4 firefighters killed in Houston motel fire

A firefighter is wheeled to an ambulance after fighting a fire at the Southwest Inn, Friday, May 31, 2013, in Houston. A fire that engulfed a Houston motel has injured at least six firefighters, including two critically, and three people are missing. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duff) MANDATORY CREDIT

A firefighter is wheeled to an ambulance after fighting a fire at the Southwest Inn, Friday, May 31, 2013, in Houston. A fire that engulfed a Houston motel has injured at least six firefighters, including two critically, and three people are missing. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duff) MANDATORY CREDIT

A firefighter stands near a fire at the Southwest Inn, Friday, May 31, 2013, in Houston. A fire that engulfed a Houston motel has injured at least six firefighters, including two critically, and three people are missing. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duff) MANDATORY CREDIT

Flames erupt from the Southwest Inn on U.S. 59 in Houston on Friday, May 31, 2013. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duty)

Firefighters battle a fire at the Southwest Inn, Friday, May 31, 2013, in Houston. A fire that engulfed a Houston motel has injured at least six firefighters, including two critically, and three people are missing. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duff) MANDATORY CREDIT

A firefighter sits on the ground during a blaze at the Southwest Inn on U.S. 59 in Houston on Friday, May 31, 2013. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duty)

HOUSTON (AP) ? Four firefighters searching for people they thought might be trapped in a blazing Houston motel and restaurant Friday were killed when the part of the structure collapsed and ensnared them, authorities said.

At least five other firefighters were hospitalized in the blaze that became the deadliest in the 118-year history of the Houston Fire Department.

Flames were shooting from the roof of the Southwest Inn, along one of Houston's most heavily traveled freeways, U.S. Highway 59, and black smoke was blanketing the area as firefighters tried to extinguish the fire.

Three firefighters were killed at the scene, while the fourth died at a hospital, according to the mayor's office and a medical examiner. Five other people were injured and were hospitalized for treatment of chest pains or leg injuries.

"We took the highest amount of risk possible because we thought we had civilians in the structure," Fire Chief Terry Garrison said. "The structure collapsed and our members who were trying to save lives were lost."

Garrison said everyone else has since been accounted for. A cause of the blaze hasn't yet been determined.

The loss of life is the single worst in the history of the department, which had counted 64 firefighters lost since the city began paying firefighters in 1895. Twice previously, two firefighters were killed in a single fire, in 1953 and most recently in 2000.

"Unfortunately, the building had much more fire in it than we originally thought," Garrison said. "We do know there was a collapse and it caused our firefighters to get trapped."

When a flag-draped body was removed from the smoldering remains around 4 p.m., some four hours after the blaze broke out, firefighters ? working in swirling winds, steamy humidity and temperatures exceeding 90 degrees ? paused and saluted. A procession of ambulances, under police motorcycle escort, left the scene about 90 minutes later and made a ceremonial drive past the fallen firefighters' station, by then draped in black.

"We will provide appropriate services to our fallen firefighters and full honors, but there is nothing we can do that will heal the hurt that we all feel today," Mayor Annise Parker said. "I ask for every Houstonian to offer their prayers to the families of these fallen firefighters, and also to think about what the job of firefighter is and the dangers they face every day."

Names of the victims were not immediately released. Parker said they would be withheld until family members were notified.

"We will work through it, we will get better and we will learn from this," Garrison said.

Jeff Caynon, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, said the victims included three men and one woman.

"Houston firefighters mourn the loss of our three brothers and our sister and will forever honor their sacrifices," Caynon said. "This tragedy underscores the inherent dangers of our?profession."

Officials said the five injured firefighters likely would remain hospitalized for at least the night.

The blaze broke out just after noon at a restaurant and bar at the motel, then quickly spread to the section of the building housing the motel. About 150 firefighters responded and were able to get it under control within about two hours.

Front desk clerk Martha Lopez told the Houston Chronicle that a restaurant employee ran into the hotel saying a fire had started in the restaurant. The two began knocking on doors and windows telling guests to get out of the hotel. Lopez had 45 registered guests at the time.

