Many wildfire evacuation orders lifted in Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ? Many Oklahoma residents forced to leave their homes because of raging wildfires were allowed to return Sunday, despite some blazes continuing to burn and emergency shelters remaining open in four communities.

A "monster" fire had devoured almost 91 square miles and continued to burn between Mannford and Kellyville in northeastern Oklahoma's Creek County as light rain and cooler temperatures gave firefighters a brief respite early Sunday, said Oklahoma Forestry Services spokeswoman Michelle Finch-Walker.

She said the blaze hopscotched, burning some areas and leaving others untouched.

"It's not like an inferno moving across the landscape," Finch-Walker said. "You can drive for miles down the highway and see nothing but black, but then you can see pockets of green, pockets unburned.

"Maybe there was a creek (that stopped the fire)," she said. "Maybe the wind blew it in a different direction."

Finch-Walker said residents of the town of Mannford, which was evacuated Saturday, were allowed to go back to their homes.

Gov. Mary Fallin traveled to Mannford and nearby Drumright on Sunday, where she met with residents and local officials, telling reporters afterward that the state is doing all it can to assist in putting out the flames.

"This has really stretched the resources of the state of Oklahoma," she said. "It's just been a huge fight."

Finch-Walker said Forestry Services had sent pumper trucks with water and bulldozers to fight the fires, while the Oklahoma National Guard provided helicopters to dump water on the flames.

"They don't put out the fire, they cool down the area," by dropping water on a blaze, Finch-Walker said. "To allow firefighters to get in and fight."

Nigel Holderby, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, said four shelters remained open Sunday: at a senior center in Cushing and churches in Sand Springs, Lexington and Choctaw.

An information center in the high school auditorium in Luther also remained in operation, Holderby said. The center, established by the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other agencies, is providing residents with information on how to find government assistance, such as replacing birth certificates and Social Security cards.

As many as 18 fires have been reported since late last week. No serious injuries have been reported. Three firefighters were treated and released Friday after suffering burns, Finch-Walker said.

The National Weather Service said .15 to .16 inches of rain fell early Sunday in the area, but no more was expected until at least midweek.

Temperatures for the next two to three days are expected to be somewhat milder, in the 90s rather than above 110 degrees, meteorologist Bart Haake said.

Firefighters welcome the news about milder weather, Finch-Walker said, but realize those temperatures will only last a couple days.

"We're not out of the woods by any stretch," she said.

The fire season is just getting under way, she said, and whether it will be as severe as 2011 cannot be projected. Forestry services firefighters battled about 1,800 blazes in 2011, including an estimated 93 square-mile fire in the Wichita Mountains of southwestern Oklahoma.

The causes of the various fires had not been determined Sunday, although one that began Friday near Luther was being investigated as a possible arson. Witnesses told Oklahoma County sheriff's deputies they saw a man throwing a lighted newspaper from a black Ford pickup.

Sheriff's spokesman Mark Myers said Sunday that no arrests had been made and no suspects identified.

"We're getting leads and following up on them," Myers said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/many-wildfire-evacuation-orders-lifted-oklahoma-225059745.html

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EYES ON LONDON: Lebron, Team USA face Argentina

United States' Lebron James (6) shoots over Lithuania's Jonas Valanciunas (14) during their men's preliminary round basketball game at the 2012 Summer Olympics on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Sergio Perez, Pool)

United States' Lebron James (6) shoots over Lithuania's Jonas Valanciunas (14) during their men's preliminary round basketball game at the 2012 Summer Olympics on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Sergio Perez, Pool)

An image of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is projected on the Parliament building at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London. Bolt overwhelmed a star-studded field Sunday to win the 100-meters in 9.63 seconds, an Olympic record that let him join Carl Lewis as the only men with consecutive gold medals in the marquee track and field event at the Summer Games. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Teresa Frassinetti of Italy reacts after a 9-6 lost to the United States in a women's water polo quarterfinal match at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

United States' Sanya Richards-Ross, left, is embraced by United States' Deedee Trotter after she won gold in the women's 400-meter final during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

People cheer as they watch Olympic sprinters Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake competing in the 100 m dash at the London Olympics on a large TV screen set up at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012. A crowd of roughly 500 people on the grounds of the national stadium cheered wildly as Bolt crossed the finish line of the 100-meter dash in 9.63 seconds, many dancing and chanting. A group of drummers performed during the meeting. (AP Photo/David McFadden)

(AP) ? Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

___

AMERICANS REGROUP

Lithuania gave the Americans a scare in their last game. Now LeBron James and Co. face a team even more talented.

