| Clarence Birdseye 125th Posted: 09 Dec 2011 04:33 AM PST  Profile America — Friday, December 9th. One of the universal conveniences of modern life was developed by a man who was born 125 years ago today. Clarence Birdseye was on a scientific expedition to Labrador in the early part of the 20th century when he noticed that freshly caught fish froze solid almost immediately when exposed to ice, wind and low temperature. But when thawed and eaten, the fish still tasted fresh. Birdseye went on to develop a system of flash-freezing meat, fish, and vegetables under high pressure. The first retail frozen food went on sale in 1930, and by 1944, refrigerated boxcars allowed frozen foods to be distributed across the nation. Today, frozen food is a $25 billion a year industry in the U.S. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2011, 593
2007 Economic Census, NAICS 31141
http://www.census.gov/econ/industry/hierarchy/i31141.htm  
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| Christmas Time in Downtown Lincolnton Posted: 09 Dec 2011 04:31 AM PST  Christmas nights are extra special in downtown Lincolnton with horse drawn carriage rides. Photo by Melany Dawn Crouse. LINCOLNTON – Christmas time in Lincolnton is highlighted by the always beautiful and majestic Christmas Tree on the square in downtown and is accented with decorated shops and street lights to make for a very “downhome” feel. Horse drawn carriage rides are also a regular feature and offer a chance to slowly take it all in on crisp December nights. The carriage rides begin at 6:30 p.m. and run through 9:30 p.m every Friday and Saturday night in December and you can catch your ride on the Northeast corner of the Courtsquare.  
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| White House Outlines Plan Against ‘Homegrown’ Extremist Threats Posted: 08 Dec 2011 07:05 PM PST The Obama administration on Thursday released an implementation plan for intensified efforts to counter so-called "homegrown" violent extremism in the United States.
The 20-page report is called the Strategic Implementation Plan for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States. It describes specific steps to strengthen and expand cooperation with officials in communities across the country that might be targeted by violent extremists.
President Barack Obama signed off on the overall national strategy to fight violent extremism last August. The implementation plan comes six months after a broader National Strategy for Counterterrorism that discussed threats from al-Qaida followers, who it noted sometimes are U.S. citizens, engaged in terrorism such as the 2009 shootings at the Fort Hood, Texas military base.
The implementation plan says countering violent extremism and terrorism inspired by al-Qaida, its affiliates and its adherents is a top priority. It notes that other forms of violent extremism will not be ignored, and mentions as an example the attacks in Norway in July, saying, "free societies face threats from a range of violent extremists."
The plan lists steps to identify communities that might be targeted by violent extremists for recruitment and radicalization, and links them with federal, state and local anti-terrorism efforts. A task force of senior officials from across government is to support the plan, along with more analysis to be shared by those needing it, and increased training for law enforcement officials.
The plan also emphasizes the importance of countering what it calls violent extremist "propaganda" and increasing the capacity of communities to "directly challenge violent extremist ideologies and narratives."
It commits the government to expand efforts to raise public awareness about radicalization, including regular briefings to Congress, research organizations and the media, and an Internet website as part of a comprehensive strategy to counter and prevent "violent extremist online radicalization."
The White House plan says this will require "careful consideration of a number of legal issues" related to free speech rights of Americans under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Initial reaction came from the co-chairs of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Independent Democrat Joseph Lieberman and Republican Susan Collins.
In a statement, they said the plan takes positive steps, but that "much more needs to be done and at a far faster pace, given the threat." They voiced disappointment that the Obama administration did not designate a single agency to coordinate operations, and with the administration's "refusal to identify violent Islamist extremism as our enemy."
Senator Lieberman spoke this on Wednesday during a joint hearing of Senate and House committees, examining threats from homegrown terrorists to military communities in the United States. "Our government has to recognize at some point who the enemy is and call it by its exact name. The enemy is not a vague catchall of violent extremism, but a specific violent Islamist extremism and an exploitation and corruption, I would say, of the religion of Islam," he said.
