Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Santorum's Daughter Improves (WSJ)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193422536?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Must See HDTV (January 30th - February 5th)

This week is all about the big game, but even if you're not watching the Super Bowl, there's a lot to tune in for. We've got a slew of new premieres, plenty of NBA and NHL action, and even an old favorite coming home on Blu-ray. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level
One of the best science fiction series ever returns, this week, remastered and in HD. Check after the break for a video splitscreen showing off the original video crossed over with the new special effects, which were recomposited back on top of the original film negatives for what seems to be an incredible new experience. Not every revisitation in the past has gotten a positive reception, but it appears this is one fans will enjoy. The release this week is a quick three episode teaser of what's to come, the full meal of season one is still on the way later this year.
(January 31st, $14.99 on Amazon)

Super Bowl XLVI
*Cough*
(February 5th, NBC, 6PM)

I Just Want My Pants Back
Yet another young adult dramedy on MTV, but after the solid efforts of RJ Berger and Awkward (we're going to pretend the ill-fated port of Skins never happened) it may be worth a shot. The title comes from the main character, who is left looking for his pants which were taken by a particularly special one night stand that he's trying to find in the big city. Yeah.
(February 2nd, MTV, 11PM)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (January 30th - February 5th)

Must See HDTV (January 30th - February 5th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/must-see-hdtv-january-30th-february-5th/

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Oil near $99 in Asia on Greece debt concern

(AP) ? Oil fell to nearly $99 a barrel Monday in Asia amid fresh concerns that the eurozone may refuse to grant Greece a fresh bailout.

Benchmark crude for March delivery was down 42 cents at $99.14 a barrel at midday Kuala Lumpur time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 14 cents to finish at $99.56 on Friday.

Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore, said crude prices were volatile after Germany's finance minister warned that the eurozone might not give Greece a fresh bailout unless it can overhaul its state and economy. Analysts fear this could reignite the region's debt crisis.

European leaders were to meet later Monday in Brussels to discuss austerity measures and a tentative deal reached Saturday between Greece and its private investors to avert a disastrous Greek default on its debt.

Shum said supply concerns also weighed on the market although Iran has postponed plans to immediately cut the flow of crude oil to Europe in retaliation for EU sanctions over its nuclear program.

Iran also threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil passage, and the head of its national oil company warned Sunday that EU sanctions could push oil prices up to between $120 and $150 a barrel. The market is also awaiting report from an International Atomic Energy Agency team that is currently touring Tehran, Shum said.

"Trade has been flat. The geopolitical tension in Iran and concerns over Greece's debt default are driving oil in different directions. This has helped oil to hold steady," Shum added.

In other energy trading, heating oil rose 1 cent to $3.07 per gallon but gasoline futures were steady at $2.92 per gallon. Natural gas added 7 cents to $2.82 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-29-Oil-Prices/id-793803cd3b8d42c2a6090dc8523dc09d

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Monday, January 30, 2012

ClockworkMod touch recovery released as beta

ClockworkMod Touch

Just weeks after we saw our first "unofficial" release of a touch version of the popular ClockworkMod custom recovery, developer Koush has put forth a beta version of his own, available for download now. 

For you new folks, a custom recovery is an indispensable way to back up your device as well as install new custom ROMs and updates, among other little hacky things. Until recently, it's been controlled by using the volume up/down buttons to scroll through the menus, and (usually) the power button to select. 

This touch recovery still has volume select, but now the touchscreen works, and works well. We've got some hands-on video after the break, and you can snag it from the download links below.

Download CWM Touch beta: Galaxy Nexus (GSM and CDMA), Galaxy S (GSM)
More: +ClockworkMod

read more



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/qOEUzIFa5mk/story01.htm

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Moral Principles of Online Casino Gaming | Online Casino Business

Individuals who gamble online are afraid with the on the internet casino?s moral principles and enterprise practices. They are licensed off-shore in places like Alderney, Costa Rico, Antigua, Malta, Gibraltar and other places outside the jurisdiction in which the on the internet gambling player resides. Players are usually afraid with the security of their transactions. Will they obtain the winnings they are entitled to? Are the games rigged so that the players lose? Players have no way of understanding this info. The very best the player can do is look for info about the on the web website. Most on the internet casinos lease their software from the key software organizations. These companies are established businesses with a name to safeguard in the marketplace.

Right now lots of businesses have their games tested and have built in mechanisms to avoid wrong transactions, money laundering and other practices. So the name of the software developer is one of the issues the player need to look for. The player need to also check to see if the on the web casino submits to periodic independent audits by outside accounting companies. This indicates that the on-line casino is right and has fair games. One more thing the player can look for on the site is a seal from 1 of the on-line watchdog entities. There are specific organizations on the internet, like eCOGRA, the eCommerce and On the web Gaming Regulation and Assurance and the OGA, the Online Gaming Alliance that set organization standards and award seals to online casinos that meet their standards. A player can feel secure with casinos with these seals.

Source: http://www.my-elf.org/moral-principles-of-online-casino-gaming.htm

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Iraq officials: Baghdad bomb blast kills 1

People stand outside their destroyed house at the scene of a car bomb attack in Zafaraniyah, Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car near a funeral procession in southeastern Baghdad on Friday, killing and injuring dozens of Iraqis, police said. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

People stand outside their destroyed house at the scene of a car bomb attack in Zafaraniyah, Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car near a funeral procession in southeastern Baghdad on Friday, killing and injuring dozens of Iraqis, police said. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Relatives and friends of a man killed in a car bomb attack load his coffin onto a vehicle during his funeral in Zafaraniyah, Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car near a funeral procession in southeastern Baghdad on Friday, killing and injuring dozens of Iraqis, police said. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

(AP) ? A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol in southeastern Baghdad killed one person on Sunday, officials said. The attack came two days after a blast in the same area claimed the lives of 33 people.

