Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Officials: 3 adults, infant killed in 'murder-suicide'

By WNBC and msnbc.com staff

Updated at 7:30 a.m. ET: Three people, including an infant, were shot dead Monday night before the shooter turned the gun on himself, authorities told NBC New York.

The gunman shot two adults and the infant, then killed himself, based on initial reports from the scene in Bayonne, N.J., Mayor?Mark Smith said.

Another adult was also shot and was being treated at Bayonne Medical Center for injuries, he added.

Smith told The New York Times?that it "looks like murder-suicide."


He told the paper that two other children who were in the home at the time were not hurt, but were "traumatized."

The Times said that preliminary information suggested that the shooter may have been visiting an ex-wife.

A next-door neighbor told NBC New York that his brother heard fighting coming from the home before the shots were fired.

The brother "saw some suspicious activity through the glass door, he heard some loud voices," said the neighbor, who did not wanted to be named. "He goes back in the house to report a domestic dispute and as he's calling it in, he hears some gunshots."

Smith would only say that there was "some type of dispute in the home," and that it?"progressed from there."

He would not immediately discuss the relationship of the shooter to the victims.

The Star-Ledger newspaper reported?that the shootings happened about 8 p.m. on?Monday. Police responded to a call that shots had been fired and they found a woman with a gunshot wound outside the house, the paper said, citing officials.

The paper said the child who died was a boy, aged about a year to 18 months. He was still alive and was taken to hospital, but died later.

According to the Star-Ledger, a man was spotted at?Bayonne Medical Center crouched down, rocking back and forth, sobbing and shouting "no."

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/06/9238857-four-dead-in-bayonne-nj-shooting

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Allies urge Romney to get tough as Gingrich rises (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Mitt Romney's above-the-fray campaign style kept him atop the Republican presidential field for months, but it's raising concerns among his supporters now that Newt Gingrich has surged to challenge him.

Some Romney backers say their candidate must mix it up more aggressively, with Gingrich and with reporters, to prove he has the moxie to be the GOP challenger to President Barack Obama. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, particularly caused concerns with his prickly responses in a recent Fox News interview. He needs to show more toughness and willingness to field questions, party insiders say.

The message seemed to resonate with his campaign Tuesday. Romney said he will appear on Fox News Sunday on Dec. 18, his first national Sunday talk show in nearly two years. He also fielded questions from reporters covering his Arizona visit, marking his third such "press availability" in four days.

The moves make sense to Rich Galen, a GOP strategist and former Gingrich aide who is neutral in the current race. "The lack of engagement strategy has served Romney pretty well," Galen said. "Now I think they've got to alter course and get him out there more."

Numerous Romney supporters had expressed concern over reports of him dodging reporters and in-depth questioning.

"It remains a mystery why Mitt Romney has done relatively few interviews," Jennifer Rubin, a conservative blogger for The Washington Post who often praises Romney, wrote on Monday. The much-discussed Nov. 29 Fox interview, she said, might have gone better "had it been one of dozens of TV interviews he'd given during the campaign. ... He's been the least interviewed candidate in the race."

In his 15-minute exchange with Fox News' Brett Baier, Romney bristled at questions about his changed views on abortion, climate change, immigration and gay rights, all of which are widely discussed in political circles.

Romney acknowledged rejecting his pro-abortion-rights stand of the 1990s, although he did not explain why. Otherwise, he told Baier, "Your list is just not accurate." Romney suggested the questions were inspired by "Democratic ads" that label him a serial flip-flopper.

Asked about his Massachusetts health initiative, which required residents to obtain medical insurance, Romney said he had answered the question "many hundred times." He added: "This is an unusual interview."

The questions were typical of those that many mainstream news organizations would ask, with no surprises or oddball queries. Except for Fox, which has several conservative hosts and is a favorite stop for GOP candidates, Romney rarely gives extended interviews to TV networks or national newspapers and news magazines. That seems unlikely to change soon.

"I'll be on Fox a lot, because you guys matter when it comes to Republican primary voters," Romney told Fox News' Neil Cavuto on Tuesday.

Campaigning last Saturday in Manchester, N.H., Romney was surrounded by cheering fans as he took a few questions from reporters in the morning. Shortly after noon, on a quiet residential street, he fielded a few more. However, the day's only one-on-one interviews, which give reporters a chance to ask follow-up questions, were with Fox News and a TV station from Derry, N.H.

On Tuesday, Romney hinted he might slowly ramp up his criticism of Gingrich.

"I will not be quiet," he told Cavuto. "Speaker Gingrich is a friend, respected. But we have very different life experiences."

Romney said Gingrich has spent the past 40 years or so in Washington, "working as an insider." Romney, whose only elected experience is four years as Massachusetts governor, says he would bring a more business-oriented, outside perspective.

