Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Anti-racism group launch app to curb football abuse

Posted on Jul 30
Chelsea's Frank Lampard waits to take a free kick during a Premeirship match against Fulham in London, September 23, 2006. Football anti-racism group Kick It Out launched a new mobile phone tool for fans and players to report racist or homophobic abuse, after a number of high-profile incidents last season.

Football anti-racism group Kick It Out on Monday launched a new mobile phone tool for fans and players to report racist or homophobic abuse, after a number of high-profile incidents last season.

The mobile phone application will allow fans and players to report abuse directly to Kick It Out, which will follow up the cases with the football authorities and, if necessary, the police.

"Part of the problems that were raised last season were players saying they had complained about an incident and nothing was done about it," said the organisation's chairman Herman Ouseley.

"Some of them never even found out about the outcome of their complaint, especially if it was not found in their favour because we had not been involved.

"Now if players have got a problem they will be able to contact us directly and, if they wish, anonymously, and we will follow through on the complaint.

"Fans will also be able to contact us if for some reason they don't feel the confidence to report something to a steward."

English football has been marred by incidents of racism on and off the pitch over the last two years, with the John Terry and Luis Suarez cases provoking criticism of Kick It Out's response by some players.

Ouseley hopes the new season of action will prompt clubs to take the fight against discrimination more seriously, rather than paying lip service to the battle against racism during the organisation's traditional two-week advertising campaign.

"We felt the old format was stale," he added.

"Clubs need to show they are being much more inclusive and reaching out to fans to show they are embracing everyone, and taking the responsibility for educating everyone - players, supporters and employees.

"If an incident does happen then clubs need to take responsibility and not blame someone else."

Source: http://www.goltv.ca/articles/default.aspx?ArticleId=69560

Lindsay Mills Black Forest fire PS4 vs Xbox One ABC Family The Division the Pirate Bay chicago weather

Tancredo wants tax debate with Hickenlooper

DENVER (AP) -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo wants to debate Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper over a proposal on the November ballot to increase income taxes by nearly a billion for school funding.

Tancredo said in a statement Monday that he was challenging Hickenlooper to a debate, or serious of debates. The additional tax revenue would be used to fund a new system of financing for public schools.

Tancredo, a former congressman, says he doesn't believe the additional funds will improve the quality of schools in the state.

Hickenlooper has said he will support the tax increase. Spokesman Eric Brown says the tax initiative is too important to be used "for political theater in the governor's race." He says Hickenlooper looks forward to debates when Republicans choose their gubernatorial nominee.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tancredo-wants-tax-debate-hickenlooper-130201961.html

superbowl score ray lewis alicia keys Harbaugh brothers superbowl commercials randy moss randy moss

New therapy improves life span in melanoma patients with brain metastases

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The treatment, given to patients with brain metastases, triggers the body's own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/WkPZBxS61H4/130731122920.htm

jetblue jetblue michelle malkin october baby sugarland 16 and pregnant ludwig mies van der rohe

Choice Review Claims Aussie Gamers Are 'Under Attack' With Price ...

A new review by consumer advocacy magazine Choice has compared the upcoming prices of 10 PS4 games and 13 Xbox One games, including Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Destiny, to find a 37% price discrepancy, on average, between here and the United States.

This comes one day after the federal governement?s IT Pricing Enquiry which claimed that game publishers hadn?t even tried to justify their higher prices for digitally downloaded games in this region.

In Choice?s submission to the enquiry, they quoted some findings of the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association:

The Australian video gaming industry generated $1.161 billion in the year to December 2012 with the top 10 titles accounting for 46 per cent of all sales

Choice?s Director of Campaigns and Communications, Matt Levey, goes on to say:

?Our analysis of the available game prices has shown that Australians will pay an average of 33% more for PS4 games and 29% more for Xbox One games. This is after excluding Australia?s 10% GST.?

According to Choice, over 200 products were surveyed and it was ?found that Australians were paying around 50% more for software, computers, iTunes and (of course) games.?

Again, things we already know. Will this latest wave attention lead to lower prices? The short answer is no ? lower sales will, though. Until people vote with their wallets, not much will change.

Source: http://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/07/choice-review-claims-aussie-gamers-are-under-attack-with-price-discrepancies/

the bachelorette ufc The Wolverine regions Alfonso Soriano Ariel Castro mick jagger

Moroccan recipes: Aromatic dishes from North Africa

Experience a taste of North Africa with these authentic and flavourful Moroccan recipes.

It?s never been easier to bring the exotic and aromatic taste of Morocco to your kitchen table with these easy-to-make dishes featuring fragrant spices harissa, saffron and dukkah.

From traditional recipes such as the popular slow-cooked lamb tagine, to lighter and healthier Moroccan-inspired salads ? we have something to suit everyone?s tastes.

Perfect for your guests to sink their teeth into.?

Source: http://www.sofeminine.co.uk/world-cuisine/moroccan-recipes-som2357.html

fletcher cox charlotte bobcats new york rangers nfl mock draft 2012 norfolk island michael brockers lisa marie presley

Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

TAVARES, Fla. (AP) ? A series of explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant and sent "boom after boom after boom" through the neighborhood around it. Eight people were injured, with at least four in critical condition.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said early Tuesday that no one died despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night. Officials initially scrambled to find more than a dozen employees after the explosions.

"Management is comfortable saying all of those they knew were there tonight have been accounted for," he said.

Tavares Fire Chief Richard Keith said possible causes of the explosion may be either equipment malfunction or possibly human error. Sabotage was not suspected.

One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital and three others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Herrell said some others drove themselves to area hospitals.

Tavares Battalion Commander Eric Wages said five workers walked up to a command center firefighters set up near the plant Monday night with skin hanging off their arms, torso and faces. He said their arms were outstretched and they were in complete shock.

The Blue Rhino plant, which is northwest of Orlando, refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses. There were some 53,000 20-gallon tanks at the plant on Monday.

Tuesday morning, smoke still billowed from a storage container on the property, which consists of a couple of warehouses next to each other. The parking lot was littered with thousands of blackened 20-gallon propane containers.

Nearby, three 33,000-pound tanks of propane sat untouched. Lake County Battalion Chief Chris Croughwell said the hoses designed to spray water on the large tanks in case of fire, did not go off as planned because they had to be manually activated. "Most sane people don't stick around for an event like this," he added.

Tavares Mayor Robert Wolfe said Tuesday that he was surprised to learn the hoses at the plant had to be manually activated. If Blue Rhino reopens the plant, Wolfe said he plans to raise the safety issue. "That way, it's fail safe," Wolfe said. "We're lucky those tanks didn't explode."

The Florida Division of Emergency Management responded overnight and briefed Gov. Rick Scott.

Gene Williams, a third-shift maintenance worker at the plant, said he was at the back of the warehouse when he heard two loud explosions. Most of the workers were inside the facility, but there were about five in the parking lot.

When he went to look outside, there was a fireball about 20-feet-by-20-feet about 100 yards from the plant's loading dock.

