Hudson Berkshire Wine & Food Fest to kick off in May - Table ...

The first Hudson Berkshire Wine & Food Festival has been scheduled for May 25 and 26 at the Columbia County Fairgrounds in Chatham. The event is being organized by the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail, which promises:

The festival will feature delicious food products, wine, beers, and spirits tastings, as well as cooking demonstrations and other activities to celebrate the culinary diversity of the valley and the Berkshires.

See the event page here.

Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping/35814/hudson-berkshire-wine-food-fest-to-kick-off-in-may/

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Israel hits target in Syria border area: sources (Reuters)

Israel hits target in Syria border area: sources

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Posted 2013/01/30 at 8:49 am EST

LONDON, Jan. 30, 2013 (Reuters) ? Israeli forces attacked a convoy on the Syrian-Lebanese border overnight, a Western diplomat and regional security sources said on Wednesday, as concern has grown in the Jewish state over the fate of Syrian chemical and advanced conventional weapons.

The sources, four in total, all of whom declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, had no further information about what the vehicles may have been carrying, what forces were used or where precisely the attack happened.

In the run-up to the raid, Israeli officials have been warning very publicly of a threat of high-tech anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles reaching Israel's enemies in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah from Syria. They have also echoed U.S. concerns about Syria's presumed chemical weapons arsenal.

The Lebanese army reported a heavy presence of Israeli jets over its territory throughout the night.

"There was definitely a hit in the border area," one security source said. A Western diplomat in the region who asked about the strike said "something has happened", without elaborating.

An activist in Syria who works with a network of opposition groups around the country said that she had heard of a strike in southern Syria from her colleagues but could not confirm it. A strike just inside Lebanon would appear a less diplomatically explosive option for Israel to avoid provoking Syrian ally Iran.

Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom said on Sunday that any sign that Syria's grip on its chemical weapons was slipping, as President Bashar al-Assad fights rebels trying to overthrow him, could trigger Israeli intervention.

Israeli sources said on Tuesday that Syria's advanced conventional weapons would represent as much of a threat to Israel as its chemical arms should they fall into the hands of Islamist rebels or Hezbollah guerrillas based in Lebanon.

Interviewed on Wednesday, Shalom would not be drawn on whether Israel was operating on its northern front, instead describing the country as part of an international coalition seeking to stop spillover from Syria's two-year-old insurgency.

"The entire world has said more than once that it takes developments in Syria very seriously, developments which can be in negative directions," he told Israel Radio, recalling that President Barack Obama has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of U.S. action if his forces use chemical weapons.

"The world, led by President Obama who has said this more than once, is taking all possibilities into account," Shalom added. "And of course any development which is a development in a negative direction would be something that needs stopping and prevention."

BORDER STRIKE

Whether the strike took place within Syrian territory, or over the border in Lebanon, could affect any escalation from the incident. Iran, Israel's arch-foe and one of Damascus's few allies, said on Saturday it would consider any attack on Syria as an attack on itself. During and since Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah, there have been unconfirmed reports of Israeli strikes on convoys just after they entered Lebanon from Syria.

Israel has long made clear it claims a right to act preemptively against enemy capabilities. Alluding to this, air force chief Major-General Amir Eshel on Tuesday said his corps was involved in a covert and far-flung "campaign between wars".

"This campaign is 24/7, 365 days a year," Eshel told an international conference. "We are taking action to reduce the immediate threats, to create better conditions in which we will be able to win the wars, when they happen."

He did not elaborate on any operations, but did single out the threat Israel saw from Syria's arsenal, calling it "huge, part of it state-of-the-art, part of it unconventional".

Israel fought an inconclusive war in Lebanon with Iranian-backed Hezbollah in 2006. Its aircraft then faced little threat, though its navy was taken aback when a cruise missile hit a ship off the Lebanese coast. Israeli tanks suffered losses to rockets and commanders are concerned Hezbollah may get better weaponry.

Israeli jets regularly enter Lebanese airspace, but its forces have been more discreet about Syrian incursions.

Israel's bombing of a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007, though revealed by then U.S. President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, is still not formally acknowledged by the Israelis.

According to Bush, then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sought to keep the matter quiet so as to reduce the risk of Assad feeling public pressure to retaliate. Syria and Israel are technically at war but have not exchanged fire in a significant way in decades.

A U.N. force sits on the line, north of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where a ceasefire ended their last war in 1973.

Israeli media reported this week that the country's national security adviser, Yaakov Amidror, was sent to Russia and its military intelligence chief Major-General Aviv Kochavi to the United States for consultations.

Shashank Joshi of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London said that there are indications that Hezbollah is training near chemical weapons sites in Syria, with which the Shi'ite Lebanese militia has historically had a strong alliance.

"We also know that (Syria's) use of tactical ballistic missiles has been escalating - presumably as air power becomes harder to use in contested areas, and rebels seize larger targets like bases that are amenable to missile attack," he said.

Worries about Syria and Hezbollah have sent Israelis lining up for government-issued gas masks. According to the Israel post office, which is handling distribution of the kits, demand roughly trebled this week.

"It looks like every kind of discourse on this or that security matter contributes to public vigilance," its deputy director Haim Azaki told Israel's Army Radio. "We have really seen a very significant jump in demand."

(Reporting by Myra MacDonald; Writing by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

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Source: http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/bre90t0k1-us-syria-israel-attack/

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RIM changes name to BlackBerry, unveils 2 phones

NEW YORK (AP) ? After lengthy delays, Research In Motion Ltd. unveiled its first two phones with the new BlackBerry 10 system. The Q10 will have a physical keyboard, while the Z10 has only a touch-screen keyboard. RIM says it will also change its name to BlackBerry to maintain a single brand. It will have the ticker symbol "BBRY" on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

RIM redesigned the BlackBerry system to embrace the multimedia, apps and touch-screen experience prevalent today. The question is whether there's time for the once-pioneering BlackBerry to catch up to Apple's trend-setting iPhone and devices running Google's Android system.

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins hosted the main event in New York. Video of his appearance was shown at other RIM events in Toronto, London, Paris, Dubai, Johannesburg, New Delhi and Jakarta, Indonesia.

RIM initially said BlackBerry 10 would come by early 2012, but then the company changed that to late 2012. A few months later, that date was pushed further, to early 2013, missing the lucrative holiday season. The holdup helped wipe out more than $70 billion in shareholder wealth and 5,000 jobs.

RIM had shown off prototypes and previews before. Wednesday's event was the first time RIM showed off a complete product and announced some details on availability.

Most analysts consider a BlackBerry 10 success to be crucial for the company's long-term viability.

RIM is promising a speedier device, a superb typing experience and the ability to keep work and personal identities separate on the same phone. Previews of the BlackBerry 10 software have gotten favorable reviews on blogs. Financial analysts are starting to see some slight room for a comeback. With smartphone sales growing, the BlackBerry 10 can succeed without iPhone and Android users switching.

Regardless of BlackBerry 10's advances, though, the new system will face a key shortcoming: It won't have as many apps written by outside companies and individuals as the iPhone and Android.

Here's a running account of the BlackBerry 10 event, presented in reverse chronological order. All times are EST. Besides Heins, presenters include Alec Saunders, vice president of developer relations, and Martyn Mallick, vice president of global alliances. Frank Boulben, chief marketing officer, joined in a question-and-answer session with reporters.

