Israel, Palestinians launch new peace effort

Secretary of State John Kerry got the money shot he wanted on Tuesday -- the chief negotiators for Israel and the Palestinians framed by his lanky embrace as they shook hands to launch "sustained, continuous and substantive" talks on a long-sought Middle East peace treaty.

Now the question is whether the negotiations expected to last nine months will bring an even more historic image, with President Barack Obama bringing together Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to sign a final-status agreement that creates a sovereign Palestinian state in what is now part of Israel.

The Middle East dispute, perhaps the world's most intractable in the past six decades, entered a new phase with Kerry's announcement that the first direct talks in three years would proceed in earnest in the next two weeks in either Israel or the Palestinian territories.

Flanked by Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat, Kerry said "all core issues" toward achieving a two-state solution would be on the table.

"Our objective will be to achieve a final status agreement over the course of the next nine months," he said.

Acknowledging the obstacles from years of hostility and mistrust, Kerry said the process would be difficult but that he believed an agreement could be achieved.

"When somebody tells you that Israelis and Palestinians cannot find common ground or address the issues that divide them, don't believe them," Kerry said, adding: "While I understand the skepticism, I don't share it and I don't think we have time for it."

Major obstacles that date back decades in the Middle East conflict include established Jewish settlements in territory claimed by the Palestinians, the status of Palestinian refugees seeking to return to the region, and control of Jerusalem, particularly its Muslim holy sites.

Kerry has pushed to resume negotiations in order to stave off a showdown over the Israel-Palestinian question at the U.N. General Assembly in September.

His efforts, including multiple meetings in the region with each side in recent months, sought to assure the Israelis that their security concerns would be addressed while convincing Palestinians that an agreement was in their best long-term interest.

Source: http://www.wapt.com/news/politics/Israel-Palestinians-launch-new-peace-effort/-/9156836/21243498/-/p5chpgz/-/index.html?absolute=true

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Alex Epstein, Screenwriter - Writers Guild of America East

by Justin Samuels

Alex Epstein is a Canada-based screenwriter. He is also a prominent blogger on screenwriting and TV-writing topics at his blog Complications Ensue. For more on his long career in film, check out his imdb profile.

Justin Samuels: The first film you wrote was Warriors. How did writing that come about?

Alex Epstein: That was originally going to be a William Shatner vehicle. William Shatner is a member of an elite squad of death-squad killers so deadly and so illegal they have to be kept locked up. He gets an encrypted message from his father, busts out and they send his best student to hunt him down and kill him. We had a meeting with Mr. Shatner, who has a really superb story sense. He didn?t like the reason the guy busts out. Which was kind of lame. So my boss, who was also the producer asked me to rewrite the script, since he knew I was a writer. Classic case of having the inside track. In the end, it wound up being a Gary Busey vehicle. I can tell you Gary Busey stories if you buy me a few drinks.

JS: What was your background before you became a screenwriter? Did you study anything like film or theatre formally?

AE: I have an MFA from UCLA?s School of Theatre, Film & Television. It helped me get my first job, and it taught me how to direct a short film. I don?t actually recommend going to film school, not as your first day in showbiz. The irony is that the more you know about filmmaking going in, the more you?ll get out of film school. What I recommend people do is get a mailroom job at Endeavor/WMA. Then, when you know a bunch of people who might be willing to help you make a professional film, and you know what sort of film the market would like you to make (which is a combination of what you?re good at, what you love and what the market wants), then go to film school. Maybe even make some films before you go to film school. Definitely write some short film scripts before you go.

In college, I was a Computer Science major. That helped me learn to write a well-structured screenplay in a top-down process. And finally, now that I?m getting into narrative design for games, the computer knowledge comes in handy. I can speak programmer, even if my C++ is a bit rusty.

JS: You critique other writers? work. What?s that process like? Do you also teach?

AE: When I critique material, I try to think what it really wants to be. What?s interesting about it? What?s fresh? What?s compelling? What?s fun? What?s special? What would make a director spend two years of his life on this? What gets the audience to come see the movie in theaters? And then, how do you structure the story ? not beginning, middle and end, but what are the structural story elements? In my book, a story is:

• (a) a hero we care about
• (b) who has an opportunity, problem or goal
• (c) who faces obstacles, an antagonist and/or his or her own flaws
• (d) who stands to gain something (stakes)
• (e) and lose something (jeopardy).

(I?ve refined this list over the years.)

When something doesn?t work, [it?s because] 95% of the time one of these essential elements isn?t strong enough, isn?t there or is confused. Fix them, make sure that all the scenes relate to them, and the script will fix itself. I?ve taught a few seminars. I think teaching a class would eat up all my writing energy.

JS: You?re represented by the Omada Agency. How did you obtain your agency representation?

AE: I?ve been with them for almost a decade. I?m pretty sure I was looking for a Montreal-based agency to represent me in my home province. Qu?bec doesn?t just speak a different language, it speaks a different producer culture. Omada represents many of the top directors, cinematographers, art directors and editors. At the time, they didn?t have a deep English-language writer roster. So it was a good match. I?m intrigued by the idea of having representation in New York. As a New Yorker in exile, some of my projects feel ?too American? to some Canadian producers. I?m not entirely sure how to go looking. I suppose I could send out query letters? But like everyone else in showbiz, I want to meet somebody who?s already friends with somebody I trust!

JS: What sorts of things does the Writers Guild do for its members? How important would you say Guild membership is to writers, in terms of benefits and career development?

AE: Crucial. I would hate to be out there in the cold without the WGC. They have gone to bat for me repeatedly, for credit and for money. Every time they?ve stepped in, the producer has wound up giving me what we negotiated, rather than whatever it was that the producer decided they were going to give me. The one time they weren?t able to step in, I got screwed. On a national level, the WGC lobbies Parliament to enlighten legislators what the effects of their proposed culture bills will actually be. They can?t always convince the Conservative government to protect cultural funding ? the party is more or less against it ? but they can at least help ensure there are no unintended negative consequences.

