Senator says panel to vote next week on CIA pick

FILE - In this April 21, 2010 file photo, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Saxby said Thursday the panel is scheduled to vote early next week on John Brennan's nomination to be director of the CIA. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

FILE - In this April 21, 2010 file photo, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Saxby said Thursday the panel is scheduled to vote early next week on John Brennan's nomination to be director of the CIA. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2013 file photo, CIA Director nominee John Brennan testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. said Thursday the panel is scheduled to vote early next week on John Brennan's nomination to be director of the CIA. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says the panel is scheduled to vote early next week on John Brennan's nomination to be director of the CIA.

Democratic leaders of the committee had hoped to hold the vote today. But Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said Thursday that consideration of Brennan's nomination has been delayed because he and other committee members have not received all the information they've requested from the White House about lethal drone strikes against terror suspects and the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Chambliss said the committee is expected to vote Tuesday on Brennan's bid to the lead the spy agency.

Brennan is currently working as President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser in the White House.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-28-Brennan-CIA/id-3cefae4c462342a3bcada198df9bdad7

marques colston golden state warriors free agents nfl 2012 milwaukee bucks bear grylls us news law school rankings gael

HGST?s Nanotechnology Printing Breakthrough Is Great News For Data Center Storage And HDD Capacity

If you're at all familiar with mobile processors, you've likely heard a lot about 32nm vs. 28nm construction when comparing the current generation of chips from companies like Qualcomm and others. That refers to the size of the processor, where a smaller number is better in terms of power consumption, fitting more transistors in less space for more efficient processing.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/qCxkwysLGwI/

carl hagelin triple play james neal virginia tech emancipation proclamation april 16 tornadoes

Social Ad Platform LocalResponse Raises $1.5M From Cava Capital, Verizon And Others

LocalResponse, a network that targets ads based ?on social network data, has raised another $1.2 million in funding, we've confirmed with the company. Investors Cava Capital, Extreme Venture Partners, Verizon, WIN (Maynard webb), and Advancit Capital all participated. This brings LocalResponse's total funding to $8 million.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/GsO1KcVh_Bs/

rosie o donnell soda bread recipe vanderbilt evan mathis staff sgt. robert bales jason russell norfolk state

Samsung Wallet Is Just Like Passbook, But on Android

Whether you agree with it or not, Samsung gets accused of ripping off Apple just about every time they roll out a new marquee phone or tablet. On Wednesday, the company unveiled Samsung Wallet, a new Android app that looks ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/buLIPBUVW6M/

Arlen Specter Winsor McCay Amanda Todd washington nationals Gary Collins bus driver uppercut Alex Karras

Lions, bears removed from convicted gangster's property

Vadim Ghirda / AP

A Romanian man known as Nutzu the Pawnbroker has been indicted for leading a fearsome criminal gang, but the public seems to be more interested in his pets: four lions and two bears

By Alison Mutler, The Associated Press

A Romanian man known as Nutzu the Pawnbroker has been indicted for leading a fearsome criminal gang, but the public seems to be more interested in his pets: four lions and two bears.

Ion Balint ? his real name ? had long been known to have an affinity for wild beasts in his home.

"You said I fed men to the lions?" Balint was recorded saying on a videotape as he rode away from prison on a black stallion in 2010. "Why don't you come over and I'll give you some lions!"

Authorities won't confirm that the lions and bears were used to intimidate rivals at his high-walled and heavily guarded estate in the poorest part of Romania's capital, Bucharest. The compound also contained less fearsome beasts, including thoroughbred horses and canaries.

Balint, 48, a stocky man with a mustache and a receding hairline, often appears dressed in T-shirts and tracksuits.

---

The Romanian news media were awash in unconfirmed reports about Balint's excesses, reporting that he used the lions and bears to intimidate rivals and that his house contained a torture chamber.

Vadim Ghirda / AP

The Romanian news media were awash in unconfirmed reports about Balint's excesses, reporting that he used the lions and bears to intimidate rivals and that his house contained a torture chamber.

His son-in-law, Marius Vlad, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the reports were false.

"Many untruths are being reported," he said.

'A good neighbor'
Bystanders and relatives who gathered near the gates of the estate described Balint as a good neighbor and an animal lover, and said they weren't bothered by roaring lions.

"We can hear them every day, but only when they're hungry or the female is in heat," said Gabriela Ionescu, 36, clutching her toddler daughter's hand. "They don't disturb us at all."

