Sears, Penney sever ties with Paula Deen

NEW YORK (AP) ? Paula Deen's media and merchandising empire is collapsing.

Sears, J.C. Penney and Walgreen said Friday that they're cutting ties with Deen, adding to the growing list of companies severing their relationship following revelations that the Southern celebrity chef used racial slurs in the past.

Meanwhile, Deen's publisher has canceled a deal with her for multiple books, including an upcoming cookbook that was the No. 1 seller on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.

Ballantine Books said Friday it would not release "Paula Deen's New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up," which was scheduled for October and was the first of a five-book deal announced early last year. Interest in it had surged as Deen, who grew up in Albany, Ga., and specializes in Southern comfort food, came under increasing attack for acknowledging she had used the N-word.

Ballantine, an imprint of Random House Inc., said it decided to cancel the book's publication after "careful consideration." It had no comment beyond what was in its brief statement, spokesman Stuart Applebaum said.

Sears Holdings Corp. said it will phase out all products tied to the Paula Deen brand after "careful consideration of all available information."

"We will continue to evaluate the situation," said the parent company of Sears and Kmart stores.

Both Sears and Kmart sold Paula Deen products.

In an email statement to The Associated Press, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. said it will stop selling Deen-branded products.

Walgreen Co. said it was phasing out Paula Deen-branded products, which include tortilla chips and a selection of soups.

QVC took a more gentle approach on Friday and said that it has decided to "take a pause" from Deen. The home shopping network said that Deen won't be appearing on any upcoming broadcasts, and it will phase out her product assortment on its online sales channels over the next few months.

"We all think it's important, at this moment, for Paula, to concentrate on responding to the allegations against her and on her path forward," said Mike George, QVC's president and CEO in a letter posted on the company's website.

But QVC left the door open for Deen to return. "Some of you wonder whether this is a 'forever' decision ? whether we are simply ending our association with Paula," continued George. "We don't think that's how relationships work. People deserve second chances."

Deen issued her own statement that was posted on QVC's webpage. "As you know, I have some important things to work on right now, both personally and professionally. And so we've agreed that it's best for me to step back from QVC and focus on setting things right

The developments are the latest blows dealt to Deen since comments she made in a court deposition became public.

Earlier this week, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp. and Home Depot all announced that they plan to stop selling cookware and other items with Deen's brand.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Novo Nordisk said it and Deen have "mutually agreed to suspend our patient education activities for now." Deen had been promoting the company's drug Victoza since last year, when she announced she had Type 2 diabetes

On Monday, pork producer Smithfield Foods dropped her as a spokeswoman.

Caesars Entertainment also announced that Paula Deen's name is being stripped from four buffet restaurants owned by the company. Caesars said that its decision to rebrand its restaurants in Joliet, Ill.; Tunica, Miss.; Cherokee, N.C.; and Elizabeth, Ind., was a mutual one with Deen.

Last week, the Food Network said that it would not renew her contract.

The stakes are high for Deen, who Forbes magazine ranked as the fourth highest-earning celebrity chef last year, bringing in $17 million. She's behind Gordon Ramsay, Rachael Ray and Wolfgang Puck, according to Forbes.

Paula Deen Enterprises, which spans from TV shows to cookware and furniture, generates total annual revenue of nearly $100 million, estimates Burt Flickinger III, president of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group.

But Flickinger estimates she could lose up to 80 percent of her business by next year as suppliers extricate themselves from their agreements.

Not every company Deen does business with has severed ties. Among other stores that sell her products, Kohl's Corp. declined to comment, while Macy's Inc. said Thursday that it continues to "monitor the situation."

Hoffman Media LLC, the publisher of "Cooking with Paula Deen" magazine, announced Friday that it will continue publishing her bi-monthly publication.

"Hoffman Media has worked closely with Ms. Deen since 2005," said Eric Hoffman, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Hoffman Media in a statement. "The recent images portrayed by the media do not reflect the person we know on a personal or a professional level."

___

AP National Writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report

Follow Anne D'Innocenzio on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sears-penney-sever-ties-paula-deen-194710329.html

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BlackBerry ships 6.8 million smartphones but loses $84 million in Q1 2014

Every quarter is pivotal for BlackBerry right now, but the one covered by today's earnings report (Q1 2014, in fiscal terms) is especially important. It's the first full period of Z10 availability and also the first quarter to cover significant Q10 shipments to markets like Canada and the UK (although not the US). So far, it's a mixed bag: revenues are up to $3.1 billion, compared to $2.8 billion generated in the same quarter last year, which was when RIM (as it was called back then) announced significant job cuts and an equally major delay to its next-gen BB 10 operating system and hardware range. However, none of that was retained as profit, and in fact BlackBerry made a GAAP loss of $84 million, compared a $125 million profit last quarter.

Developing...

Filed under: Cellphones, Blackberry

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/28/blackberry-q1-2014-earnings/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Feds: Internet influenced Boston bombing suspect

BOSTON (AP) ? What Dzhokhar Tsarnaev needed to learn to make explosives with a pressure cooker was at his fingertips in jihadist files on the Internet, according to a federal indictment accusing him of carrying out the bombings at the Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured dozens more.

Investigators have been trying to determine whether Tsarnaev's older brother, Tameran who was killed while the two were on the run after the bombing, was influenced or trained by Islamic militants during a trip overseas. But the indictment released Thursday against 19-year-old Dzhokhar makes no mention of any overseas influence.

Before the attack, according to the indictment, he downloaded the summer 2010 issue of Inspire, an online English-language magazine published by al-Qaida. The issue detailed how to make bombs from pressure cookers, explosive powder extracted from fireworks, and lethal shrapnel.

He also downloaded extremist Muslim literature, including "Defense of the Muslim Lands, the First Obligation After Imam," which advocates "violence designed to terrorize the perceived enemies of Islam," the indictment said. The article was written by the late Abdullah Azzam, whose legacy has inspired terrorist attacks in the Middle East.

Another tract downloaded ? titled "The Slicing Sword, Against the One Who Forms Allegiances With the Disbelievers and Takes Them as Supporters Instead of Allah, His Messenger and the Believers" ? included a foreword by Anwar al-Awlaki, an American propagandist for al-Qaida who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011.

The 30-count indictment provides one of the most detailed public explanations to date of the brothers' alleged motive ? Islamic extremism ? and the role the Internet may have played in influencing them.

"Tamerlan Tsarnaev's justice will be in the next world, but for his brother, accountability will begin right here in the district of Massachusetts," Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley, whose jurisdiction includes Boston, said at a news conference with federal prosecutors on Thursday.

