Wednesday, July 31, 2013

NSA phone spying document declassified

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration is declassifying documents about its telephone spying program to try to tamp down congressional opposition to domestic surveillance.

The documents will provide little solace, however, to Americans hoping to understand the legal analysis that underpinned the widespread surveillance.

And the redacted documents show only in broad strokes how National Security Agency officials use the data.

One particular type of analysis, called "hop analysis" is hinted at but never fully discussed. That allows to the government to search the phone records of not only suspected terrorists, but everyone who called them, everyone who called those people, and others who called them, as well.

With that authority, the government can search the records of millions of people in an investigation of one person.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nsa-phone-spying-document-declassified-134521303.html

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Changing Florida's Stand Your Ground law a tough hill to climb

TALLAHASSEE, Florida | Wed Jul 31, 2013 8:06am EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Every night for the last three weeks about 50 young protesters have slept on the stone floor of Florida's state Capitol building in a bid to change the state's Stand Your Ground self-defense law.

Calling themselves "Dream Defenders", and inspired by the 1960s African-American civil rights movement, the protesters want to change a law they blame for the acquittal this month of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

Their nights of sleeping in blankets and living off fast food are unlikely to lead to a repeal or major reform of Stand Your Ground, political analysts say.

Such a move is virtually out of the question in Florida's Republican-dominated legislature, according to analysts.

"Gun rights are big, especially with the blue dog Democrats that Republicans need in Florida," said Lance deHaven-Smith, a political scientist at Florida State University. "This law is not repealable. Certainly not by the present legislature."

"RETURN TO THE WILD WEST"

The Zimmerman case sparked a debate on Stand Your Ground legislation that in 2005 amended the statute governing Florida's self-defense law. The amendment allows a person in fear of serious injury to use deadly force to defend themselves rather than retreat. Jurors in Florida said the law left them no option but to acquit Zimmerman for the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager.

Martin's grieving parents, backed by African-American civic leaders, students and politicians, including Attorney General Eric Holder and President Barack Obama, all say the Stand Your Ground law needs to be re-examined.

"By allowing ? and perhaps encouraging ? violent situations to escalate in public, such laws undermine public safety," Holder told the convention of the NAACP earlier this month.

Some, including civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and singer Stevie Wonder, have gone further, calling for a boycott of Florida until the law is repealed.

Florida's self-defense law and the Zimmerman case are seen by many African Americans as emblematic of a lack of racial equality in the U.S. justice system. According to a study by the Tampa Bay Times, legal defense claims under Stand Your Ground were more likely to be successful when the victim was black.

Several groups, including the Martin family, say they are working on drawing up a Trayvon Martin Law to more narrowly define self-defense in cases that involve racial profiling.

The Dream Defenders - who have been joined in their nightly protest by the likes of activist/entertainer Harry Belafonte - say they won't leave until Florida Governor Rick Scott calls a special legislative session on the Stand Your Ground law.

Scott, a firm supporter of the law, is standing his ground and has rejected their demand after meeting them.

"This is just one tactic we have, focusing on the governor's office," said Phillip Agnew a young union activist from Miami who is the leader of the group. "We are also contacting legislators in their districts."

The National Bar Association, which represents African-American lawyers and judges, threw its weight behind the initiative on Monday and called for Scott to hold a special legislative session to review the Stand Your Ground law.

"Quite simply. You've given a license to kill, to shoot first and ask questions later. It's a return to the Wild West and Dodge City," said the association's president, John Page.

LAW'S SPONSOR TELLS FEDS "LEAVE US ALONE"

Florida became the first state in the country to adopt a Stand Your Ground law when it passed in 2005 with resounding bipartisan approval from Florida legislators, including some leading Democrats who now outspokenly oppose it.

Polls show the law still enjoys strong support in Florida and at least 21 states have since adopted similar laws, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.

Inspired by an outbreak of looting after a string of Florida hurricanes Florida in 2004, the law was meant to protect law-abiding citizens from prosecution for stopping a violent attack.

The law's leading sponsor says he has no regrets about the legislation despite the public outcry. Dennis Baxley, a conservative Republican state representative and staunch supporter of the National Rifle Association, said recent remarks by the president and Holder questioning the law were misplaced.

"It's not a federal issue and they need to leave us alone," Baxley, 60, told Reuters.

Advocates of the law say violent crime has fallen in the state since it was passed. At the same time, justifiable homicides in Florida have climbed to a record 66 cases in 2012 from an annual average of 13 between 2001 and 2005, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

After the Martin shooting, bills were introduced in Florida to repeal or scale-back the self-defense statute, but none even got a committee hearing.

Whatever happens in the legislature, Stand Your Ground is likely to remain a hot political issue headed into the 2014 electoral season. Democrats and Republicans are likely to make gun control and self-defense core issues, said Susan MacManus, a Tampa political scientist at the University of South Florida.

"One thing is for sure is that it's an issue that's not going to die down soon," she added.

(Additional reporting by Tom Brown; Editing by David Adams and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/topNews/~3/g825z-fcPN8/story01.htm

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Iran grants Syria $3.6 billion credit to buy oil products

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria and Iran signed a deal this week to activate a $3.6 billion credit facility to buy oil products to shore up President Bashar al-Assad's war battered economy, officials and bankers said on Wednesday.

The deal, which was agreed in May and will allow Iran to acquire equity stakes in investments in Syria, is part of Shi'ite Iran's broader support for Assad in his battle against a two-year insurgency by mainly Sunni rebels.

Tehran has already provided military assistance to Assad, training his forces and advising on military strategy. Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters have also bolstered counter-offensives against rebels around Homs and Damascus.

"This will help Syria to import petroleum products that the country needs," said a Syrian trade official, referring to the credit facility. Underlining the acute nature of Syria's financial problems, he said authorities had tried to set a ceiling of $4 billion on the deal.

