Sunday, June 30, 2013

94% Stories We Tell

All Critics (86) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (81) | Rotten (5)

Everyone has a different story. I found myself holding my breath listening to them talk. The story twists like a thriller.

Stories We Tell is not just very moving; it is an exploration of truth and fiction that will stay with you long after repeated viewings.

Part of the movie's pleasure is how comfortable the "storytellers" are with their director; you get a sense of a complicated but tight-knit family, going along with Sarah's project because they love her.

Never sentimental, never cold and never completely sure of anything, Polley comes across as a woman caught in wonder.

After you see it, you'll be practically exploding with questions - and with awe.

Polley approaches every character with compassion, intent upon blessing them, and serving the audience with useful questions about how we seek the truth.

Polley is working in the tradition of Orson Welles, but her trickery can be exasperating; it also neutralises many of the emotional revelations.

With Away From Her and Take This Waltz, actress-turned-filmmaker Polley has proved herself as an unusually gifted director, but this inventive, moving documentary reveals even more artistic ambition.

What saves it is our realisation that it isn't just a documentary.

A bittersweet and compelling autobiographical family portrait.

Kane-like in its mirrored complexity, flashing in its mischievous irony, the story is a shiny maze which Polley enters knowing exactly where and what her Minotaur is - the secret of her paternal parentage - while spinning for us a thread to follow.

Polley ... smilingly tells us that a story like hers can never truly be tied down, even as she screws every last piece into place.

Polley's cine-tribute is a gripping and absorbing meditation on the unknowability of other lives.

The films greatest achievement is in how deeply mesmerising one woman's story can be, regardless of whether she's famous or not.

Honestly, it's one of the best things you'll see this year.

Polley's fearless personal journey is a huge achievement, a genuine revelation - but the less detail you know beforehand, the better. Go in cold, come out warmed.

Sarah Polley is often referred to in Canada as a 'national treasure'. She's far more than that. She's a treasure to the world - period. And so, finally, is her film.

An absorbing exercise not only in documentary excavation but in narrative construction.

Sarah Polley's exploration of her tangled family history is a complex and thoroughly fascinating inquiry into the nature of truth and memory -- and, inevitably, into Polley herself.

This is simply a gorgeously realised and warmly compiled family album, which lingers with us not because its subjects are so unusual and alien, but because they feel so close to home. What a success.

Sarah Polley's personal "documentary" suffers from one additional emotional beat too many. Otherwise, it's mesmerizing.

Polley interviews her family and acquaintances with remarkable candor and intimacy, perhaps as a method of catharsis, but it never feels like a vanity project or a simple airing of dirty laundry.

The great conceit of Polley's theories of perspective and truth is that she, as director, ultimately controlled everyone's memories because she arranged them on film.

No quotes approved yet for Stories We Tell. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/stories_we_tell/

ios 5.1 apple tv update new ipad release pregnant jessica simpson international womens day joe the plumber lra

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Obamas will meet with Mandela family Saturday (Washington Bureau)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/316028424?client_source=feed&format=rss

White House Correspondents Dinner 2013 NHL playoff schedule Queen of Versailles Nicole Eggert yvette prieto tebow tyler bray

Your Top Plays for Today

Your Top Plays for Today: AP's Sports Guide

--DJOKOVIC AND WILLIAMS CRUISE ON ANOTHER RAINY DAY AT WIMBLEDON

Title favorites Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams dodge the carnage among the leading players and win at Wimbledon.

http://apne.ws/13aj6IK

--SPAIN DOWNS ITALY ON PENALTIES, REACHES CONFEDERATIONS CUP FINAL

After a scoreless draw, Spain downs Italy in a penalty shootout to set up a Confederations Cup final against host Brazil.

http://apne.ws/14djcw2

--SURPRISES AT NBA DRAFT AS CANADIAN GOES AT NUMBER ONE

Cleveland Cavaliers select Canadian Anthony Bennett in an unpredictable first round at the NBA draft.

http://apne.ws/13bDGHt

--WEBBER TO QUIT F1, HEADING TO SPORTSCARS WITH PORSCHE

Australian Mark Webber confirms longstanding speculation he will quit the Red Bull F1 team at season's end and return to sportscar racing with Porsche.

http://apne.ws/1aQfH20

--CONTADOR BULLISH ABOUT CHANCES IN RETURN TO TOUR DE FRANCE

Two-time champion Alberto Contador predicts an aggressive Tour de France in his return to the event after missing a year under a doping ban.

http://apne.ws/1aQvM7X #TDF

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/top-plays-today-070246380.html

lizzie borden lizzie borden iona taylor allderdice mixtape andrew bogut monta ellis wiz khalifa taylor allderdice mixtape

Pre-caffeine tech: Geek graph, 3-D duck foot

Technology

1 hour ago

Mike Garey

Mike Garey

Our pre-caffeine roundup is a collection of the hottest, strangest, and most amusing stories of the morning.

So the Army is reportedly blocking military access to the Guardian's coverage of NSA leaks.

Here's a really smart thing John Cusack wrote about Edward Snowden.

Oh! And here's the NSA's early years: Exposed!

Set status to "fabulous": Millions of Facebook users "like" gay marriage.

Also, Facebook is fixing to strengthen security with an old-school crypto technique.

(BTW: Even if you don't use Facebook, you may have a shadow profile.)

Alec Baldwin had a homophobic Twitter rant before mysteriously disappearing (again) from the social network.

But all Sean Parker wants is for you to say something nice about his wedding.

Science says there's a difference between geeks and nerds.

