Texas district attorney, wife found dead at home

File- This Jan. 31, 2013 file photo shows David Byrnes, Sheriff of Kaufman County, right, bowing his head as Mike McLelland, District Attorney of Kaufman County answers questions at a news conference at the Kaufman Law Enforcement Center in Kaufman, Texas. McLelland and his wife where found dead in their home Saturday March 30, 2013. Authorities are investigating. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, David Woo, File )

File- This Jan. 31, 2013 file photo shows David Byrnes, Sheriff of Kaufman County, right, bowing his head as Mike McLelland, District Attorney of Kaufman County answers questions at a news conference at the Kaufman Law Enforcement Center in Kaufman, Texas. McLelland and his wife where found dead in their home Saturday March 30, 2013. Authorities are investigating. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, David Woo, File )

In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, authorities work in the middle of Blarney Stone Way where Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland were found dead in their home in Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY

This undated photo taken from the Kaufman County, Texas, website shows Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland. McLelland and his wife were found killed in their house, Saturday, March 30, 2013, two months after one of his assistants was gunned down near their office, authorities said. (AP Photo/Kaufman County)

In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, caution tape surrounds the home of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland who were found dead in their home near Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY

In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, police block off Blarney Stone Road in Forney, Texas, where Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland were found dead in their home near Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY

KAUFMAN, Texas (AP) ? Two months after an assistant prosecutor was gunned down, the bodies of a north Texas prosecutor and his wife were found in their home, authorities said.

Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found killed in their home on Saturday, Kaufman County sheriff's Lt. Justin Lewis said.

"Everybody's a little on edge and a little shocked," Forney Mayor Darren Rovell told The Associated Press on Sunday. "It appears this was not a random act."

Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was shot to death in a parking lot a block from his office on Jan. 31. No arrests have been made in his death.

Lewis declined to say how the couple died or whether authorities believe their deaths are linked to Hasse's. Police, FBI agents, Texas Rangers and deputies were all part of the investigation.

Rovell said what's so shocking is that the attack occurred at the district attorney's home, an unincorporated area just outside Forney, which has 15,000 residents within the city limits and about 40,000 in the area. Kaufman County is 33 miles southeast of Dallas.

Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh told The Dallas Morning News that the McLellands had been shot in their home, and although investigators didn't know if their deaths were related to Hasse's killing, they couldn't discount it.

"It was a shock with Mark Hasse, and now you can just imagine the double shock and until we know what happened, I really can't confirm that it's related but you always have to assume until it's proven otherwise," Aulbaugh told the newspaper.

Sam Rosander, who lives in the same unincorporated area of Kaufman County as the McLellands, told the AP on Saturday that sheriff's deputies were parked in the district attorney's driveway for about a month after Hasse was killed.

Aulbaugh said recently that the FBI was checking to see if Hasse's killing could be related to the March 19 killing of Colorado Department of Corrections head Tom Clements, who was gunned down after answering the doorbell at his home.

Evan Spencer Ebel, a former Colorado inmate and white supremacist who authorities believe killed Clements and a pizza deliveryman two days earlier, was killed in a March 21 shootout with Texas deputies about 100 miles from Kaufman.

Hasse was chief of the organized crime unit when he was an assistant prosecutor in Dallas County in the 1980s, and he handled similar cases in Kaufman County.

"Anything anybody can think of, we're looking through," McLelland said after Hasse's death.

McLelland graduated from the University of Texas before a 23-year career in the Army, according to the website for the district attorney's office. He later earned his law degree from the Texas Wesleyan School of Law.

He and his wife have two daughters and three sons. One son is a police officer in Dallas.

McLelland and his wife had moved into the home within the past few years ago, Rozell said.

"Real friendly, became part of our community quickly," Rozell said. "They were a really pleasant happy couple."

___

Associated Press writer Michael Graczyk in Houston contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-31-US-District-Attorney-Dead-Texas/id-56790d85ed574e29b1481df3b22143bd

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North Korea puts rockets on standby as US official warns regime is no 'paper tiger'

Baengnyeong Island, home to 5,000 South Korean civilians, sits just 10 miles from the border with North Korea. Fearing an attack from the north, the island has become a fortress with fences, bomb shelters and mine fields. NBC's Ian Williams reports.

By Courtney Kube and Ian Johnston, NBC News

North Korea put its rocket units on standby Friday to attack U.S. military bases in South Korea and the Pacific, after repeated threats one day after two American stealth bombers flew over the Korean Peninsula in a military exercise.

A U.S. official warned that the isolated communist state is ?not a paper tiger? and its reaction should not be dismissed as ?pure bluster.?

According to South Korea's news agency, Yonhap, North Korea announced Saturday that it had entered a state of war against South Korea. "In a special statement, the North said it will deal with every inter-Korean issue in a wartime manner," Yonhap reported. NBC News could not immediately confirm.

The two Koreas have been in a technical state of war because their 1950-53 conflict ended under an armistice and not a peace treaty.

NBC's Andrea Mitchell examines North Korea's brewing threats and what they mean for neighboring South Korea.

According to North Korea's official KCNA news agency, the country's leader Kim Jong Un ?judged the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists in view of the prevailing situation? at a midnight meeting of top generals, Reuters reported.

The latest threats come one day after?two nuclear-capable stealth bombers flew from Missouri?to drop inert munitions on a range in South Korea as part of a major military exercise.

The U.S. official emphasized the danger posed by North Korea?s military and the unpredictable nature of its 30-year-old leader.

?North Korea is not a paper tiger so it wouldn't be smart to dismiss its provocative behavior as pure bluster. What's not clear right now is how much risk Kim Jong Un is willing to run to show the world and domestic elites that he's a tough guy,? said the official, who asked not to be named. ?His inexperience is certain -- his wisdom is still very much in question.?

---

There was a mass demonstration in support of Kim?involving tens of thousands of people?in the main square of North Korean capital Pyongyang Friday, The Associated Press reported.

Placards read "Let's crush the puppet traitor group" and "Let's rip the puppet traitors to death!"

'War for national liberation'
The state-controlled KCNA also published an article that said the ?opportunity for peacefully settling the DPRK-U.S. relations is no longer available as the U.S. opted for staking its fate. Consequently, there remains only the settlement of accounts by a physical means.? DPRK stands for Democratic People?s Republic of Korea, the North's official name.

David Guttenfelder / AP

As chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, David Guttenfelder has had unprecedented access to communist North Korea. Here's a rare look at daily life in the secretive country.

