Sunday Morning Quarterback

Senator John McCain.

Sen. John McCain.

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Susan Rice is still the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She?s yet to be nominated for anything else. But the campaign to stop that nomination is chugging along from bluster to bluster, farce to farce. Peak farce seemed to come last week, when Sen. John McCain missed one of the briefings about the attack on America?s consulate on Benghazi because he was in the Senate Radio-TV Gallery demanding answers on Benghazi.

We topped that pretty quickly. On Sunday, McCain appeared on Face the Nation to re-re-re-demand answers from Rice. It was his sixth appearance this year on the show. Rice had hit the studio only on Sept. 16, and she hadn?t called the attacks terrorism, and McCain would not let her forget it.

?I?m curious why she has not repudiated those remarks,? McCain told Bob Schieffer. ?On this show, the Libyan national president, obviously, said it was al-Qaida.? How could she make amends, and prevent the shrunken Republican minority from filibustering a possible nomination for secretary of state? ?Maybe she could start out by publicly coming back on this show and saying, ?I was wrong, I gave the wrong information on your show some several weeks ago.? That might be a beginning.?

That answer was meant to reiterate how seriously we should view the stakes in Benghazi-gate. It also revealed the munchkin size of the scandal. It is not, right now, about how Ambassador Chris Stevens warned that the consulate was ill-prepared for an attack, or how the administration didn?t respond with more security, or whether help was slow to arrive on Sept. 11 when pinned-down diplomats begged for it.

No. It?s about the Sunday shows. Rice, who has been a future candidate for secretary of state since roughly her first lunch with Barack Obama, did all the Sept. 16 Sunday shows to deliver talking points. She claimed that the ?current best assessment? had a protest getting ?hijacked, let us say, by some individual clusters of extremists.? Asked if it was terrorism, she dodged, even though some in the intelligence community were ready to call it that.

McCain doesn?t trust Rice, and he likes the idea of John Kerry?who?s more respected now than he was when he lost the presidency?becoming Secretary of State. He claims that veterans are coming to him, demanding more answers on Benghazi, which sounds true. He doesn?t currently control a committee that could get more answers. But he is the president-for-life of that sovereign state inside I-495: Meet the Pressistan. What better way into the story than this, a scandal that was by and for the Sunday shows?

By saying that, I don?t mean to minimize those shows. Meet the Press, the highest-rated of the Sunday talkfests, gets more than 3 million viewers per week. The total audience for the five shows that Rice went on?Meet the Press, Face the Nation, This Week, Fox News Sunday, State of the Union?is around 12 million, assuming that Tivo-armed viewers watch them all. At their best, these shows trip up politicians who could bolt from some less-prestigious interview that isn?t intro?d by classical music. At their worst, the shows host powerful people as they spread knowing lies to further their agendas. At their most meh, they allow hacks to dispense their talking points.

The Rice story has pitted a master of the genre against a dabbler. McCain hasn?t just appeared on Face the Nation six times this year. He?s appeared on the competing shows 14 times. In Maureen Dowd?s column on the contretemps, a helpful ?administration official? trashes Rice for trying ?to go out and close the stature gap? as she jockeyed for State and was ?focused on the performance, not the content.?

The Anonymous Official?s theory: Rice should have pushed back on her talking points and been free to discuss the developing information about possible al-Qaida links to the Benghazi attack. Some analysts in the pipeline didn?t want that information out there on Sept. 16. She didn?t contradict them.

But this is the question?and it?s an uncomfortable question, if you impart great power in Sunday talk shows. So what? One theory is that Rice?s ?extremists hijacked a protest? spin was an attempt to cover up a story that could damage the president?s re-election. ?The narrative was wrong,? said Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on Sunday?s Meet the Press. ?There were some policy decisions made based on the narrative that was not consistent with the intelligence that we had.?

Which policy decisions? He didn?t say. McCain has insisted that the ?hijack? talking points were a result of ?either a cover-up or incompetence.? What would a cover-up have achieved, though? Kicking the Benghazi story from mid-September, when Romney was reeling, to some uncertain time closer to the election? When the voter heard about this scandal, why would a successful terrorist attack by random extremists make him less angry than an attack by al-Qaida? The Rogers-McCain argument is that the second scenario contradicted the ?narrative,? the Obama line that al-Qaida had been ?decimated.? But the attack had already done that job, with or without the talking points.

