President Obama live at the Saban Forum discussing U.S.-Israel Relations/Iran

10th Anniversary Saban Forum Power Shifts: U.S.-Israel Relations in a Dynamic Middle East

Beginning today and continuing through Sunday, December 8, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings will host its 10th annual Saban Forum in Washington, D.C. Over the past 10 years, the Forum has provided a platform for unparalleled dialogue between American and Israeli leaders from across the political and social spectrum. This year’s lineup will feature remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

The theme for the 2013 Saban Forum is “Power Shifts: U.S.-Israel Relations in a Dynamic Middle East.” Undoubtedly, the hotly-debated issue of the interim nuclear deal with Iran will feature prominently in these discussions, but speakers will also address the broader array of changes and challenges confronting the Middle East today, including the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the deepening Syrian civil war and resulting humanitarian crisis. Forum speakers and participants will discuss the implications of these events on U.S. interests in the region, U.S.-Israel relations and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Each year, the Saban Forum brings together American and Israeli officials, business executives, policymakers and thought leaders from across the political and social spectrum. Past speakers have included an array of distinguished leaders, including President William J. Clinton, President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, HM King Abdullah of Jordan, President Shimon Peres, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, former British Prime Minister and Middle East Envoy Tony Blair, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Henry Kissinger.

Tonights broadcast:
A Conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
Moderated by David Ignatius, Columnist, The Washington Post

http://www.brookings.edu/events/2013/12/06-saban-forum-2013-power-shifts-us-israeli-relations-dynamic-middle-east

Tomorrow Saturday, December 7 at 1:00 PM EST

A Conversation with President Barack Obama
moderated by Forum Chairman Haim Saban

Saturday, December 7 at 4:00 PM EST
Keynote Address by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry

Sunday, December 8 at 10:15 AM EST
A Conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
moderated by Charlie Rose, host, The Charlie Rose Show

http://www.brookings.edu/about/centers/saban/saban-forums

(CO) Families See Colorado as New Frontier on Medical Marijuana

As their children cooed from wheelchairs and rocked softly in their arms, the marijuana migrants of Colorado clasped hands, bowed their heads and said a prayer of cautious thanks.

They thanked God for the dinner of roast turkey and mashed potatoes, for their children and for the marijuana-based serum that has drawn 100 families to Colorado on a desperate pilgrimage to quell the squalls of seizures inside their children’s heads. They have come from Florida and Virginia, South Carolina and New York, lining up to treat their children with a promising but largely untested oil that is considered legal medicine in this cannabis-friendly state.

“Thank you for bringing us together,” said Aaron Lightle, whose wife and 9-year-old daughter, Madeleine, moved here after the girl’s neurologists suggested removing part of her brain to stop her relentless seizures. “In crazy ways, maybe. But hey, we’re here.”

Amen, they said.

Their migration is one of myriad ways that a once-illicit drug is reshaping life here in Colorado, which now stands at the forefront of the national debate over legalizing drugs. While these families are seeking treatment through a medical marijuana system that has existed for years, they are arriving at a time when the drug is becoming a mainstream part of public life, made legal for recreational use in a historic vote last year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/us/families-see-colorado-as-new-frontier-on-medical-marijuana.html

(CO) Families See Colorado as New Frontier on Medical Marijuana

As their children cooed from wheelchairs and rocked softly in their arms, the marijuana migrants of Colorado clasped hands, bowed their heads and said a prayer of cautious thanks.

They thanked God for the dinner of roast turkey and mashed potatoes, for their children and for the marijuana-based serum that has drawn 100 families to Colorado on a desperate pilgrimage to quell the squalls of seizures inside their children’s heads. They have come from Florida and Virginia, South Carolina and New York, lining up to treat their children with a promising but largely untested oil that is considered legal medicine in this cannabis-friendly state.

“Thank you for bringing us together,” said Aaron Lightle, whose wife and 9-year-old daughter, Madeleine, moved here after the girl’s neurologists suggested removing part of her brain to stop her relentless seizures. “In crazy ways, maybe. But hey, we’re here.”

