Former GOP Senator Judd Gregg named CEO of lobbying group SIFMA

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association named former Republican Senator Judd Gregg as its chief executive officer, the lobbying group said Monday.

The appointment of the veteran politician, who also was governor of New Hampshire and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, continues a growing trend of legislators, financial regulators, bank executives and lobbyists moving back and forth among the channels.

Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro last month joined Promontory Financial Group, a Washington lobbying firm founded by former Comptroller of the Currency Eugene Ludwig.

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, or SIFMA, also named its acting president and chief executive Kenneth Bentsen Jr. as president. He is a former Texas congressman and nephew of former Texas Democratic Senator Lloyd Bentsen.

Bentsen in February replaced Timothy Ryan, a banker and former regulator who resigned as president and CEO after almost five years at the trade group to become JPMorgan Chase & Co's chief regulator. A former savings and loan company regulator, Ryan previously worked at JPMorgan as vice chairman for financial institutions and governments.

(Reporting by Jed Horowitz; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-gop-senator-judd-gregg-named-ceo-lobbying-130252319.html

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It's Official: Yahoo Is Buying Tumblr, Promises "Not to Screw It Up"

After rumors spread during the weekend, it's now official: Yahoo is buying Tumblr. Yahoo has announced the takeover, aptly enough, on Tumblr, explaining that it "promises not to screw it up." That's a reference, obviously, to the complete mess it's made of pretty much every other company it's ever bought. In that Tumblr post Marissa Mayer explains:

Tumblr is incredibly special and has a great thing going. We will operate Tumblr independently. David Karp will remain CEO. The product roadmap, their team, their wit and irreverence will all remain the same as will their mission to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve.

It is at least reassuring to hear that Mayer mindful of the fact that Tumblr is already a Good Thing that doesn't need interfering with too much. More comforting for the legions of Tumblr users will be David Karp's own announcement, in which he reassures everyone that the site "isn't turning purple." He continues:

Our headquarters isn?t moving. Our team isn?t changing. Our roadmap isn?t changing. And our mission ? to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve ? certainly isn?t changing.

So what can we expect from the takeover? Well, both parties seem fairly certain that it'll be more of the same, only better. In Karp's words, "simply, Tumblr gets better faster." Mayer is a little more wordy and corporate:

"Tumblr can deploy Yahoo!?s personalization technology and search infrastructure to help its users discover creators, bloggers, and content they?ll love... The two companies will also work together to create advertising opportunities that are seamless and enhance user experience."

Blah, blah, blah. We can, of course, also expect David Karp to become filthy, filthy rich. But that aside, we'll learn more in an announcement call at 9am EST. Check back then for more details.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/its-official-yahoo-is-buying-tumblr-508846808

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Audit THIS! Tea Party groups to protest at IRS offices nationwide on Tuesday (Michellemalkin)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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'Britain's Obama' urges ties with West Africa

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) ? A rising star in Britain's Labour Party, described by some as the "British Barack Obama," Chuka Umunna urged the United Kingdom to more aggressively forge ties with West Africa's fast-growing economies.

During a trade mission to West Africa last week that included a stop in his father's home country Nigeria, Umunna, a member of the British Parliament, dismissed the comparison to the United States president.

"Let's not beat around the bush. The reason why people make the comparison is, frankly, there are not that many black people in Western politics," said Umunna, who represents the London district of Streatham and is Labour's shadow business secretary. "And I'd love to have a situation where you can be elected as a black politician without constantly having comparisons made."

Umunna, 34, grew up in Streatham and worked as a lawyer before being elected to parliament in 2010. The son of an Irish mother and Nigerian father, he said he made seven or eight trips to Nigeria "for pretty long stays" during his childhood. But prior to last week's visit, he hadn't been to the country since his father's funeral in 1992.

Umunna said that while West Africa's high growth rate is well-known, he was struck by just how different Nigeria seemed today compared to his last visit, which occurred during a time of military rule.

"It didn't have the feeling of a country that was going anywhere in 1992," he said. But today Nigeria "does have the feeling of a country on the up. What you find physically and you see on the street matches up with a growth rate of 7 percent, which it is forecast to have this year."

He had similar things to say about Ghana, where at a reception Thursday night hosted by the British High Commission in Accra he said Britain was eager to help develop infrastructure and remove other barriers to economic growth.

"We are acutely conscious that we come here with some humility," he said in brief remarks. "This is clearly an economy that is taking off, and we know that between 2011 and 2015 Ghana is forecast to be the eighth-fastest growing economy in the world. And of course that is at the same time that our economy in the U.K. has been struggling to grow somewhat."

In an interview with The Associated Press, Umunna acknowledged there was a feeling in its former colonies that Britain has been less engaged than other partners such as China, Brazil and India.

"I think it's fair to say that there is a perception that we've been a bit complacent and because of our historical ties have felt somehow that we don't need to put as much effort in," he said. "I want to be very clear and send out a very strong message to policymakers and business communities in all of the West African countries that the U.K. wants to do business."

Back home, Umunna said he was focused on helping put the Labour Party back into power in the 2015 elections under party leader Ed Miliband ? something he said the party was in a good position to accomplish.

Umunna said he left the law for politics "to achieve massive positive change" and that he was frustrated being in the opposition.

Though widely regarded as an up and coming force in the Labour Party, Umunna has received some recent negative press related to his online footprint. Last month Britain's Daily Mail reported that on an invitation-only social networking website, Umunna complained in 2006 that clubs in London's West End "seem to be full of trash and C-list wannabes, while other places that should know better opt for the cheesy vibe." The paper said the comments undercut the lawmaker's "man of the people" image.

Umunna has also been criticized in the press for editing his own Wikipedia page to include references to "the U.K.'s Barack Obama," something his office has said he has no recollection of doing. Prime Minister David Cameron made light of the story on May 8 in the House of Commons, saying, "Now he has been famously comparing himself to Barack Obama. As he would put it, can we change our Wikipedia entry? Yes we can." In BBC footage of the remarks, Umunna rolls his eyes in response.

"With respect to the nightclub comment I've never claimed to be a saint," Umunna told AP. "My generation, we're probably the first generation to actually have grown up online and to have social media accounts . We all say stupid things in our younger years and I'm no different from anyone else, and I regret what I said and I can't really say more than that."