Speaking of which, time to rank the 50 hottest guys of "Harry Potter."

And good news everybody! Buttercup the duck got a 3-D-printed replacement for his foul foot.

Compiled by Helen A.S. Popkin, who invites you to join her on Twitter and/or Facebook.

Tags:

  • Tech news,
  • Technology
Share on Facebook Discuss

0

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663301/s/2dee4cc6/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cpre0Ecaffeine0Etech0Egeek0Egraph0E30Ed0Educk0Efoot0E6C10A480A483/story01.htm

megamillions winning numbers lotto winner jerry lee lewis winning lotto numbers lottery tickets mega lottery sag aftra

Windows 8.1 RT looks just like regular Windows 8.1, performance hasn't changed

Windows 8.1 RT looks just like regular Windows 8.1, performance hasn't changed

When we got hands-on with the Windows 8.1 preview earlier this week, it was on a Surface Pro -- i.e., an x86 system running full Windows. Until today, though, we hadn't had a chance to try the software on a device running Windows RT. Well, fortunately for us, Microsoft has a row full of freshly updated Surface RT units on display here at Build, so we took the opportunity poke around a little. As you'd expect, Windows RT 8.1 has all the trappings of the full Windows version, including an always-there Start button and new apps like Food & Drink and Health & Fitness. What's sort of interesting is that you can boot to the desktop here as well, just as you would on Windows 8.1. (We say "interesting" because, well, how urgently do you need the desktop on RT anyway?) The desktop also still comes with Office apps pinned to the Taskbar, in case you were wondering.

Performance seems much the same as before, particularly because we were handling last year's Surface RT, which still ships with a Tegra 3 SoC. Browsing and loading tabs in IE11 feels snappy but then again, IE11 was supposed to be a tick faster than IE10. Overall, navigating the OS can still feel slightly sluggish, but the build we tried is at least stable. Other than that, it looks like we'll have to wait for some new ARM chips before we can revisit performance in Windows RT. We'll also be back to take a look at the forthcoming RT Outlook app, which we haven't seen yet. Until then, don't expect us to write another 4,000 words on the subject.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/aTwjN1yVLxw/

randy moss OJ Brigance What Time Does The Superbowl Start 2013 Psalm 91 Super Bowl 2013 Commercials Evasi0n Superdome

Are Intricate Web Hosting Program Good For Popularity - Naughtmuch

The particular acceptance of internet has fabricated it as being very good method all over the world. People adopt to accelerate their own business over the internet supplemented than any compounded medium, not really the monetary promotion. For hosting the website online, the genuine nervousness is to buy the befitting web hosting supplier. The web proprietor should be good to accommodate skills to handle greater and circuitous web sites and their databases with greater flexibility and versatility, which can be done simply by Dedicated Server Hosting.

The fresh start of the year The year 2013 has forced numerous websites to provide the reviews and also rankings about the best hosting 2013 casework over the internet. It is in reality tough to apprehend the best 1 amidst the best hosting 2013 services because some websites pay real cash to promote their websites. Therefore, they get peak positions in the listing

Reliability is the absolutely vital aspect which is examined by climbing up the mean uptime percentage of the facts and also figures of website from the servers regarding Managed VPS hosting. The estimation of imply up serious amounts of mean down-time of the info not only lets us know about the reliability but in addition about the pace and correctness regarding servers. Consequently, these response-time signals are of big significance in readiness the list of top 10 internet hosting services online.

Another aspect is flexibility of use of the Managed VPS hosting services. This focuses the way of production, in short connects, should be so easy that it can become functioned by common gentleman. And, although client receives stuck, the clientele support should help this to get the difficulty explained inside simple terms. Even if internet site has just about all features, it can be eradicated from the peak checklist if its designs are not good. Price is the actual large-scale matters inside concluding the ranking associated with web hosting companies.

Numerous internet sites presents the reconsiders as well as ratings in regards to the top 10 Net hosting services within the web world. In addition, most of them are paid to promote logs/ forums/ websites in lieu of cash. Therefore, it is very tough to discover sort to the best one one of the top 10 internet hosting services. You have to rely on the actual trusted options for the proper data. One more concept is always to perform the study in positioning to find out the most effective service. There?s no need to justify net hosting on sophisticated and complex features like XenApp Hosting. Merely, one can go on to the social networks and ask for the particular reconsiders from pals and relations. Their expertise is of huge significance as they are able recount the particular even second points and also factors in very easy method, which will help you to definitely get new vision to evaluate web hosting services.

To select the most appropriate hosting service, one can read the reconsiders of the companies from the people. Click here to know more about Dedicated Server Hosting.

Source: http://naughtmuch.com/are-intricate-web-hosting-program-good-for-popularity/

kevin love think like a man world peace world peace lakers colorectal cancer metta neil diamond

BlackBerry ships 6.8 million smartphones but loses $84 million in Q1 2014

STUB BlackBerry made a TKTK profit last quarter, shipped TKTK BB10 phones

Every quarter is pivotal for BlackBerry right now, but the one covered by today's earnings report (Q1 2014, in fiscal terms) is especially important. It's the first full period of Z10 availability and also the first quarter to cover significant Q10 shipments to markets like Canada and the UK (although not the US). So far, it's a mixed bag: revenues are up to $3.1 billion, compared to $2.8 billion generated in the same quarter last year, which was when RIM (as it was called back then) announced significant job cuts and an equally major delay to its next-gen BB 10 operating system and hardware range. However, none of that was retained as profit, and in fact BlackBerry made a GAAP loss of $84 million, compared a $125 million profit last quarter.

