Sharapova stumbles to French Open win

Sharapova stumbles to French Open win; Li loses

June 4, 2012
AP
PARIS (AP) — On days like these, when so little goes right and so much goes awry, Maria Sharapova tosses away the strategies and scouting reports her coach devises and, well, does whatever it takes to win.

Locked in a three-set, 3-hour struggle at a wet and windy French Open on Monday, Sharapova's right, racket-swinging wrist was aching — and that, she insisted, was the least of her problems.

There was the tumble to her backside that Sharapova could laugh about later. The exasperating line calls, and what the second-seeded Russian considered an obstinate chair umpire. The 12 double-faults, plus 41 other errors of Sharapova's own doing. The nine breaks she allowed, including three while serving for the match. The unseeded foe who wouldn't go away.

Starbucks to upgrade food

Starbucks to upgrade food by buying artisan bakery chain

The coffee giant plans to absorb San Francisco-based Bay Bread and have the bakery's founder create food products for Starbucks stores.

By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times
June 5, 2012

In hopes of upgrading its pastry offerings, Starbucks Coffee Co. plans to spend $100 million to acquire the San Francisco artisan bakery Bay Bread and its La Boulange brand.

The company's pastries are made using fresh and locally sourced ingredients favored by its French founder, Pascal Rigo. His operation runs 19 La Boulange stores in the Bay Area that sell croissants, pastries, cookies, breads and more.

Starbucks said Monday that it was acquiescing to customer demand for "more wholesome and delicious food options" by rolling out products created by Rigo at U.S. Starbucks stores, starting in the San Francisco area in early 2013.

In addition, Starbucks plans to turn La Boulange into a nationwide chain.

Transit of Venus 2012

Transit of Venus 2012: Where can I get solar eclipse glasses?

June 4, 2012

Where can you buy special solar eclipse glasses to safely watch the Transit of Venus, a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical sight that will occur in Southern California on Tuesday afternoon? First, try planetariums or science museums, or head to a home improvement store for No. 14 welder's glass. The best bet? Find a bulk supplier.

In the L.A. area, a major bulk supplier of solar glasses is Rainbow Symphony in the San Fernando Valley, which is selling them for just 85 cents a pair. Rainbow Symphony is located at 6860 Canby Ave., Suite 120, in Reseda. It will be open between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The city-owned Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles will open Tuesday at noon, selling glasses for $2.99 a pair. Other places, like the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey, have sold out.

The Griffith Observatory, Columbia Memorial Space Center and UCLA Planetarium are among sites that will make available telescopes with special solar filters for free viewing of the Transit of Venus. A magnified view of the scene is probably the best option for watching the sight.

Drone strike in Pakistan targets al Qaeda leader

Drone strike in Pakistan targets al Qaeda leader

By Bob Orr Topics Afghanistan ,Pakistan
June 4, 2012

U.S. officials confirm that a drone strike early today in Pakistan targeted al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al Libi. But officials still can't say whether al Libi was hit in the strike.
If confirmed, al Libi's death would be a big blow to the remaining Pakistan-based core of al Qaeda. He is among a handful of senior advisors left from the inner circle of al Qaeda founder Osama bin laden. al Libi has served as a leading propagandist for the group, an operational leader, and most recently as second-in command to new al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri.

Relentless drone strikes have seriously thinned the senior ranks of the al Qaeda network. In the past two years more than a dozen top leaders have been killed by U.S. strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, among them bin Laden and US born cleric Anwar al Awlaki.

U.S. officials say the terror group may no longer be capable of a large scale strike against the United States, but caution that it remains a danger.

The Associated Press reports that the strike was the seventh drone strike in less than two weeks in Pakistan, which is demanding that the United States end the program. Pakistani intelligence officials told the AP that four missiles were fired at a suspected hideout in North Waziristan, a tribal area near the Afghanistan border, early Monday morning. The suspected militants were reportedly gathered to honor a militant commander who had been killed in an early drone strike at the time of the attack.

China Bashing Binds Obama To Romney

China Bashing Binds Obama To Romney

By Kate Andersen Brower and Lisa Lerer - Jun 4, 2012

Two of Mitt Romney’s first three television ads of the general-election campaign boast of how he’d stand up to China as soon as he becomes president.
Not to be outdone, President Barack Obama last week capped off a month during which he imposed or proposed duties on Chinese goods by warning their leaders to end unfair practices.



