Tuesday, June 11, 2013

In the news, Tuesday, June 11, 2013


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MON 10      INDEX      WED 12
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Video: Anne Bayefsky spoke against top UN Official Richard Falk's report on supposed Israeli human rights abuses at the 23rd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

WH: 'PRESIDENT'S RECORD ON TRANSPARENCY IS BROAD AND SIGNIFICANT'
REPORT: FEDS PREPARING CHARGE AGAINST NSA LEAKER

FORMER DNI: NSA LEAKER 'LOW-LEVEL' EMPLOYEE WITH 'OVERINFLATED' IDEA OF ROLE

RAND PAUL ACCUSES OBAMA OF 'UTTER, FRANK HYPOCRISY' OVER NSA SCANDAL

U.S. HAS GIVEN AFGHAN ARMY MORE THAN $1 BILLION IN AMMO

BENGHAZI ATTACKERS STILL ON THE LOOSE

OPPOSITION TO SENATE IMMIGRATION BILL GROWS

'FIRST COMES THE LEGALIZATION': RUBIO CONTRADICTS TOUGH-TALKING IMMIGRATION ADS

SCHUMER: 'ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION WILL BE A THING OF THE PAST'
GOMEZ: I'LL BEAT MARKEY'S DC MACHINE

MA SENATE: GOMEZ WINNING INDEPENDENTS BY 10 POINTS

VALEDICTORIAN'S MIC CUT FOR GOD MENTIONS

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from Daily Mail

From the gaping jaws of a giant shark to the intricate dance of mating seahorses - the Best Underwater Photographer of the Year Competition reveals its winner
Spectacular images are the finalists and winners of DEEP Indonesia International Competition
Hamid Rad won best in show for his imaginative fish-eye view of nature taken in New Guinea
Seven categories including reefscapes, sharks, surfs, animal portrait and divers

Mesmerising shots of Mother Nature at her most angry: Photographer braves the elements to capture raging storms and lightning forks splitting the sky
52-year-old photographer Franz Schumacher takes dramatic pictures of storms at harvest time in Germany. He says it's all down to finding exactly the right position in the middle of the action.

Is the Apple redesign a disaster? Tech experts accuse company of ditching unique look for 'almost unrecognisable' interface which panders to company's critics - not its loyal fans
Apple's latest iOS 7 software for iPhones and iPads takes a bold step away from previous versions by abandoning the use of textured paper and wood effects for icons

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from Facecrooks

Beware of Spam Messages Promoting Products in Facebook Groups
From May 16, 2013

[Hoax Alert ] Privacy Notice and Warning to Institutions, Agents & Agencies
from June 4, 2012

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from The Farmacy (REALfarmacy.com)
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Symptoms of Low Magnesium Levels



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Soldier Who Read Conservative Books Now Faces Charges

'Something Smells Here': EPA 'Mistakenly' Gives Names of Farmers to Radical Groups
Michelle Malkin questioned whether this leak of information was really a mistake, as a group of senators press the EPA for answers.

Dr. Manny: FDA loss of control on Plan B not surprising
Obama administration says it will allow all girls to have morning after pill access

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from The Jerusalem Post

Letters from Modern Persia

Palestinian demand to release detainees from prison "unacceptable" to majority of Israeli Jews.

Special rapporteur attacks Israel’s actions in Gaza, calls for investigatory c'tee into treatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Fundamentally Freund: Germany decided to back an initiative which singles out Jewish-owned businesses and targets them for detrimental treatment.

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from Money Talks News

How to Keep Your Info Private (Even From the NSA)
Thwarting the efforts of a billion-dollar super-secret government spy agency -- or anyone else who wants access to your personal information -- is not that difficult.

Save a Bundle With These Breakfast Ideas
Prefab breakfast foods and those picked up at the drive-through cost much more than those you can make from scratch at home.

