Memorial Day: President Obama vows better care for veterans as New Yorkers honor the fallen with parades, barbecues

Hours after returning from a surprise visit to Afghanistan, President Obama commemorated Memorial Day by honoring the nation’s troops — and promising to do better by them at home. “We’re in a pivotal moment. Our troops are coming home. By the end of this year, our war in Afghanistan will finally come to an end,” the president said after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. “And yesterday at Bagram (Air Force Base), and here today at Arlington, we pay tribute to the nearly 2,200 American patriots who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. We will honor them,

always.”

Speaking to service members and their families, Obama made reference to the scandalous reports of waitlists and poor services at hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“As we’ve been reminded in recent days, we must do more to keep faith with our veterans and their families, and ensure they get the care and benefits and opportunities that they’ve earned and that they deserve,” Obama said.

“These Americans have done their duty,” he said. “They ask nothing more than that our country does ours — now and for decades to come.”

In New York, Mayor de Blasio, whose father served in World War II, honored veterans in ceremonies at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial in Riverside Park and at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.He also marched in the Little Neck-Douglaston Parade in Queens.

“Every one of us has been touched by wars all over the world, having men and women in our families who went and fought on our behalf,” de Blasio said.

“My dad was wounded on Okinawa, came back and struggled like so many veterans do. So today is a day where we honor everyone who served. We honor everyone who’s serving now and defending us now. And we especially remember those who didn’t come back. This is a day when we have to hold them in our minds and our hearts. Never let the memories go.

Gov. Cuomo also walked the Queens parade route, waving to the throngs who came out to show their love for the troops on a perfect spring day.

“It’s a beautiful day, a day for families, a day for barbecues, a day for enjoying the great weather, but it’s also a day to remember. And it’s a day to remember that freedom is not free and many people paid a very high price indeed,” Cuomo said.

Rocco Moretto, 89, of Astoria, was one of the grand marshals of the parade The World War II vet, who fought at D-Day, was one of only two men in a unit of 219 to make it through the war without being wounded or killed.

“I think about the buddies I lost, and it’s a solemn day, really. So many young friends you lost. There hasn't been a day in my life I haven’t thought about it,” he said.

Another World War II vet, Barnet Schulman, 89, of Bayside, said he always looks forward to the parade.“It’s important to me, and it’s my day out. I’m married 65 years, and this is one day I can do what I want!” he said.

While many turned out for the parades — Cuomo’s Republican rival Rob Astorino and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, wearing an American flag scarf, both marched in Chappaqua — some took advantage of the beautiful weather just to have fun.

In Coney Island, revelers were sunbathing, playing volleyball, building sandcastles and dancing.

“Obviously, it’s a holiday to remember the veterans, but it’s also a time to hang out with family and friends,” said Kristina Luna, 34, who’d biked with her husband all the way from the Bronx.

Alcindor Jenkins, 26, doffed his shirt on the boardwalk.

“I love showing off my physique because God blessed me with this beautiful body. Sometimes the tourists come up to me to take pictures. Hundreds of people walk through here, so this is the perfect place to show off my body,” he said. “It’s all positive.”

With Jennifer Fermino

Ten Things To Know As You Start Playing 'Watch Dogs'

I published my massive 3,600 word review of Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs late last night, but I thought it would be wise to write a separate, shorter post to ease new players into the game with tips and hints I learned in my 20+ hours of gameplay over the weekend. There are a few things I wish I knew from the start, and perhaps one or two of these will help you better acclimate to the game.

Here are ten points that will hopefully improve your experience with the game from the get-go. There are zero spoilers ahead.