Developing...

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Crackberry

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/28/blackberry-q1-2014-earnings/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

Spain vs Italy Darren Daulton Andrew Wiggins James Gandolfini funeral Nelson Mandela Dead Dylan Redwine doma

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Blue-Sky

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/G8ql628zp6g/viewtopic.php

miesha tate vs ronda rousey idiocracy usssa baseball alex o loughlin the godfather cape breton bowling green

The Infected

Incubation: The virus has a degenerative incubation period, decreasing in time depending on the generation of the virus. The virus will lay dormant for 1-3 hours depending on the infected individual, after which the individual will enter a sleep state ranging from a few days to mere minutes. During the sleep state the body of the infected individual will undergo a mutation that is common in all forms of the virus. First, bleeding from the eyes, ears, and nose will occur. Following that will be the paling of the skin and darkening of the eyes. After this has occurred there isn't much time left before the individual awakes from the sleep state.

Infection: Infection occurs when the DNA of an infected enters the body of a healthy person, this can happen in various ways. First being exposure of an open wound to the saliva or blood of an infected. Next would be a scratch or bite from an infected. The most uncommon way, yet still very possible, is the airborne transmission of the virus. Exposure to the air around an infected for extended periods of time can also lead to infection.


Mutations

Roamers: Roamers are fast, agile, and resilient. They are the most commonly encounter type of the infected due to the fact that most people that become infected enter the incubation period in similar environments. Due to them being the most numerous of the infected, the virus they carry has also mutated the most. Incubation has a very short time frame ranging from a few hours to minutes, but due to the rapid rate of mutation the virus cannot live airborne for very long meaning airborne infection is next to impossible.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/AA2pvNAJuvQ/viewtopic.php

tebow trade mike the situation jacksonville jaguars jacksonville jaguars benjarvus green ellis shaka smart hungergames

Iowa man selling coffin gets questions about bones

(AP) ? An Iowa man's online classified ad offering an oak coffin for sale neglected to mention the full skeleton inside, so police interrupted the deal and seized the bones.

The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reported (http://bit.ly/14eMNn6 ) that the coffin belonged to the now-defunct Council Bluffs chapter of the International Order of Odd Fellows, which promotes anonymous giving to the poor.

Dave Burgstrum placed the ad on the Craigslist website to sell the coffin for $12,000 because he's trying to raise money to pay the property taxes on the fraternal organization's hall.

Burgstrum said the coffin was made in the 1900s and had been used in the group's rituals to represent death. The bones had been in there for years.

"They were just there as long as anyone could remember," said Burgstrum, who is one of a handful of remaining members of the Council Bluffs chapter of the Odd Fellows.

Burgstrum said lodge records suggest the skeleton was donated by a doctor who retired in the 1880s.

But Council Bluffs Police detective Michael Roberts said human remains can't be sold with proper identification.

"If they had papers of origination, then they would be OK to own," Roberts said.

The skeleton was sent to the Iowa State Medical Examiner. Pottawattamie County forensic investigator Karen Foreman said it's unlikely the skeleton will be identified, but the race and gender can be determined. And if the skeleton is Native American, federal law requires that it be returned to the tribe.

Burgstrum said the laboratory is welcome to keep the skeleton. His interest has always been in selling the coffin.

"I'm ready to wheel and deal on it," he said. "I'd like to get those taxes paid."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-06-22-US-ODD-Coffin-Classified/id-09134cdbdc224bc1b4792cbd2719aa86

Sim City Manchester United Alvin Lee mila kunis hugo chavez jamie lynn spears Chavez Dead

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Boeing Uses 3D Printers For Airplane Parts - Business Insider

3d printer

Peter MacDiarmid/Getty Images

3D printing is revolutionizing manufacturing. And this is only the beginning.

The announcement of 3D printing companies Stratasys and MakerBot?merging in a $403 million deal?made that all the more clear.

3D printers can produce a wide range of objects like tiny furniture, guitars, prosthetics, and even airplane parts.?

Boeing uses Stratasys's 3D printers to make some components, and is constantly working on more ways to use the technology. The airline company has even built an entire cabin using one of Stratasys's 3D printers.

As of last year, Boeing has produced more than 20,000 3D-printed parts. Its used those pieces in 10 different types of military and commercial airplanes, like the luxurious Dreamliner. The Dreamliner has about 30 3D-printed parts.

3D printers help to reduce the time between the design and manufacturing stages. It's also a much more cost-efficient process.?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-uses-3d-printers-for-airplane-parts-2013-6

how i met your mother tesla barbara walters 24 kermit gosnell revenge revenge

Iowa man selling coffin gets questions about bones

(AP) ? An Iowa man's online classified ad offering an oak coffin for sale neglected to mention the full skeleton inside, so police interrupted the deal and seized the bones.

The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reported (http://bit.ly/14eMNn6 ) that the coffin belonged to the now-defunct Council Bluffs chapter of the International Order of Odd Fellows, which promotes anonymous giving to the poor.

Dave Burgstrum placed the ad on the Craigslist website to sell the coffin for $12,000 because he's trying to raise money to pay the property taxes on the fraternal organization's hall.

Burgstrum said the coffin was made in the 1900s and had been used in the group's rituals to represent death. The bones had been in there for years.

"They were just there as long as anyone could remember," said Burgstrum, who is one of a handful of remaining members of the Council Bluffs chapter of the Odd Fellows.

Burgstrum said lodge records suggest the skeleton was donated by a doctor who retired in the 1880s.

