Katherine Russell MBTA Fox News Live Boston lockdown jennifer love hewitt 4/20 boston
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
25 Percent of Phones Vulnerable to Spying Via Text Message Hack
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Karsten Nohl, founder of Security Research Labs in Berlin, discovered a two-minute sim card hack that could allow a hacker to listen in on your phone calls, send text messages from your phone number, and make mobile payments with your... ... IEEE Communications Society ...
Monday, July 22, 2013
Play It Forward: July 22-28 on your sports calendar: Volleyball in Long Beach, surf?s up in Huntington, and Cooperstown becomes a ghost town
How to plan out your lazy summer week ahead:
THIS WEEK?S BEST BET:
WORLD SERIES OF BEACH VOLLEYBALL, Long Beach, Monday-Sunday:
Sharknado warnings aside, this? week-long festival near Marina Green Park off Shoreline Drive has ?all things beach,? as the organizers call it. That?s the actual volleyball matches mixed in with music, sun screen and likely some adult beverages.?It will be the most extraordinary beach volleyball event in the history of the planet,? said creator Leonard Armato, the former AVP commissioner and CEO. ?It will ignite the entire volleyball community. Nothing like this has ever been done. It combines beach volleyball and beach lifestyles.?
Sanctioned by FIVB, the sport?s international governing body, it includes AAU youth tournament, a NCSVA college event, amateur co-ed four-person and six-man competitions, and concludes with a women?s semifinal and final on Saturday, a men?s semi and final on Sunday (Channel 4, 1:30 p.m.).
Kerri Walsh Jennings (playing with Whitney Pavlik), April Ross, Jen Kessy, Todd Rogers, Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal are the headliners among 128 pros attending from 16 countries. NBC Sports Network and Universal Sports also has coverage.
More info: www.wsobbv.com
BEST OF THE REST:
MONDAY
MLB: DODGERS at TORONTO, 4 p.m., Channel 9:
These Blue Jays may have spent lots of off-season dough (like the Dodgers) but all they have to show for it is a sub-.500 mark and a last-place spot in the AL East ? despite an 11-game winning streak in mid-June. Blame Canada. The Dodgers will miss having to face R.J. Dickey or Mark Buehrle ? but that?s kind of a bad thing.
The series continues:
Tuesday and Wednesday,? 4 p.m., Channel 9
MLB: ANGELS vs. MINNESOTA, Angel Stadium, 7:05 p.m., FSW:
Best we can offer up here is a Surfing Rally Monkey Plush toy giveaway during Tuesday?s game.
The series continues:
Tuesday, 7:05 p.m., FSW
Wednesday, 12:35 p.m., FSW
THURSDAY
MLB: DODGERS vs. CINCINNATI, Dodger Stadium, 7:10 p.m., Prime:
Last time they gave out a Vin Scully bobble head, a rare rainbow appeared over the right-field pavilion. Here?s another Scully trinket giveaway on the first game of this set. Where do we look to the heavens this time?
The rest of the series:
Friday, 7:10 p.m., Prime
Saturday, 6:10 p.m., Prime
Sunday, 1:10 p.m., Prime
MLB: ANGELS at OAKLAND, 7:05 p.m., FSW:
Tired of watching ?Moneyball? show better dividends in the AL West than ?Arte-Ball?? Than we suggest don?t watching how these four games play out.
The series continues:
Friday, 7:05 p.m., FSW
Saturday, noon, Channel 11
Sunday, 1:05 p.m., FSW
GOLF:SENIOR BRITISH OPEN at Southport, England, first round, 9 a.m., ESPN2:
Royal Birkdale is the 11th different course to host this event in its 27th year. A year ago, Fred Couples birdied his last two holes, closing with a 25-foot putt, to secure a two-shot victory in Turnberry, Scotland.
ESPN2 has coverage Friday, Saturday and Sunday (9 a.m.)
WNBA: SPARKS vs. SEATTLE, Staples Center, 12:30 p.m., TWC SportsNet:
You?ve got something better to do on your downtown lunch break?
SATURDAY
SOCCER: GALAXY at COLORADO, 4 p.m., ESPN2:
Have you seen the rapidly developing stories about how a group of counties in Colorado are talking about colluding to break away and form their own state ? Northern Colorado ? as the nation?s 51st star on the flag? The MLS Rapids play in Commerce City, a suburb north of Denver and part of Adams County, which somehow is not part of the eight-county coalition that wants to pull out. The Rapids would still be drawing from fans in Greeley, which would be part of this new Northern Colorado annex. At least the team could market itself as being a multi-state attraction.
BOWLING: 70th U.S. OPEN from Columbus, Ohio, 9 a.m., ESPN:
Pete Weber won his fifth title last year ? his first was in 1988 ? with a 215-214 victory over Mike Fagan. Go ahead, pump your fist and shout it out.
SUNDAY
SOCCER: CONCACAF GOLD CUP FINAL, at Soldier Field, Chicago, 1 p.m., Channel 11:
The U.S. will plant a flag here if it gets past its semifinal on Wednesday at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Tex. (4 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel).
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY, 10 a.m.? MLB Network:
www.dodgersblueheaven.com
Since Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza were not given Hall passes in their first year of eligibility, they might as well hold this year?s ceremony in an Iowa cornfield. Where else would we find former New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, former umpire Hank O?Day and former catcher/third baseman Deacon White ? all of whom died before 1940? For the first time since 1960, there are no living Hall inductees. ?This will definitely have a different flavor than when we have fans who come to celebrate living inductees,? Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson told the Wall Street Journal. ?No one here expects our (attendance) numbers to be what they would be if we had a headline Hall of Famer.? Know who could have brought a crowd: Gil Hodges. If the Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman ever makes it in, you might even get Vin Scully there to accept it for him.
In a ceremony Saturday before Sunday?s event, former Dodgers team doctor Frank Jobe will be honored for his contributions to the game ? particularly the Tommy John surgery. We asked Dr. Jobe back in January of 2012 if he thought he was worthy of being inducted into the Hall ? which is still isn?t going to be, but will be getting recognition from the Hall in any regards. ?I?d be happy to accept it. I?m not sure if I know what ?worthy? means. It?s been a wonderful 38 years (since the John surgery) , and if (the Hall acknowledge) happened, that would be a beautiful thing. I?d be very proud and happy about it.?
U.S. OPEN OF SURFING, Huntington Beach pier, men?s and women?s final round,? noon:
Yup, 11-time ASP world champion Kelly Slater is back on board, along with Dane Reynolds, defending champ Julian Wilson and two-time champ and local star Brett Simpson. On the women?s side, it?s top-ranked Tyler Wright going against Courtney Conlogue and defending champ Lakey Peterson.