The bomb in Baghdad's predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Zafaraniyah wounded nine others, police said. A police vehicle and a civilian car were damaged by the explosion, they added.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualties.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

On Friday, a suicide car bomber struck a Shiite funeral procession in Zafaraniyah. Many Iraqis suspect al-Qaida militants of engineering a recent series of attacks on Shiites to provoke a counterattack by Shiite militias, and rekindle widespread sectarian conflict now that U.S. troops have left Iraq.

Al-Qaida and other Sunni extremist groups are also thought to be exploiting sectarian tensions in the wake of a political crisis which erupted last month, after authorities in the Shiite-dominated government issued an arrest warrant against the Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi on terrorism charges.

In protest, the Sunni-backed bloc has been boycotting parliament and Cabinet sessions.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-29-ML-Iraq/id-6e61c4f71dc342178c04f190bc541c96

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Keystone to be linked to U.S. highway bill: Boehner (reuters)

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Russia backs Assad, last friend in Arab world (AP)

MOSCOW ? Russia's defiance of international efforts to end Syrian President Bashar Assad's crackdown on protests is rooted in a calculation that it can keep a Mideast presence by propping up its last remaining ally in the region ? and has nothing to lose if it fails.

The Kremlin has put itself in conflict with the West as it shields Assad's regime from United Nations sanctions and continues to provide it with weapons even as others impose arms embargoes.

But Moscow's relations with Washington are already strained amid controversy over U.S. missile defense plans and other disputes. And Prime Minister Vladimir Putin seems eager to defy the U.S. as he campaigns to reclaim the presidency in March elections.

"It would make no sense for Russia to drop its support for Assad," said Ruslan Pukhov, head of the independent Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. "He is Russia's last remaining ally in the Middle East, allowing it to preserve some influence in the region."

Moscow may also hope that Assad can hang on to power with its help and repay Moscow with more weapons contracts and other lucrative deals.

And observers note that even as it has nothing to lose from backing Assad, it has nothing to gain from switching course and supporting the opposition.

"Russia has crossed the Rubicon," said Igor Korotchenko, head of the Center for Analysis of Global Weapons Trade.

He said Russia will always be marked as the patron of the Assad regime regardless of the conflict's outcome, so there's little incentive to build bridges with the protesters.

"Russia will be seen as the dictator's ally. If Assad's regime is driven from power, it will mean an end to Russia's presence," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the magazine Russia in Global Affairs.

Syria has been Moscow's top ally in the Middle East since Soviet times, when it was led by the incumbent's father, Hafez Assad. The Kremlin saw it as a bulwark for countering U.S. influence in the region and heavily armed Syria against Israel.

While Russia's relations with Israel have improved greatly since the Soviet collapse, ties with Damascus helped Russia retain its clout as a member of the Quartet of international mediators trying to negotiate peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

After Bashar Assad succeeded his father in 2000, Russia sought to boost ties by agreeing to annul 73 percent of Syria's Soviet-era debt. In the mid-2000s, Putin said Russia would re-establish its place in the Mideast via "the Syria route."

Syria's port of Tartus is now the only naval base Russia has outside the former Soviet Union. A Russian navy squadron made a call there this month in what was seen by many as a show of support for Assad.

For decades, Syria has been a major customer for the Russian arms industries, buying billions of dollars' worth of combat jets, missiles, tanks and other heavy weapons. And unlike some other nations, such as Venezuela, which obtained Russian weapons on Kremlin loans, Assad's regime paid cash.

The respected newspaper Kommersant reported this week that Syria has ordered 36 Yak-130 combat jets worth $550 million. The deal, which officials wouldn't confirm or deny, may signal preparations for even bigger purchases of combat planes.

Korotchenko said Syria needs the jets to train its pilots to fly the advanced MiG-29M or MiG-35 fighter jets it wants to purchase: "It's a precursor of future deals."

Korotchenko said Syria's importance as a leading importer of Russian weapons in the region grew after the loss of the lucrative Iraqi and Libyan markets.

Russia, whose abstention in a U.N. vote cleared the way for military intervention in Libya, later voiced frustration with what it described as a disproportional use of force by NATO.

The Kremlin has vowed not to allow a replay of the Libyan strategy in Syria, warning that it would block any U.N. resolution on Syria lacking a clear ban on any foreign military interference.

Moscow accuses the West of turning a blind eye to shipments of weapons to the Syrian opposition and warns it won't be bound by Western sanctions.

Earlier this month, a Syria-bound Russian ship allegedly carrying tons of munitions was stopped by officials in Cyprus, an EU member, who said it was violating an EU arms embargo. The ship's captain promised to head to Turkey but then made a dash to Syria.

Asked about the ship, Russia's foreign minister bluntly responded that Moscow owes neither explanation nor apology to anyone because it has broken no international rules.

Nonetheless, Moscow has shown restraint in its arms trade with Damascus, avoiding the sales of weapons that could significantly tilt the military balance in the region.

In one example, the Kremlin has turned down Damascus' requests for truck-mounted Iskander missiles that can hit ground targets 280 kilometers (175 miles) away with deadly precision. While the sale of such missiles wouldn't be banned under any international agreements, Moscow has apparently heeded strong U.S. and Israeli objections to such a deal.

Moscow also has stonewalled Damascus' request for the advanced S-300 air defense missile system, only agreeing to sell short-range ground-to-air missiles.

"Russia has taken a very careful and cautious stance on contracts with Syria," Korotchenko said.

The most powerful Russian weapon reportedly delivered to Syria is the Bastion anti-ship missile complex intended to protect its coast. The Bastion is armed with supersonic Yakhont cruise missiles that can sink any warship at a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles) and are extremely difficult to intercept, providing a strong deterrent against any attack from the sea.

Observers in Moscow said that Russia can do little else to help Assad. The chief of the Russian upper house's foreign affairs committee, Mikhail Margelov, openly acknowledged that this week, saying that Russia has "exhausted its arsenal" of means to support Syria by protecting it from the U.N. sanctions.

Lukyanov said Russia has made it clear it would block any attempts to give U.N. cover to any foreign military intervention in Syria, but wouldn't be able to prevent Syria's neighbors from mounting such action.

"Russia realizes that it has limited opportunities and can't play a decisive role," he said.