Syria is short of diesel for its army and fuel to keep the economy running, partly because of U.S. and European Union financial sanctions imposed after the crackdown on protests at the start of the crisis. Its main supplier of petroleum products by sea has been Iran.

Another $1 billion credit line to Damascus has already been extended to buy Iranian power generating products and other goods in a barter arrangement that has helped Syria export textiles, phosphates and some agricultural produce such as olive oil and citrus products, trade officials say.

"This will allow Syria to import Iranian products up to this ceiling, with almost half to buy electricity equipment for the sector," the trade official, speaking by phone from Damascus, told Reuters.

Alongside the favorable deferred payment terms of those financing facilities, Damascus has been in talks for months to secure a loan of up to $2 billion with low interest and a long grace period, the official said.

STRONG SIGNAL OF SUPPORT

Syria's economy has been hurt by depletion of foreign reserves that were estimated at around $16-18 billion before the crisis. The country had been earning some $2.5 billion a year from oil exports before the crisis.

With the economy on a war footing and military costs spiraling, Syria has been forced to rely increasingly on new credit lines from its main allies. Russia, Iraq and China have provided support - sometimes in the form of barter deals - but not on the scale of this week's deal with Tehran.

Syria's Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil held talks in Moscow last week about a possible Russian loan to Damascus but no agreement has been announced yet.

The latest deal should also ease financial demands on an economy whose $60 billion GDP is estimated to have shrunk by around 30 percent since the conflict began two years ago.

"It's a strong psychological and political message of support from Iran. They are not just giving you a specific loan but they are giving you funds over a long period and (you can) draw as much as you want on items you choose," said Samir Aita, a prominent Syrian economist living abroad.

"The credit facility will allow Syria to spend much needed funds now tied up on other areas," he added.

Although the financing deal provides short-term relief for Syria, it will push up the long-term debt of a country that once prided itself on a low national debt, bankers say.

Bankers say the credit facilities, that will be channeled through the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria and Iran's Bank Saderat, could also reduce the mounting pressure on the Syrian pound by limiting the need to pay for imported products and foodstuffs with scarce foreign currency.

The pound has crashed as low as one-sixth of its pre-crisis value against the dollar, leading to rampant inflation. Currency traders say the pound plunged to 300 to the dollar earlier this month before recovering to around 200.

"There will be less demand on the dollar when the state gets oil products and flour from Iran and we export to them textiles and some foodstuffs," said Essam Zamrick, deputy head of the Damascus chamber of industry.

Last year Iran and Syria arranged a gasoline-for-diesel swap, but the loss of Syria's main oil producing areas in the east meant that Damascus no longer has the light crude it produced nor the extra gasoline and naphtha it used to export.

Nevertheless, Iran has steadily expanded longstanding economic ties with Syria to help it withstand Western economic sanctions and sealed a free trade deal that granted Syrian exports a low 4 percent customs tariff.

Tehran used to supply Damascus with up to a $1 billion worth of oil products on similar credit terms in the early 1980s before Syria became an oil producer.

BANK VAULTS

Last January, Tehran agreed during a visit by Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki to deposit $500 million in Syria's central bank vaults to prop up the local currency, banking sources say.

The latest credit facility deal was welcomed by a cash-starved business community that has little access to Western financial systems under sanctions.

"These credit facilities will help exporters and businessmen who are suffering from lack of credit and loans that have raised costs and led to a capital flight," said Zamrick.

The deal will also open the door to wider Iranian investments in infrastructure projects such as power plants and heavy industry.

Officials say Iran's strong political support will ensure it gets a lion's share of reconstruction projects, assuming Assad remains in power. Iran and Syria already have an existing car assembly plant, one of several multi-million dollar joint projects that began before the 2011 troubles.

Iranian firms have also been awarded more contracts in the power sector and have signed deals to construct several grain silos which will be financed through the expanded credit lines, one banking source said.

Under that credit financing deal, Syria has also received 250,000 tons of Iranian flour, easing bread shortages in government-held areas caused by the loss to rebels of almost half the northern city of Aleppo, where most of the country's milling capacity existed

(Editing by Dominic Evans and Giles Elgood)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-grants-syria-3-6-billion-credit-buy-164738882.html

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Jeff Bezos Ate My Hamster | FutureBook

Jeff Bezos Ate My Hamster | FutureBook

www.futurebook.net:

Sometimes you're damned if you do, sometimes you're damned if you don't but if you're Amazon it turns out you're just damn well damned.

Read the whole story at www.futurebook.net

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Filed by Andrew Losowsky ?|?

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    Why Didn't Liz Cheney Run for the Senate in Virginia?

    Republican officials are grumbling that Liz Cheney passed up an opportunity to run in her adopted state of Virginia, leaving the party empty-handed as it searches for a challenger against Sen. Mark Warner. Instead of taking one for the Republican team, she's sparked an intra-party war in Wyoming. And, some strategists say, her prospects would be slightly better running in a battleground state than waging a long-shot primary battle against a popular sitting senator.

    The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney grew up in Northern Virginia and lived there until last year. Her reputation as a hawk and stalwart supporter of the military would appeal to the state's significant population of veterans and its large defense industry, and her more-moderate positioning on divisive cultural topics such as gay marriage is tailor-made for swing voters in the Washington suburbs. Most Wyoming residents, according to one automated poll, think she'd be better off running in Virginia.

    Instead of trying to translate her anti-Obama message against a Republican, the message would make more sense against Warner, who has been a reliable ally of the Obama administration. Even if Warner looks unbeatable, Republicans could use a qualified candidate in Virginia. Few Republicans expect the party will recruit anyone stronger than a low-profile state legislator. Cheney, at the least, would have given the party a challenger who could have raised millions to make Warner work for a second term. ?

