Friday, 28 June 2013

T.J. Grant says Anthony Pettis? attempt to take the lightweight title shot was ?disrespectful?

No cuts, no butts, no coconuts. It's something we were taught as we lined up for dismissal in grade school. It's a lesson we live with when in line at the grocery store or the ATM. It's an idea heavily enforced as we board planes by specific groups.

With that in mind, you can see why T.J. Grant was miffed when he heard Anthony Pettis trying to take his title shot with Benson Henderson at UFC 164. After an injury to Pettis forced him out of his featherweight title bout with Jose Aldo at UFC 163, Pettis said he wanted to fight later that month.

?I can be 100-percent ready to fight Benson Henderson in [at UFC 164] Milwaukee. With all due respect to TJ Grant, Milwaukee is my town and the fight with Ben is the fight everyone has wanted for years,? read a statement that Pettis released to Fuel TV. ?If it works out, great; if not, I will get my shot very soon. But I think we all know which fight the fans want to see and the entire city of Milwaukee!?

Pettis' pleas to fight at UFC 164 didn't matter as his injury required he sit out for six weeks. Grant was still unhappy that Pettis tried to take the shot.

?I wish it was handled a little differently. Him of all people, I think it was disrespectful, to do that against someone who has earned the right to fight is not right,? Grant said to ESPN. ?Unfortunately he got hurt but it was low class, I thought. I didn?t want to get into the whole talking thing. I got here legitimately and earned it. Ultimately, what he was saying was that he wanted my title-shot which was incredibly disrespectful. It was pretty dirty.?

On two different occasions, Pettis had and then lost title shots. First, the draw between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard put Pettis back in line, and then the injury. You can see why Grant was upset when Pettis tried to do to him what has happened to Pettis before.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/t-j-grant-says-anthony-pettis-attempt-lightweight-145006043.html

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Health of detained Syrian activist deteriorating

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian activists said Thursday a prominent rights lawyer believed to be in government custody for more than eight months is suffering from deteriorating health and called for his immediate release.

The lawyer, Khalil Maatouk, was abducted while driving to his Damascus office in October and hasn't been heard from since. The 54-year-old is one of thousands of Syrians who have disappeared since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began more than two years ago, and many of them are believed to be held in government detention centers.

Amnesty International estimates that tens of thousands of Syrians are being held incommunicado by the Assad regime but does not have exact figures. The Syrian government denies such cases exist, and says all arrests are carried out legally.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Maatouk, who is known to have lung disease, is being held in an underground Syrian intelligence detention facility. The Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on the ground in Syria to gather information, said Maatouk's health is deteriorating and called on the United Nations high commissioner for Human rights to help secure his release.

Maatouk tracked and reported on the detention of activists before the anti-Assad uprising began, and continued his work after the revolt broke out in March 2011.

Soon after Maatouk disappeared, a friend of the attorney and lawyer Anwar al-Bunni told the New-York based Human Rights Watch that Maatouk had been traveling down a road loaded with government checkpoints, making it unlikely that non-state actors kidnapped him. Al-Bunni also said that Maatouk had been summoned for interrogation a number of times before his abduction because of his work representing detained activists and his frequent travels.

Maatouk was one of the lawyers following the detention case of another prominent activist, Mazen Darwish, and his colleagues.

Darwish was detained in February 2012 and has since been put on trial in a terrorism court, accused along with four colleagues, of "publicizing terrorist acts."

The Syria-based human rights Violations Documentation Center said their trial of the five on Wednesday was once again postponed to Aug. 21 after the prosecution demanded that the documents and computers confiscated from the defendants' offices be shared with the court.

Syria's conflict started out as peaceful protests against the Assad regime. After a bloody government crackdown on demonstrators, many Syrians took up arms against the regime.

Faced with a relentless rebellion, Assad said his country is at war with terrorists and ratified a new terrorism a law in July 2012 that includes a clause specifically aimed at the opposition. Under the law, the penalty for terrorism that aims to change the regime would exceed 20 years of hard labor.

Human Rights Watch said Darwish and his colleagues were on trial for acts such as distributing humanitarian aid, participating in protests, and documenting human rights abuses. In a statement Tuesday, the group said the trial in a counter-terrorism court violates due process, aims to stifle dissent and called for their release.

"The new Counterterrorism Court is providing judicial cover for the persecution of peaceful activists by Syria's security agencies," said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "As the discussion about future negotiations between the opposition and government continue, all parties should remember the peaceful activists languishing in detention, subject to torture, mistreatment, and judicial processes that deny them their basic rights."

The group said lawyers in Syria working on cases of political detainees estimate that between 35,000 and 50,000 activists are tried before these courts.

The United Nations recently estimated that 93,000 people were killed between March 2011, when the crisis started, and the end of April 2013. The Observatory put its estimate at more than 100,000 up until this month.

As the bloodshed has intensified, hopes for an international conference to try to reach a political settlement between the regime and opposition have faded. Meanwhile, Washington and its allies say they will help arm the rebels.

In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday warned against shipping weapons to Syrian rebels, telling parliament that in her view, "the risks would be incalculable."

She did not explain why, but critics fear Western arms would only prolong the conflict without tipping the scales decisively. There are also concerns that Western weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles, could fall into the hands of Islamic extremists who might use them against Western targets down the road.