That?s the surreal part of this Sunday-morning quarterbacking. The Sept. 16 Susan Rice interviews have been compared to Condoleezza Rice?s prewar interviews about Iraq. In Dowd?s column (titled, naturally, ?Is Rice Cooked??), we?re told that Bush?s Rice ?sold her soul? while Obama?s Rice merely ?rented? it. But that?s a little pat. The problem with Condoleezza Rice?s TV interviews is that they urged along a war. ?There will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons,? said Rice in September 2002. ?But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.?

One month later, the House of Representatives voted for authorization of force against Iraq. That turned out to be more dangerous than a ?narrative.? But in Meet the Pressistan, all that matters is whether your talking points were skewed, and whether there?s a senator ready to jump into the other chair to call you on it.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=6f384c864d352b41263566af5eda282b

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Viacom Careers

Coordinator, Viewer Services

The Coordinator will oversee audience outreach via telephone, email, and US Mail as well as viewer inquiries that come via social media.? Outreach includes troubleshooting viewer issues and connecting viewers with information on a myriad of topics including but not limited to programming, consumer products, publishing, movies, promotions, recreation, donations, fan mail, home video, and online safety. To carry out this work, the Coordinator of Viewer Services utilizes the on-going staffing support from college level interns. The department?s Viewer Services interface with public affairs, programming, press, digital, research, consumer products, recreation, legal, and security.


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Develop and implement strategies, responses and processes to efficiently prioritize, monitor, record, and report viewer feedback and trends in regular reports.

Update the Viewer Services function of the company to be a resource on viewer trends for relevant departments.

Compose written correspondence to respond to viewer requests

Provide impeccable, service-oriented responses in phone and in-person communications

Work with various departments to troubleshoot viewer issues (see above)

Maintain Viewer Services phone system email and database with relevant viewer information.?

Maintain the Viewer Services customized database.

Assist the Public Affairs Department with pro-social initiatives, events and projects

Coordinate and maintain the development of Viewer Services outreach materials.

Interface regularly with relevant internal departments on key business and viewer/customer/user information.

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Partner closely with the Manager of Public Affairs/Policy to identify and regularly communicate trends of strategic concern to the company, brand and its individual initiatives

Monitor social media networks for important trends and breaking news situations that are relevant to the brands and business

Hire, train and manage interns as an on-going administrative function

Assist Public Affairs department in ad-hoc projects including but not limited to development and execution of pro-social events.?


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Bachelor?s degree

Excellent customer service skills

Solid background in customer support, press, social media and/or crisis management

Excellent research, written and oral communication skills

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Knowledge of and proficiency in Microsoft Office suite especially MS Access, Outlook, PowerPoint

Submission of writing samples/portfolio

Minimum of 2 years providing customer support, press or conflict resolution experience.?


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Prudence and judgment when dealing with confidential and sensitive information

Experience in policy as well as professional communication via social media

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Source: http://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH05/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=MTVNETWORKS&cws=1&rid=4917

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Scott Adelman, Baltimore's Techie Of The Year Reports ? Hurricane ...

Baltimore IT SupportWith storm clouds brewing in the Atlantic, Next Level Technology, Baltimore?s top IT consulting firm made sure all its clients were properly safeguarded from anything Sandy was going to throw their way.

With this advance knowledge the team at Next Level immediately got to work to ensure all their clients? data was adequately protected and out of harms way.

Next Level Technology provides a fully integrated and robust cloud infrastructure solution for businesses throughout the Baltimore region. Companies throughout the region have the ability to host their entire business network in the Next Level Cloud, removing many of the onsite servers and IT systems that were once hosted on premise.

However, the cloud is not the answer for every business and knowing this, Next Level Technology provides many different types of cloud-based services, including business continuity and disaster recovery services with the cloud as a failover when disaster strikes.

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Operating in a secure data center that is completely protected from the elements proved to be the winning formula. Clients of Next Level had full confidence that their core IT systems were completely protected with Next Level Technology. During Hurricane Sandy, this meant they were able to go home, be with their families and not worry if their office computers were OK.