NASCAR: BRICKYARD 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 9 a.m., ESPN:
Defending champ Jimmie Johnson, who has won four of the last seven times at the famous track, is tied with Jeff Gordon, the inaugural Brickyard winner in 1994, for the most wins in the event?s history. Then there?s the Danica Patrick factor ? this is her first NASCAR race on the track where she?s also competed in seven Indianapolis 500s with the IRL.
whitney houston autopsy results obama trayvon jim yong kim michael bush the host trailer whitney houston cause of death marquette
Chill: Gmail's New Email Ads Aren't Actually New, And Aren't Even Real Emails
Only weeks after Google rolled out the revamped?tabbed interface for Gmail, users began spotting?a new ad format, which placed advertisements directly into the "Promotions" section of the inbox. News of this feature has begun making the rounds again, as more users are now noticing the ads for the first time.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/yVe0F1u7h6Y/
bachelor pad Green Coffee Bean Extract september 11 9/11 Memorial 911 masterchef Dictionary.com
GSK CEO to speak on China scandal
GlaxoSmithKline Chief Executive Andrew Witty will detail what action the drugmaker is taking in response to allegations of bribery against it in China when he presents quarterly results on Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter said.
Chinese authorities are investigating GSK deals with travel agencies worth up to 3 billion yuan ($489 million) that they allege were used to facilitate bribes. The scale of the payments has fueled debate as to whether GSK surveillance systems were up to the job of spotting wrongdoing.
Although an internal company investigation has yet to conclude, people familiar with the matter said Witty would discuss what may have gone wrong in the scandal, which has rocked GSK's reputation and left its management in China in disarray.
"He will give his perspective on what appears to have gone on and how it can be put right," one of the sources said on Sunday.
(Read more: China blocks Glaxo finance head from leaving)
GSK has run into problems despite conducting up to 20 internal audits in China each year, resulting in the sacking of dozens of staff for misconduct. In 2012, GSK dismissed 312 staff for policy violations worldwide, according to its annual Corporate Responsibility report, of which 56 were in China.
Britain's biggest drugmaker, which has described the allegations against it in China as "shameful", has already hired Ernst & Young to conduct an independent review of its systems in the country and sent three senior executives to lead the response on the ground.
A company spokesman said it was also keeping all relevant regulators updated as appropriate. The charges from China could expose GSK to prosecution under Britain's Bribery Act and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
GSK declined to comment further ahead of the second-quarter results, which are due at 1100 GMT on July 24.
Despite the crisis, the company's shares have held up?reflecting the fact that China accounts for only around 3 percent of sales.
(Read more: China Syndrome: Foreign crackdown no coincidence)
Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts said in a research note that the financial impact of the affair was likely to be limited, although the issue would be a "key topic" at the results update.
Others snared in China
While the spotlight remains firmly on GSK, Chinese authorities are also probing other companies and individuals involved in the pharmaceutical sector as part of a broad-based drive to root out corruption.
Two people familiar with the situation said at the weekend that Shanghai police had arrested a British man, Peter Humphrey, who runs an international business risk advisory firm that has worked with drug companies including GSK.
Humphrey? the founder of ChinaWhys, which says on its website that it aims to guide multinationals through "the labyrinth" of risks and opportunities in China?could not be reached for comment.
Last week, Chinese authorities also visited the Shanghai office of Belgian drugmaker UCB. A UCB spokesman said the visit was part of a wider investigation that included other drug companies, although he did not identify them.
Source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100901927
sabu franchise tag lesotho a wrinkle in time benjamin netanyahu storm shelters nick lachey
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Microsoft's Xbox 360 Holds onto Its US Console Sales Crown
? 1998 - 2011 by KB Networks, Inc.
All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Programming by Cliff Murphy, Kevin Sorensen, Brad Hoover - System Design and Administration by Cliff Murphy
Site design and front-end production by mike kane.
george h w bush Belk Led Zeppelin Ned Rocknroll Norman Schwarzkopf Avery Johnson kennedy center honors
Local golf tournament remembers legendary coach
The 5th annual Ballard Lee golf tournament was held on Saturday at Clear Creek golf course in Bristol, Va.
The tournament is held in honor of former Virginia High basketball coach Ballard Lee.
Each year two students from Virginia High are awarded two $500 scholarships and a laptop computer.
Isiah Porter and Jessica Ritter were the recipients of the 2013 Ballard Lee scholarships.
Porter will attend Averett University in the fall.
" This means a lot to me and to know of the legacy of this man and to know that I got this scholarship, it's out of this world," said Porter.
Ritter will attend King University in the fall.
" King is expensive. It's going to help me a lot. I got a $500 scholarship, it's going to help with tuition, books and housing. The laptop I got will help with my studies," said Ritter.
big east tournament 2012 solar storm spanx solar flares mary j blige gcb patricia heaton
Clemson Player Joins Suit Against NCAA
RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer
?
NEW YORK (AP) - Six college football players have been added as plaintiffs to a high-profile lawsuit that claims the NCAA owes billions of dollars to former players for allowing their likenesses to be used without compensation.
?
The players are: Vanderbilt linebacker Chase Garnham; Clemson cornerback Darius Robinson; linebacker Jake Fischer and kicker Jake Smith from Arizona; and tight end Moses Alipate and wide receiver Victor Keise of Minnesota.
?
Former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon is the lead plaintiff in the long-running legal battle that could fundamentally alter how the NCAA operates.
?
A federal judge in Oakland, Calif., on July 5 allowed the attorneys to update their lawsuit to fix legal technicalities,? including adding at least one active player to the lawsuit.
?
The judge is still mulling whether to turn the lawsuit into a class action.
?
Source: http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=243039
30 rock What Time Is The Super Bowl 2013 Super Bowl 2013 Time BlackBerry 10 superbowl Ron Jeremy Rudy Gay
Sustainable Business Innovation ? Are We Too Open ...
Based on a recent ?open culture? conversation with a perspective client, our sustainability consulting returns to an intriguing Innovation Excellence post, The Open Innovation Integrator. ?Herein, the author discusses a dominate issue facing many business sustainability cultures and their ongoing reformation programs. ?The article explores the question: how can an organization balance an open culture required for innovation with internal and external governance structures.
?Even if there aren?t major cultural mismatches, communication issues can arise. These may just be simple misunderstandings over terminology. If left unresolved, they can become issues that threaten the success of the venture.?
As a solution, the article introduces the concept of an ?Open Innovation Integrator?. ?Like with most project or business sustainability implementations, there is often a need for a front-line facilitator of change. ?These ?integrators? are ambassadors who bring diverse resources into an open and collaborative environment. ?Rather than allowing ideas and beliefs to clash directly, integrators smooth the way for enhance engagement.
Our sustainability consulting supports the idea that an open?innovation?approach?to business sustainability offers stakeholders the opportunity to become more engaged in the future of the company. ?By recognizing that?stakeholders have a vested interest the success of the company, business sustainability leads or ?integrators? can:.
- Promote innovation as a competency:? Innovative companies treat it as just another core skill.?