?A battle to be fought by the DPRK against the U.S. will become a war for national liberation to defend the sovereignty and dignity of the country and, at the same time, a revolutionary war to defend the human cause of independence and the justice of the international community,? the article by ?news analyst? Minju Joson said.

South Korea?s Yonhap news agency quoted a South Korean military official as saying that there had been ?increased movement of vehicles and forces? at missile launch sites in the North. ?We are closely watching possibilities of missile launches,? the unnamed official said.

North Korea routinely issues hostile statements but analysts have noted recent remarks have become more belligerent. In December, the North carried out a long-range rocket test and then detonated a nuclear bomb in a test earlier this year.

At a daily news briefing Friday, China?s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China was calling for an easing of tensions.

But some fear the situation could be getting out of control.

North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un has issued almost daily threats, including the threat of nuclear strikes on Washington, D.C., and Seoul. In addition, Pyongyang has put its troops on combat readiness, warning that war "may break out at any moment." NBC's Ian Williams reports.

"It seems that Kim Jong Un is in the driving seat of a train that has been taken on a joyride," Lee Min-yong, an expert on North Korea at Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, told Reuters.

Russia, meanwhile, appeared to criticize the U.S. over Thursday's bomber mission.

"We are concerned that alongside the adequate, collective reaction of the U.N. Security Council, unilateral action is being taken around North Korea that is increasing military activity," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow, according to Reuters.

"The situation could simply get out of control; it is slipping toward the spiral of a vicious cycle," he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

PhotoBlog: North Koreans rally in support of leader's call to arms

Nuclear-capable stealth bombers sent to South Korea amid Kim Jong Un's threats

Despite rhetoric from North, South Koreans carry on

This story was originally published on Fri Mar 29, 2013 5:11 AM EDT

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OUYA game console retail availability set for June 4 | Android ...

We know the OUYA game console began shipping out to the Kickstarter backers as of yesterday, however we are now seeing some additional details. These are details in terms of the shipping process as well as the upcoming retail launch date. The folks at OUYA have also given an updated status in terms of the amount of available games and left things with a promise that these shipments are ?only the beginning.?

In fact, the OUYA team has dubbed this an ?exclusive preview period? and promised that in the lead up to the June 4 retail availability ? users would be seeing goodies to include refinements to the user interface as well as new features. One point worth mentioning, these Kickstarter shipments are going out over time. In other words, just because you were a Kickstarter backer, that does not necessarily mean your OUYA console is ready to ship just yet. The shipping process is expected to last ?several weeks.?

Some good news for those with a console on the way as there should be plenty to keep you busy. As of this time there are just over a 100 available games including Final Fantasy III, Beast Boxing Turbo, Stalagflight, Knightmare Tower and Save the Puppies. Alternatively, for those looking to a bit more aside from gaming, we have already seen the OUYA serving as a media center thanks to XBMC.

Otherwise, it looks like those plugging in a console for the first time should expect a software update to be waiting. The OUYA team hasn?t detailed the update, however they did mention that moving forward, they hope these updates will be done in the background. Finally, as for games, you will have to put a credit/debit card on file for purchases, however all games are still free to try.

[via OUYA]

Source: http://androidcommunity.com/ouya-game-console-retail-availability-set-for-june-4-20130329/

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Bitcoin: How An Unregulated, Decentralized Virtual Currency Just Became A Billion Dollar Market

Hang around in the tech industry long enough and you or someone you know will be heard saying, "that's so crazy it just might work." Two years ago, if you'd told me that an open-source, P2P currency would soon be a thriving, billion-dollar market, I would've told you that you were on a lonely bus headed to CrazyTown, U.S.A. But today, Bitcoin officially became a crazy idea that's actually working. Today, all the Bitcoin in circulation -- some 10.9 million -- have collectively crossed the billion-dollar mark. As it is wont to do, the value of Bitcoin (and its exchange rate) has fluctuated wildly today. At one point, it hit a dollar value around $78, then pushed into the mid-nineties. As of this minute, it's hovering around $90.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3yp-1RktKQ0/

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Palestinian journalist gets jail term for Abbas insult

By Noah Browning

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - A Palestinian court sentenced a local journalist to a year in jail on Thursday over a picture posted on Facebook that was deemed insulting to President Mahmoud Abbas.

The ruling against Mamdouh Hamamreh, who works for the al-Quds TV channel in Bethlehem, is the second this year in which Palestinians have been given jail terms over caricatures of the president.

Journalists and media watchdogs, saying Hamamreh was only "tagged" in the photo and did not create it, criticized the ruling and curbs on media freedom by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

The offending image juxtaposed Abbas beside a similar-looking man who plays the part of a collaborator with French colonial forces in an old Syrian television drama.

"They resemble each other in everything," a caption read.

Many Palestinians perceive Abbas as too conciliatory to Israel and resent coordination between Israeli and Palestinian security forces overseen by Abbas.

Palestinian rights groups were critical of the ruling.

"(Hamamreh) didn't even publish the picture. When images online are criminalised, it's a very serious violation of basic rights of expression," criminalizedaid Riham Abu Aita of the Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms.

"We don't have a king, we have a president," she said.

"This issue is between the prosecutor and the court, and the president has nothing to do with its proceedings," Hassan al-Ouri, legal adviser to Abbas, told Reuters of the Hamamreh case.

A court in the northern West Bank city of Nablus in February sentenced a local man to a year in prison for creating a picture of Abbas to make him look like a football player, and entitled it "the new striker for Real Madrid".

Anas Awad, 26, denied he had intended any offence and the president promptly pardoned him.

(Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-journalist-gets-jail-term-abbas-insult-192131038.html

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Ailing A-Rod will make more than Houston Astros

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2012 file photo, New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez is interviewed before batting practice prior to a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis. Rodriguez will make more this year than all the Houston Astros combined _ a lot more. A-Rod's $29 million salary tops the major leagues for the 13th straight season, according to a study of major league contracts by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2012 file photo, New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez is interviewed before batting practice prior to a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis. Rodriguez will make more this year than all the Houston Astros combined _ a lot more. A-Rod's $29 million salary tops the major leagues for the 13th straight season, according to a study of major league contracts by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2013 file photo, Houston Astros third base coach Dave Trembley (47) talks to players before the start of a spring training baseball workout in Kissimmee, Fla. Alex Rodriguez will make more this year than all the Houston Astros combined _ a lot more. A-Rod's $29 million salary tops the major leagues for the 13th straight season, according to a study of major league contracts by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Alex Rodriguez will make more this year than all the Houston Astros combined ? a lot more.

