Twinkies To Return To Shelves July 15, Hostess Says

NEW YORK ? Hostess is betting on a sweet comeback for Twinkies when they return to shelves next month.

The company that went bankrupt after an acrimonious fight with its unionized workers last year is back up and running under new owners and a leaner structure. It says it plans to have Twinkies and other snack cakes back on shelves starting July 15.

Based on the outpouring of nostalgia sparked by its demise, Hostess is expecting a blockbuster return next month for Twinkies and other sugary treats, such as CupCakes and Donettes. The company says the cakes will taste the same but that the boxes will now bear the tag line "The Sweetest Comeback In The History Of Ever."

"A lot of impostor products have come to the market while Hostess has been off the shelves," says Daren Metropoulos, a principal of the investment firm Metropoulos & Co., which teamed up with Apollo Global Management to buy a variety of Hostess snacks.

Hostess Brands Inc. was struggling for years before it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in early 2012. Workers blamed the troubles on years of mismanagement, as well as a failure of executives to invest in brands to keep up with changing tastes. The company said it was weighed down by higher pension and medical costs than its competitors, whose employees weren't unionized.

To steer it through its bankruptcy reorganization, Hostess hired restructuring expert Greg Rayburn as its CEO. But Rayburn ultimately failed to reach a contract agreement with its second largest union. In November, he blamed striking workers for crippling the company's ability to maintain normal production and announced that Hostess would liquidate.

The shuttering triggered a rush on Hostess snack cakes, with stores selling out of the most popular brands within hours.

About 15,000 unionized workers lost their jobs in the aftermath.

In unwinding its business, Hostess sold off its brands in chunks to different buyers. Its major bread brands including Wonder were sold to Flowers Foods, which makes Tastykakes. McKee Foods, which makes Little Debbie snack cakes, snapped up Drake's Cake, which includes Devil Dogs and Yodels.

Metropoulos & Co. and Apollo bought Twinkies and other Hostess cakes for $410 million.

Apollo Global Management, founded by Leon Black, is known for buying troubled brands then selling them for a profit; its investments include fast-food chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. Metropoulos & Co., which has revamped then sold off brands including Chef Boyardee and Bumble Bee, also owns Pabst Brewing Co.

That could mean some cross-promotional marketing is in store.

"There is certainly a natural association with the two," Metropoulos said. "There could be some opportunities for them to seen together."

The trimmed-down Hostess Brands LLC has a far less costly operating structure than the predecessor company. Some of the previous workers were hired back, but they're no longer unionized.

Hostess will also now deliver to warehouses that supply retailers, rather than delivering directly to stores, said Rich Seban, the president of Hostess who previously served as chief operating officer. That will greatly expand its reach, letting it deliver to dollar stores and nearly all convenience stores in the U.S.

Previously, he said Hostess was only able to reach about a third of the country's 150,000 convenience stores.

Production was also consolidated, from 11 bakery plants to four ? one each in Georgia, Kansas, Illinois and Indiana. The headquarters were moved from Texas to Kansas City, Mo., where Hostess was previously based and still had some accounting offices.

In the months since they vanished from shelves, the cakes have been getting a few touchups as well. For the CupCakes, the company is now using dark cocoa instead of milk chocolate to give them a richer, darker appearance.

Seban stressed that the changes were to improve the cakes, not to cut costs. Prices for the cakes will remain the same; a box of 10 Twinkies will cost $3.99.

Looking ahead, Seban sees Hostess expanding its product lineup. He noted that Hostess cakes are known for three basic textures: the spongy cake, the creamy filling and the thicker icing. But he said different textures ? such as crunchy ? could be introduced, as well as different flavors.

"We can have some fun with that mixture," he said.

He also said there are many trendy health attributes the company could tap into, such as gluten-free, added fiber, low sugar and low sodium.

During bankruptcy proceedings, Hostess had said that its overall sales had been declining, although the company didn't give a breakout on the performance of individual brands. But Seban is confident Twinkies will have staying power beyond its re-launch.

As for the literal shelf-life, Seban is quick to refute the snack cake's fabled indestructibility.

"Forty-five days ? that's it," he said. "They don't last forever."

___

Follow Candice Choi at www.twitter.com/candicehoi

Also on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/23/twinkies-july-return-to-shelves_n_3486930.html

baylor april 9 albatross louis oosthuizen 10 year old gives birth c. difficile carmelo anthony

Report: UK hacking scandal went well beyond media

LONDON (AP) ? A British newspaper says it has seen evidence that the phone-hacking scandal rocking the U.K. media establishment extends well beyond journalists to include other industries.

The hacking scandal has rocked Britain with revelations that journalists routinely intercepted voicemails, bribed public officials, and hacked into computers in their search for scoops.