- Promote innovation as a competitive weapon:?Innovative companies use innovation to?differentiate themselves.???
- Promote innovation as a process:??Innovative companies don?t treat innovation as special,?unique activity. They see it instead as an ongoing ?stream of effort? along with quality, leadership, productivity, and other imperatives.??
- Promote innovation as both systematic and opportunistic: ?The most innovative companies flex between different styles of creating opportunity.?
The business world too often approaches technological advancement and sustainable innovation from ?management down to the employee? implementation processes. ?In contrast, our sustainability consulting finds that an accelerated process begins with those who step outside the traditional business structures.
Samantha Steele Dec 21 2012 doomsday Is The World Going To End Mayans camilla belle instagram
Saturday, July 20, 2013
It's not just the heat, it's the ozone: Hidden heat wave dangers exposed
[unable to retrieve full-text content]During heat waves ? when ozone production rises as plants? ozone absorption is curtailed -- more pollution is left in the air. This resulted in the loss of an estimated 460 lives in the UK in the hot summer of 2006.
Incumbent politico Tammy Baldwin house of representatives paul ryan donald trump Election 2012 map
Obama opens up about race, Trayvon Martin trial
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama kept his own counsel after the six women deciding whether George Zimmerman deserved prison time for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin delivered their verdict, releasing just a written statement appealing for calm the day after the ex-neighborhood watchman had been cleared of all charges.
But the president was quietly keeping tabs on the country's response to the outcome of the racially charged trial, particularly in the black community. He discussed it with his family. He was ready to address it during a series of interviews with Spanish-language TV stations earlier in the week, if asked. He wasn't.
By Thursday, aides said Obama was telling top advisers the country needed to hear from him, not in a way the White House would script it but in a frank discussion of his views and experiences as a black man in America.
On Friday, he stepped up to the podium in the White House briefing room and delivered a rare and extensive reflection on race by a president who has shied away from the issue even as he is constantly dogged by it.
"When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son," Obama said. "Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago."
For Obama, the product of black-white parentage who has written about his own struggles with racial identity but has kept the subject at arm's length in office, his remarks represented an unusual embrace of his standing as the nation's first black president and of the longing by many black Americans for him to give voice to their experiences.
"When you think about why, in the African-American community at least, there's a lot of pain around what happened here, I think it's important to recognize that the African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that ... doesn't go away," he said.
"There are very few African-American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me," Obama said.
A Florida jury last Saturday acquitted Zimmerman, 29, of all charges in the February 2012 shooting death of Trayvon, who was 17 and unarmed. The outcome cheered those who agreed that Zimmerman had acted in self-defense and angered and disappointed those who believe the teenager was targeted and pursued by Zimmerman because he was black.
Despite the emotional aspect to his comments, Obama appeared to signal that the Justice Department is unlikely to charge Zimmerman with violating Trayvon's civil rights, despite intense pressure to do so from the NAACP and others. An NAACP petition urging the department to charge Zimmerman has collected more than 1.5 million signatures.
Obama said people should have "some clear expectations" about any Justice Department action because issues regarding the criminal code traditionally "are issues of state and local government."
Obama, too, had been under pressure from civil rights leaders and others to speak out, but he resisted doing so until Friday. His only comment on the verdict was the paper statement issued Sunday calling Trayvon's death a tragedy for the country and urging the public to heed the "call for calm reflection" from the boy's grieving parents.
Even as the president urged the public to accept the verdict ? "once the jury's spoken, that's how our system works" ? he gave voice to the feelings of those who were angered by the decision.
Obama said there's a sense "that if a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario, that, from top to bottom, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different."
He said he was considering a number of steps, including law enforcement training, examining state and local "stand your ground" laws to see if they encourage the kinds of confrontations that ended with Trayvon's death and how to give black boys "the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them."
He also called on the country to search its soul.
Obama said Trayvon's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, had shown incredible grace and dignity throughout. He did not mention the feelings of Zimmerman, who relatives say has been threatened with death.
Trayvon's parents released a statement calling Obama's comments "a beautiful tribute to our boy."
Zimmerman's brother, Robert, also welcomed the president's remarks. He told Fox News "the American people need to have some time to digest what really happened and to do that soul searching the president spoke of."
Despite that fact that Obama's race has been central to the story of his political rise, he has rarely addressed the matter as a public figure. He last spoke about race in substantive and personal terms as a presidential candidate in 2008 when he addressed criticism over incendiary comments by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
In 2009, Obama stumbled when commenting on the arrest of a black Harvard professor in the professor's home, saying the police "acted stupidly." He was forced to retract his comment, then held an awkward "beer summit" at the White House with the professor, Henry Louis Gates, and the white arresting officer.
But on Friday, Obama spoke poignantly about public distrust of many black men, including him before he became well-known, saying they draw nervous stares on elevators and hear car locks clicking when they walk by.
He sought to end on a more positive note, saying the U.S. gets better with each passing generation despite lingering racial discord. He sees the progress when listening to his daughters and watching them with their friends.
"They're better than we were on these issues," Obama said. "We're becoming a more perfect union. Not a perfect union, but a more perfect union."
___
AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace contributed to this report.
___
Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-opens-race-trayvon-martin-trial-074748746.html
carlos pena amanda bynes arrested f 18 jet crash in virginia beach nicki minaj beez in the trap video food network f/a 18
Venezuela vice president in China to talk trade
Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris has admitted that he had almost sacrificed his dream of playing for Australia to forge a career in arch-rivals England. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, had Harris been tempted to join the England team, he could not have collected the wickets of three top order England batsman on the opening day of a Lord's Ashes Test with his compelling but rarely seen ...
Ex-CIA head claims telecom giant Huawei spied for China
Former head of CIA has reportedly alleged that Chinese telecommunications manufacturer Huawei Technologies has spied for the Chinese government and supplied sensitive intelligence to the officials. According to Stuff.co.nz, Michael Hayden has said that the company is a security threat to Australia and the US' domestic phone networks and intelligence agencies have hard evidence of its ...
Sutherland says Oz team morale improved following Arthurs sacking
Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland has said that the Australian team morale has improved following Mickey Arthur's sacking and the appointment of Darren Lehmann as the new coach. Arthur is suing CA for up to four million dollars after he was sacked following batsman David Warner's bar room altercation with England's Joe Root, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Stating the ...
129 on trial for telecom fraud in China
A total of 129 people, suspected of telecom swindling, stood trial in China's Jiangsu province Thursday, showcasing authorities' latest initiative to crack down on transnational fraud cases. Claiming to be staff of Chinese courts, procuratorates, police or postal authorities, these people used to make telephone calls from overseas to domestic victims and cheat them of cash, Xinhua ...