Some party veterans urge Romney to be cautious. Bitter quarrels between politicians are "what people are sick and tired of," said Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Ohio. "It would be disappointing if he all the sudden lit in to Gingrich, and if Gingrich lit into Romney."

LaTourette said he is backing Romney, partly because he has a "hangover" from Gingrich's tumultuous days as House speaker in the mid-1990s. "Everything always seemed to be on fire," he said.

Republican consultant Terry Holt also urged Romney to proceed carefully.

"It's important to protect your candidate's reputation and image," he said. Romney has a statesmanlike image, Holt said, and "I'd be very hesitant to sacrifice that with so much time on the clock."

As for interview programs in general, even some Democrats sympathize with Romney's reluctance.

"It's a half hour or 15 minutes of gotcha questions," said Chris Lehane, who helped Al Gore deal with the media in the 2000 presidential campaign. But that doesn't mean a serious candidate can skip such shows, or comparable interviews with major newspapers or magazines, Lehane said.

"You have to find a happy balance," he said, between protecting the candidate from gaffes and convincing voters that the contender is smart, prepared and capable.

If a candidate skips tough questions or handles them badly, Lehane said, voters will ask, "How are you going to deal with some significant crisis? These are fairly easy things compared to what you'll face as president."

Veteran GOP strategist and lobbyist Charlie Black said, "Everybody has a bad interview now and then." All in all, Black said, Romney's team has done a good job of limiting his exposure to national interviews, which sometimes do more harm than good, while focusing on local media in key states.

Democrats happily distribute anecdotes of Romney evading journalists. They include a New York Times account of Romney being the only candidate expressing alarm at a reporter's presence backstage at last Saturday's GOP forum in New York.

Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said her candidate "has done thousands of interviews over the course of his career, and he'll do a lot more." He exposes himself to questions in town hall settings, televised debates and numerous videotaped interviews with newspaper editorial boards, Saul said.

___

Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman in Washington and Beth Fouhy in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111206/ap_on_el_ge/us_romney

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Saudi report: Women driving spurs premarital sex

FILE - In this Friday, June 17, 2011 file image made from video released by Change.org, a Saudi Arabian woman drives a car as part of a campaign to defy Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A Saudi rights activist says a report given to a high-level advisory group claims that women in the kingdom will have options for premarital sex if allowed to drive. (AP Photo/Change.org, File) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES

FILE - In this Friday, June 17, 2011 file image made from video released by Change.org, a Saudi Arabian woman drives a car as part of a campaign to defy Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A Saudi rights activist says a report given to a high-level advisory group claims that women in the kingdom will have options for premarital sex if allowed to drive. (AP Photo/Change.org, File) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES

(AP) ? A report given to a high-level advisory group in Saudi Arabia claims that allowing women in the kingdom to drive could encourage premarital sex, a rights activist said Saturday.

The ultraconservative stance suggests increasing pressure on King Abdullah to retain the kingdom's male-only driving rules despite international criticism.

Rights activist Waleed Abu Alkhair said the document by a well-known academic was sent to the all-male Shura Council, which advises the monarchy. The report by Kamal Subhi claims that allowing women to drive will threaten the country's traditions of virgin brides, he said. The suggestion is that driving will allow greater mixing of genders and could promote sex.

Saudi women have staged several protests defying the driving ban. The king has already promised some reforms, including allowing women to vote in municipal elections in 2015.

There was no official criticism or commentary on the scholar's views, and it was unclear whether they were solicited by the Shura Council or submitted independently. But social media sites were flooded with speculation that Saudi's traditional-minded clerics and others will fight hard against social changes suggested by the 87-year-old Abdullah.

Saudi's ruling family, which oversees Islam's holiest sites, draws its legitimacy from the backing of the kingdom's religious establishment, which follows a strict brand of Islam known as Wahhabism. While Abdullah has pushed for some changes on women's rights, he is cautious not to push too hard against the clerics.

In October, Saudi Arabia named a new heir to the throne, Prince Nayef, who is a former interior minister and considered to hold traditionalist views, although he had led crackdowns against suspected Islamic extremists. His selection appeared to embolden the ultraconservative clerics to challenge any sweeping social reforms.

Prince Nayef was picked following the death of Crown Prince Sultan.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-03-ML-Saudi-Women-Driving/id-317ae143b0374f4b970bf77b9f70d798

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Jewish Jobs: JFCS Hiring Full-Time "Editorial and Electronic ...

Jewish Family and Children?s Service of Minneapolis is hiring a Full-Time Editorial and Electronic Communications Specialist. Do you have what it takes?

