NEW YORK (AP) ? "Middlesex" author Jeffrey Eugenides doesn't remember everything about the night he was given a Whiting Writers' Award, but he has never forgotten how the honor received early in his career helped make his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel possible.
Eugenides, who on Tuesday night was to present the award to this year's 10 recipients, is one of many top American authors and playwrights who early in their careers won the honor. It is given to those who exhibit "exceptional talent and promise."
"I remember it was a very rainy night and on my way to the ceremony the back of my trousers became sopping wet," Eugenides, who won in 1993, said during a recent telephone interview. "It was a good way to forestall any moment of grandiosity because I assumed that everyone was looking at my soggy bottoms."
He said he was so excited to win that he has forgotten who handed him his Whiting. But he considers the prize the "first vote of confidence" from someone besides his publisher and values the award's "extreme practical" value and how it made him feel "part of the writerly world."
The prize money gave him priceless time to work on "Middlesex," his second book and a major critical and commercial success. The Whiting award, established in 1985 by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation, is now worth $50,000.
Each year, 10 prizes are given to a combination of authors, poets and playwrights. Past winners also have included Tony Kushner, Jonathan Franzen, David Foster Wallace, Mark Doty and Michael Cunningham.
Four playwrights, three fiction writers, two poets and one nonfiction writers were in the class of 2012. One of the winners, playwright Danai Gurira, also has a career as an actress. She has won an Obie and a Helen Hayes award for her stage work and her television credits include "Treme" and "The Walking Dead."
Other playwrights announced Tuesday were Samuel D. Hunter, an Obie winner for "A Bright New Boise"; Mona Mansour and Meg Miroshnik. Alan Heathcock, whose story collection "Volt" was a finalist for the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, was among the fiction writers receiving a Whiting.
"As a playwright, so often any accolades I get are inexorably tied to a specific production of a play," Hunter says. "So to receive an award based solely on my writing, and to be validated alongside poets and novelists and non-fiction writers, is deeply meaningful."
Novelists Anthony Marra and Hanna Pylvainen, poets Atsuro Riley and Danai Gurira and nonfiction author Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts also were honored.
"The award comes as a bolt from the blue," says Rhodes-Pitt, who has just started working on her second book. "The Whiting gives great affirmation ? and courage to continue."
4 N Main Gallery is an open rental space for artists. It gives them the opportunity to showcase their work in the heart of the village, which guarantees visibility in?the community. The space is an open canvas upon which the work of the artists says it all. The creative work within the gallery changes with each artist.
Wave goodbye to the days of inaccessible, high-priced video editing tools -- they're long gone. Anyone with a smartphone and a free YouTube account can create a video that could reach millions.
[More from Mashable: How to Game for 24 Hours Straight and Raise Money for Sick Kids]
For context, there are now more than 1 billion smartphones in the world, and YouTube video views surpassed 1 trillion in 2011. Basically, the world has video fever.
And anyone with a camera phone can film. What you may not know is that YouTube has some basic editing tools built into its website.
[More from Mashable: The History of GIFs]
SEE ALSO: YouTube?s Built-In Video Editor Gets Easier [VIDEO]
The YouTube editor is rudimentary, even when compared with simple video editing programs like Movie Maker and iMovie. Let's not even talk about how it stacks up to Final Cut Pro -- it doesn't.
Even though it's basic, YouTube editor can still be useful. But while it is relatively simple to figure out, particularly for anyone with previous editing experience, there are some potential pitfalls. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the available tools.
Locate the Editor and Timeline
Many people don't even realize YouTube has built-in editing capabilities -- after all, the editor is not easily found on the site.
One way to access it is by going directly to the URL, which is YouTube.com/editor. Or click on "Video Manager," which will make the "Video Editor" tab appear directly under the search bar at the top of the page.
Once you get to the editor, you will need to figure out the timeline. Linear video editors like YouTube's are based around an intuitive and easy-to-use timeline. If you want to add a clip from your pool of videos into the project, simply drag it onto the timeline. You can also include any YouTube videos that were uploaded with a "Creative Commons" license. To do this, click on the tab marked with an encircled "CC," find a video and drag it in. You can reorder clips once they are on the timeline.
Efficiently Trim Your Clips
The only way to edit the length of your videos is by trimming from the beginning or end. Unlike most video editing programs, YouTube does not let you split and cut parts out from the middle of the video.
If you want to remove anything from the middle of the video, you'll have to drag the same video into the timeline twice, then trim each down. You end up having two different clips from the same original source on the timeline. Obviously, you can do this more than twice, depending how much you want to chop up the footage.