The Independent says that a leaked report from Britain's Serious and Organized Crime Agency ? often described as the U.K.'s version of the FBI ? shows that authorities were aware of a much wider circle of organizations employing many of the same methods.

The paper said law firms, debt collectors and others also made use of hacking to get an edge over rivals.

SOCA did not immediately return Associated Press messages seeking comment Saturday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-06-22-EU-Britain-Hacking/id-d2f382872c024c35a73ca2ef80687d36

Pope Benedict Jesuits percy harvin percy harvin mike wallace mike wallace Paul Bearer

Dakar Fashion Week targets city's working class

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) ? Law student Aminata Kande stepped out in a $25 blue wax print dress to watch lanky models storm a makeshift runway wearing pieces that cost ten times that amount.

Dakar Fashion Week, an 11-year-old institution birthed in the posh hotels of this West African culture hub, took its act to Guediawaye, one of the most downtrodden neighborhoods of this seafacing capital. While organizer Adama Ndiaye affectionately described the area as "the 'hood," the northern suburb has repeatedly been the scene of violent riots over problems ranging from power cuts to seasonal flooding in this nation that consistently ranks in the bottom tier on global development reports.

The show was part of a six-day event featuring 18 designers, seven from Senegal and others from as far away as Germany and Brazil. Shows were scheduled to be held in three different locations throughout Dakar.

Ndiaye said she hoped staging a show in a working-class suburb would make high fashion as accessible to students like Kande as it is for the wealthy.

"It is very important to show that beautiful things are not only for rich people," said Ndiaye, who shows under the name Adama Paris. She said that the clothes she displayed in Guediawaye were of the same quality __ and cost __ as those that were to be featured later in the weekend at a luxury seaside hotel.

"I want this neighborhood to see what we have, and if it's a gown for 1,000 euros, then who cares? You don't have to be rich to like Dior," she said while prepping the staging area behind the runway, which was assembled on a sandy clearing normally used as a marketplace.

But a show in the suburbs is not exactly like a show downtown. Senegalese designer Ramsen, who specializes in dark, loose dresses adorned with foot-long feathers and other unusual accents, said she left some of her pricier pieces at home both to accommodate the crowd and to protect her more delicate creations.

"This is the suburbs, so people don't have the same financial means," she said. "Also, as you can see, there is a lot of sand out here."

The runway scene was also far rowdier than shows in the capital, Dakar. Thousands of Senegalese, who don't necessarily work in fashion, were vocal about their opinions. They cheered lustily at a leggy model wearing hot pink shorts by German designer Kathrin Huschka, and dozens of men jostled for better views from parked minivans on a road overlooking the runway.

The loudest reactions were reserved for the more famous models, especially actress Diarra Thiam, who was greeted to rapturous chants of her nickname, "Lissa." The presenter later brought her out to blow kisses to the crowd, which nearly toppled the control barrier on one side of the T-shaped runway.

For designer Tapha Fall, the show was a kind of homecoming. As a boy growing up in Guediawaye, he developed a love for clothes while helping out his father, a tailor. He said the decision to stage a show in the suburb would expose residents to global trends they might not otherwise encounter.

"The people here already have their own style -- urban, a mix of American and French," he said. "But now they will see what's going on in the rest of the world."

But Yannick Minko, an assistant to Lebanese designer Enzo Itzaky, said designers could look to Guediawaye for inspiration.

"Style begins in the street," he said. "You look at designers in America, they are getting their inspiration from the Bronx, from Brooklyn. So why can't it be the same here in Senegal?"

After the show, law student Kande suggested that inspiration might come full circle. Though many of the items were outside her budget, she said she had snapped a few photos of dresses she might want to wear. And as is common in Dakar, she said she planned to take advantage of cheap labor to add some approximations of the outfits to her wardrobe.

"I'll see if maybe my tailor can make them," she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dakar-fashion-week-targets-citys-working-class-145325716.html

dallas cowboys Jarvis Jones minnesota vikings Eric Reid Kyle Long UFC 159 aaron rodgers

Corrections

Photo by Gabriela Insuratelu

In a June 20 ?The Kids,? Melinda Wenner Moyer misstated that the Honest company promised her an interview. While Moyer corresponded with an Honest representative about the prospect of an interview, one was never promised. Moyer also incorrectly wrote that Honest diapers contain several nut oils. They do not.

In a June 20 "Technology," Farhad Manjoo misstated?in a joking reference?how much better than Vine that Facebook aimed to make Instagram. By increasing video length from 6 seconds to 15 seconds, Facebook seemingly makes Instagram 150 percent better, not 250 percent better.

