US WAR IN SYRIA?

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US President Barack Obama takes to the broadcast airwaves tonight to speak to the American people about his plans to deal with Syria. This is on the heels of his request for Congress to authorize the use of military force.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has sounded a cautious and fast-moving plan for a diplomatic solution which calls on Syria to give up its chemical weapons.

Obama's speech, which is scheduled for 9 p.m. tonight should shed some light on whether The United States of America is headed toward a military strike, with or without congressional approval.

SBU UP 6 SPOTS IN THE TOP PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES RANKING

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SUNY Stony Brook University achieved its best ever ranking – 82nd – in the 2014 edition of U.S. News & World Report survey of “Best National Universities in America,” published in the annual rankings report released today. US News & World Report defines the best national universities in America as universities that “are typically large institutions that focus on research and grant bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.” Stony Brook achieved another best ranking ever in the annual US News survey by ranking 34th in the category of Top Public National Universities.

NYC PRIMARY DAY

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NYC voters are heading to the polls all day to vote inside old clunker machines dating back to the middle of last century.

The two front runners are both tall Italian men. Republican Lhota and Democrat DiBlasio, according to the latest data available, However 40% is needed to win the nomination without a runoff.

NYC is rolling out the old lever voting machines for the primary. These units date back to the 1960s. Albany lawmakers approved their use because of major problems with new electronic machines during the previous election.

ASSORTED INTERESTING EVENTS

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Event: Women Media Entrepreneurs - Making New Ideas Happen
When: September 12, 8:30am – 3:30pm
Where: National Press Club Journalism Institute, Washington D.C., Conference Rooms
We're bringing together women entrepreneurs who have launched media projects, large and small. They will share how they are moving their ideas forward and offer advice on the best digital tools and strategies that you can use for your media projects. Topics include grants, venture capital, strategic partnering, marketing and digital tools. The event is co-sponsored by J-Lab, the National Press Club Journalism Institute, and American University's MA in Media Entrepreneurship program. It is funded by the Gannett Foundation and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. Registration is $35; $25 for NPC members. Register at http://www.press.org/events/women-media-entrepreneurs-summit-making-new…

Event: The Deadline Club's Friday the 13th Rooftop Media Mixer
When: September 13, 2013, 6:00 – 9:00pm
Where: Mad46, the rooftop bar at the Roosevelt Hotel, entrance on 46th St. and Madison Avenue
RSVP: Registration required: https://www.eventbrite.com/event/8141277781
Suffering from Triskaidekaphobia? What about Acrophobia? Tackle all of your irrational fears at a rooftop party this Friday the 13th. The Deadline Club, the Chapter of the Year of the Society of Professional Journalists, will host a media mixer at Mad46, the bar on top of the Roosevelt Hotel where The Club held a sold-out mixer in July. Registration is required for this free event, and space is limited. No one under 21 will be admitted to the bar, which has spectacular views of Midtown Manhattan.

Event: Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists – Public Policy Scholarship
When: September 13, 2013 (deadline)
Where: Philadelphia, PA
The Wharton School is pleased to announce the new Penn Wharton Public Policy Scholarship which will allow three business journalists whose reporting highlights public policy issues either domestically or internationally to attend the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists flagship program in Philadelphia this year. Each scholarship covers the cost of tuition, course materials, most group meals, lodging for three nights and airfare within the US (where appropriate). In addition, accepted journalists may request private, one-on-one meetings with faculty members of the Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative. The scholarship does not cover any other expenses. Other restrictions may apply.
The Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists, now in its 45th year, offers participants an opportunity to expand their business knowledge and increase their exposure to leading experts in a stimulating environment. Through intensive lectures and hands-on exercises, the program, led by the Wharton School’s most prominent professors, helps participants gain a better understanding of key business and economic issues. Besides the Penn Wharton Public Policy Scholarship, numerous other financial aid options are available for reporters interested in attending the Seminars. To learn more visit the Seminars financial aid page.
Scholarship quantities are limited. Early applications are strongly suggested with deadlines of September 6 and 13, 2013. Non-scholarship applications are due by October 1, 2013. For complete information on the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists, visit the Web site or contact Peter Winicov, Senior Associate Director, Wharton Communications at +1-215-746-6471 or communications@wharton.upenn.edu

