Car bomb near Sunni mosque in west of Baghdad kills 11: police

Nearly four months ago, Oklahoma Senators Tom Coburn and James Inhofe both voted?against?H.R.152, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act that eventually sent $50.5 billion in relief to victims of Hurricane Sandy. And in the flurry of last night's devastation in Moore, Oklahoma. it was impossible not to forget that fact, knowing the federal government would soon rally to the cause.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/car-bomb-near-sunni-mosque-west-baghdad-kills-190518743.html

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2013 cold start may mean fruit boom

21 May 2013 Last updated at 19:07 ET By Mark Kinver Environment reporter, BBC News

UK fruit growers could enjoy a much improved harvest of apples and pears this year, after 2012's growing season saw a dismal outcome, experts believe.

Environmental consultancy ADAS UK says the recent cold weather, a key part of a successful fruit harvest, could see fruit-filled branches in the autumn.

Poor weather conditions during 2012 saw British fruit yields down by up to 50%.

However, the prolonged cold weather this year has not helped cereal growers, who face another tough year.

An assessment by ADAS suggested that the growing season was about eight weeks late, but the recent warming has seen it reduce this deficit to about three to four weeks.

"We are hopeful of a good harvest this year as long as this reasonable weather keeps up during flowering," said ADAS horticultural consultant Chris Creed.

The return of cold weather in some parts of the country, which have experienced ground frost, is not likely to jeopardise this, he said.

Crunch time

But he said that there would be concern if there was air frost (when the air temperature 1.25m above the ground fell to 0C (32F) or below).

"We don't want an air frost, and we certainly do not want it falling beneath -2C," he told BBC News.

"Kent, Worcestershire and Herefordshire are probably through this period now, so the crop should be set.

"I would have thought they have got away with it because I do not remember hearing of any serious air frost in the past 14 days."

Apple trees are generally in blossom for about 14 days, during which time the flowers are pollinated - primarily by wild bees and hoverflies.

Most varieties will not produce any apples unless they are pollinated, and pollinated with pollen from a different variety of apple tree so it is important that the trees are in flower at the same time.

Mr Creed said that a bumper harvest depended on a number of natural milestones being achieved over the course of 12 months.

"We are looking for a good autumn that initiates plenty of flowers, so we want a sunny, dry autumn, and then we want a nice cold period during the winter," he said.

"We have had plenty of cold this season. Then we want a good fortnight [during the spring] with no air frost when the blossom is out, it's pretty simple really.

He added that conditions last year were "absolutely diabolical" while apple trees were in flower.

"And during the summer we would like some proper growing weather," Mr Creed said.

"Proper growing weather during May is some showers and warm nights, ideally double figure nights above 10C, and no drought during June, July and August."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22575545#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Innovation could bring flexible solar cells, transistors, displays

May 22, 2013 ? Researchers have created a new type of transparent electrode that might find uses in solar cells, flexible displays for computers and consumer electronics and future "optoelectronic" circuits for sensors and information processing.

The electrode is made of silver nanowires covered with a material called graphene, an extremely thin layer of carbon. The hybrid material shows promise as a possible replacement for indium tin oxide, or ITO, used in transparent electrodes for touch-screen monitors, cell-phone displays and flat-screen televisions. Industry is seeking alternatives to ITO because of drawbacks: It is relatively expensive due to limited abundance of indium, and it is inflexible and degrades over time, becoming brittle and hindering performance.

"If you try to bend ITO it cracks and then stops functioning properly," said Purdue University doctoral student Suprem Das.

The hybrid material could represent a step toward innovations, including flexible solar cells and color monitors, flexible "heads-up" displays in car windshields and information displays on eyeglasses and visors.

"The key innovation is a material that is transparent, yet electrically conductive and flexible," said David Janes, a professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Research findings were detailed in a paper appearing online in April in the journal Advanced Functional Materials. It was authored by Das; visiting student Ruiyi Chen; graduate students Changwook Jeong and Mohammad Ryyan Khan; Janes and Muhammad A. Alam, a Purdue professor of electrical and computer engineering.

The hybrid concept was proposed in earlier publications by Purdue researchers, including a 2011 paper in the journal Nano Letters. The concept represents a general approach that could apply to many other materials, said Alam, who co-authored the Nano Letters paper.

"This is a beautiful illustration of how theory enables a fundamental new way to engineer material at the nanoscale and tailor its properties," he said.

Such hybrid structures could enable researchers to overcome the "electron-transport bottleneck" of extremely thin films, referred to as two-dimensional materials.

Combining graphene and silver nanowires in a hybrid material overcomes drawbacks of each material individually: the graphene and nanowires conduct electricity with too much resistance to be practical for transparent electrodes. Sheets of graphene are made of individual segments called grains, and resistance increases at the boundaries between these grains. Silver nanowires, on the other hand, have high resistance because they are randomly oriented like a jumble of toothpicks facing in different directions. This random orientation makes for poor contact between nanowires, resulting in high resistance.

"So neither is good for conducting electricity, but when you combine them in a hybrid structure, they are," Janes said.

The graphene is draped over the silver nanowires.

"It's like putting a sheet of cellophane over a bowl of noodles," Janes said. "The graphene wraps around the silver nanowires and stretches around them."