And he won't even play the first half of the season, if at all.

A-Rod's $29 million salary tops the major leagues for the 13th straight season, according to a study of major league contracts by The Associated Press.

Rodriguez's Yankees are on track to have the highest payroll on opening day for the 15th straight year, climbing above the Los Angeles Dodgers to a projected $228 million with this week's acquisition of Vernon Wells.

With teams due to set opening-day rosters Sunday, the Yankees' payroll will be nearly 10 times the spending of the Astros, who have shrunk their payroll to about $25 million.

"When we get on the baseball field with whomever the opponent is, they are not sitting there saying: 'Well, their players make more money than us so therefore you're deemed a winner and we're deemed a loser,'" Astros manager Bo Porter said Thursday. "Games are won and lost on the baseball field, and it doesn't matter what somebody is paid every two weeks. At the end of the day, that person has to be better than you today."

Rodriguez, recovering from hip surgery, is followed on the money list by Philadelphia pitcher Cliff Lee at $25 million.

Three of the top six will start the season on the DL, with A-Rod joined by New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana (third at $24.6 million) and Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (sixth at $23.1 million). Wells is fourth at $24.6 million and CC Sabathia fifth at $24.3 million, giving the Yankees four of the top six.

The Astros and Miami Marlins have no such worries about pricey players getting hurt. After lifting payroll to about $100 million at the start of last year and then flopping in the first year of their new ballpark, the Marlins slashed spending to around $40 million.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig endorses the decisions, saying "every team runs in cycles."

"You have to understand where you are and not be afraid then to do what you have to do," he said. "Outside of building a good farm system, I don't see how you will remain competitive."

The price of competing keeps going up. The average salary projects to about $3.67 million, up about $200,000 from the start of last season.

As always, the Yankees did as they pleased. For all the talk of austerity under owner Hal Steinbrenner, New York will break the record of $209 million it set in 2008 and top the $200 million mark for the sixth straight season. While the Yankees will pay luxury tax for the 11th consecutive year in 2013, they want to get under the $189 million tax threshold in 2014.

"We've actually increased our payroll this year," Yankees President Randy Levine said. "As sometimes happens, certain people like to ignore the facts instead of the reality. These are the same people who one day criticize us for spending too much money, the next day criticize us for spending too little. The goal of the team every year is to do what's necessary to field a championship team. That goes for this year and, as Hal Steinbrenner has said, next year and every year going forward."

For much of the offseason, it appeared as if the Dodgers would emerge as baseball's biggest spenders in their first full season since a group headed by Mark Walter, Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson bought the club for $2 billion from Frank McCourt.

Just 12th at $95 million on opening day last year, the Dodgers climbed to about $216 million after acquiring Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford from Boston last summer, when they also added Hanley Ramirez and Brandon League. Los Angeles then signed Zack Greinke during the offseason for $147 million. The Yankees had been the only previous team to reach $200 million.

"Everybody knows it's not about the money. It's about how they're going to play together," said All-Star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, whose Colorado Rockies will have a payroll of about $75 million.

"They still have to go out there and know each other and be winners," he said, referring to the Dodgers. "Last year, they got three great players and they still didn't make it because they still have to go out there and get used to playing together and compete."

The Dodgers haven't won the World Series since 1988 and if they fall short again this year, they might spend even more. They had the biggest impact on the elite free-agent market.

"There's a perception that we're in on a couple dozen starting pitchers, three dozen outfielders and infielders, 17, 18 catchers," GM Ned Colletti said during the winter meetings.

Toronto also bulked up, jumping from $75 million at the start of last season to about $118 million after adding Jose Reyes, R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson in trades and signing Melky Cabrera.

"You look on paper and Toronto should be in the World Series," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "The talent they've added is substantial."

Oakland showed last year that money isn't everything, winning the AL West despite the lowest payroll in the majors. The A's have gone up slightly to about $68 million.

"Our payroll, as in every year we have owned the A's, has been within our annual budget ? around half of our revenue," Oakland owner Lew Wolff said in an email. "We are all set to go even as we face much larger payroll teams. Actually, that makes the season even more exciting to me."

The Mets hardly resemble a high-revenue team anymore and are down to about $90 million ? and that includes about $17.5 million to account for the settlement with departed outfielder Jason Bay. After the Mets' owners settled a lawsuit caused by the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme, they promised to resume spending. But they haven't broken out the checkbook just yet, except for a new long-term deal with new team captain David Wright.

"I think we would anticipate being big investors where appropriate," owner Fred Wilpon said.

The AP's figures include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses and other guaranteed income for players on active rosters, disabled lists and the restricted lists, and rosters will change before teams must cut down to 25 active players. For some players, parts of deferred signing bonuses and salaries are discounted to reflect current values.

For the first time, the AP study presents payrolls for both active rosters and rosters following adjustments for cash transactions in trades, signing bonuses that are the responsibility of the club agreeing to the contract, option buyouts and termination pay for released players.

For instance, the Astros are paying Pittsburgh $4.5 million as part of last year's trade sending Wandy Rodriguez to the Pirates. Houston's active payroll for its 25-man roster will be about $19 million, the lowest in the major leagues since the 2006 Florida Marlins at $15 million.

___

AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley and AP freelance writers Mark Didtler, Maureen Mullen and Dick Scanlon contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-28-Major%20League%20Salaries/id-1099ff1a85f94dc8b1921bf20c39c8b1

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Running out of gas, when you self-improvement program stalls ...

We see this in all the creative professions. Writers complain about writer?s block. Artists run out of creative ideas. Businesses become stale and stagnate. Why is it so hard to stay creative, to keep making progress on your recovery and what can you do about those out of gas episodes.

As a counselor I see a similar phenomenon. The client who is making lots of progress and then suddenly after one particularly great session they return and this subsequent session seems to go nowhere. What happened to the resolve to change?

We have different words to use to describe these occurrences but the common thread is that after a period of successful activity there is a period of needing to rest, relax and recharge your batteries. One thing we learn in mindfulness is that you can?t fix a car when it is being driven at 65. The creative mind needs some time of rest if the creativity is going to keep coming.

Sometimes when we open up and reveal the true us, in counseling or in relationships, we fear we have gone too far in changing, gotten ahead of where we are comfortable and we need to pull back and reevaluate.

