The cause of a Dow Chemical plant fire in the Pennsylvania town of Bristol is being blamed on lightning, according to local reports. At least one death was reported in connection with the fire.

Robert Miller, a resident of Brisol who lives four blocks from the plant, said he heard thunder or an explosion in the early morning hours on Wednesday. After that, “the fire alarm went off immediately. The sirens went off like crazy—like I’ve never heard them before,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The newspaper reported that a “large orange ball of flame” was sent into the sky as a result of the chemical plant fire.

Officials said Fire Police Capt. Dave Wintz responded to the fire and fell ill, later being taken home. He was later sent to the hospital and was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest, ABC-6 reported.

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A tractor-trailer hauling Chobani Yogurt crashed in upstate New York, spilling 18 tons of the creamy substance onto the highway. Crews were still cleaning the site as of Tuesday morning, according to reports.

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office told WBNG-TV that the trailer flipped onto its side in Chenango, located just north of Binghampton, while it was making a turn on Monday night. The yogurt spilled onto the shoulder of the road and down the hillside.

The driver, 24-year-old Oleksandr Brychka of Lincoln, Neb., was not injured in the incident. He was given a ticket for failing to reduce the trailer’s speed and for improper lane use.

Police said Brychka got on the ramp of Interstate 88 (I-88) too fast and when the trailer rounded a curve, it slid over the embankment.

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

Philadelphia’s Islamic community is offering a $20,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of men dressed as Muslim women who robbed several banks and committed a homicide, local media reports said.

“Philadelphia is a unique city in that Islam is not new here,” a public relations official with the United Muslim Masjid told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s up to us to set the tone for how this is addressed.”

Over the past five months, there have been five bank robberies committed by men wearing traditional Muslim garb that covers the head and face.

A week ago, a suspect dressed in the clothes shot and killed a man at a Philadelphia barber shop, the newspaper said.

Shumlin, 56, said he was attempting to fend off the bears eating from bird-feeders before they turned on him, and he was forced to run back into his home, the Burlington Free Press reported.

“I hear something banging on the porch, and I’ve just fallen asleep, and I look out at this tree … and there are four bears on my bird feeders,” he said, according to the Valley News.

Shumlin said he got out of bed, was barefoot, and embarked on shooing the bears away from his feeders.

He was initially successful in scaring them off but “they kept coming back” before he went out and grabbed two of the bird-feeders and ran back.

“When I opened the door, he was on the porch and five feet from the door,” Shumlin was quoted by the publication as saying. “I screamed through that door. I didn’t know if the bear was coming through.”

Malloy had previously said that if it were passed in the Legislature, he would sign the bill, making Connecticut the 16th state (plus the District of Columbia) to ban the death penalty.

“For decades, we have not had a workable death penalty. Only one person’s been executed in Connecticut in the last 52 years, and he volunteered for it,” Malloy said in a statement late on Wednesday night, after the legislation had been passed in the state House of Representatives.

The death penalty will still be meted out to the 11 men who are currently on death row, with the punishment to be abolished for future offenders, reported the Hartford Courant.

“There are many that believe by creating a law that allows us to take a life in exchange for a heinous act of murder … is somehow protecting society and protecting ourselves,” House Majority Leader Brendan Sharkey was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Gov. Daniel Malloy had previously said that he will sign the bill, which will make the state the next to abolish capital punishment. Illinois got rid of the death penalty last year.

“Connecticut’s criminal justice system has taken a historic step forward. In a system of justice that is [not] perfect, we must not employ a penalty that requires perfection,” Senate President Donald E. Williams said in a statement. “The punishment of life in prison without the possibility of release makes more sense.”

Other than Illinois, in the past five years New York, New Mexico, and New Jersey are the only states to abolish the death penalty.

In the past 10 years, the number of people sentenced to death in the United States has declined significantly. In 1999, there were 98 executions, with only 37 in 2008; however, the number rose to 46 executions in 2010 and 43 in 2011.

SAT preparation books are seen in this file photo. Students taking the college entrance exams will now have to submit photos of themselves with their applications when they sign up in advance, among other security changes. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The testing scandal on Long Island involving possibly dozens of high school students has prompted security changes for students seeking to take the SAT exams, testing company College Board announced on Tuesday.

The new security changes by testing companies are in response to pressure from Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen M. Rice, lead investigator of the SAT cheating scheme in Long Island.

“These reforms close a gaping hole in standardized test security that allowed students to cheat and steal admissions offers and scholarship money from kids who played by the rules,” Rice said on Tuesday.

Rice’s office said that more than 50 students misrepresented themselves in the testing scheme, leading to the arrest of 20 Nassau county teenagers. Some teens allegedly hired other people for as much as $3,500 to take tests for them. All 20 have pleaded not guilty on the charges.

Students taking the college entrance exams will now have to submit photos of themselves with their applications when they sign up in advance, among other security changes.

The photos can be taken via phone, webcam, or through other means and will be checked when the students present a photo ID at the testing facility. The rules will also apply to the ACT exams.

A copy of the photo will then be printed on the admission ticket that is later mailed to each student and will appear on the roster sheet at the testing site. In the past, students were only forced to show up with identification when they arrive for the tests.

Rice said previously that SAT exam security was problematic and provided the Long Island teenagers with gaps to exploit. According to a report from The New York Times, one of the male students posed as a female several times and even showed identification to take the SAT.

According to the College Board, at least 3 million students took the SAT around the world and another 1.6 million took the ACT in 2011.

“Millions of college-bound students who take the SAT and ACT each year should have renewed confidence that honest applicants will not take a backseat to cheaters, and that those who cheat will be caught,” Rice stated, referring to the new security changes.

Other security improvements include prompting students to identify their high school during the SAT registration process, eliminating standby testing without complete registration, and supervisors will check the identification of students “more frequently” at test centers, Rice’s office said.

Testing companies will also be allowed to conduct immediate checks at random locations where cheating is suspected. The testing supervisors will get more training to help identify cheaters, while high school and college officials will get information on how to report suspected cheaters.

A man accused of shooting and killing four people in Boston during a drug robbery was acquitted by a jury on Thursday, media reports said.

Edward Washington, the jury said, is not guilty on four counts of murder or all other charges against him, the Boston Herald reported.

Some of the victims’ loved ones shouted out as the verdict was read and some were escorted out of the courtroom by officers.

“No justice! No peace!” said Anez Smith, the grandmother of a 2-year-old victim who was shot in the incident, according to the newspaper. “We ain’t got justice. Amani ain’t gonna die in vain.”

A fire in a Boston utility facility late Tuesday left as many as 20,000 business and residential customers without power throughout Wednesday, according to utility provider NSTAR.

The utility company said that it would restore power to all the customers by the end of Wednesday.

“Then they said, ‘It’s an evacuation. Take your drink and go,” said Vicki Johnson, a visitor staying at the Hilton near the station that burned down, according to the Boston Herald. “It’s the most exciting glass of wine I ever had.”

“It’s a real testament to the residents that it didn’t happen,” Davis told the Globe. “We are very happy with the way things have gone so far … Even the driving has been respectful.”

Trenton, the capital of New Jersey, is running out of toilet paper while Mayor Tony Mack’s office battles the City Council to resupply government buildings, according to the Times of Trenton.

Supplies have almost run out in some buildings while some are completely empty, reports the New Jersey Star-Ledger. State officials have said that they might intervene if the dispute isn’t resolved, threatening to close down some buildings.

City Council president Kathy McBride said, “I’m embarrassed. I’m a little disgusted, and I feel we’re doing an injustice to the residents of the city and the employees,” according to the newspaper.

The council has rejected the $42,000 resupplying contract for a year-long supply of paper products, which includes toilet paper, for the city. The council has been deadlocked over $4,000 for paper cups, reported ABC-6.

A University of Maryland student was charged on Monday with threatening to go on a shooting spree on the campus.

Alexander Song, a 19-year-old student who graduated high school as one of the top academic performers, was arrested and charged with making threats, reported the Baltimore Sun.

Song posted comments on the Internet on Saturday, including: “I will be on a shooting rampage tomorrow on campus, hopefully I kill enough people to make it to national news,” as well as “Stay away from the Mall tomorrow at 1:30,” according to the Sun. When police arrested him, he was unarmed.

Authorities withheld the identification of the website where he posted the comments.

The hearse carrying the body of Whitney Houston arrives at the Fairview Cemetery on Feb. 19 in Westfield, N.J. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

Whitney Houston was laid to rest in a private funeral ceremony on Feb. 19 in New Jersey for invited friends and family as crowds of fans gathered outside the service.

Houston, who was gifted with a powerful voice and rose to superstardom in the 1980s and early 1990s, died in a hotel in Beverly Hills last week, causing reverberations throughout the music industry. Her body was found underwater in a bathtub. The cause of death has not been made pubic.

A funeral procession carried Houston’s body from a funeral home in her hometown of Newark to the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Westfield. Several thousand people gathered to watch the procession.

On Saturday, a star-studded funeral was held at New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston sang in the choir as a child, and combined gospel music with stories about the pop singer’s life. Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, and Houston’s cousin Dionne Warwick performed her songs at the event.

Actor Kevin Costner, who starred with Houston in the movie “The Bodyguard,” delivered a moving eulogy to his late friend.

“I was your pretend bodyguard once, not so long ago, and now you’re gone too soon leaving us with memories,” he said. “Memories of a little girl who stepped bravely in front of this church, in front of the ones that loved you first, in front of the ones who loved you best, and loved you the longest.”

Costner said, “Whitney returns home today to the place where it all began and I urge us all, inside and outside, across the nation and around the world to dry our tears, suspend our sorrow and perhaps our anger just long enough, just long enough to remember the sweet miracle of Whitney.”

Actor-director Tyler Perry said that Houston was always carried by grace.

“This same grace led her all the way to the top of the charts, sold all of these albums, and just done some amazing things, won all these awards. She sang for presidents. And there was a grace that kept on carrying her, and that’s one thing I know,” he said.

A large number of common dolphins have beached themselves on the shores of Cape Cod in Massachusetts in recent days, with aid workers struggling to come up with reasons why the phenomenon is occurring.

At least 100 have died after beaching themselves over the past month, according to Public Radio International. Some scientists have said it is the largest single species beaching in recorded history.