Findings show the material has a low "sheet resistance," or the electrical resistance in very thin layers of material, which is measured in units called "squares." At 22 ohms per square, it is five times better than ITO, which has a sheet resistance of 100 ohms per square.

Moreover, the hybrid structure was found to have little resistance change when bent, whereas ITO shows dramatic increases in resistance when bent.

"The generality of the theoretical concept underlying this experimental demonstration -- namely 'percolation-doping' -- suggests that it is likely to apply to a broad range of other 2-D nanocrystaline material, including graphene," Alam said.

A patent application has been filed by Purdue's Office of Technology Commercialization.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/J7DB8dvwjlQ/130522142032.htm

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Star witness to stay mum for House hearing on IRS

Several dozen tea party activists and other concerned citizens, wave signs and small American flags as they march outside the main Internal Revenue Service office on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Phoenix. The rally was one of many around the country after IRS officials acknowledged that some conservative groups received inappropriate attention and questioning. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Several dozen tea party activists and other concerned citizens, wave signs and small American flags as they march outside the main Internal Revenue Service office on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Phoenix. The rally was one of many around the country after IRS officials acknowledged that some conservative groups received inappropriate attention and questioning. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Tea Party supporters gather for a rally outside the IRS headquarter in Washington, May 21, 2013. A few dozen tea party activists and their supporters have gathered outside the IRS headquarters in Washington to protest extra scrutiny of their organizations. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A House committee taking Congress' latest look at the Internal Revenue Service's mistreatment of tea party groups will apparently have to do so without input from the star witness.

IRS official Lois Lerner will invoke her constitutional right to not answer questions on Wednesday at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, her lawyer told the panel in a letter.

Lerner triggered the recent IRS uproar at a legal conference nearly two weeks ago, when she revealed that the agency had subjected tea party and other conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status to extra scrutiny during parts of the 2010 and 2012 election seasons. She also apologized for the actions.

Lerner, 62, an attorney who joined the IRS in 2001, heads the unit that decides whether groups qualify for the status. She has come under fire from members of both parties, including Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, who said in an interview Tuesday that she should lose her job.

In Lerner's absence, Wednesday's spotlight will be on another witness: Neal Wolin, the Treasury Department's deputy secretary.

J. Russell George, a Treasury inspector general, has said he told Wolin in mid-2012 that he was investigating the IRS' targeting of conservative groups, a report that was released last week. That means Wolin was the highest-ranking Treasury official to have known about the probe during last year's elections, making him a focus of interest for lawmakers.

"What did you know and when? Who did you tell?" Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, a senior member of the Oversight Committee, said Tuesday of what he hopes to learn from Wolin.

Lerner's attorney, William W. Taylor III, has requested that she be excused from Wednesday's hearing, writing in the letter that forcing her to appear "would have no purpose other than to embarrass or burden her." But the committee has subpoenaed her and panel members say they expect her to attend.

"She better be there. We're planning on it," Chaffetz said.

In writing that Lerner would use her Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate herself, Taylor noted that the Justice Department has started an investigation into the IRS controversy. He also referred to a letter she received last week from Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., saying she "provided false or misleading information on four separate occasions last year" to committee queries.

Staff of the Oversight Committee questioned Lerner and other IRS officials last year after receiving complaints from Ohio tea party groups that they were being mistreated by the IRS, said Meghan Snyder, spokesman for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a member of the committee.

In responses to the committee, Lerner didn't mention that tea party groups had ever been targeted, according to documents. Her responses included 45-page letters in May 2012 to Issa and Jordan.

Lerner also met twice in early 2012 with staff from the House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee to discuss the issue, according to a timeline constructed by committee staff. The timeline said she didn't mention at either meeting that conservative groups had been targeted.

Lerner's revelation and apology at the May 10 legal conference came in response to a question that IRS officials later acknowledged they had planted with an audience member. Lerner's disclosure came days before George, the inspector general, released his report detailing the IRS' actions.

George's report found that in June 2011, Lerner discovered that her unit was searching for organizations with words like "tea party" or "patriots" in their applications and subjecting them to tougher questions. She ordered the initial tea party criteria to be scrapped, but it later evolved to include groups that promoted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the report said. Lawmakers are curious about why the practice didn't stop entirely.

A career civil servant who has run the division since late 2005, Lerner has not been disciplined for her role, IRS officials said. But with President Barack Obama demanding that IRS officials be held accountable for the problem, Acting Commissioner Steven Miller and another top agency official have announced their departures in recent days and many lawmakers believe more heads should roll.

"If Miller had to lose his job, I don't think he should just be the lone person to go," Cummings said.

George and Douglas Shulman, the former IRS commissioner who headed the agency while it was targeting conservative groups, are also scheduled to testify Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Shulman told the Senate Finance Committee that he learned in the spring of 2012 about his agency's targeting of conservatives and George's probe. He said he didn't tell lawmakers or officials at Treasury ? of which the IRS is part ? because he only had sketchy information about the situation, was told it was being handled and believed it proper to let George's office conduct its investigation.

