Union County Public Schools: Web server hacked, information may be compromised

UNION COUNTY, NC (WBTV) -

Union County Public Schools employees are at-risk after someone hacked the Public School System web server Thursday.

According to an email from Superintendent Mary Ellis, "It is possible that confidential employee information, including social security numbers, has been compromised."

Officials say once the district learned about the hack, the web server was immediately shut down and disconnected while law enforcement was notified.

The District says it is working with law enforcement to determine what information, if any, was compromised, and to determine who is behind the cyber attack.

The Superintendent went on to say, "While I am hopeful that we will find that confidential information was not compromised, I want to err on the side of the safety and security of our employees by informing you of the potential that unknown entities may have had access to your personal information.

?An update will be sent to you as soon as information is available. Additionally, you will receive information about the nature of the additional safeguards and procedures that will be put in place to prevent or minimize the potential for future occurrences."

?The Union County Sheriff's Office said the investigation is still in its early stages and they do not yet know what information, if any, was affected.

A Sheriff's Office spokesperson said, "All we have at this point is an allegation, so we'll have to determine whether or not a crime was actually committed."

Copyright 2013 WBTV. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.wbtv.com/story/21216611/union-county-public-schools-web-server-hacked-information-may-be-compromised

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a new opinion in Telecommunications about Sony Ericsson Xperia X8

This smartphone purchase was my first and I wanted to own and use this phone for making mobile cellphone calls. I read up on the CPU speed and was impressed considering the budget price of this type of smart phone. It has a camera, radio and Internet capabilities. I had the choice of going on Vodafone or Orange and choose Vodafone despite the slightly higher pay as you go tariffs. The world of Apps is something that also interested me in buying this product and have read that the Sony Ericsson has popular apps that can be used. I also researched that the mobile phone runs on the android operating system.

Sony Ericsson X8

I bought this from phones4u store for ?79,95 and had to pay an additional ?20 air time top up voucher on Vodafone which brought my total spend to ?99.95. I thought to myself Sony a global and reputable consumer electronic product provider suited my needs well, without having to spend more money on rival brands such as Apple, Blackberry. Carphone Warehouise and some other cellphone retailers are offering this same phone for about ?30 extra for the same phone. The mobile phone was available in Black color or a White and pink design. I went for the more traditional and masuline black color version. The phone I received was a brand new with the packaging, and inside the box was the phone itself, with a nice and small but compact cellphone charger and some instruction manuals. I was advised to charge the phone at first for 8 hours before using it.

The phone has a cpu speed of 600mhz which is reasonably fast, it uses the andriod operating system yet only has a memory of 128mb. The 3inch screen is a flat screen. When making text messages and making calls the phone is simple to use. The reception bar rate I receive is only 2 out of 4. I find that this is slightly disappointing, though I have been told that the call quality in general is good and clear.
The box came with a host of instructions and manuals that I read most parts of it carefully to understand how to use the phone. Also in the box was a set of headphones that can be used to listen to the radio setting, the battery charger, and a few screen protectors which is a good inclusion as well.

Design of the phone

My impressions of the phone when I looked at the Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 was a positive one. I also had a look at the Sony X10 though I did not like the flip down keyboard section to that model, and in looking the Sony X8 is a well designed and easy to use phone. Regarding the navigation is made easy by having 3 buttons that enable people to carry out tasks on the phone. Similarly the side button works in taking pictures when using the camera option. I definitely like the look and the design of the phone as the screen size is compact at 3inches and I am able to make phone calls and do other tasks on the phone with effortless ease. The good aspect of the phone that I have seen is that the outer shell of the phone is not thick or wide. This in my mind makes the phone appear nicely designed.

Advantages

Despite the smallish screen the cellphone has a tilt mechanism which makes the keyboard appear bigger from the side. This makes entering telephone numbers, adding contacts and entering Internet addresses easier. I also find that when I use additional features of the phone that the navigation is quite simple and straightforward.

The camera on the phone is good quality as it has a clear image and is focused. It does not have a flash feature. I have found the images that I have taken to be clear and camera phone worthy.
I have found it easy to make calls, and add contacts to my list. I do not use the Internet facility regularly though the speed is also acceptable and reliable.

Disadvantages

Having owned this smartphone for a month now, I have used the fm radio and listened to the radio on the phone using some quite poor/average headphones and have found that the actual volume is quite low. This makes listening to the fm radio quite an average experience at best. The phone had no problems when playing music tracks that were pre-installed. The volume when listening to music is quite loud. This is good to know when downloading and then listening music on this smart phone.

Secondly the phone does take about 10 seconds to load up the main menu from pressing the power button. This will be a bit slow for some prospective buyers of the phone, but it does power up well and the battery life is also good.

Look and feel

The look of the phone is sleek and compact and is pleasant to look at. I liked the size of the screen which is quite a good size though smaller than an iphone screen. Secondly the weight of the phone feels slightly heavy though it is not really a big issue in the overall picture.

Durability & Robustness

I find that the phone is easy to handle and easy to use overall. I would not think twice regarding misusing the phone or dropping it on the floor. I do like the touchscreen navigation facility and the three silver color navigation buttons as well. The phone looks well designed and pretty neat. The build quality looks strong and does not appear to be flimsy or poorly designed in any shape or form.

Battery Standby time

Having charged my phone for 8 hours before I started playing around on it for the first time, I feel that this was a good start in ensuring that my phone battery charges up and stays charged for a good level of time. I would approximate the battery life to be around a day or 2, from fully charged. I do not use the phone for heavy usage in terms of surfing the Internet all the time and for making too many phone calls, though I do charge the phone up during the evening/night.

Range of features

The features of the phone are that it is easy to connect to the Internet browser using Wi-fi. I also can download free and paid for applications. There are a good number of games pre installed which are slightly entertaining to play. Also on the phone is a fm radio which I found ok but basic. The camera is also easy to use and can capture good quality pictures from the camera function. The pictures that I have taken so far have been clear. The button to take the pictures is a small button on the right hand side of the phone which took me a while to figure out. The phone has a contact feature which allows people to save their contacts. The phone has a fast button to download and pay for apps in the 'Market'. The phone has an alarm and people can connect to facebook, google maps, Youtube, and try out/pay for GPS navigation. The most interesting feature I have seen is TrackID which allows people to record music from a TV or any external speaker. The phone also has Officesuite installed. Overall there are plenty of features that this phone has.

Ease of Use

At first I had a few teething problems with using the phone though I am fully aware of how the phone works now. The one thing I do not like is that it takes about 10 seconds or so to get started from the moment I hit the power button. The processor speed is around 600mhz so this impacts on the speed of the navigation on the Internet browsing. I have downloaded a few apps and have the speed of the phone is quite good without being superbly fast.

Reception Quality

Having made a good number of calls to businesses and my family I am very happy with the quality of the reception and signal in my area. I spoke to my brother about the reception and call quality and we could hear each other well. Similarly when I have spoken to business contacts I feel that the conversation goes well as a result of the cellphone quality.

Value for money

So far I feel that this phone is an easy to use and has all the range of features that most people could possibly want. My own usage is primarily on making the occasional phone call and by using the Internet when I am on the move. Consequently I feel that I have got my money's worth with this phone. As such this phone is in the recommended bracket. It may not be as fast as some of the more expensive iPhones though what it does have is a good range of features and also has a reasonably good Internet browsing speed. At the ?80 mark for the phone this I feel is worth the money spent.