    But Cheney never seriously considered running in Virginia. Past and current officials at the National Republican Senatorial Committee say they never spoke with her about a campaign there (or anywhere else)?a sign they are fully aware of the baggage her last name carries throughout much of the country.

    Still, a party that insists it plans to take the fight to Democratic senators in swing states such as Virginia is left wondering if it can find a credible candidate to carry its banner next year. ?

    "I think it's unfortunate that millions of dollars in Republican donor money are going to be spent in a divisive Republican primary in a Republican state," said Brian Walsh, a GOP strategist and former communications director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "It certainly would be far more beneficial to have that money be used against holding Mark Warner accountable.?

    To be sure, Cheney would begin her hypothetical matchup with the state?s former governor as the race?s heavy underdog. A robust 61 percent of voters approve of the incumbent?s job performance, according to a mid-July poll from Quinnipiac University. Warner's unique popularity and the state?s rapidly changing demographics make the race an uphill climb for any Republican.

    That she's choosing to wage an intra-party battle against Enzi instead is a telling indication of how Republicans feel about defeating Warner. Of the many battleground states featuring Senate elections next year?Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire among them?Virginia is seen as the least likely to fall into GOP hands.

    But it's not as if her odds are much better against a popular Republican senator in Wyoming, either. Early polling of her looming battle with Enzi gives a pessimistic outlook for her chances. The Republican automated polling firm Harper Polling found the incumbent leading Cheney 55 percent to 21 percent. There's no ideological divide for Cheney to exploit, as successful conservative challengers have used against former Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar and Utah Sen. Robert Bennett. Enzi holds one of the most conservative voting records, according to National Journal's most recent vote ratings. And Cheney hasn't yet received the support from outside conservative groups that often comes with insurgent primary campaigns.

    "It's difficult to see her make the case to Republican primary voters that he should be replaced," Walsh said.

    Cheney's decision to run in Wyoming has been met with equal parts scorn and bewilderment?from her own party. The NRSC reiterated it was endorsing Enzi. Alan Simpson, a former senator from Wyoming, has said it will start a war within the party. Local editorial boards have mocked her campaign and suggested she run elsewhere. The Democratic automated polling firm Public Policy Polling found only one-third of Wyoming residents believe she is a true native of the state. ?

    Of course, Cheney had long focused on running for office in Wyoming, moving into the state last year. At the time, rumors were swirling that Enzi was poised to retire, which could explain why Cheney had called the senator a "friend" only months earlier. Her father, the former vice president, is still popular in Wyoming, having represented the state in Congress for a decade in the 1980s.

    That's not the case in battleground Virginia, where Liz Cheney's promised confrontational tone could backfire. Cheney has pinned her campaign's rationale on offering more vigorous opposition to Obama's agenda than Enzi.

    "I think it speaks volumes that she thinks a popular Republican incumbent in a red state is more beatable than a Democratic incumbent in a swing state," said Mo Elleithee, a Virginia-based Democratic strategist.

    Republican officials are grumbling that Liz Cheney passed up an opportunity to run in her adopted state of Virginia, leaving the party empty-handed as it searches for a challenger against Sen. Mark Warner. Instead of taking one for the Republican team, she's sparked an intraparty war in Wyoming. And, some strategists say, her prospects would be slightly better running in a battleground state than waging a long-shot primary battle against a popular sitting senator.

    The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney grew up in northern Virginia and lived there until last year. Her reputation as a hawk and stalwart defender of the military would appeal to the state's large defense industry, and her more-moderate positioning on divisive cultural topics like gay marriage is tailor-made for swing voters in the Washington suburbs. Even most Wyoming residents, according to one automated poll, think she'd be better off running in Virginia.

    But Cheney never seriously consider running in Virginia ? past and current officials at the National Republican Senatorial Committee say they never spoke with her about a campaign there (or anywhere else). And a party that insists it plans to take the fight to Democratic senators in blue states like Virginia is left wondering if it can find even a half-decent candidate to carry its banner next year. ?

    "I think it's unfortunate that millions of dollars in Republican donor money are going to be spent in a divisive Republican primary in a Republican state," said Brian Walsh, a GOP strategist and former communications director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "It certainly would be far more beneficial to have that money be used against holding Mark Warner accountable."

    To be sure, Cheney would begin her hypothetical matchup with the state's former governor as the race's heavy underdog. A robust 61 percent of voters approve of the incumbent's job performance, according to a mid-July poll from Quinnipiac University. His unique popularity and the state's rapidly changing demographics make the race an uphill climb for any Republican.

    That she's choosing to wage an intra-party battle against Enzi instead is telling indication of how Republicans feel about defeating Warner. Of the many battleground states featuring Senate elections next year ? Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado, and New Hampshire among them ? Virginia is seen as the least likely to fall into GOP hands.

    But it's not as if her odds are much better against a popular Republican senator in Wyoming, either. Early polling of her looming battle with Enzi gives a pessimistic outlook for her chances. The Republican automated polling firm Harper Polling found the incumbent leading Cheney 55 percent to 21 percent. There's no ideological divide for Cheney to exploit, as successful conservative challengers have used against former Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar and Utah Sen. Robert Bennett. Enzi holds one of the most conservative voting records, according to National Journal's most recent vote ratings.

    "It's difficult to see her make the case to Republican primary voters that he should be replaced," said Walsh.

    Cheney's decision to run in Wyoming has been met with equal parts scorn and bewilderment ? from her own party. The NRSC reiterated it was endorsing Enzi. Alan Simpson, a former senator from Wyoming, has said it will start a war within the party. Local editorial boards have mocked her campaign and suggested she run elsewhere. The Democratic automated polling firm Public Policy Polling found only one-third of Wyoming residents believe she is a true native of the state.