But Council Bluffs Police detective Michael Roberts said human remains can't be sold with proper identification.

"If they had papers of origination, then they would be OK to own," Roberts said.

The skeleton was sent to the Iowa State Medical Examiner. Pottawattamie County forensic investigator Karen Foreman said it's unlikely the skeleton will be identified, but the race and gender can be determined. And if the skeleton is Native American, federal law requires that it be returned to the tribe.

Burgstrum said the laboratory is welcome to keep the skeleton. His interest has always been in selling the coffin.

"I'm ready to wheel and deal on it," he said. "I'd like to get those taxes paid."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-06-22-US-ODD-Coffin-Classified/id-09134cdbdc224bc1b4792cbd2719aa86

alec baldwin alec baldwin college basketball oakland pinnacle airlines kansas vs kentucky joe posnanski

Obama to meet with privacy, civil liberties board (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/314263025?client_source=feed&format=rss

milwaukee bucks bear grylls us news law school rankings gael glen rice jr bars lindzi cox

Friday, June 21, 2013

EPA won't confirm fracking-pollution tie in Wyo.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday it is dropping its longstanding plan to have independent scientists review its finding that hydraulic fracturing may be linked to groundwater pollution in central Wyoming.

The EPA is standing by its findings, but state officials will lead further investigation into the pollution in the Pavillion area. The area has been a focus of the debate over whether fracking can pollute groundwater ever since the EPA's initial report came out in late 2011.

"We stand behind our work and the data, but EPA recognizes the state's commitment to further investigation," said agency spokesman Tom Reynolds in Washington, D.C. The EPA will let state officials carry on the investigation with the federal agency's support, he said.

Wyoming officials have been skeptical about the theory that fracking played a role in the pollution at Pavillion, but Reynolds expressed confidence the state could lead the work from here. He described the shift as the best way to ensure Pavillion-area residents have a clean source of drinking water.

Even so, industry officials who have been doubtful about the EPA findings all along praised the change as confirmation of their view that the science wasn't sound.

"EPA has to do a better job, because another fatally flawed water study could have a big impact on how the nation develops its massive energy resources," Erik Milito, director of upstream and industry operations for the American Petroleum Institute, said in a release.

Richard Garrett, energy and legislative advocate with the Wyoming Outdoor Council in Lander, said he believes Thursday's announcement shows the EPA is finding it more difficult than originally expected to come to grips with the full environmental effect of fracking. He noted that the EPA is pushing back other work aimed at gauging the how energy production may pollute groundwater.

"It's not surprising to me that they're kind of taking a secondary role in rural Pavillion," Garrett said. "It looks to me like it might be a resource issue. That goes to the federal budget I suppose, and EPA administration."

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, boosts the productivity of oil and gas wells by pumping pressurized water mixed with sand and chemicals into well holes to crack open fissures in the ground.

Environmentalists have voiced concern about fracking causing groundwater pollution for years, but the practice has significantly boosted oil and gas production in regions such as the Bakken Shale in North Dakota and the Marcellus Shale underlying Eastern states.

The EPA's 2011 report marked the first time the agency publicly linked fracking and groundwater contamination, causing a stir on both sides of the issue.

The federal agency began seeking nominations last year for experts to serve as peer reviewers for its draft report, and it has extended public comment periods on the report three times since it came out. Each extension delayed the peer-review plans.

EPA officials insisted Thursday that the agency is not giving up on its Pavillion research and reserves the right to pick up the investigation in the future and open it to peer review. The EPA also has been examining the relationship between fracking and groundwater in different areas of the country and is proceeding with that study.

The Northern Arapaho Tribe on the Wind River Indian Reservation surrounding the Pavillion area has been seeking to maintain a role in the Pavillion research since taking part in new sampling last year. A tribal official said, however, that the EPA hasn't worked closely with the tribe lately.

"They have a legal duty to consult with the tribe and that didn't happen as part of their dialogue with the governor," Ronald Oldman, co-chairman of the tribe's business council, said in a statement.

The new research led by Wyoming officials would be funded at least in part by a $1.5 million grant from Encana Corp.'s U.S. oil and gas subsidiary, which owns the Pavillion gas field. The state will issue a final report in late 2014, Gov. Matt Mead's office said in a news release.

Mead said Wyoming will focus on making sure the few dozen affected residents of the rural, farming and ranching country a few miles outside Pavillion, population 230, have a clean source of drinking water. The state has been providing water cisterns to 20 people in the area.

"It is in everyone's best interest ? particularly the citizens who live outside of Pavillion ? that Wyoming and the EPA reach an unbiased, scientifically supportable conclusion," Mead said in a news release. "I commend EPA and Encana for working with me to chart a positive course for the investigation."

The study will assess the need for any further action to protect drinking water sources, according to the release.

The Encana funding will pay to examine 14 domestic water wells in the Pavillion field for water quality and palatability concerns.

Local residents have complained for more than seven years that their water began to reek of chemicals since fracking occurred in their neighborhood. However, EPA efforts to find potential pathways from deeper areas where gas is extracted to shallower areas tapped by domestic water wells have been inconclusive, the news release said.

"We're pleased that EPA has agreed to discontinue the investigation," Encana spokesman Doug Hock said. "We applaud the fact that further efforts in Pavilion will focus on a few specific complaints about perceived changes in domestic water well quality."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/epa-wont-confirm-fracking-pollution-231816649.html

st. patrick s day brandon lloyd brandon lloyd celtic thunder fabrice muamba collapse prometheus trailer patrice oneal

Helena Bonham Carter Joins Cinderella as Fairy Godmother

Source:

house of representatives paul ryan donald trump Election 2012 map Election Results Map Early voting results Dick Morris

AP Exclusive: Taliban offer to free US soldier

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? The Taliban proposed a deal in which they would free a U.S. soldier held captive since 2009 in exchange for five of their most senior operatives at Guantanamo Bay, while Afghan President Hamid Karzai eased his opposition Thursday to joining planned peace talks.