___

12:25 p.m.

BGC analyst Colin Gillis says RIM addressed the core issues during its presentation, but there's one major problem: You can't buy one yet.

The touch-screen-only model is coming out in the U.S. in March. Gillis says that puts it too close to a May event from Google during which it may announce new Nexus phones. Google's I/O event for developers is scheduled for May 15-17. Speculation about a new iPhone from Apple will also be building.

As for a model with a physical keyboard not coming out until at least April, Gillis says that will alienate some loyal BlackBerry users in the U.S.

___

12:15 p.m.

Adam Leach, principal analyst at research firm Ovum, calls the new system "well-designed" and says the new phones should appeal to existing BlackBerry users. But he says RIM "will struggle to appeal to a wider audience, and in the long-term will become a niche player in the smartphone market."

Malik Saadi, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, offers praise for the Z10 and the fact that with the new system, messaging and other services "are always just one gesture away from the user regardless of the other tasks the phone is performing."

But because the user experience is changing, Saadi says, RIM may struggle at first winning over consumers. He adds, "The minimalistic design of the phone means it does not feature the traditional physical 'buttons' users are accustomed to ? the home button, the back button and the search button. Instead the phone relies predominantly on soft touch and gesture for navigation."

___

Noon

RIM announces availability in additional markets. Most of Latin America should have it by the end of March. Venezuela is getting it March. 10.

In the U.S., all the major carriers are getting it ? AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA.

___

11:55 a.m.

RIM previous announced that it is planning a commercial during the Super Bowl this weekend. Boulben says it's to signal to U.S. customers that the BlackBerry is back.

Although BlackBerry remains popular in many parts of the world, sales have been weak in North America. According to research firm IDC, shipments of BlackBerry phones plummeted from 46 percent of the U.S. market in 2008 to 2 percent in 2012.

___

11:50 a.m.

RIM plans to continue making the PlayBook tablet despite lackluster sales. The company says it will focus on industries such as finance and health care, where RIM can provide value-added services beyond hardware. An upgrade is planned so that existing PlayBooks will get the new BlackBerry 10 system, too.

___

11:45 a.m.

So how to pronounce the new Z10? It's being called "zed-10" around the world ? but "zee-10" in the U.S.

During a question-and-answer session, RIM executives say that some 1,600 companies have been testing the new system.

There's no firm timeframe on the Q10 model, with the physical keyboard, but Heins says he's hoping it will be ready in April.

As for the Z10, Heins says it will have about one day of battery life, but the battery will be removable so you can add a spare one.

___

11:40 a.m.

Some of the initial reaction is lukewarm. Jefferies analyst Peter Misek calls the unveiling good, but not great. But he says "we didn't get any negative surprises."

___

11:21 a.m.

Event wraps up. RIM says it's giving all audience members a Z10 to go.

___

11:20 a.m.

RIM's stock remains down ? about 5.3 percent, at $14.83. It had traded as low as $14.41 earlier as the event took place. It had been up more than 3 percent before the event, with a high for the day of $16.62.

The stock has traded in the range of $6.22 to $18.32 in the past 52 weeks. It's up about 24 percent so far this year, compared with less than 6 percent for the S&P 500 index.

___

11:15 a.m.

RIM brings out singer Alicia Keys, who says she had been in a "long-term relationship" with the BlackBerry, but saw more attractive smartphones at the gym. She says that with the new phone, with new features, "we're exclusively dating again."

___

11:10 a.m.

Heins says the Z10 ? which he's pronouncing "zed-10" ? will be out in the U.K. on Thursday, in Canada on Feb. 5 and in the U.S. in March. Prices will vary by carrier, but they will be around $150 with a three-year service contract in Canada. Testing with U.S. carriers is continuing.

He didn't say when the Q10, with the physical keyboard, will be out or for how much.

___

11:05 a.m.

Mallick talks about some of the apps that are coming to the BlackBerry, including Skype video calling, Kindle e-reader and the "Angry Birds" game. It's also getting social media apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. He says RIM made a push to get the most heavily used apps on the BlackBerry 10.

More than 70,000 apps will be available. That includes some developed for RIM's PlayBook tablet, first released in 2011. Even so, that's just a tenth of what the iPhone and Android offer. Popular service such as Instagram and Netflix won't have apps on BlackBerry 10.

___

10:50 a.m.

RIM demonstrates the Balance, which allows two personas on the same device. Businesses can keep their data secure without forcing employees to get a second device for personal use. It's a previously announced feature.

RIM also unveils the ability to share your entire screen with other users using a feature called BBM Screen Share.

___

10:45 a.m.

RIM's stock drops further to $14.68, down 6.3 percent.

On stage, executives demonstrate the BlackBerry Hub. You can send a Twitter message straight from it, and it integrates LinkedIn. It also integrates your contacts.

The BlackBerry will emphasize typing with one thumb, with gestures and the ability to delete with a thumb swipe anywhere. It will also recognize if you switch languages in the middle of the email, which could be popular in India and other markets where the BlackBerry is still strong.

___

10:40 a.m.

RIM's stock is down 39 cents, or 2.5 percent, at $15.27.

___

10:35 a.m.

The Q10 has a squarish screen measuring 3.1 inches diagonally. The Z10 will have a 4.2-inch screen for a cinematic experience. Heins says the back is textured so that it will be comfortable to hold.

___

10:30 a.m.

Heins introduces two new phones ? the Z10 and the Q10. The Q10 has a physical keyboard, a feature that has kept BlackBerry users loyal over the years. The Z10 will have only a touch-screen keyboard.

Heins says, "''we know there is a lot of physical keyboard lovers out there."

___

10:25 a.m.

Heins says the company will change its name to BlackBerry in order to maintain one brand and one promise.

Heins says the new BlackBerry is being built for people who are "hyper-connected socially." He says it's aimed at people who need balance in their personal and professional lives. Heins made similar remarks when he previewed the BlackBerry 10 at a September speech in San Jose, Calif.

Heins thanks RIM founder Mike Lazaridis and long-time executive Jim Balsillie, who were co-CEOs until Heins took over the helm a year ago. Lazaridis is in the audience in New York and stands up.

___

10:20 a.m.

Heins, who became RIM's CEO last January, says "It has been easily the most challenging year of my career to date." He thanks employees and proclaims, "BlackBerry 10 is here." But he says the launch is just the beginning.

___

10:15 a.m.

Heins appears on stage.

___

10:10 a.m.

Saunders touts the amount of work done by RIM's outside developers. He says BlackBerry 10 is launching with the largest-ever catalog of apps for a new phone operating system.

___

10:05 a.m.

The event in New York begins with a look at BlackBerry 10 events elsewhere through videoconferencing. Customer testimonials follow.

___

10 a.m.

Several hundred people await the start of the event, which is being held in a large warehouse-like entertainment venue on the shore of New York's East River.

___

Gillies contributed from Toronto.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rim-changes-name-blackberry-unveils-2-phones-154227087--finance.html

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Does Heidi's Personal Video Make Her More Relatable?