"Whether it would be successful or not is a different question but in my view the risks would be incalculable," Merkel said. "But I think everyone who has a heart understands the wish to stop the killing in Syria and to remove the Assad regime."

___

Associated Press writer Robert H. Reid contributed to this report from Berlin

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/health-detained-syrian-activist-deteriorating-092421571.html

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Monday, 24 June 2013

As banks eye Iraq, Citi plans office in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Citigroup Inc. is set to become the first American bank to open an office of its own in Baghdad, highlighting financial firms' growing interest in Iraq a decade after the U.S.-led 2003 invasion.

Executives say the representative office Citi has received preliminary approval for will help support its corporate customers in Iraq and act as a liaison for companies looking to do business there.

British bank Standard Chartered is also making a push in Iraq with plans to open branches in three cities.

"Essentially what we are doing is following our clients," said Mayank Malik, Citi's chief executive for Jordan and Iraq, ahead of an official announcement Monday. "We see this as a giant waking up. ... The time to enter is now. It's not when everything has been done."

Iraq has struggled to attract interest from Western companies outside of the oil sector in the 10 years since U.S.-led forces toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Security and political instability remain major concerns, and corruption within the top-heavy statist economy is deeply entrenched.

Even so, foreign banks see opportunities as Iraq's economy opens up on the back of an oil boom.

The World Bank expects Iraq's economy to grow by 9 percent this year, compared with just over 2 percent for the global economy as a whole. Last year Iraq became the second-largest oil producer in OPEC, and now churns out more than 3 million barrels of crude a day.

Iraq's financial system is dominated by state-owned banks, though lenders from nearby countries including Iran and Lebanon have opened branches since the war. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, one of the largest banks in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, opened its first outpost in Baghdad last year.

Iraq is slowly showing signs of economic development, with new hotels, restaurants and car dealerships popping up. But it remains a challenging place to do business.

More than 2,000 people have been killed in bombings and other violent attacks since the start of April in the worst outburst of violence in five years. And the country is politically volatile. Iraq's long-serving central bank governor was abruptly removed from his post in October following a probe into alleged financial wrongdoing.

Citi's Iraq country head, Dennis Flannery, who was previously the U.S. Treasury Department's representative at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, described Iraq's unpredictability and instability as "part of the landscape" of the country.

"The economic engine is still humming along. We haven't seen any reason to alter our strategy," he said.

At a cafe inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, Citi's Malik and Flannery described the new office as the start of a broader relationship with Iraq that could lead to bank branches down the road. The office itself will start out small and will be located outside the confines of the Green Zone, a sprawling complex of government buildings and embassies sealed off from the rest of the city by blast walls and heavily armed soldiers backed by tanks.

"There'll be next steps," Flannery said. "It's important to collect information, to learn better what the market is all about, to learn the good parts, the bad parts, everything. ... And that will enable us to take that next step to full-scale banking in a better informed way."

Citi already counts as clients many of the large international oil companies that have been brought in to develop Iraq's vast oil reserves, he said.

The bank is also advising Kuwaiti telecommunications provider Zain as it gets ready to list shares of its Iraqi operations on the Iraq Stock Exchange. Another Iraqi telecom, Asiacell, raised nearly $1.3 billion when it floated shares on the small stock exchange in February. It was one of the Middle East's biggest stock offerings in years.

Britain's Standard Chartered, meanwhile, is working on plans to open bank branches in Baghdad, the southern oil hub of Basra and the Kurdish regional capital Irbil. Its reasons are similar to Citi's.

"We need to be on the ground to support our global network clients in industries such as power, oil, telecoms and construction," spokesman Piers Townsend said.

Saleh Mahoud Salman, the director of administration at the Central Bank of Iraq, was unable to say when the companies' operating licenses would be issued. He welcomed the banks' interest in Iraq, saying they could help "develop the economy and push the banking sector forward."

Even as Citi and Standard Chartered push into Iraq under their own brands, British banking giant HSBC is considering an exit of its 70 percent stake in Iraq's Dar es Salaam Investment Bank as part of a wider review of its global operations.

___

Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at http://twitter.com/adamschreck

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/banks-eye-iraq-citi-plans-office-baghdad-063554163.html

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Saturday, 22 June 2013

Citrix Systems co-founder dies in Florida

BACO RATON, Fla. (AP) -- Citrix Systems co-founder Edward Iacobucci has died in South Florida. He was 59.

The VirtualWorks Group reports that Iacobucci died at home Friday morning after a 16-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Iacobucci graduated from Georgia Tech with an engineering degree and got a job working for IBM in 1979. He left IBM in 1989 to co-found Citrix Systems, Inc., where he served chairman and chief technology officer through all of its market and product development phases. He retired in 2000.

In 2002, Iacobucci co-founded DayJet Corporation, which ceased operations in 2008. But a year later, he co-founded VirtualWorks Group, headquartered in Boca Raton, to help customers organize their information. He served as president and CEO there until last month, when he stepped down for health reasons.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/citrix-systems-co-founder-dies-224918919.html

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Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Yandex Takes Another Swipe At Google In Russia, Launches Yandex.Browser On iOS And Android

3.BookmarksYandex, referred to as the "Google of Russia" for its dominance in search and subsequent extension into cloud-based services like maps, online storage and apps, today is unveiling another service that will give it a stronger foothold in the fast-growing mobile market: it is debuting a dedicated mobile browser, which will feature a single box for URLs and searches, voice recognition features and more. But Yandex is still stopping short of launching a full-blown, Android-style mobile platform to complete the picture.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/XUhtfKrI-iw/

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Tuesday, 18 June 2013

Shark attacks Texas teen

By Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC News

A shark attacked a teenage boy on Monday as he was standing in shallow water off the coast of Texas, police said.

