A New Day Is Here Returns To Radio

Are you looking to start your Saturday Morning on a different note? Well tune into A New Day Is Here, hosted by the Crown Prince of Web 2.0 Clarence Coggins. This show promises to be a jam packed half hour of entertaining, enlightening conversations and guests.

The call in number is (646) 595-4215. The show airs at 6 am. The premier show is January 11, 2014. You can also listen online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hudsonliberty/2014/01/11/a-new-day-is-here-2014-premiere-episode 

If you are online do share it and like it. Look forward to hearing from you all.

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Clarence Coggins

http://ccoggins.legalshieldassociate.com
Fax: 877.214.1451
Office: 973-943-4073

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Mom stabs daughter during family argument

ABERDEEN, Md. - Aberdeen Police were investigating a stabbing late Tuesday afternoon after a mother reportedly stabbed her daughter in the back.
According to police, officers responded to the 100 block of William Powell Court to investigate a stabbing.
When officers arrived, they found Antonette E. Jones, 27 of the 100 block of Hamilton Street in Aberdeen suffering from a stab wound to her upper back, police said.
Police say Jones became involved in a family argument with her mother, Gwendolyn L. McNeil, 48, of the 100 block of William Powell Court when McNeil stabbed Jones with a kitchen knife.
Officers provided first aid until paramedics from the Aberdeen Fire Department arrived and transported Jones to Bay View Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
McNeil was arrested and charged with first and second degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
Police say McNeil will be transported to the Harford County Detention Center for a bond review.

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved

Jobless bill clears hurdle in bipartisan surprise

Jobless bill clears hurdle in bipartisan surprise 

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., second from left, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014, after legislation to renew jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed unexpectedly cleared an initial Senate hurdle. From left are, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Schumer, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. The vote was 60-37 to limit debate on the legislation, with a half-dozen Republicans siding with the Democrats on the test vote. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., along with Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada, led the effort to reauthorize the benefits for three months which expired on Dec. 28.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Election-year legislation to revive expired federal jobless benefits unexpectedly cleared an early hurdle on Tuesday, offering a hint of bipartisan compromise in Congress and a glimmer of hope to the long-term jobless and their families.

"Let's get this done," implored President Barack Obama at the White House, shortly after six Republicans sided with Democrats on a 60-37 Senate vote to keep the measure alive.

Even so, the fate of the three-month reinstatement remained uncertain in an atmosphere of intense partisanship at the dawn of an election year.

The two parties have made it clear they intend to battle for the support of millions of voters who have suffered economically through the worst recession in decades and the slow, plodding recovery that has followed.

The often-cited phrase is "income disparity" - the gap between the rich and the economically squeezed. Democrats are expected to follow the effort on jobless benefits with another pocketbook measure, a proposal to increase the federal minimum wage.

The maneuvering on Tuesday was intense. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell proposed paying for the renewal of federal jobless benefits by delaying a requirement for millions of Americans to purchase coverage under "Obamacare" - an attempt to force Democrats to take a public stand on that highly controversial issue.

Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who generally seeks to shield his rank and file from politically painful votes, deemed McConnell's proposal a non-starter.

At the same time, Reid and White House officials suggested they would be receptive to cuts elsewhere in the federal budget to offset the cost of a yearlong renewal of the program, if Republicans would first agree to turn the benefits back on for three months without preconditions.

Reid also said he'd be willing to consider allowing votes on proposed changes, but avoided a flat commitment on a demand Republicans said was essential.

The legislation at the heart of the maneuvering would restore benefits averaging $256 weekly to an estimated 1.3 million long-term jobless Americans who were cut off when the program expired Dec. 28. Duration of federal coverage generally ranges from 14 to 47 weeks, depending on the level of unemployment within individual states. The three-month cost to the Treasury is estimated at $6.4 billion.

Without action by Congress, hundreds of thousands more will feel the impact in the months ahead as their state-funded benefits expire, generally after 26 weeks.

Democrats had appeared poised to blame Republicans for blocking the legislation, and the outcome of Tuesday's vote appeared to catch them off-guard.

The six Republicans who voted to overcome a filibuster were Dean Heller of Nevada, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Dan Coats of Indiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rob Portman of Ohio.

Heller, Coats and Portman all represents states with unemployment above the national average of 7 percent.

Coats, for one, immediately made clear that his vote came with conditions attached. He said he opposes the measure as drafted, and would vote against it on final passage if Reid "again obstructs senators from offering amendments."

The Indiana Republican said he believes any extension in benefits should be offset by cuts elsewhere in the budget to prevent deficits from rising. He said he also favors provisions to help "put Americans back to work," comments similar to those made by McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner during the day.

Reid, in comments to reporters, said unemployment benefits had been extended several times when George W. Bush was president and Congress did not insist on paying for them with cuts elsewhere in the budget.

"This is new religion to them," he said of Republicans.

Any debate over paying for renewing jobless benefits is almost certain to circle back to a perennial disagreement over taxes.

