Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/OPVsDrJepS4/slingplayer-is-now-available-for-kindle-fire
cybermonday deals steve johnson norman reedus norman reedus sears office max office max
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
SlingPlayer Is Now Available for Kindle Fire [Kindle Fire]
Microsoft Begins Private Preview of Office 15 (Mashable)
Microsoft says it's started a private preview program of the next version of Office to a "select group" of customers. Going far beyond just refining and enhancing existing applications, the next version of Microsoft Office, codenamed "Office 15," will unite the software suite with the company's cloud and mobile platforms. Announcing the move in a blog post, Microsoft says this is the first time the next version of Office will be seen by anyone outside the company, though it didn't identify any of its partners for the technical preview and mentions that they're all bound by non-disclosure agreements. Microsoft says its sales team nominated the participants, and they represent a broad range of industries and customer profiles.
[More from Mashable: Obama?s State of the Union: Where Was the Tech?]
Microsoft says Office 15 will be the "most ambitious undertaking" ever by the company's Office Division. This version will simultaneously update Office software for the PC, mobile, cloud services and servers. It'll provide new versions of:
- Office, and its core programs of Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Office 365, the web-based tool that's often compared to Google Docs
- Exchange, the email-management tool
- SharePoint, the enterprise content management system
- Lync, an enterprise messaging and conferencing tool
- Project, a project-management program
- Visio, a diagram editor
So when will the rest of us get our hands on Office 15 (or whatever it ends up being called)? Microsoft isn't telling, though it says the software will enter public beta this summer. It's likely it won't see general release until Windows 8 hits stores first. Windows 8 is Microsoft's wholesale revamp of its core operating system -- adding things like a new user interface and touchscreen integration -- and Office 15 is the first version of the software suite designed for the new Windows. However, Microsoft says it will also work with Windows 7.
[More from Mashable: Google?s Crawl Rate Slowed for SOPA; Bing Sped Up [VIDEO]]
Excited about a new Office for Windows 8? Or have you already switched to other services like Google Docs? Tell us which camp you're in via the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
joe pa joe pa michael oher marist glenn miller south carolina primary results marco scutaro
Monday, January 30, 2012
Russia gives WikiLeaks' Julian Assange a TV platform
The state-funded Russian satellite news network Russia Today will air a television series hosted by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, still under house arrest in Britain.
WikiLeaks founder and controversy magnet Julian Assange has been driven off the Internet, deprived of funding and placed under house arrest. Now he will get his chance to strike back, courtesy of the Kremlin.
Skip to next paragraphStarting in March, Mr. Assange will host a 10-part series of interview programs with "key political players, thinkers and revolutionaries" on Russia Today (RT), a state-funded English-language satellite news network which claims to reach more than 85 million viewers in the US alone.
According to a statement on his website, the new Assange series will explore the "upheavals and revolutions" that are shaking the Middle East and expose how "the deterioration of the rule of law has demonstrated the bankruptcy of once leading political institutions and ideologies" in the West.
Entitled "The World Tomorrow," the show will be filmed by an RT satellite crew at Ellingham Hall, the remote manor house 130 miles north of London. It's the same place Assange has been under house arrest since December 2010 awaiting a Supreme Court decision on his extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations.
There is no word on which "key personalities" Assange will get to interview, but at least one British newspaper, The Guardian, has published its own wish list of people it would like to see go head-to-head with him, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"Through this series I will explore the possibilities for our future in conversations with those who are shaping it," Assange said in his statement. "Are we heading towards utopia, or dystopia and how we can set our paths? This is an exciting opportunity to discuss the vision of my guests in a new style of show that examines their philosophies and struggles in a deeper and clearer way than has been done before."
The network says the series could reach as many as 600 million viewers worldwide.
The six-year-old Russia Today, which seems far better funded than most media these days, has battled accusations that it is a Kremlin vanity project since its inception.
The station tends to tiptoe gingerly around the controversies of Russian politics, but aggressively applies its own slogan ? "Question More" ? in its coverage of Western affairs and particularly the global role of the US.
In 2010 it opened a full-time US TV channel, RT America, which produces independent content on US politics and economics from what it calls an alternative ? critics say anti-American ? point of view.
Hiring Assange would seem a perfect fit for RT. Worries that WikiLeaks might dump a lot of embarrassing material about the Russian government into Internet?never panned out.
However, the thousands of US diplomatic cables that it did release proved to be the gift-that-keeps-on-giving for critics and rivals of Washington, including the Kremlin.
"We liked a lot of the WikiLeaks revelations. It was very much in sync with what Russia Today has been reporting about the Arab Spring, and about the duplicitous policies of the US and its allies all along," says Peter Lavelle, a senior journalist with RT and host of its Cross Talk public affairs program.
"I think the Russian government will be pleased [to see Assange working on RT]. It's a soft power coup for Russia," he adds.
nobel peace prize verizon wireless oregon ducks football the league the ides of march yankees espn magazine
Jonathan Franzen: E-readers are 'damaging to society'
Jonathan Franzen, the author of 'Freedom' and 'The Corrections,' calls e-readers incompatible with 'responsible self-government.'
Jonathan Franzen doesn?t want you to read his bestsellers on e-readers. The acclaimed novelist of ?Freedom? and ?The Corrections? launched a tirade against e-books at a recent literary event, calling them ?not for serious readers? and ?damaging to society.?
Skip to next paragraphFranzen was speaking at the Hay Festival in Cartagena, Colombia, when he sounded his battle cry against e-readers, harsh shots at technology now heard ?round the book world.?
?The technology I like is the American paperback edition of ?Freedom,?? Franzen said at the Festival. ?I can spill water on it and it would still work! So it's pretty good technology. And what?s more, it will work great 10 years from now. So no wonder the capitalists hate it. It?s a bad business model,? said the novelist who famously cuts off all connection to the Internet when he writes.
?I think, for serious readers, a sense of permanence has always been part of the experience. Everything else in your life is fluid, but here is this text that doesn?t change.?
?Will there still be readers 50 years from now who feel that way? Who have that hunger for something permanent and unalterable? I don?t have a crystal ball.?
?But I do fear that it?s going to be very hard to make the world work if there?s no permanence like that. That kind of radical contingency is not compatible with a system of justice or responsible self-government.?
Franzen isn?t the first to come out against e-books, but he may be the first to have attacked them so damningly, as incompatible with justice or responsible self-government. He went on, explaining that he felt reassured by paper books? permanence and distrusted the constant possibility of change in an e-book.
?Maybe nobody will care about printed books 50 years from now, but I do,? Franzen said at the event. ?When I read a book, I?m handling a specific object in a specific time and place. The fact that when I take the book off the shelf it still says the same thing - that?s reassuring.??
?Someone worked really hard to make the language just right, just the way they wanted it. They were so sure of it that they printed it in ink, on paper. A screen always feels like we could delete that, change that, move it around. So for a literature-crazed person like me, it?s just not permanent enough.??