Pukhov also predicted that Russia wouldn't take any stronger moves in support for Damascus.

"Going further would mean an open confrontation with the West, and Russia doesn't need that," he said.

____

Elizabeth A. Kennedy contributed from Beirut.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_syrian_game

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Jon Gosselin and Ellen Ross: It's Over!


Jon Gosselin and Ellen Ross have split up after nearly two years together.

It's unclear exactly why the ex-husband of Kate Gosselin split with his lady friend, but reports say Ellen's distaste for the media was the final straw.

"Ellen didn't like the media attention and other things that came with the relationship," a source said. "That's one of the main reasons they broke up."

Wait ... we still pay attention to Jon Gosselin? Besides right now? Who knew!

Jon Gosselin and Ellen Ross Picture

According to an insider, the twosome broke up more than a week ago, but it wasn't until Friday that Jon Gosselin confirmed the breakup on Twitter:

"Recently, after much thought and discussion, Ellen and I have decided to end our relationship. It was a mutual decision and we are both happy."

"We will remain best friends. We both plan to move forward and focus on our separate lives. We ask that you please respect our privacy at this time."

So far, no word from Ellen Ross personally, except a denial earlier this week that was debunked when Jon spilled the beans on Twitter. Whoops.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/jon-gosselin-and-ellen-ross-its-over/

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International Development - Manager, Finance & Budgeting, Trees ...

Reports to:?????? Director, Finance & Budgeting ? Finance & Administration Division

Location:????????? New York, NY

?

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Based in New York City, with offices throughout the United States and worldwide, the Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers.

?

The Rainforest Alliance?s TREES (TRaining, Extension, Enterprises and Sourcing) Program promotes sustainable livelihoods and protects biodiversity in forest-dependent communities. We work to enhance the competitiveness of community and indigenous forestry enterprises by building business skills, increasing efficiencies, and facilitating investment in value-added processing, expanding income opportunities from wood and non-wood forest products and environmental services, and increasing access to local and global markets through Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.

?

Position Summary:

The Finance & Budgeting Manager will be a key member of both Rainforest Alliance-HQ Finance & Administration Division and the TREES Program management team. S/he will provide critical support to the TREES Program management in monitoring, analyzing and reporting the financial performance of the TREES Program.? S/he will work closely with the Director to develop and manage the TREES Program budget and proactively ensure it meets its revenue and expense targets. S/he will assure the TREES Program complies with finance, budget and contracts requirements in accordance with Rainforest Alliance policies and procedures.? S/he will also be a member of the Finance & Administration Division, which includes HQ-Finance management and the other Rainforest Alliance Finance & Budgeting Managers, and as such participates in the overall budgeting and financial analysis process and supports HQ-Finance as needed.?

?

Responsibilities:

Planning and Budgeting

  • Responsible for accurate and timely reporting and analysis of the division?s performance, based on board approved budgets, for both TREES Program management and HQ-Finance;
  • Manage the annual budgeting and financial planning process (including mid-year forecast) for the TREES program in collaboration with the Director, Regional and Project Managers, Supervisors, and other Division staff; determine how TREES Program staff participate in drafting portions of the budget;
  • Monitor all financial activities, and keep TREES Program management and HQ-Finance advised of situations which have potential negative impact on financial performance; and
  • Coordinate proposal budget development with TREES Program staff, Development and HQ-Finance.

Expense Control/Accounts Receivable

  • Monitor expenses and revenues to ensure that the TREES Program spend according to the available revenue and that restricted funds are used according to donor requirements;
  • Coordinate with HQ-Finance and TREES Program staff to manage receivables on an ongoing basis;
  • Create and maintain financial report templates and reporting tools; and
  • Establish additional TREES Program procedures, where needed, to ensure adequate control and timely and accurate recording of expenses; including pre-approvals, expense approval limits, and activity planning tools.?

Contracts and Agreements

  • Ensure that contractual agreements are created with approved templates and according to Rainforest Alliance policies and funder requirements; and coordinates negotiation of? agreements with TREES Program staff, Finance, Legal and/or other Rainforest Alliance departments as required and necessary;
  • Ensure that Rainforest Alliance-issued agreements and related payments are processed and administered according to Rainforest Alliance policies and in compliance with established terms; and
  • Ensure that implementation of funded activities is in conformity and on schedule with the provisions and requirements of the funding sources.

Reporting

  • Produce and/or review financial reports submitted to funders on behalf of the TREES Program; ensure that submitted reports and invoices are reviewed for accuracy and include proper support documentation; and
  • Assist with monitoring, tracking and reporting of contract and agreement deliverables.

Human Resources

  • Coordinate with Human Resources in submission of job descriptions/position announcements and new hire requests in accordance with HR processes, and monitor these for conformance with approved program budget; and
  • Coordinate with Human Resources regarding current and future recruitments.

Communication, Training and Guidance

  • Serve as a key communication conduit to and from HQ-Finance and TREES Program management and other staff.? Ensures the timely and accurate dissemination of information;
  • Provide training and guidance to TREES Program staff on the use of financial tools, budget formulation, tracking and adjustments, expense accounting, financial analysis and reporting, and contract management;?
  • Identify training needs and facilitates contracts orientation and training for newly hired TREES Program staff, in coordination with other Rainforest Alliance staff;
  • Provide guidance, coaching and oversight of other TREES Program staff serving in finance and contracts management roles for large government and multi-lateral funded projects; and
  • Other duties as assigned.

?

Qualifications:

  • Bachelors ?degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting or Finance;
  • 7-10 years experience in financial analysis, reporting and budgeting; with minimum 2 years experience directly supervising staff;
  • Demonstrated work experience with both Excel and computerized accounting systems (knowledge of Solomon a plus) and with reporting software, (FrX and Crystal highly preferred);
  • Familiarity with a multi-office, multi-national organizational environment;
  • Non-profit and U.S. government funding experience preferred;
  • Experience in training staff in budgeting, financial reporting and use of financial tools;
  • Strong math, analytical and technical skills; highly organized with an attention to details; take initiative; customer service oriented;
  • Excellent written and verbal communications skills;
  • Ability to interact professionally with culturally and linguistically diverse staff and clients;
  • Fluency in English and proficiency in Spanish required; working knowledge of French a plus; and
  • Willingness and ability to travel to 30% of the time internationally and domestically.

