Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/248404036?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Friday, September 14, 2012
U.S. embassies attacked in Yemen, Egypt after Libya envoy killed
SANAA/CAIRO (Reuters) - Demonstrators attacked the U.S. embassies in Yemen and Egypt on Thursday in protest at a film they consider blasphemous to Islam, and American warships headed to Libya after the U.S. ambassador there died in related violence earlier this week.
Hundreds of Yemenis broke through the main gate of the heavily fortified compound in the capital Sanaa, shouting "We sacrifice ourselves for you, Messenger of God". They smashed windows of security offices outside the embassy and burned cars.
"We can see a fire inside the compound and security forces are firing in the air. The demonstrators are fleeing and then charging back," one witness told Reuters. A security source said at least 15 people were wounded, some by gunfire, before the Yemeni government ringed the area with troops. An embassy spokesman said its personnel were safe.
In Egypt, protesters hurled stones at a police cordon around the U.S. embassy in central Cairo after climbing into the embassy compound and tearing down the American flag. The state news agency said 13 people were hurt in violence which erupted late on Wednesday, following initial protests on Tuesday.
During a similar protest on Tuesday at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libyan Islamists staged military-style assaults on the mission and a safe house refuge. It was the 11th anniversary of al Qaeda's attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.
The U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans died in the assaults, carried out with guns, mortars and grenades. Eight Libyans were injured.
President Barack Obama vowed to "bring to justice" those responsible for the attack, which U.S. officials said may have been planned in advance. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington had nothing to do with the video, which she called "disgusting and reprehensible".
The U.S. military moved two destroyers towards the Libyan coast, in what an official said was a move to give the administration flexibility for any future action against Libyan targets.
The U.S. military also dispatched a Marine Corps anti-terrorist team to boost security in Libya, whose leader Muammar Gaddafi was ousted in a U.S.-backed uprising last year.
Obama said security was being increased at U.S. diplomatic stations around the globe. Nigeria put police on high alert and stepped up security around all foreign missions, fearing an Islamist backlash, possibly after weekly prayers on Friday.
On Thursday, the U.S. consulate in Berlin was partially evacuated after an employee fell ill on opening a suspicious envelope. Bangladeshi Islamists tried to march on the U.S. embassy in Dhaka and Iranian students protested in Tehran.
Earlier in the week, there were protests outside U.S. missions in Tunisia, Sudan and Morocco.
FILM
The attackers were part of a mob blaming America for a film they said insulted the Prophet Mohammad. Clips of the "Innocence of Muslims," had been circulating on the Internet for weeks before the protests erupted.
They show an amateurish production portraying Mohammad as a womanizer, a homosexual and a child abuser. For many Muslims, any depiction of the Prophet is blasphemous and caricatures or other characterizations have in the past provoked protests.
Clinton said Washington rejected the film's message absolutely. "It appears to have a deeply cynical purpose: to denigrate a great religion and provoke rage," she said.
An actress in the California production said the video as it appeared bore no resemblance to the original filming. She had not been aware it was about the Prophet Mohammad.
Among the assailants in Benghazi, Libyans identified units of a heavily armed local Islamist group, Ansar al-Sharia, which sympathizes with al Qaeda and derides Libya's U.S.-backed bid for democracy.
Former Libya militant commander Noman Benotman, now president of Britain's Quilliam think-tank, said Western officials were investigating a possible link with a paramilitary training camp about 100 miles south of the eastern Libyan town of Derna, near the Egyptian border.
U.S. officials said there were suggestions members of al Qaeda's north-Africa based affiliate may have been involved.
Yemen, a key U.S. ally, is home to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), viewed by Washington as the most dangerous branch of the militant network established by Osama bin Laden.
The attacks could alter U.S. attitudes towards the revolutions that toppled secularist authoritarian leaders in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia and brought Islamists to power.
The violence also could have an impact on the closely contested U.S. presidential race ahead of the November 6 election.
Republican Mitt Romney, Obama's challenger, criticized the government's response to the crisis, saying it was disgraceful to be seen to be apologizing for American values of free speech. Obama's campaign accused Romney of trying to score political points at a time of national tragedy.
The attack raised questions about the future U.S. diplomatic presence in Libya, relations between Washington and Tripoli, and the unstable security situation after Gaddafi's overthrow.
Some see such aggressive religiosity as a tactic by hardline Islamist groups keen to mark out their differences from more mainstream Muslim leaders who have risen to positions of power.
