Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Ralph Benko on Hillary Clinton: Well-Worth a Read!

When Politico fashions a story out of nothing but old scraps and ascribes their imaginary "shadow campaign" to Hillary, the internet burns up with commentary and articles about  articles about the article.  The New York Times justifies its assignment of a single reporter to the Hillary Clinton beat with a Sunday Magazine feature, and both the article and the other-worldly cover draw such attention that the reporter, like a moon reflecting the light of the sun, is suddenly a celebrity herself appearing on CNN and C-SPAN and granting a self-congratulatory interview to a New York Times blogger about how she broke through into the Clinton inner circle.  Yet when a reasoned analysis of the subject of Hillary's much maligned and largely unread honors thesis from Wellesley appears in two digestible parts in Forbes, like a tree falling in the forest, not a sound emanates.

I fully expected, upon wading into Ralph Benko's The Secret Hillary Rodham Clinton, to find yet another right-wing slam complete with name-calling and labels galore.  Instead, to my astonishment, I found well-balanced and informative piece with a fair assessment not only of Saul Alinsky but also of the degree to which Hillary's study of the man, his methods, and his mission impacted her political trajectory.

Links to Hillary's thesis (a scan of a rough draft) have been available online for years.  In his opus, Mr. Benko provides yet another.  Not having linked to the hit jobs published by Politico and the NYT,  I provide these links without hesitation and dub them my must-reads for the month.  You may or may not agree with everything in Mr. Benko's analysis,  but you will find yourself in an atmosphere of intellectual inquiry that has been rare in connection to any piece about Hillary Clinton in many a moon.

This Hillary has been a secret only to the extent that people have not gone on a search for her.  We can thank Mr. Benko and Forbes for shining a light here.

The Secret Hillary Rodham Clinton, Part I

The Secret Hillary Rodham Clinton, Part II

From Hillary Clinton's Too Small to Fail: Early Nurturing and Mental Health

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Infant Mental Health Begins With Nurturing Relationships

When a baby cries for attention or smiles for the first time, he is communicating with the people around him so that they can help him meet his physical and emotional needs.  But how his parents respond to those early communication attempts—as well as the security he feels from these early interactions—will help shape his mental health and social skills for years to come.
Very young children depend on the adults in their lives to help them regulate and express emotions. When a child cries, he expects that his parent or other loved one will pick him up to soothe him; when he gets excited about something he sees, he turns to his caregiver to understand what he is experiencing and will gauge his reaction accordingly. Responsive, nurturing interactions with parents and other caregivers help infants and toddlers understand that they are loved, and also help them understand what they can expect from healthy relationships.
If a young child consistently experiences neglect, or he repeatedly does not receive positive input from his attempts at communication, he experiences distress and may exhibit emotional, developmental or mood disorders. And if a child lives in a high-stress environment wherein the parents or caregivers are themselves experiencing high stress due to income instability, abuse, or illness, it is unlikely he will receive the nurturing he needs in order to develop normal mental and emotional health.
Researchers have even found that pregnant mothers who experience high levels of stress during pregnancy pass on higher levels of cortisol to the developing fetus’s brain, affecting its development. These higher stress hormone levels in utero may contribute to higher rates of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and autism.  
While stress and neglect can be damaging to a baby’s or toddler’s mental and social development, the effects can be reversed. With enough nurturing and positive interactions, even young children that have experienced high stress levels can learn to form healthy relationships with others. Also, the more that parents protect their own mental health by lowering stress levels and seeking professional help if needed, the better their relationships with their children will be.

Learn More:

In The News:


Video

Watch this fascinating video from Zero to Three to understand how babies experience distress when parents disengage emotionally. >>

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Hillary Clinton and Shimon Peres Honor Edgar Bronfman Sr. at Lincoln Center

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Shimon Peres, Hillary Clinton honour Edgar Bronfman at NY memorial

Verena Dobnik, The Associated Press
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Hillary Clinton joined the family and friends of Edgar Bronfman on Tuesday to remember a Jewish leader whose vast whiskey fortune was eclipsed by a globally-connected personal force that helped Holocaust survivors win back what the Nazis stole.

