US seeks ?durable outcome? in Gaza truce talks, Clinton says in Israel

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has undertaken the difficult task of helping to shepherd a possible ceasefire. Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, meanwhile, is playing a key role as an intermediary with Hamas, a group labeled by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.

By NBC News staff and wire reports

Updated at 4:50 p.m. ET: Following her arrival in Israel, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated at a press conference Tuesday that America's commitment to Israel's security is "rock solid," adding that "the goal must be a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the security and legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians alike."

"The rocket attacks from terrorist organizations inside Gaza on Israeli cities and towns must end, and a broader calm restored," Clinton said, adding that there are no substitutes for security and a just and lasting peace.

Speaking in Jerusalem, Clinton also offered her condolences for those lost in the violence.

"Our hearts break for the loss of every civilian, Israeli and Palestinian, and for all those who have been wounded and are living in fear and danger," she said, adding that she would work with Israel and Egypt on brokering a truce in Gaza "in the days ahead."

Israel is prepared to escalate its offensive but would prefer a long-term diplomatic solution, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

"If there is a possibility of achieving a long-term solution to this problem with diplomatic means, we prefer that," he said in a public statement alongside Clinton.

"But if not, I'm sure you understand that Israel will have to take whatever action is necessary to defend its people."

Earlier, a Hamas official said a truce with Israel would not be reached Tuesday because the Israeli government had yet to respond to proposals.

"The Israeli side has not responded yet, so we will not hold a (news) conference this evening and must wait until tomorrow," Ezzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas leader, told Reuters. "The truce is now held up because we are waiting for the Israeli side to respond," he added in a short telephone interview.


A flurry of violence hit Gaza Tuesday as Israel bombed a Gaza bank and targeted the homes of militants. Hamas responded with more than 100 rockets. NBC's Richard Engel reports.

Clinton landed at 9:51 p.m. local time in Tel Aviv, where she met with Netanyahu. Later, Clinton will meet with the President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah before heading to Cairo.

A U.S. official stressed to NBC News that Clinton would not meet with representatives of Hamas, the Islamist organization that controls the Gaza Strip, largely because of its failure to renounce terrorism and recognize Israel's right to exist.

Egyptian officials said talks are ongoing to reach a truce in Gaza, although any agreement appears unlikely to address the long-term areas of disagreement between Israel and the Hamas leaders of the Gaza Strip, NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reported Tuesday.

The expected "cessation of hostilities" will call on all parties to use maximum restraint, according to one former intelligence official familiar with the talks.

Earlier Tuesday, President Barack Obama spoke to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, who is seeking to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.?

According to White House officials, Obama spoke to Morsi for the third time in 24 hours. Deputy National Security adviser Ben Rhodes said Obama wanted to talk to Morsi before Clinton's arrival in Israel.

Rhodes said Obama underscored the importance of Morsi working toward a de-escalation to the conflict in Gaza. He also commended Morsi's efforts to pursue a de-escalation and acknowledged Egypt's important role in the region's security.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is attempting to bring about a ceasefire, or to prevent Israel from invading Gaza while convincing Egypt's president to pressure Hamas to stop firing rockets. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

Rhodes said Obama emphasized the importance of a diplomatic solution, but said that rocket fire from Gaza into Israel must stop.

Israel Defense Forces continued airstrikes overnight, and also said 39 rockets fired from Gaza hit Israel Tuesday in a message on its Twitter account.

Since Israel launched its military campaign seven days ago in response to rocket fire, more than 100 people in Gaza and three people in Israel have been killed.

Internationally, the main focus was on stopping the violence, and Morsi hinted at a possible breakthrough Tuesday.

Speaking at his sister's funeral in Egypt, Morsi?said the "aggression on Gaza" would end Tuesday.?He?made the apparently off-the-cuff comments in front of mourners who had come to pay their respects, but did not elaborate. Several journalists traveling with Morsi confirmed he made the remark.

'Army must invade': In southern Israel, support grows for action in Gaza

In Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Israel would be a ?willing partner? in a cease-fire, but also issued a warning.

He said if further military action proved necessary ?to stop the constant barrage of rockets, Israel will not hesitate to do what is necessary to defend our people.?

