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Food Network won't renew Paula Deen's contract

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) ? The Food Network said Friday it's dumping Paula Deen, barely an hour after the celebrity cook posted the first of two videotaped apologies online begging forgiveness from fans and critics troubled by her admission to having used racial slurs in the past.

The 66-year-old Savannah kitchen celebrity has been swamped in controversy since court documents filed this week revealed Deen told an attorney questioning her under oath last month that she has used the N-word. "Yes, of course," Deen said, though she added, "It's been a very long time."

The Food Network, which made Deen a star with "Paula's Home Cooking" in 2002 and later "Paula's Home Cooking" in 2008, weighed in with a terse statement Friday afternoon.

"Food Network will not renew Paula Deen's contract when it expires at the end of this month," the statement said. Network representatives declined further comment. A representative for Deen did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment on the decision.

The news came as Deen worked to repair the damage to her image, which has spawned a vast empire of cookbooks, a bimonthly cooking magazine, a full line of cookware, food items like spices and even furniture.

She abruptly canceled a scheduled interview on NBC's "Today" show Friday morning, instead opting for a direct appeal via online video ? one that allowed her and her staff complete control of what she said and how she said it.

"Inappropriate, hurtful language is totally, totally unacceptable," Deen said in the first 45-second video posted on YouTube. "I've made plenty of mistakes along the way but I beg you, my children, my team, my fans, my partners - I beg for your forgiveness."

Deen adopted a solemn tone as she looked straight into the camera. Still, her recorded apology featured three obvious edits ? with the picture quickly fading out between splices ? during a statement just five sentences long.

It was soon scrapped and replaced with a second video of Deen talking unedited for nearly two minutes as she insists: "Your color of your skin, your religion, your sexual preference does not matter to me."

"''I want people to understand that my family and I are not the kind of people that the press is wanting to say we are," Deen says in the later video. "The pain has been tremendous that I have caused to myself and to others."

Deen never mentions Food Network or its decision to drop her in either of her online videos.

Deen initially planned to give her first interview on the controversy Friday to the "Today" show, which promoted her scheduled appearance as a live exclusive. Instead, host Matt Lauer ended up telling viewers that Deen's representatives pulled the plug because she was exhausted after her flight to New York. Deen said in her video she was "physically not able" to appear.

Court records show Deen sat down for a deposition May 17 in a discrimination lawsuit filed last year by a former employee who managed Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, a Savannah restaurant owned by Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers. The ex-employee, Lisa Jackson, says she was sexually harassed and worked in a hostile environment rife with innuendo and racial slurs.

During the deposition, Deen was peppered with questions about her racial attitudes. At one point she's asked if she thinks jokes using the N-word are "mean." Deen says jokes often target minority groups and "I can't, myself, determine what offends another person."

Deen also acknowledged she briefly considered hiring all black waiters for her brother's 2007 wedding, an idea inspired by the staff at a restaurant she had visited with her husband. She insisted she quickly dismissed the idea.

But she also insisted she and her brother have no tolerance for bigotry.

"Bubba and I, neither one of us, care what the color of your skin is" or what gender a person is, Deen said. "It's what's in your heart and in your head that matters to us."

___

AP Television Writer David Bauder contributed to this story from New York.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/food-network-wont-renew-paula-deens-contract-204745716.html

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FAA moving toward easing electronic device use

FILE - This Feb. 23, 2011 file photo shows United Airlines planes taxing at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. The government is moving toward easing restrictions on the use of electronic devices by airline passengers during taxiing, takeoffs and landings. An industry-labor advisory committee was expected to make recommendations next month to the Federal Aviation Administration on easing the restrictions, but the FAA said Friday that deadline has been extended to September. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

FILE - This Feb. 23, 2011 file photo shows United Airlines planes taxing at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. The government is moving toward easing restrictions on the use of electronic devices by airline passengers during taxiing, takeoffs and landings. An industry-labor advisory committee was expected to make recommendations next month to the Federal Aviation Administration on easing the restrictions, but the FAA said Friday that deadline has been extended to September. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Relief may be on the way for airline passengers who can't bear to be separated even briefly from their personal electronic devices. The government is moving toward allowing gate-to-gate use of music players, tablets, laptops, smartphones and other gadgets, although it may take a few months.

Restrictions on cellphone calls and Internet use and transmission are not expected to be changed.

An industry-labor advisory committee was supposed to make recommendations next month to the Federal Aviation Administration on easing restrictions on using electronic devices during takeoffs and landings. But the agency said in a statement Friday the deadline has been extended to September because committee members asked for extra time to finish assessing whether it's safe to lift restrictions.

"The FAA recognizes consumers are intensely interested in the use of personal electronics aboard aircraft; that is why we tasked a government-industry group to examine the safety issues and the feasibility of changing the current restrictions," the statement said.

The agency is under public and political pressure to ease the restrictions as more people bring their devices with them when they fly in order to read e-books, listen to music, watch videos, and get work done.

Technically, the FAA doesn't bar use of electronic devices when aircraft are below 10,000 feet. But under FAA rules, airlines that want to let passengers use the devices are faced with a practical impossibility ? they would have to show that they've tested every type and make of device passengers would use to ensure there is no electromagnetic interference with aircraft radios and electrical and electronic systems.

As a result, U.S. airlines simply bar all electric device use below 10,000 feet. Airline accidents are most likely to occur during takeoffs, landings and taxiing.

Using cellphones to make calls on planes is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. There is concern that making calls from fast-flying planes might strain cellular systems, interfering with service on the ground. There is also the potential annoyance factor ? whether passengers will be unhappy if they have to listen to other passengers yakking on the phone.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that a draft report by the advisory committee indicates its 28 members have reached a consensus that at least some of the current restrictions should be eased.

A member of the committee told The Associated Press that while the draft report is an attempt to reach consensus, no formal agreement has yet been reached. The member was not authorized to discuss the committee's private deliberations and requested anonymity.

There are also still safety concerns, the member said. The electrical interference generated by today's devices is much lower than those of a decade ago, but many more passengers today are carrying electronics.

Any plan to allow gate-to-gate electronic use would also come with certification processes for new and existing aircraft to ensure that they are built or modified to mitigate those risks. Steps to be taken could include ensuring that all navigational antennas are angled away from the plane's doors and windows. Planes that are already certified for Wi-Fi would probably be more easily certified.

Although the restrictions have been broadly criticized as unnecessary, committee members saw value in them.

One of the considerations being weighed is whether some heavier devices like laptops should continue to be restricted because they might become dangerous projectiles, hurting other passengers during a crash, the committee member said. There is less concern about tablets and other lighter devices.

FAA officials would still have the final say. An official familiar with FAA's efforts on the issue said agency officials would like to find a way to allow passengers to use electronic devices during takeoffs and landings the same way they're already allowed to use them when planes are cruising above 10,000 feet. The official requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak by name.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told a Senate panel in April that he convened the advisory committee in the hope of working out changes to the restrictions.

"It's good to see the FAA may be on the verge of acknowledging what the traveling public has suspected for years ? that current rules are arbitrary and lack real justification," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., one of Congress' more outspoken critics of the restrictions, said in a statement. She contends that unless scientific evidence can be presented to justify the restrictions, they should be lifted.

Edward Pizzarello, the co-founder of frequent flier discussion site MilePoint, says lifting the restriction is "long overdue."

"I actually feel like this regulation has been toughest on flight attendants. Nobody wants to shut off their phone, and the flight attendants are always left to be the bad guys and gals," said Pizzarello, 38, of Leesburg, Va.