The photo below shows a single video dragged onto the timeline twice around a text title. The videos are trimmed appropriately, so roughly half the video will play, then the text title will appear for two seconds, followed by the rest of the video:
Also, be aware that the trimming process isn't always smooth. While you're adjusting the slider on the timeline to trim a video, the video constantly reloads on the display. The best way to trim a video is to pre-decide the exact startpoint and endpoint, rather than trying to eyeball it while dragging the trim bar.
Go Easy With the Stabilization
Usually we don't use tripods when shooting smartphone video, which means filming can get pretty shaky. The YouTube editor provides a tool to help stabilize shakiness, to a degree.
If you mouse over a clip on the timeline, three icons will appear. Click on the center one, which resembles a magic wand. That particular clip will pop open in a new window with several editing options.
Before anything else, check the box in the bottom-right corner of the window that reads "Preview effects side-by-side with original video." Then adjust the "Stabilize video" bar to remove some of the shake. Unfortunately, there is a significant clarity tradeoff involved. The more you stabilize the video, the blurrier it becomes.
Before using the stabilization bar, or any other, it is usually a good idea to try the "I'm feeling lucky" option. Sometimes that makes the slight adjustments your video needs to shine.
Avoid the Temptation to Transition
The YouTube editor allows you to combine multiple video clips, a very useful tool. Simply drag multiple clips onto the timeline and arrange them in whichever order you fancy.
The editor also includes several options to segue between the clips. You can find these beneath the "Video Manager" tab, by clicking on the icon that resembles a bow tie. There are 15 segue options; add them to your project by dragging them onto the timeline. My advice, however, is to avoid nearly all of them. Other than the first two (Crossfade and Crossblur), which are relatively subtle, each of the other transitions will make your video look amateur.
Or select some of the sillier ones, such as Heart and Star, for ironic or comedic purposes -- if that's your goal.
If you really want to break up the clips, use a blank black screen. To do this, click on the text tab, marked with a lowercase "a" and located next to the transition tab. Drag the "Centered Tile" to the proper space in the timeline. When you place it, a popup box will appear. Simply delete the "ABC" from the text box and you'll have a two-second black screen transition.
Thinking About Adding a Soundtrack? Proceed With Caution
You have the option to add music to your video. To do this, click the tab marked with a music note. A list of songs will appear. These are the only songs you can use; you can't drag in outside audio files. Even with the option to sort by genre or artist, the list of songs can be tricky and frustrating to navigate.
If you do find an appropriate track, you may choose to either completely replace the audio from your video or engineer a mix between the song and the video's audio. First, drag the song into the timeline below the video clips. Once that is done, an easy-to-navigate yet often buggy slider will appear on the right side of the screen.
Some of my videos just don't seem to like mixing with the soundtracks. Usually, I fix the bugs by refreshing the page or taking the video or song out of the timeline, then replacing it. You may have to play around with it for a while to get it right.
"Please Note: After you change your video's soundtrack to one from the YouTube library, the video won't be eligible for revenue sharing. Additionally, advertisements may be displayed on videos that contain soundtracks from the library." ?YouTube
Another shortcoming is that you can't trim the audio clips at all. If a song is longer than your video, the song will simply end awkwardly at the point where the video ends. Also, you can't strategically line up the song and the video.
Finally, should you choose to use audio, YouTube will automatically add advertisements to the associated video. And using a song from YouTube's library negates your ability to monetize a video if it goes viral.
The Secret to YouTubular Video Editing
The YouTube editor is great for compiling footage and making minor improvements to the aesthetics of a video. The secret to great YouTube videos, if there is one, is to start out with solid footage. As with anything, post-production techniques generally won't yield any miracles.
Keep a steady hand when shooting for stable videos. Go for compelling camera angles. Learn how far from your subject you should stand for optimal volume. And always keep in mind that you have millions of YouTube fans waiting for you to entertain them; so keep practicing and try to produce something amazing.
If you've got great tips about how to get the most out of the YouTube editor, let us know in the comments section.
Mitt Romney has repeatedly promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but blogger Maggie Mahar says it's just another empty promise Romney is selling to a crowd that apparently believes in magic.
Note to readers: I welcome questions and comments, and will try my best to reply in a timely manner. I ask only that you do your part to keep our discussion reasoned and polite. ? MM
Mitt Romney?s web site makes a bold promise: ?On his first day in office, Mitt Romney will issue an executive order that paves the way for the federal government to issue Obamacare waivers to all 50 states. He will then work with Congress to repeal the full legislation as quickly as possible.?
The election of Elizabeth Warren to the Senate might serve as a firewall against attempts to repeal Obamacare.
Many of Romney?s supporters assume that this is what will happen if he wins. But in truth, even if Republicans take both the White House and the Senate, Romney wouldn?t have the power to ?repeal the full legislation.? Nor could a new president grant waivers that would let states ignore the Affordable Care Act (ACA). We live in a nation ruled by law, not magic wands.
