Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Sequester cuts honor guard details for San Antonio military funerals

by Joe Conger / KENS 5

Bio | Email | Follow: @joe_conger

kens5.com

Posted on July 30, 2013 at 5:09 PM

Updated today at 6:00 PM

SAN ANTONIO ? Linda Ripley and her son Lee don?t even know the two 19-year-old men laid to rest near Section 26 of Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, but they visit them anyway.

They place two bouquets of red, white and blue carnations next to the stark white tombstones.

?We always wanted to make sure they have flowers on their graves and pay our respects to someone who had done service to their country,? Linda Ripley said.

The Ripleys are a military family. Army tradition is in their blood. And every two weeks, they visit Linda?s father who was buried at Fort Sam with full military honors.

?My dad did serve in the Vietnam War and the Korean War,? she said.

But with sequestration, the U.S. military has reduced its honor guard presence at funerals. The Air Force?s most recent decision is to send an honor detail consisting of only two personnel for retired veterans.

Ripley said that decision?shortchanges the dead.

?Whether they died in the war or if it?s after ? the mere fact that they served, I think it is important that they get their just respect in their death,? she added.

Joint Base San Antonio is home to one of many honor guards that have been impacted by sequestration?s manpower issues.

?

Historically, retirees laid to rest were given a detail of seven men, available to serve as pallbearers, deliver the flag to the family or to play taps.

?

The reduction in personnel has Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery filling in the gap. The cemetery?s team of volunteers -- a military services detachment -- has stepped in to replace the missing honor guard.

?

?If the family wants it, he?s going to get full military honors from the MSD guys,? said Pete Young, cemetery director.

?

The volunteer detachment?s efforts have the respect of Lee Ripley, who just recently retired after his last tour of duty in Afghanistan.

?

Sequestration may be saving money but Ripley asks: At what cost?

?

?They did everything they needed to for their country. For them to come back and not get these honors would be a big disappointment to me,? Ripley said.

?

The Air Force said active duty funeral honors are not affected by sequestration and will continue to be performed by a 20-person detail.

Source: http://www.kens5.com/news/Sequester-cuts-honor-guard-details-for-SAs-military-funerals-217664391.html

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Amateur Baseball Roundup

Greater Hartford Twilight League: Dan Trubia was 2-for-2 with three runs scored in the Vernon Orioles' 10-3 home win over the Connecticut Expos.

Alex Bryce was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI for Vernon and Pat Barnett pitched six innings, allowing five hits in the win. The Orioles improve to 21-5 and the Expos fall to 7-15.


Source: http://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/hc-amateur-baseball-0729-20130728,0,5247412.story?track=rss

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Sunday, July 28, 2013

Famed hacker Barnaby Jack dies a week before hacking convention

By Jim Finkle

BOSTON (Reuters) - Barnaby Jack, a celebrated computer hacker who forced bank ATMs to spit out cash and sparked safety improvements in medical devices, died in San Francisco, a week before he was due to make a high-profile presentation at a hacking conference.

The New Zealand-born Jack, 35, was found dead on Thursday evening by "a loved one" at an apartment in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood, according to a police spokesman. He would not say what caused Jack's death but said police had ruled out foul play.

The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office said it was conducting an autopsy, although it could be a month before the cause of death is determined.

Jack was one of the world's most prominent "white hat" hackers - those who use their technical skills to find security holes before criminals can exploit them.

His genius was finding bugs in the tiny computers embedded in equipment, such as medical devices and cash machines. He often received standing ovations at conferences for his creativity and showmanship while his research forced equipment makers to fix bugs in their software.

Jack had planned to demonstrate his techniques to hack into pacemakers and implanted defibrillators at the Black Hat hackers convention in Las Vegas next Thursday. He told Reuters last week that he could kill a man from 30 feet away by attacking an implanted heart device.

"He was passionate about finding security bugs before the bad guys," said long-time security industry executive Stuart McClure, who gave Jack one of his first jobs and also had worked with him at Intel Inc's McAfee, the computer security company.

"He was one of those people who was put on this earth to find vulnerabilities that can be exploited in a malicious way to hurt people," McClure said.

Jack became one of the world's most famous hackers after a 2010 demonstration of "Jackpotting" - getting ATMs to spew out bills. (reut.rs/gIGXVq) A clip of his presentation has been viewed more than 2.6 million times on YouTube.

Two years ago, Jack turned his attention to medical devices, while working on a team at McAfee that engineered methods for attacking insulin pumps. Their research prompted medical device maker Medtronic Inc to revamp the way it designs its products. (http://reut.rs/sM9mTE)

The U.S. government also noticed Jack's work.

"The work that Barnaby Jack and others have done to highlight some of these vulnerabilities has contributed importantly to progress in the field," said William Maisel, deputy director for science at the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

Jack's passion for hacking sometimes got him into trouble.

In 2012, he connected his laptop to a gold bullion dispensing machine at a casino in Abu Dhabi, according to fellow hacker Tiffany Strauchs Rad. She said Jack had permission from a hotel manager to hack the machine but security intervened.

It turned out the hotel did not actually own the gold machine and the American Embassy had to be called in to help resolve the misunderstanding, Rad said.

"He would hack everything he touched, she said.

"BELOVED PIRATE"

Jack's most recent employer, the cyber security consulting firm IOActive Inc, said on its Twitter account: "Lost but never forgotten our beloved pirate, Barnaby Jack has passed."

Jack had been scheduled to present his research on heart devices at Black Hat on August 1. Last week, Jack told Reuters he had devised a way to hack into a wireless communications system that linked implanted pacemakers and defibrillators with bedside monitors that gather information about their operations.

"I'm sure there could be lethal consequences," Jack said in a phone interview.

He declined to name the manufacturer of the device but said he was working with that company to figure out how to prevent malicious attacks on heart patients.

Jack's sudden death drew responses from the hacking community reminiscent of those that followed the suicide of hacker activist Aaron Swartz in January.

Dan Kaminsky, a well-known hacker, described the death as a tragedy. "Barnaby was one of the most creative, energetic, diverse researchers in our field," he said.

"You'll be missed, bro," tweeted another well-known hacker Dino Dai Zovi.

Jack's sister, Amberleigh Jack, who lives in New Zealand, told Reuters her brother was 35 years old. She declined to comment further, saying she needed time to grieve.