The rhetoric on China is escalating as the two candidates appeal to voters hurt by the decline in U.S. manufacturing. They’ll also find that translating tough words into action is harder than buying commercial time. Obama hasn’t carried out many of the tough-on-China policies he promised four years ago. Republicans already are expressing concerns that Romney is locking himself into a too hard-line position.
“Whenever someone goes from campaigning to governing, the realities of engaging China forces moderation,” said Charles Kupchan, a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in

Microsoft Adds Football

Microsoft Adds Football, Tablet App to Expand Xbox Service

Dina Bass and Andy Fixmer, ©2012 Bloomberg News
Monday, June 4, 2012


June 4 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. expanded the sports and entertainment content offered through the Xbox, adding shows like "Monday Night Football" to extend the life of its gaming console and step up competition with Sony Corp. and Nintendo Co.

The Xbox 360's online service will gain 35 entertainment providers, Yusuf Mehdi, chief marketing officer for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment division, said today at the E3 trade show in Los

Polls shows Obama, Romney

Polls shows Obama remains more popular than Romney

By Phil Pruitt 

June 4, 2012 

President Barack Obama remains more popular than Mitt Romney, according to a CNN/ORC International survey released Monday.

Romney's favorable rating among Americans has jumped from 34% in February to 48% now. Forty-two percent say they see Romney in a negative light.

Romney still trails the president, however, who currently has a 56% favorable rating, with 42% saying they have an unfavorable opinion of Obama, the CNN/ORC poll shows. The president's favorable and unfavorable ratings are unchanged from CNN polls in March and April.

Trout's passion, production energizes Angels in AL West race

By Robyn Norwood, Special for USA TODAY

6-4-2012

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The kid will go to the wall for the Los Angeles Angels. With exuberant rookie Mike Trout batting leadoff and running into fences to catch fly balls, the Angels are suddenly revitalized and closing in on the Texas Rangers in the American League West.

At 20, the gum-chewing outfielder with a buzz cut and straight-toothed grin is the majors' second-youngest player, behind Bryce Harper, the Washington Nationals' 19-year-old phenom.

And he has affected his club in a way Harper has not.

• MORE: Trout continuing to come through

In 33 games since being called up from Class AAA Salt Lake (Salt Lake City) on April 28, Trout is batting .318 with five home runs, 20 RBI, nine stolen bases and 23 runs.

Equally impressive: The Angels — who started 6-14 despite the signings of slugger Albert Pujols and pitcher C.J. Wilson — have gone 22-13 since Trout joined the team, winning 10 of their last 12 and pulling to 4½ games behind the Rangers after beating them twice in a weekend series. Trout had six hits in 13 at-bats, keying go-ahead rallies in wins Friday and Saturday.

Pujols, without a home run before Trout's arrival, ripped eight long balls in May. Mark Trumbo leads the team with a .331 average, and reliever Ernesto Frieri didn't

'Dark Knight Rises' ...

6-4-2012

'Dark Knight Rises' Movie Awards Footage: What We Saw

Brand-new footage gives fans terrifying insight into Bane, who may be Batman's most menacing enemy ever.

By Kevin P. Sullivan

After weeks of waiting, never-before-seen footage from "The Dark Knight Rises" debuted at the 21st annual MTV Movie Awards, and no matter how much awesomely new material we saw, the clip could never be long enough.

Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and directorChristopher Nolan were on hand to present the footage, and they did not let us down. The montage included brand-new scenes with Catwoman, more footage of the aerial vehicle, the Bat, and a terrifying shot of Bane, sure to stay burned in the collective memory of Batman fans.

Here's our take on the new "Dark Knight Rises" footage.

The Batcave
It may seem like a silly thing to look forward to when you consider all the action and chemically enhanced super villains in the film, but the Batcave will be making a welcome return for the final installment of Nolan's Batman trilogy. The secret lair took one movie off after it burned to the ground in "Batman Begins," but the newest footage from the movie shows the underground sanctuary up-and-running with a shiny, new Batsuit case to boot.

The Bat's Best Friend

Cyprus may be...

Cyprus may be next country to seek bailout

6-4-2012

Deborah Levine, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Cyprus may seek financial aid from its European neighbors as early as this month, making it the fourth country to tap the region’s temporary bailout fund, according to media reports.