Actor Alec Baldwin became the face of passenger frustration with the restrictions in 2011 when he was kicked off a New York-bound flight in Los Angeles for refusing to turn off his cellphone. Baldwin later issued an apology to fellow American Airlines passengers who were delayed, but mocked the flight attendant on Twitter.

"I just hope they do the sensible thing and don't allow people to talk on their cellphones during flight," said Pizzarello, who flies 150,000 to 200,000 miles a year. "There are plenty of people that don't have the social skills necessary to make a phone call on a plane without annoying the people around them. Some things are better left alone."

___

Mayerowitz reported from New York.

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-06-22-Cellphones-Planes/id-8c15556d2f694e779e0bd018e3c6e952

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Snowden in a 'safe place' as U.S. prepares to seek extradition

By Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Edward Snowden was in a "safe place" in Hong Kong, a newspaper reported on Saturday, as the United States prepared to seek the extradition of the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor after filing espionage charges against him.

The South China Morning Post said Snowden, who has exposed secret U.S. surveillance programs including new details published on Saturday about alleged hacking of Chinese phone companies, was not in police protection in Hong Kong, as had been reported elsewhere.

"Contrary to some reports, the former CIA analyst has not been detained, is not under police protection but is in a 'safe place' in Hong Kong," the newspaper said.

Hong Kong Police Commissioner Andy Tsang declined to comment other than to say Hong Kong would deal with the case in accordance with the law.

Two U.S. sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was preparing to seek Snowden's extradition from Hong Kong, which is part of China but has wide-ranging autonomy, including an independent judiciary.

The United States charged Snowden with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person, according to the criminal complaint made public on Friday.

The latter two offenses fall under the U.S. Espionage Act and carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.

America's use of the Espionage Act against Snowden has fueled debate among legal experts about whether that could complicate his extradition, since Hong Kong courts may choose to shield him.

Snowden says he leaked the details of the classified U.S. surveillance to expose abusive programs that trampled on citizens' rights.

Documents leaked by Snowden revealed that the NSA has access to vast amounts of internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video from large companies such as Facebook and Google, under a government program known as Prism.

They also showed that the government had worked through the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to gather so-called metadata - such as the time, duration and telephone numbers called - on all calls carried by service providers such as Verizon.

On Friday, the Guardian newspaper, citing documents shared by Snowden, said Britain's spy agency GCHQ had tapped fiber-optic cables that carry international phone and internet traffic and is sharing vast quantities of personal information with the NSA.

STEALING DATA

The South China Morning Post said on Saturday that Snowden offered new details on U.S. surveillance activities in China.

The paper said documents and statements by Snowden show the NSA program had hacked major Chinese telecoms companies to access text messages and targeted China's top Tsinghua University.

The NSA program also hacked the Hong Kong headquarters of Pacnet, which has an extensive fiber-optic network, it said.

"The NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data," Snowden was quoted by the Post as saying during a June 12 interview.

President Barack Obama and his intelligence chiefs have vigorously defended the programs, saying they are regulated by law and that Congress was notified. They say the programs have been used to thwart militant plots and do not target Americans' personal lives.

Since making his revelations about massive U.S. surveillance programs, Edward Snowden, 30, has sought legal representation from human rights lawyers as he prepares to fight U.S. attempts to force him home for trial, sources in Hong Kong say.

The United States and Hong Kong signed an extradition treaty in 1998, under which scores of Americans have been sent back home to face trial.

The United States and Hong Kong have "excellent cooperation" and as a result of agreements, "there is an active extradition relationship between Hong Kong and the United States," a U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters.

However, the process can take years, lawyers say, and Snowden's case could be particularly complex.

An Icelandic businessman linked to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said on Thursday he had readied a private plane in China to fly Snowden to Iceland if Iceland's government would grant asylum.

Iceland refused on Friday to say whether it would grant asylum to Snowden.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by James Pomfret, Venus Wu and Grace Li in HONG KONG, Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball in WASHINGTON; Editing by Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-files-espionage-charges-against-snowden-over-leaks-015108216.html

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One Direction's Scavenger Hunt On Jimmy Kimmel (VIDEO)

It's no secret that One Direction are boy band champions when it comes to silly TV stunts (remember when they pranked eachother on Nickelodeon, and then their fans at Madame Tussaud's?), but this late night talk show appearance might be their ultimate comedic masterpiece.

The British pop group participated in a weird and hilarious "Skype Scavenger Hunt" on Thursday's episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live." The boys were separated into two teams -- Niall/Louis on one, Harry/Liam/Zayn on the other -- and stationed in different dressing rooms to be given challenges by the comedian. Highlights included toothpaste mustaches, ridiculous American accents and Harry taking off his pants. (Yes, you read that right.)

Watch them battle it out in the video above.

They were there to promote their new movie, "This Is Us," which hits theaters in August.

Directioners: Who do you think was MVP of each "team"? What's the funniest One Direction interview you've ever seen? Sound off in the comments below or tweet @HuffPostTeen!

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/20/one-direction-scavenger-hunt-jimmy-kimmel_n_3475797.html

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Suit: Patriots' Hernandez shot man in face in Fla.

MIAMI (AP) ? New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, already connected to a homicide victim in Massachusetts, is being sued in South Florida by a man claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after they argued at a strip club.

The lawsuit filed late Wednesday by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley comes as police in New England investigate the death of 27-year-old semi-pro player Odin Lloyd. Lloyd's body was found in an industrial park near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough, Mass. Lloyd's family has said he had some connection to Hernandez but would not elaborate.

In his federal lawsuit seeking at least $100,000 in damages, Bradley claims he and Hernandez were with a group in February at Tootsie's club in Miami when the two got into an argument. Later, as they were driving to Palm Beach County, Bradley claims Hernandez shot him with a handgun, causing him to lose his right eye.

Bradley, who is from Connecticut, also suffers from jaw pain, headaches, permanent injury to his right hand and arm and will probably need further surgery, according to the lawsuit. He has already undergone facial reconstruction surgery and has plates and screws in the right side of his face.

Bradley "will require extensive medical care and treatment for the rest of his life," the four-page lawsuit says.

Bradley did not mention Hernandez in a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office report at the time. Bradley, found shot and bleeding Feb. 13 in an alley behind a John Deere store, insisted to investigators he did not know who shot him and gave only a vague description of possible assailants. A store employee found Bradley after hearing a shot outside, but the store's video surveillance system wasn't working.

Hernandez's lawyer did not immediately respond Thursday to an email seeking comment about the lawsuit. The lawsuit does not mention how Hernandez and Bradley are acquainted.

In another development Thursday, police in Providence, R.I., said Hernandez was taunted in May by a man at a nightclub near the Brown University campus but walked away. The man followed Hernandez for three blocks and a crowd formed, held back by police while Hernandez got into his vehicle and left.

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, family and police were mum on the nature of Hernandez's relationship to Lloyd, who played for the Boston Bandits semi-pro team.

Media camped out Thursday at Hernandez's home, on the Rhode Island state line not far from the Patriots' stadium in Foxborough. A news helicopter followed along as Hernandez drove in a white SUV from his home to the stadium, then got out and went inside.

Patriots spokesman Stacey James said the team had no comment on why Hernandez was there. He said earlier that the team did not anticipate commenting publicly during the police investigation.

A Massachusetts State Police emergency response team on Thursday was searching the brush with metal detectors and poles on a road leading to the entrance to Hernandez's subdivision.

Hernandez attorney Michael Fee acknowledged media reports about the state police search of Hernandez's home as part of an investigation but said he and the player wouldn't have any comment on it.

Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward, would not say how Lloyd knew Hernandez and did not say whether police told her how her son died. An uncle said Lloyd had a connection to Hernandez but wouldn't elaborate.

Bristol District Attorney Samuel Sutter's office said investigators were asking for the public's help to find a silver mirror cover believed to have broken off a car between Boston and North Attleborough.

On Wednesday, at least seven state troopers searched both sides of a road just off the street where Hernandez lives. The officers used thin poles to pull back plants and search through undergrowth along the road.

The Patriots drafted Hernandez out of Florida in 2010. Since then, he has combined with Rob Gronkowski to form one of the top tight end duos in the NFL. He missed 10 games last season with an ankle injury and had shoulder surgery in April but is expected to be ready for training camp. Last summer, the Patriots gave him a five-year contract worth $40 million.

Hernandez said after he was drafted that he had failed a drug test while with the Gators and had been upfront with NFL teams about the issue.

Sports Illustrated reported that the link between Hernandez and the case was a rented Chevrolet Suburban with Rhode Island plates that police had been searching for. The Associated Press could not independently confirm the report.

Lloyd's neighbor Larry Connors said a black Suburban with Rhode Island license plates was towed out of the yard of Lloyd's house after his body was found. Lloyd had been driving it for a few days, but Connors had never seen it before that.

___

Associated Press reporters Rodrique Ngowi in North Attleborough, Bridget Murphy in Boston and Michelle Smith in Providence, R.I., contributed to this report.

___

Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Miamicurt

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suit-patriots-hernandez-shot-man-face-fla-173646669.html

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Hey, North West, greetings from the Northwest

Pop culture

Kurt Schlosser TODAY

7 hours ago

Eric Ryan / Getty Images file

New parents Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

Northwesterners are a proud lot. We actually like being 3,000 miles from everything. We like our music. We like the rain. We're not big on attention -- especially the kind that comes with a major celebrity couple naming their new baby after the region we call home.

Seattle, where this story is originating from, is hardly a backwoods outpost devoid of celebrity intrigue. We've got our own hip-hop royalty in Macklemore ... you know, the "Thrift Shop" guy. (Tired of that song? At least his album, which went gold in April, isn't called "Yeezus.") We've got memories of Elvis singing under the Space Needle and the Beatles fishing from a hotel window. Frasier Crane lived here and the "Grey's Anatomy" doctors worked here; so did Tom Hanks in that movie we don't need to name.

We were all a little "Sleepless" Thursday night when Twitter started pointing at us. Actually, Twitter started pointing at a little girl whose new name is North West. Her parents, rapper Kanye West and reality-er Kim Kardashian, bucked weeks of K-name rumors, it seemed, and went in a new direction. We wish they'd used a different kompass.

For a little girl who will likely grow up in Los Angeles and New York and Miami and Paris, being saddled with a soggy moniker will take some getting used to. Kind of like getting used to being the daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Nori, as she'll reportedly be known, should be aware of some of the stereotypes associated with the Northwest, even if she never lives here.

Forget the coffee thing and the grunge thing. Two companies, through relatively recent advertising campaigns, get at the heart of the Northwest mystique with a little more humor. A SoCal/Miami Beach girl should be aware of Northwest beach culture, so check out this ad from Henry Weinhard's beer, a one-time Oregon brewery:

And Pemco Insurance has a campaign aimed at nothing but Northwest stereotypes. Socks with sandals guy, excessive recycling lady, the roadside chainsaw woodcarver ... as the slogan states, "We're a lot like you. A little different":

The couple will certainly turn a fashionable eye toward their daughter. Kim and her K-named sisters have a line for Sears; Kanye has a line for people who don't walk in the rain. People no doubt still associate Northwest fashion with flannels and fleece, but who better to outfit the little girl than The North West Clothing Co.? The Seattle-based T-shirt, hat and hoodie maker needs to start a onesie line before the girl is wearing nothing but Rob Kardashian's socks.

Through it all, we hope North West the girl grows to love Northwest the destination, even if Northwest the airline isn't around anymore to fly her here. She wouldn't be the first or last Californian to ditch all that for all this.

But she may have trouble finding us if she Googles "north west." As Buzzfeed pointed out Friday morning, the search was already returning pictures of her parents among the images of maps. Yeezus H ...

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/north-west-should-know-thing-or-two-about-northwest-6C10411618

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?If You Work Together, You Start Understanding Each Other?

Naftali Bennett, head of the Israeli hardline national religious party, Jewish Home, speaks during the first high-tech conference for Israel's Haredi Sector, on Jan. 15, 2013, in Jerusalem.

Photo by Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images

JERUSALEM?One of Israel's new political stars is a successful businessman turned politician: Naftali Bennett, 41, whose party, Habayit Hayehudi (the Jewish Home), won 12 seats in Parliament in the last election, making him a key Cabinet member. Some Israelis describe Bennett as extreme?he admits he wants to annex parts of the West Bank. Others, including many young Israelis, subscribe to his views. This past week, he spoke at length to the Washington Post's Lally Weymouth in his office in Jerusalem. Excerpts:

Lally Weymouth: Several years ago, you started and sold a high-tech company.
Naftali Bennett: Yes, I founded and sold a company, Cyota, for $145 million. I was the CEO. We founded it in 1999, so I was 27. Then the Second Lebanese War started and I had to go fight, and that gets you thinking: What does Hezbollah want with us? I realized they just don't want us here. I decided, I'm not going back to the business world, which is really my passion. I'm going to dedicate myself to the state of Israel. At that point in time, [current Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu was the head of the opposition. He was looking for a chief of staff. I joined him for a couple of years, from 2006 to 2008.

L.W.: You didn't get along in the end, did you?
N.B.: We didn't have a fight, contrary to what people think, but it's no secret that in the last few years, we've not been in touch.

L.W.: Do you think Netanyahu views you as a rival?
N.B.: Well, I lead a party that competes with the Likud, so we are political rivals. I highly respect him, but I also have profound disagreements with him.

L.W.: What do you disagree over?
N.B.: Netanyahu supports?and he truly does support?building a Palestinian state within Israel.

L.W.: Why do you disagree with him over that?
N.B.: What we've learned over the past 20 years is that each time we gave up land of ours, within a very short time frame, terrorists initiated severe attacks from that land and killed thousands of Israelis.

L.W.: You said that you're "vehemently against a Palestinian state." Don't you believe that it's in Israel's interest to find a solution to the Palestinian problem?
N.B.: There's a disagreement here. It's legitimate.

L.W.: What about the demographics? Don't you worry about them?
N.B.: I'm actually very optimistic. I think that everyone's going down a path of a diplomatic process, which is not possible. But there's an alternative of real peace between people in the field. There are 1.5 million Arabs in Judea and Samaria, and 400,000 Israelis in Judea and Samaria?aka the West Bank. No one's going anywhere. These people deserve rights, they deserve to live a good life. What's happening de facto is there's growing coexistence. We're not on the hills singing "Kumbaya" together, but we're getting along. There are roughly 22,000 Palestinians working side by side with what you call settlers in factories and malls in the West Bank. If you work together, you start understanding each other.

L.W.: Didn't you call on Israel to annex Area C [the 60 percent of the West Bank that is under complete Israeli control]?
N.B.: Yes, I'll explain everything. ... They [the Palestinian leaders] don't accept the very existence of Israel as a Jewish state. So instead of fighting about what we can't agree on, I would do a Marshall Plan for Judea and Samaria for everyone.

L.W.: What does that mean?
N.B.: It means massive economic investment in infrastructure.

