parochial robinette: June 2013

Saturday, June 29, 2013

American-US Airways merger: Feds investigate possible antitrust issues

Airlines

Reuters

June 28, 2013 at 10:43 AM ET

A U.S. Airways jet departs Washington's Reagan National Airport next to American Airlines jets outside Washington, in this February 25, 2013 file phot...

LARRY DOWNING / Reuters

A U.S. Airways jet takes off from Washington's Reagan National Airport outside Washington, passing an American Airlines plane, February 25, 2013. Reuters reports the Justice department is probing the proposed American-US merger for antitrust issues.

The U.S. Justice Department is taking depositions as part of a probe into a planned merger of American Airlines and US Airways that would create the world's largest airline, three sources close to the discussions told Reuters.

The sticking point in talks between the Justice Department and the companies is whether the airlines will agree to sell slots -- take-off and landing rights -- to reduce their dominance at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., according to one source.

The three sources spoke privately to protect business relationships.

US Airways announced on February 14 that it planned to merge with American, which is emerging from bankruptcy, to create an $11 billion airline. The deal requires the approval of the Justice and Transportation Departments. The companies hope to wrap up the merger by the end of September.

American Airlines and US Airways declined comment. Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said only that the agency's investigation was continuing.

The fact that the Justice Department is taking sworn testimony in the form of depositions indicates it has concerns that the proposed merger creates antitrust problems. Depositions will be needed if the agency approves the deal with conditions or, in rare cases, if it decides to try to stop it. The department could also decide to approve the merger without requiring asset sales.

Depositions preserve testimony if the department decides to challenge the merger, said Robert Doyle, an antitrust expert with Doyle, Barlow and Mazard PLLC.

If the deal is approved, the new airline would have 68 percent of the slots at Reagan National, far more than Delta Air Lines with 12 percent, United Airlines with 9 percent and the 11 percent held by other airlines, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

The companies have pushed back hard against any suggestion that takeoff and landing slots at Reagan National be sold.

US Airways CEO Doug Parker told lawmakers in congressional testimony last week that requiring the combined company to surrender slots could mean fewer flights to small and medium-sized cities.

Antitrust experts have said the Justice Department could request divestitures of some slots at Reagan National and a small number of other airports. Outside these hubs, the carriers fly different routes for the most part.

In late May, more than 100 members of Congress asked U.S. regulators to allow the new American to keep all the slots at Reagan National. The airport is used by many members of Congress to travel to and from their home districts.

The U.S. airline industry has undergone five years of rapid consolidation. Delta acquired Northwest Airlines in 2008, United merged with Continental in 2010 and Southwest Airlines Co bought discount rival AirTran in 2011.

With fewer carriers competing, ticket prices have risen. The average fare rose about 8 percent to $375 in the third quarter of 2012, compared with $346 in 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2def37a2/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Camerican0Eus0Eairways0Emerger0Efeds0Einvestigate0Epossible0Eantitrust0Eissues0E6C10A480A485/story01.htm

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Oh, Canada: Cavaliers take Bennett with No. 1 pick

NBA Commissioner David Stern, left, shakes hands with UNLV's Anthony Bennett, who was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Indiana's Victor Oladipo, left, and Cody Zeller chat before the NBA basketball draft got underway, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Indiana's Victor Oladipo waits for the NBA basketball draft to begin, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Alex Len, of Ukraine, gestures after being selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Anthony Bennett learned he would be making NBA draft history the same time as everyone else.

"When they said my name," Bennett said. "That's when I knew it happened. I had no idea before."

Who did?

The Cleveland Cavaliers surprisingly made Bennett the first Canadian No. 1 overall pick, and Nerlens Noel tumbled out of the top five and right into a trade Thursday night in an unsettled first round of the draft.

"It was chaotic from the first pick," Minnesota president Flip Saunders said. "When Bennett was taken off the board, that set the tone for the whole draft."

There were moves all night, all of them taking a back seat to one in the works for the team that calls Barclays Center home.

The Brooklyn Nets will acquire Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from Boston in a blockbuster deal that was still developing as the draft neared its conclusion, according to a person with knowledge of the details.

"There was a lot of activity," said Nets general manager Billy King, who wouldn't comment on the trade. "As you guys will find out, there will be a lot of trades that are announced."

