মঙ্গলবার, ২৫ জুন, ২০১৩

রবিবার, ২৩ জুন, ২০১৩

Wanted US leaker Snowden believed to be in Moscow

MOSCOW (AP) ? A former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing highly classified surveillance programs was believed to have landed in Russia on Sunday ? possibly as a stopover before traveling elsewhere ? after being allowed to leave Hong Kong.

Edward Snowden was on an Aeroflot flight from Hong Kong that arrived in Moscow shortly after 5 p.m. (1300gmt) Sunday and was booked on a flight to fly to Cuba on Monday, the Russian news agencies ITAR-Tass and Interfax reported, citing unnamed airline officials. The reports said he intended to travel from Cuba to Caracas, Venezuela. There was also speculation that he might try to reach Ecuador.

The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group said it was working with him and that he was bound for an unnamed "democratic nation via a safe route for the purpose of asylum."

Snowden did not leave Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport with the other passengers and was not seen by a crowd of journalists waiting in the arrivals lounge. Interfax reported that he was spending the night in the transit zone of the airport because he did not have a visa to enter Russia and had rented a room in a capsule hotel.

The car of Ecuador's ambassador to Russia was parked outside the airport, spurring the speculation that Snowden intended to seek asylum in the Latin American country. But in Ecuador, a high-ranking source at the presidency said there was no information about whether Snowden would seek asylum there. The source spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authorization to speak on the issue.

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said last week that if Snowden asked for asylum, Ecuador would study the request.

Snowden had been in hiding in Hong Kong for several weeks after he revealed information on the highly classified spy programs. WikiLeaks said it was providing legal help to Snowden at his request and that he was being escorted by diplomats and legal advisers from the group.

WikiLeaks' founder, Julian Assange, who has spent a year inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning about sex crime allegations, told the Sydney Morning Herald that his organization is in a position to help because it has expertise in international asylum and extradition law.

The White House said President Barack Obama has been briefed on Sunday's developments by his national security advisers.

Snowden's departure came a day after the United States made a formal request for his extradition and gave a pointed warning to Hong Kong against delaying the process of returning him to face trial in the U.S.

The Department of Justice said only that it would "continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel."

The Hong Kong government said in a statement that Snowden left "on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel."

It acknowledged the U.S. extradition request, but said U.S. documentation did not "fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law." It said additional information was requested from Washington, but since the Hong Kong government "has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr. Snowden from leaving Hong Kong."

The statement said Hong Kong had informed the U.S. of Snowden's departure. It added that it wanted more information about alleged hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by U.S. government agencies which Snowden had revealed.

Hong Kong's decision to let Snowden go on a technicality appears to be a pragmatic move aimed at avoiding a drawn out extradition battle. The action swiftly eliminates a geopolitical headache that could have left Hong Kong facing pressure from both Washington and Beijing.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, has a high degree of autonomy and is granted rights and freedoms not seen on mainland China, but under the city's mini constitution Beijing is allowed to intervene in matters involving defense and diplomatic affairs.

Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the U.S., but the document has some exceptions, including for crimes deemed political.

Russian officials have given no indication that they have any interest in detaining Snowden or any grounds to do so. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia would be willing to consider granting asylum if Snowden were to make such a request.

Russia and the United States have no extradition treaty that would oblige Russia to hand over a U.S. citizen at Washington's request.

The Cuban government had no comment on Snowden's movements or reports he might use Havana as a transit point.

The Obama administration on Saturday warned Hong Kong against delaying Snowden's extradition, with White House national security adviser Tom Donilon saying in an interview with CBS News, "Hong Kong has been a historically good partner of the United States in law enforcement matters, and we expect them to comply with the treaty in this case."

Michael Ratner, Assange's lawyer, said he didn't know Snowden's final destination, but that his options were not numerous. "You have to have a country that's going to stand up to the United States," Ratner said. "You're not talking about a huge range of countries here."

Ratner added that a country's extradition treaty with the U.S. is "not going to be relevant" because the country he ends up going to will likely be one willing to give him a political exemption.

Snowden's departure came as the South China Morning Post released new allegations from the former NSA contractor that U.S. hacking targets in China included the nation's cellphone companies and two universities hosting extensive Internet traffic hubs.

He told the newspaper that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." It added that Snowden said he had documents to support the hacking allegations, but the report did not identify the documents. It said he spoke to the newspaper in a June 12 interview.

