Dueling trackers keeping tabs on Santa

Updated 7:58 p.m. Eastern

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. Volunteers at a U.S. Air Force base monitoring Santa Claus' progress around the world were on track to answer a record number of calls Monday from children wanting to know everything from Saint Nick's age to how reindeer fly.

Oh, and when are the presents coming?

Phones were ringing nonstop at Peterson Air Force Base, headquarters of the North American Aerospace Command's annual Santa-tracking operation.

First Lady Michelle Obama joined in from Hawaii, where she answered phone calls for about 30 minutes.


First Lady Michelle Obama reacts while talking on the phone to children across the country as part of the annual NORAD Tracks Santa program. Mrs. Obama answered the phone calls from Kailua, Hawaii, Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2012.

First Lady Michelle Obama reacts while talking on the phone to children across the country as part of the annual NORAD Tracks Santa program. Mrs. Obama answered the phone calls from Kailua, Hawaii, Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2012.


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The White House/Pete Souza

NORAD Tracks Santa was on pace to exceed last year's record of 107,000 calls, program spokeswoman Marisa Novobilski said.

But NORAD has some fresh competition: Google has unveiled a new Santa tracker this year. As CNET reports, Google Maps engineers developed a new route algorithm that will let users track Saint Nick's journey on a special Santa Tracker page.

"Google has been tracking Santa via Google Earth since 2004," CNET's Don Reisinger notes. "This is the first time the company has launched a broader Santa Tracker tool that competes with NORAD's perennial favorite."

Volunteers started taking calls at 4 a.m. Mountain time on Monday and will keep updating until 3 a.m. on Christmas morning.

NORAD Tracks Santa began in 1955 when a newspaper ad listed the wrong phone number for kids to call Santa. Callers ended up getting the Continental Air Defense Command, NORAD's predecessor, and a tradition was born.

Officers played along. Since then, NORAD Tracks Santa has gone global, posting updates for nearly 1.2 million Facebook fans and 104,000 Twitter followers.

Volunteer Sara Berghoff was caught off-guard when a child called to see if Santa could be especially kind this year to the families affected by the recent Connecticut school shooting.

"I'm from Newtown, Connecticut, where the shooting was," she remembered the child asking. "Is it possible that Santa can bring extra presents so I can deliver them to the families that lost kids?"

Sara, just 13 herself, gathered her thoughts quickly. "If I can get ahold of him, I'll try to get the message to him," she told the child.

Following is a sampling of calls received at the base:

---

GIFTS IN HEAVEN: One little boy from Missouri phoned in to ask what time Santa delivered toys to heaven, said volunteer Jennifer Eckels, who took the call. The boy's mother got on the line to explain that his sister had died this year.

"I think Santa headed there first," Eckels told him.

---

IS HE THERE YET?: James Solano took a call from a young girl and her father in Bangkok, asking when Santa would arrive. Solano checked the map and said it wouldn't be long.

"The dad was saying, `We've got to get to bed soon,"' said Solano, an Army colonel.

"It was kind of neat," he said. "They were very thrilled."

---

SANTA KNOWS: Glenn Barr took a call from a 10-year-old who wasn't sure if he would be sleeping at his mom's house or his dad's and was worried about whether Santa would find him.

"I told him Santa would know where he was and not to worry," Barr said.

Another child asked if he was on the nice list or the naughty list.

"That's a closely guarded secret, and only Santa knows," Barr replied.

---

THE REAL DEAL: A young boy called to ask if Santa was real.

Air Force Maj. Jamie Humphries, who took the call, said, "I'm 37 years old, and I believe in Santa, and if you believe in him as well, then he must be real."

The boy turned from the phone and yelled to others in the room, "I told you guys he was real!"

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'True Heroes' Gunned Down in Killer's 'Trap'













A man who served nearly 17 years in jail for killing his grandmother set a house and car on fire this morning in upstate New York and then began shooting at emergency personnel who showed up, killing two firefighters, police said.


In all, William Spengler, 62, shot four firefighters, killing two and severely injuring two more after setting his "trap," police said.


An off-duty police officer from Greece, N.Y., who responded to the scene early in the morning of Christmas Eve also was injured today.


"It was a trap," said Webster, N.Y., Police Chief Gerald L. Pickering, "set by Mr. Spengler who laid in wait and shot first responders."


Spengler, who was released from prison in 1998, was found dead at the scene following a shootout with police. He was believed to have killed himself with a bullet to the head.


As a convicted felon, Spengler would not have been allowed to own guns legally. Police were working to determine the types of weapons he used and how he obtained them, Pickering said.


