Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/8JJn6V2CwHI/
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Hands-On With the Changers Solar Charger
I live in sunny Spain, so there’s no problem charging gadgets with solar energy pretty much all year round. The problem has been cost and practicality. Until now. For the past month or so I have been testing the Changers solar charger, a rugged, lightweight solar panel and battery. Changers comes in two main parts. [...]
VIDEO: Brad Goreski Talks About What He Was Like Growing Up
Brad Goreski on VH1′s Big Morning Buzz Live with Carrie Keagan Get More: Big Morning Buzz Live
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Symantec, Lookout Mobile Security debate latest Android ?malware? attack (Appolicious)
If you have an Android device, malware threats are nothing new, just something with which you?ve learned to deal. Mobile security companies usually alert the public when any major malware or Trojan threat is discovered in the Android Market, but rarely do they disagree over what?s actually considered malware. This question?s been raised in regards to the latest string of Android Market botnets uncovered by Symantec, in what could be the largest botnet setup in Android?s history with as many as 5 million victims.
Dubbed ?Android.Counterclank? (or ?Apperhand SDK?) by Symantec, the malware was packaged across 13 different Android apps from different publishers, with titles ranging from Sexy Girls Puzzle to Counter Strike Ground Force. ?They don't appear to be real publishers,? Kevin Haley, a director with Symantec's security response team, said in an interview today. ?These aren't rebundled apps, as we've seen so many times before.?
But Lookout Mobile Security doesn?t think that this differentiated behavior means it?s a malware attack. They posted a blog over the weekend explaining their reasons for disagreeing with Symantec?s assessment, saying Android.Counterclank isn?t malware at all. It?s certainly not something most Android users want on their devices, but Lookout finds no evidence of outright malicious behavior, saying their capabilities are more like aggressive ad networks that put search icons on your home screen and run ads through your notifications bar.
?Malware is defined as software that is designed to engage in malicious behavior on a device. Malware can also be used to steal personal information from a mobile device that could result in identity theft or financial fraud,? reads Lookout?s blog. ?Apperhand doesn?t appear to be malicious, and at this point in our investigation, this is an aggressive form of an ad network ? not malware.?
Money-hungry ads or malicious malware? It seems the industry experts can?t agree, and such disparity could significantly shake up the consumer market. The debate over malware?s core definition came up a few weeks back with the Carrier IQ debacle, leading to a massive consumer backlash as privacy advocates blasted the carrier-supported software. When it comes to Android.Counterclank we have yet another example of how the Android ecosystem is being exploited, and how little this market is controlled. The debate over Android.Counterclank could ultimately circle back to Google, which is increasingly being held accountable for the Android Market experience.
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Belichick strives for consistent approach (AP)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. ? Season opener or Super Bowl, every game is a big game to Bill Belichick.
His consistent approach to preparation for the next opponent, whether a powerhouse or a pushover, is the cornerstone of the coaching that has brought the New England Patriots to their fifth Super Bowl in 11 years.
The more intense the practices, the more prepared his players are for the game.
"You know what to expect week-in and week-out with him," wide receiver Matthew Slater said. "The attention to detail is always there. It doesn't matter if it's a bye week or if it's a divisional playoff round. He's committed to winning and that commitment never falters, no matter what the circumstance, no matter how much success we've had or how many games we may have lost in a row.
"That commitment to winning is always there."
During practices, Belichick strolls the field, sometimes twirling his whistle on a lanyard, other times stopping to talk with players. His daily message is simple ? get the fundamentals right and just do your own job while preparing for the uniqueness of the next opponent.
That's resulted in 10 straight victories, eight in the regular season and two in the playoffs. Another win on Feb. 5 against the New York Giants would give the Patriots their fourth Super Bowl championship.
"I think every game is a big game," Belichick said Tuesday. "Every time we get an opportunity to compete then we try to take advantage of the time leading up to that opportunity ? the practice week, the preparation, the film study, understanding our game plan and our adjustments, all of those kinds of things.
"What else is there to work on but the game, the next one on your schedule, the one that you're playing? You try to cover all your bases for that game, you play it, and then you start the process all over again with the next one."
Right guard Brian Waters played his first 11 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. But when he signed with the Patriots on Sept. 4, eight days before the season opener, he quickly sensed the difference in Belichick's style.
"I wasn't here in training camp but, from day one, I can tell that he's all about the details," Waters said. "He's all about everybody doing their own job and staying in their lane. Everybody has their own responsibilities. That's something that you learn early on and that's something that he still makes sure that we understand today."
Another part of the Belichick playbook: Don't focus on the past or far into the future, just on the next practice and the next game.
That's a big enough workload, considering how hard he pushes his players.
James Ihedigbo didn't start a game the past three seasons with the New York Jets, but did go to AFC championship games the past two seasons. The Jets lost both. This season he started 12 of 16 games at safety for the Patriots and reached the Super Bowl.
The Patriots are special, he said, "because we prepare. We prepare harder than any other place that I've played and it definitely gets you focused in on your opponent and knowing them and understanding their strengths and how they want to attack you.
"So that's what we're keyed in on this week."
And this season's playoff wins over Denver, 45-10, and Baltimore, 23-20, are fading rapidly from players' minds.
"It has been going on all year and you just have to put everything in the past," tight end Rob Gronkowski said. "If you have a good game, that is all over with and you just have to keep moving on forward to the future and make sure you have a good practice week."
Running back Stevan Ridley, drafted in the third round last April, was the team's second-leading rusher during the regular season. When the playoffs began, he didn't notice much difference in Belichick's intensity.
"You know coach Bill, man, every game is serious," Ridley said, "playoffs, regular season, preseason."
One of the Patriots' most veteran players, left tackle Matt Light, also has played for just one head coach. Drafted in 2001, only Tom Brady and Kevin Faulk have been with the team longer.
What stands out most about Belichick is his "consistency, just his ability to stay focused to the nth degree and do that repetitively, week-in and week-out," Light said. "It's not an easy thing, obviously, running a team and putting up with a lot of guys like myself and the rest of the knuckleheads in that locker room.
