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Mayor Richard Daley today dismissed a proposed customer “bill of rights” for McCormick Place conventioneers, saying it wouldn’t begin to address the high costs of doing business there.

“They can have a bill off rights all they want. It’s costs,” Daley said.

Union leaders proposed the bill of rights this week as a way to inform exhibitors what rules workers must follow, and how much goods and services cost at McCormick Place. But Daley said that won’t help keep shows in Chicago.

“You can have all the bill of rights — that doesn’t do anything,” the mayor said after an anti-violence rally in the Roseland neighborhood. “What we’re asking for is how you lower the costs. It’s as simple as that. If Atlanta and Vegas and Orlando is doing a better job — we don’t want to lose any shows.”

Labor officials and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority — which runs McCormick Place — have been under pressure from Daley and lawmakers to overhaul the business model at the lakefront convention center since last fall, when two high profile shows defected to Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas, citing high costs in Chicago.

Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign legislation approved this week replacing the 13-member exposition authority board with a seven-member interim board tasked with reporting to the state legislature on how to save money at McCormick Place.

Daley and Quinn have endorsed a plan to give McPier, as the exposition authority is known, greater control over unions whose members work at McCormick Place. But the mayor said today he’s not blaming unions for the trade show exodus.

“This is about keeping shows here in Chicago, because they pay sales tax, they pay a lot of taxes, and they put a lot of people to work,” Daley said.

Read the original article from WGN Radio Chicago.

Chicago police today issued a community alert after a man attempted to sexually abuse a 15-year-old girl as she walked home from school on the Northwest Side.

The girl was attacked Friday at about 3:30 p.m. after she got off the Fullerton Avenue bus at Cicero Avenue, police said. The girl was walking southbound on Cicero Avenue and was crossing an alley between Belden and Medill Avenues when she was grabbed from behind, police said.

The man then force her near a garage and was attempting to sexually abuse her when the girl kicked the man which then caused him to slip and fall, police said. The man fled west down the alley, police said.

Police are searching for either a Hispanic man with a dark complexion or a black man, in his 20s, 5-feet 7-inches and 180 pounds. He was wearing a black skull cap pulled to nearly cover his eyes, a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, black jeans and black Nike gym shoes.

Anyone with information should call Grand Central detectives at 312-746-8282.

– Staff report

Read the original article from WGN Radio Chicago.

A 13-year-old boy is in good condition after being shot in the wrist this afternoon on the far South Side, officials said.

The boy was walking under a viaduct between the 9300 and 9400 blocks of South Jefferey Avenue at about 4:40 p.m., said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Gabrielle Lesniak.

As the boy walked past two men one of the men pulled out a hand gun and began shooting at the him, Lesniak said. The boy was struck in the right wrist and the bullet grazed his abdomen, she said.

Fire Department Chief Joe Roccasalva said the boy was taken in good condition to Advocate Trinity Hospital.

Police do not have anyone in custody, Lesniak said.

– Carlos Sadovi

Read the original article from WGN Radio Chicago.

An 18-year-old man was in serious condition after being found shot in the Washington Park neighborhood this afternoon, officials said.

The man was shot at about 5:15 p.m. on the 6100 block of South Martin Luther King Drive, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Gabrielle Lesniak.

The man was shot in the arm and leg, Lesniak said. The man was walking on the street when three people approached him and one of the three opened fire, police said.

Fire Department Chief Joe Roccasalva said the man was taken in serious condition to Stroger Hospital.

Calumet Area detectives are investigating but no one was in custody, according to police.

– Carlos Sadovi

Read the original article from WGN Radio Chicago.

The surveillance video shows a man limping as he hurries from an Uptown apartment building, seconds after attacking an 85-year-old man in an elevator.

Three days later that same limp led to Dennis Dawson’s arrest, Chicago police said today.

Dawson of the 900 block of West Lawrence Avenue, has been charged with robbery, a felony, in connection with the attack last Sunday in the 4500 block of North Sheridan Road.

Dawson, 34, was ordered held in lieu of $95,000 bail by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Jackie Marie Portman.

Police say Dawson trailed the victim into his apartment building and then the elevator before grabbing him and putting him in a choke-hold and beating him to the floor, the surveillance video shows.

“In my 15 years (on the force), it’s very hard to look at,” said Officer Nano Guardi at an afternoon news conference.

Guardi edited and distributed the video to patrol officers, two of whom arrested Dawson Wednesday on an Uptown street.

The video shows the victim walking up to the front door of the building and using his key to enter. His attacker is seen at first walking past, then following the man through the door a few seconds later.