Authorities allege that Balint and his brother Vasile headed a criminal network that controlled much of the underworld activity in Bucharest, a city of 2 million. Some 400 police and detectives were involved in the investigation that led to the arrest last week of 67 suspects, including the Balint brothers.

In 2009, Balint was convicted of human trafficking, violence and pimping, and sentenced to 13 years in prison. That was reduced to six years, but Balint was free after a year.

On Wednesday, the four lions and two bears were sedated, put in cages and removed by environmental authorities and the Vier Pfoten animal welfare charity. The animals, which generally appeared in good condition, will be temporarily housed in a zoo and may eventually be relocated in South Africa, animal welfare officers said.

Mircea Pupaza, commissioner of the National Environment Guard, told The Associated Press that Balint had no documentation or health records for the animals, which he's kept illegally for 10 years. He could face a year in prison and a hefty fine for illegally keeping wild animals.

"The lions are a status symbol for him," said Livia Cimpoeru, a Vier Pfoten spokeswoman. She declined to speculate whether they had a more sinister purpose.

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17122745-lions-bears-removed-from-convicted-gangsters-property?lite

joan of arc tony robbins bon iver abraham lincoln vampire hunter their eyes were watching god lara logan manu ginobili

'Half-man, half-pig': Court won't ban tell-all by DSK lover

Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP ? Getty Images

Dominique Strauss-Kahn leaves Paris' courthouse after a hearing Tuesday on a tell-all penned by an ex-lover.

By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC News

French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn lost his bid to have a court ban a kiss-and-tell book by an ex-lover who has described him as a sex-obsessed "half-man, half-pig" -- but he will collect damages.

In a ruling late Tuesday, a judge green-lighted publication of "Beauty and Beast" by Marcelle Iacub, a lawyer and columnist who had a seven-month affair with the former head of the International Monetary Fund, Le Monde reported.

The court agreed to Strauss-Kahn's demand that a disclaimer declaring his privacy had been invaded be included in every copy. It also ordered the author, the publisher and a magazine that printed excerpts to pay him $98,000, the newspaper said.

---

Hours before his partial victory, Strauss-Kahn appeared in a Paris courtroom to complain of the "horror" of having his love life exposed, The Guardian reported.

Christian Hartmann / Reuters

"Belle et Bete" ("Beauty and Beast") by Marcela Iacub details her seven-month affair with Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

"Is anything allowed in order to make money?" he asked, branding the book a cheap shot against "a man already down on the ground."

The affair chronicled in the book unfolded while Strauss-Kahn was embroiled in scandal over allegations he sexually assaulted a hotel maid in New York. Criminal charges were dropped by prosecutors who questioned the woman's credibility; Strauss-Kahn later settled a civil claim out of court.

Iacub's book, which is due to go on sale Wednesday, doesn't name Strauss-Kahn, but she has said it's about him. Excerpts published in Le Nouvel Observateur -- accompanied by an interview in which she referred to him as "half-man, half-pig" -- are decidedly unflattering.

"You were old, you were fat, you were short and you were ugly," the 48-year-old former mistress wrote, according to the Guardian. "You were macho, you were vulgar, you were insensitive and you were stingy. You were selfish, you were brutal and you had no culture. And I was mad about you."

Strauss-Kahn's lawyers contend he was seduced into a money-making trap and they tried to persuade the court with an email in which Iacub purportedly confessed the romance was a plot cooked up by her co-workers.

Iacub said she didn't remember the email, disavowed its contents and issued a warning to the Socialist leader once touted as presidential material before scandal doomed his career.

"I don't think it's in [Strauss-Kahn's] best interest for me to start searching through my emails," she said, according to London's Daily Telegraph.

Strauss-Kahn, who is under investigation in connection with a French sex ring, had asked for a disclaimer to be printed in every copy of "Beauty and Beast" already distributed, a ban on more copies being printed, and $130,000 in damages.?

As he left the courthouse, he said there was one more thing on his wish-list: "To be left alone."

?

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17104205-court-wont-ban-tell-all-by-dominique-strauss-kahn-lover-who-called-him-half-man-half-pig?lite

somali pirates navy seals navy seal team 6 tim gunn tim gunn built to last obama state of the union address 2012

The GOP's Uncomfortable Debate Over Gay Marriage

As Republicans rebound from the 2012 election and plot their future, an uncomfortable debate over gay rights is taking place.

Some party leaders are promoting a more inclusive approach to help the GOP modernize its image and reach across the generational divide. Polls show a narrow majority of Americans--and an overwhelming number of young people--think same-sex couples should have the right to marry. ?The marketplace of ideas will render us irrelevant, and soon, if we are not honest about our time and place in history,? wrote former Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman last week in declaring his support for gay marriage.