Conclusion

Whilst I would consider other cell phones in the future I have to say that I slightly feel good about my purchase. I think that this phone will last the test of time in the short to medium term and I feel that the Sony X8 is a good budget entry level smartphone. For the price I think it is a really good Smart phone

Source: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/smartphone/sony-ericsson-xperia-x8/1690336/

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Winners and Losers: The Grammys on Twitter

What were the most?buzzed about Grammy moments from last night?

To figure it out,?Whispr Group, a?social media intelligence agency (Spotify is among its clients), looked at all publicly available Grammy tweets posted on February 10, 2013 ? spanning nominees, performances, red carpet looks, memorable moments, hashtags, etc. ? and created a very cool infographic to highlight the event?s?winners and?losers in the eyes of the Twitter crowd?(click it below to zoom in).

Here are just a few of the infographic?s insights per the Whispr Group:

• Tweets about this year?s Grammys?increased +29% as compared to last year.
• Disappointed?Ed Sheeran fans caused him to be the most buzzed about nominee on Twitter, bringing in nearly 32% more tweets than Taylor Swift (the second most buzzed about nominee).
• Although?Justin Timberlake wasn?t nominated for an award, his show stopping retro performance received the highest positive feedback (89%), snagged him the most new followers on Twitter (+86K), and landed him one of the most buzzed about style icons on the red carpet.
• Taylor Swift?s ?One Direction Diss? may have caused a war between fans on Twitter, but she was still able to snag +76K new followers.
• Adele?s dress landed her as one of the most buzzed about starlets at the Grammys, but unfortunately for all the wrong reasons, receiving only 55% positive sentiment.
• Carrie Underwood?s anime dress was the most tweeted about style, pulling in 90% favorable discussions.
• Rihanna & Chris Brown?s ?snuggle? at the Grammys was the among the most controversial, and also most discussed Grammy moments with over 144K Tweets.

?

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This entry was posted in Adotas. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.voytech.com/advertising-blog/adotas/winners-and-losers-the-grammys-on-twitter

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Obama may issue order on defense against cyber attacks on Wednesday : sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama plans to release a long-awaited executive order aimed at improving the nation's defenses against cyber attacks as early as Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The order, drawn up after Congress failed to pass cyber defense legislation last year, is meant to improve the protection of critical industries and infrastructure from cyber intrusions.

Concerns about cyber attacks, which have hit a succession of major U.S. companies and government agencies in recent months, also could be raised by Obama in his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday evening.

One of the White House's major goals is to improve information-sharing about attacks among private companies, and between companies and the government.

"Our biggest issue right now is getting the private sector to a comfort level so they can report anomalies, malware, incidents within their network" without undue fear of being "outed" as victims, said FBI Executive Assistant Director Richard McFeely, head of the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch.

The order is expected to give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the lead role in protecting critical U.S. infrastructure, according to a government official who had seen a final draft of the order's executive summary.

DHS will be tasked with setting up a system for sharing cyber threats with private industry and be responsible for protecting critical infrastructure, the official said. Most of the critical U.S. infrastructure is run by private industry.

"We know the executive order isn't going to go as far as legislation could or will go, but it's a good start," the official said.

Some Republicans had wanted the Department of Defense to play the lead role instead of DHS.

Cyber security experts say the executive order - which does not have the same force as a law - is a step in the right direction and indicates Obama takes the problem seriously.

"I think this can fairly be described as a down payment on legislation," said Stewart Baker, former National Security Agency general counsel and a past assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Homeland Security.

Stewart said he thought the executive order would make a difference in policy and practical terms "but whether it will provide practical protection from cyber attacks is still in doubt."

The executive order will make it easier for people at private companies to get security clearances so classified information can be shared, according to earlier drafts that were leaked and posted online.

It will also make companies work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to come up with sector-specific standards for cyber security and will then require companies to engage with their regulators to decide how those standards are implemented.

"Companies aren't going to, at first, be required to do anything. These are voluntary standards, except for a few critical infrastructure companies," said James Lewis, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"If you're regulated, the regulator will be able to say, 'Here are some new standards.' If you're not regulated you won't be touched at all."

(Reporting By Steve Holland, Deborah Charles and Joseph Menn. Writing by Warren Strobel; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-may-issue-order-wednesday-defense-against-cyber-011010853--finance.html

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Worthington Energy Inc (PINK:WGAS) Gets Ready for Exploration

Las Vegas, NV -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/12/2013 -- Worthington Energy Inc (PINK:WGAS) has dropped about 19 percent today and is trading at $0.02. The company?s highest in last 52 weeks is $0.60 and lowest traded value is $0.01. Today the Worthington Energy traded volume is close to 8 million whereas its average volume traded is 2.6 million.

Recently the Worthington Energy decided to update its shareholders about the status of the company?s Vermillion Block 179 asset. Worthington Energy has entered into agreement with Montecito Offshore. The company will be having 70 percent working interest with 51.9 percent of revenue interest in area of about 550 acre at Vermillion 179.

Worthington Energy management is optimistic about this new agreement and stated that $8.5 million loan has been approved by Ventana Group. According to terms of agreement, the credit will be utilized for the development, drilling, installation of equipment etc at Vermillion 179.

To find out what OTCMAGIC projects for Worthington Energy Inc for both short term and long term please click here: WGAS

OTCMAGIC Spends all day scouring the markets for the next huge Penny Stock Winner. Investors have come to trust us for our up to date commentary on all hot stocks so please visit OTCMAGIC right now and see what it?s all about for yourself! At 30,000 Visitors a Month and growing rapidly OTCMAGIC is the hottest thing in otc Picks!

Never invest in any stock featured on our site or emails unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. PLEASE NOTE: OTCMagic.com employees are not registered as an Investment Advisor in any jurisdiction whatsoever. Full disclaimer can be read at http://OTCMagic.com/disclaimer. Release of Liability: Through use of this website viewing or using you agree to hold OTCMagic.com, its operators owners and employees harmless and to completely release them from any and all liability due to any and all loss monetary or otherwise, damage monetary or otherwise, or injury (monetary or otherwise) that you may incur. The information contained herein is based on sources which we believe to be reliable but is not guaranteed by us as being accurate and does not purport to be a complete statement or summary of the available data. OTCMagic.com affiliates may from time to time have a position in the securities mentioned herein and may increase or decrease such positions without notice. Any opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. OTCMagic.com encourages readers and investors to supplement the information in these reports with independent research and other professional advice. All information on featured companies is provided by the companies profiled, or is available from public sources and OTCMagic.com. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of the disclosure by the profiled companies. This is not a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. Any claims or Statements should be deemed hypothetical. OTCMagic.com, nor any of its affiliates are not registered investment advisors or broker dealers.

Source: http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/worthington-energy-inc-pinkwgas-gets-ready-for-exploration-206634.htm

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Karen Mills, Small Business Administration Head, Leaving Obama ...

WASHINGTON ? Karen Mills is leaving her post as head of the Small Business Administration, opening yet another Cabinet-rank job for President Barack Obama to fill at the start of his second term. Obama says Mills played a leading role supporting start-up businesses and entrepreneurs.

Mills has served as SBA administrator since 2009.

The SBA arranges loans, loan guarantees and other assistance to small businesses. Most recently, the SBA stepped in to assist businesses hurt by Superstorm Sandy, approving more than $1.1 billion in disaster loans to residents and businesses in states affected by the storm.

