Another blizzard slams Plains region

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) ? National Weather Service officials in Kansas and Oklahoma issued blizzard warnings and watches through late Monday as the storm packing snow and high winds tracked eastward across West Texas toward Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Forecasters warned of possible tornadoes in the southeast.

Snow covered Amarillo, Texas, where forecasters said up to 18 inches could fall, accompanied by wind gusts up to 65 mph. Paul Braun, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Transport, said whiteout conditions and drifting snow had made all roads in the Texas Panhandle impassable. Authorities closed Interstate 40 from Amarillo to the Oklahoma state line and Interstate 27 from Lubbock to 60 miles beyond Amarillo.

"It's just a good day to stay home," Braun said. "This is one of the worst ones we've had for a while."

The weather service issued a blizzard warning for the Oklahoma Panhandle and counties along the Kansas border, warning that travel in the area would be "very dangerous" until Tuesday morning with near zero visibility and drifting snow.

Texas officials called in the National Guard to respond to emergency calls and help stranded motorists after Department of Public Safety troopers found roads impassable.

Billy Brown, a farmer in the town of Panhandle about 30 miles northeast of Amarillo, said the snow was coming down so hard that he could only see for about 100 feet and that it was forming drifts up to 3 feet deep. The whiteout forced all vehicles from the roads ? even the snow plows, he said.

"You can't see anything," Brown said. "I've got some farm equipment out there I can't see at all ? plows and tractors."

But he said the snow would bring some relief to the drought-stricken region. Wheat stubble still in the ground after the last harvest will act as a conduit for the snow, which will seep into the soil and provide much-needed moisture when he plants cotton and grain sorghum in the coming months.

"We have been super dry," Brown said. "This is just a good old fashioned blizzard. We were overdue for one."

In Lubbock early Monday winds whipped fallen snow off roof tops and the ground, adding to visibility woes. Streets were snow-packed and icy.

In Oklahoma, forecasters said up to 16 inches of snow could accumulate in some areas, with wind gusts reaching up to 55 mph. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed all highways in the state's Panhandle, citing slick roads and limited visibility. Trooper Betsy Randolph said the patrol advised its non-essential personnel to stay home until Wednesday.

About a dozen flights were canceled at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. The Chicago Department of Aviation reported normal operations at Midway and O'Hare ? the bellwether air hub of the Midwest.

Blowing snow took Donna Lloyd by surprise in Guymon in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

"The wind is not usually like this," said Lloyd, who manages a Wes-T-Go convenience store. "Our front door keeps freezing shut."

Kerri Lewis, a convenience store manager in nearby Woodward, said she expected to be snowed in, especially as most of the roads out of town were already closed.

"You can't hardly see across the street," Lewis said. "I'm pretty much stuck."

Announcing a snow emergency in Woodward County, Emergency Management Director Matt Lehenbauer said almost two feet of snow was forecast for the area.

"Conditions are just treacherous right now," he said. "It's even dangerous for road-clearing crews to be out."

Several motorists had reported being stranded, but so far there hadn't been serious accidents, he added.

In Wichita, Kan., officials said they had barely recovered from last week's storm that dumped up to 18 inches of snow.

Joe Pajor, deputy director of public works in Wichita, told The Wichita Eagle that sand and salt supplies were low and that the city's strategy might just be to plow snow into the center of arterial streets and cut traffic to one lane in each direction. He said the city wouldn't begin to use its limited sand and salt supply until the snow stopped falling and plowing was under way.

Steve Corfidi, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said the storm also will affect southern states and could spawn tornadoes Tuesday in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Georgia.

By Monday morning, several inches of snow had fallen on much of West Texas and the Texas Panhandle, where forecasters predicted more than a foot could fall. The incoming storm sent Amarillo residents running out for last-minute supplies. Mario Delgado, 57, needed milk.

"I got all the good stuff like soup and peanut butter the other day," Delgado told the Amarillo Globe-News. "We're used to it here."

He added: "As long as you got plenty of clothes and the right kind of shoes, you'll be alright."

___

Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant in Dallas, Jill Zeman Bleed in Little Rock, Ark., Dan Holtmeyer in Oklahoma City and Carla K. Johnson in Chicago contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2nd-blizzard-less-week-slams-plains-region-124708575.html

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Kantar: Android back on top of US smartphone share in January with Sprint's help

Most US smartphone market share estimates last fall saw Apple retake the lead as it rode a wave of iPhone 5 sales. While there was always a question as to how long that trend would last, new data from Kantar Worldpanel supports beliefs that it was really more of a momentary pop. Android reportedly took back the lead at 49.4 percent of American sales between November and January, improving its overall position versus the same month last year. Not that everyone else was necessarily hurting -- iOS still had a 45.9 percent slice of the pie, and the continued Windows Phone 8 rollout took Microsoft up to 3.2 percent. The real wounds were dealt to a pre-transition BlackBerry and Nokia's outgoing Symbian.

We seldom get an explanation as to why such shifts take place, but the researchers suggest that a significant chunk of the January switch-up can be assigned to one carrier: Sprint. Its decision to cut the Galaxy S III's contract price to $99 supposedly helped Samsung's flagship climb from 14 percent of Sprint sales in October to 39 percent over the more recent 3-month span. The Galaxy S III didn't play as much of a role elsewhere, Kantar says. Sprint's average contract pricing for Android also dipped to $95 at the same time, helping Samsung alone get 60.3 percent of the network's business as customers snapped up bargains. Big Yellow only played a small part in the overall US market, as you'll see in the detailed charts after the break, but it may have been large enough to tip the balance in OS preferences at the start of 2013.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, Google, Blackberry

Comments

Source: Kantar Worldpanel

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/kantar-android-back-on-top-of-us-smartphone-market-share-in-january/

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Montana House panel advances GOP tax bills

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- Two Republican tax-cut proposals in Montana are advancing toward a full House vote while the governor's $400 rebate plan stalls.

The House Taxation Committee on Monday advanced a plan to cut the statewide property tax assessment. The panel also backed a reduction in the business-equipment tax by exempting companies' first $250,000 in equipment.

Committee chairman Mike Miller says the full House will consider both proposals soon.

But Miller says the committee will sit on Gov. Steve Bullock's proposed $400-per-homeowner tax rebate. The measure has not been the preferred choice of Republicans.