The tiny island nation may need a bailout to recapitalize its banks, which are feeling the effects of the crisis in Greece, its neighbor, the country’s central bank governor has told the Financial Times.

Panicos Demetriades said the country was at “an important crunch time,” according to the newspaper Sunday.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that Cyprus’ second-largest bank is seeking government aid, which would deeply strain the island’s public finances and make it miss this year’s budget targets.

Salesforce To Buy Buddy Media

Salesforce To Buy Buddy Media For $689 Million In Social Push

By Cornelius Rahn - Jun 4, 2012 

Salesforce.com Inc. (CRM) said it agreed to buy Buddy Media Inc. for about $689 million to boost its offering of software that helps clients to sell through social networks such as those of Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc.

Salesforce will acquire the closely held provider of social-marketing and analysis tools for $467 million in cash, $184 million in its own common stock as well as $38 million in options and restricted stock, the San Francisco-based company said in a statement today. The deal will probably be completed during the three months ending Oct. 31, Salesforce said.

Software makers including SAP AG (SAP) and Oracle Corp. (ORCL) are buying smaller social-

Israel, US 'discuss new Iran sanctions'

Israel, US 'discuss new Iran sanctions'

(AFP)6-4-2012

JERUSALEM — Israel and the United States are discussing a new raft of sanctions that could be imposed on Iran if the next round of talks between world powers and Tehran fail, Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Monday.

US Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen said in an interview with the newspaper the sanctions would be imposed if talks in Russia slated for mid-June failed to halt Iran's nuclear programme.

Iran and the so-called P5+1 powers, comprising the United States, Russia, France, Britain, China and Germany, have held two rounds of talks already, and are scheduled for third meeting in Moscow on June

4 June China

Tiananmen anniversary: China arrests activists

 4June 2012  From bbc

China has arrested activists and placed others under increased surveillance to stop them from marking the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Searches on social media sites have also been restricted to try to prevent any reference to the 1989 events.

The foreign ministry expressed "strong dissatisfaction" over a call from the US to free those still in prison for their involvement in the protests.

In 1989, the army shot dead hundreds of civilians rallying for democracy.

Beijing says the June 1989 events were a counter-revolutionary revolt and defends its

MTV Movie Awards 2012: List of Winners!

MTV Movie Awards 2012: List of Winners!

June 4th, 2012 by Free Britney

The 2012 MTV Movie Awards were handed out last night, and to the surprise of no one, The Hunger Games and Breaking Dawn dominated the festivities.

Robsten won for Best Kiss (for the fourth consecutive year), while Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson took home best female and male performance.

Since Kristen Stewart's real-life BF wasn't there to mark the occasion, she staged an impromptu make-out session with ... herself. Awkwardly awesome.

 

Fans of the vampire franchise were only slightly less elated later on when Breaking Dawn: Part 1 snagged the coveted golden popcorn for Best Movie.

Meanwhile, the great Johnny Depp strapped on his guitar after accepting the Generation Award and joined The Black Keys onstage for an epic rock session

In the night's most emotional moment, Christian Bale paid tribute to Heath Ledger, showing a clip from The Dark Knight, for which he won a posthumous Oscar.

Director Christopher Nolan then introduced a sneak peek of The Dark Knight Rises.

Other notable awards include Emma Stone's first-ever Trailblazer Award

Cyberwar no joke

By Boston Herald Editorial Staff
Sunday, June 3, 2012

Its name is Flame — a sexy name for a rather clever computer virus that can snoop on computer users, listen in on Skype calls or even nearby office chatter, and eavesdrop on Bluetooth-enabled cellphones.

The fact that this virus — which experts describe as being unprecedented both in its size and sophistication — was inflicted on a number of Middle East countries, taking special aim at Iran, allows us here to find it all rather amusing.

We, of course, would be far less amused if the shoe were on the other foot.

It is widely believed that only four countries — the United States, Russia, China andIsrael — are capable of launching such a virus. And right now Israel isn’t exactly issuing any kind of denial.
year bravado in confirming the role of both nations itself poses risks.
Iran, as we learned by its efforts to target the Saudi ambassador to the United States for assassination, is not without its resources here. And it is not as bumbling in the area of cyber-warfare or cyber-security as we might like to portray it. After all,

Common Painkillers Could Prevent Skin Cancer

6-3-2012

Common Painkillers Could Prevent Skin Cancer

(RTTNews) - People who take aspirin, ibuprofen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on a daily basis may be less susceptible to getting skin cancer, a study published in the British journal The Lancet on Tuesday, May 29 detailed.

