Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there! If you’re reading this on Monday (because who wants to spend their holiday online?), you may not have seen that Google featured one of their famous “doodles” in honor of Father’s Day, with a clean, simple design inspired by one of the lamest Father’s Day gifts ever: the necktie.
No offense if you got your husband or father a tie this year, but let’s talk about some more unique Father’s Day gifts. Did you send your Dad skydiving? Take him on a fishing vacation? Clean his garage? I thought we could make this an open thread where each of you gets to brag about how creative and awesome you are when it comes to gift-giving. What have you gotten Dad that absolutely blew him away? Which of your gifts tanked?
I’ll start by sharing that my siblings and I always strove to get our Dad gifts for every occasion that would impress him, and he always, always, always complained about everything we ever bought. ”What’d you go and spend money on a thing like this for?,” he’d ask. ”You’re only gonna ask me for gas money when you leave!” (So. True.)
Tell me about your favorite Father’s Day memories in the comments below!
2011年6月19日 星期日
Time for more action, less talk, Mayor Bing
Build a team. Get some wins. Patch up relations.
Those are the three imperatives on which Detroit Mayor Dave Bing needs to focus now if he wants to extricate his administration from the scandal engulfing his former communications chief, Karen Dumas, and dispel the growing sense that his two years in office have been long on talk and short on measurable progress for the city he leads.
Here's what the mayor should do:
Build a crackerjack staff
One of Bing's biggest problems has been the lack of a strong manager and leader to run day-to-day operations, recruit and retain talented executives, and make sure that managers in key positions are delivering results. Ultimately, that's what's spinning the revolving door of talent in and out of his office.
Getting rid of Dumas -- who had assumed that role without much expertise or relevant experience -- was a start, as was rehiring Kirk Lewis, the former chief of governmental and corporate affairs who comes back as chief of staff.
But the mayor also needs a stronger team now. Some 32 high-level officials have come and gone since he became mayor, and he needs to bring in more high-caliber leadership to help Lewis build the staff Bing needs.
Here are some suggestions:
• Sheila Cockrel: The former city councilwoman knows City Hall as well as anyone, and she is a tough-as-nails administrator. She can be brusque (which was one of Dumas' problems), but she backs it up with competence and expertise that even her critics recognize and respect. She could both help the mayor navigate the politics in City Hall and help Lewis structure a realistic agenda for getting things done.
• Darrell Burks: A CPA and partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Burks has developed a reputation as someone with a keen, stabilizing influence and a sharp mind for turnarounds. He was considered to lead Detroit Public Schools when the state first took over in 1999. He led a committee designed to find streamlining opportunities in city government for former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. His name has also been mentioned quietly as a possible candidate to be emergency manager, if the state had to name one to oversee Detroit.
• Samuel (Buzz) Thomas: A former state senator and small businessman, Thomas is one of Detroit's bright young political lights, with good contacts in Lansing and a reputation for levelheaded action. Adding him to Bing's executive team could enhance the administration's relationships with the Detroit delegation in the Legislature and help attract others with legislative experience to the executive staff.
Get some wins
After two years in office, Bing's list of formidable accomplishments -- things that really move the city forward and impact the lives of Detroiters -- is pretty thin.
He has given a lot of "I'm gonna" speeches. But he hasn't been able to claim a lot of "I did" victories.
Indeed, in his State of the City address this year, the biggest accomplishment Bing touted was the restructuring of the Detroit Water Board -- something that wasn't his idea and was done mostly by a federal judge.
Time for the mayor to get going.
He could green-light a large-scale urban farming initiative, like the one businessman John Hantz has had on the table for years. He could work with the Ambassador Bridge company to dramatically alter the status of the old train depot (tear it down or get a developer going on it). Make visible progress on the construction of the new Detroit police headquarters. Get a regional authority together to manage a proposed light-rail line.