In last month's successful negotiations over spending legislation, Democrats sought to close tax loopholes to keep deficits from rising. Republicans refused, demanding spending cuts or higher fees instead.

At the same time the two parties struggle with one another, Republicans are also under pressure from outside groups who oppose any renewal of jobless benefits, including some with ties to the tea party.

Any legislation that clears the Senate would also have to make it through the House, where dozens of tea party-aligned lawmakers are in office.

In a statement issued shortly after the Senate vote, Boehner, R-Ohio, said he has previously informed the White House that any measure to renew unemployment benefits "should not only be paid for but include something to help put people back to work. To date, the president has offered no such plan. If he does, I'll be happy to discuss it."

At the White House, Obama, too, said he was siding with victims of the recession.

"These aren't folks who are just sitting back, waiting for things to happen," he said. "They're out there actively looking for work."

At issue is a system that provides as much as 47 weeks of federally funded benefits, beginning after the exhaustion of state benefits, usually 26 weeks in duration.

The first tier of additional benefits is 14 weeks and generally available to all who have used up their state benefits.

An additional 14 weeks is available in states where unemployment is 6 percent or higher. Nine more weeks of benefits are available in states with joblessness of 7 percent or higher. In states where unemployment is 9 percent or higher, another 10 weeks of benefits are available.

Officials also said a little-noticed provision in the legislation is specifically designed to benefit the long-term unemployed in North Carolina, where Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan faces a stiff challenge for a new term.

It would make residents eligible for long-term benefits by permitting the state to negotiate an agreement with the Department of Labor. State residents are currently ineligible because of state benefits were reduced below a federal standard.

Supreme Court puts Utah same-sex marriage on hold

Supreme Court puts Utah same-sex marriage on hold

FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2013 file photo, Dan Trujillo, left, and Clyde Peck get married as about 1,500 people gather to show support of marriage equality at Washington Square, just outside of the Salt Lake City and County Building in Salt Lake City. The Supreme Court on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, put same-sex marriages on hold in Utah, at least while a federal appeals court more fully considers the issue. The court issued a brief order blocking any new same-sex unions in the state. The order grants an emergency appeal by the state following the Dec. 20 ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby that the state's ban on same-sex marriage violates gay and lesbian couples' constitutional rights. More than 900 gay and lesbian couples have married since then.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Gay couples in Utah were thrown into legal limbo Monday as the U.S. Supreme Court put a halt to same-sex marriages in the state, turning jubilation to doubt just weeks after a judge's ruling sent more than a thousand couples rushing to get married.

The justices did not rule on the merits of the case or on same-sex marriage bans in general, leaving both sides confident they'll ultimately win. The decision stays in effect while the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considers the long-term question of whether gay couples have a right to wed in Utah.

For those couples who just got married - or were planning their nuptials - the latest twist in the legal battle clouds what was seen as a cause for celebration.

"It feels like we are second-class citizens during the stay," said Moudi Sbeity, who is waiting to get married until the legal process plays out. "There's also the fear of the unknown of what might come next."

Sbeity and partner Derek Kitchen are among three couples who brought the Utah lawsuit that led to the surprise Dec. 20 ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby, who said the state's ban on same-sex marriage violated gay and lesbian couples' constitutional rights.

State officials praised Monday's decision to put a hold on things, saying it should have come earlier. Two previous courts turned down their request for a stay.

"Clearly, the stay should have been granted with the original District Court decision in order to have avoided the uncertainty created by this unprecedented change," Gov. Gary Herbert said.

The Supreme Court's unsigned order did not indicate anyone dissented from the decision to halt same-sex marriages in Utah. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who handles emergency appeals from Utah and the five other states in the 10th Circuit, turned the matter over to the entire court.

Many believe the Supreme Court will settle the issue for good. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said the court's decision indicates an interest in Utah's case, and he hopes the justices issue a final answer.

Others doubt the high court will step in any time soon. In June, the justices decided not to weigh in on the constitutionality of defining marriage as being between a man and woman, relying instead on a technical legal argument to resolve the issue in California and clear the way for same-sex marriage in the state.

The ruling Monday doesn't necessarily give any indication of how the justices would rule on the issue, said Douglas NeJaime, a professor of law at the University of California, Irvine. He believes justices want the issue to work its way through normal legal channels before they weigh in.

Meanwhile, the state is trying to determine whether the marriages that have already taken place are still valid

Marriage licenses issued in 2008 in California prior to the passage of the state's same-sex marriage ban were eventually upheld by the state supreme court. But marriages licenses issued in San Francisco in 2004 after mayor Gavin Newsom told city officials to grant them were later invalidated by the state supreme court.

That leads NeJaime to believe a court will need to rule on Utah's marriages. If the Utah attorney general challenges the validity of the licenses as expected, that might lead to several months of limbo for the couples, he said.

Jon Davidson, director of Lambda Legal, which pursues litigation on LGBT issues nationwide, said Utah may choose not to recognize the marriages in the interim, but predicted the federal government and other states will honor them since they were granted in accordance with the law at the time.

For 17 days, Utah was the 18th state to allow gay couples to wed.