I was Head Writer for a TV show shot in South Africa. They don?t have a strong guild there. Writers get paid so little there that they can actually make more money writing novels. In consequence, it was hard to find good screenwriters there; they were too busy writing novels. What producers don?t realize is that the Guild helps them by ensuring that there?s a cadre of competent professional screenwriters available for them to hire?. Without a Guild, there wouldn?t be enough of us available to give them good scripts.

JS: Has the Internet changed things for screenwriters? If so, how?

AE: It?s hard to say what the Internet hasn?t changed. Facebook enables me to keep in touch with writer-friends I don?t share a writing room with. I no longer have to print out scripts and mail them. I can Google people before I meet them. I can book an AirBnB in Cannes. I can have Skype meetings with producers in Winnipeg. Any day I don?t have to fly to Winnipeg is a good day. It?s also easier to do research, if you can manage not to procrastinate. Lord knows, it?s much easier to procrastinate.

I think the more interesting change is in filmmaking technology. Today, anyone with a phone and a computer can shoot and edit a film and upload it to YouTube. Everyone has access. The big-budget stuff is still only for professionals, but each year it gets easier and easier to make a film. That means people who can make a great film don?t have to have rich parents. It?s not an accident that someone like Chlo? Robichaud can make a film at 25 that screens at Cannes. You could do that decades ago, but only if you were loaded.

JS: What are your latest projects? What things do you have in development?

AE: This year I directed my fourth and fifth professional shorts. I took one to the Cannes Film Market, and the other will screen during TIFF. I?m hoping to transition to being a writer and director. I?m currently working on financing a suspense thriller I hope to direct called Alice Is Perfectly Fine Now. And I?m the narrative designer and voice director on a very cool video game called Contrast that?s a launch title for the PS4.

JS: The last two features you worked on, Happy Slapping and Eddie: The Sleep Walking Cannibal, were released last year and this year. Can you tell us what they are about?

AE: Happy Slapping is about a bunch of suburban teenagers coming to downtown to get into trouble. They?re hoping to shoot video of themselves ?happy slapping? innocent strangers, but that doesn?t go so well. It develops that this is all really one girl looking for revenge on her father. Eddie: The Sleep Walking Cannibal is a gory art satire about a painter who can only paint when he?s exposed to carnage, who meets a retarded man who kills and eats animals when he?s sleepwalking. So he encourages him to kill and eat people. I mean, for inspiration, you do what you have to do, right?

JS: What is your favorite genre to write, or do you have a favorite?

AE: I?m probably best known as a comedy writer. But most of my own projects are in some way a subversion of fairy tales, myths and legends. The story itself may be natural or supernatural, but there?s usually a legend in there somewhere.

JS: In some of the films you?ve worked on, you?re credited as writer and story editor. Care to elaborate on what the story editor does?

AE: I ask for a story editor credit when I work with the writer to help him or her realize his or her vision. Basically, I give a lot of notes. If I do it once, I call it story consulting. So long as I don?t do any actual writing in the script, it?s story editing. If I?m asked to do the polish or rewrite myself, then it heads into being a script doctor, which may or may not entitle me to a writing credit depending on the depth of the changes.

JS: As for your future plans, is there anything you want to do professionally that you have not already done?

AE: In the past couple of years I?ve been directing more, and working as a narrative designer for video games. I do love TV, and I pitch TV ideas to the networks; I?d love to create another show.

Source: http://www.wgaeast.org/blog/alex-epstein-screenwriter/

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Same Programs + Different Computers = Different Weather Forecasts

[unable to retrieve full-text content]knorthern knight writes "Most major weather services (US NWS, Britain's Met Office, etc) have their own supercomputers, and their own weather models. But there are some models which are used globally. A new paper has been published, comparing outputs from one such program on different machines around the world. Apparently, the same code, running on different machines, can produce different outputs due to accumulation of differing round-off errors. The handling of floating-point numbers in computing is a field in its own right. The paper apparently deals with 10-day weather forecasts. Weather forecasts are generally done in steps of 1 hour. I.e. the output from hour 1 is used as the starting condition for the hour 2 forecast. The output from hour 2 is used as the starting condition for hour 3, etc. The paper is paywalled, but the abstract says: 'The global model program (GMP) of the Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs) is tested on 10 different computer systems having different central processing unit (CPU) architectures or compilers. There exist differences in the results for different compilers, parallel libraries, and optimization levels, primarily due to the treatment of rounding errors by the different software systems. The system dependency, which is the standard deviation of the 500-hPa geopotential height averaged over the globe, increases with time. However, its fractional tendency, which is the change of the standard deviation relative to the value itself, remains nearly zero with time. In a seasonal prediction framework, the ensemble spread due to the differences in software system is comparable to the ensemble spread due to the differences in initial conditions that is used for the traditional ensemble forecasting.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/Z7qFxJRFV6U/story01.htm

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Tyreke Evans Hits Seattle Mayor with Killer Crossover at Jamal Crawford's Pro-Am

NBA?superstars never stop, not even for government officials.

Playing at Jamal Crawford's Pro-Am Game in Seattle,?Tyreke?Evans took the city's mayor, Michael?McGinn, to exhibition school.

Going at?McGinn?with his left hand, Evans crossed over to his right, fooling his defender and laying the ball in for an easy two.

Evans' crossover earned a "cool-hand move" from the announcer, the highest of praises from anyone who's evidently attempting to curb their enthusiasm.

Not to be outdone,?McGinn?showed off some handles of his own on the next trip up the floor.