The client who has breakthroughs, who achieves insight, sometimes feels they have overdone, over shared and the next time they are in the office they retreat to a safer, less involved place. The challenge is to not let this pull back, this need to recharge, become an end to our efforts to make things better.

How if you are making significant progress on an issue do you sustain that effort? What keeps this uncomfortable place from becoming a place of permanently stuck.

How does the creative person recharge their batteries and pick up the process without long periods of being unproductive. Most writers have had episodes of writers block but if those episodes last too long then you stop being a writer. The writer writes, the creative business person conducts business and the parent needs to keep on parenting even when they run out of answers.?

One reason that your productivity declines after a period of accomplishment is that your interest in the project or the field has decreased. We see this in college majors frequently. The first year and into the second the student wants to learn all they can. By the last year they just want to get done and get a job. Somewhere along the way, for many of us, the passion ends long before the relationship.

A novelist starts out wanting to tell the story. Part way through the story the essential ingredients are all down on paper, the plot the characters and so on. From then and there the author knows how the characters will respond to events, the outcome becomes more predictable. The writer?s problem is to maintain the level of interest in what will happen and in telling his characters stories that he had at the beginning.

This same phenomenon happens to businesses. They grow and expand in the early stages and then the owners having put in all that effort begin to lose interest, the fire of desire has gone out and the new innovative ideas stop flowing. Recharging brains helps but relighting the fires of interest is what is really needed.

We know that good relationships, romantic, parental or relationships with self, do not just happen. To keep that relationship alive you need to invest some time and effort in maintaining those relationships.

What we all need to learn to do is to spend some time maintaining that one relationship that will last a life time, our relationship with ourselves.

What have you done recently to put the fun back in to your life? How will you choose to take care of yourself? What specific actions will you take to maintain your relationship with your partner and with your children? How will you find ways to make that job you do, that career or business you own, fun again.

To put that creative spark back in all you do you first need to put the excitement back into what you are doing and how that will get done.?

For more about David Joel Miller and my work in the areas of mental health, substance abuse and Co-occurring disorders see the about the author page. For information about my other writing work beyond this blog there is also a Facebook authors page, up under David Joel Miller. Posts to the ?books, trainings and classes? category will tell you about those activities. If you are in the Fresno California area, information about my private practice is at counselorfresno.com.?

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Source: http://counselorssoapbox.com/2013/03/28/running-out-of-gas-when-you-self-improvement-program-stalls/

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Minister of foreign affairs and cooperation represents the King in ...

Doha ? March 26, 2013

Minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Saad Dine El Otmani, arrived on Monday in Qatar to represent King Mohammed VI in the 24th Arab summit.

The official told reporters that the summit themed ?the Arab world: Present situation and future perspectives? will look into important issues, particularly the Palestinian issue, reiterating Morocco?s commitment to support the Arab League efforts meant to uphold the Palestinian people legitimate rights.

Morocco has always been clear about its support to the Palestinian issue whether after the recognition by the UNO of Palestine as a state or as part of defending the city of Al Qods as a capital for the Palestinian independent state.

He added that he expects the Syrian crisis to dominate debates, given the emergency of this issue, recalling that the meeting of Syria?s friends held in Marrakech was an opportunity to garner international support that led to the recognition of the Syrian national coalition as a representative of the Syrian people.

Morocco will reaffirm in Doha the same support to the Syrian people and will adhere to all the Arab League initiatives, added the Foreign minister.

He also argued that ?reforming the Arab League has become an urgent need as its mechanisms are no longer adapted to address the present challenges.

Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/03/84132/minister-of-foreign-affairs-and-cooperation-represents-the-king-in-doha-arab-summit/

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Obama gives Secret Service its 1st female director

This undated handout photo provided by the US Secret Service shows Secret Service agent Julia Pierson. President Barack Obama will appoint the veteran Secret Service agent as the agency?s first female director, signaling his desire to change the culture at the male-dominated service, which has been marred by scandal. (AP Photo/US Secret Service)

This undated handout photo provided by the US Secret Service shows Secret Service agent Julia Pierson. President Barack Obama will appoint the veteran Secret Service agent as the agency?s first female director, signaling his desire to change the culture at the male-dominated service, which has been marred by scandal. (AP Photo/US Secret Service)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Tuesday named veteran Secret Service agent Julia Pierson as the agency's first female director, signaling his desire to change the culture at the male-dominated service, which has been marred by scandal.

Pierson, who most recently served as the agency's chief of staff, will take over from Mark Sullivan, who announced his retirement last month. The agency faced intense criticism during Sullivan's tenure for a prostitution scandal during preparations for Obama's trip to Cartagena, Colombia, last year.

The incident raised questions within the agency ? as well as at the White House and on Capitol Hill ? about the culture, particularly during foreign travel. In addition to protecting the president, the Secret Service also investigates financial crimes.

"Over her 30 years of experience with the Secret Service, Julia has consistently exemplified the spirit and dedication the men and women of the service demonstrate every day," Obama said in a statement announcing Pierson's appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also praised Obama's "historic decision" to name Pierson as the service's first female director.

Pierson, 53, has held high-ranking posts throughout the Secret Service, including deputy assistant director of the office of protective operations and assistant director of human resources and training. She has served as chief of staff since 2008.

That same year, Pierson was awarded the Presidential Meritorious Executive Award for superior performance in management throughout her career.

She joined the Secret Service in 1983 as a special agent and previously worked as a police officer in Orlando, Fla.

"Julia is eminently qualified to lead the agency that not only safeguards Americans at major events and secures our financial system, but also protects our leaders and our first families, including my own," Obama said. "Julia has had an exemplary career, and I know these experiences will guide her as she takes on this new challenge to lead the impressive men and women of this important agency."

Thirteen Secret Service employees were caught up in last year's prostitution scandal. After a night of heavy partying in the Caribbean resort city of Cartagena, the employees brought women, including prostitutes, to the hotel where they were staying. The incident became public after one agent refused to pay a prostitute and the pair argued about payment in a hotel hallway.

Eight of the employees were forced out of the agency, three were cleared of serious misconduct and at least two have been fighting to get their jobs back.

The incident took place before Obama arrived in Colombia and the service said the president's safety was never compromised. But news of the scandal broke during his trip, overshadowing the summit and embarrassing the U.S. delegation.

