Author: DELEITURAS

Paul Anka brought his talent and Vegas-like band to Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, N.J. Wednesday night and what a show it was. Paul Anka is celebrating 60 years as an entertainer and songwriter this year, which makes him the only artist in history to have a song in the Billboard Top 100 during seven consecutive decades. Paul has shown himself to be the consummate, professional showman and entertainer. On Wednesday night he moved the audience from teary nostalgia to utter joy and hand clapping.

Backed by a 10 piece band consisting of a horn section with trumpet, Trombone and saxophone, percussion and bongo set, drums, three guitars, violin, keyboards and grand piano, it was truly a Vegas-style band and one of the best I’ve heard.

Paul opened up with Tom Jones’ song “She’s A Lady” followed by a jazzy version of “Mack the Knife.” Paul then did a very nostalgic look with an onscreen scrapbook of his life from the beginning of his career when he was 16 and meeting all kinds of celebrities from Ed Sullivan to Johnny Carson and Jackie Gleason to pictures of his five daughters and ending with his current now 12-year-old son. Paul showed these while singing  “The Time of Your Life” which made it quite poignant.

When Paul did his hit song “Having My baby” his female violinist sang the woman’s part with a lovely melodious voice. Paul updated it a bit first singing “having my baby,” then singing “having your baby”  then “having our baby.” Maybe this was because at the time when it came out feminists complained of the chauvinist nature of it.

Paul then went into a medley  of his hits singing “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” going into the audience and picking out a young girl who was celebrating her sweet sixteen birthday and dancing with her, then moved into  “They Called it Puppy Love” and  “Lonely Boy.”

Paul recalled when he was approached by film producer Darryl Zanuck who wanted him to do a song for his picture about D Day called “The Longest Day.” Paul then did that song. He also appeared in the movie which was an all-star cast featuring John Wayne and others.

Paul showed his diversity by doing a brand new slow romantic song on the grand piano he just recorded with Michael Buble then segued into a really sensual version of Prince’s “Purple Rain” that featured a very haunting sax solo. He then switched to doing an acoustic guitar set of foot stomping, rousing country songs with the three guitarists that featured a really fantastic, lively violin solo that got a huge applause from everyone.

Finally, Paul started telling about meeting Frank Sinatra for the first time and everyone knew what was coming. Paul told how he was at the Copacabana one night when a very dapper dressed man came up to him and said: “The boys in the back room want to see you.” He said he got a little choked up when hearing “The boys” want to see you. He went and was introduced to Frank Sinatra. He said Frank wanted him to write a song for him and he said “I could change the words from Puppy Love to be “Love is a bitch” to which Sinatra replied ’Keep writing kid.”

A few years later he contacted Frank and asked him if he still wanted him to write a song for him and Frank said he was retiring now. It was then that Paul wrote “My Way” for Frank. He then performed it and the responded with a rousing applause and then became silent.  Paul ended the concert with his hit song “Diana” getting the audience to sing along in the chorus.

It was a two-hour non-stop concert that was one of the best I’ve been to and well worth seeing.  Paul is 76 years old now and still has all the charm, style and grace he always had and sounds terrific. If you get the chance be sure to catch Paul Anka when he comes to a town near you. You won’t be disappointed.

Hear Paul Do “My Way” from August of this year out in San Jose, Calif. This is exactly the band he had tonite when I saw him.

For the first time ever, Americans were hit by more than 4 billion robocalls in a single month during May, crossing a new threshold for the nation’s robocalling dilemma and marking the third straight month that consumers have endured a record-setting pace for robocalls.

The 4.06 billion robocalls received in May marked a 55% increase in calling volumes over May of last year, or roughly 130.9 million calls for each day of the month, or 1,516 calls received every second. It’s also a stunning 20% increase over the previous record of 3.36 billion robocalls in April of this year.

Despite recent efforts to curb robocalls by federal regulators and phone carriers, Americans have received 16.2 billion robocalls in the first five months of this year, up over 25% from the 12.0 billion robocalls in the same period last year. In addition, each of the 50 Most Robocalled Cities in America recorded increases of 12% or more over the previous month’s record-setting results from April.