And Mohammed Deif, the new leader of Hamas' military wing, sounded a defiant note, saying that the movement was ready to fight and would not back down from its efforts to liberate Palestine.

He was speaking in his first audio recording since the group?s previous top military commander, Ahmed Jabari, was killed in an Israeli airstrike Wednesday. Deif, who has survived several assassination attempts in the past, called for Hamas? supporters to remain steadfast.?

We are very scared': Egyptians fear being mired in Gaza-Israel crisis

Related stories:

Hamas says 'land war' would cost Israeli PM Netanyahu the election

Key players in the Israel-Gaza cross-border conflict

How Israel's 'Iron Dome' intercepts incoming rockets in Gaza conflict

Israeli government websites under mass hacking attack

'Difficult' situation

It is unclear how much influence Clinton can have on the situation.

?She is going to go out there to be in the region to have direct, face-to-face discussions with those leaders,? Rhodes said. ?I don?t want to predict exactly what the outcome of those discussions will be. We all know how difficult this situation is.??

The White House thinks the leaders who are heavily involved in the region ?understand what the best outcome is,? Rhodes added, but that a peaceful goal is only achievable ?if Hamas takes action to stop what they?ve been doing.?

An Israeli soldier and a civilian died when rockets exploded near the Gaza frontier, police and the army said.

An Israeli air strike on two cars in the Gaza Strip killed six Palestinians Tuesday, while two children died in an attack in the north of the territory, local residents and medics told Reuters.?

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Tuesday for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and said a threatened Israeli ground operation in the Palestinian enclave would be a ?dangerous escalation? that must be avoided.

Later, standing alongside Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Ban urged Israel to show "maximum restraint" and condemned rocket attacks on Israel.

Also Tuesday, Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby?and the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia and Sudan traveled from Egypt to Gaza in an unprecedented move designed to show solidarity with the Palestinians, NBC News reported.

US Embassy guard wounded
Meanwhile, a man was arrested after he stabbed a security guard Tuesday at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, a police spokesman told Reuters.?

The spokesman said the guard opened fire during the attack.

Israel Radio said the attacker, who police said was armed with a knife and an ax, was wounded.?

Oded Balilty / AP

Israeli police officers detain a man who attacked a security guard at the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday.

NBC's Shawna Thomas, Ayman Mohyeldin and Ian Johnston, and Reuters contributed to this report.

More world stories from NBC News:

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/20/15298061-us-seeks-durable-outcome-in-gaza-truce-talks-clinton-says-in-israel?lite

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Millions cram roads, air for Thanksgiving holiday

(Reuters) - Nearly 44 million Americans are hitting the road for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend, most by automobile, with some in Northeast states hard hit by Superstorm Sandy moving their feast to warmer, drier quarters.

Airports across most of the country faced few delays on Wednesday, but not Chicago, where thick fog reduced visibility forcing hundreds of flight delays at the city's two airports and the cancellation of more than 130 flights in the morning.

At early afternoon Chicago time, passengers flying in and out of O'Hare International Airport faced delays of about 40 minutes. Flights out of Midway had delays of about 45 minutes, according to FlightAware.com, an aviation information company.

In Canada, flights in and out of Winnipeg International were subject to delays of about 25 minutes, FlightAware said.

The "very dense fog" was expected to gradually ease in Chicago, while rain, wind and mountain snow were expected to impede travel in the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.

The weather service said the eastern third of the United States was expected to stay dry and pleasant for the holiday.

AAA expects 43.6 million people to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday, up about 0.7 percent from last year - and a fourth consecutive year of growth since the severe 2008 economic downturn cut travel on the holiday by 25 percent.

"We are on a slow climb back," AAA New York spokesman Robert Sinclair Jr. said on Wednesday in a telephone interview. "It's a climb, but it is a slow one, and perhaps not enough for people to really make a significant commitment to travel."

VIA Rail Canada is helping Amtrak meet the holiday crush of passengers after Sandy, which flooded several railroad equipment yards in New York and New Jersey. The storm hit New Jersey Transit particularly hard, damaging one-third of its locomotives and a quarter of its passenger cars.