After turning to the crowd while sporting a "did that just happen?" face?which bore a striking resemblance to?LeBron James' "who, me?" frown?McGinn?put down a crossover of his own.

Dribbling with his right hand, he crossed over to his left, then dropped a one-handed dime off to a cutting teammate for the basket.

To answer your question, no, Evans did not provide the necessary help defense.

McGinn's response wasn't as flamboyant as his counterpart's, but it was equally effective. Both drew applause from the crowd and culminated in a made bucket. Nothing else matters.

Well, that's not entirely true.

Any time you see a bureaucrat going all NBA on the basketball court, it's impressive?and as you can see, worth writing/reading about.

Evans does this for a living. Exploiting the nonexistent lateral quickness of a 53-year-old politician isn't exactly a chore.

When that public servant gets into the paint and completes a show-stopping offensive set of his own, that's news.

His point guard-esque court vision is really something to commend. If you're devoid of a true floor general (see New York Knicks), you might want to consider offering him a 10-day contract.

Just remember to make sure he's never tasked with defending?Evans.

?

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1719880-tyreke-evans-hits-seattle-mayor-with-killer-crossover-at-jamal-crawfords-pro-am

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Grammy-winning songwriter JJ Cale has died

Music

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper TODAY

19 hours ago

Grammy-winning musician and songwriter JJ Cale, perhaps best known for writing Eric Clapton's hits "Cocaine" and "After Midnight," died Friday at age 74 after suffering a heart attack.

"We've lost a great artist and a great person tonight," a statement on his Facebook page read. The page said there are no immediate plans for a memorial service, but urged fans to consider a donation to their local animal shelter.

Cale was well-respected by musicians. Clapton told Vanity Fair magazine that Cale was the living person he most admired, and singer Neil Young said, "Of all the players I ever heard, it's gotta be Hendrix and JJ Cale who are the best electric guitar players."

Born in Oklahoma in 1938, Cale became one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a mix of rockabilly, country, rock 'n' roll, jazz and blues.

He left Oklahoma for Los Angeles as a young man, and was on the verge of giving up his struggle to make it in the music business in 1970 when Clapton recorded his song "After Midnight," and later "Cocaine."

Cale then released his own first album, "Naturally," in 1972, including his own version of "After Midnight." The album would bring him his only Top 100 hit, "Crazy Mama," which reached No. 22 on the Billboard charts. He continued to release solo albums until 2009, and can be heard on Clapton's new album, "Old Sock," released in March.

"I remember when I made my first album, I was 32 or 33 years old and I thought I was way too old then," Cale said in an interview on his website. "When I see myself doing this at 70, I go, ?What am I doing? I should be layin' down in a hammock.'"

In 2008, "After Midnight" was nominated to be the official rock song of the state of Oklahoma, but lost out to The Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize?"

Cale's songs were also released by such famous names as Johnny Cash, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and The Allman Brothers.

In 2008, he and Clapton won the Grammy for best contemporary blues album for the 2006 release, "The Road to Escondido." That album was certified gold for selling more than 500,000 units. Cale said on his website that he was perhaps prouder of his engineering and production work on the award-winning album than his performance.

"I think it goes back to me being a recording mixer and engineer. Because of all the technology now you can make music yourself and a lot of people are doing that now," he said. "I started out doing that a long time ago and I found when I did that I came up with a unique sound."

It never bothered him, he said on his site, that many people didn't know his name. "What's really nice is when you get a check in the mail," he said. "(Fame) elevates your ego to the point where you start believing your own (expletive)."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/songwriter-jj-cale-has-died-74-6C10765669

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Seventh Kickball Versus Cancer Set For Aug. 19

In an effort to combat the costs associated with cancer treatment, the seventh annual Kickball Versus Cancer tournament is scheduled to take place on Aug. 19 at 9 a.m.

The tournament, which was started as a way to raise money in support of the Stephen Pangborn and Willie Hayes Memorial Fund. The event was started by councilman Michael Taylor, who was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma when he was 22 years old and went through roughly a year and a half of treatment before going into remission.

"The tournament is in memory of two of my best friends," Taylor said. "The first is William Hayes, who I graduated from high school with, and who inspired our entire class through his struggle with rhabdomyosarcoma. He was blessed enough to be able to graduate with us, but seven days after he got his diploma, he died from cancer. The other is Stephen Pangborn, another one of my closest friends. He and I went through chemotherapy together at Roswell (Park Cancer Institute) and he helped me through some of my toughest times. On the same day that they told me that I was going to go into remission, they informed him that he didn't have much longer."

Article Photos

Michael Taylor (fourth from left) recently announced the seventh annual Kickball Versus Cancer tournament, along with members of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Babes of Wrath roller derby team and Ink Wells Custom Printing, who will provide the shirts for this year?s event.

P-J photo by Ryan Atkins

The fund that the event supports is targeted at youths with cancer, and is primarily for expenses that often go uninsured or underinsured. According to Taylor, while the fund will never be able to cover major surgeries or procedures, it can help to ease the burden that families face in regard to transportation, treatments, travel expenses, death expenses, co-pays and the other small expenses that go untouched.

"We've all had this happen with someone in our life," said Randy Sweeney, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation executive director. "Things come at you fast and furious, and financial woes become an issue in a hurry. Hopefully this will help a family that has had these situations be part of their life and gone through a difficult time. We're just delighted to be part of this."

In order to help with event costs, Jamestown Awning is donating the tent that will be used. Additionally, Wing City Grille will be holding a pancake breakfast on Aug. 10 from 8-10 a.m. Tickets will be $6, and various members of the Kickball Versus Cancer committee and teams will be selling tickets, which will include two pancakes, two eggs, breakfast meat and bottomless coffee or orange juice. Donations to the fund are also accepted directly through the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.