This isn?t the first time Franzen has spoken out against technology, notes the UK?s Guardian. He?s known for sealing off his computer?s ethernet port to prevent himself from connecting to the Internet while he writes, asserting ?it?s doubtful that anyone with an Internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction.?
He seems to have injected that critique of technology in ?Freedom,? too, voiced by character Walter Berglund. ?This was what was keeping me awake at night,? Walter says in the novel. ?This fragmentation. Because it?s the same problem everywhere. It?s like the Internet, or cable TV ? there?s never any center, there?s no communal agreement, there?s just a trillion bits of distracting noise?All the real things, the authentic things, the honest things, are dying off.?
Not surprisingly, his comments have elicited pushback.
Responding to his complaint that ?A screen always feels like we could delete that, change that, move it around,? the UK Telegraph?s Tom Chivers writes, ?Does he think that e-publishers will surreptitiously edit classic works? Perhaps sprinkle Beowulf with Starbucks adverts, or weave party political messages subtly into the text of Jane Eyre? In all honesty, I suspect that this is an example of a very clever man using his considerable brainpower to dress up unconscious prejudice in what sounds like reasoned argument. Mr Franzen doesn't like e-books; he prefers reading books. But he can't simply say as much, so he wraps it in a layer of talk about 'permanence' and 'responsible self-government'.??
We tend to agree with Chivers. Franzen seems to be masquerading his own relative Luddism by disparaging technology and those who use it, including many serious bibliophiles, as ?damaging? and ?not serious.?
What do you think? Does Franzen have a point?
Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.
Join the Monitor's book discussion on Facebook and Twitter.
lesnar vs overeem appetizer recipes insight bowl deep impact julia child russell brand files for divorce bowl game schedule
Ex-soldier behind Papua New Guinea mutiny arrested (AP)
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea ? A retired colonel who attempted to take over Papua New Guinea's military and ordered the prime minister to step down has been arrested and charged with mutiny.
Police spokesman Dominic Kakas said Yaura Sasa was arrested Saturday night in a suburb of Port Moresby, the capital. A court spokesman said Sasa was charged with mutiny and appeared in court Sunday.
Sasa led a small group of soldiers in a mutiny Thursday in which the military's top commander was briefly held under house arrest. The mutiny was part of a power struggle in which Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and former Prime Minister Michael Somare claim to be the rightful leader of the South Pacific nation.
Sasa demanded that O'Neill step down within a week to make way for Somare, who appointed Sasa defense chief after being removed from office.
Kakas said the soldiers who followed Sasa had not been arrested.
Parliament replaced Somare with O'Neill in August while Somare was getting medical treatment outside the country. Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court sided with Somare last month, but O'Neill continues to have support from lawmakers.
Somare issued a statement Sunday repeating his call to be reinstated, and calling on police and the military to join him.
2011 election results 11/11/11 11 11 11 activision blizzard acrylamide advent calendar adobe air
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Slave port unearthed in Brazil
The Valongo Wharf in Rio de Janerio was the busiest of all slave ports in the Americas and has been buried for almost two centuries.
? A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.
Skip to next paragraphNot far from here at least 500,000 Africans took their first steps into slavery in colonial Brazil, which took in far more slaves than the United States and where now half of its 200 million citizens claim African descent.
The ?Cais do Valongo? ? the Valongo Wharf ? was the busiest of all slave ports in the Americas and has been buried for almost two centuries under subsequent infrastructure projects and dirt.
That is, until developers seeking to turn Rio?s shabby port neighborhood into a posh tourist center allowed teams of archaeologists to check out what was being unearthed.
?We knew we had found the wharf,? says archaeologist Tania Andrade Lima, showing a ramp made up of knobbly, uneven stones used by slaves. It lay beneath a layer of smoother cobblestones from a dock installed later for the arrival of a Portuguese royal.
Ms. Lima and other community leaders are creating a walking tour that will include the wharf, a nearby cemetery for Africans who died soon after their arrival, and a holding pen called the ?Lazareto,? derived from Jesus? parable about a beggar named Lazarus, where newly arrived Africans were checked for diseases.
The wharf alone is nearly 22,000 square feet. ?This gives a dimension to how huge the influx of slaves was,? says Lima.
Get daily or weekly updates from CSMonitor.com delivered to your inbox.?Sign up today.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/C8HzhyUXmb0/Slave-port-unearthed-in-Brazil
flds flds revenge revenge boston redsox red sox law and order svu
Thursday, January 26, 2012
`War Horse' star one of Hollywood's equine elite (AP)
ACTON, Calif. ? One star of Steven Spielberg's latest epic likes to end his work day by rolling around in the dirt, kicking his legs in the air and flaring his nostrils.
Finder, a 12-year-old thoroughbred, is among more than 150 equine performers featured in the Oscar-nominated "War Horse," and one of 14 who play the scene-stealing Joey. He lives on a ranch about 45 miles northeast of Hollywood with veteran horse trainer Bobby Lovgren, who oversaw all the equine action on "War Horse."
"Plowing, riding, chasing ? you name it, it's in there," said Lovgren, who calls "War Horse" "the biggest horse movie ever made." Lovgren is the prot?g? of legendary Hollywood horseman Glenn Randall, who trained Roy Rogers' Trigger.
Thanks to the enduring appeal of horses on screen, Lovgren, Finder and "War Horse" continue a longtime tradition of Hollywood horses that began with the earliest motion pictures.
"Bobby and his team literally performed miracles with the horses on this film," Spielberg said. "I wanted it to feel like the horses were performing their parts as much as (actors) Emily Watson or Peter Mullan, and that is what happened. There were times during production when the horses reacted in ways I had never imagined a horse could react. You just sit back and thank your lucky stars that these horses are so cognizant that they are able to give everything to a moment."
Those moments took months of training and a 22-member team of trainers, handlers and yes, equine makeup artists.
Set in England during World War I, "War Horse" centers on the enduring relationship between Joey and the farm boy who trained him. When Joey is sold to soldiers heading into battle, the horse begins a journey that brings him through various fighting factions and into the lives of soldiers and civilians who are moved by his strength and spirit.
The film has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including cinematography and best picture.
As the film's "horse master," Lovgren oversaw everything horse-related. His team prepared the equine actors for their various duties. Some became expert jumpers, others learned to stumble or feign a struggle. There were horses for riding and horses for pulling, and even stand-ins for the star horses while shots were being set. Lovgren's team was also responsible for teaching the actors how to ride and handle the animals.
"We all became incredibly attached to the horses," said cast member Patrick Kennedy. "Getting to know these horses and learning to ride them was the greatest privilege I've ever had."
None of the horses are credited by name in the film, and the filmmakers wouldn't say why. Lovgren said it's not uncommon: "Sometimes they'll put a few of the horses' names, but you know, realistically, it's very difficult to say that there was one hero Joey."