The 15-year-old was at Surfside Beach on the Gulf of Mexico with friends when he felt the shark bite his left leg and tried to fight it off by reaching into the water and hitting it. The shark then went for his left?hand and he suffered lacerations to limbs, according to Assistant Chief of Police Gregg Bisso.

When the shark gave up, the boy?s friends helped him out of the water and a police officer and medic who was on the scene began administering first aid, said Bisso.

The victim was then?air-lifted 60 miles to Memorial Herman?Texas Medical Center in Houston.

Bisso said the Surfside Beach Police Department is most used to responding to jelly fish stings ? not shark bites ? since the last shark attack at Surfside happened 25-30 years ago.

He said an influx of sharks could be the result of weather conditions or bait fish, but the police department will not call for extra precautions on the beach until they are able to figure it out.

The boy, whose name has not been released because he is a minor, is being treated, but his injuries are not life threatening, Bisso said.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2d6c5e2b/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A60C170C190A0A99760Eshark0Eattacks0Etexas0Eteen0Dlite/story01.htm

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From the Editor: National Small Business Week ? Retail Minded

Home ? RM News ? From the Editor: National Small Business Week

From the Editor: National Small Business Week

Posted by:?Nicole Reyhle??? Tags:? ??? Posted date:? June 17, 2013 ?|? No comment

I can?t tell you how many times I just want to say ?thank you? to the countless small business owners I am so fortunate to work with. Their 7 day work schedules, commitment to customers, , tireless local efforts and so much more are nothing short of honorable. So ?THANK YOU? from me to you if you happen to be one out of every two Americans who either work for a small business or own your own.

Although it?s only half way through the year, I feel fortunate to have visited many new indie retailers this year whom have all provided me inspiration and hope in our nation?s Small Business community ? particularly with a niche in retail. From veteran retailer Cottage Furnishings in Laguna Beach, California to newly opened KaDoodles in Overland Park, Kansas, I am always in awe of the stories and people that bring retail stores to life. I love hearing the stories of what inspired a store to become a store, and the people whom opened the store to do just that? open it. But beyond dreams becoming reality, I am just as in awe of the hard work and dedication it takes for retailers to stay alive, current and profitable in today?s ever-changing, always demanding economy. And like many of the folks I meet, I can relate to the hard work and non-stop schedule of a small business owner. After all, I am one myself.

As my thank you for being committed to your own small business, I want to give you for a FREE (yes FREE) single issue of Retail Minded Magazine. Simply use code SMALLROCKS for a FREE digital issue of Retail Minded Magazine! Each issue is packed with news, education and support uniquely designed for an indie audience? that?s you. And if you love it (we hope you do) please use code SMALLBIZWEEK to get $20 off a print subscription? making one year of Retail Minded only $19.95 vs. it?s $39.95 newsstand price.

While we think this is quite the deal, don?t take our word for it. One of our readers recently had this to share about this promo deal?

??This magazine is worth every dollar at full price! Invaluable to say the least. Grab your copy.?? Dedrick?s Gifts from New Paltz, New York? ?

Whether you want to check out Retail Minded Magazine or not, we?re just happy you are a small biz. Thank you for that. It truly helps to shape communities and people in a way nothing else can.

Wishing you each success and THANK YOU again for being a small business!

? ? Nicole Leinbach Reyhle? Founder & Editorial Director Retail Minded Magazine ? ? ? ? ? ? ? PS ? This summer I am super excited about a few great things for indie retailers and small businesses in general! First up? SnapRetail?s Summer School! They?re offering 12 FREE webinars ? and if you miss them, they have them available for download. Learn more here. Next up? Retail Minded?s new MINI MOO SHOP! I love, love, love what MOO does for Small Businesses and hope you will, too! Plus get 20% off with code RM2013! Learn more here!?

Source: http://retailminded.com/from-the-editor-national-small-business-week/

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The Rise of the Surveillance State (As Predicted in 1967)

The Rise of the Surveillance State (As Predicted in 1967)

Uncle Sam might soon be spying on you with a vast, computerized network. At least that was the eerie prophecy of The Atlantic in 1967.

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/J9_z_i-RsA8/-513848643

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Oil rises above $98 ahead of Fed meeting

BANGKOK (AP) -- Oil prices rose Monday ahead of a critical meeting of U.S. central bank policymakers later in the week.

Benchmark oil for July delivery rose 28 cents to $98.14 a barrel at late afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract for July delivery rose $1.16 to close at $97.85 a barrel on the Nymex amid concerns about a possible escalation in Syria's civil war.

The Fed has been supporting the U.S. economy by buying $85 billion in bonds every month as part of a plan to keep interest rates low and encourage borrowing, spending and investing. Recent signs of a recovery, however, have raised questions about whether the Fed might start to pull back.

Some investors worry that long-term interest rates could spike when the Fed pulls back, threatening the economic recovery. The Fed will start a two-day meeting Tuesday to discuss the central bank's next steps.

