Friday, June 14, 2013

In the news, Friday, June 14, 2013


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THU 13      INDEX      SAT 15
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Flag Day


Iwo Jima


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from Breitbart

TRAILER: CIVIL WAR DRAMA 'COPPERHEAD'

SCHOOL VIOLATED U.S. CONSTITUTION, TEXAS LAW BY CENSORING CHRISTIAN VALEDICTORIAN

SENATORS UNAWARE OF POTENTIAL SYRIAN REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT IN U.S.

BOXER: REDIRECT BORDER FUNDS FOR IMMIGRANT HEALTH CARE

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from Daily Mail

View from the top of the world: Passenger jet pilot's jaw-dropping photographs stunning vistas... taken from his cockpit at 35,000 ft
They were taken by Karim Nafani, a commercial airline pilot and photographer based in Dubai
He began the project to document his daily routine through a series of stunning photographs from 35,000 feet
He says, 'I take you far away from skyscrapers this time to somewhere much higher: welcome to my daily office!'
Gives pictures ethereal glow by setting camera to take three images at different exposures which he then combines

Revealed: William's Indian ancestry. DNA tests show future monarch has clear genetic line to the former 'Jewel in the Crown' from Diana's side
DNA testing proves that the Duke of Cambridge is of Indian ancestry
He will become first King of England with genetic link to India
Prince William's great-great-great-great-great grandmother was half-Indian
William will be first and last monarch with the DNA link as it can only be passed on by a mother
Revelation will prompt calls for prince to make maiden visit to the country



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from Facecrooks
from Fox News

Texas Gov. Perry signs 'Merry Christmas' bill into law

Syrian president has used chemical weapons against rebels, U.S. officials say.


Investigation? What Investigation? FBI Head Stumped on IRS Case

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from Investors Business Daily

Obama's Snooping Excludes Mosques, Missed Boston Bombers

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from The Jerusalem Post

Egypt Brotherhood backs Syria jihad, denounces Shi'ites
Muslim Brotherhood spokesman in Cairo accuses Hezbollah of launching a new "sectarian war" by joining Iran, Assad in a fight that pits mainly Sunni rebels against Assad's Alawite minority, a Shi'ite offshoot.

Nasrallah vows to back Assad as UNHRC condemns Hezbollah Hezbollah leader says Lebanese terror group is aware of the cost of military engagement in Syria's civil war but will not be deflected from its goals; UN rights forum condemns Hezbollah's intervention in Syria.

Voting extended for several hours; Khamenei says he doesn't "give a damn" about US charges that ballot is unfair.

LGBT community deals with revelation that a well-known activist is linked to the motive, and the state’s star witness is an openly gay man who helped plan the attack.

Obama administration says Assad regime has crossed "red line," citing clear evidence that they have used chemical weapons.

Israel Festival in Tennessee attracts 13,000 people – and widespread support for the Jewish state.

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Why Bill Gates Is Investing In Chicken-Less Eggs

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from PoliticusUSA

Cost of Obama’s Trip is Dwarfed By George And Laura Bush’s Africa Spending Spree
As conservatives rage about the cost of Obama’s Africa trip, it is important to remember that George and Laura Bush made a combined 7 trips to Africa all on the taxpayers’ dime.

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from realfarmacy.com

Foraging: 52 Wild Plants You Can Eat



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from Space.com

Distantly Orbiting Alien World May Challenge Planet-Formation Theories

Plastic Could Protect Astronauts from Deep-Space Radiation

from The Spokesman-Review

Nicaragua government backs canal project
Chinese company to study feasibility

GMO issue attracts out-of-state interest

U.S. will supply arms to Syrian rebel forces

Storms whack Mid-Atlantic region
Severe weather blamed for two deaths, outages

U.N.: World population to hit 8.1 billion in 2025

Colorado wildfire leaves two dead
State’s most destructive blaze claims at least 360 homes

Blast at Louisiana plant leaves one dead, 77 hurt

Immigration vote rejects border rule
Senator had urged complete security

Lawmakers lament leak’s effect
Legislators say terrorists have changed tactics

Iran presidential voting starts amid uncertainty

Results of Turkey meeting unclear
Premier, protesters indicate talks ended on positive note

Diamond Cup group secures backing for race

Legislature approves a change in estate tax
Court ruling would have cost the state millions

Flyboard offers the intrepid a new way to experience summer at the lake

Interplayers Theatre gets back on track

Batt chides Idaho for not raising gas tax
Ex-governor says roads need funding

Deputy used chokehold on man
Maneuver used after three shocks with Taser failed, WSP says

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In brief:  From Staff and Wire Reports:

Man arrested for two local robberies

Spokane Police arrested Daniel Drake, 39, on charges of robbing two businesses this week.