His can't be until July 10, after next season's salary cap is set.

As for the draft, it was as unpredictable as expected, capped by Hakeem Olajuwon coming on stage at the end of the first round to greet David Stern, dressed in the same tuxedo style he wore when Stern called his name to start the soon-to-be retired commissioner's first draft in 1984.

One of the favorites to be taken first Thursday night, Noel fell to No. 6, where the New Orleans Pelicans took him and then dealt his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers for a package headlined by All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, according to a person familiar with the details. That trade can't become official until July 10 because of salary cap concerns, according to another official with knowledge of the deal.

The Cavaliers started things by passing on centers Noel and Alex Len, who went to Phoenix at No. 5, in favor of Bennett, the UNLV freshman forward who starred for Canada's junior national teams and was the Mountain West Conference freshman of the year. Bennett led a record 12 international players who were taken in the first round.

"I'm just as surprised as anyone else," Bennett said.

There was suspense right until the end of the Cavs' 5-minute window to make their selection, either because they were unsure who they wanted or were trying to trade the pick. Most predictions had them taking one of the big men, with Noel largely considered the favorite for the No. 1 choice even after a torn ACL that ended his lone season at Kentucky in February.

"I thought everything was in the air, so I wasn't thinking I was the No. 1 pick," Noel said.

Stern, booed heavily for most of his final draft, added to the surprise of the moment by pausing slightly before announcing the Cavs' pick, their first at No. 1 since taking All-Star Kyrie Irving in 2011.

Orlando passed on both of the big men, too, going with Indiana swingman Victor Oladipo with the No. 2 pick. Washington took Otto Porter Jr. with the third pick, keeping the Georgetown star in town.

Ten years after the Cavaliers selected LeBron James to start a draft that included future NBA championship teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the top five, this one lacked star power and perhaps even the promise of stardom.

Bennett, Noel and Len are all coming off injuries and couldn't even work out for teams, but the Cavs decided Bennett's shoulder surgery wasn't enough cause for concern.

Len walked up to meet Stern and collect his orange Suns hat, then sat down near the stage to put on the walking boot he needs for the stress fracture of his left ankle that was discovered after Maryland's season.

Noel finally went to New Orleans with the next pick. He didn't seem upset at his fall down the draft board, hugging his mother and shaking hands with Kentucky coach John Calipari.

It was a good start to the night for the Hoosiers, with Cody Zeller going to the Charlotte Bobcats two places after Oladipo.

Kansas guard Ben McLemore, another player who was considered a potential top-three pick, also dropped, going seventh to Sacramento.

Headed by a lackluster class, the draft promised confusion and second-guessing, with no consensus No. 1 pick and little agreement among the order of the top five.

And with lesser-known names in the draft, veterans soaked up the spotlight in the hours leading up to it.

Yahoo Sports first reported that the Nets and Celtics were working on the trade that would complete the breakup of the Celtics' veteran core.

ESPN reported earlier Thursday that Dwight Howard was unlikely to return to the Los Angeles Lakers when he becomes a free agent next month.

The guys coming into the league were glad for the attention they did finally get once their names were called.

"It's like a weight vest you took off after running five miles," Oladipo said. "It's relaxing, man. But at the same time, you know it's just getting started."

National player of the year Trey Burke of Michigan also was traded, the Timberwolves sending his rights to Utah for the rights to Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng, the 14th and 21st picks.

Lehigh's C.J. McCollum rounded out the top 10 by going to Portland.

Stern, retiring in February, seemed to play up the boos, which turned to cheers after every pick, fans perhaps as puzzled as some of the players at the names they were hearing.

"I was just kidding my agent because he didn't bail me out," Zeller said. "He didn't tell me. I didn't know until David Stern announced it. It's a crazy process not knowing, but I'm definitely excited that I ended up with the Bobcats."

Other players couldn't get too excited about their new addresses, because they changed quickly.

Stern was announcing deals by the middle of the first round and they kept coming after he called it a night and turned things over to Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver for the final 30 picks.

The flurry of trades wasn't surprising with so much uncertainty surrounding this class and so much hope in other areas. Teams such as Houston, Dallas and Atlanta already have an eye on Howard's future, needing to have necessary salary cap space to offer a maximum contract that could lure him away from Los Angeles.

