via Deadspin.com – Very ballsy piece of reporting here

Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o, the stories said, played this season under a terrible burden. A Mormon linebacker who led his Catholic school’s football program back to glory, Te’o was whipsawed between personal tragedies along the way. In the span of six hours in September, as Sports Illustrated told it, Te’o learned first of the death of his grandmother, Annette Santiago, and then of the death of his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua.

Kekua, 22 years old, had been in a serious car accident in California, and then had been diagnosed with leukemia. SI‘s Pete Thamel described how Te’o would phone her in her hospital room and stay on the line with her as he slept through the night. “Her relatives told him that at her lowest points, as she fought to emerge from a coma, her breathing rate would increase at the sound of his voice,” Thamel wrote.

Upon receiving the news of the two deaths, Te’o went out and led the Fighting Irish to a 20-3 upset of Michigan State, racking up 12 tackles. It was heartbreaking and inspirational. Te’o would appear on ESPN’s College GameDay to talk about the letters Kekua had written him during her illness. He would send a heartfelt letter to the parents of a sick child, discussing his experience with disease and grief. The South Bend Tribune wrote an article describing the young couple’s fairytale meeting—she, a Stanford student; he, a Notre Dame star—after a football game outside Palo Alto.

Did you enjoy the uplifiting story, the tale of a man who responded to adversity by becoming one of the top players of the game? If so, stop reading.

Manti Te’o did lose his grandmother this past fall. Annette Santiago died on Sept. 11, 2012, at the age of 72, according to Social Security Administration records in Nexis. But there is no SSA record there of the death of Lennay Marie Kekua, that day or any other. Her passing, recounted so many times in the national media, produces no obituary or funeral announcement in Nexis, and no mention in the Stanford student newspaper.

CLICK HERE TO KEEP READING 

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQcnE5lnPxg 450 300]

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyS3CEIbpJo 450 300]

Comments »

 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLICATION 7277
Disarmament Series 5
Released September 1961

Office of Public Services
BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington 25, D.C. – Price 15 cents

INTRODUCTION

 

The revolutionary development of modern weapons within a world divided by serious ideological differences has produced a crisis in human history. In order to overcome the danger of nuclear war now confronting mankind, the United States has introduced at the Sixteenth General Assembly of the United Nations a Program for General and Complete Disarmament in a Peaceful World.

 

This new program provides for the progressive reduction of the war-making capabilities of nations and the simultaneous strengthening of international institutions to settle disputes and maintain the peace. It sets forth a series of comprehensive measures which can and should be taken in order to bring about a world in which there will be freedom from war and security for all states. It is based on three principles deemed essential to the achievement of practical progress in the disarmament field:

First, there must be immediate disarmament action:

A strenuous and uninterrupted effort must be made toward the goal of general and complete disarmament; at the same time, it is important that specific measures be put into effect as soon as possible.

Second, all disarmament obligations must be subject to effective international controls:

The control organization must have the manpower, facilities, and effectiveness to assure that limitations or reductions take place as agreed. It must also be able to certify to all states that retained forces and armaments do not exceed those permitted at any stage of the disarmament process.

Third, adequate peace-keeping machinery must be established:

There is an inseparable relationship between the scaling down of national armaments on the one hand and the building up of international peace-keeping machinery and institutions on the other. Nations are unlikely to shed their means of self-protection in the absence of alternative ways to safeguard their legitimate interests. This can only be achieved through the progressive strengthening of international institutions under the United Nations and by creating a United Nations Peace Force to enforce the peace as the disarmament process proceeds.

——–

There follows a summary of the principal provisions of the United States Program for General and Complete Disarmament in a Peaceful World. The full text of the program is contained in an appendix to this pamphlet.

FREEDOM FROM WAR

THE UNITED STATES PROGRAM
FOR GENERAL AND COMPLETE DISARMAMENT
IN A PEACEFUL WORLD

SUMMARY

DISARMAMENT GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

The over-all goal of the United States is a free, secure, and peaceful world of independent states adhering to common standards of justice and international conduct and subjecting the use of force to the rule of law; a world which has achieved general and complete disarmament under effective international control; and a world in which adjustment to change takes place in accordance with the principles of the United Nations. 