“He exuded a confidence and honesty that won him the friendship and support of presidents and popes and people everywhere,” the former U.S. secretary of state and first lady told a memorial gathering in Manhattan.

SNIP


Clinton said she arranged a 1996 meeting — on just a day’s notice from Bronfman — between him and then U.S. President Bill Clinton. The encounter led to years of negotiations over Holocaust assets between Swiss banks, the World Jewish Congress and the U.S. government.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the congress helped lead the effort to gain $11 billion in restitution for heirs of Holocaust victims. Bronfman was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Read more >>>>

Monday, January 27, 2014

First Lady - Hillary Clinton | C-SPAN First Ladies: Influence & Image

In case you  missed it. Here is the link.

First Lady - Hillary Clinton | C-SPAN First Ladies: Influence & Image

At Clinton Presidential Center: "Presidential Pets" - Free on Opening Day!

Apparently President Clinton has co-opted his dog-nephew,  Barney,  for this one. Looks like fun for pet and animal lovers!
Presidential Pets
"Presidential Pets" kicks off with a free public event on opening day.
Socks. Buddy. Barney. The Clinton Center pays tribute to presidential pets that helped make the White House a home. From snakes to chocolate Labs, these famous pets provide an enjoyable look at presidential history. The display will include items from President George W. Bush, President Clinton, President George Bush, President Ford, President Nixon, President Johnson, and more.
The opening will include a keynote presentation by Julia Moberg, author of Presidential Pets: The Weird, Wacky, Little, Big, Scary, Strange Animals That Have Lived in The White House. Julia Moberg grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Southlake, Texas. She attended New York University, where she received both her BFA and MFA in Dramatic Writing at Tisch School of the Arts. She is the former editor of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club, and the author of the young adult novel Skies Over Sweetwater.
After the program, Julia Moberg will be signing copies of her book, Presidential Pets: The Weird, Wacky, Little, Big, Scary, Strange Animals That Have Lived in The White House. The Clinton Museum Store will be selling copies of the book at the event.
When:
Saturday, February 1, 2014
10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Book-signing and reception to follow.
Where:
Great Hall
Clinton Presidential Center
The Julia Moberg program is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required. Questions about the event or to reserve your seats, please email operationslr@clintonfoundation.org or call 501-748-0425.
Other free activities include a petting zoo and pony rides from Cockrill's County Critters. Also, the Humane Society of Pulaski County will have on-site adoptions available. These activities will be held in the Clinton Center Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Visitors also will have a chance to meet Viper, the "First Dog" of Arkansas from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Reservations for the petting zoo, Humane Society and meeting Viper are not required.

American Jewish Congress to Honor Hillary Clinton in March Chelsea in April



Tomorrow evening, Hillary will join Shimon Peres at Avery Fisher Hall to honor the memory of Edgar Bronfman Sr.


AJC Women's Leadership Board & AJC New York Interfaith Leadership Award Luncheon Honoring Chelsea Clinton and Linda Mills, Co-Founders "Of Many Institute"
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
New York, NY
For more information, contact Lilli Platt, 212-856-5360 or plattl@ajc.org

See more at: http://www.ajc.org/site/c.7oJILSPwFfJSG/b.8527951/k.B3F9/Calendar_of_Events.htm#April

Hillary Clinton a Driving Force? Not So Much, but She's in Great Company.

At the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans today to keynote the closing session of the NADA Convention, Hillary Clinton told the auto dealers that she has not driven a car since 1996.  It does not mean she is not "connected."  It only means she is protected.  Others as well (for those who know). 


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She reminded me of another brilliant, beautiful, astonishing, and accomplished blonde who avoids driving if she can help it.   As Queen Elizabeth,  Helen Mirren appeared quite competent behind the wheel and reminded the groundskeeper at Balmoral that she was a mechanic during World War II.  As Helen,  she negotiated her lap elegantly and earned a top score, but she looked miserable behind the wheel on the British version of  Top Gear in 2008.  She admitted that she does not really like cars much and that her first car exploded.