L.W.: Isn't that what Secretary of State John Kerry's talking about?
N.B.: Well, I want to see it happen. I'm happy to push it also. In what's called East Jerusalem and what's called the West Bank, there are 700,000 Israelis. In the Gaza Strip, there were only 8,000 Jews [before the Israeli withdrawal]. So it's a whole different ballgame. I know this is a very non-Western statement, but not all problems are solvable; some you have to live with. We have to figure out how we live together with a degree of disagreement. And the advantage that I have vis-a-vis diplomats is that we actually touch the Palestinians day by day.

L.W.: Do you say "we" because a lot of your followers are settlers?
N.B.: A bit. I'd say about a third of them?or about a quarter is more accurate. I'm very optimistic. The only way to guarantee sustainable coexistence is by granting the Palestinians full self-governance.

L.W.: But how can you grant them full self-governance if you're annexing Area C? And you are in favor of annexing Area C?
N.B.: Yes, I am, of course. This has always been my opinion. Maybe somebody thought that if I were in the government, I'd change my opinions.

L.W.: How can you have a state if 60 percent of your land is gone?
N.B.: It's not a problem. In Judea and Samaria, there are Palestinian-controlled areas and Israeli-controlled areas. In the Jewish controlled areas [Area C], there are 400,000 Israelis and roughly 50,000 Palestinians. In the Palestinian-controlled areas, there are about 1.5 million Palestinians, and not one Israeli lives there. So what I suggest is that we annex Area C and offer full Israeli citizenship to the Arabs living in Area C.

L.W.: But do they want to be Israeli citizens?
N.B.: I think they'll jump at the opportunity of getting the benefits of being Israeli: social security and employment.

L.W.: But how does having more Arabs in your population work for your demographics?
N.B.: Right now, the demography is good in Israel, and it's in fact getting better. Generally speaking, the Arab fertility rates have been going down, and the Jewish fertility rates are going up.

L.W.: But then why are many Israelis worried about the very existence of the state of Israel?
N.B.: People don't realize the Palestinian supposed state would be on a mountain, and narrow Israel would be right below. I've got four kids. I'm not about to place them right underneath this big mountain. In the longer run, I see some sort of involvement of Jordan.

L.W.: Do you favor population transfer?
N.B.: I'm vehemently against population transfer. I'm against expelling anyone from his house, ever?whether it be a Jew or an Arab.

L.W.: Are you trying to return to the days when the Hashemite Kingdom ruled the West Bank?
N.B.: I'm not going to tell the Palestinians how to arrange themselves. If they want to have their own entity and their own parliament as they do today, that's fine. If they want to connect to Jordan, which has a very big Palestinian population, and vote in the Jordanian government, that's fine.

L.W.: Do you think this is a realistic scenario?
N.B.: It's the only realistic scenario.

L.W.: Do you think anyone in the international community will agree to this idea?
N.B.: My problem right now is that the international community is forcing upon us national suicide, because injecting, yet again, a terror state into the heart of our country is national suicide. So what am I to do?say, "You're pressuring me, so I'll commit suicide?" There's no one who wants peace more than me. I've fought in every conflict since 1990. I'm willing to do anything possible to make sure the Jewish state continues.

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2013/06/israeli_politics_naftali_bennett_is_a_key_member_of_the_israeli_cabinet.html

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Instagram gets video

by Joanna Stern/ABC News

Those selfies and food photos in your Instagram feed might soon be a little less stationary. Starting today, the Facebook-owned service will be adding video features to its popular iPhone and Android apps.

"We talk about Instagram as capturing and sharing the world's moments. It's not just about photography," Instagram founder Kevin Systrom told "Nightline" anchor Bill Weir in an exclusive interview. "There are a ton of moments in the world that can't be captured in single images."

They can, however, be captured in video clips under a half a minute long, said Systrom. An update to the current Instagram app, which will be released today, will allow users to capture anywhere between three to 15 seconds of video, apply a new set of filters and then easily share them with their Instagram friends or through other social media services.

Watch the full story on "Nightline" TONIGHT at 12:35 a.m. ET

Filters, 'Cinema Mode' The new version of the app will look and feel a lot like the older version, because it was meant to be all about keeping the interface "simplicity."

Users will now hit the camera button and get a choice of a still camera or video camera option. Selecting the video option will bring up the usual viewfinder, and then, similar to Twitter's Vine app, holding down the video icon will capture video. Releasing it will allow you to pause the video, readjust your shot and then start capturing again.

Then comes the part that has made Instagram so popular with more than 100 million people: the filters.

"We put the power of a photography studio in the palm of your hand. We've done the same for video. So now you can take beautiful video and basically share it with the world," Systrom said.

There are 13 new video filters, which range from your usual black-and-white effect to others that brighten or blur videos. You can add filters during the playback of your video and switch between them to decide which one you want to select before sharing it. You can also select a frame from the video, which will be the cover or photo that appears in the stream.

But there's also another feature Instagram has added to make sure your mobile video looks good. Called Cinema Mode, the feature stabilizes video to make sure it isn't shaky. Cinema Mode will only be available for the iPhone, at first.

A Seamless Addition When video posts appear in the Instagram feed, the videos will begin to play automatically but only when you stop scrolling. The auto play feature can also be disabled in the settings. All videos will play back with sound as well.

Systrom and his co-founder, Mike Krieger, want those who are worried about these big changes to know that the team has spent time making sure it is a very simple experience and that adding lots of video doesn't slow down the Instagram experience.

"The infrastructure team has spent a bunch of time building a fast, reliable backend that we've optimized for speed and quality," Krieger told ABC News. "We are aiming for as seamless an experience as possible and will continue to focus on speed and performance over time."

The Vine Effect? All the big questions about how the app will work have been answered, but the big question for many will be: Is this better than Twitter's Vine, which allows iPhone and Android users to share six-second video clips -- and was this addition to a response to it?

Systrom said the company has actually been working on the video feature for more than two years. Before Instagram was created, Systrom and Krieger were working on an app called Burbn that let you share your location and videos and photos of where you were.

"When we decided to work on Instagram, we took the best parts from that project and created Instagram," he said. "But we left video on the shelf. All we're doing today is bringing it back into the product."

Twitter released its standalone Vine app in January and it quickly became one of the most popular apps in Apple's App Store. Recently, data from Topsy Analystics showed that Vines were being shared more on Twitterthan Instagram photos.

"I think that Vine's doing a tremendous job with it. There are others, too, whether it's, you know, Cinemagram or other apps that do video," Systrom said. "At the end of the day, though, we all do it in slightly different ways."

Prior to the Instagram event, Vine put up a post teasing new features, including a new draft feature that lets users start working on a video and save it for later.

An Unfiltered Lead But while Systrom obviously believes his way is the best, it might not even matter. Instagram's 100 million active users share 40 million photos a day and, for many of those users, the ability to add video will just be another way to share what they are seeing.

"Instagram itself has a significant number of users, even when you compare it to Twitter directly. And it's quite a bit bigger than Vine," Gartner analyst Brian Blau told ABC News. "In the end, I think people are going to stick with what they know. If they like Instagram and there is a video feature, they will probably use it."

Sure, that means more informative food and selfies in your feed, but it also means a lot more.