"Ultimately markets are likely to successfully transition to a world of reduced Fed asset purchases but this may take a while. In the meantime market stress is set to remain elevated," said analysts at Credit Agricole CIB in a market commentary.

President Barack Obama's decision last week to provide weapons to rebels fighting the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad pushed up oil prices Friday. The Middle East is a key source of crude oil and important transit routes cross the region, so conflicts which threaten disruptions in crude production or supply usually push oil prices higher.

Brent crude, a benchmark for many international oil varieties, rose 32 cents to $106.25 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline rose 4 cents to $2.90 a gallon.

? Heating oil added 1 cent to $2.97 per gallon.

? Natural gas rose 3.6 cents to $3.769 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-rises-above-98-ahead-090507311.html

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Monday, 17 June 2013

Obama's approval rating drops as he responds to controversies (Washington Bureau)

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Court: Ariz. citizenship proof law illegal

U.S. History students from Austin, Minn. High School visit the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, June 17, 2013, in anticipation of key decisions being announced. With a week remaining in the current Supreme Court term, several major cases are still outstanding that could have widespread political impact on same-sex marriage, voting rights, and affirmative action. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

U.S. History students from Austin, Minn. High School visit the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, June 17, 2013, in anticipation of key decisions being announced. With a week remaining in the current Supreme Court term, several major cases are still outstanding that could have widespread political impact on same-sex marriage, voting rights, and affirmative action. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

A police officer keeps watch outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, June 17, 2013. With a week remaining in the current Supreme Court term, several major cases are still outstanding that could have widespread political impact on same-sex marriage, voting rights, and affirmative action. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

--FILE--People wait in line to vote at polling place located in a church in Phoenix in this Nov. 6, 2012, file photo. The Supreme Court ruled Monday, June 17, 2013, that states cannot on their own require would-be voters to prove they are U.S. citizens before using a federal registration system designed to make signing up easier. The justices voted 7-2 to throw out Arizona's voter-approved requirement that prospective voters document their U.S. citizenship in order to use a registration form produced under the federal "Motor Voter" voter registration law. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Tom Tingle) MARICOPA COUNTY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES

(AP) ? States can't demand proof of citizenship from people registering to vote in federal elections unless they get federal or court approval to do so, the Supreme Court ruled Monday in a decision complicating efforts in Arizona and other states to bar voting by people who are in the country illegally.

The justices' 7-2 ruling closes the door on states independently changing the requirements for those using the voter-registration form produced under the federal "motor voter" registration law. They would need permission from a federally created panel, the Election Assistance Commission, or a federal court ruling overturning the commission's decision, to make tougher requirements stick.

Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote the court's majority opinion, said federal law "precludes Arizona from requiring a federal form applicant to submit information beyond that required by the form itself."

Voting rights advocates welcomed the ruling.

"Today's decision sends a strong message that states cannot block their citizens from registering to vote by superimposing burdensome paperwork requirements on top of federal law," said Nina Perales, vice president of litigation for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. "The Supreme Court has affirmed that all U.S. citizens have the right to register to vote using the national postcard, regardless of the state in which they live."

Under Proposition 200 approved in 2004, Arizona officials required an Arizona driver's license issued after 1996, a U.S. birth certificate, a passport or other similar document before the state would approve the federal registration application. It can no longer do that on its own authority.

Less than 5 percent of people registering to vote in Arizona use the federal form, said Matt Roberts, a spokesman for Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett. The rest register through the state, meaning they will continue to be asked to provide proof of citizenship when signing up to vote.

But because of the court ruling, people can merely choose the less onerous federal form, which asks people to swear if they are citizens or not, but does not demand proof.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, who argued the case before the Supreme Court, expects the state will ask the Election Assistance Commission to approve the citizenship proof on the federal form and to fight any denial in court ? the process laid out in Monday's ruling.

"The U.S. Supreme Court has given us a clear path to victory for the people of Arizona, who overwhelmingly approved the state constitutional amendment that was the subject of the legal challenge," Horne said. "Since the U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear that this pathway exists, Arizona should use it. The sanctity of the ballot box is a cherished right for all Americans and it must be protected."

Federal officials deadlocked on Arizona's request in 2005, and the state did not appeal.

In other actions Monday, the court:

?Ruled that agreements between the makers of name-brand and generic drugs to delay the generics' availability can be illegal and challenged in court.

?Ruled that prosecutors in some instances may use a suspect's silence at an early stage of a criminal investigation against him or her, before the suspect has been arrested or informed of constitutional rights.

?Agreed to decide in its next term a new dispute involving race; specifically, whether federal housing law requires proof of intentional discrimination.

The Arizona case is the first of two major voting decisions to be made by the court this month. Justices have yet to say whether a section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a law that has helped millions of minorities exercise their right to vote, especially in areas of the Deep South, was still needed, despite several justices voicing deep skepticism during arguments in February.

Arizona has tangled frequently with the federal government over immigration issues involving the Mexican border, health care and more. But the decision on voter registration has broader implications because other states have similar requirements, such as Alabama, Georgia, Kansas and Tennessee, and still others are contemplating such legislation.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp called the decision disappointing but said he would continue working with state officials to "provide a safe, secure and legal system for voter registration."

Tom Caso, a professor at Chapman University School of Law in California and supporter of the Arizona law, said the decision "opened the door" to noncitizen voting.