"We'd like to encourage the community to come out for this, especially if they can't make it to the tournament," Taylor said. "It's a great way to participate."

Last year, after expenses, the tournament raised roughly $3,000.

"The goal is $5,000. With expenses, we always wind up falling a little short of that goal, but this year we're hoping with the pancake breakfast and other sponsors interested in helping out that we will reach that $5,000 goal."

Taylor is also in the process of expanding the reach of Kickball Versus Cancer, with plans in the works to bring the event to other cities including Philadelphia, Erie and San Diego.

"The idea is that the money will be going to like-minded youth cancer charities with 10 percent of whatever money is raised coming back to the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation," Taylor said

The tournament will be round-robin style, with four teams in each bracket. Each team is guaranteed at least three games. The winner of each bracket will go into the final four. The cost of the tournament is $160 if teams sign up before Aug. 4, and $180 thereafter to be paid by time of play.

If teams sign up late, they will be placed in the "time of play" bracket, so they may not know who they will play against until the afternoon of the event. In addition to kickball, there will be many other family games available to play.

Registration forms will be available at the CRCF, or interested parties can contact Taylor at 499-7618, Tournaments Unlimited at 487-6404, or email at tournamentsunlimited@gmail.com to receive a PDF download of the registration form. There is no limit on teams or players, but each team must have a minimum of nine players with at least two females per team.

Source: http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/625822.html

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How to use Android 4.3's 'Restricted Profile' feature

The ability to add a second user profile was added to tablets in Android 4.2, and it's gained even more granular functionality in Android 4.3 with the addition of "restricted profiles." In a nutshell, this lets you choose which applications that restricted user can use.

It's not quite a full-functioned kids mode, and there still are a couple things to watch out for. But for basic account compartmentalization, it works pretty well.

Let's dive into it and show how to use the new "restricted profile" feature in Android 4.3.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/9vxzZnD9qUU/story01.htm

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Portsmouth Humane Society getting 20 Chihuahuas from California shelter

by 13News Now

WVEC.com

Posted on July 25, 2013 at 9:59 AM

Updated today at 10:57 AM

PORTSMOUTH-The Portsmouth Humane Society will receive 20 Chihuahuas to help a California shelter.

"Miley Cyrus" and "Barry White" are among those pups landing?at Norfolk International Airport Thursday night.?

Beginning at noon Friday, the dogs will be available for adoption.?

In a news release, PHS officials said there's a lot of demand for small dogs.

Executive Director Jennifer Austin explained, ?We put a small dog up for adoption and nine times out of ten, he or she is adopted that same day. We get phone calls and people visiting every day looking for small dogs. We are in a position to help our friends at the Pasadena Humane Society and satisfy our potential adopters. It is a win-win situation!?

She noted that California animal shelters are inundated with Chihuahuas while many Virginia animal shelters are inundated with pit bull or bully breed dogs.

Of course, there are many dogs, cats and other animals waiting for forever homes every day at the Portsmouth Humane Society and shelters across Hampton Roads.

Jill Petrosillo, assistant director of the Portsmouth Humane Society, told WVEC.com that adoption costs are $100 for any dog 6 months and up. $200 for any dog 6 months and younger. They are all spayed/neutered, up-to-date on shots and micro-chipped.

Adoption hours:
Friday, July 26 from noon to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28, from noon to 4:00 p.m.
The Portsmouth Humane Society is located at 4022 Seaboard Court.

Source: http://www.wvec.com/news/local/Portsmouth-Humane-Society-getting-20-Chihuahuas-from-California-shelter-216918161.html

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Stocks droop, dragged by industrials, jobless data

stocks

JeeYeon Park CNBC

6 hours ago

Stocks eked out small gains in volatile trading on Thursday, lifted by materials, as investors digested the a mixed round of corporate earnings reports.

"The late morning recovery in the 10 Year Note helped bring back the buyers in stocks," wrote Elliot Spar, market strategist at Stifel Nicolaus.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 13 points higher at 15,555. Chevron led the blue-chip gainers, while Home Depot lagged.

The S&P 500 also ticked higher, while the Nasdaq rose 25 points, seeing its best gain in nearly two weeks. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, traded near 13.

(Read more: Small caps pose the latest threat to market rally)

Most key S&P sectors finished in positive territory, boosted by materials and utilities, while industrials slumped.

Among earnings, Facebook surged nearly 30 percent after the social-networking giant posted stellar quarterly results and nearly 20 brokerages raised their price targets on the stock. The stock traded at its best level since last May and is about 10 percent from hitting its IPO price of $38. A shocking 230 million shares have traded hands so far, the largest since the company went public in May of last year.

(Read more:Cramer: A 'straightshot' to $38 for Facebook)

General Motors beat earnings expectations, helped by strong demand in North America and cost cutting in Europe. But shares of the U.S. automaker dipped. Dow component 3M edged past earnings expectations and backed its full-year profit forecast. But shares of the diversified manufacturer still declined.

PulteGroup tumbled to lead the S&P 500 laggards after the homebuilder missed Wall Street expectations and the company said the number of homes booked dropped 12 percent. Rival D.R. Horton, meanwhile, reported better-than-expected earnings as it sold more units at higher prices. But shares still fell sharply.

Crocs plunged after the footwear manufacturer posted quarterly results that fell short of expectations and handed in current-quarter outlook that sharply missed expectations.

"A lot of market-moving day-to-day moves are based on earnings hits versus misses, but I look at overall earnings growth," said Karyn Cavanaugh, market strategist with ING U.S. Investment Management. "So far, we're up 5 percent, versus 3 percent last quarter, so this is a testament to American companies and their ability to get over these hurdles."

