The true Tragedy of The Boston Marathon

In my opinion no matter how much security you put in place or how much precautions you do or how much counter-intelligence you can muster up the "bad guy' will find a way around it. We can't live in a Military/Police state, CAN WE?

(Photo) Dan Lampariello/Reuters

Our sense of security once again is brought into question as we truly see how vulnerable we are!

So once again the United States of America is faced with a TERRORIST attack this time in #Boston!

Whether it came from a domestic or foreign source really doesn't matter, the tragedy is the same either way.

Lives have been altered!

Source: @GlobeDavidLRyan

Dreams have been shattered!

Hopes dashed!


Was there enough security? Did we let our guard down? Could we have prevented this?

NO!   - WELL MAYBE!  

I've been thinking as the hours and day goes by that high profile areas of an event such as the "Finish-Line" of the #BostonMarathon should have been a frozen zone. An area were you can not get into without having your bags searched. They do this in #NYC Times Square on New Years eve. During the Thanksgiving day parade, which I have attended, there are frozen streets you can't go down without showing ID you work there. All others are issued down many blocks further up the route for a controlled entry.
I don't know what security people had to go through but time to re-double our efforts. 


Living in #NYC and experiencing the attacks on 9/11, trying to get in touch with my sister who was working right across the street from the Empire State Building and hearing reports that IT was the next target!

I'll never forget the TRUE AND UTTER HORROR on my mothers face trying desperately to get in touch with her as others in her office were calling us to contact there loved ones until finally we got her and that she was safe! Watching the F-16 jets circle so low overhead you felt like you could touch them. It was so surreal like it was happening in slow motion!

Then Monday, April 15, 2013, Tax Day, #Bostons Patriots Day, another attack. This one more crude in nature but all the same tragic. At this writing 3 confirmed dead including a 3 year old boy and close to 200 injured some VERY SERIOUS!

(photo) by Clare Richardson

@clarerrrr

This time my sister is far away, at a convention in Houston,TX. We've been texting, she's been WORRYING, as my niece goes to school in Times Square.

I texted her this photo, as #NYC #TimesSquare beefs up security telling her no threat just precaution trying to ease her mind. It didn't! My brother In-Law thought I shouldn't have. He's wrong. I wanted to try to, in my way, assure her that her daughter would be OK. To see what was going on before she turned on the #news and saw even worse pictures/videos of the anti-terrorism squad with there AK47's and military riot gear once again patrolling the streets! That they were going to be there for everyone in FULL FORCE Tuesday to serve and protect us!

Reports said that the #Boston Police had done sweeps of that area a few moments before. It was the latter part of the race. The professional runners had crossed hours before, now it was only you and I out there on the course! Some saw a man with a backpack trying to get into a secure area then running away.  

We shouldn't glorify this. Whoever did this are cowards! There reasons are meaningless! They once again took away part of our perception of safety! They put the word TERROR back into our lives! Other parts of the world live on the edge worse then this every day. I guess now we must remember that we ALSO DO TOO!

#PrayforBoston

With Pope Benedict XVI resigning, the Next Pope could be.....

I woke up this morning, as we all did, to the news that the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics Pope Benedict XVI announcing plans to step down as leader of the Catholic Church because he was too elderly and infirm for the job - the first pope to do so in nearly 600 years. The last Pope to resign, Gregory XII, did so in 1415, 10 years into his tenure, in the midst of a leadership crisis in the church known as the Great Western Schism.

Gregory XII

Gregory XII reigned for a decade during a period of political turmoil in the church in which three men, one in Rome, one in Avignon, France, and one in Pisa, Italy, claimed to be pope.Gregory XII - born Angelo Correr in Venice -- was elected by cardinals in Rome in 1405 to succeed Innocent VII, who died suddenly just two years into his reign. During his term, the other claimants were Antipope Benedict XIII of Avignon and Antipope John XXIII of Pisa.

Castel Gandolfo,Italy

The resignation of Benedict XVI after an eight-year tenure will essentially be a retirement at the age of 85, after the pope showed increasingly public signs of fatigue in recent months. His last day as pope will be Feb. 28 at 8pm Rome Time. He will then head to the summer home of all Pope's, Castel Gandolfo,Italy for a time. The Vatican said Pope Benedict would eventually move to a monastery within the Vatican.  In his statement, Pope Benedict said he wished "to devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer."

The move sets the stage for the Vatican to hold a "conclave" to elect a new pope by mid-March, since the traditional mourning time that would follow the death of a pope doesn't have to be observed.