Well, when you have the pedigrees these two ladies possess, other people are happy to chauffeur you around (I would).  While they are separated by one degree several times over,  my favorite is that Helen became Dame of the British Empire in 2003, the same year as Jane Goodall.   Hillary and Dr. Goodall both received honorary degrees from Scotland's St. Andrews University at the same ceremony last September.



On a somber note, Hillary spoke about Benghazi.  If I am not mistaken, this is her first public statement about it since leaving the State Department last February.



About 2016.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So if you really love her, do what she wants and stop thinking about it.

###

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Crazed with Hillary Clinton Mania, The New York Times Jumps the Shark

When it comes to Hillary Clinton, apparently absence makes the heart grow curiouser and curiouser and the brain softer and softer.  The media's blonde obsession with her that generated Politico's  "shadow campaign" and "hit list" over the first two weeks of the year and Time Magazine's dominatrix image in a recent cover story, progresses unmitigated by Hillary's lack of presence anywhere.  Behind curtains and closed doors, she continues attracting media attention.


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I predicted here almost two weeks ago that we were likely, in 2014, to see a plethora of these toxic mushrooms springing up on a regular basis - weekly seemed reasonable.
When the temperatures are just right overnight, you can wake up one morning after a dense dew or rain and see a plethora of mushrooms, some quite healthy and large, where the day before there were none.  If the first two weeks of 2014 are any indication, we are likely to see a literary metaphor of this phenomenon around Hillary Clinton.

SNIP

What the meme will be next week or the week after  is anyone’s guess save those who are planning it right now, but it appears that for the better part of 2014 there will be rains and ensuing mushrooms that feed on the moisture because there are some who cannot be satisfied with watching Hillary doing her splendid work in the here and now and seek somehow to part the cloak of invisibility she has drawn around her plans for the future.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Cli
Read more >>>>

This week it is the New York Times Magazine ringing in with Amy Chozick's self-congratulatory marathon event of meals, snacks, and drinks with various individuals associated with the Clintons and cleared to speak with her by Philippe Reines, one of the few who is named and actually pops his head into one of the many graphics of the labeled orbits revolving around Hillary.   The cover for the feature article, creepy and insulting, is a photoshopped, disembodied Hillary face floating among galactic clouds in a Kubrickesque way implying that removing her iconic hairstyle of the moment obliterates her power in a Samson-like way.  It does nothing, however,  to allay the media's blonde obsession with Hillary although one thing might.

The article itself is a long trek from one restaurant to another which will bore Hillary supporters who know all the characters and the parts they have played.  There is one sole newsworthy item, and that is the names of Philippe Reines's cats.  To save you the effort of locating that single tidbit, they are Ousay and Qusay, named after Saddam Hussein's sons because, Philippe relates, they are brothers and as kittens they were terrorists.  Cat parents like me can applaud the truth and his creativity in cat-naming (no small challenge).  Other than that, no news - as predicted -  because Hillary is not making any, and they do want their sales, subscriptions, and traffic nevertheless.

The only thing that is new is the level of bizarre, tabloid weirdness of that cover which I will not show on this page.  Perhaps we will not continue to see these toxic mushrooms springing up regularly after all.  In their attempt to justify the HR decision of assigning one reporter to cover the beat of one private citizen running for nothing but grandmother right now,  the New York Times has jumped the shark to the possible detriment of future attempts at big media Hillary stories about nothing and the chagrin of the reporters assigned to that beat.  Nothing more to see there, folks.

(Once again, not linking to any of this. Either you have already seen it or you will have to search for yourself. Not giving them the traffic.)

Hillary Clinton Honors Musicares Person of the Year, Carole King

In the run up to tomorrow night's Grammy Awards,  Carole King was honored with the 2014 Musicares Person of the Year.  Hillary sent a video to the event at the Los Angeles Convention Center last night.   I have not found the video but will add it if I do.