Or he could rescind his decision to kick his Detroit Works Project into 2012, identify the neighborhoods where he wants to concentrate resources and redevelopment efforts, and get moving on enticing people and businesses to move into them.
Bing suffers from the comparison to Gov. Rick Snyder, who in six months has enacted major pieces of his agenda. But he's also running out of time, and he has other things distracting attention from his work.
Nothing will fix that better than racking up some small successes. They'll almost certainly build into bigger ones, but the mayor has to start somewhere.a
Those are the three imperatives on which Detroit Mayor Dave Bing needs to focus now if he wants to extricate his administration from the scandal engulfing his former communications chief, Karen Dumas, and dispel the growing sense that his two years in office have been long on talk and short on measurable progress for the city he leads.
Here's what the mayor should do:
Build a crackerjack staff
One of Bing's biggest problems has been the lack of a strong manager and leader to run day-to-day operations, recruit and retain talented executives, and make sure that managers in key positions are delivering results. Ultimately, that's what's spinning the revolving door of talent in and out of his office.
Getting rid of Dumas -- who had assumed that role without much expertise or relevant experience -- was a start, as was rehiring Kirk Lewis, the former chief of governmental and corporate affairs who comes back as chief of staff.
But the mayor also needs a stronger team now. Some 32 high-level officials have come and gone since he became mayor, and he needs to bring in more high-caliber leadership to help Lewis build the staff Bing needs.
Here are some suggestions:
• Sheila Cockrel: The former city councilwoman knows City Hall as well as anyone, and she is a tough-as-nails administrator. She can be brusque (which was one of Dumas' problems), but she backs it up with competence and expertise that even her critics recognize and respect. She could both help the mayor navigate the politics in City Hall and help Lewis structure a realistic agenda for getting things done.
• Darrell Burks: A CPA and partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Burks has developed a reputation as someone with a keen, stabilizing influence and a sharp mind for turnarounds. He was considered to lead Detroit Public Schools when the state first took over in 1999. He led a committee designed to find streamlining opportunities in city government for former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. His name has also been mentioned quietly as a possible candidate to be emergency manager, if the state had to name one to oversee Detroit.
• Samuel (Buzz) Thomas: A former state senator and small businessman, Thomas is one of Detroit's bright young political lights, with good contacts in Lansing and a reputation for levelheaded action. Adding him to Bing's executive team could enhance the administration's relationships with the Detroit delegation in the Legislature and help attract others with legislative experience to the executive staff.
Get some wins
After two years in office, Bing's list of formidable accomplishments -- things that really move the city forward and impact the lives of Detroiters -- is pretty thin.
He has given a lot of "I'm gonna" speeches. But he hasn't been able to claim a lot of "I did" victories.
Indeed, in his State of the City address this year, the biggest accomplishment Bing touted was the restructuring of the Detroit Water Board -- something that wasn't his idea and was done mostly by a federal judge.
Time for the mayor to get going.
He could green-light a large-scale urban farming initiative, like the one businessman John Hantz has had on the table for years. He could work with the Ambassador Bridge company to dramatically alter the status of the old train depot (tear it down or get a developer going on it). Make visible progress on the construction of the new Detroit police headquarters. Get a regional authority together to manage a proposed light-rail line.
Or he could rescind his decision to kick his Detroit Works Project into 2012, identify the neighborhoods where he wants to concentrate resources and redevelopment efforts, and get moving on enticing people and businesses to move into them.
Bing suffers from the comparison to Gov. Rick Snyder, who in six months has enacted major pieces of his agenda. But he's also running out of time, and he has other things distracting attention from his work.
Nothing will fix that better than racking up some small successes. They'll almost certainly build into bigger ones, but the mayor has to start somewhere.a
2011年6月14日 星期二
PM put GB economy in jeopardy
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham’s decision not to renew the work permit of former Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) Chairman Hannes Babak at the end of 2009 placed Freeport’s economy in “jeopardy” and possibly stalled several major projects planned for Grand Bahama, claimed a classified diplomatic cable obtained by The Nassau Guardian through WikiLeaks.