Yet even as Republicans are increasingly willing to consider more-moderate immigration policies to bridge the gap with the Hispanic community, accepting same-sex marriage is more complicated. Gay Republican groups say they are not welcome at next month?s Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, the largest gathering of conservative activists in the country. A coalition of gay activists had to pull footage of former first lady Laura Bush from an advertising campaign last week featuring prominent Republicans after she complained. When a leading GOP advocate of immigration reform, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, was asked recently about President Obama?s proposal to allow same-sex partners to be eligible for green cards, he sarcastically quipped, ?Why don't we just put legalized?abortion?in there and round it all out??

The marriage debate is expected to reach fever pitch next month when the Supreme Court hears opening arguments in challenges to the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California?s Proposition 8 outlawing gay marriage. The massive publicity surrounding these court cases will make it difficult for Republican politicians who want to keep their distance from the debate while offering others a chance to proclaim the party's support for traditional marriage.

?So far, there?s definitely been an absence of this issue being pushed in the media; there?s no antigay marriage drumbeat from the Republican Party,? said Gregory Angelo, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans. ?We?ll see what that leads to when there is all the chatter and press and advocacy around the Supreme Court decisions. The party is not in lockstep on this.?

National Journal?s Political Insiders survey last month found that nearly half of Republicans think the topic should be avoided. Nearly three out of 10 said they support same-sex marriage, while only 11 percent are opposed. That?s a big departure from 2009, when half of the Republican Insiders said the party should oppose gay marriage.

House Republicans took on DOMA?s defense in 2011 after the Obama administration said it was unconstitutional, and they recently increased their legal budget to $3 million. To the amused bewilderment of some gay activists, one of the key Republican arguments is that that gay Americans are so powerful that they don?t need special protections. ?Gays and lesbians are one of the most influential, best-connected, best-funded, and best-organized interest groups in modern politics, and have attained more legislative victories, political power, and popular favor in less time than virtually any other group in American history,?? says the legal brief quietly filed with the Supreme Court.

?Just a few years ago they would have held a news conference at high noon to announce it,? said Fred Sainz, a spokesman for the pro-gay Human Rights Campaign. ?We definitely see a concerted effort to tamp down the rhetoric.?

In Minnesota, GOP legislative leaders went so far to assure members of their caucus that they would not face reprisals if they supported a gay-marriage bill, and a Republican state senator is preparing to sponsor the legislation. Similar proposals have attracted bipartisan support in Wyoming and Rhode Island. In Iowa and Indiana, Republican bills to ban gay marriage have been put on the backburner.

None other than the chairman of the Illinois GOP threw his support behind a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, arguing that "giving gay and lesbian couples the freedom to get married honors the best conservative principles.? ?

But when the bill cleared the state Senate on Valentine?s Day, only one Republican voted with the majority. The party chairman, Pat Brady, is fending off calls for his ouster, and more than 3,000 people rallied against the law at the state Capitol last week.

Gay marriage opponents warn of consequences if Republicans retreat from championing traditional marriage.

??I don?t think that?s a constructive attitude to take because Republican officials cannot win without social conservatives,? said Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research Council. ?They are the core base of the Republican Party and the most active volunteers, and it would make no sense to turn their backs on them.?

Opponents of gay marriage are planning a ?March for Marriage? in Washington, D.C., on March 26. The speaker?s lineup has not yet been released. ?The fight for marriage is absolutely not over. It?s going strong,? said Thomas Peters, a spokesman for the National Organization for Marriage. ?The idea that there?s a consensus on overthrowing marriage is absurd.?

Still, the momentum appears to be on the side of gay right supporters, who won four ballot initiatives in 2012 and are eying marriage equality laws in Illinois, Rhode Island, Delaware and Hawaii. Efforts to repeal gay marriage bans are underway in Oregon, New Jersey and Ohio. Barack Obama became the first president to invoke gay rights in an inaugural speech last month.

In an effort to capitalize on these headwinds, a collecting of gay rights groups called the Respect for Marriage Coalition is running $1 million in television and print ads, though it had to replace the one with Laura Bush with a spot featuring a Republican Marine. Former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Colin Powell are also included in the campaign. ?We really want to show there?s a majority of Americans behind gay marriage and it?s a bi-partisan majority,? said Evan Wolfson, the president of Freedom to Marry.