These latest monthly figures come from YouMail, a free robocall blocking solution for mobile phones helps consumers stop robocalls from ever reaching their phones. YouMail blocks unwanted robocallers by making sure the user’s phone doesn’t ring, and then plays an out-of-service message that leads them to think that the number they dialed is invalid.

The YouMail Robocall Index™ is a compilation of the scope and location of the worst robocalling hotspots across the country by area code, and these statistics are regularly cited by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a definitive source for national data trends.

What’s Driving This Increase

May has seen a huge increase in legitimate alerts and reminder calls, and in telemarketing calls. These two categories of robocalls increased much faster than the overall growth in robocalls as a whole.

Category	Increase Over April	% Of May Robocalls
Alerts and Reminders	+41%	24%
Payment Reminders	+6%	24%
Telemarketing	+47%	25%
Scams	+16%	27%

The YouMail data suggests that this is because consumers are now answering their phone much less frequently and robocallers, especially those from business interests, are making even more calls to try to get through to consumers.

“The barrage of robocallers clearly has consumers not answering their phone for unknown numbers, or using apps to block calls, which in turn is causing the robocallers to call even more to try to get through,” Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail. “It’s sad, but the phone call now appears to be in a slow-motion death spiral.”

Who Gets the Most Robocalls

Atlanta topped the YouMail 50 Most Robocalled Cities in America list for the 30^th month in a row, fueled by a 20% month-on-month increase in robocall volumes, as area residents received more than 177 million robocalls in May. Other cities making the top five list for May included Dallas (up 16% to 148.2 million); Los Angeles (up 20% to 146.3 million); New York (up 17% to 143.0 million); and Chicago(up 14% to 137.3 million).

The biggest “mover” cities on the Top 50 list for May included #12 Charlotte, which was up 158% over April; #14 Fort Lauderdale (up 31%); and #44 West Palm Beach, FL (up 27%).

California clung to its spot as the state getting the most robocalls in May, with 468.7 million calls received, followed by Texas with 425.3 million. North Carolina notched the biggest percentage increase in robocalls month-on-month, jumping 53.3% to 170.2 million. Other states recording large gains in May included Montana (up 36.1%); Vermont (up 35.8%); Rhode Island (up 33.0%); and Wyoming (up 31.3%).

Who Made the Most Robocalls

For the first time since the YouMail Robocall Index was launched in 2015, 12 cities each placed more than 50 million robocalls in a single month. Chicago extended its streak as the city that generates the most monthly robocalls by placing 115.1 million calls in May, followed by Los Angeles (110.6 million), and New York (106.4 million).

California topped the list of states making the most robocalls, with some 333.2 million calls placed.  Other leading states included Texas (290.9 million); Florida (247.5 million); New York (214.0 million); and Georgia (123.9 million).

New Mexico recorded the biggest percentage increase in outbound robocalls in May (up 318.9%); followed by Maine (up 134.1%); Massachusetts (up 125.1%); Idaho (up 80.3; and Alaska (up 68.9%).

Mix together a pummeling rainstorm and a 98 year old water line and you get a giant sinkhole. Recent rains in Chicago caused a 40 foot sinkhole to open on a residential street swallowing cars and injuring drivers. Watch the video to see a third car topple into the gaping hole.

Camera catches car falling into sinkhole

Read more at the Chicago Tribune.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer defended the American-Israeli alliance on Sunday, taking aim at Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar for her repeated anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements.

“I am an American who believes passionately in the idea of Israel, in the State of Israel, and in the essential right of Jews to have a place of sanctuary in their homeland after millennia of hatred, prejudice, exclusion, dehumanization, and attempted annihilation,” Hoyer said during a speech at American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) 2019 conference. “The State of Israel, founded upon that profound and transcendent premise, must never be allowed to fail.”

Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, explained that he is not Jewish and neither are the majority of his constituents, but that he has traveled to Israel multiple times and witnessed firsthand “the courage of its people and their enduring spirit to make their country flourish.”