Babak’s work permit was not renewed after it expired on December 31, 2009.
Ingraham publicly announced the decision about Babak’s work permit earlier that December.
According to the cable, which was classified on December 18, 2009, Babak asked the U.S. Embassy to help change the prime minister’s mind about the work permit.
The embassy official Babak reportedly spoke to remained “noncommittal”, according to the cable.
The GBPA was the subject of a bitter, protracted ownership dispute between Sir Jack Hayward and the family of the late Edward St. George.
In December 2009, Babak was in negotiations to sell Sir Jack’s significant stake in the GBPA to Mid-Atlantic Projects (a U.S. company).
The cable stated that the embassy felt that Babak's ultimate departure, “…could result in further delays in Grand Bahama's development just as the expected sale to Mid-Atlantic had sought to jump-start progress.”
The Mid-Atlantic deal fell apart in April 2010.
The embassy official claimed that the refusal to allow Babak to continue to legally work in the country was, “likely made out of anger at Babak's move not to obtain Ingraham's blessing before moving forward with the Mid-Atlantic deal as well as a not-so-discreet desire to increase Chinese involvement in Grand Bahama's development plans through Hutchison-Whampoa (a Chinese company with major business interests in Freeport).”
During the time Babak was seeking renewal of his work permit, he was in the midst of brokering several deals with major U.S. companies intended to help alleviate Grand Bahama’s economic woes.
The embassy official said Babak’s removal, “(put) into jeopardy ongoing negotiations with major U.S. firms to bring liquid natural gas (LNG) re-gasification facilities and other badly needed commercial ventures to the country's second largest city, which suffers from nearly 15 percent unemployment.”
There were also several other deals reportedly in the works with U.S. entities — including energy and medical care companies — that Babak was overseeing at the time.
One deal under negotiation involved the establishment of an offshore, ship-based Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) re-gasification plant and on-shore LNG storage facilities operated by Texas-based Excelerate Energy and Virginia-based AES, the cable noted.
“The arrangement would enable electricity delivery services via underwater cable to Florida Light and Power as well as Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC),” justified the cable, which also cited possible savings for BEC if the deal was to go through.
The status of that deal is unclear.
The cable further stated that Babak was negotiating with a U.S. hospital construction company to build a facility in Grand Bahama that could have been worth up to $100 million.
Babak’s work permit was not renewed after it expired on December 31, 2009.
Ingraham publicly announced the decision about Babak’s work permit earlier that December.
According to the cable, which was classified on December 18, 2009, Babak asked the U.S. Embassy to help change the prime minister’s mind about the work permit.
The embassy official Babak reportedly spoke to remained “noncommittal”, according to the cable.
The GBPA was the subject of a bitter, protracted ownership dispute between Sir Jack Hayward and the family of the late Edward St. George.
In December 2009, Babak was in negotiations to sell Sir Jack’s significant stake in the GBPA to Mid-Atlantic Projects (a U.S. company).
The cable stated that the embassy felt that Babak's ultimate departure, “…could result in further delays in Grand Bahama's development just as the expected sale to Mid-Atlantic had sought to jump-start progress.”
The Mid-Atlantic deal fell apart in April 2010.
The embassy official claimed that the refusal to allow Babak to continue to legally work in the country was, “likely made out of anger at Babak's move not to obtain Ingraham's blessing before moving forward with the Mid-Atlantic deal as well as a not-so-discreet desire to increase Chinese involvement in Grand Bahama's development plans through Hutchison-Whampoa (a Chinese company with major business interests in Freeport).”
During the time Babak was seeking renewal of his work permit, he was in the midst of brokering several deals with major U.S. companies intended to help alleviate Grand Bahama’s economic woes.
