Saturday, December 31, 2011

98% Le Havre

All Critics (54) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (53) | Rotten (1)

'Tis the season, so the saying goes. And when it comes to Aki Kaurism?ki, it holds true. The Finnish writer-director arrives bearing a gift wrapped in a contemporary immigration fable.

If the bummers and ambiguity of some of this season's movies are getting you down - or, hey, just the bummers and ambiguities of life - make your way to Le Havre. You won't be sorry.

The Finnish director's sense of humor is dry and dark as pitch, as he consistently finds moments of absurdity in the midst of strife and tragedy.

Kaurism?ki wrote the script, I think, with secret credit from Mother Goose and some fabric softener.

"Le Havre" is a small bit of movie magic, a story that plays more as a fable even as it deals with something as topical as immigration.

The film is especially comforting if you love old movies, as Kaurismaki does.

While the film never reaches any hugely profound revelations with its parable-styled stories of compassion and community, and occasionally feels a little slight, it's also enormously enjoyable and gorgeous to watch.

It's a puzzle, and an intriguing one.

In two stories of evolving trust and secrets, Le Havre reflects the essential simplicity of the moral choices made in its simple-seeming camera set-ups.

Kaurismaki's movie about a shoeshine man and an illegal immigrant is nothing less than a joy

A wonderfully concise, unfussy movie; it is "easy" by the director's standards, which is to say that it doesn't leave any significant ellipses in the narrative up until the aggressively darling ending.

...an upbeat little tome that leaves a good feeling to the spirit.

Kaurism?ki can almost restore your hope in humanity.

Kaurismaki dives into French film culture in 'Le Havre'

You almost become a citizen of Le Havre, watching this film and rejoicing at the end as two newfound, unexpected friends share a drink.

It's a straightforward yet completely artificial scenario, with welcome overtones of Italian Neo-Realism.

Unlike the director's typical hero, Wilms's spare performance conveys confidence rather than defeat. He and the kid warm the heart, thawing Kaurism?ki's usual icy aplomb.

Heart-wrenching but ultimately inspirational.

Le Havre is not the filmmaker's best work (see La Vie de Boh?me for that), but no matter the storm, we should be grateful to dock in this port.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/le_havre_2011/

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Can Web-savvy activist moms change Japan? (AP)

TOKYO ? Japan's nuclear crisis has turned Mizuho Nakayama into one of a small but growing number of Internet-savvy activist moms.

Worried about her 2-year-old son and distrustful of government and TV reports that seemed to play down radiation risks, she scoured the Web for information and started connecting with other mothers through Twitter and Facebook, many using social media for the first time.

The 41-year-old mother joined a parents group ? one of dozens that have sprung up since the crisis ? that petitioned local officials in June to test lunches at schools and day care centers for radiation and avoid using products from around the troubled nuclear plant.

"It's the first time for anyone in our group to be involved in this type of activism," said Nakayama, who now carries a Geiger counter with her wherever she goes.

Public dismay with the government's response to this year's triple disaster ? earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown ? is driving some Japanese to become more politically engaged, helped by social and alternative media. While still fledgling, it's the kind of grass-roots activism that some say Japan needs to shake up a political system that has allowed the country's problems to fester for years.

Nakayama's group has had mixed success: Officials in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward immediately started posting radiation levels in milk, but they say they won't start testing lunch foods until April. Still, Nakayama feels she and others in what she calls the "silent majority" are making a difference.

"Women in their 30s and 40s are busy raising children, and many also work," she said. "We're normally too busy to really raise our voices. But this time we felt compelled to speak up."

Many Japanese have been content to let politicians and bureaucrats run the country as they see fit. Quite a few of the mothers in the newly formed parents groups didn't even vote regularly.

But the handling of the nuclear crisis ? perceived as slow, confused and less than forthright, a perception reinforced by a critical government report this week ? has deepened distrust of both government and mainstream media. That has given rise to a sense that the government isn't as reliable as once thought, and that people need to take action themselves to get things done.

"People used to think of the government as something like a father figure," said Tatsuya Yoshioka, founder and director of Peace Boat, a volunteer group involved in recovery efforts in the tsunami-hit northeast. "But people are graduating from that. We are moving toward a more active kind of democracy in which people realize they are the primary actors, not the government."

Japan still has a long way to go. The activism is small-scale, and powerful forces ? a culture that frowns on nonconformists, an affluent society ? stand in the way of lasting change.

In the weeks following the March 11 tsunami, frustration over the sketchy information coming from the government about the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant drove many Japanese to Twitter and alternative media webcasts.