So who will that be? Speculation has been rampant as there are no shortage of so called experts who think they know who the next Pope will. be. Remember a Pope does NOT have to be a Cardinal or even a Priest but Traditionally, one has to be a cardinal to become a pope, "but theoretically any male Catholic (including a layman) may be elected."

Lets see some of the front runners:

My source puts at the top of the list, (for what its worth): 

Cardinal John Olorunfemi  Onaiyekan (Nigeria, 69) Created Cardinal 2012, Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria.  

He is a well known figure at the Vatican as he has participated in a number of Vatican activities and a a good number of the synods of bishop.

 

 Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz (Brazil, 65) Created Cardinal 2012, current prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

brought fresh air to the Vatican department for religious congregations when he took over in 2011. He supports the preference for the poor in Latin America's liberation theology, but not the excesses of its advocates. 

Cardinal Marc Ouellet (Canada, 68)   Created Cardinal 2003,He is the present prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and concurrently president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

is effectively the Vatican's top staff director as head of the Congregation for Bishops. He once said becoming pope "would be a nightmare." Though well connected within the Curia, the widespread secularism of his native Quebec could work against him.  

 Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi (Italy, 70) Created Cardinal 2010,He currently serves in the Roman Curia as President of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

has been Vatican culture minister since 2007 and represents the Church to the worlds of art, science, culture and even to atheists. This profile could hurt him if cardinals decide they need an experienced pastor rather than another professor as pope.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri (Argentina, 69) Created Cardinal 2007, He is the current Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia.

 is a "transatlantic" figure born in Buenos Aires to Italian parents. He held the third-highest Vatican post as its chief of staff in 2000-2007. But he has no pastoral experience and his job overseeing eastern churches is not a power position in Rome. 

Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer (Brazilia, 63) He currently serves as Archbishop of São Paulo, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007.

ranks as Latin America's strongest candidate. Archbishop of Sao Paolo, largest diocese in the largest Catholic country, he is conservative in his country but would rank as a moderate elsewhere. The rapid growth of Protestant churches in Brazil could count against him.  

Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn (Austria, 67)   He currently serves as the Archbishop of Vienna and President of the Austrian Bishops Conference. He was elevated to Cardinal in 1998.

is a former student of Pope Benedict with a pastoral touch the pontiff lacks. The Vienna archbishop has ranked as papal material since editing the Church catechism in the 1990s. But some cautious reform stands and strong dissent by some Austrian priests could hurt him. 

Cardinal Angelo Scola (Italy, 71)He was appointed Archbishop of Milan by Pope Benedict XVI on 28 June 2011.He was elevated to the Cardial in 2003. is archbishop of Milan, a springboard to the papacy, and is many Italians' bet to win. An expert on bioethics, he also knows Islam as head of a foundation to promote Muslim-Christian understanding. His dense oratory could put off cardinals seeking a charismatic communicator.   

Cardinal Luis Tagle (Philippines, 55) Appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales. Tagle is also the Professor of Dogmatic Synthesis at the Graduate School of Theology of San Carlos Seminary, the archdiocesan major seminary of Manila, and an Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the Loyola School of Theology of the Ateneo de Manila University.

has a charisma often compared to that of the late Pope John Paul. He is also close to Pope Benedict after working with him at the International Theological Commission. While he has many fans, he only became a cardinal in 2012 and conclaves are wary of young candidates.   Cardinal Peter Turkson (Ghana, 64) He is the current president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.He became a Cardinal in 2003.is the top African candidate. Head of the Vatican justice and peace bureau, he is spokesman for the Church's social conscience and backs world financial reform. He showed a video criticizing Muslims at a recent Vatican synod, raising doubts about how he sees Islam.     Again I am sure many more names will be mentioned as who will sit in The Chair of St. Peter!    As soon as March 1, 2013 the "conclave" of Cardinals will convene.  During the forthcoming Conclave, there will be 117 cardinals who are younger than 80 and thereby eligible to vote. Sixty-seven of these were appointed by Benedict XVI, and 50 by his predecessor John Paul II. About half (61) are European, and 21 are Italian. There will also be 19 Latin Americans, 14 North Americans, 11 Africans, 11 Asians and one cardinal from Oceania among the voters. The cardinals are shut away in the Vatican until they reach agreement - the meaning of the word conclave indicating that they are literally locked up "with a key". A Simple 2/3rds +1 is needed to agree on the next Pope. There would be two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon. They will be locked inside the Sistine Chapel each day for as many days as it takes.

The announcement will first be known with the traditional puff of white smoke signifying that an agreement on the next Pope has been reached.

STAY TUNED!

If you're using KRED be WARNED, AGAIN.....