More than a thousand couples flocked to county clerks offices, marrying on courthouse steps in darkness and celebrating a judge's decision that the 2004 voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in the state was unconstitutional.

It was a surprising development in a state where nearly two-thirds of the 2.8 million residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Mormons dominate the state's legal and political circles. Though the church has softened its stance toward gays and lesbians in recent years, it still teaches that homosexual activity is a sin and stands by its support for "traditional marriage."

Shelby's ruling overturning the state's ban was the first by a federal judge to overturn a state marriage ban since the U.S. Supreme Court issued two decisions on same-sex marriage in June.

The justices at that time struck down a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that prevented legally married gay and lesbian couples from receiving a range of tax, health, pension and other federal benefits.

On the same day, the court left in place a trial court's decision that struck down California's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

The action now shifts to Denver, where the appeals court will consider arguments from the state against same-sex marriage as well as from the three gay and lesbian couples who challenged the ban in support of Shelby's ruling.

The 10th Circuit has set short deadlines for both sides to file their written arguments, with the state's first brief due on January 27. No date for argument has been set yet.

Many of couples who have already tied the knot are choosing to move forward as planned, optimistic the ruling will be upheld by the appeals court. Alan Britton and his husband, Nathan London, have already updated their health insurance to show they are married and plan on filing taxes jointly. They are planning a wedding celebration in the next month.

"It makes me uncomfortable," said Britton about not knowing how things will turn out, "but it's not going to change the way I feel about my husband."

 

Most dangerous temps in decades push across US

Most dangerous temps in decades push across US 

Bob Brown, a building engineer for the Frisco Building in downtown St. Louis, shovels the sidewalk along Olive Street on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The coldest, most dangerous blast of polar air in decades gripped the Midwest and pushed toward the East and South on Monday, closing schools and day care centers, grounding flights and forcing people to pull their hoods and scarves tight to protect exposed skin from nearly instant frostbite.

Many across the nation's midsection went into virtual hibernation, while others dared to venture out in temperatures that plunged well below zero.

"I'm going to try to make it two blocks without turning into crying man," said Brooks Grace, who was out to do some banking and shopping in downtown Minneapolis, where temperatures reached 23 below with wind chills of minus 48. "It's not cold - it's painful."

The mercury also dropped into negative territory in Milwaukee, St. Louis and Chicago, which set a record for the date at minus 16. Wind chills across the region were 40 below and colder. Records also fell in Oklahoma, Texas and Indiana.

Forecasters said some 187 million people in all could feel the effects of the "polar vortex" by the time it spread across the country on Monday night and Tuesday.

Record lows were possible in the East and South, with highs in the single digits expected Tuesday in Georgia and Alabama. Subzero wind chills were forecast up and down the coast, including minus 10 in Atlanta and minus 12 in Baltimore.

From the Dakotas to Maryland, schools and day care centers shut down.

"You definitely know when you are not wearing your thermal undergarments," said Staci Kalthoff, who raises cattle with her husband on a 260-acre farm in Albany, Minn., where the temperature hovered around 24 below zero and winds made it feel like minus 46. "You have to dress really, really warm and come in more often and thaw out everything."

Even with this nostril-freezing cold, the family still prefers winter over summer.

"You can always put on more layers," she said. "When it gets hot, you can only take off so much."

For a big swath of the Midwest, the subzero cold moved in behind another winter wallop: more than a foot of snow and high winds that made traveling treacherous. Several deaths since Saturday were blamed on the snow, ice and cold, including a 1-year-old boy who was in a car that went out of control and collided with a snowplow Monday in Missouri and three fatal accidents in Michigan.

It took authorities in southern Illinois using 10-ton military vehicles known as "wreckers" until early Monday to clear all the chain-reaction accidents caused when several semis jackknifed along snowy interstates. The crash stranded about 375 vehicles, but there were no fatalities or injuries, largely because motorists either stayed with their cars or were rescued and taken to nearby warming centers, said Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. Others got stuck in the snowdrifts, including the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team, which had to spend the night in a church.

In the eastern United States, temperatures in the 40s and 50s Monday helped melt piles of snow from a storm last week, raising the risk that roads would freeze over as the cold air moved in Monday night, said Bob Oravec from the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Md. The snap was set to be dramatic - Springfield, Mass., enjoyed 56 degrees Monday morning but faced an overnight low of 6.

More than 3,700 flights were canceled by late Monday afternoon, following a weekend of travel disruption across the U.S. Airline officials said de-icing fluid was freezing, fuel was pumping sluggishly, and ramp workers were having difficulty loading and unloading luggage. JetBlue Airways stopped all scheduled flights to and from New York and Boston on Monday. Southwest ground to a halt in Chicago earlier in the day, but by the evening, flights resumed in "a trickle," a spokesman said.

Authorities in Indiana and Kentucky - where temperatures dropped into the single digits and below, with wind chills in the minus 20s and worse - warned people not to leave their homes unless they needed to go someplace safer.