Harris says unacceptable Siddle no-ball could have cost Oz Ashes
Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris has called fellow seamer Peter Siddle's no-ball as unacceptable, saying that the team is disappointed as the no-ball that saw England's Jonny Bairstow reprieved at Lord's could have cost Australia the Ashes. Australia's performance was boosted with three late wickets by unlikely hero Steve Smith, who used his nimble fingers to spin a web for England's batsmen ...
China slaps duties on polysilicon from US South Korea
China, the world's biggest solar- module maker, has said it will impose provisional anti-dumping duties on imported solar-grade polysilicon from the US and South Korea. Polysilicon is a material consisting of small silicon crystals. Starting July 24, Chinese importers of solar-grade polysilicon from the US will be required to pay deposit rates with Chinese customs ranging between 53.3 and 57 ...
Biden US Ready to Engage with N. Korea if Talks Genuine
WASHINGTON The United States is ready to engage in dialog with North Korea, but only if Pyongyang is prepared for "genuinerdquo; negotiations and commits to giving up its nuclear ambitions, Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday. Biden, who gave a speech on U.S. policy on Asia before a visit next week to India and Singapore, also encouraged China and the 10-member Association of ...
Smiths three quick strikes put Australia on top
Ian Bell continued his impressive form as he struck his third consecutive Ashes century but leggie Steve Smith pulled back things in favour of Australia with his three quick strikes in the last hour on the first day of the second Test at the Lord's here Thursday. Australia, who were struck hard by reports of rift between Michael Clarke and Shane Watson, put up an unified show and made England ...
12000 evacuated as rain lashes China
Around 12,300 people have been forced to relocate after rainstorms pounded southwest China's Sichuan province, officials said Thursday. Heavy rain lashed most parts of Sichuan Wednesday and Thursday where floods and landslides last week killed 58 people while 175 others are still missing, Xinhua reported. Water in local rivers have exceeded warning levels. In Guangyuan city, floods triggered ...
Steam seen at reactor building in Japan n-plant
Steam has been seen rising from a reactor building at Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, the plant operator said Thursday. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said there was no emergency situation, and there were no signs of increased radiation in the area, BBC reported. It said it was investigating what was causing the steam at the damaged No.3 reactor building. The plant was ...
Over 1000 hopefuls hit Chinas short-term monk hunt
Feeling too much pressure at work and hoping to gain spiritual enrichment, a large number of applicants - more than 1,100 - applied for a "short-term" monks programme, forcing a Buddhist temple in China to suspend the recruitment. The secluded Ci'en Temple is situated in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, Xinhua reported. Earlier this month, the mountain monastery started inviting ...
Daughters lavish wedding leads to sacking of Chinese official
The head of a local unit of the Communist Party of China in a "poverty-stricken township" was fired Thursday after he organised an extravagant wedding for his daughter, officials said. Yue Shuwang was party secretary of Pingdingbao township in north China's Hebei province, Xinhua reported. He was sacked after an investigation showed he spent 200,000 yuan (over $32,000) on the wedding banquet ...
Seychelles foreign minister to visit China
Seychelles Foreign Minister Jean-Paul Adam will pay an official visit to China July 21-28, the Chinese foreign ministry announced Thursday. Adam was invited by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, reports ...
Harris and Khawaja in for Lords Test
Pacer Ryan Harris and left-handed batsman Usman Khawaja have been included in the playing eleven by Australia for the second Test starting here at Lord's Thursday. The Australian management has dropped fast bowler Mitchell Strac and batsman Ed Cowan, after their poor show in the first Test which Australia lost by 14 runs. Mitchell Starc took five wickets and Cowan could only manage 14 runs in ...
Cook warns Oz to stop pressurising Anderson or face downfall at Lords
England captain Alastair Cook has warned Australia against pressurising bowler James Anderson, saying that it would be a mistake to disrespect the other members of England's bowling attack. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australia's clear tactic in the first Test was to take down Steven Finn so Cook would have to bring Anderson back into the attack sooner than he wanted, and to force ...
Now Kim Jong-un wants North Korea to become global mushroom capital
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has developed a new hobby -mushrooms. Kim visited a mushroom farm this week as part of a grand plan to turn North Korea into a global mushroom powerhouse. Kim's grandfather, Kim II-Sung, reportedly wished of making North Korea turn into a mushroom powerhouse. According to media reports, Kim said that it is necessary to thoroughly implement the behest of ...
Todays women drinking mums under the table
A researcher is trying to determine why women in Australia are drinking more than their mothers used to. Helen Haydon, a psychologist of the Queensland University of Technology Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety, told the Daily Telegraph that there has been a major generational shift. She said that in the 1960s, women were not allowed into public bars in Australia and now bars and ...
Myanmars Mandalay airport to become logistics hub
Myanmar has invited bids for transforming the Mandalay international airport into a logistics hub that will help in transporting goods from China and India to other countries in Asia and Europe, state media reported Thursday. The winner from the private sector will be announced by the end of this month, Xinhua cited the New Light of Myanmar as saying. The tender-winning company will start ...
China police hold detained activists lawyer
BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese police have detained a lawyer who sought to visit a prominent activist taken into custody this week, a Beijing-based dissident and overseas rights groups said on Friday.Liu Weiguo was taken away in the capital while trying to see his client Xu Zhiyong, a professor who had urged the release of activists seeking asset disclosure by government officials."Since the ...
PNG Australia do deal on asylum seekers
Australia and Papua New Guinea have signed a new agreement that will allow the resettlement of asylum seekers in PNG under a regional ...
Australia sending new migrants to Papua New Guinea
CANBERRA, Australia -; Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says all refugees who arrive in Australia by boat will be resettled on the South Pacific island nation of Papua New ...
Will Robot Nannies Save Japans Economy
More than half of all Japanese women quit their jobs after giving birth to their first child. That's more than double the rate in the U.S., and it's a problem for Japan's economy. If more women returned to the workforce, it could give a huge boost to household income in the country, says Kathy Matsui, chief Japan strategist at Goldman Sachs. "Increasing income levels will ...
Source: http://www.southkoreanews.net/index.php/sid/215927751/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53
Miss America 2013 Aaron Swartz Gangster Squad school shooting oscar nominations C7 Corvette tom brady
Unusual material expands dramatically under pressure
[unable to retrieve full-text content]If you squeeze a normal object in all directions, it shrinks in all directions. But a few strange materials will actually grow in one dimension when compressed. Chemists have now discovered a structure that takes this property to a new level, expanding more dramatically under pressure than any other known material.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/J0YlPKeAnKc/130718161353.htm
Mark Balelo Anne Stringfield paczki lent la times heart attack grill KTLA
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Archdiocese documents show priests paid to leave
MILWAUKEE (AP) ? As more victims of clergy sex abuse came forward, then-Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan oversaw a plan to pay some abusers to leave the priesthood after writing to Vatican officials with increasing frustration and concern, warning them about the potential for scandal if they did not defrock problem priests, according to documents released Monday.