That said, those who support reform should keep a close eye on the Massachusetts Senate race, where Democrat Elizabeth Warren is challenging Republican Senator Scott Brown. The outcome could determine whether Democrats continue to hold 53 seats out of 100. (Political analysts rate Brown and Nevada?s Dean Heller as the two most vulnerable Senate Republican incumbents. If Republicans win the Senate, they won?t be able dismantle reform, but they could do serious damage to the ACA
Romney?s promises ? and why you can?t believe them
Begin with the ?Obamacare waivers? for the states.
?There are no ?Obamacare waivers? that could be issued by executive order,? Washington & Lee health law scholar Timothy Jost explained in a recent phone interview. That?s right: these waivers simply don?t exist. Here, we?re tripping over one of those ?Big Lies? that have become a feature of the Romney campaign. (Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels was the master of the tactic: if you tell a colossal lie, and repeat it often enough, people will believe it, not matter how outrageous. After all, who would make up such a whopper?)
On the HealthAffairsBlog, Jost elaborates: ?The Affordable Care Act permits ?waivers for state innovation? but they ?would only affect certain provisions of the law,? and could not be issued ?prior to January 2017. ?Even in 2017, ?a state seeking a waiver would have to show that it had a plan to provide coverage that is at least as comprehensive and affordable and that covers at least as many people as the ACA (without increasing the deficit), not exactly what Governor Romney has in mind.?
What about Romney?s pledge to work with Congress to repeal the ACA? Under the Senate rules, Jost points out, opponents of health reform would need a three-fifths majority, and ?nobody thinks Republicans will get 60 seats.? They now have just 47. ?Repeal as such seems off the table.?
If Democrats lose the Senate, Republicans could eliminate subsidies
One thing the Republicans COULD do is cut the subsidies that will make health insurance coverage affordable for middle-class families.
Nevertheless, if Republicans win control of the Senate, when Congress ?reconciles? the budget, Republicans could chuck key provisions in the ACA. Still, Jost explains ?budget reconciliation is subject to two important limitations.?
First, it takes time: ?Although reconciliation acts have been passed in as little as a month, they usually take much longer, averaging about five months.?
Secondly, under ?budget reconciliation,? Congress can only fool with things that affect government revenues and outlays. Medicaid expansion, the premium subsidies that would help middle-class and low-income families purchase insurance, and the mandate that would tax those who choose not to purchase insurance ? all would be on the table.
But Jost says, Congress could not change ACA?s new regulations for insurers. They still would be required to cover everyone, and wouldn?t be able to demand higher premiums from those suffering from pre-existing conditions.
Governor Romney has said that he favors requiring that insurers cover everyone only if they have been ?continuously insured.? In his scenario, someone who wasn?t able to purchase insurance in the past because she was sick would not be eligible. A 24-year-old who had not been insured since he graduated from college ? and is suddenly diagnosed with cancer ? would be out of luck. Romney also is opposed to ?price regulation.? Insurers could charge a diabetic whatever they choose.
Fortunately, a president does not have the absolute power that Romney seems to assume. Once legislation has become the law of the land, a new president cannot wish it away. Whatever his druthers, unless Republicans take 60 Senate seats, the new insurance regulations would stand.
Consider what that would mean: no subsidies, no mandate that everyone buy insurance ? but insurers would be required to cover the sick at normal rates.
As Jost puts it, this would create ?quite a mess.? Without subsidies, and without a mandate, few healthy new customers would sign up for insurance. Meanwhile chronically ill Americans who have been priced out of the system in the past would be quick to buy coverage. Insurers would wind up with a pricey pool of chronically ill patients. Premiums would sky-rocket.
How could the mess be resolved? ?Only through bi-partisan co-operation,? writes Jost, ?but bi-partisanship has not been much in evidence lately.?
Maggie Mahar is a financial journalist who has written extensively about the American health care system. Her book, Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much, was the inspiration for the documentary, Money Driven Medicine. She is a prolific blogger, and recently relaunched her HealthBeat Blog. Previous articles for the Health Insurance Resource Center include The next step for ?Obamacare? and Opponents using scare tactics on health care penalty.?She also provides background on Congressional health care legislation for HealthReformVotes.org, a special project of the Health Insurance Resource Center.
Tags: aca, affordable care act, Barack Obama, budget reconciliation, health reform, Maggie Mahar, Mitt Romney, obamacare, pre-existing conditions, repeal, repeal and replace, replace, Timothy Jost, uninsured, waivers
The new research potentially plugs a big hole in the giant impact theory, long the leading explanation for the moon's formation.
