 32 year rule.  The April 21 initiative was presented by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and called for the removal of President Saleh from office 30 days after the deal was signed.  In exchange Saleh was to receive immunity from prosecution and the newly formed opposition government would hold elections within 60 days.  The Yemen government has yet to accept the proposal.

As the GCC is attempting to intervene and mediate to end the deadlock, violent protests continue into their fourth month.  Over 100 people have died since the conflict began as security forces have repeatedly opened fire on demonstrators.