After that, a forklift driver stumbled into the building. He had flesh hanging off his hands, and his legs and face were burned. Williams said he got the man in a van as the cylinders from the 20-pound tanks starting falling down around them.

He said they were doing repairs and painting the tanks when one of the paint lines had broken, but it was repaired. The workers were getting ready to go home when the explosion happened.

Based on what the forklift operator told him, the explosion was likely caused by a "combination of human error and bad practices, possibly. I don't want to speculate any further, that's what the forklift driver was telling me."

Williams said the forklift driver told him, "'I did what they told me to do, I did what they told me to do, and then this happened.'"

"Something in that area must have triggered it. I don't know if he did something or something else triggered it," Williams said.

Williams said they were able to cut off propane to the three big tanks. But they weren't able to get to the switch for the cooling hoses.

"It was too violent, too hot, to get in there and turn them on," he said.

Blue Rhino is a subsidiary of Kansas-based national propane provider Ferrellgas. Spokesman Scott Brockelmeyer said Tuesday he didn't have information available about the safety water hoses.

"It's as sobering a situation as you can possibly imagine," Brockelmeyer said. "We have folks who are injured, and we've got Blue Rhino and Ferrellgas employees across the country who are keeping them in their prayers and sending good vibes their way."

Brockelmeyer said there were 14 full-time employees and 10 part-time workers in the plant when the explosions occurred Monday night.

Croughwell said firefighters who responded to the initial fire had to wait to enter plant site because conditions were so dangerous. Just as they were finally about to go in, four tractor-trailers parked next to the large propane tanks caught fire.

If the large tanks exploded, Croughwell said, "it would have wiped us out."

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire sent plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast.

Keith said the explosions shook his house several miles from the plant. "It truly sounded like a car hit our house," he said.

Herrell said about 50 homes were evacuated Monday night but residents were allowed back in about four hours later.

Marni Whitehead, 33, who lives less than a mile from the plant, said she was in bed ready to go to sleep when she heard a loud boom.

She ran outside and saw other neighbors outside and then they saw the explosions.

"We knew right away it was the plant, the propane plant," Whitehead said. "After that, it was just sort of panic."

Whitehead likened the explosions to Fourth of July fireworks. "And it was just boom after boom after boom," she said.

Herrell said officials believe the fire was contained and wouldn't spread to another part of the plant.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/massive-explosions-rock-central-fla-gas-plant-071913944.html

winning mega million numbers bruce weber google maps 8 bit mirror mirror texas relays meniscus robyn

Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Ten charts: Why Wall Street loves Amazon and hates Apple

chart_ws_stock_appleinc_201372934043_240xaFORTUNE -- In November, the last time we compared Apple's (AAPL) and Amazon's (AMZN)?price-to-earnings ratios -- the simplest and most widely used metric to gauge the relative ?value of a pair of stocks -- ?Apple's trailing PE was 13 and Amazon's was 2,767.

We haven't been able to repeat the exercise because while Apple PE has drifted with its stock price to between 10 and 11, Amazon's trailing PE has reached, as Buzz Lightyear might put it, infinity and beyond. (Or, as the stock charts politely have it, NA.)

That's because Amazon, which reported its June earnings on Friday, hasn't turned a profit for three quarters in a row -- a performance that Wall Street rewarded by pushing its stock to an all-time-high of $312.01.

It will come as no surprise to readers here that Apple, which posted record fiscal Q3 sales (but lower earnings) three days earlier, couldn't catch more than a one-day break on the stock market.

That's because as far as Wall Street is concerned, Apple and Amazon are in completely different businesses. As a regular on Investor Village's AAPL Sanity board put it last week:

"The Street sees Amazon as the world's biggest (online) global retailer with almost limitless growth.?[It] sees Apple as a (mobile) device maker that because it is wholly dependent on its ability to innovate nonstop, expand its (ultimately saturated) markets while fighting off competition and controlling its very unstable supply chain, has limited growth."

To underscore just how much Wall Street loves Amazon and hates Apple, the reader who posts as "Merckel" has submitted for your consideration nine bar graphs and a five-year sales chart:

Screen Shot 2013-07-28 at 11.33.22 AM

Click to enlarge.

?

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/fortuneapple20/~3/mOBZsWGzsYo/

michelle obama florida lottery Cassadee Pope MLB Draft 2013 Brian Hallisay Deacon Jones Mel B

Maine man died from golf cart injuries; Westford driver could face new charges

Gary Belinsky faces charges in Maine following the death of a passenger in a golf cart he was driving. (CUMBERLAND COUNTY, ME. SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT)

By Samantha Allen

sallen@lowellsun.com

WESTFORD -- A Westford man charged with drunken driving in a Maine golf cart accident last weekend could face more serious charges after his passenger died Monday night.

John MacKay, 52, of Sanford, Maine, fell out of a golf cart at the Casco, Maine Point Sebago Outdoor Resort on Saturday. MacKay suffered serious head trauma and was flown to Maine Medical Center in Portland. He died Monday night, the hospital confirmed on Tuesday.

The cart's driver, Gary Belinsky, 59, of Westford, was charged on Saturday with operating under the influence (OUI). He was released on $300 bail and returned to Massachusetts.

Capt. Shawn O'Leary, of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department, said on Tuesday that Belinsky could face new charges, but that decision is up to the county district attorney. Aggravated OUI has been considered, which is a Class C felony in the state of Maine.

"The case detective is working on compiling everything," he added, "and he'll be submitting it to the D.A.'s office for review."

O'Leary said is not clear at this time what led to MacKay falling out of the cart. Police estimate the vehicle, operating on a roadway in the resort, was not going faster than 10 mph, and when they arrived on scene, the cart had not crashed or tipped over.

O'Leary said Belinsky has been cooperative in the investigation so far. He said Belinsky has a court date at this time but if more serious charges are brought, the case could go before a grand jury. If there is an indictment, an arrest warrant will be issued.

A person who answered Belinsky's household phone line declined to comment Tuesday morning and said Belinsky could not be reached because he was in Maine.

"He lawyered up and was told not to talk to anybody," the person said.

O'Leary offered manslaughter as an example of a potential charge that could be brought against Belinsky but said he could not speculate on what charges the district attorney may consider at this point.

He said he believes Belinsky and MacKay were friends who had just returned from dinner when the incident occurred.

"It was just a tragic incident," he added. "I've been in law enforcement for over 26 years and I've never seen a golf cart fatality."

The Cumberland County District Attorney did not immediately return calls for comment Tuesday morning.

Follow Samantha Allen on Twitter @SAllen_89. Keep up with www.lowellsun.com for updates on this story.

Source: http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_23759375/maine-man-died-from-golf-cart-injuries-westford?source=rss_viewed

brad pitt and angelina jolie brad and angelina herniated disc luke scott tom benson royals nicole richie

CBS: It was de Pablo's decision to exit 'NCIS'

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) ? CBS Corp. chief executive Les Moonves says every effort was made to keep the actress who plays Ziva David on TV's highest-rated show, "NCIS."

Moonves says Cote de Pablo was offered, in his words, "a lot of money" because the network didn't want to lose her from the crime drama. Moonves says the offer was then upped.