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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks (via videotape) at The 2014 MusiCares Person Of The Year Gala Honoring Carole King at Los Angeles Convention Center on January 24, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
(January 23, 2014 - Source: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images North America)


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Hillary Clinton Swears-In Hometown Officials

Hillary Clinton Steals The Show At New Castle Inauguration Ceremonies

Hillary Clinton and Congresswoman Nita Lowey spoke at inauguration ceremonies at New Castle Town Hall. Photo Credit: Sam Barron

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. -- Former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator and First Lady Hillary Clinton joined the Town of New Castle in swearing its newest municipal officials on Wednesday.

Clinton, who purchased a home in Chappaqua with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, in 1999, swore in Supervisor Robert Greenstein, Council members Adam Brodsky and Lisa Katz and Justice Noah Sorkin.

At the event, Clinton was kidded about a potential run for president in 2016. She told The Daily Voice when asked that she was not ready to make an announcement.
"Not at the moment," she said.

Read more >>>>

More photos and videos can be found at the Inside Chappaqua Facebook page thanks to Grace Bennett and company!

Go here to see >>>>



The Hillary Touch at Town Hall Swearing In Ceremony

January 22, 2014 By
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton swearing in Town Supervisor Robert Greenstein.  Photo by Carolyn Simpson, www.doublevisionphotographers.com
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton swearing in Town Supervisor Robert Greenstein. Photo by Carolyn Simpson, www.doublevisionphotographers.com
By Grace Bennett

Take a former Secretary of State and two time Senator who happens to be a long time, community minded resident of this town. Add three new inductees to town government and a town justice, who has already served six years. Pack in persons, Democrats and Republicans alike, from in and around town. And what do you get?  A swearing in ceremony for the history books!

Tonight, about 5:30 p.m.:  Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton Town Hall swore in Robert Greenstein as Town Supervisor, Lisa Katz as Deputy Supervisor, Adam Brodsky as Town Councilman and Noah Sorkin as Town Justice. The ceremony was also presided over by Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Susan Spear, a representative for Senator Kristin Gillebrand.

Read more >>>>
Awesome sauce!!!!

 

A Hillary Clinton "Makers" Film in the Making

Many will remember that nearly a year ago PBS aired a  Makers film that featured Hillary Clinton among others.  Despite Hillary productions having received what in some cases have probably  amounted to fatal publicity originating from Republican sources,  PBS intends to mount another Makers project focusing on our girl and hopes to dodge Republican unfriendly fire.
How PBS’s Hillary Clinton Film Hopes to Avoid Backlash to CNN and NBC Films

TCA 2014: What PBS’s “Makers” is doing differently from canceled projects

Hillary Clinton TV projects have had a bad track record lately: Conservative backlash helped kill planned films about the former Secretary of State at both CNN and NBC.

SNIP


Clinton is one of many women featured in six upcoming “Makers” documentaries coming to PBS this summer. The films highlight women’s achievements.

“I think our trademark is historical context,” said Dyllan McGee,the Emmy award-winning filmmaker behind the project. “We’re looking at where Hillary falls in the line of politicians. What is her role and who has come before her? So it’s not just Hillary’s story. It’s a broad context.”

Read more >>>>

From Hillary Clinton's Too Small to Fail: Early Childhood Development and Good Nutrition

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Good Nutrition For Healthy Bones and Healthy Brains

