Don't watch this video. No, seriously, it's really rough. The best thing is that Matthew Gough, the guy who plummets while base jumping, actually survived the fall with only minor injuries. He hit the ground at 40mph from a 1,000 foot cliff because his parachute malfunctioned. The footage is taken from his helmet cam.
     |
carlos pena amanda bynes arrested f 18 jet crash in virginia beach john tortorella nicki minaj beez in the trap video food network
The Sony Entertainment Network, which is already live in the US and Brazil among other countries, will launch in Japan on May 29th. As you may recall, the service is a browser-based marketplace with games, movies and other media available for download. SEN is especially targeted at PlayStation users; games and videos purchased will automatically show up in the PlayStation store. Given that Sony calls the Land of the Rising Sun home, it's high time its Entertainment Network opened its doors to Japan. And with E3 less than a month away, the world may get a taste of Sony's next-gen hardware for enjoying this service -- stay tuned.
Via: The Next Web
Source: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/XUaEu-oagPM/
MTV Movie Awards 2013 masters masters leaderboard Psy Gentleman Angel Cabrera Jay Z Open Letter glee
May 20, 2013 ? As high schoolers prepare for final exams, teens nationwide may be tempted to use a "study drug" ?- a prescription stimulant or amphetamine -- to gain an academic edge. But a new University of Michigan poll shows only one in 100 parents of teens 13-17 years old believes that their teen has used a study drug.
Study drugs refer to stimulant medications typically prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); commonly prescribed medicines in this category include Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin, and Vyvanse.
Among parents of teens who have not been prescribed a stimulant medication for ADHD, just 1% said they believe their teen has used a study drug to help study or improve grades, according to the latest University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. However, recent national data from Monitoring the Future indicate that 10% of high school sophomores and 12% of high school seniors say they've used an amphetamine or stimulant medication not prescribed by their doctor.
Sometimes students without ADHD take someone else's medication, to try to stay awake and alert and try to improve their scores on exams or assignments. Taking study drugs has not been proven to improve students' grades, and it can be very dangerous to their health, says Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.
"Taking these medications when they are not prescribed for you can lead to acute exhaustion, abnormal heart rhythms and even confusion and psychosis if the teens get addicted and go into withdrawal," says Davis.
"What we found in this poll is a clear mismatch between what parents believe and what their kids are reporting. But even though parents may not be recognizing these behaviors in their own kids, this poll also showed that one-half of the parents say they are very concerned about this abuse in their communities," Davis says.
White parents were most likely to say they are "very concerned" (54%), compared with black (38%) and Hispanic/Latino (37%) parents.
Despite this concern, only 27 percent of parents polled said they have talked to their teens about using study drugs. Black parents were more likely to have discussed this issue with their teens (41%), compared with white (27%) or Hispanic (17%) parents.
"If we are going to make a dent in this problem, and truly reduce the abuse of these drugs, we need parents, educators, health care professionals and all who interact with teens to be more proactive about discussing the issue," says Davis.
Over three-quarters of parents polled said they support school policies aimed at stopping abuse of study drugs in middle schools and high schools. Overall, 76% of parents said they believe schools should be required to discuss the dangers of ADHD medication abuse.
Another 79% support a policy to require students with a prescription for ADHD medications to keep their pills in a secure location such as the school nurse's office -- a requirement that would prohibit students from carrying medicines of this nature that could potentially be shared with, or sold to, other students.
"We know teens may be sharing drugs or spreading the word that these medications can give their grades a boost. But the bottom line is that these prescription medications are drugs, and teens who use them without a prescription are taking a serious risk with their health," Davis says.?
Full report: http://mottnpch.org/reports-surveys/one-ten-teens-using-%E2%80%9Cstudy-drugs%E2%80%9D-are-parents-paying-attention
Phil Ramone louisville Kevin Ware Injury Video Richard Griffiths FGCU Reid Flair tony romo
About the Author:
Get online ticket booking for air tickets booking just in few clicks with makemytrip. Go through makemytrip website and experience hassle free online ticket booking.and Lowest Price Challenge on flights from Mumbai To Ranchi Flights
Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/From-The-Western-Coast-To-A-Important-City-In-The-East/4720423
Boston Marathon Explosion Boston Marathon bombing irs new york times Friends Reunion Elena Delle Donne usa today
Pakistani volunteers carry the lifeless body of Zohra Shahid, a senior member of former Pakistani cricket star Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Sindh, to a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, May 19, 2013. Police said gunmen on a motorcycle shot and killed Shahid outside her home on Saturday, May 18, 2013, in the city of Karachi in southern Sindh province. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
Pakistani volunteers carry the lifeless body of Zohra Shahid, a senior member of former Pakistani cricket star Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Sindh, to a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, May 19, 2013. Police said gunmen on a motorcycle shot and killed Shahid outside her home on Saturday, May 18, 2013, in the city of Karachi in southern Sindh province. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
Friends of Pakistani Zohra Shahid, a senior member of former Pakistani cricket star Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Sindh, mourn her death at a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, May 19, 2013. Police said gunmen on a motorcycle shot and killed Shahid outside her home on Saturday, May 18, 2013, in the city of Karachi in southern Sindh province. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) ? Pakistan held a repeat election on Sunday in an upscale area of the southern city of Karachi that was plagued with allegations of vote-rigging, despite the shooting death of a senior member of former cricket star Imran Khan's party.
