Jewish American Heritage Month

Jewish American Heritage Month

Jewish American Heritage Month. Jewish-Americans are influential in a wide range of sectors -- from entertainment to the sciences. In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, here are a few notables singled out by the Jewish-American Hall of Fame.

William Safire

The author  Pulitzer Prize-winning conservative columnist and presidential speechwriter influenced public opinion for decades until his death in 2009. He was a leading critic of this presidential administration.

Gloria Steinem

 The face of the feminist movement, Gloria Steinem been a force in shaping gender politics since the 1970s. 

Barbara Walters

The legendary broadcast journalist is known for conducting interviews with A-list celebrities, including a pop queen, a presidential couple and a screen icon. Whom did she choose for her annual "Most Fascinating People" list for 2010?

Albert Einstein

The German-born physicist who gave the world a groundbreaking theory is widely thought to be the greatest scientist of all time. He became an American citizen in 1940 and spent many years at a prestigious Ivy League university.

Alan Greenspan

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan  has taken heat for factors leading to the current economic downturn since retiring in 2008. Get his memoir.

Sandy Koufax

One of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time played for the same team his entire 12-year career. The baseball icon was the youngest former player to receive a top baseball honor.

Woody Allen

Best known as a filmmaker who dwells on the drama of relationships within a comedic framework, Woody Allen has a large body of work that includes plays, music and stand-up comedy.

Al Franken

Al Franken's career has evolved from a long-running sketch comedy showto being elected a senator and authoring books.

Elizabeth Taylor

A film star in the truest sense of the word, the late screen star dazzled on and off camera for decades and became renowned for her many marriages, her extensive jewelry collection and for bringing AIDS research into the spotlight.

Henry Kissinger

The former national security adviser and secretary of state under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973.

Mark Zuckerberg

The founder of social networking innovator Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg was named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2010 at the age of 26. His massive net worth? A movie came out last year based on the creation of Facebook.

Philip Roth

Roth's book "Goodbye, Columbus," published in 1959, won the National Book Award and was made into a movie, and his works depicting Jewish-American life have gone on to earn many other honors, including the Pulitzer Prize for literature.

Annie Leibovitz

The legendary photographer has trained her camera lens on celebrities ranging from a music legend  to royalty  creating iconic images.

Natalie Portman

Portman's Oscar-winning performance in "Black Swan" is the latest honor for the young actress, who retains dual American and Israeli  citizenship. She's recently engaged and expecting.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The second woman to sit as a Supreme Court justice was appointed during former President Bill Clinton's term in office. She has been an advocate for this constitutional principle.

Ben Bernanke

An American economist and former professor  Ben Bernanke became chairman of the Federal Reserve Board in 2006. He was criticized for his work behind the bailout of an insurance giant.

Artie Shaw

One of the primary architects of the Swing Era, big band leader and clarinetist Artie Shaw  is known for reworking standards like Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine"  into jazzy, memorable arrangements.

Ralph Lauren

Fashion designer Ralph Lauren is known for his classic American style and has put his brand on everything from bedding to fragrances and home décor.

Albert Abraham Michelson

A Nobel prize-winning physicist known for his work on a physical constant, Albert Michelson was born in Strzelno but immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1800s as a child. He was the first to receive the Nobel Prize in this category.

Bin Laden death cybercrime

Bin Laden death cybercrime

Security experts are warning Web-surfing consumers about a rise in cybercrime and scams related to Osama bin Laden's death.

 

Know of an Internet crime? File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, otherwise known as IC3, a partnership among the FBI, NW3C and BJA.

 

Major news events are often accompanied by an uptick in cybercrime, as perpetrators seek to take advantage of Web searches for content such as pictures and videos. It was also a problem during this recent high-profile wedding.

 

"The reported death of Osama bin Laden is just too good a lure for cybercriminals and scammers to pass up," wrote Dave Marcus, director of security research for McAfee Labs, in a blog post.

 

Marcus said emails are circulating with links purporting to lead to photos of bin Laden's corpse. One message teases to a video showing bin Laden disproving his death by holding a newspaper with Monday's date. Clicking on the links generally opens files that install malware on the user's computer. In other cases, cybercriminals have poisoned Google Images results.

 

This major social networking site is also a fertile breeding ground for these scams, with malicious links being circulated on posts and messages within the site. Researchers at Kaspersky Labs said they noticed scam ads on Facebook promising free merchandise in celebration of bin Laden's death. Users who click on the ads will be redirected multiple times, with each layer asking for more detailed personal information.

