Sunday, 30 June 2013

NBA: Chris Paul to stay with Clippers - report

All the rumors about point guard Chris Paul leaving the Los Angeles Clippers might have been put to rest before the NBA's free agency period begins Monday.

Paul's representatives have informed teams hoping to possibly attract the All-Star that he will re-sign with the Clippers, ESPN.com reported Saturday night.

Reports in the past few weeks indicated that Paul's chances of leaving the Clippers was slight, but there were rumors linking him to a possible move with Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, soon to be a free agent, to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Clippers bringing in Doc Rivers as coach this past week to replace Vinny Del Negro appeared to appease Paul, who has received public blame for forcing Del Negro's departure.

Paul, 28, completed his second season with the Clippers averaging 16.9 points and 9.7 assists in 70 regular-season games. The season came to a disappointing end when the Clippers were eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs in the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies. - Reuters

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/315272/sports/basketball/nba-chris-paul-to-stay-with-clippers-report

daniel tosh All Star Game 2012 directv rashard lewis curacao curacao home run derby

Intel 335 Series 180GB SSD


Intel has had a prominent role in the consumer solid-state drive (SSD) market since it launched its 80GB X25-M solid-state drive back in 2009. The chip giant has followed up with refreshed devices at regular intervals, most recently with the SSD 335 Series. The 180GB 335 Series drive we're reviewing today is the second SKU to launch; Intel shipped a larger 240GB model last December. This new drive is a decent performer, but its reliance on older controller technology leave it wedged in the middle of the pack.

There's not much difference between the new SSD 335 Series drives and the 330 Series, which launched a little over a year ago. Both the 330 and 335 families use the SandForce SF-2281 controller. Both offer SATA 6G support, a three-year warranty, and the same base performance specs (500MBps sequential read and 450MBps sequential write). The older drive uses 25nm MLC NAND, while the newer 335 Series is based on Intel's 20nm NAND. SSDs aren't known for drawing much power, but the 335 is specced as having a maximum power draw of 350mW, with idle power consumption of 275mW. That's significantly less than the SSD 330 Series, which was specced for 850mW under load and 600mW in idle.

Save for the reduced power consumption, the shift to 20nm NAND is mostly an advantage for Intel, rather than a direct benefit to consumers. The 20nm NAND is significantly smaller than 25nm NAND, which means Intel can fit more memory chips on a given silicon wafer. The shift to smaller manufacturing geometries (also called nodes) is one reason why the price of SSDs has dropped precipitously in the past few years. The new 20nm NAND chips (shown to scale in the image above), are just 40% the size of the 34nm NAND Intel was using four years ago.

Intel drives tend to carry a fair amount of additional (overprovisioned) Flash. The 180GB SSD 335 actually contains 192GB of RAM; the additional 12GB is rotated into use as blocks of the original 180GB wear out and need to be retired. One of the downsides to using NAND built on a smaller process is that the memory can't handle as many program/erase cycles. Despite this trend, Intel rates the SSD 335 is as robust as the previous SSD 330 family.

We compared the 180GB Intel SSD 335 against the Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB and the OCZ Vector Series VTR1-25SAT3-256G. Our review unit was tested using an Asus P877V-Deluxe motherboard with 8GB of DDR3-1600 and an Intel Core i7-3770K CPU. The P877-V Deluxe offers multiple SATA controllers from Intel and Marvell; all of the drives were connected to Intel's 6G SATA port.

Of principle interest here is whether the 335's older SandForce controller can keep up with newer options from OCZ and Samsung. The SF-2281 controller has mostly been popping up in budget drives of late, and SandForce is expected to launch a new SF-3000 controller series later this year.

The performance figures for AS-SSD and SiSoft Sandra tests reflect a drive's performance in a particular type of data workload. Sequential read/write tests measure an SSD's capabilities when reading or writing a large block of contiguous data. A single large movie or ISO image will test a drive's sequential performance (assuming that the target drive isn't badly fragmented). In AS-SSD, the Intel 335's sequential read speeds weren't far off the OCZ Vector and Samsung 840 Pro (465MBps compared to 509 MBps and 518 MBps, respectively), but sequential write performance was significantly lower. The Intel 335 managed 252MBps, while the OCZ Vector clocked in at 495MBps and the Samsung 840 Pro scored 481MBps.

The 4K read/write tests ascertain the performance of an SSD or HDD when reading and writing small chunks of data. These small read/writes are vital to the everyday performance of a storage solution. The "64 Threads" test in AS-SSD means that the benchmark program spins off 64 separate 4K read/write tasks. This stretches the controller's ability to manage such workloads, but also provides a more realistic performance metric?an operating system is constantly reading and writing data to multiple services and programs simultaneously. The Intel 335 lagged behind the OCZ and Samsung drives at 203MBps read and 214MBps write. The OCZ Vector logged read/write speeds of 359MBps and 304MBps with the 840 Pro at 381MBps read, 299MBps write.

The random read/write performance data from SiSoft Sandra that we also quote is a measure of a drive's sustained performance when reading and writing a contiguous block of information to a randomly chosen location. These metrics are important because they collectively measure the different types of storage tasks an SSD or HDD performs, even if they don't represent user workloads.

SiSoft Sandra again shows the Intel 335 competing well in read performance (485MBps, while the OCZ Vector and Samsung 840 Pro both tie at 530MBps). Write performance is the drive's weak spot -- the Intel 335's SF-2281 controller turns in 225MBps in random write performance. That's less than half the OCZ Vector's 509MBps random write or the Samsung 840 Pro's 507MBps.

Finally, there's PCMark 7, which is a different type of test. The benchmark uses real storage workloads created by recording traces of hard drive activity when playing games, loading music or video, or copying files. These traces are used to measure the performance of storage products in comprehensive real-world scenarios.

The difference between SSDs in PCMark 7 tends to be much smaller than what we see in other synthetic tests. The Intel 335 scored a 5214, compared to a 5419 for the OCZ Vector and a 5588 for the Samsung 840 Pro. The gap between the Intel SSD 335 and the other drives is roughly ~7%.

Right now, the Intel 335 Series 180GB is selling for about $175, or just under $1 per GB. That compares fairly well to the cost-per-GB of an OCZ Vector ($269 for 256GB at NewEgg) or the Samsung 840 Pro ($249 for 256GB at NewEgg). The OCZ and Samsung options, however, are significantly faster than the Intel 335 Series. The SF-2281 controller has migrated to budget SSDs for a reason; it was cutting edge when it debuted in 2011, but its performance has been surpassed by other products.

That doesn't mean the Intel 335 is devoid of strong points. Intel has over-provisioned the drive by about 6.7%, which is fairly high for consumer hardware. The company has a reputation for high-quality NAND flash, and the included SSD toolbox software interfaces well with Windows and can auto-optimize an OS installation to run on solid state storage as well as manually triggering the TRIM command.