Spengler was convicted of manslaughter in 1981 for "beating his 92-year-old grandmother with a hammer," according to state prison documents.


Several weapons were used, Pickering said, and, "probably a rifle was used to inflict wounds of the first responders.


"I know many people are going to be asking if they were assault rifles," Pickering said


There has been a week-long national debate about such weapons after one was used in a tragic school shooting in Newtown, Conn. on Dec. 14.










Four firefighters, two on a ladder truck and two more in their own vehicles, responded to 911 calls around 5:30 a.m. Monday morning. Spengler is believed to have hidden behind an elevated berm, shooting down on the firefighters and later police.


"Upon arrival, all [the firefighters] drew fire. All four were shot on the scene," Pickering said. "One was able to flee the scene. The other three were pinned down."


Police believe Spengler's sister may have been inside the home, and that he set it on fire.


The blaze spread, engulfing three nearby homes and damaging three more on a sleepy street next to Lake Ontario that police described as a quiet vacation community. The fire was not put under control until late this afternoon.


SWAT team officers used an armored personnel carrier to evacuate 33 residents from homes in the area.


Among the dead firefighters was Lt. Michael Chiapperini, a 20-year veteran of the Webster Police Department and "lifetime firefighter," according to Pickering. Chiapperini was a spokesman for the police department, ABC News affiliate WHAM reported.


Police identified the other firefighter killed as Tomasz Kaczowka, who also worked as a 911 dispatcher.


The chief, choking up, called the incident that shattered the quiet before 6 a.m. on Christmas Eve morning "terrible."


"People get up in the middle of the night to fight fires," he said. "They don't expect to get shot and killed."


Two surviving firefighters were in the intensive care unit at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. Both men were awake and breathing on their own after surgery and were in what doctors are calling "guarded condition."


Joseph Hofsetter was shot once. He sustained an injury to his pelvis and has "a long road to recovery," said Dr. Nicole A. Stassen, a trauma physician.


The second firefighter, Theodore Scardino, was shot twice and received injuries to his left shoulder and left lung, as well as a knee.


New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a statement calling the attack a "senseless act of violence" and the first responders "true heroes."



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Seeking the truth about Jesus




A nativity scene from St. Catherine's Church in Bethlehem in the West Bank.




STORY HIGHLIGHTS


  • Jay Parini: There are as many visions of Jesus, and versions, as there are Christians

  • Parini: As a child, I wondered why only two of the gospels mention Christmas

  • He says he believes firmly that Jesus was a real person, complex and inspiring

  • Parini: Jesus's life has mythical resonance with the power to change hearts and minds




Editor's note: Jay Parini, poet and novelist, is author of the forthcoming book, "Jesus: The Human Face of God." He is the Axinn Professor of English at Middlebury College.


(CNN) -- At Christmas, the name of Jesus resounds everywhere in homes, churches, in hauntingly gorgeous carols, even casual conversations. Yet Christians didn't settle on December 25 as Christmas day until the fourth century, and this choice probably had something to do with its proximity to the winter solstice or its position as the final day of the Roman Saturnalia.


It was in the late third century, in fact, that the Roman emperor Aurelian established this date as a feast day celebrating the birth of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus), so it already had festive and quasi-religious prominence. Now it serves to welcome the infant who became Christ, the Greek word for Messiah.


There are probably as many visions of Jesus, and versions, as there are Christians. Many regard him as their savior, the Son of God sent to Earth to save human beings from themselves. Others see him as a great teacher, a healer or rabbi of extraordinary power, a holy man or prophet who proposed a new covenant between heaven and earth. To some, he represents a new world order, an egalitarian society, a preacher of nonviolence who asked us to turn the other cheek.



Jay Parini

Jay Parini



Was he the long-awaited Messiah? The Lamb of God who removes the sin of the world by his self-sacrifice? King of the Jews? Or something less dramatic but still impressive -- an ethical teacher of extraordinary grace and power?



My father, a former Roman Catholic, became a Baptist minister, and I grew up with an insider's view of evangelical Christianity. My father read the Bible aloud at breakfast each morning, always in the King James Version. Beginning in December, I listened to the sonorous birth narratives of Luke and Matthew. In the latter, there are Wise Men coming from the East, a mysterious star, the massacre of innocent children by King Herod, and a flight to Egypt by the Holy Family.


Belief Blog: The Christmas message of the real St. Nicholas


My father, like me, preferred the gentler Christmas story put forward by Luke: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."


I remember asking my father one day why these two Christmas stories seemed incompatible, at best. Even the lineages put forward by Matthew and Luke have few points of reconciliation. I also wondered why the two other Gospels -- Mark and John -- made no mention of Christmas.