The 2014 class ? which could be topped by a second straight Canadian in incoming Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins ? will be higher regarded than this one, with James perhaps heading the available free agents to follow.

Local fans seemed pleased with their picks, cheering loudly when the Nets took Duke forward Mason Plumlee at No. 22 and the New York Knicks grabbed Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. two picks later.

Stern made his final pick to close the first round to cheers of "David! David!" before handing things off to Silver. Seven deals were official by the time Silver wrapped it up, with some, including the Noel trade, still being worked on even after the draft was finished.

___

AP Basketball Writer Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-28-NBA%20Draft/id-cf98aafe0e0b498cb2c6c851582b3ab5

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Zimmerman testimony focuses on letter given to Trayvon Martin's mom

Editor?s note: This story contains racially charged language that may be offensive to some readers.

A friend who was on the phone with Trayvon Martin moments before he was killed gave the unarmed teen?s mother a letter outlining the events leading up to his death. In the letter she didn?t count race among the reasons why Martin may have been killed, despite later testifying that circumstances around the death were racially charged.

Rachel Jeantel, 19, took the witness stand Thursday for a second day in George Zimmerman?s second-degree murder trial and answered questions about the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting of Martin, which Zimmerman is charged with. She also answered questions about a letter she says she wrote with a friend and gave to Martin?s mom several weeks after Martin?s death.

Martin, 17, was shot and killed while walking back to his dad?s girlfriend?s gated Sanford, Fla., community from a convenience store on a rainy evening. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges, claiming he was acting in self-defense.

Jeantel, of Miami, was the last person on the phone with Martin the night he was killed and says she heard the start of her friend?s deadly confrontation with Zimmerman. She?s considered a key witness for the prosecution.

On Thursday, a defense attorney questioned Jeantel about the letter she had given to Martin?s mom, Sybrina Fulton, and asked why the letter didn?t have any references to racially charged reasons for the killing ? a motive the defense is trying to quash for why Zimmerman, who is of white and Hispanic descent, shot Martin, who is black.

A copy of the letter was read in court to jurors:

?I was on the phone when Trayvon decided to go to the corner store. It started to rain so he decided to walk through another complex because it was raining too hard. He started walking, then noticed someone was following him. Then he decided to find a shortcut ?cause the man wouldn?t follow him. Then he said the man didn?t follow him again. Then he looked back and saw the man again. The man started getting closer, then Trayvon turned around and said, ?Why are you following me?? Then I heard him fall, then the phone hung up. I called back and text. No response. In my mind I thought it was just a fight. Then I found out this tragic story.?

See the letter that was presented in court (.pdf)

The letter was dated March 19, 2012, and was signed ?Diamond Eugene? ? which Jeantel told the court was her nickname.

Defense attorneys asked Jeantel to read the letter in court, but Jeantel said she was unable to read it because she can?t read cursive. When they probed her as to how she could have written the letter if she can?t read cursive, she told them she dictated the words to a friend, who wrote it for her. So defense attorneys read it aloud to the courtroom instead.

While the letter was read, Trayvon Martin?s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, showed little emotion, staring straight ahead in the courtroom.

But defense attorney Don West was more curious about what the letter left out rather than what was in it. He asked Jeantel about an interview with the Martin family attorney in which race relations had come up.

?It was in the interview with Mr. [Benjamin] Crump that you said you thought this was a racial thing?? West asked.

?He had asked me if it was a racial thing,? Jeantel responded.

Jeantel said her opinion on motives around Martin?s killing was untainted by outside sources because she didn?t watch the news, and decided that based on ?how the situation happened? she had come to the conclusion that the killing was racially motivated. West asked if the fact that Martin had told her on the phone that a ?creepy ass cracker? was following him influenced her suspicions about it being racially motivated; Jeantel told him it did not, that the fact that Martin was ?being followed? was more what made her think it was a racially charged event.

West also asked why Jeantel left out other details of the night from the letter. On Wednesday, Jeantel testified in the Sanford, Fla., courtroom that the last words she heard Martin say before the phone cut out were ?Get off, get off.? West wanted to know why she didn?t mention those final words that she heard to his grieving mother as she explained what happened that night when she went to hand-deliver her letter.

