Phoenix, Las Vegas bake in scorching heat

PHOENIX (AP) ? A blazing heat wave expected to send the mercury soaring to nearly 120 degrees in Phoenix and Las Vegas over the weekend settled across the West on Friday, threatening to ground airliners and raising fears that pets will get burned on the scalding pavement.

The heat was so punishing that rangers took up positions at trailheads at Lake Mead in Nevada to persuade people not to hike. Zookeepers in Phoenix hosed down the elephants and fed tigers frozen fish snacks. And tourists at California's Death Valley took photos of the harsh landscape and a thermometer that read 121.

The mercury there was expected to reach nearly 130 through the weekend ? just short of the 134-degree reading from a century ago that stands as the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

"You have to take a picture of something like this. Otherwise no one will believe you," said Laura McAlpine, visiting Death Valley from Scotland on Friday.

The heat is not expected to break until Monday or Tuesday.

The scorching weather presented problems for airlines because high temperatures can make it more difficult for planes to take off. Hot air reduces lift and also can diminish engine performance. Planes taking off in the heat may need longer runways or may have to shed weight by carrying less fuel or cargo.

Smaller jets and propeller planes are more likely to be affected than bigger airliners that are better equipped for extreme temperatures.

However, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport officials reported no such heat-related problems with any flights by Friday evening.

The National Weather Service said Phoenix reached 116 on Friday, two degrees short of the expected high, in part because of a light layer of smoke from wildfires in neighboring New Mexico that shielded the blazing sun. Las Vegas still was expecting near record highs over the weekend approaching 116 degrees while Phoenix was forecast to hit nearly 120. The record in Phoenix is 122.

Temperatures are also expected to soar across Utah and into Wyoming and Idaho, with triple-digit heat forecast for the Boise area. Cities in Washington state that are better known for cool, rainy weather should break the 90s next week.

"This is the hottest time of the year, but the temperatures that we'll be looking at for Friday through Sunday, they'll be toward the top," said National Weather Service meteorologist Mark O'Malley. "It's going to be baking hot across much of the entire West."

The heat is the result of a high-pressure system brought on by a shift in the jet stream, the high-altitude air current that dictates weather patterns. The jet stream has been more erratic in the past few years.

Health officials warned people to be extremely careful when venturing outdoors. The risks include not only dehydration and heat stroke but burns from the concrete and asphalt. Dogs can suffer burns and blisters on their paws by walking on scorching pavement.

"You will see people who go out walking with their dog at noon or in the middle of the day and don't bring enough water and it gets tragic pretty quickly," said Bretta Nelson, spokeswoman for the Arizona Humane Society. "You just don't want to find out the hard way."

Cooling stations were set up to shelter the homeless as well as elderly people who can't afford to run their air conditioners. In Phoenix, Joe Arpaio, the famously hard-nosed sheriff who runs a tent jail, planned to distribute ice cream and cold towels to inmates this weekend.

Officials said personnel were added to the Border Patrol search-and-rescue unit because of the danger to people trying to slip across the Mexican border. At least seven people have been found dead in the last week in Arizona after falling victim to the brutal desert heat.

In June 1990, when Phoenix hit 122 degrees, airlines were forced to cease flights for several hours because of a lack of data from the manufacturers on how the aircraft would operate in such extreme heat.

US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher said the airline now knows that its Boeings can fly at up to 126 degrees, and its Airbus fleet can operate at up to 127.

While the heat in Las Vegas is expected to peak on Sunday, it's unlikely to sideline the first round of the four-week Bikini Invitational tournament.

"I feel sorry for those poor girls having to strut themselves in 115 degrees, but there's $100,000 up for grabs," said Hard Rock casino spokeswoman Abigail Miller. "I think the girls are willing to make the sacrifice."

___

Carlson contributed in Death Valley, Calif. Also contributing were Robert Jablon in Los Angeles, Julie Jacobson and Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas, Michelle Price in Salt Lake City, Cristina Silva and Bob Christie in Phoenix and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/phoenix-las-vegas-bake-scorching-heat-202602575.html

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Fears of unrest in Egypt as mass protests pit neighbor against neighbor

As Egypt approaches a weekend of confrontation, the divide between those who love and those who despise President Mohammed Morsi and his pro-Islamist government is wider than ever. NBC's Charlene Gubash reports.

By Charlene Gubash and Alastair Jamieson, NBC News

Egypt risks sliding into civil war, the country?s leading religious authority warned Friday, as the nation braced itself for mass nationwide protests.

Organizers of ?June 30? demonstrations -- which mark one year since Islamist President Mohammed Morsi's election -- claim they have the backing of an estimated 15 million Egyptians who want him to resign.

?Only God knows what will happen [on Sunday],? said Gamal Abdul Aziz, a pro-Morsi car mechanic in Madba?a, a blue-collar district in Cairo.

NBC News

Gamal Abdul Aziz, left, a pro-Morsi car mechanic, argues with anti-Morsi computer science student Mohamed Abdul Munim, right, while being interviewed this week.

Building on discontent about a range of social and economic issues, Morsi?s opponents hope to force early presidential elections.

His supporters, meanwhile, have promised they will also take to the streets to defend the Muslim Brotherhood-backed government.

?Vigilance is required to ensure we do not slide into civil war,? clerics of the Al-Azhar institute said in a statement broadly supportive of Morsi, Reuters reported.

It blamed ?criminal gangs? who besieged mosques for street violence which the Brotherhood said has killed five of its supporters in a week.

There were ominous signs on Friday. A Health Ministry source told Reuters that at least 36 people were wounded when hundreds scuffled outside a local office of the Muslim Brotherhood.

A Reuters reporter saw about a dozen men break off from an anti-Morsi march on the seafront to throw rocks at the building's guards. They responded and bricks and bottles flew. Gunshots were also heard.

In an example of just how polarized the debate over Egypt?s future has become, Aziz and his family became embroiled in a shouting match with a nearby resident, anti-Morsi computer science student Mohamed Abdul Munim, 23, while being interviewed this week.