“I stand with Israel, proudly and unapologetically. So, when someone accuses American supporters of Israel of dual loyalty, I say: accuse me,” the Maryland representative continued. “I am part of a large, bipartisan coalition in Congress supporting Israel. I tell Israel’s detractors: accuse us. And millions of Americans, regardless of race or faith or partisan label, stand with Israel because they understand why our relationship with Israel is so important. Accuse us all!”

Hoyer’s statements come less than a month after Omar accused Jews of having a “dual loyalty” to the U.S. and Israel, an ages-old anti-Semitic canard. The Muslim congresswoman faced massive backlash from both sides of the aisle including from Democratic leadership. Days later, the House of Representatives passed an anti-hate resolution that was intended as a reprimand for the congresswoman’s anti-Semitic comments.
Hoyer also took aim the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to punish Israel by economically depriving the country for its alleged mistreatment of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. The Anti-Defamation League describes the movement as “the most prominent effort to undermine Israel’s existence.”

“When the curtain is pulled back, everyone can see what that movement truly is: a front for delegitimizing the Jewish people’s right to self-determination,” Hoyer said, further noting Omar Barghouti, the founder and leader of the BDS movement, stated that “Jews are not a people.”

Omar’s time in congressional office has been embroiled in allegations of anti-Semitism. She has defended her anti-Israel statements, such as ones invoking Allah to expose Israel’s “evil doings,” and she is on record stating that Israel is not a democracy. She also gave an interview to a host that referred to Israel as the “Jewish ISIS” and mocked how Americans speak about al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. Interestingly, Omar waited until after she won her congressional election to reveal her support BDS.

“Democracy only works when citizens are educated and informed. As advocates for truth, we here in this room must educate and inform our fellow Americans about what BDS really aims to do: destroy a partner democracy and one of America’s most faithful allies,” Hoyer continued. “Together, we will defeat BDS.”

“We proudly stand with Israel,” Hoyer concluded. “Accuse us.”

• New Zealand politicians, members of the media, and non-Muslim women embraced displays of Muslim faith Friday in an effort to show solidarity with the country’s Muslim community after the Christchurch shootings. 
• Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern donned a hijab, along with thousands of other non-Muslim women, and recited a passage from the Koran at a ceremony in Hagley Park shortly before the Muslim call to prayer broadcast nationwide, while women news anchors also wore hijabs, newspapers featured a common Arabic greeting on their front pages, and politicians began their addresses in parliament with the same Arabic phrase.
• Despite overwhelming support for the #scarvesinsolidarity campaign, Muslim and non-Muslim critics lambasted it, arguing that hijabs are used to oppress women in Muslim majority countries. 

New Zealand politicians and journalists have all but converted to Islam in their efforts to show solidarity with the Muslim community after the Christchurch shootings.

Thousands of New Zealanders engaged in nationally sanctioned displays of Islamic faith Friday, ranging from the national broadcast of the Islamic call to prayer and non-Muslim women donning hijabs to newspapers running Arabic greetings on their front pages. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, police officers, and news anchors joined in the displays of faith throughout the day.

New Zealand broadcast the Islamic call to prayer at 1:30 p.m. local time nationwide, the time when the attacks began the previous Friday, on both television and radio. Thousands of New Zealanders of various faiths also gathered at Hagley Park and other areas around the country to attend a live call to prayer, followed by two minutes of silence and reflection.

Ardern also recited a passage from the Koran prior to the call to prayer.

Politicians and members of the media also reportedly began their broadcasts and addresses with the Arabic greeting Al Salaam Alaykum.

Some New Zealand newspapers also featured the a version of the greeting on their front pages.

Thaya Ashman, a doctor in Aukland, began the social media campaign #scarvesinsolidarity after the shooting urging non-Muslim women to wear hijabs on Friday as a show of support for the Muslim community.