"The court's decision ignores the clear dictates of the Constitution in favor of bureaucratic red tape," Caso said. "The notion that the court will not enforce the Constitution unless you first apply to a commission that cannot act because it has no members is mind-boggling."

Currently, the Election Assistance Commission has no active commissioners. The four commissioners are supposed to be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The last two left in 2011, according to the panel's website.

Kathy McKee, who led the push to get Proposition 200 on the ballot in Arizona, said the ruling makes it harder to combat voter fraud, including fraud carried out by people who don't have permission to be in the country. "To even suggest that the honor system works, really?" McKee said. "You have to prove who you are just to use your charge card now."

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito were the only two dissenters. Alito said the decision means that Arizona now has two voter registration systems, and that the success of an applicant could come simply by the system he or she chooses. "I find it very hard to believe that this is what Congress had in mind," he said.

Opponents of Arizona's law saw it as an attack on vulnerable voter groups such as minorities, immigrants and the elderly. They say they've counted more than 31,000 potentially legal voters in Arizona who easily could have registered before Proposition 200 but were blocked by the state law in the 20 months after it passed. They say about 20 percent of those thwarted were Latino.

Arizona officials say they should be able to pass laws to stop noncitizens from getting on their voting rolls. The Arizona voting law was part of a package that also denied some government benefits to people in the country illegally and required Arizonans to show identification before voting.

Arizona can ask the federal government to include the extra documents as a state-specific requirement, Scalia said, and challenge any adverse decision by the government in court. Louisiana's request already has been granted, Scalia said.

The ruling upholds one by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said the 1993 National Voter Registration Act of 1993 trumps Arizona's Proposition 200.

The case is 12-71, Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.

___

Associated Press writer Jacques Billeaud contributed to this story from Phoenix.

___

Follow Jesse J. Holland on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jessejholland

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-17-Supreme%20Court-Voter%20Citizenship%20Proof/id-a7846363936a4756bbef77f103313da0

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The Real Climate Threat (Powerlineblog)

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Apple Reveals Number of Customer Data Requests From U.S. Law Agencies, Repeats Denial Of Prism Involvement

Apple Logo and Brass PadlockApple posted a press release on its site reaffirming its "commitment to customer privacy" and stating that it first heard of the Prism program when questioned by news organizations on June 6. The company also said that it received between 4,000 to 5,000 requests from U.S. federal, state and local law enforcement for customer data between December 1, 2012 and May 31, 2013.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/YwliQ4onEvo/

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Is military experience enough to win Gomez Mass Senate seat?

Republican Gabriel Gomez has made his experience as a Navy SEAL a cornerstone of his campaign for Senate against Democrat Edward Markey. But in Massachusetts, a state historically unfriendly toward Republicans, will Gomez's credentials translate to votes?

By Bob Salsberg,?Associated Press / June 15, 2013

Republican Gabriel Gomez, (l.), and Democrat U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, candidates for US Senate in the June 24, 2013 special election, being held to fill the seat vacated when John Kerry was appointed as secretary of state in Massachusetts.

AP Photos

Enlarge

It's a small group of potential voters but one that Gabriel Gomez is clearly at ease with ? about two dozen people who gathered in a recreation room at the Chelsea Soldiers Home to hear a fellow veteran discuss his uphill fight to become the next US senator?from Massachusetts.

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Gomez, wearing his trademark olive green bomber jacket, chats with the vets about the type of aircraft he piloted before becoming a Navy SEAL and the need to improve health care for service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

He describes his hectic campaign schedule in military terms: "Reveille was 05:00 for me today," he explains. And his quest to defeat Democratic US Rep. Edward Markey in the June 25 special election often sounds more like a military endeavor.

"Where we come from, you're mission focused," he tells the group. "You accomplish your mission, and that's what you're focused on."

He continues: "You don't have 37 years to accomplish a mission." It's a dig at Markey's long tenure in Congress and a reminder of his own pledge to serve no more than two full terms if elected.

While Gomez, 47, has made his military background a cornerstone of the campaign, he'll need more than the support of veterans to win an election in a state where Republicans ? with the notable exception of former Sen. Scott Brown in a 2010 special election to succeed the late US Sen. Edward Kennedy ? have fared poorly in recent years.

A political unknown before entering the?race?to succeed John Kerry, who resigned to become secretary of state, Gomez won a low-key Republican primary over two opponents April 30 but now faces a better financed candidate with the state's formidable Democratic machine on his side.

Gomez, who at times seems to campaign as much against his own party as the Democrats, has sought to position himself as a socially moderate, fiscally conservative alternative to Markey, whom he holds up as a symbol for an entrenched and out-of-touch Washington political establishment.

But Markey has dismissed his opponent's attempts to distance himself from the national GOP, claiming he shares many of the same views as conservative Republicans on issues such as gun control, taxes, Social Security and abortion.

On the latter, Gomez, a Catholic, has explained that he is "pro-life" by faith but has no intention of changing current abortion laws. He hasn't ruled out, however, voting for a US Supreme Court nominee who opposes the landmark Roe. v. Wade decision.

The son of Colombian immigrants, Gomez was born in Los Angeles and was a toddler when his family moved to Washington state, where his father worked as a salesman for a company that sold hops.