Khan blamed Zahra Shahid's killing late Saturday night in Karachi on the Muttahida Quami Movement, the same party he accused of vote rigging in the May 11 election. The MQM denied the allegations.
Gunmen shot Shahid in front of her home after they tried to snatch her purse and then sped away on a motorcycle, said police officer Sarfaraz Nawaz. The culprits made it look like a robbery, but it could have been a targeted killing, he said.
Shahid was vice president for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in surrounding Sindh province.
Khan blamed the head of the MQM for the killing on Twitter, saying "I hold Altaf Hussain directly responsible for the murder as he had openly threatened PTI workers and leaders through public broadcasts."
Hussain is currently in self-imposed exile in London because of legal cases against him in Pakistan.
Khan also blamed the British government, saying he had warned officials about Hussain's threats against his party workers.
The MQM, which is the strongest party in Karachi and has long controlled the city, has often been accused of using violence against its competitors. The party has boycotted the repeat polling being held Sunday for a national assembly seat and two provincial assembly seats.
Turnout for the vote seemed light compared to the crowds that came out on May 11. The vote was being held at 43 polling stations in the NA-250 constituency under the protection of police and army soldiers.
The big winner in the May 11 national election was the Pakistan Muslim League-N party, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, which looks set to form the next government. The party held off a strong challenge from Khan, whose criticism of the country's traditional politicians energized the Pakistani youth.
Khan has alleged vote rigging in different parts of the country, and the election commission is repeating the vote or doing a recount for eight national assembly seats, including in NA-250.
Talib Hussain, a university student, said he was up all night studying but couldn't miss the chance to vote.
"I didn't get a chance to cast my vote on May 11," said Hussain. "Luckily I got a second chance, so I did not want to miss it."
The polling in NA-250 had been characterized by extensive delays on May 11 because some polling stations opened hours late. Sunday's voting seemed to be going smoother.
"Last time I was here and stood in line for four hours but went home without casting my vote," said Majid Hussain, a banker in the city. "This time I am happy to cast my vote without any difficulty."
___
Associated Press writer Zarar Khan contributed to this report from Islamabad.
Associated Presshana taylor momsen xbox live update joan rivers gary carter dies oolong tea survivor one world
TSX rises as gold miners lone sore spot
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose on Friday as robust economic data helped drive gains in energy stocks and financial shares, offsetting weakness in gold producers. The materials sector, a major component of the S&P/TSX composite which includes gold miners, was the lone sector to finish in the red of ten main sectors, as the price of gold fell for a seventh straight session.
Tesco clothing brand plans international expansion
LONDON (Reuters) - The clothing brand sold by Britain's biggest retailer Tesco
Greece to sell Postbank, Proton in July, stress-test big banks
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's bank rescue fund will aim to sell Hellenic Postbank and Proton by mid-July with big banks continuing to absorb small lenders as part of plans to revive the battered sector, the country's foreign lenders said in an inspection review. Greece is recapitalizing its four big banks and winding down others deemed non-viable to improve the sector's capacity to fund the economy out of a deep six-year recession. Banks suffered heavy losses from debt writedowns and bad loans.
UK lawmakers consider probe into transparency of mining firms
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's parliament will this week consider whether to probe the transparency of oil and mining firms listed in London, an issue highlighted by corruption probes at emerging market miners which lawmakers fear have dented the stock market's reputation. The chairman of parliament's Committee for Business, Innovation and Skills said on Sunday he would this week propose an inquiry into issues including governance and anticorruption protection at mining and oil companies.
Bankia compensation qualms signal loss of faith in Spain's banks
MADRID (Reuters) - Many duped savers at Spanish lender Bankia
Analysis: Airline emissions deal may not come before EU deadline
(Reuters) - Hope is fading for a global deal to regulate the airline industry's greenhouse gas emissions ahead of a fall deadline, even though failure could push the industry back to the brink of a trade war over the European Union's emissions trading system. Last November the EU suspended its controversial scheme to force all airlines to buy carbon credits for any flight arriving in or departing from European airspace.
German minister calls EU move on China solar 'grave mistake'
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Philipp Roesler said the European Commission made a "grave mistake" by agreeing to impose punitive import duties on solar panels from China and urged the Commission to work to prevent the eruption of a trade conflict. "It's a grave mistake," Roesler told Welt am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday.
Analysis: Frontier Markets booming but risks mounting
NEW YORK (Reuters) - With the world's biggest central banks driving yields on safe assets to near zero, some investors are tossing caution to the wind and rushing to buy illiquid and previously overlooked bonds sold by countries with no capital markets track record. Even the biggest investors acknowledge that "frontier markets" like Vietnam and Romania aren't for the faint of heart because nobody knows whether these new debt market players will be able to make good on their obligations.