"But you know what? I think that coming in and setting that example with our entire coaching staff and how he approaches everything, it makes it easy for all of us to fall in line."
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Christina Hendricks Gets Her Gaming On at Sundance | Celebrity ...
Posted Monday January 23, 2012 10:41 PM GMT
Showing off her inner-child, Christina Hendricks got her gaming on during a visit to the Nintendo 3DS Experience Lounge during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Monday (January 23).
The "Mad Men" beauty was joined by husband Geoffrey Arend as the pair pecked away at their own portable devices during the afternoon outing.
Having been in the rocky mountain locale since it started up this past Friday (January 20), Hendricks and Arend have fully immersed themselves in the Sundance doings - as they attended the CAA Party and visited the Stella Artois Lounge at The Lift on Sunday while hitting up the 'Save The Date' and 'End Of Love' Party at Stella Artois the previous night.
The trip to Sundance comes as Christina is getting closer and closer to the much-awaited fifth season premiere of her hit AMC show "Mad Men," which is slated to be a two-hour event taking place on March 25th.
Recently talking about her Joan character's sultry sashay on the Emmy winning series, the 36-year-old dished, ?I?m not really conscious of it when I work. All the mannerisms, the way that I become Joan ? my voice changes a little bit, the walk changes a little bit and the way I use my handshake changes a little bit so it just happens when I go to work, I?m not like that at home." She added, ?Definitely not. I get asked so much about the walk but it?s not me.?
Enjoy the pictures of Christina Hendricks at the Sundance Film Festival (January 21-23).
Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/christina-hendricks/christina-hendricks-gets-her-gaming-sundance-579164
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Villarreal beats Sporting 3-0 to end 10-game slump
updated 7:56 p.m. ET Jan. 23, 2012
VILLARREAL, Spain - Villarreal ended a 10-game winless streak, scoring three second-half goals to beat Sporting Gijon 3-0 in the Spanish league on Monday night.
Striker Marco Ruben returned from an injury to score in the 57th minute, Borja Valero doubled the lead with a powerful shot beat goalkeeper Juan Pablo a minute later and Bruno Soriano added the final goal in stoppage time.
Villarreal hadn't won since beating Real Betis on Nov. 19. At the halfway point, Villarreal (4-8-7) and Granada (5-10-4) have one point more than 19th-place Sporting (5-11-3).
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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More newsAFP - Getty ImagesBarca awaits Real Madrid again
Real Madrid probably will abandon its defensive strategy and go on the attack against Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals on Wednesday.
ReutersThat's a reason?
AC Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng is hurt again, and his girlfriend says it's because they have sex "7-10 times a week." Oh.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46108421/ns/sports-soccer/
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Farah L. Miller: The Hidden Benefit Of Daycare
There are many things I worry about when it comes to childcare. During my maternity leave, I couldn't figure out who would take care of my daughter if she didn't get into the one place we'd applied to while I was pregnant. (She didn't.) Then, we found an appealing alternative -- aka a daycare with a spot -- and I was concerned about leaving my baby somewhere that didn't even have a waitlist. And, much more than that, I was terrified about leaving a 12-week-old somewhere at all.
The party line from anyone who wanted to make me feel better about sending an infant to daycare (mostly from people who have babysitters or don't work outside the home) was to say how lucky we'd be when she starts school. "You won't get any of those germs from kindergarten!" several of them said. We did, however, pick up every possible sniffle, hacking cough, stomach virus...
Miraculously, though, that was only the first year and a half. My little girl has just turned two (today, in fact), and has been going to that same no-waitlist "school" ever since. And, despite her being happy, learning, thriving...and bringing home no less than fifteen hand turkey projects at Thanksgiving, I still have panic moments. When we go to an "open play" session on a Sunday morning and she goes all "Mine! No!" crazy over a fake plastic jar of ketchup, and I think, Omygod, that study about how kids who go to daycare become more aggressive later in life -- it's totally true. Or I blame the childcare providers in my head; they must not be reinforcing good sharing skills.
Worse than that are the days when drop-off suddenly turns hard. We have these great runs where I leave her at school in the morning and it's completely drama-free. Then, bam. Hysterics. It doesn't matter how much I can explain it away. Separation anxiety comes and goes, sure. Sometimes Mondays are harder. But those are the days when I start calculating whether my family could stay afloat if I didn't have a job and stayed home (nope) or if we should reconsider the whole nanny thing and find one highly devoted person to take care of the baby.
So, in light of all that worrying, any news about the benefits of using childcare makes me feel warm and fuzzy. And, this week, an article written by Meera Lee Sethi for the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkley brought up a whole new argument in favor. Sethi wrote about sociologist Mario Small, who has found that "mothers using childcare reap social, psychological, and even financial rewards."
Friendships, Small has discovered, form between mothers and other parents who go to daycare with their kids. That's right. This one is for you, Sophie's mommy. I met you at a new mom's group. You told me about our school without the waitlist, and you're still in my life. You too, Vivian's mommy. There was that day in the summer when we went to the park with the girls after pickup. It may not have been drinks after work, like it would have been in pre-kid days, but that little bit of socializing -- y'know, the 15 minutes when we got to chat while they were on their swings -- that was exactly what I needed.
The really great part about Small's research, however, is that the people who benefit most from sending their kids to daycare are low-income mothers. It's not only meeting parents who are in the same boat that helps. The upside -- which includes decreased risk of depression and better financial status -- comes from their ties to the childcare institution itself. As Sethi reports:
By plugging into childcare centers that were themselves connected to other nonprofits and government organizations, mothers effectively multiplied the size of their support networks with no effort required on their part.
A few days ago, I sent an email to the director of our daycare -- a list of grievances: "You asked us for a second sippy cup and said it's because Zadie doesn't need a bottle anymore. This implied that you were still giving her a bottle, which she SHOULD NOT be getting. Even though you did tell my husband you are not giving her a bottle, I want to make sure all the teachers know that she doesn't drink a bottle during the day. Also, yes, I will bring a green sippy cup." That sort of thing.
But, the sippy cup question came the same week that one of the teachers referred to my little girl as "he" in the daily progress book... Don't they know those three sentences in our beat up notebook are my only lifeline to what Zadie does all day? And they are just copying the same information from one child's book to another? Or worse -- is there a teacher there who doesn't even know what gender she is? Those questions = panic moment.