?

Salary:?

Commensurate with experience. Competitive benefits package provided.

?

To apply:

Send resume, cover letter and salary history to Human Resources, Rainforest Alliance,? 665 Broadway, Suite 500, New York, NY 10012; Fax: 212-677-2187; E-mail: gro.ar@lennosreP. If emailing, use the following format in the subject line: first name and last name, job title of position you are applying for.

?

The Rainforest Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.

?

Source: http://www.devex.com/en/jobs/manager-finance-budgeting-trees-program-sustainable-forestry-division-20423-2

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Long road ahead for Conn. home invasion survivor

FILE - This June 2007 file photo provided by Dr. William Petit Jr., shows Dr. Petit, left, with his daughters Michaela, front, Hayley, center rear, and his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, on Cape Cod, Mass. Dr. Petit was severely beaten and his wife and two daughters were killed during a home invasion in Cheshire, Conn., July 23, 2007. Joshua Komisarjevsky was convicted Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 for the crimes, and will be formally sentenced to death Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/William Petit, File)

FILE - This June 2007 file photo provided by Dr. William Petit Jr., shows Dr. Petit, left, with his daughters Michaela, front, Hayley, center rear, and his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, on Cape Cod, Mass. Dr. Petit was severely beaten and his wife and two daughters were killed during a home invasion in Cheshire, Conn., July 23, 2007. Joshua Komisarjevsky was convicted Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 for the crimes, and will be formally sentenced to death Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/William Petit, File)

FILE - This March 14, 2011 file photo released by the Connecticut Department of Correction shows Joshua Komisarjevsky, convicted Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 on several counts related to the beating of Dr. William Petit Jr., and killing his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their two daughters in a July 2007 home invasion in Cheshire, Conn. Komisarjevsky will be formally sentenced to death Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Connecticut Department of Correction, File)

William Petit Sr., right, stands with his wife Barbara and family outside Superior Court in New Haven after the formal sentencing of Joshua Komisarjevsky in New Haven, Conn., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. Komisarjevsky is joining co-defendent Steven Hayes on death row for the 2007 killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela, in their Cheshire home. William Petit Jr. is the sole survivor of the crime. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Barbara Petit, mother of William Petit Jr., stands with family outside Superior Court in New Haven after the formal sentencing of Joshua Komisarjevsky in New Haven, Conn., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. Komisarjevsky is joining co-defendent Steven Hayes on death row for the 2007 killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela, in their Cheshire home. William Petit Jr. is the sole survivor of the crime. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Dr. William Petit Jr. arrives at Superior Court in New Haven for the formal sentencing of Joshua Komisarjevsky in New Haven, Conn., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. Komisarjevsky is joining co-defendent Steven Hayes on death row for the 2007 killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela, in their Cheshire home. Petit is the sole survivor of the crime. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) ? How does a man move on with his life after losing his wife and daughters to two ruthless home invaders who tormented, then killed them?

For more than four years, a nation both disgusted and captivated by a chilling crime in prototypical suburbia has wondered that. Only one man ? Dr. William Petit, the sole survivor ? can provide the answer.

On Friday, with the second killer sentenced to death and the book closed after two long, graphic trials, Petit gave a clue as to how he copes with pain he has been forced to revisit continually in court.

"My only hope is for justice to be served and to do my best to honor the lives of my family, who should all still be here to share their gifts and love with the world," Petit said Friday right before a judge sentenced Joshua Komisarjevsky, 31, to death.

"I hope to continue to honor my family," said Petit, who survived being beaten with a baseball bat and tied up. "I push forward in the hope that good will overcome evil, and feel the need to tell the world that evil lives among us and we need to rid the world of it."

The gruesome crime evoked comparisons to Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," about the brutal murders of a Kansas farmer and his family.

Komisarjevsky admitted in an audiotaped confession played for the jury in his trial late last year that he spotted Petit's wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their 11-year-old daughter, Michaela, at a supermarket and followed them to their house in Cheshire, a suburb of New Haven.

After going home and putting his own daughter to bed, he and Steven Hayes, now 48, returned to the Petit house in the middle of the night, while the family was sleeping, to rob it.

Dr. Petit was beaten, tied up and taken to the basement. Michaela and Hayley, 17, were tied to their beds. In the morning, Hayes took Jennifer to the bank to withdraw money, while Komisarjevsky stayed at the house.

It's believed that's when he sexually assaulted Michaela, the 11-year-old. Hayes was convicted of sexually assaulting the mother.

After Hayes arrived back at the house with the girls' mother, she was strangled. The pair doused the house and beds with gasoline, set it ablaze and left. The sisters, bound helplessly while flames and fumes rose around them, died of smoke inhalation.

Dr. Petit managed to escape the basement and hop, roll and crawl across a yard to a neighbor's house for help ? too late to save his family.

"July 23, 2007, was our personal holocaust," Petit said Friday. "A holocaust caused by two who are completely evil and actually do not comprehend what they have done."

Petit called his wife a friend, confidant and wonderful mother. He noted that Hayley would be in medical school by now and that Michaela loved to cook and sing.

"I lost my family and my home," he said. "They were three special people. Your children are your jewels."

Petit said he has difficulty sleeping and trusting. Family gatherings are subdued, he said, with no one quite sure what to do or say.

Jennifer's sister, Cynthia Hawke-Renn, said via a video played in court that everyday items like gas, rope, bed posts and gas conjure horrific memories.

"There is no escaping the horrors of that night," she said.

Petit's father, William Petit Sr., said his son is not the same person now as he was in the days when he was a happy husband and father.

"Not only did we lose Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela, we have lost the Bill that we knew, and it is heartbreaking daily to watch him," Petit said. "He puts on a brave face and tries to hide his anguish and despair by working hard."