5863884809 7dcbcea2e5 1 300x225 Jewish Jobs: JFCS Hiring Full Time Editorial and Electronic Communications SpecialistJewish Family and Children?s Service of Minneapolis is seeking a full-time Editorial and Electronic Communications Specialist. The purpose of this position is to serve as manager for electronic and key print materials in an effort to increase the community?s use and support of JFCS and communicate JFCS?s mission, programs, services and accomplishments.

Responsibilities include:

  • Establishes and manages social media and electronic communications planning calendar, creating a process and consistent voice for social media postings. Implements social media best practices/policy.
  • Works with the Communication Director to create and manage an editorial calendar for materials with large distribution, serving as project manager to keep materials on deadline.
  • Project manager, writer and designer of Directions newsletter; project manager and writer for Endowment newsletter and Annual Report.
  • Reviews key print and electronic communications before publication.
  • Monitors and creates website copy and develops additional content (videos, photo albums, etc.) for program pages.

Job Requirements:

EDUCATION:??Bachelor?s degree in communications, public relations or related field.

EXPERIENCE:??Minimum of three years experience in public relations related position.

SKILLS:?Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite and be competent in use of Mac platform computer applications. Must be able to work with staff and vendors and to manage several projects at once. Must possess strong design and writing skills. Must be able to multitask and meet fixed deadlines. Knowledge of Jewish culture is preferred.

Benefits:

This position offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

How to apply:

Please submit cover letter and resume to Tammy Cohen, Director of Human Resources. Email HumanResources@jfcsmpls.org or fax to 952.593.1778. Please specify the position you are applying for. For more information on this position, see www.jfcsmpls.org.?AA/EEO

(Photo: bgottsab)

Filed Under: Jewish Jobs

Tags: featured, Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis, Jewish Jobs Minneapolis, Jewish Jobs MInnesota, Minnesota Marketing Job

Source: http://tcjewfolk.com/jewish-jobs-jfcs-editorial-electronic-communications-specialist/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jewish-jobs-jfcs-editorial-electronic-communications-specialist

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Friday Bliss

Friday Bliss

Celebrities Who Love Yoga–Girls Talkin Smack Julia Roberts Producing and Starring in New Comedy–Tonic Gossip Britney Spears Turns the Big 3-O!–Bitten & Bound Pauly D [...]

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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2011/12/02/friday-bliss-2/

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Avoiding The Pitfalls of ETF Investing (SPY, IWV, GAF, IWF, EEM ...


Jemstep.com: Exchange traded funds (ETFs) have grown to become one of the most popular investment choices for retail investors. The total size of the global ETF market is over $1.5 trillion. The vast majority of the component assets are US or European in flavor. Growth rates in the industry are eye-popping at 20-30% annually. That?s a far cry from the more staid pace of mutual funds or other investment vehicles. The benefits of ETFs are compelling. Like mutual funds, they have broad exposure to multiple individual assetsthrough one vehicle. And like common stock, they have the ability to trade continually throughout the day just like a regular share of common stock. ETFs are generally passive in nature. So their turnover costs are lower on average than mutual funds, improving their tax efficiency. As the market evolves, investors are finding it easier to obtain exposure to an ever-growing range of asset types, from emerging markets (NYSEARCA:EEM) to currencies, commodities, and so on. But as the market undergoes this explosive growth phase, a few words of caution are appropriate.

Rapid Growth and Evolution of the ETF Market

Originally, ETFs were designed to provide low-cost exposure to very broad index measures like the S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:SPY). The product came of age through the efforts of a small number of providers, including State Street?s SPDRs and Barclays? iShares. BlackRock now owns iShares, the dominant leader of ETF issuance with over 40% of the market. It is safe to say that an iShares Russell 3000 (NYSEARCA:IWV) or SPDR S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:SPY) ETF is liquid, low-cost, and very closely correlated with its benchmark, just as intended.

However, the market?s success brings with it the predictable growth in Johnny-come-latelies. Financial firms of various sizes and reputations want to jump on the ETF bandwagon. For many of these newcomers, it?s a challenge to figure out how to differentiate their product offerings. After all, it?s pretty hard to make your product stand out if all it does is mimic the S&P 500 for a fee of 10 basis points. The chosen approach is often to carve out exotic new territory. Want to go long soybeans or short Swiss francs? Have a yen for the Sensex 50 or a basket of Middle Eastern (NYSEARCA:GAF) equities? Every day it seems that a new fund is coming out with a vehicle for obtaining exposure to some asset class that the vast majority of investors would not have even known existed. With this evolution comes some very real risks.