Bank of England's King sends message to successor Carney
LONDON (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Mervyn King has urged successor Mark Carney not to bring to Britain his trademark policy of spelling out how long interest rates will remain low. King also said the bank could not be run as "a one-man show," a sign of concern at high expectations that the arrival of the Canadian will lead to a quick fix for Britain's slow economy.
Exclusive: South Africa's NUM seeks 15-60 percent wage rises from gold, coal producers
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers said it would seek pay rises of up to 60 percent from gold and coal producers, raising the prospect of fresh strikes as firms battle higher costs and falling prices in an already heated labor climate. Africa's biggest economy is hoping to avoid the 2012 wildcat strike action at platinum and gold mines that cost billions in lost revenue and production and killed over 50 people.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-business-summary-101044953.html
Con Edison LaGuardia Airport weather radar the weather channel national grid LIPA Garcinia Cambogia
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) ? In what police are describing as a crime of opportunity, a wanted man with a criminal history dating nearly 15 years entered a front door that had been left open at a New York home near Hofstra University.
A short time later, the intruder, Dalton Smith, and a 21-year-old college junior, Andrea Rebello, were both dead. The two were killed early Friday by a Nassau County police officer who fired eight shots at the masked man, hitting him seven times but also accidentally hitting Rebello once in the head, Nassau County homicide squad Lt. John Azzata said Saturday.
Smith was holding Rebello in a headlock and pointing a gun at her head before he turned his gun at the officer, Azzata said, prompting the shooting.
"He kept saying, 'I'm going to kill her,' and then he pointed the gun at the police officer," Azzata said.
A loaded 9 mm handgun with a serial number scratched off was found at the scene, police said.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale said he had traveled to Rebello's Tarrytown, N.Y., home to explain to Rebello's parents what happened.
"I felt obligated as a police commissioner and as a parent to inform them as soon as all the forensic results were completed," Dale said.
The veteran police officer, who was not identified, has about 12 years of experience on the Nassau County police force and previously spent several years as a New York City police officer, Dale said.
The officer is currently out on sick leave. He will be the focus of an internal police investigation once the criminal investigation is completed, which is standard police procedure in any officer-involved shooting, the commissioner said.
The shooting came just days before the school's commencement ceremonies, which are scheduled for Sunday.
A university spokeswoman said students will be handed white ribbons to wear in memory of Rebello. The shooting, which took place just steps from campus, has cast a pall over the university community as it geared up for commencement.
Earlier Saturday, police announced that Smith, 30, had been wanted on a parole violation related to a first-degree robbery conviction. A warrant was issued for Smith on April 25 for absconding from parole, police said.
Smith had what police described as "an extensive criminal history," which included arrests for robbery in the first degree in 1999, promoting prison contraband in the second degree in 2000, robbery in the first degree in 2003, assault in the second degree in 2003 and robbery in the second degree in 2003.
Rebello was in the two-story home in Uniondale, N.Y., with her twin sister Jessica, a third woman and a man when Smith, wearing a ski mask, walked into the house through an open front door, Azzata said.
The door was left open after someone had moved a car that was blocking a driveway, Azzata said.
When Smith entered, he demanded valuables and was told they were upstairs, Azzata said.
Smith, apparently unsatisfied with the valuables upstairs, asked if any of the four had a bank account and could withdraw money, Azzata said. The intruder then allowed the unidentified woman to leave and collect money from an ATM, telling her she had only eight minutes to come back with cash before he killed one of her friends, Azzata said.
The woman left for the bank and called 911, according to Azzata.
Minutes later, two police officers arrived at the home and found Rebello's twin sister Jessica running out of the front door and the male guest hiding behind a couch on the first floor, Azzata said.
One of the officers entered the home and encountered Smith holding onto Rebello in a headlock, coming down the stairs, Azzata said. Smith pulled Rebello closer and started moving backward toward a rear door of the house, pointing the gun at her head before eventually threatening the officer, Azzata said.
The Rev. Osvaldo Franklin, who gave Rebello and her twin their first communions, on Saturday night told The Associated Press their mother, Nella, couldn't even speak to him earlier in the day.
"She was so devastated," said Franklin. "She's just crying. We have to pray for Andrea, to pray for Jessica because she needs help."
Franklin said a funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at Teresa of Avila Church in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., and will be in Portuguese.
"The family's a very good family, they have very good values," he said. "They are a very good, very devoted family."
