kittie landsteiner: June 2013

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Egypt opposition opens to former autocrat's party

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's largest opposition bloc on Saturday reached out to former members of the deposed president's party, ahead of mass protests on June 30 demanding the ouster of his successor.

The opposition's move came a day after some 100,000 supporters of current President Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist and the country's first elected leader, packed a main square in Cairo to support him and challenge the largely liberal opposition that demands he step down.

Morsi won a four-year term as president with some 52 percent of the vote in a run-off last June against Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister of now-ousted Hosni Mubarak. Shafiq is now contesting the election results.

"I can't isolate millions of Egyptian people because they were part of the National Democratic Party," said Mohamed ElBaradei, a top leader of the opposition National Salvation Front, referring to Mubarak's now-dissolved party. He said the invitation to Mubarak supporters did not extend to those who had been convicted of crimes under the old regime.

"The masses of Egyptian people are calling for change," he said, adding that the plan now was to discuss national reconciliation. He made his remarks during a two-day conference entitled "After Departure," which aims to draw up a road map in case Morsi resigns as the opposition demands.

Hamdeen Sabahi, leader of the leftist Popular Current opposition group, said a six-month transitional period would start the day Morsi steps down, during which a new constitution would be drafted and a new president elected. Others proposed that the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court should become the country's transitional leader until new elections.

Since the 2011 uprising that forced Mubarak from power, members of his NDP have been labeled "feloul," or "remnants," by both liberals and Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group.

Joining ranks with the "feloul" is seen as a major shift and painful choice by the opposition, the vast majority of whom voted for Morsi last year in order to block Shafiq from taking office because they did not want a Mubarak-man ruling after the uprising.

But the move is not too far-fetched, given that the Salvation Front was originally founded as an umbrella group for Brotherhood opponents, including figures like Amr Moussa who served as Mubarak's foreign minister for 10 years before joining the uprising. The position could cause friction with other revolutionary groups however.

After Mubarak's fall, the NDP was dissolved and scores of top party officials were detained while on trial over various charges of corruption, along with former regime officials. The country's Supreme Administrative Court in 2011 ruled that party members can participate in elections.

The party has an estimated three million members. After it was disbanded, some joined newly established parties. A yet-untested "political isolation" clause in the new constitution may ban senior officials in the now-defunct party from top posts.

The June 30 call is rooted in a months-long petition drive called "Tamarod," or "Rebel," in Arabic, which helped galvanize an opposition that has been demoralized and in disarray. Organizers announced on Thursday that they have collected 15 million signatures supporting Morsi's ouster and early presidential elections.

The opposition accuses Morsi of monopolizing power and of failing to deliver on promises to create an inclusive system where the opposition is represented. Morsi and the Brotherhood accuse the opposition of being used by Mubarak-men aiming to topple Egypt's first democracy and bring back the old regime.

Egypt's Prime minister Hesham Kandil said that if the opposition had the support of millions of Egyptians, it should contest parliamentary elections instead of calling for the president's overthrow.

Speaking on a talk show Friday night, Kandil warned that "if some people take an undemocratic path to force change, others will come later and follow undemocratic path."

He also expressed worries of violence, saying, "Egyptian blood is very dear and what worries me most is that the revolution deviates from its peaceful path," he said.

Meanwhile, the country's powerful military, widely suspected to be at odds with the president, said it will not intervene in political infighting.

"The men of the armed forces don't gamble with the present or the future of the nation," Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was quoted by official news agency MENA as saying during a graduation ceremony on Saturday. The military, he said, "are not biased to a certain faction against the other but their only bias is to the Egyptian people with all its sects and factions."

Ruling for nearly 18 months after Mubarak's ouster, the military came under sharp criticism by liberals and rights groups for what they called mismanagement of the country's transition, human rights violations and enabling an Islamists takeover.

In the year since Morsi took office, the military top brass have expressed unwillingness to return to power. Police, who have engaged in deadly clashes with street protesters over the past two years, have signaled they want to stay out of any violence it is feared may erupt on June 30.

Also on Saturday, MENA reported that the Presidential Election Commission sat Tuesday to look into Shafiq's complaints alleging irregularities and forgery in last year's vote. Shafiq is in self-exile in United Arab Emirates as he is being tried in absentia on corruption-related charges, which he says are politicized.