Petit has found what he calls occasional moments of peace, dedicating himself to a charity named for his family that raises money for education, the chronically ill and those affected by violence; and by campaigning for tougher laws, including the death penalty.

He has admitted he contemplated suicide many times. But this month he became engaged to a woman who volunteered at foundation events.

Petit has maintained his composure in court through three trials, even as the defense referred to him and his family as the "Petit posse."

Komisarjevsky's lawyers had worked to spare him the death penalty by describing sexual abuse their client endured as a child. The jury and the judge, who had been subjected to grim evidence including pictures of charred beds, rope used to tie up the family and autopsy photos ? were unmoved.

The crime led to the defeat of a bill to outlaw the death penalty in Connecticut and sparked tougher state laws for repeat offenders and home invasions.

"This is a terrible sentence, but it is in truth a sentence you wrote for yourself with deeds of unimaginable horror and savagery on July 23, 2007," Judge Jon Blue said.

Komisarjevsky conveyed a mixture of regret and insistence in court Friday, insisting that he didn't intend for anyone to die, that he didn't rape Michaela and that he didn't start the fire.

"I wonder when the killing will end," he said of his death sentence.

He described regrets and the devastating consequences of his decisions ? but blamed Hayes for the killings.

"I know my responsibilities, but what I cannot do is carry the responsibilities of the actions of another," Komisarjevsky said. "I did not want those innocent women to die."

The state's last execution in 2005 was the first since 1960, and Komisarjevsky and Hayes will likely spend years, if not decades, in prison.

William Petit and his relatives left the courtroom before Komisarjevsky spoke. The killer noted that "forgiveness is not mine to have" but said it wasn't the forgiveness of the victims' relatives he needed to find.

"I have to learn how to forgive my worst enemy ? myself," he said.

Petit's sister, Hannah Chapman, said Komisarjevsky tried to blame others when he planned and carried out the crime, escalating it by attacking her brother and molesting her niece.

"Either way, he will be damned to hell for what he did," she said, and that is where he belongs."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-27-Home%20Invasion/id-19cd411f04be4ecd8d9a742ea55bcdde

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AT&T Tripled Wi-Fi Connections In Q4; Mobile Data Uploads Up 550 Percent In 2011

attOn the heels of the news that AT&T delivered its best quarter ever in terms of smartphone sales, the communications company and carrier is releasing its quarterly data on the number of AT&T wi-fi connections made in Q4 and in 2011 as a whole. AT&T sais that it tripled Wi-Fi network traffic in 2011 versus network traffic for 2010. And the network saw a 550 percent increase in monthly Wi-Fi data uploads from mobile devices on the AT&T Wi-Fi network in 2011, driven by increasing use of cloud services.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/J-IUsQ_vbbc/

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British police arrest 4 in tabloid bribery probe

(AP) ? British police searched the offices of Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers Saturday after arresting a police officer and three other men as part of an investigation into police bribery by journalists.

London's Metropolitan Police said two men aged 48 and one aged 56 were arrested on suspicion of corruption early in the morning at homes in and around London.

The fourth, a 29-year-old police officer, was arrested at the London station where he works.

The investigation into whether reporters illegally paid police for information is running parallel to a police inquiry into phone hacking by Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World.

Police said Saturday's arrests were made as a result of information provided by the Management and Standards Committee of Murdoch's News Corp.

Officers were searching the homes of the four men and the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence.

The company had no immediate comment.

A dozen people have now been arrested in the bribery probe, though none has yet been charged.

They include former Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of Murdoch's News International, ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson ? who is also Prime Minister David Cameron's former communications chief ? and journalists from the News of the World and its sister paper, The Sun.

Two of the London police force's top officers resigned in the wake of the revelation last July that the News of the World had eavesdropped on the cell phone voicemail messages of celebrities, athletes, politicians and even an abducted teenager in its quest for stories.

Murdoch shut down the 168-year-old tabloid, and the scandal has triggered a continuing public inquiry into media ethics and the relationship between the press, police and politicians.

An earlier police investigation failed to find evidence hacking went beyond one reporter and a private investigator, but News Corp. has now acknowledged it was much more widespread.

Last week the company agreed to pay damages to 37 hacking victims, including actor Jude Law, soccer star Ashley Cole and British politician John Prescott.

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-28-EU-Britain-Phone-Hacking/id-11cd2c93e429432a9cfcb5306a6bf45d

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Obama administration reveals new ATF gun probe rules (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Obama administration on Friday revealed new reforms undertaken to improve how it conducts undercover gun trafficking investigations in the wake of a botched operation in which scores of weapons disappeared.

The reforms require additional oversight of undercover operations, including those that involve more than 50 firearms, and, in most cases, ends the practice of paying gun dealers to serve as confidential informants.

Additionally, a new review committee has been established to monitor sensitive undercover cases or those that would have a "significant regional or national impact," according to the Justice Department.

The details were revealed just before Attorney General Eric Holder testifies on Thursday before members of the House of Representatives' Oversight and Government Reform Committee about the bungled operation known as "Fast and Furious."

The operation, run out of the Phoenix offices of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and U.S. Attorney's office was meant to follow the guns from the initial buyers along the U.S. border to violent drug cartel leaders in Mexico.

However ATF agents did not track the weapons after they were transferred from the initial buyer to others who smuggled them across the border. As many as 2,000 guns may have been sold under the operation.

Two AK-47 style weapons from that program were found in Arizona 18 miles from the border where a U.S. Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry, was shot and killed during a December 2010 shootout with illegal immigrants.

A similar, smaller program was run during the Bush administration dubbed "Wide Receiver."

"We are undertaking key enhancements to existing department policies and procedures to ensure that mistakes like those that occurred in 'Wide Receiver' and 'Fast and Furious' are not repeated," Deputy Attorney General James Cole said in a letter to Congress.

Republicans have been demanding to know who in the Obama administration knew about the "Fast and Furious" operation and when. Holder and other senior ATF and Justice Department officials said they did not learn about it until early 2011.

(Reporting By Jeremy Pelofsky)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/pl_nm/us_usa_mexico_guns

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Can Demi really be suffering from exhaustion?