Miller says the measure could be acted on later in the session or perhaps included in another bill.

The Republican says competing tax-cut proposals are still alive and will need to be prioritized at session's end.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/montana-house-panel-advances-gop-185201511.html

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Kerry takes case on Syria to Europe, Mideast

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry boards his plane at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to London in his inaugural official trip as Secretary on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Pool, Jacquelyn Martin)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry boards his plane at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to London in his inaugural official trip as Secretary on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Pool, Jacquelyn Martin)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry boards his plane at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to London in his inaugural official trip as Secretary on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Pool, Jacquelyn Martin)

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2013 file photo, Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the State Department in Washington. Kerry will make his first overseas trip next week to Europe and the Middle East, but is skipping Israel because that country's government isn't fully formed after recent elections. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? John Kerry embarked Sunday on his first official overseas trip as secretary of state, hoping to bring new ideas to Europe and the Mideast about how to end nearly two years of violence in Syria.

Kerry's nine-nation, 10-day trip will take him to America's traditional European allies of Britain, Germany, France and Italy, along with Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. In addition to Syria, he will focus on conflicts in Mali and Afghanistan, and on Iran's nuclear program.

Kerry has said he is eager to discuss new ways of persuading Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and usher in a democratic transition in the country that wracked by escalating violence that has killed at least 70,000 people.

Kerry, a former Democratic senator from Massachusetts who succeeded Hillary Rodham Clinton in President Barack Obama's second-term Cabinet, has not offered details of his ideas but officials say they revolve around increasing pressure on Assad and his inner circle.

Kerry's first stop is London, where he will hold talks with British officials on a range of issues, from Afghanistan to the status of the Falkland Islands. Britain is in a major dispute with Argentina over the Falklands.

In German, Kerry will discuss trans-Atlantic issues with German youth in Berlin, where he spent time as a child as the son of an American diplomat posted to the divided Cold War city. He also will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the German capital.

In Paris, Kerry plans to discuss France's intervention in Mali, while in Rome he'll attend a meeting with Syrian opposition leaders.

U.S. officials have said the trip will be primarily a "listening tour" when it comes to Syria and won't result in immediate shifts in U.S. policy that has until now stayed clear of military support for the rebels fighting Assad.

Despite the numerous Middle East stops. Kerry will not travel to Israel or the Palestinian territories. He will wait to visit them when he accompanies Obama there in March.

___

Online:

Trip details: http://www.state.gov/secretary/travel/2013/205086.htm

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-24-Kerry/id-ca79acce85a243c094ee3bfa82cf8472

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Thinning ice changes Arctic ecosystem

Stefan Hendricks, Alfred Wegener Institute

icebreaker Polarstern navitates the central Arctic in summer 2012.

By Becky Oskin
LiveScience

In the Arctic Ocean, algae is manna from heaven. Clumps of the aquatic life drop from the sea ice to the ocean floor below, occasionally feeding otherworldly creatures that live there, such as sea cucumbers and brittle stars.

During 2012's record ice melt in the Arctic, when the ice cover over the ocean shrank to the lowest levels ever seen, researchers explored the region's seas with remotely operated vehicles. They discovered the thinning ice was speeding up algal growth.

Not only was more algae clinging to the underside of the thinning ice, but chunks of algae up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) in size littered the seafloor, covering 10 percent of the muddy bottom.

"We had cameras showing that, partially, the seafloor was green with ice algae deposits," Antje Boetius, a biological oceanographer at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Germany and lead author of the study, said in an email interview. [Video: Dive below the Arctic ice]

Mar Fernandez-Mendez, Alfred Wegener Institute

Melosira arctica grows on the bottom side of ice floes in the Arctic Ocean.

The vigorous algae growth could change the amount of carbon stored in the Arctic because the clumps trap carbon after falling to the seafloor. The additional food for sea creatures this algae provides could also shift the Arctic's biodiversity in unknown ways, the researchers said.

"The Arctic deep sea is normally very nutrient-limited," Boetius told OurAmazingPlanet. "We believe that we have observed a new phenomenon, which is connected to the sea ice decline, and which may change the way the Arctic ecosystem functions."

Trolling the floor
The scientists sailed through the thinning ice in late summer 2012 aboard the research icebreaker RV Polarstern. They towed cameras and sensors along the seafloor, sent remotely operated vehicles beneath the ice, and collected water, ice and sediments for additional studies.

Clinging to the ice like vines, the 3-foot-long (1 meter) algae strands share a similarity in color and shape with "Star Wars" character Chewbacca's dreadlocks. While many kinds of algae grow under the Arctic ice, the clumps of Melosira arctica are particularly heavy compared with its brethren, and so fall to the seafloor instead of wafting in the waves to be consumed by near-surface dwellers.

Antje Boetius, Alfred Wegener Institute

Sea cucumbers eat up the Arctic algae.

The rapid growth of algae beneath the ice in 2012, quickly followed by a massive deluge of sea scum onto the ocean floor, has never been seen before, Boetius said.

"It was already known that ice algae could grow in the ice and form gigantic accumulations under the ice. But it was believed that this takes very long and that these biomasses will remain in the ice or sink out only at the warming coasts, not in the middle of the basins," she said.

The researchers think the algae clumps grew better and faster in 2012 because the Arctic's thinning ice made more sunlight available underneath the ice floes.

Signs of recent change
Once it arrives at the seafloor, up to 14,700 feet (4,500 m) below the ocean's surface, the algae gets chewed up by bottom feeders, and bacteria feed on what's left.

By calculating how much carbon and nutrients were cycled by the algae and its predators, the research team confirmed the rapid growth in 2012 was a new phenomenon.

"We have seen how this was remineralized by seafloor bacteria. Had this occurred many times before, the seafloor would look very different," Boetius said.

The expedition's zoologist also analyzed the stomach contents of sea cucumbers from the deep Arctic sea: Algae extracted from their guts could still photosynthesize upon returning to the ship's laboratory, evidence that the algae clumps were relatively young. The animals also had highly developed gonads, another sign of recent access to a massive food supply.

"I think we have probably seen a glimpse of the new Arctic," Boetius said.