Still, gay Republicans feel excluded from most conservative corners, including the high-profile CPAC conference last month that will showcase likely presidential contenders and other rising stars in the party. Angelo said the Log Cabin Republicans have asked to participate in the past but didn?t this year because it prefers to ?choose its battles.? Another gay group, GOProud, was barred from last year?s event after some social conservatives boycotted.

?If people are concerned about the future of the conservative movement, they know we need to broaden our appeal,? said the group?s executive director Jimmy LaSalvia. ??They need to deal with the political reality of this issue, and beating the drum against gay marriage is a political loser.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gops-uncomfortable-debate-over-gay-marriage-072008674--politics.html

nick carter sister recruiting rankings san onofre paula deen birth control recall nick carter leslie carter

Anne Hathaway's Nipples And The Oscars' Biggest Social Trends

Jennifer Lawrence's tumble and Bond girls past and present had Twitter buzzing.
By Sarah Karp Ward

Anne Hathaway at the 2013 Oscars
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702536/anne-hathaway-nipples-oscars-2013.jhtml

roger goodell psychosis dianna agron million hoodie march tebow trade mike the situation jacksonville jaguars

Subcontractor in deadly KC blast lacked permit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? A cable company subcontractor suspected of rupturing a natural gas line before a deadly Kansas City restaurant explosion didn't have an approved permit for the work, city officials said Monday.

Pat Klein, assistant city manager, said excavating without a permit is violation of the municipal code, and can result in a fine of $500, up to six months in jail or both. He said no charge had been filed.

"The city will decide what they are going to do," Klein said. "At this point, all the resources are going toward the fire investigation and the impending snow."

A Missouri Gas Energy official said previously that Heartland Midwest reported hitting a natural gas line with an underground borer more than an hour before Tuesday night's explosion. The blast and ensuing fire leveled JJ's restaurant near a busy outdoor shopping area called the Country Club Plaza. One person was killed and 15 others were injured.

The next day, Heartland Midwest sought a permit and asked that it take effect retroactively, Klein said.

"Honestly, it's kind of surprising to me," Klein said. "Getting one after the fact isn't what's supposed to be done."

Brad Russell, a lawyer for Heartland Midwest, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment Monday. The company released a statement last week expressing sympathy for the victims and saying the company is cooperating with authorities. "We are reserving any public comment until the completion of a thorough investigation," the statement concluded.

Four of the injured remained hospitalized Monday at the University of Kansas Hospital ? one in critical condition, two in fair condition and one in good condition.

Hours before the explosion, witnesses reported a strong smell of gas. But no one alerted the fire department or utility officials to the possibility of a leak until the subcontractor called 911 shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday to report having ruptured the gas pipe, Mayor Sly James has said.

Within 20 minutes, a worker for Missouri Gas Energy arrived at the scene, followed later by a backhoe to dig a hole that would allow the gas to vent into the air, MGE Chief Operating Officer Rob Hack said.

Those who remained in the restaurant were urged to leave, Hack said. Then about 6 p.m., something inside the restaurant ignited the fuel, authorities said.

Surveillance video from a nearby travel agency shows a fireball erupting from the restaurant's roof, showering the street with debris and throwing up a cloud of dust and smoke. The blast could be felt for a mile and shattered glass in neighboring buildings.

The Missouri Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities, said preliminary information indicates that gas pipelines had been properly marked. The commission and fire officials continue to investigate.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-25-US-Kansas-City-Plaza-Fire/id-c0c738a0a3d94ca49eea90a6d7037786

red hook romney tax return the tree of life movie academy award nominees 2012 2012 oscar nominations kyle williams florida debate

Sounding Off! Our Quickie Judgments About the Oscars

Charlize Theron rocks short hair better than Anne Hathaway, Miley Cyrus and Halle Berry combined.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/oscars-2013-funny-snap-judgments/1-a-523551?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aoscars-2013-funny-snap-judgments-523551

dick clark Happy new year fiscal cliff Pitbull Hannah Storm Psy fergie

Tips On Just How To Be Efficient When Improving Your House ...

Performing home improvement does not must be a difficult task. Enhancing your home can be enjoyable and simple, and make your home environment a whole lot more enjoyable. Make-over the areas you like and make them into areas you love. Follow the guidelines below and you will be able to turn your home into your dream home.

Set electrical wire connectors on your tubes of caulking! Those little plastic covers that are included with the tubes often get missing! A commonly had alternative that works of the same quality or a lot better than the original top can be an electrical wire connection. Special colors can be even used by you for special forms of tubes.

An low priced method to give your kitchen a new search without spending thousands on new cabinets would be to give them a facelift. Install new hard ware and recondition them with oil to make them seem new. With respect to the substance of the units, you may be able to paint them too.