"Instagram not only is about lattes, babies, cute dogs," said Systrom. "It's also about these moments in the world that let you peer in to understand different cultures, different political situations."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/instagram-gets-video-173346383.html

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Wall St. set for worst selloff in two months

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 fell more than 2 percent on Thursday, setting stocks up for their worst day in two months, hit by the Federal Reserve's plans to begin winding down its massive monetary stimulus later this year.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 282.99 points, or 1.87 percent, at 14,829.20. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 32.96 points, or 2.02 percent, at 1,595.97. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 67.46 points, or 1.96 percent, at 3,375.74.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-futures-drop-wake-feds-stimulus-tapering-outline-114830321.html

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Making a beeline for the nectar: How patterns on flowers help bees spot their first nectar-rich flower

June 20, 2013 ? Bumblebees searching for nectar go for signposts on flowers rather than the bull's eye. A new study, by Levente Orb?n and Catherine Plowright from the University of Ottawa in Canada, shows that the markings at the center of a flower are not as important as the markings that will direct the bees to the center.

The work is published online in Springer's journal, Naturwissenschaften -- The Science of Nature.

The first time bees go out looking for nectar, which visual stimuli do they use to identify that first flower that will provide them with the reward they are looking for? Orb?n and Plowright test the relative influence of the type of floral pattern versus pattern position in a group of bumblebees that have never searched for nectar before i.e. flower-naive bees.

In a series of two experiments using both radio-frequency identification technology and video recordings, the researchers exposed a total of over 500 flower-naive bees to two types of patterns on artificial clay flowers: concentric versus radial. Concentric patterns are composed of circles or rings with the same center. Radial patterns are composed of distinctly colored lines extending from the outside of the flower, converging at the center where nectar and pollen are usually found. The patterns tested were in one of two positions on the artificial flowers: either central or peripheral, on the corolla (or petals) of the flower.

They found that both visual properties had significant effects on flower choice. However, when pitted against each other, pattern type trumped position. Bees preferred radial patterns over concentric patterns. When the influence of radial patterns in the center was compared with the influence of radial patterns on the periphery, there was little difference in the bees' response. It appears that the visual cues from the radial pattern guide the bees to the periphery of the flower. Once there, they will find the rewarding nectar in the center of the flower.

The researchers conclude: "Which came first: the chicken or the egg? The behavior of bees has been shaped over the course of evolution as adaptations to flower appearance. Equally, floral appearance has evolved in ways that cater towards bees' visual and olfactory abilities. Flowers may be taking advantage of a principle that will be familiar to students and teachers alike: the bees need not be shown the food itself, but rather, how to find it."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Springer Science+Business Media.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Levente L. Orb?n, Catherine M. S. Plowright. The effect of flower-like and non-flower-like visual properties on choice of unrewarding patterns by bumblebees. Naturwissenschaften, 2013; DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1059-9

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/mbYST_jf5Zc/130620111208.htm

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Obama to meet with privacy, civil liberties board

FILE - This Sept. 19, 2007 file photo shows the National Security Agency building at Fort Meade, Md. As many as one of every five worldwide terror threats picked up by U.S. government surveillance has been targeted on the United States, the Obama administration says. But officials are reluctant to say much more about the 50 plots they claim have been thwarted. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

FILE - This Sept. 19, 2007 file photo shows the National Security Agency building at Fort Meade, Md. As many as one of every five worldwide terror threats picked up by U.S. government surveillance has been targeted on the United States, the Obama administration says. But officials are reluctant to say much more about the 50 plots they claim have been thwarted. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is holding his first meeting with a privacy and civil liberties board Friday as he seeks to make good on his pledge to have a public discussion about secretive government surveillance programs.

Obama has said the little-known Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board will play a key role in that effort. The federal oversight board reviews anti-terror programs to ensure that privacy concerns are taken into account.

The president is also tasking the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, to consider declassifying more details about the government's collection of U.S. phone and Internet records. Obama is specifically asking Clapper to review possible declassification of opinions from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which approves the surveillance efforts.

Obama's meeting with the board was taking place Friday afternoon, but the White House wasn't planning to allow press coverage. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the meeting would take place in the White House Situation Room "to allow for the discussion of classified matters."

"It's certainly more than a get-to-know-you session," Carney said.

The government has already lifted some of the secrecy surrounding the programs following disclosures earlier this month about their existence by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. But the legal opinions from the highly secretive court remain private.

The privacy board was created in 2004 but has operated fitfully ever since, given congressional infighting and at times, censorship by government lawyers. The board was dormant during Obama's first term and only became fully functional in May, before the NSA programs became public.

The board's chairman, David Medine, said the five-member group has a "broad range of questions" to ask about the NSA's widespread collection programs. The board was given a classified briefing on the programs last week and plans to release a report eventually with recommendations for the government.

___

Follow Julie Pace at on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-21-US-Obama-NSA-Surveillance/id-58d9b156ed3940178eed3a3235c0527a

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Fanboys Rejoice, GrabCAD Gets Mechanically Engineered For Android

GrabCAD, the online community and cloud-based collaboration tool for mechanical engineers and other stakeholders involved in designing physical products, is adding Android to its arsenal today. Like the company's existing iOS offering, the Android app enables users to view any of the 200,000 or so 3D models shared by the GrabCAD community, as well as access files stored privately.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/pAZtfn5H3NI/

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Senate passes half-trillion dollar farm bill

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, speaks to reporters as the Senate votes on a farm bill that sets policy for farm subsidies, food stamps and other farm and food aid programs for the next five years, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, June 10, 2013. At rear is Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND. Officially known as the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, the agriculture policy measure would cost taxpayers $100 billion annually with the bulk of that amount allocated to the federal food stamp program which helps low-income families buy food. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, speaks to reporters as the Senate votes on a farm bill that sets policy for farm subsidies, food stamps and other farm and food aid programs for the next five years, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, June 10, 2013. At rear is Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND. Officially known as the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, the agriculture policy measure would cost taxpayers $100 billion annually with the bulk of that amount allocated to the federal food stamp program which helps low-income families buy food. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., center, joins Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, right, and Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, left, to speak to reporters as the Senate votes on a farm bill that sets policy for farm subsidies, food stamps and other farm and food aid programs for the next five years, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, June 10, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, left, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., the committee chair, speak to reporters as the Senate votes on a farm bill that sets policy for farm subsidies, food stamps and other farm and food aid programs for the next five years, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, June 10, 2013. Officially known as the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, the agriculture policy measure would cost taxpayers $100 billion annually with the bulk of that amount allocated to the federal food stamp program which helps low-income families buy food. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, speaks to reporters as the Senate votes on a farm bill that sets policy for farm subsidies, food stamps and other farm and food aid programs for the next five years, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, June 10, 2013. At rear are Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, far left, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Officially known as the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, the agriculture policy measure would cost taxpayers $100 billion annually with the bulk of that amount allocated to the federal food stamp program which helps low-income families buy food. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Senate on Monday passed a five-year, half-trillion-dollar farm bill that expands government subsidies for crop insurance, rice and peanuts while making small cuts to food stamps.

The bill passed on a bipartisan 66-27 vote. The legislation, which costs almost $100 billion annually, also would eliminate subsidies that are paid to farmers whether they farm or not. All told, it would save about $2.4 billion a year on the farm and nutrition programs, including across-the-board cuts that took effect earlier this year.

Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said the bill would support 16 million American jobs, save taxpayers billions and put into place "the most significant reforms to agriculture programs in decades." But it would still generously subsidize corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, sugar and other major crops grown by U.S. farmers.

The legislation would also set policy for programs to protect environmentally sensitive land, international food aid and other projects to help rural communities. The Senate passed a similar farm bill last year.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Monday that his chamber will take up its version of the farm bill this month. Debate in the House is expected to be contentious and much more partisan than in the Senate, with disagreements among the GOP caucus over domestic food aid that makes up almost 80 percent of the bill's cost.