There was no immediate response to my note. About 24 hours later, the director wrote back to say she could speak to me at drop-off the next morning.
We got to school at a few minutes past 9. I took off Zadie's jacket and hung it on the teeny hooks at kid height, then walked upstairs to the classroom, holding her on my hip. It looked like all would all go smoothly, but I also know how quickly things can turn. We got to the door and I pointed to her star with her name on it stuck there with all the other kid's stars - "Look, yours is yellow!" I said with my happy voice that means please don't start crying. And I opened it up to see twelve little toddlers jumping up in the air in sync.
"Hi Zadie! You're just in time for Circle Time!" one of the teachers said. I put down my baby, and she hopped over to join them. And, I realized they were ribbitting. Like froggies.
She didn't cry. I don't think she even looked back at me that morning.
I turned around with a stupid smile on my face though. As I was heading to the door, the daycare director came in. We chatted about my note. She explained everything, as best she could. I nodded a lot. I really needed to get to work. None of it mattered much anyway. Not after seeing the frogs jumping. I really have to tell the other moms about that.
?
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/farah-l-miller/daycare-benefits-for-moms_b_1221613.html
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Many Breast Cancer Patients Uninformed About Options: Study (HealthDay)
FRIDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- In too many cases, doctors aren't doing a good job of informing American women with early stage breast cancer about the disease or their options in terms of surgery, a new study suggests.
In the study, researchers at the University of North Carolina surveyed breast cancer survivors on their knowledge of the disease. Respondents typically answered only about half of the questions correctly, and less than half said their surgeons had even asked them about their personal preference for surgery -- a full mastectomy vs. breast-conserving lumpectomy -- prior to treatment.
"We found that breast cancer survivors had fairly major gaps in their knowledge about their surgical options, including about the implications for recurrence and survival," said study lead author Dr. Clara Lee, an associate professor of surgery and director of surgical research at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.
The paper was published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
For the study, Lee and her colleagues sent surveys to 746 women who had undergone surgery for stage one or stage two breast cancer at one of four medical centers: the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston; the University of California, San Francisco; and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Among the 440 patients who responded to the survey, less than half (about 46 percent) knew that local recurrence risk is higher after breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) than after mastectomy, and only about 56 percent of women knew that survival rates are equivalent for both options.
The study also revealed that women who said they preferred mastectomy were less likely to have treatment that was in accordance with their goals. Lee said this was probably because "patients reported that their doctors were more likely to discuss breast conservation therapy and its advantages than mastectomy. And many women did not recall being asked for their preference. We know from other studies that doctors don't always know their patients' personal preferences, so they may not be fully aware when a woman truly prefers mastectomy."
The fact that less than half (48.6 percent) of the patients recalled being asked their preference was particularly concerning to Lee.
"It would be one thing if we were talking about decisions for which there is clearly a superior treatment, such as treatment for an inflamed gallbladder," Lee said. "In this case, it's reasonable and actually better for the surgeon to make a recommendation. But here we're talking about a decision where there is no medically right answer, and it really depends on the patient's preference. In that situation, it makes sense to ask the patient what she prefers."
Another breast cancer surgeon cautioned that the retrospective nature of the study (asking women to recall past events) and the fact that the women filled out the surveys an average of two and a half years following surgery makes it hard to draw firm conclusions.
"Clearly there are deficits in knowledge, but what we don't know for sure is if that's because the surgeon failed to convey this information, or the surgeon failed to convey it in a way that the patient could understand, or the patient has simply forgotten," said Dr. Leslie Montgomery, chief of breast surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
"If anything, I'm actually surprised that the numbers were as good as they were," Montgomery added. "There's often a big difference between what a woman is told and what she actually absorbs at a time when she is so emotionally distressed."
Montgomery believes the study is valuable, however, because it "helps identify the scope of the problem" and will be useful for designing future prospective trials.
"As surgeons, we really need to make sure we convey the proper information to a woman at what is probably one of the most stressful times in her life," Montgomery said.
More information
Find out more about surgical options for treating breast cancer at the American Cancer Society.
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
Obama sings soul, briefly (AP)
NEW YORK ? President Barack Obama took a brief and unexpected turn as a soul singer at a New York fundraiser, crooning a bar from an Al Green classic and then joking that he hadn't been ushered offstage.
It happened at Manhattan's Apollo Theater late Thursday, when Obama stepped to the podium and veered from prepared remarks to thank Green for warming up the crowd.
Apparently not content with simply praising him, Obama suddenly launched into Green's "Let's Stay Together," starting with the vibrato "I" and pausing for enthusiastic applause before finishing up with the line "so in love with you."
Obama said his staff didn't believe he'd really do it.
Then he joked that the Sandman hadn't come out ? a reference to Sandman Sims, the tap dancer who chased unpopular acts offstage at the Apollo for decades.
___
Online: http://apne.ws/x7ak4B
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Israeli strike kills 2 in Gaza (AP)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip ? Israeli forces on Wednesday attacked a group of suspected Palestinian militants believed to have been planting a bomb along Gaza's border with the Jewish state, the Israeli military said. Palestinian officials said two people were killed and two wounded.
Gaza's militant Hamas rulers said the victims were all civilians and said it held Israel responsible, raising the prospect of a new exchange of attacks across the volatile border.
"The Ministry of Interior and all its security forces are ready to deal with any new escalation," said Ihab Ghussein, spokesman for the Interior Ministry.
The Israeli military said aircraft and tanks participated in the attack after the militants were spotted along the border. "An explosion was identified, originating from the explosive device the terrorists attempted to plant," it said.
Gaza's Health Ministry spokesman Adham Abu Salmia said two people, one of them a 17-year-old youth, were killed. Two other men were wounded. He said the victims were unarmed, and relatives of the dead men said they were setting traps for birds near the buffer zone.
No militant group claimed them as members.
Hamas, a militant Islamist group that opposes peace with Israel, has controlled Gaza since taking over the territory from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.