___
Associated Press writer Jake Pearson in New York contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hofstra-student-killed-police-during-break-065118864.html
Psalm 91 Super Bowl 2013 Commercials Evasi0n Superdome Iron Man 3 Trailer Super Bowl 2013 Ray Rice
Not too long ago, Patton Oswalt riffed on his idea for a great plot for the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII film on Parks and Recreation. Now, it's got a whole bunch of..."digital effects" that turn it into the film we all deserve. It's alright JJ, we've got this one on lock. But thanks for throwing your hat in the ring! [iZacLess via Patton Oswalt]
| |
Funny Valentines Chris Kyle Russian meteor Meteor Hits Russia Dorner Manifesto Valentines Day Quotes nerlens noel
Disney's latest misstep ? turning Merida, its most real-life heroine from "Brave," into a doe-eyed, thin-armed princess ? drew ire across the Internet. Disney's much-anticipated response to the outrage was disappointing.
The original Merida, left, was taken up (or down) a notch for her figurine debut, eliciting groans and anger from people tired of Disney's quest to "princessify" everything they touch.
Screenshot via Disney
EnlargeRecently, Disney released a?new, 2D image of Merida. This prompted?outrage?because the character's design was altered,?for no good reason.?The new Merida has been "prettified"--made more conventionally attractive in a way that undercuts the character's strengths, to the detriment of the children who view her as a role model.
Skip to next paragraph Rebecca HainsGuest blogger
Rebecca Hains, Ph.D. is a children's media culture expert. A professor of advertising and media studies at Salem State University, in Salem, Mass., her research focuses on girls and media. The author of "Growing Up With Girl Power: Girlhood on Screen and in Everyday Life,"? she blogs about children's media and popular cultur and lives with her husband and son in Peabody, Mass.
?
' +
google_ads[0].line2 + '
' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
In response,?A Mighty Girl released a?petition?to Disney that outlines the reasons why the redesign is problematic. The petition?culminates with a request: to pull the new 2D Merida and restore the character to her original form.
Yesterday, Disney executives went on record regarding the petition. They're refusing to retract the new Merida--and their comments show they've missed the point.
The L.A. Times?reports on the refusal to retract the new Merida:
"Disney has no intention of abandoning its sexier version of the Scottish archer featured in the movie, "Brave."
The modified Merida was created specifically to welcome the character into the company's princess collection. And according to a Disney representativeon Wednesday, the image of Merida that sparked this maelstrom is part of a limited run of products including backpacks and pajamas.?But images of the original Merida will also be available on consumer products, the Disney representative said."
No one ever doubted that the original Merida would still be available on products; the objection is to the new Merida redesign. Full stop.?The fact that it's "part of a limited run" doesn't make it any less problematic.
A Disney representative expanded on their stance in an exclusive interview with fan site Inside the Magic, calling the controversy "blown out of proportion." This makes clear that Disney execs either don't truly understand?the objections, or are willfully ignoring them.
According to Inside the Magic:
"[Disney] had no intention of changing who Merida is. The artwork that has circulated online depicting the new 2D rendering of Merida was intended to be used only on a ?limited line of products? as a ?one-time stylized version.? They noted Disney uses different styles of art on characters regularly, changing them to fit their needs at the time.
And in this case, that time was the coronation. Noting that Merida wanted to ?dress up? for her coronation ceremony, the new 2D artwork was created, first debuting on the official invitation that was sent out to the media."
gone tyler perry good deeds pretty in pink shark tank john wall gordon hayward gas prices
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - New Orleans police arrested a man identified in connection with a shooting at a Mother's Day parade in which 19 people were injured, authorities said late on Wednesday. Akein Scott, 19, was arrested in the Little Wood neighborhood of eastern New Orleans, police spokesman Garry Flot said, adding that??
Source: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/weightloss
jay cutler applebees jeff gordon veterans day When Is Veterans Day 2012 brooke burke Alexa Vega
In this May 14, 2013 photo, a National Guard soldier frisks a man outside his car at a checkpoint that is part of the "Secure Homeland" initiative in Petare, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Caracas, Venezuela. Since Monday, this scene is playing out day and night at dozens of military checkpoints set up here in the socialist government's latest attempt to control the oil-rich country?s pandemic of violence. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
In this May 14, 2013 photo, a National Guard soldier frisks a man outside his car at a checkpoint that is part of the "Secure Homeland" initiative in Petare, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Caracas, Venezuela. Since Monday, this scene is playing out day and night at dozens of military checkpoints set up here in the socialist government's latest attempt to control the oil-rich country?s pandemic of violence. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
In this May 14, 2013 photo, a National Guard soldier checks a driver's vehicle documents at a checkpoint that is part of the "Secure Homeland" initiative in Petare, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Caracas, Venezuela. Critics dismiss the "Secure Homeland" initiative as a political charade that risks degenerating into human rights abuses while having no lasting impact on crime. But to many residents, weary of being terrorized by armed gangs, seeing troops on the streets is a welcome projection of government power. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
In this May 14, 2013 photo, National Guard soldiers patrol on motorcycles as part of the "Secure Homeland" initiative in Petare, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Caracas, Venezuela. With some 15,000 killings a year, Venezuela?s homicide rate is the fifth highest in the world, according to U.N. statistics. Critics dismiss the "Secure Homeland" initiative as a political charade that risks degenerating into human rights abuses while having no lasting impact on crime. But to many residents, weary of being terrorized by armed gangs, seeing troops on the streets is a welcome projection of government power. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
In this May 14, 2013 photo, Gen. Antonio Benavides, left, gives instructions to a soldiers during a security operation that is part of the "Secure Homeland" initiative in Petare, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Caracas, Venezuela. The murder rate doubled during the 14-year-rule of the late President Hugo Chavez as cheap access to guns and an ineffective justice system fed a culture of violence in slums like Petare, parts of which have become no-go zones for outsiders, including police. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
In this May 14, 2013 photo, National Guard soldiers patrol as part of the "Secure Homeland" initiative in Petare, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Caracas, Venezuela. The initiative started in the Caracas area on Monday and will be expanded to the states of Zulia, Lara and Carabobo next week. Human rights activists worry that sending soldiers trained for warfare on policing missions will only make things worse for the residents they are meant to protect. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
PETARE, Venezuela (AP) ? Stern-looking soldiers clutching assault rifles wave down the beat-up Chevy Caprice entering this sprawling slum on the outskirts of Caracas.