UPDATE: Feb. 7, 2013 8:45pm est: A company is only as good as it's leader!  Leadership starts from the top. Not five minutes after I posted this story I got this #Twitter response from #KRED CEO Andrew Grill.....

I try not to jump to conclusions, it's HARD! I'm not only a "PARODIED" New Yorker but a "CYNICAL" one! I hope my #KREDSTORY has another happy ending!!

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I've been having writers block lately, maybe cause writing sometimes doesn't come easy for me, "although I did stay at a holiday inn express last night!!" ;-)

Anyway, I was going over my published post as I sometimes do to follow-up and decided to explore again the relatively new start-up @KRED.

If you recall #KRED  "It is a measure of influence created by PeopleBrowsr, a San Francisco-based social media analytics company, to identify the most influential people in interest-based communities. Kred scores are generated by observing a social network user's content, who it reaches, who acts upon it, and whether the user relays the content of others."

It is similar to @Klout, (could always use more #KLOUT, HINT-HINT @UBtalkin, but goes even further with there "New" #KloutStory! But let them explain it in this short video.......

My reason for my first post on #Kred was that when you sign in vie #Twitter one of there requirements is that you authorize and grant access to @PeopleBrowsr, HomePage (They are an influence analytics and social media marketing solutions collect social metadata, identify influencers, and enable analysis and engagement.) to your #Twitter DM's (Direct Messages). To me those are EXTREMELY personal and really see no reason that they or anyone should have access to them. Call me a "PARANOID" New Yorker if you want but #Klout doesn't require that as really most others don't as well.

In my first post, you can read HERE, expressing my concerns to my surprise I got almost immediate responses from the CEO Andrew Grill  and Travis Wallis Leading Data Strategy #PeopleBrowsr & #Kred.  

Both could not have been nicer and more forthcoming saying that they were fixing this for there next version coming out...

 

 

  

And true to there word I got a tweet from #KRED CEO Andrew Grill......

Now that's a company we can trust or so I thought!

I signed up for my #KredStory and was really getting into exploring the many features and really in depth details they provide as it really does go beyond #Klout in many factions! But alas My #KredStory has an Unhappy Ending!

I often check my #Twitter Apps, those that I have given permission to access my account, (that paranoid  New Yorker again) just to make sure nothing has changed. And, unfortunately, #KRED is now once again accessing our #Twitter DM's. No warning, No explanation just back to the way it was.  

So I have revoked access to them and put my #KredStory back up on the bookshelf again. It's there company, there idea, there reason for doing so but again I ask them WHY? Why do you need access to my "Personal" twitter DM's. I would DM someone on twitter cause I only wanted THAT PERSON to see it not anyone in my stream or you for whatever reason you might come up with. 

Maybe its an error, a mistake, a misunderstanding, it happens! I hope so. My brother-in-law and I had a misunderstanding this week and I believed we have worked it out! Miscommunication, it happens! I really was starting to enjoy reading my #KredStory and maybe this doesn't bother most of you using there service, so be it. But you should know and decide for yourself.  

But for now I feel betrayed, lied too, fooled! We are about to get a major snowstorm in #NYC, I feel like I just got a Major "SNOW JOB"    

So again I say, "Sorry #KRED, you AGAIN have NO #KLOUT with me!

 

 

 

 

Manti Te'o: Hoax or Lier?

Once again we are faced with yet ANOTHER athlete falling from grace. Now, before I go on, Manti Te'o is innocent until proven otherwise, but the story and facts that have come out today are truly reprehensible!

An article at DEADSPIN.com   that Manti Te’o’s Dead Girlfriend, Lennay Kekua who was 22 years old and who supossidly had been in a serious car accident in California, was then diagnosed with leukemia while being treated at the hospital for her injuries, then who dies right before or just after Manti's grandmother who passed away in Hawaii, the Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax!

Now Manti Te'o did lose his grandmother this past fall. Her name was Annette Santiago and she died on Sept. 11, 2012, at the age of 72. BUT, as Deadspin has reported,"There is no SSA record there of the death of Lennay Marie Kekua, that day or any other. Photos of her online are NOT Kekua. There is no record of a car accident.

Supposedly she tweeted to him with the #Twitter A/c @lovalovaloveYOU A Google search reveals this profile:

which has since change! Remember folks, what you post on-line, STAYS ONLINE! There are some 92 posts by this account which she or someone has deleted from there twitter A/C. Manti Te'o #Twitter A/C @MTeo_5   is following some 146 people and she or this account is NOT one of them.

Another tweet from this accout is from March 9, 2012:

  She changed her account to @LennayKay 

 

Now it's changed to @LoveMSMK and the account has been deleted!