Israel and Hamas have largely honored a truce since a fierce Israeli military offensive in Gaza three years ago. Smaller militant groups continue to battle Israel along the border, and fire rockets into southern Israel.
Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for all violence emanating from the seaside strip.
Also Wednesday, Israel's parliament speaker said he received an apology from the International Parliamentary Union after a Hamas official attended a meeting of the Swiss-based organization.
Legislator Mushir al-Masri was part of a Palestinian delegation that spoke at the union's human rights committee last week about Hamas lawmakers detained by Israel.
Israel objected because the militant group has killed hundreds of Israelis in attacks over the years. Hamas is considered a terrorist group by the EU. and U.S.
The union's secretary-general, Anders Johnsson, confirmed sending a letter to Israeli Parliament Speaker Reuven Rivlin. He told Rivlin Hamas was not invited to participate, and al-Masri had attended as part of a nongovernment group's delegation.
Rivlin says he accepted Johnsson's apology.
___
Josef Federman and Diaa Hadid contributed reporting from Jerusalem.
Follow Federman and Hadid on twitter.com/joseffederman and twitter.com/diaahadid
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Friday, January 20, 2012
$35 Gadget Streams Video From iPad to TV Using AirPlay [Video]
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Assistant Director, Communications and Outreach (Millburn, New ...
The regional offices maintain the agency's nationwide presence, attract leaders and donors to AJC, enhance the agency's influence with key local, national and international decision makers and stakeholders, implement advocacy initiatives at the state/local level, establish and nurture community relationships, and serve as AJC's eyes and ears on the ground.
The Assistant Director, Communications and Outreach, will manage all aspects of the NJ Region?s communications program, working with staff and leadership to ensure that AJC NJ is positioned as a dynamic and vigorous presence among key stakeholders (current and prospective donors, coalition partners, rabbis, media, etc.). In addition, the successful candidate will be responsible for advancing and managing AJC?s Parlor & Policy outreach initiatives in areas around the state.
Primary Communications Responsibilities:
? Develop and implement a comprehensive communications program for the region, including updating the Website, sending out regular emails and using social media to advance the organization?s agenda and engage stakeholders.
? Develop and maintain relationships with key on-line and traditional media. Develop opportunities for media exposure through setting up interviews, op-eds, letters to the editor etc.
? Enhance the visibility of the NJ Region, the Metro and Central NJ Presidents and the Area Director.
? Serve as liaison to communications task forces or committees
? Oversee management of the communications database
? Train staff in technologies needed to sustain active communications program
Primary Outreach Responsibilities:
? Work with leadership to manage and expand ?Parlor & Policy Group? outreach efforts
? Book speakers, design invitations and coordinate logistics for 3-4 programs per year for each Parlor & Policy group
? Manage invite lists and provide appropriate communications between programs
? Work with Metro NJ leadership to integrate Parlor & Policy members into general AJC activities
Secondary Responsibilities:
? Assist in the coordination and management of general AJC programming and activities
? Participate in fundraising efforts as appropriate
? Perform other tasks needed to support overall office effectiveness
Source: http://www.bridgestar.org/MyCareerCenter/PositionDetails.aspx?jobId=10464
Thursday, January 19, 2012
A Q&A on contested Internet anti-piracy bills (AP)
WASHINGTON ? Online piracy costs U.S. copyright owners and producers billions of dollars every year, but legislation in Congress to block foreign Internet thieves and swindlers has met strong resistance from high-tech companies, spotlighted by Wikipedia's protest blackout Wednesday, warning of a threat to Internet freedom.
House and Senate bills that once seemed to be on a path toward approval now face a rockier future. House Speaker John Boehner said Wednesday it was "pretty clear to many of us that there is a lack of consensus at this point."
Amid the high-tech campaign against the bills, several lawmakers came out in opposition. At least four Senate Republicans who had previously cosponsored the Senate bill ? Orrin Hatch of Utah, Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas and Charles Grassley of Iowa ? issued statements Wednesday saying they were withdrawing their support. Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland last week said that, after listening to constituent concerns, he could not vote for the Senate bill as it is currently written.
On the House side, Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., issued a statement that he had heard from many of his constituents and had come to the conclusion that the House and Senate bills "create unacceptable threats to free speech and free access to the Internet."
Here are some of the some of the questions being raised about the bills being considered:
Q. Why is legislation needed?
A. There's no argument that more needs to be done to protect artists, innovators and industries from copyright thieves and shield consumers from products sold on the Internet that are fake, faulty and unsafe. Creative America, a coalition of Hollywood studios, networks and unions, says content theft costs U.S. workers $5.5 billion a year. The pharmaceutical industry loses billions to Internet sellers of drugs that are falsely advertised and may be harmful.
Q. What is Congress trying to accomplish?
A. The two main bills are the Protect Intellectual Property Act, or PIPA, in the Senate, and the similar Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, in the House. There are already laws on the books to combat domestic websites trafficking in counterfeit or pirated goods, but little to counter foreign violators.
The bills would allow the Justice Department, and copyright holders, to seek court orders against foreign websites accused of perpetrating or facilitating copyright infringement. While there is little the United States can do to take down those websites, the bills would bar online advertising networks and payment facilitators such as credit card companies and PayPal from doing business with an alleged violator. It also would forbid search engines from linking to such sites.
The original bills would have let copyright holders and Internet service providers block access to pirate websites. Critics and Internet engineers complained that would allow copyright holders to interfere in the behind-the-scenes system that seamlessly directs computer users to websites. They said that causing deliberate failures in the lookup system to prevent visits to pirate websites could more easily allow hackers to trick users into inadvertently visiting websites that could infect their computers. The White House also took issue with that approach, saying, "We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet."
Responding to the critics, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said he is taking the blocking measure out of his bill. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., also is reworking his bill to address those cybersecurity issues.
Q. What are other concerns with the bills?
A. Critics say they would constrain free speech, curtail innovation and discourage new digital distribution methods. NetCoalition, a group of leading Internet and technology companies, says they could be forced to pre-screen all user comments, pictures and videos ? effectively killing social media. Search engines, Internet service providers and social networks could be forced to shut down websites linked to any type of pirated content.