Sullivan issued a new code of conduct that bans employees from drinking within 10 hours of starting a shift or bringing foreign nationals back to their hotel rooms.

Sullivan apologized for the incident last year during testimony before a Senate panel.

___

Associated Press writer Alicia Caldwell contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-26-US-Obama-Secret-Service/id-26adaab572894eab9aaa1b6e75135ac6

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Bar Refaeli Controversy: Model Criticized For Role in Pro-Israel Campaign

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/bar-refaeli-controversy-model-criticized-for-role-in-pro-israel/

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Texas shootout gun killed Colorado prison chief: sheriff

By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - The gun used by a white supremacist ex-convict who was killed in a shootout with police near Decatur, Texas, last week was the same weapon used to kill Colorado's prison chief two days earlier, law enforcement officials said on Monday.

Evan Spencer Ebel, a 28-year-old parolee from Denver, was killed in a gun battle with Texas police last Thursday after a high-speed chase through Decatur.

Ballistics tests established that his gun was used to kill Tom Clements, executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, the El Paso County, Colorado, Sheriff's Office said on Monday. Clements, 58, was shot dead on Tuesday when he answered the door at his home south of Denver.

Ebel, who according to law enforcement sources was a member of a white supremacist prison gang known as the 211 Crew, has been named as a suspect in the killing.

"The analysis done by ballistics experts has concluded the gun used by Evan Ebel in Texas was the same weapon used in the shooting death of Tom Clements," the sheriff's department said in a written statement.

"The confirmation goes well beyond acknowledging the same caliber and brand of ammunition being used, but rather is based on unique, and often microscopic markings left on the casings at both scenes," the sheriff's department said.

The department said investigators were seeking to determine whether Ebel acted alone in the shooting of Clements or if others were involved.

Ebel has also been identified by police as a suspect in the killing of pizza delivery man Nathan Leon in Denver last Sunday, two days before Clements was slain.

A Domino's pizza deliverer's shirt or jacket and pizza carrier were found in the trunk of Ebel's Cadillac following the gun battle with police, according to a search warrant filed in the case and posted online by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper.

A Denver police spokesman said detectives were meeting on the case on Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, authorities have been looking for ties between the death of Clements and the January killing of Mark Hasse, a prosecutor in the Kaufman County District Attorney's Office. Kaufman County is east of Dallas.

Ebel was paroled in the Denver area in January.

Emergency personnel carry the driver of a black Cadillac with Colorado plates who was involved in a high speed chase and shootout with police in Decatur, Texas, Thursday, March 21, 2013. The driver ... more? Emergency personnel carry the driver of a black Cadillac with Colorado plates who was involved in a high speed chase and shootout with police in Decatur, Texas, Thursday, March 21, 2013. The driver led police on a gunfire-filled chase through rural Montague County, crashed his car into a truck in Decatur, opened fire on authorities and was shot, officials said. Texas authorities are checking whether the Cadillac is the same car spotted near the home of Colorado prisons chief Tom Clements, who was shot and killed when he answered the door Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Wise County Messenger, Jimmy Alford) MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT less? (This story corrects headline to show gun killed Colo. prison chief, not gunman)

(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Scott Malone, David Gregorio and Bernard Orr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gun-texas-shootout-matches-weapon-killing-colorado-prisons-195523092.html

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Large Hollywood photo collection to be auctioned in New York

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/large-hollywood-photo-collection-auctioned-york-221431489.html

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New study analyzes the risk to endangered whales from ships in southern California

Mar. 25, 2013 ? Researchers have identified areas off southern California with high numbers of whales and assessed their risk from potentially deadly collisions with commercial ship traffic in a study released today in the scientific journal Conservation Biology.

Scientists from NOAA Fisheries, the Marine Mammal Commission and Cascadia Research Collective analyzed data collected over seven years by NOAA on marine mammal and ecosystem research surveys in the Southern California Bight. Maps predicting the density of endangered humpback, fin and blue whales were developed by merging the observed whale sightings with oceanographic conditions to identify the habitat preferred by the different whale species.

"We know several endangered species of whales occur in the waters off southern California," said Jessica Redfern, a NOAA Fisheries marine mammal biologist and lead author of the paper. "What we didn't know, and what this study helps provide, is an understanding of the areas with the highest numbers of whales."

Knowing where whales are more likely to be found in the ocean environment is vitally important to reduce human impacts. Although this information could be used to assess any number of human impacts, the study specifically looked at current and alternative shipping routes to and from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the risk to humpback, fin and blue whales from ship strikes.

Researchers selected four routes to study; the shipping route in the Santa Barbara Channel, which is the current shipping route; a Central route south of the northern Channel Islands; a Central Fan route, or just the eastern part of the Central route; and a Southern route, a course south of the Central route and constrained by the protected areas around Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, and San Nicolas Islands.

By overlaying the routes with the predicted whale densities, researchers found the route with the lowest risk for humpback whales (Southern route) had the highest risk for fin whales and vice versa. However, risk may be ameliorated for both species in one of the Central routes. Blue whales, however, were at approximately equal risk in all routes considered because of their more even distribution throughout the study area. The authors' estimate of the number of blue whales likely killed by ships exceeds levels established by the Marine Mammal Protection Act to ensure sustainable populations. This result suggests that it is important to find ways to reduce the risk of ships striking blue whales.

"The Southern California Bight is an incredibly complex system with a diverse set of users, including the military, shipping industry and fishing industry. All users have specific needs and their input is necessary to plan the best and safest uses of these waters," said Redfern, "This paper helps to incorporate whale habitat use in the planning process so that their needs can be considered as well."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. J. V. Redfern, M. F. Mckenna, T. J. Moore, J. Calambokidis, M. L. Deangelis, E. A. Becker, J. Barlow, K. A. Forney, P. C. Fiedler, S. J. Chivers. Assessing the Risk of Ships Striking Large Whales in Marine Spatial Planning. Conservation Biology, 2013; 27 (2): 292 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12029

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/9gERVjPcq1Q/130325183949.htm

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Founded By Early oDesk Employees, Freelancer Marketplace Rev.com Raises $4.5 Million Series A

Rev.com, a freelancer marketplace founded by early oDesk employees, is today announcing $4.5 million in Series A funding led by Venky Ganesan of Globespan Capital Partners. Also?participating?in the round were?Craig Sherman?(former COO of?Ancestry.com) and?Austin Ligon?(founder of CarMax). All three are now members of Rev.com's board of directors, following the round which closed back in August 2012.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/rJHfjeXI59M/

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Video: Ford Did Not Approve Sexist Ads

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/51324695/

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Meet the 112th | Claire McCaskill Backs Gay Marriage

WASHINGTON ? Support for gay marriage is snowballing among Democrats, as even the more conservative members of the party are coming out in favor of marriage equality. The latest on the list is Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who announced her backing without fanfare in Tumblr post Sunday night.