Amr Nabil / AP

Egyptian drivers wait outside in long lines at a gasoline station in Cairo on Tuesday.

The argument, which took place after NBC News filmed a political discussion between the two, ended when Munim stormed off.

The dispute and recent violence -- one man was shot dead and four wounded in an attack on a Muslim Brotherhood office on Thursday -- was an ill omen for Sunday?s marches that will be held a year to the day after Morsi became Egypt's first freely elected leader.

The country's powerful army, which helped protesters topple Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian regime in 2011, has reinforced its presence in cities like Cairo and Port Said.

Munim said he believed ?most? of Egypt?s registered 50 million voters will be out on the streets, supporting one side or the other.

?We are sure that we will go out and get beaten up by the [Muslim] Brotherhood [but] we are going out despite this," he said. ?There is no security, there is economic collapse, the electricity cuts off and everybody is suffering. They will say Morsi is not at fault, but electricity didn?t cut off when the military governed.?

Aziz, meanwhile, said his life had improved under Morsi, and accused the mostly-secular opposition of ?waging a war against Islam.?

?Can you build a house in a day? No, it takes time. What can a president do in one year when a country is in ruins? The old [Mubarak] regime stole the country and left it destroyed.?

In a sign of the nervousness many felt, Egyptians were stocking up on food, fuel, water and cash in the days leading up the protests.

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart took his satire to Cairo Friday, appearing on a show hosted by the man known as "Egypt's Jon Stewart" and who has faced investigation for insulting the country's president and Islam. "If your regime is not strong enough to handle a joke then you don't have a regime," said Stewart. TODAY's Jenna Wolfe reports.

Morsi?s supporters claim the demonstration? organized?by an opposition umbrella group named "Tamarod," meaning "Rebel"?? is setting the stage for a repeat of the 2011 Arab Spring revolution.

Mahmoud Badr, a 28-year-old journalist and founder of the Tamarod movement, dismissed a televised speech by Morsi on Wednesday night in which the president appealed for calm.

"Our demand was early presidential elections and since that was not addressed anywhere in the speech then our response will be on the streets on [Sunday]," he told the?English-language Egypt Independent news site.?

The U.S.?Embassy announced Tuesday it would be closing its doors for the day of the demonstrations, but added that ?potentially violent protest activity may occur before June 30,? and urged U.S. citizens to ?maintain a low profile? from Friday onwards.

Underscoring fears of violence, defenders of Morsi on Tuesday revealed plans to form vigilante groups to protect public buildings from opposition demonstrations, the Egypt Independent reported, quoting Safwat Abdel Ghany, a member of Islamic umbrella organization Jama'a al-Islamiya.?

?If chaos sweeps across the country, Islamist groups will secure state institutions and vital facilities against robbery by thugs and advocates of violence," he was quoted as saying.

Members of Tamarod were so confident that they?would force Morsi from power that the organization set out a constitutional ?road map? that it said would take Egypt forward without a president until new elections.

Eric Trager, fellow at the Washington Institute think tank, said this week that battle lines were drawn between ?an enraged opposition? and ?an utterly incapable, confrontational ruling party that now counts some of Egypt's most violent political elements as its core supporters.?

?Rising food prices, hours-long fuel lines, and multiple-times-daily electricity cuts -- all worsening amidst a typically scorching Egyptian summer -- have set many Egyptians on edge, with clashes between Brotherhood and anti-Brotherhood activists now a common feature of Egyptian political life," he said.

?Whatever happens on [Sunday], it can't end well,? he added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

This story was originally published on Fri Jun 28, 2013 5:30 AM EDT

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"Game Consoles" Are the Final Key to Digital Domination - Gizmodo

Google might be building a game console, rumors say. Apple too. Actually, everyone's building game consoles. It's just, they aren't game consoles, exactly. They're puzzle pieces.

Game consoles have historically been their own little colony off to the side of technology. For a while that's because they were seen mainly as an expensive kids' toy, and later because they weren't germane to the music sales or laptops or iPods battles of the time. Now, though, as we're digitizing everything in our lives, that TV-connected box in the middle of every family's living room is suddenly looking pretty important.

Google, Apple, and Microsoft want to be your one-stop digital shop. All three have a desktop OS and a mobile OS. All three are making their own hardware now. They all have stores where you can buy movies and music, and they all have their own music streaming service. They are all branching out, increasingly, into more and more parts of your life. Apple's in your car. Google's on your face. Microsoft is already in your living room. But their offerings are too spread out, too fragmented.

The ultimate for all of these companies, and for you, is One Device. You have one thing?probably your phone, ultimately?and that one thing will do everything for you. It'll control your music system and TV, and it will shepherd all your messages and access all of your photos and movies. It will also probably play your video games.

We're not there yet, but we're close. And Apple and Google's inevitable game-playing, little black living room boxes could be what finally gets us there.

State of Play

Microsoft understood that a gaming console could be a valuable Trojan horse into your living room. Or at least, it was in the best position to act on the idea, with the Xbox 360. The Xbox One is a "real" console, in that it fits into the traditional mold of what a gaming console "should be," while also being a portal into a world of movies, music, social, and more. But that also hamstrings Microsoft in a way, as it tries to leverage a box it knows will be in millions of homes into the broader technological landscape. Also, it's hard to compete if your everything-machine costs $500 and the next guy's is a fraction of that.

Google, meanwhile, has had zero luck getting an Android streaming box off the ground. Third-party stuff has mostly fallen flat, the Nexus Q never shipped, and Google TV-enabled television sets have been punchlines for years now. Even the Ouya, a wonderful little idea, met fairly withering reviews. Google-branded hardware, on the other hand, is generally awesome, and inexpensive. So while it's playing from behind somewhat, it'll be ready to make a serious impact.

Apple seems like it would be in the best position to create an all-in-one gaming box, with the popular and inexpensive Apple TV already running a modified version of iOS. It has a history of games being profitable for developers on iOS. It's already got AirPlay speakers in many homes, and if Siri improves to the point it could power voice commands like a Kinect, you'd have a compelling case for the living room.

