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Monday, June 18, 2012

Where the US and Pakistan are working together

The $75 million USAID Teacher Education Project alone won't patch the US and Pakistan governmental relationship. But education projects are one way to maintain people-to-people relations.?

By Jenna Fisher,?Staff writer / June 15, 2012

A group of 22 high-ranking Pakistani education officials and policymakers are in the US meeting with education experts, as part of the USAID Teacher Education Project.

Courtesy of Education Development Center

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Every few months, US-Pakistan relations seem to fall to a new low. ?

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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin: Married!

Life is now great for Meagan Good.

The actress (Think Like a Man, Californication) married preacher and Columbia Pictures VP DeVon Franklin Saturday evening at Triunfo Creek Winery in Malibu, CA, as first reported by People.

"DeVon makes me better, makes my life fuller and completes my quality of life," Good told the publication. "He's truly on my team and I am truly on his. God revealed my heart to him like nobody else."

Approximately 400 guests attended the ceremony, which featured the star a custom R-Mine gown with a purple train.

The couple started dating during the shooting of Jumping the Broom and we wish them the best of luck!

[Photo: WENN.com]

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McCain: Lack of US aid to Syrian rebels 'shameful'

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Sen. John McCain on Sunday characterized the lack of U.S. aid to Syrian rebels as "shameful" and said helping their cause would deal "the greatest blow to Iran in the Middle East in 25 years."

McCain's remarks sought to maintain political pressure on President Barack Obama as violence in the region escalated, forcing a 300-strong U.N. observer mission to call off its patrols. Syrian troops on Sunday intensified shelling of rebel-held neighborhoods in central Homs, according to activists who say humanitarian conditions are growing worse and are pressing for the evacuation of 1,000 endangered families and dozens of wounded people who can't get adequate medical care.

"The fact that the United States of America is not helping these people ? and we can ? is shameful," McCain, R-Ariz., said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

So far, the U.S. has refused to arm Syrian rebels in part to avoid a proxy fight with Iran and Russia, which both back the Syrian government.

The crisis is likely to come up Monday when President Barack Obama sits down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Mexico on the sidelines of meetings between leading rich and developing nations. The U.S. recently accused Russia of equipping the Syrian government with attack helicopters that could be used against civilians, only to later acknowledge that the helicopters were already owned by Syria and being sent back to Russia for repairs.

McCain said the Syrian rebels were facing an "unfair fight now" and reiterated the claim that "Russian shipments are coming in."

The White House called for Assad's ouster when it blamed the Syrian government for the deaths in May of more than 100 people, including 49 children, following peaceful protests. National Security Council spokeswoman Erin Pelton said the attack serves as a "vile testament to an illegitimate regime." The Syrian government denied responsibility.

McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services committee and 2008 GOP presidential nominee, has long advocated for U.S. military support of Syrian rebels, including airstrikes against the regime's forces. In Congress, only McCain's closest Senate colleagues have echoed his plea for military aid with most lawmakers reluctant to drag the U.S. into another conflict.

Associated Press

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Stiff winds fuel Colo. wildfire; looting a concern

A Erickson Air Crane firefighting helicopter flys to a pond to refill its tank while fighting the High Park wildfire, west of Fort Collins, Colo., on Friday, June 15, 2012. The wildfire started Saturday and has burned over 50,000 acres. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

A Erickson Air Crane firefighting helicopter refills its tank in a rancher's pond while fighting the High Park wildfire west of Fort Collins, Colo., on Friday, June 15, 2012. The wildfire started Saturday and has burned over 50,000 acres. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

A thunderhead builds over the High Park wildfire and Fort Collins, Colo., on Friday, June 15, 2012. Rain could assist in fighting the wildfire that started Saturday and has burned over 50,000 acres. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

A sign warns motorist of the closure of Highway 14 through Poudre Canyon as columns of smoke rise in the distance from the High Park wildfire west of Fort Collins, Colo., on Friday, June 15, 2012. The wildfire started Saturday and has burned over 50,000 acres. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

DENVER (AP) ? Crews in northern Colorado are facing powerful winds as they battle a blaze that has scorched about 86 square miles of mountainous forest land and destroyed at least 181 homes, the most in state history. Meanwhile, local authorities are focusing on another concern ? looting.

The destructiveness of the High Park Fire burning 15 miles west of Fort Collins surpassed the Fourmile Canyon wildfire, which destroyed 169 homes west of Boulder in September 2010.