Mills is the latest executive branch official to leave during the traditional turnover at the beginning of a second term.

In a statement Monday, Obama credited Mills with helping businesses recover from the damaging recession.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/11/karen-mills_n_2662637.html

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[Kernel] Galaxy Rush OC Kernels

Here are both 1.4Ghz and 1.8Ghz OC kernels for the rush. Both are stable but obviously 1.8Ghz will get lower battery life and I can't say 1.8Ghz will be good for the phone really but I put it up for choice, it actually runs stable when I ran it for 2+ hours, didin't even get hot. Both have been test flashed by me and working good.

I'm going to recompile a 1.5Ghz and 1.6Ghz after work in a few hours and will add later untill we get a tunable version of the kernel because you can't change clock freqs right now, you have to flash the Ghz you want at the moment.

Also at this time you can't change the clock, but downthemachine might help me fix this.

Most credit goes to downthemachine for the source and Shabbypenguin for pointing me to downthemachine's source. Without them this would not of been possible, never, at all, (without a lot of research and googling, this was minimal) especially the source from downthemachine!

Edit: Changed links to Dropbox instead of Google Drive

Rush OC Kernel 1.4Ghz

Rush OC Kernel 1.8Ghz

Both:
Both Kernels

I'm tired of trying to get a working flashable zip file for now so you can just make a copy of any of the ROMs - JB Party Time, Super Stock ICS, etc and replace the boot.img in the zip and reflash (yes this will erease everything) but be sure to do a factory reset and wipe dalvic cache before flashing again.

Sckboy78 is going to work on a working flashable zip for the kernel too so he will probably make one that works soon.

Enjoy

Source: http://androidforums.com/rush-all-things-root/687393-kernel-galaxy-rush-oc-kernels.html

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SHOW BITS: It's after-party time at the Grammys

Show Bits brings you the 55th annual Grammy Awards through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

___

AFTER THE GRAMMYS? INDIA!

For the Grammy Awards official after-party, celebrants went to India.

Actually, they just went to the Los Angeles Convention Center, right next door to the Staples Center where the 55th annual Grammy ceremony was held, but the space inside was transformed into a Bollywood party.

Belly dancers writhed rhythmically on various stages beneath lanterns and bright pink canopies, while aerial gymnasts dangled overhead. The massive ballroom was dotted with such stages and food stations boasting fare from Asia and America.

The B-52s and Estelle performed, drawing partygoers to the dance floor.

Multiple Grammy-winner Skrillex was among the celebrants, but he made an early exit ? likely to attend one of many private post-Grammy parties planned for throughout the city.

? Sandy Cohen, www.twitter.com/APSandy.

___

GRAMMY PREZ ON CLOTHING COVER-UP

The Recording Academy's president says this year's great clothing cover-up kerfuffle was "much ado about nothing."

A memo from CBS surfaced earlier this week advising Grammy participants to avoid wearing see-through clothing and to make sure "buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered" during the show's broadcast.

"For some reason people thought this was something new or different or even foreboding as far as being restrictive," Neil Portnow said backstage after the show.

What was outlined in the memo was simply the standard the show has followed every year for at least a decade, he said.

What's more, he added, every TV network has to communicate its standards and practices to anyone appearing on its shows.

Jennifer Lopez and Kelly Rowland, who both wore only slightly revealing outfits, joked about the memo.

? Beth Harris ? Twitter http://twitter.com/bethharrisap___

___

JUANES PLANS BILINGUAL ALBUM

Colombian rocker Juanes has been so inspired by performing the songs of his idols at Grammy events this week that he plans to include a few English tracks on his new album.

"Now I can sing in English easier than before," he said backstage after performing a bilingual version of Elton John's "Your Song." "Probably I'm going to do some tracks. Maybe four."

Juanes also performed Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" at Grammy's MusiCares event honoring The Boss over the weekend.

"It was such a great opportunity for me," he said. "I just met Elton John tonight. I met Bruce last year. ... They are an inspiration to me. I grew up listening to all this music when I was a teenager, and now I understand them a lot more so I love them even more."

? Sandy Cohen ? www.twitter.com/APSandy .

___

QUICKQUOTE: ZAC BROWN

"It's been like I've been hanging out with my entire CD collection." Grammy winner Zac Brown backstage on performing with legendary musicians during Grammy week.

? Sandy Cohen ? www.twitter.com/APSandy .

___

CARRIE UNDERWOOD's PROJECTOR DRESS

Carrie Underwood used the huge skirt of her gray dress as a digital projector during her Grammy Awards performance.

As she sang "Blown Away" and " Two Black Cadillacs" various images flashed on her dress.

"They can do a lot of amazing things with projectors these days," she said backstage, holding her trophy for best country solo performance. "We had a dress especially made. I said I should take that home and we can watch movies on it."

Underwood said she had to stand in a specific spot on the Staples Center stage to make it work.

"It took a lot of precision," she said.

? Beth Harris ? Twitter http://twitter.com/bethharrisap

___

KEEP ON BIEBVIN'

Justin Bieber can't catch a break.

Not only was the superstar singer not nominated for a Grammy, but a Ustream session that Bieber launched at the same time as the ceremony Sunday to answer questions from fans crashed because it was overloaded. The technical snafu immediately began trending on Twitter, inspiring such popular hashtags as (hash)ThankYouForTryingJustin and (hash)JustinUseRedTube.

Bieber tweeted to fans that "livestream is over capacity it not letting me in the room." He apparently couldn't overcome the blunder and later promised to upload a video.

? Derrik J. Lang ? Twitter: http://twitter.com/derrikjlang

___

RICK ROSS WORKS IT

Rick Ross is a businessman as much as he is a rapper.

"There's a lot of networking to be done here," he said on the red carpet at Sunday's Grammy Awards, adding he had already done "three or four deals."

Ross likes how his genre has taken what he sees as its rightful place at the annual ceremony.

"I feel like hip hop is most definitely more present at the Grammys," he said, noting the presence of what he called such "underground legends" as Nas.

? Beth Harris ? Twitter http://twitter.com/bethharrisap

___

THE BROWN-OCEAN STANDOFF

Chris Brown clapped ? but didn't stand ?when Frank Ocean beat him for the urban contemporary album Grammy.

The standing ovation snub between the pair, who brawled last month over a parking space at a West Hollywood studio, was clearly captured in a screenshot posted on Twitter by the site BuzzFeed.

The image shows Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, Adele and several others on their feet while Brown remains seated.

BuzzFeed's photo of Brown's diss was retweeted hundreds of times just a few minutes after it was posted.

? Derrik J. Lang ? Twitter: http://twitter.com/derrikjlang___

___

SKIRTING THE GRAMMY DRESS CODE

Kelly Rowland, in a revealing long black dress, says she just barely skirted this year's Grammy dress code. Sort of.

"I almost broke the code," the R&B singer joked backstage Sunday.

"If I turn to the side I might," she added to laughter.

Rowland was referring to the memo that CBS, the show's broadcaster, put out this week asking that participants make sure "buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered."

Rowland's Georges Chakra dress had portions that are see-through.

? Mesfin Fekadu ? Twitter http://twitter.com/MusicMesfin

___

ADELE: NO TIME TO BE COOL

Adele says she's been so busy singing nursery rhymes to her new baby son that "I don't really remember what's cool and what's not."