When push comes to shove, however, the Intel 335 Series 180GB SSD is in a bit of a no-man's land. There are budget drives, like Samsung's 840, that offer a lower cost per GB. There are higher-performing drives for the same cost per GB. If you can grab one of the 180GB or 240GB drives on sale, or if you're fond of Intel-branded products, then the Series 335 180GB SSD is a good option. Other buyers will find newer hardware a better deal.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/W90L3LX-5Z4/0,2817,2421132,00.asp

Administrative Professionals Day Ryan Lochte Bayern Munich the blaze Michael Shannon Chrissy Amphlett Java

Saturday, 29 June 2013

Cher: Tom Cruise was one of my top 5 lovers

Celebs

3 hours ago

IMAGE: Cher

Rob Kim / Getty Images

Cher says Tom Cruise makes her list of best lovers.

They're both famous names, but did you forget Cher and Tom Cruise were once an item? The singer, 67, confessed on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live" Thursday that she still ranks the movie star, who's now 50, among her top 5 lovers.

"He wasn't a Scientologist then!" Cher told host Andy Cohen. "It was pretty hot and heavy for a little minute."

Cher and Cruise dated in the mid-1980s when he was in his early 20s, before his first marriage to actress Mimi Rogers, who reportedly introduced the actor to Scientology.

When Cohen asked Cher to name her all-time best lover, she stumbled, saying "well, a lot of them kinda came in first. I've had just the greatest lovers ever."

When asked where Cruise ranked, she was quick to say, "Well he ... was in the top five."

Cohen showed Cher a number of photos of famous people, including Cruise and asked her to say the first thing that came to her mind about each one.

Elvis Presley, Cher said, invited her to stay with him once for a weekend, and she refused, "but I wish I'd gone," she said. Of "Moonstruck" co-star Nicolas Cage, Cher said, "Aw, I love him. But he's crazy!" Of producer Phil Spector, she said "he paid me $25 for a year's work. My mother didn't believe I was working." Of Michael Jackson, she hesitated, saying "I have too much information."

Cher will appear on TODAY Monday with Savannah Guthrie, and is scheduled to reveal some big news in advance of her comeback album, "Closer to the Truth," which hits stores in September.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/cher-tom-cruise-was-one-my-top-5-lovers-6C10486630

us open tennis us open tennis Empire State Building shooting Republican National Convention Karlie Redd guild wars 2 adrian gonzalez

Trapped in Transit: Orwellian Moscow airport hotel

SHEREMETYEVO AIRPORT (AP) ? "An interesting route, Mr. Phillips," says the airport transit desk employee. "This activity makes for suspicion."

It was the start of an Orwellian adventure in which I deliberately got myself sequestered in the hopes of finding Edward Snowden at Moscow's main airport.

The experience leaves me feeling that if the NSA leaker is indeed in the transit zone of the airport, as President Vladimir Putin claims, he may already have a taste of what it's like to be in prison.

Snowden is possibly holed up in the wing of an airport hotel reserved for travelers in transit who don't have visas to enter Russia. The Novotel's main building, located outside the airport, has a plush lobby with a fountain, a trendy bar and luxury shops. One wing, however, lies within the airport's transit zone ? a kind of international limbo that is not officially Russian territory.

And that's where Snowden, whose U.S. passport has been revoked, may be hiding.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE: Eastern Europe News Director Ian Phillips flew from his home base of Prague in the Czech Republic to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport with the goal of getting to the bottom of the mystery of fugitive NSA leaker Edward Snowden. What followed was a surreal 21 hours.

___

The woman at the transit desk raises an eyebrow and stares at my flight itinerary, which includes a 21-hour layover in Moscow before a connection to Ukraine. "Why would ANYONE stay here in transit for so long? There are so many earlier connections you could have taken. This is strange behavior."

After a nearly two-hour wait inside the terminal, a bus picks me up ? only me ? from the transit area. We drive slowly across the tarmac, through a barrier, past electronic gates covered in barbed wire and security cameras.

The main part of the Novotel is out of bounds. My allotted wing feels like a lockup: You are obliged to stay in your room, except for brief walks along the corridor. Three cameras track your movements along the hallway and beam the images back to a multiscreen monitor. It's comforting to see a sign instructing me that, in case of an emergency, the locks on heavily fortified doors leading to the elevators will open.

When I try to leave my room, the guard outside springs to his feet. I ask him why room service isn't responding and if there's any other way to get food. He growls: "Extension 70!" I rile him by asking about the Wi-Fi, which isn't working: "Extension 75!" he snarls.

"Don't worry, Mr. Phillips," the transit desk employee had said. "We have all your details and information. We will come and get you from your room at 6 p.m. on Friday, one hour before your connecting flight."

Now it's midnight, and I'm getting edgy. I feel trapped inside my airless room, whose double windows are tightly sealed. And the room is extortionate: It costs $300 a night, with a surcharge of 50 percent slapped on because I will be staying past noon.

("Can't I just wait in the lobby after midday?" I asked the receptionist at check-in. "Of course not," she retorted. "You have no visa. You will stay until you are picked up.")

I look out the window. If Snowden is here and has the same view, he can see the approach to the departures terminal at the airport. A large billboard shows a red 4x4 vehicle driving along an ocean road. A parking lot below is filled with vehicles. A man in green overalls is watering a patch of parched grass. Vehicles whizz in and out of the airport.

A maid has just brought a tea bag. She puts a tick against the room number on the three-page document on her trolley. On it, there are no guest names, only numbers ? and departure dates. A quick look suggests there are perhaps a few dozen people staying here. A couple of rooms on my floor have tell-tale signs of occupancy ? food trays lying outside from the night before.

But no sign of Snowden.

The guard allows me to stretch my legs in the corridor. The signs on the wall rub things in. Under a pretty picture of the Moscow skyline and Red Square, a message reads: "Should you wish to see the full range of facilities offered by our hotel during your next stay, we strongly recommend you to get a visa before flying to Moscow."

A fleeting glimpse of a possible change of scene: a set of guidelines posted on the wall say I can go out for a smoke!

Rule No. 6: "It is possible to go and smoke one time per hour for 5 minutes in the beginning of each hour escorted by security service."

I don't smoke, but this would be a way to escape this floor. But when I ask him to take me down, the security guard scoffs. "No!" he says flatly.

I call the front desk. "You need a visa to go outside and smoke, Mr. Phillips" the receptionist says.

If he's here, Snowden has access to a few international TV stations. He also has a fair amount of options with room service ? the only source of food in this wing. But after almost a week, he might be getting bored. And he'd need a credit card or a lot of Russian cash. A selection:

Buffalo mozzarella and pesto dressing starter? 720 rubles (about $20).

Ribeye steak: 1,500 rubles (about $50).

Bottle of Brunello di Montalcino red wine: 5,280 rubles ($165).

A miniature bottle of Hennessy XO cognac: 2,420 rubles ($80).

I've called all the 37 rooms on my floor in hopes of reaching Snowden. No reply except for when I get my security guard.

The floor above? A similarly futile attempt.

I only reach a handful of tired and irritated Russians who growl "Da? Da? Da?" ? "Yes? Yes? Yes?"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trapped-transit-orwellian-moscow-airport-hotel-152338275.html

san antonio spurs greta van susteren the five year engagement chris kreider correspondents dinner 2012 white house correspondents dinner 2012 whcd

Friday, 28 June 2013

Kat Von D and Deadmau5 reveal split over Twitter

Celebs

3 hours ago

Kat von D and Deadmau5

Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images file

After their split, Kat Von D and Deadmau5 both took to their social media accounts to tell their sides of the story.