The indictment contains the bombing charges, punishable by the death penalty, that were brought in April against Tsarnaev, including use of a weapon of mass destruction to kill. It also contains many new charges covering the slaying of an MIT police officer and the carjacking of a motorist during the getaway attempt that left Tamerlan Tsarnaev dead.

U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz of Massachusetts said Attorney General Eric Holder will decide whether to pursue the death penalty against Tsarnaev, who will be arraigned on July 10.

Three people were killed and more than 260 wounded by the two pressure-cooker bombs that went off near the finish line of the marathon on April 15.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured four days later, hiding in a boat parked in a backyard in Watertown, Mass.

According to the indictment, he scrawled messages on the inside of the vessel that said, among other things, "The U.S. Government is killing our innocent civilians," ''I can't stand to see such evil go unpunished," and "We Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all."

The Tsarnaev brothers had roots in the turbulent Russian regions of Dagestan and Chechnya, which have become recruiting grounds for Muslim extremists. They had been living in the U.S. about a decade.

There was no mention in the indictment of any larger conspiracy beyond the brothers, and no reference to any direct overseas contacts with extremists. Instead, the indictment suggests the Internet played an important role in the suspects' radicalization.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev spent six months in Dagestan last year, and investigators traveled to the Russian province to talk to the men's parents and try to determine whether he was influenced or trained by local Islamic militants.

Christina DiIorio-Sterling, a spokeswoman for Ortiz, declined to comment on why the indictment did not mention whether authorities believe the elder Tsarnaev received any training during his stay in Russia.

The indictment assembled and confirmed details of the case that have been widely reported over the past two months, and added new pieces of information.

For example, it corroborated reports that Tamerlan Tsarnaev bought 48 mortar shells from a Seabrook, N.H., fireworks store. It also disclosed that he used the Internet to order electronic components that could be used in making bombs.

The papers detail how the brothers then allegedly placed knapsacks containing shrapnel-packed bombs near the finish line of the 26.2-mile race.

The court papers also corroborated reports by authorities that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev contributed to his brother's death by accidentally running him over with a stolen vehicle during a shootout and police chase.

The charges cover the slaying of Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, who authorities said was shot in the head at close range in his cruiser by the Tsarnaevs, who tried to take his gun.

In addition, prosecutors said that during the carjacking, the Tsarnaevs forced the motorist to turn over his ATM card and his password, and Dzhokhar withdrew $800 from the man's account.

At the same time the federal indictment was announced, Massachusetts authorities brought a 15-count state indictment against Dzhokhar over the MIT officer's slaying and the police shootout.

___

Tom Hays reported from New York.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/feds-internet-influenced-boston-bombing-suspect-063522205.html

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LG BP730

Blu-ray players have come a long way in a few years. It used to be that $300 would get you a "high-end" Blu-ray player that could load a disc in a minute and maybe access Netflix. Now nearly every Blu-ray player is connected, solid models are available for just over $100 (like our budget Editors' Choice, the Panasonic DMP-BDT230), and midrange models offer remarkably fast speeds. The LG BP730 is a $199.99 (list) Blu-ray player that doesn't just pack a ton of features into its attractive design, but loads discs consistently in less than 20 seconds.

The BP730 is very full-featured, with nearly every bell or whistle you could want for a Blu-ray player?save high-end home theater connections like the second HDMI port, analog surround audio outputs, or RS232C port found on the high-end Editors' Choice Oppo BDP-103. The BP730 supports Blu-ray, has built-in Wi-Fi a/b/g/n for accessing LG's Smart TV apps, and perhaps most interestingly, supports extensive smartphone integration: The player comes with an NFC sticker so you can connect your NCF-enabled smartphone to the player with a tap. LG's remote app can not only control the player and stream content to and from the player, but can turn your smartphone into a wireless headphone device for watching movies quietly.

Design
The Blu-ray player's design is black and angular, measuring 1.6 by 16.9 by 7.8 inches (HWD) and weighing a solid three pounds. It consists of a brushed metallic black top half and a glossy black lower half that holds the controls and display. Instead of a disc tray, the player uses a slot-loading optical drive located on the left half of the player, on the seam between the brushed and glossy black halves. The right half holds on the glossy black part facing up a row of touch-sensitive LED-backlit controls, and on the glossy black part facing forward a blue LED display and a USB port covered by a small door. The back of the player holds a minimum of ports: an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and an optical audio output.

Remote and Features
Instead of a conventional remote, the BP730 comes with a curved Magic Remote similar to the remotes that come with LG's connected HDTVs. It's dominated by a large navigation pad with a scroll wheel that doubles as a main button, and features only a few other buttons including playback controls and four color buttons. The remote works as a motion controller, moving an on-screen cursor in addition to the standard navigation pad menu item selection. I've complained about LG's Magic Remote in the past because of the scroll wheel doubling as a button, but the scroll wheel on this remote is much stiffer than previous remotes, so I found myself almost never accidentally pinning the wheel with my thumb when pressing the button.

LG's Smart TV system gives the BP730 loads of online content. Not only does it have a wide selection of online services in its Premium menu including Netflix and Hulu Plus, but it has a library of smaller and more specialized apps on top of them. It also features a Web browser that is made easier to use with the on-screen cursor and the Magic Remote, even if typing remains clunky. With DLNA support and app-based remote control and media streaming support for mobile devices, the BP730 can display your media regardless of how you want to access it. The only thing it seems to miss on this front is an SD card slot, though the USB port can be used to access your media that isn't networked.

Performance
The BP730 is blazingly fast. I tested its speed by taking the average load times of three Blu-ray discs (in this case, Piranha, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Black Swan) six times each from inserting the disc to first showing information on the screen. Between the three discs, the BP730 took an average of 15 seconds to start playing, and even the slower-than-usual?Black Swan clocked in at 18.7 seconds, with a particularly sluggish 22.5 load time the first time I put the disc in. For comparison, the Panasonic DMP-BDT230 took an average of 17.3 seconds to load a disc.

We test Blu-ray player video processing with the HQV 2.0 benchmark Blu-ray disc, and the BP730 passed all video tests with flying colors. It handled both 30fps video and 24fps film footage easily, and showed little to no judder or tearing from horizontal motion.

