Pentagon F-35 program chief lashes Lockheed, Pratt

AVALON, Australia (Reuters) - The Pentagon program chief for the F-35 warplane slammed its commercial partners Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney on Wednesday, accusing them of trying to "squeeze every nickel" out of the U.S. government and failing to see the long-term benefits of the project.

U.S. Lieutenant-General Christopher Bogdan made the comments during a visit to Australia, where he has sought to convince lawmakers and generals to stick to a plan to buy 100 of the jets, an exercise complicated by the second grounding of the plane this year and looming U.S. defense cuts.

Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp , is sole supplier of engines to the $396 billion F-35, or Joint Strike Fighter. Lockheed Martin provides the body of the radar-evading jet, the most expensive combat aircraft in history.

"What I see Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney doing today is behaving as if they are getting ready to sell me the very last F-35 and the very last engine and are trying to squeeze every nickel out of that last F-35 and that last engine," Bogdan told reporters at the Australian International Airshow in southern Victoria state.

"I want them both to start behaving like they want to be around for 40 years," he added. "I want them to take on some of the risk of this program, I want them to invest in cost reductions, I want them to do the things that will build a better relationship. I'm not getting all that love yet."

A Lockheed Martin executive at the airshow declined to comment when reached by Reuters, saying he was unaware of Bogdan's comments. Executives from Pratt & Whitney could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bogdan caused a stir shortly after joining the F-35 program last August when he described the relationship between the government and Lockheed Martin as the worst he'd ever seen. There had been little improvement since then, he said.

"Are they getting better? A little bit," he said. "Are they getting better at a rate I want to see them getting better? No, not yet."

If the project stays on track, Pratt & Whitney will eventually provide 4,000 engines and Lockheed Martin 3,000 planes.

The Pentagon plans to buy 2,443 of the warplanes in the coming decades, although many analysts believe U.S. budget constraints and deficits will reduce that number.

Australia, a close American ally, is considering doubling its fleet of 24 Boeing Co F/A-18 Super Hornets amid delays and setbacks in the F-35 project. That means Canberra could buy far fewer F-35s than initially planned.

LEAKS

Bogdan was also critical of what he suggested were leaks from Pratt & Whitney's camp about the engine issue, which led the Pentagon to suspend F-35 flights last Friday.

Two sources told Reuters that Pratt & Whitney is 99 percent sure the fan blade problem that grounded the jets was not caused by high-cycle fatigue, which could force a costly design change, and the aircraft could be flying again within the week.

"Until all those tests are done and I see the results, I don't know what's going on," Bogdan said. "However ... my gut would tell me it's on the spectrum of the minor side - 99 percent is bold, flying next week is bold."

Bogdan also gave the example of taking six months to close a deal with Pratt & Whitney for engines on its fifth bloc of jets, shortly after General Electric Co had been dropped as a second supplier of engines for the program, leaving Pratt & Whitney as sole supplier for the next 40 years.

"Now, you would think a company like Pratt & Whitney that was just given the greatest Christmas gift you could ever, ever get for a company would act a little differently," Bogdan said.

Bogdan is flying back to the United States this weekend, just in time to hear about the future of U.S. military budgets, which are slated to be cut by nearly $500 billion over the next decade, an amount which could double unless Congress acts in the next week to avert spending reductions known as "sequestration".

Bogdan said he was confident the F-35 program would remain on track and on budget if he was given the discretion to deal with any cuts.

The risk is that money is cut from the $6 billion set aside for the development program by the end of October next year.

"I need every penny of that $6 billion to get over the finish line," Bogdan said. "If they take money out of development something's going to have to give. I'm either going to have to push the program out or I'm going to have to shed capability."

Budget cuts aside, Bogdan said he was confident of bringing the cost of each plane down to around $90 million by 2013, compared to around $120 million now.

Budget cuts have already forced Italy to scale back its F-35 orders, and Turkey has delayed its purchases by two years. Orders from Japan and Israel have buoyed the project, and additional Israeli orders are expected in 2013.

Lockheed is building three different models of the F-35 for the U.S. military and eight countries that helped pay for its development: Britain, Canada, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia and Norway.

(Editing by Dean Yates)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-f-35-program-chief-lashes-lockheed-pratt-090507792--finance.html

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Kristen Bell?s Baby Shower Doubles As Breast Pump Demo

A few days before baring her bump, Kristen Bell, 32, celebrated her baby's pending arrival with an A-list bash in Los Feliz, Calif. on Saturday.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/k9A3JWAedfo/

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Russia defends 'homosexual propaganda' law

MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday rejected criticism from the Dutch government and the European Union about proposed legislation that would outlaw "homosexual propaganda."

Responding to Dutch assertions that the legislation may be contrary to Russia's international obligations, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there were no such obligations.

"We don't have a single international or common European commitment to allow propaganda of homosexuality," he said.

Russia's lower house of parliament on Jan. 25 voted to support a bill that makes public events and dissemination of information about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to minors punishable by fines of up to $16,000. The bill still requires the parliament's and the president's final approval.

Lavrov spoke at a news conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans, who on Feb. 1 had urged Russia not to put the bill into law and said he would raise the issue with Lavrov.

"Discrimination against homosexuals is unacceptable. Gay rights are human rights and Russia must adhere to its international obligations," Timmermans had said, calling on the Russian parliament not to approve the bill.

At the news conference, Timmermans said he and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton believe that the legislation "could infringe on fundamental rights."

Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993, but homophobia remains strong in the country. Authorities routinely ban gay rallies and parades.

Those behind the bill say minors need to be protected from "homosexual propaganda" because they are unable to evaluate the information critically.

Lavrov insisted on Tuesday that since homosexuality was decriminalized, gays have enjoyed full rights in Russia and "can go about their business absolutely freely and unpunished."

But Russia "has its own moral, religious and historical values," Lavrov said, warning against "another kind of discrimination when one group of citizens gets the right to aggressively promote their own values that run against those shared by the majority of the society and impose them on children."

The bill has drawn opposition from many Russians. Activists rallied outside the parliament building protesting the bill while several leading Russian magazines dedicated their latest issues to the problems that homosexuals face in Russia.

The Afisha bi-weekly ran the rainbow flag on its cover along with a dozen of double-spread profiles of Russians, from trendy journalists to utilities workers, speaking openly about their homosexuality.