SAFE HOUSE
Stevens, 52, had spent a career operating in perilous places, mostly in the Arab world and became the first American ambassador killed in an attack since Adolph Dubs, the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan, died in a 1979 kidnapping attempt.
A Libyan doctor at a Benghazi hospital pronounced him dead of smoke inhalation and U.S. information technology specialist Sean Smith also died. Two other Americans were killed when a squad of U.S. troops sent by helicopter from Tripoli to rescue diplomats from the safe house came under mortar attack.
Libyan leader Mohammed Magarief and Yemeni President Mansour Hadi both apologized to the United States over the attacks and Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Mursi condemned them on television while also rejecting any "insult to the Prophet".
Many Muslim states focused their condemnation on the film and will be concerned about preventing a repeat of the fallout seen after publication in a Danish newspaper of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. This touched off riots in the Middle East, Africa and Asia in 2006 in which at least 50 people died.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called the making of the movie a "devilish act" but said he was certain those involved in its production were a very small minority.
The U.S. embassy in Kabul appealed to Afghan leaders for help in "maintaining calm" and Afghanistan ordered the YouTube site shut down so Afghans would not be able to see the film. YouTube, owned by Google Inc, said it would not remove the clip but blocked access in Egypt and Libya.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, a sharp critic of last year's Western military intervention in Libya and of Western backing for Syria's rebels, condemned the violence and called on new Arab governments to take responsibility for containing it.
(Additional reporting by Samia Nakhoul in Beirut, Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Hadeel Al Shalchi in Tripoli, Sami Aboudi in Dubai, Raissa Kasolowsky in Abu Dhabi, Sarah N. Lynch, Arshad Mohammed, Andrew Quinn, Matt Spetalnick, Steve Holland and Mark Hosenball in Washington, William Maclean in London and Reuters reporters in Cairo and Benghazi; Writing by Philippa Fletcher; Editing by Janet McBride and Alastair Macdonald)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-embassies-attacked-yemen-egypt-libya-envoy-killed-113727046.html
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Thursday, September 13, 2012
Yankees beat Red Sox 5-4, lose Jeter
BOSTON (AP) ? Curtis Granderson hit two home runs, Robinson Cano also homered and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Wednesday night to remain tied for first place in the AL East.
The Yankees finished the game without shortstop Derek Jeter, who left in the eighth after pulling up lame running out a double-play grounder to end the inning.
A day after Jacoby Ellsbury's game-ending single dropped New York into a tie with Baltimore atop the division, the Yankees got all their runs on homers to remain there. The Orioles beat Tampa Bay 3-2 on Wednesday night, preserving the tie and dropping the Rays three games back in the division.
David Phelps (4-4) gave up one run on five hits and a walk in 5 2-3 innings, striking out five. Rafael Soriano got four outs for his 37th save, but not before allowing a solo homer to Jarrod Saltalamacchia to lead off the ninth, followed by a fly ball that left fielder Chris Dickerson caught at the base of the Green Monster.
Mauro Gomez grounded out meekly to second base for the second out, then Soriano misplayed Mike Aviles chopper to extend the game. But Ellsbury followed with another chopper and Soriano gloved it, throwing to first for the final out.
Aaron Cook (3-10) allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out two in five-plus innings. Saltalamacchia had a double, a triple, a homer and a walk for Boston, which lost for the 12th time in 14 games.
The matchup of longtime division foes lacked much of the intensity that had characterized their rivalry in the past decade, gaining life only at the end after embattled Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was ejected ? along with outfielder Cody Ross and third base coach Jerry Royster ? for arguing a called third strike. The game was officially announced as a sellout, the 787th in a row at Fenway Park, but there were thousands of no-shows and many of those who did attend were Yankees fans.
They saw Granderson lead off the fourth inning with a homer and, after Alex Rodriguez singled, Cano followed with his career-high 30th home run to make it 3-0. Granderson homered again in the seventh inning after Jeter singled to make it 5-1.
In all, the Yankees have hit 34 homers in 14 games against the Red Sox this season.
The Red Sox made it 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh after back-to-back doubles by Saltalamacchia and Daniel Nava left runners on second and third. One run scored on Gomez's groundout and another came in on Aviles' pinch-hit RBI double.
Jeter bounced into the inning-ending double play with runners on first and third in the eighth. After failing to beat the relay, he came up limping just after he stepped on the bag.