"Sitting there then and sitting here today, I think I made the right decision, which is to let the inspector general get to the bottom of it, chase down all the facts and then make his findings public," Shulman said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-22-IRS-Political%20Groups/id-c6f15f4e0ce447b29058486ff3599536

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A Good Business to be (and Invest) - Uncommon Wisdom Daily

We?ve been getting a lot of questions about the basics of gold investing. So today let?s take a couple of minutes to outline a few foundational items that can help you whether you?re just getting started or looking for new ideas.

I know many of you are experienced gold investors, so I?ll make this part brief. We?ll also look at a gold-investing idea that can perform well regardless of the price of the metal itself, so stay tuned for that.

The gold ?spot price? is the price at which the market is valuing gold. When buying, you look at the ask price. Without getting too technical, the ?ask? price is what a dealer is going to ask for the gold bullion.

It is higher than the ?bid? price, which is what a dealer will bid to buy the bars. I?m assuming you?re buying to hold, not to trade, so there?s no reason to worry about the bid price right now.

The dealer you?re buying the gold from is going to ask for a ?premium? over the spot price. The premium is going to vary depending on the weight and type of coin or bar you?re buying.

So, the premium for a one-ounce Maple Leaf coin is going to be different than the premium for a one-ounce American Buffalo, which will be different than a quarter-ounce American Eagle.

***

When I buy gold coins or bullion, I simply ask what the dealer is selling for the lowest premium over spot. It doesn?t matter to me if I?m buying new coins, old coins or bullion. As long as I?m buying the product of a well-respected mint, I focus mostly on the gold.

It is important to make sure you?re buying from a reputable dealer, or else you might not be able to easily liquidate your gold when you do decide to sell.

Be sure, when you do buy, to ask about their policies for buying back the gold they?ve sold you ? you want to get as much money as possible, and there are often specific steps you need to take to ensure that happens.

That premium can differ drastically from one dealer to another. For example, a member of my team was selling physical silver at one point. He got an extra 20% for his silver because he made three phone calls instead of just one!

That premium represents the dealer?s profit. Some dealers are willing to sell for less than others. As long as the mint from which the bullion or coin comes is well-respected, you want to pay the lowest-possible premium.

Here?s a hint: If you are seeing ads on TV, the premium is likely higher than you want to pay, because the dealer has to pay for the ads and will need to incorporate this in the price of the metal you buy. Make sure you shop around before you buy!

***

Now for the opportunity ? ?

Jewelry stores are adept at profiting from a premium in the gold and silver marketplace, for two huge reasons.

First, they market to clientele who, mostly, don?t follow the daily spot gold prices. Second, they aren?t selling the idea of gold as a store of value. Instead they?re selling beauty, or love, or ego, or a thousand other reasons why people buy jewelry.

Their prices are astronomical from the point of view of a gold investor. Their costs are, however, not proportionally higher.

This ?hidden premium? is a great way for the jewelry store to profit. That makes the jewelry business a good one to be in ? and, depending on the stock, to invest in!

Either way, here is a list of some jewelry store stocks to get you started. Please note that I am not making picks on these stocks. This is simply a partial list of stocks that trade on the U.S. markets to use as a starting point for researching this sector on your own.

• Blue Nile (NILE)
• Christian Dior (CHDRY)
• Charles & Colvard (CTHR)
• LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMUY)
• Signet Jewelers (SIG)
• Chow Sang Sang (CHOWF)

Beyond this group, there are plenty of other plays both within the U.S. as well as on the overseas exchanges. In fact, Sean and Tony have recently given their subscribers some unique ways to play gold without directly playing gold.

And in your Friday-morning issue of Uncommon Wisdom Daily, Rudy is sharing another name with a truly compelling story. Don?t miss out on that issue ? or any in-between!

Here are some news items you should be aware of while managing your portfolio:

***

In Other Market News:

• Yahoo! (YHOO) is buying micro-blogging site Tumblr in a mostly cash deal to the tune of $1.1 billion. You?ll remember the tech sector is one of the sectors I mentioned as a way to find solid returns for your investments, but this deal just highlights how important it is to choose any investments carefully.

• While Tumblr?s 100 million users carry a value, the company?s gross revenue last year was only $13 million. When Tumblr last raised money, a little over a year and a half ago, the $85 million venture capital investment it received valued the company at $800 million.

• So, why the $300 million premium? That?s going to depend, in large part, as to how effectively Yahoo! can leverage Tumblr?s user base. Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer thinks the deal will give her company a social-networking and communications hub. She also promised not to ?screw up? Tumblr, as some Flickr users have said since Yahoo! took over the online photo-sharing service in 2005.

• Just like the rest of the gaming sector, Micosoft?s (MSFT) new Xbox ? which will be revealed tomorrow ? is already facing stiff competition from smartphones and tablets. The newest version represents a multiyear attempt to keep it current and ?cool.?

• The console game market is a $27 billion a year industry where, according to Andrew House, the head of Sony?s (SNE) PlayStation division, ?We?ve seen a dramatic shift in the way people interact with technology.? He also commented, ?The consumer is changing us.?

• The aftermath from Hurricane Sandy continues, but there could ?be some positive developments when it comes to Home Depot (HD) and Lowe?s (LOW), which report fiscal first-quarter results this week. FEMA has approved $1.38 billion in assistance for Sandy victims.