Still, she was cool enough to add another Grammy to last year's six-award sweep when she won Sunday night for pop vocal performance for "Set Fire to the Rain (Live)."

That may have to hold her for a while.

She's set to perform her Golden Globe-winning song from the James Bond film "Skyfall" at the Oscars in a couple weeks, and says she's been so busy she's had little time to work on her new album.

"I'm not very far along at all," Adele confessed backstage at the Grammy Awards. "I've been out of the loop really."

? Sandy Cohen ? www.twitter.com/APSandy

___

QUICKQUOTE: NATE RUESS

"I don't know what I was thinking writing the chorus for this song. If this is in HD, everybody can see our faces, and we are not very young." ? fun. lead singer Nate Ruess as the band accepted the song of the year Grammy for "We Are Young."

? Sandy Cohen ? http: www.twitter.com/APSandy

___

GRAMMYS DON'T WAIT FOR ANYONE

The Grammy Awards show started at 8 p.m. EST. Not at 8:05 or 8:07 or 8:10

The late-arriving celebrity crowd quickly learned that fact when they were kept in a vestibule with all the regular folks until the first commercial break. Only then were they allowed to take their seats.

That meant Drake, Jenna Jameson and Tito Ortiz had to cool their heels while Taylor Swift opened the show with her exuberant performance of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."

The waiting continued as host LL Cool J greeted the audience and on through Ed Sheeran and Elton John's performance.

The stars' handlers did manage to move them to the front of the line that was waiting to get in.

? Nekesa Mumbi Moody ? Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi .

___

TAYLOR SETS TWEETERS ATWITTER

Did Taylor Swift just launch World War III?

After Swift broke into a faux British accent during her Grammy-opening performance, several One Direction fans took to Twitter to voice their disdain at the apparent dig at one of the singer's former flames, One Direction member (and native Brit) Harry Styles.

The English-accented flourish came when Swift started speaking in the middle of an "Alice in Wonderland"-like performance of her Grammy-nominated song "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."

Reaction was swift.

"Did Taylor Swift just do an English accent?" director Judd Apatow tweeted immediately after it happened.

? Derrik J. Lang ? Twitter: http://twitter.com/derrikjlang

___

QUICKQUOTE: BONNIE RAITT

"I was up against all these guys who had much bigger records and a bigger splash. It makes an old girl feel good." ? 63-year-old singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, who earned her 10th career Grammy in the best Americana album category for "Slipstream," beating out a field that included Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and The Avett Brothers.

? Beth Harris ? Twitter http://twitter.com/bethharrisap

___

QUICKQUOTE: TAYLOR SWIFT

"So he calls me up and he's like, 'I still love you.' And I'm like, 'I'm sorry, I'm busy opening up the Grammys.'" ? Taylor Swift, during her show-opening performance of her Grammy-nominated song "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."

? Anthony McCartney ? http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

___

KIMBRA WAS THE CHARM

After Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" won the Grammy for best pop duo/group performance, he revealed that Kimbra wasn't his first, or even his second, choice for the song.

He had already gone through two female singers for the track and was waiting on another vocalist when "she called out."

"I built so much expectation with that vocalist that I was feeling a little crushed," he said backstage after collecting the Grammy.

It came down to Kimbra to sing on the song that was recorded in her apartment. It was last year's biggest hit.

As for the unnamed singer, Gotye said she makes wonderful music on her own and "shouldn't be mad."

Gotye also won the Grammy for best alternative music album for "Making Mirrors."

? Mesfin Fekadu ? Twitter http://twitter.com/MusicMesfin

___

DRESSING ROOM MATES

Kelly Clarkson is in good company backstage at the Grammys.

The original "American Idol" champion, who's performing at Sunday's ceremony, posted a photo to Instagram of her dressing room door, which featured the names of her roommates: Alicia Keys and Miranda Lambert.

"Our dressing room rules!" wrote the "Stronger" singer.

Clarkson later uploaded photos of her glam squad curling her hair, as well as a close-up of her glittery custom nail polish.

"Should we call it 'Stronger'?" she asked.

? Derrik J. Lang ? Twitter: http://twitter.com/derrikjlang

___

QUICKQUOTE: FRANK OCEAN

"It would mean my name changes in the press forever." ? Frank Ocean, speaking on the red carpet about what winning a Grammy would mean to him.

? Nekesa Mumbi Moody ? http://www.twitter.com

___

QUICKQUOTE: JOHN PAUL WHITE

"I think it's appropriate that Taylor thanks us. We've been carrying her for a while and it's getting a little tiring," John Paul White of the Civil Wars, who won a Grammy for the song "Safe & Sound" from "The Hunger Games," which he co-wrote with Taylor Swift.

? Sandy Cohen ? Twitter http://www twitter.com/apsandy

___

ESPERANZA SPALDING LEARNED LESSON WELL

Last year's best new artist, Esperanza Spalding, is back winning Grammys again this year ? with a little help from the music teacher who began training her when she was 8.

The jazz star and her teacher, Thara Memory, claimed the award for best instrumental arrangements accompanying vocalist(s) for "City of Roses" at Sunday's Grammy pre-telecast.

Spalding escorted Memory to the stage to accept the award and was moved when speaking about their student-teacher relationship. She also noted the "City of Roses" composition features some of Memory's 16-year-old students.

Spalding also won a Grammy Sunday for best jazz vocal album for "Radio Music Society."

? Mesfin Fekadu ? Twitter http://twitter.com/MusicMesfin

___

EDITOR'S NOTE: Show Bits brings you the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/show-bits-party-time-grammys-091247592.html

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Video: LA manhunt reaches 4th day

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50764315/

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Guatemala declares national coffee emergency

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) -- Guatemala's president declared a national emergency Friday over the spread of coffee rust, saying the fungus that has hit other Central American countries is affecting 70 percent of this nation's crop.

President Otto Molina Perez ordered the release of more than $14 million to aid coffee growers. He said the funds would help 60,000 small farmers buy pesticides and also finance instruction to teach them how to prevent the disease and stop it from spreading.

"If we don't take the needed measures, in 2013-2014 our production could drop by 40 percent," Molina said in making his country the third in the region to decree emergencies in recent weeks.

Coffee rust, which can kill plants by withering their leaves, also is affecting plantations in El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica. Mexico's agriculture authorities said the fungus has been detected there but so far has not damaged plants.

Molina said the pesticides will start being applied to coffee plants in April and two more applications will be needed during the year.

Nils Leporowsky, president of the National Coffee Association of Guatemala, or Anacafe, said coffee is grown in 206 of the country's 333 municipalities.

"We have planted 667,000 acres (270,000 hectares) of coffee and of that 477,000 acres (193,000 hectares) have rust, affecting 70 percent of the total," he added.

Leporowsky said coffee growing generates 500,000 direct jobs as well as 700,000 additional jobs in related businesses each year.

"We have lost 100,000 direct jobs already and that will affect millions of people," he said.

Experts say the fungus has been present in Central American since the 1970s but production hadn't previously been affected so severely as what is feared this year.

Otto Cabrera, an adviser with Anacafe, said coffee rust arrived in Guatemala in the 1980s.

"The fungus directly affects coffee leaves, initially with yellow spots that later turn orange and reaches around the foliage of coffee, then makes the leaves fall," he said. "The plant loses its foliage. It's not able to breathe, so it ceases producing and it eventually dies."

