Governor Bev. Perdue says N.C. dodged a bullet as the storm hit off the coast as a category 2 hurricane. Most of North Carolina’s beaches are open for visitors this Labor Day weekend after Hurricane Earl landed less of a blow than feared.

“It’s going to be a beautiful Labor Day weekend in North Carolina,” says Gov. Bev Perdue.

 All beaches – and the bridges connecting them to the mainland – have been reopened from the South Carolina border north through Carteret County. That includes the Wilimington area, Crystal Coast and Core and Bogue banks.

“It wound up being a pretty minor event for us – just a little bit of wind, little bit of rain, but generally no significant problems to speak of,” Emerald Isle Town Manager Frank Rush said.

“Basically, we hope that by the end of the day, we can say that every single strip of our beach is open for business,” Perdue said. “But we know this morning that up through Carteret County, folks who have summer plans can come on back and end up their summer here in North Carolina.”

Crews are working to remove sand assess damage to N.C. Highway 12, which is closed south of the Oregon Inlet Bridge from Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island.

source:  wral.com

Indiana Pacers forward, Danny Granger, who is currently playing for Team USA in Spain for the FIBA world championship, took to twitter to complain about European hygiene. Here is what he wrote on twitter.

“i’m dying over here ..how come nobody in europe wears deodorant? guess they didn’t get the memo – smellin like dead donkey..no joke”

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Though its roots are in Trinidad and Tobago, the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade has always been an all-inclusive Caribbean affair, and this year, Haiti’s going to get some special attention, according to carnival spokeswoman Jean Alexander.

Under the theme “Bridging Cultures,” the 43rd annual festivities will include a benefit concert on Thursday for survivors of Haiti’s Jan. 12 earthquake. The Thursday show kicks off the annual five-day event, which culminates with the massive carnival parade on Labor Day, Sept. 6, along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway.

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The parade of costume and music and floats begins at noon at Schenectady Ave. and Eastern Parkway. WIADCA President Yolanda Lezama-Clark cuts a ribbon to start the procession, which travels down the parkway to Grand Army Plaza.

The “Caribbean Peoples Unite For Haiti” concert stars calypsonian David Rudder, soca singer Kevin Lyttle, dance hall star Serani, kompa music band Carimi and other performers. Showtime is 7 p.m. Admission is $30 and $35 at the door.

Read entire article at NYdailynews.com

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LOS ANGELES – A $1.6 billion congressional bailout of sorts could help financially flailing groups that fight to keep young people out of trouble, yet lawmakers are reluctant to take up the expensive proposal amid a sour economy and other, more pressing issues.

The Youth Promise Act would dole out money to organizations like Homeboy Industries, a gang rehabilitation center founded in 2001 under the motto “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.” The group’s founder Father Greg Boyle recently had to lay off more than 300 of his 427 workers, most of them former gang members, when expected revenues plummeted.

His organization isn’t the only one suffering. The recession has hit other nonprofits across the country hard and left some wondering how they will survive.

“It would be a lifeline for us and a lifeline for many other organizations,” Omar Jahwar, founder of and chief executive of Dallas-based Vision Regeneration, said of the Youth Promise Act. His group works to prevent youth violence in Dallas County.

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., who authored the bill, said the tough-on-crime rhetoric that politicians campaign on has proven ineffective. He faulted slogan-driven crime initiatives, such as the “three strikes and you’re out” law, which create lengthy and expensive sentencing requirements.

Scott’s bill currently has 235 co-sponsors in the U.S. House but only 14 in the Senate. Scott does not know if it will get approved this session, in part because it is also competing with another crime bill he opposes, proposed by Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif. That bill would create a string of new criminal offenses and enhanced penalties for gang members.

Scott and Feinstein are negotiating over whether the bills could be combined.

But another bailout bill will be a tough sell, especially among Republicans.

“We cannot afford to throw more money toward another expensive government program at a time when our citizens are burdened with higher and higher federal debt,” said Tracy Hancock, president of Texas-based Golden Corridor Republican Women.

But for Scott, the cost pales in comparison to how much is already spent on punishing young criminals.

In Los Angeles County, it costs $140,000 a year to keep a minor in juvenile hall.

“It’s totally counterproductive,” Scott said. “If you put a small portion of that money into prevention and early intervention, you would have a much better result.”

The Youth Promise Act would distribute money to organizations that form a panel and can show their programs are effective. A city official would be on the panel along with law enforcement agencies, which would also be eligible for funding of their own crime prevention and gang intervention programs.

David Muhlhausen, a senior policy analyst with conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, said youth crime prevention should be left to state and local governments.

A central provision of the bill is that the programs getting funding must be replicated from programs that have been proven to work.

“These programs almost always fail when replicated in other jurisdictions,” Muhlhausen said.

