June 18, 2012

NFL reveals 'overwhelming evidence' to reporters in Saints case

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NFL reveals 'overwhelming evidence' to reporters in Saints case

Peter King>INSIDE THE NFL

June 18, 2012
NEW YORK -- As Mary Jo White, the former federal prosecutor who examined the evidence for the National Football League in its pay-for-performance/bounty case against the New Orleans Saints, went through reams of evidence Monday afternoon for 12 reporters in league offices, I had one overriding thought: All of this cannot be invented.
• The testimony from disgraced defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to the league, in which he said he knew the program "was rolling the dice with player safety and someone could have been maimed."
• The charge, from what the league said was a handwritten note from a Saints defensive coach, that the defense pledged $35,000 for a defender to knock Brett Favre out of the January 2010 NFC Championship Game -- including a $5,000 pledge to the kitty from current Saints interim coach Joe Vitt.

Katy Perry's 'Wide Awake' Video: Through The Looking Glass

Perry's fairy-tale clip closes the book on her Teenage Dream story and finds her living happily ever after.
By James Montgomery
Jun 18 2012
Katy Perry certainly isn't the first artist to get all Lewis Carroll-ian with a video — Tom Petty's iconic "Don't Come Around Here No More" certainly springs to mind — though, in some ways, her brand-new "Wide Awake" clip (which borrows from Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" book) does manage to cover new territory — namely by transforming the fantasy trope into a bit of an autobiography.

Google: government requests to censor content 'alarming'

From smh.com.au
June 19, 2012

Google has received more than 1000 requests from authorities to take down content from its search results or YouTube video in the last six months of 2011, the company said on Monday, denouncing what it said was an alarming trend.

In its twice-yearly Transparency Report, the world's largest web search engine said the requests were aimed at having some 12,000 items overall removed, about a quarter more than during the first half of last year.

India Demands Google Censor Objectionable Content

Jun 18, 2012
By Fahmida Y. Rashid
Google released its latest Transparency Report, which provides insight into the types of data governments around the world have asked the company to scrub from the Internet. The latest report covers the last six months of 2011.

As PCMag.com reported earlier today, Google received 6,321 government requests for disclosure of user data in the U.S., and Google partially or completely complied with 93 percent of those demands in the last six months of 2011. That was up from 5,950 requests in the first half of the year, according to the Google Transparency Report.

Putin-Obama: results of talks on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit

Jun 19, 2012 gor Siletsky

Bilateral meetings between the leaders of the G-20 have become, what might be called a prelude to the G-20 summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin is representing the Russian Federation at the forum which opened on June 18th in Los Cabos, Mexico. Politicians and journalists were especially looking forward to the outcome of talks and negotiations between Russia’s president and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama.
The White House called the talks between the two presidents one of the most important events of the American leader's visit to Mexico. The prospects evident in the dialogue between Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama have been discussed by press all over the world: after all, the U.S. and Russian leaders are meeting for the first time since President Putin's re-election.

Microsoft Unveils a Tablet to Challenge the iPad

By NICK WINGFIELD
Published: June 18, 2012

LOS ANGELES — In its biggest-ever push into the hardware business, Microsoft on Monday unveiled a tablet computer called Surface that is designed to challenge Apple’s iPad.

At an event here, the company showed off the device, which is about the same weight and thickness as an iPad, with a 10.6-inch screen. The tablet has a built-in “kickstand” that will allow users to prop it up for watching movies, and a detachable cover that will serve double duty as a keyboard.

US Air Force's X-37B spaceplane ends secret mission

By William Harwood, CBS News, 18 June, 2012

NEWSAn unmanned Air Force spaceplane dropped out of orbit and glided to a computer-controlled California landing early on Saturday to close out a classified 469-day military mission.
The reusable Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle touched down on a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, at 5:48 am PDT (GMT-7). The US Air Force did not provide any advance warning of the re-entry and landing time and no technical details about the vehicle's performance were released.

But in a statement, the Air Force said the autonomous landing by the nation's "newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft" was executed "safely and successfully".