In a June 20 "XX Factor" blog post, Amanda Hess misspelled Robbie Myers? last name.

In a June 19 "Bad Astronomy" blog post, Phil Plait wrote that all major components of the James Webb Space Telescope were manufactured by Ball Aerospace. Ball made the mirrors on JWST, but other companies are involved in building the observatory as well.

In a June 19 ?Culturebox,? Erik Sofge misstated that C-3PO and R2-D2 secretly followed Luke Skywalker. R2-D2 left his post to look for Obi-Wan.

In a June 19 ?Faith-Based,? Rebecca Finkel misspelled the name of the Hasidic sect Lubavitch.

In a June 19 "Foreigners," Dahlia Lithwick misspelled the Hebrew spelling for thank you. It is todah rabbah, not todah tabbah.

In a June 19 ?Sports Nut,? John Dickerson initially misspelled the name of reader Jon Berry.

In a June 19 "Weigel" blog post, Emma Roller wrote that Tea Party Patriots gave one-day notice of a Tea Party rally on June 19. They announced the rally in an email on June 6.

In a June 18 ?Double X,? Katy Waldman misattributed a comedy video about Bitchy Resting Face to the website Funny or Die. It was created by Taylor Orci.

In a June 18 "Vault" blog post, Rebecca Onion mistranscribed the name of an actor mentioned as a potential cast member in the movie version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He was George Grizzard, not George Grippards.

In a June 18 ?Weigel? blog post, David Weigel misquoted a Politico story about the Massachusetts Senate race. A quote said Republican candidate Gabriel Gomez, ?has been complaining,? not ?keeps complaining.?

In a June 17 "Brow Beat" blog post, Torie Bosch misspelled the last name of the actress who plays Zoey on Nurse Jackie. It is Wever, not Weaver.

In a June 17 Mad Men ?TV Club? post, Paul Ford misidentified the company for which Peggy and Ted are creating a campaign. It is St. Joseph?s children?s aspirin.

In a June 17 ?Weigel? blog post, David Weigel originally wrote that his friend returned from Iran with a cable, not a candle. Also, he misspelled the first name of Soli Shavar.

In a June 17 ?XX Factor? blog post, Amanda Marcotte misspelled Miss USA judge NeNe Leakes' first name.

In a June 17 ?XX Factor? blog post, Daniel Bergner misspelled former Playgirl editor in chief Ronnie Koenig's last name.

In the June 15 ?New Scientist,? Sara Reardon wrote that Mary-Claire King discovered both the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer genes. She discovered BRCA1.

In a June 14 "Culturebox," Michelle Orange attributed the line ?We?ve been growing apart for years,? from This Is the End, to Seth Rogen. It is spoken by Jay Baruchel.

In a June 14 ?Medical Examiner? speculating that Superman?s Clark Kent disguise succeeds because everyone who works at the Daily Planet suffers from prosopagnosia, or face blindness, Kyle Hill wrote that most people who suffer from the disorder acquire it through brain trauma. However, it is more common for people to have prosopagnosia their entire lives, in some cases never noticing the condition.

In a June 14 "Weigel" blog post, Emma Roller misspelled Daniel Ellsberg's last name.

Slate?strives to correct all errors of fact. If you've seen an error in our pages, let us know at?corrections@slate.com. General comments should be?posted?in our Comments sections at the bottom of each article.

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/briefing/corrections/2013/06/slate_s_mistakes_for_the_week_of_june_17.html

Christian Bale visits victims Christian Bale Sherman Hemsley Olympics Opening Ceremony Katherine Jackson Olympics Opening Ceremony Time US weekly

Exactly How the NSA Is Getting Away With Spying on US Citizens

The Guardian published a new batch of secret leaked FISA court and NSA documents yesterday, which detail the particulars of how government has been accessing Americans? emails without a warrant, in violation of the Constitution. The documents lay bare fundamental problems with the ineffectual attempts to place meaningful limitations on the NSA?s massive surveillance program.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/LbIgMyBuzNo/exactly-how-the-nsa-is-getting-away-with-spying-on-us-c-540606531

knicks coach encyclopedia britannica white lion mike d antoni resigns holes ncaa brackets 2012 odd

DoD-funded research: Can climate change heat up conflict?

Public release date: 21-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Neil Tickner
ntickner@umd.edu
301-405-4622
University of Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland A University of Maryland-led team of policy experts and scientists is seeking to understand how the impacts of climate change could affect civil conflicts. The team will develop new models of the relationship between conflict, socio-economic conditions and climate. They will use these to project future conflict and develop interventions.

The U.S. Department of Defense is funding the research through a new three-year, $1.9 million grant part of its highly selective Minerva program of social science research.