Kat Von D and Deadmau5's engagement started over Twitter, so it's only appropriate that they would discuss their break up on the social network site.

The couple, who have been engaged since December when the DJ sent a proposal to Von D via Twitter, have called it quits over allegations that he cheated.

Von D posted a cryptic tweet on Wednesday, and later followed it up with a second tweet that gave her more than 1 million Twitter followers a bit more detail on her current situation.

For his part, Deadmau5 (real name Joel Zimmerman) is denying he ever cheated, offering his Facebook fans and Twitter followers his own version of what went down:

At the end of June, it was clear that the relationship was not working and we mutually ended the engagement. I was not, at any point, unfaithful to Kat during our time together.

In the Facebook post, Deadmau5 admits that he did have "relations" with another woman before he proposed to Von D, but claims that it happened while he and the former reality personality were broken up.

Von D certainly hasn't been lucky in love. This is the third failed engagement for the tattoo artist in two years. She was previously engaged -- twice! -- to motorcycle builder and reality star Jesse James. Before that, she was married to fellow tattoo artist Oliver Peck from 2004 to 2007.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/kat-von-d-deadmau5-reveal-split-over-twitter-6C10472870

Joseph Gordon-Levitt space shuttle Torrey Smith Brother fiona apple CJ Spiller tracy morgan Chase.com

Skype video messaging goes free and unlimited, send a video clip to all your friends!

Skype has pushed an update to their iPhone and iPad applications that brings with it free, unlimited video messaging. Previously, free video messaging was limited with premium accounts only having an unlimited allowance, but that time is now over. Video messaging rolled out gradually, with an initial launch tested with iPhone, iPad and Mac users before a global launch just a couple of weeks ago.

Video clips can be up to three minutes long, and the fact that all users can now send as many as they like has lots of positive implications for continued use of the service. A call is not always convienient, but there's something a lot more personal about seeing someone as they're speaking to you. Like they really, actually do want to talk to you.

Beyond opening up video messaging yet further, Skype has also thrown in a bunch of stability improvements for both audio and video calls, along with more reliable photo sharing and a bunch of bug fixes. I have to confess I've still not yet taken Skype video messaging for a test drive, how many of you have tried it? What do you think to it?

    


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/NFDyfTEoTYc/story01.htm

zsa zsa gabor illinois primary trayvon martin 911 call kiribati vernal equinox mr rogers jamie lee curtis

Thursday, 27 June 2013

Ingested nanoparticle toxicity

June 26, 2013 ? Ingestion of commonly encountered nanoparticles at typical environmental levels is unlikely to cause overt toxicity, according to US researchers. Nevertheless there is insufficient evidence to determine whether chronic exposures could lead to subtle alterations in intestinal immune function, protein profiles, or microbial balance.

Writing in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, researchers have compared existing laboratory and experimental animal studies pertaining to the toxicity of nanoparticles most likely to be intentionally or accidentally ingested. Based on their review, the researchers determined ingestion of nanoparticles at likely exposure levels is unlikely to cause health problems, at least with respect to acute toxicity. Furthermore, in vitro laboratory testing, which often shows toxicity at a cellular level, does not correspond well with in vivo testing, which tends to show less adverse effects.

Ingrid Bergin in the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Frank Witzmann in the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, at Indiana University School of Medicine, in Indianapolis, explain that the use of particles that are in the nano size range (from 1 billionth to 100 billionths of a meter in diameter, 1-100 nm, other thereabouts) are finding applications in consumer products and medicine. These include particles such as nano-silver, which is increasingly used in consumer products and dietary supplements for its purported antimicrobial properties. Nanoparticles can have some intriguing and useful properties because they do not necessarily behave in the same chemical and physical ways as non-nanoparticle versions of the same material.

Nanoparticles are now used as natural flavor enhancers in the form of liposomes and related materials, food pigments and in some so-called "health supplements." They are also used in antibacterial toothbrushes coated with silver nanoparticles, for instance in food and drink containers and in hygienic infant feeding equipment. They are also used to carry pharmaceuticals to specific disease sites in the body to reduce side effects. Nanoparticles actually encompass a very wide range of materials from pure metals and alloys, to metal oxide nanoparticles, and carbon-based and plastic nanoparticles. Because of their increasing utilization in consumer products, there has been concern over whether these small scale materials could have unique toxicity effects when compared to more traditional versions of the same materials.

Difficulties in assessing the health risks of nanoparticles include the fact that particles of differing materials and shapes can have different properties. Furthermore, the route of exposure (e.g. ingestion vs. inhalation) affects the likelihood of toxicity. The U.S. researchers evaluated the current literature specifically with respect to toxicity of ingested nanoparticles. They point out that, in addition to intentional ingestion as with dietary supplements, unintentional ingestion can occur due to nanoparticle presence in water or as a breakdown product from coated consumer goods. Inhaled nanoparticles also represent an ingestion hazard since they are coughed up, swallowed, and eliminated through the intestinal tract.

Based on their review, the team concludes that, "Ingested nanoparticles appear unlikely to have acute or severe toxic effects at typical levels of exposure." Nevertheless, they add that the current literature is inadequate to assess whether nanoparticles can accumulate in tissues and have long-term effects or whether they might cause subtle alterations in gut microbial populations. The researchers stress that better methods are needed for correlating particle concentrations used for cell-based assessment of toxicity with the actual likely exposure levels to body cells. Such methods may lead to better predictive value for laboratory in vitro testing, which currently over-predicts toxicity of ingested nanoparticles as compared to in vivo testing.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/biochemistry/~3/nzJGeyWJ0NU/130626143120.htm

Felix Baumgartner Little Nemo gawker Romney Bosses Day 2012 Arlen Specter Winsor McCay

'Desperate Housewives,' 'Teen Wolf' Twins Land HBO's Damon Lindelof Pilot 'Leftovers'

By Tim Kenneally

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Damon Lindelof's HBO pilot has just acquired a double dose of "Desperate Housewives" alumni, TheWrap has learned.

Charlie and Max Carver, who played the Scavo twins on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," have been cast in "The Leftovers," the upcoming drama pilot from "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof.

The pilot, which is adapted from Tom Perrotta's 2011 novel - who's writing and executive producing the pilot with Lindelof - centers around a Rapture-like situation, and those who were left behind by the event.

The Carvers, who also appear on the MTV series "Teen Wolf," will play - wait for it - identical twins Scott and Adam Frost.

The pilot stars Justin Theroux, as well as "Lord of the Rings" star Liv Tyler, who plays Meg, a young woman on the verge of getting married, but needing an escape. As a result, she becomes a target for recruitment by members of an enigmatic cult.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/desperate-housewives-teen-wolf-twins-land-hbos-damon-202533520.html

ny jets ny jets the situation tim tebow jets katy perry part of me video photoshop cs6 beta cate blanchett

Supreme Court clears way for same-sex marriage in California (Washington Post)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/315392029?client_source=feed&format=rss

Jenni Rivera Alive Facebook Down bo jackson bo jackson hanukkah justin tv justin tv

Saturday, 22 June 2013

Nevada's governor shows GOP strength in states

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) ? When Republican governors in November gathered in Las Vegas to discuss how to recover from their party's latest electoral drubbing, the popular GOP governor of Nevada wasn't there.