The bill is backed by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party which holds a majority in the parliament so opponents' chances of blocking the legislation are slim. The parliament is going to discuss amendments to the bill until late May, making its passage before June highly unlikely.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russias-foreign-minister-defends-anti-gay-bill-082924710.html

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U.S. gives banking green light to Myanmar tycoons

YANGON (Reuters) - Two banks owned by tycoons associated with Myanmar's former military regime will start to do business with U.S. companies and investors in the latest reward for the Southeast Asian country's rapid political transformation.

The U.S. Treasury Department said on Friday it would issue a general licence for four of Myanmar's biggest banks -- Myanma Economic Bank, Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank, Asia Green Development Bank and Ayeyarwady Bank -- allowing U.S. companies and citizens to deal with them.

The easing of sanctions on Asia Green Development Bank and Ayeyarwady Bank underlines how politically connected capitalists of the old regime -- whom the United States once castigated -- are re-inventing themselves and retaining a strong foothold as foreign investors race to enter Myanmar.

It helps remove uncertainty among U.S. companies over lingering restrictions on their dealings in Myanmar and is expected to increase the domestic reach of U.S. credit card firms Visa Inc and MasterCard Inc.

The decision was announced ahead of a visit to Myanmar by 50 U.S. executives on Monday to explore opportunities in the resource-rich nation, the latest sign of burgeoning foreign corporate interest in the country of 60 million.

"This announcement will undoubtedly help the further development of the market," Antonio Corro, MasterCard's chief representative for IndoChina, said in a statement. "We expect that Myanmar's tourism sector will continue to grow rapidly and so building card acceptance is key."

Washington eased sanctions last July to allow U.S. companies to invest in and provide financial services to Myanmar, dropping restrictions on dealing with most Myanmar banks.

Sean Turnell, an expert on Myanmar's economy at Australia's Macquarie University, said the latest move was significant because it would normalize the flow of international funds in and out of Myanmar. But he said the inclusion of formerly blacklisted Ayeyarwady Bank and Asia Green Development Bank was a surprise given previous U.S. assurances that they "still had their eye on the worst offenders of the past regime".

"One of the great anxieties is over the cronyisation of the economy -- the fear it will be a fleeting summer and become like Russia," Turnell said.

"REGIME CRONY"

Ayeyarwady Bank is owned by Zaw Zaw, who was previously described by the U.S. Treasury as "a regime crony" and blacklisted under targeted U.S. sanctions four years ago.

The tycoon, whose holdings range from timber and gems to luxury resorts and who benefited handsomely from state privatizations three years ago, told Reuters last year his dream was to build Ayeyarwady into an international brand.

Asia Green Development Bank is controlled by Tay Za, Myanmar's best-known tycoon. He was previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury as a "notorious henchman and arms dealer".

U.S. firms will still be barred from forming joint ventures with the banks. The other two banks granted a general licence on Friday are controlled by the government.

"It is now time for Myanmar and the U.S. to take the relationship to the next level," Tami Overby, vice president for Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told a meeting of U.S. and Myanmar business officials in Yangon.

Western countries have suspended most sanctions in recognition of Myanmar's dramatic political and economic opening since the new government took power in March 2011.

Critics say they risk moving too fast, pointing to evidence of human rights abuses in recent months against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority group and ethnic Kachin rebels engaged in a conflict with the military.

MetLife, Cargill, Fedex, Chevron, General Motors, General Electric, Target, Honeywell and eBay are among the roughly two dozen U.S. companies visiting Myanmar this week.

Visa and MasterCard have already entered the country, partnering with several banks and gaining access to a nascent ATM network, but only a handful of merchants currently accept payment by card. A central bank official who asked not to be identified told Reuters that only six out of 19 private Myanmar banks can handle MasterCard and Visa cards at the moment.

"I am sure the recent easing of sanctions will enable the remaining banks to use these cards in the very near future," the official said.

Visa, which marked its first point-of-sale transaction in Myanmar last month at a Yangon restaurant, said in a statement to Reuters that decisions to apply for a Visa licence were "up to individual banks."

(Additional reporting by Stuart Grudgings in KUALA LUMPUR, Eveline Danubrata in SINGAPORE and David Henry in NEW YORK; Writing by Stuart Grudgings; Editing by Richard Borsuk and Paul Tait)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-gives-banking-green-light-myanmar-tycoons-015301191--sector.html

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Video: 'Uncharted 3' multiplayer is now free

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/in-game/50963514/

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Florida town seeks to unite a year after Trayvon Martin's killing

SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - A year after the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager in this central Florida town, there's a small memorial, a new police chief and the stirrings of understanding.

Trayvon Martin, 17, was gunned down on February 26, 2012 as he walked to his father's fiancee's home in one of Sanford's gated communities. The man accused of his killing, George Zimmerman, 28, a white Hispanic on neighborhood watch, is set to be tried on June 10.

Martin's death drew top-tier civil rights leaders, such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who brought a national spotlight to this town just north of Orlando and not far from Disney World.

That spotlight forced the town of 53,000 to confront police work that seemed to be a throwback to the days of separate and resolutely unequal racial sensibilities.

"This situation, with all eyes on Sanford is making them (city leaders) do something about it now," said Cindy Philemon, 49, who helps run the local black heritage museum and welcome center.

Over the weekend, volunteers in the black community hastily worked to complete a modest memorial of stuffed animals, cards and crosses in time to remember the first anniversary of Martin's shooting. It has also become a way for Sanford to remember the many other black victims of violence whose stories largely went untold.

The police chief at the time of Martin's shooting lost his job over criticism that his department and prosecutors chose not to charge or arrest Zimmerman.

The new chief starts his job in April.

"Now, it's like the police are getting more involved in being with the community. They are starting to do their part in interacting with us," Philemon said. "They say there is not as many shootings as there once was."

Another resident, Thelma Holmes, 62, agreed saying, "It is better than what it was before, because we had a lot of killings of young men....The people and the police, they're both trying."

Trayvon's death will not be forgotten.

"It started people to come forward. So his death is not going to be in vain," said Philemon. "And he will always be remembered."

Martin's parents and lawyers will be in New York City, not Sanford, to hold a candlelight vigil on Tuesday night.

Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder, was granted bond and ordered to surrender his passport, agree to be electronically monitored, reside in Seminole County, and observe a night time curfew.