The LG BP730 is a shining example of how far Blu-ray players have come in the last few years. It's loaded with features, takes about 15 seconds to load most discs, and handles any video format you throw at it without processing issues. Since it's missing certain ports and connections, it doesn't quite have the flexibility to integrate into a complicated, high-end home theater system. But at $200 it's easily our new midrange Editors' Choice for Blu-ray players. You can save some money with the Editors' Choice budget Panasonic DMP-BDT230, but the BP730's extra features and slightly quicker performance are worth the extra cash.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/S3jJ6Nc8IRA/0,2817,2420893,00.asp

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Activists say death toll in Syria now tops 100,000

BEIRUT (AP) ? The civil war in Syria has now killed more than 100,000 people, a grim new estimate Wednesday that comes at a time when the conflict is spreading beyond its borders and hopes are fading for a settlement to end the bloodshed.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has been tracking the death toll through a network of activists in the country, said most of the 100,191 killed in the last 27 months were combatants.

The regime losses were estimated at nearly 43,000, including pro-government militias and 169 fighters from the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group ? a recent entrant in the conflict.

The Observatory said 36,661 of the dead are civilians. Recorded deaths among the rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad reached more than 18,000, including 2,518 foreign fighters.

Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said he suspected that the toll actually was higher, since neither side has been totally forthcoming about its losses.

The United Nations recently estimated that 93,000 people were killed between March 2011, when the crisis started, and the end of April 2013, concurring with Abdul-Rahman that the actual toll is likely much higher.

The Syrian government has not given a death toll. State media published the names of the government's dead in the first months of the crisis, but then stopped publishing its losses after the opposition became an armed insurgency.

Abdul-Rahman said that the group's tally of military deaths is based on information from medical sources, records obtained by the group from state agencies and activists' own count of funerals in government-held areas of the country. Other sources are the activist videos showing soldiers who were killed in rebel areas and later identified.

The new estimate comes at a time when hopes for peace talks are fading. The U.N.'s special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said Tuesday an international conference proposed by Russia and the U.S. will not take place until later in the summer, partly because of opposition disarray.

Regime forces are pushing into rebel-held areas in an attempt to secure the seat of Assad's power in the capital of Damascus and along the Mediterranean coast in the heartland of the Alawites, an offshoot of Shiite Islam to which Assad belongs.

The offensive, along with new reports that Assad has used chemical weapons in 10 different incidents in the conflict, also prompted Washington and its allies to declare they have decided to arm the rebels.

On Wednesday, the Observatory said the regime drove rebels out of the town of Talkalakh, along the border with Lebanon. The town, which had a predominantly Sunni population of about 70,000 before the conflict, is surrounded by 12 Alawite villages located within walking distance of the Lebanon border.

The government takeover will likely affect the rebels' ability to bring supplies, fighters and weapons from Lebanon.

The town also lies on the highway that links the city of Homs to Tartus, in the coastal Alawite enclave that is home to one of Syria's two main seaports.

Syrian state TV showed soldiers patrolling the streets of Talkalakh, inspecting underground tunnels and displaying weapons seized from the opposition.

The governor of Homs, Ahmed Munir, told the private Lebanese broadcaster al-Mayadeen that some rebels in Talkalakh handed their weapons over to authorities. He said the town was a major area for infiltrators from Lebanon.

"Talkalakh is clear of weapons," Munir said.

Southeast of Talkalakh, government forces also took control of the village of Quarayaten on a highway that links the rebels to another supply route from Iraq, according to an activist who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety.

The regime victories are likely to help it advance on rebel-held areas of the city of Homs, he said. The activist, who is connected to rebels in Homs, spoke by Skype.

The main opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, urged the U.N. to help civilians in Talkalakh open routes to facilitate the rescue of women, children, the elderly and the wounded.

The fighting has increasingly taken on sectarian overtones. Sunni Muslims dominate the rebel ranks while Assad's regime is dominated by Alawites, and has been backed by Hezbollah fighters, particularly in towns near the Lebanese borders.

The conflict has also polarized the region. Several Gulf states, including Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia, back the rebels. Shiite powerhouse Iran is a major Assad supporter.

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi lashed out at Saudi Arabia after that country condemned Damascus for enlisting fighters from its Lebanese ally in its struggle with rebels.

The remarks by al-Zoubi were carried late Tuesday by the state agency SANA after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Jiddah and condemned Assad for bolstering his army with fighters from Hezbollah. Prince Saud charged that Syria faces a "foreign invasion."

Al-Zoubi fired back, saying Saudi diplomats have blood on their hands and are "trembling in fear of the victories of the Syrian army."

___

Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue and Barbara Surk in Beirut contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/activists-death-toll-syria-now-tops-100-000-201432503.html

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Sprint launching Samsung ATIV S Neo with unlimited LTE for $150 after rebate this summer

There may not be too many mobile-focused surprises at Microsoft Build, as Sprint has just let slip its two biggest pieces of news. In addition to HTC's 8XT, the company will carry Samsung's latest Windows Phone 8 handset, the ATIV S Neo at some point in the near future. The ATIV S followup comes with a 4.8-inch HD display, a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM and a 2,000mAh battery, as well as unspecified WiFi, NFC and Bluetooth features. There's no word about on-board storage, but the release specifically mentions a microSD card slot, so we'd assume you can add either 32 or 64GB more storage to the unit.

On the imaging front, there's an 8-megapixel primary camera with an LED flash, as well as a 1.9-megapixel front-facing lens with "Manga Camera" and "Beauty Shot" apps to transform your selfies and smooth away those wrinkles. The phone will also have "international roaming," meaning that owners won't suffer the pain of traveling to CDMA-phobic parts of the world like Europe. Dan Hesse's big Yellow Network isn't talking about a release date beyond "summer," but when this handset does make it to stores, it'll set you back $149.99 with a two-year, unlimited LTE deal after the customary $50 mail-in rebate.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Microsoft

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/NpajW-mkbGw/

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Sony Xperia Z Ultra: hands-on with a 6.4-inch Android phone (update: video)

Sony's been explaining the design story behind its new Xperia range at a UK briefing, how it's trying to balance both the dematerialization of tech (touchscreens, gesture interfaces) and a design that's both desirable and beautiful -- and Sony's certainly got the latter down on its new smartphone. The Xperia Z Ultra follows the lines of the rest of the Z series. It has the same "OmniBalance" plane, uniform screen surface, but this time it measures in at 6.4 inches across, but still running at 1080p resolution. Yep, it does feel substantially bigger than the original Xperia Z -- check out our comparison gallery, the new Ultra model dwarfs it. You're looking at a screen width almost identical to a passport and that 6.5mm profile helped fit it into pockets. We managed to cram it into our trouser pockets without an issue. It's certainly a bigger device than the likes of LG's Optimus G Pro or Samsung's Galaxy Note II and you're going to have to test it out for yourself to see if you'd be willing to talk into this Xperia like phone -- it's going to catch the eye.