"It's likely that physical and economic disruptions resulting from climate change could heighten tensions in sensitive areas of the world," says lead researcher Elisabeth Gilmore, an assistant professor in the University of Maryland's (UMD) School of Public Policy. "We hope to develop an integrated model to help researchers and policy makers better anticipate civil conflict under a range of climate change scenarios."

For example, Gilmore says that in a region with ongoing conflicts such as sub-Saharan Africa, additional changes in food and water availability, public health crises, and disruptive migration could further destabilize civil order.

The team will use statistical models and case studies to identify the best predictors of climate-related conflict. It will then use this data and a novel simulation method to generate forecasts of conflict over a range of socio-economic and climate change scenarios. Finally, the project will identify a range of military and policy interventions that could reduce the occurrence of civil conflict under climate change.

In addition to Gilmore, the research team includes John Steinbruner, director of UMD's Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM); Halvard Buhaug, research director at the Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO); Havard Hegre, research professor at PRIO; Katherine Calvin, research scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI), a UMD collaboration with the Department of Energy; and Stephanie Waldhoff, scientist at JGCRI.

The research grant was awarded by the Defense Department's Minerva Initiative, which aims to improve the department's basic understanding of the social, cultural, behavioral, and political forces that shape regions of the world of strategic importance to the United States. The UMD project is one of only 14 funded by Minerva from a total pool of 280.

UMD also won a Minerva grant in the previous round in 2012, supporting research into radicalization and de-radicalization.

###

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jonas Siegel
UMD School of Public Policy/CISSM
301-405-4020
jsiegel@umd.edu

Neil Tickner
UMD Communications
301-405-4622
ntickner@umd.edu

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 21-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Neil Tickner
ntickner@umd.edu
301-405-4622
University of Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland A University of Maryland-led team of policy experts and scientists is seeking to understand how the impacts of climate change could affect civil conflicts. The team will develop new models of the relationship between conflict, socio-economic conditions and climate. They will use these to project future conflict and develop interventions.

The U.S. Department of Defense is funding the research through a new three-year, $1.9 million grant part of its highly selective Minerva program of social science research.

"It's likely that physical and economic disruptions resulting from climate change could heighten tensions in sensitive areas of the world," says lead researcher Elisabeth Gilmore, an assistant professor in the University of Maryland's (UMD) School of Public Policy. "We hope to develop an integrated model to help researchers and policy makers better anticipate civil conflict under a range of climate change scenarios."

For example, Gilmore says that in a region with ongoing conflicts such as sub-Saharan Africa, additional changes in food and water availability, public health crises, and disruptive migration could further destabilize civil order.

The team will use statistical models and case studies to identify the best predictors of climate-related conflict. It will then use this data and a novel simulation method to generate forecasts of conflict over a range of socio-economic and climate change scenarios. Finally, the project will identify a range of military and policy interventions that could reduce the occurrence of civil conflict under climate change.

In addition to Gilmore, the research team includes John Steinbruner, director of UMD's Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM); Halvard Buhaug, research director at the Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO); Havard Hegre, research professor at PRIO; Katherine Calvin, research scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI), a UMD collaboration with the Department of Energy; and Stephanie Waldhoff, scientist at JGCRI.

The research grant was awarded by the Defense Department's Minerva Initiative, which aims to improve the department's basic understanding of the social, cultural, behavioral, and political forces that shape regions of the world of strategic importance to the United States. The UMD project is one of only 14 funded by Minerva from a total pool of 280.

UMD also won a Minerva grant in the previous round in 2012, supporting research into radicalization and de-radicalization.

###

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jonas Siegel
UMD School of Public Policy/CISSM
301-405-4020
jsiegel@umd.edu

Neil Tickner
UMD Communications
301-405-4622
ntickner@umd.edu

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/uom-drc062113.php

Ed Koch Groundhog Day 2013 What Time Is The Superbowl Caleb Moore House of Cards Colin Kaepernick Chris Culliver

Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

Does Samsung's miniaturized Galaxy S4 live up to its name?

Each new generation of smartphones seems to bring with it ever larger screens. Just a couple of years ago a 4.3-inch screen was considered large -- unwieldy, even -- in the grand scheme of things. But as screens for flagship phones reach five inches and beyond, manufacturers seem to be realizing that big screens aren't for everyone. And the result of that realization is phones like the Galaxy S4 Mini.