OurPlanet-TV, for example, relayed footage two days after the disaster from a freelance reporter near the Fukushima plant who reported the radiation level was quite high, said director Hajime Shiraishi. Within weeks, the number of viewers jumped to more than 100,000 per day from 1,000 to 3,000 before the tsunami, she said. It has since fallen back to the 20,000-30,000 range.

University student Gohei Kogure said he generally trusted TV news before the disaster, but accessing Twitter and webcasts gave him a different perspective that's made him more informed and critical.

Before the crisis there was "too much reliance on the government," he said. "These days, you need to take more responsibility for yourself."

A nationwide network of more than 200 parents groups has popped up to urge authorities to protect children from radiation, said Emiko Itoh, a 48-year-old Tokyo mother who is helping spearhead the movement.

Most are pressing local officials to test radiation levels in school lunches and provide more detailed checks of school grounds, but Itoh and others have also lobbied senior government officials. Mothers make up the bulk of the membership, but fathers are getting involved, too.

"We're still small, but some of the mothers involved didn't even go to vote. It's these mothers who are submitting petitions and making calls and gathering signatures," Itoh said. "I believe this will be a factor in changing the direction of our country."

She said the Internet has been invaluable in connecting parents, partly because Japan has few forums for citizens to exchange ideas. The crisis has changed perceptions of the Internet among mothers, many who previously considered it a dubious source of information.

Separately, individuals and loosely formed community groups are going around their neighborhoods checking radiation levels or sending soil samples to laboratories for testing.

The Radiation Defense Project, which grew out of a blog and then a Facebook page, says its testing has revealed several "hot spots" in Tokyo with trace amounts of radioactive cesium that it believes came from Fukushima, said group founder Kouta Kinoshita, a former TV journalist.

Another group is collecting signatures for a petition to hold a referendum in Osaka and Tokyo on whether Japan should use nuclear power. The vote would not be legally binding but could send a message to policymakers.

The government's management of the nuclear crisis did little to instill confidence that it will be able to tackle looming problems, including a rapidly aging population and a public debt that is twice the nation's GDP ? both of which will burden the younger generation.

Still, the growing dissatisfaction may not be enough to bring about fundamental change.

Japan's affluence is an obstacle. Most people live comfortably and are reluctant to make too big a fuss, even if they're unhappy with the political leadership. Culturally, it's considered better to adjust to one's surroundings than to try to change them, said Ken Matsuda, a sociologist at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka.

"Most people aren't hungry or angry," he said. "People need a clear enemy, and there's no clear enemy in Japan. Public anger needs to hit a critical mass. It's not anywhere near that."

Historically, Japan has undergone major change only when it was thrust upon the country from outside ? after its defeat in World War II, and after the arrival of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's warships in 1853 essentially forced the country to open up to the rest of the world.

Grass-roots activism has had only limited success. It took nearly 50 years to win compensation for most victims of a chemical plant in Minamata that dumped mercury into the water, causing a rare neurological disorder.

Some Japanese wonder if the stoicism and perseverance that were widely praised in the aftermath of the tsunami could also be a liability. Perhaps we need to be more impatient for change, some say.

"The disasters didn't stimulate a real sense of urgency," said Ichiro Asahina, who quit his job as a bureaucrat in the economic ministry last year after 14 years to establish a think tank and leadership institute in Tokyo.

He faults a risk-averse political culture, a reluctance to take personal responsibility and a diffuse leadership system that spreads out responsibility among too many people or departments.

"To stimulate change," he said, "we may need to confront even more severe crises."

___

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.

___

Online: http://www.ourplanet-tv.org/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111229/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_new_activism

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Cenk Uygur: Vote Against Obama in Iowa (Huffington post)

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After Christmas TV Sale: Sony 55-inch 3D 1080p LED HDTV: $1276.32 Shipped (KDL55EX720)

Did you get what you really wanted this year? Unfortunately, Santa didn't have enough room in his sleigh to bring HDTVs for everyone. Stop blaming the big man and start shopping for yourself. Amazon is making the New Year look bright, by offering up great HDTVs at affordable prices.

We just found Sony's 55-inch KDL55EX720 1080p 3D LED HDTV listed for $1296.32. In case you're keeping score, this 3D-capable HDTV originally listed for $2399.99 when it was first released. That makes this a nice discount, and it even includes free shipping. Take a peek for yourself on Amazon's product page:

Sony-KDL55EX720_2.jpg

Because this is an active 3D TV, the KDL55EX720 has a full 1080p HD image, for both 2D and 3D viewing. It also has a built-in 3D sync transmitter. That means you just need to add 3D glasses (and maybe even a Blu-ray 3D player) for 3D viewing right out of the box.