The campaign garnered massive support throughout the country, with leaders like Ardern wearing a hijab to Hagley Park and thousands of women donning hijabs for ceremonies to commemorate the mosque shooting victims, 50 of whom were killed and several others were hospitalized with wounds. Muslim volunteers even distributed hijabs at the events and helped non-Muslim women don them, according to The Washington Post.

“Why am I wearing a headscarf today? Well, my primary reason was that if anybody else turns up waving a gun, I want to stand between him and anybody he might be pointing it at. And I don’t want him to be able to tell the difference, because there is no difference,” Bell Sibly, a woman in Christchurch, told Reuters.

Women police officers providing security for the ceremonies and later for the burial of the victims also sported hijabs.

A non-Muslim police officer wears hijab while protecting Muslims to show her solidarity.

We are one ?#HeadScarfforHarmony #scarvesinsolidarity pic.twitter.com/6oeLqqICAm

— Islam Channel (@Islamchannel) March 22, 2019

The campaign for non-Muslim women to wear hijabs garnered criticism, however, as hijabs and various other forms of Islamic headwear for women are seen as a form of oppression against women, since wearing them is not optional for women in conservative Muslim communities.

Despite the criticism from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, New Zealand women took to the embrace of conservative Islam with fervor.

“If I could I would be attending the mosque and standing outside to show my support for my Muslim whanau but I’ve got lectures and I can’t really skip them,” college student Kate Workman, who wore a hijab Friday, told The Globe Post.

Other women who wore hijabs, like Rafaela Stoakes, expressed similar sentiments.

“It is amazing how different I felt for the short time I was out this morning,” Stoakes told AFP.

“There were a lot of confused looks and some slightly aggressive ones,” she said. “I did feel a sense of pride to honor my Muslim friends, but I also felt very vulnerable and alone as I was the only person wearing one.”

A rare penny found by high schooler in 1947 may sell for as much as $1.7 million at auction after the then-teen who found it, Don Lutes Jr., died in September.

The rare penny is one of about 15 copper coins that were accidentally minted by the Department of the Treasury in 1943. That year, the Treasury stopped using copper to mint pennies to save the metal for the war effort. The Treasury switched to minting pennies out of steel.

But Some copper managed to get into the minting presses in 1943, resulting in “the most famous error coin in American numismatics,” according to the New York Daily News.

A similar coin auctioned in 2010 sold for $1.7 million.

Copper was named a strategic material in the lead-up and during World War II. The metal was used in the production of bullets, telephone wires and other wartime necessities, Fox News reports.

After the Treasury switched minting metals for pennies, rumors swirled about the creation of a few rare copper pennies, despite denials from the Treasury Department. Lutes even tried to get the authenticity of his penny verified by the Treasury Department.

“In regard to recent inquiry, please be informed that copper pennies were not struck in 1943,” the Treasury’s response to Lutes said. “All pennies struck in 1943 were zinc coated steal [sic].”

Lutes took the Treasury statement for fact and kept the penny in his personal collection.

Lutes’s coin, now verified, will remain on auction until Jan. 10, according to Fox News.

A new survey revealed that the overwhelming majority (95 percent) of employers are adding more shifts this summer and more than half (58 percent) plan to hire more summer workers than last year. This parallels the continued and steady climb of U.S. jobs due to the booming economy under the Trump administration’s “America First” policies. Most employers (82 percent), according to the survey by Snag (formerly Snagajob), plan on filling all seasonal summer positions by May this year, up from 71 percent in 2017.

With record low unemployment at 3.9 percent, employers are vying to stay competitive with more employers willing to offer the maximum hourly wage they feel their business can afford (46 percent in 2018 versus 31 percent in 2017) rather than the minimum required by law (12 percent in 2018 versus 18 percent in 2017). A result of this is that 74 percent plan to pay an hourly wage of at least $11, compared to last year when only 53 percent of employers planned to pay the same or more.

“We’re thrilled to see nearly all employers are adding extra shifts this summer on top of hiring more hourly workers. This is doubly good news because it likely indicates that current employees are getting more hours,” said Peter Harrison, CEO of Snag. “Wage growth is super important but on its own not enough to combat the staggering underemployment that still persists in America.”