But he says the actress decided she didn't want to continue on the show.

He noted the social media outcry from de Pablo's disappointed fans, but asserted CBS did everything possible to keep her.

A representative for de Pablo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

"NCIS" stars Mark Harmon as head of a Navy criminal investigations division. It returns for its 11th season this fall.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cbs-pablos-decision-exit-ncis-175949945.html

att libya

Lung cancer screening only for some smokers, ages

An influential group of government advisers has endorsed lung cancer screening for the first time ? but not for everybody. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is proposing annual CT scans, a type of X-ray, for certain current and former smokers.

To be considered for screening, the task force says people should:

?Be ages 55 through 79.

?Have smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years or the equivalent, such as two packs a day for 15 years.

People who should not be screened include:

?Those younger than 55 or older than 79.

?Those who smoked less or less often than those described above.

?Those who quit smoking 15 or more years ago.

?Those too sick or frail to withstand treatment for lung cancer.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lung-cancer-screening-only-smokers-ages-210910931.html

Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 pacquiao Jim DeMint Dave Brubeck frankie muniz katt williams greg mcelroy

Animal rights group sponsors alternative Tennessee horse show

By Tim Ghianni

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - An animal rights group fiercely opposed to what it calls cruel treatment of famed Tennessee Walking Horses is backing an alternative show that does not judge horses on the high-stepping gait they say is a result of an abusive practice.

The Humane Society said it contributed the maximum $1,000 to the World Versatility Show under way through Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to highlight a better way to train and show the horses known for their exaggerated steps.

The owners and trainers of Tennessee Walking Horses, a popular breed in the American South, have been criticized for decades over a practice called "soring" - slathering the lower legs with caustic chemicals to induce pain that causes the horse to step higher. While chemical soring is officially banned, it is suspected that some trainers still use it.

In 2011, the Humane Society produced an undercover video of a celebrated walking horse trainer, Jackie McConnell, abusing horses at his stable. The video, broadcast on ABC television last year, showed the animals being beaten with sticks and poked with electric cattle prods. It also exposed that soring was used in their training.

McConnell, 61, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges this month, and was banned from owning and training horses for 20 years. He also was fined $25,000 and sentenced to a year's house arrest and four years probation.

Eight horses were removed from McConnell's training barn and are being kept at an undisclosed location, authorities said.

The alternative show this weekend does not include the controversial "Big Lick," an artificial movement in which the horses raise their forelegs up and forward.

The Big Lick is produced by "padding" a horse with thick front horseshoes that animal rights groups say are abusive. The alternative show will restrict the horses to light shoes, or barefoot without shoes, and the animals are judged by natural talent in events such as jumping, reining and driving.

If a horse can perform the Big Lick naturally, it is allowed at the alternative show.

"We do want to help the Tennessee Walking Horse to be the horse of the future and move away from the reliance of abusive training practices and devices that the breed has been associated with," said Keith Dane, director of equine protection for the Humane Society of the United States.

The Humane Society, along with other animal rights groups, has been aggressive in recent years in exposing cruelty to animals. They have used controversial undercover operations to expose abusive farming practices at chicken, beef and pork facilities. Some Midwestern state legislatures have banned undercover operations at agricultural facilities.

The alternative show is taking place one month before the prestigious 75th annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville, where the Big Lick will be performed.

Mike Inman, chief executive of the National Celebration, said the event does not condone soring, but allows the use of thick shoes.

"The difference in equipment and shoeing accentuate the natural ability of the athlete, it doesn't provide the ability," he said.

Mike Dunavant, Fayette County district attorney general, who prosecuted trainer McConnell, praised the alternative show as highlighting better practices.

"(It) promotes people who engage in the humane treatment and training of Tennessee Walking Horses," he said.

(Reporting By Tim Ghianni; Editing by Greg McCune and Gunna Dickson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/animal-rights-group-sponsors-alternative-tennessee-horse-show-184612590.html

colt mccoy arbor day mike adams janoris jenkins john edwards trial brandon weeden felicia day

Weiner falls to 4th in new NYC mayoral poll

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner speaks to voters during a campaign stop at the Nan Shan Senior Center, Monday, July 29, 2013, in the Queens borough of New York. Weiner confirmed that campaign manager Danny Kedem resigned Saturday after reports surfaced that Weiner continued to exchange lewd photos and messages with women despite resigning from Congress in 2011 over the same behavior. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner speaks to voters during a campaign stop at the Nan Shan Senior Center, Monday, July 29, 2013, in the Queens borough of New York. Weiner confirmed that campaign manager Danny Kedem resigned Saturday after reports surfaced that Weiner continued to exchange lewd photos and messages with women despite resigning from Congress in 2011 over the same behavior. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner prepares to exit the Nan Shan Senior Center and face reporters after speaking to voters at a campaign stop, Monday, July 29, 2013, in the Queens borough of New York. Weiner confirmed that campaign manager Danny Kedem resigned Saturday after reports surfaced that Weiner continued to exchange lewd photos and messages with women despite resigning from Congress in 2011 over the same behavior. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner speaks to reporters after a campaign stop at the Nan Shan Senior Center, Monday, July 29, 2013, in the Queens borough of New York. Weiner confirmed that campaign manager Danny Kedem resigned Saturday after reports surfaced that Weiner continued to exchange lewd photos and messages with women despite resigning from Congress in 2011 over the same behavior. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner shakes hands with voters during a campaign stop at the Nan Shan Senior Center, Monday, July 29, 2013, in the Queens borough of New York. Weiner confirmed that campaign manager Danny Kedem resigned Saturday after reports surfaced that Weiner continued to exchange lewd photos and messages with women despite resigning from Congress in 2011 over the same behavior. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner addresses the media after a campaign stop at the Nan Shan Senior Center, Monday, July 29, 2013, in the Queens borough of New York. Weiner confirmed that campaign manager Danny Kedem resigned Saturday after reports surfaced that Weiner continued to exchange lewd photos and messages with women despite resigning from Congress in 2011 over the same behavior. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

(AP) ? New York City mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner plunged to fourth place among Democrats in the first poll taken since he admitted to having illicit online exchanges with women even after he resigned from Congress amid a sexting scandal.

The poll ? which Weiner led just five days ago ? also showed about half of likely Democratic voters saying Weiner should abandon his mayoral bid.

Weiner's support fell from 26 percent last week to 16 percent in Monday's Quinnipiac University poll. Last week's survey was taken largely before Weiner's latest scandal was revealed.

"He's in a free-fall," said poll director Maurice Carroll. "He can't win. He simply can't win."

Standing side by side with his wife, Weiner admitted last week that he had tawdry online exchanges ? including X-rated photos ? with a then-22 year-old Indiana woman after he stepped down from Congress in 2011 over similar behavior. He later said he had similar exchanges with two other women after his resignation.

Forty percent of voters said his behavior disqualified him from consideration as a candidate, up from 23 percent last week.

The poll of 446 likely Democratic voters shows Weiner trailing City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (27 percent), Public Advocate Bill de Blasio (21 percent) and ex-city comptroller Bill Thompson (20 percent). The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.