Buffett Extends Real-Estate Bet With ResCap Pursuit: Mortgages

By Noah Buhayar and Dakin Campbell | Bloomberg
Jun 18, 2012

Warren Buffett tours the trade show floor during the Berkshire Hathaway Annual shareholders meeting in Omaha

Warren Buffett, whose prediction last year of a housing recovery was premature, is raising his bet on a rebound with his $3.85 billion bid for a mortgage business and loan portfolio from bankrupt Residential Capital LLC.
The offer "certainly indicates that he thinks the worst is behind us," Jeff Matthews, author of "Secrets in Plain Sight: Business & Investing Secrets of Warren Buffett," said in a phone interview. "Yes, he's been wrong about housing before. But if you look at any credit metric, if you look at any of the banks and what's happening in their loan portfolios, it's getting better."
Foreclosure filings in the U.S. have fallen on an annual basis for 20 straight months, according to

Locals show support for Romney

Jun. 18, 2012
byL.B. Whyde
Advocate Reporter

NEWARK -- Under cloudy skies with the sun peeking out occasionally, a crowd gathered Sunday on the west side of the Licking County Courthouse Square to hear Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

Only people who had obtained free tickets were allowed inside roped-off area surrounding the west entrance of the courthouse. A large American flag was the backdrop to the small bleacher section the speakers and Romney stood in front of. The rest of the crowd was behind the bleachers and on the sides, under the shade of large trees.

France election: Hollande gets powerful mandate

By Christian Fraser

BBC News, Paris 18 June 2012
The election was a ringing endorsement of the growth-led policies Francois Hollande has outlined.

Last night, his Socialist Party won more than 300 seats, an absolute majority in the lower house of parliament. It is the first time they alone have held the National Assembly in 30 years, since the days of Francois Mitterrand, and it underlines once again that across Europe people are turning against the austerity agenda.

"With a new, solid, large majority we can pass laws for change," said Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

Heat take Game 3, keep momentum

By Gary Washburn | GLOBE STAFF JUNE 18, 2012

LeBron James and Kevin Durant each shouldered the scoring load for their teams in Game 3.

MIAMI - Perhaps the Oklahoma City Thunder are talented enough but just too young. When they needed someone to emerge down the stretch, to make solid decisions and clutch shots, no one assumed that role, not even three-time scoring champion Kevin Durant.

Holding a 10-point lead over the Heat with 4:33 left in the third quarter, the Thunder managed just 21 points the rest of the way, unable to run a cohesive offense and committing boneheaded turnovers as Miami won Game 3 of the NBA Finals, 91-85, at AmericanAirlines Arena by being the more efficient team.

Portugal, Germany advance to Euro 2012 quarterfinals

June 17, 2012

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) | Cristiano Ronaldo finally found the form he was lacking at the European Championship, scoring twice Sunday to give Portugal a 2-1 win over the Netherlands and a spot in the quarterfinals.

Cristiano Ronaldo ( left) and Bruno Alves celebrate Portugal's second goal during their Euro 2012 Group B match against the Netherlands in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (Associated Press)

The Real Madrid forward failed to sparkle in Portugal’s two previous matches but he was devastating against the Dutch. He produced an equalizer with his first goal of the tournament in the 28th minute and scored the winner in the 74th.

“Once again we showed how united we are as a team,” Portugal midfielder Miguel Veloso said. “It wasn’t easy to start with a defeat. The secret was our defending, our humility.”

Needing a win to have a chance at staying in the tournament, the disappointing Dutch fielded an impressive attacking lineup featuring Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Robin van Persie up front, but it wasn’t enough to keep them at Euro 2012.

Jack Osbourne reveals he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis

Son of rock star Ozzy Osbourne and fiancee recently welcomed first child

BY ERIK ORTIZ / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, June 17, 2012, 8:37 PM

Jack Osbourne attends the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" launch party at The Stages at Playa Vista on September 3, 2011 in Playa del Rey, California.

New dad Jack Osbourne has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 26.

“I was just angry and frustrated and kept thinking, ‘Why now?’” Osbourne, the son of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, told People magazine.

He learned of his illness two weeks after his daughter Pearl Clementine was born.

Doctors broke the news to Osbourne after he lost 60% of his vision in his right eye, he said in another interview with Britain’s Hello! magazine.

“I got really sad for about two days, and after that I realized being angry and upset is not going to do anything at this point — if anything it’s only going to make it worse,” Osbourne told Hello! “Adapt and overcome’ is my new motto.”

Financial journalist Dan Dorfman dies at 82

The Associated Press
June 17, 2012
Financial journalist Dan Dorfman, known for moving stock prices in the 1990s with his comments on CNBC, has died. He was 82.

According to the family, he died Saturday in New York of cardiogenic shock, a heart condition.

Dorfman's influential market comments on the cable financial news channel could propel and sink stocks. He worked there until 1996, when he suffered a stroke.

That same year, he was fired as a Money magazine columnist over an ethics controversy involving a stock promoter, but he was never charged by regulators.