Team USA plays Argentina on Monday, looking to reassert themselves after nipping Lithuania 99-94 on Saturday. Carmelo Anthony says the game woke them up and they're ready to get back to dominating.

"It was a little bit tighter than what we expected," Anthony says. "Lithuania was focused, and it kind of caught us on our heels. We won't get caught on our heels again."

Argentina features NBA stars Manu Ginobili and Luis Scola, who lost one game to France in pool play.

? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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BOLT TWEETS

Hours after winning a second consecutive Olympic gold in the 100 meters, Usain Bolt took a moment to tweet a message of support for injured Jamaican teammate Asafa Powell.

Bolt ? whose handle is (at)usainbolt ? wrote: "Respect bossy..hope u get well soon.. You started this Jamaican take over (at)officialasafa"

Powell, who held the 100 world record from 2005 until Bolt claimed it in 2008, pulled up with a groin injury Sunday and finished last in the dash. Bolt won in an Olympic-record 9.63 seconds.

What's not clear is whether Powell will be able to help Bolt and Jamaica try to defend their title in the 4x100 relay. That event's heats are Friday night.

"I got out of the starting blocks and stumbled," Powell said Sunday at the stadium. "I reinjured my groin and I couldn't push."

? Howard Fendrich ? Twitter http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

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GOLDEN CAMP MOMENT

The Jacksonville Jaguars ended practice in a most unusual manner on Sunday ? they watched the wife of one of their players win Olympic gold.

Not only did the Jaguars allow cornerback Aaron Ross to leave the team and be in London to watch his wife in person at Olympic Stadium, but the entire team huddled back home to watch the race as well.

Sanya Richards-Ross didn't let them down, either ? winning gold in the 400 meters.

"Well, that was a good way to finish practice," Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said. "That was a neat experience for the players. I don't think any of them knew the outcome."

Mularkey invited the 1,200 fans at practice to watch the tape of the race with the team. He had the Jaguars video department tape the race off of a live Internet showing, as NBC wasn't going to broadcast the race until later in the evening.

Aaron Ross is expected back with the team in a couple days.

"This brought us a little closer as a team," Mularkey said.

? Tim Reynolds ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/ByTimReynolds

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NEXT CAREER

American swimmer Tyler Clary says he's considering a career as a race car driver when he hangs up his Speedo.

The gold medalist in the 200-meter backstroke said he's attended races at the track in Fontana, Calif., and, last year, participated with an off-road racing team.

"I want to take a serious shot at being a professional race car driver after swimming's over," Clary said on Sunday night's "Wind Tunnel" program on Speed Channel.

"It's funny because when you initially tell people that, you get laughs, complete surprise, but I know that this is something I could be really good at and, like I said, I want to take a serious shot at it."

He attended the IndyCar race at Long Beach this year. He also spent time with the CEO of the Skip Barber Racing School and is trying to find a way to participate in some of their programs.

"There's also the possibility of a shootout in January where I could compete against some other regional hotshots," Clary said. "If I had a way of saying, as far as racing goes, this is what I'll be doing after swimming is over, I'd be in a Formula One car. But I'm the type of guy that's ... just get me in a car and I'll be happy. If it's an Indy car, a rally car, a stock car, off-road racing would be amazing, too. Any of that stuff. I just really have a passion for auto racing and I really want to drive."

? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

___

BOTTLE TOSS

A plastic bottle was thrown on the track of the men's 100-meter final about a second before the start, landing about 10 meters behind the runners.

Scotland Yard said a suspect is being held on suspicion of causing a public nuisance. Police said the 40-year-old man was heard shouting abusive language before he threw the bottle. His name was not immediately released.

Several runners said they didn't know about the bottle until reporters told them about it afterward.

The bottle bounced a few times and came to rest in the lane occupied by Jamaica's Yohan Blake, who finished second in the race.

"I was so focused, I didn't see anything," Blake said.

___

BUS STOP

"Follow me, lads."

And with that, the volunteer, whose identity will remain our secret, took off running. One of my AP colleagues and I had just missed a bus to East London University to cover the U.S. men's basketball practice and were going to have to wait at least 30 minutes for the next one. Seeing ? and hearing ? our frustration, the kind gentleman hustled outside the busy terminal at the media press center, and was able to stop the bus before it left the Olympic Park area.

Running into the street, he flagged down the driver ? a performance worthy of a gold medal.

I could only offer a handshake and my thanks to the stranger, who probably violated a half dozen rules and laws to get us on the bus.