 

Experts at Websense said cybercriminals compromised the website of Sohaib Athar, the Pakistani information technology consultant living in Abbottabad who provided a real-time account of the U.S. operation via his Twitter feed. 

 

source

Famous college professors

Famous college professors

 Famous college professors and Heroes of Higher Education. Today is National Teachers Day, and shiny apples and thank-you cards will grace the desks of primary school teachers across the land. But let's not forget all those higher-education heroes — real and fictional — who've also made the grade.

Randy Pausch

 The inspirational former computer science professor was given a terminal medical diagnosis in 2007. What was his illness? Before his death the following year, he delivered some stirring final words to students.

Henry Louis Gates Jr

 Gates  has been a staple in the world of Massachusetts academia since 1991. He is the award-winning  director of the school's African-American research program.

Américo Paredes

 Paredes was devoted to the study of corridos. This Texas native taught creative writing and made a campus breakthrough. Which program did he help launch?

John F. Nash Jr

 The Nobel Prize-winning mathematician and economist taught such thought-provoking subjects as game theory  at this New Jersey school. See which movie was based on his life.

Paul Krugman

 Krugman teaches economics and international affairs  and gained fame for developing this economic model.

Cornel West

 West teaches at the Center for African American Studies, focusing on religion and philosophy. He's also an author and prominent political commentator.

Katherine Watson

 Julia Roberts stars as a fictional art teacher  in the 2003 film "Mona Lisa Smile." In the movie  she inspires her conservative students to explore modern art and to challenge rigid 1950s social mores.

Stephen Hawking

 This celebrated  British instructor  has enlightened students on such subjects as mathematics  and physics.

Noam Chomsky

 Chomsky is a professor emeritus of linguistics who also is devoted to the study of philosophy and U.S. foreign policy. Which intellectual movement did he help spark?

Vivian Bearing

 Bearing is the fictional lead character in the acclaimed play "Wit". She's a cold, demanding English professor who has a change of heart after receiving the news that she's dying of cancer. The play received a top honor.

Albert Einstein

 The great theoretical physicist was a professor at this German school when he developed his famous theory. What prompted him to leave Germany?

Mary McLeod Bethune

This famed educator started a pioneering school for African-Americans  in 1904. Though the school began as a six-child grade school — what was it called? — it eventually became a full-fledged college. Find out what the school is called now.

Smallest towns in America recommended best small towns in America

Smallest towns in America recommended best small towns in America

 America recommended best Small towns can sometimes generate big news. The L.A. Times recently won a Pulitzer Prize for the story it broke about the grossly overpaid city employees of Bell, Calif. Bell is a giant metropolis compared to this list of America’s smallest burgs, some just a resident or two away from becoming ghost towns.


Monowi, Neb.

 Books outnumber residents in Monowi by a ratio of 5,000 to 1. Nebraska’s smallest town  was featured on a famous morning news show in 2005.How many people live here?

Lost Springs, Wyo.

Talk about a boom town: Check out this Wyoming hamlet. Somehow, the population mushroomed in just 10 years, quadrupling its 2000 census figures.What mineral drove its economy? How many people live here?

Hillsview, S.D.

With a population density of 4.7 per square mile, Hillsview  has a lot of breathing room and has never known a traffic jam. Founded in 1887, it lies within a stone’s throw of a neighboring state.How many people live here?

Tortilla Flat, Ariz.

Located near this famous range of mountains, the smallest official community  in Arizona  attracted people looking for a precious mineral. It’s on an old Indian trail which shares its name with the Lone Ranger’s sidekick. How many people live here?

Freeport, Kansas

The smallest incorporated town in the U.S. with its own bank, this Kansas burg has one other thriving business. Its lone church, on a well-known listing of historic places, attracts 60 people every Sunday, dwarfing the local populace. How many people live here?

Tenney, Minn.

On the shores of what was once an ice-age lake this Minnesota hamlet has one viable business that collects the region’s primary local crops. How many people live here?

Weeki Wachee, Fla.

Located next to the deepest naturally-formed spring in America  this Florida town  features a tourist attraction  complete with more of these mythical sea creatures than residents.How many people live here?

Beaconsfield, Iowa

Named after a distinguished English lord  this petite Iowa farm village  boasts a high-flying former resident whose made quite a name for herself.How many people live here?

Bonanza, Colo.

Now considered a ghost town, this Colorado hamlet  once harbored a healthy trade in a certain mineral found in the nearby mountains. How many people live here?

Mound, La.

Part of a parish named for an American president  this tiny Louisiana town  once made its living from a plant dear to the Confederate States .How many people live here?