Has Manti Te'O been the victim of a elaborate Hoax? If so, what was the purpose of the Hoax? What did the people want from Manti?  When did Manti find out about it and why didn't he now or then contact the police?

Was Manti in on this elaborate scheme to drum up publicity, sort of a "RUDY" Ruettiger Notre Dame figure to help him in gaining popularity and attention thus getting more money from an NFL team? 

STATEMENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME:

On Dec. 26, Notre Dame coaches were informed by Manti Te'o and his parents that Manti had been the victim of what appears to be a hoax in which someone using the fictitious name Lennay Kekua apparently ingratiated herself with Manti and then conspired with others to lead him to believe she had tragically died of leukemia. The University immediately initiated an investigation to assist Manti and his family in discovering the motive for and nature of this hoax. While the proper authorities will continue to investigate this troubling matter, this appears to be, at a minimum, a sad and very cruel deception to entertain its perpetrators. 

STATEMENT FROM MANTI TE'O

"This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online. We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her.

"To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating. It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother's death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life. I am enormously grateful for the support of my family, friends and Notre Dame fans throughout this year. To think that I shared with them my happiness about my relationship and details that I thought to be true about her just makes me sick.

"I hope that people can understand how trying and confusing this whole experience has been. In retrospect, I obviously should have been much more cautious. If anything good comes of this, I hope it is that others will be far more guarded when they engage with people online than I was. Fortunately, I have many wonderful things in my life, and I'm looking forward to putting this painful experience behind me as I focus on preparing for the NFL draft." 

For me it's hard to believe ANY Athlete nowadays! As the story develops and the entire story is known will Manti Te'O just be another one of the many high profile figures that have fallen from grace and now beg us for a second chance to make even more money at our expense!!

 

Lance Armstrong Oprah Winfrey Interview Details

AN @AP source says Lance Armstrong confessed to Oprah Winfrey during an interview Monday January 14, 2013 that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France.  Orah said; "We were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers," she said, adding that "he did not come clean in the manner that I expected." She didn't elaborate.

A group of about 10 close friends and advisers to Armstrong left a downtown Austin hotel about three hours after they arrived Monday afternoon for the taping. Among them were Armstrong attorneys Tim Herman and Sean Breen, along with Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's longtime agent, manager and business partner. All declined comment entering and exiting the session.

Soon afterward, @Oprah Winfrey tweeted: "Just wrapped with @lancearmstrong More than 2½ hours. He came READY!"

The interview is to be broadcast Thursday on Winfrey's network.

Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven  Tour de France victories from 1999 to 2005,which was a record by any cyclist, last year in the wake of a voluminous U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that portrayed him as a ruthless competitor, willing to go to any lengths to win the prestigious race. USADA chief executive Travis Tygart labeled the doping regimen allegedly carried out by the U.S. Postal Service team that Armstrong once led, "The most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

It is a fact that Armstrong has NEVER failed any of his 500 drug test and for more than a decade, Armstrong has denied he used performance-enhancing drugs but after a federal investigation of the cyclist was dropped without charges being brought last year, USADA stepped in with an investigation of its own. The agency deposed 11 former teammates and accused Armstrong of masterminding a complex and brazen drug program that included steroids, blood boosters and a range of other performance-enhancers.

Before sitting down with Oprah, Lance visited the staff at  his Livestrong cancer foundation. Armstrong addressed the staff Monday and said, "I'm sorry." as the disgraced cyclist choked up and several employees cried during the session.

Armstrong apologized for letting the staff down and putting Livestrong at risk but he did not make a direct confession to the group about using banned drugs. He said he would try to restore the foundation's reputation, and urged the group to continue fighting for the charity's mission of helping cancer patients and their families.

His story of  fighting back from testicular cancer to reaching the heights of winning not one but an UNREPRESENTED seven Tour de Frances was a story straight out of a Hollywood script. What was once an inspiration to so many has, as has been all too frequently, turned ugly and disgraceful as we yet again watch one of what we thought was a TRUE HERO and INSPIRATION turn out to be just another lier and cheater.

Got me!!! I too was caught up in the pride of what this America in Paris did together with the admiration of what he had to overcome. He fooled me as well as millions around the USA and the world. More importantly he cheated, not just us all and his competitors, but himself out of true victory, self sacrifice and fair competition over dishonesty, chemicals and the ultimate selfishness to WIN at ANY COST no matter what you have to do!

Does he deserve forgiveness?  A second chance? Redemption?

Of course I ask you this, How many others do the same thing and never get in suspicion getting away with what Lance almost did!!!