In addition, critics contend that young, developing businesses and smaller websites could be saddled with expensive litigation costs. And they contend existing rights holders could impede new investment in the technology sector.
The White House said it would "not support any legislation that reduces freedom of expression ... or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet."
Leahy responded that there is nothing in the legislation that would require websites, Internet service providers, search engines, ad networks, payment processors or others to monitor their networks. He said his bill protects third parties from liability that may arise from actions to comply with a court order.
Michael O'Leary, a senior vice president at the Motion Picture Association of America, a key supporter of the legislation, said his industry is built upon a vibrant First Amendment. "We would never support any legislation that would limit this fundamental American right," he said. Neither PIPA nor SOPA "implicate free expression but focus solely on illegal conduct, which is not free speech."
Q. Who else supports the bills?
A. The most visible supporters are entertainment-related groups such as the MPAA and the National Music Publishers' Association. But the bills also enjoy support from the pharmaceutical industry, which is trying to shut down illegal online drug operations, and electronic and auto industries concerned about people going online to buy counterfeit parts that may be substandard. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several law enforcement groups also back the legislation.
Q. Who are the opponents?
A. In addition to Wikipedia, many major Internet and technology companies, including Google, Yahoo!, Amazon.com and eBay, are part of the NetCoalition group opposing the bills. Disparate political groups such as the liberal Democracy for America and the conservative Heritage Action have also voiced concerns about censorship.
Q. What is the status of the bills?
A. Momentum for the bills has slowed, giving the edge to Silicon Valley over Hollywood. The Senate, as its first major business when it returns to session next Tuesday, is to vote on whether to take up the bill. Sixty votes are needed to clear that legislative hurdle. It's unclear whether supporters have the votes.
Six Republicans on the Judiciary Committee last week wrote Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., saying that while the problem of intellectual property theft must be addressed, "the process at this point is moving too quickly" and a vote on moving to the bill "may be premature."
Reid replied that the vote will occur as scheduled, saying that while the bill was not perfect and he had urged Leahy to make changes, the issue was "too important to delay."
In the House, Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith said his panel would resume deliberations on SOPA in February. Meanwhile, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and an ally of the high-tech industry, said he had received assurances from GOP leaders that anti-piracy legislation would not move to the House floor this year unless there is a consensus on it.
Issa and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are pushing an alternative to SOPA and PIPA that would make the International Trade Commission, which already is in charge of patent infringements, responsible for taking steps to prevent money and advertising from going to rogue sites.
Issa formally introduced his bill Wednesday, saying the Internet blackout had "underscored the flawed approach taken by SOPA and PIPA" and his bill was "a smarter way to protect taxpayers' rights while protecting the Internet."
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Iran director: Film award comes amid `frustration' (AP)
TEHRAN, Iran ? One of Iran's most prominent film directors said Monday he hoped the Golden Globes award to a fellow filmmaker will help lift the spirits of the country's artistic community after the state-ordered closure of an independent cinema group.
Abbas Kiarostami lauded the "unique success" of writer-director Ashgar Farhadi for "A Separation," which won the best foreign-language film award Sunday at the Golden Globes ceremony in Beverly Hills, California.
Kiarostami told The Associated Press it was a bittersweet moment after authorities ordered the closure Jan. 4 of the House of Cinema, an independent film group that operated for 20 years.
Officials said it lacked the proper permits, but artists and others claimed it was a political decision, because the group often took liberal stands contrary to government's cultural policies.
"A Separation" tells the story of a couple heading for divorce and dealing with domestic troubles with a young child and an aging parent. It examines gender, religious and class distinctions in contemporary Iran.
Amir Esfandiari , an official in the Farabi Film Foundation affiliated with the country's culture ministry, offered congratulations to Farhadi and wished the film success as a possible Oscar candidate, the semiofficial Isna news agency reported.
The Fars news agency said that the film will play for an extra week in a Tehran cinema. It had been shown in Iranian movie houses over the past months.
Last week, Farhadi proposed that Iranian authorities allow a vote among artists about the fate of the House of Cinema.
"I am hopeful that the award would partly help heal the frustration of people in the Iranian cinema industry," said Kiarostami, whose films have won prizes including the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
He also hoped the Golden Globe award would persuade authorities to be "more kind" to Iran's film community.
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered across the nation (Reuters)
CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Americans honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday with a traditional day of service as well as a new wave of economic injustice protests by Occupy Wall Street.
On the first King holiday since the now-global Occupy movement launched in New York City in September, the reignited debate over inequality drew hundreds of protestors to march in wintry temperatures in Manhattan, stopping at a Bank of America branch to shout, "The banks got bailed out, we got sold out."
At least two protesters were loaded into a police van at the march, held "because Dr. King dedicated the last months of his life to planning a campaign for the right of all to a decent-paying job," leaders said in a statement.
King was organizing a Poor People's Campaign, the next phase in the civil rights movement, before he was murdered in 1968.
"I came here on the one hand to honor (King's) birthday, but also for the things that he stood for," said Jim Glaser, a retired teacher from suburban Nyack, New York, at the march.
"We have to have a government that's responsive to people, ... a government that people can have some influence on," he said.
At New York's African Burial Grounds, schoolchildren played "We Shall Overcome" on violins before protesters marched to the Federal Reserve in downtown Manhattan.
"What Occupy Wall Street is trying to do is exactly what (King) was trying to -- focus on economic injustice and to inform and educate the American public," said Norman Siegel, former director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
"I think (King) would be very pleased because Occupy Wall Street is the children of Dr King's dream," Siegel said at the 18th century burial ground, part of the National Park Service.
Protesters in the Occupy movement complain that billions of dollars in bailouts were given to banks while many Americans still suffer with joblessness and housing foreclosures. They say minorities were disproportionately affected by predatory lending practices.
The movement has influenced the national political conversation, with President Barack Obama echoing some of its themes in calling for a "fair shot" and "fair share" for all.
Community and civil rights leaders urged Americans to honor King's crusade for nonviolence and racial brotherhood by doing volunteer work.
The president, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughter Malia marked the day by helping spruce up the library at a school in a predominantly African-American community in northeast Washington.