Instead, Brian Sandoval was in Washington, D.C., meeting with Obama administration officials to seal the deal that made him the first Republican governor to expand Medicaid as part of the president's health care initiative.

It was part of the pragmatic, centrist, low-key approach that has kept Sandoval popular in a Democratic-trending state and makes him the heavy favorite in his re-election bid next year.

With all the hand-wringing about the future of the GOP, the party has an often-overlooked strength: Popular governors like Sandoval who run most of the states in the nation, testing new policies, winning credit for the economic recovery and building records and expertise for possible runs at national office.

Partly due to the party's dominance in the 2010 election, Republicans hold 30 of the nation's 50 governorships.

"The larger the electoral arena, the worse the Republicans seem to do," said Eric Herzik, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, noting the GOP has lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections and blown a number of high-profile senate races.

"The one electoral arena that the Republicans have done fairly well in are the governorships," he said.

The 2010 wave ushered in a number of envelope-pushing conservatives. Some, like Florida's Rick Scott and Pennsylvania's Tom Corbett, are long-shots for re-election while others like Wisconsin's Scott Walker or Ohio's John Kasich have weathered early rough patches and are now doing well in the polls.

Sandoval offers a contrasting approach.

"He doesn't get boxed in or pinned down by labels. He's someone who's willing to set aside traditional boundaries if it's going to solve problems," said Greg Ferraro, a longtime Sandoval friend and adviser. "To me, he's the kind of Republican that's going to rebuild the party."

Growing numbers of migrants from the coasts and an expanding immigrant population have steadily pushed Nevada into the Democrats' column in presidential elections. But Sandoval has helped act as a GOP bulwark at the state level. He vetoed a bill to expand background checks for gun purchases, another to expand the period for voter registration and nixed a law to place calorie counts on chain restaurant menus.

He is so popular that Democrats have yet to field a challenger, and most analysts predict he will be handily re-elected.

But many of the things that have endeared Sandoval to Nevada voters would make him radioactive among the activists and interest groups who dominate national Republican politics. He supports abortion rights. Although he has refused to approve new taxes, he has twice extended what were supposed to be temporary taxes totaling more than $620 million.

This month, Sandoval signed a bill granting cards that permit driving to people in the country illegally.

"He's got a nice smile, a sunny disposition," said Chuck Muth, president of the Nevada conservative group Citizen Outreach and one of Sandoval's critics from the right. "But that's not something that's going to carry him very far if he ever gets into a competitive primary."

Sandoval had previously served as a state legislator and Nevada's attorney general and had a comfortable position as a federal judge when he agreed to run for governor in 2010. The incumbent, Republican Jim Gibbons, was badly tarred by a painfully public divorce case that included allegations of infidelity. Sandoval ousted him in the Republican primary and easily beat Rory Reid, son of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in the general election.

He is one of two Hispanic GOP governors elected that year, and he co-chairs a task force with his New Mexico counterpart, Susana Martinez, to recruit more Hispanic Republican candidates. But Sandoval only won 33 percent of the Hispanic vote, just three percentage points higher than Sharron Angle, the Republican challenger to Senator Reid who campaigned on her stance against illegal immigration.

Sandoval is a halting public speaker and cautious politician. He frustrated many Nevada Republicans by only giving lukewarm support to his party's nominee, Mitt Romney, in the 2012 presidential elections.

In many states, the governor has unrivalled power and ability to set the agenda. That's certainly true in Nevada, where the legislature meets for 120 days every two years. In the 2013 regular session, Sandoval came out on top, his $6.6 billion general fund budget proposal left mostly intact thanks to a GOP minority in both chambers that kept Democrats from a two-thirds vote margin needed to raises taxes.

But Sandoval came under criticism from both the right and left when just hours after the June 3 midnight deadline, he called lawmakers back into special session to act on five measures that died in the final hectic minutes ? including a Clark County sales tax increase to fund more police officers.

The Nevada Policy Research Institute, a conservative think tank, chided him for pushing the sales tax bill while abandoning education reforms that were rejected by Democrats.

Liberals also derided him for the special session, saying he should have pursued more tax hikes.

Sandoval also took heat earlier this year after a mentally ill man hospitalized at a Las Vegas psychiatric hospital was given a one-way bus ticket to Sacramento, Calif., where he knew no one. It prompted a weekslong investigation by The Sacramento Bee about "patient dumping." Sandoval eventually fired two staffers and ordered an independent review of practices at the hospital.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal civil rights suit this week on behalf of one patient and city attorneys in two California cities have criminal investigations under way.

There is already speculation in Nevada that Sandoval, if re-elected, could challenge Reid in 2016, setting up a clash of the state's political titans. Reid and his hard-edged operatives have been relatively polite in discussing the governor, and some Democrats clearly respect Sandoval.

Billy Vassiliadis, a veteran Democratic operative, said the governor's low-key, bipartisan demeanor is a clear asset, but it remains to be seen whether that approach would resonate with the more GOP's aggressive, national approach.

"There's an evolution happening in the Republican Party that will largely determine whether a more moderate Republican like Brian Sandoval could stand on a national stage," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nevadas-governor-shows-gop-strength-states-152516350.html

megamillions ncaa basketball tournament 2012 megamillions winning numbers lotto winner jerry lee lewis winning lotto numbers lottery tickets

Friday, 21 June 2013

EPA abandons plan to confirm hydraulic fracturing is linked to Wyoming groundwater pollution

A family had a close encounter with a bear while celebrating Father's Day during a camping trip in Wyoming, NBC-2 reports. The Kelly family had a relaxing Sunday morning breakfast, but apparently they didn't clean up as well as they initially thought. According to NBC-2, a bit of bacon grease was still on the campground [...]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/epa-abandons-plan-confirm-hydraulic-204048052.html

lauryn hill teacher appreciation week Jodi Arias trial cinco de mayo Mike Jeffries Abercrombie Charles Ramsey Interview Limo Fire

Families of troops killed in Iraq win right to battle for damages

FAMILIES of British troops killed or injured in Iraq have heralded a landmark ruling to bring compensation claims against the Government amid anger the soldiers? sacrifices had been ignored.

The Supreme Court ? the highest court in the UK ? ruled that damages claims could be launched under legislation covering negligence and human rights.

Lawyers representing relatives said the ruling meant the Ministry of Defence owed a duty of care to properly equip servicemen and women who went to war.

Among the relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq who welcomed the announcement yesterday was John Hyde, a hospital porter who lives with his wife, Sandra, in Northallerton in North Yorkshire.

His son, Lance Corporal Ben Hyde, 23, was killed along with five colleagues in the Red Caps military police by a mob of Iraqis in the town of Majar al-Kabir, near Basra, almost a decade ago in 2003.

An inquest heard L/Cpl Hyde and his fellow soldiers did not have any means of calling for help after leaving base without a satellite phone and had just 300 bullets between them, although the hearing in 2006 ruled the Army could not have prevented the massacre.

But L/Cpl Hyde?s father, 65, told the Yorkshire Post he would be liaising with the relatives of the other murdered Red Caps and would seek legal advice about launching a claim against the Government.