(Editing by David Adams and Leslie Gevirtz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/florida-town-seeks-unite-trayvon-martins-killing-201822167.html

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Wall Street rebounds on Bernanke comments, data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rebounded from their worst decline since November on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the Fed's bond-buying stimulus and sales of new homes hit a 4 1/2-year high.

The S&P 500 had climbed 6 percent for the year and came within reach of all-time highs before the minutes from the Fed's January meeting were released last Wednesday. Since then, the benchmark S&P 500 has fallen 1 percent.

Bernanke, in testimony on Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee, strongly defended the Fed's bond-buying stimulus program and quieted rumblings that the central bank may pull back from its stimulative policy measures, which were sparked by the release of the Fed minutes last week.

Bernanke's comments helped ease investors' concerns about a stalemate in Italy after a general election failed to give any party a parliamentary majority, posing the threat of prolonged instability and financial crisis in Europe, and sending the S&P 500 to its worst decline since November 7 in Monday's session.

Bernanke "certainly said everything the market needed to feel in order to get comfortable again," said Peter Kenny, managing director at Knight Capital in Jersey City, New Jersey.

"The fear is we were going to see a rollover, and the first shot over the bow was what we saw out of Italy yesterday with the elections," Kenny said. "When it came to U.S. markets, we saw some of that bleeding stop because our focus shifted from the Italian political circus to Ben Bernanke."

Gains in homebuilders and other consumer stocks, following strong economic data, lifted the S&P 500, and a 5.7 percent jump in Home Depot to $67.56 boosted the Dow industrials. The PHLX housing sector index <.hgx> rose 3.2 percent.

Economic reports that showed strength in housing and consumer confidence also supported stocks. U.S. home prices rose more than expected in December, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index. Consumer confidence rebounded in February, jumping more than expected, and new-home sales rose to their highest in 4-1/2 years in January.

However, the central bank chairman also urged lawmakers to avoid sharp spending cuts set to go into effect on Friday, which he warned could combine with earlier tax increases to create a "significant headwind" for the economic recovery.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> gained 115.96 points, or 0.84 percent, to 13,900.13 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> rose 9.09 points, or 0.61 percent, to 1,496.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> advanced 13.40 points, or 0.43 percent, to close at 3,129.65.

Despite the bounce, the S&P 500 was unable to move back above 1,500, a closely watched level that was technical support until recently, but could now serve as a resistance point.

The CBOE Volatility Index <.vix> or the VIX, a barometer of investor anxiety, dropped 11.2 percent, a day after surging 34 percent, its biggest percentage jump since August 18, 2011.

The uncertainty caused by the Italian elections continued to weigh on stocks in Europe. The FTSEurofirst-300 index of top European shares <.fteu3> closed down 1.4 percent. The benchmark Italian index <.ftmib> tumbled 4.9 percent.

Home Depot gave the biggest boost to the Dow and provided one of the biggest lifts to the S&P 500 after the world's largest home improvement chain reported adjusted earnings and sales that beat expectations.

Macy's shares gained 2.8 percent to $39.59 after the department-store chain stated it expects full-year earnings to be above analysts' forecasts because of strong holiday sales.

Volume was active with about 7.08 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and Nasdaq, above the daily average of 6.48 billion.

Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a ratio of about 2 to 1, while on the Nasdaq, three stocks rose for every two that fell.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Jan Paschal; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-point-small-rebound-093850435--finance.html

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Cell discovery could hold key to causes of inherited diseases

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Fresh insights into the protective seal that surrounds the DNA of our cells could help develop treatments for inherited muscle, brain, bone and skin disorders.

Researchers have discovered that the proteins within this coating -- known as the nuclear envelope -- vary greatly between cells in different organs of the body.

This variation means that certain disease causing proteins will interact with the proteins in the protective seal to cause illness in some organs, but not others.

Until now scientists had thought that all proteins within the nuclear envelope were the same in every type of organ.

In particular the finding may provide insights into a rare muscle disease, Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy.

This condition causes muscle wastage and heart problems, affects only muscles, even though it is caused by a defect in a nuclear envelope protein found in every cell in the body.

Scientists say that the envelope proteins they have identified as being specific to muscle may interact with the defective nuclear envelope protein that causes Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy, to give rise to the disease.

In a similar way, this may help to explain other heritable diseases that only affect certain parts of the body despite the defective proteins being present in every cell. The study also identified nuclear envelope proteins specific to liver and blood.

Some of these also interact with proteins in all cells that are responsible for other nuclear envelope diseases, ranging from brain and fat to skin diseases, and so may help explain why things go wrong.

Dr Eric Schirmer, of the University of Edinburgh's Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, who led the study, said: "Nobody could have imagined what we found. The fact that most proteins in the nuclear envelope would be specific for certain tissue types is a very exciting development. This may finally enable us to understand this ever-growing spectrum of inherited diseases as well as new aspects of tissue-specific gene regulation."

The findings build on previous research that showed proteins in the nuclear envelope are linked to more than 20 heritable diseases.

The study, which was supported by the Wellcome Trust and conducted in collaboration with the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, is published in the journal Nucleus.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Edinburgh, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Nadia Korfali, Gavin S. Wilkie, Selene K. Swanson, Vlastimil Srsen, Jose de las Heras, Dzmitry G. Batrakou, Poonam Malik, Nikolaj Zuleger, Alastair R.W. Kerr, Laurence Florens, Eric C. Schirmer. The nuclear envelope proteome differs notably between tissues. Nucleus, 2012; 3 (6): 24 DOI: 10.4161/nucl.22257

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/r8kNvxe1h04/130226113830.htm

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MasterCard MasterPass Augments Your Digital Shopping Experience

For MasterCard, the future of payments isn’t an either-or situation for traditional plastic or digital methods. MasterCard MasterPass aims to streamline your entire shopping experience while bridging the gap between real world and digital payments. MasterPass is the next step ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/ItQrVv3sAH0/

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'Sugar Man' wins Oscar for best documentary

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? "Searching for Sugar Man," the heartwarming chronicle of a forgotten musician's rediscovery, has won the Academy Award for best documentary.

Directed by the Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul, "Searching for Sugar Man" tells the story of the Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez who disappeared from public after releasing an album in the early '70s, but developed an unlikely cult following in South Africa.

The other nominees Sunday night were "5 Broken Cameras," ''The Gatekeepers," ''How to Survive a Plague" and "The Invisible War."

The voting process for the documentary category underwent an overhaul this year intended to limit the nomination of obscure films, and ensure that a larger group of documentary filmmakers winnowed the nominees.