By Mike Wall,?SPACE.com / October 18, 2012
This artist's conception of a planetary smashup whose debris was spotted by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope three years ago gives an impression of the carnage that would have been wrecked when a similar impact created Earth's Moon. A team at Washington University in St. Louis has uncovered evidence of this impact that scientists have been trying to find for more than 30 years.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Enlarge
The moon did indeed coalesce out of tiny bits of pulverized planet blasted into space by a catastrophic collision 4.5 billion years ago, two new studies suggest.
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The new research potentially plugs a big hole in the?giant impact theory, long the leading explanation for the moon's formation. Previous versions of the theory held that the moon formed primarily from pieces of a mysterious Mars-size body that slammed into a proto-Earth ? but that presented a problem, because scientists know that the moon and Earth are made of the same stuff.
The two studies both explain how Earth and?the moon?came to be geochemical twins. However, they offer differing versions of the enormous smashup that apparently created Earth's natural satellite, giving scientists plenty to chew on going forward.
A fast-spinning Earth
One of the studies ? by Matija Cuk of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in Mountain View, Calif., and Sarah Stewart of Harvard ? suggests the answer lies in Earth's rotation rate. [Video: New Ideas About the Moon-Forming Impact]
If Earth's day had been just two to three hours long at the time of the impact, Cuk and Stewart calculate, the planet could well have thrown off enough material to?form the moon?(which is 1.2 percent as massive as Earth).
This rotational speed might sound incredible, and indeed it's close to the threshold beyond which the planet would begin to fly apart. But researchers say the early?solar system?was a "shooting gallery" marked by many large impacts, which could have spun planets up to enormous speeds.
Cuk and Stewart's study, which appears online today (Oct. 17) in the journal Science, also provides a mechanism by which Earth's rotation rate could have slowed over time.
After the collision, a gravitational interaction between Earth's orbit around the sun and the moon's orbit around Earth could have put the brakes on the planet's super-spin, eventually producing a 24-hour day, the scientists determined.
A bigger impactor
Cuk and Stewart's version of the cosmic smashup posits a roughly Mars-size impactor ? a body with 5 percent to 10 percent the mass of Earth. However, the other new study ? being published in the same issue of Science today ? envisions a collision between two planets in the same weight class.
"In this impact, the impactor and the target each contain about 50 percent of the [present] Earth's mass," Robin Canup, of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., told SPACE.com via email.
"This type of impact has not been advocated for the Earth-moon before (although a similar type of collision has been invoked for the origin of the Pluto-Charon pair)," Canup added, referring to the largest moon of Pluto.
In her computer models, the symmetry of this collision caused the resulting moon-forming debris disk to be nearly identical in composition to the mantle of the newly enlarged Earth.
Canup's models further predict that such an impact would significantly increase Earth's rotational speed. But that may not be a big issue, since Cuk and Stewart's work explains how Earth's spin could have slowed over time.
A third study, published today in the journal Nature, determined that huge amounts of?water boiled away?during the moon's birth. The finding, made by examining moon rocks brought back to Earth by Apollo astronauts, further bolsters the broad outlines of the giant impact theory.
Though the gigantic smashup occurred 4.5 billion years ago, scientists may one day be able to piece together in detail how it all went down, Canup said.
"Models of terrestrial planet assembly should be able to evaluate the relative probability of, e.g., the collision I advocate vs. the one proposed by Cuk and Stewart," she said.
Follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter?@michaeldwall?or SPACE.com?@Spacedotcom. We're also onFacebook?and?Google+.
The Wii U will support in-game voice chat, but you'll be forgiven if you're not sure exactly how that will work. Nintendo hasn't shown an official headset for the Wii U and the Wii U's Pro Controller?the one that looks a lot like an Xbox 360 controller?doesn't even have a port to connect one.
So how does it work?
The new Nintendo console will support in-game voice chat for "select games", a rep for the company tells Kotaku. Among the games supported will be Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty Black Ops II and Mass Effect 3, all games with significant online multiplayer modes and all which support in-game voice chat on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
The Wii U GamePad?the console's signature twin-stick controller that contains a 6.2-inch screen?contains a microphone and speakers, but that mic does not actually work with the voice chat. Nintendo tells me that users who want to be able to talk to each other can use a licensed stereo headset from Turtle Beach or Mad Catz (Tritton). The headsets plug into the GamePad's headphone jack.
At least one of the aforementioned games, Black Ops II, supports the Pro Controller, but that controller's lack of a jack will require Pro Controller gamers who want voice chat to do something a bit counterintuitive. They'll have to plug their headset into the GamePad, the controller they are otherwise not using, according to a spokesperson for CoD publisher Activision. That rep believes that gamers might be able to use a standard set of headphones that contain a mic (iPhone headphones, for example) with the GamePad, but that's not something I've been able to clarify yet with Nintendo.