With a population of more than 1.3 billion, China has massive cellphone companies. China Mobile is the world's largest mobile network carrier with 735 million subscribers, followed by China Unicom with 258 million users and China Telecom with 172 million users.

Snowden said Tsinghua University in Beijing and Chinese University in Hong Kong, home of some of the country's major Internet traffic hubs, were targets of extensive hacking by U.S. spies this year. He said the NSA was focusing on so-called "network backbones" in China, through which enormous amounts of Internet data passes.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the reports of Snowden's departure from Hong Kong to Moscow but did not know the specifics. It said the Chinese central government "always respects" Hong Kong's "handling of affairs in accordance with law." The Foreign Ministry also noted that it is "gravely concerned about the recently disclosed cyberattacks by relevant U.S. government agencies against China."

China's state-run media have used Snowden's allegations to poke back at Washington after the U.S. had spent the past several months pressuring China on its international spying operations.

A commentary published Sunday by the official Xinhua News Agency said Snowden's disclosures of U.S. spying activities in China have "put Washington in a really awkward situation."

"Washington should come clean about its record first. It owes ... an explanation to China and other countries it has allegedly spied on," it said. "It has to share with the world the range, extent and intent of its clandestine hacking programs."

____

Chan reported from Hong Kong. Sylvia Hui in London, Paul Haven in Havana, Gonzalo Solano in Quito, Ecuador, and Anne Flaherty and Julie Pace in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wanted-us-leaker-snowden-believed-moscow-161850018.html

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Family seeks answers in death near Hernandez home

BOSTON (AP) ? At least one company yanked an endorsement deal from New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on Friday as puzzled family members of a friend found slain a mile from Hernandez's home sought answers about how he died.

Police have searched in and around Hernandez's sprawling home in North Attleborough, not far from where the Patriots practice, but a court clerk said that as of Friday afternoon no arrest warrants had been issued in the case. The Bristol County district attorney has not released any information, other than saying the death of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd was being treated as a homicide.

A jogger found Lloyd's body in an industrial park Monday. Family members said Friday that Lloyd had been dating Hernandez's fiancee's sister for about two years. They said the two men were friends who were together the night Lloyd died.

Police in nearby Providence, R.I., said they had assisted Massachusetts state police and North Attleborough police with activity related to the Hernandez investigation at a strip club named Club Desire. It was unclear if they believed Lloyd and Hernandez might have been at the club in the days before Lloyd died. A reporter was escorted out of the club Friday afternoon before she could speak with employees or patrons.

Family members have said Lloyd, 27, was never in trouble.

"I want the person that killed my son to be brought to justice," said Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward. "That's my first-born child, my only boy child, and they took him away from me. ... I wouldn't trade him for all the money in the world. And if money could bring him back I would give this house up to bring my son back. Nothing can bring my son back."

Family members said they had heard from Lloyd's girlfriend but not from Hernandez after Lloyd's death. They are anxiously awaiting an arrest in the case.

"We're just hoping for justice," cousin Marsha Martin said. "We don't want Odin to have died in vain."

Hernandez's attorney Michael Fee has acknowledged media reports about the state police search of his Hernandez's home but said he wouldn't have any comment on it.

Attleboro District Court clerk magistrate Mark E. Sturdy said three search warrants were issued in the investigation earlier in the week but have not been returned, meaning they're not public. He said no arrest warrants had been filed in state courts by the time court closed at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Hernandez was gone from his home for most of the day Friday, including when two state police officers knocked on his door. He returned home with his attorney around 5 p.m.

Patriots spokesman Stacey James has said the team does not anticipate commenting publicly during the police investigation. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was waiting for the legal process to take its course.

CytoSport, a Benicia, Calif.-based company that makes Muscle Milk and other supplements for athletes, said Friday it was ending Hernandez's endorsement contract, effective immediately, because of the investigation.

The Patriots drafted Hernandez out of Florida in 2010. Since then, he has combined with Rob Gronkowski to form one of the top tight end duos in the NFL. He missed 10 games last season with an ankle injury and had shoulder surgery in April but is expected to be ready for training camp. Last summer, the Patriots gave him a five-year contract worth $40 million.

Hernandez said after he was drafted that he had failed a drug test while with the Gators and had been upfront with NFL teams about the issue.