The trainer, whose many credits include last summer's "Cowboys & Aliens," typically spends about three months preparing his equine actors for a film shoot. He specializes in "liberty" work, meaning the horses are not restrained in any way and learn to respond to hand signals and body language.
The 46-year-old horseman grew up in an equestrian family in South Africa that runs a large jumping and dressage barn. Lovgren said he didn't much enjoy the public dealings that work required, so he headed to Hollywood to learn a new type of horse training. The 23 years he's spent working in movies prepared him for the challenges of "War Horse."
"All the scenes that we had to do had really all been done before in other films that I'd worked on, but never all in one. This took everything and put everything in one basket," he said. "I'm very proud of my other films, like `Zorro' and `Seabiscuit,' but it just has a little bit in there. The horse isn't the focal point. But in `War Horse' it is, and it's all the time."
Though Lovgren doesn't typically work with his own horses on set (he owns three, including Finder), he said he was lucky on this film that Finder was the right color. (Finder and the other horses playing Joey relied on makeup to make them look identical, with four white socks and a white star on their heads.)
Lovgren met Finder while working on "Seabiscuit" and loved him so much that he bought him. The thoroughbred is more expressive than most horses, Lovgren said, which makes him an ideal movie star.
Plus, he can play both genders. Finder played the mother in an early scene in the film showing the birth of Joey. That sequence and working with a foal was among the most difficult, Lovgren said. "They're very young, so you don't have much time to train them."
Almost everything in "War Horse" was shot with real horses, except for a few scenes that would have caused injury to the animals. Lovgren praised Spielberg's team for their respectful approach to the horses.
The toughest part of Lovgren's job isn't working with the animals, but communicating with filmmakers and other workers on set about what the horses need and what they can and can't do. Once filming begins, "it's more about communication skills than it is about training. That's something I've had to really learn," he said. "Obviously, I started working with animals because I don't work well with people (laughs), so that's been very important to learn to do that."
Watching Lovgren with Finder, it's easy to see the mutual love and respect between the two. Lovgren raises his arm and the powerful animal rears up. He makes a backward motion with a whip and the horse backs up. He strikes the whip on the ground and Finder bangs his hoof into the dirt. Lovgren throws a piece of wood two dozen yards away, and Finder runs to it and stands on his mark.
Lovgren doesn't train with treats, because "if you go on set and someone walks by with an apple, what's he going to do then?"
Instead, the animal's reward is "I leave him alone," Lovgren said. Still, Finder stands confidently by his side.
So with all the challenges of "War Horse," is it harder working with four-legged performers or two-legged Hollywood types?
"I'm not going to answer that!" Lovgren said with a smile. "We all know that answer, but I'm not going to answer that."
___
AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/APSandy.
___
Online:
www.warhorsemovie.com
dadt dadt tucker carlson tucker carlson richard castle richard castle comedy central
Long lines to bid farewell to Paterno (AP)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. ? They stood outside for hours on a winter afternoon, waiting to pay their respects to the late Joe Paterno. The line snaked down a long block on the Penn State campus.
Inside a campus spiritual center, the coach's body lay in a closed, hardwood casket topped by a spray of white roses. About six feet away sat a stylized black-and-white picture of the man who became lovingly known on campus as "JoePa," smiling and peering out through his trademark thick-rimmed glasses.
Three days of public mourning began Tuesday for a Penn State community already racked by months of turmoil. The 85-year-old Paterno ? a Hall of Fame coach and the face of the university ? died Sunday of lung cancer. He had been ousted just days before learning of his diagnosis in November, forced out of his job in the wake of child sex-abuse charges against a former assistant.
"We're not going to focus on the bad, we're going to pull together and focus on the good," said Brittany Yingling, 23, of Altoona, donning a blue Penn State knit cap with "Paterno" in bold white letters emblazoned on the front. "He's going to leave a lasting legacy on so many people."
And thousands showed up, lining a main campus artery for a chance to make the walk, single file, past Paterno's casket, which had an "honor guard" of two Penn State players ? one past and one present. Some mourners stopped for a moment of reflection, or to genuflect in the interfaith hall.
Others fought back tears and sniffles. The only other sounds were the clicks from media photographers, taking occasional pictures.
Jay Paterno, one of the coach's sons, was still shaking hands with the well-wishers when police shut down the visitation at 10:45 p.m. EST, telling a handful of people on their way in that they could come back early Wednesday morning.
Paterno won 409 games and two national championships over his 46-year career admired by peers as much for its longevity as its success. Paterno also took as much pride in the program's graduation rates, often at or close to the top of the Big Ten.
"I came to pay my respects to a great man, that has nothing to do with victories," said Paterno's longtime assistant and defensive coordinator, Tom Bradley. "A lot of his victories people don't even know about."
Large windows bathed the white-walled hall at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center in light on a cloudy day. Some of Paterno's family attend services at the center.
Members of the public were preceded by the family, including two of Paterno's sons. Scott Paterno and Jay ? the former Nittany Lions quarterback coach ? thanked many of the visitors before they exited the building.
"Going in there, waiting two hours in line, it was worth every second of it," said Rob Gressinger, a Penn State junior. "I've lost all my grandparents and the feeling is the exact same thing ... Feels like you lost one of your own."
Also paying respects privately Tuesday morning were former and current players and coaches. Members of the current team wore dark suits and arrived in three blue Penn State buses, the same ones that once carried Paterno and the team to games at Beaver Stadium on fall Saturdays.
Among the former players was Mike McQueary. As a graduate assistant to Paterno in 2002, he went to the coach saying he had witnessed former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky assaulting a boy in the shower at the Penn State football building. Paterno relayed that to his bosses ? including the head of campus police ? but university trustees felt he should have done more, and it played into their decision to oust the longtime coach on Nov. 9. That came four days after Sandusky was charged with child sex-abuse counts.
Dressed in a blue coat and tie with a white shirt, the school colors, McQueary was among those at an event that stretched well into Tuesday night. McQueary declined comment after leaving the viewing.
Earlier Tuesday, former Penn State and Pittsburgh Steelers great Franco Harris, a vocal critic of the university trustees, also came to say goodbye. Others included NFL receivers Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood, Norwood's father and Baylor assistant coach Brian Norwood and former quarterback Daryll Clark ? who also served as an honor guard.
Texans receiver Bryant Johnson, a nine-year NFL veteran, said he decided to attend Penn State out of high school in Baltimore because "he wanted to play for a legendary coach."
"I wanted to play for someone that instilled the values that he believed in," Johnson said. "I wanted to play for someone who believed in guys graduating."
Paterno was beloved as much by others in the community for his philanthropic efforts, such as donating millions back to the university for projects including the campus library bearing the family name. Paterno Library sits a short walk across the street from the spiritual center.