Some parents and caregivers must contend with picky eaters, who adamantly refuse food on a moment’s whim, while other families wonder how to manage their children’s voracious appetites. Regardless of the type of eater families have, feeding their children nutritious food is consistently named as a top concern for parents. And with good reason.
Good nutrition—especially during the first two years of life—is important to a developing child in several ways. The growing body requires a variety of vitamins, minerals and proteins for healthy development. And the young brain needs proper nutrition in order to develop normal cognitive, motor and socio-emotional skills. When parents make healthy food choices for their young children, they help establish good habits that can last well into adulthood.
Unfortunately, the number of malnourished children in the United States has more than doubled in some cities. More than 17 million children live in households struggling to put food on the table, and many of those often skip one or more meals a day. Pediatricians report that children who don’t get proper nutrition in the early years are more vulnerable to illness and chronic health conditions, and often test lower in math and reading.  Many also experience emotional problems like anxiety and depression.
But proper nutrition and healthy eating are important well before infancy. A previous newsletter discussed how a lack of proper nutrition during pregnancy can result in a range of health issues for the baby and even later on in his life, including high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes. And studies even suggest that a mother’s food choices in utero determine the kinds of food that children will find appealing after birth.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that once children are born, they be fed either breast milk or formula exclusively for the first six months of life. Once infants are ready for solid food, parents and caregivers can begin offering a variety of vegetables, fruits, cereals and grains to their babies, while avoiding foods high in sugar and salt. During the toddler years, parents and caregivers can encourage children to eat well by offering a variety of healthy choices for mealtimes, as well as healthful snacks in between.


Learn More:

In The News:


Video

Sesame Street characters on eating healthy and the importance of good nutrition. >>

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Hillary Clinton and Nita Lowey to Preside Over Inauguration


Patch File Photo: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton and Gabriel Rosenfeld at the 2012 Memorial Day service in Chappaqua.

Patch File Photo: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton and Gabriel Rosenfeld at the 2012 Memorial Day service in Chappaqua.

Hillary Clinton and Rep. Nita Lowey will preside over Wednesday's New Castle inauguration, Town Clerk Jill Shapiro announced.

The inauguration is for Supervisor Rob Greenstein, Lisa Katz and Adam Brodsky for council seats, and Noah Sorkin for town justice.
Read more >>>>

Hillary Clinton to Speak at UConn


The Edmund Fusco Contemporary Issues Forum brings outstanding scholars, leaders, and policy-makers to the UConn campus to share their knowledge and perspectives with the community.

The program is sponsored by the Fusco family of New Haven, who created the contemporary issues forum at UConn through a philanthropic gift to celebrate their family's 90th year in business, as well as the 90th birthday of Edmund Fusco. Through these forums, members of the UConn community are given the opportunity to challenge and expand their views on topics of profound and lasting influence. Community involvement is also integral; businesses and individuals are able to financially support this endeavor through multi-level sponsorship.

2014 Featured Speaker

University of Connecticut Foundation Moment Logo

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton served as the 67th U.S. Secretary of State from 2009 until 2013, after nearly four decades in public service. Her "smart power" approach to foreign policy repositioned American diplomacy and development for the 21st century. Clinton played a central role in restoring America’s standing in the world, reasserting the United States as a Pacific power, imposing crippling sanctions on Iran and North Korea, responding to the Arab Awakening and negotiating a ceasefire in the Middle East. Earlier, as First Lady and Senator from New York, she traveled to more than 80 countries as a champion of human rights, democracy, and opportunities for women and girls. Clinton also worked to provide health care to millions of children, create jobs and opportunity, and support first responders who risked their lives at Ground Zero. In her historic campaign for President, Clinton won 18 million votes.

Event Information

This year's event will be open to UConn students, faculty and staff from the Storrs and regional campuses and the School of Law.
Tickets will be free and distributed through a lottery system. Information regarding the lottery process is forthcoming and will be communicated through the Daily Digest.
Date: April 23, 2014
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, Storrs campus
For additional information or questions, please call University Events and Conference Services at (860) 486-1038.

Tweets from Hillary: MLK and Justice

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As a teenager I saw speak in Chicago & shook his hand. He urged us to stay engaged with the cause of justice. As vital as ever today.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Heads Up! C-SPAN's First Lady Series to Feature Hillary Clinton

Mark the date!

Hillary Clinton       Live at 9pm (ET), January 27



Biography


Hillary Clinton


William Clinton

Soon my staff became known around the White House as ‘Hillaryland.’ We were fully immersed in the daily operations of the West Wing, but we were also our own little subculture within the White House. My staff prided themselves on discretion, loyalty and camaraderie, and we had our own special ethos. While the West Wing had a tendency to leak, Hillaryland never did.

