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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Afghanistan helicopter crash kills two Americans

KABUL (Reuters) - A helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan killed two American members of the NATO-led force on Tuesday, spokesmen said.

There were no reports of enemy activity in the area, said Captain Dan Einert, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

U.S. military spokesman Colonel Thomas Collins said both the dead were from the United States.

The helicopter went down in Pachir Agam district of Nangarhar province, said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the governor's office.

No other details were immediately available.

(Reporting By Katharine Houreld; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghanistan-helicopter-crash-kills-2-members-nato-led-131446273.html

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Monday, April 8, 2013

Microsoft To Sell IPTV Mediaroom Division To Ericsson, Will Refocus TV Efforts On Xbox

Microsoft announced today via its blog that it will be selling its Mediaroom properties to Ericsson, in a deal that will see Ericsson become the dominant IPTV player in the industry with over 25 percent market share. Mediaroom operates as a pretty much separate company from Microsoft, with its own HQ in Mountain View and around 400 employees, and powers TV offerings like AT&T U-verse, as well as services from Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica and Telus. The deal clears the deck for Microsoft fo go all-in on Xbox as the focal point of its own TV efforts.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2RNxr-lGCSI/

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Norway's energy minister exposed | IceNews - Daily News

Posted on 07 April 2013. Tags: Ola Borten Moe, Per Borten, Portrett av en pl?yboy

A newly released unauthorised biography of Ola Borten Moe paints an unflattering picture of an ambitious young man with a love of partying.?Written by Verden Gang (VG) political editor Elisabeth Skarsb? Moen, the book is an untimely revelation for Norway?s controversial Oil and Energy Minister.

Moe is the grandson of former Prime Minister Per Borten, and is described in the book, which is titled Portrett av en pl?yboy (?Portrait of a plowboy?), as lusting for power. It reveals incidents of partying and nakedness, quite literally, which the author was personally privy to.

But it?s not without criticism. Norway?s journalists are typically restrained and some have admonished Moen for violating confidence. Harald Stanghelle, of Aftenposten, called her revelation speculative and moralistic. Pernille Huseby, political editor of the small, farmer-friendly newspaper, Nationen, that often supports Moe?s Center Party, agreed with Stanghelle, claiming that it was unnecessary for the Norwegian public to be informed of Moe?s antics.

Moe himself has said ?It?s difficult to comment on something I haven?t read, and I?m not even sure I will read it.? The handsome young minister has ruffled feathers in his party by favouring oil and gas exploration and production over environmental protection. He is also known to have butted heads with party leader Liv Signe Navarsete.

It will not be a welcome book, considering the fledgling party is struggling with popularity, reckoned to be less than 5 per cent in the polls.

Source: http://www.icenews.is/2013/04/07/norways-energy-minister-exposed/

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Fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer dies at 81

FILE - In this March 16, 1965 file photo, Palm Beach the fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer, wears her own design and creation of the Lilly shift, in Palm Beach, Fla. Pulitzer, known for her tropical print dresses, dies in Florida at 81. (AP Photo/Robert H. Houston, File)

MIAMI (AP) ? Lilly Pulitzer, a Palm Beach socialite turned designer whose tropical print dresses became a sensation in the 1960s and later a fashion classic, died Sunday. She was 81.

Pulitzer, who married into the famous newspaper family, got her start in fashion by spilling orange juice on her clothes. A rich housewife with time to spare and a husband who owned orange groves, she opened a juice stand in 1959, and asked her seamstress to make dresses in colorful prints that would camouflage fruit stains.

The dresses hung on a pipe behind her juice stand and soon outsold her drinks. The company's dresses, developed with the help of partner Laura Robbins, a former fashion editor, soon caught on.

"Lilly has been a true inspiration to us and we will miss her," according to a statement on the Lilly Pulitzer brand Facebook page. "In the days and weeks ahead we will celebrate all that Lilly meant to us. Lilly was a true original who has brought together generations through her bright and happy mark on the world."

Her death was confirmed by Gale Schiffman of Quattlebaum Funeral and Cremation Services in West Palm Beach. She did not know Pulitzer's cause of death.

Jacqueline Kennedy, who attended boarding school with Pulitzer, even wore one of the sleeveless shifts in a Life magazine photo spread, and matriarch Rose Kennedy and one of her teenage granddaughters were once reported to have bought nearly identical versions together.

The signature Lilly palette features tongue-in-cheek jungle and floral prints in blues, pinks, light greens, yellow and orange ? the colors of a Florida vacation.