By Leslie Gornstein, E! Online

Why do celebrities such as Demi Moore say they are being admitted for "exhaustion" when there is no insurance company in the world that will pay for someone to "rest up" and no one really believes the diagnosis of "exhaustion" anyway? Why say anything at all? --?Mallie K., via Facebook

I've interviewed a range of doctors, from straight-up M.D.s to addiction specialists, and they all agree with you: If you think insurance is going to reimburse you for weariness, good luck with that. Celebrities aren't fooling anybody with that old saw, either. But there's a good reason why they use the same unbelievable language time and again ...

Moore is the latest in a long line of celebrities to announce treatment for exhaustion. Tracy Morgan's rep claims that the comedian's recent out-passing at Sundance was partially exhaustion-related. Lady Gaga has claimed a bad romance with the same problem. Mariah Carey, Dave Chapelle -- the list goes on and on.

It would all make a lot of sense, except, medically, it doesn't.

"Exhaustion is a symptom," confirms Andrew Spanswick, founder of the KLEAN Treatment Center in West Hollywood.

In saying this, Spanswick echoes the conclusions of many kinds of health experts I have spoken with, including Steven Krems, a doctor at the Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center, who told me several years ago that "It's not a medical diagnosis. It's a symptom ... Exhaustion is how they are feeling, [not] whatever it causing it, whether that is drugs, anemia, pneumonia, whatever."

MORE from E!: Where's Ashton? Brazil!

In other words, saying that you're seeking treatment for exhaustion is like saying you're seeing a doctor for sneezing. You're sick with something else. The sneezing is the sign.

So why do stars keep using the term? Because, in Hollywood, at least, it's a kind of code. It's shorthand for "Feeling Like Garbage, None of Your Business."

"The celebrities are balancing between an obligation to disclose things to the public versus protecting their rights to privacy," Spanswick says. "Smart publicists will use words like 'exhaustion' to minimize potential damage or gossip within the media but also protect a star's privacy rights."

That is, assuming that anyone even believes that word anymore. And assuming that the star even knows what she's suffering from in the first place.

"They may not know what the problem is yet," Spanswick very reasonably points out. "Or they may be in denial of what their problem might be."

As for exactly what Moore is suffering from, well, this is Hollywood. We'll find out on "Ellen" eventually.

MORE: Heidi Klum &Seal: Romance Rewind

More in TODAY entertainment:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10238793-can-demi-moore-really-be-suffering-from-exhaustion

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Ex-aides to Wisconsin governor charged with misconduct (Reuters)

MADISON, Wis (Reuters) ? Two former aides to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker were charged on Thursday with political fundraising on public time in a development that could give fresh ammunition to critics seeking to toss the Republican out of office over a law he championed last year curbing the rights of public sector unions.

The charges against the women, both aides to Walker when he was Milwaukee County executive, stemmed from a probe into allegations of misconduct in public office as well as political solicitation by public officials and employees, according to the criminal complaint.

The investigation found that a private e-mail network had been set up and run out of Walker's office in 2010 to communicate campaign and government-related information to "select individuals," Milwaukee County district attorney John Chisholm's office said in a statement.

The charges, against former deputy chief of staff Kelly Rindfleisch and former executive assistant Darlene Wink, are the latest to involve former staffers close to the first-term Republican governor.

Earlier this month, another former deputy chief of staff to Walker was charged with fraud, accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from a fund for families of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The charges against the former aides follow a fierce partisan battle in the state last year in which Republican lawmakers successfully pushed through controversial measures to curb the collective bargaining power of public sector workers.

A spokeswoman for a Walker campaign group, Friends of Scott Walker, said the policy at the county executive's office under Walker was that employees could not use county "time or resources to conduct any political activity."

"Scott Walker expected everyone to follow the law and made that clear publicly and privately," the spokeswoman, Ciara Matthews, said. Walker's office did not immediately respond to a voicemail and e-mail requesting comment.

The charges come as opponents of Walker who are seeking to unseat him submitted petitions with more than a million signatures last week to force a recall election, far more than needed. Democrats have yet to settle on an opponent to face Walker in any recall, and he retains a strong base.

Organizers are also seeking to recall four Republican state senators, including Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch.

Officials at the state's Government Accountability Board are working to verify the petitions, which could trigger special elections in the late spring or early summer.

The illegal fundraising charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at Walker's Milwaukee offices on November 1, 2010 - just a day before Walker beat Democrat Tom Barrett in the race to replace outgoing Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle.

On the laptop of Rindfleisch, Walker's then-deputy chief of staff, authorities found what they said were hundreds of e-mails and instant messages showing Rindfleisch raising money for Brett Davis, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor favored by the Walker campaign, while she was being paid by Milwaukee taxpayers, the criminal complaint said.

In one instant message chat with a friend in January 2010, Rindfleisch confides that "really half of what I'm doing" on the clock was related to the Davis campaign.

Rindfleisch, 43, has been charged with four felony counts of misconduct in public office. Each charge carries a maximum term of 3-1/2 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

Wink, a former executive assistant in the county executive's office, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of political solicitation for engaging in fundraising for Walker while in a county building and using county equipment, prosecutors said.

The charges against Wink, 62, carry a maximum six months in prison and up to a $1,000 fine.

(Reporting by Jeff Mayers, Brendan O'Brien, David Bailey and James B. Kelleher; Writing by James B. Kelleher and David Bailey; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Will Dunham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/us_nm/us_crime_wisconsin_walker_aides

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NoisyRoom.net ? Blog Archive ? Best-selling investing author ...

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

Source: http://noisyroom.net/blog/2012/01/25/best-selling-investing-author-former-marine-and-prepper-richard-kiyosaki-talks-some-gloom-and-doom/

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Ice-T weighs in on presidential race from Sundance

Nicole "Coco" Austin, left, and Ice-T, from the film "The Art of Rap," pose for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Victoria Will)

Nicole "Coco" Austin, left, and Ice-T, from the film "The Art of Rap," pose for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Victoria Will)

(AP) ? Regardless of the outcome of the presidential primaries, Ice-T already has his mind made up about the forthcoming election.