In recent history, the Next Level Technology business continuity and disaster recovery solutions have been thrust into action. During a freak summer storm that devastated the Baltimore region, clients of Next Level?s cloud solutions continued to operate while many of their peers were crippled due to power failures and other outages.

If your business needs the peace of mind of a trusted IT partner who can take care of your day-to-day IT support needs, while ensuring your critical business information is safeguarded and you want to move your business to the cloud, Next Level Technology is your best bet in the Baltimore region.

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Source: http://msp-pr.com/scott-adelman-baltimores-techie-of-the-year-reports-hurricane-sandy-no-threat-in-baltimore/

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Saginaw Chippewa community honors, thanks tribal military veterans at feast

One of the most-used words in the Saginaw Chippewa?s Ojibwe language is ?meegwetch,? meaning thank you.

During a feast Friday evening with military veteran tribal members, ?meegwetch? was used to thank veterans; both those who prepared the meal and those honoring the veterans with applause.

?They all took their vows and signed that piece of paper to give their lives for this country,? said George Martin, a tribal member and Korean War veteran. ?We fought for this Mother Earth that you?re walking on ? Mother Earth of the United States.?

About 80 people attended the event at Elijah Elk Cultural Center Ceremonial Building, 7957 E. Remus Road, sponsored by the Seventh Generation program. The veterans were honored and given a shield with a turtle meticulously drawn in the center.

Before a line formed for the feast, a traditional drum song was performed from the corner of the room. Centuries-old vocal notes were sung in passionate bursts, metered by the echoing thud of the leather drum.

Seventh Generation Program Interim Director Ben Hinmon?also honored the men and women who participated in the Oct. 12 repatriation ceremony for 120 ancient remains that were held at the University of Michigan.

Participants of the ceremony were given a star on a certificate of appreciation, meant to be worn on the lapel of their jackets and shirts. Hinmon said the idea of how to honor them was adopted from Dennis Banks, co-founder of the American Indian Movement. Banks wore five of the stars in a circle on his lapel. He told Hinmon that it?s an example of his living a five-star Ojibwe life.

?Our creator brings some of us back (from war) to make sure the children and the women are taken care of,? Martin said. ?The creator did not put us down here to beat our women or children.?

Hinmon helped form the tribe?s men?s society, a gathering of men who discuss the issues within the tribe and take action against the negative currents in their tribe. Hinmon mentioned the number of tribal youth who have died in the past year, including 13 young men from September 2011 to 2012. The idea of the men?s society, Hinmon said, was to give the youth a sense of belonging.

?I have a whole box of these things because that?s how many men and women were involved in this,? Hinmon said, regarding the lapel stars.

Hinmon said about 70 men are involved with the men?s society.

?There?s some beautiful work happening in our community,? Hinmon said.

Martin said the spirit of their songs and prayers connect to humanity. He added, ?there?s things we always say at the end of a song, a prayer and the end of a meal? that translates to ?to all our relatives.?

Then he concluded his speech with ?meegwetch.?

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Source: http://www.cm-life.com/2012/11/18/saginaw-chippewa-community-honors-thanks-tribal-military-veterans-at-feast/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=saginaw-chippewa-community-honors-thanks-tribal-military-veterans-at-feast

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Delta Study Shows Small Business Key To Region's Future

A new study shows that small businesses have been the primary driver of job growth in the Delta area of Arkansas and the U.S. as larger employers have left the region.

The report, ?Jobs and Small Businesses: Job creation and loss in the federally designated Delta region,? was completed by the Delta Regional Authority and Dr. James Stapleton, Executive Director of the Douglas C. Greene Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Southeast Missouri State University.

The DRA report, which you can access here, analyzed unique data from the 2010 National Establishment Time-Series (NETS) database generated from Dun & Bradstreet information to assess some of the key trends driving employment.

The NETS database utilizes annual ?snapshots? taken each January of over 40 million establishments throughout the country. The unique qualities of the database allowed the examination of how jobs have been created and lost in the DRA region in the eighteen-year period between January 1992 ?January 2010.