Black Hat said that it will not replace Jack's session at the conference, saying the hour would be left vacant for conference attendees to commemorate his life and work.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Tiffany Wu, Vicki Allen and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/famed-hacker-barnaby-jack-dies-week-hacking-convention-003721970.html

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Saturday, July 27, 2013

Amherst Cinema Arts Center to screen rare baseball film footage Aug. 13

AMHERST ? These days you can watch baseball on your telephone or your computer, or get news texted to you 24 hours a day, but there was a time when people had to go to the baseball park or watch newsreel footage at the movie theater to see the American Pastime.

David Filipi of the Wexner Center for the Arts in Cleveland has collected footage from those days from the National Baseball of Hall of Fame. He will be at the Amherst Cinema Center Aug. 13 to screen the footage and talk about it in a ?Rare Films from the Baseball Hall of Fame? program at 7:30 p.m.

Highlights include a 1945 Look magazine photo shoot intended to announce Jackie Robinson's signing with the Dodgers, early baseball films shot by the Edison Co. in 1898 and a film on Cleveland Indians legend Bob Feller.

Filipi began assembling footage for the program in 2004 and since then has compiled several different programs.

He said he started the project because the arts center wanted ?do some kind of programing that was baseball themed. We didn?t want to show ?Field of Dreams? and ?The Natural.? I wanted to do something different.?

So he called the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and asked about what they had. They told him they couldn?t let the films out of the building, but would allow him to use the film if it were transferred to video.

And so he did.

Wanting to create a new program every year for Wexner, he eventually exhausted the material there and moved onto the University of California at Los Angeles archives to create more programs. He?ll show the original program at Amherst.

The screening is about two hours long, including the film footage and his introductions. ?Some of the clips are completely self explanatory,? he said. But he said others aren?t.

He said the program is definitely for ?people who are really into baseball history.? But he said the program will also appeal to people who are interested in American culture, history and archival films. The program is a mix of home movies, newsreel clips and television, among other sources.

Tickets at the Amherst Cinema box office and online at www.amherstcinema.org. ??Admission is $10 for Amherst Cinema members and $15 for the general? public.

Source: http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/07/post_444.html

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US Diplomat: US-Israel greatest threat on earth

?For the past 68 years, most military aggression can be sourced to the US and Israel. Yet, these two originators of wars pretend to be the victims of aggression. It is Israel that has a nuclear arsenal that is illegal, unacknowledged, and unaccountable. It is Washington that has drafted a war plan based on nuclear first strike. The rest of the world is correct to view these two rogue unaccountable governments as direct threats to life on earth,? Paul Craig Robert, former Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury for Economic Policy in the Reagan Administration, wrote on July 24, 2013.

Last year, America?s renowned Jewish scholar, Dr. Noam Chomsky, said that America and Israel are the greatest threats to peace.

?Like its patron, Israel resorts to violence at will. It persists in illegal settlement in occupied territory, some annexed, all in brazen defiance of international law and the U.N. Security Council. It has repeatedly carried out brutal attacks against Lebanon and the imprisoned people of Gaza, killing tens of thousands without credible pretext,? said Chomsky.

In an opinion poll conducted by the Berlin-based Infratest/Dimap Institute on April 17 and 18, 2012, nearly 48 percent of the 1,000 participants said they regard Israel as a serious threat to world peace and global security.

Last year, a poll, conducted by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS) in 12 Arab countries, said 51 percent of the respondents believed Israel to be the first major threat to the Arab world, while 22 percent considered the United States as occupying that position. This is while only 5 percent thought about Iran as the single country threatening the security of the Arab world.

The results of a face-to-face survey conducted by Russia Today TV station during April 2012, said 51 percent of the Spaniards questioned ?What country poses the biggest threat to global security?? answered, ?The United States.? Sixteen percent of the participants saw Israel as the No. 1 threat to peace in the world while 12 percent picked NATO.

Last year, Foreign Policy Journal reported that all sixteen US intelligence agencies drafted a 82-page classified report, entitled Preparing for a Post Israel Middle East. The report analyzed geo-politics and economics in the Middle East and globally. It concluded that Zionist Israel is the greatest single threat to American security and to the American economy.

On April 30, 2013, British veteran political journalist and author, Patrick Seale, said that Israel manipulates US policy in the Middle East by generating lies about Syria, Iran, Egypt and Hizbullah. The purpose of Israeli lies is to incite America to attack Syria or Iran ? but Obama seems reluctant to open a new front against Israel?s regional enemies.

?Israel is well aware that Obama ? having pulled American forces out of Iraq and planning to do much the same in Afghanistan by 2014 ? is most reluctant to commit US troops to yet another war. Nevertheless, by accusing Assad of using chemical weapons, Israel was clearly hoping to lure Obama into a Syrian campaign. Obama had, in fact, laid himself open to just such pressure by saying that any Syrian use of chemical weapons would cross a ?red line?,? wrote Seale, adding ?Israelis are also delighted that, thanks to President Obama?s mediation, the United States-Israel-Turkey coalition has been restored, and is set to be a powerful force in Middle East affairs. ?

Patrick Seale claims that Israel is not worried about a nuclear Iran or its Arab ally Syria ? it?s worried about Hizbullah the most ? which destroyed Israel?s invincible myth in 2006 Israel-Lebanon War.

US Diplomat: US-Israel greatest threat on earth | Rehmat's World

Source: http://unhypnotize.com/alternative-news-media/97262-us-diplomat-us-israel-greatest-threat-earth.html

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Colorado State University Forecasters To Issue Hurricane Update Aug. 2

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Source: http://www.wrno.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=135361&article=11520407

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Friday, July 26, 2013

Feds: Halliburton agrees to plead guilty in spill

(AP) ? Halliburton Energy Services has agreed to plead guilty to destroying evidence in connection with the 2010 Gulf oil spill, the Department of Justice said Thursday.

Federal officials said in a news release that a criminal information charging Halliburton with one count of destruction of evidence was filed in federal court in Louisiana.

Halliburton has agreed to pay the maximum fine, be on probation for three years and continue to cooperate with the government's criminal investigation, according to the news release, which did not list the amount of the fine.

The Houston-based company has also made a $55 million voluntary contribution to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. It was not a condition of the court agreement, the news release says.

The company said in a statement Thursday night that it had agreed to plead guilty "to one misdemeanor violation associated with the deletion of records created after the Macondo well incident, to pay the statutory maximum fine of $200,000 and to accept a term of three years probation."

The Justice Department has agreed it will not pursue further criminal prosecution of the company or its subsidiaries for any conduct arising from the 2010 spill, Halliburton's statement said, adding that federal officials have also "acknowledged the company's significant and valuable cooperation during the course of its investigation."