Gomez, who did not learn to speak English until kindergarten, enjoys conversing in Spanish with Latino residents on the campaign trail. He often weaves Spanish into speeches and briefly spoke Spanish in a recent debate with Markey in Springfield.

"I saw how this country embraced my parents and gave them a chance at the dream, gave me a chance at the dream," Gomez said during an interview with The Associated Press earlier in the campaign.

Gomez attended the US Naval Academy and served in the Navy for nine years, first as a pilot before pursuing his dream to join the elite SEAL team. It was a risk because Gomez knew he wouldn't be able to return to pilot status.

"I didn't want to have any regrets in life ... and I really had a strong desire to go be a SEAL," he said.

Gomez was stationed in South America, where he met his wife, Sarah, who was working in the West Indies as a Peace Corps volunteer. The couple would later settle in Cohasset and raise four children, the oldest of whom is now 13.

After leaving the military, Gomez attended Harvard Business School and launched a lucrative career with the private equity firm Advent International.

While he has touted his business experience, his time at Advent has also been a source of controversy in the campaign as he has come under withering attack from Democrats for revealing little about his clients in financial disclosure forms. He has said that during the time period covered by the forms, he didn't directly provide services to Advent's portfolio companies.

Gomez ? whose only prior foray into politics was an unsuccessful run for selectman in 2003 ? has reacted angrily to campaign ads run by his opponent. He's called Markey "dirty" and once described him as "pond scum."

Markey said the ads were only intended to highlight differences on issues and not attack Gomez personally. Gomez rejects any suggestion of being thin-skinned but concedes that the aggressive tone of the campaign might have caught him off-guard.

"I think the one thing that has surprised me and maybe shouldn't have surprised me is the level of ... misleading and dishonest ads that are out there, mischaracterizations of my positions," he said.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/dxOiMFk-rDM/Is-military-experience-enough-to-win-Gomez-Mass-Senate-seat

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Sunday, 16 June 2013

Virginia Sullivan: The Insanity of Self-Improvement: Are We Meant to ...

I'm starting a movement today. I'm calling it "Jumping off the Self-Improvement Treadmill." And, I hope you'll join me!

Now, don't get me wrong -- I have a healthy respect for improving your life. I've made incredible changes in my life by making a plan and working hard. It has taken years, but I have gone from a minimum wage-earning high school dropout to a six-figure executive with a wonderful life. You could kinda say I'm a poster child for improving your life with a plan.

But as appreciative as I am of that, now I feel like life is a list of "should be's." I should lose that last 10 pounds. I should do a better job at sending birthday cards. I should plan healthier meals. I should learn a language to keep my brain sharp. I should... I should... I should.

You would think after all these years, I'd be getting close to being done. I've been at this a long time! But, here's the insanity of the self-improvement culture -- YOU NEVER FINISH. And I'm starting to wonder when I finally get to say "I'm Perfect!!"

I guess it boils down to the question: Are we meant to be perfect? It's a funny question, because the answer is, "Of course not." Then, why do we have such a focus on self-improvement in our lives? Or, is there a drawback to wanting to be better?

Yes, there's a drawback. Here I am years later and I can't shake a sense of dissatisfaction in myself that exists all the time. It's reinforced by women's fashion magazines that prod me about my looks and business journals that promise I can climb the corporate ladder. They tell me the goal is to be smarter, younger, thinner and more successful than I am today. And, they convince me that I can be.

Maybe I was naive; maybe I didn't realize the consequences. But, being dissatisfied with who you are can become a habit. It's an underlying nagging in the back of your mind that you're not good enough. It leaves a damage all its own. We are left with a constant yearning to be better- when we're pretty great already.

So, starting today I will get off the "trying to be perfect" bandwagon. Here is my new pledge:

? I will stop reading about how to be happy and just start being happy. I will be happy because I'm kind, happy because I'm loved, happy because it's a beautiful day.
? I will stop buying self-improvement courses and I'll spend that money on drinks with a friend, buying a bouquet of flowers or watching a wonderful old movie.
? I will eat only things that taste good, and every once in a while I'll drink a little too much alcohol. And, I'll do this with fun people, laughing the whole time.
? I will stop giving advice to others and just be sympathetic and love them. I will shut my mouth and let them say everything they have to say. I'll be someone you can say things to even when no one else wants to hear it.
? Instead of criticizing my body, or worrying about gaining weight, I'm going to think good thoughts about it every day.
? I'll remember to feel grateful for my wonderful life. When I catch myself being dissatisfied, I will think of how I jumped off the treadmill and appreciate the wonderful things I have.

I know this isn't going to be easy. I am addicted to the promise that we can all be better and should follow the rules to attain perfection. But I'm jumping off the bandwagon. It's going to be tough, but I think I'm going to be happy.

I'd love to hear your stories and what you did to jump off the Self-Improvement Treadmill at www.FirstClassWoman.com. Join the conversation and get inspired; sign up for the newsletter and please share this blog and my website.

?

Follow Virginia Sullivan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FirstClassWoman

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/virginia-sullivan/the-insanity-of-self-improvement_b_3439122.html

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Mumford and Sons cancels Bonnaroo performance

MANCHESTER, Tenn. (AP) ? Mumford & Sons has canceled its headlining performance at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Tennessee.

The decision comes after bassist Ted Dwane received treatment this week for a blood clot on his brain.

The band made the announcement on its Facebook page.