"I designed collections around whatever struck my fancy ... fruits, vegetables, politics, or peacocks! I entered in with no business sense. It was a total change of life for me, but it made people happy," Pulitzer told the The Associated Press in March 2009.

The line of dresses that bore her name was later expanded to swimsuits, country club attire, children's clothing, a home collection and a limited selection of menswear.

"Style isn't just about what you wear, it's about how you live," Pulitzer said in 2004.

"We focus on the best, fun and happy things, and people want that. Being happy never goes out of style," she said.

In 1966, The Washington Post reported that the dresses were "so popular that at the Southampton Lilly shop on Job's Lane they are proudly put in clear plastic bags tied gaily with ribbons so that all the world may see the Lilly of your choice. It's like carrying your own racing colors or flying a yacht flag for identification."

But changing taste brought trouble. Pulitzer closed her original company in the mid-1980s after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The label was revived about a decade later after being acquired by Pennsylvania-based Sugartown Worldwide Inc.; Pulitzer was only marginally involved in the new business but continued reviewing new prints from Florida.

"When Lilly started the business back in the '60s, she targeted a young customer because she was young," the company's president, Jim Bradbeer, told the AP in 2003. "What we have done is target the daughter and granddaughter of that original customer."

Sugartown Worldwide was bought by Atlanta-based Oxford Industries in 2010.

Pulitzer herself retired from day-to-day operations in 1993, although remained a consultant for the brand.

Pulitzer was born Lilly McKim on Nov. 10, 1931, to a wealthy family in Roslyn, N.Y.

In 1952, she married Pete Pulitzer, the grandson of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, whose bequest to Columbia University established the Pulitzer Prize. They divorced in 1969. Her second husband, Enrique Rousseau, died in 1993.

"I don't know how to explain what it was like to run my business, the joy of every day," she told Vanity Fair magazine in a story in 2003. "I got a kick every time I went into the shipping department. ... I loved seeing (the dresses) going out the door. I loved them selling in the shop. I liked them on the body. Everything. There's no explaining the fun I had."

Pulitzer, who was known for hosting parties barefoot at her Palm Beach home, also published two guides to entertaining.

"That's what life is all about: Let's have a party. Let's have it tonight," she said.

___

Online:

Lilly Pulitzer: http://www.lillypulitzer.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-04-07-Lilly%20Pulitzer/id-93ade2af8ace48cc9bd49d144b5db4f5

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Sunday, April 7, 2013

State's Union Bill 'Political Payback'?

Maryland lawmakers agreed this week to require public school teachers to pay union fees ? a move that bolsters the state?s connection to organized labor as others move toward a right-to-work status.

The bill passed Thursday in the General Assembly and is headed to the desk of Democratic Gov. Martin O?Malley for signing after Monday, the final day of Maryland?s 2013 legislative session.

The bill is also part of a larger progressive agenda put fourth this year by leaders of the Democrat-controlled Assembly that includes the approval of tax increases and one of the toughest gun-control proposals in the country.

State Sen. David Brinkley calls the fees a ?forced tax? and disagrees with union claims that representation will benefit every teacher.

?If the representation is so exceptional, then everybody would join,? he said. ?I just don?t buy it. It?s a political payback that has nothing substantial to do with the merits of education.?

The bill will require tens of thousands of public school teachers to pay close to 1 percent of their paychecks in so-called ?fair share? fees to cover the cost of contract negotiations and grievance representation.

Union leaders say the legislation attempts to create uniformity across Maryland and that non-union workers should share the cost.

?We just have a patchwork of bills with no consistency,? said Sean Johnson, the Maryland State Teachers Association?s managing director of legislative and legal affairs.

Johnson acknowledged some issues are best decided on a local level but not in this case, in which some workers pay for union representatives to negotiate fair pay and benefits while others do not.

Right now, 24 states have right-to-work statues, which prohibit unions from requiring employees to join or pay dues as a condition of employment, according to the National Right to Work Foundation.

?The right to work has been on the march for several decades,? said Greg Mourad, vice president for the Right to Work Committee. ?And Maryland is moving in the wrong direction in relation to the rest of America.?

He also said the recent efforts by governors in Indian and Michigan that made their states right to work states ?stunned a lot of people.?

Mourad said the key points are employees want freedom in the workplace and employers want to open businesses where they can treat their employees fairly and they won?t be forced to join unions. ??

The new Maryland legislation is an extension of 2009 legislation passed by the Assembly -- at the request of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ? that requires all state workers except teachers to pay the fees.

Right now, teachers in Baltimore City and nine of the state?s 23 counties already pay the fee, as do all other state employees including prison guards and state troopers.