Drake allegedly robbed a coffee stand, the Java Hut, on 540 E Francis on Tuesday, and the North Nevada Albertsons on Wednesday. In both cases, Drake allegedly indicated he had a weapon and would hurt the employees if they didn’t give him money.

Police arrested Drake at the Royal Scot Motel and booked him into jail on two counts of first-degree robbery Thursday. He is scheduled to appear before Judge James Triplet this afternoon.

note:  The person working at the Java Hut when it was robbed was one of my (step) granddaughters. - C. S.


House OKs sentence for military assault

WASHINGTON – Angered by the epidemic of sexual assault in the military, the House on Thursday endorsed a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for a member of the armed services convicted of rape or sexual assault in a military court.

By voice vote, the House approved the additional punishment as part of a series of steps lawmakers have taken to tackle the growing problem of sexual assault. The provisions are contained in a sweeping defense policy bill for the 2014 fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

“Being in a military uniform should not be a get out of jail card,” Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, said as the House began work on more than 170 amendments to the defense bill.

Lawmakers hope to complete the measure today but must reconcile it with a Senate version.


Caterpillar ending Boy Scouts support

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Caterpillar Inc. is no longer giving money to the Boy Scouts because the organization discriminates against homosexuals, a spokeswoman for the Illinois-based heavy equipment manufacturer confirmed Thursday.

The company’s move wasn’t directly tied to the recent Boy Scouts decision to continue to bar homosexual adults from roles within the organization while allowing openly gay children to be Scouts. Instead, spokeswoman Rachel Potts said, the company decided to cut off funding while reviewing a request for $25,000 that came in last year from a local group in Illinois.

That decision was never announced publicly or communicated to the Boy Scouts of America, only to the local group, she said. But she added that the Boy Scouts’ policy that continues to bar homosexual adults from working in the organization is “discriminatory.”


Tornado reported in McMinnville, Ore.

The National Weather Service says a tornado damaged several buildings Thursday in the community of McMinnville, Ore.

No one was hurt but McMinnville Fire Chief Rich Leipfert said three commercial buildings – all used for storage – were damaged. He said a porch roof also was damaged.

National Weather Service meteorologist Miles Higa in Portland said the agency’s storm survey team dispatched to the site confirms a tornado but has not yet determined its wind speed or strength.

McMinnville is southwest of Portland.

The agency also received reports of funnel clouds seen in or near Hillsboro, Albany and Harrisburg, Ore., Higa said.


Mortgage rate rise continues

WASHINGTON – Fixed U.S. mortgage rates rose for the sixth straight week, putting the average rate on the 30-year loan just shy of 4 percent.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan increased to 3.98 percent. That’s up from 3.91 percent last week and the highest since April 2012. The average rate was last at 4 percent or higher in March 2012.

The rate on the 15-year loan advanced to 3.10 percent from 3.03 percent. That’s also the highest since April 2012.

Concerns that the Federal Reserve will scale back its bond purchases have pushed rates higher. Still, mortgage rates remain low by historical standards.

The Fed’s $85-billion-a-month in bond purchases have pushed down long-term interest rates. As speculation has grown that the Fed will slow those purchases, investors have driven rates up. That has decreased the value of bonds with lower yields.

Fed policymakers hold a two-day meeting next week that will be closely watched for signals that the Fed may soon slow the bond purchases.


Foreclosure completions jump

LOS ANGELES – Lenders stepped up action last month against homeowners who had fallen behind on their mortgage payments, taking possession of more homes and initiating the foreclosure countdown clock on many others.

Completed foreclosures jumped 11 percent nationally in May from the previous month, with monthly increases taking place in 33 states, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.

The monthly pickup reflects a rise in homes entering the foreclosure process last year. Many of those homes wound their way through the often lengthy process and ended up becoming bank-owned properties. Home repossessions, however, were down 29 percent from May last year, reflecting the long-term downward trend.

Banks also started the foreclosure process on more homes last month. Foreclosure starts rose 4 percent from April, but were down 33 percent versus May last year, the firm said.


Retailers report sales gains

WASHINGTON – Americans stepped up purchases at retail businesses in May, spending more on cars, home improvements and sporting goods. The gain shows consumers remain resilient despite higher taxes and could drive faster growth later this year.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that retail sales increased 0.6 percent in May from April. That’s up from a 0.1 percent gain the previous month and the fastest pace since February.