The band postponed three shows earlier this week after the blood clot was discovered, but hoped to play Bonnaroo on Saturday night.

There is no word on what act will replace Mumford & Sons in the headlining slot in front of 80,000 fans.

Dwane is recovering from the procedure and was not ready to play Saturday.

Rather than perform with a replacement, the London-based Grammy-award-winning folk rock band decided to pull out.

___

Online: http://mumfordandsons.com/

Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mumford-sons-cancels-bonnaroo-performance-121955387.html

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Saturday, 15 June 2013

Iran voters draw spirit in showdown atmosphere

Iranian presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani, the country's former top nuclear negotiator, casts his ballot in the presidential election at a polling station in downtown Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani, the country's former top nuclear negotiator, casts his ballot in the presidential election at a polling station in downtown Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian women attend a polling station to vote for the presidential and municipal councils elections in downtown Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Tehran Mayor and Iranian presidential candidate Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, second right, listens to a woman as he arrives at a polling station for the presidential election in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Tehran Mayor and Iranian presidential candidate Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, center left, casts his ballot during the presidential election at a polling station in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Tehran Mayor and Iranian presidential candidate Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, center, smiles, as he arrives at a polling station to vote for the presidential election in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran's supreme leader delivered a salty rebuke to the U.S. Friday as Iranians lined up to vote in a presidential election that has suddenly become a showdown across the Islamic Republic's political divide: Hard-liners looking to cement their control and re-energized reformists backing the lone moderate left in the race.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was responded to U.S. questions over the openness of the balloting, telling Washington "the hell with you" after casting his ballot in a race widely criticized in the West as pre-rigged in favor of Tehran's ruling system.

Long lines snaked outside some voting stations in Tehran and elsewhere. Iran's interior ministry extended the voting time by two hours. The enthusiasm suggested an election that was once viewed as a pre-engineered victory for Iran's ruling establishment has become a chance for reform-minded voters re-exert their voices after years of withering crackdowns.

There is no clear front-runner among the six candidates trying to succeed the combative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose eight-year era is coming to an end because of rules blocking a run for a third consecutive term. But influential figures on all sides have appealed for a strong turnout, indicating both the worries and hopes across an election that has been transformed in recent days.

Iran's loose coalition of liberals, reformists and opposition activists ? battered and fragmented by relentless pressures ? have found last-minute inspiration in former nuclear negotiator Hasan Rowhani, the only relative moderate left in the race.

A victory by Rowhani would be seen as a small setback for Iran's hard-liners, but not the type of overwhelming challenge posed four years ago by the reformist Green Movement, which was brutally crushed after mass protests claiming Ahmadinejad's 2009 re-election was the result of systematic fraud in the vote counting.

Iran's president has no direct say in key decisions ? such as the nuclear program, defense and foreign relations ? but sets an important tone on the world stage and the country's main envoy.

If no candidate wins an outright majority, a runoff pitting the two top finishers would take place June 21, so even a strong showing by Rowhani in Friday's voting could face another test. Results are expected early Saturday.

Rowhani's backers, such as former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ? who was blocked from running by Iran's ruling system ? have urged reformists and others to cast ballots and abandon plans to boycott the election in protest over years of arrests and intimidation.

"Both I and my mother voted for Rowhani," said Saeed Joorabchi, a university student in geography, after casting balloting at a mosque in west Tehran.

In the Persian Gulf city of Bandar Abbas, local journalist Ali Reza Khorshidzadeh said many polling stations have significant lines and many voters appear to back Rowhani.

But fervor also was strong for other presumed leading candidates: Hardline nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Tehran's mayor, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who is boosted by a reputation as a steady hand for Iran's sanctions-wracked economy.

"We should resist the West," said Tehran taxi driver Hasan Ghasemi, who backed Jalili.

Khamenei, who has not publicly endorsed a successor for Ahmadinejad following their falling out over the president's attempts to challenge the supreme leader's near-absolute powers, remained mum on his choice Friday.

Instead, he blasted the U.S. for its repeated criticism of Iran's clampdowns on the opposition and the rejection of Rafsanjani and other moderate voices from the ballot.

"Recently I have heard that a U.S. security official has said they do not accept this election," Khamenei was quoted by state TV after casting his vote. "OK, the hell with you."

Iran's election overseers allowed eight candidates on the ballot out of more than 680 registered. Two candidates later dropped out in bids to consolidate votes with rivals. Journalists were under wide-ranging restrictions such as requiring permission to travel around the country. Iran does not allow outside election observers.

Iran's security networks, meanwhile, have displayed their near-blanket control, ranging from swift crackdowns on any public dissent to cybercops blocking opposition Internet websites and social media.

Yet other cracks are evident.

Western sanctions over Iran's nuclear program have pummeled the economy by shrinking vital oil sales and leaving the country isolated from international banking systems. New U.S. measures taking effect July 1 further target the country's currency, the rial, which has lost half its foreign exchange value in the past year, driving prices of food and consumer goods sharply higher.

Such concerns could have a direct effect on the outcome of the election. Qalibaf is widely viewed as a capable fiscal manager and could draw in votes, since economic affairs are among the direct responsibilities of Iran's president.

All other major issues are fully controlled by the Khamenei, his inner circle and its protectors, led by the powerful Revolutionary Guard. The other candidates permitted on the ballot by election overseers are seen as loyalists, including Jalili and Khamenei adviser Ali Akbar Velayati.