Last year, the House declined to take up the legislation during an election year amid conflict over how much should be cut from the food stamp program, which now serves one in seven Americans and cost almost $80 billion last year. That cost has more than doubled since 2008.

The bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee last month would make much larger cuts to food stamps than the Senate version, in a bid to gain support from those House conservatives who have opposed the measure. The Senate bill would cut the food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, by about $400 million a year, or half a percent. The House bill would cut the program by $2 billion a year, or a little more than 3 percent, and make it more difficult for some people to qualify.

In his statement Monday, Boehner signaled support for the House bill's level of food stamp cuts, saying they are changes that "both parties know are necessary." Other Republicans are expected to offer amendments to expand the cuts, setting up a potentially even more difficult resolution with the Senate version.

On the Senate floor, senators rejected amendments on food stamp cuts, preserving the $400 million annual decrease. The bill's farm-state supporters also fended off efforts to cut sugar, tobacco and other farm supports.

Senators looking to pare back subsidies did win one victory in the Senate, an amendment to reduce the government's share of crop insurance premiums for farmers with adjusted gross incomes of more than $750,000. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said their amendment would affect about 20,000 farmers.

Stabenow argued the amendment would result in fewer people buying insurance and undercut a separate provision in the bill that would require farmers buying crop insurance to comply with certain environmental standards on their land.

Currently the government pays for an average 62 percent of crop insurance premiums and also subsidizes the companies that sell the insurance. The overall bill expands crop insurance for many crops and also creates a program to compensate farmers for smaller, or "shallow," revenue losses before the paid insurance kicks in.

The crop insurance expansion is likely to benefit Midwestern corn and soybean farmers, who use crop insurance more than other farmers. The bill would also boost subsidies for Southern rice and peanut farmers, lowering the threshold for those farms to receive government help.

The help for rice and peanuts was not in last year's bill but was added this year after the agriculture panel gained a new top Republican, Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran. Critics, including the former top Republican on the committee, Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, said the new policy could guarantee that the rice and peanut farmers' profits are average or above average.

Critics said the bill would subsidize large corporate farms when farm country is in the middle of an economic boom. Scott Faber of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy group that has long criticized farm subsidies, said the legislation would simply redirect subsidies and "needlessly cut nutrition and conservation programs designed to help the hungry and the environment."

Boehner criticized farm subsidies in the House bill, which are similar to those in the Senate bill, saying his "concerns about our country's farm programs are well known." Boehner, a former member of the agriculture panel, has voted against recent farm bills. But he acknowledged that the rest of the chamber might not agree with him.

"If you have ideas on how to make the bill better, bring them forward," Boehner said in a statement directed to his colleagues. "Let's have the debate, and let's vote on them."

The Senate bill also would:

- Overhaul dairy policy by creating a new insurance program for dairy producers, eliminating other dairy subsidies and price supports. The new policy includes a market stabilization program that could dictate production cuts when oversupply drives down prices. The program faced little opposition in the Senate but a similar overhaul in the House bill is expected to face resistance in that chamber, where Boehner last year called the new stabilization program "Soviet-style." He reiterated those concerns in his statement Monday, saying he will support an amendment on the floor to challenge the proposed policy.

- Make modest changes to the way international food aid is delivered, a much scaled-back version of an overhaul proposed by President Barack Obama earlier this year. Senators adopted an amendment that would slightly boost dollars to buy locally-grown food close to needy areas abroad. Currently, most food aid is grown in the United States and shipped to developing countries, an approach the Obama administration says is inefficient but that has support among farm-state members in Congress.

- Consolidate programs to protect environmentally-sensitive land and reduce spending on those programs.

- Expand Agriculture Department efforts to prevent illegal trafficking of food stamp benefits.

___

Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mcjalonick

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-10-Farm%20Bill/id-ea3da63bd6d84ba79046e0071c1462d8

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IRS spending on videos under fire ? Business Management Daily ...

The IRS is under fire for spending $60,000 on two videos spoofing the iconic TV shows ?Star Trek? and ?Gilligan?s Island.?? The IRS used the ?Star Trek? parody to introduce a conference in 2010.

Now the IRS has admitted it was a mistake but maintains that the video based on ?Gilligan?s Island,? which is being used to train its employees nationwide, is valuable and saves travel costs.

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We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.

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Obama signals retreat in the fight against terrorism (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/307928629?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Laptop Week Review: Samsung 700T Fly Or Die

In lieu of a formal review, Matt Burns and I sat down to take a look at the Samsung 700T AKA ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T, a convertible tablet that has a small button on the keyboard that pops out the Windows 8 tablet that forms the brains of the machine. The device is a bit chintzy - more pressed metal and injected plastic than I like to see on a laptop - but at about $1,000 retail it's an acceptable compromise for Win8 users who are looking for a nicer tablet.

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

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Per-student pre-K spending lowest in decade

WASHINGTON (AP) ? State funding for pre-kindergarten programs had its largest drop ever last year and states are now spending less per child than they did a decade ago, according to a report released Monday.

The report also found that more than a half million of those preschool students are in programs that don't even meet standards suggested by industry experts that would qualify for federal dollars.

Those findings ? combined with Congress' reluctance to spend new dollars ? complicate President Barack Obama's effort to expand pre-K programs across the country. While Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius continue to promote the president's proposal, researchers say existing programs are inadequate, and until their shortcomings are fixed there is little desire by lawmakers to get behind Obama's call for more preschool.

"The state of preschool was a state of emergency," said Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, which produced the report.

During his State of the Union speech, Obama proposed a federal-state partnership that would dramatically expand options for families with young children. Obama's plan would fund public preschool for any 4-year-old whose family income was below twice the federal poverty rate.

If it were in place this year, the plan would allow a family of four with two children to enroll students in a pre-K program if the family earned less than $46,566.

Students from families who earn more could participate in the program, but their parents would have to pay tuition based on their income. Eventually, 3-year-old students would be part of the program, too.

As part of his budget request, Obama proposed spending $75 billion over 10 years to help states get these new programs up and running. During the first years, Washington would pick up the majority of the cost before shifting costs to states.

"It's the most significant opportunity to expand access to pre-K that this nation has ever seen," Barnett said of the president's proposal.

Obama proposed paying for this expansion by almost doubling the federal tax on cigarettes, to $1.95 per pack.

Obama's pre-K plan faces a tough uphill climb, though, with the tobacco industry opposing the tax that would pay for it and lawmakers from tobacco-producing states also skeptical. Conservative lawmakers have balked at starting another government program, as well. Obama's Democratic allies are clamoring to make it a priority.

To help it along, Duncan and Sebelius planned to join the report's researchers on Monday at a news conference to introduce the report, along with administration allies. They planned events later in the week to reiterate their support.

Yet those public events were unlikely to sway lawmakers who are already fighting among themselves over spending cuts that are forcing students to be dropped from existing preschool programs, the levying of higher fees for student loans and deep cuts for aid to military schools.

States spent about $5.1 billion on pre-K programs in 2011-12, the most recent school year, researchers wrote in the report.

Per-student funding for existing programs during that year dropped to an average of $3,841 for each student. It was the first time average spending per student dropped below $4,000 in today's dollars since researchers started tracking it during the 2001-02 academic year.

Adjusted for inflation, per-student funding has been cut by more than $1,000 during the last decade.

Yet nationwide, the amounts were widely varied. The District of Columbia spent almost $14,000 on every child in its program while the states of Colorado, South Carolina and Nebraska spent less than $2,000 per child.