Why was there no mention of Christmas anywhere else in the whole of the Bible? Didn't they care? He was a gentle but cautious fellow, my father, with a rock-solid faith. "It's probably better not to ask difficult questions," he said. "God will, in time, provide the answers. But not now. Not in this life." He told me simply to enjoy Christmas.


That didn't satisfy me, of course. Why should it? I realized that, as St. Paul so elegantly put it, we see only "through a glass darkly" while on this earth. But wasn't that too easy? I needed to know more.


And I still want to know the truth about this luminous figure, Jesus of Nazareth. Was he really the Son of God? Why was he sent into the world? Do we know anything about him, really? To consider yourself a Christian, must you believe in the Virgin Birth, or that Jesus walked on water, healed the sick, and rose triumphantly from the dead? Does it matter if we take all of this on board in a literal fashion? Isn't this a lovely mythos -- the Greek word for story -- a narrative with symbolic resonance and profound meaning?


Christmas by the numbers


Jesus himself seemed unwilling to answer questions about his royal status or divinity. When asked by Pontius Pilate about his status as King of the Jews, he simply replied, "You say so." Many in his circle referred to as the Son of God, but this wasn't an especially divine title. Augustus Caesar was called Son of God -- Divi filius -- on Roman coins. Jesus certainly regarded himself as having a filial connection to the person he called, in his native Aramaic, Abba, or Father. But doesn't that only mean he felt like a son before this personified spirit?


He was also called the Son of Man, reaching back to an ancient Hebraic phrase, which had rather humbling connotations. (It was in the Book of Daniel that a visionary figure called the Son of Man came into view, in apocalyptic terms).


All attempts to classify Jesus seem hopelessly inadequate.


As I've grown older, I appreciate more than ever before the strength of this figure, Jesus, who emerges in the four canonical Gospels, and the Gnostic gospels, as a witty, intelligent, complex, inspiring, and often contradictory person. He was a religious genius who grew up on the Silk Road in ancient Palestine, on that magical trade route connecting East and West.


From the West he acquired an understanding of Greek metaphysics, with its remarkable formulation of body and soul. From the East came the winds of mysticism, a sense of self-transformation based on the loss of selfhood, with enlightenment the ultimate goal. Jesus brings East and West together, focusing on his key idea -- that of a gradually realizing kingdom, a mystical space beyond time, though it requires time in order to root and grow. As he told someone who asked where this lofty kingdom lay: "The kingdom of God is within you."


Photos: Santas over the years


Too many Christians regard their religion as a list of boxes that need checking. To belong, you must subscribe to a particular set of beliefs. It's dogma, pure and simple. I suspect that Jesus himself would have been startled to think that, many centuries after his death, more than 2 billion people would celebrate his coming into the world, find his message of a gradually realizing kingdom an inspiring challenge, worthy of serious pursuit, devotion and emulation.


Jesus was a real person who lived in time, and his life has huge mythical resonance with the power to change hearts and minds. I believe that firmly. At this stage of my life -- a senior citizen, as they say politely -- I'm also quite happy to believe in miracles, assuming that the membrane between life and death is paper thin.


All Christian thinking is, however, about resurrection. It's about moving beyond our small selves, shifting away from our ego-drenched understanding of reality. The way of Jesus involves engagement with his (often difficult) teachings as well as looking for those unspeakably beautiful moments in time when, for just a few seconds perhaps, we apprehend the timeless moment in time.


Life mostly offers, as T.S. Eliot suggests in "Little Gidding," "only hints and guesses, / Hints followed by guesses." The rest is "prayer, observance, discipline, thought and action."


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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jay Parini.






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Indian PM calls for peace amid outrage over gang rape






STORY HIGHLIGHTS


  • NEW: India's prime minister says the public anger is "genuine and justified"

  • NEW: Authorities are working to "ensure security and safety" for women, he says

  • For a second day, protesters are blasted with water cannons in New Delhi

  • Police say a woman was gang-raped and badly beaten on a bus




New Delhi (CNN) -- India's prime minister called for calm Sunday after clashes erupted between police and demonstrators protesting a gang rape in the country's capital.


"We will make all possible efforts to ensure security and safety to all women in this country," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said. "I appeal to all concerned citizens to maintain peace and calm."


Public outrage has surged after the gang rape and beating of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus on December 16.


The prime minister's comments came after thousands of protesters defied a ban on demonstrations in New Delhi on Sunday.