He said: ?The announcement by the Supreme Court certainly helps our case. We were fairly naive to begin with and thought the Government and the Army would come out and admit any issues.

?There is a lot of anger at the money that has been paid out to Iraqis who have suffered alleged abuse at the hands of British forces, but nothing had happened until now about the British soldiers who were killed or injured.

?Any admission of liability will ultimately leave the Army open to claims of compensation, but we hope that there will be some kind of closure for us now.?

Private Phillip Hewett, 21, of Tamworth in Staffordshire, died in July 2005 when his Snatch Land Rover was blown up in Iraq. The heavily criticised vehicle, nicknamed the ?coffin on wheels? by soldiers, has since been replaced for front-line service because of its vulnerability to roadside bombs.

His mother, Sue Smith, 51, said: ?They can no longer treat soldiers as sub-human with no rights. It?s been a long fight but it?s absolutely brilliant. Now serving soldiers have got human rights.?

Anger had simmered about the money paid out to Iraqis over abuse claims, while families of soldiers injured or killed had been unable to seek compensation. The Ministry of Defence confirmed yesterday that ?16.76m has so far been awarded to Iraqis.

But Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said he was concerned about the implications of the Supreme Court ruling and warned it could ?make it more difficult? for troops to carry out operations.

He added: ?We will continue to make this point in future legal proceedings as it can?t be right that troops on operations have to put the European Convention on Human Rights ahead of what is operationally vital to protect our national security.?

The battle for compensation was taken to both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. A High Court judge in London said in June 2011 that relatives could bring negligence claims but not claims under human rights legislation. In October 2012 appeal judges came to the same conclusions.

Relatives had told judges the MoD failed to provide armoured vehicles or equipment which could have saved lives. The MoD said decisions about battlefield equipment were for politicians and military commanders. Both sides asked the Supreme Court to examine legal arguments.

Wendy Hewitt, a deputy director of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, claimed human rights had been ?levelled up? as the Armed Forces had been expected to respect the rights of civilians abroad while not being properly protected themselves.

She added: ?It is now up to the courts to decide how this should apply in practice. This is not about interfering with the way military decisions are made in the field, but how everyone serving in the Armed Forces is given the protections they deserve.?

Source: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/families-of-troops-killed-in-iraq-win-right-to-battle-for-damages-1-5782658

Super Bowl Ads 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Superbowl Start Time Jim Harbaugh Who Won The Superbowl Super Bowl Halftime Show 2013 Super Bowl Commercials 2013

Thursday, 20 June 2013

Best Buy Is Recalling Thousands of MacBook Pro Batteries Over Fire Risk

Best Buy Is Recalling Thousands of MacBook Pro Batteries Over Fire Risk

Best Buy is recalling 5,100 third-party replacement MacBook Pro batteries after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported 13 separate cases in which the batteries caught fire, at least one of which caused serious injury.

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/YpvZ6tgILq4/best-buy-is-recalling-thousands-of-macbook-pro-batterie-514405760

arian foster dennis kucinich apple ipad kony kony 2012 jim irsay the new ipad

Israeli leaders condemn hate crime against Arabs

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israeli leaders on Tuesday condemned an apparent hate crime in an Arab town near Jerusalem that is known for good relations with its Jewish neighbors.

Residents of Abu Ghosh woke up Tuesday to find dozens of cars damaged and graffiti reading "Arabs out" scrawled on walls. Police said they launched an investigation into the incident, which appeared to be politically motivated.

There have been a string of similar incidents in recent years, believed to have been carried out by extreme Jewish nationalists.

Graffiti with the words "price tag" are usually found onsite. The phrase is usually used by a tiny fringe of Jewish extremists to protest what they perceive as the Israeli government's pro-Palestinian policies.

The vandals have targeted mosques, churches, dovish Israeli groups and even Israeli military bases in apparent "price tag" attacks.

The acts are widely condemned by Israelis across the political spectrum, but arrests have been rare.

Israeli President Shimon Peres spoke with Abu Ghosh Mayor Salim Jaber after hearing about the incident. "Spraying of hate graffiti against the residents and slashing of tires is racist behavior which crosses a red line. We utterly condemn any expression of racism and vandalism," Peres said. He called Abu Ghosh "a symbol of coexistence."

In a statement released by Peres' office, Jaber said the attack would not affect relations between residents and Jewish Israelis. "We know that this is the act of a small group which seeks to destroy the good relations, but we are stronger than them," Jaber said.

Abu Ghosh, a small town about a 20 minute drive from Jerusalem, is a popular destination for Israelis, thanks to its many restaurants, bakeries and cultural events.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke out against the attack. "What happened today in Abu Ghosh contradicts Jewish law and the values of our people and our country," Netanyahu said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-leaders-condemn-hate-crime-against-arabs-123640551.html

shabazz muhammad angela corey zimmerman charged bonobos charles manson al sharpton actuary

Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Colo. senator who pushed for gun control may lose job (cbsnews)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/313685909?client_source=feed&format=rss

Pain and Gain Eddie Lacy Justin Pugh dallas cowboys Jarvis Jones minnesota vikings Eric Reid

NOAA, partners predict possible record-setting deadzone for Gulf of Mexico

Home Reports Earth Sciences Content
19.06.2013

Scientists are expecting a very large "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico and a smaller than average hypoxic level in the Chesapeake Bay this year, based on several NOAA-supported forecast models.

NOAA-supported modelers at the University of Michigan, Louisiana State University, and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium are forecasting that this year's Gulf of Mexico hypoxic "dead" zone will be between 7,286 and 8,561 square miles which could place it among the ten largest recorded. That would range from an area the size of Connecticut, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia combined on the low end to the New Jersey on the upper end. The high estimate would exceed the largest ever reported, 8,481 square miles in 2002.

Hypoxic (very low oxygen) and anoxic (no oxygen) zones are caused by excessive nutrient pollution, often from human activities such as agriculture, which results in insufficient oxygen to support most marine life in near-bottom waters. Aspects of weather, including wind speed, wind direction, precipitation and temperature, also impact the size of dead zones.

The Gulf estimate is based on the assumption of no significant tropical storms in the two weeks preceding or during the official measurement survey cruise scheduled from July 25-August 3 2013. If a storm does occur the size estimate could drop to a low of 5344 square miles, slightly smaller than the size of Connecticut.

This year's prediction for the Gulf reflects flood conditions in the Midwest that caused large amounts of nutrients to be transported from the Mississippi watershed to the Gulf. Last year's dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico was the fourth smallest on record due to drought conditions, covering an area of approximately 2,889 square miles, an area slightly larger than the state of Delaware. The overall average between 1995-2012 is 5,960 square miles, an area about the size of Connecticut.

A second NOAA-funded forecast, for the Chesapeake Bay, calls for a smaller than average dead zone in the nation's largest estuary. The forecasts from researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the University of Michigan has three parts: a prediction for the mid-summer volume of the low-oxygen hypoxic zone, one for the mid-summer oxygen-free anoxic zone, and a third that is an average value for the entire summer season.