Such insiders in the presidency would give Iran's leadership a seamless front with significant challenges ahead, such as the possible resumption of nuclear talks with the U.S. and other world powers and the increasing showdown in Syria between rebels and the Iranian-backed regime of Bashar Assad. On Thursday, the White House said it would begin sending arms to Syrian rebel fighters after intelligence officials concluded Assad's forces used chemical weapons.

Recent comments by Khamenei were interpreted as leaning toward Jalili, whose reputation is further enhanced by a battlefield injury during the 1980-88 war with then U.S.-backed Iraq that cost him the lower part of his right leg.

In Washington on Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that while the U.S. does not think the Iranian election process is transparent, it is not discouraging the Iranian people from voting.

"We certainly encourage them to," Psaki said. "But certainly the history here and what happened just four years ago gives all of us pause."

But the election also could leave Iran further divided. Rowhani's rapid rise from longshot to reformist hopeful ? aided by endorsements from artists and activists ? has shown the resilience of Iran's opposition despite relentless crackdowns. A defeat could leave them even more embittered and alienated.

At final rallies, Rowhani's supporters waved his campaign's signature purple ? a clear nod to the single-color identity of the now-crushed Green Movement and its leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has been under house arrest for more than two years. On Wednesday, thousands of supporters welcomed Rowhani yelling: "Long live reforms."

Some Rowhani backers also have used the campaign events to chant for the release of Mousavi and other political prisoners, including former parliament speaker Mahdi Karroubi, leading to some arrests and scuffles with police.

Rowhani is far from a radical outsider, though. He led the influential Supreme National Security Council and was given the highly sensitive nuclear envoy role in 2003, a year after Iran's 20-year-old atomic program was revealed.

But he is believed to favor a less confrontational approach with the West and would give a forum for now-sidelined officials such as Rafsanjani and former President Mohammad Khatami, whose reformist terms from 1997-2005 opened unprecedented social and political freedoms that have since been largely rolled back.

Outside Iran, votes were casts by the country's huge diaspora including Dubai, London and points across the United States.

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-14-Iran-Election/id-31db2ada2e354ac7a18a71a6ef7fd950

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Friday, 14 June 2013

Matt Damon's 'Elysium' Trailer: Watch Now!

The new sci-fi adventure from the director of 'District 9' looks to close out summer on a high note.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1709033/elysium-second-trailer.jhtml

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Microsoft, like Samsung, will open stores inside Best Buys

Microsoft and Best Buy have teamed up to open 500 new Windows Stores at Best Buys across the U.S.

Although Microsoft will be opening fewer stores -- 500 in the U.S. and 100 in Canada -- than Samsung, the Windows Store will be much bigger than Samsung shops, which vary in size but are no bigger than 460 square feet. Microsoft's stores will be at least 1,500 square feet and as large as 2,200 square feet, according to the company.

PHOTOS: Last minute Father's Day gift idea: Tablets under $200

"Unlike a lot of store-within-a-store concepts, this will actually be a department-level takeover within Best Buy stores," Chris Capossela, Microsoft's chief marketing officer, said in a statement.

In total, Microsoft and Best Buy will add 1,200 employees to staff the new stores.

Microsoft said each store would feature tables showcasing the latest PCs and laptops as well as the company?s Surface tablet. The back wall of the stores will be used for software and accessories, and there will also be an "ecosystem section" that will show Windows devices used in real-life scenarios.

The company already operates 68 standalone Microsoft Stores across North America. Capossela said the new Windows Stores will give the company another opportunity to reach customers.

"We ultimately feel this is another great channel to offer a superior experience for the millions of customers who rely on Best Buy to purchase their PCs," he said.

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Twitter now letting more users see their tweet analytics

Apple reportedly considering new colors and sizes for iPhones

Yahoo to kill moribund email addresses, revive them for others

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/technology/~3/cKyO7BCanhM/la-fi-tn-microsoft-best-buy-stores-samsung-20130613,0,5170200.story

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Google Play Music update aims to address data usage complaints

Mobile data caps have been the enemy of Google Play Music for quite some time, but a new update, available in the Play Store today, might provide a quick fix. By default, the service streams music at the highest quality possible on a given connection, so it wasn't always friendly to users dealing with data limits. With this update, Google is aiming to decrease the amount of overall data the app uses while providing more bandwidth usage settings. Additionally, the update boasts improved search quality and faster music downloads. Hopefully, Google will continue to work out the kinks before its forthcoming iOS All Access rollout. In the meantime, Google Play Music users can mosey on over to the source link below to download the latest version.

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Via: The Next Web

Source: Google Play Store

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/PdD_-V1LasA/

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Slickdeals' best in tech for June 12th: 29-inch Dell UltraSharp and 23-inch ASUS VS238H-P monitors

Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this roundup, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.

Slickdeals' best in tech for June 10th: Nook HD+ and 42-inch LG 3D HDTV

If a fresh perspective for that workspace is what you're after, today's roundup has a pair of options you may want to consider. A 29-inch Dell UltraSharp display hits the list alongside a 23-inch ASUS monitor. As always, there is a handful of other gadgets to ponder just past the break.

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Source: Slickdeals

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/12/slickdeals-best-in-tech-for-june-12th-29-inch-dell-ultrasharp/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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