Sidelined by pneumonia, Clinton vows quick return to campaign trail

WASHINGTON -- Hillary Clinton sought to draw a line Monday under the health scare rocking her White House campaign, assuring supporters she will return to the fray this week as her team stated she has no medical ailments other than pneumonia.

Clinton was set to get a boost Tuesday, when President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail to support her bid to replace him.

Facing intensifying scrutiny about her health, the Democrat will also make new disclosures of medical records and data, as her team acknowledged it stumbled when it failed to transparently alert the press and public about Clinton's condition at the weekend.

"I felt dizzy and I did lose my balance for a minute, but once I got in (the van), once I could sit down, once I could cool off, once I had some water, I immediately started feeling better," Clinton told CNN, adding that she would be back on the campaign trail within the "next couple of days."

Clinton, 68, fell ill at a 9/11 memorial event in New York and was seen wobbling as she was helped into her vehicle, forcing her campaign to disclose she had been diagnosed with the acute respiratory infection.

The incident -- captured on amateur video -- gave her Republican rival Donald Trump, 70, a new opening to question her fitness for the nation's highest office as the race heats up with eight weeks until Election Day.

The campaign said she "felt overheated," then released a statement by her personal doctor, Lisa Bardack, revealing that Clinton had been diagnosed with pneumonia Friday and was suffering from dehydration.

"There's no other undisclosed condition. The pneumonia is the extent of it," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon told MSNBC.

On CNN, Clinton initially said that she has "twice" gotten dehydrated and felt dizzy over the past five years, then said it had been "a few times."

Clinton was forced to scrap her California fundraising trip Monday and Tuesday. And the campaign acknowledged, just as Clinton was tweeting, that she will not attend her scheduled campaign event Wednesday in Nevada -- with Bill Clinton due to stump there on her behalf according to an aide to the former president.

In his first public comments since Clinton abruptly left Sunday's Ground Zero ceremony, an unusually restrained Trump offered her his wishes for a rapid recovery.

But he also suggested the former secretary of state's health issues were of longer standing than admitted.

"Something is going on but I just hope she gets well and gets back on the trail, and we'll be seeing her at the debate" in two weeks, the Republican told Fox News.

The unexpected turn of events has turned a conservative angle of attack into a serious line of questioning about Clinton's health and why it took two days to reveal the pneumonia diagnosis.

"Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia. What's the cure for an unhealthy penchant for privacy that repeatedly creates unnecessary problems?" asked David Axelrod, a former White House aide to Barack Obama, on Twitter.

Clinton admitted: "If we weren't fast enough, you know, I've talked to my staff, we, you know, take responsibility for that."

But she quickly insisted she has been far more transparent than Trump.

"The information is out there. You can't say the same thing about Donald Trump," she said.

"The American people deserve to know what he's up to and what he is hiding."

'Not the first time'

The episode has fueled fresh speculation and conspiracy theories on the internet, already awash with unsubstantiated rumors Clinton may have a brain tumor, Parkinson's or dementia.

The root of persistent claims about Clinton's health lies in 2012, toward the end of her tenure as secretary of state.

A stomach virus and dehydration prompted her to faint, causing what her doctor said was a concussion. Doctors said they found a blood clot on the brain. Clinton later received the all-clear.

On Monday, Fallon insisted that "there was nothing here in terms of anything that was caused by what happened in 2012."

He also said Clinton's team would be releasing medical records "in the next few days" in order to "further put to rest any lingering concerns about what you saw yesterday."

Trump also promised to release medical records once test results are back.

The former first lady has dismissed rumors about her health, but Trump has repeatedly raised doubts about Clinton's stamina and physical strength, and he questioned her campaign's account of the current episode.

"They say pneumonia on Friday, but she was coughing very, very badly a week ago and even before that if you remember, and this was not the first time," he told CNBC.

'Hard time keeping up'

Clinton spokesman Fallon said several senior Clinton collaborators at campaign headquarters in Brooklyn also fell ill in recent weeks, including campaign manager Robby Mook. But it was not known if that was the source of Clinton's infection.

Democrats including her running mate Tim Kaine rushed to her defense.

"Her energy staggers me," he told a crowd in Dayton, Ohio. "I have a hard time keeping up with her."

source: interaksyon.com

Mississippi declares emergency as storms in US South kill 11 on Christmas Eve

Southern US states began digging out on Thursday after severe storms killed at least 11 people, and Mississippi declared a state of emergency in areas pounded by tornadoes.