The plea agreement is subject to court approval, the company said.

Halliburton was BP's cement contractor on the drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The blowout triggered an explosion that killed 11 workers and spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf.

According to the news release, Halliburton conducted its own review of the well's design and construction after the blowout, and established a working group to review "whether the number of centralizers used on the final production casing could have contributed to the blowout."

The casing is a steel pipe placed in a well to maintain its integrity.

Centralizers are metal collars attached on the outside of the casing. Centralizers can help keep the casing centered in the wellbore.

"Centralization can be significant to the quality of subsequent cementing around the bottom of the casing," the news release said.

Prior to the blowout, Halliburton had recommended to BP the use of 21 centralizers in the well, but BP decided to use six instead, the news release says.

Around May 2010, the news release says, the company directed a program manager to conduct two computer simulations of the Macondo well final cementing job "to compare the impact of using six versus 21 centralizers."

The simulations indicated there was little difference between using six and 21 centralizers, but the program manager "was directed to, and did, destroy these results," federal officials say.

Similar evidence was destroyed in a subsequent incident, in June 2010, the Justice Department said.

"Efforts to forensically recover the original destroyed Displace 3D computer simulations during ensuing civil litigation and federal criminal investigation by the Deepwater Horizon Task Force were unsuccessful," the news release said. "In agreeing to plead guilty, Halliburton has accepted criminal responsibility for destroying the aforementioned evidence."

In December 2011, BP asked a judge to sanction Halliburton for its handling of cement testing and Displace 3D modeling results. Halliburton claimed that its modeling results were "gone" and couldn't be found, an explanation that BP attorneys said was "at a minimum, highly suspicious."

"Purposefully destroying evidence because it is deemed to contain potentially unfavorable information that could benefit a litigation adversary is, by definition, 'bad faith' conduct," they wrote in a court filing.

The plea agreement and criminal charge both arise from a criminal investigation by the Deepwater Horizon Task Force into the spill.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans recently presided over a trial in the matter and could decide how much more money BP, Halliburton and rig owner Transocean Ltd. owe for their roles in the catastrophe.

Halliburton and BP have blamed each other for the failure of the cement job to seal the Macondo well.

During the spring trial, BP asked a federal judge to sanction Halliburton for allegedly destroying evidence about the role that its cement slurry design could have played in the blowout.

After the trial started on Feb. 25, Halliburton discovered cement samples at a Lafayette laboratory that weren't turned over to the Justice Department for testing after the spill. Halliburton lawyers called it a "simple misunderstanding" and accused BP of trying to create a "sideshow."

Halliburton announced in April that it was trying to negotiate a settlement to resolve a substantial portion of private claims it has faced since the Deepwater Horizon rig blast spawned America's worst offshore oil spill.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-07-25-Gulf%20Oil%20Spill-Halliburton/id-c6632433340d4d2daec75c73b854f33f

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China plans to spend $275B to cut air pollution

BEIJING (AP) ? China will spend $275 billion to tackle air pollution over the next five years, highlighting how the issue has become a priority for the leadership.

The amount is more than the total economic output of Hong Kong last year and underlines how the government is eager to bring about a visible improvement in China?s bad air, which has caused discontent among its citizens and tarnished the country?s image abroad.

The China Daily reported Thursday that the plan targets Beijing, the neighboring port city of Tianjin and densely populated Hebei province, which surrounds them.

The environment ministry didn?t immediately respond to a request for comment.

China?s government was long indifferent to the environment as it pursued economic development. The country?s major cities have some of the world?s worst smog and water supplies are badly polluted.

The government has begun launching anti-pollution initiatives after mounting public frustration.

The China Daily said the latest initiative aims to reduce emissions of pollutants in Beijing and surrounding areas by 25 percent by 2017 from 2012 levels. It said details would be released in late July at the earliest.

In 2012, Hong Kong?s gross domestic product was $263 billion.

? Copyright 2013 Globe Newspaper Company.

Source: http://feeds.boston.com/c/35022/f/646898/s/2f29a04c/sc/2/l/0L0Sboston0N0Cnews0Cworld0Casia0C20A130C0A70C250Cstate0Enewspaper0Echina0Espend0Epollution0CHn47S5AY66QA7ttaeSmC9O0Cstory0Bhtml/story01.htm

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Detroit ex-Mayor Kilpatrick to be sentenced Sept. 3

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Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130725/METRO01/307250082/1410/METRO01

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Google Reveals Chromecast Video/Audio Streamer - Tom's Hardware

This gadget plugs into an HDTV and turns it into a receiver for video and audio initiated by phones, tablets, and the Chrome browser.

During Google's press event on Wednesday, the company confirmed next week's release of the next-generation Nexus 7 tablet, and Android 4.3 "Jelly Bean" which is rolling out to the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 starting today. News of both wasn't unexpected. However the big surprise during Sundar Pichai's breakfast with the press was Chromecast, a two-inch long device that plugs into an HDTV.

Essentially what Google has done is turn your living room or bedroom HDTV into a receiver and any mobile device -- whether it's Android, iOS, Windows, Mac or Chrome OS -- into a remote control. The major components to make this work is not only the Chromecast gadget, but the Chrome browser and supporting mobile apps like YouTube, Netflix, Google Music and Google Movies. Pandora and a few others are expected to be updated with Chromecast support soon.

So, here's how it works. A Google consumer heads to Best Buy and purchases two $35 Chromecast devices next week, one for the bedroom and one for the den. After plugging the Wi-Fi devices into their respective HDTVs, the consumer labels them as such when registering with a Google account online. Then, with a YouTube app or via YouTube in Chrome, the Google customer loads up his/her favorite video, clicks the TV-shaped Chromecast icon, and then chooses the Bedroom or Den device. That's it.

The deal here is that laptops, phones and tablets aren't wirelessly pushing video across the room. Instead, the media is streamed directly to the Chromecast device from the Internet. All other devices essentially become remote controls, allowing the user to pause, play and adjust the sound using the volume buttons on their device. If the user wants the video to resume on their phone, they merely tap on the Chromecast icon in the app again, and choose the proper device.

This method of content transportation also frees up the device that originally began playback. For instance, an Android smartphone owner can start a Netflix movie (1080p at that thanks to Google's new DRM for streaming media) on the phone, then exit out of the app altogether once it's been pushed to the Chromecast device. The user can then load up the same app on another device and resume control of playback. This is handy when the user who initiated the Netflix playback on his/her phone leaves the house with the device.