What would make an Google or Apple "console" so formidable is that it wouldn't have to beat the Xbox or PS4. They wouldn't even have to compete directly. (Though, if you think both companies wouldn't shell out big bucks for a few prime exclusives, you're nuts.) It would just have to exist. It would tread water, attracting developers steadily into ecosystems that have proven to be profitable, and wait for the technology powering it to catch up with the technology powering Microsoft and Sony's heavy hitters.

The entire tech industry is trending this way. Intel has spent the past several years powering itself down to be able to make chips that are efficient enough to be in phones, but still powerful enough to display newer and better graphics. This year's kind of amazing Haswell chips and their 12-15-hour laptop battery life are born form that. Meanwhile, Qualcomm, AMD, Samsung, Nvidia, and, lately, Apple, are pushing SoC chips (which you find in tablets and phones) higher and higher up the graphical food chain. The Tegra 4 already runs fairly current games fluidly. And while it might gets its brains bashed in by this next generation of consoles, are you sure that's going to be the case four years from now? Or five or six? Sometime this generation, mobile processors will pass the consoles, again, and everyone will look around and ask each other, Wait, why don't we just put this on Android?

Good Enough

The other advantage the underpowered consoles of the future will have? The point of Good Enough. Every time you shift away from one standard for another, there's resistance until you hit the point that the new thing is good enough at whatever it's replacing for all its benefits to shine through. Look at the MacBook Air. It was an idiotic product in 2008. It was small and beautiful for its time, but it was underpowered and overpriced. Then, in 2010, it got a makeover and some new flash-based guts and a chipset update. Its parts still weren't current, but the Core 2 Duo was good enough to get the job done for most people doing everyday computer tasks. Three years later, ultrabooks and MacBook Airs are the dominant form of laptop.

This happens all over technology. We're approaching that point with mirrorless cameras versus entry or even midlevel DSLRs. We reached it with digital cameras themselves with the Canon G1 or the Nikon Coolpix 990 (or maybe the D1 or 1DS). The Tesla might be what finally gets us there with electric cars. The point is, there will always be a tradeoff, but there is always a point where you can decide the step backward you're taking in one respect doesn't offset the steps ahead you're making elsewhere.

For a Google or Apple gaming system?or more accurately, platform?those gains would be significant. You'd get infinite backwards compatibility, refined distribution systems, and total integration to all of your media. More importantly, though, you'd still have mostly acceptible graphics (and with the right art direction, beautiful, even), and all the room for innovative gameplay, story, and creativity that you've seen in games for decades.

That won't be what we see at the start, of course. When and if Apple and Google pull the trigger, they'd probably be more like upscale Ouyas. That's OK, though. We can wait for the future, as long as we know it's coming.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/game-consoles-are-the-final-key-to-digital-domination-611978365

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Netflix Max hands-on: Jellyvision's take on your movie queue

Being a Netflix subscriber is almost like being cursed -- sure, you have access to untold troves of streaming TV shows and films, but how do you choose what to watch? The burden of choice weighs heavily on the indecisive Netflix user, trapping them in a labyrinth of enticing categories, familiar recommendations and episode backlogs. Admit it, you don't know jack about picking out a good flick, which is exactly why Netflix created Max, a comedic recommendation engine that gamifies movie night with quick choices, mini games and quirky humor.

Netflix Vice President of Product Innovation Todd Yellin caught up with us at E3 earlier this month to give us a brief demo of the upcoming feature. Yellin parked us in front of a PS3 to demonstrate, pointing out that our screen's topmost category had been replaced by a larger banner. "My mother wanted me to be a lawyer," the Play Max prompt reads. "But my dream is to help you find great stuff to watch." Quirky. Yellin tells us that this is one of several boiler plates the streaming menu provides to lure users into trying Max. A cheeky button beneath the dialogue encourage us to "live our dreams" and give the content recommendation game a spin. Sure, why not?

Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software, HD, Sony

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/1bFrnjPXuGU/

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Google Play Movies gets a new look, drives another nail in Nexus Q's coffin

Google Movies & TV today got visual refresh that also takes away another third of the functionality of the already defunct Nexus Q.

First, the important stuff: The app got a new layout and design that brings it more in line with Google's other apps, borrowing from the likes of Gmail and Google Play. The new navigation drawer is your portal to "Watch Now," which tries to predict what you'll want to see next, along with "My Movies," "My TV Shows" and "Shop," which takes you to Google Play. There's a shortcut in the overflow menu that'll take you to videos that you've shot with your phone or tablet, which is nice.

And now, the slightly disappointing part.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/3lxy8km8QQQ/story01.htm

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Wall Street Fundamentals Releases New In-Depth Stock Reports on CLNE, CMI, FSYS and WPRT

Interest in Natural Gas vehicles has continued to grow rapidly. According to a recent report from Navigant Research the number of NGVs on the road will grow to 34.9 million by 2020, a sharp rise from the 18.2 million vehicles estimated to be on the road in 2013. ?Today, growth in the market is being fueled less by negative external events and more by positive industry developments, such as increased vehicle availability, a stronger focus on the largest users of fuel in new regions, and a greater openness to alternative fuel vehicles on the part of motorists and fleet operators.? says Dave Hurst, principal research analyst with Navigant Research.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ:CLNE - News) shares traded in the range of $12.70 to $13.47 Thursday before settling to close at $13.29, an increase of 4.65 percent. The stock appears to be facing resistance at the $13.37 and $13.60 levels with some support at $13.13. Shares of Clean Energy Fuels have gained approximately 6.75 percent in 2013.

More information on Clean Energy Fuels and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/CLNE

Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI - News) shares traded in the range of $107.91 to $108.98 Thursday before settling to close at $108.51, an increase of 1.07 percent. The stock appears to be facing resistance at the $109.08 and $109.95 levels with some support at $106.02. Shares of Cummins have gained approximately 20.0 percent in the past year.