1. Manage Your Expectations

Don’t go in expecting Watch Dogs to be world-changing. It’s a good game, but it isn’t revolutionary. Understand that it may feel closer to Grand Theft Auto than you’re comfortable with, but you can try to separate the two if you focus on stealth whenever possible. My personal view is that the game is much more fun (and much less like GTA) if you at leastattempt to be silent and sneaky when taking on different missions in the game. The machine gun is usually the easy answer to your problems, but it’s the dullest way to play.2. Upgrade Your Hacking Tree Early

There are a number of skill trees you can invest in, but far and away, Hacking is the must-have above Driving, Crafting and Combat. Specifically, invest early on in perks that allow you to control traffic-based hackable items, with bridges and steam pipes being the most useful. Know early on that you will NOT be able to out-ram or out-run the pursuing gangs or police, nor can you kill them with drive-bys, as the mechanic doesn’t exist in the game. Rather, these sections are usually only beatable through using the city to dispatch your foes, and they can be extremely hard early on if you have to rely solely on flipping traffic lights alone.

3. When Fleeing, Head to Water

This always felt like kind of a cheap trick whenever I used it, but I ran into several missions where the heat from gangs or cops was so intense that I literally couldn’t get away using traffic hacking tricks alone. More than once, I simply drove to the water, got in a boat and sped away for the escape. Sometimes, if there wasn’t a boat, I would just swim halfway across a massive river until I was just too far away from shore to be found. Unlike GTA, enemies don’t have boats, so this works when all else fails. Later in the game, you can combine this method with the “Disable Helicopter” perk to get away at nearly any wanted level.

4. Invest in the Money Hacking Perks as Early as You Can

After car hacking tricks, be sure to upgrade the ability to swipe more money from pedestrians, and also especially the perk that will automatically highlight big “whale” targets for you. This will get you very rich, very fast, as whales can bring you anywhere from $8,000 to $15,000 a hack. The earlier you do this, the more money you will have throughout the game.

5. Buy Guns, Not Cars

When you finally start having a little cash in your pocket, I would advise maybe buying one good bike, and one good car, and holding off on any others. While car delivery is cool in the open world, it doesn’t work at all in missions, which is where it would be the most useful. But in contrast, the best investment you can make with your money is to simply save until you can buy the best five star gun in your favorite class. As you will never, ever run out of ammo, it’s good to invest in one or two guns you will use a lot. I could beat any mission with just my silenced pistol and 5-star assault rifle, making me wonder why the game needed 30 different guns at all. Buying mid-tier guns just isn’t worth it as you will likely find most of those in the wild. And when you kill your first “heavy,” be sure to take his shotgun or LMG. The LMG specifically is in my eyes, the best weapon in the game with its 75-round magazine.

6. Audio Logs Will Enhance the Story

While most collectibles and side-missions have nothing to do with the main plot, audio logs flesh out the relatively sparse central story. You get to learn a lot more about all the characters (except yourself, ironically), and audio logs are what made Quinn and Iraq my favorite characters in the game. You should also find the map-highlighted audio logs of the assassin you capture in the opening in the game, who is held prisoner by Jordi for most of the story. Knowing his side of the story is important for the very end of the game.7. Don’t Forget About Secondary Items

While Watch Dogs Uses a weapon wheel like so many other games in the genre these days, it hides a lot of its secondary weapons within it. It’s a bit weird to me that IEDs, grenades, electronic distractions, blackouts, scans and pretty much every secondary thing you can craft is all assigned to the same slot, and often you’ll forget you even have these items. Explosives are often key to beating tough areas (including one boss fight which would literally be impossible without them), and hacking tools are a lot of fun when you actually remember to use them.

8. Utilize Bullet Time

It’s similarly easy to forget about the game’s slow-motion Focus mechanic. It seems rather out of place in Watch Dogs, but like, every single game must have one these days it seems, so here we are. This is key for lining up headshots (particularly with the silenced pistol) and timing takedowns while driving. I’m not sure the game needed this mechanic at all, but if you want to make things easier for yourself, use it.

9.  Stay Incognito

Though the game is surprisingly focused around gunplay, more so than I anticipated, do not run around with a weapon drawn. The game is at least a level of realistic where it will freak out anyone and everyone around you. This is particularly bad to do in a store, as it will send everyone fleeing and you’ll no longer be able to buy anything. You can, however, then raid the cash register for money, but that will net you “evil karma.” I’m still working on figuring on what exactly the karma system does, but from what I can tell, higher karma means pedestrians will be less likely to call the cops on you for committing crimes, which seems a bit ironic.