SMALL DECLINE IN AIR TRAVEL

VIA Rail Canada is loaning Amtrak equipment on Wednesday - the U.S. passenger railroad's busiest day of the year with an expected 140,000 passengers, said Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Amtrak's second busiest day of the year, NJ Transit trains are expected to be in place to handle some of the spillover traffic for Amtrak, Kulm said.

AAA believes concessions to the economy can be seen in a 10 percent reduction in median spending to $498 per traveler and a drop in the distance traveled due in part to a projected decrease in air travel, Sinclair said.

About 90 percent of travelers, 39.1 million, are expected to go by automobile, while air travel is expected to decrease by about 100,000 to 3.14 million travelers, AAA said. About 1.3 million people are expected to travel by all other modes, including rail, bus and cruise ship, it said.

No cancellations or major delays were reported early Wednesday morning at Los Angeles International Airport, the nation's second busiest behind O'Hare in passenger volume.

"Everything is going more or less normally," airport spokesman Marshall Lowe told Reuters, adding that motor traffic around the sprawling facility was flowing at posted speed limits, without serious jams.

However, travelers venturing to LAX by car between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. were advised to give themselves an extra 90 minutes due to heavy congestion expected as a result of a protest planned by hundreds of union airport workers along one of the main roads leading to the airport.

Nearly 1.8 million passengers were expected to pass through LAX in the holiday travel period from Wednesdays through November 26, a slight increase over last year.

In Chicago, nearly 1.8 million passengers were expected to pass through O'Hare and Midway airports from Tuesday to Tuesday of next week, the city aviation department said.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg, David Bailey, Steve Gorman and James B. Kelleher; Editing by Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/millions-roads-air-thanksgiving-holiday-200553354.html

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Sexism stops fathers from seeing children: New Report

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November 20, 2012

Tags: Association of Directors of Social Work, child protection, circle scotland, Fathers for Families Scotland, Ian Maxwell, institutionalised sexism, Listening to Fathers, Mark Smith, Nick Smithers, Peter MacLeod, sexism against fathers

circle-scotland-report-on-sexism-against-fathersEditor: Following is a remarkable new report from an independent support group underscoring the discrimination faced by fathers as an international epidemic, marking it as a common issue to most if not all of the developed world, and possibly well beyond.

FATHERS across Scotland are being denied access to their children for months at a time because of a culture of institutionalised sexism within child protection agencies, a damning new report has revealed.

The research says men are increasingly left on the sidelines of their families after break-ups and reveals cases where fathers have been blocked from seeing children who are in the care of substance-abusing former partners or living in chaotic households.

It calls for social workers to be retrained so that fathers are viewed with the same importance as mothers after family splits. One of the co-authors claims fathers receive a ?raw deal?.

Support group Circle Scotland says in the report, Listening to Fathers, that they need their own advocates to stand up for their rights. More support workers are also required in child care cases, it adds.

The charity provides holistic, community-based support to thousands of marginalised children and families in Edinburgh, West Lothian and North and South Lanarkshire.

Circle Scotland catalogued incidences of fathers being refused access to their children, despite them being left in the care of substance-abusing former partners who struggled to maintain a stable home environment.

Mark Smith, co-author of the report and senior lecturer in social work at the University of Edinburgh, said: ?In social work, we need to recognise the complexity of a relationship and realise that problems are seldom caused by a ?bad man? at the end of it.

?We don?t treat couples even- handedly. I think that men can get a raw deal.?

Mr Smith warned that social workers are sometimes failing to recognise the changes in the post-industrial era, with many men taking a more practical role in fatherhood.

He added: ?Men are allowed now to take on the more emotional and hands-on aspects of fatherhood which was maybe denied them when their primary role was as a breadwinner.

?In the past 10 years there has been a massive increase in the realisation of how important it is for fathers to be involved in their children?s lives.

?At the same time, there has been an identification of men as being problematic within families, causing domestic abuse or child abuse, and within a profession such as social work, men can be perceived as scary at times.?

He said some fathers react aggressively because of ?frustration? over the way the system is treating them.

Co-author Nick Smithers, who works for the charity, added: ?I thought I would be working with dangerous, risky men but in fact it was vulnerable men or men who found themselves in really difficult situations. I found myself advocating for the men or mediating with the authorities on their behalf.?