"So naughty," the smiling driver said as we boarded.

? Tom Withers ? Twitter http://twitter.com/twithersAP

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BLACK EYES

Water polo: It's like handball with added water.

I stopped by the water polo pool and the Copper Box that hosts handball at the Olympic Park today and was struck by how similar the two sports are. Water seems like the only difference.

The other thing that hit me. How tough both sports are.

I've never seen so many women sporting black eyes as I did at the polo pool.

? Mike Corder ? Twitter http://twitter.com/mikecorder

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NOT DISAPPOINTED

World champion Yohan Blake said he's not disappointed about his second place finish in the 100-meter dash, behind his teammate and training partner, Usain Bolt.

"I came close tonight. It has been really good running with the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt," Blake said.

"I'm not disappointed. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. You never know what can happen. I think the 200 meters will be interesting."

Blake also hinted that he might run the 4x400 relay: "You never know. The finals. You never know."

? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

___

A MOMENT WORTH BRONZING

Sometimes, finishing third has its benefits.

Greg Searle was part of an eight-man British rowing crew that won bronze, a disappointment for the 40-year-old, who came out of retirement in hopes of replicating his gold-winning performance in Barcelona two decades ago. Searle was finding himself consigned to a footnote in a Great Britain team that has been collecting golds as quick as it can paddle.

But as Searle's Twitter feed ? (at)GregSearle2012 ? demonstrated Sunday, he's just had an Olympic brush with greatness.

"Look who I made friends with at the handball," he offers his followers in a teasing caption to a photo link.

Click! And there Searle is, displaying a Cheshire cat grim, arm in arm with ... Kate Middleton, a.k.a. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

See the photo here: http://pic.twitter.com/KrJoeA05

? Shawn Pogatchnik ? Twitter http://twitter.com/ShawnPogatchnik

___

GOLDEN MCNUGGETS

Usain Bolt thinks London has done a great job with the games, calling Britain, "a wonderful place."

And yes, the McDonald's over here tastes just as good as it does everywhere else. Bolt said he's had "a few nuggets, I'm not going to lie." He also had a wrap from his favorite fast-food place as part of his pre-race fuel.

"It was healthy, so don't judge me," he said, drawing laughs.

Bolt will be collecting his 100-meter medal on Monday, the 50th anniversary of Jamaica's independence from Britain.

"I wanted to give Jamaica a great birthday present, and I think that's a good start," he said. "I'm sure it will be a wonderful feat for all of the people in Jamaica to stand up and sing the national anthem."

? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

___

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QUICKQUOTE: 'LEGEND'

"I'm one step closer to being a legend." ? Usain Bolt on winning the 100 meters in 9.63 seconds, a new Olympic record.

? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

___

POWER IN THE STRETCH

It's been called the longest sprint ? a lot can happen in the 400 between the starting gun and the finish line.

Sanya Richards-Ross was behind Amantle Montsho of Botswana as they made the turn, but the tiny American runner accelerated through the stretch to win the Olympic 400-meter race Sunday.

Richards-Ross's time of 49.55 edged out the defending champion, Christine Ohuruogu of Britain, who also deployed a strong kick to finish in 49.70. American DeeDee Trotter won the bronze.

It was the first U.S. gold in track and field at the London Games ? and it was a long time coming for Richards-Ross, who sobbed at the Beijing Bird's Nest Stadium when she finished third in 2008.

? Sheila Norman-Culp ? Twitter http://twitter.com/snormanculp

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EDITOR'S NOTE ? "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item, and get even more AP updates from the Games here: http://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-08-06-OLY-Eyes-on-London-Package/id-6e5353a59fdc41b1ae8afaa36bccd37e

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Okla. fires: dozens of homes burn

LUTHER, Okla. (AP) ? Several wildfires raging around the parched Oklahoma landscape prompted more evacuations on Sunday as emergency workers sought to shelter those forced out by flames that destroyed dozens of homes and threatened others in the drought-stricken region.

One roaring fire near Luther, about 25 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, destroyed nearly five dozen homes and other buildings before firefighters gained a measure of control Saturday. Authorities said several state roads remained closed early Sunday because of drifting smoke or nearby fires.

Mike Donegan, a communications supervisor with the Oklahoma State Highway Patrol in the scorched region, said evacuations continued overnight. He had no immediate details on the numbers forced from their homes but said officers went door to door in some communities, getting people to leave.

He said he saw thick smoke from a distance of about 50 miles from one of the fires as he drove into work.