Johnson also said the fees are not automatic and will be decided during future contract negotiations between the union and local school boards. The fees will not go toward political activities and workers are not being forced to join the union, he also said. ?

The legislature has already passed O?Malley incremental gas-tax increase that will up the price of a gallon of gas by as much as 20 cents by 2016 and the governor?s gun-control bill, which is considered among the toughest in the county. The bill includes bans on assault weapons, limits on high-capacity magazines and fingerprinting for buyers.

Mourad said he expects O?Malley will sign the union bill.

O?Malley?s office said Wednesday the bill was not part of the governor?s legislative agency and ?no decision has been made? whether he would sign it.

"Gov. O?Malley has been competing with (New York) Gov. Cuomo to make Maryland the most liberal and high taxed state in the nation," said state Republican Delegate Susan Krebs. "It is a race to the bottom for Maryland, this is all ?an effort by the governor to position himself to the left of his potential presidential contenders.? There is no doubt that Maryland has become the bluest of blue states."

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/06/maryland-lawmakers-pass-bill-forcing-teachers-to-pay-union-fees-reversing-right/

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Church: Pastor Rick Warren's son commits suicide

LAKE FOREST, Calif. The Southern California church headed by popular evangelical Pastor Rick Warren announced Saturday that Warren's 27-year-old son has committed suicide.

Warren's Saddleback Valley Community Church said in a statement that Matthew Warren had struggled with mental illness and deep depression throughout his life.

"Matthew was an incredibly kind, gentle and compassionate young man whose sweet spirit was encouragement and comfort to many," the statement said.

"Unfortunately, he also suffered from mental illness resulting in deep depression and suicidal thoughts. Despite the best health care available, this was an illness that was never fully controlled and the emotional pain resulted in his decision to take his life."

Warren, the author of the multimillion-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life," said in an email to church staff that he and his wife had enjoyed a fun Friday evening with their son before Matthew Warren returned home to take his life in "a momentary wave of despair."

Church spokeswoman Kristin Cole said he died Friday night.

Over the years, Matthew Warren had been treated by America s best doctors, had received counseling and medication and been the recipient of numerous prayers from others, his father said.

Still, he struggled over the years.

"I'll never forget how, many years ago, after another approach had failed to give relief, Matthew said 'Dad, I know I'm going to heaven. Why can't I just die and end this pain?'" Warren recalled.

Despite that, he said, his son lived for another decade, during which he often reached out to help others.

"You who watched Matthew grow up knew he was an incredibly kind, gentle, and compassionate man," Warren wrote. "He had a brilliant intellect and a gift for sensing who was most in pain or most uncomfortable in a room. He'd then make a bee-line to that person to engage and encourage them."

The elder Warren founded Saddleback Church in 1980, according to his biography on the church website, and over the years watched it grow to 20,000 members. He and his wife, Kay, began by holding Bible studies for people who weren't regular churchgoers.

In 2008, the church sponsored a presidential forum with Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain. Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney had been invited to a similar forum last fall, but Warren canceled it, saying the campaign had become too uncivil.

As Saddleback has grown over the years, it has spread out from its Lake Forest headquarters, 65 miles southeast of Los Angeles, adding several other campuses and ministries around Southern California.

The church says it now offers more than 200 community ministries and support groups for parents, families, children, couples, prisoners, addicts, and people living with HIV, depression and other illnesses.

Warren was named the top newsmaker of the year for 2009 by the Religion Newswriters Association. He gained attention that year with his invocation at President Barack Obama's inauguration that year and comments he made in the aftermath of California's Proposition 8, which overturned gay marriage.

Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/04/06/3964362/church-pastor-rick-warrens-son.html

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Sony outs Lightning-friendly speaker dock in Japan, alarm clock and radio features in tow

Sony may have unveiled a slew of new audio products back at CES 2013, but the company has been relatively quiet when it comes to launching ones that are compatible with Apple's novel Lightning connector. That being said, it looks as if folks in the Land of the Rising Sun will soon be able to pair their current-gen iOS device with a dock from the PlayStation maker, thanks to the recently announced SRS-GC11IP. Pictured above, this little 0.8W speaker isn't loaded with fancy features like Bluetooth 4.0 or WiFi, but it does offer convenient functions such as an alarm clock and AM / FM radio -- these, of course, go along with the ability to also play tunes straight from a Lighting-ready iDevice or, with the proper RDP-NWC11 model, a new-era Walkman and many different smartphones. Whether we'll ever see the as-yet-unpriced tubular peripheral hit other markets, well, that still remains to be seen, with Sony only going so far as to listing it as "coming soon" on its Japanese website.

Gallery: Sony RDP-NWC11 speaker dock