Reach Becky Oskin at boskin@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @beckyoskin. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter?@OAPlanet. We're also on?Facebook?and Google+.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/14/16965924-thinning-ice-changes-ecosystem-in-new-arctic?lite

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Dispute over conditions on stranded cruise ship

HOUSTON (AP) ? A cruise line says it is making the passengers stranded aboard a disabled ship in the Gulf of Mexico as comfortable as possible with running water and some working bathrooms, contradicting the accounts of some passengers who told relatives of filthy, hot conditions and limited access to food.

The ship, the Carnival Triumph, is still at least a day from being guided to a port in Mobile, Ala.

Carnival President Gerry Cahill said Tuesday the ship has running water and most of its 23 public restrooms and some of the guest cabin bathrooms were working. He downplayed the possibility of an outbreak of disease from unsanitary conditions, saying the ship had not seen an abnormal number of people reporting to the infirmary as being ill.

"No one here from Carnival is happy about the conditions onboard the ship," Cahill said at a news conference in Miami. "We obviously are very, very sorry about what is taking place."

Jimmy Mowlam, 63, whose 37-year-old son, Rob Mowlam, got married Saturday onboard the ship, said his son told him by phone Monday night that there is no running water and few working toilets. He said passengers were given plastic bags to "use for their business."

Despite a forecast of brisker winds and slightly higher seas, the Coast Guard and Carnival said they did not expect conditions to deteriorate aboard ship.

A cold front was expected to cross the central Gulf where the vessel is under tow, bringing north and northwesterly winds of 15 to 25 mph and seas of 4 to 6 feet, said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the National Hurricane Center.

However, such conditions shouldn't affect conditions aboard ship, said Bill Segelken, spokesman for the Coast Guard Galveston command center.

The ship was about 200 miles south of Mobile, Ala., as Tuesday faded into Wednesday, the Coast Guard said. Carnival says the ship is expected to arrive in Mobile on Thursday.

The ship left Galveston, Texas, for a four-day cruise last Thursday with 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crew members. The ship was about 150 miles off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Sunday when an engine room fire knocked out its primary power source, crippling its water and plumbing systems and leaving it adrift on only a backup power.

No one was injured in the fire, but Carnival spokeswoman Joyce Oliva said Tuesday that a passenger with a pre-existing medical condition was taken off the ship as a precaution.

Everyone else likely will have to remain onboard until the ship reaches Mobile, Ala., which is expected to happen Thursday, weather permitting.

Besides two tugs, at least two other Carnival cruise ships have been diverted to the Triumph to leave supplies and a 210-foot Coast Guard cutter was at the scene, Coast Guard Petty Officer Richard Brahm said Tuesday.

Mowlam said his son told him the lack of ventilation on the Triumph had made it too hot to sleep inside and that many passengers had set up camp on the ocean liner's decks and in its common areas. Mowlam said he wasn't sure where his son was sleeping.

"He said up on deck it looks like a shanty town, with sheets, almost like tents, mattresses, anything else they can pull to sleep on," said Mowlam, of the southeast Texas town of Warren. His son is from nearby Nederland.

Mowlam said his son indicated that passengers are trying to make the best of a bad situation.

"So far people have been pretty much taking it in stride," Mowlam said his son told him.

Rob Mowlam told his father the ship's crew had started giving free alcohol to passengers.

"He was concerned about what that was going to lead to when people start drinking too much," Mowlam said.

Other passengers have described more dire conditions, including overflowing toilets and limited access to food.

Jay Herring, a former senior officer for Carnival Cruise Lines, said one of the biggest concerns crew members will have until the ship docks is the potential for disease outbreak, particularly norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea.

"Housekeeping, others are probably working double shifts to keep the mess clean and wipe down and sanitize all the common areas," said Herring, who worked for Carnival from 2002 to 2004 and spent four months on the Triumph.

Carnival hasn't determined what caused the fire, said Oliva, the company spokeswoman.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced Tuesday it has opened an investigation into the cause of the fire. The NTSB said the Bahamas Maritime Agency will lead the investigation because the ship carries a Bahamian flag.

The ship was originally going to be towed to a port in Progreso, Mexico, but after currents pushed it northward, the company decided to take it to Alabama, saying it would make it easier for passengers without passports to get home.

Cahill said Carnival has reserved more than 1,500 hotel rooms in Mobile and New Orleans for Thursday. The company plans to return passengers back to Houston on Friday using charter flights.

A similar situation occurred on a Carnival cruise ship in November 2010. That vessel, named Splendor, was stranded with 4,500 people aboard after a fire in the engine room. When the passengers disembarked in San Diego, they described a nightmarish three days in the Pacific with limited food, power and bathroom access.

Cahill said the Spendor's fire was different because it involved a "catastrophic explosion" in a diesel generator, and the Triumph's fire had "some other cause." He could not say what the economic impact will be due to the fire aboard the Triumph. The impact from the Splendor was $40 million, he said.

Carnival canceled the Triumph's next two voyages, scheduled to depart Monday and Saturday. Passengers aboard the stranded ship will also receive a full refund.

___

Associated Press writers Terry Wallace in Dallas and Christine Armario in Miami contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/conditions-disabled-cruise-ship-dispute-082634245.html

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Diplomat confirms Iran nuclear upgrade

VIENNA (AP) ? Adding weight to its announcement of a nuclear upgrade, Tehran has shown high-level U.N. officials high-tech equipment positioned at its main uranium enrichment site meant to vastly accelerate output of material that can be used for both reactor fuel and atomic arms, a senior diplomat said Thursday.

The diplomat spoke to The Associated Press shortly after the officials returned from Tehran, acknowledging that their latest in a series of trips to the Iranian capital that began over a year ago again failed to reach a deal to restart an investigation into suspicions that Iran is pursuing nuclear arms.

Herman Naeckerts, who headed the International Atomic Energy Agency team that visited Iran, said "remaining differences" scuttled attempts to finalize an agreement on how such an investigation should be conducted. He declined to say whether there was progress.

The IAEA wants the probe to be open-ended, something strenuously opposed by Tehran, which denies it wants nuclear weapons and says it is interested in the atom only as an energy source and for research.

With expectations for success low even before the start of the latest negotiating attempt, interest focused on Iran's move to install a new generation of centrifuges at Natanz, its main uranium enriching site southeast of Tehran.