The 85th Academy Awards are airing live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with host Seth MacFarlane.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sugar-man-wins-oscar-best-documentary-024657344.html

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Reddit Notifier Puts Reddit Alerts in your Mac's Menubar

OS X: Reddit Notifier is a handy Mac utility that lives in the menubar and instantly alerts you to new happenings on your Reddit account.

Once you've given the app your Reddit login credentials (which are only stored on your OS X Keychain), the envelope icon will turn a familiar shade of "orangered" whenever you get a reply or private message. If you receive Mod Mail, the icon will change to a standard alien head to alert you. In the drop-down menu, you'll also find some options for custom audio alerts, a link to the app's subreddit, and an overview of your link and comment karma.

It's a simple app, to be sure, but well worth the $2.99 price tag if you're a frequent redditor.

Reddit Notifier | Mac App Store via One Thing Well

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/kRJrTnCnvks/reddit-notifier-puts-reddit-alerts-in-your-macs-menubar

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eBay: Asus Google Nexus 7 ASUS-1B32 32GB Tablet + $30 Visa GC + Ear Buds bundle $259 shipped

BuyDig via eBay has the Asus Google Nexus 7 ASUS-1B32 32GB Tablet + $30 Visa Gift Card + Ear Buds bundle for only $259 + $0 shipping = $259 shipped. Ends Feb 26, 07:59:32 PST or earlier.

7in LCD, 1280 x 800, NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30L Quad-Core 1.3Ghz, 1GB RAM, 32GB of storage, Wi-Fi, GPS, 1.2MP camera, up to 9.5 hours of battery life, 340 g, Android 4.1

Source: http://www.xpbargains.com/index.php/send_deal/262981

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Most Beautiful Items: February 16-22, 2013

The weekend is just minutes away at this point, but instead of going into an excited frenzy, relax and take a moment to recall all the beautiful things we feasted our eyes upon this week. We may be looking forward to the days of freedom ahead, but don't forget to enjoy what you have in front of you, right here, right now, and right down below. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_KeJUmZCoMg/most-beautiful-items-february-16+22-2013

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Guam's Solving Its Snake Problem With a Horrifying Rain of Poisoned Mouse Paratroopers

Guam has a problem with brown tree snakes. Specifically, it has two million brown tree snakes, and they're slowly decimating the country's other native species. So scientists have come up with a solution, the only logical one really: fill a bunch of dead mice with painkillers, give each corpse a tiny parachute, and throw them all out of helicopters into the jungle. No but really. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/7BqEhNHrzPI/guams-solving-its-snake-problem-with-a-horrifying-rain-of-poisoned-mouse-paratroopers

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Toxic mice air drop: Dead poisoned mice to target Guam tree snakes

Toxic mice air drop: The US government is about target invasive brown tree snakes in Guam by bombing the island with dead mice laced with?acetaminophen, which is toxic to the reptiles.

By Eric Talmadge,?Associated Press / February 22, 2013

A Brown Tree Snake is held by a US Department of Agriculture wildlife specialist at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam. The US government is planning to drop toxic mice from helicopters to battle the snakes, an invasive species that has decimated Guam's native bird population.

Eric Talmadge/AP

Enlarge

Andersen Air Force Base, Guam

Dead mice laced with painkillers are about to rain down on?Guam's?jungle canopy. They are scientists' prescription for a headache that has caused the tiny U.S. territory misery for more than 60 years: the brown tree snake.

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Most of?Guam's?native bird species are extinct because of the snake, which reached the island's thick jungles by hitching rides from the South Pacific on U.S. military ships shortly after World War II. There may be 2 million of the reptiles on?Guam?now, decimating wildlife, biting residents and even knocking out electricity by slithering onto power lines.

More than 3,000 miles away, environmental officials in Hawaii have long feared a similar invasion ? which in their case likely would be a "snakes on a plane" scenario. That would cost the state many vulnerable species and billions of dollars, but the risk will fall if?Guam's?air-drop strategy succeeds.

"We are taking this to a new phase," said Daniel Vice, assistant state director of U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services in Hawaii,?Guam, and the Pacific Islands. "There really is no other place in the world with a snake problem like?Guam."

Brown tree snakes are generally a few feet (1 meter) long but can grow to be more than 10 feet (3 meters) in length. Most of?Guam's?native birds were defenseless against the nocturnal, tree-based predators, and within a few decades of the reptile's arrival, nearly all of them were wiped out.

The snakes can also climb power poles and wires, causing blackouts, or slither into homes and bite people, including babies; they use venom on their prey but it is not lethal to humans.

The infestation and the toll it has taken on native wildlife have tarnished?Guam'simage as a tourism haven, though the snakes are rarely seen outside their jungle habitat.

The solution to this headache, fittingly enough, is acetaminophen, the active ingredient in painkillers including Tylenol.

The strategy takes advantage of the snake's two big weaknesses. Unlike most snakes, brown tree snakes are happy to eat prey they didn't kill themselves, and they are highly vulnerable to acetaminophen, which is harmless to humans.

The upcoming mice drop is targeted to hit snakes near?Guam's?sprawling Andersen Air Force Base, which is surrounded by heavy foliage and if compromised would offer the snakes a potential ticket off the island. Using helicopters, the dead neonatal mice will be dropped by hand, one by one.

U.S. government scientists have been perfecting the mice-drop strategy for more than a decade with support from the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior.

To keep the mice bait from dropping all the way to the ground, where it could be eaten by other animals or attract insects as they rot, researchers have developed a flotation device with streamers designed to catch in the branches of the forest foliage, where the snakes live and feed.

Experts say the impact on other species will be minimal, particularly since the snakes have themselves wiped out the birds that might have been most at risk.

"One concern was that crows may eat mice with the toxicant," said William Pitt, of the U.S. National Wildlife Research Center's Hawaii Field Station. "However, there are no longer wild crows on?Guam. We will continue to refine methods to increase efficiency and limit any potential non-target hazards."

The mouse drop is set to start in April or May.

Vice said the goal is not to eradicate the snakes, but to control and contain them. Just as the snakes found their way to?Guam, they could stow away on a ship, or more likely the cargo hold of an airplane, and begin breeding on other islands around the Pacific or even the U.S. West Coast.

That "snakes on a plane" scenario has officials in Hawaii on edge. The islands of Hawaii, like?Guam, lack the predators that could keep a brown tree snake population in check.