    Even if Warner looks unbeatable, Republicans need a qualified candidate should the political environment turn sharply against Democrats or if Warner should stumble personally.?

    Most Old Dominion Republicans consider the Senate race an afterthought during this year's heated race for governor. To the extent they think about it at all, they expect the party will fail to recruit anyone stronger than a low-profile state delegate or senator. Cheney, at the least, would have given the party a challenger who could have raised millions to make the Virginia contest a real race.

    Of course, Cheney had long focused on running for office in Wyoming, moving into the state last year. At the time, rumors were swirling that Enzi was poised to retire, which could explain why Cheney had called the senator a "friend" only months earlier.

    Her father, the former vice president, is still popular in Wyoming, havening represented the state in Congress for a decade in the 1980s.

    That's not the case in battleground Virginia, where both her father and Liz Cheney's promised confrontational tone won't play well. Cheney has pinned her campaign's rationale on offering more vigorous opposition to Obama's agenda than Enzi.

    "I think it speaks volumes that she thinks a popular Republican incumbent in a red state is more beatable than a Democratic incumbent in a swing state," said Mo Elleithee, a Virginia-based Democratic strategist.Republican officials are grumbling that Liz Cheney passed up an opportunity to run in her adopted state of Virginia, leaving the party empty-handed as it searches for a challenger against Sen. Mark Warner. Instead of taking one for the Republican team, she's sparked an intraparty war in Wyoming. And, some strategists say, her prospects would be slightly better running in a battleground state than waging a long-shot primary battle against a popular sitting senator.The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney grew up in northern Virginia and lived there until last year. Her reputation as a hawk and stalwart defender of the military would appeal to the state's large defense industry, and her more-moderate positioning on divisive cultural topics like gay marriage is tailor-made for swing voters in the Washington suburbs. Even most Wyoming residents, according to one automated poll, think she'd be better off running in Virginia.But Cheney never seriously consider running in Virginia ? past and current officials at the National Republican Senatorial Committee say they never spoke with her about a campaign there (or anywhere else). And a party that insists it plans to take the fight to Democratic senators in blue states like Virginia is left wondering if it can find even a half-decent candidate to carry its banner next year. ?"I think it's unfortunate that millions of dollars in Republican donor money are going to be spent in a divisive Republican primary in a Republican state," said Brian Walsh, a GOP strategist and former communications director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "It certainly would be far more beneficial to have that money be used against holding Mark Warner accountable."To be sure, Cheney would begin her hypothetical matchup with the state's former governor as the race's heavy underdog. A robust 61 percent of voters approve of the incumbent's job performance, according to a mid-July poll from Quinnipiac University. His unique popularity and the state's rapidly changing demographics make the race an uphill climb for any Republican.That she's choosing to wage an intra-party battle against Enzi instead is telling indication of how Republicans feel about defeating Warner. Of the many battleground states featuring Senate elections next year ? Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado, and New Hampshire among them ? Virginia is seen as the least likely to fall into GOP hands.But it's not as if her odds are much better against a popular Republican senator in Wyoming, either. Early polling of her looming battle with Enzi gives a pessimistic outlook for her chances. The Republican automated polling firm Harper Polling found the incumbent leading Cheney 55 percent to 21 percent. There's no ideological divide for Cheney to exploit, as successful conservative challengers have used against former Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar and Utah Sen. Robert Bennett. Enzi holds one of the most conservative voting records, according to National Journal's most recent vote ratings."It's difficult to see her make the case to Republican primary voters that he should be replaced," said Walsh.Cheney's decision to run in Wyoming has been met with equal parts scorn and bewilderment ? from her own party. The NRSC reiterated it was endorsing Enzi. Alan Simpson, a former senator from Wyoming, has said it will start a war within the party. Local editorial boards have mocked her campaign and suggested she run elsewhere. The Democratic automated polling firm Public Policy Polling found only one-third of Wyoming residents believe she is a true native of the state.Even if Warner looks unbeatable, Republicans need a qualified candidate should the political environment turn sharply against Democrats or if Warner should stumble personally.?Most Old Dominion Republicans consider the Senate race an afterthought during this year's heated race for governor. To the extent they think about it at all, they expect the party will fail to recruit anyone stronger than a low-profile state delegate or senator. Cheney, at the least, would have given the party a challenger who could have raised millions to make the Virginia contest a real race.Of course, Cheney had long focused on running for office in Wyoming, moving into the state last year. At the time, rumors were swirling that Enzi was poised to retire, which could explain why Cheney had called the senator a "friend" only months earlier.Her father, the former vice president, is still popular in Wyoming, havening represented the state in Congress for a decade in the 1980s.That's not the case in battleground Virginia, where both her father and Liz Cheney's promised confrontational tone won't play well. Cheney has pinned her campaign's rationale on offering more vigorous opposition to Obama's agenda than Enzi."I think it speaks volumes that she thinks a popular Republican incumbent in a red state is more beatable than a Democratic incumbent in a swing state," said Mo Elleithee, a Virginia-based Democratic strategist.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-didnt-liz-cheney-run-senate-virginia-060022500.html

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    Ariana Grande 'Working Out A Lot' Before Justin Bieber Tour

    After her stint on the Believe tour, singer heads out on her own August trek, The Listening Sessions.
    By Jocelyn Vena

    Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1711445/ariana-grande-justin-bieber-believe-tour-prep.jhtml

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    Monday, July 29, 2013

    NSW Finance Minister Greg Pearce spent $22,000 on taxpayer ...

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    Excess Hair And The Hourglass: A Hair-removal Schedule

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    5 Things Bevacco And New Executive Chef Gabriele Corcos Can ...