The full post is below:

The question of marriage equality is a great American debate. Many people, some with strong religious faith, believe that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Other people, many of whom also have strong religious faith, believe that our country should not limit the commitment of marriage to some, but rather all Americans, gay and straight should be allowed to fully participate in the most basic of family values.

I have come to the conclusion that our government should not limit the right to marry based on who you love. While churches should never be required to conduct marriages outside of their religious beliefs, neither should the government tell people who they have a right to marry.

My views on this subject have changed over time, but as many of my gay and lesbian friends, colleagues and staff embrace long term committed relationships, I find myself unable to look them in the eye without honestly confronting this uncomfortable inequality. Supporting marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples is simply the right thing to do for our country, a country founded on the principals of liberty and equality.

Good people disagree with me. On the other hand, my children have a hard time understanding why this is even controversial. I think history will agree with my children.

This is the first time McCaskill has publicly supported gay marriage, a Democratic aide confirmed. While it may seem par for the course for a Democrat to be on this side of the debate ? after it played such a prominent role during the party?s 2012 convention ? the fact that even Red State members like McCaskill now feel comfortable coming out in favor of marriage rights for gays and lesbians is significant. At the very least it???s a reflection of how far the conversation has come.

The issue of gay marriage, after all, dogged McCaskill during her 2012 campaign in Missouri, where President Obama?s endorsement of marriage equality was met with silence among some moderate Democrats.

Source: http://www.meetthe112th.com/latest-news/claire-mccaskill-backs-gay-marriage/

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Trade union rules out strikes at Lufthansa over Easter

BERLIN (Reuters) - German trade union Verdi said Deutsche Lufthansa's air traffic over Easter would not be disrupted by strikes in the ongoing wage dispute at Germany's largest airline.

The union said in a statement late on Friday that no agreement was reached in the latest round of talks and that another walkout was possible before the next round, which is due to start on April 17, but not over Easter.

The union's demands and Lufthansa's offers so far have been "far apart", Verdi said.

Lufthansa on Thursday had to cancel close to 40 percent of its flights as staff went on strike on the eve of wage talks with the German airline, which is trying to cut costs to compete with Middle East and low-cost carriers.

The strike had left exasperated passengers stranded as they waited in long lines snaking through Frankfurt airport's Terminal 1, the home of Lufthansa.

Efforts by big European airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France-KLM to shrink costs in the face of soaring jet fuel prices and fierce competition from Middle Eastern airlines and low-cost carriers have fanned tensions with workers.

Verdi is demanding a 5.2 percent pay rise for 33,000 cabin crew and ground staff at Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Systems, catering unit LSG Sky Chefs and ground crews. It also wants a commitment by Lufthansa to safeguard jobs.

Lufthansa, Europe's biggest airline by revenue, wants to freeze pay and get staff to work an hour more each week to help it to remain competitive.

($1 = 0.7722 euros)

(Reporting by Ralf Bode; writing by Ludwig Burger; editing by James Jukwey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trade-union-rules-strikes-lufthansa-over-easter-135255372--finance.html

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News Summary: Stocks gain on earnings; Nike soars

BUYING THE DIPS: Stocks bounced back from a slump Thursday as investors took the opportunity to add to their holdings. Strong corporate earnings also boosted the market.

JUST DO IT: Nike's stock hit an all-time high after the company reporting a jump in quarterly profits, boosted by a recovery in North America.

SIGNS OF FATIGUE?: Despite Friday's rally, the Standard & Poor's 500 logged its second weekly decline of the year. Investors spent much of the week worrying about the implications of the latest twist in eurozone debt saga. The Mediterranean nation of Cyprus is facing bankruptcy if it doesn't agree a bailout for its stricken banks.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news-summary-stocks-gain-earnings-221134327.html

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Samsung exec says former Android chief Andy Rubin was stubborn

LONDON (Reuters) - British online dating firm Cupid Plc said on Friday it had launched an investigation into a recent report about methods it allegedly used to get free customers to buy subscriptions. At 1647 GMT(1147 EST), shares in Cupid, which began falling in the morning before the company announced its investigation, were down 57 percent at 52 pence, valuing the company at 94.6 million pounds ($144 million). Ukraine newspaper Kyiv Post published an article on March 15 which said that Cupid had hired "motivation managers" to encourage men to buy full subscriptions. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-exec-says-former-android-chief-andy-rubin-211115526.html

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Albumatic Photo Sharing App Raises $4.5 Million, Says SEC Filing

Albumatic, the latest venture photo-sharing from Devon Gundry and Vine investor Adam Ludwin, is raising a $4.5 million round in funding, according to a recent SEC filing. Adam Ludwin, co-founder and principal at RRE Ventures, Devon Gundry, and RRE managing partner Stuart Ellman are all named in the filing.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/GTozpm3Vx7A/

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Steve Wozniak, Speaking To The Denver Apple Pi Club In 1984, On ...

?I pledge allegiance to the logo of corporate marketing in Cupertino. And to the computers for which it stands: One notion, under Jobs, indispensable, for hardware and software for all.? Steve Wozniak, to the Denver Apple Pi Computer Club in 1984.

And that video above is just a funny anecdotes. TUAW reader Vince Patton pointed the Apple fan site to 14 insightful videos he uploaded to YouTube of Steve Wozniak talking to the Denver Apple Pi Club in 1984. As TUAW notes, they?re a treasure trove of first hand accounts into the formation of Apple, the creation of the Apple I and II, and Woz?s college antics.

Apparently Patton recently discovered his father?s VHS taping of Woz?s talk to Denver Apple Pi computer club at the Colorado School of Mines on October 4, 1984. He cleaned up the recording and uploaded 14 clips to YouTube. Two of the best are embedded here but they?re all worth watching.

On the Apple II?s creation

?The computer [the Apple II] was not being design to be a product and it was not being design to be sold, nearly as much as it was being designed to impress and do some very unusual things that had not been seen before.? Steve Wozniak

Ironically, when speaking about the Apple II?s integrated hardware, Wozniak brings up a point that Apple still abides by today, ?Whenever you can recognized standards that will prevail, build them in.? By doing so in the Apple II, this allowed Apple to leave slots open for future hardware, or as Woz says, ?for expansion beyond what we can think of.?