To save on energy prices, consider putting a number of small fluorescent lighting fixtures under your cabinetry. On the surface that is ideal for preparing food or illuminating a richly colored counter top or ornamental back dash region these lights eat up less power than your overhead light and can cast a great light.

Try changing the house figures outside your house for many easy home improvement. If the house numbers on your house are old, buy some new ones. Try trying to find contemporary house figures made from stainless, aluminum, or brass. Fit them with the final in your exterior light fixtures for greater curb appeal.

In regards to do-it-yourself, make sure to get prices from at minimum three different contractors. This is crucial as may the grade of work, because prices may differ considerably. Get yourself a good experience for the specialist by sitting yourself down with her or him and discussing your whole approach.

After some initial use, your kitchen cabinets can start to get rid of their appeal. You can shine up kitchen cabinetry by using car wax. Use some car feel liberally to a towel and wash your units down in a circular motion. This will make your units resemble they are new and shiny.

When it?s time for you to make improvements to your residence, engage the services of a reliable general contractor. Look around and make careful comparisons. A competent and sincere, general contractor, can complete home developments professionally. A contractor can also perform do-it-yourself work cheaper than you can control, by carrying it out yourself.

When signing a contract with a contractor doing home improvements, search for a place of business for that contractor. A clear sign that something is not around level with your builder is once they just give you a phone number for a contact and not a stone and mortar building address. It?s super easy for them to just change figures and start shop elsewhere If a problem occurs.

In regards to home improvement, consider putting solar power panels to your house. You may think it is to become a wise investment in comparison to the increasing costs of energy, while the upfront cost may be big. This will save on your monthly electric bills, because the most of your energy will come from the energy you?re saving. This is a great, natural treatment for running your house.

When cracks come in your interior walls or your ceilings, keep these things examined with a building professional as soon as possible. They can reveal greater, far more serious causes, while the most likely cause of such breaks is just a simple failure in the finished floor. You do not want to blithely paint over a break and just forget about it when it is actually showing base negotiation!

Raise the security of your home by adding motion detecting floodlights on the exterior of your house. These lights are ideal for domiciles with large front yards or those situated on dark streets. Mount these lights near your garage or shed. These lights will illuminate the area and decrease the threat of break-ins.

Take the time to look for inspiration in magazines, color swatches and whatever else that you can find, before you begin your next do it yourself project. It is important to plan ahead so that you don?t get stuck trying to do a lot of when it?s time for you to begin your project. This may make the entire process a whole lot more comforting for you personally.

Several things jazz up a residence such as for instance a well-maintained flower bed. Before you undertake a significant remodel, nevertheless, research your options. Find out which flowers are best suited to your home?s climate, soil type, and shaded places. This may ensure that you don?t spend your time or money by planting roses that aren?t appropriate.

Fit your fire extinguisher to the space where it?s being used. Along with could be the same old red but fire extinguishers are considered based on function. School B?s are best suited for the home but Class A?s would probably work well in the remaining portion of the house.

You don?t already have one and if you have a sizable backyard, it could be good for develop a deck before putting your property on the market. potential house buyers look at as an important entertaining space for family and friends a deck to hang out in in is because.

Do not place a television in your kitchen, If you should be creating the building of your dwelling. More time will be then spent by you in the kitchen, if you love television. This can put you in a position where you are convinced more, with the plethora of food around you.

As you can see, do-it-yourself can be quite simple. With the recommendations above, you can accomplish the task of turning your home into your private sanctuary, a place you are proud to call home. What?re you looking forward to? Go ahead and start that home improvement project you?ve been considering. cheap nautical cabinet hardware

In: Aparitii editoriale | | Link ????? 34 vizualizari

Source: http://culturapopulara.ro/?p=25593

brady quinn bloom box obama sweet home chicago accenture match play george washington carver king cake fun.

Steam Buns While You Boil Hot Dogs

If you ever find yourself boiling hot dogs on the stove, put that steam to work heating and softening your buns.

While spiral cutting hot dogs and grilling them might yield the best results, boiling dogs is a fine alternative when it's too cold to grill outdoors, and the steam from the pot is great for warming up your buns. All you have to do is rest a strainer or upside-down straining pot lid on top of the pot, and set the buns inside for a few seconds.

Hack Your Weiners - Steam Your Buns While You Boil Your Dogs | Reddit

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/PcNXjurjTN4/steam-buns-while-you-boil-hot-dogs

the visitor king of kings ostara andy kaufman masters 2012 tom watson kawasaki disease

Apple shareholder vote blocked in hedge fund lawsuit

Seattle: A United States federal judge blocked has an Apple shareholder vote in response to a hedge fund lawsuit that claimed the tech giant was improperly bundling questions on a ballot.