Amen, they said.

Their migration is one of myriad ways that a once-illicit drug is reshaping life here in Colorado, which now stands at the forefront of the national debate over legalizing drugs. While these families are seeking treatment through a medical marijuana system that has existed for years, they are arriving at a time when the drug is becoming a mainstream part of public life, made legal for recreational use in a historic vote last year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/us/families-see-colorado-as-new-frontier-on-medical-marijuana.html

Wendy's Employee -- SERVES MARIJUANA BURGER ... Gets Arrested, Fired

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "burger joint" -- TMZ has learned, a Wendy's employee was arrested last month in Georgia ... after allegedly making a cheeseburger with one crazy off-the-menu ingredient ... marijuana.

According to the Lovejoy Police Department, 32-year-old Amy Seiber was busted during her shift on November 1 ... after a customer called 911, complaining she had found a half-smoked blunt in her cheeseburger.

The customer met with police at the Wendy's location where she ordered the burger, and cops claim Seiber immediately admitted the blunt was hers.

According to police, Seiber said she had been smoking pot on the job and conveniently "misplaced" the blunt inside the customer's burger ... right on top of the pickle.


Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/12/05/wendys-employee-arrested-joint-marijuana-blunt-cheeseburger/

We spoke to the lucky customer, who tells us she experienced food poisoning-type symptoms after the incident and had to be hospitalized.

So far, she says Wendy's has offered to help pay for her medical bills ... and has even generously thrown in a $50 gift certificate. Like she'll ever eat at Wendy's ever again.

Search for San Jose family scaled back - MT plane crash

The search in a remote part of Idaho for a single-engine airplane that carried five members of a San Jose family was scaled back Friday after days of fruitless searching in poor weather, authorities said.

Search teams reported that they have "exhausted every option in finding the plane" piloted by Dale Smith of San Jose, said Robert Feeley, spokesman for the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security.

Smith's son Daniel, daughter-in-law Sheree, daughter Amber and her fiance, Jonathan Norton, were also on board. The group took off from Baker City, Ore., about 11 a.m. Sunday and was flying to Butte, Mont.

Two hours into the trip, Dale Smith reported experiencing problems with the engine and maintaining altitude, authorities said. Officials soon lost radar and cell tower contact.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Search-for-San-Jose-family-scaled-back-5041700.php

Saw A DU Bumper sticker in the wild today..

Was driving down Castro street when I pull up behind a car with a no hate sticker on one side and a DemocraticUnderground.com sticker on the other. I'd never seen one much less knew they existed.

The car was heading towards my neighborhood, and I figured I'd say hi if I get a chance..

Pull up at the light when we got to the Haight and I wave at the guy and roll down my window. He looks at me like I' a psycho. We're trained to ignore people here in SF, especially when they are trying to get our attention.

I say "hey hows it going what's your DU name?"

Looking at me shocked maybe a little annoyed..."I'm no longer active"

Me surprised, he's sporting a bumper sticker after all, "Oh yeah, DU is great you should come back"

Looking at me less shocked "I'm no longer active"

Me "oh too bad, come on back, DU is great."

Him silence.

"Did skinner ban you".... slight nod of the head..

If you see this ex-DUer in SF...

'Cannibal sandwiches' sicken Wisconsin residents

"Cannibal sandwiches," an appetizer featuring raw, lean ground beef served on cocktail bread, may be a Wisconsin tradition, but they are not safe, health officials said, noting that more than a dozen people became ill after consuming them last holiday season.

Health officials confirmed four cases tied to E. coli bacteria and 13 likely cases in people who ate the sandwiches at several gatherings late last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a report issued this week. The meat came from a Watertown market that later recalled more than 2,500 pounds of meat.