There's also Qualcomm's notable Snapdragon 800 powering the device on a relatively large 3,000mAh battery, while Sony's simplified the design dropping a few of those much-maligned protective flaps, at least on the headphone socket. There are more impressions and a hands-on video after the break!

Gallery: Sony Xperia Z Ultra hands-on

Gallery: Sony Xperia Z Ultra vs. Xperia Z... fight!

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/25/sony-xperia-z-ultra-hands-on/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Negative Life Events and Amphetamine Addiction | Amphetamine ...

Addiction can cause significant problems that can continue to impact an addict for years. Learning to overcome these events can greatly improve an addict?s life, self-esteem and health, so seek professional help to foster recovery. If you try to quit a dangerously addictive drug without help, you can easily threaten the safety of yourself or others. Therefore, professional help will not only address your drug addiction, but it will also address whatever issues led to your drug abuse in the first place. This will give you strong chances of maintaining sobriety long into the future.

How Past Experiences Impact Life

Past experience and events can haunt people for years to come, especially in the following ways:

• Repairing relationships
• Obstacles
• Self-image

Past experiences could have damaged important relationships, and improving them can be extremely difficult. Secondly, because of your past experiences with addiction, you may have to fight through obstacles such as legal consequences or even jail time. Jail time may also affect the jobs an addict can acquire, thereby having consequences that last even longer than expected. Lastly, self-image is extremely important to someone?s health, so a poor self-image can follow an individual for years afterwards. Self-image may not only be how the addict sees herself, but also how others perceive her. Once an individual labels herself an addict, overcoming that obstacle may take years.

How Amphetamine Addiction and Negative Life Events Affect Your Future

Addiction can impact both the present and the future, especially in the following ways:

• Unstable relationships
• Financial insecurity
• Low self-esteem

Consistently experiencing negative effects of an addiction can have a traumatic effect on relationships. For instance, abusing Amphetamines repeatedly, especially in spite the consequences, can cause others to avoid you and from being involved in your life. Also, addiction causes financial turmoil, so the longer addiction occurs, the worse someone?s financial standings may become. Finally, the mix of unstable relationships and financial insecurity can cause low self-esteem and confidence. Low self-esteem can cause an addict to continue to abuse amphetamines and encourage deeper drug use to cope with these feelings.

Amphetamine Addiction Treatment

If you or a loved one struggles with an addiction to amphetamines, then please call our toll-free helpline right now. We are here to help you in any way we can, and our phone counselors make it as convenient as possible to get help, because they are available 24 hours a day.

Source: http://www.amphetaminerisks.com/negative-life-events-and-amphetamine-addiction

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Refinancing Driving The Mortgage Market - Business Insider

Average rates on 30-year mortgages have risen about a point in the last month?though that still means they're very low compared with historical averages.

I sat down with Jed Kolko, chief economist at Trulia, to discuss how this will affect the ongoing recovery in housing. We also talked about which parts of the country have the best values for buying a home.

Watch below.

?

Produced by Justin Gmoser

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/refinancing-mortgage-rates-rising-trulia-jed-kolko-2013-6

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Italy court finds Berlusconi guilty on sex charges

MILAN (Reuters) - A Milan court sentenced former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Monday to seven years in jail and banned him from public office after finding him guilty of paying for sex with a minor and abusing his powers of office to cover up the affair.

The verdict adds to mounting complications facing Prime Minister Enrico Letta, whose fragile left-right coalition government is supported by Berlusconi's centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) party.

Berlusconi was found guilty of paying for sex with former teenaged nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug, better known under her stage name "Ruby the Heartstealer", during the now notorious "bunga bunga" sex parties at his palatial home near Milan.

The panel of three judges, all women, also found the 76 year-old former premier guilty of abuse of office by arranging to have her released from police custody when she was detained in a separate theft case.

Berlusconi will not have to serve any jail time unless the sentence is confirmed on appeal.

(Reporting By Silvia Aloisi)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italy-court-finds-berlusconi-guilty-sex-charges-153729068.html

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Exclusive: China Mobile, Etisalat weighing bids for Pakistan telco - sources

By Dinesh Nair and Matt Smith

DUBAI (Reuters) - Pakistan mobile operator Warid Telecom has been put up for sale by its Abu Dhabi owners and is likely to draw interest from China Mobile and Etisalat, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

The Abu Dhabi Group, a conglomerate led by a ruling family member in the oil-rich emirate, is seeking to sell all 100-percent of shares in Warid Telecom, two of the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The third source, however, said the company would also be prepared to sell a smaller controlling stake.

Pakistan's mobile telecommunications sector has five operators and is ripe for consolidation after a period when a troubled economy, increasingly high levels of market penetration and stiff competition has forced companies' margins lower.

The sellers have mandated U.S. investment bank Lazard and British lender Standard Chartered as advisers for the process, the sources said. One estimated a sale could fetch about $1 billion.

Walid Irshaid, the chief executive of Pakistan Telecommunications (PTCL), a unit of United Arab Emirates-based Etisalat, said the company is weighing a potential bid.

"We are interested to see if it makes sense for us, but it's not only us. Warid is an existing operator that has been here for many years and so we're saying 'let's look at the prospects,'" he told Reuters.

"There are too many players in Pakistan. Margins have eroded for everybody and the market must consolidate - we're all operating under low margins and low ARPU (average revenue per user) and that isn't long-term sustainable."

Warid Telecom declined to comment. China Mobile, which has increased its subscriber base by nearly three-quarters since 2010-11 and operates under the Zong brand, was not immediately for comment.

SHRINKAGE

Warid launched its cellular services in Pakistan in May 2005 and had 12.54 million subscribers at the end of March of this year, down from 17.39 million in 2010-11, making the company the country's smallest operator.

Pakistan's total subscriber base rose 12.2 percent to 122.1 million over the same period, meaning Warid's market share fell to 10.3 percent from 16 percent.

The other operators in Pakistan are Oslo-based Telenor and Orascom Telecom, which operates under the name Mobilink and is the sector leader. Neither was immediately available for comment.

PTCL's mobile business is under the Ufone brand, while it has a 95 percent share of the country's fixed line subscribers.

"The board (Warid Telecom) has been looking for a business partner to add value to Warid," a second source familiar with the matter said, adding China Mobile and Etisalat had both expressed interest in acquiring the company.

In 2007, Singapore Telcommunications bought a 30-percent stake in Warid for about $758 million. That stake purchase gave Warid Telecom an enterprise value of about $2.5 billion.

SingTel sold back that stake in January for $150 million and a right to receive 7.5 percent of the net proceeds from any future sale, public offering or merger of Warid.