For a second day, demonstrators were blasted with water cannons. While some dispersed, others huddled tightly in a circle to brave high-pressure streams in the cold December weather.


"We want justice!" the protesters shouted in chorus.


In addition to banners and cardboard placards, many demonstrators carried Indian flags as they scuffled with police. Authorities fired tear gas to try to break up crowds.


Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said "hooligans who had joined the protesters" hurled stones, injuring 78 officers.


At least 65 protesters were also injured, he said.


Many police vans and a dozen public buses were damaged during the demonstrations, he said.


As he appealed for peace Sunday, Singh acknowledged that the anger is "genuine and justified."


Authorities haven't released the name of the rape victim, but protesters are calling her "Damini," which means "lightning" in Hindi.


"Damini" is also a 1993 Bollywood film whose lead female character fights for a housemaid, a victim of a sexual assault.


"We support you Damini. We'll keep fighting for you," a middle-aged woman at the historic India Gate said Sunday.


"Damini wants justice," read a placard at the protest.


Police bundled scores of young protesters into buses in the Raisina Hill area, home of the India Gate, the presidential palace, the parliament building and ministerial offices.


Demonstrators slipped under police vans to deflate tires and prevent them from driving off. Officers dragged them out.


The rape victim's injuries were so severe she spent days in intensive care in a city hospital, battling for her life. Police said Saturday that she had recovered enough to give a statement to a magistrate from her hospital bed the night before.


Surviving rape: iReporters speak out


The protest was among a number of anti-rape demonstrations held across the country in the past week.


A video journalist was killed by police gunfire Sunday during a violent protest in India's remote northeastern state of Manipur, authorities said.


The journalist was covering a protest against a separate molestation case in the provincial capital of Imphal, state police said. Protests have rocked Manipur over the alleged molestation of a local actress by a suspected militant on December 18, during a public performance.


Protesters had torched a vehicle, forcing police to open fire, officer Manik Longjam said Sunday.


The journalist died in the gunfire, Longjam said.


Police said the molester was still at large.


Official data show that reported rape cases have increased more than tenfold over the past 40 years -- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011.


New Delhi alone reported 572 rapes last year and more than 600 in 2012.


Opinion: Rapes show that Indian society needs a new attitude


Six suspects, including the bus driver and a minor, have now been arrested in connection with the rape of "Damini."


As fury about the assault gathered pace, some Indian lawmakers called for treating rape as a capital crime.


"We'll work collectively to see we make a law which is deterrent and preventive," said New Delhi's chief minister, Sheila Dikshit.


India's Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters Saturday that the government would work toward increasing punishment in "rarest of the rare" rape cases.


But pressed on whether the administration would agree to demands for death by hanging in such instances, he said: "We'll have to see in what way it (the rape sentencing) can be enhanced."


Shinde said the government was pushing for a speedy trial for the attack.


Authorities are also taking a number of steps to improve security for women in New Delhi, particularly on public transport, he said.


"(The) government shares the widespread concern and support that has been expressed throughout society for the girl who has so suffered. Government also respects the right of legitimate protest," Shinde said.


"At the same time, there is need to exercise calm at this juncture and for everyone to work together to improve the safety and security environment."


In the meantime, the victim has been promised the best possible medical care, Shinde said.


A physician described the woman's condition Saturday as better than a day earlier, but said there was still a risk of infection. She is receiving psychological as well as medical care, he said.


Read more: Indian girl seeks justice after gang rape


Following the brutal assault, the country's human rights body sent notices to city police and federal authorities, demanding an explanation.


"The incident has raised the issue of declining public confidence in the law and order machinery in the city, especially in its capacity to ensure safety of women, as a number of such incidents have been reported in the national capital in the recent past," the National Human Rights Commission said in a statement Tuesday.


Home Secretary R. K. Singh announced the suspension of five police officers in the wake of the rape.







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Inouye remembered at Hawaii memorial service

HONOLULU President Barack Obama, Gov. Neil Abercrombie and other dignitaries attended a memorial service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye on Sunday.

A 19-gun cannon salute was fired as Inouye's coffin arrived for the service at Honolulu's National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the final resting place to thousands of World War II veterans. More than 400 members of the storied Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team -- of which Inouye was a part -- are buried at the site.

Several cabinet secretaries and a number of senators also attended the service, including fellow Hawaii Democrat Daniel Akaka and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.




Play Video


Reid on Bob Dole's friendship with Inouye



"Daniel was the best senator among us all," Reid told those assembled. "Whenever we needed a noble man to lean on, we turned to Sen. Dan Inouye. He was fearless."

The 88-year-old Inouye died of respiratory complications on Dec. 17.