Mr Smithers said most of his clients feel that their view is being ignored by the professionals, a situation which is compounded when they are aware the welfare of their children is at risk.

He added: ?Of all the men I work with, I have not met anyone who does not care about their children, But they feel powerless and quite desperate.?

Ian Maxwell, national development manager of Fathers for Families Scotland, said fathers no longer at home are often challenged about why they should be involved with their children. This is exacerbated if they are not married or do not have parental rights, he said, adding: ?Many [fathers] have lived with their children and cared for them for many years but they are now being treated as a potential risk or as someone who isn?t capable of looking after a child for long periods or overnight.

?Some social workers and other professionals seem to treat such fathers as of secondary importance. In doing so, they are ignoring all the evidence that fathers are just as important to children after separation as they were before.?

Peter MacLeod, president of the Association of Directors of Social Work, said social workers had to adhere to strict codes of conduct and there was a formal complaints process.

He said: ?In child protection cases, social workers are there to make sure that the best possible outcome is achieved for the child at the centre of the case.?

Mr MacLeod added: ?We would not accept that professionals systematically do not engage with fathers. It will sometimes be difficult to engage with fathers where allegations have been made against them and they are reluctant to discuss these matters.?

Do you think this problem is unique to Scotland? Think Again. Children in Australia have died due to this type of pro-mother discrimination. Here is but one example:

NSW govt has apologised for putting Mother?s interest ahead of Child: the boy in the suitcase murder

?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Source: http://www.f4e.com.au/blog/2012/11/20/sexism-stops-fathers-from-seeing-children-new-report/

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Obama extending 'hand of friendship' to Myanmar

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) ? En route to a historic visit to long shunned Myanmar, President Barack Obama says he comes to "extend the hand of friendship" to a nation moving from persecution to peace. But the praise and personal attention come with an admonition from Obama: The work of democracy has just begun.

"Instead of being repressed, the right of people to assemble together must now be fully respected," the president said in speech excerpts released ahead of his arrival Monday. "Instead of being stifled, the veil of media censorship must continue to be lifted. As you take these steps, you can draw on your progress."

Obama is the first U.S. president to go to Myanmar, also known as Burma. He was flying from Thailand on Monday morning, local time, for a visit that would last just six hours but carries significant symbolism. It is the result of a remarkable turnaround in the countries' relationship.

Obama has rewarded Myanmar's rapid adoption of democratic reforms by lifting some economic penalties. The president has appointed a permanent ambassador to the country, and pledged greater investment if Myanmar continues to progress following a half-century of military rule.

In his speech, to be delivered at Rangoon University, Obama recalls a promise he made upon taking office ? that the United States would extend a hand if those nations that ruled in fear unclenched their fists.

"Today, I have come to keep my promise, and extend the hand of friendship," he said. "The flickers of progress that we have seen must not be extinguished. They must become a shining North Star for all this nation's people."

Some human rights groups say Myanmar's government, which continues to hold hundreds of political prisoners and is struggling to contain ethnic violence, hasn't done enough to earn a personal visit from Obama. The president said from Thailand on Sunday that his visit is not an endorsement of the government in Myanmar, but an acknowledgment that dramatic progress is underway and it deserves a global spotlight.

Before his speech, Obama will meet with representatives of civil society.

The president's Asia tour also marks his formal return to the world stage after months mired in a bruising re-election campaign. For his first postelection trip, he tellingly settled on Asia, a region he has deemed the region as crucial to U.S. prosperity and security.

Aides say Asia will factor heavily in Obama's second term as the U.S. seeks to expand its influence in an attempt to counter China.

China's rise is also at play in Myanmar, which long has aligned itself with Beijing. But some in Myanmar fear that China is taking advantage of its wealth of natural resources, so the country is looking for other partners to help build its nascent economy.

Even as Obama turned his sights on Asia, widening violence in the Middle East competed for his attention.

Obama told reporters Sunday that Israel had the right to defend itself against missile attacks from Gaza. But he urged Israel not to launch a ground assault in Gaza, saying it would put Israeli soldiers, as well as Palestinian citizens, at greater risk and hamper an already vexing peace process.