The Abu Dhabi conglomerate also agreed to sell Warid Telecom's Uganda business to Bharti Airtel in April without revealing the financial details of the transaction.

Bharti recently agreed to buy the remaining 30 percent in Warid Telecom Bangladesh after taking a 70 pct stake in that business in 2010.

The Abu Dhabi Group, led by ruling family member Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak al-Nahayan, invests in emerging markets and also has large investments in Pakistan including Bank Alfalah Ltd, Al Razi Healthcare and Wateen Telecom.

(Additional reporting by Devidutta Tripathy in New Delhi and Lee Chyen Yee in Hong Kong; Editing by Patrick Graham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-china-mobile-etisalat-weighing-bids-pakistan-telco-101710902.html

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Is the 136-year-old London Metal Exchange ready for a woman CEO?

By Susan Thomas and Veronica Brown

LONDON (Reuters) - Whisper it: The next chief of the London Metal Exchange (LME), where only men take part in the shouted, testosterone-fuelled trading of materials like copper, may be a woman who prides herself on speaking softly.

Industry sources say Harriet Hunnable, managing director of metals at the CME Group , is among potential candidates to be LME chief executive when Martin Abbott leaves the post at the end of this year.

"That's a super compliment," Hunnable, said this week when asked about talk of her candidacy. "But I'm enjoying my role at CME group and I've got a lot of things to do here."

The self-described "most quietly spoken fix-it lady in the metals business" declined to comment further.

A new CEO appointment would come at a time of major upheaval at the 136-year-old institution - a legacy of Britain's former manufacturing clout - that remains the world's biggest marketplace for aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, tin and nickel.

The LME was sold to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing last year for $2.2 billion in a move reflecting China's new industrial prominence.

For now, men in business suits conduct often raucous "open-outcry" trading around a circular "ring" at the LME's Leadenhall St. headquarters in London's City business district, observing traditions that date to the exchange's coffee house origins.

There was a woman ring trader but she left.

Much trade on the LME is done electronically or by telephone, rather than in the ring itself, and women are active as traders, clients and exchange staff.

FIX-IT SKILLS MUCH NEEDED

Fix-it skills are much in need at the LME just now.

Fury is growing among its industrial clients, who blame the exchange for letting agonizingly long queues build up for material they have bought via the LME and want to withdraw from warehouses in the global network it oversees.

They say LME rules allow firms running warehouses to make money by building up big stocks and charging for storage while they deliver metal out at a limited rate.

"With Abbott, the big proponent of no change, leaving, the LME is in a better position to make changes to placate customers," one metals industry source said.

The issue of warehouse backlogs almost derailed the takeover last year.

The latest complaints this week came from The Beer Institute, which represents global brewers and their suppliers struggling to get aluminum for cans at a reasonable price.

It wants an end to the "restrictive and outdated warehousing rules and practices that are interfering with normal supply and demand dynamics" and changes to bring the LME's warehousing practices in line with other global commodity exchanges.

Meanwhile the CME, where Hunnable works, is looking at expanding its warehouse network as its COMEX copper contract eats into the LME's dominance in global copper futures.

"IT COULD BE A HE, IT COULD BE A SHE"

HKEx Chief Executive Charles Li, asked in Hong Kong about the search for a new LME head, replied: "It could be a he, it could be a she."

"Everything is on the table," he told Reuters on the sidelines of LME Week Asia, an industry gathering now under way in Hong Kong.

"We have some very, very high caliber individuals. We have a great franchise and we have great world class leaders. We are very lucky and we are in discussions."

With European regulators ready to impose new rules on financial markets, the LME's Chief Operating Officer Diarmuid O'Hegarty is well placed. A solicitor, he became LME executive director of regulation and compliance in 2004, deputy chief executive in 2008 and COO earlier this year.

"He is a strong contender," one metals industry source said.

Other possibilities are Martin Pratt, chief operating officer at metals trader Triland, and Gavin Prentice, former managing director and global head of sales for Marex Spectron.

But most sources say it's likely that the next CEO will come from another exchange.

Romnesh Lamba, HKEx co-head of global markets division, said the new CEO was unlikely to come from the Hong Kong exchange and he or she would have to meet British and European regulatory requirements. He ruled himself out as a contender.

(Additional reporting by Melanie Burton in Hong Kong; Editing by Anthony Barker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/136-old-london-metal-exchange-ready-woman-ceo-155706794.html

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Report: Economic well-being of US children slips

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) ? It wasn't so long ago that David Hutchinson spent a month sleeping under a bridge while his wife and young daughter spent their nights at a domestic violence shelter.

But this wasn't a case of domestic violence. The couple simply had no choice. There were just no shelters in Phoenix with room for another homeless family, and their top priority was finding a safe place for their daughter.

The family is one of many in the U.S. that have been trying to raise children in the face of joblessness and homelessness. An annual survey released Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows the number of children living in poverty increased to 23 percent in 2011, after the recession.

The Southwest has been hit particularly hard. New Mexico, for the first time, has slipped to worst in the nation when it comes to child well-being. More than 30 percent of children in the state were living in poverty in 2011 and nearly two-fifths had parents who lacked secure employment, according to this year's Kids Count survey.

Nevada is ranked No. 48, followed by Arizona. Mississippi, which has traditionally held last place, made slight improvements in early childhood education while reading and math proficiency for some students increased, putting the state at No. 49.

Overall, the report shows there have been gains in education and health nationally, but since 2005, there have been serious setbacks when it comes to the economic well-being of children.

"There's little doubt that things are getting worse," said Kim Posich, executive director of the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. "Aside from the fact the New Mexico economy has been so slow to turn around, the systems that generally serve people who are the working poor and suddenly lose their jobs or face greater hardship, all those systems have been strained beyond the max."

In Arizona, charities and government programs were cut during the recession, making it more difficult for families to get by and rebuild, said Dana Wolfe Naimark of the Children's Action Alliance in Phoenix.

"So many things were slashed just when people needed it the most," she said. "That is a key policy issue that we do have choices over. We can find ways to rebuild that investment. It's not OK to just throw up our hands and say, 'We can't.'"

According to the Kids Count report, a lingering concern is the effect of unemployment on children, particularly long-term unemployment. Researchers found that more than 4 million workers were unemployed for more than six months, and more than 3 million were without work for a year or more.

David Hutchinson and his family eventually ended up in Albuquerque. He has been looking for work for months. Finally, he landed a job just this week with a contractor who installs fire suppression systems.

"If I wasn't so crippled, I'd be doing backflips," he said, pointing to the rod and pins in his forearm, an injury that ended his career in the U.S. Navy.