In order to make possible the achievement of that goal, the program sets forth the following specific objectives toward which nations should direct their efforts…”

Full Document

Download directly from the State Department 

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f8oWVZ3Qwg 450 300]

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZkZqRM4934 450 300]

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taU9d26wT4 450 300]

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq98TXxVWQA 450 300]

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvf7wVsAp60 450 300]

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZn-Pq38B_Y 450 300]

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W6b-voc-Ds 450 300]

 

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLzo9pOXa-s 450 300]

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84ptFVq22PY 450 300]

Comments »

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxXUwufCBug 450 300]

Comments »

Biden: “The families of Sandyhook elementary show great courage and we will do everything within our power to remember the lives of the 20 children who died.

I admire your strength and respect your faith. we have a moral obligation to reduce the occurrences of something like this happening again.

I have no illusion about what we are up against, but the world has changed and its demanding actions.

The president has asked me to put together a set of guidelines on how to best handle this situation.

I have spoken to 224 groups and the recommendations given to the president represent all parties involved with the discussions.

We must do what we can now and there is no one more committed than the president to solving this problem…”

President: ” Reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, but preventing gun violence should not be a divisive one.

We have heard from unexpected people. We starting getting letters from kids. Pretty smart letters from pretty smart young people.

(The president spoke of some of the messages relayed by the kids..)

“we should begin to strengthen our responsibilities to them. This is our first task of society…keeping children safe. Their voices should compel us to act.

This why we have come up with some measures to prevent gun violence and mass murders in this country.

In the past month 900 have died at the end of a gun.

I’m putting forward proposals to protect America.

I am putting the weight of this office behind the issue of reducing violence.

We will make it easier to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

Mental officers will have more reporting opportunities.

I will direct the CDC to discover why we have an epidemic of violence.

These are a few of the 23 executive actions I am presenting today.

To make this real congress must act.

It is time for congress to make it a law for universal background check for anyone buying a gun.

It is hard to enforce this law when 40% of all guns sales occur without a background check.

It is common sense for those wanting to purchase a gun, that they should show they are not a felon or a person who should be able to legally own a gun.

Second, congress should restore a ban on assault rifles and a limit to 10 round magazines.

These weapons are only for pumping out multiple bullets.

We should get tougher on people who buy guns and turns around to sell them to criminals.

We should put more cops back on the job and our streets.

I respect the second amendment and the people who favor gun ownership.

I believe most gun owners agree we can respect the second amendment while keeping guns out of the hands that destroy ownership for a few.

This will be difficult, there will be pundits and lobbyist to block any common sense reform.

The only way we can change is if their  audience says this time it must be different.

I and Joe will put everything behind this, but we will need the support of the American people.

We will need representative of every district.

If Americans of every background stand up and say “enough we have suffered too much,” then we can see change…

The most important changes we can make depend on congressional action.

Gather support and ask them if they support gun control measures. If they say no ask them have we not suffered enough.

We have long recognized, our founders have recognized, that with rights comes responsibilities.

The most fundamental set of rights were denied to students and citizens of in Virginia Tech, Newtown, Aurora, …those rights are a stake and we are responsible.

We most act now for those who have fallen victims to senseless violence every day.

Let’s do the right thing for them and the country we love so much.

Thank you.

I’m going to sign these orders….”

 

 

 

Comments »

U.S. equities opened lower on currency comments out of Japan and Europe. In addition to this we have had a lowering of growth estimates by the World Bank and the IMF.

The DOW has pared half its losses, all losses left to $BA for the moment, while the S&P has just ticked positive and the NASDAQ is positive due to upside in $AAPL.

WTI went from flat to up a buck on a surprise draw of crude supplies. Gold is currently trading down $4.4 paring half of its losses. Platinum continues to blast off on supply constraints out of Africa.