Heidi Klum: She's just like us! Except prettier. And richer. And marries rock stars.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/heidi-klum-shares-personal-video-facebook-does-it-make-her-relatable/1-a-518695?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aheidi-klum-shares-personal-video-facebook-does-it-make-her-relatable-518695

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Alabama school bus shooting suspect holing up in bunker: police

MIDLAND CITY, Alabama (Reuters) - The gunman suspected of fatally shooting an Alabama school bus driver before holing up in an underground bunker with a young child is a Vietnam veteran with anti-America views, authorities and an organization that tracks hate groups said on Wednesday.

Law enforcement officials from multiple agencies were convened near the bunker in Midland City as an overnight standoff with the shooter continued on Wednesday, said Dothan Police Sergeant Rachel David.

"At this time, law enforcement has extended the evacuation area to ensure the safety of those living in the immediate area," David said in a statement.

Authorities said driver Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, was killed after the gunman boarded a bus ferrying children home from school on Tuesday.

The suspect demanded the driver let a student off the bus, Alabama media reported. When Poland refused, the man boarded the bus, then shot the driver before taking the child and fleeing the scene.

On Wednesday, the gunman remained holed up with the child in the bunker on his property down a dirt road. It was unclear whether the gunman had any relationship to the child, variously identified by local media as 5 or 6 years old.

The shooting comes as national debate rages over gun violence, especially in schools, after a gunman shot dead 20 students and six staff members at a Connecticut elementary school last month.

Schools in the area of the Alabama shooting were closed on Wednesday as authorities continued to negotiate with the gunman. Reuters could not independently verify his identity.

But the Southern Poverty Law Center reported on its Hatewatch blog that a chief investigator with the Dale County Sheriff's Office identified the gunman as 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes.

Investigator Tim Byrd said Dykes' friends and neighbors described him as a "survivalist" who did not trust the government, according to the law center blog.

"He was standoffish, didn't socialize or have any contact with anybody," Byrd told Hatewatch.

Dykes had not been on the law center's radar before the shooting and standoff, and there was nothing to suggest he was a member of any hate group, said senior fellow Mark Potok.

"What it looks like is that he's some kind of anti-government radical and survivalist," Potok told Reuters. "And exactly what that means, we don't know."

Court records show Dykes had been due to appear for a bench trial on Wednesday following his arrest last month on a menacing charge. Local media reported Dykes was accused of pulling a gun on a neighbor who Dykes believed had driven in his yard.

(Reporting by Kaija Wilkinson in Mobile, Alabama; Additional reporting and writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Nick Zieminski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-shoots-school-bus-driver-alabama-child-seized-015512702.html

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Mark Zuckerberg Ends Facebook Phone Rumors

While the social network continues to grow with mobile, there?s no sign of a smartphone in its future

(Image: File)

Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg not only threw a wrench in the rumor mill today, he killed it. On the company?s fourth-quarter earnings call Wednesday Zuckerberg ended all the speculation by dismissing the legendary phone.

?People keep on asking if we?re going to build a phone,? said Zuckerberg. ?We?re not going to build a phone.?

Today?s earning announcement revealed exactly why Facebook doesn?t need to own its own device. Between owning its own apps and photo-sharing site Instagram, Facebook owns more than 25% of the time that users in the US spend on mobile devices, reports ReadWrite.

Read more at ReadWrite?

ACROSS THE WEB

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Source: http://www.blackenterprise.com/technology/mark-zuckerberg-ends-facebook-phone-rumors/

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Shooting reported at Phoenix workplace, reports of four shot

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Four people were reported shot when gunfire erupted at a mortgage company in Phoenix, Arizona media reported on Wednesday.

Officers are looking for a suspect described as a white male in his 60s, local FOX 10 news reported. A nearby intersection was reported closed.

(Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shooting-reported-phoenix-workplace-reports-four-shot-182718485.html

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Shirley Cahela's designs are featured at the Ocean Springs Art ...

OCEAN SPRINGS - Shirley Cahela with Shirley's Jewelry Designs is the Featured Artist for the Ocean Springs Art & Antiques Market at the Mary C. this Saturday.

She makes eclectic designed jewelry using natural stones, coral, shells and crystals.

She is a retired officer in the Air Force security police - a far cry from the delicate craft she creates today.

"I've done a lot of Air Force related cop duties," she said. "In my uniform on duty, I could only wear two little pearl earrings."

But off duty, Cahela said she was fashion conscience.

"I grew up in Los Angeles, and I loved jewelry. It was one of my passions, but I never made any until after I retired," she said.

Her family moved to Ocean Springs when her husband found a job at Ingalls Shipbuilding. In 2007, Cahela said she started making jewelry with beads during a time when her husband and son were undergoing serious medical issues.

"The beading came as a hobby to occupy my hands when waiting. I could focus on my faith and pray at the same time while beading," she said.

She was one of the early vendors at the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center of Arts & Education when the Artists Market started in 2009. From there, she started teaching a jewelry class, and still teaches the class from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. each Tuesday.

"Each class stands on its own. After the class, the students go home with a beautiful necklace and earring set," Cahela said. "I enjoy meeting people."

When she goes home to visit her parents in Los Angeles, Cahela said she goes to the Fashion Bead District in the downtown area where she visits warehouses that specialize in all types of beads.

"I'm like a child in the candy store. I arrive for my visit with a light suitcase, and return home with a full bag," she said.

She also picks up unusual pieces when she visits family in South America. As a result, all of Cahela's jewelry are one-of-a-kind with no two pieces alike. After she completes each piece, she will wear it for a day to make sure it is comfortable and sturdy.

"I test it on myself for enjoyment. Each piece is carefully done with love," she said.

Look for Cahela's booth as the Featured Artist for the Feb. 2 Ocean Springs Art & Antiques Market at the Mary C. Her work is displayed on her Facebook page, and also is available at Poppy's and the F.A.B. Store, both in Ocean Springs.

The popular artists market at the Mary C. is undergoing a facelift for 2013 to enhance its offerings to shoppers. The name of the market has been changed to Ocean Springs Art & Antiques Market at the Mary C. to reflect the broader scope of the newly redesigned market.

"Our primary vendors will continue to be artists and craftsmen and their handcrafted goods, but we are adding antiques and collectibles component to attract more people," said Bryant Whelan, executive director at the Mary C.

Source: http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-living/2013/01/shirley_cahelas_designs_are_fe.html

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German Proposal For Search Engines To Pay For Displaying ...

Google is sounding a warning klaxon about a proposed law change in Germany which aims to strengthen copyright law for press publishers by requiring search engines and online news aggregators to pay a royalty to display snippets of copyrighted text ? such as the first paragraph of an article displayed within a Google News search. If the ancillary copyright law passes, fines would be imposed for unlicensed use of publishers? snippets.

The draft ancillary copyright law (online here in German) gets an expert hearing in a legal committee today, ahead of the second reading (German law requires three readings before a law can be passed), and is backed by the majority of the governing coalition ? having being included in the coalition agreement between the Christian Democratic Union and the Free Democratic Party.

Currently displaying text snippets is free and legal in Germany so Google argues that the proposed amendement is a complete legal reversal.?The issue is known as ?Leistungsschutzrecht?f?r Presseverleger? in German, and has also?colloquially been dubbed a ?Google tax?.