He declined to be specific when discussing his political ambitions. "I'm not particularly interested in positions and in my own personal position in as much as I am ambitious to actually do things and make a difference," he said. "I'm ambitious in my politics and the kind of society I'd like us to build."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britains-obama-urges-ties-west-africa-130930686.html

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G Data TotalSecurity 2014

A full-scale security suite contains all the security components you need: antivirus, antispam, firewall, parental control, and some kind of privacy protection. Then there's what I call a mega-suite?a product that starts with full suite protection and adds more, much more. Backup and system tuneup are typical add-ons. G Data TotalSecurity 2014 is a perfect example, because the security tools it adds are particularly well-designed.

At $49.95 for three licenses, this suite costs just $5 more than the basic G Data InternetSecurity 2014 suite. Its bold, red-themed main window includes the SecurityCenter, Antivirus, Firewall, Parental Control, and Autostart Manager pages found in the basic G Data suite. To these it adds Backup, Tuner, and File safe (encryption). Also present, but not visible in the main window, is an unexpectedly powerful system for controlling use of removable devices.

Antivirus: Better Protection than Cleanup
The antivirus component in this suite is exactly the same as G Data AntiVirus 2014; please read that review for full details. I'll summarize here.

G Data proved quite effective at keeping malware from attacking my clean test system. It wiped out most of my samples on sight and caught a few more when I tried to launch them. It detected 92 percent of the samples and scored 9.2 of 10 possible points. Of products tested with this same malware collection, only Ad-Aware Pro Security 10.5 did better, with 94 percent and 9.2 points. Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete 2013 led the products tested under my previous malware collection, with an impressive 9.9 points.

For full details on how I test an antivirus product's ability to block malware attacks, see How We Test Malware Blocking.

G Data's attempt to clean up existing malware problems rendered two test systems unbootable, requiring arduous manual repair using G Data's Linux-based boot disk. It scored 4.3 points for malware cleanup, the lowest score among products tested with the same samples. With 6.0 points, Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security topped this group. Comodo Internet Security Complete 2013, Norton 360 (2013), and Webroot all earned 6.6 points when tested with my previous collection of malware samples.

The article How We Test Malware Removal explains the methodology of my malare removal test.

The independent labs generally give good ratings to G Data's products. In particular, it earned ADVANCED+ (the top rating) in two tests by AV-Comparatives and ADVANCED in a third. The chart below summarizes recent tests. For background on the labs, see How We Interpret Antivirus Lab Tests

Features Shared with the Antivirus
G Data's antivirus includes a component that blocks access to malware-hosting websites; it also blocks fraudulent (phishing) websites. G Data TotalSecurity shares this component, which didn't perform as well as in past years. Its detection rate was a full 38 percentage points lower than Norton's (Norton being a consistent antiphishing champ), and it lagged 12 percentage points behind the built in SmartScreen Filter in Internet Explorer 8. The article How We Test Antiphishing explains exactly how I obtain very new phishing sites and run this test.

The Autostart manager lets you get working faster by disabling programs from launching at startup or delaying their launch by from one to ten minutes. A similar feature in Norton reports on each startup program's resource usage, but doesn't let you choose delay length.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/j6tiq4SCtiA/0,2817,2419088,00.asp

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May 19 - TAXES IN FRANCE 'TOP 100% OF INCOME'... - Boxden.Com

(Reuters) - More than 8,000 French households' tax bills topped 100 percent of their income last year, the business newspaper Les Echos reported on Saturday, citing Finance Ministry data.

The newspaper said that the exceptionally high level of taxation was due to a one-off levy last year on 2011 incomes for households with[..]ets of more than 1.3 million euros ($1.67 million).

President Francois Hollande's Socialist government imposed the tax surcharge last year, shortly after taking office, to offset the impact of a rebate scheme created by its conservative predecessor to cap an individual's overall taxation at 50 percent of income.

The government has been forced to redraft a proposed bill to levy a temporary 75 percent tax on earnings over 1 million euros, which had been one of Hollande's campaign pledges.

The Constitutional Council has judged such a high rate of taxation to be unfair, leaving the government to rehash it to hit companies rather than individuals.

Since then, a top administrative court has determined that a marginal tax rate higher than 66.66 percent on a single household risked being considered as confiscatory by the council.

Les Echos reported that nearly 12,000 households paid taxes last year worth more than 75 percent of their 2011 revenues due to the exceptional levy. ($1 = 0.7798 euros)

Taxes on some wealthy French top 100 pct of income: paper | Reuters

Source: http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/may-19-taxes-france-top-100-income-1927440/

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South Africa: Mandela name pulled into politics

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Nelson Mandela, old and frail, lives in seclusion in his Johannesburg home. Beyond the high walls of the house, the fighting over his image and what he stood for has already begun.

The sense of possibility that Mandela embodied is fading as a gulf between rich and poor widens. Many South Africans believe their leaders are out to help themselves and not the nation, which showed such promise when it broke the shackles of apartheid by holding the first all-race elections in 1994 and putting Mandela, who had been jailed for 27 years by the country's racist leaders, into the presidency.

In a remarkable achievement, South Africa has held peaceful elections since the end of apartheid. But it is struggling on other fronts.

Last year, corruption deprived the country of nearly 1 billion rand ($111 million) in taxpayers' money, according to a recent report. In one of the latest scandals to shake South Africans' confidence in their government, authorities let a chartered plane carrying about 200 guests from India land at a South African air force base ahead of a lavish wedding hosted by a politically connected family.

South Africans, worried about graft, high unemployment and other problems, tend to compare their current leadership with the virtually unassailable record of Mandela as a freedom fighter and South Africa's first black president. No small wonder, then, that politicians and even family members are moving to use that image for their own benefit.

Mandela no longer speaks publicly. He retired after a single term as president that ended in 1999 then worked for some years as an advocate for peace, awareness for HIV/AIDS and other causes. His last public appearance on a major stage was in 2010, when South Africa hosted the soccer World Cup.

Last month, President Jacob Zuma and other leaders of the ruling African National Congress party visited Mandela. After the encounter at Mandela's home, Zuma cheerily said the 94-year-old was up and about, in good spirits and doing well. But the images carried by state TV showed Mandela sitting with a blanket covering his legs, silent and unmoving with his cheeks showing what appear to be marks from a recently removed oxygen mask. Mandela did not acknowledge Zuma, who sat right next to Mandela.

The footage unsettled some viewers who considered the visit to be a stunt to make Zuma look good. A cartoon in The Star newspaper depicted a leering Zuma holding a clothes hanger from which the once robust Mandela dangled limply, eyelids sagging. The ANC insisted it had no ulterior motive ahead of elections next year, and that it was only showing respect for a living national treasure.