?Ms. Fulton did not ask me,? Jeantel said.

Jeantel also admitted giving a different play-by-play of the phone call to Crump vs. what she testified Wednesday. She told Crump during an interview last year that while she was talking to Martin she heard a man on the phone ask, ?What are you talking about?? But Wednesday, Jeantel had testified that on that night she heard a man who sounded to be out of breath say to Martin, "What are you doing around here?"

Martin then said, ?Get off, get off,? before the phone cut off, Jeantel said Wednesday.

She said that Martin had said a man was following him in the minutes before his death, and that she had advised her friend to run away. After the phone line went dead, she called and texted Martin, but got no response.

Woman who placed 911 call testifies
On Wednesday afternoon, following Jeantel?s testimony, a representative from T-Mobile ? the carrier of the phone Martin had the night he was killed ? took the stand to answer questions about Martin?s phone records, focusing on calls prior to his death.

Jenna Lauer, a resident of Twin Lakes who was home with her husband watching TV when Martin was killed, was next.

Lauer is the woman who placed the call that captured screams in the moments before Martin's death.

That call was the subject of hearings over the last several weeks about whether to admit testimony of experts hired by the state who concluded the screaming voice was not Zimmerman's.

Last weekend, Judge Debra Nelson sided with the defense and ruled the expert testimony would not be heard.? But Nelson said the recording itself could be played, which it was in court on Thursday.

Lauer testified that she and her husband muted the TV on Feb. 26 after they heard sounds coming from the direction of the backyard ? something that at first ?just sounded like loud talking,? she said, but she said she couldn?t make out any words.

Lauer told the court she didn?t hear anyone say ?You?re going to die tonight, mother***er? ? a phrase Zimmerman told police that Martin uttered in the moments before Zimmerman drew his gun.

Later under cross-examination, she also said she didn?t hear anyone say ?Why are you following me for?? a question Martin, according to Jeantel, had asked in his last moments.

Lauer later described the sounds as being people ?scuffling around.?

?I keep saying scuffling because it sounded like sneakers on pavement and grass,? Lauer said.

As the noises continued and turned into ?yelping,? Lauer called 911.

The yelps, plus screams for help, could be heard while she was on the phone with 911, but Lauer, who was a member of the Retreat at Twin Lakes? homeowners? association and had seen Zimmerman several times, couldn?t see who the screams were coming from. She said a gunshot went off while she was still on the phone with 911, and the screams stopped afterwards.

As for who was yelling for help, ?it was one person,? Lauer said, and it was a man, although she couldn?t identify who it was. She said neither she nor her husband looked out the window during the incident, fearing they may get hurt.

Zimmerman, 29, was a neighborhood watch volunteer in the Retreat at Twin Lakes community at the time of the killing. He could face life in prison if he is convicted.

Editor's note: George Zimmerman has sued NBC Universal for defamation. The company strongly denies the allegation.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663306/s/2de5a840/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A60C270C191756210Ezimmerman0Etestimony0Efocuses0Eon0Eletter0Egiven0Eto0Etrayvon0Emartins0Emom0Dlite/story01.htm

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Mandela family feud over where he should be buried

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela addresses the media in front the house of her former husband and former South African President Nelson Mandela in Soweto, Friday, June 28, 2013. Members of Nelson Mandela's family as well as South African Cabinet ministers have visited the hospital where the 94-year-old former president is critically ill. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Children from a creche pray for the health of Nelson Mandela outside the entrance to the Mediclinic Heart Hospital where former South African President Nelson Mandela is being treated in Pretoria, South Africa Friday, June 28, 2013. Nelson Mandela's health improved overnight and although his condition remains critical it is now stable, the South African government said on Thursday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela addresses the media in front of the house of her former husband and former South African President Nelson Mandela in Soweto, Friday, June 28, 2013. Members of Nelson Mandela's family as well as South African Cabinet ministers have visited the hospital where the 94-year-old former president is critically ill. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela embraces a wellwisher after making a statement at the house of her former husband and former South African President Nelson Mandela in Soweto, Friday, June 28, 2013. Members of Nelson Mandela's family as well as South African Cabinet ministers have visited the hospital where the 94-year-old former president is critically ill. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? As Nelson Mandela remained critical condition in hospital Friday, a family feud over where the 94-year-old former president should be buried went to the courts, according to South Africa's national broadcaster.

