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Friday, September 6, 2013
Shannon and Monica Brown Welcome Daughter Laiyah Shannon
The singer and her husband, Phoenix Suns' Shannon Brown, welcomed their first child together, Laiyah Shannon, on Tuesday, Sept. 3 in Atlanta, her rep confirms to PEOPLE.
Obama to address the nation on Syria
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) ? President Barack Obama claimed a growing recognition among foreign leaders Friday that "the world cannot stand idly by" in the face of chemical weapons use in Syria, and said he plans to make his case to the American people in an address Tuesday night.
With Congress showing signs of reluctance to back a resolution authorizing military strikes, Obama refused to say whether he would act if he fails to win that approval.
"It would be a mistake for me to jump the gun and speculate because right now I'm working to get as much support as possible out of Congress," he said.
Obama told reporters at the end of a two-day Group of 20 economic summit that he and other leaders had had a "full airing of views on the issue." He said many foreign nations will be issuing statements on their positions, but he didn't say whether any specifically had joined France in supporting his move toward U.S. military strikes.
He said the leaders are unanimous in believing that chemical weapons were used in Syria and that international norms against that use must be maintained. He said division comes over how to proceed through the United Nations.
Obama also held a surprise meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a chief opponent of U.S. military action. Putin, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, said this discussion with Obama focused on Syria during the 20 to 30 minutes and that, while they disagreed, the meeting was "substantial and constructive."
Obama said he had a "candid and constructive conversation" with Putin, even if they still disagreed on how to respond to the chemical weapons use in Syria. He said they agreed the underlying conflict can only be resolved through a political transition. Obama said he thinks it is important that he and Putin work together to urge all sides in the conflict to try to resolve it.
The meeting came Friday as Obama sought to build international backing for military action. But three days after he left Washington, it's unclear whether the global coalition the president has been seeking is any closer to becoming a reality.
Putting up stiff resistance to Obama's appeals, Russia on Friday warned the United States and its allies against striking any chemical weapon storage facilities in Syria. The Russian foreign ministry said such targeting could release toxic chemicals and give militants or terrorist access to chemical weapons.
"This is a step toward proliferation of chemical weapons not only across the Syrian territory but beyond its borders," the Russian statement said.
Moreover, China remained a firm no. The European Union is skeptical about whether any military action can be effective. Even Pope Francis weighed in, urging leaders gathered here to abandon what he called a "futile mission."
Still, Obama was undeterred. He and French President Francois Hollande, the U.S.'s strongest ally on Syria and a vocal advocate for a military intervention, met on the sidelines of the summit about attracting European support for action. "It's clear that there are many countries that agree with us that international norms must be upheld," Obama said.
Holland told reporters invited into their meeting that they came to summit "wanting as large a coalition as possible," but without saying whether they picked up more support for military intervention.
"To do nothing would mean impunity," Hollande said. "We must take our responsibility" and act.
As the president pressed his case on the world stage, he was dispatching his U.N. ambassador, Samantha Power, to a Washington think tank to argue that the global community cannot afford the precedent of letting chemical weapons use go unpunished.
Illustrating the risks associated with a strike, however, the State Department on Friday ordered nonessential U.S. diplomats to leave Lebanon, a step under consideration since Obama said he was contemplating military action against the Syrian regime last week. The travel warning said it had instructed nonessential staffers to leave Beirut and urged private American citizens to depart Lebanon.
Yet even as Obama sought the global buy-in that could legitimize a potential strike, his aides were careful to temper expectations that the world community could speak with one voice. Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, said the president wasn't asking his peers to pledge their own militaries to a U.S.-led strike, but simply to say they agree a military response is warranted.
"We don't expect every country here to agree with that position," Rhodes said Friday at the Group of 20 economic summit, where Obama was huddling with foreign leaders.
Standing on Russian soil, Rhodes suggested the U.S. had given up hope that Russia ? a stalwart Syria ally ? could be coerced into changing its position. "We don't expect to have Russian cooperation," he said.
A key status update was to come Friday when Obama, his diplomatic dexterity pushed to the max, will be quizzed by reporters in the waning hours of the summit.
A jobs-and-growth agenda awaiting world leaders gathering at the ornate Constantine Palace quickly gave way to intense posturing over Syria ? at least on the surface. The leaders served up Syria as dinner conversation Thursday at the suggestion of the summit's host, President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader has steadfastly backed Syrian President Bashar Assad and disputes claims that Assad's regime was behind chemical attacks that the U.S. says killed more than 1,400 Syrians. Other estimates are lower.
Syria dominated the nearly three-hour meal, with leaders condemning the use of chemical weapons but reaching no consensus about the proper response, said a French official in St. Petersburg. Many leaders at the dinner remained in doubt about whether Assad's regime was behind the attack, said the official, who was not authorized to be publicly named according to presidential policy.
So too was the Syrian crisis a prevailing theme in Obama's individual meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit in this Russian port city.
The White House said Obama conferred on Syria Thursday evening with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a strong supporter of airstrikes against the nation on its southern border. Syria also came up on Friday as Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose government has warned vigorously against the use of force.