Looking at Apple?s past hardware, this is a notion the company still believes in. From the early iMac?s use of USB over serial to the 10-year life of the Dock Connector, Apple cautiously approaches emerging standards, but tends to invest early and sticks with standards more than most other consumer electronic companies. Apparently it has been that way from the start.

Steve Jobs on the formation of Apple

?Yeah, we?d lose our money, but at least we would have a company.? said Steve Jobs according to Woz.

As Wozniak states, this was reason enough to sell bare PC boards and run the possibility of losing money ? just so they would be involved in a company. And so the two, along with Ron Wayne who designed the manual, began selling the Apple I personal computer kit in 1976.

Woz explains there was originally three employees with him and Jobs owning 45% of the company. The remaining 10% went to Ron Wayne, who designed the Apple I manuals. He got cold feet several weeks into the venture and sold his 10% stake in Apple for $800. He received an additional $1,500 later that year in exchange for forfeiting any claims against the company. Given Apple?s current value, Wayne?s 10 percent share would have been worth more than $43 billion today.

Brian Heater profiled Wayne for Engadget in 2011. It?s a fantastic read.

---

All 14 videos are on Vince Patton?s YouTube account.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/23/steve-wozniak-speaking-to-the-denver-apple-pi-club-in-1984-on-college-pranks-apple-ii-features-and-the-apple-pledge-allegiance/

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Passing reference in 'Argo' rankles New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ? Thirteen minutes into the Oscar-winning movie "Argo," CIA agent Tony Mendez asks supervisor Jack O'Donnell what happened to a group of Americans when the U.S. Embassy was stormed in Tehran.

"The six of them went out a back exit," O'Donnell tells Mendez, played by Ben Affleck. "Brits turned them away. Kiwis turned them away. Canadians took them in."

That's the only mention of New Zealand in "Argo," but it is rankling Kiwis five months after the movie was released in the South Pacific nation. Even Parliament has expressed its dismay, passing a motion stating that Affleck, who also directed the film, "saw fit to mislead the world about what actually happened."

New Zealand joins a list of other countries, including Iran and Canada, that have felt offended by the fictionalized account of how a group of Americans was furtively sheltered and secreted out of Iran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The strong reaction in New Zealand indicates the country remains insecure about its own culture, said Steve Matthewman, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Auckland. People are prone to bouts of unwarranted outrage when somebody from abroad says something bad about the country, he said, and simpering enjoyment when they say something good.

"It's touched a really raw nerve," Matthewman said. "We do seem in New Zealand to be oversensitive to how the rest of the world perceives us."

The movie's New Zealand reference may not be totally fair but has an element of truth.

Some in New Zealand have taken those words ? "Kiwis turned them away" ? as implying the country did nothing to help. Published interviews indicate that diplomats from Britain and New Zealand did help by briefly sheltering the Americans, visiting them and bringing them food, even driving them to the airport when they left.

Yet those interviews also indicate that both countries considered it too risky to shelter the Americans for long. That left the Canadians shouldering the biggest risk by taking them in.

Lawmaker Winston Peters, who brought last week's uncontested motion before Parliament, said New Zealanders are unfairly portrayed as "a bunch of cowards," an impression that would be given to millions who watch the movie.

"It's a diabolical misrepresentation of the acts of courage and bravery, done at significant risk to themselves, by New Zealand diplomats," he said.

Affleck could not be reached for comment this week.

During Oscar media interviews last month, Affleck told reporters: "Let me just start by saying I love New Zealand, and I love New Zealanders." He added that "I think that it's tricky. You walk a fine line. You are doing a historical movie and naturally you have to make some creative choices about how you are going to condense this into a three-act structure."

But Affleck and his screenwriter, Chris Terrio, who won the adapted screenplay Oscar, did catch some flak from critics for taking major liberties, especially a heart-stopping ? but fictional ? airport finale that had gun-wielding Iranian Revolutionary Guards chasing the Swissair plane down the tarmac, with the plane lifting off just in the nick of time. (In reality, the airport exit went smoothly.)

And after the film was made, Affleck took the step of changing the film's postscript, the Toronto Star reported, to more generously credit Canada and its ambassador at the time, Ken Taylor, who protected the Americans at huge personal risk and was uncomfortable with some details in the film.

"Argo" was not the only Oscar-nominated film this year to be criticized for factual issues.

Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" came under fire for its depictions of interrogations. A group of senators charged that the film misled viewers for suggesting that torture provided information that helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden.

Even Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," with its rich attention to historically accurate detail, was criticized for its inaccurate depiction of the Connecticut delegation's vote on the 13th amendment outlawing slavery. The film's Pulitzer-winning screenwriter, Tony Kushner, said he'd changed the details for dramatic effect.

Matthewman, the sociology professor, said the line in Argo may have provoked New Zealanders because the country prides itself on being generous and hospitable. People have a reputation for doing things like picking up hitchhikers and inviting them into their homes for a week, he said.

Small countries like New Zealand that are far from the world's centers of power are often shaped by bigger countries like the U.S. and often look to them for affirmation, Matthewman said. It's interesting to note the different reaction Affleck got in Britain, Matthewman said, which was arguably equally maligned in the movie.

"They give the guy a BAFTA in Britain and bash him in New Zealand," he said, referring to the best director prize Affleck won at the British Academy Film Awards.

Some in Britain, however, have criticized "Argo's" reference to that country, and some in Canada are upset the CIA gets credit at the expense of the Canadians, a claim backed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. And Iran is planning to sue Hollywood for the movie's alleged "unrealistic portrayal" of that country, according to Iranian media reports.

Yet while Iran and Canada are central parts of the movie, the New Zealand reference could easily be missed ? at least by outsiders.

Patrick Gower, the political editor for TV3, one of two main television news stations in New Zealand, wrote in a blog that Affleck should apologize after he "deliberately slammed" the country.

"Some people will say I'm being oversensitive here," he wrote. "But in my opinion, what Affleck has done just isn't right."

The controversy was not reflected in box-office receipts. "Argo" has done well in New Zealand, earning just over $1 million. As of this week, the film has earned $92.3 million internationally and $135 million in North America.

National carrier Air New Zealand has even extended an olive branch to Affleck by offering to fly him to the country as its guest. Airline spokeswoman Marie Hosking said this week it has yet to hear back from him.