Cabrera said climate change has brought a rise in average temperatures of about 2 degrees Celsius in Central American areas where the fungus was present, encouraging its growth and increasing the threat of severe damage.

Honduras and Costa Rica declared national emergencies over coffee rust last month. In Panama, the sixth largest producer of coffee in the region, the fungus has affected about 60 percent of the crop this year, according to industry estimates.

Carlos Fuentes, spokesman for the association of coffee producers in Panama's Chiriqui province, which borders Costa Rica, said coffee yields per acre have fallen 45 percent. Chiriqui is the largest coffee producer in Panama.

"Of the 8,650 acres (3,500 hectares) we planted, more than half have been affected," Fuentes said, adding that he wants his country to also declare a state of emergency.

In El Salvador, the Salvadoran Coffee Council said the impact of coffee rust is the worst in 30 years. The council estimates the fungus has affected 100 percent of the country's coffee plants.

Honduras also declared a national emergency in January seeking to curb the fungus and save its coffee, which is its main export, with about $1.4 billion in sales in 2012.

"Until now, we estimate that about 10 percent of the crops in the country have been affected," said Victor Hugo Molina, director of the Honduran Coffee Institute.

In Mexico, which borders Guatemala, agriculture officials said the fungus is present but it has not hurt production.

Javier Trujillo Arriaga, director of vegetable health for Mexico's pest-control agency, said the government has a contingency plan to fight the fungus in case it starts killings plants like it is doing in Guatemala.

Coffee producers in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica plan a Feb. 27-28 meeting in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to discuss common strategies for combatting coffee rust.??????????

___

Associated Press writers Juan Zamorano in Panama, Alberto Arce in Honduras, Marco Aleman in El Salvador and Olga R. Rodriguez in Mexico contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/guatemala-declares-national-coffee-emergency-232718868.html

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Snowstorm hits NYC, Boston; 1 to 3 feet feared

A man walks his dog past the snow covered "Boy and Bird" fountain in the Boston Public Garden in Boston, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Friday and banned travel on roads as of 4 p.m. as a blizzard that could bring nearly 3 feet of snow to the region began to intensify. As the storm gains strength, it will bring "extremely dangerous conditions" with bands of snow dropping up to 2 to 3 inches per hour at the height of the blizzard, Patrick said. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A man walks his dog past the snow covered "Boy and Bird" fountain in the Boston Public Garden in Boston, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Friday and banned travel on roads as of 4 p.m. as a blizzard that could bring nearly 3 feet of snow to the region began to intensify. As the storm gains strength, it will bring "extremely dangerous conditions" with bands of snow dropping up to 2 to 3 inches per hour at the height of the blizzard, Patrick said. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

This image released by NASA from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite captured at 9:01 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 shows a massive winter storm coming together as two low pressure systems merge over the northeast U.S. Snow began falling across the Northeast on Friday, ushering in what was predicted to be a huge, possibly historic blizzard and sending residents scurrying to stock up on food and gas up their cars. (AP Photo/NASA)

A man battles fierce winds as he climbs a hill after leaving his car in a parking lot to avoid being towed during a parking ban, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, in Portland, Maine. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Maine's southern coast. The forecast calls for up to 2 feet of snow and winds gusting to 50 mph. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A dog pulls a snowboarder through the Boston Common in Boston, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Friday and banned travel on roads as of 4 p.m. as a blizzard that could bring nearly 3 feet of snow to the region began to intensify. As the storm gains strength, it will bring "extremely dangerous conditions" with bands of snow dropping up to 2 to 3 inches per hour at the height of the blizzard, Patrick said. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A man crosses a traffic-less Tremont street in downtown Boston at rush hour, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Friday and banned travel on roads as of 4 p.m. as a blizzard that could bring nearly 3 feet of snow to the region began to intensify. As the storm gains strength, it will bring "extremely dangerous conditions" with bands of snow dropping up to 2 to 3 inches per hour at the height of the blizzard, Patrick said. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

BOSTON (AP) ? A storm that forecasters warned could be a blizzard for the history books, with a potential for up to 3 feet of snow, clobbered the New York-to-Boston corridor on Friday, grounding flights, sending office workers home early and knocking out power to half a million customers across the Northeast.

By Friday night, more than 18.5 inches of snow had fallen in parts of central Connecticut, and more than 16 inches covered parts of Mansfield, Mass., a half-hour drive southwest of Boston. Throughout the Northeast, more than 500,000 homes and businesses lost electricity as wet, heavy snow, freezing rain and howling winds caused havoc.

Earlier, as meteorologists warned of the impending blizzard conditions, shoppers from New Jersey to Maine crowded into supermarkets and hardware stores to buy food, snow shovels, flashlights and generators, something that became a precious commodity after Superstorm Sandy in October. Others gassed up their cars, another lesson learned all too well after Sandy. Across much of New England, schools closed well ahead of the first snowflakes.

"This is a storm of major proportions," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said. "Stay off the roads. Stay home."

The wind-whipped snowstorm mercifully arrived at the start of a weekend, which meant fewer cars on the road and extra time for sanitation crews to clear the mess before commuters in the New York-to-Boston region of roughly 25 million people have to go back to work. But it could also mean a weekend cooped up indoors.

Rainy Neves, a mother of two in Cambridge, just west of Boston, did some last-minute shopping at a grocery store, filling her cart to the brim.

"Honestly, a lot of junk ? a lot of quick things you can make just in case lights go out, a lot of snacks to keep the kids busy while they'd be inside during the storm, things to sip with my friends, things for movies," she said. "Just a whole bunch of things to keep us entertained."

In heavily Catholic Boston, the archdiocese urged parishioners to be prudent about attending Sunday Mass and reminded them that, under church law, the obligation "does not apply when there is grave difficulty in fulfilling this obligation."

Halfway through what had been a mild winter across the Northeast, blizzard warnings were posted from parts of New Jersey to Maine. The National Weather Service said Boston could get close to 3 feet of snow by Saturday evening, while most of Rhode Island could receive more than 2 feet, most of it falling overnight Friday into Saturday. Connecticut was bracing for 2 feet, and New York City was expecting as much as 14 inches. East of New York City, nearly a foot of snow had fallen before midnight Friday.

Early snowfall was blamed for a 19-car pileup in Cumberland, Maine, that caused minor injuries. Most of the region's power outages were in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Forecasters said wind gusts up to 75 mph could cause more widespread power outages and whip the snow into fearsome drifts. Flooding was expected along coastal areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, which hit New York and New Jersey the hardest and is considered Jersey's worst natural disaster.

Meteorologist Jeff Masters, of Weather Underground, said the winter storm was a collision of two storms and may end up among the Boston area's Top 5 most intense ever.

"When you add two respectable storms together, you're going to get a knockout punch with this one," he said.

It could break Boston's all-time snowstorm record of 27.6 inches, set in 2003, forecasters said. The storm also comes almost 35 years to the day after the Blizzard of '78, a ferocious storm that dropped 27 inches of snow, packed hurricane-force winds and claimed dozens of lives.

Masters said the region could get a break from warmer air trailing behind that is expected to push temperature up to the 40s by Monday.

"It's going to be not that difficult to dig out, compared to maybe some other nor'easters in the past, where it stayed cold after the storm went through," he said.