However, this also makes for a nice 2D TV, with Sony's X-Reality Engine, Edge LED backlighting, and Motionflow XR 240 technology all built right into the set. There are also options to connect to the web. If you don't have an Ethernet jack near your AV setup, just add in the optional UWA-BR100 adapter so you can hook this big boy up to your home's wireless network.

Whichever way you go, that networking is very important, since the KDL-55EX720 has a lot of awesome web-based features built into the set. Add it to your home network, and you can enjoy instant, on-screen access to services such as Qriocity, Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Pandora, and much more.

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to add in entertainment options, thanks to the TV's four HDMI inputs, one composite and one component input, a PC input, and two USB ports.

Just remember that when ordering this 3D TV, you need to buy directly from Amazon (not one of its third-party merchants). They are offering the discount, as well as free shipping on this model. A few other perks include free 30-day returns and Amazon's TV Low Price Guarantee. That means if you can find this set for less within 14 days of the TV's ship date, Amazon will refund you the difference on the price.

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Please note: all deals posted on Big Picture Big Sound are current as of the posting date and time. These deals are frequently time- or stock-limited and generally do not last. Final pricing and stock are determined by the individual deal provider, not by Big Picture Big Sound so you will need to click through on the offer link to see if it is still available. Through our affiliate relationships with many online vendors, Big Picture Big Sound may earn a small commission on any referred sale.

Source: http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/After-Christmas-TV-Sale-Sony-55-inch-3D-1080p-LED-HDTV-1276-32-Shipped-KDL55EX720.shtml

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

TheHourNews: Man killed amid Britain's post-Christmas sales: LONDON (AP) -- A teenager was fatally stabbed Monday and a secon... http://t.co/tHKNKDh7

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Giuliana Rancic Returns to Work After Double Mastectomy

Giuliana Rancic is officially back to work after recovering from her breast cancer surgery. Just two weeks after undergoing the double mastectomy and reconstruction, Rancic returned to the E! News set on Dec. 27. Watch her

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

In pursuit, GOP contenders rumble through Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Attacking in waves, Mitt Romney's Republican presidential rivals cast the former Massachusetts governor as a less-than-reliable conservative on taxes, gay marriage and more Tuesday in the final, intensifying phase of a costly Iowa caucus campaign.

"I think I'm going to get the nomination if we do our job right," countered Romney, sounding like the front-runner his rivals made him out to be a week before the first major test of the race.

In a measure of the political stakes, the candidates and allied groups have spent more than $12 million on television commercials to air through caucus day next Tuesday. Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and supporting groups account for nearly half the total, according to one estimate.

Most of Romney's rivals preceded him into the state during the day at the end of a holiday lull, seeking support in caucuses that are likely to dispatch one or more of them to a hasty campaign exit.

"My idea of gun control? Use both hands," said Perry, setting out on a bus tour in hopes of resurrecting his once-promising candidacy.

"I've been a conservative all my life," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He called Romney a "Massachusetts moderate ... who campaigned to the left of Teddy Kennedy."

In Dubuque, the first stop of a bus tour through the state, Gingrich said his own economic proposal for an optional flat-tax as well as the elimination of all capital gains taxes was a more pro-growth approach than Romney's prescription.

In a radio interview, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said Romney had "sort of gotten a pass'" when he said in a recent debate he had done all he could as Massachusetts governor to block same-sex marriages in the state.

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota had a bus of her own, and saw herself as the rightful Romney alternative.

"I am the only consistent conservative in the race and the only candidate with the proven leadership and experience to create more American jobs and repair our economy," she wrote in an email seeking donations for her underfunded candidacy.

Bachmann, Perry and Gingrich have all spent time atop the Iowa public opinion polls in recent months, either alone or alongside Romney, only to fall back.

Recent soundings suggest Texas Rep. Ron Paul is Romney's likeliest threat in Iowa. He is due in the state on Wednesday.

A conservative with libertarian leanings, Paul commands strong allegiance from his own supporters but appears to have little potential to expand his appeal and emerge as a serious challenger for the nomination.

Unlike his rivals and most Republican voters, he says the federal government should have no authority to ban abortion.

And Paul was alone among the GOP contenders in a recent debate in saying the United States should not consider preemptive military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, an issue of significant importance to Israel. He warned against jumping the gun, adding, "That's how we got into that useless war in Iraq."

Romney, making his second run for the nomination, has relied on a well-funded and disciplined organization, generally strong debate performances and deep-pocketed allies to keep his balance as others have risen to challenge him and fallen back.