Pa. authorities: Standoff ongoing after off-duty NJ officer fires at cops

By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 8:05 PM EDT, Sun June 17, 2012
(CNN) -- An off-duty police officer opened fire Sunday at Pennsylvania authorities dispatched to address a "neighbor dispute," wounding one officer and pelting several police vehicles with bullets, authorities said.
Doylestown Township police received its call around 1:44 p.m. ET about an apparent quarrel in the community of about 17,500 people, which is located about 30 miles north of Philadelphia, Pennridge Regional Police Department Chief David Mettin told reporters.
About 15 minutes later, a man inside a residence began shooting at approaching authorities.
"One officer has been injured by shrap metal and two police vehicles have been shot," Mettin said late Sunday afternoon. "And an armored personnel vehicle also was struck."

G20 summit meeting in Mexico

LOS CABOS, Mexico,| Sun Jun 17, 2012
(Reuters) - The following are highlights of comments by leaders and officials ahead of the Group of 20 summit meeting in the Mexican beach resort of Los Cabos on Monday and Tuesday.

WORLD BANK PRESIDENT ROBERT ZOELLICK

"Everybody knows that this meeting is coming at an absolutely critical time. We're waiting for Europe to tell us what it is going to do. Markets can manage and hedge risks that they are generally aware of. The danger we're creating is that the pattern of policymaking is increasing uncertainty."

G7 COUNTRIES ON GREEK ELECTION

U.S. Open updates...

U.S. Open updates: Jim Furyk leads by one after front nine

Furyk has a one-stroke lead over Webb Simpson during the final round at The Olympic Club. Graeme McDowell and Ernie Els are among those still in the hunt.
Associated Press
June 17, 2012 From latimes.com

SAN FRANCISCO — Jim Furyk has made the turn alone at the top of the U.S. Open and the only player at par.

That might be all it takes to win.

Furyk was 1 over through nine holes in the final round Sunday, holding onto a one-shot lead over Webb Simpson while an eerie fog swallowed The Olympic Club. Simpson was 2 under through 12 holes.

Michael Thompson shot a 3-under 67 to take the clubhouse lead at 2 over. The 27-year-old was the runner-up at the U.S. Amateur at Olympic Club in 2007.

Shenzhou-9

Shenzhou-9 set to dock with Tiangong-1

17 June 2012
By Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News

China's Shenzhou-9 capsule, with its crew of three, remains on course to dock with the Tiangong-1 space lab.

National media reports said the coupling of the two vehicles was expected at 15:00 Beijing time (07:00 GMT; 08:00 BST).

The latest Shenzhou mission was launched on Saturday, taking China's first female astronaut into orbit.

Thirty-three-year old Liu Yang flies with Commander Jing Haipeng, 46, and fellow flight engineer, Liu Wang, 42.

It is China's fourth manned mission and another opportunity to see how far the Asian nation has developed its space technology.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins at Michigan June 17, 2012

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins at Michigan

June 17, 2012
From espn.go.com

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced to his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory in four years, ending a 143-race winless streak Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

The victory came almost exactly four years to the day after his last trip to Victory Lane in a Cup race. That also was in Michigan on June 15, 2008. He led for 36 laps last weekend at Pocono but made a late stop for gas instead of trying to stretch the fuel to the end.

On Sunday, it wasn't even close. He pulled away over the final 25 laps of the 400-mile race, and his black Chevrolet with the green No. 88 finally crossed the finish line 5.393 seconds ahead of Tony Stewart.
"Those last 15 laps were the longest laps ever," Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt already had 11 top-10 finishes this season and was second in the points standings entering this race. But after another close run at Pocono, the questions kept coming about his dry spell.

That's now over.

For Greek Politicians, Election Doesn’t Make Governing Any Easier

By Nick Malkoutzis on June 17, 2012
There has never been anything simple about the Greek debt crisis. Forming a government following Sunday’s national elections will be no straightforward task either.

With nearly all the votes counted, New Democracy–the conservative party that promised to stick with the EU-IMF bailout propping up Greece’s public finances –was set for a narrow victory over leftist Syriza. The latter opposed the austerity-heavy terms of Greece’s loan package.

New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras interpreted the results as Greek voters saying they want to remain in the euro. He used his victory speech, which he also delivered in English, as an attempt to convince Greece’s lenders that an ND-led government would mean business. “This is a victory for all Europe,” he said. “We are determined to do what it takes and to do it fast.”

Sheldon Adelson Tops Romney Donor List That Now Includes 32 Billionaires

Clare O'Connor, Forbes Staff
6/13/2012

Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson has reportedly donated $10 million to a super PAC supporting Mitt Romney, as he hinted he would after a recent Las Vegas meeting with the GOP candidate.