The embassy official said Babak’s removal, “(put) into jeopardy ongoing negotiations with major U.S. firms to bring liquid natural gas (LNG) re-gasification facilities and other badly needed commercial ventures to the country's second largest city, which suffers from nearly 15 percent unemployment.”
There were also several other deals reportedly in the works with U.S. entities — including energy and medical care companies — that Babak was overseeing at the time.
One deal under negotiation involved the establishment of an offshore, ship-based Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) re-gasification plant and on-shore LNG storage facilities operated by Texas-based Excelerate Energy and Virginia-based AES, the cable noted.
“The arrangement would enable electricity delivery services via underwater cable to Florida Light and Power as well as Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC),” justified the cable, which also cited possible savings for BEC if the deal was to go through.
The status of that deal is unclear.
The cable further stated that Babak was negotiating with a U.S. hospital construction company to build a facility in Grand Bahama that could have been worth up to $100 million.
Visits by Indian leaders were better under BJP: Israel
JERUSALEM: Lamenting the lack of high-level visits from India under the UPA government, senior officials at the Israeli foreign ministry told US diplomats that it was "better under the Bhartiya Janata Party government," according to a classified US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.
Despite burgeoning defence and trade ties, " Israel is concerned about the lack of high-level visits and other exchanges with India. The last visit by an Indian Foreign Minister was in 2000, with a November 2007 visit called off at the last minute," deputy Director general for Asia and Pacific at Israel's foreign ministry Ruth Kahanoff told US diplomats.
"Kahanoff believes that India is restrained in the relationship (with Israel) by its large Muslim population, their concern about relations with the Arab world, and lingering elements of the Non-Aligned Movement/Nehru ideology," the US embassy cable revealed by WikiLeaks said.
Giora Bacher, Director at Israel's foreign ministry Asia and Pacific Desk, also attending the meeting, added that the "visits were actually better under the Bharatiya Janata Party government".
Kahanov also pointed out to US political counsellor Marc Sievers and others present during the December 2007 meeting that former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited India in 2003, but no Indian Prime Minister has ever come to Israel.
He also complained about Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari giving a speech attacking Israel, which she saw "as a sign that India is still trying to find its place in the world".
Bacher told US officials that her country's current relationship with India is dominated by defence cooperation and other trade.
The Israeli official noted that initially 95 per cent of the bilateral trade between the two countries was in diamonds, but it is now down to 70 per cent, and there is significant investment in real estate and businesses on both sides as both the countries' economy continue to liberalise.
Despite burgeoning defence and trade ties, " Israel is concerned about the lack of high-level visits and other exchanges with India. The last visit by an Indian Foreign Minister was in 2000, with a November 2007 visit called off at the last minute," deputy Director general for Asia and Pacific at Israel's foreign ministry Ruth Kahanoff told US diplomats.
"Kahanoff believes that India is restrained in the relationship (with Israel) by its large Muslim population, their concern about relations with the Arab world, and lingering elements of the Non-Aligned Movement/Nehru ideology," the US embassy cable revealed by WikiLeaks said.
Giora Bacher, Director at Israel's foreign ministry Asia and Pacific Desk, also attending the meeting, added that the "visits were actually better under the Bharatiya Janata Party government".
Kahanov also pointed out to US political counsellor Marc Sievers and others present during the December 2007 meeting that former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited India in 2003, but no Indian Prime Minister has ever come to Israel.
He also complained about Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari giving a speech attacking Israel, which she saw "as a sign that India is still trying to find its place in the world".
Bacher told US officials that her country's current relationship with India is dominated by defence cooperation and other trade.
The Israeli official noted that initially 95 per cent of the bilateral trade between the two countries was in diamonds, but it is now down to 70 per cent, and there is significant investment in real estate and businesses on both sides as both the countries' economy continue to liberalise.
2011年6月12日 星期日
A quarter-century ago, the Senate was ready for its close-up
On a Monday afternoon in early June a quarter-century ago, Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) — then a youthful-looking 83 — gaveled the Senate into session. After the opening prayer, Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole (R-Kan.) took the floor and began to speak.
