States lure manufacturers and shore up jobs By Susan Caminiti

It wasn't long ago that the thought of corporations bringing their manufacturing back to the U.S. seemed all but impossible. But that's precisely what's happening, and the trend is predicted to continue through the rest of the decade. Consider Kent International, one of the largest U.S.-based bicycle manufacturers. The company, with headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey, has been making its bikes overseas for more than 20 years. But with Chinese labor costs rising over the past several years, the company began to consider whether it made financial sense to bring some of that production back to the U.S. In the fall, Kent's new manufacturing facility will open in Clarendon County, South Carolina. American companies have been offshoring their manufacturing for decades as a way to take advantage of low wages in places like China, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. But now a growing number of them, like Kent International, are rethinking that formula and are bringing at least some of their manufacturing back to the U.S. There are a number of reasons for this shift. Wages in China have been growing roughly 15 percent per year over the past decade, while salaries for manufacturing jobs in the U.S. have risen on average just 2.3 percent over the past 10 years, according to the Labor Department. Factor in higher transportation costs, growing quality-control issues connected with goods made in China and cheaper domestic energy costs, and the case for bringing manufacturing back home begins to add up. Harry Moser is founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative, a Chicago-based firm that works with companies to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. He believes that when companies look at the total cost of ownership (TCO) rather than simply the lower wages in places like China, the case for bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. makes business sense. CNBC

Cher: Live in Concert

Cher: Live in Concert, Walking In Memphis & Just Like Jesse James

10 Inspiring Maya Angelou Quotes That Will Lift You Up [LIST]

A compilation of 10 of Maya Angelou's most inspirational quotes.

1. ON OPTIMISM "Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud." 2. ON CHOICE "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." 3. ON PEOPLE "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." 4. ON LOVE "The love of the family, the love of the person can heal. It heals the scars left by a larger society. A massive, powerful society." 5. ON SUCCESS "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." 6. ON CHANGE "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." 7. ON BEAUTY "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." 8. ON SURVIVAL "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." 9. ON GIVING "When you learn, teach, when you get, give." 10. ON DIVERSITY "It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength." GOODNET

Immigration

Obama vows urgent action as children make perilous illegal journey into U.S. By Gustavo Valdes, Nick Valencia and Josh Levs

McAllen, Texas (CNN) -- In broad daylight, with no fear of being seen, a group of Honduran girls -- some as young as 14 -- cross illegally into the United States. Moments later, another group of Hondurans admits crossing the Rio Grande to get here, McAllen station, a border crossing into the United States. "Thank God nothing happened," they say of the perilous journey. Unlike other stories of illegal immigration across a porous border, these immigrants aren't sneaking in. They're showing up and announcing themselves. "We are seeing hundreds turning themselves in daily. And I mean hundreds at a time," said Chris Cabrera, a leader of the local chapter of the National Border Patrol Council, a labor union representing U.S. Border Patrol agents. "They know that once they get to the station, we are going to give them paperwork and we are going to set them free into the United States," Cabrera says. CNN

Styx Chicago Rock Band

Styx Lady Live in Chicago.  Miss you Chicago !!

A Little Girl with a Big Voice--Zuriel Oduwole

My name is Zuriel Oduwole. I am 11 years old and I was born in Los Angeles. My dad is from Nigeria and my mom is from Mauritius. So, you could call me an African child – a Pan-African child. I have taken my Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up program to 4 African countries – Nigeria, Malawi, Tanzania and Mauritius, and have spoken to more than 3000 girls about Dreaming up, Speaking Up, and Standing Up for what they believe. I talked with my family about this many times and in March 2013, I launched my project called “Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up” at the Lagos Business School. My hope is to encourage young children but especially young girls to dream big, and never believe it if anyone says there is something they can’t do. I also wanted to show myself as an example to the parents back in the village. I wanted to show them what a girl can do if she is educated. So I began to talk with African Presidents and Prime Ministers on girl’s education, and ask for their help and commitment. Today, I have interviewed and met more than 9 African Presidents and Prime Ministers since September 2012. Some of these are now my friends and we stay in touch for me to see how much their countries are doing about the issue. (They are President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, President Rajkeswur Purryag of Mauritius, President Jose Fonseca of Cape Verde and President Salva Kiir of South Sudan. The others are President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia and Prime Minister Thomas Thabane of Lesotho Kingdom.) Learn more: www.dreamupspeakupstandup.com Chime for Change

Queen Elizabeth visits France as part of D-Day commemorations

The Queen of England is honouring a French secret agent today who worked under Winston Churchill during World War II. The Queen is on a three-day state visit to France as part of commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The former secret agent, Robert Maloubier, is to be made a member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for the sabotage work he carried out as a member of the British Army during the war. Following the presentation, the Queen will travel to Normandy for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings on the region’s beaches. Here she will be joined by her grandson the Duke of Cambridge and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. After the commemoration ceremony, she will attend a formal banquet with President Hollande at the Elysée palace, partially a celebration for the Queen’s official birthday. On the final day of her trip, the Queen will visit a Parisian flower market which is to be renamed in her honour. The Queen first visited the flower market in 1948 as a young princess, then pregnant with her son Prince Charles. Such a gesture as renaming a market is rare on behalf of the French authorities for a person who is still alive, and a senior aide at the Elysée revealed it was part of an “exceptional effort” to honour the queen, who is well-liked in France. “They know she speaks French very well, that she likes being in France… There is a real warmth and affection,” confirmed British ambassador to France, Sir Peter Ricketts. The Riviera Times