For their part, ANC supporters said the opposition was crassly capitalizing on the Mandela name to get support when the Democratic Alliance party published a pamphlet showing an old photograph of Mandela embracing Helen Suzman, an anti-apartheid activist whose party was a forerunner of the DA.

Retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who like Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize for being a leader in the struggle against apartheid, later clashed swords with the ANC when he spoke about Mandela's eventual passing.

"The best memorial to Nelson Mandela would be a democracy that was really up and running; a democracy in which every single person in South Africa knew that they mattered, and where other people knew that each person mattered," The Mail & Guardian, a South African newspaper, quoted Tutu as saying in a May 10 article.

Tutu said South Africa needs political change and that criticism of the ANC has so far been muted because South Africans felt it would be a "slap in the face to Mandela" who once headed the liberation movement-turned political party.

The ANC's youth league disputed Tutu's assertion that the ruling party had failed to deliver.

"Young people, who constitute a large voting bloc in the country, expect the Archbishop and other leaders to speak truth anchored by reality and facts and not anecdotal information based on creativity and imagination," the league said in a statement.

The government, however, has said unemployment in the first quarter of this year was just over 25 percent, a figure that analysts say has been caused by weak economic growth and layoffs in the troubled mining sector and other industries. Also, protests against poor delivery of water, electricity and other government services periodically erupt in some South African communities.

Across South Africa, Mandela's face is a familiar sight, beaming from T-shirts, drink coasters and new banknotes. South African bridges, hospitals and schools carry Mandela's name. Statues of him abound, including a towering bronze one in Nelson Mandela Square in a posh shopping complex in the wealthy Johannesburg suburb of Sandton.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Mandela name is also being used commercially by members of his family. There is a "House of Mandela" wine label and two granddaughters are starring in a U.S. television reality show titled "Being Mandela."

Some family members are trying to oust several old allies of the former president from control of two companies. That dispute is headed for the courts, though the old Mandela associates, including human rights lawyer George Bizos, want the case to be dismissed.

Mandela's stellar record can be easily mined in commercial branding, which is based on a "notion of perfection around a set of ideas," said Michael J. Casey, author of "Che's Afterlife: The Legacy of an Image."

The book tells how the famous photograph of the bearded, Argentine-born revolutionary in a beret evolved into a global symbol and brand, seized upon by political activists, sales executives and all manner of other people for whom it resonated, or who wanted to make money from it.

"The narrative around Mandela is a man who stuck to his guns in terms of the struggle," said Casey, who noted that some people bestow a "level of deity" on such transcendent figures.

"You want him to live for the man that he was," Casey said. "It's not to say that he's not a great man, but nobody's perfect."

Already, that sort of personification by artists is turning, well, cartoonish.

For a music video, South African dance DJ Euphonik matched a beat with part of the recording of Mandela's 1964 speech in the sabotage trial at which he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination," a cartoon Mandela intones in the music video. Limber and white-haired, he busts a few moves on the dance floor.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-20-AF-South-Africa-Mandela's-Image/id-e539e895674241c592fce66416455062

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Don't miss the 6th Annual International Museum Day on Sunday ...

Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/05/18/2581672/dont-miss-the-6th-annual-international.html

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Visual Business Presentation | Advertisement Design | Fashion ...

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Source: http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Graphic-Design-Photoshop/Visual-Business-Presentation.html

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Merkel and Pope talk about a 'strong' Europe

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? German Chancellor Angela Merkel, mindful of the weight of Christian voters in September elections, made a quick trip to Rome Saturday for a private meeting with Pope Francis, focusing on how Europe's struggling economy should be at the service of the people.

Merkel spoke privately for 45 minutes with the pope at the Apostolic Palace, after exchanging cordial greetings in Germany.

Her Christian Democrat party depends heavily on support from Protestant and Catholic voters, and the chat and photo opportunity could be a welcome campaign boost for a leader largely identified by Europe's economically suffering citizens as a champion of debt reduction even at the cost of painful austerity across much of the continent.

On Thursday, Francis blasted what he called a "cult of money" in a global financial system that ends up tyrannizing, not helping, the world's poor.

Asked whether they had also talked about the pope's recent criticism, Merkel said that they spoke about the regulation of the financial markets.

"The regulation of the financial markets is our central problem, our central task," said Merkel, who met with reporters on the Vatican grounds. "We are moving ahead, but we are not yet where we want to be, where we could say that a derailment of the guard rails of social market won't happen again."

Merkel added: "It ought to be like this: the economy is there to serve the people. In the last few years, this hasn't been the case at all everywhere."

Italy, Spain, Ireland, Portugal and especially Greece, have seen governments concentrate on debt reduction while slashing state spending. With growth stymied, unemployment, especially among young people, has soared. Businesses, many of them family-run in southern Europe, have failed as bank lending dried up.

The chancellor also said the pope had stressed that the world needs a strong and just Europe and described the overall conversation has encouraging.

Merkel is currently campaigning for re-election in September's general elections. Half of Germany's population is Catholic. In Bavaria especially, there is a strong conservative and Catholic tradition.

According to a Vatican statement, Francis and Merkel concentrated on topics of "common interest, including the socio-political, economic and religious situation in Europe and in the world."

"In particular, they spoke about safeguarding human rights, about the persecutions faced by Christians, about religious freedom and of international collaboration to promote peace," the Vatican said.

Francis, who is Argentine, has picked up on campaigns by the two previous popes, the Polish John Paul II and German Benedict XVI, to reinvigorate what the Catholic church sees as flagging religious enthusiasm on a continent with Christian roots, including dwindling number of churchgoers in much of Western Europe.

The Vatican also uses papal visits with major leaders to seek allies in its lobbying on behalf of Christians who face discrimination and in some cases physical violence in parts of the world.

Merkel told reporters she had reflected during her flight to Rome earlier in the day how both she and Francis has spent part of their lives in countries once under dictatorships -- her native East Germany under Soviet-influenced communist rule, and the pope's Argentine homeland, which had formerly been ruled by a bloody military dictatorship.

Francis and Merkel also exchanged views on Europe, which the Vatican described as a "community of values" with responsibilities in the world, "urging commitment by all secular and religious components toward favoring development based on the dignity of the human person and inspired by the principles of assistance and solidarity."

There was no immediate indication if Francis would visit Germany, which Merkel said she invited him to visit.

She left him with gifts including a boxed set of 107 CDs of classical music directed by German maestro Wilhelm Furtwaengler. "I don't know if you will have time to listen" to them all, Merkel told him in German. Francis also seemed pleased by the other gift, three volumes of poetry by Friedrich Hoelderlin, a poet he is known to enjoy.