10. AVOID THE POLICE

I really can’t stress this enough, as in Watch Dogs, the police are absolute psychopaths. I’ve had a simple carjacking turn into a twenty minute long chase sequence because when you use takedowns to get away from the cops, it onlyincreases your wanted level since you’re wrecking their cars. While fighting cops and SWAT teams and tanks may be fun in rampage-happy GTA, it’s far less enjoyable here. Chases will almost always just end with a bunch of armored troopers removing your head with auto-shotguns, or a helicopter sniping at your car until it’s completely disabled. Usually the only way to get away is to use my water method or simply die. In short, unless a mission is specifically throwing cops at you, never, ever provoke them if you don’t have to.

‘Petals On The Wind’ Movie Spoilers: 9 Major Differences Between The 1980 Book And 2014 Lifetime Movie

Lifetime’s movie version of “Petals On The Wind,” the V.C. Andrews sequel to “Flowers In The Attic,” premiered on Monday, May 26. The book, which was originally published in 1980, told the story of the Dollanganger children’s life outside of the attic of Foxworth Hall – a place they were captive for years by their own mother and grandmother.

Four months after the success of Lifetime’s remake of “Flowers In The Attic

,” the network adapted the second novel for the small screen. However, the movie and book have some major differences. Check out the big changes between V.C. Andrews’ 1980 book and Lifetime’s 2014 adaptation:

[WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!]

1. Paul Sheffield

The “Petals on the Wind” novel began with the three remaining Dollanganger children on a bus to Florida. However their plan was derailed when Carrie’s health began to deteriorate from the arsenic poisoning. With little money in their pockets, Cathy and Chris didn’t know what to do. But fortunately a kind woman named Henny took them back to the house of the doctor she worked for – Paul Sheffield. Paul took the three children in, caring for them and financially supporting them as if they were his own.

Eventually the doctor developed a romantic relationship with Cathy. The pair was engaged to marry, but Cathy broke off their engagement after learning about Paul’s “horrific” past from his sister, Amanda.

Lifetime’s 2014 version of the book completely skipped out on Paul’s story line – which was interweaved throughout the entire 1980 novel. In order to avoid the character, the movie kicked off with the Dollanganger kids at a funeral 10 years after the events of “Flowers in the Attic.” The funeral was for Paul, who was acknowledged to be their guardian after they escaped Foxworth Hall.

2. Henny 

In the V.C. Andrews novel, Paul’s live-in help was Henny. Although not related, the pair considered each other family, with Henny even calling Paul her “doctor-son.” Unable to speak, Henny communicated with everyone through written notes.

The new movie chose to give Henny the ability to speak, but that wasn’t the only big change. In the books Henny passed away before Paul. However in the Lifetime movie she outlived Paul and continued to live with the Dollanganger kids at Paul’s home.

3. Julian And Cathy’s Dancing CareerFans of the series know that Cathy was always obsessed with dancing. In the books Paul enrolls Cathy in classes and helps Chris begin prepping for medical school. It’s while at her ballet classes that Cathy meets Julian, her teacher’s son and a dancer in New York. Since Cathy is in high school in the books, Julian takes the time to woo her and convince her to join him in New York. And although Cathy initially tells him no, she eventually caves and agrees that the only way to follow her dream is to go to New York.

The pair have an on and off relationship in the books – with Cathy falling madly in love with him while they dance, but hating him when they’re off the stage. As a team they achieved success in the dance world, and Cathy ultimately ended up marrying him after believing that Paul lied to her about his ex-wife. 

In the movie Cathy doesn’t meet Julian until after Paul dies. She doesn’t fight off his affection like she did in the books, and agrees almost immediately to follow him to New York to dance. However the movie doesn’t show their success in the dance world or their marriage. Instead viewers are treated to one performance of “Romeo and Juliet” in which Cathy only landed the role of Juliet to Julian’s Romeo when Julian slipped glass into Yolanda’s slipper.