Featuring a familiar chassis design and a "smaller" 4.3-inch display, the Galaxy S4 Mini seems to promise a high-end experience in a smaller body. And in part, it delivers -- the S4 Mini boasts much of the feature set of its full-size namesake. You'll get everything from S Health -- the food and weight tracking app -- to WatchON -- the IR blaster-based TV remote app. Full-screen multitasking is even supported through the "Multi-Window" feature.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/tyw2Hvo4d9I/story01.htm

andrew bogut monta ellis wiz khalifa taylor allderdice mixtape reggie wayne taylor allderdice vincent jackson vicki gunvalson

Taylor Swift fans get store to pull mocking t-shirt

Celebs

Ashley Majeski TODAY contributor

3 hours ago

Amanda Schwab / AP

Taylor Swift's loyal fanbase defended the singer's honor against Abercrombie & Fitch.

Don't mess with the Swifties!

Clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch learned this lesson the hard way when it debuted a T-shirt that poked fun at singer Taylor Swift's seemingly endless parade of beaus.

The shirt, which read "#more boyfriends than t.s." in silver lettering, infuriated the singer's rabid fan base (known as "Swifties"), and even caused one fan to create a petition on the website change.org to have the shirt removed from the store's shelves.

"Abercrombie & Fitch: Take away "#More boyfriends than t.s." t-shirt...Because it's hurtful to Taylor Swift and Swifties everywhere!" the petition read, alongside a photo of the offending tee with a slash through it.

While the petition only garnered 95 signatures, it was enough for the brand to take notice. The store removed the shirt from its collection and changed the greeting of its public relations phone line to address the plethora of calls from angry Swift fans.

"Thank you for calling Abercrombie & Fitch public relations. If you are calling regarding the Taylor Swift T-shirt, please note this is no longer available,? the current greeting states.

In addition, a pro-Taylor message was posted on the company's Twitter account.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/angry-taylor-swift-fans-get-abercrombie-pull-mocking-t-shirt-6C10398978

ufc 145 fight card ufc145 chimpanzee chimpanzee the lucky one pittsburgh pirates mariners

Drones on U.S. soil shouldn't surprise

The Parrot eBee drone on display near Paris on June 18, 2013. (Francois Mori/AP)When it comes to domestic surveillance, sometimes Congress seems like it?s expressing shock and outrage about something it already knows?or should have known. Take the use of drones on U.S. soil.

FBI Director Robert Mueller admitted at a hearing this week that his agency uses unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance on U.S. soil. Mueller insisted the FBI used drones ?in a very, very minimal way??but his comments did nothing to quiet the raging debate over privacy rights in the aftermath of National Security Agency spying revelations.

Mueller didn?t help himself when, asked by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, whether the FBI had set limits on when drone use on U.S. soil is OK, he replied: ?I will tell you that our footprint is very small. We have very few and have limited use, and we're exploring not only the use but also the necessary guidelines for that use.? It sounded like the drone equivalent of shooting first and then asking questions.

?If there?s a legitimate law-enforcement reason for using them, they ought to say what that law-enforcement reason is,? Grassley later told CNN. ?The right of privacy is at stake.?

There?s ample bipartisan fear that drones pose a major threat to privacy. Mueller himself echoed those concerns and invited Congress to impose limits on their use ?down the road.?

Grassley also told CNN that it was ?absolutely not? known that the FBI used drones on U.S. soil (OK, technically, in U.S. airspace) and called Mueller?s reply ?enlightening.?

But FBI use of drones on U.S. soil isn't exactly a state secret. The Associated Press noted in March that "last month, the FBI used drones to maintain continuous surveillance of a bunker in Alabama where a 5-year-old boy was being held hostage." And the use of drones for surveillance on U.S. soil is a well-reported phenomenon. How well? The Congressional Research Service (exactly what it sounds like) produced a 20-page report in April 2013 titled "Drones in Domestic Surveillance Operations: Fourth Amendment Implications and Legislative Responses" (the report was obtained and made public by the Federation of American Scientists).

A critical line in that report:

Within [the Department of Homeland Security], Customs and Border Protection?s (CBP?s) Office of Air and Marine (OAM) has flown missions to support federal and state agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Defense (DOD), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Secret Service, and the Texas Rangers.

And Congress has been funding those kinds of efforts since at least August 2010. That's when a border security bill allocated $32 million to give the authorities two new drones. The legislation cleared the House of Representatives by a voice vote and sailed through the Senate without opposition.

In July 2012, the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Management held a hearing titled "Using Unmanned Aerial Systems Within the Homeland: Security Game Changer?" Its chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, wasn't shy about using his opening statement to describe the government's use of drones.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection began first looking at using drones back in 2004. Now, CBP owns ten UAS aircraft. These systems have been used to surveil drug smuggling tunnels; video dams, bridges, levees, and riverbeds at risk of flooding; and assist with the deployment of National Guard resources responding to local flooding. CBP has flown missions in support of the Border Patrol, Texas Rangers, U.S. Forest Service, FBI, and others. These systems have become a force multiplier for military operations and border security.