The forecasts call for a mid-summer hypoxic zone of 1.46 cubic miles, a mid-summer anoxic zone of 0.26 to 0.38 cubic miles, and a summer average hypoxia of 1.108 cubic miles, all at the low end of previously recorded zones. Last year the final mid-summer hypoxic zone was 1.45 cubic miles.

This is the seventh year for the Bay outlook which, because of the shallow nature of large areas of the estuary, focuses on water volume or cubic miles, instead of square mileage as used in the Gulf. The history of hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay since 1985 can be found at the EcoCheck website.

Both forecasts are based on nutrient run-off and river stream data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), with the Chesapeake data funded with a cooperative agreement between USGS and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Those numbers are then inserted into models developed by funding from the National Ocean Service's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS).

"Monitoring the health and vitality of our nation's oceans, waterways, and watersheds is critical as we work to preserve and protect coastal ecosystems," said Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D., acting under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and acting NOAA administrator. "These ecological forecasts are good examples of the critical environmental intelligence products and tools that help shape a healthier coast, one that is so inextricably linked to the vitality of our communities and our livelihoods."

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico affects nationally important commercial and recreational fisheries, and threatens the region's economy. The Chesapeake dead zones, which have been highly variable in recent years, threaten a multi-year effort to restore the Bay's water quality and enhance its production of crabs, oysters, and other important fisheries.

During May 2013, stream flows in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers were above normal resulting in more nutrients flowing into the Gulf. According to USGS estimates, 153,000 metric tons of nutrients flowed down the rivers to the northern Gulf of Mexico in May, an increase of 94,900 metric tons over last year's 58,100 metric tons, when the region was suffering through drought. The 2013 input is an increase of 16 percent above the average nutrient load estimated over the past 34 years.

For the Chesapeake Bay, USGS estimates 36,600 metric tons of nutrients entered the estuary from the Susquehanna and Potomac rivers between January and May, which is 30 percent below the average loads estimated from 1990 to 2013.

"Long-term nutrient monitoring and modeling is key to tracking how nutrient conditions are changing in response to floods and droughts and nutrient management actions," said Lori Caramanian, deputy assistant secretary of the interior for water and science. "Understanding the sources and transport of nutrients is key to developing effective nutrient management strategies needed to reduce the size of hypoxia zones in the Gulf, Bay and other U.S. waters where hypoxia is an ongoing problem."

"Coastal hypoxia is proliferating around the world," said Donald Boesch, Ph.D., president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "It is important that we have excellent abilities to predict and control the largest dead zones in the United States. The whole world is watching."

The confirmed size of the 2013 Gulf hypoxic zone will be released in August, following a monitoring survey led by the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium beginning in late July, and the result will be used to improve future forecasts. The final measurement in the Chesapeake will come in October following surveys by the Chesapeake Bay Program's partners from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

Despite the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Nutrient Task Force's goal to reduce the dead zone to less than 2,000 square miles, it has averaged 5,600 square miles over the last five years. Demonstrating the link between the dead zone and nutrients from the Mississippi River, this annual forecast continues to provide guidance to federal and state agencies as they work on the 11 implementation actions outlined by the Task Force in 2008 for mitigating nutrient pollution.

NOAA's National Ocean Service has been funding investigations and forecast development for the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico since 1990, and oversees national hypoxia research programs which include the Chesapeake Bay and other affected bodies of water.

USGS operates more than 3,000 real-time stream gages and collects water quality data at numerous long-term stations throughout the Mississippi River basin and the Chesapeake Bay to track how nutrient loads are changing over time.

The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science is the coastal science office for NOAA's National Ocean Service. Visit our website or follow our blog to read more about NCCOS research.

USGS provides science for a changing world. Visit USGS.gov, and follow us on Twitter @USGS and our other social media channels at http://usgs.gov/socialmedia.

NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels at http://www.noaa.gov/socialmedia/ . .

Contact: Ben Sherman, NOAA, 202-253-5256 (cell), ben.sherman@noaa.gov
Jon Campbell, USGS, 703-648-4180, joncampbell@usgs.gov
Jim Erickson, University of Michigan, 734-647-1842, ericksn@umich.edu
Amy Pelsinsky, UMCES, 410-330-1389, apelsinsky@ca.umces.edu

Ben Sherman | Source: EurekAlert!
Further information: www.noaa.gov

Source: http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/earth_sciences/noaa_partners_predict_record_setting_deadzone_gulf_215778.html

Espn College Football Eddie Murphy died Suzanne Barr Clint Eastwood speech Maria Montessori clint eastwood Julian Castro

Kim Kardashian And Kanye West Get Baby 'Congrats' From Beyonce

Mom to Blue Ivy tells the new parents to 'enjoy this moment' in a heartfelt post, days after Kim gave birth to her daughter.
By Jocelyn Vena

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1709159/kim-kardashian-kanye-west-beyonce-baby-congrats.jhtml

Sandy Hook Hoax 2014 Corvette Stacie Halas Corvette Stingray Claire Danes Amy Poehler Australian Open

Zachary Fardon, Chicago's Next U.S. Attorney, Faces Urgent Dilemma: Corruption Or Crime?

CHICAGO ? Chicago's next U.S. attorney faces a dilemma sprung from the twin evils bedeviling America's third-largest city.

Should he zero in on Illinois' deep pool of political corruption with the resolve of his predecessor, who sent two governors to prison? Or should he devote even more resources to the gang- and drug-related violence that has claimed hundreds of lives, including in neighborhoods near President Barack Obama's own house?

The urgency of the question was highlighted by a weekend of violence that left seven people dead and more than three dozen wounded. But it's unclear what, if anything, U.S. attorneys can do to stem the bloodshed that has not already been tried.

The same question has arisen in other big cities, including New York and Los Angeles.

"Some think federal prosecutors can ride in on a white horse and end street crime. They can't," said Laurie Levenson, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. "The question is ? how do you coordinate efforts of local and federal authorities? There's a role for both."

Other federal prosecutors have used the power of their office to attack urban crime. Rudy Giuliani became New York City mayor after first gaining prominence in the 1980s as a crime-busting U.S. attorney in Manhattan. And New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie built his political career on his reputation as a U.S. attorney who convicted public officials.

The pressure on Zachary Fardon has been especially intense.

After the White House recently named him to replace Patrick Fitzgerald, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin ? the Senate's second-most powerful member ? and Republican Sen. Mark Kirk called on Fardon to target guns, gangs and drugs. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has also urged Fardon to make city violence a top priority.

The city's murder tally topped 500 in 2012, the first time since 2008 it hit that mark. Though the murder rate has declined in 2013, the killing early this year of 15-year-old honor student Hadiya Pendleton a mile from Obama's home put the issue back in the national news.

Kirk called on Fardon to use racketeering statutes to jail what he said were up to 18,000 Gangster Disciple members in the Chicago area, saying it would be "payback" for Pendleton's killing. Rep. Bobby Rush, a Chicago Democrat, dismissed the notion as a simplistic "white boy" solution to a complex problem.

But it's not as if the federal prosecutors didn't pursue violent crime during Fitzgerald's 11-year tenure.

Already, a third of the roughly 130 criminal prosecutors at the Chicago office are assigned to its gangs-and-drugs division, according to figures from office spokesman Randall Samborn. There are around 10 prosecutors in the public corruption and organized-crime division, though prosecutors often work together across divisions.