"At a time when the country has been going through some difficult economic times, for us to be able to come together as a community, people from all different walks of life, and make sure that we're giving back, that's ultimately what makes us the strongest, most extraordinary country on earth," Obama said.
This year's King holiday came as officials in more than a dozen states implement new laws requiring voters to present photo identification at the polls. Critics say the restriction violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -- one of the key accomplishments of the movement King led.
Across the nation, formal events such as prayer services, performances and parades were staged for King's birthday, which became a federal holiday in 1986. Post offices, government buildings and most public schools were closed.
King, a Baptist pastor who advocated for nonviolence, racial brotherhood and equal rights and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, was assassinated in 1968 as he stood outside his motel room in Memphis, where he had gone to support striking sanitation workers.
The convicted assassin, a segregationist and drifter named James Earl Ray, confessed to the killing but later recanted. He died in prison in 1998.
(Additional reporting by Lily Kuo, Ellen Wulfhorst and Karen Brooks, editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Barbara Goldberg)
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Monday, January 16, 2012
Obama takes on big government: `It has to change' (AP)
WASHINGTON ? Seeking more power to shrink the government, President Barack Obama on Friday suggested smashing six economic agencies into one, an election-year idea intended to halt bureaucratic nightmares and force Republicans to back him on one of their own favorite issues.
"The government we have is not the government we need," Obama told business owners he'd gathered at the White House. Lawmakers seemed willing to at least consider his ideas.
Sounding like a manager of a disorganized company, and looking like one by pointing to slides as he spoke, Obama asked Congress to give him a kind of reorganization power no president has had since Ronald Reagan. It would guarantee Obama a vote, within 90 days, on any idea he offers to consolidate agencies, provided it saves money and cuts the government.
His first potential target: Merging six major trade and commerce agencies into a one-stop-shopping department for American businesses. The Commerce Department would be among those that would cease to exist.
Attacking senseless duplication across the executive branch he runs, Obama said: "Why is it OK for our government? It's not. It has to change."
Politically, Obama is seeking advantage on the turf often owned by Republicans: Smaller government.
He is attempting to directly counter Republican arguments that he has presided over the kind of regulation, spending and debt that can undermine the economy ? a dominant theme of this year's debate and one often cited by his potential re-election rival, Republican Mitt Romney.
Obama said he would use his expanded authority to recommend the collapsing of other agencies across the government, not just in the business field, without getting specific. Congress would keep the final say over any proposal. But fast-track power would give Obama a stronger hand to skip much of the outside lobbying and turf battles and get right to a vote.
Congressional reaction was mixed, but generally followed a pattern from both parties ? support for making government more efficient, and wariness about how Obama's plan could upend the trade American trade agenda or undermine the prerogatives of Congress.
Republicans skeptically pointed to Obama's past promises as the size of the nation's debt keeps growing.
"It's not often that we see real proposals from this administration to make government smaller," said Rep. Fred Upton, the Michigan Republican who is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "I look forward to reviewing the proposal and hope that it will be the first of many to unravel the red tape."
Indeed, Obama promised more plans to shrink things if given more power, citing inefficiencies all across the government.
In an unusual united front that underscored some bipartisan skepticism, the chairmen of two of Congress' most powerful committees joined in a statement that questioned the president's desire to wrap the U.S. Trade Representative office into a new agency. The House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont, said government cannot be reduced "at the expense of programs that are helping businesses, ranchers and farmers create jobs."
For Obama, it was all about common sense.
He spoke of business people who deal with the government as part of their daily life and are exasperated by a maze of agencies, permits and websites.
"We can do this better," he told them. "So much of the argument out there all the time is up in 40,000 feet, these abstract arguments about who's conservative or who's liberal. ...You guys are just trying to figure out, how do we make things work? How do we apply common sense? And that's what this is about."
Obama had an imperative to deliver. He made the promise to come up with a smart reorganization of the government in his State of the Union speech last January.
Not in decades has the government undergone a sustained reorganization of itself. Presidents have tried from time to time, but each part of the bureaucracy has its own defenders inside and outside the government, which can make merger ideas politically impossible. That's particularly true because "efficiency" is often another way of saying people will lose their jobs.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she hoped Congress would quickly approve Obama's proposal, which she said tracked with worries Democrats have been hearing from small business owners.
Beyond the politics, the merger Obama offered would have big implications for trade and commerce in America.
Presidents held a fast-track reorganizational authority for about 50 years until it ran out during Reagan's presidency in 1984, the White House argued.
Obama wants to merge: the Commerce Department's core business and trade functions; the Small Business Administration; the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; the Export-Import Bank; the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; and the Trade and Development Agency.
The White House says 1,000 to 2,000 jobs would be cut, but the administration would do so through attrition. The administration says the consolidation would save $3 billion over 10 years by getting rid of duplicative overhead and programs, although it has yet to spell out any plan in detail.
Obama's announcement treads on ground that Romney, the Republican front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, frequently stakes out on the campaign trail. Romney often says he would try to shrink government by eliminating offices that duplicate functions performed somewhere else, citing as examples more than 80 different workforce training programs.
Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said streamlining government was always a potentially good idea but expressed suspicion about whether the plan by Obama would really help business. Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, pledged Obama's plan would get a careful review.
But he added: "It's interesting to see the president finally acknowledge that Washington is out of control."
__
Associated Press writers Kasie Hunt, Alan Fram, Erica Werner and Ken Thomas contributed to this story.
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TV One network focuses on missing blacks (AP)
PASADENA, Calif. ? After 16 years playing a police lieutenant on "Law & Order," actress S. Epatha Merkerson is turning to some real-life crime stories.
Merkerson is the narrator for "Find Our Missing," a series that debuts Jan. 18 on the TV One network. It tells stories about black Americans who are missing, hoping to turn up clues that can solve some of the cases.
The series was born out of a pervasive feeling among many blacks that their missing-person cases don't get as much attention as missing-person cases involving whites, particularly attractive young white women.
"The local and regional press does a good job," Wonya Lucas, president and CEO of the cable network aimed at black viewers, said Saturday. "The national press doesn't really cover these stories to the extent that they should, and that's a void that TV One will now fill."