Iran announced the start of installations during the IAEA team's one-day visit Wednesday at about the same time that the diplomat said the group was shown "a small number" of the machines at the site. The diplomat said those centrifuges were ready to be installed. The diplomat, who closely follows Iran's nuclear program, demanded anonymity because his information was confidential.

The new-generation centrifuges can enrich uranium four to five times faster than Iran's present working model. Experts say Iran already has enough enriched uranium for several weapons if it is further enriched.

Any move to enrich faster will rile Israel, which sees Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat and has said it would use all means to stop it from reaching weapons capability. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the world has until this summer ? at the latest ? to keep Iran from building a bomb.

It also is likely to hurt chances of progress at talks in Kazakhstan later this month between Iran and six world powers seeking to blunt Iran's enrichment program. Iran in turns wants an easing of sanctions imposed over its enrichment program before it is ready to reduce it.

The failure of either side to make the initial move has led to a series of failed negotiations. Nonproliferation expert Mark Fitzpatrick said Iran's centrifuge upgrade may be a further signal that it is determined not to blink first.

"Installation of the more efficient centrifuges will probably contribute to Iran's unwillingness to compromise," said Fitzpatrick, a former senior U.S. State Department official now with the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "It bolsters Iran's belief that time is on its side and that the West will eventually have to give in to the pressure of Iran's growing enrichment capacity.

"It's a kind of mirror image of the Western belief that Iran will eventually have to give in to the pressure of sanctions, he said. "The race between centrifuges and sanctions continues apace."

In first announcing plans to update last month, Iran indicated that It could add more than 3,000 of the new-generation centrifuges to the more than 10,000 older models it has at Natanz turning out low-enriched, fuel-grade uranium. About 700 of the old machines at Fordo, another site, are churning out higher-enriched material that is still below ? but just a technical step away ? from weapons-grade uranium. Iran says it needs that higher-enriched level to fuel a research reactor.

Olli Heinonen, the former IAEA deputy director general in charge of Iran, said that the pace of Iran's installation of its older centrifuges "would mean that all 3,000 plus (new) centrifuges could be installed in six to nine months' time," if the assumption was right that Tehran had the material to make the machines.

When Iran announced its intentions last month, Western diplomats downplayed the proclamation's significance, noting Tehran did not say when it would start populating Natanz with the new machines. But signs of an upgrade that has started or is about to are sure to increase international concerns, particularly if the IAEA verifies as expected in a report later this month that officials saw the equipment ready for installation.

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Iran to show flexibility when negotiators meet in Kazakhstan.

"These talks can only make progress if the Iranians come to the table determined to make and discuss real offers and engage in a real dialogue," Kerry told reporters, speaking alongside U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Before his meeting with Kerry, Ban expressed hope the Feb. 26 talks with Iran would bring "fruit for progress."

___

Associated Press writer Bradley Klapper contributed from Washington.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/diplomat-confirms-iran-nuclear-upgrade-181953638.html

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Video: Pope Benedict abdicates position

>>> new pope. let's play "hardball."

>>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start tonight with this stunning news today that the head of the 1.2 billion. person roman catholic church is retiring at the end of the month. this is the first time in many century that is a pope has done anything like this. well, the question is whether a new pope to be elected in the next two or three weeks can refine church doing trin on matters like birth control , the role of women . can he correct and meet certainly head on the scandals that have besieged and enraged the catholic chump in the u.s. and in irmd and other countries in tonight i will tell you what i think. i know who the front run ser right now and what we can expect of him. and let's face it, the election of a pope is a political as well as a spiritual undertaking. ambition and humility both play their roles. the stakes, who will lead the church for the years ahead, probably for our lifetimes. it's going to matter and not just to catholics. i'm joined by melinda henin burger and e.j. deon. here is my pick, cardinal angelo scala , just barely young enough to make it. the biggest thing he has gone in his favor, the pope wants him and there are a lot of voting cardinals who owe the pope. a majority were picked by the fellow right there, his holeyness. about 56%, close to the two-thirds needing to win. he's italian, that always helps. he's european, 62, a majority are from europe. you know how political i'm getting here? i'm just starting here, melinda . this is a political enterprise. it's a secular event and it's an election very democratic. my bet is that this pope wants a quick election because he has a successor and he wants that successor to be his guy scala from milan. your thoughts?

>> i agree with you that i think scala is the most likely outcome but i do not see benedict as trying to have a big impact on the election because i really think that of the people who are possible to take on this role, there's very little difference on them -- among them on policy, on what would come next, on, as you said, things like contra contracepti contraception, order nation of women. all the people on the running would be quite orthodox leading the orthodox catholic church , so i really don't think that he's going to get very involved in --

>> you are so pessimistic here. i want to go to e.j. now because there's two good things that can happen. i'm a progressive on catholics issues and all kinds of issues. you are, too, e.j. i think melinda is too. we get a guy like scala who turns out to be more liberal than the pope things and second, some way out candidate we never heard of perhaps from italy, that's where the liberals come from, comes forth and offers himself up and we pull a big surprise because scala can't put it together.

>> let's stipulate we would probably pick a nun.

>> i spent a lot of time last week with my late aunt agnes' friends in the convent. i would rather they pick the next pope.

>> i think it would be a good thing.

>> they are good people and they have good values and they believe in a vow of poverty and they live by it and they're good people.

>> here is the problem with the scala theory. it's not 100% clear to me he is the benedict guy. number two, this isn't like a chicago committeeman saying we're voting for scala and all the hands go up. this is more like the united states senate where every member believes he is entitled to the top job and is as good as the other guys. the other thing i think that --

>> so you don't think the white smoke is going to come up in two or three weeks.

>> i think it could take a while. that's the other advantage for scala is also the problem which is the italians don't always stick together. as you know in politics, some of the worst fights are within your own camp.

>> usually the irish.

>> it is often the irish, but, you know, he is a leader, that gives him a power base. it's an important group in the church , but they have had some trouble with some of their politicians --

>> let's talk north america . all politics is local. i want to talk to melinda , is there any chance one of us from this continental would be the next pope. how about mark willette, 68, preeffect of the conditioning for bishops, that means he gets to be the gatekeeper for who becomes a bishop around the world. they say he's a bit of a chill but he makes the top -- the irish betting odds, the bookies in ireland, they bet on him for some reason.