• Cooler-than-normal temperatures have delayed the spring sales season for DIY giants, so it will be worthwhile to also keep an eye on second-quarter results when those become available. For now, ?This will be the first quarter that shows people did more of the major work,? said David Schick, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus. Plus, an upturn in construction has picked up some of the slack.

***

Your feedback ? spanning a variety of topics from gold to tech to income to the economy ? continues to be insightful and thought-provoking. A lot of you wrote in over the weekend and I?m going to keep reading through those tonight. In the meantime, I want to share this comment with you.

Carl writes:

?I think this obsession with gold has taken a lot of people on a roller coaster ride that, in my estimation, is far from over. While gold bugs remain firmly entrenched in gold, they miss out completely on targeted stock-market gains.

?It?s one thing getting on your bully pulpit to lambast the U.S. for this and that, but you do a great disservice to many who read these articles by continually announcing the disintegration of the U.S. and to park money in gold.

?I listened to the doom-and-gloom stuff for years now and missed one of the greatest bull markets in history.?

Brad ? First let me thank you for taking the time to send in your concern, Carl. And I agree with you; it would be irresponsible to suggest someone should invest only in gold. That?s why we have never done it at Uncommon Wisdom Daily.

Just for a point of clarification, there?s plenty of doom-and-gloom in the markets and we actively work to cover investment ideas that are working their way higher. With regard to gold (and also oil, natural gas and the broader spectrum of commodities), Sean Brodrick has made recommendations this year that have his people up 22% year-to-date, and perhaps we brag about that a bit.

After all, even when the markets are in corrective mode, there are plenty of bullish forces at work. Rudy Martin covers powerful trends that are under way around the world in his stock-trading service. And Tony Sagami writes about Asia-focused stock and options plays as well as opportunities to trade international-focused ETFs.

Lately, we have been talking a lot about gold because we have received almost 20 times our normal volume of questions when we ask what our readers think, or want to know, about gold.

From time to time, we do talk about the mistakes we think the presidential administration and the Fed are making, because you have to be realistic in your approach to investing. But we work very hard NOT to beat the ?scare you to death? drum.

In fact, recently I have said we should see a bull run in stocks for the remainder of the year as the Fed continues to pump money into the markets. And I think I can speak for Sean, Rudy and Tony when I say that while there may be a few corrections here and there, we also see trends with huge profit potential in a wide array of stocks, sectors and countries that are worth our attention.

And so, if there?s trouble ahead for the U.S. or a particular asset class, we aim to let you know about it ? and help you find stronger areas and opportunities to consider.

What would you like for us to cover? Let us know at feedback@uncommonwisdomdaily.com. After all, it?s our job to help you make the highest returns possible, and we take that job seriously.

Good Luck and Happy Investing.

Brad Hoppman
Publisher
Uncommon Wisdom Daily

Source: http://www.uncommonwisdomdaily.com/a-good-business-to-be-and-invest-in-16318

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JPMorgan's Dimon survives shareholder referendum

The front of one of the JPMorgan Chase & Co. buildings is shown during the annual meeting Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. It's a pivotal day for Jamie Dimon, head of the country's biggest bank, his shareholders will vote whether to strip him of his role as bank chairman. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

The front of one of the JPMorgan Chase & Co. buildings is shown during the annual meeting Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. It's a pivotal day for Jamie Dimon, head of the country's biggest bank, his shareholders will vote whether to strip him of his role as bank chairman. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Law enforcement stand guard as stockholders arrive for the JPMorgan annual meeting Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. Jamie Dimon, the chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said Tuesday that last year's $6 billion trading loss had been expensive and "extremely embarrassing" but he also asked shareholders not to fixate on the issue. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

FILE - In this Wednesday, June 13, 2012, file photo, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, head of the largest bank in the United States, testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Dimon, chairman and CEO of the biggest U.S. bank, faces a key test this week: His shareholders are voting on whether to let him keep both jobs. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Shareholders at JPMorgan Chase voted to let Jamie Dimon, the chairman and CEO, keep both his jobs.

At the bank's annual meeting, just 32 percent of shareholders voted for a non-binding measure that would have advised the bank to split the roles. That's less than the 40 percent vote that a similar proposal received last year.

Shareholder groups lobbying for the split gained momentum from a surprise $6 billion trading loss last year, which tarnished the reputation of both JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Dimon. The bank and Dimon had argued that letting Dimon keep both jobs was the most effective form of leadership.

Dimon emerged from the financial crisis heading one of the strongest banks in the country. But his reputation has been hurt over the past year over fallout from the so-called "London whale" trading loss, nicknamed for its size and the location of the trader who made the outsized bets on complex debt securities that went wrong.

In the previous six annual meetings where Dimon has been both chairman and CEO, shareholders have been asked about separating the roles four times. Last year marked the highest level of votes in favor of the idea. In 2007 and 2008, only about 15 percent of shareholders voted for similar measures.

Investors welcomed the news that the measure had been defeated. JPMorgan's stock was up 2 percent, or $1.09, at $53.38 in midday trading. The stock is at its highest level in 12 years.

The shareholder meeting, held at company offices on the outskirts of Tampa, Fla., had fewer theatrics than last year's meeting, which was held just days after the trading loss was disclosed. Last year, two or three dozen protesters showed up. On Tuesday, one woman with a cardboard sign was spotted, but only briefly.

