The News Of …

As New Zealand and other areas in the Pacific Ocean passed the May 21, 6 p.m. local time unscathed, despite predictions by Harold Camping that the hour would signal the beginning of the end of the world, many seemed to breathe a public sigh of relief – some tongue-in-cheek and others more seriously – on Twitter and other social media forums.
Although it was not the first time Oakland-based Camping (89) forecast the apocalypse, this date marked the most attention-grabbing of his doomsday predictions. The unprecedented publicity was spurred by a worldwide $100-million campaign of caravans and billboards, financed by the sale and swap of TV and radio stations.
Camping broadcast what he told viewers would be his final ‘Open Forum’ TV and radio show Thursday night. The Times’ Christopher Goffard reported that when Camping, a former engineer, wrapped up the program he’s hosted for decades, he shook hands with a couple of crewmen. “I probably won’t see you again” – he announced.
The map above shows recent seismic activity in the world, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey on Saturday morning, shortly after midnight in Los Angeles.
Below is a look at what people were saying as the predicted start of the apocalypse came and went.

New Zealand Earthquakes.

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May 21st, Doomsday is one of the hottest search topics in Google.
So in case you haven’t heard by now, Harold Camping is the preacher who claims to have the calculations set on May 21, 2011 as The Judgment Day, Rapture Day, Doomstay – or whatever you want to call it. Camping’s apocalypse hype is getting worldwide attention.
Harold Camping (89) is a former civil engineer and Bible scholar. He is president of the religious non-profit Family Radio based in Oakland, California which fervently preaches the message about the end of the world, now days away. He and a caravan of trucks have been plastering over 5,000 billboards, spending millions of dollars to spread the message.
So – where do they get the funding for all this?
Tax returns indicate that the radio ministry raised a staggering 100 million dollars over the past seven years. The ministry also owns 66 radio stations worldwide valued at 72 million dollars in 2009. Not to mention donations have soared as well. The contribution comes from radio listeners (according to Tom Evans) board member of Family Radio.
However, Camping claims that it is not about the money, but spreading the message and saving as many people as possible.
“When Judgment Day comes, if someone is a billionaire, how will they take their money with them? If we have any money left, and we will because we have to pay bills up to the very end “… it will all be destroyed because the world will be in a day of judgment.
“The money is not important at all. It’s a vehicle to spread the judgment and a vehicle of the Lord.”

Doomsday.

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The 2011 NBA Trade Deadline become even more fascinating and historical as two picks that were acquired in trades moved up from eight to first and sixth to third.
When the Cavaliers absorbed the contract of Baron Davis along with an unprotected lottery pick from the Clippers, we applauded the bold move while at the same time estimating that it would be a high cost to acquire the eighth or ninth pick in a weak draft. While the trade made sense at the time for the Clippers, this is the inherent gamble of such a move and instead of adding another first overall pick to Blake Griffin, they must convince an outside part to join him and their owner.
But the Jazz have now become the big winners of the Trade Deadline, turning the less than 100 remaining games on the contract of Deron Williams into Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, whomever they pick at number three and the first rounder from Golden State.
While it has become fashionable to discredit the quality of this draft, the dearth of quality is at the high-end where there is no true franchise star. But every team in the Lottery should pick a player that becomes a valuable starter and a solid rotation player at worst. There is a lot of capable players that will facilitate the true stars and as we are seeing in the Playoffs with the elimination of the Chris Pauls and Dwight Howards, those complementary players are utterly critical.

Bismack Biyombo.

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France has been selected as the host for the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Le Golf National, on the outskirts of Versailles near Paris, will be the site for the 42nd edition of the matches between the United States and Europe.
It will be just the second time that mainland Europe will stage the biennial event. Valderrama (in Spain) was the first in 1997.
Spain was again considered, while other bids came from Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands. In the wake of Seve Ballesteros’ recent death, the sentimental choice would have been a return to Spain.
Ballesteros (the charismatic Spaniard who helped fuel the European resurgence in Ryder Cup play during the 1980s) was the captain of the Europe squad that won the Ryder Cup in his native country in 1997. He died on May 7 following a lengthy battle with brain cancer.
However, it was France that won the bidding process.
“We have one worthy gold medallist in France, who gave us the confidence to believe that they will stage a truly memorable Ryder Cup in seven years’ time” – said Richard Hills, Europe’s Ryder Cup director. “However, there are four impressive silver medallists involved in this extremely detailed process in Germany, Holland, Portugal and Spain, any of whom were also well positioned to host the 2018 event.”

Ryder Cup's logo.

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Now that it is official that Mike Huckabee will not be running for President in 2012. What is going on “behind the scenes” well it looks like The Donald and Mike are more than just acquaintances. They are developing into a political heavyweight combo. At every opportunity on the stump Donald Trump is waxing lyrical about the political experience and strengths of Mike Huckabee. This unison makes sense The Donald is the “Mr Fixit” the businessman, and Mike Huckabee is the experienced seasoned well liked politician. Joining together provides cover for the strengths and weaknesses of each individually, this is a very shrewd political move that with a little more fine tuning should carry the Trump-Huckabee ticket right onto the lawn of The White House where the doors will open for the new President of the United States Donald Trump.
Anyone having any doubts about the prospects of Donald Trump bringing on board Mike Huckabee as his running mate, should study the pluses that this dynamic team will bring to the Election 2012 voting process.
Both these guys relate and connect seamlessly with the voting public, they tell the voters how it is, not how they want it to be. These strengths will ensure millions vote for Trump-Huckabee ensuring that Barack Obama is a one term president!