Flashlights in his face, the driver steps out and places his hands on the roof while the soldiers frisk him for drugs and weapons.
He's clean, and a hand gesture from the commanding officer sends him off into the maze of ramshackle homes that is Petare, one of the most dangerous parts of Venezuela's notoriously crime-infested capital.
Since Monday, this scene is playing out day and night at dozens of military checkpoints set up here in the socialist government's latest attempt to control the oil-rich country's pandemic of violence.
Critics dismiss the "Secure Homeland" initiative as a political charade that risks degenerating into human rights abuses while having no lasting impact on crime. But to many residents, weary of being terrorized by armed gangs, seeing troops on the streets is a welcome projection of government power.
"You have to act forcefully so that people feel the force of the state," said 47-year-old Irving Garcia, an unemployed former Army reservist, who like many Caracas residents has firsthand experience of violent crime. Garcia said he was shot in the chest when he unknowingly walked into a restaurant robbery. The bullet shattered his sternum, he said, inviting a reporter to feel a piece of protruding bone through his shirt.
With some 15,000 killings a year, Venezuela's homicide rate is the fifth highest in the world, according to U.N. statistics. The murder rate doubled during the 14-year-rule of the late President Hugo Chavez as cheap access to guns and an ineffective justice system fed a culture of violence in slums like Petare, parts of which have become no-go zones for outsiders, including police.
Chavez banned gun sales, expanded a new national police force and stepped up policing and other programs in high-crime areas. Now, his hand-picked successor, Nicolas Maduro, is adding military muscle by deploying 3,000 troops on the streets. The initiative started in the Caracas area on Monday and will be expanded to the states of Zulia, Lara and Carabobo next week.
Human rights activists worry that sending soldiers trained for warfare on policing missions will only make things worse for the residents they are meant to protect.
"It's going to aggravate the situation, unfortunately, because the army isn't prepared to deal with issues of public safety," said Liliana Ortega, director of the COFAVIC human rights group. "We have various emblematic cases in which the use of the armed forces resulted in disproportional force."
She said they include the 1989 street riots known as the "Caracazo," when 300 people were killed, and a 1992 prison riot in Caracas in which 63 prisoners died.
The soldiers, who work together with the National Guard and national police force, have the power to make arrests but are supposed to hand over the detainees to civilian authorities. Any human rights abuses would be tried by civilian courts, according to the constitution.
In deeply divided Venezuela, there are also concerns over the initiative's political undertones. Maduro narrowly won an April 14 presidential election that the opposition claims he stole through fraud, voter intimidation and abuse of government powers. Some of the first military units were deployed in areas under the political control of the opposition.
Petare, for example, lies in Miranda state, which is governed by Henrique Capriles, Maduro's challenger in the presidential election. The mayor overseeing Petare also is from the opposition.
On Tuesday night, the military commander in charge of the troops in Petare, Gen. Antonio Benavides, led a motorcycle-borne unit roaring up deserted, winding streets, with a gaggle of journalists in tow. They stopped for a meeting with grass-roots Chavistas in the hilltop Bombilla neighborhood.
"How often does the mayor come here? How often does the governor come here?" Benavides asked the crowd of about 40 people. "Never," they replied, unanimously.
A Capriles poster on a staircase above the outdoor gathering indicated not everyone here supports the government.
David Smilde, a Venezuela expert at the University of Georgia, said that for Maduro, the security initiative was both "an effort to fight crime and an effort to maintain or recover support in places where it has been declining because of crime and violence, among other issues."
Though the idea of using military force against criminals resonates among Venezuelans, Smilde said, it would probably amount to little more than setting up road blocks and trying to project a presence on street corners. "But of course that just means that crime takes place a block away," he said.
Some in Petare said the success of the initiative would depend not only on the soldiers' ability to hunt down criminals and delinquents, but to win the trust of its law-abiding residents.