Wired gaming headsets are not uncommon but wireless are popular with a lot of people. It doesn't seem that the Wii U has a wireless headset on the horizon. The Mad Catz headsets are wired. So are the competition's. A spokesperson for Turtle Beach confirmed to me that all of their Wii U headsets are wired, despite the potential for wireless connections. "The Wii U supports Bluetooth and can pair with its own accessories," she said over e-mail, "but the officially licensed headsets we produce and offer are wired and designed for use directly with the [GamePad] tablet."
An E3 demonstration of out-of-game voice-chat on the Wii U implied that users would be able to communicate with each other using the speaker on the Wii U GamePad, no headset needed.
Nintendo tends to clarify matters like this in slow motion, a volley of an e-mail one day, a reply the next and so on. I've volleyed back to them about the Wii U's potential to support wireless headsets down the line. It seems that such an option might be possible either through a Bluetooth connection or even between a headset and some sort of signal connector plugged into one of the Wii U's USB ports. But those are not the options available now. It's possible?and this is purely speculation?that the wireless connection needs of the Wii U GamePad, which has to receive a lag-free high-quality video signal from the console through thin air, could affect the viability of there being many other wireless connections to the console. We'll see.
As with the launch of any console, there are many mysteries about specific aspects of Wii U gaming. Many will be solved as soon as more gamers, game-makers and peripheral manufacturers get their hands on the console. For now, you've got some basics:
No universal support for in-game voice chat
Game-by-game support for in-game chat
The GamePad mic will not, by default, work as an input for in-game voice chat
The Wii U will support wired headsets (and possibly mic-enabled headphones), but only through the Wii U GamePad
No news yet about whether wireless headsets can or will be supported
Being a caregiver strengthens your relationship with the person receiving care and makes you feel needed, boosting your self-confidence. A call is made to determine that this individual is ?OK.? If the client does not answer or responds incorrectly, procedures are set in motion to send a person to check on their well being. Personal safety for senior loved ones is of paramount importance. Check with the human resource office at your job. You must know how to administer medication, check medical records, and even bathe the patient and tend to their daily needs.
Sometimes, workers inside a senior care Atlanta need to deal with the ?impossible? requests of their patients. Should you decide to hire senior care services for your elderly parent, make sure that you involve him in the decision making process. The links and the tags at the very end of this article will take you to more articles in that topic area. The higher rate of depression among elders in senior care facilities may be due to their lack of ability to deal with drastic changes in their environment and daily schedules. Search for facilities that meet New Jersey state and government guidelines.
Once you discuss your requirements with them, check the background of the referrals they provide. Red blood cells formed when the body is deficient in B12 are abnormal and an individual is more likely to become anemic. A destination and temporary living plan should be agreed upon while there is no imminent threat. Other than that, time is what you will be getting paid for. Most of your customers will require medication.
However, it is easy to fall into unhealthy habits which can put a healthy, independent senior?s health at risk. In-home care business is booming, especially in Oregon, one of a handful of states setting the standard for adult care. State Requirements: Every state has its own requirements for adult day care centers. On the other hand, those who do home care travel to the houses of their patients. The aged and the elderly will require some kind of help in their daily lives mainly due to their aging bodies that may not allow them to carry out their daily activities in a timely manner.
The calorific needs of any person will depend on their level of activity. One of the most common areas of concern is the tub and shower. Take out an advertisement in your hometown newspaper. One- look for a company willing to meet face to face with you before you ever sign a contract or even talk about price. You can ask a nutritionist or your doctor to help you figure this out.
While most will recommend that you rent space in their location, and work as an independent contractor, there are some facilities that will allow you to become part of their healthcare team and receive the payroll and employee benefits afforded to other staff of the facility. If people ask for references, you must be able to give them. The American Red Cross recommends a light blanket, bottled water, plastic eating utensils, label stickers, garbage bags, state and local maps and any necessary personal hygiene items. With the increasing number of senior citizens living alone in their houses, their family may become concerned about their well-being. There is an ever increasing demand for practical nurses in the country today.
Our Fountain Valley clinic is the answer to your problem.We have in place efficient record keeping of the seniors in our clinic database that is secure and can be accessed fast and reliably whenever the elderly visit the hospital. Live in care aides are the best companion of elderly people. Nurses are being paid a good salary, and getting a nursing job is fairly easy since the demand for nurses is high. No one plan is right for all and you shouldn?t have to feel guilty that you can?t possibly be with your ailing parent 24 hours a day.