___

AP Writer Kirsten Grieshaber contributed from Berlin.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/merkel-pope-talk-strong-europe-140331095.html

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Video Roundup: Science Friday Desktop Diaries

I don't have a desk, because there's no room in my apartment, but if I did it would probably be covered in so much crap that I wouldn't be able to use it anyway. And it makes me feel a little better to know that Nobel Prize-winning psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman doesn't have a desk either.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/8UNSrrkem8k/video-roundup-science-friday-desktop-diaries-508705841

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Are Beyonce and Jay-Z expecting another baby?

Celebs

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

17 hours ago

Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Beyonce at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit.

It's the hottest not-yet-confirmed story in entertainment at the moment: Are Beyonce and Jay-Z about to announce that baby No. 2 is on the way?

E! Online and other outlets seem positive this is the case, though thus far "sources" are the only place information has come from -- no one's spokesperson has stepped forward to put the official stamp on it.

But perhaps Beyonce herself reportedly did, on a since-deleted post on her Instagram account (see link for screen shot of post). According to several outlets, shortly after the initial rumors began surfacing, the singer apparently posted: "I can?t stop the rumors from starting, and I can?t really change peoples minds who believe them, all I can do is sit back and laugh at these low life people who have nothing better to do than talk about me.?

So since Beyonce won't say "yes" or "no," what's fueling this burning question?

• In April, Beyonce told Shape magazine that they would definitely have more children in the future, saying ?I?ll probably start after this tour.? Her first, Blue Ivy, is 16 months old. She hit the road with her "Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" that month, and will be on the road until September -- but maybe she just couldn't wait.
  
• Her appearance at the Met Gala in early May featured her in a "stomach-concealing Givenchy gown," as E! Online described it, and as the site suggested, concealment could only mean one thing.
• On May 13, the New York Post went into full rumor mode, saying that "music insiders are chattering" about her newly-pregnant status, and noted that photos from her tour seem to reveal a baby bump.
• On May 14, the singer postponed a concert in Belgium, saying in a statement she was "advised by her doctors to rest as a result of dehydration and exhaustion." She posted a note to her Tumblr page later in apology, noting "I've never postponed a show in my life."
• Other celebrities like Russell Simmons are already taking the rumors as fact, and tweeting congrats.
• People are just excited to read about Bey's comings and goings, as indicated by her recent controversial trip to Cuba with Jay-Z and the fact that the announcement of her first pregnancy -- on the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards -- set a Guinness World Record for most tweets per second related to a single event.

Meanwhile, Beyonce is unlikely to ease off of work any time soon, regardless of whatever announcement she may make. Other E! sources are saying the tour won't be affected by the rumored pregnancy.

Beyonce will be heard soon, though -- she's the voice of Queen Tara in the animated film "Epic," which opens in theaters on May 24.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/are-beyonce-jay-z-expecting-another-baby-1C9983170

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PFT: Te'o shows up at Maxim party for list that included fake girlfriend

Though the NFL has not seen a player die from on-field injuries in decades (Korey Stringer died in 2001 from heat exhaustion), tragedy often strikes at the lower levels of this sport.

It happened recently in Farmerville, Louisiana, to 17-year-old Jaleel Gipson (pictured).? A fullback, Gipson died after fracturing a vertebrate during ?Oklahoma drills? at Farmerville High School?s spring practices.? He was on life support for several days.

According to KNOE-TV, Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth has donated to the family the cost of Gipson?s funeral.? It?s a great gesture, and news of Whitworth?s generosity brought the story to our attention.

Now that we?re here, and speaking primarily as the father of a soon-to-be-17-year-old football player, why in the hell are high school kids doing Oklahoma drills in May, or ever?

The NFL stubbornly believes its rules will trickle down to the lower levels of the sport.? If so, the removal of contact from offseason workouts is trickling from Park Avenue to the Bayou at the rate of partially-frozen molasses.

Jaleel?s coach calls the incident an ?unlucky event,? which Jaleel?s family surely? would consider to be the biggest understatement of human history.? The health of our children shouldn?t be left to chance, not when the risk is avoidable.? While we realize that many frustrated, over-the-hill athletes regard high-school sports as having the same significance as the pro game, youth sports are played with children, not adults.

While the excessive zeal of some can undermine the good intentions of the many, it seems like every community has more than a few coaches whose obsession with winning clouds their judgment.? Or, in many cases, supplants it.

Try to remember that your players are our children.? They?re not your tickets to the glory days that have long since passed you by.? They?re our children.

Jaleel Gipson should be alive, and now his family has to deal for the rest of their lives with the fact that he isn?t.? While it?s very good and kind that Andrew Whitworth will pay for Jaleel?s funeral, this situation needs to spark a broader discussion in every school district about putting the same limits on offseason practices that the NFL has instituted.

That won?t bring Jaleel back, but it could protect other kids from suffering a similar fate.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/18/teo-shows-up-at-maxim-party-honoring-fake-girlfriend/related/

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Marketing Plan For Fitness Center Putting Health and Fitness Myths ...

For those who purchase a fitness center you?ll need to learn how to debunk many of the fitness level myths for getting clients. Additionally be sure to possess a good marketing for fitness centers with your general strategy so that you can grow. It is usually those who do not have a good understanding about fitness and wellness who end up trying questionable fitness, weight loss, and other means in order to attain health. But this is really not surprising given the plethora of advice that is flat out wrong or based on old tales. The fact is that not everybody can be prevented from following terrible advice that is plainly untrue, but you can save your self from this. What you will experience in this article are three myths dispelled in certain areas of health and fitness.

Not everybody wants to be huge when it comes to muscles, and so the myth is simply to lift less. Actually, this one has been around for a very long time, and the connection with light weights is doing a greater number of reps.

The truth about women is they are unable to become as big as men, and this is directly due to hormones within the body. How you decide to do this and what your goals are is a personal decision you need to make on your own.

There are various approaches with fitness and one is to pay attention and work a particular area. It is just that people are operating with incorrect information when it concerns weight loss.

Doing spot exercising like crunches will not burn the fat in that area on its own. You may have read about this by now but there are tons of people who are still clueless or maybe they are just lazy.