"When I came in today ... we got ash falling even where I live. I thought it was raining at first. The smoke was thick," Donegan told The Associated Press by phone.

The Luther fire was one of at least 10 burning Saturday in Oklahoma, where a severe drought has settled on the countryside in a summer in which temperatures have topped 110 degrees in spots.

The fires include a large one in Creek County, in northeastern Oklahoma, that officials said had claimed about 78 square miles, and another about 35 miles to the west in Payne County.

Emergency management officials ordered residents of Mannford, in Creek County; Glencoe, in Payne County; Drumright, in Lincoln County; Oak Grove, in Pawnee County; and Quinton, in Pittsburg County, to leave their homes, according to Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Keli Cain.

Cain said Saturday that no serious injuries had been reported.

Authorities suspect the fire near Luther may have been intentionally set, while the cause of the others was undetermined. The Oklahoma County sheriff's department said it was looking for someone in a black pickup truck seen throwing newspapers out a window after setting them ablaze.

Department spokeswoman Mary Myers said there were "no arrests, no suspects" but deputies were "working around the clock" to find anyone responsible.

Nigel Holderby, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, inspected one shelter set up in Cushing, northeast of Oklahoma City. She reported about 50 people sought refuge there overnight.

"We do have several shelter operations in full swing," she said early Sunday. "We are providing food and water and we are also making sure the firefighters are hydrated and feeding them."

Though the fires are scattered across the region, she said a largely volunteer effort has been able to respond and several shelters have been set up.

Gov. Mary Fallin toured Luther on Saturday, hugging residents whose homes and belongings were destroyed by the fire that swept through treetops on 24 mph winds.

"It's heartbreaking to see families that have lost so much," Fallin said after talking with some who were milling around the still-smoking debris that had been their homes. "I gave them a hug, told them I was sorry."

The fire burned just over 4 square miles, including an area near the Turner Turnpike, which carries Interstate 44 between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The superhighway was briefly closed Friday.

In Creek County, county Commissioner Newt Stephens asked residents to be patient and to stay away from the flames in the northern part of the county.

On Saturday, those able to return their homes found charred timbers poking from the debris and the burned out shells of refrigerators, washers and dryers.

"It makes me feel sad," said Victoria Landavazo, clutching a young child in her arms. "It's all gone. All of our family pictures, everything."

Tracy Streeper was working in Oklahoma City, about 40 miles southwest, when she learned that the flames were approaching her home. Caught in traffic, it took her a long time to return home.

She grabbed a few clothes, medicine and her three dogs and left quickly.

"Your adrenaline is running. You're pumped up," Streeper said. "You could just see a wall of flames coming this way. Everything was on fire."

___

Associated Press writer Ken Miller contributed to this report from Oklahoma City.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/okla-fires-dozens-homes-burn-evacuations-090002705.html

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Painting a Community Into Existence: Reza Assemi and the Mural ...

by Tom Sims

It is impossible to talk about the revitalization of the Tower District and Downtown Fresno without noticing the Mural District with its elaborate paintings and complex stories.

Painting is just another way of keeping a diary. ~Pablo Picasso

Reza Assemi has been keeping an urban diary for 12 years. At age 17, he left Fresno and pursued business, hiking national parks, and a philosophy degree. When he returned to the Valley, he brought curiosity, creativity, and imagination and began to invest those qualities in creating something entirely new out of old things in the city. He has made a mark and is continuing to make a mark.

Reza Assemi

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Reza is the son of a custom builder and is a very good builder himself, but he is not satisfied just to build. His passion is to create space.

What art offers is space?a certain breathing room for the spirit. ~John Updike

If you are strolling through the Tower District of Fresno and wander into the downtown area, you begin to notice a presence. It is an expressive presence. It draws you in and causes you to take notice. Some of the walls actually speak. Neglected buildings are coming to life. New structures are forming that seem different from the norm. Art is visible and ?in your face.? You have entered the Mural District.

You have been invited to see, taste, feel, and participate in art appreciation and art creation.

For Reza Assemi, it started with a love of old buildings, especially red brick buildings. Then the love grew from a passion to an obsession to bring people together through art and then to create community around it.

So much has been written about the Mural District in Fresno and its ?spark-plug,? Assemi that it is difficult to know what to write or say that would be fresh or new. Reza is a visionary and a developer. He comes from a family of successful developers and has a background in building things. He knows how to do his family business well. What he discovered twelve years ago was that a building developer could become a community developer by creating intentional space designing that space to accommodate the people who would create community.