----------------------------------

AP Reporter Mariam Rizk contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-opposition-opens-former-autocrats-party-161917220.html

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Google's Waze acquisition catches FTC's investigative eyes

Google officially acquired the crowd-sourced mapping and traffic app Waze earlier this month, but the $1.1 billion deal is hitting a last-minute jam. The search giant has confirmed with Reuters that the Federal Trade Commission recently opened an antitrust investigation into the purchase, even though Waze will mostly operate independently. According to the New York Post, Google didn't file a review with the FTC because Waze makes less than $70 million annually, which is below the bar for an "automatic review." Reuters notes that the FTC can put a magnifying glass to any closed deals at its discretion, namely to ensure there was no prior intent simply to stifle competition. These latest happenings might make for a temporary roadblock between the integration of certain data from Waze and Google, notes the Post -- assuming the deal indeed gets an okay from The Man. Either way, we'd imagine concessions will be made if needed, as Google's no stranger to these types of proceedings.

Filed under: GPS, Transportation, Software

Comments

Source: Reuters, New York Post

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/22/google-waze-acquistion-ftc-antitrust/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Federal nullification efforts mounting in states

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Imagine the scenario: A federal agent attempts to arrest someone for illegally selling a machine gun. Instead, the federal agent is arrested ? charged in a state court with the crime of enforcing federal gun laws.

Farfetched? Not as much as you might think.

The scenario would become conceivable if legislation passed by Missouri's Republican-led Legislature is signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon.

The Missouri legislation is perhaps the most extreme example of a states' rights movement that has been spreading across the nation. States are increasingly adopting laws that purport to nullify federal laws ? setting up intentional legal conflicts, directing local police not to enforce federal laws and, in rare cases, even threatening criminal charges for federal agents who dare to do their jobs.

An Associated Press analysis found that about four-fifths of the states now have enacted local laws that directly reject or ignore federal laws on marijuana use, gun control, health insurance requirements and identification standards for driver's licenses. The recent trend began in Democratic leaning California with a 1996 medical marijuana law and has proliferated lately in Republican strongholds like Kansas, where Gov. Sam Brownback this spring became the first to sign a measure threatening felony charges against federal agents who enforce certain firearms laws in his state.

Some states, such as Montana and Arizona, have said "no" to the feds again and again ? passing states' rights measures on all four subjects examined by the AP ? despite questions about whether their "no" carries any legal significance.

"It seems that there has been an uptick in nullification efforts from both the left and the right," said Adam Winkler, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles who specializes in constitutional law.

Yet "the law is clear ? the supremacy clause (of the U.S. Constitution) says specifically that the federal laws are supreme over contrary state laws, even if the state doesn't like those laws," Winkler added.

The fact that U.S. courts have repeatedly upheld federal laws over conflicting state ones hasn't stopped some states from flouting those federal laws ? sometimes successfully.

About 20 states now have medical marijuana laws allowing people to use pot to treat chronic pain and other ailments ? despite a federal law that still criminalizes marijuana distribution and possession. Ceding ground to the states, President Barack Obama's administration has made it known to federal prosecutors that it wasn't worth their time to target those people.

Federal authorities have repeatedly delayed implementation of the 2005 Real ID Act, an anti-terrorism law that set stringent requirements for photo identification cards to be used to board commercial flights or enter federal buildings. The law has been stymied, in part, because about half the state legislatures have opposed its implementation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

About 20 states have enacted measures challenging Obama's 2010 health care laws, many of which specifically reject the provision mandating that most people have health insurance or face tax penalties beginning in 2014.

After Montana passed a 2009 law declaring that federal firearms regulations don't apply to guns made and kept in that state, eight other states have enacted similar laws. Gun activist Gary Marbut said he crafted the Montana measure as a foundation for a legal challenge to the federal power to regulate interstate commerce under the U.S. Constitution. His lawsuit was dismissed by a trial judge but is now pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"The states created this federal monster, and so it's time for the states to get their monster on a leash," said Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that local police could not be compelled to carry out provisions of a federal gun control law. But some states are now attempting to take that a step further by asserting that certain federal laws can't even be enforced by federal authorities.

A new Kansas law makes it a felony for a federal agent to attempt to enforce laws on guns made and owned in Kansas. A similar Wyoming law, passed in 2010, made it a misdemeanor. The Missouri bill also would declare it a misdemeanor crime but would apply more broadly to all federal gun laws and regulations ? past, present, or future ? that "infringe on the people's right to keep and bear arms."

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter in late April to the Kansas governor warning that the federal government is willing to go to court over the new law.

"Kansas may not prevent federal employees and officials from carrying out their official responsibilities," Holder wrote.