The company that operates the power grid supplying energy to more than 61 million people in parts of the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and South asked Monday night that users conserve electricity because of the cold, especially in the morning and mid-afternoon.

Meanwhile, utility crews worked to restore power to more than 40,000 Indiana customers affected by the weekend storm and cautioned that some people could be in the cold and dark for days.

Ronald G. Smith Sr. took shelter at an Indianapolis Red Cross after waking up the previous night with the power out and his cat, Sweet Pea, agitated.

"The screen door blew open and woke me up, and it was cold and dark. I got dressed and I was scared, thinking, `What am I going to do? My cat knew something was wrong. He was jumping all over the place," Smith said.

Officials in Chicago and other cities checked on the homeless and shut-ins for fear they might freeze to death on the street or in their homes.

Between a heater that barely worked and his drafty windows, Jeffery Davis decided he would be better off sitting in a downtown Chicago doughnut shop for three hours Monday until it was time to go to work.

He threw on two pairs of pants, two T-shirts, "at least three jackets," two hats, a pair of gloves, the "thickest socks you'd probably ever find" and boots, and trudged to the train stop in his South Side neighborhood that took him to within a few blocks of the library where he works.

"I never remember it ever being this cold," said Davis, 51. "I'm flabbergasted."

Only a few hardy souls braved the cold on the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, normally a busy pedestrian area. Many people downtown used the extensive heated skyway system, where it is warm enough to walk around in office attire.

Nearly all stores on the skyway were open as usual. Jersey Devil Pizza & Wings was not.

"Apologies ... We are East Coast wimps. Too cold! Stay safe, see you Tuesday," read a sign taped to the door.

Arizona sheriff’s racial profiling policies will cost taxpayers $21 million

Arizona taxpayers are expected to pay roughly $21 million in order to implement changes stemming from a court ruling that found local law enforcement racially profiled Latino residents during traffic and immigration stops.
The money will be paid out over the next year and a half, though the penalties won’t stop there under the ruling against Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office. Beginning in 2015, Maricopa County will have to pay an additional $10 million a year in order to maintain the changes for as long as the office is placed under the judge’s order.
According to US District Court Judge Murray Snow’s ruling, the sheriff’s office must install new technology, such as video cameras and radios in police vehicles that can record stops as they occur, as well as pay for new training measures that will put an end to illegal arrests. In addition, the sheriff’s office must install, provide vehicles and pay the salaries and benefits for a seven-person team charged with ensuring the judge’s orders are implemented properly.
The penalties come as a significant blow to Arpaio, the self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff” in America, who has long argued for local police to become involved in the enforcement of the nation’s immigration policies. Maricopa County has already spent $1.6 million defending Arpaio in court, a number that’s set to rise even higher as the sheriff appeals the original ruling.
"That's the price you pay for going out and doing federal immigration work," Maricopa County Supervisor and Arpaio critic Mary Rose Wilcox told the Associated Press. She added that immigration enforcement should be left up to federal officials.
Back in May 2013, Judge Snow ruled that Arpaio’s office violated the rights of numerous Latino residents by specifically targeting them for traffic and immigration stops based on their ethnicity. Some were also found to have been arrested and detained for extended periods of time without cause.
Despite the ruling against him, Arpaio told the AP that he does not regret his actions, claiming the policies his deputies followed were in line with legislation passed by lawmakers and helped lower crime in the county.
“It was worth the money, and it was worth the effort,” he added.
This isn’t the first time that Arpaio’s actions have stirred up controversy. He has come under fire in the past for arresting critics of his policies at their own homes in the middle of the night, as well as for saying he wants to have unmanned aerial drones help patrol the skies of Maricopa County. He has also questioned the legal status of President Barack Obama by suggesting his birth certificate was likely a forgery.

LA Sheriff’s Department misconduct includes rape, drug smuggling, kidnapping - report