According to one tally of television advertising in the state, the Massachusetts governor and a super PAC run by supporters have spent $3.7 million combined on ads through Jan. 3

The total was exceeded only by a combined $5.5 million for Perry and a super PAC set up by his supporters.

Whatever the outcome, there was a recognition that for some, Iowa might simultaneously be the first and last test of the campaign.

"If I finish dead last way behind the pack I'm going to pack up and go home," Santorum said in a radio interview on WHO in Des Moines. "But I don't think that's going to happen," he added instantly.

Santorum, more than any of the others, has campaigned in Iowa the old fashioned way by doggedly visiting all 99 counties and holding hundreds of town hall meetings.

In Mason City, on a final swing through the state, he, like the others, urged potential caucus-goers to look past the appeal of conservative pretenders.

"The siren song of `this person can win' has been the mantra of a lot of the candidates," he said. "Vote for me because I can win."

In the state where caucuses propelled Obama toward the White House in 2008, the president's campaign organization pointed toward Election Day next Nov. 6.

With offices in eight Iowa cities, officials said Obama's re-election campaign has placed hundreds of thousands of phone calls since April to potential supporters.

---

Associated Press writers Chuck Babington in Des Moines, Tom Beaumont in Mason City, Philip Elliott in Council Bluffs, Shannon McCaffrey in Dubuque and Steve Peoples in New Hampshire contributed to this report.

Source: http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/U/US_GOP_CAMPAIGN?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-27-12-30-39

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

$5,000 Stolen From Church In New Kensington

NEW KENSINGTON (KDKA) ? Hundreds of parishioners came to Mount Saint Peter Church in New Kensington this Christmas weekend to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

But sometime between the conclusion of midnight mass and the service on Christmas morning, thieves broke in stealing roughly $5,000 in Christmas offerings.

?These people are career-minded in criminal activity,? New Kensington Police Chief Ron Zellers said. ?They know the amount of money that the churches are receiving during the holiday.?

The thieves got in by breaking a cross window in the office door and reaching inside to open the lock.

?Once inside the church they went to the office area where they rummaged through the office where they did find the Christmas mass offerings and did take them,? Chief Zellers said.

Just last week, the nearby United Presbyterian Church was also hit. Thieves there got away with several computers and about $500 that had been raised for a mission trip.

The suspects in both of these burglaries have the same M.O. That?s why police are now warning other churches in town to step up security and be on guard.

?There is a chance it?s the same individuals involved. We do have some persons of interest that we?re looking at, but of course this is early in investigation and we?ll see where it goes,? Chief Zellers said.

Back in October, law enforcement officers from across the country travelled to Mount Saint Peter Church for the funeral of fallen Lower Burrell Police Officer Derek Kotecki.

The pastor of the church tells police he is planning to install a security camera as soon as possible.

?It?s very sad, very sad. During the holidays these churches help the homeless, they feed people, they do a lot of things for the less fortunate in the community and then to see a church or churches get hit ? it?s just a very sad thing,? Chief Zellers added.

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Source: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/12/26/5000-stolen-from-church-in-new-kensington/

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Top Political Scandals of 2011 (ABC News)

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Royal grandkids visit Prince Philip in hospital

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, center, receives flowers from children after she and other members of the royal family attended a Christmas Service at St Mary's church in the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen's Norfolk retreat, England, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, center, receives flowers from children after she and other members of the royal family attended a Christmas Service at St Mary's church in the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen's Norfolk retreat, England, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, right, leaves after she and other members of the royal family attended a Christmas Service at St. Mary's church on the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen's Norfolk retreat, England, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II leaves after she and other members of the royal family attended a Christmas Service at St. Mary's church on the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen's Norfolk retreat, England, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II leaves after she and other members of the royal family attended a Christmas Service at St. Mary's church on the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen's Norfolk retreat, England, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Britain's Prince William and other members of Britain's royal family arrive for a Christmas Service at St. Mary's church on the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen's Norfolk retreat, England, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

(AP) ? Queen Elizabeth II emphasized the importance of family in her Christmas message this year and her grandchildren brought some Christmas cheer to her husband, Prince Philip, as he recovered in a hospital after a heart procedure.

The 90-year-old prince was forced to miss the royal family's traditional Christmas festivities ? opening presents together, going to a morning church service and viewing the Queen's Christmas broadcast ? after doctors put a coronary stent in. Philip had gone to the hospital on Friday complaining of chest pains, which doctors determined were caused by a blocked coronary artery.

Buckingham Palace said it does not know yet when Philip will be released.

"The Duke is in good spirits and will remain in hospital under observation for a short period," the palace said.

Prince William and his brother Prince Harry drove in separate cars to Papworth Hospital from Sandringham, Elizabeth's sprawling estate where the royal family gathered to celebrate Christmas.