His wife, Chelsea, said she knows her husband is ready to put aside any pain because the prospect of their family being able to move from Joy Junction, the shelter where they have been staying since December, hinges on a regular income.

William and Elimar Roper are in the same boat. They and their four children have been at the shelter for about a year. William just landed a job in the kitchen and Elimar has graduated from the shelter's recovery program, which helps those addicted to drugs or alcohol.

"We're happy because we've upgraded from being homeless to something that can help us stabilize. It's the first step," Elimar Roper said.

William Roper served in the U.S. Army for nine years and did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. After the military, he worked as a janitor and then lost his job. The family's savings soon ran out, leaving them homeless.

The Kids Count report shows the percentage of children whose parents don't have secure employment has been increasing. That's more than one-third of children in each of the four states at the bottom of the Kids Count list.

"Growing up in poverty, it just has these terrible repercussions and you see these associations with much lower rates of high school graduation, lower performance overall in school, much lower rates of college attendance and the cycle perpetuates," said Curtis Skinner, director of Family Economic Security at the National Center for Children in Poverty.

Skinner said the center's research is showing a troubling trend in the aftermath of the recession: Poverty rates are rising in what used to be the middle class, in two-parent households and in families where parents have college educations.

While there is a lag in the Kids Count data, officials in New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada believe some of their numbers will start to turn around in the coming years thanks to investments in education, particularly pre-kindergarten programs.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has pushed for doubling pre-K funding and funneling more money to early literacy and high school graduation efforts.

"Clearly, doing things the way they've always been done hasn't worked for our kids," said Enrique Knell, a spokesman for the governor. "And reform efforts must include ending the practice of setting our children up for failure by passing them on to the next grade level when they can't read."

The well-being of their children has been the motivating factor for both the Hutchinson and Roper families. They want something better for their kids, and they say things are starting to turn around.

"Finally, being to the point of stabilizing and being able to get the kids out of this environment, that's a good feeling," Elimar Roper said.

___

Online:

Kids Count Data Book: http://www.aecf.org/MajorInitiatives/KIDSCOUNT.aspx

National Center for Children in Poverty: http://www.nccp.org/

New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty: http://nmpovertylaw.org/

Joy Junction: http://www.joyjunction.org/

___

Associated Press writers Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas and Cristina Silva in Phoenix contributed to this report.

___

Follow Susan Montoya Bryan on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanmbryanNM

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-economic-well-being-us-children-slips-080704195.html

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Immigration bill faces major Senate hurdle

A major addition to the immigration bill that beefs up border security and effectively serves in part as a ?redo? of the legislation will face a crucial procedural vote in the Senate on Monday afternoon.

Written after a series of negotiations between Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Democratic Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota, the amendment is intended to ease concerns of skeptical lawmakers who are calling for tougher border enforcement as part of the bill.

The bill retains the language of the original one proposed by a bipartisan group of eight senators earlier this year, but adds 119 new pages, Corker says. While most of the language would remain the same, the Corker-Hoeven version strengthens security measures by nearly doubling the amount of security agents along the nation's borders. The bill would also mandate the construction of a fence stretching "no less than" 700 miles along the U.S. border with Mexico and provide funding for aerial surveillance of the area. The federal government will be required to meet a series of security benchmarks before immigrants living in the country illegally would be allowed to obtain permanent legal status.

?The American people want a strong, comprehensive immigration reform plan, but we need to get it right,? Hoeven said in a statement last week. ?That means first and foremost securing the southern border before we address other meaningful reforms to our immigration policy. They want to know that ten years from now, we won?t find ourselves in this same position, having to address the same problem.?

The Senate will vote on whether to end debate on the amendment, which will allow it to move on to final passage within the next few weeks.

Lawmakers rejected a similar (and less costly) amendment to the bill proposed by Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn last week by tabling the measure, so supporters of the new amendment hope it will serve as a new vessel to entice more Republicans to sign on to the bill.

The co-authors of the original immigration bill, including Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have spoken optimistically about securing as many as 70 votes for the final bill in the Senate, the number they think the bill needs to show the effort has wide bipartisan support. The bill is likely to get the support from 60 members needed to overcome a filibuster, but getting 70 would put pressure on the House?a chamber with a higher concentration of conservative lawmakers?to act.

?We?re very, very close to getting 70 votes," Graham said during a weekend interview on ?Fox News Sunday.?

The Senate is expected to hold the procedural vote on the Corker-Hoeven amendment at about 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/immigration-bill-faces-another-major-hurdle-senate-monday-151728618.html

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93% The Sapphires

All Critics (125) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (116) | Rotten (9)

The harmonies they strike in this reality-inspired charmer are sweetly sublime.

You could drive an Abrams tank through the film's plot holes, but you'll likely be too busy enjoying yourself to bother.

"The Sapphires" feels like a movie you've already seen, but it's nonetheless thoroughly enjoyable, like a pop song that's no less infectious when you know every word.

"The Sapphires" sparkles with sass and Motown soul.

Sapphires is hardly a cinematic diamond mine. But this Commitments-style mashup of music and melodrama manages to entertain without demanding too much of its audience.

Quite possibly the least original movie you'll see this summer -- and one of the most enjoyable.

The mood is so charming and the music so inspiring that you continually cut it a break.

By-the-numbers in every sense of the word, the film tracks a tried-and-true sort of triumph while featuring renditions of soul classics so bursting with energy and joy you won't care that the originality meter is leaning on empty.

Even when it seems contrived The Sapphires is a feel-good movie in the most positive meaning of that term, thanks to the Motown music and O'Dowd's cheeky charm. Like the Four Tops, I loved every sugar pie, honey bunch moment. I can't help myself.

Unfortunately, it has been turned into a routine and uninspiring movie, following a tired, old formula the entire way.

A surefire crowdpleaser with all the ingredients for the type of little-movie-that-could sleeper success that Harvey Weinstein has nurtured in years and award seasons past.

You've seen this story before, but never pulled off with so much joie de vivre.

They can put a song across just like the Dreamgirls. What's not to like?

Exuberant but fairly formulaic.

Doesn't always mix its anti-prejudice message and its feel-good nostalgia with complete smoothness. But despite some ragged edges it provides a reasonably good time.

Director Wayne Blair -- another veteran of the stage show -- finds his footing during the film's many musical numbers.

Despite the prosaic plot and reserved approach taken by Blair, Briggs, and Thompson, it's tough to get cynical about such a warmhearted picture that strives to tell so uplifting a story.