To date, more than 45 percent of S&P 500 companies have reported results so far this quarter, with 68 percent of firms topping earnings expectations and 56 percent beating revenue estimates, according to data from Thomson Reuters. If all remaining companies report earnings in line with estimates, earnings will be up 4.1 percent from last year's second quarter.

Looking ahead to the third and fourth quarters, Cavanaugh said companies haven't been lowering the earnings bar, which is an encouraging sign that growth will likely continue.

"I see the market hitting new highs for the year and we'll probably end higher than where we are now, barring any major global event or political wrangling," added Cavanaugh, who has a price target of 1,760 on the S&P 500.

On the economic front, weekly jobless claims increased by 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 343,000, according to the Labor Department. Economists had expected a reading of 340,000 last week. Still, the four-week average of new claims dipped 1,250 from a week earlier.

And durable goods orders gained more than expected, with non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft rising 0.7 percent in June, according to the Commerce Department, edging past expectations for an increase of 0.5 percent.

The Treasury auctioned $29 billion in 7-year notes with a high yield of 2.026 percent. The bid-to-cover ratio, an indicator of demand, was 2.54, versus a recent average of 2.65.

European shares finished in the red with investor confidence curbed by a mixed bag of earnings from major companies and concerns about slowing growth in China.

And Asian markets ended lower, even as the Chinese government announced new measures to lift certain areas of the economy, including small businesses.

? 2013 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2f2a0184/sc/2/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Cstocks0Edroop0Edragged0Eindustrials0Ejobless0Edata0E6C10A74480A3/story01.htm

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Drake Removes J. Cole's Autism Lyric From 'Jodeci Freestyle'

'I share responsibility and offer my sincerest apologies for the pain this has caused,' Drake writes in a blog post.
By Rob Markman

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1711078/drake-j-cole-autism-jodeci-freestyle.jhtml

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North American Sales Propel Ford?s Results

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: www.nytimes.com --- Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Ford said net income rose 19 percent in the second quarter to $1.2 billion, as it reported record sales in North America and Asia and stanched losses in Europe. ? ? ? ? ...

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/business/north-american-sales-propel-fords-results.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Secrets of mussels' clinginess revealed

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Understanding the strength of the shellfish's underwater attachments could enable better glues and biomedical interfaces.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/OCuI94xgrcA/130723113657.htm

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Spike Lee launches Kickstarter campaign for film

NEW YORK (AP) ? The next Spike Lee joint will be a Kickstarter production.

Following in the footsteps of "Veronica Mars" and Zach Braff, Lee has launched an online campaign to help fund his next feature film. The Brooklyn filmmaker on Monday unveiled his bid to raise $1.25 million over the next month using the fundraising site Kickstarter.

Lee offered few details on the film, but said it would be about "the addiction of blood."

The 56-year-old director said he was inspired to crowd-source the film after hearing from a student of his that the "Veronica Mars" movie raised $5.7 million on Kickstarter, and Braff's film pulled in $3.1 million. Said Lee in a video posted on his Kickstarter page: "When I heard about that, I said, 'Oh, snap!'"

Though filmmakers including David Fincher have been involved with Kickstarter projects, Lee, the director of "Do the Right Thing" and "Malcolm X" is easily the most established filmmaker yet to use the service to raise money for a feature. His remake of the 2003 South Korean thriller "Oldboy" is to be released in October.

Kickstarter, which takes a percentage of donations, has found both supporters enamored by the ability to circumvent the usual means of film production, and critics who call it digital panhandling and lament that backers, unlike typical film investors, get no cut of any eventual grosses.

In a video message, Lee said the current climate is difficult an independent filmmakers and the only way to insure your vision gets on screen "is when you bring the money to the table."

"Super Heroes, Comic Books, 3-D Special EFX, Blowing up the Planet Nine Times and Fly through the Air while Transforming is not my Thang," wrote Lee. "To me it's not just that these Films are being made but it seems like these are the only films getting made."

Contribution levels range up to $10,000, which earns a trip with Lee to a New York Knicks game in his courtside seats.

"Do you wish to see Human Beings dealing with each other on a Human Level?" implored Lee. "How many more explosions with Ear splitting Sound Effects can you take? C'mon People, please get behind this Joint."

___

Online:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spikelee/the-newest-hottest-spike-lee-joint

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jake_coyle

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spike-lee-launches-kickstarter-campaign-film-180212840.html

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80 Inspiring Iphone 5 Wallpapers Designs

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Source: feedgrids.com --- Sunday, July 21, 2013
Like the previous iPhones, iPhone5 still carries the word of ?quality?, other than that, it also now owns the word, ?elegant? ? in which, to its very meaning of taste, ease and wealth, that really corresponds to what iPhone5 can bring. As most iPhone 5 owners will know, it can be difficult to get hold [...] ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FeedgridsGlobal/~3/L0DivUvW-5I/p108209

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Scientific experiment creates a wave frozen in time

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Scientists have created, in a laboratory, a static pipeline wave, with a crest that moves neither forward nor backward. This research will allow improvement in boat and seaport designs and will enable analysis of how carbon dioxide exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere occurs.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/nBRf7Fwa9wU/130722105601.htm

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The Open Golf 2013: Jordan Spieth and Players Who Will Continue to Shine

Jordan Spieth is only 19 years old, yet he's bettered most of the field at the 2013 British Open through two rounds of play.?

A player who wasn't even invited until last weekend, when he won the John Deere Classic, Spieth wasn't necessarily expected to be a contender at Muirfield. But entering the weekend, there are only 10 players in front of the former Texas Longhorn star, who is just four shots off the lead at one-over par.

Heading into Saturday, Miguel Angel Jimenez leads the field at three-under par, while Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood and two others are in a tie for second place at two-under par.

Spieth isn't the only unexpected contender, either. There are a few players who have played better than most predicted they would, but not all will keep the momentum going over the course of the next couple of rounds.?