He was the first Japanese-American elected to both houses of Congress and the second-longest serving senator in U.S. history.

The past week has been marked by tributes and honors for Inouye, with services held in Washington and in Hawaii. He lay in state at both the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Thursday and the Hawaii state Capitol on Saturday.

Inouye was a high school senior in Honolulu on Dec. 7, 1941, when he watched dozens of Japanese planes fly toward Pearl Harbor and other Oahu military bases to begin a bombing that changed the course of world events.

He volunteered for a special U.S. Army unit of Japanese-Americans and lost his right arm in a battle with Germans in Italy. That scratched his dream of becoming a surgeon and went to law school and into politics instead.

He became known as an economic power in his home state as part of the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he steered federal money toward Hawaii to build roads, schools and housing.

Obama eulogized Inouye during a service at Washington's National Cathedral on Friday, saying that Inouye's presence during the Watergate hearings helped show him what could be possible in his own life.

The president arrived early Saturday in Honolulu for his annual Christmas family vacation.

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NRA Chief LaPierre: 'Call Me Crazy'













National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre fired back at his critics today, defending his proposal to put armed guards in every school in the country as a way to prevent future tragedies like the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that took the lives of 20 children and six adults.


"If it's crazy to call for armed officers in our schools to protect our children, then call me crazy," the head of the powerful gun lobby said today on NBC's "Meet the Press."


LaPierre and the NRA came under harsh criticism this week for their response to the Newtown, Conn., school shooting.


After keeping silent for a week, except for a release announcing that the organization would make "meaningful contributions" to the search for answers to the problem of gun violence, LaPierre held what critics described as a "tone deaf" press conference in which he blamed the media, video games and Hollywood for the recent shootings, and suggested that the answer to gun violence was more guns.


Gun control advocates argue that a federal assault weapons ban is necessary to curbing gun violence. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who helped pass an assault weapons ban in 1996 is renewing efforts to pass similar legislation as the original ban expired in 2004.






PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images











National Rifle Association News Conference Interrupted by Protesters Watch Video











Critics Slam NRA for Proposing Armed School Guards Watch Video





"I think that is a phony piece of legislation and I do not believe it will pass for this reason: it's all built on lies," LaPierre said today.


LaPierre and many pro-gun advocates like him argue that assault weapons bans aren't effective and that violent criminals are solely to blame.


INFOGRAPHIC: Guns in America: By The Numbers


In today's interview, LaPierre pointed out that the Columbine High School shooting occurred after the assault weapons ban passed, but he failed to mention that the shooters obtained the guns they used illegally though a gun show.


He also did not discuss the fact that there was an armed guard on duty at the school when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people there before killing themselves.


Several senators watching LaPierre's interview had strong reactions.


"He says the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. What about stopping the bad guy from getting the gun in the first place?" said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on NBC's "Meet the Press."


Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was also on the show, said that he open to discussing increased school security but warned against a quick rush to ban assault weapons.


"I don't suggest we ban every movie with a gun in it and every video that's violent and I don't suggest that you take my right buy an AR-15 away from me because I don't think it will work," Graham said on NBC's "Meet the Press."


New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he didn't think having armed guards in schools was a good idea, though the Republican said he was "not commenting on the NRA proposal in particular."


"I am not someone who believes that having multiple, armed guards, in every school, is something that will enhance the learning environment, and that is our first responsibility inside a school, is the learning environment, you don't want to make this an armed camp for kids, I don't think that is a positive example for children," he said. "We should be able to figure out some other ways to enhance safety."


Earlier this week protesters from the group "Code Pink" snuck into the NRA press conference and held up a sign that read "NRA Blood on Your Hand."






Read More..

Will media stay on gun story?






STORY HIGHLIGHTS


  • Howard Kurtz: Conventional wisdom is that media will lose interest in guns

  • He says that's been the pattern of media behavior after Columbine, other shootings

  • This time seems like it might be different, he says

  • Kurtz: Reporters profoundly shaken by story, should stay on it




Editor's note: Howard Kurtz is the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources" and is Newsweek's Washington bureau chief. He is also a contributor to the website Daily Download.


(CNN) -- The conventional wisdom is that Newtown has just a few more days to run as a major media story.


The reporters are pulling out of the grief-stricken Connecticut town, which means no more live shots every hour. The White House press corps responded to President Obama's announcement Wednesday of a task force on gun control with the first three reporters asking about the impending fiscal cliff. And after every previous mass shooting, from Columbine to Aurora, the media's attention has soon drifted away.


But I believe this time will be different.