The ruling was a win for hedge fund Greenlight Capital, which has been pressing Apple to give shareholders more of its huge cash stockpile.

The preliminary injunction ordered by judge Richard Sullivan has no impact on Apple's distribution of cash but prevents a vote on a proposal supported by management to make it impossible for the Apple board to issue preferred stock without shareholder approval.

Greenlight has urged Apple to issue 'perpetual preferred stock' at no cost to Apple's existing shareholders to get some of the company's $137 billion cash stockpile to its stock owners.

The hedge fund alleged that Apple violated US securities policies by 'bundling' the proposal on preferred stock with two other shareholder-friendly measures.

Doing so forces shareholders to accept or reject all three measures together, rather than separately, which Greenlight says violates a Securities and Exchange Commission rule.?
Sullivan granted the injunction, saying that the lawsuit was "likely to succeed on the merits" and that the plaintiffs, which include Greenlight and another investor, 'face irreparable harm' if the vote proceed.

But the judge denied a separate request for an advisory vote on the compensation of Apple's top executives. Last week, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the company was examining ways to distribute more cash to shareholders but claimed the litigation was "a silly sideshow." "This is a waste of shareholder money," he said of the suit.

Right of shareholders
Cook said it was "an incredible privilege" to be in the position of deciding what to do with the company's $137 billion cash stockpile, and maintained that Apple will do so "deliberately and thoughtfully."

But he maintained that the lawsuit was not about returning cash, but instead about 'the right of shareholders' to authorise any special stock issue.

"Frankly, I find it bizarre that we would find ourselves being sued for doing something that's good for shareholders," he said, adding that the company would likely seek shareholder approval even if not required.

Source: http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-9180.aspx

tax deadline death race buffet rule carlos santana dodgers triple play baa samoyed

Israel sues citizens for slander and apologies to Turkey - http://www.veteransto...

Facebook logo

Email or Phone
Keep me logged in

Sign UpConnect and share with the people in your life.

The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.

Go back to the previous page ? Go to the Facebook homepage ? Visit the Help Center

Mobile	Find Friends	Badges	People	Pages	Places	Apps	Games	Music
About	Create an Ad	Create a Page	Developers	Careers	Privacy	Cookies	Terms	Help

Facebook ? 2013 ? English (US)

Source: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=345746412196762&id=170917822620

ufc 145 jones vs evans marian hossa philip humber red sox white sox chuck colson

SKorea's new leader faces NKorea nuke crisis

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Even before she takes office Monday as South Korea's first female president, Park Geun-hye's campaign vow to soften Seoul's current hard-line approach to rival North Korea is being tested by Pyongyang's recent underground nuclear detonation.

Pyongyang, Washington, Beijing and Tokyo are all watching to see if Park, the daughter of a staunchly anti-communist dictator, pursues an ambitious engagement policy meant to ease five years of animosity on the divided peninsula or if she sticks with the tough stance of her fellow conservative predecessor, Lee Myung-bak.

Park's decision is important because it will likely set the tone of the larger diplomatic approach that Washington and others take in stalled efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions.

It will also be complicated by North Korea's warning of unspecified "second and third measures of greater intensity," a threat that comes as Washington and others push for tightened U.N. sanctions as punishment for the Feb. 12 atomic test, the North's third since 2006.

That test is seen as another step toward North Korea's goal of building a bomb small enough to be mounted on a missile that can hit the United States. The explosion, which Pyongyang called a response to U.S. hostility, triggered global outrage.

Park has said she won't yet change her policy, which was built with the high probability of provocations from Pyongyang in mind. But some aren't sure if engagement can work, given North Korea's choice of "bombs over electricity," as American scientist Siegfried Hecker puts it.

"Normalization of relations, a peace treaty, access to energy and economic opportunities ? those things that come from choosing electricity over bombs and have the potential of lifting the North Korean people out of poverty and hardship ? will be made much more difficult, if not impossible, for at least the next five years," Hecker, a regular visitor to North Korea, said in a posting on the website of Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation.

As she takes office, however, Park will be mindful that many South Koreans are frustrated at the state of inter-Korean relations after the Lee government's five-year rule, which saw two nuclear tests, three long-range rocket launches and attacks blamed on North Korea that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010.