4. Christopher And Cathy’s Relationship

Those who read “Flowers In The Attic” are familiar with Christopher and Cathy’s incestuous relationship. In the V.C. Andrews sequel Cathy fights Christopher off, telling him that she doesn’t have the same feelings that he has for her. That doesn’t stop Christopher from trying to make moves on her though. Throughout the book he tries to convince her to end her relationships with other men and run off with him to start their own family.

In the Lifetime movie Christopher’s actions are pretty spot on. However, Cathy is much more susceptible to his advances than in the book. The pair has sex after she returns from her first date with Julian, but Cathy breaks things off when she tells her brother that she’s moving to New York to dance with Julian.

5. Christopher’s Love Interest

While Cathy moves on romantically in the books, Christopher can’t overcome his obsession with his sister. Although he admitted to going on random dates with women – including Cathy’s arch nemesis, Yolanda – nothing serious ever developed.

That’s far from what happens in the movie though. While interning at a hospital, Christopher meets Sarah, the daughter of the doctor he’s shadowing. The pair ultimately became engaged to wed, but on the night before their wedding Sarah walked in on Christopher kissing Cathy. Her discovery lead to rumors being spread around town about their incestuous relationship.

6. Julian’s AccidentCathy was obsessed with getting revenge against her mother throughout the entire V.C. Andrews book. Her desire to destroy her mother’s perfect life ultimately ruined all her relationships, as it was the only thing she could focus on.

The movie differed in the fact that Cathy tried reaching out to her mother and became upset when Corrine failed to acknowledge her. Her real obsession for revenge came after Carrie’s death – leading her to seduce her mother’s husband, Bart.

9. The Grandmother

In the books Cathy wanted revenge on the grandmother just as much as Corrine. After learning that the grandmother couldn’t talk after a stroke, Cathy paid her a visit and turned the whip and wax (as substitute for tar) on her.

That was slightly altered in the movie. The grandmother was still able to speak, but her mind was not as it used to be. Focusing on moments from the past, the grandmother kept accusing Corrine of poisoning her children. And needless to say, Corrine wasn’t happy with her mother’s openness about their sinful actions.

‘The Normal Heart’ Review Roundup: Tragic Tale About Early Years Of AIDS

‘The Normal Heart’ aired on May 25 over Memorial Day weekend, and critics have been praising Ryan Murphy’s latest venture about the heartbreaking early years of AIDS in the 1980s. Read on for reviews! The Normal Heart, directed by Glee showrunner Ryan Murphy, is the story of Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo), a gay man in the 1980s whose friends are succumbing to a new, fatal illness — AIDS. Based on the play of the same name by Larry Kramer — who also wrote the screenplay — it has been receiving mostly rave reviews for its realistic portrayal of the AIDS crisis in America in the 1980s and how difficult it was to raise awareness and support when so many men were too afraid for their lives to even come out of the closet — including Ned’s lover, Felix Turner (Matt Bomer). Read on for reviews! Larry Kramer’s Ned Weeks is outspoken about the mysterious illness killing off gay men where many prefer to shy away from the media spotlight — that is, when the media even cares to cover the outbreak.A passionate activist, Ned seeks to gain attention from politicians and media alike to raise awareness about the virus infecting those closest to him. However, his passion is off-putting to many — gay and straight alike — who are simply too uncomfortable to face and deal with reality. Will you be seeing 'Normal Heart'?Yes, can't wait!Already saw it -- loved it!Already saw it -- not a fan.No, not my bag.VoteView Results Heartbreaking Story About A Problem That Still Persists Today It’s a heartbreaking story about a problem that still persists today, and is absolutely a must-see — not just because of the direly important subject matter, but because critics have been overwhelming in their praise. Here’s what they’ve been saying: Vulture:“The film doesn’t wonder. It says, ‘Yes, that’s pretty much what happened. And if you say otherwise, you’re naïve or lying.’ … If anger and suffering were all there were to The Normal Heart, watching it would be torture. Luckily, it has heart to match its guts. There’s always been a crackpot humanist sensibility in Murphy’s TV work, even when it was going for sadomasochistic violence or surreal kitsch.”“In its totality, this represents a powerful piece of work, with Ruffalo overcoming the prickly aspects of his character to convey his pain, and Jim Parsons delivering a wonderful supporting turn, including a sobering scene in which he talks about eulogizing fallen friends. … Perhaps foremost, HBO once again straddles the cinematic line, providing a character-oriented drama with theatrical talent and values that would face challenges finding much purchase at the modern-day multiplex.