Despite the splash they make in the news, political corruption cases are relatively rare. Even at the height of the investigation surrounding disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, there were never more than a half a dozen politicians indicted a year.

Drug cases account for around a third of total prosecutions, according to data from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts for the year ending in September 2012. That number is mirrored in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago have already used racketeering statutes to go after street gangs. Fitzgerald used them to send Latin Kings leader Augustin Zambrano to prison for 60 years last year. Nearly 30 gang members were convicted in the same investigation.

But drawing on federal drug or gun laws to go after gang members is more common because those laws can carry stiffer sentences and are often less labor-intensive than racketeering, or RICO, laws.

"RICO is often designed for the big hit, to take out the leadership of a gang and to send a larger message," Levenson said. "But RICO cases take a huge amount of resources and are far more complicated."

Observers have noted that Fitzgerald's success taking down heads of big street gangs had the unintended consequence of splintering gangs into dozens of factions, leading to fighting that has fueled some of the recent killing.

No matter what federal prosecutors do, city police and state prosecutors remain on the front lines of battle to reduce violence.

Just last week, local authorities took advantage of a new state racketeering law to arrest dozens of reputed leaders of the Black Souls street gang who allegedly engaged in beatings, kidnappings and killings to maintain their multimillion dollar narcotics operation. It's one of the first prosecutions using the new legal tool.

Fardon himself has been mum in public since his nomination last month. He has declined media interviews while awaiting a Senate confirmation vote, which hasn't been scheduled but should happen within a few months.

Tackling violent crime isn't what Fardon is best known for, at least up to now.

As an assistant U.S. attorney, he was a member of Fitzgerald's trial team that convicted former Republican Gov. George Ryan of corruption. And as a private defense attorney in Chicago in recent years, he focused in part on white-collar crime.

Fardon will also be under pressure not to scale back on the commitment to fighting corruption.

"The U.S. attorney's office, for all practical purposes, has been the sole check on corruption in Illinois," said Dick Simpson, a political scientist at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "And there is no indication corruption is on the decline."

But it could be difficult to shift more resources into violent crime without adjusting other obligations. That's especially true because congressional budget constraints have frozen staff at current levels. As a result, the annual office budget of around $35 million is unlikely to increase anytime soon.

The federal prosecutor's office in Chicago is one of the nation's busiest, with a staff already stretched thin handling more than 1,500 pending cases a year, according to the prosecutor's office.

And any hope of a dramatic reduction in violent crime would require the office to assign more prosecutors to smaller drug and gun cases.

"In a perfect world, you would grow the size of the office and hire more prosecutors and assign more to violent crimes units," said Julian Solotorovsky, a former assistant attorney in Chicago. "But the Department of Justice isn't in the hiring mood right now. ... That will complicate things for Fardon."

___

Follow Michael Tarm at www.twitter.com/mtarm

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/18/zachary-fardon-chicago-us-attorney_n_3459335.html

mint julep silk Star Wars Cinco De Mayo History lindsay lohan bob newhart chris kelly

Tuesday, 18 June 2013

Ray Romano Could Return For 'Parenthood' Season 5, EP Says

Hank and Sarah shippers, you may be getting what you want after all.

TVLine asked "Parenthood" executive producer David Hudgins if Ray Romano could return for Season 5 as Hank Rizzoli, a love interest for Lauren Graham's betrothed character Sarah Braverman. Hank, who also happened to be her boss, got in between Sarah and her fiance Mark Cyr (Jason Ritter), who eventually called off the wedding. But in the Season 4 finale, Hank moved away to Minnesota be closer to his daughter, leaving the romantically-challenged Sarah alone again.

But it looks like Hank's move may not be permanent ...

?We?re currently discussing it,? the "Parenthood" EP told TVLine at the recent ATX Television Festival of Romano returning to the NBC series. ?I love Ray Romano and thought he was so good on the show last year ... He?s great in that part and he works hard. He doesn?t just show up and do his [scenes]; he actually researched the character."

With Ritter starring in the Fox pilot "Us & Them" -- starring Graham's "Gilmore Girls" daughter Alexis Bledel and based on the UK comedy "Gavin & Stacey" -- it looks like Mark might be gone for good and Graham previously joked that both he and Romano might be out for Season 5. When HuffPost Live asked her in April who she thinks Sarah should end up with, Graham laughed and said, "Well, we don't have either of them for next season, so I might have to go back to Billy Baldwin."

But earlier, at "Parenthood's" PaleyFest event in March, Graham did express hope for both of Sarah's suitors. "I felt that the finale left it open. Sarah made a choice and then Ray Romano?s like, ?I?m moving to Minnesota,? so to me there was a lot of energy in both areas, so I didn?t view it as ?I chose one or the other? necessarily because it wasn?t going to work out. It could still go anywhere," she noted. "It didn?t feel like, ?Here?s where we?re going to go next season!? It?s hard because I really enjoyed working with Ray, and Jason has been part of this family for the whole time, so every year it?s been hard to imagine the possibility of saying goodbye to him."

For more from Hudgins on "Parenthood" Season 5, click over to TVLine.

Would you want Romano to return to "Parenthood"? Would you want Ritter to return to "Parenthood"? Sound off in the comments!

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

  • "Parenthood" Season 4

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/17/ray-romano-parenthood-season-5_n_3456398.html

elizabeth taylor cam newton FedEx Gabriel Aubry cyber monday deals small business saturday small business saturday

Egypt seen to give nod toward jihadis on Syria

In this image released by the Egyptian Presidency, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi waves as he arrives at a rally called for by hardline Islamists loyal to the Egyptian president to show solidarity with the people of Syria, in a stadium in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, June 15, 2013. Egypt's Islamist president announced Saturday that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Syria and closing Damascus' embassy in Cairo, decisions made amid growing calls from hard-line Sunni clerics in Egypt and elsewhere to launch a "holy war" against Syria's embattled regime. (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency)

In this image released by the Egyptian Presidency, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi waves as he arrives at a rally called for by hardline Islamists loyal to the Egyptian president to show solidarity with the people of Syria, in a stadium in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, June 15, 2013. Egypt's Islamist president announced Saturday that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Syria and closing Damascus' embassy in Cairo, decisions made amid growing calls from hard-line Sunni clerics in Egypt and elsewhere to launch a "holy war" against Syria's embattled regime. (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency)

In this image released by the Egyptian Presidency, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi addresses a rally called for by hardline Islamists loyal to the Egyptian president to show solidarity with the people of Syria, in a stadium in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, June 15, 2013. Egypt's Islamist president announced Saturday that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Syria and closing Damascus' embassy in Cairo, decisions made amid growing calls from hard-line Sunni clerics in Egypt and elsewhere to launch a "holy war" against Syria's embattled regime. (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency)

In this image released by the Egyptian Presidency, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi listens to a speaker at a rally called for by hardline Islamists loyal to the Egyptian president to show solidarity with the people of Syria, in a stadium in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, June 15, 2013. Egypt's Islamist president announced Saturday that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Syria and closing Damascus' embassy in Cairo, decisions made amid growing calls from hard-line Sunni clerics in Egypt and elsewhere to launch a "holy war" against Syria's embattled regime. (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency)