Recent misconduct investigations of deputies of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department included rape, smuggling heroin into jail, stealing money from a narcotics arrest and misuse of a department helicopter, an oversight report details.
The Office of Independent Review’s new report on misconduct investigations pertaining to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) outlined administrative discipline cases resolved through Sept. 30, 2013. The Office of Independent Review (OIR) is a civilian oversight body charged with monitoring LASD’s internal investigations.
Privacy laws do not allow the identities of deputies involved in the summarized misconduct, nor does it include dates of any infractions.
Recently enacted LASD reforms have not made much of a difference on the amount of misconduct, except for excessive use of force in jails, said OIR head Mike Gennaco.
“Unfortunately, the cases are probably the same as far as level of egregiousness,” he said Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
“With regard to jail cases, I know that force is going down, at least in the downtown jails,” Gennaco added. “The fact that there are cameras make it easier to decide whether the conduct was in or out of policy.”
Assistant Sheriff Todd Rogers responded with concern over the results of the report, saying the LASD does what it can to avoid such behavior while patrolling the entirety of Los Angeles County.
“When these matters are brought to our attention, we make every effort to investigate them as promptly as possible and take the most appropriate correction action,” he told the Los Angeles Daily News. “This can include retraining, written reprimands, suspensions, demotions, and even discharge.”
Among the major cases detailed by the OIR report:
- A deputy accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a traffic stop in exchange for not arresting her for a suspended license. The District Attorney filed 11 felony counts, from bribery to rape, against the deputy.
- A deputy was arrested by Border Patrol for attempting to smuggle an undocumented person over national lines.
- A LASD employee who pleaded guilty to felony spousal assault and cruelty to a child after assaulting his girlfriend and her children.
- A deputy attempted to smuggle heroin into a court lockup area and deliver it to an inmate via a burrito.
- A deputy left her gun in a backpack in the backseat of her private vehicle. She then offered two youths a ride to their bus stop. One of them mistakenly took her backpack to school instead of his own.
- An LASD employee was suspended after alleged unauthorized use of a department helicopter for non-LASD business and for falsifying time records.
- A sergeant and a station clerk pleaded no contest to grand theft for stealing money from a narcotics investigation.
- A deputy was arrested and convicted of kidnapping, falsely imprisoning and assaulting his ex-girlfriend with a firearm.
- A nursing assistant failed to provide medication to an entire module.
- A group of about half dozen deputies in a kind of gang, known as the “Jump Out Boys,” were discharged for violating “standards expected of members of the Sheriff’s Department and directly contradict our core values,” the OIR said.
- A deputy who was accused of having sexual relationships with inmates and prostitutes resigned in lieu of being discharged.
- A deputy left a male inmate and a female inmate unsecured in a courtroom lockup area. They had sex, with the female inmate becoming pregnant.
“All of us have an absolute obligation to conduct ourselves in a manner that is above reproach and demand the same of those who work within our chains of command,” Assistant Sheriff Rogers said in response to the report. “As supervisors, we must do everything in our power to ensure that our personnel do not engage in conduct that violates the public trust, damages the reputation of the department, or causes irreparable harm to their careers.”

Selling social media clicks becomes big business

Selling social media clicks becomes big business

 

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Celebrities, businesses and even the U.S. State Department have bought bogus Facebook likes, Twitter followers or YouTube viewers from offshore "click farms," where workers tap, tap, tap the thumbs up button, view videos or retweet comments to inflate social media numbers.

Since Facebook launched almost 10 years ago, users have sought to expand their social networks for financial gain, winning friends, bragging rights and professional clout. And social media companies cite the levels of engagement to tout their value.

But an Associated Press examination has found a growing global marketplace for fake clicks, which tech companies struggle to police. Online records, industry studies and interviews show companies are capitalizing on the opportunity to make millions of dollars by duping social media.

For as little as a half cent each click, websites hawk everything from LinkedIn connections to make members appear more employable to Soundcloud plays to influence record label interest.

"Anytime there's a monetary value added to clicks, there's going to be people going to the dark side," said Mitul Gandhi, CEO of seoClarity, a Des Plaines, Ill., social media marketing firm that weeds out phony online engagements.

Italian security researchers and bloggers Andrea Stroppa and Carla De Micheli estimated in 2013 that sales of fake Twitter followers have the potential to bring in $40 million to $360 million to date, and that fake Facebook activities bring in $200 million a year.

As a result, many firms, whose values are based on credibility, have entire teams doggedly pursuing the buyers and brokers of fake clicks. But each time they crack down on one, another, more creative scheme emerges.

When software engineers wrote computer programs, for example, to generate lucrative fake clicks, tech giants fought back with software that screens out "bot-generated" clicks and began regularly sweeping user accounts.

YouTube wiped out billions of music industry video views last December after auditors found some videos apparently had exaggerated numbers of views. Its parent-company, Google, is also constantly battling people who generate fake clicks on their ads.

And Facebook, whose most recent quarterly report estimated as many as 14.1 million of its 1.18 billion active users are fraudulent accounts, does frequent purges. That's particularly important for a company that was built on the principle that users are real people.

Twitter's Jim Prosser said there's no upside. "In the end, their accounts are suspended, they're out the money and they lose the followers," he said.

LinkedIn spokesman Doug Madey said buying connections "dilutes the member experience," violates their user agreement and can also prompt account closures.

Google and YouTube "take action against bad actors that seek to game our systems," said spokeswoman Andrea Faville.

Dhaka, Bangladesh, a city of 7 million in South Asia, is an international hub for click farms.

The CEO of Dhaka-based social media promotion firm Unique IT World said he has paid workers to manually click on clients' social media pages, making it harder for Facebook, Google and others to catch them. "Those accounts are not fake, they were genuine," Shaiful Islam said.

A recent check on Facebook showed Dhaka was the most popular city for many, including soccer star Leo Messi, who has 51 million likes; Facebook's own security page, which has 7.7 million likes; and Google's Facebook page, which has 15.2 million likes.

In 2013, the State Department, which has more than 400,000 likes and was recently most popular in Cairo, said it would stop buying Facebook fans after its inspector general criticized the agency for spending $630,000 to boost the numbers.

In one case, its fan tally rose from about 10,000 to more than 2.5 million.