Earlier this week, a man filed a lawsuit in South Florida claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after they argued at a strip club there.

Alexander Bradley's lawsuit accuses Hernandez of negligence, among other things, suggesting that the shooting may have been accidental. Bradley said he lost his right eye and suffers many other lingering effects from the shooting.

A spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County sheriff's office said Friday that investigators would need to speak with Bradley to move forward with a criminal investigation and cannot rely on the claims he made in his lawsuit. The spokeswoman, Teri Barbera, said Bradley repeatedly refused to cooperate in the criminal probe after he was shot in February, telling detectives he didn't know who shot him.

Hernandez's attorney did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

___

Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in Miami, Michelle R. Smith in Attleboro, Rodrique Ngowi in Boston and Erika Niedowski in Providence, R.I., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/family-seeks-answers-death-near-hernandez-home-160343672.html

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Plants 'seen doing quantum physics'

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Plants 'seen doing quantum physics'
Researchers pin down the contentious notion that ideas from the strange world of quantum mechanics underpin plants' skill at harvesting sunlight.

Source: BBC News
Posted on: Friday, Jun 21, 2013, 8:58am
Views: 3

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128749/Plants__seen_doing_quantum_physics_

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The First Ever Electronically Stored Program Ran 65 Years Ago Today

Sixty five years ago, in a cluttered lab in Manchester, UK, three scientists changed the world of computing forever. Working with a machine they'd built and nicknamed Baby, they ran the first ever program to be stored electronically in a computer's memory.

Put together by ?Freddie? Williams, Tom Kilburn and Geoff Tootill, ghe computer?officially called the Manchester Small Scale Experimental Machine?was 5 meters long, weighed a ton, and was a testbed for the experimental Williams-Kilburn tube. That was a newly proposed means of storing bits of data using a cathode ray tube, and if it worked, it looked set to provide the first ever means of storing and flexibly accessing information in electronic form.

It did work, supplying Baby with what amounted to the earliest form of RAM?of which it had just 128 bytes. (The computer you're using now has billions of times more, but you already knew that.) And that's what allowed the computer to be the first to run a program electronically stored in its memory?a huge turning point in the world of computing.

Sadly Baby was a proof-of-concept, and nothing remain of the original device?though there is replica on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, UK. Check it out if you're ever close by. [Google]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-first-ever-electronically-stored-program-ran-65-yea-528426025

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শনিবার, ২২ জুন, ২০১৩

Futures rebounding from huge sell-off

In this Thursday, June 20, 2013, photo, specialist John Parisi, right, works with traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.Asian stocks endured moderate losses Friday June 21, 2013 but European markets appeared set to stabilize even though investors remained edgy about a possible change of course by the U.S. Federal Reserve. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Thursday, June 20, 2013, photo, specialist John Parisi, right, works with traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.Asian stocks endured moderate losses Friday June 21, 2013 but European markets appeared set to stabilize even though investors remained edgy about a possible change of course by the U.S. Federal Reserve. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A currency trader asks a question to his colleague near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and foreign exchange rate at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Korea Exchange Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June 21, 2013. Asian stock markets took a beating Friday, as a bear market extended amid jitters over U.S. Federal Reserve's plan for early withdrawal of its monetary stimulus program. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

(AP) ? U.S. stock futures are rising, shaking off a jolt delivered to global markets by the Federal Reserve.

Dow Jones industrial futures are up 93 points to 14,794. S&P futures have added 12.1 points to 1,596. Nasdaq futures are up 17.25 points to 2,897.25.

The S&P slumped 2.5 percent Thursday, its biggest loss since November 2011, and the Dow plunged 356 points after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke outlined plans to wind down the government's economic stimulus efforts.

There are no economic indicators due Friday, and it appears that many investors think Thursday's sell-off was an overreaction.