Mike Huckabee.

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Minneapolis – Former Minnesota Wild forward Derek Boogaard was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment on Friday.
Boogaard (28) was found by members of his family.
The cause of death is not known.
Boogard played for the Minnesota Wild for five years and was one of their more popular players. He joined the New York Rangers last year.
Known as the ‘Boogeyman’ when he played for the Wild, Boogaard was the team’s tough guy; the team’s enforcer.
He was also one of the club’s most popular players during the five years he played for Minnesota. The Wild released this statement late Friday night – “The Minnesota Wild organization sends our deepest sympathies to the family of Derek Boogaard. Derek was a fan favorite during his five seasons with the Wild and will be greatly missed here in Minnesota and throughout the NHL. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Boogaard family during this tragic time of loss.”

Derek Boogaard.

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Tonight on ‘American Idol,’ the herd of Idolettes will be culled to three. It’s an awesome judge fashion night – Jennifer Lopez has grown green scales, Steven Tyler is the victim of wild-posting, and Randy’s shirt looks to have big bubbles silk-screened on the front: let’s just say it’s not a slimming look for a guy with middle-aged spread.
Nearly 72 million votes were cast since Wednesday’s performances, which is a record for the competition at the Top-4 point, show host Ryan Seacrest says, as if surprised that having added online voting this season really did increase voting.
In group-sing segment, the guys, James Durbin and Scotty McCreery, duet on country song ‘Start a Band.’ The girls, Lauren Alaina and Haley Reinhart, duet on country song ‘Gunpowder and Lead.’ The girls are there to sing, the boys to parade themselves around the audience and receive the adulation of the crowd. The girls are there to entertain us; the boys are there to entertain themselves. Points to the girls.

James Durbin.

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Former Sixth District Georgia Congressman Newt Gingrich announced his candidacy Wednesday via Twitter, as anticipated, and followed up with an appearance on Fox’s The Sean Hannity Show, during which he said President Barrack Obama will say whatever it takes to become president again because he can’t win on the truth, abcnews.com reports.
“He can’t afford to run in a fair election” – said Gingrich, who was also former Speaker of the House. “If he was on an equal playing field, he’d lose – on his record, on his values, on his beliefs.”
Gingrich (who has faced criticism of his own, including negative comments about his multiple marriages) said he expects Obama’s campaign to be aided by “mainstream media, left-wing billionaires, unions and the Hollywood crowd working to pump money into the billion-dollar Obama campaign” – reported abcnews.com.
Gingrich said also that he hopes to start another Contract with America, and thinks his presidency could balance the federal budget within five years.
Said Gingrich – “If you look at the collapse of Detroit and the rise of Texas and you say to yourself which would you like better: the [state] that had the most job creation in America in 10 years or a city which has collapsed. I know how to get the whole country to resemble [Texas]. President Obama knows how to get the whole country to resemble Detroit.”

Newt Gingrich.

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In our fast-paced world, a celebrity is created virtually every minute. But there are few musical celebrities with a legacy as enduring as that of Nesta Robert ‘Bob’ Marley.
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of a true musical pioneer, a man whose impact transcended class, race and culture all over the world. The reggae legend inspired an almost spiritual following among a diverse set of believers, who expressed their devotion in iconography as varied as indigenous Australian shrines and posters on college-dorm-room walls.
But the question must be asked – Why do so many people connect with Marley? The answer is fairly simple – Marley was an everyman, a gentle soul and a revolutionary. Many have identified with his humble upbringing in the tiny island of Jamaica, the Pan-African beliefs stemming from his Rastafarian faith, and his advocacy of social justice. When he penned politically charged songs like ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ and ‘Get Up Stand Up,’ they resonated as far more than mere recordings. They were calls to action.
Many of Marley’s greatest and most recognizable hits came with the Wailers (including Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer), who grew up beside him in Trench Town, a Kingston ghetto that spawned many musical greats.
Influenced by American music from the era, the band imbued their traditional Jamaican rhythms with the soul of Motown, creating a different take on black music.

Bob Marley.

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Los Angeles. It was a storybook marriage in 1986 on a spring weekend on Cape Cod that united a princess of an American political dynasty, Maria Shriver, and the gap-toothed muscle-clad movie star famous enough to be known by one name, Arnold.
In many ways, it was a pairing of opposites – Her uncle was a U.S. president; his father was an Austrian policeman. She was the rising star of a network TV news show; he was the pot-puffing star of ‘Pumping Iron.’ He was a Republican with a soft spot for Richard Nixon; her family was a pillar in the nation’s Democratic establishment.
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Shriver announced their separation late Monday, cleaving a sometimes-turbulent 25-year relationship after ‘a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us,’ the couple said in a joint statement.
The breakup comes about four months after Schwarzenegger ended a bumpy, two-term run as California governor, a job his wife never wanted him to pursue. Since then, Schwarzenegger (63) has been fashioning a role as an international advocate for green energy, giving speeches and lining up work in Hollywood. Shriver (55) has guested-edited an edition of Oprah Winfrey’s magazine but also talked about the stress of changing roles after serving as California’s first lady.
The joint statement, issued by a spokesman for Schwarzenegger, said the two were working on the future of their relationship while living apart and they would continue to parent their four children together.
“After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion, and prayer, we came to this decision together” – the statement said.

Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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