President Obama did not issue a statement to accompany the release of the implementation plan. But the document contains a quote from him in August in which he committed the government to preventing "all types of extremism that leads to violence, regardless of who inspires it." 
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| Gunmen execute four after ambush on ambulance in northern Mexico Posted: 08 Dec 2011 06:11 PM PST JUAREZ, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) -- A group of gunmen attacked an ambulance in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez on Wednesday, local authorities confirmed Thursday. Four people were killed. The ambulance, which was being operated by the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), was traveling from the city of Nuevo Casas Grandes in the northwestern part of Chihuahua state to the city of Juarez when it was attacked by unidentified gunmen. Municipal police said the attack began when a truck crashed into the ambulance, which was carrying two paramedics and two patients being transported to a Juarez clinic for kidney failure treatment. The ambulance was forced to stop due to the impact. After being surrounded by two trucks, all four people in the ambulance were forced to exit the vehicle before a group of unidentified gunmen executed them at the scene. It was not immediately known who was behind the attack. Ciudad Juárez is regarded as the most violent city in Mexico. As a critical site for drug traffickers, violence in the city has increased dramatically since President Felipe Calderón intensified the crackdown on organized crime in 2006. Hundreds of women have been killed in the northern city since 1993, while those responsible for the crimes have largely remained free. The Mexican government has failed to act despite numerous calls by international human rights organizations and local groups to continue the investigations. There have been claims that some officials may be involved in the crimes. On Tuesday, the United Nations condemned the attack on Norma Andrade, co-president of the advocacy organization "Our Daughters Return Home," who was shot five times by unknown assailants last Friday in Juarez. Andrade became an activist after her daughter, a 17-year-old maquiladora worker, was kidnapped and found murdered in February 2001. According to government figures, a total of 15,273 drug-related crimes were reported to authorities in Mexico in 2010. More than 30,000 people have died in drug-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderón began his campaign to fight organized crime in December 2006, although some estimates put that number at more than 45,000. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.) 
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| Hundreds Hold Prayer Vigil for Unemployed on Capitol Hill Posted: 08 Dec 2011 05:58 PM PST <!--AV--> Thousands of jobless workers from around the country, community members, and clergy held a prayer vigil on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to extend unemployment benefits. Millions of jobless workers and their families are in danger of losing their benefits by the end of the month if Congress does not act. The prayer vigil and march to House Speaker John Boehner's office was part of "Take Back the Capitol," three days of events sponsored by labor unions and community organizations.
Chanting slogans calling for jobs, thousands prayed for the unemployed in a Capitol Hill park. Michael Livingston, director of the Poverty Initiative for the National Council of Churches, say Congress needs to get serious about creating jobs. "I don't think the Congress has been responsible at all. I think they have been dragging their feet. I think they have been playing politics with this," he said.
Protesters fear Congress will not renew unemployment benefits for millions due to run out at the end of the month. Political analysts, however, say it is likely the benefits will be extended. The battle is over how to pay for them without adding to the federal budget deficit.
David, an unemployed stock analyst from Denver, Colorado, says Congress is out of touch. "America is out of work. And you can't fix a deficit when America is out of work. That is the first thing is you have to give people jobs again," he said.
A jobs bill put forward by President Barack Obama has stalled in Congress. He said this week that Congress should not leave town for Christmas without extending unemployment benefits and a tax cut for the middle class.
Nathan Belanger, an unemployed electrician from Maine, says the country is broken. "We need to start employing people with real jobs. With jobs that matter, not service. Not ... you know making latte's for these folks on the Hill," he said.
The protesters tossed white carnations on the Capitol steps. Reverend Paul Sherry is Washington director of Interfaith Worker Justice. "It symbolizes each of us placing our lives on those Capitol steps. In support of the unemployed and in support of changing this economy so people will receive the sustenance, the food, and the children's needs will be served," he said.
They then marched to the office of Speaker of the House John Boehner. As they chanted outside, workers peered out.
This was the final day of "Take Back the Capitol," three days of protests that brought unemployed workers from across the country to Washington. The protesters say they will return home ready to press forward - fighting for jobs. 
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