Prime Minister John Key, meanwhile, has tried to sound a note of reason.

"New Zealand, I think, sees itself as a country that always wants to lend a hand to help people," he told reporters recently. "But in the end, this is Hollywood, and they do make movies. And a bit like when they transfer a book to a movie, often it's a little bit different. So, look, I think we've made our point and we should probably move on."

But the country doesn't seem ready to move on quite yet.

___

AP reporters Jocelyn Noveck and Randy Herschaft in New York contributed.

___

Follow Nick Perry on Twitter at twitter.com/nickgbperry

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/passing-reference-argo-rankles-zealand-063946444.html

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Logitech rebrands gaming line with same name, announces bounty of peripherals

Logitech's G-prefixed gaming peripherals have been around for awhile, but they were never part of an official gaming line. That changes today, with the introduction of Logitech G, the company's official brand for PC gaming peripherals. "The overriding principal of G is that science wins," Logitech told us. "Just as gamers are compelled to beat levels, our engineers are compelled to test scientific theories." A fancy way to say that Logitech's gaming hardware is built using the latest technology.

The company points to its new line of peripherals as an example: eight products featuring hydrophobic coatings, Logitech's exclusive Delta Zero sensor technology and buttons capable of surviving over 20 million toggles. Headlining the new series are the G700s rechargeable gaming mouse and G19s keyboard, which promise anti-stick surfaces, more than a dozen programmable buttons apiece and $100 and $200 price tags, respectively. The company's rounding out its line up with a pair of audio devices, too -- the G430 and G230 surround and stereo gaming headsets. That's just the tip of the iceberg of course -- head past the break for Logitech's full roster of G series peripherals.

Gallery: Logitech G Series

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/20/logitech-rebrands-gaming-line/

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Oil near $92 as Cyprus rejects bailout measure

NEW YORK (AP) ? The price of oil fell Tuesday as Cyprus lawmakers rejected a measure to tax bank accounts as part of a bailout plan for its shriveled economy and worries persisted about Europe's debt problems.

Benchmark oil for April delivery fell $1.58 to finish at $92.16 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price many kinds of oil imported by U.S. refineries, dropped $2.06 to end at $107.45 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

Energy market investors were left hanging about developments in Cyprus, where lawmakers rejected a plan to tax bank accounts to stabilize the country's financial sector and clear the way for a massive international bailout. That has prompted fears of a run on banks across Europe, with accountholders questioning guarantees on their savings.

Analysts at Frankfurt's Commerzbank, while noting that "the upside potential is likely to remain limited" until the uncertainty over Cyprus subsides, also pointed out that the lack of alternative investment opportunities could support crude prices.

"The continuing high liquidity among investors, coupled with their willingness to take risks, is likely to lend support also to the commodities markets in the coming months," Commerzbank said.

Meanwhile, the economic news in the U.S. was brighter. The Commerce Department said builders broke ground on homes last month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 917,000, up from 910,000 in January and the second-fastest pace in 4 ? years. Building permits also increased in February, rising by 4.6 percent to 946,000, the most since June 2008.

A stronger economy is likely to increase demand for oil gas, but the nation's supplies remain ample. On Wednesday the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration is expected to report an increase of 2 million barrels in crude oil supplies and a drop of 2.5 million barrels in gasoline stocks, according to a survey of analysts by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.

U.S. oil production, at more than 7 million barrels a day, is at the highest level in 20 years.

Natural gas rose again Tuesday, boosted by forecasts for cold weather through the end of March. "Gas prices which have rallied 84 cents or nearly 27 percent in a little more than a month as strong end-of-season weather factors and dwindling inventories have boosted the market to levels not seen since the end of October, 2011," independent energy analyst Addison Armstrong noted.

Natural gas futures rose 9 cents to finish at $3.97 per 1,000 cubic feet.

At the gas pump the national average for a gallon of regular stayed around $3.69. That's down a penny from a week ago and 15 cents lower than a year ago. Drivers in the Northeast, Midwest and on the West Coast are paying the most. Gas is cheapest in the South.

In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline lost 8 cents to end at $3.05 a gallon.

? Heating oil fell 6 cents to finish at $2.86 a gallon.

___

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok, Pablo Gorondi in Budapest and Christopher S. Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-near-92-cyprus-rejects-bailout-measure-192203538--finance.html

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Obama skeptical of Assad claim on chemical weapons

JERUSALEM (AP) ? President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the United States is investigating whether chemical weapons have been deployed in Syria, but he's "deeply skeptical" of claims by Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime that rebel forces were behind such an attack.

Both the Assad regime and Syrian rebels have accused each other of using chemical weapons in an attack on Tuesday that the government says killed 31 and wounded more than 100. But Obama suggested it's more likely that if the weapons were used, the Syrian government was behind the attack.

"We know the Syrian government has the capacity to carry out chemical weapon attacks," Obama said. "We know that there are those are in the Syrian government who have expressed a willingness to use chemical weapons if necessary to protect themselves. I am deeply skeptical of any claim that in fact it was the opposition that used chemical weapons. Everybody who knows the facts of the chemical weapons stockpiles inside of Syria as well as the Syrian government capabilities, I think, would question those claims."

"Once we establish the facts, I have made clear that the use of chemical weapons is a game changer," Obama said in a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama said he wouldn't announce what the next steps would be while the investigation is unfolding. But he echoed up his statement over the summer that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would be a "red line" for the United States.

"When you start seeing weapons that can cause potential devastation and mass casualties and you let that genie out of the bottle, then you are looking potentially at even more horrific scenes than we've already seen in Syria. And the international community has to act on that additional information," Obama said.

"We have been clear that the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people would be a serious and tragic mistake," Obama said.

Obama said the U.S. policy not to intervene militarily thus far is based on his desire to solve the problem as a global community. "It's a world problem ... when tens of thousands of people are being slaughtered, including innocent women and children," Obama said.

Netanyahu said the two leaders discussed Syria during their private meeting earlier. He said the two countries share a goal of preventing Syria's weapons arsenal from falling into the hands of terrorists.

Obama said the United States shares the concern that the weapons could be transferred to a group like Hezbollah and used against Israel. "The Assad regime must understand that they will be held accountable for the use of chemical weapons or their transfer to terrorists," Obama said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-20-US-Syria-Obama/id-63f6a9b56644426b91f247dbb44ac00e

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