Dolan's correspondence with Vatican officials and priests accused of sexual abuse was included in about 6,000 pages of documents the Archdiocese of Milwaukee released Monday as part of a deal reached in federal bankruptcy court with clergy sex abuse victims suing it for fraud. Victims say the archdiocese transferred problem priests to new churches without warning parishioners and covered up priests' crimes for decades.
The documents have drawn attention in part because of the involvement of Dolan, who is now a cardinal and New York archbishop and the nation's most prominent Roman Catholic official by virtue of his position as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The records provide new details on payments made to some abusers to leave the priesthood and the transfer of nearly $57 million for cemetery care into a trust as the archdiocese prepared to file for bankruptcy.
Victims and their attorneys accused Dolan of bankruptcy fraud, pointing to a June 2007 letter in which he told a Vatican office that moving the money into a trust would provide "an improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability."
Church law requires bishops to seek Vatican approval for any property sale or asset transfer in the millions of dollars. Dolan wrote in the letter that the transfer had been approved by archdiocese's Financial Council and College of Consultors.
A Vatican office approved the transfer within a month. Jeff Anderson, an attorney for many victims, compared that to the long lag in responses to defrock abusive priests.
"These documents show that if they want to move money to protect it from survivors they can act quick as a fox," Anderson said. "If they want to protect kids, if they have full knowledge of kids in peril, they keep it secret while the Vatican drags its feet and children are kept at peril."
In a statement, Dolan called any suggestion he was trying to shield money from victims an "old and discredited" attack. Jerry Topczewski, chief of staff for current Archbishop Jerome Listecki, said the money was always set aside in a separate fund for cemetery care and moving it to a trust just formalized that.
Peter Isely, Midwest director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said he would ask the U.S. attorney's office in Milwaukee to look into the possibility of bankruptcy fraud. However, Marquette University law professor Ralph Anzivino, a bankruptcy specialist, said no criminal charges could be filed unless the bankruptcy judge determined the transfer amounts to fraud.
The documents also show that Dolan repeatedly wrote to Vatican officials, pleading with them to dismiss priests accused of abuse but often was left waiting for years for a response. One of those cases involved John C. Wagner, who was accused of making advances to students at the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan when he was in campus ministry in the 1980s. Dolan's predecessor, Archbishop Rembert Weakland, tried in the 1990s to get Wagner to voluntarily leave the priesthood but Wagner refused.
In 2005, as settlements with clergy sex abuse victims were piling up, Dolan wrote to the Vatican office in charge of the matter and recommended it kick Wagner out.
"The liability for the Archdiocese is great as is the potential for scandal if it appears that no definitive action has been taken," Dolan wrote to Archbishop Angelo Amato, of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Wagner showed no remorse, Dolan wrote, "His only concern has been his financial status."
Dolan said that if the Vatican agreed to dismiss Wagner, an archdiocese fund could pay for his needs until he was eligible for a pension. Dolan didn't receive a response until 2008, when he re-submitted his request along with details of new allegations against Wagner.
"The liability for the Archdiocese is great, as is the potential for scandal if it appears that no definitive action has been taken," he wrote. "Our new found awareness of the severity of damage caused by sexual abuse at the hands of clergy makes it impossible for us to ignore this situation or allow any longer the unresolved nature of this case."
Amato then recommended Dolan ask Wagner to leave voluntarily, which Dolan did. Wagner's attorney rejected the request, saying the $20,000 payment that Dolan offered wouldn't cover the priest's expenses for the two years until his retirement. Wagner wasn't officially defrocked until 2012.
A working telephone number for him could not be found Monday, and he did not immediately respond to an email message.
Topczewski said the archdiocese had had a practice of paying priests leaving the priesthood for years before Dolan took over. Most of them were not accused of wrongdoing, and the money helped them transition into their new lives, he said.
At least three priests accused of sexual abuse received payments when they left the priesthood before Dolan's arrival, according to the documents. Six more left under Dolan, accepting the archdiocese's offer of $10,000 when they voluntarily agreed to leave the priesthood and another $10,000 when Vatican officials announced their decision about the priest's future.
Topczewski said the money covered the men's health care, but it also got "priests out quicker. That's what victims were asking for."
___
Associated Press writers Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee, Rachel Zoll in New York, Michael Tarm in Chicago, Brian Bakst in St. Paul, Minn.; and Doug Glass in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
___
Online:
Archdiocese of Milwaukee: http://www.archmil.org/archmil/home.htm
Victims' attorneys: http://www.andersonadvocates.com/default.aspx
___
Follow M.L. Johnson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MLJohnsonOnline
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/archdiocese-documents-show-priests-paid-leave-215158769.html
12 12 12 Concert amazing race Cam Cameron Ada Lovelace 12/12/12 manny pacquiao Chopper Live
Monday, July 1, 2013
Una Healy celebrates first wedding anniversary with adorable Twitter message
Una Healy and husband Ben Foden are celebrating their first wedding anniversary today. The Saturdays singer married her rugby hunk last year in a beautiful ceremony and it seems she's keen to relive the day over again.
Aoife Belle's mum posted on Twitter: "This day last year I married the love of my life and best friend @ben_foden X".
Una also included a link to a short wedding video that showed off her big day including pals Rochelle Humes, Frankie Sandford, Mollie King and Vanessa White as her bridesmaids.
The Gentleman singer also posted a cute snap of her and Ben as he whisked her away for a romantic break.
He wrote: "Taken the mrs away for a little romantic break, celebrating a whole year of marriage! where has the time gone! #goodtimes #memories".
| ABOVE: The Saturdays star reminisced about her big day on Twitter |
Nothing like a good wedding video to bring a happy tear to our eye.
| ABOVE: Una Healy had The Saturday girls as her bridesmaids |
national inquirer knicks vs heat kate walsh cnn debate equatorial guinea marine helicopter crash photo of whitney houston in casket
Link between fear and sound perception discovered
June 30, 2013 ? Anyone who's ever heard a Beethoven sonata or a Beatles song knows how powerfully sound can affect our emotions. But it can work the other way as well -- our emotions can actually affect how we hear and process sound. When certain types of sounds become associated in our brains with strong emotions, hearing similar sounds can evoke those same feelings, even far removed from their original context. It's a phenomenon commonly seen in combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in whom harrowing memories of the battlefield can be triggered by something as common as the sound of thunder. But the brain mechanisms responsible for creating those troubling associations remain unknown. Now, a pair of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has discovered how fear can actually increase or decrease the ability to discriminate among sounds depending on context, providing new insight into the distorted perceptions of victims of PTSD.
Their study is published in Nature Neuroscience.
"Emotions are closely linked to perception and very often our emotional response really helps us deal with reality," says senior study author Maria N. Geffen, PhD, assistant professor of Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery and Neuroscience at Penn. "For example, a fear response helps you escape potentially dangerous situations and react quickly. But there are also situations where things can go wrong in the way the fear response develops. That's what happens in anxiety and also in PTSD -- the emotional response to the events is generalized to the point where the fear response starts getting developed to a very broad range of stimuli."
