NFL players raising awareness of famine, war and drought in East Africa

The NFL playoffs are about to start, but just recently players from rival squads came together to form their own team to tackle famine in East Africa. The players filmed a series of public service announcements to raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian relief effort in East Africa.

Earlier this year massive drought struck East Africa causing extreme food shortages, starvation and mass displacement. Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and other parts of the region were impacted. The natural disaster of drought came on top of ongoing conflict in the region.

Read the full article at Yahoo! Voices

[...]

Source: http://humanitariannews.org/20120101/nfl-players-raising-awareness-famine-war-drought-east-africa-1

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NEPatriotsDraft: Landry Jones isn't ready to be an NFL starter, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him come out early and be a top 40 pick. #Potential

Loader Landry Jones isn't ready to be an NFL starter, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him come out early and be a top 40 pick.

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How One Author Found Success With Digital Books (Mashable)

It's said that print is dead -- and not just newspapers or magazines, but maybe short stories too. After 20 years working in print, former Chicago magazine editor Dick Babcock found the perfect platform for his short story: Kindle Singles. Babcock's short story tops the best sellers list on Kindle Singles.

[More from Mashable: 2011?s Biggest Winners and Losers in Ecommerce]

The 5,000-word piece titled, "My Wife's Story," has sold 24,000 digital copies. It sells for $0.99 a copy -- not much money for most writers -- but it provides a place to publish works and the opportunity to build a brand.
Kindle Singles publishes short stories and journalism pieces with a minimum length of 5,000 words and a maximum of around 25,000 words. So far the platform has published 138 titles covering a variety of genres.

Kindle Singles' appeal: the stories are much less expensive than regular-sized ebooks. When the program was announced, writers and bloggers speculated that it could help new and unknown authors gain notoriety. Instead of many small works ending up in an anthology, Kindle Singles could give authors their own spotlight.

[More from Mashable: Amazon Wins, Netflix Loses in Holiday Satisfaction Study [VIDEO]]

Although small, the Singles store so far has shown to be a place for unknown, as well as famous, authors to publish short stories.

Writers can work with editors, or self publish their stories. Such stories often have a quick turn-around time from publishing to selling.

Babcock sat on his story for 20 years while he edited the magazine.

"I would wake up at 5 a.m. and write before going to work," he explained. He made a limited attempt to get the short story published and then forgot about it. That is, until he retired from the magazine earlier this year.

Kindle Singles have been able to showcase fiction and provide exposure and sales for authors, says Kindle Singles Editor David Blum.

"We've had great short stories from well-known novelists like Stephen King, Lee Child and Tom Rachman, as well as emerging authors like Matthew Ducker, a young MFA graduate from the University of Virginia -- and now Dick Babcock, in his return to fiction after a distinguished career in magazines. All have been among Kindle Singles' top-selling authors," Blum said in an email. "Most of our authors have been published before, but Kindle Singles has allowed many writers -- both in fiction and nonfiction -- to reach a wider audience of readers than ever before.?

Babcock enjoyed a successful career as a publisher and writer. He retired in April. Early in his career, he said, there were many more literary magazines with long stories, but not so much anymore. He said he saw major potential in online publishing of short stories, like the ones on Kindle Singles.

Babcock has published two novels and is working on a third, which he said, he would love to have published for the Kindle.

What do you think of Kindle Singles -- as either a reader or writer? Please tell us in the comments.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20111230/tc_mashable/how_one_author_found_success_with_digital_books

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Beyonce Knowles? birthing suite is being prepared in New York?

The ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ singer – who is expecting her first baby with husband Jay-Z – is thought to be at the nine month mark of her pregnancy and staff at St Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in the city, the same where Alicia Keys had her baby, are being prepared for her to give [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/beyonce-knowles-birthing-suite-is-being-prepared-in-new-york/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beyonce-knowles-birthing-suite-is-being-prepared-in-new-york

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Parade, festival mark the beginning of Kwanzaa

Story Created: Dec 26, 2011 PST

Story Updated: Dec 26, 2011 at 6:06 PM PST

Hundreds of people lined the parade route along Crenshaw Boulevard on Monday to mark the start of the seven-day African American festival of Kwanzaa.

The theme of the 35th annual Kwanzaa Gwaride Parade and Festival was "A New Paradigm," according to R.W. Akile for People of Color, which organizes the parade and festival.

Linda Jay, a community activist and author of the book "I Was There," was the Iyaba (queen) of the parade and filmmaker Walter Powell was the Oba (king).

A festival in Leimert Park followed the parade.

More activities are planned Monday evening, including a 6 p.m. celebration and candle lighting ceremony at the California African American Museum in Exposition Park, hosted by The Kwanzaa Ujima Collective.