More information on Cummins and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/CMI

Fuel Systems Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSYS - News) shares traded in the range of $16.24 to $17.84 Thursday before settling to close at $17.60 a share, an increase of 6.73 percent. The stock appears to be some facing resistance at $18.05 with some support at the $17.16 and $16.43 levels. Shares of Fuel Systems Solutions have gained approximately 19.6 percent in 2013.

More information on Fuel Systems Solutions and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/FSYS

Westport Innovations Inc. (NASDAQ:WPRT - News)(TSX:WPT.TO - News) shares traded in the range of $30.61 to $33.75 Thursday before settling to close at $33.44, an increase of 9.32 percent. The stock appears to have some support at the $31.80 and $31.64 levels. Shares of Westport Innovations have gained approximately 25.2 percent in 2013.

More information on Westport Innovations and access to the free equity report can be found at:
www.WallStreetFundamentals.com/WPRT

Wall Street Fundamentals offers our members a full range of investor services including in-depth equity reports on your favorite companies and timely market updates featuring the hottest stocks trending in the marketplace.

Activate your always free membership by signing up at www.WallStreetFundamentals.com today.

Disclaimer: Information, opinions and analysis contained herein are based on sources believed to be reliable, but no representation, expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, completeness or correctness. The opinions contained herein reflect our current judgment and are subject to change without notice. We accept no liability for any losses arising from an investor's reliance on or use of this report. This report is for information purposes only, and is neither a solicitation to buy nor an offer to sell securities. Certain information included herein is forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements concerning manufacturing, marketing, growth, and expansion. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could affect actual results and cause them to differ materially from expectations expressed herein. Wall Street Fundamentals has no financial relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this release.

Contact:
Wall Street Fundamentals
Website: www.WallStreetFundamentals.com
Email: editor@wallstreetfundamentals.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-fundamentals-releases-depth-stock-reports-clne-123000314.html

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Two-headed turtle hatches at San Antonio zoo

Thelma and Louise, a two-headed Texas cooter turtle, is seen in an undated photo provided by the San Antonio Zoo. Zoo officials on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 said the Texas cooter was born June 18. The turtle was one of several Texas cooters born this month at the zoo but the only one with two heads. The unusual turtle will go on display Thursday at the zoo's Friedrich Aquarium. (AP Photo/San Antonio Zoo)

Thelma and Louise, a two-headed Texas cooter turtle, is seen in an undated photo provided by the San Antonio Zoo. Zoo officials on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 said the Texas cooter was born June 18. The turtle was one of several Texas cooters born this month at the zoo but the only one with two heads. The unusual turtle will go on display Thursday at the zoo's Friedrich Aquarium. (AP Photo/San Antonio Zoo)

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ? A two-headed turtle has hatched at the San Antonio Zoo and officials have named her Thelma and Louise.

The female Texas cooter arrived June 18 and will go on display Thursday at the zoo's Friedrich Aquarium.

Zoo spokeswoman Debbie Rios-Vanskike (van SKYKE') said Wednesday that the two-headed turtle appears healthy and is able to swim and walk. She says experts at the zoo don't foresee any health issues for Thelma and Louise, named for the female duo in the 1991 Oscar-winning road movie of the same name.

The San Antonio Zoo is no stranger to two-headed reptiles. The facility was home to a two-headed Texas rat snake named Janus from 1978 until the creature's death to 1995.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-06-27-Two-Headed%20Turtle/id-186f6d5d4fce4bb5994a6ac6112fe745

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First transiting planets in a star cluster discovered

June 26, 2013 ? All stars begin their lives in groups. Most stars, including our Sun, are born in small, benign groups that quickly fall apart. Others form in huge, dense swarms that survive for billions of years as stellar clusters. Within such rich and dense clusters, stars jostle for room with thousands of neighbors while strong radiation and harsh stellar winds scour interstellar space, stripping planet-forming materials from nearby stars.

It would thus seem an unlikely place to find alien worlds. Yet 3,000 light-years from Earth, in the star cluster NGC 6811, astronomers have found two planets smaller than Neptune orbiting Sun-like stars. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, shows that planets can develop even in crowded clusters jam-packed with stars.

"Old clusters represent a stellar environment much different than the birthplace of the Sun and other planet-hosting field stars," says lead author Soren Meibom of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). "And we thought maybe planets couldn't easily form and survive in the stressful environments of dense clusters, in part because for a long time we couldn't find them."

The two new alien worlds appeared in data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft. Kepler hunts for planets that transit, or cross in front of, their host stars. During a transit, the star dims by an amount that depends on the size of the planet, allowing the size to be determined. Kepler-66b and Kepler-67b are both less than three times the size of Earth, or about three-fourths the size of Neptune (mini-Neptunes).

Of the more than 850 known planets beyond our solar system, only four -- all similar to or greater than Jupiter in mass -- were found in clusters. Kepler-66b and -67b are the smallest planets to be found in a star cluster, and the first cluster planets seen to transit their host stars, which enables the measurement of their sizes.

Meibom and his colleagues have measured the age of NGC 6811 to be one billion years. Kepler-66b and Kepler-67b therefore join a small group of planets with precisely determined ages, distances, and sizes.

Considering the number of stars observed by Kepler in NGC 6811, the detection of two such planets implies that the frequency and properties of planets in open clusters are consistent with those of planets around field stars (stars not within a cluster or association) in the Milky Way galaxy.

"These planets are cosmic extremophiles," says Meibom. "Finding them shows that small planets can form and survive for at least a billion years, even in a chaotic and hostile environment."

Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is a joint collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA scientists, organized into six research divisions, study the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the universe.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/5eF7JMT5IhA/130626162816.htm

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Travis Scott Sets It Straight: 'I'm Not Hip-Hop'

'I don't like categories. I'm an artist,' Scott tells MTV News
By Nadeska Alexis

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1709582/travis-scott-hip-hop.jhtml

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Good Reads: From a bold vision for China to cyberwarfare to Norwegian fishing

This week's round-up of Good Reads includes China's desire to become the world's main superpower, Edward Snowden's confessional video, the ease of making cyberweapons, eradicating global poverty, and the demise of Norwegian fishermen.