Prince Andrew's daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, also came to the hospital, along with Princess Anne's children, Zara and Peter.

The 45-minute visit from the royal grandchildren came after Elizabeth's annual, pre-recorded Christmas message to the nation aired. The royal family reportedly watches the broadcast together every year.

The theme of her broadcast ? family ? was especially poignant with Philip in the hospital recovering. The message was recorded Dec. 9, before Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, went into the hospital.

Wearing a festive red dress, the Queen said the importance of family was driven home by the marriages of two of her grandchildren this year ? William and Zara. William's royal wedding at Westminster Abbey captivated the world in April, and Zara had a quiet but elegant celebration in July.

The 85-year-old queen has made a prerecorded Christmas broadcast on radio since 1952 and on television since 1957. She writes the speeches herself, and the broadcasts mark the rare occasion on which the queen voices her own opinion without government consultation.

Elizabeth spoke of the strength family can provide during times of hardship and how friendships are often formed in difficult times.

She pointed to the Commonwealth nations as an example that family "does not necessarily mean blood relatives but often a description of a community."

With one notable absence ? Philip's ? the royal family kicked off their Christmas earlier Sunday with a traditional morning service at St. Mary Magdelene Church, on the Sandringham Estate.

The huge crowds that gathered outside the church to catch a glimpse of the Queen got an early peek when the royals made a quick private visit to the church ahead of the services. Less than two hours later, they were back ? in different clothes ? for the Christmas service.

The Queen arrived first ? dressed in a lavender-colored coat and hat ? in a royal limousine, leading the way into the church. Her oldest son, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, trailed behind.

Harry walked in with his brother William and new sister-in-law Kate ? now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Kate, whose style is closely watched around the world and who sends any dress she wears flying off the shelves in Britain, wore an eggplant-colored coat and matching hat.

Among the other royals, Zara was joined by her new husband Mike Tindall, an English rugby player.

After the service, local children lined up to give bouquets of flowers to the queen. Thanking each well-wisher, the queen then handed the bouquets to granddaughters Beatrice and Eugenie.

Well-wisher Camilla Fitt, 71, said Charles told her that his father was "very determined" to get well.

"Charles said he is coming on," said Fitt.

The royal family then traveled back to the house for lunch, an integral part of their celebration.

___

Cassandra Vinograd can be reached at http://twitter.com/CassVinograd

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-25-EU-Britain-Royal-Christmas/id-cff27f403a034d64812c02622ed1718b

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

NATO blames ?bad maps? for drone strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops

Daily Mail
December 22, 2011

NATO have blamed bad maps for last month?s drone strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops at a post close to the Afghan border.

An investigation into the attack concluded that reliance on incorrect mapping information shared with the Pakistani liaison officer resulted in a misunderstanding about the true location of Pakistani military units.?

The US Defence Department said the investigation found US forces ? given what information they had available to them at the time ? reacted in self-defence and with appropriate force after being fired upon from the direction of the Pakistani border.?A NATO spokesman said: ?The report says we recognise we made mistakes, and that mistakes were also made by the Pakistanis.

?We have a lot of work to do to improve co-ordination, and we?ve already implemented steps to do that.?

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"Character" Witness (TIME)

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Facebook for Robots Helps Droids Get Smarter [Robots]

Being a robot just got a little bit more sociable, now that droids have their own social network. At MyRobots.com, which launched today, robot owners can sign-up their automatons, create profiles for them - even include a photo and a name - and then leave them to update their own status. This might be a simple temperature reading - or the results of a clever face-recognition algorithm. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/AAxLVrYxYJM/facebook-for-robots-helps-droids-get-smarter

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Vanessa Bryant: Gold Digger or You Go, Girl?


Gold diggers: Like mother, like daughter. That's what Vanessa Bryant's former stepfather is saying about the soon-to-be ex-wife of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant.

Stephen Laine said in the aftermath of Kobe Bryant's divorce announcement that Vanessa, his spouse of 10 years, is acting just like her money-grubbing mom.

"Her mother taught her well to wait for the ten-year mark [before divorcing]," he said. "In California ... it's considered a long term marriage and then she gets paid for life or until [Vanessa] remarries ... just like her mother is doing to me."

Is that really fair, though?

Kobe Bryant, Wife Vanessa Bryant

First off, Kobe was reportedly caught cheating after the wives of some of his teammates told Vanessa Bryant of the player's increasingly frequent infidelities.

Second, 10 years is a long ass time, and two kids are a lot of work. Yes, having kids to "trap" the dad is a baby mama staple, but this doesn't seem like that.