Mountain View is of course ideologically opposed to the proposal ? calling it a ?bad law? and arguing that it breaks the ?founding principle? of the Web?s hyperlink-based architecture. From a business perspective the company questions why it should have to pay for helping publishers to acquire readers. ??We are bringing massive traffic to the publishers? websites,? Google Germany spokesman?Dr.?Ralf?Bremer told TechCrunch. ?We cannot see a reason why we should pay them for bringing them the readers.?

Setting aside the obvious inconvenience to its business, Google argues that?the law will be damaging for web users because it will make it harder for them to find German documents because the context provided through use of snippets will be lost. Why should German publishers be treated differently to other publishers, it says. There?s surely?little doubt that Google would refuse to pay for the snippets if the law passes ? you can imagine the company viewing that path as a slippery slope leading to an avalanche of copyright claims falling on its head ? although at this point Google said it is not in a position to specify how it will respond if the law passes.

What?s certain is that Mountain View is being directly targeted by the proposed law. It specifically cites search engines as the target entity for the additional publisher ?protection? ? and Google is far and away the dominant search engine in Germany. But Mountain View claims the law is not just going to cause it pain ? but could also apply more broadly to other online companies and startups that make use of text snippets.

The text of the current draft of the law states that the proposed protection ?is only against systematic access to the?publishing performance by the search engine providers? (translated from German via Google Translate)?? and goes on to add that?other web users are not included (?such as Blogger, other industrial companies in the economy,?Associations, law firms and private and voluntary users?). However Google points out that the wording of the draft law also references ?suppliers of search engines and suppliers of such services, who process content similar to search engines? as falling within its remit ? a vague definition that it says could even apply to social networks.

?The question ? which services are meant by the latter [portion of the draft law's wording] ? is controversially debated. The latest interpretations, we have seen, assume that Twitter, Facebook and the like will also be affected,? said Bremer. He argues that every web service or information-based startup that wants to use publishers? snippets could potentially be affected.

?As soon as this law comes into place there will have to changes made by every platform working on the web,? he said. ?It?s not just a law about Google? it?s about the entire startup scene that we have in Germany, and especially in Berlin. Because potentially every company that works on the web has to deal with snippets, more or less, in their business.?

?From the day this law comes into place, every company that wants to use these snippets? would have to reach out to publishers and call them individually ? ?hi, can you please allow me to use your snippets and what do I have to pay for that?? And if you understand there are more than 1,200 publishers you can imagine that it is simply not possible,? he added.

Google is not alone in its opposition to the proposal. The German Association of Startups has put out a statement opposing the current proposal?? in which it writes (translated via Google Translate): ?The current proposed intellectual property right for press publishers has?strong potential harm to Internet start-ups in Germany?.?Regulations such as the related right for press publishers slow innovation in Germany and lead to a competitive disadvantage, particularly in an international comparison.?

There is also political opposition ? several of the smaller parties in the government put out a joint statement against the law. And a?coalition of 25 German companies has also come out against it, to name a few of those opposed.

Another problem with the draft law, as Google and other opponents tell it, are the myriad legal gray areas it throws up. For example it does not nail down the definition of a snippet ? meaning it could be left to courts to decide whether a snippet means a few sentences, a few words or even just a URL. ?It is not even sure the pure hyperlinks are free because some hyperlinks contain part of the text,? said Bremer.

If the law is passed ? which is certainly possible, despite widespread opposition, as it has the backing of the governing coalition ? it?s unclear what Google would do at this point, i.e. in terms of whether they would have to pull German snippets from search results. ?We have to look at the final wording, before we can come forward with a decision,? said Bremer.

According to Bremer Germany?s big publishing houses originally lobbied for the law change. He describes them as politically well connected ? and also points out that it?s an election year in Germany this year. ?Pressure from the publishers is really high to get this law done within the coming months,? he said.

Bremer said today?s expert hearing ? which will involve input from a panel of nine experts (ostensibly independent but three of whom Google argues ?belong to the publishers? lobby?) and at which Mountain View has not been invited to speak ??could be ?the last change to get this law off the table or to shape it in a way that is not so dangerous today for the web architecture?. Google?s hope, says Bremer, is for the governing coalition to listen to the views of the independent experts and think again.

?The arguments against this law are very strong. The arguments for this law are very weak,? he added.

So what about the arguments for the proposed law? German publisher Axel Springer?? whose publications include the newspapers Die Welt and Bild ? is an active supporter of the proposals. Asked to respond to Google?s arguments against the copyright extension,?Christoph Keese,?Senior Vice President of?Investor Relations and Public Affairs for the company and chair of the joint copyright committee of Germany?s newspaper and magazine association, told TechCrunch that ?Google?s statements are unfair and disproportionate? and ?in no way represent what this law is really about?.

Keese also rebutted criticisms about the potential scope of the law, claiming it will ?have no effect on the right to quote or link?, and that ?citations and links stay free?.

He continued:

It is neither ?mad? nor will it harm users, the internet, open society or information pluralism. To the contrary: This reform brings German copyright law much closer to the US concept where publishers traditionally enjoy strong rights. Over here publishers have no rights on their own to this very date even though music, film, television and performing arts have enjoyed ancillary rights since the mid sixties.

What this reform does is very simple: It establishes on opt-in model for commercial copies of content and parts of content. This will lead to license agreements between publishers and aggregators.

On the specific point about the impact on startups, Keese argued that being as the pricing for licensing the snippets will be ?reasonable? then ?no business model shall be discouraged?,?adding:

We have carefully considered impact on the thriving start-up culture especially in Berlin. There will be no negative effects. To the contrary: New innovative business models will arrive built on legally licensed content. Even before the law comes to effect we observe rising demand by start ups seeking investment and licensing opportunities.

This law will help establish a market for aggregator content which at the moment is non-existent. Google (>90% market share) displays monopolistic behavior by trying to impose its legal view on publishers to protect its margin. While publishers respect Google?s technological and entrepreneurial achievements we are not prepared to give content away for free. Search indexing is more than welcome. But aggregators have gone far beyond that.

The royalty rate that publishers would charge has not been determined yet. On the question of pricing, Keese said: ?Parliament has not decided yet if it wants the right to be exercised through a collecting society or not. Absent this decision it would be premature to speculate about pricing.?

September 7, 1998

NASDAQ:GOOG

Google provides search and advertising services, which together aim to organize and monetize the world?s information. In addition to its dominant search engine, it offers a plethora of online tools and platforms including: Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Google+, the company?s extension into the social space. Most of its Web-based products are free, funded by Google?s highly integrated online advertising platforms AdWords and AdSense. Google promotes the idea that advertising should be highly targeted and relevant to users thus providing...

? Learn more

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/30/leistungsschutzrecht-expert-hearing/

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Australia lurches from fire to flood

The east coast of Australia has been drenched by floods and torrential rains, even as recent bush fires affecting much of the country continued to burn. Four people are known to have died as Australians get a further taste of extreme weather that is predicted to become more common as the planet warms.

The deluge came as a storm that started as tropical cyclone Oswald just north of Australia was dragged south over most of the east coast by a low-pressure system extending all the way to New South Wales, says Richard Wardle of the Bureau of Meteorology in Queensland. As it hit land, Oswald lost its cyclone status but remained a "vigorous" storm, Wardle says.