    Long time BHB readers may recall that we predicted here in 2007 that the North Heights was poised to become a culinary hot spot. So, with the the debut of Gabriele Corcos at Bevacco Friday night and with the opening of Sociale two blocks down Henry Street planned for Monday (7/29) it?s hard not to be amped up about that ?vision? becoming reality.

    Despite our unbridled enthusiasm about his arrival, our experience at Bevacco Friday night for Corcos? debut as Executive Chef was less than spectacular. The food and new menu (which didn?t feel that new or different) is unremarkable comparatively speaking to, say, fellow TV chef Elizabeth Falkner?s run at Atlantic Avenue?s Krescendo. We?ll give Corcos a mulligan on that one considering he?s relatively new to the restaurant business.

    Also of note is the revised drinks menu which shows much promise. That said, even a casual fan of Extra Virgin, the Cooking Channel show Corcos hosts with actress wife Debi Mazar, can feel that his creativity was a bit restrained on Night 1.

    Yes, it was Corcos? first night and a new beginning for the eatery housed at the perpetually cursed ?Corner of Cranberry? but the long standing issue of slow, aloof and unorganized service that has plagued Bevacco since its opening continues to be its Achilles heel. While we found our meal to be competent ? like dinner at foodie friend?s house ? whatever satisfaction the food and drink provided was undermined by the usual crazy quilt of service at the eatery. And it wasn?t just us, the table next to us received a bottle of hot white wine. When they mentioned this to their server the reply was essentially, ?we don?t usually serve cold bottles of wine.?

    The high profile Corcos did pop out of the kitchen to greet diners but from our perspective he appeared to ignore those he didn?t seem to know or to think were important. Most restaurants soft open for ?Friends and Family? before opening to the general public but if you?re allowing regular punters (like us!) to dine on Opening Night then everyone should be treated like ?Friends and Family.?

    For example when our final drink order hadn?t arrived for over 20 minutes and our check was dropped and charging for those still undelivered drinks, Corcos bounded towards us with two limoncellos (the order we?d place and were still waiting for) in hand. That?s enough for us and most folks ? famous chef or not ? to salve even the worst episode of bad service. That is, unless the chef actually drops those drinks at another table he?d been hobnobbing with all night. That made us wonder if our food had been contaminated with some sort of Tuscan invisibility potion. (File under: Yes, Pete Wells has a point.) To be fair, the warm white wine table did get a selfie with Mazar ? but it?s unclear whether they?re friends IRL.

    All this aside, a celebrity chef holding court every night on Henry Street should and can be a great thing for Brooklyn Heights. And while our first experience under this new regime totally bummed us out, we?re holding out hope that Bevacco will rise above these issues.

    It?s times like these we wonder ? What Would Gordon Ramsay Say?

    1) Fix The Problems, Find A Leader.

    As Ramsay told the owners of ?Grasshopper Also?, ?This restaurant will not succeed unless you make the necessary staff changes.? In his monologue, Ramsay adds the the eatery had everything it needed to succeed except a ?leader.?

    2) Get Out Of Denial. Ramsay tells Allan Love, the recalcitrant owner of Ruby Tates Loves Fish that the ?quicker you get out of denial, the quicker we can work together.? Remember folks, it takes team work to make the dream work.

    3) Communication Is Key. Transparency, respect and honesty may not always be a joy ride but it?ll make for a more productive restaurant. At Seascape, the owner and chef didn?t speak to each other.

    4) Overpriced And Underwhelming Is No Way To Run A Restaurant. At Rococo, Ramsay railed against its pretentious food and ?f*&^ing ridiculous prices?. After we dropped a double C-note for our experience at Bevacco this is particularly relevant.

    5) Super-Serve The Locals. ?When running a restaurant in Spain, don?t piss off the locals,? Ramsay says in the episode featuring La Parra. After a disastrous catering event for a local charity, the restaurant had a hard time convincing area residents to dine there. They never recovered from that mistake. The Brooklyn Heights restaurants that do well in the area know this and all have strong list of regulars ? Noodle Pudding, Henry?s End, Jack the Horse, Armando?s, River Deli, Colonie and a few others are great examples. Put simply, showbiz friends, unless they live in the area, will not carry the business beyond relaunch.

    BONUS TIP: Whatever You Do, Don?t Act Like Amy?s Baking Company.

    Source: http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/61340

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    Sunday, July 28, 2013

    07/31/2013 - Washington State Horse Park-Western Wednesday

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    Source: http://www.nkctribune.com/tribcalendar/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=7132

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    Abortionist who vowed to flaunt Texas law says will shut doors

    A Texas abortionist who vowed to stay open after the state passed sweeping new pro-life laws has said he is closing down his abortion mill.

    The abortionist is Lester Minto, who operates Reproductive Services in Harlingen, located on the border with Mexico.

    Cheryl Sullenger of Operation Rescue tells OneNewsNow that Minto vowed to stay open. ??

    ?He has vowed to do (abortions) under a mesquite tree or on a shrimp boat, if necessary,? says Sullenger, ?and he also made a really bizarre statement about how the government would have to pry his speculum out of his cold, dead hand.?

    Sullenger, CherylThe speculum is an instrument used in abortions.

    The Valley Morning Star newspaper reported Minto spoke at a pro-abortion rally where he held up the speculum and made the ?cold, dead hands? vow.

    Minto has now announced he will close in 90 days.

    The Texas law, in part, bans abortions after 20 weeks; raises the standards for administering RU486, the abortion pill; places new regulations on abortion clinics to improve their medical standards; and requires abortionists to have hospital admitting privileges within 30 miles of the clinic.

    Sullenger says the new law is designed to clean up or close abortion clinics like Minto's.

    Tweet to @operationrescue

    ?In fact, we think women will be a lot better off without abortion clinics like his,? Sullenger says, recalling that the abortionist has had ?previous discipline? with the Texas Medical Board.