"You can use Chromecast to bring a broad range of content available on the web to your big screen, thanks to a new feature in the Chrome browser that allows you to project any browser tab to your TV. From sharing your family photos to enjoying a video clip from your favorite news site, it?s as simple as pressing a button," the company said. "This feature is launching in beta, but we?re excited for people to try it out and give us their feedback."

Google is already offering the Google Cast API so that developers can slip this technology into their current apps with just a few lines of code ? no app overhauls needed. More information about the new API can be accessed on the Google Developers Blog here. As previously stated, a number of app developers are already jumping on the Chromecast bandwagon, and it works in apps developed for Android, iOS, Chrome for Windows, Chrome for Mac, and Chrome OS on the Chromebook Pixel laptop.

The device can be ordered online for $35 now from Amazon, Best Buy and Google Play. It will be made available in Best Buy brick-and-mortar stores around July 28. And for a limited time only, those who buy the gadget will get three months of Netflix for free. We like free.

Chromecast: For bigger Fun

Source: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Chrome-Chromecast-HDTV-Netflix-1080p,23670.html

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U.S. lawmakers blast Guantanamo's $2.7 million per prisoner cost

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers pushing to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay said on Wednesday its cost has skyrocketed to $2.7 million per inmate this year and argued it is too expensive to keep open while the country is fighting budget deficits.

"This is a massive waste of money," Senator Dianne Feinstein said during a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the base.

Guantanamo has been dubbed the most expensive prison on Earth, and President Barack Obama in May cited its cost - then calculated at about $900,000 per prisoner - as one of many reasons to close it.

Representative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, testified during the hearing that the current cost of operating the facility has jumped to $454 million in the fiscal year ended September 30, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, or about $2.7 million for each of the 166 inmates.

Smith said overall, $4.7 billion has been spent running Guantanamo since the facility opened in 2002.

By comparison, super-maximum security prisons in the United States spend about $60,000 to $70,000 at most to house their inmates, analysts say.

Advocates for closure also argue that holding prisoners for years without charge or trial is a stain on the United States. They say Guantanamo is a threat to national security because it is a powerful recruiting tool for militants.

"Our national security and military leaders have concluded that the risk of keeping Guantanamo open far outweighs the risk of closing it because the facility continues to harm our alliances and serve as a recruitment tool for terrorists," Senator Richard Durbin said during the hearing.

Obama came into office in 2009 with the goal of closing down the Guantanamo detention center within a year. Facing stiff opposition in Congress, he has so far failed to do so, even though 86 of the detainees have been deemed to pose no threat to the United States and cleared for release.

HUNGER STRIKE

A hunger strike that has involved a majority of the inmates - and daily force-feeding of dozens - has fueled the push to shut the detention center.

Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate and chairman of the civil and human rights subcommittee that held the hearing, said he and Feinstein met with senior White House officials last week to discuss what they are doing to transfer detainees away from the base.

There is some Republican support, particularly in the Senate, for closing the base. Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham met with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden last week on a range of national security issues, including Guantanamo, McCain said last week.

But congressional opponents argue that Guantanamo is an essential tool for fighting terrorism, and fault Obama for failing to come up with an alternative.

"Until we are presented with a good, viable strategy for what to do with terrorists who would work night and day to murder innocent Americans, I have a hard time seeing how it is responsible to shut down our detention facilities and send these individuals home," Senator Ted Cruz, the top Republican on the subcommittee, said at the hearing.

The House voted down two amendments to the Defense Appropriations bill on Wednesday that would have forced cutbacks at Guantanamo. One would have prevented further detention of prisoners cleared for release. The second sought to prevent more construction or expansion of detainee facilities.

Republican Representative Bill Young reflected the views of many members of Congress as he opposed the amendments.

"These detainees are bad, bad people. They hate America. They've sworn to kill Americans and in fact they've done so on the battlefield. And that's why when they were captured they were sent to Guantanamo. And that's where they should stay," he said.

(Additional reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-lawmakers-blast-guantanamos-2-7-million-per-234918925.html

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Boardgames Ken Whitman Games: Knights Quest Family Card Game

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Source: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?339603-Ken-Whitman-Games-Knights-Quest-Family-Card-Game

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Apple iPad 5 Rumored To Feature GF2 Touch-Screen As Release Date Nears; Retina iPad Mini 2 May Have Samsung-Made Screens

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Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Rumors suggest Apple’s IPad 5 may feature a GF2 touch-screen while the Retina IPad mini 2 may use a screen made by Samsung. ...

Source: http://www.ibtimes.comhttp:0//www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/494260/20130724/apple-ipad-5-ipad-5-feature-gf2-touch-screen-apple-ipad-5-touch-screen-ipad-5-release-date-apple-ipa.htm

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Leonardo DiCaprio rocks a Texas Tech hat

Kliff Kingsbury made a splash late Wednesday night when he tweeted out the link to a story about three-time Academy Award nominee Leonardo DiCaprio grabbing dinner with some buddies and a rumored girlfriend.

?I always thought my man @LeoDiCaprio had great taste. #WreckEm,? Kingsbury wrote out.

But in that story were multiple photographs of the famed actor sporting a black Texas Tech hat with a Double-T logo which is sure to Red Raider fans thinking DiCaprio is on their side.

Don?t get too ahead of yourself though if you?re a Texas Tech and/or DiCaprio fan. The famous actor collects college hats and has been photographed in a UCLA and a Xavier hat to name a few.

But better to be in the hat collection than not. All publicity counts.

I don?t know if Kingsbury knows DiCaprio, but he has rubbed shoulders with celebrities in the past. A photo with Jessica Simpson many years ago and a personalized autograph from Brittney Spears wishing him luck in his run to 2002 Heisman Trophy talk kind of spearheaded what evolved into being his present ?rock star? persona.

Thanks for reading, and back to football!

This entry was posted in Texas Tech Red Raiders by Mike Graham / Texas Tech Special Contributor. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/07/leonardo-dicaprio-rocks-a-texas-tech-hat.html/

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Cost of Arctic methane release could be 'size of global economy', experts warn

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Researchers have warned of an "economic time-bomb" in the Arctic, following a ground-breaking analysis of the likely cost of methane emissions in the region. Economic modelling shows that the methane emissions caused by shrinking sea ice from just one area of the Arctic could come with a global price tag of 60 trillion dollars -- the size of the world economy in 2012.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/Yb8-X6D683w/130724134256.htm

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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Hey hey hey, which 'Blurred Lines' cover is best?