For Reza, the unifying theme was and is art. He plunged into his dream after seeing a building that captured his imagination. Then, he found the artist in himself. He also came to realize that artistic people are great community developers. Art itself invites collaboration, appreciation, and transformation.

Twelve years ago, after coming home to Fresno, Reza discovered his artistic self. He began to see art in common things like old warehouses and broken neighborhoods. He had demonstrated competency in his craft, savvy in business, and now, using his knowledge, resources, and connections, he began to create spaces that made an unambiguous statement that these neighborhoods are art-friendly and artist-friendly. That is part of his vision for the Tower and downtown and he has pursued it for twelve years without wavering.

He is very matter-of-fact about his role. He is also very philosophical about what he wants to accomplish and methodically patient in his pursuit of the dream. He says that it takes a whole army to accomplish these goals. ?The community is the key.?

His plans were big and he says that they needed a community push. The community has rallied with such organizations as Creative Fresno. Reza is committed to opening businesses and transforming community and the community itself does not underestimate Reza?s role.

Donavan Byrn, a key player in Creative Fresno, has worked with Assemi on a number of projects. Of his friend and fellow artist, he says, ?I think Reza is an amazing individual that is driven like few I know to create something meaningful. I totally agree that the introduction of art, public art and artists into an area can and will transform that area into something vibrant and dynamic. Mural District is a perfect example. Bring in the artists, start adding public art (in this case murals) and next thing you know you?ve created a neighborhood.?

Anthony ?Ap? Armour, one of the founders of Neighborhood Thrift, wrote in a recent Facebook posting, ?You?re barely living unless you live in the Mural District.?

For years I have noticed the murals on buildings, but I had not looked into their origins. I decided to delve a little deeper and found myself overwhelmed with the history and the passion that has sustained this movement since the turn of the century. Sometimes there is just more information than one can digest.

It all began with Reza?s vision and he gathered others into the fold and released them to create. The Mural District is about art and community. Reza?s trilogy of truths is ?building relationships, bringing people together, and creating neighborhoods.?

Mounting the statue at Iron Bird Lofts in Downtown Fresno

Reza is attracted to the old buildings. It was the Pearl Building that first captured his heart and he found a way to develop it into a work of art and into a space where artists could create art and build community. He is especially drawn to old warehouses because of ?the creative process of really taking something and turning it into something.?

Culture Arts Building aka The Pearl Building

The artist-developer sees what others do not see. We see old buildings in neglected condition. Reza sees something special. As he said in a recent video interview, warehouses are special because they give you the opportunity to create something that people no longer recognize. Something has been transformed.

Iron Bird Lofts Downtown Fresno

Many factors contribute to the development of communities. One unexpected answer to the question of what has helped is a freeway. According to Reza, the 180 has made the Tower and downtown easily accessible bringing fresh life to these areas. In a world where freeways have divided neighborhoods, it is nice to find at least one that has helped to enhance a neighborhood. It is also of no small significance that downtown and the Tower are only two street lights away from each other.

Architecture begins where engineering ends. ~Walter Gropius

Murals are the one dimensional catalysts for multi-dimensional creation. Assemi muses that canvasses and panels are not much different from each other as blank tablets upon which to create art. Murals draw people into an area, especially creative people. ?People like to go where there are things to see?the color draws people.?

According to the web site, ?The Mural District is not outlined by streets and intersections, it?s simply defined by artwork. Large-scale, hand painted murals is what literally identifies the district?s walls. Credit for such an imaginative neighborhood is due not only to Reza Assemi, but also to a hand full of gifted muralists, one talented sculptor and the support of Creative Fresno. It is the dedication of these brilliant artists, their creative minds and interpretive artwork that brings the Mural District is to life.?

Once the people come together, amazing things happen.

Projects that Reza Assemi has taken the lead in include The H Street Lofts, the Vagabond Lofts, The Iron Bird Lofts, and Broadway Studios. What is the next project and tablet upon which to paint? It is the purchase and development of the old ?Theater 3? building where Reza hopes to create a venue for night life, acoustic guitar, and conversation. It is also known as the old PG&E building.

There is always something new brewing in the mind of Reza Assemi. It has to be that way.

Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling. ~G.K. Chesterton

Learn more on the following websites:

http://www.rezaassemi.com

http://www.muraldistrict.com

On Facebook:
Mural District page ? https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mural-District/301127576589171
Creative Fresno page ? https://www.facebook.com/creativefresno

On YouTube:
2010 Interview on YouTube with Business Street http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyWrATrbwMA
Example of a project with Granville Homes ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQXQK_Zhw0c

Read more of Tom?s Tower District articles here at KRL.