Cannibal sandwiches were tied to outbreaks in Wisconsin in 1972, 1978 and 1994. The appetizer, also called "tiger meat," ''steak tartare" or simply "ground beef," is usually a simple dish of lean ground meat seasoned with salt and pepper on rye cocktail bread with sliced raw onion, said Milwaukee historian John Gurda, who served it at his 1977 wedding reception. Occasionally, a raw egg will be mixed with the meat.

Cannibal sandwiches have been a festive dish in German, Polish and other ethnic communities in the Milwaukee area since the 19th century, Gurda said. The 66-year-old said it was once common to see them at wedding receptions, meals following funerals and Christmas and New Year's Eve parties. The dish has become less common in recent years with greater awareness of the risks of uncooked meat and fewer people eating beef, but Gurda said he still runs into it.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Cannibal-sandwiches-sicken-Wisconsin-residents-5039064.php

Shanghai Orders Cars Off Roads as Pollution Exceeds Scale

Source: Bloomberg

Shanghai ordered vehicles off the road and factories to cut production after pollution reached hazardous levels, as Hong Kong announced plans to introduce an air quality index that assesses health risks from smog.

A heavy fog shrouding Shanghai caused widespread flight cancellations and sent an air quality index monitored by the U.S. consulate in the city surging past 500 to the “beyond index” category. Hong Kong’s air pollution index reached “very high” levels at three roadside monitors, according to its Environment Protection Department.

Heavy pollution may undermine plans for the financial hubs to attract foreign talent and investment and push up health-care costs. Outdoor air pollution can cause lung cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a World Health Organization agency said in October, ranking it as a carcinogen for the first time.

“The pollution is worse today and the fog is getting heavier,” said Zhang Yanbing, analyst at Zheshang Securities Co. in Shanghai. “I am not prohibiting my kids from going outside because we have to learn to grow up in all kinds of environment. But they are definitely wearing face masks.”

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-06/shanghai-haze-forces-plane-cancellations-pollution-warnings.html

Facebook Says Publishers Shouldn’t Fret About News Feed Changes.

This week, Facebook announced that it was changing the way it ranked content in its all-important News Feed — the main page Facebook users see on their desktop and on their phones — in order to promote “high-quality content.” And Facebook said it would make things like “meme photos” harder to see.

snip

But if that’s the case, then who is Facebook trying to punish? And why does Facebook care about this, anyway — isn’t the crucial thing that people like the stuff, and not what the stuff is?

Your post says that you want promote some kinds of content and demote other kinds of content. But I don’t really understand what you want to push up and down, and why.
Lars Backstrom: We don’t really think about it that much in terms of promoting and demoting certain kinds of content. The way we think about it is that we’re doing a better job of identifying value.

In the past, there were a lot of things that all fell into one bucket, and we would treat them all the same, even though they clearly weren’t. If you see a funny meme photo in your feed — sure, you get some value from that. But if you compare that to reading 1,000 words on AllThingsD, you would presumably get more value from that experience than the first one. And, in the past, we were treating them as the same.

But if I like them both, aren’t they the same? From a Facebook perspective, shouldn’t the things that people like be the things that people like?
I’m not saying that one doesn’t have value. And we’re not trying to impose our will and view on the world. But we went and asked people which of those things they get more value from. We’ve run surveys, and asked people to rate stories and things.
And they’ll say, “The cat photo was great, and I had a good chuckle, but of those two, the second one enriched my life more, and I got more value out of it.”

It’s not us trying to be more proscriptive. We’re trying align our definition of value with that of our users.

Are you paying attention to the source of the content? Or is it solely the type of the content?
Right now, it’s mostly oriented around the source. As we refine our approaches, we’ll start distinguishing more and more between different types of content. But, for right now, when we think about how we identify “high quality,” it’s mostly at the source level.

So something that comes from publisher X, you might consider high-quality, and if it comes from publisher Y, it’s low-quality?
Yes.

http://allthingsd.com/20131206/like-this-if-you-like-pandas-facebook-says-publishers-shouldnt-fret-about-news-feed-changes/

One can imagine the activists posts will be considered low quality