    ?For allowing people to basically practice medicine without his supervision that are not licensed to do so,? she tells OneNewsNow.

    Source: http://onenewsnow.com/pro-life/2013/07/26/abortionist-who-vowed-to-flaunt-texas-law-says-will-shut-doors

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    Hull Financial Planning Personal Finance FAQ Series: Do You ...

    A lot of people want to count their home equity in their net worth. Is this the correct way of calculating how valuable you are?

    By the way, if you?re focused on net worth, you?re looking at the wrong number.

    Take a look at the video below and find out what to do. While you?re at it, you can get my 52 week Financial Game Plan by filling out the box right beneath this.

    Do You Count Home Equity in Your Net Worth?


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    Do You Count Home Equity in Net Worth?

    The transcript is below.

    Many people like to count their home value, or the home equity, in their net worth. I advise against this practice for a couple of reasons.

    1. If you include your home equity in your net worth, then Monkey Brain starts to view that amount as a piggy bank. Suddenly, tapping into the home equity to buy that 183? flat screen TV for the man cave starts to sound like a good idea.
    2. Having a fully paid for home pretty much solves your housing expenses for your life, assuming that you don?t decide to trade up. You?re always going to need a place to live, and tapping the value of the home equity means that you?ve now created an expense which you have to account for.

    It?s also the same reason that I recommend caution when looking at reverse mortgages. If you get a reverse mortgage and you do something drastic like take out a lump sum early and blow it on crap, then you?re going to be in deep sheep dip when you have to pay maintenance and property taxes and find that there?s no longer room in the budget for those expenses.

    Related topics:
    Reversing My Stand Against Reverse Mortgages
    Why Do You Think Your Wealth is in Your Home?
    The Value of Mortgage Shopping
    How Ego Depletion Allows Monkey Brain to Buy Junk

    What questions would you like to see me answer? Leave me a comment and let me know!

    Source: http://www.hullfinancialplanning.com/hull-financial-planning-personal-finance-faq-series-do-you-count-home-equity-in-net-worth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hull-financial-planning-personal-finance-faq-series-do-you-count-home-equity-in-net-worth

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    Saturday, July 27, 2013

    USS Pueblo: North Korea expected to unveil US captured spy ship this week

    USS?Pueblo, a spy ship seized off North Korea's east coast in the late 1960s, is expected to be unveiled this week as the centerpiece of a renovated war museum?to commemorate what North Korea calls 'Victory Day.'

    By Eric Talmadge,?Associated Press / July 25, 2013

    In this June 22, 2006 file photo, North Korean soldiers watch USS Pueblo, which was seized by North Korean navy off the Korean coast in Jan. 1968, near Taedonggang river in Pyongyang. The Pueblo is North Korea's greatest Cold War prize, a potent symbol of how the country has stood up to the great power of the United States.

    Korea Central News Agency via Korea News Service/AP

    Enlarge

    If there was ever any doubt about what happened to the only U.S. Navy ship that is being held by a foreign government, North Korea has cleared it up. It's in Pyongyang. And it looks like it's here to stay.

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    With a fresh coat of paint and a new home along the Pothong River, the?USS?Pueblo, a spy ship seized off North Korea's east coast in the late 1960s, is expected to be unveiled this week as the centerpiece of a renovated war museum to commemorate what North Korea calls "Victory Day," the 60th anniversary this Saturday of the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities in the Korean War.

    The ship is North Korea's greatest Cold War prize. Its government hopes the?Pueblo?will serve as a potent symbol of how the country has stood up to the great power of the United States, once in an all-out ground war and now with its push to develop the nuclear weapons and sophisticated missiles it needs to threaten the U.S. mainland.

    Many of the crew who served on the vessel, then spent 11 months in captivity in North Korea, want to bring the?Pueblo?home. Throughout its history, they argue, the Navy's motto has been "don't give up the ship." ThePueblo, in fact, is still listed as a commissioned U.S. Navy vessel, the only one being held by a foreign nation.

    But with relations generally fluctuating in a narrow band between bad to dangerously bad, the United States has made little effort to get it back. At times, outsiders weren't even sure where North Korea was keeping the ship or what it planned to do with it.

    Requests for interviews with the captain of one of the North Korean ships involved in the attack were denied, and officials here have been tight lipped about their plans before the formal unveiling.

    The?Pueblo?incident is a painful reminder of miscalculation and confusion, as well as the unresolved hostilities that continue to keep the two countries in what seems to be a permanent state of distrust and preparation for another clash, despite the truce that ended the 1950-1953 war.

    Already more than 40 years old and only lightly armed so it wouldn't look conspicuous or threatening as it carried out its intelligence missions, the?USS?Pueblo?was attacked and easily captured on Jan. 23, 1968.

    Surrounded by a half dozen enemy ships with MiG fighter jets providing air cover, the crew was unable to put up much of a fight. It scrambled to destroy intelligence materials, but soon discovered it wasn't well prepared for even that.

    A shredder aboard the?Pueblo?quickly became jammed with the piles of papers anxious crew members shoved into it. They tried burning the documents in waste baskets, but smoke quickly filled the cabins. And there were not enough weighted bags to toss all the secret material overboard.

    One U.S. sailor was killed when the ship was strafed by machine gun fire and boarded. The remaining 82, including three injured, were taken prisoner. The North Koreans sailed the?Pueblo?to the port of Wonsan.

    For the survivors, that's when the real ordeal began.

    "I got shot up in the original capture, so we were taken by bus and then train for an all-night journey to Pyongyang in North Korea, and then they put us in a place we called the barn," said Robert Chicca of Bonita, Calif., a Marine Corps sergeant who served as a Korean linguist on the?Pueblo. "We had fried turnips for breakfast, turnip soup for lunch, and fried turnips for dinner. ... There was never enough to eat, and personally I lost about 60 pounds over there."