Saturated fats have gotten such a bad rap over the years that they are like a red headed step child. This is yet one more dietary component that you will probably agree has to never be consumed. These are the fats that certainly have a place in your body, and they should not be left out entirely. The truth is that there are many factors that will affect how your body responds to fat intake. The important thing is that you should not be so scared to eat a good steak when you feel like it. Figuring out what is real and true in the world of health; wellness and fitness can often be quite difficult. Consider that old wives tales have been around for centuries, but at least now you know the truth. Be sure you pass along this great info to those you know, and if you have kids then you can get them off to a good start.

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Source: http://hasotare.unblog.fr/2013/05/17/marketing-plan-for-fitness-center-putting-health-and-fitness-myths-to-rest/

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Syrian hackers compromise FT blogs, Twitter feeds

LONDON (AP) ? A clutch of blogs and Twitter accounts maintained by the Financial Times were hacked Friday, the latest in a series of cyberattacks claimed by the Syrian Electronic Army, a pro-government group which often attacks media organizations it sees as sympathetic to the country's rebels.

A few of the FT's dozens of Twitter feeds and blogs broadcast messages in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad and attacking Syria's opposition. One described the Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra as terrorists and linked to a graphic video of a hooded man shooting kneeling prisoners in the back of the head.

"Syrian Electronic Army Was Here," the group crowed on one of the FT's Twitter feeds.

One of the hackers said his group was behind the attack but declined to answer further questions. The group has apparently spent much of the past 24 hours trying to break into the FT's system.

One internal company memo distributed Thursday and seen by The Associated Press warned FT employees not to click on suspicious emails, while a second earlier Friday warned the FT was "facing a phishing attack."

Phishing describes the use of innocuous-looking emails or websites to trick users into giving up their passwords or other details. The Syrian Electronic Army has routinely used the tactic to take control of Twitter feeds of other media organizations.

Recent targets have included the BBC, al-Jazeera, E! Online, and satirical newspaper The Onion. Last month the group claimed responsibility for hacking The AP's Twitter feed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-hackers-compromise-ft-blogs-twitter-feeds-131048564.html

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California fuels $550 million Powerball jackpot

People line up to buy lottery tickets at the Bluebird Liquor store in Hawthorne, Calif. Thursday, May 16, 2013. The multi-state lottery's website said the Powerball drawing jackpot has soared to at least $550 million for next drawing to be held Saturday. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

People line up to buy lottery tickets at the Bluebird Liquor store in Hawthorne, Calif. Thursday, May 16, 2013. The multi-state lottery's website said the Powerball drawing jackpot has soared to at least $550 million for next drawing to be held Saturday. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A man looks at the electronic ad for Powerball Jackpot of $475 million at the Bluebird Liquor store in Hawthorne, Calif. Thursday, May 16, 2013. The multistate lottery's website said the Powerball drawing jackpot has soared to of at least $550 million for next drawing to be held Saturday. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Dean Davis displays the Powerball ticket she bought at a Baker's supermarket in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, May 15, 2013. After weeks of rolling without a winner, the Powerball jackpot has once again ballooned in time for its Wednesday drawing, an estimated $360 million jackpot considered the third largest Powerball jackpot and the seventh largest jackpot in history. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Customers purchase Powerball tickets seeking a payout of around $475 million at a convenience store, Thursday, May 16, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. The prize is the third largest in lottery history, and the winning numbers will be drawn on Saturday. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Lilly Sanchez holds up lotto tickets she purchased including a Powerball ticket seeking a payout of around $475 million, Thursday, May 16, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. The prize is the third largest in lottery history, and the winning numbers will be drawn on Saturday.(AP Photo/John Raoux)

SAN DIEGO (AP) ? The numbers sum up the frenzy that has taken over the Golden State since it joined the madness over Powerball, which has seen its jackpot soar to $550 million for Saturday's drawing.

California has sold $83 million worth of Powerball tickets since April, when it joined 42 other states that offer the game. Since then, the most populous state has accounted for 11 percent of the game's sales, fueling such fast-growing mega-jackpots like the latest one that has the potential to be a record-breaker.

The state expects to generate well above the originally estimated $50 million for public education, California lottery director Robert O'Neill told The Associated Press.

"One thing California has brought Powerball is sunshine and good fortune," he said. "It has surprised us. We're very happy."

Californians have Nevadans to thank for some of that good fortune.

California's biggest ticket-seller is the Primm Valley Lotto Store, which straddles the state line in tiny Nipton, a 19th century mining and ranching town on the edge of the Mojave desert whose booming lottery sales have put it on the map in modern times.

Roxie Handley figured all 80 of its residents would have a ticket in hand by Saturday. That's if they can find the time.

"Here in Nipton, it's crazy," said Handley, 59, who manages the Nipton Trading Post, which also sells Powerball tickets. "We're stocking up on everything. Last night, I heard some people had to wait nine hours in line."

The town is about 35 miles from Las Vegas on the main interstate from the Los Angeles area. Residents of the nation's No. 1 gambling state do not have access to the lottery. The Nevada state constitution contains a prohibition on lotteries, which are seen as competition to the casino industry.

Norma Wagoner was among the Nevadans trying their luck. She and a group of friends pooled their money to buy 20 tickets and sent one over the state border to endure the long lines.

"Everybody has dreams," she said. "All it takes is one ticket."

Officials expect the jackpot to keep growing before Saturday's drawing that could break Powerball's November 2012 record of $587.5 million.

The latest kitty leapt nearly $200 million since Wednesday's drawing, which was an estimated $360 million. The $550 million jackpot is the second largest in Powerball history and third biggest overall.

Lottery officials expect jackpots to continue growing faster and bigger, thanks in part to a game redesign in January 2012 that increased the odds of winning some kind of prize of a lesser amount. On Wednesday, $1 million prizes were won in 16 states, and $2 million prizes were won in two states. California had six tickets among the winning ones Wednesday, including one sold in Nipton.

More than half of the all-time jackpot records have been reached in the last three years. The top two all-time jackpots ? $656 million from a Mega Millions jackpot and $587.5 million from a Powerball jackpot ? were achieved in 2012. Some states, like California, now sell tickets for both games.

The last major jackpot win came when a New Jersey man won a $338.3 million jackpot March 23. It is now considered the fourth largest Powerball jackpot in history.

For Nipton, folks feel they've already won thanks to the boom in business.

"It kind of disrupts our peace and quiet," said Handley, although she admits she too plans to snap up a ticket.

Most of the talk she hears around town these days, she says, is of people daydreaming about quitting their jobs and traveling with their millions: "Everybody wants a piece of the pie."

But she said she would likely give most of it away.