The rapper and actor, who is making his directorial debut at the Sundance Film Festival with the documentary "Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap," says he expects President Barack Obama to be re-elected. After that, he predicts Hillary Clinton will be the next president.

The 53-year-old entertainer said, "She did the Secretary of State job, she was a G, she held it down, she didn't cry," referring to the former New York Senator with the hip-hop term for gangster (a positive thing).

"Obama will support her," he said, "and she'll be the first woman president."

Ice-T's documentary premiered at the Sundance festival, which continues through Sunday in Park City, Utah.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-26-Film-Sundance-Ice-T/id-eef45f192f3c4f249b53a09fd5a24599

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Be the police in wild pursuits with Smash Cops for iPhone and iPad

Smash Cops is an iPhone and iPad game where you get to be the police in wild car chases. You may be weaving through traffic going after runaway felons or even fleeing from a felon attack until backup arrives. The city you work is huge with just as huge graphics and includes over 20 missions and 5 vehicles.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/mEU2TPl9R8c/story01.htm

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Delta, US Airways learn to stay profitable (AP)

Delta and US Airways are learning to stay profitable.

Both reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, capping two straight years of annual profits. By avoiding deep discounts on fares and unprofitable routes, the two carriers have done well even as fuel costs soar and the economic recovery remains fragile.

It's the same discipline that's helping the entire U.S. airline industry. Southwest last week reported higher earnings and said travel demand is strong. United Continental Holdings Inc. is expected to report a fourth-quarter profit on Thursday.

"We simply do not see any evidence of macroeconomic weakness in our business," said US Airways President Scott Kirby.

It was Delta's first back-to-back annual profit since 1999-2000. US Airways last reported profits two years in a row in 2006-2007.

Delta's stock price rose more than 6 percent while shares of US Airways leaped 17 percent.

Both airlines kept a lid on the amount of flying they did last year and raised fares 10 times, a high number of increases.

The same strategy appears to be in place for 2012. Delta plans to reduce flying 2 percent to 3 percent this year, maybe more. Airlines can reduce flying by cutting flights, eliminating destinations, or switching to smaller planes. US Airways said it will increase flying by only 1 percent this year, mostly overseas.

Airlines executives have been saying explicitly that they aim for profits in good times and bad. That's a change from previous years, when they accepted losses during bad times and hoped to make up for it in boom years, said S&P Capital IQ stock analyst Jim Corridore. Part of that meant adding flights whether or not there was enough demand, just to grab business from competitors.

Now, "they're looking to make money first, before gaining market share," Corridore says.

That means cutting flying even though demand is up. "That's going to lead to higher fares," Corridore says. "It's a complete change in airline industry executive philosophies."

Delta said its biggest priority in 2012 would be keeping non-fuel costs in check. Raises are in store for former Northwest Airlines workers who came to Delta when it bought Northwest in 2008. Other costs have been rising, too. Delta said. CEO Richard Anderson said the company will try to cut costs by reducing maintenance expenses, increasing productivity, and renegotiating contracts with regional airline partners.

Delta's fourth-quarter profit totaled $425 million, up from $19 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 8 percent to $8.4 billion, countering a 5-percent rise in fuel expenses on its mainline operations. Other costs were flat. Delta is the nation's second-largest airline company.

US Airways Group Inc., the fifth-biggest airline, earned $18 million, down from $28 million a year earlier as fuel prices rose. Revenue rose 9 percent to $3.2 billion.

Both companies' profits were better than analysts expected.

Delta's 2011 profit totaled $854 million, up from $593 million in 2010. Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways earned $71 million for the year, down from $502 million in 2010.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect Delta to earn $1.86 billion this year, while US Airways is expected to post net income of $326 million.

Neither airline would talk about potential mergers with American Airlines, although US Airways Chairman and CEO Doug Parker confirmed that it has hired financial advisers to study the possibility. American, the nation's third-largest airline, filed for Chapter 11 protection Nov. 29.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_airlines

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Judges weigh HIV-infected man's fight to get job (AP)

ATLANTA ? A panel of federal judges appeared skeptical Wednesday of the Atlanta police department's decision to reject a job application from an HIV-infected man.

The 40-year-old man sued the city in 2010, claiming he was denied a police officer job solely because he has the virus. Atlanta attorneys argued there are other officers on the force with HIV, and said the police department does not have a blanket policy disqualifying candidates with the virus. Gay rights groups and police agencies are closely following the case.

One of the three judges signaled the lawsuit would likely be sent back to a lower judge to reconsider.

"I don't see how we can avoid a remand in this case," Circuit Judge R. Lanier Anderson said.

The judges will issue a ruling later.

The man sued under the pseudonym Richard Roe and has requested anonymity because he believes his medical condition could prevent him from other job opportunities. He said in an interview he was a former criminal investigator with the city of Los Angeles who discovered he had HIV in 1997, but that it didn't hinder his ability to perform his duties.

Roe moved to Atlanta to find a better job and joined the city's taxicab enforcement unit. In January 2006, he decided he wanted to join the police force. He passed a series of tests, but hit a snag when a blood test revealed he had the virus that causes AIDS.

The doctor didn't do any more tests, according to records, and recommended to the city that he have "no physical contact or involvement with individuals."

Atlanta attorneys said the city follows the recommendation of the physicians who examine candidates, and in this case, the doctor advised the department to limit Roe's interaction with the public.

"We're told that he can't do the job," said Robert Godfrey, a city attorney. "We have to assume when a doctor tells us this, he can't perform the essential duties."

Roe's attorney, Scott Schoettes of gay rights group Lambda Legal, said there was no evidence that Roe posed a threat to the health and safety of others. The city violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by not fully vetting his client, Schoettes said.

Roe's advocates said the city's position perpetuates myths about HIV that have persisted for three decades. Modern medical advances have made the disease a manageable condition that in many cases won't affect job performance even in the most demanding fields, they said.

"I really see an opportunity for the city of Atlanta to make some drastic changes and move forward," Roe said. "I think that's what this whole case is about."