In a statement, Weiner said "polls don't change anything."

But last week's revelation has seemingly derailed his once-surging mayoral bid, sending him from political punch line to comeback story and back again.

Weiner forged ahead Monday in the face of countless calls ? including from pundits and powerful members of his own party ? to step aside.

"I'm going to keep talking about the things important to this city," he said at a campaign stop in Queens. "I don't really care if a lot of pundits or politicians are offended by that. I'm going to keep doing those things and I think New Yorkers deserve that choice. I'm going to let New Yorkers decide."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the head of the state's Democratic party, declined Monday to weigh in on whether Weiner should abandon his mayoral bid, but his scandal-scarred predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, allowed that he would fire an employee who engaged in Weiner's behavior.

The former governor, himself staging a comeback bid in the race for New York City comptroller, told MSNBC's Chris Matthews in a televised appearance that Matthews was correct in suggesting Spitzer would not vote for Weiner.

Spitzer stepped down from office in 2008 after admitting he paid for sex with prostitutes.

Several of Weiner's mayoral rivals have called for him to quit, including de Blasio, who benefited the most in the Quinnipiac poll from Weiner's tumble. De Blasio's campaign has targeted the same progressive and outer-borough base wooed by Weiner but was previously eclipsed by the former congressman's star power and campaign skills.

"Today's poll shows a wide open race," said de Blasio spokesman Dan Levitan. "It's no surprise that as the race heats up, more and more New Yorkers are supporting Bill de Blasio's campaign to bring real progressive change to City Hall."

If none of the Democratic candidates reach 40 percent of the vote in the Sept. 10 primary, the top two advance to a run-off election two weeks later. The winner would then face the Republican nominee in November.

The state's top Democrat continued to shy away from discussing Weiner's bid.

"This is summer political theater in New York," Cuomo said Monday. "We laugh because if we didn't laugh, we would cry, right?"

"People run, that's the way our system works," said Cuomo, who controls the state Democratic committee. "I'm not going to say who should run and shouldn't run because that's the system."

___

Associated Press writer Michael Gormley in Albany contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-07-29-Weiner-Mayor/id-edf2c7e026da40b2a407c4f7c3ea169e

Darrelle Revis record store day cnn News nbc news msnbc reddit

Monday, 29 July 2013

The Great Ryan Braun Freakout or, Why Sports Should Allow Doping Already

My latest Daily Beast column is about the suspension of the Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun for using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). By all accounts, this is the first of many coming suspensions, which will likely include possible future Hall-of-Famer Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees.

A snippet:

The?Boston Globe?s Dan Shaughnessy?passed immediate judgment,pronouncing that, ?In the pantheon of sports dirtbags, Ryan Braun goes down as one of the worst. He forever will be a baseball pariah.???Who is Ryan Braun? He?s a cheater and a liar,??testified CBS Sports? Gregg Doyel. ?Braun is one of the most cravenly selfish figures in American professional sports,?seethed?Fox Sports? Jon Paul Morosi.

From all this, you?d gather that Braun had committed an actual crime that really hurt somebody. Murder, maybe, or rape, or failing to support his children?all things which athletes are known to do. But the worst thing he did?and it is pretty bad, for sure?was attack the integrity of a urine-specimen collector back in 2011....

Why not have an actual public conversation about how and why PEDs are used? Baseball players, who show a remarkable willingness to sacrifice their bodies in pursuit of?beaucoup?bucks and a few lines on a plaque in Cooperstown, and team owners, who rightly see players as investments worth protecting, might come up with a drug policy that actually has a chance of working without forcing grown men to pee into cups or lie to a disbelieving public.

Openly allowing PEDs might not sit well with sportswriters, who have to blow smoke on a semi-regular basis like old?Chief Noc-a-Homa?used to do at Atlanta Braves games. But I suspect that poor, suffering fans who genuinely seem not to give a fungo bat about how athletes manage their incredible feats would be fine with it all.

Read the whole piece at The Daily Beast.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/reason/HitandRun/~3/N4XLhV1nF-M/the-great-ryan-braun-freakout-or-why-spo

chipotle Shakira Farrah Abraham Sex Tape Met gala lauryn hill teacher appreciation week Jodi Arias trial

Microsoft Xbox One to Offer Free Unlimited Cloud Storage

At long last, companies are starting to realize that the cloud's true potential really hinges on two things: fast connectivity, and unlimited storage. Placing a roof on the cloud, as Dropbox does with its lowly 2GB of gratis space, makes it useless for many people. And on the gaming front, placing caps makes it difficult to figure out what to store, what not to store, etc. Who needs the worry?

After a back-and-forth tussle over DRM rules, Microsoft has decided to make a positive step by announcing unlimited hard drive space via the cloud for the incoming Xbox One console. This would presumably allow unlimited game saves, profile saves, and potentially even saves of digital games themselves. Better still, an Xbox Live Gold account will not be a requirement to access it. Here's the official blurb:

"Xbox Live offers Xbox One unlimited storage space in the cloud for all Xbox Live members to store numerous types of Xbox Live content, including your profile, games, Achievements and entertainment. This content is stored and saved in the cloud so you can automatically access it anywhere, anytime, no matter where you are."

Kudos, Microsoft.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HotHardware/news/~3/zdFKc2C2MuQ/

thursday night football Butch Jones Star Trek Into Darkness Heisman watch Jenny Rivera Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 pacquiao

Zimbabwe Vice-President Mujuru On Urban Venture Projects

VP Mujuru on urban venture projects

Sunday, 28 July 2013 00:00
Sunday Mail Reporters

Zanu-PF will reintroduce urban development programmes if the party is given the mandate to govern during Wednesday?s harmonised elections, Vice-President Cde Joice Mujuru has disclosed.

Addressing rallies in Mufakose and Harare West constituencies in the capital yesterday, Cde Mujuru noted that service delivery in urban areas suffered greatly during the four years that the MDC-T was in charge of them.

She said the decision to cancel debts residents owe urban councils was not a political gimmick but a people-centred decision.

?The decision to cancel the debts shows that President Mugabe and the Zanu-PF party he leads are responsive to the needs of the urban people. It not a political a gimmick as alleged by some people.

?They said this when we embarked on the land reform programme but now they realise that the programme is irreversible and our party means its word.

?Once we get into government we will ensure that we will reintroduce urban development programmes, which had virtually stopped over the last four years because of the constant fighting in the unity government,? she said.

Before making her way to Harare Cde Mujuru had earlier in the day urged nearly 6 000 cadres at Vengere Stadium in Rusape to vote uniformly for the Zanu-PF presidential, parliamentary and council candidates.

?Let us give vaMugabe our X to rule Zimbabwe. We do not want to see variances in the voting patterns. If a ward has 2 000 Zanu-Pf supportters, we expect them to all vote for the Zanu PF councillor, MP and President Mugabe. Why should there be disparities. Where should the variances come from? Should there be variances, we will know kuti pane anenge atengesa,? said Cde Mujuru.