With no low-pressure zone further east to pull Oswald out to sea, the storm stayed over land, moving slowly south and dumping huge amounts of rain on coastal communities. Bundaberg, a town in Queensland, experienced its worst-ever flood as the storm lingered nearby for nearly 24 hours, leading to the evacuation of 7500 people from their homes. In Brisbane, the floods were almost as bad as those that devastated the city two years ago.

Climate change to blame

In Queensland and New South Wales, the deluge arrived while the bush fires that broke out two weeks were still smouldering. At the time, the Bureau of Meteorology said that the exceptionally hot, dry weather that led to the fires was "consistent" with climate change. Experts are now drawing the same conclusions about the rains.

"The frequency of more intense events is going to increase. Droughts, heatwaves and ? in northern Australia ? rainfall events and tropical cyclones are going to be more intense," says Jon Nott of James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, who researches extreme weather events.

Nott says that more intense rainfall in the tropics and subtropics is one of the things we can expect with global warming. The connection between tropical cyclones and climate change is complicated: fewer cyclones are expected, but the ones that strike will be more severe. They could also become 20 per cent wetter.

Nott points out that Australia might be experiencing a "double whammy" of climate change and natural variability, driving wetter conditions. One natural pattern, the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation, affects circulation in the Pacific, and reverses every 20 or 30 years. It flipped about five years ago for the first time since 1977, bringing warmer waters to Australia's east coast. "During those phases, Queensland sees more flooding, more rainfall, and more landfalling tropical cyclones," Nott says. Climate change will only compound the effects of such patterns, he says.

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Regular travellers most likely to 'go rogue' | Buying Business Travel

Frequent business travellers are more likely to ?go rogue? and book travel outside their corporate travel programme, according to new research by technology firm Amadeus.

Amadeus UK commissioned ICM Research to survey more than 400 business travellers in the UK and Ireland who work for large companies and are regularly road warriors.

The report, entitled?Amadeus Business Travel Insights: the 21st?Century Business Traveller, found that one-third of travellers had booked their own travel arrangements during last year but this went up to 51 per cent for those who made 11 or more trips in 2012. There were also 18 per cent who booked out of programme at least five times during the year.

There were also mixed signals for travel managers with only 51 per cent of travellers fully understanding their companies? corporate travel policy while 47 per cent said that their travel departments ?neither helped nor hindered their business?. Another 15 per cent said that travel managers actually ?hindered their ability to do business?.

The report found that 66 per cent of travellers could now use online booking tools to arrange their trips but only 34 per cent were currently able to book travel through their smartphones or tablet devices, such as iPads.

Other findings from the survey were that 51 per cent of respondents had to make changes to their travel plans during 2012 with 37 per cent having to change flights while on the road.

Diane Bouzebiba, Amadeus? UK and Ireland managing director, said: ?These findings clearly identify opportunities for travel departments to introduce new services and technologies that will deliver additional value to travellers.

?Over the course of this year, a particular priority for Amadeus UK is to help corporate travel departments better understand the emerging needs of the 21^st century business traveller.?

The majority of travellers (62 per cent) also put convenience as their top priority when travelling ahead of costs (22 per cent) and comfort (15 per cent).

Just under a third of travellers (32 per cent) also said they wanted to have the ability to combine their business travel with holidays by extending their trips at their own cost.

Amadeus will be officially launching the report at next week's Business Travel Show with a keynote address on Tuesday 5 February at 13.30.

Source: http://buyingbusinesstravel.com/news/2920290-regular-travellers-most-likely-go-rogue

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Defense nominee Hagel plans to shed some holdings

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel has told Pentagon officials he plans to divest some of his financial holdings and resign from several corporate boards and public interest groups to avoid potential conflicts of interest if he wins Senate confirmation.

Hagel told Defense Department officials in a letter last week that he would resign his corporate board post at Chevron Corp. and shed investments in the energy firm, a major government contractor. He would also cut ties and investments with the McCarthy Group LLC, an Omaha-based private equity firm.

A new personal financial disclosure filed with the Office of Government Ethics lists Hagel's assets at between $2.8 million and $6 million, according to an Associated Press analysis. Hagel made earnings of more than $1 million last year, including board fees from Deutsche Bank, Zurich Insurance Group and Corsair Capital. Hagel said he would also server ties to those firms.

Hagel's Pentagon nomination has run into heavy fire from conservatives and Republicans who question whether he is sufficiently supportive of Israel. They also question his support for reductions in the nuclear arsenal. Some of his wide-ranging corporate and activist roles have also drawn criticism that his decision-making could be swayed by prior relationships. Hagel's letter to defense officials indicates he is willing to sell off possible conflict holdings and end his directorships to mute those concerns, but would still retain the ability to make his own investments.

In a letter sent last week to Robert Taylor, the Pentagon's acting general counsel, Hagel said that if he wins the defense post, he and his wife would not "invest in any company identified as a Department of Defense contractor or any other entity that would create a conflict of interest with my government duties." Hagel also pledged that if any firm that he has holdings in wins a defense contract, he would sell off those investments.

Some previous nominees for top government positions, such as former Bush administration Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, have placed their holdings in federally approved blind trusts so that they have no direct role in private investments during their tenure. Others have not used blind trusts because of their minimal investments or their preference to keep control over their holdings. Former Reagan administration Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger was among those who avoided blind trusts.

Sen. John Kerry, President Barack Obama's pick for secretary of state, has holdings worth more than $184 million, and is also not using a blind trust. Most of Kerry's investments are made through family trusts, which limit his direct involvement but are not as segregated as blind trusts qualified by the Office of Government Ethics.

Marie Harf, a White House spokesman, said Hagel worked with the OGE and Pentagon lawyers "to ensure he is in compliance with all applicable ethics laws and regulations." She added that his decision to shed any investments and directorships was "typical protocol."

In his letter, Hagel said he would not participate in any decision that "has a direct and predictable effect on my financial interests" and would request a waiver from the ethics office if he planned any move that could affect him financially.

Hagel's decision to sever his dealings and investments with Chevron were clearly dictated by the firm's extensive dealings with the Pentagon. According to government figures, Chevron received more than $500 million in defense contracts in 2012, ranking 78th among the department's largest corporate beneficiaries.

Hagel joined Chevron's board of directors in 2010 and made $116,000 in fees in 2012. He also has Chevron common stock worth between $100,000 and $250,000 according to his disclosure.

Activists from both the left and right have questioned Chevron's recent involvement with repressive governments, including its plans to develop natural gas reserves in Turkmenistan and its pipeline work in Burma.

One conservative non-profit interest group, the American Future Fund, took aim at Hagel's relationship with Chevron, asking in an attack ad: "How can Chuck Hagel run the Pentagon with so many ethical questions about his own record?"

That broadside came before Hagel's letter outlining his divestment plans. In addition to Hagel's pledge, the Senate Armed Services Committee also has some of the most stringent rules for nominees for senior civilian positions in the Defense Department, requiring nominees to divest all financial interests in any company contracting with the Pentagon. The committee bases its rules on a 330-page list of firms with any Defense contract exceeding $25,000.

Hagel also said he would cut ties to the McCarthy Group, headed by a former campaign treasurer, Michael McCarthy. In 2009, Hagel was named a senior adviser at McCarthy Capital Corporation, a subsidiary of McCarthy's company. The firm's investments include HDR and Vornado, which both have defense contracts.