Findings from the study include:

  • More than 90% of the new net Delta jobs over the past 20 years have been created by local small businesses of nine or fewer employees.
  • During the years of the Great Recession, local small businesses created over 58,000 new jobs.
  • During that same period, non-resident and non-commercial establishments eliminated nearly 368,000 jobs.
  • The ?Administrative, Support and Waste Management,? and the ?Arts, Entertainment and Recreation? sectors had the largest rate of change increases, with 61.3 percent and 40.1 percent increases, respectively.
  • The Delta?s ?Manufacturing? sector had the largest decrease losing more than 223,000 jobs, or 67.3 percent of the cumulative sector jobs.

?This report adds further proof to what many of us have been saying for a while now ? small businesses and entrepreneurs are the past, present and future of the Delta economy,? Federal DRA Co-Chairman Chris Masingill said.? ?Simply put, it?s the folks that start and expand local small businesses who create long-standing jobs in the region.? That?s why, if we want to have a stronger Delta economy in the future, all of us need to double down on our efforts to support ? and grow ? innovation and entrepreneurship across the region today.?

As a result of these findings, the DRA said it will push for more public and private stakeholder efforts and incentives in the region. The agency said it would also concentrate more resources on creating an infrastructure that increases the number of qualified entrepreneurs, accelerates new venture start-ups, and expands existing small businesses.

The Delta Regional Authority works to improve the economy and needs of 252 counties and parishes in an 8-state region that includes Arkansas, Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.

Source: http://talkbusiness.net/2012/11/delta-study-shows-small-business-key-to-regions-future/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=delta-study-shows-small-business-key-to-regions-future

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Atlanta CPA ? Accounting Firm in Atlanta | Roe CPA | 678-969-0523

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You are the boss over there?but we?ve got BOSS over here. BOSS is our Back Office Office Support System service that we designed specifically for our small business clients. BOSS represents our full accounting package. Essentially, we become your internal accounting department?handling everything from paying bills, balancing checkbooks, processing payroll, preparing payroll tax returns, producing W-2 forms, providing expert financial guidance year-round, and much more. And as you know, our services are all web-based?so working with us is exceptionally convenient.

Take a moment to calculate the amount time you spend on accounting. You might be surprised at how many hours you actually dedicate to these administrative tasks. Then consider what you could do with that extra time?enhance marketing and sales efforts, invest in training for your staff, spend more time with your clients, and so on.

If you?re thinking that transitioning your accounting to our firm will be a cumbersome and time-consuming effort?stop right there. We work with you to make the transition smooth. We are experts in accounting, so rest assured that the transition will be virtually effortless. In only a few steps, you can free yourself from the hassles associated with managing all your accounting tasks.

  • We meet with you to perform a thorough assessment of your needs and the state
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Source: http://roecpa.com/blog/2012/11/19/got-boss/

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Las Alamandas' In-Suite Decorating Party Takes You 'Home for the ...

Las Alamandas Holiday Decor

Las Alamandas Holiday Decor

Las Alamandas Invites Guests to ?Come Home for the Holidays?

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Costalegre, Mexico: Las Alamandas (www.alamandas.com) has introduced ?Come Home for the Holidays? to make an escape to the exclusive haven a true home-away-from-home experience for vacationers at this special time of year.

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?With ?Come Home for the Holidays,? our guests have their own holiday family decorating party in their suite, just like those memorable moments back at home,? said Isabel Goldsmith-Pati?o, founder and CEO.? ?We provide everything for the decorating party, from ornaments and twinkling lights to hot chocolate and favorite holiday music, and then guests enjoy the decorations and the spirit of the season throughout their stay.?

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Come Home for the Holidays, which is complimentary, includes in every suite a beautiful red poinsettia plant, a Christmas stocking that ?Santa?s helpers? at the resort will fill with goodies on Christmas Eve, a set of twinkling lights, and a variety of ornaments and paper and window decorations. To complete the mood and theme of the party, rich Mexican hot chocolate and delicious Christmas cookies will be served with traditional holiday songs playing on the in-suite music system.

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In addition to the beautifully decorated suites, Las Alamandas will be alive with the colors and lights of the holiday season, including fantastic decorations in the office, lounge and restaurant areas and many Christmas plants throughout the property.? Holiday cooking classes also will be offered featuring special Mexican Christmas dishes.

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Holiday Rates at All-Suite Las Alamandas:?