These players will continue to shine on Saturday, putting pressure on guys like Woods, Westwood and the rest of the world's top golfers contending for the Claret Jug in 2013.

?

Jordan Spieth (+1)

Photo Credit: d_daviss on Instagram

Through 14 holes on Friday, Spieth was one-under par. He was doing what he'd been doing since the start of play on Thursday, hitting greens with regularity and playing smart golf.?

Unfortunately, the final four holes drew blood, and Spieth went four-over par to end his round. The young golfer certainly wasn't alone, however. Those final holes have been killers for most of the field the past couple of days.?

Even after his disastrous finish, Spieth finished his second round having hit 80.56 percent of his greens in regulation?good for the No. 2 against the field.

He's just four strokes off the lead heading into the weekend and hasn't showed any inclination to fold under pressure thus far.?

?

Dustin Johnson (-2)

A player whose game has always been good enough to win a major championship, Dustin Johnson has battled through injuries for the past few years.?

After winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in early January, Johnson's game has been up and down since. He did manage to finish in 13th place at the Masters, but he really struggled at the U.S. Open and finished in 55th place with a score of 17-over par.?

Needless to say, Johnson wasn't a real hot name heading into the British Open.

But the power-hitting American golfer made some waves this week, and after two rounds he's just one shot off the lead. And as noted by Taylor Made Golf, Johnson has the right attitude to continue playing well:

Though hitting fairways has never been Johnson's strength, he's managing to hit greens at a high rate, finishing the first two rounds in a tie for fourth place with 28 GIR. His natural high, arcing approach shots are perfectly suited for landing softly on the rock-hard greens at Muirfield.?

If Johnson can get the hang of the speed of the greens and start making more putts, he'll be even more dangerous this weekend.?

?

Charl Schwartzel (+1)

Thursday wasn't a day Charl?Schwartzel would like to treasure in his heart forever.

In addition to the fact that he shot a four-over-par round of 75 that included two double bogeys, he made headlines after hurling his 6-iron in a surge of anger, snapping the club, as shown by Jamie Murray:

It would have been understandable if the South African had come out and had another bad round after so much frustration in Round 1, but he turned his fortunes around in impressive fashion.

Which player will shoot up the leaderboard on Saturday?

Which player will shoot up the leaderboard on Saturday?

• Jordan Spieth

• Dustin Johnson

• Charl Schwartzel

• All of them

• None of them

Total votes: 0

Matching Westwood for the lowest round of the day at three-under par, Schwartzel dug deep and put together a nearly flawless round. He made four birdies on the day with just one bogey?one of the tidiest rounds by any player on Friday.?

Even more impressive than his actual score is the way Schwartzel got to it.

Through two days, he's struggling to hit fairways and greens, but Schwartzel's short game has been on fire. He's averaging just 1.53 putts per hole, which is more than two-tenths better than the field average.?

Look for more of the same on Saturday, as Schwartzel will continue moving up the leaderboard.?

?

Note: Stats courtesy of TheOpen.com.

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78.?

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1710373-the-open-golf-2013-jordan-spieth-and-players-who-will-continue-to-shine

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New York: An Energy and Economic Analysis

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Seeing red ? Movie Review: RED 2 - News Register Online

L-R) MARY-LOUISE PARKER, BRUCE WILLIS and JOHN MALKOVICH star in RED 2
Photo: Jan Thijs
? 2013 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.

By Alana King
Managing Editor

Confession No. 1: I?m not a Fan Girl. I?ve never read a comic book or a graphic novel.

Confession No. 2: I?m not an action-flick-chick. I loathe movies with guns, explosions and high-body counts.

Confession No. 3: I loved every minute of RED 2.

Frank, Marvin and Victoria are back. They are still retired and still extremely dangerous, according to the agencies that once employed them.

The movie begins with Frank (Bruce Willis, Sixth Sense) and Sarah (Mary Louise Parker, Animal House), still together, living in domestic bliss and doing normal things like shopping at Costco. ?You are never going to be in danger again,? Frank promises Sarah as they walk out of Costco. Seconds later, the car that Marvin (John Malkovich, Warm Bodies) drives away in after Frank refuses the opportunity to leave with him, explodes, killing him?sort of.

Marvin may not actually be dead, but there is a huge target on his back, as well as Frank?s thanks to an Internet rumor that says that they have knowledge about Operation Nightshade, a portable nuclear device that was prepared to be used against Soviet Russia before the Cold War ended. ?

Though they know nothing, they now have to track down this device. Their journeys take them throughout Europe. As if that is not enough pressure for Frank, Marvin and Sarah, they have to do so while dodging multiple attempts on their lives. Every new destination includes new threats coming from several hired guns including Victoria (Helen Mirren, Hitchcock), hired by MI-6 (Britain?s equivalent to the CIA), and Han (Byung-hun Lee, G.I. Joe), former mentee of Frank who is hired by the sinister American operative Jack Horton (Neal McDonough, Minority Report).

Additions to the sequel of the 2010 hit, RED, include Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago) as Katja, a Russian operative and Frank?s former love interest, and Anthony Hopkins as Edward Bradley, once a well-renowned scientist who created the nuclear device Frank and Marvin are trying to track down, but now housed in a London-area mental institution.

RED 2 is jam-packed with exceptional stunts and heart-stopping action scenes.? The comedic dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny throughout and there are enough curve balls thrown to keep the audience waiting until the very end to find out what will become of Frank, Marvin and the rest.

As far as adaptations and sequels go, this rises to the top as one of the must-see films of this summer?s blockbuster season.

I give this movie 4 ? out of 5 stars.

?