Does This Smell Bad to You? How Long Foods Last
A major way to stop wasting food and your money is to know how long basic items last in the freezer and fridge

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from NPR

A Daughter's Struggle To Overcome A Legacy Of Segregation

You Face A U.S. Legal Problem. Where Should You Run?


from The Spokesman-Review


Afternoon cold front to stir wind gusts
Mike Prager      The Spokesman-Review
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Anger over spying mounts
European leaders want answers from Obama
Lara Jakes      Associated Press
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Legislature nearing second special session
Jim Camden      The Spokesman-Review
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Government ends birth control fight
Plan B to have no age, prescription restrictions
Tom Hays      Associated Press
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Warming a threat to Earth, report says
Safe temperatures could be exceeded by end of century
Neela Banerjee      McClatchy-Tribune
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Senate passes farm bill
$500 billion measure has bipartisan support
Mary Clare Jalonick      Associated Press
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Pentagon planning Guantanamo trial
Iraqi to be charged with war crimes
Associated Press
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Car bombs hit Iraq
Dozens killed as sectarian tension surges
Associated Press
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British museum raises WWII German plane
Associated Press

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Grand jury will probe Philly building collapse
City Council plans regulatory review
Associated Press

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Ten women escape limousine fire
Associated Press
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BP ends cleanup in 3 Gulf states
Company says impact outweighs benefit
Matt Pearce      Los Angeles Times
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On the right path
Groups make Spokane River easier, prettier to access
Nina Culver      The Spokesman-Review
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Moose killed after being injured in accident
From staff reports
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Cleveland disciplines 12 officers for deadly chase
Associated Press
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Two deputies identified in South Hill Taser incident
Kip Hill The Spokesman-Review
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Spokane officer resigns amid investigations
Thomas Clouse      The Spokesman-Review

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In brief:  From Staff and Wire Reports:

Anti-government protests intensify

ISTANBUL – Hundreds of police clad in riot gear pushed easily past barricades in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square early today, and many of the protesters who had occupied the square for more than a week were pushed into a nearby park.

Police briefly fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets, prompting many of the protesters to flee the square into Gezi Park, where many had been camping.

Some of the activists fired fireworks, fire bombs and stones at police water cannon.

Earlier, demonstrators had manned the barricades and prepared for a possible intervention when officers began massing in the area.

Police began taking down large banners that had been hung by protesters on a large building on the edge of the square, replacing them with a large Turkish flag and a banner with the picture of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the beloved founder of the secular republic 89 years ago after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey’s widespread anti-government protests erupted May 31 after a violent police crackdown on a peaceful sit-in by protesters objecting to a project replacing the park with a replica Ottoman-era barracks.

Prior to the police action, the protests appeared to be diminishing, with the smallest number of demonstrators in the past 12 days gathering in Taksim on Monday night.


Bomb threat diverts flight leaving L.A.

PHOENIX – A “telephonic bomb threat” against a Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, resulted in the plane being diverted to Phoenix on Monday afternoon, the FBI said.

Laura Eimiller of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office said the flight left Los Angeles International Airport at 2:12 p.m. before the threat was received by telephone. She didn’t provide further details.

“The FBI and law enforcement partners are responding to conduct an investigation of the aircraft, as well as to determine the person or persons responsible for the threat,” Eimiller said in a statement.

F-16s were scrambled out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson to monitor the flight as a precaution as it flew into Sky Harbor, according to NORAD officials.

Flight 2675 landed safely at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at about 3 p.m., and authorities in Los Angeles asked Phoenix police to check out the possible threat.

The plane’s crew and 143 passengers got off the plane and boarded several buses. All of the passengers were being interviewed by investigators, said Sgt. Steve Martos, a Phoenix police spokesman.


U.N. chief calls for more AIDS funding

UNITED NATIONS – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the overall U.N. goal of halting and reversing the spread of AIDS will be met by the target date of 2015.

But the U.N. chief told the General Assembly on Monday that despite “important progress,” more must be done to target AIDS in countries and communities where it is still spreading – and this will require additional funds.

“In more than 56 states, we have stabilized the epidemic and reversed the rate of new infections,” Ban said.

He said more than half the people in low- and middle-income countries are receiving treatment, but antiretroviral therapy must be expanded.

“This is a human rights imperative and a public health necessity,” Ban said.