A movie with enough melody and camaraderie to cover up its lack of originality.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_sapphires_2012/

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How To Find The Right Teacher In Martial Arts | Content for Reprint

Author: Andrew Toth | Total views: 101 Comments: 0
Word Count: 1050 Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 2:05 PM

It goes without saying that not all teachers (of any subject) are equal and that is probably multiplied to the nth degree in the martial arts which doesn't allow for standardization to quite the same degree as other subjects might. There are of course ongoing attempts at standardization and classification but the martial arts are still very much of a melting pot and one is often left wondering who is teaching what and where did it come from.

Enter the beginner?

Given this prodigious output of styles and teachers, how is a beginner, who knows virtually nothing about the martial arts?how is such a person to find the right teacher?

And is that the right question?

Maybe there is no "right" teacher. Maybe the right teacher for me is not the right teacher for you.

So it can get a bit complicated?

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Questions such as these simply do not arise for most people. They join their neighborhood club, pay their fees, get graded a few times, get a nice colored belt maybe even a trophy or two, tell their friends they are a brown belt in such and such a style and?that is all they want. And I'm not here to argue with that, but?

If you're real serious, if martial arts is your reason for living, you will need to find the Right Teacher and that means that you will have to do some serious searching. Both internally and externally.

Why?

Because the Right Teacher will not appear miraculously on the horizon when you first decide to be the next Bruce Lee. And so, almost by default, beginners tends to think of their first teacher as THE RIGHT TEACHER! Which is understandable because they don't know any better. They have nothing to compare their first teacher to, so the first teacher is THE BEST. The beginner is totally convinced of that.

However, as time moves on the beginner may begin to experience some disquiet. Some things don't add up. The first teacher may be a bit overweight, or not as fit as he could be. Maybe he doesn't answer questions satisfactorily?but hey! nobody's perfect and all things considered the first teacher is still The Best, and that's all there is to it, right? Nonetheless there is talk...there is talk of another teacher down the road who is (blasphemy!) even better. The beginner puts all those preposterous notions aside of course, but...

There are now some cracks in the facade.

Not fatal, but it is through these cracks that the doubts seep in.

That, at least, is what happened to me. I was absolutely convinced that my first teacher was the best, but?I checked out the new teacher down the road (no harm in that, is there?). Then I joined up and started the cycle all over again. And then again and again and again?

I tried judo, ju-jutsu, Hsing-i, Pa-kua, Tai chi, Shaolin and a number of other styles the names of which I now forget. Nothing changed. The teachers were all promising to begin with and, truth be told, they were all quite capable in their own way and I learned a lot from each and every one of them but they were only technicians. They knew the techniques, and that is all they knew. And I wanted more, so I moved on. Just what I wanted I was still not sure of?

An astute reader will now see the obvious. One's Search, one's Quest, is part of one's over-all Training. A very important part. Why?

Because it is all part of a learning curve. You are learning not only new techniques but you are learning something infinitely more important: the Art of Discernment! The Art of separating the wheat from the chaff. The Art of separating the Real from the False?

And yes, it is also the Art of recognizing the Real Teacher when he or she finally appears.

You see, that is the secret. Finding the right teacher is only the half of it. Recognizing them to be such is by far the more difficult and important half.

Let me ask you a question: how often does a student find the right teacher and continue to walk on by and not know the difference?

It happens more often than you might think! I've seen it again and again and again!

The thing to bear in mind is that the Right Teacher may not be (and usually isn't) the Hollywood stereotype. The Right Teacher may be an unassuming little fellow who runs a little corner store, is disarmingly self-effacing and has maybe one or two students who are equally unimpressive. In short this is not really the sort of person who matches your mental image of a deadly warrior. Or he may be crude and rude and obnoxious. And (blasphemy again!) he may not have your best interests at heart!

In other words, not all Masters fit the Hollywood mold! You really do have to keep your wits about you on this because the Right Teacher will confound your expectations nearly every time!

The "secret" then is to keep training, keep looking and to develop the Power of Discernment so that you can see below superficial appearances. (This will stand you in good stead not only in your search for a teacher and but also when you are in a fight!)

There is a saying that when the student is ready, the Teacher will appear. And that will happen when the student has developed a keen sense of discernment.*

*Author's note: by discernment I do not mean cynicism. The "been there, done that" attitude will not help you find a Teacher and if perchance you do, that Teacher will not be interested in teaching you. Real discernment has a quality of humility: you don't know the answer, you don't even know if there is an answer, but you will not stop searching.

Andrew Toth is the author of the book, Shaolin Temple Kung Fu, which is arguably the most advanced book available on the subject of martial arts. It is a must for anyone who is serious about this subject. You can read it HERE

Related to: fighting - karate - ju-jitsu - tai chi - pa-kua - kung fu - shaolin - Mixed Martial Arts - martial arts

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Both these companies make great products, but they do so utilizing completely different technologies So which is best, and further more which is the better choice when considering purchasing a dive watch

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It is recommended that you buy boots before purchasing a pair of snowboard bindings. Finding the best-fitted boots makes it easier for you, since you can fit your snowboard bindings snugly without worrying about the shoes being too big or too small.

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5: Motorcycle History - The Honda CBR600 Series

The Honda CBR600 series has been touted as one of the best sport motorcycles in the industry. In fact, the Honda CBR600RR (the race replica version of Honda's CBRFx series motorcycles) has won every Supersport World Championship title from 2002 to 2008. But how did it all start? Here is a brief history of the Honda CBR600 series and how it has evolved throughout the years.

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Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/recreation-and-leisure/sports/how-to-find-the-right-teacher-in-martial-arts.htm

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Opponents And Allies Of Mitch McConnell Clash On The Airwaves

ABC News' Michael Falcone reports:

For a Senate race without an opposing candidate, there sure are a lot of television ads flying back and forth in Kentucky these days.

After two Democratic groups unleashed a volley of TV commercials this week attacking Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is up for re-election in 2014, the Senate Minority Leader is about to get a little help from his friends.

Namely, from an outside group called Kentuckians for Strong Leadership, a pro-McConnell super PAC that is planning to release a flight of ads next week to combat the latest Democratic assault.

According to a strategist with the group, Kentuckians for Strong Leadership is spending $260,000 on the ads, which will run on broadcast and cable in the state. That's roughly $10,000 more than what two Democratic groups, the Senate Majority PAC and an allied organization, Patriot Majority USA, spent on a new ad, unveiled on Thursday, which asks: "How long is too long in Washington?" and features a clip of McConnell saying he's lived on a government salary for three decades.