The bank is facing regulatory investigations and lawsuits, not only over the trading loss but other practices including foreclosures and alleged rigging of power prices. Michael Garland from the New York City Comptroller's Office, which supports splitting the roles, said he appreciated that JPMorgan led its peers by certain financial measures. But, he added, "it also leads its peers in regulatory investigations."

Lisa Lindsley from the union group AFSCME, which filed the proposal asking to split the jobs, said the bank needed "a new tone at the top." She said the proposal was never intended as a referendum against Dimon or a "personality contest," but as a measure for the best risk management.

___

AP reporters Tamara Lush and Chris O'Meara contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-05-21-JPMorgan-Annual%20Meeting/id-246ff72eb2384f96a47967e0dc6a0291

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AP CEO calls records seizure unconstitutional

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The president and chief executive officer of The Associated Press on Sunday called the government's secret seizure of two months of reporters' phone records "unconstitutional" and said the news cooperative had not ruled out legal action against the Justice Department.

Gary Pruitt, in his first television interviews since it was revealed the Justice Department subpoenaed phone records of AP reporters and editors, said the move already has had a chilling effect on journalism. Pruitt said the seizure has made sources less willing to talk to AP journalists and, in the long term, could limit Americans' information from all news outlets.

Pruitt told CBS' "Face the Nation" that the government has no business monitoring the AP's newsgathering activities.

"And if they restrict that apparatus ... the people of the United States will only know what the government wants them to know and that's not what the framers of the Constitution had in mind when they wrote the First Amendment," he said.

In a separate interview with the AP, Pruitt said the news cooperative had not decided its next move but had not ruled out legal action against the government. He said the Justice Department's investigation is out of control and President Barack Obama should rein it in.

"It's too early to know if we'll take legal action but I can tell you we are positively displeased and we do feel that our constitutional rights have been violated," Pruitt said.

"They've been secretive, they've been overbroad and abusive ? so much so that taken together, they are unconstitutional because they violate our First Amendment rights," he added.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said the government needs to stop leaks by whatever means necessary.

"This is an investigation that needs to happen because national security leaks, of course, can get our agents overseas killed," he said.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said the government should focus on those who leak sensitive national security matters and not on journalists who report on them. The Texas Republican said his committee should hold hearings on how the Justice Department obtained phone records from AP reporters and editors.

"What confuses me is the focus on the press, who have a constitutional right here and we depend on the press to get to the bottom of so many issues that we, as individuals, cannot," Cornyn said.

Cornyn said the Justice Department's actions were part of a pattern for Obama's administration to quiet its critics.

"It's a culture of cover-ups and intimidation that is giving the administration so much trouble," Cornyn said.

He also renewed his call for Attorney General Eric Holder to resign, citing the contempt citation the House of Representatives voted against him last year for refusing to turn over documents in a failed government gun smuggling sting.

White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said the president "has complete faith in Attorney General Holder." He also insisted the White House was not involved in the decision to seek AP phone records.

"A cardinal rule is we don't get involved in independent investigations. And this is one of those," Pfeiffer said.

Although the Justice Department has not explained why it sought phone records from the AP, Pruitt pointed to a May 7, 2012, story that disclosed details of a successful CIA operation in Yemen to stop an airliner bomb plot around the one-year anniversary of the May 2, 2011, killing of Osama bin Laden.

The AP delayed publication of that story at the request of government officials who said it would jeopardize national security.

"We respected that, we acted responsibly, we held the story," Pruitt said.

Pruitt said that only after officials from two government entities said the threat had passed did the AP publish the story. He said the administration still asked that the story be held until an official announcement the next day, a request the AP rejected.

The news service viewed the story as important because White House and Department of Homeland Security officials were saying publicly there was no credible evidence of a terrorist threat to the U.S. around the one-year anniversary of bin Laden's death.

"So that was misleading to the American public. We felt the American public needed to know this story," Pruitt said.

The AP has seen an effect on its newsgathering since the disclosure of the Justice Department's subpoena, he said.

"Officials that would normally talk to us and people we talk to in the normal course of newsgathering are already saying to us that they're a little reluctant to talk to us," Pruitt said. "They fear that they will be monitored by the government."

The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of personal and work telephone records for several reporters and editors, as well as general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and for the main number for the AP in the House of Representatives press gallery.

"It was sweeping and broad and beyond what they needed to do," Pruitt said.

He objected to the "Justice Department acting on its own being the judge, jury and executioner in secret," saying the AP would not back down.

"We're not going to be intimidated by the abusive tactics of the Justice Department," he said.

McConnell and Pfeiffer were interviewed on NBC's "Meet the Press." Cornyn appeared on "Face the Nation."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-ceo-calls-records-seizure-unconstitutional-162821460.html

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Limelight: Share Your Carefully Crafted Movie Collection With the World

Nearly everyone and their grandmother has at least some sort of streaming service at their fingertips?or at the very least, they have a streaming service that someone is letting them mooch off of. But despite the prominence of Netflix, Hulu, and the like, there's still a good number of cinephiles out there who still love buying actual, physical copies of their beloved films. To somewhat keep up with the streaming masses, Limelight lets you access and share your catalogue of physical movies with the digital world.

What does it do?