Rick Velasquez, executive director of Youth Outreach Services in Chicago, said his nonprofit has seen revenues decline by about 15 percent and he’s had to cut 15 workers from the payroll. He has encouraged one of his senators to support the Youth Promise Act.

“It is a piece of legislation that will help us,” said Velasquez, whose group provides counseling to at-risk young people. “We have to seriously reinvest in our young people and this one of the mechanisms to do that.”

At Homeboy Industries, Boyle employs former gang members to work in the center’s bakery, restaurant or T-shirt press. However, workers in these businesses were largely insulated from recent cuts.

Most of those laid off were getting paid simply to attend training and carry out maintenance and administrative work at the center’s downtown headquarters.

For many, it was the only place hiring.

“I never got a call back,” said former gang member Robert Trejo, reflecting on his dozens of attempts to get hired elsewhere.

He was fired as a receptionist in May. After applying without success to 50 jobs, the 23-year-old father of three was left wondering if he had any choice but to return to the street.

“I think I will probably go back to the life, it’s the only thing I know,” Trejo said. “It’s so easy making money. I can make $15-$500 in an hour or two (selling drugs) or robbing.”

Trejo was eventually rehired, thanks to a flurry of donations after Boyle carried out a publicity blitz, but how many workers Homeboy can hire back without the Youth Promise money remains in question.

“We can’t just rail at the fact that they are in a gang,” Boyle said. “We have to also offer them an opportunity to get off this crazy freeway, and that is the part the Youth Promise Act hopes to put out there.”

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Unity In The Community 2010 in Raleigh, NC will be held on September 11, 2010 at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. For more details on this amazing event click here.

An oil platform exploded and caught fire Thursday off the Louisiana coast, spreading a mile-long oil sheen into the Gulf of Mexico.  Thirteen crew members were forced overboard and were rescued safely.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about 100 feet wide, was spotted near the platform, 200 miles west of the site of BP’s massive spill.

The company that owns the platform, Houston-based Mariner Energy, did not know what caused the blast. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Mariner officials told him there were seven active production wells on the platform, and they were shut down shortly after the fire broke out.

Crew members were found floating in the water, huddled together in survival outfits called “gumby suits.”

“These guys had the presence of mind, used their training to get into those gumby suits before they entered the water,” Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said.

The crew was being flown to a hospital in Houma. Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said one person was injured, but the company said there were no injuries.

source:  wral.com

Marchella’s body exhibited bruises that were consistent with trauma, police sources said.

The girl’s mother, Carlotta Pierce, 30, who calls herself “a proud parent” on her MySpace page, told investigators she checked on her daughter about 4 a.m. and she was fine, the sources said.

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The mother claims that she checked on her again at 6 a.m. and was found unresponsive.

The city Administration for Children’s Services has previously investigated at least two complaints involving Marchella, the sources said.

The first case involved allegations Pierce had marijuana in her system when Marchella was born. The second case remains open, and no details were available, the sources said.

A spokeswoman for ACS confirmed the agency is investigating Marchella’s death, but refused to comment further.

Marchella, who had underdeveloped lungs, had at least two limbs tied to the crib with what appeared to have been twine, the police sources said.

Read entire article at NYdailynews.com

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source: Elev8.com

If you’re a man, I’m sure you’ve thought about how complex women are. How they simply can’t be figured out. How they do the most bizarre things, for unknown reasons. (If you’re a woman, it’s likely you agree.) If you have, then you will find this next statement confusing and perplexing. Women are not as complicated as you think they are. They’re actually rather simple.

Before you brush me off as a lunatic, hear me out. The primary reason that men and women don’t understand one another is because they don’t take the time to truly try. Within that context, we have to understand that men’s and women’s brains simply process information differently. The exact same even could happen to a man and to a woman and you would likely have two entirely different responses. As such, we have to work to understand where the opposite sex is coming from.

In the next several posts (because this topic is simply too long for only one post), I’m specifically addressing the men out there who are in relationships — spouses, boyfriends, fiancees, etc. If you’re single and reading this, my hope is that you’d take note for the future. My goal here is to better help the men understand the women in their lives so they may more effectively care for them, love them, and grow into a deeper relationship with each other.

Before I start, let me give you a quick disclaimer: I will generalize most women in the following paragraphs. Yes, I understand that not all women want these things out of relationships, but it is more worthwhile to inform the gentlemen about the majority of women than the few for whom these things are not true. I’m not an expert with formal training of any sort — I’m simply an observer, and a learner. The following is what I have gleaned from my experiences and those of others, combined with the wisdom of professionals. (Once I finish this series, I will give you a few resources that will further your learning.)

Men, there are a few basic things that women want, and need, from their relationships with you, as their significant other. Without further ado, here is the first of three things women want:

She wants her feelings to be heard and understood, not solved.