"What matters is how they are integrating with society, what they teach our young," said Carmen Aponte, 47.
At one checkpoint, on a potholed street where stray dogs rummaged through foul-smelling litter from a daytime food market, irritated taxi drivers complained that the stop-and-search was bad for business.
"They make it hard for us," said Jorge Torres, 50. "We can't stop anywhere we want to and people don't know where we can pick them up."
He conceded the area was safer, for now, but predicted the military presence would be short lived. The government has said the soldiers will stay in the streets for a few months until regular law enforcement units can be boosted by new recruits.
"Once they leave, everything changes," Torres said.
___
Associated Press video: https://vimeo.com/66289079
___
AP writer Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report.
Associated PressCon Edison LaGuardia Airport weather radar the weather channel national grid LIPA Garcinia Cambogia
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) ? A homeless, hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who became an Internet hero earlier this year was arrested Thursday for allegedly beating a New Jersey lawyer to death inside his home.
Caleb "Kai" McGillvary, whose star turn as "Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker" came after he intervened in an attack on a California utility worker, was arrested at a Philadelphia bus station, Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow said.
"I believe that everyone is a little safer with this person off the streets," the prosecutor said. Philadelphia police could not immediately be reached for comment.
McGillvary was charged with killing Joseph Galfy, Jr., a Clark, N.J. attorney found dead Monday. Romankow said he will be processed and sent to back to New Jersey, where his bail is set at $3 million.
Galfy's body was found two days after authorities said he met McGillvary in New York City. Galfy, 73, was found wearing only his underwear and socks by police who went to his home to check on his well-being.
Statements posted on McGillvary's Facebook page following the homicide indicated the encounter was sexual in nature, Romankow said, though he declined to go into specific detail.
On his Facebook page, McGillvary's last post, dated Tuesday, asks "what would you do?" if you awoke in a stranger's house and found you'd been drugged and sexually assaulted. One commenter suggests hitting him with a hatchet ? and McGillvary's final comment on the post says, "I like your idea."
A hatchet helped give McGillvary a brief taste of fame in February when he gave a rambling, profanity-laced 5-minute interview to a Fresno, Calif. television station about thwarting an attack on a Pacific Gas & Electric employee. The interview went viral, with one version viewed more than 3.9 million times on YouTube. He later appeared on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
Kimmel asked him what people were saying to him since the Feb. 1 incident. "Hey, you're Kai, that dude with the hatchet," he responded.
McGillvary, who said in his TV appearance he prefers to be called "home-free" instead of homeless, traded on his newfound celebrity to meet fans across the country, according to Romankow.
McGillvary met Galfy on Saturday in Times Square, then spent at least two nights at his home on a cul-de-sac in Clark, a quite community about 20 miles west of New York, Romankow said. His movements after that included two trips to meet a fan in Asbury Park, a trip to Philadelphia and another to Glassboro in southern New Jersey before he took a train bound for Philadelphia, authorities said.
McGillvary swiftly gained notoriety in February after he intervened in an apparently unprovoked attack that led to charges including attempted murder.
McGillvary said he was riding in a car with a man who veered into the worker, got out of the car, then said "I am Jesus and I am here to take you home" before attacking. McGillvary said he then pulled a hatchet from his backpack and struck the driver in the head several times to subdue him, The Fresno Bee reported.
"That woman was in danger," Kai told KMPH-TV. "He just finished, what looked like at the time, killing somebody, and if he hadn't done that he would have killed more people."
Last month, the driver entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, according to The Fresno Bee.
In his television interview, McGillvary also said he'd once intervened in what he called a domestic violence situation.
A man "starts beating up on this woman who he calls his," McGillvary told the television station. "I started smashing him in the head and the teeth."
McGillvary also goes by the names Kai Lawrence, Caleb Kai Lawrence and Kai Nicodemus, prosecutors said.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/famed-hatchet-hitchhiker-arrested-nj-homicide-231626616.html
sears Aeropostale Jcpenny ohio state football cyber monday lupus iCarly
By Helen Nyambura-Mwaura and Sherilee Lakmidas
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Miners at South Africa's Anglo American Platinum reported for work late Thursday, and a labor leader said the workers will strike on Friday in an escalation of unrest that sent the company's shares lower and the rand to a four-year low.
The threatened action is to protest Amplats' plans to cut as many as 6,000 jobs in a bid to return to profit, down from the 14,000 it initially proposed, and comes just as a two-day wildcat strike ends at platinum producer Longman.
"Workers are going underground; everything is normal," Amplats spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole told Reuters late on Thursday.
A branch leader with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) said earlier that miners would not work the overnight shift on Thursday, but another said later in the day that the action would commence on Friday.
"We decided that it would be tomorrow. It's not AMCU that have called the strike, it's the workers," said Evans Ramokga, an Amplats' labor leader also linked to AMCU.
Months of violent labor unrest in the mining sector last year, including the police killing of 34 strikers at Lonmin's Marikana mine, slowed the growth of South Africa's biggest economy and triggered credit rating downgrades.