Manager Joe Girardi and a trainer rushed onto the field as Jeter walked back to the infield. Jeter walked with them to the dugout, slowly, then was replaced at short by Casey McGehee.
Notes: Jeter scored his 1,860th run, passing Mel Ott for 12th on the career list. ... Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione was honored for 30 years with the team in a pregame ceremony. ... The Red Sox activated RHP Scott Atchison (right elbow strain) from the 60-day disabled list and transferred LHP Franklin Morales (left shoulder inflammation) to the 60-day DL. ... Red Sox outfielder Cody Ross was ejected after arguing a called third strike with a runner on second the eighth inning. ... Phelps had not won in four starts since Aug. 13. It's just the third time in nine starts that he has retired more than 15 batters. ... Cook has won just once in 12 starts since June.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/yankees-beat-red-sox-5-4-lose-jeter-031043842--mlb.html
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Scientists ID new species of monkey in Congo
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) ? A team of scientists says it has identified a new species of monkey in central Africa that had been known to the locals simply as lesula, a medium sized, slender animal that looks similar to an owl-faced monkey already known to scientists.
In findings published this week in the scientific journal Plos One, the researchers identified the new species as Cercopithecus lomamiensis, which is endemic to the lowland rainforests of central Congo. This is only the second time in the past 28 years that a species of money has been discovered, they said, highlighting the importance of preserving biodiversity in central Africa where forests are threatened by illegal logging.
Scientists began investigating after seeing a young female monkey of unknown species at the home of a school director.
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Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Sennheiser HD 558
In the modern era of headphones, the focus is often on compatibility with mobile devices and computers, not to mention booming bass or wireless use. Thus, it's truly refreshing to see a no-frills headphone pair like the Sennheiser HD 558 . At $179.95 (direct), its primary competitors?in terms of price?are designed for use with iPhones, but the HD 558 lacks a remote or microphone. It's intended for use with home stereo systems and has no extra features, but its lush bass and an expanded spatial presence make this one of the best-sounding headphone pairs in this price range, netting it our Editors' Choice award.
Design
With velour padding on the earcups and the underside of the headband, the black matte design of the HD 558 puts comfort before visual appeal. The HD 558 is by no means unattractive; it's just a bulky headphone pair without much flair aside from the Sennheiser logo in metallic-colored plastic. The circumaural design encloses your ears completely, but the open design of the earcups projects some sound outward, through the black cloth grille covers on the outside panels of each ear. This means that, to some extent, anyone near you will be able to hear the music you're playing, and it also makes the HD 558 a non-candidate for tracking in home or professional recording studios?the sound leakage will easily be picked up by a nearby microphone.
The HD 558 ships with no carrying case or even protective pouch?its lone accessory is a 3.5mm adapter for use with smaller headphone jacks. It can be used with mobile devices, but it's more than a little unwieldy with the adapter attached. The HD 558 is almost a case study in what $180 buys you when you eliminate any added features, accessories, or celebrity endorsements?and its audio-focused design offers a strong explanation for why the HD 558 sounds better than nearly every competitor in the same price range.
Performance
One of the best design elements: Sennheiser employs an "Internal Sound Reflector," which basically means that the slightly recessed inner panels of each earcup not only push sound toward the ear, but away from it. The effect is stunning?it sounds as if the audio is playing elsewhere in the room rather than right against your ear. And it's not a digital effect, it is simple design, and can be found in other headphones, as well, like the magnificent?and extremely expensive?Grado GS1000.
While the HD 558 isn't completely immune to the current trend of seriously boosted bass response, it treats low frequencies with grace. On deep bass tracks, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the HD 558 reaches maximum volume without a hint of distortion. For your long term hearing health, we don't suggest listening at this level, but the drivers can handle it without issue. The added spatial presence allows the bass to simultaneously sound powerful without overpowering the other crucial elements of the mix. On instrumental tracks like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," the bass presence adds a nice resonance to the booming drums and lower register strings without lending things an unnatural sound.
Highs and mids are all on seemingly equal footing, allowing vocals and percussion to shine. Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" is delivered with emphasis on the details, from the subtle vinyl crackle in the quieter moments of the intro to the menacing resonance of deep bass synth hits. The HD 558 does a particularly great job when dealing with both vocals and deep percussion?whether it's Jay-Z or Bill Callahan's ominous baritone on "Drover," we get equal, exciting servings of crystal-clear vocals and bass drum thumps, a perfect marriage of hi-mids and bass, and an excellent example of how well-balanced headphones can sound powerful and exciting.