Geffen and the first author of the study, Mark Aizenberg, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in her laboratory, used emotional conditioning in mice to investigate how hearing acuity (the ability to distinguish between tones of different frequencies) can change following a traumatic event, known as emotional learning. In these experiments, which are based on classical (Pavlovian) conditioning, animals learn to distinguish between potentially dangerous and safe sounds -- called "emotional discrimination learning." This type of conditioning tends to result in relatively poor learning, but Aizenberg and Geffen designed a series of learning tasks intended to create progressively greater emotional discrimination in the mice, varying the difficulty of the task. What really interested them was how different levels of emotional discrimination would affect hearing acuity -- in other words, how emotional responses affect perception and discrimination of sounds. This study established the link between emotions and perception of the world -- something that has not been understood before.
The researchers found that, as expected, fine emotional learning tasks produced greater learning specificity than tests in which the tones were farther apart in frequency. As Geffen explains, "The animals presented with sounds that were very far apart generalize the fear that they developed to the danger tone over a whole range of frequencies, whereas the animals presented with the two sounds that were very similar exhibited specialization of their emotional response. Following the fine conditioning task, they figured out that it's a very narrow range of pitches that are potentially dangerous."
When pitch discrimination abilities were measured in the animals, the mice with more specific responses displayed much finer auditory acuity than the mice who were frightened by a broader range of frequencies. "There was a relationship between how much their emotional response generalized and how well they could tell different tones apart," says Geffen. "In the animals that specialized their emotional response, pitch discrimination actually became sharper. They could discriminate two tones that they previously could not tell apart."
Another interesting finding of this study is that the effects of emotional learning on hearing perception were mediated by a specific brain region, the auditory cortex. The auditory cortex has been known as an important area responsible for auditory plasticity. Surprisingly, Aizenberg and Geffen found that the auditory cortex did not play a role in emotional learning. Likely, the specificity of emotional learning is controlled by the amygdala and sub-cortical auditory areas. "We know the auditory cortex is involved, we know that the emotional response is important so the amygdala is involved, but how do the amygdala and cortex interact together?" says Geffen. "Our hypothesis is that the amygdala and cortex are modifying subcortical auditory processing areas. The sensory cortex is responsible for the changes in frequency discrimination, but it's not necessary for developing specialized or generalized emotional responses. So it's kind of a puzzle."
Solving that puzzle promises new insight into the causes and possible treatment of PTSD, and the question of why some individuals develop it and others subjected to the same events do not. "We think there's a strong link between mechanisms that control emotional learning, including fear generalization, and the brain mechanisms responsible for PTSD, where generalization of fear is abnormal," Geffen notes. Future research will focus on defining and studying that link.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/Wq0G_0EHIi4/130630145002.htm
netflix kennedy center honors boxing day george h w bush Belk Led Zeppelin Ned Rocknroll
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Passport office staff help Blackburn mayor attend Queen's garden party
Passport office staff help Blackburn mayor attend Queen's garden party
8:00am Saturday 29th June 2013 in News
A MAYOR?S trip to The Queen?s garden party nearly had to be cancelled because his passport had expired.
Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen Salim Mulla?s jubilation at receiving an invite soon turned to panic when he discovered photo identification was required to attend.
Coun Mulla, who is also chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, booked an appointment with the passport office for a ?premium service? the day before the event, But had been advised on the phone that he would not be able to get the passport until the day of the garden party itself.
After hearing his plight, passport office staff at Liverpool pulled out all the stops to get the Mayor?s passport ready the same day.
Coun Mulla said: ?An invitation to The Queen?s garden party is a once in a lifetime experience, so I was really keen to go.
?Staff at the passport office were very helpful and really went the extra mile to get my passport done in time.
?I was over the moon when they managed to get it all done in the same day and I was very grateful to them.
?Without their help, I may have had to miss out on the event entirely, which would have been a great shame.?
Coun Mulla had been invited to Buckhingham Palace along with his wife, mayoress Sayeeda Mulla.
The father-of-five said: ?We had a great time at the party and met quite a few interesting people.
?We also got to walk through some of the palace.
?It was a really amazing day and one I am so glad my wife and I could make.?
Graham Roberts, North West and Central area operations manager for Her Majesty?s Passport Office, said: ?I am delighted the team was able to help Coun Mulla make the Queen?s garden party.
?I am glad that the trip was such a memorable and special one, and we were able to help make it happen.?
zsa zsa gabor illinois primary trayvon martin 911 call kiribati vernal equinox mr rogers jamie lee curtis
City and colour rocks Canada Day festivities in NOTL
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE?-?
Canada Day festivities get underway in Niagara-on-the-Lake as Parks Canada hosts its second annual outdoor concert at Butler's Barracks.
Doors opened at 2:30 and the concert line-up includes Niagara's own City and Colour, otherwise known as Dallas Green.
This is Green's first performance as City and Colour in Niagara since the Alexisonfire singer released his first solo album seven years ago.
Follow The Standard's reporting team of Marlene Bergsma and Julie Jocsak at they tweet from the event. Add your comments and photos with #RockNOTL
Last year's Tragically Hip concert attracted 17,000 people and raised $65,000 for Parks Canada.
The set list is as follows:
- Yukon Blonde 3:15
- Serena Ryder 4:30
- Jimmy Eat World 5:45
- Metric 7:15
- City and Colour 9:00
Source: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2013/06/29/city-and-colour-rocks-canada-day-festivities-in-notl
space shuttle Torrey Smith Brother fiona apple CJ Spiller tracy morgan Chase.com Talk Like a Pirate Day
Bombs in Iraq kill 19 people
BAGHDAD (AP) ? Bombs in Iraq targeting a checkpoint run by government-allied Sunni militiamen, a Shiite tribal leader's funeral and a soccer field killed at least 19 people on Friday, in the latest strikes by militants seeking to destabilize the country.
Iraq is in the midst of its deadliest and most sustained wave of violence since 2008, raising fears the nation is returning to the widespread sectarian-charged bloodshed that pushed it to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007. More than 2,000 people have been killed in bombings and other violent attacks since the start of April.
The deadliest attack, which killed at least 11, struck the militia checkpoint shortly before midday in the village of Zangoura, which is just south of the former insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, some 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad, according to police.
The checkpoint was manned by members of the Sahwa, who are Sunni militiamen that joined forces with U.S. troops to fight al-Qaida during the Iraq War. They remain on the Shiite-led central government's payroll for security forces, making them an occasional target for Sunni insurgents who consider them traitors.
One bomb, apparently planted by the side of the road, was the source of the initial blast. A second detonated as villagers rushed to help the victims of the first explosion, police said.
In the town of Dujail, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a tent set up to welcome mourners at the funeral of a local Shiite tribal leader.