>> he's my number two choice. i really do think -- he's very close to the pope. he is an adviser to the pope. he knows everybody by virtue of working in rome , which is very important because some of these people just don't know their fellow cardinals that well. and --

>> how about his language ability. he can speak english, french, portuguese, spanish. he's got german. it seems to me like german would be pretty good when you're dealing with ratzinger.

>> i think if it's going to be someone from north america , it's most likely to be he. i don't see -- i know there's a lot of talk about cardinal dolan and a couple of the other americans --

>> what do you hear about tim dolan? about the archbishop of new york , the head of the catholic bishops in new york. i really like the guy. i think he's a moderate.

>> he's very well-known. he ran the north american college there, the place for young american and canadian seminaryians, and he's very well liked, but i think he's seen as too american, first of all, having a super power pope really would bother a lot of people from catholic countries around the world --

>> but you know what --

>> and his --

>> he's too american. he's too regular person. let's talk about the policy here. i believe vitae, where pope pious vi came out against birth control had to be refined. it has 2340g to do with murder or death. it's a simply better of discipline and sexual relations between husband and wife. it seems it has to do more about their relationship. it's about the long relationship between man and woman when they're married. sex is part of that. what is wrong with that more yamly? i can't find out what's wrong with it? i think the church has never explained that. and i don't think explaining is going to work.

>> the majority on pope paul vi 's own commission on that agreed with what you just said. i'm sure the three of us completely agree on it but i just don't think the electors in that room are going to be thinking about the kind of things that we're thinking about.

>> every catholic watching this show and about a third of the people watching this show are catholic, they know they have not heard a sermon since the 1950s against birth control .

>> public religion research institute that i do some work with, 70% of church going, weekly church going --

>> 70%.

>> 70% disagree with the church 's teaching on this. so it's clearly true here. it's true throughout western europe . just to go back to the pundit tri for a second, on the ouleete matter --

>> he's the quebec guy.

>> who i should be for. there's a great saying among the folks in the vatican, after a fat pope, a thin pope, he is too much like benedict and he might look like benedict light. i'm trying to knock down all the front-runners because i think our best hope for a pope like john xxiii is -- a long --

>> i think a chubby popebe -- i don't thin k governor christie is available for this particular line of work although he's a fellow religious. i want to get back to you, linda, i read your column all the time, and i think your values are a tad to my right, a tad or a half a tad. that's all right. i know you're smiling because it's true. let's talk about this. a lot of people who weren't catholic are wondering why we're talking about this. 1.2 billion people in the catholic church . it's a loud church to be heard from and it tends to be a bulwark of belief. it isn't a pr church . it does what it believes. the question is what it believes. does it have to be refined? the role of women is not the same as the role of women 2,000 years ago in any society. why can't women be priests?

>> i would be the first to lead that parade. i'm just saying -- all i'm really saying, there's no daylight between you and me on this issue, but i'm just saying that when, you know, we can impose what we think they should be thinking about and what we think they should be discussing but i'm just telling you the reality in rome is that that's not on the table.

>> the reason i say that is because culturally, it's not a religious thing, culturally sure jesus called the apostles who were men. today who are the best chefs? a lot of them are men. these roles are different. the women cooked the meals 2,000 years ago. the men cook the best meals today. there are a lot of different roles we play.

>> i always tell my daughters the good news is the catholic church is will have women priests some day. it might take us 200 years. and i think it's a real shame that these issues get in the way, that they don't take a step forward because when you look at the catholic church , including benedict , they are great on all matters of social justice and i wish that were louder --

>> most of the new deal came from the church and pope pious. i know all that stuff. they thought liberal was a bad word because they thought it meant capitalist. the important thing this pope has done with all respect for our holy father, he quit. this is remarkable, melinda . he basically --

>> absolutely.

>> admitted he was becoming fallible. becoming a person who couldn't make the decisions. i'm not speaking in terms of spiritual terms as much as getting up in the morning, dealing with these crises, traveling, walking. these are things he couldn't do anymore and he acknowledged. there's a humility there.

>> it's an extraordinary and brave thing and i'm glad we're getting back to thinking who comes next, who relinquishes power willingly whether it's in government, whether it's in your office? i mean it just doesn't happen. so i think that the irony here, one of them, is that this man who many people associate with the middle ages is going to go down in history as a modernizer because he really showed this modern reality and was the first, you know, even 600 years ago when it happened, it happened to heal a schism. this is happening because he, a, sees we're living longer now, but, b, sees for all the incense and candlelight around the papacy, it's also a job and there are certain requirements of the job and if you can't do it, what he's saying and voting with his feet, is that you need to leave.

>> well said.

>> amen.

>> i think it shows a lot of humility. in april of 2005 when pope john paul ii died we broadcasted "hardball" from rome . as we closed our last show from there, let's listen. look at these people standing for hours, day and night , through the avenues of rome , packed together as if they had been caught and crushed in an industrial strength trash compacter. there they stood seeking no edge, plotting no photo opportunity , playing none of the games that people do in politics, in business, in so much of life. this is no pub lisible stunt or initial stock offering or inside deal or anything but the purest most obvious most grandly transparent display of individual devotion. voting with your feet.

>> thanks four your wise and warm words. thanks for coming on and enl deon, mr. america and french canadian and all kind of things.

>>> dick cheney from the sublime to the ridiculous . dick cheney can't stand the fact that his side lost the election, dick. that he and his neocons are under assault and in retreat thank god. he's saying president obama is picking second class people. we'll be right back with the story of dick cheney .

>>> also the white party . how did the gop become the home office for conservative whites? a fascinating new story in the new republic argues the cause is not overt racism but is based on the precivil war southern interpret tas of the constitution shared by modern day republicans, you know, secessi secession, nullification.