By Allison Terry,?Correspondent / June 26, 2013

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits with President Obama in California.

Evan Vucci/AP

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China's Worldview

China?s new president, Xi Jinping, has a bold vision for his country, inspired by its ancient prestige. In Time magazine, Hannah Beech describes how Mr. Xi intends for China to match US military capabilities, becoming the strongest country economically, politically, and culturally.

Skip to next paragraph Allison Terry

Correspondent

Allison Terry works on the national news desk for the Christian Science Monitor. She also contributes to the culture section and Global News blog.

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This ?China Dream,? depending on how Xi shapes his tenure as president, could lead to shifts in international dynamics. ?How China sees the world matters because Chinese aspirations, tastes and fears will shape the lives of billions of people across the globe. Indeed ... China ? and its worldview ? may once again dictate the narrative of our age,? Ms. Beech writes.

But despite its desire to become the world?s main superpower, China must deal with internal issues first, Beech writes. Chief among these is stanching the exodus of the country?s elite ? 150,000 Chinese received permanent residency abroad in 2011. ?When a nation?s elite is ready to bolt at a moment?s notice, it says much about the regime?s lack of legitimacy and its staying power,? David Shambaugh, a China scholar, told Beech.

Hero or traitor?

In a carefully executed leak, former National Security Administration contractor Edward Snowden unveiled documents showing how US government programs mine communication data including people?s e-mails, Facebook posts, and even Skype chats. Digital surveillance is not new, especially during this era of heightened national security awareness. Gathering electronic information is legal under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, but Mr. Snowden said the government is redefining what is constitutional, creating ?architecture of oppression.?

In an identity-revealing video interview with Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian, Mr. Snowden explained why people should be worried about the government?s actions.?

?Even if you are not doing anything wrong, you are being watched and recorded. And the storage capabilities of these systems increases every year, consistently by orders of magnitude,? Snowden said, adding that just a wrong call could raise suspicion. ?Then they can use the system to go back in time and scrutinize every decision you?ve ever made, every friend you?ve ever discussed something with, and attack you on that basis to sort of derive suspicion from an innocent life and paint anyone in the context of a wrongdoer.?

The fallout of his actions is not yet known as the United States arranges to press charges against the whistle-blower. Whether he is a hero or a traitor depends on how one weighs the balance between civil liberties and national security.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/LvyQAB0oOes/Good-Reads-From-a-bold-vision-for-China-to-cyberwarfare-to-Norwegian-fishing

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House Spent About $2M of Taxpayers' Money on Coffee, Pastries

The Sunlight Foundation found that the House of Representatives spent nearly $2 million on coffee and food in 2012??

Most Americans start their day with at least one cup of coffee, maybe paying $2 to $5, but many might be surprised to know they also treat their members of Congress to some joe and a bagel or two, as well.

The Sunlight Foundation, a watchdog group advocating for government transparency, crunched the numbers for ABC News and found that the House of Representatives spent nearly $2 million on coffee and food in 2012 for events in and around the Capitol.

"Congress is spending an awful lot of money to entertain their members," said Bill Allison, the foundation's editorial director. "[It's] coffee and doughnuts and then some very nice catering places in Washington, D.C., as well."

The money is part of lawmakers' representational allowances, which can be used to pay for everything from sending mail to constituents to entertaining visitors. The foundation did not know who the visitors were.

Although lawmakers were paring back, Allison said, they hadn't changed certain rules when it came to food and drink.

"Catering companies can get as much business from the House as they have in the past," he said.

The Sunlight Foundation found that expensive catering was truly a bipartisan effort, with leaders hosting their own members. Republican House Speaker John Boehner spent $64,000. Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi spent $61,000. and No. 2 Democrat Steny Hoyer spent $52,000.

The biggest spender in the House was No. 3 Republican Kevin McCarthy of California. On his Facebook page, pictures of meetings include fruit, bagels, croissants and coffee.

McCarthy's 2012 grand total - $95,000, with an additional $4,000 being spent on bottled water - was enough to pay the salaries of two mid-level staffers on Capitol Hill.

"That's a couple of jobs for the average American," Allison said.

McCarthy declined an ABC News request for an interview.

When ABC News approached him as he walked down a hallway in the Capitol to ask about the nearly $100,000 spent to cater meetings and dinner, he responded: "You noticed. We cut it out."

Actually, what ABC News noticed were the leftovers from a meeting McCarthy had just attended. A staffer even offered a bagel.

While McCarthy said he was making cuts, his office did not provide any numbers.

Allison said Americans should ask their leaders to buy their own coffee and pastries.

"We are in an age of austerity and sequestration and budget cuts," Allison said. "It seems like if you are looking for places to cut, the entertainment budget would be the first one you would go to."

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-spent-2m-taxpayers-money-coffee-pastries-234433803--abc-news-politics.html

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Obama hit by Snowden setbacks with China, Russia

Aeroflot flight SU150 sits at the tarmac of the Jose Marti international airport after arriving from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, Monday, June 24, 2013. Confusion over the whereabouts of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden grew on Monday after SU150 Aeroflot flight filled with journalists trying to track him down flew from Moscow to Cuba with the empty seat booked in his name.(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Aeroflot flight SU150 sits at the tarmac of the Jose Marti international airport after arriving from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, Monday, June 24, 2013. Confusion over the whereabouts of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden grew on Monday after SU150 Aeroflot flight filled with journalists trying to track him down flew from Moscow to Cuba with the empty seat booked in his name.(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Aeroflot flight SU150 sits at the tarmac of the Jose Marti international airport after arriving from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, Monday, June 24, 2013. Confusion over the whereabouts of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden grew on Monday after SU150 Aeroflot flight filled with journalists trying to track him down flew from Moscow to Cuba with the empty seat booked in his name. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

White House press secretary Jay Carney pauses during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, June 24, 2013. Carney said the U.S. assumes that Edward Snowden is now in Russia and that the White House now expects Russian authorities to look at all the options available to them to expel Snowden to face charges in the U.S. for releasing secret surveillance information . (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Graphic shows the geographical career path and recent travels of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden; 3c x 5 inches; 146 mm x 127 mm;

WASHINGTON (AP) ? For President Barack Obama, National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden's globe-trotting evasion of U.S. authorities has dealt a startling setback to efforts to strengthen ties with China and raised the prospect of worsening tensions with Russia.