"If we see a further escalation of the situation in Gaza, the likelihood of us getting back on any kind of peace track that leads to a two-state solution is going to be pushed off way into the future," Obama said.

The ongoing violence is likely to trail Obama as he makes his way from Thailand to Myanmar to Cambodia, his final stop before returning to Washington early Wednesday.

Obama will meet separately in Myanmar with Prime Minister Thein Sein, who has orchestrated much of his country's recent reforms. The president will also meet with longtime Myanmar democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi in the home where she spent years under house arrest.

The president, as he seeks to assuage critics, has trumpeted Suu Kyi's support of his outreach efforts, saying Sunday that she was "very encouraging" of his trip.

The White House says Obama will express his concern for the ongoing ethnic tensions in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, where more than 110,000 people ? the vast majority of them Muslims known as Rohingya ? have been displaced.

The U.N. has called the Rohingya ? who are widely reviled by the Buddhist majority in Myanmar ? among the world's most persecuted people.

The White House says Obama will press the matter Monday with Thein Sein, along with demands to free remaining political prisoners as the nation transitions to democracy.

The president will cap his trip to Myanmar with a speech at Rangoon University, the center of the country's struggle for independence against Britain and the launching point for many pro-democracy protests. The former military junta shut the dormitories in the 1990s fearing further unrest and forced most students to attend classes on satellite campuses on the outskirts of town.

_

Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-extending-hand-friendship-myanmar-022427625.html

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Jeff Hankins Named Vice President for Strategic Communications at ...

by Arkansas Business Staff
1 day ago

The Arkansas State University System on Monday named Jeff Hankins vice president for strategic communications and economic development.

System President Charles L. Welch announced the hire. Hankins, a 1987 graduate of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and past president of the ASU Alumni Association, most recently was president and publisher of Arkansas Business Publishing Group of Little Rock.

"Adding Jeff Hankins to our leadership team is a tremendous coup for the ASU System," Welch said in a news release. "Jeff is a widely respected businessman and journalist who has an exceptional understanding of the link between education and economic development.

"This hire further reinforces the ASU commitment to fostering collaboration among our campuses and those responsible for promoting economic development opportunities in our state."

The position, which is based in Little Rock, is new. According to Welch, the job will pay $170,00 annually with the usual benefits afforded to all ASU employees. Monday is Hankins' first day as an employee.

Welch also said his new hire will be ratified by the Board of Trustees at its next meeting.

ASU said Hankins will facilitate all communications and economic development activities for the ASU System and its campuses. Responsibilities include "developing an integrated, multimedia strategy for the system and serving as the system's liaison to statewide business associations and economic development entities to facilitate activities with the campuses."

"Being able to share my passion for and experience in communications, business and higher education with Arkansas State University is an amazing opportunity," Hankins said in a news release. "The ASU campuses are doing extraordinary work in educating students and preparing them for the workplace. I look forward to working with Dr. Welch, the chancellors and their teams to make sure all of our constituencies are aware of what we are doing ? and can do ? to make Arkansas an even better place to learn, live and work."

A Pine Bluff native, Hankins spent 32 years in the publishing and communications industry in Arkansas.

During his 19 years with Arkansas Business Publishing Group, he was publisher of the statewide weekly newspaper Arkansas Business and led strategic planning, startup and operations of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, Arkansas Next: A Guide to Life After High School and other publications.

Hankins also led the company's online with initiatives including ArkansasBusiness.com, ArkansasSports360.com, InArkansas.com and FLEX360, ABPG's web design firm subsidiary.

Hankins also made regular appearances on KTHV-TV, Channel 11; KATV-TV, Channel 7; and AETN?s "Arkansas Week" public affairs program.?From 2003-2009, Hankins was co-founder and chief executive officer of Herald Haven Media LLC, which publishes the monthly Jonesboro Occasions magazine.

Source: http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/89083/jeff-hankins-named-vice-president-for-strategic-communications-at-asu

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NBA Roundup: Knicks down Pacers

NBA Roundup: Knicks down Pacers

By The Sports Network

New York 88, Indiana 76

Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the New York Knicks downed the Indiana Pacers, 88-76, Sunday at Madison Square Garden. J.R. Smith followed with 13 points and seven boards and Raymond Felton chipped in 11 points and eight assists to help the Knicks bounce back from their first loss of the season on Friday against Memphis. Paul George led the Pacers with 20 points, while David West donated 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds for Indiana, which has dropped three of its last four games.