They married young, before Kobe was that rich (she stands to receive at least $75 million now), and despite whatever rep she has, she never seeks attention.

Finally, she stood by Kobe after he was accused of RAPING someone. Enduring public humiliation isn't part of the gold-digging handbook ... $4 million ring or not.

What do you think? Is Vanessa Bryant a gold digger?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/vanessa-bryant-gold-digger-or-you-go-girl/

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Philippines storm, floods kill more than 250

More than 250 people were killed and almost twice that number were missing after a typhoon hit the southern Philippines, officials said on Saturday, triggering flash floods and landslides and forcing tens of thousands from their homes.

Typhoon Washi, with winds gusting up to 56 mph, hit the resource-rich island of Mindanao late on Friday, bringing heavy rain that also grounded some domestic flights and left wide areas without power.

The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) said 256 people were killed in flash floods in Mindanao and another island. Soldiers and police were recovering more bodies washed ashore in nearby towns.

"The death toll might still rise because there are still a lot of missing people," said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the PNRC.

Photoblog: Storm, floods hits south Philippines

She said the hardest-hit areas were in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.

Almost 400 people were unaccounted for, most of them from a coastal village in Iligan. Houses were swept into the sea by floodwaters while people were sleeping inside late on Friday.

The latest Red Cross figures put the death toll in Iligan at 144. Another 86 were killed in Cagayan de Oro, many of them children.

Five miners were killed in a landslide in Monkayo on Mindanao and another 21 people drowned on the central island of Negros, the PNRC said.

The national disaster agency put the death toll at 131, but other government officials also said at least 256 people had been killed.

The Philippines social welfare department said about 100,000 people were displaced and brought to more than a dozen shelters in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.??

Villages 'swept to the sea'
Teddy Sabuga-a, a disaster officer in Misamis Oriental province, said 60 people were rescued in waters off El Salvador city, about 6 miles northwest of Cagayan de Oro, after they were swept to the sea by a raging river, and about 120 more were rescued off Opol township, closer to the city.

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He said an island in the middle of the Cagayan de Oro river was inundated, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or people missing.

Cruz said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river.

The floodwaters were waist-high in some neighborhoods that do not usually experience flooding. Scores of residents escaped the floods by climbing onto the roofs of their homes, Cruz said.

Army spokesman Colonel Leopoldo Galon said search and rescue operations would continue along the shorelines in Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte provinces.

"I can't explain how these things happened, entire villages were swept to the sea by flash floods," Galon told Reuters, saying the death toll could rise as hundreds of people were unaccounted for.

"I have not seen anything like this before. This could be worse than Ondoy," he said, referring to a 2009 storm that inundated the capital, Manila, killing hundreds of people.

Prominent radio broadcaster missing
Television images showed bodies covered in mud, cars piled on top of each other and wrecked homes. Helicopters and boats searched the sea for survivors and victims.

Those missing included prominent radio broadcaster Enie Alsonado, who was swept away while trying to save his neighbors, Cruz said.

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro said that about 20,000 residents of the city had been affected and that evacuees were packed in temporary shelters.

Television footage showed muddy water rushing in the streets, sweeping away all sorts of debris. Thick layers of mud coated streets where the waters had subsided. One car was shown to have been carried over a concrete fence.

The chief of the national disaster agency, Benito Ramos, said that officials were still getting reports from the field and that the number of casualties would likely rise.

"Massive flooding had been reported over the region, especially in Iligan city and Cagayan de Oro city," Ramos said, adding that tens of thousands of people sought shelter on high ground.

Strong winds toppled trees onto the rain-saturated ground in Polanco township in Zamboanga del Norte province. An 80-year-old woman drowned after being trapped in the first floor of her flooded home. A 30-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy also drowned, said provincial disaster officer Dennis Tenorio.

Washi, the 19th storm to hit the Philippines this year, came ashore in eastern Mindanao and blanketed the region with thick rain clouds 250 miles in diameter.

It quickly cut across the region overnight and was over the Sulu Sea by midmorning Saturday, packing maximum winds of 47 miles per hour and gusts of up to 56 mph. It is expected to blow out of the country late Sunday, forecaster Raymond Ordinario said.

Back-to-back typhoons in September left more than 100 people dead in the northern Philippines.

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45705894/ns/weather/

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Egypt soldiers charge Tahrir Square after violent night

By NBC News and news services

CAIRO - Egyptian soldiers with batons charged into Tahrir Square on Saturday after fatal clashes nearby, prompting many demonstrators who have been camped there since last month to flee into side streets.