It was the start of a typical legislative day except for one key innovation — people outside the chamber could watch it.
Live televised coverage of the Senate, and thus C-SPAN2, were born on that day in 1986, seven years after cameras first came to the House. The video of that session — now available on C-SPAN’s Web site — shows that lawmakers were well aware of the occasion’s import.
“There’s no doubt about it, this day’s historic in many ways,” Dole said, later adding: “I think today we in effect sort of catch up with the 20th century. We’ve been the invisible half of the Congress the last seven years.”
Senate Minority Leader Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) followed Dole and began his remarks, not surprisingly, by quoting a poet, Alfred Tennyson: “The old order changeth, yielding place to new.”
Byrd, a legendary guardian of Senate history and traditions, played a key role in bringing cameras into the chamber.
Sen. Howard Baker (R-Tenn.) was the first lawmaker to propose, in 1981, that the chamber emulate the House by embracing television. Many in the Senate’s old guard were staunchly opposed, including Byrd. But he eventually warmed to the idea.
“He called me on the day that he changed his mind,” Brian Lamb, the founder of C-SPAN, said Monday.
The turning point, Lamb said, came when Byrd stayed in a hotel that had cable television — which Byrd did not have at home — and saw the House in action for the first time. He was impressed that the coverage was gavel-to-gavel.
“You guys are going to run the whole speech?” Byrd asked Lamb — a key point, given that Byrd was known for his epic addresses on the floor.
Byrd also told Lamb of an incident at a political event in West Virginia where the senator had been erroneously introduced as the speaker of the House. “That was a warning to me that we’d better go on television,” Byrd said, according to Lamb.
After the leaders spoke on that Monday in 1986, Sen. Al Gore (D-Tenn.) was the first rank-and-file lawmaker to appear, just as he had been the first House member to speak when that chamber went on the air in 1979. (Gore was chided — unfairly, to some observers — for allegedly claiming to have “invented the Internet.” Lamb said he had heard of Gore telling others he “invented C-SPAN.”)
From a fashion perspective, the mid-’80s was certainly a different era than today’s. But the Senate is the Senate — mostly white guys in suits — so no one on that day looked like a character in a John Hughes movie or a Depeche Mode video.
The most visible differences between then and now involved hair, or lack thereof. Sen. Charles Grassley’s (R-Iowa) mane was nearly black. Dole’s was much more brown than gray. Gore’s thick locks grew over the top of his ears.
The main camera position — high in the chamber, pointing down — was not flattering to follically challenged lawmakers.
“Those of us with thinning hairlines, or with little hair on the head, have been advised that you do not lean over like this into the camera,” said Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio), demonstrating the improper position. At one point Glenn gestured for the cameras to zoom in as he applied makeup to his scalp.
Lamb said he knew of one senator, whom he would not name, who applied dark paint to cover a bald spot.
At the time, C-SPAN2 was only available in about 7 million homes. It’s not clear how high the ratings were on that first day, although it’s safe to say “The Cosby Show” and “Family Ties” did not feel threatened.
Reviews of the chamber’s debut performance were mixed.
Tom Shales, The Washington Post’s television critic, wrote the next day that the Senate began to “grapple with this strange, new, one-eyed monster in its midst. In Round 1, the monster won, but the grappler can be expected to hang in there.” A Los Angeles Times columnist said: “Monday came and went . . . and no bells, no tap dances, no Hula-Hoops, no hats, no circus. Not very much excitement, either.”
The Senate’s television experiment was dubbed a six-week trial, but Dole predicted on the first day that once cameras came to the Senate, they would be there to stay.
Another of Dole’s predictions didn’t turn out as well: “The Senate may change, not as an institution, but may become a more efficient body because of televised proceedings.”
It was the start of a typical legislative day except for one key innovation — people outside the chamber could watch it.