According to the Cape Cod Times, at least 160 dolphins have been reported beached since Jan. 12, with only 40 being released back into the ocean.

“We know that we’ve had mass-strandings here on the Cape for hundreds of years, predating the industrialized ocean that we’ve created in terms of noise and things like that,” Katie Moore, the director of the rescue operation, told Radio Boston. “But this is an outrageous number of animals to be coming in.”

Rescuers on Cape Cod have managed to save dozens of dolphins from certain death, according to the station.

Falun Gong practitioners participated in the parade from 2001 to 2008. They are pictured in 2006 doing a dragon dance--a favorite crowd-pleaser at public Chinese events. (The Epoch Times)

WASHINGTON—The Chinese New Year parade this year was a much larger affair than in years past, boosted by prominent corporate sponsorships and a high-powered advertising firm. Everything about it cried the watchwords of the District: inclusiveness, pluralism, and all that other good stuff that bonds communities. Except the organizers had a strange tic: by hook or by crook, they would not let practitioners of Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual group, join in the fun. Ultimately, this can be traced back to the animus in which practitioners are held by the Chinese Communist Party and its embassies around the world, according to Falun Gong practitioners and observers.

D.C.-based practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that is based on five meditative exercises and teaches the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, participated in the parade from 2001 to 2008. In 2009 and 2010, the group did not apply to participate. In 2011 they applied, but were rejected because their application came late, according to Sen Nieh, a professor of engineering at the Catholic University of America, a practitioner of Falun Gong, and a spokesperson for the group.

Three Falun Gong representatives attended: Kitty Wang, Sen Nieh, and Jianmei Yu, who is also the president of the D.C. branch of New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD), a New York-based Chinese television station that prides itself on being independent of communist China’s media control.

Yu described her recollection of the meeting in an email, written in Chinese. First, Nieh stood up and announced that Falun Gong this year wishes to participate in the parade--would that be OK? He said they would do it as in previous years, from 2001 to 2008: with a dragon dance, a float, and as in the past they would be happy to supply volunteers to help out, and bring a balloon arch. Every year they had previously participated, they had been welcomed—they brought free manpower and balloons, after all. 

The former chairman of the CCBA and current chairman of the parade Committee, Hon-Yuen Wong, who by day runs a medical clinic in Rockville, stood up and said “No way, we’ve already discussed this in a meeting, your application has been denied,” according to Jianmei Yu’s recollection of the meeting. Dr. Hon-Yuen Wong did not answer multiple calls to his cell phone or multiple emails.

Some attendees at the CCBA meeting who supported Falun Gong said that since Falun Gong practitioners have participated for many years already, and also do volunteer work, just let them participate. Someone else said that Falun Gong would display political signs. Nieh responded that they have never done so in the past, and offered to show photos of previous years’ parade entries. Yu then produced her iPad and attempted to show photographs, but meeting participants did not appear inclined to examine them, according to her email.

Yu then said to Wong: Do you have a reason for vetoing our participation? He responded: “No reason.” Yu asked how there could really be no reason. He exclaimed again that there was no reason, and that “We simply do not want you to participate,” adding that “this is our private event,” according to Yu’s written recollection.

It was an unusual about face for Wong, who in 2005 gave Nieh an award for Falun Gong’s “earnestly serving the community” (referring, in part, to their supplying manpower to help the parade.)

Another meeting participant called out that perhaps something other than the Falun Gong name be used to apply. Yu and her colleagues suggested that they could use the name of the Minghui School, or New Tang Dynasty Television, both of which have on their staff people who practice Falun Gong. Wong said “No way, they’re Falun Gong all the same!” according to Yu’s notes. 

Yu on Jan. 13 then had New Tang Dynasty’s lawyer in DC, Robert Goldman, apply on NTD’s behalf. He received a curt response thanking him for his interest and noting that the application had been denied. Goldman’s email back urging that CCBA articulate a reason for denial, and reconsider the decision, did not receive a response.

The next stop was to Debi Gasper, the CEO of The Ad Agency, a sophisticated firm that is handling public relations and marketing for the parade this year--and trying to make it “more like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and become THE event in DC,” according to the company’s blog.

Yu bumped into Gasper on Jan. 17, explained what Falun Gong was, and described how their application to enter the parade had been rejected. Gasper appeared sympathetic and eager to resolve the matter, according to Yu. She sent their application to Gasper, noting that NTD may also consider sponsoring the parade. On Jan. 19, not having heard back, Yu called Gasper to follow-up; Gasper asked her to send the application again. The following day she asked Yu what level of sponsorship they were interested in. On Jan. 22 Yu said they could be a basic sponsor by donating $500, but would expect to be allowed to participate. Gasper did not respond to that note, according to Yu.

When contacted by The Epoch Times, Gasper said she knew nothing about the case. After first establishing a time at which to discuss the reasons for the exclusion, she later said she would have to find someone else who could respond to questions, and would immediately call back. She did not call back, and failed to respond to multiple calls and emails.

By Jan. 25, the Wednesday before the parade, Sen Nieh, Angela Lee, Donna Ware, and Jianmei Yu had a meeting with Stephen Glaudet, director of the Mayor’s office of community affairs. The Falun Gong group laid out their case. Glaudet made a string of phone calls: to Julie Koo, the Director of the Mayor’s office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, who worked with the CCBA on the parade; the Mayor’s Office of Human Rights; and Gasper, the CCBA’s public relations representative. 

The upshot was a concession that the CCBA would allow Falun Gong to participate if they did not include “political signs” and did not identify themselves as Falun Gong. The four practitioners said they could accept those conditions (they had already agreed to the first at the CCBA meeting, and maintain, contrary to the accusations, they had never used the parade for political activities before anyway). 

The four practitioners left the meeting with the understanding that a compromise had been reached. Donna Ware later confirmed this with Glaudet on Thursday night; he said he had sent a staffer to the CCBA meeting on Thursday and that Falun Gong could participate according to those conditions.

But at 4pm on Friday Yu got an email from The Ad Agency saying that the group was too late in applying, and that they should try again next year. The CCBA had apparently gone back on its agreement brokered through Glaudet.

Glaudet, when reached on his cell phone, suggested that there may have been a misunderstanding: that the concession by the CCBA at the Jan. 25 meeting was that individual Falun Gong practitioners could participate in the parade, without any identifying insignia that they represented Falun Gong, but that no Falun Gong group could participate. 

The parade entry submitted by Falun Gong was a dragon dance, where participants would wear yellow silk clothing; that entry was denied. Another group, in yellow, with a dragon, was allowed to participate—their photograph appeared on the front page of the Washington Post on the following day. Did this equal discrimination? Glaudet was asked. He wasn’t sure. He offered that the difference was that “one had an approved application, and one didn’t. 

“It’s not my place to draw the line on where discrimination is,” he said.

Julie Koo, the Director of the Mayor’s office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, liaised with the CCBA on behalf of the DC government to facilitate the parade. She attended the Jan. 8 CCBA meeting, but said she could not remember the discussion between the Falun Gong participants and Wong. She said she understood that CCBA decided by an internal vote to deny Falun Gong’s application, but said she did not know the reason for that denial, and would not offer an evaluation of it. “It was CCBA’s decision and we are not getting involved in that decision… this is CCBA’s meeting and CCBA’s parade; if they need support, we provide it,” she said in a telephone interview.

Hon-Yuen Wong, now head of the DC Chinese New Year parade committee, in 2005 presented an award to Sen Nieh, a professor and practitioner of Falun Gong, for “earnestly serving the community.” Nieh says that Falun Gong hasn't changed, but that some members of the community have been influenced by the Chinese Embassy. (The Epoch Times)

It is unclear what role, if any, the Chinese Embassy had in influencing the CCBA’s decision. Since 1999 the Chinese Communist Party has persecuted Falun Gong in China, and wages war against it overseas through its diplomatic outposts, frequently using community groups as proxies. 

Recently a Chinese New Year parade in New York also made a point of keeping Falun Gong practitioners out, allegedly at the behest of the Chinese consulate there, according to the Associated Press. “It’s the communist government behind it and it’s persecution,” New York practitioner Lucy Zhou said to AP. “But we’re part of the Chinese community here, and we should not be denied,” she said.

According to Jiankuo Chang, a council member at the D.C. CCBA and the head of the Taiwanese Association of Workers and Students, a community group, the Chinese Embassy has been making inroads into influencing some of the members of the CCBA in D.C. in recent years.

“I think they tried to do it this way because, you know, the Chinese government are against the Falun Gong, and they don’t like to see them in public at all… That’s what I think,” he said in a telephone interview.

It was a contrast to previous years, according to Chang. “I introduced Falun Gong to them, and they were willing to help a lot, decorate the street, put balloons up. Every time they needed help they’d call them [Falun Gong practitioners],” he said in a telephone interview. “More and more, some people inside there [the CCBA] got eventually influenced by the People’s Republic of China, and they eventually started to refuse to let them join.”

According to Nieh, the engineering professor and Falun Gong spokesperson, the parade had appreciated their presence in all previous years, because they were short of manpower, and the practitioners were happy to help out. “Our Falun Gong group did not change—we always wanted to celebrate the lunar New Year with the community. We never displayed political banners, and we never got political. But something changed, either the CCBA as a group, or leaders at CCBA—they changed. They got political, and incorrectly described us,” he said in a telephone interview.

“Everywhere we go people in the community welcome us. My personal experience is that everybody treats us well or neutrally, but when anybody treats us negatively it’s because they’re somehow influenced by the Communist Party or misled by the propaganda—because our group is good,” he said.

The CCBA office did not return multiple phone calls or emails. Wong, head of the parade organizing committee, also did not respond to multiple voice mails and emails. The parade’s public relations firm, The Ad Agency, or its CEO, Debi Gasper, had not responded to questions by press time.

Glaudet said that his office was not aware of any other group being excluded from the Chinese New Year parade, or any other parade in the district. He said that his office was primarily concerned that some process had been followed, that the CCBA had some procedure in place, like a vote, by which they denied Falun Gong’s entry—that the decision was not simply arbitrary.

But it was, actually, fairly rough, according to Chang, who is part of the CCBA council. “They just didn’t give them any chance at all. They even tried to tell them, get out, we have a meeting now,” he said. “It’s really not right, you know.”