Source: http://newsregisteronline.com/?p=3812

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom vs Nokia 808 PureView Camera Comparison (Video)

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Source: pocketnow.com --- Saturday, July 20, 2013
Which is better: physical lens doing optical zoom, or the PureView technology? We want to find out in our? Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom vs Nokia 808 PureView camera comparison below. We?ve got two fundamentally different approaches to imaging here. While the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom employs lens and physical zoom for getting closer to your subjects, the Nokia 808 PureView (and the Nokia Lumia 1020), are using a huge 41-megapixel sensor which gives you the power to crop towards the center of the image, hence selecting a portion of the entire canvas, for zoom. We?ll be updating this post ... Continue reading ? The post Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom vs Nokia 808 PureView Camera Comparison (Video) appeared first on Pocketnow . ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pocketnow/~3/bxD6RI5TAI8/samsung-galaxy-s4-zoom-vs-nokia-808-pureview-camera-comparison

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Pastor puts out fire in Jackson church

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/52505032/ns/local_news-jackson_ms/

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Chocolate: The Scent That Could Save Struggling Bookstores -

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Great news for independent booksellers striving to keep their shops profitable in an Amazon-dominated marketplace. Researchers in Belgium have discovered a simple, inexpensive way to keep customers in the store longer and, quite possibly, boost sales.

They report shoppers are more likely to engage in leisurely browsing?and ultimately purchase books in certain popular genres, including romance novels?if the store is infused with the scent of chocolate.

Writing in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, a research team led by Lieve Douc? of Hasselt University describes a 10-day experiment conducted in a general-interest bookstore in Belgium.

?Retailers can make use of pleasant ambient scents to improve the store environment, leading consumers to explore the store.?

For approximately half of its open-for-business hours (either morning or afternoon, depending upon the specific day), the scent of chocolate was dispersed into the store from two locations. The smell was subtle enough that it wasn?t immediately noticeable, but strong enough so that it could be instantly identified once it was pointed out.

Researchers tracked the actions of every fifth customer to enter the store?a total of 201 people. They report that when the scent was activated, shoppers showed a greater tendency to take their time, check out a variety of titles, and/or chat with an employee.

Specifically, ?customers were 2.22 times more likely to closely examine multiple books when the chocolate scent was present in the store, compared with the control condition,? they write.

In addition, when the aroma was present, shoppers were less likely to search out one specific book and take it directly to the cash register. Something about the store?s environment made them want to hang out a bit longer than they perhaps had planned.

The researchers tracked sales of books in four popular genres. A panel of students had previously ranked two of them (food and drink and romance novels) as congruent with the smell of chocolate, and another two (history books and mysteries/crime thrillers) as particularly incongruent with that aroma. Altogether, 119 of the 201 tracked shoppers bought at least one book in one of those categories.

They report sales for books in the first category increased by an impressive 40 percent when the chocolate smell was in the air. Perhaps even more encouragingly, those in the second category also rose, by a more modest but still substantial 22 percent, over the hours when the store was scentless.

Interestingly, the customers were more likely to check out the crime thrillers and history volumes when the aroma was absent. The scent of chocolate apparently steered people away from those genres.

But after controlling for the gender of the observed shoppers, sales of those books increased anyway during the chocolate-scented hours, apparently because those who did peruse the mystery or history aisles were more likely to buy multiple volumes.

These results lead the authors to offer some practical advice: ?Retailers can make use of pleasant ambient scents to improve the store environment, leading consumers to explore the store.? Ideally, they add, the scents should be congruent with the merchandise on sale?say, the salty smell of the sea for a surf shop.

It?s certainly worth a try for hard-pressed independent bookstores?or even for a certain struggling chain. Indeed, the customer-pleasing power of chocolate might even inspire thoughts of a merger. Who wouldn?t want to shop at Barnes and Nestl?s?

Source: http://www.psmag.com/blogs/news-blog/chocolate-the-scent-that-could-save-struggling-bookstores-62847/

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Bruce Springsteen dedicates song to Trayvon Martin

NEW YORK (AP) ? Bruce Springsteen dedicated his protest song "American Skin (41 Shots)" to teenager Trayvon Martin during a concert in Limerick, Ireland.

In a video posted online, the 63-year-old singer told the crowd Tuesday: "We'll send this as a letter back home for justice for Trayvon Martin" after noticing a fan's sign that read "American Skin (41 Shots)."

George Zimmerman was acquitted Saturday of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in Martin's death. Zimmerman said he fired his gun in self-defense during a February 2012 confrontation with the 17-year-old in Sanford, Fla.

Lyrics in the song include "you can get killed just for living in your American skin." Springsteen wrote the song about the 1999 police shooting death of Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo.

___

Online:

http://brucespringsteen.net/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bruce-springsteen-dedicates-song-trayvon-martin-163145963.html

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Sun Times staffers win six Florida State press awards

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Stocks edge up as Bernanke reassures on stimulus

A sign for Wall St. is shown outside the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, July 15, 2013 in New York. The stock market took a pause Monday after a scorching start to July.(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

A sign for Wall St. is shown outside the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, July 15, 2013 in New York. The stock market took a pause Monday after a scorching start to July.(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks edged higher in midday trading after several major companies reported earnings gains and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank had no firm timetable for cutting back on its bond purchases.

Bernanke said that the bank would consider reducing its stimulus program if the economy improves, but emphasized that the reductions were "by no means on a preset course," according to a prepared text of Bernanke's testimony before Congress, which began Wednesday morning.

The central bank is currently buying $85 billion of bonds a month to keep interest rates low and encourage borrowing. Concerns that the Fed was poised to start easing back on that stimulus before the economy had recovered sufficiently caused the stock market to pull back in June.