You can also do this in super markets, libraries, and other locations. Nursing homes usually have a 24 hour medical staff on hand to care for residents. Go Here
TOMS RIVER, N.J. - A woman working as a live-in home health aide was arrested after police responded to a shoplifting call and discovered she had random jewelry, including New York Police Department rings, wrapped up in her purse.
Toms River Police are hoping to track down the owners of 57 pieces of jewelry believed stolen by the woman, 33 year-old Joyce Ababio of Ghana, Africa.
Though Ababio was using a Bronx address, she was using multiple aliases and working as a home health aide in Whiting, said Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy.
Mastronardy said the health agency that employs the woman is cooperating with police, and investigators are hoping to track down additional owners of the stolen jewelry.
?We responded to a shoplifting call at Kohl?s, from security officers, on a call that she had shoplifted clothes and jewelry,? Mastronardy told Patch Wednesday.
Toms River Police Officer Frank Lauria responded to the call at 7 p.m. Monday, and found loss prevention staff had detained the woman, who had no form of identification on her.
However, her purse was allegedly full of jewelry wrapped in paper towels, said the police chief.
Police began sorting through the items and found a NYPD and a Xavier High School rings that she claims all belonged to a relative in Africa, Mastronardy said.
The NYPD ring had a badge number, and Det. Brian Lomer tracked down the owner after calling the NYPD, Mastronardy said.
?It had the badge number engraved on it, (and) we tracked it down to a retired police officer, who retired in 1970,? Mastronardy said
The retiree is now a Whiting resident and is one of the clients Ababio was working for, he said.
Det. Lomer is working to track down the owners of the other pieces of jewelry.
Mastronardy said the investigation found that Ababio was using multiple aliases, and had identification under numerous names: Akosua Oforiwaa, Faustina Abebio and Joyce Abebio are among the known aliases.
Officer Lauria and Det. Lomer discovered she has been in the area since April working as a health care worker for the elderly.
ICE was contacted and she is being held on no bail in the Ocean County jail. Police are encouraging anyone with information to contact Det. Lomer at 732-349-0150 ext. 1217.
Mastronardy urged residents who have home health care aides to ?take necessary precautions and secure your valuables.?
?It?s something we recommend, in any case, but also for those who may require help at home, to keep valuables properly locked up and accounted for,? Mastronardy said.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Locked in a tense race with time running out, President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney took time off to exchange light-hearted jabs and make fun of each other on Thursday in a joint appearance at a high-profile charity dinner.
Two days after a brutal debate in which they exchanged verbal blows and stalked each other on stage, Obama and Romney greeted each other warmly, dressed formally in white tie and tails.
But the combativeness of the campaign trail was ever-present as the two foes gave back-to-back speeches at the 67th annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner.
Romney, speaking first, said Obama, who wants to increase taxes on the wealthy to help fund government programs, must have had some thoughts as he looked out at the crowd of wealthy people at the dinner.
"You have to wonder what he's thinking: So little time, so much to redistribute," he said.
Obama, when it was his turn, made fun of Romney's vast wealth.
"Earlier I went shopping at some stores in Midtown. I understand Governor Romney went shopping for some stores in Midtown," he said.
The Al Smith dinner is a glittering affair at the Waldcrf-Astoria hotel where New York's high society dined on poached lobster and rack of lamb and contributed $5 million for various children's charities.
Obama and Romney, facing a third and final debate Monday in Florida, sat close to each other at the dinner, separated only by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York who spoke at both the Republican and Democratic conventions in late August and early September.
The event is an annual speaking opportunity for presidents or president aspirants to test their comic skills with self-deprecating jokes usually written up by clever speechwriters.
Obama made light of his much-panned performance at his first debate with Romney on October 3. He said at the second debate, where he was judged the winner, he had been well-rested because of the "nice long nap I had at the first debate."
BIDEN A TARGET OF BOTH
Romney also was self-deprecating, noting that the way he prepared for the debate was to "refrain from alcohol for 65 years." As a practicing Mormon, the former Massachusetts governor abstains from alcohol.
Obama, who frequently credits himself with ordering the mission that led to the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011, noted that the last debate is about foreign policy.
"Spoiler alert: We got bin Laden!" he said.
Romney tweaked Obama on the high jobless rate, saying its recent small decline meant only one thing: "You're better off now than you were four weeks ago."
Obama said he and Romney have some things in common, like their unusual middle names. Romney's is Mitt. "I wish I could use my middle name," said Obama, whose middle name is Hussein.
If there was one thing they had in common, it was their ability to make fun of Vice President Joe Biden, Obama's gaffe-prone No. 2.
Obama said he sometimes hears that he is getting old and has lost a step and when he does, he says, "Settle down, Joe, I'm trying to run a Cabinet meeting."
Romney said when Biden speaks, it usually is to Romney's benefit, so much so that whenever his remarks are on TV it should be accompanied by a recorded message like those used in campaign ads: "I'm Mitt Romney, and I approve this message."