Before his scheduled return to Washington late Friday, Obama also planned to meet with Russian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists, calling attention to another area of disagreement with Moscow.
A fleeting interaction between Obama and Putin became the high-drama moment of the summit, underscoring the labored state of relations between the two leaders. The eyes of the world watching, the Russian and the American were all smiles Thursday as they made small talk in front of news cameras for a few seconds as Obama arrived at the summit.
But the welcoming handshake may have been where the pleasantries ended. In other venues, the two nations were repeatedly bumping heads.
Russia's foreign ministry, in a statement Friday, said a U.S.-led strike would mark "a new dangerous turn" in the crisis, risking the release of chemical weapons or their possession by terrorists. And the head of the foreign affairs panel in Russia's lower house of parliament, Alexei Pushkov, blasted Obama on Twitter as having "completely transformed into a president of war."
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Russia was boosting its naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea, moving in warships into the area and stoking fears about a larger international conflict if the United States orders airstrikes.
Even at home, there was far from a consensus that an American strike on Syria was the best course of action. Awaiting Obama upon his return was an equally fractious debate in Congress over whether to authorize the limited military action he was proposing.
Pulling out all the stops, Obama was working the phones from Europe and appealing for support from leery lawmakers, Democratic and Republican alike. And he called off a planned trip to California next week, opting to stay in Washington to keep up the pressure on Congress to say yes.
As top national security officials continued to brief Congress on the accusation against Assad and the proposed response, a measure authorizing Obama to act was advancing tenuously through the Senate, winning approval from a foreign relations panel Wednesday and heading to the Senate floor. The measure's prospects were less certain in the Republican-controlled House.
In an unusual turn of events, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner both said that a delegation of Russian lawmakers had sought to meet with them to discuss Syria. Both leaders, who are supporting Obama's call for a strike, turned down that invitation, aides said.
"I don't know that the Russians have anything to add to the debate in the United States, given that we know where Russia stands," said Rhodes, the Obama aide.
___
Associated Press writer Angela Charlton contributed to this report.
___
Follow Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-encouraged-g20-syria-talks-plans-speech-141753129--politics.html
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Thursday, September 5, 2013
Upon the Rock Publicist: Public Speaking Tips: How to Be Prepared ...
Ever had one of those moments when someone asked you to speak at a function, you agreed, and then you panicked because you had no idea what you would speak on? If so, then you know what I'm talking about.?
If you are a public speaker, most likely, you hang around other friends who are also public speakers. All of us are human and have unexpected things that happen out of our control - illnesses, accidents, loved ones with emergencies, etc. You may be asked to fill-in for a friend if an event cannot be canceled. Let's face it. If you're being asked to fill-in for someone, you may not have time to prepare as you would if asked weeks and months in advance.?Would you be READY??
?Below are a few tips to make sure you are ALWAYS ready.
Prepare speeches when you don't have to speak.?This may sound crazy, but the moment you're driving down the road, listening to a podcast, or reading an article and an idea for a speaking topic pops into your head, write it down. Begin working on an outline immediately. Then start working on a PowerPoint presentation and get it ready. Save it in a Speaking folder somewhere on your computer. It doesn't matter that you don't have it scheduled for anything specific or a target audience in mind. What matters is that you have a collection of drafts for when you are scheduled to speak and you can modify it to your target audience when needed. This way you won't be starting from scratch. It takes the panic out of the guess work and the anxiety out of the lack of available time.?
Learn how to make PowerPoint presentations sizzle, and include videos and slideshows when you don't need them.?You probably learned in high school and college that visual aides are just as important in a presentation as the speech itself. Use them to keep your audience's attention and drive home your point. They shouldn't distract from your message, but enhance it. At the same time, you don't want to be using outdated media and technology. These days, a poster board won't cut it. Go ahead and create these visuals when you create your presentation or write your speech. It's much easier to find the perfect photo or video to convey a message when you have time to search properly than in 48 hours because you're filling in for someone.?
Don't think you'll never be a replacement for someone else.?As I discussed earlier, people get sick and have family emergencies all the time. Life happens. This is the perfect time for a new speaker to take advantage of this opportunity that they otherwise wouldn't have. Event coordinators know it will be harder to get a well-known speaker in an emergency. Their schedule will most likely be full. This is where?you?can be ready to make a difference.?
Always update a speech or presentation.?It doesn't matter if you spent hours and weeks going over your speech and fine-tuning it. After leaving it alone for weeks and even months, you'll come back with a fresh pair of eyes and a new perspective that will help you make it better. Plus, each new audience may require a different angle or the changing times initiate you to target your message differently. If you included stats, you may need to update them. What have you learned since the time you originally created it? Updating a speech or presentation takes less time than thinking through and creating one from scratch. You'll still be ahead by taking this approach.
Find out the logistics.?Will you be able to provide a Powerpoint presentation and use video equipment? Will you need to provide a DVD, CD, memory stick, or bring your laptop? If you cannot use any electronic equipment, find out the number of attendees and try to have copies available as handouts. If you don't want to carry them on the plane due to packing constraints, find out if you can ship the copies ahead. If you do this, be sure to bring one copy as a back up plan. You could always arrange to have Kinkos, Staples, or some other service company make copies once you arrive.?