Event: Abe Fellowship for Journalists
When: September 15, 2013 (deadline)
Where: Online
The Abe Fellowship for Journalists is designed to encourage in-depth coverage of topics of pressing concern to the United States and Japan through individual short-term policy-related projects. Fellows are expected to produce an analytical article or feature story that will inform public debate or a policy community one of the following topics:
1) Traditional and Non-Traditional Approaches to Security and Diplomacy
2) Global and Regional Economic Issues
3) Social and Cultural Issues
For information on eligibility criteria or to apply, please visit us at http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/abe-fellowship-for-journalists/. Contact SSRC staff at abe@ssrc.org with any questions or concerns.

A TENNIS QUEEN IN QUEENS

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Serena Williams has won the U.S. Open. This happens to be her 17th Grand Slam singles title.

Ms. Williams outlasted Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, to win her fifth U.S. Open in Queens, NY this evening. It took a bit longer than expected, but Ms Williams' win gives her 17 Grand Slam tennis singles titles.

http://usta.usopen.org/US-Open/us_open_instant_highlights?snapid=139790

http://serenawilliams.com

Photo: Getty Images

TALKING MOVIES

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Center for Communication fall season special prices - if you sign up before September 15th!

Once you join the program, you'll have the opportunity to see some of the best independent films of the fall season and hear inside stories from the filmmakers. Here's your chance to see features, documentaries and great foreign films before they open to the public. Check out the exciting list of fall releases, then scroll down to the bottom to download registration form.

The fall program includes eight Thursday evening screenings (Oct. 10, 17, 24; Nov. 7, 14, 21; Dec. 12, 19) at the Directors Guild Theater, 110 West 57th St. (6th & 7th Aves). Two bonus Sunday screenings will also be scheduled. Visit http://www.talkingmovies.net/ for more information.

Each member will also receive three guest tickets to three Thursday evening screenings of their choice.

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE FOR NEW MEMBERS:

Before September 15, 2013: $260.00

After September 15, 2013: $275.00, plus $10.00 REGISTRATION FEE.

FILMS THAT WILL OPEN DURING OUR FALL SEASON.
(Please note: Not all films will be available and release dates may change).

The Counselor

Thriller
A lawyer finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking.
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem

Captain Phillips

Action | Biography | Drama | Thriller

The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
Director: Paul Greengrass
Stars: Tom Hanks, Max Martini, Catherine Keener, Maria Dizzia

Oldboy

Action | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

An advertising executive is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his punishment, only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment.
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Brolin, Sharlto Copley

The Fifth Estate

Drama

A look at the relationship between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his early supporter and eventual colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg, and how the website's growth and influence led to an irreparable rift between the two friends.
Director: Bill Condon
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Alicia Vikander, Carice van Houten

Last Vegas

Comedy

Three sixty-something friends take a break from their day-to-day lives to throw a bachelor party in Las Vegas for their last remaining single pal.
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Stars: Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline

August: Osage County

Comedy | Drama

A look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.
Director: John Wells
Stars: Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney

The Wolf of Wall Street

Biography | Crime | Drama

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jon Favreau, Spike Jonze, P.J. Byrne

Delivery Man

Comedy

An affable underachiever finds out he's fathered 533 children through anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years ago. Now he must decide whether or not to come forward when 142 of them file a lawsuit to reveal his identity.
Director: Ken Scott
Stars: Chris Pratt, Cobie Smulders, Vince Vaughn, Jack Reynor

Nebraska

Drama

An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.
Director: Alexander Payne
Stars: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk

Black Nativity

Drama | Musical

A street-wise teen from Baltimore who has been raised by a single mother travels to New York City to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives, where he embarks on a surprising and inspirational journey.
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Stars: Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Biography | Drama | History

A chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
Director: Justin Chadwick

Dallas Buyers Club

Drama

The story of Texas electrician Ron Woodroof and his battle with the medical establishment and pharmaceutical companies after being diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1986, and his search for alternative treatments that helped established a way in which fellow HIV-positive people could join for access to his supplies.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zahn