Tom Sims is a local pastor (and Grandpa!), writer, and blogger. His congregation, ?The Fellowship of Joy,? is part of a larger collaborative called ?4141 Ministries,? of which he is Executive Director & he is an active Toastmaster. You can also find him on Facebook.

.

Source: http://kingsriverlife.com/08/04/painting-a-community-into-existence-reza-assemi-and-the-mural-district/

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North Korea's new leader makes diplomatic debut

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea's new leader hosted a dinner in Pyongyang for senior political officials visiting from China, state media said Friday, in what marked Kim Jong Un's diplomatic debut and a sign that he is turning his attention to foreign affairs.

Kim talked with a Chinese delegation led by Wang Jiarui, head of the Communist Party's international affairs office, and then invited the group to a dinner attended by North Korea's political elite, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Kim told Wang that the North Korean government is focused on boosting the economy, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency.

The meeting marks Kim's first official diplomatic foray since he took over as leader following the December death of his father, Kim Jong Il.

Kim, who is believed to be 29, has been swift in moving to build loyalty among North Korea's 24 million people and to establish control over key institutions such as the military and ruling Workers' Party.

He also has been quick to show his rule will differ in focus and style from that of his father, who kept his personal life out of the state media, rarely traveled abroad and met only selectively with foreign dignitaries.

After gaining the new title of marshal and shuffling the military leadership last month, Kim Jong Un made the surprise introduction of his wife, Ri Sol Ju.

At Thursday's talks with the Chinese, he reiterated his government's focus on building the economy, according to Xinhua. Seated next to him was Vice Premier Kang Sok Ju, the seasoned diplomat who accompanied Kim's father to China last year.

"Developing the economy and improving livelihoods so that the (North) Korean people lead happy and civilized lives is the goal the Workers' Party is struggling towards," the news agency reported Kim as telling Wang.

Photos showed the two men standing shoulder to shoulder as they posed for a group portrait, Wang in a Western-style suit and Kim in a dark blue Mao jacket with the pin bearing his father and grandfather's portraits affixed to his chest.

China, which sent troops to support North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, remains Pyongyang's main ally and biggest benefactor. That relationship has deepened in recent years as North Korea increasingly turns to China to provide much-needed food, oil and trade and oil.

While North Korea founder Kim Il Sung welcomed a string of foreign guests and traveled overseas regularly until his death in 1994, Kim Jong Il met few visitors during his later years and rarely traveled abroad ? though only by train.

However, he made an exception for neighboring China, traveling by train four times during the last two years of his life on trips focused on learning about the country's new market economy.

Wang Jiarui, a regular visitor to Pyongyang who has made several trips this year already, accompanied Kim Jong Il during his visit to China last August.

Kim Jong Un has yet to make his first trip abroad as leader but is widely expected to follow his grandfather's footsteps by traveling overseas.

He already has demonstrated more of a willingness to rub shoulders with foreigners, including Westerners, than his father.

Foreign diplomats and officials were among those invited to attend the opening ceremony late last month of the new Rungna Island fairgrounds.

One KCNA photo showed a British diplomat, Barnaby Jones, seated on a roller coaster one row from Kim ? an image that sparked speculation in foreign media about Kim's mysterious foreign friend.

Footage aired on state TV on Friday also showed ambassadors and other foreign officials seated just a few rows behind Kim at a dolphin show.

A foreign reporter from The Associated Press also was seated just a few feet away from Kim at a closed event earlier this year.

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Follow AP's Korea bureau chief at www.twitter.com/newsjean.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-koreas-leader-makes-diplomatic-debut-132351488--finance.html

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SSWBN Networking Nova, August 2012 | South Shore Women's ...

Each month the SSWBN Membership Team recognizes a member who exemplifies the qualities of a Networking Nova, a person who embodies the Network?s core values of coaching, contacts and collaboration; someone who is visible at many SSWBN events and who treats others with respect and dignity.? In addition, this person utilizes the Network to build his/her business and helps others do the same.

August 2012 NOVA


Lynn Feingold of Songs of the Colonial Days Discovers ?Network? in ?Homework?

Lynn Feingold

What brought me to the Network??
Attending a professional networking event was ?homework? for my new role as a member of the Networking Committee of my day-job company?s newly-formed Women?s Integrated Network.I put on my corporate nametag and I walked into the SSWBN breakfast that first time:? a roomful of smiling, hugging people who were making a racket! ?The energy and the joy was palpable ? the room vibrated with it. ?Then Katie appeared from the crowd and introduced me to someone who in turn introduced me to about six people.