The police chief of East Haven, Conn., said Monday he will retire as the police department is dealing with a racial profiling scandal that led to the arrests of four other officers, according to media reports.

Police Chief Leonard Gallo will resign on Feb. 3, said Mayor Joseph Maturo in a press conference, reported CNN.

Gallo’s departure “provides a unique opportunity for the department to move forward with new leadership,” Maturo said, praising the police chief as “an unwavering supporter of the town of East Haven.”

Four officers in the police department were arrested and were charged with profiling, conspiring to injure, intimidate, threaten, and oppress Latinos living in East Haven. Gallo was not charged with any crimes.

His lawyer, Johnathan Einhorn, told the New York Times that Gallo is not retiring due to pressure.

Four Connecticut police officers were arrested Tuesday by the FBI, which claims the men assaulted illegal immigrants and created false reports to try and cover up abuses.

The East Haven officers unlawfully searched businesses owned by Latinos, assaulted people while they were handcuffed, threatened and harassed people, including witnesses, and committed other offenses, according to a federal indictment.

“Today’s indictment should serve as a powerful message that we in the Department of Justice will not tolerate the abuse of power or victimization of civilians by anyone in law enforcement,” stated David B. Fein, the U.S Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

The FBI began investigating the four officers in 2009 and found a pattern of abuse.

A barn fire in rural northern New Jersey killed 22 show horses on Saturday, according to local media reports.

“It is a big loss,” Heritage Acres Farm owner Arthur Hahn told the New Jersey Herald. “That was my livelihood.” Heritage Acres is located around 55 miles northwest of New York City.

The farm had a total of 26 horses; 10 belonging to Hahn. The four horses that were not killed were kept in another barn, according to the Herald.

Police investigators say that the fire was caused by an electrical problem and there is no evidence of foul play, according to the Herald.

“I would rather had my house burned down,” Hahn told the New York Times. “The house we could have got out. The barn, the horses couldn’t get out, especially at night.”

Hahn, 77, said he ran the horse farm with his wife for the past 40 years. Some of the horses, he told the Times, were worth between $5,000 and $60,000 each.

Around 60 dolphins have been stranded along 25 miles of Cape Cod’s coastline in Massachusetts since last Thursday, raising concern among animal welfare experts.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said in a statement that it was able to rescue 19 of the dolphins, including a pregnant mother and calf. Only 27 of the group were still alive, the organization said.

“No one knows for sure why animals strand, but mass strandings of whales and dolphins have happened on Cape Cod for hundreds of years,” stated Katie Moore, manager of IFAW’s marine mammal rescue and research.

She added that dolphins and other “animals may become disoriented and trapped by the complex inlets” of the Cape, while “dolphins are also very social animals and stick together for better or worse.”

A leak of carbon monoxide made at least 42 students at the Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island sick, forcing them to receive hospital treatment.

The incident occurred early on Monday morning and by midday, all the affected students were released from the hospital, reported NBC-4 in New York.

Officials said that a water heater in the basement of the academy, which is located on Kings Point, was discovered to have caused the carbon monoxide leak shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday night, according to the station.

As an odorless and colorless gas, carbon monoxide can leak from appliances, engines, stoves, and other heating sources. When exposed to the gas in tight, enclosed spaces, people and animals can be poisoned by inhaling it, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Cuomo gives his State of the State Address, titled "Building a New NY… with you." (Courtesy of Gov. Cuomo's Office)

NEW YORK—Andrew Cuomo listed his accomplishments as governor during his second State of the State address on Wednesday at the Empire State Convention Center in Albany.

This time last year, newly-elected Cuomo faced a $10 billion deficit, now reduced to $2 billion. He halted annual property tax increases that rose at what he calls an unsustainable rate of 6–8 percent. He eliminated 3,800 prison beds, enacted the toughest rent regulation laws in 20 years, eliminated the MTA payroll tax, passed the budget on time, and says he proved Albany is no longer dysfunctional.

Of course, not everyone views all of these accomplishments as successes. For example, transportation advocates decried his cut to the MTA payroll tax last month. Although it saves small businesses money, they say the tax is needed to keep transit going and the deteriorating system will hurt business in the long run.

Among his other detractors were a group of protesters outside the room calling on the governor to ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Cuomo did not mention in his address the controversial method of obtaining natural gas from shale, which could move ahead early this year following a public comment period.

“We disregarded political extremists” on both ends of the spectrum, said Cuomo. “By the end of the year, I really believe we put our politics aside. … We were New Yorkers first and we acted that way.”

He often found himself between business interests and activist outcries in his first year as governor.

Fracking opponents criticized Cuomo for not banning the practice outright, saying he put business interests first. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer commended the governor, however, for holding so many public hearings and repeatedly extending the public comment period on the subject, saying it shows the value he places on voter opinion.

Occupy Wall Street activists labeled Cuomo as being for the “1 percent” when he stood against renewing the millionaire’s tax. Cuomo supported it at the federal level, but opposed it at the state level, saying the wealthy would simply move to a lower-tax state. He budged, however, when he renewed the tax last month, albeit with some adjustments.

Gov.’s Plan for 2012

The governor plans to close tax loopholes by appointing a tax reform and fairness commission. He will also appoint a bipartisan education commission to come up with a blue print, emphasizing that this blue print must be completed “this year!”

The governor said that the teacher evaluation system is particularly lacking, though he did not elaborate on what might replace it. New York spends more on education than any other state, said Cuomo, though it ranks 38th in graduation rate.

Developing infrastructure and building convention centers

The governor continued with other dismal stats: 32 percent of New York’s bridges are rated deficient, 40 percent of roads are fair or poor, and 83 percent of dams are in disrepair. Cuomo promises to build a new Tappan Zee Bridge, repair 2,000 miles of roads, 100 bridges, create 114 flood control projects, and invest in parks.

Cuomo plans to attract $2 billion in private investments to expand New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center he said, plus another $4 billion on other convention center construction. He said these centers are economic centers and New York has fallen far behind other states in this regard.

City Council members discussed the need for another convention center in New York City last year, with their eye on the Willets Point development as a possible location.

Cuomo will join together several agencies, including the MTA, the Port Authority, and the Department of Transportation to work more closely on capital development projects. He noted that as it is, these agencies work according to their own agendas.

Legalizing Gambling

Cuomo called for the legalization of casino gambling in the state.

“We are living in a state of denial,” said Cuomo. He said it is not a question of having gaming or not.
“We have gaming. … We have tribal casinos all across the state, we have racinos all across the state. … We don’t recognize it, we don’t regulate it, [and] we don’t capitalize on it.”

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At least five people, including a family of four, died in a small plane crash on Interstate 287 in New Jersey on Tuesday, local media have reported.

Witnesses told the North Jersey Media Group that the small aircraft was smoking and sputtering before it crashed on the grassy median of the interstate. The pilot appeared to have maneuvered the plane away from a residential area.

“He did what he could,” Sue Bhende told North Jersey Media Group. “The fact he made it onto the median, that’s a miracle for everyone.”

Greenhill & Co., a Manhattan-based investment firm, released a statement that said two managing directors, Jeffrey F. Buckalew, 45, and Rakesh Chawla, 36, were on board the aircraft. It said that Buckalew’s wife and two children were also on board.

Buckalew and Chawla “were extraordinary professionals who were highly respected by colleagues and clients alike,” according to the company statement.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/plane-crash-on-nj-interstate-kills-five-161936.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-man-guilty-of-aiding-al-qaeda-161867.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-man-guilty-of-aiding-al-qaeda-161867.html#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:33:35 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=161867 A Massachusetts man was convicted on Tuesday for conspiring with al-Qaeda to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq and providing material support to a terrorist organization.

Sudbury resident Tarek Mehanna, 29, was found guilty on all four counts by a federal jury in Boston and faces life imprisonment, the Boston Herald reported.

I’m stunned,” Ahmed Mehanna, Tarek’s father, told the newspaper. “I can’t even think. It was political.”

The prosecution said Mehannan and two others were planning to go to Yemen to receive terrorist training. After not being able to find a training camp, Mehannan returned to the United States and posted translations of violent jihad on the Internet, which were uncovered after a search of his computer.

“We accept the jury’s verdict, but today is not the last chapter. … I know that he knows in his heart he is not guilty,” his defense attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., told the Boston Globe, vowing an appeal of the verdict.

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]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-man-guilty-of-aiding-al-qaeda-161867.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/occupy-baltimore-evicted-159359.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/occupy-baltimore-evicted-159359.html#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:21:28 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=159359

Anti-Wall Street protesters were evicted by police in Baltimore, the latest city to crack down on the Occupy movement.

Police cleared out around 40 demonstrators who were camped out near the Inner Harbor early on Wednesday, reported the Baltimore Sun.

Protesters said they would not give up and would continue to keep raising awareness about perceived corporate greed and income disparity throughout the United States.

“You don’t keep hammering on a tactic when a tactic is producing diminishing returns. The physical occupation is just one part of the broader movement,” protester Cullen Nawalkowsky told the Sun.

The eviction took place at around 3 a.m., protester Mike Gibb told the Baltimore Brew, saying I looked “out of my tent and there they were—police with riot face masks and shields and batons in their hands. It was something!”

Gibb added that police were respectful and there were no incidents. “This was probably the best of any Occupy evictions there’s been,” he added.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/occupy-baltimore-evicted-159359.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/occupy-boston-camp-broken-up-157206.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/occupy-boston-camp-broken-up-157206.html#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:11:59 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=157206

Police early Saturday morning broke up the Occupy Boston encampment at Dewey Square and arrested at least 46 people, protest organizers said.

Mayor Thomas Menino issued the eviction notice on Thursday and sent officers from the Boston Police Department to break up the camp, following a spate of similar events that took place at other cities across the United States.

Occupy Boston “members remained resolute and nonviolent in the face of a disproportionately large police presence,” organizers said on Saturday.

“At least 100 officers were counted inside Dewey Square at 5:30 a.m., while some estimates place the count at greater than 200,” Occupy Boston added, saying that journalists and protesters were “repeatedly corralled” by law enforcement.

The Boston Globe reported that the crackdown went smoothly and without incident, quoting local police officials as saying that there were far less police than estimated by the Occupy organizers.

“Our motto was to kill them with kindness,” police Superintendent William Evans told the newspaper. “You didn’t see a helmet or sticks. And no way were we going to mace that crowd.”