More than 1,630 personnel are working on the Fort Collins-area fire, which was sparked by lightning and is 45 percent contained.

Julie Berney with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said firefighters can expect winds of 30 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph Sunday. Some rain moved through Saturday evening, but it wasn't enough to quell the fire.

"The problem is that when you have a fire like this, even if it rains it evaporates before it hits the ground," Berney said.

On Sunday afternoon, wind-whipped flames prompted fire managers to send 96 notices to residents, ordering the immediate evacuation of the Hewlett Gulch Subdivision in the Poudre Canyon area north of the fire. It was unclear how many homes were affected.

A red flag warning has been issued for the area until 8 p.m. Sunday, and temperatures could reach 90 degrees, the hottest day since the fire was reported June 9.

But incident commander Bill Hahnenberg said he was pleased with the firefighters' progress, while also acknowledging that high winds could be a test.

"A scenario could be we'll lose some line, and then we just go after it the next day and the next day," he said. "We're going to do everything we can to protect facilities, and we're prepared to do that."

As firefighters try to get the upper hand on the blaze, which has burned large swaths of private and U.S. Forest Service land, local authorities have dispatched roving patrols to combat looting.

Deputies arrested 30-year-old Michael Stillman Maher of Denver on Sunday on charges including theft and impersonating a firefighter. The sheriff's department said Maher was driving through the fire zone with phony firefighter credentials and a stolen government license plate.

His truck was later spotted near a bar in Laporte, and investigators say they found a firearm and stolen property in the vehicle.

"There's a handful out there that are taking advantage of others," said Sheriff Justin Smith, adding that "if somebody's sneaking around back there, we're going to find them."

Also in Colorado, a fire near Pagosa Springs in the southwestern part of the state has grown to 11,617 acres and is 30 percent contained. Hot, dry conditions Sunday are expected to fuel the fire, which was sparked by lightning May 13.

Across the West:

?New Mexico: A wildfire in southern New Mexico has destroyed 242 homes and businesses, and firefighters are working to increase containment and keep an eye out for possible lightning.

The 59-square-mile Little Bear Fire in Ruidoso is 60 percent contained. Dan Bastion, a spokesman for crews fighting the fire, says most of the fire is in the mop-up stage, but crews need to build more containment on the fire's active west side to deprive it of fuel.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack planned to travel to Albuquerque on Sunday to meet with officials leading the response to wildfires in the state.

? Arizona: Firefighters are focusing on protecting electrical transmission lines near a 3,100-acre blaze on the Tonto National Forest in northern Arizona. Officials say hot weather and steep slopes remain a concern, and firefighters are on the alert for thunderstorms and possible lightning strikes. The fire is 15 percent contained.

___

Associated Press writer Amanda Myers in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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Saturday, June 16, 2012

Stocks rise as markets look to central bank help

FILE- In this Monday, June 11, 2012, file photo, Specialist Frank Masiello, left, and trader Glenn Kessler work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Wall Street was on course to open higher Friday June 15, 2012, with Dow Jones industrial futures rising 0.4 percent to 12,650. S&P 500 futures gained 0.4 percent to 1,331.30. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Expectations that the central banks of countries around the world stand ready to head off a deeper European debt crisis helped push U.S. stocks higher on Friday.

The European Central Bank president said his institution would continue its "crucial role" of making sure the financial system has enough cash.

Mario Draghi's comment wouldn't normally arouse much interest, but it followed a report Thursday from Reuters that the ECB, the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and other global financial authorities were ready to act in concert to stem any fallout from elections in Greece this weekend.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 91 points to 12,743 as of 2:45 p.m. Eastern. Microsoft was the Dow's leading stock. It rose 2 percent following reports that the company is in talks to buy Yammer, a developer of social networks within companies. Microsoft gained 61 cents to $29.96.

An election in Greece Sunday could determine whether the country remains in a union of 17 countries that use the euro. Analysts are concerned about what will happen if a party opposed to the terms of a financial bailout Greece got in February. If Greece leaves the union and stops using the euro as its currency, many fear it could imperil Spain, Italy and other countries and further weaken the region's hobbled banks.

"There's a growing sense of optimism," said Peter Tuz, a money manager, at Chase Investment Counsel, which runs mutual funds. "The betting now is that the 'let's stay in the euro' segment of the population (in Greece) will win." Investors are also reassured by reports that central banks have drawn up contingency plans in case a Greek exit from the euro becomes likely.