Howard Kurtz

Howard Kurtz




I believe the horror of 20 young children being gunned down has pricked the conscience of those in the news business, along with the rest of America.


I could be wrong, of course. The press is notorious for suffering from ADD.


But every conversation I've had with journalists has quickly drifted to this subject and just as quickly turned intense. Most have talked about how their thoughts have centered on their children, and grandchildren, and the unspeakable fear of anything happening to them. All have spoken about how hard it is to watch the coverage, and many have recalled crying as they watch interviews with the victims' families, or even when Obama teared up while addressing the nation.


Watch: Blaming Jon Stewart for the Newtown Shootings?


I've watched Fox's Megyn Kelly choke back tears on the air after watching an interview from Newtown. I've heard CNN's Don Lemon admit that he is on the verge of crying all the time. I've seen MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, say that day in Connecticut "changed everything" and prompted him to rethink his longstanding opposition to gun control, which earned him top ratings from the NRA.


Maybe Newtown will be the 9/11 of school safety.


Watch: Media Fantasy: Touting Ben Affleck (Uh Huh) for the Senate








The media paid scant attention to gun control in the past, in part because of a conviction that the NRA would block any reform on Capitol Hill. At the same time, they took their cue from the fact that officeholders in both parties were avoiding the issue at all costs—Republicans because they mainly support the status quo, Democrats because they mostly deem it political poison.


But since when is it our job solely to take dictation from pols? When it comes to subjects like climate change and same-sex marriage, the press has been out ahead of the political establishment. Given the carnage in Newtown as the latest example, journalists should demand whether we can do better. The fact that Obama now promises to submit gun legislation to Congress will help the narrative, but it shouldn't be a mandatory requirement for coverage.


Watch: From Joe Scarborough to Rush Limbaugh, the conservative media meltdown


This is not a plea for a press-driven crusade for gun control. In fact, it's imperative that journalists be seen as honest brokers who are fair to all sides. MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts, in an interview with Republican Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia, who opposes gun restrictions, said: "So we need to just be complacent in the fact that we can send our children to school to be assassinated." That is demonization, just as some conservative pundits are unfairly accusing liberal commentators who push for gun control of "politicizing" a tragedy or of pushing God out of the public schools.


The question of school safety extends beyond guns to mental illness and societal influences. With even some NRA supporters asking why law-abiding hunters need automatic rifles with high-capacity magazines, it's time for a nuanced debate that goes beyond the usual finger-pointing. Bob Costas got hammered for using an NFL murder-suicide to raise the gun issue during a halftime commentary, but he was right to broach the subject.


Here is where the media have not just an opportunity but a responsibility. The news business has no problem giving saturation coverage to such salacious stories as David Petraeus' dalliance with Paula Broadwell. Isn't keeping our children safe from lunatics far more important by an order of magnitude?


I think the press is up to the challenge. Based on what I've heard in the voices of people in the profession, they will not soon forget what happened in Newtown. And they shouldn't let the rest of us forget either.


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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Howard Kurtz.






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Avramovic: It's not about me






SINGAPORE: In his near decade-long spell as Singapore's national coach, Radojko Avramovic has always cut an intriguing figure - a fuss-free man of few words, gruff at times, but always charming with the occasional dose of deadpan humour.

And in typical understated fashion, he played down his role in masterminding the Lions' path to victory in the 2012 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup after a 3-2 aggregate win over Thailand despite losing the second-leg 1-0 at Bangkok's Supachalasai Stadium on Saturday.

It was Singapore's fourth AFF Championship title - a record - three of which were under Avramovic.

Even though he is bowing out as the Lions' head coach, the 63-year-old Serb preferred that the talk centred on his 22-man squad.

"There was no loser in this final," said Avramovic after Saturday's tempestuous encounter.

"We won in Singapore and Thailand won in Bangkok. We gave our best and Thailand gave their best too. But in the end, luck favoured us a little and that's why we won the Cup."

In his nine-and-a-half years as Lions coach, the former Notts County and Coventry City goalkeeper sealed his reputation as a tough taskmaster who usually said what he needed to say in a short and sharp manner.

Like most in his trade, he faced calls for his head on several occasions when results did not go his way, including the group stage exit from the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.

But throughout the years, Avramovic, who succeeded Dane Jan Poulsen as Singapore's head coach in July 2003 after spells with Oman and Kuwait, stuck with the likes of veterans Daniel Benett, Baihakki Khaizan, Shahril Ishak and Khairul Amri, all of whom were part of his three AFF Championship winning squads of 2004, 2007 and now 2012.