Native Hawaiian birds "literally don't know what to do when they see a snake coming," said Christy Martin, a spokeswoman for the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, a partnership of Hawaii government agencies and private organizations.

A 2010 study conducted by the National Wildlife Research Center found brown tree snakes would cause between $593 million and $2.14 billion in economic damage each year if they became established in Hawaii like they are on?Guam. Power outages would cause the most damage, followed by a projected decline in tourism. The cost of treating snake bites would account for a small share.

"Once we get snakes here, we're never going to be able to fix the situation," Martin said.

Though the snakes are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea,?Guam?is much closer to Hawaii and its snake population is much more dense, meaning it is the primary threat for snake stowaways.

So far,?Guam's?containment seems to be working. Only a few brown tree snakes have ever been found in Hawaii, and none over the past 17 years.

"If we continue doing what we are doing, the chance of success is very high," Vice said. "If what we are doing stops, I think the possibility of the snakes getting to Hawaii is inevitable."

___

AP writer Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report from Honolulu.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/5QKzfHBtQI8/Toxic-mice-air-drop-Dead-poisoned-mice-to-target-Guam-tree-snakes

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Backup Installed Apps on Android to Dropbox or Google Drive

One f the best features of having an Android phone is that you can install custom ROMs on your phone which brings in additional functions and features. But each time you install a new ROM, you will have to install your apps from start which is a real painful task. Recently we have covered about Carbon Backup app which allows you to take a backup of your apps and sync it across multiple devices with support for cloud storage.

Easy App Toolbox is yet another free tool for Android which allows you to take a backup of your apps. But unlike Carbon backup app, this one provides cloud storage integration in the free edition as well.

?

Once you install the app and run it, you can select the backup option. You can back it up to SD card, Google Drive, Dropbox or even PC. Then you can select the apps to backup and finish the process. To Restore you can do the same option from the main menu. Another useful feature of Easy App toolbox is that you can share the apk of any installed app to your friends.

Easy App Toolbox features:

• Send your installed apps (APK files) to your friends
• Backup and Restore your apps to/from Dropbox
• Backup and Restore your apps to/from Google Drive
• Backup and Restore your apps to/from Box.net
• Backup and restore your apps to/from SD card
• Backup your apps to your PC
• View many detailed information about your installed apps (permissions, activities, services, files and folders, etc?)
• Easy uninstaller ? gives you batch uninstalls

Download Easy App Toolbox

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LifeRocks20/~3/P8pqLJjV0HE/

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Florida Governor's Embrace of Medicaid Money Undercuts GOP Attacks on 'Obamacare'

Bashing ?Obamacare? just isn?t what it used to be.

Just over two years ago, the rallying cry against President Obama?s health care overhaul unified Republicans and hoisted the party to historic electoral gains in state capitals and in Washington.

But in the latest sign the script has flipped, Florida Gov. Rick Scott ? who rode that tea-party-fueled crusade to victory in 2010 ? this week became the seventh Republican governor to agree to the new law?s Medicaid expansion. Cracking the opposition is the weight of the Supreme Court?s decision in June to uphold most of the law, Obama?s electoral triumph in November, and the grudging acceptance that the law is here to stay.

Resistance to parts of the law is also waning as the GOP seeks to revamp its image as the party of the privileged and appeal to fast-growing minority communities that face disproportionately bigger insurance gaps. States that expand will offer health coverage to everyone earning below 133 percent of the federal poverty level ? about $15,000 for a single person ? and those that don?t will leave that population out in the cold.

?I cannot, in good conscience, deny the uninsured access to care,? said Scott, one of the most unpopular governors in the country facing reelection in 2014. ?Expanding access to Medicaid services for three years is a compassionate, commonsense step forward.?

Then there?s the math: As firebrand candidates who decried bigger government during campaigns transition to being executives dealing with state budgets, the federal money that comes with the Medicaid expansion is tempting. In the first three years, the federal government pays all of the costs for the new population. As Scott and other Medicaid-welcoming GOP governors have pointed out, refusing the federal money would mean local taxpayers would be subsidizing coverage in other states. Expanded Medicaid is also a huge boon to the politically powerful health care industries, which have lobbied aggressively for Medicaid money to balance their books and tend to be the largest employers in many communities.

?It?s a lot easier in the abstract to be dogmatic, but it?s really hard when you?re governing,? said Republican strategist Susie Wiles, who ran Scott?s campaign. ?The awareness that Obamacare is the law of the land and that the president was reelected pretty resoundingly is calming the saber rattling.?

While the country has always been sharply divided on the sweeping health care law,?individual provisions, including the Medicaid expansion, are popular. A recent survey conducted for the American Cancer Society showed that 63 percent of Floridians say yes when asked if their state should accept federal funds to expand the program, compared with just 25 percent who are opposed.

And polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation found 52 percent of adults nationwide favored expansion. When Kaiser?s pollsters offered arguments in favor of expansion ? like the fact that rejection would eliminate funding for local hospitals and doctors ? approval jumped another 12 percentage points. Those numbers are likely to weigh on politicians as the law starts to be implemented and become more concrete in voters? lives.

Add the political context that five of seven Republican governors who have accepted the Medicaid money represent swing states that backed Obama: Scott, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. The Republicans who have resisted federal intervention include two potential presidential candidates from battleground states ? Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ? as well as possible red-state contenders such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. One key governor to watch for a decision is New Jersey?s Chris Christie, a Republican who faces reelection in his Democratic-leaning state this year as well as the temptation of a presidential bid in 2016.

The reversal by Scott will give political cover to other wavering Republican governors, though many health care consultants steeped in state politics have been predicting mass adoption of the Medicaid expansion all along.

?There is so much money on the line, and it would be so devastating to the hospitals and the safety-net providers in the state if they don?t expand,? said Caroline Pearson, a vice president at the consultancy Avalere Health, who was not surprised by Scott?s announcement. ?My count is that we?ve got 17 now that have said for sure that they?re not going to expand. And if I had to guess, we end the year with five to 10 that don?t expand.?

In an effort to keep the faith, the Republican governors who have accepted Medicaid funds have emphasized their continued opposition to Obamacare overall. Florida opted against running its own insurance marketplace next year, for example.

?It is not a white flag of surrender to government-run health care,? Scott said on Wednesday. ?I?ve never been a supporter of the Affordable Care Act,? Brewer noted in her Medicaid expansion announcement in January. But the Medicaid expansion is the most painful part of the health reform law for governors to resist, both financially and politically.