Born - October 26, 1947 in Park Ridge, Illinois
Parents - Hugh Ellsworth Rodham & Dorothy Howell
Married - October 11, 1975 to William Jefferson Clinton
Children - Chelsea Victoria (1980 – present)
Education – Bachelor of Arts degree at Wellesley College in 1969; J.D. at Yale Law School in 1973
Occupation – Lawyer, political activist
Firsts - 1st First Lady to host a webcast from the White House. 1st First Lady elected to a public office. 1st First Lady to be a “de facto” federal official. 1st First Lady to have an office in West Wing.
Post White House residence - Washington, D.C.
Other offices – First Lady of Arkansas 1983 – 1992. U.S. Senator of New York 2001 - 2009. Secretary of State 2009 – 2013.
Click here to see full bio of Hillary Clinton

See more >>>>

Here is a preview.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Tweets from Hillary: The Shriver Report

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1 in 3 women live at or on the brink of poverty in the US. 28 million children depend on them.

A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back From The Brink

A Study by Maria Shriver in partnership with


Thursday, January 16, 2014

Hillary Clinton to Speak at University of Miami


The University of Miami welcomes Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Secretary of State and former U.S. Senator from New York.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (January 16, 2014) — The University of Miami will welcome Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Secretary of State and former U.S. Senator from New York, to deliver remarks at a special event for the University campus and invited guests on February 26 at the BankUnited Center on the UM Coral Gables campus.

Keynote remarks will begin at 8:30 p.m. Tickets to the event are intended for UM students, faculty, staff and invited guests.

Read more >>>>

Hillary Clinton: Blonde Obession and the Media Hounds

Since the first of the year, we have seen Hillary Clinton only twice.  Both appearances were at inaugurations of candidates for public office who had worked for her in the past and whom, out of loyalty and friendship,  she had endorsed and campaigned for: N.Y.C.Mayor Bill de Blasio and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. There should be nothing surprising about that support. She knows who her friends are even if staffers perceived the political field to be so complex that they needed to develop a nuanced spreadsheet.

She has been keeping a very low profile for weeks to the infinite frustration of the media. News outlets appear to be convinced that without Hillary somehow in the spotlight print outlets will receive no traffic and cable channels no viewers, and so Hillary's fate, at present, is to be ever-present even while she very likely works hard on the draft of her book behind closed doors.  Her "shadow campaign," her "hit list," and, of course, "Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi" currently dominate the rumor mill that perpetually spins thanks to a stream swollen with concern, rumor, and possibly fear.  What's she up to?  Why isn't she speaking out? Where is she? etc. etc. etc.

At some point in the future we may read what she considers to be her ultimate statement on Benghazi which is unlikely, given her consistency,  to differ much in substance from this one in October 2012. 

On CNN to Elise Labott:
QUESTION: You say you don’t want to play the blame game, but certainly there’s a blame game going on in Washington. In fact, during the presidential debate, Vice President Biden said, “We didn’t know.” White House officials calling around saying, “Hey, this is a State Department function.” Are they throwing you under the bus?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, of course not. Look, I take responsibility. I’m in charge of the State Department, 60,000-plus people all over the world, 275 posts. The President and the Vice President certainly wouldn’t be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals. They’re the ones who weigh all of the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered decision.
What exactly is it that the media wants from Hillary Clinton?  What is it that the public wants?  Certainly her critics appear to want their pound of flesh and blood.   Among her fans, there are those who similarly would exact additional blood, sweat, and tears beyond what she has already donated over 40+ years of public service whether or not she decides to take up the standard once more.  (Others more patiently await her deeply personal decision to be made in her own good time.)  And then there is the press.

Their blonde obsession with Hillary,  no matter what the story, sells, brings on traffic and viewers.  So it should come as no surprise that keeping her in the headers and on the covers becomes the story in the absurdist world that is called mainstream media.

Can Anyone Stop Hillary?