Adelson’s $10 million check is by far the biggest gift to date to Restore Our Future, a group that’s attracted five new billionaire donors in as many weeks.
As my colleague Steve Bertoni pointed out, having spoken at length to Adelson for a Forbes cover story, $10 million may just be the start of the Las Vegas Sands chief’s generosity. He may well give $100 million, as he’d planned to donate to Newt Gingrich’s now-defunct campaign.

Calif Jury Awards $28M in Jehovah's Sex Abuse Case

OAKLAND, Calif. June 17, 2012 (AP)
From abc news
A Northern California jury has awarded $28 million in damages to a woman who said the Jehovah's Witnesses allowed an adult member of a Fremont church to molest her when she was a child in the mid-1990s.

Alameda County jurors awarded $7 million in compensatory damages on Wednesday and another $21 million in punitive damages on Thursday to Candace Conti, her attorney, Rick Simons said.

"This is the largest jury verdict for a single victim in a religious child abuse case in the country," Simons told The Associated Press.

Going over the top at Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls has a long list of larger-than-life daredevils and stuntmen

By Scot Lehigh | GLOBE COLUMNIST JUNE 15, 2012
When Nik Wallenda starts out across a cable strung near the brink of Niagara Falls Friday night, he will be walking into history in more ways than one. If successful, Wallenda will add his name to the record books as the first tightrope walker ever to balance on a high wire so close to the falls.

But in a sense, he will also be walking back in time, to an era of larger-than-life daredevils and stuntmen.

Pettitte Pitches Into 7th, but Yanks Need 14 Innings to Top Nationals

By DAVID WALDSTEIN
Published: June 16, 2012

WASHINGTON — Andy Pettitte has accomplished many great things in his career, winning five World Series rings, winning 21 games twice, and pitching in two All-Star Games. But in all his 537 previous games, including 42 in the postseason, he had not pitched at age 40.
On Saturday he showed he could do that, too.

One day after his 40th birthday Pettitte threw seven impressive innings, allowing only two runs. But by the time this game ended, it seemed as if Pettitte was another year older.

NBA Finals: Time for the Thunder to go small

Berry Tramel: Miami’s shooter-heavy lineup causes matchup problems for the Thunder. Going small will help counter that.
BY BERRY TRAMEL | Published: June 16, 2012 0
The Thunder keeps wanting to talk about its horrendous starts in the NBA Finals.

Game 1: Down 27-16 with two minutes left in the first quarter, down 39-26 with eight minutes left in the half.

Game 2: Down 18-2 after 7½ minutes, down 51-34 with two minutes left in the first half.
But the rest of us keep wanting to talk about lineups. Using only one post player. Which post player to use.
As the series moves to Miami tied 1-1, maybe the two focuses aren’t mutually exclusive. It seems clear that one reason the Thunder is digging such a quick hole is because Scotty Brooks is sticking too long with a big lineup that seems clearly ineffective.
Miami has fully committed to playing without a center. The Heat is using Chris Bosh or Udonis Haslem at power forward, but rarely are both on the court at the same time. Miami has played with only one post player 25 percent of the Finals’ 96 minutes.
Brooks has countered, but not enough. Not soon enough or totally enough.
“Small ball, medium ball, big ball, that did not lose the game,” Brooks said after a 100-96 loss in

Mini Darth Vader Has Successful Heart Surgery

Mini Darth Vader Has Successful Heart Surgery
By BEN FORER (@BenForer)
June 15, 2012
Max Page, the child actor who played Darth Vader in the enormously popular Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial in 2011, is recovering today after having undergone successful open heart surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles on Thursday.

"Max had a pretty peaceful night," his mother, Jennifer Page, said in a statement. "This morning he gave us the thumbs up and he said 'hi' to his brother, Els, and told him he loved him."

British researchers create robot that can learn simple words by conversing with humans

June 16, 2012 By Jon Bardin
In an attempt to replicate the early experiences of infants, researchers in England have created a robot that can learn simple words in minutes just by having a conversation with a human.
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The work, published this week in the journal PLoS One, offers insight into how babies transition from babbling to speaking their first words.

The three-foot-tall robot, named DeeChee, was built to produce any syllable in the English language. But it knew no words at the outset of the study, speaking only babble phrases like "een rain rain mahdl kross."

First Female Astronaut From China Blasts Into Space

By DAVID BARBOZA and KEVIN DREW
Published: June 16, 2012
SHANGHAI — China sent a crew of three, including the country’s first female astronaut, into space on Saturday to carry out its first manned docking mission, an important step in an ambitious plan to build a Chinese space station by 2020.