The Obama administration, for its part, has been trying hard to persuade governors to come on board. Early after the Supreme Court decision, officials clarified that there would be no deadlines for Medicaid expansion and that it wasn?t permanent. Health officials have also been offering inducements, by humoring requests for changes to existing state Medicaid programs. On Wednesday, Scott declared victory on a long-sought approval for a plan to move more Medicaid recipients into private health plans. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, another Republican, has said that the White House has made promises that it will approve his reform plans, too.

?If you take out the partisanship and the tea party and you look at the facts, as long as you believe the federal government will follow through on its commitment, Medicaid expansion makes sense,? said Michigan pollster Edward Sarpolus, who has researched the issue and tracks the govenor?s approval ratings. ??He [Snyder] appears to be conservative, but he?s much more of a pragmatist.??

Notice how some of the Republican governors acquiescing to bigger Medicaid programs ? even those who campaigned on their party?s traditional anti-big-government, pro-free-enterprise themes ? are adopting the bleeding-heart rhetoric frequently associated with liberal Democrats.

Scott made it personal by talking about his late mother?s struggles to raise five kids, including one son with a hip disease. So did Kasich in his State of the State speech last month, invoking his religious faith and lamenting the plight of addicts and mentally ill people living on the streets.

?For those that live in the shadows of life, those who are the least among us, I will not accept the fact that the most vulnerable in our state should be ignored,? he said, adding a plea to lawmakers to ?please examine your conscience.?

These appeals are a departure from the tough talk associated with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who suggested ?self-deportation? for illegal immigrants and was caught in a private fundraiser dismissing the nearly half of Americans who depend on some form of government assistance as freeloaders.

?There no question that Republicans should look at the kind of language Kasich is using as a model and an effective way to communicate because the party?s brand does need some work,? said Ohio-based Republican strategist Curt Steiner, who worked as chief of staff for former Gov. George Voinovich.

Another reason for Republicans seeking to broaden the party?s tent to reconsider the health care law: It?s popular in the Hispanic community, the fastest growing part of the electorate. An ImpreMedia/Latino Decisions poll on the eve of last November?s election found that 61 percent of respondents thought Obamacare should stand and 66 percent thought the federal government should make sure everyone has health insurance.

After seven out of 10 Hispanic voters rejected Romney in November, Republican Party leaders are increasingly calling for better outreach and praising Capitol Hill for taking up immigration reform.

But Medicaid expansion is not a done deal in Florida and other states where Republican-led legislatures are leery of conservative activists who remain hostile to Obamacare. It?s the same chasm between the pragmatic political establishment and the more ideological grassroots that?s emerging in the national debates over the federal budget, immigration reform, and other social issues. The Wall Street Journal editorial board, acting as a top enforcer of the anti-Obamacare orthodoxy, has slammed Scott, Brewer, and other state executives who are cooperating with the president.

With one recent poll pegging Scott?s approval rating at just 33 percent, it?s even possible that the sitting governor could draw a primary challenge.

?The grassroots hasn?t brought out the pitchforks and torches out yet, but they certainly want an explanation from Governor Scott,? said Peter Feaman, Florida?s Republican national committeeman. ?I?m getting e-mails expressing serious concerns and I think the grassroots will put a lot of pressure on the Legislature to stay strong.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/florida-governors-embrace-medicaid-money-undercuts-gop-attacks-200156395--politics.html

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Red Sox Twitter Q&A with Maureen Mullen

February 21, 2013, 12:41 pm

I got a few questions via Twitter that I thought would be easier to answer here, rather than in 140 characters. If you have questions, tweet them to me (@maureenamullen) and I?ll try to answer as many as I can.

Because this is a new, and early, diagnosis, the Red Sox are taking the cautious approach with Napoli. And with spring training a week longer this year, to accommodate the World Baseball Classic, they have the time to do it.
?
Napoli had to adjust his off-season workouts, cutting out high-impact work. He has started to run and is doing agility work.
?
He?s also taking on a somewhat new position.? In the last few days he?s worked out at first base after the team?s regular workout, taking about 100 groundballs.
?
He does not have a schedule for when he will get into games yet, but it could be early next week.

At two years, and $10 million, the plan will be for Gomes to be the regular left fielder. But his career splits are significantly better against lefties -- .284 batting average, .382 on-base percentage, .512 slugging percentage ? than against righties -- .223/.307/.425.
?
Manager John Farrell has said he would not limit Gomes. If Gomes shows he can handle righties, he?s going to continue to get the chance.? The Sox will be looking to see how Gomes responds in spring training and early in the regular season.

Barring anything unforeseen, Rubby De La Rosa will most likely start the season in the minor leagues. After Tommy John surgery in August 2011, De La Rosa ? whom the Sox acquired as a player to be named in the August blockbuster trade with the Dodgers -- pitched a total of 13 2/3 innings last season ? two-thirds at the major league level. When he was officially acquired in October, he immediately became one of the Sox? top pitching prospects ? with the ability to flash triple digits on radar guns.
?
De La Rosa, who turns 24 on March 4, has never thrown more than 110 1/3 innings in a season. That was in 2010, between the Dodgers? Single-A and Double-A affiliates. In 2011, before he got hurt he pitched a total of 100 2/3 ? 40 at Double-A, 60 2/3 with the Dodgers.
?
For all of that, the Sox are going to bring him along slowly this spring. Farrell has said De La Rosa will pitch no more than two innings in any outing this spring.? He will appear in his first game Sunday, following starter Jon Lester.
?
However, will we see him in the big leagues at some point this season? ?That is a possibility, depending upon how the major league staff performs this season.
Tags: Boston Red Sox, Jonny Gomes, Maureen Mullen, Mike Napoli

Source: http://www.csnne.com/baseball-boston-redsox/redsox-talk/Red-Sox-Twitter-QA-with-Maureen-Mullen?blockID=832373&feedID=3947

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N. Korea: Nuclear test will keep 'hostile' US at bay

KCNA via Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a Korean People's Army Unit in this undated picture released by the official KCNA news agency on Thursday.

By David Chance, Reuters

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea has bolstered its defenses against a "hostile" United States with its third nuclear test, it said on Thursday, noting that countries that had bowed to U.S. pressure to abandon their nuclear plans had suffered "tragic consequences."