The idea of releasing these Taliban prisoners has been controversial. U.S. negotiators hope they would join the peace process but fear they might simply return to the battlefield, and Karzai once scuttled a similar deal partly because he felt the Americans were usurping his authority.

The proposal to trade U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for the Taliban detainees was made by senior Taliban spokesman Shaheen Suhail in response to a question during a phone interview with The Associated Press from the militants' newly opened political office in Doha, the capital of the Gulf nation of Qatar.

The prisoner exchange is the first item on the Taliban's agenda before even starting peace talks with the U.S., said Suhail, a top Taliban figure who served as first secretary at the Afghan Embassy in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad before the Taliban government's ouster in 2001.

"First has to be the release of detainees," Suhail said Thursday when asked about Bergdahl. "Yes. It would be an exchange. Then step by step, we want to build bridges of confidence to go forward."

The Obama administration was noncommittal about the proposal, which it said it had expected the Taliban to make.

"We've been very clear on our feelings about Sgt. Bergdahl and the need for him to be released," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. "We have not made a decision to ... transfer any Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay, but we anticipate, as I've said, that the Taliban will all raise this issue."

Bergdahl, 27, of Hailey, Idaho, is the only known American soldier held captive from the Afghan war. He disappeared from his base in southeastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, and is believed held in Pakistan. Suhail said Bergdahl "is, as far as I know, in good condition."

Donna Thibedeau-Eddy, who has spent the last few days at the Idaho home of the soldier's parents, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, said the family was hopeful.

"I was with his Mom and Dad this morning when they got the news of the exchange offer. They were ecstatic," said Thibedeau-Eddy. "They actually saw the news before they got the call from the military. Bob saw it online and said 'Jani, Donna, look at this.'"

While there have been talks before, Bob Bergdahl is putting more faith and hope into the latest developments because it appears the Taliban are taking the initiative, Thibedeau-Eddy said.

Bergdahl's parents received a letter this month from their son through the International Committee of the Red Cross. They did not release details of the letter. The soldier's captivity has been marked by only sporadic releases of videos and information about his whereabouts.

The reconciliation process with the Taliban ? seen by most as the only way to end the nearly 12-year war ? has been a long and bumpy one.

The U.S. began secret talks with the militants more than two years ago in off-and-on discussions that lasted several months.

The two sides discussed prisoner exchanges and for a brief time it appeared that the five Guantanamo Bay prisoners would be released and sent to Qatar to help further the peace process.

But Karzai, furious that he had not been told of the talks in advance, demanded that the Taliban operatives be returned to Afghanistan rather than Qatar.

Since then, the U.S. has been trying to jumpstart peace talks and the Taliban have made several offers ? including sharing power in Kabul. The Taliban have also attended several international conferences and held meetings with representatives of about 30 countries.

Afghan and U.S. officials have said the Taliban being considered for any exchange deal are:

? Mohammad Fazl, a former Taliban chief of army staff and the deputy minister of defense.

? Abdul Haq Wasiq, former Taliban deputy minister of intelligence. He was in direct contact with supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar during the Taliban rule, according to military documents.

? Mullah Norullah Nuri , who has been described as one of the most significant former Taliban officials held at Guantanamo. He was a senior Taliban commander in Mazar-e-Sharif and previously was a Taliban governor in two provinces in northern Afghanistan.

? Khairullah Khairkhwa, a former Taliban minister of the interior and military commander. According to military documents, he had direct ties to Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden and was also a friend of Karzai.

? Mohammed Nabi, former chief of security for the Taliban in Qalat, the capital of the southern province of Zabul.

If the Taliban hold talks with American delegates in the next few days, they will be the first U.S.-Taliban talks in nearly 1? years.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was expected in Doha ahead of a conference there scheduled for Saturday on the Syrian civil war. He was not expected to meet with the Taliban although other U.S. officials might in coming days.

On Wednesday in Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. had "never confirmed" any specific meeting schedule with Taliban representatives in Doha.

Prospective peace talks were again thrown into question Wednesday when Karzai became infuriated by the Taliban's move to cast their new office in Doha as a rival embassy.

The Taliban held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday in which they hoisted their flag and a banner that evoked the name they used while in power more than a decade ago: "Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan." Later, the Taliban replaced the sign to read simply: "Political office of the Taliban."

At the ceremony, the Taliban welcomed dialogue with Washington but said their fighters would not stop fighting. Hours later, the group claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on Bagram Air Base outside the Afghan capital, Kabul, which killed four American service members.

The U.S. expectation had been that U.S.-Taliban talks would be followed several days later with direct talks between the Taliban and a Karzai peace delegation.

But on Wednesday, Karzai announced that his government would not participate, apparently also angered by the way Kabul had been sidelined in the U.S.-Taliban bid for rapprochement.

The Afghan president also suspended negotiations with the United States on a bilateral security agreement that would cover American troops who will remain behind after the final withdrawal of NATO combat troops at the end of 2014.

That left U.S. officials scrambling to save the talks, and Kerry spoke with Karzai in phone conversations in an effort to bring him back on board.