    Although the ship was conducting intelligence operations, crew members say that most of them had little useful information for the North Koreans. That, according to the crew, didn't stop them from being beaten severely during interrogations.

    "The Koreans basically told us, they put stuff in front of us, they said you were here, you were spying, you will be shot as spies," said Earl Phares from Ontario, Calif., who was cleaning up after the noon meal in the galley when the attack began. "Everybody got the same amount of beatings in the beginning."

    North Korea said the ship had entered its territorial waters, though the U.S. maintained it was in international waters 15 miles off the nearest land.

    The incident quickly escalated. The U.S., already deeply embroiled in the Vietnam War, sent several aircraft carriers to the Sea of Japan and demanded the captives be released. Just days before the attack, North Korean commandos had launched an assassination attempt on South Korea's President Park Chung-hee at his residence.

    North Korea responded by putting members of the crew before cameras to confess publicly. The crew members planted defiant codes into forced letters of confession and extended their middle fingers in images sent around the world. That led to further beatings when the North Koreans figured out the gesture's meaning.

    On Dec. 21, 1968, Maj. Gen. Gilbert H. Woodward, the chief U.S. negotiator, signed a statement acknowledging that the?Pueblo?had "illegally intruded into the territorial waters of North Korea" and apologizing for "the grave acts committed by the U.S. ship against" North Korea. Both before and after, he read into the record a statement disavowing the confession.

    The hostages were released across the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas two days before Christmas ? 335 days after their capture.

    The Navy considered a court-martial for the ship's captain, Cmdr. Lloyd M. "Pete" Bucher, for letting thePueblo?fall into enemy hands without firing a shot and for failing to destroy much of the ship's classified material. But he was never brought to trial. John H. Chafee, secretary of the Navy at the time, said Bucher and the other crew members "had suffered enough."

    To this day, members of the?Pueblo?crew say Bucher made the right decision, though years later his second-in-command publicly questioned Bucher's decisions not to fight.

    "It would have been nice to take out some of the guys, some of them, and maybe go down fighting, but it would have been total suicide," said Phares. "We never thought anything would happen, and we weren't supposed to create an international incident."

    In 2002, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Donald P. Gregg said a North Korean foreign ministry official hinted at a deal to return the?Pueblo. But when he later visited Pyongyang, he said he was told the climate had changed and a return was no longer an option.

    In January the next year, Colorado Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell reintroduced a resolution in Congress asking North Korea to return the ship. There has been no progress since, however, at least none that has been made public.

    "The ship was named after?Pueblo, Colorado, and they would have loved to have the ship back," Chicca said. "It's very disappointing to have it still there, and still being used as anti-American propaganda."

    The planned display of the ship by North Korea hangs over the heads of the crew members who have long campaigned for its return.

    "I'll never give up, but I don't think it's ever coming back," Phares said. "It's just unfortunate that we got put in that situation, and that the top brass blamed us, or blamed Bucher, for everything."

    ___

    Associated Press senior video producer Tracy Brown in Washington, D.C., and videojournalist Raquel Dillon in Los Angeles and photographer Greg Bull in San Diego contributed to this report.

    Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/wqCVJVJdF5Y/USS-Pueblo-North-Korea-expected-to-unveil-US-captured-spy-ship-this-week

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    Stanlib?s trump for Africa is engineering its own exit

    Roberto Ferreira, fund manager of the Stanlib Africa Direct Property Development Fund. Picture: STANLIB

    Roberto Ferreira, fund manager of the Stanlib Africa Direct Property Development Fund. Picture: STANLIB

    STANLIB?s pilot African property development fund that launched in May has expanded its core focus from Nigeria and Kenya to also include Ghana and Uganda ? as the asset manager gears up for its investments into direct African real estate.

    The Stanlib group, which is the product of a merger between Standard Bank Asset Management and Liberty Asset Management, has more than R500bn worth of assets under management and is increasingly offering more African exposure to institutional investors.

    The asset manager?s direct African property development fund has $50m seed capital from Liberty and is targeting a capital raising of $100m from predominantly European and Middle Eastern investors, while it will also raise debt finance from commercial banks and development finance institutions.

    The fund is targeting between six and eight developments, and can exit its developments between years four and eight. Roberto Ferreira, fund manager of the Stanlib Africa Direct Property Development Fund, says one of the most compelling features of the fund is its ability to "engineer its own exit", given that most other development funds on the continent are highly illiquid.

    Stanlib is focusing on developing domestic real estate investment trusts (Reits) in the markets it is targeting, and is playing an instrumental role in formalising pension money in those markets, he says. It also intends to develop an income fund. Mr Ferreira says the group has the ability to create development funds (such as the Stanlib Africa Direct Property Development Fund ) and sell the stock "into either income funds to be created by Stanlib and Liberty or in local capital market instruments such as Reits".

    "The biggest challenge for any private equity investor in Africa is your exit opportunities and how you identify them. Our strategy is to create these income funds and domestic products and present our investors with these opportunities." He says that while property assets are an obvious target for pension funds in countries such as Nigeria, "there are so few quality assets of collective investment schemes that they can actually target, so we think that?s an opportunity for us".

    Stanlib intends to identify and commit to the portfolio within the first two years so that it can begin exiting from years four, five or six, he says. The fund will have a minimum of 50% retail exposure but is targeting 70%-80% retail. The balance would be office and hospitality exposure. Mr Ferreira says while the fund would welcome local retailers in the target countries, "at the end of the day we are following South African retailers to make the investment case work".

    The four targeted countries are high-growth countries that remain underserviced from both a retail and office perspective. Furthermore, Stanlib can leverage off the skills and know-how that Standard Bank and Liberty already have in place in those countries.