The successful launching of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, powered by a Long March 2F rocket, was shown live on state television from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in western China.

Facebook technology chief Bret Taylor to step down

15 June 2012 from bbc news

Facebook's chief technology officer Bret Taylor has announced he is leaving the social network site in the coming weeks to start up a new company.

Last month, Facebook floated part of the company on the Nasdaq stock exchange, making many of its employees millionaires overnight.

Observers speculated at the time that some would move on to other things.

Facebook shares have fallen sharply since the flotation to $30, 21% down on the launch price of $38.

The company is also being sued by disgruntled shareholders, who allege that Facebook's revised growth figures were not disclosed to all investors prior to the flotation.

Morgan Stanley, the lead underwriter on the share sale, said it had fully complied with the rules.

'Grateful'

Mr Taylor said he was "sad to be leaving, but I'm excited to be starting a [new] company".

"While a transition like this is never easy, I'm extremely confident in the teams and leadership we have in place."

He said he was proud of the site's recent developments, including its Facebook Camera and integration with Apple products.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said he had enjoyed working with Mr Taylor and was "grateful for all he has done for Facebook and proud of what he and his teams have built."

Kate Hosts Kids at a Production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

BY SIMON PERRY
Saturday June 16, 2012

The Duchess of Cambridge brought smiles to the faces of many children on Friday.

She joined 150 young people from the Art Room, a charity that Kate, 30, volunteers with, aimed at 5 to 16-year-olds who experience emotional and behavioral difficulties.

The group was treated to a special production of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Threesixty Entertianment in the historic grounds of Kensington Gardens.

"Did you see all the animals on stilts? Wasn't it amazing?" she asked the children, adding, "I just loved the way it is held in a tent – really clever."

Kate was also overheard telling the kids, "Some of the characters are really quite frightening. I hope you [didn't] get too scared."

Apple 1 computer and Steve Jobs Atari memo sold at auction

A rare functioning Apple 1 computer - the company's first product - has been sold at an auction for $374,500 (£240,929).

The price was more than double Sotheby's high estimate and sets a new record for the collector's item.

A memo written by the firm's co-founder Steve Jobs when he worked at Atari sold for $27,500 at the same New York event.

The original estimate for the four-page handwritten note was up to $15,000.

Only about 200 Apple 1s were ever created. The computers were hand-built by Apple's co-founder

Suu Kyi: '91 Nobel Peace Prize shattered my isolation

6-16-2012

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Myanmar opposition leaderAung San Suu Kyi declared Saturday that the Nobel Peace Prize she won while under house arrest 21 years ago helped to shatter her sense of isolation and ensured that the world would demand democracy in her military-controlled homeland.

Suu Kyi received two standing ovations inside Oslo's city hall as she gave her long-delayed acceptance speech to the Norwegian Nobel Committee in front of Norway's King Harald, Queen Sonja and about 600 dignitaries. The 66-year-old champion of political freedom praised the power of her 1991 Nobel honor both for saving her from the depths of personal despair and shining an enduring spotlight on the injustices in distant Myanmar.

Obama dreams big

In praise of the President's bold, humane move to halt deportations of young undocumented immigrants

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, June 16, 2012

President Obama has made the American Dream come true for up to 800,000 young immigrants who were brought into the United States illegally by their parents. The heartiest of hails to the chief.

By the most humane order of his presidency, Obama boldly lifted the fear of deportation from the shoulders of thousands of New Yorkers who have been woven into the city’s fabric.

Kings no longer a hard sell

There's a good chance all their games will be sold out next season. And merchandise is flying off the shelves.

By Andrew Owens

June 14, 2012, 10:34 p.m.

<b>Complete coverage:</b> Kings Stanley Cup parade

As the Kings venture into unfamiliar territory after winning their first championship, they are quickly discovering the benefits of standing atop the National Hockey League.

Sure, there's the thrill of the Stanley Cup presentation and Thursday's subsequent parade and rally, but the team is also reaping immense financial benefits.

Microsoft Manufacturing Tablet to Rival Apple iPad, Says Insider

June 15 2012

Microsoft is set to unveil a tablet next week that will mark its entry into rival Apple’s territory with its own branded product, TheWrap has learned.

The company has scheduled a secretive event for Monday at 3:30 p.m. June 18 in Los Angeles, where it will make a "major" announcement whose nature has not been disclosed. Even the venue has not yet been announced.

But an individual with knowledge of the company said that Microsoft would introduce a Microsoft-manufactured tablet at the event, marking a foray into a new hardware category that would put the company in direct competition with giant rival Apple.

Also read: 2012: The Year Microsoft Finally Battles Back

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