"Having a lot of money I think would be a lot of headache," she said. "Nipton has a lot of history. It's the place to come if you want to get away. We have a five-room bed and breakfast with no phones, no TVs, where you can sit and watch the trains go by. It's our little piece of heaven. I have things money can't buy."

___

Rodriguez reported from Des Moines, Iowa, and can be found at http://twitter.com/bcrodriguez . Associated Press writer Hannah Dreier in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-17-Powerball%20Jackpot/id-c610280eab9f4de7a8ec35e0610cf0d8

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Sheriff: Ex-NASCAR driver Dick Trickle dead at 71

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) ? There is that lasting image of Dick Trickle in the Winston 500 lighting up a cigarette while driving his stock car with his knees during a caution lap.

He places the cigarette through a hole he carved in his helmet for a quick toke and exhales.

The green flag hits and out the window goes the cigarette butt and back to racing goes Trickle.

"Dick always had a cigarette lighter in his car," said fellow NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine.

Trickle was a unique driver with a unique name who found cult-like status before his death Thursday.

Trickle, whose larger-than-life personality and penchant for fun won him legions of fans despite a lack of success beyond the nation's small tracks, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. He was 71.

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said authorities received a call believed to be from Trickle, who said "there would be a dead body and it would be his." Authorities tried to call the number back, but no one answered.

Trickle's body was found near his pickup truck at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City, N.C., about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte. Sheriff's Lieutenant Tim Johnson said foul play was not suspected.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Dick Trickle on his passing today," NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said. "Dick was a legend in the short-track racing community, particularly in his home state of Wisconsin, and he was a true fan favorite. Personalities like Dick Trickle helped shape our sport. He will be missed."

Trickle earned his reputation as a successful short track driver before joining the Winston Cup series and earning rookie of the year in 1989 at age 48.

He competed in more than 300 Cup races. Although he never won a Cup race and won only two Busch Series races, Trickle earned cult status in the 1990s.

Former ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann would regularly mention where Trickle finished after talking about each NASCAR race. It caught on and drew snickers from race fans around the country.

Bodine said there was only one way to describe Trickle, a native of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

"Fun," Bodine said. "Just plain fun."

Trickle was never one to be told how to live his life.

"It's all just sad," Bodine said in a telephone interview. "We don't understand why he would do this. Hopefully we will all learn why he would do that. There was something that triggered him to take his own life. We are all really saddened by this in the racing community."

NASCAR does not keep track of short-track records, but according to the (Milwaukee) Journal-Sentinel, Trickle won more than 1,000 short-track races throughout the country during his prime. He was a seven-time winner in the regional ARTGO Challenge Series in the late 1970s and mid '80s. Trickle also captured the ASA AC-Delco Challenge Series in back-to-back years in 1984-85 before turning to Cup racing.

"Dick Trickle was one of the best race drivers of the '80s, no one knew how many races he won," said Humpy Wheeler, the former president of Charlotte Motor Speedway. "He was right there with Red Farmer and other short track drivers ? the wins kind of got so big that they blended into each other. He was a product of the rich Wisconsin soil, where they race eight races a week in the season, and he could win all of them."

Wheeler said he asked Trickle to try NASCAR in the 1980s, but Trickle initially declined because he was so successful on the short track circuit.

"He could not make enough money then as he could on those Midwest tracks, so he deferred," Wheeler recalled. "For a guy who really won at least 700 races, I could see why. In those days, unless you were a top Cup driver, you couldn't win enough money to overcompensate for that."

Trickle eventually did move to NASCAR, settling into Iron Station, N.C., where he lived for more than 20 years. Bodine said Trickle was full of stories and popular because of it.

"People everywhere knew his name," Bodine said. "That's why they used his likeness in that movie 'Days of Thunder.' He was such a character."

The main character in that popular niche racing movie, played by Tom Cruise, was named Cole Trickle.

Bodine said that a few years ago he had to back out of a celebrity cruise for patients who were on kidney dialysis. He asked Trickle to fill in.

"He made such an impression on people on that ship that everyone wanted to know when Dick was coming back," Bodine said. "They loved him. They tell me he was the last man to leave most of the bars on the ship and I believe it."

Bodine also recalled inviting Trickle to compete in one of his bobsled events in 2004 at Lake Placid, N.Y.

He said Trickle went down the first time and crashed. After being cleared by doctors to continue, Trickle tried again and crashed in the same place.

"They were doing interviews with him on TV and he was like, 'I don't know what happened, I did the exact same thing I did the first time,'" Bodine said. "And we're all looking at him like, 'Hey Dick, maybe that was the problem.'"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sheriff-ex-nascar-driver-dick-trickle-dead-71-225300565.html

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Obama vows to end 'scourge' of military sex abuse

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel listens as President Barack Obama speaks during a meeting to discuss sexual assault in the military in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel listens as President Barack Obama speaks during a meeting to discuss sexual assault in the military in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Barack Obama speaks during a meeting with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, left, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and the service secretaries, service chiefs, and senior enlisted advisers to discuss sexual assault in the military in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, meets with President Barack Obama and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, as well as the service secretaries, service chiefs, and senior enlisted advisers to discuss sexual assault in the military in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff speaks during his lecture at Joint Staff College in Tokyo, Friday, April 26, 2013. Dempsey, who is wrapping up weeklong visit to Asia that included South Korea and China, reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the U.S.-Japan alliance. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is pledging to eliminate the "scourge" of sexual assault in the military while cautioning that it will take a long and sustained effort by all military members.

"There is no silver bullet to solving this problem," Obama said Thursday after meeting with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the top brass from all the military services.

"We will not stop until we've seen this scourge, from what is the greatest military in the world, eliminated," he told reporters.

Senior military officers are speaking about the problem with increasing bluntness and expressions of regret. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday called it a "crisis" in the ranks, and on Thursday the Army chief of staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, publicly acknowledged his service's efforts are "failing."

"They care about this and they are angry about it," Obama said.

"Not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be," the president said.

Those summoned to the White House by Obama included not just Hagel, Dempsey and the chiefs of each military service but also the civilian heads of each service and senior enlisted advisers.

"I heard directly from all of them that they are ashamed by some of what's happened," Obama said.

The president added that because assault victims may be more likely now to come forward with complaints, the number of reported assaults may increase in the short run.

"I then want those trend lines to start going down because that indicates that we're also starting to fix the problem and we've highlighted it, and people who are engaged in despicable behavior, they get fully punished for it," Obama said.