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, now chair of Cal State Long Beach's Department of Africana Studies, in what he called "an audacious act of self-determination."

Kwanzaa's focus is the "Nguzo Saba," the Seven Principles ? unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

"The seven principles of Kwanzaa are values that we as Angelenos all hold dear," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.

President Barack Obama also sent well wishes to people celebrating Kwanzaa around the nation.

"We celebrate Kwanzaa at a time when many African Americans, and all Americans, reflect on our many blessings and memories over the past year and our aspirations for the year to come," Obama said in a prepared statement. "And even as there is much to be thankful for, we know that there are still many Americans going through enormous challenges and trying to make ends meet.

"But we also know that in the spirit of unity, or Umoja, we can overcome these challenges together."

During the week, a candelabrum called a Kinara is lit, and ears of corn representing each child in the family are placed on a traditional straw mat.

African foods such as millet, spiced pepper balls and rice are often served. Some people fast during the holiday, and a feast is often held on its final night.

A flag with three bars ? red for the struggle for freedom, black for unity and green for the future ? is sometimes displayed during the holiday.

Kwanzaa is based on the theory of Kawaida, which espouses that social revolutionary change for black America can be achieved by exposing blacks to their cultural heritage.

"The celebration of the 45th anniversary of Kwanzaa is a significant marker and milestone in itself, not only because of what it says about the expansive message and enduring meaning that Kwanzaa has for millions throughout the world African community, but also because of what it says about us as a people," Karenga wrote in his annual founder's message.

"For it speaks to our profound commitment to self-determination, to cultural reaffirmation and the celebration of ourselves; to our right and responsibility to speak our own special cultural truth in a multicultural world and to the practice and promotion of Kwanzaa's core principles, the Nguzo Saba, the Seven Principles, the hub and hinge on which the holiday turns."

A poll commissioned by the National Retail Federation and conducted by BIGresearch Oct. 4-11 found that 2 percent of the 8,585 adults surveyed said they would celebrate Kwanzaa, compared to 90.5 percent for Christmas and 5.4 percent for Hanukkah.

Source: http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/west-edition/Kwanzaa-parade-set-for-Crenshaw-Boulevard-136218948.html

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Alibaba hires U.S. lobbying firm as it eyes Yahoo (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Alibaba Group has hired a Washington lobbying firm in a sign that the Chinese e-commerce company would be willing to make a bid for all of Yahoo Inc in the event that talks to unwind their Asian partnership fail.

Japan's Softbank Corp, which owns a 30 percent stake in Alibaba and is a partner in Yahoo Japan, is also listed as an Alibaba affiliate in the disclosure by the lobbying firm, Duberstein Group Inc.

Alibaba Group's founder, Jack Ma, said in September he was keen to buy all of Yahoo if the opportunity presented itself.

Hiring a Washington lobbying firm could help Alibaba address any U.S. political opposition to a complete takeover of Yahoo by a company from a country that controls and censors the Internet.

Chinese companies, such as telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co, have run into opposition when they have tried to buy U.S. assets over the years.

"The national security concern is sometimes just an excuse for commercial concerns for any country, but certainly for the United States," said Mark Natkin, managing director of Beijing-based consultancy Marbridge Consulting. "I don't think there should be a big concern (for Alibaba buying Yahoo). Users may share or keep as much data as they like.

"If they subscribe to Yahoo and (they know) Yahoo is owned by a Chinese company, they are going to have to make the decision themselves," Natkin added.

Alibaba, Softbank and Yahoo have been looking to unwind their complex web of relationships. Alibaba retained Duberstein in the fall when it was discussing a proposal with private equity firms to carve up Yahoo, a source familiar with the situation said.

While they would jointly make a bid for the whole company, the idea was for the buyout firms to take over Yahoo's U.S. operations and for Alibaba and Softbank to get the Asian assets.

But a buyout of Yahoo has now been put on the backburner as the U.S. Internet company is considering a proposal to address just the Asian assets that Alibaba and Softbank want. That plan, valued at roughly $17 billion, would reduce Yahoo's 40 percent stake in Alibaba and get Yahoo out of Yahoo Japan, sources told Reuters last week.

Yahoo is exploring proposals to revamp its business in the face of competition from Internet heavyweights such as Google Inc and Facebook.

Investors have long said Yahoo's investment in Alibaba, along with its 35 percent slice of Yahoo Japan, are far and away the U.S. company's most prized assets. Yahoo has a market value of around $20 billion.

Earlier in December, Thomson Reuters publication Basis Point reported that a handful of lenders are considering committing to a $4 billion loan for Alibaba that will help it buy back part of the 40 percent stake that Yahoo owns in the company.