If you can't commit to a stay-at-home headphone pair, you might be able to make the HD 558 work on-the-go by tucking it in a messenger bag or purse, where the cumbersome mini-adapter can be out of the way and out of sight. But you'll be forgiven if you'd rather just have a solid headphone pair that is designed to work with your phone. Bowers & Wilkins makes two excellent options, the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones ?and the Bowers & Wilkins P3 ?both are supra-aural (on-ear) headphone pairs designed for mobile use. The recent Harman Kardon CL ?is another well-designed, phone-friendly pair with strong audio performance, though it can't match the HD 558 in the comfort department.
If you like the idea of a straight-up headphone pair with no phone controls, but the HD 558 is more expensive than your budget allows, the Shure SRH550DJ ?is a quality, affordable option, intended for recording studios and DJs, but perfectly suitable for home stereo systems, as well. For the price, however, the Sennheiser HD 558 knocks it out of the park?it's a bargain, and wins our Editors' Choice award easily.
More Headphone Reviews:
??? Sennheiser HD 558
??? Denon Music Maniac AH-C400 In-Ear Headphones
??? Harman Kardon AE
??? Denon Urban Raver AH-C300 In-Ear Headphones
??? Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless
?? more
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/8dspUtiT7iU/0,2817,2409401,00.asp
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Chicago teachers strike rolls into 2nd day
CHICAGO (AP) ? Negotiators were back behind closed doors Tuesday on the second day of Chicago's teachers strike, but publicly the teachers union and school board couldn't even agree on whether they were close to a deal.
The union issued a statement at midday saying negotiators had returned to the bargaining table and were discussing one of the most serious remaining issues, a new teacher evaluation system. But the union said it had signed off on only six of 48 articles in the contract and that the two sides had "a considerable way to go."
"To say that this contract will be settled today is lunacy," union President Karen Lewis said at one of several sites around the city where teachers gathered to chant and wave placards.
School board officials have repeatedly described the two sides as being close and suggested bargaining could be wrapped up quickly with agreements on the evaluations and a dispute about the recall of teachers who lose their jobs.
Earlier, Mayor Rahm Emanuel reiterated his belief that the strike could have been avoided altogether. At an appearance with principals and former principals, he addressed another sticking point over how teachers are hired, insisting that principals ? not the city or the union ? should have full control to pick their team.
"I don't think downtown should be in the business of selecting teachers that the local school principal should select if you're going to hold them accountable," Emanuel said, as several hundred protesting teachers chanted and banged on drums.
A group of seven educators backed him up. One was Mahalia Hines, a member of the Board of Education and a former principal at a school in the violent Englewood neighborhood. She said it was essential that she be allowed to choose her staff "in that war zone."
"If I'm a principal and you're going to hold me accountable, you're going to fire me. I want to pick my people," she said.
Meanwhile, parents and caregivers were once again scrambling to figure out what to do with more than 350,000 idle children. On Monday, only about 18,000 students showed up at schools and other venues where authorities organized activities and provided meals for those in need. That means the vast majority of parents have to make alternative arrangements or leave their children unsupervised through the day.
The walkout ? less than a week after most schools opened for fall ? has created an unwelcome political distraction for Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In a year when labor unions have been losing ground nationwide, the implications were sure to extend far beyond Chicago, particularly for districts engaged in similar debates.
"This is a long-term battle that everyone's going to watch," said Eric Hanuskek, a senior fellow in education at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. "Other teachers unions in the United States are wondering if they should follow suit."
The union had vowed to strike Monday if there was no agreement on a new contract, even though the district offered a 16 percent raise over four years and the two sides had essentially agreed on a longer school day. With an average annual salary of $76,000, Chicago teachers are among the highest-paid in the nation, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality. But some teachers said raises were less important to them than other issues.
Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said he took officers off desk duty and deployed them to deal with any protests as well as the scores of students who might be roaming the streets, but police said there were no incidents on Monday.
Renee Conley, whose husband dropped off their two elementary-age children and a granddaughter at Mays Elementary ? where some picketers yelled "don't go in!" ? said she doesn't blame the teachers and thinks Emanuel should give them what they want "because he's not in the classroom with those kids."
"They need to be at school and learning," she said. "I don't want my children or others to get off track."