The meeting went quickly, the positive energy flowed ? and I was hooked. ?I joined SSWBN the next month to get help with my second career, Songs of the Colonial Days.

I went to my first meeting with my business cards and handed out a few cards. ?It didn?t take long for a SSWBN member to examine my card and ask: ?Where?s your website?? ?I sheepishly said that I didn?t have one and had never really felt the need to have one. ?Their response was something like ? ?Well, if you?re going to take it seriously, as a business you have to have a web presence.?

I had never thought of my singing?as a business before that moment. ?I vowed to challenge myself. ?I would take it seriously. ?By the next breakfast, I had new cards with a new website address for a website I had built myself. ?I don?t remember my first hug because there have been so many.

That was three years ago and so much has happened. ?I continue to attend as many SSWBN events as I can. ?I attended three Professional Development Days, which are real game-changers. ?I have heard so many good ideas -?for developing my business, not being afraid to ask for what I am worth, leveraging my internet presence, budgeting sensibly, giving back selflessly.

I learned that to really get to know people I would have to get involved ? so I joined the 20th Anniversary Gala Committee and enjoyed my time with that team, and enjoyed the final outcome. ?I volunteered with SSWBN last year for D.O.V.E., Inc., the Friends of Mel Cancer Conference and the Spirit of Mel Cruise.

It didn?t stop there ? the influence of everything I was learning through SSWBN leaked through to every other aspect of my life. ?I began to reach out to other singers and joined them for song sessions. ?I joined the Board of Directors of the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston and volunteered to host traditional song swaps around the Greater Boston area.

I got professional photographs taken and upgraded my website to include a video and audio clip. ?I volunteered my time to sing at a vigil for victims of domestic violence for D.O.V.E., Inc. ?In January I collaborated with three new friends to perform onstage at the Boston Celtic Music Festival for the first time. ?In March I celebrated a quarter-century of performing at Blanchard?s Colonial Tavern in Avon. ?In April I performed at the New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA) Festival in Mansfield, MA for the first time.

Now I get performance opportunities that I never could have dreamed of three years ago. ?Reaching further still, I joined the Randolph Historical Commission and the Randolph Historical Society to help them learn to connect with their audience and supporters through social media. ?At my workplace, I accepted a move up to the Leadership Committee of the Women?s Integrated Network, served on the Grant Subcommittee of our company?s charitable foundation, and?now have secured a role?in the?local chapter of our company?s?charitable foundation. ?All of this happened within the past three years since I joined SSWBN.

I have been inspired by a network of courageous women and men who have shown me that doing what you love is key, and in giving yourself over to helping others you really help yourself, deep down inside, and windows open of their own accord.

The view from here is beautiful. ?I?m stepping up. ?How about you?

Lynn Feingold
www.songsofthecolonialdays.com
colonialsongs@aol.com

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Source: http://www.sswbn.com/sswbn-networking-nova-august-2012/

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YouTube selects 10 shorts films for Venice Fest

(AP) ? YouTube's inaugural film festival has selected 10 short films that it will send to the Venice Film Festival.

The Google video site announced Wednesday the finalists of its Your Film Festival. The contest was overseen by director Ridley Scott, whose production company helped winnow the 15,000 submissions down to 10.

All 10 films will be screened at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 2. A winner will then be chosen by a jury including Scott and Michael Fassbender and awarded a grant of $500,000.

The finalists hail from around the globe, with entries from the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Bolivia, Spain, the U.K., Lebanon and Egypt.

___

Online:

http://www.youtube.com/user/yourfilmfestival

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-08-01-YouTube%20Film%20Fest/id-678a9054f77f433ca1fa6997e6267cf7

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Obama, Romney push economic themes in key states

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Pressing their economic arguments, President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney are campaigning in three of the most tightly contested states, looking to build enthusiasm with a public otherwise preoccupied with vacations, the Olympics and the sweltering August heat.

Obama was traveling to Florida and Virginia on Thursday, continuing to draw attention to a Romney tax plan that the president says would force middle-income taxpayers to pay more while giving a tax cut to the wealthy.

Romney was headed to Colorado, where he was to appear with 10 Republican governors, some mentioned as potential running mates, at an event near Aspen.

Their travels come as Congress helped the candidates frame the economic issues Wednesday with partisan votes on tax measures that also underscored Washington's political stalemate. The Republican-controlled House approved an extension of Bush-era tax cuts, just a week after the Democratic-controlled Senate voted in favor of Obama's plan for continuing current tax rates only for households earning less than $250,000 or for individuals under $200,000.