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/occupy-boston-camp-broken-up-157206.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/maine-jail-escapee-vowed-revenge-say-police-154379.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/maine-jail-escapee-vowed-revenge-say-police-154379.html#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:19:31 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=154379

A robbery suspect who escaped from a jail in New Hampshire five days ago is said to be armed and dangerous, and may have a vendetta against two Maine residents, local media reports said.

Maine resident, David Glenn Hobson, 33, hopped over a razor wire fence in Ossipee, N.H., and then later stole a Toyota SUV, according to the Fosters Daily Democrat newspaper. Police said he also made threats against former associates.

U.S. Marshal Noel March told the publication that the two people were notified and are “in a safe place.”

“David Glenn Hobson is not Houdini and he’s not Whitey Bulger,” March added. “It’s important to point out this is not the manhunt of the century.”

March called on Hobson, who has been convicted on a number of burglary charges in the past, to turn himself him to end “the anxiety he is causing the community at large.”

His father was also arrested on Friday for leaving supplies for his son outside of his home.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/maine-jail-escapee-vowed-revenge-say-police-154379.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/mine-owner-to-pay-209-million-over-disaster-154375.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/mine-owner-to-pay-209-million-over-disaster-154375.html#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:18:14 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=154375

The owner of a West Virginia coal mine agreed to pay out more than $200 million in criminal and civil penalties linked to an explosion that killed 29 miners last year, according to federal prosecutors on Tuesday.

Alpha Natural Resources said it would pay $209 million for the role of Massey Energy in the mine explosion, including paying out $46.5 million to the families of the victims, the Department of Justice said in a statement. The firm also will pay $34.8 million in penalties owed to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration.

It will also pay $80 million to improve safety infrastructure and another $48 million to setup a mine health and safety foundation, the statement said.

Attorney General Eric Holder stated the agreement “represents the largest-ever resolution in a criminal investigation of a mine disaster and will ensure appropriate steps are taken to improve mine safety now and will fund research to enhance mine safety in the future.”

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/mine-owner-to-pay-209-million-over-disaster-154375.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/occupy-philly-stays-as-eviction-deadline-passes-149507.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/occupy-philly-stays-as-eviction-deadline-passes-149507.html#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:51:32 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=149507

Occupy Philadelphia protesters have remained at their encampment at Dilworth Plaza near City Hall past a deadline for their eviction, according to local media.

Mayor Michael Nutter gave the demonstrators until late Sunday afternoon to leave but many remained, according to ABC-6.

A leader of the protest movement, Gwen Snyder, said the protesters will remain there unless the city gives them another site.

“We held Dilworth, which is wonderful,” Snyder told the television station on Monday. “Folks are really excited that we kept the space.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that around 75 tents remained at the plaza, adding that there were little signs of police, only city workers who were cleaning up. The workers were not forcibly removing any of the protesters who stayed.

“The whole goal today to clean up all the messes left behind by the people who moved out,” a protester, Michael Pierce, told the newspaper.

There were no demonstrations organized for Monday, the Inquirer reported.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/occupy-philly-stays-as-eviction-deadline-passes-149507.html/feed 1 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/pennsylvania-goo-damages-hundreds-of-cars-147486.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/pennsylvania-goo-damages-hundreds-of-cars-147486.html#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:01:37 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=147486

Several hundred cars were disabled after running over a mass of sticky goo that was dropped from a truck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The muck, which covered a 37-mile-long portion of the turnpike, is actually driveway sealant, which was spilled onto the road Tuesday night, according to a statement from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. The spill stretches from New Castle to Allegheny Valley in western Pennsylvania.

As of Tuesday night, “maintenance has applied treatment to the roadway,” and currently “no delays exist,” the statement reads.

“This is Thanksgiving. Now we have to turn around and go back home,” Laura Frick, a motorist who was caught up in the muck, told CNN.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that around 200 cars were damaged by the sealant, and some could no longer move.

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“It’s really frustrating. Nobody stopped you from going through that stuff,” Betsy Kowalski, a local resident whose Subaru was damaged by the muck, told the Post-Gazette.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/pennsylvania-goo-damages-hundreds-of-cars-147486.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-governor-signs-pro-casino-bill-146278.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-governor-signs-pro-casino-bill-146278.html#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:38:22 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=146278

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on Tuesday signed a bill that would let the state expand gambling with casinos.

“If done right, expanded gaming can create jobs, generate new revenue and spur economic growth in every region” of Massachusetts, Patrick said in a statement, adding that job creation was his primary motive for signing the legislation.

Massachusetts is the 40th state in the U.S. to legalize casinos and gambling parlors. Previously, gambling in the state was limited to horse racing and its state lottery.

“Because of initiatives like this one, Massachusetts continues to lead the nation out of this recession,” added Patrick.

For each casino, the licensing fee will be $85 million, while capital investments including a hotel, must be at least $500 million, the governor’s office said.

Massachusetts will receive 25 percent of all revenues from each casino.

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Critics said casinos and parlors could potentially undermine local businesses, increase crime and addiction rates, while hurting Massachusetts’ reputation, according to the Boston Herald.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-governor-signs-pro-casino-bill-146278.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/penn-state-appoints-ex-fbi-chief-to-investigate-145661.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/penn-state-appoints-ex-fbi-chief-to-investigate-145661.html#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:16:30 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=145661

Penn State University tapped former FBI director and federal Judge Louis Freeh to preside over an independent investigation into the alleged child sexual abuse scandal that has left the school reeling.

Freeh, in a press conference, said the investigation “will look carefully at the governance, protocols, decision making, and oversight within the university,” according to a statement published on the school’s website.

“I will proceed with all deliberate speed, but there are no limits on the duration of the investigation. We will work expeditiously as well as thoroughly,” he added.

Freeh, who does not have a connection to Penn State, will lead the university’s board of trustees’ internal investigation into the allegations of widespread abuse at the hands of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky as well as into an alleged cover-up of those abuses.

Freeh said that his team, which is comprised mainly of former FBI investigators, will report evidence back to relevant law enforcement officials.

The boards of trustees “have directed me to carry out this investigation with complete independence, and take it wherever it may lead,” Freeh added.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/penn-state-appoints-ex-fbi-chief-to-investigate-145661.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/two-die-in-philadelphia-marathon-145063.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/two-die-in-philadelphia-marathon-145063.html#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:13:46 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/unknown/?p=145063

Two runners participating in the Philadelphia Marathon died on Sunday afternoon, local media have reported.

One man, 21, collapsed at the finish line and the other man, 40, collapsed around a quarter-mile from the finish, reported NBC Philadelphia. The two were rushed to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead of heart attacks.

“Philadelphia Marathon and Philadelphia Half Marathon organizers extend our deepest sympathies to the families of the two runners,” said Philadelphia Marathon Race Weekend Executive Director Melanie Johnson, according to the broadcaster.

The names of the two men were not released because the families need to be notified first, Johnson added.

Officials told CBS News that at least 10 other runners were rushed to the hospital during the race and their statuses currently are unknown.

Approximately 25,000 participants took part in the race. The marathon runs through Philadelphia, and much of the race takes place along the Schuylkill River, but also goes past the Liberty Bell and other historic sites.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/two-die-in-philadelphia-marathon-145063.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/woman-dies-at-yale-harvard-tailgate-145067.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/woman-dies-at-yale-harvard-tailgate-145067.html#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:00:02 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/unknown/?p=145067

A woman was killed and two were injured after a U-Haul truck plowed through a tailgating area at a Yale-Harvard football game on Saturday, local media has reported.

The truck swerved and suddenly accelerated in the Yale parking lot, hitting the three victims, and smashed into another U-Haul, the Yale Daily News reported.

One woman was taken to the Yale-New Haven Hospital and was pronounced dead shortly after the incident took place, according to the paper. Another woman was hospitalized and is said to be in serious but stable condition.

“Our leadership board and national representatives are currently working to understand the details of the situation and assess what has transgressed. We hope to know more soon,” Drew Marconi, a spokesperson, told the newspaper.

According to a witness, the driver of the truck, who the paper confirmed as an undergraduate student, looked shocked at what had just happened.

During halftime, the audience held a moment of silence for the one victim who died.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/woman-dies-at-yale-harvard-tailgate-145067.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/pennsylvania-capital-files-for-bankruptcy-62736.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/pennsylvania-capital-files-for-bankruptcy-62736.html#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:24:44 +0000 Epoch Times

Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday following months of debate among city and state officials.

The Harrisburg City Council voted 4 to 3 in favor of filing for protection, citing mounting debt problems to the tune of around $458 million, going against the wishes of Mayor Linda Thompson, reported The Patriot-News publication.

Mark Schwartz, an attorney representing the City Council who will file the paperwork, told the paper the decision “means Harrisburg may get immediate relief from the lawsuits against it.”

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He added that it essentially buys the city extra time to deal with its debt problems ahead of a state Senate vote on who should handle its finances.

A spokesperson for Mayor Thompson’s office, Robert Philbin, told The Associated Press that the Council does not have the authority to file for bankruptcy as “only the mayor, in conjunction with the solicitor” can do so. He added that the decision also weakens the reputation of Harrisburg.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/pennsylvania-capital-files-for-bankruptcy-62736.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/obama-says-entire-country-behind-storm-ravaged-new-jersey-61160.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/obama-says-entire-country-behind-storm-ravaged-new-jersey-61160.html#comments Sun, 04 Sep 2011 20:31:10 +0000 Epoch Times

US President Barack Obama (2nd L) shakes hands with residents as he tours through the devastation left by Hurricane Irene with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (L) in Wayne, New Jersey, September 4, 2011. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

President Barack Obama toured through New Jersey on Sunday to survey damage left in the wake of Hurricane Irene, which flooded entire towns and killed dozens of people along the East Coast.

Speaking in Paterson, a northern New Jersey city hit particularly hard by floods and still partially underwater, Obama said local, state, and federal governments would assist in rebuilding the areas hit hardest by Irene. 

For residents affected by the storm, “The entire country is behind you and we are going to make sure that we provide all the resources that are necessary in order to help these communities rebuild,” said Obama. His comments were posted online in a White House blog.