She urged Zanu-PF supporters to come out in huge numbers and finish off the MDC-T, a party she described as an appendage of the West.

?The West is against the pro-people policies being pursued by President Mugabe and they back the MDC-T in the hope of effecting regime change in Zimbabwe.

?They plotted to block President Mugabe?s vision because they knew that their future dominion of our resources would cease once the indigenisation drive was launched,? she said.

Source: http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/2013/07/zimbabwe-vice-president-mujuru-on-urban.html

new smyrna beach st. joseph puerto rico primary manning peyton florida state meghan mccain

Animal rights group may come to roo man's rescue

Topics:? animal welfare, barrister, colin candy, hervey bay, high court, kangaroo

 Colin Candy, with Frances the kangaroo, is standing strong after 12 years of defending his right to have roos in his backyard.
Colin Candy, with Frances the kangaroo, is standing strong after 12 years of defending his right to have roos in his backyard. Valerie Horton

AN ANIMAL rights organisation is assessing the merits of Colin Candy's High Court case to see if it can offer legal help to the kangaroo crusader.

A spokeswoman for the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel confirmed the organisation was looking into whether there were grounds for an appeal in the ongoing court battle Mr Candy has waged for more than a decade.

The court case started over a kangaroo named Mitchell, which Mr Candy and his family raised from when it was a joey.

In 2001, officers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service raided the family's Hervey Bay home and took the kangaroo.

Mr Candy, who now owns five kangaroos, had to sell his house to cover his expenses as he travelled between Brisbane and Hervey Bay for court hearings.

He is attempting to seek compensation for mental anguish, the loss of his home and the loss of the kangaroo.




  • ' + item.bedrooms + '
  • ' + item.bathrooms + '
  • ' + item.garages + '
'; } fullWidthFinalHtml += '
'; $('div.inline-story-realEstate').html(fullWidthFinalHtml); $('section[data-overlay-marker*="Local Real Estate"] div.row:first').prepend(''); $(document).ready(function() { $('div.inline-story-realEstate article.propertyUnitWrapper div.imageWrapper img').each(function(){ if($(this).attr('src') == ""){ $(this).attr('src', 'http://media2.apnonline.com.au/img/media/images/2013/07/29/photo-coming-soon.png'); } }); }); } }); });

Source: http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/news/can-candy-taste-victory/1961998/

Xbox Kawhi Leonard Shailene Woodley Kim Kardashian baby name Erik Spoelstra college board bill russell

Synta Pharma shares soar after co says to expand breast cancer study

(Reuters) - Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp shares soared as much as 47 percent in heavy trading after the company said preliminary results from a mid-stage study of its drug ganetespib in breast cancer patients supported an expansion of the study.

According to the design of the trial, it would advance to the second stage of enrollment if at least one patient achieved objective tumor response, a measure of reduction in tumor size.

The study, codenamed ENCHANT-1, showed that four patients achieved an objective tumor response.

"We believe these data are important in driving both the potential in multiple tumor types as well as partnering potential," Roth Capital analyst Joseph Pantginis wrote in a client note.

The company said it would continue to enroll up to 33 patients in each of the two patient groups being tested in the study.

The trial will now evaluate a combination of ganetespib and a widely used cancer drug called paclitaxel.

Ganetespib blocks a protein which assists other proteins involved in tumor development and progression in many solid cancers and blood cancers.

The company is also testing the drug in combination with another cancer drug in a late-stage trial for lung cancer. The drug is also being tested in patients with colorectal and blood cancers.

Synta shares were up 35 percent at $6.86 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq. The stock touched a high of $7.45 earlier.

More than 14 million shares changed hands by 1310 ET, eight times the stock's 10-day average trading volume.

(Reporting By Vrinda Manocha in Bangalore; Editing by Maju Samuel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/synta-pharma-shares-soar-co-says-expand-breast-172054912.html

charlton heston moses tulsa shooting doug fister the perfect storm mickelson how to tie a tie

BMW unveils i3 electric car in the carbon fiber flesh (video)

BMW unveils i3 electric car in the carbon fiber flesh

BMW's i3 concept has been kicking around for quite awhile, and so far we've seen the carbon fiber chassis, a you-wish prototype, many of the specs and even the price. All that remained was to see an actual car, and BMW has finally pulled the covers off of it today. The $41,350 (US pricing) vehicle will run for 80-100 miles on a charge while going from 0 to 60 MPH in seven seconds, thanks to the 22kWh battery, 170-horsepower electric motor and relatively slight 2,600 pound heft. If you opt to pay $45,200, you'll be able to nearly double the range, thanks to an optional 34-horsepower two-cylinder backup motor. That's pricier than the $39,145 Chevy Volt (which also has a backup gas motor), but BMW has equally high hopes for its premiere EV. It launched a dedicated sales channel for the i3 and future i-branded EVs, and even created a division dedicated to creating mobile apps for such cars. It'll arrive in Europe in November and we'll see it stateside during the second quarter of next year. Check the source or video after the break for more.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: BMW (International), (USA)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/29/bmw-unveils-i3-electric-car-in-the-carbon-fiber-flesh-video/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

Facebook Down bo jackson bo jackson hanukkah justin tv justin tv Sarah Savage

Excerpts from pope's first news conference

ABOARD THE PAPAL AIRCRAFT (AP) ? Pope Francis gave a wide-ranging news conference on his trip back to Rome from Brazil, candidly responding to some of the touchiest issues facing the Vatican during an hour and 22-minute long chat with reporters. Here are highlights.

HE WON'T JUDGE PRIESTS FOR THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION: "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"

HE BENDS TO HIS BODYGUARDS ON PAPAL SECURITY: "I'd like to walk in the streets. But I know it's impossible."

NO IMMINENT TRIP TO HIS NATIVE ARGENTINA SINCE HE'S JUST RETURNED FROM BRAZIL: "A Latin American pope, his first trip to Latin America? Arrivederci."

CHURCH SHOULD BUILD BIGGER ROLE FOR WOMEN ? THOUGH NOT AS PRIESTS: "We must go farther in the explicitness of the role and charisma of women living in the church."

THAT MYSTERIOUS BLACK BAG HE CARRIED ONTO THE PLANE HELD ONLY HIS RAZOR AND BOOKS: "The keys to the atomic bomb weren't in it."

HE'S TIRED AND HE HURT HIS SCIATIC NERVE USING A BAD CHAIR IN HIS FIRST MONTH AS POPE: "It was so painful. So painful! I wouldn't wish it in anyone."

HE LIKES HIS ADVISERS TO CHALLENGE HIM: "I like it when someone tells me 'I don't agree.' This is a true collaborator. When they say 'Oh, how great, how great, how great,'" that's not useful.

HE LOVES RETIRED POPE BENEDICT XVI LIKE A GRANDFATHER: "The last time there were two or three popes, they didn't talk among themselves and they fought over who was the true pope!" Having Benedict living in the Vatican "is like having a grandfather ? a wise grandfather ? living at home."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/excerpts-popes-first-news-conference-121457589.html

Kwame Kilpatrick New pope 2013 good morning america earthquake california earthquake california douglas adams brandon knight

Twitter faces calls in Britain to get tough on online abuse

Added At: ?2013-07-29 12:31 PM??