Sometimes there are plausible explanations for click increases.

For example, Burger King's most popular city was, for a few weeks this year, Karachi, Pakistan, after the chain opened several restaurants there.

While the Federal Trade Commission and several state attorney generals have cracked down on fake endorsements or reviews, they have not weighed in on clicks. Meanwhile, hundreds of online businesses sell clicks and social media accounts from around the world.

BuyPlusFollowers sells 250 Google+ shares for $12.95. InstagramEngine sells 1,000 followers for $12. AuthenticHits sells 1,000 SoundCloud plays for $9.

It's a lucrative business, said the president and CEO of WeSellLikes.com.

"The businesses buy the Facebook likes because they're afraid that when people go to their Facebook page and they only see 12 or 15 likes, they're going to lose potential customers," he said. The company official spoke on condition of anonymity, saying he recently moved his company offshore to avoid litigation or cease-and-desist notices.

In Indonesia, a social media-obsessed country with some of the largest number of Facebook pages and Twitter users, click farms are proliferating.

Ali Hanafiah, 40, offers 1,000 Twitter followers for $10 and 1 million for $600. He owns his own server, and pays $1 per month per Internet Protocol address, which he uses to generate thousands of social media accounts.

Those accounts, he said, "enable us to create many fake followers."

During an interview at a downtown Jakarta cafe, Hanafiah - wearing a Nike cap, blue jeans and a white T-shirt - said large social networks can boost a business' public profile.

"Today, we are living in a tight competition world that is forcing people to compete with many tricks," he said.

Tony Harris, who does social media marketing for major Hollywood movie firms, said he would love to be able to give his clients massive numbers of Twitter followers and Facebook fans, but buying them from random strangers is not very effective or ethical.

"The illusion of a massive following is often just that," he said.

The fake click market has generated another business: auditors.

Robert Waller, founder of London-based Status People, helps clients block fakes. "We have had a lot of people who have bought fake accounts, realized it's a stupid idea and they're looking for ways to get rid of them," he said.

David Burch, at TubeMogul, a video marketing firm based in Emeryville, Calif., said that buying clicks to promote clients is a grave error. "It's bad business," he said, "and if an advertiser ever found out you did that, they'd never do business with you again."

 

 

Pope to travel to Holy Land in May amid peace push

Pope to travel to Holy Land in May amid peace push

Pope Francis waves as he leaves Rome's Jesus' Church to celebrate a mass with the Jesuits, on the occasion of the order's titular feast, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014.

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis says his upcoming trip to the Holy Land aims to boost relations with Orthodox Christians. But the three-day visit in May also underscores Francis' close ties to the Jewish community, his outreach to Muslims and the Vatican's longstanding call for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The announcement was made Sunday just as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up three days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in a new U.S. bid for peace.

Francis told thousands gathered in the rain for his weekly Sunday blessing that he would visit Amman, Bethlehem and Jerusalem on May 24-26. It is the only papal trip confirmed so far for 2014 and the second foreign trip of Francis' pontificate, following his 2013 visit to Brazil for World Youth Day.

Francis, an Argentine Jesuit, will be the fourth pope to visit the Holy Land after Paul VI's landmark visit in 1964.

In his Christmas address, Francis singled out the Holy Land for prayers, saying "Bless the land where you chose to come into the world, and grant a favorable outcome to the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians."

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio - now Pope Francis - made interreligious dialogue a top priority, hosting an annual interfaith ceremony in the Argentine capital's cathedral to promote religious harmony and writing a book on faith with his good friend, Rabbi Abraham Skorka.

"We are hoping for a new glimmer of light from this visit in relations with the Orthodox, with Muslims and Jews," Monsignor William Shomali, auxiliary bishop in Jerusalem, told Vatican Radio on Sunday.

All three governments welcomed the papal visit.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa said President Mahmoud Abbas hoped it would "contribute to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people who aspire for freedom, justice and independence."

In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Ministry Yigal Palmor said Francis was "will be greeted as warmly as his predecessors were."

Jordan's Royal Palace said the Amman leg of Francis' visit - on May 24 - would mark a "significant milestone for brotherhood and forgiveness between Muslims and Christians and consolidates the message of peace."

Francis said his prime aim was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and the then-spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Atengora.

Catholics and Orthodox have been divided since the Great Schism of 1054, precipitated largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope.

Francis will be joined in Jerusalem by the current ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew, who became the first ecumenical leader to attend a papal installation since the schism when he traveled to Rome for Francis' inaugural Mass in March. They will celebrate Mass together at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the faithful believe Jesus was crucified and buried.

Francis' full itinerary hasn't been released, but Rabbi Skorka said he hopes the pope will stop at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem.

The Catholic Church in the Holy Land said the visit was aimed "mainly at spreading and promoting love, cooperation and peace among all inhabitants."

After decades of reluctance by the Vatican to recognize the Jewish state, the Polish-born John Paul II forged formal relations in 1993, following it up with an official visit to Israel in 2000 that included stops at the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem and at the Western Wall, where he famously left a handwritten plea asking forgiveness for Christian persecution.