Shots were also fired in the air as the troops in riot gear pushed into the square following the eruption of a fire in the area around buildings associated with Egypt's upper house of parliament, a Reuters witness said. Troops were seen grabbing some people and beating them.

NBC News reported that protesters' tents had been set on fire. The military was confiscating cameras and attacking photographers and camera crews who had been reporting from the square, NBC said.


Eight people have been killed as clashes between troops and protesters in central Cairo spilled over into a second day, Egyptian state television reported.

It also said that 303 people had been wounded in the unrest in the capital, whose center has turned into a smoke-filled battleground in some of the most violent clashes since a popular uprising ousted President Hosni Mubarak last February.

Egypt's Dar al-Iftah, the body that issues Islamic fatwas (edicts), said one of its senior officials, Emad Effat, was among the dead, state news agency MENA said. He was shot in the chest after joining the protesters outside the Cabinet.

Clashes around government offices and parliament raged on after nightfall on Friday, with protesters throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at soldiers who used batons and what witnesses said appeared to be electric cattle prods.

The violence has sharpened tensions between the ruling army and its opponents, and clouded a parliamentary vote set to bring Islamists, long repressed by Mubarak, to the verge of power.

It first began late Thursday after soldiers stormed an anti-military protest camp outside the Cabinet building near Tahrir Square, expelling demonstrators demanding an end to military rule and an immediate transfer of power to a civilian authority. Witnesses said troops snatched a protester, taking him into the parliament building and beating him. The troops later moved in, burning protesters' tents.

Frustration with military
The military took over after longtime President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular revolt in February. Rights groups and activists charge that the military is carrying on the practices of the old regime, including arresting and beating dissidents.

Many Egyptians have grown increasingly wary of the military and frustrated with its handling of the country's transition period, and many activists accuse it of trying to hang on to power.

Mustafa Ali, a protester who was wounded by pellet shot in clashes last month, on Saturday accused the ruling generals of instigating the violence to "find a justification to remain in power and divide up people into factions."

In a statement read on state TV Friday night, the ruling military said its forces did not intend to break up the protest and said officers showed self-restraint, denying the used any gunfire. It said the clashes began when a military officer was attacked while on duty and protesters tried to break into the parliament compound.

The young activists who led the protests against Mubarak have not translated that success into results at the polls, where Islamist parties won a clear majority of seats in the first round of voting last month over the more liberal parties that emerged from the uprising. Results from this week's second round are expected in the coming days, with the rest of the country set to vote next month.

Images of troops protecting polling centers and soldiers carrying the elderly to the polls have served to boost the military's image as guardians of the country. The military remains the ultimate authority on all matters of state in absence of a president.

The second round of voting took place Wednesday and Thursday in nine of the country's 27 provinces. It covered vast rural areas where the religious stand of Islamist parties has strong support.

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

NBC News, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/17/9513165-egypt-police-charge-tahrir-square-after-night-of-violence

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Penn St. coach says he saw, reported molestation (AP)

HARRISBURG, Pa. ? As soon as he walked into the Penn State locker room, Mike McQueary heard running water and rhythmic, slapping sounds of "skin on skin." He looked in a mirror and saw a naked Jerry Sandusky, the former assistant coach, holding a young boy by the waist from behind, up against the wall in the campus shower.

"I just saw Coach Sandusky in the showers with a boy and what I saw was wrong and sexual," McQueary recalled telling his father that night in 2002. He repeated it the next morning to coach Joe Paterno, who slumped deep into his chair at his kitchen table.

"He said, `I'm sorry you had to see that,'" McQueary said.

McQueary's testimony Friday at a preliminary hearing for two Penn State officials accused of covering up the story was the most detailed, public account yet of the child sex abuse allegations that have upended the university's football program and the entire central Pennsylvania campus. Paterno and the university president have lost their jobs, and officials Tim Curley and Gary Schultz are accused of lying to a grand jury about what McQueary told them.

A Pennsylvania judge on Friday held Curley, the university's athletic director, and Schultz, a retired senior vice president, for trial after the daylong hearing.

Curley said that McQueary never relayed the seriousness of what he saw, and said he was only told that Sandusky was "horsing around" with a boy but that his conduct wasn't sexual.

He said he told the university president about the episode and the top official at a children's charity that Sandusky founded, but never told university police. "I didn't see any reason because I didn't think at the time it was a crime," he told the grand jury, according to testimony read into the record on Friday.

Curley, Schultz and Paterno have been criticized for never telling police about the 2002 charges. Prosecutors say Sandusky continued to abuse boys for six more years. Sandusky has denied having inappropriate sexual contact with boys.