And Hagel also agreed to step down as an adviser to M.I.C. industries, where he earned $120,000 last year. The firm's business includes making temporary structures under contract for the U.S. military.

His role as a member of Deutsche Bank's America's Advisory Board could also have posed problems because of reports that the German bank was among several global lenders under investigation by the Justice Department for allegedly helping to skirt U.S. trade sanctions on Iran's energy industry. The German-based bank has denied the allegations.

In his letter, Hagel also pledged to cut ties with several academic and public interest groups, including Georgetown University, the Atlantic Council, the Center for the Study of the Presidency, the America Security Project and the Ploughshares Fund. The latter group has pressed for nuclear non-proliferation and Hagel's outspoken views on that issue has also raised complaints from some Senate conservatives.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/defense-nominee-hagel-plans-shed-holdings-163951628--politics.html

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Austin Food & Wine Festival Announces Full Schedule of Events ...

January 29, 2013 by juliewbp

Attention foodies! The Austin Food & Wine Festival announced?its full schedule of events for the 2013 festival today. Included are demonstrations from acclaimed national chefs like Marcus Samuelsson, Graham Elliot Bowles and Susan Feniger; the world?s largest hands-on grilling demo with Tim Love and special guest chefs like Andrew Zimmern; wine and cocktail tastings from Ray Isle, Tony Abou-Ganim and Mark Oldman; live musical performances from Allen Stone, Delta Spirit, and Whiskey Shivers; expanded grand tasting tents, book signings, and more.

Tickets for this weekend-long excursion into amazing food and drink are now available over on the festival?s website. The festival formally kicks off Friday, April 26 with a Taste of Texas event in Republic Square Park. Festival programming begins the morning of Saturday, April 27 at Auditorium Shores and runs through Sunday, April 28.

The list of talent this year is again impressive: Rene Ortiz; Marcus Samuelsson; Christina Tosi; Andrew Zimmern; Paul Qui; Tyson Cole; Tim Love, Susan Feniger; Tony Mantuano; Jason Dady; and many more. We?re proud to once again be the official bookseller for the Austin Food and Wine Festival and look forward to seeing some of you there!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged austin, austin food & wine festival, BookPeople | Leave a Comment

Source: http://bookpeopleblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/austin-food-wine-festival-announces-full-schedule-of-events/

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Family Scrapbook: Esther Runs into a Fence! Literally | iskander19881

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Source: http://iskander19881.blogspot.com/2013/01/family-scrapbook-esther-runs-into-fence.html

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Black and White Book Collection - Formal Black White Silver Set - Decorative Book Decor - Valentine Wedding Decor - Vintage by VintageScholar

A fabulous collection of vintage books for your reading and decorative pleasure.
Perfect for displaying, and reading, in the man cave, study or den.

COLLECTION INCLUDES:
? Spy Catcher by Peter Wright ?1987
? Behind Palace Doors by Dempster and Evans ?1993
? The League - Rise and Fall of the NFL by David Harris ?1986
? The Bridesmaid by Ruth Rendell ?1989
? Degree of Guilt by Richard North Patterson ?1993

All five books are hardcover books in excellent vintage condition. The Bridesmaid book has two letters written on top edge of pages.

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Commercial property REITs scare the crap out of me ? Early ...

Hmm, we probably should take the end-of-life costs/REITs discussion to another thread, but here are some data points:

1) Mom's residence at a "housing-and-meals-only" care facility was $30k/yr from 2005-2007 (ages 85-87) and I don't recall any price increase, though there probably was one at ~3%.

2) Mom's residence at a care facility went from $45k/yr in 2007 (age 87) to $60k/yr in 2012 (age 92). The majority of the increase came from extra services, with maybe 30% of that being inflation. This care level is private room & board, meds, linen, room cleaning, bathing, exercise, and 24-hour nurse watch.

3) The bill for mom's final hospital visit, week-long, was under $12k and insurance paid $11k. 3 days of hospice care followed and that cost $950.

Source: http://forum.earlyretirementextreme.com/topic.php?id=3153

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Science: is it Really Against Your Religion? - Salem-News.Com

?

Jan-13-2013 15:49 Bill Annett Salem-News.com

In matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning power is not above the monkey's. - Mark Twain

Courtesy: harmoniaphilosophica.wordpress.com

(DAYTONA BEACH, FL) - Science tends to rely on evidence and analysis and has little to do with myth - which is so dear to the heart of most of us. Religion, on the other hand, tends to preach, offer opinion and spin the wildest myths: half-godlike men, gods impregnating women, scourges, mayhem and genocide for the unworthy. A central myth, held by almost all religions, is that science is not worth a damn in defining religious belief; that science and religion are world's apart and never the twain shall meet. The popular illustration of this notion is the separation of church and state, which exists today as a myth itself.

Science in fact can isolate a Creator intelligence any day of the week, simply by describing its characteristics. If living organisms have body forms unrelated to each other, then it's self-evident that all life was specially created by an over-arching intelligence. Science can also determine the time span of the organism's creation. If carbon dating could establish that our planet was just a few thousand years old, and that a great flood had engulfed the planet, especially the Middle East, that would prove that the Book of Genesis is right on the money. I'm not saying it is, I'm saying it could be scientifically proven.

Nobody these days messes with scientific methodology (except maybe scientologists) to fault or prove religion, and that's too bad, because major questions remain to be researched and established. For centuries religions have insisted that a good-guy God exists, and that it's imperative for all of mankind to straighten up and fly right or risk moral collapse and godless societies. Yet a sane evaluation of such a truth has never been proven. A nationwide poll would surely reveal that in the U.S., for example, religion is such a universal human condition that it is not in decline, when in fact it is, sadly or otherwise, depending on your orientation.

"The public debate," says one writer (G. S. Paul) " is more misleading than informative."

So it's necessary to change the rules, so that anybody - especially anybody who wants to enter the debate - should try for a little more analytical approach. Some of the big lifters in questions of faith and society have noted the dearth of research, of fundamental information about the future of our (and other) societies. Paul Bloom of Yale par exemple. As a result, the body politic is left without the capacity to understand "the future course of national societies."

Example: what does the most recent popularity of genocide (say in the last 100 years) comment on the morality of any Creator? Was Hitler a faithful Catholic, or a cold-blooded fiend? Why is belief in the supernatural so prevalent, why are the French and Swedes so irreligious, and what does empirical data actually say about the hypothesis that religion is good for societies?"

These questions range from philosophical theology, to the practical apposition of religion and science, not to mention dabbling in psychology, economics and - god help us - politics. Journals that deal with these matters, unlike other media such as talking heads on socially aware media, are usually religious or neutral in content, and are accordingly seen as unbiased. Academic publications may not qualify.

Clearly, scientific statistical methods can be used in religious discussions, since the idea of a moral Creator subject to scientific investigation in a theological journal proves the ability of science to test the truth of religious claims. Although logical, any theological hypothesis may not be widely accepted unless it is an observed pattern. Comparing socioeconomic conditions and religion in today?s democratic societies tends to solve the central question concerning faith throughout history. At the same time, a theological belief overcomes many common legends by the implication of scientific probability.