With about 100 million Americans expected to travel over the Christmas holiday, the National Weather Service forecast isolated severe thunderstorms from the mid-Atlantic region to the Gulf Coast and record warmth in New York.

The storm system packed high winds and triggered more than 20 tornadoes in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Michigan on Wednesday, authorities said.

A large tornado tore a 100-mile (160-km) path through northern Mississippi, demolishing or heavily damaging more than 100 homes and other buildings before plowing into western Tennessee, authorities said.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in areas affected by the storm, saying 14 tornadoes had touched down in the state. Bryant said seven people were killed and one person was missing.

"Everybody is pulling together here in Mississippi today to help respond to this disaster," Bryant said on CNN.

He said shelters had been set up and the full extent of the damage would not be known for several days. Mississippi authorities said some 40 people were injured and a 7-year-old boy was among those killed.

Three people died in Tennessee and an 18-year-old woman was killed in Arkansas when a tree crashed into her house, authorities said.

Thirteen counties in Tennessee suffered severe damage, with a post office destroyed and a state highway washed out.

Emergency crews in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee were searching for several people reported missing. Scores were injured in the region.

A rare tornado touched down in Canton, Michigan, and about 15,000 homes in the state and neighboring Wisconsin were without electricity. The weather service issued a gale force wind warning for Lake Michigan, where waves could reach 15 feet.

About 500 flights were delayed or canceled at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport as the area was hit by a thunderstorm.

Meanwhile, much of the northeast enjoyed balmy weather on Thursday, including New York, which surpassed its record for the warmest Christmas Eve reaching 71 degrees Fahrenheit (22 C).

Cold and snow were forecast on Christmas Day for the US Northwest, including temperatures in the teens in Montana and snow likely in Washington, Oregon, northern California, and Nevada.

Of the 100 million Americans traveling over the holiday, 91 million will use cars, according to the American Automobile Association.

source: interaksyon.com

CNN launches research for drones in journalism

WASHINGTON — CNN said Monday it was launching a research project with the Georgia Institute of Technology on how drones could be used for newsgathering by media organizations.

The research will evaluate the technology, personnel and safety needs to operate effectively and will share its findings with the Federal Aviation Administration, which is considering rules for unmanned aerial vehicles.

“Our hope is that by working cooperatively to share knowledge, we can accelerate the process for CNN and other media organizations to safely integrate this new technology into their coverage plans,” said David Vigilante, CNN senior vice president, in a statement.

Georgia tech researcher Mike Heiges said drones “have a number of applications that benefit society, such as search and rescue, disaster response and agricultural mapping and crop assessment,” and added that “we’re excited to be engaging with CNN to study the newsgathering applications” for drones.

The move comes amid intense interest in drones beyond military and intelligence purposes. US authorities are considering new regulations that could allow civilian drones to share the airspace with manned aircraft.

Unlike other countries, the United States prohibits the use of drones, or unmanned aerial systems for commercial purposes, although the FAA grants rare exceptions for government and law enforcement use.

Earlier this year, 16 major US news organizations joined to accuse the FAA of curtailing freedom of the press by restricting the use of drones for news.

In a brief to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the news organizations including The New York Times and The Washington Post argued that drones are a First Amendment — or constitutional rights — concern.

The University of Nebraska in 2011 established a Drone Journalism Lab to examine how to use such aircraft for newsgathering.

source: interaksyon.com

CNN's Cooper takes on Korina as netizens weigh in

MANILA, Philippines -- After ABS-CBN anchor Korina Sanchez twitted him for supposedly not knowing what he was talking about when he reported on the inadequate government response five days after super typhoon “Yolanda” struck Tacloban, CNN’s Anderson Cooper took to his show, "AC 360°" Friday morning in Manila to respond.

Social media wasted no time weighing in, with Sanchez apparently faring worse as netizens noted that she was in an air-conditioned booth as she criticized Anderson, who was on the ground in Tacloban.

On Friday, Cooper tackled the issue head-on, saying: "Miss Sanchez is welcome to go there," and suggesting that, since her husband, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II is in charge of government efforts in Tacloban, he might arrange a flight for her.