In about two hours on the witness stand, McQueary said again and again that what he saw was a sexual act, although he stopped short of saying he was sure that Sandusky, now 67, had raped the boy.

"I believe Jerry was sexually molesting him and having some type of sexual intercourse with him," McQueary said on Friday. He said later he "can't say 100 percent" that Sandusky and the boy were having intercourse because he was seeing Sandusky from behind.

He said after talking to his father, he went over to Paterno's home the next morning and said that what he had seen "was way over the lines, it was extremely sexual in nature." He said he would not have used words like sodomy or intercourse with Paterno; he did not get into that much detail out of respect for the coach, he said.

Paterno told the grand jury that McQueary said he saw Sandusky doing something of a "sexual nature" with the youngster but that he didn't press for details.

"I didn't push Mike ... because he was very upset," Paterno said. "I knew Mike was upset, and I knew some kind of inappropriate action was being taken by Jerry Sandusky with a youngster."

Paterno told McQueary he would talk to others about what he'd reported.

McQueary said he met nine or 10 days later with Curley and Schultz and told them he'd seen Sandusky and a boy, both naked, in the shower after hearing skin-on-skin slapping sounds.

"I would have described that it was extremely sexual and I thought that some kind of intercourse was going on," said McQueary.

McQueary said he was left with the impression both men took his report seriously. When asked why he didn't go to police, he referenced Schultz's position as a vice president at the university who had overseen the campus police

"I thought I was talking to the head of the police, to be frank with you," he said. "In my mind it was like speaking to a (district attorney). It was someone who police reported to and would know what to do with it."

The square-jawed, red-haired assistant coach spoke in a steady voice in his first public account of the alleged abuse, sometimes turning his seat and leaning toward defense lawyers to answer questions. His voice rose a few times and he blushed once when describing the sexual encounter in the shower.

Defense lawyers for Curley and Schultz argued that a perjury charge should not be based solely on a person's testimony under oath contradicting someone else's testimony. The defense said uncorroborated testimony from McQueary is not enough and sought to pick apart the ways he described the shower scene differently to different people.

The defense noted that McQueary admitted changing his description of the shower encounter when speaking with Paterno ? enough so that the coach didn't believe a crime had occurred.

McQueary said he had stopped by a campus football locker room to drop off a pair of sneakers in the spring of 2002 when he saw Sandusky with the boy, who he estimated was 10 or 12 years old.

McQueary, 37, said he has never described what he saw as anal rape or anal intercourse and couldn't see Sandusky's genitals, but that "it was very clear that it looked like there was intercourse going on."

In its report last month, the grand jury summarized McQueary's testimony as saying he "saw a naked boy ... with his hands up against the wall, being subjected to anal intercourse by a naked Sandusky."

McQueary said he peeked into the shower three times ? the first via a mirror, the other two times directly. The last time he looked in, Sandusky and the boy had separated, he said. He said he didn't say anything, but "I know they saw me. They looked directly in my eye, both of them."

McQueary said the entire encounter ? from when he first entered the locker room to when he retreated to his office ? lasted about 45 seconds.

Curley told the grand jury that he couldn't recall his specific conversation with McQueary, but McQueary never reported seeing anal intercourse or other sexual conduct. He said he spoke to Sandusky about it, who first denied having been in the shower with a boy, but later changed his story.

Schultz said he remembered McQueary and Paterno describing what the younger coach saw only in a very general way.

"I had the impression it was inappropriate," Schultz told the grand jury. "I had the feeling it was some kind of wrestling activity and maybe Jerry might have grabbed a young boy's genitals."

Under cross-examination, McQueary said he considered what he saw a crime but didn't call police because "it was delicate in nature."

"I tried to use my best judgment," he said. "I was sure the act was over." He said he never tried to find the boy.

Paterno, Schultz and Curley didn't testify, but District Judge William C. Wenner read their grand jury testimony from January at the Dauphin County hearing.

Curley's attorney, Caroline Roberto, said prosecutors "will never be able to reach their burden of proof at a trial."

Schultz's attorney, Tom Farrell, predicted his client would be acquitted.

He also took a shot at Paterno, saying, "I'm an Italian from Brooklyn, and he may not have called the police but he may have done what I would have done, which is get the boys in the car with a few baseball bats and crowbars and take it to the fellow."

Sandusky says he is innocent of 52 criminal charges stemming from what authorities say were sexual assaults over 12 years on 10 boys in his home, on Penn State property and elsewhere.

Curley, 57, was placed on leave by the university after his arrest. Schultz, 62, returned to retirement after spending about four decades at the school, most recently as senior vice president for business and finance, and treasurer.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_sp_ot/us_penn_state_abuse

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