In another shot of an inner entry door, the attacker is seen grabbing the handle as the man tries to insert his key. The attacker then passed through ahead of the victim. Both men then walk to an elevator in the rear of the building’s lobby.

Inside the elevator, the victim presses a button and stands facing the doors while the attacker stands behind him and to his left. The attacker moves directly behind the man, grabs hold of his neck and drags him to the floor, according to the video.

For an agonizing 1 minute and 37 seconds, the men appear to be struggling on the floor. The elevator door opens three times, first on the third and fifth floors. The attacker appears to press the button for the lobby, and the last time the door opens, he hops out and limps hastily through the lobby and out of the frame, taking with him an undisclosed sum of cash.

The video, released by the building’s management company to police, was distributed to patrol officers in the following days.

About 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after Officer Bryan Boeddeker finished watching the tape during roll call, he was in his squad car about a block away from where the attack happened. He then spotted a man wearing the same clothing as the attacker in the video and walking with a limp, the officer said at the news conference.

Dawson was arrested and charged with felony robbery and a misdemeanor count of obstructing his identification.

Police so far do not believe the incident is related to a string of street robberies that took place in the Lincoln Park and Lakeview neighborhoods last year.

– Serena Maria Daniels

Read the original article from WGN Radio Chicago.

With no immediate fanfare insight, the Buffalo Dualie makes it debut – finally! I only had been checking their site and digging around since they showed me the device last year. Quietly launching on the Buffalo website as well as in Apple stores online. I got a sneak peek at this device last year and I was very impressed with the aesthetics as well as the quality of Dualie. Buffalo at the time told me that they had to meet with many Apple standards and since this would be the first dual docking system that incorporates a hard drive they had to make sure it was as polished as an Apple product should be. The Dualie includes a 500GB drive with a 2.0 dual dock for your iPhone or iPod as well as two additional USB ports, Mini USB, and a DC output for power. You can sync your tunes as well as access the hard drive all at the same time while docked. It comes with several adapters so it can support other generations of iPhones or iPods, and lastly the drive is formatted for Mac users but also includes drivers needed for those with Windows. Now that’s a switch. How well it works remains to be seen. The Buffalo Dualie retails for $249.95 and is available now at the Apple Store.

The good folks of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have learned nothing from the verbal ass-razing they took at the hands of “Milkshake” hitmaker Kelis earlier this week. The animal rights group has another R&B crooner is their sights. PETA has penned an open letter to “Yeah!” star Usher, imploring the singer not to replace any of the fur coats that were stolen from his vehicle during a Christmas shopping trip near his home in Atlanta.

The furs were among the $1 million in items lifted from the recently-divorced star’s SUV while he and a friend visited a busy ATL T-Mobile Store on Dec. 14.

The animal rights organization has written to Usher in a bid to persuade him to stop buying furs as gifts.

“When it comes to these coats, you’re not the first victim. The animals who were beaten, electrocuted, or drowned for those coats – the original owners – are the real victims. Please pledge to be fur-free,” read the letter from PETA official Michelle Cho. “You would be in great company! Other compassionate folks who refuse to wear real fur include Eva Mendes, Charlize Theron, Michelle Obama… and Nia Long, just to name a few. We’d be thrilled to add your name to the list.”

David Arquette and his wife, Cougar Town’s Courteney Cox, sent horror fans’ pulses racing when they announced that they would be reprising their roles as Deputy Dewey and nosy reporter Gail Weathers, respectively, in the upcoming blockbuster Scream 4. And it sounds like the feature will be a family affair for the Cox-Arquettes; David and Courteney have reportedly landed their 5-year-old daughter, Coco, a small part in the big screen slasher fest.

“It’s not the most likely film debut for a child, because Scream 4 will be gory and gruesome, but Courteney said her daughter can handle it,” a Hollywood source tells Star. “Coco won’t have a big part, and it’s not likely she’ll be in a slasher scene either.”

SocialGO, a company that creates internal social networks for companies and other organizations, has brought in $800,000 in fresh capital, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in Redwood City, Calif., the company is backed by Veddis Ventures.

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Our culture has a certain standard of beauty and that definitely includes a woman having hair. There is a reason for women to panic when they find their hair is clogging the shower drain. Hair loss in women can ruin a woman’s self esteem which can result in other psychological problems.

Hair loss is widely accepted as a man’s problem and it is quite common to see bald men. However, hair loss in women is just as common, but it is more devastating for the individual when it does happen. The psychological impact of hair loss in women is much greater because many women see their hair as the main part of their beauty and take great pride in their appearance. However, this problem does not usually result in total hairloss as it does in men.