___

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___

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_us/us_police_hiv_lawsuit

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Nations seeking action against Syria in UNESCO (Reuters)

PARIS (Reuters) ? A group of Western and Arab nations are seeking the expulsion of Syria from the U.N. cultural agency's human rights committee, diplomats said, the latest international effort to isolate Damascus over its violent crackdown on domestic unrest.

The U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO) executive board, which includes the United States, France and Russia, elected Syria to two panels in November, including one that judges human rights violations.

A letter seen by Reuters and signed by 14 ambassadors, including those of the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Qatar and Kuwait, asks for Syria's situation to be discussed at the 58-member UNESCO executive board meeting on February 27.

"UNESCO must respond to these appeals for concerted action to address the egregious human rights situation in Syria," an explanatory memo attached to the letter said.

"The situation in Syria challenges UNESCO's basic constitutional objectives, in particular to further respect for justice, for the law and for human rights and fundamental freedoms," said the letter, which was drafted in December.

More than 5,000 people have been killed since a revolt erupted in March against President Bashar al-Assad's government, according to the United Nations. Damascus says "terrorists" have killed more than 2,000 soldiers and police.

Exploratory meetings were taking place at UNESCO this week and early next week to decide how to proceed on Syria.

A UNESCO official said the agency was aware of the letter. "The committees were elected by the executive board and a new decision of the board can reform the committees so that Syria could be removed if there was a majority vote," said Neil Ford, director of public information at UNESCO.

An Arab diplomat said it was possible the board could condemn Syria, which would probably be backed by Arab League states that have parted ways with Assad, although agreeing to Damascus' expulsion could prove more difficult.

"I am not aware that UNESCO has ever before expelled a member state from one of its committees, or passed a resolution condemning Syria, so both actions would be unprecedented," Geneva-based NGO UN Watch said in a statement.

The letter was signed by major Western powers plus Denmark, Spain, Chile, Slovakia, Qatar and Kuwait and diplomats said support from more countries was likely.

A U.N. commission of inquiry in November said Syrian military and security forces had committed crimes against humanity including murder, torture and rape, putting the blame on Assad's government.

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/wl_nm/us_syria_unesco

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Garth Brooks awarded $1 million in suit against hospital (omg!)

Singer Garth Brooks arrives for the Songwriters Hall of Fame awards in New York June 16, 2011.  REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - An Oklahoma jury decided in favor of native son superstar singer Garth Brooks on Tuesday, saying a hospital company defrauded him by accepting a $500,000 donation and failing to honor his request to name a building for his late mother.

The jury decided on Tuesday evening to award Brooks $1 million, according to Hardy Watkins, vice president of marketing and communications for the hospital company, Integris Health.

The total includes Brooks's original donation as actual damages plus another $500,000 in punitive damages.

Brooks made the donation in 2005 and said in the lawsuit he had a verbal deal with the president of Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital to have a women's center named after his mother, Colleen, who died of cancer in 1999.

Integris is the largest health care system in Oklahoma.

According to court documents, James Moore, the hospital president, said that no promises were ever made to Brooks but that discussions were held about the possibilities.

Brooks had an anonymous $500,000 check sent to the hospital in December 2005, but it wasn't until a few weeks later, after Brooks called the hospital, that hospital officials said they knew the check was sent by the country music legend.

Brooks sued Integris Rural Health Inc. in 2009 after the hospital refused to return his donation.

Watkins said Integris tried to return the $500,000 to Brooks after the singer filed his lawsuit, but the offer was turned down. Integris had not offered to return the money before the lawsuit was filed because it was hopeful an agreement could be reached with Brooks, he said.

Brooks and his attorneys argued that Moore "lured" the singer into making the donation.

The hospital, located on Garth Brooks Boulevard in Yukon, Oklahoma, where the singer grew up and where his name adorns the town's water tower, never built the women's center and never spent the $500,000 donation, court testimony showed.

Because of Brooks' fame and reputation, hospital officials acknowledged before the trial that their side of the case would not be popular. "In the court of public opinion, we're not going to win," said Watkins.

On Tuesday, however, Watkins declined to attribute the jury's decision to Brooks's popularity.

"We are very disappointed the jury awarded dollars above the original donation," he said, calling the verdict "surprising and disturbing."

Brooks, 49, and his wife, singer Trisha Yearwood, who live on a ranch near the Tulsa suburb of Owasso, signed autographs and chatted with fans after each court session of the week-long trial.

Brooks, now semi-retired, was named the world's top-selling solo artist in 2007 by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 123 million albums sold.

(Reporting By Steve Olafson; Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and Peter Bohan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_garth_brooks_awarded1_million_suit_against_hospital_052326530/44295359/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/garth-brooks-awarded-1-million-suit-against-hospital-052326530.html

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FedEx opens real-time tracking to aerospace, finance, arts industries ...

FedEx first announced its SenseAware service ? which provides corporate customers with near real-time tracking for shipments ? in 2009 for the healthcare and life science industries.

Now the company is opening the service to all comers, including the aerospace, finance and arts industries.

The point of the service is that it gives companies more visibility and monitoring capability into shipments. At the heart of the product is a multi-sensor device that travels with the package, sending data to the cloud, from which a company representative can monitor it using a web-based application.

The device itself is pretty neat, and goes far beyond simple GPS coordinates (although if you ever ?received? a package that never materialized, this in and of itself is a godsend): it takes readings for temperature, relative humidity and barometric pressure, can tell if and when the shipment was opened and, for film buffs out there, if the contents have been exposed to light.

Since the customers in question tend to ship highly sensitive or large packages (think pallets, not pouches), the device can also handle major shipments. And it doesn?t require a major infrastructure overhaul: drop in the device, and let the sensors do the rest.

It?s the future of shipping, really. Because with all of the connected technology at work around us, why should we resort to being left in the dark for shipments ? medicine, prototypes, encrypted hard drives ? that are critical?

Related on SmartPlanet:

Source: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/fedex-opens-real-time-tracking-to-aerospace-finance-arts-industries/21839

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