It's part of the groups' "30 Years Is Too Long" campaign, which promises "paid television and radio media, digital advertisements, mail, telephones, email, social media, research and a web presence" between now and Election Day 2014. (In March, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also paid for a series of anti-McConnell radio ads).

Kentuckians for Strong Leadership's ad won't be released until next week, but a Democratic strategist said news of the effort, "absolutely proves that McConnell knows he's vulnerable."

As far back as February, the McConnell campaign began running online videos, and later a series of television ads, in support of his re-election bid even though he does not yet have a viable Democratic opponent.

Ever since actress Ashley Judd passed on the race, all eyes have been on Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes as the most likely potential challenger but she has not announced her intentions.

The latest ad buys highlight the critical role outside groups are sure to play in marquee races across the country during the coming midterm election cycle as well as the millions that will likely be spent on both sides in the Kentucky Senate contest (assuming that elusive viable challenger to McConnell eventually emerges).

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/opponents-allies-mitch-mcconnell-clash-airwaves-123053828--abc-news-politics.html

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Erdogan quiets Istanbul with softer tone, but calm is likely to be brief

Prime Minister Erdogan temporarily placated Turkish protesters by pausing development of Gezi Park, but their grievances run deeper. It will take more to stop demonstrations for good.

By Jeremy Ravinsky,?Contributor / June 14, 2013

Protesters hold hands to isolate an area for others to attend prayers in Taksim square, Friday. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan softened his tone, telling Taksim Square's protesters that he has received their message and will at least temporarily halt plans for redeveloping Gezi Park.

Vadim Ghirda/AP

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? A daily roundup of global reports

Skip to next paragraph Jeremy Ravinsky

Contributor

Jeremy Ravinsky is an intern at the Christian Science Monitor's international desk. Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Jeremy has lived in Boston for a number of years, attending Tufts University where he is a political science major. Before coming to the Monitor, Jeremy interned at GlobalPost in Boston and Bturn.com in Belgrade, Serbia.

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Today, only a day after issuing his ?final? warning to Taksim Square?s protesters, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan softened his tone, telling them that he has received their message and will at least temporarily halt plans for redeveloping Gezi Park.

After a night of meetings with protest representatives, Mr. Erdogan announced in a speech that the future of Gezi Park, the issue that sparked two-week long anti-government demonstrations, will be decided by the courts, reports?the Guardian.

Although tensions across the country have eased since reaching a fever pitch earlier this week,?many believe that Erdogan?s bid to defuse the unrest won?t be enough to end the demonstrations. For many, the protests are about something much bigger than the issue of Gezi Park: the direction Turkey will take in the future.

Protests began two weeks ago, when a group of peaceful protesters staged a demonstration to attempt to stop the destruction of Gezi Park, one of Istanbul?s last green spaces, to make way for a mall and housing complex. After police violently broke up the sit-in, thousands more took to the streets to protest what they see has the increasingly authoritarian style of Erdogan?s rule and the gradual erosion of secular values by his Islam-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), says?the Los Angeles Times.

Protesters accuse Erdogan, who won 50 percent of the vote in his last election, of behaving like an autocrat and only representing those who voted for him. Much of the country feels increasingly alienated by controversial policies, such as limiting the sale of alcohol and birth control.

Though at first defiant, even going so far as to label the protesters as "terrorists," Erdogan came under increasing pressure after several brutal police crackdowns which resulted in injuries to some 5,000 people. Yesterday the European Parliament voted to condemn Turkey for its use of violence against the demonstrators. And according to?Today?s Zaman, Germany is seeking to suspend Turkey?s EU accession talks.?

Should the court rule in favor of the government, a referendum will be held over the fate of Gezi Park. But many protesters told The Christian Science Monitor this is not enough.

Demonstrators and others at odds with the government say they are skeptical of its commitment to conducting a free and fair referendum about the park. Many point out that Erdogan could have held such a vote?long before the situation escalated to clashes?between protesters and police.

?We don?t trust the results of these elections. Maybe they?ll change the results,? says Yasin Arslan, an aeronautical engineer now in Gezi Park.?

What?s more, it is not clear that Erdogan's concessions will end the demonstrations. According to Al-Monitor, the Taksim Platform ? a coalition of 80 NGOs leading the protests ? have stated that they will neither honor a referendum nor vacate the park.

This weekend, as protestors remain at their camps, the AKP will be holding mass rallies in Istanbul and Ankara, reports?Today?s Zaman. Widely believed to be displays of force to counter the anti-government protests, AKP officials claim that the rallies are simply a part of their campaign for 2014 municipal elections.

But as Bloomberg points out, opposition parties have called for their cancellation, fearing that the rallies will only stoke tensions.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/c3miSRhkXPI/Erdogan-quiets-Istanbul-with-softer-tone-but-calm-is-likely-to-be-brief

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Instagram video: Parents need not change their approach with the new feature

Instagram now has video (15 seconds compared to Vine's six). Parents need not develop a new approach to Instagram's new video feature, though, and ConnectSafely's guide to Instagram still holds up.?

By Anne Collier,?Guest Blogger / June 21, 2013

Instagram founder Kevin Systrom talks about an added video feature to the Instagram program at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., June 20.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

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Facebook?s little photo-sharing app just became a video-sharing app too. Whether they?re using Apple or Android phones, Instagram?s 130 million users can now simply pick whether that image they want to capture is better static or in motion, then click on either the little camera or videocam icon. If they go with video, they can capture up to 15 seconds (no looping over and over as in other video-sharing apps like Vine). The filters that have always added to the fun in this app are there for video too (13 of them for it), and they can pick the frame they want to use to represent that little video on their profile or wherever they share it. If their shooting isn?t very steady, there?s a pretty amazing feature called Cinema (for now just for iPhone 4s and 5) that stabilizes the video for them.

Skip to next paragraph Anne Collier

Guest Blogger

Anne Collier is editor of NetFamilyNews.org and co-director of ConnectSafely.org, a Web-based interactive forum and information site for teens, parents, educators, and everybody interested in the impact of the social Web on youth and vice versa. She lives in Northern California and has two sons.

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Everything else about this new addition is a lot like the photo part of Instagram ? which is almost more about illustrated conversations than mere photo-sharing. ?We?re still committed to making sure you have control over all of your content. Only the people who you let see your photos will be able to see your videos,? wrote Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom in the?IG blog. And we ConnectSafely folk have written a straightforward, 5-page?parents? guide to Instagram?that tells you how to help your kids keep it fun and constructive (we?re in the middle of updating it as I write this). Here?s coverage of the video announcement at?TechCrunch.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/hcqrt289UXk/Instagram-video-Parents-need-not-change-their-approach-with-the-new-feature

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