Limelight visualizes your entire library of movies on one screen, letting you organize them between films to watch and films you've already watched. Tap the film's poster, and a brief description and rating care of Rotten Tomatoes comes up along with the option of watching the movie's trailer. You can also follow friends and share your own library with anyone?even if they don't have the app. A handy public URL gives anyone you'd like access to browse your lovingly crafted collection.

Why do we like it?

The app itself is beautiful, giving you a lovely view of movie posters along a clean, wooden bookshelf. Having all the information on any one of your films at a moments notice is an incredibly handy feature for any burgeoning collector?or casual fan, for that matter. And the fact that you can Airplay trailers certainly doesn't hurt. But the best part is by far the app's gift of a public URL, letting you share your collection with anyone with an internet connection. Managing and organizing your movies has never been simpler.

Limelight, Download this app for: iOS, $2

The Best: Public library URLs

The Worst: Can't view by category

Source: http://gizmodo.com/limelight-share-your-carefully-crafted-movie-collectio-508956779

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Stock futures little changed after records, acquisitions eyed

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures were little changed in light volume on Monday as investors search for catalysts after major equity indexes closed Friday for a fourth consecutive week of gains.

* Acquisitions including Yahoo's $1.1 billion bid for Tumblr indicate that companies continue to search for growth through acquisitions despite record highs, a bullish sign for the market.

* The S&P 500 and Dow industrials finished Friday at fresh record highs and the Nasdaq Composite is at its highest since late 2000.

* A light economic and earnings calendar could leave the market vulnerable for a pullback, but those have been shallow and short-lived as investors take any weakness as a new chance to increase long positions.

* S&P 500 futures dipped less than a point and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 5 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures shed 2.25 points.

* Yahoo shares rose 2.8 percent in premarket trading after a report its board has approved a deal to buy blogging and social networking site Tumblr for $1.1 billion in cash. The Wall Street Journal report on Sunday cited people familiar with the matter.

* Actavis confirmed it will acquire Warner Chilcott Plc in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at approximately $8.5 billion. Actavis shares rose 3.8 pct in premarket trading.

* Solar products maker JA Solar Holdings reported another quarterly loss on lower prices for panels that convert sunlight into electricity, but its operating loss nearly halved from the first quarter of 2012.

* China's housing inflation accelerated to its fastest pace in two years in April, a hurdle for policymakers trying to cool the property sector while supporting economic expansion.

* The Japanese government upgraded its assessment of the economy on Monday, as emerging signs of an upturn in exports and factory output added to growing evidence that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's aggressive polices are beginning to reignite growth.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-futures-little-changed-records-acquisitions-eyed-114451808.html

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Bad Bad Hats: It Hurts

When you're looking for something upbeat, some rhythmic clapping and a kazoo solo really help. "It Hurts" is from Bad Bad Hats' 2013 EP of the same name and it's just kind of a good soundtrack for everything. The indie, folk, hipster vibe is definitely present, but if that's what it takes to get some kazoo happening we'll just have to deal with it.

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/n8MCIirVVc4/bad-bad-hats-it-hurts-508783640

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Steve Aoki Sprays Hangout Fest With Cake And Champagne

EDM superstar brings the breakdown to the massive beach crowd.
By Elizabeth Lancaster

Steve Aoki and Sway at the 2013 Hangout Music Festival
Photo:

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707637/hangout-music-festival-steve-aoki-cake.jhtml

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Glenn Beck: AP and IRS Scandals Are Just Cover-Ups for the Benghazi Cover-Up (Little green footballs)

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'Star Trek' Villains Ranked From Worst To Best

By Aaron Pruner "Star Trek Into Darkness" hits theaters Friday, making it the 12th film in the "Star Trek" movie franchise. With Benedict Cumberbatch filling the "bad guy" shoes here, it seems only fair that we take a look back and rank all of the Star Trek movie villains that have graced the big screen [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/05/17/star-trek-villains-ranked-worst-to-best/

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Report: Michael Phelps planning comeback

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps participates in the TOUR Wives Golf Classic, as part of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Tuesday, May 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps participates in the TOUR Wives Golf Classic, as part of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Tuesday, May 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Win McMurry of the Golf Channel and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps participate in the TOUR Wives Golf Classic, as part of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Tuesday, May 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Win McMurry, left, of the Golf Channel, coaches the swing of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps during the TOUR Wives Golf Classic, as part of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Tuesday, May 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Is Michael Phelps planning a comeback?

A report Friday night from WBBH, an NBC television affiliate in Fort Myers, Fla., said Phelps will return to swimming with an eye toward competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The three-paragraph story on the station's Web site was posted by news anchor Peter Busch, who is the son of Frank Busch, director of the U.S. national swim team.

"The greatest Olympian of all time isn't hanging up his swimsuit, after all," the report said, without citing any sources.

Phelps went on Twitter to downplay the report, but he didn't specifically deny it either.

"Why do I keep getting texts about coming back?" he wrote. "Do (people) really believe everything they hear or read? There are (too) many (people) in the world that think they have a 'story.'"

Busch followed with a tweet that said he felt "very confident with my info. Guess we'll see."

Phelps has said repeatedly his swimming career was over after winning 18 gold medals and 22 medals overall, both totals far more than any other Olympian. He retired at the age of 27 immediately after last summer's London Games.