Mandela's oldest daughter, Makaziwe, and 15 other family members have pressed a court application to get Mandela's grandson to return the bodies of three of Mandela's children to their original graves in the eastern rural village of Qunu, according to the SABC.

The grandson, Mandla Mandela, acknowledges having reburied the three bodies 20 kilometers (13 miles) away in the Mvezo village, where he plans to create a Mandela shrine, hotel and soccer stadium, according to the South African Press Association.

Grandson Mandla Mandela has until Saturday to respond to the court filing, reports said.

The anti-apartheid leader built his retirement home in Qunu and was living there until his repeated hospitalizations which started at the end of last year. Nelson Mandela attended the burial of his son at the family plot in Qunu in 2005, and it was widely expected that the leader himself will be buried there.

But his grandson exhumed the bodies of Mandela's three children and moved them to nearby Mvezo, where he holds authority as chief.

Eldest daughter Makaziwe and other Mandela family members want the family bodies returned to their original graves in Qunu, according to the reports.

The family court struggle came as Mandela's ex-wife said that he had improved in recent days, but remained critical.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela gave the update Friday while speaking to journalists outside Mandela's former home in Soweto.

"I'm not a doctor but I can say that from what he was a few days ago there is great improvement," said Madikizela-Mandela, who is a member of South Africa's Parliament.

Madikizela-Mandela pleaded with the media to "understand the sensitivities and the feeling of the family."

His daughter Makaziwe Mandela was among the family members who arrived at the Pretoria hospital on Friday. The ministers of health and defense also visited, the South African Press Association reported.

Outside the Pretoria hospital on Friday, a man flying a drone-like object with a camera attached was led away by several policemen, adding to an already heightened atmosphere where well-wishers continue to gather to pray for Mandela.

Mandela was taken to the hospital on June 8 to be treated for what the government said was a recurring lung infection. South Africans have held prayers nationwide, and many have left flowers and messages of support outside the hospital as well as his home in Johannesburg.

On Thursday, the office of South African President Jacob Zuma said Mandela's health had improved overnight, and that his condition was critical but stable.

___

Associated Press writer Wandoo Makurdi contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-28-South%20Africa-Mandela/id-406df0a588ff4c98a9745b4b1ec829c3

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Source: http://naughtmuch.com/find-exactly-how-barrie-home-inspections-help/

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Friday, June 21, 2013

What Do You Think of Video for Instagram?

We all knew it was coming, but now it's official: Facebook's potential Vine-killer has finally surfaced in the form of video on Instagram. And as it turns out, the new Instagram feature is pretty different from its Twitter counterpart.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Obama's Berlin speech: History raises the stakes

BERLIN (AP) ? Five years and 50 years. As President Barack Obama revisits Berlin, he can't escape those anniversaries and the inevitable comparisons to history and personal achievement.

His 26-hour whirlwind visit to the German capital caps three days of international summitry for the president and marks his return to a place where he once summoned a throng of 200,000 to share his ambitious vision for American leadership.

That was 2008, when Obama was running for president and those who supported him at home and abroad saw the young mixed-race American as a unifying and transformational figure who signified hope and change.

Five years later, Obama comes to deliver a highly anticipated speech to a country that's a bit more sober about his aspirations and the extent of his successes, yet still eager to receive his attention at a time that many here feel that Europe, and Germany in particular, are no longer U.S. priorities. A Pew Research Center poll of Germans found that while their views of the U.S. have slipped since Obama's first year in office, he has managed to retain his popularity, with 88 percent of those surveyed approving of his foreign policies.

Obama also has an arc of history to fulfill.

Fifty years ago next week, President John F. Kennedy addressed a crowd of 450,000 in that then-divided city to denounce the Soviet bloc and famously declare "Ich bin ein Berliner," German for "I am a Berliner." Since then, presidents from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton have used Berlin speeches to articulate broad themes about freedom and international alliances.