Last Updated At: 2013-07-29 12:31 PM

REUTERS

An illustration picture shows the logo of the Website Twitter on an Ipad, in Bordeaux, Southwestern France, January 30, 2013.

REUTERS

LONDON: Twitter, the social media site, is under pressure in Britain to make it easier for Internet users to report abuse after more than 30,000 people petitioned it over the case of a feminist campaigner who says she was repeatedly threatened with rape.

Caroline Criado-Perez helped lobby the Bank of England to make a woman, 19th century novelist Jane Austen, the new face on the country's 10 pound note, to defuse criticism that women were under-represented on the currency.

She was then "targeted repeatedly with rape threats" by ill-wishers objecting to her activity, according to an online petition, which called on Twitter to urgently add a 'report abuse' button to its service.

Some users proposed a one-day boycott of Twitter to protest against what they said was its failure to address the issue.

Twitter's General Manager for the UK Tony Wang promised to suspend all accounts found to be in breach of its rules.

"We take online abuse seriously," he wrote, saying the company was testing ways to simplify reporting of abuse.

Source: http://thehimalayantimes.com/rssReference.php?id=Mzg1NDUw

Steve Gleason blake shelton sofia vergara LIRR nhl Espn Nba paul mccartney

Radio host Kidd Kraddick dies at golf tournament, Dallas media report

kraddick.jpg

Kidd Kraddick, the host of the popular syndicated radio show that airs locally on B97-FM, died at a charity golf tournament in Gretna on Saturday, July 27, 2013. (You Tube)

The popular syndicated radio host Kidd Kraddick, based in Dallas and heard in New Orleans on B-97-FM, died Saturday afternoon in New Orleans, according to The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV in Dallas. WFAA reported that Kraddick, 53, died at a charity golf tournament in Gretna.

"It has been confirmed that Kidd Kraddick passed away today in New Orleans at a golf tournament organized to raise money for his beloved Kidd's Kids charity," Kraddick's employer, Clear Channel, said in a statement reported by?The Morning News.?The cause of death has not been released.

Kraddick had hosted the radio show, which is syndicated from Dallas-area KISS-FM, since 1992. He had won numerous awards, including the 1998 Marconi Award for Major Market Radio Personality of the Year.

B-97 hosted an on-air tribute to Kraddick late Saturday night.?The radio station has also set up an online memory board on its website.

Source: http://www.nola.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/07/dallas_tv_station_reporting_ki.html

gerard butler danielle fishel daylight savings Daylight Savings Time 2013 DeAndre Jordan Oz the Great and Powerful Mothers Day 2013

Sunday, 28 July 2013

Israel agrees to free 104 Palestinian prisoners

Palestinians wave national and PFLP flags during a protest in the West Bank city of Ramallah Sunday, July 28, 2013. Some two hundred supporters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine protested against the resuming of the peace talks with Israel. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Palestinians wave national and PFLP flags during a protest in the West Bank city of Ramallah Sunday, July 28, 2013. Some two hundred supporters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine protested against the resuming of the peace talks with Israel. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

An Israeli protester holds a sign with bloody hands and Hebrew writing that reads, "prison release form," during a demonstration against a proposed release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, outside Prime Minister Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem, Sunday, July 28, 2013. Netanyahu urged his skeptical coalition partners Sunday to agree to free Palestinian prisoners as part of U.S efforts to resume peace talks. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas chairs a session of the Palestinian cabinet in the West Bank city of Ramallah, July 28, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shuttled between Israeli and Palestinian leaders for months seeking a breakthrough and announced last week that the Palestinians and the Israelis were willing to meet to discuss renewing talks. The Palestinians long refused to return to the negotiating table unless Israel agreed to several preconditions. (AP Photo/ Xinhua, Issam Rimawi, Pool)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, chairs a session of the Palestinian cabinet in the West Bank city of Ramallah, July 28, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shuttled between Israeli and Palestinian leaders for months seeking a breakthrough and announced last week that the Palestinians and the Israelis were willing to meet to discuss renewing talks. The Palestinians long refused to return to the negotiating table unless Israel agreed to several preconditions. (AP Photo/ Xinhua, Issam Rimawi, Pool)

A Palestinian reacts as he is injured when Palestinian policemen clashed with protesters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, July 28, 2013. Some two hundred supporters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine protested against the resuming of the peace talks with Israel. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel's Cabinet approved the release of 104 long-held Palestinian prisoners Sunday, clearing a hurdle toward a possible resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after five years of paralysis.

The prisoner release is part of a push by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to bring the two sides back to the table. Sunday's 13-7 vote, with two abstentions, marks his first visible achievement after six months of shuttle diplomacy.

As a next step, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are set to hold preliminary talks in Washington on Tuesday, to be followed by up to nine months of negotiations on a peace deal.

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, welcomed the Cabinet vote as "a step toward peace."

The fate of Palestinian prisoners is emotionally charged for both sides. Palestinians tend to view prisoners as heroes who made sacrifices in the struggle for independence. Most Israelis view them as cold-blooded terrorists.

The Cabinet approved the release in principle of the 104 prisoners, said a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations. Under the deal brokered by Kerry, the prisoners would be freed in four stages over several months. Each step would be linked to progress in negotiations.

According to a list provided by the Palestinians, the prisoners have served between 19 and 30 years for involvement in deadly attacks on Israelis. Their release would go a long way toward giving Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a popular mandate to resume negotiations with Israel, despite widespread skepticism on both sides after 20 years of intermittent talks that produced no results.

On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced stiff opposition from within his governing coalition, including his own Likud Party. Two Likud ministers and those from the pro-settler Jewish Home Party voted against a prisoner release.

Outside the government complex, hundreds of Israelis who lost loved ones in Palestinian attacks demonstrated against the release.

Netanyahu told the Cabinet releasing prisoners involved in deadly attacks was difficult for him.

"This is not an easy moment for me, and is not easy for the ministers in the government and is especially difficult for the bereaved families," Netanyahu said. "But there are moments where I need to make tough decisions for the good of the country and this is one of those moments."

"I believe that resuming the political process at this time is important for Israel," he said, noting that any peace deal would have to be approved in a national referendum.

Along with the prisoner release, ministers also authorized the resumption of talks with the Palestinians and agreed that a team led by the prime minister would oversee negotiations.

They approved the draft of an amended bill that would require a referendum on any partition deal with the Palestinians.

A resumption of peace talks is not yet assured, though.

Abbas has said he won't go back to talks unless Netanyahu accepts the pre-1967 war lines as a starting line for border talks. That refers to all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want to establish their state those territories, captured by Israel in 1967, though they have said they are ready for minor adjustments.

Abbas told reporters Friday that the invitation to talks to be issued by Kerry will state that the basis for negotiations is the 1967 line. It's not clear whether Netanyahu has dropped his long-standing objection to the idea.

In his comments Sunday, Erekat referred to the touchy issue.