Obama got in a jab at the Republicans' use of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood at Romney's convention. Eastwood was panned for talking to an empty chair on stage as if Obama was sitting in it.
"Please take your seats," Obama told the crowd, "or else Clint Eastwood will yell at them."
The tone of the evening was set with introductory remarks by Al Smith IV, who could not resist teasing Romney for saying at the debate that he sorted through "binders full of women" in trying to put together a diverse cabinet as governor of Massachusetts.
"I want to say a special welcome to all of the accomplished women here tonight. It's good to see you made it out of those binders," Smith said to laughter.
The dinner started in 1945 in tribute to a former Democratic New York governor Smith, who lost the 1928 presidential election to Republican Herbert Hoover in a landslide.
Among the 1,600 guests were representatives from two of New York's major industries - media and Wall Street money. Spotted in the crowd were ABC television talk show host Katie Couric and Fox News executive Roger Ailes, as well as Steve Schwartzman, chief executive of private equity firm Blackstone Group, and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan.
New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez watches from the dugout in the sixth inning during Game 3 of the American League championship against the Detroit Tigers series Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya )
New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez watches from the dugout in the sixth inning during Game 3 of the American League championship against the Detroit Tigers series Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya )
New York Yankees' Curtis Granderson reacts after striking out in the third inning during Game 3 of the American League championship series against the Detroit Tigers Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya )
DETROIT (AP) ? Alex Rodriguez has been benched again by the New York Yankees, who also dropped center fielder Curtis Granderson from the starting lineup while trying to avoid elimination Wednesday.
The slumping Yankees trail 3-0 in the AL championship series against Detroit. Manager Joe Girardi has juggled his lineup throughout the postseason, trying to find the right combination.
"I'm not happy about it. Obviously, you come to the ballpark feeling you can help the team win. When you see your name is not in the lineup, it's obviously disappointing," Rodriguez said before Game 4 on Wednesday night. "You've got to accept being a cheerleader and also make sure that you're ready when you're number's called."
Rodriguez, who is 3 for 23 in these playoffs, is out of the starting lineup for the third time. The star third baseman also been removed for a pinch-hitter three times in New York's nine postseason games.
"I really feel in my heart, anytime I'm in that lineup, the team is a better team, without a question," he said.
While Rodriguez was surrounded by a pack of reporters on the field Wednesday, some Tigers looked on in bewilderment during Detroit's batting practice.
Granderson joins A-Rod on the bench after another hitless night Tuesday dropped him to 3 for 29 in the postseason. Granderson hit 43 homers with 106 RBIs this season.
Nick Swisher, who was benched in Game 3, returns to the lineup in right field. Eric Chavez starts at third base in place of Rodriguez. Brett Gardner is starting in Granderson's normal spot.
Rodriguez has looked particularly overmatched against right-handers, going 0 for 18 with 12 strikeouts in the postseason. Detroit's entire playoff rotation is right-handed, including Game 4 starter Max Scherzer.
In Game 3, Girardi let Raul Ibanez hit against left-hander Phil Coke in the ninth inning, and Ibanez struck out to end the game. The switch-hitting Swisher ? not Rodriguez ? was in the on-deck circle preparing to pinch-hit.
"I was ready to hit, and I was just waiting for my number to be called," Rodriguez said. "Any time I'm in any lineup, I think that lineup is better and has a better chance to win. ... Anytime I'm in the box, the game can change, and everyone knows that."
WASHINGTON (AP) ? It's been 43 months since the last deadly airline crash in the United States, the longest period without a fatal domestic accident since commercial aviation expanded after World War II. That sounds like unvarnished good news, but one consequence of having such a remarkable record is that it's difficult to justify imposing costly new safety rules on the economically fragile industry.
In analyzing costs and benefits, federal rules assign a value of $6.2 million to each life saved. Even modest changes in regulations can cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars when spread across a number of years.
"The extraordinary safety record that has been achieved in the United States ironically could be the single biggest reason the (Federal Aviation Administration) isn't able to act proactively and ensure safety into the future," said Bill Voss, president of the industry-funded Flight Safety Foundation in Alexandria, Va., which promotes global airline safety. The past decade has been the airline industry's safest ever.
Last year, the FAA revised rules on pilot work schedules and rest periods to address concern that tired pilots were making mistakes, sometimes with fatal results. But the agency dropped requirements that would have extended the new rules to cargo carriers. FAA officials said the rules changes would have cost the cargo industry as much as $300 million over 10 years.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has urged cargo executives to voluntarily comply with the new rules, but so far he's had no takers.