Obama, fresh from a two-day summit of the Group of Eight industrial economies, will speak at the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of Germany's division and later reunification. It is a venue that German Chancellor Angela Merkel denied him in 2008, saying only sitting presidents were granted such an honor.

The past context ? and the weight of it ? are not lost on the White House.

"This is a place where U.S. presidents have gone to talk about the role of the free world essentially," said Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes. "He is seeking to summon the energy and legacy of what's been done in the past and apply it to the issues that we face today."

Rhodes said Obama will make the case that even though the Berlin Wall came down 23 years ago and the threat of nuclear war has dissipated, the type of activism apparent during the Cold War needs to be applied to such current challenges as climate change, counterterrorism and the push for democratic values beyond the United States and Europe.

A senior administration official said Obama will also renew his call to reduce the world's nuclear stockpiles, including a proposed one-third reduction in U.S. and Russian arsenals. He is not expected to outline a timeline for this renewed push. The official insisted on anonymity in order to preview the issue before the president's speech.

Obama will also hold a joint news conference with Merkel.

The visit was attracting widespread attention in Germany. People waved and snapped photos as Obama sped by after his arrival and a thick cluster awaited the motorcade as it passed the Brandenburg Gate. An evening news show in Berlin devoted itself to the president's visit, highlighting "Das Biest," or "The Beast," as the president's armored limousine is called.

There have been a few small protests, including one directed against the National Security Agency's surveillance of foreign communications, where about 50 people waved placards taunting, "Yes, we scan."

Merkel has said she was surprised at the scope of the spying that was revealed and said the U.S. must clarify what information is monitored. But she also said U.S. intelligence was key to foiling a large-scale terror plot and acknowledged her country is "dependent" on cooperating with American spy services.

For Merkel, the visit presents an opportunity to bolster her domestic standing ahead of a general election in September.

The U.S. and the Germans have clashed on economic issues, with Obama pressing for Europe to prime the economy with government stimulus measures, while Merkel has insisted on pressing debt-ridden countries to stabilize their fiscal situations first.

But the two sides have found common ground on a trans-Atlantic trade pact between the European Union and the U.S. At the just-completed G-8 summit, the leaders agreed to hold the first talks next month in the U.S.

___

Associated Press writers Julie Pace, Robert Reid and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obamas-berlin-speech-history-raises-stakes-061335355.html

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Apple TV adds HBO Go and WatchESPN to its ranks

Apple today announced that two more entertainment options will be hitting its set-top offering. HBO Go and WatchESPN have been added to the Apple TV lineup, along with Sky News, Crunchyroll and Qello, joining the ranks of Hulu Plus, Netflix and sports from the MLB, NBA and NHL. Apple also used the opportunity to talk up some download numbers, revealing that iTunes users have downloaded one billion TV episodes and 380 million movies. At present, more than 800,000 episodes and 350,000 movies are purchased per day.

Update: As All Things D points out, the new offerings might not be so rosy for Dish and DirecTV subscribers.

Filed under: HD, Apple

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/19/apple-tv/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Photos: Antoine Dodson Turned Into Fine Art

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Lytro Enables Wi-Fi and Launches a GIF Making App For iOS

Since launching in 2011 Lytro, a miniaturized light field camera, has steadily rolled out a number of updates and new colors. After all, not everything needs to be updated with a new model every year! And today the company is unlocking a new feature that's been hidden since day one: Wi-Fi. Oh, and they're releasing an app, too.

Remember when Lytro first launched and it only worked with Macs? Well, the added Wi-Fi functionality isn't going to do you much good unless you have an iOS device. By using your iPhone's data connection, you can upload full-res "living" photos to Lytro.com or share them for the world to see as a GIF (refocus or perspective shift). You can opt for just Facebook or Twitter and the like. The app itself will only show images that you can refocus by tapping here or there and not the full-fledged perspective shift version. When you're at home and your iOS device is already connected to a Wi-Fi network, the app will prompt you to switch over to the Lytro to upload images on the fly.

Lytro says they want to make an Android app but that a survey of existing customers and potential customers revealed that "the vast majority" have iPhones, so Android owners are SOL for now. The app itself and update for the camera are available today for free.