Still, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index has not recovered from an uptick in a measure of interbank stress in China, which could signal trouble ahead for the world's second largest economy.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-06-21-US-Wall-Street-Premarket/id-e6e4105c5bdd43d792a863220b202dd5

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What farm bill's failure says about immigration reform in the House (CNN)

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Mt.Gox Bitcoin exchange freezes US dollar withdrawals for two weeks

MtGox Bitcoin exchange freezes US dollar withdrawls for two weeks

It's easy to see that the Bitcoin market is under stress when there's rising overall activity and tighter oversight. However, it's now so hectic that the Mt. Gox exchange has trouble fulfilling even basic transactions -- and the institution is freezing US dollar withdrawals for two weeks to keep things in check. Mt. Gox's team will use the downtime to upgrade its trading system and (hopefully) address the heavy workload. Deposits and transfers in American currency should still be good to go. Let's just hope that Mt. Gox manages smoother transitions in the future -- after all, not everyone can afford to leave their money in limbo during a tech refresh.

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Via: Ars Technica

Source: Mt. Gox

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/20/mt-gox-bitcoin-exchange-freezes-us-dollar-withdrawls/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Floods kill 3, 75,000 forced from Calgary homes

A police car sits stuck in a parking lot of an apartment building after heavy rains have caused flooding, closed roads, and forced evacuation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada Friday, June 21, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

A police car sits stuck in a parking lot of an apartment building after heavy rains have caused flooding, closed roads, and forced evacuation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada Friday, June 21, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

The Bow River overflows in Calgary, Canada on Friday, June 21, 2013. Heavy rains have caused flooding, closed roads, and forced evacuations in Calgary. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

A search and rescue boat carries rescued passengers from a flooded industrial site near highway 543 north of High River, Alberta, Canada on Friday, June 21, 2013. The rescued passengers spent the night moored on a structure they built in the water. Calgary's mayor said Friday the flooding situation in his city is as under control as it can be, for now. Officials estimated 75,000 people have been displaced in the western Canadian city. Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the Elbow River, one of two rivers that flow through the southern Alberta city, has peaked. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jordan Verlage)

Firefighters monitor flood waters that spilled over a highway 543 north of High River, Alberta, Canada on Friday, June 21, 2013. The rescued passengers spent the night moored on a structure they built in the water. Calgary's mayor said Friday the flooding situation in his city is as under control as it can be, for now. Officials estimated 75,000 people have been displaced in the western Canadian city. Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the Elbow River, one of two rivers that flow through the southern Alberta city, has peaked. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jordan Verlage)

A search and rescue boat carries rescued passengers from a flooded industrial site near highway 543 north of High River, Alberta, Canada on Friday, June 21, 2013. The rescued passengers spent the night moored on a structure they built in the water. Calgary's mayor said Friday the flooding situation in his city is as under control as it can be, for now. Officials estimated 75,000 people have been displaced in the western Canadian city. Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the Elbow River, one of two rivers that flow through the southern Alberta city, has peaked. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jordan Verlage)

(AP) ? At least three people were killed by floodwaters that devastated much of southern Alberta, leading authorities to evacuate the western Canadian city of Calgary's entire downtown. Inside the city's hockey arena, the waters reached as high as the 10th row.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday called the level of flooding "stunning" and said officials don't know yet if it will get worse, but said the water has peaked and stabilized and noted that the weather has gotten better.

Overflowing rivers washed out roads and bridges, soaked homes and turned streets into dirt-brown waterways around southern Alberta. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Patricia Neely told reporters three were dead and two bodies were recovered. The two bodies recovered are the two men who had been seen floating lifeless in the Highwood River near High River on Thursday, she said.

Harper, a Calgary resident, said he never imagined there would be a flood of this magnitude in this part of Canada.

"This is incredible. I've seen a little bit of flooding in Calgary before. I don't think any of us have seen anything like this before. The magnitude is just extraordinary," he said.

"We're all very concerned that if gets much more than this it could have real impact on infrastructure and other services longer term, so we're hoping things will subside a bit."

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the water levels have reached a peak, but have not declined.

"We've sat at the same level for many, many hours now," Nenshi said. "There is one scenario that would it go even higher than this, so you'll either see the Bow river continue at this level for many hours or you will see it grow even higher and we're prepared for that eventuality."

Twenty-five neighborhoods in the city, with an estimated 75,000 people, have already been evacuated due to floodwaters in Calgary, a city of more than a million people that hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics and serves as the center of Canada's oil industry.

Alberta Premier Alison Redford said Medicine Hat, east of Calgary, was under a mandatory evacuation order affecting 10,000 residents. The premier warned that communities downstream of Calgary had not yet felt the full force of the floodwaters.

About 350,000 people work in downtown Calgary on a typical day. However, officials said very few people need to be moved out, since many heeded warnings and did not go to work Friday.