Drivers were urged to stay off the streets lest their cars get stuck, preventing snowplows and emergency vehicles from getting through. New York City ran extra commuter trains to help people get home before the brunt of the storm hit.

Amtrak stopped running trains in cities around the Northeast on Friday afternoon. Airlines canceled more than 4,300 flights through Saturday, and New York City's three major airports and Boston's Logan Airport shut down.

Interstate 95 was closed to all but essential traffic in Rhode Island, where the governor said power outages remained the biggest threat.

"With tree branches laden with heavy, wet snow, the winds picking up and the temperatures plunging all at the same time, it's a bad combination," Gov. Lincoln Chafee said.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick enacted a statewide driving ban for the first time since the Blizzard of '78. Hours before the ban went into effect at 4 p.m., long lines formed at gas stations, some of which were almost out of fuel.

James Stone said he was saving the remaining regular gas at his station in Abington, south of Boston, for snowplow drivers.

"It hasn't snowed like this in two years," Stone said. "Most people are caught way off-guard."

In New York, Fashion Week, a series of designer showings with some activities held under tents, went on mostly as scheduled, though organizers put on additional crews to deal with the snow and ice, turned up the heat and fortified the tents. The snow did require some wardrobe changes: Designer Michael Kors was forced to arrive at the Project Runway show in Uggs.

For Joe DeMartino, of Fairfield, Conn., being overprepared was impossible: His wife was expecting their first baby Sunday. He stocked up on gas and food, got firewood ready and was installing a baby seat in the car. The couple also packed for the hospital.

"They say that things should clear up by Sunday. We're hoping that they're right," he said.

Said his wife, Michelle: "It adds an element of excitement."

The snow was too much of a good thing in some places. In New Hampshire, the University of Connecticut's Skiing Carnival was canceled because of the snowstorm. In Maine, the National Toboggan Championships in Camden were postponed from Saturday to Sunday, and the Camp Sunshine Polar Plunge was put off until March.

At Rosie's Liquors in Abington, customers were lined up eight to 10 deep Friday, snapping up rum, wine and 30-packs of beer.

"We've been absolutely slammed. It's almost been like Christmas here," manager Kristen Brown said. "A lot of people are saying, 'I'm going to be stuck with my family all weekend. I need something to do.'"

___

Associated Press writers Denise Lavoie in Whitman, Rodrique Ngowi in Watertown, John Christoffersen in Fairfield, Conn., and Bob Salsberg in Boston contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-09-Northeast%20Snow/id-a31a99882bac4c1b9480d7fe42f33c9e

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Night at the Museum 3 Set for December 2014

Posted 7:27 PM February 7th, 2013 by Binh Ngo

Ben Stiller and director Shawn Levy will reteam for a third Night at the Museum, according to Fox (via Comingsoon). Stiller will reprise his role as Larry Daley, a security guard at a museum where the exhibits come to life during the night.

No word on who else will join Stiller in Night at the Museum 3, but Fox has already staked the movie for December 25, 2014.

Levy is currently in post for the Owen Wilson-Vince Vaughn comedy The Internship, which is scheduled for release on June 7th this year.

It is unknown if Levy will direct Night at the Museum 3 first or the Warner Bros. comedy This Is Where I Leave You, but since the latter won't involve much, if any, special effects, the shoot ought to be relatively quick.

This Is Where I Leave You will star Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Malin Akerman, Zac Efron and Leslie Mann.

The previous two Night at the Museums combined to make nearly $1 billion at the global box office.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926821/news/1926821/

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Secret Service investigating Bush family email hack

Former Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush in 2008 (Evan Vucci/AP)

The U.S. Secret Service has opened an investigation into the hacking and publishing of personal emails between members of the Bush family, Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary confirmed to Yahoo News on Friday morning.

Leary would not provide further details as the investigation is open.

The Smoking Gun website on Thursday published what appear to be photos and correspondence details from former Presidents George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; Dorothy Bush Koch, sister of George W. Bush and Jeb Bush; and other materials obtained by the hacker. These include emails and photos related to the senior Bush's recent extended hospitalization for bronchitis and other ailments.

Email addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses were said to be included in the hack, which reportedly involved six email accounts for members of the Bush family and messages written between 2009 and 2012.

From the Smoking Gun:

Correspondence obtained by the hacker indicates that at least six separate e-mail accounts have been compromised, including the AOL account of Dorothy Bush Koch, daughter of George H.W. Bush and sister of George W. Bush. Other breached accounts belong to Willard Heminway, 79, an old friend of the 41st president who lives in Greenwich, Connecticut; CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz, a longtime Bush family friend; former first lady Barbara Bush?s brother; and George H.W. Bush?s sister-in-law.

The hacker, who used the alias Guccifer, told the Smoking Gun that he obtained photographs sent by George W. Bush to his sister of paintings he was working on, including self-portraits?one of the former president in a shower and another in a bathtub, both of which were provided to the Smoking Gun.

The hack also reportedly exposed emails that indicated how serious George H. W. Bush's health situation had become. The former president's chief of staff, Jean Becker, reportedly wrote to Bush's children: "Your dad?s funeral team is having an emergency meeting at 10 a.m. just to go through all the details," and said this information ?fell under the broadening category of things NOT TO TELL YOUR MOTHER.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/secret-opens-investigation-bush-family-email-hack-154524987--politics.html

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CAF suspend ref for poor control of African semi

By GERALD IMRAY

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 11:41 a.m. ET Feb. 7, 2013

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -Tunisian referee Slim Jdidi was suspended by the Confederation of African Football on Thursday, a day after his below-par performance in the Burkina Faso-Ghana semifinal at the African Cup of Nations.

CAF secretary general Hicham El Amrani said its executive committee would meet on Friday to decide how long the official was suspended for and also if the red card he showed Burkina Faso's Jonathan Pitroipa for diving could be rescinded, clearing Pitroipa to play in Sunday's African Cup final against Nigeria.

El Amrani conceded CAF was unhappy with the performance of Jdidi on Wednesday but could not overturn the red card to Pitroipa for simulation unless the referee admitted he made a mistake.

"CAF is not happy about the level of refereeing in the second match yesterday," El Amrani said. "We would have expected a much better level of refereeing."

Pitroipa's red card in the final few minutes of extra time was one of a number of what appeared to be poor decisions by the Tunisian that went against the Burkinabes before they eventually beat Ghana in a penalty shootout.

Jdidi denied Burkina Faso two penalties, the second when Pitroipa was seemingly fouled by a defender. He also disallowed a goal for Burkina Faso in extra time and his performance was roundly criticized by Burkina Faso coach Paul Put, who sarcastically called the official "the best player of the day."

At its final news conference at the tournament, CAF noted the poor performance of Jdidi, while South Africa's Daniel Bennett also made mistakes in an earlier game between Togo and Tunisia.

But El Amrani said the standard of refereeing at Africa's top tournament hadn't all been poor.

"Let's not cover the entire thing with pessimism. To say overall it tarnishes the image (of the tournament), I would not agree," El Amrani said.

CAF's executive committee will rule on whether Pitroipa's suspension for the final should be overturned, El Amrani said, but the secretary general noted all refereeing decisions were "sovereign" and able to be changed only if the official himself conceded an error.

France-based Pitroipa's absence would be a big blow to Burkina Faso in its first African final with its leading scorer at the cup, Alain Traore, already out injured.