American Hustle

Drama | History | Thriller

The story of a con artist and his partner in crime, who were forced to work with a federal agent to turn the tables on other cons, mobsters, and politicians - namely, the volatile mayor of impoverished Camden, New Jersey.
Director: David O. Russell
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper

Anchorman: The Legend Continues

Comedy

The continuing on-set adventures of San Diego's top rated newsman.
Director: Adam McKay
Stars: Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate

The Monuments Men

Drama

In a race against time, a crew of art historians and museum curators unite to recover renowned works of art stolen by Nazis before Hitler destroys them.
Director: George Clooney
Stars: Matt Damon, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett. John Goodman

Saving Mr. Banks

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Family | History

Author P.L. Travers travels from London to Hollywood as Walt Disney adapts her novel Mary Poppins for the big screen.
Director: John Lee Hancock
Stars: Tom Hanks, Ruth Wilson, Colin Farrell, Emma Thompson

Walking with Dinosaurs 3D

Action | Family

For the first time in movie history, audiences will truly see and feel what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. "Walking with Dinosaurs" is the ultimate immersive experience, utilizing state of the art 3D to put audiences in the middle of a thrilling and epic prehistoric world, where an underdog dino triumphs to become a hero for the ages.
Director: Neil Nightingale
Stars: Charlie Rowe, Angourie Rice

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

A timid magazine photo manager who lives life vicariously through daydreams embarks on a true-life adventure when a negative goes missing.
Director: Ben Stiller
Stars: Kristen Wiig, Ben Stiller, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt

Jack Ryan

Action | Drama | Thriller

Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh

Lone Survivor

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

Based on the failed June 28, 2005 mission "Operation Red Wings." Four members of SEAL Team 10, were tasked with the mission to capture or kill notorious Taliban leader, Ahmad Shahd. Marcus Luttrell was the only member of his team to survive.
Director: Peter Berg
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Eric Bana, Ben Foster, Josh Berry

12 Years a Slave

Biography | Drama | History

In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
Director: Steve McQueen
Stars: Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Michael Kenneth Williams

This Week in Her and History

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This Week in History, September 8 - September 14

Sep 08, 1974
Ford pardons Nixon. n a controversial executive action, President Gerald Ford pardons his disgraced predecessor Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed or participated in while in office. Ford later defended this action before the House Judiciary Committee, explaining that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate scandal. The Watergate scandal erupted after it was revealed that Nixon and his aides had engaged in illegal activities during his reelection campaign--and then attempted to cover up evidence of wrongdoing. With impeachment proceedings underway against him in Congress, Nixon bowed to public pressure and became the first American president to resign. At noon on August 9, Nixon officially ended his term, departing with his family in a helicopter from the White House lawn. Minutes later, Vice President Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States in the East Room of the White House. After taking the oath of office, President Ford spoke to the nation in a television address, declaring, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."

Sep 09, 1893
President's child born in White House. Frances Folsom Cleveland, the wife of President Grover Cleveland, gives birth to a daughter, Esther, in the White House. On June 2, 1886, in an intimate ceremony held in the Blue Room of the White House, President Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom, the daughter of Cleveland's late law partner and friend, Oscar Folsom. Fewer than 40 people were present to witness the 49-year-old president exchange vows with Frances, who at 21 years of age became the youngest first lady in U.S. history.

Sep 10, 1897
First drunk driving arrest. On this day in 1897, a 25-year-old London taxi driver named George Smith becomes the first person ever arrested for drunk driving after slamming his cab into a building. Smith later pled guilty and was fined 25 shillings. In the United States, the first laws against operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol went into effect in New York in 1910. In 1936, Dr. Rolla Harger, a professor of biochemistry and toxicology, patented the Drunkometer, a balloon-like device into which people would breathe to determine whether they were inebriated. In 1953, Robert Borkenstein, a former Indiana state police captain and university professor who had collaborated with Harger on the Drunkometer, invented the Breathalyzer. Easier-to-use and more accurate than the Drunkometer, the Breathalyzer was the first practical device and scientific test available to police officers to establish whether someone had too much to drink. A person would blow into the Breathalyzer and it would gauge the proportion of alcohol vapors in the exhaled breath, which reflected the level of alcohol in the blood.