Live televised coverage of the Senate, and thus C-SPAN2, were born on that day in 1986, seven years after cameras first came to the House. The video of that session — now available on C-SPAN’s Web site — shows that lawmakers were well aware of the occasion’s import.
“There’s no doubt about it, this day’s historic in many ways,” Dole said, later adding: “I think today we in effect sort of catch up with the 20th century. We’ve been the invisible half of the Congress the last seven years.”
Senate Minority Leader Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) followed Dole and began his remarks, not surprisingly, by quoting a poet, Alfred Tennyson: “The old order changeth, yielding place to new.”
Byrd, a legendary guardian of Senate history and traditions, played a key role in bringing cameras into the chamber.
Sen. Howard Baker (R-Tenn.) was the first lawmaker to propose, in 1981, that the chamber emulate the House by embracing television. Many in the Senate’s old guard were staunchly opposed, including Byrd. But he eventually warmed to the idea.
“He called me on the day that he changed his mind,” Brian Lamb, the founder of C-SPAN, said Monday.
The turning point, Lamb said, came when Byrd stayed in a hotel that had cable television — which Byrd did not have at home — and saw the House in action for the first time. He was impressed that the coverage was gavel-to-gavel.
“You guys are going to run the whole speech?” Byrd asked Lamb — a key point, given that Byrd was known for his epic addresses on the floor.
Byrd also told Lamb of an incident at a political event in West Virginia where the senator had been erroneously introduced as the speaker of the House. “That was a warning to me that we’d better go on television,” Byrd said, according to Lamb.
After the leaders spoke on that Monday in 1986, Sen. Al Gore (D-Tenn.) was the first rank-and-file lawmaker to appear, just as he had been the first House member to speak when that chamber went on the air in 1979. (Gore was chided — unfairly, to some observers — for allegedly claiming to have “invented the Internet.” Lamb said he had heard of Gore telling others he “invented C-SPAN.”)
From a fashion perspective, the mid-’80s was certainly a different era than today’s. But the Senate is the Senate — mostly white guys in suits — so no one on that day looked like a character in a John Hughes movie or a Depeche Mode video.
The most visible differences between then and now involved hair, or lack thereof. Sen. Charles Grassley’s (R-Iowa) mane was nearly black. Dole’s was much more brown than gray. Gore’s thick locks grew over the top of his ears.
The main camera position — high in the chamber, pointing down — was not flattering to follically challenged lawmakers.
“Those of us with thinning hairlines, or with little hair on the head, have been advised that you do not lean over like this into the camera,” said Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio), demonstrating the improper position. At one point Glenn gestured for the cameras to zoom in as he applied makeup to his scalp.
Lamb said he knew of one senator, whom he would not name, who applied dark paint to cover a bald spot.
At the time, C-SPAN2 was only available in about 7 million homes. It’s not clear how high the ratings were on that first day, although it’s safe to say “The Cosby Show” and “Family Ties” did not feel threatened.
Reviews of the chamber’s debut performance were mixed.
Tom Shales, The Washington Post’s television critic, wrote the next day that the Senate began to “grapple with this strange, new, one-eyed monster in its midst. In Round 1, the monster won, but the grappler can be expected to hang in there.” A Los Angeles Times columnist said: “Monday came and went . . . and no bells, no tap dances, no Hula-Hoops, no hats, no circus. Not very much excitement, either.”
The Senate’s television experiment was dubbed a six-week trial, but Dole predicted on the first day that once cameras came to the Senate, they would be there to stay.
Another of Dole’s predictions didn’t turn out as well: “The Senate may change, not as an institution, but may become a more efficient body because of televised proceedings.”
what do people think back in his district?
We have just witnessed an extraordinary scene on the streets of New York. It happened just a few minutes ago, Representative Anthony Weiner -- it's not the video you're seeing there, but we'll show it to you in a moment -- he stepped out just to run a few errands and he was bombarded by reporters, including our own Jason Carroll, and surprised to see him step out this morning.