Referee Bennett had admitted showing a yellow card to a wrong player earlier in the tournament, allowing that to be overturned and leaving hope that winger Pitroipa might be reinstated for his team's biggest ever game.

CAF and South Africa's local organizing committee also announced a sellout for Sunday's final at Soccer City, with all 76,000 public tickets snatched up.

In total, South Africa had sold over 700,000 tickets for the tournament, but neither semifinal was full and the third-place game had moved only 17,000 tickets for the 46,000-seat Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

El Amrani said that up to the quarterfinals, no player had failed a doping test at the African Cup.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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More newsTom Szczerbowski / Getty Images

Time to bring Landon back

Landon Donovan's future with the U.S. national team remains up in the air. But one thing is certain -- the U.S. missed his presence against Honduras.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50730842/ns/sports-soccer/

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Ex-backer denounces "cultish devotion" to WikiLeaks founder

LONDON (Reuters) - Jemima Khan, a celebrity backer of Julian Assange who put up bail money for him, has gone public with her frustrations about the WikiLeaks founder, saying he demands "blinkered, cultish devotion" and should face justice in Sweden.

An article by Khan published on Wednesday on the website of British magazine The New Statesman gives an insight into how Assange, whose whistleblowing website angered Washington by releasing thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables in 2010, has alienated some of his staunchest allies.

Assange was arrested in Britain in December 2010 on an extradition warrant from Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual abuse made by two women.

After losing a protracted legal battle to avoid extradition, which went all the way to Britain's Supreme Court, Assange jumped bail and sought refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London last June. He has been inside the building ever since.

Khan, who first rose to prominence as an heiress but is now a campaigner and an associate editor of The New Statesman, described in her article how she had gone from "admiration to demoralisation" on the subject of WikiLeaks.

"The problem is that WikiLeaks - whose mission statement was 'to produce ... a more just society ... based upon truth' - has been guilty of the same obfuscation and misinformation as those it sought to expose, while its supporters are expected to follow, unquestioningly, in blinkered, cultish devotion," she wrote.

Khan was executive producer of a documentary film about WikiLeaks entitled "We Steal Secrets" which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States.

Khan said the film, directed by Oscar-winning documentary maker Alex Gibney, sought to present a balanced view of the WikiLeaks story but Assange had denounced it before seeing it.

"When I told Assange I was part of the We Steal Secrets team, I suggested that he view it not in terms of being pro- or anti-him, but rather as a film that would be fair and would represent the truth," she wrote.

"He replied: 'If it's a fair film, it will be pro-Julian Assange.'"

Khan's article praised WikiLeaks for exposing corruption, torture, war crimes and cover-ups but criticised it for a "with us or against us" mentality that was detrimental to its cause.

"WOMEN HAVE RIGHTS TOO"

She wrote that she was among those who had found the timing of the sexual abuse allegations against Assange suspicious, as they came at the height of the furore over the revelations on WikiLeaks, but had come to the conclusion that the allegations had to be dealt with through Swedish due process.

"The women in question have human rights, too, and need resolution. Assange's noble cause and his wish to avoid a U.S. court does not trump their right to be heard in a Swedish court," she wrote, referring to Assange's fears that Sweden could be a first stop on the way to an espionage trial in the United States.

"I don't regret putting up bail money for Assange but I did it so that he would be released while awaiting trial, not so that he could avoid answering to the allegations," Khan wrote.

Khan has not disclosed how much money she put up and whether she has had to surrender it since Assange skipped bail.

Khan wrote that it was hardly surprising that a man who had spent his life "committed to this type of work, wedded to a laptop, undercover, always on the move", would have an unusual personality.

"I have seen flashes of Assange's charm, brilliance and insightfulness - but I have also seen how instantaneous rock-star status has the power to make even the most clear-headed idealist feel that they are above the law and exempt from criticism."

(Reporting By Estelle Shirbon; editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-backer-denounces-cultish-devotion-wikileaks-founder-173131490.html

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Pringles pop boosts Kellogg's sales

NEW YORK (AP) ? Kellogg reported a fourth-quarter loss on a pension-related charge, but its underlying earnings rose as its recently acquired Pringles chips helped boost sales.

The maker of Froot Loops, Eggo waffles and Pop Tarts said net sales for the period rose 18 percent to $3.56 billion. Sales of existing products, without the impact of foreign currency translations, rose 5 percent. Kellogg, which is known for its breakfast foods, bought Pringles last year in hopes of becoming a global player in the salty snack market.

However, the company said a new accounting method for its pensions affected results for the quarter. Under the new method, Kellogg Co. lost $32 million, or 9 cents per share, for the period. That compares with a loss of $195 million, or 54 cents per share, for last year's revised results.

Not including one-time items related to its pension adjustments and Pringles acquisition, the company said underlying earnings were 67 cents per share.

In North America, the company's net sales rose 12 percent in the quarter, or 5.5 percent for existing products, with the breakfast foods and Kashi segment rising by 6 percent. International sales rose 31 percent in the fourth quarter, boosted by results in Asia and Latin America. Internal sales, which exclude the impact of acquisitions and foreign currency translations, rose 5 percent. The European business also showed improvement, with internal sales up 2.7 percent in the quarter.

The company, based in Battle Creek, Mich., stood by its outlook for 2013, with sales expected to increase by about 7 percent. Full-year earnings per share are expected to grow between 5 percent and 7 percent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pringles-pop-boosts-kelloggs-sales-141023581--finance.html

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Obama says assault weapons ban deserves a vote In Congress

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pressed Congress on Monday to at least hold a vote on banning assault weapons, the most contentious part of his plan to curb gun violence in the United States.

Obama's comments suggested a realization in the White House that it will be difficult to get such a ban passed by lawmakers, despite consistent public support for the measure.

Opposition is high in Congress, including among some Democrats, and by calling simply for a vote, Obama seemed to acknowledge that even getting that far - let alone having an assault weapons ban approved - would be a struggle.

"We should restore the ban on military style assault weapons and a 10-round limit for magazines. And that deserves a vote in Congress, because weapons of war have no place on our streets," Obama said as uniformed law enforcement officers stood behind him at the Minneapolis Police Department's Special Operation Center.

It was Obama's first trip outside Washington to promote gun control since he announced a package that includes calls for universal background checks and 10-round limits on ammunition magazines.

"No law or set of laws can keep our children completely safe. But if there's even one thing we can do, if there's just one life we can save, we've got an obligation to try," Obama said.

With a busy agenda that includes immigration reform and climate change, Obama hopes to move quickly on gun control before memories fade of December's shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 children and six adults.

A vote in Congress on the assault weapons ban might be held separately from other gun control measures.

Senator Dianne Feinstein has said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid promised that even if the ban is left out of a broader package to curb gun violence, she will have the opportunity to offer it as an amendment on the Senate floor.

Gun control efforts face an uphill battle against a powerful pro-gun lobby and a strong U.S. tradition of hunting and gun ownership. The right to bear arms is guaranteed to Americans in the U.S. Constitution.

Obama noted that support was widespread for universal background checks before guns are sold and indicated that he would press especially hard for that part of his proposals.

"The vast majority of Americans - including a majority of gun owners - support requiring criminal background checks for anyone trying to buy a gun," he said.

"So right now, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are working on a bill that would ban anyone from selling a gun to somebody legally prohibited from owning one. That's common sense. There's no reason we can't get that done."

Obama urged legislators to name a permanent director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a post that has been vacant for years.

