Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed that only a political solution will end the crisis in Syria, where the Government’s bloody crackdown against its own people continues unabated, and urged world leaders to act quickly and coherently to stop the violence.

“Each and every member of the international community has a responsibility to help stop the violence and ensure the well-being of the Syrian people,” Mr. Ban told the International Conference of the Friends of the Syrian People, held in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is comprised of mostly white males. 77% of the Oscar voters are men, and of the Academy’s 43 member Board of Governors just 6 are women. The statistics show that we are only rarely using half our talent and usually hearing half the story. That’s the problem. Even inside the movie industry, intense speculation surrounds the academy's composition and how that influences who gets nominated for and wins Oscars.

SYRIA KILLINGS CONTINUE. Where Is The United Nations?

AfGHANISTAN PROTESTING. Death To America Continue.

BOA AND FANNIE MAE. Going A Separate Way.

CHICAGO SNOWSTORM. Flights Cancelled.

KNICKS LOST. Heat Melts Linsanity?

The annual United Nations report documenting conflict-related sexual violence around the world today for the first time names some of the military forces, militia and other armed groups that are suspected of being among the worst offenders.

The groups listed in the report include the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the Central African Republic (CAR) and in South Sudan, armed militia groups and former armed forces in Côte d’Ivoire, and the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

There's pain at the pump and it seems to be spreading like wildfire across the USA. As the Obama administration begins to feel the heat, gas prices continue to rise near $4 per gallon. This increasing financial hardship threatens to undercut President Barack Obama's re-election prospects, while offering everyone of the GOP candidates an easy target to shoot at.

Historically, sitting Presidents usually receive the blame for rising prices, gas or otherwise. However, there's really not much politicians can actually do to change things.

US Congressman Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx) and NYC Councilman James Vacca have joined forces with Bronx residents for lower noise from neighboring airports. Crowley invited officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address flight traffic, noise issues, and take questions from the community. Also on hand were representatives from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), as well as numerous community groups, including the Country Club Civic Association which has been working with Rep. Crowley and Councilman Vacca to ensure these issues are addressed.

During his speech, BRONX Borough Preident Diaz highlighted his administration’s accomplishments during this past year and announced several initiatives his office will pursue in the upcoming year.

“While these projects are scattered across the borough, they work together to move the Bronx in a positive direction. We are enacting our conceptual ‘master plan,’” said Borough President Diaz. “We are balancing the needs of individual neighborhoods with the needs of the entire borough, and our development agenda is moving forward because we are attentive to those concerns.”