On Thursday the prospect of another round of trouble sent the rand to four-year lows. Amplats shares fell more than 4 percent by the close and reached an eight-year low.
AMCU's leadership often distances itself from illegal strike action, but the leadership showed that it was in control this week, when leaders addressed the striking Lonmin miners and told them to return to the shafts, which the miners promptly did.
AMCU has succeeded in poaching tens of thousands of members from the once dominant National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).
More than 50 people have been killed in more than 12 months of unrest stemming from a turf war between the two unions. The rivalry was stoked over the weekend when an AMCU organizer was shot dead in a tavern.
The current action comes shortly before a round of wage talks being billed as the toughest since the end of apartheid in 1994, as shrinking company margins and falling commodity prices combine with rising worker militancy.
Sithole said Amplats had received no notification of an intent to strike. The company fell to a loss last year in part because of the strikes, which shut its mines near Rustenburg for months.
DEADLY STRIFE
NUM, an ally of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), had enjoyed a near monopoly in the mining sector but started to lose members as a belief took hold that its leaders had become too close to management.
NUM says its rival AMCU has risen to prominence through violence and promises of unrealistic wage hikes at a time of razor-thin margins in the platinum sector in South Africa, home to 80 percent of known reserves of the metal.
NUM also points to its own success in wringing above-inflation wage hikes out of mining companies over the past decade.
The unrest is also rooted partly in glaring income disparities within the mining industry and the wider society.
Patience is wearing thin two decades after the end of white rule as much of the black mine labor force, which is semi-literate and drawn from poor rural areas, still makes only a few hundred dollars a month even after years of big wage rises.
And with an election looming in a year, the ANC is worried about the prospect of big job losses and forced Amplats to scale back its initial plan to shed 14,000 positions.
The cabinet is "extremely, extremely concerned" about the latest unrest, Environment Minister Edna Molewa told reporters at a post-cabinet news conference on Thursday.
(Additional reporting by Sherilee Lakmidas and Olivia Kumwenda in Johannesburg and Wendell Roelf in Cape Town; Writing by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Jane Baird and Cynthia Osterman)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/union-threatens-south-africas-amplats-wildcat-stoppage-092912358.html
When hybrids first nosed through auto-show curtains at the turn of the century, we were intrigued by their fresh approach to more efficient propulsion. At the time, skeptics raised a few potential battery pitfalls?concerns that have now been disproven.
MYTH #1: The naysayers predicted that depleted batteries would take their place next to bald tires and lead wheel weights in the Environmental Hazards Hall of Shame. The truth is that both Honda and Toyota aggressively scavenge all used nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) cells from wide-ranging sources to reclaim the valuable nickel contained within.
MYTH #2: When lithium-ion batteries entered the market in 2009, NiMH was deemed a stopgap technology. Also untrue. Even though lithium-ion batteries are more efficient, they cost 25 percent more. Replacing the Prius?s current batteries with a lithium pack, for example, would severely dent its value equation. Expect nickel-metal hydride batteries to continue to play an important role in budget hybrids for years to come.
MYTH #3: The greatest concern, though, has been the life span of nickel-metal hydride batteries. With cell-phone and laptop cells lasting only a couple of years, how could the hybrids? packs endure harsh automotive duty? After a dozen years of service, the answer appears to be ?just fine.?
The vast majority of first-gen hybrids sold are still on the road [see chart]. To alleviate battery-life concerns, Honda covered its pack with an eight-year, 80,000-mile warranty. The Prius?s was initially covered by an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty, though Toyota later raised that to 10 years and 150,000 miles in states with stricter emissions standards.
While neither Honda nor Toyota would reveal their warranty-replacement statistics, both claim that their battery packs exceeded expectations. Toyota?s product quality and service support manager, Gary Smith, tells us the company has seen many Priuses top 250,000 miles on the original battery pack. Michigan Green Cabs of Ann Arbor, Michigan, has operated 27 Priuses?including one that logged 368,000 miles?without ever replacing a battery pack. Bottom line: What the pioneer hybrids lacked in driving verve they more than made up in longevity.
FRESHEN UP When an early hybrid?s batteries are shot, fear not. Concerns that replacement batteries would be prohibitively expensive have proven false. A rebuilt Insight pack runs $2000 at a Honda dealership, while Prius owners are looking at $2500. Entrepreneurs also sell fresh packs. Mile Hybrid Automotive in Denver, Colorado, offers Insight packs for $2000 and Re-Involt Technologies of Sanford, North Carolina, sells them for $2595. By load-testing the individual cells in recovered Prius batteries, these firms can also offer rebuilt packs for $1400 (Mile Hybrid) or $1875 (Re-Involt). So replacing a pioneering hybrid?s battery pack is no more expensive than major drivetrain repairs in a conventional car.