  • Dec. 19 ? Jan. 2, 2013:? $561 ? $2,380 per night, plus tax and service
  • Christmas Week , Dec. 19 ? 26:? Minimum five-night stay required.
  • New Year?s Week , Dec. 26 ? Jan. 2, 2013:?? Minimum seven-night stay required.

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Las Alamandas Pergola Panorama

Las Alamandas Pergola Panorama

Over the holidays, guests will enjoy the ultimate in tropical privacy, set on 1,500 acres of lush paradise, in perfect weather of warm days with gentle breezes that give way to cool, pleasant evenings. Intimate Las Alamandas has just 17 ultra-luxurious and spacious suites with shaded terraces, private Jacuzzis and oversize tubs. The hallmark of this exclusive retreat is the highest level of personalized service to ensure guests? every comfort. Guests dine on sophisticated farm-to-table gourmet cuisine prepared with seafood freshly caught by local fisherman, organic meats, and vegetables, lettuces, herbs and fruits grown in the resort?s own organic gardens.

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In the December sunshine, guests enjoy cookouts and bonfires on the beach in the evenings. And play to their heart?s content during the day:? tennis, beach volleyball, croquet, lawn chess, mountain biking, ping-pong, horseback riding, bird watching, kayaks (doubles and singles), hiking, surfing and boogie boarding. Work out in a fully equipped air-conditioned gym. Worship the sun at a 60-foot swimming pool. Taste tropical cocktails mixed with fine tequilas at the chic Estrella Azul rooftop bar.

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One of the most appealing aspects of Las Alamandas is that this is one of the most beautiful natural environments of any resort ? a private nature reserve of untouched white-sand beaches where sea turtles lay their eggs, lagoons and the Rio San Nicholas that are habitats for numerous species of birds, trails that are ideal for biking and hiking, and view points with dramatic panoramas. Las Alamandas?s verdant gardens are a profusion of towering palms, flowing fountains, expansive lawns and colorful blossoms, including the resort?s namesake yellow ?Alamanda? flower.

Source: http://bestkidfriendlytravel.com/2012/11/18/las-alamandas-in-suite-decorating-party-takes-you-home-for-the-holidays/

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Spanish police protest govt cuts hitting them

MADRID (AP) ? Police officers from across Spain are protesting the government austerity measures affecting them, including frozen pensions and the elimination of their Christmas bonus.

More than 5,000 people paraded Saturday to the Interior Ministry building in Madrid, blowing whistles and shouting slogans.

Jose Maria Benito, a spokesman for Spain's Unified Police Union, said "we are here to tell the government that security has to be its priority."

Benito said police were worried that budget cuts meant that working conditions were more precarious, that law enforcement equipment was not adequate and that the 15,000 officers who had left the force were not being replaced.

He said "in socially convulsive times, we need an adequate police response."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spanish-police-protest-govt-cuts-hitting-them-142522697--finance.html

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[NCAA Scores] Baylor Upsets Top Ranked Kansas State 52-24

The Baylor Bears welcomed the No. 2 Wildcats and thrashed them from beginning to end to win 52-24.

Quarterback Collin Klein and Kansas State had come in two wins away from almost certainly playing for the school's first national championship.

The Heisman Trophy front-running quarterback graced the cover of the latest Sports Illustrated, and the second-ranked Wildcats are headed to Texas this time to play a Baylor team still trying to get bowl eligible after losing its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback to the NFL.

Now the Wildcats (10-1, 7-1 Big 12), the No. 1 team in the latest BCS rankings, know their title dreams are likely be out of reach.

Baylor (5-5, 2-5) needs another win for bowl eligibility after posting 10 victories last year in the Bears' final season with Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.

Source: http://gridironfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205510

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Samsung India will try to break a Guiness World Record for the most collaborative art piece to promote the Note II

3. iGREGG posted on 17 min ago 0 0

thats crazy!!!!!! awesome

4. twens posted on 15 min ago 0 1

Drew a d**k with my note 2.guess i can submit that too??

5. Cyan3boN posted on 13 min ago 0 0

its a good thing we can submit any kinda art work. ill copy one from my nephews KG colour book :)

Samsung India will try to break a Guiness World Record for the most collaborative art piece to promote the Note II

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