Sammy Sewell, who had been staying at the hotel, said he walked out of his room and heard yelling. He said he turned a corner, saw three women screaming and running at him down a hallway. Then he heard three blasts.

"Next thing you know, it was 'boom!' It scared the crap out of me. I mean, it sounded like a cannon going off. That's how loud it was," Sewell told the newspaper. "I could have sworn it picked this building up and put it back down."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-31-Houston%20Hotel%20Fire/id-dd320afb237a4fdbb126066aff8fc4ae

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Seeing Relationship Red Flags For What They Are - Since My Divorce

Many of the people I?ve interviewed have told me there were relationship red flags from the beginning, even before they were married. It?s not that they didn?t see the red flags at the time but more that they underestimated the impact they?d have on the relationship and the marriage.

My current guest Sandy was married for over twenty years and she too says there were red flags about her relationship from very early on:

?I married what I thought was safe, because of my own heart being broken by men who were unsafe and not knowing myself well enough to know that I could feel incredible love for somebody and attraction for somebody and feel safe.

That didn?t ever happen in my life prior, so I married somebody that I didn?t feel that kind of attraction for, but I thought he had the good values that I needed. And he really loved me, he was very devoted to me. I thought that was a safe formula.

The red flags were his mom, his devotion to his family. That showed up very, very early on. He?s a comedian and he was doing a performance in Toronto on a TV show and his father had a kidney stone, which it wasn?t major. He was in the hospital, he had many kidney stones and my husband left his job to go be with his father, even though his father didn?t want him there.

On one hand I was thinking, ?Oh, this is so nice. He has such a nice family relationship,? and on the other hand, I said, ?His job, he left a job and it wasn?t an emergency.? So there was this confusion that I had about that, but it struck a cord in me, that this was extreme.

He included his parents in everything. We actually took them on our honeymoon.

We went about six months after our marriage. We went to Israel, Holland and Italy. His parents had never been to Israel. Neither had he, I think. He asked me if they could come for two weeks, because this would probably be their only chance. That they would never go on their own. I said, ?This is our honeymoon. This is not supposed to be with parents.? I?m like, ?No, no, no,? and he said, ?Oh, come on.? He was really persuasive and they ended up coming with us. That was challenging.

Throughout the marriage basically his mother would bring him closer and push me away. Whenever we?d have a problem, it was, ?Poor baby, bad wife,? and I didn?t realize until much later, how toxic that was. It felt bad. One of the first things she said to me was, ?I hold grudges, so don?t ever cross me.? That?s such a welcoming statement, isn?t it? And also, ?We don?t babysit by the way, so don?t ever ask us.? There were a lot of things like that.

I?m so looking forward to my kids having kids. I can?t wait to be there for them, but I?m not going to move in with them and I?m not going to tell my daughter that her husband is a bad boy, because she?s having marital issues. I?m going to encourage her to work things out and be independent. There?s a lot of co-dependency in not healthy relationships.

What else was a red flag? There was a an extremism. He fell for me in five minutes. He was really dying to get married and I remember saying to him, ?What do you love about me,? because I didn?t really feel seen.

I?ve talked to other women who?ve told me the same thing. There?s a lot of talk about love, but the actual demonstration of love in it?s true sense, where somebody really respects you and talks out issues and gets you gifts that you want, not that he wants and gets you the ice cream cake that?s in your favorite flavor and not his for your birthday is missing. All of those things were signs of him really not seeing me, but seeing what he wanted to see.

I know that he cared deeply about me, but it?s very different when you feel that true connection, where somebody really gets you and you get them.

Also our connection to Judaism was never the same. Even though we were both Observant, he was only two years into it when I met him and he was fanatical as he was with many things. He?s very black and white. That was also a red flag.

He would have conversations with God. He?d say, ?God just told me this,? and I?d think ?That?s weird but OK, he?s really into it.?

My connection was much more intellectual and spiritual and his was very emotional and very different. I think that was important too.