While summer hiring is substantially up with 58 percent of employers expecting to hire more seasonal employees this year, the pace of growth has decelerated slightly. Last year, 67 percent of employers expected to hire more seasonal workers. On average, employers anticipate new hires will make up nearly a quarter (23 percent) of their summer workforce versus 41 percent in 2017. There has also been a giant surge in interest for on-demand workers with 81 percent of employers planning to utilize on-demand workers within the next 12 months, up from 62 percent last year and 31 percent year-over-year.

Employers plan to try different strategies to help attract and retain quality talent for the summer months. Snag’s survey showed employers are offering more full-time opportunities, health care and PTO benefits. This is consistent with what hourly workers want. According to the company’s State of the Hourly Worker report, more job seekers are focused on full-time work and are looking for jobs with paid time off, health insurance and 401K packages. Since 2015, Snag has seen a 43 percent increase in full-time job searches and a 27 percent decrease in part-time job searches.

Roughly 25 percent of summer job applications in 2017 were submitted by Gen Z. To keep up, employers are becoming more mobile friendly. Nearly one in two employers (43 percent) are now texting applicants to schedule interviews. Surprisingly, the data reveals a drop (41 percent) in job posts on social media platforms.

“One has to imagine the privacy issues with social media in the news has had some bearing on the massive decline in social media job posts. There’s more negative sentiment out there today than there was even 60 days ago,” added Harrison.

Additionally, the report uncovered an uptick in E-Verify, which confirms the identity and employment eligibility of job applicants. Nearly 40 percent of employers plan to use E-Verify to evaluate summer applicants, up from 25 percent last year. The turn to enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws benefits legal immigrants and American citizens as employers increasingly reject illegal aliens in the workforce.

Additional findings from the survey include:

• Even with low unemployment, employers aren’t worried about getting enough applications this year. In fact, 60 percent anticipate getting more summer applicants than last year.
• Employers anticipate one in five (21 percent) of their summer workforce will be made up of rehires compared to 26 percent in 2017.
• Employers are using mobile or app-based applicant tracking systems (ATS) more than in the past. Usage increased 167 percent year-over-year.
• The majority of employers (90 percent) use technology and automation to complete certain employee tasks, yet nearly 70 percent don’t expect it will impact the number of summer staff they plan to hire.

What has happened to society? Why, when someone suffers a personal loss, are so many jumping to criticize, scorn, and generally offer hate filled messages? Where is our compassion?

This morning websites in the United Kingdom opened their pages for readers to offer condolences and tributes with the death of their former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. But before the day’s end, The Daily Telegraph closed their web pages to comments as Editor Tony Gallagher tweeted: We have closed comments on every #Thatcher story today – even our address to email tributes is filled with abuse.

There is no doubt that Thatcher’s iron fist and union breaking government caused many from the 80’s to dislike her policies but is there no room for even one day of remembrance before striking out?

In another sad event, closer to home, this weekend well known Evangelical Pastor Rick Warren’s son committed suicide. As Pastor Warren wrote and friends suggested, the son struggled many years with mental illness and depression. Yet, almost before the news was out the criticisms of Warren and his Christian religion were spread across the social media.

Would we be so quick to hate in real life? Or is it through the anonymity of the internet that so many feel free the boundaries of civility and able to spew vitriol without having the least bit of compassion for a family facing such a loss?

Are we not allowed ideological differences? Where is our compassion?

The clip below is from FNC’s Megan Kelly on American Live as she discusses the appalling comments towards the Warren family with Father Jonathan Morris of the Catholic Church and Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. As Perkins said, “There was a time when, even when we differed ideologically, we would take a break when a family suffers such a great tragedy.” And as Father Jonathan recommends, let’s offer our prayers and positive affirmations in large numbers to keep the negative comments in context.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.comRead more at Washington Times

Luke Combs performs “Hurricane” from his album “This One’s For You”.

James Powell, a superintendent for Century Aluminum expresses his thanks to President Donald Trump for protecting American workers against unfair European and Asian trade practices that threaten his profession.