"He did so much for this town and school and the students. It wasn't all football," said Martha Edwards of Jersey Shore, Pa. She isn't a graduate but decided to attend anyway.
"Right over there is the library with his name on it," she said. "Nobody comes any better than him."
There is another public viewing Wednesday at the interfaith center, and after that Paterno's family will hold a private funeral and procession through State College.
On Thursday, the school's basketball arena will be the site of a public service called "A Memorial for Joe." Tickets were quickly snapped up for the event, even though there was a two-per-person limit for those ordering.
___
Associated Press writer Mark Scolforo contributed to this report.
photon lake powell reno nevada lion king 3d lion king 3d the lion king 3d the lion king 3d
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Pelosi on Gingrich as president: "That will never happen" (Washington Bureau)
'Breaking Bad' Star Aaron Paul: 'I Know How It Ends'
'It's going to be pretty intense,' he promises MTV News at Sundance about the 'Bad' finale.
By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston in "Breaking Bad"
Photo: AMC
By now, "Breaking Bad" fans are well aware that Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is the danger. He blew the face off of an ingenious criminal drug lord in a dramatic seasons-long showdown. He secretly poisoned a little boy as a means to manipulating his on-again off-again business partner into helping him kill said drug lord. Ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake: four seasons deep, Walt has finally broken bad.
With only one season remaining before "Breaking Bad" closes the meth lab for good, it's anybody's guess how the saga of the cancer-stricken chemistry teacher-turned-murderous meth manufacturer will ultimately resolve itself. But there is one person who claims to know how the AMC drug thriller ends: Aaron Paul, the anything-but-"Bad" actor who stars on the show as reluctant drug slinger Jesse Pinkman.
"I know how it ends," Paul told MTV News at the Sundance Film Festival, where he's promoting the release of his new movie "Smashed." You wouldn't think Paul would spill any further details, but he proceeded to drop a bombshell bigger than the one that took out Gus Fring.
"Jesse dies," he deadpanned.
And just like Fring, our jaws dropped to the floor at the stunning revelation. But true to Pinkman's prankster ways, Paul immediately cracked up and cleared the air.
"No, no, no! He doesn't die! Or maybe he does," he continued ominously. "I don't know! Actually, I have no idea what's going to happen. But I'm excited to see [it play out]."
No matter how "Breaking Bad" reaches its conclusion, it will all come to an end one way or the other, sooner rather than later.
"[There are only] 16 more episodes, and then we're done," Paul said. "We start shooting at the end of March. I think it's going to be a full sprint to the finish, and it's going to be pretty intense."
The 2012 Sundance Film Festival is officially under way, and the MTV Movies team is on the ground reporting on the hottest stars and the movies everyone will be talking about in the year to come. Keep it locked with MTV Movies for everything there is to know about Sundance.
Related VideosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677756/breaking-bad-finale-aaron-paul-ending.jhtml
john lackey ed lee ed lee garmin nuvi 1450 amzn tommy john surgery colorado weather
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Mosque prayer service in Nigeria after attacks (AP)
KANO, Nigeria ? The emir of Kano and the state's top politician offered prayers Monday for the more than 150 people killed in a coordinated attack by a radical Islamist sect, though fear kept many Nigerians from coming to the mosque.
Emir Ado Bayero, 81, whispered to God through a microphone at a mosque in Kano, a city of more than 9 million in Nigeria's Muslim north. The mosque sat half empty for the special service Monday. Secret police officers in ill-fitting suits stood guard with assault rifles out of fear the sect known as Boko Haram could strike again.
"I call on people from all groups to pray for this place," said Bayero, who was joined by Kano state Gov. Rabiu Kwankwaso. Residents of Kano tried to restore a semblance of normality, but nerves were on edge.
The Nigerian Red Cross estimates more than 150 people died in Friday's attack in Kano, which saw at least two Boko Haram suicide bombers detonate explosive-laden cars. The attack hit police stations, immigration offices and the local headquarters of Nigeria's secret police, leaving corpses lying in the streets across the city, many wearing police or other security agency uniforms. The scale of the attack left President Goodluck Jonathan speechless as he toured what remained of a regional police headquarters Sunday.
A Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa claimed responsibility for the attacks in a message to journalists Friday. He said the attack came because the state government refused to release Boko Haram members held by the police.
The coordinated attack in Kano represents Boko Haram's deadliest assault since beginning a campaign of terror last year. Boko Haram has killed 226 people so far in 2012, more than half of the 510 people the sect killed in all of 2011, according to an Associated Press count.
Nigeria's weak central government has been unable to stop the attacks. Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language of Nigeria's north, wants to implement strict Shariah law and avenge the deaths of Muslims in communal violence across Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people split largely into a Christian south and Muslim north.
While the sect has begun targeting Christian living in the north, the majority of those killed Friday appeared to be Muslim, officials have said.
The emir left the mosque Monday morning leaning on a cane, moving slowly. Dark sunglasses hid the bags under his eyes. The emirates of Nigeria, which date back to the early 1800s, still remain spiritual leaders for Muslims in Nigeria's north. British colonialists used the emirates to rule the north by proxy until independence in 1960. Many believe Nigeria's corrupt politicians now do the same.
The waning influence of traditional rulers and the rise of Boko Haram has many fearing more violence will come in Nigeria's north. Aminu Garba, 38, who stood outside the mosque after the prayer service, said his wife suffered a miscarriage during Friday's attack.
"We are not safe at all. We are not safe," Garba said. He described hearing a tire burst on Sunday, causing people nearby to drop whatever they were carrying and run away.
___
Jon Gambrell can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
verlander justin verlander pepper spraying cop pepper spraying cop somaya reece padma lakshmi juelz santana
EU raises stakes with Iran oil embargo (AP)
BRUSSELS ? The European Union and Iran raised the stakes Monday in their test of wills over the Islamic republic's nuclear program, with the bloc banning the purchase of Iranian oil and Iran threatening to retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's crude is transported.
The escalating confrontation is fraught with risks ? of rising energy prices, global financial instability, and potential military activity to keep the strait open.
The EU's 27 foreign ministers, meeting Monday in Brussels, imposed an oil embargo against Iran and froze the assets of its central bank, ramping up sanctions designed to pressure Iranian officials into resuming talks on the country's nuclear program.
EU officials say the tighter sanctions are part of a carrot-and-stick approach, an effort to increase pressure while at the same time emphasizing their willingness to talk.
In Washington, Department of State Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Department of the Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner welcomed the EU decision, calling it "another strong step in the international effort to dramatically increase the pressure on Iran." In their joint statement, they said the EU sanctions, combined with earlier ones imposed by the U.S. and the international community, `will sharpen the choice for Iran's leaders and increase their cost of defiance of basic international obligations."
But the initial response out of Tehran, the Iranian capital, was harsh.
Ramin Mehmanparast, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, called the economic sanctions "illogical and unfair" saying: "It is only understandable in the framework of propaganda and psychological war."