Europe has paired its losses to go positive with the exception of Russia and the U.K.

The president is getting ready to announce draconian executive orders on gun control following the great debacle that has fallen NY state with Cuomo’s sweeping legislation.

Market update

3 D heat map

 

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2W3aG8uizA 450 300]

Comments »

“Silver Lake Management LLC, the private-equity firm discussing a potential buyout of computer maker Dell Inc. (DELL), has raised more than $7 billion for its latest fund, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

The fund, which officially started gathering money in March, had raised $4.1 billion as of August, meaning Silver Lake won about $3 billion since then. Silver Lake Partners IV LP is seeking $7.5 billion, with the option of raising as much as $10 billion.

Silver Lake, the largest technology-focused private-equity manager, is among investors in talks with Dell about taking the company private, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg Newsthis week. A deal could require buyers to put together about $22 billion in debt and equity financing, the most for a leveraged buyout since 2007.

Gordon Goldstein, a spokesman for Menlo Park, California- based Silver Lake, declined to comment on the fund. The people with knowledge of the fundraising asked not to be named because the information is private….”

Full article

Comments »

WTI is up $0.96

“NEW YORK – The nation’s crude oil supplies decreased last week, the government said Wednesday.

Crude supplies fell by 1 million barrels, or 0.3 percent, to 360.3 million barrels, which is 8.8 percent above year-ago levels, the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report.

Analysts expected an increase of 2.5 million barrels for the week ended Jan. 11, according to Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.

Gasoline supplies grew by 1.9 million barrels, or 0.8 percent, to 235 million barrels. That’s 3.3 percent more than year-ago levels. Analysts expected gasoline supplies to rise by 3 million barrels.

Demand for gasoline over the four weeks ended Jan. 11 was 0.6 percent less than a year earlier, averaging 8.4 million barrels a day….”

Full article

Comments »

 

“Those four indicators are based on the performance of sectors that, prior to past market tops, either led or lagged the overall market. According to a study conducted by Ned Davis Research of returns over the last three months of each stock bull market in the U.S. since the early 1970s, two sectors stood out as usually leading the market: Consumer Discretionary and Consumer Staples.

Two other sectors, in contrast, typically lagged the market prior to those tops: Financials and Utilities.

The accompanying table, courtesy of FactSet, shows where we currently stand according to these four indicators.

	Performance over last three months
S&P 500 Index	2.24%
Sectors that typically lead the market prior to tops:
Consumer Discretionary	5.82%
Consumer Staples	0.44%
Sectors that typically lag the market prior to tops:
Financials	7.26%
Utilities	-2.70%

A mixed picture, to be sure.

However, in my opinion, too much should not be made of the two sectors whose recent performance appear to be inconsistent with an imminent top.

Consider first the Consumer Staples sector, which has lagged the S&P 500 indexSPX +0.02%  over the last three months. This is a sector that, prior to past market tops, has usually led the market.

It turns out, however, that its market-lagging performance over the last three months can be traced to the final weeks of 2012. Might it be that this sector was artificially depressed by anxiety induced by the fiscal-cliff negotiations? This certainly seems plausible, since the consumer sentiment surveys covering the latter weeks of 2012 showed a marked pullback in consumer confidence….”

Full article

Comments »

“Great, Facebook launched something called Graph Search. But how does it actually help you? From content discovery to finding a restaurant, from recruiting to dating to a trip down memory lane, here’s what you can do with Graph Search. First, check out this quick hands-on video intro above. Then let’s look at some questions Google, Yelp, and LinkedIn couldn’t answer but Graph Search can.

First things first, go to facebook.com/graphsearch and click the button at the bottom to sign up for beta (or begin using it if you already have access). Starting today, Facebook is rolling Graph Search out slowly, but more people should get it in the coming weeks and months. Signing up means you’ll get it sooner.

When you do gain access, you’ll see a notice at the top of your Facebook homepage to activate Graph Search and take a quick tour. Then you’re free to start searching for things like:

DATING…”

Full article

Comments »