Indeed, Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday called U.S. demands for Snowden's extradition "ungrounded and unacceptable."

Relations with both China and Russia have been at the forefront of Obama's foreign policy agenda this month, underscoring the intertwined interests among these uneasy partners. Obama met just last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland and held an unusual two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California earlier this month.

Obama has made no known phone calls to Xi since Snowden surfaced in Hong Kong earlier this month, nor has he talked to Putin since Snowden arrived in Russia.

Former Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., said it wasn't clear that Obama's "charm offensive" with Xi and Putin would matter much on this issue. The U.S. has "very little leverage," she said, given the broad array of issues on which the Obama administration needs Chinese and Russian cooperation.

"This isn't happening in a vacuum, and obviously China and Russia know that," said Harman, who now runs the Woodrow Wilson International Center.

Both the U.S. and China had hailed the Obama-Xi summit as a fresh start to a complex relationship, with the leaders building personal bonds during an hour-long walk through the grounds of the Sunnylands estate. But any easing of tensions appeared to vanish Monday following China's apparent flouting of U.S. demands that Snowden be returned from semi-autonomous Hong Kong to face espionage charges.

White House spokesman Jay Carney, in unusually harsh language, said China had "unquestionably" damaged its relationship with Washington.

"The Chinese have emphasized the importance of building mutual trust," Carney said. "We think that they have dealt that effort a serious setback. If we cannot count on them to honor their legal extradition obligations, then there is a problem."

A similar problem may be looming with Russia, where Snowden arrived Sunday. He had been expected to leave Moscow for a third country, but the White House said Monday it believed the former government contractor was still in Russia.

While the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, the White House publicly prodded the Kremlin to send Snowden back to the U.S., while officials privately negotiated with their Russian counterparts.

"We are expecting the Russians to examine the options available to them to expel Mr. Snowden for his return to the United States," Carney said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday bluntly rejected the U.S. request, saying Snowden hasn't crossed the Russian border. He angrily lashed out at the U.S. for warnings of negative consequences if Moscow fails to comply.

"We consider the attempts to accuse Russia of violation of U.S. laws and even some sort of conspiracy, which on top of all that are accompanied by threats, as absolutely ungrounded and unacceptable," Lavrov said.

During a stop in Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State John Kerry responded by saying the United States is not looking for a confrontation with Russia.

Speaking at a news conference in Jiddah, Kerry said that while it's true the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, Moscow should comply with common law practices between countries concerning fugitives. "I would simply appeal for calm and reasonableness," Kerry said. "We would hope that Russia would not side with someone who is 'a fugitive' from justice.' "

The U.S. has deep economic ties with China and needs the Asian power's help in persuading North Korea to end its nuclear provocations. The Obama administration also needs Russia's cooperation in ending the bloodshed in Syria and reducing nuclear stockpiles held by the former Cold War foes.

Members of Congress so far have focused their anger on China and Russia, not on Obama's inability to get either country to abide by U.S. demands. However, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said in an interview with CNN on Monday that he was starting to wonder why the president hasn't been "more forceful in dealing with foreign leaders."

Sen. John McCain, who lost to Obama in the 2008 presidential election, echoed that concern on Tuesday, telling CNN that "we've got to start dealing with Vladimir Putin for what he is."

The Arizona Republican called Putin "an old KGB colonel apparatchik" who disdains democracy and said that Putin "continues to stick his thumb in our eye."

"When you show the world you're leading from behind, these are the consequences," McCain said.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton echoed the White House's frustration with China. "That kind of action is not only detrimental to the U.S.-China relationship but it sets a bad precedent that could unravel the intricate international agreements about how countries respect the laws ? and particularly the extradition treaties," the possible 2016 presidential contender told an audience in Los Angeles.

Snowden fled to Hong Kong after seizing highly classified documents disclosing U.S. surveillance programs that collect vast amounts of U.S. phone and Internet records. He shared the information with The Guardian and Washington Post newspapers. He also told the South China Morning Post that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." SMS, or short messaging service, generally means text messaging.

Snowden still has perhaps more than 200 sensitive documents, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said over the weekend.

Hong Kong, a former British colony with a degree of autonomy from mainland China, has an extradition treaty with the U.S. Officials in Hong Kong said a formal U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with its laws, a claim the Justice Department disputes.

The White House made clear it believes the final decision to let Snowden leave for Russia was made by Chinese officials in Beijing.

Russia's ultimate response to U.S. pressure remains unclear. Putin could still agree to return Snowden to the U.S. But he may also let him stay in Russia or head elsewhere, perhaps to Ecuador or Venezuela ? both options certain to earn the ire of the White House.

Fiona Hill, a Russia expert at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said she expected Putin to take advantage of a "golden opportunity" to publicly defy the White House.

"This is one of those opportunities to score points against the United States that I would be surprised if Russia passed up," Hill said.

___

Follow Julie Pace on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-25-Obama-Snowden%20Diplomacy/id-8aa33beac8c54352890b09a9b665b990

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Obama aims to sidestep Congress with new initiatives to reduce carbon emissions

By Michael O'Brien, Political Reporter, NBC News

?

President Barack Obama will direct his administration?on Tuesday?to begin addressing the issue of climate change with executive branch actions, sidestepping a Congress that has displayed little appetite for addressing the issue. ?

Among a range of initiatives aimed at cutting carbon emissions both at home and internationally, the president will announce a directive for the Environmental Protection Agency to establish carbon emission standards for both new and existing power plants.

The speech he will deliver at Georgetown University is being billed as a major policy address by the White House on?one of the top priorities of his second term. And the administration made it clear they are more than willing to do what they can to bypass Congress.?