Rachel Louise Carson commemorated in Google doodle

Google doodle today commemorates the 107th birth anniversary of Rachel Louise Carson, eminent scientist and author of Silent Spring, the book that launched a truly global environmental movement and led to the banning of pesticide DDT. Born on 27 May 1907, in Springdale, Pennsylvania, Carson was a nature lover, a keen reader and had developed a penchant for writing from an early age, documenting the living world around her. She read zoology at Johns Hopkins University, completing her MA in 1932 and later joined US fish  service as a marine biologist.

Besides her scientific work, she wrote pamphlets, articles and features on nature and conservation and in 1936 became editor-in-chief of all publications of USFWS, according to a biography by Linda Lear. 

But Carson's most acclaimed work came in 1962 with the publication of Silent Spring, a book about the unnatural quiet of countryside brought on by deaths of birds due to spraying of fields and farms with pesticides, chief among them DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane).in the  book, Carson catalogued the environmental impacts of indiscriminate DDT spraying in the US and challenged the logic of releasing large amounts of chemicals into the environment without proper understanding of their effects on ecology or human health.

Despite being targeted by the chemical industry, Carson continued to speak out against the use of pesticides in agriculture. In 1963 she testified before the Congress and also provided her input in the development of US federal policies on environment and agriculture.

Silent Spring showed that DDT and other pesticides caused cancer, killed wildlife, especially birds, and had a devastating impact on both nature and humankind. The book resulted in a nation-wide public outcry in the US, leading eventually to a ban on using DDT in agriculture in 1972. 

A global ban followed later same year under the Stockholm Convention – a global treaty to protect human health and the  environment from use of chemicals.

Carson's work in awakening the world to the horrors of pesticides is cited by scientists as a major factor in bringing back some bird species from the brink of extinction, particularly, the bald eagle – US's national bird. Peregrine falcon is another bird of prey that has made a comeback largely due to the ban on DDT.

Her other books include The Sea Around Us (1952) and The Edge of the Sea (1955). Carson died of breast cancer in 1964, but remains one of the most eminent writer and scientist to have inspired a global environmental movement that questioned man's relation with nature. And in no small way, her work helped save millions of birds, giving spring back its song. 

Can Yacon Syrup Really Help You Lose Weight? An Objective Look

A sweet-tasting syrup that can help you lose weight? Seems almost too good to be true… But this is exactly what they’re saying about Yacon syrup, which recently became popular as a weight loss aid. In contrast to most weight loss supplements, it does have some actual human research to back up the claims. This article takes an objective look at Yacon syrup and the studies behind it. What is Yacon Syrup? Yacon syrup is extracted from the roots of the Yacon plant. The Yacon plant, also called Small.The juices from the roots are extracted, then filtered and evaporated in a chemical-free manufacturing process that resembles the way Maple syrup is made. A very natural process (2). The final product is a sweet-tasting syrup, with a dark color and a consistency similar to molasses. Yacon syrup recently became popular after it was featured by Dr. Mehmet Oz, a famous TV doctor in America. He called it a “metabolism game changer” and seemed very excited about it. You can watch the episode for free.

New US flag secured to sunken military ship The Associated Press

KEY WEST, Fla. -- A new American flag is floating in the waters over a former military ship sunk to create an artificial reef in the Florida Keys.Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the sinking of the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg in waters about 7 miles off Key West International Airport.A group of Navy divers had installed an American flag soon after the wreck's dedication 60 feet below the surface. The Key West Citizen reports (http://bit.ly/1r9B7lu ) that a local Navy group donated a 6