Mehmanparast was quoted by website of state broadcasting company as saying, "Pressure and sanctions against a nation that has a strong logic and reason for its policy is a failed method."
He said due to the world's long-term need for energy, "It is not possible to impose sanctions on Iran," which has huge resources of oil and gas.
And two Iranian lawmakers threatened that their country would close the strait in retaliation for the EU embargo.
Lawmaker Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, deputy head of Iran's influential committee on national security, said Monday the strait "would definitely be closed if the sale of Iranian oil is violated in any way."
The strait ? just 34 miles (54 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point ? runs alongside Iran and is the only way to get from the Persian Gulf to the open sea. Tensions over the potential impact its closure would have on global oil supplies and the price of crude have weighed heavily on consumers and traders. The U.S. and Britain both have warned Iran not to disrupt the world's oil supply.
After news of the EU move, benchmark crude for March delivery rose 90 cents on the day to $99.23 a barrel in early morning European time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude was down 35 cents at $109.51 a barrel on the ICE futures exchange in London.
Many analysts doubt that Iran would maintain a blockade for long, but any supply shortages would cause world oil supplies to tighten temporarily. But Kowsari said that, in case of the strait's closure, the U.S. and its allies would not be able to reopen the route, and warned America not to attempt any "military adventurism."
An American aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln entered the Gulf on Sunday without incident to conduct scheduled maritime security operations, and U.S. warships frequently operate in the Gulf. But when the carrier USS John Stennis departed the Gulf in late December, Iranian officials warned the U.S. not to return. The British Ministry of Defense said British and French warships joined the U.S. carrier group transiting through the Strait of Hormuz "to underline the unwavering international commitment to maintaining rights of passage under international law."
Russia's Foreign Ministry said the sanctions are a severe mistake likely to worsen tensions. "It's apparent that in this case there is open pressure and diktat, aimed at 'punishing' Iran for uncooperative behavior. This is a deeply mistaken policy, as we have told our European partners more than once," the ministry said in a statement. "Under pressure of this sort, Iran will not make any concessions or any corrections to its policies," it said.
The EU sanctions include an include an immediate embargo on new contracts for crude oil and petroleum products. Existing contracts with Iran will be allowed to run until July.
Last month, the U.S. enacted new sanctions targeting Iran's central bank and its ability to sell petroleum abroad, but it has delayed implementing the sanctions for at least six months, worried about sending the price of oil higher at a time when the global economy is struggling.
Other countries are steering clear of such measures altogether. China also does not support an embargo, and Japan's finance minister, Jun Azumi, has expressed concern about the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions on Iran ? not to mention their potential impact on Japanese banks.
Some 80 percent of Iran's foreign revenue comes from oil exports and any sanctions that affect its ability to export oil would hit its economy hard. With about 4 million barrels per day, Iran is the second largest producer in OPEC.
"It means that we will paralyze, bit by bit, Iran's economic activity and keep the country from using a major part of its resources," said French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe. "You can be skeptical, but it is better than making war."
At the heart of the dispute is international unease about Iran's nuclear program. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but the United States and other nations suspect it is trying to build nuclear weapons. Iran is now under several rounds of U.N. sanctions for not being more forthcoming about its nuclear program.
Late Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy issued a joint statement urging Iran to suspend its sensitive nuclear activities.
"Our message is clear," the statement said. "We have no quarrel with the Iranian people. But the Iranian leadership has failed to restore international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program. We will not accept Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon."
Iran's denials of military intent have utterly failed to convince EU officials.
"The recent start of operations of enrichment of uranium to a level of up to 20 percent in the deeply buried underground facility in Fordo near Qom further aggravates concerns about the possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program," the foreign ministers said in a statement Monday.
That accelerated enrichment is in violation of six U.N. Security Council resolutions and 11 resolutions by the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, "and contributes to rising tensions in the region," the statement said.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague called the embargo part of "an unprecedented set of sanctions."
"I think this shows the resolve of the European Union on this issue," Hague said.
The EU also decided to freeze the assets of the Iranian central bank. Together, the two measures are intended not only to pressure Iran to agree to talks but also to choke off funding for its nuclear activities.
Before Monday's decision, negotiators worked hard to try to ensure that the embargo would punish only Iran ? and not EU member Greece, which is in dire financial trouble and relies heavily on low-priced Iranian oil.
The foreign ministers agreed to a review of the effects of the sanctions, to be completed by May 1. And they agreed in principle to make up the costs Greece incurs as a result of the embargo.
___
Raf Casert in Brussels, Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Matthew Pennington in Washington, and Gregory Katz in London contributed to this report.
mlk memorial brown recluse brown recluse joplin tornado heather locklear hospitalized there will be blood there will be blood
Monday, January 23, 2012
Mixed record for Obama's State of the Union goals
WASHINGTON (AP) ? As President Barack Obama prepares to deliver his annual address to Congress, many goals he outlined in previous State of the Union speeches remain unfulfilled. From reforming immigration laws to meeting monthly with congressional leaders of both parties, the promises fell victim to congressional opposition or faded in face of other priorities as the unruly realities of governing set in.
For Obama, like presidents before him, the State of the Union is an opportunity like no other to state his case on a grand stage, before both houses of Congress and a prime time television audience. But as with other presidents, the aspirations he's laid out have often turned out to be ephemeral, unable to secure the needed congressional consent or requiring follow-through that's not been forthcoming.
As Obama's first term marches to an end amid bitterly divided government and an intense campaign by Republicans to take his job, it's going to be even harder for him to get things done this year. So Tuesday night's speech may focus as much on making an overarching case for his presidency ? and for a second term ? as on the kind of laundry list of initiatives that sometimes characterize State of the Union appeals.
"State of the Union addresses are kind of like the foam rubber rocks they used on Star Trek ? they look solid but aren't," said Jack Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College. "Presidents will talk about solving some policy problem, and then the bold language of the State of the Union address disappears into the messy reality of governing."
For Obama, last year's State of the Union offers a case study in that dynamic. Speaking to a newly divided government not long after the assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz., Obama pleaded for national unity, a grand goal that never came to pass as Washington quickly dissolved into one partisan dispute after another.
Many of the particulars Obama rolled out that night proved just as hard to pull off.
Among the initiatives Obama promoted then that have yet to come to fruition a year later: eliminating subsidies to oil companies; replacing No Child Left Behind with a better education law; making a tuition tax credit permanent; rewriting immigration laws; and reforming the tax system.
The list of what he succeeded in accomplishing is considerably shorter, including: securing congressional approval of a South Korea free trade deal; signing legislation to undo a burdensome tax reporting requirement in his health care law; and establishing a website to show taxpayers where their tax dollars go.
White House press secretary Jay Carney argued Monday that the unfinished business from last year's speech didn't represent a failure.