Sep 11, 2001
Attack on America. At 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767--United Airlines Flight 175--appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center, and sliced into the south tower at about the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. America was under attack. The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly financed by Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist organization, they were allegedly acting in retaliation for America's support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War, and its continued military presence in the Middle East. Some of the terrorists had lived in the United States for more than a year and had taken flying lessons at American commercial flight schools. Others had slipped into the U.S. in the months before September 11 and acted as the "muscle" in the operation. The 19 terrorists easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through security at three East Coast airports and boarded four flights bound for California, chosen because the planes were loaded with fuel for the long transcontinental journey. Soon after takeoff, the terrorists commandeered the four planes and took the controls, transforming the ordinary commuter jets into guided missiles.

As millions watched in horror the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington and slammed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to a structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete building. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon along with all 64 people aboard the airliner. Less than 15 minutes after the terrorists struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in New York took a catastrophic turn for the worse when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke. The structural steel of the skyscraper, built to withstand winds in excess of 200 mph and a large conventional fire, could not withstand the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel. At 10:30 a.m., the other Trade Center tower collapsed. Close to 3,000 people died in the World Trade Center and its vicinity, including a staggering 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers, and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 other people were treated for injuries, many severe.

Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane--United Flight 93--was hijacked about 40 minutes after leaving Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off, passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via cell phone and Airfone calls to the ground. Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection. One of the passengers, Thomas Burnett, Jr., told his wife over the phone that "I know we're all going to die. There's three of us who are going to do something about it. I love you, honey." Another passenger--Todd Beamer--was heard saying "Are you guys ready? Let's roll" over an open line. Sandy Bradshaw, a flight attendant, called her husband and explained that she had slipped into a galley and was filling pitchers with boiling water. Her last words to him were "Everyone's running to first class. I've got to go. Bye." The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped toward the ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour, crashing in a rural field in western Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All 45 people aboard were killed. Its intended target is not known, but theories include the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, or one of several nuclear power plants along the eastern seaboard.

At 7 p.m., President George W. Bush, who had spent the day being shuttled around the country because of security concerns, returned to the White House. At 9 p.m., he delivered a televised address from the Oval Office, declaring "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve." In a reference to the eventual U.S. military response he declared: "We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them." Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led international effort to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden's terrorist network based there, began on October 7, 2001. Bin Laden was killed during a raid of his compound in Pakistan by U.S. forces on May 2, 2011.

Sep 12, 1940
Lascaux cave paintings discovered. Near Montignac, France, a collection of prehistoric cave paintings are discovered by four teenagers who stumbled upon the ancient artwork after following their dog down a narrow entrance into a cavern. The 15,000- to 17,000-year-old paintings, consisting mostly of animal representations, are among the finest examples of art from the Upper Paleolithic period. First studied by the French archaeologist Henri-Édouard-Prosper Breuil, the Lascaux grotto consists of a main cavern 66 feet wide and 16 feet high. The walls of the cavern are decorated with some 600 painted and drawn animals and symbols and nearly 1,500 engravings. The pictures depict in excellent detail numerous types of animals, including horses, red deer, stags, bovines, felines, and what appear to be mythical creatures. There is only one human figure depicted in the cave: a bird-headed man with an erect phallus. Archaeologists believe that the cave was used over a long period of time as a center for hunting and religious rites.

Thanks A Whole Lot, Mayor Bloomberg

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Political primary season in NYC is here and candidates are attempting to meet and greet the city's 8 million residents, or at least the 4 million registered voters, who eventually may turn out to cast a ballot.

These politicians continue to meet and greet, they kiss many babies, smile at the crowds and then check their smart phones. However few intelligent conversations are taking place about the organized labor mess the next NYC Mayor will inherit from three term Mike Bloomberg.

DIGITAL GAMES

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Digital Games: You Can Be A Player
WHEN: Thursday, September 19, 6:30 to 8:00 pm
WHERE: Kumble Theater, LIU Brooklyn, Flatbush Avenue (between DeKalb & Willoughby)

New York is now a major hub for game designers, developers and writers who work in this multi-billion dollar industry. As more opportunities emerge for games on new social networking channels and devices, NYC's gaming industry just keeps growing. Hear from the pros on how to parlay your skills and passion into a dream career.

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