None of this argues for complacency. Much of what the federal government has disclosed about its drone use we owe to dogged efforts by groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has produced a peerless body of work on the issue?right down to a map of installations and institutions that have the green light to fly drones on U.S. soil.

But when it comes to congressional oversight, voters might do well to remember the example of another authority figure who was "shocked, shocked" to find inappropriate behavior.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/congress-surprised-drone-u-soil-shouldn-t-194751908.html

Kevin Krim Autumn Pasquale ann coulter minecraft Ben Wilson Latest Presidential Polls trump

You say 'tomato', I say 'what are you on about, that's an apple'. Why can't mill...

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

Source: http://www.facebook.com/TheIndependentOnline/posts/10151433738906636

Aaron Craft school closings ariana grande gonzaga lyme disease temple university palm sunday

Viator named Duquesne University biomedical engineering chief

Duquesne University has appointed Dr. John A. Viator as director of the new Biomedical Engineering Program.

Viator will lead a program that is going to have its first students in the fall of 2014. He is associate professor in bioengineering and dermatology at the University of Missouri and has also worked at the University of California, Irvine, and the Office of Naval Research, among others. He was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

?We are very pleased to have secured the commitment of someone of Dr. Viator?s caliber to lead our new Biomedical Engineering Program,? Duquesne President Dr. Charles J. Dougherty said in a prepared statement. ?He is an accomplished scholar and designer of innovative medical devices. Viator will help us build a faculty committed to quality undergraduate teaching. We also expect him to play an important role in applying our Catholic and Spiritan mission to this emerging new world of biomedical engineering.?

Paul J. Gough is digital producer at the Pittsburgh Business Times. Contact him at pgough@bizjournals.com or 412-208-3827. You can also follow him on Twitter.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vertical_33/~3/hTcqm7iZRDo/viator-named-duquesne-biomedical.html

mountain lion hanley ramirez Christian Bale visits victims Christian Bale Sherman Hemsley Olympics Opening Ceremony Katherine Jackson

Native Americans to foster church leaders (Baptists 'have that romanticized idea...

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

Source: http://www.facebook.com/BaptistPress/posts/558890890820931

19 kids and counting danny o brien alicia silverstone park slope food coop anchorman sequel safety not guaranteed lifehouse

Greene Uses Facebook Albums as Wanted Flyers

Facebook is not just for keeping in touch with friends and family, sharing pictures, and status updates. Now it's a tool for catching wanted people.?

The Greene County Sheriff's Office is using the social media site to track down crime suspects. Sheriff's deputies are posting pictures of wanted people on Facebook and they are getting more tips than ever.

"We will post on Facebook to cast a larger net, especially with if there are suspects that could be outside of our jurisdiction," said Michael Martin, sheriff's deputy. He says since the sheriff's office started online it has made more arrests leading to convictions.?

The sheriff's office Facebook page has more than 900 likes, and even more people?are looking at the pictures. ?On April 28, the office posted a "People of Interest" album. Nineteen people shared it with their followers, meaning thousands could have seen the pictures.

"We found the results to be extraordinary," Martin said.?

Reporting a tip is always confidential. You can message, email, call or text the sheriff's office.?

Facebook has also been successful because of its real-time capabilities. Rather than somebody seeing a flyer on a wall days or weeks after an event, they will come across pictures faster - maybe even that exact hour or day - on Facebook.

Source: http://www.nbc29.com/story/22636667/greene-uses-facebook-albums-as-wanted-flyers

read across america vikings stadium breitbart dead db cooper fafsa branson missouri davy jones dead

Biden: Gun control opponents 'will pay a price?

Vice President Joe Biden (Fernando Vergara/AP)

Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday, seeking to revive efforts to pass gun-reform legislation in Congress, warned lawmakers opposed to reform that Americans aren't on their side.

"The country has changed" since the deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Biden said during remarks delivered on Tuesday afternoon in the White House's South Court auditorium. Lawmakers "will pay a price?a political price ... for not getting engaged and dealing with gun safety."

Two months after the Senate failed to support the expansion of background checks for gun purchasers despite intense pressure from the administration, victims rights groups and others, the White House announced on Tuesday that the issue remains a top priority for the administration and its supporters in Congress and elsewhere.

"This fight isn?t over. Far from it," Biden said.

Before Biden's remarks, the White House, in an attempt to demonstrate commitment to the issue of reducing gun violence, announced on Tuesday that the administration has completed or made progress?Biden later described it as "major progress"?on 21 out of 23 executive actions. The actions were produced by a gun violence task force the vice president led after the Newtown shooting and were issued by President Barack Obama in January.