Brainstorming ideas for topics.?If you don't know where to begin on choosing topics, think about your interests, hobbies, the kinds of articles you're prone to read. Research (Google) articles and speeches on these topics. You might find videos on speeches others have given. Take notes on what you like and dislike. From this strategy, you'll be able to start narrowing speech topics down and can begin working on a presentation, or outlining a series of presentations if the subject is broad enough with several subtopics.?
Are any of these suggestions helpful? What other ways have you found to be ready when unexpected speaking opportunities arise??
Source: http://www.upontherockpublicist.com/2013/09/public-speaking-tips-how-to-be-prepared.html
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Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Johnny Manziel, FCS upsets among best and misfortune of NCAA football Week 1
5 hours ago / sport.football
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Source: http://time2sports.com/johnny-manziel-fcs-upsets-among-best-and-worst-of-ncaa-football-week-1
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Friending the boss on Facebook: Fun or foolish?
8 hours ago
Reuters
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Everybody likes to make a good first impression. Even more - maintain a great relationship.
For those of you who are in-person communication geniuses, keep this in mind: the game is changed on social media.
What you might convey in person, might not be appropriate typed online. Before you know it, you may have crossed that fine line to find yourself "unfriended".
How do you know when you're about to go too far with what you are planning to write or post?
This guide on social media manners will help you navigate through a few critical situations.
Friending your boss
This is where you must be strategic. Friending your boss on Facebook can either strengthen your relationship or get you fired in a hot second. To be safe, it's best to keep your personal and professional worlds separate.
However, if your company's culture fosters strong relational bonds - and both parties consent to the "add" - by all means click away.
Just keep this in mind: everything is visible. If your boss doesn't like what's posted, it may affect his or her judgment of you as an individual.
One controversial post can put you on the fast track to the job boards. Regulate your Facebook page, and everything is great. Post without much thought, and you're toast.
With this in mind, one social media site is completely fair game: LinkedIn. Feel free to friend your boss and anyone else you desire. After all, you're building your network.
Staying out of controversial discussions
Much like a one-on-one conversation, everything you post on social media is subject to individual perception - only more so.
I say this because people only perceive your words. None of the other non-verbals - the most crucial aspect of communication - factor into the equation.
What you write will be seen and will be criticized (for your benefit or your dismay).
Discussions on subjects such as politics, religion, and abortion should be avoided, unless you put significant thought into what you say, if you really feel you must say it. In regard to these topics, voicing your opinion is the quickest way to get yourself unfriended.
Not oversharing
Nobody likes someone who shares your dirty laundry.
What's worse? Realizing you're on the other end of the deal - and apologizing significantly.
Here's a rule of thumb when posting via social media: be conservative and always empathize. Don't over-explain a situation; get to the point with what's necessary to communicate a clear picture.
While doing this, continually think about who you include in the message. If you think they would be okay with you sharing their details to a room of fifth-graders, then go for it. Anything else, and you better think twice.
Keep your sharing ?to the point' with careful consideration of others who may be involved, and you're good-to-go.
How to deal with rude comments from others
First things first: walk away from the computer. Take a few deep breaths and relax. The worst thing you can do is respond emotionally. After you've gathered your thoughts - respond in a productive, respectful manner.
If you can't possibly think of what to reply back, and you're fired up...there's no harm in deleting their comment and responding at a later time via their email.
How to best comment when people share major things
This can be tough. How do you respond to someone's post regarding issues such as the death of a spouse or parent, or even the birth of a child?
Answer: with empathy.
Anything along the lines of: "Sorry for your loss"; or "Keeping you in my thoughts"; or "Please let me know if you'd like company"; or "Congratulations on the new addition to your family! I can only imagine how happy you are" goes a long way.
No need to write a novel. If you feel that desire - call them.
Best advice of all ...
For those of us who are relatively late coming to the table without the best understanding of social media manners: engage the tutorial services of a responsible person younger than 25.
(Mary M. Mitchell has written several books on the subject of etiquette, now in 11 languages, most recently "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Modern Manners Fast Track" and "Woofs to the Wise". She is the founder of executive training consultancy The Mitchell Organization (www.themitchellorganization.com). The opinions expressed are her own.)
(Editing by Paul Casciato)
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.
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This Really Happened: Anthony Weiner Rides Float During NYC?s West Indian Day Parade
I really can?t believe my eyes. Earlier today, scandal ridden runner up for Mayor, Anthony Weiner, rode atop a float at this year?s West Indian Parade in New York City. Not only that, Weiner was also on the mic giving shoutouts and making gunshot noises while Dancehall music blasted from his float. New York this is not a good look.
?Anybody here from Jamaica? Anybody here from Barbados? Anybody here from Guyana?? he called, island-style. Then he gave it up: ?Anybody here from Staten Island??
Watch clips of Weiner riding the float after the jump?
via Dream Hampton
Related: MC Anthony Weiner Parades West Indian Style, Sorta: ?Anybody Here From Jamaica??
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