Mexico looks to stop telecom monopolies

MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s president signed into law a monopoly-busting telecommunications law Monday that’s expected to drive down telephone prices for consumers and cost the country’s richest man billions of dollars.

Carlos Slim, the tycoon whose America Movil SAB controls 70 percent of Mexico’s cellphone business and 80 percent of the country’s landlines, has seen his net worth plummet $5 billion since March, when the law was proposed, as investors sold off the company’s stock for fear of the law’s impact. The law’s implementation is likely to further undercut his business empire.

President Enrique Pena Nieto took less than three months to push the proposal through Congress, a sign of his race to obtain major changes before a broad pact of Mexico’s major political parties unravels. Moments before signing the measure into law, Pena Nieto said it would strengthen Mexican companies and favor consumers with lower prices. That, in turn, will attract foreign investment and speed economic growth, he said.

The new law also aims to reduce the dominance of Mexico’s two powerful television broadcasters, Televisa and TV Azteca.


Centennial trailblazer Castleberry dies

Robbi Castleberry, a pillar of Spokane-area conservation efforts since the 1970s, died Monday of an apparent cardiac arrest in her home near Indian Canyon, her husband, Vic, has confirmed.

Castleberry, 80, was on the original city-county committee that spearheaded development of the Spokane River Centennial Trail.

She was the energizer behind the improvements and additions to the city’s Palisades Park and the closure of Rimrock Drive so it could be enjoyed by walkers and bicyclists.

“Robbi was involved with groups like the Back Country Horsemen and the Spokane Canoe and Kayak Club, and when it came to issues such as trails and river access she could be counted on as an absolute driving force to keep them open for all users,” said Julia McHugh, another original member of the Centennial Trail committee.

Memorial service arrangements are pending.


Biking brothers make stop in Spokane

Fraternity brothers from around the country rolled into Spokane on Monday, a pit stop on their ride to raise more than $600,000 for people with disabilities.

Seventeen cyclists and 8 crew members from the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity arrived at Christ the Redeemer Church in West Central about 1:45 p.m., stopping to catch their breath after a 75-mile ride from Pullman with a superb tailwind.

The ride began 26 years ago, and has grown from a group of 21 riders raising about $20,000 to a three-pronged team leaving each year from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle and converging in Washington, D.C.

Those interested in donating to the group or following its progress can visit pushamerica.org.


Police: Barista pepper-sprayed, robbed

A man used pepper spray on a drive-through coffee shop barista this morning and drove away with her car, police said.

Spokeswoman Monique Cotton said the man approached the window of Hot Tottie’s Coffee Shop, at West Francis Avenue and North Atlantic Street, on foot around 6 a.m., showed a knife and used the pepper spray on the woman in the window.

He attempted to break into the cash register, then stole the employee’s belongings and drove away with her car.

The car was recovered a few blocks away but police did not find the man.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic man in his early 20s wearing a black hat and a black hoodie.


UW enacts diversity course requirement

SEATTLE – Students at the University of Washington will be required to take a course in some area of social, political or economic diversity before they can graduate.

The requirement has been approved by President Michael Young and the Faculty Senate. Deans in each school and college must approve a list of three-credit courses to satisfy the diversity requirement, which takes effect for the incoming class next fall.

The Seattle Times reports two-thirds of students already take classes that would likely satisfy the requirement. Other major universities, including Washington State University, already have a diversity requirement for graduation.

Some possible UW diversity classes include Peasants in Politics, Class and Culture in East Asia, Gender and Spirituality, and World Music.

The Faculty Senate approved the measure in April.

Scout restaurant closes amid hotel bankruptcy

Scout, a downtown Spokane eatery that opened in 2012 in the Montvale Hotel, closed its doors recently, a bankruptcy trustee said Monday.

The restaurant opened in January 2012 in the space vacated by Far West Billiards. Scout was opened by Rob Brewster, owner of the Montvale Hotel.

Scout is the second of two restaurants that used space inside the Montvale, at 1005 W. First Ave. The other, the Catacombs Pub, closed last month.