And that solidity and familiarity showed on Saturday night, as they withstood a Thai onslaught that started almost from the first whistle.

In a rare public show of emotion, Avramovic paid tribute to them, as well as all involved with the squad.

"I say a big thank you to my players. They won the cup for Singapore and I only played a small part," he said. "But we trusted each other and we use the trust to build a winning team.

"Maybe I have been lucky in the sense that I managed to win three AFF titles with Singapore. But there was the unwavering support from everybody connected with the team which helped a lot. I alone cannot do such a job."

Although Kirati Keawsombut's 45th minute header giving Thailand the eventual 1-0 win in Saturday's second-leg, Singapore prevailed thanks to their 3-1 win in Wednesday's first-leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium through goals from Fahrudin Mustafic, Amri and an injury-time strike from Baihakki which proved decisive.

Thailand were also looking to become the first side to lift the AFF Championship trophy four times, having done so in 1996, 2000 and 2002, and they needed at least a 2-0 victory to draw 3-3 and win on the away goals rule to do so.

But the likes of Datsakorn Thonglao and Teerasil Dangda, the tournament's leading scorer with five goals, failed to find a way past a resolute Lions more than once despite vociferous support from the 20,000 crowd inside the Supachalasai Stadium.

Nonetheless, Thailand coach Winfried Schafer felt his team had done their best.

"We gave 100 per cent but it was not enough," said the German.

"We were very tired in the last ten minutes but overall I am proud my team. At least we scored a victory over Singapore but one goal was not enough. I don't like being in second place but what to do? I accept the result."

Apart from Avramovic, it is also the last for 42-year-old forward Aleksandar Duric in Singapore colours. But midfielder Isa Halim is sure to feature in the tournament's next edition in 2014, which is set to be co-hosted by Singapore and Vietnam.

"It's my first AFF tournament and I am a winner of a championship medal," said the 26-year-old who came in after Hariss Harun suffered a fractured shin in Singapore's second Group B match against Indonesia.

"Words just cannot describe my feelings right now. Hopefully I can use this experience to help me become a better player in the international arena.

"It was a tough 90 minutes for me as a defensive midfielder. But I will learn from it."

Isa's midfield partner Fahrudin Mustafic also played in a vital role over the two-legged final, including converting a twice-taken penalty to give the Lions the lead in the first-leg.

Despite suffering a groin injury which threatened his chances of appearing in the final, the 31-year-old Tampines Rovers star soldiered on and kept the Thai midfield of Datsakorn Thonglao, Pichitphong Choeichiu and Adul Lahsoh at bay.

"It was sheer hard work for us tonight. The Thais were the better team I have to admit," he said.

"But now with the medal around my neck I can look forward to a well-earned rest. It has been a long two months for me. Right after the S-League season is over I reported for training with the National team and I have been on my toes since then.

"I am not complaining. The medal means so much to me and to the team and to coach Raddy. He had faith in us and we had faith in him." -- ADDITIONAL REPORTING FROM DAN GUEN CHIN IN BANGKOK

- TODAY/jc



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Newtown swamped by charity for victims, families

NEWTOWN, Conn. Peter Leone was busy making deli sandwiches and working the register at his Newtown General Store when he got a phone call from Alaska. It was a woman who wanted to give him her credit card number.


"She said, 'I'm paying for the next $500 of food that goes out your door,'" Leone said. "About a half hour later another gentleman called, I think from the West Coast, and he did the same thing for $2,000."





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Funerals and tributes for Newtown victims




Money, toys, food and other gifts have poured in from around the world as Newtown mourns the loss of 20 children and six school employees at Sandy Hook Elementary School a little over a week ago. The 20-year-old shooter, Adam Lanza, killed his mother before attacking the school then killing himself. Police don't know what caused him to massacre first-graders, teachers, school staff or his mother.



Saturday, all the town's children were invited to town hall to choose from among hundreds of toys donated by individuals, organizations and toy stores.



The basement of the building resembled a toy store, with piles of stuffed penguins, Barbie dolls, board games, soccer balls and other fun gifts. All the toys were inspected and examined by bomb-sniffing dogs before being sorted and put on card tables. The children could choose whatever they wanted.



"But we're not checking IDs at the door," said Tom Mahoney, the building administrator, who's in charge of handling gifts. "If there is a child from another town who comes in need of a toy, we're not going to turn them away."


The United Way of Western Connecticut said the official fund for donations had $2.6 million in it Saturday morning. Others sent envelopes stuffed with cash to pay for coffee, and a shipment of cupcakes arrived from a gourmet bakery in Beverly Hills, Calif.