There was no other immediate comment from the Phelps camp. A message was left with one of his longtime agents, Drew Johnson.

Officials at USA Swimming also didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Just last weekend, longtime rival Ryan Lochte was clearly skeptical that Phelps would stick with his decision to retire from a sport he dominated for the past decade, especially when so many swimmers are competing well into their 30s.

"I can't really talk about it," Lochte said, breaking into a sly grin during a Grand Prix meet in Charlotte, N.C. "Who knows?"

In an interview last December with The Associated Press, after beating out LeBron James for male athlete of the year, Phelps stressed repeatedly that he had no plans to return to competitive swimming.

He said London, where he captured four gold medals and two silvers, was the perfect way to close his career.

"I wanted to leave that way," he said. "I'm sure I could come back in another four years, but why? I've done everything I wanted to do. There's no point in me coming back. Everybody is like, 'You're going to come back.' And I'm like, 'No, I'm not.' I've done everything I wanted to do in this sport. I don't know a lot of people who can say that."

After the Olympics, Phelps turned his attention to golf, filming a show with famed instructor Hank Haney for the Golf Channel, signing an endorsement deal with Ping and indicating a desire to see how far he could progress with a new sport. He even joked that the only way he would compete in Rio would be if he qualified in golf, which is rejoining the Olympic program in 2016.

Last week, Phelps participated in an event prior to the Tour Championship at the TPC Sawgrass in Florida.

He also cheered his hometown Baltimore Ravens on their way to the Super Bowl, attending the title game at New Orleans with a large group of family and friends.

Phelps apparently spent Friday swimming at the Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn. Lifeguard Stephen Timmes posted a picture on Instagram that showed Phelps, looking extremely fit if not in top condition, smiling and posing poolside.

"Lifeguarded for and swam with Michael Phelps at work today," Timmes wrote. "I love my job."

If Phelps does come back, he would have to wait at least nine months to swim in a sanctioned event under the world anti-doping policy, meaning there's no chance of competing at this summer's world championships in Barcelona even if he could somehow get into condition.

That would peg his return to competition at sometime early next year, leaving plenty of time to get in peak shape and begin gearing up for the 2015 worlds in Russia and, of course, the next Olympics.

The timing of the report was intriguing. Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman, took a sabbatical from the deck after London but was set to work with a group including three-time Olympic gold medalist Allison Schmitt during high-altitude workouts at the national training center in Colorado Springs, leading up to the national championships in Indianapolis next month. Bowman also is coaching the U.S. men's team in Barcelona.

There was no word on whether Phelps might be among the swimmers taking part in the Colorado workouts.

___

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-17-SWM-Phelps-Comeback?/id-d43752f74470427e8789ff7e40cb8efa

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Mom in New Mexico chases down child abductor; man arrested

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) ? A mother whose 4-year-old was being abducted chased the suspect down and crashed her vehicle into his car, triggering a manhunt and the arrest of the suspect, Albuquerque police said Thursday.

The young girl was playing in her yard at St. Anthony's Plaza Apartments in Albuquerque's North Valley about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when a group of teenagers saw the kidnapping and ran to alert the girl's mother, police said.

The family called 911 and the mother jumped into her vehicle and gave chase for about seven miles, unaware the man had pushed the girl out of the silver Buick before fleeing the apartment complex, authorities said. The girl was found wandering nearby, uninjured, police said.

According to police, the mother followed the suspect and finally rammed into his car near an intersection. The suspect fled on foot, police said.

Melissa Torrez, the mother, told KOAT-TV she didn't mean to hit the suspect's car and struck it accidentally when she lost control of her car. Torrez said didn't even have time to cry when she jumped to chase the suspect.

"I don't ever want to lose my kids," said Torrez, a mother of three.

Torrez said after the crashed she looked in the back seat of the suspect's car and saw an empty baby car seat.

"I was like...what a sick man," she told the station.

The attempted kidnapping sparked a massive manhunt Wednesday as more than two dozen officers went door-to-door in the area looking for the suspect. A helicopter with heat-sensor cameras also was sent in for the search, authorities said.

Police arrested David Hernandez, 31, on Thursday afternoon in Rio Rancho after he saw his picture on television and called police. After being interviewed, he was charged with kidnapping, police spokeswoman Tasia Martinez said.

As he was being taken to jail, Hernandez told reporters that he was innocent. It was not known if Hernandez had an attorney.

Kevin Abar, assistant special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations, confirmed to The Associated Press that federal agents also helped Albuquerque police with the investigation.

In February, HSI and local enforcement agencies launched the Sexual Predator and Exploitation Enforcement Detail, or SPEED ? a task force aimed at finding missing and abducted children.

Police were also investigating a possible connection to the abduction and sexual assault of a 6-year-old from the same apartment complex last week. The suspect in that case was described as a male in a silver or gray vehicle.

Gilbert Hernandez, 25, a resident at the St. Anthony's, said he found the 6-year-old last week and was the one who contacted police.

"This place isn't safe. People always let their kids run around here," Hernandez said. "We are all on the lookout now."