In February, Brewster filed for bankruptcy protection for the Montvale, listing debts exceeding $3 million.

While the Montvale goes through bankruptcy, trustee David Gardner said that has no effect on leasing space inside the building to new business operators. Gardner said he is seeking offers from applicants who wish to take over either restaurant space.

The closure of Scout took place the weekend of June 2, but Gardner said neither Brewster nor any staff at Scout contacted him about the closure.

“I heard about it from my hotel management company,” Gardner said.

That company, HMS of Spokane, is operating the Montvale, and Gardner said the hotel is operating normally.


SEC paying $580,000 in retaliation lawsuit

WASHINGTON – The Securities and Exchange Commission is paying $580,000 to settle a lawsuit by a former assistant SEC inspector general who accused the agency of firing him in retaliation for bringing possible misconduct to light.

The SEC reached the settlement last month with David Weber, who sued the agency in November. Weber’s attorney, Cary Hansel, announced the settlement Monday. Weber was the assistant inspector general for investigations, one of those responsible for probing allegations of misconduct by SEC officials and employees. He is an attorney and a certified fraud examiner.

Weber had raised concerns about possible inappropriate relationships between former SEC Inspector General David Kotz and women he worked with on investigations of the Ponzi schemes run by Bernard Madoff and Allen Stanford.

Weber also warned of a security flaw in some SEC computers that contained sensitive stock-exchange data.

Kotz, who left the SEC in January 2012, has denied the allegations. He didn’t immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Monday.

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Pakistan ends drone strike OKs
Sharif bans secret military approvals
Mcclatchy-Tribune

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Cause of death in Taser case remains unclear
Autopsy inconclusive on man hit with Taser
Kip Hill      The Spokesman-Review

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Sheriff’s volunteers suspended; third man jailed
SCOPE pair associated with suspect in assault
Jonathan Brunt      The Spokesman-Review

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Trial begins in wrongful death suit
Cloninger died after kidney stone procedure
Jennifer Pignolet      The Spokesman-Review

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County open to Green Bluff events
Planning commissioners told to find compromise
Mike Prager      The Spokesman-Review

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Rep. Raul Labrador to still work toward immigration reform
Betsy Z. Russell      The Spokesman-Review

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I-5 span slated to reopen
Associated Press

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Derr’s work advanced gender equality
Idaho lawyer who won landmark case dies at 85
John Miller      Associated Press

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Home sales see bump
Tom Sowa      The Spokesman-Review

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S&P boosts outlook on U.S. long-term debt
Strengthened finances, economy prompt upgrade to ‘Stable’ rating
Paul Wiseman      Associated Press

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Newest Xbox displayed at E3
Cloud connection will ‘push the boundaries’
Derrik J. Lang      Associated Press

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Apple streamlines look of iPhone, iPad interfaces
Michael Liedtke, Peter Svensson      Associated Press

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Leak highlights role of private sector
Contractors often have access to secret data
Jonathan Fahey      Associated Press

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opinion:

Editorial: Spokane can’t afford to cut down its pine trees

In Obama we can’t trust
Mona Charen

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health:

Surgery can give cataract sufferers vision for bright future
Dr. Alisa Hideg

Walking device helps people get back in step
Seattle Times

Sugar-water injections promise help for pain
Joe Graedon M.S.      PeoplesPharmacy.com

Mindful eating could aid weight loss
Anthony L. Komaroff      Universal Uclick

Tooth in fiction
Spokane Valley endodontist’s book for children demystifies dental visits
Adrian Rogers      The Spokesman-Review

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from The Wall Street Journal

Police Move to Recapture Istanbul Square
Prime Minister Erdogan Says Protests Are Illegal, Spurred On by Radical Groups

Contractor Says He Is Source of NSA Leak
Claims Aim Was to Spark National Debate About Surveillance; Lawmakers Urge Extradition to U.S.

Apple Plays Up Its Cool
Mobile-Software Overhaul Highlights Pitch to Developers That It Can Still Innovate

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from The Weekly Standard

Toby Young’s astonishing second career as an education reformer

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