ETF Benchmarks and Liquidity Risk

One of the foremost risks is simply not knowing what the benchmark is, how it is measured, and how liquid the market is for the securities that make up the benchmark. When the average retail investor hears the word ?benchmark?, he or she is likely to think of the large liquid indexes like the Russell 1000 (NYSEARCA:IWF) or the Barclays US Bond Aggregate (NYSEARCA:AGG). A benchmark for something more exotic, like Japanese yen futures, is less clear. The yen is widely traded and available in foreign exchange markets. But the actual assets that make up the JPY (NYSEARCA:FXY) benchmark, off which a yen ETF trades, are not necessarily liquid and widely fungible. Understanding the calculation methodology and the market characteristics can be a daunting challenge for the typical individual investor.

Physical versus Synthetic ETFs

Another area of controversy that has been in the news recently concerns physical versus synthetic ETFs. Again, this is a measure of the market?s evolution. In earlier years, ETFs largely offered exposure to physical assets ? actual stocks or bonds that traded on regulated securities exchanges. More recently, this has changed and we have seen the emergence of so-called ?synthetic? ETFs. Instead of being backed by direct physical assets, they are backed by derivatives contracts written on those assets. In other words, investors don?t know who their counterparty is on the other side of the trade. Recently, synthetic ETFs have come into the crosshairs of European financial regulators. This could have implications for both investors and the firms that issue synthetic ETFs.

ETNs: Not the Same Thing as ETFs

Another area of caution pertains to Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs). They are a cousin to ETFs with some notably different features. ETNs are essentially structured products. They are debt instruments, to which derivative products are attached, that pay investors according to a predetermined formula. It?s important to be aware that you are ultimately holding the credit risk of the financial institution that issues the debt instrument. Say you were to purchase an ETN issued by Bank XYZ with a payoff linked to the performance of a commodities index. If the commodities index gains 5%, then so does the value of your ETF. But, if Bank XYZ were to go into default, you would lose the value of your investment regardless of how the commodities index performs.

ETFs offer many benefits. And they have a proper place in efficient, diversified portfolios. But, for all the attractions that some of the newer, more sophisticated offerings hold, it is never a bad idea to stick to the basics and use them for their primary purpose of low-cost, liquid exposure to broad-based asset classes.

For a free, easy, and objective way to find the best investments for you, visit Jemstep.com.

Courtesy of Jemstep.com



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Source: http://wallstreetsectorselector.com/2011/12/avoiding-the-pitfalls-of-etf-investing-spy-iwv-gaf-iwf-eem/

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Despite Advances, HIV/AIDS Still Takes Heavy Emotional Toll (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Dec. 1 (HealthDay News) -- For many it's a good news/bad news scenario.

People with HIV/AIDS are living longer and healthier lives than ever before, but they still have a chronic disease that's potentially fatal and carries a heavy stigma, said Jorie Barna, a care coordinator for the AIDS/HIV Services Group in Charlottesville, Va.

Barna, who lived in San Francisco during the 1980s and 1990s, said she saw the debilitating and deadly toll that HIV/AIDS took before the development of lifesaving antiretroviral medications.

"Living with HIV today is very manageable," said Barna, 43, who has a case load of 50 patients whom she monitors. "If somebody were to take care of themselves, eat well, keep their stress levels down, exercise regularly and take their medications, they could live long lives. I think in another decade, living with HIV will be like diabetes. You just have to take care of yourself."

Despite the medical advances, however, the mental toll that HIV/AIDS takes on people remains strong, Barna said, particularly in less-urban parts of the country.

"Stigma is still huge, huge here," she said. "A lot of people still associate HIV and AIDS as being a gay disease, which is not true at all. A lot of my straight men struggle because they don't want to be seen as homosexual."

Also, many of the people Barna helps were already at risk for infection because of other conditions.

"The issues that originally put them at risk for HIV infection have not been addressed," she said. "They're still struggling with mental health or substance abuse. They may be taking their medications and their HIV is stable, but they have other problems."

In addition, HIV/AIDS can have a severe financial impact on people, particularly if their infection was detected late and they've been incapacitated by it.

"People go on disability because they are too ill to work, but there's less and less out there for them," Barna said. "The government funding is drying up. It's hard to find affordable housing. There's no such thing as public transit here in Charlottesville. It's financially a huge challenge."

People with HIV/AIDS also come under additional stress from alienation and lack of affection, she said.

"It's hard on their families. It's hard on them," Barna said. "A lot of people feel they can't share their status with anyone. I have a lot of people who avoid physical intimacy, period, because they are afraid of disclosure. They are isolated and alone."

All of this adds to the tough medical struggle that HIV/AIDS patients face in dealing with their chronic illness.

"They might be physically stable enough, but they are still struggling emotionally, financially and psychologically," she said.

More information

A companion article offers more on AIDS research.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/aids/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111201/hl_hsn/despiteadvanceshivaidsstilltakesheavyemotionaltoll

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