A pair of weak economic reports helped push Treasury prices up and yields down. A report on U.S. factory production showed a drop in manufactuirng, a key driver of economic growth. A gauge of manufacturing in New York sank to its lowest level since November.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.58 percent from 1.64 percent late Thursday. Traders have been shifting money into the safekeeping of the Treasury market ahead of the Greek elections. That higher demand has kept yield near all-time lows.

In other trading, the Standard & Poor's 500 index gained nine points to 1,338. The Nasdaq composite gained 26 points to 2,862.

All 10 industry groups within the S&P 500 rose. The index, widely used by money managers as a benchmark, is up 1 percent for the week and on track for its second straight week of gains.

Among stocks making big moves:

? YPF, Argentina's state-controlled oil and gas producer, jumped 11 percent after Mexican telecommunications billionaire Carlos Slim said he had acquired an 8.4 percent stake in the company. The stock has lost nearly half its value since Argentina's center-left government seized a majority stake in YPF from Spain's Repsol two months ago. The stock rose $1.21 to $11.66.

? Capital One Financial rose 1 percent after the company said uncollectable and delinquent loans at its credit card business dropped last month. Capital One's stock gained 88 cents to $53.89.

? Defense contractor AAR plunged 79 cents to $10.78, a loss of 7 percent. The company released new forecasts for fourth-quarter and fiscal-year earnings that were weaker than Wall Street analysts were expecting.

Associated Press

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Wounded warrior seeks to represent America ? again

Dan Koeck for msnbc.com

Lt. Bradley Snyder, swimming his preliminary 400-meter freestyle heat at the 2012 U.S. Paralympics Swimming Trials in Bismarck, N.D., is about to be "tapped" by his brother, Mitchell.

By Bill Briggs

Even in the water, amid a furious race to win back his confidence, the blind swimmer needs a cane.

Actually, Lt. Brad Snyder relies on two canes to avoid the sort of ugly collisions he has suffered?repeatedly on dry land.

At one end of the pool, his swimming coach stands above Snyder?s starting block, clutching a walking cane affixed with a tennis ball. As Snyder nears that hard edge, his coach leans down, extends the cane and taps the Navy officer on the back of his head with the ball, alerting him to abruptly finish his stroke and execute a flip turn. At the opposite end of the lane, Snyder?s brother, Mitchell, is armed with the same device and the same task.

?Any communication between the tapper and the swimmer is illegal -- other than: ?You?re close to the wall!? ?said Mitchell Snyder, 25, a former college swimmer. ?Of course, you?re natural instinct is to tell him how he?s doing. You?re the one who can see the clock and see the whole pool. You want to tell them where they?re at in the race. But I don?t give him any extra signals.?

The tap is merely one of the tactics and tools that Brad Snyder -- blinded last September by an Afghan bomb blast -- now uses to swim competitively in utter darkness. During each length of every race, he silently tracks his stroke count to hold a steady clip. He occasionally brushes a finger or shoulder, lightly, against the lane marker to verify his location. And, oddly, he must wear blacked-out goggles, by rule, over both of his blue prosthetic eyes.?

Dan Koeck for msnbc.com

Lt. Brad Snyder lost his sight in an IED explosion in Afghanistan last September. The Navy officer is now training to represent the U.S. at the London 2012 Paralympics.

Through Saturday, the former Naval Academy swimmer is vying for one of 14 roster spots at the U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials in Bismarck, N.D. If Snyder, 28, equals or nears a current world-best time in one of his five events, he?ll join the American team bound for the 2012 London Paralympics, held later this summer.

Wearing one of his old college caps with the Navy emblem on one side and the American flag on the other, he?s racing to again represent his country, this time on the international sports stage. He?s racing to help restore his self-image as a fully capable man -- a sacred piece of himself he lost when the IED detonated in his face. He?s racing to deliver a deeper message about thriving amid life?s occasional rough waters.?

Editor's note: This is the second installment that chronicles Lt. Brad Snyder's efforts to earn a spot on Team USA's roster for the 2012 London Paralympics.?Read the first story here.

Racing the clock
?All sorts of people have contacted me on Facebook, or by e-mail, or they come up to me in person and say, ?You really inspired us, just by the fact that you?ve moved forward, that you don?t let this thing slow you down.? I want them to see that, hey, you can go out (despite this type of wound) and excel at something -- become a really good writer, or a good cook; it doesn?t matter,? Snyder said. ?Hopefully, we can utilize this as a platform.?