With the tax issue dominating the current debate, Obama's was visiting two states that represent the bookends of the national economy. Florida is among the states hardest hit by the housing bust and has an unemployment rate of 8.6 percent, higher than the national average and tied for 39th among the 50 states. Virginia, on the other hand, has the 10th lowest unemployment at 5.6 percent.

Colorado, where Romney was to give a campaign address at a fairgrounds in Golden before joining Republican governors at high school in Basalt, has been struggling with a jobless rate equal to the national average of 8.2 percent. For Romney, the trip west is his first political campaign appearance since returning from an overseas trip heavy on foreign policy.

As if to emphasize the challenge facing the presidential contenders, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday said the U.S. economy was losing strength. The Fed took no new action to boost the economy, but it appeared to signal an inclination to take steps to stimulate job creation if the economic deceleration continued.

The next major marker of economic health comes Friday, when the government announces July hiring and unemployment trends.

Economists forecast that U.S. employers added 100,000 jobs in July. That would be slightly better than the 75,000-a-month average from April through June but still below the healthy 226,000 average in the first three months of the year.

Romney's appearance with governors would not only create a show of force, but it also would underscore his own role as a former governor of Massachusetts. And it would tease speculation about his pick for a running mate, as those with him will include governors such as New Jersey's Chris Christie, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, South Carolina's Nikki Haley and Virginia's Bob McDonnnell, all of whom have been mentioned as possible Romney picks. Absent will be two of the most often mentioned possibilities, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Obama was headed to Orlando to make up for an appearance he postponed last month after the shooting tragedy in Aurora, Colo. Orlando is in the middle of a Florida swath that separates the Republican-leaning north of the state and the Democratic-leaning south.

He then will take his message of higher taxes for rich Americans to Leesburg, Va., in the nation's wealthiest county, near Washington, D.C. Obama carried the county in 2008, the first time a Democratic presidential candidate won there in four decades.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-romney-push-economic-themes-key-states-064423148.html

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Home Based Business for Women ? Be Successful Women | My ...

Traditionally women were made to be limited within the house and they used to have household work and care to the children. with the change in technology the modern women don?t want to be limited within house they want to have some ways to earn. This is good as earning of single member in a family cannot fulfill the requirements of all the members and they will have economical crisis. there are various businesses that are flooded in the online world. Women if they don?t have time they can have one of the online business where they don?t have to spend time and can be done from desired place.

The advantage of working from home is that you will no longer be subjected to any kind of pressure and you don?t have to be under someone?s inspection. you can have your own time line and you will be totally free to do work in your ways.

As I mentioned earlier there are many opportunity available in the internet world offering you to have your own home based business but the main point is that how to select and identify the perfect and legitimate business from the pool of internet.

The online opportunity which have the high potential include affiliate marketing, website designing, travel business, publishing articles, blogging and many more. It depends upon your interest and qualification which field to choose. The travel business might be the most easy and profitable business which can be started with small capital and yields you with high revenue. Around 11% people spend their money for travel every year and the good news is that 85% of them uses internet for their travel booking and also 43% of them uses online mode for the payments.

You can achieve ultimate business success if you start home based travel business. you can work side by side caring your children and they will also provide you with some free vacations as a bonus which is quite interesting. Women instead of doing nothing can earn multiple figures if they can choose the right business and can change the living style completely.

Home Based Business for Women ? Be Successful Women

Source: http://mynetworkmarketingadventure.com/home-based-business-for-women-be-successful-women/

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HBT: Boston's Beckett hatred is out of line

It comes from Dan Shaughnessy, natch, about Josh Beckett leaving last night?s game with an injury:

He has been a World Series hero for Boston. He was an American League All-Star as recently as last season when he had a stellar ERA of 2.89.

Now he is a local sports pariah, loathed more than LeBron James, Albert Haynesworth, and the Sedin twins. He is the poster boy for chicken and beer, the man who got Tito fired, and the guy who plays 18 holes when he?s too hurt to take his turn in the rotation. He?s the stubborn Texan who?ll never give us the satisfaction of an explanation. He is a guy who gets booed when he comes out of a game with an injury.

I realize people hate Josh Beckett, but that passage says way more about the fans and media of that town than it says of the player in question.?Players can?t just play, there. They must either be conquering heroes or miserable, despicable goats, and nothing in between satisfies.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/01/the-most-boston-sports-paragraph-ever-written/related/

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