Music

9 hours ago

Hey hey hey, it's the summer's hottest viral video/mashup/lip dub/cover song, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." You know the drill: Last summer, it was Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" that was covered by everyone from the Olympic swim team to Cookie Monster. (We rounded up the different versions in this post.)

IMAGE: Cosby, Kermit, Thicke

Getty Images; EPA

Bill Cosby, Kermit the Frog and Alan Thicke all star in versions of Thicke's son Robin's hit, "Blurred Lines."

This year, the hot song is a bit more controversial than Jepsen's blockbuster -- some critics dubbed Thicke's song "rapey" for such lyrics as "I know you want it ... but you're a good girl." (Thicke says those charges are hogwash, by the way.) And the video features topless women holding goats. (We don't know.)

The controversy hasn't stopped everyone with ears from throwing together a fresh take on the "Blurred" phenomenon, often featuring famous people. From presidents to Muppets to Robin Thicke's own actor dad, everybody's blurring the lines. Here are a few of our favorites. (Note: Language is sometimes explicit, images are sometimes risque.)

'Blurring Pains'
It was inevitable. Robin Thicke's song meets his dad Alan's iconic 1980s-90s family sitcom, "Growing Pains." Retro still rules.

'Cosby Show'
Speaking of nostalgia, another awesome mashup takes the opening credits from the 1980s "Cosby Show" and shows the Huxtable family dancing to Thicke's hit.

Bill Clinton
The former president's romantic reputation makes him a believable parody topic for the sexy song. And current President Barack Obama gets to steal the show with a soulful line of his own.

Kermit the Frog and the Muppets
Oh yes, Kermit the Frog is popular with the ladies -- just ask Miss Piggy. He leads the other Muppets in an entertaining romp through Thicke's tune. It's not easy being green, but Kermie nails it.

Vampire Weekend
There's no video, just audio, but all the better to highlight this goofy-fun cover by the rock band, who don't always remember Thicke's lyrics.

Mod Carousel
Thicke's video was criticized by some for featuring several lovely topless women stalking around while the men remain fully clothed. This risque version, by "boylesque" troupe Mod Carousel, reverses the genders for some equal-opportunity almost-nudity.

Jimmy Kimmel
The host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" showed his own take on the video on his talk show. Let's just say Thicke, Pharrell and his crew of models are not so thrilled to have Kimmel and pal Guillermo trying to nudge their way into the action -- especially when Kimmel gets up close and personal with Thicke's face.

Super Mario Bros.
Mario, King Koopa and the whole 1980s video game crew get into a whole weird 8-bit area with this version. Thank you, Mario, but our princess is in another castle.

There are plenty of other versions out there -- including a country-western take and yes, even a kids' version (which substitutes G-rated lyrics like "I know you wanna ... join a Kids' World").

Lines getting too blurry for you? Vote in our poll and pick your favorite version.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/hey-hey-hey-which-blurred-lines-cover-best-6C10738309

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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Crude oil futures rise to Rs 6,389 per barrel

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New Delhi, July 23:??

Crude oil futures prices rose 0.35 per cent to Rs 6,389 per barrel today as speculators engaged in enlarging positions, tracking a firm trend in the Asian region.

On the Multi Commodity Exchange, crude oil for delivery in August traded higher by Rs 22 or 0.35 per cent at Rs 6,389 per barrel with a business turnover of 2,229 lots.

Similarly, September contract was also up by Rs 17 or 0.27 per cent to Rs 6,338 per barrel with a business volume of 263 lots.

Market analysts said the rise in crude oil futures was attributed to a firm trend in Asian on robust US crude demand.

Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery gained 22 cents to $107.16 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

(This article was published on July 23, 2013)

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/markets/commodities/crude-oil-futures-rise-to-rs-6389-per-barrel/article4944779.ece

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NBC to take over part of NASCAR TV package in 2014

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) ? NASCAR will return to NBC in 2015, ending its eight-year partnership with both ESPN and Turner Sports.

NASCAR announced a 10-year deal with NBC on Tuesday that gives the network the final 20 Sprint Cup races of the season, and the final 19 Nationwide Series races.

NBC will share the 38-race NASCAR schedule with Fox, which extended its contract with NASCAR last year. Turner currently has six races on the schedule, and ESPN carries 17 events. ESPN picks up its portion of the schedule this weekend at Indianapolis.

NBC shared the television contract with Fox from 2001-06 in the first national TV deal for NASCAR. ESPN picked up that portion of the schedule in 2007.

NBC and its NBC Sports Network now have rights to NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nbc-over-part-nascar-tv-package-2014-192027147.html

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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Kate Middleton in Labor!

Source:

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ABC's O'Brian named Al-Jazeera America president

NEW YORK: Al-Jazeera America said Monday it will bring in a quartet of veteran U.S. television news executives, led by ABC's Kate O'Brian as president, to run the new cable news network and pinpointed Aug. 20 as the launch date.

Ehab Al Shahibi, executive director for international operations for Al-Jazeera and the man who has overseen development of the American outlet, is the interim chief executive officer.

Qatar-based Al-Jazeera, formed in 1996, has expanded quickly around the world but struggled to gain access to U.S. cable and satellite systems. At the beginning of this year, it bought former Vice President Al Gore's Current TV, giving the company access to some 50 million homes initially, and began to set up a network specifically for the U.S. audience.

O'Brian has worked at ABC News for three decades, and since 2007 has been the network's senior vice president for news, leading its breaking news coverage.

"She is a highly experienced and award-winning journalist who fully understands what Americans want to see and hear when they watch the news," said Mostefa Souag, acting director general of the Al-Jazeera Media Network. "Kate has the vision, tenacity and integrity to ensure that Al-Jazeera America will quickly become the success we expect it to be."

Three other Americans who have extensive experience in television news, but aren't working there currently, will join Al-Jazeera as senior vice presidents.

David Doss, a producer for news shows at ABC and NBC News who had most recently been producing broadcasts for Anderson Cooper at CNN, will be in charge of news programming.

Marcy McGinnis, currently teaching journalism at Stony Brook University, will be responsible for news gathering, similar to a job she held at CBS News a decade ago.

Shannon High-Bassalik has run local news operations, worked at MSNBC and most recently produced CNN's morning news show before it was remodeled. She will be in charge of documentaries and programs.