Each hour focuses on two separate cases. Besides Merkerson's narration, producers fill time by re-enacting some scenes with professional actors.
Two people missing since 2009 are featured in the first episode: Pamela Butler, an employee of the Environmental Protection Agency who disappeared from her Washington, D.C., home; and Hasanni Campbell, a 5-year-old boy with cerebral palsy from Oakland, Calif.
"We are painfully aware that these are not just stories," said Donna Wilson, executive producer of the series. "These are people's lives."
Blacks account for 12 percent of the population yet are involved in about a third of the country's missing-persons cases, said Toni Judkins, programming chief at TV One. The network is available in some 56 million homes, or about half the ones that have TV.
Producers are working with the Black and Missing Foundation in helping to bring the cases to light.
The show will encourage tips to law enforcement, hoping to break down some of the attitude that makes people feel like snitches, foundation president Derrica Wilson said. She and the series producer are not related.
Merkerson said she became involved because she realized many of these cases needed the attention.
"It's important for me to give back to the community that has given so much to me," she said.
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Sunday, January 15, 2012
HBO says no political agenda behind Palin film (AP)
PASADENA, Calif. ? In a politically polarized country, the people behind HBO's upcoming movie on Sarah Palin's vice presidential campaign are being careful not to take one side or the other.
"There is no agenda here," Danny Strong, writer of the film "Game Change," said at a news conference Friday. Filmmakers said they sought historical accuracy.
The movie debuts March 10. It is based on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin's book about the 2008 presidential campaign, but focuses specifically on Palin. Director Jay Roach said he wrote a long letter to the former Alaska governor seeking an interview with her to help the film, "but I got a very quick email back from her attorney saying, `I checked, she declined.'"
Roach and Strong were the team behind HBO's Emmy-winning "Recount" about the disputed 2000 presidential election.
"I don't think this movie is going to change people's minds one way or another," Strong said. "People are very polarized. It's not designed to change people's minds."
Actress Julianne Moore looks strikingly like Palin in her depiction. Asked what she thought of Palin after getting so close to the story, Moore said she had "profound respect" for the historical nature of the candidacy.
"There was a tremendous amount of pressure," Moore said. "That was what I was trying to capture, the pressure that she was under."
Actor Ed Harris portrays John McCain. Although the resemblance to his character isn't quite as sharp as Moore's, it's pretty close.
One unusual casting was Woody Harrelson, who plays McCain campaign strategist Steve Schmidt. The film's story is largely seen through Schmidt's eyes. Harrelson, who describes himself politically as "probably more an anarchist," said he met Schmidt and liked him.
"The concept of playing this guy who I think ideologically couldn't be any farther away from me felt like a real challenge," he said.
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Defense: Bomb case built on 'conspiracy of lust' (AP)
PHOENIX ? A defense attorney in the trial of twin white supremacist brothers charged in the bombing of a black city official criticized on Thursday the use of an attractive younger woman as a federal informant, calling her a "trailer-park Mata Hari" who dressed in revealing clothes to get the men to open up to her.
Deborah Williams told jurors in Phoenix federal court that the government can only prove that her client, Dennis Mahon, was involved in "a conspiracy of lust" ? not a conspiracy to send the package that exploded in the hands of then-Scottsdale diversity director Don Logan in 2004.
The informant, identified as Rebecca Williams in court records, moved into a trailer at a campground in Catoosa, Okla., where the brothers were staying after the bombing.
She dressed in shorts and tank tops and displayed a Confederate flag and later sent the men at least two racy photos of herself, taken by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives unbeknownst to the brothers.
One photo showed her in a leather jacket, fishnet stockings and a thong that completely exposed her buttocks, along with a note that said, "Thought you'd love the butt shot," court records said. The other showed her in a revealing white bikini top with a grenade hanging between her breasts as she posed in front of a pickup truck and a swastika.
Dennis Mahon opened up to her as the government recorded their conversations. Mahon showed her how to make bombs and bragged about bombing a Jewish community center, an Internal Revenue Service building, an immigration facility, and an abortion clinic, according to court records. Those claims haven't been corroborated.
According to the records, Mahon also talked to her about the Scottsdale bombing, telling her that he didn't do it but convinced white police officers to do it.
"It was all about sex," Deborah Williams said Thursday. "Dennis fell hard for her ... Rebecca Williams was the trailer-park Mata Hari, and she gave an award-winning performance."
Mata Hari was a Dutch exotic dancer who was convicted of working as a spy for Germany during World War I.
Dennis and Daniel Mahon, both 61, have pleaded not guilty in the bombing, which injured Logan's hand and arm and hurt a secretary.
Earlier Thursday, prosecutor John Boyle said the brothers belonged to a group called the White Aryan Resistance, a group that encourages members to act as "lone wolves" and commit violence against non-whites and the government to get their message across.
Boyle showed pictures of the diversity office after the bombing and played a recording of a message left at the office by Dennis Mahon five months before the attack.
In it, Mahon criticizes the predominantly white city of Scottsdale for holding a Hispanic heritage event and used a racial epithet for Hispanics.
"The white Aryan resistance is growing in Scottsdale," Dennis Mahon said angrily. "There's a few white people who are standing up."
Boyle said that although the Mahons' DNA wasn't on the bomb, evidence at trial will show that they admitted their involvement to Rebecca Williams. That evidence includes a detailed description of the bomb used on Logan that Dennis Mahon gave to the informant, even though such a description hadn't been made public by officials.
"He knows exactly how that bomb was made, and that is not public information," Boyle said.
Deborah Williams said Dennis Mahon is a racist and "somewhat of a performance artist" who has long been vocal about his controversial beliefs and has spoken in "crude terms designed to push people's buttons."
"He'd be a whole lot happier if anybody who didn't think like him or look like him would just go away," Williams told the jurors. But "it's not a crime to be racist ... You can't build a fire out of smoke."
Daniel Mahon's attorney, Barbara Hull, painted her client as a hard-working man who's only guilty of being Dennis Mahon's brother.
Deborah Williams said the ATF wrongly focused their investigation on the Mahons because her client was such an "easy target, a noisy target," and ignored a more likely "inside job" by city workers.