Researchers analyzed data from over 50 studies and discovered those who took daily aspirin for at least three years were less likely to develop skin cancer, and, when they did, it tended to be less advanced.

The longer the individual used aspirin, and the higher the dose taken, helped lower the incidence of the cancer.

"We hope that the potential cancer-protective effect of NSAIDs will inspire more research on skin cancer prevention. Also, this potential cancer-protective effect should be taken into account when discussing benefits and harms of NSAID use," said researcher Sigrún Alba Jóhannesdóttir in a press release.

Negative effects of aspirin usage include an increased risk of bleeding, including bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Doctors added the best ways of preventing of skin cancer are using sun block and avoiding the sun.

by RTT Staff Writer

Quick getaway leaves Kings fresh for Game 3

Quick getaway leaves Kings fresh for Game 3

June 3, 2012 

Form sportsillustrated.cnn.com

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Darryl Sutter rushed the Los Angeles Kings out of their locker room in Newark on Saturday night as if they were fleeing the scene of a crime.
The Kings coach was just in a hurry to get home, and that's what his club did: On the plane by midnight, wheels up by 1 a.m. Eastern time, and in their beds back on the West Coast shortly after 4 a.m. Pacific.
"Hey, every minute counts," Sutter said Sunday after the Kings reported for a relaxed meeting at their training complex.
Sutter's Kings do this type of traveling all the time, with roughly a dozen cross-country flights interspersed among the usual lengthier schedule of Western Conference teams. The New Jersey Devils

in Salt Lake City gay parade

Mormon group shows its support in Salt Lake City gay parade

By Jennifer Dobner
Jun 3, 2012
(Reuters) - Nearly 300 Mormons marched in a gay pride parade on Sunday, holding signs that read "God Loves His Children" in a unique display of support from believers of a religious tradition that has long opposed homosexuality.

"When people hear that Mormons are marching with gay and lesbian people in Salt Lake City... I think that's going to be a surprise," said Dustin Lance Black, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of the 2008 movie "Milk" about slain San Francisco gay activist Harvey Milk. Black, who is gay and was raised Mormon, was the parade's grand marshal.

"They are fostering a level of acceptance that hasn't traditionally been there," he said.

Erika Munson, 52, a devout Mormon and mother of five, founded the group Mormons Building Bridges and led it in the annual Utah Pride Parade in support of the gay community. She had grown uncomfortable with the image of their church as anti-gay.

Woods claims 73rd PGA Tour title

Magical Woods claims 73rd PGA Tour title

June 02, 2012Reuters

Tiger Woods overhauled a fading Spencer Levin and a charging Rory Sabbatini with a few moments of magic to win his 73rd PGA Tour title by two shots at the Memorial tournament on Sunday.

He began the final day four strokes behind the pacesetting Levin and made a fast start before taking control with a spectacular finish that included a chip-in for birdie at the 16th that was lavishly praised by tournament host Jack Nicklaus.
"Boy, I hit it good today," Woods said after clinching his second PGA Tour victory this season in his final appearance before the June 14-17 U.S. Open. "I hit the ball just as good as I have in years.
"I never really missed a shot today ... and I had the pace of the greens really nice today, where I struggled yesterday, and made a few putts."
Woods birdied four of the first seven holes and then three of the last four for a five-under-par 67 and a

Bangor's Jubilee party

Festival of fun at Bangor's Jubilee party

By Mark Simpson
BBC Ireland Correspondent




The Diamond Jubilee party in the seaside town of Bangor, County Down, was one of the few in the United Kingdom which avoided the rain.

People from different parts of Northern Ireland flocked to the fun-filled festival armed with coats and umbrellas, but they did not need them.

There was a 1950's theme with swing dancing, rock and roll and the hairstyles to match.

At times, Bangor looked like a scene from the movie Grease.

Among the crowd, there was praise for the Queen - not just for giving everyone an excuse for a party - but for her longevity, dignity and style.

It is not often the long-serving monarch is described as "cute" but that was the adjective used by Alicia McTeggart, from Carrickfergus.

"I just love her fashion sense, " said Alicia.

"For a woman in her 80s, she has impeccable taste. She still has the old 1950's glamour, with her gloves and her hats. I just think she's so cute."

The Queen has been to Bangor during her six-decade reign.