The strike has quickly become part of the presidential campaign. On Monday, Republican candidate Mitt Romney said teachers were turning their backs on students and that Obama was siding with the striking teachers in his hometown. Obama's top spokesman said the president has not taken sides and is urging both the union and district to settle the dispute quickly.
Emanuel, who recently agreed to take a larger role in fundraising for Obama's re-election, dismissed Romney's comments as "lip service."
But one labor expert said a major strike unfolding in the shadow of the November election could only hurt a president who desperately needs the votes of workers, including teachers, in battleground states.
"I can't imagine this is good for the president and something he can afford to have go on for more than a week," said Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
For two decades, contract agreements have slowly eroded teachers' voices, Bruno said. "But this signals to other collective bargaining units that the erosion of teachers' rights isn't inevitable. They (the union members) are telling them, 'You don't have to roll over.'"
___
Associated Press Writer Sophia Tareen contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chicago-teachers-strike-rolls-2nd-day-204255504.html
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Monday, September 10, 2012
US debt collectors cash in on $1 trillion in student loans ? RT
A student walks near Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA.(AFP Photo / Kevork Djansezian)
Most US college students hope to land a good job with a high salary after graduation. But for some the reality is very different. Many find themselves faced with insurmountable debt ? and a loan industry that?s happy to cash in on their misfortune.
?As the number of people taking out government-backed student loans has soared, so has the number of borrowers who have fallen behind in making payments.
Around 5.9 million people nationwide have fallen at least 12 months behind in their payments. This number has grown by a third in the last five years, according to a State Higher Education Finance survey.
Many who can?t repay their loans feel they have no choice but to default. It?s a decision that can be disastrous?? ruining a borrower?s credit and increasing the amount they owe. It can also result in penalties of up to 25 per cent of the balance.
Despite the scary consequences, young adults across America have chosen to default on their loans. And that decision has resulted in a cat-and-mouse game with the government.
?I keep changing my phone number. In a year, this is probably my fourth phone number,? former student Amanda Cordeiro told the New York Times.
Cordeiro receives up to seven calls a day from debt collectors attempting to recover her $55,000 in overdue student loans. But phone calls are just the beginning.
Since the federal government imposes no statute of limitations for collecting loan repayments, escaping the debt is nearly impossible.
?You are going to pay it, or you are going to die with it,? said John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at SmartCredit.com.
As America?s poor economy causes companies and small businesses to close their doors, the debt collection industry is booming.
Conserve, a debt collection agency in New York, expects to double its payroll in the next three years.
?There is great opportunity,? the company?s president and founder Mark E. Davitt, told the New York Times.
It?s easy to see where that opportunity comes from.
The nationwide student loan balance is more than $1 trillion. It?s a number that makes borrowers cringe.
However, debt collectors are more than grateful for the astronomically high amount of debt among college graduates.
Debt collectors used to receive a steady and reliable income from credit card debt, but the slowing economy has made collection a challenge.
Now, student loans are filling that hole. In fact, many are calling students the ?new oil well? for the debt collection industry.
?While the Department of Education debt collection contract has been one of the most highly sought-after contracts within the ARM industry for years, I believe it is now THE most sought-after contract within this industry, centered within the most sought-after market ? student loans,? mergers and acquisitions specialist Mark Russell wrote on Insidearm.com.
It?s a win-win situation for both the government and collection agencies. Government officials estimate they will collect 76 to 82 cents on every dollar of loans made in fiscal 2013 that end up in default. Borrowers then have to pay collection costs, which go straight to the debt agencies.
In addition to the balance, borrowers are charged for collection costs, which go straight to the debt agencies.
The rewards trickle down to other areas, too.
Educational Credit Management Corp. (ECMC), a Minnesota based agency, benefits from its 18-year-old agreement with the US government, according to Bloomberg News.
The company charges fees to borrowers and earns commissions from taxpayers when it collects on defaulted student loans. And the rewards are lucrative.
ECMC?s debt collectors earn financial perks as a reward from extracting money from defaulted borrowers. In 2010, the company?s top performers received bonuses equivalent to as much as 10 times their base salaries, which range from $33,000 to $46,000.
It?s a never-ending cycle between borrower and lender ? and the winner is almost always the lender. After all, it?s nearly impossible to hide from the government.
?It?s the closest thing to debtor prison that there is on this Earth,? former student Patrick Writer said of his federal loan.
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