Al-Jazeera has announced that a handful of familiar names to American viewers - Sheila MacVicar, Ali Velshi and Soledad O'Brien - will be doing on-air work for the network. The network also has said it will air a regular newsmagazine, "America Tonight," on weeknights.

O'Brian started work at ABC more than 30 years ago as an intern at "20/20." ABC News President Ben Sherwood wrote to his staff on Monday that "I will miss the sound of her voice, urgent and measured, calling in the middle of the night, when news is breaking somewhere around the world."

Source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2013/Jul-22/224681-abcs-obrian-named-al-jazeera-america-president.ashx

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US home sales dipped 1.2 percent in June

WASHINGTON (AP) ? U.S. sales of previously occupied homes dipped in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.08 million in June but remain near a 3?-year high.

The National Association of Realtors said Monday that sales dipped last month from an annual rate of 5.14 million in May. The NAR revised down May's sales, but they were still the highest since November 2009.

Despite last month's dip, sales are up 15.2 percent from a year ago. Home sales have recovered since early last year, buoyed by job gains and low mortgage rates.

Still, mortgage rates have surged in recent weeks over concern that the Federal Reserve could slow its bond-buying programs this year. The Fed's bond purchases have helped keep long-term interest rates low.

Higher mortgage rates slowed sales of higher-priced homes in states such as California and New York, the Realtors group said.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage leapt to 4.46 percent by the end of June from 3.81 percent at the end of May. The rate was 4.37 percent last week.

Most economists aren't yet worried that the higher rates will undercut the housing recovery. Mortgage rates are still at historically low levels, and home prices remain relatively affordable despite rising in the past year. In addition, higher mortgage rates could encourage potential buyers to come off the sidelines and purchase homes before rates rise further.

But many of those buyers may be frustrated by the small number of available homes, which has helped push up prices. The number of homes for sale rose 3.3 percent in May to 2.2 million, the second straight increase. But inventories are still 10 percent below year-ago levels.

Another obstacle is a lack of first-time buyers, who usually drive healthy markets. They made up only 28 percent of buyers in May, below the 40 percent that is typical. Since the housing bubble burst more than six years ago, banks have imposed tighter credit conditions and required larger down payments. That's made it harder for first-time buyers to qualify for mortgages.

The strength in housing this year has offset weaknesses elsewhere in the economy, like manufacturing and business investment. Rising home sales lead to more spending at furniture and home supply stores.

Homebuilders have also stepped up construction in the past year, creating more construction jobs. In June, they applied for permits to build single-family homes at the fastest pace in five years.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-home-sales-dipped-1-2-percent-june-140949317.html

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Jared Padalecki Expecting Second Child

The Supernatural star, 31, and his wife Genevieve Cortese are expecting their second child together, his manager confirms to PEOPLE.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/6Bzw-KemfWk/

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Writer's Fun Zone ? Blog Archive Novelists, How to Get Speaking ...

Enjoy reading #TouchstoneOfLove in #Gargoyle: Three Enchanting Romance Novellas by Beth Barany, Kay Keppler, and Patricia SimpsonIn this article, I want to cover how to get speaking engagements for novelists.?Yep, that?s right, standing up and talking to people, live. Lots of us writers are introverts, but the funny thing about introverts is that we often make good teachers. Since it?s hard often for us writers to toot our own horn, think of your speaking gig as a teaching event. That way it?ll be a lot easier to present yourself. But have us talk about topics we love and we can talk for a long time. Right?!

So, how do you get such gigs and why would you want to?

Let?s start with the why. Aside from the need you may have to teach (I have that need!), speaking engagements help you increase your list, expand your readership, and ?yes! ??sell books.

For example, when I speak on writing topics, my goal is to teach, to sell my writing books and also to sell my novel. I never know what people will purchase, so I bring everything.

Next let?s look at what topics to cover.

Topics

To add speaking gigs into your marketing strategy and actions, first decide what topics you?d like to speak about, and who the ideal audiences are for your topics. Some authors I know talk only on one subject. For example, Vanessa Kier, romantic suspense author, presents on technology tools for writers. (http://www.vanessakier.com). Other authors can speak on several topics. Shelley Adina presents on World Building, Craft, and Self-Publishing (http://www.shelleyadina.com/); Sophie Littlefield talks about writing crime and productivity. (http://sophielittlefield.com) You may also notice that what you can and want to talk about will change over time, as your expertise grows and changes, like I use to just talk about Creativity & Beginning a Book and now present on Finishing a Book, Promoting a Book.

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Your Audience

Next, pinpoint the audience for your main topics. Many authors I know speak only to other authors, helping them with craft, publishing, marketing, and with their subject matter expertise. Other authors find ways to speak directly to their target audiences. For example, Rachael Herron has spoken to knitters about her books because they feature knitting. (http://www.yarnagogo.com/)

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Prepare Your Pitch

To prepare to request to speak or to respond to requests, I recommend you draft a one-paragraph blurb on your talk, bullet points of what people will learn, and a have a short bio at the ready. I?ll explain each point.

1) Create a title for your talk that focuses on the result or experience you?re planning to deliver. Some popular titles start with ?How to?? ?10 Ways to?? (or 3, 5, or 7), or starting with a verb like ?Finding??, ?Discovering??, ?Uncovering?? Also, I?ve seen talks titled the expert subject matter of the talk, like ?Swords in the Middle Ages.?

Example: ?Develop and Strengthen Voice and Style for Fiction Writers?

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2) A one-paragraph blurb on your talk: There are 4 parts to this pitch paragraph.

1. An acknowledgment of the present state of your audience. Here?s a template you can use: ?Many people think that?.? For example, ?For many fiction writers developing voice and style are mysterious affairs, beyond the reach of mere mortals. What is voice and style anyway??

2. A twist on what your audience normally thinks that represents what your main unique perspective on the topic. A template for this language: ?But actually?? An example, following what I shared above: ?Actually, as Stephen King says, writers can learn to excavate their unique voice and style ? elements that make your writing uniquely yours.?

3. Three to five bullet points on your talk that also highlights who will be speaking, like ?In this hands-on workshop, teacher and author, [name] will share with you??

Example: ?In this hour-long hands-on talk by award-winning novelist and Creativity Coach for Writers, Beth Barany, you?ll explore:

????????????????? the key elements to identifying and strengthening your natural voice

????????????????? the difference between voice and style and how they intersect

????????????????? what style choices you can make

????????????????? where voice comes from

????????????????? and more!?