And no, the company has no plans to license its technology for use in smartphones. [Lytro]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/lytro-enables-wi-fi-and-launches-a-gif-making-app-for-i-513786982

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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Colo. senator who pushed for gun control may lose job (cbsnews)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/313685909?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Obama: NSA secret data gathering "transparent"

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama defended top secret National Security Agency spying programs as legal in a lengthy interview Monday, and called them transparent ? even though they are authorized in secret.

"It is transparent," Obama told PBS's Charlie Rose in an interview to be broadcast Monday. "That's why we set up the FISA court," he added, referring to the secret court set up by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that authorizes two recently disclosed programs: one that gathers U.S. phone records and another that is designed to track the use of U.S.-based Internet servers by foreigners with possible links to terrorism.

The location of FISA courts is secret. The sessions are closed. The orders that result from hearings in which only government lawyers are present are classified.

"We're going to have to find ways where the public has an assurance that there are checks and balances in place ... that their phone calls aren't being listened into; their text messages aren't being monitored, their emails are not being read by some big brother somewhere," Obama said.

Obama is in Northern Ireland for a meeting of leaders of allied countries. As Obama arrived, the latest series of Guardian articles drawing on the leaks claims that British eavesdropping agency GCHQ repeatedly hacked into foreign diplomats' phones and emails with U.S. help, in an effort to get an edge in such high-stakes negotiations.

Obama's announcement follows an online chat Monday by Edward Snowden, the man who leaked documents revealing the scope of the two programs to The Guardian and The Washington Post newspapers. He accused members of Congress and administration officials of exaggerating their claims about the success of the data gathering programs, including pointing to the arrest of would-be New York subway bomber Najibullah Zazi in 2009.

Snowden said Zazi could have been caught with narrower, targeted surveillance programs ? a point Obama conceded in his Monday interview without mentioning Snowden.

"We might have caught him some other way," Obama said. "We might have disrupted it because a New York cop saw he was suspicious. Maybe he turned out to be incompetent and the bomb didn't go off. But at the margins we are increasing our chances of preventing a catastrophe like that through these programs," he said.

Obama also told Rose he wanted to encourage a national debate on the balance between privacy and national security ? a topic renewed by Snowden's disclosures.

Obama, who repeated earlier assertions that the programs were a legitimate counterterror tool and that they were completely noninvasive to people with no terror ties, said he has created a privacy and civil liberties oversight board.

"I'll be meeting with them. And what I want to do is to set up and structure a national conversation, not only about these two programs, but also the general problem of data, big data sets, because this is not going to be restricted to government entities," he said.

Congressional leaders have said Snowden's disclosures have led terrorists to change their behavior, which may make them harder to stop ? a charge Snowden discounted as an effort to silence him.

"The U.S. government is not going to be able to cover this up by jailing or murdering me," he said. He added the government "immediately and predictably destroyed any possibility of a fair trial at home," by labeling him a traitor, and indicated he would not return to the U.S. voluntarily.

Congressional leaders have accused Snowden of treason for revealing once-secret surveillance programs two weeks ago in the Guardian and The Washington Post. The National Security Agency programs collect records of millions of Americans' telephone calls and Internet usage as a counterterror tool. The disclosures revealed the scope of the collections, which surprised many Americans and have sparked debate about how much privacy the government can take away in the name of national security.

"It would be foolish to volunteer yourself to" possible arrest and criminal charges "if you can do more good outside of prison than in it," he said.

Snowden dismissed being called a traitor by former Vice President Dick Cheney, who made the allegations in an interview this week on Fox News Sunday. Cheney was echoing the comments of both Democrats and Republican leadership on Capitol Hill, including Senate Intelligence committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein.

"Being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is the highest honor you can give an American, and the more panicked talk we hear from people like him, Feinstein ... the better off we all are," Snowden said.

The Guardian announced that its website was hosting an online chat with Snowden, in hiding in Hong Kong, with reporter Glenn Greenwald receiving and posting his questions. The Associated Press couldn't independently verify that Snowden was the man who posted 19 replies to questions.

In answer to the question of whether he fled to Hong Kong because he was spying for China, Snowden wrote, "Ask yourself: if I were a Chinese spy, why wouldn't I have flown directly into Beijing? I could be living in a palace petting a phoenix by now."