LOBBYING FIRM

The filing marks the first time Alibaba has registered to lobby the U.S. government, according to a search of congressional records.

The Duberstein Group is headed by Kenneth Duberstein, a former White House chief of staff under U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Its other clients include BP America Inc, Goldman Sachs & Co and Pfizer Inc.

The lobbying registration lists the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which specializes in mergers and acquisitions, as an intermediary between Alibaba and the company's lobbying team.

The registration was received by a U.S. Senate office on Dec 23 and then posted online, but the lobbying work likely began earlier.

Under U.S. law, a lobbying firm is required to file a public disclosure within 45 days of crossing certain thresholds such as making contact with a public official. The filing for Alibaba says it is effective as of December 1.

Messages left with the Duberstein Group and Wachtell were not immediately returned on Wednesday.

(Reporting by David Ingram in Washington and Paritosh Bansal in New York, and Melanie Lee in Shanghai; Editing by Richard Chang, Steve Orlofsky and Matt Driskill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111229/wr_nm/us_yahoo_alibaba

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Christmas with Canadian Troops and Civilians Abroad

(December 25, 2011 - Ottawa, Ontario) His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, visited from December 22 to 25, 2011, Canadian troops and civilians deployed in Italy and Afghanistan. His Excellency was joined by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, and General Walt Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff.

"It was a privilege to extend my heartfelt gratitude and support to the Canadian men and women in uniform, and the many diplomats, aid specialists and police officers deployed abroad, who are committed to making parts of the world a safer and better place. The sacrifice of troops and civilians who are away from their families and friends at this time of the year is tremendous and I wish them the best of luck in the completion of their missions," said His Excellency.

Summary of activities during the visit

Upon his arrival in Rome, the Governor General visited the HMCS Vancouver, where he met with troops and thanked them for patrolling off the Libyan coast and for successfully contributing to the NATO mission in this region, which led to the liberation of Libya in October 2011.

Following the State funeral of V?clav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, in Prague, His Excellency then proceeded to Kabul, where he met with Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, to discuss Canada?s new engagement strategy in Afghanistan and to recognize Canada?s significant investments, but as well as its losses in the country to date. His Excellency also met with Dr. Omar Zakhilwal, minister of Finance, Mr. Farooq Wardak, minister of Education, and Dr. Suraya Dalil, acting minister of Public Health, to discuss Afghanistan?s future. Furthermore, he had an opportunity to celebrate Christmas with a diverse array of Canadians making contributions in Afghanistan.?

Later on, His Excellency visited the Armed Forces Academy of Medical Sciences and engaged with Canadian Forces medical personnel who are mentoring Afghan medical staff. The Governor General concluded his trip to Afghanistan with a meet and greet with troops at Camp Alamo, Camp Black Horse and Canada House where he attended a Christmas concert put on by Canadian performers.

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Media information:

Marie-?ve L?tourneau
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-998-0287
613-302-0912 (cell.)
marie-eve.letourneau@gg.ca

Source: http://www.afghanistan.gc.ca/canada-afghanistan/news-nouvelles/2011/2011_12_25.aspx?lang=eng

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ubermoe: Twitter Question: if you are going to follow a website's news, would subscribe by E-mail, RSS Feed (ex: Google Reader) or just bookmark it?

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Pitino: Plans to quit when contract ends in 2017 (AP)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. ? Rick Pitino said Tuesday that he won't coach past the 2016-2017 season when his current contract ends at Louisville.

"When you're 59, you're realistic that you don't have a whole lot of years left," Pitino said at a news conference before the No. 4 Cardinals play Georgetown on Wednesday. "My contract's going to run out in 2017. I'm not coaching any more after that."

The former Providence and Kentucky coach has guided the Cardinals to a 12-0 record so far this season.

Louisville's Athletic Association granted Pitino, the only men's coach to lead three different programs to the Final Four, a four-year contract extension in August. He'll make $3 million in base salary until the end of the 2013 season, followed by $3.9 million a year.

Pitino didn't use the word 'retire,' but has said in the past that Louisville would be his last coaching stop. He's 253-96 in his 11th season at Louisville, which reached the Final Four in 2005.

The Cardinals will host the Hoyas in their Big East Conference opener before traveling to face rival and No. 3 Kentucky on Saturday.

Pitino said Louisville hasn't started preparing for Kentucky.

"One thing I've learned to do with my age, I really don't look ahead," said Pitino, who went 219-50 in eight seasons at Kentucky and won the 1996 national championship. "For years, I've been preaching the precious present and having to always subscribe to it."

Senior guard Chris Smith echoed his coach.

"We haven't talked about Kentucky one time yet, and we're going to keep it like that until we come out with a W tomorrow," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_louisville_pitino

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