It is difficult for core Christian doctrine to survive the hypothesis of a moral, powerful and competent deity. The enormous human suffering statistically measured by genocide among "immature humans caused by disease, reproductive defects and other natural causes ? the Holocaust of the Children ? has been as maximal as possible, and only a small percentage of adult humans have been able to make a free will choice regarding their eternal fate."

A host of theological absurdities result when a Creator fails to protect innocent children, tending to weaken Christian doctrine. One result is that there is no godly basis for the pro-life movement because there is no evidence that God favors life over widespread infant mortality. Nor can religion provide a solid foundation for individual or collective morality. This is amply illustrated by the actual conditions that exist in the most "successful" modern nations. Take the United States. Please. Infant mortality belies social morality.

Only the least religious nations today demonstrate the best social and economic standards, measured by a scale of truly successful societies. Historically, the predominantly Christian U.S. is the most dysfunctional "free-world" nation, measured by major indicators, such as crime, political morality and even public health. Meanwhile, high rates of secularism and better societal conditions produce high levels of economic prosperity and low levels of income disparity and poverty, which conditions tend accidentally but consistently to suppress widespread religiosity.

It's a no-brainer that "the religious right" tends to oppose effective progressive policies, while favoring popular religiosity. No totally successful socioeconomic nation that has been highly religious has ever existed, and the antagonistic relationship between comfortable or benign conditions and the popularity of religion suggests the unlikely odds of its happening.

But even America is experiencing a secularization process that has already worked to de-Christianize other advanced democracies, proving that American religion is so instable as to be less than integral to the national character. This development is driven by a corporate-consumer culture encouraging material values and lifestyles rather than religious piety and devotion. The irony exists in the alliance between American religious righties who oppose Darwinism if not science itself, and the more advanced corporate interests which MUST be scientific, all under the aegis of the Republican Party. Potentially, this contradictory relationship is self destructive for the former, while theocons seem incapable of finding a logical alternative.

Because majorities among the western nations are atheists and agnostics, religion is not nearly as universally common to the human condition, nor as vital to operative such societies as are the materialism so necessary to civilization. It's also true that fear of death, genetics, and a belief in the supernatural are not essential to popular religiosity. For most of us, religion is a superficial psychological knee-jerk response to a dysfunctional environment, with gods usually being petitioned for help when necessary. This casual and occasional source of popular faith, is easily set aside when the middle class feels secure in their prosperity. Once again, in the American model, the number of people remaining interested enough in religious commitment to attend religious services three or four times monthly measure in the single digits.

This casual approach to contemporary religion suggests that the level of opposing opinions does not amount to a grand struggle of ideology and ideas where the side with the best PR exposure wins the argument. The daily routine of the majority is what counts. The provision of universal health care that improves the security of the majority does more to boost secularism than does the effort of the atheist community. Once established, progressive polices are not countered by religious forces. And religious organizations can't prevail in sustaining the religiosity of a population.

Many of the wrongs afflicting humanity historically include imperialism, anti-Semitism, racism, slavery and apartheid. The were fomented in Christian societies long before evolution and scientific thought developed in the Christian west. Indentured slavery, largely by Protestants, who then developed the culture with torturous lynching and other genocidal developments. All the States with laws against teaching evolution were lynching states. Eugenics laws were widely approved by Protestants on both sides of the Atlantic. An invention of the Catholic church, anti-Semitism was further developed by Martin Luther and Americans such as Henry Ford. Hitler was inspoired by these pioneers.

Religion has its dark history, but it isn't the only organizational perp. Suicide bombing as an art form has ranged from Kamikaze pilots in 1945 to the Tamil Tigers in the 1970s, neither truly theistic in origin. Islamic extremists, who perfected the art form, perhaps were. Religion may be an equal-opportunity culture, but then so is science. Perhaps they aren't mutually exclusive after all.

Scientific research, says G.S. Paul, is solving some of the questions about belief and non-belief, but many in the supernatural world remain. "Such as why does a large minority of well-educated, science oriented persons with secure incomes continue to ardently believe in deities despite the lack of compelling evidence?"

______________________________________________________

Bill Annett grew up a writing brat; his father, Ross Annett, at a time when Scott Fitzgerald and P.G. Wodehouse were regular contributors, wrote the longest series of short stories in the Saturday Evening Post's history, with the sole exception of the unsinkable Tugboat Annie.

At 18, Bill's first short story was included in the anthology ?Canadian Short Stories.? Alarmed, his father enrolled Bill in law school in Manitoba to ensure his going straight. For a time, it worked, although Bill did an arabesque into an English major, followed, logically, by corporation finance, investment banking and business administration at NYU and the Wharton School. He added G.I. education in the Army's CID at Fort Dix, New Jersey during the Korean altercation.

He also contributed to The American Banker and Venture in New York, INC. in Boston, the International Mining Journal in London, Hong Kong Business, Financial Times and Financial Post in Toronto.

Bill has written six books, including a page-turner on mutual funds, a send-up on the securities industry, three corporate histories and a novel, the latter no doubt inspired by his current occupation in Daytona Beach as a law-abiding beach comber.

You can write to Bill Annett at this address: bilko23@gmail.com

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Where Does Immigration Reform Begin for Same-Sex Couples ...

When Republican Sen. John Kyle quipped in November that young undocumented immigrants should consider marrying U.S. citizens to get a green card, his comments were rightly assailed as insensitive and inaccurate. But for many bi-national couples, Kyle?s flourish carried an additional sting, because marriage is a path to legal residency that?s not accessible to all.

The Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, enshrines marriage as straight and bars same-sex couples from a long list of federal benefits, including the right to petition for immigration status for a spouse. Now, advocates are fighting on multiple fronts so that same-sex couples can access immigration relief through their partners. But while the winds of change are behind them, the way to victory is not an easy one.

As immigration reform unfolds in the coming months, LGBT immigration advocates hope to include rights for same-sex couples in the sort of comprehensive bill the president and Democrats want. But more conservative members of the developing reform coalition argue to do so would be to add a poison pill. Meanwhile, all eyes are turning to the Supreme Court, which will rule on DOMA this year.

The Supreme Court

In December, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on the constitutionality of DOMA. The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a woman named Edie Winsdor who was forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in estate tax when her long-time partner died. The part of the law at issue in the case also blocks bi-national same-sex couples from gaining immigration status through marriage. If the court upholds a lower courts finding on DOMA?s unconstitutionality, same sex couples married in any state will be allowed to petition for undocumented spouses.

In the years since DOMA became law, 10 states and Washington, D.C., have passed legislation providing state marriage rights to gay couples, but federal law currently doesn?t recognize these marriages. A 2011 report from the UCLA?s Williams Institute estimated there are 40,000 same-sex couples who were barred from applying for immigration benefits available to straight couples with similar immigration status.

Prerna Lal is an immigrant rights activist in Washington, D.C., who came to the United States from Fiji as a young child and has spent most of her life as an undocumented immigrant.

Lal, 28, who is in law school and plans to become and immigration attorney, is in the middle of her own legal fight for her green card, which she applied for through a U.S.-citizen family member but which the government has refused to grant. Now she says she?s looking to the Supreme Court?s DOMA decision to provide an alternative avenue to gain lawful immigration status. Lal and her girlfriend, Lindsay Schubiner, also 28, a policy advisor in Washington, say that if the court overturns DOMA, they will consider marriage.