On Thursday, Karzai spokesman Fayeq Wahidi said the Afghan president is willing to join peace talks with the Taliban if the U.S. follows through with promises he said were made by Kerry over the phone.

Wahidi said Kerry promised Karzai that the Taliban flag and a nameplate with their former regime's name would be removed and that the U.S. would issue a formal written statement supporting the Afghan government and making clear that the Taliban office would not be seen as an embassy or government-in-exile.

"If all those assurances and commitments the U.S. had given, if we are assured that they will be fully put in place on the issue of talks in Qatar," Wahidi said, "we would see no problem in entering into talks with the Taliban in Qatar. "

A decision on whether to restart the U.S. security agreement talks would be made after those assurances, he added, referring further questions to the foreign ministry.

On Thursday, the "Islamic Emirate" nameplate had been removed from the Taliban office. The flagpole inside the compound was apparently shortened and the Taliban flag ? dark Quranic script on a white background ? was still flying but not visible from the street. Journalists gathered at the office shot images of the flag through the gaps in the walls.

The Taliban have long refused to talk to Karzai's representatives but the opening of the office was seen as a first step toward those meetings.

Suhail said the Taliban are insistent that they want their first interlocutors to be the United States. "First we talk to the Americans about those issues concerning the Americans and us (because) for those issues implementation is only in the hands of the Americans," he said.

"We want foreign troops to be pulled out of Afghanistan," he added. "If there are troops in Afghanistan, then there will be a continuation of the war."

Suhail indicated the Taliban could approve of American trainers and advisers for the Afghan troops, saying that "of course, there is cooperation between countries in other things. We need that cooperation."

He said that once the Taliban concluded talks with the United States, they would participate in all-inclusive Afghan talks.

Suhail ruled out exclusive talks with Karzai's High Peace Council, which has been a condition of the Afghan president, who previously said he wanted talks in Doha to be restricted to his representatives and the Taliban. Instead, the Taliban would talk with all Afghan groups, Suhail said.

"After we finish the phase of talking to the Americans, then we would start the internal phase ... that would include all Afghans," he said. "Having all groups involved will guarantee peace and stability."

___

Gannon reported from Islamabad, Pakistan. Associated Press writers John Miller in Hailey, Idaho, Brian Murphy in Dubai and Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Kathy Gannon is AP Special Regional Correspondent for Afghanistan and Pakistan and can be reached at www.twitter.com/kathygannon

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-taliban-offer-free-us-soldier-073132683.html

joe avezzano kanye west theraflu joey votto the masters live mega millions winner holy thursday chris stewart

At Brandenburg Gate, Obama Warns 'Our Work Is Not Yet Done'

ap obama berlin speech thg 130619 wblog At Brandenburg Gate, Obama Warns Our Work Is Not Yet DonePresident Obama at Brandenburg Gate

BERLIN - Speaking at Berlin's historic Brandenburg Gate, President Obama today challenged Western democracies not to become complacent in the post-Cold War era, saying "our work is not yet done."

"Complacency is not the character of great nations. Today's threats are not as stark as they were half a century ago, but the struggle for freedom and security and human dignity - that struggle goes on," the president told a crowd of over 4,000 invitees.

"I've come here, to this city of hope, because the tests of our time demand the same fighting spirit that defined Berlin a half-century ago," he said.

The iconic gate, famed for powerful political statements, has become a symbol of this once-divided city's reunification. Speaking 50 years after President Kennedy delivered his famous "ich bin ein Berliner" speech on the west side of the Berlin Wall, Obama spoke in what was once East Germany.

"While I am not the first American president to come to this gate, I am proud to stand on its Eastern side to pay tribute to the past," he said.

"The wall belongs to history. But we have history to make as well. And the heroes that came before us now call to us to live up to those highest ideals," he said.

The president's speech was five years in the making. Then-Senator Obama wanted to give a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in 2008, but was denied. The Germans said it was an honor reserved for sitting presidents.

Instead, in what has become one of the most famous images of his first campaign, Obama addressed a crowd of 200,000 people at the nearby Victory Column.

That enthusiasm was hard to match today. The crowd endured hours in the blistering, 90 plus degree heat waiting for the president to start. Medics zipped through the audience and staffers urgently doled out water to provide relief.

The president was feeling the heat as well.

"Thank you for this extraordinarily warm welcome. In fact, it's so warm and I feel so good that I'm actually going to take off my jacket," he said, squinting through the scorching sun. "We can be a little more informal among friends."

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brandenburg-gate-obama-warns-not-yet-done-171523402--abc-news-politics.html

Apple Pie Recipe black friday How long to cook a turkey green bean casserole green bean casserole recipe red dawn sweet potato pie

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Jeff Scott Sports replied to These Nats are SWARIMNG .... members slammer........... in Baseball .

{ContentName}

","searchItemHtmlBlock":"
  • {Title}
  • \t\t","searchSearchingHtmlBlock":"

    Searching...

    ","searchNoResultsHtmlBlock":"

    No results found

    ","showAllHtmlBlock":"Show All...","searchErrorHtmlBlock":"

    Search is currently unavailable.

    ","searchOptionsPopup":"ctl00_header_ctl00_w_166__fffffffff60c1bf9_ctl00_Search1_SearchOptionsPopup","searchOptionName":"ctl00_header_ctl00_w_166__fffffffff60c1bf9_ctl00_Search1_filter","lastKeyCode":"","timeout":""}}; $(document).ready(function() { Core_Search_Register(header_166); }); // ]]>

    Source: http://pregame.com/pregame-forums/default.aspx?ActivityMessageId=72e3112d-3f06-497a-a993-c3878dba18f6

    doctor who powerball Preakness 2013 beyonce lottery Preakness results justin bieber

    Fed keeps buying bonds, but sees economic risks easing

    By Alister Bull and Pedro da Costa

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday said risks to the outlook for the U.S. economy and job market had eased since last fall, but it said it would keep buying $85 billion in bonds per month given the still-high level of unemployment.