Here are some causes of hair loss in women which can help you identify the possible cause and decide whether to just wait for the hair to regrow, or if it is a more serious reason, get professional advice and take appropriate action:

#1. Hair loss in women is often connected to pregnancy. Three to six months after delivering a child, many women notice a degree of hair loss as the hair goes into a resting phase because of the physiological impact of the pregnancy on the body.

#2. A woman’s body can also be greatly affected by intensive diets and losing a lot of weight in a short period of time.

#3. Severe illnesses and infections can put great stress on the body thus triggering the hair into a resting phase which result hair shedding. Often the body recovers naturally within 3 to 9 months and the hair begins to regrow until it almost resembles its original condition.

#4. Hair loss in women can be aggravated further by improper use of chemical hair treatments such as dyes, tints, bleaches, straighteners, and permanent waves.

#5. The constant pulling of hair with styles such as ponytails and braids can sometimes cause hair loss in women. Avoid pulling the hair tight with these styles.

#6. Rough combing and brushing of the hair and vigorous rubbing with a towel after shampooing can cause it to break, adding further to the problem of Hair loss in women. Wide toothed combs and brushes with smooth tips are recommended to minimize hair breakage.

#7. The hair follicles are affected by a byproduct of Testosterone named DHT, Dihydro Testosterone. But the protective effects of female hormones like Estrogen and Progesterone in women prevent baldness in women.

#8. Hair loss occurs mostly in women of menopausal age as the production of female hormones drops losing their guard against hair loss. Proper medical treatment can restore the hormonal imbalance.

Nutritional supplements, herbal hair products and sometimes hormone replacement therapy are effective in arresting female hair loss. Zulvera is a natural remedy for female hair loss.Capsules and for hair revitalization also work well in addition to massaging and Aromatherapy.

However, the good news is there are many woman hair loss treatment and prevention system in the market today. These treatments can often be in the form of a guide, herbal treatment or even hair loss center.

Read About Home Remedies also Read about Hair loss in Women and Alopecia Areata

Using hair loss treatments for thinning hair has a combination of results, depending on the hair loss treatment that you use and the reason that you are experiencing thinning hair. Making sure that your diet is adequate is often the first step in ensuring that your hair is healthy, while hair loss treatments can help reduce hair loss from genetic factors.

Which Hair Loss Treatment is Right?

Thanks to advances in science, you have several options available when you have thinning hair or are experiencing hair loss. You may find that a shampoo with Minoxidil is all that they need to combat thinning hair, especially if they catch their hair loss at its beginning stages.

Other options include surgery, changing your diet and using a combination of herbs and vitamins for hair regrowth. Surgery is usually a last resort option, but it can and does work for many people. Today, hair restoration surgery is an excellent option for those who have experienced localized hair loss.

Vitamins and Supplements

If you are experiencing male pattern baldness, or have just begun to experience thinning hair, then you may have success using hair loss supplements. Hair loss supplements typically contain saw palmetto, which binds the enzyme in men that causes hair to thin.

Women may have less luck with supplements, since the causes of female pattern baldness are unknown at the current time. Childbirth and hormonal imbalances are suspected to be the cause of thinning hair in women, but there is little proof to back this up.

Take Care of Your Hair

Thinning hair may also be caused by the use of commercially prepared shampoo, which contains sodium lauryl sulfate. Sodium lauryl sulfate has been known to dry hair out, causing it to become brittle and to break off easily. Hair loss caused by sodium lauryl sulfate is typically minimal, but you may want to consider using something else when you are suffering from thinning hair.

You should also take steps to make sure that you use a nourishing shampoo that contains biotin, Biotin is a naturally occurring substance that works to strengthen hair, and can be found in many hair loss shampoos and conditioners.

Talk to a Professional

You may also want to talk to your doctor about your options for regrowing your hair. Hair loss is a common complaint among men and women, and your doctor may have the answers that you need. He or she can also advise you on taking hair loss supplements, which can interfere with some medications and medical conditions.

Hair loss does not have to take control of your life, especially when you have several options available. You can often use a combination of treatments in order to combat hair loss, including using hair loss supplements and special shampoos for thinning hair.

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Conan O’Brien’s days as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show are numbered, and it looks like “Mandy” crooner Barry Manilow will be the host’s final guest on Jan. 22.

“It’s a perfect fit for Barry, who was once Bette Midler’s piano player, to be the one to say goodbye to Conan,” a network insider told PopEater.com Friday. “Bette was the late great Johnny Carson’s final guest and now Barry will be Conan’s … if his final date holds.”

Manilow is expected to perform a song from his new album, The Greatest Love Songs of All Time, but the final spot of the night will be Manilow, the band, staff, crew and audience all singing what might be the most appropriate song ever: “Can’t Smile Without You,” the site says.