The problem, which has plagued the military for decades, has been thrust to the fore by recent cases, including that of an Air Force officer who headed a sexual assault prevention office but was himself arrested for sexual battery.

On Thursday, Army officials said the manager of the sexual assault response program at Fort Campbell, Ky., had been relieved of his post after his arrest in a domestic dispute with his ex-wife. The program he managed was meant to prevent sexual harassment and assault and encourage equal opportunity.

Hagel has said resolving the problem of sexual assault in the military is one of his top priorities, as did his predecessor, Leon Panetta. Hagel is expected to make public in coming days a written directive that spells out steps the Pentagon will take to retrain, rescreen and recertify those who lead the military's sexual assault prevention and response programs.

Earlier Thursday, Odierno, the Army chief, issued a public message to all soldiers in which he said the "bedrock of trust" between soldiers and their leaders has been violated by a recent string of misconduct cases.

He said the Army demonstrated competence and courage through nearly 12 years of war. "Today, however, the Army is failing in its efforts to combat sexual assault and sexual harassment," he wrote.

"It is time we take on the fight against sexual assault and sexual harassment as our primary mission," Odierno said.

Allegations of sexual assault in the military have triggered outrage from local commanders to Capitol Hill and the Oval Office. Yet there seem to be few clear solutions beyond improved training and possible adjustments in how the military prosecutes such crimes.

The Pentagon had scheduled a briefing for journalists Thursday with Hagel and Dempsey, but after the White House meeting was announced, the Pentagon news conference was postponed until Friday.

A Pentagon report last week estimated that as many as 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year, based on survey results, out of 1.4 million in the services.

That report, and a recent series of arrests and other sexual assault problems across the military, have triggered a rush of initiatives from the Pentagon and proposed legislation on Capitol Hill.

___

Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Donna Cassata contributed to this report.

___

Follow Robert Burns on Twitter: https://twitter.com/robertburnsAP

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Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-17-Military%20Sexual%20Assault/id-d7797e083ebe4835b52ecc135d586e96

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Ex-Groupon CEO Mason moving to San Francisco to start new company

By Alistair Barr

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Former Groupon Inc. Chief Executive Andrew Mason is moving to San Francisco to start a company after recently recording an album of "motivational business music," according to an update on his blog on Thursday.

"If there's a silver lining to leaving Groupon, it's the opportunity to start something new," Mason wrote. "I've accumulated a backlog of ideas over the last several years, my favorite of which I'll be turning into a new company this fall."

"As part of this, my wife and I are moving to San Francisco later this summer," he said in the blog. (http://smandrew.com/blog/2013/5/16/yf3qah4f8p7oxvehlj0ib93jol421o)

Mason said he intends to keep his Chicago-area home.

Groupon ousted Mason earlier this year after the company suffered several quarters of losses as demand for its daily deals waned and its European operations fell into disarray.

Mason said on Thursday that he will be spending a day each week at start-up incubator Y-Combinator in coming months "to keep my brain from atrophying."

Earlier this month, Mason said he recorded a seven-song album of "motivational business music" targeted at people entering the workforce, called "Hardly Workin'."

"I came to realize that there was a real need to present business wisdom in a format that is more accessible to the younger generation," Mason said.

"I'm really happy with the results and look forward to sharing them as soon as I figure out how to load music onto iTunes, hopefully in the next few weeks," he said.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr; Editing by Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-groupon-ceo-mason-moving-san-francisco-start-001302981.html

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Emotional day of testimony in Arias trial

PHOENIX (AP) ? Jurors deciding whether convicted murderer Jodi Arias will get the death penalty heard the victim's brother describe Thursday how he was hospitalized for ulcers, lost sleep and separated from his wife after his brother was killed.

Travis Alexander's younger brother Steven paused to choke back tears and regain his composure as he recounted the phone call he got from his sister the day his brother's body was found.

"She told me, 'Steven, Travis is dead,'" he said. "I thought I was dreaming."

The same jury convicted Arias of first-degree murder last week after about 15 hours of deliberations. During the trial's ongoing final penalty phase, the panel will decide whether to sentence Arias to life in prison or death for the 2008 murder of her one-time lover.

Arias cried periodically during the testimony and looked away from jurors.

"The nature of my brother's murder has had a major impact on me. It's even invaded my dreams," Steven Alexander testified. "I've had nightmares about somebody coming after me with a knife, then going after my wife and my daughter.

"I don't want these nightmares anymore. I don't want to see my brother's murderer anymore."

In opening statements, prosecutor Juan Martinez said there are no mitigating factors that should cause the jury to even consider a sentence other than death. The judge had instructed jurors that they could take into account certain things that might help them make a decision, such as Arias' lack of a prior criminal record and assertions that she was a good friend, had an abusive childhood and is a talented artist.

Martinez said none of that matters in regard to the brutal killing.

"The only appropriate sentence ... is death."

Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi opened his part by explaining to jurors that their decision ultimately would be the final one.

"Your verdict, ladies and gentleman, will determine whether or not Jodi Arias spends the rest of her life in prison or if she is sentenced to be executed," Nurmi said.

He then told the panel they would later hear directly from Arias.

"When you understand who Ms. Arias is, you will understand that life is the appropriate sentence," Nurmi said.

Alexander's sister Samantha later described for the panel how their grandmother, who raised the victim, saw her health fail after the killing and died around the time of jury selection.

"Travis was the glue in our family," Samantha Alexander said. She also recalled her brother's charisma, sense of humor, insight and "huge smile."

"Travis was our strength, our beacon of hope, our motivation," she said through tears. "Our lives will never be the same. ... We would give anything to have him back."

Steven Alexander recalled seeing his brother for the last time over the Christmas holiday in 2007. "Now when I want to talk to or see my brother, I have to go to a ... 6-foot-deep hole in the ground," he said.

The trial was inexplicably delayed Thursday afternoon after the judge and attorneys met privately. It is set to resume Monday morning when other witnesses will include Arias' friends and an ex-boyfriend who lived with her for several years in California.

Earlier this week, Arias' attorneys asked to be allowed to step down from the case, but a judge denied the request.

Details about the motion were sealed, but legal experts said Arias complicated efforts for her defense when she gave an interview to Fox affiliate KSAZ minutes after her conviction, saying she preferred death over life in prison.

"I believe death is the ultimate freedom, and I'd rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it," Arias said.

The interview prompted the judge to issue an order that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office allow no more interviews with Arias. Less than a week later, on Thursday, Sheriff Joe Arpaio gave reporters a tour of Arias' cinderblock jail cell. The messy cell had a mattress on a lower bunk and the upper bunk was cluttered with files and papers.