Pyongyang?carried out its largest nuclear test to date last week, in defiance of U.N. resolutions, prompting warnings of tougher sanctions for the isolated and impoverished state and its young ruler, Kim Jong Un.

Libya abandoned its nuclear program in 2003 in a bid to mend relations with the United States and later saw leader Moammar Gadhafi overthrown in an uprising that was eventually supported militarily by Washington.

North Korea releases a new propaganda video calling the U.S. hostile and showing images of President Obama superimposed with flames. Meanwhile, residents line the streets of Pyongyang celebrating the country's recent nuclear test. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

In apparent reference to Libya, North Korea said it never backed down.

"The tragic consequences in those countries which abandoned halfway their nuclear programs... clearly prove that the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) was very far-sighted and just when it made the (nuclear) option," North Korea's KCNA news agency said.

Kim staged the latest test in response to tighter U.N. sanctions imposed in January after the country launched a long-range rocket last year in a move that critics said was designed to prove technology for an intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea has recently stepped up its rhetoric against South Korea, threatening to destroy its rich, democratic neighbor.

Most military assessments suggest that North Korea would lose any war against the U.S.-backed South and that its leaders would not risk a major conflict.

Related:

North Korea propaganda video shows an?American city in flames

North Korea's propaganda poets stay true to their muse despite world's laughter

PhotoBlog: Kim Jong Un inspects army unit

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/21/17043709-nuclear-test-protects-country-from-hostile-us-north-korea-says?lite

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YouTube partners with vendors for paid translation service

Last year, Google began offering a "request translation" option for YouTube, letting you or others muddle your way through video caption creation. If you don't want to leave it up to strangers or the vagaries of machine translation, Mountain View's now offering paid, professional services through two outfits, Gengo and Translated.net, in 36 languages. Once you've created your video and added a caption track, you'll be able to see an estimated price and create an order, after which your vendor of choice will send the translation directly to YouTube. Once approved, it'll be live on the site, ensuring no misunderstandings of your latest opus.

Filed under: Internet, Google

Comments

Source: Creator's blog

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/21/youtube-partners-with-vendors-for-paid-translation-service/

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GOP's Bielat pulls name out of US Senate campaign

BOSTON (AP) -- Republican Sean Bielat has pulled out of the state's special Senate election after making an appeal for campaign contributions over the weekend.

Bielat said Wednesday that while he thought he could have mounted a strong campaign, the time isn't right.

Bielat had filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission and sought donations over the weekend.

In his online appeal Bielat said he was launching his campaign to replace John Kerry, who stepped down to become secretary of state.

Bielat said he needed to raise $150,000 by midnight Tuesday to help collect the 10,000 signatures needed to get on the primary ballot. The signature deadline is next Wednesday.

Daniel Winslow and Gabriel Gomez have already announced they are running on the GOP side. Former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan is weighing a run.

(Copyright (c) 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Source: http://www1.whdh.com/rss/read/news/articles/politics/10009908728282/

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Video: Fmr. governor tries to use mistakes to rebuild political career

>>> more recently i have experienced how none of us go through life without mistakes, but in their wake we can learn a lot about grace, a god of second chances, and be the better for it. in that light i humble bistep forward and ask for your help in changing washington. i'm mark sanford , and i approve this message.

>> welcome back to "hardball." that's former south carolina governor mark sanford who is trying to resurrect his political career with a bid to fill the open house seat in south carolina 's first congressional district . to refresh your memory about this mistake he references in the ad here is a clip from his famous june 2009 press conference.

>> i have been unfaithful to my wife. i developed a relationship with a -- what started as a dear, dear friend from argentina . it began very innocently, as i suspect many of these things do, in just a casual e-mail back and forth in advice on one's life there and advice here. but here recently over this last year it developed into something much more than that.

>> well, now mark sanford is trying to use his transgression as a building block , if you will, for a revived political career telling politico, i probably have more to offer now as a human being than at any point in my life because there's an added level of reflection, of empathy. joining me is michelle cottle of "newsweek" and the daily wiest and john nak colonels of the nation. you're laughing, john. this is serious business. let's get started here. michelle , this is interesting because the use of the word mistake is fascinating. i mean, you can do an exegesis of that word. was the mistake falling in love and going off -- he's apparently still with this woman. he's been divorced. what was the mistake he acknowledges here? i can't even figure out how to discern what he's talking about sometimes with these guys but he's learned a lot from it and he has much better empathy and much more reflective in life.

>> that's right.

>> so he made a mistake but he's somehow better for it. explain how that works.

>> you have to focus on how he's learned, chris. he's grown, he understands humility and self-reflection and compassion. this is a guy who didn't just cheat on his wife. this is a guy who cheated on his wife, loo i had to his constituents, told them he disappeared from office and then humiliated himself and the state by rambling on and on and on about his soulmate and how he had fallen in love. so it takes -- you have to unravel this whole thing to even begin to understand kind of what he's apologizing for.

>> yeah, i'm not sure the word mistake is applicable here. and i am having a little fun with this because i think it's ridiculous -- not that politicians have emotions if they make moral errors and they sin or whatever, but that they had the craziest way of write being it and talking about it with the voter. john nichols , was the mistake when he thought he was on the appalachian trail somewhere down in the united states along the mountains, he was actually in buenos aries . i thought i was on the appalachian trail . that's a mistake. that's when you make a mistake. his mistake was he fell in love , fine. what did he do that he considers a mistake and what does he benefit in terms of the voters going back to d.c.? is he bringing the woman from argentina with him back to d.c.? where does he stand on this thing?

>> well, it gets pretty wild, doesn't it, because all the questions you ask are appropriate ones. and the first question really is, if he had made a bigger mistake, if he had done something worse, would he be better qualified for congress? because that seems to be the argument he's making. and, of course, the reality of it is the biggest mistake he made was lying. he lied to his own staff. he lied to the people of south carolina . and he got caught in an enormous way.

>> what should he have done? now that we're doing this, now that we're meantoring him in reverse, in retrospect, what should he have done? told everyone i was down in buenos aires with this woman i met and it got serious and i guess i'm in a situation. would that have worked?

>> here is a tip. if you're going to buenos aries to have an affair, at least acknowledge that you're going to buenos aries . don't claim you're out hiking on the appalachian trail .

>> okay. now, just to put this in perspective, newt gingrich is always useful in putting things in per sec tiff. there are a lot of ways to attempt a political comeback. newt gingrich used a different approach to explain his infidelity in a 2011 interview. this is only two years ago. let's listen to the newt sister becau ster because he beats the band when it comes to this stuff.