According to a person familiar with the negotiations, next Friday, Conan will leave NBC after 16 years and free Jay Leno to reclaim the long-running late night show he hosted for 17 years.

When President Obama gave his Nobel acceptance speech in December, he made reference to Dr. King saying that he was there in Oslo as a “direct consequence of Dr. King’s life work,” and as a “testimony to the moral force of non-violence.” And yet, the President also spent much of his speech distancing himself from the legacy of non-violence, explaining how we live in a dangerous world full of evil and that as a head of state, he cannot be guided only by the exemplars of non-violence. So, it would seem appropriate as we approach the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, to explore the gulf between the President as a head of state and the legacy of Dr. King.

President Obama’s Nobel acceptance speech was widely praised by both liberals and conservatives. Conservative columnist David Brooks of The New York Times referred to it as “Obama’s Christian Realism.” In fact, the President was very clear saying, “I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda’s leaders to lay down their arms.”

The President’s reasoning seems not only sound but, dare I say it, realistic. On the other hand, the President, without being explicit, suggests that King’s non-violence is idealistic and somehow inapplicable in the real world. None of this non-violent idealism for him, as if the threats and violence faced by the Civil Rights movement were in some way less real than the threats of today.

Moreover, the President seems to project onto the history of the Civil Rights movement a certainty of the effectiveness of non-violence that did not exist at the time. It was not at all certain that non-violence could be efficacious against the racism in our society. King was often mocked and criticized by more militant elements. Let’s be clear: the violence experienced by blacks was nothing short of terrorism enabled and supported by individuals and institutions throughout our society. This wasn’t the flash-in-the-pan violence that had been experienced for months, years or even decades; it was the systemic and intractable violence of centuries with millions of victims.

Malcolm X called King a “chump” and said that it was “criminal” to teach non-violence in the face of violence by whites. Malcolm’s criticism sounds intuitively obvious and, dare I say it, realistic. There was a clear evil in the world and Malcolm said it had to be confronted with force. It would seem that the President has more in common with Malcolm’s realism than with King’s non-violence. Is al Qaeda more intractable than centuries of slavery and racism? Is the President unaware of the effective use of non-violence during WWII? Why, then, the presumption that non-violence could not be effective in certain circumstances?

Part of the reason for the discrepancy between the President and Dr. King is that nation states really aren’t interested in community or brotherhood or even peace, as much as they may use these words. Nation states and their leaders are interested in acquiring and maintaining their own power and place in the world. President Obama, as difficult as it is for some of us to admit it, is sitting astride the greatest military machine the world has ever known.

Another reason for the President parting ways with King is that non-violence is more like a spiritual discipline than it is a political platform or foreign policy. Non-violence requires extreme personal moral courage and introspection that are not easily translated into policies. But this does not mean that military intervention is the only or appropriate alternative.

King’s words echo through time as both a warning and an opportunity nowhere more powerfully than in his last book, “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?” “The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie nor establish the truth. Through violence, you may murder the hater, but you cannot murder the hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

The genius of Dr. King’s ethic of non-violence is that it is counter intuitive. Non-violence throws us off balance and because it isn’t “realistic,” we don’t expect it. King was a master of spiritual jujitsu, using the violence of his adversary to disable him. Dr. King has passed on his legacy of non-violence to us and we must decide what to do with it. Non-violence is hard work. Let’s get started.

Gardeners are pretty easy to shop for. There’s all sorts of garden goodness around, and when in doubt a unique pack of seeds will still make a gardener smile. That said, for Valentine’s Day something more heartfelt should be the plan or at least something that combines a nice mix of love + garden. Here are some ideas…

My most favorite green-minded, garden-minded Valentine that I’ve seen so far this year is the the too adorable to believe Two Peas In A Pot! This extra cute idea was created by Hester Jane at Fun In The Making with basic recycled materials, but the end result is ultra fun.  This would make a great garden minded Valentines for a child to make and give.

A cute little garden gnome with a heart.

Green Field Paper Company Grow-A-Note Recycled Cards in Red Birds or Peace and Love. If you’re more ambitious you could even make your own Homemade Plantable Paper then create some unique Valentines with it.

The sweetest little Garden Bon Bons! Seriously, this is such a great idea – pop over and see.

Beyond garden bon bons you could go with the real thing but with a flower touch such as Lavender Chocolate Truffles or organic and Fair Trade rose flavored truffles from Edible Love.

For Valentine’s day decor or as a gift you can create a pretty Crepe Paper Rose Bouquet which lasts longer than real roses and looks great.

For kids – make a fun pop-up garden card or a punch art flower garden.

[image via Fun In The Making]

Post from: Blisstree

Valentine’s Day Goodies for Gardeners