"We're doing rulemaking in a system that is very, very safe," LaHood said in an interview. "Sometimes it does get to be difficult to produce the cost justification for the kinds of rules that we're promoting."
Last year, the FAA missed a congressionally mandated deadline for issuing new regulations on pilot training. Congress ordered the new rules after the nation's last fatal airline crash, on Feb. 12, 2009, when a startled captain overrode a key safety system as his airliner lost lift and began to stall.
An investigation showed the plane would have been able to fly had the captain responded correctly. Instead, it plummeted into a house near Buffalo, N.Y., killing all 49 people aboard and a man in the home. Investigators cited pilot training lapses by the regional airline, Colgan Air, as a factor.
The FAA began work on revamping training rules in 1999. Regulators had proposed new rules just before the Colgan crash but effectively withdrew them for more work after the accident. Final rules aren't scheduled to be issued until next year, and airlines aren't expected to have to meet the new requirements until February 2019 ? 20 years after the FAA started work on the rules and 10 years after the Colgan accident.
Training regulations haven't kept pace with changing technology, said John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member. Planes are far safer than they used to be, he said, "but it's much more difficult to fix the human being, and that's who is responsible for most of the accidents these days."
"There are a lot of things on the table that will help, but they cost money and it's going very slowly," Goglia said.
Scott Maurer, who lost his 30-year-old daughter, Lorin, in the Colgan crash, said that in the past families of accident victims and others seeking safety improvements have been worn down and outlasted by the glacial pace of the FAA's rulemaking process.
"We understand many are feeling good about the interval without a crash fatality since Colgan (Flight) 3407," said Maurer, of Moore, S.C. "We certainly believe our efforts have helped to keep the focus on doing the right thing in safety. But without rules to sustain this effort, we know the race to the bottom will continue at regional airlines and the airline industry as a whole as the push for profits becomes ever more important."
The delays are due to complexities involved in drafting such rules and the agency's obligation to carefully respond to objections raised by industry and others, FAA officials said.
There has also been a philosophical shift at the agency over the past decade that emphasizes a collaborative relationship between regulators and airlines. This collaborative approach works just as well as imposing one-size-fits-all regulations on industry, and sometimes it works better, FAA officials said.
Since the late 1990s, airlines and the FAA have placed a greater emphasis on voluntary data-gathering programs that enable airlines to spot and correct problems before they lead to accidents. Airlines are also pooling information in search of industry-wide trends and disclosing their problems to regulators through a government-industry safety working group without fear of punishment. The data collaboration has moved beyond analyzing past accidents and incidents for safety lessons to searching for clues on emerging vulnerabilities in day-to-day airline operations, FAA and industry officials said.
Such data analysis has the greatest potential to yield future safety improvements, they said.
"We're not waiting for a rules change to come out. We're out there using our data and making these decisions," said Ken Hylander, senior vice president for safety and security at Delta Air Lines and co-chair of the government-industry working group.
For example, airlines generally tell pilots not to abort takeoffs after a plane has reached a speed of about 90 mph because in most cases it's safer to continue the takeoff even if there's a safety concern. But occasionally pilots abort takeoffs at high speeds anyway.
Using data automatically gathered by a plane's computers, an airline can pinpoint exactly what was happening at the moment that a decision to abort was made. Perhaps there was a warning light that a cargo door was open or some other safety indicator. Airlines can then take those examples and use them in training programs to show pilots why they should continue a takeoff.
"There are literally hundreds of people at all the airlines collecting and analyzing data," Margaret Gilligan, FAA's associate administrator for safety, said. "They are working with us voluntarily on all kinds of committees to share that data among themselves because there are things we want an airline to find out and fix for itself. But there are also things we want to understand as an industry that might be systemic, that any individual airline might not see the risk, but when we can combine the data we can see there is a risk emerging that no one has identified yet."
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The Commercial Aviation Safety Team: http://www.cast-safety.org
Maggie Mahar is a financial journalist who has written extensively about the American health care system. Her book, Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much, was the inspiration for the documentary, Money Driven Medicine. She is a prolific blogger, and recently relaunched her HealthBeat Blog. Previous articles for the Health Insurance Resource Center include The next step for ?Obamacare? and Opponents using scare tactics on health care penalty.?She also provides background on Congressional health care legislation for HealthReformVotes.org, a special project of the Health Insurance Resource Center.
The Wii U will support in-game voice chat, but you'll be forgiven if you're not sure exactly how that will work. Nintendo hasn't shown an official headset for the Wii U and the Wii U's Pro Controller?the one that looks a lot like an Xbox 360 controller?doesn't even have a port to connect one.
An E3 demonstration of out-of-game voice-chat on the Wii U implied that users would be able to communicate with each other using the speaker on the Wii U GamePad, no headset needed.