Irene flooded shopping centers, prompted authorities to block roads, and forced thousands of people to flee their homes throughout New Jersey. Paterson is located on the Passaic River, which has swelled to record levels from increased rainfall. 

Obama addressed speculation that the government would be mired in political squabbles, and thus would take too long in delivering funding to the communities. “I want to make it very clear that we are going to meet our federal obligations because we’re one country,” he said.

He also addressed what many perceived to be exaggeration on the part of the media before Irene struck land, stressing that the hurricane had done extensive damage to communities along the East Coast. 

“We know it could have been worse but we should not underestimate the heartache that’s going through a lot of these communities and affecting a lot of these families,” Obama said.

Northern New Jersey was declared a major disaster area last week by the president, making it possible for federal funding to be delivered there.

Gov. Chris Christie announced Sunday that the federal government approved the state’s request for disaster funds in 21 counties, allowing for individual and public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“I am so grateful that the president came to northern New Jersey to witness firsthand the suffering of our people and that he pledged immediate federal relief,” said Rep. Steve Rothman in a statement on his website, who surveyed the damage with Obama.

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Irene hit North Carolina last week with maximum winds at around 90 miles per hour before heading upward along the coast. In an unprecedented move, the storm forced New York City officials to close down the subway and other public transportation for more than a day.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/obama-says-entire-country-behind-storm-ravaged-new-jersey-61160.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/vermont-after-hurricane-irene-60905.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/vermont-after-hurricane-irene-60905.html#comments Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:11:37 +0000 Epoch Times

Rains and the cresting of nearby waters caused flooding on Aug. 29, 2011 in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

A day after Irene swept across the East Coast, citizens in Vermont are preparing for clean up. The estimate is that more than 250 roads around the state are damaged with many impassable. Every state road with the exception of Interstates 89 and 91 were closed for a period of time and many are still closed at present.

On Sunday, the river had reached a peak of 19.05 feet. City manager William Fraser of Montpelier had just finished touring the flooded areas.

“City fared better than what we had originally feared. Everything is resuming as usual today and we are cleaning up today. The damages do not appear to be sustaining as we are fortunate compared to other places. I thank the community for their efforts and cooperation,” said Fraser in a telephone interview.

According to Fraser, the Green Mountain Power has not yet released water from the Marshfield Dam although it may be a required initiative as it would take six hours for the water to travel from Marshfield to Montpelier and water from the dam would arrive well after the rivers have crested.

The public is encouraged to stay away and avoid from traveling as many of the roads may be washed out from underneath and the road surface can give away at any time.

Transportation and emergency officials are out today assessing the damage and determining what areas are safe.

“We are assessing the damages today and have sent out cruisers to do fixes on major arteries and making sure that all residents are safe. There are road damages everywhere, but the flooding is pretty much starting to subside, the worst of highest flood being the Lamoille River,” said Mark Bosna, public information officer at Vermont Emergency Management in a telephone interview.

For homes that are in flooded areas, homeowners are encouraged to stay away from a flooded home and not to turn on any circuit breaker until the electrical system has been inspected by a licensed electrician as wires could still be wet and lead to electrocution if not properly inspected.

Approximately 50,000 customers are without power service and delay in restoring power is expected due to road conditions.

Another hazard that citizens in Vermont must take heed is that many propane tanks have been swept away in the floods and the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association is currently having service technicians out locating these run away tanks. Homeowners who have above ground tanks should immediately contact their providers should they find their tanks missing or smell gas leakage.

According to Patricia Billinger a national spokesperson at the American Red Cross, at present we are providing approximately 8,000 people with shelters and have set up 150 shelters along the East Coast of United States. The path of Irene has impacted an area as large as Europe.

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“Last night 12 shelters were opened to about 400 people in Vermont, and we continue to be here for weeks to come to assist people fanning out to provide feeding and assess needs,” said Billinger in a telephone interview.

Billinger adds, “We have partnered with the Southern Baptist to set up huge kitchens to cook the meals that we provide and we have 260 emergency feeding vehicles up and down the East Coast of United States. This is one of the largest responses that we have had for the entire year.”

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/vermont-after-hurricane-irene-60905.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/hurricane-irene-may-hit-carolinas-northeast-60738.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/hurricane-irene-may-hit-carolinas-northeast-60738.html#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:40:32 +0000 Epoch Times

CARIBBEAN SEA -- AUGUST 24: Irene, now a Category 3 storm with winds of 120 miles per hour, is projected to possibly clip the Outer Banks region of North Carolina before moving up. (NOAA via Getty Images)

Irene became a Category 3 hurricane and took aim at the North Carolina Outer Banks and New England this weekend, sparing Florida and Georgia. The “storm has strengthened and now is a Category 3 with 120 mph sustained winds. Irene has shifted a little over to the east and is expected to hit Cape Hatteras with winds at about 115 mph late Saturday night,” said Dave Samuhel, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.com in a telephone interview.

It has been three years since a hurricane reached the United States. That was Ike, which struck Texas.

The storm hit Puerto Rico on Monday, Aug. 21. President Obama declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico on Tuesday, Aug. 22, and FEMA funds have already been released for rescue and relief. "The efforts to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety in which first responders have been working during this emergency, as well as other emergency protective activities such as municipal shelter operations, may be eligible for federal reimbursement," said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer Justo Hernandez, in a FEMA statement. An emergency declaration means the federal government handles 75 percent of the costs after a disaster.

Irene may become a Category 4 Hurricane during its path through the Bahamas into Thursday. The State Department has warned Americans to consider the risks of travel to the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and has made arrangements for consular personnel to leave.

According to AccuWeather.com, Irene’s path is similar to the track taken by Hurricane Bob in 1991, the last hurricane to make landfall in New England.

"A look at latest computer model track forecasts suggest a higher chance of Irene tracking along or just off the coast of eastern Florida and making landfall along the Carolina coast," stated AccuWeather.com hurricane and tropical weather expert meteorologist Dan Kottlowski in a press release.

This scenario will give Irene time to strengthen into a major hurricane becoming an even greater danger to lives and property at landfall.

Should the storm head for North Carolina, authorities may reverse traffic on I-40, a highway that runs from coastal Wilmington north-northwest into Tennessee. The secretaries of Transportation and Crime Control & Public Safety, with the governor decide to do that that if there is a mandatory evacuation.

Even though Irene will arrive at the Outer Banks Saturday afternoon or evening, the pounding effects of the hurricane will begin much sooner.

On Friday, the outer rain bands of Irene will reach the eastern Carolinas and tropical moisture from Irene merging with a front could also lead to heavy rain across northeastern North Carolina and neighboring Virginia.

Destructive winds of 100 to 130 mph will lash the Outer Banks on Saturday afternoon and evening.

Winds at this strength can flatten trees and cause significant damage to homes and buildings.

Should Irene track west of these barrier islands, the Outer Banks will experience storm surges of 7 to 13 feet above normal water levels in addition to large and pounding waves. Should Irene pass east of the Outer Banks, flooding storm surge will still not be averted, and winds of a westerly character would instead drive water from the Albemarle and Pamlico onto the western shores of the islands.

Easternmost North Carolina will experience flooding concerns between 4 to 6 inches of rain, with localized amounts to 10 inches this weekend.

Due to this imminent threat, Ocracoke Island residents are encouraged to evacuate as this is an island on the Outer Banks only accessible by boat.

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According to AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center, Irene could reach eastern New England as a Category 1 hurricane late Sunday with damaging winds and flooding storm surges.

Widespread flooding could happen in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic caused by torrential rainfall that will arrive before the storm makes landfall in New England.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/hurricane-irene-may-hit-carolinas-northeast-60738.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-jobless-rate-well-below-national-average-60746.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-jobless-rate-well-below-national-average-60746.html#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:25:52 +0000 Epoch Times

According to a recent release issued by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, the unemployment rate in Massachusetts is 7.6 percent, well below the national average of 9.1 percent. In the month of July, Massachusetts added 12,700 new jobs.

A majority, 6 of the 10 private sector industries added jobs in July. The largest gains were in education and health services; other services; trade, transportation, and utilities; manufacturing; professional and business services; and financial activities, according to the report.

Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts has been speaking about jobs in the Bay State this month. In response to the recent data he said, “Today’s jobs report once again shows that our economy is not where it needs to be. Too many people across this country are still hurting. Today, I am kicking off my statewide jobs tour and discussing my bill to give tax credits to companies that hire unemployed veterans. We need to put our foot on the gas when it comes to job creation.”

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Brown credited the Massachusetts travel industry as one of the reasons that the state has done better than others. This month in a meeting in Pittsfield the senator said, “Our state’s vibrant travel industry is one of the reasons we have fared better than other states during this economic downturn. That is why I am proud to announce that I am joining the Senate Tourism Caucus so that I will be better able to advocate for policies that will help this critical industry.”

The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development data was based on a monthly sample of households and job estimates from a monthly sample of employers.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-jobless-rate-well-below-national-average-60746.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/bostona-bike-friendly-city-grows-more-friendly-60518.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/bostona-bike-friendly-city-grows-more-friendly-60518.html#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:48:56 +0000 Epoch Times

Boston: One of the many Hubway stations located in the city of Boston. The hi-tech solar powered stations allow members to swipe their cards, take a bike and commute to their destinations. (Steve Gigliotti/Epoch Times)

BOSTON—A short trip around Boston will show what a bike city it is. Cycling has become a subculture of many who use this green alternative for their daily commute. This week, the League of American Bicyclists recognized Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino and the city of Boston with the Silver Bicycle Friendly Community Award. It was the first time Boston has received the honor.

“I am proud to accept this honor on behalf of Boston as this important award signifies how far we have come in our transformation into a world-class bicycling city,” Menino said. “With the recent launch of the Hubway bike share system, we are well on our way to reaching the next level. I would also like to thank and recognize our green business leaders who have helped make our city more bicycle-friendly, from installing outside bike racks to participating in Hub on Wheels and Bike Fridays. Making Boston more welcoming to cyclists is definitely a collaborative effort.”

The new launch of the Hubway system puts the city on the map for cycling. The Hubway is a bicycle share program where members for an annual fee of $85.00 or $5.00 a day can hop on and off the city’s shared bicycles as many times as they want for 30 minute intervals. With 40 stations in almost every part of the city and growing, commuters can grab a bike 24 hours a day to commute quickly to their destination and leave the bike at the end of the trip.