Also surprising that many of his supporters were following him along as well and were really emphatic in their support. We will check in with our Jason Carroll in just a moment. We are getting that video turned around for you and you will hear from some of those supporters on the streets who want their representative to be left alone. That's coming up in a live report in just a moment.
Also, out in Arizona firefighters keep battling the flames, but the weather is not helping. Conditions that have been helpful over the past day or so have now taken a turn for the worst. It will not help them in an effort to get this large fire under control.
Also today, court is in session in the Casey Anthony trial. She's accused, as you know, of killing her young daughter. Now from gruesome photos to people fighting to get inside the courtroom. Court is in session, yes, on this Saturday morning.
From the CNN Center this, is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you for spending part of your day with us.
It was the next revelation, the next twist in the Anthony Weiner scandal. A teenage girl has received messages from the congressman. Multiple reports say this girl is 17-years-old. As you know, representative Weiner has admitted sending lewd photos to women he met online, but his representative saying that the girl in particular, now this teenager did not get any of those kinds of messages.
This is a statement that was released from a spokesperson from congressman Weiner and says, and I quote, "According to Congressman Weiner, his communications with this person were neither explicit nor indecent."
We actually just heard that as well from Congressman Anthony Weiner who again is in New York and stepped out to the street and looked like he was running errands and he was followed by reporters. And he, again, to answer a question from our Jason Carroll, said no, nothing was indecent that went to this young woman.
Delaware police say detectives interviewed the girl, but she did not say anything about inappropriate contact between her and the congressman. Congressman Weiner could be facing a house ethics investigation and something he said he's not afraid of and he also says he's not stepping down.
So what do people think back in his district? CNN's Jason Carroll is with me now.
Jason, hello, I was watching as this video that you had just a few minutes ago was feeding into us, but the congressman stepped out. What was he doing this morning? It looked like he was just running a few errands, but the media was there, you were there and his supporters were there with a message for you all as well.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone there in place. I have to say it was somewhat unexpected. That's why we were here. Congressman Weiner came out and went to the ATM. In addition to the ATM went over to pick up some of his laundry. So he was out just doing what he normally does, running errands. I want you to listen, though, to what he had to say when he was questioned about a number of issues.
Also surprising that many of his supporters were following him along as well and were really emphatic in their support. We will check in with our Jason Carroll in just a moment. We are getting that video turned around for you and you will hear from some of those supporters on the streets who want their representative to be left alone. That's coming up in a live report in just a moment.
Also, out in Arizona firefighters keep battling the flames, but the weather is not helping. Conditions that have been helpful over the past day or so have now taken a turn for the worst. It will not help them in an effort to get this large fire under control.
Also today, court is in session in the Casey Anthony trial. She's accused, as you know, of killing her young daughter. Now from gruesome photos to people fighting to get inside the courtroom. Court is in session, yes, on this Saturday morning.
From the CNN Center this, is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you for spending part of your day with us.
It was the next revelation, the next twist in the Anthony Weiner scandal. A teenage girl has received messages from the congressman. Multiple reports say this girl is 17-years-old. As you know, representative Weiner has admitted sending lewd photos to women he met online, but his representative saying that the girl in particular, now this teenager did not get any of those kinds of messages.
This is a statement that was released from a spokesperson from congressman Weiner and says, and I quote, "According to Congressman Weiner, his communications with this person were neither explicit nor indecent."
We actually just heard that as well from Congressman Anthony Weiner who again is in New York and stepped out to the street and looked like he was running errands and he was followed by reporters. And he, again, to answer a question from our Jason Carroll, said no, nothing was indecent that went to this young woman.
Delaware police say detectives interviewed the girl, but she did not say anything about inappropriate contact between her and the congressman. Congressman Weiner could be facing a house ethics investigation and something he said he's not afraid of and he also says he's not stepping down.
So what do people think back in his district? CNN's Jason Carroll is with me now.