"I think that any State of the Union address which lays out an agenda has to be ambitious, and if you got through a year and you achieved everything on your list then you probably didn't aim high enough," Carney said.
One of Obama's pledges from last January's speech ? to undertake a reorganization of the federal government ? he got around to rolling out only this month. And other promises are vaguer or more long term, such as declaring a "Sputnik moment" for today's generation and calling for renewed commitments to research and development and clean energy technology; pushing to prepare more educators to teach science, technology and math; promoting high-speed rail and accessible broadband; and seeking greater investments in infrastructure.
"Clearly as time goes on and a presidency matures you get less and less of it and the State of the Union becomes an aspiration for what you want to do as opposed to a road map for what you can accomplish," said Princeton University historian Julian Zelizer. As voters' enthusiasm fades and opposition deepens, Zelizer said, "You lose some of your power and you get closer to the next election and no one wants to work with you."
Last year's address already contained more modest goals than the speech Obama gave to a joint session of Congress a month after his inauguration, which although not technically a State of the Union report had the feel of one. At the time Obama called for overhauling health care and ending the war in Iraq ? promises he kept ? but also for closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and imposing caps on carbon pollution ? promises unmet.
Obama this month announced plans to use tax credits to encourage employers to create jobs in the U.S. instead of overseas ? an idea he also raised in his State of the Union speech two years ago. Some of his goals, such as immigration and education reform, have resurfaced in multiple addresses, but still without being accomplished.
And rarely has Obama's rhetoric as president reached as high as the lofty promises of his campaign, when he pledged to change the very way Washington does business and remake politics itself. It's a far cry from those promises of change to the ambition of meeting monthly with Democratic and Republican congressional leaders ? but even that relatively modest goal, from Obama's 2010 State of the Union, went unfulfilled.
Associated Pressponder ponder extract extract bobby jindal bobby jindal talladega
What PR and Communications Practitioners Can Learn from ...
Fast Company article "This Is Generation Flux" by Robert Safian
I recently stumbled upon a Fast Company article about Generation Flux, pioneers of the new and chaotic frontier of business. Author Robert Safian presents members of GenFlux from different industries and their ways of surviving and thriving in times of uncertainty and chaos.
It got me thinking: It?s not just the future of business that?s unpredictable. It?s also the future of communications technology, tools and apps that seems ever-evolving making it almost impossible for any communications practitioner to keep up with.
So, as a PR professional or communications practitioners ? how do you survive and thrive in times of accelerated change and technological innovation?
1. Welcome Chaos
?What defines GenFlux is a mind-set that embraces instability, that tolerates?and even enjoys?recalibrating careers, business models, and assumptions?, writes Robert Safian. If you welcome chaos, work with it ? not against it ? you will have a better chance at being successful in what you do. Say hello to new communications tools, give a novel app a try, and be excited about a fresh way of how to publish your message.
2. Be Open to Learning Every Day
?Few traditional career tactics train us for an era where the most important skill is the ability to acquire new skills?, knows Safian. Constant innovation, new product launches and software re-designs require that we constantly expand our skills and acquire knowledge about recent changes that affect our industry. Be prepared for an avalanche of learning so that you can hone your communications skills on a daily basis.
3. ?Systemize Change?
In his article, Safian quotes Susan Peters, who oversees GE?s executive-development effort: ??Our traditional teams are too slow. We?re not innovating fast enough. We need to systematize change.? What Peters suggests is, don?t just respond to change but adapt to it and change with it ? and quickly. If you?re a communications professional, think about how you can reform your infrastructure to better serve your clients in an interconnected world.
4. Harness Fear
Jonathan Fields wrote a whole genius book about how to take fear and transform it into confidence and creativity when faced with uncertainty and chaos. Successful GenFluxers have embraced this way of turning fear into food for brilliance. As Safian writes ?it can also be exhilarating.? As a PR and communications practitioner, find out where you can say good-bye to fear and welcome the challenge of turning it into something powerful and creative.
5. Re-invent Success Daily
According to Safian, GenFluxers don?t look back. They?re not nostalgic, and they don?t rely on what has worked before. In communications and PR, it?s ever more important to be able to re-invent success on a daily basis. A campaign that has worked for client x a few months ago, might not work for client y today ? the circumstances have changed, new apps are available, other social networks emerged. If you focus on taking advantage of the ?new? instead of sticking to the ?past?, you will have a greater chance of being successful in your campaigns.
What do you think? How can you thrive in this world of constant change and economic uncertainty? Share your insights with us!
?
yale harvard dan henderson oregon ducks oregon ducks oregon football lana turner donald glover
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Turkey reacts to Rick Perry's terrorist accusation (AP)
ANKARA, Turkey ? United States Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry drew Turkey's ire on Tuesday after suggesting the country is ruled by Islamic terrorists and questioned its NATO membership.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry released a scathing statement Tuesday saying Perry's comments were "baseless and inappropriate" and that the U.S. has no time to waste with candidates "who do not even know their allies."
In a debate ahead of the South Carolina primaries, Perry, the governor of Texas, said Turkey was ruled by "what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists," questioned the country's NATO membership and said it should not receive U.S. aid.
He said Turkey was moving "far away from the country that I lived in back in the 1970's as a pilot in the United States Air Force that was our ally, that worked with us."
Turkey, which has assisted NATO in Afghanistan and other missions said it has been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism.
"Turkey joined NATO while the governor was still 2-years old," the statement said. "It is a member that has made important contributions to the trans-Atlantic alliance's conflict-full history. It is among countries that are at the front lines in the fight against terrorism."
Turkey has been ruled by a government led by pious Muslims since 2002. Although it's ties with Israel have deteriorated, the government has maintained close ties with the West while seeking to represent the views of the Muslim world.
Most recently, Turkey began to host NATO's early warning radar system as part of NATO's missile defense system, which is capable of countering ballistic missile threats from Iran.
And while the United States recently deployed four Predator drones to Turkey from Iraq to aid Ankara in its fight against the autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels, Turkey does not received U.S. foreign aid.
The Turkish statement said Turkey's leaders were "personalities respected not only in the United States, but in our region and in the world and whose opinions are strongly relied on."
The Turkish statement said Perry's low standings in polls were proof that the Republicans in the U.S. does not endorse his opinions.
"Figures who are candidates for positions that require responsibility, such as the U.S. presidency, should be more knowledgeable about the world and exert more care with their statement," the Turkish statement said.
santa tracker patrice oneal monkey bread letter from santa sweet potato pie sweet potato pie twas the night before christmas
"Artist," "Descendants" shine at Golden Globes (Reuters)
LOSS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Silent-era film "The Artist" and family drama "The Descendants" were the top film picks at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday in a loose-lipped awards show that even had host Ricky Gervais walking onto the stage with a drink in his hand.