Why Clinton's 2016 candidacy-without-a-campaign dominates the political galaxy





The truth is that this life as a private citizen is eminently distinguishable from life as a candidate.  Through her Clinton Foundation outlet she does, in fact, keep us informed of her issues and initiatives.  Her public speaking events provide her a platform on current events as she chooses to address them (or not, as is her prerogative since she is neither a public servant nor an announced candidate for anything beyond grandmotherhood).  Yet the media continues to focus, not on what she actually says and does,  but rather on the issues she selects not to address (e.g. the Iran deal) and the initiative she has not resolved to assume.  There is only one possible outcome to this media frenzy, and that is invention.  Reportage becomes a creative process and fiction ensues.
Clinton has not decided whether to run for President because to do so would only slow her down. Indecision serves her well by preserving flexibility in her schedule, by shielding her from answering every Internet controversy and by allowing the Republican opposition to take shape and draw fire.

Really?  Mr. Von Drehle knows why she has not yet decided?  File under "fiction."

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

From Hillary Clinton's Too Small to Fail: Let the Conversation Begin Early!

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Building Language Skills Must Begin Early in Life

“Mommy, what does ‘tectonic’ mean?” asked a four-year-old recently during a conversation about earthquakes. The resulting explanation may have left a few questions in the boy’s mind about the geology of our planet, but helped establish an important pattern for the boy—to learn to recognize complex vocabulary words in speech.
Language—regardless of its country of origin—plays an important role in the development of an infant’s brain. By age three, a child has heard millions of words from parents, caregivers and educators, which help establish word recognition and comprehension skills. The more diversity in words a child hears during these early years, the better she will be at picking out meaning in what she reads and applying it to other things she learns as she gets older.
Reading a wide variety of books aloud to children from early infancy through age five is critical to vocabulary development. According to Reading is Fundamental, the vocabulary of the average children’s book is greater than that found on prime-time television. And the more words a child hears from a book, the more she will associate reading with learning. Unfortunately, more than 40 percent of preschoolers are not read to regularly.
But reading is not the only way that children pick up important vocabulary skills. Not all parents may feel comfortable reading books to their young children, but they can talk, tell stories and sing nursery rhymes, and even ask questions of their verbal toddlers to engage them in conversation. And the sooner parents begin to read and talk to their children, the better. The process of acquiring words is cumulative from birth, and research has shown that the “word gap” between low-income children and high-income children begins as young as 18 months of age.
In short, parents and caregivers—regardless of their native tongue or reading ability—can make a big difference in the future learning of their children. The key is to start early.

Learn More:

In the News:


Video

Tips for parents on how to make books fun for their kids—and for themselves. >>

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Hillary Clinton and Shimon Peres to Commemorate Edgar Bronfman Sr.

Shimon Peres and Hillary Clinton will reunite to pay tribute to Edgar Bronfman Sr. on January 28.   The event will take place at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City.



Israel's President Peres stands with U.S. Secretary of State Clinton before their meeting in Jerusalem

Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. Obituary

6/20/1929 - 12/21/2013| 


Read more >>>>


Edgar M. Bronfman received the Presidential Medal of Freedom of President Bill Clinton in 1999

Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. Obituary

6/20/1929 - 12/21/2013| Visit Guest Book
Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. (Associated Press, David Karp)
Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. (Associated Press, David Karp)
NEW YORK (AP) - Edgar M. Bronfman Sr., the billionaire businessman and longtime president of the World Jewish Congress, which lobbied the Soviets to allow Jews to emigrate and helped spearhead the search for hidden Nazi loot, died Saturday. He was 84.

The Canadian-born Bronfman died at his New York home surrounded by family, according to the family charity he led, The Samuel Bronfman Foundation.

Bronfman made his fortune with his family's Seagram's liquor empire, taking over as chairman and CEO in 1971 and continuing the work of his father, Samuel. Under Bronfman's leadership, Seagram expanded its offerings and was eventually acquired by French media and telecom group Vivendi Universal in 2000.
- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=edgar-bronfman&pid=168708882#sthash.JPnbaKdy.dpuf