"I hope that we can use this opportunity that the U.S. has provided for us to resume negotiations, in order to achieve peace with a state of Palestine that can live in peace and security next to the state of Israeli on the 1967 lines," he said.

Before the Cabinet vote, hundreds of relatives of those killed by the prisoners protested the release outside parliament. Families held pictures of slain loved ones and chanted, "Terrorists must not be freed."

One of Netanyahu's major coalition partners, Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home Party, took part in the rally. "Whoever demands the killers of women and children to be freed are not worthy to be called a partner," he said, referring to Abbas. "We have nothing to negotiate with he who praises the killers of women and children," Bennett said.

Bennett has threatened to pull his party out of the government if the prime minister agrees to other Palestinian demands, such as recognizing the 1967 line as a base for talks.

Other Israeli leaders said freeing the prisoners is a necessary move in order to promote peace talks.

"This is a painful decision ... but it's a step that will strengthen Israel strategically," opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich of the centrist Labor party said. She called on Netanyahu to listen to an Israeli majority in favor of a peace deal and "not to be led by extremists in his government."

Israel has a history of releasing Palestinian prisoners, including those involved in attacks. In 2011, it exchanged some 1,000 Palestinians for a single Israeli soldier held by Gaza militants.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-07-28-Israel-Palestinians/id-369df880c20447f9a45d8f6181499511

mta schedule PECO Hurricane Sandy update ellen degeneres tomb of the unknown soldier tomb of the unknown soldier HMS Bounty

'Homosexual propaganda' law signals latest Russian crackdown

Alexander Demianchuk / Reuters

Police detain a gay rights activist during a Gay Pride event in St. Petersburg on June 29, 2013.

By Albina Kovalyova, Producer, NBC News

MOSCOW -- A new law banning "homosexual propaganda" in Russia is raising concerns about the state of human rights in a country already notorious for silencing dissent.

The legislation is vague but its intent is clear: It is now "illegal to spread information about non-traditional sexual behavior" to minors (under 18), and there are hefty fines for those who disobey. Foreigners are also subject to fines and can be deported.

Anti-homosexual crackdowns are nothing new in Russia: In 1933 the Soviet regime imposed a law banning sexual relations between men ? punishable by a five-year prison term. Although it was lifted after the fall of the Soviet Union, homophobia still runs deep.

Gay rights marches are routinely broken up and scenes of police detaining activists, sometimes before demonstrations even begin, are commonplace. On Wednesday, activists of the Moscow Gay Pride movement were detained in Moscow for holding an unsanctioned rally and for "promoting untraditional sexual relations." (They were later released.)


According to Nikolai Alexeyev, a prominent Russian gay rights activist who is frequently detained himself, crimes against homosexuals are also on the rise.

"Many gay people want to immigrate and they ask me to help [them] get political asylum, fearing for their safety," he said.

In May, a 23-year old man was allegedly murdered in the city of Volgograd on the Victory Day holiday. A suspect reportedly told police the victim was killed because he was gay. In June, Russian investigators said another man in Kamchatka was also murdered because he was gay.

Ivan Sekretarev / AP

Police officers watch gay rights activists kiss near the State Duma, Russia's lower parliament chamber, in Moscow, Russia, on June 11, 2013. Protesters attempted to rally outside the Russian State Duma before a final vote on the bill banning "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations.

As for the new law, a whopping 88 percent of the nation supports it, even though most have never seen such "homosexual propaganda," the state-owned All Russian Center for Public Opinion reported.

According to Human Rights Watch, the crackdown is part of President Vladimir Putin's current agenda of promoting conservative values.

"These restrictions are popular with his political constituency" and can be used as a "political boost," director of the organization's European and Central Asian division Hugh Williamson told NBC News. He added that he did not believe the crackdown was provoked by the activities of the gay community.

The Russian population has been steadily falling since the early nineties. It shrank from 148.6 million in 1993 to 141.9 million in 2010, according to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service. Putin has embraced the Russian Orthodox Church, and his government has introduced various social programs to promote young couples having more children.

Just a week after the "propaganda" law was passed, Putin pushed through another law banning gay foreign couples from adopting Russian children. (All U.S. adoptions of Russian children have been banned).?

Apparently in step, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church -- Patriarch Kirill -- said Sunday that recent Western "legislation of single-sex marriages is bringing the apocalypse closer."

Overseas, the backlash has been swift.

The U.S. state department issued a travel warning for homosexuals in Russia. "Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is widespread in Russia, as harassment, threats, and acts of violence have been targeted at LGBT individuals. Government officials have been known to make derogatory comments about LGBT persons," the warning said.

"I am concerned with yesterday's legal ruling of the @dumagovru. Discrimination and intolerance contradict the spirit of a democratic society," U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul tweeted in Russian after the "propaganda" law was passed.

Chris Toala Oivares / Reuters

A demonstrator holds up a picture depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin with make-up during a protest by the gay community in Amsterdam on April 8, 2013.

And with one year until the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Human Rights Watch urged the International Olympic Committee "to send a clear signal to Russian authorities that discrimination of people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity is sharply at odds with Russia's human rights and Olympic commitments."

Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT advocacy group, sent a letter to NBC Universal, the exclusive broadcaster of the Olympics and owner of NBCNews.com, asking the network to highlight the anti-gay laws in Russia during coverage of the games.?

In a statement, the network said: "NBCUniversal strongly supports equal rights and the fair treatment for all people. The spirit of the Olympic Games is about unifying people and countries through the celebration of sport and it is our hope that spirit will prevail.?

This week, four Dutch nationals were detained in the northern region of Murmansk, the Russian LGBT Network said. Kris van der Veen, the head of a Dutch gay rights community, and three friends were attending a human rights festival there. The group was allowed to leave the city and travel back to Amsterdam after a court hearing and paying fines.

It was the first case of foreign nationals being detained since the "propaganda" law was introduced.

Alexeyev, the Russian activist, believes the gay community is being used as a scapegoat for the country's ills.

"Russia doesn't want to integrate with the West," he said. "They want to show that they have an independent way of thinking."

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663309/s/2f3dcb5f/sc/20/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A70C270C196996290Ehomosexual0Epropaganda0Elaw0Esignals0Elatest0Erussian0Ecrackdown0Dlite/story01.htm

Chris Lighty JJ Watt jerry sandusky hayden panettiere raul ibanez completely wrong stacey dash

McDowell misses 54-hole cut in Canada

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: www.irishgolfdesk.com --- Saturday, July 27, 2013
Graeme McDowell rehearses his swing during the second round of The Open. Picture Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie Officially it won?t go down as his sixth missed cut from his last 10 starts but a four over 76 meant Graeme McDowell missed the 54-hole cut int he RBC Canadian Open. ...