"The Descendants," starring George Clooney as a man steering his family through a tragic time when his wife is in a coma, won two Golden Globe trophies, including the top honor of best dramatic movie and another for Clooney as best dramatic actor.
Onstage he thanked writer/director Alexander Payne and backstage told reporters, "he knows how to tell stories. He knows how to make something funny and how to turn it around."
Clooney called the movie "a coming-of-age film for a 50-year-old and a lot of us have dealt with people like that."
"The Artist," a romantic tale about a failing actor who finds love at a time when movies were changing from silents to talkies, picked up three awards including best musical or comedy and best actor in a musical or comedy for its star, French actor Jean Dujardin.
Onstage, Dujardin did the most appropriate thing -- gave his speech, thanked his colleagues, then signed off by not saying a word. And true to stealing almost every scene of his in the movie, little dog Uggie detracted from an emotional speech by the film's director, Michel Hazanavicius, when the dog begged for a treat.
Other key winners included Meryl Streep for best actress in a film drama with her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady." Streep, who is typically reliable with a funny acceptance speech had a difficult time reading hers this year when she forgot her glasses.
Michelle Williams took the trophy for best actress in a comedy or musical with her role as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week with Marilyn.
"I consider myself a mother first and an actress second. The person I most want to thank (is) my daughter, my little girl," Williams said referring to her child with the late actor Heath Ledger. "I want to say thank you for sending me off to this job everyday with a hug and a kiss."
Veteran Christopher Plummer, 82, won supporting actor with his portrayal of an elderly man who comes out as gay to his family in "Beginners," bringing both poignancy and a touch of humor to their lives. Octavia Spencer, playing a beleaguered housemaid in the U.S. South during the civil rights era in "The Help" was best supporting actress.
Woody Allen was given a Golden Globe for his screenplay for "Midnight in Paris" and Steven Spielberg won best animated film with his rollicking "The Adventures of Tintin."
Iranian film "A Separation" was named best foreign language film, and its director, Ashgar Farhadi, used the opportunity to tell world audiences that "my people. I think they are a truly peace-loving people."
OSCAR RACE LOOMS
The Golden Globe Awards are given out by the roughly 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at what annually is among the key events during Hollywood's awards season because of the media exposure it brings.
Many of the movies and stars that win here also go on to compete for Oscars later this year, and "The Artist," which was the most-nominated film coming into the Golden Globes with six nods overall, will certainly become a frontrunner for the world's top film honors, as will "Descendants" and "The Help."
Oscar nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will given out on January 24.
Unlike the Oscar voters, HFPA members also vote on their favorite TV shows and performances and in that arena "Homeland," about a modern-day CIA agent tracking returning war soldiers who may be terrorists, took home two Golden Globes for best drama series and best actress in a drama for Claire Danes.
Best actor in a drama TV series went to Kelsey Grammer for his role as a stern corporate manager in "Boss."
"Modern Family," a take on extended families in current-day America, took the prize for best comedy and its stars enjoyed one of the more memorable moments of the night when star Sofia Vergara gave their acceptance speech in Spanish, with English translation from creator Steve Levitan.
Best actress in a TV comedy went to Laura Dern for "Enlightened" and the comedic actor trophy was won by Matt LeBlanc for "Episodes."
Coming into the show, all eyes were on host Gervais, who ruffled the feathers of many a Hollywood celebrities last year at the Golden Globes. While he didn't tone down his jokes for the 2012 audience -- making fun of Johnny Depp, Jodie Foster, Kim Kardashian and the HFPA itself -- it seemed the stars were in the mood for his biting wit this time around.
"I thought he did a great job," Clooney told reporters backstage. "I think he handled tonight like a proper good host again ... people were expecting a lot of trash talk, and he did a little bit of that, and he made me laugh, he was very funny."
In fact, it seemed Gervais' humor was rather tame at some points compared to others who made penis jokes onstage and used foul language. At one point, Gervais came onstage drinking a beer, but somehow that seemed fitting for an awards show that bills itself as one big Hollywood party.
(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120116/tv_nm/us_goldenglobes
nh primary amber rose natalie wood van halen annalynne mccord billy the kid neville
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
US: Deadly attack on Americans was premeditated
WASHINGTON (AP) ? U.S. military investigators found no conclusive evidence that an Afghan officer who killed eight U.S. airmen and one U.S. civilian during a meeting in Kabul in April had ties to the Taliban, according to a report released Tuesday.
But the gunman, who shot each of the Americans multiple times after arriving for a routine meeting at an Afghan air force headquarters compound, previously had vowed to "kill Americans," the report said.
The incident ? among the deadliest of its kind during the 10-year-old war ? showed the dangers faced not only by U.S. troops on Afghan battlefields but also those military and civilian trainers and advisers who work daily with Afghan forces to prepare for the eventual departure of international troops.
Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, praised the victims' bravery and said they have left behind "an honorable legacy that we continue to see in the commitment of airmen who serve as air advisers today."
The 436-page report by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations determined that Col. Ahmed Gul acted alone, but it found no conclusive motive for the deadly shooting spree at Kabul International Airport.
The report was dated Sept. 4 but not released until Tuesday.
Investigators cited evidence that Gul had financial and other personal problems, and that he may have had Taliban sympathies. But they could not establish with certainty why, at 10:10 a.m. on April 27, 2011, Gul entered the air command and control center, pulled a black Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol from a holster and began an attack that ended only after Gul apparently turned the gun on himself.
Before dying, he wrote in blood ? apparently his own ? on a wall in a hallway of the control center, "God is one" and "God in your name" in Dari, a Persian dialect spoken in Afghanistan, the report said.
One unidentified Afghan told investigators that after living in Pakistan for about 18 months Gul returned to his native country in 2008, and that he told others he came back because he "wanted to kill Americans."
Air Force investigators, with help from other U.S. government agencies, consulted intelligence documents and other materials to try to determine Gul's possible motive.
"This analysis is not stating that there are no insurgent connections to subject (Gul), but that none have been established thus far during this investigation," the report said. "Additionally, there are multiple reports that indicated subject (Gul) may have had mental issues" possibly compounded by money problems.
In reconstructing the shooting, the investigation report described a chaotic scene as word spread incorrectly among the Americans that a suicide bomber was in their midst. A number of people jumped from a window to escape. One witness told investigators that Gul's initial barrage of gunfire lasted at least 30 seconds.
"All of a sudden a man comes through the door and starts shooting," one witness wrote.
Others described Gul as shooting continuously in multiple directions. They said he stopped at least once to slip a fresh ammunition magazine into his pistol. At a certain point at least one of the Americans fired back, apparently wounding Gul.
The names of all witnesses were blacked out in the report for privacy reasons.
Another witness recounted running and locking himself in a nearby room, hoping to stay alive. Others, including airmen whose role was to mentor the Afghans on air operations, pleaded to be spared.