MINNESOTA EXAMPLE

Minnesota is emblematic of the challenges Obama will face in advancing gun control in Congress.

While the state's two Democratic U.S. senators have said they are sympathetic to measures to curb gun violence, the National Rifle Association, the largest U.S. gun-rights group, is influential in the state.

It has backed all four Republicans and two of the Democrats who represent Minnesota in the House of Representatives, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

But Minneapolis has a tradition of gun control. The city took steps in the mid-2000s to reduce incidents involving guns and juveniles after an outbreak of violent crimes.

On the way to Monday's event, Obama's motorcade passed a man holding a sign that read, "Ban private ownership of military weapons."

The Newtown massacre mobilized support for measures to contain access to certain guns and ammunition.

The Obama administration has included access to mental health and an examination of the effects of violent video games as part of its efforts to stem gun violence.

Gun-control efforts have foundered in the past despite strong public support, in part because many gun owners believe advocates of gun control oppose owning and using firearms in general.

(Writing Jeff Mason; editing by Alistair Bell and Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-takes-guns-rules-campaign-midwest-144729230.html

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World Peace suspended, Howard out for Lakers

Detroit Pistons forward Jason Maxiell (54) and teammates confront Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace after his flagrant foul on Pistons guard Brandon Knight during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Detroit Pistons forward Jason Maxiell (54) and teammates confront Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace after his flagrant foul on Pistons guard Brandon Knight during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe (10) fouls Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, left, of Spain, as Lakers forward Metta World Peace fouls Pistons guard Brandon Knight (7) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Forward Metta World Peace has been suspended for one game because he hit Detroit's Brandon Knight in the face, and the Los Angeles Lakers also will be without Dwight Howard again when they face the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

World Peace grabbed Knight around the neck and struck him in the jaw with the knuckles of his mostly open hand on Sunday with 1:43 left in the first half of the Lakers' 98-97 win over the Pistons.

Howard missed that game with a sore right shoulder that remains painful. He says he will miss his third straight game.

Pau Gasol will start at center in Howard's place, and the Lakers will have to move someone into World Peace's starting forward spot.

The former Ron Artest was also suspended seven games in April after an elbow to the head of Oklahoma City's James Harden. He is notorious for his 86-game suspension in 2004 for his role in the brawl with Pistons fans in Detroit.

World Peace also served a seven-game suspension in 2007 for his no-contest plea on a domestic violence charge.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-05-BKN-Lakers-World-Peace-Howard/id-02ff033109f24c849d2a38b074fb34ad

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Video: Kerry: ?I have big heels to fill?

>>> it was a busy first day on the job for the new secretary of state, john kerry . and it started with a rousing welcome from hundreds of employees at the state department , and a nod to his predecessors.

>> here's the big question before the country and the world and the state department after the last eight years. can a man actually run the state department ? i don't know. as the saying goes, i have big heels to fill.

>> john kerry , referencing hillary clinton and condoleezza rice . before that, colin powell had the job. kerry is the first white man to hold the job of secretary of state since warren christopher 16 years ago.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50699311/

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Maine Adaptive teaches 27 disabled veterans how to ski | Sun Journal

NEWRY ? On Thanksgiving Day 2004, during his second tour in Iraq, Marine Cpl. Justin Galipeau of Saco was riding in a Humvee with fellow 2nd Marine Infantrymen in Iskandariya.

After returning from a 12-hour foot patrol, they were sent to locate and engage an enemy that had mortared American positions.

The Humvee suddenly struck an improvised explosive device ? six 155-mm tank rounds ?? that blew a 4?-foot crater in the ground and rolled the Humvee about five times.

Galipeau suffered light shrapnel in his lower back, nerve loss and damage in his legs, and multiple herniated discs in his spine. The injury ended his military career.

But thanks to Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation, Galipeau and his wife, Kelsey, are in town to participate in the eighth annual Veterans No Boundaries winter sports retreat. It started Friday at Sunday River Ski Resort and ends Monday, Feb. 4.

The program offers alpine and Nordic skiing, snowmobiling and many other activities. The weekend and program are entirely free of charge for all attendees, thanks to sponsors, donors and volunteers.

Galipeau, 29, who has limited mobility, said he suddenly felt like a child in a candy store when they arrived Friday morning.

"I love cold weather, but with the limitations I now have, it's difficult to do anything," he said. "But here, I want to try to do almost every event. I'm excited. It's good to challenge myself."

He said they had a great time alpine skiing on Friday.

"It was our first time with that, and today we're going to do some snowmobiling and we're going to try a biathlon, and we're looking forward to it," Galipeau said.

When they arrived, he said, "It was nice to have the help and support and welcoming arms and hearts of Maine Adaptive volunteers and fellow veterans."

On meeting other disabled veterans from wars back to Vietnam, Galipeau said at first it was scary.

"You're very timid, just because that's what you read about your whole life, is what the older veterans did," he said. "And now, they just open up their hearts and minds and they just take you in and you feel not as a young veteran, but as a veteran in their era, also. So you're accepted by them, which is a great feeling."

Roughly 15 of the 27 veterans attending the retreat sustained significant injuries during combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, said Eric Topper, Maine Adaptive's director of outreach.

Mike Pyle of Indianapolis was a 50-caliber combat gunner with the U.S. Navy aboard CH-46 helicopters during Operation Desert Storm from 1989 through 1993. Exposure to toxic chemicals released during the war gave him cancer, from which he lost his right leg about two years ago, he said.

"I've done more since I lost my leg," he said while taking a break from learning how to do Nordic skiing in a sit-ski apparatus.

Pyle said he wears a prosthetic leg and enjoyed learning how to snowboard on Friday. Like Galipeau, he said he likes the camaraderie and challenges of doing winter sports with his limitations.

"I'm learning new things I never tried before and just the experience and all is just great," Pyle said. "I get to meet new people here and I see these guys doing this and there's no reason why I can't do it, too."

Earlier, Pyle and the Galipeaus and fellow veterans, their families and attendees watched two-time Olympic biathlete and Army veteran Kristina Sabasteanski of Raymond give a biathlon demonstration at Sunday River Inn & XC Center.

Her brother, Patrik Viljanen, the Adaptive Program manager with the New England Nordic Ski Association, assisted. Viljanen, also a 27-year veteran of the Vermont National Guard, skied a course, then dropped to the ground, aimed and fired a laser rifle at electronic targets in the distance. He then stood and skied the course again.

Intrigued, Galipeau said he wanted to try that on Saturday afternoon. But most veterans in the first group spent the morning learning how to adapt to Nordic skiing, while the Galipeaus joined the snowmobiling group at the Bear River Grange Hall.

Sabasteanski and Maine Adaptive volunteer Regis Saucier of Bethel helped Marine veteran Andrew "Dallas" Rosacker of Gardiner, Mass., learn Nordic skiing.

Rosacker served 10 years in the U.S. Marines before suffering a head injury in 2003 in Iraq. A subsequent stroke believed related to the injury paralyzed the left side of his body seven years later, said his attendee, Joan Marie Trainque of Fitchburg, Mass.

To see Saucier and Sabasteanski trying different equipment to get Rosacker skiing "was so cool," she said.

"These people amaze you," Trainque said. "Everyone here's like a MacGyver. There's nothing that can stop anyone. These volunteers, they make me cry. They are just so wonderful."

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

Source: http://www.sunjournal.com/node/1315654

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