Dujail mayor Naif al-Khazraji and Ali al-Haidari, a senior security official in the town, said the blast killed at least four and wounded four others. Al-Khazraji said those killed included a police captain who tried to shoot the bomber before he detonated his explosives.
Dujail is a predominantly Shiite town surrounded by mostly Sunni communities.
Shortly after unset, police said a bomb went off near a soccer field in the Shiite-majority town of Madain just south of Baghdad, killing 4 people and wounding 15 others.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Al-Qaida in Iraq frequently deploys car bombs and coordinated explosives, and often targets Shiites and security forces, including Sahwa members.
Police and hospital officials confirmed the casualties. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Earlier Friday, Iraqi officials raised the death toll from a series of bombings late Thursday that targeted soccer fans watching the Confederations Cup semifinal between Spain and Italy in cafes in and around Baghdad. They put the number of those killed at 36.
The deadliest attack, which killed 20 people, took place at a large cafe in the city of Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad. The assailants staggered the blasts, apparently so that the second one ? a car bomb ? would kill people rushing to help those hurt in the initial explosion. Rescue teams found several bodies only on Friday morning, police said.
Other attacks late Thursday struck cafes in Baghdad and the Shiite town of Jbala south of the capital.
___
Associated Press writers Adam Schreck and Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bombs-iraq-kill-19-people-182230039.html
brock lesnar kentucky jayhawks wwe wrestlemania oakland shooting mega millions winning numbers autism speaks
Saturday, June 29, 2013
A space shuttle's final mission: Atlantis opens to the public (+video)
The much-anticipated Atlantis exhibit - showcasing the last space shuttle to make a mission - will open at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Saturday.
Here's a quick look into the current state of the new Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit opening at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in June 2013.Space shuttle Atlantis will begin one last mission on Saturday ? and this is one on which we can join her.
Skip to next paragraph' +
google_ads[0].line2 + '
' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
The Atlantis exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, will open to the public on Saturday, after a Friday event that boasts some 50 astronauts on the guest list.
Some 60 displays and interactive simulators in the new, much-heralded exhibit will tell the story of the entire NASA shuttle program, which was closed in 2011. Those shuttles ? beginning with the April 1981 launch of shuttle Columbia and continuing with the journeys of shuttles Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour ? were the space ambassadors on which Americans pinned their celestial dreams for some three decades.
And so, in the center of it all, is the space shuttle Atlantis.
?Although the multimillion-dollar interactive exhibit encompasses much, much more than the display of Atlantis, there is no denying, she is truly the star of the show,? said Bill Moore, chief operating officer of the visitor complex. ?We know that this majestic beauty, which safely ferried men and women to space and back on 33 successful missions, is the real reason that our guests will travel thousands of miles ? to see her in all her glory."
Bathed in purple-blue light, the shuttle?s new 90,000-square-home looks part hanger, part space. Raised some 30 feet off the ground, the shuttle is tilted at a 43-degree angle, as it would be in flight. Its payload doors are open and its robotic arm is extended. Visitors can walk both under and around the shuttle on suspended bridges, like astronauts bobbing around their home.
?Atlantis is on display as she would be normally in flight. It?s the first time ever that a lot of people are going to see her this close,? Tim Macy, director of project development and construction for Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts, told Florida Today.
Alfred Morris weight watchers fandango google play Christmas Story after christmas sales case mccoy
Violence flares in Egypt before weekend protests
Egyptian protesters wave their hands and hold national flags during anti-President Mohammed Morsi demonstration in Tahrir Square, the focal point of Egyptian uprising in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 28, 2013. Tens of thousands of backers and opponents of Egypt's Islamist president held competing rallies in the capital Friday and new clashes erupted between the two sides in the country?s second largest city, Alexandria, in a prelude to massive nationwide protests planned by the opposition this weekend demanding Mohammed Morsi?s removal.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Egyptian protesters wave their hands and hold national flags during anti-President Mohammed Morsi demonstration in Tahrir Square, the focal point of Egyptian uprising in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 28, 2013. Tens of thousands of backers and opponents of Egypt's Islamist president held competing rallies in the capital Friday and new clashes erupted between the two sides in the country?s second largest city, Alexandria, in a prelude to massive nationwide protests planned by the opposition this weekend demanding Mohammed Morsi?s removal.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Supporters of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi fill a public square outside the Rabia el-Adawiya Mosque in Cairo, not far from the presidential palace, during a rally in Cairo, Friday, June 28, 2013. Tens of thousands of backers and opponents of Egypt's Islamist president held competing rallies in the capital Friday and new clashes erupted between the two sides in the country's second largest city, Alexandria, in a prelude to massive nationwide protests planned by the opposition this weekend demanding Mohammed Morsi's removal.(AP Photo)
Supporters of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi hold a rally in Cairo, Friday, June 28, 2013. Thousands of backers and opponents of Egypt's Islamist president held competing rallies in the capital Friday and new clashes erupted between the two sides in the country's second largest city, Alexandria, in a prelude to massive nationwide protests planned by the opposition this weekend demanding Mohammed Morsi's removal. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)
Opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi wane national flags as they demonstrate in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 28, 2013. Thousands of supporters of Egypt's embattled president are rallying in the nation's capital in a show of support ahead of what are expected to be massive opposition-led protests on June 30 to demand Mohammed Morsi's ouster.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans as fire rages at the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Alexandria, Friday, June 28, 2013. Thousands of backers and opponents of Egypt's Islamist president held competing rallies in the capital Friday and new clashes erupted between the two sides in the country's second largest city, Alexandria, in a prelude to massive nationwide protests planned by the opposition this weekend demanding Mohammed Morsi's removal.(AP Photo/Heba Khamis)
CAIRO (AP) ? Tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi rallied Friday in Cairo, and both sides fought each other in the second-largest city of Alexandria, where two people were killed ? including an American ? and 85 were injured while at least five offices of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood were torched, officials said.
The competing camps were trying to show their strength before even bigger nationwide protests planned by the opposition Sunday ? the first anniversary of Morsi's inauguration ? aimed at forcing his removal.
The opposition says it will bring millions into the streets across Egypt, and more violence is feared. Already, six people have been killed in clashes this week, including Friday's deaths.
The Cairo International Airport was flooded with departing passengers, an exodus that officials said was unprecedented. All flights departing Friday to Europe, the U.S. and the Gulf were fully booked, they said.
Many of those leaving were families of Egyptian officials and businessmen and those of foreign and Arab League diplomats ? as well as many Egyptian Christians, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.
The U.S. State Department warned Americans against all but essential travel to Egypt, citing the uncertain security situation. It also said it would allow some nonessential staff and the families of personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to leave until conditions improve.
Opposition protesters in Alexandria broke into the local headquarters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and set fires, throwing papers and furniture out the windows.