That platform, he understands, will become far larger if he makes the 2012 U.S. Paralympic team. But getting to London is all about minutes, seconds and tenths of seconds -- the fewer of those during his heats, the better. And as a swimmer without sight, ensuring a brisk time is all about maintaining tight direction: the straighter he goes, the quicker he touches the finish line.

But, much like his delicate job in Afghanistan and Iraq -- dissecting and dismantling homemade explosives -- haste in the pool can be Snyder?s enemy.

When he swims fast and tries to increase his (arms?) turnover rate, he ends up almost pin-balling in the lane -- one side to the other, one side to the other -- ricocheting off that lane line,? said his coach, Brian Loeffler. ?If he gets going too much and crashes into a lane line, he can just be stopped in the water and lose all forward progress.?

When he swam for Navy in the early 2000s, Snyder?s initial style was to dive in and sprint -- no other strategy, no clean technique, just winning on pure guts. Eventually at the Naval Academy, he began to hone his strokes, evening his pace and becoming more efficient. Now, he and Loeffler are focused on keeping each 50-meter race length (or ?split,? in pool jargon), as even as possible to all other trips up and down the pool -- both in terms of his times and his stroke counts.

Lt. Brad Snyder, blinded by an IED explosion in Afghanistan, is now training for the London 2012 Paralympics.

That physical symmetry allows Snyder to better hold his course and avoid side-swiping the lane markers.

?When he can keep a long, steady stroke, he has a real good rhythm,? said Loeffer, the head swimming coach at Loyola University in Baltimore. He also will serve as one of the assistant swim coaches for the U.S. Paralympic team. ?We?ve got to find a balance between that kind of speed but also being able to be real straight in the water.?

Golden vision
Snyder?s best shot at making the American team, he believes, will come in the 400-meter freestyle. At the Bismarck trials, he?ll also aim to notch qualifying times in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle heats as well as the 100-meter butterfly and 200-meter individual medley.

For each heat, he?ll don special goggles ? not, however, to boost his pace. Swimmers competing in the Paralympics? fully blind division?must wear the black, plastic eye covers to ensure that they can?t see even a glimmer of light.?That would give those swimmers an advantage in a sport that takes itself as seriously as any Olympic endeavor.

?When I swam in my last Paralympic-sanctioned meet, every time I got out of the pool after racing, an official came over and looked at my goggles to make sure he couldn?t see through them,? Snyder said. ?But there?s another reason for them. If one of the prosthetic eyes comes out, my goggle would catch it. I wouldn?t have to ask someone to go search the pool for my eye.?

But behind those artificial eyes, Snyder has begun to visualize a blissful finish ? especially if he makes the U.S. team. The final men?s Paralympic swimming roster will be announced on Sunday.

?I really hope to bring attention to the wounded warriors (fellow servicemen and servicewomen hurt in Afghanistan and Iraq). And I hope my story maybe gives people some perspective,? Snyder said.

?You know how people get upset about silly things, like they get all fired up in rush hour? Well, let?s give them a story they can rally behind and say, hey it?s not that bad, maybe I should probably calm down a little bit.?

If Snyder earns a Paralympic slot, his best race ? the 400-meter freestyle ? is scheduled in London for Sept. 7. That means exactly one year to the day that the U.S. sailor lost his sight after stepping on a battlefield bomb, he?ll be wearing American colors, swimming for gold.?

COMING MONDAY: Did Lt. Brad Snyder make the U.S. men?s Paralympic swimming team??

Bill Briggs is a frequent contributor to msnbc.com and author of ?The Third Miracle.??

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TheDatable Launches To Help You Discover The Singles In Your Social Graph

Even though it grew out of Facemash, Facebook has always been, by default, a dating site. With its portable social graph, an enormous user base and repository of images, and droves of social and interest data, it's no surprise that so many dating startups have chosen to build on top of its platform. Each in some way leverages Facebook's social graph/data to find you better matches. Yet, even so, Michael Brotzman believes that the majority of Facebook dating sites still aren't taking full advantage of the social graph -- that they're just compatibility engines in disguise. The biggest problem for single people, he says, is discovering other trustworthy daters in their circles, seeing how they're connected, and getting an introduction. That's why Brotzman and team are today launching The Datable, a dating site that is on a mission to build its own social graph on top of Facebook data -- in other words, a "singles graph."

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Monday, June 18, 2012

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