Source: http://www.irishgolfdesk.com/news-files/2013/7/28/mcdowell-misses-54-hole-cut-in-canada.html

Beyonce Superbowl nemo redbox Nemo Storm weather forecast Rivals weather channel

Quick Take: China Weighs on Stock Market

');
} else {
document.write('

Welcome, ' + readCookie("username") + '

'); } if(readCookie("regConfirmationStatus") && readCookie("regConfirmationStatus") == "pending") { document.write(''); document.write(''); } else { document.write('');} if(readCookie("ssoUser") == "true"){ document.write(''); } else { document.write(''); } } else { document.write('

Member Login:

'); }

Source: http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1585061&44=217111151&32=3796&7=195352&40=http://www.philly.com/philly/business/thestreet/TheStreet_20130726_Quick_Take__China_Weighs_on_Stock_Market.html

carlos santana dodgers triple play baa samoyed kenny powers kenny powers carl hagelin

Saturday, 27 July 2013

Reason Magazine picks up New Mexico Watchdog: Have you noticed more Californians...

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

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151488286467484&set=a.10150354532907484.343718.121516622483&type=1

Comic Con 2013 Maia Mitchell Only God Forgives RIPD Garrett Clayton obama British Open

Texas oilman, fracking pioneer Mitchell dies at 94

HOUSTON (AP) -- George P. Mitchell leveraged a penchant for hard work, an appetite for risk and dogged persistence in the face of futility into a technological breakthrough that reshaped the global energy industry and made the wildcat oilman a billionaire.

Mitchell, the developer and philanthropist who also is considered the father of fracking, doggedly pursued natural gas he and others knew were trapped in wide, thin layers of rock deep underground. Fracking brought an entirely new ? and enormous ? trove of oil and gas within reach.

Mitchell died Friday at age 94 his home in Galveston, his family said.

The son of a Greek immigrant who ran a cleaning and shoeshine business in Galveston, Mitchell became one of the wealthiest men in the U.S. While his technological breakthrough transformed economies in states like North Dakota, Texas and Pennsylvania and is expected to migrate around the world, many environmentalists have attacked the practice over concerns about air and water pollution.

For the entire oil and gas age, drillers had searched for hydrocarbons that had seeped out of layers of sedimentary rock over millions of years and collected into large pools. Once found, they were easy to produce. Engineers merely had to drill into the pools and the natural pressure of the earth would send huge volumes of oil and gas up to the surface.

These pools are exceedingly rare, though, and they were quickly being tapped out as the world's consumption grew, raising fears that the end of the oil and gas age would soon be at hand and raising prices to alarming levels.

Mitchell's idea: Go directly to the sedimentary rock holding the oil and gas, essentially speeding up geological processes by thousands of millennia.

He figured out how to drill into and then along layers of gas-laden rock, then force a slurry of water, sand and chemicals under high pressure into the rock to crack it open and release the hydrocarbons. This process, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, is the now-common industry practice known generally as fracking.

Engineers after Mitchell learned to adapt the process to oil-bearing rock. The U.S. is now the world's largest producer of natural gas and is on track to overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest oil producer by the end of the decade, according to the International Energy Agency.

Daniel Yergin, the energy historian and author of "The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World" said in a statement that Mitchell "Changed the world energy outlook in the 21st century and set in motion the global rebalancing of oil and gas that is now occurring."

The fracking boom sent natural gas prices plummeting, reducing energy costs for U.S. consumers and businesses. And by boosting U.S. oil production, it has sharply reduced oil imports.

Electric utilities used more natural gas to generate power because of its low price, while reducing the use of coal. This has led to a substantial reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide and toxic chemicals such as mercury by U.S. utilities.

But the practice has also sparked powerful antagonism, especially in the Northeast, from residents and environmentalists opposed to increased industrial activity in rural areas and concerned that the fracking process or the wastewater it generates can contaminate drinking water supplies.

New York, which is thought to have considerable natural gas resources, has imposed a moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracturing and star-studded activist groups have staged countless rallies and events to generate opposition to the practice.

In some areas fracking has been blamed for air pollution and gas leaks that have ruined well water, but the Obama administration and many state regulators say the practice is safe when done properly.

Mitchell's family, on the family foundation website, said he died of natural causes while surrounded by relatives.

"His story was quintessentially American," the family statement said. "George P. Mitchell was raised as a child of meager means who, throughout his life, believed in giving back to the community that made his success possible and lending a hand to the less fortunate struggling to reach their potential."

George Phydias Mitchell and his wife, Cynthia, who died in 2009, had 10 children. Their work together was "dedicated to making the world a more hospitable and sustainable place," the family said.

Mitchell graduated first in his class of 1940 at Texas A&M University with degrees in petrochemical engineering and geology. He helped pay for his school costs by running a tailoring and laundry business in College Station and selling candy and stationery to his fellow student Aggies, then in later years became the school's largest benefactor with donations topping $95 million.

This year, the annual Forbes list of wealthiest Americans ranked him 239th with a net worth of $2 billion.

Mitchell spent four years in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. Afterward, he struck out on his own with a brother and a partner as a wildcatter operation.

Over his career, he participated in drilling some 10,000 wells, including more than 1,000 wildcats ? wells drilled away from known fields. His company, Mitchell Energy & Development, was credited with more than 200 oil and 350 natural gas discoveries.

The firm spent nearly two decades developing horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, finally finding success in North Texas' Barnett Shale formation in the 1990s.

"There's no point in mincing words. Some people thought it was stupid," Dan Steward, a geologist who began working with the Texas natural gas firm Mitchell Energy in 1981 told The Associated Press in an interview last year. Steward estimated in the early years, "probably 90 percent of the people" in the firm didn't believe shale gas would be profitable, and that Mitchell's company didn't even cover the cost of fracking on shale tests until the 36th well was drilled.

But he credited the company namesake as a tenacious visionary.

"There's not a lot of companies that would stay with something this long," he said. "Most companies would have given up."

"Because of Mitchell's persistence ... we are today witnessing an unprecedented boom in domestic energy production and the associated economic benefits in Texas and nationwide," Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman agreed Friday.

Mitchell sold his energy company in 2002 for $3.1 billion.

Over the years, he spent tens of millions rebuilding his hometown of Galveston, resurrecting a long-dormant annual Mardi Gras celebration and providing money to restore the city's historic downtown Strand District.

He donated the land for Texas A&M University at Galveston.

"To say he was a great man with foresight and generosity isn't enough," Adm. Robert Smith III, the school's president, said. "His contributions to this university literally made this institution possible."

His Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, founded in 1979, has made more than $400 million in gifts.

In the early 1970s, Mitchell began developing The Woodlands, a suburban Houston master-planned community designed as a place for mixed-income residential development with jobs and amenities nearby while preserving the East Texas forest and other natural resources that covered the 27,000 acres. He later would call it his most satisfying achievement.

The Woodlands is now home to about 100,000 people, and one of the nation's busiest outdoor performing arts and entertainment venues there carries his wife's name, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

"His ambition and success have transformed our region," Houston Mayor Annise Parker said. "He was a visionary, and showed his love for Houston through his work and hometown pride."

Funeral arrangements were not immediately released.

___

Fahey reported from New York. Associated Press writer Kevin Begos in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

___

Online:

Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation http://cgmf.org/p/family-statement.html

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-oilman-fracking-pioneer-mitchell-203935883.html

the matrix oceans 11 ferris state hockey mary poppins john derbyshire kinkade thomas kinkade paintings