    Describing the economy as expanding moderately, Fed officials cited further improvement in the labor market and the housing sector, even as they noted that inflation was running below their 2 percent long-term goal.

    In a statement after a two day meeting, the Fed's policy-setting panel offered a more upbeat assessment of the risks facing the economy than they had after they last met in May.

    "The committee sees the downside risks to the outlook for the economy and the labor market as having diminished since the fall," the Fed said.

    U.S. stocks slipped, the dollar rose to session highs against both the yen and the euro, and U.S. rate futures fell as traders saw the statement as a small step toward an eventual reduction in the central bank's pace of bond buying.

    "The statement contained a notable pat on the back, saying the downside risks to the outlook for the economy and the labor market have diminished since the fall, which is a necessary precursor if they are going to get to the point where they do start to taper," said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com in New York.

    Kansas City Fed President Esther George again dissented against the Fed's expansion of its support for the economy, expressing concern it could fuel financial imbalances and hurt the central bank's goal of keeping inflation contained.

    But in a surprise, St. Louis Fed chief James Bullard also dissented, arguing the Fed should signal more strongly its willingness to defend its 2 percent goal for inflation.

    Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will be questioned on the difference between tapering bond purchases and tightening monetary policy in a news conference at 2.30 p.m.

    He will also likely face questions on his future after President Barack Obama hinted in an interview on Monday that the chairman was ready to step down at the end of his current term, on January 31, 2014.

    RATE RISE NOT SEEN UNTIL 2015

    The Fed has held overnight interest rates near zero since December 2008 while more than tripling its balance sheet to around $3.3 trillion with its bond buying.

    In its current and third installment of so-called quantitative easing, it is purchasing $40 billion in mortgage-backed securities and $45 billion in longer-term U.S. government securities each month.

    Economists expect rates to stay on hold until 2015, but the view in financial markets of the lift-off date had shifted forward since Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke fired up speculation last month that the central bank could soon curb its asset buying.

    The Fed repeated on Wednesday that it will not lift interest rates until unemployment hits 6.5 percent or lower, provided that the outlook for inflation stays under 2.5 percent. The jobless rate was 7.6 percent in May.

    In fresh quarterly projections, 14 of the 19 members of the Fed's policy-setting committee said they did not think it would be appropriate to raise rates until sometime in 2015.

    Three officials saw 2014 as the year that rates would lift off from near zero, versus four policymakers back in March. One official continued to anticipate the first rate hike in 2016 and one in 2013.

    In a sharp downgrade, the Fed forecast the PCE price index, its preferred gauge of the price pressures facing consumers, would rise just 0.8 to 1.2 percent this year. However, it saw the index heading back to 1.4 to 2.0 percent in 2014 and 1.6 to 2.0 percent in 2015. The Fed has a 2 percent inflation goal.

    Furthermore, in a slight upgrade to their projections, officials forecast unemployment to average 6.5 to 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter of next year, and 5.8 to 6.2 percent in the final three months of 2015.

    They forecast U.S. economic growth of between 3.0 and 3.5 percent next year and 2.9 to 3.6 percent in 2015.

    Analysts think U.S. growth slowed a bit in the second quarter of this year in the face of fiscal drag from government spending cuts and higher taxes, and recent readings from the economy have been mixed.

    The labor market, a central focus of Fed efforts to boost growth, has notched steady improvement with 175,000 new jobs added in May. But U.S. manufacturers have been hurt by softer overseas demand, and inflation has fallen even further beneath the Fed's goal.

    The consumer price index was up 1.4 percent in May from a year ago. But the PCE price index rose just 0.7 percent in the 12 months through April, the most recent reading.

    (Writing by Alister Bull; Additional reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Andrea Ricci)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fed-seen-keeping-options-open-pace-bond-buying-050838496.html

    bolton muamba crystal cathedral sxsw st. patrick s day brandon lloyd brandon lloyd celtic thunder

    Wednesday, June 19, 2013

    5 Ways to Use Video to Improve Your Real Estate Marketing

    Today, we are honored to have industry icon, Stephen Schweickart, as our guest blogger. He is the founder and CEO of VScreen, the nation?s leading video services company within the Real Estate industry. Stephen, just today, announced the launch of his company?s new video marketing tool, MarketVideos, which gives agents the tools to keep their name in all the right places with their clients. ? The KCM Crew

    Video-1024x1024[1]It seems with the release of new digital marketing tools, real estate professionals are finding more creative ways to interact and build relationships with their customers.?Here are?5 reasons?agents should be using videos.

    1. Build relationships. ? Video helps develop familiarity and approachability.? On a relational level, if someone can see what you look like, know how you interact, and get a sense of your personality it can put you in control of the first impression you have on them.? First impressions are the building blocks of any relationships.

    2.? Stay top of mind.? If 70% of homebuyers forget the name of their real estate agent within 1 year of buying their home, it may be important to be remembered by the people you help.? Having relevant video content, like home improvement or maintenance tips, can help you stay top of mind with your clients even after they buy a home.

    3.? Be easy to find.? When homebuyers are searching for properties the first place they go is the Internet.? Having searchable videos hosted on sites like YouTube will help your Google rankings.? Videos are 53 times more likely to generate a first page Google ranking. Once your video is ranked, consumers are then 41% more likely to click on a video within the search results over any other form of content.