Toronto 97, Orlando 86

DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points and Jose Calderon dished out 18 assists to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 97-86 decision over the Orlando Magic at the Air Canada Centre. DeRozan pulled down a team- best nine rebounds as well while making good on 8- of-16 field goal attempts for Toronto, which broke open a close game over the final eight-plus minutes to notch just its second victory in its last seven outings. Andrea Bargnani added 17 points in the win. The Raptors trailed 74-73 with 8:29 to play, but proceeded to outscore the Magic by a 24-12 count the rest of the way. Glen Davis and E?Twaun Moore each finished with 16 points for an Orlando squad that played without second-leading scorer J.J. Redick due to illness, with Davis grabbing 12 rebounds in the Magic?s sixth setback in seven games.



Source: http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Basketball/NBA/2012/11/18/20365626.html?cid=rsssportsbasketball

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Cameras at UFC 154 find fan sporting UFC ink

You consider yourself a huge UFC fan. You've been watching since UFC 1, you can rattle off the names and bios of every UFC Hall-of-Famer, you follow every fighter you love on Twitter, you watch every fight on free television and pay-per-view, and you have the walkout shirts from all your favorite fighters.

But there's no way you're a bigger UFC fan than this guy.

This guy was caught by the UFC cameras between fights at UFC 154 on Saturday night. His love for the UFC is etched into his skin with pretty impressive color. If you want to be known as the biggest UFC fan out there, you have a high hurdle to cross.

Fantasy football advice on Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/cameras-ufc-154-fan-sporting-ufc-ink-035238071--mma.html

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NJ Gov. Christie makes cameo appearance on 'SNL'

NEW YORK (AP) ? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie can't get enough of "Saturday Night Live."

One day after ducking questions about Twinkies-maker Hostess shutting down to avoid giving comedians fodder and saying he's on "SNL" enough, Christie made a cameo appearance on "Weekend Update."

The tough-talking governor poked fun at his notoriously short temper and the familiar blue fleece jacket that he has worn while touring the state following Superstorm Sandy.

Christie thanked the Red Cross and first responders. He also thanked his wife, who he said has put up with "a husband who has smelled like a wet fleece for the last three weeks."

He took a swipe at New Jersey officials who failed to follow his orders before Sandy, refusing to thank "any of the stupid mayors" who ignored his evacuation orders, calling them "idiots."

Christie closed by quoting from the Bruce Springsteen song "Atlantic City."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nj-gov-christie-makes-cameo-appearance-snl-132437836.html

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Winnebago Celebrates National Adoption Day

An extremely emotional day for dozens of local families that have just become whole, thanks to a national event that is uniting more than twenty children with their new homes.

The Seventeenth Circuit Court celebrated its ninth annual national adoption day this morning by finalizing 25 adoptions of children previously in foster care.

Eager families gathered at the Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center to wait their turn in legalizing the adoption of a new son or daughter.

Winnebago County is the only county in Illinois to celebrate National Adoption Day, which raises the awareness of the 107 thousand children currently in foster care. In its nine years, 200 children have been adopted into Winnebago County families on the annual celebration.

"We're going to be a family," said Andrea Fiorenza after adopting the son she's been a foster mother to. "No more DCFS, no more having to come in to court, and we can just plan vacations without worrying about, you know, this visit or that visit. So, we're very, very, very excited."

National Adoption day is not only a day to finalize adoptions across the country, but to celebrate families who adopt, and encourage more to do so.

"We definitely see the need in this, and just hope to be an example to other parents out there, and other families," said Jason Johnson, who adopted his son today with his wife Jereka. "To take part in National Adoption Day, take in a home, especially for loving parents. It's definitely a good thing."

Jereka Johnson grew up in the foster car and felt she wanted to give back by adopting one of her own.

The average child waits for more than three years to be adopted.

Source: http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/Winnebago-Celebrates-National-Adoption-Day-179822691.html

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