Park's policy calls for strong defense but also for efforts to build trust through aid shipments, reconciliation talks and the resumption of some large-scale economic initiatives as progress occurs on the nuclear issue. Park has also held out the possibility of a summit with new North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Much is riding on Park's conclusion.

"The overall policy direction on North Korea among the U.S., Japan and South Korea will be hers to decide," said Victor Cha, a former senior Asia adviser to President George W. Bush. "If Park Geun-hye wants to contain, the U.S. will support that. But if Park Geun-hye, months down the road, wants to engage, then the U.S. will go along with that too. "

Engagement by Park would provide a sharp contrast with the rule of her father, Park Chung-hee, whose antipathy toward Pyongyang during his 18-year rule in the 1960s and '70s prompted a failed attack on the Blue House by 31 North Korean commandos in 1968. In 1974, Park's wife was shot and killed by a Japan-born Korean claiming he was acting on assassination orders by North Korea founder and then leader Kim Il Sung.

Critics say Park Geun-hye's North Korea policy lacks specifics. They also question how far she can go given her conservative base's strong anti-Pyongyang sentiments.

But Park has previously confounded ideological expectations. She travelled to Pyongyang in 2002 and held private talks with the late Kim Jong Il, the father of Kim Jong Un, and her gifts to Kim Jong Il are showcased in a museum of gifts to the North Korean leaders. During the often contentious presidential campaign, she responded to liberal criticism by reaching out to the families of victims of her father's dictatorship.

She said in her 2007 autobiography that she visited Pyongyang because she thought her painful experiences with the North made her "the one who could resolve South-North relations better than anyone else." She also wrote that Kim Jong Il apologized for the 1968 attack.

"I don't think this latest spike in the cycle of provocation and response undermines her whole platform of seeking to somehow re-engage the North," said John Delury, an analyst at Seoul's Yonsei University. North Korea wants a return of large-scale aid and investment from South Korea.

Before the election, Pyongyang's state media repeatedly questioned the sincerity of Park's engagement overture. Since the election, however, although regular criticism of Lee as "human scum" continues, the North's official Korean Central News Agency hasn't mentioned Park by name, though her political party is still condemned.

Pyongyang sees the nuclear crisis as a U.S.-North Korea issue, Delury said. "From a North Korean mindset, ramping up the tension and hostility with the U.S. does not equal jettisoning relations with the South."

Park may take a wait-and-see stance in coming months.

A possible positive turning point could come if North Korea resists tests or launches during April, when it celebrates two state anniversaries ? Kim Il Sung's birthday and the army's founding anniversary ? according to analyst Hong Hyun-ik at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea. Pyongyang conducted a failed long-range rocket launch during last year's celebrations.

Hong predicts that the United States will seek nuclear talks with North Korea in a few months, something that could help Park's efforts to engage North Korea.

"The nuclear test sets back and complicates but does not necessarily doom her engagement efforts over the long term," said Ralph Cossa, president of Pacific Forum CSIS, a Hawaii-based think tank.

Park warned after the test that North Korea faces international isolation, economic difficulties and, eventually, a collapse if it continues to build its atomic program. She also pressed Pyongyang to respond to her overtures.

"We can't achieve trust with only one side's efforts. Isn't there a saying that 'We need both hands to make a clapping sound?'" she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skoreas-leader-faces-nkorea-nuke-crisis-050243531.html

Edward Gorey El Chapo Guzman drew peterson amber rose nascar national margarita day nba trade deadline

It's personal and business in GOP fight over Hagel

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The fierce Republican opposition to President Barack Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel to be defense secretary is personal and business.

The nasty fight long has been seen as a proxy for the never-ending scuffles between the Democratic president and congressional Republicans, with barely any reservoir of good will between the White House and lawmakers, and the GOP still smarting over the November election results.

Barring any surprises, the drawn-out battle over Hagel's nomination probably will end this coming week with his Senate confirmation. But his fellow Republicans have roughed him up.

A vote is expected on Tuesday.

In the weeks after Obama secured a second term, Republicans knocked out a presidential favorite, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, and dashed her secretary of state hopes over her widely debunked remarks about protests precipitating the assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya on Sept. 11.

Emboldened Republicans then set their sights on Hagel, whose GOP classification won him no points with the party.

The former two-term Nebraska senator was widely viewed as a political heretic. He disagreed with President George W. Bush over the Iraq war, stayed on the sidelines in the 2008 president race between Obama and the Republican nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, and endorsed fellow Vietnam veteran and former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey in last year's Nebraska Senate race.

Republicans remember it well.