The Postal Service reported a six-fold increase in mail in town and set up a unique post office box to handle it. The parcels come decorated with rainbows and hearts drawn by school children.



Some letters arrive in packs of 26 identical envelopes — one for each family of the children and staff killed or addressed to the "First Responders" or just "The People of Newtown." One card arrived from Georgia addressed to "The families of 6 amazing women and 20 beloved angels." Many contain checks.



Postal worker Christine Dugas sorts letters at the post office in Newtown, Conn., Friday, Dec. 21, 2012, including a letter addressed to "The families of 6 Amazing Women and 20 Beloved Angels.


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AP Photo/Julio Cortez


"This is just the proof of the love that's in this country," said Postmaster Cathy Zieff.



Many people have placed flowers, candles and stuffed animals at makeshift memorials that have popped up all over town. Others are stopping by the Edmond Town Hall on Main Street to drop off food, or toys, or cash.



"There's so much stuff coming in," Mahoney, of Newtown, said. "To be honest, it's a bit overwhelming; you just want to close the doors and turn the phone off."

Mahoney said the town of some 27,000 with a median household income of more than $111,000 plans to donate whatever is left over to shelters or other charities.

Sean Gillespie of Colchester, who attended Sandy Hook Elementary, and Lauren Minor, who works at U.S. Foodservice in Norwich, came from Calvary Chapel in Uncasville with a car filled with food donated by U.S. Foodservice. But they were sent elsewhere because the refrigerators in Newtown were overflowing with donations.

"We'll find someplace," Gillespie said. "It won't go to waste."


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Urban Advocates Say New Gun Control Talk Overdue













For years, voices have cried in the urban wilderness: We need to talk about gun control.



Yet the guns blazed on.



It took a small-town slaughter for gun control to become a political priority. Now, decades' worth of big-city arguments against easy access to guns are finally being heard, because an unstable young man invaded an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., with a military-style assault rifle and 30-bullet magazines. Twenty young children and six adults were slain.



President Barack Obama called the tragedy a "wake-up call." Vice President Joe Biden met Thursday with Obama's cabinet and law-enforcement officers from around the country to launch a task force on reducing gun violence. Lawmakers who have long resisted gun control are saying something must be done.



Such action is energizing those who have sought to reduce urban gun violence. Donations are up in some places; other leaders have been working overtime due to this unprecedented moment.



The moment also is causing some to reflect on the sudden change of heart. Why now? Why weren't we moved to act by the killing of so many other children, albeit one by one, in urban areas?



Certainly, Newtown is a special case, 6- and 7-year-olds riddled with bullets inside the sanctuary of a classroom. Even in a nation rife with violence, where there have been three other mass slayings since July and millions enjoy virtual killing via video games, the nature of this tragedy is shocking.










Critics Slam NRA for Proposing Armed School Guards Watch Video









Gun Violence Victims, Survivors Share Thoughts After Newtown Massacre Watch Video






But still: "There's a lot of talk now about we have to protect our children. We have to protect all of our children, not just the ones living in the suburbs," said Tammerlin Drummond, a columnist for the Oakland Tribune.



In her column Monday, Drummond wrote about 7-year-old Heaven Sutton of Chicago, who was standing next to her mother selling candy when she was killed in the crossfire of a gang shootout. Also in Chicago, which has been plagued by a recent spike in gun violence: 6-year-old Aaliyah Shell was caught in a drive-by while standing on her front porch; and 13-year-old Tyquan Tyler was killed when a someone in a car shot into a group of youths outside a party.



Wrote Drummond: "It has taken the murders of 20 babies and six adults in an upper-middle class neighborhood in Connecticut to achieve what thousands of gun fatalities in urban communities all over this country could not."



So again: What took so long? The answers are complicated by many factors: resignation to urban violence, even among some of those who live there; the assumption that cities are dangerous and small towns safe; the idea that some urban victims place themselves in harm's way.



In March, the Children's Defense Fund issued a report titled "Protect Children, Not Guns 2012." It analyzed the latest federal data and counted 299 children under age 10 killed by guns in 2008 and 2009. That figure included 173 preschool-age children.



Black children and teens accounted for 45 percent of all child and teen gun deaths, even though they were only 15 percent of the child/teen population.



"Every child's life is sacred and it is long past time that we protect it," said CDF president Marian Wright Edelman in the report.



It got almost no press coverage — until nine months later, when Newtown happened.



Tim Stevens, founder and chairman of the Black Political Empowerment Project in Pittsburgh, has been focusing on urban gun violence since 2007, when he said Pennsylvania was declared the worst state for black-on-black violence.





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