>> there's no question at times in my life partially driven by how passionately i felt about this country, that i worked far too hard and that things happened in my life that were not appropriate.

>> so he was too patriotic. he cared too much about the country. he worked too hard for the country and then things happened because he was patriotic and worked too hard for the country. what is that? is that a mistake or is that some kind of way of talking?

>> this once again is a selling point. it's the, you see, i love my country so much i just -- i kind of lost my head and, oops, i'm so sorry i left my wife for another woman. it's unfortunate.

>> when you say something which is as full of malarkey as that, who do you expect to believe it, that you were too patriotic, that you couldn't remember who your wife was or -- i don't want to make moral judgment i'll just talk politics here. i don't understand why they think people have such dunce caps on out there, oh, that's a point. he really is too patriotic to be faithful to his wife. i mean, what are we talking about with these people? that's why they don't trust politicians.

>> maybe he wanted to make mark san forward look good.

>> congress is running 15% approval because people talk like this and they say things like i made a mistake.

>> they're providing some thin veneer of cover for people who want an excuse to go back and believe in them. you know, you need some way to justify yourself --

>> you just described a criminal defense . somebody told me to take the

>> we're not talking about politics.

>> let's talk turkey. i want to know if the guy can win. i'm hearing different reports he could easily win in a very wide field. there is a runoff though. runoffs are always dangerous for people with troubles. you eventually have to run against one other person for your party's nomination. it's a republican district but he has owe to beat one republican. can he be a congressman again despite everything we've been kidding about here?

>> the truth is this is a very good ad. it's a well-done ad. and down in that district he has been getting a reasonably good response. now, it's a very crowded field, almost everybody seems to think that mark sanford will come through the initial primary. he'll face one other candidate, but it is possible, certainly not certain, possible that the other candidate he faces might be ted turner 's son.

>> and namesake.

>> and if mark sanford attaches ted turner 's record to ted turner 's son, yeah, i could see a moment where mark sanford might get through a runoff and get to congress.

>> so an embarrassment beats a legacy.

>> exactly. he's not high name recollection and erick erickson was one of his biggest detractors and the minute he started this confessional tour, ericsson is i forgive him, let's be graceful and give him other shot.

>> it's not rural south carolina . it's not cottonland. it's very beautiful charlton, one of the most beautiful cities in the world i think. are those people up to this kind of level of life? this sort of way of looking at things, this kay sir ra sir ra. do they have enough of that to vote for him? mark? i'm sorry, not mark, john. we're talking about mark.

>> it is within the realm -- that's okay. although i hope my wife doesn't make the comparison.

>> no, you're not mark.

>> it's within the realm of possibility, and understand that charlton, like new orleans , is a pretty sophisticated city, and there will be some folks who may want to try and forgive, but also who may want to try and look the other way. one thing that's important to understand is mark sanford aside from his incredible bumbles on this, you know, back in 2009 , has always been a very capable politician and by comparison to some of the other candidates he comes off pretty well for folks in charles to be.

>> i think the most forgiving city in the country is new orleans . i think when you're fourth or fifth divorce you go to new orleans . you have been through new orleans , they say come in and have some fun. in the "today" show sanford touted his record of looking out for taxpayers. let's listen.

>> the reality of our lives is if we live long enough we're going to fail at something. and i absolutely failed in my personal life , in my marriage, but one place i didn't ever fail was with the taxpayer.

>> the south carolina state ethics commission doesn't agree. sanford settled charges he broke ethics laws by using state and campaign money for personal travel guess where, including travel to argentina by paying a $74,000 fine. yet, the state reported in the graeme the ethics commission issued a public reprimand and disagreed with his argument that he broke no laws. well, there we have it, right?

>> yeah. in this way he can lump this all in with his personal transgressions and say jesus has forgiven me and so should you.

>> maybe he has. that we don't know. that last thing you said. anyway, thank you michelle cottle and thank you john nichols for this serious report on an unserious man.

>>> we have much more on mark sanford 's tour on our website. check out -- it's on facebook as well.

>>> up next, that sad saga from south africa where oscar pistorius , the world's most famous pair olympian has been charged with murdering his girlfriend. buzz bissinger said it's time to stop this unwarranted veneration of sports figures we have grown up with. he joins us next, and this is "hardball,"

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/hardball/50862382/

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McConnell?s office duped by piece on Gitmo

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters in the Capitol in January. (Kevin Lamarque/R??Is the Obama Administration preparing to give prisoners at Guantanamo Bay GI Bill benefits as part of a plan to ?completely crush their souls with bureaucracy?? Wired Magazine reports that Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell?s office asked the Pentagon that very question after a constituent sounded the alarm.

The problem? That far-fetched notion came from a story on the satirical site ?The Duffel Blog,? a military-focused answer to The Onion. (Wired posted the constituent?s letter and the query from McConnell?s office on its top-notch ?Danger Room? blog on national security).

?I am writing on behalf of a constituent who has contacted me regarding Guantanamo Bay prisoners receiving Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits,? McConnell wrote. ?I would appreciate your review and response to my constituent?s concerns.?

What triggered the unnamed Kentuckian?s worries? This post.

?By allowing the detainees to use the Department of Veterans Affairs, we hope to completely crush their souls with bureaucracy,? a (fake) Pentagon spokesman says in the piece.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is then quoted as saying: ?Because most ?guests? at Guantanamo Bay have been there nearly a decade and there is no end in site for their ?visit,? the Department of Veterans Affairs is ready to have their claims processed in 12-15 years as per standard operating procedure.?

This is, as Danger Room reporter Spencer Ackerman points out, an attempt ?to send up the inadequate, mollasses-slow [sic] benefits the government provides to the nation?s veterans.?

No word on whether any lawmakers have expressed outrage about this Duffel Blog post: ?Study: Infantry Battalions Commanded By Females More Likely To Stop For Directions, Arrive Late.? But it only went up Wednesday morning.

McConnell?s office is hardly the first to have a little trouble distinguishing humor sites from actual news sources (though, in their defense?nahh, better not). It wasn?t that long ago that a Chinese paper congratulated Kim Jong Un on being named "Sexiest Man Alive" by The Onion.

McConnell leads Judd 49-40 in new poll

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/mcconnell-office-duped-onion-style-piece-gitmo-140113809--politics.html

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