For several days, Brotherhood members and opponents of Morsi have battled in cities in the Nile Delta. With Friday's deaths, at least six have been killed this week.
"We must be alert lest we slide into a civil war that does not differentiate between supporters and opponents," warned Sheik Hassan al-Shafie, a senior cleric at Al-Azhar, the country's most eminent Muslim religious institution.
Morsi opponents massed in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protests in 2011 that ousted longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. The crowd shouted, "Leave, leave" ? this time addressing Morsi. Tents were put up on the grass in the middle of the historic square.
Dozens of protesters also gathered at the gates of the presidential palace in the Heliopolis neighborhood of Cairo, urging him to resign, Egypt's state news agency reported.
At the same time, tens of thousands of Morsi supporters, mainly Islamists, filled a public square outside the Rabia el-Adawiya Mosque, not far from the palace. Islamist parties have decided to hold a sit-in.
"They say the revolution is in Tahrir," said young activist Abdel Rahman Ezz, a Morsi supporter who addressed the crowd. "It is true the revolution started in Tahrir. But shamefully, today the remnants of the old regime are in Tahrir. The revolutionary youth are here."
The palace is one of the sites where the opposition plans to gather Sunday and has been surrounded by concrete walls.
In Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast, fighting began when thousands of anti-Morsi demonstrators marched toward the Brotherhood's headquarters, where up to 1,000 supporters of the president were deployed, protecting the building.
When an unidentified person on Islamist side opened fire with birdshot on the marchers, and the melee erupted, according to an Associated Press cameraman. Security forces fired tear gas at the Brotherhood supporters, but when the two sides continued battling, they withdrew. Protesters later broke into the building and began to trash it. Online video posted by witnesses showed a protester carrying a gun who appeared to be shooting at the Brotherhood building.
Alexandria security chief Gen. Amin Ezz Eddin told Al-Jazeera TV that an American was killed in Sidi Gabr Square while photographing the battle. The U.S. Embassy told The Associated Press it was trying to confirm the report.
A medical official said the American died of gunshot wounds at a hospital. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The Alexandria health department reported an Egyptian also died from a gunshot wound to the head. It was not immediately known if that victim was a Morsi opponent or supporter.
The country witnessed a wave of attacks against Muslim Brotherhood offices across the country. The Brotherhood's media spokesman, Gehad el-Haddad, said on his Twitter account that eight of his group's headquarters were attacked and looted, and two were burned down.
He accused thugs, remnants of the old regime, including members of Mubarak's disbanded National Democratic Party of being behind the attacks.
Much of the violence was in the provinces of the Nile Delta, north of Cairo.
Protesters stormed an office of the Brotherhood, attacked members inside, injuring 10, and set the office on fire in the city of Shubrakheit, the state news agency said. Others stormed a Brotherhood office in the coastal city of Baltim, destroying electronic equipment, and another of the group's branches was torched in the city of Aga.
Hundreds of protesters in the city of Bassioun threw stones at Freedom and Justice Party offices, tearing down the party sign.
The Brotherhood says at least five of those killed this week were its members. Some people "think they can topple a democratically elected President by killing his support groups," el-Haddad said earlier on his Twitter account.
There were reports of violence from the Islamist side in the Delta as well.
At least six people were injured when an anti-Morsi march was attacked by the president's supporters in the city of Samanod, according to a security official. Attackers fired gunshots and threw acid at the protesters as they passed the house of a local Brotherhood leader, the official said.
In the city of Tanta, four men believed to be Morsi supporters tried to attack a mosque preacher during his sermon, in which he called on worshippers to stand with Al-Azhar's calls to avoid bloodshed.
In Qalioubia, north of Cairo, "popular committees" charged with managing traffic stopped a caravan of more than 90 Islamists heading to Cairo, according to a security official. The group, traveling in a bus and three minibuses, carried Molotov cocktails, clubs and gas cans, the official said.
One small bus escaped, but the others were turned over to police, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to talk with the press.
In the Suez Canal city of Port Said, an explosion left one dead and several others wounded at an opposition rally, a security official said. But the official and a witness said the blast was caused by a butane canister hit by fireworks.
In the southern city of Minya, a stronghold of hardline Islamic groups, a security official said that men affiliated to the Gamaa Islamiya group, a Brotherhood ally, fired in the air while an opposition rally was marching in the street, causing panic.
Each side has insisted it is peaceful and will remain so Sunday, blaming the other for violence.
Tamarod, the activist group whose anti-Morsi petition campaign evolved into Sunday's protest, said in a statement it opposed "to any attack against anybody, whatever the disagreement with this person was," and accused the Brotherhood of sparking violence to scare people from participating Sunday.
Tamarod says it has collected nearly 20 million signatures in the country of 90 million demanding Morsi step down.
"We are against Morsi because he does not govern in the name of the Egyptian people, but in the name of the Brotherhood group," said Ayed Shawqi, a teacher at an anti-Morsi rally in Alexandria.
Outside the Rabia el-Adawiya Mosque, the pro-Morsi crowd waved Egyptian flags while speakers addressed them from a stage. A banner proclaimed, "Support legitimacy," the slogan Morsi's supporters have adopted, arguing that protests must not be allowed to overturn an elected president.
They also waved the Brotherhood's flag ? a green banner with two swords ? and carried Morsi posters and portraits.
"This is a revolution, and there is no other one!" they chanted. Speakers onstage praised the military and the crowd responded with, "The army and the people are one hand," seeking to keep the military on the side of the president.
"Those who burn and those who kill are the traitors of this nation," Brotherhood preacher Safwat Hegazi told the crowd. "Mr. President, use a heavier hand, your kind heart won't be any use. ... We want to complete our revolution and purify our country."
Assem Abdel-Maged, leader of the formerly militant Gamaa Islamiya group, threatened to "sever heads" of opposition supporters if they attacked the military. Rafai Taha, one of the leading figures of Gamaa Islamiya, was also onstage, next to Brotherhood leaders.
In his Friday sermon, the cleric of Rabia el-Adawiya warned that if Morsi is ousted, "there will be no president for the country," and Egypt will descend into "opposition hell."
Pro-Morsi marchers ? many wearing green headbands with the slogans of the Muslim Brotherhood ? chanted religious slogans. "It is for God, not for position or power!" they shouted. "Raise your voice high, Egyptian: Islamic Shariah!"
The anti-Morsi demonstrators in Tahrir Square also waved Egyptian flags. They cheered, clapped, whistled and chanted, "Egypt, Egypt, Egypt. Long live Egypt!" and "The people want the fall of the regime," a phrase heard repeatedly in 2011.
One banner depicted President Barack Obama and said, "Obama supports terrorism."
___
Associated Press writer Steve Negus and Mohammed Khalil of Associated Press Television News contributed to this report from Alexandria.
Associated Pressnike nfl uniforms ben and jerrys free cone day tornado in dallas texas the island president the maldives harper lee mega millions numbers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)