Sanchez actually went to Ormoc, on the opposite side of Leyte from Tacloban, on Thursday.

Cooper also clarified that he had never said there was no government presence or leadership on the ground.

At the same time, Cooper said that his reports were also a tribute to the strength of the Filipinos caught by Yolanda’s path.

"Filipino people, the people of Tacloban, and Samar, and Cebu, and all these places where so many have died, they are strong not just to have survived this storm, but they are strong to have survived the aftermath of this storm," he said. "They have survived for a week now, often with very little food, with very little water, with very little medical attention. Can you imagine the strength it takes to be living in a shack, to be living, sleeping on the streets next to the body of your dead children?"

Like they did earlier, netizens quickly jumped into the fray, with many praising and thanking Cooper for his coverage and others defending Sanchez who, they said, only intended to stress that government has been acting to respond to the disaster.

But even more called for an end to the bickering and for everyone to focus on helping the victims instead.

storify.com/interaksyon/netizens-still-riled-up-over-korina-sanchez-but-so?utm_source=embed_header

source: interaksyon.com

Jazz great Dave Brubeck dies at 91

Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, 91, died Wednesday from heart failure, his manager, Russell Gloyd, told CNN.

Brubeck's heart stopped while he was en route to the hospital with his eldest son for a regular checkup, Gloyd said. His son became alarmed about his father and called 911, Gloyd said.


"(Paramedics) came out and said, 'We just can't keep the heart going,' " Gloyd told CNN.

Gloyd, who also was a producer with Brubeck, said the musician was rushed to Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, where he was declared dead.

According to his website, Brubeck was born into a musical family in Concord, California, and had two older brothers who were also professional musicians. As a teen, he began playing in local dance bands after his family moved to a cattle ranch in the foothills of the Sierra mountains.

Intent on pursuing a career in veterinary medicine, Brubeck worked his way through college as a pianist in jazz bands. He soon switched his major to music and went on to pursue a career, releasing music as part of the Dave Brubeck Trio in 1949. He formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951 following a near fatal car crash.

Songs such as "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and "Take Five" helped the jazz artist find crossover success in the pop world.

Designated a "living legend" by the Library of Congress, Brubeck was still actively pursuing his career in music. Gloyd said the pianist continued to practice every day and was contemplating recording a new song.

But his longtime manager/publicist said he and the musician's family hope that Brubeck is also remembered for his political activism.

"I don’t think people realize his commitment to civil rights and justice," Gloyd said. "At the height of his stardom, he canceled 23 out of 24 concerts in the South at Southern universities when they would not allow him to bring his black bass player."

President of The Recording Academy Neil Portnow called Brubeck an "iconic jazz and classical pianist."

"Throughout his six decade-long career, his unique time signatures and distinct rhythms were highlights of his innovative style," Portnow continued. "As one of the prime architects of the sophisticated West Coast jazz sound, Brubeck showed that jazz could be artistically challenging yet accessible to large audiences. His recordings have received both commercial and critical success, and will be remembered and celebrated for generations to come. We have lost a great legend in our community, and our thoughts and condolences go to his family, friends and all those he inspired."

Brubeck would have celebrated his 92nd birthday on Thursday.

source: CNN

Obama to offer corporate tax plan

Washington (CNN) -- The Treasury Department will unveil President Barack Obama's corporate tax reform plan on Wednesday, senior administration officials told CNN.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told a Senate panel last week the plan will be an effort to find "common ground" on broad principles between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill.

"We want to maximize the chance we can take advantage of that (common ground) to build consensus on something that's going to work," Geithner told the Senate Finance Committee.

The Obama administration has been talking about unveiling a plan to fix the corporate tax system for well over a year.

Senior administration officials Tuesday would not provide details of the president's plan. They said it will be consistent with his commitment to fairness and the message he laid out in the State of the Union address.

In the State of the Union address and in subsequent speeches, Obama has called for ending tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs overseas and lowering rates for U.S. businesses that create jobs at home.

"Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas," Obama said in his address to Congress in January. "Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it. So let's change it. "

Obama also said that it was time to end subsidies and tax breaks for the oil industry, which "rarely has been more profitable," while increasing tax credits for developing alternative energy sources.

Last year, the pressure for a corporate tax system fix heated up with news of General Electric's zero tax rate in 2010 due to profits overseas and losses at its financial unit. General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt is the chief of Obama's Council for Jobs and Competitiveness.