?I think, going back to the president?s words in the State of the Union, he made it very clear that his preference would be for Congress to act, and move comprehensive energy and climate legislation forward,? a senior administration official said in a conference call previewing the speech, explaining that Obama?s actions rely on existing executive authority. ?At this point, the president is prepared to act.?

President Obama is expected to take sweeping action on climate change Tuesday in a speech outlining his plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, among other actions. MSNBC.com's Dafna Linzer, The Root's Edward Wyckoff Williams and Mother Jones' David Corn discuss Snowden's actions and what President Obama's speech could mean for the health of our planet and the future of executive power.

But that?s not to say his actions will lack for controversy. His proposals are certain to engender stiff resistance from Republicans in Congress and the broader business community.

?I think this is absolutely crazy,? House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said last Thursday in anticipation of Obama?s announcement. ?Why would you want to increase the cost of energy and kill American jobs at a time when the American people are still asking, ?Where are the jobs???

Perhaps no proposal of Obama?s is more controversial than his anticipated directive to the EPA. Proponents of such a rule argue that the?move is essential to addressing the underlying causes of climate change; critics charge that these new rules would only result in higher energy prices for consumers, amounting to a de-facto tax on consumers.

The president?s forthcoming climate actions don?t stop at the EPA, however. Obama is also?set to outline a series of initiatives that span across the government, all with the goal of stemming the production of greenhouse gases.

?The president believes we have a moral obligation to leave our children a planet that?s not polluted,? said a senior administration official. ?It?s true that no single step can reverse the effects of climate change, but it?s important to prepare.?

Internationally, the president will call for an end to U.S. financing of new coal plants abroad that lack filters or carbon-capture technology. (An exception would be made for developing countries in which there is little alternative.) Obama will also seek a new international agreement in 2015 with a goal of establishing international emissions agreements past 2020. On a global level, Obama will also push for free-trade agreements supporting environmentally friendly goods and services.

Domestically, Obama will also announce steps to boost fuel-efficiency standards for heavy vehicles in the United States after 2018. And the president will look to improve the government?s energy efficiency, for instance by requiring federal agencies to issue reports on the effect of climate change on key sectors of the economy. Obama will also outline a climate data initiative, and direct new federal projects meet standards to withstand storm or flood risk ? a proposal that seems like a direct outgrowth of the government?s experience in dealing with the aftermath of 2012?s Hurricane Sandy and its effect on the New York and New Jersey area.

Carolyn Kaster / AP

The Capitol Dome is seen behind the Capitol Power Plant in Washington, Monday, June 24, 2013. The plant provides power to buildings in the Capitol Complex.

Obama?s speech will also be noteworthy for what it lacks: any new declaration regarding the status of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline between the United States and Canada. Republicans have forcefully pushed Obama to approve construction of the pipeline, which they argue would spur job growth in the U.S. And even some of the administration?s allies in organized labor have endorsed the project, prompting speculation within Washington that Obama could use approval of the project to buy himself political breathing room on some of his other initiatives.

But a senior administration official told reporters that the State Department-led review of the latest pipeline proposal was not yet complete, making any new pronouncement by Obama unlikely.

?The bottom line is that this proposal is not yet ready for a decision,? the official told reporters.

Taken together, Obama?s speech?on Tuesday?marks some of the most direct actions taken by his administration to address climate change, especially in the face of congressional inaction.

?This is a serious challenge, but it?s one uniquely suited to America?s strengths,? Obama said in a video released over the weekend previewing his speech.

The issue of climate change is one Obama has spoken about since well before he was elected president. But the most significant piece of climate legislation in decades ? the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade climate bill ? stalled in Congress after it narrowly won passage in the heavily Democratic House of Representatives in 2009, six months into Obama?s first term. The legislation encountered bipartisan resistance in the Senate, where it subsequently died.

This story was originally published on Tue Jun 25, 2013 6:11 AM EDT

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The Adorable Mini-Sports Car Has Gotten a Remarkable Upgrade

As you may or may not remember, a few years ago we posted photos of these incredible, half-scale sports cars that?despite being called "children's cars"?are more badass than any car any adult could ever hope to own. And although the junior cars' visionary, Nathan Redfearn, was getting ready to shut down production, the beautiful, tiny, and fully-functional cars struck a chord with so many people that they were able to keep going?much to our benefit. They're even getting an awesome new upgrade.

Read more...

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Senators push to suspend trade benefits for Bangladesh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nine U.S. senators on Tuesday urged President Barack Obama to suspend trade benefits for Bangladesh until the country where 1,129 people died in an April garment factory collapse improved its working conditions.

"We urge that the administration suspend Bangladesh's eligibility for GSP (Generalized System of Preferences), and establish a roadmap and timeline for reinstatement based upon tangible improvements in worker safety and related labor law reforms," the group of Democratic senators said.

Obama is expected to decide by the end of June whether to suspend Bangladesh from the GSP program, which waives U.S. import duties on thousands of goods from poor countries to spur economic development.

Suspending Bangladesh from the program would be mostly symbolic since the Asian nation's main export, clothing, is not eligible for GSP tariff cuts, in deference to the U.S. textile and apparel industry.

But it would be another blow to the country's reputation in the wake of the collapse in April of the Rana Plaza commercial building, which housed a number of garment factories, and the Tazreen factory fire in November that killed 112 people.

Last year, the GSP program spared Bangladesh about $2 million in duties on $35 million worth of tents, golf equipment, plates and other items it exported to the United States, said Ed Gresser, a trade analyst with the GlobalWorks Foundation.

Bangladesh paid $732 million in duties on $4.9 billion worth of clothing exports to the United States, he said.

The AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. labor organization, first filed a petition to suspend Bangladesh from the GSP in 2007.

The U.S. government has put off that decision for six years, hoping the threat would be enough to encourage Bangladesh to make labor reforms.