In this image released by the Egyptian Presidency, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi addresses a rally called for by hardline Islamists loyal to the Egyptian president to show solidarity with the people of Syria, in a stadium in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, June 15, 2013. Egypt's Islamist president announced Saturday that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Syria and closing Damascus' embassy in Cairo, decisions made amid growing calls from hard-line Sunni clerics in Egypt and elsewhere to launch a "holy war" against Syria's embattled regime. (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency)

In this image released by the Egyptian Presidency, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi addresses a rally called for by hardline Islamists loyal to the Egyptian president to show solidarity with the people of Syria, in a stadium in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, June 15, 2013. Egypt's Islamist president announced Saturday that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Syria and closing Damascus' embassy in Cairo, decisions made amid growing calls from hard-line Sunni clerics in Egypt and elsewhere to launch a "holy war" against Syria's embattled regime. (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency)

CAIRO (AP) ? Under Hosni Mubarak's rule, Egypt's authorities took a tough line on Egyptians coming home after waging "jihad" in places like Afghanistan, Chechnya or the Balkans, fearing they would bring back extremist ideology, combat experience and a thirst for regime change. In most cases, they were imprisoned and tortured.

But after Mubarak's overthrow and his replacement by an elected Islamist president, jihad has gained a degree of legitimacy in Egypt, and the country has become a source of fighters heading to the war in Syria.

Egyptian militants are known to have been travelling to Syria to fight alongside Sunni rebels for more than year ? but their movements were done quietly. But in recent days, a string of clerics have called for jihad in Syria, with some calling for volunteers to go fight against President Bashar Assad's regime.

On Saturday, Morsi attended a rally by hard-line clerics who have called for jihad and spoke before a cheering crowd at a Cairo stadium, mainly Islamists. Waving a flag of Egypt and the Syrian opposition, he ripped into the Syrian regime, announced Egypt was cutting ties with Damascus and denounced Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah guerrillas for fighting alongside Assad's forces.

Clerics at the rally urged Morsi to back their calls for jihad to support rebels. Morsi did not address their calls and did not mention jihad. But his appearance was seen as in implicit backing of the clerics' message. It came after a senior presidential aide last week said that while Egypt was not encouraging citizens to travel to Syria to help rebels, they were free to do so and the state would take no action against them.

Khalil el-Anani, an Egyptian expert on Islamist groups, called the move "Morsi's endorsement of jihad in Syria" and warned it was "a strategic mistake that will create a new Afghanistan in the Middle East."

"He is pushing Egypt into a sectarian war in which we have no interest," he said.

The new tone in Egypt risks fueling the flow of Egyptian jihadi fighters to Syria, where the conflict is already increasingly defined by the sectarian divide, with the mostly Sunni rebels fighting a regime rooted in the minority Alawite sect, an off-shoot of Shiite Islam, and backed by Shiite Iran and Hezbollah.

The conflict is also becoming more regional after Hezbollah intervened to help Assad defeat rebels in a strategic western town this month. Since then, hard-liners around the region have hiked calls for Sunnis to join the rebels in the fight. There are already believed to be several thousand foreign fighters among the rebel ranks, largely Islamist extremists some with al-Qaida ties.

The United States last week hardened its own position on Assad's regime, agreeing to provide the rebels with lethal weapons.

Damascus on Sunday lashed out at Morsi for his speech a day earlier, saying he "joins a choir of conspiracy and incitement led by the United States and Israel against Syria."

It accused him of endorsing calls by hardline clerics for people to fight in Syria.

Egypt's powerful military also seemed to distance itself from Morsi speech, in which he pledged that Egypt's government and military are behind the struggle of the Syrian people against Assad.

On Sunday, the state news agency quoted an unidentified military official underlining that "the Egyptian army will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. It will not be dragged or be used in any of the regional struggles."

There are no official figures on how many Egyptians have gone to Syria to fight. Security officials monitoring the movement of militants estimate as many as 2,500 have gone, and their numbers are likely to significantly pick up after Hezbollah's intervention.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Organizations associated with Egypt's ultraconservative Salafi movement are believed to help organize movements for Egyptians to Syria. Islamist websites have reported that up to several dozen Egyptians have been killed while fighting in Syria the past two years, though the number has not been independently confirmed. The conflict, now in its third year, has killed nearly 93,000 people, according to new figures released by the United Nations.

Under Mubarak's 29-year rule, Egypt was a major Mideast bulwark against religious militancy. Mubarak closely cooperated with the United States and other Western nations in the hunt for extremists wanted in connection with terror attacks and dismantling the financial networks for militant groups. His regime was also notorious for rights abuses and torture against militants and other opponents

In the 1990s, militants who gained combat experience fighting the Russians in Afghanistan staged an anti-government insurgency that took the lives of more than 1,000 people, mostly civilians. Mubarak's security forces crushed the insurgency, and in the years that followed the groups involved renounced violence, though they maintained a hard-line ideology.

The fall of Mubarak in early 2011 and Morsi's election nearly a year ago allowed many of the former militants to come in from the cold.

Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, from which he hails, gets key backing from one of the main former Islamic militant groups, Gamaa Islamiya, as well as from several political parties of the Salafi movement.

A senior official at the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police and internal security, said the names of at least 3,000 militants have in recent months been removed from the wanted list posted at the country's points of entry over the past two years.

Many of the 3,000 have since Morsi taken office returned to Egypt from exile and are now freely participating in the country's Islamist-dominated politics, said the official.

Those who returned home included individuals tried and convicted in connection to the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat, the attempted assassination against Mubarak in Ethiopia in 1995 or militants who have been involved in wars abroad, said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Morsi's turning up the heat on Assad's regime appeared to be a concession to his ultraconservative allies, who have been unhappy with his government's moves to improve ties with Shiite Iran, Assad's main regional backer.

It also strengthens their backing for him ahead of giant anti-Morsi demonstrations planned by his opponents on June 30.

"This is a terrible idea," said Michael W. Hanna, an Egypt expert from the New York-based Century Foundation. "He is refocusing the anger of Egyptians over his policies away toward foreign issues instead of the domestic mess he is presiding over at home."

The security official said there are worries in the security establishment that sanctioning travel to Syria for Egyptians could later embolden jihadi groups to set up their training camps and political parties to create their own militias. Armed militant groups have become increasingly active in lawless parts of the Sinai Peninsula, where there has been a flood of weapons smuggled from Libya.

The change in Egypt's approach has not gone unnoticed in the West.

Last week, Germany's Interior Ministry issued its 2012 report on domestic security in which it noted an increase in the travel to Egypt by suspected Islamic extremists, ostensibly because they wanted to live in Muslim countries or study Arabic but in some specific cases may have been really interested in joining jihadi training camps.

The report doesn't specify where these training camps are located, whether in Egypt or elsewhere in the Middle East, North Africa or South Asia.

___

AP correspondent Robert H. Reid in Berlin contributed to this reports.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-16-Egypt-Jihadi%20Shift/id-d126d259b624427cbc413af82a3fed1b

james cameron liam hemsworth miss canada justin bieber boyfriend marianas trench camille grammer camille grammer