4. The purpose of the talk. What people will talk away with. The gist of the talk. Like: ?You?ll get (answer their deepest desire as it relates to your topic)?? Example: ?Come uncover tips, tools, and techniques to develop and strengthen your voice and to integrate them into your writing practice. Join us!?

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Put it all together and you get this, based on a talk I gave March 2013:

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Develop and Strengthen Voice and Style for Fiction Writers

For many fiction writers developing voice and style are mysterious affairs, beyond the reach of mere mortals. What is voice and style anyway? Actually, as Stephen King says, writers can learn to excavate their unique voice and style ? elements that make your writing uniquely yours.

In this hour-long hands-on talk by award-winning novelist and Creativity Coach for Writers, Beth Barany, you?ll explore:

????????????????? the key elements to identifying and strengthening your natural voice

????????????????? the difference between voice and style and how they intersect

????????????????? what style choices you can make

????????????????? where voice comes from

????????????????? and more!

Come uncover tips, tools, and techniques to develop and strengthen your voice and to integrate them into your writing practice.?Join us!

Lastly, you?ll want to draft a short awesome bio that highlights your expertise, answering the question ?Why should I listen to you??, shares your humanity, and lastly lets people know how to stay in touch. For an in-depth article on how to craft your awesome short bio, you can check out an article I wrote in March 2013 on the topic here: How To Create An Awesome Short Bio by Beth Barany: http://bigheartsunite.com/create-short-bio/.

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Tips to Keep in Mind

Some practical tips: If you?d like speaking to be an ongoing part of your book marketing, then post that fact on your site or blog. Post the topics you speak on, your speaker?s bio, and even a sample blurb. Some writers create Media Kits or Speaker Kits to make it easy for people to follow up with them. Examples of media kits and speakers pages: Rachael Herron (http://www.yarnagogo.com/), Jane Porter (http://www.janeporter.com/workshops.php#eventkit), Beth Barany (http://www.bethbarany.com/events.html), Shelley Adina (http://www.shelleyadina.com/contact.php#speaking).

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To Get Speaking Gigs

To get gigs, talk to other writers you know who?ve done events and ask them for referrals. Ask at your local writing organizations and at sister organizations. Also, consider where your audience already congregates and ask there. Once someone expresses interests in your topic, send them your event blurb and speaker bio.

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Preparation for Your Talk

Once you?ve got a speaking gig, in the days beforehand prepare by gathering your supplies ? mailing list sign up sheets, books, cash for change and/or SquareUp (https://squareup.com/) tool to take credit cards with your smart phone; extra pens; easel (optional).

Promote your upcoming event by posting it on your site/blog, sharing it on social media, and telling your writing buddies about it.

Also, prepare your talk! I rehearse the day ahead and do another run through the day of, often during my drive there.

Don?t forget follow up! This includes celebrating a job well done, and adding people to your mailing list, depositing your earnings, and tracking books sold. You may also want to share photos and stories about your event after the fact.

Good luck with your speaking gigs, and above all, have fun!

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? 2013 Beth Barany

Beth Barany raves about kick ass heroines, magic and love, on her site: http://author.bethbarany.com and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/beth_barany. Her latest romance novella is ?Touchstone of Love? in the collection, Gargoyle: Three Enchanting Romance Novellas.

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LA Galaxy Academy Director Peter Vagenas seeks to develop a new crop of Galaxy players through the Academy

CARSON, Calif. ? When Peter Vagenas was a young soccer player growing up in Pasadena, Calif., the dream of a professional soccer career seemed farfetched. After all, it was not until 1996?when Vagenas graduated from Saint Francis High School? that a professional soccer league existed in the United States.

Now after completing a professional career that spanned 12 years, the 35-year-old is looking to provide a future for the elite soccer playing youth of Southern California. Vagenas was named the club?s Academy Director in June, placing him in charge of the club?s youth setup, which has existed since 2008.

Although Vagenas took the position a month ago, he began to discuss the possibility of taking up a role within the club with Galaxy President, and former Academy Director, Chris Klein while he was still playing.

?I always knew that I wanted to be involved with the Galaxy in some capacity, so when the opportunity presented itself it was an easy decision for a number of reasons,? Vagenas told LAGalaxy.com ?I had a long history with the club, being a kid from Pasadena and growing up in the area and being able to make the transition to the local professional team is something that I?ve taken great pride in. The ability to help kids realize their dreams from this area, like I did mine, is at the heart of what I?m trying to do.?

Overseeing Vagenas? in his bid to develop the Galaxy?s newest crop of talent is the club?s Technical Director Jovan Kirovski. Vagenas? former teammate with the Galaxy during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, Kirovski has been a frequent presence at academy functions including spearheading the creation of an Under-23 squad this summer.

As the pair looks to build the Galaxy Academy, they are in constant communication with Vagenas admitting that he speaks to Kirovski ?more than any person in [his] life at the moment.? However, that doesn?t mean that the two friends can?t have lively discussions about academy strategy and tactics.

?The lines are clear that he?s the technical director, so I want Jovan?s hands all over the Academy like it should be,? said Vagenas. ?At the end of the day, Jovan is responsible for the biggest transition, which is getting players to the first team. We see eye to eye on a lot of things, but I think that we can be productive and disagree at times. That being said, we both realize the potential of this academy.?

Vagenas has already sought about recreating the Galaxy Academy in his own image with the hiring of former Chivas USA Under-16 head coach Mike Munoz. The Galaxy?s newest academy coach was a teammate of Vagenas with the Galaxy during the 2008 season, and also coached at Chivas while his new boss was in the midst of his final playing days.

The addition of Munoz was important to Vagenas? plans with the Galaxy Academy as he readily admits that the club has aspirations of assembling the ?best staff in the United States.? The desire to work with the club goes both ways; however, as Munoz readily admits that once he had the opportunity to work with Vagenas, he jumped at the chance. ?????

?I?m very excited about Pete being the Academy Director,? Munoz told LAGalaxy.com. ?I loved his vision for this club and where he wants to take the Academy, especially with the full support of [Galaxy head coach and general manager] Bruce Arena and Jovan Kirovski. It was a no-brainer after that.?

While it?s the oldest age groups (Under-18 and Under-16 especially) that get the lion share of the attention from the media due to their proximity to the first team, Vagenas is quick to stress that the youngest players in the Academy are the most important. This means that the Academy Director is in contact with U-12 and U-13 Technical Director Mauricio Cienfuegos and U-14 head coach Ante Razov.