The German-born Pope Benedict XVI followed up nine years later with his own visit.

 

Father pays outstanding child support, still gets jail time

Houston weather, traffic, news | FOX 26 | MyFoxHouston

HOUSTON (FOX 26) -
Clifford Hall says he's more than happy to pay child support for his 11-year-old son.
"I'm his father it's my responsibility to take care of him," Hall says.
But Hall says when the amount of child support was modified no one told him.
"I discovered for some reason his employer was withholding a large amount some weeks a small amount some weeks a zero amount some weeks," says Hall's attorney Tyesha Elam.
"I didn't want to go to jail basically," Hall says.
So Hall quickly paid almost 3 grand in back child support.
When Hall and his ex were in Judge Lisa Millard's court last November he owed nothing.
"Opposing counsel testified twice that he's all paid up," says Elam.
But the attorney representing the child's mother wanted Hall to pay her three grand in attorney fees and Judge Millard agreed.
Court documents also reveal Hall wasn't following the court's scheduled times to pick his son up for visitation.
Another modification Hall says he knew nothing about.
"The Judge ended up sentencing him to 6 months in jail." Elam says.
"When she said I remand you to the Harris County Jail for 180 days my mouth just dropped," says Hall.
"This entire situation is shocking to me," says community activist Quanell X. "I've never seen one like this."
Quanell X wants the state's judicial board to investigate.
"The court failed the child," he says. "The court failed Mr. Hall the system broke down."
"I'm like he couldn't have gotten a worse result," Elam says. "He could have gone in there with a monkey and gotten a better result. What did I do that my client has over paid over visited and is now paying 3 thousand dollars in attorney fees and is going to jail for 6 months."
"I can't be there for my son in jail," Hall says. "I can't pay child support in jail. This is not in the best interest of the child."
Judge Millard tells Fox 26 after she found Hall in contempt he walked out of the courtroom which she says is a big no no.
Judge Millard says Hall's attorney could have filed a motion for reconsideration which would have given her an opportunity to hear from both sides again and reevaluate the situation.
Hall's attorney is now working on an appeal.
Hall says in a few days he will turn himself in to the jail.

WVSR 1360.1 AM PHILA. PA FIRST LOCATED RADIO STATION P.O. BOX 395 (267) 293-9201

WVSR 1360.1 AM PHILA. PA FIRST LOCATED RADIO STATION P.O. BOX 395 (267) 293-9201

West Philadelphia Van Stone Radio Station Philadelphia Internet Education Radio Station

WVSR 1360.1 AM, was founded in 2003 as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's first located Internet education newspaper, television station, and radio station, (a Black American programming in English and Spanish Language), that allows viewers to view the news, watch television and listen to the radio over the Internet. It was the first Philadelphia-licensed Internet station since June 2004. Bearing the call sign WVSR1360.1 AM, it broadcast more significantly on the web than standard radio and television stations did. WVSR provides music choice and the non-stop chart topping hits from today’s hottest American and Latin artist.  

In 2014 WVSR1360.1 AM Philadelphia Internet Education Radio is a popular and pioneering Internet radio station that defines itself as the nonprofit run station - 24 hours/seven days a week proving talk radio, music, and television that address issues pertaining to education, politics, and community interest. The Radio Station / Television programming is provided by the compliment news component, the Philadelphia Front Page News (FPN) and Philadelphia Front Page News Magazine -National daily newspaper and magazine found also on the web at www.frontpagenews.us and www.fpnnews.us.  The news and broadcasting is provided in both English and Spanish languages.

The radio programming differs from most online radio broadcasting in that the talk is not limited to any specific genre but instead speak for prime diversities. West Philadelphia Van Stone Radio mostly plays original styles of mainstream, pop, crossover, smooth Jazz, R&B, Hip-Hop, grove, reggae and classic soul, Spanish language, Latin, Urban, and kid’s music from the charts. All of the styles are DJ-mixed. WVSR is a non-commercial organization. It accepts sponsorships for donating their service and running commercials. And they financially support the station through donations for needy children with disability and animals on-line.

  

Van Stone Downing started the station with support to develop the webmaster components and broadband technologies. Much later, in 2006, did Diane White from Harrisburg, PA, a Webmaster, Writer, Minister, Political and Community Activist, joined the team of Stone to help make both the WVSR1360.1 AM and the Philadelphia Front Page News (FPN) become a household name. Most recently, in 2014 the newspaper and magazine reached, from its Philadelphia office, a very large audience as far as the Dominican Republic Spanish language supporters. With the help of Rosa, Rodriquez and Ninabel De Jesus, who became Community Volunteer Specialist in Dominican Republic, WVSR provides music choice and the non-stop chart topping hits from today’s hottest American and Latin artist.

As for Van Stone, he has been a radio station host and DJ at various education non-commercial stations such as WPEB Philadelphia since 1994, as well as working as a radio & TV engineer and producer. Stone is best known for his former show, Radio Magazine, with your Host Van Stone.