>>> plus the man who shot osama bin laden , we don't know his name yet and have never seen his face yet, but the member of the s.e.a.l. team who pulled the trigger three times has told his story to esquire. we've got the author here tonight, phil bron steen. let me finish with some thoughts on the stipe of republican dick cheney leads. the kind that would believe in him. this is "hardball," the place

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/hardball/50774880/

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Big Ten biggie: No. 8 Mich St hosts No. 4 Michigan

Michigan coach John Beilein gestures during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wisconsin on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin upset Michigan 65-62 in overtime. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

Michigan coach John Beilein gestures during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wisconsin on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin upset Michigan 65-62 in overtime. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo gestures during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Illinois, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 80-75. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2013, file photo, Michigan head coach John Beilein, left, talks with guard Trey Burke (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. They've earned the admiration of their Fab Five predecessors and even grudging respect from Tom Izzo, but after moving to No. 1, the Wolverines still have a lot to prove. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2013, file photo, Michigan head coach John Beilein tries to get his defense under control against Ohio State during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Columbus, Ohio. They've earned the admiration of their Fab Five predecessors and even grudging respect from Tom Izzo, but after moving to No. 1, the Wolverines still have a lot to prove. (AP Photo/Mike Munden, File)

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, center, talks with Branden Dawson, left, and Derrick Nix, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 80-75. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) ? For the first time in the history of the series, Michigan and Michigan State will play each other while ranked among the top 10.

Bragging rights won't be the only thing at stake Tuesday night when the eighth-ranked Spartans (20-4, 9-2 Big Ten) host the fourth-ranked Wolverines (21-3, 8-3) in the first matchup of 20-win teams in Division I basketball this season.

Michigan State will be playing to move into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten against its on-the-rise rival, and another victory might help NCAA tournament positioning. Michigan wants to win to move within a half-game of first-place and top-ranked Indiana in the conference standings and to boost its shot at being a top-seeded team next month.

"The nation is talking about it now," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "And, there's a sick side of me that it makes happy. Who wouldn't rather dominate in a rivalry series? But it's not a series that should be dominated by either squad because both teams should be good and both teams are good this year. In my estimation, this is their best team in a lot of years."

The Wolverines have their best overall record through 24 games in program history and were ranked No. 1 two weeks ago for the first time since the 1992-93 season in what was the second year of the Fab Five era.

"Bringing Michigan back to the national scene is certainly happening right now," coach John Beilein said.

Michigan, though, has lost two of its last three games and is desperately trying to avoid having back-to-back setbacks in the regular season for the first time in more than two years.

The Spartans certainly have a lot to play for, too. With their next two home games against the Wolverines and Hoosiers, the conference race is coming through East Lansing.

"If we win this game, we have an edge on everybody," Michigan State senior Derrick Nix said. "We want that. It's a must-win game."

The point guard matchup might prove to be pivotal.

Michigan is led by Trey Burke, a national player of the year candidate who' the first Big Ten player since ex-Michigan State star Magic Johnson to average more than 17 points and seven assists.

The Spartans rise and fall with the play of Keith Appling, whose clutch play late in games has helped them win three in a row and nine of their last 10 games. Appling is scoring 14-plus points per game and with four-plus assists per game, he directs a balanced offense with four other players averaging at least nine points.

Beilein said he began feeling uneasy about how he was going to find someone to guard Appling when he scored 49 points for Detroit Pershing in the 2009 Class A state title game, and found his answer by recruiting Burke out of Columbus, Ohio.

"Our guy is pretty good, too," Beilein said. "They'll go at it."

Michigan State seems to have more muscle inside with Nix, a 6-foot-9, 270-pound center, and 6-10, 240-pound power forward Adreian Payne going against Jordan Morgan, if he can play with a sprained right ankle, and Glen Robinson III. If Morgan can't play, the Wolverines will lean on sophomore Jon Horford along with freshmen Mitch McGary and Max Bielfeldt.

The Wolverines may have more quickness with shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. going against Gary Harris and when Robinson or Nik Stauskas have the ball, or are running around screens, while being guarded by Branden Dawson.

"It should make for a heck of a game," Izzo said. "It's fun to actually feel like the game matters in every way shape or form both locally and nationally. I'm not sure that has happened since I've been here where both are important."

No, it hasn't.

The closest both teams have been to being Top 10 teams when they've played was March 3, 1990, when Izzo was an assistant under Jud Heathcote, and the 14th-ranked Spartans beat No. 8 Michigan 78-70.

For the first of two highly anticipated matchups of the rivals, Payne predicts the Breslin Center will be "shaking" with fired-up fans.

Burke doesn't expect crowd noise to rattle the Wolverines, who have played in raucous arenas at Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio State.

"We're used to it," he said.

___

Follow Larry Lage on Twitter: http://twitter.com/larrylage

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-12-BKC-T25-Wolverines-Spartans/id-5f3adbd8413041b4a13a066b70fbe623

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Tournament of THG Couples Winner: Revealed!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/tournament-of-thg-couples-winner-revealed/

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Carrie Underwood Dress: WHOA!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/carrie-underwood-dress-whoa/

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CollabRx Releases Semantics-aided Lung Cancer Clinical Decision Support Tool

CollabRx, has released a new version of its Therapy Finder app for lung cancer. The lung cancer, a web-based decision support tool that enables oncologists to take into account the genetics of a patient's tumor when determining a treatment plan.

(Read?Full?Article)

Source: http://langtechnews.hivefire.com/articles/267373/collabrx-releases-semantics-aided-lung-cancer-clin/

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Scotland "new state" outside EU, U.N. if splits: Britain

LONDON (Reuters) - The British government on Monday intensified its campaign to stop Scotland leaving the United Kingdom, publishing a legal opinion saying it would forfeit its membership of international bodies such as the European Union if it chose independence.

The pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) that runs Scotland's devolved government plans to hold a referendum on emotionally charged subject next year, and has played down the impact of a "Yes" vote on Scotland's international status.

But the 57-page legal opinion - drafted for the British government by two independent experts on international law - said the implications could be far-reaching, likening the situation to the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union when Russia was declared the USSR's legal successor but the 14 other Soviet states had to forge their international relations anew.

The overwhelming weight of international precedent suggested Scotland would be legally deemed a "new state", it said - a scenario that would force it to re-apply to join international bodies such as the EU, the United Nations and NATO.

The government's intervention came as a panel of experts, including two Nobel prize-winning economists, issued a report saying the SNP's plan to keep the British pound in the event of independence was a sound strategy, suggesting it would also be wise to keep the Bank of England as the central bank.