With the goal of reaching players at the youngest age possible and moving them forward in the Galaxy environment, Vagenas believes that the Academy will be able to produce the best quality players to contribute to the first team.?

?Being that our Academy is relatively young, the point is to be able to build in your system, so the most important ages are your base teams which are your younger groups,? said Vagenas. ?If you can get these kids at an impressionable age, like we?re trying to do, starting with our U-12s and establish the tangible stuff that they can see leads up to our first team then it can be easier for them to transition as they get older.? For us to be able to train kids at 10 or 11-years-old and assimilate them into this environment that we?re creating, it should serve as a natural progression.

As he looks to develop future Galaxy players from Pasadena or Inglewood, Bell or San Fernando, Vagenas believes that he?s ready for the challenge ahead. ?

?The honest truth is that we are all fortunate to be part of the LA Galaxy. We are the biggest club in MLS. And as was my aspiration as a teenager when MLS started; everyone wants to be a part of MLS,? said Vagenas. ?In that aspect, we have a lot of interest heading our way, but that also puts a huge burden on our shoulders because we have to live up to those standards, but it?s our goal that kids do not slip through the cracks.?

Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com

Source: http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/2013/07/la-galaxy-academy-director-peter-vagenas-seeks-develop-new-crop-galaxy-players-through-

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President to Talk Economy in Summer Series

WASHINGTON - Drawing renewed attention to the economy, President Barack Obama will return this week to an Illinois college where he once spelled out a vision for an expanded and strengthened middle class as a freshman U.S. senator, long before the Great Recession would test his presidency.

The address Wednesday at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., will be the first in a new series of economic speeches that White House aides say Obama intends to deliver over the next several weeks ahead of key budget deadlines in the fall. A new fiscal year begins in October, and the government will soon hit its borrowing limit.

The speech comes just a week before Congress is scheduled to leave for its monthlong August recess and is designed to build public pressure on lawmakers in hopes of averting the showdowns over taxes and spending that have characterized past budget debates.

In his economic pitch, Obama will talk about efforts to expand manufacturing, sign up the uninsured for health care coverage, revitalize the housing industry and broaden educational opportunities for preschoolers and college students. He will also promote the economic benefits of an immigration overhaul.

The White House is promoting the speech as part of an arc of economic messages from the president that began at Knox College in 2005, when Obama was in his first year in the Senate. Since then, Obama has sought to raise the profile of his economic agenda with periodic speeches, including one at Georgetown University in Washington in 2009 and one in Osawatomie, Kan., in 2011. The White House posted a video highlighting Obama's previous economic addresses.

Obama's focus on the economy comes as he has experienced a degree of success with the Senate, which passed an overhaul of immigration laws and unclogged a Republican blockade against several presidential nominations. It also reflects a belief at the White House that the administration has been able to manage a series of confrontations with Congress over the Internal Revenue Service, phone surveillance of Americans and the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Source: http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/587732.html

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Longtime College of Lake County Foundation executive director retires

Article updated: 7/23/2013 11:15 AM

Bill Devore

Bill Devore

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Bill Devore has retired as executive director of College of Lake County Foundation. His job duty included this surprise announcement to Dick and Nettie Galla of a new $35,000 scholarship fund that their family organized to honor the couple.

Bill Devore has retired as executive director of College of Lake County Foundation. His job duty included this surprise announcement to Dick and Nettie Galla of a new $35,000 scholarship fund that their family organized to honor the couple.

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Courtesy of College of Lake County

Bill Devore has retired after a lengthy and distinguished career as executive director for the College of Lake County Foundation.

Devore, 65, of Beach Park, won't be idle in his retirement that started in late June. He won election as Benton Township clerk in April and will work part time as a consultant for the Evanston-based Alford Group, which assists nonprofit organizations with tasks such as fundraising, board development and strategic planning.

In addition, Devore said he may get involved in an orphanage project in Kenya. He'll also set aside some time for fun in retirement.

"I plan to play a few rounds of golf, do a little traveling and spend a little more time in Scottsdale, Ariz.," Devore said.

CLC Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises money to help the college offer greater access to education and cultural enrichment for Lake County residents. It works to fund needs that are beyond the school's budget as determined by CLC's board of trustees.

Money raised by the foundation is used to back student scholarships, faculty and staff projects, cultural arts and facility needs. Devore became the foundation's executive director in October 1996.

Following is a question-and-answer session with Devore.

Q: How did you come to the CLC Foundation?

A: I had been involved with the CLC Foundation's Keith Ryan Scholarship Fund and Sports Banquet, since its inception in 1989, and was made aware that the college was looking for a new executive director for its foundation in the summer of 1996. At that time I was the director of the Victory Hospital Foundation in Waukegan.

Q: What are some accomplishments you are most proud of over your tenure?

A: During my 17 years at CLC, the foundation raised approximately $2 million (from) 1996 to 1999 to help fund the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts, a $15 million project; won several awards from state and national fundraising organizations for innovative fundraising programs; quadrupled the foundation's total asset base; increased scholarship funding from $100,000 a year to approximately $700,000 a year currently; sponsored several very successful special event fundraising golf outings and scholarship galas in Lake County and Chicago; and launched the current "Changing Lives" scholarship campaign, which soon will reach $2 million in total gifts and pledges.

Q: How much of a challenge was it trying to get donors or people to attend fundraising events during the economic downturn?

A: I believe when you have a cause worth supporting, with the right approach and the right message, funds can be raised even during difficult times. Our donors were always generous in their support of our initiatives, and so we did not experience some of the difficulties in raising money that some other organizations may have.

Q: Scholarship awards are a big part of the foundation. Do you see that as an even more vital role looking ahead?

A: Yes, I do. With a student population of over 18,000 students at all three of CLC's campuses, there are many students who have financial need. That is the reason we launched the "Changing Lives" campaign. We felt if we could raise more money, we would be able to assist many more students. Student scholarships have been the primary focus of the CLC Foundation board of directors for many years, and I'm sure that will not change in the future.

Q: Will you have input for a new executive director?

A: No, I will not.

Q: How do you see the immediate and long-term future of the foundation?

A: I believe that both the immediate and long-term future of the CLC Foundation are very bright, due to the outstanding staff that still remains and the excellent leadership of the CLC Foundation board of directors, under the guidance of current president, Joanna Rolek, executive director of the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce. The foundation board understands the importance of continuing to raise additional funds in support of the educational goals of the college, and I know they will stay true to that mission in the years to come.

Source: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130723/news/707239855/

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