    4.? Grab and keep your prospects attention.? Video makes up for 50% of all internet activity.? Because of this, having a video on your website will keep visitors on your site up to six times longer?that?s 6X the opportunity to capture them as a lead.

    5.? Be viewed as the local expert.? Delivering relevant videos to your current, past, and future clients is a great way to separate yourself from your competitors.? If the videos you have are truly helpful, they will increase repeat visits to your site, blog or social network.

    Making It Simple

    Now that you know why the use of videos is so important, the question remains ?how?. You can either make a sizable investment in video equipment and training and hope for the best or see if there is an affordable, professional solution to the problem.

    Through extensive research and testing, a video marketing tool has been discovered that easily and economically provides an answer. Market Videos are designed to provide real estate professionals with 5 high quality videos every month that educate prospective homebuyers of local market conditions, real estate tips, and home design.

    Still Not Sure? Things You Should Know?

    What types of videos should I do and which get the best results?

    Videos that position you as the go-to resource for all things real estate are the types of videos you should do. The average homebuyer will purchase a home every 7 years. In order to stay relevant to them, you should have videos that are evergreen in nature and can be used for educational marketing. Some other videos you can do include: community tours, market videos and real estate tips videos (as seen on marketvideos.com)

    How long should my videos be?

    Your videos should be no more than 2 minutes in length. A general time frame for the length of your videos is 1:20. Remember, the longer your video the quicker people will leave.

    Where should I distribute my videos?

    Some of the best places to distribute your videos online are YouTube (trumps all), TubeMogul, facebook, twitter, linkedin, and your video newsletters.

    Which videos should be done professionally versus made by my 12 year old niece?

    Videos that are meant to be organic may be done on your phone. This would include client testimonials for example. The videos that need to be professional are the evergreen videos. This would include videos about the community, your company, the market, etc. If you do a listing video it should be done professionally only if it is a multi-million dollar property. If not, you will be better off using a virtual tour.

    If I?ve never done video before, where is the easiest place for me to start?

    Again, MarketVideos.com is the easiest place for you to start using videos. We make all of the videos so you don?t have to. We also put them into a newsletter and you send them to your database.

    If you think that you want to use best of class videos in your marketing, check us out!!

    Source: http://www.kcmblog.com/2013/06/18/5-ways-to-use-video-to-improve-your-real-estate-marketing/

    rod blagojevich uconn vcu mario williams unlv sam young ramon sessions

    Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signs Medicaid expansion (reuters)

    Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

    Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/313376837?client_source=feed&format=rss

    columbus day columbus day Stacy Dash Amber Tamblyn Lilit Avagyan Nashville TV Show VP debate

    Tuesday, June 18, 2013

    UK charges ex-UBS trader Hayes in Libor investigation

    By Kirstin Ridley

    LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's fraud prosecutor on Tuesday charged former UBS and Citigroup trader Tom Hayes with eight counts of conspiracy to defraud as it laid the groundwork for what could be the first Libor trial.

    Hayes, 33, was arrested by London police and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) last December as part of a global investigation, spanning North America, Europe and Japan, into the manipulation of benchmark interest rates.

    Libor, the London interbank offered rate, is a crucial benchmark affecting hundreds of trillions of dollars of mortgages and other loans worldwide.

    So far, U.S. and UK regulators have fined three banks, including Switzerland's UBS, a total $2.6 billion for their role in the scandal.

    The UK criminal charges will allow the SFO to stake a jurisdictional claim on Hayes, a Briton who has faced possible extradition since being charged by U.S. prosecutors last year.

    One day after his arrest on December 11, the U.S. Department of Justice lodged sealed charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and an antitrust violation against Hayes.

    The SFO on Tuesday said Hayes would appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court in London at 10 a.m. (5 a.m. ET) on Thursday, where his charges will be detailed and read out in open court.

    His case will then transfer to a higher crown court, where, if he does not plead guilty, it is expected to be heard in front of a jury.

    "It all turns on his plea," a senior lawyer said.

    Hayes lawyer was not available to comment. UBS and Citigroup also declined to comment.

    STAR TRADER

    Hayes was 27 when he joined Swiss bank UBS in Tokyo in 2006, becoming a senior and highly-valued trader of interest-rate derivatives indexed to yen-denominated Libor. In late 2009, he left UBS to join Citigroup. He left Citigroup less than a year later.

    Hayes could be extradited to the United States and prosecuted there after any UK trial if the charges were sufficiently different, lawyers said.

    "After a UK trial has taken place, a court deciding on extradition will look very closely at the nature of the U.S. charges, because if the defendant is able to show he has already been tried for these offences ... then he won't be extradited," said Andrew Oldland, head of the regulatory team at law firm Michelmores, which is not involved in the case.

    "But in practice, quite often, the U.S. charges are different and relate to different facts. Then you quite frequently have a UK prosecution followed by a U.S. prosecution."

    Last week the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said traders from 20 banks, including HSBC , had tried to inappropriately influence benchmark rates in the Southeast Asian city-state.

    The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has also said it is investigating HSBC, UBS and a number of other banks about possible misconduct relating to its submissions for the Hong Kong Interbank Offered Rate (Hibor).

    (Additional reporting by Laura Noonan; Editing by Erica Billingham)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-charges-ex-ubs-trader-hayes-libor-investigation-100752745.html

    USA VS Mexico Alexis DeJoria Marshall Henderson Tubby Smith Marriage Equality opm passover