"I hear, 'ah, ah, ah' from the mentors who were being shot ... after the first round, many mobile phones began to ring on the bodies of the mentors," the witness said. "I thought it was strange how fast people started to call."
"For the second round of shooting, he came back to finish off the mentors that may have still been living from the first round of shots," said the witness, adding that he heard one victim begging not to be killed ? then four shots rang out.
The shooter then tried to get into a nearby radio room and a computer room but could not because they were locked; he left and went to the second floor. There he fired a round into a closed door in the intelligence office's reception area. He then sat on a couch and fired two fatal rounds into his chest.
On the cell phone of the only female victim, Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown, 33, of Deltona, Fla., investigators found she had received a text message, just moments after the rampage began, saying help was on its way: "Keep head down, lock and load."
Shot in the head, shoulder and buttocks, she was taken alive from the scene and was said by one witness to have managed a smile en route to the hospital, where she died.
The seven other airmen killed were officers ranging in rank from captain to lieutenant colonel. The civilian victim was a contractor, retired Army officer James McLaughlin Jr., 55, of Santa Rosa, Calif.
___
Robert Burns can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP
Associated Presswhitney duncan bradley cooper elisabeth hasselbeck roger craig roger craig cadillac xts rambus
Skip the Identity Theft Coverage and Similar Credit Card Perks to Save Money on Fees [Personal Finance]
Most credit card companies will try to upsell you on things like identity theft protection and credit score tracking when you sign up for a new card, or when a bank tries to "upgrade" the card you have to a different model or tier. Usually those additional perks, even if they come veiled in the company of lower interest rates or higher credit limits, come with hefty fees attached, or subscription charges that can add up over time.
Identity Theft coverage from credit card companies can be particularly misleading. According to Wise Bread, the coverage that card issuers often give you promises to limit your liability in case of fraud or identity theft, but what most card issuers don't tell consumers is that their liability in both cases is already limited to $50 by the Truth in Lending Act of 1968 - and if you're paying $5/month for such protection, it's worth calling up your credit card company to cancel it.
Wise Bread also points out a number of other credit card "perks" that often show up in your annual fees, but are marketed as essential services, like credit score tracking or missed payment insurance. For more services you probably don't need or should decline the next time the credit card company offers them to you, hit the link below. Do you have one of these services and would recommend it despite reservations, or do you regularly pass them up? Let's hear it in the comments below.
6 Credit Card Services You Don't (Usually) Need | Wise Bread
iraq war over maurice jones drew megyn kelly unclaimed money richard hamilton richard hamilton paris jackson
Monday, January 16, 2012
Perry: Marines in video are 'kids,' not criminals (AP)
WASHINGTON ? Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry on Sunday accused the Obama administration of "over-the-top rhetoric" and "disdain for the military" in its condemnation of a video that purportedly shows four Marines urinating on corpses in Afghanistan.
Perry's comments put him at odds with Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who said the images could damage the war effort.
"The Marine Corps prides itself that we don't lower ourselves to the level of the enemy," McCain said when asked about Perry's position. "So it makes me sad more than anything else, because ... I can't tell you how wonderful these people (Marines) are. And it hurts their reputation and their image."
No one has been charged in the case, but officials in the U.S. and abroad have called for swift punishment of the four Marines. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last week that he worried the video could be used by the Taliban to undermine peace talks.
A military criminal investigation and an internal Marine Corps review are under way. The Geneva Conventions forbid the desecration of the dead.
Texas Gov. Perry said the Marines involved should be reprimanded but not prosecuted on criminal charges.
"Obviously, 18-, 19-year-old kids make stupid mistakes all too often. And that's what's occurred here," Perry told CNN's "State of the Union."
He later added: "What's really disturbing to me is the kind of over-the-top rhetoric from this administration and their disdain for the military."
Later appearing on the same show, McCain said he disagreed.
"We're trying to win the hearts and minds" of the Afghanistan population, he said. "And when something like that comes up, it obviously harms that ability."
tomb of the unknown soldier reo reo chilis snow white and the huntsman snow white and the huntsman philip rivers
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Detroit Auto Show, solar plants and hydrophobic nanocoating
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.
This week Inhabitat hit the streets of Detroit to bring you the hottest hybrid vehicles and electric cars from the 2012 North American International Auto Show! We saw automakers unveil scores of sexy supercars like the Lexus LF-LC coupe, the Chevy MiRay, and the NSX concept hybrid, and we also showcased more realistic street-ready vehicles like Ford's Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, VW's brand new hybrid Jetta, and Via Motors' VTRUX extended-range EV pickup. We also peered into the future of sustainable transportation as we brought you the finalists in Michelin's city car design challenge, we learned that the world's largest driverless personal transit system is set to break ground in India, and we saw the UK green light the first phase of its new HS2 high-speed rail line.
It was also a bright week for alternative energy as MIT scientists discovered a way to make more efficient solar plants modeled after sunflowers and Sweden announced plans for a massive 700 megawatt wind farm in the Baltic Sea. Meanwhile, we learned that Rwanda's poo-powered prisons are able to produce 75% of their power from human waste, we showcased plans for an energy-generating rolling suitcase that charges your gadgets, and we saw the launch of several shining solar-powered devices - OLPC's XO3 tablet computer and the sun-powered Solarkindle e-reader cover.
In other news, this week we rounded up our favorite eco gadgets from CES 2012 - including a hydrophobic nanocoating that makes any gadget completely waterproof. We also saw 200 Chinese works construct a 30 story prefab building in just 15 days, and we watched superman fly across a cute animated LEGO TV. Finally, we brought you the latest and greatest developments in wearable technology - including a set of smart sunglasses that merge virtual information with the real world, a set of bone-conducting earphones, and a set of motorized skates that can be attached to any boring old pair of shoes. 
It was also a bright week for alternative energy as MIT scientists discovered a way to make more efficient solar plants modeled after sunflowers and Sweden announced plans for a massive 700 megawatt wind farm in the Baltic Sea. Meanwhile, we learned that Rwanda's poo-powered prisons are able to produce 75% of their power from human waste, we showcased plans for an energy-generating rolling suitcase that charges your gadgets, and we saw the launch of several shining solar-powered devices - OLPC's XO3 tablet computer and the sun-powered Solarkindle e-reader cover.
In other news, this week we rounded up our favorite eco gadgets from CES 2012 - including a hydrophobic nanocoating that makes any gadget completely waterproof. We also saw 200 Chinese works construct a 30 story prefab building in just 15 days, and we watched superman fly across a cute animated LEGO TV. Finally, we brought you the latest and greatest developments in wearable technology - including a set of smart sunglasses that merge virtual information with the real world, a set of bone-conducting earphones, and a set of motorized skates that can be attached to any boring old pair of shoes.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Detroit Auto Show, solar plants and hydrophobic nanocoating originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/pJw9_BG8FaU/
jill biden jill biden al mvp ama awards 2011 ama awards 2011 uekman uekman
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)