Mark Driscoll, a Boston resident called the Hubway, “The greatest thing that’s happened to the city of Boston." He said that since its launch, the Hubway has saved him taxi money and time. For $5.00 he hopped on and off bikes all day from lunch at South Station, to his haircut in the North End and then back to the West End. He said, “Boston is learning to become a bike friendly city and bicycle riders are learning to appreciate Boston at the same time.”

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To make biking easier, the city has also published bicycling maps and installed more than 1,500 bicycling parking spots in the past three years, installing them daily. Residents can easily request a spot to be installed by contacting the mayor’s office.

“If anyone can transform Boston into a premier bike friendly city it’s Mayor Menino,” Sen. John Kerry said in a press release. “Bike sharing is an environmentally friendly way to reduce traffic congestion.”

For more information on bicycling in the city of Boston, programs and events visit: http://www.cityofboston.gov/bikes/

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/bostona-bike-friendly-city-grows-more-friendly-60518.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/flash-mobs-prompt-philadelphia-mayor-to-crack-down-60409.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/flash-mobs-prompt-philadelphia-mayor-to-crack-down-60409.html#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:49:44 +0000 Epoch Times

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said that the first weekend curfew for all minors “went well,” after reports emerged that groups of black youths—or “flash mobs”—were responsible for violent assaults and vandalism across the city.

Nutter recently said in a statement that he felt the necessity to place a 9 p.m. curfew on youths under the age of 18 on Friday and Saturday to curb the random incidents of assaults on people and property.

“We had about 70 curfew violations over the course of Friday and Saturday nights, and I am sure that young people and their parents have now gotten the message,” he said.

Nutter, who is black, gave a fiery speech last Sunday aimed at black youths in the city. "You’ve damaged yourself, you’ve damaged another person, you’ve damaged your peers and, quite honestly, you’ve damaged your own race,” he said at the Mount Carmel Baptist Church, according to the The Associated Press.

Last month, a man was attacked by a group of teenagers downtown, ending up with broken teeth and a wired jaw, according to the news agency.

The city also plans to increase its legal sanctions on parents of teens who are involved in the attacks.

Nutter added that more enforcement, curfews, and more programs at youth centers around the city will help deal with the assaults.

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"This is about personal responsibility," he told AP. "We have to be very straightforward."

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/flash-mobs-prompt-philadelphia-mayor-to-crack-down-60409.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/internet-child-predation-and-state-power-a-dilemma-59199.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/internet-child-predation-and-state-power-a-dilemma-59199.html#comments Sun, 17 Jul 2011 19:56:55 +0000 Epoch Times

BOSTON—In this cybercentury, where the Internet, cell phones, and technology have advanced communication lines so much so as to allow individuals across state and even country borders to be able to see each other on a screen on the drop of a dime, law makers continuously face difficult challenges.

When the Internet becomes a facilitator of child predation, for instance, in the all-too-familiar cases where a child molester uses the Internet to set up a meeting with his or her victim, does the jurisprudence fall with the federal government or the state?

In 2006, Congress devised the Adam Walsh Act after a 12-year-old boy named Adam Walsh was murdered. The lawmakers hoped to deal with the new dangers facing children.

The law gives the federal government, whose sentences and convictions are harsher than those of state governments, the power to handle child predation cases where the Internet has played a crucial role in the commission of the act. The act states, “Whoever unlawfully seizes, confines, inveigles, decoys, kidnaps, abducts, or carries away… any person… when—the offender uses mail or any means, facility, or instrumentality of interstate commerce in committing or in furtherance of the commission of the offense,” shall be convicted of a federal crime.

There are few who believe that the punishment for child predators should not be as harsh as possible. Thus, one would expect that the Adam Walsh Act and its use would not run into much controversy or opposition, since it ultimately makes the punishment for committing such a crime much harsher than before.

However, the act has been criticized, not for its strict regulations and policies on child predators, but for possibly granting the federal government too much power. For many who value American federalism and its limits on the power of the federal government to only those explicitly stated in the Constitution, the Adam Walsh Act is a threat.

For those adherents of federalism, the act threatens to increase the role that the federal government plays in state policies. After all, the Constitution only states that the federal government has the power to do what the Constitution says. If the Constitution does not explicitly say that it can do something, then it cannot legally do it. It has no power, therefore, other than that explicitly granted to it by the Constitution.

Lawyer and law scholar, Michelle Martinez Campbell, however, argued in a talk given at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society on July12 that the Adam Walsh Act does not undermine the United States Constitution.

The Adam Walsh Act, she stated, finds it constitutional justification in the Commerce Clause, which states that the federal government presides over crimes using interstate instruments or facilities. Since the Supreme Court of the United States has repeatedly and without exception judged the Internet to be exactly that—an interstate instrument of commerce-—then the Constitution does indeed grant the federal government the authority to preside over such cases.

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She further argued for the case of granting the federal government authority to handle cases where child predation has been facilitated by the Internet because doing so gives better resources and facilities for law enforcement, while keeping policy consistent.

However, the debate and concern over the federal government increasing its power is far from settled. For those who wish to monitor its authority from growing, there may been certain sacrifices that must be made to preserve the overall goal.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/internet-child-predation-and-state-power-a-dilemma-59199.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/vermont-uses-disaster-clean-up-to-create-jobs-58760.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/vermont-uses-disaster-clean-up-to-create-jobs-58760.html#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:57:54 +0000 Epoch Times

Vermont is turning the lemons of a natural disaster into the lemonade of jobs for unemployed people. Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, Rep. Peter Welch and Gov. Peter Shumlin announced on June 30 a $1.2 million National Emergency Grant (NEG) from the U.S. Department of Labor to create jobs for displaced workers and long-term unemployed Vermonters for the cleanup after the April floods.

"These jobs are timely, this help is practical, and it is on target for Vermont’s needs right now in the flooding aftermath. This federal assistance will help put struggling Vermonters back to work while at the same time helping the state recover from this disaster,” they said in a joint press statement.

“The grant, awarded to the Vermont Department of Labor will create approximately 75 temporary jobs for eligible dislocated workers. … The cleanup and recovery efforts include seven counties … declared by FEMA as official disaster areas,” said Commissioner Annie Noonan from the Department of Labor in a phone interview.

“Eligible candidates are those that are dislocated and long-term unemployed Vermonters, those that are impacted by the flooding and those in the disaster areas. Eligibility for those that are considered unemployed long term will be determined based on a three-to-six-month period to be announced. The current unemployment rate in Vermont is 5.4 percent. Those that qualify will go through regional offices for displacement,” said Noonan.

“The flooding has resulted in some temporary and permanent job losses in Vermont,” Noonan said. “We urge Vermonters who have experienced job loss relating to the flooding to explore their eligibility for this benefit. The parameters for eligibility address many factors, including, but not limited to damage or destruction of a workplace, a personal injury, or transportation problems relating to the disaster, or business downturn because of the disaster. It’s important to explore your eligibility and file before the July 25, 2011, deadline to take advantage of this benefit.”

On May 27, a congressional delegation letter was sent to President Obama supporting Shumlin’s request for assistance in the wake of severe flooding in Vermont. According to the Vermont Emergency Management Agency the floods caused more than $6 million worth of damage to public infrastructure.

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Vermont was “completely saturated to an unprecedented magnitude. The timely delivery of much-needed resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is absolutely critical to help Vermonters, working together, to respond to this disaster,” said the letter to the president from Leahy, Sanders and Welch.

Over the July 4 weekend, recovery specialists at the Disaster Recovery Centers continued their efforts to help Vermont residents and business owners with losses and damages from severe storms and flooding that started in early April of this year. The centers stayed open to provide uninterrupted assistance.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/vermont-uses-disaster-clean-up-to-create-jobs-58760.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusettss-solar-energy-future-is-vibrant-and-on-target-58504.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusettss-solar-energy-future-is-vibrant-and-on-target-58504.html#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:16:02 +0000 Epoch Times

COLLECTING SUN: The partial bank of 200 kilowatt arrays at the roof of the Greater Boston Food Bank. (Michael Tsang/The Epoch Times)

BOSTON—On the day of this year’s summer solstice, Gov. Deval Patrick and his administration held several events throughout the state to mark the successes of the Bay State’s burgeoning solar energy sector, from a mere 3.5 megawatts (MW) at the start of his administration in 2007 to 51.5 MW of solar power installed today. This amount of renewable solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 8,145 households. The goal is another fivefold increase of solar power to 250 MW by 2017.

The growth of Massachusetts’s solar industry today was a result of the Patrick-Murray administration’s portfolio of forward thinking clean energy policies and programs, enacted by the administration and the Massachusetts Legislature. It jump-started the state’s solar industry from 30 companies involved in the manufacture, sale, and installation of solar power to approximately 200.

Employment in the state’s solar sector has also more than doubled. Without the dedication the Patrick-Murray administration has given, the increase in solar energy projects in the Commonwealth would not be possible. Massachusetts ranks No. 3 in its solar market in the country, behind California and New Jersey.

“As of today, solar panels across Massachusetts—at homes, schools, businesses, farms, industrial facilities, and more—are generating over 50 megawatts of clean, renewable energy, and we are on track to have over 90 megawatts installed or under contract by the end of this year,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. in a press release. “In the process, we have added companies and jobs, and seen the cost of installing solar power cut in half. We have more work to do to reach the governor’s goal, but we clearly have much to celebrate.”

Massachusetts’s solar revolution was made possible through partnerships between the state administration, the Legislature, and the federal government through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and the private sector. While the ARRA provided most of the funding to large renewable energy projects through the Green Community Act, such as the 1.58 megawatt (MW) ground-mounted system at the Pittsfield Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) administers rebates and stimulus programs to support renewable solar PV projects to citizens, businesses, and institutions throughout the Commonwealth.

The state’s initial Commonwealth Solar program had $68 million of Massachusetts Energy Trust (MET) money in 2007 that became fully committed after only just 21 months. The state then rolled out Commonwealth Solar II that extended the rebate program; followed by $8 million of the federally funded Commonwealth Solar Stimulus program that helps business owners pay for some of the cost of a rooftop solar installation.

Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust has been supported since 2003 by a charge on monthly electric bills.