A spokesman for Canada's defense minister said 1,300 soldiers from a base in Edmonton were being deployed to the flood zone.

Police were asking residents who were forced to leave the nearby High River area to register at evacuation shelter. The Town of High River remained under a mandatory evacuation order.

In downtown Calgary, water was inundating homes and businesses in the shadow of skyscrapers. Water has swamped cars and train tracks.

The city said the home rink of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames flooded and the water inside was 10 rows deep. That would mean the dressing rooms are likely submerged as well.

"I think that really paints a very clear picture of what kinds of volumes of water we are dealing with," said Trevor Daroux, the city's deputy police chief.

At the grounds for the world-famous Calgary Stampede fair, water reached up to the roofs of the chuck wagon barns. The popular rodeo and festival is the city's signature event. Mayor Nenshi said it will occur no matter what.

About 1,500 have gone to emergency shelters while the rest have found shelter with family or friends, Nenshi said.

The flood was forcing emergency plans at the Calgary Zoo, which is situated on an island near where the Elbow and Bow rivers meet. Lions and tigers were being prepared for transfer, if necessary, to prisoner holding cells at the courthouse.

Schools and court trials were canceled Friday and residents urged to avoid downtown. Transit service in the core was shut down.

Residents were left to wander and wade through streets waist-deep in water.

Newlyweds Scott and Marilyn Crowson were ordered out of their central Calgary condominium late Friday as rising waters filled their parking garage and ruptured a nearby gas line. "That's just one building but every building is like this," he said. "For the most part, people are taking it in stride."

Crowson, a kayaker, estimated the Bow River, usually about four feet deep, is running at a depth of 15 feet (4.57 meters).

"It's moving very, very fast," he said of the normally placid stream spanned by now-closed bridges. "I've never seen it so big and so high."

It had been a rainy week throughout much of Alberta, but on Thursday the Bow River Basin was battered with up to four inches (100 millimeters) of rain. Environment Canada's forecast called for more rain in the area, but in much smaller amounts.

Calgary was not alone in its weather-related woes. Flashpoints of chaos spread from towns in the Rockies south to Lethbridge.

___

Associated Press writer Rob Gillies contributed from Toronto and AP writer Jeremy Hainsworth contributed from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-22-CN-Canada-Alberta-Flooding/id-38c335142f1e40ed9d43f74fe08a61e0

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শুক্রবার, ২১ জুন, ২০১৩

Venezuelan anti-corruption drive snares senior tax official

By Enrique Andres Pretel

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro announced the arrest of a senior tax official on Thursday in the latest move in what he says is a concerted effort to stamp out corruption in the South American OPEC nation.

Maduro said the local director of the SENIAT tax authority in the coastal city of La Guaira had been caught by state intelligence agents with more than 4 million bolivars in cash (about $635,000 at the official exchange rate).

"We raided the luxury apartment in eastern Caracas where this bandit was doing business. He was caught in the act with his accomplices," said Maduro, who won a presidential election in April after the death of his mentor, Hugo Chavez.

"He was walking around freely, personally taking bribes ... I call on everyone, the revolutionaries, the honest people, to support me in the fight against corruption."

So far, Maduro's new drive against graft has snared several senior officials from state companies, organizations and government ministries. None have been heavyweight leaders of the leftist "Chavismo" movement forged by his late mentor.

That has prompted opposition leaders such as Henrique Capriles, who lost April's election to Maduro, to accuse his administration of only going after smaller, less politically connected targets.

"Our country is governed by a cartel which has a boss, or various bosses, who use Venezuelans' resources like a network of extortion," Capriles said in an interview with local media.

Under pressure because of economic woes, Maduro has hit back with the launch of a government program called "Efficiency or Nothing," which involves undercover state inspectors investigating claims of corruption in publicly funded projects and organizations.

Among those caught in the latest dragnet have been a former president of a state mining company and various senior figures at the state's consumer protection body, Indepabis. Maduro was due to launch a restructured Indepabis later on Thursday.

"Some people are underestimating this fight," Maduro said in his televised comments. "We will catch them red-handed!"