She pointed out to jurors that Rebecca Williams was paid for her work as an informant and was promised $100,000 by the ATF should the Mahons be successfully prosecuted.
Boyle told jurors that while Williams flirted with the Mahons, she never had sex with them and was playing a role to get the brothers to talk to her.
The Mahons sat quietly throughout the hours-long proceedings on Thursday as Logan sat about 20 feet away, listening intently and scoffing at times.
Prosecutors have said the case took longer than usual to come to trial because of the large amount of evidence.
Logan said he didn't want to talk about the trial because he's a witness and he didn't want to jeopardize the prosecution. He added simply, "This is long overdue."
___
Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
Anti-US chants as slain Iran nuclear expert buried
This undated photo released by Iranian Fars News Agency, claims to show Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who they say was killed in a bomb blast in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012, next to his son. Two assailants on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb to the car of an Iranian university professor working at a key nuclear facility, killing him and his driver Wednesday, reports said. The slayings suggest a widening covert effort to set back Iran's atomic program. The blast killed Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, state TV reported. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency)
This undated photo released by Iranian Fars News Agency, claims to show Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who they say was killed in a bomb blast in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012, next to his son. Two assailants on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb to the car of an Iranian university professor working at a key nuclear facility, killing him and his driver Wednesday, reports said. The slayings suggest a widening covert effort to set back Iran's atomic program. The blast killed Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, state TV reported. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency)
This undated photo released by Iranian Fars News Agency, claims to show Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who they say was killed in a bomb blast in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. Two assailants on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb to the car of an Iranian university professor working at a key nuclear facility, killing him and his driver Wednesday, reports said. The slayings suggest a widening covert effort to set back Iran's atomic program. The blast killed Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, state TV reported. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency)
This undated photo released by Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, claims to show Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who was killed in a bomb blast in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. Two assailants on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb to the car of an Iranian university professor working at a key nuclear facility, killing him and his driver Wednesday, reports said. The slayings suggest a widening covert effort to set back Iran's atomic program. The blast killed Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, state TV reported. (AP Photo/ISNA)
This undated photo released by Iranian Fars News Agency, claims to show Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who they say was killed in a bomb blast in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. Two assailants on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb to the car of an Iranian university professor working at a key nuclear facility, killing him and his driver Wednesday, reports said. The slayings suggest a widening covert effort to set back Iran's atomic program. The blast killed Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, state TV reported. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Thousands of mourners chanted "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" on Friday during the funeral of a slain nuclear expert whom Iranian officials accuse the two nations of killing in a bomb blast this week as part of a secret operation to stop Iran's nuclear program.
The assassination of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan has raised calls in Iran for retaliation against the U.S. and Israel, and an independent news website Friday said Iran is preparing a covert counteroffensive against the West.
Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, was killed in a brazen daylight assassination when two assailants on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb to his car Wednesday in Tehran. The killing bore a strong resemblance to earlier killings of scientists working on the Iranian nuclear program.
State TV showed thousands of people carrying Roshan's coffin through central Tehran before it was taken to a north cemetery for burial. As it marched, the crowd chanted "death to terrorists."
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, called Roshan's killing a "cowardly assassination" and accused the U.S. and Israel of being behind the attack. He vowed Thursday that the perpetrators and those who ordered the attack would be punished.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has denied any American role in the slaying and the U.S administration condemned the attack. Israeli officials, in contrast, have hinted at covert campaigns against Iran without directly admitting involvement.
The assassination was carried out a day after Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz was quoted as telling a parliamentary panel that 2012 would be a "critical year" for Iran ? in part because of "things that happen to it unnaturally."
That prompted Hossein Shariatmadari, director of the hardline Iranian daily newspaper Kayhan, to ask why Iran did not avenge Roshan by striking Israel.
The independent news website, irannuc.ir, quoted an unidentified security official as saying Iran is preparing a covert counteroffensive against the West in retaliation for the bomb blast. It suggested the retaliation could include assassinations abroad.
"Iran's intelligence community is in a very good position to design tit-for-tat operations to retaliate for assassinations carried out by Western intelligence services," the official said, according to the website. "Iran's response will be extraterritorial and extra-regional. It follows the strategy that none of those who ordered or carried out (the attacks) should feel secure in any part of the world."
The website's report was also carried by the semiofficial Fars news agency, which is close to the elite Revolutionary Guard.
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Friday, January 13, 2012
Wall Street futures edge lower on euro worries
In this Jan.10, 2012 photo, trader Douglas Glander, right, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange .World markets mostly rose Wednesday, Jan.11, on hopes that the U.S. economic recovery will gather pace, helping corporate earnings and easing some of the stress generated by Europe's debt crisis. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
In this Jan.10, 2012 photo, trader Douglas Glander, right, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange .World markets mostly rose Wednesday, Jan.11, on hopes that the U.S. economic recovery will gather pace, helping corporate earnings and easing some of the stress generated by Europe's debt crisis. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
NEW YORK (AP) ? U.S. stock futures are edging lower as worries about a recession in Europe are outweighing hopes that the U.S. economic recovery will gather steam and help corporate earnings.
Dow Jones industrial futures are down 26 points, or 0.2 percent, to 12,363. Futures for the broader S&P 500 index are down 0.3 percent to 1,283. The Nasdaq composite is down slightly at 2,356.
Stocks have been largely buoyant since U.S. jobs data last week showed an increase in hiring. That optimism is in a tug of war with Europe's dark outlook.
New figures Wednesday implied Germany's economy contracted slightly in the fourth quarter. The European Commission also said Hungary has taken "no effective action" to contain its deficit.
European markets mostly fell Wednesday. Asian markets closed mostly higher.
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Talking with Fitbit at CES 2012
Fitbit can help you keep on target with any physical goals by tracking such things as walking, yoga, or weight lifting as well as logging foods you eat, when you
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Lectern Stolen From Village Church Turns Up in Romania
An ornate brass lectern stolen from a church in Wiltshire has been found at an antiques fair in Romania. The discovery suggests Eastern European gangs are plundering our churches and smuggling treasures abroad to sell cheaply. The 4ft eagle lectern, worth...
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