There could be some outside signs that look good on paper, but when it comes to the practicality of it or the truth of it, it?s very different. I think that?s an important place to look in a relationship.

The value of going back and looking for these red flags isn?t to beat yourself up about why you ignored them or didn?t act on them. The value comes from using these to stop yourself from making the same choices again. It?s less about the other person and more about you.

This means digging deeper and asking what was it about your own development that made you willing to accept the behavior. Then you have to ask yourself what changes you?ve made or that you?re going to work on so you won?t accept the same behavior in the future.

Sometimes the red flags are less about behavior and more about a fundamental difference in values. These are valuable insights you can take with you when you?re ready to start dating again and they?ll help you decide what is and what is not a dealbreaker.

What do you see now as red flags from your relationship with your STBX? What have you learned from them?
Sandy Weiner?is a dating coach at?Last First Date?where she blogs about dating and offers coaching services for completing your online dating profile. You can also sign up for her free report:?Top 3 Mistakes Midlife Daters Make.

Photo Credit: 2013? Jupiter Images Corporation

Source: http://www.sincemydivorce.com/seeing-relationship-red-flags-for-what-they-are/

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Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine?s 2-year-old son has impressive striking

This is Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine's 2-year-old son, and he has some training to do on this laundry basket. Check out his technique on low kicks. Clearly, he has been watching his dad and learning from him. The older Saffiedine is making his UFC debut in July against Robbie Lawler. Will he be as effective as his son is against the laundry hamper?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/strikeforce-champion-tarec-saffiedine-two-old-son-impressive-133912029.html

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Sen. Richard Blumenthal: There's Nothing To Celebrate: NRA's Celebratory Atmosphere At National Conference Is Disgusting

This weekend at its national conference in Houston, the National Rifle Association is celebrating. The organization is celebrating the fact that the Senate, despite the wishes of a majority of Americans, failed to pass the gun violence prevention bill last month.

Don't take my word for it. Take theirs. Just this morning, NRA Executive Director Chris Cox bragged about the organization's efforts to defeat the Senate's bill. "It was great to see the president throw a temper tantrum in the Rose Garden," Cox said.

I think Cox's remarks are disgusting, particularly since President Obama was doing what the NRA refuses to do -- standing with and fighting for families who have lost loved ones as a result of gun violence. I also think the celebratory atmosphere at the NRA's national conference is disgusting.

There is nothing celebratory about the fact that 11,000 Americans die each year from gun violence. In fact, on Wednesday 18 people died as a result of gun violence, including a 13-year-old and 15-year-old. Tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, many more people will die as a result of gun violence.

There's nothing celebratory about the fact that 20 first graders and six educators were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last year, or the fact that easily accessible assault weapons allowed Adam Lanza to take those 26 lives and injure others in less than five minutes.

There is nothing celebratory about the fact that two brothers suspected of planting bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon a few weeks ago were able to get a gun without a proper permit. This gun was used to kill a police officer.

Despite these morbid realities, the NRA is still celebrating this weekend in the Lone Star State, slowly but surely consigning itself to irrelevance as Americans continue to pressure Congress to do something about gun violence weeks after the Senate's failure to pass the gun violence prevention bill. These Americans are confronting pro-gun politicians at town hall meetings, donating money to gun reform groups, and running ads attacking politicians who voted against gun reform. They're even protesting the NRA's national conference this weekend, which is proof that the "Connecticut effect" is not going away and the silent majority continues to get louder and louder.

The NRA is on the wrong side of history. A majority of Americans -- including a majority of NRA members -- want Congress to do something about gun violence, a demand expressed to me by many Newtown parents and other Connecticut residents after the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook. But the NRA chooses to ignore them. The organization would rather spread misinformation about the impact that lax gun laws have on American families and communities.

Ironically, the motto at the NRA's national conference this weekend is "stand and fight." The organization fails to realize that the majority of Americans who support commonsense gun violence prevention measures are prepared to do exactly that.

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Follow Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@SenBlumenthal

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-richard-blumenthal/theres-nothing-to-celebra_b_3211185.html

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