The SNP argues that North Sea oil revenues combined with Scotland's fishing, farming and whisky industries would be enough to keep an independent Scotland solvent. But critics say the oil is running out, that Scotland would lose disproportionately generous British government subsidies, and that it would struggle to raise enough tax to pay its bills.

The British government's unusual decision to publish the legal opinion reflects its concern that Scots may vote for independence, triggering the break-up of a United Kingdom comprising England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

CAMERON LEGACY

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso also believes Scotland would be "a new state". When asked about it, he has repeatedly said that any new state that breaks away from an existing EU state would have to re-apply to join the bloc.

Spain's government is facing a similar challenge with Catalonia, where at least one poll has shown that more than half of Catalonian voters would choose independence if given the chance.

Prime Minister David Cameron intervened in the British debate on Sunday, conceding that Scotland had what it takes to be an independent nation, while arguing it enjoyed "the best of both worlds" as part of the UK.

"Put simply: Britain works. Britain works well. Why break it?" he wrote in an article published in Scottish newspapers.

Cameron's political future and historic legacy are on the line. He has pledged to contest the next British election in 2015 and his own Conservative party would never forgive him if he presided over the break-up of the UK.

London's main parties are campaigning jointly against independence, knowing that Alex Salmond's SNP is a highly motivated political machine that will spare no effort to win a vote on its flagship policy.

Tapping into an emotive cocktail of historical rivalry and a perception that the British parliament in London does not nurture Scotland's national interests, the "Yes Scotland" campaign wants independence to be a reality by 2016.

Scottish secession could create serious problems for the remainder of the United Kingdom.

Britain's Trident nuclear submarine fleet is based in Scotland, revenues from Scottish North Sea oil remain important to its coffers, and analysts say Britain would find it harder to maintain its voice in international bodies such as the U.N. Security Council as well as in European Union decision-making.

"ARROGANT"

The SNP published a document this month suggesting the transition arrangements could be made relatively swiftly, and that Independence Day for Scotland could come in March 2016, a timetable opponents dismissed as unrealistic.

Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP's deputy leader, told BBC radio on Monday that different legal experts gave different views on the international status of an independent Scotland.

"These are matters that will be settled not by law but by negotiation and agreement," she said. "If the UK government is really saying that they would, in the event of a yes vote, go out of their way to make life difficult for Scotland, not only is that very arrogant but it would also put them in a position of arguing against their own interest."

Opinion polls suggest support for independence has stalled, with around one third or less of voters backing it and just under half opposing it. But Cameron and politicians from other parties remain nervous.

One of the central planks of Cameron's argument is that Scotland already enjoys a high degree of autonomy through its own parliament, and he has hinted that it would be able to repatriate even more powers if it rejected full independence.

"This must not be a leap in the dark, but a decision made in the light of day," he told Scots.

(Additional reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/scotland-state-outside-eu-un-splits-britain-104014504--finance.html

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Hunt for fugitive resumes in Calif. mountains

A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif. after searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Search conditions have been hampered by a heavy winter storm in the area. Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer, is accused of carrying out a killing spree?because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. (AP Photo/Pool, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)

A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif. after searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Search conditions have been hampered by a heavy winter storm in the area. Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer, is accused of carrying out a killing spree?because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. (AP Photo/Pool, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)

A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif. after searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Search conditions have been hampered by a heavy winter storm in the area. Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer, is accused of carrying out a killing spree?because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. (AP Photo/Pool, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)

This undated photo released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows suspect Christopher Dorner, a former Los Angeles officer. Dorner, who was fired from the LAPD in 2008 for making false statements, is linked to a weekend killing in which one of the victims was the daughter of a former police captain who had represented him during the disciplinary hearing. Authorities believe Dorner opened fire early Thursday on police in cities east of Los Angeles, killing an officer and wounding another. Police issued a statewide "officer safety warning" and police were sent to protect people named in the posting that was believed to be written by Dorner. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Police Department)

A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif. after searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Search conditions have been hampered by a heavy winter storm in the area. Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer, is accused of carrying out a killing spree?because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. (AP Photo/Pool, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)

Members on the California Highway Patrol search a truck for Christopher Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer accused of carrying out a killing spree because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, in Big Bear Lake, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) ? Scores of officers fanned out at daybreak Saturday in the snow-covered San Bernardino Mountains, resuming their search for a former Los Angeles police officer suspected of killing three people in a vengeance-fueled rampage aimed at those he blames for ending his career.

Authorities were hopeful that clearer skies would allow aircraft to help them find Christopher Dorner. Relentless snowfall Friday grounded helicopters with heat-sensing technology and hampered efforts to find the fugitive, whose burned-out pickup truck was found a day earlier in this ski resort town.

SWAT teams in camouflage scoured the mountains Friday and went door-to-door examining vacant cabins, aware to the reality they could be walking into a trap set by the well-trained former Navy reservist who knows their tactics and strategies as well as they do.

"He can be behind every tree," said T. Gregory Hall, a retired tactical supervisor for a special emergency response team for the Pennsylvania State Police. "He can try to draw them into an ambush area where he backtracks."

As authorities weathered heavy snow and freezing temperatures in the mountains, thousands of heavily armed police remained on the lookout throughout California, Nevada, Arizona and northern Mexico for a suspect bent on revenge and willing to die.

Police said officers still were guarding more than 40 people mentioned as targets in a rant they said Dorner posted on Facebook. He vowed to use "every bit of small arms training, demolition, ordnance and survival training I've been given" to bring "warfare" to the LAPD and its families.

The manhunt had Southern California residents on edge. Unconfirmed sightings were reported near Barstow, about 60 miles north of the mountain search, and in downtown Los Angeles.

Some law enforcement officials said he appeared to be everywhere and nowhere, and speculated that he was trying to spread out their resources.

For the time being, their focus was on the mountains 80 miles east of Los Angeles ? a snowy wilderness, filled with thick forests and jagged peaks, that creates peril as much for Dorner as the officers hunting him.

The small army hunting him has the advantage of strength in numbers and access to resources, such as special weapons, to bring him in.

In his online rant, Dorner baited authorities.

"Any threat assessments you generate will be useless," it read. "I have the strength and benefits of being unpredictable, unconventional, and unforgiving."

Without the numbers that authorities have, Dorner holds one advantage: the element of surprise.