?
miami marlins marlins marlins facebook buys instagram kevin systrom fibonacci sequence maryland lottery
By Robin Emmott and Sarah Marsh
BRUSSELS/BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's economy crept back into growth at the start of the year but not by enough to stop the euro zone from contracting for a sixth straight quarter, and France slid into recession.
Falling output across the bloc meant the 17-nation economy is in its longest recession since records began in 1995.
It shrank 0.2 percent in the January to March period, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said on Wednesday, worse than the 0.1 percent contraction forecast by a Reuters poll.
"The misery continues," said Carsten Brzeski, a senior economist at ING in Brussels. "Almost all core countries bar Germany are in recession and so far nothing has helped in stopping this downward spiral.
As well as France, the economy shrank for the quarter in Finland, Cyprus, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal and Greece. Data last month showed Spain's economy contracted for a seventh consecutive quarter.
Germany, which generates almost a third of the euro zone's economy, grew by a weaker than expected 0.1 percent, skirting the recession that France succumbed to, but highlighting the devastating impact of the euro zone's debt and banking crisis that has driven unemployment to a record 19 million people.
France's downturn was its first in four years, after contracting by 0.2 percent in the first three months of the year, as it did in the last quarter of 2012.
Italy, the euro zone's third largest economy, reported its seventh consecutive quarter of decline, the longest since records began in 1970.
The euro zone's recession is now longer than the five quarters of contraction that followed the global financial crisis in 2008/2009, although it is not as deep.
The euro fell to a six-week low against a buoyant dollar, hurt by the anemic figures which kept alive chances of more monetary easing by the European Central Bank.
The ECB cut rates to a record low earlier this month and its head, Mario Draghi, said it was ready to act again if the economy worsened.
Some EU leaders, who meet for a summit in Brussels next week/ are also trying to shift away from the budget cuts that have dominated the response to the debt crisis since 2009.
But it will be tough for another rate cut and a softening of austerity - even if either happens - to break a cycle in which governments are cutting spending, companies are laying off staff, Europeans are buying less and young people have little hope of finding a job.
"Any recovery is going to be excruciatingly slow," said Nick Kounis, head of macroeconomic research at ABN AMRO.
A Reuters poll of 65 economists suggested growth should return in the second half of this year, but there will no strong recovery until at least 2015.
RECOVERY?
Interest rates at a record low and the ECB's promise to buy the bonds of struggling governments have calmed talk of a euro zone break-up, driving up equities and cooling bond yields.
But the reality for companies and households is of tight credit and frozen investment, meaning demand in places such as China and the United States is the best hope for renewed growth.
Of most concern is the difference between Europe's two largest economies, Germany and France. It looks narrow over the first three months of the year, but European diplomats and officials fear France will continue to lag far behind, threatening the cohesion of the twin policy motor that has traditionally driven the European project.
French growth has faltered as unemployment undermines the confidence of both consumers and businesses, which are struggling to cope with government belt-tightening while Spain remains deep in the mire.
Even Germany will find it difficult to reach take-off speed alone. Its statistics office revised down its figure for the end of 2012 to show a contraction of 0.7 percent, from 0.6 percent.
Thomas Gitzel at VP Bank sees a stronger performance in the second quarter as construction, hit by the winter, bounces back.
But he added: "The current global economic backdrop makes a sustained recovery more unlikely. Difficulties in France and disappointing growth figures from China are strewing stones in the path of the Germany economy. Hopes of significantly higher growth could be premature."
The latest GDP figures will add fuel to a burgeoning debate about how to balance the need to cut debt with measures to foster growth.
Italian and French leaders have been vocal in calling for an end to austerity and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said it has reached the limits of public acceptance.
(Additional reporting by Gavin Jones in Berlin and Ingrid Melander in Paris; Writing by Mike Peacock and Robin Emmott Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/germany-ekes-growth-france-slides-recession-065110519.html
ron paul Cnn Electoral Map roseanne barr guy fawkes gary johnson gary johnson where do i vote
Angelina Jolie
Breast Cancer Facility Speaks Out About Double Mastectomy [LIVE]
A rep for the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where Angelina is still being treated, will be taking the mic around 1pm PST.
37-year-old Angelina -- who tested positive for the breast cancer gene, carrying an 87% risk of breast cancer -- announced this morning she underwent the procedure as a preventative measure.
The PLBC has also treated stars like Sheryl Crow and Shannon Tweed.
Source: http://www.tmz.com/2013/05/14/angelina-jolie-breast-cancer-pink-lotus-double-mastectomy/
iPhone 5 9-11 Chris Brown Tattoo Innocence of Muslims Clara Schumann Jael Strauss Alison Pill
Google I/O is almost upon us, and that means, presumably, some updates to Android. We might not see a full-on update to a new version (5.0) announced at tomorrow's keynote, but we do expect some changes. And while the wishlist might not be as long as it has been in years past, there's still plenty left to do. Here's what we're hoping for.
| |
Jason Terry Steubenville rape Beyonce Bow Down Jason Molina UCF Pigeon Forge Fire cyprus