Federal authorities in the western district of Missouri led the nation in prosecutions for federal weapons offenses through the first seven months of the 2013 fiscal year, with Kansas close behind, according to a data clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

Felons illegally possessing firearms is the most common charge nationally. But the Missouri measure sets it sights on nullifying federal firearms registrations and, among other things, a 1934 law that imposes a tax on transferring machine guns or silencers. Last year, the federal government prosecuted 83 people nationally for unlawful possession of machine guns.

So what would happen if a local prosecutor actually charges a federal agent for doing his or her job?

"They're going to have problems if they do it ? there's no doubt about it," said Michael Boldin, executive director of the Tenth Amendment Center, a Los Angeles-based entity that promotes states' rights. "There's no federal court in the country that's going to say that a state can pull this off."

Yet states may never need to prosecute federal agents in order to make their point.

If enough states resist, "it's going to be very difficult for the federal government to force their laws down our throats," Boldin said.

Missouri's governor has not said whether he will sign or veto the bill nullifying federal gun laws. Meanwhile, thousands of people have sent online messages to the governor's office about the legislation.

Signing the measure "will show other states how to resist the tyranny of federal bureaucrats who want to rob you of your right to self-defense," said one message, signed by Jim and Arlena Sowash, who own a gun shop in rural Stover, Mo.

Others urged a veto.

"Outlandish bills like this ? completely flouting our federal system ? make Missouri the laughingstock of the nation," said a message written by Ann Havelka, of the Kansas City suburb of Gladstone.

___

Follow David A. Lieb at: http://www.twitter.com/DavidALieb

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/federal-nullification-efforts-mounting-states-070843059.html

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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Android Central 139: Android cameras and Insta-Vines

Podcast MP3 URL:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/acpc139.mp3

Thing 1: Samsung's summer gala

Thing 2: Facebook announces InstaVine

Thing 3: Other odds and ends

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/BFpd_M4nLns/story01.htm

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Video: Precious Metals Plunge

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52269626/

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M. Basketball. Siena College Board Weighs Basketball Renovations

June 19, 2013

Siena College will take steps later this week to ensure it won't get left behind in the collegiate arms race for bigger, better, gleaming athletics facilities.

Seemingly every school is upgrading--including Siena, a Catholic liberal arts school, founded by Franciscan friars in Loudonville, with 3,000 students.

Siena's board of trustees meets June 20-21. Among the agenda items: Renovations to Siena's basketball practice facility, a capital spend of anywhere between $13 million to $20 million.

Siena trustee John Murray has this question: "How quickly can we start?"

Click here to read the full story

Source: http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/sien/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/061913aaa.html

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Active hands-on

A first look at Samsung's ruggedized, water-resistant Galaxy S4 Active

Traditionally, if you wanted a toughened, water-resistant, life-proof smartphone, there were compromises you just had to live with. Usually you'd pay over the odds, and be left with a bulky, ugly-looking device running old software, with sub-par internals. But that's starting to change, and we've already seen devices like the Sony Xperia Z that promise top-end hardware alongside the ability to survive a dunk in the bath.

Now Samsung's entering the rugged smartphone market in a big way with the Galaxy S4 Active -- a device that stays true to its Galaxy S4 branding with high-end internals matched against a rugged chassis. It's IP67-rated for water and dust resistance, meaning its internals are protected from harmful particulate matter, and it'll survive in up to 1 meter of water for at least 30 minutes.

On the inside you're dealing with much the same high-end parts you'll find in the regular S4 -- a 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, expandable via micro SD and a 1080p display. A few changes have been made though -- the Active's screen is an LCD, not SuperAMOLED, which may lead to improved daylight visibility (it's difficult to tell inside the darkened demo area). The camera's also taken a slight hit, going from 13 megapixels on the S4 to 8 on the active. Again, it was difficult to judge the camera's performance in the demo area at Earls Court today, but it seemed to work well enough. What's more, the camera app now boasts a dedicated underwater shooting mode.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/qsBBWko_45A/story01.htm

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Microsoft demos real-time co-authoring for Office Web Apps

With Microsoft's Build developer conference kicking off in just a week, we're frankly surprised the company is choosing to release any news ahead of time. Today, though, the firm posted a video showing some changes to Office Web apps. In particular, the preview indicates that these various apps will now support real-time co-authoring, with multiple users making changes at once (yep, just like Google Docs). That's a nice, long-awaited improvement over the current setup, in which multiple users can make changes, but not alongside one another. According to Microsoft, this set of features will roll out over "the next several months." For now, we've got the video preview embedded after the break. And don't be put off by the 14-minute length; the demo doesn't actually begin until five and a half minutes in.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft

Comments

Source: Microsoft

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/2DP5fh64Sog/

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Thursday, June 20, 2013

AP PHOTOS: The career of James Gandolfini

James Gandolfini, who won three Emmy Awards for his indelible role as mob boss Tony Soprano in HBO's "The Sopranos," died while on vacation in Italy at age 51. While Tony Soprano was a larger-than-life figure, Gandolfini was exceptionally modest and obsessive ? he described himself as "a 260-pound Woody Allen." HBO called the actor a "special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone, no matter their title or position, with equal respect."