"There's a lot of ill will toward Sen. Hagel because when he was a Republican, he attacked President Bush mercilessly, at one point said he was the worst president since Herbert Hoover, said the surge (of U.S. troops in Iraq) was the worst blunder since the Vietnam War, which is nonsense, and was anti-his own party and people," McCain said in an interview on Fox News on the day Republicans stalled Hagel's nomination.

Hagel didn't help his cause with his past opposition to unilateral penalties against Iran, his comment about the influence of the "Jewish lobby" in Washington, his support for reducing the nation's nuclear arsenal and remarks that created widespread doubts about his backing for Israel.

His halting and uneven performance at his confirmation hearing also hurt his nomination.

McCain, one of Hagel's friends during their years in the Senate, would have been a crucial vote to help sway other Republicans to back the nominee. Instead, he is one of more than a dozen opposing Hagel.

"I think he will have been weakened, but having said that, the job that he has is too important," McCain told reporters Friday during a visit to Mexico. "I know that I and my other colleagues, if he's confirmed, and he very likely will be, will do everything we can to work with him."

The nomination fight also is about the business of re-electing Republicans in 2014. Challenging the Democratic president over his nominations and policies is clearly a winner with the conservative base, a point not lost on GOP incumbents wary of challenges from the tea party.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who's up for re-election next year, is getting high marks from Republicans for his relentless effort to get more information about the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya, and his fierce opposition to Hagel.

"Most people down here think he's dead-on in his arguments and hope that he continues to press the issues," said Warren Tompkins, a longtime GOP strategist.

The Libya attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans has been a political flashpoint for Republicans who accused the Obama administration of an election-year cover-up of a terrorist assault.

An independent review conducted by respected former diplomats failed to mollify the GOP, who demanded testimony from Hillary Rodham Clinton, secretary of state when the attack occurred, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Graham has been at the forefront in seeking emails, communiques and videos while threatening to delay both Hagel's nomination and that of CIA Director-nominee John Brennan, who also has become entangled in the Libya dispute.

During a stop in Easley, S.C., this past week, Graham insisted that his effort has nothing to do with politics.

"It's not because he's a Democrat and I'm a Republican," he said, referring to Obama. "It's because it really was system failure and we need learn from it. We have not gotten the information, and we're going to get it if I have to die trying."

The White House has agreed to give the Senate Intelligence Committee additional documents related to the Benghazi attack, according to a congressional aide said. The material includes emails between national security officials showing the debate within the administration over how to describe the attack.

Graham also has been intense in opposing Hagel, portraying the former GOP senator as an out-of-the-mainstream radical. Some of the toughest questions of Hagel during his confirmation hearing last month came from Graham, who seized on Hagel's "Jewish lobby" remark and asked him to "name one dumb thing we've been goaded into doing due to pressure by the Israeli, Jewish lobby."

Hagel was often tentative in his response in the face of GOP grilling.

"He's leading, he's governing," Glenn McCall, the chairman of the York (S.C.) County Republican Party and a GOP committeeman, said of Graham. "More and more I talk to Republicans ? and even those that are conservative Democrats ? I think folks are looking for leadership."

Both Tompkins and McCall cited a Winthrop University poll released last week that showed Graham with strong support from registered Republicans in the state, with 72 percent holding a favorable opinion of the senator.

It's a turnaround from several years ago when Graham's work with Democrats on climate change and immigration as well as his votes for Obama's nominees for the Supreme Court angered South Carolina Republicans, with some calling him out of touch and Charleston and Lexington counties voting to censure him over his bipartisan work.

"It might be the right thing to do ... but when you partner with Hillary Clinton or you partner with John Kerry, you're going to be looked upon with a lot of suspicion in South Carolina," Tompkins said. "You have to be careful who you dance with."

Kerry, a former Democratic senator from Massachusetts, has just replaced Clinton as secretary of state.

Graham still may face a primary challenge, but he and other GOP incumbents are determined to head off any conservative uprising as Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch successfully did in his 2012 race. They want to avoid the fate of the only GOP primary loser last year ? Indiana's longtime Sen. Dick Lugar.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican and a candidate next year, took the lead on the Senate floor to block a vote on Hagel on Feb. 14 and was one of 15 Republicans last week to call for Obama to withdraw the nomination.

Cornyn got a primary challenger last week.

___

Follow Donna Cassata on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DonnaCassataAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/personal-business-gop-fight-over-hagel-135227159.html

robyn texas relays meniscus the colony kids choice awards ncaa final four 2012 uk vs louisville

POLITICS: Averting the sequester is 'not rocket science,' LaHood tells former GOP colleagues