U.S. trade officials emphasized that suspending trade benefits was seen as "the last resort" while expressing frustration that Bangladesh had made little progress addressing longstanding U.S. concerns over its labor conditions.

"President Obama must do everything in his power to prevent tragedies like the Bangladesh factory collapse from happening again," Senator Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat said in a statement with the other senators.

Earlier this month, an AFL-CIO official said she expected Obama would decide to suspend the benefits.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Bill Trott and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senators-urge-obama-suspend-trade-benefits-bangladesh-152119748.html

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Best?and worst?states to be a kid

The Kids Count report ranks the well-being of kids in the U.S. (AP)There?s good news for the children of Mississippi; their state is no longer the worst place to be a kid. That?s because a new set of annual rankings on children?s welfare says New Mexico has dethroned Mississippi's perennial hold on the bottom ranking of the Kids Count list.

For the past 24 years, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has used a series of 16 indicators to rank the well-being of children in all 50 U.S. states. This year?s edition is the first to not place Mississippi at 50 out of 50 on the list, citing gains in health and education. However, Mississippi is still No. 49 on the list.

The foundation also noted that a third of Mississippi?s children continue to live in poverty. By comparison, 13 percent of New Hampshire?s children are listed as living at or below the poverty level.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts finished at the top of the children?s well-being list.

?While we are not where we need to be, the fact that our child and teen death rate, along with some decrease in the percentage of children without health insurance has been helpful,? Mississippi Kids Count Director Linda Southward told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

There also appears to be an overall improving trend in the South. Louisiana, which was 46th on the list, is the only other Southern state to finish in the bottom five. However, the Southwest has fared less well?three of the bottom-five states are New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.

Southward said Mississippi saw its gains through improvement in the number of children enrolled in preschool and general student improvements in math for eighth-graders and reading for fourth-graders. Overall, Mississippi was 48th in the Kids Count educational rankings. However, it did not see any economic gains during the same period, continuing to rank 50th on that list.

?The evidence is clear?we help children by helping families,? Southward said. ?The importance of quality child care, fully funding education opportunities for children and promoting evidence-based practices, underscored by economic development, is crucial to continued outcomes.?

This year?s rankings were based on national data compiled between 2005-2011. For those years, Mississippi?s numbers improved across eight of the 16 statistical areas measured. Overall, the United States improved in 10 of the categories during the same period.

Mississippi saw other gains on the list, including a drop in teen pregnancy rates and a drop in its infant mortality rate that has shown an improvement outpacing the national average.

?We are still woefully behind the country in reading proficiencies, and the high percentage of high school students not graduating on time continues to be of concern,? Southward said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mississippi-no-longer-worst-state-kid-200921073.html

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Survivors recall Nazi-led raid on Polish village

CHLANIOW, Poland (AP) ? Henryka Jablonska's eyes well up as she recalls the moment more than six decades ago when a man in a dark uniform aimed a machine gun at her. He pulled the trigger but the weapon wouldn't fire.

She lived, but 44 fellow villagers were killed when troops of the Nazi SS-led Ukrainian Self Defense Legion marched into this Polish farming community in July 1944 to exact revenge for an attack by resistance fighters that killed their German commander.

An Associated Press investigation revealed a commander of the unit that razed the village has been living in the United States since 1949, and survivors like Jablonska expressed bitterness that Michael Karkoc had a quiet life in Minnesota for all these years.

"What good is it now?" she said of the revelations. "He is 94 and has spent so many years in peace and surrounded by his family."

AP's evidence indicates Karkoc was in the area during the massacre at Chlaniow, and another one in the village of Pidhaitsi, currently in Ukraine ? although no records link him directly to atrocities.

Jablonska's voice wavered as she recounted that day. The soldiers fanned out across the village, she said, shooting villagers, throwing grenades into buildings and torching homes filled with women and children.

A terrified 6-year-old, Jablonska stood in the dirt road with her parents and sister amid burning houses as the man in the dark uniform aimed at her a second time.

Again, the machine gun did not fire.

She heard others cry out "shoot them" in a foreign language she believes was Ukrainian ? words she understood because it is similar to Polish. She watched, frozen with fear, as the soldier checked his gun and tried to shoot again. Another man in black came up and told his comrade to go away because he wanted to finish off Jablonska and her family himself. He then yelled at her father to follow him ? but told Jablonska's mother to flee with her children. Hours later, her father was found dead in a cornfield with a gaping head wound and a stab wound in his chest. The bodies of two other men were nearby.

"It was something so absolutely terrible," Jablonska told AP at her modest farm house in southeastern Poland.

At his farmstead, Stanislaw Banach, 87, recalled that his father told him and his brother, Kazik, to run into the woods when they saw men in dark uniforms torching farmhouses. Reluctantly, the boys fled and hid under haystacks. Their father was found dead, his throat slit.

Banach holds out little hope that Karkoc will be brought to justice: "He is old and they will most surely say that he is too weak to stand trial," he said.

Prosecutors in Germany and Poland are looking through files to see if they have enough evidence to bring charges against Karkoc and seek his extradition. The AP investigation showed that Karkoc lied to U.S. immigration authorities about his wartime past to enter the country in 1949. Such misrepresentations in immigration applications have been used as grounds by the U.S. to deport dozens of suspected Nazi war criminals.

Poland's National Remembrance Institute, which prosecutes World War II crimes, had been aware of a commander named Karkoc from old records, but until the AP investigation had not known he was alive. Following the AP report, the institute issued a statement quoting a 2005 article by one of its historians, Marcin Majewski, stating that Karkoc was "the commander of the 2nd Company of Ukrainian Self-Defence Legion which participated, along with the entire Legion, in the pacification of Chlaniow and (the neighboring village of) Wladyslawin."

One of Karkoc's subordinates, Teodozy Dak, was handed a 25-year prison term in Poland for his role in the Chlaniow massacre, and died in prison.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-23-BC-EU-Poland-US-Nazi-Commander-/id-0bd37ab41c634b39a0b535ac5b37e9a8

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Hong Kong: Snowden has left for third country (cbsnews)

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