Gandolfini's performance in "The Sopranos" was career-making, but he worked steadily in film and on stage after the series ended. He earned a 2009 Tony Award nomination for his role in the celebrated production of "God of Carnage." He played Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in Kathryn Bigelow's Osama bin Laden hunt docudrama "Zero Dark Thirty." Here are some images that celebrate Gandolfini's career.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-photos-career-james-gandolfini-031701392.html

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Lloyds says no political pressure for branches sale to Co-op

By Matt Scuffham and Steve Slater

LONDON (Reuters) - British bank Lloyds has denied being subject to political pressure to sell hundreds of branches to the Co-operative Group, rebutting suggestions of ministerial interference in the controversial sale.

Lloyds has been forced to sell the 632 branches by European regulators as a cost of its taxpayer rescue in 2008, but its choice to sell to Co-op Bank has been slammed after a big hole appeared in the mutual's finances, prompting allegations that politicians had encouraged the choice.

"What the board looked at was financial and the ability to execute (the sale). Those were the only two things we looked at, no political (pressure)," Lloyds Chairman Win Bischoff told a committee of parliamentarians on Tuesday.

The Treasury Select Committee quizzed Lloyds executives on their decision, since abandoned, to sell the branches to the Co-op, rather than to a rival start-up bidder NBNK, which said it made a higher offer.

Peter Levene, former chairman of NBNK, said in written evidence to the committee there appeared to have been political interference in the bidding process.

Co-op withdrew its offer to buy the branches in April after it was found to have a capital shortfall, which Britain's regulator has since pegged at 1.5 billion pounds ($2.4 billion).

Ratings agency Moody's on Tuesday piled more pressure on the Co-op, downgrading its senior debt and deposit ratings. The mutual, which has 4.7 million bank customers, is forcing bondholders to take losses under its rescue plan.

Lloyds picked Co-op as the winner of the auction last July and executives said they only realised there was a problem with Co-op's capital strength in December.

MORE MONEY

NBNK's Levene said it had offered more money than the Co-op and was the only bidder to meet the timetable set out by Lloyds for second-round bids, which the bank extended to allow the Co-op to make its offer.

He said he had received "a number of messages indicating that there had been significant political involvement leading up to the original decision", as the coalition government had wanted to promote the interests of mutuals in financial services.

"I was therefore advised that the decision was based on an indication from senior politicians within the coalition that the Co-op deal was to be the preferred and definitive solution," Levene said in a submission to the committee.

Lloyds CEO Antonio Horta-Osorio rejected Levene's claims that Lloyds preferred the Co-op. "I seriously contest that. The offer in the end was not substantially better ... we chose the best bid," he said.

NBNK was allowed to make five bids and it should have made a higher offer to succeed, Horta-Osorio said.

Both offers had complex structures. Co-op's bid was worth about 700 million pounds and NBNK's offer may have been just 630 million, Lloyds estimated.

Horta-Osorio estimated it would cost Lloyds about 1.6 billion pounds to spin-off and separate the branches.

The Lloyds executives said they discussed the bid process with government ministers.

"There was no preference expressed to us by government ministers," Bischoff said. He said after the bank picked the Co-op ministers were pleased with the decision and indicated they liked the mutual sector.

Lloyds said it had contacted 42 potential bidders for the branch network, codenamed Project Verde, which ended with confirmed bids by Co-op, NBNK and Sun Capital.

NBNK released a document it said it gave Lloyds in January 2012 saying there was a "high risk" the Co-op's purchase of the branches would fall through, citing its stretched capital position and execution risk.

(Editing by David Holmes)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lloyds-says-no-political-pressure-branches-sale-co-103428810.html

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Saturday, June 8, 2013

Celebrity Baby News: Danneel Harris! Tamar Braxton! Anna Duggar!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/celebrity-baby-news-danneel-harris-tamar-braxton-anna-duggar/

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kittie landsteiner

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Supreme Court to issue gay marriage decisions Wednesday in last session before summer break (Star Tribune)