___

Follow Russell Contreras on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mom-nm-chases-down-child-abductor-man-arrested-211553701.html

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MIT crafts analog circuits from living bacteria

Previous work on using organisms as circuitry has usually involved shoehorning parts of the digital world into a very analog environment. MIT has just found an approach that uses the subtlety of the natural world to its advantage: the circuits themselves are analog. By combining genes that produce similar molecules in response to different inputs, the school's scientists have created bacterial cells that perform basic math -- the exact quantity or ratio of a given molecule is the answer. The approach offers a much wider range of results than a binary circuit (10,000 versus 2), and it exploits the cell enzymes' inherent ratio awareness to do some of the hard work. MIT wants more variety in genetic ingredients before it can produce a truly universal system, but its work could lead to organic sensors that are much simpler and more precise than their digital peers.

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Via: ExtremeTech

Source: MIT

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/EmtbHhNaFFw/

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AT&T's U-verse gets new On Demand hub, promises simpler discovery for movies and TV shows

Considering it's not one of the company's key operations, it's safe to say AT&T's been successful in its efforts to build out U-verse. Now, in an effort to make life on the couch a little less complicated for subscribers, the Rethink Possible network is introducing an all-new On Demand storefront. With a focus on making content easier to discover, AT&T says the UI will make for an intuitive way to navigate the menus. Additionally, you'll find some novel search tools that should make it easier to find movies and TV shows. U-verse customers will now also see a "My" section, allowing them to quickly access rentals, queued up flicks and promos that AT&T may be offering. The newfangled U-Verse On Demand will be available in more than 45 markets starting today, with more being expected to join "on an ongoing basis throughout the year."

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, AT&T

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Source: AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/16/att-uverse-on-demand-storefront/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Obama turns his attention to jobs, economy

After a week filled with controversy and criticism, President Barack Obama left town Friday for Baltimore, the second stop on his "Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour." The trip, which was previously scheduled, took him to a dredging manufacturer and an elementary school, with the next stop a community center.

At Ellicott Dredges in Baltimore, Obama announced an effort to reduce infrastructure red tape as a way to boost the economy.

"Sometimes it takes too long to get projects off the ground," Obama said during a speech, citing permits, red tape and planning delays related to infrastructure projects. "Today, I'm directing agencies across the government to do what it takes to cut timelines for breaking ground on major infrastructure projects in half. And what that means is that construction workers get back on the jobs faster, it means more money going back into local economies, and it means more demand for outstanding dredging equipment that is made right here in Baltimore."

The stop at the manufacturer adds the potential of controversy to his trip. The owner of Ellicott Dredges, Peter Bowe, shares the view of many congressional Republicans in support of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Bowe testified before Congress on the issue Thursday. Obama has yet to announce a position on the pipeline?which would carry oil from Canada and the northern United States to the Gulf Coast?but faces pressure from environmentalists and others to reject the proposal.

Controversy over the pipeline has dogged the president on other unrelated trips. During a fundraising swing in California last month, the fact that the event was being hosted by pipeline opponent Tom Steyer, a hedge fund billionaire and environmentalist, drew pipeline protesters who sought to draw attention to the issue.

Obama made no references to the pipeline in his public remarks at Ellicott Dredges, but thanked Bowe?who gave the president a tour of the facility?for his work at the company.

Much of the president's speech echoed remarks he made last week in Texas, his first stop on the "Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour,"??when he?announced manufacturing competitions.

As he did last week, Obama conceded that Washington may not appear to the public to be a place generating much positive news, but that there are things to celebrate about the economy-- including rebounds in the housing market and gains in certain industry sectors.

But on Friday, Obama's standard criticism of members of Congress (who he has been publicly criticizing for stalemates in Washington) appeared to be tempered by the attendance of Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, and Reps. Steny Hoyer, Paul Sarbanes and Elijah Cummings -- all Democrats-- who were in Friday's audience.

"All of your members of Congress every single day are working fighting on your behalf in terms of making sure we're growing an economy that creates outstanding middle-class jobs," Obama said.

Obama's visit also included a tour to Moravia Park Elementary School, which he linked in his speech to his proposal to create universal pre-kindergarten, which was outlined in his State of the Union address.

He was scheduled after his speech at Ellicott Dredges to visit the Center for Urban Families-- a non-profit that aides fathers and families-- for a roundtable discussion. That visit will be tied to his Promise Zone budget proposal to identify and assist hard-hit communities, according to the White House.

As the president left town Friday, the House Ways and Means Committee on Capitol Hill grilled the ousted acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Steven Miller, over recent revelations that the IRS targeted conservatives applying for tax-exempt status. After the allegations were confirmed Wednesday by the Treasury Department inspector general's report, Obama announced that Miller had been forced to resign.

That action came amid continued pressure on the administration to explain revisions made to talking points related to the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya?to which the White House responded Wednesday by releasing those emails to the media?and controversy surrounding the Department of Justice's secret seizure of Associated Press reporters' and editors' phone records in the investigation of a national security leak.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-leaves-scandals-washington-pushes-jobs-economy-baltimore-160836939.html

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Demi Lovato's Five-Year Plan: 'I Hope I'm a Mom'

'My biggest goal in life is having a family,' Lovato revealed during 'Live From MTV.'
By Christina Garibaldi

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707488/demi-lovato-wants-children-mom-family.jhtml

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The CW Comes Out with 2013-2014 Schedule

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