"Whether you get a quality preschool program does depend on what ZIP code you are in," Barnett said.

Among the 40 states that offer state-funded pre-K programs, 27 cut per-student spending last year. In total, that meant $548 million in cuts.

Money, of course, is not a guarantee for students' success. But students from poor schools generally lag students from better-funded counterparts and those students from impoverished families arrive in kindergarten less prepared than others.

In all, only 15 states and the District of Columbia spent enough money to provide quality programs, the researchers concluded. Those programs serve about 20 percent of the 1.3 million enrolled in state-funded prekindergarten programs.

"In far too many states, funding levels have fallen so low as to bring into question the effectiveness of their programs by any reasonable standard," researchers wrote.

Part of the reason for the decreased spending are the lingering effects of the economic downturn in 2008, coupled with the end of federal stimulus dollars to plug state budgets.

"Although the recession is technically over, the recovery in state revenues has lagged the recovery of the general economy and has been slower and weaker than following prior recessions. This does not bode well for digging back out of the hole created by years of cuts," the researchers wrote in their report.

Nationally, 42 percent of students ? or more than a half million students ? were in programs that met fewer than half of the benchmarks researchers identified as important to gauging a program's effectiveness, such as classrooms with fewer than 20 students and teachers with bachelor's degrees.

That, too, suggests problems for Obama's plan to expand pre-K programs, especially if Washington insists its partners meet quality benchmarks to win federal dollars.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/per-student-pre-k-spending-lowest-decade-042832006.html

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Police say 4 people stabbed at Albuquerque church

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) ? Police say a 24-year-old man stabbed four people at a Catholic church in Albuquerque as a Sunday mass was nearing its end.

Police spokesman Robert Gibbs says Lawrence Capener jumped over several pews at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church around noon Sunday and walked up to the choir area where he began his attack.

The injuries to the four church-goers weren't life-threatening. All four were being treated at hospitals.

An off-duty police officer and others at the church subdued Capener and held him down until police arrived.

Some of those who were stabbed were members of the choir.

Gibbs says Capener is now being interviewed by police and is expected to face felony charges.

It's not yet known whether Capener has an attorney.

Gibbs says investigators don't yet know the motive for the stabbings, whether Capener had ties to the victims or whether he regularly attended the church.

The stabbings occurred as the choir had just begun its closing hymns.

Archbishop of Santa Fe Michael Sheehan released a statement saying he was saddened by the attack.

"I pray for all who have been harmed, their families, the parishioners and that nothing like this will ever happen again," Sheehan said.

The church didn't immediately return calls seeking comment on Sunday afternoon.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-4-people-stabbed-albuquerque-church-224409447.html

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Iraq watchdog suspends 10 TV channels for inciting violence

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has suspended the licenses of satellite news network Al Jazeera and nine other channels, accusing them of inciting violence through their coverage of recent sectarian clashes.

The Communication and Media Commission (CMC) regulator criticized their reporting of violence triggered by a security forces raid on a Sunni Muslim protest camp in Hawija on Tuesday.

None of the channels was immediately available for comment.

More than 170 people have been killed in the fighting - the worst Iraq has seen since Sunnis started staging protests in December to complain about their treatment by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government.

The watchdog said sectarian language used in the reports encouraged "criminal acts of revenge by attacking the security forces".

"The CMC sees in the speech and content propagated by the channels...an incitement and escalation which leans towards misleading and exaggeration more than towards objectivity," the watchdog said in a statement published on Sunday.

Most of the channels, including local stations such as "Baghdad" and "al-Sharqiya", are pro-Sunni and often critical of the Shi'ite-led government. Al Jazeera is based in Qatar, a Sunni-ruled kingdom.

The watchdog is powerless to stop the channels broadcasting, but may make it harder for their local staff to cover events.

Media rights group the Iraqi Journalistic Freedoms Observatory said the CMC was biased, as some officials in the body had been appointed by the government.

"We do not deny there is an incitement to violence by some media outlets, but we consider the suspension of licenses of 10 satellite channels a blow for democracy," the Observatory's Executive Director Ziyad al-Ajili told Reuters.

Last June, the CMC ordered the closure of 44 media outlets including the BBC and Voice of America. It does not have the power to stop them broadcasting from overseas.

Violence, including bomb attacks that have killed dozens of people at a time, has increased across Iraq this year. Provisional figures from rights group Iraq Body Count indicate about 1,365 people have been killed so far in 2013.

(Reporting by Aseel Kami; Editing by Isabel Coles and Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-watchdog-suspends-10-tv-channels-inciting-violence-132418505.html

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Upcoming Myrtle Beach area health events | Communities ...

GEORGETOWN

Many of these classes, events and meetings are sponsored by Georgetown Memorial Hospital, but some take place at different locations. Call the numbers listed for more information or visit www.georgetownhospitalsystem.org.

Chronic kidney disease education | Varying schedule, varying locations in Horry and Georgetown counties. Free. 866-647-9396 or www.ultracare-dialysis.com/TOPS.

Health screenings | Finger-stick lipid profiles with blood sugar test: $20; diabetes screening-hemoglobin A1C: $15; blood sugar levels: $3. Free blood pressure screenings. 520-8579

??7:30 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, mall area, Georgetown Memorial Hospital

??7:30 a.m. to noon Thursdays, hallway by Same Day Surgery, Waccamaw Community Hospital.

??8:30-11:30 a.m. second Friday every other month, Waccamaw Community Care, 4310 Dick Pond Road, Myrtle Beach.

Obstetrics tour | 6 p.m. Tuesday, Waccamaw Community Hospital. Pre-registration required, 520-8490.

Regional health screening | 7:30-10:30 a.m. Friday, Forestbrook Baptist Church, Myrtle Beach. Screenings offered include cardiac risk assessment, $25; chemistry panel, $20; thyroid screening, $15; diabetes, $15; PSA for men, $15. Blood panel tests require a 10- to 12-hour fast. Registration packets are available at the information desks at Georgetown Memorial Hospital and Waccamaw Community Hospital.

Retired nurse tea | 3-4 p.m. May 6, private dining room, Georgetown Memorial Hospital. Email khazzard@georgetownhospitalsystem.org to register.

Candlelight vigil | 8 p.m. May 6, in front of Waccamaw Community Hospital and will honor the memory of nurses and blessing of the hands.

Retired nurse tea | 1-2 p.m. May 7, first-floor classroom, Waccamaw Community Hospital. Email jhashey@georgetownhospitalsystem.org to register.

Support groups

?? Young stroke survivors between ages 20 and 65 | 11:30 a.m. third Wednesday each month, first-floor classroom, Waccamaw Hospital or 5:30 p.m. education center, Georgetown Memorial Hospital. 655-2835 or visit www.YoungStroke.org

?? Mended Hearts | 6 p.m. last Tuesday of each month, Health Point Center for Health and Fitness, 12965 Ocean Highway, Pawleys Island. Light supper provided. 685-3378 or rkeilen@mercyhospice.org

?? Bosom Buddies | 6-7 p.m. Monday, Wachesaw Conference Center, 4367 Riverwood Drive, Suite 160, Murrells Inlet. 237-8787

GRAND STRAND

Blood drives sponsored by American Red Cross are scheduled as follows. Call 839-4483 or 800-RED-CROSS.

??10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, in the parking lot, City Services Building, 921 Oak St., Myrtle Beach. 918-1114

??2-7 p.m. Monday, First Baptist Church, 6 N. Rosemary St., Andrews. 520-6564

??11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Horry County Complex, 1201 21st Ave. N., Myrtle Beach. 915-5293

??9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, St. James High School, 10800 S.C. 707, Murrells Inlet. 650-5600

??7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Red Cross Center, The Plaza at Carolina Forest, 3681 Renee Drive, Unit 4, Myrtle Beach.