?Until now, that has not been an option,? Lal said. ?But if DOMA is overturned, I think it would definitely change things in terms of our life planning.?

Schubiner, who was born in Detroit, says the hardest part of watching Lal go through the court process is that the future of their relationship is not in their control. ?A good decision from the court would put it in our hands as opposed to an immigration judge?s hands. Even if we didn?t want to get married tomorrow, it?s our decision,? said Schubiner.

A coalition of over 50 immigrant rights and gay rights organizations asked the Obama administration in December to put a hold on applications for green cards for undocumented same-sex spouses until the court reaches a decision. The Obama administration has so far not implemented such a freeze, which puts gay and lesbian undocumented spouses at continued risk of deportation. In December, the Department of Homeland Security restated that it ?will continue to enforce [DOMA] unless and until Congress repeals it, or there is a final determination that it is unconstitutional.?

?My entire law school process has been me flying out to the West Coast for my deportation hearings,? Lal said. ?If the court overturns DOMA, it would provide a straight path to citizenship for me and a path to keep our family together.?

A Legislative Answer

But even a court decision overturning parts of DOMA would likely still leave many couples ineligible to petition for green cards. That?s because for same-sex couples who unlike Lal and Schubiner live in one of the 40 states that do not permit gay and lesbian couples to marry, marriage-based immigration relief will remain limited.

?For those who don?t have access to marriage, the decision is not the end of the story,? said Steve Ralls, a spokesperson for the group Immigration Equality, which does legal advocacy for gay and lesbian immigrants. The group and other rights advocates are also supporting a legislative fix. The Uniting American Families Act, introduced in 2011 by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, would allow U.S.-citizens to sponsor their non-citizen partner for residency. The bill does not wait for DOMA to be overturned but rather requires same-sex couples to prove they?re in a committed relationship even if not married.

But bi-partisan support for marriage rights in immigration reform has been scant. So far, only three Republicans have signed onto the bill?Maine Sen. Susan Collins, and Reps. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania and Richard Hanna of New York. Wisdom on the Hill is that the law has little chance of passing.

?It probably can?t move alone,? a Democratic Senate aide acknowledged about the bill.

Advocates hope that they?ll have better chance of winning by folding the legislation into a broader immigration reform package. In November, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus released a set of core principals for immigration reform including that a bill ?protects the unity and sanctity of the family, including the families of bi-national, same-sex couples.?

?It seems pretty clear to us that an inclusive immigration bill will actually garner more support than a bill that leaves LGBT couples behind,? said Steve Ralls, of Immigration Equality.

But some argue that including the rights of same-couples in reform could fracture the growing immigrant rights coalition. Evangelical and Catholic groups, key allies in the immigration reform push, generally oppose gay marriage and recognition of same-sex couples.

?Family unity is one of our key principals in immigration reform,? said Gaylen Carey, head of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, which is part of a coalition of evangelical groups supporting an immigration overhaul. ?But we also have a well known principal on family composition. We support a family and marriage between a man and women. We could not support those provisions.?

Carey says that including gay rights in a reform package could throw a wrench in what he believes is an unusual opportunity to pass an immigration reform bill. ?It should not muddy the waters in what should be a consensus on immigration reform,? Cary said. ?Opponents of immigration will make it into a wedge issue.?

Prerna Lal disagrees. She says the claims by social conservative supporters no longer hold water. ?If anything, immigration is the wedge issue now, not LGBT rights, which have gained mainstream support. It?s become more and more unpopular to deny people equal rights.?

Source: http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/01/when_republican_senator_john_kyle.html

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Somali militants post photo of dead French soldier

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) ? A Somali militant group has posted photos of what appears to be a dead French soldier.

Two photos posted by an al-Shabab-run Twitter account show a man wearing military pants and a blood-soaked shirt surrounded by three guns, ammunition clips and protective gear. Al-Shabab is the al-Qaida-affiliated militant group that controls much of southern Somalia.

The posting taunted France's president, saying: "Francois Hollande, was it worth it?"

The soldier was killed during a botched military raid early Saturday to rescue a French intelligence officer held by al-Shabab for the last three years.

France's defense minister said Monday that it was likely two commandos were killed during the raid. France believes the hostage, whose code-name was Denis Allex, was also killed, though al-Shabab says he is still alive.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/somali-militants-post-photo-dead-french-soldier-133124830.html

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Bridal Expos offer brides a 'one-wedding stop'

Leah Sager grabbed her phone and took a picture as she scanned a booth at the Beautiful Beginnings Bridal Expo at the Pensacola Bay Center.

The bride-to-be said she had most of her planning done before the event, but was hoping for some ideas on the small details she was working on and didn?t mind grabbing a few food samples either.

?This is way easier than taking a whole day off and having to go all over to book different appointments,? Sager said. ?(The expo) has everything you need.?

Sager was one of hundreds of future brides who gathered at the first of a string of local expos featuring businesses for catering, baking, photography and every other detail of weddings.

View a gallery of Sager's expo experience >>

?It?s a one-wedding stop,? said event coordinator Brenda Carraway, publisher of Coastal Weddings Magazine. ?Plus, brides can meet a prospective vendor, have tastings, preview displays, bring their groom, mom, best friend, sister and, of course, preview the latest bridal fashion in a well organized runway show.?

Sager grabbed her ?I?m a bride? bag and made her way into the Civic Center filled with more than 100 vendors.

?This is overwhelming,? she said looking around.

The April 27 bride came in knowing what dress she?ll be wearing, where her wedding will be and where the food is coming from, but said she was still looking for ideas on style, mother-of-the bride dress and any other inspiration she could gather from the expo.

One of Sager?s first stops had her grabbing her phone from her purse and snapping a photo of a booth filled with custom-made goods with initials and sayings on runways, plates and even crates.

"This is something I want to do," Sager said before shaking the hand of the vendor and grabbing her card. "This is all about getting the ideas for the little details."

The 25-year-old made her way around the store grabbing cake samples, signing up for massages and chatting with photographers on price points and style. When the lights turned off and the bridal fashion show got underway she turned and began breathing heavy before laughing.

"It's getting closer," she said, panic in her voice. "I've got a lot to do, good thing I came today."

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Other expos in the area:

Gulf Coast Bridal Faire
This expo will take place Jan. 20 from 1 ? 5 p.m. at the Emerald Coast Convention Center. The event features door prizes, a bridal fashion show and a ?man cave? for male attendees. The grand prize is a wedding package from SunQuest Cruises. Admission is $10 and the box office opens at noon. Brides are encour-aged to pre-register.

For more information visit: gulfcoastbridalfaire.com

?Brides Just Want to Have Fun? Bridal Show

This expo is sponsored by the Destin Bridal Directory and hosted by the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. The event will take place on Feb. 16 from 12:30 to 4 p.m. and offers several door prizes, a bridal fashion show and one grand prize at the end of the event. The resort offers special rates for the weekend and the entry fee for the event is $10.

For more information visit: bridesjustwannahavefun.com.

Source: http://www.emeraldcoast.com/beach-weddings/bridal-expos-offer-brides-a-one-wedding-stop-1.75105

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