Rapper with ties to 50 Cent killed, 3 wounded in Queens shooting

  Eyewitness News

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Four people were shot in Springfield Gardens, Queens, including a rapper with ties to "50 Cent".

It happened around 4:30 p.m. in front of Farmers Boulevard and 133rd Avenue on Friday afternoon.
42-year-old Jamal Green was pronounced dead at the scene. He was known as Mazaradi Fox and was a member of 50 Cent's "G-Unit".
A 21-year-old man was also critically injured in the shooting and taken to Jamaica Hospital.
A 22-year-old man was taken to North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital in stable condition, and a 32-year-old woman was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.
There are reports that a male suspect fled in a black Hyundai Sonata.
50 Cent tweeted, saying he's "saddened by the news of Mazaradi's tragic passing", and that his thoughts go out to his family and friends.

(Copyright ©2014 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Rescued passengers head for open Antarctic water

Rescued passengers head for open Antarctic water 

In this photo provided China's official Xinhnua News Agency, the first group of passengers of the trapped Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy arrive at a safe surface off the Antarctic Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. A helicopter rescued all 52 passengers from the research ship that has been trapped in Antarctic ice, 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart, Australia, since Christmas Eve after weather conditions finally cleared enough for the operation Thursday.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- All 52 passengers rescued after being trapped for more than a week on an icebound Russian research ship in the Antarctic were aboard an Australian icebreaker slowly cracking through heavy sea ice Friday toward open water after their dramatic rescue by a Chinese helicopter.

A spot of clear weather allowed the multinational rescue operation after blinding snow, strong winds and thick sea ice forced rescuers to turn back time and again.

The twin-rotor helicopter - its red and yellow colors contrasting with the ice and snow - took seven hours to carry the scientists and tourists from the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy to an Australian icebreaker, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Coordination Centre, which oversaw the rescue.

Earlier, the passengers had linked arms and stomped out a landing site in the snow next to the Russian ship for the helicopter, which is based on a Chinese icebreaker.

Helicopter pilot Jia Shuliang told China's official Xinhua News Agency that frequent weather changes and landing on ice were among the major challenges he faced in using a transport helicopter on a rescue operation for which it was ill-equipped.

In an interview before on the rescue, Jia told Xinhua he had no way of knowing whether the ice could withstand the helicopter's weight.

"The helicopter's takeoff and landing depends entirely on the pilot's naked eye. It can be very dangerous whenever visibility is bad so we have to wait patiently until the weather gets better," said the 55-year-old pilot with 36 years' flying experience.

The rescue came in the never-ending daylight of summer after days of failed attempts to reach the vessel, which was trapped since Christmas Eve.

The icebreaker Aurora Australis is expected to reach open sea later Friday and take two weeks to bring the passengers to the Australian island state of Tasmania.

"I think everyone is relieved and excited to be going on to the Australian icebreaker and then home," expedition leader Chris Turney told The Associated Press by satellite phone from the Antarctic.

Sydney resident Joanne Sim, a paying passenger, wept as she boarded the Australian icebreaker. She said the passengers had spent their time watching movies and playing games.

"It really has been an emotional rollercoaster," she told a reporter from The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper who is aboard the ship.

The 22 crew members of the Akademik Shokalskiy stayed with the icebound vessel, which is not in any danger and has enough supplies on board to last for weeks. They will wait until the ice that surrounds the ship breaks up.

"It's quite uncertain how long it will take the Shokalskiy to be able to break through the ice," ASMA Emergency Response Division manager John Young said.

ASMA was continuing to monitor the Russian and Chinese ships. The Chinese ship was stationary in sea ice, but had not reported being stuck, Young said.

The cost of the rescue would be carried by the owners of the ships involved and their insurers, in accordance with international conventions on sea rescues, Young said.

The Akademik Shokalskiy, which left New Zealand on Nov. 28, got stuck after a blizzard pushed the sea ice around the ship, freezing it in place about 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) south of Hobart, Tasmania.

Three icebreakers tried to try to crack their way through the ice surrounding the Russian ship but all failed, forced to retreat to open water by fierce winds and snow.

Young described the rescue as one of the remotest and most complex ever coordinated from Australia, which has rescue responsibility for part of Antarctic.

"The protracted nature of operations in Antarctica and the difficulty of getting good weather windows and getting the right ice conditions really make life very difficult, and in this particular case, the simple fact of having to move 52 people who are not really trained for that environment added complexity," Young said.

The Aurora's owner, P&O Maritime, said the 94-meter (308-foot) ship was capable of holding 116 passengers in addition to its crew of 24.

The scientific team on board the Russian vessel had been recreating Australian explorer Douglas Mawson's 1911 to 1913 voyage to Antarctica.

Turney had hoped to continue the trip if an icebreaker managed to free the ship. Despite his disappointment over the expedition being cut short, he said his spirits remained high.

"I'm a bit sad it's ended this way," he said. "But we got lots and lots of great science done."

China has an interest in Antarctica, with the growing scientific power recently beginning construction on its fourth Antarctic research base.