The April gain was led by a 1.8 percent jump in auto sales, the biggest increase in six months. Excluding volatile autos, gas and building supplies, core retail sales rose 0.3 percent. That’s slightly higher than the 0.2 percent April increase.

Sales increased at hardware and general merchandise stores, but fell at furniture and appliance stores.

Separately, the Labor Department said the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped 12,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 334,000. The decline suggests steady job gains will endure.

The retail sales report is the government’s first look each month at consumer spending, which drives 70 percent of economic activity.

There are signs that spending could strengthen in the second half of the year. Consumer confidence rose to five-year high in May. And steady gains in home sales and construction are providing support for the economy even as manufacturing weakens.


Arizona passes Medicaid expansion

PHOENIX – The Arizona Legislature embraced a signature component of President Barack Obama’s health care law Thursday after a drawn out battle that divided the state’s Republican leadership and saw GOP Gov. Jan Brewer work closely with Democratic lawmakers to expand Medicaid access.

The Legislature passed Brewer’s $8.8 billion state budget and Medicaid expansion after months of stalled negotiations, tense debates and political maneuvering from both sides.

Brewer called it a “sweet victory” for Arizona’s budget and its people. The expansion will provide health insurance to an additional 300,000 poor Arizonans under a key provision of the Affordable Care Act.

A newly formed coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans worked closely with Brewer to push back against the conservative leaders who run the Legislature and had blocked debate on the Medicaid expansion for six months. Brewer, an early critic of the Affordable Care Act, surprised the nation when she embraced the Medicaid expansion as the law of the land in her State of the State address in January.


Clinton embraces nonprofit work

CHICAGO – As she considers another White House bid, Hillary Rodham Clinton intends to work in the nonprofit world on issues like improving early childhood education, promoting the rights of women and girls, and finding ways to improve the economy – a set of priorities that could inform a 2016 presidential campaign.

The former secretary of state offered her most extensive description of her post-Obama administration agenda on Thursday since leaving her role as the nation’s top diplomat, basking in loud applause from admirers at a Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Chicago. The former first lady, a longtime advocate for women and children, said the foundation would serve as “my home” on a set of public policy initiatives close to her heart.

“What I think we have to be about is working together, overcoming the lines that divide us, this partisan, cultural, geographic (divide). Building on what we know works, we can take on any challenge we confront,” Clinton said. Reflecting the entire family’s involvement, the foundation has been renamed the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

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CdA woman files lawsuit over data collection

IRS gets clear path for Hart foreclosure
Federal judge rejects ex-lawmaker’s tax claims

FBI files allege corruption by former Gov. Rosellini

Gannett Co. to purchase Belo Corp.
Move will double TV stations owned by USA Today publisher
note: Local station KREM is owned by King Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of Belo Corp.

Microsoft teaming with Best Buy
‘Store-in-store’ will offer range of Windows-based electronics

Unpaid internships face cloudy future after court ruling

Grocers allege potato growers fixed prices, destroyed crops
Lawsuit claims ‘predatory conduct’ in decade-old scheme

Supreme Court revises rules on demonstrations
New rule allows ‘casual’ activities by tourists

Observers think army troops are preparing to retake Aleppo

Editorial: Park plans will further showcase river, falls

Amy Goodman: NSA surveillance uncovered

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letter: Understand IRS code

Referencing the June 3 letter from Arthur Greenfield: In the letter’s first paragraph, he asserts that only “purely political right-wing organizations claim tax exemptions as so-called ‘charities.’ ” This assertion is patently false and misleads the public.

Section 501(c) establishes tax exemptions for all nonprofits. Proper charities claim tax exemption under Section 501(c)3, including religious organizations. Political organizations of any and all persuasions claim to be nonprofits within the provisions of Section 501(c)4 as either a civic league or social welfare organization, and not as a charity.

Why a 501(c)4? Primarily, political organizations file this tax-exempt status to prevent publishing donor lists. If they are organized as a tax-exempt nonprofit under Section 527, they must report their donors.

The current Internal Revenue Service donnybrook before Congress deals with selective “sequestering” by the IRS of Section 501(c)4 conservative group applicants from timely consideration and approval.

As for the thousands of pages of IRS regulations and “warped tax laws” that have brought on the latest brouhaha? That’s another elephant in the room for another day.

Michael Robertson      Mead

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sports:

Happy landing for Mickelson
Lefty has clubhouse lead after cross-country trip back to Merion

Juneteenth celebrates history of unity
Annual event marks abolition of slavery

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from The Weekly Standard

The Costs and Benefits of the NSA
The data-collection debate we need to have is not about civil liberties.

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