Los Angeles-area criminal defense lawyer Mark Geragos said Arias' attorneys have a conflict of interest with their efforts to keep their client off death row and Arias' assertion that she'd rather die for her crime.

"It's not highly unusual," he said. "There are cases where defendants make decisions that they're better off on death row, but that puts the lawyer in a conflicted position. You've got a duty as a lawyer to bring the conflict of interest to the courts and disclose it."

Added Phoenix criminal defense lawyer Julio Laboy: "It would be something I would do in my major felony cases if I found that a client was actually working against me and not working with her defense."

Arias cannot choose the death penalty. It's up to the jury to determine a sentence. Her attorneys' motion to withdraw will have no impact on the penalty phase of the trial given jurors are not privy to the filing, and not even media have the details due to a court order sealing all such proceedings.

Arias, 32, acknowledged killing Alexander at his suburban Phoenix home after a day of sex on June 4, 2008. She initially denied any involvement and later blamed the attack on masked intruders. Two years after her arrest, Arias said she killed Alexander in self-defense.

The victim suffered nearly 30 knife wounds, had his throat slit from ear to ear and was shot in the forehead. Prosecutors say the attack was fueled by jealous rage after Alexander wanted to end his affair with Arias and prepared to take a trip to Mexico with another woman.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/emotional-day-testimony-arias-trial-004642505.html

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23 dead in initiation rites in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Twenty-three youths have died in the past nine days at initiation ceremonies that include circumcisions and survival tests, South African police said Friday.

Police have opened 22 murder cases in the deaths in the northeastern province of Mpumalanga, according to spokesman Lt. Col. Leonard Hlathi. He said an inquest is being held into the 23rd death, of a youth who complained of stomach pains and vomited.

Initiation ceremonies are common in South Africa, where youths partake in various activities as a rite of passage into adulthood, usually over the course of three weeks. Some 30,000 youths signed up for initiation this year.

In addition to being circumcised, the boys and young men are put through a series of survival tests which sometimes include exposure to South Africa's chilly winter conditions with skimpy clothing. Their faces are painted with red clay and they also are given herbal concoctions to drink.

Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected president of South Africa, described the experience in his autobiography as "a kind of spiritual preparation for the trials of manhood."

Hlathi said that all the deaths occurred at government-registered initiation sites where medical practitioners usually are present. The government became involved to prevent such unnecessary deaths.

Mathibela Mokoena, chairman of the House of Traditional Leaders in Mpumalanga, says the Department of Health was alerted before the initiation ceremonies began, but only showed up after the first few deaths were reported. He said the department has now agreed to have officials present for the remainder of the ceremony.

Popo Maja, head of communications at the Health Dpartment, said: "We would want to find out why they were done without the supervision of medical personnel.

The deaths are the highest recorded in Mpumalanga, surpassing the previous highest toll of eight some years ago, Mokoena said. He said early investigation by the House of Traditional Leaders showed some schools were negligent, leaving the youths in the care of young men instead of experienced adults.

Mokoena said some of the initiates were not in ideal health when they enrolled. He said new legislation is being introduced outlining procedures to be followed, and including a punishment of a life ban for those found negligent.

The suspected causes of the deaths were not released pending the results of post-mortems. Most deaths in the past have been caused by infection and loss of blood after circumcision.

Government spokeswoman Phumla Williams said the government is sending condolences to the families and urged creation of "better and safe initiation schools that will ensure the safe passage of young initiates to manhood and prevent the unfortunate loss of lives."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/23-dead-initiation-rites-south-africa-131938573.html

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Former NBA union head files suit against Fisher

Ousted NBA players' association executive director Billy Hunter alleges in a lawsuit that president Derek Fisher had a secret deal with owners during the 2011 lockout that benefited himself, his publicist and certain players.

Hunter contends that Fisher undermined Hunter's efforts to make an agreement and interfered with his position by secretly negotiating with select owners in violation of union bylaws.

Filed Thursday in California Superior Court, the suit seeks unspecified damages for defamation and breach of contract. It also names the National Basketball Players Association and Jamie Wior, Fisher's publicist, and says Fisher and Wior worked after the lockout ended "to terminate his employment without cause and in violation of his contract."

"Wior harbored aspirations to assume a position of responsibility with the NBPA," the suit says. "She set out to craft a new public persona for Fisher, taking control of his media appearances and public statements and encouraging him to overreach his authority."

Hunter was ousted in February following an investigation into his business practices that found no illegal conduct but cited several conflicts of interest, questionable business decisions and hiring practices. Fisher finished the season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"It's unfortunate that I must take this action against an organization where I had the privilege of working with many dedicated associates over 17 years," Hunter said in a statement. "I'm proud of our record of achievement on behalf of players during my tenure as Executive Director and will continue to stand up for their interests. But I cannot let stand attacks on my character or accept what has been done."

The suit says owners were aided by Fisher when they locked out players in July 2011 after the expiration of the last collective bargaining agreement. It says the veteran guard realized he could have been on his last contract as a player, so he wanted to secure a "soft landing" after his career by keeping good relations with the league and team owners, even while Hunter was committed to a firm stance.

"Unbeknownst to Hunter, however, Fisher was secretly negotiating with the Certain Owners ? on his own and without any authority ? to settle the negotiations on terms less favorable to the players," the suit says.

"The NBPA's Constitution and By-Laws vest in Hunter the sole right to conduct collective bargaining negotiations on behalf of the Union. Fisher's interference in the negotiations exceeded his authority and undermined the Union's negotiating power. Wior's interference was completely without authority or basis. Ultimately, the players accepted a new CBA that left them with a greatly reduced share of the NBA's revenues."

The lockout ended in November 2011 with players' receiving a 50-50 split of basketball-related income, after they were guaranteed 57 percent in the previous deal. The relationship between Hunter and Fisher at times seemed strained, with Fisher often speaking to reporters alone after bargaining sessions while Hunter left quickly.

Fisher said he had just learned of the lawsuit before meeting with reporters in Oklahoma City and didn't want to comment.

"Obviously in any type of legal situation, you have to be very careful about what you say. So, I guess at the appropriate time I'll be able to respond or make a statement," he said.

Wior and a union official didn't immediately return messages.

Hunter led the union since 1996 before he was voted out during the All-Star break with more than $10.5 million left on his contract.

___

AP Sports Writer Jeff Latzke in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-16-BKN-NPBA-Lawsuit/id-6d707936045242488e7a9d1aabb4b274

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