MassCEC focuses on Solarize Massachusetts—a pilot program that reduces costs and boosts installation of solar power through a business model that leverages education, grass-roots marketing, and group purchasing to accelerate the adoption of solar PV.
Though solar PV installation has been successful in the state, it relies on rebates and subsidies to encourage people to adopt it. The cost of solar PV installation must come close to grid parity — approximately $.05–$.06 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) — for it to become broadly competitive without subsidies.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SunShot Initiative aims at reducing the total installed cost of solar energy systems by funding various R&D projects along the entire PV technology pipeline to arrive at a $1 per watt installed cost.

The DOE recently awarded $12.6 million to three Bay State solar companies: 1336 Technologies, Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, and Veeco Solar Equipment. The businesses will use the money for research and development to improve manufacturing and efficiency of solar panel modules.

In Lexington, 1336 Technologies Inc. won a conditional $150 million federal loan guarantee for establishing a silicon wafer processing method that can halve the cost of manufacturing. The company asserts its manufacturing process can dramatically cut the price of solar electricity down to about four cents per kilowatt-hour by 2020.

The MassCEC Catalyst Program has recently awarded $160,000 in grants to clean energy researchers at Boston University, MIT, and UMass-Dartmouth, which supports the commercialization of game-changing clean energy technologies coming out of Massachusetts’s world-class research institutions.

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MIT researchers have recently discovered M13, a bacteria-eating virus that has the ability to bind to carbon nanotubes to keep it in place. At the same time, it can be genetically engineered to generate a layer of titanium dioxide, a key component in certain solar cells. This can increase the solar cell’s power conversion by 30 percent. This illustrated that inter-disciplinary interplay—in this case, between physics and biology—goes a long way.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusettss-solar-energy-future-is-vibrant-and-on-target-58504.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-health-care-costs-rising-58389.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-health-care-costs-rising-58389.html#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:28:09 +0000 Epoch Times

Massachusetts investigates the global payments, a system whereby providers are given a set amount of money per patient for the care of the entire pool of their patients. (Jodi Hilton/Getty Images)

BOSTON—Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and now a 2012 presidential hopeful, was made famous across the nation for creating a universal health care system for Massachusetts. The Massachusetts system became a model for President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act of 2010.

Massachusetts made health insurance mandatory, splitting the responsibility between individuals and employers. Today 98 percent of residents have coverage. These coverage percentages are some of the highest in the nation. So are the costs. Last week the Massachusetts attorney general’s office addressed the issue of health care costs in the Bay State.

In a study titled, “Examination of Health Care Cost Trends and Cost Drivers” Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office examined the rising costs of health care. It found that quality and complexity of care does not always correlate with price. People with higher incomes receive more costly health care, it found.

The report focused on global payments, a system whereby providers are given a set amount of money per patient for the care of the entire pool of their patients. Critics of the idea say it would place nonprofit or charity hospitals which serve sicker patients at a severe disadvantage, compared to for-profit hospitals with deep-pocketed owners.

“The continued increase in health care costs is one of the most important issues confronting families and businesses,” said Coakley in a statement. “Our investigation shows that a move to global payments is not the panacea to controlling costs without first addressing provider price disparities that are not related to the quality or complexity of the services being provided.”

The report found that payments vary significantly from provider to provider for the same services that according to the report, “could not be sufficiently explained by differences in quality, complexity of services, or other characteristics that might justify variations in prices paid to providers.” The report also found that higher income zip codes have considerable higher health care costs.

Among other recommendations, the report said it is better for patients to “select a primary care provider who can assist consumers in coordinating care based on each consumer’s needs and best interests.” The HMO model of health care does better at controlling costs and at providing coordinated care than the PPO model, it found. In the HMO model, a patient’s primary care doctor oversees most of the health care he or she receives.

The report called for temporary regulations to control costs, “Reduce health care price distortions through temporary statutory restrictions until tiered and limited network products and commercial market transparency can improve market function.”

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Blue Cross of Massachusetts stated in a press release that the attorney general’s report only focused on the first year’s data from 2009. According to Blue Cross, it has focused on a 5-year strategy. “We did not expect these groups to achieve savings in the first year given all that they had to do to redesign care to place a greater focus on quality and efficiency. However, we are pleased that even in the first year of the contract, the medical claims trends of Alternative Quality Contract (AQC) providers were approximately 1 percent lower than the medical claims trends of non-AQC providers. “

Blue Cross of Massachusetts also noted in its press release that it asked the Harvard Medical School to study the health care system in Massachusetts.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/massachusetts-health-care-costs-rising-58389.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/the-flower-show-of-a-lifetime-58046.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/the-flower-show-of-a-lifetime-58046.html#comments Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:56:21 +0000 Epoch Times

BEST: France's Top Arrangement (Courtesy of WAFA)

BOSTON—The biggest, most spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime flower show just concluded at the Seaport World Trade Center and other venues around the city.

In a departure from the popular annual horticultural-style Boston Flower and Garden Show, this was the 10th International Flower Show of the WAFA (World Association of Floral Arrangers) that presented the finest arrangements from around the globe. The event featured some of the most influential floral designers in the world.

The WAFA was formed in 1981 in the United Kingdom with the hope of growing the organization to represent all floral arranging societies internationally. The WAFA today boast a 230,000-member international community of floral designers from international floral art societies representing 31 member countries.

The first world show was held in the U.K. Every three years the WAFA moves to another member country to conduct a seminar followed by a world show. This triennial event has been hosted by Pakistan, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Belgium, twice by the United Kingdom, and Ireland will be the next host country, explained WAFA President Ruth Crocker.

The next WAFA show won’t be back on U.S. soil for at least another 93 years.

The 10th International Flower Show, “This Glorious Earth” was the tremendous effort of WAFA USA, a committee formed to make this event possible. It consists of 10 members drawn from The Garden Club of America and the National Garden Clubs. Members of the MFA Associates—Museum of Fine Arts, Boston—have also been active in contributing to the show’s success.

The prestigious show featured 630 floral designs from leading designers in the world representing 32 countries, along with programs of floral art competitions and demonstrations, and a lecture series from internationally renowned floral arrangers. There were four other events hosted around the city to spotlight the artistry of the top designers.

Design luminaries included multi-award-winning designers Eileen Wenn, Australia; Mit Ingelaere, Belgium; Marisa Bergagnini, Canada; Carol Bone, Ireland; Farhana Azim, Pakistan; five grand designers—Brigitte Auzely, France; Alison Bradley, Scotland; Carles Fontanillas, Spain; Gregor Lersch, Germany; Niels van Hemert, France; and six designers from the United States—Lee La Pointe, Julia Clevett, Jane Godshalk, and three top floral designers from Massachusetts, Natasha Tobin, Julie Lapham, and Tony Todesco. “One-third of the designers are from the U.S.”, Ruth Crocker said, “The other two-thirds are from around the world, representing all continents other than Antarctica.”

“Through its worldwide scope WAFA enhances the diversity of the floral art form by transcending international cultural barriers and bringing together fresh ideas,” she said in a press release. "From demonstrations, to presentations, to finished works, it is obvious that every designer is quiet familiar and aware [of] the forte of their contemporary designers, and are ever ready to adopt and transform to enhance their own creation. They are highly respectful of each other’s work and there are no boundaries of ideas and culture to speak of."

The finale, “European Fusion in Flowers” was held at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theater. It featured five grand European designers that shared with thousands of audience members not only the magnificence of their craft, but their inner thoughts, concepts, affinities, and perspectives on almost every facet of their creations. They were humorous, witty, as well as sincere in their commentaries to their work and with each other. They have a camaraderie and told the audience their shared experiences of good and profound times. Their depth, essence, and worldview were reflected in their work. They did not present just one or two creations but went generously on for five rounds.

There is something quintessential about flowers as an art medium, adapted to human expression and intent.

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One cannot help but come away with a sense of appreciation and peace that lingered long after the show. One is nourished for having witnessed the beauty each designer had created, not only in its exterior aesthetic and form, but also the designer’s peace, inner beauty, creativity, a sense of him or herself, and of the world, were expressed and shared, in silence, more powerful and subliminal than in words.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/the-flower-show-of-a-lifetime-58046.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/culinary-greats-cook-for-childhood-cancer-research-57845.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/culinary-greats-cook-for-childhood-cancer-research-57845.html#comments Sat, 18 Jun 2011 06:00:53 +0000 Epoch Times

'Fighting childhood cancer, one cup at a time,' a legacy left by a child cancer patient Alex Scott (1996-2000) has inspired countless people to participate the cause of Alex's Lemonade Stand, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding childhood cancer cure. (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times)

PHILADELPHIA—A group of 37 top chefs gathered in Philadelphia’s Naval Yard on June 14 to cook for a national fundraiser for childhood cancer research. Clad in lemonade yellow aprons, culinary greats prepared delicacies to treat more than 1,000 guests who came at a minimum admission of $300 per person. The event is an annual fundraiser to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding childhood cancer research.

“We are so moved each year by the efforts made by the Vetri Foundation, along with the enthusiastic and passionate people, whether a chef from across the country or a local volunteer, who join together to donate their time and energy for such an important cause,” said Liz Scott, mother of Alex Scott.

Mrs. Scott read a letter that she wrote to Alex, calling her deceased daughter “truly a gift” and thanking her for leaving an incredible inspiration behind her lemonade stand. The letter brought tears to some in the audience.

The fundraiser is a legacy left by an 8-year-old cancer patient named Alex Scott, who lived from 1996-2004. She ran the namesake lemonade stand at the age of 4 in her own front yard in Wynnewood, Penn., to raise money for all child cancer patients. Alex’s Lemonade Stand has spread all over the country with 10,000 stands held in the past 10 years. The story of children helping children fight childhood cancer, one cup at a time has inspired countless people to participate in the cause.

America's Iron Chef Jose Garces (R) prepares scrumptious food sampling to treat guests of the Great Chefs Event in Philadelphia to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand. (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times)

Iron Chef Jose Garces of Philadelphia, Chris Bianco of Phoenix, Ariz. Paul Kahan of Chicago, Jennifer Carroll of Philadelphia, Gabrielle Hamilton of New York, Jonathan Waxman of New York, Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook of Los Angeles, and Mark Ladner of New York were among the master chefs at the event.

The founder of the event is Philadelphia’s best-known Italian chef, Marc Vetri, a James Beard Award winner. It’s equivalent of an Oscar for the culinary industry.