??10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Waccamaw Community Hospital, 4367 Riverwood Drive, Murrells Inlet. 652-1135

??9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 7, Socastee High School, 4900 Socastee Blvd., Myrtle Beach. 293-2513

??10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 8, Horry County Office Complex, 1301 Second Ave., Conway. 915-5000

??9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 8, Carolina Forest Elementary School, 285 Carolina Forest Blvd., Myrtle Beach. 236-0001

??noon to 6 p.m. May 9, McLeod Loris, 3655 Mitchell St., Loris. 390-8327

??1:30-6:30 p.m. May 9, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, 1251 21st Ave. 918-6002

??9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 10, North Myrtle Beach Aquatics and Fitness Center, 1100 Second Ave. S. 281-3743

??9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 10, Georgetown High School, 2250 Anthuan Maybank Drive. 546-8516

??10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11, Wal-Mart, 2709-A Church St., Conway. 796-1965

CONWAY

Many of these classes, events and meetings are sponsored by Conway Medical Center, but some take place at the Conway Medical Wellness and Fitness Center. Call the numbers listed for more information or log on to www.conwaymedicalcenter.com.

Obstetrics tour | 2 p.m. every Sunday, The Birthplace, Conway Medical Center, 300 Singleton Ridge Road, Conway. 347-8108

Wellness Coaching with Robin Robinson | ongoing, Conway Medical Wellness and Fitness Center, 2369 Cypress Circle. $99. 347-1515

Mobile services | free screenings for blood pressure, finger-stick full lipid panel to include total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides and blood sugar. Scheduled as follows:

??7:30-9:30 a.m. Monday, Quick Shop, 5100 Kates Bay Road, Conway.

??7:30-9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Pee Dee Grocery, 9150 U.S. 701 S., Conway.

Wake Up Call | 5:15-6 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through May 15, Conway Medical Wellness and Fitness Center, 2369 Cypress Circle. $80 member; $120 non-members. 347-1515

Support groups

?? Parents Anonymous | 5-7 p.m. every Tuesday, Conway Medical Center. 448-5804

MYRTLE BEACH

Many of these classes, events and meetings are sponsored by Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, but some take place at the YMCA on 62nd Avenue North in Myrtle Beach or at HealthFinders in Coastal Grand mall. Call the numbers listed for more information or log on to www.grandstrandmed.com.

Walk-in screenings | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, HealthFinders. $7 for cholesterol screening; $20 for lipid panel; $20 for A1C testing; blood pressure and weight screenings free. A 12-hour fast required for lipid profile. 692-4444

Ask the Pharmacist | 2-4 p.m. Fridays, HealthFinders. Bring your medication for review. One-on-one consults with a registered pharmacist. 692-4444

BLS CPR/AED classes | First Aid; Babysitter and Family Care Giving classes and certifications offered weekly by appointment. All instructors are AHA/ARC certified. K-Loc Healthy Kids, Inc., 1435 Cannon Road, Myrtle Beach. Classes available in Georgetown and North Myrtle Beach. Registration required. 467-0068.

Addiction counseling | Narconon. Call for free assessments or referrals, 877-413-3073 or www.drugsno.com.

Nar-Anon family group | 7 p.m. Sundays, Recovery Warehouse, 3116 Shetland Lane, unit 34, Myrtle Beach. 233-9017

Hatha Yoga class | 10-11 a.m. Fridays, HealthFinders. $8 per class. 692-4444

Prime of Life Yoga | 11 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, HealthFinders. $8 per class. 692-4444

Heartsaver CPR AED class | 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, HealthFinders. 692-4444 to register.

?Look Good Feel Better? for women in cancer treatment | 2-4 p.m. May 6, Coastal Cancer Center, 8121 Rourk St., Myrtle Beach. 800-227-2345, registration required.

Prepared Childbirth course | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Grand Strand Regional Medical Center . $50. 692-4444 to register.

Prepared Childbirth course | 7 p.m. May 6, 13, 20, Grand Strand Regional Medical Center. $50. 692-4444 to register.

Infant Care | 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 11, HealthFinders. Free. 692-4444 to register.

Breastfeeding | 1:30-3:30 p.m. May 11, HealthFinders. Free. 692-4444 to register.

Support groups

?? Rape Crisis Cente r | Individual counseling, support group, 24-hour hotline for victims of sexual assault. 448-3180 or 448-7273

?? Non-offending parents of child victims of sexual assault | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Conway. Visit www.victimtosurvivor.org or 448-3180.

?? Young stroke survivors between ages 20 to 65 | 11:30 a.m. fourth Friday each month, meeting room, Rotelli?s restaurant, U.S. 501, Conway. 655-2835 or visit www.YoungStroke.org.

?? Mended Hearts | 11:30 a.m. May 13, meeting room behind cafeteria, Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, 809 82nd Parkway, Myrtle Beach. Lunch provided. 685-3378 or rkeilen@mercyhospice.org

?? The La Leche League | 10:30 a.m. Thursday, HealthFinders. 692-4444

?? Prostate | 6 p.m. Wednesday, HealthFinders. 692-4444

LORIS/NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

McLeod Health/Loris/Seacoast sponsors the following events, classes and meetings. The hospital system offers a physician referral line, 716-7527 or online at www.lorishealth.org.

Injury screenings | 8-11 a.m. every Monday, North Myrtle Beach Aquatic and Fitness Center. 360-213-3620 or 281-3737 to schedule an appointment.

Zumba | 6 p.m. Monday and Thursday, 4 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, and 10 a.m. Monday (beginner?s Zumba), Center for Health and Fitness. Free for members; $5 for guest of members; $8 nonmembers. 716-7111

AARP Driver Safety course | 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Center for Health & Fitness. $12 for AARP member, $14 for non-member. 390-8326

Al-Anon meeting | 6:30-7:30 p.m. every Tuesday, A.A. Building, Route 17 S., Grissettown, N.C., across from Ocean Ridge. E-mail el-j-em@hotmail.com or just show up at the next meeting.

March for babies walking team | 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Pelican Stadium, 21st Ave. N., Myrtle Beach. 390-8326

Balance screenings | noon to 2 p.m. May 7, Myrtle Beach mall. Registration required, 390-8326.

Blood drive | 12:30-6:30 p.m. May 9, Center for Health & Fitness. Walk-ins welcome. Registration requested, 390-8326.

Community blood bank | 7:30 a.m. to noon, May 11, American Legion Post #503, 10277 Beach Drive (Rt. 179), Calabash, N.C. Refreshments served. To sign up, 910-575-5037.

Lymphedema screenings | 1-3 p.m. May 16, Center for Health & Fitness. Registration required, 390-8326.

The Child Forgotten | 6:30-7:30 p.m. May 23, North Myrtle Beach Aquatic & Fitness Center. Registration requested, 390-8326.

Support groups

?? Fibromyalgia and Arthritis | 11 a.m. Wednesday, North Myrtle Beach Aquatic & Fitness Center. 390-8326

?? Ostomy | 2 p.m. Sunday, McLeod Seacoast. 390-8326

?? Multiple Sclerosis | 6 p.m. May 14, Center for Health & Fitness. 390-8326

?? Diabetes | 10-11 a.m. May 31, McLeod Seacoast. 390-8326

Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/04/28/3460242/upcoming-myrtle-beach-area-health.html

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