Men, I understand that we naturally like to solve problems. It’s what we do. When your woman tells you about a problem at work, or a problem with her mother, you instantly begin creating solutions, don’t you? (I know you do because I do it too.) Well, stop. Or at least stop telling her what those solutions are unless she asks you to. She doesn’t really care about them. What means more is that you listened to her and understand how she’s feeling, not that you’ve fixed the problem.

You may be asking yourself, “Why does she tell me all this stuff if she doesn’t want me to solve anything? This is a waste of my time.” It’s simple — she wants you to understand her feelings. Her sharing and your understanding brings you together on an emotional level (which is most important to her). She wants to tell you because she cares about you.

Don’t get it twisted — our logical, problem solving skills can still be utilized. In fact, she enjoys seeing you solve puzzles and problems; they just have to be on issues that don’t involve her emotions. Like the car making a weird sound. If she tells you, “Baby, my car made some kind of strange rattling sound today as I was driving home from work,” don’t ask her how that made her feel. Just get the problem fixed. If the problem is emotional, you listen; if it’s not, get it fixed.

If you’ve ever talked to your woman at the end of the day (or, heck, at any point in any day), you know that she’s got a lot to say (if she doesn’t, that’s a bad sign). It’s likely that a good portion of what she has to say concerns her emotions and how she was feelings while said events are going on. Of course, if you asked us, we’d give a one word answer that would frustrate her. But no, she’s different — she always has a lot to say. And while it might seem that most of what she has to say isn’t important to you, but it is very important to her. That’s why she’s sharing it with you — because she finds it important. She simply wants you to understand her problems; her perspective. With that said, it’s important that you listen.

Let her talk about anything and everything she desires (that includes you) and — here’s the key — listen to her. Focus on her. Make eye contact with her. Make her feel like she is the most important thing in your world at that moment. Turn off all the other distractions and pay attention. You can’t pay attention to her while you’re watching TV or texting someone on your phone. I don’t care if you think you can, she doesn’t see it that way. she wants you to devote and focus your attention on her for these few minutes.

(If, for some reason, you can’t give her that undivided attention at that moment, but, she wants to talk, it’s a good idea to say something like, “Baby, I understand you’re upset and I do want to listen to you, but I need about five minutes. Then, I’m all ears, ok?” Telling her that shows that you are interested in what she has to say, while also showing her that she’s important enough to give her your undivided attention).

Written by Stuart McDonald for Elev8.com.

Read more: http://elev8.com/spirit/daily-offerings/stuartmcdonald/men-shut-up-and-listen-what-women-want-part-one/#ixzz0yNlEXrGv

YouTube search the term “DXM.” You’ll find thousands of videos that chronicle the adventures teenagers “robotripping,” or getting high on dextromethorphan. This drug is known on the streets as DXM, CCC, Triple C and Skittles. It’s also known as Robo because it is found in a number of over the counter cough and cold medications like Robotussin DM.

An alarming number of young adults are abusing DXM by chugging bottles of cough medicine or taking excessive does of tablet and gel capsules that contain the compound. According to the Food and Drug Administration, between 2004 and 2008, the number of dextromethorphan abuse related emergency room visits increased over 70 percent. In 2008 approximately 8,000 people were hospitalized due to DXM injuries, and more than half of these cases were people 12-20 years old. The Department of Health and Human Services is currently reviewing ways to counter this dangerous drug abuse trend in the United States.

Pharmacologicaly, the dextromethorphan acts similar to hallucinogens like PCP. It produces euphoric effects when it is ingested in concentrations 10 to 20 times greater than the recommended 10-30 mg dose. FDA researchers say “robotripping” has increased over the past few years because DXM is cheap and easy to access. It is currently found in over 125 over the counter medications.

Furthermore, many people think dextromethorphan is harmless. YouTube footage often features teens having fun or enjoying their high in the company of others. Few videos, depict the health hazards of abusing dextromethorphan. When used inappropriately, DXM can increase blood pressure and heart rate and cause a fever. Large quantities of cough and cold medication can also cause an abuser to overdose on the other active ingredients present in the mixture. These ingredients may damage the liver, suppress the central nervous system, prohibit respiratory function, and even lead to death.

Read more at TheGrio

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NEW ORLEANS, La—The Coast Guard is responding to a rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.
The explosion on Vermilion rig 380 happened around 9:30 a.m. Thursday. A Coast Guard spokesman said 12 of the 13 people on the rig have now been rescued from the water. One person is still missing.

Seven Coast Guard choppers, two planes and four boats from New Orleans and Houston responded to the scene.
The rig located south of Louisiana’s Vermilion Bay is owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy. “Mariner Energy is among the largest independent oil and gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico,” according to its website. At year-end 2009, the company had interests in nearly 350 Federal offshore leases, with more than 110 of those in development.
The Vermilion rig is west of the site of the April BP blast that caused a massive oil spill.

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