Progress, Biden said, has been made on ending the ban on government research of gun violence, creating incentives for states to share information about potentially dangerous gun purchasers, enhancing the tracking of guns recovered in criminal investigations and more.

He also announced that guides from the departments of Education, Justice, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services that can help develop "high-quality emergency operations plans" for K-12 schools, higher-education institutions and places of worship have been released. He said 100 school districts nationwide now have increased access to resources including federal training on shooter situations.

?The Administration has more work to do to complete the remainder of the executive actions that the President announced in January," a progress report released on Tuesday by the White House reads. "But Congress must also act. Passing common-sense gun safety legislation, including expanding background checks and making gun trafficking a federal crime, remains the single most important step we could take to reduce gun violence.?

The report repeats a line often used during the Senate?s debate of expanded background checks: "A vast majority of the American people? support these steps.

?It is time for Congress to take action and get this done," the report adds.

Many stakeholders in the gun debate believed the administration?s best chance to get Congress to pass gun-reform measures died with the failed vote for expanded background checks in April, when Newtown was fresh in the minds of the public and politicians and many interest groups were active in the debate over gun violence.

But the administration and Senate Democratic leaders were unable to wrangle support from key Democrats from guns rights states in addition to select Republicans.

?It came down to politics,? Obama said as he chastised Congress from the Rose Garden the night of the April 17 vote. ?They caved to the pressure.?

Obama added, ?All in all, this was a pretty shameful day in Washington."

The White House says it has continued to publicly court Congress, but other than Biden?s recent event on mental illness, it has held few public events related to gun violence.

When pressed about whether the administration is pursuing potential swing Democrats in the Senate on the issue of background checks with the same intensity as it did during the Senate?s spring gun debate, the White House has mostly declined to offer any specifics other than to confirm that conversations are ongoing.

On Monday, a senior administration official once again declined to release details about these types of meetings, saying the White House remains "engaged with members of Congress" on the issue.

During his remarks on Tuesday, Biden declined to mention lawmakers by name, but said that "he knows" some senators who voted against expanded background checks "wonder now whether that was a prudent vote."

He added that he's received "phone calls from those members of Congress?many of whom voted no" asking for the administration to "find a way for us to revisit this."

The vice president said, "We need to make sure the voices of those we lost are the loudest ones we hear in this fight."

The two executive actions where progress has not been made, according to the report, are confirming a director to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (something up to Congress as the administration has already nominated Todd Jones, who has served as acting director) and hashing out mental health benefits with Health and Human Services.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/biden-tout-progress-executive-actions-reduce-gun-violence-114010300.html

Freddy E NHL lockout Honey Boo Boo Psalms 91 once upon a time once upon a time RG3

Fears of violence as Egypt nears June 30 protests

CAIRO (AP) ? Massive nationwide protests that Egypt's opposition plans for June 30 are taking on a dangerous edge.

Opponents of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi are convinced that this is the best and perhaps the last opportunity to drive him from power. They say they have tapped into widespread public discontent over shortages, broken infrastructure, high prices and lack of security, and can bring that anger into the streets.

Morsi's Islamist backers have vowed to defend the president with counter-demonstrations. Police have signaled they want to stay out of the conflict. The powerful military, widely suspected to be at odds with the president, is keeping its cards close to its chest.

As a result, fears are high of potential violence on the day, the anniversary of Morsi's 2012 inauguration as Egypt's first freely elected leader.

The date is shaping up as the culmination of polarization that has sharpened throughout the year. Protests erupted repeatedly the past year ? frequently leading to clashes with Islamist supporters of Morsi ? but often they were fueled by particular issues like political maneuvers by Morsi or police brutality.

This time, Morsi's opponents, led by a mix of liberal and secular movements and street activists, say the sole purpose is to force him out by showing the extent of public rejection of his presidency. Many talk as if that is a matter of "when" and not "if." They plan ambitious "post-Morsi" steps: suspending the Islamist-backed constitution and naming the chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court as interim president, followed by the drafting a new constitution by a panel of experts and new presidential elections.

"We will take to the streets and the squares and stage sit-ins," said Hossam Mustafa, the chief organizer for the protests in southern Egypt. "We will not leave until the president leaves. We will win back Egypt for all Egyptians."

Already, protest organizers have clashed with Morsi supporters in several parts of the country, including clashes in the Nile Delta city of Tanta on Tuesday that left 10 injured. On Sunday night, clashes in the oasis province of Fayoum southwest of Cairo left at least 100 injured, and similar fights have broken out in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Damanhour.

In expectation of possible violence, the gates of Morsi's Cairo presidential palace have been reinforced. The walls of the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic group from which the president hails, have been fortified.