“It is a great cause and I am glad to see it getting bigger every year.” Chef Vetri said. This is the sixth year he hosted the event. With the help of his business partner Jeff Benjamin, Vetri became a catalyst in mobilizing the nation’s top chefs to rally support for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand since 2005.

Iron Chef Jose Garces donated a banquet for twenty that he will cook, for live auction. “Glad to be part of it,” Garces said, adding that he was proud to be a participating chef every year.

Top chefs from around the country have made it an annual tradition to gather in Philadelphia to cook for Alex’s Lemonade Stand. About $1 million were raised at this year’s event. The event also draws international masters of cuisine. This year, three chefs came from Italy to participate.

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“The event continues to gain momentum each year, and it allows thousands of passionate people to come together for one night all with the common goal of helping to find cures for childhood cancer” said Jeff Benjamin, Co-Founder of Vetri Foundation for Children and board member of Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/culinary-greats-cook-for-childhood-cancer-research-57845.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/protesters-blow-whistles-over-wikileaks-subpoenas-57784.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/protesters-blow-whistles-over-wikileaks-subpoenas-57784.html#comments Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:28:50 +0000 Epoch Times

People near Boston’s City Hall Plaza were hit with the determined sound of nearly 100 whistles, blowing to the beat of two base drums on June 15 after some 150 activists gathered to protest the government’s grand jury investigation of Wikileaks and Bradley Manning.

The protest, organized by the newly formed Civic Counsel—an organization advocating government transparency and awareness of the Wikileaks trial—as organized as a demonstration of solidarity with recently subpoenaed Wikileaks supporters and activists.

Several activists, including David House, the founder of the Bradley Manning Support Network, who is Manning’s close friend and a free press advocate, have been called to give testimony before the grand jury on the Wikileaks case.

The testimonies, if given, would be used to prosecute Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over a link with Manning, the Army private detained for allegedly having leaked thousands of classified Iraq war documents to Wikileaks.

The court faces the possibility of many of those it has subpoenaed refusing to offer their testimony by pleading the Fifth Amendment, which gives people the right to refuse to answer questions that could incriminate themselves.

That is what House did when he was called before the court on Wednesday.

At about half way through Wendesday’s protest, Valerie Young, 21, House’s partner and one of Civic Counsel’s organizers, received a phone call that House had refused to give testimony.

“The show trial that is now underway in Alexandria, Va., has the potential to set a dangerous precedent for regulating the media. Using Nixonian fear tactics that were honed during the Pentagon Papers investigation, the DOJ is attempting to dismantle a major media organization—WikiLeaks—and indict its editor, Julian Assange,” said House in a statement he delivered outside of the United States District Court at 401 Courthouse in Alexandria Va., at 5 p.m. on June 15.

Now, House must wait to see if the court will offer him immunity, which if given, would mean that anything he says in court would not be used to prosecute him. In such a case, House will then be forced to give his testimony or face jail time for contempt of court.

For those present at Wednesday’s protest and other Wikileaks supporters such as Salon.com’s Glenn Greenwald, the endeavor to prosecute Wikileaks and Bradley Manning is an “odious and dangerous war on whiste-blowers.”

As activists continue to blow their whistles in protests, chant for “Free Press,” and refuse to cooperate, controversy over the administration’s handling of people like Bradley Manning and Julian Assange continues to broil.

An open letter signed by Daniel Ellsberg, discloser of the Pentagon Papers and several organizations, urged the rescinding of a “transparency award” that was given, in a private meeting at the White House, to President Obama at the end of March.

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The letter, published by the Guardian, notes that the Obama administration has instated policies that significantly increase government secrecy and taken on one of the harshest prosecutions of whisteblowing in U.S. history.

Others argue that revealing secrets in a way that undermines U.S. military personel’s safety deserves harsh punishment.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/protesters-blow-whistles-over-wikileaks-subpoenas-57784.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/mass-senate-passes-legislation-to-limit-compensation-for-nonprofit-board-members-57432.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/mass-senate-passes-legislation-to-limit-compensation-for-nonprofit-board-members-57432.html#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:47:35 +0000 Epoch Times

In response to a public outcry of overcompensation of nonprofit board members in the health industry in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts attorney general’s office began to investigate industry practices. In response, the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation to limit the compensation of charitable board members.

Massachusetts has over 22,000 nonprofits. According to Attorney General Martha Coakley, almost all of these organizations do not pay members of their boards.

“Compensation of board members creates, at a minimum, an appearance of conflict of interest and diverts resources otherwise focused on achieving the mission of the charity,” AG Coakley said in a statement. “These organizations enjoy significant tax and other benefits due to their charitable status, and this amendment would simply require charities to have a sound justification for why their board members should be paid in contrast to the vast majority of board members that volunteer their services.”

The attorney general’s office began to investigate board compensation in November 2009. Due in part to the rising cost of health care the investigations were centered primarily around a small number of Massachusetts health care providers, who were compensating their board members.

Since the investigation, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Fallon suspended payments to their board members. Harvard Pilgrim and Tufts boards did not suspend payments. Those board members have stated that they will continue to pay themselves. “We believe Blue Cross and Fallon did the right thing by suspending compensation of their directors, and commend their actions,” AG Coakley said. “We do not believe that Harvard Pilgrim nor Tufts have an adequate basis to continue to pay their board members. Their refusal to voluntarily suspend this practice is further reason why we believe there must be a legislative solution to this issue.”

To explain why they were the exception, these organizations stated that they required more complex and more highly skilled directors, that this is the industry norm and they must do this to attract directors, and that their members “committed significant time and effort to their board duties.”

According to a press release the attorney general’s office found these reasons to be unsubstantiated. In fact, the report noted, “Nearly all of your directors live and work in Massachusetts, which suggests at minimum that none of your organizations compete nationally for talent.”

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Massachusetts State Sen. Mark Montigny, chairman of the Health Care Committee, said in a press conference, “I think the hybrid is dangerous when the business or the entity is operating a private business model, yet receiving all of the benefits of the nonprofit. I think it’s particularly troubling.” 

"Charities are granted special privileges because of their missions and contributions to the community," he said, "For half a decade I've maintained that excessive compensation for executives and pay for board members is unacceptable and a breach of the public trust.”

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/mass-senate-passes-legislation-to-limit-compensation-for-nonprofit-board-members-57432.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/tearful-weiner-regrets-indiscretion-but-says-will-not-resign-57332.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/tearful-weiner-regrets-indiscretion-but-says-will-not-resign-57332.html#comments Tue, 07 Jun 2011 02:24:18 +0000 Epoch Times

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) leaves a June 6 press conference after admitting to sending an inappropriate Twitter photo of himself to a woman and then lying about it. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) on Monday tearfully admitted sending an inappropriate photo of himself to a young woman over Twitter, saying he is deeply ashamed of his actions and lying in the cover-up, but will not resign.

Weiner, a leading liberal voice in the House of Representatives who was expected to run for New York City mayor in 2013, admitted to inappropriate Internet and telephone conversations with six women, but said that none of them developed into a physical relationship.

“I’m deeply regretting what I have done and I’m not resigning,” Weiner, 46, said at a news conference at Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan, according to Reuters.

“I tweeted a photograph of myself that I intended as a direct message as part of a joke to a woman in Seattle,” referring to the photo that sparked a scandal more than a week ago.

“Once I realized I had posted it to Twitter, I panicked. I took it down and said that I had been hacked. I then continued to stick to that story, which was a hugely regrettable mistake," he said. "The picture was of me, and I sent it."

Weiner, who has been married since July 2010 to Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, called his own actions “very dumb.”

“I love my wife very much and we have no intention of splitting up over this,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “My wife is a remarkable woman. She’s not responsible for any of this. I apologize to her very deeply."

In response to the incident, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called for a House ethics investigation into whether Weiner broke the standards of conduct. Weiner said that he mostly used his home computer and never used his congressional mobile device to contact the women, let along break any law.

In a brief statement cited by AP, Pelosi said she is “deeply disappointed and saddened about this situation.”

New York’s senior senator, Chuck Schumer, said in a statement that he is “deeply pained and saddened by today’s news."

"By fully explaining himself, apologizing to all he hurt and taking full responsibility for his wrongful actions, Anthony did the right thing. He remains a talented and committed public servant, and I pray he and his family can get through these difficult times," said Schumer.

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Weiner said that he is “deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents” and that he welcomes and “will fully cooperate with an investigation by the House Ethics Committee.”

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BOSTON—The EPA has awarded funding to three Massachusetts small businesses. These businesses are developing technologies meant to protect the environment and public health. The awards totaling more than $450,000 promote clean air and clean drinking water. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program of the EPA is meant to help companies take ideas into commercial manufacture and distribution. Eligible businesses must be established for profit entities with less than 500 employees.

According to Curt Spalding, regional administrator for the EPA’s New England office in a press release, “This EPA funding will help Massachusetts companies develop cutting-edge solutions to continuing environmental concerns, and help create good-paying local jobs at the same time.”

Aspen Products Group Inc. of Marlborough, Mass., was awarded $295,000, to develop new technologies to reduce hazardous air emissions produced by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Founded in 2001, Aspen began with a focus of converting fossil fuels to hydrogen rich gas for use in fuel cell systems.

OPTRA Inc. was awarded just under $80,000 for its development of a “Fourier Transform Infrared Phase Shift Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer” for high sensitivity detection of air toxic compounds. According to OPTRA, the instrument will be capable of detecting and discriminating a broad range of air toxic compounds at sub parts-per-billion concentration levels.

Reactive Innovations LLC of Littleton, is developing an “advanced contaminant inactivation system” to improve drinking water disinfection systems available for small communities. This project has been awarded just under $80,000. Founded in 2003, the company according to its website, is a “specialty research and development firm that focuses on solving critical U.S. government needs in the Clean Technology and Advanced Materials Sectors.”

According an EPA press release, “The EPA’s SBIR program gives small businesses the opportunity to compete for funds to develop technology addressing key environmental areas, such as green building, innovation in manufacturing, nanotechnology, greenhouse gases, [and] drinking water monitoring and treatment” to name a few.

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According to the EPA statement, small businesses have created between 60 percent and 80 percent of new jobs within the past decade. There are about 25 million small businesses in the country.

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