Authorities said they do not know how long Dorner had been planning the rampage or why he drove to the San Bernardino Mountains. Property records show his mother owns undeveloped land nearby, but a search of the area found no sign of him.

It was not clear if he had provisions, clothing or weapons stockpiled in the area. Even with training, days of cold and snow can be punishing.

"Unless he is an expert in living in the California mountains in this time of year, he is going to be hurting," said former Navy SEAL Clint Sparks, who now works in tactical training and security. "Cold is a huge stress factor. ... Not everybody is survivor-man."

Jamie Usera, an attorney in Salem, Ore., who befriended Dorner when they were students and football teammates at Southern Utah University, said he introduced him to the outdoors. Originally from Alaska, Usera said, he taught Dorner about hunting and other outdoor activities.

"Of all the people I hung out with in college, he is the last guy I would have expected to be in this kind of situation," Usera, who had lost touch with Dorner is recent years, told the Los Angeles Times.

Others saw Dorner differently. Court documents obtained by The Associated Press on Friday show an ex-girlfriend of Dorner's called him "severely emotionally and mentally disturbed" after the two split in 2006.

Dorner served in the Navy, earning a rifle marksman ribbon and pistol expert medal. He was assigned to a naval undersea warfare unit and various aviation training units, according to military records. He took leave from the LAPD for a six-month deployment to Bahrain in 2006 and 2007.

Last Friday was his last day with the Navy and also the day CNN's Anderson Cooper received a package that contained a note on it that read, in part, "I never lied." A coin riddled with bullet holes that former Chief William Bratton gave out as a souvenir was also in the package.

Police said it was a sign of planning by Dorner before the killing began.

On Sunday, police say Dorner shot and killed a couple in a parking garage at their condominium in Irvine. The woman was the daughter of a retired police captain who had represented Dorner in the disciplinary proceedings that led to his firing.

Dorner wrote in his manifesto that he believed the retired captain had represented the interests of the department over his.

Hours after authorities identified Dorner as a suspect in the double murder, police believe Dorner shot and grazed an LAPD officer in Corona and then used a rifle to ambush two Riverside police officers early Thursday, killing one and seriously wounding the other.

The incident led police to believe he was armed with multiple weapons, including an assault-type rifle. That detail concerned officers whose bullet-proof vests can be penetrated by such high-powered weapons, said LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese.

As a result, all LAPD officers have been required to work in pairs to ensure "a greater likelihood of coming out on top if there is an ambush," Albanese said. "We have no officers alone right now."

___

Associated Press writers contributing to this report include Christopher Weber, Haven Daley, Michael Blood, John Antczak and Julie Watson.

Abdollah can be reached on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LATams

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-09-US-LA-Police-Shootings/id-1cfb4e7c786c4623a6ebb36d461c44d9

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Graham threatens to hold up Hagel, Brennan votes (cbsnews)

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

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Iran says English-language TV channel dropped in North America

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's English-language Press TV channel has been dropped from the satellite platform that allowed it to broadcast in the United States and Canada, the channel said.

The state-owned, 24-hour network broadcasts world news and pro-government views beyond Iran's borders.

Press TV had broadcast in North America on the Galaxy 19 satellite platform. The channel did not say when it was dropped.

New sanctions announced by the U.S. Treasury Department this week blacklisted the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and its director, Ezatollah Zarghami, which oversees Iran's broadcast channels.

Press TV said in a statement on Friday evening that its being dropped from Galaxy 19 was a "flagrant violation of freedom of speech."

In October, the Paris-based Eutelsat, one of Europe's leading satellite providers, cut Iranian state television and radio broadcasts to comply with tougher European Union sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

The Eutelsat decision hit 19 channels provided by IRIB, including Press TV.

Galaxy 19 is operated by Luxembourg-based Intelsat, according to the firm's website. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The European Union stepped up sanctions on Iran's banking, shipping, and industrial sectors on Monday over Tehran's disputed nuclear program which the West fears is aimed at producing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies the charge.

(Reporting By Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Rosalind Russell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-says-english-language-tv-channel-dropped-north-142446545.html

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Camel OK after enclosure escape, clipped by van

A ranch hand calls out "come on, dude," as he tries to coax a camel into a trailer along Bailey Road in Concord, Calif. on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. It was the second time Tuesday the 10-year-old camel named "Phil" escaped its enclosure. Earlier in the day citizens helped California Highway Patrol officers shepherd the camel off the roadway. Phil was clipped by a minivan after his second escape, but did not suffer any broken bones or other injuries. (AP Photo/The Contra Costa Times, Susan Tripp Pollard)

A ranch hand calls out "come on, dude," as he tries to coax a camel into a trailer along Bailey Road in Concord, Calif. on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. It was the second time Tuesday the 10-year-old camel named "Phil" escaped its enclosure. Earlier in the day citizens helped California Highway Patrol officers shepherd the camel off the roadway. Phil was clipped by a minivan after his second escape, but did not suffer any broken bones or other injuries. (AP Photo/The Contra Costa Times, Susan Tripp Pollard)

A ranch hand calls out "come on, dude," as he tries to coax a camel into a trailer along Bailey Road in Concord, Calif. on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. It was the second time Tuesday the 10-year-old camel named "Phil" escaped its enclosure. Earlier in the day citizens helped California Highway Patrol officers shepherd the camel off the roadway. (AP Photo/The Contra Costa Times, Susan Tripp Pollard)

CONCORD, Calif. (AP) ? Officials believe a camel that escaped its enclosure twice Tuesday before being clipped by a minivan probably just wanted to be around some other animals.

The Contra Costa Times reports (http://bit.ly/TMEFcl ) the single-humped camel was hit by the van as it walked along a road in Concord around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.

It was the second time Tuesday the 10-year-old camel named "Phil" escaped its enclosure. Earlier in the day citizens helped California Highway Patrol officers shepherd the camel off the roadway.

Raymond Ferrante ? a land manager for a company overseeing property where the camel is being kept ? says UC Davis veterinarians have examined it and said the camel did not suffer any broken bones, or other injuries.

Ferrante says because camels are "very social" he believes that's why Phil escaped its enclosure twice in one day.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-02-06-Camel%20On%20Roadway/id-c425fcfde4ae4c88a77696b29f6433a8

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