He added later, "I have had no contact with the Chinese government."

Snowden was working as a systems analyst contractor for NSA at the time he had access to the then-secret programs. He defended his actions and said he considered what to reveal and what not to, saying he did not reveal any U.S. operations against what he called legitimate military targets, but instead showed that the NSA is hacking civilian infrastructure like universities and private businesses.

"These nakedly, aggressively criminal acts are wrong no matter the target. Not only that, when NSA makes a technical mistake during an exploitation operation, critical systems crash," he said, though he gave no examples of what systems have crashed or in which countries.

"Congress hasn't declared war on the countries ? the majority of them are our allies ? but without asking for public permission, NSA is running network operations against them that affect millions of innocent people," he said. "And for what? So we can have secret access to a computer in a country we're not even fighting?"

Snowden was referring to Prism, one of the programs he disclosed. The program sweeps up Internet usage data from all over the world that goes through nine major U.S.-based Internet providers. The NSA can look at foreign usage without any warrants, and says the program doesn't target Americans.

U.S. officials say the data-gathering programs are legal and operated under secret court supervision.

Snowden explained his claim that from his desk, he could "wiretap" any phone call or email ? a claim top intelligence officials have denied. "If an NSA, FBI, CIA, DIA, etc. analyst has access to query raw SIGINT (signals intelligence) databases, they can enter and get results for anything they want," he wrote in the answer posted on the Guardian site. "Phone number, email, user id, cell phone handset id (IMEI), and so on ? it's all the same."

The NSA did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. But Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has said that the kind of data that can be accessed and who can access it is severely limited.

On the web:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/17/edward-snowden-nsa-files-whistleblower#start-of-comments

Follow Dozier on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kimberlydozier

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-nsa-secret-data-gathering-transparent-215408737.html

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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

We're live from London with Huawei at 1pm BST, 8am EDT

Huawei

We're live from Camden's Roundhouse in London, where Huawei is showing off its new smartphones. We're expecting the Ascend P6 -- heavily teased, but not yet officially unveiled, along with more Android goodness. And there's a chance we might get a look at the manufacturer's new Windows Phone handset too, the Ascend W2.

We'll bring you live coverage starting at 1pm local time (BST). That's 8am EDT, or 5am PDT. Liveblog's after the break!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/xMUelv_VtM0/story01.htm

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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Deal of the Day ? HP ENVY 15t-j000 Quad Edition 4th-gen Core i7 ?Haswell? laptop

LogicBUY’s Deal for Tuesday is the customizable HP?ENVY 15t-j000 Quad Edition laptop with Intel Haswell chip, starting $724.99. ?Base features: Intel 4th-gen Core i7-4700MQ 2.3GHz Quad-core CPU 8GB RAM 1TB hard drive, card reader 15.6″ 1366×768 LED-backlit LCD 802.11n WiFi HD Webcam Beats Audio with four speakers and dual drive sub-woofers Four USB 3.0 ports, [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/06/11/deal-of-the-day-hp-envy-15t-j000-quad-edition-4th-gen-core-i7-haswell-laptop-2/

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AT&T extends upgrade period to two years, continues a worrying trend

The big US carriers tend to echo each other's customer-hostile policy decisions all too often, and that's unfortunately happening once again. Effective today, AT&T is shadowing Verizon by extending its standard device upgrade interval from 20 months to the full two years of a typical agreement. All of its new contract subscribers, as well as those whose terms finish in March or later, will have to cope with the longer waiting periods. There's little context for the decision in a corporate memo that we've obtained; we've reached out to AT&T for some background, and we'll let you know if we hear more. Whatever the motivations, it's clearer than ever that habitual upgraders need to either pay the full hardware price or move to more flexible providers.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, AT&T

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/09/att-extends-upgrade-period-to-two-years/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Photos: Bikers Let It All Hang Out For World Naked Bike Ride Day (NSFW): LAist

laist.com:

Hundreds of ballsy cyclists stripped down to nothing (or next to it) and rode through the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon. They rode about 15 miles starting in Elysian Park--much to the chagrin of the local neighborhood watch, we're sure--and coasting through Echo Park, downtown and Chinatown.

Read the whole story at laist.com

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