"The market is responding well," to Bernanke's comments, said Phil Orlando, chief market strategist at Federated Investors. The concern has been that "the Fed was going to dial the (stimulus) down to zero regardless how the economy was doing."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed six points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,682. The Nasdaq composite rose 13 points, or 0.4 percent, to 3,611.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 24 points, just 0.1 percent, to 15,476. The index was held back by American Express. The credit card company's stock slumped $1.67, or 2.2 percent, to $76.63 after European regulators proposed to cap the lucrative processing fees the card company imposes.

Bernanke's comments had a bigger impact on the Treasury market.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell after Bernanke's comments as investors bought U.S. government bonds. The yield fell to 2.48 percent from 2.53 percent on Tuesday. The yield has been gradually declining since July 5, when it surged to 2.74 percent after the government reported that hiring was strong in June.

If Treasury yields rise too fast, it worries concern stock investors because of the impact that rising interest rates have on the wider economy. Higher mortgage rates, for example, would slow demand for homes.

Homebuilder stocks climbed Wednesday as the yield on Treasury notes fell. The group had started the trading day lower after a government report showed that U.S. builders started work on fewer homes in June. Construction fell to an annual rate of 836,000 homes, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, 10 percent below May's total of 928,000.

PulteGroup rose 40 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $19.68. D.R. Horton gained 49 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $22.20.

The stock market has climbed back to record levels in July following its brief slump in June, when the S&P 500 logged its first monthly decline since October on concern that the Federal Reserve would ease back on its economic stimulus too quickly. The S&P 500 has gained 4.7 percent in July and the Dow is 3.8 percent higher.

Investors are also keeping an eye on company earnings during one of the busiest weeks for second-quarter profit reports.

Bank of New York Mellon gained 85 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $31.23, after the bank posted earnings that beat analysts' expectations. The lender said its net income surged in the second quarter as market conditions improved and it collected more fees for managing investments. Bank of America rose 16 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $14.08 after it too reported surging earnings for the period, helped by cost-cutting and investment banking gains.

Banks and financial companies are expected to report the strongest earnings growth of all S&P 500 companies, according to data from S&P Capital IQ. The growth for the sector is expected to reach almost 20 percent, according to the data provider. That compares to the average growth of 3.4 percent forecast for all companies.

In commodities trading, the price of crude oil was little changed at $105.91 a barrel. Gold fell $15.80, or 1.2 percent, to $1,274.60 an ounce.

The dollar rose against the euro and the Japanese yen.

Among other stocks making big moves Wednesday:

? Yahoo rose $2.28, or 8 percent, to $29.16 after the company reassured investors that it would keep buying back its own stock. The internet company had already spent $3.6 billion buying back about 190 million of its shares since last year.

? Mattel fell $3.27, or 7 percent, to $43.07 after its second-quarter net income fell 24 percent, hurt by weak sales in North America and continued softness in Barbie sales, as well as an asset impairment charge.

? St. Jude Medical surged $3.25, or 6.7 percent, to $51.72 after the medical device maker reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings on higher sales of its heart-shocking implants.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-07-17-Wall%20Street/id-c115b4dc3a734ee1b7c8f71f9e2183ba

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Russia Conducts Largest Military Exercises Since Soviet Era

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KDAF: President Vladimir Putin is overseeing Russia's biggest military maneuvers since the Soviet era. 16 Jul 2013 post a comment

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Baidu to buy Chinese app store for $1.9 billion

Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:32am EDT

(Reuters) - Baidu Inc, China's top search engine, plans to acquire app store 91 Wireless for $1.9 billion to strengthen its foothold in the country's highly competitive mobile computing sector.

Baidu will buy a 57.4 percent stake in 91 Wireless, one of China's earliest appstores, from NetDragon Websoft Inc for $1.09 billion, and the remainder from other shareholders, both companies said on Tuesday.

"It's good for Baidu because if you look at mobile, currently apps are more popular than mobile sites because Internet download speeds are slow. So with the acquisition of this appstore, Baidu can work more closely with the apps developer and be able to enhance further their search capabilities," said Elinor Leung, an analyst with CLSA in Hong Kong.

China's mobile Internet market is expected to double to about 300 billion yuan ($48 billion) in 2014 from 150 billion yuan in 2012, with the number of active mobile Internet users rising to 749 million from 521 million during the same period, according to research firm Analysys International.

NetDragon's shares lost as much as a fifth of their value on Tuesday and were down 18 percent at HK$19.74 at 0305 GMT (11.05 p.m ET)

NetDragon also said in a statement that it would scrap the planned spinoff and listing of 91 Wireless on Hong Kong's secondary Growth Enterprise Market if the acquisition is finalised.

(This story was corrected to show planned spinoff of 91 Wireless will be scrappedin final paragraph)

(Reporting by Lee Chyen Yee and Twinnie Siu; Editing by Chris Gallagher)

Source: http://mf.feeds.reuters.com/c/871/f/435411/s/2eb4159f/l/0L0Sreuters0N0Carticle0C20A130C0A70C160Cnet0Eus0Ebaidu0Enetdragon0EidUSBRE96F0A1U20A130A7160DfeedType0FRSS0GfeedName0FtechnologyNews/story01.htm

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CT. police investigate white powder found on plane

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (AP) ? Connecticut State police say they are investigating after a flight attendant found white powder on a plane that landed at Bradley International Airport.

Airport spokesman John Wallace said the powder was found in a bathroom of the JetBlue plane shortly before it was scheduled to land Monday night at the airport north of Hartford.

Wallace said JetBlue Flight 460 landed safely and passengers were allowed to deplane. No injuries were reported.

Samples of the white powder were taken for testing.

Wallace said the discovery had no effect on airport operations and did not cause any delays to incoming or outgoing flights.

JetBlue said 135 passengers and five crew members were on board the flight that originated in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ct-police-investigate-white-powder-found-plane-042447836.html

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