The protest campaign is rooted in an activists' petition drive the past few months called "Tamarod" ? or "Rebel" ? that claims to have collected up to 15 million signatures on a call for Morsi to step down and for early elections to be held. Organizers of the campaign say its success shows how anger at the government and the Brotherhood has transcended the core opposition to the public at large.

"The will of Egyptians is stronger than anyone," Tamarod spokesman Mahmoud Badr told reporters on Tuesday. "The Egyptians who removed the tyrant Hosni Mubarak will most certainly be able to remove the failed tyrant Mohammed Morsi." He vowed the protest campaign can continue as long as needed, even as summer temperatures rise and the Muslim holy month of fasting, Ramadan, begins, around July 10.

Morsi's supporters, in turn, have depicted the campaign ? and the planned protests ? as an attempt by supporters of ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak to overturn democracy. Morsi, whose term is four years, has vowed to deal "decisively" with those trying to force him out.

Senior Brotherhood leader Essam el-Erian told The Associated Press on Monday that the protest calls are "unconstitutional, illegal and irrational" and are not backed by genuine popular support. He cast doubt on the Tamarod signatures, reflecting claims by Morsi supporters that they are forged.

Raising the specter of clashes, el-Erian said Morsi's supporters would defend the presidential palace in Cairo's Heliopolis district if "state institutions" fail to defend it against the protesters.

Some hard-line clerics have issued fatwas, or edicts, saying that organizers and participants in the planned protests are "kuffar," or non-believers, who deserve to be killed.

Assem Abdel-Maged, a senior leader of the hard-line Gamaa Islamiya, said the protest organizers are communist and "radical' Coptic Christians. "It is another phase of the counter-revolution that we have suffered from for so long," he said.

Hanging over the June 30 plans is the sense of a year's building tension coming to a head, centered on the question of the basic legitimacy of the troubled political system that emerged after Mubarak's fall in February 2011. In the polarization, talk of national reconciliation is falling on deaf ears.

Morsi opponents accuse him and the Muslim Brotherhood of using their victories in a string of post-Mubarak elections to monopolize power. June 30 is crucial, the campaigners argue, because the Islamists are increasing their hold and it will eventually become difficult to remove them.

For Morsi's supporters, the protest campaigners are trying to overturn democracy itself because they are unable to compete at the election box. They say old regime loyalists have frustrated Morsi's attempts to deal with the nation's woes, which they argue are worsened by repeated opposition protests.

In last year's election, Morsi defeated Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq in a runoff, with about 52 percent of the vote. His win is widely thought to have been possible only because of the support of young reform activists who did not want a Mubarak loyalist to rule. The same activists are now at the forefront of the opposition.

They say the Brotherhood and its Islamist allies have run roughshod over the judiciary, stacked the deck by pushing through a constitution they largely wrote, imposed their agenda and broke campaign promises for an inclusive administration, freedom of expression and consensus.

The anti-Morsi campaign has been fueled by widespread frustration over host of troubles in the nation of 90 million people, from surging crime, rising prices and unemployment to power cuts, fuel shortages and traffic congestion. Many of those signing the Tamarod petition have blamed Morsi for failing to deal with the problems.

"It is a surrealistic and absurd regime that will not and cannot be allowed to continue," said reform leader and Nobel Peace Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei. "We must put an end to it with our own hands and through peaceful and civilized means."

Islamist parties loyal to Morsi plan protests of their own across the nation Friday and are considering occupying sites where the president's opponents plan sit-ins on June 30.

Mustafa, the anti-Morsi organizer in the south, said he fully expects violence on the protest day in his home province of Assiut, as well as in Minya province to the north. The two provinces are Islamist strongholds and have large communities of Christians opposed to Morsi's government.

A police officers association announced over the weekend they would stay on the sidelines on June 30, protecting only their own installations and key facilities like banks, foreign embassies and hospitals.

"We promised ourselves not to repeat past mistakes. The police are the police of the people and the state," they said in a statement. "We hereby pledge not to use a baton or a firearm against any peaceful protester and that we abide by complete neutrality."

The Interior Ministry, in charge of the police, says security forces will monitor protests from a distance and intervene only in the event of clashes.

The military's position is less clear. Its top brass have over the months sent subtle but telling hints of their displeasure over the policies of Morsi and his Islamist backers. They, however, have also seized every available opportunity to make clear that their mandate is not just to protect the nation against external threats but also to maintain security at home and that they will side with the people if they ever intervene.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fears-violence-egypt-nears-june-30-protests-184940411.html

i am legend san antonio spurs greta van susteren the five year engagement chris kreider correspondents dinner 2012 white house correspondents dinner 2012