    The assets being developed, mostly in metropolitans and capital cities, "would theoretically fit into an income fund ? so Stanlib would seek to extend its economics in this by managing that as well, and also managing the domestic capital market instruments like Reits". Stanlib would also look to create a much larger African property development fund at a later stage, Mr Ferreira says.

    Stanlib?s main competitors include the likes of Actis, RMB Westport and Novare. In the listed property space, Resilient Property Income Fund and Hyprop Investments are growing their African exposure ? with Hyprop co-investing in the Atterbury Group?s Atterbury Africa property investment company. P roperty developer Billion Group, which is also the asset manager of JSE-listed Rebosis Property Fund, is targeting retail developments on the rest of the continent, which may be listed separately in the future.

    Generally, JSE-listed firms have avoided African real estate, choosing to focus more on Europe and Australia.

    Source: http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/property/2013/07/26/stanlibs-trump-for-africa-is-engineering-its-own-exit

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    #BREAKING: The U.S. Park Police in Washington say the Lincoln Memorial is tempor...

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    Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151839156585695&set=a.313326575694.184845.10505090694&type=1

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    Friday, July 26, 2013

    Year?s First Human Cases of West Nile Reported in California

    west-nile-bird

    (Los Angeles Times)

    At least seven people have been diagnosed with West Nile Virus in California, the first confirmed cases of the disease this year, state and county health officials said Thursday.

    The Los Angeles County public health department reported that two adults were hospitalized this month and three other blood donors were found to have infected blood.

    State public health officials said two other confirmed cases ? from Glenn County and Sacramento County ? were also infected.

    All three patients are now recovering, health officials said.

    State officials have not yet confirmed the L.A. County cases.

    Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com.

    Source: http://ktla.com/2013/07/25/years-first-human-cases-of-west-nile-reported-in-california/

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    Royal Baby Name to Inspire Baby George Wave in UK, Beyond

    Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/07/royal-baby-name-to-inspire-baby-george-wave-in-uk-beyond/

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    Thursday, July 25, 2013

    House GOP considers food stamp work requirements

    WASHINGTON (AP) ? About 47 million Americans received food stamps last year, but only a relative few are required to work or look for a job as a condition of receiving the aid.

    Now, House Republicans are considering whether the work requirement should be strengthened as they seek cuts to the $80 billion-a-year program, which has doubled in cost over the last five years. One in seven Americans used the federal food aid last year.

    A small group of GOP lawmakers met Wednesday to discuss trimming the program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. One approach discussed in the meeting was a proposal by Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., that would allow ? but not require ? individual states to test work requirements.

    The push to pass a food stamp bill came after House GOP leaders stripped the domestic food aid from a farm bill that passed the chamber earlier this month following the defeat of a combined food-farm bill. Conservatives had demanded greater cuts in the food stamp program, so GOP leaders said they would take up the issue separately. But it's unclear if they will be able to find enough consensus within their caucus to move on the issue quickly ? or at all.

    After the meeting, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., indicated that there is a good chance the food stamp debate will be pushed to the fall as Republicans try and decide their course.

    The House has already voted in favor of the Southerland proposal, which was offered an amendment to the combined farm bill that was eventually defeated. But a more far-reaching amendment that would have cut $3 billion a year from the program and required most able-bodied adults to work to receive benefits was rejected. Many moderate Republicans opposed that amendment, proposed by Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan.

    Before the meeting Wednesday, Southerland said his work requirement proposal makes sense because it is optional for states and doesn't cut dollars for the program.

    "I think you have to have moral reformation before you have fiscal reformation," he said.

    The concept of requiring work for some SNAP recipients is not new. The 1996 welfare law laid out food stamp work requirements for some able-bodied adults who don't have dependents. However, the 2009 stimulus law and waivers later allowed by the Obama administration have suspended those requirements in most states.

    Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday that in looking at deeper work requirements, Republicans are ignoring who actually gets food stamps. He said 92 percent of recipients are children, the elderly, disabled or people who are already working.

    Vilsack called the Southerland amendment "arbitrary" and said it would make more sense to improve state employment and training programs that help food stamp recipients find and keep jobs.

    Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., said the lawmakers in Wednesday's meeting discussed the Southerland proposal and whether work requirements should be voluntary or mandatory for states. She said the group floated other ideas such as drug testing recipients and reducing automatic food stamp eligibility for people who are enrolled in other benefit programs. Similar provisions were included in the version of the farm bill that was defeated.

    She said there were no final decisions and the idea was "not to think so much in terms of dollars saved, but what is good policy."

    Another proposal favored by some Republicans, including House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, is to turn all of the federal SNAP money over to the states and cap it. Ryan's budget also proposed a cut of around $13 billion a year to food stamps. But those so-called "block grants" to states may be too much of a cut for the more moderate members of the GOP caucus.

    Regardless of the approach, any bill passed by the conservative House will be difficult to reconcile with the Senate version of the farm bill, which keeps all of the programs together and makes only a half-percent cut to food stamps. Strong objections in the Democratic-led Senate chamber and in the Obama administration will make it difficult for anything the Republicans propose to become law.

    If the two chambers cannot agree, which seems a very possible scenario, Congress may have to extend current farm law ? and current levels of spending for food stamps ? a second time when it expires at the end of September. The law originally expired last September and was extended as part of a larger New Year's deal on the so-called fiscal cliff.

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., have said the Senate will not pass another extension. But it may be the only option for farm programs that would be eliminated otherwise.

    In remarks on the House floor last Friday, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., would not say how he expects leaders to proceed on a food stamp bill, except to say they were working on it.

    "We intend to proceed deliberately, looking at policies that make sense in reforming these programs in the vein of trying to get to those most vulnerable the relief they need, at the same time paying cognizance to the fact that we have fiscal challenges we must deal with," Cantor said.

    ___

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

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-gop-considers-food-stamp-requirements-200741717.html

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