The top corporate tax rate of 35%, among the highest in the world, has long been bemoaned by business leaders and tax experts. They say it discourages foreign investment in the United States and hinders the ability of U.S. companies to compete internationally.

The Obama administration is expected to talk about lowering the top rate while axing some of the more than 130 business corporate tax breaks currently on the books and limiting companies' ability to shift profits to nations where tax rates are lower.

"In short, it will help level the playing field for businesses and allow the government to collect needed revenue while promoting economic growth," Geithner said in his written statement to the Senate panel.

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/21/politics/obama-corporate-taxes/index.html?hpt=ibu_c2

Apps for iPad 3: What Apple should demo at the grand unveiling

(Wired) -- All indicators suggest Apple will unveil the iPad 3 during the first week of March. That's less than a month away, and sources at The Next Web say Apple is in "crunch mode," working hard to line up apps that show off the unique features of the next-gen tablet.

The iPad 3 is expected to feature a high-definition, 2048 x 1536 "retina display." If the new screen does appear in Apple's big reveal, it should provoke all the excitement of the company's first retina display, which appeared in the iPhone 4 in 2010. According to a source who spoke with The New York Times, the next iPad's screen will be "truly amazing."

So which apps might Apple use to show off the brilliance of its new display hardware? We've identified four key app categories that would be ideal for demo'ing the HD display. We've also spoken to software developers about their iPad 3 aspirations. None would spill any beans concerning launch-day involvement, but we did learn more about how the developer community is anticipating the new display.


Photography

Apps for shooting and viewing photographs would be ideal for showing off not only a high-resolution display, but also an improved camera, which is also a highly likely upgrade.

iOS 5 has a hidden panorama mode that developers haven't yet been able to take advantage of. So, if an iOS update accompanies the iPad 3 launch, we might expect Apple to finally show off panorama mode in conjunction with an improved rear-facing camera. (The current iPad 2 camera is merely iPod touch caliber.)

And if Apple doesn't want to show off its own panorama capabilities, apps like TourWrist and 360 Panorama would be great candidates to show off such a feature.

TourWrist CEO Charles Armstrong is so confident that Apple will be doubling the number of pixels in the height and width of its next tablet, his team is already preparing a new version of its app. "It's four times as many pixels. That makes logical sense, and that's what we're anticipating."

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/14/tech/gaming-gadgets/ipad-3-apps-update/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Singer Whitney Houston dies at 48

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48.

The entertainer, whose incredible talent was discovered at an early age, was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. (6:55 p.m. ET) at the Beverly Hilton hotel despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said.

Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent" and that the cause of her death is being investigated.

Houston's bodyguard found her body, said Courtney Barnes, publicist for hip-hop artist Ray J, who was dating the pop diva.

According to her official website, Houston sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos. But she also struggled with addiction problems over the years.

Houston, whose hits included "The Greatest Love of All," died on the eve of the 54th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. She had performed as late as Thursday night at a pre-Grammy event in the area. A pre-Grammy party was scheduled Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton.

Music producer Jimmy Jam, after conversations with those heading up to Sunday's night show, told CNN that he believes the event will change significantly -- including a tribute to the singer.

The entertainer recently returned to a movie set for "Sparkle," a remake of the 1976 hit, which was loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It is scheduled be released nationwide in August, according to Sony Pictures. It was her first movie role since 1996's "The Preacher's Wife."

News of her death elicited a flood of reaction from fans and fellow celebrities alike.

Singer Aretha Franklin said, "I just can't talk about it now. It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen. My heart goes out to Cissy (Houston's mother), her daughter Bobbi Kris, her family and Bobby (Brown)."

Dolly Parton, who wrote "I Will Always Love You," said, "mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'"

Another entertainment legend, Quincy Jones, said he was "absolutely heartbroken" by the news. "She was a true original and a talent beyond compare," he said.

Houston's body of work included a string of Billboard No. 1 hits in the 1980s, including "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know," "The Greatest Love of All," "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."

Billboard put her soundtrack to the 1992 movie "The Bodyguard" as one of the top 10 biggest-selling albums of all time. She also starred in the film with Kevin Costner. The soundtrack included the hit,"I Will Always Love You."

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/11/showbiz/whitney-houston-dead/index.html