(Additional reporting by Marianna Parraga; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelan-anti-corruption-drive-snares-senior-tax-official-215330610.html

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Obama plans speech at Organizing for Action summit (The Arizona Republic)

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'Dexter' prepares for new season with cold treat

TV

8 hours ago

Image: Coolhaus

Anna Chan / TODAY.com

The "Dexter" Coolhaus truck in midtown Manhattan on June 19, 2013.

"Dexter" fans in New York and Los Angeles are in for a tasty treat. As Showtime prepares for the launch of the hit drama's final season and its push for some Emmy recognition, the network is giving fans in the two cities a special creation: a "Killer Combo" of an ice cream sandwich from Coolhaus this Wednesday through Sunday.

We hit up the Coolhaus truck parked at E. 53rd St. and Park Avenue in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday to check out the offering, and it was a concoction worthy of the vigilante killer. The sandwich features two sides to represent Dexter Morgan -- his light (Snickerdoodle cookie) and dark halves (double chocolate cookie), with Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream and a bloody delicious cherry swirl sandwiched in the middle.

Image: Dexter ice cream sandwich

Anna Chan / TODAY.com

The "Killer Combo" ice cream sandwich.

Yes, it was as yummy as it looks and sounds. (It would've been more fitting to have the sandwich dripping with all the blood Dexter tends to find at his crime scenes, but we're just being nitpicky.)

We weren't the only ones who were excited by the sight of Dexter Morgan's face on the side of an ice cream truck in New York. (And also a sign that read "FREE ice cream sandwich!") The line of "Dexter" and sweet treat fans went around the corner of the block. According to an employee, after being open for only two hours, they had already given away more than 265 ice cream sandwiches.

"Dexter" season eight kicks off on June 30 on Showtime. To see where the Coolhaus trucks will be next in New York and Los Angeles, follow @CoolhausNY and @CoolhausLA on Twitter.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/dexter-gets-tasty-cold-start-ice-cream-sandwich-6C10382403

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Gandolfini remembered as fighter for vets

Celebs

6 hours ago

James Gandolfini, who rose to fame as Tony Soprano on ?The Sopranos,? loved playing the complicated mobster. It is likely the role he?ll be most remembered for after his unexpected passing on June 19.

But as much fame and recognition as the role brought him, he was at heart a blue-collared guy who seemed just as proud of his HBO projects that involved bringing attention to the plight of veterans: 2007's "Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq" and 2010's "Wartorn: 1861-2010."

Image: "Wartorn 1861-2010"

HBO

James Gandolfini speaks to Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli in "Wartorn 1861-2010."

?Alive Day Memories,? which he both hosted and executive produced, took a look at wounded soldiers and the physical and emotional cost of the Iraq War.

?Coming right on the heels of ?The Sopranos? controversial season finale, this showed such a different and impassioned side of James Gandolfini: so soft-spoken and careful in his sensitive interviews with grievously wounded veterans. If anyone ever doubted that the actor was a world removed from the conflicted brute he played so brilliantly on TV, this documentary reinforced the ?gentle giant? side of his personality,? Matt Roush, senior TV critic for TV Guide, told NBC News. ?He obviously admired and respected these men and women and felt it a privilege to let them tell their stories through him. Hard to imagine a better use of one's celebrity and clout than getting the home network (to whom he stayed remarkably loyal, and vice versa) to expose this project to a wide audience.?

Gandolfini, who was never a fan of answering questions from throngs of reporters, set aside his own feelings and attended the Television Critics Association?s 2007 summer press tour to promote the project.

?I went to Iraq because I was playing this tough guy on TV, and I guess I wanted to go meet a few real ones. I was angry about the lack of attention that was being paid,? Gandolfini told reporters. ?I thought it was the least I could do.?

Gandolfini made the trip to Iraq two years before filming the documentary. Of the trip, he said, ?I met a lot of people and I met the soldiers. And then I came home and it was like, there?s nothing here (on TV about the impact of the war on soldiers). What?s going on? (HBO) came to me and I said, ?Yeah. Whatever I can do.??

Sheila Nevins, the president of HBO Documentary Films, explained to reporters at the press tour that the network had wanted to do a documentary about veterans of the Iraq War. ?We knew this was not an easy thing to watch, and it was not something necessarily that we could get people to watch,? she added.

But she knew that with Gandolfini on board, viewers would tune in. ?We spent a day with him at Walter Reed, watching him go from bed to bed and mother to mother,? she said. ?I knew I actually had a way possibly to make people watch these young men and women who were coming home.?