Jason, hello, I was watching as this video that you had just a few minutes ago was feeding into us, but the congressman stepped out. What was he doing this morning? It looked like he was just running a few errands, but the media was there, you were there and his supporters were there with a message for you all as well.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone there in place. I have to say it was somewhat unexpected. That's why we were here. Congressman Weiner came out and went to the ATM. In addition to the ATM went over to pick up some of his laundry. So he was out just doing what he normally does, running errands. I want you to listen, though, to what he had to say when he was questioned about a number of issues.
Safety in canola colour system
AN ADVISORY firm has developed a coloured tags system to label the four different herbicide tolerance groups in canola varieties.
Mike Stephens and Associates is producing the coloured tags to reduce the potential for costly mistakes when using herbicides on canola crops.
MS and A agronomist Andrew Daley said he was aware of cases where canola crops had been damaged or killed off through spraying the wrong chemical.
Mr Daley said mix-ups could happen if the farmer was using a number of varietal types.
He said if the farmer changed seed without recording it in the farm plan and employees or spray contractors later applied herbicides on the basis of what they thought was sown, thousands of dollars could be lost.
MS and A resorted to coloured cattle tags to solve the problem.
The company adopted the colour codes used by Pacific Seeds on their seed bags for their tags.
They were aligned to the respective colours of the seed developers.
Conventional canola has a blue tag, Clearfield canola green, purple for triazine-tolerant varieties and red for Roundup Ready canola.
Mr Daley said the coloured tags were printed with the herbicide tolerance and MS and A's logo, with farmer to write the year of sowing on the front and the variety on the back.
He said the tags were tied to the paddock gate with cable ties and should last a few years.
Agronomists or spray contractors could check the tags to confirm the variety sown before herbicides were applied.
"These tags cost about $1 but they could save $100,000 in lost earnings (if a spraying mistake was made)," Mr Daley said.
"And they are not going to take a farmer any time to put up."
The tags are also useful when considering chemical residues from certain herbicides.
MS and A uses a white tag for Clearfield wheat.
If Midas was used on the crop, the date on the back became important in the planning for next year's crop, as residue limited choices with the following season's planting.
MS and A had about 50 clients using the coloured tags this year but company principal Mike Stephens said he hoped the industry would adopt the system.
Mike Stephens and Associates is producing the coloured tags to reduce the potential for costly mistakes when using herbicides on canola crops.
MS and A agronomist Andrew Daley said he was aware of cases where canola crops had been damaged or killed off through spraying the wrong chemical.
Mr Daley said mix-ups could happen if the farmer was using a number of varietal types.
He said if the farmer changed seed without recording it in the farm plan and employees or spray contractors later applied herbicides on the basis of what they thought was sown, thousands of dollars could be lost.
MS and A resorted to coloured cattle tags to solve the problem.
The company adopted the colour codes used by Pacific Seeds on their seed bags for their tags.
They were aligned to the respective colours of the seed developers.
Conventional canola has a blue tag, Clearfield canola green, purple for triazine-tolerant varieties and red for Roundup Ready canola.
Mr Daley said the coloured tags were printed with the herbicide tolerance and MS and A's logo, with farmer to write the year of sowing on the front and the variety on the back.
He said the tags were tied to the paddock gate with cable ties and should last a few years.
Agronomists or spray contractors could check the tags to confirm the variety sown before herbicides were applied.
"These tags cost about $1 but they could save $100,000 in lost earnings (if a spraying mistake was made)," Mr Daley said.
"And they are not going to take a farmer any time to put up."
The tags are also useful when considering chemical residues from certain herbicides.
MS and A uses a white tag for Clearfield wheat.
If Midas was used on the crop, the date on the back became important in the planning for next year's crop, as residue limited choices with the following season's planting.
MS and A had about 50 clients using the coloured tags this year but company principal Mike Stephens said he hoped the industry would adopt the system.
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