During the panel, the actor made sure the focus stayed on the wounded warriors who were there sharing the stage with him, deflecting any questions about himself and redirecting back to the subjects of the documentary.

?It?s not about me,? he told reporters when asked about how the project impacted him. ?I?m not trying to be antagonistic in any way, but I?d like the questions directed towards other things besides how it changed me, you know what I?m saying? Let?s have a different question.?

The veterans involved in the documentary praised him for being a good listener and setting aside his own star status to put their stories front and center. Not only that, they said the star was anything but a celebrity when he worked with them.

?You weren?t talking to Tony Soprano,? veteran Jay Wilkerson, who is featured in the documentary, said of speaking with the actor for the film. ?You were talking to this man who cared about us and our stories. He listened, really listened to what we had to say.?

?He made me feel like I was open to say anything and everything I wanted to say, and I had no boundaries,? the vet also said. ?And that?s what I was never able to do in Iraq. I was always told not to do that. He made it possible. And so I opened my mouth and spoke, and it was exactly what happened, word for word.?

Veteran Jonathan Bartlett, who lost his legs in the war, said the actor seemed a bit intimidating when they first met, but after they started talking, Gandolfini listened.

"There?s a lot of people, when you try to talk about this? stuff, it?s not something they want to hear about," Barlett told reporters at press tour. "We?re? talking about the way I died, talking about the way my legs? were torn off, talking about the way I almost lost my eye, ?talking about the way my dreams were shattered, and the man ?I thought I was is still living in me and he?s blown to ?crap. That?s hard to articulate. We sat, we got? comfortable, and we just let it all out, and that?s very,? very nice."

After the presentation, Gandolfini kept his own dislike for talking to member of the press at bay for the greater good of promoting the project. At an HBO party that hot July night, reporters instructed by their editors to get something from Gandolfini about the controversial ?Sopranos? series final that aired the month before tried breaching the wall with zero success. Gandolfini was tossing back appletinis and talked only about the veterans surrounding him.

When one reporter he was familiar with slipped in a ?Sopranos? question during a more indepth interview, instead of getting angry, he broke into a smile. Then he laughed and put his arms around the writer and whispered in her ear.

?That was a really good one, and almost makes me want to answer, but all this isn?t about me. It?s about them,? said Gandolfini.

Everyone thought the reporter had gotten a scoop. And she did: confirmation that Gandolfini cared more about the people in the documentary than in exploiting the opportunity to get more publicity out of his higher profile role.

A rare thing indeed in Hollywood.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/entertainment/gandolfini-known-tv-mobster-remembered-fighter-veterans-6C10394822

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News - Sony publishes video showing off the PlayStation 4 interface

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Waterbury Home for Adolescent Girls Closing: 68 Workers Will Lose

Nearly 70 full-time and part-time workers at a home for adolescent girls will lose their jobs when the Department of Children and Families closes Stepping Stone, a 26-bed facility in Waterbury.

Stepping Stone serves girls with psychiatric or behavioral difficulties. The workers that will be displaced include 27 direct care workers, 15 relief direct care workers, four clinical case managers, five teachers, two administrative assistants, two cooks, as well as nurses, a principal, a psychiatrist, eight managers or supervisors, a recreational therapist and a maintenance worker.

NAFI Connecticut, which runs a campus in Litchfield, operates the home. The nonprofit told the Department of Labor this month that DCF notified the organization May 28th that it would close the home. NAFI stands for North American Family Institute.

?This closure was unforeseen and beyond NAFI Connecticut?s control,? the letter to the Department of Labor said.

The jobs will be eliminated gradually as the girls who live there move out, but will finish by the end of August.

?This decision is in keeping with the Department?s direction of moving resources toward more community-based services, more family-based care, and less reliance on congregate care generally,? said DCF spokesman Gary Kleeblatt.

Kleeblatt said there are 16 girls living in the facility, and most will either return to their families or get placed in a foster home.

?We understand that NAFI CT is looking to fill vacancies in its other programs and is exploring ways to shift staff at the residential program,? he said.

Source: http://courantblogs.com/ct-jobs/waterbury-home-for-adolescent-girls-closing-68-workers-will-lose-jobs/

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Source: http://cheap-hotels-rates.blogspot.com/2013/06/waterbury-home-for-adolescent-girls.html

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